//------------------------------// // Forsaken Legacy // Story: The Cycle Anew // by ManeWriter //------------------------------// Desert. Sandy and desolate. Vast and lifeless. And when complimented with the limitless reach of a cloudless night-sky, it is an ideal collaboration to gaze upon when cleansing an active mind. Twilight Sparkle was particularly grateful for such things. Her mind was able to clearly process the days events, and meditate upon her actions, both past and future. The refreshing breeze of the bemusing train-ride was in constant flow as Twilight lounged her upper body out from her seats window. A large part of her was simply appalled with herself. Lying to her very best friends so shamelessly. Taking advantage of their unyielding trust in her, and all for her obsessed pursuit of knowledge. But in the grand scheme of things, this was what she wanted. She would attain the answers to her list of endless, daunting questions. Pinkie Promise or no Pinkie Promise The illustrious visage of the Canterlot Palace was growing near from the distance, yet Twilight knew she had several minutes before arrival. Satisfied with the cooling breeze for the time being, Twilight sunk back into her seat; resting her mind as she settled into one decisive thought. "I will learn everything there is to know about that relic..." Her patience granted her a smooth, quick ride to the Canterlot train station, where, as predicted, there were little to no ponies around. The only chauffeur attending was somewhat surprised to see a passenger exit the train at such an odd hour. But he tentatively sought to render aid to her. "And a most gracious early morning to you, Milady.", the stallion greeted chivalrously, "Have you any luggage?" A tad refreshed by the high-societal greeting, Twilight smiled almost despite herself, and gratefully complied. "Why, yes, of course. It's kind of a big one, so you'll forgive?", she said as she lead her chauffeur to the luggage caboose. "It is of no trouble at all. The honor is mine." It was only a quick glance of wonder and curiosity as the chauffeur first laid eyes on Twilight's rather spacey luggage. But he hoisted it upon a wheeled carrying cart, all the same. "Where would be traveling this morning, Milady?", he asked patiently. "Please. Call me Twilight." "Very well, Twilight.", the stallion smiled humbly. Twilight slightly turned her head as she felt her cheeks flush of bashfulness. "I'm, uh, going to Canterlot Palace.", she informed. A smooth 'But, of course.', and a nod of affirmation sent the two ponies on there way. The trip gave Twilight the opportunity to think of slightly more... distracting things. She was deeply taken by the gentlecolt that attended her luggage. A refreshing encounter with the male species, to be sure. It took a considerable amount of self control not to constantly glance back at him. "Such a handsome stallion.", Twilight mused before falling into a deep blush again, "I wonder if he-... Oh, come on, Twilight! You should know better that to let yourself get pulled into that stuff right now!" The musing mare wrestled with her thoughts for a time as they traveled. A most time-accelerating activity it proved to be, as the Grand entrance of Canterlot Palace was already within their wake. Upon arrival, Twilight and her new, and very desirable acquaintance stopped before the main gates, which were dutifully protected by two Royal Guard pegasi. A sharp and startling tone called out to them from above; "Who goes there?!" Twilight and her chauffeur peered up only to see, emerging from an overhead balcony, the Princess of the Night herself. "Twilight Sparkle?", Luna's expression softened with surprise, "What is the meaning of this? You should be indoors." "Forgive my intrusion at such a late hour, Princess Luna. I have come for the answers I seek.", the purple unicorn explained. When Luna caught sight of Twilight's luggage, a gasp nearly escaped her. Why had she returned the artifact? "So it would appear...", she murmured before methodically transporting the artifact to an unknown location with a spell, much to the chauffeur's shock. Feeling that he was no longer needed, the generous stallion dropped into a humble bow before the Moon Goddess. He rose with a gentle smile toward Twilight, who turned to face him. "It was a pleasure to have met your acquaintance, Twilight Sparkle. I wish you the very best.", he waved before turned away from her. Once again feeling her cheeks flush, Twilight dreamily waved back and sighed deeply without realizing it. Though she wished she could stay and get to know the stallion a little better, she decided it best to let him go. For