//------------------------------//
// 1. The Discovery 
// Story: A Wilting Flower 
// by Terran34 
//------------------------------//

	It is late spring in the land of Equestria. The weather is pleasantly warm and the sky is completely clear of clouds, allowing the bright midday sun to fall gently upon the rolling green hills far below. 

As it is a bright spring day, the skies are scattered with pegasi, who are on their way to and from the different cities scattered across the country. It was particularly busy in this part of Equestria, as the three great port cities of Baltimare, Manehattan, and Fillydelphia lay to the east. As always, business was booming; pegasi streaked through the air carrying mail bags, pulling wooden chariots, or lugging large truck-like vehicles carrying medium loads. 

Far below, railroad tracks snake their way through the hills, weaving seamlessly with the terrain, rather than through it. Every so often, a train will sound its whistle and chug by below, carrying passengers to and from Canterlot. To the south stood the snowy crested crags of the Foal Mountains, its foothills shrouded in trees. There's even a small town called Hollow Shades resting within the shadow of those mountains.

To the north was yet another mountain range, yet this one was known for its lush and bountiful ecosystem. The fork of the railway that comes from Manehattan runs along the foothills of these mountains, before joining together with the rails from Hollow Shades. At this very intersection is the bustling train station of the city nestled at the base of the largest mountain the range. The pounding deluge of its river pours over the edge of the mountainside, in what is known as Neighagra Falls: a natural wonder of Equestria. 

It's been a while since I've been in Trotsdale. Chronologically, I doubt it's been more than two months, but considering how action packed those months were, it feels like it's been much longer. It will be nice to see the waterfall again under normal conditions like this...you know, without the threat of impending doom hanging over my head.

In the middle of my thoughts, a tuft of cloud smacks into my face. I'm no pegasus, so my face is basically showered with hundreds of tiny water droplets as the cloud dissipates. I should probably add that the water is freezing. 

Spluttering, I spit out water and attempt to wipe off my face, glaring at my rather obnoxious traveling companion, who looks way too pleased with herself. “What the...Dash! The hell was that for?” I demand, my tone betraying my annoyance. All of this serves only to amuse the brightly colored pegasus, who promptly bursts into laughter at my reaction.

“Well, excuse me, rocks for ears. I've called you like, five times now, and you weren't answering! What, were you lost in thought?” she returns, wearing a grin that suggests she regrets absolutely nothing about her minor prank. She juggles another wisp of cloud between her two front hooves. She snickers some more at how exasperated I look. “Ha! You should see the look on your face.”

“For your information, I was,” I retort defensively, eyeing the cloud she's tossing around suspiciously. I reach a hand forward and swipe it through the fluffy white substance, scattering the water everywhere as a result. After all, if you're not a pegasus, you can't touch clouds without a unicorn spell. “And would you put that down...agh, cripes that's cold.”

I give the cackling mare a flat browed expression. This mischievous creature is Rainbow Dash, a mare with which I've spent a lot of time with ever since my arrival in Equestria around half a year ago. She's a brat with a massive ego and a huge sense of self-entitlement. That sounds off-putting to anyone who doesn't know her...and in fact, it even put me off when I first met her. But she's much more than that. 

When I first got here, I held many misconceptions about humanity, which I then extended to ponies once I realized they shared human intelligence. Even despite that, Rainbow Dash proved me wrong on each and every one of them, and stayed by my side no matter how much of an ass I was to her. 

To put it bluntly, she turned my life upside-down ever since I met her, and even managed to warm the heart of someone as cynical as I am. She revealed to me that the only one that oppressed me was myself, and I'm forever grateful to her for that. 

“So what did you want anyway?” I ask curiously, crossing my arms and slowing my flight in order to hear her better over the wind. Rainbow points a hoof at the waterfall in the distance. Even from scores of miles away, the roaring of the falls can be faintly heard.

“We are going to stop in Trotsdale again, right?” Rainbow questions curiously. That's a fair question. This is a topic I've thought about more than once since starting out on our trip together. “I mean, we've already been there once, but we have to go flying over the falls! There's also a trail that goes all the way up to the top of the mountain!”

“I figured we would. It's on the way to Rainbow Falls, and there's no real reason to avoid it. Besides, we never really visited the place as tourists,” I answer with a shrug. To be honest, I'm actually rather curious to see how Trotsdale has fared since my last visit. Suddenly, something strikes me as odd. I shoot Rainbow a stare. “Hold on a minute. You want to go on the trail? Wouldn't that require...walking?”

“Yeah, so? Something wrong with that?” Rainbow answers, perplexed. I seize the moment to mess with her a little bit. 

“Oh, not really. It's just that I was starting to think you'd forgotten how to,” I reply without missing a beat. I adjust my flight path a bit so that I'm right up against her. Before she can stop me, I pinch one of her leg muscles. 

“Hey, quit touching! I'm trying to fly!” Rainbow complains, withdrawing her leg and promptly smacking me on the back of my hand with her hoof. It doesn't hurt; she didn't really hit me that hard. Even so, it's enough to make me chuckle. “And I didn't forget how to walk. If anyone forgot how to walk, it's you, mister I-fly-everywhere-now-that-I-have magic!”

