The level below the one with the skulls destined for the throne didn't have nearly as much headroom. But there was enough for even taller ponies to move around even if perhaps Luna would need to duck not to hit her horn.
What more, it seemed to have been set up for living space once. Now it was full of scuttling things and debri however. What remained was some urns and tools, any wood and fabric long since rotted away.
It must have been the living quarters for the priests or whomever ran this... monstrocity.
Now, it was more of an above ground cellar with creepy crawlies in it.
"Well, don't seem to be anything dangerous in here," I finally said as we reached the last of the small chambers, "Just not very pleasant."
"Not too bad," Dee said and looked around, "It's mostly for emergencies anyway, ponies won't be staying in here. But as soon as the main group arrives we have ponies to throw at the problem to clean it out."
I nodded and touched a large urn with the hoof of my hurt leg and peered inside. Nothing much there, it was empty.
Then again, with it being open and this place having been here for this long, what did I expect?
It was impressive as hell that it was even still standing.
I turned away and started back towards the exit through the small maze of rooms, "...What do you think of this place?" I finally asked.
Dee shifted her wings, moving along next to me on three legs, holding a touch with her left forehoof, "I think this was an important place to the ponies that inhabited these lands in the past," she said, "likely their main ritual site, a place of power. Going by the statue... we might have found the place we were looking for."
"More or less," I said and shook my head, "The story says the thestrals were pegasi that was cursed to look like they... like we do. But this doesn't match that in my mind."
Dee shook her head, "It doesn't track for me either," she admitted, "Where do we go from 'curse' to 'alicorn statue'? And pony sacrifice?"
I nodded, thinking about the statue on the level above us, "She almost looked like she encompassed the room," I said, "looming over the skulls. They were an offering to her."
"Him."
I blinked at her, "Him?"
Dee nodded, "I think so," she said, "Did you look at the proportions of the wings and the neck? And the shape of the jawbone? Unless the sculptor made some mistakes, that's a he."
I stopped at that and frowned as I raised my wings.
A thestral unicorn stallion overlooking a pile of pony skulls in a temple set up for pony sacrifice. In a region we were investigating for thestral origins. I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all.
What if this just made things worse? What if ponies learning about this put three and three together, got five and decided that thestrals were all monsters out to...
I wanted to help, but I could have made things impossibly worse.
I slowly sank down to sit with a sigh. Damn it. What did I do wrong here? What does everything I touch turn into roadapples? Was it some sort of karmic balance for my happiness with Luna and Sunset or was it just me being too crap to do anything major right?
We should just leave this place to the jungle and return home when the rescue team gets here.
...Assuming any of us are still alive by then. What if the rexosaurus found the other group? What if they were all...
"Hey?" Dee asked as she moved up next to me, touching my back with her wing, "Are you okay?"
"No," I answered quietly, "I'm not sure I am. Everything about this entire expedition had gone wrong and possibly made things worse for just the ponies I tried to help. Ponies has already died."
Dee shook her head and frowned up at me, "They have. But they all knew what they were doing was dangerous, but they wanted to come anyway."
"Unless they were ordered. Or it was their job. Or if they didn't realize how dangerous it was. I didn't."
"I'm not sure anypony did," Dee admitted, "None of us knew things like that roamed these jungles. Not even I did and I had worked here before, if not as far south."
I stomped my hoof in frustration, trying not to flinch when I did it with my injured leg, "I just..." I said and then I sighed, "I should just go back and write adventure books instead. I think that would just be better for everypony involved."
Twack!
I almost fell over from surprise as Dee smacked me over the back of my head with her wing, just barely missing brushing my horn,
"Don't you dare!" she said firmly, rounding on me, "You searched the truth for those ponies. Do you have any idea how important that is? Thestrals had no idea this place even existed, no idea what happened here, no idea what their heritage really is! We don't know, but we have somewhere to start digging! Somewhere to start looking to find their history, their past!"
"It wouldn't help anypony if they found out about this, if anything it could further dama-"
"Don't give me that!" Dee almost snarled at me, tossing the torch to the side to poke me firmly in the chest, almost driving me back a hoof, "The history of this place is important! It could mean Thestrals aren't a group of cursed pegasi! What if they were their own ancient tribe to begin with!?"
I flicked my ear and looked down at her, "But the precep-"
"I don't give a crap! I found enough proof to know that the Princesses hide some of our uglier history. Well, not this time!" Dee said firmly, stomping her hoof against the stone floor with a slight echo, "Don't you understand what this could be!?"
"...Apparently not."
