Of Fever Dreams and Falling Starsby Ice StarChaptersAct One: Rocks In a Sea of SandAct Two: Wind That Carries No VoicesAct Three: Lightning Without RainAct One: Rocks In a Sea of SandIt was always cold in the desert at night. Two little fillies should not have been out then, let alone all by themselves. The sky was barren of any visible stars on that night. Nothing shone across the reds and browns of this landscape. All would remain quiet until the day when the sun was forcibly dragged across the sky in an artless manner by an unknown being, if there was any at all to do so. This was equally true for the path of the moon. Even the tumbleweeds did dare to not stir. Each and every grain in the sandstone of the mesas was quiet as well. This was not the first of many unnatural cycles the land had experienced. The buffalo, like many others, were puzzled about the illness of the land. At one of their camps, half a tribe sat still around a flame hoping that some explanation would emerge from its crackling depths as to what had happened to their world within the memory of the more recently passed Ancestors. Why was Nature in such torment? It was deniable, they could feel it in the roots of Nature's magic. Something was diminished, a vital part of their world had vanished. They did not know what it could be, but the Ancestors might. Even as the matriarch whispered to the flames, and stirred the sparks with a staff decorated with discarded phoenix feathers, she could only hang her head with shame. The Ancestors were as soundless as the world around them, not a single word of wisdom uttered by either party. Would they receive nothing? Many days away, around ash and dying embers lie two fillies on twin piles of quilts. One of them slept peacefully, her breathing barely stirring barely a grain of sand. The other was sweating slightly. Her coughs broke the chains of silence that strangled the land mere moments before. She didn't know this, of course, being asleep, and she wouldn't know it when she woke up either. Another cough, went unheard by all, and then the silence resumed, one that was unbearable to all but these blissfully unaware fillies. ... Tia hung back a little longer today, her eyes looked tired as she squinted at our map. This was not really like her. We know we both had been traveling for an entire cycle of the sun and the moon, but that was to make up for lost time when We had a hard time waking her up at one of our previous camps. Typically, We were always the one who was tired when the two of us decided to travel like this, which was not often. We are always the first to wake up in the mornings, but packing is always so tiresome. We kicked a loose stone, as red as autumn leaves, across the dry landscape and waited for Our sister to catch up. "Luna! Why did you stop walking?" Tia has caught up with Us now, We can see her white coat against the sandy soil, which may just be regular sand. We are not quite sure. "Ooh, We were waiting for you—" Her breathing seems a little off. Maybe she should catch her breath and sit down for a little bit. "Luna, you do not need to do so. It will slow us down." She flips a sticky curl of pink mane out of her face. We know it is super-duper warm out here but that does not seem like a good sign. But maybe it is just because she has a longer mane than We do... "Okay," We say, smiling at Our sister to cheer her up. We will keep an eye on her, though. Only one eye, of course, We still need to see where We are going. She passes in front of us, in her long strides that she insists make her seem more princess-y. We follow her trying to make a game of how long We can walk in her shadow without her noticing. We walk onward, and after a while, We look up at the clouds which are puffy and white and just begging for Us to point out what they look like. "Look Tia, that one is a turtle! And the one of there — oh my gosh! It looks exactly like a hare with its big ears. It is just like the story Dad told us!" We see Tia tilt her head and look at the clouds. There is a small smile on her face. ... Our map only covers the big stuff like big mountain chains and forests. Smaller things are always left out. Even though Tia carries it all the time she has shown it to Us before. "Tia, does that mean We will not show up on the map?" We had asked. She was confused when We asked her this. "What do you mean, Luna?" We explained to her that if the map leaves out smaller counterparts of creatures and places, that means it will only show her. We tell her that this is because she is Our big sister but that it will not show Us because We are the younger sister. "You are letting your imagination run wild again, Luna." "Well, We have to let it run wild so it can join us, considering We no longer have a castle to put it in." Sometimes Tia would get upset when We mentioned the castle, after all, she missed it very much. Especially pillows. She hated how there were never any good pillows one could find in nature. After a while, We stopped missing butterscotches so much and hardly ever thought of them yet Tia seemed to still act huffy about pillows and things like soup spoons. We did not tell her that We liked traveling just as much as We liked the castle, just like We never asked her why the oceans were so big, even though all that water had to come from somewhere. Sometimes, the two of us would be surprised when we found something like a nice hill, field, or lake that was not on the map. We never marked these undiscovered places out of fear of damaging our only navigation device. ... Today was one of those times. Tia stood on the top of a ridge that sloped downward, and We peeked out from behind her. We were overlooking the newest change in the landscape. A river was winding its way through many tall, holey spires and table-hills of orange rock with barely any sandy patches visible. Even from here, We could see dry clumps of some plants, although they might just have been still tumbleweeds waiting for the wind to move them again. Tia declared that we would be staying here for a night, and only a night. She added that we would want to make good use of the water here as well as any tasty or not-so-tasty plants. We knew how to make us stay longer. She mumbled that she would go find a place to sleep. When she was about to tell me what to do, We interrupted her, sounding chipper as usual and telling her We would go find food and water by the river. Tia did not argue; her eyes met mine. If one of us was lost, we both knew what to do, that is what her eyes were saying. We have a magic signal as well as a birdcall if something prevents the former. Of course, We knew to always tell the other where you are going to be because those are part of common sense and Tia's Big Sister Safety Rules, which are like her princess rules. We like the safety ones much better. Except, We never had to tell her exactly what We were going to do. ... The river doesn't look very deep, We thought as We stared at it safely from the shore. Small rivers always disappointed Us because they rarely contained any interesting fish for Us to observe. But it would work. We looked around, making sure that nopony would notice what We were about to do. Thankfully, Tia had not followed. We undid the buckle on Our saddlebags, sticking Our tongue out as our magic fumbled with it until it came undone. Picking it up in Our mouth, We dragged the bag over to the river. Since the straps were dragging, one of the buckles ended up getting caught on a stone. Some of the stuff in it spilled: dried clover, smooth stones, and the candy that We really wish were there, but was not 'cause Tia never let Us bring it. Except now that Our scheme is in motion, We suppose it was better that way although We would never admit it to her. We did not bother to clean any of this up right now. We were going to be a criminal, and We are quite sure that criminals do not clean up their messes. Yes, We would be a criminal. Until dinner. Tia would never let a criminal eat dinner, even if she was sick. She would know. Somehow. Our half-empty bags made a muffled thump as We plopped them down on the dry sand. They would stay here for now, while We did part two of Our criminal... umm what was the word that described criminal doings... Uhh, We think it is called criminal-ness. Yes, that is a big and fancy word that We are certain Our sister used too! "Okay, so here We are doing act two of Our... criminalness." We only whisper this because if We shout Our problems out to the world like a real criminal, who knows what authority figures will pop out and tell Us what a bad filly We have been. Except, We do not think bad fillies help their sisters. So, if We are not a good filly or a bad filly... what kind of filly is that? Tia says that there are only those two kinds of fillies. We have never told her that We think she is wrong, instead We just half-listen and look at the clouds when she thinks We are listening and wonder what this sort of filly would be called. Then We usually end up wondering if this applies to the world as a whole. Does it? Good, bad, and... ? Even now, as We jump up a down, stomping my hooves in the dust to make funny hoof prints that cause Is to giggle We wonder what this might be called. All that happens is We end up scrunching up Our face in confusion over a name that doesn't seem to exist for a concept that is just as mysterious. We kick Our saddlebags into the river watching the small splash they make before it drifts downstream leaving a trail of supplies along the way, before getting caught on a rock. Everything else floats away, thank goodness. We fling all the spilled objects into the river as well. Thankfully, most of them sink. Lastly, We wade in and submerge Our face in the sun-warmed water and blow bubbles, wondering why the world is such a funny place the whole time. Gray. That is it. It seems to come out of nowhere, just like the bubbles. The not-good but not-bad filly has a name now. Gray. What happens when you mix things to get something both new and old. That sort of thing must be 'the funny world', We suppose, which is most definitely both new and old. After a few minutes, when We are done holding Our breath and feeling soaked, We stumbled onto the shore scattering water droplets as We headed off to find Our sister, with wet saddlebags slung over Our back. ... "Luna, what happened?" was the first thing Tia said when We arrived at the latest temporary shelter the two of us shared. It was a small cave slightly redder than everything else around us, with smooth walls and a floor covered in a carpet of soft shadows that were cool to the touch. The smoothness of the rock fascinated Us; it was as if the wind itself had decided to scoop out the stone to create this den. It had been a bit of a walk to get here, and the heat seemed to be making Us dizzy. We swayed on Our hooves. From her corner, Tia rose from her pile of the quilts that had been neatly stored away, and walked over to Us, repeating her question. Her throat sounds a little funny. "The river..." We mumble, trailing off as heat teased Our brain. She poked a white hoof into the saddlebags We had returned with, flipping open the empty lid a few times. "You fell in. Lost all your provisions." We nodded, feeling so super-dizzy. "You see why We would not let you carry anything besides food and herbs? Luna, you do realize that you are klutzy at times." Celestia, you do realize that you trip over your mane at times? We see that. Our turquoise eyes see all. For now, We will ignore this insult but one day, when you least expect it... We will eat some of your food when you aren't looking! You will feel our wrath! Heeheehee-! "You failed the task We gave you," Tia continued, her face as stern as a certain fish We know. She even sounded like him. "Since we are now lacking in food, it shall be required that the both of us, dear sister, delay further action until our needs are met—" It normally is not a good thing when she starts tossing those words around and acting all princess-y, except that this time We knew what was coming. "—it seems, we will have to stay behind for a few cycles." To most other ponies, it would seem that she had finished although, We knew that Tia was never done until she proclaimed— "That is Our decree!" She fixed her magenta gaze on Us. Tia looked so tired for somepony who had been laying around the whole day. We were glad for this. Our plan had worked. Both of us would not continue our journey when the first light of the sun came out tomorrow, instead, she would get to stay here and rest. A little bit of rest would do her good. Maybe sometime after We gather enough food to replace what We have lost, we both can go exploring together. We ask her. She tossed me a second pile of quilts and says yes, and We see the trace of a smile as white as her coat. ... We wake up in the dark and the cold haunted by a dream that never ends. It always starts on what feels like a road beneath our hooves but We can never tell. But always, always, it ends the exact same way: two eyes of green, the once-white parts tinted red like blood, and glistening with shattered stars soar above Us. They look out on a barren waste consumed by a fire that steals all the warmth in Our body and twists Our shadow into a shape that is not Our own. No matter where We are, We wake up cold after that bad dream. The air here tells Us that it is not just Our dream that makes it that way. Sometimes, We are scared, especially because We do not even have any names to give Our bad dreams. Nearby is the unmistakable outline of Our sleepy sister, rising and falling under her blankets. We never tell Tia Our dreams. It is for the best, really. We levitate one of Our quilts toward Us and wrap ourself in it once We realize that We are shivering. Slowly, We walk over to the rim of our den. The sky is black. Black, like pupils, but in a way that feels as scary as the dream. Our hoof traces the worn edges of the quilt and We count a stitch on each weathered patch for each year We know we have been out here. One... The moon looks like a snowball, a sharp and cold white against the sky. Two... Oh, but We are not afraid of snow. Snow is nice. So why does the moon seem as ill as Tia? We feel so bad for it. Three... Why is the world falling apart?! Four... Where is everypony?! Five... Are We really the only one who notices this...? Six... It isn't the cold that is causing Us to shake, is it? Seven... We do not think We even know any ponies with green eyes. We have never even met a pony before! Eight... The fire in the dream is weird... purple and green. What kind of fire is that? Why is it not red and happy? Nine... D-Does the fire have Mommy and Daddy...? Ten, Eleven... Even if it could do something, how does fire take Alicorns? It is just fire, after all. We swallowed hard and Our mind stopped counting, Our wide eyes staring at the deep starless sky. The sky is broken. Our family is broken. Where are you? ARE WE THE ONLY ONE? Does Tia even know? Where did you go? Is this a joke? Tia said you were playing hide-and-seek, but why can We not find you? We know you are out there, and We just want to scream: WHERE— ARE— —YOU? We close Our eyes, breathing too deep and too fast. We know Our dreams are special but why, Why, WHY?! We grit Our teeth. Show Us something. There it is. A vision. A white-gold light flickers everywhere spinning into a beautiful star in the center of black nothing before splitting open and shattering into thousands of pieces that make Our heart hurt to see something so pretty meet its demise... except it does not, not quite. Like a coat of paint, the gold light seems to stick everywhere. The color changes into a light purple with a blue center. This new purple light changes and spinning the former star is now just a strange swirl. After this, the vision stops abruptly, as if it does not want Us to know what it becomes. They have never done this before, and it is such a shock that We squeak in fear and stifle a scream. Our eyes are now open, our breathing is worse and We are left more confused than when We were before all this. Our hoof has stopped. Eighty-three... It has been eighty-three years without you. ... "Luna." We. Are. Asleep. "Luna, wake up." None. Shall. Disturb. Our. Slumber. "Luna, chores do not get done on their own." Are you sure? Perhaps you should ask them. "Luna, if you stay under there another minute, We will yank those quilts off of you." No. We are unconquerable. She yanks them off. "Ahh! Our eyes! You fiend!" "Luna, you are being dramatic." "Mercy! Mercy on our beloved eyeballs! Please Tia, think of the corneas!" "Drama queen," and she is only slightly right because usually, she is not the one who wakes up late. Bad dreams have reversed our roles! "If We are a queen, it means We outrank you and get to order you around." "Just try, sister, and see where it gets you." "We cannot see where it gets Us if Our eyes are closed, sister." ... It turns out that We did not have to order Our sister around in order for her to chase Us out for a while. Just like yesterday, it was rather warm, with a dry breeze blowing every now and then across a cloudless blue sky. We dragged a small blob of Our magic aura across the parched ground, drawing a line that lead only to Us. It is so pretty, how the sky looks as if it is touching the ground. We looked around the horizon, and up at clouds that We wished were there. If only the both of us were old enough to fly. We are still babies, Tia says. When the right