//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - An Old Tail // Story: Getting Back // by goodbyecruelworld //------------------------------// Chapter 3 A smile couldn't help but find it's way on Twilight Sparkle's face as she walked down the paths inside the town. She followed closely behind Avery and quickly became proficient in her four legged hobble technique. Random bits of conversation would float between the two as time went bye, Twilight eagerly awaiting their arrival at the library. Avery asked questions about Twilight's past and her road to Ponyville, it wasn't long before Twilight returned the questions to him. "So what brought you to this town anyway Avery? Family? Friends?" "Neither. I guess I was kind of drawn here and eventually settled down. Unfortunately that's neither exciting nor interesting, but it's the truth." Twilight was a bit frustrated by the lack of interesting facts in Avery's past, "So how long have you been here then? Where were you before? I'm just trying to get to know a bit about your past." Avery shifted uncomfortably at this statement before finally opening his mouth, "Well would you look at that, we're here! What a shame! I guess I'll have to take a raincheck on those questions. Now let's get inside and learn stuff!" The sarcasm didn't escape Twilight's ears, she sneered over towards Avery but held her tongue. There would be time in the future for asking those sorts of questions. But for now, her curiosity was overshadowed by her excitement to finally be somewhere familiar. In a place surrounded by books. The library looked far smaller on the outside than it did on the inside. The library was three stories tall and upon a quick glance, Twilight could see it was stocked with books both new and old. Very old even. Some of them seemed to out-date the books at the Canterlot Archives. The main room held a spiral staircase accessing the floors above. The entrance way led to the center of the library where it branched out into three sections, each of them lined wall to wall with books. At the end of each section, the wall was covered in what seemed to be maps and charts of all sorts. It was paradise for Twilight Sparkle as she inhaled the all-too-familiar smell of dusty books. She was in a state of nirvana. So much so, that she didn't even hear the sound of snoring coming from the couch in the center of the room. "This is incredible Avery!" "Thanks. It's taken many years to amass this collection," said a voice unfamiliar to her. Twilight would have been surprised any other day. But she had been shocked one too many times today and showed almost no reaction to the new voice calling from the couch. The once sleeping pony opened his eyes to stare upon his guests. "A fellow librarian perhaps?!" Twilight erupted out, "I'm so excited to be here!" The old librarian let out a deep laugh, "Now that's something I don't get to hear very often. I'm Ace. It's refreshing to hear excitement in these old halls. Most ponies around here push old relics and history to the side. 'Not enough time to learn' they say." "Learning history is more important than I could ever express in words. Actions and situations throughout history will always be repeated, no matter how major or minor the event. It's vital to be educated on the dealings of the past so to be well prepared for handling them in the future." "Couldn't have said it better myself Ms.?" "Twilight Sparkle, librarian of Ponyville." "Well Ms. Sparkle, you're a new face to me. That must mean that the quest for knowledge brought you to this place. I assume you wish to know something?" "Oh I wish to know many things, I'm hoping you can sate my brain for just a few of them." "Heh, well let's see," Ace said as he started to rise from the couch. As he stood up, Twilight was able to observe the rest of his body. His coat was a deep black hue and his hair was grey like that of Mayor Mane's. His voice suggested that he was approaching his elderly years, though his posture was that of a young stallion. His cutie mark was disappointing to Twilight, she had hoped he would have something related to knowledge or perhaps to his profession as a librarian, but instead it was just 3 white Z's growing smaller as she read them from left to right. She thought it to be a confusing cutie mark for a librarian, that is until Ace let out an yawn of impressive magnitude. Well, that explains that. After the yawn, Ace moved to speak, "So what is it you two desire to learn?" Avery chimed in, "I'm actually neutral to this whole learning thing." "Oh shut it," Twilight replied, "I was actually wondering if you knew the name of this town?" Ace stared at her for a second, "Well of course I do. Do I look like some sort of idiot?" He said as he chuckled. "You'd be surprised," Twilight murmured. "This is Cirle. Established.....well a long time ago I guess." Ace said as he scratched his head. Close enough. Twilight thought to herself. "Great, that's all settled. Now I know. Let's get rolling Twilight." Avery quickly stated. "Not so fast. What about this land Ace? What is this country called?" Twilight asked. Ace sighed. "That, is a different story unfortunately. Every studious pony in this land knows that it has a name, we're just having trouble figuring that out. It's not as easy as just 'poof' naming it. Records show that the land was once