Forces

Forces

Hello, my name is Pea Gravel. This may seem strange but the world you know of cupcakes, rainbows, princesses, even friendship is noting but a dream for ponies like me who don't live alongside with you. If you'll let me, I'll explain it the way I lived through it and maybe you'll appreciate the world you live in a bit more when you put down this book.

I was born like everypony, into poverty. My father, orange hair and dull red fur with a face that shown the labor he did to feed my mother and I. My mother was a pegasus, a rare thing to find as a free pony, and dad was an Earth pony like me. Both of them were nomads until they met each other, my mother's fair grey fur and platinum mane caught his eye and the fact she had wings meant her children could. Sadly it didn't but what came out of it was a little grey filly with a grey coat and an orange mane...me. I remember we occasionally got strange looks because we all had varying shades of green for eyes, mine the lightest.

Having a family to care for was no easy task in the world we lived in. Both were from the desert which was full of things similar to diamond dogs (but scrawnier and in larger packs) , deadly scorpions, and worse of all Carnahorses. Now for you kids at home, yes a Carnahorse is exactly what it sounds like. Its a pony that can only eat meat. With all of these dangers and a brewing territory dispute with the Ridge Dogs and the Sand Boars. The Ridge Dogs had forts and camps running all along a rocky mountain range on the rainy side, the Sand Boars were buying whatever help they could get to get land on the Dog's side of the mountains. Were were less likely to get eaten by the Boars and my father needed to find a place as close to safety as we could get.

The Sand Boars were a group of, mostly, rich and powerful Boars. Unusual kinds of boars though; Ermanthain Boars. They had other pigs working under them and occasionally other kinds of hoofed critters like ponies. If you showed that you can be of use or fight well, they or their mid class nobles will hire you. If you don't stay up to snuff you'll probably get turned in to the butcher and be sold off for a profit.

We found a rancher in the Sand Boars territory who was willing to let a family of ponies stay and work. Now again for the kids who don't know, a ranch (out here at least) is a farm-like place but with live stock. Along with barley or wheat they raised practically brain dead horses, pigs and cows for carnivorous buyers. Unfortunately, ponies who couldn't keep up with feeding and tending the herds were turned into glue, food and leather while their bones were sold to the Coyotes. My father didn't want this this to happen to me so he made a deal with the rancher pig, he dose the whole family's share of labor while my mother and I clean the pig's house and cook. The pig accepted happily.

I know what your thinking,"Pea Gravel! That's a horrible trade, what happens when your father can't work anymore?"

The truth is, my father would rather work out in the fields under sweltering heat then fight the Ridge Dogs. These diamond dogs have a massive, well organized pack. All they would do with a pony is eat it or 'play' with it awhile, the Sand Boars on the other hand are a much more lenient to other hooved creatures. They would rather pay ponies to work for them until their use is out then eat them or 'play' with them.

I was about eight when I started noticing differences with my parents. My father became thinner and sun bleached while my mother came back to our house on the ranch later and later from the Pig's house. The later she came home, the more silver she came back with.  This was a reoccurring thing and at the time I thought nothing of it, the only thing that kept the two going was the stories dad would tell late at night. They were of fantastic things like wish granting fairies and ponies who could slay dragons, tales of hope for the pitiful things we were. I became fascinated with things outside the norm and I was often caught daydreaming when I should have been scrubbing or dusting, but I

wasn't the only one. He often told stories to the sore ponies and cows that worked with him and his stories gave as sense of hope...and sometimes purpose.

One night not to soon after I turned eleven everything changed.

The desert air was hot for the time of night while all of the tired ponies, bulls and whatever else unfortunate enough to be stuck in the ranch all slept dreamless, except me. I lay wide awake between my parents on our dirt floor with a single wool blanket over the three of us. I stared at the mud brick ceiling with a sense of unknown fear. I tossed and turned for awhile until I decided to go to the glassless window night sky and gaze at the stars. I got a wood crate to help me reach the windowsill and poked my head out the window. My heart froze and my eyes blinked in disbelief at what I saw slinking through the other ranch houses. It was a dragon. Each pueblo was thin and about two stories tall, the dragon was crawling and shoulders almost met two thirds up.

