A majestic dragon glided through the air, wings as wide as mountains carrying him through vast clouds and sky out of another place and time. Clutched in his grip was a female filly, her deep purple mane blowing in the breeze as the exhilaration of flight flowed like a rapid waterfall through her soul.
Higher, she cried. HIGHER!
The dragon obliged, and the sudden shift in elevation caused an uncomfortable pressure buildup in the pony’s ears.
Lower, please.
The dragon gently chuckled at this filly, who seemed so confident yet indecisive. “I’m getting a bit winded, little one.” The dragon’s rumbling voice reverberated through every fiber of the pony. “I can fly for a long time, but I think a break is in order.”
The dragon swooped down from his aerial domain, softly releasing the ecstatic equine from his grip just moments before landing himself in a hilly meadow, where vibrant amber waves undulated with the passage of his massive frame.
The pony casually attempted to correct her wild and breeze-blown mane. A pink streak accented her tail, although sometimes she wished her mane was more singular in color.
With her heart still rapidly beating, she wrapped two hooves around the neck of the gentle dragon, thanking him profusely for the experience.
A peculiar bird that the filly did not recognize sat basking on a rocky outcropping, its beak too big; its feet not proportional to its body. It let out a squawk, slowly at first, then more rapidly. The bird’s call sounded like a cross between a dying frog and an alarm.
The alarm clock!
“Time for me to go, Twilight.”
Wait, I need you!
“SQUAWK, SQUAWK, SQUAWK, SQUAWK! SQUAAAAAAAWWWWWKK!”
In a blur, the sunny meadow vanished, along with the dragon and obnoxious unnatural bird. The shrill squawk morphed into the sound of Twilight’s wake-up call; its repeating tone beckoned her to join the real world once again.
“Uaagh…”
Twilight Sparkle rolled out of bed, her mane no less disorderly than when it was being swept back by a dream breeze. She spent the minimum time necessary to comb out the snags and appear somewhat presentable for school. The young unicorn grabbed her classbooks and homework, placing them haphazardly into her saddlebag.
She casually climbed down the staircase, her hoofsteps echoing through her house. The house seemed more empty now. Hollow. Only a ghostly shell of its once welcoming aura remained. It was as if a living part of the house had died.
Her father was already sitting at the kitchen table, reading the most recent copy of Equestria Daily. His eyes didn’t move from the paper as Twilight pulled up a seat. A bowl of oatmeal sat on the table, steam still rising from the now cooling gruel. “Your teacher stopped by yesterday, Twilight.”
Mr. Sparkle folded his paper with his hooves, while simultaneously using magic to bring a cup of coffee to his lips. His comment elicited no response from Twilight.
Uncomfortable silence settled on the table.
“She said you were drawing humans in class.”
Twilight stared into her oatmeal. It stared right back. Losing the contest of will, she plunged a spoon in and ate her oatmeal, gaining little enjoyment from the exercise.
“Elves,” she spoke softly, correcting her father’s mistake.
“What was that, Twilight?”
“They weren’t humans. They were elves. Elves are like humans, but magical.”
Twilight’s father moved opposite from her. “Twilight,” he addressed her, “Look at me.”
She slowly lifted her gaze from the bowl of oatmeal, barely making eye contact with her father.
“I know I’ve been hard on you. It’s been hard for me too, ever since your mother died. But you need to pay attention in school and do your classwork.”
Twilight feebly replied, “Yes, Dad.”
In a voice neither comforting nor authoritarian, her father continued. “You need to come back down to earth; get your head out of the clouds. Leave that for the pegasi.” He looked at a grandfather clock on the other side of the house near the living room.
“You should get going, sweetie. Don’t be late.” Her father embraced her in a somewhat detached hug that conveyed little warmth.
*
Trotting along to class, Twilight heard the trio of bullies before she saw them.
“If it isn’t Twifright Scare-kle!”
“Hey Twifright, where’s our lunch money?”
“Yeah, you’re behind on payments for a week. Time to cough it up!”
The three earth ponies were bigger and older than her. Stronger, tougher. Smarter? Not a chance.
“Look, I’ve got about two bits….” Twilight’s muscles tensed as she searched for an escape route.
“Two bits?” The orange haired colt laughed. “We can’t all get a hayburger with two bits.”
“Hey Pokey, what if we just buy candy with it?”
