//------------------------------//
// Discovery 
// Story: The Mixer Chronicles 
// by Mixer 
//------------------------------//


The Mixer Chronicles

Book Ten:
Discovery















To my dearest friends:
I have left Ponyville to wander the plains south of Appleoosa to regain my inner peace. I don't want you to worry about me, nor do I want you to look for me. I will return when I have regained control of my emotions.
Sincerely:
Mixer.

I left that note two days ago. I wonder what everypony is doing now? I thought as I made camp in a rocky outcropping. I needed the solitude, my formerly repressed emotions had unsettled me when they first returned. I had suddenly became aware of gnawing fear, as well as thoughts of self doubt and pessimism. I was barely able to keep them in check when they first returned, but the intensity had dulled with two days of walking and riding the crystal board through the San Palomino desert. 
The dry arid landscape was a discouragement to thoughts of home or friends, instead it brought thoughts of the earth. The ever shifting sands of the desert, the endless blue sky, the hot sun, all these things felt cleansing to my disorganized mind. The harsh surroundings left me only enough thought to consider my next action of survival. I had decided that I would move into the mountains to the south and map them while I was there. I had gotten to the foothills and stopped at a large rock to sleep for the night. 
I made a fire to ward off the night’s cold and watched as the sun set and the full moon rose slowly into the sky. 
Luna, can you see me from there? I thought as I watched the moon leave the cover of the horizon and show its face in full beauty.
After the moon was well into the sky I finally fell asleep and woke the next morning to the breaking dawn. I welcomed the sun’s warmth after the cold night. 
Celestia, you’re always looking after your subjects. I thought. 
I moved into the mountains and climbed high into the rocky peaks. Halfway up the mountain I looked out and took in the view. The desert stretched on as far as the eye could see to the north and east. 
I could see a silvery strip of ocean to the west. I had heard that somewhere along the coast was the city of Las Pegasus, I had never been there myself, but from the pictures I had seen it reminded my of home. 
More of my past. I thought back to my homeland, now just a distant memory. 
Unlike Equestria, New Pegisapolis was an advanced city, full of skyscrapers and bustling with sea trade. The Equestrians had ships, wooden vessels that could travel up and down the coast, not the metal behemoths that frequented the Pegisopolis trade routes. 
There was also the radio transmitters, a mix of magic and ingenuity that allowed instant communication from one place to another, however they were reserved for government and military use. Such things were behind me now, I didn’t even miss my old life by now, despite the hardships I had faced. 
I made note of the geographic features and encoded the image on a crystal. I kept my seed crystal pendant with me in the case that I might need it, and I was able to use crystal to encode the geography of the area for later. 
As I neared the peak of the mountain the air got thinner, but more moist. I looked beyond the mountain to the south and saw more mountains, and a few valleys nestled in between them. The caps of these other mountains were covered with snow, leading me to believe that the valleys might contain lakes and rivers. 
I moved around the mountain just below the snow line and had begun to descend the other side when night fell again. I recorded a message to the princess onto a crystal and sent it magically to the palace. I watched as the crystal rose into the sky and shot off in the direction of Canterlot. I had sent it to tell them where I was and that I was well, as well as to inform her that I would be exploring the mountains while I was here. 
The conflicting emotions inside me were subsiding in the face of this landscape, devoid of complicated ideas, and only the raw beauty of nature. I fell asleep under the soft light of the moon that night thinking of what I would do upon my return to Ponyville.
When I awoke it was still dark, the sun was hidden behind the mountains. I rode on my crystal down the mountain to save time and stopped in a valley to get some water. The valley was green, the water supplied by snowmelt far up the peaks. I rode up the next mountain to take another geo-crystal scan and looked to the south. 
I had not noticed this before, but the mountains seemed to drop away after just two more snow capped peaks. I sent another message to the princess and moved on, this time forgoing walking in favor of the speed of riding my crystal board. 
A simple piece of flattened crystal that I stood upon, propelled by my magic, the board took me through the next valley and halfway up the next mountain before dusk. 
