//------------------------------// // Markings of the Past // Story: The War of Equestria // by rainbowtiger00 //------------------------------// " Johnathan! Johnathan!" Called out Applejack. "You all right?" Jonathan groaned, and lifted himself off the stairs. Applejack's worried face was staring at him from the top of the hole. The sky was beginning to lighten up, as the moon slowly set and the sun slowly rose. "Ow. Yeah." Twilight's sleepy voice was heard. "What's going on?" She yawned. Rarity answered. "Twilight dear, Johnathan fell through that hole over there." Twilight's face appeared next to Applejack. "Johnathan! I think you found something." Jonathan grunted. "Yes, I did." He got to his feet. The hole only reached to his waist. Rainbow Dash came over. "Does lead to some horrific monster?" Twilight cocked her head. "Why would that be?" Rainbow Dash clapped her hooves. "Because a horrific monster would be totally awesome!" Twilight rolled her eyes. "It probably does not." Pinkie Pie jumped up and down beside Rainbow Dash. "Or maybe we could find a super duper party!" Fluttershy came over beside Pinkie Pie. "Or maybe a new creature." She quietly added. Spike jumped beside Johnathan. "Why don't we find out what is there." Jonathan walked down the stairs first, with Spike and Twilight behind him. Behind them was Rarity and Applejack, followed by Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. At first the ceiling was really low, and Jonathan had to duck as he walked along. But the farther they went, the higher the ceiling became. But it also became darker. Twilight's horn glowed with a pink aura, giving them a faint purplish light. The steps were made of marble, but they had yellowed with age. Cracks could be seen in the rock, and along the walls and ceiling, spider webs hung down to ensnare their heads. The walls were first made of hard dirt but slowly turned to stone. Jonathan glanced at his necklace. “So this necklace is doing even more weird things now.” He thought, a slightly angry feeling settling over him. He tried to yank the necklace off once more only to fail. With a grunt, he hid it underneath his shirt so he wouldn't have to look at it. Spike looked at Twilight. “Twilight, when did the Everfree forest came to be?” Twilight's ear flicked once, as the sound of conversation from the others behind them could be faintly heard. “After Nightmare Moon's banishment. The forest was created from the magic that was flung around.” Spike nodded. “Jonathan. You said that the forest near your town is rumored to be called Everfree?” Jonathan nodded. Spike looked at Twilight. “Twilight, I think Jonathan's time is the future.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at him. “Why do you think that?” Spike answered. “Think about it. If the Everfree forest wasn't created till Nightmare Moon's banishment, then the town couldn't have been there before. And if it was there during the thousand years, then Princess Celestia would have taken notice. And it couldn't of suddenly vanished either. So, for it to exist, he must belong in the future. One that is most likely, far away from our time.” Twilight frowned. “But then what made humans come into the land, and ponies leave?” Spike shrugged. “I don't know.” Jonathan turned to them slightly as he walked. “I don't have any answers to give you. All I know are the legends I was told as a kid.” Twilight nodded. “Well, legends could very well have a grain of truth you know. Take Nightmare Moon for instance.” Jonathan glanced at her. “Nightmare Moon?” Twilight blinked. “Oh right, you don't know. Nightmare Moon was Princess Luna before she turned to good.” Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “You mean she once was not good?” Spike nodded. “Jealously and grief over ponies shunning her night corrupted her soul. She decided to not lower the moon in order to show ponies how beautiful it really was. An act that had good intentions, but like ponies always say, the road to Tartarus is paved with good intentions. So, naturally this would have had enormous consequences. Princess Celestia tried to convince her sister to forgo her plan and lower the moon. The problem was, Princess Luna's jealousy had grown to the point where she hated her sister. In the heat of the moment, she turned into Nightmare Moon from that corruption and attacked Princess Celestia. Princess Celestia, in return, used the Elements of Harmony to defend herself. The Elements of Harmony sent Princess Luna to the moon, where she stayed for a thousand years.” Jonathan's mouth dropped. “A thousand years?! How did she live that long?” Twilight flapped her wings. “Alicorns live for a very, very long time.” Jonathan looked at Spike. “Those Elements of Harmony just keep popping up. Are they your main source of protection?” Spike nodded. “Yes. Most likely, our only.” Jonathan blinked. “Your only source of protection? Well, better not lose them.” Twilight sighed. “Yeah, well the thing is, we had to give them up in order to save Equestria. So now, we have no protection.” Jonathan paused. “How long ago was this?” Twilight chewed her cheek. “Ten years ago. Why?” Jonathan stiffened. “Ten years ago, my aunt died. And I received this necklace.” Twilight's head snapped up. “Of course! When we lost our main protection, you must have filled in that gap! That makes perfect sense!” Spike cocked his head. “So then, the previous bearer must have been the one to protect Equestria from danger when the Elements of Harmony were not available.” Jonathan blinked. “My aunt.” Twilight frowned. “You mean before Discord?” Spike nodded. Jonathan looked at Twilight in confusion. “Discord?” Spike scratched at an itchy scale. “He is the god of chaos and has enormous power. He was the ruler of Equestria before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna overthrew him using the Elements of Harmony. Before that, though, we have no knowledge.” Jonathan looked at his feet. “So my aunt must have served that unknown ruler of Equestria. That would explain all the absences that Trisha mentioned before. But wait a second. She took off the necklace after my parents died, or so Felix said. Where was her painful consequence?” Spike looked at him. “How old were you then?” Jonathan's hand fell. “Three. I guess I wouldn't have been old enough to