> The Legends of Lore
>  by ChaosDragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The mare breathed heavily as she ran. She had to reach him. He would know what to do. The stream of blood running down her side didn't matter now, there would be time for it later. At least, she prayed there would be. Her hoofsteps echoed eerily through the empty stone corridors as she ran, a grim reminder of what they had already sacrificed, and what was still left to lose.

As she careened around a corner, the entire mountain trembled violently, throwing her off balance and slamming her against the wall. A bolt of searing pain raced up her side, and she gasped as the world spun and dimmed around her. No, not now. She was so close. She couldn't stop now.

Through sheer willpower, she straightened and fought back the encroaching darkness. She took a step. Pain shot up her side once more, but she refused to yield to it. She gritted her teeth and moved down the hall. There was more pain, but the darkness did not come; she would not let it. This physical pain was nothing. It meant nothing to her. How could it compare to the agony she already carried inside her heart? People were dying, her people, and she could not save them.

She had not wanted to come. She had wanted to stay, to fight by their side. She was 'sacrifice', not them. It was her duty. But they had forced her to flee. They had become sacrifice for her, and she had let them. Tears clouded her eyes as she rounded the next corner, though from pain or sorrow she did not know. It didn't matter. She had to continue, so she did, as did the bloody trail she left behind.

The mountain shuddered again, but she stood firm this time. She would not be delayed again. Her pace quickened as her goal drew near. Descending a flight of stairs, she came upon her destination at last. She set her uninjured side against the large outer door and heaved. It swung open slowly and she staggered into the small room. The two guards flanking the door opposite her stiffened. As she moved towards them, they crossed their spears, barring her entry.

"Step aside. I must see him," she commanded.

The guards responded but did not move. "He meets with the elder ones."

"All the better, for they would wish to hear the urgent news I bring as well. Now stand aside!" She stamped her hoof with the demand, sending small droplets of blood splattering over the floor. She stood tall before them, remaining defiant even as she swayed unsteadily.

The two guards looked her over, then silently nodded to each other as they lowered their spears and stepped back.

She rushed forward and hastily flung the doors open. Inside, a stallion stood conferring with three elders. The room grew silent as she entered and everyone turned to face her as one. Under their appraising gaze, she suddenly remembered who they were and who she was. A blush bloomed across her face and she hastily bowed to them. "F-Forgive my intrusion father, elders, but I bear an urgent message that cannot wait."

One of the elders nodded slowly and gestured for her to rise. He spoke slowly, but his voice was light and gentle, like the rustling of trees in the wind. "Then perhaps it is best that you not let formalities delay you further, child."

She blushed deeper and nodded again. "O-Of course elder. Forgive me." Turning to face the younger stallion amidst the elders, she gave another bow. "Father, I bring you news from the front." She paused as the mountain trembled again. A small stream of mortar fell from the ceiling, but everyone's attention remained locked on her. She composed herself, then took a breath and launched into her report fully. "They have broken through our western defenses on the fifth ring and taken the gate. All companies have sustained heavy casualties and are falling back through the streets. They delay the enemy where they can, but it is only a matter of time until they reach the sixth ring. It may have already happened." Her right foreleg began to tremble. Her bleeding had lessened but not stopped, and the pool of blood around her hoof was slowly spreading, but she ignored it. She still had more to say; her injury could wait. "It has become clear that they are making for Ultokauraxoth. You must leave before they arrive. We will not be able to keep them out for long."

The stallion looked at her sadly and shook his head. His eyes were tired and sunken, and his voice was heavy with the burdens placed upon him. "No, my daughter. We will not flee, for there is nowhere left to go. What little that remains of our people is here. If it is our time to move on from this life, then we shall do it here."

His calm acceptance of death shook her more than the mountain ever could. She had never imagined her father as someone who could die. Death was something that happened to other people, not to him. To hear him say it with such calm assurance suddenly made the possibility real to her. She had thought there could be no greater pain than the sorrow she already carried in her heart. She was wrong. His words pierced into her like a hot iron, grabbing her heart and slowly squeezing it tighter and tighter. A tear ran down her cheek and her voice shook as she tried to keep her composure. "Then, I shall stay as well. If we are all to pass through the veil, then I would do it by your side, father." As she spoke, the mountain trembled again, then subsided into a low, continuous shivering.

The stallion smiled and gently wiped the tear from her cheek. "Do not mourn me yet, my daughter. While we live, there is still hope. The great circle of magi may yet complete their work in time."

Shock spread across her face and she recoiled from his touch, staring at him in horror. "Father, what are you saying!? Tell me you have not done what I fear!"

Her father's eyes filled with remorse, and he looked away from her in shame.

She spun wildly, desperately searching the faces of all assembled. Her eyes pleaded for someone, anyone, to tell her it wasn't true. But as she met their gaze, each turned away in shame. The world reeled around her as she trembled. Her chest felt tight, she couldn't breathe. If the thought of her father's death had squeezed her heart before, then the knowledge that he was capable of doing something so vile ripped it from her completely. Tears began to run freely down her face. She spoke as if in a daze, her voice hollow and empty. "How could you have done this?"

The elder who had spoken to her before, now lifted his head and met her gaze. His voice was barely a whisper and tight with emotion. "It was necessary..."

"It was forbidden!" she shrieked back at him, making him flinch. "Our people refused to consider it! The council voted against it! They specifically forbade you from doing this!!" she shouted as she turned on her father.

The stallion stiffened and whirled to face her, tears running from his eyes as he shouted back at her, "The council is dead! Our people are all but gone! We had no other choice!" The soft shivering of the mountain began to grow steadily stronger.

Her tears flowed freely now, falling from her face to mix with her blood on the floor. She slowly stepped away from him as she shook her head. "There is always a choice, father. What you have done is wrong. It is a thing of evil."

Guilt gave way to anger in the stallion, lending heat to his voice. "What I have done, I have done for you! For our people! I have saved us!"

"But at what cost?" She shook her head more vigorously. "No, father, you have damned us, not saved us. We are no better than they are now."

The mountain's shuddering grew stronger. Dust and mortar began to trickle from the ceiling as the buildings began to shake. Decorations rocked on their pedestals, a glass vibrated off the table and shattered against the floor. The angered stallion and the elders forgot her momentarily as they clutched at the table for support.

She saw her chance and seized it. Before she could change her mind, she spun around and raced for the door, pushing the dull pain from her foreleg out of her mind. As she reached the hallway, she shouted back to the room over the sound of the trembling mountain. "Forgive me, father, but I cannot let you do this!"

"Come back! There is nothing you can do! It is too late now!" The stallion tried to follow her, but the shaking mountain threw him off balance and he fell to the floor. He could only watch helplessly as she turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.

She moved like a thing possessed, stretching her body out to its fullest to gain every spare inch of ground she could with each stride. Her injuries opened anew and ripped wider as she pushed herself. Her body burned, screaming in pain, begging her to stop this insanity, but pain didn't matter anymore. She had already survived the worst agony the world could throw at her; everything else paled in comparison. Speed was all that mattered now. She must stop this before it was too late. She dodged around broken pots, jumped over fallen tables, and leapt down entire flights of stairs in her mad dash.

She was getting closer now; she could feel it. The air was heavy and practically hummed with magic. The Caurabarak would be on the floor below her, she was certain. She barreled around a corner at top speed, practically running along the wall with her momentum. There was the staircase. She surged forward and leaped. The earth began to writhe beneath her as she soared, and it seemed as if the entire world was going mad. The intense violence of the shaking threw off the balance of her landing. Her left forehoof twisted sideways as she came down hard, then let out a sickening crack as her full weight landed on it. She let out a scream of pain and crumpled to the floor in a heap. Stars exploded before her eyes and the familiar darkness tinged the edges of her vision as she fought to remain conscious. She couldn't stop here, not now. She had to keep going. She had to stop this madness.

Battered and broken, she struggled to her hooves, keeping her left foreleg tucked in tight against her chest. She was allowed to stand her ground only for a moment before the roiling earth threw her back to the floor again. She clenched her teeth and began to drag herself forward with her good foreleg. Nearly there, just one more corner. Her breath was labored and ragged as she finally pulled herself into the small adjoining hallway. A pair of carved stone doors greeted her. This was it, it had to be. The air grew thicker, crackling with magical energy as she pulled herself closer. She reached for the door and a soft white light began to spill from beneath it as a long, high whine started to vibrate out of the very air around her. Not just the air, the sound seemed like it was coming from everywhere at once; the door, the walls, even the stone floor beneath her. She knew she had to hurry, there wasn't much time left. She froze for a split second as she thought she heard the sounds of battle echoing through the halls. That tell-tale ring of metal against metal, stallions roaring, screaming. Had they already forced their way through the seventh ring, or was she just hearing things? The whine began to grow steadily louder, pushing the thoughts from her mind and deafening her to all else. She had to focus.

She gripped the handle of the door and the light spilling from beneath it grew brighter. It was heavy, so heavy, and she was so tired. She pulled and strained at the heavy door, dragging it open inch by inch. The light grew brighter and brighter as she forced it open and dragged herself closer. She could barely see anything, it was so bright, only vague shapes. She held out her hoof towards them and screamed at the top of her lungs for them to stop, but they couldn't hear her. A pillar of white light suddenly shot up from the center of the room, and the world screamed. The deafening noise was more terrible than anything she could have imagined. It was as if the very universe itself cried out in agony. The light grew in intensity as she raised her hooves to try and block out the noise, but nothing could stop that horrible sound. As the blinding light spread out and engulfed her in a sea of brilliant white, her heart sank, and she knew she had failed.
> Ch 1: You're completely mad!
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"You're completely mad!... You know that, right?" The teal earth pony stared across the cluttered room at his friend in utter disbelief. He was far too shocked at the moment to even begin worrying about the maroon unicorn's safety. "You know, coming from me, that's saying something! I mean, we both know I'm mad, but you're supposed to be the rational one in this little duo! " He closed his eyes tightly and pressed a hoof to his forehead. Oh, how he wished he wasn't the one who had to put up with this. He let out an exasperated sigh as he massaged the spot between his eyes. He always found this helped him to relax, and Luna only knows he could use a little stress removal right about now. "Okay, so let me see if I've got this right. You're telling me, you plan on meeting a complete stranger... with a sack of bits... in the seediest bar in town... at midnight... alone..."

The cheerful unicorn looked up from packing his satchel to give his friend a broad grin. "Yep!"

Reluctantly, the earth pony dropped his hoof and opened his hazel eyes to the grin he knew would be awaiting him. Remaining completely silent, he blankly stared at the unicorn for several long moments. His eyes darted over his friend as he looked for something wrong, something out of place that would explain all of this. The unicorn's maroon coat looked as it always did, and his black mane was just as tidy as ever. His light, forest-green eyes seemed fine. His black tail was long for a stallion, but that wasn't new. The open book and magnifying glass of his cutie mark looked unchanged as well. He seemed perfectly normal, perhaps a little more excited than usual, but there didn't seem to be anything obviously wrong with him. So why was he speaking such nonsense?!

The teal earth pony walked over to the unicorn very calmly, and placed his hooves on the maroon stallion's shoulders. Drawing in a slow, deep breath, he lifted his head to meet the unicorn's gaze, giving him a determined look. Suddenly, he started shaking the grinning unicorn with everything he had, as if he could shake the crazy out of him. "Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy?! Why would you do this?! This whole thing couldn't be a more obvious trap even if it actually had 'trap' written all over it in great big blinking neon lights! What happened to the Lore Seeker who used to play Oubliettes & Ogres with me?! I watched you spot traps I hadn't even designed yet! I know you know this is a bad idea!"

Lore Seeker's cheeky grin quickly disappeared as his head bounced around like a bobblehead on a roller coaster.

"Would you stop shaking me, Lucky Roll! I'm not one of your blasted dice!"

"Not until I shake some sense into you!"

Grunting in exasperation, Lore Seeker started pulling on the teal pony's hooves. With a little effort, he was finally able to extricate himself from his friend's grasp. He quickly took a few steps back to move out of range, then frowned at Lucky Roll. "First of all, don't give me that 'what happened to you' stuff. We just had an Oubliettes & Ogres session on Saturday. Second, you're my assistant, so quit whining and start assisting!"

Lucky Roll simply stared at his friend in open-mouthed shock, his brain playing a bit of catch-up after being knocked silly by Lore's retort. "You... Are you playing the assistant card on me?!"

"If I have to."

The teal earth pony threw a hoof up in disgust. "I can't believe this! We've been best friends since we were in diapers! You begged me to be your assistant!" He pointed an accusing hoof at Lore Seeker as he frowned right back at him. "You swore to me that you would never play the assistant card! You told me I would always be a friend first and an employee second!"

Shaking his head, Lore walked over to sit next to his friend. "You're right, Lucky, I'm sorry." Lore looked up to stare determinedly at his friend. "But you know this is important to me, and you know I'll end up going with or without you anyways. So instead of fighting about it, would you please just help me out?"

Lucky Roll let out a heavy sigh as he accepted defeat. He knew Lore was right, but it certainly didn't make him feel any better about it. "All right, all right. But can you at least tell me what this is all about? I know you already told me what you are planning, but do you mind letting me in on exactly why you are trying to get yourself mugged?"

Lore stared at Lucky in confusion for a moment before finally finding his words. "You mean... I didn't tell you? I could've sworn I told you."

With a rather impressive smack, Lucky planted his hoof firmly to his face. "Oh, for the love of Luna! No! No you did NOT tell me! Why the hay do you think I'm asking!?"

Lore rubbed the back of his head as he gave his friend a sheepish grin. "Hehe, whoops. Guess I got so excited it slipped my mind."

Lucky rolled his eyes and gave a quick retort. "Gee, you think?"

"Sorry, sorry, totally my fault. Come take a look at this and I'll explain." Lore trotted over to an old desk with Lucky Roll in tow and began to sift through the accumulated mess of scrolls, books, and notes. His brows furrowed and he began to mutter to himself as he shuffled through the pages. "Where is it... I know I left it on this desk somewhere..."

Grinning at Lore's frustration, Lucky poked at some of the papers halfheartedly as he made an off-handed quip at his friend's expense. "You should really clean this place up, you know. You'd probably have a much easier time finding things if you did."

Without even looking up, Lore Seeker shot one right back at him, quickly falling back into the familiar banter the two friends often shared. "I would, but I'm always so busy. If only I had an extra pair of hooves around to help me out. You know, like someone I could hire to assist me with my work. Someone dependable and supportive. Someone I could pay far too much to do all those little tasks that keep my life organized and running smoothly; like cleaning up the study... You wouldn't happen to know where I could find someone like that, would you, Lucky?"

Lucky Roll struck a sophisticated pose and tilted his head back as he dramatically swept a hoof through his disheveled white mane. "You forgot suave and devilishly handsome~"

Lore sniggered and snorted as he tried his best to stop himself from laughing out loud while he searched. "Yeah sure, whatever you say there, Romeo." He flicked his tail at the twenty-sided crimson die of Lucky Roll's cutie mark, playfully whacking him right on the '20' that was showing for the roll. "Just make sure not to ruin your hooficure when you're cleaning this place up later."

Just then, Lore let out a triumphant cry as he pulled an old piece of parchment out of the drawer he had been searching through. He placed it down on the heap of papers covering the desk, and carefully smoothed it out. "Here it is. This is why I'm going tonight!"

Curious, Lucky stuck his head over his friend's shoulder to stare down at the piece of parchment. "It's... what is it? Looks like one of those messy doodles that foals are always drawing."

Lore rolled his eyes and gave a derisive snort at this suggestion. "Oh come on, Lucky! Quit joking around and actually look at it, will you? It's an ancient rendering of an elven city! Granted, some of the charcoal is a tad smudged, but it's still recognizable." He points to several spots on the page. "That's a roof sticking out above the trees there. There's a fountain. And that looks like some sort of path there."

Lucky Roll stared at the charcoal picture intently for a few moments before he started nodding along with Lore. "Yeah, I see it now..." Leaning in closer for a better look, Lucky Roll let out a low whistle. "Wow, this thing is elaborate! That is some fine detail work; in charcoal no less! No wonder it looked like an indistinct black blob at first. You really have to get in close to appreciate this thing." After doing just that for a moment longer, Lucky stepped back and looked at Lore, his brow furrowing as he tried to piece it all together. "Soooo... what does this old drawing have to do with you going to meet some stranger in the dead of night?"

Lore Seeker turned to his friend with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Everything! Do you remember me telling you about my theory? The one about 'Taurelond'?"

"Taurelond, the lost elven capital? Taurelond, the only elven city that you believe hasn't been wiped off the face of the earth? The Taurelond you wrote your doctoral thesis about? The same Taurelond you've been babbling about since we were ten? That Taurelond?... Nope, doesn't ring a bell."

Lore simply rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes, smart-ass, that one... Though I suppose I deserved that, given how often I tend to go on about it. Just indulge me for a minute, okay?"

Having brought this on himself by asking, Lucky didn't see that he had much choice in the matter. He made himself comfortable and waved a hoof at Lore for him to continue.

"Well, you know I've spent half my life searching for Taurelond. I believe it holds the evidence I need to finally prove that the lost races really did exist!... Which I guess you also already knew, but here's where the stranger comes in. One of my colleagues, Dr. Do, sent me a letter from her expedition in the far east. She recounted a conversation she had with a zebra mystic in the village where she was staying. In it, the mystic mentioned an ancient race that she only referred to as 'the elder kin' and 'the lost ones'. Naturally my interest was piqued, so I wrote her back and asked her to inquire into the matter further."

Lore started pacing across the floor now as he got into his story. "The mystic wasn't able to tell her much more, but she did mention an old map that had been passed down from elder to elder for as long as anyone could remember. The zebras told Ms. Do that it was a map of a land that didn't exist, and it showed the location of a city 'lost to time'. I don't think any of them even knew why they still kept it around, other than simple tradition. So naturally, I urged Dr. Do to bring me back a copy of the map. That part turned out to be rather simple, as the locals were happy to let her borrow it. Something about repaying a favor she did for them. But then, about two weeks ago, when she was coming back from her trip, she was set upon by some, some..."

Lore grew livid and began to splutter, flailing his hoof around before him, as if he was trying to swat the right word out of the air. "Some... no good, dirty, rotten, thugs! Ms. Do was all right, thankfully, but those scoundrels managed to take her bag, and the map with it! I thought all hope of ever seeing it again was lost, until I got a call last week." Lore turned to look at Lucky Roll pointedly. "You remember, it was on Tuesday. I got a call and suddenly became all... what? What is it?"

Lucky Roll was still sitting attentively in the same position, but now he was giving Lore an amused smirk. "Scoundrels? Really? You sure they weren't hooligans? Maybe they had some ruffians with them. Possibly even a miscreant or two."

"Oh, shut up. You know what I mean. Now, where was I... Oh right. So last Tuesday, I got a call. There was a disguised voice on the other end, probably one of those muggers. He offered me a deal for the map. Apparently, Ms. Do had placed the map into an envelope addressed to me, so those thugs figured I might be willing to pay to get it back. I've spent the last week bargaining with them and hammering out the details."

"But why go through all this trouble just for a map of someplace that doesn't even exist?" Lucky retorted, as he scratched his chin ponderously.

Filled with excitement, Lore's words began to fly as he raced toward his conclusions. "Don't you see, Lucky?! This is it! This is what I've been searching for all this time! The zebra tribes have been around for thousands of years. Long enough that they might have actually had contact with the lost races at some point! If they had been given a map to the capital as a sign of friendship and trust, they would have been sure to preserve it. It would have been a matter of honor and pride to them. Don't you see? After thousands of years, the meaning behind this map has been lost, but they still honor the tradition of protecting it and passing it on!"

Lore was getting more excited and frantic by the second, but he stopped now to take a few deep breaths and composed himself before continuing. "I believe, this map is not of some imaginary land. I believe it's a map of Equestria! The zebras didn't begin to cross the oceans until about two hundred years ago, but even now they don't cross in great numbers. We only ever see one or two, just the odd outcast or adventurer. They wouldn't have been familiar with Equestria, or even known what it looked like! That's why they think the lands on the map don't exist! So if this map is of Equestria, and it was given to them by the lost races, then I think the city on the map might be Taurelond! This could be it, Lucky! Don't you see? I have to get that map back! It might not turn out to be a map to Taurelond, but if I don't do this, and just let the map disappear, I will spend the rest of my life regretting it. I'll always wonder whether or not I was right."

Instantly more interested in the story, Lucky Roll leaned in and began to question his friend on the details. "So what exactly are the terms of this deal?"

"The deal is three hundred bits for the map. I'm supposed to meet one of them at the 'Water Trough Tavern' at midnight to make the exchange. No cops, no guards."

Lucky Roll hopped up from his seat and brushed a hoof across his shoulders casually as he commented to Lore. "Well then, it's a good thing I'm coming with you, now isn't it?"

Lore simply frowned at his best friend in consternation. "Lucky, I just told you, they said to come alone! What if they get angry?! I could lose the map for good!"

"If you think I'm letting you go alone, you're even more crazy than I thought!" The impudent stallion flashed Lore a cheeky grin. "Besides, when have I ever done what I was told?"

"Wait... just... you..." It was Lore Seeker's turn now to slap a hoof to his face as he let out a groan. "UGH!... Okay, I guess... I suppose I can't really stop you from coming anyway... Just promise me you won't do anything reckless. I can't afford to lose this map, Lucky."

Letting out a hurtful little huff, Lucky turned to regard Lore. Hoof pressed to his chest in shock, he gave his friend a look of complete indignation. It might have actually been convincing, if Lore hadn't been absolutely certain that the stallion was just being overly dramatic. "Me?! Do something reckless?! I'm hurt, Lore, truly hurt! After all this time, I thought you knew me better than that!" He suddenly grinned at the unicorn and gave his maroon cheek a mocking little pat. "You know I could never promise something like that. I mean honestly, we've been best friends for almost thirty years, and you still haven't figured that out? For shame!"

Lore groaned and began to rub his forehead. "I'm getting a very bad feeling about this..."

