"... and so it came to pass that King Temporis and and Queen Galaxia had been called upon by Mother Faust and left their kingdom in the capable hooves of their young daughters, Princesses Celestia and Luna. Peace continued to reign over Equestria for centuries to follow." read Annabeth in the Ancient Language, "Ugh..! Nothing here either!" she added in Equish with a groan and a yawn. She slammed the book shut with her magic and dropped it on the table with the others.
"It's gotten late enough. I say we go to bed now." Twilight proposed.
"Let's, I'm tired out of my freaking mind right now." Annabeth replied, yawning even wider, and making no effort to conceal it.
The two mares exited the library, slowly making their way to the bedrooms, following the glowing arrows on the floor. After a few minutes, music could be heard in the distance. Curious, they followed the sound until they reached the same music room Twilight and Percy had found before going to the Crystal Empire to fight. It had hardly been a day, and yet it felt so distant to the lavender Alicorn.
Jetstream sat in front of her piano, once again in her pony-human hybrid form, or "anthro" as Percy had called it. Sky blue wings were folded in her back, between her narrow shoulders. Blue hair streaked in silver cascaded down to her lower back. The Princess of Lightning's blue fingers moved swiftly and gracefully across the keys of the large instrument.
Without turning around, or even moving to acknowledge the two younger ponies' presence, Jetstream said:
"Good evening, ladies. I assume your research has yet to be over?"
"Yeah. We couldn't find anything about Tirek in any of the books we searched." Annabeth replied.
"Perhaps it would be a better idea to ask ponies who lived in that time to help us. High-Queen Dianthia hinted to me that she knew more about Tirek, but agreed only to tell us tomorrow morning, at breakfast."
"That sounds like good idea. Say, you play pretty well, even with fingers." The demigod complimented.
"Why thank you, Annabeth. I've had about half a year's practice in this particular body. I was inspired to use it first when Twilight returned from her ordeal in the human world that sits opposite to this one. Though I've been reluctant to part with my wings, as you can see. I was born with them, and If I ever die, I wish to do so with them as well." The older Alicorn explained.
"And what are you playing, exactly?" Twilight asked.
"A small loop of a tune I composed after Starswirl the Bearded passed away."
"Passed... away?" Twilight stammered.
"Yes. In my early life, I was fascinated by his works. I started to work for the Cloudsdale Municipal Library when I was thirteen, and became it's youngest owner ever at the age of sixteen. Shortly after becoming the Head Book-keeper there, I met him for the first time. My reaction was easily comparable to your friend Rainbow Dash meeting this generation's Wonderbolts face to face for the first time. It started out as a simple acquaintance, but grew into a strong friendship when I moved to Canterlot and became Head Book-keeper at the Canterlot University of Magic. I worked with him as much as I did with Luna. With Starswirl, however, I worked solely on mortal pony magic. He had somewhat of an aversion for studying Alicorn Magic, and categorically refused to even speak of Shadow Magic. Changeling Magic and Chaos Magic were still too scarce and Harmony Magic had yet to be discovered."
Jetstream stopped playing and turned to the younger mares.
"I gradually stopped working with him after I became an Alicorn. The last time I had spoken to him prior to my exile was when I returned from my time with the Changelings. I was delighted to find out he was still alive when I woke up from two centuries of wrestling with my own mind, so I visited him. Starswirl was the first pony I had revealed myself to, and he had also agreed to keep my secret, though at a price. He wanted me to take him with me to Altur'Rang so that he could see it before passing away. He lived here for two whole weeks before finally saying goodbye one last time. He left me his journal, which I copied down. He intended for me to give it to Celestia, which I only did a few months after Luna was banished."
"Did you bury him?" Twilight asked, a tear running down her cheek.
"No. We wanted me to cremate him and to compress him into gemstones. The very same gemstones which now ornate the crest stamped into my favorite worktable in the library. A crest which, by the way, represented his cutie mark." Jetstream replied.
*And to think that I never realized it. That crest caught my attention almost immediately, and it looked so familiar, but I couldn't place where... Starswirl must've been ancient if he lived through Jetstream's two hundred years' downtime. But then again the life-extending enchantment was one of his earliest discoveries.*
"How old was he when he died?" Twilight asked.
