A Bone to Pick.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
A dark, stone room. Stale dank air. A tiny little drip in the ceiling of this dark dungeon sounded to no one but an odd stone statue located in the middle of the damp room. Rusted chains hung around the bipedal being as the small, constant, droplets of water hit the head of the statue.
The thing was a sight to behold. Skeletal like plates of armor made its body as four horns protruded from the statue's helmet like head. Two ear like horns protruding from the forehead back, and two big horns sticking out from between the eyes. The eye sockets held nothing but darkness as a trickle of water glided down his form.
Chains. Rusty and dull, but firm, surrounded the statue. Binding it to the ground and the surrounding walls. The statue stood tall, towering at height of 6'7 feet. An intimidating sight, made more so by the stinger like tail that curled around its legs. A white sword hung on its side, looking similar to the plates that make up its armor...
The only thing that stood out, other than the statue in the center of the room, was a tiny casket. Beautifully made, Made out of what appears to be ivory, and placed directly in front of the statue. The statue's head pointed down at the casket, the drips of water going down its head made it look like it was crying...
Something broke the perpetual silence of this long forgotten room. Rather, not something, someone.
"Noooooooooooooo!..."
The cry of a female faintly rung inside the room, the sound being loud enough to pass through the hard cold stone that consisted of the room.
Pebbles and dust fell from the ceiling as the earth shook for some unknown reason. Tiny rocks bounced off the statues head and onto the stone below. The almost musical sound of pebbles clanking on the rusty iron chains rang out to no one...
Only the statue bared witness to this beautiful sound, and the ears of stone heard this melody of gravity...
A tiny crack formed on the length of the statue's forehead horn...
***
*HACHOO!*
A loud, unhindered sneeze rang throughout Golden Oaks Library. Spittle and mucus spread onto Twilight Sparkle's sheets like an unsanitary shotgun. She grabbed a tissue from the box on her nightstand and blew into it, groaning as she rolled it up and threw it into a trash can filled with already used tissues.
Coughing into her hoof, she used her magic to levitate a book into her lap.
Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-Alls That Are Simply Super
She opened the book and skimmed through it for what was the 1000th time in her mind.
"There's got to be something in this book about this!" she said in a nasally voice. A red nose scrunching as-
*HACH-um!*
Her sneeze was held in this time, but the headache she got from holding it in was not.
"Ow..." she groaned as she flipped through the pages of the book again. When Nurse Redheart came to her library to check on her, she said her aliments were nothing more than the common cold, and plenty of rest and liquids would bring her up to par within a week. But Twilight had to study! She couldn't let an entire week be wasted in lying in bed and groaning! She had reports to do, schedules to write, books to caress, the list goes on!
Actually, it doesn't, because she hasn't made it yet!
"Argh! Ow..." Twilight yelled and cringed. She couldn't even have a nervous breakdown without pain.
"Twilight? What did Redheart tell you about having nervous breakdowns?" A muffled voice from outside the room asked her.
"Mmmmm." Twilight groaned and turned in her bed.
The tiny purple dragon opened the door, holding a bowl soup in his claws as he came in. The bowl was surrounded with a purple aura and floated towards the sickly pony. She greedily gulped down the soup and sighed as she finished in record time. A satisfied sigh ran out as she plopped back into her bed and levitated the bowl down towards Spike.
"...You're really lucky that soup wasn't hot." Spike said as he took the bowl and placed it on a table.
"How're the others doing?" Twilight said as she rolled over and looked out of her window to the rest of town. Ponies were walking, talking, and smiling as they continued with their day.
"Sick." the tiny dragon said as he produced two pills and a glass of water. The items causally floated to her. She popped the two pills and drank the glass of water in quick succession. Taking her time with the water as to not spill any on her book.
"All of them?" Twilight asked. Spike nodded and produced a tiny piece of paper.
"Yep, they all have the same symptoms as you do. Big Mac and some burly white stallion took over the applebucking for Applejack. Though they practically had to tie her to the bed to get her to rest." Spike snickered.
