//------------------------------// // Part 26 - History // Story: The Student from Warpla // by SparkStone //------------------------------// Today was the big day. The whole reason why the gang came all the way over to Manehattan in the highest honor. The Dune Star Tribe Cultural Exchange was today! Everyone was getting prepared for one of the biggest days of their lives! Preparation included getting dressed. They found themselves ill at what they considered overly dressed. The girls were advised by Chewka to wear dresses and the boys to wear suits with bowties. Spike included as he proudly shows off his suit going well with his tophat. “Eh? Pretty smooth, huh?” Spike had a playful smugness as he wore the suit that came with it. Smolder was dreading to wear the dress publicly. It looked nice and easy to move in, so at least there’s that. It was somewhat nice to have a good reason to come dressed as well. Valiant once again equipped the old griffon coat he wore far back then before Smolder added her fashionable touch onto his style sense. The others were remembering the day Valiant came to the school. Weird awkward boy who showed up out of nowhere, and was perhaps, nothing but trouble. Yet, no matter how much of his past weighed him down, he was still a good friend through and through. He looked at the mirror and wondered if he grew taller. The person he usually sees in the mirror somehow looks different. His suspicions were confirmed when Smolder stood by his side and said, “You sure changed a lot since then, huh?” He glanced back at the mirror to see a reflection of him and his friends. Happiness was all there was in that moment for Valiant. The group showed up at the event and saw the colorful tents and plentiful attractions belonging from the Dune Star Tribe. Each one displaying a piece of Dune Star culture from trinkets, souvenirs, food, and entertainment. While most of them were amazed, Valiant and Ocellus already got a good preview beforehand. It was a much nicer spectacle than before when they prepared it. Chewka tapped Valiant’s shoulder and gave him a knowing look. He nodded and turned to the others. “Excuse me friends, but Chewka and I have to meet with the prince,” he explained. “Do you need us to come with you?” Silverstream wondered. “We’ll back you up if he starts anything!” Smolder said with her claw punching into the other. “There is no need to worry, it’s an exchange of information,” Chewka told them. “As you know, our tribe has been performing many movements and we’re just receiving word about our next big step. We will return in time for the Main Event in the center, so please meet us there before it starts.” “Oh, okay then,” Sandbar said softly. “Though, we were kind of hoping you’d come with us too.” Valiant smiled. “There’ll be enough time for us to see the rest of the culture exchange when I return.” The gang smiled and separated for the time being. Valiant and Chewka walk to the corner of the event. A fenced off area with a single tent surrounded by many human guards, each equipped with bronze armor and a spear. Inside the ten awaits the prince who is still looking at the papers before him on the table. “So good of you to join me, Valiant,” Prince Risen stated. “Now we can begin.” The guards brought out chairs for the three of them. After being seated, the prince requested a debriefing on everything they learned from the school of friendship. “So, the information about the Elements of Harmony have not been found?” The prince presumed. “I believed that the material elements were destroyed after their final confrontation with King Sombra occurred,” Valiant answered. “And there’s no way to recover them? No way to use their power on our side?” “Prince Risen, if I may ask, do you plan to use the elements in defense for our people?” The prince raises an eyebrow at Valiant. “There should be no doubt in your mind of what my intentions are. It is meant to be used for the people of the Dune Star Tribe by whatever means we need.” “The elements turned against those who tried to use the elements of harmony as a weapon for conquest. Using offensive tactics won’t work in our favor, especially in the eyes of our allies,” Valiant warned him. “Is that so…?” The two locked gazes for a while. The prince is well aware that Valiant has been changing and not to his favor. It was all worth it to him however, as he finally received all of the information he needed. “Very well then. You’ve done well, Valiant,” Prince Risen praised him. Valiant was surprised by his sudden change of tone. “Are you satisfied, sir?” “Yes, you received all the information we needed. Now we know about the state of the elements along with the requirements needed to wield them. The circumstances being what they are, we no longer have any reason to stay here.” “I… beg your pardon, Prince?” Chewka questioned. “We no longer have any reason to stay here in Equestria other than to exchange resources. Valiant, from this day forward, you’re no longer required to attend the School of Friendship. No, let me be even more precise. After this Cultural Exchange is over, you are to accompany me back to Warpla.” Valiant’s eyes shrunk and his hands began to grip the edge of his seat. Chewka stood up and said, “My prince, surely I recall the Chief saying that Valiant can stay until he learns everything about the