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Treasured Trinket Part 2: The Map of Royals [Closed - PM for invite]


Bramble Rose

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( Continued from

Part 1: The Bar )

Brazil Nut

in

The Adventures of the Treasured Trinket

Part 2: The Map of Royals

The Great Library of Canterlot, one of the single oldest structures in the city - in the Kingdom! Its ancient edifice was a gorgeous example of Early Postdiscordian Architecture, a historical artifact that was on nearly every tourist route, the building almost as valuable as the massive repository it held within. Some of its deeper corridors of ancient scrolls was known only to the mysterious scribes and librarian unicorns which were responsible for making certain the aging parchment was replenished, restored, and replicated, to keep the knowledge from being lost to any but the memory of the princesses.

The library was used to scholars from all over the kingdom coming to peruse their extensive knowledge, but very rarely did they see a crowd such as walked in through the front doors that day. They were big, massive ponies. Not the same ones as the Baron von Hoofington had hired out in the desert - these were city ponies. More civilized, he knew. They knew when to keep their mouths shut. And the small pegasus had always liked to surround himself with big ponies. He could hold his own against the bullies, but it was so much nicer to have a few bullies of his own to keep them away. And many of these ponies were unicorns, too! That horrid little hat-hating mare wouldn't have gotten away with being so mean if he'd had these thugs with him out in the Borderlands.

His blond mane streaming behind him, he clopped through the hallways of the library confidently. He was wearing a blue fedora, today, and a blue suitcoat, that went well with the dark green of his coat. He had found the trinket, but it was only half of what he needed. To find the other, he needed the map. The map of all the hidden places of the Royal Family. And he knew where to find it - he strode into the old corridors, the old hallways, where few ponies ever went save the librarians. And they cared only about knowledge, which was all he sought.

So he disappeared into the depths of the Great Library, past the secret entrances and the hidden passages, through shelves of fake scrolls to conceal the one true one, and beyond the traps and trickery, feeling like he was coming home.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Dear Dairy, if i can call you that...

Oh boy, what a month so far.. hah, a bad month though..

Accidentally burned down a bar, allowed the Baron to escape and lost a piece of the trinket..

It's not going so well, it seems, but that's probably my fault. It is, most of the times anyhow, hah...

Though, we are trying to track him down! Not a suprise there, since Brazil always has the best plans!

Appearantly, today we are going to the library, wich is fortunate for me since i haven't been here for over.. well, since my foalhood!..

I just hope i won't burn it down like that bar..

Trotting down the halls of the large library, looking around at the thousands and thousands of books and scrolls. The entire building smelled of paper and ink, and looking rather fancy. It was an outstanding library just to look at. ''A-alright, here is t-the library!'' he said with a nervous smile. He was quite fond of this library, having vissited it from when he was a small foal. It was a great source of knowledge and had some very rare first-editions aswell! He couldn't be more thrilled to get here, however the fact that he was with company made it slightly harder for him to enjoy the revisit.

Though the fact that it had been some weeks from when he burned down the unfortunate mare's bar, and letting the Baron escape too, he still wasn't all over it. Up untill now, he only wanted to help but without any reasonable succes. Still lamenting his failure, he packed his saddlebags with some additional puzzle cubes, scrolls, books, quills, and any other thing that might've been usefull. Atleast, to Survey himself.

He had also packed a small present for the mare, who appearantly was named Martini Paradise. It was just a small necklace, but he wasn't even sure if she would accept it. He had requested it to be shaped like the trinket, and it looked quite detailed for such a token. He was just waiting for the right moment to give it, to ask her for forgiveness. Soon, hopefully..

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Martini Paradise hadn't exactly had it easy since the day she'd decided to leave the Gallopocus islands, a single dam with a tiny foal, to start a new life. She'd had to travel from town to town, taking whatever jobs she could get, and never having a stable life for her dear Sunrise Beach. But all that was nothing compared to the emotional roller-coaster of the last month. Just when things had started to look up for her - a steady job doing what she loved, her daughter safe and sound and getting a new education ... she'd lost her job as she witnessed her bar being smashed and burned to the ground, and that was only after, after, some thugs tried to mutilate her just to steal her precious trinket which had been the only thing her parents had ever given her. Why, she still didn't understand - it didn't seem like it was in any way valuable to anyone else.

In the couple weeks that had followed, the jobless unicorn mare had traveled with the handsome earth stallion that came to her rescue - Brazil Nut - as he worked to track down where that cruel greaseball of a pegasus - the self-styled Baron von Hoovington - had gone. Brazil had been able to tell her why he knew where the Baron was going, how he was figuring out where the Baron had gone, and why he had happened to be at the bar that night to save her. What Brazil Nut couldn't yet answer was the reason why this "Hoofington" had taken her trinket in the first place. It wasn't worth any bits, it was just some silly little broken necklace her dam had found in the tip jar, right? It wasn't even complete!

He'd had no choice but to take her, not that he'd really objected - she was determined. She must have been a hoof full at first, though - being in denial over what had happened and hardly saying anything. Then she'd started flying into rages over every little thing, every rant turning back around to the horrible Baron. That no doubt made her unpleasant to be near as Brazil looked for clues. That rage though quickly descended into depression and the poor but surely patient earth stallion found himself holding a weeping unicorn mare crying into his chest for hours, all her emotions finally pouring out. The one place she felt safe. He had shown her a nice time here and there, making her smile through the sadness as he showed her the way he saw the world. She'd thought she had traveled a lot, but not nearly so well or so knowledgeable as Doctor Brazil Nut! Now, as they had arrived in Canterlot, she had fully accepted what happened and was focused. Focused on making a difference. Focused on getting her trinket back. Focused on stopping whatever no-good reason the slimy Baron had taken it for.

And then, this place. Looking around the library, Martini was in awe. She'd been to Canterlot only once before, but that was for work, for one night, and she hadn't had time to do any sight-seeing. Even though she was a unicorn, she certainly felt out of place in such a beautiful and rich city. It truly was the home of divine royalty. The library itself wasn't any less awe-inspiring, she had never seen anything like it before. Sure she had been in libraries, but nothing like this - it was more than just a library, it was some sort of central repository of all the knowledge of ponykind, at least that was how she interpreted it in her enthrallment. The librarian she had mentioned it to said, "And culture."