Lucky simply laughed and gave his friend a good-natured slap on the back. "It's a little late for that, Lore. Now quit your griping and find me an empty pack."
> Ch 2: The Water Trough Tavern
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Water Trough tavern lay in the shadows of a large yew tree growing on the edge of town. The tree's spreading branches cloaked it in perpetual shade even on the brightest days, which was perfectly fine with the usual patrons, who didn't think much of walking in the light anyway. The tavern had always been a rather rough place, but over the last few years it had become infamous as a den of crooks, thugs, and generally every other sort of unsavory character you might wish to never meet. This, of course, made it their favorite place to gather and drink the night away.

It was almost midnight, and most of the street lamps had already been put out, leaving the town cloaked in the black of night. Lore Seeker and Lucky Roll slowly made their way down the dark street, their eyes fixed on the tavern as they drew closer. Over the years, the structure had slowly taken on the appearance of its patrons. The paint had begun to peel in places, and the off-white color had dulled and dirtied over time, taking on an unhealthy pale hue, as if the building itself were sick. The roof was missing several shingles, and the eaves had begun to sag slightly in a frown around the entrance. Two shutters on the second floor lay open, spilling dim, flickering light out of the sagging windows and into the dark. The faint light did very little against the night however, and even the building itself was left as nothing more than a vague, black structure beneath the yew tree.

"This place is kinda creepy..." Lucky Roll shivered slightly as he stared at the two flickering points of light emanating from the darkness beneath the tree. "It's like some angry demon is watching us."

Lore immediately stopped and looked at his friend in bewildered consternation. "Why would you say that now of all times?! This is already nerve wracking enough as it is, and now you go and put that image in my head?! What the hay, Lucky?!"

"It was just an observation..." Lucky remarked before turning to grin at Lore. "Besides, I love messing with your head."

"You're evil, you know that?" Lore knew his friend was just trying to lighten the mood, and after suppressing the sudden urge to smack him, he joined Lucky in his lighthearted banter. "If we get out of this in one piece, remind me to take away your Hearth's Warming Eve bonus."

"I get a bonus?!" Lucky said in surprise.

Lore scoffed and continued heading toward the tavern. "Not anymore you don't!"

"Awwwww..." Lucky hung his head in mock disappointment for a few moments before trotting off after Lore. "What about a birthday bonus?"

"No."

"Fall harvest bonus?"

"No."

"Summer solstice bonus?"

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Lore said with a sigh.

Lucky grinned at his defeated companion as he trilled a mocking reply. "Nope~"

A few blocks later, the pair came to a halt at the edge of town. Due to the many brawls, and general rowdy behavior of the Water Trough Tavern's patrons, the building was set slightly apart from the rest of the town, leaving a good bit of open ground around it. It was a good place for a brawl that got too rowdy, or an ambush. Keeping to the shadows, they watched the tavern warily, looking for anything amiss. Nothing moved between them and the tavern. The only sounds they heard were the distant noises of merriment, and the occasional shattering of glass that drifted across the distance to them.

"Here, put this in your bag," Lore said as he dug a sack of bits out and gave it to Lucky Roll.

"But don't you need it for the exchange?" Lucky asked in puzzlement.

Smirking, Lore winked at his friend. "Come on, Lucky, you know me better than that. You said it yourself, I can smell a trap a mile away." He turned back to watching the tavern as he continued. "And this is almost certainly a trap. That's why I gave you half of the payment. They won't be able to take the money and run if I only have half of it on me. Their own greed will make them see the transaction through at that point. It will also give me something to bargain with if things go south."

"But if you don't have it, they'll just take it off me."

Lore turned back to Lucky and put a hoof on his friend's shoulder, his voice suddenly even more serious than before. "Lucky, you aren't coming. You have to stay here. They told me to come alone, remember?"

"Which is exactly why I'm coming with you!" Lucky said with righteous indignation, "I didn't come all the way out here to just stand around in the dark while you go in by yourself!"

"Lucky, listen to me! You have to stay out here. The promise of the other half of the payment may be the only thing that keeps them from just taking the money, or worse. Promise me you won't follow me inside." Lore smiled at his friend and gave his shoulder a pat. "Besides, you're my backup plan! If something happens to me and they get away, I'll be counting on you to stop them."

After much grumbling, Lucky crossed his arms and flopped down on the ground in a huff. "Fine... But if you get yourself killed, I'm keeping the bits."

Lore chuckled softly and waved a hoof over his shoulder as he headed off toward the tavern. "Well, that goes without saying. We'll call it your severance package."

Eyes scanning the night around him for signs of movement, Lore silently crossed the remaining distance to the tavern. As he stepped onto the wooden porch, one of the old boards gave a loud creak of protest. The unicorn let out a strangled squeak and flew a good two feet in the air as he practically jumped out of his skin. He came down on the porch with a thump, his legs splayed out around him and a furious blush spreading across his face. Lore hastily scrambled to his feet, silently cursing himself for getting all worked up and nervous before he'd even entered the building. He took some solace in the knowledge that at least nobody had been around to see his embarrassing display.

Sitting against the wall where Lore had left him, Lucky Roll waited for his friend to enter the tavern before getting to his hooves. Unable to suppress a grin at Lore's little freak out, the stallion chuckled and shook his head. "Behold! Our fearless leader!" Lucky simply couldn't contain it anymore. He broke down in a fit of barely suppressed laughter that came out as a collection of snickers and giggles. After a few minutes, he was finally able to compose himself once more. "That was great, but I should really get going." He wiped away a mirthful tear from his eye and smiled to himself as he trotted off toward the tavern. "'Stay here' he says. It's like he doesn't know me at all! No way I'm going to just sit here while he has all the fun!"


* * *


The interior of the tavern was just how Lore had pictured it. The main room was a large, dimly lit area, with a high ceiling that was easily twenty feet overhead. A small staircase led up the left side of the room to a mezzanine that ran along the back wall. It hung over a good third of the tavern, and many of the more 'secretive' patrons were seated beneath it as they nursed mugs of ale. Along the back wall, beneath the mezzanine, rows of colored bottles stood in a line behind a solid oak bar. A large, stern-looking mare kept watch over the tavern from behind the bar. As she served drinks, she would occasionally shout orders through a swinging door to her right, which (Lore presumed) led into the kitchens. 

Lore scanned the room from the doorway, searching for the cloaked figure he had been told would be waiting for him. There was just one problem. At least half the ponies in the tavern were wearing hooded cloaks! He supposed he probably should have expected something like this though, given the tavern's usual clientele. He would just have to figure it out on his own, or wait for some sort of signal. Slowly making his way into the tavern, Lore watched the various cloaked figures, searching for something that would tell him who he was to meet. As he reached the middle of the room, something caught his attention. About thirty feet away, at a table half covered by the shadow of the mezzanine above, sat a lone hooded figure. Unlike those around him, this pony wasn't drinking. In fact, he seemed to be ignoring his mug of ale altogether. From his shadowy seat, the cloaked figure watched Lore with an interest that went beyond mere curiosity. Their eyes met, and the hooded figure gave him an almost imperceptible nod. He'd found his mysterious cloaked contact.

Cautiously making his way to the table, Lore took a seat opposite the cloaked pony. Eyeing the hooded pony, Lore cleared his throat and began to speak warily. "I seem to have... 'lost' something. Perhaps you know where I might find it?"

The hooded pony leaned forward and smirked, his chair creaking softly as he steepled his hooves on the table. "Perhaps... It depends on what exactly you've lost."

"It's a small item, but one of considerable age. I would be... most relieved to find it."

Shrugging, the hooded figure sighed. "I may know of what you speak, and I would love to help you. But alas, I am terrible with directions... Perhaps a 'map' would do?"

At the mention of a map, all doubts Lore had about this being the right person vanished. This was definitely the right person. It had to be! With considerable effort, Lore reigned in his excitement and continued their little 'game'. "Yes, a map would be perfect."

"Unfortunately, my maps are a little expensive. Three hundred bits, to be precise."

"That is indeed quite expensive. Would you accept half now, and the other half when you've given me the map? Just as a precaution, you understand. It is a lot of money," Lore said as he silently prayed the other pony was feeling reasonable.

The hooded pony glared at Lore for what seemed like an eternity before speaking again. "That would be... acceptable."

Sighing with relief, Lore opened his pack and drew forth the bag of bits, placing it on the table with a faint clink. "Then we have an agreement?"

Reaching forward a dark cyan hoof, the cloaked pony drew the bag closer and peered inside. A satisfied smile crossed his lips before he quickly closed the bag again and made it disappear beneath his cloak. "It seems we do." Extending the same hoof from beneath the cloak once more, he placed an ancient looking scroll on the table. "A pleasure to be of... 'assistance'."

Lore was completely enthralled by the battered scroll. He knew immediately it was the real thing. He had spent far too much time around dusty old tomes to be tricked by a simple forgery. No forger could fake thousands of years of ageing. Not well enough to fool him anyway. No, it was real, of that there was no doubt. The one thing that could possibly validate his life's work was finally within his reach! Licking his lips, Lore shakily reached for the map. Just as he was about to pick it up, a shadow passed over the table. Lore stopped reflexively and was about to look up, when suddenly a loud cry tore through the hushed conversations of the tavern.

"COWABUNGAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~!!"

With several grunts and a resounding crash, something big landed just a few feet behind Lore. Whipping around, Lore was surprised to find three earth ponies in a large pile. One of them, a white earth pony with a parted black mane, was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and had a coil of rope held in his mouth. Another, a tan earth pony sporting a five o'clock shadow, was wearing a red neckerchief and a black fedora. He was carrying a large sack clutched in one hoof. The last, sprawled atop the two very rough, very large, and very unconscious stallions, was a very excited Lucky Roll, looking particularly pleased with himself.

"That was awesome! KO'd them both in one go! Who's ready for round two?" Lucky Roll said as he picked himself up and looked around.

Lore stared at him in open-mouthed shock. He had known Lucky wouldn't stay put forever, but he'd thought he would get at least an hour before his friend came barging in. He certainly hadn't expected the earth pony to come crashing down from... wherever it was he had come from. "Wha...  But... Lucky?..." Lore stammered for a moment before regaining his composure. "What the hay, Lucky?! What are you doing here?! You were supposed to wait outside!"

"Oh, you know. I got bored, so I thought I'd drop in." Lucky said with a big grin on his face as he brushed himself off. "Good thing I did, too. These two muscle-heads were about to grab you. Luckily, I had your back, and was watching the whole thing from up on the mezzanine." He pointed an accusing hoof at the cloaked pony across the table, who had just come out of his shocked stupor. "The second this guy put the scroll on the table, those two got up and started going right for you. They were probably planning on knocking you out and taking the money and the scroll." With a triumphant smirk spread across his face, Lucky looked at his flabbergasted friend. "Sooooo, about that bonus?"

Lore suddenly caught a bit of movement out of the corner of his eye. The hooded pony was slowly shifting in his seat, trying not to be noticed, but what could he... the map! Whirling around, Lore dove for the ancient scroll. The cloaked pony cursed and made a desperate grab for it, but he was too slow; all his hoof found was empty space. Gesturing for Lucky to get away, Lore stuffed the map into his pack and backed away from the table as he tried to defuse the situation. "Look, there's no need for this. I have the other half of your payment right here. Why don't we just settle up and go our separate ways? No harm, no foul."

Throwing back his hood, the dark cyan earth pony revealed a slick-backed mane of flaming orange hair, and a scar over his left eye that crinkled in a most unsettling way as he smirked. "Now see, why would I do that, when I could just get rid of you and take the money and the map for myself? I may not understand what it is, but it's obviously valuable. I'm sure someone, somewhere, would be willing to pay a pretty bit for it." He began to follow the pair now as they backed toward the exit. "Tell you what, if you hand over the money and the map now, I'll considering letting you live. If not..." The stallion trailed off as he pulled a long, sharp knife from beneath the folds of his cloak, gripping it firmly in his mouth.

Lucky Roll's eyes went wide as the stallion drew the deadly-looking knife. "Oh shit!" Looking for help, his eyes darted frantically around the room; but it was to no avail. The moment Lucky had come crashing down from the mezzanine, all the patrons in the tavern had scattered like roaches, suddenly finding it a very good idea to be somewhere else. It looked like they were on their own.

"Run for it!" Lore said as he spun around and started shoving Lucky toward the door, "Go, go, go!"

Lucky needed little encouragement though, and was already moving. "Time to bail!"

The dark cyan earth pony let out a snarl and sprang after the fleeing duo with surprising speed. The pair ran for the door as fast as they could, shoving and stumbling their way through the sea of hastily abandoned chairs. Even with Lore levitating several chairs out of their way at a time, it wasn't enough. All the obstacles were slowing them down, and their mad flight was leaving a clear path for the cyan earth pony. In a matter of moments he was upon them, his knife gleaming wickedly in the candlelight as he prepared to strike.

"Ooooooh no! Not in ma tavern you don!" An angry, accented, and surprisingly female voice bellowed through the tavern. There was the loud clang of metal striking something solid, followed by a small tink, and a heavy thud as something hit the floor. "How many times do ah have ta tell you worthless lot of scum-suckers?! There ain't no fightin' allowed in ma tavern! Take it outside afore ah skin the lot of ya!"

Lucky and Lore froze as the angry voice berated them. Something about the sound of a royally pissed-off mare filled them with such terror, that all they could do was cower on the spot and desperately wish they were invisible. Glancing over his shoulder, Lucky did a double take and turned around completely to stare in open-mouthed amazement. He nudged Lore in the side and gestured to the odd sight before him. The earth pony that had been chasing them moments before, was now sprawled on the floor in a dazed stupor, groaning and clutching his head in pain. His knife lay abandoned a few feet away, and a large iron skillet, presumably the cause of his head injury, lay on the floor next to him.

Looking up at the glowering mare standing behind the bar at the back of the room, Lucky let out a low, impressed whistle. "Nice shot!"

The surly mare ignored the compliment, and simply nodded toward the door. "Aye, and you'll have the chance ta see it again first hand if ya aren't out of ma tavern before I find another one! Now git!"

Lore grabbed Lucky and pulled him close, whispering urgently in his ear. "Come on! Let's get out of here before he shakes it off!" Dragging his friend toward the door, Lore smiled sheepishly at the mare behind the bar. "Thank you, ma'am. Sorry for all the trouble." This time the mare didn't even answer them. She simply snorted and went about cleaning up the bar as the two friends finally made it to the door and stumbled outside.

Stopping at the bottom of the porch, Lucky stretched and let out a relieved sigh. "Well that was fun! I honestly thought it was going to be harder though." Throwing an arm around Lore, he leaned against his friend good-naturedly, exulting in their escape. "I mean, come on! He only brought two other stallions! I suppose that's fine if you're certain there will only be one pony, but you're a unicorn, and there was no guarantee you would come alone. I would have brought at least four, just in case..." Lucky suddenly trailed off as they both noticed two large, pony-shaped shadows break away from the edge of town in the distance and start slinking straight towards them.

Lore turned to regard Lucky Roll with an utterly deadpan expression. "... I hate you." He shrugged off Lucky's arm and gave the stallion a punch in the shoulder for good measure as he angrily whispered to him. "Why do you always have to open your mouth!"

They stood at the bottom of the porch as they tried to think of a way out. It would be pointless to run of course. They would only be chased down, or worse, they might lead them right back to the house. They had to slip by the two ponies, or at least incapacitate them, but how? As they tried to think of a plan, the shadowy shapes crept closer. Then, out of the silent night, a hushed conversation drifted to them on a gentle breeze.

"That must be him. But where's the boss? And who's that other one? How should I know?! The boss said to grab anyone who came out before him. He isn't out, so we grab them. Now shut up before they hear us. I'll take the one on the left. All right, all right, jeez... You don't have to be so rude about it."

Realizing the approaching ponies had yet to notice they'd been spotted, a plan began to form in Lore's mind. It would have to be quick though, they only had a minute at most before the sneaking shapes finally reached them. Staying as quiet and still as he possibly could, Lore nudged Lucky to get his attention. "I think I have a plan. Did you bring any rope?"

"Of course I did. It's in the pack on my right side... somewhere." Lucky said, his eyes never leaving the two moving shadows.

"Good. Here's what we do. You distract them, try to slow them down if you can. That should buy me just enough time to find the rope and tie them up with my magic."

Their two would-be assailants were almost upon them. It was now or never. Lucky nodded slightly to Lore and slowly slipped a hoof into his left pack, taking hold of a little bag near the top. "Okay. We go on three... One..." Lucky loosened the drawstrings on the bag he was holding as Lore carefully lifted the flap on his right pack.

More hushed conversation drifted to them out of the night. "What are they doing? It doesn't matter, just shut up and keep going! We almost have 'em."

"Two..." Lore and Lucky shifted their stance slightly, angling toward their attackers as they readied themselves.

The two shapes in the dark moved closer. "You know... I'd swear they wer-Shut up you idiot!"

"Three!" Lore Seeker's horn lit up with his magic, giving off a soft green light as he dove into the right pack and started frantically searching for the rope. At the same time, Lucky Roll yanked the pouch from his left pack and swung it in an arc before him. The contents scattered over the ground between the two groups, bouncing and rolling away until they became lost in the dark. Cupping a hoof to his mouth, Lucky took a deep breath and called out to the advancing ponies. "You know, this is by far, the worst ambush I have ever seen! You two morons are about as stealthy as a clan of rampaging dragons! I mean, my gods, are you both just inept or were you actually trying to wake the dead?! I'd rather go back inside and face your boss again than stand here waiting around for you two chuckleheads to 'sneak' up on us!"

The pair of advancing ponies stopped in their tracks and simply stared at Lucky in wide-eyed astonishment. Lucky's sudden outburst had caught them both completely off guard, and it took them several long moments to return to their senses. "They know we're here... What do we do now? Now? Now we drop all this sneaking around bullshit! You grab the doctor while I beat that loudmouth into a bloody pulp. No fair! Why do you always get to do the fun stuff?! Because unlike you, I have a brain! Now MOVE!" The two figures sprang forward in a gallop, charging straight at Lore and Lucky.

"I'd say you have another ten seconds there buddy, fifteen tops. Now would be a great time to do whatever it is you're going to do," Lucky said as he looked back at Lore, still digging through the pack.

"I would if I could find the damn rope! Why do you have so much junk in here?!" Lore growled back.

"It's not junk! I came prepared! It's all useful stuff!" Lucky said indignantly.

Two startled cries of pain, not a dozen feet away, suddenly halted their conversation. The pair quickly glanced in the direction of the sounds and were greeted to a very unusual sight. The still shadowy forms of their two would-be assailants were slipping and falling all over the place as they hopped from one hoof to another, cursing in pain.

Lore raised an eyebrow questioningly at Lucky. "Threw your bag of dice?"

"Of course," Lucky said dismissively.

"They step on a d4?"

"Probably," Lucky replied with a shrug.

"Nicely done."

Lucky bowed his head with a flourish in a gesture of false modesty, grinning all the while. "Why thank you."

With that, the pair promptly returned to ignoring their assailants. Lore stuck his head back into the pack as they picked up their previous conversation right where they had left off.

Lore snorted as he found yet another piece of junk in the bag. He used his magic to hold a lighter up in front of Lucky as he kept on searching. "What possible use could we have had for a lighter in this situation?! Were you planning on burning down the building?!"

"Well... maybe... but only if it was necessary!"

Lore scoffed and held up a large hoof file next. "And I suppose this is here so we could break out of jail after being arrested for the arson?"

Lucky rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Well duuuuh!"

The two attacking ponies had quickly realized what was going on and had been carefully picking their way toward Lore and Lucky as they conversed. They were almost clear of the improvised minefield now, and the two friends had only seconds left before they would be forced to defend themselves. Yet the pair simply kept right on talking as if the imminent threat didn't exist at all.

Lore shook his head as he reached a hoof deep into the pack. "You're an idiot."

"Debatable, but either way, I'm your idiot~" Lucky replied with a grin.

Before Lore could respond, his hoof brushed against something familiar at the bottom of the pack. With a shout, he pulled a coil of rope out of the pack and held it up triumphantly. "About freaking time! And of course it was at the very bottom." Grabbing the rope with his magic, he quickly uncoiled it and sent it flying toward the two startled earth ponies, now only steps away. 

The rope shot forward and coiled around the bodies of their two attackers. With a quick tug, it pulled them towards each other and knocked their heads together with a sharp crack. The two ponies instantly went limp from the blow. A few seconds later the rope had tightly wrapped around them both and tied itself into a secure knot. 

With a satisfied nod at the now unconscious pair, Lore let out a relieved sigh. "Well, I'm glad that's over."

"At least it was exciting!" Lucky said cheerily.

Throwing an arm around his companion's shoulders, Lore gave him a squeeze and chuckled. "That it was. We got the map, and we aren't dead. That's a win in my book!"

The two friends were just stepping away from the porch, when a faint creak brought Lore up short. Normally he wouldn't have given the small sound a second thought, but there was just something about it. It tickled at the back of his brain, and he just couldn't let it go. Something about it just seemed so... familiar! How could he have been so stupid! "Look out!" Lore cried as he shoved Lucky away from him with all the force he could manage... but it was too late. The knife came down, and Lucky cried out in pain. Lore let out a horrified yell that ripped through the silence as he watched his best friend fall to the ground. "LUCKY!"

The dark teal earth pony's lip curled in a sneer as he stepped toward Lucky, gripping the knife in his hoof. "You two think you can just run off? After all the trouble you caused me tonight?! Fat chance!" Blood dripped from the knife as he raised it to strike again.

"No!" There was no time for magic, no time for thought, only reflex. "Leave him alone!" Acting on pure instinct and adrenaline, Lore gathered his back legs and struck out blindly with everything he had. Miraculously, the full force buck connected squarely with the cloaked pony's jaw. The earth pony's head snapped back and his eyes rolled up as the blow knocked him out cold and sent him sprawling onto his back. Lore turned around and stared in disbelief at the cloaked pony on the ground. He wasn't naturally a violent pony. In fact, he had never struck someone before this very moment. Granted, he hadn't done it consciously, but he had still done it. 

