The Guardian

by InsaneBatPony

Equus Caballus

"You're letting me out?" Luna asked.

"Yes. Of course we still have no way to determine if these cells can travel from host to host but Star Gazer brought up a good point about how the rest of us should be dead, given all the time we have spent with you nearby." Celestia said, rather bluntly.

"That is true." Luna thought. "But, isn't there still a risk?"

"Yes, there's always a risk. But right now, we need information and you being in here is not going to help our endeavors."

"And Volos?"

"Still quiet." Celestia began. "I don't understand." she mumbled.

"Understand what?"

"Why does he listen to you? Why doesn't he move on his own, and try to communicate with us?"

"I am unsure. Twilight Sparkle noted that he could communicate in writing, but he has not done so." Luna said, bewildered.

"Yes, she did." Celestia acknowledged. "He has been freed from Anubis and yet, he says and does nothing."

"I don't understand it either, sister. But we will just have to keep digging, and now I can help."

Celestia nodded. "Your assistance will speed this research along but I hope that we can find something we can use." Celestia said, turning. "Follow me, the others will be happy to see you." she smiled.

Luna and Celestia left the quarantine zone. They walked down corridors being greeted by the few guards that remained inside the facility. Luna began to feel more confident as they approached the research lab, where Gene Splice's supplies was stationed. They entered inside the lab to an abandoned scene.

"Where is everypony?" Luna asked.

"They should be resting. Researching your blood took the entire team and even then the least likely scientist came with the solution that allowed you to leave your isolation." Celestia said, proud.

"Star Gazer?" Celestia nodded. "What is he again?"

"A Xenobiologist."

"What does he study?"

"Alien life forms, and the like." Celestia informed.

"Alien life? Strange that he would come up with the solution that would eventually release me from my quarantine."

"Yes, but he is the one."

"Shall we wake them up?" Luna asked, a smile forming.

"Let's." Celestia agreed, wearing a mischievousness grin.

Their smiles communicated with out words and soon they came to understand what the other wanted. They left the room in a hurry, ignoring the statue like Volos in the corner.

Alpha Bone slept in the barracks with the rest if his team. Field Dust had a closed off area of the barrack to herself being that she was a mare, and she threatened the rest of the team to claim it. He heard the door open and slowly opened an eye. He couldn't make out the figures in the door but he continued to try.

"INFECTION!" one of the figures bellowed.

Alpha Bone flipped out of bed hitting the crystal floor. He groaned and looked around, seeing that the rest of his colleagues were not faring any better. Some were screaming and tripping over themselves. While others were scrambling to put on a bio-hazard suite. Alpha Bone scrambled to his hooves and ran to the suite locker. He started to grab the suite and started to put it on. He heard snickering and a short time later, full blown laughter. He turned, a look of disbelief on his face.

"What is going on!" he bellowed. He focused on the figures at the door at was able to make out the forms of two Alicorns. "Princesses?!" he shouted angrily. "That is something you absolutely do not joke about!"

Celestia came forward. "Calm down Alpha Bone." she chuckled.

"Calm down?! CALM DOWN!?" he shouted. "If that were true...!" he stopped, grunting in rage.

"We thought it would be fun to announce my release in a different way." Luna chimed in.

"Different indeed." Alpha deadpanned. He turned his attention to the rest of his co-workers. "Calm down everypony, it was all a joke." he announced, angrily. The others slowly began to calm down and put away the bio-hazard suites. "The Princesses thought it would be fitting to announce Princess Luna's release with a little bit of fun at our expense." Alpha Bone approached the two Alicorns in the doorway. "It's good to see that you were able to leave Princess, even if you announced yourself in a rather unorthodox manner. I must say, trying to determine if those cells were contagious was quite the task."

"So I've been told. Where is Star Gazer?" Luna asked, getting over the initial excitement of their practical joke.

"I'm coming." he said, walking over to the Princesses. "Yes?"

"I hear you were the one who came up with the hypothesis that led to my release." Luna said, happily.

"I...Yes, I suppose I was the one who formulated it." he replied, meekly.

"I owe you a thank you. I feel as though a weight was lifted from my shoulders." Luna proclaimed, happily. Star Gazer bowed to the Princess in thanks for the compliment.

"Where is Field Dust?" Celestia asked.