now... "Come, Twilight Sparkle.", Luna's smooth voice called, "We have much to discuss." The lavender unicorn turned to her superior and nodded firmly. She was beyond ready to finally get some answers. Upon the Princess' decree, the Royal Guard pegasi allowed Twilight passage into Canterlot Palace. Upon Twilight entering the Main Hall, a formless cloud of midnight-blue mist phased through the intricate ceiling high above, and made a wavy descent before her. As expected, the mist materialized into the dark Princess right before Twilight's eyes. The purple eyed mare stifled her awe and amazement, however. For she knew there was much to discuss, indeed. "Shall we begin?", Luna suggested rhetorically. As the indigo maned alicorn walked briskly ahead, an eager Twilight followed close. "Tell me, Young Protege. What do you know of ancient civilizations?", Luna asked. Now there was an interesting question. While Twilight wasn't in the best position to say that she knew a lot about such a topic, she was eager to explain what knowledge she did possess. However, the lavender unicorn's tendency to babble and forget the importance of digression was a chagrin to Luna, at best. The dark Goddess graciously emphasized her displeasure with a silencing hoof. "The civilizations I speak of are those which had thrived long before Equestrian rule, Twilight Sparkle.", Luna clarified. The dumbfounded expression on Twilight's face answered the alicorn's question without fail. "It seems history is a subject that vaguely escapes you.", Luna observed. Now a little embarrassed by that fact, Twilight suddenly found it difficult to look her princess in the eye. Luna smiled comfortingly at the protege; vibrating a message of understanding. "Do not fret. It is to one's best interest to play to their strengths, Element of Magic.", she sincerely assured, "My question was not to trouble you. I was merely curious." As their trek throughout Canterlot Palace continued, Twilight began detecting subtle changes in the interior design. In time, she couldn't recognize her surroundings at all. As the lights dimmed more and more, upon further travel, the atmosphere was suddenly granted an eerie edge. Finally, a large door stood in their path. "Where are we, Princess?", Twilight asked with an strangely innocent air of curiosity to her. Luna's brow furrowed in vivid remembrance of the entrance in which the two were about to pass. "An Archive... A very old Archive." Twilight eagerly licked her dry lips as she took this info. She had no idea another archive, other than those she had seen in the two Princesses' separate quarters, existed in the Palace. The purple eyed mare nearly jumped with anticipation as Luna creaked the door open. A biting cold bristled through Twilight's fur, and she shivered from both the chill, and the mind provoking eagerness. But as her and her regal monarch entered the gloomy, cob-webbed domain, an edge of familiarity tickled Twilight's senses. She couldn't help but note the atrociously unorganized, yet strangely finesse decor. "Princess... It looks as though this room hadn't been touched in ages...", she observed in sheer wonder. Luna closed her eyes solemnly as same air of familiarity assaulted her more than she cared to admit. "Indeed... Discord used this Archive.", she said dryly. If Twilight had turned her head to Luna any faster, she might have snapped her own neck. "D-D-Discord?", she stammered as though she had seen the anarchy reeking draconequus right behind the Princess. "Yes, Twilight Sparkle. Once, there were many vast and extravagant documents here. Some had even read deep into the endless wonders of the cosmos.", Luna explained, almost nostalgically. Twilight found herself excitedly speculating the alicorns explanation; gaining a sense of spine tingling wonder to what sort of literature the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony delved into. Upon closer inspection, and further rummage, however, Twilight realized that the Archive held several unoccupied spaces. "Princess? It seems like a chunk of the Archive is missing." "You are correct.", Luna nodded, "When my sister and I vanquished Discord, many a book had vanished along with him. We never could understand what had become of them." Luna's answer left a slight gape in Twilight's chest. All of that knowledge... gone? What could have happened? What kind of deep, irreplaceable history and philosophy had been lost all of those years ago. It was an never-ending cycle; the more questions were answered, the more questions would arise. It was maddening. For all anypony knew, there was a slew of knowledge that could've answered several of