A Broken Land

by sbloom85

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Dark, Alternate Universe, Other, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Crossover, Human, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Luna
Length: 6501

A librarian discovers a strange book, a book that will take him to another world.

The princesses of Equestria are imprisoned and their land sealed. A librarian discovers a book that transports him to their world and it is up to him to discover why they were imprisoned, who imprisoned them and ultimately, free them.

This is an alternate universe of Mister Citadel's “The Mare Who Wants a Human Child”. This is another what-if scenario. Thanks to Flint Sparks for suggesting changes.

Due to Mystquestria being unpublished, this story will be on hiatus until further notice.

Published 2014-07-30 22:50:06 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-22 13:35:21 UTC

Equestria Island (Edited)

It was my turn to restock the library's shelves this week. I didn't mind doing it, it's pretty peaceful and the people who ask about books often find what they were looking for was in the cart.

I wheeled the cart toward the non-fiction section. I stopped and picked up the first book. “Mystquestria” was written on the cover. It was a leather-bound book about the size of a typical hardcover novel. I examined it further and found no author. Who could have written such a strange book? I've seen many names in the library: Agatha Christie; Louis L'Amour; Michael Crichton... the list goes on, but this is the first book I've seen that has a title, but no author. Whoever wrote it must have wanted to remain anonymous. I put it to the side to read later. Time to return to stocking the shelves.

After it was done, I returned the cart to the back room. One of my coworkers saw Mystquestria on it and shook his head. “You sure like those strange ones, don't ya?”

I chuckled as I put the cart away and I picked it up. “You know me.” I waved the book at him as I walked back out to the front. “Be back in a jiffy.”

The rest of the day went as it normally would and I returned to my apartment. I unlocked and opened the door, entered the apartment and tossed my keys on the mantle next to the door. I closed the door and set the book and grocery bag down so I could hang my hat and shirt. After that, I moved the book to the end table and took the bag into the kitchen. While putting the groceries away, I decided to make myself a screwdriver. I tend to nurse a drink while I read.

I left the kitchen, my chair was calling for me and I obliged. I picked up the strange book and gave it another look-over before opening it up. I was greeted by a strange sight of horse-related glyphs, not the familiar alphabet. I thought it would be a good idea to skim through the pages, hoping there were words I could read.

As soon as I touched the paper, I felt a strange energy flow into my fingers. I tried to take my hand away, but it was somehow stuck. The energy started intensifying and began flowing into more of my body.

I woke up and found myself near a beach. I looked around, but I didn't see the book I held earlier. I stood up and took a look at my surroundings. Directly in front of me was a lighthouse on top of a hill; to my right, water as far as the eye could see; to my left was a cave entrance; above that looked like a sparse forest.

I made my way up the hill and saw what looked like an actual tree house. The door was a bit smaller than I was used to, probably stood at four feet. I opened the door, hunched over and entered. The ceiling was shorter too, but I was able to stand up fully. My eyes met wall-to-wall bookshelving, most of the books were ruined and there were two books on either side of the entrance that sat unscathed on wooden podiums.

I decided to look at the pair sitting to my left. I walked up to the podium and cast my gaze on the front covers. “Princess of the Sun” was written on the one on the left with an intricate sun insignia, “Princess of the Moon” on the other with an equally intricate crescent moon. Against my better judgment, I flipped open “Princess of the Sun”.

I was greeted with what appeared to be a video embedded on the paper. On the other side laid what looked like a horse. A pale-white coated, multicolored mane and tailed horse with wings and a horn that appeared to be sleeping, then it woke up.

It shifted around to look directly at me, its eyes widened and her mouth opened up slightly. “You're not with him, are you?” She asked. She was actually seeing me? “Please! I know you can see and hear me.” I could see her eyes welling up. “Please help us.”

I slammed the book closed. Did that really happen? My muscles started feeling like jelly, so I sat down against one of the bookshelves before I fell down. No... that couldn't be right. That had to be some kind of high-tech sheet with a recorded video on it. But was it really? It had the consistency of paper. I didn't know what to do. What the hell was going on at this place? If this princess of the sun was really trapped inside that book, then the princess of the moon was trapped in the other. Who else was trapped?

