Hermaeus Mora laughed to himself, wondering what they would do with the knowledge of the Oghma Infinium.
Twilight and Fluttershy arrived back at the living are to find their friends had once again settled in the library slash work station to continue tinkering with their souvenirs. Rainbow began flying with her helmet on to test how long she could last weighed down, but made a startling discovery. She realized that as she wore the thing, she barely noticed its weight, which was odd, because it definitely felt heavy when she held it.
But thats not all.
She also discovered that while she wore it, she could push herself for longer then she used to be able to (twenty percent longer to be precise). It became apparent why after she really got down and examined the helmet. It had a florescent sheen of green about it, it was enchanted.
And that was just fine for Rainbow Dash...awesome.
Spike was hanging out with Pinkie Pie for a change, charring bits of paper black for her with his fire breath. The pink party pony then dipped them in a bowl filled with a mixture of glue and water (were the glue came from was anyone's guess) making them nice and sticky. What was she doing with all this?
She was crafting a black, wiggly pinata, made in the likeness of Hermaeus Mora.
Applejack had decided to take a nap, her hat over eyes as she reclined on the coach she had sat on while Twilight told them about the Daedra. Applejack wasn't a slacker by any means, but after learning about the atrocities of the Daedra, plus those now extinct people, she needed a break. Plus, she may not be proud of the circumstances, but it was actually refreshing to not be worried about her farm for a change.
Though she would never tell anypony that.
Rarity was sewing more Welkynd Stones into her dress. After the unrest involving Twilight and Fluttershy calmed, she had thrown her self at it again, this time working on smoothing out every minute flaw with her keen eye. But she soon exhausted her magic with such a task, but it also lead to her discovering the best thing here in Apocrypha yet.
One of the Welkynd Stones vanished from her dress once she was out of magic.
At first she was horrified, but less than a second later she found her magic fully restored, and it didn't take a genius to find out how. The Welkynd Stones restore magic, and that fact only made her reverence of them increase, despite their connection with the Alyieds. She had traveled back to that room afterwards and brought back several more, both for their beauty and to take advantage of their unique properties.
But once Twilight and Fluttershy entered the room, they all didn't hesitate to cease what they were doing and lend them all their focus.
" Twilight, Fluttershy," called Rarity, walking up to stand before them like all the others. " Are you alright, darlings?"
" We're fine, girls," said Twilight, extending out a hoof that was soom gripped by Fluttershy. "Fluttershy just needed to experience something positive in this place."
"Oh, the poor dear," said Rarity, walking up to Fluttershy and taking her hoof. "That mean old robot didn't hurt you did it?"
"I'm fine Rarity, really," reassured Fluttershy.
"And what have you all been up to since we have been away?" Asked Twilight, curious to what her friends might have been up to in their absence.
"Oh, just some idle gossip," said Rarity, though Twilight had an uneasy feeling as she leaned in to her ear with a dog smirk. "For starters, I didn't know Dance had such a winning streak when it comes to relationship's."
Twilight grew a sweat drop on her temple, "I...I don't know what you are talking about."
"Oh, don't play dumb, darling, it doesn't suit you," said Rarity, her grin mischievous. "Fancy Pants had better count his lucky stars he managed to have Fleur as his wife, considering who she was originally with."
Twilight felt her mouth go limp in shock. "The only ones who know about that are me, Shining, Cadence, Fancy and Fleur, and we swore we would never tell. How could you possibly know?"
"Give me more credit, Twilight," said Spike as he walked up next to her. "I may have been little back then, but I know that wasn't a good night kiss I saw back then."
Twilight scowled at him, but it didn't seem to affect him.
"So what do we do now?" Asked Spike .
Twilight decided to drop her irritation at him, walking to where she stood in the center of all of them. "What do you say girls, shall we begin?"
They all knew what she meant simultaneously.
"Darn tooting partner," said Applejack, rearing up on her hindlegs and punching the air, eager to get started.
"If it's what we can do to help you, darling," began Rarity, flipping her mane gracefully. "Then bring it on."
"Oh this is going to be so much fun," said Pinkie, bouncing in place before tapping her chin in thought. "Hey, can I compose a song with words of power?"
"I will definitely do this," said Fluttershy, a look of determination crossing her face. "If only for Twilight to be free of this place."
"I say, we quit flapping our mouths and get to it already," said Spike, punching a claw into his palm.
"The dragons right, let's start this thing," said Rainbow, heading to a book shelf along with the others.
Until Twilight appeared in their path with a mischievous smirk. "If we are going to do this, we will need more than whats here."
---
"WOAH..." said Twilight’s friends as they sat before the gazebo that housed a huge book.
"This is what we need," said Twilight, a smug smile on her face.
"I've never seen anything like it!" Gasped Applejack, her face illuminated by the glowing blue pages.
"But how are we going to use it, Twilight?" Asked Pinkie, looking at said unicorn quizzically. "As big as it is, its only one book, and there are seven of us."
