//------------------------------//
// Trials of Fire 
// Story: The Chronicle of the Return 
// by DracoUnis 
//------------------------------//

	Yawning and stretching in the chair, I toss my dry quill onto the cluttered surface of my desk. The finished wood is hidden under the sheets of parchment notes, rubbings, and transcribed histories. Golden light from a reading lamp provides the only illumination in my study. 
Over the last few days I had been quietly compiling the history that had been inscribed in Ceatus's barrow. Thanks to a combination of what rubbings my pony friends and I had been able to make during our initial visit, as well as the notes, sketches, and transcriptions I've made during my later visits, the area around my desk has become a mess of paper. Eventually I gave up on trying to control the mess that had slowly taken over my study.
I'm no historian. I have no idea how to do this, but I'll be damned if I don't give it my best shot. As the first human to return to this world (that I know of) I feel that this is my responsibility. Besides, I have an ulterior motive.
Magic is everywhere in this world. Dragons the size of buildings fly and breathe fire. Plants have poisons that play pranks on their victims by transforming them. Heck, my new best friend's girlfriend is literally the magical unicorn. Obviously we humans have our own mojo to throw into the mix.
I think there's more to human magic than just bending the elements. It goes without saying that Ignus had used some epic method to banish every human from this world with a contingency to bring us back this far down the line. Some kind of magic was keeping the barrow sealed for eons. More interestingly, the Pact Tree in the Whitetail Woods is obviously enchanted. There has to be some method to create more lasting and utilitarian effects with my magic, and my predecessors knew what it was. But what is frustrating me is that the history I've gotten my hands on mentions so little about magic. 
Without warning the lamp on my desk goes out, extinguishing the only light in the room. I sigh and carefully pick up the lamp, turning it in my hands and measure the thing's weight. The oil reservoir  is empty. That's strange, I just filled it last night. This model is supposed to hold enough oil to last two days.
Wait, what time is it?
Just as I think that, I become aware of someone pounding on my bedroom window. "Hey Lanternlight! Are you home?" Rainbow Dash's shout reverberates through the window. I walk over and whip open the curtains, squinting against the morning light. To no surprise the blue pegasus is hovering with her face inches away from the glass, one hoof impatiently tapping the frame.
With a reluctant sigh I open the window, shivering as cold winter air blows into my loft. Behind Rainbow the view is magnificent: from mountaintop to valley floor, as far as the eye can see, Equestria is covered in a white blanket of pure snow. I'll have to wait until later to fully enjoy the view. Right now I have a rainbow-colored friend flying into my house, without even waiting for an invitation.
"Morning Double-L," Rainbow says nonchalantly as she hovers through the open window, using the nickname she picked up from Pinkie.
"Good morning, Dash," I respond as I testily push the window closed. I took a quick glance at the clock. "You're up and about earlier than usual today. What's the occasion?"
The pegasus shrugs and lands on the rug in the center of the room. "I just felt like getting an early start today. Thought I'd come by and see if you wanted to hang…" She pauses and tilts her head to the side when she spots my desk. Or rather, the paper and ink disaster area that my study has become. "Out?"
As she continues to stare at my desk I start up the fireplace, eager to restore some of the warmth that fled through the open window. My firebending makes such tasks trivial, with a little kindling and a small stream of flames I soon have a merrily crackling fire going. "So who asked you to check up on me?"
"Huh? N-nopony. I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out today. That's all."
Fingers count off the evidence. "You're up before noon, I've been isolated here for at least a day and a half. The blizzard snowed in the trail leading up to the house, making it difficult if not impossible for an earth pony or unicorn to make the trip up here. Fluttershy probably won't leave her cottage and animals for anything short of an earthquake right now. Ergo you were asked to check up on me. Was it Applejack or Twilight?"
"Twilight," the mare admitted, "she came storming into my house using that cloud-walking spell, practically tossed me out of bed, and hassled me until I agreed to check your house." Still on the floor, she trots over to my study and begins investigating my desk. "Don't tell me this stuff is what's been keeping you holed up here for three days?" She sniffs a dirty bowl near my desk and makes a face.
"Yes indeed," carrying on the conversation as I begin to clean up what looks like the remains of several meals. 
"Ha, I never took you for the egghead type Double-L."
Ignoring her comment, I bring all my dirty plates down the stairs to wash. After making sure none of the pipes are frozen I fill the sink, warm up the water, and get started. After a few minutes Dash shouts down at me, "Hey, what is all this stuff anyway? I can't read this chicken scratch." Apparently the blue pony's curiosity got the better of her.
An interesting fact about being human here; language is no barrier to us. Somehow, we learn some kind of magic speech on arrival. Anything I say to a sapient creature is understood, and I can understand them. Yet another facet of life aided by magic, although whether this is natural or the work of yet another ancient spell is a mystery. The same cannot be said about said language's written form, unfortunately. I have decided to name this language Babel, for the old myth about the tower.
"It's the history we took from the barrow. I'm trying to organize it so I can learn more."
"Learn what? It's history; a bunch of old stories about old, boring ponies who lived a long time ago." Well it's nice to know your opinion of the subject, Professor Dash.
Finishing off the dishes, next I eagerly prepare myself some tea. As the bag steeps in the cup I shout back up to my winged friend. "I'm looking for something specific, but I haven't found it yet."
"What is it?"
"I don't think you'd find it interesting."
Rainbow takes that statement as a challenge. "Try me"
"How the ancient humans casted spells way back when."
The next thing I know, the pegasus in nose to nose to me. It takes a lot of effort not to spill hot tea all over myself. The culprit is as oblivious to my plight as she is to my scolding glare. "This is perfect!" She nearly squeals with glee. 
"How so?" I ask in a voice dry enough for a dessert midsummer.
She floats around me, putting a foreleg around my shoulder. "Okay hear me out. I say we take your project over to Twilight's place and let the egghead take a crack at it. All you have to do is say the word 'magic' and she'll be all over this like fuzz on a parasprite." She draws me closer like some co-conspirator. "Think about it; you get some expert help with your problem, Twilight gets a riddle to occupy that big, busy brain of hers, I get her off my back and a warm place to spend the day. Everybody wins!"
That last part causes me to cock an eyebrow. "I thought pegasi aren't bothered by the cold."
