Lightning ripped through the air in two different hues, crashing against eachother and shattering the ground wherever it touched. The earth shook below, as stray strands of energy flew downwards and struck it, breaking apart the rock and dirt with ease. One side of the storm was a dark, malevolent red, while the other was a pure white. The forces broke apart, and hovered midair. The white lightning started to glow brighter, and the red wavered. The chaotic lightning started travelling away from the white, as if running, but it was too late - The white released a rainbow beam of energy, shattering the red completely. A large statue fell to the broken earth, its power gone, revealing a mess of a creature - a hybrid of many other species mixed into one. The white energy dissipated, leaving behind a white horse-like creature, except for the fact it had the wings of a Pegasus, the horn of a Unicorn, and a flowing pink mane.
The horse landed next to the statue, a look of disappointment on its face.
"It never had to end this way. I always hoped that you would come over to Harmony."
It sighed, staring at the face of the statue. Its horn started to glow with a yellow aura, picking up the statue with the same aura. The horse took to the air again with her wings, the statue following behind it.
All was still in the broken, dark landscape. Wind rushed over the landscape, and dark clouds formed overhead. Rain fell across the land, washing the dirt, sand, and rock. The land would be completely barren, if not for one red glow that stood out in the darkness.
Where the statue had been picked up, a small red gem glowed brilliantly for a while, before dying out.
I woke from my slumber slowly, whining slightly as waves of pain rolled through my head. Bright, painful light penetrated my eyelids, the headache growing even worse from it. I groaned and turned my head away, snuggling deeper inside of the blankets.
Dear Zoptes, I'm never drinking anything Ples gives me again.
Another groan escaped me as the pain redoubled its efforts to drill inside of my brain. I rose a clumsy hand to my forehead, holding it close my forehead without touching it. Taking a deep breath, I slowly gathered the energy inside of me, allowing it to flow nowhere but my hand. The pain stop drilling and started using explosives to penetrate my brain instead, each shockwave earning a small hiss from me.. Focusing on the magic, I slowly brought the hand to my head, allowing the energy to flow back into my brain. I altered the energy to start acting as a painkiller, blocking out most of the headache quickly.
Triumphantly, I grinned, a small sigh of satisfaction escaping me as soon as I felt no traces of the migraine. Turning onto my back, I slowly opened my eyes, blinking as a beam of sunlight streamed right into them. Usually, the maids made sure to keep the curtains over the windows, as to not disturb the mages who worked well into the night on their various studies.
That new girl must have cleaned the windows while I was still asleep.....
I sat up in bed, rubbing sleep from my eyes. One of my hands buried itself inside of my robe, wrapping around a cold, hard object. I brought it out, revealing the amulet - a white, hexagon-shaped gem, locked inside of a casing of white bronze. An inscription in a language that I couldn't read, one that nobody had ever seen before no matter who I asked. I had looked for its meaning for many years as a child, before giving up, assuming it was an old, dead and forgotten language that one of my parents had spoke. It was the only thing of theirs I had ever had - nobody knew who they were, as I had been found in the wilderness one day, near the home I had known for my entire life, Cunuie Fortress. With a small, sad smile, I tucked it back under my robes, glad that it was safe.
I looked blearily around my room, my vision still a little hazy from being tired. It wasn't the biggest or the smallest room in Cunuie Fortress. It had enough room for my bed, a small dresser, and my desk, but not much else.. I winced at the state of the desk - Scrolls and books were littered on and around it, with an overturned ink vial staining the stone floor, along with several scrolls nearby. The dresser was only in slightly better shape - the doors were open, allowing me to see that half of my robes were off the hooks, piling up at the bottom and over the side.
I shook my head a little, clearing my head of some of the sleepy fog still inside it. Slipping out of the sheets and off the bed, I focused my energy into many small streams, sending them out of an outstretched hand. Closing my eyes, I moved a quarter of the magic towards the clothes, while the rest went to the desk. I started cleaning both messes at the same time, using the magic to sense what was where, before gently placing and organizing everything neatly. With the ink spill, I gathered all the dark liquid into a small orb, then forced it back into the vial. Mentally remind myself to dispose of the "dirty" vial latter, I released the connection to the energy, the vial landing with a small thud on the desk. I opened my eyes, smiling at the now tidy and organized room.