I would later come to know that this dragon's name was Wiktet. His body was long and a rust red color with porcupine quills running down his wavy back but no wings like the ones I heard of in stories. His teeth jutted out to make his mouth look like it was in a permanent smile. Wiktet slithered through the ranch houses like a snake through a gopher tunnel. He peered his pale yellow eyes into the mud brick houses with a hungry look. He licked his lips as his arm carefully into a window and shuffled his talons through the room while I watched. His eyes lit up when he grabbed something, he pulled his tawny arm back out and held a labor worn pony between his talons. Wiktet licked the sleepy pony who cringed from the unnatural touch. She opened her eyes for only moment before the dragon  shoved her neck back with a push of his thumb, causing the mare to go limp. I couldn't believe what I saw but what came next was just as shocking.

The pig rancher hobbled his fat girth down the path that ran along the fronts of the pueblo houses. Wiktet crawled out to meet him and his massive size dwarfed the fat pig. I saw an almost...mutual look between them.

"Gracias, cerdo," the dragon drooled,"Your workers have a...sabor especial."

"De nada, Wicktet," The pig looked around in the darkness nervously,"I have a favor to ask of you if you'll listen," the rancher said through his fat.

"For a few bites, I may take it. What dose my little cerdo want?" Wiktet hissed.

"I have this one familia in a pueblo," The pig pointed to my house and I ducked out of view,"The Padre in there fills my workers heads with stories full of azúcar y mentiras, sugar and lies. If he keeps going they might get ideas..."

The dragon wheezed an awful laugh,"You want me to eat some caballitos?"

I could hear the dirt scrape against his belly and claws as he crawled closer. I had to think fast, I ran over to my parents and shook them awake.

"Mamma! Padre! Wake up!" I cried.

"Eh, what is it pequeño?" My Padre asked groggily. He saw how frightened I looked and held me close in his arms,"You just had a bad dream, Pea. Come back to bed-" His eyes shot open when he saw the talons of Wiktet's hand slip through the window. The talons scrapped the floor and caught the wool blanket. My mother snapped awake hearing my scream and looked in horror as the tawny dragon arm slithered out of the window. We heard a growl and then a hiss, it was a hiss like the sizzling of meat on a fire.

A blast of fire scorched through the window. My father pushed me and my mother as far back as he could and shielded us from the flame. I clenched my eyes shut in fear but still heard the sizzling of his flesh. The fire stopped pouring in and I took a look at father, half of his body was scorched disturbingly. I heard a wheezy laugh from Wicktet and his claws came into the window again, gripping the frame. He pulled to the side and the mud structure gave way and caused the roof to collapse. My young mind had trouble reacting to the situation but Father held me and my mother under him while the mud and timber fell.

It was black and suffocating. Slowly the rubble was lifted by malicious claws and my unconscious father was hauled off of me. My mother grabbed me and pushed us up into the air with her wings. We flew for only a few seconds then a sudden invisible force gripped us. Though we held each other tight we were pulled apart and floated to Wicktet. His mouth reeked of old meat the closer we got.

His eyes looked maliciously at my mother,"Ssssooo...you think you can just fly away, do you?"

Mother spat at him, the dabble of saliva hitting his nose and looking like a drop against his size. He growled and I saw on of my mother's wings being pulled against it's will. Wicktet laughed,"I've lost my wings, forever grounded with you filth. Now you shall know the weight of being cast to earth." And with that the extended wing slowly stretched. Mother shrieked in pain and the pulling of tensed muscle met my ears. With a sickening riiiip the wing fell to the ground. Mother held a hoof to the wound and shivered, the trauma silenced her. Wicktet's eyes darted from her to the ground and I saw my mother thrown to the ground and heard her ribs crack from impact.

The dragon looked to me. I saw that the rest of the ranch workers were awake and watching but to afraid to do anything. The burned body of my father limped from the pile of rubble to my mother. Wicktet dropped me to the ground and gazed at my parents.

"How cute, caballos. You, male," The dragon's raspy voice commanded,"take your child and your mate and leave, or I'll play some more."

The pig spoke up,"I thought I asked you to kill them."