"Pfft." She waves me off and almost dislodges my teacup again. I am sorely tempted to splash a bit on her face to give her a reality check, but that would be a waste of good tea. "So? That doesn't mean I like it."
As reluctant as I am to involve others, this is my responsibility after all, it's not a bad plan. I've been getting nowhere on my own, and the likelihood of stumbling onto another treasure trove of information like the barrow is somewhere between that of penguins vacationing in the tropics and demons needing arctic gear. And if anypony can help me, that pony would be Twilight Sparkle.
"Okay, let's do it."
Rainbow ascends to the ceiling with a wild whoop. "All right! Get those papers together, I'll grab my saddlebags and fly them to the library!" And with that, a rainbow streaks out my front door and towards Ponyville.
I take a sip of my tea and savor today's fleeting moment of peace.
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It is official: I hate the snow. More specifically, I hate trudging through the snow. Not that the knee-high layer on the floor of the Whitetail Woods gives me much of a choice as I make my way down the hill towards town. Luckily the ponies have already plowed the majority of the snow out of Ponyville's streets, so once I'm in town the going is a lot smoother. Although the steam rising from my clothes earns me a few curious looks.
The library had shed it's leaves for the winter, but the lights in the windows testify that the residents are very much awake. Tired as I am from my arduous walk, my spirit lifts a little as I knock at the door. I am greeted by none other than Spike. 
"Lanternlight, good to see you made it." The little dragon takes in my clothing-swathed form. "Um, can I take your coat?"
With tremendous gratitude I step though the door and start removing my layers of shirts. "Thanks Spike."
I hear a muffled "no problem" as the dragon teeters off with a pile of fabric almost as big as he is. After removing my boots I walk into the library proper. As usual Twilight is sitting at the central table, reading a book under the watchful eye of a wooden unicorn bust. Rainbow's saddlebags, packed full of my research notes, are sitting on the floor next to her. The pegasus they belong to has parked herself on top of a bookshelf. And, to my great surprise, reading a book of her own.
The sound of Spike closing the coat closet snaps both girls back to awareness. Twilight grins when she sees me. "Oh, Lanternlight, you're here. Now we can really get started." The lavender unicorn magically lifts the bag and sets it on the table, extracting and sorting the loose-leafed notes within.
"Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't start without me."
"Oh, she tried," Rainbow remarks from on high.
The unicorn blushes under my curios look. "I started to review your notes but," she pokes a hoof at my handwriting, "it was a little difficult considering I couldn't read a word of it."
"Oh come on, my handwriting isn't that…" I give myself a well-deserved smack on the forehead. Of course I wrote down all my notes in Babel. "Sorry about that."
I don't like the way Twilight's smiling at me right now. "That's okay. You didn't expect to come to anypony for help with this after all. But as a good friend I'm willing to help, even on short notice. Anyway, we've got a lot of work to do if we're going to find out how humans are supposed to cast spells." With a wave of her horn a flurry of paper flies through the room, my notes hovering in neat rows and columns in a semicircle around us. "Spike." Her call is answered immediately, the purple and green dragon standing ready with a notepad and quill in claw. "Ready?"
The librarian's number one assistant salutes, "Ready and willing."
She fixes me with a sly look. "You ready for this?"
Slightly fazed but entertained, as I have yet to see this side of the bookish unicorn, I nod my head in her direction and grin back. "As I'll ever be I guess."
"Rainbow Dash, you gonna help to?" Twilight asks our pegasus friend.
"Na," replies the blue mare. "I'm no good at this egghead stuff. If you don't mind, I'll just browse the fiction shelves and stay out of your way."
The unicorn shrugs. "Suit yourself, but don't be afraid to jump in if you have any ideas." The pegasus rolls her eyes in response before returning her attention to the book in front of her. "All right, I already went through my study preparation checklist. First of all we need to get these notes organized. How about chronologically?"
"Okay. I've been able to group events into three time periods so far. First there's the Pre-Kingdom era; the time before Ignus united the four nations under his rule. Notes from this era are marked with this symbol." I tap the Babel symbol on the bottom of a page. A more literal translation would be "Before Our King". Twilight levitates the papers bearing that mark to the farthest left.
"Next, the Kingdom era, when Ignus reigned." I tap another symbol meaning "His Golden Reign". Again the notes re-organize themselves in midair. 
Pointing out my last marking, I conclude. "And finally the Exile era. It begins with Ceatus's rebellion, and ends with Ignus beginning the Exile." This  last symbol translates as "Our Sorrow," appropriately. These papers settle on the far right.
Looking at our research materials, it becomes clear that the majority of information I have is focused on the Kingdom period. That should work to our advantage, though. The hight of human civilization is most likely the time when humanity's magical knowledge was the most advanced and widespread.
"It's a start," Twilight says. She walks along the flouting wall of parchment bound history, subjecting my notes and sketches to her ruthless scholars eye. "Let's get events in order before we go any further. Then we'll look for any mention of great feats of magic or famous magicians. After that we'll cross-reference locations with Equestrian history and see what we find out. Got all that Spike?"
The dragon lifts his head confidently. "Of course."
"Good," the unicorn chirps. "All right Lanternlight, what happened first?"
"Well," I grab a sheet full of notes and sketches and pull it out to the side, surprised to find it still floating in the air. "Nice trick. Anyway, first there's the birth of mankind out of the Crossroads. Then…"
And so it goes on. For a little over four hours Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and I work together to organize, decode, and dissect my notes. It doesn't take me long to figure out just how out of my league I am. What I spent three days working on has only scratched the surface. The unicorn is not only making more progress in minutes than I was accomplishing in hours, but pointing out errors I had made ordering events within the timeline. All in all, we make tremendous progress compiling the history into a complete and supposedly accurate timeline.
Our true goal, finding clues to how humans handled magic way back then, still eludes us.
Twilight isn't taking it well.
"Arrg! This makes no sense! Are you sure you translated that part about Yannath right?"
"I'm sure, that set of symbols literally means 'Great Practitioner of Humble Magic'."
My unicorn friend turns around to continue pacing through the mess of reference books we've accumulated. "What the hay does that mean? Was she a great wizard who thought her magic was no big deal? Or was it a title placed upon masters of the bending disciplines? No that was a different thing, um…"
"For a waterbender like her, the title was 'Master of Dancing Waters'," I helpfully supply.
