//------------------------------// // Found It // Story: An Ancient Threat // by Professor Tacitus //------------------------------// Applejack continued to sink, unable to breathe through the tar-like substance. She thrashed and kicked, but to no avail. Just as she felt as though she were about to pass out, she suddenly found herself free of the blackness, falling through open air. She took in a long gasp of breath before landing hard on cold stone. She lay there for a moment, catching her breath. Her eyes suddenly snapped open as she remembered. Twilight. She quickly turned and saw her friends sprawled out after landing on the ground. They were slowly rising as they all seemed to share in Applejack’s realization. It took only a moment for them to find Twilight close to where the rest of them landed. She lay unconscious on the ground. Blood flowed freely from open lacerations and bruises were already forming on her body. Spike was clinging tightly to her as tears flowed from his eyes, Twilight’s blood staining his scales. They quickly came to her side. Her breathing was ragged and labored, but at least she was breathing. Rainbow Dash started to shake Twilight’s unconscious form. “Come on Twilight! Wake up! Please.” “Rainbow Dash, that’s not helping,” said Rarity. “Well why don’t you do something then?!” Rainbow shouted in response. “Use your magic or something.” “I can’t! My magic is only good for finding gems and making dresses! Only Twilight is good enough at magic to perform healing spells.” She looked to Twilight, then quickly turned away as her mascara began to run. Applejack had a thought. “Wait, Tacitus is good at magic; almost as good as Twilight. He can heal her.” Then she noticed. Tacitus wasn't among the group that was now circled around Twilight. “Hold on, where is he?” The sound of mumbling caused her to turn around. Tacitus sat on his haunches, his back to the rest of them, far from where the others stood. She walked toward him, and his mumblings became clearer. “I failed. I failed. I couldn’t protect her.” “Tacitus? Sugarcube? Are you alright?” She walked around him so that she could see his face and looked him in the eye. He looked right through her. His eyes were wide open and his pupils had shrunk to the size of pinpricks. He seemed completely oblivious to her presence as he continued to mumble to himself. “I failed. I wasn’t fast enough. All my fault. I couldn’t save her.” Applejack grabbed Tacitus and shook him gently. “Tacitus.” When he didn’t respond, she shook him harder. “Tacitus!” “I failed. I failed.” She finally slapped him. “Snap out of it!” Tacitus shook his head and his eyes returned to normal. He looked at Applejack. The eyes acknowledged her presence but they seemed…dead, empty. “Tacitus, Ah need ya to calm down. Twilight is hurt and needs yer help. Can ya do any healing spells?” Tacitus blinked a few times, trying to rearrange his scrambled brain. “Yeah. My dad taught me some healing magic when I was younger. I could…I could try to…” His eyes had wandered and had landed on the unmoving form of Twilight. His pupils began to shrink and he started to hyperventilate. Only the firm but reassuring hoof of Applejack kept him from lapsing back into delirium. “Ya need to focus Tacitus. She needs you, and ya can’t afford to lose it.” Tacitus nodded and Applejack released him from her grip. He made his way over to Twilight. Spike had released his embrace on her, but he still held firmly to her hoof. His purple scales were blotched with red, but he didn’t seem to notice or care. He may not have even noticed Rarity’s hoof wrapped around him. His focus was completely on Twilight. As Tacitus approached her, Spike looked up at him. “Please help her Tacitus. Please don’t let her die.” “I-I will. I promise.” He'd said those same words to Shining Armor. He’d already broken one promise, would he break another? Pushing that thought out of his mind, Tacitus charged his magic. His horn glowed with his dark blue aura as he focused on the magic his father had taught him so long ago. He lowered his head so that his horn was just above Twilight’s barrel. The blue aura surrounded her body. “Come on. Come on,” Tacitus groaned through clenched teeth. Despite the cold, sweat dotted his head. His body was shaking with the strain of attempting to heal all of her injuries. The blood that had pooled around Twilight and had stained her coat began to move, retreating back into the wounds. After her blood was restored, the wounds themselves began to close and the bruises disappeared. Tacitus continued to hold the spell, straining for at least ten minutes before he was unable to continue any longer. He dropped the spell and gasped for breath, exhaustion clear on his features. It looked to be a success. All of Twilight’s injuries were gone and she looked no worse for the wear. However, she had yet to wake up and