Chapter 1 - An unexpected visitor
Chapter 1
An unexpected visitor
Lyra Heartstrings was trotting through the hallways of the old library that had recently been discovered, fully aware that she had no business being here. If anypony asked what she was doing here, she was screwed. The guards at the entrance had only let her in, because she was a student at the royal archeological academy. A major she wasn't really interested in, but it gave her access to books that normal ponies usually never saw.
More precisely, books on the legends of humans. These creatures had caught her interested ever since her father had once given her a story book about them. A decsision he regretted to this very day.
The Unicorn mares horn glowed softly, illuminating the darkness around her in a golden glow. It was kind of surreal to be the first pony to walk these halls in several millenia, but she had to hurry. As soon as the ponies from the academy arrived, she would be thrown out on her rump, and have other consequences directed her way as well. It was a prospect she did not cherish in the slightest, even though archeologie did not interest her very much. She had spent way too much time studying it to be just thrown out.
So it came that Lyra hurried past ancient marble bookshelves, that held tomes from the area of Nightmare Moon even ones that were far older, to the history section of this remarkably well preserved ruin that had just been discovered at the edge of the Everfree forest. In her haste she did not see the pair of teal eyes, watching her from the darkness between bookcases.
The darkness around the unicorn became denser with ever step her hooves took, and yet she did not notice it n the slightest. Her mind was occupied with the possibility of finding evidence of the existence of humans.
Her hooffalls on the cracked marble floor as she tried to find her way. Near the entrance Lyra had found a map of the place, but it had been so big that she had been unable to take it with her. Just as she thought about these things, her magical light illuminated the golden lettering on one of the shelves. The three letters she read there made her stop cold.
Z.S.S.
Lyra turned her head slowly, as her muzzle split in an impossibly wide grin. Z.S.S was one of the few ancient authors who had written about humans, but his or her books were very hard to track down. In all of her years of study, she had only been able to find three and they had been badly burnt. Not much more than fragments really.
When she had heard from BonBon that some construction ponies had found this ruin at the edge of the Everfree, as they were digging a hole for the foundation for a new wildlife research facility, she had galloped there as fast as her hooves could carry her. Royal night guards had already been there, protecting the entrance to the ruin. Only her student ID had convinced them to let her take a peek
At best she had hoped for some undamaged books by that mysterious pony, or maybe something on legends about humans and their origins. Finding a complete section on him or her was like a dream come true. The first few books in this section of the library were already eyeopening. The titles ranged from human history, to technological achievements to magical res.... No... That couldn't be right. From all Lyra knew, humans were unable to do magic.
As she was about to levitate one of the books about magic over to her, she suddenly noticed that her own magic was unable to grasp it. It was then that she finally saw the inky blackness around her closing in. It was the last thing she saw, before the sphere of darkness encased her completely....
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Lyra awoke with a splitting headache in Ponyville genera hospital with a bandage over her eyes. Yet she noticed that there were at least two additional ponies in the room with her. One was, unmistakably, a Unicorn while she could not identify the race of her second visitor.
“So, you've finally come to.”, a rough female voice said sternly as she began to stir. Now the young mare knew who her two visitors were. Daring Do and the royal academies dean, Green Script. What other reason would professor Do have to visit her, other than trying to calm the dean down.
“Yeah... What happened? All I remember is that some kind of spell hit me. Everything else after that is black...”
“What happened? What HAPPENED? Miss Heartstrings, you damaged an unbelievably important archaeological site! You were lucky the night guard were able to pull you out of there after you caused that cave in. And regarding that “spell” you claim hit you... You must have triggered some kind of defense we weren't aware of. That is why PROPER research teams have specially trained Unicorns with them. You, Miss Heartstrings, are not such a Unicorn.”, the dean barked, and from the sound of his hoof falls, Lyra could tell that the Unicorn was pacing up and down in front of her bed. To her surprise, professor Do did not come to her rescue.
“I... I was in the area, and my curiosity must have gotten the better of me. But still, I believe there was another pony down there with me. The magic that hit me was fresh, not something the old Unicornians would have thought up. If it had been something that old, it would have either evaporated by now, or I wouldn't be talking to you right now.”, Lyra blurted out, sitting up in bed despite the nausea that flooded her being.
“And what is that about a cave in?”, she added, fearing that the ancent ruin might have suffered some damage. Silence filled the room at this. Several minutes passed, before professor Do finally dared to speak.
“The ruins are gone. Destroyed. As far as we can tell, you triggered some kind of defensive magic that was designed to destroy the facility. Eyewitnesses report that that a whooshing sound erupted from the ruins, followed by a short flame shooting out of the hole the construction workers had dug through the ceiling of the complex. The night guard went in to get look for you and... they found you not too far from the entrance. Passed out, but otherwise unhurt. Shortly after they got you out, the whole thing just collapsed. Where there once was a valuable ruin, is now a sinkhole that is about eight stories deep. I'm afraid... nothing is left Lyra, and the only pony who is confirmed to have been down there is you.”, she said in a the tone of a mare who was speaking to a terminally ill patient.
Lyra sank back into the sheets. Gone? Destroyed? All those books by Z.S.S wiped from existence just by her being there? Everything she had worked for? What came next though, didn't come as a surprise to her at all. The dean sighed.
