//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Legends Of The Lost // Story: The Bridge Between Worlds // by Artemis Orion //------------------------------// Legends Of The Lost The Sun was fading, giving off a red light that would soon lead to the dark blue sky. As it fell to the west, it gave way to the Moon to rule the sky for the night. It was that time of day again. The time when both Alicorns that ruled Equestria would use their magic in Harmony, bringing forth the Moon and setting the sun. At dawn, it would be done once more, only vice versa. For the past few thousand years, this was how Equestria survived. The shedding of light and the casting of shadows in the hands of the most powerful beings in Equestria. Very few beings rivaled their abilities. But as powerful as they were, they were not always pure. What would happen if the power of something immortal were to submit to evil? Or to dwell in Evil itself? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We landed right outside the Library, where our friends were waiting for us. As soon as we landed, I pushed open the door to the Library. I was greeted by the sight of two Earth ponies and two Unicorns gathered around the table. There was a new parchment on the table, and they had been examining it. "Welcome back, Keith!" I barely noticed Spike approaching from my side. He was just that short, even though he was a dragon. "How did flying go?" "It was... eventful." I didn't want to go into details just yet. Not until I read the new letter. "Keith! Thank Celestia you're still in one piece!" Twilight removed her attention from the parchment just for a moment. "Come here! Trotter replied from our message earlier today. You're gonna want to read this." All seven of us gathered round the table. I picked up the letter, and read it aloud for everypony. It read: Dear Twilight Sparkle and Friends, Your first letter has already given us so much information! I ran it by the other Scholars as soon as I received it. It has gained much attention of our more Senior members as well. You stated that the Aura was being transmitted through a device that only Keith has in possession. As such technology has not yet been invented by our kind, this limits what we can do from here greatly. However we can tell you what we have concluded so far. The Aura exists inside Keith, that much is true. But it requires an external force to be heard by others besides Keith himself. The fact that Aura can even make use of the Energy that surrounds us is amazing! Before, it was only Unicorns that could make use of such energy. With it, who knows what Humans can accomplish! However, it has also come to our attention that such power may be too vast to be controlled. Whether it will and can ever be controlled is beyond us. Maybe with practice, maybe with learning? Bring this idea up with Keith, he may find this a little interesting as well. How is he coping by the way? Being inserted into a totally different world and all? Hope to hear from all of you again soon! Yours Sincerely, Professor Trotter, Scholar Of Magic *Associated with The AM, The Ancient Mythology department.* I rolled the letter back into the way it was sent, and handed it to Twilight Sparkle. She magically grasped it and put it away in a small wooden box. "I'm putting all the letters we receive on this topic in here, in case we ever need to refer to it again." She levitated the box to the top of a shelf, out of reach without a ladder. I wasn't listening, I was thinking about the events of today and the relevance it had to the letter. Rarity snapped me out of it. "Keith, darling, you look rather perplexed. Are you alright?" "I'm fine, Rarity. But first we might want to tell you what happened to me in the sky earlier today." "You were flying?! Why have I been uninformed of this event?!" "Oh oh oh! Was it fun? I bet it was fun! Dashie took me flying once! Well, not exactly, I built a little propeller thing which I could ride in and it worked perfectly! It was awesome! And it wasn't really that hard to build! All you need is enough off-screen time-" "Umm... what off-screen time, Pinkie?" "...Never mind! What were you saying Keith?" And so, I told them everything. How we managed to get into the air and visited Applejack. How Rainbow Dash brought me to the edge of the atmosphere, and how she 'forgot' I was on her back when she attempted a Sonic Rainboom. I told them of the Aural buff that Artemis Orion provided, and how I could now walk on clouds. I also mentioned how it consequently made him uncommunicative for a short period of time. Even now, he made no contact with us, or with me in my mind. "So that's how it happened." I ended, taking in a deep breath. There came a mixed reaction from the group. Twilight and Pinkie Pie both smiled in the same crazy way, which wasn't normal for Twilight. Rarity and Applejack looked at me as if I had just become a god. It wasn't surprising to the two Pegasi. But in the end, experiencing it first hand was always better than descriptions anyway. "I'm not sure if Aura can create such a massive ability like that anytime soon though. It was a near-death situation to begin with." Somewhere