I need a vacation
There is in the magical land of Equestria, far from prying eyes, a mare left hidden from the world.
Few if any know of her or what she does, she keeps the records of all in Equestria safe and in order.
Unfortunately it is a lonely and thankless duty she fulfills, and eventually every pony grows weary of doing the same thing every day...
Even an alicorn is no exception, and so our lofty archivist would soon wish for one thing, to take a vacation.
But one must wonder what consequences such an action would entail for the rest of Equestria…
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The Overworked Alicorn Archivist…
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Beyond a far mountain range in the southernmost lands of Equestria. Rising up from a vast dark forest lay a grand and brilliant tower. Within the depths of this ancient place lay a mare of singular importance to Equestria, and perhaps even, the entire world. One room in particular is where we find this ancient important mare. She goes about the room, going from here to there, and trying desperately to keep up with an ever growing amount of scrolls, books, and records.
The papers among her work are spread this way and that in high towers and columns. The books are spread out here and there, on tables and the floor, some open and others laying down or flying onto the shelves. The books are only able to move about as such thanks to an odd crimson glow. There are also quills and inkwells scattered about the room, some having been long broken by the mare from overuse as she marks this or that down.
Among the flying debris and scattered implements, there is a tall white mare. Her mane is auburn like the burnt red of autumn leaves. Her eyes are an endless sky blue, soft and gentle despite the worry lines beneath them. She is tall and lanky, long limbed almost like a graceful deer rather than a pony. Her eyes dart all about as she tries to keep up with this ever mounting workload. The crimson glow of her horn and sound of her magic a constant companion.
She dashes here and there with a quill grasped in her magic and a pencil in her mouth. She fixes and edits forms and records as quickly as she is able. Her pace is harrowing and would leave many a lesser mare ragged, even the famous Twilight Sparkle would not be able to keep such a pace. She moves with a quickness that is an obvious cause for her sweat and ragged breathing. For though old and powerful, even her boundless energy had its limits...
Finally she slumped down in front of a book. She took several rapid breaths and let out a breath through her nose. The pages of the book fluttered and flew back from her. She glared at the book for a moment and then groaned as she forced herself up onto her haunches and looked at it. She scanned it for errors and discrepancies. The job should've been simple, it should have been a cinch, but sadly it was not. For these old tomes had been altered some time ago and only now had she finally reached them...
Her duty was a simple one; for she was the archivist, not to the great Canterlot archives, but to everything in all of Equestria. Every action that was taken was written down somewhere in her archives. Every ponies birth, everyplace settled, every spell created, every invention invented, nothing was left undocumented. This was the work that she had completed and the work she continued to go about day in and day out ceaselessly.
In days long passed there were those who would spend their entire lives in search of the fabled Archives. However they had only ever sought them out to further their own ambitions. None had ever succeeded in their search, for even now the Grand Archives remain hidden from Equestria. Even the princesses, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence are unaware of its exact location. All were barred from this place without distinction, save only for a select few.
It was for this reason, that Faust was left to toil and slave in her duties, utterly alone...
Her name had been lost to time and circumstance by the common pony. They did not know the work she did, nor would they likely understand why she did it. She who had kept constant vigil and tracked every bit of information both minor and major for every single pony and visitor to Equestria. She who had copied down every spell or inventions schemata, collected every book, and made certain that certain things were kept locked away.
It was a lonely thankless duty, a chore unlike any other which only added to her isolation from the ponies of Equestria.
Yet despite such things there was but one truth to this mare. She was simply an Overworked Alicorn. A mare with duty far too great for her to handle on her own. Much like any pony in Equestria she desired friendship and harmony. Yet sadly she had been unable to partake in such things for quite some time. Locked away for ages so that she could fulfill her duty. Her name, unlike Celestia or Luna or even Cadence was a simple one.
Her name was simply, Faust.
It was a simple name for a far less simple mare. She, a mare who lives on her own in a tower far from the prying eyes of most ponies. The tower placed in such a location for both protection, and secrecy. There was no, story behind this name, or even history behind it. Few knew of the name, and fewer still of the mare who bore it. She who had in ages passed been some pony of great renown had been left forgotten in the tales of history.