“You really have no room to criticize someone for flying everywhere,” I point out, not bothering to refute her frankly true statement. Humans can't usually use magic, but thanks to the machinations of an outside force, I was given some against my will. Despite that, it's proven to be very useful. For one, it gave me the ability to fly alongside Rainbow. She was ecstatic the day I figured that out. “Besides, it's not my fault it's so convenient.”

“At least I take daily runs. You wouldn't even leave your house if I didn't come drag you out everyday,” Rainbow retorts, referring to the house I bought in Ponyville. She's wrong about one thing though.

“Yeah I would. If you're off work, I'm going to come be with you, of course,” I remind her. I realize a second later how dumb that sounded. However, the sentiment isn't lost on Rainbow. She snorts a bit with amusement, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. I decide to correct myself. “God knows you'd nap all damn day if I didn't tip you out of your cloud.”

“Of course. You can't rest if you're not waking me up in some annoying way,” Rainbow says with a roll of her eyes. She then turns her gaze towards the rapidly approaching city. The closer we get, the more we can hear the roaring falls.  Rainbow takes the lead, slowing her wingbeats and allowing herself to lose altitude. “Come on, let's get down there. Maybe we should go see the house we stayed in during the war?”

I follow her lead, lowering my magical output to ease myself down to the ground. Rainbow and I gently land on the ground a few meters away from the outskirts of the city. With a sigh of relief, I shut off my magic. The reprieve is a welcome one, considering Rainbow had me flying around the Foal Mountains for a while. She was convinced that we'd find some ancient ruins in the caves, Daring Do style. Needless to say, we found nothing.

“Yeah sure, that'll go over real well,” I scoff at her suggestion. I then start talking in a raspy voice in a poor imitation of Rainbow. “Oh excuse me pony I've never met, mind if we sniff around your house? We're the guys that sat in your home and ate your food!” 

Rainbow wrinkles her nose and shoves me with her two front hooves, looking annoyed. “What, is that supposed to be me? I don't sound like that at all,” Rainbow complains. She does look a little sheepish, despite her indignity. I'm being an ass about it, but I doubt I'm wrong. “Yeah, you're probably right. Still, can we at least go eat at the restaurant where we met Trixie?”

“Only if it's not that expensive. I only brought enough bits to cover traveling rations,” I reply, patting the small bag of bits on my back. Considering we stay in the wild most of the time, I'm always carrying several pounds worth of traveling equipment on my back, including a sleeping bag, tent, rations, and water bottles. This damn mare has me carrying all the bags. All she's got are these two saddlebags that don't look like they weigh more than a few pounds. I shift the position of the bags on my back and start walking. “Come on, let's get going.”

“Why didn't you bring more bits? What's a cross-country trip without awesome souvenirs?” Rainbow demands, looking exasperated.

“Yeah? And who's going to carry them?” I point out, one eye twitching. The equipment I'm carrying with me right now easily weighs somewhere over twenty pounds, compared to her tiny saddlebags. Rainbow pauses, and then dips her head guiltily. “You were expecting me to, weren't you? I'm already carrying all the bags, what more do you want!?”

The two earth pony guards standing just outside the entrance to the city proper blink in bemusement. Our half serious bickering is the first they see of us. However, once they notice our rather unique features, they recognize immediately who we are. 

The both of them salute upon our approach. “Welcome back to Trotsdale, Seth, miss Dash,” they greet us smartly. I don't think I've ever interacted with these two personally, but no doubt everypony in the military knows who I am. I was a temporary Commander in their ranks once, back during the war with the Crystal Empire. Also, it's probably because I'm one of the only two living humans in existence. The other...is probably still in the Crystal Mountains.

“S'up, guys?” Rainbow returns the greeting in a completely informal manner. Once we're past them and in the city streets, she notices me snickering. “What's so funny?”

“Miss Dash,” I repeat mockingly, snickering even harder. “For some reason that makes me picture you in a frilly dress.”

Rainbow clearly shows me what she thinks of that image. She screws her face up in utter disgust. “What? No way. You'd sooner get Hawke into a dress before me,” she returns snappily...and then she starts laughing at that mental image. Hawke is the other human alive other than me, and he's a very intense individual. “Where'd that even come from?”

“Because you call ponies like Rarity 'miss,'” I explain. Rainbow gives me a pointed stare. Suddenly, I realize that there's something wrong with her rebuttal. “Wait, didn't you wear a dress for me that one time...”

Rainbow immediately turns a shade of red. “No! It didn't happen. You're lying. Quit lying, Seth,” Rainbow cuts across me rather loudly, covering her face with her hooves adorably. I bellow out my laughter at her expense, and the two of us walk further into town.

The city has recovered greatly since its near destruction. During the Seige of Trotsdale, the city was practically in ruins. Buildings were collapsed to block flanking maneuvers, streets were piled with rubble and the fallen, and the city was burning well into the night.  But now, there's no trace of any of that. 

If I really look for it, I can still see construction ponies working on repairs in some of the street corners, but mostly it feels like the place is back to normal. I never did get to see the place in its full glory, so this is a nice change.

The streets are filled with civilian ponies, happily going about their business. It makes me smile to see the place back to normal. Even the cliffs near the edge of town are packed with ponies lying or sitting on the grass in order to get decent look at the falls.

