“Ponies were created out of Light and Dark. We cannot choose to be one or the other, only varying shades of Grey.”

Night.

Chilly caresses of wind moved against my flanks and neck, as the stars twinkled brightly against the darkened sky. Night was something that I had hardly experienced unlike normal ponies, for my home was the caves. The paved road beneath my hooves was alien as were the ponies to the left and right of me. I had been the only leatherwing that joined Sun Queen Radiance’s newly built Academy of Kind Blades; or rather my family had been one of only a handful of “tribes” to be hear the goddess’s proposal.

The Everglow Empire was still fresh and young under the ruling of the Sun Queen a lovely white Alicorn with a mane and tail that glowed as ever-burning flames of oranges and gold. The Queen had brought many races under her benevolent wings and just 6 years ago leatherwing’s became a new addition to the fledgling empire under one condition. Most leatherwings enjoyed living in solitude until finding a mate in the labyrinthine caverns we knew as home. Thus, the Empire only sent ponies to speak to leatherwings at the orders of Queen Radiance.

………………………………………..

I remembered Radiance’s only student with two royal guard ponies trotted tentatively into our cave, eyes peering into the inky blackness of the caverns. The student was unicorn, an illustrious candy apple red coat with pastel wavy pink mane and tail with small chains of gold spider-webbing through both. Her cutie mark showed two sticks of crisscrossed cinnamon with a gold star at the center. The two guards, both earth ponies were white with cropped gold manes. Their armor was silver with gold piping at its edges and a brilliant orange sun emblem emblazoned on their chests.

“I am Queen Radiance’s student and personal envoy,” the unicorn mare said smiling softly, the falling sun back lighting the newcomers just inside the cave entrance. “I have traveled to all peaceful leatherwings asking for any to come and become a student in the Queen’s newly created Academy. My Father and Mother wings unfurled silently allowing them to glide to the floor, landing softly before our guests. The unicorn hardly seemed phased but her guards jumped back, startled, too shocked to draw their swords from the sheaths at their sides. A soft pinkish glow illuminated the unicorn’s horn, a scroll floated from her saddle bag and unfurled. “Amber Grace,” she said looking towards my mother who nodded “and you’re Thunder Cross,” my father hardly blinked.

Waiting on the ceiling my twin brother and eye glanced to each other, wings readied to swoop down if we were needed. We knew of these ponies those that lived under open skies, the ‘dangerous outside world’ my mother loved to warn, with its overly bright sun and wide open spaces. Not that I believed these constant teachings that were always repeated when I was a filly. Instead, I yearned to stretch my wings and soar under Princess Nightshade’s glorious moon and stars.

“My name is Cinnamon Crisp, pleased to make your acquaintance.” She smiled sweetly and gave a curtsy with her fore-hooves. She looked back to the scroll that floated just before her muzzle. “The academy is open to those seeking a life of adventure and mercenary, but taught lessons of empathy, diplomacy, and trouble solving interspersed with survival, swordplay, tactics, and magic. The greatest teachers in the capital, Viljatown, will also teach geography, Everglow history, and many other subjects.” She paused, eyes widening, her silent gasp. My brother had flown down to lounge cat-like on a rock overlooking the group. He grinned widely, showing off his abnormally short fangs.

“I’d like to joi-“He started, only for me to cut him off, landing before him. Leatherwing ponies lived and died in caverns like mine leaving only when struck by wanderlust or driven by more unfortunate circumstances. It was a life of silence and dull slate stone walls, and the hunting trips around the caverns. I, on the other hand, loved sneaking out of the caverns at twilight and spending the night outside.

While I had only met a merchant pony, I loved watching the nightly bustle of the nearby city of Port Manehart. The sweet smell of cherry trees blooming in the spring and bearing fruit in summer, gliding over the ocean strait and occasionally seeing the rare sea ponies launch out of the water to catch the fish they had driven skyward. I wanted to see more, travel, but I knew that would never happen even though I was a grown mare living in my own part of the mountain. My mother didn’t know about all my nightly escapades and, I remembered, painfully the punishments from when she had discovered a few occasions. This was a dream, no; this was a wish in fulfillment. Crisp had recovered from her momentary shock.

“Full of surprises, you leatherwing ponies. These must be your children,” she looked between the both of us then to my parents. “So rare to have twins” I heard whispered under her breath.”

“Why does the queen need us?” My mother spoke up, her voice was incredulous, and obviously we never got guests.

“Because, Queen Radiance has a dream, one of raising generations of warriors, wizards, clerics, and other specialized ponies would seek to make the world a better place, not just become rich or to live without purpose.” Crisp signed as she bid the guards to stand watch outside the cave, it was nighttime, soft cricket chirps and the sweet evening breeze drifted in.

“Much against the advice of those around her,” Crisp continued with me hanging on every word. “Radiance quietly instructed all the teachers that she wants instilled a strong value of good over that of law, as unfavorable that is in some upper class circles of Viljatown. Let the adventurers turn against her, I remember the queen saying or any other unjust ruler, as long as they did it for the benefit of all of Everglow and its inhabitants.” Hopping down onto the stone floor I trotted back towards a tight grouping of stalagmites, feeling all eyes upon me. My left hoof pushed a large stone aside, and used my left wing’s thumb claw to lift my saddle bags out of the secret stash and placed them on my back, walking back to the group.

