//------------------------------//
// Artifacts of Legend 
// Story: Dreamquestria 
// by TheBBofC 
//------------------------------//

	Stephen’s leftover momentum and failed attempt at reaching out to Rainbow Dash left him falling upside-down from Pinkie Pie’s second-story window.  His stomach and heart jumped into his throat as gravity took him down.  A second later, he made contact with something that was too soft to be the ground.  His eyes clenched shut as he was sent back into the air.  He was only airborne for a fraction of the previous time before hitting a much harder surface and rolling at least once.  
Falling from a second-story window wasn’t as painful as he thought it would be.  However, it was possible that the rush of adrenaline was shielding him from some of the immediate pain.  If that were the case, he’d feel it in full once it wore off and he was not looking forward to that.  Certain he was on the ground now, he immediately tried to get to his feet.  But a sick feeling in his stomach and four legs quaking nervously prevented him from doing so.
“Stephen, are you alright?” Twilight’s voice called out to him.
“Oh my gosh!”  Pinkie’s voice chimed in.  “I’m so sorry!”
“Is he alright?” Rainbow shouted.
“Pinkie, what happened?” Twilight asked worriedly.
“I bumped him and he slipped on some punch and then BOOM he went right through the window.” 
Stephen felt a pair of front legs wrap over his body.  “Stephen please wake up,” Fluttershy’s voice pleaded.
Stephen tried to say, ‘I’m okay,’ but between his pounding heart and unwinding stomach, he couldn’t get his voice to cooperate and only a painful groan escaped.
“Speak to us, Stephen!” Rainbow begged.  “Are you hurt?”
Stephen took a deep breath and got a hold of himself enough to open his eyes.  It took a while for them to focus in the dark but eventually he was able to make out four ponies in the moonlight.  There were three easily recognizable silhouettes of Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.  The saddlebag-wearing unicorn with a glowing purple horn must have been Twilight.  A second deep breath calmed Stephen’s nerves enough to force out, “I’m alright…I think.”
Twilight sighed in relief.  “That’s good,” she said before looking back and sending a beam of purple light to a glowing mattress placed under the window.  The mattress vanished into thin air and she brought her attention back to Stephen.
Stephen finally got himself onto his stomach but the fact that his legs were still quaking and his stomach was still trying to settle down continued to keep him from standing up.  Rainbow Dash hovered down, held up his head with her hooves and peered into his eyes.  “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Hold still and look at me,” Rainbow ordered.  Stephen never broke eye contact as Rainbow moved her head up, down and to the sides.  She gave an approving nod before asking, “Do you think you can stand?”
“I can try,” Stephen said.  His stomach was almost settled but his legs were still quaking slightly.  “What are you doing here, Twilight?” He asked, trying to get his mind off his nerves.
“I came to find you,” said Twilight.  “I might know how the Spirit Traveler spell works.  But just as I was about to knock on the door, you flew through the window.”  
Stephen was almost up but as soon as he put his left hind ankle on the ground, a sharp pain shot through it.  He yelped and lost his balance.  With a surprised gasp, Pinkie zipped to his side to keep him from falling.
“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.
“My ankle is messed up,” Stephen said through gritted teeth.
“Which one?” Twilight asked.
“Back-left.”
Twilight trotted around Stephen to get to his hind left leg.  With a hop, Pinkie moved out of her way but kept supporting him with one hoof on his shoulder.  She had an apologetic look in her eyes and a compassionate smile.  
“This one?” Twilight asked, lightly poking the ankle.
Stephen cringed and recoiled as a sharp pain cut through his leg like scissors.  “Yes, that one.” 
Pinkie threw her front legs around Stephen.  “I’m so so so so so so so so so sorry!” guilt filled her voice as she clasped him to her chest.  “Will a hug make it better?”
“It’s alright, Pinkie,” said Stephen as he carefully sat himself down on the ground with Pinkie continuing to hold onto him.
“No it’s not!” she frantically retorted.  “This was supposed to be your best night ever but I pushed you and you fell which must have been super scary and now you’re hurt and you must think I’m a terrible friend because it’s all my fault!”  Stephen couldn’t see what Pinkie was doing but it felt like she was trying to illustrate what she was saying without releasing him from her embrace.
“I seriously doubt you had any way of predicting this,” said Stephen.
Pinkie slouched against Stephen’s shoulders.  “My Pinkie sense told me something scary was going to happen.  I should have been more careful,” she sighed.
