Chapter 12: The Next Clue

I opened my eyes to see a few rays of morning sunlight creep in through the window on the mountain top building. My gaze went down to see Enyi laying down, sleeping, right next to me with his front hooves wrapped around my waist. I tried moving around but only ended up groaning at how sore parts of me were feeling.

“So, you are awake.” I heard Enyi's voice say.

“I'm sorry, did I wake you up?”

“No, I have been awake for several minutes. I just thought you were sleeping.” Enyi opened his eyes which allowed me to stare in to them.

“You have nice eyes, gold is a good color for them.” I whispered.

“They were my mother's eyes as well.” he whispered back.

“Oh, that's right. I'm sorry if I brought up anything unpleasant.”

“It is no problem, it is a compliment.” Enyi smiled(thank Celestia).

Enyi sat up in the bed and stretched out his hooves with a yawn. I sat up after him and gave him one more quick kiss on the cheek before we got up out of the bed.

“Oww.” I said rubbing my flank.

“What is wrong?” Enyi asked.

“Just a little sore, gonna have to apologize to Hero about the sheets though.” I said taking a look at the bed.

“I am sure she will understand.” Enyi said as he picked up my saddlebag from the corner of the room, “You go to the dining room, I will collect the rest of out things.”

“Oh sure, thanks.” I said with a happy smile.
I trotted down the hall with a large grin on my face while humming a little tune to myself. I was happy, happier than I had been in a long time and I wasn't embarrassed to show it. I trotted down the hall and into the dining room that I had eaten dinner in last evening. Jackpot, Silver and Scarlet were already there eating from an assortment of various breakfast foods from cereals to toast and several types of juice.

“Hey there Ivory.” Jackpot said sporting the grin he usually had when planning something...Jackpotish, “Have fun last night?” he asked slyly while nudging Scarlet in her side.

“Oh uh, hey there Ivory...how was um...your um...night...did you do anything fun?” Scarlet giggled a little and looked up at Jackpot, “Did I say it right?”

Jackpot shook his head in disappointment, “Nope, but A for effort.” Scarlet looked back down giving off a face that obviously was her trying to reword what she said in her head.

I just stood there in front of the doorway completely red and utterly stupefied, “What?”

“You know we were literally right next door to you right?” Jackpot said still laughing a bit himself, “We could hear everything.”

“Also you left your door open.” Silver said in between bites of his cereal.

“Yeah, got woken up in the middle of the night by some weird noises and what do I discover? An open door and two very loud neighbors who were too busy to notice me standin there in shock.” Jackpot said trying to sound victimized.

“You two were rather...noticeable.” Scarlet said.

“I uh, don't really know what to say here.” is all I could think of to say.

“Might want to leave this out of the history books.” Jackpot said...still...chuckling to himself.

It was now that Enyi entered into the room from behind me with our saddlebags around his back, “Ivory you look red, are you ok?”

“I think I'm dead.” I said.

Enyi looked at the others with a confused look on his face which just elicited several more giggles from Jackpot and now even Scarlet. Luckily it was also here that Hero came in to greet us and say good morning.

“Morning friends.” she said before seeing the intense awkwardness that permeated the room. “I miss something fun?”

“Just a bunch of rhyming and whinnying.” Jackpot squeaked in between his now renewed chuckles.

“No.” I immediately said after.

“Ok, oh and by the way Ivory you know sound travels very well in this part of the building don't you?” Hero said.

It was now that Enyi realized what was going on as his entire face turned basically into an overripe tomato.

“All right, that's enough makin fun of em.” Jackpot said clearing his throat and reeling in his chuckles, “Seriously though, might wanna watch all that in the future, could end this little quest of ours right quick.”

“And how exactly could it do that?” I asked now feeling both embarrassed and annoyed at Jackpot.

“Well, what do ya think happens when a mare and a stallion love each other very much and...”

“Ok, I get it, I get it.” I responded realizing myself just what exactly he was talking about. I admit that got me a little worried about the previous night.

“Um, there are also some um...medical issues that could occur from...too...much...um...”Scarlet began to whisper.

“I said I get it.” I said nickering slightly.

“Well anyway, enough of this foreplay. Ivory, Enyi you two have the journal with you right?” Hero said annoying me even more with her very obviously intentional choice of words.

