Everfree

Based on the events of several video games, movies and, of course, My Little Pony.

Any and all rights to certain characters or places in this story, save for those I create, belong solely to those who create them. I do not own any of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic characters.

If anyone has any questions, relating to the story or otherwise, please leave it in a review and I'll answer it ASAP.

Everfree

Act I – To Build a Beginning

Prologue I

- Quicksilver POV -

I never thought that I'd ever see the impossible. But to hear, smell, to touch the impossible... Such dreams were for mad ponies. But, in this case, the impossible was as tangible as the mottled dirt beneath my hooves. Many years ago, I once made the monumental mistake of believing it was a good idea to clamber out from beneath my covers. Musing silently, I wondered if I'd made the same decision today as I observed the whimsical twinkling of the newly-emerged stars, my legs wobbling precariously underneath my weight.

I forced the fatigue-fueled thoughts from my head with a shake of my head; I needed to focus. I stood at the foot of my hopes and prayers, Canterlot- the city of dreams- where hopefully, mine would become a reality. Checking my emblazoned saddlebags, I idly thought about the amount of nights I had spent fantasizing about the moment I'd step hoof in Canterlot. If I were to be asked about how feasible the idea was a year ago, I would have slapped the heck out of the individual asking, because the very notion was ridiculous. Then again, the idea of a pony having a cutie mark for eating cake was even more frivolous, and considering I'd seen that happen, I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

The tender gold light from opened windows enkindled the desperate pyre within my heart, and I couldn't help but imagine what Canterlot had in store for me. Truly, I had no desires other than to begin anew, with open opportunities. I gave a content sigh, suddenly fascinated by the crystallized mist that emanated from my mouth, dimly aware of the dryness of my throat. Blinking, I offered a small, hoping smile in the general direction of the city gates.

It was a beautiful night, I noticed; hardly a cloud in the sky. Striding forwards, I started to hum quietly under my breath, feeling my eyes gradually expanding to take in the splendor and glamour of the silhouetted city. The soft-skinned shadows cast over buildings, flickering with the dances of distant torches. Regal flags held with gossamer strands waved gently in the evening breeze. The glow of the waning sun tenderly glowed through the gateway; shimmering orange-pink sky meeting my gaze with an inviting, warming smile.

Craning my neck upwards, I gave a quiet moan of joy at the sensation of the sun-blessed wind ruffling through my mane and coat. The evening sunlight was a blessing. Closing my eyes for a moment, I tossed my mane away from my face; as much as it was normally cut short, I had been lenient in visiting a hairdressers for quite a while now. Then again, now that I thought about it, I could have done it myself.

"Ah," I sighed, the ghost of a smile tugging effortlessly at the corners of my mouth, "You idiot, me. Why did I only just think of that?" I shook my head in light-hearted self-reprimandation, chewing the inside of my cheek in idle thought. “I suppose it doesn't matter now. I've got a few- what did they call them? Ah... Err. Oh, screw it. At any rate, I've got enough money to have my mane cut. Stupid mane.”

I glowered up at the errant strands of pale cerulean that still hung stubbornly from the rats' nest I called a presentable style to wear my mane in. My mane. Ugh, I despised the fact that I had allowed it to grow this long. Occasionally, when I came across a rare river or gully, I had vigorously half-drowned myself in icy water in the hope that I’d be able to quench the desire to tear clumps out with my teeth. I had squashed to death the urge to take the petite knife I had and brutally tackle the strands that hung too far down to brush aside.

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen a single weapon during my travels- especially in Equestria. “Stupid,” my heart spoke, “it’d be easy for just about anything to grab a pony with its sharp, pointy teeth and drag it back to the pitiful hole it crawled out of screaming.” Well, hearts don’t speak, but with the tangy taste of mild contempt and dissatisfaction that crept up my throat and along my tongue at the thought, I imagined that’s what it would say.

With all the patience with of a hunting fox I made my way towards the final barrier to self-fulfillment, nonchalantly listening to the gurgling of the fast-flowing torrent of water underneath the bridge between the mountain and Canterlot, and the whip-like cracking the waterfall created as it cascaded across the weathered, jutting rocks far below my hooves.

A glimmer caught my eye as I began to cross the brown-wood bridge that led up to the gates. Slowing to a halt, I followed the glistening ripples dancing across the surface of the beck with my eyes. The nearby lambency of dying embers and warm coals reminded me of the similar braziers back home, and the sense of security the sight instilled in me- that somepony was always watching over me. That I was safe.

I suppose there had always been the untamed, feral fear of being ripped into the inky shadows in the dead of the night; razor-sharp claws snatching ponies from their beds, the menacing slits boring into your very soul, aglow with iniquitous, ravenous hunger; it kinda came hoof-in-hoof with living in a land that was long unknown and unexplored by ponykind. Even with the absence of the windigoes, Equestria was still a dangerous place for the unwary.

Regardless, I had made it here. “Even though it took several months of near-constant travelling and countless sleepless nights, I made it. Well done, ‘Silver.”

A tired grin wearily pushed against my cheeks. Raising a horrifically chipped, silt-soaked and mud-matted hoof to rub heavy eyelids, I suddenly noticed through an ashen blur that the sky was getting lighter. How quaint. I turned my gaze skywards. Amidst the brazen sunrise, the newly emerging stars twinkled faintly. From a hidden veil of purple, comets, dozens of them, streaked forth from the approaching night.

Numb, I blinked in awe. Comets meant change- good change. They were an exceptionally wonderful omen. That oh my gosh the three tribes have stopped hating each other and we’re now in total harmony with one another and we won’t starve this winter because we’re actually working together! level of euphoria flooded my senses.

As they left their beaming ghost-like trails. I couldn’t help but let out a small, squeaking sound from the top of my throat that was totally dignified in this situation. It was a scene out of a fairytale; something that for a long time we all dreamed about, hoping, praying for it to come true.

“I wonder if mom and dad can see this.” I mused, still on the elated high brought on by the heart-warming sight. I still wonder to this day exactly how or why I didn’t see the falling star on an immediate flight path to meet with my face, even when it was close enough for the flames to lick my eyeballs.

The last thing I noticed was a slight roaring in my ears. Then my world exploded.