Equestria Girls: Love Is Magic

by onekface


Legacy of the Old Ones

Chapter 41: Legacy of the Old Ones

(Yaztec Temple)

Twilight felt like she was going down to the world’s crust at this point. The stairwell she took was long. Far longer than what she expected. With the amount of debris she had to move out of the way it was no wonder the locals didn’t find the place. And even if they did they’d have needed heavy machineries and equipment just to get the stuff out of the way, which would most likely take them years just to get through the first layer. Thankfully having magic circumvented that problem.

The air inside was stuffy. If she had to guess she’d say that she was probably the first person to set foot inside these ruins in centuries. The excitement of discovering such a place was exhilarating since these weren’t just your average ruins.

This was the place built by the ancient Yaztec people. The people who actually possessed knowledge of magic. Who knows what secrets lay undisturbed within these walls? What kind of spells did they create? What potions did they brew? What sparked their interest in conquering the world? And what made them all vanish?

So many questions and she might be the first person to actually find the true answer.

After a few more minutes of walking, she finally made her way to a floored section of the ruins which opened to a large open area that seemed to have been hollowed out from within. The wall formations alone were smooth to the touch, like they were scrubbed by sandpaper from top to bottom.

“Ooooh… very impressive.” Midnight Sparkle spoke out openly, floating a few feet away from her host, eyeing the giant statue at the center with an envious gaze. “Say what you want about these old timers, they sure know how to decorate. When I conquer the world, I want a statue of me built just like this. Of course I’d have it move to the city. I’d like to say I try to remain connected with the people.”

“This is amazing…” Twilight gawked in awe as she hovered her light spell to her surroundings. “This place looks like to be some kind of temple. Look at all of this. This place seems untouched.”

“Yeah yeah. It’s all amazing. Blah blah. Wonderful. You said that there’d be treasure here. And yet all I’m seeing so far is rocks, rocks and… more rocks.” She paused for a moment. “And don’t give me that nonsense about the REAL treasure being inside of us this whole time. That whole concept of an invisible treasure is just horse dung.”

“I was just theorizing that there might be treasure here.” Twilight defended. “I never said that there might actually be treasure.”

“WHAT!? So you’re risking your hide over something that might not even exist?”

“That’s the whole point of theory. Besides, what I’m actually after is a Portal Stone.” Her alter-ego passed on a look. “Think of that portal as a door and the stone as the key. Would you only make one key for that door? I’m willing to bet the Yaztec shamans would’ve kept a spare or two around here.”

“Is that a fact, or just another one of your theories?” Her awkward smile answered her question. “Ugh… I can’t believe I actually trusted you.”

They traveled deeper into the temple passing through a number of relics and tapestries before finally pulling a stop to a large opening that looked like a ritual ground. A number of familiar statues surrounded the place encircling a figure at the very center.

“Is it just me or does this place look kinda familiar?”

“It’s just you.” Midnight whined. “What are these statues anyway?”

“This must be their spirits.” Twilight spoke up pulling the light closer to each of those statues. While many of them had decayed overtime, you can still make out the shape. “Uta, the wolf. Kaaz, the hydra. Eri, the falcon. Onsu, the bear. And Zar, the jackal. Each of these are guardians of the Yaztec people.”

“And what about this big guy?” Midnight pointed at the large statue that seemed to be elevated above all others around here. “He doesn’t look intimidating.”

“That would be The Night Master. The Yaztec didn’t have a specific name for him other than his title. But he was pivotal to their faith and religion.”

“And what was he supposed to be? Some kind of insect?”

“According to historical records, the Night Master didn’t have a form. No one was even sure what he was but he was definitely the center of the Yaztec’s deities. He could take the shape of any creature or person he wanted. Mingle with the mortals without them even knowing it. They say that he disguises himself to guide his people to great prosperity or ruin, whichever he decides.”

“Oooh… devious, cunning and pragmatic. How schemie.” She added with a grin. “Now that’s a god who knows what he’s doing. What’s the point of having all that power if you can’t have fun every now and then? You can certainly learn a thing or two from him. Still… there doesn’t seem to be any treasure here. I figured something like a temple like this would have, oh… I don’t know, offerings of jewels and such.”

“This is a historical site!” Twilight scolded. “These artifacts alone are practically priceless. How can you not find interest in these?”

