//------------------------------// // Act II, Chapter XVII // Story: Scarred Serpentine // by Metanoia //------------------------------// It felt like home and not at the same time. And the air was humid, though it brought an ease. Candid conversations and gentle cheerfulness aided with the comforting aura La Orilla held during this bright night. It had always been a peaceful city, a tranquil oasis hidden in the depths of one of the harshest environments in all of Equus, and yet tonight was the time for celebration. Ponies roamed the streets despite the late hour. There were the numerous smells of delicacies fresh from the food stalls littered at strategic places, friendly ball throwing tournaments that went on for what seemed to be forever, foals running amok to check out the numerous festivities. There were even the sounds of instruments being played in the background to quell the occasion and any beasts that may have been lurking in the shadows, watching. Those were only a few of the things Feather had seen, but he knew there was more to uncover if he looked and roamed for long enough. Speaking of food stands, Feather stood in front of one right now, the one serving popcorn. To clarify, there was more than one popcorn stand around town—this must have been the seventh he’s seen. Popcorn seemed to be of great importance here as even with the numerous ponies serving the snack, there was a bit of a line behind him as he waited for his serving. I didn’t even know that popcorn could be made into ornaments and jewelry. He watched the mare behind the stand wearing a necklace made from popcorn, the piece of jewelry flitting as she quickly removed the popping pot from the fire and grabbed a container that contained a brown mixture Feather identified as caramel. She put the popped popcorn in a bowl and drizzled it generously with diagonal drips of caramel, picking up the bowl and offering it to him. Feather gave a smile and reached for his saddlebag to grab some coins. He was interrupted by the mare when she tapped his shoulder and shook her head. “We don’t make anypony pay during the festival,” she simply said. “It would be a bummer if we had, no?” Feather merely nodded. “It most certainly would. Thank you, by the way.” The mare offered a wave as Feather turned to head back; he felt the aroma of the caramel and the freshly popped popcorn hit his senses as he held it in his hoof. It was truly fascinating how they served a delicacy here that was normally found in a corner store and cooked with a microwave. Feather looked around and saw what other food items were offered at this festival. He was able to recognize a few of them: tortillas, chocolate in the drink form, corn. A lot of those foods did come from here, so it made sense that they were being served.  There were other items he did not recognize, though, such as odd looking flowers and exotic looking drinks. I should maybe try some of that stuff right over there. The stand he glanced at served what seemed to be chocolate drinks but with chili and spices on it; it intrigued him that he didn’t even think of the possibility of the combination. He walked for a few moments until he found his way back to River and Twilight. The two were seated on wooden chairs, their hooves on the table, talking back and forth amongst themselves in rapt exchange. “Isn’t it more reasonable to say that these anomalous structures are the byproduct of natural weather phenomena rather than saying that they were made by some undiscovered ancient civilization?” Twilight raised her eyebrow at the blue mare. River sighed and put a hoof on the table. “Listen, I understand that some of this stuff seems crazy, and I’m not saying that I believe in it. All I’m saying is if there are odd looking entranceways and structures coinciding with the cardinal directions from the last pole shift, then you gotta check it.” “Hold on, pole shift, anomalous structures, what are you guys talking about?” Feather took an empty chair and settled himself in between the two of them, setting the popcorn on the table. Twilight regarded him with a faint smile. “River and I are having a discussion about the conspiracy theory about there being an ancient civilization thousands of years older than Meso-pone-tamia in the South Pole.” “You could be a little less mean when wording ‘conspiracy theory,’  by the way.” River crossed her hooves and looked away, pouting and setting her head high. Girls arguing. Figures. “Okay, well, why don’t you explain it to us, River? Then Twilight can explain her point of view, too. There’s enough time in the world for both of you to elaborate.” Feather picked up his bowl and started to munch on his popcorn as River looked at him with a sincere smile, a clear of her throat and began: “You know I really appreciate you, Feather. To preface, I... I like looking into this stuff because it’s interesting. It’s not that I have a strong conviction on it or anything, and I do support the right of ponies to question things regardless of how grounded or not grounded they are in fact; it’s just important to be careful, after all.” Feather and Twilight nodded, settling on their seats as River continued. “Let me tell you guys what I know about. I first found out this particular mystery from reading about this stuff from an author who died, like, half a century ago. He basically goes into detail about how the Equestrian navy had a clandestine operation in the South Pole under the name Operation Cold Dawn. “Operation Cold Dawn was organized by an admiral called Sturdy Stable: he was basically one of the greatest adventurers and explorers Equestria had at the time. He and this group of guys basically got together and planned this expedition to go to the South Pole that had the objective of scouting out locations for Equestrian military stuff that I don’t know all the details about. “They reportedly