She didn't say much, letting Brazil lead the way - he seemed to have a much better idea what he was doing. Besides, she liked watching him walk. He had such a fine, fine flank. Martini smiled a bit, even feeling a little flushed when she noticed her other companion walking next to her. It was Survey, Brazil's young and nervous unicorn assistant. He seemed as awe-struck about the library as she was, but otherwise hadn't really ever said a word to her. She figured the reason being was he was just *that* shy. Maybe if she started off, said something to him ... Looking to the young unicorn colt, Martini gave a warm smile, "so ... you ever been here before?"

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Research.

As much as Fletcher enjoyed reading, he had to admit that the papers and theses locked up in the library stacks were nothing short of dull and exceedingly uninteresting. This was less of a repository for knowledge and more of a mausoleum for graduate students’ university careers. The blue unicorn chuckled. He’d skipped that stage a long time ago, electing instead to go where the REA might send him. He’d never looked back.

But after years in the field, he had returned. Canterlot, the city of magic, the capital of all Ponydom. Canterlot, city of libraries... and office work. The captain snorted as he returned to the task at hoof.

The REA was a far cry from the life of excitement that the recruiting posters promised. Most soldiers never saw combat, as was well and good in a land that was at peace. But there was that tiny fraction of missions in which bad things did happen. There was that tiny fraction of cases in which bad ponies were apprehended. They were few, but they happened. As a member of the Honor Guard, it was Fletcher’s job to deal with those cases.

Fletcher slammed the book shut, allowing the sound to reverberate in the stacks before the echoes were dampened by a million parchment leaves. The latest case came in the form of a memo referencing the recent changing of the guard in the von Hoofington family. Ordinarily, the Honor Guard would not concern itself with such tabloid fodder. But the von Hoofingtons had attracted the eye of the the local REA garrison commander with reports of suspicious activity and tenuous ties to a local artifact-dealing ring. Furthermore, the heir-- one Bell Curve von Hoofington-- to the von Hoofington estate had all but vanished after the death of the head of the family.

The heir later resurfaced in Cloudsdale and was again responsible for several suspicious occurrences there, again dealing with magical artifacts. Though much of this Bell Curve von Hoofington’s haul was minor and harmless, the fact that it had gone undetected for some time was deeply troubling to the REIN spooks; the fact that there was no conclusive evidence of guilt or innocence was even more troubling. To them, it was only a matter of time before something valuable or dangerous, likely both, got through the pipeline. Thus the onus fell firmly on Fletcher’s shoulders to research potential archaeological sites that might be targets for this Bell Curve von Hoofington’s shady business, building a case for the eventual Honor Guard takedown.

Fletcher mentally reviewed the dossier he had been given. Bell Curve himself was apparently quite the character. A stallion of fine fashion sensibilities, he left a paper trail in boutiques across Equestria as long as Fletcher’s reach with a bow. Fedoras, suit coats, ties, and finely tailored appointments had become Bell Curve’s trademark.

The faint clip-clop of hooves on hardwood flooring instantly attracted Fletcher’s attention; specifically the fact that it came from many sets of hooves. On days like this, it wasn’t unusual for him to have the stacks to himself. Perhaps one or two Canterlot University students would wander in, but having so many newcomers all at once was suspicious. The captain immediately shouldered his saddlebags, tucking the book into them and slinking along the stacks to get a better look.

A group of stallions, all tall and muscular, strode down the center aisle like they owned the place. Two, four, six, eight. Eight heads. But there were more than 8 sets of hooves; Fletcher could discern a lighter tapping in the midst of the small herd. Suddenly, he saw it. Between the slats in the stacks, there was a flash of blue overlaid on deep spruce green punctuated by a smattering of blonde.

Fletcher’s eyes narrowed. Blonde mane. Green coat. Fine suit. Speak of the devil. This had to be him. Floating a quill to a loose leaf of stationery on his table, Fletcher scrawled instructions for the librarian who would be returning shortly.

The captain made haste to track the entourage, using the stacks to conceal himself as he advanced. The escorts’ hoofsteps proved loud enough to conceal his movements. Through the forest of parchments he slinked, darting between shelves, until finally the gaggle of ponies stopped at the rear of the archives. A careful twist of a lamp brazier revealed a cleverly concealed passage behind a set of idle shelving. Without a word, the stallions filed in, clearly focused on their task at hand.

No time to wait for backup. Looks like I’m going this alone. The Librarian should be dispatching REA garrison forces as soon as she finds the note. Waiting for the ponies to pass, Fletcher slipped in behind them, concealing himself with shadow and echoes as they descended into the depths of the library’s hidden passages.

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The senses were all a tingle as the intrepid group had delved into the library hall, led by the one indomitable force of the one earth pony known as Brazil Nut - by Luna he was going to march on into that librarys dark secrets and get the information he needed, whether or not it was the last thing he would do...

" Sir. "

Yes, he was going to look around this large ancient labyrinthine building and do everything he could to chase down that ridiculous Baron, squeeze him for information and get back miss Martini's item in the process - Nothing was going to stop Brazil Nut from achieving his goal...nobody!

" Excuse me, Sir? "

That voice from outside was barely even penetrating his thoughts - the only thing the brown explorer pony really cared about right now was to correct everything that had developed thanks to the barons excursions and their hot pursuit of him to this point. The look in Martini's eyes when he said he would do everything he could to help the poor unfortunate mare get her trinket back had caught him off guard, and he found himself a great deal more distracted these days than anything else...now, where was that accursed Baron - and what the griffon was he planning to do once he'd found the item all of them sought after?

"Can I HELP you...SIR? " came the sharp voice of a young looking librarian colt from behind him, Louder this time to attract his attention.

