The five friends and one accomplice marched silently down the stairs, making their way deeper into the catacombs. Twilight and Rainbow Dash walked at the forefront, keeping their eyes peeled and their senses sharp, followed close behind by Trixie, who was quietly humming a tune no one could place. Behind her, Applejack and Fluttershy trotted, with the treebound mare occasionally grunting and complaining about all the stairs. Fluttershy did her best to assuage her friend’s pain, but there was only so much a single bunny could do. Rarity hung at the back, her wider body and many legs making it necessary for her to walk alone.

The stairs were wide, easily enough for three ponies to walk abreast if they didn't mind walking shoulder to shoulder. The stone beneath their hooves, though ancient, had clearly been swept and cared for recently, something Trixie eagerly took credit for and Rarity appreciated. The fashionable spider pony’s whining having finally relented after learning that at least the first floor, which encompassed a few rooms and the library, would be free of the dust and clutter that she so detested.

“How long is this going to take?” Rarity asked, breaking the relative silence that had settled over them.

“I’m not sure.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “It could take days to reach the bottom, if we are being careful, or mere hours if we weren't worried about surviving the journey.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Well, I don't know about you girls, but I am quite done with dying for awhile.”

Applejack chuckled. “With Trixie’s mom helping us out, our supply issue shouldn't be a problem for much longer, so I say we take this nice and slow. Ain't no reason to go rushing into trouble.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Fluttershy added. “The undertower is not something you want to rush through.”

“Fi! Where is the glory in taking forever?” Trixie complained.

“We are not going to risk our lives for glory,” Twilight pointed out.

The teal mare rolled her eyes. “Still, ‘twould be a most glowing accolade if we had delved such a depth in little time.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “Why do you keep talking like that? I mean really, who says fi?”

Trixie huffed. “I don't knoweth what thou art talking about.”

“Does everyone speak in old Equish where you come from?” Fluttershy asked, leaning forward on the branch she was standing on.

“Old Equish? We art just speaking Equish, it is thee who art speaking in tongues.” Trixie recoiled in disgust, sticking out her tongue. “Thy words art blunt and inelegant, like a mere foal’s.”

“Wait a second,” Rarity butted in. “Are you telling me you've never heard anyone speaking modern Equish?”

“No, that can't be true, the matron spoke modern Equish,” Twilight pointed out.

“True, mother occasionally speaks in a less intelligent tongue, but it is only at which hour she doth speaketh to outsiders,” Trixie remarked. “At which hour mother is high-lone we speaketh in our native tongue. Besides, our mother only learned such blasphemous speak from a friend who doth visits occasionally.”

“Hold on a minute.” Twilight stopped, turning back and looking up at the teal mare. “I knew I saw those styles of piercings somewhere. What year do you think it is?”

Trixie scoffed once more. “Wherefore doest it matter? The forest twists all things, time included. To tryeth and track it is a fool’s errand.”

“You mean to tell me you are from the past or something?” Rainbow Dash asked, while scratching her head. “‘Cause that's just ridiculous. I know time can get distorted in here, but I very much doubt you were from the original Ponyville.”

“Yond hamlet at the edge of the woods?” Trixie rolled her eyes. “I may originally beest from thither, but it holds not mine own allegiance.”

“Excuse me,” Fluttershy interrupted, “I think this is a fascinating conversation, but can we finish this at the bottom? Applejack is in a lot of pain.”

The farmer grunted. “I wasn't gonna say anything, but these stairs and me don't mix.”

“I’m terribly sorry, Applejack, why don't we finish this later?” Rarity added.

Trixie shrugged and motioned for Twilight and Rainbow Dash to turn back around. “What art thee waiting for?”

“Err, right.” Twilight began walking down the stairs, following close behind Rainbow Dash, who held no qualms with abandoning the rather boring discussion.

The thestral bumped shoulders with the undead mare. “So, oh fearless leader, what's the plan?”

“There are a few rooms we can set up camp, then I thought we could go to the library.” Twilight paused. “Wait, since when am I the leader?”

Trixie nodded. “Forsooth, I knoweth mine own way around, so it is only natural that I leadeth.”

“Actually, I agree with Rainbow Dash on this one,” Applejack muttered, grunting as a particularly bad step jostled the tree in her back.

“Me as well, darling,” Rarity added, while Fluttershy nodded.

“See? We all agree,” Rainbow Dash added, ignoring the glare coming from Trixie.

“Why though? Shouldn't you lead?” Twilight remarked. “You are the guard after all, if anyone should be making decisions, it's the one of us who is trained to deal with this sort of situations.”

“True.” Rainbow Dash smirked. “But, I admit I ain't much of a plan ahead type of thestral.” She jumped into the air and used her wings to hold her up while boxing with some unseen opponent. “I’m more of a fighter than a planner.”

“Err, I guess that makes sense but what about-” Twilight began, only to be interrupted by a bunny landing on her back and placing a paw on her shoulder.

“Twilight, we trust you to keep things organized and make sure we don't get mixed up.” Fluttershy smiled. “It's a compliment.”

The undead unicorn grinned, feeling the trickle of positive energy flowing into her. “That's really nice of you girls. Thanks.”

“No problem, now can we please pick this up? Bloomberg is killing me,” Applejack griped.

“Agreed,” Rarity added, wincing as her own back cracked in several places.

Trixie grunted and rolled her eyes. “I still think I would be the most wondrous choice to leadeth.”

The group of beings all shuffled out of the stairwell, assembling near the bottom and stretching their many and varied limbs. “Oh, thank the stars,” Applejack muttered, stretching her legs and making her joints pop in several places.

“How many stairs were there? It feels like I walked across the whole of Ponyville,” Rarity lamented.

“There are quite a few sub levels that are only traversable via magic, as well as several secret floors that don't show up on any blueprints and have only been theorized of,” Twilight pointed out.

“Plus this is the quickest and easiest way through the catacombs to the library and undertower. Meaning we had to bypass all the rest of that stuff,” Rainbow Dash added.

“Well still.” Applejack grunted, giving her back a shake. “You think they could have installed some sorta magic door or something.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Enough whining, let's findeth the camping spot and setteth it up already. I wanteth to receiveth an early start tomorrow night.”

“Trixie does have a point,” Rarity agreed. “It would behoove us to get the camp set up and maybe take a peek into the library before we start going deeper into the tower.”

“Fine, but I want to get AJ’s thing out of the way before we bed down for the night,” Rainbow Dash added.

“Err alright,” Applejack murmured, glancing over at Twilight who nodded her assent.

Fluttershy hopped down from her perch on Applejack’s shoulder. “Let's get going please. I need to let Angel bunny have his body back soon.”

“Right.” Twilight nodded, gesturing for Rainbow Dash to lead the way, something she eagerly did.

Looking around, Twilight found that the stonework was much more detailed and seemed to have survived surprisingly well under the grueling touch of past ages. There were few cobwebs this deep, and even less dust and dirt marred the long, nearly immaculate hall that lay before them. She could easily see from her position at the bottom of the stairs that numerous rooms opened up around them, and a hallway could be seen further up, one that ran through the one they were already standing in.

Walking deeper, the dead unicorn could tell that many of the rooms they had passed hadn't survived as well as the halls had, and some were either filled with the smell of rot, or had partially or totally collapsed. Though it made sense now that she thought about it, as the thestrals must have spent their effort in maintaining a path into the deepest reaches of the undertower, and not nearly as much on the more mundane aspects of the side rooms that were less important.

