The Warrior Inside, and Outby DJ-PhotonixChaptersChapter 1: The GateChapter 2: Crystal CavesChapter 3: Crystal CavernChapter 4: Garden of RuinsChapter 5: Past QuestChapter 1: The GateLong ago there was a time when the equine race that lived in Equestria. They were led by a special pony who had the power to move the sun, and moon across the sky. She also was made up of the three equine races that lived there; Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony. Her name was Celestia, and she lived in the castle that was in Canterlot. Canterlot was the capital of Equestria, and was the only city that they had managed to build after a war that lasted for years. It was a large city, full of life everywhere you could see ponies. They worked hard to survive, and keep their families fed. They smithed, traded, farmed, and did what ever they could, that was legal, to keep themselves happy. Although because of a recent attack not to far from the borders of Equestria, they stepped up their guard. And that's were I come into play. Hello, my name is Blitzer, and I am a guard myself. I was born during this time of conflict, and felt like it wasn't safe for my little brother. After he was hurt by a cart crushing his leg, I told him I would become a guard. Yeah, I know not exactly the best backstory to become a guard, but it was a job that paid the bills to feed us. Yeah we lived alone, without parents, but because I'm old enough to live alone, I adopted my brother so he wouldn't get adopted by somepony that I didn't know. My brother, and I lived in the barracks with the guard, so he was training with me. Everyday we would walk up, eat, run, work out, train, run, eat, then we would take our day,(or night) jobs. After our parents died, that was what it came down to. It was almost time for the sun to set, and for me to take the night shift at the north gate. It was a cool job, getting tips from ponies that would come into the town to trade. Sometimes we would even get to see royalty walk past us. We could see Griffins, Deer, and other creatures walk past us. Then they would leave with gifts for us. I walked over to my sword, which I named, "Silver Death". It was made of pure silver, and the hilt was made out of indestructible cloths, weaved together by the powerful unicorns that ran the magic sheild that protected Canterlot from threats. When I picked up my sword, it felt like it was heavier than I remembered it being. "Hey Blitzer! You're up!" Called the caption. "Today we've got word that a bunch of traders from the Mystic Forests of Delopia." "Oh so the Birds are coming?" I asked. "Sweet, haven't seen those guys in like a year." "Right, anyways make sure they get in safely." "Like always boss..." I chuckled. I tied on my sword to my belt, and shifted my wing so that the sword wouldn't bump it. Then I started to walk up the stairs. Step by step I walked, each time thinking of the code us guards followed. Nor Rain, Sleet, or Hail, Our power shall prevail. To protect the ponies from evil deeds, And protect our daily needs. We fight as one, To protect our princess. Should anything happen to our kingdom, We shall rise until it is protected from harm. I sighed as I leaned against the wall outside of Canterlot. I was glad I didn't guard the gate alone, because if I was, who knows what I would do? That's why I have my best friend, Tolos by my side. He was a Unicorn, and was a little taller than me. His coat was a lime green color, and his mane was yellow. "Another night of pointless guard duty eh?" Tolos asked bumping me. "At least we get to see those cool birds again." I nodded my head, and yawned. "Training was rough today," I said stretching, "and I'm beat..." "I know the feeling...I didn't know why it was so hard today. It's unlike the princess to watch our training." "Yeah, what was up with that anyways?" I asked. "She never watches us train." "Did you see the on the captain's face? He looked worried about something." I sat down rubbing my temples. "All these questions are hurting my head..." Tolos laughed lightly. "Just like you to do that..." He said. "But really, I nearly broke a bone today, and the caption just told me to keep at it. Something is up, there has to be." "Maybe we've got secret orders to kill the birds?" I asked, laughing with my friend. "Oh I'll bet to make it worse, we'll cook'em up and eat them!" My friend fell to the ground, holding his chest, trying to to laugh loudly. "You're killing me!" "Have at thee!" I said, pretending to draw my sword. "I will gut you, and eat your heart to gain your strength!" "Oh no! Please don't!" He said, speaking in a high pitched voice, still laughing. I wiped a tear from my eye that came from our laughter. "I'm glad we can talk like this..." I said calming down. "No pony ever stops us from joking around." "That's because hardly anything happens here." Tolos agreed. "We stop traders to make sure they aren't here to kill, then we let them through." "Oh, did the caption tell you when the birds will be here?" I asked. "Well, its sunset now, so I guess in a while." "You're helpful..." I sighed. "All I want to do is sleep." "That'll come another time!" Tolos shouted. "Look!" I looked up, and saw a large shadow growing over the mountains. I drew my sword, and Tolos shot a light into the air. After a moment, a horn blew, and ponies started to run their houses. "Finally! Some action!" Tolos said. "What do you suppose that is?" After he asked the question, a dragon flew down, and crashed through the gate. I turned around, and saw it breathing fire. "Does that answer your question?" "Do you haft to be a smart ass?" "Maybe..." I shrugged, then jumped into the air. I flew around the armoured dragon, looking for a weak point, when it's talk swung into my side. In that moment I felt more pain then I had ever felt in my life. My body flew into a building were two little fillies were crying. They looked at me, and I smiled weakly. "Dude are you okay?!" Tolos asked, checking my body for any broken bones. "You can walk, but your fucked if you want to fly?" "Dammit!" I hissed, and ran back outside. The dragon was large, but he wasn't alone. A whole army of dragons of all shapes and sizes rained down on Canterlot. Ponies screamed as they were being burned, or eaten alive. The dragon that hit me, saw my friend, and I with our swords drawn. "Fools! Your swords are tooth picks!" He shouted as fire shot out from his mouth. The heat was intense, but Tolos put a shield up before we were burned. "I don't think we're foolish, do you think we are Tolos?" I asked. "Not the time to joke Blitzer!" Tolos hissed. "You find a weak spot?" "Didn't get a good look. I was grounded before I could get a spot." "Haven't you learned fire is not a toy?" The dragon asked as it ran into Tolos. He screamed in pain, as the dragon bit off his legs. I watched in horror as blood started to poor from the little stubs. To finish my friend off, the gray dragon threw his body into the air, and ate him. I turned to run, but the ground started to give, cracking the ground open showing the crystal caves below. I turned around, facing the dragon once more. He smiled, and stomped his leg to the ground, causing a part of the ground to crumble. I stumbled around a bit before I started to fall. I was unable to fly, so my body hit the ground. I survived, but I could feel myself passing out. The last thing I saw was my sword clanging on the ground. "Damn..." Chapter 2: Crystal CavesI felt the ground once more as I regained consciousness. My wing was broken, and my head was pounding. I tilted my body slightly, and my back was aching in pain. For the moment, I knew I was going anywhere. It this gave me time to think. My brother is most likely dead like Tolos, and I maybe the only pony left alive. Maybe there were ponies in hiding, or some were going to be used as slaves? I hadn't the slightest clue. What I did know however that I was covered in a small layer of ash. I opened my eyes, and was met with darkness. I was in a small circle of light that came from the moon, and shone through the whole. I could feel my head pounding, and my heart was doing the same. Droplets of water hit the cave floor, which gave me a sound to help my head. "Drip...drop...drip...drop." I counted to droplets hitting the ground. "The river flows, drip...drop...drip...drop, were it flows, no pony knows." I my back started to feel like it could move again, so I slowly shifted, and stood up. I was still regaining my strength, so it took a bit out of nothing. However I managed to get up. I looked around for my sword, remembering it had fallen with me. Then I saw a beam of light shoot to a wall. I followed the light with my eyes, and saw it a few feet away. I moved a little bit, and felt pain shoot up my left hoof. "Agh! Fuck, my leg!" I shouted, then covered my mouth. I saw a dragon look down the whole. Thankfully I was able to hide behind a rock. After a moment it flew off, and I gave a sigh of relief. I was blessed by the gods, of fortune to help me survive this attack, and the long fall. Instead of walking to my sword, I sort of limped to it. I looked at it and saw that it had a large crack in the center of it. It looked though it could be used once more on a dragon. It was enchanted after all. When he got it, he found out it had already killed two dragons, and the unicorn that gave it to me, saying, "It brakes after three dragons are slain. It's previous owner killed two dragons.". That day I found out it would never brake until it kills one more dragon. I blinked, and the crack dissappered. "Yeah, thought so. I think I'll call you One