Brazil gave a startled grunt before turning around to face the younger pony a moment - raising an eyebrow as he realised that he'd allowed himself to get caught up in inner monologues again rather than focusing on the outside world...something he blamed on his mind being a little distracted thanks to certain ponies currently not too far away with the group beside brazil, looking on at a rather large and detailed map showing everything on the ground floor of the building - he'd almost glazed over when he was abruptly called upon. Shaking himself out of his moment of mental suspended animation, Brazil just about musters up wherewithal to reply with a simple "huh?".

" You've been looking at that for 5 minutes now and haven't moved... " the library assistant says with a concerned look, forcing Brazil to shake himself down a little in near-embarrassment, an ear twitching in light annoyance at this rather penetrating and irritating fact. " So I thought I'd come over and...ask if you needed assistance. "

Brazil paused, blinking once or twice before breaking into his coy grin again - of course, nothing to make a fuss of at all!

" Yes - yes, actually there is something you can help us with... " the explorer pony says with a smirk, looking back at his entourage before glancing back at the assistant again.

" You see, I'm on the trail of somepony - I believe he just came in a little while ago...pony with a Blonde mane, rather short, looks like he may be in a rush to BE Someplace. "

This seemed to force the young pony to pause for thought - the stallion had asked a legit question, but he wasn't sure if he should give a straight answer...at least, until a clattering of bits dropped onto the floor - Brazil really needed that info, and he was going to get it.

" Oops, I appear to have dropped some change... " Brazil says with a hushed tone " perhaps enough for an apple pie or two...it'll disappear if I don't do something SOON. "

Fortunately The assistant being a unicorn, and also quite quick on the uptake, decided that this was a fair idea as he floats the bits into his personal satchel.

Heck, he could always tell those in charge about this odd pony stallion later on - they'd probably reward him, too.

" Well, I saw a suspicious lookin' bunch of ponies heading down towards the scrolls and arcane magic spell collection! " the assistant blurts out eagerly pointing in the direction for them to go, a cheery grin on his muzzle as he zips up his saddlebag tightly, safe in the knowledge that his new bits were secured.

" Dare I say...If that's your stallion, then Luna knows what he's after, I reckon nearly all those scrolls are fa-... "

This was the moment that the assistant looked near beet red, his orange muzzle flushing as he backed away - he'd nearly said something he didn't mean to, the library's staff had always told him to never, EVER say anything in detail about those darn scrolls. He didn't even know all of what was back there, but something had always felt off about that section - as a result, he hadn't even thought much about it recently, and thus it had caught him out at last!

However, Brazil hadn't needed to hear the rest of this statement to guess what that meant - if the majority of the scrolls were fake, then that meant it was likely there was something hidden back there in the real things that the library did not want ponykind to know of...and that meant there wasn't a moment to lose.

" Everypony, Follow me! " Brazil says after clearing his throat, almost breaking into a gallop before just nixing the idea. this WAS STILL a library, after all.

" Sure he's got the lead on us right now, but we won't let him get away...whatever it is that's going on, we're gonna find it, along with the trinket, and nail it shut! "

Whatever they were going to find back there was something Brazil was sure had heard rumours of - hidden away in this very building was supposedly a secret that would reveal the true purposes of the trinket and show a treasure greater than anything in the royal vault and Colt Knox. Yes, this surely had to be the same something that the Baron apparently wanted all to himself. Brazil had no intentions on letting something like that fall into the wrong hooves, and thus he leads the group hurriedly towards the back area...followed by one rather disgruntled assistant telling them to stop and leave it alone, 'lest he got neck deep into trouble.

However - Little did anypony truly know what lay in store on this day...

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ah yes...the library. Paradise glared at the shelves upon shelves of books. One of her many many enemies. She spread her wings and slowly hovered through the aisles, there was one book in particular she needed to find and really had no intention of staying at the prison of books for long! She huffed softly to herself, flying over some random stallion that seemed like he was in a real rush, heading upwards towards the higher bookshelves.

She hadn't seen head nor tail of her newfound....daddy. Boy that was gonna take some getting used to. There was a small cough to her right and she looked over to find one of the library staff ponies giving her a pointed look. She quickly hovered back onto the ground, skittering out of sight of the uptight staff, grumbling to herself about the library and all the rules. Luckily she was in the exact section of the library that she needed! Not too far ahead of her was the book she was looking for as well!

"The Travelers Guide to Equestria." She grinned wide. This was the GOOD one too. It had all the most exciting spots in the land highlighted and explained in vivid detail. She excitedly grabbed the one book she would voluntarily read and began to canter towards a nearby table. She needed to find some new place to explore. That crazy Brazil pony and his adventurous streak....well at least she knew what side it came from for her!

The book flopped softly on the table as Paradise sat down. She flipped it open to some random page, she didn't want to PLAN an adventure, spur of the moment things were always more fun. Just as she was about to read, she heard a voice that was pretty much impossible to resist.

" You see, I'm on the trail of somepony - I believe he just came in a little while ago...pony with a Blonde mane, rather short, looks like he may be in a rush to BE Someplace. "

She was up out of her seat and flying down towards the voice as fast as she could. She'd probably get in trouble but that didn't matter right now. She caught sight of a group of ponies and then a splash of brown fur just before it dissappeared further behind the library shelves. there was no mistaking it though, Brazil was here. Paradise landed softly on the ground so she wouldn't get scolded by the staff once again before slowly following after the group of ponies, intent on finding Brazil.

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Fletcher stealthily followed the hoofsteps through the library, following just out of sight, always two turns behind. Through this secret passage seemed to be yet more stacks of scrolls and books, but darker, with fewer lamps lighting the way. The thick scent of ancient paper and parchment filled Fletcher's nose, and centuries of dust coated some of the scrolls around him. The path was fairly obvious to follow - only one route was actually lit through this maze of shelves, and the hoofsteps always sounded just a little further down that path.

Much to Fletcher's dismay when he discovered a dead-end right in front of him, and the hoofsteps sounding just on the *far* side of the shelves!

"Ah!" cried the Baron's unmistakable accent. "Zere hyu are! Hy almost could not see hyu in zis darkness! Vy hyu keep it so dark?"

