Prologue: Chapter 0
Laying dormant for eons. The knowledge of these mystical artifacts were mostly lost and scattered across the land and that knowledge has turned from history into myths and fairy tales. There is an old legend. One that isn't very well known.
As we all should know, the three pony tribes used to hate each other. They would argue and fight amongst themselves. However, unknowing to the ponies, above them were the winter spirits called 'Windigos' The more hate the spirit feels, the colder things become.
But after an encounter in a small cave. The delegates from each tribe were frozen solid. and the other three that were with them stayed. They overcame their hate and anger towards the other tribes and cast aside the unruly winter spirits with newfound love and honor.
We all should know that part pretty well. However, There is more.
The 'Creator' gave three gifts to ponykind. The first gift was leadership. The creator sent his three daughters to rule over the land in harmony, caring for the ponies beneath them. These ponies were none other than Celestia, Luna, and Gaia. Unfortunately, Gaia became corrupted by an evil creature known as Discord. Scarred permanently by his chaotic powers, she became the being we know today as Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.
The second gift was the Elements of Harmony. The creator gave these artifacts to ponies so they may be capable of retaining everlasting peace within their lands. Nopony knows their true potential as the knowledge on these artifacts are only known through their usage throughout the centuries.
The third and final gift is The Scepter of Harmony. This artifact is an ancient one with a very powerful spell. According to legend, whomever claims the scepter and powers it up successfully is granted one wish. The wielder must prove himself to be capable of wielding this power. To power the scepter, one must find the six gems that represent each of the elements of harmony. Unfortunately, only five are known but the sixth is rumored to be the focal point and unifier of the five other elements. Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, Generosity, and Loyalty. Each of these gems have their own unique trial. All who have found such gems and have attempted the trials have perished.
Our story begins with one man. A man who was whisked away against his will into a foreign land filled with bright colors and singing ponies. His name was Brad(no, not from equestria girls) and this is his story.
Brad is your everyday individual. Mostly shy and tends to stick to himself. He is a tall fellow with auburn hair. His unnaturally black eyes led to his secluded behavior and lifestyle. He has no human friends but encounters many birds, beasts, trees and flowers. All to welcome him home. His home was a simple shack on the outskirts of town behind an old, rotting mansion. His cozy home was overlooking a lake, one that he would venture down to occasionally, if not to just feed the fish.
He loved his home. It provided the bare minimum of what he needed to survive. The lake was fresh water, the nearly barren trees provided plenty of firewood, and the animals helped him by gathering food for him if he was unable to find any. However, this is what led to his journey.
As he sat upon a dampened rock which overlooked the lake, a thunderous boom was heard behind him. Animals of all sorts sprinted past him. He turned around and saw the blackened skies, almost as if they were not clouds, but smoke and ashes. A thin blanket of fog rolled around the base of the rock, the fog was thick enough to completely hide the earthy ground beneath. The animals fled quickly as a the smoky clouds lit up the night with a flash of green lightning. A peculiar occurrence indeed.
What happened next was beyond him because it all happened so fast, he passed out almost immediately. He believes that he was struck by the strange green lightning.
Author's Note
IMPORTANT:
Note: Every time Brad completes a trial, three years will have passed, bringing our hero closer to the events of season one.
Chapter 1
Time: approximately 20 years before the events of the season one premiere. (the elements of harmony, known as the mane 6 are mere newborns at this point)
You have potential. Much potential indeed. A strange voice spoke to him. It reminded him of the wicked witch of the west from that one movie… What was it… Wizard of Oz? Sounds right. You are the chosen being. The one, chosen to prove himself to the gods. You shall embark in a journey, filled with dangerous traps and creatures trying to kill you. You are weak now, but you already proved yourself to one of the 6 elements. Open your eyes and wake up. all you must do is place your thumb to the center and mutter a phrase to it. The voice began to dissipate itself to leave, but not before speaking one last time. Each harmony stone provides a unique power after completing the trial. We will meet again after you have gathered all 6 harmony stones. Farewell young warrior. The path ahead is most unpleasant.
Brad sat up from where he was laying, eyes wide open and he was panting. That dream. What was it? After dwelling upon it for a moment, he decided that he would figure it out later. while he was zoned out he picked up upon the subtle details of his surroundings, informing him of his unknown location.
He picked himself up off of the rather soft patch of grass that he had laid upon. He took in his surroundings, helped by what little light that reached his eyes. Off in the distance was a light. So faint that he nearly missed it entirely. It was a yellow light, pulsating.
Brad began walking toward the light. From around him, he saw pairs of yellow eyes stare at him. He felt scared. One of the creatures stalked toward him, being illuminated by the full moon above. A creature shaped like a wolf and made of wood stalked him. This creature just gave the term “timber wolf” an all new meaning.
