//------------------------------// // Waking Up // Story: Wolverine: The Equestrian Myth // by Axel IV //------------------------------// "There is something you absolutely must see." It had been a while since Celestia had heard the urgent words from one of the most respected archaeologists in Equestria. Most discoveries that were made on great expeditions were small but very valuable artifacts that represented an important part of Equestrian history. Celestia, of course, had seen the history firsthand. Her eyes kept scanning the letters of the note as her magic held the white parchment before her eyes. "I cannot describe it in words. I've managed to bring it into the museum's top secret facility." Now that was a surprise. The top secret facility was almost never used. It was basically just an underground complex beneath the Royal Canterlot Museum that housed the more dangerous aspects of Equestria's history. Such as dangerous echanted weapons and ancient dark magic books. Few of the museum staff actually knew that such a facility existed, and the ones that did had to be trusted immensely. There were strange magics down there that even Celestia would be afraid to touch. Celestia had made a trip to the museum as soon as she had been able. Royal duties took up an ungodly amount of personal time, and she found that she typically had a few hours to spend for herself. When Luna had returned, time management become much more bearable, however. Still, Celestia maintained most of the same responsibilities as her sister adjusted to the present time. It had taken many kitchen appliances for her sister to finally come to terms with electricity. The wondrous white alicorn made her way quietly through the exhibits, taking her time to absorb the historical atmosphere. There weren't many things that had existed before Celestia's time that were still around but it was still nice to see the small things she could remember. Many sparked a powerful memory that she had once thought she had forgotten. "Whatever it is, it is something way before our time... and it may be far before your time as well, princess." Celestia stopped before a large statue of herself that had been sculpted thousands of years ago. Her appearance had mostly been unchanged since then if one ignored the noticeable change in plot size. Celestia completely ignored the flanks of the statue as her horn began to emit a glowing aura. The horn on the statue lit up in a similar fashion, and a quiet clicking noise had been heard. "It had been found in the deepest cave in Equestria. It is in perfect condition with no visible damages whatsoever." The statue began to scrape backwards, revealing a dark stone staircase underneath it. Celestia's horn remained glowing as she began a slow descent underground, her horn illuminating the darkness. The dust that was kicked off from every movement of her hooves just showed how rare it was for a pony to go down into the top secret facility. The air was stale, dry, and cold. "I do now know what it is, but I fear that it may change Equestria forever. My body chills whenever I gaze upon its form." At the bottom of the painfully long staircase was a door made from pure dragon scales. Dragon scales were highly resistant to magic and nearly impossible to destroy physically. This one in particular, because of the heavy enchantments it carried, was completely unbreakable. It was like this for good reason. Celestia cleared her throat. "... Acerbus Excessum." The door groaned as it swung wide, creating a loud smashing sound as it collided with the wall. Torches began to light up, revealing a long hallway with many more dragon scale doors on both the left and right side of the hall. Each door held a room where each dark historical secret remained. Taking a deep breath, Celestia began the long walk down the stone hallway. The facility wasn't architecturally beautiful and was made instead to be impenetrable. "I wonder if it was the correct choice to take it out of its cave-like prison where it had been hidden away for who knows how long. However, I believe it is up to you to decide what you want to do with such a thing." Celestia finally spotted the dragon scaled door that held her source of curiosity, anxiety, and fear. A big 'X' had been crudely painted onto the door. The white alicorn found herself hesitating. "Princess Celestia, I have served you for many years. I have traveled to the farthest jungle, traveled up the highest mountain, and have now searched the deepest crevice. I have discovered things that could bring an entire city to its knees, and I have discovered things that could give life to the most decayed tree. But all those achievements pale in comparison to whatever it is I have now discovered. I leave it in your care, and I hope to see you soon." "Your faithful archaeologist," "D.D." Celestia took a deep breath, her horn glowing as the 'X' shimmered, the door opening to reveal whatever it held inside. Torches immediately burst into flames, and the darkness that had engulfed the room had been completely eradicated. Celestia made her way into the room, immediately spotting the object displayed in the center. It was a large blue crystal that looked like one of many that