"And why would you say that?" Twilight asked in curiosity.
"Because they actually tied her to the bed to make her get some rest." Spike said as he laughed . Twilight joined in with a quite giggle.
"Pinkie's room is filled with green confetti, Sweetie Belle is waiting on Rarity." Spike said with the tiniest amounts of envy. "Rainbow Dash is normal, and Fluttershy is being pampered by her little animal friends."
Twilight nodded and stared up into the ceiling. "Thank you, Spike. You can take a break now, sorry for making you run around Ponyville..." Twilight said as she coughed into her hoof.
"It's alright Twilight. I'm just happy to help." Spike said with a smile. He waived her goodbye and closed the door.
Taking off his paper sanitation mask and throwing it in the trash.
***
"Noooooo!" A tiny scream echoed throughout the dark damp room that held the statue and its chains...
That...sounds like...
A crack in the statue formed as the ground shook with an unknown power, bits of dirt and rock clinked against the statue's chains.
Well, looks like I'm up to date now.
The cracks slowly grew in severity as they ran across the statue's form. Tiny cracks and pops being heard as the stone failed. The limbs of the used -to-be statue started moving slowly. The bony tail around its being slowly moved and uncurled from its legs. The stone started to catastrophically break as the being lashed out and broke his binds in one mighty force.
"Ahhhh!" A male voice screamed as he stretched out his limbs and tail. Several pops could be heard as he stretched and rolled his neck. "Ten thousand years...will give yousuch a crick in the neck..."
'Ten thousand years old and I'm quoting Disney movies...'
He sat down, legs crossed and stare at the tiny coffin for a second, moving out of the dripping ceiling.
'I've been wanting to do that for three thousand years.'
He looked around and looked down at the coffin that sat before him. He reached out and felt the coffin's sleek body and form.
'It hasn't changed in over ten thousand years...Celestia sure knows her preservation magic...'
He picked it up by wrapping it with his bone like tail and picking it up with ease. Shaped like a elongated pentagon. It had gleaming silver phoenix like art on the center of it, and it was rimmed with gold.
"We haven't changed much, have we?" The armored bipedal chuckled as he bumped his fist on the center of the coffin. He sighed and brought the coffin to his body and hugged it tightly, his tail joining in as it curled around him and his load.
"I miss you..." He said as he stood up and walked into the darkness of the room. Limping a little as he got used to walking again. About a minute of walking later he reached a door. A big, sturdy looking, giant iron door that would be impossible to open.
*Poke*
*Creeeeeeee-BOOM!*
Well, ten thousand years of water can do quite a bit of damage.
'You'd think they'd preserve the door...'
He started to walk, finding a long flight of stairs greet him. He started to trudge up the stairs...
And trudge...
And trudge
'Jesus, when does this end!?'
Finally, after twenty minutes of trudging up stairs, he made it to the top.
"Damn...wait, how did I hear her scream if I was...meh."
The castle was in ruins. Plants and erosion overran the castle walls. Decorative rugs dotted the walls containing either a decorative sun, moon, or both.
He looked down to the ground to see surrounding plants drooping and wilting.
'Glad to see that I still have my touch...'
He sighed as he walked though the stain glassed halls of the ancient castle. Bugs called the royal red carpet home as they scattered with every one of his steps. The sun shone bright through the ceiling as he walked outside.
'So, they took care of Nightmare Moon... about time.'
He walked outside for the first time in ten thousand years, clutching the coffin to his chest with the utmost of care. He found a spot in the earth and used his hands to dig a hole into the ground. When the hole was deep enough, he put the coffin into the hole and buried it.
After he was done he put his hand at the head of the buried coffin and grunted. White spines of bone popped from the ground as a tombstone like shape formed. He grunted even more when a snap was heard and he took his hand of the ground.
"Good bye old friend..." he said as he stood up. He looked onto the wilderness that was the Everfree forest and chuckled.