Deciding to not engage the creature, he sprinted. straight toward the glowing light, which he could now discern was a gem. He dashed to it and grasped it, it was attached to a stone wall. It would not budge. Hearing a growl, he rolled to the side which turned out to be a wise decision as the wolf bashed into the wall, causing the glowing gem to dislodge. The wolf disintegrated into a pile of sticks but immediately began to reform. Brad quickly snatched the stone off the floor and ran inside the cave, the yellow light illuminating the cave.
A light not unlike shimmering water reflected off of a source and illuminated the cave further. Suddenly, a deafening snort and the movement of thousands upon thousands of golden coins and gems thundered throughout the cave. A loud groan of discontent was heard next.
Brad had the presence of mind to hide behind a rocky pillar, covering the illuminant gem with his shirt to mask the glow. The beast sat up, yawned and scratched it’s belly before sniffing the air. It’s drowsy demeanor immediately disappeared and was replaced by a snarl.
“I can smell you.” The dragon said in a raspy, almost sandpaper-y voice. “Face me, Thief!”
“But I am not a thief!” Brad shouted. “I came only seeking shelter from wooden wolves. Not to steal from you.”
“But you possess a gem, a very precious gem. Don’t think I don’t know about it. I can smell it’s unique power from here.” The dragon snarled at brad who was quivering behind his pillar. “As for the Timberwolves, they are a non-issue.”
“I found it outside! In the wall of your cave. The timberwolf smashed into it and dislodged it. After picking it up, I came in here to escape it.” Brad said, submitting to the dragon, knowing that if push came to shove, that he would never make it out of the cave alive.
“Hmm… I find myself believing you… What are you, Strange creature? You are unlike any minotaur I have ever seen.” Minotaur? After a moment, he spoke again in a demanding tone. “Well? Out with it!”
He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves, Brad then emerged from behind the pillar. “I am a Human. Homo Sapien if you’d like to be scientific.” The dragon took on a thoughtful expression, overlooking the human.
“A human you say? I cannot say I’ve ever heard of such a creature… You aren’t from around here are you?” Brad shook his head ‘no’ “Hmm, I am… Intrigued. What is your name?”
“I’d like to ask the same in return. My name is Brad Collinsworth.” He took a bow, knowing that the two were at a state of non hostility. When he rose up again from the bow, he saw an amused look on the dragon’s muzzle.
“I am known as Eldritch the Undying. A rather peculiar name I know. My kin gave it to me as I am the last of the ‘True dragons’.” Eldritch said, looking down in a downcast manner. Brad recognized the look as an ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ expression.
“I understand. I won’t bring it up. It was a pleasure meeting you Eldritch, but I must be going.” Nervously advancing toward the cave entrance, he saw a flash of lightning and the nearly deafening downpour of rain outside. Seconds later the thunder was heard, causing him to shrink away from the entrance. Brad turned back to the dragon who had an amused look once again. “Do you mind if I stay here for the night? I won’t take anything without permission.” Brad swore.
The dragon nodded. “It has been several centuries since I've last had a guest, Even longer since i’ve had a guest that I haven’t eaten.” The dragon threatened playfully before letting out a hearty laugh that caused a stalactite to fall and shatter nearby. He then pointed with one of his incredibly large claws toward a hole in the side of the cave. “In there you will find a bed. Being several centuries old, it may have rotted away by now though.”
Bowing gratefully to Eldritch, Brad walked quickly to the cave that was mentioned. Inside was a very barren room. There were stalactite formations on the low ceiling, each dripping water. on the side was what seemed to be a desk, carved out of the stone. and the other side contained a simple bedroll but it somehow looked perfectly preserved. Throwing this odd thought out of his head, he walked up to the bedroll. He had to duck beneath and between the sharp stalactites, to make his way to the bed. He laid down upon it and fell asleep almost instantly.
The next morning he awoke to… darkness. This isn’t my bedroom. The memories of the previous night crept back to him, remembering the dragon, the strange yellow gem, and the timberwolf. Luckily, his eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness, allowing him to make out the sharp formations dotting the low ceiling. He got up and walked out of the side-cave to see the giant pile of gold and gems disturbed. He could not see the dragon.
Eyeing the mound of gold and gems, his natural greed came to the surface. He ran his hands through the massive amount of gold and other riches. Unbeknownst to him, The dragon was outside, watching the human from the entrance. “Such beauty…” He said in a trance. “No, It is not worth my own life.” He walked away, toward the entrance, where the dragon hid out of sight. Eldritch must be out hunting. He thought, unaware of the elder dragon’s dietary habits. Not knowing that gems and gold were a major portion of their diets.