those questions written within the missing documents. But they were gone. Never to be seen again. Never to be learned from again... What a waste. "There, Twilight Sparkle. Behold..." Twilight's muse was swayed as she followed Luna's extended foreleg. There, resting upon a pedestal, was the object that would turn the young mare's whole world upside-down. She approached it almost timidly, and gazed upon it's gold and black hard-cover. The symbol stitched unto its noble visage sparked something that was starting to wear on her nerves. Another question. "Wha... What is it?", Twilight was bewildered by it's design. She noted that it was worlds different than any other piece of literature she had ever seen. "That, my little pony... is The Grimoire of the Lost.", Luna let the name roll off her tongue. Twilight's eyes gleamed as the name surged into her memory. Luna took this as encouragement and continued. "It is a tome that has survived eons longer than any pony in all of Equestria. 50,000 years.", the Moon Goddess explained. Again, Twilight put her neck in considerable danger as she whipped her head back to her Princess. She repeated the age of the book in a nearly incoherent sputter. "But... B-B-B-But how? How is that possible? What could have-" "It is a keepsake from an era which suggests that other creatures dominated this world... before us." "Before us? But I don't understand. I always thought pony-kind was the first to set foot on this world. Y-You're telling me that-...", Twilight allowed the words to fall short from her mouth. As if the shock of such a discovery wasn't enough, Luna continued. "The Grimoire of the Lost tells of a civilization in the zenith of it's evolution. The pinnacle of its splendor. A stage in history that had sown a tapestry of greatness so wide, it had covered the entire world. Much like ours" Had Twilight not been paying attention, her own astonishment would have allowed the drool teetering at her lips to fall. But she collected herself and listened further; taking in the incomprehensible wealth of knowledge. "But then... without rhyme or reason of any sort, the civilization had vanished without a trace.", Luna closed her eyes, and emphasized such a saddening prospect. Hearing the things she heard about the glorious, seemingly impassive era of this civilization, and then hearing Luna's finishing statement, was comparable to a shovel in the face. "What?! Vanished? But... But-" "Nopony knows what happened to them. In fact, to this day, few are even privy to their history. Most do not even know they ever existed at all." Finally, Twilight couldn't take it anymore. "But... No. No, that doesn't make any sense! If this civilization was anything as you described them to be, then how in the hay could they just vanish?! What happened to them? Where did they go? How come this book is the only shred of evidence to their existence? Why-", Twilight was silence again by a raised hoof. "Perhaps you have not yet gathered why I am indulging you with this knowledge.", Luna calmly suggested. "Huh?" "You've glimpsed unto visions that may just be the key to unlocking the most baffling secret of our time, Twilight Sparkle.", Luna informed. To that end, Twilight's ears lifted to the sky, and was suddenly struck with a pulse-quickening realization. "Are you-... Are you saying that the artifact I've been studying is-...", for the third time that night, her words were silenced by the gaggle of her own amazement. One cryptic answer with a thousand questions attached was all the young mare received, as her dark Princess turned away and began walking toward the Archive's exit. "There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from any book, Young Heroine. But a world of understanding is in the eye of the beholder." Those deeply moving and testing words rang in Twilight's ears as she hazily watched the beautiful Princess of the Night leave the Archive. Finally, the lavender unicorn was left to her thoughts, and reflected upon the words that had been shared. It was humbling in the purest sense; realizing that she was among the few ponies in Equestria, nay, the entire world that held such knowledge. And if that wasn't enough, the realization that Luna had left her in the Archive became blindingly clear. In front of the Grimoire of the Lost. And all of the secrets that had been neglected. It was almost too good to be true. A cruel dream ready to snatch her from her moment of reckoning. But as Twilight levitated the ancient Grimoire toward her, she rejoiced. The surreality of the moment put a heart numbing smile to her face. And as she flipped the first page... She would take History by storm.