"I'm over here." she grunted. Field Dust came walking out of the closed off section of the barrack and stood in front of the Princesses. "What do you need?" she asked, forgoing all ceremonial conduct.

"We are going to be taking a break from the research that has been going into Luna's unusual blood and focus on a different venture." Celestia informed them.

"And what's that?" Field Dust asked, still forgetting her manners.

"Ancient Equestrian Myths."

"But Princess. Is this wise?" Gene Splice asked, worried. Celestia gave him a quizzical look. "We still don't have the slightest idea of how those cells got into her blood, and we still know so little of what they are capable of."

"I understand your concern, but I fear the answers do not lie with Luna's blood, but with Volos. We are going to focus on him for a while. Searching the myths and legends of the ancient pony races could yield something we could use. Given the estimated age of Volos, one of them might have had something, even if it could be vague and obscure. This is where Field Dust comes in." she turned her attention to the unkempt pony. "As the forefront of the Archaeological standpoint of this diverse team, I will need you to head this."

"I will do what I can, but without my complete set of research materials I don't think I'll be able to do very much."

"I see. What is it you will require?"

"Well for starters, I'll need all fifty-eight volumes of my field research notes from the University."

"I will send for them. Is there anything else?" Celestia asked.

"I will also need any artifacts that are being stored there. I may be able to draw parallels between them and my notes if the possibility is there." She thought for moment longer. "That should be everything."

"Very well. At least they are all in one place." She turned her attention to the entire group. "Field Dust is now in charge until I say otherwise. Understood?" The group all nodded. "Good. Help her set up one of the lab rooms for her research, I will have them brought here within the day." The group all scrambled to get themselves ready while Field Dust retreated to her small area to do the same. "Luna, I wish to speak with you." she said, turning her attention to the Lunar Princess.

Luna nodded and followed her sister out of the barracks.

"What is it sister?" Luna asked, following Celestia into her bedroom.

"I wanted to apologize to you. For everything." she said.

"We've been over this, there's nothing more to forgive, Celestia." Luna stated, in a comforting tone. Luna looked at Celestia and studied her for a minute. Celestia was shifting uncomfortably on her hooves. "You're fidgety. What's the real reason you wanted to speak to me?" she asked, suspicious.

"How did you call him?" Celestia asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"How did you call Volos?" she asked. "I saw it in your horn. Your magic was cut off and impossible for you to use. How did you call him?"

"I didn't call him, he just showed up." Luna protested.

"You know that's a blatant lie, Luna."

Luna looked at the floor. "I don't know. I'm telling you the truth. I wanted to attack you myself but I couldn't. So, I wished for Volos to do it, and he just came running." she finished.

"You just wished for him to attack me?"

Luna nodded. "I wanted him to attack you because I couldn't, and then I felt something burning and my horn was sparking. And then...There he was. That's all I know."

Celestia thought for a while, before sighing. "Alright. So now we know you can call him to do your will."

"But that was just a fluke, a mistake. I don't think I could do it twice."

"We'll see. You don't know what the future will hold." Celestia said. "Let's see if Field Dust's lab is all set to go, her supplies should be arriving within the hour." Celestia said, moving to leave.

Celestia exited the room, with Luna slowly following behind her.

Field Dust was waiting for her supplies to arrive. She had been keeping track of the time. It had been almost five hours since the Princess had sent for her supplies. She sat on a chair that she had grabbed from the lab and stared at the massive double doors leading into the courtyard of the facility.

"I should have helped the others, it would have given me something to do." she mumbled. "It was supposed to have been delivered an hour ago. Royal guards are completely useless!" she moaned. She waited until she heard the massive crystal doors open, revealing a large wagon and two Pegasus guards. "About time!" she wailed, coming over to the entrance. "Come on! I haven't got all day!" The two guards did not make a sound and entered the large facility. "Follow me."

Field Dust took the lead and walked down to where the others should have finished setting up the lab for her to use. She walked in followed by the two guards pulling the wagon. Field Dust pointed the guards to a corner where they could drop off her supplies. They placed the wagon and opened up the door, revealing stacks of books and large brown boxes. Field Dust waved off the guards and started to pull out the journals.

"Help me with this, would ya?" Field Dust asked, rudely.

"Fine." Alpha Bone grumbled. He signaled to the rest of them to start helping out. After a good thirty minutes, they were finally done moving out all of the boxes and field journals. "Now what?"