I took another moment to get a grip on my current situation before standing up. I walked back to the first podium, looked at the first book, took another breath and opened it. The winged unicorn was still looking my way and she had a sad smile on her face. “You came back.” She briefly closed her eyes and sighed. “I was afraid you wouldn't.”

I scratched the back of my head. “Can you... see me?” She nodded. “What happened?”

She crossed her forelegs and laid her head on them. “It's a bit of a long story. I'm not the only alicorn trapped. My sister Luna, my student Twilight Sparkle and her sister in-law Cadance are as well.”

I glanced to the book next to me. Luna... that was Latin for “moon”. “Your sister wouldn't be the 'Princess of the Moon', would she?” She nodded. “Her... book is right next to yours.”

Her weak smile gained some strength. “That is good news. I'm glad he didn't completely separate us.”

I nodded. “There are two more on the other side of the room. I'm guessing they're your student and her sister.”

She nodded. “If Luna is at my side, then there is no doubt Twilight and Cadance are close. Will you help us?”

I didn't know any of them... but I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that if I didn't help, they'd be stuck there until the day they died. “Okay, but first, you tell me everything.”

She smiled and nodded. “Thank you. A human named 'Jaxxon Markus Citadel' created a book which created my land. He came here and spent some time with my subjects before he made another one to go back to your world.” She looked at the ground and let out a heavy sigh. “It was going well for a while. The first pony he came in contact with was a unicorn named Lyra Heartstrings. The two fell in love and eventually married.”

I smiled. “That's sweet.”

She slowly nodded. “It was. A year after they married, he decided to open a travel agency, allowing certain humans to vacation here after passing some background checks.”

I let out a grumble. “Let me guess, one of those humans did something they weren't supposed to do.”

She nodded. “Yes. One of them went to the Crystal Empire and attempted to kill one of the guards there. Jaxxon saw to it the perpetrator was imprisoned... but that wasn't the end.” I could tell she didn't want to go on, but sometimes one had to. “Months after the incident, that same human returned to cause more trouble. Ponyville was attacked and Lyra was gravely wounded.” She was starting to break down. “Th-the doctors did everything they could, but...”

I could feel my own heartstrings being tugged and I nodded. “She died.”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, and so did the child she carried. Of all of the attempts of bearing a human child, they finally succeed and she...”

I nodded. “Right. What happened after that?”

Celestia shook her head. “He went mad. In his rage, Jaxxon killed the human and hid himself from the world. He returned three years later with a series of books. Some to seal different parts of Equestria... and others to seal us.” That explains why the world outside is so empty. “After that... I do not know his fate.”

I rapped on the podium, contemplating the inevitable. “Where do I begin?”

Author's Note

Here's the first chapter of my second contribution to Mystquestria. I haven't played the game in its entirety, so if there's anything I get wrong, let me know what and I'll fix it.

The Other

I walked out of the library, pulled out my smart phone and read the notes I took when Princess Celestia gave me the details.

Check the cave by the shore.

Check the lighthouse.

Check the windmill.

I put the phone away and decided to check the lighthouse first. She wanted me to find the missing pages for their respective books. But what about this world? She did say this “Jaxxon” guy sealed up the rest of the world, but she didn't know where those books were at. I had to look for them myself.

So, who was this “Jaxxon Markus Citadel” and why would he do such a thing? Was he the kind of man who would punish his own creations because the one he fell in love with was murdered by one of his own kind? If he was still alive, I'm going to have to find him and have him explain himself.

I made my way to the door to the lighthouse. I looked up the massive tower and noticed there was no light coming from it. I let out a contemplative hum and went inside.

I looked around and let out a disgusted sigh. “Great... more books.”

Before I got to that, I decided to walk up the staircase to see what was wrong with the light. I made my way up the stairs, expecting to find a lot more books, but surprisingly, there weren't. I looked to the strange device that must be the source of the illumination, but there was nothing. It was not lit by fire, no powerful light bulb... nothing. It was like this lighthouse served no purpose. I looked around and saw a knocked over chair, a desk and a book that appeared to be in excellent condition.

I walked over to the desk, set the chair upright and sat on it. I slid the book closer to me and examined the cover. “Tales From the Everfree” was written, and of course, there was no author. Jaxxon must have been the one who wrote this. He must have been the one who wrote the book I found in the library. I opened the book and like the first one, it was written in the equines' native language. If he was the one who wrote these books, why would he write them in their language?