Stephen quickly decided against trying to figure out what Pinkie sense was or how it worked.  He just assumed she was referring to the 'pinchy knee' she mentioned a few minutes ago and moved on.  “You didn’t do it on purpose and you couldn’t have prevented it,” he reassured her.
Pinkie responded by slightly tightening her grip.  “Is the hug working?”
Stephen wasn’t sure if he should be honest or try to alleviate the guilt she was feeling.  He settled on, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”  Pinkie Pie released him and gave the same apologetic smile she had a moment ago.
Twilight’s horn lit up and Stephen’s hurt ankle was encased in the same glow.  His skin turned into an X-ray photograph of the bone.  A moment later, Twilight’s horn stopped glowing and Stephen’s skin returned to its normal opacity.  “I can’t see anything wrong but we’d better get him to Ponyville Hospital to be sure,” she said.
“Got it!” Rainbow Dash declared, rapidly flapping her wings several times and taking off like a scrambled fighter jet.

Rainbow Dash returned about fifteen minutes later with two scrub-wearing ponies pulling a white carriage with a red cross painted on it.  Even though Stephen felt like he could have gotten into it on his own, the nurses insisted on helping him up on account of his limp.  One went into the carriage and came out with a wheelchair.  With as little use of the hurt leg as possible, Stephen eased himself into the wheelchair and the nurses pushed him into the carriage.  Pinkie Pie and Twilight climbed in after them.  Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy opted to fly ahead and meet them at the hospital as the nurses strapped the carriage to their backs.  
It took a little under ten minutes for the ponies to run the carriage to the small hospital building.  Once there, the scrub-wearing ponies rolled him out of the carriage, down the hall and into a vacant room, where he was helped onto the hospital bed.  A few minutes later, a white pony with a light pink mane and a white hat entered the room.  After introducing herself as Nurse Redheart, she gave Stephen a quick check-up.  All things considered, he appeared to be in good shape.
“It doesn’t look like you’re badly injured,” she said with a smile.  “I’ll send in a doctor to find out exactly what’s wrong and we’ll make sure you feel better.”  With that, Nurse Redheart left the room and silence fell as the group awaited the doctor’s arrival.  On top of waiting for the doctor to enter, Stephen was also waiting for Pinkie to say whatever was quite obviously plaguing her mind.  
“I hope you’re not mad at me,” Pinkie broke the silence with a down tone.
“Did you push me out of the window on purpose?” Stephen asked.
“No,” said Pinkie.
“Then I don’t need to be mad at you.  I wish you had been a little more careful but all I can do now is hope I’m not actually hurt.”
At that moment, a caramel-colored unicorn with a dark brown mane, glasses and a lab coat came into the room.  A clipboard floated up in front of his head for a moment before lowering it to speak.  “Evening, Stephen.  I’m Doctor Stable.  I hear you’ve got a sore ankle.  Mind if I take a look?”
“Sure, Doc,” he droned unenthusiastically.  “Just be careful, please.  I’m a little tender.”
A light blue aura appeared around both Doctor Stable’s horn and Stephen’s injured ankle.  The highlighted area faded into transparency as if his skin had been turned into cellophane.  This must have been similar to what Twilight had done to him that night at the library, or earlier tonight before they came to the hospital.  Except instead of Stephen’s ankle looking like an X-ray photograph, his bones were clear and in color.  Stephen would have found it interesting if the fact that he was looking into his own body wasn’t so off-putting. 
Doctor Stable blinked hard and Stephen’s muscles came into view as well.  His eyes narrowed at Stephen’s leg as he studied it for a moment.  Blinking hard a second time made Stephen’s veins, arteries and flow of blood become visible.  After observing this for a moment, Stable’s horn stopped glowing and the dark red fur on Stephen’s leg returned to visibility.  Stable gently placed a hoof on the injured ankle.  Looking up to Stephen, he said, “Let me know when you feel pain,” and gently moved Stephen’s leg towards his rear.
A jolt of pain shot up Stephen’s leg.  “That hurts, right there.”
“On a scale of one to ten; how bad?”
“I don’t know.  Five, maybe six?”
Stable gently set his leg back down.  “I’ve got good news,” he said.
“Really?” Pinkie bounced up with a smile on her face.  “What is it?”