“I am very sorry Miss Heartstrings, but you are hereby suspended from the university. All of your research material will be subject to an investigation. You are forbidden to set hoof onto the university grounds for the duration of this investigation.”, the Unicorn stallion said, and from his tone of voice, it was clear to her that he did not enjoy doing this. While the dean had never agreed with her studying humans, he had always stood up for her right to do it against the rest of the faculty members. They would have loved to shut her down from the get go. All of them, except the dean and professor Do.
“I understand...”, she muttered, feeling hollow inside. She had been so close to proving everything she had ever worked for, and now her academic name was sullied with the destruction of an ancient site. Even if she found something now, who would believe her?
~O~1 Month later~O~
“Hey, Lyra! How would you like helping me out in the shop? It might help you take your mind off things.”, BonBon offered, but Lyra just turned around on the couch of their shared apartment, grunting that she did not feel like it. BonBons sigh could be heard from the doorway, followed by whispering voices.
“She's been like that ever since that damn investigation started. I'm really worrying about her.”, BonBon whispered to some unseen Pony. Lyra on her part didn't care much. All she wanted was to be left alone to wallow in... whatever it was ponies were supposed to wallow in.
“Well... I guess we have no other choice then.”
Again, the door to Lyras room was opened and a pony stepped in. From the rustling of feathers she guessed that it was either Derpy or Rainbow Dash trying to cheer her up. The unicorn was in no mood to deal with either of them right then. Derpy would most certainly just bring her a basket of muffins, while Rainbow would try to give her one of her motivational speeches. Funny things at the best of times... but these times weren't good. Not by a long call.
“Look, I appreciate what you're trying but...”, she began, turning around on the couch so she could face the door once more and tell her friends that she just wanted to be left alone. Instead, of one pony though, two looked at her with concerned eyes. One was Twilight Sparkle, a friend of Rainbow Dash with whom the mare had only rarely spoken. The other one was...
“Princess Celestia...?”, she breathed, not believing that the ruler of Equestria was standing in her living room, while she looked like a total mess. Her mane was untidy, and she hadn't groomed her coat in days. Lyra fell off the couch, trying to tidy up the mess around the couch with her magic, even though the Princess could clearly see what she was doing.
“Please excuse the mess I'll just...”, she stammered, trying to hide some a book from the universities library under one of the cushions. It was one of the ones written by Z.S.S and she was, strictly speaking, not allowed to have it anymore. Celestia, however, ceased the book and the mare in her magic, floating the former up to her face for inspection and setting the other down in front of her with a slight chuckle.
“Relax. You don't have to make such a fuss about me. Now... lets see...”, the princess of the sun said amiably as she examined the burned remains of the book Lyra had desperately tried to hide. A dark look found its way onto the Alicorns face for a moment, making Twilight look up at her former mentor and examine the book at the same time.
“Princess? Is anything the matter?”, she asked, squinting her eyes to try and read the remains of the golden letters that made up the title of the badly ruined book. Her voice seemed to bring Celestia back to the here and now, and she cleared her throat before continuing.
By then, Lyra was sweating all over. That book was another priceless artifact, and if the princess discovered the tea stain on page two hundred and five... she'd be lucky if she only lost her position at the academy for good. To her surprise, the white mare just floated the book back to her, laying in down in front of her hooves.
“It's nothing Twilight. Now... For the reason why I'm actually here...”, the princess began, and pulled a golden card out of a pocket of her enormous saddlebags. It was attached to a red linen string that was surely meant to fit around a ponies neck. Lyra recognized it instantly. It was a royal permit to visit the royal Canterlot Archives! The one and only place she had continuously tried to gain access to, but had been denied again and again. Mostly by her father though, who was the head librarian in the palace.
“You... I... You mean...”, the mind green mare stammered, at a loss for words. Twilight Sparkle just smiled happily.
“BonBon told me everything, and I thought a visit to the archives could cheer you up. I know it always helps me when I feel a bit downtrodden.”, the lavender Alicorn said, taking the permit from Celestia and placing it around Lyras neck.
“But be careful Miss Heartstrings. I was hesitant to grand you this permit. It was only Twilight's insistent assurance that you would not take anything from within, or try to publicize any of the material that made me change my mind. It's my condition. I know about your interest in humans, and I guess it can't hurt to let you browse the archives for a day, but please know that these books are under close supervision for a good reason. Many of the most dangerous spellbooks ponykind has ever seen are down there, along with history best forgotten. Can you agree to my terms?”, the white Alicorn asked, suddenly serious. Lyra didn't even think about it. She just agreed. Even if she was not allowed to take any of the books from the archive, or publish anything she found in there, she might still find clues that led her to discoveries that she could publish.
“Alight then, there's just one last thing.”, Celestia began, looking down at Twilight apologetically. “Would you mind waiting for me outside for a moment, Twilight?”
The smile vanished form the lavender mares face, but she nodded and trotted out after saying her good byes to Lyra and wishing her a fun time in Canterlot. Apparently she had even arranged for her to live at her parents place as long as she was in the capital. It was that moment that Lyra first began to think of Twilight Sparkle as more than the princess of friendship or a friend of a friend.
“Listen, and listen closely.”, the princess of the sun began in low tones, bending her neck to whisper into Lyras ear. “If you truly want to know about humans, no book in the archives will be able to tell you more than my sister. If you're lucky, she'll be there today and, if you're even luckier, she might even tell you about them.”, she added, before taking her leave herself, leaving an utterly stunned mint green Unicorn behind....
