//------------------------------// // Research and Rivalry // Story: Anthropology // by JasonTheHuman //------------------------------// The snow was really coming down now. This meeting could have been timed better. Lyra had known that the pegasi were planning another snowfall today, but she hadn’t been counting on the wind as well. She was freezing even with the pants, sweater, scarf, and the heavy coat over top of it all. She glanced up to see the library just ahead. With a final burst of speed, she hurried to the door and dashed inside. Recovering from the wind and cold, she kicked the snow off her hooves and shook off her parka. A coat rack was right next to the door, so she pulled it off and hung it up. Twilight had noticed the door open. “Oh, Lyra. You’re here,” she said. “Make yourself at home. Spike’s got a fire going in the other room.” Lyra’s eyes narrowed. Twilight was being way too friendly… Or was she just always like that? “Thanks…” “So how’s your roommate been? I haven’t talked to Bon-Bon in a while.” “She’s been okay for the most part, but when I said I was headed over here to help with your report she said she wanted to find something heavy to hit her head against.” Lyra shrugged. “Oh…” Twilight said, frowning. “Well, you can go ahead and get started. I’ll be in there in a minute.” Lyra turned and headed for the other room. Twilight really did own a lot of books. This room, like the other, was mostly shelves upon shelves of them. A ladder leaned up against one wall. On the opposite side of the room, Spike was sitting by the fireplace, holding his right claw and grimacing. He glanced up at Lyra as she walked in. “Hey, Spike. You okay?” she asked, tilting her head. “Yeah… Twilight’s been having me write notes for her all day.” Spike rubbed his wrist. “I’ve got a serious claw cramp.” “I know how it is. Those are a real pain,” Lyra said, nodding. Spike stared at her strangely. “Uh… from what I’ve heard.” She averted her eyes. “So anyway, what have you been writing? Anything for the Princess? Care to tell me anything?” She moved closer. “Just more to-do lists and some rough drafts of Twilight’s report. You wouldn’t believe how much preparation she always does for these.” Lyra leaned in closer. “You’re sure you haven’t been writing to the Princess? What about Twilight? Has she told you anything?” The door opened and Twilight entered the room. Owlowiscious flew in behind her and perched on the top rung of the ladder. A couple books floated in the air around her head. They drifted over to the table and settled down. “Hey there, you two,” Twilight said cheerfully. She turned to Spike. “You’ve been working pretty hard today, Spike. I think Lyra and I can handle it from here.” “Finally,” Spike said. He yawned, stretching his short arms upwards. “G’night.” He headed up the stairs. “Let’s get started, Lyra,” Twilight said. Lyra idly examined a shelf of books. “Yeah, I guess we should…” Twilight’s smile vanished. “Lyra, you’re not still suspicious of me, are you? Because I’m telling you the truth – Princess Celestia has never told me anything about humans. Other than this assignment, of course.” “Of course not,” Lyra said. She stared at Twilight in disbelief. What was Twilight doing? How lousy of a spy could she be if she was just going to blatantly deny it like that? She had even been the one to bring it up in the first place. Lyra obviously hadn't been planning on saying anything about that to her. Twilight crossed the room and searched through a drawer, taking out scrolls and loose sheets of paper. “It’s in here somewhere. Aha! Right here.” A single scroll floated up out of the stack, and the others fell back into the heap. “You can look at this yourself.” The letter floated over until it was right in front of Lyra’s face. She unrolled it and read the fancy script. My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, In the interest of understanding early Equestrian culture, I would like you to compile a complete report on the various legends concerning creatures known as “humans.” As usual, keep me informed on your progress and any questions you may have. Your mentor, Princess Celestia Lyra took note of the official seal at the bottom of the parchment. It didn’t appear to be fresh. “So when did you get this?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Over a month ago. That’s all the information she gave me,” Twilight said. “It’s taken me a long time to get started. There’s just nothing about humans anywhere.” “She calls them legends,” Lyra said, reading over the letter for what must be the third or fourth time. “Of course. There’s nothing else they could be,” Twilight insisted. “I’ll admit that the entire world humans were said to live in is extremely detailed. I’m especially fascinated in how there are so many different kingdoms and rulers in these stories. Not only that, but the same historical events keep getting mentioned. It’s very consistent.” “Because they’re not legends.” “Because, through generations of storytelling, imaginary places like France got to be universally accepted. I didn’t even realize that when Rarity talks about ‘French couture’ it’s actually an allusion to ancient pony mythology. She’s probably not aware of that herself.” “You honestly think it’s made up?” Lyra said. The letter drifted over to the table and settled down there. “Or did Princess Celestia tell you to say that?” “Of course she did!” Twilight said. “Well, no, it’s not what she told me to say, it’s just what it is. That’s all the background I got from her. Lyra, you’ve been reading these longer than I have. All