Even in Darkness There is Light

A new day greets us as we awaken from our slumber. Celestia and Luna thank you for keeping us safe on our journey.  Aria suggested we go to her cabin in the woods.  She claimed to have supplies that might prove valuable for the journey ahead.  Medical supplies I assumed, she was really gifted with her healing magic I was a bit curious how she was able to manage.  Not to be mean or anything but she was blind.  So how could she read, know what herbs she’s picking, let alone know where things are around her?  I didn’t mean to be rude but I just had to ask.

“Hey Aria, I was wondering… How is it you are so experienced in your magic and medicine?”

“My father taught me all he knew, even though we were… Low class didn’t mean we were experienced in potions and treatments. As for my sight, well there are other ways to sense things around me such as scent and sound. I guess you can say that those two senses I’ve adapted to for survival…”

“I didn’t mean anything offensive if you felt that way, I’m sorry.”

“It’s quite alright, come I’ll lead the way to my cabin.” Damn I feel like I just offended her… Maybe I should keep my mouth shut for the rest of the way.  If it’s other than my actions getting me in trouble it’s my mouth… She really didn’t seem to care about her condition.  Aria was always showing a smile, but in a way it seemed like a fake smile.  Something was still troubling her but what? The desire to know was killing me.   I didn’t want to ask her in front of Fate and Crystal, I had to wait.

“We’re here, give me a second while I get some stuff and then we can continue to Canterlot.” She rushed inside and swiftly packed various supplies.  I was right; most of it was medical supplies.  I also caught a glimpse of a few books that contained spells and information about medicine.  “All packed! Forgive me for the delay.”

“Not at all,” Fate sounded grateful that we stopped. “It’s actually a good thing we stopped; it’s always good to have somepony with the knowledge of medicine. In fact I think it’s better we have a medic in general. “

“I don’t want anyone to suffer… I want to be the best medical pony in Equestria, and I feel like traveling with you three will help me accomplish my goal. Yet I need to atone for harming you Destiny. It feels like no matter what I do I can never forget I tried to take your life let alone accept your forgiveness…”

“It’s all in the past Aria, you are our friend now. Besides you’re not the only one who’s impaled me with their horn…” Even though I said that, she heavily regrets it still. “Fate is right though we’re glad we have somepony with your skill and knowledge.  Come now to Canterlot we go.”

We traveled quite some distance in order to reach Canterlot.  Three long days, this should’ve been a day and a half’s travel.  We were stalled due to my injuries, as well as the encounter of Aria.  The name Velvet Bane was stuck in my mind.  If it wasn’t for Fate that day, my life would’ve ended a miserable death alongside with Crystal who was my only friend at the time.  I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the last time I would see her again and if by some chance we were to meet again, would I be ready?  The bigger question at hoof, do I have the will to take another pony’s life?

“Hey look we made it!” Crystal pointed to a city which seemed to have been built on the side of a mountain.  I snapped out of my daze and looked at the marvelous city known as Canterlot.

“So this is Canterlot… This is where the royal princesses live.” It was such a sight to behold; it was much larger than Ponyville that’s for sure.

“Indeed it is Destiny, but remember we are only here for supplies.  A map at least, it’s sad that I don’t actually own one…” I giggled at him.

“Then how did you know the direction to Canterlot?” Crystal asked.

“Lucky guess…” he replied.  Aria remained silent, if she didn’t want to be anywhere near here.  I could understand that after the talk about her past.  We neared the large gate but we stopped a bit far away from it.

“It won’t be safe for me to enter… Even if I change my form of that of a different pony, I would still be caught. After the queen’s siege on Canterlot, security has been increased as well as ways to detect Changelings who try to infiltrate. I’ll wait here for your return.” I didn’t want to leave Crystal behind, but I suppose it’s for the best.  It was clear to me that ponies in Equestria were extremely hostile to her kind.

“I’ll stay here as well. I’ll keep her company so she doesn’t feel all alone…” Aria offered. I understood why as well.  Aria did not feel welcomed in Canterlot nor did she want to be reminded of painful memories.

“Be sure to stay hidden Crystal, we’ll be back as quick as possible.” Fate and I continued to the gates.  I saw guards stationed there, many guards.  Crystal’s words were true; we approached the wall of guards blocking the entrance.

“Halt! State your business.” The guard said pointing his spear in our direction.

“We are travelers just stopping to buy some supplies.” Fate replied.

“Hmmm… you look familiar.” The guard glared at Fate.