Before doing anything, Rainbow and I take a tour around the town. Despite the fact that I made fun of her for it earlier, we both walk by the old house we stayed in during the siege. We also visit the restaurant that had been our barracks at the time as well. It's back to normal,  and is serving delicious looking (yet still vegetarian) dishes. For nostalgia's sake, I end up taking Rainbow there to eat. It's not as expensive as I'd feared. I won't have to make a run back to Ponyville for more money just yet.

Then, we decide to get started on the mountain trail. Granted, Rainbow really wanted to go flying over the falls first, but we can always do that later. This trail follows the water's edge for a while, so we can at least get a little ways up before doing anything else. The sole reason for my decision is that I don't want to go flying carrying a crap ton of traveling equipment. 

The trail starts at the edge of town, starting as a paved road for a few hundred meters, before entering the forest at the base of the mountain, where it becomes a beaten dirt path. The ground underfoot has been churned and flattened from the hundreds of ponies that have no doubt come this way in the past. Even now I can see fresh hoofprints dotting the path ahead. Considering it's a bright spring day and the sun is shining, we likely won't be the only ones on this path.

“You said this goes all the way up to the mountaintop, right?” I ask for confirmation just as we pass beneath the canopy, a faint shadow falling over us. I made sure to restock our supplies before heading out here, so we're set as far as that goes. 

“Yep! All the way up to the top, to the source of the river!” Rainbow answers for me excitedly. She can hardly contain her enthusiasm, despite the fact that we're walking instead of flying. She's moving faster than I am, practically trotting. I can hardly keep up with her without straining myself, and I'm not about to do that considering we're likely going to be on this trail for several days. “What's taking you? Come on, speed it up!”

“Hey, if you want to carry these bags for me, be my guest,” I retort, though I do try a bit harder to keep up with her. It's a good thing I've toughened up over the past few months, as I can already tell it's going to be hell trying to go uphill with this stuff. “What are you so excited about anyway?”

Rainbow looks thrilled at being asked. She falls back a bit so she's walking beside me. “Okay, so I came here once on a flying trip from Cloudsdale, back when I was still at the Academy,” Rainbow begins, talking as if she's about to tell a grand story. I do my best to focus on her, while at the same time taking care not to trip over a stray tree root. The path gets rougher the further we go. “Me, Gilda, and Fluttershy came up this trail together, and we had a spot right up there at the very top. It's so awesome; we stayed there until the teachers came to find us. They were so mad!”

“Hah, I bet. Let me guess, Fluttershy was whimpering at you the whole time while you and...wait, hold up. Who's Gilda?” I question her, doing a double take. As much time as I've spent with her, I don't really know everything about her past. She barely even mentions her parents, after all.

“What, you mean I never told you? She was a griffon transfer student from Griffonstone who was pretty cool. She and Fluttershy didn't get along very well though,” Rainbow reveals. Huh. I didn't know Griffonstone sent students over to Equestria. Though that last statement makes a lot of sense.

“I can't possibly imagine why,” I remark. Fluttershy's great, and a lot stronger than everyone gives her credit for, but she's not very socially adept. At academy age, she was probably worse. “You know, it's not really fair that I spilled my entire life to you, and I know next to nothing about your past life. You know, apart from you and your friends zapping a god back to stone.”

“Huh? I've told you stuff!” Rainbow protests. She starts to pout. “You trying to say I'm hiding stuff from you? Because I'm not. It just...never really comes up.”

“Nah, I'm just messing with you. Though I wouldn't protest if you told me more,” I say with a shrug. Rainbow relaxes from that. The two of us fall into a comfortable silence as we do our best to get further up the trail.

We come across other ponies on the trail as well. Some of them are families accompanying a foal or two, and others are couples like us, though they don't hide it nearly as much as we do. Rainbow's face when we pass a kissing couple on a bench is the most priceless thing I've ever seen. I have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

Eventually, we reach a portion of the path around the second “level” of the falls, where it splits. The fork on the right continues up the mountain, while the other forms a wide arc, traveling a little further uphill,  then doubles back on itself to form a wide area that overlooks the main path. According to the signs and other tents already set up, it's meant for setting up camp.

“Finally. Let's stop here,” I say, taking the left fork. Rainbow pauses and watches me questioningly.

“What? Why? Are you tired already?” Rainbow protests, even as she follows me. Well, my legs are tired, but I'm not about to admit that to her. If I did, she'd insist on making me do daily runs again like she did back when I met Commander Rose, and those were hell. However, that's not why I'm stopping.

“I'm fine. But this is a campsite, and who knows when the next one is going to be. Considering it's already evening and you still want to fly, I figured this would be a good place to set up,” I explain to her. Rainbow blinks, trying to put together my explanation in her head. I sigh. “In other words, I'm dumping our stuff off here and going flying over the falls with you.”

“Oh, okay. That makes sense I guess. So what, you gonna set up the tent?” Rainbow questions as the two of us walk onto the raised area. Besides us, there's only two other tents set up here, and only one of them seems to be occupied for the moment. 

Something she said causes me to slowly turn my head to look at her. “Yes...we are going to set up the tent,” I emphasize to her pointedly. Rainbow blinks innocently and does her best to look offended by my not so subtle insinuation that she would duck out on doing work. I know better though. I notice her ever so slightly shift her weight onto one of her hind legs. I narrow my eyes. “Rainbow...”

