The Artifact
It was a glorious day outside. There were few clouds dotting the sky, and a nice, gentle breeze coming in from the west. It wasn’t too strong, yet had just enough energy to it to keep something light and aerodynamic aloft.
Starlight Glimmer, however, was not experiencing perfect kite-flying weather – she had made a commitment to Trixie to help tidy up her caravan that she was starting to regret.
“How’d you even fit all of this stuff in here in the first place?” she asked over the loud shuffling of various objects inside.
“Trixie has been all over Equestria and beyond, she needs her souvenirs,” Trixie replied from somewhere inside a box of banners and capes. “And Trixie has her systems.”
Igniting her horn, Starlight worked to free some of the boxes near the entrance so they could be removed. Unfortunately, this destabilized whatever packing systems Trixie had set up, sending a cascade of boxes down on the unsuspecting magician.
Her muffled yelp was buried under the roar of tumbling cardboard as the boxes Starlight had dislodged spilled outside, most of them emptying their contents as well. Starlight quickly ran over and started pulling out boxes by hoof.
“Trixie! Are you alright?” she called.
Finally, the perturbed and thoroughly disheveled head of Trixie popped up from some boxes, covered in dust, googly eye glasses, and a banner that proclaimed her as “great and powerful” once again.
“Trixie is fine,” she huffed, trying to wriggle her way out of the boxes.
Starlight pulled her free and the two collapsed into a heap. Trixie shook off her new decorations and groaned at the mess that had been made.
“This will take hours to clean up,” she moaned, surveying the damage.
“Sorry, I’ll help,” Starlight said as they got to their hooves. “But you should really consider a storage shed or something.”
As Trixie began scooping up flyers and decorations and stuffing them into one of the empty boxes, Starlight started picking up various knickknacks that had spilled. She didn’t pay much attention to them until she noticed one in particular laying on its side. She set the other items aside to pick up the new one and examine it closely.
It was a crystal ball, and it didn’t look cheap either. The base looked like a small box, made of wood and painted purple, with four short legs. It was the same shade as the crystal ball, which seemed fused to the wood at its base somehow. The glass was cloudy so Starlight couldn’t see anything in it – nor any cracks from the fall, which was a good thing.
“I didn’t know you practiced fortune telling,” Starlight remarked, showing the crystal ball to Trixie.
Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Trixie does not, and has not – I do illustrious feats of illusion, not simple parlor tricks like that.” She pointed to the crystal ball with disdain.
“So… why do you have this then?” Starlight asked, carefully setting it with the other items.
“Trixie does not remember, for she does not remember where she gets most things. Trixie most likely thought it looked neat and bought it at some antiques place,” Trixie said, waving her hoof dismissively at Starlight as she rummaged through another box.
“Huh.” Starlight turned to the crystal ball again, looking it over. “It looks… new. Maybe a little dusty, but… this doesn’t look like much of an antique. And why is it purple?” she asked.
“Trixie would appreciate it if you asked less questions and helped clean things up,” Trixie huffed, frowning at Starlight.
“Alright, alright, I’ll help.” She shot one more glance at the crystal ball before going to join Trixie. “But I want to look through Twilight’s library when we’re done.”
Trixie sipped her hot chocolate as she watched Starlight pluck book after book from the castle library’s shelves, only to skim through them and replace them back exactly where she had found it. “Twilight would kill me—or worse—if she found out I messed up her organization in here,” Starlight had said.
“Any luck?” Trixie asked in a dull tone.
“Nothing.” Starlight plopped down on the couch next to her, staring at the crystal ball on the table before her.
Trixie levitated a second cup of hot chocolate over to Starlight and nestled close to her side. “Trixie thinks you’re worrying too much about a silly trinket and not enough about your injured marefriend.” She glanced up at her own forehead.
With a sigh and a tired smile, Starlight leaned over and kissed Trixie’s forehead, which Trixie had sworn was bruised during the collapse of the boxes. Starlight doubted it, but humored her as she often did.
“I know, it’s just… you’re sure you can’t remember where you got it? Canterlot? The Crystal Empire? Some small town barely on the map?”