I had been away for a full week, and only on this night did something feel different, there was an air of discovery, a feeling that tomorrow would bring significant change. I rested briefly then continued my ascent to the top of the mountain, showing a flatland on the other side of the range. I was already to the peak of the last mountain by sunrise. 
The sight I saw was a total shock, a dry plain stretched out before me, with the form of a city hunched on the horizon. I sent a message crystal to Celestia informing her that I had found possible signs of civilization and that I would investigate. 
I shaped a crystal into a cylinder and warped the structure inside to serve as a spyglass. I saw some ponies crossing roads that passed by the foot hills of the mountain, but could not make them out clearly. 
I slept for the afternoon to make up for my night time travel and awoke to the sun hanging low in the sky. I looked again to see if the ponies were still using the roads, but they were barren now. I decided that it would be best to greet these new ponies in the daylight so I ate and sent Celestia another crystal, this time saying that I would be making contact in the morning. 
With nothing better to do I slept for a short period till the sun was starting to climb into the sky. I descended on my board but started walking once I reached the plains. 
I walked toward the nearest road, but I could tell that the ponies of this place saw me long before I got close to them. 
Some of them turned around and ran toward the city that I had seen from the mountain. The others hurried on their ways until the road was empty. 
I walked along the road toward the city until I saw a group of three ponies approach from farther up the road. I could tell from a distance that they were not simple travelers, they had an air of command about them and moved with purpose. 
I stopped and waited for them to get closer. To my surprise they drew curved blades as they approached.
“Halt stranger!” on of them said in a thick voice.
“You are trespassing on sovereign land, what is your purpose here?” another asked.
I could see that these were guards, or soldiers of some sort. They had headpieces that had a cap and a flowing shroud in the back, they also had beige colored cloaks and each one held a curved sword.
“Well?” their leader asked.
“I come in peace.” I said.
“From where, beyond the mountains?” he asked.
“Yes.” I replied.
“Liler, there is nothing beyond those mountains, only death for the foolhardy.” he snapped.
The other two stepped a little closer to me.
“I tell the truth, I come from the land of Equestria.” I said.
“Should we believe him?” one of the guards asked him.
“He could be some kind of rouge.” the other said.
They were larger than me and probably stronger so I wanted to avoid a fight if at all possible. “Peace, I am no rouge, just a pony who stumbled upon a passage through the mountains.” I said.
They were talking amongst themselves, obviously ignoring me.
“What is this place called?” I asked, trying to get their attention.
“You are in the proud kingdom of Saddle Arabia.” the lead guard said.
“Well then, I humbly come in envoy of Princess Celestia to the kingdom of Saddle Arabia.” I said graciously.
They lowered their swords some.
“Come with us outlander.” the head guard said.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“We will take you to sheikh Haakim, so you may present your case with him.” the lead guard said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~	
I followed them to the city to meet their ruler, this Sheikh Haakim. 
The plains gave way to the beginnings of a desert as we neared the city. The city was protected by large sunbaked walls. There were four large wooden gates, one for each cardinal direction, that allowed entrance. The city was just as strange on the inside, short two story houses made of the same whitewashed stone that the walls were made of. The center of the city boasted a palace with three stories and topped with a golden dome. 
We passed an open air market and my senses were assaulted by a barrage of smells. Some were strange, others stung my nose with their potency. 
The citizens were all garbed in loosely hanging garments. Some of them gave our party strange looks while other simply went on with their business.
“Why were you so hostile to me?” I asked.
“We can’t be too careful, desert raiders plague the roads.” the lead guard said.
“Desert raiders?” I asked.
“Yes, some ponies choose to live in the desert in nomadic tribes. They attack trade routes and steal supplies.” he said.
“Have you tried to reason with them?” I asked.
“I don’t know about where you come from, but here it is unwise to interfere with problems you have no understanding of.” he said.
“I apologize, I did not mean to intrude.” I said.
“I do not condemn your intentions outlander, but it is best if you stayed out of our affairs.” he said.
“Where are all the pegasi, and the unicorns?” I asked.
“You speak as if they are a common occurrence.” he said.  
“Aren’t they?” I asked.
“Here, unicorns are a rare sight. When they are born they are trained to be viziers for the sheikhs. he said.
“What about pegasi?” I asked.
“There has not been a pegasus in Saddle arabia in three generations.” he said.