"If I recall correctly, two hundred and seventy-three was his age." the older Alicorn replied. "The night grows old, you two. You should run off to bed. Even I will sleep tonight, I think." A green flash later, and there stood the mutated pony that was the Princess of Lightning's natural form. "Good night, and I will see you both in the morning." she added before trotting off into the dimly lit hallways.
"She's right. We should go to bed too." Annabeth said.
Twilight nodded and the two mares set out for their respective bedrooms, led by the arrows on the floor. Twilight wished Annabeth a good sleep and entered her room, collapsing on the bed, too tired to even think of what Jetstream had told her.
* * *
Twilight awoke grumpily six hours later.
*Stupid internal habit clock...* she grumbled internally. For some reason, Twilight's brain was hardwired to wake her up at exactly 8:30AM, no matter how late she went to bed. She also knew there was no way she could go back to sleep until nighttime. Twilight cracked an eye open, looking around her room. Spike's smaller bed was empty, and the artificial sky was clear.
*Follow the arrows to find the breakfast room. That's what the plan is.* Twilight thought, as she slipped out of bed, quickly combed her mane with magic, and walked out of the door. It took a few minutes for Twilight to realize what happened the previous night. Dianthia was going to tell them about Tirek, and preparations will be going accordingly. Kronos also remained an issue, though Annabeth and Percy had already described what the Titan was capable of. Quickening her pace, Twilight's thoughts shifted back to what she had talked about with Jetstream the night before.
*I still can't believe Starswirl the Bearded passed away here of all places. Even now he's resting in the library. It's amazing what destiny can do.*
Twilight arrived in the dining room moments later. A large crystal table lined the center of the room, some ponies already seated at it. Twilight recognized Luna, Rarity, Applejack, Annabeth, Cadence, Fluttershy, Nyx, Screwball, and Asbeth. Standing off to the side of the room was Dianthia, who's expression was dignified and yet soft at the same time. The High-Queen of the Changelings reminded Twilight of her old mentor in that sense. Celestia carried herself in much the same manner, and observed her subjects as a mother would her foals.
*In Dianthia's case, that comparison may not be too far off...* Twilight thought.
"Good morning, Twilight!" Cadence said.
"Hi mom!" Nyx added.
"Good morning everypony." Twilight replied with a smile. Tired as she was, she tried not to show it. Annabeth on the other hoof, apparently didn't care for that effort. The dark bags under the demigod unicorn's eyes were rather prominent on her baby-blue coat. She sat quietly at the table with a steaming mug in her silvery magical grip. Twilight could smell the coffee Annabeth was drinking from where she stood by the table.
"Well don't be shy, sugarcube. Sit on down and talk with us for a moment. Pinkie's in the kitchens, makin' breakfast for us all. Ah'm guessin' Jetstream's in there too. Care for a cup o' coffee?" Applejack said.
"Yes please." Twilight curtly replied. Caffeine was never a good idea for the purple Alicorn, but for the lack of sleep she had gotten, an exception had to be made.
"And how would you like it?" a voice asked, apparently coming from the ceiling. Discord materialized and floated down to the table, snapping the fingers on his lion's paw, and causing a row of over a dozen different coffee pots to appear, along with a purple mug that wore Twilight's cutie mark.
"Black. Also that mug is from my cupboard, in my library. You'd better clean it well and put it back neatly when I'm done with it." Twilight replied.
"Black it is." the draconnequs chuckled as he poured the steaming drink into the mug, then snapping his fingers again to make the other pots vanish. "Careful, it's hot. Freshly brewed not three minutes ago." he added.
As Twilight carefully took a sip from her mug, four more ponies entered the room. Celestia, Rainbow Dash, Jetstream and Percy.
"Good morning everypony." Celestia said.
"A good morning indeed, sister." Luna replied.
The four ponies sat around the crystal table, Rainbow taking a spot between Rarity and Applejack, Percy next to Annabeth, Jetstream at the end of the table, by Discord, and Celestia at the other end, in between Luna and Twilight.
"Coffee for anypony?" Discord offered.
"Espresso." Percy and Rainbow said in unison.
"Double-double." Celestia politely asked. "And decaf for Luna." the Sun Princess added with a smile, her eyes turned to her sister, who returned the favor with a slightly disgusted expression.
As the draconnequs complied, a pink pony came bouncing it, trailed by Spike who pushed a cart-full of food.
"Food's on!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Pancakes for everypony!"
*-*-*
As the meal came to a close, Dianthia stepped forward.
