Infection I-The Mysterious Mare in White
The world was once a cold place,
Where the wendigoes froze the hearts of all ponies
It is there that the power of friendship warmed everyone's hearts and spirits.
But now the days of old are gone, and both Sun and Moon are beginning to prepare for war.
But they are not strong enough to fight the coming waves.
The bringer of day and night will arrive to bring the world into peace once more.
The kingdom of the gods will soon crumble beneath the bringer. Their prosperous rule will collapse for a new era to rise.
-Excerpt from the Book of Harmony
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“Sis! Hey sis, wake up!”
“Ngh...what...”
“Come on, Twili! Rise and shine! Today's a big day!”
Twilight groaned and sat up, letting out a yawn. Her brother Shining Armor opened a curtain, letting sunlight filled the room. The light touched the piles of books that scattered around the young mare's room, some of them marked with a multitude of bookmarks.
"I must've been up all night studying again," Twilight muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes.
Shining Armor grinned as he brought out a tray that contained his sister's breakfast, consisting of some waffles drizzled with syrup and a bowl of oatmeal. He set it in front of his sister with a big smile on his face.
"...What's so important that you wake me up so early in the morning?" Twilight asked, staring at her breakfast.
"Did you already forget what today is Twili?" her brother asked.
"Is it the day that I can get some sleep?" Twilight answered, raising an eyebrow.
"No!" Shining Armor grinned. "Today's your birthday! Happy birthday!"
The stallion pulled out a gift box from underneath the bed and showed it to her sister. Twilight stared at it with wonder, wondering what type of present her brother gave her. She opened its lid and gasped. Nestled between sheets of tissue paper was a dagger in a leather sheath. She pulled the dagger out and looked at the designs of its hilt. There was a large purple clover made out of amethysts, and the clover was surrounded by other, smaller clovers.
"This is...amazing!" She gasped. "I love it!"
"I knew you would." said Shining Armor. "It took mom and dad lots of convincing, but they eventually gave me permission to let you start your knight training. You know, it's tradition to give weapons a name. Old legends state that warriors of old did this in the hopes that their weapons would be imbued with power. What type of name will you pick out?"
Twilight looked at the dagger at all sides. She had to think of a name that was daring, amazing, and clever at the same time.
"I've got it!" The purple unicorn said, jumping out of the bed. "I'll call my dagger Clever Clover!"
"From that old tale of Hearth Warming's Eve?" asked Shining Armor.
"The very same!" Twilight replied, hugging her brother. "Oh thank you so much, big brother!"
"Anything for you, Twili." Shining Armor replied. "Now I have another surprise for you, so hurry up and finish breakfast so we can head out."
Twilight went back onto her bed and began to eat her breakfast. Today would be the beginning of the biggest day of her life.
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“Please sis? Can I come?”
“Heavens forbid, Sweetie Belle! I can't let you get hurt!”
“But...”
“No!”
“I just...”
“Sweetie Belle, I mean it!”
“But I want to go!!!!”
Rarity sighed as she pulled the mine cart out of the entrance of the house, her sister Sweetie Belle inside the cart. Today was a very important day for her and she couldn't do her duty if her sister insisted in coming along...as she always did.
"I'm sorry Sweetie Belle, but you can't come with me today." said Rarity. "I know you're trying to do your best in helping me collect gems, but this is something I have to do by myself."
"What's so important about this special job, Rarity?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Why do you have to go by yourself?"
"The Princesses are preparing their knights to go out of Canterlot and into the far corners of Equestria. However, they're run out of Fire Rubies and requested that I'd go into the Crystal Caverns to gather them! Fire Rubies are found deeper into the caves; deeper than the two of us have ever gotten!"
"We'll do great in the caverns. I don't know why you want me to stay at home."
“I just don't want you to get hurt while I try to get these gems!” Rarity explained. “This is a very important job and both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are counting on me on getting it done. The fire rubies are said to give the knights courage and we need them to be brave to face what’s going on. Do you know what's going on?”
“They're having a big celebration where everyone eats cake with their hooves?” Sweetie Belle answered.
“No!" Rarity shook her head as she continued, "There's some sort of epidemic coming around that's placing ponies into an eternal sleep. And at the same time, parts of Equestria are slowly decaying. It's becoming harder and harder for the farmers to grow crops and the trees have been unable to bear fruit! I don't want you to be hurt Sweetie Belle; you're my one and only sister after all!”