“Oh.” was all I could say.
“When a pegasus is born it is considered an omen of good fortune and a sign that great change is coming.” he said.
“What happened the last time a pegasus was born?” I asked.
“The three main cities of Saddle Arabia united and banished the Minotaur tribes to the southern highlands.” he said.
“Minotaurs?” I asked.
“Yes, for many years the barbarian tribes of minotaurs savaged the countryside, terrorizing the trade caravans and raiding the less fortified settlements.” he said.
“Then what happened?” I asked.
“We are here.” he said.
“Who is this?” a guard questioned.
This guard was standing guard on his back legs, using a halberd to steady himself. An imposing sight to be sure, not to mention he was wearing armor made of plates riveted onto a leather chest guard, with colorful accents on the edges of the tunic and sleeves.
“He is an outlander, he says he is an envoy from another land.” the lead guard said.
“Very well, take him to see the Sheikh.” the palace guard said.
We passed through the large double doors into the palace interior. Contrary to the outside, the inside was quite lavish. The floor was covered with a large carpet with fringes. The walls boasted fancy fabrics and pictures.  
“Who is this?” a seated figure said.
“Sire, this is the stranger that we were told about. He says that he is an outlander, come here in envoy of a land called Equestria.” the guard said bowing to the Sheikh.
The Sheikh stood up, he was the same size as an Celestia, but was an earth pony.
“Well outlander, is what you claim true?” the sheik asked.
“Yes,” I began bowing, “I come from a land in the north called Equestria. I was mapping the mountains when I stumbled upon a passage through to this land.”
“Why would a vizier be mapping mountains?” he asked.
“I am not a vizier, I am only a regular unicorn.” I replied.
“You’re not a vizier?” the Sheikh asked.
“No, we do not have viziers in Equestria, although the Princess does have an assistant. I have done work for the princess before but I am not in her permanent employ.” I said.
“So you were mapping the mountains for fun?” Haakim asked puzzled.
“I was, exploring. The mountain range south of Equestria has never been mapped before, so I took the liberty of mapping a section of the range.” I said.
“So tell me, who is this princess?” he asked.
“Allow me to show you.” I said, forming a crystal to project an Image of Celestia and Luna.
The guards brandished their swords when I started.
“Hold, let us see what he has to show us.” Haakim said.
The guards relaxed and I continued. I projected an Image of Celestia, “This is princess Celestia, she is the chief ruler of Equestria.” I said. I then projected an image of Luna, “This is her sister, Princess Luna, she is co ruler with Celestia.” I said.
The Sheikh was staring wide eyed at me, “Alicorns.” he breathed.
“What?” I asked puzzled.
“They, they’re alicorns.” he said.
The guards talked in hushed tones to each other.
“What? What?” I said worried.
“I would be honored to meet with your princesses.” the sheikh said.
“Ok, let me send them a message.” I said bewildered.
I created a message crystal and sent it with the request for Celestia and Luna to Canterlot.
“Now, our honored guest, what is your name?” Haakim asked.
“My name is Mixer.” I replied, a little uneasy at his sudden hospitality.
“Well, then Mixer, let me show you around our fine city.” Haakim said.
“Haakim what’s going on here?” a female that looked the same as Haakim
“Ah, my beautiful wife, Amira, meet Mixer.” Haakim said.
“Mixer, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Amira said.
“The pleasure is all mine.” I said.
“Amira, this unicorn has brought new of a new land to the north.” Haakim said to Amira.
“Beyond the mountains?” she asked.
“Yes, and there are two alicorns on their way here.” he said.
“Oh my, alicorns?” she asked excitedly.
“Yes, he showed them to us.” Haakim said.
“That is wonderful!” she said.
“Um, what important thing am I missing?” I asked.
“Over a thousand years ago, we were led out of the desert to fertile land by a wise alicorn. they showed us how to bring water to our people and our city prospered, then one day, they mysteriously disappeared.” he said.
“The alicorn that led our people was wise and kind, a truly great leader, but they could not stay.” Amira said.
“What happened after that?” I asked.
“After the alicorn left, the leader of our city shared his knowledge with two other tribes and the three main cities of Saddle Arabia were founded.” Haakim said.