"Ah, Baron von Hoofington," a low, calm voice sounded from the far side of the shelf. "So good to serve you again. So few nobility around these parts still utilize their priviledge of knowledge. You take after your father, such a patron of the library."

"Unds ven Hy regains mine rightful title, Hy vill zertainly remember hyu, good librarians," said Baron von Hoofington. "Hyu are ze only vuns who zeem not to care about power, und do not bow to zose bullies vut took away mine family right. Hy kin promise hyu ze hoofington family vill never forget hyu loyalty to Equestria. Please, Hy have found zis ancient box of scrolls off in a ... private collection, near Roam. Ze owner vas persuaded to part wit' zem for a reasonable price. Hy belief zat zey are zum rare pre-Discordian History. Hy hope zey help to fill in some holes."

"As always, my lord, the library is thankful to your family for their contributions to the furtherment of knowledge." The voices seemed to be moving away, difficult for Fletcher to hear no matter how he strained to listen. "Now, please, how can we help you today?"

There was quiet for a moment.

"Man, I hate guarding these stacks. Not like anyone ever comes down here that's not supposed to be here," said a mare's low voice.

"I think it's awesome!" replied a higher, squeakier voice, an adolescent male, his voice shockingly loud. "Finally, some trust! I really feel like I'm part of the Bookkeepers, now!"

"Keep your voice down, you idiot. We're supposed to be quiet."

"Awwww, but you said no one comes down here anyway!"

"Just shut up or one of the Librarians will hear you, and then you'll be back to shelving books in the foal's section."

There was a sigh, and then silence again.

----- ----- -----

The pack of ponies, following the determined lead of Doctor Brazil Nut, walked back into the depths of the library. Fewer and fewer ponies could be seen browsing the stacks, the deeper they got - the Arcane Scroll collection was renowned for being horribly, horribly ecclectic in its organization. Ponies had gotten lost in there, found several days later wandering around dazedly, gasping for water. It was so much easier to just ask a librarian to fetch a scroll for you, if you needed something.

So it was rather surprising that they couldn't find a simple mass of rather burly ponies. Though ... most of the aisles seemed to be coated in dust. Sweeping, apparantly, was not much in vogue back here. There was only one main path that was so well-traveled that it could hide the hoofprints of that large a group of ponies ... but it ended quite abruptly at a particular shelf full of ancient scrolls, each in their own individual wooden tube.

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  • 4 weeks later...

The colt slowly rose his head as the mare asked him a question. He remained ashamed, so he tilted his head, facing her only with one part of his head. He eyed her slowly, and lowered his head again, keeping his gaze onto the mare though. He couldn't get himself to speak to her. Even though he knew a very good awnser to the question - as if he could awnser it wrongly -

He went to that library, atleast once a year now. He had gone there since he was only a foal. He had learned everything about the library after many of his years there. The books, all lined up perfectly in thousands of shelves, in hundreds of bookcases, all lined up just like the books. The books, being specified in all possible ways, like size, content and even color were all specified! This included scrolls aswell, listed all from how old they were and what ink was used. The library was very impressive, and even he was still stunned by how it was after so many years! And- but wait.

He shook his head, breaking off his tought and faced Martini again, now face to face. The colt let out a small whine as he dropped his ears. He paused for a short while, creating a awkward silence, which he managed to cut off by clearing his troath. ''W-well.. u-uhm.. M-Miss P-Paradise.. r-right?'' he asked, but didn't wait on an awnser. ''Y-y-yes.. y-yes.. i-i've.. been h-here b-before..'' he muttered, nodding slowly, looking back at the long red, rug they were trotting over.

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Martini Paradise cocked her head as she watched Brazil study the library map for several minutes, looking for *something*, no doubt some strange obscure clue to where to go, just like in those Daring Do novels she used to read her daughter, But those were all fiction. It couldn’t be like that in the real world, could it? She was about to ask what he was looking for when the impatient young library assistant who had been eying them suspiciously ruled inquired first. She watched as Brazil used a combination of charm and bribery to get an answer. I guess adventuring isn’t really secret clues and hidden passages, but just kickbacks and research. Oh, Martini, you really did read too many of those silly adventure books. Her train of thought was broken by the young librarian’s stammering mention about some scrolls, and then cutting himself short. Oh, no, that wasn’t suspicious at all! There had to be a reason that greasy “Baron” took her trinket, and it seemed they were on the trail!

Following Brazil as he became so suddenly animated, she let herself hope that they would at last be able to get this resolved. She should have been worried, knowing what happened the first time they’d met the Baron, but instead she felt safe with Brazil, as if the Baron couldn’t possibly hurt her. Martini started to imagine how “safe” she would feel being held in his hooves, when she was pulled out of her daydreaming by his nervous companion, who had started talking to her in a such a very deferential manner, addressing her so formally. “Oh, hon, you can just call me Martini, you don’t have to keep calling me Miss Paradise, ya know!” She winked and smiled, “It sounds like I am your mother’s friend, and I don’t think I’m that old!” Martini gave Survey her best charming bartender smile as he mumbled about knowing the library. “That’s great, Survey! It’ll be all the harder for us to get lost if you know the library so well! Bet Brazil is glad to have such a smart, dashing assistant with him!” She wanted to be extra friendly, even if she sounded a little motherly, as the young fella had been so nervous around her since that fateful night.

She followed Brazil’s eager walk through the hallways till he found the room he was looking for – a room completely bare of other exits or other ponies. They hunted shelf to shelf, seeing if the Baron or his minions might be hiding behind them, but there didn’t seem to be anypony at all amongst all the shelves of scrolls and books Martini sighed. It wasn’t going to be that easy after all. She imagined them hunting him through deep jungles and ancient ruins – not going to fancy Canterlot where everyone was so posh and everything was so comfortable! Were adventures this comfortable?

“Heh. You know,” Martini joked, “If this was a Daring Do novel, we’d probably just have to twist this lamp here-“ She matched action to word as she reached up to push at the lamp – which promptly twisted under her hoof, leaving her stumbling and unsteady as she fell forward. She landed on her chin at the top of some dark, secret staircase, her rear end and tail high in the air behind her. “Um… I think I found something!”

