Radiant Blade, Direstone Hilt
Twilight Sparkle and Spike were relaxing in the Ponyville library. Spike was polishing a gem, presumably to eat later. Twilight was reading a book on how to preen wings, so she didn’t have to ask a pegasus for help every time her wings were messy. Suddenly, Spike burped loudly as he received a letter from one of the Princesses. Twilight snatched it out of the air excitedly.
“Ooh, a new assignment!” she said happily. “I wonder what it is!”
Dear Twilight,
Celestia and I have located an artefact of enormous power, from a time before our rule. It is a blade, with a hilt of Direstone, and a blade of Radiant Ore. It is said that the smith was killed when he was testing the blade, as only true “Heroes” can wield it. The name of the blade is Demon Edge. My task for you is to retrieve the blade for the history museum under construction in Canterlot. Do not attempt this alone. Bring your friends, and seek out the heroes. They live in various places throughout Equestria, living quiet lives. They are as old as Celestia and I, if not older. Remember, only they can carry Demon Edge. I have enclosed a list of their names and where they live.
Best of luck in your travels,
Princess Luna
Twilight smiled. “Spike, gather the girls! We’re going on an adventure!”
A few hours later, everypony was gathered in the large common area of the library. Twilight cleared her throat.
“Ahem! As you know, girls, Princess Luna has given us a task! We are supposed to assist in the construction of a history museum!” Twilight decreed with a loud voice.
“But... um... I’m not very strong... I don’t think I could build a museum...” Fluttershy mumbled.
“That’s alright,” Twilight said. “We’re not going to build the actual museum! We’re going to find ancient artefacts and bring them to Canterlot so the museum can show them off!”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes lit up. “Just like Daring Do!” she shouted, flying up in the air excitedly. “What are we looking for? The Griffon’s Goblet? The Sapphire Stone?”
“Rainbow, those don’t actually exist. The author of the series made them up!” Twilight said, while adjusting a strap on her saddlebags. “We’re going to retrieve Demon Edge!” she said, grinning.
“D-D-Demon Edge?” Fluttershy whimpered. “That sounds scary!”
“I think it sounds funny! Do demons have edges? I wouldn’t know! I’ve never met a demon!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, as bubbly as ever.
“Demon Edge is a sword from before Equestria. None of us are strong enough to wield it! That’s why we’re going to ask the heroes for help!” Twilight explained.
At the mention of heroes, Rarity perked up. “Heroes? I sure hope we meet a dashing knight, or a charming prince!” she sighed wistfully, brushing her mane out of her eyes.
“Our first destination is a cottage in White Tail Woods!” Twilight said, putting the list of addresses in her saddlebag. “Ready, Spike? Girls?”
Twilight looked around in wonder at the trees. It was a beautiful summer day, the sun was shining brightly and the winds were calm. She took a deep breath before levitating the map out of her bag. “The cottage is in this area, girls! Keep an eye out for it!” she called out to her friends, who were walking some distance ahead of her.
“Oh, I do believe you’re looking for my cottage! How may I be of assistance?” a cheerful voice from Twilight’s right said.
Twilight looked over at the source of the voice. A light brown earth pony with a reddish mane and icy blue eyes was looking at her and smiling.
“Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle!” she introduced herself, shaking the mare’s hoof warmly and smiling. “Who are you?”
“My name is Aiushtha! I love meeting new ponies! And critters!” she replied, stretching out a hoof and allowing a bird to land on it.
Twilight’s friends all introduced themselves. Fluttershy was especially glad to meet another pony who could communicate with animals! She and Aiushtha were chatting animatedly as they entered the cottage together.
“I should properly introduce myself. I am Aiushtha, formerly known as the Enchantress. I speak to animals so I can share their legends and stories to the rest of the world. I am also a proficient healer. I can summon spirits that mend wounds!”
Rainbow Dash hovered over to a mantelpiece with a glass case. “What’s this?” Rainbow asked, curious. She reached out a hoof to touch it, but Aiushtha’s stern voice stopped her.
“Don’t touch that, please,” she said to Rainbow Dash, who shrank away a little.