feathers come in we will fly. We do not think that we are babies though... We are four, that is not a baby. We do not think that anypony would let babies run around on their own. Because of this, Tia had been complaining about how hard it was to reach our shelter. We had pointed out that all you had to do was hop like a rabbit, but she had just told us that We looked silly jumping up the stones as if they were stairs. Although, she looked even sillier scrambling up them like a cat does up a window ledge. Although. cats do not complain about the difficulties of teleporting. We need to work on Our teleportation too. There was a tumbleweed quivering off to Our right. We went over to it and prodded it with Our magic. "Hello." It moved again. We nudged it with Our hoof. "Are you alone too?" The wind stopped and so did it. "Silly question, We know. Can you help Us find some food? There was a mishap at the river—" The wind picked up again, steering Our friend off in a direction We had not explored. "Where are you going?" Our new friend continued to roll. "Wait for Us!" We followed, Our line ending nowhere and severing Us from Tia, at least for a little while. ... "Do you know where to find any food?" It was a reasonable question, of course, although Baron Tumblesalot might have other ideas. We hope not. We still had to find some food today and even though the sun is still high in the sky, weather could be a problem. We know that there are lots of storms near oceans, and in the stories, We were told there were storms in sandland too. Some of the thunderstorms out in Our forest could get pretty nasty, once We saw a tree burst into flame. Somewhere there is a kingdom called Aerogard. Daddy says that is where weather that is not rogue like ours comes from. How does this Aerogard place make— "Ahh! Baron Tumblesalot! Wait for Us means do not desert your Princess!" ... Baron Tumblesalot had certainly led Us to something. We stood over a small sort of plant that looked like a green pepper's duller-colored cousin. On our way here We had accidentally brushed against a strange sort of green tree that hurt. Its bristles had turned out to be sharp. Unlike those rather nasty plants, this one seemed quite safe and prickle-free, just a few desert peppers growing in a clump on the ground. We lifted one up with our magic. "These look real nice..." ...But how are We supposed to transport them, We forgot to bring Our saddlebags. Using Our telekinesis for too long can get tiring. Our eyes drifted over to Our windblown companion. "Huzzah! An idea! The Princess shall weave you into a basket. Yes, most commendable." We pulled up a few more peppers and arranged them into a neat little pile beside us and sat down to begin Our work, trying to find where one strand of Tumblesalot began and another ended, separating each one before deciding which would go whereas Our magic began to weave them together again and the sun climbed higher and higher into the sky. ... We decided to explore a little on Our way back since We were in no hurry, and what was the point of only sticking to the path when adventure calls? Why it is so dry here?, We thought, prodding the ground with Our hoof. Does Aerogard not send rain clouds? Did somepony steal all the plants? Does anyone even live here? We saw some birds an hour or so ago, but they might have just been passing through. We stopped walking, and put Our basket down, plopping down next to it and twirled a strand of Our short mane with a flash of turquoise magic. The clouds look pretty, and there is nothing better than looking at pretty clouds and thinking. Is everypony really just playing hide-and-seek like Tia says? It sure does not seem like it, unless We are just very bad at seeking. If Our family is playing hide and seek though why does it seem like the world is doing so? We have not seen a hamlet, hut, witch-of-the-woods, or tavern anywhere, just a lot of new saplings at random locations in forests, and We know that saplings are not towns. "So," We said to nopony, "What is happening here?" Did everypony move? This country, the Everfree Kingdom, is really nice, or at least has always been so to Us and maybe the other ones are too. Although, We have only been to Atlantis Castle in Aquastria and wherever it is that our cousins Terra, Flora, and Fauna lived. Their islands had multiple fancy castles. If Mommy and Daddy did move, why does it feel like they have forgotten Us? We stayed in the castle for a few years, waiting for them before setting out. We think that only amnesiac, parents, or ones who are really bad parents would leave their foals to run around like crazy all alone in a big castle. Why would ours move and not take anything? We know it has not been a super long time since We last saw them... but sometimes it sure feels like it... Who knows? Maybe it has. Perhaps We should just stop thinking about this for a little while and draw silly pictures in the dirt or overturn rocks to see how many bugs We can find. We wonder if there are any bugs out here. We sit up and grab Our basket. We guess the only way to know is to try. Perhaps We will find a cute furry spider to play with. The bigger the spider, the better. We just hope the spider is alone. "We would hate to split up a good family," We whisper to nopony, frowning slightly. We received no reply, and perhaps it was for the better. ... We scrambled up the rocks with Our basket and its contents still bobbing in a cloud of magic. Tia would surely be proud of the fresh food We found. It was slightly cooler now that the sun was beginning to descend, most definitely for another gray-and-purple sunset. Although, this did not bother Us so much since We would be telling her all about what We did today. Halfway up the rocks, We paused to rest and make sure We had not spilled anything. Perhaps We should at least try to teleport up to — wait, what was that? Out of the corner of our eyes We noticed something white on some of the rocks above Us, barely three strides away from the opening of Our cave. What could that be? We picked up Our basket once more, clutching the basket of peppers in one of Our forehooves, and closed Our eyes as We mustered as much concentration possible for a teleportation spell. A moment later, We were surprised to find that it had worked! The white that We saw was Tia's coat. She lay crumpled on the stone's dry surface, feeling cold to the touch and slightly damp with sweat. Her mane was sprawled over the rocks in waves. We were scared when We saw this but refrained from screaming even though Our legs were shaking and Our eyes watered. ... We got us both back to the shelter and once we were both inside We placed an unconscious Tia onto her pile of quilts very carefully, since she looked so fragile, and tucked her in with Our own blankets. We do not think We will be needing them. After We were done, We sat down and tried to stay calm as well as figure out what We should do next. Tia is sick... which means We have to take care of her... in this strange place... We have to take care of Tia. We have to take care of Tia alone. We gulped and sat there for a while. This might be hard... especially since We do not know how she is sick... we are outside all the time, which is supposed to be good for fillies. Rain, snow, or shine; we are always outside since there is no castle for us to live in or any house at all. Can you get sick from being outside...? We think We became ill when once, when We were in the snow for a long time which meant Mommy had to make lots of soup and get lots of blankets as We sat by a fireplace. Hmm... we have not been in any snow very recently, even though the weather has been very harsh before we came to the desert. Sighing, We placed a hoof on her forehead. We guess We will just have to go off of this guess. It was still damp. We suppose We will just copy what Mommy did. That means We still need to make soup and a fire. The soup should not be that hard to make. We can use the peppers and mix them with some water. For the fire, We are going to need some fuel... ... "C'mon Tia," We whispered to her as We levitated the bowl close, in an effort to prod her awake. "We made you soup. Well sort of, it is really just a watery green mush, but We are sure it will taste great!" She opened an eye, glassy with fitful sleep, and mumbled incoherently before sitting up and tilting the bowl towards her. Tia took a few gulps before making gagging noises. "Luna this is a most... unusual... meal, what did you put in it?" It seems you have enough strength to mock Our culinary masterpiece. "Desert peppers," We reply evenly. What else were We to say? "Desert... peppers?" She coughs slightly and gives us a strange glance. "Did these desert peppers fall from the sky as well, dear sister?" She does not believe Us. "If so, We were not around to see," We answer honestly. "Luna, what plant did you really use?" "Desert peppers?" Tia frowns, pushes the soup away, and collapses on the quilts. "We are tired," she declared or rather attempted to. Instead, her words were only a feeble whisper. We nodded and sat watch over her for a little while, at least until We heard snoring. After that We rose to go outside, casting one last look at the soup We made which was still uneaten. We were not hungry anyway. ... Once Tia told Us that anypony who could catch a star would be granted a wish, she said that Mommy told her, so it must be true. After that, We would stay up night after night running through the courtyards and jumping up trying to catch stars through the trees. We were not any closer to flying than We were now but if We could catch a star We would wish for Our sister to be better. There were plenty of stars out tonight, and no trees to obscure them. We stretch a hoof toward the sky and as We expected, it came back empty. This would be so much easier if We could fly. Instead, We sat on the ground, the wind gently stirring the sand around Us as We tilted Our head to the sky. ... When We went back, she was worse, Tia was positively drenched in sweat and burning with fever despite the cool midnight air. She tossed and turned about before stopping entirely. Now she was shivering a bit. We were out of water, it would be too late to go get any now — some night creatures were dangerous, even though that was Our favorite time to go out. We had no knowledge of the desert. We had no medicine. There was nopony to help Us. Nopony. That gave Us the most brilliant of ideas. Our books back at the castle told many important tales of the desert, and so did Mommy and Daddy. We fashioned a quilt into a makeshift cloak and hugged Tia goodbye. We cannot say that We will return soon, and We will leave her the supplies, she needs them more than We do. Once more We stepped outside and looked up at the sky, this time We asked the stars to look after my sister. We were not looking for mere water, and would have to brave the night now. We can only hope that the tales Daddy told Us so long ago are true. Author's Note [Revised for print on 7/17/2023-7/18/2023] Luna, those are not peppers. Act Two: Wind That Carries No VoicesThe fire still remained silent, as did the buffalo surrounding it. Once again their Wise One stepped in front of the flames, desperate for a reading. She was undaunted, but not without concern. The flames were not refusing their magic. Instead they were blank, and because of this, were without warmth to all gathering around. Within that golden light, no visions of that which would come, the gods, great spirits, the dead, or the world's magics flowed forth. No colors changed and danced. Stories could not live as they were supposed to, with great voice, honest words, song, and sparks alike. How could they be alive, even if they were hollow compared to what they had been? She frowned and shook her head after a while. The buffalo were shocked, how could such powerful magic be severed and directed elsewhere? Such deep magic was not distorted through ordinary means. It meant that their most powerful Sage was blind to the twists and turns of the magic of the world. It meant that the never-present Sage could be dead, wherever they were, leaving no successor and no means of transporting one. Another difficulty would be alerting the other camps, and even more so, the other tribes. The Gates themselves would be useless unless one with enough power to open them again showed up. They would not only require magic beyond that of any buffalo and Sage, but magic beyond that of a pony's as well. Magic they had not been seen in almost a century. A lone gust of wind blew a wave of ashes into the silent fire, snuffing it out. Yet the camp itself felt no colder, only much quieter. Such quiet could be dangerous in this new era when even stars did not dare twinkle as the world held its breath. Only the wind scorned this pattern, chattering away in its mysterious language, although no buffalo spoke the language of the wind. But perhaps a young filly could, even if she was so far away... ... Sometimes, the night sky in the forest would look pitch black, and it was even darker when there were no stars out. Tonight there must have been some stars out, but We could not see them because clouds had hidden the moon somewhere. The whole sky looked like somepony had poured tar on a dirty mirror, and it is freezing cold. We do not know where We are going, plus Our sister is sick, and despite it all... We are not scared. Our hooves stop moving; We may have been following the same river, sparkling faintly, but all familiar surroundings had vanished leaving Us alone in the endless sand. We sat down, feeling it shift under Us. "We are not scared?" We repeated aloud, and grabbed some of the sand in front of Us, since it was all We could see. The sand was soft and smooth as We picked it up in our forehooves, watching as it fell back to the ground. We felt safe — a little worried, but safe. We like safe. Safe means home, and We guess We are home. The castle is home. The forest is home. The sand is home, and one day the sky will be home too. Is the world home? In no hurry at all, We get up. We do not bother to brush Ourself clean, because perhaps even the dirt is home. Then, We walk over to the river. Even though We are left in this dark, We can still see Our face in the ripples and the clearness of the water. Nearby, there are pebbles. We pick one up with glittering magic the same shade as Our eyes, which causes the water to show this as well, and toss the pebble in. Plop. We should keep heading west, or at least We think so. It will be easy to retrace Our steps if We just keep heading in one direction. Following the sun and the moon is good. Is West not how this big space-rock-marble spins because of Mommy and Daddy? We should follow that. Yes, that is good. We will find help in the West. We scoop up another stone and instead of simply tossing it We skip it, counting each time it flies: One! Two! Three! Four...? No, just three. We sat at the riverbank, shivering with the occasional gust of wind, and skipping stones until We saw the first bit of dawn crawling across the sky. By then We are too tired to continue and Our magic falters as We fall asleep. ... When We woke up it was sunset, and Our coat was covered in dust, which We had to blink out of Our eyes. We headed off to the west in silence and watched the world turn dark once again. Eventually, We found a stick along the riverbank. We tripped over it in the dark because We were too busy looking at the sky. After Our face met the sand, We picked up the stick — which was dry and bleached by the sun, so it gleamed silver in the night. We immediately declared it Our new friend and waved it about like a knight does a sword. Once, We saw Our mother knight a mare. It was the closest We had ever been to seeing a pony in real life instead of in story books. She did not say much but We had known it was important. Tia had us both hide behind a tapestry, except she was annoying and kept talking through parts of it, even though silence can be just as important as her whispering excitedly to us about coats of arms. In her defense, she was trying to be helpful. Afterward, Tia would not stop going on about how grand the ceremony was. As for Us? We thought the best part was when Mommy raised the sword and it was caught in a ray of light that passed through a stained glass window, making the sword sparkle all the colors of a rainbow, even if We were the only one who noticed. We tried to mimic what Mommy did right here, in this grass-less plain, and closed our eyes as We tried really hard to recall everything. When We opened our eyes, Twiggy no longer seemed like a mere discarded stick, but rather a mighty blade sparkling in the moonlight, huzzah! We were a lone mercenary traveling the land in search of a miracle cure to bestow upon a damsel in distress! The journey shall be harsh and We will fight many a battle and solve countless riddles. But in the end, no exotic location shall go unnoticed; every stone on every mountain will be committed to memory. We ran off into the distance, our happiness bursting around Us. Luna, the mysterious adventurer and her sword-friend, are alone in a land bathed in endless night light. ... We opened an eye as the strange noise reached through Our dreams. Our vision was still blurry, but We could see the stars in the sky above the rock that We had fallen asleep on. Well, to most ponies it would have been a rock. We knew better, recognizing it for the mighty caravel it was, ready for its brave captain to steer it