“But that's not going to happen at all!” Sweetie Belle hopped out of the cart and went to her sister's side. “I'll always be with you no matter what as long as you use this!”
She rushed back into the house and returned carrying a small short-sword in her mouth protected in a leather sheath. It was made out of wood with some fake gems decorating the hilt, but Sweetie Belle didn't mind that fact at all. She placed it near her sister's feet.
"W-what is this?" asked Rarity, lightly tapping the sword with a hoof.
“This is the sword I use to fight off monsters in my sleep,” The little filly said with a smile. “And every time you use it, you'll always be able to picture me in my head. That way, I won't be far away. I'll always be there for you Rarity, just like you're always there for me.”
Rarity looked at the sword before smiling at her sister. She strapped the sword so it dangled a bit at her side before hugging Sweetie Belle.
“Thank you Sweetie Belle, that was so nice of you.” She said. “Now I have to get going. Promise me you'll be alright by yourself.”
“I will! I'll just be drawing and coloring something for you until you get back! Take care, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle began waving her hooves back and forth. "Bye!!"
Rarity waved goodbye as she began to head off to the Crystal Caverns, hoping to find some spectacular Fire Rubies for the Princesses of Canterlot.
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Canterlot was a very busy place in Twilight's eyes. Everyone was busy talking to each other, selling goods to one another, or just staring at the sky all day long. The royal guards patrolled the area, making sure that the residents were safe and sound. A few fillies were playing with a ball while a young mare was taking care of her child. Everything was perfect, just like every day was perfect.
“Um, brother?” asked Twilight Sparkle. “Why are you rolling that barrel along?”
“It’s part of our training.” Shining Armor replied, pushing the barrel along by nudging it with his head. “Now we’re almost at the gates out of Canterlot. Stay close.”
Twilight followed her brother as he presented himself to the Canterlot Royal Guards. They nodded at Shining Armor and opened the gates, letting the siblings leave the city. Shining Armor nodded a thank you as Twilight waved them goodbye. The two saw the large road out in front of them, waiting for them to see what was outside the city’s limits.
“Close your eyes now, Twili.” said Shining Armor. “And don’t open them until I say so.”
Twilight squeezed her eyes shut as she continued to follow her brother down the path. She could smell flowers growing in the field, and she could feel the sun warming her body. She could hear the chirping of birds and the buzzing of bees and the sound of a barrel rolling down the road…it was the sounds of life approaching her.
“All right then, you can open your eyes.”
Twilight slowly opened her eyes and gasped. The scenery that she was standing in was indescribable; she could barely speak as she turned to her brother.
“What do you think?” asked Shining Armor. “Do you like it?”
“This place...is beautiful...” She whispered.
Twilight looked at the field that surrounded her. It was green as far as the eye could see and smelled like spring. Flowers danced in the gentle breeze and it felt as if the world was awakening for the first time in centuries. Butterflies flew into the air, dancing with the breeze as they began to nestle onto flowers. They drank the sweet nectar before flying toward their next destination. Shining Armor just smiled and nodded his head.
“Now that we’ve seen the view, are you ready to try that dagger out?” He asked, setting the barrel up.
“I’m ready when you are,” Twilight replied, pulling the weapon out of its sheath with her mouth.
“Good! Now listen closely. The main idea is to immobilize your target with the dagger. Try to aim for…this spot.” Shining Armor picked up a piece of charcoal on the ground and drew a big ‘X’ at the barrel. “Focus on it. When you’re ready, throw it at the barrel. Alright?”
Twilight stepped back and lowered her head, keeping a close eye on the mark. Then she turned her head and snapped it back, releasing the dagger as she did. The dagger flew into the air and landed on the ‘x’ with ease.
“I...I did it!” said Twilight. “I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it!”
Shining Armor chuckled as he saw his little sister bounce around the barrel with glee. Just as Twilight was about to do another victory lap around the barrel, he turned around and looked in horror. He saw a black wave of darkness fall from the sky, blanketing the field of grass with its presence.
“No...not now...” He whispered. “ Twili! We have to run!”
Twilight looked up as Shining Armor looked back at the grassy fields behind him with fear. As he did, the sunny sky slowly began to darken.
“W-what's going on?” asked Twilight. “Shining Armor, what is...?”