Until one day...
It started out like any other day in the tower, Faust worked ever onwards as per usual. She was clearly overworked if one were honest. Her mane was a disheveled mess of tangles and snares. Her eyes twitch as she shifts her gaze about, subtle bags having formed beneath them. The way her ears twitch in time with each passing piece of parchment. It is all really quite telling if one was to be perfectly honest.
She looked around and then grasped some files with her magic. She spread her great wings and flew into the air in order to put them in their proper place. She moved back silently as more records approached her from the side and she levitated more quills in order to date and edit them. Putting the records aside the overworked mare fell sharply to the ground to duck several passing books. She quickly rose back up and glared at the books before she fell back with a yelp. She glanced down and saw she had slipped on a few stray papers that had gotten under hoof.
She laid there for some time and just stared at the ceiling. Her pencil fell from her mouth with a clatter and she sighed, ears folded back and eyes closed. For but a moment she took a quick breather before she was off once more. She sat up, rubbed her head with a hoof and deftly avoided several oncoming books. She watched as they flew around on wings of magic for only a moment before she grabbed up her pencil and was off once more.
Gripping the pencil between her teeth she flies up and begins her work on a nearby parchment. However she is forced to roll out of the way of several more sets of records that shoot by and into their proper places on the walls. Her crimson magic seems to have become a part of it all, moving this and that as if she weren't even thinking of it.
A gold watch suddenly catches her attention, her eyes twitch when she notices the time. A grumble under her breath she lowers herself to the ground and trots over to another parchment. She corrects it swiftly and like the others sends it on its way. The parchment rolls itself closed by her magic and is placed into one of the many cubbyholes on the walls. A plate of metal is stationed beneath each of them to mark what they are.
With that done she prepares to return to work, only to take a step back as dozens of quills drop down to several inkwells in quick succession. An hourglass falls from... somewhere... and spins in front of her before it stops just long enough for the sands to spill to one side. Her left eye twitched slightly yet again and she galloped off. She moved several pieces of parchment off to be filed away only to curse inwardly when she recalls that she is the one who must file them.
She stomps over to the parchments, still evading random flying objects, and begins to file them as needed. She ensured that everything was in order on each of them first. One of them she noticed had images of an Earth Pony, a Pegasus, and a Unicorn on it. However it was swiftly rolled up alongside three other pages showing other ponies and creatures. Together the scrolls were put away and Faust let out a breath as she quickly moved on.
The next parchment that came to her attention began with the words 'Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria...' and was part of a clump of a great many more papers. It was clearly a story and while Faust loved a good story she had no time to dilly-dally. So instead she scanned every page for errors and then quickly bound them together and stored them away. The next parchment however gives her a brief moment of pause and a look of melancholy overtakes her features.
On this parchment were but six words, Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and Magic.
She smiled softly at the sight of the six words. They were six words which held a much greater meaning in the grand scheme of things. But these words were also a promise as behind that page were more. Letters, personal and otherwise typically beginning with the words 'Dear Princess Celestia'. These words echoed in her mind and she took a moment to stop. It was the first moment she had slowed down for quite some time.
She brought out each letter and began to read them. The magic around her began to calm and slow as well, the many objects she was moving taking greater care to reach their destination. Soon a disheartened look crossed her features as she gazed at her surroundings. Her home was a place of wonder and beauty to some, but to her it had become hollow and empty. It lacked the warmth of friends and the carefree air of her youth.
In her long life she had made friends, but she had never had many at one time. In the long distant past she had known many ponies who she called friend, yes, but she was not truly well acquainted with all of them. Those tender few she had had the privilege to call friend and who in turn did so her her had died long long ago. Yet not her. Here she was, still alive and now utterly alone. Even Celestia and Luna had friends, Cadence a husband for ponies sake...
Yet somehow she remained solitary and alone...