"Thank you all for your patience. As I've already informed Princess Jetstream and a few others, I know a fair bit about Lord Tirek, and my knowledge can be of immense use to you all. I suggest you get comfortable, as this tale is going to take some time to tell."
The Changeling took a minute to gather her thoughts and began:
"Two and a half millennia ago, two incredibly powerful creatures came to this land. Their names were Tirek and Scorpan. They had come with the intention to steal all the magic in Equestria and use it for their own dark purposes. Scorpan arrived first, supposedly as a scout for Tirek. However Scorpan befriended the inhabitants of Equestria, becoming allies with it's then-rulers, King Temporis and Queen Galaxia, whom some of you may recognize as the parents of Princesses Luna and Celestia. Scorpan warned them of Tirek's evil intentions. When Tirek finally arrived, he was quickly defeated by the combined might of Scorpan and the King and Queen. At the time, I was but a normal Queen, and my hive was located in the southernmost reaches of the Rocky Mountain ranges.
"I faintly recall Father telling me of Scorpan and his brother. It was so long ago that I'd nearly forgotten them." Luna said. "But what was Tirek capable of?"
"Tirek was able to absorb magic to replenish his own strength, and had many powerful abilities. His most devastating by far was his ability to influence time itself." Dianthia replied.
"Influencing time? That was one of Kronos' powers!" Percy cried. "He almost killed me twice using it, once back in New York, and once on board the Princess Andromeda."
"I'm starting to think that maybe Tirek and Kronos are one and the same. We become ponies when we come to this world, so maybe Kronos becomes Tirek when the same thing happens to him!" Annabeth added.
"A valid hypothesis, however we have little to no proof of that, right?" Luna asked.
"My colleagues and I kept an eye on Tartarus after Tirek's banishment. Some five hundred years later, less than a year before Princess Jetstream was born, in fact, Tirek's energy completely disappeared from Tartarus, though it did not go quietly. A wave of dark energy exploded across the land. Time seemed to shift uneasily, for about a week, it seemed as though time had slowed to a near halt. A single week felt like a year." Dianthia explained.
"After this dark aftermath subsided, not a single trace of Tirek remained in Tartarus. We tracked his trail in the Pit until we came across a tunnel, from which an orange light emanated. At the end of that tunnel, stood a mirror large enough to block the tunnel. Tirek's trail seemed to stop at that mirror, and even emanate from it, as if he had gone inside. However the mirror was solid, there was no way through. It was also indestructible. No amount of stress, physical or otherwise, could influence it."
"That sounds like the same mirror we arrived in this world through. Tirek must've gone to our world for a time." Percy noted. "But that doesn't make sense, if someone as powerful as Tirek managed to get to our Tartarus, the gods would've immediately known, and then they would've taken him apart. And knowing some of the gods in Olympus, they would've recorded it somewhere, just so they could brag about it to some pretty tree nymphs or something."
Annabeth giggled at Percy's remark. Twilight joined in as she realized he was referring to some of the less humble Olympians, such as Ares, Dionysus, or possibly even Apollo.
"Perhaps," Celestia replied with a wry smile of her own, "but what's important now is that there is worrisome energy growing in Tartarus as we speak. We need to identify the source of it as quickly as possible, so that we may take the swiftest course of action. It is in my belief that the best way to identify this energy is to consult someone who knew Tirek personally, and who could give us an accurate reading. I understand that the High-Queen Dianthia may be one of such individuals, but to be certain, I believe we need to ask someone who was close to Tirek. Someone like his brother Scorpan, if he still lives."
"Were Mother and Father still with us, I'm sure they could've pointed us towards Scorpan with ease." Luna added, "Unfortunately, this is not the case. If we are to find out about Scorpan's whereabouts there is but one book we need to find: Father's logbook."
"His logbook?" Twilight repeated.
"Yes. Before leaving us, Mother and Father left us each something precious to them. Our mother, Queen Galaxia, granted us each control over the Sun, the Moon, and the stars, so what we could govern Equestria just as they had. Our father King Temporis, however, left us his personal notebook. He said that it contained every bit of information he had learned since he had founded Equestria alongside Mother. He also said that if ever we felt lost, and that we needed advice, his logbook was the best place to look." Celestia explained.