across the ocean of sand. We were that sleepy pirate captain with her magnificent sword, resting after a hard night's plundering only to rise once more under the light of the moon to continue our thievery, huzzah! Ssss-! Oh, hey looky here, there is a snake in front of Us! We opened Our eyes a little bit more to get a better look at Our scaly new friend. He was a light brown with rough-looking scales and irritated green eyes and a tongue that was making the 'sss' noise We had been hearing. There was a rattle attached to the end of his tail, yet it was still. "Hi," We whispered, smiling slightly but refusing to get up and instead choosing to remain lying down. The moon was not yet up, so We imagine this snake had been sunning himself on Our ship and snuck on while We slept. "Do ya wanna join Our pirate crew?" Ssss-sss! "Okay then, We will ask you again later. What is your name? We are Luna." Sssssssssss! The snake raised his head and glared at Us. "Aww, how cute, you are going to use your rattle. We are sorry to say that We cannot pronounce your name so We will just be calling you Fuzzy; it fits you really well." Fuzzy opened his mouth to show off his glistening fangs and lunged in Our direction. We bolted up and quickly dodged what We had seen coming from the moment We woke up. Fuzzy missed and received a very nice toothache. After all, rocks are not tasty. We know that too well. Magic sparkled around Fuzzy's form as We stretched him out as straight as a stick. Next, We picked up Our sword and poked him lightly with it. "Ppht," We proudly proclaimed, sticking Our tongue out. That is what you get for messing with the scourge of the seas! Arrr! Turning around, We scrambled off Our ship and ran off in another direction, silently bidding Our ship goodbye. Although, there was no way We could relinquish Our sword. It was too precious. After We had crossed a short distance of sand, the magic glow around Our horn dimmed and flicked briefly and We knew that We no longer held Fuzzy to the rock. So begins another night wandering the sands. ... We blink a few grains of sand out of Our eyes, and wish We could wipe them off with my quilt-cloak but that is covered in sand too. The warm air is heavy with sand, and it floats about like the breezies in bedtime stories. Of course, it is still cold at night and the sand is chillier then too. The moon is setting and the sky is as gold as the sands are as the stars fade in its light. We feel dizzy and a bit hungry as We rise. When was the last time We ate? We tried keeping track of the time passing on Twiggy, but just ended up connecting all the tallies that We cut to form a maze. There have to be some other animals nearby. We may not have spotted any since Fuzzy from a few cycles ago, but someone has to live nearby. We just know they do! Tia needs us, and We need Tia! Since the sun is rising We should probably find someplace to nap, We thought as We came to the top of a hill of amber-colored sand that lapped at Our pasterns as water would. Our legs shifted slightly. We were a desert flower swaying to an invisible breeze. Everything felt fuzzy. We can not yawn. We can not stay awake. There was a muffled thud as We collapsed on the soft sand. It was just like velvet, really, warm and soft. We curled into a ball, too exhausted to yawn. In no time at all, the noise of the winds ceased. ... Huh? Why do We smell smoke...? Is this a dream? "Stop that! You might scare him!" Who is that? They do not sound like Tia or anypony We know. "Cathecassa, why bother to speak in that tongue? It is not like he can hear you." It feels like there is another blanket covering Us. There are two voices talking, the first one is female, and maybe she is a pony. She is speaking the Everfree language. We will not know until We open our eyes. She does talk a bit strange, though, all her letters sound a bit different from how We were taught to say them, and her name does not sound familiar either. The second one sounds male, he is either younger or impatient, maybe both. We think that We should keep Our eyes closed for a bit longer since We still feel very tired. "Hmph, he cannot hear you either... I just thought that when the colt wakes up, he shall desire to understand what we are saying." Are We the colt that they keep talking about? Why? We remember once when We were playing in the forest with Tia and she told us this big word she had learned. We could not come close to pronouncing it but We recall that it started with an 'a'. When We asked Tia what it meant she continued to pick flowers before saying that it was a pony who did not look coltish or girly 'like you, Luna'. Why does there need to be such a big word for that? Did it matter that this word applied to Us? "Yet you still persist in speaking so? Stubborn half-breed!" "Dogged full-blood! May a mischievous spirit tangle your shadow!" They seem to be arguing but not in a super mean way, they sound a bit like Tia and We do sometimes. "Look!" The maybe-a-mare exclaimed, "I think he is waking up! Should we give him some food?" FOOD?! We bolt up, throwing off a thin, coarse sheet of a light brown color. We are in a round tent of some kind that could have ten full-sized ponies crammed into it. There is a bit of sunlight poking through a hole in the roof where We can see some sticks poking through as well, each reaching skyward. There is not much in here, just a few baskets, some spears, and blankets along with a few other things We do not know. We still have our cape, but it seems that We have lost Twiggy. Maybe Twiggy has passed on to Sword Paradise, although We hope not because We really wanted a sword. Tragically, We see no food. "Well, it seems he is awake." We looked at the speaker, the one We had taken to be a mare. We do not think We were too far off, though she did not look like any mare We knew of. She was much younger, not a filly but not quite a mare. She had a thick, curly coat that was tawny in color and big green eyes. She was thickly built, like she was the sort who wrestled ten cragodiles before breakfast. Her mane was in two plain braids, one daffodil yellow, and the other violet. A few strands stuck out, especially on the violet side. Maybe she didn't brush it or she got bedhead only on one side. We noticed her especially short tail; it was the same color as her mane but was not as long. She did not seem to have her cutie mark either. Perhaps her fur hid it. Around her head, she wore a pretty woven crown with a blue and green triangle pattern winding across it in a perfect row. Instead of jewels, it had a few feathers standing tall and bobbing whenever she moved her head, which had a unicorn's horn poking through a stray lock of mane. Her face also looked so much like a pony's compared to the other creature. "Well," she asked, "do you want some food or not?" "I do not think he understands you," grumbled her companion. Unlike Miss Flower-Braids, he looked like he had wrestled the whole forest before the crack of dawn; We would not want to mess with him! He seemed to be around her age as well, as he looked nothing like a grown-up but too big to be Our age or Tia's age. His features were different, and his coat was darker than the filly's own. We think he was slouching and he had two horns; he was not a pony but We did not know he was, or if he knew where to find the type of creature from the stories that We were supposed to look for. We should not ask 'cause that might be rude. "Nonsense! I am speaking his language, the Everfree tongue." Miss Flower-Braids made a fish-face and gave another 'hmph!' to her companion. "Perhaps he is mute? Or maybe too young to speak? This one looks as if he should still be in how do the ponies say it... a nursery?" Miss Flower-hmph gave yet another one of her signature remarks. "You know nothing of ponies, Hokolesqua. They are smaller, yes, he is maybe only four summers old, or 'years' to him. Is that correct, Blue Colt?" We nodded shyly and Our stomach grumbled. We do not think they heard Us, since Flower-hmph and Cocoa seemed to be arguing again. "They are not my ancestors, these ponies. Our camp, no, our tribe has not seen any foreign ponies in five generations. You know full well that you are the only one with pony blood in the whole village, now that your parents are deceased." We are a bit scared, We have never actually talked to a pony before. There were not any servants in the castle and whenever knights or diplomats visited, Mommy and Daddy hid us both in another room. Although, We often snuck out when they were not looking. It was a bit strange, like Our family were the only ones who knew about Tia and— "Yet this colt might know something, Hokolesqua! He is proof that not all my forefathers left generations ago, he is proof that not all citadels are silent, and he might know why the land has changed. He could answer the stories Lady Sun Dance tells of how in the memory of her mother’s mothers before her, this land was not unbalanced, and of how your namesake is reduced to colorless memory!" Oh, We are so hungry! How do We ask them for food? Our voice feels caught in Our throat. What if We offend them? Perhaps they are squabbling over something important? "But is it not memories that guide us?" Can We leave? "Guide us, yes!" she shrieked, "But we cannot live on them, lest we become them!" We just wanted to find a shaman to help Tia, not listen to them yell at each other. We sniffled a little bit and buried Our face in our hooves to make it all go away. We do not even know if these creatures are shamans. "Well done, Cathecassa, you made the little colt cry." There was a hoof on Our head, stroking Our mane. "Shh, it is alright, I am sorry our fighting scared you, little one. You must be hungry." Really? Us, hungry? Give Us all your food if you wish to be spared Our wrath. "Hokolesqua, go get him some food," Orders Flower-hmph and We hear Cocoa leave. After he is gone, We move Our hooves away from Our eyes. "W-w-what happened?" Flower unfolds a small and colorful woven blanket, places it on the dusty floor, and sits on it before We can catch sight of the pattern. "You were found in the desert, lost and alone three sunrises ago by Hokolesqua and myself. We are scouts for our village. In fact, we will be heading back there this evening. It should take us at least one full cycling of the sun and moon to get there, but I extend an invitation with all the hospitalities of my tribe to you, little stranger." Maybe the village has a shaman! They could give Us some medicine to help Tia. "Well, will you come with us, Stranger? You seem to have none to follow?" "Yes!" Flower smiles politely. "Very well then. If we are to travel with you, may I inquire about your name?" "Luna, what is yours?" "I am Cathecassa." We tilt our head to the side. "C-c-c-ahhhh-sss-ee-?" "Umm, no," She shakes her head, "In your language that would be... how do I say...?" Cahse then holds up one of her black cloven hooves and points to the left one using the right. "It means, umm, how do I say this color?" "Black?" "Yes, black, and this," she taps her left hoof. "Hoof." "Yes, in your language I am Black Hoof." "What is your friend's name?" Black Hoof cringes. "He is not my friend, he is kin, but not in your sense of the word. In your tongue his name is... it is the plant that grows very tall, with silk and a golden head, you can eat it. A plant of legend that used to be cultivated by my kind and the ponies to the south. They traded these crops with the great desert horses." "Corn!" We guess enthusiastically, "It is corn! A stalk of corn!" She laughs a little, "Yes, he is Corn Stalk and I am Black Hoof, and speaking of the plants you eat, it seems he is back with your food." Corn Stalk slipped back into the tent and nudged a pretty painted bowl towards Us. The food would get no mercy. ... Corn Stalk was awfully slow compared to Black Hoof and ourself. He was always more than a few steps behind our pacing. We could hear him grumbling about Black Hoof and how she made him travel so quickly in such a short time. We did not mind Black Hoof insisting that we be swift in travels and We liked listening to them talk. "Come, Luna, he will catch up soon. I will need to show the proper way down the hill, into camp and we cannot have that bloke in our way, am I right?" We nodded. "I heard that, Cathecassa!" She rolled her eyes and nudged me towards the descending cliff face. "This way, little one." ... "This is it," Black Hoof said, pointing a hoof towards a large circle of peaked tents she called teepees. A large fire in the middle and a thin curl of smoke were picked up in the warm breeze. We could see the faint shadows of clouds all the way up on this rocky hill as well as other buffalo milling about. It seemed that between carrying out chores We could not make out very well from up here and talking, they all looked really sad. Maybe it is because there are quite a few pokey trees around their home. We hate pokey trees, even if they sometimes have flowers. ... It turns out that buffalo are giants! Corn Stalk was so tiny compared to them and We were even smaller. They may not have been as tall as Mommy and Daddy were, but they were still giants. They looked at Us with confusion as We were led through the camp by Black Hoof and Corn Stalk. They guided Us over to the big campfire We saw from the cliff face. "Sit here and wait, little colt," Black Hoof said as she scanned the camp. "Corn Stalk, you wait with him while I go inform the Lady of the arrival." She walked over in another direction before Corn Stalk could refuse. We plopped down in the dust while Corn Stalk stood nearby, looking like he would rather be elsewhere. The both of us said nothing for a while. "Corn Stalk, why is there such a big fire in the daytime?" "So the Lady Sun Dance can work her magic. She requires fire to do so." "Is she like a queen?" "Maybe? She is the wife of Chief Lightninghorn, he governs the Camp of Warriors, and she leads the Camp of Fire. Here there are many buffalo, young and old, bull and cow. At the Warriors' camp, this is not so, there are only fighters there along with the chief and a young Wise One who trains to be like our Lady. Every tribe has two camps, perhaps with different names, yes, but still the same but—" "But what?" We asked excitedly. These Wise Ones sound a lot like mages and wizards, who are probably a lot like shamans, and shamans can help Tia. "Well, if you stopped interrupting, I could tell you!" "S-sorry." "Well, you see all buffalo weather warrior, calf, or Wise One — any that have a tribe — heed the power of the greatest of our magic users, who answers only to the gods themselves. The Sage who is our greatest—" "Shaman!" We shouted, "They are the greatest shaman!" Corn Stalk looked at us funny. "How did you know—" "Is this the colt you were telling about? He is indeed quite small." This voice was unfamiliar to Us, but We saw Corn Stalk bow and turned to face the speaker. She was a buffalo who looked very old, but still incredibly strong. Her coat was white and if it weren't for her wise brown eyes, she could have been a ghost. She wore red and yellow feathers from a bird We did not recognize and there was a painted design on her withers. It looked like some circle in pink paint but We could not tell for sure. "Yes, my Lady," Black Hoof replied, her head bowed. "His name is Luna." "Luna," Black Hoof said, "This is—" "Lady Sun Dance?" The old buffalo nodded. "That I am." She gestured to Black Hoof and Corn Stalk, motioning for them to step away. When they did, Lady Sun Dance sat down next to Us. "What are you doing all alone, little one? Cathecassa here told me you were found in the middle of the desert." "Tia is sick!" She gazed at me in a way that reminded me of Mommy and Daddy. "Who is this Tia, your mother?" "Older sister." "Hmm, how much older? Is this why you travel alone — or at least alone with your sister?" "She is much older than Us—" Lady Sun Dance's wise sleepy look was replaced with one of alarm and confusion. "The Royal We?!" We pointed to Our chest. "We," We said. That should clear things up for her. She looked at Black Hoof and said something We could not understand. Black Hoof's horn lit up with a glittery yellow aura and she gently untied the knot We used to fasten the dirty quilt-cape around our neck. All of them gasped and We even heard a bowl break in the background. Sun Dance rose from her seat only to slip into a deep bow, We watched the entire tribe do the same including Black Hoof and Corn Stalk. "Your Majesty," Lady Sun Dance began, her tone stern and serious, "Prince Luna, whose kingdom is unsaid, first Alicorn in many moons, the Camp of Fire of the Lightning Tribe is in grave need of your assistance." Author's Note [Revised for print from 7/18/2023-725/2023] Are We the colt? Why? We remember once when We were playing in the forest with Tia and she told us this big word she had learned. We could not come close to pronouncing it but We recall that it started with an 'a'. When We asked Tia what it meant she continued to pick flowers before saying that it was a pony who didn't look coltish or girly 'like you, Luna'. Why does there need to be such a big word for that? This bit here has a weird history. When I had a non-brony friend read another one of my stories, Tomb of Magic, they mistook Luna for a colt/young stallion when reading some of her inner monologue. Then, after I had the idea, outline, and a few paragraphs of what would become this story, I decided to see if I had any potential cover