Shot. You know because you got one shot left?" Right then I found out I was talking to a sword. I slapped myself in the face, and limped back behind the rock. I felt like I hit a brick wall, and the bad part about it was I actually did. When I was hit with the tail of that dragon I flew into a house made of stone, and hit their wood floor. Such an impact surprised me, because I only broke my wings. They sat to my sides, hanging there like half broken branches on a tree. They stung a bit when ever I would move, but I could deal with pain greater then a couple of broken wings. I was actually starting to get tired. I couldn't sleep while dragons destroyed the city. Although if I would sleep, I could maybe move a bit more. My body could rest from the injuries over night, and I could cover more ground tommorow. I could even remember a training mission in these caves. We had to find a door that led to the castle in four hours, then some unicorns would teleport us out if we didn't make it. I knew, because I was teleported. I completely dumped the mission, and hid away after an hour of looking. Now the more I thought about it, I really shouldn't have skipped it. Right now would of been the right time to know how to get out this maze like cave. After a moment I heard some ponies screaming nearby. But they were out of the cave. More ponies must of been eaten by those beasts. They weren't the wise dragons, they were the dragons from the north. They were barbaric in nature and attacked anything they could find. Although one thing struck to my attention. They had armor on, and the north dragon's never wore armor. That I knew, because yes, even guards need to be educated. So how come were they wearing armor? Were the northern dragons framing,(and might I say poorly) the southern dragons, or were they teaming up. That would be unlikely, because they hated each other more then a fairies hated elves. Maybe something is going on, why would they just team up to attack a weak kingdom? We had just finished rebuilding the castle from the last attack twenty years ago. The attackers were some rabid changelings. I looked behind the rock I sat behind after I heard a noise come from deeper in the cave. Not to lie, but I was actually scared right now. My brother is dead, and my friend was eaten alive by a dragon. So I was pretty shaken up right now. I got up, and moved around the light so that I wouldn't be seen. Although now I really couldn't see. I had to find a safer please to rest, then near a hole in the ground. It was a dumb idea, plus I wanted to stay alive. Staying alive was one of the things that was on my to-do list. I started to limp down the dark cave, unsure on exactly where I was going. During the day, the cave was lit, but at night it was a scary place. The crystals were only in view if you got close to one of them, and they were razor sharp. To be honest I was lost in these caves. They twisted, and turned around so you would never really know your way though the caves unless you knew your way around. I stopped after a few minuets, and knew I couldn't do anymore limping, for the night anyways. I drew my sword, and marked an 'X' on a crystal, then found my way behind one. I took off my gear, and set my sword down on the ground. I then settled my body on the ground, resting my head on the sheathed sword. "Night ma, pa, watch after Blazer for me." I said, feeling a tear run down my face. "Make sure he is taken care of. Oh, and he doesn't like broccoli." I rubbed my eyes, and went to sleep. Chapter 3: Crystal CavernI woke up once again, happy because I didn't die in my sleep. My leg felt a bit better, and my back was good too. So when I opened my eyes, I was blinded by light. It was like I was staring directly into the sun. I saw colors that I didn't know could exist. After I rubbed my eyes, clearing away the color, I opened them back up. My eyes welcomed the light this time, and when I moved from behind the crystal I was behind. When I got from behind it, I saw the most beautiful, and scariest thing in the world. I had just realized I was deeper then I thought in the Crystal Caves. There was a massive tunnel that stretched to my left, then to my right. It was also very deep, and I knew if I would fall while my wings were broken, I would die. Splat right on the ground, and my body would be harried under a hundred feet of crystals. Just the thought gave my a shiver that flew up my spine. So I turned back for my stuff. My gear consisted of a few apples, a loaf of bread, and my sword. They expected us to find our own water. Water, the very substance that granted life to live, and flowed inside of us, mixed with our blood. It was a deep understanding, and it was what so was taught ever since I was little. My teacher would talk about how Galaxia's husband, Comitor, died to bring water to the world so the creatures wouldn't die. His blood washed over the world, and became water. So, because of him, water existed. I picked up my gear, and tied it around my wings so they would heal right, by keeping them still and in place. Then I tied my sword to my waste, and walked back out. After I pulled out an apple, and took a bite into it, I felt the juices gush into my mouth, then down my throat. It was like I was drinking a water fall, but because the apple was bruised badly, I had to throw the other half out. My headache was mostly gone now, but pain still found its way to slow me down. I was walking down the left path, to go deeper into the cavern. It was dimly lit, but I could see the technicolored crystals that lined the walls. I sort of knew where I was going because there were some broken tracks on the ground. It wound down the cave, like the roads to the other kingdoms. I've only left Canterlot a few times as a royal guard to a few kingdoms for diplomatic reasons. I could even remember my first time... We were walking to a kingdom were it was ruled by Monkeys. Celestia saw that they were expanding close to the Equestrian borders, so she wanted to make sure that they weren't going to invade. We sat in the Capital of their kingdom, inside a tree house. The capital was called, "Bananos", and the monkeys sort of weirded me out. They ate bugs off each other's backs, and ofter scratched their behinds. As gross as they were, we still managed to maintain peace to the monkeys, and when we returned, we were able to take a breather. I stopped at the end of the track, because of a large hole in the ground. It looked like it could reach hell, it looked so deep. I sighed putting down my stuff. When I looked up, I saw planks of wood scattered across the wall. With my stuff on I would have a hard time getting across. I frowned, and re-equiped my things. I kicked off the ground as if I was about to fly, aiming this time to a plank of wood. I landed, and part of it snapped, falling down into the hole. I waited a moment, but I wasn't able to hear it hitting the bottom. I whistled to myself, looking back at the next flew planks. There was an exit ahead, and so I continued jumping. Hop....land…hop…land. I jumped a few times reaching the second to last plank. I readied myself, and pushed off the ground as hard as I could. For a moment it felt like I was flying again then I realized I was only jumping. I landed for a moment, but the plank snapped off the wall completely due to my impact on it when I landed. My heart sank into my stomach, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was in a large room with old bridges clinging to small pillars of stone. I still had my stuff on, and I still felt my wings broken. So being dead wasn't real. I was alive, but I had no fucking clue where I was. Before I went to get my bread, I saw a pony made of pure light. I could tell it was a mare, because of the shape of it's ears, as well as her head. Her body shape also gave out her gender. It was thin but not starving. Her body however gave off a warm glow, and felt like I was sitting next to a warm fire, like I did with my brother on late winter nights. Just the thought of my brother made a tear form in my eye. He was a good little colt, nine years old, and was smart, really smart. He wasn't a pegasus like I was, but as a unicorn with a good hold on his magic he was thinking on changing his name. When I asked him, he said it was going to be "Star Swirl". I told him it was sort of marish, but he wouldn't listen to me. The times he didn't, he would make a mistake that I would end up fixing, but that's what a good brother would do. I mean, I adopted him, fed him, and if he weren't my brother, he could of been my son. I wiped the tear from my eye. "Where am I?" I asked. The white mare pointed with her hoof to the bridge. Then she was on the next platform made of stone. "Alright!" I said walking to the bridge. "Wait, how do I know if I should trust you?" Trust matters not, come. I heard a whisper in my head. I hesitated for a moment, then stepped onto the bridge hearing it grown, and chreek loudly. Another hoof step, followed another before I was at the white mare. She moved again this time across another bridge to a hall way that lit up with white flames. "Before I go any further, I want to know where I'm going." I said. Act like you do. Where do you want to go? She asked. "I-I don't know, out of here!?" I shouted. Calm down, and please, follow... She said, and he body dissappered. "Well, I don't have anywhere else to run off too." I huffed. I walked across the bridge to the long hallway, lit with white flame torches. They cracked like real fire did, and I could feel a warm breeze blow inward down the hallway, away from the bridges. It took