//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Ancient Adjustment // by Jolttra //------------------------------// Chapter 1 “Spike, wake up. We’re nearly there.” Spike stood up begrudgingly. The fact he could sleep in a metal chariot hundreds of feet above the air just showed how desperately tired he was. He rubbed his red drooping eyes and did his best to stay awake, “We’ve been in this chariot for hours.” Spike yawned. “How much longer, Twilight?” “About ten minutes. You know you wouldn’t be so tired if you hadn’t stayed up so late.” “Rarity needed my help. I’m not going to let her down. Besides,” Spike says while rustling threw his bag. “Look at all these Sapphires.” “So,” Twilight inquired, “you’re saying it was worth it?” Spike picked a deep blue gem and bit it in half, chewing slowly. “No question about it” Twilight rolled her eyes and set her sights on the horizon. The powdery snow has been replaced by sandy dunes as far as the eye could see. Even in the winter months the sun was blistering in Saddle Arabia. Hot dry air flowed through her mane as they drew closer to the dig site. Twilight did everything she could to hold back her excitement. “We’re here,” the chariot Pegasus said. “I’ll set you down by the watering hole.” “Thank you so much. Spike, get your stuff together.” The chariot descended. Wheels touched down on soft hot sand. Soon the entire camp had surrounded the chariot; archaeologists, excavators, and four ambassadors of the Saddle Arabia’s royal court. One of the ambassadors came forward and spoke. “Welcome emissary of Celestia. I am Golden Scimitar. I am a representative of the royal court. My fellow ambassadors and I are overseeing this dig.” “I am Twilight Sparkle. And this is my faithful assistant, Spike.” “Give my thanks to Celestia when next you meet. If not for her we would not have the equipment to complete our excavation.” “The discovery and preservation of historical finds is of the utmost importance. Speaking of which, where is the tomb?” “Eager now, aren’t we?” A brown stallion wearing spelunking gear stepped out of the crowd. “You should rest. Get some water. Maybe take a nap. Your short friend there looks like he could use some shut eye.” “Oh thank you,” Spike exhaled, barely holding his head up. “Where are the beds?” “Spike, not now.” Twilight turned to the brown stallion. “I’m sorry, who are you?” “Call me Pick,” he said cheerily. “Everyone does. And I mean it. You should relax. The dig ain’t goin’ nowhere.” “I appreciate the offer, but I was in that Chariot for seven hours and if I don’t see something soon, I might actually scream.” “Alright missy. I’ll take you to the dig. But on two conditions. First, you got to let shortstop over there sleep.” “Deal.” “Yes!” “Beds are in the red tent over there.” A purple blur rushed behind the fabric folds and disappeared. “Second. I want you to eat these, drink this, and wear this at all times.” Pick gave Twilight a bag of dates, a glass of ice tea, and a helmet made for Unicorns. Twilight placed the helmet on her head and then took a big gulp of tea. “Thank you. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was.” “I told yah. Now let’s get going.” With that, they moved through the camp towards the dig site. They passed dozens of tents of all sizes and colors. Most of the workers were native to Saddle Arabia. Donning their traditional bishts, they toiled away with their daily chores. Some were washing clothes, while some were preparing dinner for the camp. Not everyone had work. A few were playing cards in an open area near the cooking tent. Twilight smelled the savory aroma of carrot curry. Running through the camp was a group of colts and fillies. One young Pegasus, one wearing a pith helmet who told the others to call her Daring Doo. Twilight immediately thought of Rainbow Dash. She regretted not inviting Dash to come. In fact, she didn’t tell anyone she was leaving. With all the excitement, Twilight had barely remembered to leave a note on the library door letting anypony who went to visit know where she had gone. Then Twilight noticed something. A strange pony dressed in all black with a Crescent Moon, the symbol of the royal family, on his chest. He stood there, motionless. Everyone ignored his presence. His cold stare, focusing on everything yet nothing, unnerved Twilight in a way she could not quite grasp. “Hey… Pick,” she stammered. “Who is that? With the Crescent Moon on his chest.” “Him? Don’t worry. He won’t do nothing. He and his buddies’ just stand around and make sure things are ok.” “There are more?” Twilight looks threw the camp nervously. “You won’t find them. I’m surprised you saw one of them. I’ve been here six months and have only seen them twice.” “But why are they here?” “Protection,” Pick simply stated. “This is an important dig. And it’s bound to have a lot of valuables that thieves and bandits might like to take. And the gems. Mighty tempting for any dragons that might fly on by. So we have royal protection.” Pick stopped for a