The unicorn stops and shoots me an irritated look. "Your predecessors really had an obsession with fancy titles, didn't they?"
"Tell me about it. I sometimes think this language was built specifically to wax dramatic."
Unfortunately the disheveled brainiac does not appreciate my attempt to lighten the mood. "Lanternlight, focus!"
"Twi? Yah in here?" The deep, welcomely calm tones of Big Macintosh reaches us from beyond our wall of history. The big red stallion walks up to us with a slightly worried look on his face, a green and red scarf around his neck matching the winter coat covering his back. Spike takes a peak out of the kitchen with a tea tray in his claws, before groaning and retreating back in.
"Mac! You're done with your chores already?" The unicorn welcomes her boyfriend by magically removing his winter gear and stowing it in the coat closet.
"Eeyup." The big guy looks at the floating wall of text before him and whistles. "What'cha got here that's got ya so frustrated, sugarcube?"
The unicorn mare looks at her earth pony stallion questioningly. "How'd you know I was frustrated?" In response Mac simply raises a hoof to brush the lavender unicorn's slightly frazzled mane, then points to the small rut carved into the floor from her pacing. The big pony's touch makes her blush, and her embarrassment at being 'caught' deepens the red gracing her cheeks. "Oh," she says with an embarrassed little giggle. And now it's the boy's turn to blush.
Rolling my eyes at the couple (they are just too cute) I catch my friend's attention with a polite cough. "Hey Big Mac."
Mac raises his head from Twilight's eyes and sees me. "Howdy Lanternlight," he nods upwards, "Miss Dash."
Now that things have finally gotten interesting enough to draw her away from her small pile of printed adventure, Rainbow stretches and drifts down from her perch. "What's shakin', big guy? Come to check up on your fillyfriend here?"
The stallion nods. "Eyup." Finished greeting us, he turns to his sweetheart and raises an eyebrow. I still find it incredible how much the big guy can communicate with just a look.
"Oh, right." Twilight gestures towards the wall of history before us while answering Mac's question. "I'm helping Lanternlight research human magic, specifically how it was done before the Exile. We've been searching through all the human history we have to try and figure it out. We found plenty of references to great magicians and notable works of magic, but these records are so vague about how they accomplished it that it's been driving me up the wall!"
"She's not kidding," Dash says. "Spike had to calm her down once, it looked like you were going to blow a gasket there, Twilight."
"We've tried everything," The unicorn wails, resuming her pacing. "Cross-referencing the locations to Equestria's history didn't work. Trying to extrapolate specialties from the magicians' names or titles hasn't helped. But the answer has to be here somewhere. This is all the information we have."
I shrug in response to Twilight's tirade. "In all honesty, the answer might not be in here." To reinforce my next point I tap a floating page. "This is a history, not a grimore. During the Exile the humans probably couldn't comprehend the possibility that they would loose their magic. If they assumed that their magical traditions would survive the transition then they had no reason to try to preserve them."
Big Mac puts a yellow hoof up to his chin, while behind us Spike walks out of the kitchen with a heavily laden tea tray. After a few seconds of thought the red earth pony drops a bomb on us. "Were'd these magicians learn how ta do their magic? They had ta learn it somewhere."
It goes quiet for a few seconds as the implications of the stallion's deduction percolates through our brains. In a single synchronized motion the unicorn mare and I bring our forelimbs up and smack our foreheads. The pegasus hovering overhead comes to her own realization. "And if that place is still around, maybe it has a scroll or tablet or something that we can use!" Impressed at her own idea, she does a quick loop in mid-air. She stops and blushes when she realizes the rest of us are staring at her. "Well, okay, something that Lanternlight can use."
Twilight shoots Rainbow a knowing look. "And you said you were no good at this egghead stuff," the unicorn compliments. The blue pegasus grins and lifts her head in acknowledgement of the praise, and I roll my eyes. If that girl's head gets filled with any more hot air she won't even need wings to stay airborne.
"Hey guys, the tea's ready," Spike calls from the kitchen. In an instant I am seated at the library's dining room table, inhaling the heavenly scents of ginger and lemongrass from the steaming cup in my hand. A very bemused dragon stands by the door, soon joined by the three ponies. Now it's my turn to be stared at.
"What," I say defensively, "it's good tea."
After that we're all sitting at the table, enjoying the tea and sandwiches the little assistant made for us while planning our next move. To be more specific, three of the four of us are enjoying the lunch. We're a plate short. 
"Spike, why didn't you make tea for Mac?" Twilight looks disappointed and a little miffed about the uneven portions.
The dragon, however, does his best to look innocent. "I didn't hear him come in." One look from the unicorn is enough to turn his excuse into an apology. "Okay, okay, sorry. I'll get him a cup." He walks over to the cupboard, grumbling the whole way, and returns with what is probably the ugliest teacup in the whole house. "Here," the dragon says with a little bit of an attitude in his voice.
With the purple pony giving him a look that clearly says, "We will be talking about this later," the little dragon stalks out of the room. Dash and I silently note the tension in the air while the Big Mac stoically pours tea into the visually displeasing cup. Twilight smiles at us to break the atmosphere, "Sorry about that. Are you hungry Mac? If you are, I could split my sandwich with you. I'm not sure if you'd like it though, it has daisies in it. I'll make you another one."
The big stallion lifts up a hoof to cut off the unicorn before she gets up. "Ah'm fine," he says while patting his stomach. "Had lunch before Ah left the farm." Twilight grins sheepishly and sits back down. I take advantage of the distraction to sneak a peak at my sandwich to make sure it's flower-free. Thankfully all that rests between the two slices of nut bread is a slice of cheese with lettuce, tomato, and mustard. 
Dash changes the subject with her usual subtlety. "So, were is this human magic school anyway? I wasn't really paying attention while you two were doin' your egghead thing."
