Chapter 7: The Quarry

The further the Royal Treasure Seekers moved toward the quarry, the less the villagers watched. The curious eyes of the villagers slowly thinned as many entered back into their houses or headed out to work the fields. In fact, by the time the friends made it to the quarry, not a single villager remained in sight, however, two odd looking pegasi were already standing beneath the shadow of the smooth carved mountain.

The quarry clearly hadn’t been used for quite some time and had become overgrown with weeds that poked through its rough exterior. The hard, chiseled stone rose high into the sky and sat forlornly by its lonesome, casting a shadow over the flat surface where the friends now stood. Besides the pair of pegasi, not a single other living creature could be seen.

“Hello over there!” called a pegasus stallion while waving his hoof.

The group turned their attention toward the pegasi and Pinkie Pie waved back happily.

“Hi!” the pink pony answered.

The pegasi quickly flew over to the band of friends.

“It’s so nice to find others out here,” said the orange stallion from before. “My name is Boomer and this is my wife, Juliet.”

Boomer had short cropped yellow mane and appeared to be close to middle-aged. Juliet, the other pegasus, was a mare with a red coat. Her hair was a wild blue with streaks of purple. Boomer had a cutie mark of a golden horseshoe while Juliet’s mark was a four-leaf clover.

“My name is Pinkie Pie!” giggled the happy-go-lucky Pinkie, “And these are my friends Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike!”

“Honey! A dragon! A dragon! Do something!” screamed Juliet, who instantly pointed fearfully at the miniscule Spike.

“I’m on it!

Boomer leaped high into the air with a shove of his powerful wings and started a dive bomb at the baby dragon.

“Stop!” shouted Twilight as she waved her hooves cautiously and moved in front of the cringing Spike.

Boomer caught himself mid-air and remained hovering inches above the Royal Treasure Seekers.

“Spike isn’t a bad dragon, Silly!” giggled Pinkie.

“That’s right,” Rarity offered a defense, “our little Spikey-wikey wouldn’t harm a fly. He’s actually quite the cook.”

“Oh my, we’re terribly sorry,” expressed Juliet with absolute sincerity written on her face. “Honey, apologize.”

“Right! Sorry everypony, it’s just that we’ve had some…bad experiences with dragons in the past.”

He flew back over to his wife and touched down by her side.

“You’ve had run-ins with dragons?” Rainbow Dash asked with raised brows, “Where in Equestria have you been? They won’t go near most normal pony towns.”

“You mean, you haven’t heard of us?” Juliet’s expression instantly changed to shock. “Dear, they haven’t even heard of us,” she turned to her husband.

“Why, we’re famous treasure hunters!” declared Boomer proudly.

He rummaged through a saddlebag hanging at his side.

“Now where did that- Ah! Here it is!”

He came out with an aging newspaper hanging from his mouth. He plopped it at the hooves of the Royal Treasure Seekers. The title read: “Treasure Hunting Couple Finds Sunken Treasure”.

“We found the legendary Gillian Griffon’s famed treasure!” Juliet explained. “It was lost at sea for over fifty years!”

“Sorry, but I never heard of anythin’ like that before,” Applejack shrugged.

“And that’s not the only expedition we’ve been on,” added Boomer. “We’ve traveled all over Equestria in search of rare treasures. We’ve even been off the continent before. The world is such a fascinating place.”

“Whoa! So you guys are like Daring Do, but in real life?” Rainbow asked excitedly.

“I guess maybe we are,” replied Juliet, “but trust me on this, real treasure hunting is so much more fun than simply reading about it!”

“Awesome!” squeaked Dash.

“So, what brings two treasure hunters, like yourselves, out to Saddleback?” asked Twilight as she handed the paper back to Boomer.

“Haven’t you heard?” Juliet gasped as Boomer placed the aging paper away. “This unicorn, Sun Something-or-other, offered a chance to find his greatest treasure.”

She suddenly looked suspiciously around and then motioned for the Royal Treasure Seekers to come in closer as she whispered, “And we have reason to believe that his treasure might be right here in Saddleback!”

“Whoa! No way!” Pinkie asked with genuinely surprise.

“Now, why would you think that?” Rarity bluffed.

“Well we were flying around Canterlot one day and decided to go exploring,” began Boomer. “So we flew down to the base of the mountain and found these huge caves underground. I tell ya’ I’ve never seen anything like ‘em before, but then we stumbled across this room full of gems and picked one up. That Sun What’s-his-face fellow jumped right out of the crystal and started blabbing about treasure and all sorts of stuff. We left with the gem and we eventually found our way here.”

“Would you like to see it?” whispered Juliet excitedly.

“See what?” asked Spike.

“The crystal of course!”

Juliet rummaged through her own saddlebag and came out with a small emerald.

“I wouldn’t advise touching it,” cautioned Boomer, “there were some other gemstones in that cave and they gave us a mighty nasty shock.”

The party of friends gazed on in amazement. The Royal Treasure Seekers now knew that they had been beaten to Saddleback.

“So, what will you do if you find the treasure?” asked Rainbow Dash, still looking at the emerald.