Overcoming his momentary shock, Lore quickly kicked the knife away from the unconscious pony and dashed to his friend's side. His heart wrenched as he saw Lucky's right leg. Blood completely obscured Lucky's cutie mark, matting his coat and dyeing it crimson as it ran down his leg. "Lucky, oh gods! What do I do?" Frantically, Lore started searching through their packs, looking for anything he could use as a makeshift bandage. "Hold on, Lucky. I'll fix you up and then we'll get you home. You're going to be fine." After a minute of searching, Lore threw down the pack in annoyance and quickly grabbed the other one as he muttered to himself. "Of course the one thing he doesn't pack is bandages! Why would we ever need those?! Not like we were walking straight into danger or something! Oh no, just out for a little nighttime stroll! I swear, this is the last time I let him pack!"

"Well next time, remember to pack some painkillers too, because this hurts a lot!" Lucky said suddenly.

Lore whirled on his friend and whacked him smartly on the arm. "You asshole! Why didn't you say something sooner! I thought you were seriously hurt!"

Lucky threw his arms up defensively and winced. "Ow! Hey, watch it! I am seriously hurt! This is no way to treat an injured pony!"

"Apparently not injured enough to keep you from being a smart ass." Grumbled Lore as he levitated the cloak off their unconscious assailant. Setting it down beside him, he quickly tore it into strips for bandages and started cleaning the blood off Lucky's leg.

As the blood was finally cleared away, the actual wound was revealed. Because of Lore's quick reaction, the knife had missed its intended mark, and the damage wasn't nearly as bad as they had both believed. The cut was about a quarter-inch deep and straight as an arrow. It ran down the entire length of Lucky's cutie mark from top to bottom, perfectly splitting the dice and the '20' in half, with the '2' on one side, and the '0' on the other. 

The pair stared at the cut wordlessly for a long moment before Lore finally broke the silence. "That is just..."

"Awesome?" suggested Lucky.

"I was going to say eerie," replied Lore as he carefully looked the wound over.

Lucky winced as his friend inspected the cut. "Hey, easy! It hurts enough already without you poking it!"

Lore rolled his eyes and proceeded to dress the wound as best he could. "Quit your complaining. It's your own fault for not bringing any medicine. Maybe a little pain will teach you to pack things that would actually be useful for the situation, instead of filling your bag with junk."

Lucky's response turned into a groan of pain as Lore tightly tied the bandages in place. "Okay, okay, I see your point! I'll bring a med kit next time, alright?! Now stop trying to kill me!" 

Getting to his hooves, Lore helped Lucky up and steadied his friend against him as he used his magic to collect Lucky's dice. "Come on, you big baby. We need to get out of here. The cut wasn't too bad, so you should still be able to walk. I'll help you, just lean against me and let's go before those other two you knocked out decide to wake up." That was all the encouragement Lucky needed. He threw an arm around Lore and the two friends turned toward town. 

Before they had even taken their third step however, Lucky stopped and turned around. Letting go of Lore, he limped as quickly as he could over to the unconscious earth pony and started rifling through his pockets. Chuckling evilly, he hobbled back to Lore and gave him a big grin as he held up two bags. 

The larger one was clearly the sack of bits that Lore had given to the cloaked earth pony earlier. As for the smaller one, Lore was almost certain it was the assailant's wallet. Lore took the large bag of bits and quickly put it away before giving Lucky an accusatory look. "Lucky, we aren't thieves. Put his wallet back."

Scoffing, Lucky opened his bag and promptly dropped the wallet inside. "Like hell I'm giving it back! He owes me! This is compensation for my pain and suffering! I have a very delicate psyche you know. Who can say how much counseling I'll need to get over this! I might be scarred for life!"

Lore just shook his head and put Lucky's foreleg around him. "Tell you what, you can keep it on one condition. You never, and I mean never, seek counseling." Lore shivered slightly at the mere thought. "I wouldn't wish that job on my worst enemy."

"Deal!" Lucky said with a chuckle as the two friends turned toward town and began hobbling home in a companionable silence.

About half way home, Lore Seeker suddenly paused and glanced at Lucky Roll curiously. "So how did you get onto the mezzanine anyway?"

"Easy. Climbed the tree, hopped onto the roof, dropped onto the second floor balcony, found an unlocked door, slipped through a sleeping guest's room, and snuck down the hallway," Lucky rapidly stated, as if it was the most obvious and inconsequential thing in the world.

"Oh... Then what took you so long?"
> Ch 3: Journey to Nowhere
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as he and Lucky had returned from the tavern, Lore had set about deciphering and memorizing the map with a passion. He devoted every moment he could to unlocking its secrets. So engrossed was he in his frenzied study that he often forgot food and sleep entirely. After a few days, the image of the map had been burned into his mind so thoroughly, that he could see it clear as day every time he closed his eyes. 

Yet the map wasn't alone in his mind's eye. The knife was always right beside it, glinting in some unseen light as it haunted his dreams. He had almost lost his best friend that night at the tavern, and thinking about their narrow escape still sent a cold shiver through him. If he had been a second slower, that knife might have hit Lucky's spine and paralyzed his friend for life, or worse. Lore did his best not to dwell on the possibilities. In truth, the incident at the tavern had been nearly a month ago now, yet sometimes he still woke at night, fleeing visions of that bloody knife dancing in his head.

Nightmares did not plague Lore this night, however. Tonight, that honor belonged to anticipation. Three large candles sat atop the desk, their flickering light holding back the darkness of night as Lore pored over the ancient map for what seemed like the thousandth time. Strictly speaking, further study of the map wasn't necessary, but simply knowing what tomorrow held made Lore far too excited to sleep, and studying the map put his mind at ease. He handled the worn parchment with the utmost delicacy as his eyes flitted over its contents. The depicted landmarks and geography aligned almost perfectly with that of Equestria, and Lore felt certain his theory was correct. Equestria was the 'non-existent land' that the zebras had spoken of. This map had to be of Equestria, it was the only possible conclusion the evidence would allow. This put their mystery destination somewhere to the northwest, hidden in the vast area of uninhabited land that stretched between Canterlot and the frozen north. 

The map would get them close, of that he had no doubt, but Lore felt certain the real key to finding the city was in the flowing script that ran along the edge of the scroll. A bolt of excitement shot through him as he ran a hoof along the strange words, remembering the wonderful puzzle they had presented him. The writing didn't match any known language he had ever come across. It didn't even seem to be derived from any known language at all! In fact, the only clues he had been able to find were some vague similarities between the unknown script and the first three known languages of ponykind. Each had born a faint trace of the mysterious script, yet each one was similar in a different way and showed no connections to the rest. A lesser pony might have given up at that point, but Lore was nothing if not clever and determined, a most potent combination. Seen separately, these similarities weren't enough to suggest which language could have spawned the strange script. In fact, the similarities appeared as nothing more than coincidence, certainly not enough evidence to decipher anything, but when viewed together they suggested something completely different. 

Throwing accepted history right out the window, Lore had flipped the problem around and looked at it from the other side. What if this strange script hadn't come from these ancient pony languages, but instead, was the source of those languages? That had been the key to the whole puzzle. Once he had shifted his thinking, the rest fell into place. Using all three languages together, he had been able to work backwards and piece together a rough translation of the text on the map. He smiled to himself as he remembered the moment seven days ago when he had finally cracked it. The translation was by no means perfect, but Lore was confident in his results.

A low chuckle brought Lore out of his contemplation and he turned around to find Lucky standing behind him with a sly grin on his face. "What?" he said, perplexed.

Lucky held in a laugh as he gestured to the map that Lore was still unconsciously running his hoof over. "Should I leave you two alone?"

Removing his hoof from the map, Lore rolled his eyes and sighed. If there had been any doubts as to whether or not Lucky had fully recovered from his injury, they were gone now. His friend was definitely back to his old self again. "Yes, yes you should leave 'us' alone. And since you are feeling so much better, you should go check the packs as well..." Lore's words began to trail off slightly as his gaze shifted to the scar over Lucky's cutie mark. Despite his friend's full recovery, his eyes were still inexplicably drawn to the injury on occasion. The surgical precision of the scar unnerved him for some reason. The way it only touched the cutie mark, cleanly splitting the number twenty and perfectly bisecting the die; it seemed almost unnatural to him, and it sent a small tingle up his spine every time he saw it. The feeling lasted only a moment before disappearing as swiftly as it had come. Ordering his thoughts, he quickly recovered and moved on before his slight lapse could be noticed. "We leave in a few hours and I want to make sure we haven't forgotten anything."

Rolling his eyes right back at Lore, Lucky let out an exasperated sigh and headed toward the stairs. "Right, because I obviously wouldn't have noticed if anything was missing the other fifty times you've had me check those same packs in the last week."

"Please, Lucky? I just want to make sure nothing goes wrong..." Lore's eyes flicked back to Lucky's scar for an instant as he whispered to himself "... this time." Those last two words held a weight all their own, sounding more like a promise than a simple continuation of thought.

Lucky hadn't heard Lore's last words and didn't bother to break his gait, simply waving a hoof behind him as he headed down the stairs. "Fine, but this is the last time." Just as his head was dropping out of site, Lucky called back to Lore again. "You two crazy kids make sure to use protection now, you hear me?"

All the guilt and concern Lore had been feeling for Lucky suddenly dimmed as his friend's old teasing self shone through. He smacked a hoof to his face and groaned, already feeling his excited energy leaving him, "Why did it have to be the flank? Why couldn't it have been his tongue! I might have gotten some peace then!" He felt a little guilty saying it, but it also felt good to pretend the tavern had never happened, at least for a moment. Surprisingly enough, Lore found his nerves calmed by the complete normality of the brief exchange. The knot of tension in his stomach had melted away, and he found himself suddenly craving the bed he had been neglecting. After carefully packing the map away, he finally gave in and crawled between the sheets. He began to wonder if this had been Lucky's true purpose in coming upstairs, but sleep claimed the weary stallion before he could give the matter any more thought.

The rest of the night passed in uneventful silence, and the first rays of the sun saw the pair depart their home loaded with packs. Their final destination lay far to the north, and before their journey could really begin they needed to reach their true departure point, and that meant taking the train. They arrived at the station early and took the first train of the day several hours north to Canterlot. Rather than exiting the train in Canterlot proper, the pair disembarked at the foot of the mountain instead. After all, there was no reason to climb back down the mountain if they didn't have too. 

Stepping out onto the platform, the pair took in a deep breath and stretched, loosening stiff muscles and readjusting packs as the train took off again. They both moved jauntily to the north edge of the deserted platform but came to an abrupt stop at the top of the stairs, their momentary cheerfulness forgotten. Staring out into the vast tracts of empty grassland, the enormity of what they were about to do finally hit them, and it was daunting to say the least.

They stared wordlessly out at the flat horizon, and it was several long moments before even Lucky could break the silence. "That's an awful lot of... nothing."

Lore didn't even blink at the statement. Still a bit overwhelmed by the full weight of their task, he was only able to manage a simple "Yep."

"And we're just going to follow your ancient map out into the middle of nowhere here and pray it's the right place?" Lucky asked.

"Yep."

"You know we're probably going to get lost out there." Lucky said flatly.

"Probably." Lore replied.

"But you're going to go anyway, aren't you."

"Yep."

Lucky finally looked away from the horizon, turning his gaze to Lore. "Are you sure about all this?"

"Not even a little." Lore answered with complete seriousness. And with that, he stepped down off the platform, and finally began their journey into nowhere.

Lucky, however, remained on the platform, still debating the wisdom of this decision as he watched his friend walk out into the empty land. Lore was almost out of earshot when Lucky finally started trotting after him, calling out as he drew closer. "I want a raise!"

Lore didn't bother to stop as he called right back to Lucky. "Not going to happen."

With a metaphorical shrug, Lucky resigned himself and quickened his pace, catching up with Lore and falling in beside him.


* * *


The first day saw Cloudsdale pass by far to their left, while the dawning of the second day saw it disappear behind the horizon. By the third day the pair had become completely lost, their compass reduced to nothing more than a paperweight as the needle spun endlessly, refusing to guide them. Though neither admitted their predicament or were even overly conscious of it, they both knew deep down that they were simply wandering now. 

It felt like being in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight, such was the disorientation. An ocean of rolling grasses and only the sunrise and sunset to tell general direction, for neither of them were versed in navigating by the stars. The best they could hope for at this point was to stumble upon the small isolated forest which the map had indicated was their goal. The chances of that however, were about the same as wandering into a thriving town out here - i.e. not very likely. They still had hope though, and continued to trudge as straight north as they could; Lore trusting that they would find the lost city of Taurelond eventually, and Lucky trusting that Lore would find them a way back eventually.

Four days later, Lucky was past beginning to think the entire trip was a waste of time. They hadn't seen another living creature since they left, and nothing more than a large rock had broken the endless expanse of swaying grasses in nearly three days. That rock had been such a welcome reprieve from the sameness of their surroundings that Lucky had actually run up and hugged the pony-sized boulder. Whether it had been sincere or part of a joke wasn't clear even to himself, but either way the rock was far distant by now and the answer mattered not. The landscape was once more as it had always been, flat and empty.

As Lucky looked out over the swaying grasses in the noonday sun, his stomach gave a lurch. Looking down in surprise, he frowned at his belly. Was all this gently rolling land and swaying grass actually making him seasick?! That just wasn't fair in his opinion, and it left him in a decidedly bad mood.

Seeing that Lucky had stopped, Lore came to a halt and turned back to his friend. "You okay, Lucky?" He said with concern.

Lucky looked up at him, still frowning, and decided that no, he was /not/ okay. "You know, I'm really starting to hate this whole trip. Bad enough that we've been wandering around lost out here for days, but now I think all the swaying grass is actually starting to make me seasick!"

Lore opened his pack and tossed Lucky a nausea pill with his magic. "We aren't lost, Lucky. We just need to go a little farther. We're close, I can feel it." He pointed north into the distance, toward a gentle rise. "Look, I can see a sort of 'bump' in the horizon there. Maybe it's what we're looking for."

Quickly swallowing the pill, Lucky headed off toward the rise. "About time, I was beginning to think we had wandered into the *Fields of Asphodel! The sooner we find this place, the sooner we can go home."

As the hopeful duo drew closer their hearts sank. Lore's 'bump' turned out to be nothing more than another rock. Lucky sank down onto the ground dejectedly and sighed. "Well that settles it, we're definitely lost."

Lore rolled his eyes and nudged Lucky's leg. "Oh come on. So it's just another rock, that doesn't mean we're lost."

Lucky didn't answer him, simply pointing a hoof toward some scratches at the base of the rock.

"What is it?" Lore said curiously as he peered down. The scratches coalesced into letters, and Lore moved a little closer, squinting his eyes and tilting his head slightly to get a better angle. "Let's see... 'Lucky was here'..." There was a long pause before Lore spoke again, his words coming forth grudgingly "Well then... I guess we really are lost... well... fudge." Despite the singular innocence of the word, it certainly seemed to sum up the feeling of the situation nicely. 

Lore was about to look away when he realized that there was a lot more than just three words scratched onto the rock. "Jeez, what did you do, write a novel on here?... 'P.S. I have named this rock Jeffrey, king of the grasslands'..." Lore knew he should have stopped then but another line below it caught his attention "'P.P.S. I told you we were lost Lore'..." That last line was just too much for him. He knew Lucky would never let this one go, if for no other reason than the insane odds that were against it working in the first place. Rather than lift his head and face Lucky's undoubtedly grinning face, he closed his eyes and began to lightly bang his head again the rock. Part of him silently vowed to get Lucky back for this one, while another part couldn't help but grudgingly respect his friend's jest and grin along with him. He decided to ignore both parts however, and instead used his magic to toss the map toward Lucky. "Alright then, smartass, you lead the way and we'll see just how well you do."

Catching it deftly, Lucky gave his friend a little bow. "I thought you'd never ask!" His mood was much improved now that Lore had found his little message, and after unfurling the map and looking it over briefly, Lucky nodded to himself and struck out in a northwesterly direction. "Come Jeffrey, it's time to be off! And bring your sidekick as well. We can always use another strong back to carry the luggage."

Groaning in exasperation, Lore laboriously trailed after Lucky. He had a feeling the days were going to become tediously long, at least until Lucky found something else to latch onto, that is.

Lore's feeling turned out to be correct, though not because of Lucky's attitude. Though Lucky did continue to rib his friend good-naturedly, a solid week of endlessly walking the grasslands had simply begun to take its toll on the pair. In the days that followed, each hour dragged on longer than the last, and a fatigue that no amount of food or rest could relieve seemed to creep over them. It was as if the weariness were slowly seeping into their very bones with every step they took, and not even the deep dreamless sleep they fell into every night could banish it. This led to increasingly sour moods all around and the pair soon began to walk in silence, having neither the energy nor temperament for their usual idle banter.

They carried on that way for three full days without change, accompanied only by the sounds of the wind over the tall grass. They might have continued on in that manner for a good deal longer, but the two wayward travelers had come to a grim realization that morning, and it lay upon them like a heavy lead cloak fastened too tight around the neck. It had been ten days now since their journey began and their supplies were dwindling. The growling of their bellies soon joined the wind as they began to ration their remaining food. At most they had another four days before their supplies ran out; eight days if they continued to ration the food carefully. After that they would have to live off the land. While it's true they could graze on the tough, reedy grasses around them if they had to, the pitiful nutrition they provided would not sustain them for any extended period of time. 

Despite their food problem, they had an even more pressing concern, namely water. Rationing it as they were, they had another four, maybe five days before their water was gone, but even now they were already starting to feel the nagging thirst build inside them. If they didn't find more water in time, they would be finished. After three days of no water, they would be too weak to ever make it out of this place without a clear path and considerable help, and by day six they would be dead. That was the worst case scenario though, for now at least they still had time, but the gap between scenario and reality was steadily closing in on them. 

Spirits were at an all-time low and hope was in short supply as they went into their eleventh day with nothing to show for it. On the twelfth day they tried to abandon their search and head south, but even the sun seemed to have turned against them. No matter what they tried they could not get their bearings. Some ponies might have become panicked or disheartened, but the looming threat of their deteriorating situation only served to harden the two friends' resolve. They continued to press on through the silence as best they could, determined not to give up without a fight. Their stomachs had stopped growling by now, making it quieter than ever before. At another time this might have been unusual, but the knowledge of an impending slow death by exposure tends to have that effect on a pony's appetite. Yet they managed to stave off despair throughout the day, telling themselves that today would be the day they found the key to their salvation, be it water, Canterlot, or Taurelond. As night began to fall however, their determination and resolve began to drain away as the duo's wanderings once again found them in front of a suspiciously familiar rock.

Lucky didn't need to see the scratched words near the bottom to know it was the same rock. The way their luck had been going, it couldn't be anything else. The map slipped from his hooves and drifted down to lay against the base of the rock. If his body had had an ounce of moisture to spare he might have cried then, but as it was, he simply sank to the ground in defeat.

The last vestiges of Lore's will to continue flowed out of him as Lucky slumped to the ground, confirming what he had already suspected to be true. An even greater weariness swept over him then, and with leaden hooves, he made his way over to Lucky in the rapidly fading light. "Hey there, Jeffrey," he said with a defeated sigh and not a hint of sarcasm or amusement to be found. "Hope you don't mind having some company for the night." He patted the rock absently and slumped down against it as he joined Lucky.

"Hey Lore?" Lucky said as he turned to look at his friend.

"Yeah, what is it?" Lore replied as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the rock.

Lucky rolled onto his back and looked up at the darkening sky. "I don't think we're ever going to find Taurelond... or a way out of here for that matter."

A heavy silence stretched on for what seemed like eternity before Lore finally opened his eyes and answered him. "... you might be right." He said, his voice little more than a murmur, as if he feared hearing the words himself. He didn't need to hear them in order to know them though, as the voice in his mind cried out far too loudly to be ignored. Lore had done it again; he had failed yet again. They would never find Taurelond. Not because the map was wrong or it didn't exist; he was certain it did, but because he couldn't get them there. Worse, he couldn't seem to even get them out of this place. They would just continue to wander aimlessly until they finally collapsed. To Lore, that was the worst part of all. Not the failure to find the city or find their way, but the failure to his friend. Lucky had gone to the tavern because of him. Lucky had saved him, and he had nearly gotten him killed not ten minutes later as thanks. He had promised himself never to let his friend be put in harm's way because of him again. He had told himself they were prepared. He had promised himself that he wouldn't let anything go wrong this time... and yet, here they were. He had failed, again. He had let his friend down, let himself down. Lucky had come because Lore had been certain they would find the ruins. Now Lucky was going to die out here and it was all his fault; not Lucky's, his. He had killed his best friend.

They stayed silent for a time, too tired to talk and too depressed to want to. They watched as the sun finally disappeared below the horizon and the night sky began to unfold before them. The stars bloomed in the darkness and ran across the sky like diamonds spilled across black velvet, and in their very heart, shining bright and full, was the moon. It rose in their midst, pale and perfect as it shone down upon the lost travelers, indifferent to their fate.

"I guess there are worse ways to go," Lucky mused somberly. "At least it's peaceful out here." 

Whether or not Lucky had actually been speaking to him, Lore didn't know, but he remained silent all the same. Lucky didn't seem bothered by his silence though, and it was only a few minutes before he was talking again in that same dull tone.

"You know, you never told me what it said... the map, I mean. All that stuff along the edges that you were trying to translate, you never told me what you came up with."

Lore sighed with the weariness born of pain and guilt and closed his eyes as he began to recite his translation. The one he had counted on to find Taurelond, the one he wasn't even sure was right, the one he had never been able to understand. "Friends of pure heart, we bid welcome. Those of noble purpose, we bid enter. Go with 'estela' into the sea of land. Walk not upon it with doubt in your mind. Greet the 'heru' of the plains as the sun dies, and give unto his care your guide. When 'arvandor's eye opens wide to the world, his light will guide the way."

Lucky lifted his head slightly to stare over at Lore in disbelief and confusion, "That's it? That's the big clue?! That's how we were supposed to find Taurelond?!"

"Yep, that's it." Lore intoned.

Lucky flopped back in a huff of righteous indignation and continued to berate the universe. "That isn't a clue! Clues are supposed to be vague, and rhyme! That thing is about as clear as mud! Poorly rhyming mud at that! I demand a new clue! One that rhymes properly!"