The entire area was poorly lit, and though Twilight could see a few magical torches burning at random intervals, most of the halls and rooms were pitch black. Not like that bothered her or her friends, as all of them seemed to have at least somewhat decent night vision, including Trixie, somehow. The unicorn sniffed the air, the scent of hundreds of years worth of dust tickling her nose.

Glancing at her friends, and Trixie, they all seemed relatively relaxed, as if they weren't plumbing the depths of a spooky half abandoned castle deep in the Everfree. The unicorn shrugged, reasoning that if they weren't upset by this, then why should she?

Together they walked deeper into the winding depths of the castle, with Rainbow Dash taking a right after the intersection. “The library is straight, by the way, the other direction just has some musty old rooms and a few barrels of cider that went bad a few centuries ago.”

Twilight peered into the darkness, staring down the path ahead of them and finding that she could just barely see a statue of a pony with both wings and what looked like a horn standing inside. “Huh,” Twilight muttered, her curiosity piqued at the thought of ancient and forgotten knowledge being so close at hoof.

Trixie sighed. “The most wondrous and powerful Trixie hast not the time to restore any other functions or rooms of the catacombs, I’m afraid.”

Fluttershy smiled, patting the unicorn on the fetlock. “That's okay, Trixie, I’m sure you’ve done a great job.”

“Thank thee, dear Fluttershy.” Trixie smiled, picking her head up. “I admit, this hast been tougher than I bethought. So much debris and so many walls, ceilings and floors to fix. I am an illusionist, not a mason.”

“Perfect, they even left the torch behind,” Rainbow Dash announced suddenly, trotting a little faster and making her way over to a seemingly random side room that had a large torch sitting in a holder just outside it.

“What does this torch do anyway?” Twilight asked, lighting her horn and turning the torch about in its holder, only to find that it seemed like a perfectly normal, everyday torch. “It doesn't look very special.”

“It wards off most of the creatures found in the lower levels, and ensures that none follow you back up to the surface or surprise you while you make camp,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, hefting the torch and blowing against it.

“Whoa,” Applejack muttered.

“Whoa indeed,” Twilight agreed, watching as the torch lit with a strange purple light, before flickering a moment, burning brighter.

“Doesn't last forever though, so don't use it unless we are bedding down for the day.” Rainbow Dash turned it upside down, the flames instantly snuffing themselves out.

“Aye, aye, let's start making camp already. Trixie doth requires her beauty sleep as well as ample time to practice my illusions,” Trixie announced, stepping into the room and looking around. “That corner shalt be mine.”

The rest of the group filled in after the unicorn, picking out spots and starting to lay down bed rolls and other camping equipment. Twilight walked in last, instantly noticing that this room seemed off, almost special in a way. Though there were several arches along the wall, indicating that there had been several other adjoining rooms, they had all collapsed, leaving only this single wide area accessible. The floors, ceiling and walls were all wooden, though parts had rotted through and revealed the stone behind. The room itself had no door, but there were large hinges still hanging on the frame, indicating that only a single door had spanned the wide opening.

“Hey Rainbow Dash. Do you know anything about this room?” Twilight asked, a hoof brushing across the hinges that were left behind.

“Not really.” The thestral shrugged, spreading out her bed roll and placing her bags against the wall near the door. “We suspect that it was a visiting dignitaries’ room or perhaps a royal librarian’s. It was clearly important, and relatively deep into the lunar wing of the castle, making some suspect that it was specifically tied to the moon princess and not her.”

“‘Tis a most peculiar lodging.” Trixie agreed, setting her own meagre possessions in her corner. “The colors are different from both the mistress’ as well as the nemesis’.”

“Nemesis?” Applejack frowned. “What nemesis?”

“Thee knoweth her. She who shalt not be named.”

“Celestia?” Twilight asked.

The teal unicorn’s eyes went wide and she sprinted across the room, closing the dead unicorn’s mouth with a hoof. “Forgive her, she knoweth not what she speaketh.” The unicorn made a symbol in the air before relinquishing her hoof from the other mare’s jaw. “Stayeth thy tongue, naive. To utter her name in the mistress’ hallowed halls is a grave insult.”

“Err alright.” Twilight relented, exchanging a glance with her slight less confused friends.

“I know it's not nice to bring her up, but is it really that big of a deal?” Rarity asked, while absentmindedly fiddling with a surprisingly lavish tarp she drew across her area, giving the arachne a small amount of privacy.

“Would thee bringeth up the being that hath killed thy grandmother in her own home?” Trixie questioned, eyes narrowing.

Rarity paused, wincing as she realized the depth of her words. “Point taken.”

Twilight winced as well, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. “Sorry Trixie, I didn't think of it that way.”

The unicorn sighed and nodded. “It's fine, just be more mindful, thou art running of valorous graces, sunspawn.”

With that the unicorn turned, and marched over to her corner, before throwing up a thin barrier and applying an illusion that made it perfectly resemble wooden walls, complete with door, which Trixie opened and disappeared into. Leaving a rather confused Twilight to stand there, twiddling her hooves.

“Don't worry about her, sugarcube. She just seems to worship ol’ moon a little more than most, is all,” Applejack added before tossing her stuff in the shallow hole in the floor.

“I have to agree with Trixie, unfortunately.” Rainbow Dash frowned. “It would be kind of rude to bring up my killer back in my own house.” The thestral scratched her head. “Though I would be dead so…” She shrugged and went back to pulling out her supplies and strapping her armor back on.

“Anyway.” Applejack trotted up to the entrance. “Who is all coming with me to the library?”

“I am,” Rainbow Dash announced, tightening the strap of her sword and straightening her helmet. “Someone’s gotta keep an eye on you lot, I’ll leave the torch here just in case.”

“Good thinking,” Rarity remarked, peeking out of her makeshift tent house. “I will be remaining here in order to set up our camp and to hopefully bother Trixie into teaching me a few things about weaving.”

The unicorn popped out of her room and pointed at the arachne. “I shall doth so, merely allow me mine own beauty sleep first.” Her eyes narrowed. “And doth not wake me, lest thee shalt knoweth mine own wrath.”

Rarity gulped. “Yes ma’am.”

Trixie ducked back into her room, slamming her magical door behind her.

Fluttershy chuckled. “I need to let Angel have his body back in a few minutes, so I’ll be staying here as well.”

“I think I’ll go with you.” Twilight grinned, rubbing her hooves together excitedly. “I can't wait to read some of the books they have down here.” She stopped and frowned, looking over at Rainbow Dash. “I’m allowed to read them, right?”

The thestral snickered. “Yes, egghead, you are allowed to read them. Just be careful, don't leave with any books and you’ll be fine.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I knew that much at least.”

“Good,” Rainbow Dash remarked. “Oh and don't touch anything unless I say you can. There are a few priceless artifacts stored in the library, either because they are too heavy or too brittle to move.”

“Yes, Captain Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied back with a salute.

“Captain Rainbow Dash…” The thestral paused, tapping her chin. “That has a nice ring to it.”

“Would you two quit lollygagging?” Applejack yelled from down the hall. “There ain't many hours left in the night and I want my sleep too, ya know.”

“Last one there's a rotten egg!” the thestral announced before shooting out the door, leaving a prismatic trail in her wake.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “That girl is gonna run into a wall one of these days.”

“Oh, she has,” Rarity added.

“Many times,” Fluttershy remarked sadly. “I sure hope she doesn't run into anything down here though, I don't think stone is quite as forgiving as wood.”

Twilight leaned down and rubbed the bunny’s head. “Don't worry, I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Fluttershy beamed up at her friend. “Thanks.”

The dead unicorn straightened her back and turned towards the door, making her way down the hall at a brisk trot while taking in all the sights and sounds along the way. Including a large double door bound by an enormous set of chains that wound through the handles, which were in turn secured by a large padlock.