“We have to get out of here!” said Shining Armor. “Quick! We need to find shelter! Get your dagger and follow me!”
Twilight pulled the dagger out of the barrel and sheathed it once more as the two ran across the plains. As they ran across the grassy field, Twilight turned around. The lush green field was slowly starting to decay and become black. The skies were darkening with clouds and the birds were flying away from the field as well. What was going on?
“There!” said Shining Armor. “Into the forest! The decay won't reach there! Hurry, Twilight!”
Twilight nearly stopped in her tracks; the Everfree Forest was a dangerous place that she was forbidden to go to. Her parents always warned her that monsters could come out and eat little fillies who misbehaved. But they had no other choice—whatever was happening to the field was chasing them!
Running as fast as she could, Twilight caught up with her brother as they became shrouded within the forest itself.
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“Ooh! I found you! Fire ruby, here I come!”
Rarity was having the best luck ever! The caverns were filled with fire rubies enough to decorate the whole town of Canterlot! With each fire ruby that was in the cart, she grew more and more excited!
"I'm sure that I'm going to be paid a fortune for harvesting these gems!" Rarity continued. ”Why, I bet I'm going to get paid handsomely for my work. And with that money, I bet I can by a new house for me and Sweetie Belle. But of course, I'd like to get some new curtains for the windows, and maybe we can spend a bit on a new rug. I wonder if Sweetie Belle likes the color purple."
Suddenly her horn began to glow with a brilliant light. Noticing this, the white unicorn walked down the cavern paths as the light grew brighter and brighter. It lead her deeper than she ever imagined, deep into an old shrine.
“What's this?” Rarity gasped. “I've never seen this before."
The shrine depicted a stone statue of a mare with a long flowing mane surrounded by chains. An inscription was beneath her hooves, surrounded by six different stone orbs. Rarity peered close, trying to read what was chiseled into the stone.
“Elements of Harmony...” Rarity read. “Honesty...Kindness...Laughter...Generosity...Loyalty and...and what? What's the last element?!”
Suddenly there was a loud roar that shook the caverns. Rarity turned around, seeing a monster slowly approach her. It had the head of a dragon, a reptilian body with wings, and a barbed tail. Its body was grey as the stalactites and stalagmites that grew in the caves and its eyes were shining like gems. Rarity knew what this was—it was a stone wyvern! Stone wyverns were known to eat gems and kill any intruders that would try to steal from their horde. It must’ve been following Rarity while she dug up those fire rubies!
“Wh-what are you doing here?!” She cried. “If this is your home, I didn't mean to harm you!”
The wyvern hissed and pounced on the white unicorn, saliva falling down its mouth. Rarity tried her hardest to pull the monster off of her, but it was too heavy! She couldn't do anything! But that was when she remembered Sweetie Belle's sword; thinking quickly, she pulled out the sword from the leather sheath with her mouth and swat the wyvern away. The stone reptile hissed and tried to attack with his tail, but Rarity blocked it with the sword once more. She then kicked the monster in its stomach and sent it flying back. She then smacked him in the face with the dull edge of the wooden blade and butted it in the head, sending him flying to a cavern wall. With her adversary down, she spat the blade out and approached him.
“I only want you to go away!” Rarity snarled. “I need to give these gems to the princesses so their knights can help protect our kingdom! I can’t do that if a monster like you is in my way. So, if you please, GO AWAY!!!”
“PLEASE! STOP IT!”
Rarity hesitated as the stone wyvern cowered away from the unicorn. She looked on in confusion—most stone wyverns weren't talkers. They usually crept up behind ponies and were ready to slice them into pieces after suffocating them to death. Why was this one so different?
“I...I didn't mean to frighten you!” The stone wyvern hissed. “I was just hungry; my family is starving and we do not have enough gems to last against the calamity.”
“The calamity?” Rarity repeated. “You mean…the decay of the world?”
“Yes, the decay of Equestria itself. The calamity has been prophesied to cause chaos and destruction amongst nature itself. Even now, my kin is struggling to find food due to the greed and envy of those Diamond Dog thugs. I saw you harvesting those fire rubies and I knew that I needed them. You have so many, so I'm sure you can spare some. Please...” The stone wyvern's eyes began to water. “For my family...”