The others shared the concern.
" Wait, that color," said Spike looking at Twilight knowingly. "Haycarte?"
Twilight looked to him and nodded.
Spike smirked and speed off between the group of mare's and made a beeline for the book. When he jumped into the air over it they all expected him to flop face first onto the parchment. Their shock was immeasurable when Spike disappeared into the book, the surface rippling like water.
With a surprised gasp, all but Twilight surrounded the book, a tiny sketch of Spike visible on the page, waving up at them.
"You guys have gotta see this," said Spike, looking around in wonder. "Its absolutely amazing!"
They all flashed Twilight a nervous look, but she gave them a reassuring nod. But was this really what needed to be done? Despite how quickly Spike dove into the book, it was not something you see every day, and a ponies first reaction would be to proceed with caution...
"Cannon Ball," said Pinkie, grabbing her hind legs and jumping in, vanishing with a ripple.
Unless you are Pinkie Pie, of course.
"Well, here I go," said Applejack, leaping into the book front first after her fellow earth pony.
Rarity gave Twilight a worried look, which she returned with a gentle nudge of her muzzle.
"Well, okay," said Rarity, delicately stepping into the pages and sinking from sight.
Suddenly, Rainbow shot up through a gap in the arched ceiling of the gazebo, Twilight and Fluttershy looking up to see her fly almost out of sight. Then she speed back towards them again, gathering speed every second. They saw it coming, a Sonic Rainboom exploxed across Apocrypha like a ripple of color.
"BONZI," she called, diving into the book with a mighty gust of wind.
"That only leaves us," said Twilight after Rainbow's wind died down, reaching a hoof to Fluttershy.
She took it and together the couple approached the huge, enchanted book. Fluttershy fidgeted a little, but Twilight put her hooves on her shoulders and guided her gently. Fluttershy would still need assistance with proceeding, but that suited Twilight just fine, it was just how her timid friend was. Before to long, purple and pink pony tails slid under the surface of the book page.
Up above, a black tendril extended towards the book, another book in its coils. Carefully, Hermaeus Mora fused this last book with the bigger one, the moving sketches of six ponies and one dragon on the surface looking on in even more wonder than before as whatever the book added only increased their marvel at what they were seeing inside. Slowly, the tendril retracted and closed the book shut.
Hermaeus Mora laughed to himself, wondering what they would do with the knowledge of the Oghma Infinium.
---
Within the confines of the book, Twilight and her friends swam in a virtual epiphany of knowledge, and not just concerning magic and the Thu'um.
They learned several aspects of not just Nirn, but Mundus as well. The realm designed by Magnus under Lorkhan's guidelines, and the role of magic its creation plays. When Magnus fled Mundus to escape the cost Nirns creation was taking on the Aedra, his departure and that of his smaller kin ripping holes in Mundus, allowing magic to bleed through, as well as creating the sun and stars.
The difference between this and Equestrian magic must have something to do with why ponies can grasp magic better than the people on Nirn.
And speaking of which, Twilight and her friends learned about these people with more clarity.
They learned of the Altmer, a graceful elven race native to Summerset isle.
They learned of the Argonians, a humanoid reptilian race that live in the marshes known Black Marsh.
They learned of the Bosmer, an elvish race highly in tune with nature, living in the forest of Valenwood.
They learned of the Bretons, a partial elf, partial human race that live in the fertile country High Rock.
They learned of the Dunmer, formly the Chimer, who live in the volcanic country Morrowind.
They learned of the Imperials, who live in the lush Cyrodiil.
They learned of the feline like Khajiit and their homeland of Elsweyer, famed for the addictive drug skooma.
They learned of the Nords of Skyrim, tough and courageous because of the harsh cold of their homeland.
They learned of the Orcs, favorite race of the Daedric Prince Malacath, and native to Orsinium for the most part.
They learned of the Redguard, the people native to the mountainous region Hammerfell.
They also learned of Tamriel, the super continent that houses all the fore mentioned regions. The Daedra and the Aedra were more thoroughly viewed to, as well as the different types of people who worship them and in what way. And to top it off, they learned the Aedra's names and titles.
Unsurprisingly, Rainbow was drawn to Akatosh, The Dragon God of Time and father of all the Dragons of Nirn.
They also learned of Alduin and the Dragonborn. To learn that their was someone who thought it was their destiny to devour the world was a concept they could not fathom to say the least. It was especially hard for Fluttershy, Alduin being a dragon and all. But it was also tranquil in a way, for as sinister as Alduins actions were, the dragons of Nirn were no longer extinct and seemed to be learning from their past misdeeds.
All this and more helped Twilight’s friends progress even faster than she did during her time in Apocrypha, and with each success, they felt that they were that much closer to accomplishing their goal, and that much closer to going home.
---
Outside in Apocrypha, the gazebo sunk into the pool of black ink beneath it, masking its presence to anyone who happened upon this place in the future.