“Huh,” Twilight muttered, pulling on the doors and noting that she couldn't even open them enough to glimpse what lay beyond. “Must be how the lower levels are accessed.”

Turning back, Twilight trotted the last of the way to the library, where she was able to get a much better look at the statue she had seen earlier. The first thing that struck her was just how tall it was, as it easily stood several feet over her head and if the statue was real, would easily be the tallest pony, or even being, Twilight knew of. The second thing that struck her was just how featureless it was, sure she could tell it had a horn, wings and a flowing mane, but the finer details of the face, the eyes, and several other key points were lacking.

It was clearly feminine, that much was obvious but it seemed like most of the truly distinguishing features had been scrubbed away. Was this a purposeful act to make sure the mare was forgotten? Or had it been exposed to the elements before being moved down here? Twilight wasn't sure, and she put that question out of her mind for now, focusing on the fact that the statue had the wings of a thestral, and a horn that resembled her scimitar shaped one.

The alicorns were supposed to be sisters, so did that mean they had different fathers because Celestia did not have leathery wings or a horn like Twilight’s? Or perhaps they had different mothers? Or perhaps this was an artist’s impression? Or there was the possibility that the darker sister had undergone a magical transformation to further differentiate herself from Celestia. Again, Twilight wasn't sure which was right, and she was forced to set that aside, along with the multitude of other mysteries that had plagued her since she came to this place.

The statue itself was sitting on the ground, its mane and tail close to its body as its wings were partially extended, its eyes peering upwards as if gazing into the night sky. It had an almost contemplative expression that was partially marred by whatever damage it had received. Though Twilight had initially been put off by its sharp horn and sheer size, the longer she looked the more she felt a sense of calm radiating from the statue, as if the stone mare was inviting her to gaze out into the cosmos with her.

“Took you long enough.”

“Bwah!” Twilight yelled, nearly tumbling sideways in her attempt to get away from a smirking thestral.

“And I wasn't even trying to scare you.” Rainbow Dash brushed some invisible dirt from her shoulder. “Damn, I’m good.”

The unicorn tried to calm her breathing, placing a hoof over her thundering heart, only to realize that her body didn't actually need to do either of those functions. “Warn me next time. If I had a functional heart, I’m pretty sure it would have flown through my chest cavity.”

The thestral rolled her eyes. “Oh, it wasn't that bad.”

“Still…” Twilight perked up suddenly, looking around the library. “Where's Applejack?”

“The farmer wanted to figure out this riddle all by her lonesome.” Rainbow Dash turned her towards the back of the library and yelled. “Like an idiot!”

A grunt from somewhere in the back was all the answer she received.

“Right.” Twilight chuckled. “She can do it alone if she wants to Rainbow Dash, I’m sure she can figure it out.”

“I guess, but it's going to take forever, and why bother when you got a walking library right here.” The thestral gestured toward Twilight.

“Very funny, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight groused.

Rainbow Dash smirked. “I know.”

Rolling her eyes, the unicorn pushed past her friend and walked deeper into the library. “If you don't mind, I’m going to find the history section.”

“What a snoozefest,” Rainbow Dash whined before leaping into the air. “I’m gonna find a spot to nap, err that has a better vantage point.”

Twilight chuckled, watching the thestral as she flew up over the stacks and disappeared into the gloom.

The unicorn shrugged and began to wander the stacks of the library, only to quickly realize that the organizational method was not the one she was normally used to. Leaning in, she noticed that the books themselves also didn't come with the handy magical stickers that enabled easy locating and worse yet the stacks as well were without identification. With a sigh, she began to wander at random, occasionally catching a glimpse of a sleeping Rainbow Dash napping on top of a stack or a suspicious looking Applejack who always pretended to be doing something else when Twilight wandered by.

After about an hour of wandering around, Twilight had come to several conclusions, with the first being that this library was enormous. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the placement of the stacks, and the sight lines were short, narrow and sometimes ended suddenly and without warning. It was strange, to say the least, but despite Twilight’s frustration at the sheer chaos of the library, it was hard to stay mad as it was uniquely beautiful.

Small things, like the book ends were not the simple metal holders that ensured a row of books didn't fall over but an intricate pieces of art. Some stacks of books were held back by comically small statuettes that were pictured struggling against the mountain of knowledge they held back while others were of stylized moons, or of proud thestrals. And the artwork didn't end there, as the small spaces between the stacks always seemed to be occupied by some piece of art, either a faded painting or ancient statue.

The entire thing struck Twilight as more of a museum or art installation that just happened to have books in it, rather than a structure that was merely intended to hold books. Something the high vaulted ceilings and numerous and oftentimes hidden reading areas seemed to indicate.

Twilight’s mind went back to the one time she had been allowed into Celestia’s royal library, before she accidentally caused one of the old librarians to have a heart attack and was banned. The golden structure had been utilitarian to a fault, and though everything was easily found, and was perfectly preserved, every minute spent in those long, perfectly straight halls were a minute that Twilight felt like she was in a prison, rather than a library.

The mare wondered if this strange castle that had two separate yet close throne rooms also had two different libraries hidden beneath them or if this facet was unique to the lunar section.

“Just another mystery,” Twilight muttered to herself.

As she continued to wander, so did her mind, only for the mare to quickly realize a fact that made her laugh out loud. “Of course, it all makes sense!” The mare doubled over, using a nearby stack to keep from tipping over completely. “One is too ordered while the other too chaotic. They truly were polar opposites.”

Twilight shook her head, the last of her laughter petering out as she made her way deeper into the winding labrinth that held a surprising amount of books. Eventually she managed to find the section she was looking for, the pony having gotten used to the fact that there weren't any indicators as to where one section started and another ended. Making it so Twilight was forced to judge sections based on a glimpse at their spines and hoping that at least one of them had a title printed therein.

“Ahh, The History and Foundation of Modern Equestria by Night Wing,” Twilight muttered. “Sounds like a thestral name, maybe this retelling will be a little different.”

Flipping it open, Twilight began to read a few lines before stopping and blinking. “Wait, what?”

Shaking her head, the mare closed the book and trotted over to one of the reading nooks she had spotted earlier. Plunking down in one of the aged chairs, Twilight placed the book on the reading desk before her and started back up in the same place she had left off.

The solar princess has shown her true colors today and broken away from the Everfree kingdom her and her sister made. She took what races she deemed ‘pure’ and made for the Canterhorn, claiming that she was going to build her own kingdom away from the ‘corrupting’ influence of the forest. Though initially this self imposed exile began peacefully, blood was spilled when a large group of the solar princess’ soldiers raided a guard depot for weapons and supplies. They claimed it was theirs by right, and that they had negotiated for the contents of the depot to be sold, but when the local guard captain was informed of this event he claimed no knowledge of the sale. This would be the spark that started the first battle of Ponyville and it would be first time the Everfree monarchy fought against the new Solar Empire and it would not be the last.

Recoiling from the book, Twilight couldn't help but wonder the implications of what she had discovered. “Is he merely biased? Or were both retellings incorrect? Perhaps neither is true…” the unicorn muttered to herself, remembering well how the history books she had read referenced that ‘the darker sister’ had gone mad and left, not the other way around.

Shaking her head, Twilight read on, becoming increasingly confused as time passed.

Setting down the book, Twilight placed a hoof against her head, the warring pieces of information roiling about in her mind. She glanced over to the piece of paper she had managed to find underneath a stack, which now contained a list of her thoughts that had come up during her reading.