"Oh Sunny-side isn't gonna like this..." he said as he moved towards the bridge that linked the castle and the other side of the cliff, grass darkening and dying with every step.
***
Ten thousand one years ago
"Ethernet involves many of the first two layers of the OSI model. The physical layer and the data-link layer..."
Sitting here hearing my teacher talk about Ethernet tends to get kinda boring sometimes. But, he's nice dude. I'm sitting here checking my email and copy pasting slides from the power-point he's showing us.
Looking out of the window of my school I see pine trees swaying in the breeze as the wind blew, and bug poofy clouds napping in the sky. I could stare at those tress for hours if I could..
"Does anyone know the difference between 1000BaseSX and 1000BaseLX?" the teacher asked as I refocused my attention to the class review. I raised my hand.
"Yes, Jeshua?"
"SX is shorter than LX?"
"Correct. Do you know the length of SX?"
"Ummm..." I thought for a little bit before answering "SX is...500 meters?"
"Yeah, but if you really want to be picky then its 550 meters. Though I'm not gonna quiz you on the distances, just that you know the differences." He said as he continued the class, I zoned out again and checked my computer. No new notifications as of yet-
*Bling!*
My computer hummed as my gmail received a new email.
"C'mon..."
I checked the mail...
I'm back from my trip from Wallacha. Found some amazing finds. I'll be waiting for you and mom at the art museum.
-Dad
I smiled and inwardly yay'd as I wrote back.
What did find?
-Jeshua
After a couple seconds.
*Bling!*
I had to hold in a laugh, a big one.
Yo nipples.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZHvd0ks7Es
-Dad
LAWL.
But seriously what did you find?
-Jeshua
...
*Bling!*
Apparently it's jewelry that belonged to, get this: Vlad The Impaler.
-Dad
...
...
*Bling*
Same reaction. The government let us bring the thing over to the U.S. Something about some bad voodoo in the gem.
-Dad
I was completely amazed, jewelry that belonged to Dracula? That was-
"Okay class, we're going over the chapter six section, that's all we have time for. Jeshua?"
I glanced from my computer to the teacher.
"Yes?"
"What's the difference between RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors?"
"One is for phone connections, and one is for Ethernet cables?"
"Correct. Next one is Jacob; how much..."
I glanced down to my screen and saw a new email pop up.
So, the museum?
-Jeshua
...
*Bling!*
Yeah.
-Dad
Which one?
-Jeshua
...
*Bling!*
The Smithsonian
-Dad
Oh...
WAIT, WHAT!?
WHAT!? I'm in Worcester! How am I going to get to DC!
-Jeshua
...
*Bling!*
Check your mailbox when you go home, there are tickets to D.C for you, mom, and your little brother
-Dad
This...is actually happening?
"Alright class, remember to study for the final on Wednesday. That's it for today."
'Wait, what?'
I looked up to see everyone in his class leaving. The teacher getting his things and walking out of the room in tangent with everyone.
'guess I spaced out a little too long...'
I packed my Surface and made my way towards the exit, saying hi to the many students that occupied the halls.
Do I go to the student center today?...I really want to get those tickets as soon as possible, but...
As I came out of the classroom building, I noticed a football flying in the air behind the student center.
That must be Steve and his monstrous throwing arm.
I heard a distinct sound to my right, I looked to my left to see a bus going up the hill of my school to the stop next to another building. Bus 18 usually stopped for a second so the driver could go to the bathroom or something, so I had time. I walked towards the back of the student center to see some of my friends throwing around a football. Steve lobbed it at least fifty feet in the air. I'm baffled by this guy's arm. But I guess when you live in a farm...
A Spanish kid with a black curly afro caught the ball and returned it with almost the same amount of force, I dropped my backpack and ran towards the ball, hoping to intercept it...
I failed. I tripped over a twig, a twig, and managed to head-butt the ball into Steve's hand.
"OH! With that nasty header!" An Asian kid named Wong said as I stood.
"I hate you too, Wong."