She realized then, how unfair it felt. She too deserved happiness just as much as the next pony! Right? However despite that thought her eyes strayed towards one of the previous scrolls. A song from her youth echoed in the depths of her mind and she closed her eyes. There had been only one pony to have such thoughts as Faust did, but she had no intention of ending up like her. So instead, with a sad sigh the mare set back to work. She silently rolled the scrolls up and put them away.
Mere moments later, a pair of books fell from their perch and landed on her head with a plunk. She gave a brief grimace of pain and glanced at the books with a groan. The books in question were old, and needed to be checked. She needed to do so for they were books from the time when Discord had decided to have fun with her archives. He apparently liked changing the books and giving her more work to deal with. This of course both frustrated and angered the mare.
She let out a quiet sigh and brought the books with her to a nearby desk. She cracked open the first book and began to scan through its contents. Her eye twitched and she brought a hoof to her face. Discord had decided to change a few sections of the book into mindless nonsense and insanity. The nonsensical phrases and paragraphs were easily on par with the works of Dr. Seuss. So upon seeing this Faust let out a distinctly unladylike grunt and glanced to the side.
Her horn gave a crimson glow as she brought an inkwell and quill to her side. Discord's idea of a 'little prank' would likely mean more than a week's worth of work for her. Correcting and retrieving whatever information he'd decided to change was no easy task after all. It was a time consuming, tedious, and absolutely mind-numbingly boring task. In all honesty she hardly felt distinctly unappreciated for all the work she put into it.
She was quick to remind herself that she kept these records for a reason. But then again, no one really acknowledged how much time and effort that took. None of the ponies who knew what she did, Discord certainly didn't care enough not to make extra work for her to do. She doubted any other ponies would either. Even Celestia wouldn't understand why she kept such diligent records. It left a bitter taste in her mouth if she were honest. She was naught but a glorified record keeper, one without a life and one the world likely didn't know existed...
Oh, and she didn't even get paid to do it either!
Well she did get free food, but only from her own store rooms. She wasn't much of a cook either so even that didn't make her feel any better. A glass cup floated over to Faust alongside a bottle of cider. She sighed as the bottle poured some of its contents in the glass and she took it with a grateful look. She then stopped and wondered if she was actually feeling grateful to a bottle that she had levitated over with her own magic.
She groaned and rubbed her temples, that was a strange thought to say the very least.
Ignoring that she stopped to enjoy her cider and smiled. It was a nice vintage bit from Sweet Apple Acres, one of their early barrels if she weren't mistaken. She had quite the extensive cider collection, and wine, and coffee, and quite a bit else actually. The coffee was basically nirvana in her line of work. She noticed her quill as it rapped on her desk in wait for her. Her instruments and the many floating objects around her were not alive, though she could admit it would be an easy mistake given their behavior.
No, she just liked to make them a bit more animate to make the tower seem a little less lonely. Unfortunately it didn't have the desired effect. Instead the animate objects just seemed to make her even more aware of her isolation. It also made the fact that she had no friends or life outside her work more apparent as well. She let out a soft sigh and drank more of her cider. She then sent it on its way and wished that she could go away with it.
That thought lingered and she stilled. She brought her quill up and scratched her chin with a slight hum. Her thoughts normally came quickly but all she knew was that she was tired. She didn't like her job anymore. She felt as if she were imprisoned in her home and... she needed a vacation? Yes, that sounded about right. She needed a little time to herself. Perhaps she could even make a few friends again!
"Yeah, a vacation away from books, and scrolls, and pages, and parchments, and records to just get away from work in general!" she declared with a nod. She then blinked was momentarily startled by the sound of her voice. It had been... a very long time since last she had spoken. So long now that she was honestly surprised by how her voice sounded. She had little to no one to speak with in the tower after all. Just portraits and ghosts really.
"Oh, wow I haven't spoken in so long I actually forgot what I sound like," she admitted with a laugh. She then stifled a fit of amused giggles and sighed. She moved her quill and inkwell to the side of her desk neatly. She then stood up and stretched out her legs and wings. She heard a few cracks and gave a pleased groan before several pops echoed in the quiet as she cracked her neck.