I wasn't going to take any chances with this one. For all I knew, this “Everfree” could be a hostile place. I carefully closed the book and pushed it aside for now. If I was going to read these books, I needed to find a translation guide. That meant I had to return to the library. Wonderful.

I stood up and walked down the stairs. As I exited the lighthouse, I thought I saw a figure running toward the windmill. I shook my head and headed back to the library. Funny, I have not gotten hungry since my arrival, I did not feel tired, either. Maybe it was adrenaline that was keeping me going. I should start getting hungry and tired after a while, right?

I entered the library and walked to the podium with Princess Celestia's prison book and opened it. She looked at me with shock. “You're back. Have you found anything yet?”

I shook my head. “Not yet, Your Majesty. I can't read the language. Do you know where I can find something to help me translate the text?”

She rubbed her chin with a hoof, then shook her head. “I'm afraid not. Try asking Twilight, she taught Jaxxon how to read our language.”

I nodded. “I'll do that.” I slowly closed the book and proceeded to the opposite end of the room. I examined the titles. “The Princess of Love” was on the cover of the book, along with a crystal heart on top of a colorful shield. To my left, “The Student of Friendship” was the title of the one to my right with an image of a large star, surrounded by five smaller stars. Princess Celestia did say that Twilight was her student, so I opened it.

I saw a purple-coated unicorn sleeping peacefully. Seeing her like this made me feel like I should let her sleep, but who knows how long she has, so I cleared my throat. “Hello?”

She woke up and looked to me, giving me a glare that would kill me if it could. “Another human. What do you want?”

I chuckled nervously. “I want to know if you know where I can find something to help me translate these books.”

Her glare softened and she raised an eyebrow. “Really? Are you here to help us?” I nodded. “It's about time, thank Celestia.” I stifled my laughter. “I don't know if he made a copy, but I have a translation guide in my library.”

I looked around the room, then back to her. “Is this your library?”

She shook her head. “No, it's merely a replica of it. You'll have to find a book that links to Ponyville.”

My eyes widened. “What?! If I do that, I'll be stuck there.”

Again, she shook her head. “You won't, believe me. Jaxxon made sure to create a book that will bring you back here.”

That was a relief. If there was a book that can bring me back here from there, surely there was a book that can take me back to Earth. “You wouldn't know where I can find that book, would you?” She shook her head. “How about a title?”

She took a moment to think. “I think it was called 'Tales From the Everfree'. That book connects to a location in the Everfree Forest just outside of Ponyville. Once there, find a dirt path and follow it out.”

I nodded. “I saw that book in the lighthouse. Thank you, Twilight.”

Her pupils shrank. “How do you know my name?”

I groaned. I almost forgot to tell her about that. “I spoke with Princess Celestia. I agreed to help you reclaim your world.”

Just as quickly, her pupils dilated. “Really? Oh bless you!”

I chuckled. “Don't thank me yet. I still need to get you and the others out of these prisons.”

She smiled. “What are you waiting for?”

I nodded. “I'll see you again shortly.” She nodded and I slowly closed the book. I stood up and stretched. I was not eager to go up that staircase again, but I had no choice.

I quickly made my way back to the upper part of the lighthouse. I looked to the desk and the book on it was gone. “Oh, that's typical.” That figure I saw earlier must have taken it. The only person I could think of who might do this was Jaxxon.

“Are you looking for this?”

I quickly turned and saw a man holding a book in his right hand. “I'm guessing you're Jaxxon Markus Citadel.”

He nodded. “I sure am. How did you get here, by the way?”

I folded my arms. “I found your book at my library. Why have you imprisoned these people?”

He shook his head. “I didn't imprison anypony, I'm preserving them so I can undo the damages that happened here.”

I scoffed. “I suppose you're talking about the murder of your wife and unborn child.”

He nodded. “Yes. I take it you spoke with Celestia.” I nodded. “Figures. I suppose she asked you to help free her and the others.” I nodded again. “You're not getting Twilight's guide. I'd rather see Ponyville burn than let you ruin my work.”

He pulled out a lighter. “Don't even think about it!” I started running toward him and he headed down the stairs.