The dragon turned and growled. The pig nearly jumped out of his flabby skin,"Cerdo! You do not make the orders here, I do!"

My father did his best to lift mom on his back and walked off into the night. I followed, refusing to look back at the dragon.

We walked out in the dark desert night and eventually came to a road. We had taken it sometimes before when we brought goods to market. I asked where we were going. Dad said,"Doctor," flatly. I did my best to keep up, he was going surprisingly fast for a burned pony. The next day we got into the market town, a port on a large desert river. We were watched by everyone as we walked to the clinic. Without knocking, dad shoved the door open with his head and walked inside. The medic pony was about to protest but when he saw the their condition he rushed over. Dad told me to wait outside for them.

I remember sitting outside for hours waiting. Later the medic let me inside. I saw both my parents in suits of bandages. Dad got better quicker then mom, her condition became more mental then physical after awhile. While they were bed ridden in the clinic, I did odd jobs in the town to raise money for our meals. The medic wasn't free and housing wasn't either. Once dad was able to walk around, paying off the medic's bill became much easier. When I fed my mom late at night, she had a glazed look and almost never noticed me.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked dad one night.

"Well, Pea...sometimes when winged ponies like madre, they get sick. In the head."

"Will she get better?" I asked. Dad shrugged sadly.

After three weeks the medic threw us out. He gave dad a bottle of medicine called,'JADE CACTUS FRUIT'. It was a pain reviler and a stimulant to make her happier, but she couldn't have too much. We became nomads after that. We went around from place to place looking for food or work. Dad and I did farm work while mom...well, she couldn't do much. If she wan't eating a Jade Fruit she looked depressed and lifeless, when she had one she only wanted more. This went on for a two years.

I was ten and we were camped at a forested basin near a river. The dry desert wind blew around in the night through the Joshua trees. On occasion my mother's wing socket would spike in pain, tonight was the most agonizing for reasons I still don't know. She sat up in the dark next to my sleeping father, I was dozing nearby. Mom went through our supplies desperately and once she found her 'medication' she shoved fruit after fruit in her mouth. She chewed, faster and faster. Her green eyes dilated and she collapsed. Her body twitched and jerked like a fish out of water. I woke up to hear gurgling croaks from her and when my dad woke up only moments later, she was already dead.

Dad's head hung over defeated next to her. I tied to shake her awake but dad pulled me aside. With tears in my eyes I tried to reach my mother but dad pulled my face square with his. My face was streaked with tears, dad's was too. He pulled me into a tight hug and we just sat there for hours. I cried myself to sleep in his embrace.

I woke up the next morning to find we were far from the river. I was on dad's back along with our bags. He was heading to the mountains.

"Where's madre?!" I cried.

"In a better place now, Pea," He sighed heavily,"I pray she made it to the Sun Goddess' Garden."

I jumped off him and he stopped to look at me,"NO!" I shouted,"I want her here with US!"

"Lady Death works in mysterious ways, it's not our place to question the will of the gods," He said walking again.

I ran in front of him, blocking his path,"Why? Why can't we question?"

"Were cerdo , ponies," Dad said bluntly,"We're beasts of burden. No matter what we accomplish something else will still be master to us. It's the way the gods made it and that's how it will stay."

"So madre was meant to die?" I asked, feeling the cold grip of reality close on me.

Dad sighed bitterly,"I never said that. I'm just as heart broken as you, Pea, but there's simply nothing we can do!"

I sat on the dusty ground. A look of defeat about me. Dad gently put me back on his back and began walking again. We wandered for days and both of us were very quiet. Sometimes I'd wake him in the night screaming from a nightmare, he'd just hold me tight until I settled. We eventually came to the foot of the rocky mountains. We avoided campfires because they'd attract predators, so that night we just lay in the dark and looked up at the sky.

"Pea, have I told you the tale of the Gentle God?" Dad asked.

I sniffled,"No, I don't think you have."

"Well maybe it will help you cheer up...

Long ago, before anything, there were three gods. Grom was the eldest and proudest. Olst was the middle child, he was always trying to undermine his brothers. Last but not least was Aki, the youngest. Grom became board with the empty space they lived in, so he made the world and the mountains. He built the trees and carved valleys in the earth. He spread the blue sky above and the bright sun at the center. He stood back and smiled to his younger siblings with pride.