“The only kind of artifacts I’m interested are those with magic.” Midnight chuckled cheekily. “And those made out of gold and gems that gleams beautifully in the sun. None of these fill those categories.”

“Are you sure you’re part of my conscience?”

“Most definitely.” She floated closer, poking the nerd by the nose. “Say what you want, but I find ancient history to be… mediocre. I prefer to look at the future rather than the past.”

“These kinds of ruins hold untold secrets! If folks knew that magic was real they’d kill each other just to find this place!”

Midnight’s eye wandered to the side of the large statue before grinning. “Well… I’m sure that guy over there would agree.”

Guy?

Twilight followed the angel’s finger finding a skeletal remains sitting there with its bones all exposed.

“Gyahhhh!” She jumped back, startled and bumped onto a decorative vase. It stumbled and fell, shattering into a million pieces. “GAH!”

“Oooh… that looks important.” Midnight teased earning another mean glare from her host. “Seriously Twilight. You are not good at handling fragile objects. First that bowl Flash gave you, now this? If this was a museum, you’d be neck deep in debt.”

The nerd gal resisted the urge to counter and returned her gaze back to the skeleton. And for a second there she noted something odd.

“Hold on.” She gasped. “Is that…?”

The girl approached and saw something out of place. The skeleton’s attire was… different from what she expected. While the Yaztec people wore robes and linen cloth, this dead fellow looked far more flamboyant.

The tricorne hat was a dead giveaway to his identity. That along with his eye patch. Whoever this guy was, definitely wasn’t from this timeline. He wore a scarf, an open shirt, and several belts over his waistcoat which color has faded over the centuries. His arms clutched over a book covered by strings of his decayed beard.

Twilight could put the pieces together like the easiest jigsaw puzzle ever made. Knowing that the portal could only be used by people who had some semblance of knowledge with magic, and the information she gathered from the castle… the answer was plainly obvious.

“It’s Captain Hoofbeard!”

“You sure? How can you tell?”

“He’s wearing the same clothes as the one we saw on his portrait back on his ship. The cutlass, the coat, the hat? They’re all the same. And check this.” She pulled up his bony hands. “He has the same black gem bracelet like the ones Hoity and Cinch used.” She later realized she was literally holding a corpse and pushed it away. “And… hello. What’s this?” The girl reached for the book that it was clutching, noting the tight grip before finally prying it off. The thick layer of dust signified its age.

Twilight scanned through the pages noting many of the words faded from time.

“This is written in old colonial.” The nerd announced with vigor in her voice. “Ole… yee… aqua. Forgo thy eye. Ugh. I am so glad we traded this old language for a more modern one.”

“And yet still no treasure.” Midnight whined, finally deciding to just pull up a bed and lie on it. “That’s the last time I get my hopes up to seeing mountains of gold or a pile of gemstones.”

“This book is a treasure trove by itself.” Twilight countered. “You could learn to appreciate history. It proves that Hoofbeard was a member of this organization. He knew about magic and knew how to use it. Let’s see here. Umm… Twas humored by… thus… to? This sounds like a journal… or at least I think it is. The penmanship is just horrible and the grammar errors is unbearable. Maybe if he took a class in spelling rather than piracy, he wouldn’t have so many mistakes.”

“Ugh… you are seriously THE most boring person ever. Can you say anything remotely interesting that doesn’t involve technicality?”

“I can recite a poem about the periodic table.”

“Pass.” She groaned. “Let’s get out of here. There’s clearly no pirate treasure. Just… dead pirates.”

“Hang on now. Let me grab this bracelet. At the very least we’ll have a backup plan just in case something happens.” However… just as she reached for that bracelet, the gemstone suddenly glowed with magic, illuminating the whole room in a blinding light. “What? What was that? Did I do that?”

“Uh… Twilight.” Midnight called out to her host pointing behind her.

And standing there, tall and handsome in a ghostly visage wearing those same colorful clothes and a thick black beard was the very pirate himself. His eyes focused ahead like a man with a mission, one hand on his cutlass while the other held on the book.

“Hoofbeard!?”

(Autumn’s Ranch)

Flash felt his hand itch once more. He was beginning to wonder if the sand in this place was making his old wound act up. But he didn’t mind and quickly returned to his task, grabbing his cane, and began pushing the sheep back to their pens.