me a moment to realize that I was looking into nothing. The hallway stretched, and seemed to be endless. "This way, right?" I asked. After a few seconds, a gust of wind pushed me forward. "Alright, alright, no need to push." I said calmly, walking on down the hall. It was a cool looking wall, no lie. It had markings on it that swirled, and zig-zaged across both ends with weird writing on it. I couldn't read it, but it wasn't like I cared much. Yeah I did want to know what it said, but I could care less translating it. I was just in awe at the pictures. They repeated over, and over again so I tried finding out what they ment. The first of six pictures was a stallion holding a sword up to the sky, and a lighting bolt crashing down on a large winged beast. It was a pegasus, so it kind of freaked me out a little bit. The second picture was a unicorn mare with a star behind her. Also were five ponies behind her, one of them was the pegasus from the first picture. How I could tell was a lightning bolt was on his sword held in his mouth. The third was a bit different. It had a moon shining down on a creature that stood on two legs. It held a ball of fire in each hand, and was protecting a group of ponies. The fourth picture showed another unicorn standing over an Alicorn, like Celestia. In fact the alicorn on the picture had the same cutie mark, princess Celestia had. Over both of them was a large pony with a stone in its chest marked with a spiral on it. The fifth one was a picture of a earth pony, and a crack was in front of it. Inside the crack was an empty abiss. Then I got to breast picture, and it showed a pegasus looking at a picture, like I was. I shivered, and left like somepony was watching me. "Weird..." I said to myself. "Hey! You never answered my question! Where am I?" What you see before you is a future. A future where six very different creatures come together. "So, who are you, and why are you showing me this, when I could be saving Canterlot?" I asked, continuing to walk. I am only a spell of my creator. I am one trillionth of her form. The mare explained. You're here because you need to be. I stopped, frowning at the answer. "The kind of Fuck is an answer like that?" I asked. "You're here because you need to be. Really?" I waited a moment, but there was no answer. "Answer me bitch! I don't know who you are, so tell me! Now!" As...you wish... She said. You are here because you need a reason to survive. You will either complete this small quest to start another, or you will die trying to save the most important pony in the world to you. For who I am, I am only a spell designed for one purpose, to bring you, and the others to this realm created by my creator. "Do you know who she is?" I asked. I cannot say Blitzer, only that my body is only one trillianth of my creator's. "Much better, now...When can I get out?" Now, and best of luck on your quest. And remember, it is up to you whether you save or destroy Equestria... The hall started to shift, and turn. Before I knew what happened I was at a door. Behind me was the whole I had tried to jump across with the planks. I laughed lightly to myself. "Thanks..." I said with a smile, looking at the whole. Then I tilted my head to my sword. "Come on One Shot, we've got a princess to save!" I turned back to the door, and twisted the knob to open the door... Chapter 4: Garden of RuinsI opened the door, and the sun welcomed me with warm light, once again joining the overworld. I then saw the surroundings, and my heart sank to my stomach again in sheer horror. Bodies covered the grass with blood, and half eaten ponies were stabbed out their mouths with large wooden pillars. Old castle tower roofs, and the bricks they were made of must have crushed or killed before the other ones were eaten. All that stood straight up was a statue of a God, and a small circle of clean grass surrounded it. I had to shed a tear, in honor of the poor citizens, and guardsponies that died, trying to protect the princess. I had other friends in the guard, some of them were the ones who helped my brother while I was gone one time. Moonshine, he drank alot. Cloud Zero, he made the first Rainboom in written history. Burning Axles, he was an old unicorn I met when I first joined the guard, and was one of the ten unicorns that protected Canterlot. That's what made me wonder, how did they breach it so easily? The shield was made to protect Canterlot from outside danger, powered by ten unicorns who were trained by Celestia herself. It was designed by Nightmare Moon before she became evil, but never was put into practice until now. Legend said it could even protect Equestria from a Draciquiness, a demon God of Chaos. I looked around for any dragons that could swoop down, and slaughter me instantly, So far, the sky was cloudy, and little bits of sunlight that were able to seep through. It was as if the dragons went to sleep at the same time. The clouds above weren't just dark clouds, but the plumbs of smoke that the dragons generated while they slept. So I was safe, for now. I tightened my stuff, and moved slowly across the field of dead bodies. I gagged a few times due to the smell of the rotting, or burning corpses. The smell was like being stuck inside of a room filled with shit, and skunks. It gave me an empty stomach feeling, though I wasn't hungry before I stepped out into the garden. After I started to feel dizzy to the smell of rotting bodies, I decided to take a brake, besides, it wasn't like Celestia wasn't in danger of dying. If she was dead, the sun, and moon would stop moving. It was sunset so it was still actually still moving, that meant Celestia was alive, though however, not well. I slumped over a small rock that stood from the ground, next to a fallen tower. My heart beated rapidly, and my legs were aching. I couldn't tell why I felt weak all of a sudden. As if somepony were pulling, and stretching my legs away from my body. My wings were also hurting, but I could feel them heal very slowly. I pulled out my loaf of bread, and split it in half, saving some of it for later. Most of the time, right about now, I would say goodbye to my brother when I left for guard duty. Although now, no goodbyes were given, and it left an empty pit in my heart like the wholes in the caves. Deep, dark empty abisses, going down deep into the earth, with no way of surviving a fall that big, or even trying to fly out. It would be impossible to forget about my brother, he was my only family I had, and I loved him to death, as if, he was my own son. I cracked my neck, and took a small bite out of my bread. It was dry, and slightly stale. But that's what I get for keeping it for more then a day. Was a stupid idea to keep it, but it wasn't like there was anything edible around. I sighed, and rested my head on the grass. "Looks like I'm alone for this job..." I said to myself. I turned over, away from the dead bodies, to the castle. "Mom, dad... If your watching..." I sighed. "I mean, I know you are, but why is this happening?" Just then I heard the sounds of hoof steps, then I jumped up, pulling out my sword. My eyes narrowed in on the bending grass around me, circling inward. I swung forward, but missed as the world started to warp around me. I was dizzy, so I closed my eyes so I wouldn't see the earth, and sky bend to each other. "I told you! Pegasi need to have balance!" Said a mare, scalding another pony. "Hey, you alright?" My eyes were still closed, but I nodded. "Good, you should be okay now, you've been in our spell for a few seconds to get used to the dimension around us." "What?" I asked, opening my eyes to see a unicorn mare, and a earth pony stallion. "Right, you're a guard..." She sighed. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" I shouted. "HUSH!" She hissed. "It means nothing. Now first you need to stay quiet or my spell won't work. Right now I'm bending space around us so the dragons won't see us." "If I may ask, who are you two?" "I'm Starry Night, and this is my friend Frost Nose. He doesn't talk much." Frost nodded in agreement. "Anyways who are you?" "I'm Blitzer, I'm glad that there are some alive ponies around here." I said honestly. "I was starting to think everypony but me was dead." "Us too..." Frost said. "He's right, we've been searching for two days for another pony. How'd you get here?" "Crystal Caves, I managed to find my way out." "Oh, so you actually fell down that large hole near the north gate?" I nodded. "Yes, my friend Tolos, and I were guarding the north gate when the dragons attacked. Though he was killed in action." "Explains why you're alone. Are you hurt by any chance? I am one of the unicorns that power the shield." "Oh then, how come they got through then?" I asked. "My brother, and my best friend are dead!" "Quiet!" She hissed again. "If you would of known this first, most dragons are immune to magic. Now, are you badly hurt?" "Yeah, my wings are broken." I said. "You think you could fix them?" "Of course, but you may need to bite down on something." "Why?" I asked. "Why do you think?" She asked back. "Its going to hurt, a-lot." I stuck my sword into the ground, and put the sheath in between my teeth. I nodded, confirming that I was ready for the pain that was about to come. Her horn started to glow with a grayish aura around it, and I started to feel a slight tingle in my back. Then the tingle started to feel like I was being squeezed tightly. I couldn't breath, it was so tight. I felt my eyes start to close. "Just breath as best as you can Blitzer, I know how much this is hurting your body, but you just need to breath. If