//------------------------------// // 1. The Temple // Story: The Humans Return // by Synthetic Soul //------------------------------// The Complete History of Humans Intro Thousands of years ago, before the unification of the three pony tribes, there existed a great and horrible race called Humans. These creatures stood on two legs, and were devoid of fur, except for their head. These creatures were cruel. They enslaved all other creatures, sentient or not, on the planet. They were even able to control the dragons. They ate both meat and plants, yet their diet mostly consisted of meat from the creatures they ruled. Even the demons of Tartarus would think twice about approaching these beings. But just how were these creatures able to conquer the world? It was a combination of their ferociousness, tactical genius and strange powers. Humans had unparalleled physical strength, speed, and endurance. They were capable of moving objects with their minds, which was linked to their ability to fly without wings. Their final power was their ability to concentrate energy into weaponized spheres which they launched from their hands. Most humans were trained in martial arts, and they were also trained to use various weapons. They crafted magically resistant armor, and they themselves were truly the most feared beings on the planet. But then, one day, they just disappeared. Pony slaves of humans served their masters one day, and then the next, they awoke fo find their oppressors gone. There is no information detailing why humans disappeared, and even to this day, it remains a- "TWILIGHT!" Twilight Sparkle jerked in surprise and looked up to see her friend Rainbow Dash. "Oh, sorry Rainbow. What is it?" asked Twilight. "We're supposed to be searching for artifacts and stuff, but you're just sitting here reading." "Rainbow, I happen to be reading a book about humans. I'm researching." "Well, can you help us look?" "I guess." Twilight put down her book, stood up, and followed Rainbow. She took a look around her. A week ago, Princess Celestia had been informed of an uncovered human temple. She, Princess Luna, and the element bearers rushed to the temple. Twilight took the opportunity to observe the temple. It was constructed from silver colored metal, with glowing veins and runes. Glowing crystals hung from the ceilings, illuminating the structure. There were many other ponies in the temple who worked in excavating. the ancient artifacts contained in the temple. Just as Twilight and Rainbow rounded a corner, a pink pony dashed towards them. "Hey Twilight, hey Dashie! Guess what, guess what, guess what!" said the excited Pinkie Pie. "Uh, what is it?" asked Rainbow. "The rest of us found something in this super huge room! Come on, follow me!" Pinkie grabbed Rainbow and Twilight with her hooves and dragged the two along with her. In a flash of pure speed, the three found themselves in front of a set of large metal doors. The doors each had an engraving of a human in full body armor, each one holding a sword and shield. "Pinkie released her hold on the other two ponies, and proceeded to rapidly knock on the door. A few moments later, the doors glowed in a golden light, and opened to reveal none other than Princess Celestia. "Ah, Pinkie, I see you brought Rainbow and Twilight with you. Come on in." The Princess stepped aside and allowed the three ponies to walk inside. Twilight and Rainbows eyes widened in awe when they saw the room they were in. They stood on an elevated plane. A small set of stairs led down to a large open floor. Filling the area was an army of statues. These statues were tall and bipedal, clad in menacing looking armor. The statues appeared to be made of dark marble. Twilight, Rainbow and Celestia walked past the rows and rows of human statues, to find Luna, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy standing in front of the army. In front of them stood a raised pedestal. An octagonal object stood, and protruding from it was a large crystal, glowing with arcane energy. The ponies could all see a strange object inside the crystal. The ponies were unable to see exactly what the object was, because the crystal distorted it. "It's simply marvelous!" exclaimed Rarity. "What is this thing?" asked Twilight. "We aren't sure, but it's radiating ancient magical energy," answered Luna. "I though humans couldn't use magic?" asked Fluttershy. "They can't. That's what makes this so surprising," replied Celestia. "You were reading that book on humans. What do you think Twilight?...Uh, Twilight?" Rainbow spoke, but Twilight couldn't hear her. All of her attention was focused on the crystal. Twilight gazed at the crystal. The whole world darkened, leaving the crystal as the only light in the world. Twilight slowly but surely began walking towards the crystal, ignoring the protests of the others present. Twilight could hear faint whispering in her ear. The voice sounded like a combination of many voices brought together as a single entity. It whispered in her ear; 'The chosen one will set us free!When Twilight reached the crystal, she reached out with her arm and pressed her hoof against the pedestal. Twilight felt a rush of energy coursing through her arm, rushing into the crystal. The runes on the pedestal began to glow light blue. Twilight regained her awareness, and stepped back with the others. "W-what happened?" The crystal began to vibrate, rumbling in place. Then it began to crack. And as it cracked, some sort of fluid leaked from the crystal. Then, the crystal shattered completely, exploding in a bright light. The ponies all dove for cover, and shut their eyes. Before the first pony rose, the group heard the last noise they were expecting to hear in the ancient temple. They heard crying. The group stood up and looked to where the crystal once stood. Lying there, on the pedestal was a small sand colored creature. It was a small, and pudgy little creature, squirming like a worm. Celestia stepped up and looked down at the creature. "No...it...it can't be!" Twilight stepped up and looked down at the creature. "But it is. It can't be anything else! It's...it's-" the entire group spoke at once. "A baby human!"