The unicorn floats a few of the notes into the kitchen, smiling in a very self-satisfied way. "That's what we're going to find out." She takes a bite out of a sandwich and scans the papers. "I know there was something here about magicians teaching others in the Pre-Kingdom…"
"Before the King came, the hidden mystics of Air were the greatest of magicians," I recite entirely from memory, "and many rulers sought to purchase their services. The Air Mystics never bowed to those demands, preferring the solitude and peace of their mountaintop towers. When the King came to them, the wisest of them encouraged their fellows to join his cause. After the Kingdom was founded the towers were open to any who wanted to learn the ways of the Mystics." Great, now they're starring at me again. In fact, Rainbow's getting right in my face and inspecting me suspiciously. "What?"
A cyan hoof reaches out and prods my forehead experimentally. "Just wondering if some kind of freaky magic made you and Twilight switch brains or something."
I push the pegasus back and glare at the insinuation. "Rainbow, I've been holed up in my study for three days with those notes. I could probably recite them backwards."
"That's my point."
An impatient cough interrupts our stare-down. "If you two are finished, maybe we can focus on the task at hoof?" Twilight's tone of voice indicates that she has had quite enough of this nonsense.  The pegasus and I return to eating our meals in silence. "Thank you. According to the rest of these notes, one of the towers was especially known for recruiting and training magicians. It was the first dedicated school of magic in the Kingdom. Several of the mages noted in the histories claimed to have attended this tower. And it was called…" Purple eyes narrow as she focuses all her concentration on the words on the page. I'm surprised the parchment didn't immediately burst into flames. Finally, the unicorn sighs in defeat and magics the parchment over to me. "What does this symbol mean?" The character in question remains highlighted by purple sparkles after I grab it.
"Literally, 'The Mountain Like Unto A Sword'. A more practical translation would be 'Sword Mountain.'" 
"You wouldn't happen to have a picture of this place in there, would you?" Rainbow asks, and I swear I can hear the gears in her head turning. Twilight riffles through the notes until she finds one with a sketch on it and floats it over to her pegasus friend. The cyan athlete inspects the picture thoroughly, then shoots up from the table. Big Mac steadies the table before the frantic action can spill the tea and food all over the kitchen. "I knew it! I knew it! This is the mountain, I can't believe it." She excitedly prods the sketch with a hoof, sharing her discovery with us. "This mountain is only a few miles away from Cloudsdale! I remember because the Watch always told everypony to stay away from some ruins at the summit. Of course, I used to try and sneak in but I would either get caught or some weird crosswind would force me away!"
Twilight and I stood up in our own excitement, the unicorn slamming her front hooves on the table to bring herself closer to the hovering pegasus. "Are you serious," we ask in unison. Mac steadies the table once again and pours more tea into his cup, seeming almost bored. He probably has to deal with something like this every day, knowing his family.
Rainbow nods and jabs the parchment again. "There's no mistaking this mountain. So what are we going to do now? Are we gonna go there and do some exploring? 'Cause that'd be awesome."
Twilight puts a hoof to her chin and hums to herself, "Well, it's not that far away. I never thought that we would find the school in Equestria's borders. If I let the Princess know where we're going I'm sure the Cloudsdale Watch will let us into the ruins. So, yeah, I guess we are…"
"No," I interrupt Twilight before she can finish. The ponies are looking at me incredulously, so I explain myself better. "Look, this whole thing is my responsibility. I need to learn magic so I can better protect this town, and I would be a tremendous hypocrite if I let you risk yourselves on my behalf. So if it's all the same to you guys, I'll find my way over there and see if I can't find anything." I get up and make my way over to the kitchen door, but I'm cut off by Big Mac before I take three steps.
"Nope," the red stallion says evenly.
"Yah," Rainbow says as she joins him in front of me, "there's no way we're just going to leave you to handle this all on your own. Especially if it's dangerous."
"Lanternlight, you don't even know where Cloudsdale is, or how to get there. You've never even been to another city." Damn you Twilight Sparkle, and your logic. "Not to mention Rainbow already knows how to get to the mountain, you'll probably need help locating and deciphering any information that might be in the ruins, getting the equipment up there, and so on."
"You don't understand, Twilight, this is about more than that." I kneel down to put myself at eye level with the unicorn. "It will be dangerous. The mystics almost certainly left something behind to defend their secrets, and take it from me, human defenses can be downright nasty. I'm supposed to protect you from danger, not lead you into it."
"We're your friends," she says. She puts a purple hoof on my hand, gently. "You need help and we can give it. Besides, we're no strangers to danger."
Rainbow wings over next to Twilight and punches me in the shoulder. "Seriously, we've faced off against a super angry, crazy Princess, beaten the spirit of chaos himself, and drove back a whole changeling invasion. We know what we're doing."
The unicorn gives her friend a look. "That last one wasn't us."
The pegasus waves her off. "We helped. My point is, you're going to have to trust us, Double-L"
Glancing back and forth between the two mares, trying to find some argument that will persuade them to stay behind. I have no way to guarantee their safety if they come along. Then the meaning of what Rainbow said hits me. My friends are adults, and I know that they're far from helpless in a dangerous situation. Can I trust them to keep out of trouble? More importantly, can I trust them to get themselves out of it if I can't?
Trust is a funny thing. You just have to hope and take the plunge.
"Okay." I try to ignore the way my stomach flips when I say that.
The mares physically relax when I say that, letting out breaths none of us had noticed them holding. Behind us, Macintosh puts a hoof forward and says, "Ah'm willin' ta come along. Ya'll need somepony else ta watch yer back."
Twilight is very surprised. "You want to come with us?"
"Eyup."
The four of us share a knowing look. The unicorn sighs and rubs her forehead. "AJ's not going to like this."
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The next morning finds me trudging to Sweet Apple Acres to meet the ponies before setting out. A large canvas pack, custom made at great expense to your's truly, is strapped to my back. The pack is heavy with spare clothing, food, mountain climbing gear, and a brand new notebook with a carefully packed ink pot and fountain pen. Once again I have to make my own path through the snow. I'm beginning to sense a pattern here. If every winter is going to be like this then I should invest in a sturdy pair of boots, and some snow pants. Jeans are good, but they get soaked during these trips and my breath of fire can only do so much while I'm hiking.
Thankfully the area around the Apples' farmhouse has been cleared of snow, so I take a second to steam myself off before hunting down my companions. A part of me wonders if they had managed to persuade Applejack to let her brother go like they said they would yesterday. Knowing how stubborn the farm filly (ha) could be, she might still be arguing with them right now. Rainbow certainly wouldn't have been a great help in that regard. The pegasus seems to enjoy pushing the earth pony's buttons to satisfy her own competitive nature. 
