Luna grabbed a wool oven mitt and pushed back the heavy rock that was in front of the clay oven, only to find that three acorn squashes were baking. They were drizzled with honey and oil. The purple-haired pony sighed. She hated squash. But since the Wind Dragons had taken over Dream Valley, there wasn't much else to eat. The acorn squashes were their finest food now.
She walked from the kitchen into the spell room and picked a very heavy dusty book off the beachwood shelf and plunked it down onto the table.
In this book were the most powerful spells that Dragonwing ponies were capable of. Her mother had started writing the book, which was known as Bal's Search, when she was fourteen. At twenty-two, she was married and the next year had a baby. She named the baby Luna.
The Wind Dragons attacked Dream Valley and destroyed Dream Castle when Luna was five years old. Her mother and father, along with many others, were killed in a battle against only ten Wind Dragons.
Luna, now eleven, was determined to find a way to get the Wind Dragons out of Ponyland. As she carefully turned the pages of the book, she noticed a spell called Glow Dare.
It read: Use this spell with extreme caution.
If not used wisely it may kill the one who is using it.
It consists of mainly the mighty powers of Fog Toadstools, which have a very harsh magic. Do not use this spell against good, but only to kill or injure evil.
The book also explained that in order to use Glow Dare, one must find the keeper of the Fog Toadstools. Strangely though, it didn't tell who keeper was.
Luna found this confusing, and wanted to find out who the keeper of the Fog Toadstools was.
She stood up and looked around the small dim room. She thought maybe some other trinket or wand or some other magical object may lead her to find the answer to her question. But she was soon called upon by her aunt, Moonshine, and rushed into the living room.
"I am here, Aunt Moonshine!" said Luna to her aunt.
"Luna, have you seen my teal flowerpot?" Moonshine asked her niece.
"Yeah," Luna pointed her purple-flamed hoof towards the Sunjewel Wood. "Silly little Snowdust ran off with it the other day. Took it into the Sunjewel Wood over there."
"Oh dear," Moonshine said, shaking her head at the thought of the small ice blue earthling carrying off her jeweled flowerpot.
"I guess I should go and get it," Luna sighed.
"Yes, please do.Snowdust always was a troublemaker," Moonshine said, glancing out the window.
Before Luna left to fetch the flowerpot, she slipped into the spell room and picked up Bal's Search. On the way out the door she put it into her leather sack to keep it from being rained on, as it was September, one of the rainiest months in Dream Valley.
She skipped along the gravel path until she came to the Sunjewel Wood. It was named appropriately, as the sun shown through the slender tree branches. Luna gazed up in awe.
It was one of the only places that the Wind Dragons hadn't destroyed.
The little Dragonwing pony shook her head to get out of the daze and kept going, looking under the occasional rotten tree stump and fallen branch.
The path that Luna had started on was growing thinner and thinner and soon it would disappear completely. The sun sparkled around her and soon she spied a tiny glimmer on the ground ahead of her. She walked up to it and found that it was one of the emeralds on her aunt's flowerpot.
"Finally," she said, relieved. "Here it is."
As she was bringing it back home, she remembered the book that was in her sack. Pulling it out, she glanced around the area, hoping to maybe find a
Fog Toadstool. She knew it would be near impossible though.
Suddenly, a single raindrop fell on Luna's back. Then many more came.
She jolted up and put Bal's Search back into the leather sack and ran home.
Later, during dinner, she asked Moonshine about Glow Dare.
"Aunt Moonshine?" asked Luna, sounding rather bored.
"Hmm?" the green-eyed pony replied as she looked up from her wooden bowl.
"I was in the spell room today." Luna paused. "And found Bal's Search,"
"Yes," said Moonshine, picking up a pecan to eat. "Did you find any interesting spells in there?"
"Well.I found the one called Glow Dare. Can it still be used?" This wasn't really Luna's question but she wanted to bring up the subject of the spell without asking right away if she could go out and find the Toadstool Keeper.
"Of course it can, as long as the Toadstool Keeper doesn't quit her job," Moonshine joked.
"Do you know who the Fog Toadstool Keeper is?" Luna said, sitting up straighter.
"She is a pony that guards the few Fog Toadstools that are left in Ponyland. She is said to live in a glen of mist and also raises dear fawns whose parents are dead."
"Really? Where is the glen of mist? Does the Keeper hide from other ponies?"
"Not really, but she is hard to find. I think the glen is on the other side of the Moss Mountains, near Sunburst River."