“No way, Shortstop! It’s hayburgers or….huh?”
While the trio argued, Twilight sprinted at a breakneck pace in the direction of the Canterlot School for the Gifted.
“GET BACK HERE, FREAK!” The ginger colt named Pokey gave chase, catching up to her roughly the same time as Shortstop and Mudkicker. The latter two held her down, while Pokey removed her saddlebag, rifling through its contents in search of money.
“DARN IT! This whorse doesn’t have a single bit in here. You know what happens to little ponies who don’t pay up, Twifright?” Twilight followed the trajectory of the bully’s gaze, where it ended at a chariot sized dumpster.
“No…noo...”
“Yup. They go out with the trash!” The two lackeys grabbed two each of the filly’s legs, while Pokey lifted the trash container’s lid. The two colts holding her legs struggled to lift her, while Twilight exerted every ounce of her strength in an attempt to escape their clutches.
With a heave, the colts lifted Twilight over the lip of the dumpster, where she landed on blades of old hay and drink containers. The smell of rancid milk permeated the bin, inducing a gagging fit in the trash bin’s newest resident.
“And stay in there, Scare-kle!” Pokey tossed the ransacked saddlebag in the dumpster, narrowly avoiding hitting Twilight in her face. Twilight could still hear the bullies laughing at her expense. Several minutes passed before their voices were gone.
Confident that the bullies were finished with their near daily torment of her, she climbed out of the disgusting bin, clumps of hay still clinging to her mane and tail. As she rounded the corner near Joe’s Donut Shop, the three bullies were exiting from Kandy Korner. As Mudkicker began to chow down on a Choco Loco, Shortstop pointed out Twilight's attempt to continue her tortuous trek to school.
“You’re dead, freak!”
Galloping back down the alleyway she came from, the frightened filly veered left, ducking into a shop to avoid further bully brutality. The bell on the door gently chimed, announcing her entrance to an unseen entity. The three bullies ran past. One of them shouted, “I know she went this way!”
Still hidden, she leaned into the door, closed her eyes, and breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Go away, I don’t like foals!”
Twilight spun around quickly, still ducking out of view of the shop’s windows. Books crowded every corner, some stacked to mere inches from the ceiling.
“Didn't you hear me? I said, ‘Go AWAY!’” Twilight couldn’t see the source of the voice; near to the center of the store, a high backed chair faced away from the door. Approaching closer, the curious filly saw the voice’s source. An elderly pony, seated with a book in one hoof, craned his neck in Twilight’s direction. A glint of light reflected off of the pony’s spectacles, hitting Twilight in the eyes.
“You heard me, didn’t you? Go on. This is a bookstore, not Cotton Candyland. That’s two blocks down.”
“I, I was ju-just…”
“Oh, I see….” Recognition sweeps over the old earth pony’s face. “You’re hiding from somepony. Or someponies.” He pointed toward the door with his empty hoof. “This isn’t the place for Hide and Seek. All we have are little squares filled with words…on PAPER. You won’t find any fancy candies, sweets, or toys here!”
“But I know books!” proclaimed Twilight. “I have a hundred sixty eight of them at home.”
“Bah. Comic books, with superponies.” The cranky curator waved her off dismissively.
“No! I’ve read ‘Around Equus in 80 Days’, ‘Horn of the Rings’, ‘Luna Shrugged’, ‘Canterlot Tales’…”
“Whoa, now. Slow down.” The stallion beckoned her to come forward. “Who were you hiding from?”
Twilight’s face flushed with embarrassment at her most recent torture. “Just some…. colts from the neighborhood.”
“Why hide from them?”
“They wanted to steal my lunch money….throw me in the trash….” Twilight’s head hung in shame.
“So why don’t you give ‘em a swift kick to the jimmies?!” The stallion raised his hooves in a mock fight stance, punching at invisible enemies with gusto.
“There’s three of them. Even if I did land a good kick, they would just get mad….pick on me more….”
“I believe you.” Rising from his seat, the old pony came closer to Twilight. His cutie mark was a brown book. On the book’s cover, a horseshoe shaped portal glowed with a mysteriously soft blue aura.