her breathing had not changed. The girls were elated. Smiles and sighs of relief filled the cave. Rarity nuzzled Spike’s cheek. “See Spikey-wikey? Twilight’s going to be just fine.” “Way to go Tacitus! Woohoo!” Rainbow and Pinkie cheered. But no exclamations of joy, no look of pride or relief was present in Tacitus. He was silent, and his eyes were still dead and empty. Applejack noticed this and motioned to the side to speak privately. “What’s wrong?” Tacitus looked down. He couldn’t bear to look her in the eye. “I was able to heal the visible wounds. They really weren’t as bad as they seemed just rudimentary cuts and bruises. But…I saw through the spell that there was a lot of internal damage. The damage is too extensive and the magical strength required to treat it is beyond my abilities.” Applejack’s face dropped. “So…does that mean she’s going to…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish that sentence. “I don’t know. All we can do is wait. And hope.” Tears in her eyes, Applejack went to tell the others of this. Tacitus didn’t hear her or their reactions. All he could hear were Twilight’s rattling breaths. Biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, he began to weep. *** A small fire blazed in the center of the cave. They had managed to find a few scraps of lumber scattered about, and Spike had been able to set it alight. It was not much, but it kept the cold at bay. For now, at least. Twilight’s still unconscious body laid close to the fire, her friends circled around her to share in the fire’s warmth and to share their body heat. The only one missing from the group was Rainbow Dash, who had gone to investigate further into the cave. Tacitus hoped she would be back soon. As if on cue, Rainbow glided back into the view as the glow of the fire illuminated her form. She didn’t look too happy with what she found. “There are twelve different paths up ahead, and each of those leads to twelve more paths,” she said in dismay. “This place is built like a maze.” “We’re in the tunnels the rebels built underneath Nova Domus,” Tacitus said. “They designed them to be like a labyrinth so that they couldn’t be followed in the event they were attacked and had to evacuate. No doubt there are booby traps and enchantments spread throughout the tunnels as well. The only ones who knew the way out were the rebels.” A chuckle devoid of humor escaped him. “Not much of a chance we’ll be able to ask them.” “Gee, thanks for the history lesson Professor,” Rainbow spat the title as if it were poison. “Way to boost morale. Big help you’ve been so far.” She added the last part quietly, but Tacitus caught it. It cut into him like a knife. “That’s enough you two!” Applejack snapped. “We don’t need this right now.” Rainbow just grunted and quickly turned away, but not quickly enough for Tacitus not to see the tears pooling in her eyes. Nor was she successful in her attempt to keep her body from shaking. The sound of sniffles drew Tacitus’s attention away from Rainbow. The choked sobs came from Fluttershy, who was lying on the ground with her hooves covering her eyes. “I don’t want to be here anymore,” she sobbed. “I want to go home.” Pinkie stood next to her and stroked her mane in an attempt to comfort her. Pinkie’s own mane had gone flat, and her color seemed to dull and darken. She had hardly said a word since they had been trapped down here, and the bounce in both her mane and her step was completely absent. Tacitus turned his gaze back to Twilight. Spike had not left her side for a single moment. He still held firmly onto her hoof, and Rarity in turn held him closely to her as she gently stroked his head. Finally, he turned his gaze to Applejack. She had been trying so hard to remain strong and confident for the rest of them, but she was beginning to break down like the rest of them. Tacitus could see it in her eyes. With each moment that passed by, she was losing hope. Twilight had yet to wake and the knowledge that her injuries were serious and untreatable hit her as hard as it did the others. In addition, they only had enough food and water to last them a few days. Add that to the fact that they were trapped in a labyrinth with no knowledge of how to get out, and the situation looked bleak to say the least. Hardly surprising that her composure was slowly ebbing away. All in all, they were a downright miserable group to behold. The confidence with which they had set out on their journey was gone. They were cold, they were lost, and one of their closest friends was on Death’s door. What hope was left for them? Applejack let out an exhausted sigh. “We should all try to get some sleep. We’ll…figure something out in the morning.” Tacitus knew she had no idea what they were going to do. He didn’t know either; none of them did. Maybe Twilight would know what to do. If only they could ask her. However, sleep was