He began his trek by quickly descending from the mouth of the cave. Since it was daytime, he could now see that he was infact on a mountain. He slid down the embankment to the base and dusted off his tattered pant. Around him was a thick wall of brambles. He sighed and tried to find a way around but to no avail. He sighed. “This is going to hurt…” He winced at the thought of it.
A memory rose to the surface. One on survival. he quickly disrobed down to just his underwear and held the clothes above his head as he pushed through the brambles. The thorns on this plant were much thicker than he was used to around his old home but he eventually got through and fell to the ground completely covered in scratches that already started to bleed. Looking around, he saw that he was next to a river, once that was gushing past him at an easy forty miles an hour. His wounds were beginning to bleed profusely. Blood from a particularly large wound on his forehead began to drip into his right eye, obscuring his vision. He took out a knife that was conveniently inside one of the pockets in his pants and began to cut up his shirt, cutting it into thin strips and wrapping them around the worst wounds. Brad then put his pants back on. “Water leads to civilization… But was it upstream or downstream that can be faster? I don’t remember.” Walking forward, he followed the river upstream.
He eventually came to an incline, having hiked several hours, he had picked up a rather sturdy stick which he used to keep himself upright. It was nearly sunset and he had no time to build a shelter. He could only rely on his faith as he neared the top, praying that a village or some sort of shelter laid on the other side.
The hundreds of wounds on his body had dried, clotting the injuries. Every single one of the cuts itched like mad. He reached the top and looked around, the particular hill he stood upon was taller than many of the trees, allowing him a good view of his surroundings. He turned slowly, closely analyzing the area. He looked around for any signs of civilized life, smoke, fire, perhaps an abandoned cabin, anything. As the last of his hopes nearly faded he saw it… a smoke stack. His hopes skyrocketed as he immediately took off in the direction of the fire. The cold winds of night time were already tickling his back as he ran, adrenaline filling his veins as night time drew closer.
He had to cover atleast two miles within a few minutes. Sadly, he was not an athletic runner and had scored a 7:31 time on the mile run at his previous school. At that rate… 15 minutes to cover two miles. He doubted he could do it, but he had no choice.
Brad ducked and weaved through the trees, jumping over tree stumps and being careful not to trip as he ran. He was happy. The feeling of air whipping through his hair felt amazing. Had his life not been endanger, he would have savored this moment even further.
He had no choice, he could die. He was in the middle of a forest, alone. presumably on an alien world if the Dragon was any indication. Not a single being aside from the dragon knew he existed. He would be alone, not a single being trying to find him. He was scared.
He slowed down, having covered at least a mile by that time. He wheezed, coming off of the adrenaline rush. He brought the glowing gem out of his pocket, whispering a silent prayer to whatever deities that would listen. With the gem between his palms, he knelt.
“Help me. I have showed you nothing but Kindness, if there is a way to repay it, it would be now. Help me get through this.” From behind his closed eyelids he could tell there was a source of light that was getting brighter and brighter by the second. Here he was. In the middle of the forest, so close, yet so far from safety. He couldn’t make it. Fatigue was overcoming him. The blood lost from the brambles and his desperate sprint toward safety had taken a heavy toll upon him.
He opened his eyes to see the gem glowing dangerously bright. Suddenly, the gem exploded, splitting into six sections. One of them began to glow blue while the rest stayed yellow. The five yellow shards flew toward him and attached to his chest causing him to black out. the blue shard held in his hand. He drifted off into unconsciousness. But in the waking world, any observer could state that he had suddenly vanished.
Chapter 3
For a middle aged mare like Granny, Life was excellent. This weekend was when the Town hall would be built, and the train station would be constructed. The residents of ponyville were allowed to come up with the outside design of the train that would be used for back and forth trips to canterlot. That young filly’s parents would be one of the first to ride it.
As Granny Smith trotted through the town, smiling as she headed toward her home on the farm. She and her children were supposed to be bucking trees for food today but she couldn’t help but just take a stroll.
Granny caught a glimpse of something off to the left of her vision, A tall bipedal thing. It had the gall to just stroll into town. Whatever it was, it was very intimidating. It’s bare chest, revealing two nipples suggested that it was a girl, but having not read about anything like this before, Granny wasn’t sure.
She hid out of sight as the creature walked past her. She heard it say in a very masculine tone. “Where is everyone?” She gasped, a little too loud. The creature heard her.
Brad stopped and looked around, having heard the gasp. He spotted a piece of shaking plywood leaned up against the side of a half-finished house. Moving it, he could see a green mare with a yellow bonnet on her head. She was shaking furiously, almost petrified in fear.
He knelt down, stroking the pony’s mane, whispering calming words to her. Her ears poked upward at him. In a shaky,southern tone, she yelped. “Don’t hurt me!”