we know about humans comes from books. There’s no scientific or archaeological basis to prove there’s any truth to these stories.” Lyra moved even closer. “What about their tools? We still use those! And clothing, you even admitted that Rarity’s styles are based off of human designs!” Twilight shook her head. “They’re made-up creatures who are always shown using the same objects ponies do, because ponies created them and those objects. These stories might even be part of some kind of creation myth. Historically, lots of mythical creatures have some kind of relevance to the society that imagined them,” she said. She thought for a moment, then added, “That’s the only reason I can imagine that Princess Celestia would want to know about them. Cultural relevance.” Lyra gaped at her, but she couldn’t think of any response. She was not about to admit to Princess Celestia’s own student that she had heard it from Luna herself that humans were real. Maybe Twilight wasn’t lying… She really did seem to know nothing. But Lyra still had to speak carefully. Anything she said could potentially be reported back to the castle, and that would be a problem. “Fine,” Lyra said finally. “Just let me see what you’ve been able to find.” She walked over to the desk and checked out the books that Twilight had set there. Pre-Equestrian Mysteries, The Human Hypothesis, and The Age of Man. The titles were faded and nearly unreadable, and the books seemed to be falling apart. But these were all-new sources, books that weren’t in Lyra’s own collection from Canterlot. Lyra had never considered what other cities’ libraries might have. “It’s probably best if we just dive right in,” Twilight said. “I got these ones from the Manehattan library. It took them weeks just to respond to my letter. They said they had to check their oldest section before they found anything.” Remembering her own trip to the Canterlot archives all those years ago, Lyra nodded. “That usually seems to be the case.” “I’ve checked Pre-Equestrian Mysteries and all it had were a few paragraphs mentioning humans. I don’t think it’s anything other than what you already know. By the way, you said you’d check to see what books you had. Did you bring them?” Twilight asked. Lyra slowly took the saddlebags off of her back. “It took me a while to find this. There was only one left, so I brought what I had.” Designs for Dexterity was the smallest of her books, just barely a hundred pages. The other books, the ones that went into more detail, were all at home. Hidden. She had to withhold as much information as she could from Twilight. Just like she’d always done with her parents, really… All this particular book mentioned were human inventions. The introduction even stated that these were meant to be “theories,” but the pony who had written the book most likely believed in them. With this evidence, how could anyone not? “Well… alright then,” Twilight said. “You’re sure this is all you had? I thought you said you had more.” “Nope. My parents wanted me to get rid of them.” Lyra shrugged. “When I was here a few months ago, that was nothing. Just curiosity. I haven’t been studying humans for years.” That was the story Lyra would stick to. The same one she’d told her parents. Her interest in humans had been a childhood phase, and she’d grown out of it. Of course, Twilight knew that she’d been researching the structure of hands just a few months ago, but there was no way she’d hear about the results. Twilight frowned. She opened her mouth, then shook her head and decided not to say anything. Glancing over the books spread out on the table, she chose The Age of Man and opened it up. “This one was actually from Trottingham. It’s the only one they could find. I guess ‘man’ is short for ‘human,’” Twilight said. “Have you heard that before?” “That’s basic knowledge, Twilight. So what’s that one about?” Lyra came over to see. “It’s what I was talking about earlier – the different nations of humans and how they interacted with one another. Political structures, languages… I can’t believe they took the time to create entire languages for fictional cultures.” “What’s it going to take to convince you that humans aren’t fictional?” “Lyra, you can’t just believe everything you read. You have to use your judgment.” “Maybe you should be using yours,” Lyra said. She was beginning to feel irate. All this skepticism really got on her nerves. “What about that play you were in? I found a lot of things wrong with that. Are you sure that’s really how Equestria was founded?” Twilight stared at her, and then, strangely, laughed. “Of course it happened. That story’s been part of Equestrian culture for thousands of years. Sure, maybe some of the details aren’t historically accurate, but it’s a dramatization, and – “ “Windigoes,” Lyra said. “Huh? What about them?” Twilight asked. “What happened to those? Supposedly they’re spirits or something that create blizzards as a result of disharmony, but what happened to them? That’s certainly never happened as long as I’ve been around,” Lyra said. “You believe in humans, but you don’t believe in that?” Twilight said. “You can ask any foal in Equestria. Everypony knows about windigoes, but nopony’s ever heard of humans.” “That’s not the point!” “They disappeared because our society has learned the value of harmony, and – “ “Do you know that?” Lyra’s eyes narrowed. “Well… it’s just what the play implies…” “Exactly!” Lyra paced across the library. “Just another plot hole.” Twilight was starting to raise her voice. “I said it was a dramatization!” “Then where’s the proof that any of it’s