"Ho boy, so much stress," she mumbled as she straightened up, "yeah I really need a vacation," she decided with a nod. That in mind she turned and trotted out of the room. She idly closed the door behind her and locked the archives away. The tower was separated into several layers some of which were below ground level. The lowest part of the tower were the most secure, while the uppermost were the least secure despite being where her bedroom was.
Honestly she was vaguely immortal, she felt security for her was kind of pointless.
She passed into the Cider Cellar with a quiet hum. She loved cider, as many could attest, but none of it had quite the kick of a few that had been brewed a hundred or so years ago. That was the reason why she had many of those barrels and bottles stored and hidden. She kept them under lock and key for a special occasion. She also admitted that in the old days she had shared such things with friends. Back before she had become 'The Archivist' that is.
She let out a sigh as she trotted up a flight of stairs and passed into a large circular room. A glance back confirmed that the staircase down had already vanished. So she walked into the entry-hall, she glanced at the large double doors at her side, and then went to one of the twin staircases opposite them. The doors were large and impressive, twice Faust's height and nearly three times that of Celestia at full height. It was with some annoyance she recalled why these doors were closed and so continued on her way.
The door was mostly for show, few ponies could actually open them. She was one of course, but she had a special trick to doing it. Others would have problems for they were made of wrought iron, which had a nullifying effect on magic. Many ponies had forgotten this over the years, mostly because iron was seldom used in this age. Wrought iron's properties were unusual, and even Faust herself had some minor trouble with moving the doors. She doubted even Celestia would be able to move the doors given iron's qualities.
On the upper portion of the entry hall, just passed the stairs, she finds several portraits have been arranged. These ancient paintings are a thing of interest as well as sorrow. They hang all around her and depict many a famous pony of all shapes and sizes. Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, The Elements of Harmony, Starswirl the Bearded, King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, Clover the Clever, Smart Cookie, Private Pansy, Commander Hurricane, Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead, and still many more.
One in particular caught her eye, herself and two small ponies beneath her wings...
She turned away and marched off. The paintings were here to remember the great individuals of Equestria. This was not her gallery, but simply a place at the entryway. A place where visitors, if she ever had any, could see some of histories greatest. Many of those portraits held memories, and those memories would invite melancholy to leave her lost in her mind. She has tried many a time to avoid this and so continues on her trip through the tower, ever closer to her ultimate goal.
Next she came upon an area that would leave Twilight Sparkle to squeal like a filly who had just found a candy store giving up its stock for free. This place was the great library of the Grand Archives. It was the single greatest collection of literature and books in the whole of Equestria. It was not with arrogance she stated this, but fact. Her archives were literally the greatest collection in all of Equestria!
She had a copy for every piece of fiction or non-fiction had that ever been written by ponies. Some which had not been written by ponies were also stored in the library of her archives. Were this place known to Twilight Sparkle, Faust had every reason to believe that she would not rest until she had found it. At which point she would most likely sequester herself away for the next century in pursuit of knowledge. That thought brought a giggle from her as she continued to yet another stair-case and continued on her way once more.
She climbed three flights of stares to leave the library, massive as it was. When she did she entered a floor that was made up of halls and corridors. On this level a pony could find the kitchen and the dining room. Neither of which saw a lot of use if she were honest with herself. The kitchen saw more than the dining room, but only because she still needed to eat. Much of her tower was built like this floor. It was a bit odd since she sometimes found more than one kitchen which suggested multiple cooks as well as what would be a staff, but she lived alone.
As such that meant that while she was alone here, she was not originally meant too. It made sense of course, especially since she had to do all the cleaning around the tower. It was one of the things she hated most about living in the tower. Almost as much as she hated all her work and being without friends. There were plenty of closets filled with cleaning supplies all throughout the tower. She was never too far from them. Sometimes she wondered where such things actually came from and why she had never had to restock them herself.
She had of course tried to find out why that was... but got lost in the tower when she did.