art in my pony art folders. As I clicked through pictures of the sisters (and some of just Luna by herself) I noticed that compared to Celestia , filly versions of Luna without her regalia had a much more androgynous look to her. It seemed to fit well with the much more cheeky, tomboyish, and adventurous nature as opposed to Celestia's mature, reserved, and strategic one. (The original cover art was this) Act Three: Lightning Without RainWe stared at the buffalo gathered around Us, and tried to fold Our wings even more. "What is it you need. W-we might be able to help you... you did ask very nicely." Lady Sun Dance shooed away all but Corn Stalk and Black Hoof, all three of them stood over Us. "Well, I overheard Hokolesqua — Corn Stalk to you — telling you of our culture." "Yes, he was telling Us about the Sage." "Well, did he tell you how the Sage is chosen?" "No." "Look up," she commanded and We gazed up at the sun, "It is the sky that chooses our Sage, at other times it is those of the sky, those of magic — those like yourself, little prince." We nodded and kept listening. "They are not entirely like you, as I feel you are too young to have earned either a horn or wings. You are clearly an Alicorn, not some mortal imitation, a pony bent by the farthest heavens to stand among true Alicorns. You are a god by birthright and species." We did not recognize one of the last words she said: god. "Unfortunately, due to the strange aging of your kind, you could be ten and fifty, or even much older, who knows? I fear you are not old enough to give me the answers to what has been. Although, perhaps you can still help us learn what is to be. I am able to read the signs the Sage draws in the fire — the very one you see right there — yet there has been nothing for many sunrises. Never has this happened before. There is only one way to contact the current Sage and it requires a magic we buffalo do not possess — not even Cathecassa's unicorn pony magic is strong enough. Although yours, little prince, your magic most definitely is, no matter how underdeveloped, for it was your kind who we lived in harmony with." She paused and looked at the sky for a brief moment, her expression somber. "Will you be willing to take on a quest—" "YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!" We jumped up and down, smiling wide with glee at the chance of another adventure! Lady Sun Dance's muzzle crinkled in the faintest smile. "I will see to it that you are given provisions, although it shouldn't be too far for you." She was no longer looking at me and started walking away. "Cathecassa, you will accompany her? With a pitch like that, this little foal is not a prince but rather a princess. I'm surprised Cathecassa, that being half-pony, you did not realize this." ... "This is it, Lady Luna. The Sage's Gate." Black Hoof said, pointing her cloven hoof to whatever was on the other side of the hill. The both of us had traveled two cycles of the sun and moon away from the camp. She had to keep reminding Us to stay focused and not run off to play with every new thing We found. When we set up camp at night Black Hoof would tell Us the stories she heard around the camp's fire when she was little, like Us. She showed us how to braid Our mane, even though it was a bit too short compared to hers, it helped keep Us cool. We told her to please stop calling Us 'princess' because We are an adventurer. "Black Hoof," We said as We trotted up a dusty hill covered in sand and traces of brush, "Please just call us Luna. Lady Luna makes us sound really super old — like a grown-up." "But Lady Luna," Black Hoof said from up ahead, "You are very old, no? Alicorns, they live for so long; they live forever. That makes you very old, m'lady, old and important. That is how you say it in your language, yes? 'My lady' becomes 'm'lady', no?" "You are correct. Do not worry, Black Hoof, your Equuish is good." "Thank you. Now, like I say, we are here." We reached the top of the hill, and looked where she pointed. In the middle of the sand dune stood a small stone building the same color. It looked like a castle turret with a rounded top, but three of its walls were open arches, like a gazebo. When We came closer, sliding down the bowl of loose sand, We could see worn flecks of paint. Black Hoof followed close behind. "Come inside, Lady Luna." We sighed, it seems this was a battle We could not yet win. We wanted to spend more time outside but a chance to get out of the hot sun was always tempting, so We followed her. "This is where Lady Sun Dance told me to bring you." Black Hoof was pointing at something again, the wall where there were not any arches. It was shady in the gazebo, and the only colors that stood out in the shadows were Our blue coat and the yellow part of Black Hoof's mane and tail. A door would have gone here if it was less open. The fourth wall was solid rock, where a mosaic crumbled, the pretty tiles worn and weathered until every single one had a unique texture when We ran Our hoof over it. We liked this much more than if it was shiny and new because We enjoyed thinking about what the picture could have been based on what was left rather than having it presented to Us. Pictures are a lot like ponies. Sometimes, all you have to do is look a little bit harder to find the pieces that everypony else says are missing, even though they were there all along. Other times, ponies really are missing the picture. Around the masterpiece was a carved stone frame, there were runes carved so deep We might be able to fit our hoof inside, although We are not going to try. We did not know what they said but it must have been very important. Behind Us, We heard a choked cry from Black Hoof. "How could it be?" We continue to trace the runes with our hoof. "What is wrong Black Hoof?" Black Hoof joined us, running her own hoof over the missing tiles. "Lady Sun Dance said we would need all the tiles to help decipher the magic. Well, at least for me to do so, as you do not know the runes of my kind... not to mention, you are only a tiny wisp of a filly. I have no idea where you came from, surely it must be around here somewhere, as nothing has been heard—" She stopped and held a hoof to her face, as if she would faint. "None of us have heard anything in generations... the Sage is our only answer and now even they are unreachable. Lady Luna, I am afraid we came here for nothing. Forgive me for this. I will be setting up camp outside. We will be returning to the camp with the next sunrise. You said on your way here that this Tia, your elder sister, had fallen ill and you searched for a cure. Perhaps Lady Sun Dance would know a cure of some kind. I suggest you get a full night's rest, you have a much longer journey than I do." Black Hoof trudged away with her head hung, her braids hanging in her eyes. As she went We heard her mumbling. "...was it really such a foolish hope...?" We turned and watched her go outside where the sun was already setting, even though gathering clouds hid it. She began to levitate the bags of food and other stuff off her back. We sat in the middle of the floor, tracing nonsense patterns in the sand as We stared at the mural in front of us. There was a sound of thunder behind us. ... Black Hoof fell asleep a while ago, when We went to get something from our supplies to eat, We saw that she was curled up under a blanket with colorful zigzag patterns. The stars were out but it still felt cold and dark because they did not shine much, although the sand caught what little light they shed. Perhaps many of the stars had fallen out of the sky and became buried in the sand. That could be why We cannot see them. Plink, plink, plink! That is what stars sound like, when Tia is better will dig in the sand and retrieve them. The two of us will gather them like flowers, keeping them safe until we can both fly them up to their home and the stars will shine once more. We will help them find those they lost. We try not to take too much since nice fillies do not steal food, or at least they do not steal lots of food. We only needed enough to tie up in our former quilt-cape; Black Hoof was nice enough to bring it with her since We would not let go of it. We placed the newly tied sack on Our back and walked into the gazebo, the Sage's Gate. There was thunder rumbling in the sky and dark clouds covering the moon. We wish it would rain. Our favorite weather is often the rainiest. We continued to stare at the runes. Why were they carved so deeply in the stone? We are not seeing the whole picture here, perhaps We should try to look at the one in front of Us. Black Hoof said it was important. There does not seem to be much left, We thought, all the tiles are broken. We trace our forehoof back and forth across what remains and notice something. Before, We thought each space had its own feel, but that does not seem right. The tile two spaces ago feels exactly like the one Our hoof stopped on right now. Maybe there are more like these. A few spaces later We find another tile with the same feel to it, like a snowflake. That is three, this cannot be chance. Four. We keep going, trying to reach as many as We can with Our hoof. Five. Six. We puff up Our cheeks and stick the tip of Our tongue out as We focus. Seven, eight, nine, ten. We have to use Our magic to push in six more tiles. Without making a spooky boom noise, or any at all, the interior of the rune frame — the ruined mosaic — slides away folding itself into tiny squares that disappear into a slot in the frame We could not see before. This creates an open window We are tempted to sit in. There is a very quiet clicking sound, but We are not sure where it comes from. Then We hear a plink-plink noise that is also quiet. What is it? Are there stars falling? Should We run out to catch— Wait, it stopped. The runes start to sparkle, We see brief white glimmers as small as fireflies inside, and with the softest sssss a screen of something that proves to be neither glass nor metal when We touch it slides out, along with thick curls of dark pink and blue mist that makes us feel sleepy until We cover my muzzle with one of Our forehooves and breathe through Our mouth instead. After rolling around a bit it vanishes, and We are left all alone again. We take Our hoof away from our muzzle and poke the smooth surface of the strange window. It ripples with bright window colors like a prism where We touch it. In the rainbow light, We see the reflection of a place that is not the desert. It ripples and vanishes. We found the Sage's Gate! We creep back outside just as a night breeze blows, ruffling Our mane. We shake Black Hoof back and forth trying to keep Our voice in a whisper. "Black Hoof, We found the gate!" She does not listen. "Come on, Black Hoof! We are going to see the Sage now!" She cannot be that tired, can she? "We are going to see the Sage! There is a pretty door!" Please, wake up! We pause and press our ear to her fuzzy chest to try to listen for a heartbeat, Tia told Us to do this because ponies' hearts are important, although We forget why. We hope she is okay... We listen. She is okay. We hear her heart. That means she must be okay. We head back to the gate now that We know she is just sleepy. Hmm, the mist made me feel sleepy, and We were still awake now. Black Hoof did not cover her muzzle and was already asleep... maybe it made her sleepier? It will be okay to leave her here though, she is a scout, after all. We face forward and scrunch up Our face as We charge my horn with all the magic We can. It is not much yet, but maybe in the future it could be, if We practice really hard. We try to hold the weird gate-mirror the same way We would a door, hoping to pull it open. It did not work. We tried to push it open instead, and Our horn started to shoot sparks. That also did not work. We then tried to push one half and pull the other. "Come on, please open," We whispered. The door did not say anything. Maybe it did not hear Us? "Ahem. We asked you to open, please do so." Humph. We see how it is. It is time to use what Mommy and Daddy call the Royal Voice, it is something that Alicorns can do, where we become, very, very loud. "WE, LUNA OF THE EVERFREE, WANDERER OF ALL LANDS ORDER YOU TO OPEN YOUR REALM TO US, GATE OF THE SAGE LEST YOU FACE OUR ETERNAL WRATH AND YOUR LEGACY BE WIPED FROM ALL EXISTENCE!" We stomped Our hoof and Our horn's light flickered, going off for the briefest moment before it re-lit, flaring with energy. For a second Our eyes were blinded by a glow that vanished quickly enough for Us to see a bolt of lightning strike the very door We yelled at. Its clear surface swirled and clouded until it opened, spewing fluffy-looking fog and light from somewhere else. We looked inside, there was no longer a desert. "Thank you," We whispered before stepping into the unknown once again, something We had done countless times each day and night. ... We may not be able to fly now, but every night We look up at the stars and sometimes We wonder what happened, but there is never an answer. This is what the stars were like though, they are so bright, so alive. Is this the sky? Is this blue-purple land with its tiny white fireflies forming a bridge beneath our hooves what the sky is like? Are We awake? Are We asleep? Is this space? If this is space, why can We walk? Wait — why is everything fading? It is all so blurry now — the colors are running like water with every springy, float-y step We were taking. Deep blues, glow-y soft whites, and blue-purples became greens, silvers, and the black of this strange new night Tia and Us had to get used to. The air was warm and Our legs were shaking a little teeny bit. We looked around, a bit more curious than We were nervous, and were about to light Our horn up just a little bit so We could see better, when something really cold touched our hooves, and We jumped around, almost spilling Our food. We looked down— —at the ocean. Our hooves kicked the soft sand that was outlined in the weak starlight. We are on a beach. The waves lapped our hooves. 'Hello, Luna,' the ocean said. We giggled really quietly, as quiet as giggling could be; silly Us! There was nothing to be nervous about. We waved goodbye to the ocean. As much as We wanted to play alongside the shore, We had to go. The ocean spits up seaweed anyway, which is yucky, and We secretly do not want to play with the ocean that much anyway. The shore holds all the treasures. We cannot say that though because then it might cry, and the ocean cries these tiny stars — which must hurt — that are an awful lot like salamanders. They like to crawl over the same treasures We look for. Once when Our family was whole, Mommy and Daddy took us went to the ocean, the stars got stuck on Tia, and even though it was pretty funny she started shrieking, which was not. We do not want to think about crying or Tia shrieking! We turn around and walked towards the inner part of the island. It was filled with trees! At least, by the looks of it. Instead of stepping highly and lightly as We did in the firefly land, We drag Our hooves in the sand all the way to the tree line. Even if the ocean has poor manners — that both my sister and I can agree upon — sand is always super fun, it always tempts Us to build tiny cities or play with crabs. We like crabs. We look up when We see vivid green grasses and ferns a bit like the ones we had at home but lighter. They are almost as tall as us! We know that hidden somewhere in there are the roots of the trees. They are tall, with rough silver bark that gleams beneath the moon and strong branches on which pointy-edged leaves in dark shades of purple and green, unlike most of the trees at home which were hunched over with brown-green leaves in long strands like a pony's mane. From within We think We hear singing, the whole air of this place seems to be alive with a melody carried by the night breeze, and so We delve into the garden of shadows. ... All around Us, the trees are dense, the leaves of the highest branches tossing the meager starlight back and forth with brief shakes. There did not seem to be any other signs of life besides Us and all the fireflies in the air, although We did not feel lonely. That is a Tia-feeling. We only feel this loneliness in crowded rooms. It seems nice here, We thought as We continue to walk through the grass, which makes a shh-shhh noise when stepped on. We wonder if anypony else is here. This island after all, even though We do not see any ponies here so far, there could be one somewhere on this island. We have no idea how big it is, and they could be hiding! From the look of the shore, We think it would take a few days and nights of traveling to get across. Since it is an island, it should have a center of some kind. We have never been to an island before today and Tia's never been to one at all, although our parents have told Us about them and We have read about them in books. If We reach the center, We could climb a tree so We can see if there are any houses on this island, or anything else We are supposed to search for! We stop walking for a moment but refuse to lean against a tree, it might tempt Us to nap. We pluck a strand of grass and prop it in Our mouth, chewing the end in thought. Maybe We should just walk some more until We come across something? We turn back to look at the grass, freshly trampled by Us. No, that is a terrible idea. It would be too dangerous. It is always important to know what is ahead and around you when traveling, this was one of