My New Life
Chapter 58 - Translation
Future Nightshade's POV
"Ow!" I yelled as the doctor applied ointment to my burns.
"Simmer down. With the account you gave, you're lucky that you aren't a pile of ash, much less alive." He finished wrapping up the last burn and then swiveled around and grabbed his clipboard. "I mean seriously, lava?" He snorted and adjusted his glasses before swiveling back to me. "You are a crazy one."
"I'm not crazy, I'm determined."
"Funny. Prince Pure Heart would say the same thing whenever he came in here with serious injuries." He chuckled. "In all my years as the royal physician, no one has ever sustained more injuries than him."
"I bet." I said, laughing a bit as well.
"Alright. That should about do it. You're free to go. Just try not jump into any more volcanoes."
I began putting my armor back on. "I won't promise anything."
"He used to say that, too."
After I finished with the last buckle, I looked at him. "You and the prince were pretty close, huh?"
"Well, I'm not sure about that. Ever since he first came into my clinic years ago, he has always come to me with his medical problems. So I guess you could say I was the only one he trusted with his well being. He rarely even told his wife about the injuries."
"Why is that?"
"To keep her from worrying of course. Didn't stop her though." He laughed a little. "Those two were made for each other. I could tell from the first time I saw them together."
I sat for a second thinking about all this and then hopped off the table. "Well thanks for the patch work Doctor..."
"Stern. Dr. Stern. No problem." Dr. Stern tilted his glasses and looked at me hard. "You know, you kind of remind me of him."
"Well thanks again." I quickly exited the room to the waiting area where Cloudlight was waiting.
"You didn't reveal who you were, right?" He asked.
"No, but he is really good. He almost recognized that I was related to my dad."
"Well you are the spitting image of him."
"So I have been told."
"Well now that you are all bandaged up, we can continue."
"Continue what? Mr. Heart said that I shouldn't even try to fight Black Heart and that is the whole reason that I came back to the past in the first place." I said as we walked into the hall.
"So what? Does that mean that you are going to give up?"
"Well of course not."
"Exactly. Now stop feeling sorry for yourself and let's find a way to stop Black Heart."
"Right. I suppose we can focus on a different problem for now."
"That's the ticket. What did you have in mind?"
"One of the main problems is that we have no way to get to the human world."
"That's right. The portal mirror has been shattered and the magic that created it has been lost for centuries."
"The key phrase is 'has been lost'. If it's lost magic, then we just have to find it. In other words, we have to make our own spell."
"What are you talking about?"
"There was a time when unicorns had to make there own spells, just look at Starswirl the Bearded. He came up with thousands of spells many of which we still use today. So if the magic to move between world's has been lost, then making our own is the next best thing."
"I assume you have done some research on the subject."
"Indeed I have. My notes are in the study."
"Alright. Assuming that you do find this lost magic, the amount it would take to move between worlds is almost unheard of. How will you perform such an act?"
"That remains to be determined. But I'm sure we'll figure it out as we go."
"Well okay, if you're sure. But remember, we only have just over a month to get all this squared away."
"I know, I know. That's why I'm heading back to the study to do more research."
"In the meantime, I will get a team together and see what we can do with what you have compiled so far."
"Thank you."
After a few hours researching back in my father's study, I got slightly bored and leaned back in my chair. I started to think about how I could possibly help when I was basically told that I was useless by my own father. In frustration, I leaned forward and pounded down on the table I was working at. As soon as I made contact, though, the table fractured right down the middle, and the two halves fell to the ground along with all the papers and books that were on it.
"What the heck?" I said aloud.
"So it's true." I heard from behind.
I turned and saw Celestia walk into the study. "Oh, um. It was already like this, I swear."
"Come now, you really expect me to believe that a table of solid granite would split itself in half. Besides, I saw you do it."
I blushed. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize, fix it."
"You want me to fix this table. Well I suppose I could try but I will need a lot of glue."
"Not with glue, fix it with your new found power."
"Power? You mean the controlling earth thing?"
"Yes, I want to see if you really did get your father's gift."
"He said it was more of a curse."
"The ability that your father had to split molecules was indeed forged through the flames of sin and tribulation, but it is what he did with his power that made him the hero he was."