Now that that's taken care of, I should change out of these robes.. I sniffed at them, bringing my head back in disgust as soon as I did. They smelled of a lot of sweat, as if I hadn't took them off in weeks. Now that I think about it, I probably haven't...
I changed out of the dirty robes, depositing them in a lump at a corner, where the maids would find and wash them later. I dressed myself into a clean black robe that was still hanging up, vastly improving upon my nose's happiness. Summing my power once again, I forced my energy into a small circle in front of me, focusing the magic with my mind. A small disturbance filled the air in front of me, like a heatwave in the distance, before a reflection rapidly started appearing, allowing me to look at myself.
Hair needs a cut. I observed, looking at the locks of dark brown hair. With a quick swipe of my hand, small chunks of it came off, before disappearing with another motion. My blue eyes were bloodshot, staring tiredly back. I checked under my jaw, satisfied that I wouldn't need to shave for now, and with another wave of my hand the mirror disappeared.
"That's better!" a loud, rumbling voice said from behind me.
I jumped into the air, my body jolting and instinctively preparing its energy for magic.. I turned swiftly, swinging a hand in from of me, ready to blast any threat..
Outside my window, a golden-haired man leaned on the ledge. His green eyes glowed with mischief, matching the grin on his lips. He was taller than me by a few inches, no doubt since he was six years my senior.. Instead of wearing the standard robes of Cunuie mages, he wore heavy fur clothing, a cloak covering most of it, the snow outside turning it white. He was quite bigger than any of the mages at Cunuie, taller than most by a head and much more physically fit by far. I sighed in relief, lowering my hand.
"By Mertir's Blood, Marius, you scared me."
The grin on his face grew wider, and his loud chuckle boomed. "Exactly what you needed, Anre. You spend too much time inside the fort - You need to go outside more. While I admit that the Far South isn't ideal for getting some color, you look far too pale since I last saw you." he half-joked with his deep, booming voice, the grin never leaving his face.
Ever since I could remember, Marius had always been a guiding force in my life. Even before he undertook the Oath and completed the Trials of Power, the tests to become a full mage of Cunuie, he had always watched over me, helping me through my own studies of magic. He always made sure I had everything I needed, and protected me from bullies around the fort. Though we weren't related by blood, he was the only family I had.
I sighed, rolling my eyes. "I'm glad to see you're your usual self, Marius." I strode up to him and hugged him tightly through the window, smiling. "I'm glad to see you're still safe, though."
He chuckled again, patting my back. "It was only a scouting mission, brother. Nothing dangerous to it."
I pulled away, glaring at him while I crossed my arms.
"Even when you're entering Dragon territory?"
He gulped and looked away, his smile growing a bit more nervous.
"W-Well, maybe a little bit dangerous. But nothing I couldn't handle!" he finished, the cocky, mischievous smirk returning.
I rolled my eyes, again, before giving up. "As you say, as you say." I yawned, rubbing my eyes again slowly. "How long are you back for?"
He drooped, looking away from me. "Well, about that..."
I stared at him, an eyebrow raising itself. "Well?"
He sighed, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. "Look, it wasn't my idea-"
"You can't tell me he's sending you back out immediately?!" I exclaimed, praying silently he would say that it wasn't so. Frowning deeper, he nodded.
"We're supposed to head back out before night, scouting out more locations in the mountains for a few weeks."
So soon? I thought morosely, looking down at the ground. I know you're part of the Lanterns, but we still don't ever get to hang out lately... I sighed softly, pushing back my thoughts, before looking back up at him, forcing a small smile on my face.
"Well, you have free time until you head out again, right?"
Marius nodded, a grin returning.
"Yep! I first have to go give a report to Lord Erlent, but afterwords," he continued, while picking me up in a massive bear hug, "we can then talk about all of what's happened since I left. Maybe we'll even get you out of this dusty place for once and go outside!"
I barely heard the last of his words, wheezing for air. Where his arms were grabbing me, my bones felt like they were about to break, and my lungs started screaming for air. "Can't.. Breathe!" I whispered, struggling to draw any air into my lungs. Marius let me back down, with no remorse whatsoever as he laughed.
"We'll catch up later, Anre!" He wheezed out, chuckling at my pain. I sat on the floor, pushing air back into my lungs, thinking of ways to get him back for this. One thought that came to mind involved two horses and a laxative potion from Ples.