in my mind, I knew he was agreeing with me. "But it could come with practice. That is if he's up for it. If it is unpredictable, then we can't do it anywhere near Ponyville, or any other inhabited area for that matter. But from a feeling, I don't think it would really harm anypony, if not myself in the process." "Agreed." Twilight nodded, followed by the other ponies approvals. "But there is another reason why I called you here this evening. I'll be right back." Twilight trotted into the second room of the Library, and returned a moment later, levitating an enormous book. She dropped it on the table with a loud bang. Dust puffed out of it as it landed. Having a closer look at the book, it showed no distinct markings or indication of an Author. It was a big black book, and it was really aged. "Uh, Twi? Why'd you plop this here big book in front of us?" Applejack waved away the dust with a hoof. "It may not interest you as much as I thought it might interest Keith." She began to explain. "This book has no Title, and it does not show the name of the author. This is because the group of ponies that wrote this book intended for nopony to find it." "And who wrote this book?" I flipped open the cover. The was no words on the first page. "It was written by a band of thieves several thousands of years ago. They recorded their experiences and their findings into that book. That is a compilation of everything they have found." "Huh! And why do you assume that we would be interested in a book that was written by petty crooks?" Rarity turned her head from the book in disgust, like the Drama Queen she was. "They're not petty crooks, Rarity! They were world class thieves! They were LEGENDS!" I flipped to the second page. There was only one name written on it: Silk D'Rogue "These ponies have achieved things that brought admiration to some and hatred from others." "And what exactly did they accomplish that has made them acquire such a high stature?" "Rarity, they stole the moon once..." That quietened the fashion Unicorn for a while. "And that was only one thing they accomplished! From what I've come to conclude from this compilation, there were at least thirty thieves! But the entire guild of them disappeared a few years later." I skimmed through each page. There were notes and sketches of mysterious idols and statues. There were sketches of strange unknown places of Equestria. I saw figures of monsters drawn into structures. Diary entries, notes, stories filled the pages! Until finally I came to part of the book that intrigued me the most. "This was what I thought you might find interesting." On the top of the page lay a heading. It was emphasized with overlaps and darkened letters. It was something I thought I would never find any where else in Equestria: HUMANS I read every word as thoroughly as I could. In one section, it read: Strange two-legged creatures. They walk upright and have the ability to speak as we do. They seem peaceful for the time being. Some of us are curious of this species, others did not really care for them. We soon found out htat the feeling was mutual with the Humans. How come they have never been seen in Equestria before? They seem to be hiding something. Something of value. I wonder what they're like when they are aggravated? I moved on to the next written section. They have the ability to create tools for their convenience, much like our kind. However, they hunt for food, as well as grow it from soil. Omnivorous? ...and the next... We found it! It looks like a gold disc, but it is embroidered with six brightly coloured stones! We were spotted but it did not matter. We made it out alive. They did put up quite a bit of resistance however. What was so important to them about this Medallion? My heart skipped a nervous beat. Did they just find the Harmony Pendant? And in the center of an Equestrian-Human civilization? "Mother of God..." I muttered at an inaudible volume. "Twilight? Have you heard of this Human civilization?" "No pony has! Not even Princess Celestia! When the book was found, the areas that were included were searched. Some areas couldn't be found. Others had just turned to dust. Currently the place where the Human Civilization should be is just a plain empty field, as recorded on the map." So they became extinct? "I would think so." Well, you're back! What do you make of all this? "I sense a little link here. There isn't anything stated after the Legends took the Pendant. What happened?" "Twilight. Do you know why the Humans vanished?" "Like I said, nopony knows. It could be just a myth, or a tale of treasure?" I think I know when and how they disappeared. "You too huh?" Do you realize that they have never been heard of again in this world only AFTER the pendant was stolen from them? "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" "I think I know what happened..." I began, my mind placing the pieces of an ethereal puzzle together. The Mane Six were listening intently. "Humans have a... way of thinking..." I tried to place it as best as I could. "Humans not only feel the need to survive, but to be better than one another. On Earth, It's psychological and natural for