Rarity hesitated; the stone wyvern nearly tried to kill her but he had a good reason to. And to be honest, the majority of those fire rubies were for her rather than to benefit the knights. She could give a couple of them away; after all, she was sure that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wouldn’t mind, right?
Rarity used her unicorn magic to levitate at least ten gems from the mine cart in front of the stone wyvern. The rocky reptilian looked at the gems before staring at Rarity. The white unicorn just smiled.
“They're for you,” She said. “Take them, I'll be fine. I can always dig up a few more for myself…and for the princesses.”
The stone wyvern looked at them before his eyes started to tear up. “Thank you,” He said. “And I must warn you; return home as soon as you can. Your town will be the first to be consumed by the decay.”
He soon walked off, carrying the fire rubies with one arm. Rarity waited until the wyvern could no longer be seen before turning back to the statue.
“I wonder what type of story you told,” She said. “I mean, I bet you were a nice and caring soul, weren't you?”
Suddenly, one of the stone orbs began to glow. Rarity gasped as it cracked open, revealing a necklace of a large, blue crystal. It hovered into the air before it settled onto Rarity's neck, locking into place. Rarity lightly touched with a hoof and jumped; it was real.
“W-what's going on?” She asked. “What is this?”
Please hurry...the world is in danger...
Rarity gasped when she heard the voice in her head. She looked around, trying to find the source of the sound before she looked up, and saw the eyes of the statue glowing. The remaining five stone orbs levitated into the air, encircling the statue before they vanished into thin air. That was when Rarity heard that same sweet and gentle voice echo within her mind.
Please find them...
“Find whom?” asked Rarity. “Who do you want me to find?”
Find the bearers...of the Elements of Harmony...
0 0 0 0 0 0
“What was that, brother?” asked Twilight, resting against a stump. “Why did the plains turn black?”
“I don't know sis,” Shining Armor replied. “But I think we should be safe here.”
“Safe here? This is the Everfree Forest! You know how scary it is! The plants grow, the weather moves and the animals walk and talk all by themselves! It's just not natural! And the monsters—mom and dad told me they’d eat little fillies like me if--”
“Those are old stories that grown-ups tell their fillies to make sure they behave.” Shining Armor peered past the bushes and trees and pointed. “Look, I think there's shelter up ahead.”
He led his sister past a multitude of vines and bushes, keeping an eye on the shelter to keep them safe. After some time trekking through the forest, they made it to the ruins of an old temple. Vines wrapped around the remains of broken pillars, and Twilight could make out what looked like two thrones. A part of her wondered what a temple was doing in the Everfree Forest, another part of her was worried about what was going on.
“We'll stay here to gather our strength and then head back home,” said Shining Armor. “Hopefully then we'll...”
“Shh!” said Twilight. “I see something!”
The two looked as a young pink mare with a long, flowing white mane appeared in front of their eyes, having a golden heart for a cutie mark. In front of her was a book that depicted six gems encircling a ring of light.
“W-who are you?” asked Shining Armor. “What is your name?”
“Take this...” The white mare answered, handing the book to him. “Use it to stop him...”
“Stop what?”
“Stop him...please...”
The white mare vanished in front of their eyes. After a few seconds, Shining Armor looked at the book and opened it. Hidden in a book was a golden crown with a purple star crystal, ready to be worn on top of his head.
“What is it, Shining Armor?” asked Twilight, approaching him. “What did she give you?”
“...I don't know,” Shining Armor replied. “But all I know is--”
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor stepped back as a dark figure rose from the earth. It was a pony made out of obsidian, wielding a large red sword in his mouth. He glared at the two siblings with a pair of fierce golden eyes..
“W-who is that?!” asked Twilight, eyes filled with terror. “What is he doing?! Why is he after us?!”
“Run, Twilight!” said Shining Armor. “I'll fend him off!”
“But Shining Armor...” Twilight looked at him with worry. It was rare for her brother to address her by 'Twilight' rather than her nickname 'Twili'. That meant that something was terribly wrong.
“GO! And don’t look back! Keep running until you reach the city and don't stop until you get into your room and lock the door! HURRY!”
Twilight hesitated before she turned around and ran for her life. Surrounding her was the darkness of the forest, but she kept her eyes looking straight ahead, praying that her legs didn’t give out before she made it back home into the loving embrace of her mother and father.