indeed the best thing they could think to do. Nothing else could be done for the time being. But how long could that last? How long would the fire burn and keep the cold at bay? Lumber was limited; in fact there was no more to speak of. And with Twilight in her current state, they could not move through the tunnels. Even if they could, they would never find their way through and would more than likely fall prey to the traps that lied in wait. The situation wasn’t bleak; it was hopeless. Soon enough, they gathered close together around the fire and drifted into restless sleep. All except Tacitus. Despite the protests and the insistence that he join them, Tacitus had opted to sleep separately from the group just at the edge of the glow of the fire. He didn’t feel he deserved their company or their warmth. As he lay awake, Rainbows words kept echoing through his mind. They hurt because he knew they were true. What good had he been on this journey? He had frozen like a scared foal in the face of an avalanche he could have stopped. He was too weak to protect his friends and himself and ended up helpless and in need of rescuing. He had failed to stop Twilight, the pony who had twice saved his life, from getting hurt. And now, when she needed him most, when the others looked to him to save her, he could do nothing. Was this what his life was destined to be? Had fate condemned him to constantly watch helplessly as the ones closest to him were taken away? Why couldn’t he save anyone? Why couldn’t he do anything? Why couldn’t he protect the ones he loved? Despite these thoughts and so many others filling his head, he could only deny sleep for so long. His eyes grew heavy, and he eventually joined the others in submitting to restless sleep. *** “Find it. You have to find it.” “Oh great. You again. Look, I’m really not in the mood to listen to a broken record. Just leave me alone.” “You’re so close. Just a little further.” “Well, that’s new. Glad to see you’re branching out on your dialogue, but you still haven’t told me what I’m supposed to find.” “Follow the compass.” “What? What compass?” Tacitus was starting to get annoyed. He was surprised the voice was finally saying more than just ‘find it,’ but it was still so infuriatingly cryptic. “Wake up Tacitus, and find it.” “Huh?” *** Tacitus’s eyes shot open as he awoke from the dream. It was a dream wasn’t it? Ever since he first heard the voice, Tacitus thought it was just a figment of his imagination or was brought on by stress. Now he began to fear for his sanity. It was at this moment of contemplating the soundness of his mental faculties that he noticed that a light brighter than the shrinking fire filled the cave. The light was coming from his horn. “Well…that’s unusual.” His horn had not done this since he was a foal, when he first discovered his special talent. Now, after all these years, his horn glowed of its own accord once more. “’Follow the compass.’ Is this what the voice meant?” Tacitus looked to his friends. They were still fast asleep, undisturbed by his horn’s unusual glow. After a moment’s hesitation, Tacitus raised himself up and set off deeper into the cave. It wasn’t long before he came to the part in the cave that branched off into multiple different directions. “Where now?” Tacitus walked up to each of the different paths, watching to see which one caused his horn to glow the brightest. He eventually chose the third one on the right and pushed deeper into the tunnels. He continued to do this with every crossroads he came to, looking to the intensity of his horn’s glow to guide him just as he did in the desert all those years ago. As he walked, unsettling thoughts entered his mind. “Where the hay is this taking me? How am I going to find my way back once I find…whatever it is I’m supposed to find? Why am I even doing this? I’m putting my trust in a mysterious voice in my head and following my horn to Celestia-knows where.” Despite these thoughts, he kept moving forward, kept following the “compass” as he was told to. Maybe it was curiosity that drove him forward. Maybe it was the desire to see the artifact that the horn was leading him to. Or maybe it was a hope that whatever the voice was leading him to would somehow help him and his friends. Regardless of the reason, he kept moving. Tacitus didn’t know how long he wandered through the caves. It could have been minutes or hours. But eventually, he saw where the horn was leading him. To a dead end. His horn ceased to glow. Tacitus looked desperately for something, anything, to be there. But there was nothing. Only a wall of ice. This had all been for nothing, and now his only method of navigation was lost to him. He collapsed on the ground, shocked that all his efforts had been wasted. He tried to remember the path he had taken to get here. Fear crept into his heart as he realized he couldn’t recall. But just as this fear gripped his stomach, the bright glow returned. It did not emanate from his horn, but from the wall of ice. Or rather from something inside the ice. A bright golden light shined behind the ice, and once it had died down, Tacitus saw that the ice had gone from opaque to completely transparent. It now looked to be made of glass instead of ice. Inside the clear ice, Tacitus could see something imbedded within it. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was sword. A Roamen gladius to be precise. “What in the hay…I guess it’s not weird to see a Roamen sword in Roamen ruins, but this feels…strange. I need to examine it.” Tacitus charged his horn and set about blasting through the ice. After a few moments, the sword was almost free of the ice. Panting with the effort it took to get this far, Tacitus reached out with his hoof to grab the sword and wrench it free of its frosty prison. As he reached for it, the sword glowed bright. His hoof touched the scabbard, and all went black. *** “Ohhh…My head. Note to self: don’t pick up strange glowing objects.” Tacitus rubbed his sore head and looked at his surroundings. He was no longer in the cave. He didn’t really know where he was. Everything was dark. It looked as if he were in the same place he was in when he had nearly died. “Hello Tacitus.” Tacitus jumped at the sudden, yet familiar voice. He whipped around and saw a pony standing before him in full armor. The pony’s voice matched the voice that had been speaking to him, and the pony looked remarkably similar to Tacitus. In fact, aside from the golden eyes and military style of his mane, he was the spitting image of Tacitus. Not knowing his intention, Tacitus took a defensive stance. “Who are you?” he demanded. The pony sighed. “How sad that the son of my sons does not know me. Has my family truly forgotten its legacy?” Tacitus looked closer at the pony. His armor, his face. Just like the statue… “Aeneighus?” The pony smiled. “So you do know me.” “Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean your family? I’m related to you?” “Indeed. You are blood of my blood, my descendant and heir. I have called to you and led you here so that I may give you your birthright: this sword, so that it can aid you in your journey.” Tacitus had so many questions. He went with the first one that could escape his lips. “Why is the sword so important that you needed to bring me all the way here?” “This sword was forged by Emperor Solarus and Empress Noctus.” A pained look appeared on Aeneighus’s face when he said their names. “It was enchanted to magnify the magical power of its user. It can also only be wielded by myself and my bloodline, which is why you were able to find it.” “But, I don’t understand. How are you here? How am I talking to you? You died thousands of years ago in the battle against Imperius.” “I prepared for every possible outcome for that battle. Thanks to my spy network, I knew that Imperius might be able to survive his physical death and reform himself. We learned that he needed his armor in order recreate his body. I created an elite unit called the Sentinels, who after the battle would take his armor and either destroy it or seal it away and guard it. “But I still feared for the safety of the future, and of the possibility of Imperius returning. So, as I lay dying, I cast a spell where I transferred my magical power and a part of my conciousness into the sword. It would then lay dormant until Imperius returned, and I would call to my descendant to take the sword and finish what I started.” Tacitus was amazed. “All these spells. I’ve never heard of spells like these. How can such magic be possible?” “Much knowledge was lost when the Empire fell. I fear that it will remain lost. But perhaps that is for the best.” Tacitus could not disagree more. “Are you kidding? No knowledge should be lost. Think of the amazing things that can be accomplished with magic as powerful as that. Maybe you could-“ “No Tacitus. For a number of reasons. Understand that my time was one of constant warfare, which bred magics and weapons of unbelievably destructive power, and warriors equally as powerful. That power is best left buried, this sword included. But I fear that the peace that your time has been blessed with may also be its downfall. Not one among you could hope to stand against any of the warriors of my time. Especially not Imperius. I also fear that the Sentinels have been wiped out, years of peace causing them to falter and grow lax in their watch. But with this sword, you may have a chance.” “’May have a chance’? That doesn’t sound very reassuring.” “This sword is imbued with all of my power and amplifies your own tenfold. In Imperius’s current state, I’m confident that it will destroy him. But if he should regain his body…I don’t know if it will be enough.” This was too much. “Aeneighus…I