elements?” “Precisely, but we learned something even sooner: The elements won’t help our cause. We’re in a constant battle with powerful foes and if the elements won’t aid in that front, then we need to retrieve our best resources to send out to the fight.” “But why so soon?” Chewka questioned once more. “Why not wait until a few more days to prepare for the trip?” “Because one of our research teams found the Obelisk.” The two of them stood still, frozen at what they had heard. Valiant, who could easily take in most information, was astounded by the words that came out of his mouth. Prince Risen could see in their eyes that they knew what it meant. There was no backing out of it now. “Since you understand, prepare your farewell to your companions before the exchange is over. We will prepare them for a lofty return trip as well, so no need to worry. Now get going while I prepare the rest.” Valiant stood up with Chewka and the two began to leave. Chewka could see the anguish on Valiant’s face. They both knew that all of this was a temporary arrangement, but believed that things would work out by the time it was over. While it seems to work out for the Dune Star Tribe’s goals, Valiant finds himself dissatisfied despite the way things are laid out. “Valiant,” Chewka calls to him. “I too am unhappy with the way things are. However, we have our missions and our duties to fulfill them.” Valiant merely nodded in acknowledgement to Chewka’s words. He continued, “So it’s important that you do everything you wish without regrets. Even if you leave on this day or die the next, you can at least have those memories be of you living your life to the fullest.” “I don’t think I’ve ever lived my life back then,” Valiant stated, his eyes still looking glumly at the stone road before him. “I didn’t live until I met them. So if this is my final day with them, then I wish to truly live to the fullest, even if it is just today.” With the right words etched into his heart, Valiant presses on with Chewka smiling softly to him. Valiant arrived at the center of the festivities and found his friends sitting on a carpet, waiting for him and the show to begin. He approaches them and receives a warm greeting from all of them before joining them. “Hey, how’d that meeting go?” Smolder asked. “Did the jerk Prince act like a jerk again?” Yona questioned as she bumped her hooves together. “Yona can hit Prince if Valiant wants!” “It’s alright, the meeting was finished a lot sooner than I thought, but I guess the show is happening a lot earlier than I thought too,” Valiant stated. “What’s this show about anyways?” Sandbar asked. “It’s about our history,” Valiant explained. “A bit about our culture and the Promised Land.” “The Promised Land?” Gallus repeated. “What kind of place is that?” Right on queue, the show began with human actors dressed in robes traveling to a setting that looked like a green valley rich with flora and forests. The narrator’s bold voice echoed for all of the guests of Manehattan and to the kids to listen to the tale. “Our people have arrived in Warpla, a haven that was introduced to us by the noble King Grover. Our people found a chance. A chance of peace from the chaos, a chance of freedom of fear, to have a place to call our own.” The actors began to take out props that were hidden within their robes and placed tall plants representing crops. “Our ancestors made homes and once again for the first time in centuries, were free from the terror of magic. Yet this was a temporary arrangement, for our people knew that magic would inevitably reach even Warpla. Yet humans had no abilities whatsoever. Unease grew within our people’s hearts.” Suddenly, lights flashed from the center of the stage and a person in white robes, a halo, and wings appeared. “But a miracle occurred. A being ascended from a higher plane only the ancients could understand. A being we called an Angel.” “Are they, like, Alicorns?” Spike wondered. “Our ancestors intrigued the angel for their hard work in making a home wasn’t to be ignored. The Angel learned from our people’s plight from the previous land earning the Angel’s sympathy. The Angel then offered something. They offered our people something we could only dream of: Power.” The actors moved away and made room for a giant mechanical eye to take the stage. It slowly opens with lines of light going around the mechanical eyeball. “The Angel offered and our people accepted the power of sight. The ability to perceive magic and learn from it. Ever since then, we have advanced further and further into the wonders of magic for the past few centuries. However, not even our people can remain pure.” More actors arrived, but this time it wasn’t just the people dressed in robes. There were people with bodies colored in red, blue, purple, and so on. Their colors were of darker tones and each person had horns on their heads. “Demons, literal embodiments of the bile within the human’s hearts surfaced and attacked our home. Ever since the first encounter many centuries ago, we have been fighting an endless battle. Despite their human-like appearance, they possessed magic, the very thing our people strived to flee from. The angel came once more and told us that this was the result of our sin.” “What sin?” Ocellus wondered, bewildered by what the humans could have possibly done to