“She... knows.... about them....”, was all she could say while staring at the royal permit that now dangled around her neck. It was valid for one day only. An enchantment on the cardboard card would make sure it disintegrated into dust a day after it was used. With more energy than she had felt in ages, Lyra Heartstrings bolted towards her bedroom as soon as she had composed herself enough to do so, got her old trunk from the wardrobe, and began packing. Sure, she wouldn't stay there for long, since her permit wasn't a permanent one, but she intended to write everything down that she learned. Studying those notes later could take a while, and her mother and father surely wouldn't mind having her over for more than just a day or two...
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
“Well, that's something...”, Lyras father mumbled as he sat behind his desk in the royal Canterlot library. The positively gigantic double doors that led to the royal archives lay beyond. The blue Unicorn stallion was examining the permit Celestia had given her with a critical eye, as if trying to detect a forgery. After all, he wouldn't have put it past his daughter.
Just how in Celestias name had she managed to get her hooves onto one of these? Only one permit per princess could exist at any given time. A safety measure that had been put into place long before his own time. In the past, Twilight Sparkle had been the one to receive regular permits from princess Celestia. Now that she was an Alicorn herself though, there was no need for that anymore.
“Didn't princess Twilight tell you why I was coming to Canterlot?”, Lyra asked, tilting her head in confusion.
“No... She just sent a rainbow maned mare to our house with a letter, asking if you could stay for a few days. She never mentioned anything like this...”, the old stallion replied, still turning the permit over and over in his magic.
“So... Can I go in now? I don't want to waste any time.”, Lyra asked, practically dancing on her hooves. Indeed she had only brought her trunk to her parents house, said hi to her mother, and stormed out the door almost immediately afterwards. She had taken the first train to Canterlot that morning, and had arrived even before princess Celestia had even raised the sun. Her father had, of course, already left for work as she knew he would have, and the library wasn't due to open until ten in the morning. Still, her permit had made the guards at the palace gates wave her through without so much as a second glance. Knowing important ponies was certainly an advantage.
After several more minutes of scrutinizing the permit, and finding nothing wrong with it, the blue stallion handed it back to his daughter with a sigh. He had, of course, heard of her recent problems with the royal academy, and that it had caused her great distress. He regretted greatly having given her that book about humans when she had been just a little filly. Had he not done that, she might have actually pursued a profitable career. Dusk Feather just hoped that a visit to the royal archives would cheer her up a bit and, who knew, maybe she found something in there that caught her interest even more than mythological creatures walking on two legs like a minotaur...
“Alright, I guess I've got no choice then, but mind your behavior in there. No eating, no drinking and no taking tomes out of the archives for some in depth reading, am I making myself clear? You could get me in serious trouble if anything happens while you are in there.”, he said sternly, but it was betrayed by the small smile on his face as he pulled the lever to open the giant double doors.
Lyra practically danced on her hooves as they swung open to reveal... a brick wall. Nothing bit a brick wall. She looked back at her father for a moment, whos smile had transformed into a teasing little smile.
“Is this a joke?”, she asked archly as she put the permit around her neck again. The instant the strap holding it touched her skin, a vortex of magical energy shimmered into view. Lyra blinked, levitated the permit away again, and the vortex disappeared.
“Neat trick...”, the mint green mare muttered under her breath as she walked towards the wall. Testing it with her hoof, she could definitely determine that it was solid. So this wasn't just some strange illusion spell that faded as soon as one wore a royal permit. It seemed to be an actual selective teleportation spell! And what was best of all, it seemed to maintain itself. Now she really couldn't wait any longer to see what was in the archives. If the princesses put this much security in place just to protect it, then there must be something worth hiding.
Turning around to say goodbye to her father, Lyra levitated the permit back around her neck. She didn't get to say a word though, as the teleportation spell took hold of her and dragged her along for the wildest ride the Unicorn had ever been on.
OooOoOoOoOoOoOo
With a pop, a scream of surprise and the sound of breaking wood, Lyra was ejected out of the portal and directly into an old desk, which broke under her impact.
“Ouch...”, the mare muttered, picking herself up out of the debris of the wooden desk. To her astonishment, she found that it had been stacked high with pillows of all things. Apparently this was not the first time somepony had arrived here a little bit on the rough side, since Lyra spotted more than a few white feathers on the ground, mixed with the occasional midnight blue one...
It was that fact alone that eased her mind a bit. If the that desk had been placed there to catch anypony coming through the portal, then she didn't feel too bad about breaking it. Besides, she couldn't worry about something as mundane as a desk now. She was in the most exciting place in all of Equestria! Only the princesses and Twilight Sparkle, who essentially was a princess herself nowadays, had ever been in here!
The definitely had seen better days though. From the looks of it, it reminded her of that ruin near the edge of the Everfree forest. The marble floor was cracked and chipped in places, while a thick layer of dust seemingly covered most of the bookshelves that she could see. Which wasn't very far, due to the poor lighting. Only a single oil lamp hanging on a hook on the wall served as illumination. To her surprise, it had a small name-tag with her name on it
“Well... don't mind if I do.”, she chuckled, lifting the lamp in her magic and looking around for some kind of floor plan, and she was not disappointed. Legend had it that princess Celestia had once gotten lost in a government building, and ever since then maps and floor plans were mandatory in any major facility.
According to the pretty badly faded map, the section she was looking for was located...
“EIGHT FLOORS BELOW?”, she exclaimed, her muzzle hanging open. She couldn't begin to fathom just how big this place must have been, since that was only part one of ten floor plans, according to a little number somepony had scribbled in the lower left corner of the parchment.