“Wow… that was quick.” Autumn applauded verbally from the sideline. “Normally it takes me hours just to get them to listen to me. You sure you haven’t done this before?”

He shrugged. “Let’s just say I’ve learned from example.” Hiring the ranchers near Applejack’s place during her family reunion gave him a good reference to go by. “They kind of act like my dog. Give them a little treat and they’ll do anything you ask them to.”

“Huh… sweet. If you told me you were a rancher, I would’ve actually believed you.” She gave out a quick stretch, letting out a satisfied moan. “Ha… anyway, I’m heading back to town to run some errands and talk with the shopkeeper again. You sure you can look after the place for a few hours?”

Flash nodded confidently. “I’m sure. It wouldn’t be the first time I looked over someone’s place.”

“Really? Because I can just help out and…”

“Trust me. It’ll be fine.”

“Well… alright then. I won’t be back till tonight so help yourself to the leftovers in the pantry. I left some cactus juice just for you guys.”

“Will do.” He waved her goodbye until she was finally out of sight.

Flash wiped the sweat on his brow, letting out a tired groan. The afternoon sun in this desert was downright torturous. How Autumn and those people in the village live their daily lives here in this heat was a mystery.

Still… there was something strangely calming about this whole setup. Flash can’t put his finger on it but living in this little homestead away from the bustling city felt right for him. It was completely different from his home back in Canterlot where everything was served up to him on a silver platter.

Maybe a small part of him longed for the simpler life – or maybe he was just bored with his own rich-boy persona and thought that anything new would be hip. It was one or the other.

Heck, he could already imagine himself with something akin to Applejack’s orchard with a simple house, a barn and maybe a few animals to tend. Though he can’t really see Sunset willing to join him on such a venture.

That was kind of a bummer.

*Bahh!* His attention was dragged over when he realized that there was still one more sheep outside its pen. The poor fluffy fella must’ve decided to go for a stroll away from the flock.

The boy chuckled and reached for his cane, limping his way over to the pillow-like creature. “Now how’d I miss you?” He humored himself with a small childish banter. The sheep simply responded with another cute bah. “Alright little guy. Time for you to join the others. Come here.” He reached out to the fluffy fellow. But before he could lay one finger on it, a sudden surge of pain coursed through his hand.

Flash grunted loudly, frightening the poor sheep and dropping his cane. He looked to his hand thinking that he might’ve opened the wound. But no. This wasn’t like those usual itch but something else. For one thing his scar was glowing. It was faint but it was there. A light blue hue. It pulsed lowly like his heartbeat extending up his arm highlighting his veins like some twisted version of Vinyl’s light show. It flowed all the way, reaching right into his chest.

“That’s… new.”

And those words would prove an understatement when pieces of Yaztec ruins, which had fallen nearby, began to glow as well. The hieroglyphs that decorated the exterior shined brightly, like they were responding to the new power flowing through him.

“What’s… happening?”

It hurt. It really REALLY hurt. It felt like acid was running through his body, burning him from the inside. What the heck was wrong with him?

It was just supposed to be a scar. The doctor back in school said so. But then again he wasn’t exactly proficient in magic so he wouldn’t be able to tell.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of suffering, the pain subsided. The scar however grew in size now covering half of his hand.

A hundred questions popped into his head and no answers to be found. He would’ve looked into this further had he not felt a tremor coming from below.

And if he was right, only one person here can cause such a commotion.

(Yaztec Temple)

Twilight took a few step back as the ghost of Hoofbeard stood there, looking far more intimidating than any man she ever encountered. The man was tall, like ridiculously tall. He must be… what? 8 perhaps even 10 feet. His beard and eye patch decorated his face giving him that dashing debonair look, and his body frame made him bulky.

“How is that possible?” She gasped. “Is he a ghost?”

“There are no such things as ghosts.” Her guardian angel snorted as she floated closer to the apparition looking closer to his face. “I don’t think this guy is really here. It feels more like… residual magic. He is quite a looker though. Gotta say, that picture of him did not do him justice.”

“Residual magic? Is that a thing?”

“Think of it like a fingerprint.” Midnight explained. “When a spell is cast it leaves behind its leftover magic that slowly disappears to the area where it is cast. A particularly powerful spell can leave a lasting impression on an area. This one here… is a perfect example.”