"Translated text doesn't rhyme, Lucky. The syllable structure and pronunciation from one language to another is just too different to allow it." Lore said flatly.

Lucky was too busy venting his frustration and anger at the world to listen though. "And who the hay are Estela and Arvandor anyway!? We haven't seen another pony since we left the train station! This entire thing is rigged! Rigged I tell you!"

Sighing, Lore shifted against the rock before answering, already beginning to sink slowly into a defeated sleep. "They aren't ponies, Lucky... at least I don't think they are. Some of the words I just couldn't translate. I told you it isn't perfect. I was hoping it would become a little more clear once we actually got here."

Lucky still wasn't really listening, but he was apparently done ranting now and had settled into an angry sulk. After a few minutes of grumbling and muttering unintelligibly he finally spoke up again. "Lore."

"Yeah?" Lore grunted sleepily.

"I hate your map... and I hate this trip... and I'm sick of all this grass."  Lucky said grumpily, starting and stopping as new annoyances came to him.

With a yawn, Lore adjusted his head and mumbled back to his friend, "I know you do, Lucky."

After another minute of silence Lucky spoke up again. "Hey Lore?"

Lore didn't even bother to form coherent words this time and simply grunted.

"I still want a raise." Lucky said.

Lore roused himself enough to use actual words this time. "And it's still not going to happen. Now go to sleep, Lucky."

"Fine." Lucky closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, doing his best to get what little sleep he could. Sleep, however, had other plans, and was proving to be very elusive. Not only was the ground uncomfortable, but the continuous gentle breeze was making him cold. As if that wasn't enough, there was also an annoyingly bright glow landing right on his closed eye and it was driving him crazy. After trying to ignore it for a solid twenty minutes Lucky simply couldn't take it anymore. He opened his eyes to find the source of the irritation, which didn't actually take very long since it was sitting about six inches away from his face. "... Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"
> Ch 4: Losing Lucky
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucky had been expecting the source of the glow to be some form of natural annoyance. Something like a firefly, or perhaps a bit of bioluminescent lichen, maybe even the shine of the full moon itself. What he had most definitely not been expecting however, was the sight which now greeted him. Laying against the rock, not even a foot away, was the map he had let slip from his grasp earlier. At least he assumed it was the same map, but their map certainly hadn't been glowing an hour ago. On the compass rose in the top left corner, one of the ornate directional arrows was emitting a steady bright glow. So bright in fact, that he could actually see the entire map clearly even though full night was upon them.

Quickly getting to his hooves, Lucky stared down at the map incredulously for a long moment before finally throwing his hooves up in disgust and shouting, "Really?! Now!? You decide to do this now!? Why couldn't you have done this a week ago!?"

The tenuous grip on sleep that Lore had finally achieved was broken as the noise brought him back to reality. "Lucky, for the love of Luna, just shut up and go to sleep. I'm tired enough as it is, and I don't need you keeping me up all night," he muttered groggily.

"It's not my fault!" Lucky spluttered, "It's your stupid map! It's apparently decided that now is a good time to start glowing of all things!"

"What the hay are you on about now?" Lore sighed as he turned his head toward Lucky and forced his heavy lids open. Sleep rapidly fled him as the full weight of the scene sunk slowly through the fog on his mind. It reignited the dying embers of hope deep inside him. In moments he was wide awake and staring at the map curiously. "Well... that's certainly new."

Lucky rolled his eyes in exasperation at the obvious comment. His annoyance with the map was combining with his lack of sleep to worsen his already sour mood. "Thank you for that insightful observation, Sherclop. Do you have any more deductions to share, or are you done astounding us with your brilliance?"

"Actually, Trotson, I do. So if you listen quietly you might actually learn something." Lore countered smartly. The more he had looked at the scene, the more everything had started to make sense. All the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place for him. Shifting his gaze from the map, Lore got to his hooves and began to circle the rock, inspecting it closely as he reasoned aloud. "From the evidence, it is apparent that more than just simple preservative spells were placed upon the map." He saw Lucky about to interject and raised a hoof to neatly silence him. "Please hold all questions and comments until the end. Thank you."

Biting back a retort, Lucky scowled at his friend and settled in for what he was sure would be another of Lore's lectures. He wasn't wrong.

Lore turned his attention back to the rock and cleared his throat before continuing. "Now the map certainly wasn't glowing yesterday, so the question is, why are the spells activating now?  What has changed between last night and now?"

Lucky remained silent to the rhetorical questions and simply waited for Lore to continue. He knew better than to try speaking out now. Ever since Lore had been a guest professor at Pranceton for a semester, he would get this way when he was 'teaching'. Once his friend entered 'lecture mode', little short of a rampaging chimera could stop him, and even then Lucky wouldn't be so quick to bet on the chimera. Lore was about as likely to reprimand the thing and send it back to its seat as anything else.

Just as Lucky had predicted, Lore moved right on, answering his own question. "The answer is actually quite obvious." He placed a hoof against the rock and patted it to indicate the direction of his thoughts. "Since the landscape around here is identical in all other regards, the only possible answer is Jeffrey here. However, I believe that is only one piece of the puzzle. We've been here before, several times in fact, and yet the map never reacted until now. This leads me to believe there must have been additional factors to triggering the spell."

Lucky had never been one for long lectures or big speeches. He preferred to keep things short and simple, with the exception of elaborate pranks and jests of course. But now, as Lucky was forced to listen to Lore drone on, he could practically feel his eyes glazing over as his former irritation slowly turned into boredom and weariness.

Heedless of his disinterested audience, Lore continued to expound upon his conclusions. "The most likely of which, in my opinion, would be the moon. When we were last here, the moon wasn't full as it is now." He gestured up to the night sky to emphasize his point as he spoke. "If my assumption is correct, then I believe the 'Arvandor's eye' from our clue, is in fact, the moon. If this is true, then I suspect Jeffrey here is the 'heru of the plains'." Lore ran his hoof over the rock slowly as he scrutinized it. "The evidence seems to agree with me. For one, the shape is more uniform than you would normally find in nature. And you see here, Jeffrey has been weathered unevenly. The top face is much rougher than the sides, indicating that it has been exposed to the elements for a shorter period of time. If you look down toward the bottom, where the damage is the lightest, you can faintly make out the weathered remains of what might have been carved ornamentation at one point."

Lucky's head dipped down slightly as if to observe the proffered evidence, but in reality the lecture was starting to make him fall asleep. All he could seem to think about now was curling up against the rock and finding the sleep that had so eluded him tonight.

"I believe our friend Jeffrey here used to be a statue or pedestal in the distant past. Most likely he broke at some point, leading to the uneven weathering," Lore stated as he gave the boulder a satisfied pat. "Possibly it was given its own spells, or perhaps the rock itself has some special properties. Whatever the case may be, I believe contact with Jeffrey caused the spell on the map to become primed, allowing the light of the full moon to trigger it." Lore picked up the map and spread it fully atop the boulder where he could study the glowing arrow more easily. "Now it seems that light will guide the way, just as the clue said." He stated with a light tap on the compass rose.

"We've inadvertently solved the puzzle it seems." Lore said with a smile.  "It's about time we had some good luck. I'd say we were overdue, wouldn't you?" Lore chuckled lightly at the obvious understatement as he turned back to celebrate with Lucky, only to find his assistant practically comatose. With a glare, he gave Lucky's hoof an irritated kick. "Have you heard a single word I've said?!"

Lucky looked up at him slowly and blinked away the fog that had begun to settle over his mind. He did his best to stifle a yawn as he summarized the lecture, but was only marginally successful. "I think so. You finally figured out the clue, Jeffrey is more than just an ordinary rock, and he fixed your map with his special powers. In short, Jeffrey is awesome. Now can we finally go to sleep?"

"Sleep?! What do you mean sleep?! We can't sleep now!" Lore said fervently. "We have to follow the map while we can! What if the spell dissipates in the morning?! If we don't follow it now, we may never get another chance!"

Born from his overwhelming desire to sleep, and subsequently not go wandering around in the dark, Lucky had a rare moment of calm logical thought, untouched by his usual wit and sarcasm. "Look Lore, it's late. I'm tired, you're tired. How far would we really get in our state? What if we got stuck out there again? I think we should get some sleep while we can. It's only the first night of the full moon anyway, so we still have two more days before it's gone. If we wake up and the spell is still active, we'll follow it. If not, we'll get some more rest and set out once it activates again."

Lore was dumbstruck. In all the time he had known Lucky, this bizarre phenomenon had occurred perhaps a dozen times at most. To him, it was like watching a miracle unfold. Stranger still, Lucky had ultimately been proven right in each case, leaving Lore with a wary respect for these unusual occurrences. With that in mind, Lore took a calming breath and considered their situation anew.  As much as he hated to admit it, Lucky was making more sense than he was at the moment. They had no real idea how the spell worked or what it actually did. Following the map blindly now was as likely to get them killed as not. After a few moments of quiet thought, Lore sighed and reluctantly gave in. "It makes sense. Even if I don't particularly like the idea, it does seem to be our safest course of action at the moment."

"Great! I'll see you in the morning then." Lore announced as he rolled onto his side. "Oh, and turn out the map before you go to bed would you?" He added as an afterthought before drifting off to pursue the sleep he so desired.

Sleep proved more elusive for Lore however. He lay on his back and stared at the stars as he tried to calm his racing mind, but his efforts proved futile in the end. Thoughts of the map and their quest consumed him as only his scholarly pursuits could. Many restless hours passed before exhaustion finally claimed him and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


* * *
 

Dawn came all too soon for the tired stallions, rousing them from the small peace that sleep offered and sending them back into the harsh reality of their waking world. They rubbed at stiff muscles and groaned with the awakening of dull aches as the gnawing hunger and thirst that were their constant companions settled back over them. The dried fruit and grain cakes they ate did little to quiet their hunger and only seemed to make them more aware of their keen thirst. It was a sharp reminder of just how dire their situation was.

As Lucky rationed out the day's water, Lore turned his attention upward. He scanned the sky as he had every morning, desperately searching for signs of rain, but finding only another day of clear skies before them. Never had Lore cursed fair weather more than he did now. With only enough water left to see them through tomorrow and no rain in sight, their only chance for survival now lay in finding Taurelond. He only prayed that they might find water with it.

Only once they had dealt with all other concerns did they finally turn to regard the map. The ancient parchment still lay spread upon the rock where Lore had left it, but whether or not it still glowed was uncertain in the strong light of day. 

Lucky hesitated a moment before hardening his resolve and moving closer to see where his decision had led them. The glow of the map was noticeably fainter in the light of day, but it was still there. As Lucky picked up the map and held it before him, he slowly turned and tilted it experimentally, watching the glowing arrow as it moved around the compass rose to hold its direction steady. "Well, it looks like the map is still working," He said cheerily.

Lore let out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding in a relieved sigh. "That's something, at least. Now let's go before it changes its mind."

Following the map, it turned out, was just like being lost. They trudged along through the endless sea of grass just as they had before, with no landmarks to guide them and no clear destination on the horizon. The only difference was that they now periodically checked the map to make sure they were still going in the right direction. It was dreadfully dull, yet peaceful in a way their journey had not been since they had become lost. Finally having some semblance of direction again had done much to ease their anxiety. They continued to talk little to spare their dry throats, but their renewed vigor was evident in other ways. Lucky's gait once again held some of his former energy, and the scowl that had been ever-present on his face of late was all but gone. 

In contrast to Lucky's new-found energy, the signs of Lore's increased spirits were much more subtle. Their renewed hope of survival had lifted the veil of doubt and guilt from his mind temporarily. Lore found his thoughts clearer and his mind more ordered than it had been in days, and he intended to take full advantage of it. Using the time to relax and contemplate some of the questions the map had raised, he quickly became lost in thought. Soon Lore's pace slowed to a more leisurely walk and he began to drop back, leaving Lucky to lead the way.

It wasn't until three hours later that Lore recalled himself and looked around. With a start, he realized that Lucky was no longer in front of him. After a few moments of panicked searching he spotted Lucky off to his right, still plodding along and blissfully ignorant of Lore's absence. Chastising himself for wandering so far, he turned and hurried to catch up with Lucky, lest he be left behind completely.

As Lore moved to intercept his friend, he began to notice something odd about Lucky's fading trail through the grass. It wasn't Lore who had wandered, but Lucky. There was a subtle curving to Lucky's path which had resulted in their separation, but it only became clear at a distance. If Lore had been keeping up, he never would have noticed it, and it was very likely that Lucky himself had not yet realized it either. Moistening his parched lips, Lore raised his voice and called out to Lucky as he drew closer. "Hey Lucky, wait up a minute! Are you sure we're going the right way?"

A puzzled expression crossed Lucky's face as he turned to meet Lore. "What are you talking about? Of course we're going the right way... Wait, how did you get all the way over there?"

Lore shook his head at the question as he caught up. "Nevermind that, just check the map. I think we might have wandered."

Shrugging, Lucky pulled out the map and began to unroll it. "Fine, but I'm telling you, I just checked it and we're going the right way..." His voice trailed off and his brow began to furrow as he inspected the map. "But... That's not possible. I swear I just checked it. We were right on course!" He turned to face the direction Lore had been walking and looked up. "It's pointing this way now, but... wait that's..." He squinted at the map for a moment, as if that would magically change something about it, "This is the same direction it was pointing before, but then how did I..." He gave Lore a concerned look. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure, but..." Lore paused a moment as he chose his words carefully. "It's probably nothing, but just to be safe I think you should keep a close eye on the map... and I think I should trail you again just in case." It was a sign of just how unnerved Lucky was by this that he said nothing to Lore and simply nodded his assent. 

As the two resumed their travel, they left behind the brief illusion of peace they had known. This unsettling incident had torn the veil from their eyes and left behind only the growing remnants of their old anxiety. This shortly proved to be a blessing rather than a curse. If Lore had not been so wary, then he might not have noticed when Lucky's trail began to curve off to the left two hours later. As it was, he managed to catch the subtle shifting and correct it before Lucky led them too far off course. It became evident to them that something was at work here that they did not fully understand. When Lore pointed this out and suggested that perhaps they should stop to eat, Lucky was only too happy to agree.

Their 'meal' hardly deserved the name. The trail cakes were dry and hard, and did little to sooth their hunger, but it was enough to survive on and that's all that mattered. They washed down their lunch with a few sips of their precious water as they rested under the noonday sun. It wasn't nearly enough to slake their thirst, but the small mouthfuls of warm stale water felt good on their dry throats, if only for a time. Neither particularly wanted to resume their endless trek, but again, the knowledge of one's own imminent demise can be a powerful motivator.

Lore stood and wearily pulled his bags back on. "Let's go. We still have a lot of ground to cover" he said, as Lucky rummaged through his pack.

Letting out a sigh, Lucky pulled out the worn scroll and opened it. "I know, just let me check the map first." He stared at it for a time, his expression growing more concerned by the second, until he finally looked back up at Lore. "Um, we got a problem." He held up the map for Lore's inspection. "The little glowing arrow is gone."

"What?!" Lore exclaimed as he grabbed the map from Lucky and began to furiously inspect it himself. Sure enough, the glowing arrow that had been their only guide was gone. "Well," he paused, searching for the right words. Generally Lore didn't like to curse. He found it rather crude, but even he admitted that sometimes there was just nothing else that could adequately sum up a situation. This was one of those times. "Shit." He stared at the map for a time, considering and discarding many possible theories for its deactivation before finally settling on the most likely one. "I think it might have simply lost its charge."

"What do you mean?" Lucky asked.

"Well, If the map was using moonlight as a power source, then it's possible that leaving it out all night allowed it to build up a reserve. It was probably using that reserve to work during the day, and now it's run out." Lore explained.

"Woah woah woah!" Lucky held up a hoof to stop him before he could continue. "Are you actually trying to tell me the map ran out of batteries?!"

Lore thought about this for a moment then slowly nodded. "I suppose I am."

Lucky groaned as he flopped back on the ground "And me without any duracolts. That's just great." Lifting his head slightly to look at Lore he asked, "So what do we do now?"

Lore spread out the map and lay down next to it using his bag as a pillow. "Well I don't know about you, but I'm going to get some sleep. We'll have to head out again when the moon rises to make up for lost time."

There wasn't much else for Lucky to do except follow Lore's example, and as he settled in he reaffirmed once again how much he 'hated this trip'.

Keeping with their tradition of the last several nights, they hadn't bothered setting up their tents first. They had been too tired lately to make it worth the effort, but luckily the day was pleasantly warm and the tents were unneeded. As the two relaxed, they prepared for what they assumed would be a long and restless wait; but they were wrong. No sooner had they closed their eyes than they began to drift off into the waiting embrace of sleep. They were even more tired and sore than they knew. The scarcity of food and water was taking a toll on them, and though neither had noticed, they had both begun to thin from the rationing. Even if they couldn't see it, their bodies knew and welcomed the rest greedily, feasting on it as if it were a five-star meal.

When they awoke, the deep amber of sunset had already faded to purple and was swiftly deepening into the inky blackness of night. The moon hung just above the horizon and  its glow was growing brighter by the minute; it was the perfect time to head out. Lucky was moving to pick up the map, which had already begun to glow faintly, when Lore suddenly stopped him. "I think perhaps I should hold the map tonight. Just to be safe. You were starting to act a little funny yesterday."

As much as Lucky wished to, he couldn't deny it. Something strange had been going on yesterday, and if Lore holding the map kept it from happening again, then that was perfectly fine with him. "Be my guest, it's all yours."

"Good." Lore gathered up the map and looked it over as the glow steadily grew stronger. Once he was certain of the arrows orientation he set out, only to stop again a few steps away.

"What's the matter?" Lucky asked curiously, "Is it already acting up again?"

Shaking his head, Lore looked back at him as he pulled the length of rope from his packs with his magic. "I was just thinking what would happen if you started to wander again. I won't be in the back watching you this time. It would be easy for us to get separated in the dark. I think our best option would be to tie ourselves together, just in case."

Losing track of Lore and the map in the dark would be about as easy as losing a lighthouse Lucky thought. He wanted to roll his eyes at Lore's overly cautious suggestion, and normally he would have, but something deep inside was telling him this was a very good idea. Reluctantly he consented, and in a matter of moments the rope was secured. It was slightly uncomfortable, but not unbearable. None the less, Lucky frowned as he tested the knots, quietly grumbling to himself. "I feel ridiculous. Like a pet, or a foal on a leash."

The mental image that sentiment brought to mind was simply too funny for Lore to contain. He did his best to stifle his laughter, but it was a token gesture at most. "Quit your griping or we won't be stopping for ice cream on the way home." Lore said in a 'scolding mother' tone as he headed off into the night with a grumbling Lucky close behind.

Lore led the way throughout the night, his determination keeping his course steady and true. Whatever affliction had been influencing Lucky yesterday didn't appear to have any effect on Lore now. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Lucky. No less than a dozen times that night Lore had been brought up short by a sudden jerk as the rope drew taught between him and a wandering Lucky. By morning Lore had begun to deeply worry for his friend. Before he would begin to wander off, Lucky's mind would slip into a fog, and every time it happened it seemed to take longer to bring him back to his senses. The interval between these periods of disorientation had been getting shorter and shorter the farther they traveled. Lore began to fear it would become permanent if something wasn't done, but no matter what he tried there seemed to be nothing he could do to help Lucky. The only thing he could do for him now was keep him moving.

They finally stopped to rest as the first rays of dawn began to creep into the sky, but resting was all they could do. Their water was already gone, used in the night to force down some of the few dry trail cakes they had left. There was nothing between them and a slow death now but hope, and of that, little remained. They had found nothing in the night, and the map arrow had remained unchanged. Their current prospects were grim and they knew it, but dwelling on that fact would do them no good. 

They rested for as long as they dared, but it wasn't enough; it was never enough. They were always tired now, not just from the endless walking, but from a lack of water as well. Headaches had become their constant companions, and Lore was no longer certain that Lucky's disorientation was entirely unnatural. Fatigue had been building up over their long trek, and while sleep had always removed most of it, some had always remained. Now with their water gone, it was getting worse at an alarming rate. If they rested too long, they may never find the strength or the will to get back up again. After a great deal of coaxing, Lore got a still disoriented Lucky to his hooves, and the two moved on into the endless sea of grass once more.

As night gave way to dawn's light, an almost imperceptible distortion in the flat line of the horizon caught Lore's attention. He had no idea what it was, but he felt his heart quicken as they moved closer. Whether it was real or just his imagination was uncertain, but he was ready to believe in just about anything if it kept them going. Though it was always a good idea to check, just to be certain. A quick look at the map told him he wasn't crazy, and with the confirmation of their magical guide, hope began to creep back into his heart. Lore pressed on through the tall grass with a renewed vigor. He refused to be stopped now, and not even the occasional jerking of the rope slowed him. He would drag Lucky if he had to, but by Luna's glorious moon they would make it!

Nearly two hours later the 'distortion' had grown into what was now clearly the tree line of some great forest. Though they had traveled a good distance already, the base of the trees still remained hidden behind the horizon. Only the leafy crowns were visible to them, but for Lore, it was more than he had dared to hope for. Such a large forest had to have some source of water nearby, he was sure of it. He felt suddenly lighter with that knowledge, as if a great burden had been lifted from him. Their salvation was literally within sight now; all they had to do was reach it.

As Lore galloped toward the trees, the rope tying him to Lucky snapped taut, jerking him back so suddenly that he was sent sprawling onto his back. He clutched his middle and groaned as he got slowly back to his hooves. This prank wasn't amusing in the slightest and he had a few choice words for his teal companion, but the rebuke quickly died on his lips when he saw his face. He hadn't looked back to check on Lucky since they had last stopped, and the change in his friend was startling.

Lucky sat on the ground a short distance away, motionless and unblinking. "... Lucky?" Lore said hesitantly, "Are you alright?" Lucky remained silent, but as Lore drew closer, he could see that Lucky was anything but alright. His coat had taken on a pale and sickly air, and his eyes were glazed and unfocused as he stared vacantly out at nothing. Lore reached out a concerned hoof and touched him on the arm, "Lucky?" His head turned ever so slightly toward Lore at the sound of his name, but his eyes remained vacant. The gesture seemed more like a reflex, as if he knew the word should mean something, but couldn't remember what. Guilt and pain stabbed Lore's heart to see his friend reduced to such a state, but it only served to strengthen his resolve to do whatever he must to save them. 

