//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Ezra // Story: The Return of the Humans // by DaringWizard //------------------------------// Merlin sat on the couch as Mordred and Joseph looked impatiently at him. Twilight hopped up next to him and sat down. "Well... first of all, I found out that my early suspicions, were true. He is Achilles from the Trojan war." "I called it! I said he has to be Achilles but you didn't-" Joseph stopped as Mordred and Merlin glared at him. "...Sorry." He finished. "I thought in the legends he died. How do you suppose he actually is the Achilles?" Mordred said, Twilight and Merlin looked at each other. "He said that Celestia had sent some mages to revive him. I don't know how they did it, but, knowing Celestia she would have found a way." Merlin said. "Merlin, this is crazy! Did he literally say he's two-thousand five-hundred years old!?" Mordred exclaimed. Twilight and Merlin looked at each other, they both said: "He did..." "Ridiculous! You two must have heard him say two-hundred fifty- he can't be that old!" Mordred exclaimed. "Didn't you say the exact opposite a few days ago? And didn't he say something along the lines of "It's been almost a millennia" since he's been here?" Twilight asked, Mordred opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped, and put his face in his palm. Joseph rolled his eyes. "I wasn't suggesting he was THAT old! Besides, he might have meant it felt that long, he couldn't have been serious..." Mordred said, Joseph turned from Mordred to Merlin. "Well, what else did you find out?" Joseph asked, ignoring Mordred's close-minded attitude. "The two seem to be real close. It's really weird... I said this before, Celestia never mentioned him." Twilight explained. "And, there's something else. This isn't the first time the portal has been opened." Merlin said. "Of course it hasn't, Celestia said it herself, didn't she? What did she say- 'You look just like your forefather, Arthur, am I right?" "Well, she could have just known about him through some magical means- isn't there like some mirror that lets you see into the human world?" Merlin questioned. Twilight nodded. "Hmm... fair enough. But why look into the human world and just watch this one person?" Mordred continued. "I don't know... as I was saying, it doesn't sound like this is the first time someone's opened the portal." "You're repeating yourself, Merlin. Of course it hasn't! Where would the legends come from?" "No, guys, you don't understand. Merlin, I think I know what you're getting at." Twilight said. "What?" Joseph said. Merlin and Twilight leaned in, as if afraid someone would hear them. "From the way he said it, it sounds like the portal had been opened and closed multiple times in the past. He said something about the age of separation being over, again." Merlin explained, Mordred and Joseph looked at each other. "What are you getting at? You're saying someone might have closed the portal by accident?" "I'm not sure about that yet... but the fact that he said the portal had been closed before the Trojan war troubles me... how would Celestia send those mages to revive him?" Merlin said, Mordred rolled his eyes. "Come on, I'm telling you that's not possible- he can't be the Achilles from the Trojan war, even Achilles himself would think you're daft!" Mordred said. "I'm sorry why would I think he's daft?" Mordred jumped out of his seat. "Y-your majesty! H-how long have you been standing there? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He said, he had a look on his face as if he had been caught doing something reprehensible. "I heard you saying I'd think Merlin 'd be daft. About what?" Achilles said, he was looking at Mordred very hard, as if trying to read his mind. Just in case that was what he was doing, Mordred thought: Don't even think about it, I'm a closed book, your highness! And, as if Achilles actually did hear him, he backed away. "Nothing. I just suggested that maybe that book you were having me study was from ancient Greece- Mordred said that the book just looked too young to be from that time." Merlin said, his brain working full-time to come up with an excuse. "Specifically... from around the time of the Trojan war?" Merlin finished, flashing a look at Achilles, Achilles got a worried look on his face. "Never mind. Where's Celestia?" Merlin asked. "She's taking a tour around the palace... Merlin?" "Yes?" "You might want to put a safety lock on your portal... we don't want any unwanted guests coming through." Merlin nodded in agreement. Achilles walked back through the portal, and disappeared. "Yeash, that was close, dude." Joseph said, Merlin put is hand on