“Since then, there have been periods of peace and conflict between the cities. Each wanting to safeguard it’s people.” Amira said.
“Your arrival herald a new age of peace in Saddle Arabia.” Haakim said.
“I’m glad that I could be so, helpful.” I said.
These ponies were obviously very deep in tradition.
“So when will your princesses arrive?” Haakim asked.
“If they left today, maybe a day of flying.” I said.
“Then we shall prepare a warm welcome for them.” he said.
I was lead through the city while servants made arrangements at the palace for Celestia and Luna’s arrival. I was given a luxurious robe and hat by the city's tailor. The robe was a deep blue with golden trim around the cuffs. The hat was a white and had a shroud flowing down the back. Both of these garments were actually cooler than being out in the sun, despite how much it covered. 
I was also treated to some of the local cuisine. The spices that I smelled earlier were now giving flavor to otherwise bland baked goods.
“So Mixer, what was that crystal magic you were using?” Haakim asked.
“It is a trick I picked up in the Crystal Empire, a place just to the north of Equestria.” I said, “ It is not a common skill.”
“What else can you tell me about Equestria?” he inquired.
“Most of Equestria is rather temperate, only the southernmost regions are arid. There are also vast oceans on either side of Equestria, and the frozen north.” I said.
“Interesting. Equestria sound much larger than Saddle Arabia.” Haakim said.
“It may well be, though I would have to see a map for comparison.” I said.
“How have you been enjoying our fine city?” he asked.
“The food is a little hot for my taste.” I said, “But what’s with the barrage of questions?”
“I apologize if I seemed impolite, it is just very exciting to hear that not one, but two alicorns are on their way here.” he said.
“And I’m sure Celestia and Luna will be happy to meet you as well.” I said.
“You must be tired, why don’t you take some time to rest, I know that today might be exhausting to experience so many things.” Haakim said directing me back to the palace.
We arrived back at the palace and I was shown to a large room on the second floor. It had a large bed and a basin for washing. After taking a look around I heard a knock on the door.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“The sheikh wishes you to attend dinner with him and his wife.” a servant said from the other side of the door.
I walked downstairs, escorted by the servant, to a large banquet hall. At the opposite end where we entered there were four spots set, one for the Sheikh, one for his wife, one occupied by a unicorn in fancy robes, and one for me.
“Ah, Mixer, come come, eat. You must be hungry after your trek through the mountains.” Haakim said.
“Thank you.” I said taking my seat.
“I was just telling my Vizier, Alim, about you.” Haakim said.
“It is nice to meet another unicorn.” I said.
“From what the sheikh has said about you, I am honored.” Alim said.
“So what does a vizier do?” I asked.
“I take care of the most mundane of task, organizing the guards, taking care that we have food and drink stocked, and other such things. I also advise the sheikh in times of uncertainty.” he said.
“That sounds like a pretty important position.” I said.
“Yes, I don't know what I would do without Alim.” Haakim said.
“So, what do you think of Saddle Arabia?” Alim asked.
“It seems like a harsh environment, the sun and sand are kind of hard to get used to, but your people seem to do well here.” I replied.
“And how do you think we do so well in this ‘harsh environment’?” he asked.
“Trade, or maybe just deep knowledge of the hardships of this place.” I said.
The Sheikh and his wife looked at each other with concern as Alim went on, “Indeed, knowledge is a powerful ally here; an untrained pony would not survive long in the deserts, but we know this land, know it better than we know ourselves.” he said, his tone shifting from casual conversation to something more, intense.
“It is important to know one’s home.” I said.
“You say that, and yet you have come blundering into a place you do not understand.” he said.
“Alim.” Haakim said in a warning tone.
“You are right, I did blunder into a world I do not understand; however, it would not be the first time, and I have learned from experience that if you share knowledge, others are more likely to do likewise.” I said, hardening my tone to match his.
“So you share knowledge willingly, without considering what it can do to harm you or your home?” Alim pressed.
“The depth of information I give is equal to that I receive, I would not just go telling anypony on the street every last detail of Equestria.” I said.
Alim sat back in his chair, “So, you know that knowledge is a valuable commodity, and also how much to share,” a smile crossed his face, “You are a sensible pony and well deserving of Haakim’s praise.” Alim said.