We ran out to the open and he headed toward the windmill. I did not know what was up with this place, but I was not feeling fatigued, nor did I feel any pain in my legs. I could probably use this to my advantage. I picked up the pace as I saw he was trying to get the lighter to fire up. I was closing in on him slowly and as soon as I was close enough, I lunged at him.

I barely got a hold of his legs and tripped him. Both the lighter and the book flew out of his hands as he fell to the ground. I scrambled up and ran to the book. I picked it up, dusted it off and examined it for any damage only to find none. Good. I turned back toward Jaxxon, but he was somehow already gone. Thankfully he left his lighter, so I walked up to it, picked it up and put it in my pocket.

“We'll meet again, Jaxxon.”

A Day In Ponyville

With the book to Ponyville in possession, I made my way to the library and up to Twilight's prison. I opened it up and was greeted by the unicorn. “Hey, Twilight.”

She gave me a confused look. “Shouldn't you be in Ponyville?”

I nodded. “I ran into Jaxxon.” She winced. “The man is crazy. He was going to burn this book.”

Good thing she was sitting down, otherwise she would have fell. “He wouldn't! That's where he came to Equestria.”

I shrugged. “He had a lighter and told me he'd rather see Ponyville burn.”

She started crying. “Oh, Jaxxon. What has gotten into you? I'm guessing he's still obsessed with saving Lyra.”

I nodded. “Yeah. He won't be threatening to burn any more books any time soon.” I held the lighter so she could see it.

She wiped some tears and gave me a weak smile. “I'm glad to hear that.”

It was my turn to smile. “I'm off to Ponyville. What should I be looking for when I get to the library?”

She rolled her eyes back in thought. “I think we called it the 'English to Ponese Encyclopedia'.”

I nodded. “Thanks, Twilight. I'll get on it right away.” I slowly closed her book. I looked around and saw an empty desk. I made my way over to it and set down the other and opened it. “Well... here goes nothing.” I placed my hand on the page and felt the same energy flow into it.

My eyes widened as I realized something, I forgot to ask about the book to bring me back.

I suddenly found myself in a dark forest. Great, how am I supposed to know where to go? I looked on the ground to find any sticks. I picked up a good-sized one, pulled out the lighter and lit the end. It wasn't the best torch, but it worked well enough. I quickly found the dirt path Twilight mentioned and followed it.

I knew I was getting close to leaving this forest as it was getting brighter the further I went. Finally, it got bright enough that I didn't need my makeshift torch, so I put it out on the path.

I finally left the forest and in the distance looked like a village. It was probably Ponyville. The windmill in the distance resembled the one on the island I just left. It had to be Ponyville.

I got closer to the town and when the first pony saw me, it started screaming and ran off. Not long after that I was met with by rainbow blur that knocked me down and had me pinned to the ground. After getting my senses together, I looked up and saw a rainbow-maned pegasus with a glare that would rival Twilight's when she first saw me.

The pegasus huffed. “What the hay are you doing here?! Where's Twilight?” She hovered off of me and her glare hardened. “Go back and tell Jaxxon to grow a spine and come back himself.”

I scoot back and sat up. “Wait a second! I'm here on Twilight's behalf. I'm here to save you.” It did not look like she believed me. “I also spoke to Princess Celestia, they both know what I'm doing.” I patted down my pants, looking for the lighter and I pulled it out.

Her eyes softened and she raised an eyebrow. “That's Jaxxon's lighter. How did you get it?”

I slowly stood up and put the lighter back in my pocket. “I got it after I stopped him from burning the book you're trapped in.”

She landed, folded her wings and dug at the ground. “Really? Why are you in Ponyville?”

I dusted off my clothes. “Well, I'm looking for Twilight's guide. I need it to translate the books Jaxxon wrote.”

She nodded and resumed hovering. “I'll show you to the library.”

She flew at a slow pace, which made it easier for me to keep up with her. “How long has your world been like this?”

She shrugged. “I lost count after the fifth year and that feels like ages ago.” She flew in front of me, turning around as she did and began to fly backwards while extending a hoof. “Name's Rainbow Dash.”

I extended my arm to shake her hoof. “Pleased to meet you, Rainbow Dash.” She spun around and returned to my side. “I have a question.”

She looked at me with a smirk. “Shoot.”

“How do I get out of here after I get the guide?”

