//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Museum // Story: The Legend of Alanticorn // by Bolt McRunFast //------------------------------// The Manehattan Museum of Natural History was was an imposing building that rested on one of the longer sides of Manehattan’s central park. It was an older building and well respected by the inhabitants of the city as one of the main centers of learning in Manehattan, if not all of Equestria. Six immense marble pillars supported the overhanging gilded roof, the top of which was plated in copper turned green with age. A difference scene from Equestrian history was carved at the base of each pillar. Beneath each scene was a single word. Together the pillars read, ‘From History, Knowledge; From Knowledge, Wisdom.’ Kessa Forelock ran up the stairs past the pillars and pushed open the large wooden door. She entered the grand foyer of the museum. The tablet was safely stored in her backpack. The pack smacked against her sides as she passed beneath the skeleton of a massive dragon-like creature hung from the ceiling above. The sound echoed through the empty hallways. It was still a little less than a half hour before the museum opened to the public. A week had passed since she and Cander had left the temple to Coifur in the grand southern desert. She’d spent most of that time trying to write down everything she could remember from her journal, regularly cursing herself for losing it in the first place. She dashed past the custodian and ran up the large staircase to the upper level of the museum. A wooden door marked “Employees Only” was pushed aside. The room was a small office with several unoccupied desks. Cander sat at one of them, his head buried in a large dusty ledger. He looked up as she ran past and started to greet her but she ran past him and into the large wooden door at the end of the office. The office was filled with artifacts and paintings from all over Equestria and many others from outside the country. Kessa stopped in front of a large wooden desk in front of a picture window that overlooked the museum's main entrance. “You wanted to see me, sir?” she said, half out of breath. A large Earth pony stood up from behind the desk. He was a light dusty color, but his mane was aged a dark gray. Curator Dusthoof had been a fixture in Kessa’s life for as long as she could remember. “Yes, I did,” he said as he came around the desk and sat down in front of her. “I’d be lying if I said your letters didn’t intrigue me,” he said. Kessa smiled at the praise. “But they also worried me,” he continued. Kessa's shoulders drooped. She knew what he was going to say. Dusthoof placed both fore hooves on the desk and frowned at her. “That was supposed to be a simple fact-finding mission. The next thing I know, Cander’s hurt and I’m hearing stories about spikes, floods, scorpions...” He shook his head. “You can’t keep doing this.” “Look, it’s real this time,” Kessa said as she reached for her bag. “You always say that,” Dusthoof said. “Yeah, but I actually mean it this time,” she said before she pulled out the tablet portion and placed it on his desk. “This is the first half of the Stallion’s Record. I know it is.” she gestured towards the markings on the tablet. “The written account of the survivors from Alanticorn after the city was destroyed.” Dusthoof leaned over to look at the tablet. “This is indeed interesting,” he said. “But incomplete. You need the other half.” “I know that, I was hoping to-” “No,” Dusthoof said. “No more. Let the actual archaeologists handle this.” “I-” “You’re a museum guide, Kessa,” he said. “And I expect you to remember that.” He placed his hoof on the tablet and slid it to the other side of his desk so she couldn’t get to it. “I’ll take care of this. You have a tour starting in fifteen minutes.” Kessa stared at him for a moment, fighting back the angry tears that threatened to fall. She stood near the door for another moment, hoping he'd change his mind. Dusthoof turned away to look out of the window. Kessa turned and pushed open the door, slamming it shut behind her. Cander gave her a smile, but it melted when he saw the expression on her face. “Is there anything-” “No,” Kessa said, cutting him off. “I’m fine.” She stomped out of the office, slamming that door shut as well. She trotted through the museum for a few minutes before she found herself on the third floor balcony overlooking Central Park. She leaned on the railing and looked out over the other ponies walking through the park. Some were talking, others relaxed on benches. It would have been a nice day if it wasn’t for the fact she’d been torn down by the only pony she respected. Kessa had grown up around the museum. Her parents died while returning from a dig site. Dusthoof took her in afterwards. He gave her a place at the museum. She spent all number of hours either in the library, learning from the scientists on staff or exploring the exhibits. The idea of exploring places nopony had been for centuries and discovering facts long forgotten was always her