"Have many ponies been there?"
"Well, no, few have been there."
"Hmm.do you think Glow Dare could be used against the Wind Dragons?"
"Yes, I think it would work.the spell would probably imprison them in an impenetrable Sunbeam casement in the 14th dimension."
"Whoa.do you think we could go and find the Fog Toadstools and use Glow Dare to rid Ponyland of the Wind Dragons?
Moonshine stood up from the table. "Of course we could," She walked over to a cotton-filled mat and sat down. "Do you want to go and find them?"
"Yes, but how would I go? I mean, wouldn't I need a map or something?"
"Yes you would, and we could send Dream Shadow with you, he knows how to navigate Ponyland well."
"Dream Shadow! He'll be perfect for this! When should we leave anyway?"
Moonshine stood up and walked over to the fireplace and took a small piece of charcoal out of the ashes. She began writing on a piece of wood, calculating how long it would take Luna to get to the Moss Mountains.
"You should probably leave around October 20th when the Wind Dragons are at the Moss Mountain Trading Post. Once you reach the area of the Trading Post, the Wind Dragons
won't be there anymore," Moonshine said. "Go and study Glow Dare now, you'll need to know everything about it once you find the Toadstools.
"Alright, I will," replied Luna as she walked into the spell room.
The next morning Luna walked out into the sunshine. It had rained the last night and the air was moist and warm. As Luna walked out a little farther from her house, she heard noises coming from the old Dream Castle ruins.
She quickly hid behind a nearby tree, as she thought it might be a Wind Dragon.
The noise sounded out again, this time a little louder. Luna peeked around the edge of the tree and looked toward the castle. She couldn't see anything, but the sound repeated over and over again. It sounded sort of like a goose to Luna. She didn't think Wind Dragons sounded like geese so she decided to venture over to see what it was.
She carefully dug through the old brick and wood planks, but she suddenly dropped a cement chuck and dust curled around her, making her cough and sneeze. She heard the sound again.
Finally, she uncovered the source of the noise. Curled up in a ball was a tiny baby Quirryus. A Quirryus is an animal that looks somewhat like a cat, but without a tail, and has feathers on it's back and two golden antennae. Quirryi normally only lived in Blueland and parts of Ryhmeland.
Yet, somehow this one had gotten into Ponyland.
Luna picked it up and ran back to her house with it.
She walked from the kitchen into the spell room and picked a very heavy dusty book off the beachwood shelf and plunked it down onto the table.
In this book were the most powerful spells that Dragonwing ponies were capable of. Her mother had started writing the book, which was known as Bal's Search, when she was fourteen. At twenty-two, she was married and the next year had a baby. She named the baby Luna.
The Wind Dragons attacked Dream Valley and destroyed Dream Castle when Luna was five years old. Her mother and father, along with many others, were killed in a battle against only ten Wind Dragons.
Luna, now eleven, was determined to find a way to get the Wind Dragons out of Ponyland. As she carefully turned the pages of the book, she noticed a spell called Glow Dare.
It read: Use this spell with extreme caution.
If not used wisely it may kill the one who is using it.
It consists of mainly the mighty powers of Fog Toadstools, which have a very harsh magic. Do not use this spell against good, but only to kill or injure evil.
The book also explained that in order to use Glow Dare, one must find the keeper of the Fog Toadstools. Strangely though, it didn't tell who keeper was.
Luna found this confusing, and wanted to find out who the keeper of the Fog Toadstools was.
She stood up and looked around the small dim room. She thought maybe some other trinket or wand or some other magical object may lead her to find the answer to her question. But she was soon called upon by her aunt, Moonshine, and rushed into the living room.
"I am here, Aunt Moonshine!" said Luna to her aunt.
"Luna, have you seen my teal flowerpot?" Moonshine asked her niece.
"Yeah," Luna pointed her purple-flamed hoof towards the Sunjewel Wood. "Silly little Snowdust ran off with it the other day. Took it into the Sunjewel Wood over there."
"Oh dear," Moonshine said, shaking her head at the thought of the small ice blue earthling carrying off her jeweled flowerpot.
"I guess I should go and get it," Luna sighed.
"Yes, please do.Snowdust always was a troublemaker," Moonshine said, glancing out the window.
Before Luna left to fetch the flowerpot, she slipped into the spell room and picked up Bal's Search. On the way out the door she put it into her leather sack to keep it from being rained on, as it was September, one of the rainiest months in Dream Valley.
