The Feather of Fire

by nerothewizard

Chapter 7

As a prestigious institute of higher learning in Equestria, Manehattan University was universally recognized as one of the premier colleges available to ponies who wished to pursue further education. While the school offered a variety of programs to choose from, the History Department was perhaps best known for its contributions to the field, with graduate students and faculty alike participating in research covering every era of ponies past, from the years prior to the founding of Equestria to the recent return and subsequent defeat of Nightmare Moon. Teams of ponies were often sent out into all parts of the world on archaeological digs and explorations of foreign lands to search for more artifacts and relics that would shed light on the olden cultures of ponies and to uncover information regarding the ancient traditions and stories of the other races that populated the world around them. The on-campus facilities and laboratories of the History Department were filled with evidence of those past excursions, and a small museum had been erected at the university to display some of the more impressive findings of the department's research ponies.

More often, though, any exciting finds were taken directly to the research teams for analysis. Experts in fields ranging from geology to etymology worked hard at the on-campus labs to decipher the truth about the relics brought back by the explorer ponies. Their test results fueled the subject matter of many lectures held in the department's classrooms, where the young minds fresh out of high school either eagerly absorbed the information or merely retained it long enough to regurgitate it during finals week. While most of the ponies who enrolled in a history course did so merely because it was a requirement for the general education portion of their curriculum, there were always a few whose interest in the study of the past was sparked or strengthened by the orations given by the history professors. Each new discovery by the archeology teams helped to instill a love of history into a new generation of ponies, which would produce several talented graduate students who strove to assist the faculty in their work and were readily accepted into the group of historical researchers.

One of these graduate students had been an excitable young mare named Daring Do. Her fascination with cultures from the past originated from her father's large collection of Equestrian Geographic magazines, and her entry into the Manehattan University's History Department had only excited her love of the subject more. Her adviser, a younger Professor Annals, saw her enthusiasm almost immediately, and he had been a constant source of encouragement and wisdom all throughout her first four years at the college, ensuring that her progress through the curriculum was smooth, swift, and sufficient. She joined the graduate program immediately after receiving her bachelor's degree, and within only a few years, she had become one of the top young archaeologists in the field. Her friendship with Annals had remained close, and much like their most recent expedition, the two ponies often ventured together to sites around the world, ready to discover things both old and new.

The incident in the Zebrabwe desert had bolstered the archaeologists' camaraderie. The discovery of a mysterious piece of pony history aside, Annals and Daring had been the only ones to experience the phenomenon of the secret passage inside the cave, and they had clung firmly to their story, even if it meant that the rest of the expedition ostracized them. Even while the other ponies in their team visibly and purposefully avoided contact with the pair of them, the aged professor and his young ward confided in each other, certain of the truth of their experience. Daring's heart, weighed down by the judgmental cloud that hung over the camp in the weeks before their departure, was lifted by Annals' constant support, as well as his willingness to believe her description of the room that he had not witnessed with his own eyes. He had remained a steadfast friend throughout the trip home, when Daring's mind had slowly begun its journey to obsession over the figurine.

As much comfort as Annals had provided, however, Daring could see that the rumors and whispers spread amongst the other ponies were taking their toll. His usually jovial countenance had slowly drooped with time, his eyes bearing dark circles and a frown erecting a permanent home on his lips. Even now, as they trotted beside one another through the halls of the History Department, on their way to the dean's office, Daring stole a glance at her mentor's face and saw eyes that looked forward, but saw nothing. Her mind raced with things she could say; her mouth opened slightly, but nothing came out. She sighed softly and continued her silent walk, the professor matching her steps.

When Dr. Brier's door came into view, Daring swallowed nervously, and her wings unconsciously flared out to either side. Her feathers brushed against the professor's body, and his soft voice asked, “My dear, is everything all right?”

Her right eye twitched almost imperceptibly. “I guess so.”

The elder unicorn tutted. “You 'guess so?' Now I know something's wrong.” He held out a hoof, halting their progress down the hall. “Come now, my dear, tell me what's troubling you.”

Daring's eyes were wide, but a shaky grin crept across her face. “If you must know...I don't enjoy meeting with Dr. Brier very much.”

She could swear that the faintest hint of a smirk now graced Annals' lips. “The dean? Pray tell, what is it about the good doctor that troubles you so?”

Daring cleared her throat and looked away from the imposing door. “You remember back in grade school, if you did something real bad, you got sent to the principal's office? Well, ever since the first time I had to come up here for an evaluation, I flashed back to those days. Not exactly the fondest memories. And Brier? Certainly fits the part.”

Annals' laughter burst out of him quickly and loudly, startling the younger pegasus and causing her to take a step back. After several seconds of hearty merriment, he regained his composure and addressed Daring with a lingering smile, “Sincerest apologies, my dear. It's merely a bit surprising to hear that somepony else had that particular opinion of our beloved dean.” He chuckled softly.

