I looked up at the sound of wings and the first thing I saw was a pegasus flying down from the air to land on the lower terrace of the pyramid. Only a minute or two later, the main group exited through the trees at the base of the large structure, Captain Jetstream and Midnight taking up the lead.
I glanced towards the sun and then smiled as I got up. They made it with hours to spare.
Midnight had the right idea with splitting us up like this, they made a lot better time without the injured.
Spreading my wings, I took to the air and glided down to meet them, my hooves touching the ground only a couple of meters ahead of Midnight and I folded my wings again, "Any difficulties?" I asked her.
She shook her head, "Not really. There was a pack of wolves, but they didn't seem too interested after discovering some of us could shoot fire at them," she added with a smile, "We're here. We made it."
I nodded, "You were right," I said, "It was a good idea."
Midnight smiled slightly, "Your worries weren't exactly unwarranted."
"No, but you were right," I repeated and then looked up towards the pyramid, "The idea is that the tents are set up on the lower terrace, it'll bring them into a defensible position. We'll keep a constant guard tonight and tomorrow we can start installing barricades. Should be faster than last time."
"Smaller circle," Midnight agreed.
"In the event of an attack, everypony retreat into the lower level interior," I continued, "It's behind heavier stone than the upper one and while it need's a good cleaning, it will be a defensible position."
Midnight frowned, "Not the upper level?"
I shook my head, "No. It would not be a... suitable location to keep ponies calm. In fact, I think we should restrict access to it and the top level to anypony not a member of the research staff."
Midnight scraped a hoof against the ground in thought, "What did you find?"
"I'll show you, if you like."
She quickly nodded and looked at Jetstream, "Can you get everypony to get everything ready?"
"We'll get the camp set up, don't worry, Princess," he confirmed with a nod.
Midnight nodded and looked at me.
I smiled at her excitement before I spread my wings, "Come on. I'm not climbing those stairs with my shoulder," I said and took to the air. It still tugged a bit at the wound, but it was also over a lot faster. I soon landed on the second level, Midnight setting down a second after I did.
"How's the horn?" she asked as she folded her wings and started to walk inside with me.
"...Better," I admitted, "Not good, but it's down to aching instead of feeling like it's on fire."
I let her drift ahead a little which considering I was going on three legs wasn't difficult as I kept my eyes on her for her reaction.
Midnight stopped as she entered the main chamber, her jaw dropping as she slowly turned her head, taking it all in.
"That's... a thestral alicorn..." she slowly said as she sank down to sit, looking at the statue and the altar.
"Predating the birth of Celestia," I said, "Assuming that Dee’s estimation of the age of this place to be six thousand years is correct, that statue is at least a thousand years older. There were alicorns before the sisters."
Midnight looked at the pyramid of skulls and then swallowed, looking away to me, "What happened to them?"
I looked at the pyramid, "Well... this place is set up for pony sacrifice, so my guess would be a sharp stone bla-"
"Not them!" Midnight said and shook her head, "If there were alicorns before Celestia, I wonder what happened to them? We don't die of old age."
"Off the hoof guess?" I asked and glanced back towards the glow of the setting sun outside the corridor to the chamber, "A rexosaurus. Or a blade somewhere unpleasant. We're long lived, not invulnerable, Midnight. Even back when Celestia and Luna united Equestria, it was a violent time. When this place was built it was a time of pony against pony against griffon against minotaur against everything else this world could throw at them. A lot of things can happen in a thousand years, even to one of us. Accidents, assassination... war."
Midnight's ears drooped slightly and she sighed, "...It can, can't it?" she answered softly, her wings slowly shifting, "There could have been many."
"There could have," I agreed, "But... I doubt it."
"How come?"
"If there were scores of alicorns across the ages, there would have been more traces of us," I said and stretched my wings for a second, looking up at the statue, "Like that thing. Say what you will of alicorns, we don't blend in well among other ponies. How much have you grown since you got your wings?"
She blinked at me and then nodded, "Half a hoof," she admitted, "And I see what you mean."
"I'm at almost a hoof," I told her, "And just hoping I don't end up as Celestia or I'll spend my hopefully very long life ducking in doorways or banging my horn against things."
Midnight put her hoof against her muzzle, hiding a grin before she shook her head, "...You're likely right though, we likely were always rare. But this means there used to be more. And a natural one with thestral wings t-" she started and then trailed off and her eyes found mine, "a natural thestral alicorn. But that would mean that-"
"Unless he also got caught in the curse," I warned her, "We just don't have enough evidence one way or another. As for this place, finding yourself drinking blood would be a long jump to starting to sacrifice ponies. Would have kept them together until the prey pool got too small. We just don't know yet."
Midnight looked slightly queasy as the idea before she nodded, "You're right, we shouldn't jump to conclusions."
I shook my head and looked up at the statue again.
Who are you?
What were you?
Tell me.
"But," Midnight continued and stood up again, "What we should be doing is going out and helping to set things up. It'll be dark soon."
"Yeeep," I agreed and stretched my wings for a second before moving to limp after her, shooting a final glance back towards the statue.
You will tell me your secrets.
You can't hide them from me.
Ooh some history. Perhaps we will learn a bit more about page? >>
At an undisclosed shipping facility...
Cadance: Ugh, how disappointing. Absolutely no shipping material in this chapter.
Discord: *Yawn* I bet even windy_prance doesn't have a comment for this one.