you don't, you'll pass out." Starry said calmly. I struggled to breath inward, but the air rushed out of my lungs quickly as the spell went on. Then I started to feel my wings snap right into place with a POP sound. I bit down on it harder, holding in the screams that were wanting to escape. I closed my eyes, and bit down harder again as sounds of my wing bones grinding on each other. I let out a small scream when I saw her horn stop glowing. I fell to the ground, breathing roughly, while still trying to stay awake. My heart pounded, and my back was killing me once again. I looked at Frost as she smiled from ear to ear. "You are tougher then the pegasi that come to me to help fix their wings. Though I doubt you'll be awake much longer. I increased your healing rate at the cost of a large amount of energy on your part." Frost said. "Me and my partner need to go now, good luck Blitzer." "Why not...come help?" I asked. "I am trying....to get...to Celestia." "We need to see if there are any ponies alive, and are in hiding. I can leave you with a gift however." She said her horn started to glow once again. "To add onto the spell I'm casting right now to affect you until you wake up, I'm going to give you an extra life. When your heart stops beating, you'll feel a surge of energy that will jump start it back up. You'll also have a short moment of incredible speed. Do not waste this gift." I felt a spark hit my body, and my eyes started to get heavy. "Good luck..." Frost said, as they walked away. After a few seconds my eyes shut completely, and I passed out. Chapter 5: Past QuestI woke from my bed, ready for another day of work. I had picked up a day job that works with my guard duty at a place called Jupiter Tavern. I was glad this allowed me to buy a gift for my brother. I was going to buy him a level four spell book, and for his age he's supposed to be a level two. He loved practicing magic, and showing it off to his friends. He also acted like a tutor to them, teaching them how to think of an easier way to cast the spell. So far it was working. The Jupiter Tavern was opened by Prince Jupiter when Canterlot's castle was first finished building. It was a place to celebrate great occasions, or to drink your troubles away with Grifen Rum. It's outside was painted with marks of Jupiter's mane. It is said for ponies to touch the wall before they die in order to be reborn in their next life as a type of pony they wanted to be. Of course even I touched it, I wanted to be a pegasus that loved flying. My brother said he wanted to be a unicorn that will make a difference in the world. He didn't like how ponies were dumb, and had to educate some of them although he couldn't. I stepped inside the bar, and I was greeted with happy cheers. My boss, nick named the Drunken Pony, walked over to me holding a large glass mug of Rum in his hoof, and a mug in the air with the use of his magic. He smiled, and made the mug float over to me. "Everypony parties when a new pony joins the Tavern Guild. We work to get those frowns up side down! No pony leaves here with a frown!" He shouted for the rest of the tavern could hear. "So, pick a name!" "What?" I asked. "HA! 'What'? Is that the name you want to be called here?" "Oh no! I want to be called...Silver Wing!" I said smiling. "Well, Silver Wing, you going to swear you want to do this?" "Of course!" I answered. "I do want to work here!" "GREAT!" He yelled. "Now, come drink with us!" I smiled, and drank some hard cider. I could tell this would be a great job, and soon I'll be able to buy my brother his gift. He deserved it after countless hours of training, and countless hours of making me fly into trees. The tree part wasn't exactly his fault, as most little unicorn fillies, and colts they had a hard time learning how to keep something were they wanted it to be. At least that's what his magic teacher told me. She was a professional at her job, so there wasn't any questions left unanswered. Things that most ponies didn't know, I knew because my brother was a unicorn. My brother, and I used to be called freaks, having parents that were different races. My mother a pegasus, and my father a unicorn, we grew up always hated by other ponies. Thankfully it stopped after a few years, and we've been living peacefully. Something I had long dreamed, it all ended after my brother turned three. Though, something didn't feel right. As if, I was somewhere else. I could smell death, and it was weirding me out. I also felt different, I put down my mug, and look to my boss. "Excuse me, but can I talk to you sir?" I asked with worry in my voice. My boss looked at me, half drunk, then saw my expression. He put down his mug, and motioned me to follow him. So we walked into his office, and used a spell that blocked out any noise from the other room. He sat down, and picked up a book. "You sense it too? Your not even a unicorn." He said. "Something's just not right. Am I right?" He asked. "How'd you know?" "When this world played back, its like something is messing up everything." "What do you suppose it is?" I asked. "I smell death, and my back feels like I broke a wing." "That's what I thought." He said, turning another page. "So far, all we know is that this isn't the real world." "Like, a flashback world?" I asked. "I can recall reading a page with my brother on the subject." "So you must know what it is then?" He asked. I nodded. "Yeah, isn't it like when Equestria is in total danger it will freeze current time, and bring everypony back to a random safe point in it's history." "Yes, but the spell can only be casted by-" "A prince, or princess..." "OR!" He stated. "A king and queen." "You aren't saying...?" "I am! In fact, I think it may have been already placed down." "I've only got one question, how do you know all of this? I mean you are a drunk. No offence!" "None taken. In fact its sort of a fun little ponysona I put up to disguise myself. I'm actually an alicorn, and some how YOU of all ponies to actually sense this, it must mean your important. So who ever casted this spell is trying to help you." "What do you mean?" I asked. "I know that.....wait...what did that..." "Your mind is trying to look forward, when you're in the past. It's going to take a moment, and I'll wait." My head started pounding, something I missed, feeling of pain, or...no I didn't miss it. I stomped my hoof on the ground, and looked at my boss in his eyes. "A unicorn gave a gift!" I said. "An extra life, or something like that." "I see, seems like that unicorn may have done this, but its impossible for a unicorn to cast such a spell that throws everypony in the past." "No, no, I mean, she gave me an extra life. Meaning when my heart stops beating, it jump starts back up." "I see, a basic revival spell, doesn't actually count as dark magics, but its a gray magic spell." He said. "I will try to reverse the spell, but I may not be able to hold it for a while. I can just say you'll have at least ten seconds before it goes back to this time again." "What should I do?" I asked. "When the spell is casted a beam of light is shot up into the sky, find its location, and we'll go from there." "So, I'm going to flip-flop through time?" I asked. He nodded with a smile. "If that's how you want to see it, then yes you're going to 'flip-flop' through time." "Before we start, I would like to at least know you're real name." "Ah, fine..." He sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm Prince Jupiter." My jaw dropped to the floor as a wave of magic pulsed up his body, revealing his true form. His real body was tall, and he was really well built. His coat was a dark red, and his mane looked like a storm of colors that shifted inside his mane. On his flank were two lightning bolts that crossed over a circle shaded in to look like his mane. "You won't tell my sisters that I'm here right?" He asked. "I'm already having trouble keeping my power hidden from her." "Did all the alicorns go into hiding?" I asked, Jupiter nodded. "Yes, my brother Pluto is known as Frost Nose, but I know you won't tell anypony of us, correct?" "I swear!" I said kneeling. "I'm ready to go!" "Good luck!" He shouted as the world started to bend, and twist around me. It shifted until I was back in the garden, but I could see my body laying on the ground. I was cold, and it looked like the smoke that was shifting in the air, had come to a complete stop. I looked around until saw the pillar of light Jupiter was talking about. I trailed it down until I saw that it was coming from the castle. It was a dark yellow, with bits of bright yellow that shifted through it. All of a sudden, I found myself back in the tavern. "Did you find it?" He asked. "Yes, its coming from the castle. The beam was dark yellow, an-" "DARK YELLOW!?" He shouted his question. "Damn! At that point she's dying." He said, flipping his books off of his desk. "Just a question, why are they killing her?" "Who is!?" "The dragons that are attacking." "I see, and was there a silver colored dragon, with red flaps?" "Yeah, it ate my friend." I said. "Dammit to hell!" He yelled again. "She's giving her energy to the sun!" "Why?" I asked. "When an alicorn like my brother, and sisters are are in danger as well as close to death, we send our remaining energy to our celestial bodies so they can continue to move. That's of course until we're reborn, then a beam of light shoots here, reviving us after 10,000 years or so." "10,000 years!?" I asked. "Damn!" "Yes, and so far, we need to get to my sister." He chuckled for a moment. "Boy oh boy will she have a fit..." "Why?" "She hates my guts..." He sighed. "Lets just say, I fucked up big time, and now she hates me."