"Take a break." Field Dust said, calmly.

"What?"

"Did you not hear me! I said, take a break. Or do I have to repeat myself again you dolt!?" She hollered.

"There she is." he said, sarcastically. "Take a break everypony." he announced. Everyone in the room, except for Field Dust, slumped into a chair or onto the floor with a massive groan. "I feel the same way." he mumbled, falling to the floor.

Field Dust started to unpack some of the boxes, placing their contents on a couple tables and leaving the rest in the boxes. She started to organize her field journals by volume number, meticulously checking each one before setting it down in its proper spot. She lifted the first journal to her desk and sat down.

"Breaks over! Everyone up!" she commanded. The group of tired ponies rose to their hooves, groaning. "Stop bellyaching! All of you grab a journal and start looking for anything you can find."

The group of weary ponies had been working nonstop for hours and it was only mid-afternoon. Each pony in the group grabbed a journal and started to look through it at their respective stations within the lab.

Celestia and Luna made their way down the long corridors of the facility. Luna was still a little rattled by her conversation with Celestia. She couldn't stop thinking about how she had called Volos to her "aid", even though it was to attack Celestia. Could she do it again? She did not know, and she did not want to try again. Not without a proper cause or reason. As she thought they had arrived at Field Dust's lab within the facility. Celestia opened the door and went inside, Luna following after.

Luna was shocked at how quickly they had begun their work. Each pony was going through a journal. She looked over to Field Dust. She had her nose buried into one of the journals and did not notice them enter, neither did any of the others. Celestia cleared her throat. Field Dust looked up from her journal and got up to greet the Princesses.

"Hello Princesses."

"Hello Field Dust. How is it going?" Celestia asked.

"Well, we really just started and nothing has come up just yet, but I'm sure something is here. It's just a matter of time before we find it." she said, her confidence bordering arrogance.

"May we help?" Luna asked, coming forward.

"I don't see why not, if that's okay with you of course." she quickly added.

"I need something to occupy my time." Celestia said, smiling. "Where should I start?"

"Well, I guess you could start scrutinizing some of the fossils I had brought over." Field Dust said, quietly. Celestia nodded and went on her way.

"And me?" Luna asked.

"You could help me with looking through some of these journals, I have fifty-eight to read through and these guys are pretty slow readers." she said pointing at the rest of the team behind her. Luna also nodded and followed Field Dust to her stack of field journals. "Just start going through them. If anything catches your eye, let me know and I'll come over." she said, leaving Luna to sort through a journal on her own.

Celestia had been looking at the same fossil for a while, trying to take in every last detail. Her eyes had begun to hurt looking through the large magnifying glass that was attached to the table. She looked away and closed them, trying to get some moisture into her aching orbs. She blinked and put her gaze back on the fossil. She again, began to take in every detail. Her eyes wandered all over the brown stone. She sighed and lifted with her magic. She began to levitate it to the box it had been stored in. She turned it upside down and began to lower it. Her eyes caught something on its smooth back. She placed back on the table and looked at quickly, making sure that it was nothing.

Her eyes strained to see what was on the back but something was indeed on its back surface. She wracked her mind for what it could be, remembering her lessons on Ancient Pony Cultures. She drew a blank. She lifted herself from the magnifying glass and turned.

"Field Dust, I believe I found something." she said, her regal tone echoing in the air.

Field Dust got up from the journal she was currently working on and went over to the Solar Princess. "What is it Princess?"

"Take a look."

Field Dust went over to the magnifying glass and looked down at the stone's underside. It took her a little while to find what the Princess was referring to. "Found it." she whispered. She looked at the markings and got back up from the magnifying glass. "Well, I don't know what to tell you. It looks familiar, but I don't think it's anything to get worked up about."

"I understand." Celestia said, levitating the next fossil onto the table and placing the previous one into the box.

"Field Dust, what about this?" Petri Dish asked.

"After the Princess asks me about something, now everypony is getting something." she mumbled walking to Petri Dish. "What?"

"Here." he said pointing to a section of her notes.

"Ah yes, I remember that. We found it in a shrine built by the Equus Caballus." she reminisced.

"What is it?"

"It's one of their gods."

"I thought that the ancient races didn't have deities, other than the Ancient Alicorns of course."

"When we dated it, it was just before the Ancient Alicorns passed on the throne." she said. Celestia heard what Field Dust had said and began to make her way over.