know.” Twilight's wings ruffled. “So after your parents died, she stopped coming. The throne must have been empty at that time, and Discord must have taken it for himself. But the ponies that knew her couldn't have forgotten her.” Spike looked at the walls. “Who said that they did?” They arrived at the end of the stairs. Torches suddenly lit up at their entrance. A large room was before them. A stone table was in the middle, with a statue of a female laying on top of it. A painting was behind the table. Jonathan walked over to the statue. It was carved to look like a human female with waist long hair. Her eyes were closed, and she had a peaceful expression on her face. A stone copy of the necklace was on her neck. Her head was covered by a circlet with a sapphire in the middle. She was wearing armor down to her waist. A long skirt covered her legs, ending at her feet. Two long thin swords were at her belt, and in her hands, she was holding an elaborate upside down rose. Jonathan went over to the painting. It was the same woman at the stone table, yet she was in color. The armor was gold, with the skirt being a bright white. Her hair was red, black, and gray. Her face was stern. Jonathan gasped. “Auntie!” Twilight came up behind him. “Well, I suppose that this must be the memorial.” Rarity made a noise of discomfort. “That stone rose is upside down!” Jonathan turned to look at Rarity. She was frowning. “That is absolutely terrible! The artist should have placed it right side up!” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Don't be so picky, Rarity.” Rarity's eyes flared. “Picky? Picky! Well, I say Applejack! I was not picky when Pinkie Pie dragged us through all that mud all night long! I was not picky when we went down those dusty stairs that had spider webs that got in my beautiful mane! I was not picky one bit! So let me be picky about this if you please! This rose should be right side up!” With a hump, Rarity tugged at the rose to prove her point. The rose moved slightly. Rarity blinked. “Oh, it's movable.” She tugged at the statue's hands and was able to lift them high enough to spin the rose to the right position. She gave a satisfied sigh as she placed the hands back into their positions, and stepped back from the table. The statue’s sapphire glowed. Her eyes opened. They glowed a sapphire blue. Slowly, she sat up. Rarity's mouth opened in shock. Jonathan stared, and began to shake Twilight. “Twilight, you better take a look at this.” She turned around and saw the moving statue. “What?” Pinkie Pie jumped up and down. “Ooh! She's alive!” Applejack stared, her eyes unblinking. Fluttershy cowered behind Rainbow Dash, who lifted her hooves in a fighting stance. The statue bent down and placed the rose gently onto the ground. She grabbed the hilts of her swords and drew them out. She turned to Rainbow Dash, and lifted them threateningly. Spike gave out a warning growl, and a ripple went through his back. Jonathan ran in front of the statue. “Wait!” He cried. The statue stopped, and the sapphire eyes pierced him. He froze. They were so alike and yet so unlike his aunt's eyes. “Don't hurt them, please! We are only here because my aunt's name is on the rock.” The statue remained frozen in place and continued to look at him with unwavering silence. He winced slightly. Twilight's horn glowed with a pink aura. Jonathan's necklace floated out from underneath his shirt and flopped onto his chest. The statue's eyes softened at the sight of it, and her arms lowered. She sheathed the long thin swords and knelt before Jonathan. “What is thy command, Master?” Her voice echoed out, light, and lovely as a flute. Jonathan blinked in surprise. “Master?” He asked. Spike relaxed, and looked at Twilight. “Good going there Twilight. How did you know that would work?” She smiled at him. “Thanks. I noticed that the necklace was the key to this place. In my mind, it would also be the instrument that would help us communicate with the statue.” She looked at the statue with curiosity. “I think she is some sort of Golem.” Jonathan looked at Twilight. “Golem?” She explained. “Golems are magic creations that obey any command given by their creator or the ones that the creator said to obey.” Jonathan frowned. “Don't they get to choose?” Twilight shook her head. “They aren't alive in that sense. They only live to serve their masters in any way the master wants them to serve. Basically, they are a being that has no free will.” Twilight's eyes suddenly gleamed. “But they can store knowledge. Jonathan, ask her if she knows how to activate your runes.” He nodded and looked back at the statue. “Okay then, Golem. Please tell me how to activate my runes.” The statue replied. “Which ones, Master?” Jonathan looked back at Twilight. She blinked. “All right then. How about we try…” She paused as she thought. “Neutral Runes.” Jonathan looked back at the Golem. “Neutral Runes.” The Golem's voice rang out. “As you wish, Master.” She rose and turned to the stone table. Raising a hand, she touched it in the middle. The stone table glowed with a sapphire colored light, and an object came into existence. When the light faded, a scroll was on the table. The Golem's hands delicately pick up the scroll and she turned back to Jonathan. She knelt once more and lifted her arms to offer the scroll. Jonathan hesitantly took it. Once he did so, the Golem's eyes turned from a glowing sapphire back into a stone cold gray. Jonathan stared. “What happened to her?” Twilight looked at her. “She deactivated. Once you need anything from her, all you need to do is place the rose into her hand right side up again.” She smiled at Rarity. “For once, your finickiness saved the day.” Jonathan opened the scroll to peer inside. It contained a random assortment of symbols. “What is this?” Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder. “Hm, looks to be in code.” Twilight's ears perked up. “A code? Ooh, I can decode it!” Applejack looked sternly at Twilight who shrank back. “Don't ya stay up all night doing it, Twi.” Applejack warned. Twilight nodded. Jonathan handed her the scroll and the group went out of the room. Outside, the morning light was pouring out over the ground as the sun rose. Jonathan sighed. “I've now been here six days.” He thought. “Almost a week. Argon. Lena. You better be okay.” ​