So I was very surprised to turn the corner and find Applejack helping Big Macintosh into his enormous pair of saddlebags. Twilight was sitting nearby, her own bags packed to bulging and levitating a scroll in front of her. Spike was standing by her, looking grumpy and sleepy-eyed at this hour. Rainbow was looking worse, yawning and nursing a cup of something hot and possibly caffeinated. The pegasus's back was bare of any luggage.
"Ya sure ya packed everything, Macintosh? Them saddlebags felt a mite light ta me," I hear Applejack say as I make my way over. She prods the offending pack with a hoof, frowning as its contents shift and resettle.
If the red stallion is troubled by this, he shows no sign. He simply nods and says, "Yup."
The orange pony turns to the nearby unicorn. "Maybe we should go over the list again," she says, "just ta be sure."
Twilight squints as she puts the finishing touches on the floating paper before her. "AJ, stop fussing. Mac and I triple-checked his bags last night, and checked them again this morning. Trust me, everything we need is present and accounted for." The unicorn finishes her writing with a flourish and rolls up her work. Just as Spike is nodding off, his caretaker/boss/big sister pushes down on his tail like a lever. The surprised dragon jerks awake with a shout and flames, burning up the scroll in his green flire. He gives Twilight a glare as the smoke makes its way to Canterlot. The unicorn dodges by waving at me, "Hi Lanternlight."
"Hey guys," I say as I approach the group. Catching a whiff of the pegasus' beverage, I give her a mischievous grin. "A little early for you, Dash?"
The cyan weather mare blows the steam across the surface of her drink before taking a large gulp. "Talk later, coffee now."
The rest of us, except for Applejack, share chuckle at the sleepy pony's expense. The farmer tightens the last strap of her brother's saddlebags, perhaps a little too tight judging by Mac's face. Ignoring the green eyed glare directed at her the orange mare turns towards Twilight. "Alright, he's ready to go wherever it is y'all r' goin'," she says. Nervously adjusting her hat, she voice takes on a bit of a demanding tone, "Where exactly is it yer goin' again? From what y'all have packed, Ah don't think this is gonna be a day trip to Canterlot."
Twilight wilts under the relentless gaze of her friend, giving in quickly to those inquisitional green eyes. "Um, well, since Lanternlight is here anyway, I think it would be okay for you to listen in while I go over our, um, itinerary." The unicorn pulls an epically long scroll from her saddlebags and clears her throat.
"First, we take the 8:40 train to Cloudsdale. From there we go to the Watch office near the station so we can get clearance to investigate the ruins on Sword Mountain."
"Whoa there!" An orange hoof is raised in protest. "Sword Mountain? That peak west a' Cloudsdale that Fluttershy told us all those ghost stories about last time we were there? What in all the green fields of Equestria are you taking my brother to a haunted mountain fer?"
"It's not haunted," a strangely mellow Rainbow Dash objects. "Ponies see weird stuff there now and then. Probably because the ruins there used to belong to some human wizard guys."
The unicorn with the schedule glares at the other mares. "If I can continue? Good. After that we get some lunch, of course. Then we walk or take a cab to the trail head. We should be able to make our first camp at the foot of the mountain! Tomorrow…"
She goes on like this for a half hour. Dear god, this scroll is at least seven feet long! I think she even… Yes. She even scheduled our bathroom breaks. Dash and I exchange accusing stares, mine saying "it was your idea to get her involved in the first place," hers saying "you thought this was a good idea."
Luckily Big Mac saves us all by snatching the scroll away from Twilight. With a grunt of effort, he hurls the monstrous schedule out over the hills of Sweet Apple Acres. I swear I even see a spark of light in the distance. The unicorn is staring in the direction of the toss, her mouth open wide as what was probably several hours of work achieves low orbit. Her coltfriend just adjusts his saddlebags, sticks a stalk of hay in his mouth, and says, "We'd better get goin'." The red stallion lowers his head and pushes the catatonic scholar towards the train station.
Rainbow Dash and I hesitate for a few seconds before we follow the couple. "He is going to be in so much trouble when she snaps out of it," I observe
The pegasus nods before taking off, grunting "Uh-huh." Behind us I hear Applejack hollering.
"Y'all come back safe now, ya hear!"
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One train ride (and awkwardly overheard argument) later, I'm getting my first look at Cloudsdale. Of course, I have to look up due to the pegasus city being made out of clouds.
Due to the city's unique composition, the train station was earthbound. Around it, a whole district of the city had sprung up to cater to earth and unicorn pony visitors. Advertisements for hotels, restaurants, and hot-air balloon rentals littered the walls of the station's lobby. I am reading one of the little tourist pamphlets while we wait for Rainbow to finish her talk with two grey-and-blue armored pegasi who are probably members of the City Watch. Twilight and Mac were sitting close by. The unicorn is pointedly not talking to the big stallion, who is pretending it isn't bothering him. They're probably each waiting for the other to apologize first.
In due time, Dash came back with permission to poke around the ruins atop Sword Mountain. A pegasus cab, pulled by a team five strong thanks to our equipment, takes us to the trail head. A glance up the hill confirms my fears. From base to peak the mountain is shrouded in white snow. I take a deep breath and puff out a cloud of fire-laced steam in annoyance. Winter in Equestria sucks. So hard. When you. Are. A. Firebender!
Thankfully Big Macintosh thought ahead. He pulls out a miniature snowplow from one of the many bags on his massive frame and starts strapping it on. Twilight helps him with some of the hard to reach straps, being a little more rough than technically necessary. Then the stallion takes the lead, pushing the snow out of his way with a steady, unstoppable pace. The unicorn and I fall in behind him, and Dash flies over us and the snow. The pegasus scouts out the trail ahead of us, pointing out the ribbon marked trees on either side.
After about two hours of silent hiking, Twilight sighs and speaks up. "I'm sorry, Mac. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."
After a few seconds, Mac replies. "Ah'm sorry too."