called something, we are just searching for that name. Legend has it that the name of this land is connected to the founding of this very town." At the mention of this, Twilight's eyes widened out of curiosity, "We just simply cannot find the link though despite all of our best minds digging through records and physical evidence. It's quite frustrating honestly. But it's an amazing case of history to say the least. Not to mention it has led to many intelligent ponies settling down here to try and solve the mystery, so I guess we can't complain." "That truly is incredible!" Twilight exclaimed, "Would you mind sharing the tale of this towns founding then?" Avery's ears drooped, "Oh great, story time. Got anywhere I can take a quick nap during this?" Twilight shot him another glare before turning back to Ace, signaling an answer to her question. Ace smirked, "Hmph, youth. Normally I'd object to storytelling, it's such a bother. But for such a curious and intelligent young pony like yourself, I'll oblige." Twilight's face lit up in glee. "Now where did I leave that book... ASSISTANT!" From behind the desk in the center of the room rose another earth pony. This one had a coat that was light tan and a freshly disheveled brown mane. Is that the only thing everypony does around here is sleep? The assistant gave a quick yawn and let out a short, "Yeah?" "Do me a favor and find the Legend of Cirle for me would you?" "Yeah, whatever," the assistant said as he turned his back. Twilight could see his cutie mark was some sort of red claw thing. She didn't get it, but quickly dismissed it. "Why is everyone always sleeping in here?" Twilight questioned. "Well visitors aren't exactly commonplace, and the floor is just so comfy," Ace joked. "I'll just take your word for it," Twilight joked in return. "Let me go test that theory for you," Avery said as he started to walk over to the floor near the desk. "Nope. You're staying right here so he can pound some knowledge into that dense pony skull of yours." Avery responded, "Oooh you wanna see a pony skull?! I've got one at home!" "I'm sure you do," responded Twilight. "You got that book yet?!" Ace called out. "Settle down you old cabbage," the assistant called back, "I got it right here." He laid down the book on the table nearby and flipped the cover open while they walked over. "Consider yourself lucky Miss, you're getting told a story that's in text instead of his usual ones," the assistant shared. "What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight inquired. "His other stories aren't so 'concrete'. He's a deceitful witness that uttereth lies." "Enough of your jabber," Ace said back in a stern tone, "Now get back to sorting before I remind you how fast these hooves can strike." This threat seemed to do the trick for the assistant as he grumbled off back to work. Or most likely back to sleep, Twilight thought. "So," Ace began, "let's give you the abridged version. Don't wanna be here all night. A few millennia in the past, before this town or this country existed, this land was bathed in sunlight. Far too much sunlight. The sun shone it's brightest fury across the this land. So glorious was the sun's rays, that no life could bear to exist in the sweltering heat. Then, centuries ago, a shadow was banished from a far away land by ancient powers of good. This shadow was expelled a great distance and soared across many lands before finally landing in this one. Normally, a shadow such as this would be disastrous for any place to acquire, but not here. It brought something this land needed so desperately, shade. The darkness brought by this being blocked out the sun's terrible assault on the ground, enough so that clouds being blown from distant lands were no longer instantly evaporated in the harsh rays. Rain fell on this land for the first time. And with that, seeds brought here by the winds could finally dig their roots into the ground and begin to grow. Plant life began to thrive, and following the plants, came the ponies and other various animals. No such blessing is without a price however. A price that you have undoubtedly observed for yourself. No direct sunlight touches the ground here. Only enough to sustain plant life. That is the blessing and the curse that the ancient shadow has brought to this land." Twilight's mind could explode from knowledge ecstasy. "That's an incredible story Ace!" Her mind then brought a question up that she felt necessary to bring up, "But what does it have to do with this town being in the center of the question regarding the name of the country?" "Good question. Well, legend has it, that this very town is the spot where the shadow made its landing over 1500 years ago, and is its resting place ever since then." Twilight could feel her eyes widening from excitement. "That is certainly a thrilling legend. I now see why so many curious ponies flock here to this town. If I didn't have so much going on, I would partake in the investigation myself!" Twilight and Ace laughed at this statement as she glanced up towards the window near the top of the library for the first time since their arrival and noticed the hastily approaching nighttime. "Unfortunately it seems like it's time for us to make our leave. Though someday I'll have to return and tell you the story of how my country and my hometown were