Chapter 4: The Competitors

Morning sunlight gleamed radiantly, illuminating both the city of Ponyville and the city of Canterlot. Even as the Crusaders woke up to continue their adventures, a different band of treasure hunters were finding themselves waking in the prestigious Canterlot Castle.

After finding the ruby in the Crystal Caverns, the Royal Treasure Seekers had made their way back to the Castle and had immediately begun preparing themselves for whatever might await them in the coming days. The preparations were coming along well, perhaps even a little too well.

A week had now passed since the group returned from the Caverns and still the gem they had found remained dull and lifeless. It had only taken them a few days to gather necessary supplies like clothes, food, and sleeping bags. Now, the Royal Treasure Seekers were free to pursue activities at their own pleasure until Sun Cloak should call.

It was well into the afternoon on one of these days that Rainbow Dash slammed open the door to their room in the Castle. The room was long and completely built of cobblestone. A large red rug was spread across the floor and a fireplace had been set halfway down the room. Tall windows allowed the noonday sunshine to spill in upon the beds, which lined both sides of the walls. All in all, it was spacious but also cozy.

“Urgh! I’m so bored. There’s nothing to do!” Dash groaned as she threw herself onto her bed, which hadn’t been made.

Spike snorted loudly from a few beds down, turned over in his comfy bed, and immediately started to snore. Rainbow Dash lazily glanced over toward his general direction.

“Has he really been sleeping all day?” Dash wondered aloud.

“Yup,” Applejack replied, “He calls it an ‘extended nap’.”

Startled, Rainbow looked over to find the orange mare standing over a small writing desk under one of the windows. Dash flipped herself out of bed and sauntered over to her friend. Applejack never turned around, as she seemed to be busy writing.

“What’cha up to AJ?”

“Huh?” the farmer turned and noticed Rainbow Dash standing over her, “Oh, I’m jus’ writin’ home and tellin’ em’ what’s happenin’ ‘round here.”

“That’s nice. I wish I could find something to do. Hey, by the way, where is everybody?”

“Well, Rarity said somethin’ ‘bout goin’ out to meet Fancy Pants, Pinkie Pie’s in the kitchen, and I don’t think Twilight’s left the library since we got here.”

“Figures. Everypony has something to do but me! Wait, what about Fluttershy?”

“Uh…hi,” a soft voice said from behind the cyan pegasus.

Dash turned around to find Fluttershy standing there.

“Did you say that Twilight hasn’t left the library?” asked Fluttershy timidly.

Applejack nodded.

“Oh, but that’s so sad. Doesn’t her family live in Canterlot? I know she hasn’t been back often to see them since moving to Ponyville. I’m sure that we could do some research for her if that meant she could spend some time with her parents.”

“That’s a great idea Sugarcube,” Applejack smiled. “How ‘bout tonight? I could get in contact with her folks and we’ll set her up at a good ‘n proper restaurant or somethin’.”

Then, the door flung wide open as Rarity walked in. She was levitating a boatload of shopping bags full of clothes, purses, and sewing material.

“I’m back!” she sang and dropped her bags carefully by her neatly made bed.

“Rarity!” Applejack greeted. “Perfect timin’. We were in the middle of plannin’ a night for Twilight to get together with her folks. I’m sure you know of a good eatin’ joint in Canterlot?”

“What a splendid idea! And I know just the place: The Prancing Gardens. Of course, I’ll have to set up reservations quickly but that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Great!” Applejack replied.

“This is nice and all, but is there a way I can help?” Dash spoke up.

“Well, someone still needs to let Twilight know,” Fluttershy replied. “Maybe you could tell her?”

“If it’ll give me something to do, consider it done!”

Rainbow Dash sped out of the room to find her scholarly friend.

* * * * * * * * *

“A night with my parents at the Prancing Gardens?” Twilight was beaming excitedly. “That’s wonderful! Thank you so much!”

“I really shouldn’t take all the credit. It was Fluttershy’s idea after all,” Dash shrugged nonchalantly.

“But it’s tonight? That only gives me a few hours to prepare! The Prancing Gardens is very high class. I can’t just show up looking like this.”

“Don’t sweat it Twilight. You’ve got plenty of time. Besides, I’m sure Rarity wouldn’t mind helping you find an outfit.”