his head, and rubbed his eyes. "I knew it. Didn't you see the look in his eyes when I mentioned the Trojan war?" Merlin said, Mordred exhaled, annoyed. "Whatever... Believe what you will, I'm going to head over to Rarity's, she said she wanted to see me." Merlin looked up as Mordred left the library, and disappeared down an alleyway- so he wouldn't get caught. "Well, I might as well get some flying practice in with Dash." Joseph said, he grabbed his jet boots. "Just don't break the sound barrier again, I spent all night that one time you did fixing the windows!" "I second that... I have some fragile things around here." Twilight finished, trying not to irritate Joseph. "Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Joseph said. He walked outside, put on his jet boots, and took off. Merlin and Twilight got up. "Their not listening to us..." Twilight said. "They'll eventually come around." There was a silence between the two, then, Merlin got up and walked up to his room where his journal, spell book, and cypress wand laid. He sat down and began to flip through his spell book, as if looking for something. His hand passed over the runes on the page and they glowed gold. The words "To Conjure Crystals" glowed red as they appeared on the page. He read the instructions, said a quick chant, snapped his fingers- and a blue crystal point appeared in his hand. He smiled in satisfaction. The door creaked open. He looked back to see Twilight standing there. "Uh... Merlin? Can I talk to you for a second? I didn't want to talk about it while Joseph and Mordred were here." Twilight asked, Merlin saw that she looked rather concerned. "Of course. What is it?" Merlin replied, Twilight sat on his bed. "Well... I have a bit of a problem on my hooves... A while ago we got in this fight with a traveling magician named "Trixie". We kind of... exposed her in front of her fans by accident- that she wasn't as powerful as she claimed. It hurt her rep pretty badly... later she came back and he we had a duel... a magic duel- you know?" She said, Merlin listened intently. "Anyway, she kind of... showed a soft side after that... but I haven't seen her much since... anyway, I got a letter from her the other day." "People like her should just be ignored, Twilight. If she's sending you threatening letters-" "I didn't say they were threatening. She wants my help." Twilight said, Merlin looked confused. "What do you mean? Weren't you fighting earlier?" "Yeah, but, she apologized after our fight. Anyway, she sent me a letter the other day- she sounded desperate. Her Mom is sick... very sick." Merlin didn't move, he just sat ,listened, and watched as she unfolded her situation before him. "She wants my help to heal her... but I don't know how I can help her..." She said, her worried eyes bore into him, he knew what was coming- and he wouldn't turn down her request. "You want my help, don't you?" He said. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked- never mind..." Twilight said, Merlin looked really confused. "What do you mean? I'd be glad to help." "...Huh? But I thought you guys said if you used too much magic-" Merlin put his hand up, dismissingly. "I'm an Adeptus major at my magic school. That's right before the Magister... The master rank. Healing spells are no problem for me. I'll help you." Merlin said, his voice had become very soothing. Twilight smiled. "Thank you, Merlin." She said. "Send a letter back to this "Trixie", tell her you'll be over there later today with a friend to help you out." He said, Twilight's horn glowed and a piece of paper came flying from Merlin's desk along with a quill and inkwell. She began to write. "Spike? Can you come here for a second?" Twilight called. "Yeah, what is it?" "Could you send this letter to Trixie? It's important." Twilight said, Spike took the letter and breathed fire on it- the ashes flew out the window in a magic-like mist. Merlin watched as they faded into the distance. "That's a neat trick." Merlin commented. "Thanks." Spike said, he walked out of the room. "Merlin? Thank you. For helping me out, I mean. It means a lot." Twilight said. "Oh, no. The honor is mine. A pleasure to help someone out, Twilight." He said, Twilight smiled brightly. Something crashed downstairs, the two came dashing out. A fair-looking boy wearing yellow-satin robes with a light-red star on the front stood there, wearing a conical hat like Merlin's- only yellow. "Ezra!?" Merlin called. "Merlin!" The boy said, Merlin dashed downstairs. "I thought you were in the hospital! You all right?" Merlin asked. "Well, it's thanks to that potion you made for my father." The boy said, he looked up and saw Twilight standing, his