“Sometimes, I wish I could have been born a unicorn. Magic makes life easier. But you know what, filly?” He leaned in closer to her, his voice barely registering above a whisper. “Books....hold a magic all their own. Take this one, for example.” He placed the book he had been holding into her hooves. The book had a symbol on the front: two entwined horseshoes, wrapping around each other in an intricate knot. In a fancy script, the title of the book decorated the cover in embossed gold filigree.
The Everliving Tale
Twilight spoke up. “What’s so special about this one, mister?”
“Well,” the old stallion chuckled. “It’s one thing to read about Maredor in the Horn of the Rings, but it’s another to be there, on the field of battle, fighting with Shadowfax and the Riders of Rohoof against the hordes of Sauricorn. With this book…you can be there.”
“I’m sorry mister, that’s just…that’s just not scientifically possible.”
“Oh, it isn’t?” The old pony snorted with derision. “Just keep telling yourself that. This book has its own magic. A powerful kind.”
“May I borrow it? Please?”
“No!” The older stallion replied hastily, snatching the book from her hooves. “It’s dangerous. Not for foals.”
The chime of the doorbell rang throughout the store, heralding the arrival of a pair of new customers. He gingerly placed the book down on a relatively book-free endtable.
“You’d best be on your way, young miss. Forget about this book.” The elderly stallion moved forward to greet the clientele, maneuvering around every cluttered table and bookshelf with practiced ease. While the bookstore owner’s attention was fully focused on the adult customers, Twilight magically penned a brief note. She grabbed the Everliving Tale from its resting place, stuffing it into her bag and leaving the note in its place before galloping out of the store.
As Twilight charged out of the bookstore, the old pony glanced back to where he left the magical tome. Making a mental note of its absence, a smile played across his tired, wrinkly muzzle.
“I’ll bring your book back soon”
-Twilight Sparkle
*
The Canterlot School for the Gifted’s halls were vacant; not even Brownnose the hall monitor or Vice Principal Buckingham stalked its quieted lanes. Twilight stealthily peeked her head into a window in the door, the thin glass portal separating her from her classmates. Even though she really liked her teacher, Mrs. Poofyhoof, she knew she would die from absolute embarrassment if she entered class right now, with every pair of equine eyes in the room gazing at her, reflecting only silent judgments.
Mrs. Poofyhoof passed out sheets of paper to her present students, the look on their faces betraying the current assignment.
"The mathamagic test...." Twilight spoke softly to herself.
No, today was not a day for mathamagical quizzes or Sir Neighton's Second Law of Conservation. She backed away, heading down the hall with measured hoofsteps. Her horn lightly glowed with simple magic; her hooves made hardly any noise thanks to the freshly cast silence spell.
It was a thankfully short walk to Twilight's destination. Magic flared from her horn once more as she opened the doorknob to the school's attic/storage space. The attic was a safe place, where Twilight hid twice since starting attendance at CSG.
The coating of dust and cobwebs gave a hint as to how often the attic was used, restoring Twilight's confidence that her stay here would continue without unwanted visitors. Jars of substances were lined up in orderly fashion on shelves near the rear wall. Twilight didn't know what was in most of the jars, nor was she curious to find out.
Grabbing a blanket from one of the shelves, she shook it vigorously once, sending dust flying in her face. She was forced to stifle her cough while the blanket was still in her mouth. She folded her bug-free blanket once and spread it over the dusty wooden floor. Removing her saddlebag, she retrieved the lunch her father packed for her. She lifted a half-squished paper-wrapped sandwich to her muzzle and gave it a cautious sniff.
“Daisy and banana.” She set the sandwich aside and retrieved an apple from the bottom of the bag. Red delicious…most likely from the Sweet Apple Acres. She placed the apple on the sandwich, careful to not let it roll onto the floor. The final snack packed away was a foal-sized bag of Wheat Thins ™. This last item really had Twilight excited, until she realized that its contents were mostly pulverized.
“Thanks a lot. Stupid bullies.”
In anxious anticipation, Twilight pulled the borrowed book from her bag, her eyes focused on the raised part of the cover.
As her hooves slid over the book, the intertwined horseshoes on the cover began to move and contort all their own.
“This shouldn’t be possible….”
Within moments, the strange magical dance of the object on the cover ceased. Twilight opened the now motionless cover, and began to read the story held within.
The end began not with violence, but silence. A swollen and roiling darkness, old as the world itself, cascaded throughout Marenova as a ripple moved through a still pond.