“Do with it? We have no idea!” laughed Juliet. “For us, the thrill of the hunt is reward enough!”

“I tell you though,” Boomer continued, “We thought that maybe this quarry held the key to the treasure, but we’ve looked high and we’ve looked low and haven’t seen heads or tails of anything.”

Suddenly Juliet’s stomach began to growl.

“Oh! Listen to that. My stomach’s gotten all rumbly,” Juliet announced and then turned to her husband. “Guess that means it’s time to eat. I know! I saw the quaintest little diner in town, maybe we could get something there?”

“All right, Honey. Good-bye kids! It was nice meeting you and enjoy the quarry!”

The treasure hunting couple cantered slowly back into town and away from the band of friends.

“Well that was certainly interesting,” commented Twilight.

“I like them!” bubbled Pinkie.

“Well, the good news for us is that we know another one of our competitors. The better news is that they don’t know that we’re looking for Sun Cloak’s treasure too,” recapped Rarity.

“Plus, it sounds like they jus’ got lucky on that first puzzle. I don’t think we’ll have to worry much ‘bout them,” added Applejack.

“What did you think Fluttershy?” asked Spike.

“I thought they made a really sweet couple.” She had a cute grin on her face.

“But, did you hear what they said?” Twilight grabbed the group’s attention. “They looked everywhere around this quarry and didn’t see anything. The answer might not be here and we need to be open to that possibility.”

“But we’re still going to look, right Twilight?” Spike asked.

“Of course! I just want everypony to be prepared for the worst, should it come to that.”

The Royal Treasure Seekers then broke off into small sub-groups and started to comb the area. They searched all around the ancient stone, but the walls didn’t hold a secret entrance, and the stone floor really had nothing to hide. The pegasi looked from high in the sky, but still no sign of an answer could be seen. Even Rarity’s gem finding spell didn’t produce a clue. Time slowly wore down the tired friends and they eventually decided to take a breather. Spike wasn’t ready to give up quite yet, as he began to replay Sun Cloak’s riddle again and again.

“Spike please! Turn that thing off,” whined Rarity as she sat on a blanket she had brought.

“Hold on. I think I’m on to something here.”

“Well, would you mind telling the rest of us?” asked Rainbow harshly.

“I can’t quite put my claw on it, but I know there’s something I’m missing. I can just feel it!”

“We could all go back and grab a bite to eat,” suggested Fluttershy.

“That’s near the best idea I’ve heard all day!” agreed Applejack heartily.

“We could head back to the Sun and Stars,” said Twilight. “Who knows? Maybe if the place was run by Sun Cloak’s parents then there might be a clue to be found in there.”

The ponies all agreed and even Spike was coaxed into not playing the riddle again by the promise of food. The party headed back into town as the sun kissed the horizon.

* * * * * * * * *

The bell to the Sun and Stars Café jingled as the friends strode in.

“Well, welcome back!” greeted the kindly earth pony from earlier. “I knew y’all couldn’t stay away for long. What can I do ya’ for?”

“We’re here for dinner,” responded Rainbow Dash.

“Shore thang! Let me show y’all to yer table and we’ll fix y’all up somethin’ mighty tasty.”

The green pony led the group to a large round table and sat them down. The place wasn’t very busy, but, then again, it was well past normal dinner time when the friends came in. A few patrons looked up and pointed at the group. Discussions could be heard taking place in hushed whispers.

“I tell you what!” began the friendly pony, “There’s some rumor goin’ ‘round ‘bout this strange magic unicorn in the middle of town today. It’s just plain bizarre the stories I’ve been told. You folks heard anythin’ ‘bout that?”

The friends looked over at each other with startled expressions, but didn’t say a word.

“Oh, probably not I reckon,” the green pony pushed through the awkward silence. “Anyways, what do you folks want fer supper?”

The party went around ordering their dinners, but Spike seemed awfully distracted. The young dragon kept muttering to himself while he racked his brain for answers to the riddle.

“Once here do find the guiding light…Once here do find the guiding light…”

“Spike, are you ok?” Twilight leaned over and whispered.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, there’s something about this line…but I can’t put my claw on it.”

“It could just be your imagination Spike.”

“No, it feels like more than that.”

“Look, it’s just that you’ve hardly touched your food and it’s already getting dark out,” Twilight said with concern for her friend. “That’s really not normal for you.”

“Wait…getting dark out?” Spike’s eyes grew wide and a grin spread across his face.

“Yes Spike, it’s getting late and we need to find a place to sleep for the night-”

“Once here do find the guiding light!” Spike shouted excitedly. “Quick! Everyone, we need to head back to the quarry!”

“But we’ve already searched there,” huffed Rainbow Dash. “Why would we go back?”

“Come on! I’ll explain on the way!”

The purple dragon pushed away from the table and ran out the door with as much speed as his legs could muster. His friends rushed out after him.

“Do y’all want some dessert?!” the green pony called out after them, but the friends were already gone. “I suppose not then.”

* * * * * * * * *

“So let me get this straight. You think that to see this ‘guiding light’ it has to be dark out?” questioned Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah! Think about it, you can’t see a light easily in the daytime because it’s too bright out, but at night you would be able to see it,” Spike explained his epiphany.