Trixie sighed loudly. “No. Trixie does not remember. She remembers all her trips to Canterlot and The Crystal Empire and everywhere else – and she does not remember where she got it,” she replied.
“Don’t you think that’s weird? Some crystal ball you don’t remember just randomly appears in your stuff?” Starlight nudged her with a sly smile.
Rubbing her chin and taking a thoughtful sip of hot chocolate, Trixie nodded. “Trixie does find that strange. Do you think it was planted in my caravan?”
“You checked your caravan after that Hoo’Far traded it back right?” Starlight asked, to which Trixie nodded. “Then I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to work, and it doesn’t react to my magic, so I doubt it teleported itself in there.”
“Well, if Twilight’s books don’t have any answers, and Trixie doesn’t have any answers, where else can we look?” Trixie asked, looking up to Starlight.
Starlight hummed in thought, taking a long sip of her hot chocolate. Her eyes, like her mind, wandered as she pondered. They scanned the shelves of books before falling on a familiar section.
She set the hot chocolate down and got up from the couch again—ignoring a slight whine from Trixie—and walked over to the section in question. With her magic, she plucked one of the books out and smirked at the cover.
“I think we know somepony who might know a thing or two about ancient artifacts,” Starlight said, turning to Trixie and showing her the book’s cover.
Trixie squinted at the depiction of a heroic, golden Pegasus swinging from a vine in some jungle location.
“A… Pegasus who doesn’t know how to use their wings?” Trixie asked.
Starlight huffed and shook her head.
Somnambula had the same fair weather Ponyville did – the only difference was less cloud cover and way more heat. Trixie adjusted her wizard hat to help better protect her face from Celestia’s oppressive sun.
“And why is an esteemed author out here in the desert instead of somewhere nice, like Manehatten or Canterlot?” she grumbled to Starlight.
“Well, she’s probably researching some of the local ruins,” Starlight replied, adjusting her pack. She had made sure to wrap up the crystal ball nice and tight so it wouldn’t jostle as much. “But, if you believe the rumor mill like Rarity does, she’s secretly seeing Somnambula.”
“She’s seeing a town?” Trixie scrunched up her snout.
Starlight rolled her eyes and huffed. “No, the town is named after one of the Pillars of Equestria: Somnambula,” she explained.
“Must get pretty confusing then,” Trixie said with a shrug. She flapped her cape to grace her body with cool air. “So, where is she?”
Starlight stopped and looked around, before pointing to a two-story building by the town square. “That inn, I think.”
“Good. Let’s hurry and get out of this heat,” Trixie said, shuffling past Starlight and into the inn. Starlight quickly followed and the two walked up to the receptionist.
“How may I help you?” the receptionist asked, looking between the two.
“Hi, is this the inn where A.K. Yearling is staying?” Starlight asked, throwing in a sweet smile for brownie points.
“I’m sorry, but Miss Yearling gave strict orders that no one is to disturb her,” the receptionist said politely.
“But this is official—” Trixie began, before being cut off by a nudge and a shake of the head from Starlight.
Starlight in turn flashed another friendly, but forced smile. “We don’t know Miss Yearling personally, but we are friends of her friends: Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle—”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle?” the receptionist asked with a splutter. “Well, if it’s royal business, by all means, please go on ahead. Second room on the right, second floor.” She gestured to the stairs to her right.
“But it isn’t—” Trixie was cut off again by another nudge and shot a glare at Starlight.
“Thank you so very much,” Starlight said quickly, ushering Trixie up the stairs.
“Will you quit doing that?” Trixie hissed as they walked to Yearling’s door.
“Sorry, but if we’re going to get this thing analyzed, we need Yearling’s help. Even if we might have to… fib along the way,” Starlight said with a nervous chuckle.
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Trixie purred with a wink, nudging her.
They walked up to the door and Starlight knocked. “Miss Yearling?” she called.
There was a shuffle inside, followed by a moment of silence. “Come in,” she said.
Starlight pushed open the door and the two stepped inside, with Trixie shutting it behind them.
A.K. Yearling sat on the bed, smiling fondly at a gold necklace with a golden, jeweled ankh pendant. When she noticed her guests, she quickly cleared her throat and tucked it under her shawl.