The clock was ticking, so the mint green Lyra Heartstrings made sure that her saddlebags were were still in place, and that all straps were fastened correctly, before moving along in a quick trot. If she had to go all the way by hoof, she thought, it would take her the better part of an hour to get to the history section of this archive....
Yet, as more and more bookshelves passed by her, Lyra really had to control herself. There were books on the founding of Equestria and some original texts by a great musician who had played the Lyre... the very instrument that had become her Cutiemark all these years ago. Lyras horn itched horribly as she saw it, since she wanted to read the tome, but there was no time to do so. If there was, however, any time left after she had done what she had come here for, the Unicorn already knew what she would do in her remaining time in the archives.
OooOoOoOoOoOoOo
Lyra Heartstrings never reached the history section of the royal Canterlot archives. After trotting down four flights of stairs, she had decided to take a little rest, and sit down in one of the dusty armchairs that were placed in regular intervals along the hallways. Placing her lamp onto a small coffee table next to it, the mare had sighed in relief as her hooves folded under her. This place was much bigger that she had imagined even in her wildest dreams. Only getting here had already taken her three hours, and there was no shortcut in sight. The two elevators she had come across were apparently out of order, since neither of them had responded to her button presses...
It was then that it happened. Lyras eyelids were heavy, and she let gave drift over the dusty velvet carpet on the ground, the mahogany walls, the expensive looking furniture that looked like something even her grandparents would have considered ancient, and lastly... a door.
At first the mare didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but on closer inspection, it was quite obvious that this door was used much more frequently than any of the others. Not only that, but there was not a single speck of dust on it.
Curious as to what might lie behind this door, Lyra used her magic to swing it open. Bright light spilled into the hallway, and the Unicorn had to shield her eyes for a moment, since she had not expected anything like this. When her eyes had finally adjusted to the light, her muzzle almost hit the floor. Dozens of bookshelves stood in neat lines, and almost all of them had the golden letters “Z.S.S.” emblazoned on them.
Her tiredness forgotten, Lyra sprang to her hooves almost instantly, faceplanting onto the dusty carpet in her hurry to get through that door. The difference was immediately obvious. The air alone didn't smell of dust or mold. Instead it smelled clean and fresh. Also was this room much warmer than the rest of the archives she had seen so far. Sure, she hadn't exactly shuddered for cold, but it was definitely on the chilly side of things.
Excited beyond belief, Lyra set down her lamp on a nearby table and drew out the first book on the first shelf. It was a tome on human history, with a warning on the very first page that all information in that book were subject to the authors personal recollection, and may therefor be faulty, or inaccurate in some places.
Another book, right next to the first one, had the topic of natural selection and pony evolution. It also posed the question about different pony races, and their ability to breed with one another. Then, it hit her. The two books she was holding in her magic, were not printed! Both of them were hoofwritten originals!
The books almost fell out of her magic in shock at the realization. She composed herself pretty quickly though, preventing herself from damaging these priceless artifacts!
Gathering up a few books from the shelves, Lyra notices that all of them had Z.S.S listed as the author. But how could that be? Several of them had been written centuries from one another! Nopony lived that long, except the princesses...
Putting the books down on one of the reading tables, Lyra just wanted to sit down as she heard it. Sobbing. Low and muffled, as if the pony who produced the sound was trying not to be heard. Following the sound, the mint green mare noticed that three doors were set into the back of this enormous space. She identified the symbols on two of them as the Cutiemarks of the princesses... The third however...
It was a shield with two swords crossed behind it. A pattern that looked eerily like the modern equestrian symbol for healing adorned the shield. A nimbus of pink magical energy, swirling around a red cross. In modern times, the magical mist had been left out, leaving only the red cross, but still...
The sobbing sounded once again, and Lyra shook her head to focus. As far as she knew, nopony else was supposed to be down here right now and, if there was somepony, it could only be one of the princesses, in which case she wanted to make sure that everything was alright.
On the opposite side of the room, Lyra found a small door with an unlocked padlock lying on a small table next to it. It looked very much out of place in this magnificient place, since it was made of plain wooden planks. Nothing the mare wood have expected in the “royal” archives, in other words.
The door was slightly ajar, and her curiosity The inside of the small room was lit only by a single candle. A stark contrast to the magical illumination that was this rooms light source. As far as the mare could see, there were only two pieces of furniture in the room. One was a chair that looked all wrong. Nopony would have been able to sin on it comfortably. The other was a writing desk on which lay a small leather bound book. Princess Luna was standing before it, reading silently as tears flowed freely from her teal eyes.
Lyra watched for just a moment, feeling bad for spying on the princess of the night. She was just about to turn around and leave the princess be, as the Alicorn closed the book she was reading, enabling her to see the title.
Diary of Zeomak Seline Salchar
Before she knew that she was going to do it, Lyra burst into the room, panting with excitement. Luna, on the other hoof, seemed quite startled at the unexpected interruption. Her magic hid the book she had been reading under one of her wings as quickly as she could, but it was too late.
“Your majesty, I'm sorry for my intrusion, but could you please let me see that book for a second? I have reason to believe that the pony who wrote it had dealings with actual humans, and they're my field of study!”, she panted, pointing a hoof to princess Lunas right wing, under which the diary had disappeared. The princess was not moving to retrieve the book though, and so the two of them stood there, looking into each others eyes for several minutes before the Alicorn finally broke the silence.
