A Symbol of Hope

In a land far away from Equestria stood a barren desert. It was barren to the bone and uninhabited by any form of nature, plant and animal. There were no rocks, no sand dunes, not even any wind. All forms of shelter was absent in these flat lands. Not a single drop of water could be seen for miles, and even the hardiest of Saddle Arabians and zebras had trouble crossing. It was for this that the desert was named The Desert of Death.

However, this is not what makes the desert special. In the center of the desert is a forest of tall dark trees and thick undergrowth. This drew a team of earth pony scientists to the location. Outside measurements suggest that the forest is 250,000 square miles. Weather is present in these woodlands, and a thick wall of clouds surround the top of the forest. However, these clouds have been studied as only an illusion to those outside, and vanish from view once inside. Also, the forest slightly lightens up, however it is still very dark, and the earth ponies that entered found it very hard to see.

This is one of the many reasons they had left. The other being that they had reached their ‘bingo on supplies’, meaning that they only had enough food and water rations to make it back home. All forms of flora tested positive for toxins, including grass, and no clean water supplies could be seen in the immediate vicinity. Besides, they found giant predators in the woodlands, including a giant centipede that was observed feeding on a manticore.

Their studies concluded that the land is, “Uninhabitable by any ponies in any way shape and form. Even when heavily packed with rations, the journey there is too costly and dangerous. Once there, they would be under constant threat of attack by predators, unable to properly see their surroundings, and risk starvation and dehydration. There is no rhyme or reason to set up a civilization or even a campsite.” The woodlands have been dubbed ‘The Black Forest of Death’ and have been mostly forgotten ever since.

However, deeper inside these lands, a cloaked figure trotted across the forest. The hessian cloak was black and absorbed sunlight like a shadow, fluttering gently as its wearer walked. A twig snapped and the creature stopped, bringing a hoof to its hood and pulling back, revealing a pony stallion’s head underneath it. He had a tan coat, brown eyes, and a black mane with a red stripe and white splotches.

However, this pony was different. He inhaled with a specialized nose that had twice the olfactory nerves of a normal pony, picking up every scent of the area around him. He smelled rabbit. Large ears that were a cross between an earth pony’s and a bat pony’s pricked up, ready for the sound to repeat. He heard the crunch of grass. He turned his head to the source of the sound. Giant pupils picked up as much sunlight as they could, without being as overly sensitive as a bat pony’s. He saw the brown coat of a tapeti rabbit, the native rabbit to these lands.

The pony grinned, showing sharp teeth. These teeth, however, were unlike that of a wolf or a lion, which had canines designed for universal purposes. This pony had teeth that were like daggers, sharp and designed purely for cutting through flesh.

Within seconds the rabbit hopped away with the pony hot on its tail. The pony’s jet black hooves poked through his coat. The hooves extended forward a couple extra inches and were sharply angled in a V shape. This caused his hooves to dig into the ground and afforded him extra grip, which offered more speed, acceleration, and control. Above the hooves were longer and thinner legs than an average pony and above those were a thin belly and narrow barrel, making him an extremely light pony. His strong lungs inflated and emptied with air to fuel a large heart that was hungry for oxygen. This pony was designed for galloping fast and galloping far.

Within seconds the rabbit was cornered against a large tree. The pony bared his sharp teeth sharp teeth once again. He was hungry and needed nourishment, but he also needed something else. He lept and bit the rabbit’s throat, severing its windpipe and aorta, cutting its impending scream short to a cough and a gurgle.

The pony then pulled a glass bottle out of a pouch made of hessian that was attached to a cuirass of leather armor. He pulled out the cork and planted the bottle upright into the ground. He then lifted the rabbit carcass by its tail and let the blood flow into the bottle until the very last drop fell into the bottle. He then threw the body into a larger pouch, corked the bottle, and placed it back into the pouch before walking away from the scene.

After a mile’s walk, he walked past glowing symbols that warded off mystikal dangers. The trees disappeared after that, and then he pulled his hood forward as the underbrush did the same. Within seconds he was in a village surrounded by other ponies like him. The each acted like regular ponies, playing, walking, and doing business without a care of what tomorrow might bring. All the houses were made of wood and reached only two stories high.

The cloaked one walked over to the center of town, hearing the words of his race’s native language ring through the town. “Guten Tag. Wie war dein Tag?”

“Es war sehr gut, und dir?”

“Oh, wie üblich.”

“Das ist toll zu hören.”

The cloaked pony trotted past these and continued to his destination. The town was completely circular, and at its center was a market. At the market, ponies mingled while buying local goods. At the center of this was a wooden trap door. He pulled a rope to uncover an earth stairway that descended downwards into the darkness. The pony trotted down these stairs, relying on their symmetrical pattern to make it to the bottom. Once at the bottom, he went through a stone corridor that made a sharp U.

At the end of the corridor, the underground lit up with blue fungi to reveal an underground city made of stone. It was barely as busy at the surface, but the talking could still be heard. The sounds of hooves clopping against cobblestone filled the chasm. At its center was a large library that towered above the other buildings like a large temple. The pony walked down the cobblestone road to a large building void of any decorations and knocked on its door. A pony wearing a matching cloak and a blue coat opened the door.

(The conversation that follows and other important dialogue will be translated to Equestrian from this point on)

“Hello, Apprentice Symbol Trace. How was your hunt?” The blue pony asked.

“Successful… Well, for an Alchemist, that is.” The tan one replied.

“Ha, you need to take a couple of tips from the Hunters Guild. Come on in, welcome back to the Hoffnung Alchemist Den.” The blue pony said while stepping aside.

“You always say that, Blue Hold.” Symbol Trace said as he trotted inside. The interior was filled with other ponies in matching cloaks, however Symbol wished to skip such conversations. He headed off to a small room containing four beds. All of them except for one were empty. The one being used was right next to his.

Symbol walked to his bed and opened his trunk. He took of his cuirass, letting his tuft of fur pop out. The tuft was a feature of his race, and was very soft. However, it had became soaked in sweat from all the walking and the chase. He then untied his cloak and let it fall into his trunk. With the cloth receding, his cutie mark was revealed. A crystal vial full of a red potion in front of a blue alchemical symbol of creation. The Symbol of Creation was rare, though how rare he would soon find out.

He pulled the rabbit body out of his pouch and took it to the table. There he skinned it with a blade that he tied to his hoof. The then placed it on a wooden plate and began to eat it raw. He couldn’t afford to cook it, however this bothered him little. He didn’t mind the raw taste, and his stomach was designed to digest the meat. He ate every last piece, including the brain and guts, and scraped the meat off the bones. He then took the bare skeleton and threw it in the trunk. He would use the bones and blood later.

But for now, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than sleep. He leapt into his bed and pulled his blanket over him. The bed was stiff and the blanket was thin, but he had grown used to such discomforts. As he was about to close his eyes, the pony next to him turned over to face him. “Early to bed again, Symbol? The sun has barely gone underneath the trees.” The red mare asked him.

“You’re the one to speak, Velvet.” He said.

“Yeah… Hey Symbol?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you ever wonder about the outside world outside? You know, the ones the bat ponies and griffons talk so much about?”

“And invite spirits of chaos and demons of the night to our lands? We have enough problems as it is.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right.” Velvet said as she turned the other way.

“Don’t worry… We have all we need in Schwarz Mane Wald… All us Diomedes could possibly ever need.” Symbol said as he drifted off into the darkness of sleep.