"I was just a child when mom and dad passed the throne onto Luna and I." she said. "It was about the time when modernization and the new technologies were taking hold."

"What was this god the god of?" Petri asked.

"Well, we don't know. At least not completely." Petri raised an eyebrow. "We know that this one was regarded very highly. We have only one known document that could shed light on it, but it was never translated completely. All we got from it was that this specific deity was worshiped above the others."

"As their chief deity?" Celestia asked, surprised.

"Possibly. Like I said we just don't know."

"Strange, my parents were always regarded as the highest of all beings." she stated, flatly.

"That's what I thought too, until we found the shrine."

"Where is the document you mentioned?" Celestia asked.

"When I said have, I should of said had." she admitted. "It was destroyed with the shrine." she said, sadly.

"What happened to the shrine?" Petri asked.

"Well my doofus assistant decided to touch the actual statue, and down came the entire thing. The document was lost and here we are." she said, becoming angry.

"That's too bad." Celestia began. "It would have been nice to have it. Even with all of our knowledge, the Ancient Earth Ponies remain almost a complete mystery."

"You’re telling me. The shrine was found at a branch village in the south. About one-hundred miles from the Equestrian border that leads into the Land of the Zebras. The Capital village was located about thirty miles West from where my current excavation is located. From what little knowledge we have about their way of life we can assume that Liber Mountain held some kind of significance to their belief system."

"Is that why you think something is down there?" Celestia asked. By this time in their conversation the entire group had begun listening in from their spots, trying not to arouse suspicion.

"Other than that cave painting, yes. There is definitely something down there. I know it. We just can breach the mountain."

"Really? It's all dirt and rock. What's keeping you and your team out of it?" Petri asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea. We've tried digging, blasting. and magic. Nothing has gotten us through."

"Strange. Well, enough of that. We still have research to do." Celestia said, walking away from the two ponies.

Field Dust went back to her journal, as did Petri Dish. The others continued through the ones on their desks.

The time had come for Luna to raise the moon. She got up from what she believed was the third journal she had gone through, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. She slowly made her way out of the room to carry out her duty as Princess of the Night. As she went to the place within the facility that allowed for such a magical discharge she noticed Volos standing in his room again.

"When did you move?" she whispered. "I remember you still being in my room this morning. Strange. I wonder..." Luna closed her eyes and focused her magic into her horn. She felt it again, a small pain in her head. She continued to focus. Her horn started to spark and she could feel something in her head begin to throb. She couldn't take it and stopped channeling her magic. She rubbed her head, still feeling the throbbing sensation in the front. "Ugh, ow." she complained, walking away from the window.

Luna made it to where she was going in the first place, a domed section near the back of the facility. She charged her horn and raised the moon like she had done since her release from the moon. She began to walk back to the lab when again she passed by where Volos was standing. She looked through the glass and stared at him. She left after a short time, making her way back to the lab.

Luna made it back to the lab, after walking through corridor after corridor. She went inside and watched as Field Dust ran this way and that. She picked up journal after journal, throwing them onto different tables. Celestia was also frantically rummaging through some of the supplies that Field Dust had requested to be brought to the facility. Bewildered, she walked into the lab. Before long she was being heralded.

"Thank goodness you're back Princess!" Field Dust greeted, running up to her. Luna was caught off guard and couldn't formulate a response. "Come with me."

"What is going on, Field Dust?" Luna asked, after some time.

"We found something."

"Truly?" Luna asked, to the response of a nod from Field Dust. "What?"

"An old legend from the Equus Caballus!" she screamed, excitedly.

"Where did you find it?"

"It's not really complete but it's enough to shed some light on the creature they heralded as a god above the Ancient Alicorns."

"What does it say?" Luna asked, starting to become excited herself.

"We're still working on it, but it was hidden in some of the pictures I took of the Shrine walls. I put them in different journals as each entry related to one of the pictures.

"Then how do you know that it's what you are looking for?" Field Dust did not answer and instead pointed her to a large piece of parchment laying on its own. "What's this?" she asked, eyeing the parchment.

"It's what we've been able to translate." Field Dust remarked.

"You did all of this in the hour that I have been away?"

"To be honest, we found it just after you left. About a couple minutes later if I remember right." she said, her mind going blank on the actual time of discovery. "What we've gotten so far is "Behold the demon angel, protector and final destroyer" that's all we were able to translate so far, but that's also all we got from most of the pictures I had taken. The rest don't appear to have anything useful." Field Dust finished.