“Yeah...that's what I meant...yeah...'we'...heh,” Rainbow responds shiftily. The moment I take a step towards her, she immediately pivots on her hind legs and propels herself into the air in a streak of color. “Bye now! Have fun with the tent!”

“You little...!” I start to curse, but then stop myself. At this point, even if I finished my expletive, she's too far away to hear it.  A sigh leaves me at the sight of the rainbow trail spiraling through the air high above. I have to admit, no matter how much magic I use, she is a lot more agile than I am. “Well, no point in standing around.”

Resigned to my fate, I un-sling all the traveling supplies from my back. I sigh in relief. Including the tent, sleeping bag, and traveling supplies, that's nearly twenty pounds I've been hauling around on my back. Rainbow could have done her share, but she insisted on being “free to practice her tricks” while flying. Naturally I objected, but she always seems to get her way in the end. It's kind of hard to object when she kisses me every time I open my mouth to complain. 

I get out the tent stakes and ropes and start nailing them into the ground the proper distance away from one another, while making sure to keep dirt and leaves off what is soon to be the floor of the tent. Setting up a tent is difficult, especially one large enough to hold the both of us comfortably.

While I'm working, Rainbow eventually comes back, getting bored of waiting for me. She alights on a tree branch like a bird and peers down at me. She's always like this. She's so quick to duck out of work, but when it starts taking too long for me to finish said work on my own, she gets impatient and starts complaining. 

“Are you done yet?” ...and I rest my case. I ignore her and keep working. If she would just help me, this would be done a lot faster. But, I guess she wouldn't be Rainbow if she wasn't lazy. Rainbow huffs with impatience from her perch. Soon, like always, she starts fidgeting out of boredom. Finally, she whines. “Seeeeeth!”

“Oh for the...what!?” I complain, raising my voice in annoyance. I turn around from the now completed tent, my right eye twitching. I step aside and show her the tent. “I'm done, okay? Happy?”

“Finally! It took you long enough,” Rainbow says with a sigh of relief.

“It would have been done a lot faster if you hadn't flown off, so quite whining at me!” I retort. I take a moment to dust my hands free of dirt, and then toss the remaining bags inside the tent. It's not a large tent, but at least there's enough room for the two of us. Rainbow didn't mind having a smaller tent; I'm apparently her favorite “teddy bear.”

“I'm not whining!”

“Yes you are. What you are doing right now is literally the definition of whining.” 

“I do not whine! You take that back!” Rainbow starts throwing small twigs and clumps of leaves down on me from the tree, causing me to raise my arm and shield my face. I swear, sometimes she acts so immaturely she makes Sweetie Belle look tame.

“Quit throwing things, you lunatic!” 

“You're the lunatic, lunatic!”

Rainbow and I then proceed to hurl insults back and forth at one another. Despite my earlier thoughts about maturity, I can't help but respond in kind to her insults. I'm having too much fun to care about being mature. Besides, it's not like there's anypony around to hear...

The both of us trail off when we notice the two ponies standing just in front of their own tent. There's a mare and a stallion, both of them no doubt the occupants of one of the other two tents in the area. They're giving us perplexed and slightly amused expressions, having observed the whole insult war. 

Rainbow and I are frozen, realizing just how weird our antics must seem to strangers that don't know us. In response to the silence, the stallion snickers, looking at me. “Don't mind us, do go on. I'm curious to see how you respond to 'stick-limbed mop-headed peanut,'” he remarks. His mare companion looks shocked at his boldness, causing her to smack him lightly with her hoof. 

Rainbow laughs nervously, blushing a little to hear her own hastily thought up insult repeated back to her. She meets my gaze and jerks her head towards the skies. Yeah, I can agree with that. The tent's done and this situation is more than a little awkward.

“Sorry about that,” I apologize to the two of them for disturbing their peace. Without another word, I leap into the air with a burst of magic and join Rainbow in heading towards the waterfall. Now then, on to what we came to do.





Ever since coming here during the war, I knew Rainbow wanted to fly over Neighagra falls with me. We would have done it that very moment, if I hadn't been deprived of my magic at that point. While I eventually got my magic back, the moment had passed, and the war had begun in earnest. We had no time for such fanciful pursuits. 

Rainbow is the kind of mare that's happiest when she's in the air. I can just tell that by how excited she gets whenever she talks about aerial maneuvers or whenever I agree to go flying with her. 

That being said, her mood soars as the two of us fly high above the falls. The awe that I felt seeing the falls from the streets is nothing compared to the feeling I get from looking down on them like this. It's like looking at a constantly moving set of white frothy stairs. 

There's no threat of falling, so the two of us fly through the foaming spray, our laughter and wonder nearly drowned out by the sound of the falling water. In the process, my body becomes slick with spray...which is why I took off my clothes before coming here. I figured that this is what we'd do before we came to Trotsdale, so I wore my bathing suit beneath my clothes.

We don't talk to one another due to the loud ambiance of the falls, but we don't need to talk. Just seeing her graceful cyan form flying beside me is enough to lift my spirits. Every so often, she'll turn her head and grin at me, or she'll pull off some ridiculous stunt that I can't even hope to keep up with. 

I don't know how long we fly out there together. However, it soon grows dark, and the lights from Trotsdale soon become the only source of light, apart from the moon hanging in the sky far far above us. When Rainbow and I turn back and angle towards the campsite, it's nearly pitch dark, and the chirping of crickets fills the air.