The two share a glance that would have turned into a cuddle if the cleared trail wasn't so narrow. Rainbow and I heave relieved sighs. "Finally," the cyan pegasus declares, "I thought those two were never going to make up." She hovers closer to me and whispers in my ear. "I was seriously thinking 'what would Pinkie Pie do in this situation?'"
"Sing a song?" I suggest innocently. 
The pegasus sticks her tongue out in distaste. "Bleh! Probably."
The rest of the day passes quickly. Even with the snow piled up to my waist we make good time, chatting to keep the boredom at bay. We reach our camp site before dark. With a little magic and work, the site is cleared and our party settles down for dinner. Twilight uses the opportunity to go over her plan for tomorrow.
"We should reach the ruins by noon," she says from her place by the campfire. She and Big Mac are laying side by side. "Once we get to its elevation, we'll be able to feel the wind-barrier protecting the school. We'll need to find a way through it." She points a hoof at her pegasus friend lounging on a branch overhead. "Rainbow, do you think you could find a weak point in the barrier?"
"Sure," the daredevil says through a yawn, "no problem."
Twilight rolls her eyes and finishes going over her plan, "In that case the rest of us will look for a way through on the ground. And then it's into the ruins we go."
Mac nuzzles his marefriend when she's finished. "Ain't that easier?"
Chuckling at the glare that the unicorn directs towards her beau, I scarf down the rest of my dinner (mmm salted venison and potatoes) and salute the couple. "I think we should follow Rainbow's lead," as if on queue the pegasus snores softly, "and hit the sack."
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The next day, after a short hike, we reach the ruins.
The Air Mystics had built their school into the mountain, carving structures out from the rock of the mountain itself. Each building was cut in sharp angles. Rectangles stood on the ground or hung off the walls and ceiling, with an occasional cylinder rising from floor to ceiling between them. Badly eroded statuary is scattered among empty doors and dark windows. The whole place reminds me of the old cliff dwellings in Arizona, if you replaced red sandstone with grey mountain granite.
My musings are interrupted by a pegasus-shaped blur flying past me and slamming into a tree. Rainbow shakes her head in an attempt to recover from her latest attempt to penetrate the ruin's mystical defense. "Horseapples," she curses, "I was sure I had it that time."
"I think that's enough for now, Rainbow." Twilight's horn is glowing as she probes the area with her magical senses.
"Aw, come on. I've still got plenty of flight left in me. Just one more time, I'll find that weakness for sure!"
"That's what you said the last five times." My pegasus friend gives me a stink-eye for that remark.
The unicorn returns her full concentration to her task while I refocus on my inspection of the ruins. The wind-barrier blows gusts past us, keeping this shoulder of the mountain clear of snow, trees, and just about anything else except for grass. Big Mac is standing by to assist us when we ask for him.
"Okay, so it can't be pushed through, it circulates too fast to have a weakness for more than a fraction of a second, no pattern that I can find." I can hear the purple unicorn mumbling to herself, trying to figure this out. "I can't dispel it either. As far as my magic is concerned, this is a natural process. I guess I could use my own barrier to get us through it, but that's a different kind of risky. There has to be a way to bypass this barrier."
Scanning the mountainside, I spot an odd shadow that stands out from the cracks of the cliffs around us. Walking closer, the shadow gains definition as what seems to be a carved line. Expanding from that, I begin to notice a pattern emerging from the granite wall. Distinctive, maze-like, and from previous encounters definitely the work of human hands! The lines terminate in one spot.
Eager to investigate this clue, I start to clamber up a boulder to the termination point. My climbing gets the attention of the ponies. Rainbow flies up after me. "Hey, what are you doing?"
"There's something up here." With a grunt I pull myself up onto the top of the boulder. Tracing the lines to the termination point, I find a semi-eroded petroglyph of a hand carved into the rock.
The pegasus traces some of the lines above me with a hoof. "What do you think these are for?"
Looking from my hand to the petroglyph, and something clicks in my head. "Every door has a lock," I think out loud, "and every lock has a key."
By now my actions have attracted the attention of the other two. Twilight curiously approaches, "Did you find something Lanternlight?"
I barely hear her question. All my attention is focused on the hand glyph, my own hand inches away from the carved stone. Ready to pull it away the minute something goes 'click', I touch my hand to the cold, rough surface. A sort of tingling sensation starts to travel up my arm towards my spine. The wall shows no other reaction.
Okay. Different solution then?
Keeping my hand on the glyph, I take a breath in preparation for a big bending action. Then something altogether unexpected happens.
The tingling becomes a surge that runs up my arm and along my spine. My back is forced to full extension as the base of my spine is drawn towards the ground and the top of my head is pulled towards the sky. The area around me is illuminated by yellow light, the glow coming from somewhere on my body and the glyph. Suddenly yellow sparks burst from the stone beneath my hand, tracing the lines in cliff until they reach the barrier. The entire pattern flashes in a yellow and red aurora before fading. The surge stops and I'm left standing shock still on the bolder.
"By all that is holy, that was intense!"
A blue hoof prods me out of my trance. Rainbow is grinning at me, Twilight is staring at me with her mouth agape, and Mac is… gathering up the equipment while the mares' attention is on me. Smart guy.
I climb down the boulder to follow our packhorse, and I'm soon joined by the astonished purple unicorn. "Bu… Wha… How?!" Her stammering is downright adorable, and I savor her confusion for a few seconds before I answer. It's a rare occurrence for somebody to out-magic Princess Celestia's favorite student.
"I turned the key," I say in a mysterious tone of voice. The unicorn glares at me and drives a forehoof into my thigh. "Ow! Okay. There was a preset spell carved into the cliff. Kind of like the one at the barrow, but with a different trigger. Happy now?"
"Why yes, thank you," she says with a smug little grin on her face as we pass the boundary into the ruined school. After a few minutes of staring at the sights around us, the four of us unanimously decide to enter the largest doorway of the cylindrical tower in the center of the 'campus'.
As soon as I cross the threshold I feel something zing from my heel up my spine. Sudden light illuminates the room, revealing great rounded walls and a polished floor. Across from the entry is an intact metal door at least twenty feet tall, inscribed with the familiar characters of Babel. I cross the room to read the inscription, careful to avoid any possible traps. Not that I can spot any in the smooth stone surfaces around me, but I'd rather be cautious and wrong than brash and dead.