A few seconds later the apparition stepped forward passing through Twilight like a spirit. He approached the statue, placing his journal on the side while pulling a small object from his coat. It gleamed beautifully with the gems embedded on its side.

“That’s the Chalice of Wishes.” Twilight recognized the artifact. “He had it.”

“Hoofbeard Stop!” A voice desperately called out from behind him followed by panicked footsteps. It was a woman with light pink skin and green straight hair. She wore a robe over her body with its hoodie taken down. Judging by the tiara she had on her head and the necklace and earrings, you would think that she came from royalty. “Please! Don’t do this! You can’t!”

“Who is that?”

Twilight shrugged. “I have no idea.” She flinched however when she heard the pirate laughing.

“Child. You come at your own peril. You should’ve stayed at home where you would’ve been safe.”

“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I allowed you to do this! Surrender the Chalice!” The woman demanded. “Or you will face the wrath of The Order of the Black Stone.”

Hoofbeard however simply brushed off her threat. “Foolish human. With all that power, you and your followers could’ve ruled this world by my side. Yet you squandered those gifts on petty things!”

“Our Order stands by its belief: We do not use magic to benefit ourselves but to benefit all of mankind. Your action here is an affront to all that we stand for. Now… release my husband at once!”

Release her husband? What did she mean by that?

Her answer came soon enough when Hoofbeard began to laugh maniacally. Something was wrong. This man wasn’t acting like the pirate Twilight had envisioned. She expected him to be like those olden sailors who arrr or curse in a sailor lingo, but instead he was acting like… something else entirely. Smoke emanated from his body while his eyes were blotted black.

“Silly child. You truly believe your beloved sailor still lingers here? Hehehehe…” He floated upward, now looking like some kind of evil demi-god. “He was gone a long time ago.”

“No…” The woman gasped.

“He and I made a bargain. He gave up his body and soul, in exchange for you.” Hoofbeard… or whoever the man was, gave a toothy smile. “Love really can make you do the strangest things. It’s a shame. I actually liked him. But now his soul belongs to me. And with the power we’ve acquired in this Chalice, all my desires will be fulfilled!”

“Never!” The lady sent out a powerful magic beam from her hands which Hoofbeard casually brush aside.

“Fool. Did you forget that all your magic came from me? I granted you that power. You cannot touch me, much less hurt me.” He looked up. “And with the Solstice closing in, the power on this Chalice will increase 10 fold. Nothing can stop me now.

“If that is true…” The regal lady muttered back, her teary eyes showing defiance. “Then we don’t have to hold back anymore.”

We?

“Now!” With a wave of her hand, more than a dozen hidden figures jumped out from the temple ground, surrounding the pirate, catching him by surprise.

“It doesn’t matter how many there are of you. So long as you use my magic, no spell you cast can harm me.”

The woman stepped forward, each of them brandishing their bracelets like weapons. “You may be the one who granted us magic. But we’ve been developing our own magic as well.” Their gemstones hummed with power, faint yet powerful. “We may not be able to win. But that doesn’t mean we lose either.”

A shield formed around Hoofbeard, surrounding him in an orange hue.

“You naïve child. You can’t really believe that this barrier can hold me forever.”

“No. But just enough for us to take this.” Quickly enough, one of the woman’s acolytes rushed to the statue and grabbed the cup.

“The chalice!” Hoofbeard roared as he realized their plan. He slammed his fists on his prison, cracking it. “No!”

“Quickly! Get to the portal and get that thing as far away from here!” The acolyte nodded and made a beeline to the exit not even daring to look back.

“Jewel! You traitor!” The shadow howled as he broke through the barrier and immediately gave chase. Only to be blasted back by the woman now known as Jewel.

“You will not leave this place.” She and her fellow members began conjuring a spell. Chains made of light fastened on the pirate restraining him. “These ruins shall be your prison. With this new magical energy we’ve developed and this spell our mages devised, you’ll be trapped here.”

