I: Prologue

Amaya Ever After

Written By: Cloudline Dasher

Edited By: N/A

Chapter One:

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It was happening, just as Twilight had been monitoring since the arrival of Discord the first time. Everypony knows that spells, as well as any magically imbued creature, give off a magical residue. When a pegasus controls the weather, when an earth pony helps a plant grow, and when a unicorn casts a spell; all actions leave a trace of magic behind. Long ago, Starswirl recorded that the Everfree forest never runs out of magic, and Twilight later concluded that this was because the forest was Equestria's filtering system for stray magic.

The problem is that once Discord broke free from his thousand year stone prison, his powers were too mighty for the Everfree to absorb. The first time he tried to take over, it was so very gradual, but when he escaped, he tried to spread chaos throughout the world all at once. The dumping of such vast magical energy filled the entire atmosphere with excess amounts of magical energy, far too much for the Everfree to absorb.

Twilight had no quarrel advising the Princesses about this dilemma. They weren't too happy about it either, but was more than willing to instantly investigate. A law was passed, banning all magic to the bare minimum. No more casting spells for convenience, not even to carry a simple cup or book. As for the Pegasi, they were banned from controlling the weather to a degree. They were to only control the weather where crops or towns were. Anywhere else would just have to rain, sleet, or snow. As for Earth ponies, they were the only ones not banned, Equestria had to eat after all.

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“No magic!? How long must this go on for? It has already been four months...” Blueblood huffed, closing his newspaper and tossing it to the side. A maid hastily snatched up the paper, placing it upon a nearby table, “This cannot continue. I am royalty after all...”

“Blueblood, why do you insist on holding your dilute blood relation to the princesses above everypony's head? Everypony is growing tired of your charades, and are about ready to put you in your place.” A pink unicorn mare frowned, yet to even glance at her supposed cousin. She gently lay down on the couch opposite of the white stallion, using her magic to push a strand of her baby blue mane from her face. Her cutie mark was exactly as her name; a clarinet.

The pompous royal's eye twitched, tapping his hoof on his leg to contain his anger. “How would you know, anyway, Clarinet? Your mother was a poor musician, that just so happened to steal my uncle’s heart. You and your fool mother became rich because of the ridiculous notion of love.”

“I've told you before, call me Clari! I'm not a musical instrument you place your mouth upon, I just play a clarinet.” the pink unicorn chided, a distinct foul taste in her mouth as she glared daggers at Blueblood.

“Maybe if a pony was willing to place their mouth on you, you might be less of a- Ow!” Blueblood yelped as a hoof collided with the back of his head.

“Be nice to your cousin!” A female voice snapped as the owner stepped over to a dresser where her purse lay.

“Y-yes mother...” Blueblood frowned as Clari merely giggled.

“Let's go Clari. I promised your father I would have you on the train to Neighagra falls.” Blueblood's mother simply stated, heading straight for the front door.

“Yes, aunty Rose.” Clari eagerly stated as she jumped from her spot and over to the door.

Once both were gone, Blueblood jumped up from his spot on the couch, “No more! Royalty shouldn't be upheld to the same expectations as commoners. I shall kill two birds with one stone. I will fix the so called global magical build up, gaining me respect once more, as well as getting to use my magic again!”

“But master Blood, shouldn't you speak with your moth--” The maid servant beckoned, hastily following the white stallion.

“Blue! Call me Master Blue... As for my mother, she always follows the law and her so called proper etiquette. Sometimes drastic measures are needed instead of following proper procedure.” Blueblood grinned wickedly, calmly walking to a large room that contained a vast library inside.

“Y-yes... Master Blue...” The servant frowned, following the stallion until he halted her with his hoof.

“I'm sorry, but you mustn't be allowed to see. I have prepared for the longest time, and cannot have any witnesses to my master plan!”

“Yes... Master.” The servant once again stated, but this time bowing and turning to leave.

The doors to the library closed, leaving Blueblood to himself. However, he failed to realize the servant was still looking in. Stepping over to a bookcase, Blueblood used his magic to pull a decently sized statue, which merely arced as if it was physically attached to the shelf itself. The servants eyes went wide eyed as the bookcase moved off to the side, revealing a large staff that lay mounted to the wall just behind where the bookcase had been.

“With this ancient staff, I shall consume all the magic within the Everfree forest. Without any magic, the forest will greedily suck up any traces of excess magic, restoring the world, and ultimately making me a national hero!”