The ponies follow my lead. Twilight already has a notebook out and is recording her observations as we walk, or in Rainbow's case hover, across the room. Our footsteps echo through the empty building.
At the enormous door we stop. This has a handle, thankfully. I don't want to trigger any more spells without knowing more about how they work. For all I know they could be rigged with traps or other contingencies if you don't activate them the right way. At this thought I realize that I had really lucked out at the cliff. Oh well, water under the bridge.
Twilight subjects the writing carved into the door to her scholar's eye, which then travels along the door itself. With a thoughtful gleam in her eye she turns to me and asks, "Lanternlight, translation?"
"We Who Were the Mystics Welcome Those Who Return to Our House," the inscription reads. "Within These Vaults Lie the Secrets of Our Power. They Are Yours to Claim, If You Can. Our Trial Shall Test Your Virtue, and Only Those Worthy Shall Pass."
Rainbow whistles above us. "Now that's a challenge if I ever heard one."
"Eeyup," Mac drawls in agreement.
The unicorn mage next to me purses her lips and taps the end of her quill against her chin. "Well, only one way to go." Her magic grips the door handle and pulls the door open. Looking at me with a sly grin, she gestures into the darker room beyond, "Your trail awaits."
"You know this is probably a trap, right?" I say evenly.
"There's only one way to know for sure," she replies. Her gazes at me encouragingly. With a deep breath and more than a little apprehension I cross the threshold.
I freeze as the room lights up, ready to dodge out of the way of all the nastiness likely to be tossed my way.
The ceiling doesn't collapse.
Spears don't pop out from all around me, impaling me like a shish kebab.
No poison darts fire from hidden tubes.
Not even a rolling ball of crushing doom.
Huh.
Poisonous animals? Quicksand? Spiky pit trap?
No?
Okay, I can work with that.
The room I'm now in is a long, rectangular hall sloping down towards a massive set of double doors. The walls are covered in intricate murals, colored tiles gleaming in the magic light. The doors, however, are what grab my attention the most. Three hollow copper spheres, whole except for a circular gap in the front, surround a complex locking mechanism. I recognize it from the cartoon that led me to discover how to tap into my innate magic when I first arrived here. It's a bending lock.
I contemplate the door while the ponies file in behind me. Three ports will be problematic. I haven't even tried to create multiple streams of fire at once, so far I've been able to get by with fireballs, flame darts, and single streams. My most advanced technique so far is the Breath of Fire, and I've been practicing it so often that it's become almost like second nature to me. 
This is going to be a challenge.
Twilight interrupts my concentration. "Lanternlight, you have to come look at these murals."
"Not now Twi," I say as I check my friends distance (acceptable), take my stance, and bend for all I'm worth. I start with a steady stream from one hand to the upper right. Then I thrust the other forward in a palm strike, shouting a kiai as another stream erupts from it. The stream is weak and short at first, so I rebalance my energies. My first stream gets a little weaker as my second builds up, until my second reaches the sphere on the upper right. By that time I reach my limit and have to stop.
Rainbow lands behind me and gawks. "Awesome! But I think you need to hit all three for it to work."
I roll my eyes, thankful that the pegasus can't see my face right now. Taking a low stance, I extend my right foot along with my hands and, after adjusting my energy flow again, successfully conjure three simultaneous streams of fire. The problem is, they're too short.
"Damn," I curse.
The unicorn pipes up again behind us, "You really should come look at this."
"We're kinda busy, egghead." The cyan pegasus cocks her head to the side thoughtfully. "Can you get closer?"
"Nah," I reply, "the angle would be all wrong."
"Okay, maybe if you stood like this?"
Fwoosh! "No sale."
"Well, um, maybe jump into the air?"
"Worth a shot." Fwoom! Smack! "Ow. I'm not trying that again."
"Lanternlight!" We ignore our unicorn friend's shout.
"Hey! I could carry you!"
"Ha ha! No."
"Okay… Ooh! Firebending triple-slice combo!"
"Sounds like a pizza order, but okay." Foom-fwoom fwooosh! "Goddamnit!"
"Rainbow Dash!" Her second cry also goes unheard.
"You can do this, Double-L! No quitting! I want three streams, one at a time, in quick succession. Hit those doors hard!"
"Yes ma'am!" Fwoosh, fwooosh, FWOOOOOOSH! "Oh come on you fu…"
"Big Macintosh!" Twilight orders under my stream of curses.
"Eeyup." The stallion grabs me by the back of the shirt and drags me away from the target of my wrath.
"…And you can choke on it!" I finish my tirade with a rude gesture I picked up from that cabbie in New York. My captor swings me around and sets me in front of a very cross purple unicorn.
She cocks an eyebrow. "Are you done?"
I take a deep breath and clear my head. "Yes, yes I'm done."
The unicorn nods in approval and steps to the side. "Tell me what you see here."
I take in the murals before me. Colored tiles are artfully arranged to portray people and scenery in nearly perfect perspective. Hooded and robed figures are prominent in every picture. Humans, ponies, and other creatures are presented in painstaking detail. Below the scenes a continual bar of inscribed bronze, giving no more detail than names and places.
"Another history," I answer after my quick scan, "nothing helpful."
"Look closer." Twilight taps one scene with her horn. "Those robed figures are probably Mystics. Examine each scene carefully and you'll notice that there is never just one of them."
By god, she's right. Never once is a Mystic appear alone in a scene. They always seem to be in groups, two at the least but more often in quartets. "Huh," I observe.
Satisfied that I've gotten this point, the unicorn engages full Lecture Mode. "Most magical traditions, from Unicorn Wizards to Griffon Sorcerers, are solitary practitioners. They usually operate alone and pass their practices along to a single student. A few organizations exist for mages, but they are more of a formality. The master-apprentice tradition is strong and still adhered to today, even in magical academies."
Rainbow yawns and curls up behind Mac and I, giving into her natural reaction to lecturing and making up for the naps she's missed for the last couple days. Deep in her academic stride and perhaps a little oblivious of the rest of the world the unicorn doesn't notice and keeps going.