don’t think I can do this. I’m not like you. I’m not a warrior.” Tacitus thought back to his mediocre performance against the minions of Imperius. “I’m just…too weak.” Aeneighus gave him a kind smile. “When you touched the sword, I entered your mind and saw all of your memories, your entire life. I know you Tacitus, and I believe that you have the potential to be more powerful than I ever was. You just have to use the power that I couldn’t” “What power?” Before Aeneighus could answer, his body became translucent, fading in and out like a flickering candle. He was beginning to disappear. “The spell that binds me here is beginning to fade. I don’t have much time left. Listen Tacitus: you must make for Mount Vehoovius. That is where the armor is hidden and where Imperius is going.” “But how do I get there?” “I will impart you with the knowledge of how to reach it, and how to find your way through these tunnels.” Aeneighus touched his hoof to Tacitus’s forehead. Tacitus’s vision was suddenly flooded with images. He saw the network of tunnels as if he were seeing them from above. He saw where the traps were, the dead ends, the loops. He saw a path that led through all of them to the other side. His vision changed. He saw snow and frozen trees rocketing past him as if he were traveling at the speed of sound. His vision rested of the image of a great mountain, smoke spewing from its top. Tacitus blinked and his vision returned to normal. Aeneighus was just barely visible, his features becoming more and more obscured as the seconds passed. “I can do no more Tacitus. The rest is up to you.” “Aeneighus wait! I still have so many questions! How can I do this without you?! How can I stop something you couldn’t?!” Aeneighus gave him another kind smile. “You are my descendant, heir to a great bloodline. But more than that, I have seen your mind and your heart. I have faith in you. Goodbye Tacitus.” With that, Aeneighus was gone. The last traces of him had faded into the dark, and Tacitus was alone. *** “Aeneighus!” Tacitus shouted as his eyes shot open. He quickly looked around and saw he was back in the cave. “Was it just a dream?” Tacitus felt something heavy in his hooves. He looked down and saw the sword clenched in his grasp, still giving off a faint glow. He could feel its power. It wasn’t a dream. *** Tacitus came barreling back into the part of the cave where his friends rested, the knowledge of the tunnel system Aeneighus had given him making finding his way back easy. As he came into view, he saw that all of them were awake. Except for Twilight. Applejack saw him rushing towards them. “Tacitus! Where’ve you been? And where’d you get that sword?” “I’ll explain later! Let me get to Twilight!” He rushed over to Twilight, using his magic to pull the sword from its scabbard. Rainbow saw this and, with terror in her eyes, flew at Tacitus and tackled him to the ground. “Have you gone nuts?!” she exclaimed. “What do you think you’re doing?!” “Get off me Rainbow! I’m trying to help her!” “By cutting her open?!” “No! Please, just trust me. You know I would never hurt her. Just give me a chance.” Rainbow looked over to Applejack, who after a moment’s consideration gave her a nod. Somewhat reluctantly, Rainbow removed herself from Tacitus and allowed him to walk over to Twilight. Twilight’s breathing was even more labored than before. She was barely hanging on. Spike was still at her side, holding her hoof. He looked at Tacitus with apprehension, but did not say anything. Tacitus’s horn began to glow, the blade glowing with the same dark blue aura. He lowered the tip of the blade so that it almost touched her skin. Her body began to radiate with his aura. “Please work. Please work,” Tacitus pleaded to himself as he worked. He noticed that he didn’t exert nearly as much effort as he did before. With the sword, this felt almost...easy. He just hoped he wasn’t too late. Tacitus released the spell. He had done everything he could. He hoped it would be enough. Seconds felt like hours as he waited, each moment passing causing him to lose hope. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, her breathing returned to normal. Twilight’s eyes slowly opened. She let out a long yawn. “Tacitus? What-“ She didn’t get a chance to finish. Tacitus wrapped his arms tightly around her as tears fell from his eyes. “You’re okay. Thank the gods. You’re okay.” Soon, the others joined Tacitus in embracing their friend, immense relief overtaking the gloom they had felt just moments before. Twilight pulled away just enough to where she could be heard. “Guys, what happened? Where are we?” After a quick account of what had transpired in the ruins and the description of their current location, Twilight looked at her friends with worry. “So we’re trapped here?” “No,” said Tacitus, drawing their attention to him. “I know where we have to go.”