Author's Note

More is revealed, This gets serious towards the end and Celestia's feelings on the Illithids and what she did to protect the other races are made clear. Plus we get a few more clues to Ach'rd'oa's unconventional origins.

There Behind The Glass, Stands A Real Blade Of Grass

Pronking after the rapidly disappearing blur that was her Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight Sparkle looked over the halls of the city. Inscribed with what was obviously the twin languages used primarily by the long perished Unlidded Eye, the Young, Skittles Yearning, Lavender Alicorn paused to read a particular relief.

"See something, you find interesting Princess Twilight?" Ach'ri'oa asked

"Oh indeed, this relief is very fascinating. Am I right in that this is a complete inscription of the Red Laments in their entirety?" Lighting her horn to expose the entire relief she gasped in delight, "Including the parts hidden from the Darkness, only visible by the Day, written in the script of the Arcanists?"

"Why <#9C35&&, I had no idea you were a 0L!#C5=XIC, what would Luna think?"

"Please Ach'ri'oa, call me $-9V978$, Princess is so formal. Luna already knows my rank, it was Nightmare Moon they were hiding form, not her. Oh, and I'm not a 0L!#C5=XIC, I'm a full 8L!&5 X1&$5#. Made for some interesting College parties, that's for sure."

"An Alicorn princess and that highly ranked in the Unlidded Eye? My, My, those bastards have come a long way."

Twilight sighed, "As far as I know I'm the only member. My teacher vanished a long time ago. I miss her terribly."

"Oh!, I'm so sorry Twilight, I had no idea the rest of the Order was dead. I'm very sorry for your loss."

Chuckling the Gay Pride Flag Obsessed Purple Book Horse answered. "My masters not dead, just hard to get to see. Besides, I get to have loads of fun with her now that we're the same age. None of that icky underage student hot for teacher complications. Turns out interdimensional travel doesn't guarantee the same timeframe, who knew?"

Continuing to Pronk after Rainbow Dash, the Alicorn of Lesbian Self Denial remarked, "But, keep that a secret. My master isn't ready to announce herself, just yet. She still has issues with her mom."

"I'll be sure to keep that to myself Twilight. By the way, Ms. Dash has reached the entryway to my Library and I'm holding her there. Once you arrive, we'll only have to wait for Celestia and Luna to arrive."

"Are you telling me that I have to wait for Celestia and Luna to enter into the place that has books I can Befriend?"

"Such are the orders of My Mistress"

Halting, Twilight's eye began to twitch. "Ri, that is completely unacceptable." Twilight's horn glowed once more, sigils forming in mid air, as the Element of Magic began her working, "Celestia's Plodding Fat Ass Is Not Going To Keep Me From Those Books!!!!!"

A flash of light within that darkest of places and Twilight joined Rainbow Dash once more. Besides the two Pony Fuck Buddies, was a very startled Princess Sunbutt and a slyly grinning Princess Everyone's Wet Dream (shut up, if you like women, you know you've had at least one).

Luna turned to her stunned sister, "Hah! I told you! Pay Up!"

Celestia grimaced as she floated one bit over to her sister. "Yes, Luna, you where right and I was wrong, I have no idea why I doubted your greatness. Long may you be the better sister."

Luna grinned, then turning to Twilight she said. "Now then, I wish to see the books that one can befriend, when can we enter into the Library?"

Ach'ri'oa's voice echoed into the hallway. "Why as soon as Celestia explains why the city is in such ruins and why My Mistress is the last of her kind."

Celestia sighed, looking to her former pupil's expectant gaze, she began her tale. "Before the arising of all other races that now populate this world, before magic even had arisen. There was a forgotten race of beings that relied entirely on science and technology. What they called themselves, as well as what they looked like has been completely forgotten. We referred to them as The Ancients. They ruled this planet uncontested, for there was no other intelligent races that shared their world. Soon, that began to change. Magic had entered their world, it began to change not just that race but all other creatures. Thus the Elder Races where born, the ancestors of all of us among the Young Races. Discord is the last of The Elder Races. But Getting him to answer anything is and Exercise in futility, Honestly, I think he neither knows, cares, nor remembers his origins."

Celestia paused, staring into the distance, lost in her memories of a distant time and place. Luna too seemed lost in thought, the Alicorn of Night chasing fleeting memories of a long distant past.

"When the level of magic was high enough the boundaries of space and time were broken and during that time the Illithids arrived. However, this time of high magic eventually ended, stranding what few Illithids had arrived here."

When Celestia next spoke, disgust and hatred dominated her voice as she snarled. "The Illithids were an Infection, Twilight. In order to exist they fed on the brains of intelligent creatures. Their spawn needed to devour other being's minds, possessing the corpses in order to reach adulthood. They were the final nail in the coffin of the Ancients. The Elder Races didn't last much longer. Ach'rd'oa devoured one of the last Elders to attain adulthood, leaving only Discord. But, something went wrong with her maturation, and she was different."

Celestia once more paused, considering her next words. "She's unable to produce more of her kind. She has no need to eat the minds of others, normal food will sustain her. She has emotions and can, theoretically, form friendships. It's why when Discord, Luna, I, and all the other Young Races purged the Illithid infection from Equestria, we spared Ach'rd'oa. Instead making her one of the first inmates of Tartarus." Smiling Ruefully. "Ironically it was Discord that pushed the hardest for her to be sent to Tartarus, seems he held no grudge that the Illithids were the main reason he's the last of his kind."

Celestia paused, seeing the look of horror on her students face, she continued. "We had no choice, they were bringing ponies and other races into this dark place and enslaving them, feeding on them. Using them to create more of themselves. They were a form of life completely hostile to all others. I will not apologize for the necessity of their extinction. It was survival. I can't hope to comprehend what kind of place they had to evolve in to make them that way, but I had no wish for my ponies or myself to be nothing more than a slave, or food, or a part of their life cycle either. I pray that you, my dear Twilight, never have to make such a choice."

"Well said, Princess! Twilight don't be so hard on Celestia, even the Illithids understood why they had to die. It didn't stop them from going down fighting, but they understood. This confession was all my Mistress demanded. That what was done be brought forth. Who else is told I will leave to the four of you. Ach'ri'oa interrupted. "The price of attrition has been met, thus all grudges are ended. Please, enter into the Library of the Forgotten. Enter and enjoy."

Light entered into the darkened hallway, as the last barrier dropped and the wonder of The Library of the Forgotten was revealed to the Four, and thus they went forward, together, into the light.