The others seemed to relax, “I apologize for Alim, he likes to be sure of what ponies are like before trusting them.” Amira said.
“I don’t blame him, a stranger arrives and is treated so well, I would question something like that as well.” I said.
“There is one thing I was still wondering about,” Alim said, “You seem to have such a relaxed tone for dealing with royalty, why?”
“I guess because I have been in service to the royalty before, on both a professional and a personal basis.” I said.
“You get more interesting by the second my friend.” Alim said.
“It is getting late, Mixer why don’t you get some rest.” Haakim said.
I stifled a yawn, “I think that would be a good idea, it has been days since I last slept in a proper bed.” I said.
A servant showed me back to my room. Everything had been re-neatened since I left for dinner. I also found some soft bed clothes folded on the bed. I was starting to wonder if it was my coat color, or if it was some kind of tradition, but these new clothes were blue as well, though this blue was like the midnight sky, deep and covered with embroidered stars. 
I settled down and jumped on the bed. I immediately sank into the soft folds of the sheets and fell asleep before I knew it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~	
The next morning I woke up to see the first rays of dawn breaking through the large windows. I took off the night clothes, folded them, and set them on the bed, then I put on the garb that had been given to me the previous day and left the room. 
There were servants bustling about taking care of last minute things before they went to get some rest themselves. I passed a few guards on my way downstairs, but it appeared they too were only just awake. 
My wandering brought me to the main hall/ throne room, and I admired the tapestries on the walls for the first time. They depicted scenes, either from history or legend, and seemed to tell a story, much like the stained glass in Canterlot.
“Impressive aren’t they?” Alim said from next to me.
After a small start, I asked, “What do they show?”
“They show a history of our city, from its founding, to the current reunification.” he said.
“Why are you the only one who seems to be awake?” I asked with a yawn.
“I can’t afford to sleep at the same time as everypony else.” he said.
“Ah.” I said.
“Alim, two flyers have been spotted heading this way.” a guard said.
“Is there any identification?” Alim asked.
“No.” the guard said.
“It has to be Celestia and Luna.” I said.
“Then you may go to the north gate to greet them, I will wake Haakim.” Alim said rushing off.
“Follow me.” the guard said.
I followed him through a side entrance to the palace and we hurried to the northern gate. I could tell long before they drew close that it was indeed Celestia and her sister. 
Unfortunately, the ponies on the road scattered below as they flew over. I just watched as they drew closer. I waved them down as they got closer to the gate.
“Down here!” I called.
They flew lower and hovered a few feet away from the top of the wall. Some of the guards had their hooves on their swords.
“Mixer?” Celestia said in disbelief.
“I take it you got my message.” I said, motioning the guards to stand down.
“We weren’t sure what to make of it, but we decided it was best to see for ourselves.” Luna said.
once the guards had made enough room they landed.
“It is good that you came so early, the days get quite hot here.” I said.
“Is that why you are wearing those clothes?” Celestia asked.
“Yes, also I did not want to offend my hosts be denying a gift.” I said.
Luna was looking around at the guards uneasily, “Are they always this friendly around strangers?” she asked.
“No, you got a warmer welcome than I did, they didn’t even draw their swords.” I said with a chuckle. “But, we should get going, the Sheikh is expecting you two.” I said.
“Lead the way.” Celestia said.
As we walked through the streets we were given looks of awe from every pony we passed. As we walked it seemed that word of the princesses had spread faster than we moved. When we go to the palace there were guards keeping citizens out of our way. The palace guards admitted us and Haakim, Amira, and Alim were all waiting for us.
“By the goddess.” Alims said under his breath.
“Celestia, Luna, I would like you to meet Sheikh Hakim.” I said introducing them.
Haakim approached and bowed to Celestia, “It is an honor to have you princesses.” he said.
“We are honored that you would have us.” Celestia replied.
“Mixer has told us much of you, and we would be happy to extend a warm welcome to the rulers of Equestria.” Haakim went on.
“And we gladly accept your hospitality.” Celestia said.
“This is the first time in a thousand years that Equestria has had contact with another civilization of ponies.” Luna said.