“You must be mistaking me for somepony else…”

“Hmmm… let them in!”

“Thank you.” I said kindly to the guard.  Fate began to pick up his pace.  He gave a face of worry, I noticed it right away.  Something was clearly wrong.

“He really looked familiar…”

“Bah it’s just your eyes, you’re getting too old.” The guards were talking about Fate.

“Fate, what’s wrong?” I whispered.

“We must move quickly, I fear the worst.” What’s going on? I’ve never seen him this way before.  We were cruising through Canterlot at a fast pace.  Ponies were giving us dirty looks, simply because we were commoners.  Well, I was in this case.  Fate’s depiction of Canterlot was accurate.  All the ponies who lived in this great city were either wealthy or high class.  We finally reached our destination a book store.  It was like I was in paradise!  I loved books with a passion and to be surrounded by this many…

“Let’s find that book of maps Destiny.” I let go of my ecstasy and decided to focus on the task at hand.  We split up looking for this so called book titled Maps of Equestria.  I didn’t find that book but something else caught my eye.  The Tales of Equestria: The Elements of Harmony… Includes the tales of Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends. WHAAAT!? I… I so need this book… It was a treasure before my very eyes.  I began to let out joyful squees, but not only that I was really curious about these two new princesses I never heard of before.  “Hey I found it Destiny! Uh… Destiny?” Fate saw me drooling over what I had just found.  He gave himself a facehoof.

“I-I’m sorry…” I said feeling very embarrassed.

“If you really wanted it, all you had to do was ask…” I let out a loud squee of happiness that it probably was heard throughout the whole store. “Let’s hurry back.” I nodded and agreed, I was just so happy that I would get my hooves on that book.  After what happened to my old edition…   We walked towards the cashier and complete our purchase.

“300 bits please.” Fate shuffled out his bits to pay the cashier, but there was something else that really caught my attention.  Two posters on the wall behind the cashier pony.

Wanted Dead or Alive:

Name: Fate

Specific Physical Traits: Gray Coat, Black-White Mane, Cutie Mark of an Oracle of Time

Crime: Desecrating the ancient laws of the Oracles of Time and Heresy

Reward: 10,000 bits dead, 100,000 bits alive

The Oracles of Time thank you for cooperating and bringing this traitor to justice.

Wanted Dead or Alive:

Name: Unknown

Specific Physical Traits: White Coat, Red Mane, No Cutie Mark

Crime: Domestic Violence in Ponyville, Assisting a Changeling, and Murder

Reward: 2500 bits dead, 5000 bits alive

If you see this mare, be extremely cautious.  She may look like a commoner but she is extremely violent. Reports say she is responsible for assisting a Changeling and the murder of a resident in Ponyville. It is a known fact she has a strong hate for other ponies.

Not good!  We have bounties on our heads! And murder? I’ve done no such thing! Sure I saved Crystal but I did not murder that stallion…  What is wrong with this world we live in… and who are the Oracles of Time?  Fate finished paying the cashier he shoved the books in my saddlebags and then whispered in my ear. “Run…”

It was clear that Fate must’ve notice the posters as well.  We were now racing towards the gates when all of a sudden. “There’s the traitor! Try to cut him off!”  We were being pursued by a group of ponies who all had the same cutie mark as Fate.

“Don’t dare look back Destiny; run as if your life depended on it!”

“Guards block the entrance!” We were trapped, royal guards on one side and a group of ponies who I assumed were Oracles of Time on the other.  “Your trapped traitor, submit to your crimes and you’ll find your life will be much better in the afterlife.”

“I knew they looked familiar!” It was the guard from before.

“Fellow Oracles… Is it such a crime to help change one's fate?” Fate asked.

“It is forbidden you know that! We are not to interfere with history itself.”

“You wish to look upon others suffering?” Fate scoffed, “How many years how many countless lives have been lost? How long must we watch? All my life I’ve been granted many visions and all my life I was taught to never interfere. The Oracles of Time are corrupt! Watching ponies suffer, how would I not agree to make a change? The Oracles claim they are the keepers of history, I say they are the harbingers of doom! No more will I watch others in need suffer terrible fates! No more shall I live by your immoral laws! We were granted a gift given to no others only to see the misfortunes of the future.  I don’t care if you call it heresy or not, I will not let the world become darker than it should be.  The answer is within this one and I will forever protect her and stay loyal to her ‘til the bitter end…”

“Enough of this nonsense! Seize them! Capture Fate and take him back to the Orthodoxy the mare you can do whatever you please.” The guards and Oracles began to close in on us.