drive. Dusthoof told her that her parents were of the same mindset, that they’d been lost doing the very thing they enjoyed. Now he was taking that connection away from her. Kessa stomped on the carved blocks of the balcony. She felt her anger flow into the stone of the old building. She wouldn’t stand for it. Celestia as her witness, she wouldn’t let this stop her. The large doors to the balcony slammed open, startling her. Cander poked his head out. “The tour group’s here and they’re getting antsy,” he said. “Most of them are fillies and colts, so watch yourself.” “No problem,” she said, her voice low and grouchy. “I just-” +++ “-love showing people around the museum,” Kessa said, her voice light and cheery, to the crowd of fourteen young ponies and their teacher. “We’re now in the museum’s grand foyer! Do you know what that is above us?” “A lizard?” “A monster?” “A dragon?” “You’re very close,” Kessa said, pointing towards the massive skeleton hanging from the ceiling. “This is one of the only known skeletons of a Ladon Serpentia, considered the ancient precursor to modern dragons.” “That’s lame,” said a colt in the back of the group. “It looks like a giant snake.” “It sort of was,” Kessa said as she moved towards the colt. “Only he had four little legs, each ending in a set of razor sharp claws capable of digging into the most solid stone.” She leaped behind one of the rocks on display below the skeleton. “He’d lie very still,” she said. “As his prey got closer, he’d wait for just when the prey was nearly upon him...” She suddenly jumped into the air, landing in front of the colt. “He’d rise up, spread his massive wings and let loose a deafening roar. Then, if the prey tried to run, he’d spit searing hot acid in its path, preventing any further escape.” Kessa smiled at the ponies as they stared at her. “But you won’t have to worry about them,” she said. “We believe they’re all extinct.” “B-believe?” the colt said. “There’s a lot of places still unexplored in this world of ours,” she said. “Who knows? There could be one of these fellows just sitting on a rock. Waiting.” She smiled again. “On our left is the Shankheight Hall of Ocean Life, if you’ll follow me.” +++ “Are you ever going to lead a tour where you don’t try to scare the kids?” Cander asked. He usually came down to talk to her while the kids were busy. This time they were distracted by the various rocks and crystals on display. “It gives them a healthy respect for history when they can picture it actually happening,” Kessa said. Cander smiled. Then his eyes drifted to the old worn tiles of floor. He gently kicked at it for a moment. “Did you want to talk about this morning?” he asked, his voice low. Kessa flattened her ears against her head. “No,” she said. “Look, I’m sure whatever he said in there was for the best-” “He still treats me like some filly in need of constant attention.” “Well, to be fair, you have lied to him a few times about what you’re actually doing,” Cander said. She shot him a dirty look. “We cut it pretty close in that temple, Kessa. If we were just a bit slower we’d have both been a lot worse off than wet and banged up.” “I know,” she said. Kessa let out a long heavy sigh. “But this find...it could do so much. There were so many things lost in that city.” “And according to the legend you like to quote, they were lost for a reason,” Cander said. “There’s some things in this world ponies just aren’t meant to know.” The words hung in the air for a moment. Kessa looked away from him, unable to admit that her friend did have a point. They sat together in silence for a few moments while the kids all gathered around a large display that showed what the different levels of Equestria’s soil looked like. “I never did thank you for saving my haunches back there,” Kessa said. “Oh,” Cander said, startled by the thanks. “No problem. You know me, when danger rears its ugly head-” “You’ll usually find Cander under his bed,” Kessa said as she playfully jabbed him with her elbow. “Well, that’s not quite what I meant,” but their conversation was interrupted by a filly’s earsplitting scream. “What the hay was that?” They ran over to a small group of young ponies who all seemed to be crowding around another pony. The filly at the center of attention was trying with all of her might to keep a book away from the others. “What’s going on here?” their teacher asked as she approached the group. “Lilyheart won’t share her book with us,” said one of the other ponies. “We just wanted to look at the pictures.” “What book?” Kessa asked. “It’s the latest Daring Do story!” one of the colts said. “It came out last week.” “You mean Daring Do and the Partly-Related Regent?” Cander said. “Yeah!” the colt said. “I’ve been waiting months for that,” Cander said. Kessa glared at him. “You kids know you shouldn’t be fighting,” the teacher said. “I want to be an archaeologist like Daring Do,” one of the fillies said. “Imagine, taking on the likes of Barron Lowblast!” “Or Ahuizotl!” “Oh, archaeology’s nothing like it is in those silly books,” Kessa