Aside from the mane rooms and levels in the tower there were still more rooms. One such room was a labyrinth in and of itself she had gotten lost in on multiple occasions. Oddly enough that wasn't even the strangest room she had found over her millennia of life. There were so many strange rooms in the tower with shapes and sizes that she barely comprehended. Some of the strangest rooms had of course been barred as they had left her head practically spinning with confusion.
Among these unusual rooms were some she simply couldn't find a point for. One was an enormous swimming pool, although she did appreciate and use it quite often. Despite having a hoof in its construction she couldn't figure out whether or not the architect had been a certifiable mad pony or a genius. All she really knew now was that the tower was hers, that it was big, it was strange, and that she stayed away from the door with the locks and chains that had a crazy monster behind it.
Centuries ago she had believed she had found where the cleaning supplies actually came from. Only to discover what appeared to be a servants' quarters as well as a few dozen guest rooms. While it wasn't what she had been seeking at the time, it certainly reinforced the idea that the tower was meant for more than just her.
It was then that she stopped her thoughts and shook her head. She glanced around and sighed tiredly. She had let her thoughts run away with her instead of paying attention. That could have cost her if she hadn't noticed it. The tower itself was almost like an enormous maze, near impossible to fully navigate. Even she had some difficulty, but she could 'force' the tower to make sense so long as she kept on task.
She walked up another flight of stairs to another level of the tower. This floor had the baths, yes baths, as in plural. It reinforced the idea that the tower was for many rather than just the one. Her baths were large and rather luxurious actually, but Faust had long found her time in them to be somewhat unpleasant. Not that they weren't relaxing and comfortable, just that it was somewhat boring there. She honestly wished that she had some friends for some idle chatter she could enjoy.
The baths as they were were just silent and filled with echoes.
She sighed quietly and made her way up the next flight of stairs. This floor had her own chambers, which dominated most of the floor actually. It was a single massive chamber which could, in theory, host dozens of ponies of even Celestia's size. Her things were held here, what little material possessions she had gathered over the centuries. Yet even with those she had been unable to put much of a dent in the rooms massive size.
Making her way to a nearby door, Faust pulled it open and entered into a large closest. It alone would be able to store most, if not all, of the things she owned. If she had put a bed inside of it it could likely even pass as a second bedroom. "Maybe that would be better than the big room outside," she considered. However she shook her head and made her way to what few clothes she had. In her younger years clothes weren't exactly necessary, so she hadn't collected too many even centuries later.
They had fur to keep them warm, and her home had never been known for cold winters, so she never saw a need for them. Horseshoes for their hooves and ribbons for their manes and tails were the closest thing they had to fashion back then. In this 'modern' era such a minimalist approach would be considered out of style. To be honest, Faust could do without such trappings as fashion. They seemed more than a little pointless. It was yet another reason that she missed the good old days...
And her friends...
"No!" she stated with a shake of her head. "Don't think about Firefly and the others; just keep your mind on having a vacation or you'll just wind up making yourself sad and lonely," she ordered herself. She inhaled and exhaled a few times then stopped and glanced at a nearby mirror. She noticed her haggard reflection, she grimaced at the sight. She then rubbed her chin and considered what she could do with herself.
"What should I do with you?" she mumbled to herself. A hoof idly pet her mane as she considered her options. She then nodded her head and concentrated on her magic. Her horn gave a crimson glow a moment before her mane turned into a curly mess of crimson locks. She grimaced and then shook her head. "No, looks too much like the old style," she muttered to herself. She then concentrated on her magic once more and changed her mane yet again. She slowly opened an eye and then blinked as she regarded it.
She hummed and reached a hoof to her hair. It was pulled back into a spiky ponytail at the top-back of her head, a bit spilling down her neck, two purple clips under her ears holding all but her now spiky bangs out of her face. For a moment she considered the style, then shook her head. "Nah, I feel like I've had this one before... or somepony else did it for me," she mused to herself. With a shrug of her shoulders she then concentrated and her mane was changed once more.