Daring tilted her head and raised one eyebrow. “You mean that you-”

“Also hearkened back to the classroom days of yore when facing Brier for the first time? Oh, I recall it fondly, my dear.” He looked down at her, a soft sparkle in his narrowed eyes. Daring didn't break her gaze, and Annals continued, “After Dr. Heath, our current dean's predecessor, retired, I feared that our department would fall into the hooves of an uninformed or inexperienced pony. Approximately three minutes spent in conversation with the new faculty head thoroughly convinced me that the university board had chosen, quite possibly, the least amicable pony in all Equestria to fill the vacant position. An additional half hour of intense discussion led me to believe that the entirety of the board was either barking mad or a collection of intellectuals of the highest order. His demeanor, his rhetoric...all his mannerisms conjured up memories of imposing authority figures from my past. However, my initial concerns, even terror, were soon put to rest when I realized one all-important fact: a strict and authoritative leader was precisely what this department required in order to thrive! Even if he seemed off-putting and argumentative, he possessed all the necessary facets of a skilled leader, and, I must say, that made quite the impression on this old stallion.” Annals smiled, his recollections complete.

Daring stood rooted in place in the hallway, a soft smile on her face. It was good to hear Annals laugh again. She stroked her chin with a hoof and said, “All that may be true, professor, and I'm glad you have such a high opinion of Brier, but...I'm still terrified by him.”

Another soft chuckle came from the unicorn professor. “I understand completely, my dear. I think, however, that he would not have it any other way.” Annals nodded his head toward their destination. “Shall we?”

Daring smiled back and answered, “Sounds good.”

With a quick flick of her head, she started toward the door again, the professor close behind. A few steps later, they stood before the wooden structure, and Daring raised a hoof, hesitating only a moment before knocking four times. Several seconds passed in silence before the familiar gruff voice of Dr. Brier called out a terse, “Come in!” The archaeologists entered the small office to find the dark gray earth pony seated behind his desk, and Daring saw him slide a drawer shut as she and Annals trotted to the two empty chairs in front of the desk and took their seats. The dean looked up as they sat down and spoke again. “You're late, Annals, Daring.”

Daring immediately felt a surge of heat flush through her head, but the professor responded before she could speak. “A thousand apologies, Dr. Brier. Cart traffic was a bit of a nightmare, I'm afraid.”

“Not important,” the dean responded gruffly. “What is important is that you two are back from that Zebrabwe excursion. Your call certainly made it sound like something big happened down there, Annals.”

“That would be putting it rather lightly, doctor. I sincerely believe that this find may be one of the most significant that I've ever run across in my entire career.”

Brier raised an eyebrow. “Well, you've certainly piqued my interest. Let's see what you've got.”

Annals nodded to Daring, and she responded in kind before swinging her saddlebag around and opening it. After a few moments of rummaging, she triumphantly extracted a small but surprisingly heavy bundle of cloth. Carefully, she placed it onto the dean's desk and began to peel away layer after layer of the material, her eyes narrowed in focus and her teeth clenched together firmly. Finally, she removed the last strip with a flourish, leaving a small, circular pile of cloth that resembled a bird's nest lying on the desk top; nestled in the center of the makeshift nest, the transparent pegasus stood. All six eyes in the room were riveted on the miniature form, which seemed to capture the soft fluorescent light that dimly illuminated the room. Daring's pupils widened at the sight of the familiar figurine; no matter how often she stared at it, the model always commanded her full attention, wrapping her mind up in its mysteries.

Her trance was broken when a dark gray hoof carefully wrapped around the pegasus figurine. She looked up and watched as Dr. Brier slowly lifted the entrancing object and rotated it in his grasp, his gaze fixed on the pegasus as he held it and studied the new and mysterious figure. For a brief moment, a strange look seemed to flash across his eyes, but just as quickly, it passed, and, without looking up from the model, spoke quietly, “That's really something.”

“Indeed,” breathed Annals. Daring nodded in silent agreement.

“Where'd you find it?”

The archaeologists looked at each other for a moment before they began. Prior to their visit to the dean, both ponies had discussed the feasibility of telling the whole story to Brier; if the other ponies on the expedition hadn't believed their version of events, the possibility of the dean acknowledging that their tale was true was slim indeed. On the other hand, withholding the facts irked the two of them, especially Daring. While the real narrative was difficult to fathom, Annals and Daring remained staunch in their position, and after some deliberation, had decided to divulge the entirety of their experiences to Dr. Brier when the time came.

