Of Hooves and History

A Dark Revelation

Returning back to the unicorn forest village wasn't as hard as I initially thought, with easy-to-spot jagged marks in occasional trees. Izzy seemed smarter than I perceived her to be. Sunny was, too.

"Isn't it interesting," she noted, as we sat down on the same log where we had first peered over the map, "that pegasi were mostly left out of the report? I wonder if the ancient unicorns of old were also trying to leave a legacy of horned supremacy behind for the generation to follow."

"You'd be surprised at how prevalent that is where I'm from," I remarked. "But I would refrain from assuming the worst. Whichever way we decipher this mystery, somepony has to cast the inter-dimensional spell. And I have a good feeling who it might be."

Right as the last word left my lips, I could've sworn I heard Izzy's tail twitch, but I ignored it and lay down in the golden bath of the setting sun's rays. After a fifteen-minute rest, we continued in the opposite direction while keeping to the same path as we'd come from the village. Sunny was almost shuffling from tiredness and soreness, but Izzy was merely down to just below average of her happy-go-lucky energy. I was feeling tired too, but the hopefulness inside my heart kept me going.

We finally arrived in the Bridlewood village and headed straight back to Botania's house. Unfortunately our door knocks fell on silence, even after three tries.

"Just leave her," I said, patting Sunny's shoulder. "We'll talk in the morning. It's been a long day of forest trekking."

Back in Izzy's house, I revealed the mini chest from the study room, and my pony friends gasped in awe before quickly suggesting the key Botania had given me.

"Let's see," I whispered, pulling it out of my pocket and gently pushing it into the lock. But no matter what, it just wouldn't fit. Observing the key enacted a chuckle from me as I headed to the kitchen sink and drizzled some vinegar over it, gently rubbing with a paper towel. Gradually the rust and flaky surface wore off, and the key slid in first try. I gently turned it, resulting in a click! sound as the lid popped open.

Inside there were two small rolled scrolls of paper and five cone-shaped rocks, with a metal capsule – about the size of a small pen, only twice as thick.

"Huh. Wonder what these are for," Sunny pondered.

"Let's figure it out in Zephyr Heights," I yawned. "Right now we gotta regain our energy and hit the pillow for the long trip ahead of us."

There was no argument to that – we freshened up with the washbasin and ate some olive herb bread with a siding of fruit. I had to admit; Equestria had some exceptionally good food. If this was what Bridlewood could offer, I couldn't wait to taste the grand offerings of Zephyr Heights.

I laid back on the floor but Izzy pushed me up with her hooves, a tough, confident look on her face.

"No way am I gonna let you flop down on the hard ground like that. Come sleep with me."

I couldn't help myself – the blush came burning a little. "Uh, um... okay, thanks. How big is your bed?"

"Aaaaaa hahahaaaaaahahaha you silly colt!" Izzy laughed, dragging me upstairs. "I have a guest bedroom."

"Oh alright that makes much more sense. Thanks again."

I set down my backpack, dagger, and the small wooden chest, locking up the latter to avoid misplacement or spillage. Pulling off my socks and shoes, I stretched out on the wooden bed, wincing as it creaked under my weight, but held well. Just as my hands reached for the rolled-up blanket Sunny stepped in, looking fresh and clean, albeit still with her mane braided.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Um, can I..."

I lazily bit back a chuckle. "Of course. Make yourself comfortable."