The Everfree Castle is definitely older than the Canterlot Castle. This means the Everfree kingdom is possibly older.Celestia was the one who left, which means she either annexed the Canterlot Castle from Luna, or built it shortly after she seceded.This is all very confusing.

There were several other numbered lines beneath that, but all of them were crossed out or were otherwise covered in corrections, rendered illegible.

Tapping the quill she had summoned against the page, Twilight pondered the deeper implications of the book’s meaning and mused on just what it meant for the history of the world. It was clear they had fought more than a single battle like Celestia seemed to want her ponies to believe and it was obviously not quite as black and white either.

“Augh,” Twilight groaned, slamming her head against the history book. “This isn't what history is supposed to be like. It's about facts and evidence, not opinions and lies.”

“Well, you know what they say, sugarcube. History is written by the victors.”

“Applejack?” Twilight blinked, peeling her face from the book and turning to see that it was indeed her farmer friend. “What are you doing here? Did you find what you were looking for?”

The farm pony winced, rubbing the back of her neck. “Not exactly. It seems like things are a little muddier than I remembered.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, getting up, and only now noticing the small piece of paper Applejack clutched in a hoof.

The farm pony pressed the piece of paper against her chest and winced. “Look, I kind of need yours and RD’s help.”

“Of course Applejack, do you want to find her before you explain or?”

“If you wouldn't mind finding her first, I’d appreciate it.” The farmer pony smirked. “Don't rightly enjoy repeating myself much, to be honest.”

“Fair enough.” Twilight took a step forward, only to stop and look around. “On second thought, why don't you lead the way?”

Applejack chuckled. “Forgot how you got here?”

“Maybe,” Twilight muttered.

The farm pony shrugged. “You live here long enough and I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Now come on, ain't much time left in the night and I want this done before we hit the hay.”

It didn't take long for the two ponies to find the lazy thestral, as her hooves were dangling off the edge of one of the stacks, her helmet and sword lying next to her while her wings covered her head. The two ponies exchanged a brief glance and a chuckle at the sight, with Twilight baffled by the thestral’s apparent ability to fall asleep anywhere without issue.

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled, lobbing her ball of paper at the slumbering pony. “Wake up!”

Rainbow Dash’s head jerked and her wings recoiled with the mare looking about in confusion only to look down and notice the two ponies looking up at her. “I wasn't asleep, I just closed my eyes for a like... an hour.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Well, come on down for a moment, I wanted to talk to ya.”

“We’re talking right now, aren't we?” Rainbow Dash shot back.

“Oh just get your lazy carcass down here already, wouldja?” Applejack snapped.

“Oh alright,” the thestral whined, plunking her helmet back on her head before strapping her sword onto her side and gliding down. “Alright, now what are we doing again? Please tell me it's not cataloguing.”

“I hope not,” Twilight remarked, a shiver running down her spine.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Nah, it's a riddle or something, but first y'all have to swear you won't tell anyone of what happens here. Got it?”

“Err, sure thing, Applejack,” Rainbow Dash responded.

“This is serious, you have to swear you won't tell anyone.” Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Ever.”

“I swear I won't tell anyone,” Twilight said, hoof over her heart.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, reluctantly putting her hoof over her heart. “I swear I won't tell anyone. Now will you tell us what this is all about?”

The treebound pony sighed. “Mah family owned a lot of land in and around Ponyville, even where we’re standing right now used to be owned by mah family.”

“Really?” Twilight blinked. “Wow, you must have been quite wealthy way back then.”

Applejack shrugged. “Sorta, the family was bigger back then, had a lot of cousins and whatnot living on the land, so it's not like we made a lot off it.” She shook her head. “That's not the point though. The point is we gave the land up voluntarily, and in return we asked that our family be granted a vault in the castle.”

“So you did have a ton of gems!” Rainbow Dash smirked. “You sly dog you.”

“That ain't…” Applejack sighed. “We had a little, but that's not the point. We wanted a place where the whole family could keep stuff that meant something without having to worry about it none.”

“I’m assuming this is before the invention or wide spread use of banks?” Twilight offered.

Applejack shrugged. “I don't rightly know but that was before even the castle was built, Equestria was like three towns big about that time. Regardless, the sisters let mah family have our vault, but she worried it might be a target so she had it hidden from her sister so only she and mah family would know about it.”

“You’re telling me your family was that close to her?” Rainbow Dash asked pointedly, eyebrow raised. “Really?”

“Wait, her? You mean Lu-” Twilight shrunk when they both glared at her. “I get it, don't speak the name of the pony in their tomb.”

Applejack nodded slowly. “Eeyup.”

“Okay, so they hid this vault in her library, then what?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well…” Applejack frowned. “The few of my kind that knew where it was and how to get into it kicked the bucket during the war.” Her frown deepened. “By the time anyone remembered it even existed the whole damn forest was still a mess, the castle was in pieces and no one even knew how to get into it. So we just kinda, didn't bother doing anything about it.”

“So we are trying to find it then?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah pretty much, there's something mighty important in there,” Applejack answered.

“Like what?” Rainbow asked eagerly, a wide grin spreading across her face. “Is it your family’s lost treasure or maybe some kind of artifact from before the war?”

“What?” Applejack scoffed. “Nothing like that.”

“Then like what?”

Applejack frowned. “I’ll tell ya if we manage to open it. Till then all you need to know is it ain't worth nothing to nobody but mah family.”

“Fine, keep your secrets.” Rainbow Dash scowled.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m assuming you have something to go on at least?”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah.” She opened her hoof, revealing a thin slice of paper with a seemingly random assortment of numbers and letters on it. “My great uncle was supposedly the last one of our family to get into the vault, may his soul rot in Tartarus.” The farm pony turned and nearly spat before she caught herself, leaving her to reluctantly swallow the glob of spit. “Left behind this, said it would be all we need to find it eventually.” She scratched her head. “Except I can't make heads or tails of it.”

“Odd,” Twilight muttered, grabbing the paper and bringing it close to her face. “It almost looks like a classification number, but not one that I recognize.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked, leaning over the unicorn’s shoulder and chuckled. “Here I thought you were a library nerd.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I have studied library classification systems before, but this is not one I’ve ever seen used in Canterlot.”

Rainbow Dash’s gaze narrowed and she leaned closer. “Wait a second.” She swiped the paper from Twilight’s magic, peering intently at it. “This is the same classification system we use for the guard’s library.”

“Wait, you have a library?” Twilight asked skeptically.

“Well yeah, there are tons of things out there that we've found that would be dangerous if ithey got out to the public, but could also be useful to the right type of beings,” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “Where do you think we put all the books too important to just leave in here?”

“I never thought of it like that…” Twilight muttered, her gaze lingering on the many shelves, only now noticing that none of them were full.

“It took a lot of offers to convince the spirits to give up the books, but in the end even they understood that there are some things that need to be under lock and key.” Rainbow Dash shrugged.

Applejack’s eyes lit up and she leaned in, grabbing the thestral by the shoulder. “So you know where this book is?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Sure, I mean it would take awhile to figure out where this section is, as there are tons that aren't labeled, but I’m pretty sure I could find it given a few hours.”

“Wait, what section is it in?” Twilight asked.

“Non-fiction, journals and compilations of written accounts,” Rainbow Dash responded mechanically.

“That's really specific,” Twilight muttered.

“I guess.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Don't suppose you found the non fiction section by chance, did ya?”

“Actually, I did,” Twilight announced happily, only to stop and stare at the thestral. “Wait, since when did you know anything about cataloguing systems?”

The thestral rolled her eyes. “Since the day I passed basic. Every recruit has to know how to find stuff in the archive.”

“I suppose that makes sense.”

“Well, what are we dawdling for?” Applejack asked. “Let's get moving already.”