left in haste because according to declassified documents, they encountered some ‘magical weather anomaly’ that forced them to vacate and abandon the site.” Her eyebrow crested. “But the interesting thing is that they never returned; not even to check the valuable equipment they left behind. They ran away and never looked back.” “Why is that?” Feather chewed on his popcorn slowly as he paid close attention, glancing at Twilight who seemed less skeptical herself and rather more interested in the topic. River sighed into the two hooves she put on her mouth. “When Admiral Stable was on his deathbed decades later, he admitted that that was only partly the truth. They did in fact leave because of a magical weather anomaly, but that magical weather anomaly was also accidentally triggered by them. “The conventional explanation is that they got hit by that weather anomaly and then they just left. What he’s saying, though, is when their crew were scouting out areas on the ground, they supposedly found an ancient site of some sort which had a magical defense system that caused said weather anomaly. In esoteric writings uncovered from that expedition were accounts of a massive ‘barrier’ and direct energy rays that targeted the ponies. Rather fascinating, isn’t it?” “Hold on, you said earlier that they were an ancient civilization, and now you’re telling me they had energy rays? That stuff sounds way too advanced for a civilization of back then to do. The barrier is understandable, but direct energy rays that can target ponies without a magical wielder?” Twilight glanced at Feather in apprehension. “That’s crazy!” “This is what I’ve been trying to tell you; they had contact with something that was either an abandoned civilization with high-tech defense systems or something else entirely.” Feather frowned slightly as he asked her, “But what makes you believe what they’d encountered was an ancient civilization or some outpost of an ancient civilization? What kind of people could live in such a brutal environment such as the South Pole?” River clicked her tongue and cheekily grinned. “Now you’re starting to connect the dots.” She took a sip of her drink before she began. “Feather, what’s the first major civilization of Equus?” He quickly remembered. “For ponies it’s technically Meso-pone-tamia, though they found their way to Equestria rather quickly; in general it’s loosely defined to be the dragons in the Dragon Lands.” “You’re most likely correct, but there are strange things that creatures around the world have discovered. One is an ancient temple they found in the Griffon Lands. It’s more than ten-thousand years old and has puzzled scientists and researchers alike.” “That’s true,” Twilight interjected. “I do agree with you on that. It’s a few thousand years older than even the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the founding of early Dragon antiquity. We’re questioning whether or not we underestimated hunter-gatherers or if there really was a civilization before.” “Yes, and I bet you right now around the world there are sites even older than Meso-pone-tamia and the like. What leads me to believe that there might be some undiscovered ancient civilization in the South Pole, though, is what other ancient civilizations had to say about it. “Ancient civilizations back then talked about this other society that lived down in the south. They didn’t even say much, and a lot of them didn’t even have depictions of them, but it still stands: they talked about this place and how advanced they were. None of them made any contact with this civilization—or officially contacted them—though, and that’s what’s really crazy about this.” Feather finished his last bits of caramel popcorn. “So what do you think it is? Like some advanced society of polar bears or something?” River merely shrugged. “I don’t know, man. I’m only telling you about what I read, but it does seem that there might be some ancient civilization down there that hasn’t been formally explored yet. Could also be how Tlekokalli is, which is why I brought this up in the first place.” “How do you know they’re already gone, though? They might be still there this whole time.” “Exactly. We may never know for sure.” She looked back at Feather who made an “O” with his mouth. “I understand what you’re saying, River,” Twilight said, consoling, “but those structures you talked about could still be made by natural phenomena rather than this supposed civilization down there in the South Pole.” She shrugged. “Hey, that’s reasonable. But they are anomalies, nonetheless. They also coincide with the cardinal directions based on the last pole shift.” Feather was losing her when she mentioned those last words. “Pole shift, what does that mean?” “It’s when the magnetic poles of Equus change and move,” answered Twilight. “North and south have not been facing the exact same direction throughout history. They change slightly over time, and across millennia, north and south move drastically.” “Oh, yeah." Feather huffed. "Huh, I forgot about that.” No pony said a word after that. Feather and his friends allowed the silence to slip between them; he felt a bit tired digesting all that information in. A lost civilization in the South Pole? It could be possible; not even the most noble of stallions would dare endanger their ships to go through the giant glaciers that shielded the continent. It’s romantic, somehow, the idea of a lost city, a lost people. It reminded Feather of how large this world could truly be, how far apart they really were to a lot of these people. It gave him both a sense of wonder and a sense of sadness, the fact that out there are mysteries that just wouldn’t be solved. “Do you guys realize that somehow, we could possibly be a lost civilization? A lost group in history?” Twilight looked at him with a perplexion. “I doubt we are, Feather. Equestria is a major world player in Equus politics, with a massive geography, and a large populace.” “I never said Equestria,” he stated simply. Feather waved all around him. “I’m talking about all of us. We talk about isolated tribes in the forest like they’re uncivilized, but what if we are the isolated tribe in the universe and other civilizations out there look at us as if we’re...” He waved his hoof. “Primitive?” The two mares contemplated his words deeply by looking up at the forest canopy, all around them. It wasn’t necessarily loneliness, more like... a disconnect? Something missing? They were in a rainforest thousands of miles from home in a small alcove, a small world that was isolated yet hopeful.  