She was going to be late. Dear Celestia, she was going to be late for the final exam! She rounded the corner and narrowly avoided colliding with an older pony. “Sorry!” she shouted back as she practically fell down the stairwell to her destination. She could see the door ahead of her, swinging ponderously closed, and pushed her aching legs further. Maybe she’d make it in time, almost there...
Her hopes were dashed as the door closed with a dull thud. She skidded to a stop and banged a hoof on it in desperation. “Please! I just overslept a little, my roommate kept me up, just let me in!” She waited, staring at the door pleadingly. It didn’t answer.
Just as she began to get to her hooves and leave, the door swung back open with a loud groan. She raised her head, eyes hopeful as she met the gold ones staring down at her. “Professor Gemstone, I—”
She was silenced by a soft growl, and ducked her head, ears flat. She could hear the professor tapping a paw on the stone, before he finally spoke, voice firm.
“Miss Burst, you’ve attended my history class for this entire semester. I’d hoped that by now, you’d understand that when class begins, the door remains closed until class ends.” He stared down at her for another few seconds, before he sighed and held open the door. “However, given that your attendance and grades thus far has been exemplary, I suppose that I can make an exception.”
She practically collapsed in relief again. “Thank you, Professor!”
“You can thank me by passing your exam, Miss Burst,” he replied, his voice gruff. “Now find yourself a seat, and we’ll get started.” He stepped to the side and allowed her to enter the room.
She slowly trotted in, face red hot with embarrassment at the stares from the rest of the class. Making matters worse, the only seat open was right in the front row, and with a heavy sigh she settled into it. She tried to ignore the wave of snickers from the ponies behind her as Gemstone walked to stand behind the lectern. The diamond dog shuffled his papers before he looked at the class.
“Okay everypony, now that we’re all here, let’s get started.” He turned to the bare section of wall behind him and with a few quick motions of his claws, began to carve it. “For your final exam, I want you to give me a detailed analysis of the disappearance of the Crystal Empire,” he paused as the class sighed in relief, “from the perspective of the major non-Equestrian races.” He rolled his eyes at the chorus of groans, “I only expect to see gryphons, diamond dogs, and dragons. However, for the best grade, I should see more than just those three. As usual, your sources must be cited, any materials you can fit in your saddlebags are permitted. And as we discussed before midterms, even if your marefriend can fit, she is not permitted to assist you on the exam.” He grinned as the class chuckled, and sat down at his desk. “Alright, you may begin when ready.”
“No running! And enjoy your summer!” Gemstone barked as the class stampeded out the door. He shook his head in amusement and started to “wipe” the stone wall, carefully filling in the cracks he’d carved.
“Five years you’ve been teaching, and that little trick still catches me by surprise.” A familiar voice called from the doorway. A smartly dressed unicorn smiled as he trotted in. “So, your final exam go well?”
“Yeah, though I know there’s a few who didn’t take it seriously. I’m hopeful to see Nova Burst return, at least. Her talent might be fireworks, but she’s got a knack for analysis. She’ll make a great archaeologist someday, if she puts her mind to it,” Gemstone replied with a short laugh as he turned to face his guest. “And how was the Advanced Magical Theory final, Bastion?”
He waved a hoof. “Oh, the same. I still wish for another Twilight Sparkle though, nopony enjoyed my classes quite like her.”
“If wishes were gems, I’d be fighting off dragons all day,” Gemstone replied with a short laugh as he finished fixing the wall. “Besides, I think two Twilight Sparkles in a generation would be too much for Equestria to handle.”
Bastion shook his head in amusement. “Anyway, I was going to get together with some of the other professors, grab some lunch. Do you want to come along?”
“No thanks, I’ve got to get these exams to my assistant, and I felt like taking a short vacation over the weekend. Just put any mail I get in my inbox?”
“Sure thing. Don’t forget, we have the faculty meeting at sunrise Monday.” Bastion turned to leave. “Oh, before I forget, there was a letter for you, I had it delivered to your office.” He cantered up the stairs and out of sight
Gemstone turned and walked back through his classroom, straightening up the desks and chairs until he was satisfied. He walked to his office door and opened it with a sigh. “Well, a couple days to myself would be nice.” He shut the door behind him, walked to his desk, and slumped into his chair. As Bastion had promised, the letter sat unopened on his desk. Curious, he picked it up and sniffed at it. Oddly, it didn’t have a smell, which didn’t make any sense. He started to lean back to open it when one of the photos on the wall caught his eye. A young, dirt-stained pegasus filly and a similarly filthy diamond dog pup stood side by side with beaming smiles, and his blood ran cold as a thought began to take hold.