Lore moved in front of him and placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "Lucky, we need to keep moving. We can't stay here." He said gently, as if he was talking to a confused foal.

Lucky's head shifted again at the sound of his name, his eyes moving to stare through Lore as his cracked lips parted "So, tired." He croaked in a daze.

"I know buddy, I know. I am too, but we're almost there." He pat Lucky's shoulder as he pointed toward the distant tree line. "You see? All we have to do is get to those trees. Then you can rest as much as you want."

Lucky looked off toward the trees for a long moment, then slowly shook his head. "I... I'm not... I don't see anything."

This brought Lore up short. He hadn't thought Lucky's vision was deteriorating, just his lucidity. Cautiously Lore asked, "Can you still see me?"

"Yes."

"But you can't see those trees on the horizon?" Lore asked as he pointed to them again.

Lucky stared at the trees for a long moment before slowly shaking his head again. "No. Just the horizon... and green... no, just the grass." He paused before asking hesitantly, "Is that. Where we are going?"

"That's where the map is pointing," Lore said, relieved that at least Lucky wasn't going blind.

"Map?... yes, pointing... but no. I... I don't think... no, we shouldn't go that way... not that way." Lucky said, his speech becoming more distant and disjointed.

"What do you mean not that way? There's nowhere else to go!" Lore said perplexed.

Lucky just nodded slowly however, "Go... yes... need to go... but, but not that way."

This was getting them nowhere fast. It was becoming obvious to Lore that his friend's grip on sanity was becoming tenuous at best; not that he had ever been entirely certain Lucky had ever had a substantial hold on it in the first place, but it had never been this bad. If he was going to get him moving again, he needed to try something more subtle. Holding Lucky's head steady, Lore looked him straight in the eye and said, "Lucky, you have to fight this. I need you to focus. Tell me, do you trust me?"

"What? Do I... fight?... But Lore is... no, have to... focus..." Confusion and pain mixed across Lucky's face as whatever was left of him fought some inner battle for control. "Lore... Lore, is my... my friend... I... yes... I trust him."

"That's right Lucky, I am your friend. And because I'm your friend, you know I just want to help you right?" Lore said in a gentle coaxing voice. "I wouldn't take you anywhere bad right?"

Lucky paused a moment before slowly nodding his head.

"Good. If you don't want to go that way, then you don't have to. So I'll tell you what we're going to do instead," Lore cooed as he coaxed Lucky to his hooves. "We're going to play a little game."

The shadow of a smile touched Lucky's face as if recalling some vague memory, "I think... I... yes... I like games."

Lore nodded and gave Lucky's shoulder a little pat, "I know you do, and I know you'll like this one. It's nice and simple. I know you'll be really good at it. All you have to do is follow me, alright? Do you think you can do that?" When Lucky didn't answer right away Lore began to think that perhaps he had caught on to the ruse; but after what seemed like an endless wait, Lucky slowly nodded his head. Lore let out a sigh of relief. At least the hard part was over, or so he hoped.

The next several hours passed in a very similar fashion. Lore had to coax and cajole nearly every step out of Lucky. He constantly showered the disoriented stallion with praise and reassurance to keep his focus on their 'game' and away from their destination lest he become immovable again. It was hard going to be sure, and their progress left much to be desired, but at least they were moving. 

Though the distant trees had grown larger with every step the pair took, they still could not see their base. It was a true testament to their size, and on the occasions that Lore looked back to check their course, he would find himself staring in open-mouthed amazement at the forest. The trees already towered high above them, and from what he could see, Lore guessed that most of them had to be 75 or 80 feet tall at least. The sight of this massive ancient forest set against the utterly featureless landscape was truly staggering. If their situation were less dire, Lore would have stopped to appreciate the scene more, but he had to keep Lucky moving.

To Lore's relief, it wasn't long until the base of the trees finally came into view. Despite his growing exhaustion, his hooves felt lighter than ever upon seeing those mighty trunks meet the ground. He guessed they had about another hour and a half of walking ahead of them before they would finally reach the tree line. Glancing back at the now visibly swaying Lucky, he only hoped that his friend would be able to hold on long enough. Lore had just begun to coax Lucky forward again when the gentle words froze on his lips.

The light around them suddenly dimmed, and a chill ran up Lore's spine. Obeying his first instinct, he looked up expecting to see some sort of obstruction, but the sky was as cloudless and clear now as it had been every day of their journey. Turning around, his eyes followed the dimming light to a point somewhere beyond the tree line on the west side of the forest. He couldn't see what exactly was causing the strange phenomenon, but the light seemed to grow steadily dimmer in that direction, as if something were pulling it in. 

Lore's eyes went wide as a great rending sound reached his ears a second later with all the deep, resonant force of rolling thunder. The distant sound seamlessly transformed into a sucking, hollow roar that sent Lore to his knees as it sparked some sort of primal fear deep inside him. He trembled and clutched at himself as he tried desperately to comprehend what could possibly make such a sound. His unnerved mind conjured up images of massive, ghastly horrors; their dripping jaws opened wide to reveal nothing but an endless black pit trying to suck him in, the sound pulling and tugging at him as if it were a physical thing. But despite all of this, nothing moved. 

The air remained perfectly still. The sea of tall grass was motionless, unbending. Not a single leaf on the forest trees stirred. Yet the land and forest both seemed to somehow shudder. Somewhere behind Lore, the swaying Lucky stood forgotten. With nothing else to distract him, his attention moved to the looming forest ahead of them. Lucky's pupils shrank to pin-pricks and he let out a desperate, terrified scream "No! NOOO!" His eyes spun wildly as he screamed again, raving and shaking his head as he staggered back "No! Not that way! Not to the bad place! No! Won't go that way! Not that waaay!" And with that final cry, Lucky turned and fled.
> Ch 5: The Forest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The unearthly sound ended as abruptly as it had begun. With it's absence came silence, and the sky suddenly brightened once more. By the time Lucky had finished turning to flee, it was over, but that wasn't about to stop the delirious stallion. Fueled by fear and the overwhelming need to flee, he took off like a shot.

Lucky's mad flight was quickly cut short however. The length of rope tying him and Lore together suddenly snapped taut as he reached the end. The rope gave a loud creak of protest, several strands tearing and fraying; then it savagely yanked the pair toward each other. Lucky flew back a good two feet before landing on his back, and Lore was dragged several feet backwards across the ground as well by the force, shocking him out of his stupor. In the end they both were on the ground, clutching their bellies and dry heaving as their abused stomachs protested the rough treatment. 

Lore managed to recover first and quickly rounded on Lucky, all thoughts of the strange phenomenon quickly set aside. He had to hurry. The time for persuasion was over and he knew it. There was no way he would be able to calm the frantic stallion. His only option now was to use force. Lore grit his teeth and flung himself at Lucky with what little strength he could muster, colliding with the other stallion just as he was getting back to his hooves. The pair went sprawling back to the ground in a flailing mass of limbs. 

They rolled across the ground as they grappled, Lucky still shrieking his protests as he flailed. Lore grunted, panting as he tried to pin down Lucky's front hooves, his body already trembling with the effort. Normally the two would have been evenly matched, but Lucky was quickly gaining the advantage. Nearly two weeks of privation had left both Lore and Lucky weak as new-born foals, but Lucky had the advantage of adrenaline on his side. The delirious stallion thrashed with the strength born from blind terror, striking out indiscriminately. It was all Lore could do just to hold on to him.

Not sure what else he could do, Lore called out desperately to his friend "Lucky! You have to calm down! It'll be alri-" He was cut off abruptly as a hoof slammed into the side of his head and sent him sprawling. Lucky quickly seized the opportunity and scrambled to his hooves. Lucky was only half up, but he was already stumbling forward again when Lore groaned and rolled over, trying desperately to get back on his own hooves. If Lucky were to slip away now, Lore might never find him again, and he couldn't let that happen.

The rope lurched as Lucky finally got his hooves under him and sprang forward, charging away from the forest once more. Lore had just enough time to plant his hooves and grip the rope in his teeth before it went taught again. He pulled back with everything he had as Lucky reached the end of the line, but so did Lucky. The rope practically hummed with the tension for just a moment, until suddenly there was a great creaking followed by a loud snap as the rope broke under the strain.

Lore stumbled back a few steps and cursed, but Lucky had the worse of it by far. The teal stallion was sent sprawling forward, his face smacking the ground hard. A deep green glow sprang up around the frayed end of Lucky's rope as Lore dashed towards him, casting a spell. Taking advantage of the moment, Lore quickly wrapped the length of rope around Lucky's forelegs. He managed to tie it off just as a great wave of nausea and fatigue washed over him. Spots danced before Lore's eyes and he staggered to a halt a few feet away from Lucky; swaying uncertainly as he did his best to remain standing. In Lore's poor condition, masked by determination and adrenaline though it was, the effort of using even such minor telekinesis had nearly been too much for him to take. 

Even with his arms bound, Lucky continued to flee as best he could, dragging and kicking himself away in spurts as he raved. Fortunately he hadn't managed to get very far by the time Lore had sufficiently recovered. When Lore stooped to load Lucky onto his back however, one of the flailing stallions hooves connected solidly with his shoulder. There was a grunt of pain, and then Lore rounded on his friend, having had quite enough. "Dang it Lucky! Can't you hold still for two minutes?! I promised myself that we would make it to Taurelond even if I had to drag you there; and Celestia damn me if I'm gonna fail when we may very well be within sight of the bloody place!" With a little effort, Lore was able to work the rope around his middle free and use it to tie up Lucky's back legs. Before he even thought about trying to move Lucky again however, he double checked both ropes, and even tightened them a little. He had been struck hard twice already and had no desire to repeat the experience yet again. Once he was satisfied, he pulled Lucky up to lay across his back and started for the forest again.

Their progress was markedly slower now that Lucky had to be carried, and the stallions constant wiggling and ranting certainly wasn't making it any easier on Lore. His weary body ached from head to hoof, shouting it's protest at the burden it was forced to bare. The effort of every slow step made his limbs quiver, and he soon developed a slight limp in the arm Lucky had struck. He wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep for days, but thinking about it was only making him feel worse; so he did the only thing he could do and turned his thoughts instead to the great and terrible event they had been witness to. 

As a necessity of his occupation, Lore was well versed in not only the legends of most lands, but their rich histories as well. But never, in all of Lore's studies, had he heard of or seen something like this before. Perhaps such a spectacle should have worried him more, or made him more hesitant to continue toward the forest, but the simple truth was that he really didn't have much choice. Besides, the possibilities of this new discovery were of far more interest to him than any imagined dangers. Though Lore did find himself both thrilled and terrified by the questions it raised. What exactly had he seen? Why had it filled him with such fear? What, or possibly even who, could have caused such a thing? Did it have anything to do with the map or Taurelond? His mind raced with theories he could never test and questions he could not hope to answer, but the futile exercise served its purpose as a welcome distraction.


* * *


Nearly two hours later, the pair finally reached the edge of the forest. As they passed between the first trees, Lore was pulled away from his musings by a most curious sensation. For a brief moment, the air had felt different, thicker somehow. A slight tingling had swept over his body, followed by a moment of coolness that sent a small shiver through him. It felt as if he had walked through a thin sheet of water. The feeling had not been unpleasant by any means, merely odd. 

Lore looked around for the source of the odd sensation, but could find nothing out of the ordinary. Considering the previous event they had so recently encountered, this mysterious sensation should probably have concerned Lore, but all he felt was a spreading sense of peace and calm. He suddenly knew everything was going to be okay. He had no idea how or why; he simply, just knew. So engrossed was he by this new-found sense of well-being, that it took several long moments before Lore finally realized that Lucky had stopped screaming.

Lucky indeed seemed much calmer now. His eyes were glazed and unfocused again, his breathing steady and even once more as he lay limp across Lore's back. It was as if all the energy he had shown moments before, had simply just drained away. This probably should have worried Lore, but still he felt that somehow, everything was going to be okay. 

As if to confirm his feelings, a bird call drifted to Lore's ears on the breeze, bringing a joyful tear to his eye. It seemed he had never known just how wondrous such simple sounds could be until this moment. Though the sea of grass had been far from uninhabitable, neither Lore nor Lucky had seen any signs of life in that endless expanse. No rabbits or mice had stirred the grasses, no birds had flown the clear skies, and the sounds of insects had abandoned the nights. For two solid weeks the sights and sounds of life had simply disappeared from their world, leaving behind only a lingering sense of wrongness; but now, now everything had been put right. The world had suddenly been made whole again and everything would be okay.

Wandering deeper into the ancient forest, Lore marveled at the natural beauty around him. From the outside the forest had seemed like nothing more than a stand of ancient pines, but it was so much more than that. Defying all geographic boundaries and natural laws, trees of every shape and size grew together within this odd place. Some were familiar to him, while others he had only seen pictures of, but many more he could not identify at all. Such an assortment of trees might have been seen as discordant anywhere else, but there was a natural harmony about the forest that made it feel... right. Every tree seemed to simply 'fit' into the forest, as if it couldn't possibly have grown anywhere else, each melding seamlessly into the 'whole' that was the forest. And it wasn't only the trees, but the undergrowth as well held a harmonious union with the forest. It was as if nature had perfected itself in this place, transcending beyond the daily competition for survival to a point where everything flourished in a natural state of peaceful coexistence.

It wasn't long before another sound reached Lore's ears that made him want to cry all over again. He staggered toward the splash as fast as his weary body could carry him , and as the tree line broke a glorious site befell him. A large pond filled with crystal clear water sat in a small clearing. An ancient, spreading willow grew on the bank and leaned out over the pond, providing shelter from the noonday sun to any who might wish to partake of the waters. Lore gave a silent prayer to any gods who might have been watching; thanking them for their mercy. 

It took Lore a few moments to work Lucky's dead weight off his back, but he eventually managed to get his friend propped up against the willow. Once freed, Lore stumbled to the edge of the pond and unceremoniously plunged his head in. The cool water soothed his raw throat, and as Lore drank deeply he thought he had never tasted anything so wonderful in his life. Unfortunately, drinking so much after going without for so long, was a very bad idea. Something Lore had to learn the hard way when his shrunken stomach began rejecting his large intake of water.

Once he had emptied his stomach on the other side of the tree, Lore stumbled back to the pond with a little more caution. Making sure to pace himself this time, he slowly sipped at the waters of the pond, taking only half a dozen mouthfuls before forcing himself to stop. The water was still wonderful, and he wanted more, but he knew he would only get sick again. With Lore's immediate thirst quenched, he pulled one of the large canteens out of his pack and filled it to the brim. Now all he had to do was somehow convince Lucky to drink.

As it turned out, that task proved far easier in theory than practice. No matter what Lore did he couldn't get Lucky to take an interest in the water, but then again, neither did the unresponsive stallion give any signs of refusing it. Eventually Lore settled on slowly dripping water into Lucky's mouth through his slightly parted lips. It was a long and tedious process, taking over an hour to empty just that one canteen, but at least Lucky wasn't spitting out the water or coughing it up, and that gave Lore hope.

Once Lore had thoroughly quenched his thirst and drip-fed Lucky several canteens of water, he carried their packs down to the waters edge to fill their remaining canteens. As the bubbles rose from the canteens, Lore's gaze drifted appreciatively out over the pond. A smile crossed his face as he watched two fish chase each other around the bottom of the pond, and it was only then that he realized just how fortunate they had been to find this sanctuary. Actually making it to the forest was unbelievable enough, but to then find water so easily and have it be so pure, surely constituted a miracle.

As he watched, one of the fish stopped to nibble at something sitting on the bottom of the pond. With a sudden start, Lore realized it was eating a piece of fruit! Hardly daring to question this impossible stroke of luck, Lore discarded the canteens and scrambled to his hooves, eager to find the source of the fruit. It only took a few minutes of searching before Lore found a peach tree, heavy with fruit, growing a few yards back on the opposite side of the clearing. The best part was that he didn't even need to use his magic to get at them. Many of the ripe fruits had already dropped to the ground and appeared to be in excellent condition. Lore couldn't resist and fell upon the first one that came into his reach. He quickly decided it was the most wonderful thing he had ever tasted, and he savored every bite of the peach. Lore would have eaten ten more on the spot if he hadn't reminded himself that doing so in his current condition would have just caused him to immediately throw them back up.  So instead, Lore gathered as many peaches into his bag as he could and made his way back to Lucky, hoping the fresh food would trigger some response in him.

Lucky's ears twitched as he came closer, which Lore decided to take as a good sign, but that was the extent of his response. Lucky remained as lifeless as before no matter what Lore did, showing no interest at all in the fruit. So Lore carefully crushed up one of the peaches instead, collecting the juice in a cup and slowly dripping it into Lucky's mouth as he had done with the water. It wasn't much to be sure, but at least it was something. He repeated the process with two more peaches, setting aside the mash for later in case Lucky became more lucid.

With all their immediate concerns taken care of, Lore washed his hooves off in the pond and pulled out their bed rolls. It would only be a few more hours till nightfall, and a bit of extra sleep would do them both some good anyway. Once he got Lucky settled, Lore curled up on his bed and immediately began drifting off, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When Lore awoke the next morning, he felt better than he had in days. The intense headache he had been living with for close on a week now had significantly lessened. His fatigue and dizziness as well seemed to have diminished. It would probably be a few more days until he was fully recovered, but he felt like he might be able to use his magic to pluck some more fruit without to much trouble if he had to. After packing away his bedroll, Lore drank deeply from the pond again and lay back to savor another of the delicious peaches he had found yesterday. The ripe fruit tasted even better than it had before and Lore couldn't help but allow himself a second one. 

Once he was finished, he rolled the pits into the pond for the curious fish to nibble at and went to rouse Lucky. To Lore's great relief, his friend seemed much improved from yesterday. His eyes seemed less clouded and he was much more responsive than he had been previously, though he still wasn't talking. With a little coaxing though, Lore actually managed to convince Lucky to eat the crushed peaches he had set aside, followed by two canteens of water. Despite his apparent willingness to eat, Lucky's movements were more instinct than conscious decision and he promptly went back to sleep when nothing else was set before him. 

Satisfied that Lucky wasn't going to wander off or drop dead on him in the next few minutes, Lore pulled on their packs and went out to search the surrounding forest for more food. The forest was a lush and bountiful place, and Lore's search quickly paid off. In only a few short hours Lore returned to the pond, mouth covered in juice and packs filled to bursting with an assortment of cherries, blueberries, apricots, and peaches. It was safe to say that neither he nor Lucky would be going hungry anytime soon.

After cleaning up and packing their belongings away, Lore pulled the sleeping Lucky onto his back and headed deeper into the forest. With food and water taken care of and their magical map out of juice, today marked their first real day of searching for the ruins of Taurelond. Of course, that was assuming they were close by, which Lore doubted. No, he suspected the ancient city was at the heart of this unusual forest. He guessed they had another day of travel ahead of them at least before they were close enough to begin their search in earnest. It was always a good idea to keep an eye open just in case though; you never knew where an artifact might pop up after all. 

The trees extended as far as he could see in all directions, which made traversing the forest a little difficult. While the lush vegetation had provided them with a welcome shelter, it now obscured the sun from Lore's view, and hid any landmarks he might have used to navigate. Without the glowing map to guide him, it would be easy to get lost in this expansive forest. Fortunately for them both, he had already found a solution to this problem. While packing their bags, he had discovered quite by accident, that their compass was functioning normally once again. It wasn't as good as the magical compass on the map, but at least he was able to keep his bearings.


* * *


It was just past noon when Lucky suddenly began to stir on Lore's back. He yawned and stretched as usual, but when he went to scrub the sleep from his eyes, he discovered his hooves were bound. Confused and curious, Lucky rapidly blinked away the fog as he looked around him. It was only then that he realized he was moving, and not of his own will. When he looked down however, he was surprised to find that he was laying across Lore's back. So with his usual level of tact, Lucky cleared his throat and started right in "Uh... Lore. Not that I don't like bondage and all, but... you really aren't my type."

Lucky squirming around on his back was nothing new for Lore, but when his friend finally spoke coherently for the first time in days, Lore froze in his tracks. The unusual response wasn't from shock that Lucky had finally overcome whatever had been clouding his mind, but by the conflicting emotions that suddenly filled Lore. On one hoof, he was greatly relieved that Lucky was okay, and wanted to hug the joking stallion; on the other hoof, Lore wanted to smack him for acting so nonchalant about the whole thing when he had been so worried. Before his mind could sort it all out however, Lucky decided for him.

"So do you think you could let me down?... Or at least find me a cute mare with a whip and a thing for leather?" Lucky quipped, wearing his usual grin.

Lore rolled his eyes and had to try very hard not to groan. Oh yes, Lucky was definitely back to his old self. And since his old friend was feeling well enough to crack jokes, Lore didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt as he reared and tossed Lucky off his back.

Lucky let out a groan as he landed on a root, but when he rolled off his back and looked up at Lore, he was right back to that cheeky grin "Sooo... no mares then?"

"I can't believe you're cracking jokes now after all the trouble you've put me through! It wasn't exactly easy getting you here you know!" Lore grumbled, his horn glowing as he removed the ropes from Lucky's hooves and slipped them back into their bags.

"I meant to ask you about that." Lucky said as he rubbed his ankles "How exactly did we get here? I don't remember seeing a forest."

Lore gave the question some thought before answering. "It would probably be easier if you just told me what you do remember. Then I'll just fill in the blanks."

Lucky just shrugged at him "Not much really. The last thing I remember clearly was you tying us together with that rope. I gave you the map, you tied us together, promised me ice cream, then we walked for a while. After that things started to get all... blurry, and then nothing... Until I woke up on your back of course."