This time it was simply wavy rather than straight or curly, however she shook her head and changed it again. This time it was a far more elaborate style she couldn't make heads or tails of. She blinked and frowned as she changed it yet again. It, for some reason, became a curly mess again and caused her to growl. She changed it once more only to find it longer and somehow flowing in an ethereal wind...
She regarded her reflection with a flat expression.
"No... I don't need ponies thinking of me as Celestia," she muttered to herself. She then closed her eyes and changed it once more. This time she opened her eyes and stared incredulously. Her mane was now that of a Crystal Pony, ergo somehow made of crystal. "How does that even make sense?" the mare demanded. She scowled and glared at her reflection, most importantly on her mane, as if she dared it to take on another crazy style even as she changed it.
She opened her eyes and was pleasantly surprised by what she saw. Her mane was now straight albeit had taken on a slightly messy style, which brought a smile to her face. "There we go," she decided with a nod. She ignored the fact that it was the same style she had originally started with. She regarded herself for a moment and then noticed a crucial part of her appearance.
"I'm really tall... like Celestia level tall," she murmured quietly. Even in her youth she'd been tall and willowy, as an Alicorn it was simply more apparent. However if she was to walk among normal ponies she would need to stand out less. That in mind she concentrated her magic for a spell like the one she used for her hair. With a sudden flash she opened her eyes and was pleased to see that she had shrunk. However she was still quite willowy, appearing more like a supermodel such as Fleur de Lis.
"I don't want to be a supermodel," she grumbled with a huff, "I just want to look normal," she insisted. With a stamp of her hoof she concentrated her magic once more. Her body changed in another flash and she appeared like a slightly tall lanky mare. The only problem was she had both a horn and wings.
"Okay this might be harder to change," she admitted to herself. Height and mane style was one thing, but her horn and wings were a lot harder to change. "Maybe I can pass myself off as a Winged Unicorn," she mumbled then frowned as she regarded her wings. "Well if they weren't so long," she noted to herself. She of course meant to pretend to be a type of pony with a high pegasus / unicorn ancestry. They did exist even in this era, however Faust had to hope they were more well known now than in the past.
Unlike an Alicorn however they didn't have earth pony heritage. Rather, the earth pony bit was so minor as to be non-existent. They were also unable to fly and use magic at the same time. Most were limited to only one of the two. Those that could use magic couldn't fly but could glide, while on the flipped side a Horned Pegasus could fly but not use unicorn magic. Both types were somewhat rare now that she thought about it, however after centuries of peaceful coexistence they probably popped up a lot more often now.
Ultimately she'd have to pretend to be a winged unicorn, as it was her best bet. It was easy to change her hair or even to alter her height. But she was so used to having both wings and a horn that it'd really mess with her head. Not to mention that it was harder to hide them away for extended periods of time.
“Ugh, have my horn and wings always been so big?” she wondered while with a tap of her horn. With a shake of her head she noted that it came out a full half-meter off of her head. She let out a sigh and concentrated on her magic once more. She used her magic and once more she was enveloped in a sudden flash of light. The spell did its work, reducing the size and sharpness of her horn, and making her wings appear like a common Pegasus. “Much better.” she stated with a smile. She then turned back to her mirror and examined the rest of her changed body.
“It’s kind of nice to be short again,” she admitted to herself. With a quiet hum she then trotted out of the closet and into her bedroom. “Do I have anything I’d want to bring with me?” she idly wondered to herself. She glanced here and there before she spotted an old worn pair of saddlebags. “Well if I’m going on vacation I should have a way to carry any souvenirs,” she mused to herself. With a nod of her head she picked up the bags, only to stop and shake them. She heard a noise from within them and arched a brow.
"Didn't I unload these?" she questioned. However she couldn't recall so instead opened the bags and took a look inside. She found several old coins resting within. She studied one of them for a moment and grimaced. They were from before the Preclassical era of Equestria, long before Celestia had taken power. While that wasn't her last trip out of the tower, she did recall it wasn't too far from it.