“Then we would like to extend friendship to you.” Haakim said.
“We accept, may prosperity come to both our nations.” Celestia said.
“Come, let us celebrate this wondrous day with a feast!” Haakim said.
Servants started to appear and began to prepare. A small group of them led Celestia and Luna to their own room.
“What’s going on Mixer?” Celestia asked.
“I believe they are preparing you for the banquet.” I said.
“Prepare us?” Luna asked.
“Yes, they have a thing with fancy clothing.” I replied.
“I noticed that all of them wear clothes, even the servants.” Luna said.
“I know, I find it strange, but I did not want to be rude so I didn’t ask about it.” I said.
Another group of servants entered the room with different boxes and containers. Some of them offered jewelry for  the princesses, others brought selections of dresses. 
Celestia ended up with a pair of star shaped earrings and a long white dress with golden hemmings, while luna chose crescent moon earrings with a dark dress that was shorter than her sister’s.
“I’m not used to this kind of thing.” Luna said.
“I’m not used to wearing so much clothing either, but I thought that it might offend them not to.” I said.
“Let us get going then.” Celestia said.
Servants led us back to the dining hall where there was even more food than last night, and all of it looked better too.
We were showed to our seats, the three of us across from Haakim, Amira and Alim.
“Don’t feel so tense, eat.” Haakim said.
Luna picked up a bit of spiced bread before I could warn her about the heat. Celestia started to chuckle as her sister’s eyes began to water. I passed her some water and she immediately drained the cup.
“I should have warned you about some of the spices here.” I said as Luna panted.
Celestia picked up the same spiced bread and took a bite.
“What a flavor!” she said, obviously better at handling spicy foods.
Here, try this.” I said passing a more mild dish to Luna.
She cautiously took a bite before deciding that she rather like this particular dish.
“Hahaha, it’s good to see you’re enjoying the food.” Haakim said.
As Luna and I ate, Celestia discussed future possibilities with Haakim. After a while the food had been mostly finished and Celestia had finished talking.
“Mixer, we must return to Equestria to continue our royal duties, but I want you to stay and be the Equestrian ambassador to Saddle Arabia.” Celestia said.
“Of course, but, what about Twilight and her friends?” I asked.
“I will tell them about your situation.” she said.
“Oh, before I forget, take this.” I said forming a crystal and handing it to Celestia.
“What is this for?” she asked.
“It’s long range audio crystal, so we can communicate over long distances.” I replied.
“Ok, I will contact you should I need anything.” she said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Celestia and Luna took of their dresses, packed them and some other gifts they had been given into saddlebags and took off for Equestria.
“I would not have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes.” Alim said sneaking up on me again.
“How do you do that?” I asked.
“I know this palace like the back oh my hoof, I can move like the wind through this place.” he said.
“So what do you want?” I asked.
“The Sheikh has asked me to show you my study.” he replied.
He took me up to the third floor and stopped at a blank patch of wall.
“It’s a wall.” I said.
“Exactly.” he said before using his magic to reveal a small room with a ladder.
“Very nice.” I said.
“I like to keep to myself when I read.” he said.
We climbed the ladder and I was greeted by a large domed room brimming with bookshelves.
“Amazing,” I said looking up to see the ceiling was an exact copy of the night sky, complete with constellations.
“Yes, it took quite some time to get the constellations right. And some of the books in here are older than the city itself.” 	he said.
“Wow, this is almost as big as part of the Canterlot Library.” I said.
He pulled a book off a high shelf and passed it over to me.
“Take a look.” he said.
The book was entitled: ‘Zahad the great’. It told of a powerful unicorn that had created many powerful artifacts for various purposes. One page was bookmarked detailing an artifact called Zahad’s mirror. It looked like an odd name for a statuette of two alicorns facing opposite directions.
“What about it?” I asked.
“We believe that we have found the location of Zahad’s tower where he lived and kept his most powerful artifacts.” Alim said.
“It sounds like that might not be such a good thing.” I said.
“You are right, Zahad is the reason the three cities split the last time. Each wanted his power for different reasons, so the three cities did battle around his tower, warring to determine the one who would get his power. The book calls him ‘Zahad the great’, but after the fighting he was renamed Zahad the mad.” Alim told me.