“Sorry...” Rainbow Dash replied.
“What in the world is this thing?” Rarity asked, walking over and eyeing the bejeweled stick in the glass case.
Aiushtha, who had been talking to Twilight, walked over to the glass case and carefully pulled the piece out of its glass case. “This,” she spoke slowly, “this is my spear.”
There was moment of silence, where only the birds outside could be heard.
“Why do you have a spear?” Applejack asked warily. “Have you been in the guard?”
“I’ve had this spear for a while, but I don’t think I’m comfortable sharing the details with you just yet,” Aiushtha said, cradling the weapon in her hooves. “Why did you seek me?” she asked.
“We’re looking for an artefact named Demon Edge, and it’s said that only Heroes can wield it. You are one of them, correct?” Twilight asked.
“I am. Why are you looking for Demon Edge?” Aiushtha asked, eyeing the element bearers cautiously.
“We’re helping the Princesses build a collection to showcase Equestria’s history. I have a letter from Princess Luna with me to prove it!” Twilight said, defensively.
“Oh, that explains it! I’ll gladly help out. I’m not expecting Demon Edge to be retrieved without a fight or two. Do you have a guard station at Ponyville? We need to get you geared up!”
Twilight ruffled her wings. The light armor she wore let her move quickly while still maintaining a degree of protection. Fluttershy was looking more nervous than ever as Rainbow Dash helped her equip some of the pieces they had received from the guards stationed at Ponyville.
“The armor is more of a cautionary action. I don’t expect to be in a large-scale battle, but you can never be too careful!” Aiushtha replied. “Now, we need to find Lyralei!”
The beige-coated, ginger-maned pegasus dashed between the trees. It was such a beautiful summer day for a good flight outdoors! She checked her bow and quiver to make sure they were securely fastened on the saddle straps that she wore. As she set down in a clearing to practice her archery, her focus was interrupted by a change in the wind. There was another pegasus behind her, altering the flow of the wind.
“Are you Lyralei?” a raspy voice asked.
The beige pegasus turned her head. A sky blue pegasus was looking at her intently, waiting for a response.
She’s wearing aerial combat armor. That’s interesting. Is there a war going on? she thought to herself, before replying. “Yes, I am Lyralei, or Windrunner if you prefer. Why do you ask?”
“I’m Rainbow Dash. I bear one of the Elements of Harmony - Loyalty. I need you to come with me. My friends and Aiushtha will explain further.”
“Aiushtha? Now there’s a name I haven’t heard for a while! Lead the way!” Lyralei said, fastening her bow and quiver to her strap and taking off.
Dash sneered at Lyralei, before she said, “Just try to keep up! I’m the fastest pegasus you’ll ever meet!”
Lyralei flashed a predatory grin at her and said, “You underestimate me. Do you know why they call me Windrunner?” she asked arrogantly.
Rainbow Dash gave her no response. She drew a line on the ground, a clear indicator that this was a race.
“Where to?” asked Lyralei.
“Ponyville. A couple of miles, straight east.” Rainbow replied. “Ready? Three... Two... One... GO!”
Rainbow Dash jumped and spread her wings, accelerating quickly. Lyralei, who was still carrying her bow and arrows, had a slower start but powerful strokes of her wings brought her closer and closer to Rainbow Dash. Increasing the speed of her flapping, Rainbow Dash inched away from Lyralei, who was slowly gaining altitude. Looking down at Dash, Lyralei made a mental note on her flight technique.
Lots of flapping. Not very energy-efficient, but fast nonetheless. She seems to have a lot of stamina.
Now several hundred feet above Rainbow Dash, Lyralei rolled over into a steep dive, gaining quickly on Rainbow Dash. Ponyville was in sight.
This could be close. Lyralei thought to herself.
Streaking closer to Rainbow and increasing the power she put in her wing strokes, Lyralei set herself in Rainbow Dash’s slipstream, slowing her flapping until Rainbow was doing most of the work for her. Just before reaching the outskirts of Ponyville, she sped up, flying side by side with Dash. Lyralei looked over and winked. Rainbow Dash was sweating profusely, staring back in disbelief, before she spotted her friends and motioned for Lyralei to land there.