Meanwhile, the servant stepped back, “N-no... that staff is... it can't be?” Without realizing, she backed up into a table, knocking a snow-globe from the table. Out of reflex, the servant darted forward, catching the orb before it shattered against the marbled tile. She sighed in relief, but shuffled to her hooves as Blueblood could be heard approaching the door.

Sticking his head out of the library, Blueblood called out, “Elena? Is that you?” However, nopony was to be seen. Shrugging his shoulders, Blueblood closed the door, returning to the staff.

“I have to warn somepony!” The servant panted, her heart racing in fear and excitement.

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It was the perfect place, at least Blueblood thought. A cliff in the middle of the Everfree forest that overlooked everything. He could barely see the town of Ponyville in the distance, and could see using his transportation spell was a grand idea. He could drain the forest, and get back even before afternoon tea. Chuckling awfully menacingly, Blueblood levitated the staff high in the sky, “Swirl staff of the stars, gather your energy, feast on the forest's magic!”

Soon enough, magic to swirl from each individual tree, trickling life into the staff that remained elevated above Blueblood, “I shall be respected once more! If not for my rightful lineage, then for my brave heroic deed!”

The stallion grinned wickedly, staring over the forest as the trees lost their color.

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Elena stumbled several times over her own hooves, but managed to reach the castle. Her lungs ached, and her body produced a heated sweat due to the baring sun up above. The guards ponies at the front doors of Celestia's castle halted her as they demanded, “Halt! Identify yourself!”

All the servant pony could muster was, “S-starswirl's... staff... tell Celestia!”

The ponies had been warned of any threats that could possibly resurface. Starswirl's staff was definitely on that list. One unicorn guard used his magic to pull Elena along forcefully, as the other pegasi guard led the way. Celestia blinked in confusion as Elena was pretty much thrown at her hooves, “what is the meaning of--”

Celestia was quickly cut off as the Pegasi guard hastily blurted out, “This pony claims that Starswirl's staff has resurfaced!”

“I... is this true, my little pony?” Celestia asked the small green servant mare, the utmost worry in her voice.

“Y-yes your majesty... Master Blood wishes to use the staff to absorb Everfree's magic.” Elena quickly blurted out, returning to her panting soon after.

“That fool colt...” Celestia scrunched up her nose, standing from her throne, “Wake my sister! Tell her to meet me in the Everfree forest!”

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However it was too late. The skies darkened, and the entire Everfree forest was left grey and lifeless. Timberwolves crumbled into stacks of branches and twigs. Manticores branched off into many far weaker animals, and so went the entire forest as every last drop was consumed by Starswirl's staff.

“You fool! Do you not know that without Everfree's magic, it loses its ability to consume magic?!” Luna stomped her hoof, gaining the attention of Blueblood.

Blueblood just laughed, waving his hoof idly, “Don't you worry, I'm not taking all of it. The forest is already consuming all of the stray magic. Just look if you don't believe me.”

All three of the ponies looked to the sky, and sure enough the magic could be seen being pulled from the sky. Blueblood's eyes jerked over to the staff, as a large crack formed on its side, “N-no!”

“Blueblood!” The Princesses yelled as the staff exploded, sending Blueblood careening off the cliff.

Celestia merely closed her eyes, encasing Blueblood in her yellow aura. The fool stallion lay unconscious at their hooves, while they were left gawking up at the sky. The magic could be seen being absorbed back into Everfree at a rate where every single tree thrived with magic and life. They easily grew three, four, five times their size, and even Timberwolves towered throughout the forest. Which none of that mattered at the moment as a vast wind seemed to pick up, sucking anything it could up in the air.

A portal was opening in the sky, and another planet, another world all its own could be seen just beyond. The portal greedily snatched anything to fill the gap. In the distance the Princess's saw that ponies were drifting up into the sky. The portal desperate to steal the ponies and toss them to who knows where.

Glancing to the other, the sisters knew what must be done. They both flew toward the portal, their magic keeping them from being pulled into the vortex. With all the power of the moon and sun, they easily halted the swift winds from pulling anything from their world, through. However, they failed to stop the trees that had already made it through, before they had set up the barrier.

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“Anything good on?” Amaya asked as her friend Jade flipped through the channel.

Amaya lived with Jade for the longest time. They were almost like sisters, even to the point of arguing sometimes. While Jade stood fairly tall, around six foot, Amaya was barely around five-two. Amaya's eyes were a bright green, while her hair was brown and stopped mid back; it was normally pulled back into a pony tail. Jade however, despite her name, her eyes were brown. Her hair was tomboyishly short, and was dyed white, with blue streaks through it.

