The foals that filled the small classroom were not nearly as excited as the teacher seemed to be. For most, it was simply knowledge they would never use. But this was a little different for a mint green unicorn in the front row. She was listening to every detail, as she usually did. Whereas most her age would say that history was boring and useless, she would disagree. The past had always filled her with wonder. She thought to herself for a few moments before raising her hoof to ask a question.
“Yes Vega, what is your question?” She thought just a second more, to organize her thoughts in a coherent manner and asked “I was wondering, what was the wickedness that they got rid of?” The teacher let out a small sigh, a familiar sigh. “It is not mentioned, and I myself do not know.” Vega wore an expression of disappointment, “But you know Vega, you can always look in the school library for a book or scroll on the subject, right?” Vega nodded and wore a small smile, but she already knew nothing more would be there, since she knew that small library like the back of her hoof.
For Vega Heartstrings, the next hour of history lessons seemed to zip by, because she knew that the teachers’ books had more information than the books she was allowed to read in the library. She was almost surprised when the teacher called for recess, but was happy for it. The near unconscious class roared to life when the recess bell tolled, everypony was glad to be escaping the monotony of class.
Vega walked outside and looked for her friends and after a few minutes of searching she found them. A white unicorn with blue mane and a pink one with a light purple mane were conversing on the other side of the schoolyard. She was greeted with “What’s up V?” “Not much Vinyl, what about you?” Vinyl was grinning while she spoke “Our pal Amethyst here got her cutie mark yesterday!” Amethyst turned her side to face Vega so she could see her cutie mark. “Oh wow, how’d you get it?” The mark was of three exquisitely cut diamonds. She excitedly replied “I got it yesterday after school when I went to visit the jewelers shop to pick something up for my mother,” The pink unicorn sat and continued.
“Yeah, I just went to get her necklace since it was being cleaned, but I saw Emerald Fractures there, and he was cutting some new pieces of emerald. And well, you both know how good I was with cutting wood and regular stones right? Well saw the way the gems were cut and the next thing I knew, my flank lit up with my cutie mark!” Vinyl and Vega leaned in close to admire her cutie mark after hearing the story.
Vinyl smiled and looked over to Vega again. “And you remember how I got mine, after I heard someone’s record scratch. That sound was so unique and cool.” She looked at her cutie mark as she spoke, an abridged eighth note. “My folks were so happy I got my mark, especially in music like everypony else, but they weren’t too excited about the record I ‘destroyed’, heh heh.” All the while, Vega was staring at her minty colored yet bare flank |No telling what mine will be|
“I’ll bet you’ll get one in music, just like me!” Vinyl switched her gaze from Vega to Amethyst. “Right? I mean you see how good she plays that lyre, nopony is better than ol Vega here.” Amethyst, not wanting to get left out of the conversation quickly added in. “Maybe, but she’s also good with her hooves, especially for a unicorn. She could have some real talent in the precious gem business too you know.” Vega thought for a moment about her friends’ speculations of her unique mark and about what she wanted. |I am interested in a lot of stuff, music, digging for gems, even studying. But what kind of cutie mark could represent everything I like?|
“Really I have no clue what mine will be, I do love playing the lyre, and looking around for gems is pretty neat but wouldn’t I have gotten my cutie mark for those already?” All three thought for moment, they knew this was true but before any of them could speak, they heard the toll of the bells. Immediately Vinyl sighed “Ugh, I guess it’s time ta go back to class, see ya both after school.”, “Bye Vega, bye vinyl, see you after classes!” Vega waved her hoof and also exclaimed “ Meet ya both back here afterwards.” Vega watched as her friends went to their own classrooms as she began to steadily walk back to hers. |When my cutie mark appears, I bet even I will be surprised at what it actually turns out to be|
A large smile began creeping its way on Vega’s face as she made her way to her desk. These next lessons were always her favorite, even if they weren’t actual history. They had a certain truth to them even if they never happened, and that was exactly their point. Old stories that used to be about history, now they were apart of history. These tales being the myths and legends from ancient Equestria.