founded. It's quite a tale!" "I would very much like that Ms. Sparkle," Ace said with a smile. "I'll be terribly busy that day," Avery interjected. Twilight shot another venomous glare towards Avery before turning back to Ace to wrap up another case of business. "By the way, can I check out that book that we were just reading? It was incredibly fascinating." "Absolutely!" Ace replied. "Also, bit of a long shot, but do you have a book about The Mist?" At the mention of this, Ace's eyes shot open. It was the most awake Twilight had seen Ace since she arrived. "Now why would you be interested in something like that?" "Oh so you do know of it! Well, long story short, it's kind of the reason I'm here I suppose. I'd just like to get to know a bit more about it." Ace recoiled a bit, "Yeah, sure, one second." As he walked away, Twilight turned to Avery, "Bit of a touchy topic around here it seems?" "Just consider yourself fortunate you didn't bring it up in front of Lux. She might have lobotomized you right on the spot to learn a bit more about it. The Mist is quite a rare gift, one with it can either bring great joy or great suffering." "Uhh, right. I'll keep that in mind and try to be a little more tight lipped about it." "It would seem like that's a good idea." Ace returned and set down another book on top of Twilight's first request. It was too dusty to read the cover now, but Twilight would get around to it. "Here you go, now I'll be expecting these back you know! That Legends book is a first edition!" "Oh I have a feeling you'll be seeing me again! I'll have these finished in no time and back for more. It's not easy to keep me away from books," Twilight said with a smile. "She's right about that," Avery grumbled. "Sounds good. Stay out of trouble Avery," he nods in reply, "and farewell to you too Ms. Sparkle." They turn and head out the door into the dusk while Twilight hands the books to Avery. She's more accustomed to levitating the books, but that wasn't possible. And thanks to her crutch, tying them to her back would just be a nuisance. Avery didn't seem to mind holding them though. Twilight decided it would be a good time to remind Avery how valuable knowledge is. "So, now you know Avery, Cirle." "Yeah great, for the zero times I'll need to know that in the future." They both enjoy a quick laugh, then a strange thought pops into Twilight's head. "Oh right. I have noplace to sleep tonight. Is it okay if I sleep at your place for the near future?" "Wow Twilight Sparkle! And I didn't even have to buy you dinner!" Avery said jokingly, but then turned to see Twilight giving him a look that said 'I'd vaporize you into oblivion if I could cast magic right now.' "Woah woah! Kidding! I was kidding Twilight! Yeesh! Yeah sure you can crash at my place, though I gotta warn you, I'm a collector of sorts." "Interesting, collector of what exactly?" "Erm, everything." "Of course." Twilight said as they walked into the night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Across town, hours later Lux had just finished up her routine of cleaning and sorting all the syringes before returning them to the proper drawers when her ears perked at the sound of her front door opening. She whipped her head around at incredible speed, throwing three syringes with her magic and one with her mouth towards the front door. What followed was the sound of two syringes embedding themselves in the nearby wall, and also the sound of two syringes finding their mark and satisfyingly squishing into flesh. A deep voice filled the office. "You're losing your touch Lux." The voice said as it stepped into the light, revealing a black pony figure yanking the syringes out of his body with his teeth. "Ace, you should know better than to sneak up on me like that. And I'm not losing my touch, I decided halfway through my throw that I didn't wish to kill my target, merely render him or her incapacitated." Lux said with a hint of annoyance. "So what brings your lethargic self so far from the library?" "It's about Avery's new friend." "Oh right, the unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, nice mare," Lux said as she turned to hide the playful grin on her face. "Nice indeed. I have reason to believe that she is the pony we have been searching all these years for." "Oh? And why's that?" "She never brought it up to you?" "Brought what up to me Ace? We were a bit... preoccupied." "I have reason to believe she has experienced The Mist." Lux's eyes bolted open after hearing those words. "Is that so? Well that certainly livens things up a bit for us now doesn't it?" She said as she turned back to face Ace before continuing, "Nimis returns tomorrow from the errand I sent him on. I suppose we should finally go and have that talk with Avery eh?" "I suppose it is time for him to learn the truth. There wasn't really a reason to tell him up until now. What about the others? Do we tell them?" "No. Let's keep this between us for now, it's better that way just in case it's a false alarm." "Even though I doubt this to be a 'false alarm,' I agree with you," Ace said as he slouched onto a chair, "I just can't believe Avery doesn't know. We all knew right away. I'm not sure why he doesn't, but I guess he will soon. It must have been hard for him not to tell a single person he's ever met that he's-" Lux interrupted, "One of us."