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Coming to the dead end, the captain did an abrupt about-face, gritting his teeth at his momentary lapse of situational awareness. Of course it was a dead end! What kind of neophyte would think that navigating a set of secret passages would be easy? It was then that Fletcher noticed the subtle layout of the glowing crystals inset on the floor and the arrangement of the sconces and braziers that held magical everburning flames.

It was a foal’s game, a psychological play on a pony’s need to progress, to ascend through darkness. Indeed, a closer look at the darkened areas between shelves revealed that the shadows were the passable areas. The open patches of darkness were obscured by both light pollution and cleverly-placed shelving, through which the sound of the Baron and his entourage’s hoofsteps could be heard.

"Ah!" cried the Baron's unmistakable accent. "Zere hyu are! Hy almost could not see hyu in zis darkness! Vy hyu keep it so dark?"

The footsteps stopped dead. Fletcher froze, scarcely breathing and not daring to move in the darkness lest it give away his presence. A conversation unfolded before him, a calm, clipped voice and the Baron’s distinctive Germanian drawl. There was a shuffling noise; something changed hooves, likely the scrolls they described earlier. Fletcher scowled. The other pony was obviously a member of the library staff.

As valuable as the documents were to the historical archives, they were likely to be proverbial blood diamonds if they had come through Bell Curve’s business. Still, it was not the time to act. Fletcher did not have the baron backed up against a wall or in his trap yet; it would be suicide to go in, gung ho like some sort of comic book action hero.

As Bell Curve and the librarian moved off, conversation picked up closer to Fletcher, this time between two other ponies, an older-sounding mare and an adolescent male. Banter suggested that they were bored and inattentive. If Fletcher got the jump on them, perhaps he could take them both out with kinetic bolts before they could get away or fight back. A solid plan. Fletcher’s eyes glowed a faint violet for a moment as he activated his darksight spell, allowing him to see through the gloom, albeit only in shades of green.

They were around the corner; close. A quick rush and a double tap would do them-- Fletcher’s ear twitched at the sound of the stone door behind him opening. Apparently the library was a madhouse today. Was it the REA reinforcements he had requested? No, too soon. It had scarcely been five minutes since he’d ventured down; there was no way they would have arrived in time. Quickly finding an alcove among the shelving shielded from the main approach and shrouded in darkness, Fletcher crouched down, observing the approaching company through green-tinted aether.

If there were more hostiles, he’d be ready.

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Brazil was a little amused at the talking amongst the other two - Martini and Survey had had something of a chance to talk to the young assistant on the way here, and it seemed as though they were getting along well, which was something that he was mostly thankful for. Still, this wasn't really a social call and thus Brazil focused on his own tasks rather than the conversation taking place. His eagle-eyed gaze reading along the list of scrolls, wondering if there might be some clue hidden amongst the murky and quite frankly excessively dusty parchments...poking a hoof at a couple just to be sure that they weren't concealing or hiding any unknown clues.

" Ugh, basic housekeeping here seems to have been entirely forgotten! " He says to himself, before sneezing...dust was starting to stir, and get a little up his muzzle and snout, which did nothing more than irritate and cause another couple of sneezes. Once this initial reaction had died down, the earth pony found himself looking back in Martini's direction, who had just mentioned a rather popular book series - one he himself was all too aware of!

" YOU read Daring Do? " Brazil exclaims with a chuckle, nodding a little as he ponders this new information. " Well, I always thought you had impeccable tastes, Miss Martini, but you're definitely quite the mystery loving mare. Once we're done here, we should take some time to-... "

He didn't really get a chance to finish this sentance, as Martini excitedly yanked on the lamp - which in turn wound up with a rather cleverly concealed door opening and causing Martini to land face floor on the ground, flank displayed high. It was a cute sight, although Brazil refrained from saying anything about it.

" Well - that definitely helps...good going, Martini! " Brazil steps forward and helped up the Mare with a small chuckle, before briefly looking into the opened chamber, eyes wide in curiosity. " Old library, hiding Old Secrets - I must say...although I've once heard of A secret being kept here, I've never really known what it was or where to find it...I honestly just thought it was an old mares tale, and believe me when I say this - I've heard a few on my journeys! "

He looks back at his team - his smirk in full bloom...before turning and bolting down into the open chamber, driven to uncover what intriguing discovery lay below.

Of course, he was as yet unaware of the one extra pony currently in pursuit of him through the library...but he would be, soon enough!

Edited by Robikku Pegasus
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  • 2 weeks later...

Sneaky sneaky, so far she hadn’t been spotted yet, peering around shelves of old scrolls and…whatever was around. That wasn’t important! She had to keep following that pony and find out what he was up to. But jeez…all these books were BORING. Her sneaking got more and more…lazy, soon she was just following after the group and if any one of them looked back they’d easily spot her. Soon however the group stopped and Paradise hastily ducked behind another book case as Brazil turned around.

She giggled softly as the male spoke; she’d always loved to hear his voice. That pony was filled with so much confidence that it was often contagious. Her ears flicked forward at the mention of the other pony, the way he was looking at her, that little hint of affection she caught in his voice as he spoke to Martini, Paradise’s eyes shone from behind the bookcase. Her daddy had found himself a lady! Oh yes, this was going to be fun.

Before her scheming could really bear fruit though the mare did SOMETHING and all of a sudden the wall in front of her swung open, causing her to tumble forward. [http://www.youtube.c...?v=ngZTpYFklZs] Paradise couldn’t help but stare at the mare that her dad was supposedly spending his time with, she was quite attractive, especially from her view point. She shook her head however to get rid of the thoughts that would most likely get her in trouble, now was not the time for that!

She squeaked in surprise as her father suddenly turned around and stared RIGHT a-…passed her and dashed off into the tunnel that Martini had found, mouth dropping open in surprise before she dashed from behind the bookcase in pursuit.