Thankfully, it's not hard to find our campsite again. After drying off and exchanging a few quips, Rainbow and I curl up inside our sleeping bag together. It's weird, but sleeping with her like this has become normal. I tried to argue at first, but Rainbow usually gets her way in the end.

In the morning, we pack up the campsite and start up the trail. I don't know exactly how long this trail is, but I find myself looking forward to the trek ahead. I'm not as spindly as I was when I first appeared in Equestria, so a simple hike doesn't bother me much anymore.

Instead, I take the time to observe the surroundings while enjoying a contented silence with Rainbow. All the while, the wide river that eventually becomes the falls rushes along the side of the path.The woods around us are full of life, no matter where I look. Squirrels dash up and down the trees, birds sing their songs from the higher branches, and other small animals rustle in the undergrowth. I even spot a snake winding its way across the trail at one point. 

There's insects all over the place of course. Just by looking up, I can see spiderwebs draped between branches. On occasion, I even have to brush aside one that's impeding my way forward. There's also mosquitoes, but they don't really bother us. In Rainbow's case, she brought some kind of bug repellent in her saddlebags to ward them away. As for me, I just surround my skin with a thin invisible layer of magic. It's enough to incinerate any mosquitoes daring enough to approach my skin.

“Hold on, it looks like the path gets a little narrow up ahead,” I warn Rainbow sometime around evening. Right now, we're significantly higher on the mountain than we were before. We're walking up a path that travels along the slope of the mountain. Currently, there's a high cliff to the left of the path, and a steep decline just to the right. The path I'm warning her about is large enough for the two of us to walk side by side with a little space between us, but that's about it.

“Eh, no big deal. We can fly,” Rainbow says with an unworried shrug. She walks with me onto the narrow path, the both of us keeping to the left despite our ability to fly. She glances at me curiously. “Why, did you think one of us would fall?”

“Yeah, probably you, since you don't bother watching where you're going half the time,” I poke fun at her. 

Rainbow wrinkles her nose indignantly. “I do too! I can walk just fine, Seth. No, you're the one who looks like he's constantly trying not to fall, with the two legs and all,” she returns, prodding my legs.

“I didn't say you couldn't walk. I said you don't watch where you're going,” I correct her, a grin forming on my face. “I seem to recall you flying right into a wall on two separate occasions.”

Rainbow huffs and shoves me lightly. I remember that we're on a narrow path, so I plant my right foot on the edge to keep from falling over, chuckling. However, my chuckle turns into a yelp of alarm when the ground beneath my right foot crumbles away under the weight. Unbalanced, I tumble right over the side of the cliff before I can react. 

“Seth!” Rainbow immediately leaps after me in alarm, forgetting the fact that I can fly too. As for me, by the time I realize I should catch myself, I fall onto the slope and roll for several feet before tumbling into a rocky alcove at the base of a large tree. 

I grunt in pain and clutch the arm that I fell onto, cursing my lack of reflexes. It's been forever since my last battle, so I must have gotten worse at reacting in time. Still, it's only a minor pain, and I haven't really been hurt. “Goddammit, Rainbow,” I mutter beneath my breath, shaking my head. My clothes have been slightly torn and pockmarked with the dirt stains and bits of foliage that I accumulated during the fall. 

The alcove where I'm at now is overgrown with the thick roots of a large tree standing just on the slope above me. A thick layer of ivy and other plants blanketing the alcove cushioned my fall slightly. My hand reaches out and grasps one of the higher roots, which I then use to help myself up. God, what a pain.

“Seth, where are you?” Rainbow calls, the mare sliding down the slope after me.

“I'm not hurt. It wasn't that much of a drop.” I call back to her. Now then, just a short magically reinforced hop will get me out of this. However, as I turn towards the tree and gather my magic, something catches my eye. I pause and gaze curiously at the tree, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. That's weird...I could have sworn I just something glint at me.

Rainbow lands on the uneven ground behind me, the foliage flattening beneath her hooves. My back is to her, so I can't see her. Even so, I know she's feeling apologetic, due to the sound of her hooves shuffling on the ground. 

“Sorry...I didn't think you'd fall,” she says, scuffing the ground. At any other point, I'd have said something sarcastic; her words made it sound like I'd failed her expectations or something. However, I ignore her and look around one last time. “Uh, Seth?”

“Yeah, sorry,” I say, turning around with a sigh. I guess I must have been seeing things. Or maybe there was a piece of mica that caught the light. “Thought I saw something weird. Let's get back on the path.”

“Something weird? Like what?” Rainbow gets curious at my explanation. She walks past me towards the roots of the tree, investigating the area for anything interesting. “I mean, it's just a tree.”

“Yeah, I know that. It was nothing, okay?” I start to get impatient. I was having a rather good time before I fell down here. I'm eager to keep moving. Who knows how much longer this trail goes on? “Rainbow. Come on. Quit sniffing around.”

“I'm not sniffing around,” Rainbow retorts. She looks around a little bit longer, but doesn't seem to find anything. However, as she starts to turn back around, she does a double take. “Hey...”

“What is it?” I ask suspiciously. Rainbow fixes her gaze on the thick web of tree roots and steps closer. “Do you see something?”