“I would never dream of such a thing.” he said in a calming and soothing voice, studying the mare’s form as she quivered before him. “Relax. I have no intention of harming you or any other pony.” She visually began to relax, although still obviously quaking in terror on the inside.
“What are you?” She asked in her southern drawl. “For such an intelligent creature, especially one so civilized, I’m surprised i’ve never heard of…”
“Human?” Brad offered politely.
“Yes! A human that is so culturized in the school textbooks.” Granny exclaimed.
Brad was not sure why he found this funny, but he chuckled lightly. “Whats your name? Mine is Brad.”
“Granny Apple Smith. At your service!” She curtsied.
“Nice to meet you, Granny Apple Smith. If you would prefer, would you mind if I called you just Granny? For simplicity’s sake?”
“Sure thang Brad! Are you hungry? I should be getting back to the farm now, family is probably wondering where I am. Not to mention look after my grand-foals, Big Mcintosh and Applejack! They were born just three years ago!
“May I meet them?” He asked, anxious to find a warm bed after sleeping on that uncomfortable floor earlier.
“Well sure! I’ll lead the way! Just follow me!” Granny took off, trotting towards a huge barn in the distance. It was a pale red color, looking like it needed fresh paint. “Here we are!” She exclaimed when they arrived, pointing proudly with her hoof towards the opened door to a house that was the same pale red that the barn had. Brad walked inside and instantly heard screaming. Not one of despair, but one of an infant, originating from upstairs. He followed Granny Smith upstairs, stopping near a door where the screaming was the loudest. Inside, he could hear shushing from inside along with faint singing.
“Hush now, quiet now its time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now quiet now its time to go to bed~.” A feminine voice sang sweetly. Brad felt enticed to open the door, but he remained firm and removed his hand from the strangely shaped doorknob. He looked around to see Granny Smith sitting down near him, her hat in her hooves with a bowed head, she looked to be crying.
Moving away from the door towards the green mare, he spoke softly. “Why are you crying?”
Sniffling, she raised her head toward him. A happy, yet sad, smile was upon her face. The two contradicting emotions were both showing, giving brad a sense of ambivalence, or a fight between two conflicting feelings, She was both happy and sad. “Because that mare has the most beautiful voice, yet she was determined to stay here instead of following that dream of hers to become a world-famous singer. She’s loyal to her family, after she met ‘Apple Tree’, she decided to stay here and become part of the Apple Family, both physically and mentally.” She looked down and sighed. “Its a shame. Her voice is absolutely stunning.” She paused for a minute before getting up and walking to the door. “Lets introduce you to the family.”
She opened the door and Brad was greeted with the sight of an orange mare. Her head was keeping a swinging crib taut as she leant against it. Her ears perked toward the door. “Yes?” The mare asked.
“I have a visitor. He isn’t from here and may look a mite scary, but he has a gentle heart. I thought to introduce you two before making him some grub. You’re welcome to join.” Granny Smith said, opening the door to reveal Brad fully to the mare. She gasped in shock but quickly recovered.
“My name is Brad. I promise you, that as Granny said, My heart is gentle and pure.” After speaking, Brad bowed to the mare who blushed.
“My, my Softly Spoken,” Granny stated, staring in awe at her. Brad followed her gaze until it laid upon an orange amulet. Delicately crafted and looked very, very expensive. “What is that around your neck? It looks beautiful.”
The orange mare blushed in response before waving it off. “I found it yesterday. It was under my bed for some reason. I asked around and was unable to find the owner of the amulet. So, I decided to keep it.”
“Well, thats mighty kind of ya. To put in the effort to find it’s owner. It means you care. Just be sure to return it if you do find the owner.” Granny said, to which Softly Spoken nodded.
Brad walked toward it, entranced in its bizarre beauty. He reached out to touch it but stopped himself. “May I?” He asked politely.
“You may.” She took the amulet off and hoofed it to him. Gripping it in his hand, a brilliant light began to glow from it, as well as a blue light from his pocket. Both mares gasped at the sight. Brad took out the blue gem and held it in the other hand. Both gems vibrated brilliantly as they drew closer. the blue gem began blinking, turning an orange instead of blue.
Without any warning, the now-orange shard flew from his hand and pointed directly towards the new gem, it shot forward with tremendous speed, bathing the room in a brilliant orange light. When the light faded, they were shocked to find the amulet completely shattered. seemingly beyond repair. but before their eyes, the thousands of shards began to glow brilliantly. Nobody noticed the single shard fly into the small orange foal in the crib. the rest, began to swirl around the orange shard that was previously blue. a few began to combine with it while the rest shot into Brad’s chest at near the speed of light.
As the light died. Brad was passed out on the floor.
Author's Note
Looking for editors and ideas for trials! any criticism is welcome and appreciated, but if you do not like my story, please help me improve by telling me what you don't like