“I'm sorry Miss... Heartstrings, was it? I am unable to give this book to you, for it is not mine to give. It belonged to my... a very dear friend of mine. I'm sure he wouldn't want it read by any pony but myself.”, the princess replied, turning her gaze away from the panting little Unicorn.
“But... but... humans.... proof...”, Lyra stammered, not comprehending what was happening. There she was, in the royal Canterlot archives, and the very book that might shed light on the mystery of the mythical creatures known as humans, without her reading dozens of ancient tomes, was being denied to her. It was almost too much for her brain to take.
“If you... If you truly want to know about humans... I could tell you about them. Or better him. The one and only human ever to have lived in Equestria...”, Luna murmured so quietly that Lyra almost missed it. Almost. Several fuses snapped in the Unicorns brain, as she tried to process that information, but it didn't take her long to respond. In fact, she was still trying to form a coherent thought when her head already bobbed up and down energetically...
OooOoOoOoOoOoOo
Twenty minutes later, the two mares were sitting on opposite sides of a small coffee table in princess Lunas personal study. As it turned out, the three doors Lyra had come across were the doors that led to the princesses studies, though princess Luna had been oddly silent when she had asked about the third door.
“So, Lyra, you want to know about humans. A pretty strange field of study, don't you think?”, Luna asked, taking a sip of coffee as she regarded the mare opposite her. Lyra didn't know how to answer at first, but then it just burst out of her like a waterfall.
“Ever since I was a filly, I've been fascinated by humans! Many of the technology we use today seems unfit for ponies, or as if it was redesigned from a different design. I personally thing that humans were responsible for many of the things we use to this day. Doorknobs are just one example. Pegasi and Earthponies can not open them unless they use their teeth, which is quite unhygienic. It's one reason many ponies don't even bother locking their doors. Wiping the saliva off each time somepony opened the door would be a real pain in the plot. But there are other examples as well, like cutlery. Most Unicorns don't even bother with them, since they have magic, while Pegasi and Earthponies are outright unable to use them!”
Luna chuckled merrily at the other mares outburst.
“Sorry, sorry. It's just that you sounded so much like him right now. It was almost like a vision from the past.”, the alicorn explained, holding a hoof to her muzzle to try and stifle her giggles.
“Like who?”
“Starswirl the bearded. He sat on the exact same couch you are sitting now, and said almost the exact same things to me.”, Luna elaborated after composing herself a moment later.
“Starswirl? You knew him?”, Lyra asked, her muzzle agape.
“Indeed. He was a dear friend. His student, Clover the Clever, was also a regular visitor here. She was determined to learn more about the magic that permeates all of Equestria. She, however, laughed at her teachers interest in humans...”
All of a sudden, the alicorns face showed an expression of extreme sadness, almost as if she was remembering something very unpleasant. It only lasted a moment, and was quickly replaced by an indulgent smile however.
“So... Humans... I think it can't hurt to tell you the same story I told Starswirl way back then. You are, I presume, familiar with equestrian history?”, the princess asked, to which Lyra nodded.
“I was not always like this. In fact, I was not even able to use magic until my early twenties, since I was born a Pegasus. My sister, on the other hoof, was born a Unicorn. It's a fact that even most historians do not know about us, and I would like to keep it this way. Otherwise, ponies will line up and want to be made into immortal Alicorns. Believe me, immortality is not all that it is made out to be... but I digress... Hearthwarming Eve also means something to you? Of course it does. No modern pony doesn't the know that story. However, it is not entirely true.”, Luna explained, standing up to stand in front of her studies fireplace. Lyra listened intently, not wanting to interrupt the princess.
“Equestria was not founded in the course of a day, or a week even. Strife was the norm back in those days. Unicorns, Pegasi and Earthponies were at war with one another. Since my sister and I were born in Unicornia, the Unicorn kingdom in other words, it was a great shame for my family that I was born a Pegasus. My parents, however, did not do what most parents of that time did in a situation like that. Most would have killed me and hid my body, claiming that Celestia was an only child. My parents, and indeed my sister, stood by me however. It caused them a lot of trouble...”
Here, the princess trailed off for a moment, looking at Lyra over her shoulder with a sad look in her eyes.
“Celestia and I did something during the war. Something that ended the fighting, and transformed us into what we are today. That was the true founding of Equestria. The majority of our original subjects, though, were Unicorns. They adored Celestia and shunned me still. Oh, not as openly as before, but I always knew that I was inferior in their eyes. The lesser princess, you might say. Celestia took many of the burdens that come with ruling a country from me, and so I was able to learn how to use magic, and still enjoy my life. I didn't have any friends, but there still were a few things that I enjoyed greatly. One of them was, and still is, flying through the sky at night. It was on one of those nights, that I met Zeo...”
~O~2898 years prior~O~
~O~Near the Everfree Forest~O~
Luna was soaring through the air, accelerating as she went corkscrewing upwards through a cloud, trailing silvery mist behind her as she broke the surface. Many in the royal court would deem such behavior childish or uncouth, but the young Alicorn didn't mind in the slightest. This had been one of her favorite past times ever since she had learned how to fly as a young filly.
Besides, it gave her a sense of peace and freedom. Up here, high above the trees of the forest below nopony judged her. Here, she could truly be herself.
Perching on a cloud for a moment, the young mare looked around and spotted the lights of Canterlot in the distance, surrounded by the trees of the Everfree forest. From way up here, it all looked peaceful, and yet she knew only too well that this peace was still very fragile. The burden of making it work lay on her and her sisters backs, and she desperately hoped they could make it work in the long run.