Chapter 1: The GateLong ago there was a time when the equine race that lived in Equestria. They were led by a special pony who had the power to move the sun, and moon across the sky. She also was made up of the three equine races that lived there; Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony. Her name was Celestia, and she lived in the castle that was in Canterlot. Canterlot was the capital of Equestria, and was the only city that they had managed to build after a war that lasted for years. It was a large city, full of life everywhere you could see ponies. They worked hard to survive, and keep their families fed. They smithed, traded, farmed, and did what ever they could, that was legal, to keep themselves happy. Although because of a recent attack not to far from the borders of Equestria, they stepped up their guard. And that's were I come into play. Hello, my name is Blitzer, and I am a guard myself. I was born during this time of conflict, and felt like it wasn't safe for my little brother. After he was hurt by a cart crushing his leg, I told him I would become a guard. Yeah, I know not exactly the best backstory to become a guard, but it was a job that paid the bills to feed us. Yeah we lived alone, without parents, but because I'm old enough to live alone, I adopted my brother so he wouldn't get adopted by somepony that I didn't know. My brother, and I lived in the barracks with the guard, so he was training with me. Everyday we would walk up, eat, run, work out, train, run, eat, then we would take our day,(or night) jobs. After our parents died, that was what it came down to. It was almost time for the sun to set, and for me to take the night shift at the north gate. It was a cool job, getting tips from ponies that would come into the town to trade. Sometimes we would even get to see royalty walk past us. We could see Griffins, Deer, and other creatures walk past us. Then they would leave with gifts for us. I walked over to my sword, which I named, "Silver Death". It was made of pure silver, and the hilt was made out of indestructible cloths, weaved together by the powerful unicorns that ran the magic sheild that protected Canterlot from threats. When I picked up my sword, it felt like it was heavier than I remembered it being. "Hey Blitzer! You're up!" Called the caption. "Today we've got word that a bunch of traders from the Mystic Forests of Delopia." "Oh so the Birds are coming?" I asked. "Sweet, haven't seen those guys in like a year." "Right, anyways make sure they get in safely." "Like always boss..." I chuckled. I tied on my sword to my belt, and shifted my wing so that the sword wouldn't bump it. Then I started to walk up the stairs. Step by step I walked, each time thinking of the code us guards followed. Nor Rain, Sleet, or Hail, Our power shall prevail. To protect the ponies from evil deeds, And protect our daily needs. We fight as one, To protect our princess. Should anything happen to our kingdom, We shall rise until it is protected from harm. I sighed as I leaned against the wall outside of Canterlot. I was glad I didn't guard the gate alone, because if I was, who knows what I would do? That's why I have my best friend, Tolos by my side. He was a Unicorn, and was a little taller than me. His coat was a lime green color, and his mane was yellow. "Another night of pointless guard duty eh?" Tolos asked bumping me. "At least we get to see those cool birds again." I nodded my head, and yawned. "Training was rough today," I said stretching, "and I'm beat..." "I know the feeling...I didn't know why it was so hard today. It's unlike the princess to watch our training." "Yeah, what was up with that anyways?" I asked. "She never watches us train." "Did you see the on the captain's face? He looked worried about something." I sat down rubbing my temples. "All these questions are hurting my head..." Tolos laughed lightly. "Just like you to do that..." He said. "But really, I nearly broke a bone today, and the caption just told me to keep at it. Something is up, there has to be." "Maybe we've got secret orders to kill the birds?" I asked, laughing with my friend. "Oh I'll bet to make it worse, we'll cook'em up and eat them!" My friend fell to the ground, holding his chest, trying to to laugh loudly. "You're killing me!" "Have at thee!" I said, pretending to draw my sword. "I will gut you, and eat your heart to gain your strength!" "Oh no! Please don't!" He said, speaking in a high pitched voice, still laughing. I wiped a tear from my eye that came from our laughter. "I'm glad we can talk like this..." I said calming down. "No pony ever stops us from joking around." "That's because hardly anything happens here." Tolos agreed. "We stop traders to make sure they aren't here to kill, then we let them through." "Oh, did the caption tell you when the birds will be here?" I asked. "Well, its sunset now, so I guess in a while." "You're helpful..." I sighed. "All I want to do is sleep." "That'll come another time!" Tolos shouted. "Look!" I looked up, and saw a large shadow growing over the mountains. I drew my sword, and Tolos shot a light into the air. After a moment, a horn blew, and ponies started to run their houses. "Finally! Some action!" Tolos said. "What do you suppose that is?" After he asked the question, a dragon flew down, and crashed through the gate. I turned around, and saw it breathing fire. "Does that answer your question?" "Do you haft to be a smart ass?" "Maybe..." I shrugged, then jumped into the air. I flew around the armoured dragon, looking for a weak point, when it's talk swung into my side. In that moment I felt more pain then I had ever felt in my life. My body flew into a building were two little fillies were crying. They looked at me, and I smiled weakly. "Dude are you okay?!" Tolos asked, checking my body for any broken bones. "You can walk, but your fucked if you want to fly?" "Dammit!" I hissed, and ran back outside. The dragon was large, but he wasn't alone. A whole army of dragons of all shapes and sizes rained down on Canterlot. Ponies screamed as they were being burned, or eaten alive. The dragon that hit me, saw my friend, and I with our swords drawn. "Fools! Your swords are tooth picks!" He shouted as fire shot out from his mouth. The heat was intense, but Tolos put a shield up before we were burned. "I don't think we're foolish, do you think we are Tolos?" I asked. "Not the time to joke Blitzer!" Tolos hissed. "You find a weak spot?" "Didn't get a good look. I was grounded before I could get a spot." "Haven't you learned fire is not a toy?" The dragon asked as it ran into Tolos. He screamed in pain, as the dragon bit off his legs. I watched in horror as blood started to poor from the little stubs. To finish my friend off, the gray dragon threw his body into the air, and ate him. I turned to run, but the ground started to give, cracking the ground open showing the crystal caves below. I turned around, facing the dragon once more. He smiled, and stomped his leg to the ground, causing a part of the ground to crumble. I stumbled around a bit before I started to fall. I was unable to fly, so my body hit the ground. I survived, but I could feel myself passing out. The last thing I saw was my sword clanging on the ground. "Damn..."
Chapter 2: Crystal CavesI felt the ground once more as I regained consciousness. My wing was broken, and my head was pounding. I tilted my body slightly, and my back was aching in pain. For the moment, I knew I was going anywhere. It this gave me time to think. My brother is most likely dead like Tolos, and I maybe the only pony left alive. Maybe there were ponies in hiding, or some were going to be used as slaves? I hadn't the slightest clue. What I did know however that I was covered in a small layer of ash. I opened my eyes, and was met with darkness. I was in a small circle of light that came from the moon, and shone through the whole. I could feel my head pounding, and my heart was doing the same. Droplets of water hit the cave floor, which gave me a sound to help my head. "Drip...drop...drip...drop." I counted to droplets hitting the ground. "The river flows, drip...drop...drip...drop, were it flows, no pony knows." I my back started to feel like it could move again, so I slowly shifted, and stood up. I was still regaining my strength, so it took a bit out of nothing. However I managed to get up. I looked around for my sword, remembering it had fallen with me. Then I saw a beam of light shoot to a wall. I followed the light with my eyes, and saw it a few feet away. I moved a little bit, and felt pain shoot up my left hoof. "Agh! Fuck, my leg!" I shouted, then covered my mouth. I saw a dragon look down the whole. Thankfully I was able to hide behind a rock. After a moment it flew off, and I gave a sigh of relief. I was blessed by the gods, of fortune to help me survive this attack, and the long fall. Instead of walking to my sword, I sort of limped to it. I looked at it and saw that it had a large crack in the center of it. It looked though it could be used once more on a dragon. It was enchanted after all. When he got it, he found out it had already killed two dragons, and the unicorn that gave it to me, saying, "It brakes after three dragons are slain. It's previous owner killed two dragons.". That day I found out it would never brake until it kills one more dragon. I blinked, and the crack dissappered. "Yeah, thought so. I think I'll call you One Shot. You know because you got one shot left?" Right then I found out I was talking