humans to think this way.This caused most Humans to drive themselves away from each other. The hunger for power consumed most of us. It has built us into the world Earth is in today. We forgot about friendship and the Elements of Harmony." "But in Equestria, the Humans were happy. They were peaceful and loving. This was because they had the pendant. It reminded Humans of the love and tolerance that was meant to be spread amongst themselves. But do you see, when the Legends stole the pendant, they had nothing to remember Harmony by. This brought humans to corruption, eventually wiping themselves off this world." The Mane Six stared on with their mouths wide open. I wasn't sure whether I had just babbled nonsense or philosophy. I pulled out my Iphone and switched it back on, allowing Aura to speak. "Let me sum it up for you guys. In this world, Harmony is what drives most beings. In our world, it's quite the opposite. And that's why Humans couldn't and can't survive here without the help of Harmony." "Whoo, boy! This is a cartload of stuff to think about!" Applejack scratched her head with a hoof, confusion clear on her face. "Yeah, but what I still don't get is how Humans got here in the first place!" "Rainbow Dash makes a good point. How did your kind end up here?" "I wish I knew that as well. But I think it's too late to ask them now." I continued reading the other documented notes on humans. On the topic of Human aggravation. They do attack when they feel necessary. They wield strange weapons, they are sharp like ours, but different from our own... Wait... weapons? Beneath the faded text, there was a detailed drawing of one of the Human's weapons. It was a sword! A fully detailed drawing of an Iron-bladed, Golden-handled sword! Included was scale sizes and measurements. It also read: Measurement is custom to wielder. Length of blade is that of wielder's arm length. "Hey, now that we think about it, we have no form of protection in Equestria. Maybe we should make one?" "Uh, maybe that's not the best idea, Aura." "Oh c'mon, Keith! I know you want it. Literally." "I've never owned a sword before!" "Exactly! Think of how cool it would be with a sword on your back!" Well I couldn't argue with that. I always wanted a medieval weapon! But I changed the subject. "Anyway... I was wondering. Is it very far to the edge of Equestria?" "Well that depends... which part of Equestria?" I pulled the map off Twilights Library Bulletin Board. I then placed it next to the recorded information of the Legends and attempted to map it out. "Uh oh. Keith are you doing what everypony thinks you're doing?" "He is in fact doing just that." Aura replied for me, reading every though. "We think that where the civilization once was, we might be able to find out more about the Pendant, and maybe a way to get home." But... do I even want to go home? "There!" I placed my finger at one of the edges of the map. "The area the Humans once inhabited should be right here!" "Keith, this is crazy!" Pinkie Pie retorted. Coming from her it was a surprise to everyone. "That is right across the entire Everfree Forest!" "It may be, but right now it's my only lead to finding out more about the pendant, and more importantly, my species." I ended at that. The questions and possibilities made my head spin. A lot of these things seemed impossible. How did Humans even end up here?! I sighed in exasperation. I wanted answers, and I was probably going to go through hell to get them. Everyone in the room remained silent. Staring at the map. If they didn't want to follow me, so be it. I wouldn't want to put my friends in danger if they didn't want to. "I'm in." Everyone looked up at Rainbow Dash, a confident smile spread across her face. "Um... so am I..." Fluttershy squeaked behind her friends. Fluttershy was agreeing? Wow... "ME TOO!" Pinkie Pie jumped raising her hand like a student to a teacher. "Count me in too, darling. If we're going, we go together!" Rarity spoke up, no longer afraid of getting her hooves dirty. "Ah suppose Big Mac could take care of the farm for a while, so what the hay! I'm in!" Applejack waved her hat in the air. "For the purpose of Magic, Science and Friendship! So am I!" Twilight completed the round of agreement. "I... I don't know how to thank you guys..." my voice was cracking slightly. "You ponies barely know me, and yet... you guys are risking everything... for me..." never in my life had I received such support. For anything. I felt a tears welling up behind my eyes. "Keith! Are you crying?!" Rainbow Dash teased. "It's nothing! Just a manly tear is all!" "Aww, no need to hide you emotions, Keithy!" Pinkie Pie bounced forward and squeezed me tight. Everypony soon followed. "T-Thank you girls... for everything..." I liberated a few more teardrops. We stayed there for what felt like hours. After that, I dried my eyes and brought my voice back to normal. We all knew that for the journey ahead, preparations had to be made. We may not be leaving anytime soon, but we'll be ready when we do. I picked up the book of Legends. I turned back to the page with the weapon details. "Soo... does anypony around here know a good blacksmith?"