Lore nodded and pulled out a canteen, taking a long drink as he considered what to say. When he was done he tossed the half full canteen to Lucky "Drink while you listen, you're still dehydrated. And drink slowly, or else you will just end up making yourself sick." Lucky nodded and settled back with the water, gesturing for him to continue. Lore took a breath to steady himself, then started in. "After that, you became more disoriented the farther we walked. You stopped talking to me after a while, and when we stopped to rest near dawn, you just sort of started to... draw in on yourself. You lost your energy, became more passive, and it only got worse from there. By the time the trees came into sight, you had just sort of... shut down. It was like your mind was drifting far away into a fog. I tried to talk to you, but you could barely complete a sentence. You'd become so confused, distant. You couldn't..." Lore paused for a moment to regain his composure. It was difficult for him, having to remember Lucky in that awful state "You couldn't see the trees, Lucky."

Lucky stopped drinking and looked at him incredulously "Seriously? I mean, they're kinda hard to miss." He said with a gesture around at the immense trees.

"You said you couldn't see them, but..." Lore paused again as he tried to put his feeling into words "It was like some part of you still knew they were there. Even though you couldn't see them, you didn't want to get any closer and kept saying we shouldn't go that way. I had to trick you into going on. I convinced you to focus on following me rather than where we were going. It worked for a while, but when we got close, something... something happened..." his explanation trailed off, and he shivered as the memory of that event sent a chill up his spine.

Lucky continued to sip his water in silence, but when Lore didn't continue, he spoke up "So, what happened?"

"I wish I knew." Lore sighed as he shook his head. He didn't want to tell Lucky about that. Didn't want him to worry, or ask questions he didn't have answers to. After all, how could you describe something like that, let alone explain it? Mere words just didn't seem capable of capturing what he had seen and felt. He was still trying to find the words to explain it to himself let alone Lucky, but he had to try. He had never lied to his friend, and he wasn't going to start now. "It happened deep in the forest, far away from us, but it felt like it was right there next to me. The sky suddenly dimmed, and there was a thunderous tearing sound, followed by this... this noise... I don't know how to describe it... It was like some empty, hollow, sucking noise, only magnified a thousand times. The sound was disturbing. It felt so... wrong." He shook away the memory and looked straight into Lucky's eyes "I've never been more terrified in my life, and I doubt I ever will be." 

Lucky returned the canteen and was about to ask a question, but Lore held up a hoof to stop him "I don't know what it was, or what caused it. And honestly, the more I think about it, the less sure I am that I ever want to know." That statement, more than anything else, silenced Lucky. Lore not wanting to know something was like a fish not wanting to swim; it just didn't happen! He was suddenly very glad he had been 'out of commission' during that particular event, even though it did sound rather interesting.

"It only lasted a few seconds, but it was long enough to get your attention." Lore said as he put away the canteen "You looked up, saw where we were, and completely lost it. You started screaming, called it 'the bad place', then tried to run away. I tried to reason with you, but you were raving like a madpony and wouldn't listen. The line broke and I had to subdue you before you could run off. So I tied you up, threw you on my back, and carried you the rest of the way. It was strange though. When we entered the forest, we passed through some kind of... barrier I guess. I felt this peace come over me, and you immediately stopped struggling. I'm not sure why, but you did." He said with a shrug. 

"A few hours after that, I found a pond with some fruit trees growing nearby, so we stopped there for the night. I gathered supplies, and we left in the morning. You know the rest." Having finished his explanation, Lore stood up and tossed Lucky a peach "Eat that. Slowly. But do it while we walk. We've wasted enough time as it is. And keep your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. Worked materials, ruined walls, foundation stones, anything that could indicate somepony once lived here." Lucky's mouth was already stuffed full of peach, so he could only mumble incoherently to Lore, but it was enough to convey his agreement. 

As the pair carried their search deeper into the forest, they realized that they no longer had to worry about their supplies. The forest's bounty was so great that they had no trouble finding food or water; though it soon began to feel like that was the only thing they would ever find. Search as they might, the forest gave up nothing. No signs, no clues, nothing that might have even remotely indicated the existence of the fabled city. They searched for as long as the light permitted, but in the end they went to bed with nothing to show for their efforts. 

The next day was beginning to look just as fruitless when they hadn't found anything by lunch, but a short time later something caught Lore's eye. Quite literally in fact. To their left, the sun was reflecting off something in the distance, hitting Lore right in the eye. He couldn't see what was causing it through all the trees, but when he squinted, he could make out the small gap in the branches were the light was coming through. "Hey Lucky, can you see that flash of light coming through the small gap over there? That thin spot, about halfway up between the oak and poplar."

Lucky squinted at the trees for a time before slowly nodding his head "Yeah, I see it now. Looks like a branch or two recently came down. I wonder what the light is reflecting off of though. If Taurelond is as old as you say it is, shouldn't any reflective surfaces have tarnished by now or something?"

Lore looked over to Lucky and gave him a wide grin, his eyes sparkling with excitement "Not if they were preserved by magic! Come on, this could be it!" 

Hopeful of their first solid lead, the pair took off running, weaving their way through the forest with wild abandon. When they broke through the obscuring foliage however, they drew up short, too stunned to do anything but stare at what they had found. Just a few yards away, the varied trees of the forest simply stopped, as if they had hit some unseen boundary. But beyond that border lay a new and wildly different sort of forest; a crystalline forest of minerals and gemstones.

Trunks of darker minerals rose up to stand side by side with the towering trees of the ancient forest. While leaves of lighter minerals swayed in the gentle breeze, glittering as they caught the light. Peridots sat atop citrine, diopsides crowned smokey quartz, jades shimmered above jasper. There were dozens of different crystals, in hundreds of combinations, made even more beautiful by the sound echoing around them. With the slightest breeze, the crystalline trees played a soothing song, their leaves like a million crystal wind chimes playing at once. The entire scene was like something out of a dream, too fantastical to be real. Yet there it was, right in front of them.

"Am I losing it again?" Whispered Lucky in awe.

Lore moved as if in a trance, slowly walking to the closest tree and placing a hoof against its tigers eye trunk. "If you are, then so am I." He said in an awestruck tone. He moved his hoof across the surface and gave it an experimental push. It certainly didn't feel like stone. There was a hint of give under his hoof, and the texture reminded him of oak tree bark more than rock. Curiously, Lore picked at a piece protruding from the trunk. To his surprise, it broke off in his hoof. To his even greater surprise, it was as light as a piece of tree bark would otherwise be. He was about to comment on this to Lucky, when he realized the tiger's eye in his hoof was slowly getting heavier and heavier, until it weighed as much as a normal stone that size should have. 

As Lore stared down at the gemstone, an idea began to form in his mind. He quickly looked up to the crystal tree's branches and watched as one of its malachite leaves broke free in the breeze and lazily drifted down to the ground next to him. Dropping the piece of tigers eye, he reached out and picked up the leaf. It was soft and flexible in his hoof, easily bending to his touch. "They're... alive." He whispered in wonder, barely able to believe his own words.

"They're what?" Asked Lucky as he turned to him.

"These crystal... 'trees'. They're alive." Lore said, gesturing around them.

"Oh come on." Scoffed Lucky "No way these things are real trees."

Lore shrugged and handed over the leaf "See for yourself."

Lucky's eyes widened as he felt the leaf "No way." He poked it a few times before rolling it into a little tube, then unrolling it to look for damage "This is so weird." He bent the leaf again, but this time the thin gemstone cracked in two as it went too far "Awwww" Lucky whined with a little pout.

"The organic properties of the tree seem to be retained in its individual pieces for a short time after detaching from the main body. As whatever energies or organic components existing inside the disconnected piece decay, it apparently reassumes the inorganic nature of the material it mimics." Lore observed with academic interest. Lucky on the other hoof just stared at him until Lore finally rolled his eyes and sighed. "When the trees and the leaves die, they go back to being rocks." he said flatly.

Lucky grinned as he reached over and gave Lore's shoulder a pat "See, that wasn't so hard now was it?"

Lore shrugged his hoof away and headed off into the crystalline trees "Come on, we should keep searching while it's still light out. Who knows, if I'm fortunate, maybe I'll find some enlightened conversation." He said sarcastically.

"Maybe, but then you wouldn't get to feel all smart and superior." Lucky quipped as he caught up.

Lore couldn't help but grin as he fell back into their familiar banter. Despite what he might say, he had missed these easygoing conversations "I knew there was a reason I kept you around." He chuckled.

As the pair passed beneath the emerald laden branches of a brown zircon ash, there was a small 'snap' as Lucky stepped on a fallen twig. Suddenly, their world exploded into motion as a concealed net of bloodstone vines rose out of the forest floor. Before they even knew what was happening, the net engulfed the two stallions and hauled them into the air. They shouted and struggled in their prison, but with no way to cut the vines and Lore unable to see the anchor point, there was nothing they could do. 

“Well, someone certainly failed their perception check.” Lucky scowled. “So much for your legendary trap sense.”

“Says the one who set it off.” Lore grunted as he tried to shift Lucky’s hoof off of his back.

After several hours of useless struggling, Lore finally gave up trying to force his way out. He made himself as comfortable as he could, then settled in to think of a way out of their current predicament. Lucky let out an annoyed growl and gave the net one final kick before he flopped down and gave up as well "You know, I'm starting to really hate this little field trip of yours." He said rather irritably.

At that moment, a mare that was a full head taller than either stallion, seemed to just materialize out of the forest. She couldn't be more than 15 feet away from them, but neither had seen her approach. One moment they had been alone, the next she was there, silently watching them. The pair were struck speechless and could only stare at her in open-mouthed awe. She was, hooves down, the most exotically beautiful mare either of them had ever seen.

"But for you, I suppose I could suffer through it a little longer." Lucky murmured, dumbfounded.

The mare's body was lithe and well muscled, though not so much that it was obvious or unsightly. Her ears were slightly larger and more pointed than those of a regular pony, but again, not so much that they looked odd, just more exotic. Her long, slender legs ended in unshorn fetlocks and cloven hooves that seemed a mix between a pony and a deer, giving her a more earthy, wild look. But as she stepped forward, she made no sound, and left no trace of her passage. In fact, she seemed to glide across the ground rather than walk, which lent her an otherworldly grace. Her flawless coat held a healthy sheen, and was an intense red color, which paired well with the brilliant seafoam green of her eyes. 

Lore quickly found himself captivated by the sensual, yet piercing gaze of those long-lashed, almond-shaped eyes. He probably would have stared into those eyes all day if a soft glint hadn't pulled his attention away. At first he couldn't tell what had caught the dappled light, but when he looked closer, his eyes went wide with surprise and disbelief. He was so shocked that he had to look the mare over again just to confirm his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.

Extending gracefully from the mare's head was a long, gently curved horn covered in delicate gold filigree. It wasn't the filigree that had surprised him however, but the horn itself. It was no mere growth of bone, as was normal with unicorns, but instead was made of faceted crystal so clear it could easily be called glass.

Even more startling than the mare's curved crystal horn, was her mane. Her hair was a brilliant golden color... No, not just a color, it was gold! It had to be! Some blonde mares back home might have claimed to have golden hair, but this was completely different. You just couldn't fake the metallic sheen, or the rich color of true gold. Each strand of her hair was a fine thread of the purest gold, glistening and shimmering as it parted around her horn and ears before cascading down her neck. The hair on her long, whip-like tail was the same glistening gold as her mane, and started about two thirds of the way down in a style that could only be considered leonine.

This mysterious mare was already a breathtaking beauty, but as she passed through a sunbeam, her features revealed their true splendor. Her mane shone and glittered with every subtle movement before coming alive in a dancing blaze of glory as the light touched her. Her very body seemed to drink in the sun until she glowed with its light.

She was glorious to behold. So calm, so graceful, so radiant. In that moment, Lore truly believed that if the light of dawn could be given physical form, then this would be it. It was then that something suddenly clicked inside Lore's head and his dumbstruck mind finally sent a name to his trembling lips. Lore let out a nearly inaudible, breathless whisper "... the high born..."
> Ch 6: Lost in Translation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What was that?" Lucky asked as he leaned closer.

"The elder kin..." Lore whispered, still in a daze.

"Who?"

Lore limply gestured toward the slowly advancing mare "Her.... she's one of the forgotten..." This didn't seem to mean anything to Lucky either, so he simply continued to stare in confusion. Lore searched for the right words, but the magnitude of the moment had left him temporarily unable to think straight, "The guardians of the forest!... Th-the eternal watchers!... The, the fair folk of the grove!" Lore sputtered, his growing enthusiasm making his frantic brain throw out one archaic name after another, waiting for one to stick. Nothing seemed to register though, and Lucky’s expression remained vacant. Lore finally took a moment to calm himself before trying again. Reaching over, he grabbed Lucky by the shoulders and gave him a shake "She's an elf, Lucky!"

This finally got a response from the perplexed stallion "But..." Lucky said hesitantly, looking back and forth between Lore and the mare several times. "Wait a second, aren't they supposed to be like... extinct or something? You said they were all gone, didn't you?"

Lore rolled his eyes and gestured towards the mare, who had stopped about ten feet away "Well, she doesn't /look/ very extinct to me, so obviously I was wrong."

Lucky's retort died on his tongue, and his eyes went even wider than when the mare had shown up. Lore? Actually admitting he was wrong?! That just didn't happen!... Ever! What kind of insane alternate reality had he woken up to!?

Before either of the stallions could continue the exchange, the pair's collective attention was recaptured by the mare as she began to speak. "Ye nar llë, ar mankoi carë llë lucassë mi lwa taur?" she said in a smooth, melodious voice that somehow managed to convey her challenging tone at the same time.

Raising an eyebrow, Lucky turned to Lore expectantly. 

"Hold on." Lore said, responding to the unasked question. "I need to set the translation spell. It'll take me a minute." For most other unicorns, it would have taken a lot longer than just 'a minute' to cast such an advanced spell. Given his level of magical power, Lore shouldn't have been able to cast it at all. But spells linked to your cutie mark were odd that way. What might be considered a difficult spell to most unicorns, could be as easy as basic telekinesis to those that had the talent for it, and vice versa. Lore was gifted with three such spells by his cutie mark. A few less than the average five, but then again, his job didn't require much magic in the first place... usually.

Despite its simple name, Lore's translation spell was anything but simple; or so he had been told by the 'Arcane Sciences' and 'Magical Theory' professors back at Pranceton. According to them, the spell created an unseen low-level empathic telepathy field centered around the pony it was cast on. This field would continually read body language, facial expression, and tone, as well as surface thoughts, imagery, and emotional state of anyone inside it. By using this information from all participating parties, the spell converted any spoken dialogue into a form the receivers could understand. To aid in the translation, the spell additionally tapped into any preexisting knowledge of the language in question that the receivers may already have. At least, that's how Professor Neigh had put it. 

The accuracy of the translations was usually pretty reliable, but could vary slightly depending on how much the spell had to work with and how much you already knew. Subsequently, the translations improved the more you learned about a language and the longer the spell was active. Fortunately, Lore had never run into any serious problems with the spell's accuracy. Well, except that one time with the zebra chieftain's niece, but that had all worked out in the end. So he was fairly confident as he prepared to cast it.

In the short moments immediately after Lore's magic sprung up around his horn, three things happened. One, the mare's eyes turned ice cold as she fixed him with a steely glare. Two, her clear crystal horn suddenly filled with the dancing flames of an intense fire. Three, the tip of a long, elegantly curved blade of pure fire sprang into being an inch away from Lore's throat.

"Ricë tana ata, ar avon lár na hóciri cártya." the mare said coldly, edging the tip of her blade closer for emphasis.

Lore went wide-eyed and gulped, instantly releasing his magic as the fiery blade appeared before him. The heat of the flames appeared to be confined to the inch of space surrounding the blade, so only a small spot on his coat was singed, but it was more than enough to get the message across. Very slowly, Lore raised a hoof in surrender, keeping one eye warily on the blade. He had to admit, it was a beautiful piece of spellwork in its own terrifying, deadly way. The 'hilt' of the blade was a mix of deep red and orange flames that swirled together in beautiful and surprisingly orderly patterns. Tiny lines of yellow-orange flames curled and wrapped around the hilt in what appeared to be a stylized grip of sorts. Though, why a sword made of fire needed a hilt or grips at all was beyond him. The 'blade' itself consisted of an intense white core surrounded by a band of bright yellow that transitioned into dancing tongues of short orange flames along the edge.

Meanwhile, Lucky's eyes practically bugged out of his head at the sight of the sword. "Okay, now /that/ is awesome!"

"Lucky, not helping!" Lore hissed out of the corner of his mouth. Desperately trying to remember any useful words from his previous translation research, Lore decided to stall by starting with the basics. Careful not to make any sudden moves, he slowly pointed to himself and said "Lore." Then, just as slowly, he pointed to Lucky and said "Lucky." Their own names given, Lore looked expectantly at the mare, but she remained silent, obviously not in a sharing mood. 

"Okay then, lets try this." Lore muttered to himself. First he pointed to his horn and said "Templa", which he thought meant 'magic'.  Then he slowly pantomimed himself and the mare talking and said "Quetië", finally remembering the word for 'speak'. The mare raised a delicate eyebrow in surprise at this, which Lore took as an encouraging sign. He went through the motions again and, certain he was mispronouncing the whole thing, said "Templië quet quendyi" which he believed was 'magically speak language', but he wasn't entirely sure.

The mare's brow furrowed as she tried to puzzle out his words. Then she looked up at him and said in a questioning tone "Queta quenya sairina?" Lore barely had any notion what she was saying, but it sounded close enough that it was probably a correction. Silently praying he wasn't mistaken, Lore nodded as best he could and hoped for the best.

While the mare appeared to consider Lore's words, Lucky leaned over and whispered "So, what's going on?"

"I'm trying to get her to let me cast the spell." Lore whispered back. Just then, the mare gave Lore a cautious nod and slowly withdrew her blade a few feet. Lore took this as permission, but before he could begin casting, another elf stepped out of the forest next to the first. This one had a powder blue coat, medium turquoise eyes, and a short-cut mane of deep sapphire. The two elves were physically similar except for one big difference. This new elf had no horn, crystal or otherwise. 

"How in Tartarus do they /do/ that?!" Lucky asked, as the new elf also seemed to have just spontaneously materialized out of the crystalline forest. Lore answered this inquiry with a light kick in the side as he hissed "Not the time."

The sapphire-maned elf ignored Lucky's outburst and stared at Lore suspiciously as it spoke to the other elf in a husky voice "Ná sina saila?"

The gold-maned elf didn't look away as she answered "Imnë mer tíra cenasit..."  

While the two elves spoke, Lucky leaned over to Lore again and whispered "Dibs on the blue one."

Given their current circumstances, Lore was just about ready to turn around and smack Lucky for the constant wisecracks. But before he could, the universe suddenly decided to do it for him. The sapphire-maned elf raised a foreleg, and a massive black wolf melted out of the shadows and into the vacated space, the elf's foreleg now resting comfortably on its back. 

Lore turned to the now gaping Lucky and patted him on the shoulder "Good luck with that."

Lucky didn't respond. He remained unnaturally silent as he gaped at the pure black wolf, staring endlessly into its glowing golden-yellow eyes as if transfixed. He was so intense in his study of the creature that Lore was becoming concerned. "Hey, you alright?" Lore said as he gave him a little nudge.

"Look at it Lore." Lucky said in a wavering voice "I mean /really/ look at it. Doesn't it remind you of something?"

Puzzled, Lore studied the wolf more carefully. It was a magnificent specimen, easily as big as either stallion, and nearly twice the size of any other wolf he had ever seen. It was more heavily muscled than a normal wolf too, and there was something about its eyes that made him feel it was also more intelligent. "I'll admit it's not your average wolf, but I don't think I'm seeing whatever it is you're seeing."

"Oh come on! Have you learned /nothing/ from Oubliettes & Ogres?" scoffed Lucky. "It's a Dire Wolf! An /actual/ Dire Wolf!"

"You can't be serious. I know they based the Oubliettes & Ogres monster on an actual creature, but real dire wolves died out thousands and thousands of years ago. There's no way they could still be around." Lore said dismissively. 

Rolling his eyes, Lucky emphatically gestured toward the two 'extinct' elves right in front of them.

".... Touché." Lore conceded.

Meanwhile, the black wolf shifted slightly beneath the blue elf's foreleg, drawing its attention. The elf looked down for a moment, then turned back to the gold-maned mare "Lómin Carca equë colltë linni ettelëa sena."

"Illi in amcasta quetna ótë." she replied, then gestured to Lore "Menë."

She was obviously talking to Lore, telling him to continue no doubt, but he was still unsure if it was safe to proceed. After a cautious glance at the blue elf and the dire wolf, Lore closed his eyes and began to cast the spell.

A few nerve-wracking minutes later, Lore felt a small, electric jolt shoot through his head; and the spell was complete. Slowly, he opened his eyes and blinked a few times to clear the minor disorientation. Then he looked down at the elves "With your permission, I would like to cast the spell on my friend as well." The eyebrows of both elves shot up in surprise, no doubt at their sudden comprehension of his speech. 

The gold-maned elf slowly nodded to him after a moment, while the sapphire-maned one muttered to itself "So he /can/ use th-" The last two words were a jumbled mess, as if the elf were saying many different things at once. The tangle of words flashed through Lore's mind, accompanied by several rapid-fire mental pictures. This was the main flaw in Lore's spell. It happened on occasion when the magic was having particular difficulties translating something. It would simply dump all the information into your head at once and make you help it sort out the mess. Luckily, after a decision was reached the first time, the spell would simply use that as the default in the future, instead of dumping it on you every time. The problem was almost always caused by either someone's name, or a phrase that held greater meaning beyond its component words alone. However, as the spell seemed to have a mind of its own, Lore could never be entirely certain whether or not a name or phrase would trigger the flood of information. He believed it most likely had something to do with how complex the words were, and whether or not it was a proper name. Either way, it made preparing yourself for the rush of information rather difficult.

In this case, Lore was getting something along the lines of 'the lost piece' or 'the great gift we lost', and the accompanying images implied something very important that had been given, then taken away. Eventually the phrase 'the lost gift' emerged. The entire process only took a second to complete, but the flood of information always left Lore feeling like he had just been flicked in the forehead. It wasn't exactly 'painful', but it could become /very/ irritating when certain zebra chieftains introduced you to all 26 members of their extended family at once.