"Me oh my, I've really got to get out more," she mumbled under her breath. She then dumped the rest of the bags contents out and took stock. She noticed a few notes, quills, even some parchment and frowned deeply. "Have I really done nothing but work for the last couple millennia?" she grumbled irritably. Instead of waiting for an answer she through the bags on and made her way to the stairs. She went up to the next level and exited into an observatory.
The room was covered in dust since last it was used. Faust had few nights to herself where she wasn't fast asleep. She did occasionally come and gaze at the stars every now and again. However it had always been more fun when she could do so with her friends. That thought was quickly quashed however and the mare snorted. "Don't think about them," she told herself. If she didn't stop thinking of the past she'd never get on with her vacation and finally relax. That thought firmly imbedded in her head she marched over to the large telescope that dominated the room.
As she approached the telescope she lowered the eyepiece and adjusted the sights. She quickly scanned the many distant cities of Equestria and hummed quietly as she considered where she might spend her vacation. Canterlot was her first thought, but she had never liked nobles for one thing, and she didn't want Celestia and Luna to find her for another. She may very well be immortal, and know a few nice ones, but she wanted to meet new people...
So she turned to Cloudsdale as a possible vacation spot. Horned Pegasi would hopefully be numerous, yet it wouldn't be worth it. She liked to fly, true, but she preferred to use her magic. She would honestly drive herself crazy if she couldn't even use a simple levitation charm when she wanted. That in mind she turned to Las-Pegasus, a notable vacation spot of course, but her lack of bits would make for a vacation there a poor one at best.
Then came Dodge Junction, or even the out of the way town of Appleloosa. However the arid climate would wreak havoc with her mane and leave her in a grouchy mood. Manehatten was certainly nice enough, but then again it wasn't called the 'city that never sleeps' for nothing and she was looking to relax on her vacation. Constant noise, not to mention rude ponies, everywhere would be counter productive if she wanted to relax.
There were other places like Shadow Hollow and Trottingham to consider, but she had reasons to avoid both of them...
“What I need is a quiet simple place that’s nice and friendly to newcomers," she decided with a nod. "A place where I can relax and not have to worry about anything at all,” she mused. Her eyes lighted as sudden inspiration took her and she turned the telescope with a brilliant smile. She soon rested it on the tiny town of Ponyville and nodded her head. “Oh of course, what better place is there to go for a nice quiet and friendly vacation than Ponyville?” she asked aloud. No one answered but that didn't put a damper on her mood.
Her decision made she released her telescope and galloped to the final staircase in her home. This one lead out to a platform for pegasus to take off from. Over several centuries she'd only ever used it to take off and stretch her wings. She did so to prevent them from cramping up after long periods of disuse. The only other times she had much use for her wings was when she wanted to go high up fast, and that wasn't often in her line of work.
Now however it would be used for much more practical purposes as she looked out to the horizon to find Ponyville.
“Alright then, I just have to get a lock on it and,” Faust murmured under her breath. Her horn began to glow a brilliant crimson and the mare smiled. “Over the mountain, and passed the doldrums, look out Ponyville, here Faust comes!” she declared laughingly. With that and an amused giggle she vanished in a flash of crimson light to begin her long overdue vacation…
--
TBC…
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Looking forward to see where this goes.
In the first part you're overusing the word 'overworked' a little bit.
Nice start!
Looking Forward to see Where this Story Leads!
2078354 Yeah I noticed, I'll try not to do that in the future chaps.
2078455 Thanks
Then somepony invents computers, and the Overworked Alicorn becomes the Out-Of-Work Alicorn.
2079108 Not exactly, physical copies would still be the most secure kind of records, and wouldn't be at the mercy of hackers.
2079271 I once hacked a book. Now in every copy of Charlie Wilcox, Charlie looks like Patrick Swayze, and all the Germans are replaced by stormtroopers.
2079288 Impressive work, I admit that much, but Faust gets all her copies from the source and they are all immediately filed away... or rather they where before her vacation. What happens to all those documents, books and files now... well.
2079315 2079288
In the world of internet, we got hacker.....
In the world of paper media, they got magic.....