the first things that Tia and I learned. We may look like fillies, even though we both are really hundreds of years old and have plenty of time for learning. So, maybe We should not wander around, but We should still climb a tree. We do not know what is ahead of Us, which is bad, and We do not have much of an idea of what is around Us which is even worse! Wandering is a really bad idea so, it is settled: We will climb a tree! We look up towards the branches of the tree We are leaning against. The branches do not look like they could hold Us. Hmm We nibble the grass some more. Maybe We should find a different place to climb a tree... and make sure it is a really big tree, too! We squealed with excitement. This part of our never-ending adventure is going to be longer than We thought! ... Come on! We shove a few twigs out of Our way; a few of them get caught in Our mane, but that is okay, We can pull them out later. We just need to get to the end of this branch! We teleported up here with Our magic and somehow managed not to hit any branches — although We did find a bird's nest with a few eggs inside, and no mama or papa bird — but now the tree seemed to have other ideas. It had taken quite a bit of walking to find such a nice tree with branches We would be able to stand on. As We walked further into the woods We noticed large stones everywhere, their surfaces were covered with moss, but when We scraped them away We saw that the stone once belonged to a building: it was a large chunk of some now crumbling building We had yet to find. Maybe We would be able to see it from here. We pushed through the last bit of leaves, they tickled Our face as We did, as did a soft breeze. The island really was like a big garden with greens, purples, and dark blues everywhere. We could even see a few clearings with large pink flowers and lily pads floating on distant ponds. Everything was glowing softly and it felt so peaceful. The island was very hilly, covered in the forest like a blanket. We saw more large ruined stones scattered across the island drawing Our eyes to the highest hill. There was a castle — a rather small castle that nopony has taken care of, its dark gray stone walls blending in with the sky. Almost every part of the castle collapsed except for a single tower that stood in front of the moon. It would still be the night when We got there. All was still. We wonder who lived there, and if they still did. Somepony who lives in that castle must be mysterious, and maybe they liked quiet just like We do. Or they could be lonely like Tia is when We are not in the mood to play with her. Either way, it seems this is where We are supposed to go. We retreat back into the leaves. ... "Hello?" We whisper as We step quietly through a hole in the broken wall of the tower. We see a long staircase spiraling upward, a few sad-looking papers blown up and down. We trotted forward, gathering them with Our magic. They are damp and ruined. Strangest of all, it looked like someone burned them on purpose, using a mysterious magic to strip away every last word leaving nothing but curious horizontal burn marks. We dropped the papers and decided to climb the stairs instead. Perhaps their author was there and could provide Us an explanation. Every so often We came to a set of wooden doors which were quite worn by the sea air and the holes in the castle which let that air in. We opened some of the doors slightly but it became clear that the only things inside were dusty furniture, nothing that We would like to play with it. We closed the last door and kept going. Soon We saw moonlight streaming through the last door at the top of the stairs, which was slightly ajar. We could feel the wind coming through. Pushing the door open, We thought about how dull all these stairs were. Was the pony who lived here boring? We hope not. Inside the room at the top of the tower, there was a large fire pit of some kind, except it was not lit and the ashes were being blown out the holes in the walls where the building had crumbled. Just like on the stairs, there were scraps of burned paper everywhere and halves of books, most of them were spilling out of the pit. What few windows that remained were in pieces and We had to be careful to avoid shards of colored glass. Among these shards of colored glass were long crystal prisms about as big as Our foreleg. Most of them were pastel blues and pinks, but one lying close to Us was a deep purple. We grabbed it in Our magic and looked at the surface. It was marked with chips and scratches — some of which formed words. We recognized the date as one from a few hundred years ago, sometime after Mommy and Daddy left. We looked around the room. This was some kind of magical trinket We remember relatives having. You take a special kind of crystal and enchant it, so when it is placed in a machine of some kind it shows you really pretty pictures. We have never used one before. We poked around the room some more, the crystal placed on Our back with Our small stash of food so We can use what little magic We can control so far to carefully move objects out of Our way. After pushing away large splinters of what must have been a shelf. Behind it, We find exactly what We are looking for: a machine about the size of Us with a fair deal of gears and whirly things, now quiet. We may not have used one of these before, but at least We know what it looks like, and that could help Us! We dust off this clear shiny crystal circle miniature window We find before cleaning the rest of the machine's outside. When We are finished, We see that there is a little door in the side, We pry it open with Our magic. It is very rusty and makes a creaky noise. We frown; there are a few spiders inside, poor things. We make them a new home in the splintered shelf remains, and give them some of Our food — Black Hoof called it prickly pear — before We continue. We levitate the crystal off of Our back and into the machine, before shutting the tiny door. Next, We pull the tiny lever on the side and the gears begin to turn slowly for a moment before stopping. Maybe it needs magic, too? We push the lever back into place and hear it click. Then, We pull it down again, this time with Our hooves, and shoot as much magic as We can manage into the strange object. Everything seems to need magic! It works, too! It starts to glow pretty turquoise just like Our magic! Suddenly, the gears start turning again! They go faster and faster... and faster... and faster?! One of the whirly gears on the silver and copper colored outside flies off and almost hits Us in the face, but We dodge it just in time, only to hear it smash into one of the last whole windows. Oops. The Flying Gear Not-Quite-A-Box started to make a noise that sounded vaguely like a really injured cat or Tia whining, and then there was a weird crunching noise and it started to shoot shards of crystal at Us. We shrieked and run away, able to avoid most of them, although one managed to cut Our cheek a little bit. But, We did not cry because We are such a big filly. When it stopped, We crept back out making sure to be careful in case it saw Us and decided to shoot more purple crystals at Us. We pried open the crystal door thingy again. The neat-looking prism, despite the nicks and dents it originally had, was now in a much worse state. It looked like a purple corncob after somepony had eaten all the corn off it and then thought the cob might be pretty tasty too. Double oops. We removed it carefully and gave it to the spiders as a housewarming gift. There was a pink crystal nearby that did not have any scratches on it. We are sure it will have pictures that are just as pretty as the purple one. We check the date on this one, stumbling over some of the words. If We are reading this right then this one is the most recent! It is only about a month old — We cannot be sure, since it becomes hard to keep track of how much time passes without Tia to help. Although, sometimes We count, too. We repeat the entire process over again, and dash behind some rubble after pulling the lever and shooting the machine with magic. There is a humming noise that did not happen before and We risk a small peek to see what is happening. The Not-Quite-Box machine is glowing the color of Our magic like before, but then it fades to a soft pulsing white. The white aura seems to fade and fills the room like fog, or Our breath of a chilly day. It forms shapes We do not recognize and We see bits of color slowly leak back into the magic fog forming some kind of painting on the wall. We see two purple eyes and an amber and yellow coat. There is a silky white mane, too. The picture is a mare. We can only see what she looks like from the withers up and faint outlines of a messy room behind her. There are no holes in the walls and the broken furniture is covered with images of it in its right places. The pit in the middle blazes with multicolored fire. In the background, there are all sorts of bottles, gears, and other charms that look like things We saw at the buffalo camp. She swallows and We can see tears in her eyes. Her wings are wrapped around her like she is trying to give herself a hug and the bun she pulled her mane into is coming undone. Bits of her forelock hang in her face and her horn is glowing with a magic similar in color to her coat. She looks older than Mommy and Daddy, but her mane is not sparkly or like any other adult Alicorn's at all. We are not sure what to do beyond just sitting and watching this vision that seems to be coming out of the tiny mirror crystal. We float Our bag of food over to where We are and begin to nibble some of the contents. The mare starts to speak. She has a very thick accent so We cannot understand everything she says because it spills over all her words and We have never heard anypony speak like that before! It is so confusing and makes Our head hurt, so We just imagine her pausing a lot so We do not make our head hurt, and that is a good solution. We wish We could understand everything she said, though. "Well... I suppose it is... test the Equuish out... most common language, after all... for the last time... before I destroy all my research... I am Princess Amira Fire-sight..." She sniffles a bit and grabs a hanky that We did not find in this mess. We wish We could hug her. "...my last words... these are the last words of the last demigod, the last Sage of the buffalo." We smiled. Wait 'till I told Black Hoof that We found the Sage! "...I have no apprentice, nopony to take my place... the last bit of magic... precious objects... stored inside the chest underneath the floor over towards the left... I cannot say that... I was never the best student, nor was I the worst... I should have gone with the others they needed me more, I think..." What is she talking about? Gone where? Did her family leave too? "...this is my 1,100th year... my last few days... I stayed to protect the buffalo, to keep the magic going in hopes that somepony would have made it back..." We paused at the exact same time she did, the vision of Amira burying her face in her hooves. After a moment she composed herself again, although her eyes were very red. We stretched out a hoof to try to hug her, but the vision only dissolved for a few seconds, warping around where We stretched out Our forehooves. "...If I had gone with them, perhaps even a demigod like me could have made a difference... would not feel this way..." Is there something We are not getting here? What happened to her family? "...If anypony... any creature finds this... know that you may be alone in the world..." That is not true, We have our sister! "...you are alone in a world of mortals... I had such cowardice... could have made a difference but I stayed..." What is a 'mortals'? We do not think we had that in Our forest, and We knew almost every single creature or plant in the Everfree. "...trust nopony, roaming is dangerous, hide yourself where... cannot get you... I did and I paid dearly for it... and if possible, if there is a hope out there... god that survived... I do not know the entirety of what happened... I have one last thing to say Survivor... once more I beg you to do what I could not... make a move! Find something!" The fog faded and Amira Fire-sight vanished from the room. We were out of food and sunlight was beginning to show through, the crystals everywhere catching it. We stood up and brushed Ourself free of crumbs. It was time to find that chest! ... It took a while but We were able to pull up the salt-weakened floorboards and found what Amira said was there: a chest. There was the image of a spiraling shooting star with a tail of flame burned onto the cover. The design was colored silver, purple, and white, and located where Our parents usually had their cutie marks placed on something. Thank goodness there was no lock, We do not think there would have been time to search for a key because pretty soon Black Hoof was going to be worried trying to look for Us, and lock-breaking spells are very hard! We were not sure how one fits magic into a chest but it seems Princess Amira knew what she was doing: inside were rows of bottles in different colors and sizes. Each of the lids was labeled with worn letters. One of the larger bottles was made of plain brown clay and hidden among the glass ones. It was decorated with paint, and small pictures of red birds covered the surface. The way they were painted looked a lot like some of the designs on the buffaloes' tents. We plucked it out of the chest and slipped it into my now-empty food sack. We poked through the chest some more. A lot of the words were a bit too big for us to read, but most of them seemed to be medicine of some kind each with a wax seal with the image of a different animal on it. Bear. Bird. Fish...? Deer. Llama. Bovine. Fuzzier Bovine. Breezie. Worm-thing. Swine. Minotaur. Pegasus. Elk. Big pony with wings that look like a butterfly's wings. Moose. Boars. Donkeys and mules. Buffalo. A pony with butterfly wings and lots of holes in their legs...?! Earth ponies. Sparkly ponies. Buffalo. Unicorn. Snake. Ponies with sparkling eyes. Giant spiders. Yetis. More different types of ponies blurred before Our eyes. We think this one is a giant parrot. Dragon... rawr! Seapony. Siren. There is even a bottle that We almost grab — on it is a winged, horn equine with a messy mane that looks just big enough to be slightly older than Tia. Yet, the outline of the body looks wrong and We do not understand why the silhouette for an Alicorn would be of a half-grown foal when all of the other pictures are of adults. No adult Alicorn looks like that. It goes on and on until We find a bottle with an equine that has both a flowing mane and tail as well as a wing and horn. This time, We do not need to stumble over the labels tied around the lid to know who it is for, but We are careful to double-check anyway. Alicorn, is what it says. Tia... We slip the bottle inside and knot the sack clumsily with Our magic. "Thank you, Amira," We whisper to the empty room before leaving. ... Dawn has passed, but the sun has not warmed the sands yet. There are dark clouds in the sky. Black Hoof stares at us, completely speechless. She had just witnessed Us using the Sage's Gate. Or maybe it is what came after that, when We gave her the red bird bottle. Our mane was free of twigs now but the braid had come loose in the process. We told her what happened as best as We could. It came out longer and more complicated than needed and We think a messed up the part with Princess Amira. We tried to make up for that by including as much detail as possible about all the other birds' nests We saw when climbing trees. She did not seem to believe Us that much but accepted the bottle anyway. Her magic had a much easier time keeping it afloat. She had told us to go stand away since she wanted to see what was inside and did not want us to get hurt. We were not sure what could be so dangerous about such a pretty bottle but listened anyway. Her magic broke the seal with one quick move and there was a bright flash and what could not be anything but the sound of thunder. We would not know, We had jumped behind the still-open gate until the bright light stopped and We could see again. "L-L-Luna...? A-are you still there?" Black Hoof nervously called. We came out from Our hiding place shivering all over and here We are now. Black Hoof looks terrified, We do not think her green eyes could have gotten any wider. In one of her hooves, she held one of her braids, We were not sure if it was the purple or the yellow one... both her mane and tail had gone pure white. She shivered slightly and We saw yellow sparks come off of her coat when she twitched a certain way. "Are you alright, Black Hoof?" It took her a while, but Black Hoof's wide-open mouth formed the words, even if her eyes still showed nothing but shock. "I-it seems that the bottle... was meant as the inheritance of the next Sage... and I... I opened it..." "Does this mean you are a Sage now?" She stopped looking so dazed, and shook her head from side to side. "Y-y-yes it seems so... Luna, we must return to Lady Sun Dance and give her this most urgent news!" We looked down and dragged Our hoof in the sand, trying to draw the swirly shooting star We had seen on Princess Amira's potion chest. "We cannot, Black Hoof. Our sister still needs us, more than ever now that We have gotten the medicine that can help her." Black Hoof nodded, looking downcast. "I see... but there is one thing