Though the encroaching darkness engulfed much of Marenova, one stalwart bastion of light and hope stood, a seawall against the coming dark tides. From this fortress, the Alicorn Empress spread her love and radiance throughout Marenova.
Every scholarly pony had their own thoughts and theories on where the darkness came from. Some said a foalish wizard bargained with powers from beyond the stars, powers that wished to keep all of Marenova’s light for themselves. Few others believe the curse of Marenova came from a time warp spell gone horribly awry. The only thing known for certain was that the darkness grew stronger by the day, and that soon, all of Marenova would be consumed by it.
Delegates from the four corners of the planet were sent by their tribes to request aid and advice from the Alicorn Empress. To the great despair of the delegations, no assistance would be forthcoming.
*
The Great Speaker, a youthful earth pony with golden streaks running through his chestnut mane, raised his forelegs to motion for silence. “I know why you have come, great mares, stallions, and others.” Earth ponies, crystal ponies, unicorns, pegasi, griffons, and even a representative of the Tribe of Minos, all gathered to hear the Great Speaker share tidings of Marenova.
“The crystal ponies tell of their most productive mines, gone without a trace. Mountains disappearing beneath billowing black clouds. Raging thunderstorms race through the countryside, devastating crops and homes. As I know this from the leader of the crystal ponies, Gemini, so too have I learned of the same fate befalling all of Marenova.”
“But what is this darkness, Great Speaker?”
“What can be done?”
“What plan does the Alicorn Empress have?”
The Great Speaker raised his hooves once more, silencing the crowd.
“Brothers, sisters…friends. Our Empress…. is dying.”
Half formed gasps escaped the lips of every delegate present at the fortress. A sob rose from the back, the stuttering cries of a young mare further spreading unease among the crowd.
The Great Speaker gestured. “As her light fades, so too does the light of Marenova. Before this sickness overtook her, she beseeched me to find the one pony that could save our world. We have already sent for this great warrior. Only he can save the Empress….and Marenova.”
“Who is this warrior? Tell us, Great Speaker!”
A glimmer of hope reflected in the Great Speaker’s eyes. It was miniscule and fleeting, but it was enough for those present. “His name….is Auryn, of the Silver Plains tribe.
"He is the only one with the power to stop this destructive force, what some among you have begun to call the Nothing. We had hoped, beyond hope, that he would arrive this day to receive the wisdom of the Empress….”
The crowded parted, welcoming the arrival of a new delegate. But the pony calmly trotting forward was not a delegate at all; just a young unicorn foal, eyes forward and fastened upon the Great Speaker. Her dark brown coat gleamed in the castle’s light. Gold and silver strands of mane were woven together in a long flowing braid; her tail gently rocked back and forth with each confident step she took.
“Go home, young one. Now is not the time or place for a foal.” The Great Speaker stared at her, unspoken words behind his gaze, but the foal also returned the stare in kind, her intense, forest green eyes saying, I am here with a purpose.
“If you didn’t want me, then why summon me here to the castle?”
Confused murmurs ran diffusely through the crowd. Unease grew upon the Great Speaker’s face, as though he were witness to some great cosmic irony.
“We sent for Auryn the Stallion, warrior of the Silver Plains tribe. You are still a child, flank untouched by the Mark of Destiny.”
“There are no others named Auryn among my tribe. I am Auryn the Warrior, who slew eleven timberwolves with nothing but hoof and horn. As for my flank,” her head turning rearwards, “I cannot presume to know what path my destiny follows. Only the Empress in her wisdom knows of such things.”
Her face turned back toward the Great Speaker, unaware of the inner turmoil now gnawing at his thoughts. “If the Empress does not want me here any longer, I shall gladly return to the Silver Plains.”
Auryn turned in a slow about-face, stopping only as the Great Speaker’s pleas hit her ears.
“Please. Wait.”
She stopped, turning back to face the messenger.
"I bring you a message….and a gift, directly from the Empress herself.”
“And why could the Empress not deliver these things herself?” Irritation grew behind Auryn’s voice.
“The Empress is dying. The same strange malady which is affecting her is also destroying the lands of Marenova. Please receive this token of the Empress' blessings.”