“Todays lesson on mythology will be on a new creature called man. The intelligent ape, this creature is extremely intelligent, has hands like other primates but walked on two legs and had almost no fur of any sort. They only have a small spot of it on the top of their head. The main reason that man was called the intelligent ape was because every myth involving them has them making something to do amazing things for them. This trait also sets them apart from other mythological creatures because man has such intelligence but lacks any magic. It’s believed that this myth arose to teach us ponies the value of knowledge and magic.”
Vega had a surge of excitement at the prospect of this new creature, one so smart yet devoid of magic in any capacity. |How could they do anything? Without magic the seasons wouldn’t change, the sun wouldn’t rise and stuff wouldn’t grow.| “-and of course this is true when you look at this myth with them flying whole cities that are as heavy as mountains with not a shred of magic. Thinking on this would certainly make you appreciate the magic the real world has.” Vega was transfixed, these beings seemed to capable of anything but why wasn’t there as many myths about them. A mint colored hoof pointed in the air. “Yes Vega?” “Ms. Pen, you said there aren’t as many stories about man, how come?” The teacher simply replied. “Well, such a fantastical creature like this would hardly need anymore stories. The seven main myths detail quite enough of their own world and how we ponies can apply it to ours. But if you want more stories that have man in them I would guess the reason why is because of the last myth about them.”
“Oh oh oh, tell us about the last myth then, could you read it?” Ms Silver Pen looked at her teachers bookcase and levitated a very large and old book from the top shelf. As her magic brought it closer to her Vega could see the title. ‘Narratives Originating from the Age of Legends’ by Arcane C. Ms. Pen opened the ancient tome to a place somewhere a third through. “We don’t have time to actually read everything and this is written is an older dialect of Equestrian. So to save time I will read it in my own words.” She cleared her throat and read aloud.
“‘In their last days, man had dominated their world. Plants and animals alike could not best their machines. And their floating cities could control their own weather. Through great grape vines they could see and hear another man from across distances so great, that it could be daytime for one and night for the other. Their past had started to creep up on them once again. Back when they erected empires so great that each was known as the west and the east. The differences between the western empire and the eastern empire began to put a strain upon their peace. And with nothing left to conquer both empires prepared for war. War with each other.
‘During the peace man had found a way to emulate the sun and to capture that energy for their own use. But because of the impending war between the two great empires, this energy became their ultimate weapon against each other, and unlike the sun these emulations also spread a mysterious disease to any living thing.’ lets see, skip that, that and that, ‘And the final day of reckoning came, once the once great creatures called man destroyed themselves in an act of war against themselves. Their flawed nature could not let them nurture any sort of harmony with each other. Because of this flaw, they all vanished from the living world in the bright blinding light of their own creations.’”
As usual the class was not extremely lively, even for a small paraphrasing telling of a tale of doomsday. Vega on the other hoof, was deep in thought and she knew only one thing about all this, she had to know more. She raised her hoof as she always did. “We don’t have time to do another one Vega, besides, I’ve already spoken all I need to on the subject of man, we have to move on.” “But, you’ll read the other myths with them won’t you Ms. Pen?” The silvery maned school teacher sighed. “As I said Vega, we already talked about man, and like I said before, there is almost nothing about them.” She levitated the book to emphasize her point. “These 100 or so pages contain every story about them dating back to antiquity, should you find something not in here than it is nothing more than fiction about fiction.”
|Maybe there’s something in the library I can checkout, after all I never looked for it before| The teacher levitated some chalk to the board and started drawing out the figure of a pony. “Our next myth will deal with the moon, and that’s part of the name of this pony too, Nightmare Moon. Legend says that she was-” |Nevermind that, every foal knows that story, why can’t you just talk more on the cool creature, man. There really should be more than what the teacher said. I definitely should at least look into it myself sometime| Vega tried to put it out of her mind, at least until she could get a book or something.
Before she knew it, music class was already starting. |At least I know that playing some music will make me concentrate on something else.| Vega levitated the lyre next to her and closed her eyes as she played a soft melody with her magic. Her thoughts, much to her surprise, were still lingering in her mind. |What if they were real?|