Herald of Dawn

Cold wind rustled Twilight's feathers, wove its cool tendrils through her mane, embraced her in a welcome change from the throbbing heat of the fading day. She rolled over, landing on a cloud to rest a bit. It was then that it struck her -- something here was out of place.

The sky usually wasn't this deep of a purple, even at sunset. Furthermore, the ground shouldn't be a suckling void -- not quite black but something else as though some pony had cut the sky out and the absence around the cuts was the ground. Twilight fluttered to the ground, intent on sating her curiosity. Now that she was on the 'grass' proper, she could smell rich bergamont tinted with black pepper. It was as intoxicating as it was repulsive.

The sky shimmered above her. Night had fallen while she was not watching, but it bore no resemblance to the Luna's hoofcraft. Soft swirls of rainbow swam  through golden shimmer, making their way across the wine-purple sky. Every so often, something would dart across the sky, too high up for Twilight to know its identity.

Looking around, the young alicorn found that the landscape was as disorienting as any desert. No distinguishing marks showed themselves, no road sign pointed the way home; in fact, there was nothing but darkness in every direction. Twilight couldn't even be sure of which direction she had came from.

She cast a minor direction spell -- it would show her trail, all the way back to Canterlot. To her irritation, the spell fizzled the moment it was about to give her direction. Further attempts at direction spells, at travel spells, even at teleportation, proved useless. Something about this place was draining every scrap of magic it could pull from her.

Twilight ached, down to her bones. She had been walking for hours, days maybe. She wasn't sure anymore -- the sky never changed to reflect day and night like it did back home. It changed color and brightness in a mockery of time. Out of the blue, the ground changed. A tiny vole dug at at a outcropping of dahlias, fleeing as Twilight approached it. It was the first sign of life that Twilight had seen. The glimpse of hope brightened her mood. She must be getting somewhere!

A sound came from over the horizon that was like the boom of thunder, followed by another and another in a rhythmic beating. A silver blur blitzed past Twilight, sending her scrambling to protect her ears from the noise and wind. The blur looped back, dropping like a lead weight in front of the cowering princess. Twilight took her hooves off of her ears and rose to her feet.

"Hello!" she said, smiling at the massive stallion. It was the first pony she had seen in a while -- maybe they knew the way back to Canterlot..!

The pegasus stallion snorted and raised an eyebrow at Twilight.

"Utakr oß̈?" he asked, tilting his head to the left like a confused puppy. "Qæav æṏedpax!"

...or maybe not.

The stallion shrugged, receiving no answer from Twilight. In one swift, fluid move, he was back in the air, rocketing back the way he came. Twilight followed him for as long as she could but the pegasus left her behind in a trail of feathers and strong wind. Still, off in the distance, she could make out a mass of towers. As she drew closer, it became clear that what she saw was a city, guarded by a massive wall.

Two guards stood out front: one an unicorn, the other a pegasus. Their gazes trained themselves on Twilight as she approached the gates of the city. The pegasus looked to the unicorn, then back at Twilight. His expression quirked, a silent question hanging in the air. The unicorn nodded, waving Twilight forward. He took her saddlebags and threw them aside, roughly shoving her into the city as he did so. The gates slammed shut behind Twilight, audibly locking.

A single snowflake tickled Twilight's muzzle. Reinforcements arrived behind it, burning her with the sting of ice and wind. Twilight heard a soft thwhip thwhip thwhip which evolved into a clamorous pounding, bringing with it some of the coldest air she had ever felt. A carriage -- Twilight marveled at the lacy structure. The slightest wind should have torn it apart, but it stood ... somehow -- pulled by two of the largest pegasi Twilight had ever seen, blitzed past the barrier above the city walls.

For a fleeting second, she could have sworn she saw a pony-like creature staring at her from inside the carriage; its eyes like frozen fire, simmering hatred held back by a cold facade. Then, it was gone in a blast of cold wind. The breeze ruffled Twilight's cloak -- wait, cloak? Twilight looked behind her to see that, at some point, a long dark purple cloak had been clasped around her throat, covering every inch of her body save for her face and neck.

Designs rippled through the ephemeral fabric, twisting and turning like they were alive. A faint remembrance niggled at the back of Twilight's head, but she couldn't quite recall where she - ah! The meaning of the design suddenly occurred to her.  It was a complicated, if bit archaic, illusion charm. That still left the question of who did this, and more importantly, when. She decided to take the thing off and examine the spell structure.

The heavy clasp had set in it, a star ruby resembling her own cutie mark. It resisted her attempts to unclasp it, and with her magic at its lowest levels since her foalhood, she couldn't very well destroy it. Twilight was left with no choice but to ignore it for the moment.  She trotted along the cobbled road, hopping out of the way of missing bricks.