“Scuse me, comin through!” She dashed passed the straggling green pony, giving one more appreciative glance at Martini. “Howdy mam~” She winked before disappearing down the hallway as well. She wasn’t letting Brazil out of her sight, things were getting exciting enough to make her want to know what exactly was going on.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The colt let out a flustered chuckle, scratching the back of his head. ''D-Dashing? Oh.. M-Miss Paradise.. y-you couldn't be further from wrong! B-Brazil is the 'dashing' one h-here.. a-and the smart one t-too if i think about it..'' he said, with a light roll of his eyes. Obviously, he tried to act as the brains, but too bad that Brazil was the brains too. He tried to be the funny one, but Brazil took that spot too. The muscle.. no. Actually, Brazil could be like a one man army at times. After a little more thought he sort of tried to get the feeling he was just company. But company served him fine anyhow.

A weak chuckle came from the colt by accident. Seeing the mare fall was quite humorous, yet he felt a little bit of embarrassment at first. A secret chamber? Daring Do? He could've found that aswell if he had tried hard enough..

The colt gave a little shake of the head as he let out a timid sigh, slowly taking a few steps away from the pair - or, now a trio, as somepony decided to bump into him. ''H-Hey!'' he scoffed, and looked as the mare trotted past Martini aswell. Was that a wink he spotted? Whatever, it was Brazil's mare after all, right?

The silent colt took a turn towards the nearest bookcase and started looking through them. He looked down at a few of them. ''The Mare In The Moon'', one of his favourite foalhood books. ''The Mare With The Golden Rose'', a book he had read for school once, wrote a book report on it. It was a romantic one, for as far as he knew. ''The Mare and the-'' he stopped reading as he rose a eyebrow. How about grabbing a few of the Daring Do books!

The colt had a silent little giggle as he slowly looked back at the group. He wasn't being noticed, so he decided it was time for the colt to make a little adventure himself too! A library one at that! He packed the three books he had grabbed and put them into his saddlebag. Got to read those again when this is over! The colt slowly walked away from his group and trotted through the amazing library!

Retrieving all of his favourite books, the colt hummed to himself. ''The Night Of The Living Clouds'', ''The Big Book of Unicorn Magic'' and a classic ''Falcon Noir: The Devil's Disguise'', all scattered around in bookcases and alike. Along with those books, a whole pile of Daring Do books were next to it in his saddlebag. Oh boy, was he going to read! He was so busy, that he almost forgot he had to return to the others. Atleast he had some literature with him once he was to get back! Where did the chamber lead them to, and who was that odd filly?

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Martini Paradise looked up, rather flushed and embarrassed by her clumsy "discovery" and awkward position. She saw Brazil look back with such a magnificent smile of pure delight and, in her eyes, of pure dashing debonair; Oh Celestia what a smile. Martini was about to give back a flirtatious grin when she realized he wasn't smiling because of her but solely because of the mystery she uncovered; he was in daredevil adventurer mode, and before she could say anymore he was gone down the passage.

"Hey, wait!" There was no way she was going to be left behind, not when things were finally starting to get interesting! Besides, it was her necklace that they were trying to get back. As Martini was getting back up, a young pegasus mare flew past her and winked before disappearing after Brazil. "Who the? What the?! Who was that filly!?" Martini looked back at the green unicorn colt, hoping for some kind of answer, but he appeared far more interested in the local selection of books than all of what just happened.

Martini just incredulously stared at the green colt for a couple seconds, was this so normal for these two that it had become routine? And who was that young mare swooping down after Brazil? Somepony working for that disgusting Baron or some close aquaint- Before Martini could finish where that thought was going, she jumped back on all fours, "Well, I'm not just staying up here like some helpless damsel, c'mon, we're going too!!" With that exclamation, Martini's horn glowed intensely with a strong, bright green hue; a similar color forming around the green colt and a few of the books he pulled from the shelves, dragging the whole lot of them along the ground.

Martini turned around with a face of determination, standing proudly for a moment before running down that same passage, her glowing horn lighting the way as it pulled Brazil's assistant along with her. They were all in this together, and they were going to stick together, and no Baron, crazy library, or another mare was going to get in the way of her and her trinket ... and Brazil.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Rapid hoofbeats closed on Fletcher’s location. This was definitely not REA reinforcements, nor was it any of Bell Curve’s flunkies. Bell Curve was professional, he wouldn’t hire anypony who would be late or show up in a rush. Whoever it was was making a lot of noise, however, and the guards would be daft not to pick up on it.

As the newcomer came into sight, Fletcher’s initial suspicions were confirmed. This was neither the REA nor was it another squad of thugs. The earth pony stallion who had first arrived was neither hulking huge nor did he carry himself like a tough guy hired lance. A grin that size could only come from somepony who was extremely smug or extremely stupid... or both.

As the rest of the ragtag team arrived, Fletcher gritted his teeth. A young pegasus mare... a kid. Did they know who they were dealing with? A scrawny-looking green unicorn... fresh out of high school? Finally, a unicorn mare, perhaps the most reasonable-looking of all of them. What do they think this is? A pony scout picnic?

Despite his initial impulse to shoo them out of the catacombs, Fletcher bit his tongue and stayed his hooves. He was in a much better position to help if he didn’t give himself away. After all, the newcomers were making the most commotion and were likely to be the target of the guards’ ire first. He’d have the element of surprise. Thus, the captain chose to remain hidden.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The hunt was on - Brazil was bounding down the stairs eagerly...his grin and determination unwavering as the scent of the chase drove him onwards and down...the thoughts of discovering the so-called secret hiding within this place too tantalising to turn down, or turn away from.

No, he was here to drag the secret into the light of day, no matter what he had to do to do this...

"This way, quietly! " he says to what he believed was his entourage - however, upon looking back there was nopony immediately there...ah well, they'd be here soon enough.

Slipping into a more unusually quietly stealthy creep, his enthusiasm being put to one side whilst he tried to assert the next best course of action - he could hear Martini back at the top of the stairs, which reminded him that perhaps he should have attended to her then...but his attention had been so diverted into his cause that it had slipped his mind...

