Chapter 1: Like a Phoenix

The marble halls of Everfree Palace seemed silent, its smooth gray corridors appeared as pristine tapestries with its stonework so much like lace, large windows and magnificent architecture.

The soon to be dusk sunlight streaked through the windows causing a few hovering werelights to change their course. The castle with its sky embracing spires radiated an aura of family.

Yes, it was peaceful. Almost peaceful enough for me to forget that the world might end in a fortnight, that the doomsday could be upon us.

I could almost forget as I rushed through the halls at speed no ponies could achieve the spire-stairs and chambers of my home echoed with a Whi-ooshh! of my presence to be empty the next second.

You could hardly tell that I Lumina, Immortal God-Queen of the realm  was even a resident.

My afternoon meditation had gone terribly wrong, disturbed by a foggy vision I could not comprehend fully. Unlike my daughters I do not dream of the occurrences to be, only piece together visions of Harmony.

I rushed deeper into the castle as quick hoofed as possible descending staircase after staircase and each familiar maze of rooms until I came to the exact door I was looking for.

It had a curved design like most of the castle with the tip of the frame ending in an elegant whirling arch. Instead of dead tree-wood chopped into planks for the door the sanctum within and the hallway here were separated by a living crystal growth pulsing softly with the natural glow of rainbow lights with the likeness of a tree carved in the growing extents.

When I was near this place on most cycles I always felt safe but today was not most cycles and instead my heart pounded wildly.

Two red eyes...filled with such evil. What could it possibly mean?

Placing one hoof in front of me I stepped through the crystal as if it were nothing more then a summer breeze: present yet not solid.

She could help me...I had faith. Faith in Harmony.

...

The interior of the sanctum was much like an elegantly made atrium, but with a closed roof embedded with crystals and no windows. It was also located in a subterranean area of the castle.

In some ways the chamber was bare except for a few small stones resembling sea stacks and one or two shade blossoms. In the center was who I was here to see, sitting in the middle of the room, roots exposed as she glowed with a calming and inspiring light boughs stretched to reveal what could be considered five fruits.

I trotted up to her trunk in which two carvings were laid: that of a sun and a moon. In fact the moon was recent being only a hundred or so years old...

"Vinnie...can We talk to you?"

No response.

"Vinnie this is urgent...We had a vision."

The tree was silent, only my spliced reflection stared back at me from the crystal trunk.

"Vinnie, We-I-need your help!"

Beneath my hooves the ground shivered almost as if the planet was cold and a fog emerged from nowhere, in an enclosed  space of all places, and the tree became obscured from my view. Slowly, I backed away a few steps.

Was she in a bad mood? Perhaps she was busy? Or maybe she already knew what I had to say? But how would she-

"Vinnie, We really need your help!"

The fog cleared and in its desperse a siloette emerged from the tree.

What appeared to be an Alicorn with large powerful wings, a translucent glittery coat, a flowing pastel mane and tail of light and lastly two star-white eyes. Around her head five phantom gems floated in a circle while one magenta spark bobbed at the top calmly levitating.

"You called?"

...

Her calm tone was both relaxing my own panic yet somehow unnerving at the same time. That was the power of the primordial Vinora Harmonia Everfree. She was as mysterious as the mark which adorned her flank: a yellow tear-shaped gem, the odd one out of her jewels. It was also said to be seed shaped but today a tear seemed more appropriate.

"Lumina what is it that distresses you so on this eve? You do know I hate manifesting like this as opposed to my assumed natural form."

She gazed briefly at the tree and noted its still nature as if it were an illusion.

"Vin, I had a vision when meditating that was terrifying...can you interpret it?"

She looked a little more concerned especially since I had dropped the royal we.

"Lumina if this is just another bad flashback..."

"It is not!"

"Well then what was it?"

"I was walking through the a forest-a completely normal forest- and came to a clearing where everypony was Noctus, Ellie, Hargo, my sisters, all the Alicorns of this world. They were all talking and it looked like there was a party. I went up to Noctus who was playing with Cellie and Luna when everything went dark...as if the sun and moon, the stars even were lights that could be put out."

I shivered a moment and looked at Vin, who remained expressionless.

"Go on, Lumina."

"The ground began to shake in the dark and the very continent we were on began to split into pieces and drift away slowly while  these two horrible eyes...big red eyes with streams of smoke pouring from them...perched in the sky like hovering vultures watched and bathed all of us in its bloody glow."

"All of us Lumina?"

"Well no, Ellie and Hargo were gone and Corah's son Neptune was gone, and some of Canterhorn's kin went unnoticed to me but other then that everypony was panicking as if all of us were fish in a barrel, blind fish, and I couldn't find Cellie and Luna at all as if they never existed, they were just lost in all the distress. There was another shake and so much noise, so much despair and we were all gone, the last thing I remember was seeing the shapes of a pack of them flying in our direction like wary crows to the vulture eyes..."

"You saw...draconequui?"

"Yes."

"Lumina?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think we have the strength to save a planet?"

"I failed last time Vinnie..."

She shook her head. "You fled last time Lumina."

"Then...yes, believe we can save our planet, I am not a filly anymore. Neither of us are, and now there are more of us."

"Exactly."

"What do I have to do?"

Vinora's eyes, pupil-less, iris-less, as bright as stars bored into mine.

"You have to leave. Gather every Alicorn above their 14th mortal age equivalency. By then what I fear will occur. I am a spirit Lumina and cannot help you in this battle, for I will be holding the very fabric of this planet together."

"Is this the end of our world...?"

"No. It is just time to tap into our inner phoenix."

I bowed my head and turned to leave.

"And Lumina? One more thing..."

"Yes?"

"Tell your daughters about shadows."

"But why-"

"You may not see them for a while."

"...But I will see them again."

Silence.

"You will protect them will you not?"

"Yes."

Vinora was gone.