She nodded. “There's an ancient castle where Princesses Celestia and Luna lived. He put the return book there.”

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Why can't any of you leave?”

She let out a heavy sigh. “Believe me, if we could, we would. The guy wrote in a barrier surrounding the castle that pushes ponies away. We can't even get close.”

I hung my head and slowly shook it. “I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. Once I get back there, I'll find a way to fix this mess.”

She gave me a tight hug and laughed. “You rock!”

We made our way to Twilight's library. Rainbow Dash opened the door and fluttered inside with me close by. “I'm thinking she hid it in the basement. I'll check it out.”

While she searched the basement, I scanned one of the bookshelves. I pulled a book that stuck out and looked at it. Stupid me, expecting to be able to read this stuff when- something fell out of the book. “Hello... what have we got here?” I picked up the object and it was an envelope. There was a seal on the back, it looked like the same insignia that was on Princess Celestia's prison book.

Rainbow Dash emerged from the basement with what looked like a massive encyclopedia. “Found it!” She fluttered to a nearby desk and set it down. “Stupid thing was almost too heavy for me to fly up with.”

I grimaced. “Sorry, Rainbow Dash. I should've helped you.”

She shrugged. “No worries. Looks like you found something, too.”

I flipped over the envelope. “Yeah, it's got the same symbol as Princess Celestia's prison book.”

I showed it to her and she smiled. “That's her cutie mark. I wonder if Jaxxon left it here.”

I snapped my finger. “That's something that's been bugging me. Why would he write everything in your language, rather than his own?”

She rubbed the back of her neck in thought. “I remember him saying that Ponese was easier to write than English.”

I flipped open the door-stopper and groaned. “This is going to take a while.” I looked at her with hopelessness. “Please tell me Twilight has some spare paper.”

She nodded, flew over to another desk and pointed a hoof. “Lots of parchment, quills and unopened inkwells right here.”

I'd kill for a box of Bic pens and a one-thousand page notebook instead of this antiquated mess, but beggars can't be choosy. “Thanks, Rainbow Dash.” I put the envelope into the encyclopedia and closed it, then I walked to the other desk and grabbed a scroll, some quills and an inkwell before taking the guide. “You said the exit was at the Princesses' former castle, right?” She nodded. “Right. Well... I'm off.”

She flew in front of me, quickly, but with melancholy. “Before you go, you should check out Lyra's old place.”

We left the library and I followed her to Lyra's house. We approached the front door and she fluttered to the side. “Nopony's been here since the incident, they didn't want to ruin her memory, you know?”

I nodded. “Is the door unlocked?” She nodded. I looked at the doorknob and shook my head. In a world full of quadrupeds, why would he write in doorknobs? I gripped the knob, turned it, opened the door and walked inside. Rainbow Dash flew off, leaving me to wander this abandoned home.

I walked over to a table and set down the stuff I gathered, then walked over to the mantle. On it sat a series of dusty picture frames. Jaxxon and Lyra were in all of them. In one, the two were kissing; another had the two holding each other tightly while smiling at the camera; in the next one, he was holding a newborn foal and he and Lyra were snuggling. In the next photos, their small family grew larger with a second foal followed by twin foals and a fifth. Jesus... they sure had fun, didn't they? I wonder what happened to those kids.

I found a staircase leading up, glanced into each room until I found one with the largest bed. It had to be their room. I saw a desk on the far side with yet another book on it. I walked up to it and there was a picture of a lyre on it. I opened it up, sure enough, the language inside wasn't English. At first, I was hesitant about touching the paper, considering I ended up here because I touched the inside of a book, but I put a finger on it and nothing happened. I gripped the pages and quickly flipped them. To my relief, nothing happened. This might be Lyra's diary. I could really use a backpack right now.

I turned around and saw a closet. Maybe there was one in there. I opened it up and saw a lot of human clothes hanging. I turned my gaze to the floor and, miraculously, there was a duffel bag on the floor. “Today must be my lucky day.”

I picked up the duffel bag, dropped it on the bed and zipped it open. “What the-?” I reached inside and pulled out an empty ammo clip. I set it to the side and reached back in, pulling out a Book of Mormon. “Figures.” I set that on the bed as well. I wasn't a big fan of organized religion, or any religion for that matter, I could live without it. That doesn't mean I'm an atheist though, if there was a God, he or she was probably disinterested in what we did.