were in the caverns below the castle. Celestia's ears flattened, her image of whatever the artifact could have been was completely shattered. This was the world changing discovery that the archaeologist took so much time excavating? The alicorn crept closer, her eyes looking over the crystal. What was the big deal? What was so special about the crystal? She continued to get closer, her doubts piling up. It wasn't until she managed to make out a strange outline inside of the crystal that she began to realize what the archaeologist was talking about. She had to stare at it for a long period of time before she could make out its complete form. And when she finally put it all together, it finally clicked. Her eyes began as large as dinner plates, her ears flattening as her body instinctively took steps back. A chill had raced down her spine, her wings sprouting out in surprise. "Dear Faust... " Celestia whispered, "What... what is this?... " Pinkie bounced down the dirt streets of Ponyville, a wide smile on her face as she whistled a nameless tune. She wore a black party hat and had a saddle bag filled with white envelopes that spilled out every now and then. There was a big event that was coming up, and of course she intended to invite everybody in Ponyville. Why, if you didn't show up to one of Pinkie's parties, you were not going to hear the last of it from her until she forcibly dragged you out. And even then, you would find that you would enjoy it. It was a very important occasion for Pinkie, and if it was like any other important occasion for the pink mare it would spark a party. This occasion was super-duper special, which called for a super spectacular party. And not just any super spectacular party... It was an awesome spectacular super-duper extravaganza palooza. And for what was this amazing party being held for? Well, it was the day that Ponyville had been officially founded on of course! Invitations had been handed out accordingly, yet there was one mare who had refused to come out to her mailbox to see the poor metal container bursting with envelopes. Of course, Pinkie just couldn't stand this! Pinkie needed to give it to her in person. Besides, there was nothing wrong with seeing one of her best friends on a wonderful day like this. The pink mare bounded up to the front door of the library, shaking with excitement. She knocked onto the door rapidly, her smile wide. "Twilight!" Pinkie called out, "I've got a special invitation for a special friend!" No response. "Twilight!" Pinkie exclaimed, "I've got a special invitation for a special unicorn friend!" No response. "Twilight!" Pinkie yelled, "I've got a special invitation for a special unicorn friend who won't open their stupid door!- The door slammed open, revealing an stressed out purple mare. Her hair was springing out in crazy directions, her eye twitching as she stared straight into Pinkie's eyes. "Pinkie.... " Twilight twitched. "What?" Pinkie asked, her smile unfaltering. "Heheh.... " Twilight gave a freaky laugh, a creepy grin crossing her face. Okay, now Pinkie was completely worried. "Uh, Twilight?... " Pinkie asked, "Are you- "Perfectly fine!" Twilight snapped, spinning around as she disappeared into her library. Pinkie blinked, and followed after her friend. Books were sprawled completely all over the floor, the shelves completely void of anything. Her table was overturned, and Spike's tail was the only visible part of him since he was covered in a complete pile of novels. "Hey... " Pinkie asked, "You aren't worrying about... being tardy again, are you?" "Of course nooooot.... " Twilight twitched, sitting on her haunches as she began to read through the titles of her books, "It's wooooorse.... " "Um... Like how worse?" "SUPER WORSE!" Twilight cried, slapping her face against a book with each word she yelled out, "I.Ow. CAN'T. Ow. FIND. Ow. THE. Ow. BOOOOOK! Ow." "Hey Twilight," A thick southern accent called from the doorway, "Have any books on Banjo playin'? Applebloom's been lookin fer- WHAT IN TARNATION'S GOIN' ON HERE?!" "I. Ow. CAN'T. Ow. FIND. Ow. THE. Ow. BOOOOOK! Ow." "Hey Twilight," A rapsy, feminine voice called from the door, "You have any of the new Daring- WHAT THE BUCK IS GOING ON?!" "I- "Twilight! Any more words and you're going to forget how to read!" Pinkie cried, grabbing the book that was about to smack into her friend's head. "Um, Twilight, "Rainbow asked, her wings flapping as she hovered to by her friends, "Why are you breaking down over a book?" "Order from the princess..." Twilight twitched, looking through more books, "She's asking for a specific book that only this library has... and I CAN'T FIND IT!" "A book this library only has?" Applejack asked, "Why does the princess want some ole' book?" "I don't know... " Twilight sighed, "But she wants me to come to Canterlot with that book immediately... " "What?!" Pinkie asked, her eyes widening, "B-But then you're going to miss the- "Yeah... " Twilight mumbled, looking through book after book, "I'm sorry Pinkie. But it was an urgent message. And she needs me there by today!" "Uh huh... " Applejack glanced around, "So, what's this book called?" "Equestria's Mythical Truths... " Twilight scrambled into another