said. “It takes long hours of studying in libraries, diving through mountains of scrolls and books before you can even start to think about going out into the field. And even once you get out there, you have to-” Before she’d finished, the children tuned her out and resumed fighting over the book. The teacher tried to herd them towards the gift shop. “Thank you so much for the tour Miss Forelock,” the teacher said. Kessa waved at the departing kids. “What kind of issue do you have with Daring Do stories?” Cander asked. “They’re insulting,” Kessa said. “They give ponies like that the wrong idea.” “We managed to escape from a temple that tried to drown us in the middle of the desert,” Cander said as they walked back towards the grand foyer. “I think you can cut Daring Do a little slack.” “I can’t imagine what you see in that series,” she asked. “It’s good fun,” Cander said. “Daring’s strong, fast and a better flier than I’ll ever hope to be. Plus, she always beats the bad guys.” “Yeah, reality’s harsh,” Kessa said as she turned from him and started down another hallway. “Wait, I didn’t mean-” Cander said. “I’ve got something I’ve gotta take care of,” Kessa said. “I’ll see you in the office.” “Oh, okay, see you there,” Cander said. He watched her leave for another moment before he moved towards the stairs. Kessa usually shared everything with him, but she couldn’t this time. He’d already stuck his neck out for her in the desert. If he did it again, she didn’t want to risk something worse happening to him. She walked down the hallway towards a dusty wooden door. Kessa nudged it open and walked down the stairwell to the museum’s massive basement. The basement stored all of the exhibits that the museum wasn’t presently showing. It also had a library. A very large library. The museum’s public library was by no means empty, but the one in the basement was nearly three times its size. “Libro?” she called as she passed through some of the ancient sculptures of long-gone ponies. Libro Shelver was the chief archivist of the museum. He wasn’t the most social of ponies, but he did his job well. There was never a display piece missing or a book on the wrong shelf. “Oh, Miss Forelock, you startled me,” he said, peeking his head around the corner. “I was just logging in the Highnetter’s Western Beetle Collection. They just displaced it for the ancient predators display.” “So I saw,” Kessa said. “Can I help you?” “No thanks, I just need to visit the library.” “Okay, you know where it- wait!” Libro said before leaping directly in front of her. “I’m afraid I can’t let you in there. Orders from the curator!” “Look, I only need to check a few things, you can let me do that, can’t you?” Kessa asked. “I can’t, I’m sorry,” Libro said. “I understand,” Kessa said. “Can I look around in here?” Libro eyed her carefully. One of the things she did admire about him was his devotion to the museum, but right now that very devotion was her main obstacle. “I don’t see why not,” Libro said. “But please just stay away from the library.” She turned away from him, feeling his eyes watching her as she turned around a large shelf. She slowly moved towards the entrance to the library, casting a look towards Libro. After a moment, he seemed to become engrossed in cataloging the beetle exhibit and ignoring her. She rounded another bookshelf and was fully out of sight, ducking into the library. Kessa shut the door behind her as quietly as she could. The room was huge and took up at least a third of the entire basement. The magical lights ignited as she entered, illuminating the towering shelves. It would take years just to search through every shelf, let alone read the books on them. The only place in Equestria with more books was probably the Canterlot library and Kessa thought even that was a close call. It made her even more thankful for Libro’s impeccable attention to detail. Kessa went to the far back corner of the library. The books she’d stacked before were still there, neatly arranged in alphabetical order. She trotted past those books towards the shelf containing books analyzing old pony tales. More dust than usual covered this set of shelves. Kessa usually went to this section when she was stumped for information. She blew most of the dust away before grabbing the book entitled Grimtail’s Legends and Lore and turned to the chapter about Alanticorn. “One of the oldest legends of Equestria, many have spoken of the ancient city of Alanticorn and its fall into the great Eastern Ocean. We have little knowledge of the very early history of the world, well before the founding of Equestria.” “This tale in particular has somehow survived the millennia.” “The legend goes that a grand empire of Alicorns once ruled the entire world. All roads led to the grand city of Alanticorn, a massive, beautiful city built on a magically summoned island in the middle of the ocean.” “The reason the city vanished differs depending on who you ask. Some say it fell from a massive uprising of dragons. Other claim there was a massive uprising by the