“Yeah, like...something glinting,” Rainbow replies. Huh, that's exactly what I thought I saw. My impatience gives way to renewed curiosity, and I can't help joining her. It's probably going to turn out to be a deposit of mica, but I have to know at this point. Rainbow brings her face up close to the roots, where there's a tiny gap barely the size of a keyhole. “Hey, there's a cave back here! Seth, come look!”

“No kidding?” My curiosity thoroughly aroused, I join Rainbow by the tree roots. She moves her head aside and indicates the gap through which she was looking. I peer through the small hole; sure enough, there's a dark hole in the side of the rock face. I can't see very far in, but I can tell that the walls are oddly smooth, as if carved. “You're right, there is something back there.”

Something glints in the gloom of the cave. I shoot my eyes to where I thought I saw it, but all I see is darkness. Confused, I move my head back to allow some light to trickle in through the whole. My hunch pays off; now I can see the glinting object sitting in a pile of loose rock. 

I turn to Rainbow. “So, want to head off the beaten path and do some exploring?” I prompt her. A sense of excitement wells up from within me at the thought of exploring a cave. 

Rainbow puts on a grin. “You bet! Let's go cave diving; who knows what we'll find! Ancient ruins with powerful artifacts hidden inside, or maybe a monster guarding a hoard of treasure!” Rainbow spouts enthusiastically. 

“Well, I wouldn't go quite that far,” I point out. However, her spirits refuse to be dampened. Rainbow starts trying to wrench the roots apart to give us room to enter. She gets about as much success as one would expect. I scoff lightly and gently push her aside. “Out of the way. Let me handle getting in.”

Rainbow, realizing what I'm about to do, leaps back to give me plenty of room. I reach within my consciousness and draw forth my magic. I don't need that much; all I'm doing is calling forth an object that's magically linked to me.

I open my hand and release the magic. A simple longsword made from an emerald-like substance forms in a gust of displaced air. Gravity takes hold and it starts to fall. Before it lands, I catch it by the hilt and give it a twirl. It's been a while since I've held this thing; I haven't even touched a weapon since the war ended.

The magic-infused blade easily cuts through the roots blocking the cave entrance, allowing us entrance. Rainbow immediately leaps inside without waiting for me. I groan, let my sword disappear, and follow her inside. “Would you wait? God, it's like you're a little filly on a field trip,” I grumble. 

The cave goes pretty far into the cliff face, making it a miracle that we even saw anything at all. We're walking for several seconds before reaching the area near what we thought was the back wall. However, the cave goes even farther than that, forming a tunnel that curves in on itself and descends even deeper into the earth. What exactly did we stumble upon here?

Rainbow descends upon the glinting object in the rock and clamps her mouth around it, picking it up out of the pile. She spits it out onto the flat portion of a hoof so she can get a closer look. Judging from the perplexed expression crossing her face, I don't think she has any clue what it is. 

“Seth, you look at this. Maybe you can figure out what I'm looking at,” Rainbow suggests, passing the object gingerly to me. I take it gently from her..though even despite my careful touch, parts of it crumble away in my fingers. “Careful! You don't want to break it! This could be some really valuable artifact!”

“Maybe in your dreams,” I retort. I take a close look at the object...and then all suspicions of this being a simple deposit of mica disappear from my mind. This...this is something else. It's old as hell and nearly unrecognizable, but this looks almost like...human technology. “Wait a second...you might actually be right.”

“Really? Awesome, what is it?” Rainbow pushes her muzzle up close to get a better look at it, disturbing me in the process. I hold her back, much to her annoyance.

“I...I think it's what used to be an LCD screen.” Of course, I can't be sure. This is just a guess on my part, but this ancient relic looks like it could have been part of a calculator or a phone. I could be wrong, due to it being so old that just being held like this is causing it to crumble into dust.

“A what now?” Rainbow is understandably confused by that.

“It stands for liquid crystal display. It's human technology, like what's on my phone,” I reveal to her. Rainbow's eyes widen; she knows full well what finding something like this means to me. Being the last of my race apart from Hawke, the chance to see anything human is one that I can't pass up. “But what the hell is human tech doing in a place like this?”

“Maybe we found some ruins? Do you know of any human cities being around here in the past?” Rainbow questions, peering deeper into the tunnel. 

“I have no earthly idea. Discord fucked up the landscape so much that I honestly couldn't tell you,” I admit to her. I do have my suspicions, however, so I relay that to her. “However, if I assume that  Neighagra falls is in the same general area as Niagara Falls was back in my time...”

“There's a place called Niagara Falls in the human time? That's just like Neighagra! That's a crazy coincidence,” Rainbow interrupts, scratching her head. I give her a flat-browed stare.

“Ever consider the idea that you ponies might have gotten the name for the falls from the ruins of my race?” I point out to her. Rainbow's mouth shuts with a snap. I love this mare, but sometimes she can be so stupid. “Anyway, don't interrupt. If the falls are in the same place as they were in my time, then maybe this is where the state park used to be, on the border between New York and Ontario.”

Rainbow looks at me blankly. “I have no idea what any of those places are,” she states flatly. I heave a sigh of exasperation. Of course she doesn't. “So, you think there might be ruins here?”

“Maybe. I have no idea,” I admit with a shrug. To Rainbow, that might as well have been a yes. Rainbow pumps her hoof in victory and gallops down the tunnel excitedly. I cast the crumbled and useless LCD screen away and chase after her, annoyed. “Would you wait already!? Sheesh! The ruins aren't going anywhere!”

