Introduction: The Legend of the H'yooman
It was 4 a.m. Sunburst has wanted to go to sleep five minutes after midnight, as he used to, but his evening was turned upside down the moment he discovered that strange old tome at Moondancer's. The two had a strange kind of a relationship. They were not close friends, not really friends even. They called their relationship and each other "reading buddies". Every Thursday evening, they would meet either at Sunburst's or at Moondancer's, having some tea and chatting about new discoveries. Moondancer has learned a lot about magic theory from Sunburst, who in turn gained knowledge in different fields of science, since Moondancer was more focused on other fields of science rather than magic.
This Thursday, Moondancer showed him a newly acquired tome which she discovered at a second-hand bookshop which specialized in ancient and rare books. The title said "Mysteries of the Present and the Past: News and Articles Which Nopony Could Explain." The first few chapters were, in his opinion, pure garbage, but there was one which frightened him so deeply that he couldn't bring himself to sleep.
Chapter 27
The Legend of the H'yooman
Several articles and summaries seem to confirm the existence of a humongous, extraequestrial entity called the H'yooman living somewhere deep in the Everfree Forest. No direct evidence has ever been found, but the identical nightmares of several ponies occurring at the same time and two articles of The Canterlot Times, one from 771 Lone Sister and one from 947 LS hint to something very dangerous. The area is yet to be discovered and mapped by ponykind. There is no confirmation nor denial of the mysterious entity, since the 8/1/EQ law brought by Princess Celestia in 1 LS is still in effect. As it states:
1. § No citizen of Equestria, pony or not is allowed to wander into the Everfree Forest beyond the Castle of the Two Sisters without military support and Princess Celestia accompanying them.
2. § Plans of geographic and/or other scientific researches, expeditions should be hoofed personally to Princess Celestia during Day Court. Only plans of expedition and/or research approved by Princess Celestia are to be carried out, according to 1. §.
3. § Citizens violating this law and returning are to be held in the Everfree Asylum in Canterlot or to be executed, depending on the threat level they bring. Execution is in order even if the citizen does not present threat to other citizens, but has suffered so severe changes that can be considered a fatal condition (e.g. incurable disease or the inability to eat), or the citizen asks for one.
4. § Executions are to be performed privately, with only the condemned and the executioner being present. The applied method shall be painless magical disintegration.
5. § Citizens who are held in the Everfree Asylum are to be held there for at least 9 years before undergoing a final examination. Only citizens who pass the final examination are to be released, though they are not allowed to leave Canterlot for the rest of their lives.
6. § Citizens not returning within 24 hours are to be deemed missing. Family members and close relatives are to be notified. In case if they return at any given time, 3-5. § are to be applied.
To day, the only beings known for surviving the depths of the Everfree Forest intact are Star Swirl the Bearded and Discord, though it is still up to debate whether the latter was born in the Everfree himself, considering his chaotic essence and crimes against ponykind, but while their staying there, this law was not in effect yet. Unfortunately, the Nightmare Moon incident made any further investigation of the area impossible, since Princess Celestia remained the only alicorn princess, who is responsible for the Sun, the Moon and all of Equestria herself ever since. It is understandable that she can't afford supervising expeditions to the Everfree Forest while ruling alone.
Article 1 - The Canterlot Times, April 4, 771 LS: Unicorn found guilty of violating the 8/1/EQ law executed
Harp Heartstrings, 38, unicorn, green coat, green/white mane, amber eyes, harp cutie mark, has been found guilty of violating the 8/1/EQ law, or as it is commonly known, the Everfree Law. According to her herdmates, she left her home at September 24, 769 LS and was missing ever since. She hadn't told anypony where she was heading to, but she had mentioned the Everfree Forest and a mysterious creature called H'yooman on occasions. Over time, her beliefs had become so strong that she made an illegal journey to the Everfree forest by herself. Upon returning yesterday morning, she was spotted by a group of youngsters who were exploring the Castle of the Two Sisters. They notified the mayor, who notified the Princess. She was captured by the Royal Guards at the border of Ponyville. She was allowed to talk to her herdmates, but she was talking about things that frightened everypony. She stated that she had seen the infamous mystical H'yooman and she wanted to organize a H'yooman worshiping cult, implying further journeys to the Everfree and/or accidentally or intentionally lure the humongous creature into Equestria, destroying our beloved country in the process. Needless to say, the Princess and the Council found these beliefs a threat to Equestria itself, so Harp Heartstrings was executed in the evening.
The Canterlot Times wishes to inform its readers that the existence of this creature is yet to be confirmed or denied, and strictly advises the readers against violating the Everfree Law.