face went blank in surprise at the sight of the unicorn- he then gave Merlin an amazed look. "I thought you were joking about that portal spell to Equestria!" He said. "Well, I was dead serious. Come on down, Twilight." She did so and trotted down the stairs. "Twilight, this is Ezra-" Ezra bowed his head. "-he's a friend of mine from the magic school. Ezra, this is Twilight, she's the first one I met here." Merlin explained. "An pleasure to meet you, Miss." He held out his hand, and she shook his hand. "You too, Ezra." She said. "Where'd my book go--- ah! Here it is." Ezra picked up a glossy black book with a gold star in the center- it was titled The White Magic Compendium. He brushed some dust off of it. "Where's Joseph and Mordred? I don't take it as a coincidence they mysteriously went missing that quickly after you opened the 'gates'." He said, Merlin shook his head. "Well, you're quite the intelligencer, aren't you?" Merlin said. "Yeah, I try." Ezra said, he chuckled. "Well- where are they?" He said. "They just left a few minutes ago. Why?" "Prince Achilles wants them back at his palace. He didn't say why." "All right. When I see them, I'll tell them Achilles sent for them, as for now, I have something I need to do. Twilight?" He turned to look at her. "Yeah?" "I need some herbs for the spell I'll be using- parsley, mint, and vervain. Do you have any of those?" "Merlin- I brought along my medicine bag. I can spare you some." He said, opening up the bag slung over his shoulder and taking out three jars." "Never mind." Merlin said, Twilight smiled. Merlin spent half an hour over a pot of boiling water, mixing together the herbs and whispering incantations in Anglo-Saxon. As he was nearing completion of the potion, Ezra approached Twilight, and knelt down next to her. "So... this is Equestria?" Ezra asked, smiling. "Yeah." Twilight said, Ezra looked over at Merlin, still brewing the mystic potion. "Me and Merlin always heard the legend of this place. No single person at my hometown has not heard of the ancient legends or great stories handed down. To think I'm in a place my ancestors may have once walked... and then left." Ezra said, his voice trailed off. "Oh- that reminds me. What does the legend say about why the humans left?" Ezra looked at her again, looked down at his book, skimmed the pages- and stopped dead. He started to quote the book. "Celestia and Luna were forced to close the gates. Only a few equine mages -high ranking sorcerers- were allowed to stay in the human's world... To revive an ancient warrior and his cousin... and grant them a drink that would give them eternal life." He said. "No one knows what actually forced them to close the gates, though." He continued. "Finished!" Merlin called. He walked in the room and was holding a glowing green vial. "Let's go." Twilight said. "Where are you going?" Ezra asked. "One of the town's residents is ill. Her daughter wants someone to use magic to heal her. She doesn't know this yet, but I'll be the one to do so." "Then let me come, I have a lot of knowledge on healing, myself." Ezra said, he got up from the couch. Merlin nodded. "All right, but we'll have to be swift. The more time we spend in public, the more likely we'll get caught." Merlin said. "I gather your first day you got crowded around by half the town, or something like that?" He asked, jokingly. "Actually, yes... he did." Twilight said. "I expected as much." Ezra said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trixie stared down at her mother with sad eyes. She had been ill for several weeks, and no one knew how much time she had left. The hospital could not help. All she had left was the hope that Twilight would be able to help her, despite their bad blood. A knock came at the door, she walked over and opened it. There she was, waiting on the front porch. "Trixie? I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner." "It's fine. She's in here." Trixie said, she walked Twilight to the room where her mother laid on the bed, unconscious. "Can you heal her?" She asked. "...Well, I can't... but..." "But what?" "I know someone who can. Merlin?" She called, and in walked Merlin, he had a nervous look on his face, Trixie almost fainted in shock. "Y...y...you're... the human...!" She forced out. "Indeed. And I'm not the only one. Ezra?" Merlin called, he walked in carrying his medicine bag, Trixie shook her head in disbelief. "Twilight- you've been hiding him?" She asked. "I didn't really have much choice." Twilight answered. "If I may?" Merlin asked, he held up a vial. "R-right... this way." Trixie answered, she led Merlin into the small room where an old mare laid. She was breathing