Well, he could apologise later if needs be - he knew Martini was a rough and tumble sort, and that she was aware of his impetuous moments...

No, Brazil thought, that could come later on - for now, they were on the hunt for something bigger than all of them, and that's what mattered right now!

Casting all thoughts of anything else aside, he turns back to his previous direction - everypony else would catch up to him in due time.

However, little did the Earth Pony know that something else unexpected was about to find him too...and it was closing in fast!

Edited by Robikku Pegasus
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Paradise zipped on ahead after Brazil, catching the male’s whispered words to move quietly for some reason. Quiet was not something Paradise was good at, so she just chased after her father while gliding down the stairway. Those other two ponies were on their way as well, hoof steps echoing off the walls slightly. First she caught a glimpse of a tail but the pony disappeared down the pathways once more. Brazil sure was an elusive pony when he needed to be!

Paradise slammed on the brakes suddenly as her dad came into view, far too preoccupied searching for who knew what and not looking behind himself. She tried to flap her wings backwards to slow herself down but it was far too late, the mare flew off the stairway and straight at Brazil, landing right on top of her father’s back, tumbling a short ways with the pony before landing atop of the male in a tangled heap of fore hooves and legs.

Hi you!” She grinned wide, flicking her ears at the pony before leaning over to give the male an affectionate kiss on the cheek, wrapping her arms around her father and hugging him tight. It’d been a while since she last saw him.

“Fancy meetin you down here with all these dusty ol books and stuff!”

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  • 2 weeks later...

The stacks stretched out around them - it honestly just seemed like the stairs had simply led to another part of the library - a part long unused, the air thick with the scent of musty old paper. While it seemed that strong efforts had been made to keep this place clean and tidy - the dust was slightly encroaching, the old books and scrolls collecting a thin layer - or a thicker layer in some deeper crevices. They all seemed quite old, and had strange titles, these secret books - titles none of the ponies would ever have heard of before. "Ye Secrete Diary of Princess Gaia" read a book in one shelf, and "Charms and Potiones for Increasing Magickal Potency" in another. A third area held a series of books purporting to be a "Ftudy of Ye Creaturef of Ye Depthf," the first book of which was a slim volume with a secondary title of "Furviving Underwater."

Despite the vast multitudes of books found in this large secret chamber, there was only a single path lit - the most dust-free and clean route through the otherwise dark and lightless room. The remaining hundreds of possible paths were shrouded in darkness.

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Martini Paradise could hear commotion down in the dark, at the base of the stairwell. It couldn't be far, and although the glow from her horn was enough to keep from stubbing her hooves or walking into walls, it wasn't much stronger than that. He ... they ... must be just ahead, she could hear them! Was that a scuffle? A fight? She narrowed her eyes and hurried faster, forgetting briefly that she was dragging Brazil's young assistant and his books along with her magic whether he wanted to or not, his sitting form bumping his flank down each step as she rushed suddenly forward.

Even the few seconds it took to reach the action took an eternity, with Martini's imagination making dozens of dreadful images of Brazil Nut in danger! The room she found was just as she'd have expected in the catacomb of some old castle or university in a Daring Do novel ... rows on rows of books receding into the darkness, with only a few solitary lamps flickering to lead them down the main corridor.

Martini looked straight on and finally saw the source of the noise - there was Brazil laying on his back, but not alone. That young pegasus, barely more than a filly in Martini's eyes, was laying on top of Brazil in entirely too affectionate a manner ... Martini froze up, her horn flickering and dying as Survey and his books were finally released. She felt angry, hurt, upset, scared, indignant ... but she didn't say anything. Even after that festival, they still weren't really in a relationship yet. Not really. Oh, Martini, you did it again, didn't you? Falling for some dashing stallion, thinking there was something special between you ... why do you do this to yourself time and time again? Martini was torn - on one hoof, she wanted to believe in him, and that this was some awkward misunderstanding that they'd laugh about later ... but on the other hoof, she'd been hurt so many times by some player of a stallion who was just skilled at telling her what she wanted to hear ...

Martini looked away for a moment with uncertainty plain on her face. She hadn't come this far in life by giving up easily, and she wasn't giving up her precious pendant to that slimeball Baron. So why would she give up on Brazil already? The least she could do was find out what the hay was happening, first. "Sooooo ... Brazil! Who is your young friend here?" Martini stood there, trying to be stoic, but her voice came out a bit colder and more sarcastic than she'd meant. "Perhaps when you are done collecting the dust on the floor with your mane, Mr. Nut, you can introduce us, and then we can get back to hunting for my family's keepsake, if its not too much trouble?"

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  • 3 weeks later...

The colt started trotting around the bubble for a moment, before realizing he was in the bubble. ''Hey! I can walk, you know..'' he scoffed, and stomped in the bubble. He looked over at Brazil and rolled his eyes. ''Oh, Brazil.. e-even though i am the one who can't seem to get a date, you seem to get more attention from other fillies whilst on a date with a mare!'' he said, chuckling silently. He eyed the filly shortly before shrugging, as suddenly the bubble started to move. He fell on his flank as he began bumping it against the bubble each time Martini stepped towards the dark hallway. ''H-Hey! Ngh! You can- ow! Just put me- ouch! down!'' he muttered from between his jeers.

As suddenly the bumping came to a stop, and the colt was flinged against the front of the bubble, he grunted and looked over what appeared to be his boss and some filly standing over him. He rolled his eyes yet again and snerked. ''Smooth moves there, Br-'' he tried to say, but suddenly had himself falling onto the wooden floor. ''Ow! And there goes my hindquarters!'' he groaned, as he got up slowly, rubbing his flank a bit. ''T-Thanks alot for that..'' he said, slowly making his way over to Martini. He sighed and slowly tapped the floor with his hoof before poking Martini. ''Hey, easy now.. i'm sure this is a-all a misunderstanding..'' he tried to tell Martini. ''I-I'm sure Brazil isn't.. making out with that filly or anything..'' he said, chuckling. ''If he was, he wouldn't be done by now, knowing Brazil..'' he joked, and slowly scratched the back of his head. ''..uhm, sorry.'' he coughed, smiling awkwardly. ''Just.. don't worry.. Martini..''