“It’s not broken, just sprained and a little swollen.  I’ll have a nurse wrap it for you then we can wheel you out of here.  Keep it on ice for a couple days and try to stay off it without a brace.  You’ll be back to normal within a week.”  With that, Doctor Stable left the room.  A few minutes later, Nurse Redheart returned to wrap up Stephen’s ankle.  As soon as that was set, they checked Stephen out of the hospital.
The group exited the hospital with Rainbow Dash pushing Stephen in a wheelchair.  Pinkie Pie skipped by Stephen’s right side with a lollipop in her mouth.  Fluttershy walked by Pinkie and Twilight was on Stephen’s left.  “What are we going to do now?”  Stephen asked.
“We should find a place you can relax for the rest of the night,” said Twilight.
“He can stay with me if he needs somewhere,” Fluttershy quietly suggested.
“I like that idea,” said Stephen after remembering how quiet and peaceful Fluttershy’s house was in comparison to everywhere else he’d been.  The group turned and started walking west.  Rainbow Dash, who was pushing the wheelchair, turned just a little too hard and caused Stephen to bump his bad ankle.  It stung, but just enough to be noticed.  He looked down at his ankle, which was wrapped up tight in bandages and then wrapped again to hold an ice pack against his leg.  “Well, this stinks,” he groaned out.  “I’d better not wake up with this sprain.”
“That reminds me!” said Twilight.  “I came to find you because I think I figured out how your Spirit Traveler spell works.”
“That’s good, I guess.”
“Actually, this is bad news.”
“Oh great,” Stephen groaned again.  “What is it?”
“The highest form of a spirit traveller spell was to manifest a body for the spirit.  That’s how you have a body here.  But you have to be careful because your bodies between here and there are connected.”
“So you’re saying that’s why I woke up with bruises after I broke the library’s floor?” Stephen asked skeptically.
“Exactly,” Twilight continued.  “Because you haven’t been sleeping while you’re here at night, it might also explain why you haven’t been feeling rested when you wake up in your world.”  
“That’s just great,” said Stephen.
“But at first it didn’t make sense that you’d be able to have a body here in Equestria.  Even though the higher levels of the spell were written, they’re impossible for ponies to do.”
“So then how am I here?” Stephen asked.
Twilight’s horn lit up into a reading light and a book floated from her saddlebag.  “Magical Amplifiers,” Twilight said after showing Stephen the title, Artifacts of Legend.
“What?”
“They’re artifacts that were forged by ancient unicorns so they could amplify their magic and learn spells that would be impossible under normal circumstances.”
“But you said that a Spirit Traveller spell could only work if I’m willing to make the journey.  Nothing against you girls, but if I’m actually here that means I’ve actually been awake for five days.  I can’t have that.  My girlfriend is getting worried and it’s making work even harder for me than it already is.  I don’t want to be here.”
The book opened and several pages fluttered by Stephen’s face.  It eventually stopped on a statue of a pony pushing a large, dark orange crystal ball up what appeared to be a mountain.  “This is the Stone of Sisyphus.  Historians think it was believed to greatly amplify the strength of any spell.  Its magic might be strong enough to bypass mutual consent and cover the distance between our world and yours.”
“Then wouldn’t I be here all the time instead of just when I’m asleep?”
“I have theories but ultimately, I don’t know.  That’s not all though.  Whoever cast this spell on you would have needed a way to search out and make visual contact with your world.”
“So he’d need something that could see across space and time or dimensions?” he snipped sarcastically, knowing this was only going to get more ridiculous as time went on.
“Exactly!”  Twilight flipped a few more pages in the book.  “The only one listed here that could do something like that is the Eye of Coeus.”  Stephen looked at the book.  Among the text was a picture of a large, dark purple sphere making the pupil in a crystal carved into the shape of an eye.  The eye sat inside a pony-sized crystal triangle with hieroglyphics of some kind carved into it.  The whole structure sat atop a marble pedestal.  “It’s described in the book as a great giver of knowledge; allowing the user to find anything he seeks if it is in existence.” 
As ludicrous as this had gotten, Stephen knew it was still far from over.  “Anything else?” he asked unenthusiastically. 
“Yes, actually,” Twilight continued.  “In order for the spell to stick to you the way it has, the magic has to be able to carry on for an extended period of time.”  She flipped a couple more pages to show Stephen a picture of a statue depicting a large, exhausted-looking pegasus stallion was bent down under the weight of the giant blue gemstone sphere that he supported on his wings.  “The Globe of Atlas is said to be able to hold any spell in effect forever.”