“Of course, but…Oh! I’ve got so much to do to get ready! Thanks again!” Twilight ran out of the Royal Archives happily.

It was then that Pinkie Pie ran full force into Rainbow Dash.

“Oof!” cried the cyan pegasus, “Pinkie Pie? What are you doing here?”

“Shh…look,” Pinkie shushed Rainbow and pointed at a book shelf.

As Dash watched, a pony walked over to the shelf and took a book out. Suddenly, a spray of confetti and streamers plastered his face. Pinkie and Dash couldn’t help from snickering and then bursting into laughter.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were doing pranks?” Rainbow asked, “Looks like I know what I’m doing tonight.”

The two friends left the library, talking of various ingenious ways on how to give the Royal Guard a night they wouldn’t soon forget. Twilight, too, was also preparing for a night she would not soon forget at the prestigious Prancing Gardens.

* * * * * * * * *

The restaurant was packed that night as Twilight sat down to a dinner of the finest oats, flowers, and hay Canterlot could offer.

“Twilight, I can’t tell you how proud we are of you,” began Twilight’s mother, a white colored unicorn with two-toned purple and white hair. Her clear blue eyes shimmered with excitement and a small tear trickled down her cheek.

“Yes. Our daughter, a hero!” praised her father, also a unicorn but deep blue in color with even darker blue hair.

“Mom…Dad…Stop it,” Twilight waved a hoof in front of her and blushed.

“Oh, we just haven’t seen you for so long,” cooed her mother, “I know you write to us and all, but it’s just not the same.”

They began to catch up on life, research, and work while the gourmet food was served. In due course, the conversation turned to the inevitable treasure hunt.

“Rumor on the street is that you and your friends might be partaking in the hunt on behalf of the Princesses,” Twilight’s dad said between bites.

“That’s right,” began her mom with wide eyes, “we tried to ask your brother about it, but he wouldn’t talk on the matter. He mentioned something to do with your safety.”

Twilight’s eyes grew large and an excited smile grew across her face.

“Shining Armor is in Canterlot?! I thought he was still in the Crystal Empire with Cadence.”

“Oh yes!” her dad replied, “Didn’t he tell you yet? Princess Celestia called him back. He’s still the Captain of the Royal Guard, remember, and Canterlot needs his protection, sadly from its own citizens. I know you’ve been locked in the Castle for a while now, but surely you’ve gotten some news about Canterlot recently?”

Twilight shook her head, “No, I’ve been too busy performing research on Sun Cloak to listen to much news.”

Her mother’s gasped in shock, “You mean you haven’t heard? Oh, there was almost a mob organized in the downtown shopping district. They thought the treasure was hidden in Canterlot Castle of all places! Luckily the Guard, and your brother, was there to put a stop to it before anypony did anything rash.”

Twilight’s father then spoke up, “And some ponies have even claimed to have seen a dragon flying around the mountain! Shining Armor hasn’t put his shield up yet, as it’s only a rumor, but he’s definitely needed here in Canterlot.”

“Then what about Cadence?” Twilight pressed.

“She’s still in the Crystal Empire,” her mother said assuredly, “She’s got her own city to keep from going berserk.”

“But all by herself?”

“It’s her magic dear,” Twilight’s dad explained, “Shining Armor told us she can use it to keep the crystal ponies calm and thinking clearly. Even so, Princess Luna sent a number of guards to help her out.”

“Wow,” Twilight was taken aback, “I had no idea how crazy a nation wide treasure hunt would be.”

The family was silent for a few awkward moments as they all took another bite or two of their dinner, but they didn’t really seem to be very hungry. Then, Twilight started to get really excited.

“Oh!Oh!Oh!” she leaned in close to her parents, “I forgot to tell you, we ARE going on the treasure hunt! In fact, we already solved the first riddle!”

Her father quickly hushed her, “Shh! Shh! If anypony in Canterlot finds out about it you could get mobbed! You have to keep it a secret.”

“Right,” Twilight shrunk back and calmed down to a whisper.

Her parents couldn’t hold back the smiles on their faces, however. Then, her mother’s face became cheery as a thought clearly crossed into her mind.

“Sweetie, if you’re really in the running for this thing then we might be able help,” she whispered.

“How so?” Twilight leaned back in.