"Are you saying he was pardoned for all that he had done?"
"In essence, yes. For he was not in his own state of mind."
"What, did he plead in insanity?"
"There was no court hearing for his actions. He has more than made up for his actions."
"How is that? By giving him a slap on the wrist and tell him not to let it happen again?" I said in a rather irritated tone.
"By giving his life!" She shouted.
I was taken aback. It felt like I had just been punched in the gut.
She lowered her head and I saw tears fall to the floor. "Your father gave his life to save this world and, more importantly, your mother. Even more, she was, at the time, pregnant with you and your sisters, and your father didn't even know it. Through some kind of miracle, he returned months later as if nothing had even happened. And he returned just in time for the last month of your mother's pregnancy. That is six months of pain they can never get back."
I was silent for a moment while Aunt Celestial pulled herself together.
"I'm sorry they had to go through that. I guess I really am ignorant as to what my parents went through." I went to my aunt and hugged her tight. "I promise though, I will use the powers that have been bestowed upon me by my father and help make things right." I let go of my aunt, walked to the desk, closed my eyes and concentrated.
After a few minutes, I heard the sound of objects rolling across the wooden floor and then a creaking noise. After more creaks, the noises stopped and I opened my eyes. To my astonishment, the desk was put back together with no apparent seam where it had split in half, though I was dismayed at how lopsided it was.
"Not bad for your first conscious effort. I imagine you're more of the type who is better adept in the heat of battle." Celestial said behind me.
"Let me guess, just like my dad." I said shaking my head.
"I wasn't going to say that, though he was good under pressure. I'd say with a bit more practice, you will be able to master it."
"But if you are right about me being better with this magic in battle, then we will need to find someone to spar with me."
"Oh I'm sure that we can find someone." She walked over to the desk and started to pick up the papers that had fallen to which I helped. "What's this?" She asked, holding up a book.
"Careful!" I yelled, taking the book from her magic grasp. "This book is all I have from my grandparents." I placed the book gently on the table.
"I see. What is this book's title?"
"It's called 'The Twins of Ages'. It's about these twin men that have been around for a long time and watched as human events unfolded in front of them."
"How long have they been alive?"
"It's hard to say, since it is a children's book, but from the events they had witnessed, I would have to say well over a thousand years."
A look of intrigue came across her face as she walked over to the desk and peered down at the cover. "Is it me, or does the character on the cover look like your father?"
"That's what my grandmother said when she gave me the book. She said that she bought it just because the character reminded her of him. The other one as well."
"And they are brothers, correct?"
"I didn't say that."
"But the title is 'The Twins of Ages'."
"Right, but they aren't actually related. The title is just referring to the fact that they are doppelgangers."
"Ah, well that explains it."
"Explains what?"
"The cover art makes it seem as if they dislike each other. Look how they have their backs turned from each other."
"You are correct. They don't like each other much at all. In fact, the book begins with them wanting to destroy each other."
"That's not a very good beginning to a child's book."
"Well it's not meant for little kids, more like preteens."
"So how does the book end?" She asked, flipping to the back of the book.
"That's kind of the strange part about the book. It ends by just saying that the two are still among us today."
"And this is a work of fiction?"
"Historic fiction, yes."
"What's this in the back of the book?" She asked pointing to a page of strange lettering.
"No one knows. People asked the author the same thing and he would say that one of his sources asked him to put it in. It has been looked at by experts around the world and no one could figure out what language it was."
"That's because it is not a language of the human world."
"Excuse me?"
"This text is ancient Equestrian writing."
"You recognize it!"
"Yes, and I can read it too. It says 'The power of earth will signal us to come, but only when the Moon and Star appear with the Night.' The rest just describes a pattern of symbols."
"Interesting. Do you think you can draw the pattern it describes?"
"I can, but what will you do with it?"
"I have an idea, but it is too early to tell how it will play out."
?
"How much longer do we have to wait?"
"Geez you're impatient. It shouldn't be much longer now."
"That's what you said last time."
"Because the last time was five minutes ago. I swear, when we get out, I am never talking to you again."
"Oh come on, I didn't mean anything. I'm just bored is all."
"I am too."
"...Sooo, how much longer?"
"Ahhh!"