Article 2 - The Canterlot Times, October 31, 947 LS: Strange identical nightmares occurring to several ponies at various places
Our readers have informed us about themselves and/or somepony they know having very similar, almost identical nightmares. We at the newspaper are shocked, because a few of our workers have had the same nightmares also. While the environment may vary, all nightmares without exception contained an enormous, bipedal creature walking towards the home of the dreamers, the ground violently shaking by its gigantic footsteps. It couldn't be held back by weapons or magic, and it wasn't equipped either with anything, just walked, stomping everything under its humongous feet and mountain-like weight. Dream magicians can give no explanation to the incident so far.
"Of course", Sunburst thought. "Celestia has been trying to cover the tracks as well as possible. Probably even that 8/1/LS law was just a modification of an earlier law brought while Princess Luna ruled along with Princess Celestia. By the time the nightmares occurred, the Nightmare Moon incident was completely forgotten by most ponies. Even if a select few ponies remembered it, even if Celestia remembered it, there was only a very small chance that any of the publicists at The Canterlot Times remembered it. Even so, probably all articles were supervised and censored. While linking the nightmares to Nightmare Moon, true or not, would have given an explanation, it would have caused ponies to panic and the memory of Nightmare Moon to resurface. It is a miracle Twilight Sparkle discovered and solved the mystery 9 years ago."
Sunburst knew full well that the laws have been changed several times since the return of Princess Luna. The latest modification of the Everfree Law was in 6 Both Sisters after the defeat of Lord Tirek. Expeditions to the unmapped regions of the Everfree were already possible, because the new law allowed expedition groups with military support accompanied by either Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Discord or all six of the Elements of Harmony. It was no surprise that princesses Cadance or Twilight Sparkle weren't mentioned: Cadance was not powerful enough, and Celestia didn't want to expose her dearest student alone to who knows what. It was still unknown what kinds of horrors awaited the unlucky adventurers at the endless depths of the Everfree Forest. The H'yooman was only one of the unimaginable threats that possibly lurked there, and the Everfree Asylum did have a bad reputation, after all. Nearly all occupants have served their lifetime there.
Sunburst even vaguely remembered an ancient history book which hinted that Sombra was a kind-hearted pony with a brilliant mind, who became a benevolent and sharp-minded ruler. His original name wasn't even Sombra, it was Shining Diamond, and he had a very uncommonly shaped horn: a horn that curved upwards almost like a hook. The Crystal Empire was prospering, until a threat from the Everfree traveled across Equestria and almost ruined the Crystal Empire. It was a black entity that was spewing black crystals throughout the Empire. It was capable of moving and reshaping itself, but didn't appear to be alive, more like a fuel-driven machine. After two weeks, the entity stopped moving, and the restoration works could be started.
As this happened the same year as the Nightmare Moon incident, King Shining Diamond couldn't acquire help from Equestria, so he took the initiative into his own hooves. He assembled a team of his finest archmages and soldiers and decided to travel to the Everfree forest in hopes of destroying the source of the threatening entity once and for all, while leaving the throne to his second-in-command, Princess Dark Emerald. The book said nothing about the return of any of the archmages or soldiers of Shining Diamond, nor the return of the king himself.
Dark Emerald wanted to bring her ruler back, but Shining Diamond had made her to vow that if he were not to return, she mustn't attempt to come after him, since there would have been nopony else fit to rule the Crystal Empire. After a month, the Council elected Dark Emerald as queen, and the Crystal Empire continued to prosper.
Two years later a new threat appeared at the borders of the Crystal Empire: a dark, all-powerful unicorn with a constantly glimmering red light within his horn and a black, shadow-like mane. The new unicorn overtook the whole Crystal Empire with unmatched magical power and brutality, using means of dark magic that are still yet to be deciphered. Most crystal ponies thought it was a new threat, however some historians noted that the new unicorn had the exact horn shape as King Shining Diamond, albeit a bit larger, considering the whole unicorn had a higher stature than the original king. He became known as the infamous King Sombra.
Though it was an obsolete history book, and some of its contents were deemed inaccurate over time, this issue, combined with what he was reading this night, started to bug the mind of Sunburst. What if King Sombra was King Shining Diamond who became possessed with unknown dark arcane forces originating from the Everfree Forest? The theory couldn't be excluded, since some kinds of dark forces are already known to originate from there, for example the nightmare forces which turned Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon 1009 years ago, which was the same year when the dark entity first appeared in the Crystal Empire. However, the nightmare forces only plagued the mind of Princess Luna, so the Elements of Harmony performed a mind sweep. That's why Princess Luna was unconscious after the contact for a short while. The dark arcane forces which plagued King Sombra could have built in into cellular, molecular or even subatomic level, contaminating every cell in his body as well. That would explain why he annihilates, albeit with the possibility of a future resurrection, as it seems from recent events upon impact of the Elements of Harmony.