book pile, "Where is it?! WHERE IS IT?! WHEERRE ISSS- Spike groaned, managing to crawl out of the pile of books. He rubbed his head, pulling out the letter. He gave it a quick read and smacked his claw against his head, giving Twilight a very unamused glare. "Twilight... " Spike sighed, "Did you even read the entire letter?... " "Entire letter?! I don't have time, Spike!" Twilight panicked, "I need to find the book NOW!" "Fine... " Spike muttered, "I'll read it to you then." Twilight ignored him as she kept rummaging through her book piles like mad. "To my most faithful student. Something has come up here in Canterlot, and I require your presence immediately. There is a book called 'Equestria's Mythical Truths' that only the Ponyville library carries. You must bring that with you at all costs. I will send a chariot to pick you up at noon, so prepare for departure." "Yeah, I got that Spike!" Twilight called, disappearing into a giant book stack. Spike rolled his eyes, "P.S. I forgot to mention that the book isn't on the shelves. It's located behind the receptions desk. I hope you didn't freak out or anything." Twilight's head immediately popped up from a pile of books, her jaw practically hitting the floor as she stared at Spike. "Hey!" Pinkie called out, waving a book with her hoof, "Found it! It was right behind the desk, silly!" "You know, you guys didn't have to all come along... " "I don't see the problem, darling! After all, we're all best friends here!" "Come on, miss drama queen! You just won't turn down a chance to be with royalty again!" "I hope you aren't talking about Blueblood because if you are you are sadly mistaken!" "You two are louder than a herd of buffalo tramplin' a chicken coop!" "Applejack! Please don't talk about animals that way! I mean... you can if you want to but... " The six mares bickered as the pegasus drawn chariot landed gently outside of the Canterlot Castle entrance. Through the mouth of Pinkie, her other friends had been informed of Twilight's soon departure. They all decided to leave with Twilight since it had been quite a while since they had seen Princess Celestia, and wanted to be there just in case Twilight needed help. "Hey Pinkie, " Twilight asked as they were escorted in by the guards, "Are you sure you're okay with missing the party tonight?... " "I can't have a great party without all my friends there!" Pinkie exclaimed, flashing a toothy grin,"Besides! We can celebrate later tonight by ourselves anyway! And it will be much more fun with Princess Celestia here with us!" "I don't know, Pinkie... " Applejack said, "The princess seemed awfully urgent on gettin' Twilight up here. She's probably gonna be pretty busy." "I bet there's a conspiracy going on... " Rainbow Dash spoke quietly, her eyes darting left and right, "What if it's not really Princess Celestia?... What if it's actually Chrysalis in disguise?!" "Quiet, girls. " Twilight commanded, "We're here... " The guards had led them to a set of large doors, and the purple unicorn identified it as Celestia's personal quarters. "I agree that this is very strange, " Twilight stated, pressing her hoof against the door, "But Celestia wouldn't put us into any trouble. She must really need help." Twilight cautiously opened the door. Celestia's room was big, spacey, and very neat. She had a very soft purple carpeting, a large well made bed, and had large glass doors that would lead out to a balcony. The room smelled of roses and daisies, and Twilight could taste the aroma of freshly baked cake in the air. Celestia's room was always warm and comforting. It had been exactly how Twilight remembered it. Except for a large sapphire crystal seated directly in the middle of the room. Rarity's eyes immediately lit up at the sight, her heart suddenly beating as fast and as loud as a drum. Her jaw seemed to pop off and hit the floor, the magnificent spectacle pausing time for her. "It's... " Rarity spoke, tears welling up into her eyes, "Beautiful.... " "On the outside, it may be... " Princess Celestia stated, walking up behind the six mares, "On the inside however, a dormant catastrophe may be waiting to be revived." "Princess!" The six mares immediately bowed, and the alicorn couldn't help but chuckle. "Arise, my little ponies." She smiled, "There is no need to be so formal." "I'm sorry that my friends came with me... " Twilight said sheepishly, "But they didn't want to let me come alone, and I didn't want to leave them... " "That is fine, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia smiled, nuzzling her faithful student, "Actually, our chances may be better this way." "Excuse me for asking, princess... " Rainbow said, flying up to the crystal curiously, "But is this the reason why you Twilight here? This weird big crystal thing?" "Rainbow Dash!" Rarity protested, jumping in front of the blue pegasus, "Do not speak of such gorgeous things in such a manner! Why, this crystal's beauty is of the likes I have never seen before!" "Like I said, Rarity," Celestia said, making her way to the crystal, "That is only on the outside." "Then... What's on the inside?" Fluttershy asked, quietly, trying as hard as she could to gaze into the depths of the crystal, "I can't