The Great Speaker stepped forward. With eyes still upon Auryn, the Great Speaker retrieved a glittering amulet from within a coat pocket. A heavy silver chain held a pendant of two horseshoes; one gold, the other silver. Both horseshoes wrapped and twisted around each other, forming a complete and unbroken circle.
“This is the Hoofprint of Fate, brave Auryn. As long as your heart remains true to your quest, it shall keep you safe from harm. Now, Auryn of the Silver Plains, guard well this treasure.”
As the Great Speaker placed the talisman around Auryn’s neck, the amulet twisted and turned, expelling a bright light that faded to a glow. Auryn could feel the magical power pulsate through the Hoofprint as it tested its new owner for weaknesses or vices. Satisfied with its inquest, the amulet’s glow faded away, leaving the polished gold and silver surface to gleam only by the room’s own illumination.
“The Empress could not tell me where your journey would end, Auryn. She only spoke to me of its beginning. You must find the oldest, and wisest being in all of Marenova. His knowledge will help you on your quest.”
Standing on two legs now, the Great Speaker gestured to the east, where the last rays of golden sunlight disappeared as the Day Star dipped below the horizon. “Past the Shifting Sands of Eternity, on the edge of the Swamp of Despair, lives the great dragon Agammemnon. Seek Agammemnon’s council, and learn how to stop the Nothing.
"But this journey is yours, and only yours, to make. And you alone must be the one to banish the Nothing, and save all of Marenova."
“Now go, brave pony. The hopes, and dreams, of Marenova go with you.”
Swift as the wind, Auryn galloped onward into the burning Sands of Eternity. Moving only by night, she conquered the vast arid steppe in only four days—a testament to her fortitude and tenacity. For those four days, the elements brought the full weight of their wrath upon her. Choking duststorms a mile high blasted her vision, leaving Auryn with little means to navigate. Searing rays of unforgiving brilliance baked the land while the unicorn rested in whatever shade she could find.
What little fresh water she could find she had to fight for. Fiercely territorial buzzards circled one oasis, assaulting smaller creatures while mercilessly haranguing those too large to directly attack. A swift kick to one such vulture quickly ended all predations upon Auryn. Their lesson learned, the buzzards found a new target to bully, focusing their aggressions on a small dune hare.
On the evening of the fourth day of her journey across the burning, shifting dunes, Auryn spotted a tree, branches waving in silent greeting while cooler breezes blew westward. Never before had she felt so appreciative of any plant as this tree, a stunted pine that signified the transition to the Lowlands….and the Swamp of Despair just beyond.
She grazed quickly on patches of grass growing in the tree’s shade, temporarily sating her appetite. It was here that she rested for the evening, the last beams of the day’s sunlight now a gentle kiss on her face once again. Her dreams were brief, but blissful. In them, the sorrows of Marenova vanished, and in their place bright colors and mirth reigned supreme. Auryn’s dreamlands were a fanciful place, where none feared death and all rejoiced in the wonders surrounding them.
The stoic pony allowed a smile to play across her still sleeping face, as she basked in the glow of a world she could only touch or see in her dreams.
*
Twilight set the book aside, her own hunger pangs now obvious; the mild protesting sounds of her stomach evolved into a thunderous rumble. Twilight decided on the apple, savoring the crisp texture and the sweet juices with every gentle bite. She returned the apple core to her pack, fearful of leaving trash lest her hiding spot be inadvertently revealed.
Returning to her bookmarked page, Twilight settled into a more comfortable position. Her eyes shifted rapidly left and right, taking in each letter in a measured pace and embracing each word as though she were committing the text to memory.
*
While Auryn dreamed of happier days, shadows gave rise to substance in an inky black mist that hugged the outskirts of the Swamp of Despair. As a nightmarish beast coalesced into existence, it cried out an ominous howl, or perhaps a scream, that filled the blackened skies for miles. The monstrosity’s snout and face were unmistakably lupine, with thick course fur like that of a lion. Its paws were built like a bear’s, thick and terminating in sharpened claws. Red eyes scanned the horizon, searching for something not yet close enough to see.
Slowly, and with patience only great evil could afford, the creature closed its eyes, and waited for the sole being with the power to banish the Nothing from Marenova. It would find her, yes, but there was no need to waste its energy when it knew the pony would be crossing its path soon. And soon, with nopony left to stop the Nothing, it would feast on the entire world.
