//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine // Story: Biomom // by MythrilMoth //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle and Inner Light, disguised as ordinary unicorns, sat in a cabin hollowed out from a large, solid boulder, lit by magical lamps. Aside from the large stone table in the center, almost every inch of the cabin was occupied by scrolls and books, with a simple straw sleeping mat in the back. Across the table from them sat Willow the Wise, a wheat-coated unicorn mare with a brown and green mane and gold eyes. "It has been a long time since your last visit, Twilight Sparkle," Willow said with little trace of the accent common to the unicorns. "I've been busy," Twilight said. "Well, we've been busy actually. We had to finish rebuilding the cottage and preparing the valley for winter, and then, well..." "Of course," Willow said. "You did mention that your home is quite distant from Unicornassus." She smiled at Inner Light. "So...is this handsome stallion your mate?" Twilight blushed furiously. "Gah! We're not...I mean..." She ducked her head. Willow smiled. "I jest," she said, though she gave Inner Light a knowing wink. "Now, if I may be so bold..." Her smile turned into a smirk. "Will you not dispel the concealment magicks you wear? I swear on my horn I can be trusted." Inner Light's eyes widened. "How can you tell—?" "I am not called Willow the Wise because I was foaled by an owl," Willow said, eyes twinkling. Twilight laughed and shook her head. "We can trust her," she said. Her horn glowed, and a soft ripple filled the air. Inner Light sighed, shook his head, and broke his own glamour. As the alicorns' true forms were revealed, Willow raised an eyebrow. "I had suspected as much," she said. "So...alicorns do remain among us." "You know of us?" Inner Light asked. "But...I had believed all knowledge of alicorns lost to the equine tribes!" "A queer thing, knowledge," Willow said with a smirk. "It is not that simple a matter to erase it." She studied Inner Light. "Might I have your name, milord?" "Inner Light." Willow's eyes widened. "Indeed." She heaved herself up and trotted over to a crowded shelf, flinging several tomes aside before she pulled out a slip of parchment which was very old, very yellowed, and slightly weather-worn. "I believe I have a message for you." "A message for me?" Inner Light repeated with confusion, accepting the old parchment with his magic. His eyes widened as he studied it. "This...this is...!" Twilight looked over his shoulder. She frowned. "I've seen that script before," she said. "In...in the tomb..." "It is the ancient formal language of the alicorns," Inner Light said. He swallowed heavily. "This...this is a letter from...from my mother." "I would be most interested in knowing what it says," Willow said. "If it is not too presumptuous." Inner Light shook his head as he scanned the parchment. "It says... 'The light within you must shine upon our descendants. The ponies of the earth, of the sky, and of the lore are meant to bear...'" He glanced at Twilight. "...'are meant to bear within them a light of their own, that will shine for the rest of ponykind to see when each and every living soul finds that one unique aspect that distinguishes them. That light will shine the way to harmony, as equines learn how and why each member of their society is necessary to the whole.'" Twilight gasped. "It's talking about Cutie Marks," she said. "Cutie Marks?" Willow asked. Twilight stood and turned, showing her flank to Willow. Willow tilted her head as she studied Twilight's Cutie Mark. Her horn glowed. "Fascinating," she said. "And curious. I've never encountered magic of this nature." "That's...that's because it doesn't exist yet," Twilight said. She frowned. "Inner Light...you remember during the summer, when you studied my Cutie Mark at length?" "Indeed I do," Inner Light said. "I felt the shape of its magic. It felt...right, somehow." "I think...I think you're the source of that magic," Twilight said. "I beg your pardon?" "The ponies of this time don't have Cutie Marks," Twilight said. "The magic doesn't even seem to exist yet." She looked Inner Light in the eye. "In my time, alicorns have special talents that affect all of ponykind in one way or another. At least...at least Celestia and Luna do. Cadance too, I guess. I think..." She swallowed. "I think you might...you might be the pony who creates Cutie Mark magic." Willow remained silent through all of this, though her eyebrows raised progressively higher as Twilight spoke. Inner Light frowned. He looked back at the letter from his mother. He stroked his muzzle with a hoof. "Hmm..." "Why don't..." Twilight swallowed. "Why don't you try to duplicate the magic of my Cutie Mark," she suggested. "Not to create an identical mark, but...just to see if you can feel its shape." She looked at Willow. "Do you mind volunteering for an experiment?" Willow grinned. "Being experimented on by an