She shook her head and enjoyed the gentle light of her moon for a moment longer, before jumping off the cloud with her wings tucked in on her sides, diving at breakneck speeds. A grin formed on her face, but it did not last long. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and immediately flared out both of her wings to slow down her fall. Being an excellent flier, Luna managed to stop in midair without breaking a sweat. A yellow Pegasus shot past only inches away from her face, carrying what looked like a wooden club in his jaws. The stallions swing missed her head only by a hair, as the young mare flapped her wings hard to gain some altitude and put some distance between herself, and the stallion who now hovered only a few feet away from her himself.
“Did he just try to knock me out of the air?”, she thought, shocked by the implications. Luna didn't get much farther though, as a shadow from behind her suddenly blotted out the light of the moon. She managed only just in time to twist her body around, and avoid the spear that was aimed at her throat. Instead, it embedded itself in her right wing, sending the young midnight blue mare into an uncontrolled fall. Both of her attackers pursued her as fast as they could.
“I've... got to break this fall...”, Luna grunted, as she forced herself to extend her injured wing to try and slow down. As soon as the wind caught in her feather, she screamed out in utter agony. The other mares weapon had cut something in her wing, and the strain she was now putting it through made it feel like it was going to fall off at any moment. The pain ran from the tip of her wing, all the way down to her tail as she fell, faster and faster, towards the edge of the forest.
Miraculously, however, Luna managed to slow down just enough to make her impact on the ground extremely painful, but not lethal. Instead of embedding herself in the ground like a meteor, or being reduced to a red stain in the landscape, she rolled into the forest for several dozen feet, suffering quite a few bruises and scrapes in the process. It was a small miracle in and off itself that she did not impact on a tree and broke her spine.
Struggling to her hooves, Luna looked defiantly out of one eye at the four ponies approaching her. She was afraid. Feared for her life even, but she didn't want to show it. From her experiences as a filly, she knew that ponies like them only enjoyed it if you squirmed and shook in fear. The young Alicorn was not willing to grand her attackers that satisfaction, as she stood on shaking legs.
“Why are you doing this to me? What have I ever done to you?”, she asked indignantly, trying, and failing, to take a step towards her attackers. All she had wanted was to enjoy a nighttime flight over the land. Was that really that bad?
Her attackers though, did not answer. Two were Unicorns, while the other two were Earthponies. Luna suspected that the two who had initially attacked her were circling above in case she tried to escape. One of the Unicorn mares nodded her head towards Luna, and the two Earthponies began to advance on her, drawing short swords from sheaths on their forelegs.
Seeing her impending death coming her way, Luna panicked. Her horn flared, and she tried to get off a teleportation spell. Advanced magic, even for an Alicorn, but she just had to try. Otherwise these ponies would...
A bright magical pulse shot out from the mares horn, causing a minor explosion as the teleportation entry vortex collapsed. All ponies present were flung through the air in opposite directions. Luna screamed out as she felt something heavy land on her back as her body had just come to a halt.
At first, she thought one of the Pegasi had swooped down to pin her to the ground, but as she turned her head, she saw something utterly different...
“OUCH!”, the creature on her back muttered, rubbing its head from where it had apparently hit a tree branch on its way down. It didn't look like anything she had ever seen. Two arms, two legs, that much she could make out. It's build kind of resembled that of a Minotaur, but was far less muscular.
“Would you... mind getting off me? You're a bit heavy...”, Luna inquired, making the creature open it's brown eyes for the first time and stare at her in utter disbelief. Luna knew that this creature could be potentially dangerous, but she did not care at that point. After that failed teleportation spell, her body ached in all the wrong places. If that thing decided to kill her, she only hoped that it would be quick. She could really do without more pain.
Instead though, it brought it's strangely flat face uncomfortably close to hers, looking at her intently.
“You've got to be fucking KIDDING me.”, it muttered under it's breath and the smell of leather hit Lunas nostrils. On closer inspection, Luna saw that what she had assumed was black skin, was in fact some kind of leather clothing. Black leather. What kind of animal that could have come from, she could not fathom.
“What...?”, she finally squeaked.
“A horse. A speaking, friggin horse... What the hell... Either this is one hell of a weird dream, or that weed Marcel sold me was crazier that I thought.”, it replied, eyeing her from head to tail.
“I'm not a horse. I'm a pony.”, Luna corrected it, feeling a bit more confident now that it didn't seem to show any hostile intent.
“A pony, heh? Well, from your voice and...”, it looked at her rump again, “... the absence of certain parts of anatomy, I guess your female. So would you mind to explain why I am dreaming about a female speaking... ehm Unicorn, I guess?”, but Luna did not answer. Instead her horn flared briefly, sending the creature flying into a nearby tree. She may not have been one for protocol, but even she had a sense of common decency. Looking up a mares tail was definitely more than rude, and made her blush furiously.
“OUCH!”, it exclaimed on impact, crumpling on the ground. Luna, on her part, picked herself up off the ground on shaking legs, trying to flare out her wings as she spoke.
“I am princess Luna of Equestria, and you Sir, are acting out of line.”, she said, then winced as pain shot through her injured wing once more. Immediately she dropped both of them and fell to one knee. The princess had expected anything but what happened next. Jumping up faster than she had anticipated from it's large frame, the creature was upon her.
“So, is this it?”, she thought, closing her eyes, but there was no attack.
