//------------------------------//
// The Other 
// Story: A Broken Land 
// by sbloom85 
//------------------------------//

	I walked out of the library, pulled out my smart phone and read the notes I took when Princess Celestia gave me the details.

Check the cave by the shore.
Check the lighthouse.
Check the windmill.

I put the phone away and decided to check the lighthouse first. She wanted me to find the missing pages for their respective books. But what about this world? She did say this “Jaxxon” guy sealed up the rest of the world, but she didn't know where those books were at. I had to look for them myself.

So, who was this “Jaxxon Markus Citadel” and why would he do such a thing? Was he the kind of man who would punish his own creations because the one he fell in love with was murdered by one of his own kind? If he was still alive, I'm going to have to find him and have him explain himself.

I made my way to the door to the lighthouse. I looked up the massive tower and noticed there was no light coming from it. I let out a contemplative hum and went inside.

I looked around and let out a disgusted sigh. “Great... more books.”

Before I got to that, I decided to walk up the staircase to see what was wrong with the light. I made my way up the stairs, expecting to find a lot more books, but surprisingly, there weren't. I looked to the strange device that must be the source of the illumination, but there was nothing. It was not lit by fire, no powerful light bulb... nothing. It was like this lighthouse served no purpose. I looked around and saw a knocked over chair, a desk and a book that appeared to be in excellent condition.

I walked over to the desk, set the chair upright and sat on it. I slid the book closer to me and examined the cover. “Tales From the Everfree” was written, and of course, there was no author. Jaxxon must have been the one who wrote this. He must have been the one who wrote the book I found in the library. I opened the book and like the first one, it was written in the equines' native language. If he was the one who wrote these books, why would he write them in their language?

I wasn't going to take any chances with this one. For all I knew, this “Everfree” could be a hostile place. I carefully closed the book and pushed it aside for now. If I was going to read these books, I needed to find a translation guide. That meant I had to return to the library. Wonderful.

I stood up and walked down the stairs. As I exited the lighthouse, I thought I saw a figure running toward the windmill. I shook my head and headed back to the library. Funny, I have not gotten hungry since my arrival, I did not feel tired, either. Maybe it was adrenaline that was keeping me going. I should start getting hungry and tired after a while, right?

I entered the library and walked to the podium with Princess Celestia's prison book and opened it. She looked at me with shock. “You're back. Have you found anything yet?”

I shook my head. “Not yet, Your Majesty. I can't read the language. Do you know where I can find something to help me translate the text?”

She rubbed her chin with a hoof, then shook her head. “I'm afraid not. Try asking Twilight, she taught Jaxxon how to read our language.”

I nodded. “I'll do that.” I slowly closed the book and proceeded to the opposite end of the room. I examined the titles. “The Princess of Love” was on the cover of the book, along with a crystal heart on top of a colorful shield. To my left, “The Student of Friendship” was the title of the one to my right with an image of a large star, surrounded by five smaller stars. Princess Celestia did say that Twilight was her student, so I opened it.

I saw a purple-coated unicorn sleeping peacefully. Seeing her like this made me feel like I should let her sleep, but who knows how long she has, so I cleared my throat. “Hello?”

She woke up and looked to me, giving me a glare that would kill me if it could. “Another human. What do you want?”

I chuckled nervously. “I want to know if you know where I can find something to help me translate these books.”

Her glare softened and she raised an eyebrow. “Really? Are you here to help us?” I nodded. “It's about time, thank Celestia.” I stifled my laughter. “I don't know if he made a copy, but I have a translation guide in my library.”

I looked around the room, then back to her. “Is this your library?”

She shook her head. “No, it's merely a replica of it. You'll have to find a book that links to Ponyville.”

My eyes widened. “What?! If I do that, I'll be stuck there.”

Again, she shook her head. “You won't, believe me. Jaxxon made sure to create a book that will bring you back here.”

That was a relief. If there was a book that can bring me back here from there, surely there was a book that can take me back to Earth. “You wouldn't know where I can find that book, would you?” She shook her head. “How about a title?”

She took a moment to think. “I think it was called 'Tales From the Everfree'. That book connects to a location in the Everfree Forest just outside of Ponyville. Once there, find a dirt path and follow it out.”

I nodded. “I saw that book in the lighthouse. Thank you, Twilight.”

Her pupils shrank. “How do you know my name?”

I groaned. I almost forgot to tell her about that. “I spoke with Princess Celestia. I agreed to help you reclaim your world.”

Just as quickly, her pupils dilated. “Really? Oh bless you!”

I chuckled. “Don't thank me yet. I still need to get you and the others out of these prisons.”

She smiled. “What are you waiting for?”

I nodded. “I'll see you again shortly.” She nodded and I slowly closed the book. I stood up and stretched. I was not eager to go up that staircase again, but I had no choice.





I quickly made my way back to the upper part of the lighthouse. I looked to the desk and the book on it was gone. “Oh, that's typical.” That figure I saw earlier must have taken it. The only person I could think of who might do this was Jaxxon.

“Are you looking for this?”

I quickly turned and saw a man holding a book in his right hand. “I'm guessing you're Jaxxon Markus Citadel.”

He nodded. “I sure am. How did you get here, by the way?”

I folded my arms. “I found your book at my library. Why have you imprisoned these people?”

He shook his head. “I didn't imprison anypony, I'm preserving them so I can undo the damages that happened here.”

I scoffed. “I suppose you're talking about the murder of your wife and unborn child.”

He nodded. “Yes. I take it you spoke with Celestia.” I nodded. “Figures. I suppose she asked you to help free her and the others.” I nodded again. “You're not getting Twilight's guide. I'd rather see Ponyville burn than let you ruin my work.”

He pulled out a lighter. “Don't even think about it!” I started running toward him and he headed down the stairs.

We ran out to the open and he headed toward the windmill. I did not know what was up with this place, but I was not feeling fatigued, nor did I feel any pain in my legs. I could probably use this to my advantage. I picked up the pace as I saw he was trying to get the lighter to fire up. I was closing in on him slowly and as soon as I was close enough, I lunged at him.

I barely got a hold of his legs and tripped him. Both the lighter and the book flew out of his hands as he fell to the ground. I scrambled up and ran to the book. I picked it up, dusted it off and examined it for any damage only to find none. Good. I turned back toward Jaxxon, but he was somehow already gone. Thankfully he left his lighter, so I walked up to it, picked it up and put it in my pocket.

“We'll meet again, Jaxxon.”