The story took several minutes to tell. As they recounted their discovery of the artifact, Brier remained relatively quiet, only interrupting to ask for clarification or to bring up a question to the two ponies. Daring noticed that his eyes would often wander down to the transparent pegasus, only to snap back to the archaeologists after a few seconds. After several instances of this, she began to realize that she was doing the same thing.

At last, their story came to a close. Several seconds passed in silence as Brier turned the figurine in his grasp once more. Finally, he said, “Never heard anything quite like that. And you swear that's what happened?”

Daring responded, “That's the whole truth, doctor. It's hard to believe, I know...I still have trouble with it, even now. But I promise you, everything we just told you is a fact.”

The dean's demeanor hardened. “That makes this whole situation very interesting...and dangerous. Who else but you two knows the whole story?”

Annals said, “We shared our tale with several members of our expedition, but they were less than willing to accept our word as fact, especially after the inspection of the initial tunnel revealed no branching passageways.”

“That may not be such a bad thing,” said Brier, the corners of his mouth turning up ever-so-slightly.

“What are you talking about?” asked Daring. Her voice was slightly more aggressive than she had intended.

“Just listen for a second, Daring,” the dean responded briskly. “Now, let's say for a moment that I believe your story's the Celestia-honest truth. If we display this particular piece in the museum, that kind of back story is only gonna bring all kinds of trouble around here.”

Daring cut in, “Trouble? How would it be trouble? Most ponies would be thrilled to see a relic that was found in a mysterious cave in a foreign land! We'd have visitors from all over Equestria coming to see it.”

“That's precisely the problem, my dear,” Annals spoke up. “During our return journey, I gave the matter a great deal of thought, and I believe I now understand the dean's stance on this issue: All the attention that such a find would garner would undoubtedly bring with it a great deal of unwanted attention. Skeptics and critics would descend upon our humble campus like a plague, demanding solid evidence that our means of discovery was indeed legitimate. The legal system would likely become involved if we could produce no such evidence, and I'm afraid that the word of two explorers, no matter how truthful, would not stand up well against the onslaught of questions and accusations. The credibility of this department, even the entire university, would be tarnished for years to come.”

“Exactly, Annals,” spat Brier. “It's dangerous to display this piece right now, no matter how amazing it may be.” The dean's eyes had drifted back down to the figurine, but they quickly returned to stare at the archaeologists, alternating between the young pegasus and the aged unicorn. The bearded earth pony continued, “What do we even know about this thing? I assume you ran tests out in the field.”

Daring muttered something incoherent, but Annals quickly spoke to cover up her quiet rant. “We did indeed, Dr. Brier. However, each and every test proved to be quite...inconclusive. Even our geologists were flummoxed in their attempts to glean information about this specimen. The substance out of which it is carved is quite resilient.”

“All the more reason to not go spreading the word to everypony,” Brier said. “We can't be sure if this thing is even entirely safe if we can't determine what it's made of. As fascinating as this little pegasus is, the best thing we can do at this point is keep it here, on-campus, out of view of the public, where we can run more tests.”

Daring sighed and said, “I can see your point, doctor, but ever since I found it in that strange room, the pegasus has been lurking in the back of my mind. I can't put my hoof on it, but whenever I think about it, whenever I look at it, I get a...feeling, like we're right on the edge of something huge, like this might be the most important thing I've ever found.”

“I never said it wasn't important, Daring,” Brier said as he held up a hoof. “Just that putting it out into the open when we don't really know what we're dealing with is a dangerous and bad idea. Once we figure out a few facts, then we'll see where we go from there.”

“Could not agree with you more, Dr. Brier,” added Annals. “I firmly believe that further study will yield answers to many of the questions that have plagued Daring and myself these past weeks.” The professor looked over to his young assistant. “Shall we deliver this to the laboratory then, my dear?”

Daring realized that she had been staring at the figurine, and quickly shook her head. “I guess so,” she replied softly as she began to wrap the cloth around the pegasus once more. A stray thought brought a question to her lips, “Oh, and out of curiosity, doctor, how's Trowel's dig in Cameland going?”

Brier's eyes flashed a quick look down and to the left, and Daring could swear he was looking at the very same desk drawer that he had been closing when she and Annals had entered the room. His gaze only deviated for an instant before it returned to Daring's, and he answered, “Going well, at least from the letters I've gotten. Nothing as crazy as what happened to the two of you, that's for sure, but his team's at least found a few interesting pieces. I'm looking forward to their return, should be in the next two or three weeks.”

“Me too,” Daring said softly. Something about the dean's voice seemed...off, somehow. And there was that way he looked at his desk drawer just now... She blinked hard twice and drove the troublesome thoughts to the back of her mind. Even though Dr. Brier wasn't her favorite pony in Equestria, conjuring up outlandish ideas based on observations of nothing at all wasn't an appropriate course of action. She folded the last patch of cloth over the top of the transparent pegasus and tucked it back into her saddlebag. With a brief farewell, she and Annals departed the dean's office and started in the direction of the History Department laboratory.