They both frowned as the same news reporter could be seen on each and every one. Finally giving up, Jade turned up the volume. The reporter held onto his hat as he gripped the mic tightly in his other hand, “As you can see behind me, a large portal has opened, it was sucking things into it, but the winds have died relatively down at the moment. Only news we have is that NASA determines that it is a black hole to another world. They have experimented with black hole devices, and will attempt to shoot their latest invention into the portal; hopefully closing the rift. As you can see, they didn't waste any time getting here and setting up.”

Beyond the reporter, large equipment were set up. A large circular orb lay attached to a semi, which all seemed to almost levitate due to the fierce winds. Even the workers needed to hold on as the reporter started once more, “Even with the winds calmed down, the winds still dare to pull anything into it that isn't tied down. NASA speculates that once they shoot the probe into the portal, that everything will be vastly pulled through. Everyone should remain indoors until it passes.”

“Will you stop that!” Jade snapped, slapping Amaya in the arm.

Glancing down, Amaya realized she had been twitching her leg up and down. Glancing from the window, both Jade and Amaya could see the winds throwing boxes, bags, and many other things into the air, “They seem to be close by... that... that's just a few streets down isn't it?” Amaya frowned panicky, staring intently at the news report.

“Oh come on, you really believe...” Jade stood up, stepping over to the window. Her jaw dropped as she looked up, seeing another planet through a large swirling hole in the sky.

Amaya joined her by looking from a second window. Upon inspection, a possibly mile wide circle hovered in the sky. A swirl of purple and smoke circled the hole, almost like water circling a drain. In the back ground, they both heard the reporter start up once more, “I've just heard that we have sixty seconds until they shoot their machine into the rift. Let's us count down in harmony, it may be the last thing any of us do together. Fifty eight, fifty seven.”

Heart racing, Amaya panicked, “We should find better shelter!”

“Where? We live in a single story house... we don't have a basement.” Jade frowned, trying her best to hide her own fear.

“The neighbors! We could--”

“forty-four, forty-three.”

“We would never make it!” Jade retorted.

“Thirty, Twenty-Nine”

Amaya quickly turned, her back hitting the wall. She quickly slid down, falling to a sitting position. She flinched as a hand was placed on her knee. She hesitantly looked up to see Jade smiling down to her, her hand extended, “It's okay, whatever happens, it will be okay.”

“Ten, Nine, eight.”

Gently nodding, Amaya took her friends hand as Jade helped her up. They both rushed to the couch and sat down, “Three... Two...”

“One.” The reporter finally said as the large NASA made ball was released from the bed of a semi.

The silver ball could clearly be seen as a complex machine, and as it raised up to the air, it swirled faster and faster. Lights emanating from the orb as it flared to life. It lightly blinked as it disappeared into the rift. For a moment everything slowed, that was until suddenly gravity seemed to just stop working. Jade and Amaya held each others hands as they floated up into the air. Glancing to the window, their hearts seemed to stop as they noticed Earth becoming farther and farther away.

“T-the black hole... it's sucking us in!” Jade clenched tighter, trying her best to hold tight to Amaya.

Everything faded into a white light, and gravity seemed to kick back in. Amaya and Jade screamed out as they plummeted to Equestria. A loud whistle could be heard as NASA's orb finished its job with closing the portal. Everything calmed, and once again Amaya and Jade found themselves weightless.

Inching their eyes open, they softly landed to the ground. Getting to their feet, Jade wobbled over to the window. Jade grew still as she waved Amaya over, “Y-you gotta see this...”

Shuffling over to the window, Amaya gazed across possibly a hundred humans being set down by either yellow, or purple auras. What really drew their attention was two large... what seemed like horses, flew from the sky. One was rather large, and the other a dark purple. Running to the front door, Jade and Amaya threw it open to dart outside. Their house remained somewhat intact, but they were definitely in an entirely new world.

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Author's Note

Here is the Prologue. I didn't want to do it like Ever Growing Friendship where I just started the story. They have the set up of how they came to Equestria, and the next chapter will most likely be a large jump forward. I'm unsure whether I will write any more on this until Ever Growing Friendship is finished, but this is the next long shot I will be doing when it is finished.

Though if it gets enough likes, I may start early on it *winks*