"No, you don't," she said and her wings raised as she poked me again for emphasis, "You’re not thinking, you're too busy feeling sorry for yourself! This could be the origin, the homeland of a fifth pony tribe! A real one! It could be a rallying cry for all thestrals, something to encourage, something to give them a heritage to unite them!"
I blinked down at her in surprise for a long moment before I sighed and shook my head, "...No," I finally said, "That doesn't make sense, I'm sorry Dee. Pegasi get pegasi, but also unicorn and earth pony children, there has been so much cross breeding between the tribes. Same for unicorns and earth ponies. Thestrals mostly get pegasus children. I don't have the numbers exactly, but it's something like one foal in three from a thestral is a thestral... or become one. That doesn't track with them being a fifth tribe, that looks like a blood curse to me."
Dee nodded, "Yes it does," she agreed and looked up at me, shadows from the fallen torch playing across her, "What if it has nothing to do with them being thestrals?"
I looked down at her for a long moment as it clicked. What if it has nothing to do with them being thestrals. What if it was separate.
What if thestrals were natural and everything else...
Oh.
Oh shit.
The only thing that comes my mind is that someone at some point cursed the thestrals to try and turn them into pegasi and it didn't quite work like they thought.
But the thestrals could no longer consume blood and they had less thestral children and their population has been in a steady decline since then
Interesting implications.
10458053
That's what I think to and I wouldn't be surprised if Discord has something to do with this.
What if the curse was to breed thestrals out? Turning thestrals into pegasi, not the other way around?
Oh shit indeed, Page...
Then call them out on that, Daring Doo has enought reputation
hmmm curious.
That is a big rabbit hole to fall into with that type of information.
*Meanwhile, in the jungle*
Twilight Sparkle2: “Uh oh! We’ve got incoming Rexosaurus—Raptoroids—Tigersaurs—really, Page! When we get home, I’m going to set you down and lecture you about how to properly categorize newly discovered species—and—oh—oh shit—RUN, EVERYPONY! RUN!!”
10458053
would be interesting if pegasi never existed, until after the curse x3
cliffhanger eyy
Page: Dee Dee...what is up with that look on your face? We were all serious a second ago and now you're smiling like an idiot now at a pyramid of skulls...
Dee Dee: *blushing* I'm sorry! I been overwhelmed with some weird sense of satisfaction lately. I don't know where it is coming from!
MEANWHILE...AT SHIPPING HQ....
Cadance: Oh Sweet Celestia! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! This pegasus is so good right now. Move her up the tier list to mid-tier! She is AT LEAST in the same ranking as Amber right now!
Discord: Yes! Yes! Yes! She may not be Fluttershy but she is helping in the Bat Pony Lore which MORE than makes up for it!
Cadance: She is making this whole journey worth it for us! I just love her~!
10458081
probably more about blood sacrifices, chattel slavery and other things the other tribes did to each other a thousand or so years ago. Doesn't make it right but in a world of magic its probably also best not to give ponies the idea.
10458277
Using a torch like that would is a way to cut down on the waste and risk of smoke, I just didn't feel the need to mention it before.
I did not, however, know that there were torches out there that were made to burn for hours. Though the concept of a torch-staff sounds like it be a useful multi-tool way back when. It could light the way, carrying the flame above your line of sight so you don't become torch-blind, while also giving one some extra reach should it be called for.
10458081
Daring Do exclusively has a reputation for not existing, or Page would have figured out who she was by now. Hell and a half, he has one of the books to compare its cover illustration with.
You really going there? "The only ones real are thestrals - EVERYONE else is FAKE"? Farming, magic, Alicorns of Sun and Moon. Other RACES. Minotaurs, hippogrifs, griffins. beasts(Ursa Major/Minor).
10456868
Your comment was made yesterday. This video is not available anymore.
10456880
Ponies died, many suffered injuries. Yeah, good price for uncovering some secrets. With lives and suffering. "Worked out" my ass.
From my point of view, it could be that the Thestrals CAN be an entire different species, existing EVEN before The three ponies tribes, explaining(kinda) the low birth-rate of Thestrals, and someting happened between that the 'books' calls the "Curse"... that comes MORE questions than answers, and something tells me that Discord knows something about it, only in time we will see about that tho.
Hrmmm... well, now the question is—if the curse is in fact whittling the thestral numbers down rather than fading—did the curse come from what seems to be their potentially tyranical god who demanded blood sacrifice? Or did it come from another enemy? The later could mean the blood sacrifice was a way of staving off the curse, the former implies a punishment for overthrowing their ‘god’
Oooo interesting
10458359
In a world where ponies are colorful and have very similar body type it would be hard to notice if none watched the show and wasn't looking for her
Most ponies body build, shape is the same with some exceptions.