"Look," Grom cried,"See how strong my creations are! Nothing can break them!"

Olst looked at the mountains so tall and valleys so deep. His mind began planning,"Yes, brother," Oslts said,"Very strong, very great. But look at mine, see what they do!"

Grom watched as oceans filled his deep valleys, swirling with unpredictable and dangerous currents. He saw wind blow though the skies bringing rain and violent winds that blew Grom's trees down and rain that worn away Grom's mountains. In the sky Olst placed a black curtain with countless stars to block out Grom's mighty sun. The curtain would rise and fall at random, disrupting the sun's light.

Grom grew angry,"What is all this?! Why ruin my perfect world?"

Olst smiled,"Because it never was perfect!" then he ran off, he was far to quick for the grand Grom to catch.

Grom shook the ground trying to catch Olst, who only stuck back quicker. Aki watched his brothers chase each other in the chaos of the world, his heart grew heavy. Aki flew up into the sky while his brothers fought and moved the stars into wonderful patterns and pictures and made a cycle for the moon so day and night would be equal. He made currents for the wind to blow through and water to run, making rivers for all of the rain to lead to the oceans. Aki stood back and smiled at the harmony he had made. Oslt and Grom stopped fighting and looked in awe at what their little brother made.

"Amazing!" Grom said.

"Crazy!" Olst cried.

Aki patted his brother's backs,"We can stop fighting now, everyone's work fits together perfectly!"

They lived happily for a long, long time. One day the brothers sat in a forest drinking from a river.

"Aki, why haven't you made anything? Grom and I made everything around us, how about you try?"

"Yes!" Grom shouted,"Let's see little Aki make something!"

Aki sat and thought. A light shown in his eyes and he knelt to the ground, his brothers watched intently. Aki pulled up from the ground a little sliver of green, then more sprung from the ground. Soon it covered all but the driest dirt in the world.

Grom was puzzled,"What's this?" He asked, plucking one up,"It's so small and weak. What good is it?"

Aki smiled,"It's grass. It takes up much less space then your trees and doesn't get blown over by Olst's winds."

Olst frowned,"I don't like it. Make something to get rid of it."

Aki leaned back and thought. He thought and thought until he got an idea,"I know. Look at this!"

Aki cupped his hands together and held them for awhile, his brother's held their breath in wait. Aki gently put his hands to the grass and let the new creation out of his hands, a small white pony walked out. She looked up at the three giants and became frighted, Aki pet her back gently and she calmed down. He pointed to the grass and the pony  took a small bite. She neighed happily and ate her fill.

Olst had a smile grow on his face,"Aki, what happened when more of these come around? We surely can't have a world of just these!"

Aki and Grom looked to each other. Grom grinned and cupped some dirt. His brothers watched as the dirt glowed in his hands and blew away, a bull lay in his mighty hands. Olst's eyes widened while Aki huffed. Grom let the bull to the ground and it snorted and dug it's hooves in the ground.

Olst smiled,"Very nice, brother. Look at what I can make though!" Olst cupped his hands around light from the sun and mixed a handful of earth with it. A red dragon burst out of his hands and flew over their heads. It blew plumes of fire around and roared ferociously, terrifying the bull and pony.

Grom and Olst butted heads about their creations and decided it would be best to make more. They spread their creations throughout the earth, filling the oceans and covering the land. When Grom made a wolf Olst made a raptor, a frog to a snake and so on. Soon there were so many things living on the earth the brothers had a hard time walking around. Olst grew tired of this and behind his brother's backs made a new creature, Death.

Soon the animals grew old and began dying. Some other animals began eating the dead, vultures and flies ate their fill almost daily. Grom grew saddened that his mighty creatures were being undermined by something so simple. Aki tried to cheer him up by making him a present, one unaffected by death. Grom woke up one day to find Aki standing next to him. Something hid behind Aki.

Grom squinted,"What's that?"

Aki stepped aside and Grom saw what was hiding. It was a she. She looked at him shyly. Her whole being was that of youth and cheerfulness, Grom looked to his brother for council. Aki shrugged,"Talk to her."