Conspiracy theorists have always regarded the depths of the Everfree Forest as a strange place with unimaginable entities and phenomena happening there. The constant disappearance of ponies, the madness and the physical injuries of those few who ever made it back, the horribly disfigured and/or mutilated corpses occasionally emerging at the border and the fact that even Princess Celestia was afraid of entering there or letting anypony enter there has left place for many rumors and speculations. Some say there are dimensional portals to distant parts of the universe there, occasionally used by aliens. Some believe there are portals to other realities even. Who knows what monstrosities from other worlds could pass through those portals, living or lifeless? The legend of the H'yooman really was just one of the awful mysteries, though one of the most dangerous.
It was already 4 a. m. Sunburst has been reading and researching his own library since he got home. He has finished Chapter 27 of Mysteries of the Present and the Past, as well as what little he could find about the dark and mysterious entities lurking deep within the Everfree Forest. He had to notify Princess Luna immediately. Even if it was just a legend, he thought that there were too many signs that could not be simply ignored.
Cutie Mark Crusaders Mapmakers Yay!
Author's Note
With OOC Diamond Tiara. Because why not.
Cutie Mark Crusaders Mapmakers Yay!
"Hurry up, Apple Bloom! We don't have all day!"
"Ah don't know Scootaloo, yer plan seems mighty dangerous. At least we should buy proper equipment. Ah won't just pick the cheapest stuff to abandon me in time of need."
"Seriously? You have been searching the store for half an hour now, just for a torch! Even Sweetie Belle has picked hers."
"Can I help you?"
"Yeah! Ah'm lookin fer a torch which can endure rough circumstances. We are planning an expedition to unknown regions of Equestria."
"Well, I suggest you Maglite 3D Cel. It operates with 3 rechargeable Magic containers, which emit light identical to Princess Celestia's sunlight in a focused beam. It has a sturdy metal exterior which protects it from damage while accidentally dropping it. It is water resistant, and can operate up to 79 hours with one charge."
"Thank you sir, Ah might consider buying this one. What do you say girls?"
"Uuuuuh. It is rather heavy, don't you think?"
"Ya know Sweetie Belle, heavy is good. Heavy is reliable. Even if it doesn't work, you can always hit with it. Ah'm buying it."
"That will be 90 bits."
"Thank you Sir."
"Sooo, now we have everything we need, yeah?"
"Food, check. Tent, check. Compasses, check. Notebooks, check. Pencils, check. Knives, check. Crossbows and arrows, check. Torches, check. Camouflage clothing, check. Making sure that none of us has turned into a purple alicorn, check."
"Great! We can start tomorrow early in the morning."
"Ah don't know, Scootaloo. Shouldn't we tell our big sisters where we are leaving? Ah mean, yeah, we are our own mares and all, but no pony even knows where we are going, just that we are leaving. And where we are heading IS dangerous. In fact, we don't even know what is there. Nopony does."
"Apple Bloom is right. I will tell Rarity that we are heading to the Everfree Forest. In fact, we should tell it to Twilight also, so she can forward our plan to Princess Celestia."
"Girls! They would never let us go there on our own, you know that. I don't have the patience to deal with the whining of your sister for days. And seriously, Princess Celestia with us hiking? Hay no."
"What do you have against her, Scootaloo? She is the most powerful Princess, for pony's sake."
"I bet. She is also the most moderate one who would turn us back at the first sight of a sleeping timberwolf. We have to do this by ourselves. Think of what Equestria could profit from our expedition! Think of the fame and fortune we could achieve once we mapped the unknown regions! We could be the heroes of Equestria! The only question is, are you in, or are you out?"
"Uuugh. Fine. I am in."
"Me too. Ah think it is mighty dangerous, not to mention we are breaking a law, but Ah won't let you face this all alone."
"Thank you girls. So, tomorrow at 6 am?"
"Yeah."
"Hello. Where are you heading tomorrow morning?"
"Diamond Tiara? What brings you here?"
"Shopping. Are you going on a tour?"
"Maybe we are, maybe we aren't."
"Come on, Scootaloo. You can tell me, I'm just curious. You know, I have never been to a tour into the wild yet. Where are you going?"
"Look, DT, this is none of your business. Just leave us alone."
"Ugh, fine. Just tell me about it when you return. I would be thrilled to hear about your adventures."
"Sure."
To her surprise, Diamond Tiara had a very bad feeling for a moment. They were never really friends in school, but over time, she has learned to respect the strength of their friendship and their determination. Now she was struck with a passing thought. "What if this was the last time I saw them?" She dismissed the thought.