“Right. It's this way.” Twilight turned, leading them deeper into the library.

“Here we are.” Twilight gestured to the section. “This is where I found that history book I was reading earlier.”

“Which means it should be over here,” Rainbow Dash muttered, eyes scanning the wall of books. “Aha!”

“Where is it?” Applejack asked nervously, trying to follow Rainbow’s gaze.

“Right here.” Rainbow Dash reached forward to grab a slim, black spined leather book that had neither title nor author, only for Applejack to leap forward and grab it out of her hooves. “Whoa, watch it.”

Rainbow Dash and Twilight watched as Applejack tore through the book, flipping through pages before turning the whole thing upside down and giving it a shake. “No keys or nothing. Damnit, I really thought this was it.”

“It might be a clue.” Twilight pointed out. “Is there anything else on that piece of paper not used to identify this book?”

Rainbow Dash glanced down. “Yeah, there's an extra number three at the end of it.”

“Maybe that's a chapter.” Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Can I see it?”

“Sure.” Applejack gave her the book. “Though I’m not sure what you are going to find in some book.” She frowned. “It's not like reading it is gonna make the vault pop out of nowhere.” Her eyes went wide. “Twilight, is the book magical?”

“It seems like a plain old book to me.” She lit her horn, running a scanning spell over the book before shaking her head. “Nope, just a light preservation spell.”

Rainbow Dash swiped the book out of Twilight’s magic. “Quit lollygagging and let's find out what this book is even about… Stories of the first settlers and tales of the Everfree, huh.”

Applejack jabbed her hoof at the book. “Turn to chapter three.”

Rainbow Dash did just that. “Accepting the unacceptable, by her.”

“Wait her?” Twilight gazed over the mare’s shoulder. “Oh wow, it is by her.”

“Would you look at that,” Applejack muttered, pushing her hat up. “Well, what are we waiting for? Read it.”

“Err alright, but it's all in old Equish. Guess I’ll just translate it so I don't sound like that stuck up Trixie.” Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue in disgust.

“Oh this is so exciting. A tale written by one of the two sisters, I wonder what wisdom it might hold.” Twilight’s eyes shone as she gazed at the page in wonder. “Do you think it has some sort of hidden meaning or spell coded into the story?”

“I don't rightly care one way or the other, just read it already and let's get this over with.” Applejack grouched.

“Alright alright, sheesh.” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “It all began when I was traveling back to the quaint little hamlet of Ponyville. Sir Night Song told me of this wonderful little bakery that had just opened and I had to see it for myself...”

“Ahh, what a wonderful day for a walk in the woods,” Luna said with a smile, breathing deeply of the fresh spring air. “It's enough to make an old mare feel young again.”

With a smile still plastered firmly on her face, the alicorn trotted further down the well manicured trail, glancing occasionally at the passing trees and other vegetation that dotted the edge of the path. Having abandoned her usual escort of guards, Luna was free to linger at any flower that caught her attention and generally spent as much time as she wanted trotting to town, something she eagerly partook in.

With a sigh, the alicorn turned away from the rose she had been smelling and began to trot towards town at a more determined pace, her stomach having rumbled, alerting her to just how much she was looking forward to the bakery her friend had mentioned. “I wonder if our dear Twilight will be able to join me?”

Shrugging off the question, Luna trotted a little faster, easily managing to reach the end of the path in no time, Ponyville appearing slightly to her right. “Wait, that's not right…”

Trotting a little further, the alicorn broke from the tree line before turning back around and noticing the path was exactly where it was a moment ago, which was not where it should be. “The last time I used this path I could see the whole of Ponyville open up before me.”

She glanced to her right, where Ponyville now stood. “What in the world is going on?” she muttered.

Looking around, the alicorn saw no obvious reason to explain how this had happened and sprinting to her left revealed another path, this one identical to the one she had just exited. Looking down it revealed a nearly perfect copy of the path she had just walked, though there were a few things that were slightly off, like a small row of orchids that grew near the path’s end. Walking into the path and turning around confirmed this was indeed where she had exited before, further confusing the alicorn.

“How?” she muttered.

Scratching her head, the alicorn pondered her predicament, only to shrug and turn away, walking towards the town of Ponyville and the bakery therein. Though even with her stomach rumbling and her brain telling her to simply forget the path and get food, she could do no such thing and with a regretful sigh she turned back to the path.

“This is going to bother me to no end,” she muttered before teleporting back to the castle.

Several minutes later, the alicorn began to walk the same path, starting from where it emerged behind an old red wood that seemed to grow randomly at the edge of the treeline near the castle. With a small book, quill and ink pot now in her possession, the alicorn levitated these objects, taking notes as she walked. Over time her irritation at the forest seemed to dull and she began to enjoy the closeness of nature, until she turned the last corner and saw Ponyville.

Her eye twitched dangerously and she very nearly crushed the ink pot in her magical grip. “HOW?!” she yelled.

The source of her ire was the fact that Ponyville did not appear directly before her, or to her right, but rather to her left, a small bush of roses marking this end of the path as different from the other two. Through gritted teeth she marked this down before spinning on her heel and trotting back down the path, only to repeat the process.

Over and over she went, walking the path back and forth, getting different results each and every time, and by the time the sun began to dip low on the horizon she had emerged from over twenty different exits. She had found no break in the path, though the turn seemed to signal a transition, as everything after that was slightly different. The only visually distinct thing she could notice was the different kinds of flowering plants found near the end of each path.

With her heart thundering in her chest, the alicorn turned down path number twenty two, noting the familiar low hanging branch that signalled the turn towards town. Her steps slowed, her eyes widened, and with fumbling, awkward steps she fell to the dirt, her ink pot, which had run low, tumbling from her grasp as did her now nearly full book and nearly blunt quill.

“How?” she muttered weakly.

As she lay there, staring at the small birch sapling that grew at the end of the path, Luna pondered if she was, perhaps, going completely mad. The mare lay there for a few minutes, contemplating the possibility of her madness, until a bunny hopped past her, undeterred by the sight of the alicorn and only stopping to give her a sidelong glance before continuing down the path.

Luna couldn't help but watch the small creature as it hopped down the trail, only to stop when it reached the end, where it looked around in apparent confusion. Then, with a shrug of its tiny shoulders it turned to its right and continued to hop away, unperturbed by the realization that it was not where it was supposed to be.

“Ha.” What began as a single syllable turned into a deep, irritation fueled laugh that saw the alicorn rolling around on the forest floor, tears staining her cheeks.

Eventually, when her laughter finally petered out, the alicorn now lying on her back and gazing up at the twilight sky. “I guess I’m not crazy.”

The mare shook her head and turned herself over, stood up, and with all the strength she could muster, whipped the book into the woods, following it closely with the quill and now empty ink pot.

“To think, a rabbit could lead me to an epiphany. Celestia is going to find this hilarious.” The alicorn shook the twigs from her mane, and after a second of consideration, turned to follow the rabbit, giving herself over to the whims of the woods.

“Huh,” Twilight muttered. “That certainly was… interesting.”

“I wouldn't go that far,” Rainbow Dash added.

“What do you suppose it means?” Applejack asked.

“I don't know, but the bunny clearly has some sort of significance,” Twilight offered. “Is there a rabbit statue, or painting in the library?”

“Well, that's just silly,” Applejack pointed out. “Why in the world would there be a statue of a bunny in a library?”

“Normally I would agree with you Applejack, but this is her were talking about. This entire library is kind of well… random,” Rainbow Dash remarked with a shrug.

Applejack sighed. “Fair enough.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Wait! I think I remember seeing a rabbit statue when I was nap- I mean watching for danger.”