I must do." We look up at her and tilt Our head. "What is that?" Black Hoof fixed her gaze on Us, kneeling down on her forelegs so she was at Our eye level. "You cannot tell anypony about the events that have transpired here, that you have met others who live in peace. At this time, safety is rare, and the less anyone knows about anyone else, the safer we all are. You do not tell anyone about my tribe, and I do not ask for the location of your sister and where you live, unless you wish to visit again. This information is meant for those like me to unravel. You and your sister are worth more than you realize and the world cannot risk something happening to you. The two of you must grow, and deeper magics await you both. Luna, this is the beginning of farewell, I have enjoyed my travels with you, and must also admit that my kind do not have the resources to protect you. Luna, you have so much to look forward to, and I hope — which has been renewed thanks to the story you have shared with me — with all my heart that you find the truth." We try not to cry. "C-can We tell Our sister? About you and—" Black Hoof shakes her head no. We give her a big hug and we both get up and We follow her back to her home. ... We shift the bag of supplies on Our back, it was a parting gift from the buffalo. It contained more than enough food for Our journey back, which had not taken as long as We thought. We remembered the way well, even if We were unable to use the stars to map Our way since the sky remained overcast for many days and nights. The reddish cliff where Tia lay ill was already in sight, just over the horizon. We smiled. It may not be what most would consider home, but Tia was there and that was close enough, sand or snow, rain or shine. Once We get there We pause only to transfer the food We were given to our usual saddlebags, the ones that fit us. We hid the one We had when traveling with Black Hoof under a rock. We gave Our sister the medicine, which was not exploding light but a syrup mixed with herbs that smelled as strange as Amira's accent sounded. But We carefully gave them to sleepy Tia, whose coat burned like fire and was as chilly as snow as time passed. We put the bottle with Black Hoof's bag and sat outside to wait, getting lost in counting clouds, distantly wondering where We might be able to dispose of the empty bottle where not even Tia will find it. A while must have passed, it was dawn when We arrived but now it was sunset when We heard any noise at all inside. "Luna?" A voice whispered from behind us. "We have been having the strangest dreams..." We turned around and grinned as wide as We could. "Tia!" We shouted jumping up and tackle-hugging her. Something hit Us on the head, and We could tell by the look on Tia's face that she had felt it too. We both looked up at the sky, it had begun to rain. We stuck out our tongue to catch drops and Tia laughed, pointing at a white-hot lightning bolt in the distance. Author's Note [Revised for print from 7/25/2023]
Act One: Rocks In a Sea of SandIt was always cold in the desert at night. Two little fillies should not have been out then, let alone all by themselves. The sky was barren of any visible stars on that night. Nothing shone across the reds and browns of this landscape. All would remain quiet until the day when the sun was forcibly dragged across the sky in an artless manner by an unknown being, if there was any at all to do so. This was equally true for the path of the moon. Even the tumbleweeds did dare to not stir. Each and every grain in the sandstone of the mesas was quiet as well. This was not the first of many unnatural cycles the land had experienced. The buffalo, like many others, were puzzled about the illness of the land. At one of their camps, half a tribe sat still around a flame hoping that some explanation would emerge from its crackling depths as to what had happened to their world within the memory of the more recently passed Ancestors. Why was Nature in such torment? It was deniable, they could feel it in the roots of Nature's magic. Something was diminished, a vital part of their world had vanished. They did not know what it could be, but the Ancestors might. Even as the matriarch whispered to the flames, and stirred the sparks with a staff decorated with discarded phoenix feathers, she could only hang her head with shame. The Ancestors were as soundless as the world around them, not a single word of wisdom uttered by either party. Would they receive nothing? Many days away, around ash and dying embers lie two fillies on twin piles of quilts. One of them slept peacefully, her breathing barely stirring barely a grain of sand. The other was sweating slightly. Her coughs broke the chains of silence that strangled the land mere moments before. She didn't know this, of course, being asleep, and she wouldn't know it when she woke up either. Another cough, went unheard by all, and then the silence resumed, one that was unbearable to all but these blissfully unaware fillies. ... Tia hung back a little longer today, her eyes looked tired as she squinted at our map. This was not really like her. We know we both had been traveling for an entire cycle of the sun and the moon, but that was to make up for lost time when We had a hard time waking her up at one of our previous camps. Typically, We were always the one who was tired when the two of us decided to travel like this, which was not often. We are always the first to wake up in the mornings, but packing is always so tiresome. We kicked a loose stone, as red as autumn leaves, across the dry landscape and waited for Our sister to catch up. "Luna! Why did you stop walking?" Tia has caught up with Us now, We can see her white coat against the sandy soil, which may just be regular sand. We are not quite sure. "Ooh, We were waiting for you—" Her breathing seems a little off. Maybe she should catch her breath and sit down for a little bit. "Luna, you do not need to do so. It will slow us down." She flips a sticky curl of pink mane out of her face. We know it is super-duper warm out here but that does not seem like a good sign. But maybe it is just because she has a longer mane than We do... "Okay," We say, smiling at Our sister to cheer her up. We will keep an eye on her, though. Only one eye, of course, We still need to see where We are going. She passes in front of us, in her long strides that she insists make her seem more princess-y. We follow her trying to make a game of how long We can walk in her shadow without her noticing. We walk onward, and after a while, We look up at the clouds which are puffy and white and just begging for Us to point out what they look like. "Look Tia, that one is a turtle! And the one of there — oh my gosh! It looks exactly like a hare with its big ears. It is just like the story Dad told us!" We see Tia tilt her head and look at the clouds. There is a small smile on her face. ... Our map only covers the big stuff like big mountain chains and forests. Smaller things are always left out. Even though Tia carries it all the time she has shown it to Us before. "Tia, does that mean We will not show up on the map?" We had asked. She was confused when We asked her this. "What do you mean, Luna?" We explained to her that if the map leaves out smaller counterparts of creatures and places, that means it will only show her. We tell her that this is because she is Our big sister but that it will not show Us because We are the younger sister. "You are letting your imagination run wild again, Luna." "Well, We have to let it run wild so it can join us, considering We no longer have a castle to put it in." Sometimes Tia would get upset when We mentioned the castle, after all, she missed it very much. Especially pillows. She hated how there were never any good pillows one could find in nature. After a while, We stopped missing butterscotches so much and hardly ever thought of them yet Tia seemed to still act huffy about pillows and things like soup spoons. We did not tell her that We liked traveling just as much as We liked the castle, just like We never asked her why the oceans were so big, even though all that water had to come from somewhere. Sometimes, the two of us would be surprised when we found something like a nice hill, field, or lake that was not on the map. We never marked these undiscovered places out of fear of damaging our only navigation device. ... Today was one of those times. Tia stood on the top of a ridge that sloped downward, and We peeked out from behind her. We were overlooking the newest change in the landscape. A river was winding its way through many tall, holey spires and table-hills of orange rock with barely any sandy patches visible. Even from here, We could see dry clumps of some plants, although they might just have been still tumbleweeds waiting for the wind to move them again. Tia declared that we would be staying here for a night, and only a night. She added that we would want to make good use of the water here as well as any tasty or not-so-tasty plants. We knew how to make us stay longer. She mumbled that she would go find a place to sleep. When she was about to tell me what to do, We interrupted her, sounding chipper as usual and telling her We would go find food and water by the river. Tia did not argue; her eyes met mine. If one of us was lost, we both knew what to do, that is what her eyes were saying. We have a magic signal as well as a birdcall if something prevents the former. Of course, We knew to always tell the other where you are going to be because those are part of common sense and Tia's Big Sister Safety Rules, which are like her princess rules. We like the safety ones much better. Except, We never had to tell her exactly what We were going to do. ... The river doesn't look very deep, We thought as We stared at it safely from the shore. Small rivers always disappointed Us because they rarely contained any interesting fish for Us to observe. But it would work. We looked around, making sure that nopony would notice what We were about to do. Thankfully, Tia had not followed. We undid the buckle on Our saddlebags, sticking Our tongue out as our magic fumbled with it until it came undone. Picking it up in Our mouth, We dragged the bag over to the river. Since the straps were dragging, one of the buckles ended up getting caught on a stone. Some of the stuff in it spilled: dried clover, smooth stones, and the candy that We really wish were there, but was not 'cause Tia never let Us bring it. Except now that Our scheme is in motion, We suppose it was better that way although We would never admit it to her. We did not bother to clean any of this up right now. We were going to be a criminal, and We are quite sure that criminals do not clean up their messes. Yes, We would be a criminal. Until dinner. Tia would never let a criminal eat dinner, even if she was sick. She would know. Somehow. Our half-empty bags made a muffled thump as We plopped them down on the dry sand. They would stay here for now, while We did part two of Our criminal... umm what was the word that described criminal doings... Uhh, We think it is called criminal-ness. Yes, that is a big and fancy word that We are certain Our sister used too! "Okay, so here We are doing act two of Our... criminalness." We only whisper this because if We shout Our problems out to the world like a real criminal, who knows what authority figures will pop out and tell Us what a bad filly We have been. Except, We do not think bad fillies help their sisters. So, if We are not a good filly or a bad filly... what kind of filly is that? Tia says that there are only those two kinds of fillies. We have never told her that We think she is wrong, instead We just half-listen and look at the clouds when she thinks We are listening and wonder what this sort of filly would be called. Then We usually end up wondering if this applies to the world as a whole. Does it? Good, bad, and... ? Even now, as We jump up a down, stomping my hooves in the dust to make funny hoof prints that cause Is to giggle We wonder what this might be called. All that happens is We end up scrunching up Our face in confusion over a name that doesn't seem to exist for a concept that is just as mysterious. We kick Our saddlebags into the river watching the small splash they make before it drifts downstream leaving a trail of supplies along the way, before getting caught on a rock. Everything else floats away, thank goodness. We fling all the spilled objects into the river as well. Thankfully, most of them sink. Lastly, We wade in and submerge Our face in the sun-warmed water and blow bubbles, wondering why the world is such a funny place the whole time. Gray. That is it. It seems to come out of nowhere, just like the bubbles. The not-good but not-bad filly has a name now. Gray. What happens when you mix things to get something both new and old. That sort of thing must be 'the funny world', We suppose, which is most definitely both new and old. After a few minutes, when We are done holding Our breath and feeling soaked, We stumbled onto the shore scattering water droplets as We headed off to find Our sister, with wet saddlebags slung over Our back. ... "Luna, what happened?" was the first thing Tia said when We arrived at the latest temporary shelter the two of us shared. It was a small cave slightly redder than everything else around us, with smooth walls and a floor covered in a carpet of soft shadows that were cool to the touch. The smoothness of the rock fascinated Us; it was as if the wind itself had decided to scoop out the stone to create this den. It had been a bit of a walk to get here, and the heat seemed to be making Us dizzy. We swayed on Our hooves. From her corner, Tia rose from her pile of the quilts that had been neatly stored away, and walked over to Us, repeating her question. Her throat sounds a little funny. "The river..." We mumble, trailing off as heat teased Our brain. She poked a white hoof into the saddlebags We had returned with, flipping open the empty lid a few times. "You fell in. Lost all your provisions." We nodded, feeling so super-dizzy. "You see why We would not let you carry anything besides food and herbs? Luna, you do realize that you are klutzy at times." Celestia, you do realize that you trip over your mane at times? We see that. Our turquoise eyes see all. For now, We will ignore this insult but one day, when you least expect it... We will eat some of your food when you aren't looking! You will feel our wrath! Heeheehee-! "You failed the task We gave you," Tia continued, her face as stern as a certain fish We know. She even sounded like him. "Since we are now lacking in food, it shall be required that the both of us, dear sister, delay further action until our needs are met—" It normally is not a good thing when she starts tossing those words around and acting all princess-y, except that this time We knew what was coming. "—it seems, we will have to stay behind for a few cycles." To most other ponies, it would seem that she had finished although, We knew that Tia was never done until she proclaimed— "That is Our decree!" She fixed her magenta gaze on Us. Tia looked so tired for somepony who had been laying around the whole day. We were glad for this. Our plan had worked. Both of us would not continue our journey when the first light of the sun came out tomorrow, instead, she would get to stay here and rest. A little bit of rest would do her good. Maybe sometime after We gather enough food to replace what We have lost, we both can go exploring together. We ask her. She tossed me a second pile of quilts and says yes, and We see the trace of a smile as white as her coat. ... We wake up in the dark and the cold haunted by a dream that never ends. It always starts on what feels like a road beneath our hooves but We can never tell. But always, always, it ends the exact same way: two eyes of green, the once-white parts tinted red like blood, and glistening with shattered stars soar above Us. They look out on a barren waste consumed by a fire that steals all the warmth in Our body and twists Our shadow into a shape that is not Our own. No matter where We are, We wake up cold after that bad dream. The air here tells Us that it is not just Our dream that makes it that way. Sometimes, We are scared, especially because We do not even have any names to give Our bad dreams. Nearby is the unmistakable outline of Our sleepy sister, rising and falling under her blankets. We never tell Tia Our dreams. It is for the best, really. We levitate one of Our quilts toward Us and wrap ourself in it once We realize that We are shivering. Slowly, We walk over to the rim of our den. The sky is black. Black, like pupils, but in a way that feels as scary as the dream. Our hoof traces the worn edges of the quilt and We count a stitch on each weathered patch for each year We know we have been out here. One... The moon looks like a snowball, a sharp and cold white against the sky. Two... Oh, but We are not afraid of snow. Snow is nice. So why does the moon seem as ill as Tia? We feel so bad for it. Three... Why is the world falling apart?! Four... Where is everypony?! Five... Are We really the only one who notices this...? Six... It isn't the cold that is causing Us to shake, is it? Seven... We do not think We even know any ponies with green eyes. We have never even met a pony before! Eight... The fire in the dream is weird... purple and green. What kind of fire is that? Why is it not red and happy? Nine... D-Does