"I said, it's not happening. You, Turner, and Fancy-Flanks can handle yourselves just fine over there without me."
"Out of the question. Fancy Pants and Time Turner are not even going. I don't care if you didn't leave Griffindor on the best of terms, you'll be joining me."
Gilda let out a low growl, glaring at Knight. To her credit, the mare held her gaze, and after it was clear she wouldn't relent, Gilda grumbled something and turned away.
"What was that?"
"I said FINE!"
"Grand. Be ready to go in ten minutes." Knight concealed a grin as she left the barracks. She was ready to count it was a victory that Gilda would join her willingly, albeit grudgingly. Once outside, she saw Fancy Pants making his way from the airship hanger to the command center, and quickly trotted up next to him.
"Ah, captain! All set for your grand voyage?" he asked as she approached.
"I'd hardly call it grand—we're spending weeks on a freighter just so that we can play babysitter for some scientists covering up our mistake."
Fancy Pants scoffed a bit. "I should think it's more than that—as recent events have proven, there are dangerous elements at work in Crown Roc. The highest seat of power in the world has chosen you to protect some of our nation's brightest minds. That's no small honor, my dear."
Knight knew his words were conciliatory, but that made them no less effective. She smiled faintly and thanked him. They walked in silence for a moment before she frowned. "Wouldn't you say, though, that the princesses hold the highest seat of power?"
The stallion cleared his throat. "Yes, of course. I imagine I must have misspoken."
~ ~ ~
"This is incredible!" Minuette practically ran through the rows upon rows of scrolls and old manuscripts stored in the cellar beneath New Growth's home. It was obvious that some of the material had not stood the test of time very well, but the relatively dry air and protection from the elements had ensured that the majority of the room's contents had survived long enough to evoke the unicorn's enthusiasm. She stopped periodically, examining a particular scroll or artifact. "How did you get all of this?"
"Like I said, we send scouts to Dead Zone sometimes. I ask them to return with any writings they find. Can you understand them?"
"Yes! Well, I mean, sort of! Pre-Equestrian formal syntax was never an emphasis in my studies, but I've spent a few months on it. Their language was a very close, direct predecessor to ours, so... Yeah, I can understand enough!"
Soarin walked over to her and peered over her shoulder at the document she'd currently spread out on the floor to read. "So what's this, then?"
"A menu," she sighed. "And so was the one next to it, and the one before that..." Turning to New Growth, she added, "Your scouts really did grab everything with writing, it seems. I might need a while to sort through this all."
"Of course. You are welcome to use them as long as needed. May Soarin be permitted to assist with our farm-work until you finish?"
Minuette glanced from him to the pegasus and back again. "That... sounds like a question for Soarin."
"My apologies, lady unicorn. Soarin, would-"
"I'd be more'n happy to earn my keep. Much better out in the open air than this stuffy old place, too; there's hardly any clearance to fly." He emphasized the last point by flapping his wings and hovering a little under a foot above the ground. "Let's... go." He trailed off, noticing the other stallion staring at him in utter disbelief.
~ ~ ~
Two weeks later...
"Find anything yet, Mini?" Soarin called out, trotting tiredly down the stairs into the makeshift library. From his mud-splattered appearance and slight limp, it was clear that the pegasus was not used to the sort of hard labor to which he'd recently been subjected. His first few days had been spent performing aerial stunts and demonstrating his ability to fly, which he had learned was something nopony nor griffin had been able to do in thousands of years. Unfortunately, after just a short time doing that, he found himself exhausted and barely able to lift off the ground. In the time since, he had shown no signs of regaining the ability.
From somewhere among the stacks, he received the reply, "Yeah, come check this out!" Weaving his way between shelves for a minute, he located Minuette looking at a number of opened scrolls pinned down by tablets. "Okay, so..." she glanced up at Soarin. "Right. It seems they used a different calendar system than what we have now, so I can't exactly pinpoint how long ago these were written. However, the geography and their syntax, as well as some of the events referred to in these scrolls, definitely suggests that these were recovered from Pre-Equestrian society. Specifically, an earth-pony settlement."
"Alright, I'm with you so far."
"One thing I noticed surprisingly absent was any imagery of the sun. Once the unicorns took control of it using the Celestial Stone, it became a recurring symbol of power in writing and art by all three tribes. That would suggest that these documents were recovered before the Solar Mages first convened, but... these all look extremely old—I can't explain why there are no newer scrolls that do reference the sun." Minuette shook her head. "None of this makes sense."
Soarin stepped forward to offer a comforting hug, but thought better of it when he remembered just how much dirt he was wearing. "I'm sure you'll figure something out, Mini."
"I don't think I'm likely to get anything more out of these scrolls. It's wonderful that New Growth is trying to preserve all this lost knowledge, but as far as I can tell, everything his people have salvaged is exceedingly mundane. It would be great for archaeologists or somepony inclined to learn about ancient culture, but it's not going to help us get home. Still, I did find reference to Lavoisier, which was an early unicorn city. It seems like the unicorns are at the center of this whole mystery, so it's probably our best bet at finding answers. If we go to the place where this scroll was recovered, we should—theoretically—be able to follow these directions and navigate there."
"Awesome! I'm sure everyone here would be happy to share some supplies for the trip. I mean, it might just be because they're terrified of you, but... Well, we can always pay them back."
"I expect most of them will consider our departure to be payment enough." She paused, smiling slightly. "I just can't believe we're going to get to see Lavoisier! I asked the Princess about it once, and she said there were no records of its location in the Archive, and since it was before even her time, it seemed unlikely anypony would ever find it... But now, we get to!"
~ ~ ~
Fancy Pants felt a sense of déjà vu as he stepped into the hanger and looked at a team of trusted employees putting the final touches on his prized airship. In the few months since its launch, he had done more to help Equestria than all the philanthropic ventures he'd undertaken combined. He had directly aided in saving lives and stopping monsters, but still there were times when he questioned whether he had made the right decision. His contributions to the F.R.I.E.N.D. endeavor might have been subsidized by the Council of Nobles, but he had still suffered significant personal loss.
His relationship with Fleur had not suffered, though—he had said from the very beginning that he would sooner leave the team than let it get between them. He had just finished reading her most recent letter. It contained all of what he had come to expect—assurances of her well-being, descriptions of her activities, and queries regarding his own—but also included a postscript advising him of how his business interests were faring. It was lengthy and not terribly exciting, though it seemed that most of his investments continued to turn a profit. She had noted that construction on the newest airship had come to a complete halt, and that she could not even find a pony to question.
Fancy had already begun drafting a response in his mind. He was limited in just what he could tell her—a non-negotiable condition of Golden Stud's, which he had tried very hard to negotiate anyway. His reply would have to wait, though, as he had promised Knight that he would fly the Courser to join her as soon as it was ready.
He scanned the length of the Courser, where several ponies moved around and checked that all the panels were properly secured. He called out to one in particular and waved him over. "Turner, my lad, you're doing some fine work up there. When do you expect she'll be ready to take to the skies?"
"We're doing the final checks now. We can be as thorough or hasty as you need." He frowned.
"Grand! Let's plan on setting sail—so to speak—for Griffindor at noon tomorrow. That should afford you ample time to finish working and get packed." He paused, glancing around the hanger. "I expect it will be good for us to have a change of scenery."