“Can I help you two?” she asked, looking between them suspiciously.
“Miss Yearling, my name is Starlight Glimmer, and this is Trixie.” She gestured to Trixie, who gave half a wave. “We’re friends of Rainbow Dash, and we came to see you about looking at a potential artifact.”
Yearling huffed. “Alright, but tell Rainbow Dash she owes me one,” she said. She hopped off the bed and walked over to a desk by the wall, flicking on the desk lamp. On it was a large magnifying glass and she patted the space next to it.
“Let’s see it then.”
Yearling sat back on the bed, eyes fixated on the crystal ball on the desk. Under the desk lamp, the cloudy purple glass barely shone. She did something she didn’t do that often – she reached up and scratched her head under her sun hat.
“I’ve… never seen anything like it,” Yearling said. “And you checked all the books in Twilight’s library.”
“Every single one that had to do with antiques, ancient cultures, relics, or trinkets,” Starlight said, sitting down next to her. “We were hoping you could tell us something.”
“Well, mostly Starlight,” Trixie said off-hoofedly with a shrug. “I don’t really care that much.”
Starlight frowned and pointed a hoof at her. “You mean to tell me a weird object shows up in your stuff and you don’t care?”
“Not as much as you,” Trixie pointed out. “Trixie is fine with it being a paperweight.”
“There’s no markings on it. You’re right that it looks new, but at the same time, it looks old… I don’t get it,” Yearling said, shaking her head.
“Well, I’m not sure what else we can do, or who else to ask,” Starlight said with a sigh. “If you don’t know then… who would?”
“Are you sure there’s nothing underneath it?” Trixie asked, lifting it up at an angle with her magic and studying the bottom.
The click in Yearling’s head was almost audible and her eyes lit up. She jumped off the bed, checked the bottom of the crystal ball, and then dove under the bed. Trixie and Starlight looked at each other, then at her in confusion.
“Did you… see something?” Starlight asked.
“No,” came Yearling’s muffled voice. “I remember something.”
She came back out with her suitcase, open and full of journals. Yearling shifted through them, opening and flipping through the pages until she came to one in particular. She walked over to the desk and set it open beside the crystal ball.
“I always take notes on places I go, in case I need to come back,” Yearling explained, tapping an illustration at the top of the page. “I found this indent in some ruins on one of my trips. I thought it might need some sort of artifact, and I’m almost certain it’s this crystal ball.
“Are you sure?” Trixie asked, glancing between the drawing and the bottom of her crystal ball.
“The little legs on the bottom and the size of the box part seem to line up,” Yearling said. “We should bring this crystal ball to the ruins and see if it fits.”
“Another road trip?” Trixie asked. When both Starlight and Yearling nodded, Trixie let out a long groan and craned her head back.
Starlight huffed. “I don’t know why you’re complaining when I can just teleport us there,” she said, before turning to Yearling. “So, where were these ruins?”
Yearling frowned as she turned to Starlight.
“Bifrost Glade.”
Located in the northern part of Equestria, Bifrost Glade had a strange air about it. That was because the air hung still – not so much as a breeze graced the rocky environment. Though there was plant life, no animals made their presence known.
The terrain was smooth, almost completely flat. What hadn’t been claimed by trees and bushes was covered in soft moss. The only sound were the roaring waterfalls, falling dozens of feet into pools and ponds. Rainbows arched everywhere in the damp, chilly air.
Starlight, Trixie, and Yearling all shuddered against the cold. Their transition from such an arid climate to this was a shock to their system.
“W-What is this place?” Trixie asked, huddling her cloak close to her and stepping closer to Starlight for warmth.
“Most historians aren’t s-sure,” Yearling said, shaking off the chill herself. “L-Legends go this place once sustained a magic rainbow bridge, allowing you to tr-travel across the universe. Th-That’s all speculation though.”
“Where d-did you see this indent at?” Starlight asked, adjusting her pack.
“Below ground, there’s s-some stairs up ahead,” Yearling pointed out.
Sure enough, stairs made of smoothly cut stone bricks descended into a dark passageway. Yearling pulled out a lantern from her pack, lit it, and led the way into the tunnel, followed reluctantly by Trixie and Starlight.