the fire have Mommy and Daddy...? Ten, Eleven... Even if it could do something, how does fire take Alicorns? It is just fire, after all. We swallowed hard and Our mind stopped counting, Our wide eyes staring at the deep starless sky. The sky is broken. Our family is broken. Where are you? ARE WE THE ONLY ONE? Does Tia even know? Where did you go? Is this a joke? Tia said you were playing hide-and-seek, but why can We not find you? We know you are out there, and We just want to scream: WHERE— ARE— —YOU? We close Our eyes, breathing too deep and too fast. We know Our dreams are special but why, Why, WHY?! We grit Our teeth. Show Us something. There it is. A vision. A white-gold light flickers everywhere spinning into a beautiful star in the center of black nothing before splitting open and shattering into thousands of pieces that make Our heart hurt to see something so pretty meet its demise... except it does not, not quite. Like a coat of paint, the gold light seems to stick everywhere. The color changes into a light purple with a blue center. This new purple light changes and spinning the former star is now just a strange swirl. After this, the vision stops abruptly, as if it does not want Us to know what it becomes. They have never done this before, and it is such a shock that We squeak in fear and stifle a scream. Our eyes are now open, our breathing is worse and We are left more confused than when We were before all this. Our hoof has stopped. Eighty-three... It has been eighty-three years without you. ... "Luna." We. Are. Asleep. "Luna, wake up." None. Shall. Disturb. Our. Slumber. "Luna, chores do not get done on their own." Are you sure? Perhaps you should ask them. "Luna, if you stay under there another minute, We will yank those quilts off of you." No. We are unconquerable. She yanks them off. "Ahh! Our eyes! You fiend!" "Luna, you are being dramatic." "Mercy! Mercy on our beloved eyeballs! Please Tia, think of the corneas!" "Drama queen," and she is only slightly right because usually, she is not the one who wakes up late. Bad dreams have reversed our roles! "If We are a queen, it means We outrank you and get to order you around." "Just try, sister, and see where it gets you." "We cannot see where it gets Us if Our eyes are closed, sister." ... It turns out that We did not have to order Our sister around in order for her to chase Us out for a while. Just like yesterday, it was rather warm, with a dry breeze blowing every now and then across a cloudless blue sky. We dragged a small blob of Our magic aura across the parched ground, drawing a line that lead only to Us. It is so pretty, how the sky looks as if it is touching the ground. We looked around the horizon, and up at clouds that We wished were there. If only the both of us were old enough to fly. We are still babies, Tia says. When the right feathers come in we will fly. We do not think that we are babies though... We are four, that is not a baby. We do not think that anypony would let babies run around on their own. Because of this, Tia had been complaining about how hard it was to reach our shelter. We had pointed out that all you had to do was hop like a rabbit, but she had just told us that We looked silly jumping up the stones as if they were stairs. Although, she looked even sillier scrambling up them like a cat does up a window ledge. Although. cats do not complain about the difficulties of teleporting. We need to work on Our teleportation too. There was a tumbleweed quivering off to Our right. We went over to it and prodded it with Our magic. "Hello." It moved again. We nudged it with Our hoof. "Are you alone too?" The wind stopped and so did it. "Silly question, We know. Can you help Us find some food? There was a mishap at the river—" The wind picked up again, steering Our friend off in a direction We had not explored. "Where are you going?" Our new friend continued to roll. "Wait for Us!" We followed, Our line ending nowhere and severing Us from Tia, at least for a little while. ... "Do you know where to find any food?" It was a reasonable question, of course, although Baron Tumblesalot might have other ideas. We hope not. We still had to find some food today and even though the sun is still high in the sky, weather could be a problem. We know that there are lots of storms near oceans, and in the stories, We were told there were storms in sandland too. Some of the thunderstorms out in Our forest could get pretty nasty, once We saw a tree burst into flame. Somewhere there is a kingdom called Aerogard. Daddy says that is where weather that is not rogue like ours comes from. How does this Aerogard place make— "Ahh! Baron Tumblesalot! Wait for Us means do not desert your Princess!" ... Baron Tumblesalot had certainly led Us to something. We stood over a small sort of plant that looked like a green pepper's duller-colored cousin. On our way here We had accidentally brushed against a strange sort of green tree that hurt. Its bristles had turned out to be sharp. Unlike those rather nasty plants, this one seemed quite safe and prickle-free, just a few desert peppers growing in a clump on the ground. We lifted one up with our magic. "These look real nice..." ...But how are We supposed to transport them, We forgot to bring Our saddlebags. Using Our telekinesis for too long can get tiring. Our eyes drifted over to Our windblown companion. "Huzzah! An idea! The Princess shall weave you into a basket. Yes, most commendable." We pulled up a few more peppers and arranged them into a neat little pile beside us and sat down to begin Our work, trying to find where one strand of Tumblesalot began and another ended, separating each one before deciding which would go whereas Our magic began to weave them together again and the sun climbed higher and higher into the sky. ... We decided to explore a little on Our way back since We were in no hurry, and what was the point of only sticking to the path when adventure calls? Why it is so dry here?, We thought, prodding the ground with Our hoof. Does Aerogard not send rain clouds? Did somepony steal all the plants? Does anyone even live here? We saw some birds an hour or so ago, but they might have just been passing through. We stopped walking, and put Our basket down, plopping down next to it and twirled a strand of Our short mane with a flash of turquoise magic. The clouds look pretty, and there is nothing better than looking at pretty clouds and thinking. Is everypony really just playing hide-and-seek like Tia says? It sure does not seem like it, unless We are just very bad at seeking. If Our family is playing hide and seek though why does it seem like the world is doing so? We have not seen a hamlet, hut, witch-of-the-woods, or tavern anywhere, just a lot of new saplings at random locations in forests, and We know that saplings are not towns. "So," We said to nopony, "What is happening here?" Did everypony move? This country, the Everfree Kingdom, is really nice, or at least has always been so to Us and maybe the other ones are too. Although, We have only been to Atlantis Castle in Aquastria and wherever it is that our cousins Terra, Flora, and Fauna lived. Their islands had multiple fancy castles. If Mommy and Daddy did move, why does it feel like they have forgotten Us? We stayed in the castle for a few years, waiting for them before setting out. We think that only amnesiac, parents, or ones who are really bad parents would leave their foals to run around like crazy all alone in a big castle. Why would ours move and not take anything? We know it has not been a super long time since We last saw them... but sometimes it sure feels like it... Who knows? Maybe it has. Perhaps We should just stop thinking about this for a little while and draw silly pictures in the dirt or overturn rocks to see how many bugs We can find. We wonder if there are any bugs out here. We sit up and grab Our basket. We guess the only way to know is to try. Perhaps We will find a cute furry spider to play with. The bigger the spider, the better. We just hope the spider is alone. "We would hate to split up a good family," We whisper to nopony, frowning slightly. We received no reply, and perhaps it was for the better. ... We scrambled up the rocks with Our basket and its contents still bobbing in a cloud of magic. Tia would surely be proud of the fresh food We found. It was slightly cooler now that the sun was beginning to descend, most definitely for another gray-and-purple sunset. Although, this did not bother Us so much since We would be telling her all about what We did today. Halfway up the rocks, We paused to rest and make sure We had not spilled anything. Perhaps We should at least try to teleport up to — wait, what was that? Out of the corner of our eyes We noticed something white on some of the rocks above Us, barely three strides away from the opening of Our cave. What could that be? We picked up Our basket once more, clutching the basket of peppers in one of Our forehooves, and closed Our eyes as We mustered as much concentration possible for a teleportation spell. A moment later, We were surprised to find that it had worked! The white that We saw was Tia's coat. She lay crumpled on the stone's dry surface, feeling cold to the touch and slightly damp with sweat. Her mane was sprawled over the rocks in waves. We were scared when We saw this but refrained from screaming even though Our legs were shaking and Our eyes watered. ... We got us both back to the shelter and once we were both inside We placed an unconscious Tia onto her pile of quilts very carefully, since she looked so fragile, and tucked her in with Our own blankets. We do not think We will be needing them. After We were done, We sat down and tried to stay calm as well as figure out what We should do next. Tia is sick... which means We have to take care of her... in this strange place... We have to take care of Tia. We have to take care of Tia alone. We gulped and sat there for a while. This might be hard... especially since We do not know how she is sick... we are outside all the time, which is supposed to be good for fillies. Rain, snow, or shine; we are always outside since there is no castle for us to live in or any house at all. Can you get sick from being outside...? We think We became ill when once, when We were in the snow for a long time which meant Mommy had to make lots of soup and get lots of blankets as We sat by a fireplace. Hmm... we have not been in any snow very recently, even though the weather has been very harsh before we came to the desert. Sighing, We placed a hoof on her forehead. We guess We will just have to go off of this guess. It was still damp. We suppose We will just copy what Mommy did. That means We still need to make soup and a fire. The soup should not be that hard to make. We can use the peppers and mix them with some water. For the fire, We are going to need some fuel... ... "C'mon Tia," We whispered to her as We levitated the bowl close, in an effort to prod her awake. "We made you soup. Well sort of, it is really just a watery green mush, but We are sure it will taste great!" She opened an eye, glassy with fitful sleep, and mumbled incoherently before sitting up and tilting the bowl towards her. Tia took a few gulps before making gagging noises. "Luna this is a most... unusual... meal, what did you put in it?" It seems you have enough strength to mock Our culinary masterpiece. "Desert peppers," We reply evenly. What else were We to say? "Desert... peppers?" She coughs slightly and gives us a strange glance. "Did these desert peppers fall from the sky as well, dear sister?" She does not believe Us. "If so, We were not around to see," We answer honestly. "Luna, what plant did you really use?" "Desert peppers?" Tia frowns, pushes the soup away, and collapses on the quilts. "We are tired," she declared or rather attempted to. Instead, her words were only a feeble whisper. We nodded and sat watch over her for a little while, at least until We heard snoring. After that We rose to go outside, casting one last look at the soup We made which was still uneaten. We were not hungry anyway. ... Once Tia told Us that anypony who could catch a star would be granted a wish, she said that Mommy told her, so it must be true. After that, We would stay up night after night running through the courtyards and jumping up trying to catch stars through the trees. We were not any closer to flying than We were now but if We could catch a star We would wish for Our sister to be better. There were plenty of stars out tonight, and no trees to obscure them. We stretch a hoof toward the sky and as We expected, it came back empty. This would be so much easier if We could fly. Instead, We sat on the ground, the wind gently stirring the sand around Us as We tilted Our head to the sky. ... When We went back, she was worse, Tia was positively drenched in sweat and burning with fever despite the cool midnight air. She tossed and turned about before stopping entirely. Now she was shivering a bit. We were out of water, it would be too late to go get any now — some night creatures were dangerous, even though that was Our favorite time to go out. We had no knowledge of the desert. We had no medicine. There was nopony to help Us. Nopony. That gave Us the most brilliant of ideas. Our books back at the castle told many important tales of the desert, and so did Mommy and Daddy. We fashioned a quilt into a makeshift cloak and hugged Tia goodbye. We cannot say that We will return soon, and We will leave her the supplies, she needs them more than We do. Once more We stepped outside and looked up at the sky, this time We asked the stars to look after my sister. We were not looking for mere water, and would have to brave the night now. We can only hope that the tales Daddy told Us so long ago are true. Author's Note [Revised for print on 7/17/2023-7/18/2023] Luna, those are not peppers.
Act Two: Wind That Carries No VoicesThe fire still remained silent, as did the buffalo surrounding it. Once again their Wise One stepped in front of the flames, desperate for a reading. She was undaunted, but not without concern. The flames were not refusing their magic. Instead they were blank, and because of this, were without warmth to all gathering around. Within that golden light, no visions of that which would come, the gods, great spirits, the dead, or the world's magics flowed forth. No colors changed and danced. Stories could not live as they were supposed to, with great voice, honest words, song, and sparks alike. How could they be alive, even if they were hollow compared to what they had been? She frowned and shook her head after a while. The buffalo were shocked, how could such powerful magic be severed and directed elsewhere? Such deep magic was not distorted through ordinary means. It meant that their most powerful Sage was blind to the twists and turns of the magic of the world. It meant that the never-present Sage could be dead, wherever they were, leaving no successor and no means of transporting one. Another difficulty would be alerting the other camps, and even more so, the other tribes. The Gates themselves would be useless unless one with enough power to open them again showed up. They would not only require magic beyond that of any buffalo and Sage, but magic beyond that of a pony's as well. Magic they had not been seen in almost a century. A lone gust of wind blew a wave of ashes into the silent fire, snuffing it out. Yet the camp itself felt no colder, only much quieter. Such quiet could be dangerous in this new era when even stars did not dare twinkle as the world held its breath. Only the wind scorned this pattern, chattering away in its mysterious language, although no buffalo spoke the language of the wind. But perhaps a young filly could, even if she was so far away... ... Sometimes, the night sky in the forest would look pitch black, and it was even darker when there were no stars out. Tonight there must have been some stars out, but We could not see them because clouds had hidden the moon somewhere. The whole sky looked like somepony had poured tar on a dirty mirror, and it is freezing cold. We do not know where We are going, plus Our sister is sick, and despite it all... We are not scared. Our hooves stop moving; We may have been following the same river, sparkling faintly, but all familiar surroundings had vanished leaving Us alone in the endless sand. We sat down, feeling it shift under Us. "We are not scared?" We repeated aloud, and grabbed some of the sand in front of Us, since it was all We could see. The sand was soft and smooth as We picked it up in our forehooves, watching as it fell back to the ground. We felt safe — a little worried, but safe. We like safe. Safe means home, and We guess We are home. The castle is home. The forest is home. The sand is home, and one day the sky will be home too. Is the world home? In no hurry at all, We get up. We do not bother to brush Ourself clean, because perhaps even the dirt is home. Then, We walk over to the river. Even though We are left in this dark, We can still see Our face in the ripples and the clearness of the water. Nearby, there are pebbles. We pick one up with glittering magic the same shade as Our eyes, which causes the water to show this as well, and toss the pebble in. Plop. We should keep heading west, or at least We think so. It will be easy to retrace Our steps if We just keep heading in one direction. Following the sun and the moon is good. Is West not how this big