“I’m going,” I nodded matter-o-factly. Turning to my parents, “I have always been different, leaving the caves to explore and watching from afar a strange world just out of my hooves…” Sheepishly, I pawed one of my fore-hooves against the stone. “I was never destined for a life here, in these Caverns, thus I’m going.” I could see my mother’s eyes narrow and my brother’s face twisted in a silent snarl. “Alabaster Ice you know nothing of the lands and seas beyond these caverns.” Alabaster growled lowly, his eyes burning into me.

“You have no right!” The guard ponies tensed as they glanced over their shoulders, Crisp had a soft glow around her horn. Alabaster jumped down from his pedestal. “How can you make such a decision?!” He demanded. “How can you even think to deny me that chance?” His breast was puffed up, his wings flared, and his cat slit eyes were sliver thin.” I stood, trying to look calm and collected, or as much as I could standing a head shorter than the abnormally tall pony.

“Alabaster,” I murmured, “I deny you nothing, but the Academy is a place for ponies that are empathetic and willing to make this new empire a better place or at least endeavor to. You dear brother, would rather find amusement in toying with the cave fox bats than make a quick kill for your meal. That is not empathy, that sadism. You are naïve with a brash disposition that would get the better of you in most situations” I finished simply, not daring break eye contact with my brother. He glared daggers at me, and then with a hard thrust of his wings he swooped back into the darkness of the caverns. My mother and father glanced at me, disdain and pride tumultuously swimming between their eyes. Sighing, my father clapped his hoof on my shoulder.

“You are a young mare now Viridian Sky,” He said, calm and kind. “I cannot bind you here, this is your choice,” lowering his voice, “and while I agree about your brother’s… disposition, he is also entitled to his choice.” Crisp looked hopefully towards me and I nodded to her. “I wish to go to the Queen’s academy and I’m ready to leave whenever you need me to.” Crisp tucked the scroll away into her saddlebags and with her magic drew out a copper pin and attached it to my saddle bags, marking me an initiate.

“Viridian Sky,” Crisp said looking at me, “are you ready to see the Everglow Capital?” I gave a nervous smile, and looked back to my mother and father, waving a wing in parting. Dad warmly smiled and Mom… she just looked cold, an icy feeling chilled my blood, making me shiver.

………………………………………..

A Stallion bumped into my shoulder, startling me from my memories. I heard a haughty huff as my fiery ruby eyes fell upon a regal all black unicorn with a large fire encircling three blue stars for a cutie mark. His main and tail were a vibrant cobalt blue, edged and highlighted by a royal purple. Upon his back sat a charcoal grey saddlebag with a pair of gemstones spires embroidered into the fabric.

“Hello,” I greeted kindly. “I apologize for bumping into you. I’m Viridian Sky.” A small smile tugged across my muzzle. The stallion looked me up and down, sizing me up before shaking his mane, cantering a bit further ahead of me and engaging a silver mare in conversation. A mint blue earth pony mare moved aside me, her bobbed navy colored main and tail streaked with orange and sky blue highlights.

“That’s Cobalt Fyre,” She said before noticing my returned blank look. “Of the noble Fyre family?” the mare tried. “He’s the prince of the Crystal Mountains and the son of King Emerald Fyrestorm. They’re one of the most prestigious royal families in Everglow ever since the Battle at Broken Bones five years ago.” She face hoofed and laughed. “Oh where are my manners” she gushed and bubbled. “I’m Blitz Blues and you’re…you’re a bat pony!” She finished in a sing-songy voice. I winced slightly not used to such attention. “I’ve never met a bat pony!” she chirped gleefully skipping next to me. After the exclamation, Blitz bombarded me with questions all about my race, home, and habits. It was too much to answer all at once. Her final question stopped the barrage of extra-fast speech and was one slow enough to understand. “What’s your name?!”

“My name is Viridian Sky and it’s nice to meet you.” I laughed softly, relaxing with my new acquaintance as we conversed. Forty ponies were in this large moving group following the roads towards Viljatown and the academy. Royal earth pony guards led and followed the group on the ground as pegasi soared above us with the winged pony initiates.

“Blitz,” I nickered looking back to her but the mare’s eyes were wide and fixated at the growing dawn horizon. To my shock, a large pony…no, Alicorn, soared up into the air her horn glowing brilliantly. Her warm smile widening while the sun began to glide above the horizon and shower the land with a brilliant light, most ponies about me murmured and chatted excitedly.

“Queen Radiance,” Blitz said slowly in awe, my gaze drifted to the group of ponies looking trotting ahead of me. There was one pony not looking up… Cobalt instead he seemed deeply ingrained large and somewhat ancient tome. I balked at him, this was our queen…and goddess, the first time many ponies had seen her, and he was reading? As if sensing my gaze, Cobalt looked back, his eyes meeting mine. He looked a bit perturbed at me, his book and horn glowing ocean blue.

“Welcome my little ponies,” a lovely velvet voice sounded above us as we reached a large glittering marble wall and large stone doors of a fortress like building that rested on the eastern side of the capital. It was a twin to the royal castle at the center of Viljatown. “Welcome,” she said again cheerily, “To my Academy!” Her magic opened the doors, it was like walking into a dragon’s horde chamber, I had never seen such lovely colors and….

“Radiance’s light….” My mind and muzzle were at a loss for words.

Author's Note

This based upon the Ponyfinder game that my husband and friends are playing. Constructive criticism is welcome and I'm going to update it as we play. My character is Viridian Sky, my husband is Colbalt Fyre, and our friends are Blitz Blues and a Esper ( griffin character who will show up later). Please enjoy!