true?” Lyra said. Her eyes locked with Twilight’s. Outside, the blizzard raged and the wind howled past the window. It was only then that Lyra realized all of what she’d just said. She wanted to smack herself. How could she have been so stupid? “Well… that’s just a theory of mine…” She tried to laugh it off. “I haven’t really given it any serious consideration at all.” Twilight didn’t look convinced. “Let’s just get started on this,” she said. She picked up the book Lyra had brought in, and Lyra started with the first chapter of The Age of Man. It was like being a filly again. All these new books about humans, new things that Lyra had never seen before. The political systems of humans were described in more detail here than she’d seen before. Most of them were monarchies, similar to what Equestria had, but human kings and queens didn’t have any magic power. They were so much closer to the common people that way. And they wouldn’t live forever. The power would pass through each generation of sons or daughters, so it was in constant shift. Then – there it was. The lyre was an ancient Greek instrument, played (of course) by humans. There was a picture of a human, seated and plucking the strings of a lyre just like the one she herself used. It looked so much like that drawing Lyra had done, based on what she’d seen in her dream. She read the caption about how the music would usually accompany a recitation of an epic story. Where were those? Surely written copies must exist. Obviously lyres had more significance to human culture than Lyra had previously realized. Now she needed to find out what those stories were that went with them. She loved the stories about humans. Legends, sure, but that only proved they themselves were real. There was no reason for a legendary creature to have its own mythology. “I’ve got it!” Twilight suddenly exclaimed. Lyra looked up from the book. “What do you mean?” Lyra said. “I get what the significance of humans is. They’re all the same!” Twilight said. “Of course, I should have seen this earlier!” “What do you mean by ‘all the same?’” Lyra asked. “Ponies are all different. Humans can’t fly, and the books never mention them doing magic. The whole point is that they all have the same abilities,” Twilight said. “That’s what I was saying when I said they had significance to ancient cultures! By having this imaginary civilization that’s all the same, ponies would learn to appreciate and understand how different they were!” “Who?” Owlowiscious hooted. Lyra sighed. “Twilight, you haven’t found anything about Greek myths, have you? Or any songs?” Putting a hoof to her chin, Twilight said, “I think everything about the... Greeks, was it? It was all in that book.” She nodded towards the one Lyra was reading. “No, this one’s all factual. I’m looking for...” Lyra noticed the look that Twilight was giving her. She didn’t want to have that discussion again. “Never mind.” They continued for another half hour or so. There was a real gold mine of information here. Lyra tried to think if there were any other cities in Equestria that were known for having good libraries. It was always possible that she could find out more about the lyre there… The idea that she’d been using a human instrument gave her such a connection to them, and she loved that. Not to mention she’d even learned how to play the lyre in the human style – with hands. Magic could never compare to the physical feeling of the strings against her fingers. She skimmed over the paragraphs about Greece a few more times. It was frustrating, none of this was information that she could really use. Twilight was completely absorbed in the book Lyra had brought. This was her chance. She stepped over to the wall of bookshelves, scanning the titles. If the answers about humans weren’t in these books, maybe the clues were somewhere else. Hidden in plain sight, right in the ponies’ own history. Here was one. Pegasi: From Past to Present. Lyra pulled it from the shelf and flipped it open. She started at the front, where the earliest pegasus leaders were described. Her eyes rapidly scanned the pages for anything about a “Commander Hurricane” or “Private Pansy.” Nothing in the first chapter. Turning to the index, she searched for the names. Nothing. Pretty odd, wasn’t it? You’d think that the pegasus who originally founded Equestria would at least get a mention. “Lyra? Did you find something else? I didn’t think I had any other books about humans,” Twilight said. Lyra dropped the book in shock, and found Twilight standing right next to her. “Oh, no, it’s…” Twilight had picked the book up off the floor to look at the cover. “You were reading about pegasi?” “It’s for… another project.” “I had no idea you had such diverse interests, Lyra. You could be an excellent historian if you wanted,” Twilight said. “If you ever need to borrow one of these, you’re welcome to it.” She passed the book over to Lyra. The magic aura around it changed from purple to green, and Lyra stashed it away in her saddlebag. She didn’t have any actual intention of reading further; she’d found what she needed. Or, more accurately, hadn't found it. “I’ll do that. Thanks.” Twilight picked up the book she’d been reading earlier, but stopped. “Lyra, I know that you think humans must have been real, but…” Twilight hesitated. “There’s really nothing to suggest they ever existed. The theory would be more plausible if you had solid evidence, but…” “What about Nightmare Moon?” Lyra said. The idea had suddenly popped into her head. Twilight drew back. “Huh? No, you’re changing the subject, I’m – “ “I’m not