“That place is evil.”

“It is not evil, just unexplored. If we ventured within, perhaps we could calm the fears that surround it.”

“We cannot say that it is unexplored. We once dwelt there, sister.”

“That was a thousand years ago. And I do not think that I need to say that much has changed there. We already know that.”

“But why has it changed so much? Perhaps something has come there that has managed to influence things nearby.”

“We should have noticed anything that powerful before now.”

“If it is powerful enough to change its surroundings, it is surely powerful enough to avoid being seen.”

“Or perhaps it was not as powerful when it came. Perhaps it grew in strength as time passed by.”

“The truth of the matter is that we know nothing. The forest itself may have changed on its own, or something might be dwelling there. But I think that we all agree that we can not afford to wait any longer. We must know the truth.”

“And so we turn to you. We would ask that you would perform this deed for us: go to the forest, search for anything that would be worthy of our attention, and report back with what you find. A great dread surrounds that place, and we would know why. Will you do this for us?”

The question rang in his ears. Of course he had said yes. He would have said yes if they had asked him to storm the gates of Tartarus. It was as if the word “no” wasn’t a part of his vocabulary.

It was just before midnight, and the crescent moon dazzled brilliantly in the night sky. The stars glistened in a majestic rhythm, like music without sound. He lived for moments like these. Too often his friends and family were divided over the night and day. There had been war over it, resulting in an exile of one thousand years. Even now, almost unnoticed by most, the deciding line was still there. Day or night, night or day…the choice never really went away. Neither did the tension.

Not he. He lived for the sky. One could even say he lived in the sky. The sun and moon were both welcome companions to him. He didn’t care one way or the others, so long as there was a sky for him to fly in. He reveled in the beauty of both the night and day.

The cool breeze brushed across his face, and he felt his mane sway gently in response. He looked into the valley below where he stood. To the right sat a small town, sleeping beneath the vigilant moon. In a large central structure, a solitary light glowed from a topmost window. No doubt in my mind who THAT is. When I get back from this, I’d love to meet her, he thought.

Behind him, springing out from the sheer edges of the mountain, sat a glistening city of lights. Too beautiful to simply be a fortress, too mighty to be just a palace, its towers stretched like fingers to the heavens, reaching out to touch the stars that it might have placed there in the beginning.

But now was no time to wax poetic. He looked out into the valley. Far ahead, wrapped in a shroud of darkness thicker than the midnight sky, his destination awaited him. His eyes couldn’t tell, but he knew that the entire landscape there was covered in trees. Dark, twisted, and menacing, they silently waited for him.

Wait, what? No. No, of course they weren’t waiting for him. That would be silly; trees waiting for someone.

But where did that thought come from?

A shiver ran down his spine. For a moment, he had felt as though something in the forest were looking his direction…not necessarily at him, but towards him. The unpleasant sensation was gone, but that hardly made him feel better. He stretched out, and reached back into his saddlebag. There was a map, a (rather thick) tome of known dangers to watch out for, several magical potions and concoctions, and various other supplies. Satisfied, he spread his wings and rose into the air a few meters. He glided in a circle a few times, then came back to the ground.

“Won’t be getting a lot of air time once I get in there, I guess,” he said aloud. “Should get the most of it while I’ve got the chance. Even so, I’m not in any rush to arrive. Get there, get what you’re there for, get out. Sheesh.”

With a somewhat renewed sense of resolution, he resigned himself to his task once again and set off towards the dark valley below. “How in Equestria do I get myself into this stuff?”

Author's Note

If anyone thinks they recognize this story, that's quite possible. I first published it on my DeviantArt page (chroniclestone.deviantart.com), and I've brought it over here, too. Nothing's changed from there, so this is just for anyone new to the story. This is also for my benefit, so I can get used to the drastically different layout over here. So if I make a bit of a fool of myself, please bear with me. Feel free to laugh, though.