Shining Armor's horn began to glow as a large barrier covered the adversary. It pounded on the barrier with all its might, but it was no use. Shining Armor was known for his powerful barriers, one of them protecting the city from the decay that was destroying the outside world. He had been hiding this from Twilight because he didn't want her to worry. She was too young to know what was going on in the world.
The obsidian pony threw his key at the barrier, destroying it. Shining Armor grunted as he was thrown back. The key was lifted into the air as Shining Armor tried to prepare another barrier. However, it was too late—the key struck his heart and he screamed.
The scream was not heard by Twilight Sparkle, who was running passed the decayed prairie back to home.
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After hearing the voice in her head, Rarity ran as fast as she could back home, praying that Sweetie Belle was safe. She put as many fire rubies she could carry into a sack and had her sister’s sword sheathed around her side. Something was horribly wrong; if the stone wyvern was right, then all of Canterlot was in danger! Her sister was in danger!
As she made it back into the town, she saw ponies lying on the ground unconscious. The busy streets of Canterlot were completely silent. There was no one selling apples and flowers, no fillies laughing or giggling, and nopony talking at all. It was if they were in an eternal slumber. Seeing this, Rarity ran faster than she ever had to the house, not stopping until she found her old house where her sister was waiting for her.
“Sweetie Belle!” She exclaimed, when she opened the door to her house. “Sweetie Belle, are you al--”
Rarity looked on in horror; Sweetie Belle was lying on the ground, her eyes wide with horror. Surrounding her was a crayon drawing of the two sisters surrounded by a blue gem heart. Rarity rushed toward her sister, her heart pounding in her chest. She tried shaking her little sister away, but Sweetie Belle wouldn't move. She was just like the other citizens...
“No...no it can't be!” Rarity cried. “Sweetie Belle! SWEETIE BELLE!!!!”
The white unicorn began to cry; this wasn't one of her overly dramatic cries though. This was a full-on mourning fest. Her sister was hit by the decay; she was in this coma.
“What do I do?!” Rarity cried. “WHAT DO I DO?!?!?!”
Find them...
Rarity recalled the words that she heard back at the statue. “Find the bearers of the Elements of Harmony”, it said. She had one around her neck, didn't she? Then that means she was one of them and she had to find the others.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It was followed by a gruff voice.
“Open this door, right now!” it cried. “Why were you out of the city when a crisis was going on? Tell me!”
Rarity stepped into the window and saw the look of one of the Canterlot guards. The eyes were awash with a dark black glow, and his facial features look more angry than stern. Something was terribly wrong.
Thinking quickly, she began to pile chairs and tables to blockade herself from the angry guards. She then turned to the sack of fire rubies by her side before staring at her sister. Rarity wiped the tears from her eyes as she stormed into her sewing room and closed the door shut. As the guards pounded away on the door, Rarity took a glance at a piece of paper nailed to the wall. This was the pattern for the royal armor that the princesses gave to her regarding the placement of the fire rubies. With the image of the armor in her mind, Rarity’s horn began to glow. Red fabric, golden thread, scissors and needles began to dance and float into the air, creating a similar armor to be fit upon the unicorn. They transformed into armor and a matching helm for Rarity, ready to be used in battle and to protect her.
“I will save you Sweetie Belle,” Rarity cried. “I promise you!”
Armor wrapped around her legs as the fire rubies danced into the air. One was placed on the helm, the breastplate and then one settled on each of her armored legs. She walked out of the sewing room and looked in the mirror. Something was missing. She noticed a pair of scissors on the ground and closed her eyes. The scissors levitated in the air and went close to her mane…
SNIP!
Purple locks fell onto the ground as Rarity stared at herself one more time. She couldn’t go back to her job in making clothes and gathering gems. The world was in decay, and her sister was in danger. She had to leave.
Rarity returned to her sister and picked up the wooden sword, slipping it back around her side. At that time, the guards were through the blockade, pointing their spears and swords at the unicorn.
“Halt!” said one of the guards. “Stay right where you are.”
Usually, Rarity would take the time to explain the situation. This wasn’t one of those times. She pulled out her sister’s sword and charged at the guards, swiping them away before they could even blink with a swift movement of the wooden sword. She left the house and began to run, praying that her sister would be safe and sound until she could return home.
I promise Sweetie Belle…Rarity thought to herself as she headed toward the city gates. I’ll be strong for the both of us; as long as I have your sword, you’ll always be with me…