changing the subject. You talked about Nightmare Moon when you came to Ponyville, and none of us believed you then. How is that any different?” “It’s completely different! There were references to her in all sorts of stories. We had a celebration dedicated to her, and an exact date that she was said to return, and then she did. All you’ve got that mentions humans are – “ “Stories,” Lyra said. “Princess Celestia probably told you that Nightmare Moon was a story too, didn’t she?” The snow was piling up in the window panes. The candlelight flickered in the dim room. “Face it, Twilight. We’re not all that different. Someday I’ll find the truth.” Returning to her reading, Twilight didn’t say any more on the subject. Lyra just couldn’t understand how anybody who’d read the books could still be so skeptical. It was even worse than her parents. They didn’t believe in humans, but they wouldn’t even touch the books… Dewey Decimal had found his daughter in her bedroom. It was dark out, almost midnight, but she was still poring over one of those books by candlelight. The past few days, this was all she had wanted to do. Even the history report that she’d nearly failed hadn’t done much to discourage her – if anything, it had just made things worse. “Heartstrings… I’ve been talking to your mother, and we agreed that you really shouldn’t be reading all of those books,” he said. Her head perked up, and she turned around. “What my teacher said was wrong. I just know it.” He had just known this wouldn’t be easy. “Please… You’ve been spending every waking moment on this, and it’s just not good for you. Your mother’s been very upset. ” “Why? What does Mom have against humans?” “Nothing... Absolutely nothing. We’re just worried… that you’re neglecting your other schoolwork,” he said. He paused, then asked, “Have you been working on your magic?” Lyra’s horn glowed as she closed the book and set it over on the corner of the table with the others. “I can do magic just fine now. It’s easy.” Her father smiled. There had been an illustration in one of the books of a human using a quill with their hands. She wished she could do that. How would it feel to actually grip the quill as you moved it across the page? Of course, it was probably best to keep that little wish to herself. “I know you’ll be an excellent unicorn someday. All we want is for you to reach that potential,” he said, looking over at the corner of the room where her lyre was resting on its stand. He turned back to her, his expression more serious. “But by tomorrow, we want these books out of the house.” Lyra’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not fair!” Dewey sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Now, it’s getting late. You should probably go to bed. There’s still school tomorrow.” He left, and Lyra glumly turned back to her books. There was no way she’d get rid of these… Of course she wouldn’t. She lifted them up off the table, set them down next to the bed, and then lifted up the mattress. One at a time, she slid them in between the mattress and the bed frame. Hopefully her parents wouldn’t find them here. If necessary, she’d come up with another hiding place and move them. Whatever it took, she wasn’t giving up on humans. Sure, all she had were books, but… Lately she’d started having dreams, too. It was best to stay rational. If she was constantly reading about humans and thinking about humans during the day, it only made sense that she’d dream about them during the night. But it all seemed so real. The parts she remembered, at least. She climbed into bed and pulled the covers over herself. Her eyelids felt heavy. She was asleep in a matter of seconds. Most of her dreams were very hazy, and often Lyra would wake up with just a fleeting image in her mind that she’d completely lose within a few hours. But tonight it was mostly sound. Just a single word, in a voice she was half-sure she hadn’t heard before, but obviously speaking to her. “Lyra…” “Lyra.” She stared at the drawing of a human in the book she was reading. It was a female in a long, elegant dress and a tiara. Human royalty, from some long-forgotten nation. This outfit reminded her of Rarity’s from the play. “Lyra?” Twilight was staring up at her. Lyra had barely noticed the first time her name had been called. “Yeah?” “Just suppose for a minute…” Twilight began. “Just suppose that humans were actually real. And you had proof of it. What would you do?” “I…” Lyra paused. “I’m not sure.” “You seem so fixated on finding proof that they existed, but either way, it’s obvious that there aren’t any of them around now,” Twilight said. “If there ever were. I’m also trying to understand why Princess Celestia wouldn’t want ponies to know about them. According to your theory. There’s nothing here that seems objectionable.” There was certainly something that Luna doesn’t like about them, Lyra thought. I’d consider that proof. But, all that aside... what exactly had drawn Lyra to humans in the first place? It was something that was hard to put into words. “I guess that’s what I’d like to know, too. There’s so little information on humans, but I just know there’s more to them that we don’t understand,” Lyra said. And even though she knew it was unlikely, she added, softly, “And if there was any chance that they weren’t gone, somehow…” At night when Lyra would suddenly find herself in a human world, one that felt so real but didn’t always line up with what the books said, it really felt like humans might not be so far away. Maybe it was time to put aside the books and test out some more of her theories.