The monster’s anger was obvious. He snarled and cursed, trying to force his way out but soon calmed when he knew that the restraints placed against him weren’t going away any time soon. He let out a sigh, giving his adversary a slow but honest applause. “Well played, Jewel. I can see why Hoofbeard was so enamored by you. You always were the smartest one in the group. Perhaps I should’ve come to you instead of him.” He returned to the ground and sat where the bones laid, offering a complimentary smile. “This victory is yours. But know this: Your actions mean little in the long run. The best you can do is delay the inevitable. One day I will have my powers and this world will be mine.”

“That day will never come.”

“Oh but it will.” Hoofbeard laughed. “I have waited eons for my time. I have seen civilizations rise and fall countless times like leaves on a tree…” He paused. “… I can wait a few millennia more.”

And with those final words, the apparitions vanished in a trail of fairy dust, leaving Twilight and her not-so-guardian-angel pondering.

“Well…… that happened.”

(Canterlot) (Sweet Shoppe)

Luna wasn’t sure how to feel right now.

While she knew that she should both be concerned and worried about the disappearance of Flash Sentry, a part of her can’t help but feel rather… exhilarated by this whole ordeal. Heck, she was hanging out in her old haunt, sipping pumpkin spice latte surrounded by police officers. That wasn’t something you get to see on a daily basis.

Ever since she and Sombra saw the state of Sunset’s apartment, the future mayor of Canterlot had gone out of his way to pull every favor he can muster to get the city’s finest to help him. The next thing she knew they were being escorted by police cruisers, led to the meeting point and then… before anyone knew it, the whole store was taken over by uniformed officers. It was quite the spectacle. Though Luna was particularly worried about Mr. Cake, who pretty much fainted at the sight of so many law enforcers. He was worried something bad was about to happen and quickly prompted to close up shop early.

While Luna somewhat enjoyed this strange distraction from her mundane duties. She can’t help but feel like this whole thing was getting out of hand.

She had been trying to get Sunset on the phone but unsurprisingly enough that girl doesn’t seem to be taking her calls. And honestly their last conversation practically dripped with suspicion. And after seeing the state of her apartment, there was no doubt in her mind that those girls had something to do with the boy’s disappearance.

Luna didn’t want to jump to conclusions just yet and she didn’t want to spill magic into this whole fiasco unless she was absolutely sure. But if that boy doesn’t turn up soon, she might have no other choice but to get those girls to fess up.

The Vice Principal then noted Sombra joining her table as he finished his conversation with the police. The uniformed officers departed the café in droves afterwards, much to the relief of the Cakes.

“How’d it go?”

He sighed depressingly, which was understandable in this position. “There’s been no sign of him. The police will keep an eye out but that’s all they can do. I asked them to keep it quiet for now. But if Flash doesn’t turn up soon…”

“Don’t say that. You’re just thinking of the worst case scenario. I’m sure it’s not as bad as it looks.”

“And what about that apartment?”

Ah… right… that.

“W… well…” She couldn’t come up with an explanation which only made the man whimper. “Alright. I don’t have a logical explanation. But I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. Sunset wouldn’t do anything to hurt your son.”

“Sunset?”

“That’s the girl’s name. She’s Flash’s girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” The man raised his head, a mixture of intrigue and confusion marring his face. “He never told me he had a girlfriend.”

“Well ex-girlfriend actually. It’s… a long story.” A very long and confusing story that you won’t even believe. “Let’s just say that they were dating for a while and then they broke up and… stuff happened.”

“He never told me anything about this.” Sombra grumbled. “Why hasn’t he told me? We talk once every week even when I was out on my expeditions and he never mentioned her.”

“Well it’s… natural for children not to talk about private relationships with their parents.”

“Or maybe he just doesn’t trust me.” The man’s face darkened as if some twisted realization dawned on him. “Maybe he still doesn’t trust me.”

“Don’t think like that. I’m sure Flash trusts you.”

“Does he?” He asked as if he already knew the answer. “I want to think that he and I can be a family again but… I think I might just be a hindrance to his life. I’ve… I’ve been gone for years, only talking to him once a week through a box and no more than an hour. Now I just come back suddenly asking to be a part of his life. If you look at it from his perspective, I’m no better than a stranger.” His eyes lazily glanced over the counter where Mr. Cake cradled over his twins in his loving arms.