Grom reached out to her face, she punched his nose and ran off giggling. Grom reared back in surprise. Aki laughed,"You're not afraid of a girl are you?" Grom stood up and ran after her. They chased and played in the warm sunlight Grom had made. Aki's heart felt lighter seeing his brother so happy. However, Olst sat from a mountaintop with the venom of jealousy in his blood. A bitter feeling toward his brothers began to grow.

The woman that began to love Grom named herself Esta and soon they had a child. A fiery child named Courage. All of Grom's creations; bears, bulls, sharks, became fearless. Olst felt stricken seeing Grom so happy with is family. This became so strong that the world turned cold and winter began for the first time. Courage grew sick from the bitter cold, causing Grom and Ests to become afraid for their child. Olst offered to cure Courage and make the sun rise and fall to melt the snow, in exchange for a woman of his own.

Aki was hesitant. If Olst was going to love his woman like Grom did, Olst would've asked. The fact that a trade had to be made planted doubt in Aki. He agreed though and the next day when Olst was on his mountain, his woman climbed up to meet him. Instead of the bright and happy Esta, this woman, Dymo, was cunning and bitter like him. Time passed and their child was soon born, Fate.

Aki lay back on a cloud and watched his brothers and their wives with pleased eyes. Everything felt right in the world. He became more reserved and left the others be off on their own business. One day, Courage and Fate visited their uncle on his cloud.

Courage was bright eyed with wonder at everything he saw,"Aki, why do you stay away from everyone else?" he asked.

Aki yawned,"There's nothing left to make, everyone's happy."

Fate sighed,"But what about you? Don't you feel lonely without a wife, children?" she asked solemnly.

Aki thought about this,"Fate, Courage, go bring your fathers to the forest. I need to talk to them."

The children obeyed. Aki flew to the forest and soon his brothers with their families found him. Aki motioned his brothers alone come forward. He held his hand out,"Grom, Olst. Let's make something together!"

The three brothers placed their hands together and a strange light glowed from the point where the three hands touched. They opened their hands out to a flat place for the new thing to be seen. There in their hands sat two creatures shaped like them. They had the compassion of Aki, pride of Grom and the cunning of Olst. Everyone was pleased of these new creatures.

This new creature spread out into the world, taming and conquering the wilds. Grom saw them wandering around the wilds, hiding from some of the strong creatures in the world. Grom decided that he should make more powerful types of them. Grom's were bigger, stronger, much harder to convince and loved challenges. Olst thought the brothers versions were naive and dense. Olst's were much more clever and cunning, creeping in the dark and trees. They all spread out and Aki's brothers were happy. Aki grew weary and needed rest. He went up to the sun to sleep and left his brothers to their own...

The god-looking creatures lived in a weak coexistence for ages. Soon metals were made to make them stronger, they built temples and cities that caught the eye of Grom and Olst. Soon the two brother's began having their creations fight one another, using Aki's as food or laborers. This age is very similar to the one we live in now, where the humanoids live higher on the food chain then us ponies.

When Aki woke up he saw war, famine, and more pain then he could fix. His brothers were locked in a brutal fight, one that even Aki couldn't subside. Aki moved unknown to anyone, becoming a force to watch over his creations. He had one promise to us, one day a champion will rise for the Gentle God. One that will crush Grom's champions and Olst's monsters.

But that day hasn't happened yet...maybe never will..."

The story struck me as odd. I had never heard a tale like that from him, it seemed almost to big of a story to be true. I accepted it though and snuggled up next to my father,"Soooo...where dose the Sun Goddess fit in with all of this?"

Dad yawned,"She's a creation of Aki. It's not certain that she's his champion though..."

I slept well that night, no nightmares or ambushes from the dark. That all changed when I woke up...I sat up groggily near the mountains...alone.

I jumped up and looked around for Dad. I cried out to the desert air and the mountain but no response came to me save an echo. I felt crushed, mother died and dad just left. I sat and cried like any foal would in those horseshoes. With a tear streaked face, I noticed an arrow drawn in the dirt pointing up to the mountain, maybe Dad was there?

Picking up what supplies he left behind I began hiking up the mountain...