After reminding Lucky to keep his wit to himself, and let him do the talking, Lore cast the spell again and returned to conversing with their captors. "Now that you can speak, I shall ask you again." said the gold-maned elf "Who are you, and why do you trespass in our forest?" She took a moment to look them over once again, then said "Or perhaps the better question is, /what/ are you?"

This last question caught Lore by surprise. It had never even occurred to him that these elves might not know what they were. He took a moment to consider his words before jumping in "My name is Lore Seeker, and this is Lucky Roll, my friend and assistant." He paused as he saw the gold-maned elf flinch from the unexpected info dumps. Oddly enough, the sapphire elf and the dire wolf looked more curious than surprised, but Lore hurried on to reassure them just in case. "Please, don't be alarmed. What you experienced was simply part of the spell. It sometimes has difficulty with names and significant phrases, so it gives you all the information it has and lets your mind help sort it out. It shouldn't happen again now that you've already heard our names once."

The mare looked at them suspiciously for a moment, but since nothing actually harmful had happened, she soon nodded for Lore to continue. "Perhaps you would be kind enough to tell us /your/ names?" He asked. The elves exchanged a glance and the gold-maned one shrugged before replying "My name is -" Lore received an image of the sun beginning to rise, it's golden light creeping over a hill as the dawn sky was painted in beautiful hues of red and yellow. The name 'Golden Dawn' was left in his mind a moment later. 

The sapphire-maned elf spoke up then "I am called -" Again the information came and Lore saw a large blue blur speeding through the forest, jumping and spinning as it weaved effortlessly through the trees in a wild dance of life and joy. When it faded, the name 'Wild Streak' was left behind. Wild Streak looked down and stroked the dire wolf's back affectionately "And this is -" The flood came once more, but the images were more ordered this time, simpler to understand and less erratic as if the words were naturally more comfortable as images. Lore saw the deep shadows of a forest, and a gleaming white set of disembodied fangs lurking deep within them, silently moving through the dark. The name came quickly this time, 'Shadow Fang'. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I suggest you finish answering our questions." Dawn said frostily.

Lore gulped, suddenly finding himself very aware that Dawn's fiery sword was still around. "Well, to answer your previous question, I'm a unicorn, and Lucky here is an earth pony." The two elves went wide-eyed with surprise, and Dawn's mouth even fell open slightly. "A unicorn and an earth pony? Truly?" She said in disbelief. "Surely you jest." scoffed Wild Streak "Everyone knows the -" More information, 'young brethren', 'foolish brothers', an image of young unicorn, earth pony, and pegasi foals stumbling around as they learn to walk. The term 'naive children' rose through the noise and stuck. "- destroyed themselves over 3,000 years ago."

"Now /there's/ irony for you." Lucky noted with a chuckle. "/They're/ the ones who don't believe in /us/."

"Well, I /am/ a unicorn, and Lucky /is/ an earth pony. Of that I can assure you." Lore said with a frown "And we came here searching for... well, you. You see w-" Streak and Shadow both suddenly stiffened. Dawn caught the movement and raised a hoof to cut Lore off as she watched the pair intently. In perfect sync, Shadow and Streak snapped their heads around to stare west. Dawn's eyes immediately became hard once more "What do you hear? Is it the pack?" she asked briskly. 

Wild Streak appeared to listen to something before answering, and then the rush of information came to Lore again as the elf spoke. It was another simple image this time, a large grey and brown wolf with a deep notch running up the exact center of its nose. The name 'Split Nose' surfaced and Lore wondered why the spell had even bothered with something that seemed so straightforward. Another rush came on it's heels, bigger this time. His head spun and throbbed with the information; 'the shrieking darkness', 'the door of sin', 'the torn sky', 'the all-consuming gate'. Lore didn't understand fully until he heard the sound in his head. A chill ran up Lore's spine and he broke into a cold sweat as an image of a bright sunny sky inexplicably growing darker flashed into his mind, accompanied by that horrific sucking roar. In an instant it was gone, leaving behind the words 'broken seal', though they seemed somehow inadequate to him. Lucky turned to him then, his face as pale as a sheet. "W... W-Was that..." He couldn't even finish speaking he was trembling so much. Lore nodded and Lucky shivered as he wrapped his hooves around himself. "Glad I missed that." He whispered. Eager to drive it from their minds, the pair focused their attention back to Wild Streak. 

"Split Nose found where the broken seal opened. Something... something came through this time. They are tracking it now." Streak stopped and 'listened' to something again "It was not these two." The elf said, gesturing toward Lore and Lucky "It was something, bad... something, wrong..." Streak frowned "I am having trouble understanding it. They smell..." The elf slowed as if sorting through a large pile of confusing information. In response, Shadow Fang's hackles began to rise and her stance turned more aggressive. "The scent feels... angry, dangerous even... there is death and decay... a lot of blood, old and new... and something else... a taint, or sickness... like a rabid animal, but more, deeper somehow..." Wild Streak suddenly let out a gasp of pain and staggered back "No!" With a savage, angry growl that sent chills through Lore, Shadow Fang exploded forward, unable to contain herself any longer. "I have to go! Stay here, Dawn!" The elf quickly recovered, and in two powerful strides, Wild Streak was on Shadow Fang's tail. To Lore's complete astonishment, once Wild Streak caught up, he gathered his legs and literally bounded into the trees; just like a deer. A moment later the pair had melted into the crystalline forest as quickly as they had appeared.

A tense silence descended over the small group as they watched the forest for signs of their return. Personally, Lore was somewhat relieved the elves attention had been shifted away from him and Lucky, but at the same time he worried for Wild Streak, and to a lesser degree, Shadow Fang. Then again, he would worry about anyone that was heading anywhere near this 'broken seal' he had seen. He wanted to speak to Dawn about it, find out more, but he was filled with so many questions that he had no idea where to even begin.

The silence stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, and in the end it was Lucky who finally broke it. "Seriously! How do they /do/ that!?" Nobody answered him, but the outburst had already broken the tension.

"Will they be alright?" Lore asked.

Dawn nodded but didn't take her eyes off the forest "An angry dire wolf is not something to be trifled with. Wild Streak is a capable scout who can take care of himself, and anything mad enough to stand in Shadow Fang's way will meet a quick end."

So Shadow Fang /is/ a dire wolf, Lore thought. Then his brain caught up with the rest of Dawn's declaration, and he blinked. Wait a second... Clearing his throat, Lore hesitantly inquired further "Um, did you just say, /him/self?"

Dawn finally looked away from the forest to peer at him in mild confusion "Yes. Why do you ask? Is something wrong with your spell?"

Lucky's jaw nearly hit the ground at Dawn's confirmation, and the look on his face was priceless. Lore tried his best not to laugh, resulting in a few choked snorts, but it was no use. His resolve broke, and he burst out laughing so hard that he thought he might actually die laughing.

"What happened? Why is he laughing?" Dawn asked Lucky, completely mystified by Lore's sudden outburst. He blushed furiously at her question and looked away without a word. 

In-between desperate gasps for air, Lore managed to wheeze out a reply "Lucky... he thought Wild Streak... was a... a mare," A fit of giggling threatened to overwhelm him again before he could continue, and it took a moment for him to regain his composure "and he... he found 'her'... desirable!" Lore lost it again, and even Dawn smiled as she began to giggle along with him, her laughter like the ringing of little crystal bells.

"A stallion has no right looking that feminine!" Lucky grumbled defensively "It isn't fair! How the heck are you supposed to tell them apart otherwise?!"

A chorus of howls rang out in the distance. They were followed by a monstrous screech interspersed with eerie insectile clicking noises. The laughter died immediately, and everyone turned to stare into the forest once more. Lucky swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry "What the buck was that?"

"I have no idea." Lore said. He licked his lips nervously and glanced down at Dawn "If we promise not to run, would you let us down? I suddenly feel the urgent need /not/ to be strung up helplessly in a net."

Dawn thought it over and nodded slowly "Yes, you pose little enough threat. That may be the wisest course of action for everyone." Without taking her eyes off the crystalline forest, she raised her fiery blade and sliced through the top of the net. The bloodstone vines parted easily around her sword and the two stallions fell to the ground in a heap.

With a few groans the pair disentangled themselves from the net and got to their hooves. "I think I landed on a root." Lucky complained as he rubbed his side. "No, it was just my head." Lore replied, rubbing his temple.

"Come, you can finish telling me why you are here while we wait." Dawn said as she dispelled her fire sword and beckoned the pair closer.

Now that Lore wasn't strung up in a tree, he noticed several things about the elf that he had missed before. Up close, Dawn looked to be somewhere in her mid-twenties, and she was even more beautiful than he had first thought. There was a faint shadowing around her eyes that gave them a subtle, smoky quality. He couldn't figure out if the effect was natural or some sort of cosmetics, but it made her eyes all the more captivating. Her horn as well was more detailed than he had first believed. The gold filigree was not just some generic, mass-produced frippery, but a tracery of stylized flames. They hugged her horn like a glove, the shapes merging and flowing with the different facets of its surface to truly stunning effect. The design even used the crystal clarity of her horn to its advantage, merging the work on the front and the back seamlessly into one, creating flames within flames and giving it an almost realistic depth. 

The only other items Dawn carried were two small, tube-shaped holsters strapped around each thigh. Lore didn't have a clear view of what they contained, but from what he saw sticking out of the top, it looked like each tube carried a small, hoof-length piece of engraved metal. He couldn't identify the material off-hoof, but then, he was no metalsmith. Inspecting the holsters however, led him to the most startling discovery yet. Dawn had no cutie mark! And now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen one on Wild Streak either. To say that he was intrigued would be an understatement, but he knew he needed to reign in his curiosity for now. There would be time to sate his curiosity later... hopefully.

To avoid the temptation of staring at Dawn even more than he already was, Lore turned to watch the forest as he answered her questions. "Well, as I said before, we came here looking for you. Your people that is, or what was left of them." Dawn cocked her head to the side at this and gave him a curious look. 

"I'm not explaining this very well, am I?" Lore said, rubbing his neck. "Let me start over. In our land, in most lands now really, your people, and those races connected to your people, are not considered to be... real." Dawn was looking at him skeptically now, but he decided to keep barreling through to the end. "With no contact or evidence of your existence, I'm afraid your people have been reduced to mere fiction. To most, you are simply myths and legends, folktales, fictitious stories from a bygone age. As one who specializes in the study of such things, this is where I come in."

Don't forget about your trusty assistant!" Lucky chimed in.

"Quiet you. You thought I was just as crazy as everybody else did."

"But you /are/ crazy!" Lucky said defensively.

"Not anymore I'm not! Once these findings are published, they won't be able to call me crazy ever again! They'll just have to contend themselves with referring to me as an 'eccentric visionary' now!" Replied a triumphant Lore. "But that isn't the point. The point is, I've always believed that these legends were not just mere stories, but ancient accounts of beings that once inhabited this world. Needless to say, my theories were... unpopular."

"Unpopular?!" Lucky scoffed "More like openly mocked and viciously ridiculed."

"Thank you, peanut gallery. Your input is no longer required." Lore said through clenched teeth. "As I was saying, it's been my life's work to prove that your people really did exist, Dawn. So when I finally found my first solid lead, we came out here to investigate." He smiled sheepishly then and let out an amused chuckle "To be honest, when we came out here looking for Taurelond, I thought we might find some crumbling ruins at best. Maybe a few artifacts preserved well enough to salvage, but I never imagined we would find actual /living/ elves. I assumed your people had died out long ago."

Another clicking screech suddenly rang out in the distance. They all tensed and looked to the west, waiting for some further sign, but none came. Long minutes passed in silence before the tension began to ease once more. Eventually Dawn picked up the conversation as if nothing had happened.

"I do not understand." Dawn frowned. "What is this 'Taurelond' you search for? I am certain it is elvish, but I have never heard this word."

Lore blinked, all thoughts of what lay in the forest pushed aside. "It's the elven city we came looking for." He said, surprised that the word had meant nothing to her. "Do you not recognize the name?"

It was Dawn's turn to be surprised now. "My people have no cities by that name. Perhaps you are mistaken?"

"Wait a second." Lucky broke in. "Are you telling me, that after everything we went through, there /isn't/ an elven city in this forest?!"

Dawn shook her head. "That is not what I meant. The city here is called Rainëvalondë, not Taurelond."

"Chalk another one up for 'years of research'." Lucky commented sarcastically.

"Maybe they simply changed the name?" Lore suggested, completely ignoring Lucky. "Or maybe the book was just wrong? It /was/ incredibly old."

After giving it some thought, Dawn spoke up again, giving the pair a glimpse at her inherently inquisitive nature. "Could it perhaps have been 'taurë en londë'? I have heard many of the growers refer to this forest as such."

"Well then, that takes care of that mystery." Lucky stated matter-of-factly. "Now about Wild Streak. Does he have a sister or something?"

The rustling of underbrush nearby brought an abrupt end to the conversation. As if speaking his name had summoned him, Wild Streak appeared amidst the trees with Shadow Fang at his side. An injured dire wolf the size of Lore lay across his back. It's coat was silvery-grey on top fading to a lighter underside and it's eyes were a fascinating blend of green and gold. The wolf whimpered piteously in pain as Wild Streak stepped from the underbrush, yet remained unnaturally still. A hideous gash ran down it's entire right foreleg, laying the bone bare, and their was a deep puncture wound the size of a gold bit high on its right haunch.

When Lore saw them, he sucked in a sharp breath, fighting back a mixture of concern, nausea, and fear. /Nobody/ could accuse Wild Streak of looking feminine now. His face was icy and hard, with a menacing feel about it. His once pristine mane and coat were now in shambles, matted with sweat and dirt into untidy clumps. Patches of dark, almost black, blood stained his hooves and lower legs, and arcs of blood crossed his face, neck, and chest in arterial sprays. Beside him, Shadow Fang was in a similar state of disarray, though only her claws and mouth were covered in blood.

As the pair stepped into the light, Lore did a double-take. For just a second, he could have sworn Wild Streak's eyes had been the same gleaming gold as Shadow Fang's, but when he looked again they were the same medium turquoise as normal. He quickly dismissed this anomaly as a trick of the light; or at least he would have, if he hadn't just realized that Shadow Fang wasn't the /only/ one with a blood-stained mouth. It suddenly occurred to Lore that, magic or no magic, Wild Streak may very well be the more dangerous of the two elves. Not for the first time, Lore began to wonder just what kind of connection Wild Streak had with the dire wolves, and what it meant.

When he saw the bloody pair, Lucky's face turned ashen. "You know what Dawn, never mind..." He said solemnly, as any interest in Wild Streak's possible mare relatives instantly disappeared.

"Are they, okay?" Lore asked. "That's a lot of blood. Shouldn't we help them?"

"It is not theirs." Dawn said dismissively, completely unfazed by the state they were in. She looked the two over and said crisply, "Report."

Wild Streak nodded and launched into a very businesslike accounting of events that made Lore believe the two elves must be part of some kind of organized military. "Scout Pack located the broken seal and found evidence of an unknown creature having emerged. The pack relayed this information, then began pursuit immediately. The creature somehow became aware of their pursuit and circled back. It ambushed them before there was a chance to establish peaceful communications, at which point I moved to assist. Scout Pack then disengaged to surveillance distance until our arrival. Upon arrival I attempted to communicate with the creature repeatedly, but was only met with challenge and aggression. The creature then became agitated and attacked Light Paw, forcing a confrontation. We engaged the creature and attempted to subdue it without causing it undue harm, but it proved too violent. Lethal force became necessary, at which point the creature was eliminated. The majority of the pack suffered little to no damage, but Light Paw and Split Nose were wounded, Light Paw heavily so."

"What of the rest of the pack?" Dawn inquired.

"Digger, Whip Tail, and Black Ear are taking the body to Crag and Kilgunn at the rendezvous. Frost Fur and Split Nose are heading to Rainëvalondë to relay our findings, and should rejoin us before we reach the tunnel."

"Tell Split Nose to have his wounds tended after relaying the information, and see if they can bring some supplies for Light Paw when they return." Ordered Dawn. "Have Crag and Kilgunn proceed to Teldayána once the wolves arrive with the body. We will meet them in the council's chambers on our return." Wild Streak pulled his right leg up tight against his body and tucked his chin down to his neck, in what was clearly some kind of salute.

Meanwhile, having braced himself for the various rushes of information, Lore found it a little disconcerting when they never came. Neither Light Paw's name, nor any of the other new names, had been accompanied by additional information. Given the prior simplicity of the wolves names, Lore wasn't entirely surprised that the spell had stopped seeking aid in their translation. What had caught him off guard however, was the suddenness with which the spell had made the decision. After all, his spell had been doing it up to this point, and it couldn't have been more than two hours since he had cast it in the first place. He began to wonder if perhaps his spell, and the spell cast over Lucky, where working together somehow to increase their efficiency.

Another whimper from the injured wolf quickly brought Lore out of his reverie. The sound made him long to aid the creature. He had always liked animals. In fact, being able to travel the world and see all its amazing creatures, both mundane and fantastical, was one of the many things he loved about his job. He couldn't just stand by and watch this creature suffer. Despite his initial trepidation, Lore's natural empathy drew him closer to Wild Streak as he tried to get a better view of the injured wolf on his back. Since there was no cut on the wolf's nose, Lore assumed it had to be Light Paw. He only had some small experience with administering first aid, ancient ruins didn't usually have modern medical facilities after all, but even he could tell the wolf's injuries needed tending as soon as possible. "Wild Streak?" He interjected softly. "I'm no medical doctor, but I have some limited experience and we have some first aid supplies in our bags. We might be able to help Light Paw, if that's okay with you that is."

Wild Streak raised a questioning eyebrow at Dawn who nodded back to him. He turned to Lore and stared at him intensely for a long moment before carefully lowering Light Paw to the ground. "Do what you will, but know that Shadow Fang would be most... 'unhappy', if you were to cause further harm to her only remaining daughter." As if that warning hadn't been clear enough, Shadow Fang's blood-covered lips curled up in a short snarl.

Lore swallowed nervously. "Well, I wasn't exactly planning on it, but thanks for the warning." He said, inwardly cursing himself for opening his mouth. 

As if reading his thoughts, Lucky leaned over and whispered in his ear. "And here I thought /I/ was the one who needed to keep his mouth shut." 

"You still are. Now shut up and get out the first aid kit and a canteen, you're helping me." Lore hissed back.

"Fine." Lucky said grumpily as he fished around in their bags. "But if you even /think/ of calling me 'Nurse', I swear I'll stuff this gauze down your throat."

Lore bit his lip, having been about to make just such a comment. "Me?! I wouldn't dream of it!" He answered innocently as he picked up the canteen.

"Right, and Celestia is making me a princess." Lucky replied sarcastically.

Not missing a beat, Lore gave him a mocking bow. "Congratulations your highness. Your first royal duty is to hold down the patient while I clean the wound." 

Kneeling next to the wolf, Lore set down the canteen and spoke to her tenderly. "It'll be okay Light Paw, we're going to help you feel better." He had to mentally prepare himself before taking a closer look at her leg, but even then he still had to fight down the urge to retch. The two injuries were covered in dried blood, dirt, and bits of forest debris all mixed together by the hasty application of some kind of poultice that had been used to staunch the bleeding. If he removed it, Lore knew the bleeding would start again, but he had little choice. The wounds needed to be cleaned before infection set in. What concerned him more was how the wolf would handle the pain. Animals had a propensity for lashing out when being treated, and Lore wasn't exactly keen to experience being bitten by a full-grown dire wolf.

Lore searched through the first aid kit and pulled out a small bottle containing a moderate topical anesthetic. Praying it would be strong enough for the job, he liberally applied the spray to the two injuries. After giving the medicine a minute to sink in, he opened the canteen and slowly poured a steady stream of water over the wounds until all the debris was flushed out. He had to hurry now, blood was beginning to slowly seep from the freshly cleansed wounds and it was only getting quicker. He capped the canteen and pulled out a heavy duty disinfectant spray. "Hold her tight Lucky. This is going to sting." For a wound this deep, 'sting' would be the understatement of the year, but there was little alternative. Lore tensed for the bite he was sure would come and applied the disinfectant.

Light Paw let out a soft whimper of pain, but nothing else happened. Lore frowned. He was relieved nothing had happened of course, yet he was surprised that /nothing/ had happened; /absolutely/ nothing! Not a single muscle in her entire body had so much as twitched. Having self control was one thing sure, but this was something else. There should have been at least some reaction, even if only as a reflex. Something was very wrong with Light Paw, and it definitely /wasn't/ just a cut. "What happened to her?" He asked Wild Streak. "She's obviously suffering from something more than just some lacerations."

Wild Streak looked at him as if he were surprised Lore was capable of being so perceptive. Gesturing to the puncture wound on Light Paw's right haunch he said. "The creature's tail was tipped with a stinger. I believe she was injected with some kind of paralytic toxin. I removed as much as I could before returning."

"Well that's just bucking great. What are we going to do now, Lore?" Lucky asked as he threw nervous glances toward Shadow Fang.

Lore bit his lip in frustration. Their first aid kit just wasn't equipped to deal with something like this. They had supplies to treat cuts, bruises, fevers, broken bones, even burns, but unknown toxins?! It just wasn't possible to prepare for something like that! There was no way of knowing whether or not the venom would prove lethal, but he had said they would help her, and he refused to just sit here and watch her suffer. There had to be something they could do. After racking his brain for a good minute, an idea began to slowly take shape and he whirled on Lucky. "Do you remember when we visited that ancient temple near Zebilla, and you got bit by that snake?"

"Of course I do, it hurt like crazy, but what's that got to do with anything?"

"That zebra shaman gave you a poultice for it remember. He said it would help 'cleanse the poison' or something like that. What was in that stuff? I just remember it being purple for some reason."

Lucky's eyes practically lit up as the little light bulb in his head finally flickered on. "Oh yeah, I remember that! That poultice was great. I didn't feel a thing after he put it on, and there wasn't even a scar afterward! I'm pretty sure there were only three ingredients. He said there was willow bark for fever, lavender for pain, inflammation, scarring, and infection, and something called echinacea for infection and the poison. If memory serves, it was an odd purplish-pink flower with a bunch of thin petals."

