Mirror of Your Dreams

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.