I swear he has part bear in him somewhere... I thought to myself, leaning my head against the bed. My breathing now back to normal, I picked myself up, another yawn escaping me. My foot landed in a wet coldness, making me jump in the air on one leg. Looking down, a small puddle had formed underneath the still, the snow melting quickly in the magically controlled environment. I shut the windows quickly, preventing any more snow and cold from getting inside.
Later in the day, when the sun was high above in the sky, me and Marius were walking down a path near the fortress, through the snow-covered woods. The trees stood green even in the winter, though they were no Evergreens - they were trees taken from all around Lesvaria, planted around Cunuie a long time ago. Magic was infused into them every day by the groundskeepers, allowing them to survive and even flourish despite the harsh winter weather. This far in the South, without the magic many would die easily even in the summer.
Shivering, I looked up at Marius. "So, the dragons are moving further from their lairs? I thought that they were content with the territory they hold already."
He looked straight ahead, his eyes distant, his features betraying no hint of his usual mirth. "It seems that what we thought was wrong. We..."
He sighed, closing his eyes, pointing his head up. A look far beyond his years was on his face - one of weariness, and sorrow.
"..We found the remains of a small village 20 leagues away from their territory. We were heading their for supplies and information - the village had lived next to the Dragons for years, sending them gifts and livestock for peaceful coexistence. Jhet thought they would know best about why the Dragons were heading so far from their normal grounds. What we found though..." He stopped again, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Everybody their was dead. Men, women, children - all of them dead. The Dragons either burned them, or ripped them apart themselves."
The D-Dragons did that?! They've always chased out explorers from their lands, b-but.... There hasn't been a report of them attacking settlements for hundreds of years!
I looked at the ground ahead of me, images of a burned village entering my mind. I shook my head, trying to dispel such thoughts, though they still lingered at the back of my mind.
"What did Lord Erlent have to say about this... situation?" I asked.
Marius snorted with a small sneer.
"The good Lord Erlent has decided that this isn't a major issue, and only wants the Lanterns to monitor the situation until it is deemed 'worthy' for the attention of the battlemages. Apparently a small village, 'Isn't worth their time.'"
"You aren't serious?" I shouted, stopping and turning to face him directly. "L-Lord Erlent has always been, cautious, but he has never been so heartless!"
Marius grunted, refusing to look at me.
"Apparently, that is not the case anymore, despite all of the Lanterns protest. We might be the most elite of all the scouts in Cunuie, and perhaps almost half of Lesvaria, but apparently that doesn't seem to make a smidge of difference."
He shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. He stood silently for a moment, before shaking his head, a grin returning to his face now. "But come, now, Anre. It's been a month since we last talked together - let us not talk of such dark and serious matters."
I nodded slowly, my mind still racing over this new information. What is Lord Erlent doing?..
A large hand snapped me out of my thoughts, thrusting itself in front of me. I blinked, confused, looking up at Marius.
"What's wrong br-"
The hand shoved itself over my mouth, silencing me immediately. Marius held a finger to his lips, before pointing at one of his ears. Taking his cue, I listened, trying to find whatever he had heard through the wind.
Silence reigned for a few minutes, nothing breaking through the gusts of wind. Just as I was about to speak again, I head it - A terrible scream, one that chilled your blood just hearing it, one of pain and terror. Me and Marius looked at eachother for a moment, before he rushed towards the noise, in a dead sprint, while I tried my best to keep up behind him.
Whatever was screaming continued to do so, the terrible noise allowing us to keep heading right for it. Whatever the poor creature was, it was loud - We ran through the snowy wood for a few minutes before we got close to the source. As we approached a large clearing, Marius stopped running, getting low to the ground. Without him having to tell me, I followed his lead, pushing myself into the snow on my hands and feet, shivering from both the terrifying howling, and the cold seeping into me.
We slowly crawled through some of the brush, trying to make as little noise or movement as possible. Reaching near the final edge of the clearing, I parted a small bush I was hiding under, staring out into the open.
The sight that greeted me was much worse than I could have ever imagined. A stone altar, its original color lost to the dark liquid that soaked it, sat in the middle of the space, a naked victim on top of it. I could not tell who or what gender the victim was - their body was by now far too mutilated, with chunks of flesh removed, blood coming from various runes on the skin, pouring out of holes were there had once been limbs. I didn't understand how they were still conscious, and how they could still scream as they were - blood pooled around the altar, so much that it should have bled the poor soul dry. A tall, hooded figure was bent over the altar, carving strange runes into its victims body with a curved blade.