deserve this. “The Angel praised our people’s willpower, our drive, our ambition, but said that we lacked something integral. The angel believed that if our people used our gift to better ourselves, then we could have avoided this predicament. Our savior was not pleased, but as our people begged, the angel offered one more chance.” The actors moved once more and introduced a large black pillar. It’s smooth like marble but a deep black color makes it seem like peering into the abyss. It was inscribed with glyphs all over the object.. “The obelisk will aid us in seeking a new angel. One that will guide us out of the darkness from the mistake our people have made. When the savior is found, the humans shall band together and lead us to the Promised Land.” The play slowly ends. The actors soon line up and take a bow as the ponies give their applause to the show. Even the students were mesmerized by their legends. For Valiant however, he was merely reminded of what’s to come. It surprises him that they finally found it after centuries. It was believed that the Obelisks were never to be found, and yet they finally uncovered one. As his mind left to ponder at the idea, the students followed Spike to the souvenirs. “That show was really cool,” Sandbar stated. “Yeah, I never thought a history lesson would be that fun to watch,” Gallus commented. “Did they ever find one of those obelisk thingies?” Silverstream wondered. The group looked at Valiant, awaiting an answer. “I’ve never seen one before. We’ve only heard descriptions from old texts.” “And what about those demon things?” Ocellus asked. “Are they really real?” “They’re not what you’re fighting against, are they?” Smolder questioned. “Well, it’s true about the demons,” Valiant stated as he turned around and explained further. “They look like humans but with horns. We’ve been fighting as long as that story has been around.” “Whoa, really?” Yona exclaimed. “But Valiant is strong and beats them easily!” “It’s because they’re strong that I was needed on the battlefield.” His red eyes drift to the corner as he recalls the many missions involving those called the enemy. However, Valiant never once thought of them as demonic or evil. They were simply the enemy, and blood would inevitably be split. It didn’t matter who they were as long as they were deemed an enemy. “Wow, I guess they must be a serious problem then,” Gallus noted. “They must be bad if you’re constantly fighting them,” Silverstream concluded. A moment passes as Valiant considers that. Perhaps they are bad when considering the things they have done. However, the same could be said about him. He recalled the discomfort he had upon letting strangers discover his actions in war time. In truth, he knew little to nothing about the demons. It is true however that this war erupted on both sides. They had a reason to want to start it as well. The troubling thoughts he had subsided when Spike suddenly jumped forward to the students with a figurine of a human. He points to the Far Bazaar going on behind him, with many souvenirs of many kinds. The students were entranced and began to look around. Valiant found a certain calmness watching them enjoy themselves again. As they pass their time to look around the bazaar, Valiant finds himself with Sandbar browsing gifts for special others. Curiosity lulls him to ask about his approaching purchase. “What are you looking for?” Valiant asked Sandbar. The pony turned to him, almost in relief, and said, “I’m looking for something to give Yona. Something special for this trip.” “What kind of special?” Sandbar’s eyes avoid looking straight at Valiant but manage to give him an idea. “... A special someone.” Valiant holds his chin. He has little to no idea in that field. However, there was one product that even he knew about. One that sent the idea clear as the desert sky. He points to one of the flora and shows Sandbar a lively pink flower. “This is part of my people’s culture. A flower we give to someone we love. It even has a poem to go with it when gifting the flower.” “Really?” Sandbar looked excited discovering this. His giddiness has the human smile warmly for him. After purchasing the flower, Sandbar had it safely put into a container to give later. Over by Gallus, he happens to see Snowy with her griffon parents also looking around. They were quite surprised as the father patted Gallus’s back, greeting him warmly. “I was hoping to see you and Valiant around here,” Snowy told Gallus. “I was kind of expecting to since… Well, Valiant is a human and all.” “Yeah, that’s a pretty good assumption,” Gallus said simply. “What are you all doing here?” “We’re looking around to learn more about this Dune Star Tribe.” Snowy’s mom told Gallus. “Maybe we’ll find something to help with business.” “It’s mostly an excuse to get out for a bit,” Snowy said honestly. “Hey, maybe you can give us some business connections?” the father jokes. “Dad!” she complained. The three have a good laugh as Valiant approaches to greet them once more. As he did, he noticed something off from someone nearby. The cloaked human has magic energy going around them, making Valiant suspicious. He follows his trail but after a few corners, he disappears with magic energy left behind hinting that he teleported away. Valiant grew more concerned and went back to his friends quickly.