After all, not counting Apple loom, they all had weird jobs and have returned from quite a few adventures already. After school, Scootaloo founded a scooter stunt team. They were not Equestria-famous yet, but their shows provided a decent income. Sweetie Belle found fashion and regular clothing too boring to her tastes, so she began to produce costumes for Nightmare Night, cosplayers and masqueraders. Apple Bloom was the odd one out of the trio: she remained loyal to Sweet Apple Acres, and has become a competent farmpony just like her elder sister. However, their jobs never hindered them from taking various adventures together. They would come back. They always came back.
Princess Celestia was reading the letter which her sister was showing to her. This was going to be one of that days again. She has barely awoken yet, when her sister barged into her room with a letter held in her magical aura.
Dear Princess Luna,
I am writing to you because I have found something that might endanger the whole of Equestria. Normally, I would write to Princess Celestia, but I think she is asleep now and I do believe my observations are urgent. While having our regular reading sessions with Moondancer, I have found out the mystery of a possible giant called the "Hyooman" living somewhere deep within the Everfree Forest. Attached are all the material I have found about the topic. I turn to your and your sister's wisdom to deal with this possible threat adequately. Awaiting your quick response,
Sunburst
"Sister, you know what this means. It is our responsibility to defend our ponies. We must face this threat together and end it once and for all."
"It is not so simple, Luna. We don't even have proof whether this thing exists at all. For all I know, somepony with a very wild imagination could have written the book and the so-called "articles" all by herself. You know how eager some ponies are to confuse ponies and spread chaos, thus ensuring fame for themselves."
"I know. But trust me, Celestia, this is not your average conspiracy theory. I have checked the Royal Archives. Those Canterlot Times articles are real. I am surprised you don't remember the case of Harp Heartstrings. From what I have gathered, she must have been quite the fanatic, and a really big threat."
"You know, before the appearance of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, I, along the Royal guard, have faced several threats every year. Forgive me for not being able to recall all the somewhat 17565 threats which I had to deal alone with."
"Then what about the nightmares? You surely assembled a group of archmages to decipher them?"
Celestia felt a shake from the inside. Her ears drooped, and her usual aura of authority disappeared in an instant.
"Uummm. No. I just didn't have the capacity. I'm so sorry, Luna. You know, I just never realized how much have you been doing while the ponies were asleep. After I sent you away, there was no pony left to watch the dreams. In the evenings, I lowered the Sun, raised the Moon, set it to its course then I went to sleep. In the morning, I lowered the Moon and raised the Sun. There was no supervision of the dreams. I had to be awake during days, and I couldn't trust anypony with ruling during days in my stead. Even if I could have found a regent, I can't perform dream magic as efficiently as you. Besides, Equestria had countless enemies at the time. Seeing me stepping down and nominating a regent would have been a signal of weakness to our enemies. The griffons or the dragons would have attacked and invaded Equestria immediately. Probably the changelings would have revealed themselves also given the opportunity. I was left no choice. I had to leave the night unsupervised in order to maintain Equestria."
"Well, that explains a lot of things. So that's why ponies had so frequently uncontrolled nightmares when I came back. But worry not, I am at your side now. Just trust me, please."
"I trust you, Luna. It is just improbable, that's all. A few ponies having nightmares, that would prove anything? Ponies have had nightmares since the beginning of ponykind."
"You know, Tia, dreams are a delicate thing, be it sweet dreams or nightmares. Our brains receive much more information during awake than they are able to process consciously, this means much information just gets stored without conscious interpretation. It can easily occur that important information gets discarded by conscious processing and gets stored in the subconscious instead. We won't directly remember the exact information while awake. However, if it bears enough importance, it will appear in our minds in the form of a dream. If the information was positive, we experience a pleasant dream. If the information was threatening, we experience a nightmare. You know as well as I that different things count as frightening to each pony. You, for example are afraid of spiders, while I am afraid of crowds. Nightmares are unique. Though there may be some recurring or overlapping scenarios, each and every pony has unique nightmares. Many ponies having exactly the same nightmare, exactly the same time nevertheless, is very, very improbable and unusual."
"What do you mean by this?"
"I mean, if a bunch of totally different ponies had the same nightmare the same time, then some external entity must have caused it."
"So what shall we do?"
"We must summon Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer and arrange a meeting between them, Sunburst and Moondancer. They are the most capable of solving this entire mystery. I do hope that this "Hyooman" doesn't exist, but if it does, we must support them with all of our power to get rid of it."
"Very well. I am sending them a letter right now."
Dear Sunburst,
I am very grateful for informing me and my sister about what you have found. Please send my regards to Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor and Flurry Heart. I am sorry to inform you that you have to say goodbye to them as well for unspecified time. You, along with Moondancer are needed at the Royal Palace in Canterlot as soon as possible. A royal chariot will be sent out to the Crystal Palace at noon. I have already sent a mail to Moondancer, so don't worry about notifying her, she will be here. Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer will be here too.
With best regards,
Princess Celestia