“And you’re certain these things actually exist?” Stephen asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh they exist,” said Twilight.  “A lot of the things in this book can be seen in museums across Equestria.  Most ponies believe their powers are myth and legend but my friends and I know better, don’t we?”  Stephen looked up and around.  Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were all nodding their heads.  
“How exactly?” he asked out of curiosity.
Twilight flipped a few more pages until the book reached a page depicting a question mark inside of a twelve-pointed star and surrounded by five orbs of various colors.  “These are the Elements of Harmony.  My friends and I have used them before.”  
The confident look in her eyes told Stephen that Twilight was certain what she was saying was true.  But Stephen had been past skeptical since Twilight started explaining her book and though the confirmation of her friends was certainly something to consider, it was not yet enough to convince him.  “Duly noted,” he said.  “But it’s not to worry.  I’ve got it all taken care of back home.  Within a couple of weeks I’m going to stop having these nonsensical dreams and go back to sleeping like a normal person.”
“There’s still more things you need to know about your situation.”
“There is?” Stephen said, getting irritated.  “What else could there possibly be?  You’ve thrown everything but the kitchen sink at me tonight!  Or is that a magical amplifier that keeps me in this world too?”
“Please don’t shout,” Fluttershy asked quietly.
“Yeah, come on, Stephen!” said Rainbow Dash.  “We’re trying to help you out here.”
“Stephen,” Twilight continued.  “All three of those artifacts would be needed to summon you and keep you here.  One of them was stolen from Cloudsdale’s Museum last week.  It’s just like I thought back when you and I did research together.  Someone is calling you here and whatever they’re doing it for, it’s got to be something big.  Otherwise they wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble.”
“Me?” Stephen quipped.  “Someone is calling me?” his voice started to rise.  
Pinkie chimed in.  “Maybe someone really wanted to make a new friend.”
Stephen ignored Pinkie’s ridiculous suggestion.  “Why in the name of all things sacred would someone call me?  Do you know who I am, Twilight?”
Twilight paused to think about it.  After a moment, she put on a fake smile and said, “No?”
“I’m nobody!  That’s who I am!” Stephen shouted into the night.  “I’m a bottom-of-the-food-chain customer service representative for a construction company specializing in residential renovations.  I have an associates degree in business from my local community college and a house in the suburbs that I’ll be paying off until I’m fifty-years-old!”
Stephen’s wheelchair stopped moving and Rainbow Dash appeared in front of his face.  Hovering at his eye level, her eyes narrowed at him.  “Hey!  Keep your cool!” she commanded.  “You’re scaring Fluttershy.”
Stephen stopped and looked to his right, where Fluttershy had been walking.  She wasn’t there so he cranked his neck back further to see her just barely within the light of Twilight’s glowing horn.  She was standing still and hiding her face behind her mane.  “Please don’t be mad at us,” she said quietly.
Stephen covered his face with a foreleg.  “I did it again, didn’t I?” he said to himself.  He took a deep breath to settle himself before continuing.  “I’m not mad at any of you,” he said calmly.  “The stress of all this is starting to get to me.  I’m sorry, Fluttershy.”  After a moment, she walked back over to Stephen’s side and they continued on their way to her house.  “Anyway,” Stephen continued.  “What I’m trying to get at here is that there is no way that anyone in their right mind would call someone like me to do anything if they know who I am.  I’m not anyone special and I don’t even have any special talents.”
“Everypony has a special talent, silly,” Pinkie interjected.
“Look, Pinkie, if I had any kind of talent, I’m pretty sure I would have figured it out by now.”
“Regardless of why or why not someone would call you, Stephen,” Twilight spoke up again.  “The fact of the matter is that you’re here, in the flesh, with a spirit body that’s connected to your real body…wherever it is.  I came over to Pinkie’s to warn you of that because you’ve already gotten hurt once.  You being here is a big risk for you and I don’t want to see anypony get hurt.”
Stephen was silent for a moment as he tried to collect his thoughts.  “I’ll humor you for a moment,” he said.  “If I wake up with a sprain, I’ll take you seriously.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Twilight.  “Then we’ll try to find out who’s doing this to you and why.”
“How do we do that?” Rainbow Dash chimed in.  “There’s got to be a million unicorns in Equestria.  How do we find which one took the artifacts?”