I lifted the bag, walked back to what I assumed was Lyra's diary and set it inside. I looked around the room one more time, imagining Jaxxon and Lyra cuddling on the bed while the sounds of childrens' laughter and screams filled the air. I shook my head and walked out.

I reached the table where I put everything else on and put the items in the bag. I shouldered the bag's strap and headed to the front door. I opened it and was greeted by Rainbow Dash.

She gave me a weak smile. “Hey, thanks again for trying to help us.”

I walked out and closed the door behind me. “I'm actually glad I'm able to. It was getting quite dull at the library.” She raised an eyebrow. “I work at a library. That's how I found Jaxxon's initial book.”

She chuckled. “You an egghead too?”

I started walking and gave a smile. “You could say that.”

She hovered by my side as we made it through Ponyville. “Twilight hates it when I call her an egghead.”

I smiled and shook my head. “But you do it anyway.” She smiled and nodded. “I promise to do everything in my power to put your world back together.”

We made it to the outskirts of the town and she stopped. “Well, this is where I stop. Good luck.”

I extended my arm and we shook. “Thanks, Rainbow Dash, but I think it's going to take more than luck to fix this mess.”

She fluttered closer, hugged me and started crying. “You get him and bring back my egghead!”

I patted her on the head. “I will. Don't wait up.” She let me go and I re-entered the Everfree Forest. It was time for me to return to the island.

I really hope I can fix this...

Digging Deeper

I reappeared in the library and made my way to Twilight's prison book. I set the duffel bag down and opened the book. It looked like she was napping again. I cleared my throat. “Twilight?”

Her head shot up and her eyes snapped open. “You're back. Did you find the guide?”

I nodded. “I did, thanks to your friend Rainbow Dash.”

She frowned and her ears fell back. “How is she?”

I smiled. “Bored and sad. She said she wants her egghead back.”

She giggled. “I miss her too. Where are you going to start?”

I glanced to the bag, then back to her. “I found what looks like Lyra's diary. I'll see if I can't glean any information from it. I doubt I will, but it'd be nice to have a little more background on what I walked into.”

She nodded. “Thank you. If you have time, can you say hi to Cadance and Shining Armor for me? Tell them I miss them?” I nodded. “Thank you.”

I closed the book and side-stepped to the other one. I slowly opened it and I was greeted with moaning, grunting and panting, so I closed the book up. I went back to Twilight's book and opened it up. “Now might not be the best time, Twilight.” She gave me a confused look. “I'm gonna go translate that diary.”

I closed the book, picked up the bag and sat down against a wall. I opened the bag and pulled out the guide and the diary and got to work on it.

About an hour later, I had ten pages of the diary translated. The translation was a bit spotty in places, but I managed to make it read as best as possible. There was a lot of talk about Jaxxon and how wonderful he was, when they first met he was initially appalled by the fact that Lyra and her friend Bon Bon were sharing a house together, thinking they were romantically involved. Great, we're dealing with a deranged, homophobic Mormon... that sounds about right.

There was a lot in there that I skipped. There was nothing too interesting until I came across some entries regarding her pregnancies. She was using some kind of serum to try and change the fetus' species, hoping his parents would be more open to her if she could raise a human child. Why the hell would he write in that ponies could be impregnated by a different species? When I run into him again, I'm going to ask what possessed him to write any of this.

I was beginning to get a headache and decided to close the translation guide. The envelope I put in there fell out. I can't believe I forgot about this. I picked it up and opened it. Inside was a torn sheet of paper, naturally written in Ponese. I stood up, walked to Princess Celestia's prison book and opened it.

Her head perked up and she looked at me. “How fares the search?”

I shrugged. “Well, I found this.” I showed her the paper. “I'm assuming it's for your book, since your cutie mark was on it.”

She nodded. “Be careful, there isn't a book here that can take you back to the island.”

I scratched the back of my head uneasily. “I'll keep that in mind. Your Majesty... how long has it been this way?”

She shook her head unknowingly. “I cannot say for sure. He had been here for almost ten years before the incident that drove him mad. It was another two years before he completed our prisons.”