Cadance: Don't say that name! You'll summon them...
Long pause.
Discord: I've got a crazy idea, just hear me out.
Cadance: I'm game. I wouldn't be here today if i wasn't thestral-sh** insane.
Discord: What if we just start shipping Page with inanimate objects until Hiver gives us what we want?
Beat.
Cadance: Oh, like ransoming a hostage! Reminds of of primary school.
Discord: Moving past that, I think we should start with shipping him with that dashing (murderous) statue!
Long pause.
Cadance: What.
So *Sips Tea* who ELSE is hoping this devolves into a Road to El Dorado situation? With the MC having to spin a tale of being some ancient god returned and keeping the thestrals happy and trying to avoid them sacrificing the slaves or, worse, honoring his "Return" with a mass sacrifice of the "slaves he brought with him".
At least with that it would allow him to flex his domain of stories and possibly even change/"Correct" the stories and legends to be something less sacrifice happy.
The alicorn of stories will not be denied the story of others even if that story is but stones.
As interesting as this Jungle Adventure is, my mind just can't stop from jumping back to Luna and Page's trip to EQG-Land when the portal opens again.
It's gonna be interesting to see what Butterfly effects have occurred, with Twilight not having enough time to do anything, and Sunset not being there.
I mean, the Rumble in the Jungle is cool too. Gonna be interesting to see where Hiver takes this missing Thestral Kingdom.
And as they both were about to leave a voice wispered: "Sooner than you hoped for my future love~♡"
Page will probably be a bit larger than Celestia. Hes already a good lover, he will be the best with experience and time. Bed mares that are non-Alicorn will be harder.
...suddenly, I ponder possible timey-wimey shenanigans.
10459755
Was considering that too, does the statue look familiar? I know it was confused for a mare at first.
...my worthy child...offer me a bride's blood...
Page: Did anypony hear that?!?
Midnight: Heard what?
Page: I swear I heard somepony talking.
Midnight: Hmm...maybe your thestral ears heard echos from the ponies outside? Come on. Let's go back to the others.
Page: ...yeah I guess you're right...
*As the two alicorns left the room...ruby stone eyes flashes RED when no one is looking*
...my herd...will grow once more...
10458736
ME! MWAHAHAHA!
10459633
I became a punchline...I LOVE IT!
10459626
Turns out he wasn’t human, that was a dream/purgatory and he was the evil thestral lord returned.
Plot twist: the statue is actually of Page
I’m starting to suspect that a certain lord of chaos is just pulling a (sqrt-1)/0 play this whole time...
I done like that.
10459879
Several people have already predicted this.
10459964
That joke gets better when you use the actual letter, and better still when you know that it's called an imaginary number. (And I guess that dividing by zero bluescreens mathematics; I should probably stop assuming mathematical competence)
I keep waiting for someone to examine the skulls and say, “some of theses aren’t very old...”
Or for the statue to be a statue the same way Discord was a statue, cue boss battle.
Repercussions is in the Featured ^-^ this is awesome.
I’m out of chapters... Been binge reading for 2 days.
Now I have to wait like everyone else
10459879
Personally I'm in the camp "Statue is alive and going to come back to life due to Page-related shenanigans"
I'm going with the sun setting or full moon at a time and date causing a hidden door to appear making Mark to wonder if discord caused the storm to it get him there.
10460085
The statue has rubies for eyes though. In every case of magical petrification, the pony was turned into solid stone, with nothing added. If it is a petrified Alicorn, then he won't have any eyes if he comes back to life
10460209
Not necessarily. Much like the artifact in the Daring Do episode that can move around the sun in the sky, there can be more than one way (or spell) to create similar results.
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/29e0efca-dbe3-44db-acd0-387f0fe959dc/de63rav-cde10318-cdfa-462e-81b7-faa0f31a49a5.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvMjllMGVmY2EtZGJlMy00NGRiLWFjZDAtMzg3ZjBmZTk1OWRjXC9kZTYzcmF2LWNkZTEwMzE4LWNkZmEtNDYyZS04MWI3LWZhYTBmMzFhNDlhNS5qcGcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.OWWqnJYX45H91xjrG65-hVE5TRAX3A6m11WkFrNHJZM
Where are you taking us Hiver, Old boy?
And if you hear me talking on the wind, You've got to understand, We must remain, Perfect Strangers
10460497
Good taste in music
10460204
Who is Mark? Mixing the MC names perhaps?
10460209
Unless a Alicorn is trapped inside a huge stone prison cell shaped like a Alicorn so nobody notice the prisoner inside.
10463176
Most likely mixed up with "Off The Mark". MC there is also end up male alicorn... Well, at least 50% male. He end up a... weremare, I guess.
Inb4 the curse turned thestrals into Pegasi
10460085
Welp, I'm sold
10530988
I think that's the gist
I hope he ends up taller then celestia
11051166
He would be slightly miffed at this comment :P
10459857
Agent1: So… should we be worried?
?: Yes, sound the red alert, and arrest the time alicorn.
Time alicorn: Hey! I didn’t do anything yet!
11051166
Yes me too
Suddenly the statue turn to Page, blows him a raspberry and returns to being a statue.
Until Blank Page take one of it ears and try to wrestle it into submission.
A hour later Twilight and Blank Page give the Alicorn statue belly rubbing and call him a good boy.
Discord wipes a tear of pride from his face, Blank Page is finally rolling with the random punches of life and chaos it brings.