"How could something that is supposed to destroy everything be a protector?" Luna asked.

"I don't know, that's why we need to find out more, but I guess I worked them too hard. They've been complaining all day." she said, turning to face the crowd of ponies in the lab. "Alright, we're done for the night! Everypony pack it up!" she ordered. The team of ponies all stopped and breathed sighs of relief. "Get some rest."

"Field Dust, have you seen Celestia?"

"The Princess left a while ago. I don't know where to."

"Thanks."

Luna left the tired ponies to their business and went looking for Celestia.

Celestia sat by the window looking at Volos. Her eyes were closed and her horn was glowing a vibrant gold. She heard hoofsteps coming closer and ceased her magic concentration. She turned and saw Luna coming ever closer to her. Luna saw Celestia and quickened her pace.

"What were you doing Celestia?" she asked, getting closer.

Celestia took a breath and waited until Luna was close. "I was trying to do what you managed to do, the day that he attacked me and the Crystal Heart stole my power." she admitted.

"Why would you try something like that?"

Celestia thought for a time and eventually spoke. "I guess I wanted to understand. I wanted to try to understand what you could do. To call something like Volos to your aid...I just wanted to know."

Luna sat down and looked through the glass. "It was that attitude that turned me into Nightmare Moon you know." she said, sadly. Celestia looked at Luna, surprised. Luna did not look at Celestia. "I wanted to understand your power over the sun and why the citizens of Equestria loved it so much. Eventually it turned to jealously and then...you know the rest." she trailed off.

"Can you try to call him to you again? I would be most appreciative." Celestia asked.

Luna shook her head, refusing. "I can't. I don't know if I could call him off if he decided to attack something or somepony. I won't take the risk."

"I understand." Celestia said, quietly. "Did Field Dust inform you on what she had found?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yes. But why they would worship something like that, I do not know." Luna said, glad to be off the previous topic.

"The Equus Caballus." Celestia murmured. "They are the most mysterious of the ancient ponies. Granted they were becoming less of a common sight when mother and father were preparing us to take over the throne."

"They were a mysterious bunch to begin with but I noticed that their culture is appearing to be central to Liber Mountain." Luna said, thinking about what Field Dust had told them about the culture of the Equus Caballus pony. "Do you know something about that?"

"No, I can't say that I do. However, I find that strange as well." Celestia sighed, and summoned a small scroll. She levitated it over to Luna, who took it into her magic.

"What's this?"

"This was sent from Canterlot a few minutes ago. It's a letter from Doctor Marrow. He said that Fluttershy's procedures were successful, if not extremely difficult to perform."

Luna was reading the letter herself, urgency in her gaze. "He didn't say anything about any complications." she said, closing the letter.

"That's because he doesn't know. She is still recovering. Nopony will be sure about any complications until after she can go to physical therapy." Celestia looked at Luna intently. "I need you to try to call Volos to you. Marrow may have been able to repair the damage for the most part but I believe that Volos carries the key, not only to everything we've been researching, but to healing her completely. Please Luna, if not for me, then for Fluttershy. We need to be able to get him back to Canterlot without a repeat of when we brought him here, regardless of his freedom from Anubis." she pleaded.

"Very well. For Fluttershy." Luna said after a time, focusing her magic to her horn. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She could feel the familiar throb in her head. Luna's horn sparked and sputtered, releasing small amounts of magic. Small amounts of light began to trace along her horn. Strange lines crawled their way up her horn and stopped at the tip. Luna could feel something emitting from the tip of her horn. Her eyes opened, revealing the same lines tracing through the whites of her eyes, and into her pupils. They glowing a vibrant bright blue, contrasting her midnight eyes. "Come to me Volos." she commanded, calmness in her tone.

Celestia was too shocked to speak. She watched as Luna continued emitting the blue light from her eyes and horn. She turned her attention to Volos who had vanished from his previous spot in the room. She heard the sound of large metal footsteps and watched as Volos came walking calmly to Princess Luna's side. The light coming from Luna's eyes and horn ceased glowing and her appearance returned to normal, leaving no traces of the light.

"Did it work?" Luna asked, turning her head. Her eyes fell onto Volos standing by her side. "I guess it did."