The Equestrian Chronicles: The Awakening of The Light

Twilight sneezed, pulled her wolf-skin cloak close to her body, as the early morning winds chilled her armored body. Her companions trotted behind. They had left Pony's Ville over an hour ago, and the lush grass and open sky had swiftly turned to gnarled roots and the sky, which had been bright, was now shaded by the thick awnings that the Everfree Forest's old oaks lifted on their mighty branches, a harsh wind whistled through the trunks. The growls and howls of Timberwolves, and the many beasts that haunted the Everfree sent shivers down their spines.

"Night will be falling soon Twilight, don't you think we should set up camp?" Fluttershy asked, shuddering behind her wife, and her flowing pink mane. She whistled a quiet tune to keep herself calm, eyes darting around the area, watching every bush for a sign of movement. A branch snapped, causing Fluttershy to yelp, hiding now in a dome of vines and earth she had erected around herself and Rainbow, leaving a hole big enough for them to peek through, and for air to flow in. "We'll sleep in here." She said softly, falling asleep, legs wrapped around her wife.

"You are correct Fluttershy." Twilight said, as she set up her tent. "Spike, would you kindly start a fire for us?" Spike saluted, as he spat a roaring fire onto a pile of logs, as the flames rose, heating the camp and keeping any creatures away, wary. "Thank you Spike, now, you and Rarity should try to not wake us all up." She chuckled, causing Spike and Rarity to flush crimson, as they all descended into slumber, the crows cawing as they flew off.

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Several miles away....

The crunching of dead leaves were the only sound the lone figure made, aside from his weathered charcoal-grey cloak. Under the hooded cloak, he wore scarred mithril mail, under a bit of dark blue-green cloth, his greaves were the made of boiled leather reinforced with metal plates. A bloodied silver blade lay sheathed at his side, a fragment of another was strapped on the other. An ash-coated ebony bow, with steel-tipped arrows, were strapped to his back. Black hoofguards covered each of his four hooves.

He had long since buried away his name, under all the pain and grief. He had once been a ranger in the Royal Guard, stationed at Hawke Keep in southern Griffonhala, in Eagle's Roost Canyon. He married his long time lover, Rose Petal, a Unicorn, a healer and scout for the Rangers of The Dawn and Dusk, as they had been known as. He had fathered a son, who they had named Grey Joy, for his light grey coat, and his positive attitude. While Grey had inherited his father's Pegasus abilities, he had gained hism other's ability to focus magic, both his natural Pegasus magic and what he learned, through his hooves as if he were a Unicorn. While Unicorns, Alicorns, and the like can naturally focus magic, any of the races are able to channel it through a foci, from something minute as a crystal or staff, to the extreme, like an organ or through their soul.

They had lived a fairly happy life, until one black day. It had been raining for some time, mists blanketing the rocky ground below the keep. Private Dawn Wind, a green-faced Griffon, a former thief, had been relieving himself over the ancient stone walls of the keep, when, as he let out a sigh, a rusty looking arrow, dark green shaft, chipped iron arrowhead, hawk feathers, piercing his neck. He let out a gurgling-scream, as he fell off the ramparts, into a pile of hay over fifty hooves, (The species would base the numbering system on their appendages), below, with a sickening thud.

The Rangers had mustered their forces, archers had scaled the wall, peering at the enemy below. An army of goblin raiders wished to cross the pass into the country, and sack every home they came upon. They stormed the keep, their ugly blades, dipped in cockatrice blood. It was a slaughter, the goblins, led by a Griffon known as Skelas Brel-Kral, or Skelas Flesh-Render in the Goblin tongue, swarmed on the Rangers, who, even though they put up a valiant fight, were all slain. He had been held down, forced to watch as Skelas sent his sword into Grey Joy's heart, as he tried to comfort his son, while Grey Joy, then a colt of ten, pleaded for his father's help. Skelas then violated Rose before his eyes, then proceeded to cleave her in two with a cruel smile, walking away after spitting in his face. Enraged, he slew the two bulky goblins holding him, slaying every one of them he could find, until he found his way into Skelas' new "Throne Room", Lord-Commander Davenport's old office. Charging, he took down the two bodyguards, before dueling the Griffon veteran in a frenzy.

The battle was fierce, but it was for naught, just as he was to land the fatal blow on the armored Griffon, Skelas' legendary blade, Starfang, embedded itself in his chest, and he felt his life fade, and fell on the stone floor.

He awoke on a crumbling watchower, the smell of decay reaching his nostrils as he got up in a flash. He looked down, and saw a battered sword, only a broken portion of the silver blade and the hilt remained. Tears fell from his eyes, as he noticed the inscribed G.J inside a shield, the blade had belong to his son. "How is this possible? I should be dead." He had asked nopony. A disembodied voice, a wraith, which had been bound with him, said he had been banished from death, and they had been cursed and bound as one. He took the blade fragment, and asked how this curse would be broken. The wraith had said that they would have to find the one who laid it on them, Skelas, and end them.

Leaping from the tower, he buried his friends and loved ones, giving them a silent memorial. Sheathing the blades, he trotted as fast as he could, listening for any word of Skelas. Rumors had said he was currently in Equestria.

As the memories subsided in his subconscious, he heard voices. As he vanished from the corporeal realm, he saw a crackling fire, six tents set in a complete circle around the campfire. He smirked, trotting forward....

...And unsheathed his blades, smirking.