The tunnel spirals down deep into the earth, as the sounds of the wildlife outside fade to nothing. Replacing them is silence, broken only by our breathing and the sound of our feet and hooves crunching on the floor. It's completely dark, but I'm using my phone's flashlight to help us navigate.

“It's strange...the walls look smooth,” I point out, running my hand along the wall. Not counting the chips and flaws from age, the walls look as if they had been carved out. That suggests that they were man-made. I can't believe it. Maybe we've stumbled across some human ruins after all. Given how far off the path this place was, I'm not surprised that this place hasn't been found by now. Ponies tend not to travel off the beaten path.

“Speaking of smooth, look at that!” Rainbow exclaims, bounding forward into the darkness ahead. I orient the flashlight on her...and I feel my breath stop short for a brief moment upon seeing what lies ahead.

The tunnel comes to an end at a doorway that leaves no doubt that it's been made by humans. The entire wall is made of a strong sturdy metal that doesn't seem to have rusted, suggesting it's made of and alloy. If I had to guess, I'd say titanium. The door itself is rectangular and designed like that of a bank vault, in that it's clad entirely in titanium and sealed shut by massive metal bolts extending from the door into the surrounding frame. In place of a doorknob is a large wheel that's connected to the opening mechanisms and complicated locks.

“Whoa...somepony really didn't want others getting in,” Rainbow observes in awe. She steps forward and places a hoof on the metal door. Despite its age, the door is in remarkably good shape. Before I can stop her, Rainbow turns and bucks the door with her hind legs. Her brash action causes the door to resound with a loud clang, but it remains sturdy. Rainbow, however, recoils in pain. “Ow! This thing is really old right? How is it that strong?”

“Because it's basically a vault door, you idiot! Even old bunkers from ancient times lasted a long time, so a modern installation with this kind of architecture should definitely still be sturdy,” I admonish her, holding not sympathy whatsoever for her aching legs. Rainbow protests, I ignore her.“I agree with you on one thing: Someone definitely doesn't want people getting in.”

My curiosity thoroughly piqued, I stride to the door. Setting the travel bags aside, I attempt to open it the old fashioned way. The handle of the wheel is cool to the touch, if a bit crusty from the surrounding earth. I try to turn it, but as I expected, the door is still locked and the wheel won't budge. 

“Damn. I guess I'll have to use force,” I determine, summoning my magic. The tunnel is lit up with the lime green light from my aura, giving the area an eerie look. Rainbow immediately leaps back to give me some room, knowing how destructive I can be. I wreathe my fist in green magic and punch forward directly into the center of the door.

The metal dents slightly beneath my fist and a deep bass tone thrums through the air. Goddamn, this is one sturdy door. Given how much effort was given into making this door, I'm starting to have my suspicions as to what the purpose of these ruins may have been. 

“That didn't work so well,” I observe. The door stubbornly stands in our way from discovering the secrets of these ruins.

“So? Hit it again!” Rainbow directs me. 

“Um...no. I put a hell of a lot of force into that punch. If that didn't break it down, repeated attempts aren't going to do much of anything. There must be some kind of system in the door that distributes force effectively,” I disagree with her. Rainbow blinks.

“So why does that mean you can't just hit it harder?” Rainbow, knowing nothing of force distribution, proceeds to ask me a very dumb question. Times like this just remind me that she's primarily a jock who gets lost if she can't just power her way through.

“It's physics. You wouldn't get it,” I explain, waving my hand dismissively. Ignoring the indignant expression that forms on Rainbow's face, I approach the door and rub my chin. There has to be some way to get in. I'm no vault cracker, so picking it won't work. “Hmm, I could try cutting those bolts.”

I summon the sword again, glancing at the bolts meaningfully. Granted, those things are extremely thick. A slim bladed weapon like this would have no chance of breaking one even with my magic behind it. Therefore, there's only one more thing I can do. 

Concentrating, I focus my magic into my blade. The form of the weapon loses its rigidity and becomes liquid as it shifts to a more suitable shape. It takes the form of a heavy single bladed axe of the sort one would use to chop down trees. This might not work, but it's worth a shot. If it doesn't work, I'll give up and let White Opal, the head of the Canterlot Archaeological Department, know about this place and see what she can do.

“Okay, stand back,” I warn Rainbow as I pump as much magic into the axe as I can. The axe starts to hum with latent power, such that the very air around it starts to dilate. At this point, the weapon is so strong it could probably cut through rock with ease. Let's see how it fares on metal.

I clasp the axe in both hands and bring it over head in a tall arc, aiming directly at the first bolt on the lower half of the door. Upon impact, a bright light fills the air as the magic bursts forth. Vibrations run up my arms to the point where it's painful. The bolt comes apart with a painfully loud shriek of stressed metal, and then my axe embeds itself in the ground.

“Ow...my poor ears,” Rainbow complains, her hooves clapped firmly around the affected appendages. She pries her eyes open. “Did it work? Is it safe to look now?”

“Yeah, it worked,” I answer, panting with the exertion. It's probably a good thing the metal is so old, otherwise it would have taken a hell of a lot more effort than that. The last thing I want to do is bury us in tons of dirt and rock because I used too much power. “But you still shouldn't look. There's still one more bolt I have to cut.”

