Tales of the Forgotten: Prelude

Let go of the past, but do not forget the lessons it has taught.

January 3rd, 2015 9:50 A.M.

Ponyville Train Station, Ponyville, Equestria

The day was cold with the sky above clear of any clouds that would obstruct this beautiful snowy day. The sun shone brightly over Ponyville and mostly all of Equestria today as per scheduled by the weather teams across Equestria so that we could get at least a day away from the gloom of Winter in some way. I sat at the edge of the platform, waiting for the train from Canterlot to arrive to see the princesses. They wanted me to come to Canterlot for one last talk before I left on what I would call my journey.

The sun felt nice on my face as I looked skywards, thinking about the times I had spent here in Ponyville. There was hardly any activity here at the train station as most everyone had no plans to travel today. The usual children that would play around town and near the train station were gone today, most probably playing out on the hills near the outskirts of Ponyville in the company of their respective parents.

I turned away from my thoughts as I heard the sound of hooves clacking against the wood of the platform. There were two ponies that I recognized, Rarity and Twilight. Rarity was wearing a pink scarf around her neck while Twilight wore a magenta one around hers. They were both smiling at me as I smiled back at them before turning away to look at the sky again. “It sure is a beautiful day today, wouldn’t you two agree?” I asked.

They walked over and sat near me staring up at the sky as well. “It really is, but I suppose that still won’t convince you to stay?” Twilight joked as I chuckled lightly.

“Not in the slightest, but I do thank the two of you for coming to see me off. Oh and Rarity, I suppose I never properly thanked you for the winter clothing. I truly appreciate it.” I said happily as I turned and nodded at Rarity who smiled at me.

“Not at all darling! I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself if I let you freeze to death out there.” she replied. She had made me a jacket, a pair of mittens, and lastly a beanie for a favor in return. Before winter started she wanted to get a surplus of gemstones so that she wouldn’t have to go out in the dead of winter to get more. Ever since the last time when she was captured by Diamond dogs she was wary about who she took with her. Considering I was already three feet taller than her and a foot taller than the Diamond Dogs, she wanted me to come as an intimidation tactic of sorts.

It was a simple job with a nice reward in return so I went with it. Although we didn’t come across any dogs while we were there, so the trip went smoothly and we came back with a plethora of gemstones.

In the distance we could finally see the train coming in towards the station. I sighed as I stood up with my knapsack slung over my shoulder and walked over to the edge where the train would stop with Rarity and Twilight standing behind me as the train screeched to a halt. “Thank you all for your help during this past half of a year. When I return someday, I’ll be sure to bring back with me plenty of tales to tell to the each of you. Just promise you’ll be here when I come back, alright?” I said solemnly as I turned around to give them one last smile before stepping aboard the train.

I glanced back at them one last time to see them waving as the doors closed and the train departed back towards Canterlot.

June 16th, 2017 12:16 P.M.

High Fields, Sayona

I laid at the edge of the river holding my hand to the sky, feeling as the wind blew against it and the grass around me gently. I had come back to the river earlier today to start deskinning the Drakon I had killed only a couple of days ago so that I could give it to the villagers as assurance of my claim and a small trophy to myself.

Even though I had sprained my ankle, I couldn’t stay down for long as I still had far too much to see and do. I guess that’s one thing me and Rainbow Dash had in common, we hated being put on bedrest for long periods of time. Her with her wings and me with my yearning to explore. I smiled at the thought for a second as I felt Zeke lay down next to me and replicate my position.

“Today reminds me of the day we met Twilight and Doctor Whooves, sitting atop the hill underneath the oak tree staring off into the distant sunset as she asked me where I came from. It’s kind of funny, wouldn’t you say Zeke?” I asked as I looked over at him as he continued to stare up at the sky, deep in thought. I laughed and turned my head back skywards.

Just to think, three and a half years ago I was just some normal kid sitting at home playing games and having a good ol’ time without a care in the world. Then January 24th, 2014 came around and my world was turned upside down, or at least that’s putting it nicely. I appeared in Equestria at the edge of the Everfree Forest with a bad leg with the thought I had just been somehow transported somewhere in the southern hemisphere.

If that had been the case back then, I would have found a way already to contact my family and return to them. I may still continue to search for a way back home to this day but it seems like that hope is but a dwindling light with no energy to keep it lit any longer. I lost my friends and family, my hopes and dreams, pretty much everything. I tried to remain as happy as I could the first couple days I was in Equestria as I was nearly put in the dungeon by Princess Luna and Princess Celestia for being a ‘human’ from their mythology. The next few days were spent making my house at the edge of the Everfree Forest in the company of Applejack, Twilight, and Spike with the occasional Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow Dash kept her distance from me as we both were not inclined to liking one another, but perhaps I was only being childish when I was so blatantly rude to her. After the dream I had, I knew that I had truly lost everything. The ones to show me the light I needed to move on were around me; Twilight and her friends showed me that I even though I had lost all my previous friendships others could be made.

I remember the night after I had left the hospital on crutches and the time I spent reminiscing in sweet memory of my family with Luna. Telling her of the days long gone and the love my friends, family, and I shared. I remember the months to come of introducing myself to Ponyville and how they initially reacted to me. It was tough at first but soon I became just another resident, and after a few months I finally decided that I would leave Equestria in search of a way home.

The first year I spent training under Master Yato at a dojo within the Crystal Empire of the Frozen North. I remember being told that I couldn’t master using the bo staff and longsword in a singular style of fighting and going off to train on my own for a while. When I returned I had shown Master what had become of the style, but then his death came a year and a half later.