A brief elevator ride later, the two ponies stepped through the basement doors that led to the laboratory. Just inside the door was a desk where a mauve pony with an expertly combed mane sat, staring intently at her hooves as she filed them down. Beyond the desk, several machines whirred and blinked with tiny lights, each one monitored by at least one pony dressed in off-white coats that extended to cover the length of their torsos. Before the receptionist even acknowledged their existence, however, they were met by a stocky, cream-colored unicorn stallion with thick glasses and a slicked-back dark brown mane, adorned with one of the standard coats. A bright blue name tag bore the name “Bunsen Burner” printed in black block letters, and several different-colored pens poked out visibly from the top of his front coat pocket. Daring smiled and said, “How's life in the sub-level, Burner?”

The unicorn grinned in response, revealing a set of braces that had been on his teeth for as long as Daring had known him, before he said, “Boring as ever.” With a nod to Professor Annals, he asked, “What brings you two down to the land of the smart and well-dressed ponies?”

“Oh, were we there? I hadn't noticed,” quipped Daring.

The three ponies chuckled, then Annals said, “I'm afraid our business down here is strictly that: business.”

“What the professor means to say,” said Daring, “is that we've got a new toy for you to play with.”

The scientist's eyes lit up. “Ooh, a new toy...I like the sound of that. You find it on that Zebrabwe trip?”

Daring nodded and extracted the cloth-wrapped figurine once again, freeing it from its bindings quicker than she had in Brier's office and presenting the statuette to Burner. As with most ponies, his initial reaction upon seeing the pegasus was an enamored gaze, and after several moments of his open-mouthed staring, Daring said, “Well, don't just stand there and drool over it, Burner.”

He looked up quickly and brought his jaw back to its normal resting place, then responded, “Sorry, it's just...never seen a piece like this one before.”

“We get that a lot,” said Daring.

“Do you have the field test results?” the unicorn scientist asked.

“The tests were so inconclusive as to be worthless, my friend,” said Annals. “We were rather hoping that you and your entourage could provide us with something a bit more concrete.”

Burner smiled. “We'll certainly do our best, professor.” He reached out a hoof to take the pegasus from Daring.

The young explorer paused for a moment when she saw Burner's awaiting hoof. With one last, long look at the figurine, she placed it safely into the grasp of the other pony, feeling her heart skip a beat when she finally let go of the relic. The coat-clad pony turned to go back to the heart of the laboratory, and Annals began to retreat back towards the door, but Daring called out, “Wait! Burner!” causing both stallions to pause and the receptionist to raise her eyes for the briefest of moments before returning to her hoof-filing.

He spun his head around. “What's up, Daring?”

She wasn't sure what she'd meant to say, and her mouth opened and closed twice without any sound coming forth before she finally found some words: “Keep it safe. Please.”

The soft, braces-revealing smile that the young unicorn gave her should have reassured her, comforted her, ensured her that everything would be all right, and under any other circumstance, it probably would have done all of those things and more. As it was, she found it discomforting, and his words were no consolation when he said, “Will do. Promise.”

He trotted away, leaving Daring standing quiet near the entrance. Her front hoof rose up, seemingly of its own accord, and she began to open her mouth once more, but stopped when she felt a hoof touch her shoulder lightly. She turned and came face-to-face with Professor Annals, his face showing slight concern. “Daring? Shall we go, then?”

A spell seemed to lift from Daring, and she lowered her hoof and gave a quick nod to the professor, then spun around quickly and pushed the exit door out a bit harder than was necessary. Once the two ponies were back out in the hallway, walking next to each other, she was silent, her eyes concentrating on the floor tiles that had yet to meet their hooves. For several minutes, the young pegasus and her unicorn mentor walked in this fashion, until finally, Daring said in a weak voice, “Do you think they'll find out anything?”

Annals sighed softly and answered, “I certainly hope they do, my dear. Answers would be most welcome at this point in time.” The two archaeologists continued down the empty hall, their hoof steps echoing on the cold tile as they walked side-by-side in quiet contemplation.

Comments

[volrathxp]

Nice intermediate chapter to get things rolling along. Well done.

[Borg]

We can't be sure if this thing is even entirely safe if we can't determine what it's made of.

Eh, I'm sure it won't do anything as long as it's apart from its brethren. I mean, you don't lock something away with a door that opens only by cooperation of all three races if that doesn't have thematic significance. Just keep it away from the Collector, and it'll be nothing more than a particularly attractive paperweight.

Nothing as crazy as what happened to the two of you, that's for sure, but his team's at least found a few interesting pieces.

And just what are you planning that says you should lie about the earth pony?