see a thing... " "Yeah... " Applejack eyed the crystal carefully, "Nothin' s'gonna shoot out at us, right?" "Don't worry," Celestia replied, "Whatever is in there is practically asleep... or it is already gone from this world." "Princess, " Twilight began, "How do you know something is in there? As far as I can see, there is nothing." Celestia thought for a moment, gazing at the sapphire crystal before she began to speak again, "Twilight... Please use your magic to shine light onto the crystal." Twilight gave her teacher a curious glance before looking back at the crystal. Her horn soon began to glow and emit a soft beam of light into the large sapphire crystal. The gem itself began to light up, illuminating the room with a faint blue light. But there was no other result, and the ponies couldn't see what was held up within the crystal. "Nothing... " Pinkie blinked, pressing her nose against the crystal, "Crystal monster, are you in there? Helloooooo!" Celestia's horn soon began to glow, and the curtains that had been pulled away from the windows were drawn. The lights in the room shut off, and soon the only light that was illuminating the room was strangely coming from the crystal. Somehow, a shape was made clear and the ponies all gasped. They could see a dark shadowy figure inside, but they couldn't quite identify what it was. To them, it looked like some sort of dark blob in a weird position. They couldn't make out any defining features of it altogether except for the one crucial thing that caused their spines to freeze. A skeletal metallic appendage was reaching out to them, the bones in complete sight. Everypony, including the princess, took a cautious step back. Twillight's eyes stared at it as the gears in her brain began to spin. Her mind was recalling all the books on skeletal anatomy in Equestria but couldn't come up with an answer. The appendage resembled the arms of an ape or a diamond dog, but she couldn't place it. The end of the skeletal 'arm' was what looked like one of Spike's claws, but Twilight knew that it wasn't it. "Okay... " Rainbow shuddered, "This is really starting to freak me out... " "I take everything I said about this crystal back... " Rarity mumbled, "It's...It's horrid!" Using her magic, Celestia opened the curtains and turned all the lights back on. The strange figure immediately disappeared and the ponies all sighed in relief. "Twilight... Do you have the book?" Celestia asked. "Er, yes!" Twilight answered, reaching into her saddlebag to pull out the dusty tome. Celestia, using her magic, levitated it up to her eyes as pages began to flip at supersonic speed. "By the way, why does the Ponyville library hold the only copy of that book?... " Twilight asked, "I didn't have any time to read it, but it just seems all so weird." "Because the author refused to have it published, " Celestia replied, her eyes scanning the pages for any answers, "This book is nearly older than me, believe it or not. And it was written by Starswirl the Bearded." "S-Starswirl?!" Twilight gasped, "He wrote it himself?! How come I never knew of this book?!" Celestia smirked, "You never asked." She then levitated the book back down to Twilight, and the mares each gathered around each other to take a look at the page. "The mythical truth of... humanity?" "What's humanity?" Pinkie asked as she cocked her head to the side, "Does it taste good?" "Ponies haven't been on earth for as long as we think... " Celestia stated, "We weren't the first civilization to make this planet our home." "Humans are fabled creatures that are said to exist thousands and thousands of years before the time of Equestria... " Twilight read, "It is said that they once had massive towers that scraped the skies, and built giant mechanical birds that soared through the air. There are few artifacts that can prove of their existence, and there have been no fossil discoveries as of now." "Humans were first brought to light by a historian and mythical expert. Professor Heartstrings proposed that the existence of humanity existed out of the blue with no physical evidence supporting his claim. He was ridiculed and banished from the world of magic and science. It is unclear on why he brought up the existence of humans, whether it be some sort of magical vision or pure insanity." "Heartstrings... " Applejack tapped her hoof on her chin, "That sounds mighty familiar... oh well." "Looks like Starswirl included some drawings that the professor believed humans looked like... " The drawn figure had its body spread out on the paper. There were no defining features, and the focus seemed to be more on the body shape. The two appendages sprouting from the ends of its arms were listed as 'hands'." Twilight blinked, and then looked back up at the giant crystal. "So... " Twilight gulped, "You're saying... that this might possibly hold the last human in existence... " "Yes." Celestia replied, "That I do. Professor Heartstrings was a dear friend of mine... And I know that he was not as insane as they say. A part of me wishes to prove his claims, while another part wants me to free whatever that creature is from its crystal prison. But... " "... You don't wish it to cause anypony harm." Another alicorn walked into the room, her body a dark blue with a mane that resembled the night sky. "Princess Luna!" Twilight exclaimed, "Good afternoon!" "Greetings, Twilight Sparkle... " Luna smiled, "It has been too long." "Now that Luna is here... " Celestia smiled, "We can finally put our plan into action." Twilight glanced up at her teacher, "You... you mean- "Yes. " Luna nodded, "It's time to change Equestria... forever." "Remember, we can't break the crystal," Twilight explained, scanning through the pages of a spellbook, "Breaking the crystal could possibly also break the human inside of it. If we use a spell that was created to disintegrate only crystal, the specimen can be saved." "Am I the only one with common sense, here?