//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - Frozen in Time // Story: Where Gods Rest // by Quick Fix //------------------------------// Vanhoover December 29th As much as she would have liked to stay in the Crystal Empire longer with her brother, sister-in-law and nephew, Twilight knew that there was little point in remaining if she wanted to continue following this mystery. Aurora would be unable to help any further as he needed to head to Canterlot for his top-secret project tomorrow. Hours of scouring the depths of the Crystal Empire's ancient history had only hinted at answers to the west and there was nothing else for them to go on. All she could do for now was make sure there wasn't anything going on in the empire that her family couldn't handle, briefly return to Ponyville to update her notices that she would be away for longer than anticipated and then head for Vanhoover with Spike. As much as she wanted to head straight for the next lead, even she needed to get permission for that particular location first. The Equis ruins were among the two dozen sites across the country marked for their historical, geographical or cultural significance to Equestria. The majority of these spots were protected by a unique magic perimeter, the counterspell to which was only carried by one pony, known as the warden of the their location. Ponies could only earn such a position through proven, unbreakable trustworthiness, though some became wardens of less protected sites due to a connection to the place they guarded. Even the princesses respected the value of these places enough that few of them were entered without the counterspell or the knowledge of their warden. That was why Twilight had come to Vanhoover. Spike had used the two days he'd been waiting to remain in Ponyville and stockpile supplies as neither of them knew exactly how long they would be out in the frozen wilds. Twilight had spent the time going through the proper channels to contact the Warden of Equis and was now waiting in her 'office'. It was really just a fancier way of saying her house but Twilight didn't mind. Sitting in a plush living room chair with a cup of tea in her magic, possibly one with a hint of peppermint in it, she'd been in far worse offices in her time. This was one she actually wouldn't mind falling asleep in. It helped that the warden was a former Ponyville resident. Not one she knew well but one that was easy to remember. The sound of hoofsteps shook her thoughts and she looked over to the warden entering the room. A tall, somewhat lanky earth mare with a cream coloured coat, a light scarlet and very bushy mane and tail, gentle light purple eyes behind thickset blue glasses and a cutie mark of two candy canes forming the shape of a heart. A scroll was wrapped in her hoof, one she offered to Twilight. "Here you are, Princesth Twilight." She said, still sporting her foalhood lisp. It was rare to hear such a thing on a pony in her mid-twenties but she seemed unbothered with it. "Huh," Twilight mused as she got up and took the scroll in her magic. "Twist, if you don't mind me saying, this seems like a rather simple method to get to this spell." "Ah. Well thee, I know that if you need to get into the ruinth then you mutht have a very good reathon. It normally taketh another week or two just to check the background of the pony who athked and the thpell is kept in a lockbox Princesth Luna thaid was unbreakable without my intent to open it." "Alright," Twilight said as she opened the scroll and checked the spell over. It was legitimate, the kind of thing she could do easily on her own if she so desired. "Sorry for doubting you." "I take my job theriouthly." Twist replied with a smile. "I know, you wouldn't be a warden if you didn't," Twilight rolled the scroll back up after a few seconds and handed it over. She'd seen enough to have it memorised. "But you're doing really good work and this is going to be a huge help. Thank you." "Glad to be of thervice." Twist's smile grew further, the sight of the small beaming mare bringing a surprising sense of content to Twilight. Although their business was concluded, Twilight stayed for several minutes longer, making small talk while she finished her tea. She could tell much Twist needed a little time to just unwind and find out how her old friends in Ponyville were doing, not having much chance between running northern Equestria's most popular confectionary business and keeping on top on her warden duties. Before long her curiosity drive took over again though and she made her farewells before teleporting back to the castle. "Well, that was quick." Twilight said to herself as she reappeared in the map room and headed up to a storeroom on the floor above, able to hear Spike at work from down there. As she reached the room and looked in she had to pause for a moment, marvelling at his efficiency. Two days of work had been condensed into a pair of saddlebags for the two of them that he was putting the finishing touches on. Twilight's bag mostly contained her books and notes while Spike's larger bags carried all the supplies they would need for their expedition. "Oh, hi Twilight. Everything we need is packed and ready to go. If we're careful, we should be able to last a week without needing to resupply." Spike told her as she stepped into the room fully. "Thanks Spike. You've really outdone yourself this time," She said as she double checked the bags. While his organizing was still a little below her level she couldn't hope to match his skill at packing if she tried. "No time like the present then. I have to say though, at this point I'm not sure if I want to figure this out more than I just want to stop focusing on it." "You've been losing sleep again haven't you?" Spike asked. The slight exhale Twilight gave was all he needed to hear. "You may need to make sure I don't obsess any further while we're out there." She admitted, lifting her saddlebags into place and adjusting them as Spike fitted his own bags over his back. Neither of them needed to say anything else on the matter. As soon they were both completely set, Twilight moved next to Spike and charged her magic, being sure the teleportation spell was powerful enough to carry them both before casting. In a flash the room around them was replaced by blinding white, the slight chill of an interior in winter dropping to a furious cold that bit hard at fur and scale alike. Intense storm-force winds slammed against them and while Spike was able to dig his claw through the foot deep snow and find some grip, Twilight was forced to throw a forcefield around them within seconds to keep from being blown off her hooves. As the shield deflected the worst of the elements the wind dropped and the temperature raised from overwhelmingly cold to uncomfortably chilly. Twilight steadied herself and shook off the snowfall that had rapidly accumulated on her body, flexing her wings to keep the blood pumping through them. Frostbite was a major concern for pegasi working in the cold for extended periods of time and she'd heard enough stories from Rainbow Dash to take measures against it. "Well that was an entrance," Spike said as he pulled his claws from the ground. "So where abouts are we?" "Twist's scroll included safe routes