*
Auryn rose to her hooves while stifling a gentle yawn. The first light of day broke over the dunes behind her, softly illuminating her gold and silver mane. The morning call of several birds beckoned her into the nearby woods, and she followed their gentle melody into the temperate forest. She was grateful for the shade; the air was not quite as hot or dry as the desert she just passed through. Insects whizzed by, paying little attention to this morning’s interloper.
The brown filly’s thoughts turned to the dragon whose lair was only a few hours journey ahead. She knew that this welcoming verdant forest would soon be gone, replaced by the mire and muck of the Swamp of Despair where Agammemnon called home. Loneliness began to gnaw at her, having left all semblance of civilization behind. She hoped that the drake she sought would still reside in the cave where the Great Speaker said he would be. After all, if he was the oldest creature in Marenova, he may have…
“Don’t even think that!” Auryn banished the idea of Agamemnon succumbing to the power of the Nothing, disappearing like so many other things lately. The message of the Alicorn Empress gave her faith that this journey would not be in vain, for the Alicorn Empress saw many things; some even said she could even look into a pony’s soul and see everything about them-- their past, their present, and their future. Auryn hoped it was not merely rumor.
The last day passed quietly as each mile brought change to the ground beneath Auryn’s hooves. Loamy earth with tall trees and bubbling brooks yielded to softer soil and bleaker landscape. Stunted oaks held few leaves, their branches pointed upwards like claws reaching out from the swampy muck. Every step brought her closer to her destination, but the ground was growing more treacherous. She tread carefully, each hoof cautiously testing the ground ahead before she proceeded. After hours of trudging through the treacherous terrain, Auryn spotted a rocky outcropping surrounding a darkened cavern mouth, like a misty black eye watching over all of the Swamp.
The climb up to the cave was daunting. Much of Auryn’s strength had faded from the miles long slog through muck and mire to get here. The echoes of water droplets resounded from chambers within. Calling up her magical power, Auryn cast a light spell upon her horn, using it as a blade cutting through the darkness surrounding her. While the floors here were solid, they were slippery. Lichen grew on almost every surface here, and the cautious unicorn stumbled several times as she pressed on through the musty cave. The illumination was not enough to banish the shadows from the walls or ceiling, being too vast in size and scope to be lit more than dimly. It wasn’t long before she saw movement in the blackened space beyond her light. A booming laugh followed, causing Auryn to freeze in terror.
“If you’ve come for my treasures, adventurer, you’ll leave only with disappointment.”
Ruby scales glimmered in the dark. Two reptilian eyes opened and closed, their pupils focusing on the intrusive equine. Massive wings rested against the dragon’s sides, and a tail as thick as trees lazily swished back and forth.
“I have slumbered many years,” the dragon said, stretching his forelimbs and back, “only to awaken to find my cave empty. No gold, no treasures, no gems. I believe you know the thief, little pony.”
Auryn tried her best to remain brave in the face of a creature a dozen times her size.
“I am Auryn of the Silver Plains. I have journeyed from the castle of the Alicorn Empress here to seek an audience with you, Agammemnon. I don’t know of anypony who could have taken a dragon’s treasure, much less the hoard of a dragon as mighty as you are.” She could only barely see Agammemnon’s features as his lithe form shifted in the cavern’s shadows. In one smooth motion, the dragon shifted his body, bringing his full mass into view of Auryn.
“You are wise, adventurer. My treasure, like much of Marenova, is a victim of the Nothing.”
“But that is why I’m here! The Nothing is destroying Marenova, and killing our Empress! You have to help….please….” Auryn’s passionate plea seemed to have struck a chord with the immense reptile.
“Even with countless centuries worth of wisdom, I do not know how to fight against the Nothing. But there is perhaps a way to find knowledge you seek.”
“I must know, Agammemnon! The fate of the world is at stake!” Desperation crept into Auryn’s voice.
Agammemnon scratched his chin absentmindedly. “The Southern Oracle sees all…past, present, and future. The Oracle would help you, but you won’t make it. It is nearly ten thousand miles from here to there.”
Tears welled up in Auryn’s eyes as despair settled into her heart. “But that’s…so far.” She turned back to the cavern entrance. “I must leave now, Agammemnon. Thank you for your wisdom.”
Her hoofsteps echoed in the caverns, every step sounding more hollow than the last.