only faintly. "We must do this alone. Wait outside, come on, Ezra." Merlin said. Twilight and Trixie stood outside, Trixie looked like an empty shell, filled only with disgrace and depression. Twilight looked at her, concerned, but when Trixie noticed her, she tried to hide her feelings, turning away from her. "What is it?" Twilight asked, Trixie didn't say a word. "Trixie, what's the matter?" Twilight asked, then, she realized she wasn't wearing her robes as normal. "Why aren't you wearing your robes and hat?" She asked, a tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't see the point. Ever since the incident with me... putting on the Alicorn amulet... my career plummeted." She answered. "Trixie?" "No one would buy tickets to my show anymore... when I asked why... I got spat at by someone." She said. "Then, it turned into slaps from random ponies on the streets... and last week..." She stopped, then lifted her head, showing bruises on her neck. Twilight gasped. "Trixie...! What happened?" "Some idiot tried to kill me... do I deserve this? How was I supposed to know the amulet would turn me into a-" "It wasn't all your fault, Trixie. You need to talk to Celestia about this." Twilight said, Trixie looked even more depressed. "And do you think she would help me? After all I've done? To you? The one who represents magic... and to the others? She would rather have me executed for asking." "Celestia isn't like that! They would never punish you like that, either! Take it from me, I'm her student, after all." "Yeah, but someone already did try to 'execute' me." Trixie said, looking down at the floor. "Trixie... I'm sorry." Twilight said, the door opened. "All right, everything's done. She'll have a pretty nasty headache when she gets up, but she'll be all right." Merlin said. "Thank you." Trixie answered. Ezra and Merlin walked out the door, and climbed into the carriage. "Aren't you going with them?" Trixie asked. "Trixie, listen to me. I know I represent the element of magic and all, but, I wouldn't throw away those robes." She said. "Why?" "Because if there's any doubt in my mind if I truly am worthy... I might as well give up the element of magic to someone else." She said, and smiled at her. Trixie looked at her in shock, then, Twilight left the room, and climbed into the carriage, leaving Trixie standing there. What? She thought, and the carriage left. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Merlin, Ezra, and Twilight stepped out of the carriage and walked towards the library. They opened the door, Twilight walked towards her private study where her books on human magic laid, Ezra sat down on the couch, and Merlin walked upstairs. He sat down at his desk. He began to polish his wand with a little magical wax, as he finished polishing his wand, the door creaked open. Twilight was standing there. "Can I talk to you for a second, Merlin?" Twilight asked. "Yes, of course." He answered, he wrapped his wand in a white cloth, Twilight sat down on his bed, looking at him. "I just wanted to apologize." "For what?" Merlin asked. "Since you're a visitor it was kind of impolite to ask that much of you- healing someone with that severe of an illness takes up a lot of magic... I mean, you said that if you used too much-" "Twilight, let me stop you right there. I already said it- it's all right. I don't mind helping you out." Merlin said. "Well, I just kind of feel... a bit uneasy. I didn't know humans could get hurt casting too much magic." Twilight said, Merlin's eyes trailed up to the ceiling- as if he was trying to remember something. "Wait- what? Oh, no-no-no. I think I misspoke earlier- If you use a spell that's too powerful for you to control- that's what'll hurt you." He said. "Oh... has that ever to you before?" She asked. "Uh... let me think..." He scratched his hair. "Nope. I've never cast a spell that was too powerful for me. It's weird. Wizards and witches normally have inherent strengths and weaknesses... maybe there's something wrong with me." He said. "Says the guy who puts the whole school to shame during the magic exams!" Ezra called, Merlin smiled. "Some of the time, Ezra, only some of the time." Merlin called back. "You're a little too humble at times, Merlin." Ezra said, Merlin looked back to Twilight. "Anyway, It wouldn't matter either way." "Why?" Twilight asked, Merlin put his hand on her shoulder, she blushed lightly, with a surprised look on her face. "I'd do anything to help out a friend, Twilight. Especially a friend in need. Besides, I owed you one." He answered, and gave her a smile. He left the room, with Twilight still sitting on the bed. N...no one's ever done that... She thought.