alicorn would be an honor," she said. * * * * * The group of ponies in the valley stared at the two filthy pegasi in the mouth of the tunnel. "Uhh..." Rainbow Dash uttered numbly. Applejack trotted forward. "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight Velvet joined her. "Daring Do!" "Uhh...hey, Vel," Daring Do said, shaking dust out of her mane. "Uhh...nice to see you?" "I'm relieved to see you're both safe," Princess Celestia said. "Is...is Twilight Sparkle with you?" Rainbow shook her head. "This cockamamy place zapped her and she vanished..." The rest of the mares present gasped in shock. "And she has not returned?" Celestia asked. "Nuh-uh," Rainbow said with another shake of her head. "We've been tryin' to figure out how to get her back, but that bastard Dong-knock sealed us in here..." "I beg your pardon?" Daring coughed. "Your Highness...a minotaur named Dongnocc stole a glowing prism from inside the tomb shortly after Princess Twilight disappeared." "He has the prism?!" Celestia cried. She began to prance in place. "No. No. No. No. No..." "Uhh...you okay, sugarcube? Uhh, Ah mean...Yer Highness?" Celestia began to pace. "Ponyhenge doesn't work without the prism, and if it's been removed, then the connection's been broken..." She whirled to face the assembled ponies, eyes wide and frightened. "We may very well never see Twilight Sparkle again." * * * * * Inner Light's horn glowed. Sweat dripped from his brow. His eyes narrowed in concentration. A faint glow lit Willow the Wise's flank from within. It faded, then grew brighter. She stood still, watching in fascination. Slowly, an image came into focus on her flank: a brown owl clutching a scroll and a quill. With a bright white flash, the image fully solidified. Willow gasped. "Incredible..." Inner Light sagged as his horn faded. He let out a sigh. "Did...did it work?" Twilight Sparkle began jumping up and down in place. "You did it!" she cried happily. Inner Light stared at Willow's flank. His eyes widened in wonder. "I...I can feel a connection to your light," he said. He turned to Twilight. "And...and to yours as well..." With a blinding flash, Inner Light's flank lit up. The entire cottage filled with soft, shimmering white light as, gradually, a Cutie Mark appeared on Inner Light's flank: a shining white orb, with dozens of radiant lines streaking away from it. "Well...that was unexpected," Willow said. Inner Light examined his own flank. "The mark of my destiny," he breathed. "This is what I am meant to do. This...this is the role I am meant to play in this world..." Twilight's eyes widened as she got her first good look at Inner Light's Cutie Mark. She gasped. *The Tomb of the Unknown Prince...! Then it's HIS—* * * * * * "What do you mean, 'never see her again'?" Twilight Velvet demanded. "What happened to my daughter?!" Princess Celestia sighed. "Ponyhenge...and the tomb..." She bowed her head. "They were designed with a single purpose in mind. Ponyhenge is a two-way portal, one only an alicorn can access." "Like the mirror thingie?" Pinkie Pie asked. "No, my little pony," Celestia said. "The mirror is a gateway to another world. Ponyhenge...it's a gateway to another time." Daring Do gasped. "THAT'S IT!" she exclaimed. "Now it all makes sense!" She stared at Celestia. "But...that would mean—" "So it doesn't work without that prism thingie?" Rainbow Dash interrupted, flying in between Daring and Celestia. "Because we know Dong-knock has it. We just...we just gotta kick his ass and take it back, right?" "It's not that simple," Celestia said. "Removing the prism broke the connection, and...and it wasn't designed to be recharged." Her eyes began to moisten. "It...it was only intended to work one time. One round trip. With the connection broken...there isn't enough power left in the tomb to reach Twilight." Everypony stared somberly at each other. "So...so what do we do?" Fluttershy asked. Nopony spoke for some time. "We find this prism and get it back from whoever stole it," Velvet said. "Once we have it back...there has to be some way you can figure out how to get her back." She laid a hoof on Celestia's shoulder. "You have to." Celestia nodded shakily. "You're absolutely right," she said. "I'll do...I'll do whatever it takes to bring her back to us." She tilted her head at Daring. "By the way...I don't believe I've had the pleasure. Would you prefer I call you Daring Do or Dr. Yearling?" "Eheh...gettin' harder to keep that secret," Daring said sheepishly. "The airship!" Spike exclaimed. "That had to be Dongnocc!" "Hey, that's right!" Pinkie said. "He has an airship just like that in the Daring Do books!" "Then we haven't a moment to lose," Celestia said. "Rainbow Dash, Dr. Yearling, Fluttershy, I want you all to accompany me. We're going after Dongnocc. The rest of you, stay here." She swallowed heavily. "We'll be back as soon as we can." "Now this is gonna make one hell of a book," Daring said, adjusting her pith helmet.