“Well, your father and I have heard some talk about this Sun Cloak character and his treasure recently. But then again, who hasn’t? And we may have figured out who else is in the hunt.”

“Really? Who?”

“They call themselves the Society of Sun,” continued her father quietly, “it’s like a secret society for this Sun Cloak character. They’ve been around for years now, but after this incident they’ve started to gain in popularity. I mean, I hadn’t even heard of them before this whole ordeal!”

“It’s a very small group from what we’ve heard, only about four or five, and they tend to be secretive,” her mother added.

“But the reason that we suspect them,” her dad jumped back in, “is because, for all of their newfound popularity, they won’t let anyone else join. In fact, it seems that they’ve locked themselves in their meeting house and only come out to grab supplies. It’s all very suspicious.”

“Thank you,” Twilight smiled, “I’ll definitely make sure to do some research on this Society of Sun.”

“Of course you will,” her mom said and another tear welled up in her eyes. “Oh, look at our little researcher, going off on treasure hunts for the Princesses! Who would have guessed?”

“Oh mom,” now Twilight started crying as she walked over and hugged her mother passionately.

As with all good things, however, the meal came to an end and the tight-knit family was forced to say their farewells and head their separate ways, but, before returning to Canterlot Castle, Twilight had some investigating to do.

* * * * * * * * *

“Hmm…” Twilight pondered as she strolled down the lamp lit streets of Canterlot. A good many ponies were strolling around and almost every house light seemed to be on. Her lavender eyes darted from home to home, looking for one in particular.

“That shop keeper said the meeting house was down this street. Let me see, she said it was painted blue and circular. It shouldn’t be that hard to find…There! That must be it!”

Twilight jogged confidently up to the round building. It was smaller than most around it and was painted a light blue. She found that the door was also painted blue, but was a much darker shade than the outside walls. On the door was carved an emblem of a sun, which looked suspiciously like the symbol on Sun Cloak’s own cape. This carving was painted a cheery gold color.

Twilight knocked politely on the door. The sound of shuffling hooves came from inside the house and a few muffled voices she couldn’t make out. Then, a small slit in the door opened up. Twilight found herself staring into a pair of glaring green eyes.

“We are not inducting anypony into the Society of Sun, so go away,” said a gruff male voice.

The slit slammed shut and Twilight was left speechless.

“What are you doing?” a different muffled voice said from inside, this one also male.

“I’m just-” replied the grumpy one.

“No! We in the Society of Sun treat others respectfully. I know you joined us only a few months ago, so I’ll let this one slide, but don’t let me catch you doing that again,” the second voice reprimanded the green eyed one.

More shuffling could be heard from inside and the slit once again opened to reveal a pair of deep yellow eyes shining from inside.

“Ah! Welcome! Please, if you would, step away from the door for a moment,” said the stallion with the golden eyes.

Twilight did as asked and the door slowly opened as a light brown colored unicorn stepped out. He opened the door just wide enough to step outside, but then closed it quickly behind him so Twilight couldn’t see in. The pony appeared to be around the same age as Twilight and had a short mane, deep brown in color. Twilight noticed that his cutie mark was a trio of blue question marks.

“I would like to give you my sincerest apologies for my friend’s rude behavior,” the stallion’s voice interrupted Twilight’s observation, “but I must confess that he was correct. We are not accepting new recruits at this moment, however, you can come back in a few months when this whole treasure hunting mess is dealt with and we’ll gladly review your credentials.”

“No, I’m sorry. I’m not here for that,” Twilight smiled somewhat awkwardly, “Actually; I’m here to put a rumor to bed. I heard that your group may have figured out Sun Cloak’s riddle?”

“I’m terribly sorry, but what did you say your name was again?”

“Oh! Sparkle, Twilight Sparkle.”

The stallion’s eyes lit up excitedly for a second, but he immediately cleared his throat and the excitement dimmed.

“Well, I’m sorry Miss Sparkle, but because of the recent developments in the city I really can’t help you for fear of my friends’ safety. If, however, we have indeed solved the riddle I’m sure you will hear about us soon enough. Good night.”

He then reopened the door, again barely enough for him to slip through, and closed it behind him. Twilight waited outside for a moment more but, hearing nothing from inside, slowly cantered back to the Castle.