“Rainbow Dash? You have a lot to learn about flight. I could teach you, if you’d like,” Lyralei said with a smile, and offering up her wing for a friendly wing-clap.
Rainbow smiled tiredly, nodded, and raising a wing of her own. “I’d like to blame the armor,” she said, still short of breath. “But you obviously have better technique than me! Not faster, though. I win!” Rainbow smirked at her, and Lyralei rolled her eyes.
When the pegasi landed, Aiushtha smiled widely. “Lyralei!” she called out.
“Hey, Enchantress!” Lyralei said, embracing Aiushtha warmly. “It’s been too long! Cheerful as ever, I see!”
Twilight and her friends approached the pair of old friends and introduced themselves, along with bringing her up to date on their quest.
“Lyralei, don’t you have any armor?” Aiushtha asked. “We’ll need it, sooner or later.”
“My clothes and armor are so old and tattered that I got rid of them. I can manage without, though!” she replied.
Rarity walked over to Lyralei, “That simply won’t do! You must let me design an outfit for you!” she said.
“I’m fine!” Lyralei insisted, but Rarity picked her up with her magic and dragged her off to Carousel Boutique.
“Help me!” Lyralei shouted, flailing in mock panic, but soon began laughing with the rest of the group.
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Always the fashionista. Let’s go see what they’re up to,” she said.
Upon entering the cool interior of the Boutique, Rainbow Dash slumped down on a seat with a glass of water. She looked over at Lyralei, who was chatting animatedly. She could only make out snippets of conversation, but it seemed that they were arguing about what color they wanted Lyralei’s outfit to be. Eventually, Rarity relented, looking over and levitating out rolls of fabric from one of her shelves.
Rainbow Dash chuckled.
That’s probably the first time since before the Gala dresses she’s actually listened to her client. Lyralei must be really headstrong to defeat Rarity in a battle of will, she thought.
Lyralei twirled around, her green cloak flapping. The light brown padded coat she wore let her fly comfortably at higher altitudes without freezing, and the hood attached to her cloak let her stay hidden in forests.
Rarity squealed. “Why, darling, you look absolutely dazzling! Green really is your color!” she exclaimed.
“Thank you, Rarity. Now, what do I owe you?” Lyralei asked, smiling.
“Oh, nothing at all! A gift! I insist!” Rarity said.
“But-” Lyralei began, but Rarity cut her off.
“No buts! It’s a gift and that’s final!” Rarity stomped her hoof, accentuating her point.
“...fine...” Lyralei grumbled.
Twilight unrolled her map with her magic. “Alright. Let’s get moving! Our base camp is this spot in the Galloping Gorge,” she said, pointing her hoof at a spot on the map. “We’re leaving on the first train to Vanhoover. The Princess has supplied us with tickets. Bring only what you can’t live without!”
Aiushtha stared out the window of the train, admiring the verdant scenery on the way to Vanhoover. Lyralei sat beside her, humming a jolly tune and playing a board game with Twilight and Fluttershy.
“How old are you guys, anyway? The Princess said that you guys are at least as old as them in Twi’s letter,” a voice from behind Aiushtha said. Turning around, she saw Rainbow Dash hanging over the edge of her seat with a curious look on her face.
Lyralei answered the question. “Very old. Older than Equestria, I would say! Definitely older than the Sisters,” she said.
“So you knew Commander Hurricane?” Rainbow asked.
“I did. He was very... Unique.” Lyralei said, chuckling and rolling a die.
Rainbow’s gaze was filled with wonder. “Wow. Are you guys immortal?” she asked.
“Pretty much, yes,” Lyralei said coolly. “For the same reason that we are called heroes.”
It was Twilight’s turn to have her curiosity piqued.
“Why are you called heroes?” Twilight asked.
“It’s a long story. Make yourselves comfortable!” Lyralei said.
“Before the union of the Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies, war raged everywhere. Of course, the story of the Windigoes is just that. A story, to encourage our foals to be friends despite all our differences.