“Wait, what!?” Enyi gasped, “You know about...”

“Yes, the journal of that Zebra lady. Grit told me about it a while ago and I'm wondering if you have it with you.” Hero responded in a very serious tone.

“Yes I do.” Enyi said hesitantly.

“Can I see it please?” Hero asked.

Enyi hesitantly reached back into his saddlebag and gently lifted out Abila's journal as well as the book we had written down translation notes in with his mouth. He set them carefully down on the table and opened up the journal only to have Hero swipe it up in her claws. Enyi's face scrunched up at that before he quickly tried to intercept Hero but I put my hoof in front of him to let Hero do whatever it was she wanted to do.

“Hmm, interesting.” Hero said deftly flipping through the pages with her claws. “Grit's description did not do it justice.”

“How did he describe it?” Silver asked, finishing his cereal.

“Well he couldn't read it so I suppose he didn't really know how useful this thing is.” Hero said nonchalantly ignoring Silver as she stared into the journal.

“Are you saying you can?” I asked.

“Well, a little. I've done some dungeon crawling in my time as you no doubt know Ivory and in my time I've come across a few things laced with this language here.”

“What things?” Silver asked.

“Oh you know, coins, pottery; nothing really out of the ordinary.” Hero finished flipping through the pages.

“Well Ivory and I have done a rather extensive translation of it so far with much success.” Enyi said proudly.

Hero wrapped the other book in her tail and held it up as she flipped through it with one of her feathery wings. She seemed to effortlessly read both simultaneously as her blue eyes darted between pages.

“And done a pretty good job it looks like.” Hero said sounding impressed.

“What can I say, Grit taught me good.” I said, sharing Enyi's pride in our work.

“Yeah, he always good at these sorts of things.” Hero said somewhat nostalgically. “Just had to go and make things hard on you now though.” Hero sighed.

“Well, anything useful in that book?” Silver asked.

“Doesn't look like it, unless you care about...hello what's this?” Hero muttered as she gazed at a page near the end of the book.

“What?” Jackpot asked.

“If your translations are correct, and it looks like they are, and my own limited knowledge is right, it is, I have a passage here talking about...a war...an Alicorn...and a set of keys.” Hero gazed closer at the book.

“Yeah, we've seen several references to the war and the Alicorn but we haven't read the end of the journal yet so the keys are new to me.” I said.

“I think the Alicorn's name was Terria, if I remember the beginning of the journal correctly.” Enyi added.

Hero flipped back to the beginning of the journal, “Yes, there is a Terria mentioned but who that is I have no idea.”

“We've been using the journal to find locations where we have found several magical artifacts, these keys maybe. We've found...two so far and given them to ponies and institutions that can keep them safe from Sable Granite and the Family.” I said.

“Ah yes, Sable Granite. I've heard that name before.” Hero said, thinking to herself. “He does not seem like a nice pony.”

“No, he isn't.” Jackpot added.

“You know anything about him Jackpot? You used to work for him after all?” Hero asked.

“Nothing I haven't already told Ivory.” Jackpot responded.

“Which is?”

“Practically nothing.” I said.

Hero sighed to herself, “Well since this journal doesn't seem to have any more artifact locations...”

“We also have many other texts that speak of...”

“Yes, I'm sure they're very impressive but please don't interrupt me, ok.” Hero snapped, “If you hadn't I would have told you that I've been doing some asking around since Grit's death and I may have found a lead for you guys to follow.”

“A lead? To where?” I asked.

“Have you ever heard of a pony named Aurora Solstice?”Hero asked me.

“Yes, she built what would eventually turn into the Crystal Empire right?”

“Aurora Solstice was also a very powerful wizard in her time and traveled throughout the Crystal Mountains and what is now Yakyakistan. It seems some Yak friends of mine have recently discovered something that has an image that matches descriptions of Aurora's cutie mark.”

“Wait! Are you saying freaking Yaks actually discovered ruins or maybe even the tomb of Aurora!” I gasped.

“Yes actually. I know several Yaks that studied through all of princess Twilight's schools and have become quite accomplished archeologists.” Hero scolded me.

“Interesting that I didn't hear about this when I heard about Greywing's tomb at A.I.” Silver said in a confused tone.