to a sword. I slapped myself in the face, and limped back behind the rock. I felt like I hit a brick wall, and the bad part about it was I actually did. When I was hit with the tail of that dragon I flew into a house made of stone, and hit their wood floor. Such an impact surprised me, because I only broke my wings. They sat to my sides, hanging there like half broken branches on a tree. They stung a bit when ever I would move, but I could deal with pain greater then a couple of broken wings. I was actually starting to get tired. I couldn't sleep while dragons destroyed the city. Although if I would sleep, I could maybe move a bit more. My body could rest from the injuries over night, and I could cover more ground tommorow. I could even remember a training mission in these caves. We had to find a door that led to the castle in four hours, then some unicorns would teleport us out if we didn't make it. I knew, because I was teleported. I completely dumped the mission, and hid away after an hour of looking. Now the more I thought about it, I really shouldn't have skipped it. Right now would of been the right time to know how to get out this maze like cave. After a moment I heard some ponies screaming nearby. But they were out of the cave. More ponies must of been eaten by those beasts. They weren't the wise dragons, they were the dragons from the north. They were barbaric in nature and attacked anything they could find. Although one thing struck to my attention. They had armor on, and the north dragon's never wore armor. That I knew, because yes, even guards need to be educated. So how come were they wearing armor? Were the northern dragons framing,(and might I say poorly) the southern dragons, or were they teaming up. That would be unlikely, because they hated each other more then a fairies hated elves. Maybe something is going on, why would they just team up to attack a weak kingdom? We had just finished rebuilding the castle from the last attack twenty years ago. The attackers were some rabid changelings. I looked behind the rock I sat behind after I heard a noise come from deeper in the cave. Not to lie, but I was actually scared right now. My brother is dead, and my friend was eaten alive by a dragon. So I was pretty shaken up right now. I got up, and moved around the light so that I wouldn't be seen. Although now I really couldn't see. I had to find a safer please to rest, then near a hole in the ground. It was a dumb idea, plus I wanted to stay alive. Staying alive was one of the things that was on my to-do list. I started to limp down the dark cave, unsure on exactly where I was going. During the day, the cave was lit, but at night it was a scary place. The crystals were only in view if you got close to one of them, and they were razor sharp. To be honest I was lost in these caves. They twisted, and turned around so you would never really know your way though the caves unless you knew your way around. I stopped after a few minuets, and knew I couldn't do anymore limping, for the night anyways. I drew my sword, and marked an 'X' on a crystal, then found my way behind one. I took off my gear, and set my sword down on the ground. I then settled my body on the ground, resting my head on the sheathed sword. "Night ma, pa, watch after Blazer for me." I said, feeling a tear run down my face. "Make sure he is taken care of. Oh, and he doesn't like broccoli." I rubbed my eyes, and went to sleep.
Chapter 3: Crystal CavernI woke up once again, happy because I didn't die in my sleep. My leg felt a bit better, and my back was good too. So when I opened my eyes, I was blinded by light. It was like I was staring directly into the sun. I saw colors that I didn't know could exist. After I rubbed my eyes, clearing away the color, I opened them back up. My eyes welcomed the light this time, and when I moved from behind the crystal I was behind. When I got from behind it, I saw the most beautiful, and scariest thing in the world. I had just realized I was deeper then I thought in the Crystal Caves. There was a massive tunnel that stretched to my left, then to my right. It was also very deep, and I knew if I would fall while my wings were broken, I would die. Splat right on the ground, and my body would be harried under a hundred feet of crystals. Just the thought gave my a shiver that flew up my spine. So I turned back for my stuff. My gear consisted of a few apples, a loaf of bread, and my sword. They expected us to find our own water. Water, the very substance that granted life to live, and flowed inside of us, mixed with our blood. It was a deep understanding, and it was what so was taught ever since I was little. My teacher would talk about how Galaxia's husband, Comitor, died to bring water to the world so the creatures wouldn't die. His blood washed over the world, and became water. So, because of him, water existed. I picked up my gear, and tied it around my wings so they would heal right, by keeping them still and in place. Then I tied my sword to my waste, and walked back out. After I pulled out an apple, and took a bite into it, I felt the juices gush into my mouth, then down my throat. It was like I was drinking a water fall, but because the apple was bruised badly, I had to throw the other half out. My headache was mostly gone now, but pain still found its way to slow me down. I was walking down the left path, to go deeper into the cavern. It was dimly lit, but I could see the technicolored crystals that lined the walls. I sort of knew where I was going because there were some broken tracks on the ground. It wound down the cave, like the roads to the other kingdoms. I've only left Canterlot a few times as a royal guard to a few kingdoms for diplomatic reasons. I could even remember my first time... We were walking to a kingdom were it was ruled by Monkeys. Celestia saw that they were expanding close to the Equestrian borders, so she wanted to make sure that they weren't going to invade. We sat in the Capital of their kingdom, inside a tree house. The capital was called, "Bananos", and the monkeys sort of weirded me out. They ate bugs off each other's backs, and ofter scratched their behinds. As gross as they were, we still managed to maintain peace to the monkeys, and when we returned, we were able to take a breather. I stopped at the end of the track, because of a large hole in the ground. It looked like it could reach hell, it looked so deep. I sighed putting down my stuff. When I looked up, I saw planks of wood scattered across the wall. With my stuff on I would have a hard time getting across. I frowned, and re-equiped my things. I kicked off the ground as if I was about to fly, aiming this time to a plank of wood. I landed, and part of it snapped, falling down into the hole. I waited a moment, but I wasn't able to hear it hitting the bottom. I whistled to myself, looking back at the next flew planks. There was an exit ahead, and so I continued jumping. Hop....land…hop…land. I jumped a few times reaching the second to last plank. I readied myself, and pushed off the ground as hard as I could. For a moment it felt like I was flying again then I realized I was only jumping. I landed for a moment, but the plank snapped off the wall completely due to my impact on it when I landed. My heart sank into my stomach, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was in a large room with old bridges clinging to small pillars of stone. I still had my stuff on, and I still felt my wings broken. So being dead wasn't real. I was alive, but I had no fucking clue where I was. Before I went to get my bread, I saw a pony made of pure light. I could tell it was a mare, because of the shape of it's ears, as well as her head. Her body shape also gave out her gender. It was thin but not starving. Her body however gave off a warm glow, and felt like I was sitting next to a warm fire, like I did with my brother on late winter nights. Just the thought of my brother made a tear form in my eye. He was a good little colt, nine years old, and was smart, really smart. He wasn't a pegasus like I was, but as a unicorn with a good hold on his magic he was thinking on changing his name. When I asked him, he said it was going to be "Star Swirl". I told him it was sort of marish, but he wouldn't listen to me. The times he didn't, he would make a mistake that I would end up fixing, but that's what a good brother would do. I mean, I adopted him, fed him, and if he weren't my brother, he could of been my son. I wiped the tear from my eye. "Where am I?" I asked. The white mare pointed with her hoof to the bridge. Then she was on the next platform made of stone. "Alright!" I said walking to the bridge. "Wait, how do I know if I should trust you?" Trust matters not, come. I heard a whisper in my head. I hesitated for a moment, then stepped onto the bridge hearing it grown, and chreek loudly. Another hoof step, followed another before I was at the white mare. She moved again this time across another bridge to a hall way that lit up with white flames. "Before I go any further, I want to know where I'm going." I said. Act like you do. Where do you want to go? She asked. "I-I don't know, out of here!?" I shouted. Calm down, and please, follow... She said, and he body dissappered. "Well, I don't have anywhere else to run off too." I huffed. I walked across the bridge to the long hallway, lit with white flame torches. They cracked like real fire did, and I could feel a warm breeze blow inward down the hallway, away from the bridges. It took me a moment to realize that I was looking into nothing. The hallway stretched, and