She skipped along the gravel path until she came to the Sunjewel Wood. It was named appropriately, as the sun shown through the slender tree branches. Luna gazed up in awe.
It was one of the only places that the Wind Dragons hadn't destroyed.
The little Dragonwing pony shook her head to get out of the daze and kept going, looking under the occasional rotten tree stump and fallen branch.
The path that Luna had started on was growing thinner and thinner and soon it would disappear completely. The sun sparkled around her and soon she spied a tiny glimmer on the ground ahead of her. She walked up to it and found that it was one of the emeralds on her aunt's flowerpot.
"Finally," she said, relieved. "Here it is."
As she was bringing it back home, she remembered the book that was in her sack. Pulling it out, she glanced around the area, hoping to maybe find a
Fog Toadstool. She knew it would be near impossible though.
Suddenly, a single raindrop fell on Luna's back. Then many more came.
She jolted up and put Bal's Search back into the leather sack and ran home.
Later, during dinner, she asked Moonshine about Glow Dare.
"Aunt Moonshine?" asked Luna, sounding rather bored.
"Hmm?" the green-eyed pony replied as she looked up from her wooden bowl.
"I was in the spell room today." Luna paused. "And found Bal's Search,"
"Yes," said Moonshine, picking up a pecan to eat. "Did you find any interesting spells in there?"
"Well.I found the one called Glow Dare. Can it still be used?" This wasn't really Luna's question but she wanted to bring up the subject of the spell without asking right away if she could go out and find the Toadstool Keeper.
"Of course it can, as long as the Toadstool Keeper doesn't quit her job," Moonshine joked.
"Do you know who the Fog Toadstool Keeper is?" Luna said, sitting up straighter.
"She is a pony that guards the few Fog Toadstools that are left in Ponyland. She is said to live in a glen of mist and also raises dear fawns whose parents are dead."
"Really? Where is the glen of mist? Does the Keeper hide from other ponies?"
"Not really, but she is hard to find. I think the glen is on the other side of the Moss Mountains, near Sunburst River."
"Have many ponies been there?"
"Well, no, few have been there."
"Hmm.do you think Glow Dare could be used against the Wind Dragons?"
"Yes, I think it would work.the spell would probably imprison them in an impenetrable Sunbeam casement in the 14th dimension."
"Whoa.do you think we could go and find the Fog Toadstools and use Glow Dare to rid Ponyland of the Wind Dragons?
Moonshine stood up from the table. "Of course we could," She walked over to a cotton-filled mat and sat down. "Do you want to go and find them?"
"Yes, but how would I go? I mean, wouldn't I need a map or something?"
"Yes you would, and we could send Dream Shadow with you, he knows how to navigate Ponyland well."
"Dream Shadow! He'll be perfect for this! When should we leave anyway?"
Moonshine stood up and walked over to the fireplace and took a small piece of charcoal out of the ashes. She began writing on a piece of wood, calculating how long it would take Luna to get to the Moss Mountains.
"You should probably leave around October 20th when the Wind Dragons are at the Moss Mountain Trading Post. Once you reach the area of the Trading Post, the Wind Dragons
won't be there anymore," Moonshine said. "Go and study Glow Dare now, you'll need to know everything about it once you find the Toadstools.
"Alright, I will," replied Luna as she walked into the spell room.
The next morning Luna walked out into the sunshine. It had rained the last night and the air was moist and warm. As Luna walked out a little farther from her house, she heard noises coming from the old Dream Castle ruins.
She quickly hid behind a nearby tree, as she thought it might be a Wind Dragon.
The noise sounded out again, this time a little louder. Luna peeked around the edge of the tree and looked toward the castle. She couldn't see anything, but the sound repeated over and over again. It sounded sort of like a goose to Luna. She didn't think Wind Dragons sounded like geese so she decided to venture over to see what it was.
She carefully dug through the old brick and wood planks, but she suddenly dropped a cement chuck and dust curled around her, making her cough and sneeze. She heard the sound again.
Finally, she uncovered the source of the noise. Curled up in a ball was a tiny baby Quirryus. A Quirryus is an animal that looks somewhat like a cat, but without a tail, and has feathers on it's back and two golden antennae. Quirryi normally only lived in Blueland and parts of Ryhmeland.
Yet, somehow this one had gotten into Ponyland.
Luna picked it up and ran back to her house with it.