"I remember seeing that!" Lore exclaimed. "It had that funky black cone in the middle covered in red and yellow spikes."

"That's the one."

"Wild Streak, you know this forest far better than us, do you think you could find some echinacea around here?" Lore asked hopefully. "We just need the flowers, not the whole plant. Some lavender flowers and willow bark would be really helpful too."

Wild Streak simply nodded, then turned and bounded into the trees with Shadow Fang on his heels, vanishing a moment later.

"You know, you two can keep ignoring me all you want, but sooner or later I /will/ find out how you do that." Lucky declared adamantly.

Lore rolled his eyes at Lucky's continued fixation. "Well, while you're figuring that out, see if you can find a relatively flat stone we can use to make this poultice. And make sure to clean it. The last thing we need is more dirt in these wounds." As Lucky sighed and wandered off mumbling something about 'finding Jeffrey's cousin', Lore picked up the canteen and moved in closer to Light Paw. He reached down and gently stroked her head, speaking to her in a calm, soft voice, just as he might with a sick foal. "Don't worry Light Paw. Everything will be alright. I know you're in pain, but Wild Streak will be back soon, and then we'll make you feel better, I promise."

The wolf's fur was silky soft, and felt pleasantly warm beneath Lore's hoof. He didn't think she was running a fever yet, but then again, he didn't really know what a dire wolf 'normally' felt like, so he couldn't be sure. Gingerly, he repositioned her head and unscrewed the canteen. "I'm going to give you a bit of water now, alright? Drinking a lot should help flush out the toxins faster." As he had done with Lucky at the pond, Lore slowly poured a tiny continuous trickle of water into Light Paw's mouth. He had to make sure he was giving her just enough to keep her mouth saturated so that her body could absorb the water, but not enough for her to accidentally choke on. Eventually, Light Paw's throat twitched as her body reflexively did its best to swallow. Lore smiled and continued stroking her as she swallowed again. "There you go. That's a good girl. Just take it nice and slow." It may have looked silly, him trying to soothe a fully grown dire wolf, but right now all he could really do was comfort her; so he would. When the canteen was finally empty, he set her head down and screwed the cap back on.

"You really care, don't you?" Dawn asked curiously as she watched him.

Lore jumped in surprise, actually dropping the canteen. He had been so focused on the task at hand, that he had completely forgotten she was still there; something that happened to him more frequently than he would have liked to admit. With a furious blush spreading across his face, Lore snatched up the canteen and shoved it into his pack. He then quickly busied himself with cleaning and drying the areas around Light Paw's wounds so that he wouldn't have to meet Dawn's gaze. "I don't like to see anyone in pain." He mumbled in way of an answer.

"Showing genuine compassion for someone, and giving them first aid, are two different things. You know nothing about us, have no connections to us, and yet here you are mothering Light Paw as if she were your own. Why?"

"Do I need a reason?" Lore asked in return, as he reached out and began stroking Light Paw's head again. "I couldn't just stand there and watch this beautiful creature suffer needlessly. Not when I could help her."

The expression on Dawn's face changed as she watched him. She didn't seem as curious now, more like appraising, as if she were trying to figure him out. "You are... different, from how the old tales describe the 'naive children'." She observed, speaking slowly as if the dissimilarities between them were troubling to her.

"Really?" Lore's interest was piqued now, and his natural curiosity came rushing back with a vengeance. This was the perfect opportunity to gain a bit of insight into how they might be received by other elves. Not to mention his love of all myths, legends, and 'old tales'. If he was lucky, she might even answer a few of the other countless questions he had swirling around inside his head. "What do the old tales say about us then?"

As Dawn was about to speak, Lucky came strolling back through the trees waving a flat stone over his head "Found one!" He chirped, completely oblivious to the stuation. Lore turned around and shot him a glare that shouted 'Not now!', but Lucky didn't seem to get the message. "What? I cleaned it and everything, just like you said!" He asserted defensively.

The universe was apparently against Lore at the moment, because just as he was about to get rid of Lucky, Wild Streak and Shadow Fang returned. With a reluctant sigh, Lore admitted his defeat. There would be time later to satisfy his curiosity, or so he hoped, but right now they needed to help Light Paw. "Were you able to find the herbs?" He asked Wild Streak hopefully. In lieu of an answer, Wild Streak gave him a look that said 'Do you even need to ask?', and tossed him several strips of willow bark and three perfectly formed echinacea flowers. Then Shadow Fang loped over to Lore and dropped three large stems of lavender, bursting with purple blossoms, at his hooves. "Of course." Stupid question.

Setting the stone in front of him, Lore pulled out a fresh canteen and doused it in water. Then he took the herbs and used his hoof to grind them against the stone, breaking up the tough plant fibers. He kept at it for several long minutes, occasionally adding splashes of water until the bark and flowers were reduced to nothing more than a large, damp pile of pleasant smelling purple paste that had the same consistency as oatmeal.

"I don't know whether to eat it or wash my mane with it." Lucky commented.

"I wouldn't recommend eating it." Lore advised as he split the poultice into three portions. Picking one up, he carefully spread it into Light Paw's wounds until they were completely covered in the fragrant paste. Then, just to be sure, he packed a little extra onto the puncture wound. "At the very least it would probably make your mouth go numb, and you wouldn't be able to talk for a while." Lore added as he finished up. This made him pause. Thinking it over, he scooped up the remaining portions of the poultice and held them out to Lucky. "On second thought, go ahead."

Lucky gasped. "What, and deprive you of my sparkling conversation?! I wouldn't dream of it!" He said in mock horror. Pulling out a small watertight container they would have otherwise used for artifacts, he took the offered poultice and stored it away for later use. In return, Lucky placed a large roll of bandages into Lore's still outstretched hoof.

"Lucky me." Lore replied sarcastically, as he bound Light Paw's leg, which actually turned out to be easier than he thought. Bandaging the puncture wound on the wolf's right haunch however, proved to be more of a challenge. After a few awkward attempts though, Lore eventually managed to figure it out.

"Come, it is time we left." Dawn said to Wild Streak when Lore had finished. "We have wasted enough time here as it is."

Wild Streak glanced at Lore and Lucky. "And what of these two?"

Lore and Lucky held their breath in suspense. This was it. Their fate was finally being decided.

Dawn looked at them long and hard, taking their measure and considering the best course of action before answering. "Tell the others we will be bringing.... guests. Ones they will definitely wish to meet." She replied with a small smirk.

The pair let out a collective sigh of relief. "Well, we're not dead, and we're not prisoners. I'm counting this one as a win in my book!" Lucky declared. "You certainly won't hear me complaining." Lore added.

As the party prepared to leave, Wild Streak moved to pull Light Paw onto his back, but Lore intercepted him before he got the chance. "I'll carry her Wild Streak. I want to keep an eye on the poison's progression."

Wild Streak eyed him momentarily, wondering if Lore could handle it. Then he shrugged and turned toward the forest. "Do as you wish. Just don't fall behind."

With Lucky's help, Lore was able to slip Light Paw onto his back with little trouble. Light Paw was heavier than Lucky had been, but not by much, so it didn't take long for Lore to get used to the weight again. The wolf let out a soft whimper during the shift, but otherwise showed no greater signs of pain. It seemed the poultice was already beginning to do its job.

As Dawn and Wild Streak headed deeper into the crystal forest, Dawn looked back over her shoulder. "Come on you two. It is time to get moving."

Lore and Lucky hastily grabbed their packs and hurried to catch up to the two elves. "Just don't go doing that disappearing thing, or we'll never be able to keep up." Lucky called after them.

As the odd group left their impromptu meeting place behind, something shifted in the branches of the crystalline trees above. Something that had been watching, and waiting. Yes, always waiting, but soon the waiting would be over. Silently the thing followed them, moving from branch to branch like a living shadow, leaving not a single leaf out of place. The only sign of its passage was a slight blurring of the air, and a pair of disembodied, solid green eyes, glowing faintly among the shadows.
> EXTRA CONTENT: The Trinity of Creation (Religious Beliefs of the Lost Races)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Please read the Author's Note before continuing*

In the beginning, before time, before space, there was only the endless void. The void contained nothing. Nothing, yet everything. The void was a roiling sea of ever-changing chaos and madness, so alien and contradictory in its very nature, that mortal minds could not even begin to comprehend it. The void was infinitely miniscule, yet at the same time, so vast that you could never reach its end in all your days. It was as dead as the most barren waste, yet burst with the vibrance of a thousand billion lives. Wiser than all the greatest scholars, yet more feral and unthinking than the most savage of beasts. Space and time meant nothing within this void, for they did not yet exist.

Amidst this ever-changing chaos, a random fragment of order coalesced, as it inevitably must, and as it inevitably had before. However, unlike before, this fragment was not immediately swept away by the void. This fragment held on to its existence, and began to grow, ordering the chaos around it, as is its nature, and taking that new order into itself. 

Eventually, this order grew strong enough to rival the void, bringing about a turning point. They could no longer exist together without one succumbing to the other. Equally matched, the two opposing forces ripped themselves free in a cataclysmic storm of creation and destruction, releasing all things that had been trapped within. And from this explosive separation, our universe, our reality, was born.

Breaking into three pieces, the remnants of the great order fell into this new universe, while the remnants of the void were flung far outside it, that the two forces might finally exist separately from each other. The three pieces of the great order that fell into our universe took on new life, becoming the three great creators, known together as the Trinity of Creation. First was beautiful Seldanaldrie; wild, graceful, and passionate. Second was wise Bathoun; strong, kind, and intelligent. Third was sturdy Doramor; tough, fierce, and clever.

Wishing for a realm of their own, Seldanaldrie, Bathoun, and Doramor came together and forged the foundation of our world from the dust of the universe. However, their new world was still but a barren hunk of rock, and the three creators were not yet content.

First, Doramor brought forth force and fire into the world. He created gravity to stabilize the world, and then shaped all things below the earth with heat and pressure. Next, Bathoun brought forth air and water. He created the sky and carefully shaped the surface of the world, taking his time with rain and wind. Last, Seldanaldrie brought forth light and life. She created the sun and set it high above the world. Her light freed the true power held within the land, covering the world in green, and giving energy and life unto the barren soil.

Their task done, the Trinity longed for others to share their newly-made paradise with them. They set out to bring forth creatures into the world, but each held a different idea for what to create, so each of them made their own. Doramor, always one to take the initiative, began their work. Doramor went deep into the forges of the earth. With fire and hammer, he shaped his creations. They were sturdy as the earth, strong as its ores, tough as its stones, and intense as its fires. Doramor named his creations, ‘dwarves’.

Bathoun, forever patient, thought long on his creation before starting. He then climbed to the peak of the tallest mountain, and spent millennia shaping it, one breeze and one raindrop at a time. He gave his creation the stature of the mountain, the strength of the river, the patience of the wind, and the wisdom of time. Bathoun named his creations, ‘trolls’.

Seldanaldrie, ever the wild fount of life and creativity, could not confine herself to a single creation. She made thousands, tens of thousands, in every shape and size imaginable, giving birth to all the animals of the world.

However, Seldanaldrie was left unsatisfied, for she could not speak with her plants and animals as Doramor and Bathoun could with their new works. So, Seldanaldrie attempted to create intelligent life of her own.

Seldanaldrie wished to create a race that embodied the might and beauty of the natural world she had created, but she could not do it alone. For Seldanaldrie herself was a thing of nature. Wild, instinctive, beautiful yes, but with an untamed spirit. Seldanaldrie’s creation turned out wild and free in spirit, with the grace and beauty of the world flowing through it’s veins, and the enduring life of nature in it’s very bones, but it’s mind was blank. It held no more thought than the lowest of animals, acting only on its instincts and desires.

Seldanaldrie was unable to shape the ordered mind needed for the creation of truly intelligent life. So she went to Bathoun and asked for his aid. Being of a generous and kind nature, Bathoun shared his knowledge of the ordered mind with Seldanaldrie, and even took some of the magic from his creations, who so overflowed with the gift, and gave it to Seldanaldrie to use. So, with Bathoun's help, Seldanaldrie created the elves. But as she did, Doramor looked on with jealousy and indignation. For Bathoun had not offered /Doramor/ any aid, nor given him any gifts, and Seldanaldrie's creations were already so gifted as they were. Why should /they/ receive Bathoun’s gift and become the most magically powerful? So before Seldanaldrie could put Bathoun's gift into her creation, Doramor stole it away and gave it to /his/ creations, the dwarves.**

**The dwarven version of course, says that because Doramor made dwarves before any other race, and since he shaped them from the raw earth before its magic was used for anything else, they just 'naturally' had more magic to start with. The dwarves contest that Bathoun’s gift wasn’t stolen, but that Seldanaldrie, being naturally wild and unpredictable, simply lost it.

Discovering Bathoun’s gift gone, Seldanaldrie accused Doramor of the theft, which he of course, denied. Certain of his treachery, but unable to prove it, Seldanaldrie was filled with anger. Doramor as well, was filled with anger at Seldanaldrie’s accusation, and the two began to feud, their anger ever growing. Bathoun tried to stop the fighting, but it was no use. Unable to stop them, Bathoun withdrew deep into his mountains and sealed himself away, so that he might be spared the sorrow of having to watch his siblings fight. Meanwhile, Seldanaldrie’s fury was so overwhelming, that it spilled into the world, giving birth to lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Doramor’s rage could also not be contained, and spilled into the world as well, birthing wildfires, avalanches, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

Seldanaldrie and Doramor feuded and fought for untold years, as did their children, until the cause was long forgotten, and all that remained was their anger. During one of their many battles, Seldanaldrie hurled the sun into Doramor’s eyes, half blinding the other god. In his pain, Doramor struck the sun from the sky, and brought about the darkness of night, so that he may better see and deny Seldanaldrie her precious light. Back and forth the battles raged, the two gods remaining blind to the havoc they wreaked upon the world, and the lives that were lost in their names, until one day the world could take no more. 

From the raging fires of the gods anger, the magic of countless battles, and the blood and ash of untold lives, the dragons were born. Clawing their way out from the depths of the scarred earth, the twelve great wyrms rose, each a mountain unto itself. Driven to a frenzy by the gods battle, they took to the skies, their wings blocking out the sun. Blind with bloodlust, and mad with rage, the dragons ravaged the world, devouring and burning until nothing remained but ash and scorched earth.

Seeing the devastation, Seldanaldrie and Doramor finally stopped their fighting, but it was too late. Horrified by what their battle had unleashed on the world, the two gods finally let go of their anger, and threw their weapons down into the very heart of the earth, so that they may never again be tempted to use them.

Filled with guilt, Seldanaldrie and Doramor sought their brother Bathoun. They unsealed him from his mountain refuge, and begged his forgiveness, telling him all that had happened. Kind Bathoun, always so forgiving, did not speak of his siblings folly, only welcomed them back with open arms. 

United once more, the Trinity set out to aid their children, but they could not be found. Fearing the worst, the three gods spread out across the world, searching for anything that had survived the cataclysm. All they found were three tiny seeds, singed by dragon fire, but still alive. The three creators were stricken with grief, and wept for the loss of their beloved children and all they had made. Their tears drowned the barren wastes of the world and created the great oceans.

Out of the depths of these new oceans rose Arvandor, the great guardian; born from the deep sorrow of the creators, and the souls of the innocent. Arvandor looked upon the black sky and the ravaged world, and despaired. Having no desire to dwell upon the Trinity’s ruined world, but having nowhere else to go, Arvandor decided to claim the night sky for his own. He took one of his own eyes, still new and shining, and threw it into the black sky. Thus he created the moon, where he would dwell apart from the Trinity.

Shunning the troubles of the world, and longing for the idyllic past that he had never known, Arvandor shaped his realm into the heavens; an eternal paradise of peace and rest, devoid of earthly troubles, and far removed from the concerns of the world, and the three creators. Until they atoned for their sins, Arvandor would not forgive the Trinity for what they had done. However, he did take pity on the souls of their misguided children, and would forever after. Gathering the souls of the dead from the world, Arvandor brought them to dwell in the heavens, that they may finally rest and know peace. And each soul that entered his realm became a star in the night sky, to dwell at his side in paradise for eternity.

The Trinity, bereaved of their children, parted company to mourn their loss in private, leaving their once beautiful world to the raging dragons. And to remind them of what they had allowed to pass, each took with them a single surviving seed. As punishment for his sin, Doramor isolated himself in a dark cavern, hidden deep within a ravine, denying himself what sight he had remaining so that he would never forget that his violence had only harmed himself. So that she would be forced to forever look upon the consequences of her fury, Seldanaldrie secluded herself in the blackened heart of what had once been her greatest, and most beloved forest; now nothing more than an endless expanse of charred husks and glassed earth. Bathoun, still blaming himself for not stopping his siblings, returned to his beloved mountains, only to find them destroyed like the rest of the world. So that he would always remember the foolishness of trying to ignore his siblings quarrel, Bathoun set himself to rebuilding his mountains, stone by stone, with only his bare hands.

Alone in his cave, Doramor silently lamented the folly of fighting his sister. He regretted striking her beautiful sun from the sky, and unleashing the dragons upon the world. For a millennium, he remained silent and unmoving in the darkness, until he could no longer bare the idleness of his own remorse. 

Doramor took his seed, the reminder of his sins, and blessed the tiny survivor. He dug a small hole for the seed in the solid rock of the cave floor, but realized he could not plant it. Their world was dead and burned, so there was no fertile soil left to nourish the tiny seed. Using the rock of the earth, and his own blood, Doramor filled the hole with rich, fertile soil. When Doramor planted the tiny seed, it immediately began to grow. It grew faster and faster and burst forth into a great tree of living crystal, more beautiful than all the gems of the earth. Thus, the Tree of Balance came to be.

The great tree brought light back to the dark cave, glowing with an inner peace. Doramor covered his eyes, thinking to save his damaged eyes from being blinded further, but he found the light did not hurt. To his greater surprise, he found his vision to be restored. The light of the tree grew brighter and brighter, becoming as radiant as Seldanaldrie’s sun, and then it burst forth from the Tree of Balance in a great wave. The light swept across the world, taking the blood and the rage from the dragon’s eyes, and restoring the sun to the sky. No longer being driven mad by the infectious fury of the gods, the 12 great wyrms looked down upon the world they had ravaged and despaired. In their guilt and their shame, the 12 great dragons scattered across the world and returned to the darkest depths of the earth, that they might slumber undisturbed for eternity, and never again be consumed by the rage that had ultimately destroyed the world.

Seldanaldrie’s heart was lifted when she saw her beautiful sun restored, but with its restoration, she also saw the horrors of her sin anew. Seldanaldrie, holding the tiny seed tight to her heart, lay on the small rise in the middle of her dead forest, and wept. What few tears she had left to shed formed a shallow pool around her resting place. She wept until even the land itself held her sorrow, for in years to come, no matter how many tears were taken from the pool, it never again ran dry. Even when Seldanaldrie had no tears left to give, she continued to cry, her body giving up its life blood for tears, so that she could continue to mourn. For she, mother of creatures, life of the land, had lost more than anyone.

When Seldanaldrie had shed a drop for every living thing lost in the cataclysm, she found she could mourn no more. She got to her knees and dug a small hole in the middle of her little rise. Then Seldanaldrie blessed her tiny seed, the last of her creations, planted it in the soaked ground, and departed. The seed drank deep of her tears, and her blood, and her sorrow. It swelled in the ground until it could take no more. Then the seed burst forth with new growth, raising another crystal tree on the tiny island at the center of the pool. Thus, the Tree of Life was born.

The tree shone in the light of the sun, and Seldanaldrie looked upon it in joy and wonder. As she watched, the tree burst into flames of blue and white, crowning it in fire. A great pillar of smoke rose from the flames, and Seldanaldrie feared for the tree, yet the tree remained unharmed. The smoke rose high into the air, then spread across the sky in a great wave. When all the world was covered, rain of emerald and gold began to fall from the smoke in a gentle shower. The rain washed the world clean of ash and death, and from the damp earth came new life. All the plants and creatures of the world rose from the earth anew, and even the Trinity’s beloved children walked the land once more. And when the rain waters flowed into the new oceans, they brought life there as well, giving birth to all the creatures of the seas. With its work done, the Tree of Life ceased to burn, the smoke cleared from the sky, and all rejoiced at feeling the warmth of the sun once more.

Among his mountains, Bathoun continued his work in quiet contemplation. Though life had returned, and the sun rose in the sky once more, he had not yet completed his work. His beloved mountains were still unfinished. The labor was grueling and arduous, and though he never once faltered in his task, it took its toll. The work wore away at his hands until they cracked and bled, but even then he never stopped working. Every stone Bathoun touched was bathed with his blood, and so his own blood became the mortar with which he rebuilt his mountains.

When his task was finally complete, Bathoun stood atop the tallest of his mountains. He looked out over the world and saw it anew, and he understood. Upon the peak of that mountain, Bathoun planted his seed, and it too did grow into a crystal tree.**

**At this point the elf, dwarf, and troll versions differ slightly. The elves believe the tree that grew was the Tree of Wisdom. They believe the tree granted the Lost Races the knowledge to survive without the gods, and the secrets to master their own magic. The dwarves believe it was actually the Tree of Prosperity. They say the Tree of Life only birthed infants, and it was the Tree of Prosperity that nurtured the new life of the world, helping it grow and flourish freely. The trolls insist that it was actually the Tree of Time. They maintain the tree granted the Lost Races their longevity. They also say the tree gave the lost races great wisdom, and keeps all the knowledge of the ages within it, so that they might never lose the mistakes of the past to time.

When the world was restored, the three creators reunited, and together they sought Arvandor. Arvandor had looked down upon the restored world and been glad in his heart to see it so, and so he forgave the Trinity for their folly and came before them. The three creators told Arvandor they wished to give this reborn world to their children for a time. For the Trinity had grown weary, and wished to rest. It was time for their children to live as they wished, and make their own choices, free from the Trinity’s influence. The creators could not help but worry though, so they asked Arvandor to watch over their children from above, and to take those that may perish into his realm.

Being fond of their creations, Arvandor agreed to care for them, and bid the Trinity go to their rest. And so the three creators returned to the crystal trees that had been their salvation and decided to dwell within them, that they may rest but still remain close to their children.