Bile rose to my throat, but with great effort I held it back. I turned towards Marius, doing my best to avert my eyes from the horrible sight ahead. Marius continued to stare ahead, his face divided into two emotions - one I clearly saw as rage, though the other was... recognition?
Before I had time to dwell on this, the hooded figure set down his black and bloodied dagger, apparently satisfied with the work he had finished. It raised its hands towards the victim, muttering under its breath. Its hands, already drenched in dark, red blood starting glowing, a dark, crackling red energy forming around them. It raised its hands to the sky, before spreading them apart, holding them outstretched at its sides. The air above the now, mercifully quiet victim started shimmering, turning darker, and darker, as if the light and air was being sucked away from it, leaving behind only empty space.
The hooded man's hands started glowing brighter, the crackling lightning growing more fierce, before sweeping them forward, connecting the energy with the dark space in front of it. The darkness began glowing the same, demonic red, shaping itself into a long oval. A blinding flash of light blasted from it, brighter than the sun, so bright that I had to close my eyes, and could still see it through the eyelids.
The light stopped as quickly as it began, leaving me in darkness. I tentatively opened my eyes again, staring at the aftermath.
The hooded man stood in the clearing, his arms hanging limply beside him, the magic finished. The altar and its victim were gone, though - vanished, leaving behind only a small dent in the snow, any sign of blood now erased.
Beside me, Marius let out a loud growl, pushing himself out of the bush, striding into the clearing with energy already forming over his hands. I looked into his face as he strode forward, barely recognizing him - his eyes were no longer human, but instead crackling with blue fire, streaming around his face. His hands emitted the same fire, held out in front of him. When he spoke, his voice was somehow even deeper than before, rage and power echoing through it.
"Who are you, you fiend?! Show yourself to me!"
The hooded figure turned quickly towards Marius, and I gasped as I recognized him. Marius did as well, taking a small step back, his fire diminishing for a moment.
"Lord Erlent?!" he shouted, staring at the bloody man. "W-What is the meaning of this?!"
Erlent sighed, pushing back his hood. My eyes widened as I fully saw him - his normally bald head now had two small, black horns sticking out, the tips razor sharp. His normally pale and wrinkly skin was now darker, with all signs of age gone. Eyes normally a bright, friendly green now had irises of pure black. He stared at Marius, his face betraying no emotion.
"I see you have found me out. You surprise me, Marius - I underestimated the Lanterns. It is regrettable that you and Anre found me here. I had hoped to avoid having to kill any of you personally."
Marius glanced over at my position with his eyes, before looking back at Erlent. "It's only me here!. Stand down, Erlent. I do not know what has possessed you to perform such horrible rituals, but you WILL stand before the Arcane Council for your crimes!"
Erlent tutted, as if an older teacher to a younger student.
"Do not try to lie to me, Marius. I know exactly where Anre hides in those bushes, and I know how long the two of you have been spying on me out here. I also have no intention of standing before those old, pretentious fools. Now, I am truly sorry for this."
Without warning, a sudden blot of red lightning shot from Erlent, who had not moved an inch. Marius didn't have time to react, the energy travelling at a great speed. It hit him dead on, flying through his chest before bursting out the other side, moving as if had not hit him at all. Time slowed - red flew through the air, staining the snow. Marius flew through the air, a large hole showing light through his chest as he twisted. Within both an instant and an eternity, he was gone, landing somewhere beyond the clearing.
"MARIUS!"
I searched frantically for him where had fallen, praying that he was alright, that it wasn't as bad as I thought. I knew he had to be alive - he would stand up, good as new, before blasting Erlent with his full might, destroying him. There was no way he could be dead. He was a Lantern, an elite, and the best battlemage at Cunuie Fortress.
Silence ruled over the clearing, the wind itself not daring to move. Minutes passed by as hours as I looked for my brother, hope slowly being replaced with dread with each passing second. I clenched my fists, warm liquid tracing down my cheeks.
N-No... You can't be dead... You were my family.... D-Don't leave me....
A small sigh broke through the silence, followed by footsteps growing closer. "And now, I must finish you as well."
Wiping away my tears, I looked up, watching as Erlent walked closer, a hand outstretched towards me.
Something snapped, bringing forth a raging inferno of nothing but rage and hatred. Image after image raced through my head - the red lightning, blood staining the ground, Marius flying through the air. Dread and fear were burned away in the raging inferno - my vision turned red, blinding me to the world. Only one thing mattered - Revenge.