"But the Mystics were different. If my theories are correct, then the elemental magic they wielded placed far more strain on their bodies than the magic of other races. As the potency of their spells grew, the strain increased exponentially! So to lighten the load the Mystics worked in teams. Ideally these teams were composed of four practitioners, each one attuned to one of the four elements. By balancing their magic with the Elements of the World through each other, the Mystics were able to create more powerful spells together than they ever could separately. It was a brilliant system!"
Okay, I kinda got lost there. "And," I prompt the unicorn, "how does this help us get through that… door."
"That's just it," Twilight explains, "that door was never meant to be opened by a single person. The most powerful magic humans could wield was accomplished by working together."
I throw my hands up in frustration. "Great. Now all we have to do is go get another human to help me open this… thing up. Oh, wait, I'm still the only one known to be in Equestria. Oh wait, I forgot, I am currently the only human in the whole known WORLD!" With a sigh my arms come down, and my body turns to face the entrance. "Well, it's been fun kids. Better luck next time, I guess."
The unicorn cuts me off before I can take one step. "Wait a minute and let me finish. You can't get through that door, but We might be able to. There are a lot of scenes in here depicting the Mystics interacting with other species, including ponies. They might have left a way for a human accompanied by friends from another race to get in."
I frown in doubt, but she counters my expression with a pout and teary eyes. "Please let us at least try," she almost whimpers.
I cave like a wet house of cards. "Fine."
"Yay!" She squeals, sits up and claps her hooves together in joy. Behind us Mac gently nudges Rainbow awake with a hind leg. Twilight trots past them and lights up her horn. A purple glow covers the locked door and the unicorn begins to mumble to herself. "Uh-huh. Okay, so that does that and that goes there… Interesting… It looks like if we… And then we can… That should work!"
Eyes alight with inspiration, the unicorn turns to the rest of us. Her mane billows with the motion and she takes a proud, heroic stance. "Big Mac, you take the bottom sphere. On my signal, rotate it thirteen degrees clockwise, roll the gap into the door at a ninety degree angle." The earth pony nods his understanding and takes his position. "Lanternlight! After you here our spheres click into place, put as much fire into the upper right port as you can! Rainbow Dash!" The pegasus hovers expectantly, eager to help.
For a few seconds the only sound in the hall is the flapping of the flying pony's wings.
"Um, give us moral support?" Twilight says awkwardly. I facepalm.
The pegasus lands and rolls her eyes, but she smiles as she does it. "You can count on me."
The unicorn grins sheepishly in thanks. She and I take our positions while Couch Dash sounds us off. "Ready." Mac grips his sphere as best as he can. "Set." Purple sparkles dance around Twilight's horn.
"GO!"
At Rainbow's shout, the ponies turn the bronze orbs in their settings. The ancient devices groan and shift slowly. With a final complaint, the sphere in the unicorn's magical grip clicks into place. Mac wrestles his into place a half second later. Everything else is lost as I hurl forth a blazing stream of flames with both hands.
The door hisses black smoke as the locking mechanism releases its grip. After the sound of grinding metal and sliding stone dies away, the doors glide inwards, opening the room beyond to us.
Of course, the first to celebrate our victory is Rainbow Dash. "Yes!" She jumps into the air and streaks into the vault behind the door. "The trial is defeated and the treasure is ours! Who's awesome? We're awesome!" The pegasus does a mid-air victory dance while the rest of us file into the room.
This place is huge. Shelves are carved into the circular walls in a pattern that follows three spiral staircases as they ascend to the ceiling, almost fifty feet above us. Each shelf holds several stone slabs, each slab framed in painted wood. Sturdy handles are carved into the wood. Titles are embossed into the wood in Babel to allow for easy identification.
Curiously I grab the closest slab and pull it out of its slot. The tablet is made of basalt, the characters and diagrams carefully carved and gilded to prevent the writing from loosing legibility to the rigors of time. The stone itself seems to have undergone some kind of lamination to seal it away from the elements.
Twilight looks like she has found her paradise. "Look at all this! They were able to preserve so much of their knowledge! I can't wait to start studying it." She snaps out of her nerdgasm when she remembers why we came here in the first place. "And of course you will be casting spells in no time. Isn't this exciting Lanternlight?"
Smiling, I pat her on the head. "I couldn't have done it without you guys. I'm sorry I was so stubborn about accepting your help." Something about that statement makes all three ponies erupt into laughter. "What?"
Once her giggles die down, the unicorn says, "You are not the most stubborn friend I have, especially when it comes to asking for help."
I have my suspicions. "Applejack?"
"Eyup." Mac confirms between chuckles.
Rainbow takes to the air again. "Well, I'll get on over to Cloudsdale and see if I can't get us some help getting these out of here. Be back in a jiffy!" A rainbow blur flies out of the ruins, no doubt to return with a few carts and helpful pegasuses.
Twilight levitates a quill, ink, and parchment out of her bag and into my hands. "What's this for," I ask.
A smile splits the unicorn's muzzle. "You're the only friend I have who hasn't written a report to the Princess." My confused look only makes her giggle. "It's a special assignment. When one of us learns a lesson about friendship, we write a letter to Princess Celestia telling her what we learned. It's become a bit of a tradition."
"Sure," I say, "but right after this I need to start studying these tablets. I've got a lot to catch up on."
"Of course."
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Dear Princess Celestia
Sometimes I can be so preoccupied with my responsibilities that I can neglect my friends. When it feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders it becomes difficult to recognize when I'm in over my head and need help. This past week, a lot has happened to remind me that while my duties are my own, I don't have to face them alone.
As a side note, I have recently discovered some ancient artifacts that, while rightfully mine, are a little difficult for me to store and maintain on my own. I think I can trust their care to you and your sister until I need them.
Yours truly,
Lanternlight.
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Katara says: Thanks for being so patient. This story needs all the support it can get, so like, favorite, and comment so the author can get your opinions on where this story's going.
Rarity says: And of course you should recommend this fic to all your friends. Spread the love darlings!
Katara: Thanks for taking me to this spa, Rarity. I haven't been this relaxed in ages.
Rarity: You're welcome. When we're done here, we should stop by my boutique. I have some wonderful designs I would love for you to model for me!
Katara: …
Rarity: Um, Katara?
Katara: Zzzzz
Rarity: Oh, poor dear. You really needed this, didn't you. *looks around* What are you all still doing here? /:I