Underground, the roaring waters were very faint. Nothing seemed to move underground either – their hoofsteps were the only noises echoing up and down the corridor. The passageway, as ancient as it might have been, held tight.
It was made of the same stone bricks as the stairs. Most of the bricks were featureless, but some here and there had cracks or scrape marks or scribbles that might’ve been writing. Softly glowing moss was prevalent in patches, becoming darkened spots in the lantern’s glow.
Finally, they reached the end of the hallway, and stepped into a small, half-circle-shaped room. The wall curved on either side of them towards a flat back wall. Against the back wall was the indent in question on a short pedestal – and from a distance, it looked like the slot for the crystal ball.
Starlight took off her pack, but had her eyes set on the back wall, where some sort of mural was painted. She gently took the lantern from Yearling and held it aloft.
Time had done a number even deep underground. The mural was horribly faded and covered in dust, but Starlight could just make out the details. It was a pony, posed with its forelegs in the air. It had a purple coat, and a two tone mane of some sort of green and pink. Something dark and pointed sat upon its head, and it was facing something. That something had eroded with time, but there was a burst of lines around it, vaguely outlining it.
“Who’s that?” Starlight asked, giving the lantern back to Yearling.
Yearling studied the mural in the lantern light and sighed – it carried all the way down the hall. “Some sort of ancient pony, perhaps. We’re still not sure who even made these ruins, or what their purpose was.” She lowered the lantern to the slot. “But I guess we’ll find out.”
Starlight opened her pack and pulled the crystal ball out with her magic, shrugging at Trixie.
“Well, here it goes,” she said. Trixie nodded.
She and Yearling stepped back as Starlight carefully lined the crystal ball up with the indent. Slowly, she lowered it in until it settled comfortably, then she stepped back quickly.
The three of them held their breath, eyes darting from wall to wall and ears straining for anything more than the silence of the tunnel. After what seemed like an eternity, they relaxed with a sigh of relief and disappointment.
“Is that it?” Trixie asked.
“Maybe the mechanism doesn’t work anymore,” Yearling speculated, examining the crystal ball. “But it certainly fits.”
“So what should we do?” Starlight asked, wrapping a foreleg around Trixie.
Yearling sighed and turned to them. “In my experience with Ahuizotl, maybe it’s best to leave it here. This seems to be its resting place, so maybe we’re doing a good thing by bringing it back.”
“Well?” Starlight asked Trixie. “Care to give up your paperweight?”
“Trixie had no need of it anyway,” Trixie said haughtily, though she smiled softly at Starlight.
Starlight nuzzled her and turned to Yearling. “Thanks for your help, Miss Yearling.”
“My pleasure. Anything to help return artifacts to where they belong,” Yearling said with a nod. “Now, I suggest we get out of here before nightfall – trust me, it only gets colder.”
“Trixie agrees. She is in need of more hot chocolate,” Trixie proclaimed as they picked up their stuff and left.
“We’ll make some when we get back,” Starlight said, leaning against her as they walked. “And maybe I’ll see about getting you a new paperweight.”
“A paperweight from you beats a trinket like that any day,” Trixie agreed.
As the moon rose in the sky, the sound of wind echoed over the roaring waters of Bifrost Glade. It whipped between the pillars of water and down into the tunnel, kicking up dust in its wake.
Deep within the box base of the crystal ball, a chime could be heard. As the music box melody started playing, a soft glow appeared in the core of the ball, growing brighter as the notes progressed.
The wind whipped around the device like old friends finally reunited and the tone of the song grew louder. As the glow brightened further, mist swirled from around the ball and seemingly from within.
It became tinged berry pink and slime green, with glittering particles and streaks like tinsel. It encompassed the crystal ball, as if to hug the contraption. It rattled in response, before levitating out of the stand.
The purple light shone on the faded mural, blowing away dust and, seemingly, time. The colored contours of the image began to brighten and sharpen to their original clarity. The object the pony was so eagerly pawing at materialized into a familiar crystal ball.
All at once, everything went dark with one great breeze that sounded like a long held breath finally being exhaled.
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