I remember Shining Armor being there at the funeral, paying Master Yato the proper respect for training his troops. I stood at the periphery of the funeral, watching the proceedings with a solemn air about me. I arrived at the dojo later that day to gather what belongings I had and proceeded to go to the Train station. Shining Armor had found me then and asked if there were anything he could do, I simply told him to remember Master Yato and I.

It has been almost a year since then that I had left the entirety of the continent, content with the idea of traveling finally. From the day I arrived here in Sayona, I have traveled to eight small villages such as Sharptalon, two large towns, and the Griffin Capital of Awrada. During my visit to each of these places, I had always been approached first by a child that was curious as to what I was.

I always offered a smile and told them exactly what I had told Twilight and the others the day I met them. I always got that one griffin in the crowd that would mention humans of old mythology in which I quickly dismissed as truly but that of myth. Many of those gathered went about their day as if nothing happened, a few would stick around and talk to me to try and pick me apart so to speak.

“Why Robert?” I heard Zeke ask, surprising me as I looked over at him raising my eyebrow.

“Why what Zeke?” I responded.

“Why did you choose to leave the comfort of Equestria and your only friends?” he asked, turning on his side to face me as I thought about it for a moment. I sat up and pulled in my left leg so that I could rest my chin on my knee.

“I suppose the reason I chose to leave Equestria was to go out and explore a world I know nothing about. On Earth you could go to the Grand Canyon or Niagra Falls and have a great time seeing something that nature created over the course of several thousand to millions of years ago. Here on Equus there are still so many things yet to have been discovered, far more than that of Earth. I want to see where I can take myself without the bindings of friends or family for once, I don’t want to miss out on that chance Zeke.”

“The reason I had to leave is because we were making no progress on finding a spell to return us home, no matter where we looked. Maybe if we search hard enough, just maybe, we can find some way to get back home to Earth whether it be for good or for only a limited time such as my funeral. Whether or not I wanted to leave, I would have had to one day. I’d rather have left then while I didn’t have a great connection with all of them.”

“No matter the choice I made to either stay or to go as I did, it wouldn’t have mattered Zeke. To move on towards the future one must be able to give up the past and make peace with it. Whether the future shines bright with the light of a thousand stars that light up the night sky, or it fades to darkness such as a bottomless pit; I will not regret where my choices thus far have led me in my new life.”

The world fell silent for all but the sound of the grass swaying against my tattered cloak and pants. I heard Zeke say nothing but I could feel him smile as he faded in a gust of wind that brought miniscule glimmers of light flying past my face. “Sometimes I never understand him.” I sighed as I stood, putting little pressure on my right foot as I hobbled back into the water and towards the Drakon.

The beast was undeniably dead as I had descaled most of his head already with no sign of life. The top of its head where I had broken into it’s skull at had already been descaled down to the top jaw. The bottom half of its scales still hung on its lower jaw and neck.

The Drakons meat had already started to stink like all heck but I ignored the stench as I continued to cut away the scales. It took about an hour before the scales on his lower jaw and neck were able to finally be taken off, leaving just his body with scales. I pried open the eyelids so that I could get a closer look at the eyes; both eyes were a deep orange and the pupils were dilated.

I let go of the upper lid and the eyes fell shut once more. I chose that it was a good idea not to try and pry open the beasts mouth to see what it was like, might take my own head off if I did. My bag was full of the scales and skin from the Drakon already, enough to sell for a new pair of clothes and to keep saving. Overall I only had around 1,000 bits, most of which I got from clients or odd-jobs around the villages and towns I visited. Usually the jobs would be working here for a while, or going out and doing this for this creature, or doing dangerous stuff like getting rid of a feral creature such as the Drakon.

Although nothing could compare to the Drakon up to this point in time, the most dangerous creature I had to fend off before this would have to be a manticore. It wasn’t too friendly to some contractors that were looking to expand their village a bit into an area the manticore had claimed as its own. That was about five months ago, and I was able to lead the Manticore away from the village without harming it. Sadly I couldn’t say the same with me as it made scars on my back, right leg, and right arm.

I gathered up my bag and other items and placed it over my shoulder, feeling the string dig into my skin from the weight. I tied the string across my chest and re-adjusted it so that it was easier and more comfortable to carry. I used my staff to lean on as I hobbled back to Sharptalon.

It took almost two hours to return to Sharptalon as hobbling is far less effective than walking normally. As I approached the perimeter of the village I was approached by the two guards from the previous day.

“Is that the skin and scales of the Drakon?” One of them asked as I nodded in confirmation, pulling the bag off of my shoulder and placing it on the ground in front of me.

“Yup, took forever to get this stuff off. Is there anywhere that I could sell the scales and skin in the village?” I asked plain as day as they opened the top of the bag. The smell of blood quickly reached my nose, making me scrunch it in disgust.

The guard on the right whistled as he used a talon to pick up a small sliver of scales and skin. “You may be able to sell this to a clothier or blacksmith here for a nice bit of money. How many pounds is this?” he asked looking at me. I shrugged my shoulders.

“I would guess at least forty pounds. I’m surprised the bag held up with the weight of the scales, especially with the blood left on them.” I responded. The guards nodded their head.

“You’ll get at least a couple hundred bits for this then, are there anymore scales or skin that you’re going back to get?” he asked hopefully.

“If you want the scales and skin left of the Drakon you can get it yourselves. The body is lying in the river on the path towards Cresfall, might want to hurry before it starts decomposing further.” they both sighed and returned to their respective post at the outside of the gate. I picked up my bag and headed towards the marketplace.