Discord is best hacker no?
2079755 He's already hacked Equestria, and Faust's Tower, and she's still cleaning up that mess over a thousand years later.
you called? in all seriousness I litterally hadto post this before I read it because of the name... considering my OC has always been a Black Alicorn that archives of all the events spaning the universe from the start of said universe to the apperance of the first bacterium I have always been recording the going ons....
I like this overworked Alicorn, so far...
I must agree with Faust here. When you are controlling your universe while trying to keep un-wanted things out of your universe is hard. Harder still is that we gods,
or so I think I am one since we are writers...need to keep track on ALL of the different dimensions coming from your parent dimensions. While keeping watch on mortals and wars. Souls here and there, sealing you version of hell, Stoping Death going on a genocidal rampage... ETC... If The Doctor have been doing this (Which he does seem to do a lot.) He would go bat-shit crazy. If he wasn't already.*EDIT*
Love the story though. keep it up!
So who archives when the Archivist is on break?
Was that by any chance supposed to read:
2078354
Scratch that. You overuse all the words.
Find synonims for at least: mare, overworked, 'to and fro', 'here and there'. Your writing CLINGS to words and becomes irritating after a few paragraphs, which sadly prevents me from delving deeper
This Tower is like some kind of mix between Tardis and Apocrypha.
A nice start. Looking forward to the ride, especially considering someone obviously hasn't been looking closely at there own records.
At least that's half right it is friendly. This should be good
Corn: typos and other miscellaneous gripes.
Crusta: grammatical errors.
Crimson: spelling errors and homophone, homonym, and near homonym substitution errors.
De York: corrections.
for
dilly‐dally.
bound
stored
‘Dear Princess
echoed
took
well, the
week’s
her temples (own is superfluous)
history’s
iron’s
Much
servants’
baths, yes baths, as
baths
baths
in the room’s
‘Maybe
outside,’
fashion.
do
you?”
somepony
willowy, (Unless you actually meant curvy, in which case: since when have supermodels been curvy?)
Fleur
a horn
last millennium?” (singular) or last couple of millennia?” (plural)
Eh, not my kind of story.
5986409 Oh, thank you for your enlightening conversation starter! You are truly a master of words and style. Your opinion shed light on the entire universe for me, thank you so much!
Liking this so far!
It should be fun when Faust finds out that there are no winged-unicorns!
Also, I don't know if you know, but this has been featured. Congrats!
Is it just me or is it getting harder to find good stories like this that are able to just draw you in. I take my hat off to you, good sir and/or madam... or I would if I were wearing one.
Very nice intro, good work.
She doesn't really know much about the town does she?
Nice? Sure.
Friendly? Absolutely.
Quiet? ... Considering the assorted disasters, Twi freak-outs and Pinkie... Not so much.
Gaining infinite knowledge in exchange for a life of servitude within the archives. Very definition of a Faustian Bargain.
7705528
Infinite knowledge is boring, why would you want to know everything at the price of eternal servitude. Sounds like a lose-lose situation to me. (Wait, if you have eternal knowledge, then you can out think the deal or come up with a loophole in said deal... Wouldn't you? Ah, I'm to tired and this comment is to old.)
Pretty good but ponyville sounds like a terrible simply for it's proximity to Canterlot and the high probability that she'll be discovered which I imagine she doesn't want as she isn't suppose to leave the tower also the name Faust is actually a very important name in both Christian and Occultist literature
6580517
Actually a few have poped up in the background of many episodes you'll notce theme and silver quill had a drinking game about them.
well now. something new to read.
Ugh. Way too much repetitive exposition at the start just to thoroughly fit the cover image. Decent start if you can parse through all the unnecessary text, though.
Finally got around to reading this, and now I can help but feel sorry for her.
9464892
Same, poor girl
Ahh yes, "nice and quiet", just like in the brochure.
Except the brochure's wrong, and its all a scam
10625070
been there done that
It’s always nice to come back to this story
I'm the 1,000th like. Yay.
I guess she did know she was all alone
But hey
shes got plenty of time