“Oh no. No no no.” His ears perked upright and he glanced warily around the room, though nothing was out of place. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he slowly lifted his head to look at the ceiling. A white pegasus mare clung there, orange mane hanging down and eyes bright with excitement.
“Hello brother,” she said with a grin before she leaped. The mixed up jumble of troll and pegasus tumbled through the doorway to his bedroom, coming to a stop with Gemstone on the floor, glaring up at his assailant.
“Sun blast it, Peony! I should have known it was you!” he growled irritably.
She giggled. “Too slow again, Tumble!” She hopped off him and glanced about the bedroom. “Looks nice, little cozy when it’s not upside down.”
Tumble pushed himself to his paws. “You know I changed my name when I moved here.”
She laughed again. “Oh, come on now, why would I call you by anything else? It was your first name, after all. Even before Dad found you, that was all you had.”
He scowled, but couldn’t refute her. A diamond dog’s first name was their most personal one, only spoken to the pack. Although, his situation was admittedly something not covered under the half-remembered traditions his mother had taught him. “So, to what do I owe the visit?”
Peony dramatically clapped a hoof to her forehead. “Such cross words from my dear brother! Has the world fallen so far that I need a reason to drop by and say hello?” She smirked, tugging a small bag from it’s hiding spot under her wing. “Although, I suppose this time I do have something... interesting.” She pulled a small object from the bag and held it out.
Tumble huffed, but took the object anyway. “What is it?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Peony admitted. “I found it while I was in Vanhoover. Don’t know how it’d gotten there, but the stallion seemed keen on moving it.”
Tumble tapped a foot on the floor. “And just how many ponies took offense to you taking it?”
“Oh come on! Not every piece of ancient history I find comes with a fight,” Peony replied with a snort. At Tumble’s deadpan stare she finally relented. “Well, maybe one or two small scuffles.” She fluttered her wings as Tumble continued to tap his foot on the floor. “Well, in any case, I won, so they can all shove it up their pinfeathers.”
Tumble shook his head and turned his attention back to the artifact in his paws. It was a half-sphere, caked with grime and Celestia knew what else. “Hmmm, well it’s not a gemstone, at least not like one I’ve seen before...” he trailed off, his instincts getting the better of him for a moment as he licked it. “Definitely got a bit of salt to it, and the grime tastes weird too.” He peered closer at it. “If I had to hazard a guess, it’s a pearl. Or half of one, anyway.”
Peony scowled. “Just don’t eat it. Remember when I brought you those Stones of Tauros?”
“Hey, at least those were naturally occurring!” Tumble protested, though he couldn’t help but lick his lips at the memory of their flavor. “Anyway, let’s see...” He walked to his desk and pulled open one of the drawers, a well-worn cloth bag inside.
“Well well well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen that bag. I didn’t even know you’d kept it,” Peony remarked with a sly grin.
Tumble ignored her, already engrossed by the fragment as he carefully cleaned the grime away with a soft-bristled brush, then held a magnifying glass up to it. He peered thoughtfully at it for a few seconds, then abruptly set it down, practically bounding out of his seat for one of the bookshelves. “Let’s see, I need...” he trailed off as he glanced toward the top. Not even bothering with the ladder, he dug his claws into the stone and climbed up, where he grabbed one of the thicker tomes. “There we go.” He hopped off the wall and fell the ten feet back to the floor.
“Which book is that?” Peony asked as Tumble settled back into his chair.
“Codex’s Libram Lingua, it’s one of the best for ancient languages,” he replied absently as he flipped through the pages, every so often checking the markings on the fragment against illustrations. Finally, he leaned back, his eyes distant.
Peony could instantly tell something was up. She’d known him for almost her entire life, after all. “What’s wrong?”
“This language, whatever it is, isn’t in the book. There’s mention made of a few other fragments found, but nothing substantial enough to translate.” He glanced over at Peony, and scowled as she started to grin. “Oh no, don’t even think about it...”
“Oh come on, you know you want to!” Peony half-sang. “I heard you say you wanted some time off, and this is perfect! Besides, how cool would it be to have your name put into a book like the Libre Go-Whatsis?”
Tumble opened his mouth to correct her, but the excitement in her voice and smile was infectious. And he had been wanting some time off... “Just let me pack a bag this time, alright?”
Peony grinned even wider. “Then I have good news for you!” She whirled about and rummaged on the far side of the bed, producing a duffel bag that was full to bursting. “I already packed one!”
Tumble sighed, pinching the bridge of his muzzle. “This is going to be Saddle Arabia all over again.”