"If Mother and Father truly did deal with Tirek and Scorpan in the past, and befriended Scorpan to boot, then it's almost guaranteed that Father recorded any- and everything he learned from Scorpan in his logbook." Luna added.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's find that book!" Percy exclaimed, hopping out of his seat and into the air with his wings.
"Calm yourself, Perseus Jackson." Jetstream chided, "The king's logbook could be anywhere. We need to make a plan before we go out looking for it."
"Not necessarily, Princess Jetstream." Celestia replied, "Father's logbook can only be in one place: Luna's room in the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters."
"My room? Pray tell, sister, why would the book be in my old room?"
"Because you were the one who held onto it the most, Luna. Father left the book for both of us, but you took interest to it much more than I ever did. I remember seeing it placed upon your lectern the night I was forced to banish you."
Both sisters' expressions became grim. Jetstream looked as if she could barely contain her rage.
"Let us not speak of that troublesome night. We must focus on the task at hoof and retrieve the logbook from the ruins." Dianthia said, hoping to change the subject.
Twilight got up from her seat and said:
"I can go. I've been to the ruins often enough, I'm sure I can find Luna's old room."
"A good idea, Twilight, but you should not go there alone. Faust only knows what could happen if something were to hurt you while you searched." Rarity added. "Perhaps I could go with you? We'll have better luck if we went together."
"Sure thing, Rarity. I'll be glad to have you along. But I'm leaving immediately, so you'd better be ready, because I'm teleporting there."
The fashionista nodded, and both ponies vanished in a flash of purple light.
The two mares materialized in a vast chamber. Twilight immediately recognized it as the old throne room. Up on the stand were the thrones of the Everfree Sisters, Luna's to the left, marked with the Crescent Moon, and Celestia's to the right, marked with the Sun. Above each throne was a tattered banner representing the time of day assigned to each Sister.
"This place brings back a memory or two, doesn't it?" Twilight remarked.
"That it does. Remember the time when all six of us came here, completely unaware of each other's presence?" Rarity added.
The mares shared a laugh.
"I sure do. I came here with Spike to try to figure out more about that chest we got from the Tree of Harmony."
"And I was here with Fluttershy in the hopes of recovering some old tapestries to restore. Funny thing was everypony ended up scaring themselves half to death on the silliest things."
"Didn't you end up running around in circles crying, with a banner on your head?" Twilight asked.
"Darling, If you truly must know, I wanted to make the castle pristine again and it disagreed with me. If you don't mind, I'd rather not bring that up anymore. Besides, we have to locate Princess Luna's chambers. I suggest we get a move on." the white unicorn huffed.
Twilight shook her head in amusement, chuckling under her breath.
"If you say so. I suggest we start looking in the left wing. Considering it's the side Luna's throne is on, there's a fair chance that the castle wing next to it is the Lunar Wing." she said.
"Sounds like a plan. Let's go."
~*~
Within less than an hour, the two mares' search came to an end. Twilight made sure to take note of a few points of interest in the Lunar Wing, but it was ultimately Rarity who came back to Twilight with an old book in her magical grasp.
"I believe this book may be the one we're looking for, dear. I've read some of the passages and it appears to be King Temporis recording his discoveries. I've also found a passage or two where the King mentions the Princesses." the white mare announced, "From what I've read, Luna and Celestia seem to have had a happy, albeit rather agitated, foalhood. It's quite adorable, really."
"Excellent! Give it to me, I'll need to bring it back to Altur'Rang. The other Princesses are going to want to see this." Twilight replied.
"Before you do, would you mind sending me back to my boutique? I have dress orders to fill and not even the end of the world is a good enough excuse for me not to complete them in time. I'd do it myself, if I were better at teleporting." the fashion pony asked.
Without so much as a blink of an eye, Rarity vanished in a flash of purple light. Twilight immediately turned her attention to the large, ancient book.
*What doesn't make sense to me is why Temporis's journal is a bound book, rather than a scroll. I remember Jetstream mentioning that bound books had only been invented a few years before she was born, and the King left Equestria centuries before that. Maybe Luna knows something.* the lavender alicorn thought as she stared at the worn cover.