I gave her an understanding nod, but I had to press on the questions. “Do you remember how old he was when he arrived?”

She nodded in a way that she knew she sure on the answer. “He was in his mid-twenties. Twenty-four or twenty-five.”

I nodded again. So... let's say he was twenty-five when he first arrived; spent about nine years living peacefully with Lyra and the others; she dies, he goes insane and spends another two years working on this new world and on a way to save her. Time must flow differently here. For all I know, an hour here could be a day or a year back home; or it could flow faster here, a day here could be a few minutes on Earth. I cleared my throat. “If you'll excuse me, Your Majesty, I just got an urge to check out the windmill.”

She nodded and laid back down. “Good luck, and be careful.”

I closed the book, walked to Twilight's and opened it. “Hey, sorry to bug you again, but where can I keep my new duffel bag?”

She took a moment to ponder. “I believe there is a basement in the duplicate. Now I don't know if it exists there, but in my library's basement, I had a place behind the stairs to store some... personal items.” She blushed. “If it's not there, just set it in a dark corner. He rarely comes here, but since you're here-”

I nodded. “He'll be sure to check this place out. Thanks, Twilight.” I closed the book and proceeded to the basement.

Well, her hiding spot didn't exist, but I did find a quiet corner to hide my stuff. It's off to the windmill. It was straight down a path in front of the library's main door, down a shallow hill and around a bushy corner. There was nothing remarkable about the exterior of it, but Jaxxon comes this way and I aimed to find out why. I gripped the knob, turned it, opened the door and walked inside.

Once inside, the windmill didn't look like it served any purpose, there were a series of wooden gears being spun, but there was nothing happening. I looked around and saw a desk with a couple of notebooks. I decided to check out the rest of the inside. I found a door going somewhere, but it was locked and he probably had the key with him. I walked to the desk and looked at the notebooks' covers. I recognized one of the glyphs as “link”. I glanced around, hoping he wasn't around and I pulled out my phone. There was plenty of light, but the phone took terrible pictures. I may not have had the best equipment to do this, but I wasn't going to let this opportunity pass me by. I was truly amazed that my phone wasn't dead yet, the charge was still near one hundred percent. I didn't know how it happened, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

An hour passed and I closed the second book and headed back to the library. Apparently there were two different types of books, a descriptive, which created the world its reader went to, and a linking, which took the reader back to the previous location. If I was going to have a chance, I needed to use the linking book in the Everfree Forest as a base.

I stared at it, “Tales of the Everfree”. I couldn't believe I was going back in there. I opened the book and touched the paper. The familiar energy flowed into me and the world disappeared.

I found myself at the ancient castle this time around. Why I ended up here instead of deep in the forest I didn't know, but I wasn't going to question it. I looked around, hoping to find a stick to flip the pages. I was in the woods for Pete's sake, I should be able to find a stick somewhere and it wasn't long before I did.

I picked up a stick and walked back to the linking book. I pulled out my phone, flipped open the book and started taking pictures. I still wasn't sure how I'd be able to make the copy, but I planned to ask either Princess Celestia or Twilight. Twilight might have a better understanding of how these books worked though.

After a while, I heard a “whooshing” sound come from behind me. I turned around and there was Jaxxon, holding a gun to my face. My heart skipped a beat and I fell backward. “What in the hell are you doing?!”

He looked real pissed. “You're going to ruin it all. Five hundred years of hard work will be ruined because you couldn't mind your own business!”

My eyes widened in fear. I felt breathless as he began squeezing the trigger. Click! He was out of ammo? I scrambled to my feet to tackle him, but he used the gun as a club and knocked me out.

I felt hot and smelled something burning. My eyes shot open and saw that the forest was on fire. I looked toward the pedestal where the linking book was and saw Jaxxon put his hand on it and he disappeared. I guess I hadn't been out long. I scrambled up to the book, grabbed it and made my way toward Ponyville.

I ran as fast as my legs could take me. The air in this forest was starting to choke me, but if I wanted to live, I had to keep going... but... I couldn't. I fell forward and lost my grip on the book. I was going to be burned alive. Unconscious, maybe, but alive.

My vision started blurring, but among all the flames, something was approaching me. I couldn't stay awake. My head fell on the ground and as I slowly lost consciousness, I had one last thought. I failed, everyone. Forgive me.