“It sounds crazy!” blurted Pinkie, “So crazy it just…might…work!”

The Royal Treasure Seekers came to the old stone quarry as the moon rose steadily into the sky. The sun had sunk far below the horizon. Not a single living soul was to be seen around the overgrown mountain for miles. It made for a rather eerie sight.

“So then what do look for?” asked Fluttershy.

“I don’t really know,” Spike replied, undeterred. “A light. Any kind of light!”

They searched all around the carved stone cliff. They checked under weeds and combed the ground meticulously, but still without success. Rarity once again tried her gem finding spell, but nothing could be found. The group was starting to give up hope.

“It’s here! I just know that it’s here!” screamed Spike as he dug desperately into the quarry.

“I’m sorry Spike, but it looks like your guess was off,” replied Twilight.

She placed a comforting hoof on her tiny friend. Spike slowly stopped digging and fell to his knees. A small tear began to trickle down his face.

“G-G-G-Girls?” stammered Fluttershy. “W-What is that?”

The timid pegasus held a shaky hoof out toward the base of the quarry. A pale green glow rose up from the ground, barely noticeable under some dense shrubs that had grown over its surface. The ponies carefully trotted over to the ghostly light. The light seemed to rise from a crack in the hard stone; the crack was cut in the shape of a perfect square. That wasn’t the only oddity; however, it also looked like some of the shrubs had recently been removed from where the light was protruding. The Royal Treasure Seekers tried to find a way to get underneath the stone. Applejack and Rainbow Dash kicked where the light was protruding, but the rock remained steadfast. Even Twilight’s magic was of no use. The light remained a mystery.

“There has to be a way under there,” Rarity mused.

“Look!” Fluttershy pointed. “There’s a small dent in the rock.”

“What of it?” Rainbow Dash dismissed the observation. “There’s plenty of dents on every rock.”

“But this one looks like it’s the same shape as our ruby,” Fluttershy replied.

“Are you suggesting that we put our ruby into the hole?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy nodded.

“Alright then,” Spike said.

The dragon took their gem and wedged it into the crevice on the stone slab. Immediately, the ruby lit up and began to hum an almost melodic tune. Powerful magic engulfed the rock and lifted it out from the ground. The heavy stone then slid off to the side which allowed the group to peer into deep, square hole.

“Whoa,” Rainbow Dash gasped.

“Hello!” shouted Pinkie into the dark crevice. “Hello! Hello! Hello!” her echo came back.

“Stand back everypony,” cautioned Twilight.

The others stepped back as horn began to glow with magic. Light trickled out from it and she carefully stuck her head down the hole. Her violet light illuminated the dark passage.

“It doesn’t appear to be all that long of a drop, but if we go in there’s no way to get out,” her voice mumbled up from the hole.

She stepped back and turned to the others.

“Let’s goooo!” Pinkie giggled while she jumped into the square.

The pink mare slid out of sight in but a second.

“Pinkie!” screamed Rainbow Dash. “Ugh…well now somepony has to go after her.”

Dash, too, jumped into the hole after her pink friend. A few seconds later Rainbow shouted back up.

“Hey guys! There’s a huge down tunnel here!”

The rest of the party hesitantly followed and stepped into the square opening. Spike remembered to snatch the ruby out of the stone slab before he leaped into the darkness below.

The hole lead to a much more open room. The room was domed at the top, but not smooth. It looked natural, however, a long tunnel had clearly been carved into the natural cavern. Its walls were chiseled with a single indented line running down each side. These lines were more than mere decoration though; they were glowing a very faint green.

“That must be the guiding light Sun Cloak was talking about!” whispered Spike excitedly as he pointed at the glowing lines.

“Well come on slow pokes!” blurted Pinkie, “Let’s get going!”

They entered into the mystically illuminated tunnel. With each step, they sloped deeper and deeper into the earth. Down the eerie shaft the friends trod until the small gem in Spike’s hand began to glow and hum. They stopped when Sun Cloak appeared before them in the dimly lit tunnel.

“Greetings!” he hailed. “I feel I must apologize for sending you into yet another underground passage. You see I personally hate long, dark, creepy, cramped…”

Fluttershy began to hyperventilate.

“…dusty, forgotten passages and hope you can forgive me. But I did not make this message simply to apologize; I have a warning for you. Your challenges have only just begun. I give you a chance to quit the hunt. For if you take another step forward the way you came in will seal itself closed. I advise you to think carefully whether you are committed to finding my treasure or not.”

“Umm…Maybe we should head back out and come in the morning,” squeaked Fluttershy. “You know, when it’s not so…dark.”

“No can do,” Rainbow Dash said. “We’ve made it this far and we’re not turning back now.”

The brash pegasus then took one step forward. The lights in the tunnel shut off and a low rumbling sound could be heard behind them as the stone entrance sealed itself shut. When the rumbling ceased, the lights in the cavern returned to their normal, eerie glow. Now, with nowhere else to turn, the party continued down the long tunnel, which only lead deeper and deeper into the heart of the earth.

Next Chapter: Chapter 8: The Tunnel Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 35 Minutes