I repeat the process on the upper bolt, using additional magic to hover a few inches off the ground so I can reach it without having to strain. Now that both bolts are cut, all that's left to do is slide them out of the frame. 

“Here, help me out,” I say to Rainbow as I start tugging on one of the lower bolts. I indicate the upper bolt. “Just pull that bolt up there out of the wall. It's heavy, so be careful.”

“I got this, don't worry,” Rainbow brags, flying up to the bolt in question. I shake my head at her confidence and continue pulling on the lower bolt. Eventually, the metal pole slides out of the frame. I discard it on the ground beside me. Once Rainbow removes the second bolt, the door should be unfastened, unless there's a secondary locking mechanism. I sincerely hope that there isn't.

I don't bother turning the wheel. The whole point of turning it would be to unfasten the bolts...which I just smashed. So at this point, all I should have to do is tug. I plant my feet on the ground and grasp the sides of the wheel. I take a deep breath and pull as I hard as I can, strained grunts escaping me in the process.

“Here, let me help!” Rainbow flies to the handle as well and clamps her hooves around it. Using her wings, she adds her strength to the action. Despite the two of us working together, it's a lot harder than it should be.

The door slowly starts to move outwards, though I feel like something is resisting us. The true nature of that resistance becomes clear to me once I start to hear a loud hissing coming from behind the door. Air rushes past us in a violent gust of wind that doesn't seem to be stopping. I start becoming short of breath, which tells me exactly what's happening. 

I turn and grab Rainbow around the middle. Using as much magical power as I can muster, I propel us away from the door and all the way back through the tunnel. Rainbow yells in protest, but I ignore her. Being able to breathe is more important.

“What the hay was that?” Rainbow demands once I set her down a good distance outside the entrance of the tunnel. 

“Somehow, there was no air in those ruins,” I say, gulping down air. Those crazy bastards...why the hell would they have a bunker with no air in it? 

“You mean like, it's really stuffy in there?” Rainbow, of course, is clueless as to what I mean. I shake my head in response.

“No, I mean like, there's literally no air in there. It was a vacuum. For some reason, the humans pumped out all of the air in that place,” I attempt to explain. “That's why when we opened it, all of the air in the tunnel was sucked into the ruins. If we had stayed, we likely would have suffocated.”

“Wait, you mean we could have died?” Rainbow exclaims vehemently. I nod solemnly. “That was dangerous then! What were those humans thinking?”

“I couldn't tell you. For some reason, they vacuum sealed the place,” I say with a shrug. I look back at the tunnel. The air seems to have stabilized, because I can't see anything getting sucked into the tunnel anymore. “Okay, it should be safe to go in now.”

With that, Rainbow and I return to the vault door. I can't help be awed, now that I see how thick the door truly is. I think the door is about four feet in width. This thing is built like a bank vault. Nothing apart from breaking those bolts could have gotten us in. Even Rainbow is in awe at how thick the door is.

Now that the ruins inside are filled with air, I finish opening the door, revealing what's inside for the first time in millennia. 

Rainbow and I step inside together in silence. Just beyond the doorway is a stark white room that looks like an entrance hall or a lobby. Due to being vacuum sealed, everything inside is in good condition, even the papers on top of the long desk on the far side of the room. The desk looks like some kind of check in station, complete with a designated area for customers (or whatever people that came here were called) to stand in line. For exits, there are two doors on the back wall on either side of the desk, each one preceded by a metal detector.

“Whoa...this place is cool,” Rainbow emits, leaping into the air and hovering to get a better view of the room. She beckons to me. “Come on, let's explore! This is way cooler than walking up a trail.”

“It's certainly interesting. I don't mind taking a look around. I'm too curious to leave now,” I reply to her. I step away from her and walk through the area where the line would have been. The desk is my objective; I'm very curious to see if I can make anything of those papers.

I walk behind the desk and glance down at the papers. Several pages have been held together on a clipboard, with a typical chain and pen attached to it. The paper is no doubt brittle despite how good it looks for its age, so I have to be very careful with it.

“What are these boxy things by the doors?” Rainbow asks, poking at one with her hoof. 

“Metal detectors. It's for security,” I reply absentmindedly to her as I peer through the pages. I seem to be looking at a sign-in sheet of sorts. There are several columns on the page, each one representing a different piece of information.

“What are you looking at?” Rainbow questions, coming closer. I ignore her and keep looking. 

It looks like this is both a sign-in sheet and a database of sorts. The first column has the full names of “Residents,” while the next several columns detail information such as previous addresses and occupations. The very last column is labeled “Status.” In it is detailed the current status of the resident. Some of this suggests that the residents were predetermined, because the names are typed, while the status column is printed in pen. Many of them are labeled as “checked-in,” while others are “unaccounted for.” I scan the pages, mostly for curiosity's sake. I doubt I'd recognize any of these names, considering I didn't live anywhere near this far north.

I turn the page, managing not to damage the paper in the process. I suddenly stop, my blood running cold at what I see. My breath catches in my throat.

“Seth?” Rainbow gets concerned when she sees my expression. I can't bring myself to answer her. On the page, listed innocently with the other residents whose family names begin with “M,” I spot a name that I never thought I would see again.



“Resident Name    Status
Meryl, Amaryllis.  		 Killed in Action.”