Restoration

by Masterweaver


Discovery: Part 1

Everfree....

What a wonderful name.

And yet, it was given to a forest of horror. Twilight had to acknowledge the irony as she glided over the trees, eyes roving on the off-chance a dangerous animal was after her. That this had been the place of fallout a thousand years ago, that nopony had dared to set hoof in here for casual reasons in centuries... and yet it still retained that beautiful name. It was... saddening, in its way. To think that such history could be blemished by... later... history...

"I'm overthinking things again," the princess muttered to herself with a wry smirk.

"Your highness?"

Twilight glanced to her escorts. "Ah, sorry. Just..." She tapped her head. "Nothing. Etymology. That's all."

The two pegasi gave each other a wary look. Twilight overthinking things had caused a number of issues in the palace. "Perchance... you should head back and... look into some books."

That elicited a laugh from the alicorn. "Gentlecolts, please! I am not the worried little filly I was at my coronation, I'm a dignified princess and I know how to avoid breakdowns. Besides, I am doing research out here. Actual research! Not just... the tedious paperwork that the palace has me wrapped up in..." She pulled up suddenly, smiling at the sight of moss-covered ruins. "Here we are! Everfree Castle. Now then, you both have the plan I charted out?"

The pegasi gave each other another glance. "...yes your highness."

"Excellent! We'll set up the teleport circle and then... oh the possibilities. Ahem. Sorry!" Twilight skipped into the ruins. "This is going to be so much fun!"


It didn't take long for the prepared expedition to appear, quickly rushing out of the runes around them and setting up various stations of lab equipment and scholarly note-taking. Twilight had offered to walk with them to the site, but the reputation of the Everfree forest led most of them to suggest a more magical method of transportation. She couldn't help but be amused; the monsters had started clearing out ever since Discord's Plundervines had been dealt with, and even at the height of its danger the Everfree claimed less lives annually than the poor souls lost to teleportation.

Still, they trusted the magic of a Princess more than the guards. To be fair, this particular princess had pummeled Tirek, but...

Shaking her head, Twilight turned to the unicorn leading the excavation team, clearing her throat. "Ah... professor Artifact?"

"Hmm, yes, what? Oh!" The professor nodded curtly, adjusting her prescription goggles. "Yes, yes, hello Princess. You're the purple one, Glimmer Sunset?"

"Twilight Sparkle, actually."

"Ah, yes, that--no, no, that can't be right." Artifact pulled a notepad out of her vest pocket, flipping through it with a frown. "I distinctly remember that Twilight Sparkle was a unicorn. There's a note here, and everything."

Twilight chuckled. "I was born a unicorn, yes. And later I became an alicorn."

Professor Artifact stared at her for a moment. Her gaze flickered between the notepad and the princess. After a moment, she pushed the pencil out of the rings and started scribbling something down. "'Became... an... alicorn...'"

"Yes. Now, Professor, if I may--"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, quite. Yes yes, you're probably interested in who funded this recent expedition."

"No, actually, I--"

"It turns out that Princess Celestia's former student is quite a scholar," Artifact continued, "and due to some sort of political thing, I don't really understand what, she now has a discretionary fund."

"Yes, I do, and--"

"She'd been trying to restore this castle, you see, but what with that dreadful centaur escaping and some sort of paperwork, she couldn't do it all on her own. So she has decided to outsource, as it were. She's still going to be supervising," Artifact assured the princess, "just as soon as she arrives."

The older mare turned her eyes toward the teleportation circle, frowning worriedly. "Oh, I do hope she gets here soon."

Twilight sighed. "Professor... I'm the one funding the expedition."

Artifact started, turning back to face her. "Wait... then what about Celestia's student?"

"That's also me."

"And the pony who fought Tirek?"

"Speaking."

"Hmmm." The professor looked at her notepad. "No... no, that doesn't make sense. Celestia's student is a unicorn--"

"Professor Artifact, I was born a unicorn, became Celestia's pupil, spent quite some time under her tutelage, was sent to Ponyville, saved the world a few times, became an alicorn, and fought Tirek. I assumed that was public knowledge, but--"

The professor laughed. "Ah, public knowledge! That explains that. I never bother to read the newspapers, princess, public knowledge changes too frequently! Did you know that there was a rumor floating about that changelings invaded the wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor? Absolutely preposterous. No, stick to peer-reviewed and fact checked journals, that's what I always say."

Twilight's eyelid twitched.

"Now then, since we've cleared up the matter of your apparent identity," Artifact continued, "I suppose you want to discuss the outline of our plan regarding the Everfree castle?"

"...Yes, actually. I was thinking we should do a systematic sweep of the building, attempting to identify any hollow spaces in the walls and floors--I know from personal experience and some documentation that there are a number of secret passageways, hidden chambers, and trapdoors in the castle proper--"

"Oh, that does seem like a lovely idea. However, I would suggest attempting to relocate all movable objects to our examination station before we go exploring the winding labyrinth." Professor Artifact shook her head. "By all known accounts, the greatest minds of each tribe collaborated on the castle's design, ergo it would be... well, it would be, for lack of a better term, convoluted. Earth ponies build for either easily repaired buildings or buildings that can weather earthquakes, pegasi would demand quick access from any room to the walls and a way to lock down the gates, and unicorn buildings are notoriously... complex. Meshing the three together, even without accounting for potential traps, would lead to a building design that baffles the mind."

Twilight blinked. "...my friends and I have been here before--"

"And how much did you explore, hmm? The main hall? A couple of towers, perhaps? A library, if you could find it?" Artifact shook her head. "All very easy. No, going into corners and crevices will have to wait. What we need to do now is simply ensure that we can get in and find our way back out. Slow and steady, clear out every room before we move on. Trust me, Princess, I have done this numerous times before."

Twilight held up a hoof... and then paused. She could see the reasoning behind Artifact's logic; it had taken her months to get used to Canterlot Castle when she was still Celestia's student, and her new palace was distinctly... strange. "Alright, if you're sure--"

"Thank you, Princess. Now then, let me see if the crew is ready to go..."