She quickly dismissed the thoughts as she readied herself to teleport to Altur'Rang's Great Hall. As she emerged from the light, she immediately found herself several dozen feet above the dining table. Twilight's wings instinctively snapped open, hoping to stop her fall, but it was under her left wing that Twilight was holding the King's journal, which also began to fall. Panicking, Twilight flailed helplessly in the air, a terrified squeal escaping her lips. Her eyes squeezed shut, she waited for the impact, but it never came. Cracking her eyes open by mere millimeters, Twilight noticed she wasn't falling anymore, and the journal was floating next to her.
Twilight looked around herself to find out who had caught her, though she only caught sight of her "savior" after she was gently placed on the floor, and the journal placed on the table next to her.
"You really ought to be more careful, and perhaps a little less lazy, Twilight Sparkle." Luna said softly.
"What do you mean, lazy?" the younger alicorn huffed.
"It wouldn't kill you to not teleport everywhere, or at least to do so in bursts. I understand the need for haste, but you could easily have flown your way back here. What could kill you is a missed teleport like that one, however." the moon princess flatly stated.
Twilight harrumphed under her breath and turned her attention back to the ancient book.
"That matter aside, I do believe I can help you in your search. I know how my father liked to organize his findings. You'll find any information about Scorpan around three-quarters into the book. That's where he kept all of the information on specific individuals."
Twilight gently opened the ancient tome at the spot Luna indicated and began skimming through each page, until she found mention of Scorpan. At the top of the page was a sketch of a creature that stood on two legs, had large bat-like wings, and two large, gnarled horns on it's head.
"Of all the sentient magical beings I've met over my long lifetime, Scorpan is by far one of my favorites. We first met as I was exploring the Old World, a continent far to the east of this land Galaxia and I have come to call Equestria. Scorpan was young and full of vigor, but he had a wise mind and a kind heart as well. He and his people possessed the uncanny ability to absorb magic for power and sustenance. As I met his family and friends, I took note of one who stuck out like a sore limb. When I asked Scorpan about the individual in question, he simply replied with 'That's my adoptive brother, Tirek. My parents found him when we were but infants, and chose to raise him.' ..."
Twilight briefly scanned the next few pages and found nothing more of interest.
"The only thing I've got on where to find Scorpan is the passage about this "Old World" King Temporis mentioned." declared Twilight to her Lunar collegue. "Do you know anything about that place, Princess?"
Luna shook her head solemnly.
"I do not. However, if what Jetstream says is true, and this library of hers contains information about the world predating even my sister's birth, it is possible we may find something concerning the Old World." she said.
"But Annabeth and I searched the Library for hours yesterday, and found nothing concerning the Old World!" Twilight protested.
Luna gave Twilight a pointed look.
"Did you perhaps think of looking at the oldest tomes? It is likely that any information on this Old World would be found there."
Twilight nodded, and then paused to think.
"I remember Jetstream mentioning that the oldest books are large scrolls written purely in the Ancient Language, and are horn/hoof-written as well. As it is, I'm not so good at reading the Ancient Language as to read it's purest form yet, much less if it's mixed with the flaws of writing with horn or hoof, as opposed to magically imprinting each rune cleanly like modern books do."
"Then I shall do my best to aid you. If worse comes to worse, we can always ask Jetstream, who has been reading, writing, and even speaking in the Ancient Language for nigh on eighteen hundred years."
~*~
Twilight spent the better part of the afternoon looking through the oldest shelves of Altur'Rang's library. Luckily for her, Jestream had the good sense to label the scrolls. Not so luckily for her, the labels were written in the Ancient Language, and despite the few months she's had to learn it, Twilight did not grasp the meaning of most of the titles. All she knew was that Old World roughly translated to Mönad'Uldr.
Just as Twilight was about to give up, she found a book who's label read: "Du Mönad'Uldr: Du Nëphalèm abr Draumdar"
Twilight gasped as she recognized some of the glyphs, and rushed to find Luna, who had been looking through another shelf a few rows down.
"I think I found it! Mönad'Uldr roughly translates to Old World, right?" Luna nodded slowly, curious to hear what the purple pony princess had to say. Twilight passed her the book, and the Moon Princess attempted to read the label.
"It says... "The Old World: The Valley of Dreams." Luna looked up to Twilight, a knowing glint in her eye.
"I figured out why the Old World meant nothing to me. We've been referring it by the wrong name! The Old World is in fact the place where Alicorns, and Ponykind as a whole first came to exist, where Mother Faust found the inspiration to create us!" Luna cried out joyfully.
"The Old World is, in fact, none other than the legendary Dream Valley!"