“Where?”

“It's peering over the side of one of the stacks near the entrance to the library.” Rainbow Dash turned and leapt off the ground, flying in the direction of the entrance. “Come on!”

Applejack and Twilight shared a look before they began to trot after their friend, quickly re-emerging into the entrance of the library and finding Rainbow Dash gazing up at a small bunny statue that was indeed peering over the side of the stack. “See, look? I told you.”

“How didn't we see that earlier?” Applejack asked incredulously while scratching her head.

“I don't know,” Twilight muttered.

“Well. Now what?” Applejack remarked.

“I don't know,” Twilight repeated.

“Wait a second,” Rainbow Dash whispered. “Shouldn't there be a button or something? Maybe it's looking at a switch or lever.”

The thestral spun in a circle, following the statue’s gaze down towards the base of the Luna statue. “Huh… nothing.” She was about to poke the part of the statue the bunny was looking at, only to slowly pull her hoof back, thinking better of it.

“What was that last thing she said in the story?” Applejack asked suddenly.

“Celestia is going to find this hilarious?” Rainbow Dash offered.

“No not that. The one before.”

“To think, a rabbit could lead me to an epiphany,” Twilight added.

“Yeah, that's it!” Applejack turned and looked up at the bunny statue. “What's the most forward facing part of a bunny?”

“Its nose?” Twilight asked.

“Exactly, which means that would be the part of it that would lead. Maybe that line was a clue,” Applejack added.

“Good thinking!” Rainbow Dash remarked, flying up to the statue and hovering a hoof over its nose. “Wait. What if this unleashes some sort of trap or something?”

“I very much doubt they would tie a trap to the opening of the vault,” Twilight muttered dryly.

“I guess, but how can we be sure?” Rainbow Dash glanced over at the bunny warrily. “Maybe it's tied to some sort of gas trap or maybe-”

Twilight shook her head, letting her horn dim. “It's tied to a mechanism, but as far as I can tell it doesn't seem like it has any spells tied to it. If there is a trap, it's purely mechanical.”

“See? Now stop lollygaggin’ and boop that snoot.” Applejack remarked angrily.

“Fine. But if something goes wrong, I’m blaming it on you.” Rainbow Dash huffed, turning back to the bunny and after a moment of hesitation, pressing her hoof against its nose.

For a second nothing happened, then a click could be heard from within the wall, followed by the whir of gears that ended near the base of the statue, followed by the grinding of stone against stone. The three ran over to the statue, noticing now that the space directly before it had a small two foot by two foot, half completed picture made up of various blocks. Over three dozen blocks made up a half completed picture of the castle at night, the top half of the simple puzzle not yet complete.

“Wow, that's… obvious,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“There has to be more to it,” Twilight remarked. “It can't just be a simple picture puzzle. Can it?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Applejack bent down, laying on the floor next to the puzzle and beginning the slow process of finishing it.

Within minutes she had moved nearly all the blocks into place, leaving one final block out of position. “Ready?”

Twilight lit her horn while Rainbow Dash nodded, a hoof over the hilt of her blade. Noticing her friends were braced and ready for anything, Applejack pushed the last block into place before jumping back up, her ears up and alert.

After a tense moment of silence the trio looked around in confusion. “Did anything happen?” Applejack muttered.

Twilight shook her head. “I didn't notice anything, what about you, Rainbow Dash?”

“Nothing,” the thestral answered.

“Weird.” Applejack scratched her head. “I guess it wasn't that simple after all.”

“That's weird.” Rainbow Dash rolled her shoulders, forcing her muscles to relax. “Why lead us to a puzzle if we aren't supposed to solve it?”

“I don't know.” Twilight muttered while staring at the puzzle, noting that it did indeed look exactly like the castle at midnight, with a large full moon hanging overhead.

Peering closer, Twilight didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, the picture itself not detailed enough to gleam any potential clues from. The trees were three simple colors and even the castle itself was rendered rather simplistic, along with the sky, with only the moon being out of the ordinary, its surface and many craters drawn in considerable detail.

“Huh.” Twilight leaned down, tapping the moon block absently. “Everything else is pretty plain other than the moon.”

“Do you think it's a clue?” Applejack asked.

“I don't know.” Twilight shrugged. “But it's gotta mean something, right?”

“Unless it's a red herring,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“True.” Twilight stood slowly, tapping her chin as she began to pace.

For a long while the three ponies all stood, paced or lay on the floor, contemplating the deeper meaning of what had looked like a simple puzzle before Rainbow Dash suddenly spoke up. “Maybe it opened something somewhere in the library but doesn't have an auditory clue?”

“Might as well do a flyby,” Applejack pointed out.

“Right.” The mare put her helmet on the floor next to the door. “I’m on it.”

Then, in a burst of wind the thestral was gone, flying off into the crowded stacks and deeper into the library, leaving the other two ponies to continue pondering the mystery that was this strange puzzle. After a few more minutes Rainbow Dash returned, shaking her head. “Nothing.”

“Consarnit,” Applejack cursed, taking off her hat and giving it a good stomp. “What in the hay is the point of a picture puzzle if not to complete it?”

“Wait.” Twilight’s eyes widened and she suddenly sprinted over to the picture. “This is exactly like the moral of the story!”

“Wait, what?” Applejack asked, plunking her now slightly dustier hat back on her head.

“Lu-she, expected one result, but got another and-”

“Only when she accepted the chaotic nature of the forest was she happy,” Rainbow Dash finished. “That's brilliant.”

“So all we gotta do is mix it up?” Applejack asked, glancing down at the picture puzzle quizzically. “That doesn't seem right, but that might be the whole point.”

Twilight lit her horn and began scrambling the puzzle, in minutes the entire thing was unrecognizable, and only then did something strange happen. Applejack took a step forward, placing a hoof against the unicorn’s shoulder. “Wait, stop. Go back.”

The unicorn did just that, shifting the last block she had moved back into position. “See that?” Applejack pointed to the two blocks closest to the one Twilight had just moved. “It's like a design or something, the trees fit together.”

“You are right.”

“Move the top left one down, I think I see a pattern start to form,” Rainbow Dash added.

Twilight nodded, doing as she was told and finding there did indeed seem to be a pattern. The edges of the moon piece were a faint black, and after locking in the rest of the sky pieces around it, the pattern became more evident. Within minutes Twilight had managed to assemble nearly the entire thing, with the castle pieces somehow fitting in around the sky pieces, followed by the tree and grass pieces that made up the last layer.

“Wow.” Applejack muttered, noticing how the entire thing was like someone was looking at the castle through the reflection of a puddle.

“Agreed,” Twilight added.

“Hurry up and put the last few pieces in!” Rainbow Dash complained. “I want to see if this will work!”

Twilight nodded. “Right.” With a flick of her horn the last few pieces were moved into place, the entire picture now becoming complete.

For a moment nothing happened, and just when it seemed like Applejack was about to say something, a sudden click drew her attention down. The ground shook as massive hidden gears began to grind, crushing the decades of dust and dirt that had fallen between the cracks. The grinding continued, as the puzzle slid into the ground, revealing a hole that began to open up beneath where the picture had been only a moment earlier.

The trio stood in shocked silence, watching as more and more of the blocks slid out of the way, until a shaft, complete with ladder, now loomed below them. The grinding stopped, and light flickered below them, several blue torches appearing along the side of the tunnel, revealing a short drop that opened up into a larger area.

“Wow,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“Agreed.”

“You girls watch up here, I’m going in,” Applejack announced only to stop as she realized just how impossible that action was due to the tree that grew on her back. “Oh, for shitsake.” The farmer sighed, turning to Twilight. “Can I trust you to go in there and get what I need?”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Hey, I could do that too, ya know.”