Feather found a connection between what La Orilla was to Equus and what Equus was to the greater universe. The only difference was the people here knew there was a greater world beyond this city—high seas, other people. Perhaps he couldn’t say the same with the planet. With all of them. “You know, all this talk is making me hungry. I’m going to get some more snacks,” Twilight declared, getting off her seat and glancing at them. “Do you two want anything?” They both shook their heads. “No, thank you. Feather and I aren’t feeling so hungry.” The alicorn nodded her head and slipped away, leaving the two ponies alone under the shroud of the gentle lantern light. “So, you’ve been talking to her about those mysteries of yours, huh? I can tell you, Twilight reads a lot, and she really knows her stuff, y’know.” “Yeah, she’s a real interesting one. There’s a certain youth in her that I can’t really explain, but she knows so much. That’s what I wanted to ask you, too, though: what do you know you are absolutely sure about? Regardless of what it may be? Tell me, Feather, what’s the craziest thing you know?” Feather placed his chin on his hoof as he contemplated what she asked him. What’s the craziest thing I know? The wind tousled his mane, prodding. It did the same with splayed branches. Something called to him. It sang Feather a song of a greater purpose’s benevolence. What’s the one thing I believe in before anything else? “Look around you.” Feather let his hoof slide across the air. “The trees. The ground. The calls of the birds, the bumble of the bugs and the bees. The whispers of the wind. The ponies around here. You. I. “Ask yourself how this came to be. How did this planet go from being an empty, infernal wasteland to holding the beauty of life? Do you realize that? Everything feels alive. The trees are alive, the plants are alive, you and I are alive, even this thing”—he tapped on the wooden table he rested his shoulders on—“was at one point a living organism that grew from the ground due to sunlight, nutrients, and water. All of us are odd things that live and breathe.” “What are you getting at?” “What I’m saying is that there has to be something more. “Whenever I observe this world, I feel something in me that I can’t explain. There’s a weave that binds everything together; we are the substituents to a greater spider’s web that runs across reality itself. “When I first took Ohteotl, I remember feeling the vibrations of all things. I remember seeing and feeling the very molecules that make up this world, myself. It’s like I could sense that all things are connected to one; the borders of our individuality crumble down and we get to feel the reality around us that we don’t get to see all the time. “Does that mean that I believe there’s a creator, that there’s a being out there that orchestrated all of this and that they’re somehow all-encompassing and omnipotent? I’m not sure; I can’t say that with a hundred percent certainty. But I do believe that there’s something out there, and that we’re all connected somehow. “Have you ever had that feeling of somepony watching you, even if you don’t know if anypony is truly there or not? That tinge in your hooves whenever you take a step into some place that you somehow know isn’t safe even though—in plain view—it seems completely harmless?” “I do.” She fluttered her eyelashes softly as she seemed to remember. It was indescribable, her face. Was she happy? Sad? Perhaps both, and a dash of wisdom lit her eyes. She placed her hooves together. “Here. Let me tell you a story. “I was only a filly, visiting one of my childhood friend’s who lived at a farm. We were playing with our kites and all, but the wind became so strong that I lost grip of my kite and it flew away into the woods. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t find it. That was a sad day for me. That kite was a gift from my father I don’t get to see all the time. “Then I visited again for a second time, and we played other games and all that stuff. The sun set, we ate dinner, then we continued to play some more. The entire household fell asleep after that. That is, except for me.” She shivered, despite not a breeze blowing by. “It was cold that night; I never understood how that was the case. But I had a strange inclination to look out my window. I was afraid. I didn’t know if it was easier to cower and wait for it to go away. I was drawn to it, though, so I looked out the window, opened it, and basked in the air.” She paused, returned to the memory, curious eyes gazing out. “It’s like it was talking to me. I... I never understood why! But there was a feeling that it was trying to take me on an adventure. I slipped out of the house quietly and I followed it until I finally found my kite, on the ground, completely unharmed.” She put her hoof on the table as she looked up, regarding the forest’s breath. “I still have it to this day; I still think about what happened sometimes, even if it may seem coincidental. God giveth, and God taketh away.” Feather observed her with a fascination. He appreciated that moment as something he would cherish and look back to when he’d approached his twilight years.  “That’s an interesting story, River.” He placed a hoof on his mouth and let out a breath through his nose. “Thank you for telling me about your experience. I love listening to ponies and the stories they can tell.” She too let out an exhale, resting her cheek deep in her hoof, her knee on the table. “I should be thanking you. I didn’t really expect to have a chance like this, you know; I was sort of okay with not having that.” Feather cocked his head in confusion. “Whatever do you mean?” She sighed and put her hooves on her sides, blinking. “Well, you know, when I talk about all this crazy mystery stuff or just stuff in general, ponies don’t really seem to be in... sync? The right frequency? It feels alienating whenever I try to talk to people about stuff sometimes. It’s not just about the conspiracy stuff—it’s in general about things that are not widely accepted. And I’m not blaming them or pointing hooves! “It just feels... distant? Removed? Sometimes you get so into stuff you don’t even know what’s real anymore. I want to be reasonable with everycreature, I want to respect their boundaries. Sometimes I feel as if I’m not even getting the chance. A chance to have a conversation and a chance with... me.” Feather pitied her; he didn’t know what she’d make of that, but he did! A sad smile formed on his face. “You’re right. That’s how ponies act. It’s easy to wear rose-tinted glasses and yearn for what the world should be, rather than what it truly is. It’s the flaw in ponykind, River. “We’re all flawed because we live our own lives, and somehow that alienates us from everything that’s not ourselves. And so it is easy for one to convince themselves that they are alone, that they are indeed lonely.” Lantern light reflected his kind eyes. “I would say the world is unfair, but you just made your point. It’s hard to be a dreamer sometimes in a world that takes itself too seriously. That’s too real.” “I wonder if there’s such a thing,” Feather asked, neither to himself nor her. Maybe to the creator himself. Whatever deities crafted reality. “Can anything be too real?” “I wonder if everything’s fake.” Feather snorted, though he understood it wasn’t a jest at her conspiratorial nature. “Not just theory stuff, right?” “Yes.” River Moon placed a hoof on her other, as if checking whether or not it would dissipate into the nighttime. It was like she questioned whether or not she was real. And he regarded her with a curious look, asking, “What’s it like to live, River? To be honest, I’m not so sure myself.” “You’ve been doing it since your birth.” She stifled her snide and regained her serious tone, though considerate. “Live as in what? Exist? Be alive at this very moment? Or is it the scope of the entire experience of consciousness?” “It’s up to you,” Feather simply replied. “And I truly don’t think there’s a wrong answer. The world would be boring if we had all the simple answers, right?”  “Yes.” She gazed at the greenery above her, hoof on her cheek. “Though I wonder…” She seemed aimless. “I just wish sometimes that things would be easier. Clean cut. No fuss. Reality can be such a mess at times.  “You know the saying, ‘truth is stranger than fiction?’ I suspect that fiction has to be believable, it has to conform to something, at least. Reality? It does whatever it pleases.” And her tone tapered off, much like her gaze downwards. Silence. The pegasus leaned in. River Moon chanced a glance. “Tell me, River, if you could go to an alternate timeline wherein you could save Jade faster than I can snap my wingtips, would you do it?” Her eyes grew a tad hollow. And the more seconds that passed, the wearier she became, her expression slightly disturbed. River opened her mouth, but no words came, no answer. She furrowed her brow. And the night didn’t speak. “There are questions we can’t always answer,” Feather said. “It seems so obvious, right? Of course you would take the easy path. But would you really?” His expression was wise, a lithe dancing his eyes.  “I have taken the hard path before. Ran when I couldn’t walk, for sometimes there’s no other option, hm?” He chuckled soundlessly, blinking. “Such is challenge. Such is trying. Maybe... that’s the reason anything means anything.” “Hey, guys, I found out something interesting.” The two turned their heads. It was Twilight. She didn't have any food with her. Odd. In fact, she seemed to be a bit apprehensive, hind leg fidgeting in an unease. That made Feather concerned; he tried not to reel his mind over what she might say. “You have that look on your face. What is it?” Feather grabbed a hold of the chair adjacent to him and pulled it out for her to sit. He frowned slightly as she seemingly ignored the sentiment. She continued her stand. “Well, I was lining up for some tacos—not the cheesy ones, though,”—she shivered—“and the line was suddenly broken when there was this pony that came and announced something that most of the ponies left for.” Feather raised his eyebrow. “What did they say?” “They’re giving Ohteotl.” He was both surprised but not at the same time. They were giving Ohteotl? He’d never heard of it being brought up, though? And yet it somehow made sense; it was a Meso-Equestrian festival and it’s to be expected that they serve the enigmatic brew. It was their culture, what they took to heart—sometimes literally. But they’re serving Ohteotl. Feather wondered of the ramifications. He could have a conversation with Jade—perhaps even have Twilight and River talk to her somehow. Feather would be fully conscious. He would be cognizant. “You could talk to her,” Feather replied, more to himself than to Twilight. “We’d get to experience it all over again.” “Experience what again?” Twilight looked back at Feather and River for an answer.  It was rather simple. “That feeling of being connected with everything for the first time in your life.”