“I don’t think that’s the last time I’ll be seeing them,” she mumbled to herself.

* * * * * * * * *

The Royal Treasure Seekers were already fast asleep when Twilight waltzed into the room. She tiptoed quietly over to her own bed and flopped into it with a contented sigh. Soon they were all snoring peacefully as the moon made its rounds across the heavens. It wasn’t until breakfast the next morning that Twilight finally had a chance to reveal her suspicions to her friends.

“Morin’ Sugarcube! How were your folks?” Applejack asked happily as Twilight found her way down to the Royal Kitchens.

A good spread of food had been laid out for all to enjoy.

“I had a great night. Thank you everyone,” Twilight smiled as she took her place at the table, “But listen to this: My parents heard a rumor about another group that might be in the treasure hunt. They’re called the Society of Sun. I went to visit their meeting house and I’m almost certain that my parents were right. The one I spoke with sounded way too confident to not be in the hunt.”

“Oh? So we’ve finally got some competition, huh?” Rainbow Dash pondered, “Maybe we’ll actually be able to start this thing soon.”

“Good morning!” a strong male voice called from up a flight of stairs.

All heads turned to find a powerful white unicorn stallion come down the stairs. His hair was three separate shades of blue and his eyes were also blue. He had a cutie mark of a starry shield adorning his flank.

“Shining Armor!” cried Twilight happily.

She jumped up to hug her brother fiercely.

“Easy there Twiley,” he chuckled, “I heard you had dinner with mom and dad last night and I wanted to make sure I got a chance to say hi before you leave again.”

“Thanks for coming! It’s so good to see you. How’s Cadence by the way?”

“She’s doing alright, but very tired. As soon as things start to settle down, I’m heading back.”

“So how’s the Royal Guard?” asked Rainbow Dash with a small grin on her face and a playful gleam in her eyes.

“Actually, that’s one of the reasons I came here. I heard that a couple of bored ponies decided to pull a few pranks last night,” he shot a knowing glance at Rainbow. “So I thought that maybe I could make their trip somewhat less boring. How would you like to come with me on a bit of a mission in exchange for the Royal Guards not getting purple milk to drink?”

“You got a deal!” said Rainbow Dash.

She extended a hoof and Shining Armor shook it, they were both chuckling.

“Alright, so here’s the situation:” Shining Armor addressed the whole group, “There’s a mare stirring up a crowd claiming that she’s solved Sun Cloak’s riddle and wants an audience with Princess Celestia. It should be fairly simple; just need to calm the crowd down and find out what’s really going on.”

“Come on! What are we waiting for?” Rainbow shouted and the group marched out behind Shining Armor.

* * * * * * * * *

When the small band arrived at the scene a large mob had already gathered. Many ponies crowded around a tall slab of stone upon which a single blue mare was standing. Even a few griffons could be seen in the teeming mass of candy colored equines. The Royal Guard was already hard at work by the time Shining Armor and company arrived. The guards were pushing their way through the crowd to get at the one standing upon the large stone platform.

“Equestria listen to me!” shouted the mare, “I have solved the riddle of Sun Cloak the Gifted and demand an audience with Princess Celestia to discuss this matter. The Great and Powerful Trixie has spoken!”

“Trixie?!” shouted the Royal Treasure Seekers in unison.

“Trixe? Who’s Trixie?” Shining Armor turned around to the mares, a look of confusion on his face.

“She’s a show-off who came to Ponyville a few times and Twilight showed her up,” said Rainbow Dash stated flippantly. “She’s probably only up there for the attention.”

As the Royal Guard moved closer to Trixie, she once again sounded her declaration to the masses, “Hear the Great and Powerful Trixie! I present proof!”

The boastful unicorn floated a small object into the air.

“I can’t see what she’s holdin’,” Applejack squinted her eyes.

“Why…it’s a gem!” said Rarity in disbelief.

“Behold!” roared Trixie, “the answer to Sun Cloak’s first riddle! I demand an official audience with Princess Celestia to discuss the matter!”

“She actually solved it?” gasped Twilight in shock.

“Wait. Tell me, did she really figure the riddle out?” asked Shining Armor.

The group could do little else but slowly nod their heads.

“TRIXIE!” roared Shining Armor suddenly.

It was as if the entire plaza froze in time at the command of his powerful voice.