“What if we found out who has access to the other artifacts?” Fluttershy suggested.
“That’s a great idea, Fluttershy,” said Twilight.  “I’ve seen the Eye of Coeus at the Canterlot Archaeology Museum several times before I met all of you.  We should start there.”
“Yeah!” Rainbow cheered.  “And maybe then we can even find the jerk who robbed the Cloudsdale Museum.”
“Oh!  So we’re going on another adventure?” Pinkie beamed, hopping up and down.  “I’ll start packing!  When do we leave?”
“For Stephen’s sake, we should probably figure this out as soon as possible,” said Twilight.  “We’ll leave as soon as everypony is ready tomorrow.”
“But Twilight,” said Fluttershy.  “What about Stephen?  He’s not in Equestria during the day.”
“You’re right,” Twilight thought for a moment.  “I got it.  One of us can stay behind and wait for him then take an overnight train.”
“That sounds just lovely,” Stephen said sarcastically.  “Look, it’s obvious I’m a disaster magnet in this world.  Plus if you girls need to travel, I’d either get left behind while you travel during the day or I’d be holding you back while you wait for me to fall asleep.  Wouldn’t it be better if I stayed behind?”
“I guess you’re right,” said Twilight.  “I’ll have Spike come by Fluttershy’s tomorrow evening and take you to the library when you appear.  You can wait there until we come back with a solution.”
“Don’t worry, Stephen,” said Pinkie as she patted Stephen’s head.  “We’ll get this worked out and get you home safe and sound.”
They pulled up to the door of Fluttershy’s cottage.  Rainbow Dash dropped down and let out a loud yawn.  “I’m thinking it’s about time I head home.  I’m bushed.”  She started doing some stretches on the ground.
“Have a good night, Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy.  
“Will do and I’ll see you all tomorrow.  Have a good night, everypony.”  She turned her attention to Stephen.  “And try to not get in any more accidents.”
“I think the only night I haven’t had an accident was here with Fluttershy,” said Stephen.  “I should be fine.”  Rainbow Dash chuckled in response before taking a few running steps and flying off.  It didn’t take long for her to get out of their sight in the dark night.
“I think I’ll head home too,” said Twilight.  “Have a good night,”
“Bye, Twilight!” Pinkie called out as Fluttershy opened her door.  
“Are you going home too, Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy asked.
“If it’s okay with you, Fluttershy, I’d like to stay and help you take care of Stephen,” said Pinkie.  
“I don’t mind at all,” said Fluttershy.
“It’s just a sprain,” said Stephen.  “I’ll be fine.”
“It’s the least I can do to make up for pushing you out the window.”
“That’s up to you then,” said Stephen.  Leaning forward, he let himself down from the wheelchair, making sure to keep weight off his bad leg.  Limping over to the couch.  With a small hop, he got himself onto the sofa with a small hop and made himself comfortable.  
“Do you need anything?” Fluttershy asked.
“I’ll be alright.  Thank you for everything though.”  
“Oh, it’s no problem at all,” said Fluttershy.  “You just try to get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sleep tight, Fluttershy!” said Pinkie as she took a seat next to Stephen.
“Goodnight,” said Stephen as she walked up the steps to her own bedroom.  
Stephen relaxed his head against the couch’s throw pillow and closed his eyes.  “You’re sure you want to try to keep me company, Pinkie?  I’m just going to lay here so I’ll be a bit boring to be around.”  He had planned on trying to replicate the results he had from simply laying down with his eyes closed a few days prior.
“That’s alright.  It’s better to be bored than lonely,” Pinkie said enthusiastically before letting out another yawn.
“You look like you’re just as sleepy as I am.  Are you sure you can do it?”
“Just watch me,” Pinkie said energetically.  Then her eyes slowly dropped shut.  Within a minute, she was curled up in her chair and snoring.  Stephen couldn’t help but find that funny.
Once he was certain that Pinkie Pie was asleep, Stephen returned to relaxing.  It felt good to relax but time was passing as slowly as one might think it would while lying awake on a couch and doing nothing.  There was a clock on the opposite wall that he could watch.  Occasionally, he would glance up at it and watch the hands tick for a couple of minutes before closing his eyes again.  Stephen forced himself to stay in this comfortable position and let his body and mind recover as the hours ticked by.  Eventually, the clock ticked seven.