Dirty cheeked foals played in the street, the scars all too common on their bodies not inhibiting their joy. Their parents were rarely near by, but Twilight occasionally saw a mare or two looking after her foal. The ponies she saw were universally ragged and run down, some looking like they hadn't seen a decent meal in years. Most of them ignored her. A few watched her as though they expected her to attack.

Twilight's own reflection glinted off of the window of a closed shop. She stopped, her breath catching in her lungs. The pony staring back at her was not her.  This pony had sharp, intense features made that much more defined by starvation. Her mane was overgrown and matted; her eyes sunken and dark. Notably, she was a unicorn. Her cutie mark had changed, matching the darker colors of her mane and coat -- all that was left of the original was the center star, now a pale lilac instead of the vibrant fuchsia Twilight was used to.

That answered the question of what the spell did, but not why it was there or who had cast it. Surely she would have seen, or at least felt, a spell being cast on her. Questions mounted upon questions but answers were far and few.

Twilight's ears perked up. Was that Equestrian she heard? She trotted, following the sound. As she drew closer, she could make out that it definitely was Equestrian, a soothing relief from the broken, guttural language the natives spoke. Twilight slowed down when she reached the alley from which the voice was pouring. She pressed herself against a wall, trying to blend with the rough hewed stone.

"Please! Just ... just please leave my family out of this," the stallion begged, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears.  The gryphon laughed, a deep rumbling laugh that made the hairs on Twilight's back stand up.

"You know better than to think that I would change my policies for one pony." The gryphon's eyes scanned over the cowering stallion;  his sunset gold feathers gleamed in the fading light as they ruffled out, giving him the appearance of a mane but more like a lion's than a pony's. "You're dead, your family's dead; your legacy is dust in the damned wind."

"All I'm asking is for another chance, Sonny --" The stallion looked like he had a lot more to say, but 'Sonny' cut him off.

"We've got an eavesdropper, Bolt. You happy to have her blood on your hooves, too? A mare and her foal not satisfy you?" 'Sonny' turned her way, his heated gaze boring holes into Twilight's chest. With one smooth move, he ripped the stallion's throat and most of the surrounding muscle out, never once taking his eyes off her. Dropping the offal, he sucked the blood off of his claws. Twilight was frozen; everything in her body screamed run but her legs refused to cooperate.

Her legs kicked in just in time; she bolted for the street, looking for solace in any open shop. Down at the end of the cobbled street, she saw mostly empty cafe. Twilight sprinted for the door, tripping over the slightly raised threshold in the process. Instead of colliding with the hard floor, however, she fell into a slightly more forgiving pony. His warm fur tickled her nostrils, causing her to sneeze. She struggled off, falling backwards.

He had a mane the color of dark coffee, streaked with ashy gray. It complimented the deep chestnut of his, admittedly soft, coat.

"I'm sorry!" Twilight squeaked, squirming under the stallion's unwavering gaze. After what felt like an eternity, but was more like minutes, he said,

"Name's Zealous Wing. Who are you?" He glanced over her. With one hoof, he shoved her into the cafe, taking her place in the doorway.

"Zeal, save me the trouble that is your need to play hero. Give me the girl, and go back to whatever it is you do in this hellhole." The gryphon watched Twilight through the window, licking his beak when he caught her looking.

"Now, Sonny, you know I can't do that." He shook his head at the gryphon, a tiny smile teasing at his muzzle. "Kids these days ... or is it just you gangbangers?" Zeal took two steps forward, walking into Sonny's lunge but at the same time, using the force of it to knock the gryphon off his feet. The two wrestled for a while, but Zealous had the advantage of sheer weight. After a one-sided match grotesquely in favor of Zealous, Sonny threw the stallion aside and scrambled to his feet.

"You can't save everyone! You couldn't even save yourself!" Sonny barked, trying but failing to hide the limp in his gait. "Once you're not around, then what? She's nothing but shit!" The gryphon looked like he was going to keep fighting, but fled when Zeal lunged at him.

Watching Sonny fly off, Zeal muttered, "Yeah, yeah, get out of here you overgrown pigeon." His expression was tense and rigid, but he was clearly thinking about something. Zeal turned to Twilight. "There. You're not dead. Get out of my shop." He made a soft shooing motion towards the door.

"Zeal, honey, you can't just abandon her," a soft voice chirped. Twilight turned around and found a tall, blue unicorn standing closer than her voice would have implied. The shock of her sudden appearance caused Twilight to stumble backwards and bump into Zeal. Her mane was the color of gold, slipping across her neck and flanks like it was liquid.

"I can, in fact. You," an accusing hoof was pointed at the unicorn, "however, can but won't." Ignoring the accusation, the unicorn turned to Twilight, a dainty yet warm smile on her lips.

"He's right, you know. Can't seem to help myself for taking in strays.  My name is Diamond Charmer, but you can call me Charm. Who might you be?"