Ponies have different colors sure, but they still repeat
The same with mane styles
Even cutie marks will look similar
He wouldn't see that she is Daring Doo without her image
10458396
I think you might be counting your chickens before they hatch
“Male.” See said. “It was a male Alicorn.”
My heart sank and knot formed in my stomach. “Oh Dee.”
With a snap, my good hoof produced my chakram the pointed end stabbing into her ribs, right to her heart.
“Why you have to go and notice that?”
10458550
And he has her image, on the cover of the Daring Do book he explicitly brought.
10458683
And is he looking at the cover and then at her in a short time, comparing them?
With everything else that is happening?
"So... the boss with a mysterious past 'discovered' an ancient blood ritual site in the middle of a dangerous jungle in record time. One dedicated to a thestral alicorn prince surrounded by... Hey! Isn't that about as many skulls as members of this expedition? HE'S GOING TO KILL US ALL!!!!"
This temple is really getting interesting...
After reading this chapter and the Comment section im confused as fuck... Im open for explaining...
What if... All male Alicorns are Thestral in origin...
Discord undoing what ponys try to undo a looong time ago...
Ponys perhaps being by nature omnivore but the curse made em herbivores... Would eliminate predator territory fights of different pred-races and open more food for the remaining predators...
Honestly no idea what would actualy make more sence... Many possibel and viable.
10458402
Try this... Hope it helps...
10458683
Given that Daring Do is supposedly fictional and still actively adventuring, I can easily imagine the artists for her book covers have never actually seen her in person.
10456862
"NONE OF THIS PROVES ANYTHING!"
"Midnight translated the murals, they say 'Behold I am Lord Page of the Nightmare, lay your head before me!"
"Seems like you're gonna go evil in the past."
"Yep"
"Oh sacrifice me first my dark lord!"
"EVERYPONY LOOKthere's absolutely NOW WAY i'd ever fall to darkness like that even if I found myself thousands of years in the past, separated from my ....wife..... for...thousands of years........."
"Lord page midnight is already drafting the order of sacrifice to your godly effigy, taking into account the need to replenish the expidition's population. I believe PFC Redshirt is up first."
oh OH!... this is going to be amazing, page does not want to be a prince. but when the bat ponies hear of that; An altar of skulls at the hooves of an alicorn bat pony. in the bat ponies eyes, he will be a god to them.
Help how? It boggles my mind on what is supposed to be done. Are trying to make more? Are we going to make a complete cure to make 'none left'?
Great... searched for the truth. What would any of this do to improve their lives?
If someone walked up to and said my heritage, my forebearers, were slave owners and show irrefutable evidence for it in what way am i to take it? Best case; i shrug without a care. Worse case is a black mob wanting to make me pay for someone else.
it's like knowing the atoms of my body, interesting but unimportant to me of current time
Unless you plan to turn every pegasus back into a bat it's academicly important but might not change anything on a social political level. What is the purpose of this?
10458081
Best case is that she is turned 'crazy' and is ignored. Worse case is a variety of stoning, banishment and or indefinite prison time. Celestia wants her Little Ponies (her PETS) to live a life of blissful ignorance. Rocking the boat isn't the best way.
10459323
Of course, the only time he would be allowed to be predictable.
10459087
This is awesome!
10459174
Except Yearling was the one who dictated to the publishers that her images be on the covers. Before they met Rainbow made comments about how she and DaringDo's mane & tail are so much alike--aside from DD's coloration is actually greyscale (this fact caused numerous stories here about how RD might very well be colorblind). And when they did meet Yearling, RD instantly recognized her as being DD.
Of course, it's possible that the specific book Page has on hand is one where DD's appearance on the cover isn't easily discernable (like if the camera was behind DD while DD was lit from the front, so that most of her is in shadow).
So the curse didn't turn pegasi into thestrals; it turned thestrals into pegasi.
Oh shit indeed.
This was a good plot twist
10966062
What a tweest!
if this is correct, this means that page is now a true alicorn, one possessing the power of the 3 tribes before the curse. he would be "pure"
Unicorns... It's always them... Because they have magic they use it, morals and laws are always optional in situations when it suits them
But who would not if the cause is important enough be it justice or simply justified.
What kind of city is a monstrocity?
First I read of it.
I thought this previously but that was your first mistake: You wanted to help.
Never do something to "help" those that didn't ask and are not doing something to help themselves. It never ends well and, most likely, you are going to make things worse.
No good action goes unpunished.
The typos aren't as bad as they were in the earlier stories, but they keep popping up. That one reminds me of PaulAsaran's "You can has review!"