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "I mean, it's arm-thing is stripped to the bone. TO THE BONE. If one of my legs was stripped to the bone, I'm pretty sure I would be dead or something." "We don't know anything about humans... " Fluttershy said quietly, "Maybe there's a way we can save it... " The ponies had drawn a big runic circle around the crystal with chalk. They had made sure to add the delicate details that belonged in the symbol, for if even something was a little off the spell could literally blow the room to pieces. "Ah kinda have to go with Rainbow on this one... " Applejack added, "That thing is probably all bony and dead-like. Everypony is talking about this thing going crazy and violent, but ah'm pretty sure it's as dead as Rarity's sex life." "Hey!" "You do strike a point... " Twilight conversed as she skimmed through some minor spells, "But whether or not it's alive, we are making a fantastic discovery. We're all just taking the necessary precautions. I don't want something to go terribly wrong with all my friends here." "True..." Rainbow muttered, "But I still stand by it being dead!" "So tell me, Tia... " Luna asked, lying on her sister's bed as Celestia chowed down on a small piece of cake, "Why did you bring this crystal up to your room? Isn't there someplace better that has a less chance of completely being destroyed?" "Well, Luna... " Celestia smirked as she set the plate down onto a small table, "This can't be done someplace where the public could see it. If word got out to the media, things would go crazy for a while. My room is also heavily enchanted, so my bed, dressers, and cake are all completely safe." "True... " Luna added, "But why try so hard for something that could be so dangerous?... " "I would like to clear Professor Heartstring's name, " Replied Celestia, "And also, I have to admit that I'm deathly curious about what could be in that crystal. I believe you are as well my dear sister." "Indeed, " Luna chuckled, "We cannot wait to see the creature that lurks inside!" "Um, Luna... You used the royal 'we' again." "Oh... We really must break that habit, shouldn't we?..." "Done!" Twilight shut the book, walking carefully up to the the crystal, "I've got the spell in order. The runes are all set, and I think its time to start this thing." The two alicorns had gotten up, forming a triangle around the crystal with Twilight. "It's funny seeing how they need a powerful spell to get some weird creature out of a crystal... " Rainbow said, the five other mares crowding over in a corner of the room. "No kiddin'. " Applejack agreed, "Ah think they're also getting some spells ready to fend off that 'human' if it attacks or somethin'." "Okay, everypony... " Twilight closed her eyes, "Stand back!" The air suddenly grew cold as Twilight's horn began to emit a violet hue. Celestia's and Luna's horn followed right afterward. The runes that had been drawn on the carpet soon began to brighten, and soft beams of golden light trailed out. The beams slowly made their way to the crystal, coming into contact with the sapphire object. The crystal immediately began to light up at the contact, the shadow of the creature once again being seen inside. Magical sparks began to dance upon its surface, small cracks forming as the spell began its purpose. The crystal began to disintegrate, letting off a shimmering blue mist that was warm to the touch. Very soon, the entire room was filled with the strange mist. The ponies could not longer see the form of the crystal through the mist, and they had no idea how their progress was going. But then after a few minutes, they heard a loud thump in the center of the room. They could also feel it through their hooves, marveling at how heavy the strange creature must be. The horns of the three ponies ceased their glowing, signifying the end of the spell. The mist was still thick in the center of the room, and they had no visual on the creature. They were all curious on its condition, yet they were too nervous to actually take a look. Pinkie finally broke the ice. "Helloooo!" Pinkie called, hopping up to the thick blue mist, "Are you alive human-creature-thing? If you are, say yeeeees!" Pinkie was answered by a metallic skeletal backhand heading right towards her face. I apologize for any grammar mistakes or such you may have come across. Also, I would like to thank my friend Goodmoney immensely for helping me feel confident and reading over this for me. I hope you enjoyed it.