“Oh, these Yak's aren't associated with Adventure Incorporated so I guess it makes sense they would hear about it later.” Hero said.

“Good for us then.” Jackpot said.

“Indeed, less of a chance those nasty ponies will find us if we go there.” Scarlet added.

“So, you'd be willing to tell us where this place is so we can get there before Sable?” I asked.

“Of course.” Hero said. “But I want exclusive rights to interview you about all the things you do from now on ok!” Hero said with a clever looking smile on her face.

“Sure. I really wasn't planning on getting interviewed by anypony but I suppose since you're you it will be ok.”

“All right then it's settled.” Hero said happily.

Hero zoomed out of the room and reappeared a few minutes later with a scroll in her claw. She placed it on the table and slid it over to where I had taken a seat next to Enyi. I clasped my hoof onto the scroll and slid it over to me and began to unroll it as Enyi and the others looked over my shoulder. The scroll had a map scrawled onto it of the Crystal Mountains that lay north of the Crystal Empire.

“You know, we could pay a visit to the Empire and see if we can dig up anything there about Aurora.” Jackpot said.

“That sounds like a good idea.” Scarlet agreed and so did the rest of us.

I looked back down at the map and saw several drawings placed around the base of Mt. Everhoof just east of Yakyakistan. Several lines(representing paths I think) spiraled around the mountain and connected Yakyakistan and the sites listed on the map with the Crystal Empire in the south. Sure enough one of the marks on the map was the same image as the cutie mark of Aurora Solstice that was on Sparky.

“Looks like it.” I said, satisfied. I rolled up the scroll and carefully stuffed it into my saddlebag.

“Of course, you'll tell me all about it in an interview when you get back right?” Hero asked expectantly.

“I said I would, so I will.” I said, nodding.

*****

We spent the rest of the day at Hero's studio discussing what I could say in an interview and everything I had gone through so far so Hero could report it on her news reports. We spent one more night at Hero's place, in our own rooms(groan) before setting out for a quick stop in Canterlot before heading straight north to Yakyakistan. Silver, of course, took care of everything like buying tickets, getting us a guide for Yakyakistan, and getting general supplies for the journey.

“Hey Enyi?” I asked before boarding the train for Yakyakistan.

“What is it Ivory?”

“I wanna talk about what happened at Hero Studios.” I mumbled.

“Did you not enjoy it?”

“No no I did, it was amazing, but I think we probably shouldn't do it again.” I said suddenly getting red again.

“I understand Ivory. It is riskier for you than I so if you wish to wait then I shall respect your decision.”

Oh that was a relief(an admittedly regrettable relief), “Ok, thanks Enyi.” I leaned in to his ear, “I love you.” I said as I kissed his cheek.

Enyi wrapped his hooves around me in a hug just as Jackpot, Scarlet, and Silver came trotting around the corner. Jackpot had his saddlebags(filled of course) as well as a necklace with a flask tied to the end of it.

“Interesting fashion choice.” I said.

“I'm just ahead of the curve.” Jackpot said in his usual cocky attitude.

“That's quite the flat curve then.” Scarlet said trotting up after him.

“Did you just...” Jackpot said, confused.

Scarlet just walked innocently past Jackpot and followed Silver onto the train.

“Did she just...”

“Yes, I think she did.” I said.

“She's making progress.” Jackpot said with a sense of satisfaction.

“Like we need another you clopping around.” I said back.

“More me is always a good thing, I am the best after all.”

“Yeah, the best at getting his ass flattened by a cup of cider.”

“You ain't got much to brag about there either missy.”

“Yeah, but I'm new to it, you're not.” I said flicking my tail in his face and moving onto the train.

“Oh you don't even know what I can do kid!” Jackpot yelled after me as he used his wings to zip into the train after me.

The train ride to the Crystal Empire would take a good while, luckily I got to spend more time with Enyi finishing up looking at what was left of Abila's journal to translate.

“So, did you ever manage to discover what was written on Sparky?” Enyi asked me pointing towards the bracelet on my wrist.

I lifted my hoof up and gazed at the Pre-Celestial Script that adorned the edges of the highly decorated band on my hoof.

“Yeah, it was pretty cheesy though. Kind of threw me off, such a simple phrase on something so old and powerful.”

“What does it say?” Enyi asked.

“Friendship is magic.” I said back.