Twilight sat still, caught like a deer in headlights beneath the intense gaze that Charm had. It wasn't simply that she saw through her -- more or less it felt like the unicorn was seeing something else entirely.

"I, uh, I am Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said, struggling to take back some sense of her own agency. The longer she stayed in this strange country, the more she felt like she should just lie down and sleep until she was given something to do. A fogginess was starting to overtake her mind, dulling any last vestiges she might have had of her original purpose. All she wanted to do was sleep. Dream forever until she could be reunited with her quee--

Twilight gasped. The air around her was as cold as in a meat locker. She looked around, seeing Charm's horn ablaze.

"You're not from here, are you?" Charm asked, the expression on her face implying she already knew the answer to that question. "We need to leave. Like, right now. "

"What - what was that?" Twilight asked, alarmed at the near losing her mind to the whispering voices seeping in.

"I'll explain when we get to the shelter. You're going to stay there for a little bit, just until you have a place to stay." Twilight found herself nodding, even before she had heard the entire sentence. She shook her head, trying to clear whatever was influencing her. She wasn't just going to ... Twilight's jaw nearly dropped at the fact that her hooves were moving without her control. Something deep within her was forcing her to go along with the ponies around her.

Before she knew it, she was outside of a nondescript whitewashed building, teeming with every known race. Gryphon chicks played alongside buffalo calves; ponies mingled with minotaurs, zebras, and some races she didn't have names for. Charm moved through the crowd with ease, the sea of bodies parting easily for her. Twilight had to trot at a quick clip to keep up with the unicorn, but eventually, they were in a very 'industrial' office. It was painted a sickening shade of green over the concrete blocks -- it was the kind of color that ponies painted rooms to make them feel cheery when they were decidedly not. The usual smörgåsbord of degrees and photos hung on the walls, livening up the place more than a coat of paint or two ever could.

The windows had paneled shades, but what Twilight could see was an unimpressive view of the alleyway between this building and the next. Charm coughed, pulling the shades closed. Twilight found that her mind was slowly clearing; for some reason, this room didn't seem to drain her magic like the rest of the city did. For the first time in a long time, she felt the familiar pulse of pure power run through her veins.

"Let me be the first to welcome you to Paradise," Charm said, sitting down behind the desk. "Also, let me apologize for Zealous. He's friendlier than he looks, promise. " The unicorn sighed, putting her head in her hooves. "I'm just not sure ... well, never mind that. What did you say your name was?"

"Twilight Sparkle. Where did you say I was?"

Charm leaned down over the keyboard, tapping Twilight's name into the form.

"You're in Paradise. What's your special talent?"

"Magic. I --" Twilight was cut off by Charm's immediate question.

"Specialty?"

"All of it."

Charm dutifully recorded this on her form, muttering something too quiet to hear. She spun around and stood up out of her chair, trotting over to a much abused bookcase. From it, she withdrew two books. For a moment, Charm looked conflicted. She turned back around and asked,

"You can read, right?" Twilight nodded quickly, her smile coming back for the first time in days. Charm slid the books across the desk. "Read these, then. You're going to need to become familiar with the political landscape if you're to survive here. If you'll follow me?"

Charm trotted for the door. Twilight followed her, carrying the worn books in her magic. The unicorn delicately sidestepped around the shelter's residents; Twilight, on the other hand, was muttering a constant stream of apologies, every other step landing on a foot or hoof or wing. Before long, they were in front of an empty room. The financial strain on the shelter was reflected in every part of the building -- the room contained nothing but a bed and a desk. Twilight swore that she had seen bathrooms larger than this glorified closet.

"You'll be staying here. I'm sorry to leave so quickly, but I have other residents to attend to," Charm said, rushing off before Twilight could even respond. With nothing else to do, Twilight went into the room and took a seat at the desk. She opened one of the books Charm had given to her and began to read.

For said she,

"In your deference and your respect, you will be saved;

in silence and in trust shall be your strength."

But you refused her, and so shall it be

Of kingdoms and kings

Who shaped her to what she is

When she rises to judge your world

After the silence of centuries.

At her feet, lie languidly:

a lion with wings to carry him like lightning;

the fatigued screams of those here and those

yet to come;

the shining beacon in the hearts of the common

Scholars debate over the origin of this piece; because it is incomplete, dating it to any particular time in history is difficult. As well, magical residue has been found in the fibers of the paper, further confusing the investigation. It is generally accepted, however, that said piece refers to the present regent of Hajahact -- Queen Enigmatic Insanity, or simply [REDACTED] before her ascension -- and the 'Triad' as they are known colloquially.

Twilight was disappointed to find that somepony had ripped out every page following the first. The other book was in a similar state -- black marks crossed out, corrected, and otherwise marred the original text where pages still remained. It was clear to her that she would not glean any useful information from these books.