“IF IT’S AN AUDIENCE WITH PRINCESS CELESTIA YOU WANT, THEN AN AUNDIENCE YOU WILL GET! FOLLOW ME!”

“What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash pressed.

“If she solved the riddle and wants to see the Princess on the matter, then she can speak with the Princess,” Shining Armor whispered to Rainbow. “Look on the bright side though, you now know one of your competitors and can listen to her while she speaks with Princess Celestia. This could give you an advantage.”

Trixie made her way through the crowd with a haughty smile, her light blue two-toned hair bobbing with each confident step.

“Then quick! We need to get lost before she sees us,” warned Rainbow.

The friends hastily merged into the large crowd as Trixie came closer to Shining Armor.

“Well, it’s about time,” she huffed, “Do you know how long I’ve had to stand up there? Far too long! That’s how long.”

Shining grunted with annoyance and turned from Trixie.

“Hey! What are you doing? You promised to take me for an audience.”

She pounded a hoof on the plaza’s stone floor.

“I said follow me,” Shining Armor replied curtly.

Suddenly, a group of Royal Guards surrounded Trixie and Shining Armor to keep the crowd from moving in too close.

“Very well,” Trixie agreed.

The blue mare was led through the streets of Canterlot by the Guard and into the Castle for an audience with Princess Celestia. All the while, the Royal Treasure Seekers watched from a comfortable distance away.

* * * * * * * * *

“Princess Celestia, I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, have solved Sun Cloak’s first riddle and request your aid in my journey to reclaim his treasure. I ask for very little from you. I only require access to the Archives and a place to stay until the next riddle is given.”

Twilight and her friends had their ears propped up against the large doors leading into the throne room and were listening to the conversation. It sounded like Trixie was getting her way.

“I have thought over your request and seen the proof of your claim,” Celestia stated regally. “I hereby give you access to the Royal Archives and will give you lodging. Your request has been granted.”

Trixie smirked to herself and then turned her attention to the large double doors.

“You can all come in now! Trixie knows that you’re standing out there!”

The proud unicorn suddenly ignited her horn and yanked the doors open with her magic. The friends, who had been leaning into the doors, all fell unceremoniously on the ground. They soon picked themselves up.

“Huh? B-But ya’ couldn’t have been expectin’ us,” stammered Applejack. “How did ya’ know we were standin’ out there?”

“Hmph. Trixie has learned many things since you last saw her. That is one of reasons she is so Great and Powerful,” the blue mare claimed triumphantly as she waltzed up to the group. “I also know that you have solved Sun Cloak’s riddle, but that matters little. Twilight may have put an Ursa Minor to sleep, but when Trixie finds Sun Cloak’s treasure she will be famous throughout all history! Then Trixie shall be Great, Powerful, and Famous!”

“We’ll see how smug you look when we find the treasure first!” boasted Rainbow Dash.

“My little ponies!” Celestia stated firmly. “I expect you all to get along while you are under my roof. There will be no boasting or gloating over deeds not yet done. Is that clear?”

They were all silenced immediately at the voice of Celestia. Slowly, they turned to face the white alicorn and all nodded in agreement.

Without warning, the large sapphire still sitting on the round table in the throne room sputtered to life and Sun Cloak’s image appeared among the ponies.

“Good whenever-it-is to you all,” began Sun Cloak. “This will be my last message to most of you. If you are hearing this, then it means that seven teams have already solved my riddle. I regret to tell you that you are now out of the hunt. My best regards to you all and good bye.”

The image faded and the sapphire returned to its normal state. But, that wasn’t the end of Sun Cloak. The ruby held by the “Royal Treasure Seekers” and Trixie’s own diamond each began to glow and hum. Sun Cloak leaped from each of the small jewels, which created two separate images of the mysterious unicorn.

“If everything is working properly my last message to all Equestria has just finished and you are one of the seven to posses the key to my treasure. I would like to explain a little about how these gemstones work before I give you the next riddle; however, that would put the final team at a very serious disadvantage. So, in all fairness, I will give one more hour for the last team to prepare themselves or at the very least to find their way out of the Crystal Caverns. For the other teams, I suggest you grab a snack, sit back, and relax. I will speak once again in exactly one hour. But remember this, time is ticking.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 5: The Crystal Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 2 Minutes