We, the Heroes, were mostly prisoners of war or mercenaries, chosen to fight for amusement. Our playing field was known as the Arena Of The Ancients. We were gladiators. As time went on, the spectators got more and more demanding. They wanted to see bigger, more gruesome fights. In the end, one brilliant unicorn devised a spell to make us quasi-immortal. You should be familiar with him, Twilight. It was Starswirl the Bearded. We would not die of age, and if we fell in battle we would be resurrected in the Arena.His spell worked, as you can see. It is such a powerful spell that the Sisters have it locked away in the deepest recesses of their personal library.
Our days consisted of honing our skills and fighting in the Arena. Selection was random. Any creature would be chosen to fight. To be selected was a great honor, and soon enough, children were being raised to become heroes. A prime example is Priestess Mirana, or Princess Luna as you call her. A pegasus and unicorn, with the help of some magic, had a child which had both horn and wings. The Alicorn. Two, actually. Twins. Only one was selected to become a hero, the one which appeared to be the darker, more enigmatic of the two. The other was raised by the Unicorns, as a Princess. Of course, these two Sisters now rule Equestria. After the tribes settled their differences and became Equestria, the wars slowly died down. No race stood long against the Three Tribes united. The arena was abandoned, but we heroes lived on in various places throughout the world.”
“In fact, we actually got famous. We have poetry and songs written about us!” Lyralei exclaimed, grinning.
“How do you stay so happy when you have seen so much war?” Rarity asked, frowning. “It must be simply horrifying, all that death and misery!”
“It is, at first. After a while... you kind of get used to it. It’s difficult to explain. Maybe one day you’ll understand,” Aiushtha said.
Silence fell upon the ponies. Aiushtha was lost in thought, a familiar verse on her mind. She decided to recite what she remembered.
“A cold Wind blows,
throughout the forest.
Child of the Wind,
Sits in silence.”
Twilight furrowed her brow in thought. “Is that... Child Of The Wind? I always liked that poem! I memorized it and performed it for a talent show when I went to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns!”
“It is. I can’t seem to recall the whole poem,” Aiushtha said.
“I can recite it, if you’d like,” Twilight said.
“Please, do!” Aiushtha said.
Twilight lowered her voice and began:
“A cold Wind blows,
Throughout the forest.
Child of the Wind,
Sits in silence.
Abandoned, alone,
She sings to the Wind.
Nopony near,
But so much to fear.
Winds heed her calls,
Her cries for comfort.
Blessed with flight,
She takes to the skies.
A wild Wind blows,
Throughout the forest.
Child of the Wind,
Runs quick and silent.
A force of nature,
Child of the Wind.
Marksmare of the woods,
Windrunner her name.”
By the time Twilight was done, all of her friends were staring, wide-eyed, at Lyralei, who was blushing furiously.
“Is that about... you?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, it is,” said Rainbow. “When I met her, she called herself Windrunner!”
“Actually, those poems are written by other heroes. When we weren’t fighting, we often sang songs, wrote stories, or poetry,” Aiushtha said.
“Child of The Wind is written by Rylai Crestfall, or Crystal Maiden, as she was called back then,” Lyralei said, nodding fondly and smiling.
“Oh goodness, it’s already dark out. We should get sleep for the day ahead of us!” Twilight said.
“I couldn’t agree more, Twilight,” Rarity said. “A lady does need her beauty sleep!”
Lyralei gazed out the window of the train, at the mountains beyond. A soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
“What’s the matter, Lyralei? I can tell that something’s bothering you,” Aiushtha whispered.
Lyralei turned her head to look at her friend. “I’m scared, Aiushtha. Ever since we fled the Arena, I have been scared of death.”
“Why?” Aiushtha replied.
“I’m afraid of the unknown. What happens when you’re gone forever?” Lyralei said, “I don’t know if I’m ready to find out yet, regardless of my age.”
“Don’t worry, when the moment comes, you’ll find peace,” Aiushtha said, lightly embracing Lyralei. “It’ll be okay. Don’t fret! Besides, I’m sure nothing serious will happen.”
Lyralei leaned into the embrace, sighing softly. "It'll all be okay... I believe you. Thank you, Aiushtha."