ponies enslaved by the empire. The most far fetched idea involves debris from space containing creatures we’ve never seen before taking the city’s occupants into the heavens.” “I, however, have my own theory. If one looks at the supposed placement of the city, you can see that-” Something slammed into her from the side, sending her flying into one of the bookshelves. Books went flying in every direction. As she got to her feet, trying to shake away the stars circling her head, she was pulled through the air and slammed into the opposite bookcase. She rose again from the pile of dust and books to lock eyes with a pony wearing a dark red robe. He was a unicorn, his horn glowing a slight green. “Who are you?” Kessa tried to ask, but it just came out as a deep gasp as she tried to draw breath. “Do not seek the city,” the unicorn said, his voice deep and foreboding. “The city...” Kessa panted. “Consider this a warning,” he said. “Nothing but darkness comes from there.” “A warning? What about the city, is it-” Kessa said, but the unicorn surrounded himself with smoke and pushed her back again. Kessa flew backwards into another shelf. She struggled to her feet, her legs shaking. She looked around but the unicorn was gone. Libro ran into the library, his eyes wide and panicked. “What have you done?!” he asked. “It wasn’t me,” Kessa said. “You shouldn’t even be in here,” Libro said. “If the curator finds out...” his voice slowly trailed off as he looked past her towards the last shelf she’d slammed into. “What?” Kessa said, turning to follow his gaze. A single book entitled Lost Secrets of the Past remained on the shelf perfectly upright. Kessa stared at the book for a moment before she slowly trotted over. The shelves on either side had been knocked askew, but not this one. It remained perfectly upright. Kessa gently nudged the book but it didn’t move. She looked back at Libro but he just shrugged. She carefully grabbed it with her mouth and pulled on it. The book didn’t move at all. Kessa sat back for a moment, staring at the one object that seemed to be out of place, despite the chaos around them. She leaned forward to try one more thing. She raised a hoof and gently pressed on the spine of the book. The book budged just a bit before it slid fully into the shel. The shelf itself began to shake before it slid just a bit to the side, revealing a new stone shelf built into the wall itself. A metal case sat in the shelf. It looked somewhat old, only a small layer of dust covered the top. “Did you know about this?” Kessa asked. “Not at all,” Libro said. “I’ve memorized every blueprint of the museum and this wasn’t in any of them, not even the original construction plans.” Kessa grabbed the case by the handle and dragged it over to the table. “What are you doing?” “Don’t you want to see what’s inside it?” Kessa asked. “What I want is to find out what happened here,” Libro said. “You don’t even know who put that there.” “Only one way to find out,” Kessa said as she nudged the box open. Inside it was a long square object wrapped in dark blue linen. The object glowed with a golden light that pierced through the linen. Kessa reached down and pulled the linen off of it and averted her eyes for a moment as a bright golden light beamed out from inside the box. Resting in the bottom of metal wrapped box, was the other piece of the stone tablet. The golden glow was slightly warm and felt almost familiar to her. She looked closer at the tablet piece. She could see the grooves where this tablet would connect to the other one. “What is it?” Libro asked as he looked into the box. She slammed the box shut without answering him, almost taking his nose off. She ran towards the door, balancing the box carefully on her back. “Thanks for everything,” she said as she pushed open the door. “Don’t...mention it?” Libro said as he looked around the destroyed library. +++ Kessa pushed open the door to the main office, causing Cander to lift his head off his desk. “Where have you been?” he asked. “We had a tour come in and couldn’t find you. I had to give the tour. Did you happen to know that I know absolutely nothing about ancient crystal formations?” She ran past him towards the curator’s office. “What is it?” She still didn’t answer him as she threw open the curator’s door and slammed it shut behind her. “What is the meaning of this?” Dusthoof said as she walked forward and placed the box on his desk. “Oh no...” he said, his voice low. She opened the box and turned it on its side, letting the tablet half slide onto the desk. “It was here the entire time,” she said, pacing back and forth, a happy skip in her step. “I don’t know how or why but-” “I do,” Dusthoof said. “It was because I put it there.” Kessa stopped mid-stride and nearly fell over. She turned to look at him. “What? When?” “Years ago, when you were a foal,” he said. His eyes met hers. It was the most serious she’d ever seen the old stallion. “The search for this place has destroyed too many, including your parents. I’m not going to let it take you too.” He