Well… he’s not wrong. As a matter of fact, Luna hardly recognized Sombra until they met a few days back. The last time they saw one another was roughly after graduation, before her sister dumped him with a note. Even after his marriage with Sophie, they hardly saw each other at all. The fact that they were able to hook back up so quickly should be considered a miracle in itself. Especially after what happened. If she were Flash, she’d probably agree with what Sombra says. ‘They’d be nothing but complete strangers.’

But Luna didn’t have the heart to say such a cruel thing.

Quietly she reached out to him, holding his hands in hers. “I… don’t have a proper answer to your dilemma. But as someone who deals with your son on a weekly basis, I can say with certainty that he doesn’t despise you. Yes… granted: You leaving him alone all those years has made him rather cold. And honestly I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t really feel anything about you. But… you’re here now. And you can start making it up to him by being there when he needs you.”

At the corner of her eye, she noted Mrs. Cake giving a quiet nod as she pushed her husband to the back room along with her twins.

“Being apart for so long will obviously strain your relationship. But at least it’s good to know that you’re trying to mend things.” She continued. “Look at it from Flash’s perspective. When you left him, he probably thought you abandoned him. I understand that you have your own emotional baggage, however that doesn’t absolve you either. You don’t know how to act around him and he doesn’t know how to act around you because you’ve never really connected.” She let out a sigh as she tightened her grip. “You couldn’t be there for him back then. But you can be there for him now.”

The man looked up, as if seeing light for the first time.

“Now. You can either wallow here in your own self-pity, or… you can put your money where your mouth is and show him what his old man can do.”

Sombra looked visibly taken and quickly withdrew his hands and wiped the tear that was conjuring around his eyes.

The older gentleman looked up, some life returning to his texture. “You’re right. That was stupid of me. I shouldn’t be thinking this way. It’s just that… I’m worried about him.”

“You’re doing what any father would do.” She thought on that for a second. “Though granted, not many would be able to call upon the Police Commissioner, but I’d like to say that you’re on the right track.”

“You think I should do more?”

She wanted to say yes… but only because she’s curious to what he might do next. Seeing a whole load of police officers here was already considered big in this sleepy little city. But what next? Will he call in the fire department? The army? The Illuminati? The Space Program? The President? Would he introduce them?

“No. I think this is plenty.” She said quickly, hiding her deeper thoughts. “Besides, I haven’t contacted all of his friends yet. I sent a message to Celestia. She’ll make the rounds on all of his associates to see if anyone’s seen him.”

“Thank you Luna.” Sombra nodded in gratitude. “For… this. I’m sorry for being such a child.”

“Don’t be.” She waved it off, tossing him a sweet smile as Mrs. Cake approached their table to take their order. “You can do me a favor when we find him.”

“Anything.”

Now that’s a golden ticket if she ever heard one.

(Perilous Peeks) (Autumn’s Ranch)

Twilight was in deep thought when she finally got out of the old temple. After watching that historical ghost-show, a billion questions popped into her head. Questions that she can only speculate from what little information she had.

“So… that was something.” Midnight stated hovering lazily next to her. “Wasn’t expecting a climactic battle like that. Normally when you dive into a deep dark cave you normally get chased by a rampaging monster or avoiding traps… or a combination of the two. What do you think?”

“Honestly? I’m not even sure what to think. Seeing Captain Hoofbeard in the flesh was kind of a surprise. I don’t even know what to make of it.” It was like watching the sequel of a movie that you’ve never even heard of with characters whose background she should’ve known long ago. “But it wasn’t a complete waste of time either. We were able to get this journal and a second black gem. I’ll count that as a win. Besides, we also got loads of new information. At least now we know who we’re up against. The Order of the Black Stone.”

“Sounds like a generic name. Kind of like the Canterlot Magical Investigation Club.” Twilight rolled her eyes at her jab. “What I’m curious about is what that lady said. From what I can tell, this organization of hers has been around for a long time. And that her Order is dedicated to helping mankind as a whole.”

“The same sales pitch Hoity tried to sell me before I fought him.” Her host remembers. “But yeah… that got me too. I’m starting to think that maybe Hoity wasn’t lying. But we can’t rule anything out yet. This organization might’ve been dedicated to helping people but that was over 300 years ago. Who knows what could’ve happened between then and now? A lot of things can change over time.”

“Speaking from experience?”