“Why ‘the mad’? I asked.
“He moved his tower into the desert with powerful magic. Travelers during the night would tell stories of hearing Zahad’s mad ramblings, sometimes coming from all directions at once.” he said.
“So why is the mirror marked?” I asked.
“Because, it can create a duplicate of the user, or an opposite clone of somepony else.” he said.
“What do you mean opposite?” I asked.
“They look the same but with a different personality, Zahad was said to use it to have conversation with himself.” he said.
My eyes grew wide, “If that got into the wrong hands,”
“Yes, it could cause a great cataclysm.” Alim finished.
“So what, you want me to oversee the excavation?” I asked.
“Yes, I will be busy running the Palace while the Sheik visits Equestria, so I want you to oversee the site, and contact me if you find anything.” he said.
“Where is the site?” I asked.
“Let me tell you that I would not trust this to just anypony, you have the power to repel any interlopers.” he said.
“Interlopers?” I asked.
“The desert is a dangerous place, especially at night. Outside of the city, you will have to defend yourself and the workers.” he said.
“When can I leave?” I asked.
“I have arranged for an escort of guards to take you to the site, you should arrive there a little after midday.” Alim said.
“I’ll get ready to go then.” I said turning to leave.
“Wait, take this,” he said reaching into a chest, “It brings good fortune.” he said showing me a shield shaped amulet.
I put it on and felt a sudden change, everything seemed to be clearer.
“Whoa.” I said.
“Yes, it was different for me at first too, it heightens the senses and will allow you to detect imminent danger.” Alim said.
“Thanks.” I said turning to leave.
I went down the ladder and the wall closed behind me. I then hurried to the south gate where the escort was waiting. 
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We left and walked through sandy dunes until we came upon a small group of tents.
“Are you the one that master Alim sent?” a brown stallion in white desert robes asked as we approached.
“Yes, he asked me to oversee the excavation.” I said.
“Come inside, you should see this.” he said.
We went into the tent and he showed me a map spread out on a table, “This is a floorplan for the tower.” he said.
“Where is this tower?” I asked.
“Buried amongst the sands, only the top was recently discovered not far from here.” he said. “Some of the workers have been reluctant to go in, for fear of the ghost of Zahad.” he said.
“Ghost of Zahad?” I asked.
“There are legends that say Zahad haunts his tower, even long after it was lost.” he said.
“May I see this place?” I asked.
“This way.” he said leading me out of the tent and away from the tents.
The top of a tower was peaking out of the sands some ways off, a lonely spire in the otherwise unremarkable desert. We walked over to it and I saw that they had cleared the sand away from a window and had gone inside. Inside it was dark except for the torches burning on the walls.
“It’s ancient.” I said.
“We have cleared three other rooms so far, but the desert is resisting us, filling in rooms during the night.” he said.
“Let me have a look.” I said.
There appeared to be four rooms on the top floor, each of which was stripped to bare stone. There was a spiral staircase that led away into the gloom of the lower levels. I went down a level, illuminating the room with magic. 
Only one of the rooms was accessible, the other three were filled with sand. This room showed some shreds of evidence that it was once inhabited. There were scraps of rug left, and some baubles left from so many years ago. 
I started clearing one of the rooms, pushing the sand down the hall and into the stairwell. This room had survived better than the others. A sandy red rug covered most of the floor and faded paintings hung on the wall. A small bed was set against the wall and some containers were littered around the floor. I checked the containers and found some stale food items and some old clothes. It appeared that this was somepony’s room. I left the room and went back up the stair to the waiting forepony.
“What did you find?” he asked.
“I cleared out two more rooms on the floor below, one of them seems to be an old bedroom.” I said.
“We will send a team to investigate later, for now we should get back to the tents so we can set yours up before darkness falls.” he said.
We walked back to the camp and I helped drive the stakes into the sand. Soon we had a small tent set up for myself. I took a walk around the camp checking to see if there were any things that I might want to check before getting some rest. 
I finished my rounds and I checked in with the guards that escorted me there. They reported everything was fine and I told them to wake me in the middle of the night so I could take a shift of watch. I turned in before the sun went down and thought about the mysteries of the tower before finally succoming to sleep.