True Legacy

Ten Years Earlier
The City in the Clouds

Cloudsdale Library and Cultural Center was truly an impressive sight to behold, even for a city as awe-inspiring as where it sat. While the exterior was beautiful, it looking like a massive, five story tall cloud building with the length and width the size of the White House, the interior was even more jaw-dropping. It consisted of a large cylindrical room that took up probably one-fourth of the building, it extending all five stories up to the cloudy ceiling. Wrapped around the edges of this cylinder were a flight of stairs, leading to five floors completely filled with shelves upon shelves of books. The pegasi were not without their knowledge, that was for sure.

Rainbow led Tom along the busy floor of the cylinder, pegasi and the occasional unicorn flooding it while some of the former flew high in the air.

"Weird, what are unicorns doing up here?" Rainbow said, almost to herself, gazing upon one of the odd horned equines.

She turned towards him. "They're not supposed to be able to walk on clouds. It must be some sort of spell..."

Tom shivered at that idea. He was still getting used to the concept of magic, something he was taught was... well, not for the good of heart. Ignoring his pestering thoughts though, he continued to follow Dashie to a a large circular desk in the middle of the cylinder manned by a number of pegasi who he assumed were librarians. It was probably some sort of information center.

Dashie shrugged. "I'm not sure. Then again, both of us seem to be connected somehow... maybe my awesomeness is rubbing off onto you?"

"Hi," Dashie said, putting on her best adorable smile she could for an elderly looking librarian. "Can you tell me where I can find stuff on pre-Equestrian history?"

The librarian narrowed his eyebrows in confusion before bringing up what looked like an ancient hearing-'horn' to his pointy ear. "Hmph? You want to learn about Princess Celestia?!" he said in an overly-loud voice. The poor old pony must have been having hearing problems.

"No, I need to find information on pre-Equestrian history!" Rainbow said, a bit louder this time.

"Oh! Why didn't you say so?!" The elder said, a bemused smile etching across his face. "Heh, it isn't often I see fillies looking for that kind of thing."

"Shut up..." Dashie said out of the corner of her mouth before smiling back towards the librarian.

"You can find pre-Equestrian history on floor three. The help desk up there can help you a little more if you need it."

Tom turned towards her with a smirk. "Rainbow Dash. Professor of History in training," he chided.

Tom's eyes narrowed, though he couldn't but help to chuckle on the inside. Despite the fact that he had pretty much just realized his entire species was made up of monsters, his Rainbow-maned friend just had this way of cheering him up. She truly didn't believe he was what he thought he was, what all evidence was pointing to. He shook his head in confusion at that. Was it possible she was right and he was wrong? No... No that didn't make much sense, for how could a pegasus know a human better than a human? Then again, he was very young... and he didn't feel any darkness inside... not most of the time.

At those thoughts, the duo began climbing the long flight of stairs to the third floor, though Tom was too occupied with his inner thoughts and the sights around him to notice his aching feet.

"Ugh, that annoys me so much..." Rainbow groaned, glancing at one of the flying pegasus heading towards the fifth floor who needn't use stairs any longer. They really only seemed to exist here for fillies, colts, and visitors' sakes.

"Chin up, Dashie. We're almost there," Tom said as they finally made it to the third floor. Beyond a small breathing space at the top was another information desk. There, an old unicorn was being relieved from duty by another pony who supposedly wasn't supposed to be able to hang out up here, a brown non-winged, non-horned stallion with an hour-glass tattoo and a dazzling suit.

Tom's eyes widened at the sight. He could have swore that was the same one who was talking with Dashie's princess.

"I've definitely seen him before. Only.... it wasn't here," Tom said, pointing towards the brown pony.

"Remember when I said I flew through the royal palace and saw your princess? When I did, I saw her arguing with someone." He then pointed at the stallion again. "And that is that someone."

Tom shook his head in slight exasperation. "Maybe... I'm not sure." He glanced at the brown pony once again, him now gazing at not Dashie, but Tom, a slightly bemused smile on his face. It was unnerving to say the least.

"Can I help you?" spoke the brown pony in a distinctively British accent, this time gazing at Dashie.

Dashie cleared her throat at that, her jolting in surprise slightly from him speaking all of a sudden. "Oh, hi! We're looking for information on the Teranids. Um... can you tell us where to find it?"

"Teranids? As in.... humans?" he asked, lowering one of his eyebrows as a small smirk crept upon his face.

Dashie nodded with a slight smile. "Yes, the humans! I need to find information about them for a... school project," she lied.