“I'm sorry. I still think this is a dream, don't get me wrong, but I would be amiss and kind of a jerk if I didn't help you when you're injured. So, your name is Luna, right? I'm Zeo. This might hurt a little, but please bear with me.”, Zeo said as he ceased her injured wing in one of his hands and began tracing the blood in her fur to the wound the spear had left. He went about this very gently, obviously trying to to hurt her.
“What are you...?”, she began, but he cut her off.
“I'm checking to see how serious your injury is. Doesn't look good though. There are splinters in the wound, and I can't see well enough to remove them. A doctor should take a look at this pronto. Mhmm... The muscles are injured, but not completely cut. The sinew seems to have suffered as well... Say, while I take care of this, why don't you explain to me what the hell is going on here? From that hit you dished out a moment ago, I can at least say that this is a very vivid dream. Might as well have all the backstory.”
And so Luna began to explain what had happened to her. She also theorized that it might have been her failed attempt at a teleportation spell that had brought him here, but that she was not completely sure. Once or twice, Luna winced and once outright screamed as Zeo pulled a small green bottle from one of his pockets and poured a strong smelling liquid over her wound. Afterwards, he used a few twigs and his scarf to set her wing and create a makeshift bandage.
“So... you're telling me that I'm actually in a forest. In the middle of nowhere, in a world where hor... ehm ponies... can talk and are the dominant race? In a world where magic is actually a thing?”, Zeo asked, scratching his head while lighting a foul smelling something he had stuck between his lips.
“I am sincerely sorry, but I guess that's it. If you help me get home, my sister... or one of the other magi, might be able to get you home again. I'm not sure, but I think they have a much higher chance of getting you back than me.”, the Alicorn replied, positively surprised that the pain in her wing was abating somewhat. Zeo had also produced another small bottle, this one white with writing on it, and sprayed some of the contents over her battered body. At first the liquid had felt horribly cold, but soon it had eased the pains all across her body. She assumed that it was some kind of alchemical tonic, or magic potion.
“Mhmm... Either I'm on a bad trip, or this is actually real. Well... nothing to loose either way. So, which way should be go?”, Zeo asked, taking a long pull from the thing between his lips and exhaling a plume of smoke.
“This...”, the Alicorn began, wanting to start into the direction of Canterlot, but was stopped cold by a spear embedding itself in the forest floor in front of her. She fell back a few steps, almost barreling Zeo over, who managed to jump aside just in time. With his right hand, he pulled the spear out of the ground and peered up at the sky.
There were two Pegasi hovering there, but the canopy of the trees was too thick for them to come down. Three ponies appeared out of the darkness of the forest. One Unicorn mare, and two Earthpony stallions.
“What are you supposed to be?”, the mare sneered, looking at Zeo in disgust as the two stallions readied their swords.
“I guess that's none of your business. How about you just step aside and let up pass? That way everyone gets out of here. No hard feelings.”, Zeo offered. The mare laughed, accompanied by a chuckles from the stallions.
Without any more words, the two stallions attacked, galloping towards the princess of the night who was backing away slowly. Zeo put himself between them and her, ramming the spears handle into the ground, stepping onto it with one of his feet. The first attacker impaled himself in its tip, sliding almost all the way along the shaft before finally loosing momentum.
Zeo grimaced. He'd seen this tactic used in paintings from the dark ages, but he would have never thought it would actually work on intelligent ponies... He had, in all honesty, not intended to kill the stallion.
He did not have any time to panik about his first ever kill though, for the second stallion had reached him by now and was slashing at him with his sword. There was nothing for it. Zeo ducked under one of the stallions strikes and grabbed onto the handle of the sword that was still stuck in the muzzle of the now dead first attacker. The second stallions next slash was blocked by vertical blow from Zeos sword, locking both of them in a grapple.
“Fuck! That guy's strong!”, Zeo thought, as he redoubled his grip on the tiny handle of the weapon. Realizing that he wasn't going to be able to win in this contest of physical strength, Zeo eventually headbutted his opponent, jumping back as the stallion was dazed for a second.
He turned the weapon around so the blade turned downwards and held it horizontally on front of him. The next attack came and was met by an attack from Zeo. He put all off his strength into it, rattling the teeth of the brown stallion visibly. The two of them exchanged blow after blow in this fashion, both of them realizing that they could not overpower their opponent with sheer strength.
The Unicorn mare, meanwhile, watched from the sidelines, before turning her gaze towards Luna with a wicked grin.
“Shall we end this silly game already, princess?”, she said dangerously low and started to advance on the injured Alicorn. Luna backed up again, feeling too weak to summon even a little bit of magic to defend herself with. The yellow mare approached... step by step... slowly... She'd bee right in her face in only a few more seconds...
Then, she was suddenly hit from the side by something brown, as a scream of surprise echoed through the forest. Lunas eyes darted to where Zeo had fallen to one knee, one of his arms bent in an unnatural angle. Looking back, she could see that the stallions own sword had twisted out of his grip when he had impacted his ally, and cut halfway into the side of his neck. His eyes were rolling up the whites as she watched the life slowly seep out of him.
The Unicorn mare, however, was not yet done, advancing on Zeo now. He, in turn, struggled to his feet, trying to hold onto the weapon he had liberated earlier, but it was no use. The pain seemed too intense. Luna watched in horror as the Unicorn got a spell off that hit Zeo straight in the chest, sending him spiraling back a few feet, and into a thorny bush. He didn't get back up again.