He looked around him, and looked over at the stairs. ''Do w-we really have to climb the entire way? We don't even know where this will bring us..'' he tapped his chin slowly and nodded. ''Though if it's hidden and probably a restricted area.. it usually means we are supposed to go there..'' he remarked.

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Far away, on the far side of the long room, and round several corners, the two guards looked up in surprise at the far off echoes of noise.

"Oh, hey, busy day, isn't it? Wonder who's visiting now.."

"Shut up, you. You ever hear even a novice Librarian make that much noise?"

"No, not really, man, they must be clumsy! Ha-ha!"

The older mare looked down at him in disbelief.

"Wait ... you mean they're intruders?!" the younger, awkward stallion said in eager surprise, his voice cracking on the last word. "Should we go stop them?!"

"What we do is wait here till they come to us. We have our station. Honestly, next thing you'll be chasing off after a pebble clacking on the floor up the side stacks there and leave the entrance unguarded! Besides, they have yet to solve the maze - do you want to end up leading them through it?" She shook her head. The idiots the order brought in these days...

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Brazil found himself looking up at the devious grin of an all too familiar face...flailing when he realised who it was.

" Oh Celes-...PARADISE! " He exclaims - realising he'd then almost spoken far too loud than was good for their situation...facehoofing slightly as he watched the others catch up, and realising that the look on Martini's face was one of rather curious intrigue - but there was certainly a small fierce emotion bubbling below. He needed to clear this up quickly and settle them down before anything else undesired happened and put their entire mission in danger.

" Martini...this is going to be a little awkward to explain in, uh...these conditions! " he says, crawling out from under the female pegasus, his cheeks flushing a tad as he found himself in her heated and uncertain gaze. " This is, uh...Paradise Nut - my, uh...my daughter! "

Oh boy - this was going to complicate things far too much...and there was almost no time to go into details right now.

Brazil curses his bad luck and Paradise's rather unfortunate timing as he looks around, knowing that somewhere up ahead there were likely to be posted guards looking out for intrusions.

" Right now...I'm just going to ask you to go with me on this...once we're out of here, you can ask all you want of it - but we're really not in any position to be playing family questions and answers just yet! " he says, raising a hoof to his muzzle and hushing his voice. " I haven't seen her mom in...well...a long enough time for me to have no idea where she is - so if that's something you were worrying about, I figure you have no reason to now! "

He looks back to the hallway - dusting himself down a little...hearing the voices of the guards up ahead, which gave him pause for thought.

" Ugh - and just when I think I've settled one thing, there's something else to worry about... " the adventurer mutters to himself, now having to take careful consideration for what their next move should be and just how they would go about it.

" We need to get rid of those guards...or we're going nowhere fast! "

Edited by Robikku Pegasus
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Paradise stared at Martini and her rather…dangerously curious stare, then back at Brazil, putting two and two together before a devious grin spread across her face. She could really get the stallion in hot water if she played the next few cards just right. What could she say?...Maybe they were secretly eloping to Las Pegasus…nah that sounded too cliché. They could be secret lovers and she just decided to spring the truth on his unsuspecting new girlfriend. Or maybe even…She took a look at Brazil, her plan kind of crumbled as soon as she thought about it, Brazil looked so helpless trying to explain himself. She shook her head slightly then cantered over to lean against Martini, not one for all that personal space nonsense.

“Yeah he’s ma daddy alright.” She whispered, waggling her eyebrows at the mare. “Ah’m not interested in him in the slightest….you however.” She gave Martini a wink before fluttering back over to Brazil, perching lightly on his back before peering down the hallway with the male, hoof lightly tapping him on the shoulder.

“Good ta see ya pops. We can do the family catch up routine later, what’s the plan for the situation right now?” She asked, looking left and right for the supposed body guards and finding none.

“Ya know I can rough up a few ponies if ya really need me to.”

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Martini Paradise could hear young Survey's awkward attempts at explaining the situation, or attempting to justify it, but either way the pink mare didn't want to hear it. Without averting her gaze from the couple on the floor, her horn glowed a soft green, lifting one of Survey's books and planting it an inch in front of his face. "Oh, just ... go read something!" she snapped angrily.

But with Brazil's explanation, the annoyance faded away. His daughter?? This was the daughter he mentioned during the festival? Martini had envisioned her as much younger - given her apparent age, Brazil must have sired her while little more than a colt, which she could relate to. It wasn't what she expected, but it was certainly much better than some of the alternatives.

Martini just sighed. She really wanted to spend more time finding out about this, but they were rather busy right now, after all. "Well Paradise, it is nice to finally-" She stopped as the young pegasus leaned close and, Martini was certain, made a pass at her. Dear Celestia, she is even more forward than her father! Martini gave her an awkward little smile and let out a soft "'ah-heh..." as her cheeks colored in embarrassment.

She gave a swift shake to her head. "Sooooooo guards huh? C'mon hon, this is a library. I am sure they're not dangerous. Heck, if they're royal guards, maybe they could help us!" Library guards, how strange. What would a library be hiding? This wasn't Daring Do, this was the real world! "Let's go say hi, then!" It was huge room, but the way through was obvious enough - she headed down the only passage that had lights! After several steps, the corridor turned to the left, crossed several more dark passages, then turned right again. Then turned again, and again, but at least the lights marked out the correct route. This had to be the right way, right?

Wrong. The corridor ended rather abruptly at yet another wall of dusty books. "What? How? I followed the lights, this doesn't make any sense!" She turned and backtracked a couple turns - there wasn't any light in any of the other hallways. She lowered her horn and focused on a simple light spell, then proceeded down into the side passage. This wasn't how she remembered libraries being laid out at all, with all the twists and turns, and side passages you couldn't see the end of. There weren't any ponies, or any guards, just wall after wall of book and parchment, and then she was at another dead end.

She was lost. Lost in a library. What the hay was going on here?!

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