placed a hoof on the tablet and slid it to his side of the desk. “You knew this was here? And the whole time you just watched as I followed false leads and sat in the library for weeks?” “I was hoping you’d lose your drive,” Dusthoof said. “That you would think it was all the myth it’s supposed to be.” “But if we found it, we could learn-” “There is nothing to learn from that foul place!” Dusthoof said, slamming his hooves onto the desk. “It was burned by its own ego and sank from the weight of its own arrogance.” “Then maybe we can learn to never make the same mistakes again,” Kessa said. “If there’s one thing I’ve always heard you grumbling about, its that if ponies learned more from the mistakes of the past, it’d make everypony’s future a bit brighter.” Their eyes met again. Dusthoof could see the fire in her eyes. The same fire he’d seen in her mother’s eyes when she first came into the museum. Her jaw was set like her father’s had always been when looking at a new excavation. Usually just before he said something about it being perfectly safe. Forelocks were a stubborn lot and she seemed to have inherited the bulk of it. Dusthoof let out a sigh and sat down behind the desk. “You’re right,” he said, his voice low. He looked at her again, his face filled with a sadness she’d never seen before. “But if you do this, promise me that you’ll go into it with all four hooves on the ground.” “Promise,” she said, sitting back on her haunches and crossing her chest. Then she ran up to him and gave the old stallion a huge hug. Now let’s see if this tablet was worth putting Cander through scorpion infested waters,” he said before he drew the curtains over the windows and pulled out the first piece of the tablet from one of his desk drawers. He also pulled out a weather-beaten leather bound book and small silver box. Dusthoof gently pushed the tablet towards Kessa. “It’s your find.” She stared at him for a moment then slowly nodded. Kessa slid the two halves of the tablet together. The slab from the desert was above the glowing slab from the museum’s library. Suddenly the two pieces slammed together, creating a loud click that echoed inside the office. The complete tablet began to glow. It became brighter and brighter until it filled the entire room. She felt the same odd warmth from the tablet as she had before, only this time it felt even closer and more familiar. The light came together above the tablet and formed the shape of an alicorn. He seemed haggard and tired, a short white beard was growing from his chin. He opened his mouth after a few moments, his voice low and sad. “This is the last record of the city of Alanticorn,” he said. Kessa’s eyes stared at him, transfixed by the familiar golden glow. “We wanted to give so much back to the world that had already given us much. We created the city as a beacon of hope, but it became our downfall. Our desire to help gave way to darkness and greed.” “The tablet you have before you contains the last vestiges of our power, knowledge and memories,” he said. “We wanted to allow some way to reclaim what we lost, hoping that there would come a day that the world would be ready for what we were not. Our trusted friends inscribed upon this tablet the locations of the icons needed to return the city to its former glory. Once the icons are returned to the tablet, it will guide you to the city’s final resting place.” Then his white, empty eyes turned towards Kessa and she felt as is if he was searching her very soul. “Only those of pure intentions can grasp the power we unleashed,” he said. Then the floating figure flashed and vanished, returning the room to its original dim lighting. “Well, that was certainly interesting,” Dusthoof said. He looked down at the tablet and watched as more writing appeared. He leaned forward, trying to read the lettering. “By Celestia, that thing was right,” he said. “This tablet holds the record for the entire journey of the city’s survivors.” “Does it say where they went?” Kessa asked. “Give me a moment,” Dusthoof said. “Eyes aren’t what they used to be. The first place was somewhere...in mountains...near a desert on the southern continent. The second was taken somewhere to the far north, it’s not clear, and they kept the third to be guarded by...it seems like the future inheritance.” Kessa walked over to the large map he kept on the wall. “So we go to Austailia first,” she said. “But where do we go from there?” “This doesn’t say,” Dusthoof said. “We’ll just have to figure it out when we arrive.” He pulled an old bag from beneath his desk and slid the tablet into it. “I have two things to give you. To be honest, I should have given them to you awhile ago.” He pointed first to the book. “This was your father’s journal, he gave it to me before we parted, for the last time,” Dusthoof said. He placed the book carefully in the bag. Then he picked up the silver box and slid it towards her. She nudged the top off the box to reveal a series of polished stones on a dark chain. “It was your mother’s,” Dusthoof said. “Your father