“Fate… What do we do?” I asked trembling.  At that moment a bright flash emitted the area.

“Where did this blinding light come from?” An Oracle randomly shouted out.

“Huh where did they go?” A guard asked dumbly as the light dimmed.

“Celestia be damned… Find them immediately!”

What just happened?  “Hey, it’s a good thing I got to you two just in time.” It was Aria. “I teleported you two out of there while your captors were blinded.” I was relieved that we were still alive.  I gave her a hug, happy to know that we got out of there.

“Thank you Aria… you saved us!  I’m happy to have a friend like you.” Aria smiled back at me.  I turned to Fate, it was now I understood what had been troubling him this whole time. “Fate…”

“Let’s get out of here… We’ll talk when we reach a safer location.”

“Okay…”  I looked back at Canterlot and now I knew that wherever I go I am no longer safe…

We were criminals with bounties on our heads.  I still don’t understand I did not murder anypony.  Severely injure yes, but murder?  I sighed, but what I wanted to get a better understanding of the organization known as the Oracles of Time.  I knew Fate was always suspicious.  Receiving visions of the future, and I’m the answer to ending the darkness in this world?  None of it made sense… his words echoed in my head, “I will forever protect her and stay loyal to her ‘til the bitter end…”

“Destiny! Hello! Are you ok?” Crystal noticed my confused look.

“No… I just learned that Fate and I are wanted criminals.”

“What?!” Aria gasped, “Criminals for what?”

“Fate is wanted for heresy, and I’m wanted for domestic violence, assisting a Changeling, and murder…”

“You didn’t murder anypony though!” Crystal reassured me.

“I know… but why? What makes a pony claim such things against others who believe in what they believe is right?”

“Like I told you before, the world is dark and corrupt.” Fate replied, “Equestria has changed over the past few years.  Everything used to be peaceful and everypony treated equal and everypony lived in harmony. Then such ideas of friendship and harmony proposed new thoughts within Equestria.  Hate, greed, betrayal, pity, pride…  It was these thoughts that brought chaos to Equestria.  You could say the four princesses of Equestria are all busy trying to suppress these ideas.  Still it’s not enough…”

“There is another thing I must ask Fate how am I all tied to this?”

“One day I was granted a vision of a mare that was said to have brought change and restore Equestria to its prior state. Though she was special indeed, she would not be able to obtain her cutie mark. Despite that, she started to notice the hatred throughout the land and sought to rid of it.  On her journey she would encounter five unique others to accompany her on this quest to purge the widespread hatred.  But when the world is purged of this darkness she too will perish… All would not be lost… For it was her unity of all pony races that will save Equestria…”

“It… doesn’t make sense to me Fate…”

“You are that mare; you have more power than you actually think Destiny…”

“I’m an earth pony… I’m not special at all.”

“In time you will learn to accept that you will be the savior of Equestria… It has already been foretold.”

“What are the Oracles of Time, what are they truly?” I asked still confused.

“I guess it’s time I tell you everything. The Oracles of Time are granted visions of the future and we record that as history. I was one of those Oracles. My mother and father were also Oracles. When I was just a little colt I would receive visions and nothing would make sense. All oracles have the same cutie mark, a ying-yang. When I grew older I received visions that were full of death. It clouded the way I thought and as a law I was not allowed to interfere let alone change history itself. I disagreed with the other Oracles; I did not want to watch this world be plunged into eternal darkness. I had to disobey.  To tell you the truth I never wanted to be an Oracle in the first place… That was until I was given the vision of you.  I did not want to see you suffer and die a life where you felt that you didn’t belong. I wanted to help you, travel to the ends of Equestria with you, help you find your destiny, save Equestria, and maybe one day hope to see you obtain your cutie mark...”

“It’s as the heavens have blessed us with a guardian angel.” Aria said.

“I never knew you had such a responsibility Fate.” Crystal added. I stood silent; it’s true I wanted to rid hate from this world.  I wanted to find my destiny and attain my cutie mark, I want everyone one to be treated equally and live in harmony.  Yet again, I could not comprehend how I was all linked to this… How can I, an earth pony, change the perspective of millions of ponies?  What is this latent power within me that Fate speaks of?  Can I really save this world?  There were just too many questions shuffling inside my brain that I tired myself out and decided to rest hoping it would ease my mind for all that had happened on this day.