Twilight huffed. “Oh be quiet. But in the meantime, I can busy myself with this.” She brought up the captain’s journal. “Some of the pages are faded. But with some time, effort and some help from my friends, I should be able to restore and translate it. If there’s an answer to be found, it’s sure to be in here.”

“Why don’t you ask that Flash kid to help?”

“Flash?” Twilight grumbled to herself. “I don’t think he’ll be much help here. His knowledge of magic isn’t exactly stellar.”

“The boy may be useless but his resources are abundant.” Midnight stated, showing herself in all her regal glory. “You’ve know how deep his pockets go. He rebuilt your friend’s barn and bought that apartment like they were chump change, his old man is going to be the most powerful and influential person in Canterlot. Having someone like that under your thumb will open doors for you.”

“True… but Sunset isn’t going to like that.”

“Oh please. Are you just going to follow everything that girl says? That redhead knows nothing of magic, or power! Who knows what you could’ve achieved if you had the right tools for the job? Who discovered the use of the Portal Stone? You. Who was the first to find this new magical energy source? You! Who developed technology that can trap magic itself? YOU! Without you, your friends would be useless.”

“That’s not exactly how friends work.”

“Oh come on Goodie-Two-Shoes!” Midnight groaned into her hand. “Aren’t you tired of being limited because of your own limited resources? You have to close down your lab because the bills were too high, you have to move in with your stupid boyfriend because it’ll help cut cost! You’re limiting yourself to working in these… prehistoric conditions when the solution to all your problems is waiting hand and foot right over there!” She floated closer, whispering to Twilight like a twisted cartoony version of her conscience. Except this time she was both the devil and the angel. “Can you imagine it? A full functioning lab all to yourself, dedicated to the study of magic. The bill you rack up will be nothing but a footnote in his finance. You won’t have to be limited anymore. You can finally be free of that burden and do whatever you want.”

It was tempting. And Twilight can scarcely imagine how wealthy Flash truly was. With all the money he spent this month alone, he could probably match her parents in terms of income. Tax included. Twilight could picture her own lab. Her own place. Everything she could ever want and need to study magic undisturbed. It would be a paradise.

“And you know Flash. You know he’ll do anything for you or your friends. He’s enamored by you. Just say the word… and he’ll set everything up with a snap of his fingers. If he’s willing to give his old home to Sunset, think what he can give to you if you asked nicely.” Midnight Sparkle grinned evilly before again, vanishing. “Think about it…”

And for a moment there, Twilight did think about it. While there was no way she could agree with alter-ego completely, she had to admit that she brought up some good points. Ever since the Friendship Games, her knowledge of this otherworldly energy expanded infinitely. The amount of applications using Equestrian magic alone was staggering. And combined with the magic from this world? The possibilities could be limitless.

It would lead to a new, clean and renewable source of energy.

Crop rotations with magical properties will yield harvests unlike anything the world has seen. Hunger would seriously be a thing of the past.

This field would also develop new medical discoveries leading to better medicine, healing techniques and other practices.

Forget the Nobel Prize. The amount of trophies she get will fill her whole house.

But to even think of reaching that kind of result would also require a proper laboratory, tools, research, and a lot of funding. A whole lot more money than what her family could provide in a decade. Heck, even she was feeling the loss of her precious lab.

Ever since that day, her research came to a near grinding halt.

Flash could probably provide such resource to her. Midnight wasn’t wrong on that regard. His family was stupidly rich. Just hearing about the details of his house from Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy was enough to gauge their wealth. She wouldn’t be surprised if the boy had a bin with a pool made of gold coins.

But despite knowing what he was capable of, Sunset refused to asked for his assistance and barred everyone from even trying. Her pride and lingering feeling of guilt from the time they were together kept her from taking more. Heck, he practically bought her apartment and gave her his old house without even a second thought. You won’t find people who can just give you a house out of the corner of the road.

If she simply asked, he’d probably do it in a heartbeat. He’d set up a place just for her and decked it out with the best scientific gear money and influence could buy. She’ll have free reign to do whatever she wanted and even hire a few assistants to help out. That boy will give them just about anything. Absolutely… anything.

“No!” Twilight snapped herself out of her power fantasy pinching her own cheeks for good measure. “What the heck are you thinking? Sure, Flash could probably skyrocket my career and research on magic but taking advantage of people is just wrong. Ugh… I need to get her out of my head.”