seemed to be endless. "This way, right?" I asked. After a few seconds, a gust of wind pushed me forward. "Alright, alright, no need to push." I said calmly, walking on down the hall. It was a cool looking wall, no lie. It had markings on it that swirled, and zig-zaged across both ends with weird writing on it. I couldn't read it, but it wasn't like I cared much. Yeah I did want to know what it said, but I could care less translating it. I was just in awe at the pictures. They repeated over, and over again so I tried finding out what they ment. The first of six pictures was a stallion holding a sword up to the sky, and a lighting bolt crashing down on a large winged beast. It was a pegasus, so it kind of freaked me out a little bit. The second picture was a unicorn mare with a star behind her. Also were five ponies behind her, one of them was the pegasus from the first picture. How I could tell was a lightning bolt was on his sword held in his mouth. The third was a bit different. It had a moon shining down on a creature that stood on two legs. It held a ball of fire in each hand, and was protecting a group of ponies. The fourth picture showed another unicorn standing over an Alicorn, like Celestia. In fact the alicorn on the picture had the same cutie mark, princess Celestia had. Over both of them was a large pony with a stone in its chest marked with a spiral on it. The fifth one was a picture of a earth pony, and a crack was in front of it. Inside the crack was an empty abiss. Then I got to breast picture, and it showed a pegasus looking at a picture, like I was. I shivered, and left like somepony was watching me. "Weird..." I said to myself. "Hey! You never answered my question! Where am I?" What you see before you is a future. A future where six very different creatures come together. "So, who are you, and why are you showing me this, when I could be saving Canterlot?" I asked, continuing to walk. I am only a spell of my creator. I am one trillionth of her form. The mare explained. You're here because you need to be. I stopped, frowning at the answer. "The kind of Fuck is an answer like that?" I asked. "You're here because you need to be. Really?" I waited a moment, but there was no answer. "Answer me bitch! I don't know who you are, so tell me! Now!" As...you wish... She said. You are here because you need a reason to survive. You will either complete this small quest to start another, or you will die trying to save the most important pony in the world to you. For who I am, I am only a spell designed for one purpose, to bring you, and the others to this realm created by my creator. "Do you know who she is?" I asked. I cannot say Blitzer, only that my body is only one trillianth of my creator's. "Much better, now...When can I get out?" Now, and best of luck on your quest. And remember, it is up to you whether you save or destroy Equestria... The hall started to shift, and turn. Before I knew what happened I was at a door. Behind me was the whole I had tried to jump across with the planks. I laughed lightly to myself. "Thanks..." I said with a smile, looking at the whole. Then I tilted my head to my sword. "Come on One Shot, we've got a princess to save!" I turned back to the door, and twisted the knob to open the door...
Chapter 4: Garden of RuinsI opened the door, and the sun welcomed me with warm light, once again joining the overworld. I then saw the surroundings, and my heart sank to my stomach again in sheer horror. Bodies covered the grass with blood, and half eaten ponies were stabbed out their mouths with large wooden pillars. Old castle tower roofs, and the bricks they were made of must have crushed or killed before the other ones were eaten. All that stood straight up was a statue of a God, and a small circle of clean grass surrounded it. I had to shed a tear, in honor of the poor citizens, and guardsponies that died, trying to protect the princess. I had other friends in the guard, some of them were the ones who helped my brother while I was gone one time. Moonshine, he drank alot. Cloud Zero, he made the first Rainboom in written history. Burning Axles, he was an old unicorn I met when I first joined the guard, and was one of the ten unicorns that protected Canterlot. That's what made me wonder, how did they breach it so easily? The shield was made to protect Canterlot from outside danger, powered by ten unicorns who were trained by Celestia herself. It was designed by Nightmare Moon before she became evil, but never was put into practice until now. Legend said it could even protect Equestria from a Draciquiness, a demon God of Chaos. I looked around for any dragons that could swoop down, and slaughter me instantly, So far, the sky was cloudy, and little bits of sunlight that were able to seep through. It was as if the dragons went to sleep at the same time. The clouds above weren't just dark clouds, but the plumbs of smoke that the dragons generated while they slept. So I was safe, for now. I tightened my stuff, and moved slowly across the field of dead bodies. I gagged a few times due to the smell of the rotting, or burning corpses. The smell was like being stuck inside of a room filled with shit, and skunks. It gave me an empty stomach feeling, though I wasn't hungry before I stepped out into the garden. After I started to feel dizzy to the smell of rotting bodies, I decided to take a brake, besides, it wasn't like Celestia wasn't in danger of dying. If she was dead, the sun, and moon would stop moving. It was sunset so it was still actually still moving, that meant Celestia was alive, though however, not well. I slumped over a small rock that stood from the ground, next to a fallen tower. My heart beated rapidly, and my legs were aching. I couldn't tell why I felt weak all of a sudden. As if somepony were pulling, and stretching my legs away from my body. My wings were also hurting, but I could feel them heal very slowly. I pulled out my loaf of bread, and split it in half, saving some of it for later. Most of the time, right about now, I would say goodbye to my brother when I left for guard duty. Although now, no goodbyes were given, and it left an empty pit in my heart like the wholes in the caves. Deep, dark empty abisses, going down deep into the earth, with no way of surviving a fall that big, or even trying to fly out. It would be impossible to forget about my brother, he was my only family I had, and I loved him to death, as if, he was my own son. I cracked my neck, and took a small bite out of my bread. It was dry, and slightly stale. But that's what I get for keeping it for more then a day. Was a stupid idea to keep it, but it wasn't like there was anything edible around. I sighed, and rested my head on the grass. "Looks like I'm alone for this job..." I said to myself. I turned over, away from the dead bodies, to the castle. "Mom, dad... If your watching..." I sighed. "I mean, I know you are, but why is this happening?" Just then I heard the sounds of hoof steps, then I jumped up, pulling out my sword. My eyes narrowed in on the bending grass around me, circling inward. I swung forward, but missed as the world started to warp around me. I was dizzy, so I closed my eyes so I wouldn't see the earth, and sky bend to each other. "I told you! Pegasi need to have balance!" Said a mare, scalding another pony. "Hey, you alright?" My eyes were still closed, but I nodded. "Good, you should be okay now, you've been in our spell for a few seconds to get used to the dimension around us." "What?" I asked, opening my eyes to see a unicorn mare, and a earth pony stallion. "Right, you're a guard..." She sighed. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" I shouted. "HUSH!" She hissed. "It means nothing. Now first you need to stay quiet or my spell won't work. Right now I'm bending space around us so the dragons won't see us." "If I may ask, who are you two?" "I'm Starry Night, and this is my friend Frost Nose. He doesn't talk much." Frost nodded in agreement. "Anyways who are you?" "I'm Blitzer, I'm glad that there are some alive ponies around here." I said honestly. "I was starting to think everypony but me was dead." "Us too..." Frost said. "He's right, we've been searching for two days for another pony. How'd you get here?" "Crystal Caves, I managed to find my way out." "Oh, so you actually fell down that large hole near the north gate?" I nodded. "Yes, my friend Tolos, and I were guarding the north gate when the dragons attacked. Though he was killed in action." "Explains why you're alone. Are you hurt by any chance? I am one of the unicorns that power the shield." "Oh then, how come they got through then?" I asked. "My brother, and my best friend are dead!" "Quiet!" She hissed again. "If you would of known this first, most dragons are immune to magic. Now, are you badly hurt?" "Yeah, my wings are broken." I said. "You think you could fix them?" "Of course, but you may need to bite down on something." "Why?" I asked. "Why do you think?" She asked back. "Its going to hurt, a-lot." I stuck my sword into the ground, and put the sheath in between my teeth. I nodded, confirming that I was ready for the pain that was about to come. Her horn started to glow with a grayish aura around it, and I started to feel a slight tingle in my back. Then the tingle started to feel like I was being squeezed tightly. I couldn't breath, it was so tight. I felt my eyes start to close. "Just breath as best as you can Blitzer, I know how much this is hurting your body, but you just need to breath. If you don't, you'll pass out." Starry said calmly. I struggled to breath inward, but