I jumped out of the bush, charging at Erlent with a howl. I launched blast after blast of burning white flame at him, the air turning from frigid southern cold to the blazing heat of a smiths forge.. I stopped my charge a yard away from him, breathing heavily, gathering all the power inside of my body. With a shout, I launched everything, a raging, blinding fireball exploding forward. Flames burst through the nearby treetops and foliage, the snow melted away instantly, and the dirt below was charred within seconds. Smoke and ash filled the air, hiding everything from sight in front of me.
I held onto the inferno for as long as I could, my lungs burning, pushing as much energy as I could give towards feeding the flames. Soon, it felt like I was carrying the weight of a giant on me. My body shook as exhaustion settled in, the edges of my vision slowly turning black. The inferno dimmed, the raging heat slowly turning into a small stream of flame, before receding completely, leaving behind only smoke and ash. My knees buckled, the world rushing by in a blur, before pain erupted in my head, stars dancing before my eyes.
Darkness and fog enclosed me, all of my strength completely gone. My heart fluttered weakly, straining to pump blood through my veins. Small, sharp gasps for air were all I could pull in, not enough to stop the fire inside my lungs. I knew then that this was it - I was about to die, and meet Marius in the afterlife.
I wonder if I'll get to meet my parents there, too...
Thousands of miles away, a hand popped into my sight, the palm of it glowing red. I watched as it grew brighter, unconcerned that it would kill me - It would only bring a faster end to what little life I had left. To a small amount of surprise, I noticed as a bright light shone on it, the hand quickly retreating from it. The light grew brighter however, encasing the world beyond. I sighed, not caring at its significance, as my eyes slowly closed, welcoming the darkness that took me. One final thought went through my mind as I faded.
I'm sorry, Marius... I tried...
Moonlight shone through Golden Oak Library's windows, bathing a young drake with its dim light. The small dragon snored loudly on the couch, a small puff of magical fire occasionally sizzling out of his open mouth. The tiny green light glinted off the glossy titles of books lined along the walls, like tiny little green stars in the night sky.
A crash and a shout startled Spike out of his peaceful sleep, his instincts kicking in as he jumped off of the couch in an instant, looking fearfully for intruders. Another crash upstairs, and he set off in a run, quickly climbing up the stairs. He charged for Twilight's room, where more crashes and a small shout were heard.
"Twilight, are you alright?!" he shouted, running inside. He skidded to a stop, looking at the sight before him.
A tangled mess of white sheets and purple fur was laying in the middle of the floor, an irritated unicorn glaring out of it. The bed was overturned, the night table sporting a large crack in one of its legs, and a small mirror normally above the desk was now on the floor, cracked. With a flash, Twilight was out of the sheets, her face burning inside as she stared at Spike. She smiled, one of her hooves rubbing her leg.
"Y-Yeah, Spike, I'm just fine. I, well, had a little, teeny accident."
Her horn started to glow, and with more flashes of light, the room was back to normal, as if nothing had happened at all. Twilight's smile grew wider, chuckling slightly. Spike stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment, before letting out a huge, exasperated sigh, his face slamming into one of his clawed hands.
"I can't believe I got woken up for this. Why in all of Equestria did you decide to go berserk on all of your room?"
Twilight immediately perked up, any traces of being embarrassed erased. She trotted up to her desk, her magic lighting a small candle on top of it, while pulling out a quill and parchment, setting the latter down. She talked as she wrote, her eyes never leaving the parchment.
"I felt a large displacement of magic rush by Ponyville in my sleep. Only a very powerful spell could have caused enough of a disturbance to actually be felt by any Unicorn this far away, and even more powerful than that to actually wake one up. In fact, I'm surprised that it wasn't enough to cause a large explosion!"
Spike's eyes widened, his tail twitching behind him. "I-Is that bad? Are we in danger right now?!"
Twilight sighed, setting her quill down and rolling up the letter.
"That's just it, Spike. I have no idea on what could have caused it. that's why I've written this letter to Princess Celestia to inform her about it, and to see what she wants us to do."
She handed over the letter to spike, who sent it off with a breath of green dragonfire. He gulped nervously, looking back at Twilight.
"So, uh, what do we do in the meantime?"
"We have to go gather the girls and the Elements, Spike. I don't know what's out there, but if it's bad, then we're going to need them."