“Ah know, and don't think ah don't trust ya. It's just, Twilight here has magic, which will make hauling up whatever’s down there mighty easy,” Applejack pointed out.

The thestral wilted. “Fair enough.”

Twilight made her way over to the farm pony, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Is there anything I should know before I go down there?”

“Be careful, for one.” Applejack smirked. “There should be a deed down there, it's old, so be gentle with it. Other then that we might as well clear out the vault so grab everything else you find. I’ll wait up here and catch whatever you pass up.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright, and don't worry, I’ll be as careful as possible.”

“I know you will.” Applejack smiled.

The unicorn turned, noting the way her heart seemed to flutter for a moment after parting. Glancing down the shaft, Twilight quickly realized that her leg brace was no longer lit up. The unicorn leaned down, prodding the brace with her magic, only to recognize that it was merely an inert hunk of metal, having lost all charge. “How long has it been like this?” she muttered.

“Awhile.” Rainbow Dash cocked her head. “Wait, you didn't know?”

The unicorn blushed slightly. “I didn't really think about it after the first day out.”

“Can we deal with this later please?” Applejack asked anxiously. “I really want to know if it's still there.”

“Right, of course.” Twilight shook her head and began descending the ladder, quickly finding that her normally clumsy and useless hooves now had absolutely no trouble utilizing the metal ladder that was bolted to the tunnel wall.

The mare shook her head. “Just another mystery,” she muttered.

Focusing on the task at hoof, Twilight slowly descended down into the vault, tentatively stepping onto the hard stone floor and looking around. The area was small, and was brightly lit by a trio of torches that illuminated the well fortified vault. Even after a single glance Twilight could tell for certain that whomever had built it was well versed in magic as she could feel several different protection spells thrum in the back of her mind, protecting the vault from being pierced by any who did not come from the shaft above her.

Beyond that, the vault was only sparsely populated, with only a two bags of something sitting in the corner. Making her way over, Twilight quickly noticed that a small book was half hidden behind a bag and a single rolled up piece of paper bound by a royal blue bow was wedged between the bags.

Pulling out the book, Twilight realized from the look of it that must be a scrapbook of some kind and flipping it open, her assumption was validated when she beheld a simple and rather grainy picture of a black and white apple tree. Below it, the words ‘The Apple Family’ were printed.

Flipping past, Twilight found herself looking upon what must have been the earliest picture of the Apple family, as there were only several members standing proudly beside a tall apple tree, one and all wearing a beaming smile. As she continued to flip through the book she noticed the family grew and grew, as did the orchard, until all of a sudden the orchard was being slowly overtaken with other trees, the smiles having vanished from the faces of the family members.

At first the trees in the background still resembled an orchard, albeit one that was surrounded and being slowly infiltrated by other trees but after a few more pages the pristine farm began to resemble the orchard Twilight had seen only a few days ago. By then the faces of the family members’ were downcast, none of them sporting the wide smiles they had only a few pages ago.

Twilight flipped the page, only to stop dead in her tracks, her jaw hanging open. She had noticed that the last few pages had shown the family beginning to have the familiar signs of what could only be described as ‘corruption’. Small sections of fur had been replaced by bark, and small branches had begun to poke out from some of their manes. During this time the family seemed to have stopped growing, appearing to stay at about the same number of members. Then suddenly the corruption was gone, just like that.

Flipping back Twilight could tell the signs of corruption were there on the page before, then she flipped back, all signs of the forest’s influence were completely gone. Their happy smiles returned, and for a few more pages they seemed to grow in number, before the pictures stopped entirely. Flipping through the rest of the book revealed nothing of interest, with every page being completely blank. Turning back to the last occupied page, Twilight realized several pages had been torn from the book, leaving behind no indication of what they had once contained. Turning to the last page one final time, Twilight stared a little closer at each member of the family in turn, finding nothing out of the ordinary until her gaze lingered on the fetlock of a well built mare who had, what Twilight assumed was moss growing up her leg. It was only a few inches, but Twilight could tell something was off, though it didn't look like the signs of ‘corruption’ she saw earlier in the scrapbook.

“Huh,” the unicorn muttered.

“Y'all right down there?” Applejack yelled.

Twilight shook her head. “Yeah! Just got distracted. The spellwork is amazing down here.”

She could hear Rainbow Dash snicker from above, but the unicorn brushed that aside, placing the book next to the bottom of the stairs before noticing a piece of paper that had fallen out of it. Picking up the folded piece of paper Twilight was tempted to open it, but the words printed on the front made her stop.

To my family.

She figured she had snooped enough and tucked it back into the front of the book, making sure it poked out the side slightly. Turning her attention down to the scroll bound by the blue ribbon, Twilight grabbed it, turning the paper over in her hoof.

“Interesting,” she muttered, noticing that it was stamped by the seal of the moon, and that the relatively simple piece of paper carried with it a powerful spell placed within.

Placing it on top of the book, Twilight put the scroll out of her mind and glanced down to the two bags she had noticed earlier. Pulling one of them open, the mare’s eyes went wide, the familiar gleam of gold coins instantly captivating her. Grabbing one of them, the unicorn brought it up to the light, noticing that it wasn't a bit, but rather some other, more ancient coin. One that had Luna’s face on one side and Celestia’s on the other.

Dropping the coin back into the bag, Twilight sifted through the container for a moment before determining it was completely filled with the old coins. Turning to the other one revealed another bag that was filled with identical coins, and from her brief inspection, Twilight figured there must be at least several thousands of the things.

Shaking her head, Twilight walked back over to the shaft and looked up, noticing the worried Applejack looking down on her. “There were two bags of really old coins, a scrap book with a note in it, and some scroll with a blue seal. Is that what you were looking for?”

“You betcha! Now be careful with that scroll. That there is probably the deed to the farm,” Applejack remarked.

“Will do,” Twilight responded, before lighting her horn, and creating a bubble around the scroll.

She then took the bubble in her magic and gently levitated it up to a waiting Applejack who only seemed to relax when the bubble was in her hooves. “Alright now, I got it.”

Twilight dismissed the bubble, and drew a sigh from Applejack who placed the deed aside with all the care of a mother placing a newborn in the crib. Levitating the rest of the items took little time, and Twilight quickly followed after, climbing the ladder and emerging once more into the library.

The second she stepped away from the vault, the familiar sound of gears could be heard, and in a few seconds the vault sealed itself once more. The floor where the shaft had just been appeared as if nothing had even happened, with even the dirt and dust returning to where it had been moments earlier.

Rainbow Dash peered over the farmer’s shoulder. “So, what is all this stuff?”

Applejack pushed the eager thestral away. “Hold on a second, I don't remember Granny ever talking about a note.”

The apple farmer flipped the piece of paper open and read quickly, steadily becoming more and more angry as time passed until finally she threw the paper on the ground and began stomping on it as hard as she could. “That no good, rotten piece of… augh! I’m so mad I can't even think of a curse.”

“No good rotten piece of guano, that deserves not even the air it breathes?” Rainbow Dash offered.

“Where did you even learn such a foul saying?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “There are a lot of stallions in the guard.”

Applejack finally stopped stomping on the piece of paper and sighed heavily. “If that no good slime ball is still alive, I am gonna hunt him down and change that.” The treebound pony breathed deeply before placing a hoof against her heart, forcing her muscles to relax.

“What did it say, anway?” Twilight asked.

“That great uncle I mentioned cleaned out the vault and used all the money to fuck off to Cliffsdale with some thestral hussy.” Applejack turned to Rainbow Dash. “No offence.”