moment in short thought. “Your little friend, he’s not going to eat any of the findings is he?” “Spike? No, don’t worry about him. He’s the nicest dragon you’ll ever meet. Plus he brought a whole sack of sapphires. He should be good for a weeks.” “Good to know. Anyway, the dig is right up ahead.” Before she knew it, Twilight was at the edge of the dig site. It was basically a large hole, about six hundred feet in all directions. Ponies were digging out old pots and tools, and doing everything to preserve the valuable items. At the other end of the dig was a large cave opening. “I promise things are much more exciting when we get into the ruins,” Pick encouraged. After a brisk walk past dirt and rocks, they reached the cave. As they entered, the light became dimmer and it was impossible to see. Inside it was pitch black, with small lights hung against the walk that barely showed the path in. “Here, you’ll need a torch to see the finer details.” “No thank you. I have my own. With that, Twilight used her horn to create a bright light, illuminating the path ahead. “Wow,” Pick said, genuinely impressed. “You Unicorns get all the good stuff, don’t yeah?” “Well, it does come in handy.” Twilight blushed. With the light from her horn, Twilight could now see more of the cave. Along the walls there were dozens of intricate patterns. She could identify many of them, but there were also patterns she had never seen before. Massive pillars, or rather what was left of them, stood tall across the room. The remnants of stone statues lay smashed and decaying across the floor, and at the end of the ruin, a heavy door of stone with a familiar symbol above it. A large dragon head; with soft caring eyes, a long snout with no teeth showing, and a massive horn on its head. It was his crest, the crest of Ki-Lin. “Is, is this it? Is this the tomb?” Twilight said in quiet awe. “We believe so. Of course, we have to get in first to prove it.” “You, you haven’t opened the tomb yet?” “No,” Pick said downtrodden. “We’ve been at it for days but nothing works. Magic, dynamite, sledgehammers, nothing. Didn’t even chip the darn thing.” “So, how can we prove this is his tomb if we can’t get in?” “Well that’s why you're here, little missy. Celestia sent you here for more than one reason, you know.” “What,” Twilight hesitated. “What do you mean?” “Well you see that symbol there on the wall? Looks familiar now, don’t it?” Twilight took a close look at the stone doors of the tomb. A large symbol was carved into it. The etching was worn, making it hard to make out the design. But the more she stared at it, the more it seemed like she had seen it before. It was familiar. Something personal… “The Element of Magic!” she exclaimed. “That’s my symbol.” “Right on the mark. Celestia thought you might be able to open it.” “But, I don’t have my Element of Harmony with me.” “Yes you do,” Pick said, handing Twilight a small box. “Celestia sent it over.” Twilight put the crown on her head. She turned to the wall, staring intently at what may be the most important discovery in history. And she was a part of it. No, not just a part of it. She was the most important component in this excavation. Whatever lies behind that door will be her discovery. “Ok.” She took a deep breath. It was time. “Here goes everything.” With that, Twilight focused all her magic into the Element. A bright purple flash of pure magical energy filled the room. The symbol on the stone barrier began to glow. The room shook as the heavy doors began to opened. Pick and the other workers watched in pure amazement. After everything they did, all the effort, the blood, the tears, EVERYTHING. It was finally going to pay off. AT LAST, the door was opened, and the purple light faded. There was a long, deafening silence. Twilight stood still, tired from her efforts. Pick grabbed a torch and ran into the door. The small fire shined in the new cavern. It was smaller than expected. And… utterly disappointing. There was no tomb. No coffin. No treasure. No symbols to study. Nothing but a single solitary statue standing alone in the center. The statue was strange. It was a creature unknown even to Twilight. The creature stood on all four legs, much as they did. As tall as Celestia, but much more massive and muscular. It had four large, heavy paws with long sharp claws on broad fingers. Its eyes were narrow and piercing. There was a long narrow horn on the right cheek. All over the creature’s body were scars, with a very large one in particular on its neck. No one knew what to make of this. Why was this statue here? Why was it so important? Why was the symbol of Ki-Lin above it? So many questions, but they had no time to ponder. The statue started to shake. Everyone stepped back as it shook more violently. Rock chipped off and revealed flesh. Live flesh that pulsed as blood began to flow through old veins and an ancient heart started to beat. A large, heavy claw broke the mold and stepped down on the sandy ground. The creature, the monster, was alive!