The lost artefact

by HowTea

Chapter 1 - The scroll

It was a beautiful sunny day. Sun was shining, birds were singing and HowTea was humming a melody into the rhythm of his work.

His tea plants needed a lot of care and HowTea was giving it to them. His farm wasn’t big, but it’s size was just enough to supply all the tea-hungry ponies in Ponyville. Every week he had to check the tea plants, if some kind of insects don’t harm them or to check if they have got enough water.

HowTea checked the last plant in the afternoon. He let out a satisfied sigh and ruffled his orange cloud-shaped mane with his hoof. He loved tea and his farm. Tea was his destiny since he visited Ponyville with his mother Dolly for the first time.

The blue pony looked back on his little farm for the last time and went into his house that was next to it. He put his hat on a peg and went to the kitchen to get something to eat. There was a raspberry tea with ice cubes in it, an apple pie, few apples and pears, some milk and a salad. HowTea took the tea and one apple and went to sit on the chair next to the table. Since he was here, he always had enough apples for everything thanks to one near farm that was supplying him with them. He didn’t know anybody there but he was thankful for their kindness.

How tea put the glass of ice tea next to a book that was laying on the  table. Suddenly he heard voices outside.
Maybe it’s the fillies that come here and play he thought. HowTea approched the opened window so he could see what’s happening. He tried to find the source of the voices and he saw it. Three kids were bouncing a ball there, but something was wrong. The ball was getting bigger and bigger… and boom! The ball hit HowTea  right between the eyes.

 Everything was silent. One of the kids interrupted the silence:
“Are you alright, Mr. Tea?”

“Sure, sure, I’m okay. Don’t worry, this happens quite often, but be careful next time. The vases and windows aren’t as hard as my head!” said the blue pony.

“Okay, we are sorry, Mr. Tea” said one of the kids as they were going a little further.

Before HowTea closed the window, he heard one of the kids:
“It’s okay Equ, it was just an accident, don’t worry.”

HowTea sat on the chair. He was still holding the apple in his hoof. At last he could take a bite. Next to the glass of cold tea there was a book with the Light of confused Speed title. He took a sip of the tea. After that he heard something again.

“Hey, Tea,  are you there?” said familiar voice.
HowTea went to the door to check who’s there. He saw a grey unicorn with glasses and a pair of saddlebags on his back.

“Oh sweet tea of Celestia, Slate, what are you doing here? Come in.” HowTea said.

“As I was saying, I was just passing through and…”

“And you randomly stumbled over my farm?”

Slate had a serious look on his face.

“Something’s happening?” HowTea asked.

“Actually, yes.”

Slate sat on a chair in the kitchen and put down his saddlebags. He was trying to find something in them. Meanwhile, HowTea poured hot water into the cups with mint leaves. Slate pulled out a parchment scroll from one saddlebag with his magic, put it on the table and went back to raking the saddlebag. HowTea took the plate with the cup of hot drink into his mouth and placed it in front of Slate. Coming back for his cup, he sat on the chair on the opposite side of the table.

“What’s that?” HowTea asked.

Slate pulled out a book and put it next to the scroll.

“This? This is bad news.” he replied as he moved the scroll and the book HowTea’s way.

“Anyway, thanks for the tea.”

HowTea nodded and unrolled the scroll. It was all written with strange symbols.

“I found this randomly when I got lost in a forest. I came across a path that wasn’t marked on a map. It was strange.”

“You know what would be strange? If you didn’t go by that way.” said HowTea as he sipped his tea.

Slate smiled and continued.

“The path was long, really long. It took me two days before I got into it’s half. There, it splitted into two paths. I went left. I reached it’s end by the evening.” Slate took a sip of his tea.

“There was a town, or something that was a town. Open the book Tea.”

HowTea did as he told him to do. Few papers fell out the book. It was a sketch of a weird building.

“I didn’t know you can draw.” said surprised HowTea.

“You know, drawing those drawings took me the longest from that trip.” said the grey pony.

HowTea took a closer look on the buildings. They had many windows for their size. They’ hadn’t got single shape. Oval, cone, block… Those buildings had every possible shape.

“The scroll was in one building in the middle of that town.”

“So, you just stole a piece of paper from an abandoned village? Nice, Slate.”

“Maybe you won’t believe me, but the scroll just fell on my head.”

“Yeah, it looks like more things fell on your head.”

“I’m serious. It was like somepony threw it at me. I didn’t hear anything. I were just walking, then bam, a scroll landed on my head. I wanted to throw it somewhere too, but the look of it, it took my interest. I went back asking people if they don’t know something about the language. I bumped into one old stallion. We talked a little and he gave me this book.”

HowTea looked at the book. He couldn’t read the title because the cover was damaged.

“And what does the scroll say?” HowTea asked.

“Page eighty five in the book and the last line in the scroll.” said Slate concisely.

HowTea opened the book on page eighty five. On that page, there were the same symbols as on the scroll. Whole book looked like some kind of vocabulary.

One symbol looked like the letter Y, but the lines weren’t touching.

Two of these symbols with the second one being mirror reversed are translated as “Power”.

Other symbol was consisted of circle and two lines. It’s translated as “Time”.

HowTea had the line translated in a few minutes, but he couldn’t figure out two symbols.. Slate meanwhile was browsing the “Light of confused Speed”.

“Power, knowledge, circle with lines, time, circle without lines, destruction, power. What’s that supposed to mean?” HowTea said as he was closing the book.

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be here sitting and pretending I stopped drinking coffee.” Slate responded.

“How long will you stay in Ponyville?”

“Until I’ll figure it out.”

“My father could know something about this or ask somepony. He lives in Canterlot. I could send him a letter, but it’ll take some time before it gets to him.”

“I’m gonna try and tie up my back legs.” Slate laughed.

HowTea got up and went for a pencil, paper and an envelope.He took the pencil into his mouth and started sketching the symbols. It looked terrible, but readable. Under that he started writing.

After he was done, he put the paper in the envelope.

“Make yourself home, Slate.” HowTea said

“Thanks.” Slate finished his cup of tea.

“The last mail-express train to Canterlot leaves in three hours. Wanna come with me?”

“Sure.”