"Ah, I see," he said, giving Tom another, quicker glance which chilled him to the bone. Did this pony somehow know he was here? He chuckled inwardly at that. No, that was impossible! The only pony who could see him was Dashie, and even so, why should he care that much? Why should he-

Perhaps that's why. At that, the unsettling feeling that was swelling in him increased, and it wasn't helping that talking with the information pony about humans was reminding him of the fact they were here to try to dispute.

"Quite an interesting people, humans. Probably the most misunderstood species there is."

"Why do you say that?" Dashie said, throwing Tom a look that said 'I told you so.' Tom sighed at that. She didn't know. She just didn't know...

"Well, let's just say that if history judged us all the same way it has the Teranids, I hope that my last act is a good one and not a bad one."

Rainbow nodded at that. "You mean to say that they haven't just done bad stuff?"

"Take a look in pages 237 and 563 of Teranids, a History Revealed. There you'll find the answer to that question." With that, he whipped out a small notecard and began to write down something on it via a mouth holding a pen. Tom half-expected the writing to be sloppy, though when the brown pony held the sheet of paper out for Dashie, the writing seemed to be nearly perfect. The ponies must have had some practice in this matter. "Here's where you can find the book."

"Thanks!" Dashie said. "You've been very helpful." She then gestured towards Tom for him to follow her, gaining another bemused smirk from the brown pony. However, the farm boy hesitated in this when he noticed the hour-glass sporting colt was staring at him yet again.

"Things will get better for all of you, you know. Time will show you," the brown colt said directly to him with his eyes narrowing. It sent another series of shivers down his spine. However, at the same time he couldn't help but feel... reassured. Gazing warily at the colt one last time he turned and ran to catch up with Dashie, them now making their way around the edges of the cylinder, a support rail the only thing between them and a thirty foot fall. After about ten seconds of walking, however, he heard a curious electrical whirring sound coming from behind him. Dashie seemed to hear it too, for she spun around at the same time he did. However, whatever had made that sound was now gone along with the brown colt at the information desk.

The two then chuckled, continuing along their way. "Alright, were looking for Bi-742."

"Well... we're at Ac through Ak..." Tom shook his head, baffled. "And this is just stuff relating to History, I think. This library is absolutely nuts...."

"Well, Cloudsdale is the second largest city in Equestria," Dashie said proudly.

"I wonder what your capital's like, then..." Tom said, his eyes filled with wonder.

Dashie shook her head. "Nope, I haven't ever even seen the ground before... well except when I visited you." She then gazed at him curiously. "You mentioned cities... I've seen pictures of Canterlot and stuff before... it's really amazing. But what about on your cities? What do they look like?"

"I've never really been to any except for Alabama's capital, and that isn't really that huge. But I've seen pictures of our bigger ones, too, like New York City for instance... a huge place of concrete and skyscrapers."

"Buildings that tear holes in the heavens," Tom explained. "Some might be as high as this place."

Tom shook his head. "Nope, it's the truth. My dad always said it's the city where dreams were built.... but I've heard others say it's where dreams go to die...." He sighed at that. "I bet we tear each other apart there like anywhere else... like on the battlefields of the Great War...."

Dashie smiled at him. "You're better than you think you are, Tom," she said, her eyes narrowing in resolve. "Ponies fight wars, too, you know, and some of us have even fought to wipe out an entire people, like Commander Hurricane did against the Naga. Remember that? However, you don't think I'm evil, do you?"

A small smile formed on Tom's face. "No, I don't think you are." He raised a finger, though. "But let me ask you this, have you ever felt so angry at someone before that you wanted to..." He shivered at that. "Wanted to..." He couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Yes..." Dashie sighed. "Though I'd never do it. No proper pegasus would. Vengeance isn't our way. My father always said it clogs and dulls the mind. It's something he told me he-"

"It just seems like I'm bringing this whole depressing thing about us humans onto your shoulders..."

She gave him a look like he was crazy. "What kind of crappy friend would I be if I didn't help you with your problems? You help me with mine, after all, and I don't want you to think that your entire species is filled with monsters. You and your family seem fine to me."

"I've heard my dad though... talkin' bout the Great War when he thought I wasn't listenin', some of the things even he had to do...."

Dashie shook her head once again. "Your dad's a wise man, just like my own. One time he told me something that's stuck to me ever since, and that we shouldn't ever judge anything soley by what it is at the worst of times or best of times, we have to weigh the good qualities against the bad." With that, she stopped abruptly, glancing up at the label of this isle of books. "Bi. I think we'll find the truth here."

Wings

by Silent Bob

True Legacy