“None taken.”

“Anyway, he left this note, ‘apologizing’ and mentioning that he didn't bother taking the deed as it wasn't worth anything on account of the curse that came with it.” Applejack sighed suddenly, placing a hoof against her forehead. “Granny ain't gonna like this, she always did think the world of him.”

“Are you alright?” Twilight asked, leaning close to the still fuming mare.

“I will be… oh and thanks.”

Twilight blinked “For what?”

“Helping, keeping this all a secret and whatnot.” She shoved a bag of the old coins at the unicorn. “I’d like you to have this, it ain't worth much nowadays, and think of it as a way of me saying thanks for keeping all these secrets, including the one about this scrapbook.”

“Why does that matter? It's just a scrapbook,” Twilight asked curiously.

“Yeah that, and where's my bits?” Rainbow Dash added.

Applejack rolled her eyes and thrust the other bag at the thestral. “That book has evidence that this ‘curse’ can be beaten and I don't want that getting out quite yet. Not everybody is gonna think beating this thing is a good thing.”

“That makes sense… I guess. What exactly is going on in those pictures anyway?”

Applejack sighed. “Guess I might as well tell ya the story.” The farm pony stood a little straighter. “It all started back when my family first made a deal with the forest. We worked the land, and in turn we avoided the changes that afflicted other farmers at about that time. Apparently we did some ritual or something that appeased the forest and allowed us to go without the issues others did.”

“Obviously that didn't work,” Rainbow Dash added, earning her a hoof upside the head.

“I was getting there!” Applejack grunted. “What I was gonna say was that was how it worked until the war started, and everything went down the crapper.”

“Did the orchard get attacked?” Twilight asked.

“Well yeah, but that's not the real problem here.” She shook her head. “No, what the real problem was that everyone who knew the details of this agreement we had with the forest went and kicked the bucket. Leaving us without a way to keep up our side of the arrangement.”

“That does seem like a problem,” Twilight remarked. “I suppose that is why your family is so… different?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “That's one way of putting it.”

Applejack raised her hoof menacingly, shaking it at the thestral. “Yes, that is the reason for our changes, and why my family is considered cursed by some folk out there.”

“I know this isn't going to sound very nice, but have you thought of…” Twilight winced. “Following the story now?”

“What do you mean?” Applejack asked flatly.

“Well... In the story she stops worrying and trusts in the chaotic nature of the forest. That story brought us to the vault, helped us open the vault and seems to be linked in some way with your family,” Twilight pointed out.

Applejack scratched her head. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“Well.. How do you farm your apples?”

“What in the…” The farmer’s eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to tell me I’ve been doing it wrong?”

“Not cool, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash added.

Twilight winced. “Just hear me out. If that deed doesn't have the information, then maybe what you did for the forest wasn't a ritual but an attitude. Maybe you should let the forest do more.” She sighed. “I’m just trying to say that maybe there is a way you can harvest apples that follows the message of the story.”

“That's…” The apple farmer frowned for a moment before looking up. “Actually a good idea. Maybe there is something to what you are saying.” Applejack shook her head. “All I know is that we need to get back to the farm before any of this can be put to the test.”

“Right.” Twilight gulped. “I hope you are not mad at me.”

Applejack shook her head and smiled. “I could never be mad at someone because they were trying to help.” The farmer turned and trotted to the door. “Now come on, we better get back before I fall asleep standing up.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “Finally!” The thestral trotted ahead without looking back.

The two non-winged beings took up the rear, until Applejack turned suddenly, pulling the unicorn into a bone crushing hug. “Thanks for all the help, partner.”

Twilight smiled, hugging the tree pony back, the exhaustion that hung over her until now suddenly lifting. “Don't thank just me, Rainbow Dash was a surprisingly big help.”

“I know.” Applejack pulled back. “She ain't the huggin type though.”

Twilight giggled. “Fair enough.”

“Oh and don't worry about that hole in the ground none.” Applejack shrugged. “Far as I’m concerned we’re square and well if this whole idea of yours works, well, we'd be more than square.”

“I wouldn't go that far, I’m sure anyone of our friends would do the same if they could,” Twilight responded.

Applejack shook her head. “But they didn't and ain't, you are. If we are able to fix this thing that's hung over my family for generations, then I figure we'd owe you about as much as we owe the forest. And that ain't a debt that can be repaid.”

Twilight sighed. “I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?”

“Nope!” Applejack proclaimed proudly. “Oh and if this works, be prepared to have the life squeezed out of you by Big Mac. He doesn't look it, but he's quite the hugger.”

“Oh joy,” Twilight muttered, imagining the enormous half tree half pony squeezing the soul out of her body.

“Hey, you two coming or what?” shouted Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, we’re coming!” Applejack hollered back. “Best get going, we can talk more about this whole mess later.” The farm pony slipped the deed under her hat before tucking the book into the crook of a branch, while Twilight levitated her bag of coins.

Together the pair trotted the last little bit back to their camp, instantly noticing that a lot had changed during the last few hours. Balls of web now lay tossed about everywhere, with Rarity and Trixie in the middle of what looked like a heated exchange, the arachne waving her hooves in the air as she spoke animatedly.

Rainbow Dash had tossed her bag of coins in a corner before piling her stuff over top of it, trying to hide the bag of money to the best of her ability. Upon seeing that the last two members of their party had returned, Rarity sighed, putting away the thread she had been holding and ignoring Trixie. “Hello darlings, welcome back.”

The teal unicorn merely grunted before making her way over to her makeshift house in the corner, slamming the door shut behind her.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Trouble in paradise?”

Rarity sighed, running a hoof through her messy mane. “You could say that again. Trixie seems to be opposed to my method of weaving and has vehemently claimed I need to forget everything.” The arachne rolled her eyes. “As if that would solve anything.”

“Well, she is the expert,” Applejack pointed out.

“I know.” Rarity sighed. “It's just easier said than done. How would you like it if someone told you to forget everything you knew about apple farming?”

Applejack and Twilight exchanged an amused glance before they both erupted in laughter, causing Rarity to glance at Rainbow Dash. “Was it something I said?”

“Something like that.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “We’ll tell you later. Right now I’m tuckered out.” The thestral trotted over to the door, before lighting the torch, putting it in its place and making her way over to her bedroll. “Hey, where is Fluttershy?”

“She was helping Angel back to where she found those carrots he liked, she’ll be back in the morning with a new animal friend,” Rarity answered.

Applejack wiped a tear from her eye and gave Twilight a pat on the shoulder. “Speaking of which, we should probably turn in. I bet it's mighty early by now.”

Twilight nodded. “Agreed, I’m exhausted.”

The dead unicorn settled into her own bed, snuggling into the overly fluffy pillow Rarity had provided her days earlier. Silence settled over the room quickly, with exhaustion quickly claiming the room’s occupants who fell asleep in mere minutes. Just as Twilight was about to follow them into the realm of dreams, she noticed something moving at the edge of her perception.

Looking up, Twilight saw a vaguely equine shape slip through the wall of their room. Her eyes widening, Twilight lit her horn and hopped up, following the shape until she was looking over at a sleeping Rainbow Dash whom the butter yellow ghost was floating overtop of.

Just as Twilight was about to unleash a bolt of magic, the shape turned to her, revealing it to be what looked like a pegasus with deep teal eyes. The aetherial pegasus was young, probably not more than a teenager, her limbs still long and gangly and her eyes a little too big for her face. A smile began to cross the ghost’s face, only for her brow to crease when their eyes met and panic began to replace the mirth Twilight had seen a second earlier.

“Fluttershy?”

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