The princess of the night could feel a surge of power coming from deep within her. She didn't know where it was coming from but at that moment, she didn't actually care. Her horn flared just as the mare turned to her once more, a smug smile on her face. This quickly disappeared as Lunas telekinetic blast hit her in the face, sending her flying into the direction she had come from.
~O~Present Day~O~
~Princess Lunas private study~O~
“But... Canterlot is not located anywhere NEAR the Everfree...”, Lyra protested after taking a bite from her salad. Luna had ordered both of them a snack earlier, which had been delivered through a service elevator near the fireplace. Luna could only chuckle at her remark.
“Well... NEW Canterlot sure isn't. The original city, however, was build in the middle of the Everfree forest. Back in the day, it was far less hostile.”, the princess of the night explained, finishing off her own vegetable stew.
“But what happened after he helped you? And why did he in the first place? I don't quite understand.”
“Well... Zeo thought that getting me home safely was the best bet for him to return home, just in case he wasn't dreaming. That they attacked him, also might have played a part in it. After I had made sure that Zeo was, in fact, still alive but knocked out, I dragged him all the way back to the city gates. Believe me, it was not an easy task. I collapsed from the exertion quite a few times before we reached Canterlot, but we eventually made it and I passed out as soon as I felt safe again. Celestia was suspicious of Zeo and had him put in the dungeons just in case, since I was injured and she assumed that it had been him who had done it.”, Luna elaborated with a rueful smile on her face before continuing.
“We had quite a row over that when I woke up and I walked out of the medical wing of the castle despite the doctors and my sister telling me I should stay a bit longer. I went down to the dungeons and got him out of his cell and had a doctor take a look at his injuries. They didn't know anything about his anatomy, so they refused to use any healing spells on him. Instead, they bandaged up his broken arm after setting it, and told me he'd wake up in due time. All of our guest rooms were too small for him though so...”
~O~2898 year prior~O~
~O~Princess Lunas bedroom~O~
Zeo woke up slowly, feeling quite comfortable in the bed he lay in. The sheets were warm and comfortable on his skin. Wait... his skin? Snapping his eyes open wide, he looked around the room he was in. It was quite expensively decorated, but it all looked as kind of antique to him.
“So, you're finally awake, are you?”, a female voice said softly from his side. Remembering what had happened prior to him being knocked out cold, Zeo turned his head slowly, praying to every deity he knew that he would not see what he thought he'd see. Of course his prayers were, once again, ignored.
“Luna...”, she whispered hoarsly, his throat suddenly feeling awfully dry. The fact that he now saw all of his clothes, including his underwear, folded on a chair next to the bed didn't help to lower his panic levels in the slightest.
“Still thinking this is a dream?”, she asked, cocking her head at him.
“Actually... no but... ehm... why am I naked?”, he asked, fearing the answer might be something embarrassing.
“The doctors had to undress you to give you a full examination. Why? Is that a problem?”
“Kind of... Look... I know you're not even of the same species as I and all, but could you please turn around for a second?”, he asked, blushing slightly.
“Why?”, Luna replied, sincerely unaware as to what her guest was trying to say.
“I want to get dressed, OK? So, would you mind?”
Luna still didn't understand why she was asked to look away, since she herself rarely ever wore clothes. But she did as she was asked. Soon after, the Alicorn heard the sounds of clothes and a zipper being pulled up. She was eventually allowed to look, as Zeo had to ask her to help him with putting the clothes on his upper body back on. A quick bit of magic took care of that. Soon after, both of them stepped out onto her bedrooms balcony, watching the sun set on the horizon as Zeo took out a strange package from one of his pockets and pulled another one of these foul smelling things out of it.
“Since I'm still here, I guess you still haven't found a way to send me home, have you?”, he asked as he lit the thing. Luna hung her head.
“I am so very sorry. My sister told me that the wild magic in the forest must have distorted my spell, but she had no idea how or why you ended up here. A few magi have set out to investigate the are, but they are not very hopeful that they will find something to explain you being here.”, she replied apologetically.
“You do realize I can't sleep in your bed, right? I'll need a place of my own if I am to stay here for any length of time.”, he stated, even though he thought back to the sensation immediately prior of him noticing that he was naked. The bed had been comfortable, and Lunas distinct smell didn't bother him in the slightest. He had grown up on a small farm after all. He didn't like to admit it to himself, but he had actually thought of her presence as rather pleasant there for a moment...
“Of course. It would be improper. I'll have one of the carpenters build one that fits you tomorrow.”
“Mhmm... ah well... you know what? Forget it. If you don't mind, I don't mind. It would be a waste to build something that would be useless once you send me home, right? So I'll stay here with you for the meanwhile.”, he amended.
“Make yourself at home.”
~O~Present Day~O~
~Princess Lunas private study~O~
Lyra noticed the grandfather clock in the corner of the room as its bell sounded, alerting her that it was already past midnight. She slumped in her seat.
“Is anything the matter, Lyra?”, Luna asked, noticing her companions obvious distress.
“Well, you see, my permit was only for one day. I've gotta leave, or I might get in trouble.”, she sighed, then added, “Thanks for telling me all of this though. It was really interesting.”
“Would you not like to hear more?”
“More? But my permit...”, Lyra began, but Luna just chuckled.
“My sister is not the only one able to hand out a permit.”, she said, igniting her horn with silvery magic. A moment later, it condensed into the form of a silvery card, with a strap on it. It read:
Lifelong permit
Subject: Royal Canterlot Archives
Owner: Lyra Heartstrings