Still, she felt obligated to return them to Charm. Twilight grasped the books in her magic and trotted out the door. She tried to remember which set of stairs she took to get to Charm's office. The stairs seemed longer than she remembered but she pressed forward. Before her were a set of dark wooden doors, engraved with chrysanthemums in the Chineighse style.

This most certainly wasn't Charm's office, but perhaps whoever worked here could point her in the right direction. Twilight pulled the doors open, temporarily blinded by the bright light flooding the office. Thick, plush carpet embraced her hooves like it was made of clouds. The walls were lined with maroon velvet. Behind the giant desk that dominated the cavernous room, a fleeting wisp of a mare sat, her head in her hooves.

Twilight's hoofsteps were silenced by the carpeting, but somehow, the mare knew she was there. She looked up at Twilight, revealing that she was a unicorn. Her long, black mane fell over her desk, continuing down onto the floor. It seemed to be slowly flowing, reflecting in every possible color like a liquid crystal. It was then that Twilight realized, the mare was a crystal pony.

Twilight gasped. Her mouth moved faster than her mind, spitting out a half-formed conclusion.

"You - you're the beacon! I mean, uh, do you know where Diamond Charmer works? I need to return these books to her," Twilight said, wanting to curl up and die from the embarrassment.  There were plenty of crystal ponies; that didn't mean they all were the beacon referred to in that book. Her internal monologue was severed by a gentle laughing.

"I wouldn't go shouting your thoughts at just anypony, dear. It won't end well," the mare said. Still smiling, she took the books from Twilight. "Did Charm give you these ratty old things to read?" She shook her head, chuckling to herself. "That mare, I swear. You can't explain these things with the ramblings of doddering fools."

Taking a second shot at a good impression, Twilight asked,

"What's your name? Mine's Twilight Sparkle."

The mare smiled again, and gestured to a chair. Twilight sat down, glad to rest her aching hooves.

"I am Shining Dawn. I wou--"

SCREE SCREE SCREE SCREE SCREE

Dawn looked over at the offending object whose screaming cut her off. In a moment, she was cold and emotionless. She looked back at Twilight, her expression completely blank.

"I apologize, but I have an appointment to keep. Diamond works on the third floor, second door. I would recommend you be quick about your delivery. It is not wise to be late to this ... event. Simply follow the crowd and you will find your way." With that, Dawn marched off, seemingly staring into nothing.

Twilight followed her instructions and returned the books. Charm was gone by the time that Twilight found her office. Having gotten rid of the books, Twilight was quickly swept away by the pulsating tide of bodies all heading in the same direction. She found herself being directed towards what she could only assume was the center of town. Masses of creatures of all species clustered around a tall platform. Twilight gulped unconsciously when she saw the noose hanging down from it.

At the top of the platform, she saw the silhouettes of three figures: two were distinctly pony but the last looked like a ... gryphon? Between them was a dark shape too bunched up to determine whether it was alive or not. It wriggled once or twice, being swiftly bucked by one of the ponies. Twilight had no doubt in her mind what this was. She felt the bile in her stomach rise up at the scene.

A loud bell was sounded, once, twice, three times. The crowd fell deathly silent -- you could almost hear their hearts beating. Twilight pushed to the front of the crowd, silently pleading that she was wrong. Above her, the shape was bucked into standing up, the bag over its head being ripped off in the process. The gryphon flew down and grabbed the noose. Twilight's blood ran cold in her veins at the look the gryphon had on his face; it was one of sick sadism, revealing the quiet joy he was taking in doing this foul deed.

One of the ponies took the forefront. With a voice that could have blown a house apart, brick by brick, she shouted, "We, the Three, shall be taking the place of our Queen Enigmatic Insanity in these proceedings!" She grabbed the captive in her magic and held him aloft. "This traitor invaded our blessed country, no doubt an emissary of Equestria's! He spied upon our secrets, and killed our guards. We, again, protect the interests of Hajahact, of you, our beloved populace! For this treason, he shall die! Let he be an example to any who would spy upon our country!"

Twilight had a hard time not putting her hooves over her ears while the unicorn mare was speaking. It felt like she was standing in front of a speaker turned to its highest setting. The voice was all around her, vibrating her insides. Eventually, the mare's tirade was ended and the captive set down on the platform.

It was over quicker than it started. The pony, a dark coated unicorn stallion, was noosed and shoved unceremoniously off the platform. The height was nowhere near enough to break his neck -- he just hung there, choking and gurgling until he finally fell still. Twilight openly sobbed, earning her glares from the creatures around her. She looked up, searching for some indication that this was all a nightmare.

What she found was the gryphon staring down at her, his eyes wide and his lion-like feathers blowing in the breeze. In a moment, he was upon her, seizing her in his claws and carrying her up to the platform. In her last few moments before losing consciousness, Twilight remembered who he was.

It was Sonny.