“Get who out?”

“Gwah!!” She nearly jumped when the boy appeared from the barn. “Flash! How do you keep doing that?”

“Doing what?”

“Appearing out of nowhere! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Uh… sorry? But in my defense, I was calling out to you for over a minute now. But you were just mumbling to yourself.”

Was he? Twilight can’t seem to remember. Perhaps Midnight’s dark whispers drowned out his voice. Ugh… she must’ve looked like a weirdo.

“H-how much did you hear?”

“Not much. You were pretty much just muttering nonsense.” He gave her the weird eye. “Were you… talking to someone just now?”

“N… no.” She lied. “Of course not. I was just um… talking to myself. Sometimes I get a lot of information in my head and I need to sort them out from time to time.” That made sense, right? Flash didn’t look that convinced though. Quick, change the subject. “Anyway, I found a cave system that goes inside the mountain. And you won’t believe what I found.”

xxxxxxxxxx

Twilight spent the next hour going into every detail of her journey. From the discovery of the temple, the journal and the vision she saw. It sounded surreal. And if she told this story to anyone else, they’d probably right her off as a complete mental coocoo. Heck she once tried to explain the whole thing to Timber and Shining Armor at one point but neither of them seemed to have a grasp in magic. To them it probably just sounded like a little girl’s imagination gone wild.

Flash on the other hand… had some difficulties too but at least he was trying. He put more effort into understanding them more than Timber.

“So wait. You’re saying that these guys with these black gems. They’re the good guys?”

Of course he’d question it. “I’m not really sure. But the lingering magic left behind showed what happened. Captain Hoofbeard seemed to have been possessed by some entity and this Order of the Black Stone…”

“That’s a rather generic name.”

Twilight could feel her inner angel/demon agreeing with him. “… the Order of the Black Stone seemed bent on stopping him.”

“From doing what?”

“I’m not sure. But I do know that it involves the Chalice of Wishes and the Winter Solstice. I might be able to get more from this journal. My old colonial is a bit rusty.” She took a quick glance and nearly fainted at the contents. “Ugh… the penmanship is atrocious. And there isn’t even a table of contents. How am I supposed to tell the difference between the important bits and the non-important bits? It’ll take me weeks of restoration work just to figure out his old pirate speech.”

“Well I’m not buying it.” Flash stated grabbing a seat by the ranch. “No offense to them but when one of them burns down my friend’s house and another burns down a barn, I’m putting them on my ‘Bad guy’ list.”

He made a compelling argument. “Speaking of friends. Where’s the other girl? I thought you’d be hanging around passing on bad jokes.” Twilight asked noting the absence of a third party.

“Her name’s Autumn. And she’s running some errands in town. She said it’ll take a while before we can afford that Portal Stone so she’ll be calling in some favors with some of her associates.”

“Huh. That’s surprisingly helpful.”

“You know Twilight. You might wanna try being nicer to her. I mean… she did take us in after all.”

She made a face. “Ugh… now you’re starting to sound like Sunset.”

“Come on now. This whole thing could’ve been a whole lot worse for the both of us. If it wasn’t for her, we’d probably be stuck out in the desert, or worse.” Again he made a compelling argument. “I’m sure if you made a little effort, you’ll find that you have a lot in common.”

“Really? I think she’d make a better friend with Applejack than me. Besides I want to get started with a little research.”

“Come on Twilight. One day of rest won’t hurt. And you owe me for going somewhere dangerous on your own.”

Twilight puffed her cheeks. “It wasn’t that dangerous. And I can handle myself. Besides, I wasn’t going to take an injured boy to a hazardous ruin. I should be the one telling you to take it easy.”

He nodded in admittance. “Ok. So I might not be in the best shape, but that doesn’t excuse you for going down there all on your own. You could’ve gotten hurt.” Now he really was starting to sound like Sunset. Honestly, these two were perfect for each other. “So instead of just diving into caves and looking for lost pirate treasure or mystical cults or secret organizations, can we just have one day without either of us looking for danger?”

“Ugh… well… I won’t really be able to make any good progress without proper tools or equipment.”

Flash’s eyes beamed. “So that’s a yes?”

“Fine. I suppose I can give the simple life a day in court. But just to clarify: Getting back home is still my priority.”

“Deal.”