the air rushed out of my lungs quickly as the spell went on. Then I started to feel my wings snap right into place with a POP sound. I bit down on it harder, holding in the screams that were wanting to escape. I closed my eyes, and bit down harder again as sounds of my wing bones grinding on each other. I let out a small scream when I saw her horn stop glowing. I fell to the ground, breathing roughly, while still trying to stay awake. My heart pounded, and my back was killing me once again. I looked at Frost as she smiled from ear to ear. "You are tougher then the pegasi that come to me to help fix their wings. Though I doubt you'll be awake much longer. I increased your healing rate at the cost of a large amount of energy on your part." Frost said. "Me and my partner need to go now, good luck Blitzer." "Why not...come help?" I asked. "I am trying....to get...to Celestia." "We need to see if there are any ponies alive, and are in hiding. I can leave you with a gift however." She said her horn started to glow once again. "To add onto the spell I'm casting right now to affect you until you wake up, I'm going to give you an extra life. When your heart stops beating, you'll feel a surge of energy that will jump start it back up. You'll also have a short moment of incredible speed. Do not waste this gift." I felt a spark hit my body, and my eyes started to get heavy. "Good luck..." Frost said, as they walked away. After a few seconds my eyes shut completely, and I passed out.
Chapter 5: Past QuestI woke from my bed, ready for another day of work. I had picked up a day job that works with my guard duty at a place called Jupiter Tavern. I was glad this allowed me to buy a gift for my brother. I was going to buy him a level four spell book, and for his age he's supposed to be a level two. He loved practicing magic, and showing it off to his friends. He also acted like a tutor to them, teaching them how to think of an easier way to cast the spell. So far it was working. The Jupiter Tavern was opened by Prince Jupiter when Canterlot's castle was first finished building. It was a place to celebrate great occasions, or to drink your troubles away with Grifen Rum. It's outside was painted with marks of Jupiter's mane. It is said for ponies to touch the wall before they die in order to be reborn in their next life as a type of pony they wanted to be. Of course even I touched it, I wanted to be a pegasus that loved flying. My brother said he wanted to be a unicorn that will make a difference in the world. He didn't like how ponies were dumb, and had to educate some of them although he couldn't. I stepped inside the bar, and I was greeted with happy cheers. My boss, nick named the Drunken Pony, walked over to me holding a large glass mug of Rum in his hoof, and a mug in the air with the use of his magic. He smiled, and made the mug float over to me. "Everypony parties when a new pony joins the Tavern Guild. We work to get those frowns up side down! No pony leaves here with a frown!" He shouted for the rest of the tavern could hear. "So, pick a name!" "What?" I asked. "HA! 'What'? Is that the name you want to be called here?" "Oh no! I want to be called...Silver Wing!" I said smiling. "Well, Silver Wing, you going to swear you want to do this?" "Of course!" I answered. "I do want to work here!" "GREAT!" He yelled. "Now, come drink with us!" I smiled, and drank some hard cider. I could tell this would be a great job, and soon I'll be able to buy my brother his gift. He deserved it after countless hours of training, and countless hours of making me fly into trees. The tree part wasn't exactly his fault, as most little unicorn fillies, and colts they had a hard time learning how to keep something were they wanted it to be. At least that's what his magic teacher told me. She was a professional at her job, so there wasn't any questions left unanswered. Things that most ponies didn't know, I knew because my brother was a unicorn. My brother, and I used to be called freaks, having parents that were different races. My mother a pegasus, and my father a unicorn, we grew up always hated by other ponies. Thankfully it stopped after a few years, and we've been living peacefully. Something I had long dreamed, it all ended after my brother turned three. Though, something didn't feel right. As if, I was somewhere else. I could smell death, and it was weirding me out. I also felt different, I put down my mug, and look to my boss. "Excuse me, but can I talk to you sir?" I asked with worry in my voice. My boss looked at me, half drunk, then saw my expression. He put down his mug, and motioned me to follow him. So we walked into his office, and used a spell that blocked out any noise from the other room. He sat down, and picked up a book. "You sense it too? Your not even a unicorn." He said. "Something's just not right. Am I right?" He asked. "How'd you know?" "When this world played back, its like something is messing up everything." "What do you suppose it is?" I asked. "I smell death, and my back feels like I broke a wing." "That's what I thought." He said, turning another page. "So far, all we know is that this isn't the real world." "Like, a flashback world?" I asked. "I can recall reading a page with my brother on the subject." "So you must know what it is then?" He asked. I nodded. "Yeah, isn't it like when Equestria is in total danger it will freeze current time, and bring everypony back to a random safe point in it's history." "Yes, but the spell can only be casted by-" "A prince, or princess..." "OR!" He stated. "A king and queen." "You aren't saying...?" "I am! In fact, I think it may have been already placed down." "I've only got one question, how do you know all of this? I mean you are a drunk. No offence!" "None taken. In fact its sort of a fun little ponysona I put up to disguise myself. I'm actually an alicorn, and some how YOU of all ponies to actually sense this, it must mean your important. So who ever casted this spell is trying to help you." "What do you mean?" I asked. "I know that.....wait...what did that..." "Your mind is trying to look forward, when you're in the past. It's going to take a moment, and I'll wait." My head started pounding, something I missed, feeling of pain, or...no I didn't miss it. I stomped my hoof on the ground, and looked at my boss in his eyes. "A unicorn gave a gift!" I said. "An extra life, or something like that." "I see, seems like that unicorn may have done this, but its impossible for a unicorn to cast such a spell that throws everypony in the past." "No, no, I mean, she gave me an extra life. Meaning when my heart stops beating, it jump starts back up." "I see, a basic revival spell, doesn't actually count as dark magics, but its a gray magic spell." He said. "I will try to reverse the spell, but I may not be able to hold it for a while. I can just say you'll have at least ten seconds before it goes back to this time again." "What should I do?" I asked. "When the spell is casted a beam of light is shot up into the sky, find its location, and we'll go from there." "So, I'm going to flip-flop through time?" I asked. He nodded with a smile. "If that's how you want to see it, then yes you're going to 'flip-flop' through time." "Before we start, I would like to at least know you're real name." "Ah, fine..." He sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm Prince Jupiter." My jaw dropped to the floor as a wave of magic pulsed up his body, revealing his true form. His real body was tall, and he was really well built. His coat was a dark red, and his mane looked like a storm of colors that shifted inside his mane. On his flank were two lightning bolts that crossed over a circle shaded in to look like his mane. "You won't tell my sisters that I'm here right?" He asked. "I'm already having trouble keeping my power hidden from her." "Did all the alicorns go into hiding?" I asked, Jupiter nodded. "Yes, my brother Pluto is known as Frost Nose, but I know you won't tell anypony of us, correct?" "I swear!" I said kneeling. "I'm ready to go!" "Good luck!" He shouted as the world started to bend, and twist around me. It shifted until I was back in the garden, but I could see my body laying on the ground. I was cold, and it looked like the smoke that was shifting in the air, had come to a complete stop. I looked around until saw the pillar of light Jupiter was talking about. I trailed it down until I saw that it was coming from the castle. It was a dark yellow, with bits of bright yellow that shifted through it. All of a sudden, I found myself back in the tavern. "Did you find it?" He asked. "Yes, its coming from the castle. The beam was dark yellow, an-" "DARK YELLOW!?" He shouted his question. "Damn! At that point she's dying." He said, flipping his books off of his desk. "Just a question, why are they killing her?" "Who is!?" "The dragons that are attacking." "I see, and was there a silver colored dragon, with red flaps?" "Yeah, it ate my friend." I said. "Dammit to hell!" He yelled again. "She's giving her energy to the sun!" "Why?" I asked. "When an alicorn like my brother, and sisters are are in danger as well as close to death, we send our remaining energy to our celestial bodies so they can continue to move. That's of course until we're reborn, then a beam of light shoots here, reviving us after 10,000 years or so." "10,000 years!?" I asked. "Damn!" "Yes, and so far, we need to get to my sister." He chuckled for a moment. "Boy oh boy will she have a fit..." "Why?" "She hates my guts..." He sighed. "Lets just say, I fucked up big time, and now she hates me."