"You -snicker- alright?" Steve asked as he contained his laughter.
"Yeah, I ain't even mad, I'm going to the Smithsonian today. Nothing can ruin my day."
"Things tend to happen to prove that wrong, Jeshua." Steve said as he threw the ball.
"Don't me a downer bro. Well, see ya, I have a bus to catch." I said as I moved towards the bus.
The trip to my home was rather uneventful. The public bus wasn't that eventful in the first place, other then the random smelly dude.
I walked down the street from the bus station and opened the door to my mailbox when I reached my apartment. As dad said, three tickets where in a tiny envelope, if I could squee I would.
"We're going to the Smithsonian~, we're going to the Smithsonian~" I sang as I walked up the stairs to my apartment. I took out my keys and opened the door, only to see my mother and brother fully dressed and ready to go, my mother holding a bowl wrapped in a plastic bag.
"So, We're doing this?" I asked excitedly to my brother and mother. They nodded and my mother gave me a bowl filled with tan rice and kielbasa.
"Eat that on the way, you know we can't afford that fancy city food." She said to me (in Spanish).
I sighed and accepted. The rice was awesome, but that fact that we couldn't get outside food sucked.
We walked down the stairs and exited the building. When we did, I heard a loud barking noise. I looked to the direction of the sound to see my neighbors Golden Retriever barking and spinning at me. I stared for a couple seconds at the weird spectacle, the dog, named Max, and me had a nice friendship going on, and I took care of him when his owner was away. Seeing him bark and spin at me was a weird...
And ominous sight.
I watched the movie Hachiko the other day and a dog spinning at you...was an ample warning to not go where you're going to go.
'God, please don't let me have a heart attack when I'm at the Smithsonian.'
My family called to me and I sat inside the car. When the car started moving, I tried to comfort myself
"C'mon man, that was just a movie. What could possible go wrong?...I'm going to regret that."
***
Present day.
A fire roared as I roasted manticore meat over the fire. I had to be quick or else the meat would rot and it would taste nasty.
The log that I sat on started to rot and decompose. I had to use my bone sword just to make sure the meat didn't drop to the ground. I bit into the flesh of the slain manticore. The beast's dead body laid next to me.
"Sorry about the whole 'killing you' business, but I haven't eaten in 10,000 years."
When I was finished with the meat on my sword I took the manticore's head and bite into its neck. Sucking the rotting manticore dry. I felt stronger as I gained the beast's abilities. My stinger getting thicker and more scorpion like, my muscles receiving a boost in power.
"Annngh!" I screamed as my back flared in pain, the sound of shifting, growing, and cracking bones as they grew out my back. Blood caked the newly formed bones as I dug into the manticore's thick, rotting, neck.
Soon the manticore was noting but a pile of bones, I licked my lips and stretched my wings. They still hurt, but they complimented my whole 'look' nicely.
I looked over at the manticore skeleton, the only thing that survives after I finished.
Hmmm...well, they're going to find out sooner or later.
The skeleton stood up and stretched its perfectly visible spine like a cat. Raking its bony claws against its skull, it turned and walked towards me. Sitting on its 'Haunches' the bony cat stared at me.
'Now, what to do...'
I stretched my wings and jumped up into the air, gaining altitude as I continued to flap my wings. When I had a decent height, I looked around until...
"There it is, good ol' Ponyville..." I snickered as I pondered what to do with my new friend.
I landed back to the ground and addressed the skeleton in front of me. "Keep on going straight until you find a town, okay? And when you do find this town...
"Find and steal all there calcium and calcium accessories."
The skeleton saluted and marched towards Ponyville as fast as I let it go, I didn't really need to order it to go and steal Ponyville's calcium. But hey, I had to talk to something.
"For the glory of calcium!" I screamed at the running skeleton. He waived his tail in conformation.
I lifted my arms and scream "Calcium is love, calcium is life...I'm so lonely."
I went back into the castle and found a throne to sit on. Now all I had to do...
Is wait.