gave it to her as a gift a few years before you were born. It was very special to her.” Kessa knelt down and lifted the necklace with her nose, flipping it past her head and onto her neck. Dusthoof passed her the bag. “When you get to Marebourne, ask for DuClaw, he’s an old friend of your parents and myself. He’ll help you.” “You’re not coming?” she asked. “I have to set things in order here, then I’ll meet you there,” Dusthoof said. “Promise me you’ll be safe.” “I will,” Kessa said before hugging the old stallion again. She turned and opened the door. As she ran out she slammed right into Cander, who had been kneeling beside the door listening in. “You’re not doing what I think you’re doing,” Cander said. “I am,” Kessa said. “Well you can count me out. I’ve heard nothing but bad things about Austailia,” he said. “Killer insects, wild fires-” “Interesting wildlife, the Sydneigh Opera House,” Kessa said. “Tiny animals with huge teeth, bears that attack you from trees-” “All the eligible mares,” she said. “What?” “Oh, I’ve just heard rumors,” she continued as she walked out of the office. “Lots of mares looking for a good, strong stallion down there. Austailia’s mostly earthponies, don’t know how long it’s been since they’ve seen a dashing pegasus.” “Okay, look, if I go, promise me something,” Cander said. “I’m doing that a lot tonight,” she said. “No spiders or scorpions,” Cander said. “Prom-” “No running headlong into some sort of dark cavern.” “Promi-” “No jumping into pits just to see where they-” “Cander,” she said. “It’s a temple in some mountains, what could possibly be in there?” She started down the stairs towards the main entrance. “This is the same pony who claimed you couldn’t drown in a desert,” Cander said. +++ Dusthoof shut his office door as the voices of the two arguing ponies disappeared into the museum. He was glad Cander was going along. He walked over to the window and watched the two of them board a taxi and start down the street A bright flash and muffled bang filled the room, causing Dusthoof to turn back into the office. When his eyes readjusted to the dim light, he saw a unicorn standing in front of the window. It took him a moment, but he remembered who this pony was. “I wondered how long it would take for you to pay me a visit,” Dusthoof said. “Where is the tablet?” asked the smooth voice of Coifur. “You’re too late,” Dusthoof said. “It’s already on the move.” “You sent it with her, didn’t you?” Coifur said. Dusthoof said nothing. “You always were soft,” Coifur said with a laugh. “You’ve all but delivered it into my hooves.” “You will not harm a hair on her mane,” Dusthoof said. “As if you could do anything to me,” Coifur said. “The Forelocks couldn’t stop me. What makes you think a rockhorned simpleton like- Dusthoof turned quickly before Coifur could react and bucked the unicorn with all of his might. Coifur flew over Dusthoof’s desk, sending papers and artifacts flying. Dusthoof pressed the button on his buzzer, signalling Libro in the library. “Libro, I need you to-” A sudden force knocked him backwards into the door. The hinges gave way and he slid along the floor of the main office, splinters from the door flying through the air around him. Dusthoof shook his head, trying to clear the daze he felt, another force slammed into him, sending him flying again, this time onto the landing outside of the office. There was another flash and bang as Coifur appeared right next to him. “I’ve waited far too long to remove you from the picture,” Coifur said. Dusthoof struggled to get to his hooves, but his old knees gave way and he fell back to the floor. “You’ll...never...” Dusthoof tried to say, but it was then that he noticed the odd necklace Coifur was wearing. “Do you recognize this?” Coifur asked. “Here, let me brighten it up a bit for you.” The dark violet of Coifur’s magic surrounded the necklace. “By Celestia...the mark of the Gorgon,” Dusthoof said. “Coifur, that’s-” “Why don’t you have a closer look,” Coifur snarled. +++ The sound of rapid hoofbeats filled the empty halls of the museum. At this time of day there were no tours or even patrons, just the janitors making their rounds. Libro pushed past one such janitor as he raced towards the foyer. Dusthoof never called Libro directly, he preferred to deal with most display matters on his own, leaving Libro to keep the archives organized. But the desperate call and subsequent crash told him something was very wrong. “Mister Curator?” Libro said as he pushed open the grand door to the foyer. Just as he stepped into the room, something fell from the second floor and smashed on the tiles below. Pieces from it skittered in every direction. It looked like it had been a statue, but as Libro carefully approached it, he could make out the familiar head and torso of Dusthoof, his stony face locked in a horrified expression. Libro staggered backwards, his eyes looking up at the balcony. He saw another pony there for a brief moment, its eyes matching those of an object around its neck before it vanished in a bright flash.