into the area, including one for teleporting if any of the princesses wanted to," Twilight explained. "I did bring us slightly off the listed point though. There's a view I've wanted to see for years and I'll never get a better chance than this." She looked round for a few moments before nodding to their left. The view was somewhat impaired by the blizzard raging around them but the occasional lull in the wind let them see all they needed to. The two of them stood atop a small cliff that looked out on the snowy plains of Equestria's northwest coast, a gentle shift from white to icy blue marking the beginning of the frozen waters of Luna Bay. The mile between their position and the waters edge was filled by countless stones, the remains of walls and buildings. Though it was a wasteland now, this was a place of great significance and reverence. These were the Equis ruins. This had been the first capital of Equestria after the three tribes came together nearly five thousand years ago, the birthplace of a unified ponykind. Approximately twenty-two hundred years ago the city had fallen to yak invaders during the Contact War and been reduced to its current state. While ponykind had been unable to return for centuries due to the interference of the old Crystal Empire, more than enough records of the city had existed for Twilight to learn all about it growing up. Documents, blueprints, stories of a bygone era. She had always hoped that she might one day stand upon this precipice and look upon the place where everything she had ever known began with her own eyes. Now she was finally here, with a purpose. "Wow..." Twilight and Spike both said in unison, soaking in the sight before focusing again. "So, Twilight, where to now?" The dragon asked as he adjusted his gaze. "If we're east of Equis then..." Twilight mused to herself, scanning the city before pointing to what looked like the base of what would have been a sizeable building near the center of the city. "The civic headquarters would be there. If any records about the crystal ponies expeditions have survived, they'll be in a sub-level there. We shouldn't teleport though, both for the perimeter and because we need to keep moving in this cold." "So we're doing it the fun way then." Spike said as he looked over the edge of the cliff and swung himself over, using his natural agility honed by years of dealing with the castle's massive bookshelves to scale down the cliff face. Twilight quickly took off and flapped over to him, descending in time with him to keep the forcefield covering them both. "And we shouldn't get separated either. The weathers not normally this bad but, I couldn't risk something happening to you if we did." Though he was focused on his climbing, Spike still shot Twilight an appreciative smile. The duo descended in silence for the next minute until claws and hooves came to rest on solid ground again, the base of the cliff sheltering them from the worst of the winds. After a quick check to make sure their supplies were still intact they made their way toward the ruins. As they approached a faint, almost invisible shimmer in the air made Twilight halt and activate her magic, reciting the spell to allow them safe passage through the magic guarding the site. A momentary pulse of magic over her and Spike confirmed it had taken effect and they stepped through. Inside the barrier the wind dropped to nothing and no snow fell around them, though a layer of it still blanketed the ground. The city ruins sat in complete silence, nothing moving, nothing living. As if locked in its current state forever. It left the area with an eerie, haunting atmosphere that permeated everything. Despite being raised not to believe in the supernatural, Spike couldn't shake the worrying sensation that somepony was watching every step they took, spirits of those that gave their lives trying to save this city that wished it be left in peace. His concern was almost tangible before Twilight stopped and turned to him. "I can feel it too. We shouldn't stay any longer than it takes to find where the mural is." "Good. Something in the air just doesn't smell right," Spike commented, sniffing the air and wrinkling his nose slightly. "And it's not the hint of camomile coming from the barrier either." Twilight just nodded and kept moving, slightly tenser than before. The rest of their walk through the city streets was silent, broken only by the crunching of snow beneath feet and hooves, before they reached the remains of the civic headquarters in what looked like the former city center. Though there was nothing left on the surface, Twilight had read more than enough records of Equis to know what she was looking for. A simple twist of her magic grabbed at a pull ring beneath the snow at the far edge of the building and lifted it up, revealing a trapdoor with a set of stone steps leading underground. She kept her horn lit for light as they stepped inside, Spike needing a moment to squeeze through the opening, and down into the archives of Equis. "Twi? Should I be ready for a-" Spike started, only to be cut off by an excited gasp from Twilight that almost slipped into a squeal. On instinct he moved up to her and placed a hand around her chest as a precaution, taking a look around as he did. Considering all they could see down here was rows of bookshelves filled with hundreds of books and scrolls that had survived in secrecy for millennia, he wouldn't put it past her fainting in excitement. In this case though she merely went a little unsteady on her hooves before focusing again. He removed his hand from her chest to let her finish her descent, though instead she flapped over to a lantern that lay on the floor, using her magic to light the candle inside and placing it on a table. It didn't provide much light with the size of the room but anything was better than nothing. "Look at it all," Twilight said in a hushed whisper as she gently span on the spot, fascinated adoration in her eyes. "Thousands of years of history and knowledge, thought lost forever...." "Try not to get too side-tracked in looking for that mural." Spike advised as he put his bags down and fished out a blanket. He could already tell they'd be making camp down here and while it wasn't as bad as outside conditions were still far from ideal. "Right. Right right right," Twilight shook her head slightly and put her bags down. "Still, it might take a while to find so much as another hint of what we're looking for. It wouldn't hurt to learn a little while we're here, right? I mean, how many documents can there be in here?" "Well, if the room is seventy-five feet long like in the blueprint, filled with ten rows of six foot cases that each hold about four hundred and eight books and or scrolls each side..." Spike's hand twitched slightly as he stood on his back legs and ran the numbers in his head. "Approximately ninety-seven thousand two hundred and twenty." Twilight simply looked into the darkness that hid the rest of the scrolls, mind racing. Despite her determination, she found herself unexpectedly torn. Excitement at discovering so many ancient secrets, including the very real possibility of a lead on her hunt for the ancient alicorns, and a sudden, lingering sense of fear about the same. "Whoa..."