space-rock-marble spins because of Mommy and Daddy? We should follow that. Yes, that is good. We will find help in the West. We scoop up another stone and instead of simply tossing it We skip it, counting each time it flies: One! Two! Three! Four...? No, just three. We sat at the riverbank, shivering with the occasional gust of wind, and skipping stones until We saw the first bit of dawn crawling across the sky. By then We are too tired to continue and Our magic falters as We fall asleep. ... When We woke up it was sunset, and Our coat was covered in dust, which We had to blink out of Our eyes. We headed off to the west in silence and watched the world turn dark once again. Eventually, We found a stick along the riverbank. We tripped over it in the dark because We were too busy looking at the sky. After Our face met the sand, We picked up the stick — which was dry and bleached by the sun, so it gleamed silver in the night. We immediately declared it Our new friend and waved it about like a knight does a sword. Once, We saw Our mother knight a mare. It was the closest We had ever been to seeing a pony in real life instead of in story books. She did not say much but We had known it was important. Tia had us both hide behind a tapestry, except she was annoying and kept talking through parts of it, even though silence can be just as important as her whispering excitedly to us about coats of arms. In her defense, she was trying to be helpful. Afterward, Tia would not stop going on about how grand the ceremony was. As for Us? We thought the best part was when Mommy raised the sword and it was caught in a ray of light that passed through a stained glass window, making the sword sparkle all the colors of a rainbow, even if We were the only one who noticed. We tried to mimic what Mommy did right here, in this grass-less plain, and closed our eyes as We tried really hard to recall everything. When We opened our eyes, Twiggy no longer seemed like a mere discarded stick, but rather a mighty blade sparkling in the moonlight, huzzah! We were a lone mercenary traveling the land in search of a miracle cure to bestow upon a damsel in distress! The journey shall be harsh and We will fight many a battle and solve countless riddles. But in the end, no exotic location shall go unnoticed; every stone on every mountain will be committed to memory. We ran off into the distance, our happiness bursting around Us. Luna, the mysterious adventurer and her sword-friend, are alone in a land bathed in endless night light. ... We opened an eye as the strange noise reached through Our dreams. Our vision was still blurry, but We could see the stars in the sky above the rock that We had fallen asleep on. Well, to most ponies it would have been a rock. We knew better, recognizing it for the mighty caravel it was, ready for its brave captain to steer it across the ocean of sand. We were that sleepy pirate captain with her magnificent sword, resting after a hard night's plundering only to rise once more under the light of the moon to continue our thievery, huzzah! Ssss-! Oh, hey looky here, there is a snake in front of Us! We opened Our eyes a little bit more to get a better look at Our scaly new friend. He was a light brown with rough-looking scales and irritated green eyes and a tongue that was making the 'sss' noise We had been hearing. There was a rattle attached to the end of his tail, yet it was still. "Hi," We whispered, smiling slightly but refusing to get up and instead choosing to remain lying down. The moon was not yet up, so We imagine this snake had been sunning himself on Our ship and snuck on while We slept. "Do ya wanna join Our pirate crew?" Ssss-sss! "Okay then, We will ask you again later. What is your name? We are Luna." Sssssssssss! The snake raised his head and glared at Us. "Aww, how cute, you are going to use your rattle. We are sorry to say that We cannot pronounce your name so We will just be calling you Fuzzy; it fits you really well." Fuzzy opened his mouth to show off his glistening fangs and lunged in Our direction. We bolted up and quickly dodged what We had seen coming from the moment We woke up. Fuzzy missed and received a very nice toothache. After all, rocks are not tasty. We know that too well. Magic sparkled around Fuzzy's form as We stretched him out as straight as a stick. Next, We picked up Our sword and poked him lightly with it. "Ppht," We proudly proclaimed, sticking Our tongue out. That is what you get for messing with the scourge of the seas! Arrr! Turning around, We scrambled off Our ship and ran off in another direction, silently bidding Our ship goodbye. Although, there was no way We could relinquish Our sword. It was too precious. After We had crossed a short distance of sand, the magic glow around Our horn dimmed and flicked briefly and We knew that We no longer held Fuzzy to the rock. So begins another night wandering the sands. ... We blink a few grains of sand out of Our eyes, and wish We could wipe them off with my quilt-cloak but that is covered in sand too. The warm air is heavy with sand, and it floats about like the breezies in bedtime stories. Of course, it is still cold at night and the sand is chillier then too. The moon is setting and the sky is as gold as the sands are as the stars fade in its light. We feel dizzy and a bit hungry as We rise. When was the last time We ate? We tried keeping track of the time passing on Twiggy, but just ended up connecting all the tallies that We cut to form a maze. There have to be some other animals nearby. We may not have spotted any since Fuzzy from a few cycles ago, but someone has to live nearby. We just know they do! Tia needs us, and We need Tia! Since the sun is rising We should probably find someplace to nap, We thought as We came to the top of a hill of amber-colored sand that lapped at Our pasterns as water would. Our legs shifted slightly. We were a desert flower swaying to an invisible breeze. Everything felt fuzzy. We can not yawn. We can not stay awake. There was a muffled thud as We collapsed on the soft sand. It was just like velvet, really, warm and soft. We curled into a ball, too exhausted to yawn. In no time at all, the noise of the winds ceased. ... Huh? Why do We smell smoke...? Is this a dream? "Stop that! You might scare him!" Who is that? They do not sound like Tia or anypony We know. "Cathecassa, why bother to speak in that tongue? It is not like he can hear you." It feels like there is another blanket covering Us. There are two voices talking, the first one is female, and maybe she is a pony. She is speaking the Everfree language. We will not know until We open our eyes. She does talk a bit strange, though, all her letters sound a bit different from how We were taught to say them, and her name does not sound familiar either. The second one sounds male, he is either younger or impatient, maybe both. We think that We should keep Our eyes closed for a bit longer since We still feel very tired. "Hmph, he cannot hear you either... I just thought that when the colt wakes up, he shall desire to understand what we are saying." Are We the colt that they keep talking about? Why? We remember once when We were playing in the forest with Tia and she told us this big word she had learned. We could not come close to pronouncing it but We recall that it started with an 'a'. When We asked Tia what it meant she continued to pick flowers before saying that it was a pony who did not look coltish or girly 'like you, Luna'. Why does there need to be such a big word for that? Did it matter that this word applied to Us? "Yet you still persist in speaking so? Stubborn half-breed!" "Dogged full-blood! May a mischievous spirit tangle your shadow!" They seem to be arguing but not in a super mean way, they sound a bit like Tia and We do sometimes. "Look!" The maybe-a-mare exclaimed, "I think he is waking up! Should we give him some food?" FOOD?! We bolt up, throwing off a thin, coarse sheet of a light brown color. We are in a round tent of some kind that could have ten full-sized ponies crammed into it. There is a bit of sunlight poking through a hole in the roof where We can see some sticks poking through as well, each reaching skyward. There is not much in here, just a few baskets, some spears, and blankets along with a few other things We do not know. We still have our cape, but it seems that We have lost Twiggy. Maybe Twiggy has passed on to Sword Paradise, although We hope not because We really wanted a sword. Tragically, We see no food. "Well, it seems he is awake." We looked at the speaker, the one We had taken to be a mare. We do not think We were too far off, though she did not look like any mare We knew of. She was much younger, not a filly but not quite a mare. She had a thick, curly coat that was tawny in color and big green eyes. She was thickly built, like she was the sort who wrestled ten cragodiles before breakfast. Her mane was in two plain braids, one daffodil yellow, and the other violet. A few strands stuck out, especially on the violet side. Maybe she didn't brush it or she got bedhead only on one side. We noticed her especially short tail; it was the same color as her mane but was not as long. She did not seem to have her cutie mark either. Perhaps her fur hid it. Around her head, she wore a pretty woven crown with a blue and green triangle pattern winding across it in a perfect row. Instead of jewels, it had a few feathers standing tall and bobbing whenever she moved her head, which had a unicorn's horn poking through a stray lock of mane. Her face also looked so much like a pony's compared to the other creature. "Well," she asked, "do you want some food or not?" "I do not think he understands you," grumbled her companion. Unlike Miss Flower-Braids, he looked like he had wrestled the whole forest before the crack of dawn; We would not want to mess with him! He seemed to be around her age as well, as he looked nothing like a grown-up but too big to be Our age or Tia's age. His features were different, and his coat was darker than the filly's own. We think he was slouching and he had two horns; he was not a pony but We did not know he was, or if he knew where to find the type of creature from the stories that We were supposed to look for. We should not ask 'cause that might be rude. "Nonsense! I am speaking his language, the Everfree tongue." Miss Flower-Braids made a fish-face and gave another 'hmph!' to her companion. "Perhaps he is mute? Or maybe too young to speak? This one looks as if he should still be in how do the ponies say it... a nursery?" Miss Flower-hmph gave yet another one of her signature remarks. "You know nothing of ponies, Hokolesqua. They are smaller, yes, he is maybe only four summers old, or 'years' to him. Is that correct, Blue Colt?" We nodded shyly and Our stomach grumbled. We do not think they heard Us, since Flower-hmph and Cocoa seemed to be arguing again. "They are not my ancestors, these ponies. Our camp, no, our tribe has not seen any foreign ponies in five generations. You know full well that you are the only one with pony blood in the whole village, now that your parents are deceased." We are a bit scared, We have never actually talked to a pony before. There were not any servants in the castle and whenever knights or diplomats visited, Mommy and Daddy hid us both in another room. Although, We often snuck out when they were not looking. It was a bit strange, like Our family were the only ones who knew about Tia and— "Yet this colt might know something, Hokolesqua! He is proof that not all my forefathers left generations ago, he is proof that not all citadels are silent, and he might know why the land has changed. He could answer the stories Lady Sun Dance tells of how in the memory of her mother’s mothers before her, this land was not unbalanced, and of how your namesake is reduced to colorless memory!" Oh, We are so hungry! How do We ask them for food? Our voice feels caught in Our throat. What if We offend them? Perhaps they are squabbling over something important? "But is it not memories that guide us?" Can We leave? "Guide us, yes!" she shrieked, "But we cannot live on them, lest we become them!" We just wanted to find a shaman to help Tia, not listen to them yell at each other. We sniffled a little bit and buried Our face in our hooves to make it all go away. We do not even know if these creatures are shamans. "Well done, Cathecassa, you made the little colt cry." There was a hoof on Our head, stroking Our mane. "Shh, it is alright, I am sorry our fighting scared you, little one. You must be hungry." Really? Us, hungry? Give Us all your food if you wish to be spared Our wrath. "Hokolesqua, go get him some food," Orders Flower-hmph and We hear Cocoa leave. After he is gone, We move Our hooves away from Our eyes. "W-w-what happened?" Flower unfolds a small and colorful woven blanket, places it on the dusty floor, and sits on it before We can catch sight of the pattern. "You were found in the desert, lost and alone three sunrises ago by Hokolesqua and myself. We are scouts for our village. In fact, we will be heading back there this evening. It should take us at least one full cycling of the sun and moon to get there, but I extend an invitation with all the hospitalities of my tribe to you, little stranger." Maybe the village has a shaman! They could give Us some medicine to help Tia. "Well, will you come with us, Stranger? You seem to have none to follow?" "Yes!" Flower smiles politely. "Very well then. If we are to travel with you, may I inquire about your name?" "Luna, what is yours?" "I am Cathecassa." We tilt our head to the side. "C-c-c-ahhhh-sss-ee-?" "Umm, no," She shakes her head, "In your language that would be... how do I say...?" Cahse then holds up one of her black cloven hooves and points to the left one using the right. "It means, umm, how do I say this color?" "Black?" "Yes, black, and this," she taps her left hoof. "Hoof." "Yes, in your language I am Black Hoof." "What is your friend's name?" Black Hoof cringes. "He is not my friend, he is kin, but not in your sense of the word. In your tongue his name is... it is the plant that grows very tall, with silk and a golden head, you can eat it. A plant of legend that used to be cultivated by my kind and the ponies to the south. They traded these crops with the great desert horses." "Corn!" We guess enthusiastically, "It is corn! A stalk of corn!" She laughs a little, "Yes, he is Corn Stalk and I am Black Hoof, and speaking of the plants you eat, it seems he is back with your food." Corn Stalk slipped back into the tent and nudged a pretty painted bowl towards Us. The food would get no mercy. ... Corn Stalk was awfully slow compared to Black Hoof and ourself. He was always more than a few steps behind our pacing. We could hear him grumbling about Black Hoof and how she made him travel so quickly in such a short time. We did not mind Black Hoof insisting that we be swift in travels and We liked listening to them talk. "Come, Luna, he will catch up soon. I will need to show the proper way down the hill, into camp and we cannot have that bloke in our way, am I right?" We nodded. "I heard that, Cathecassa!" She rolled her eyes and nudged me towards the descending cliff face. "This way, little one." ... "This is it," Black Hoof said, pointing a hoof towards a large circle of peaked tents she called teepees. A large fire in the middle and a thin curl of smoke were picked up in the warm breeze. We could see the faint shadows of clouds all the way up on this rocky hill as well as other buffalo milling about. It seemed that between carrying out chores We could not make out very well from up here and talking, they all looked really sad. Maybe it is because there are quite a few pokey trees around their home. We hate pokey trees, even if they sometimes have flowers. ... It turns out that buffalo are giants! Corn Stalk was so tiny compared to them and We were even smaller. They may not have been as tall as Mommy and Daddy were, but they were still giants. They looked at Us with confusion as We were led through the camp by Black Hoof and Corn Stalk. They guided Us over to the big campfire We saw from the cliff face. "Sit here and wait, little colt," Black Hoof said as she scanned the camp. "Corn Stalk, you wait with him while I go inform the Lady of the arrival." She walked over in another direction before Corn Stalk could refuse. We plopped down in the dust while Corn Stalk stood nearby, looking like he would rather be elsewhere. The both of us said nothing for a while. "Corn Stalk, why is there such a big fire in the daytime?" "So the Lady Sun Dance can work her magic. She requires fire to do so." "Is she like a queen?" "Maybe? She is the wife of Chief Lightninghorn, he governs the Camp of Warriors, and she leads the Camp of Fire. Here there are many buffalo, young and old, bull and cow. At the Warriors' camp, this is not so, there are only fighters there along with the chief and a young Wise One who trains to be like our Lady. Every tribe has two camps, perhaps with different names, yes, but still the same but—" "But what?" We asked excitedly. These Wise Ones sound a lot like mages and wizards, who are probably a lot like shamans, and shamans can help Tia. "Well, if you stopped interrupting, I could tell you!" "S-sorry." "Well, you see all buffalo weather warrior, calf, or Wise One — any that have a tribe — heed the power of the greatest of our magic users, who answers only to the gods themselves. The Sage who is our greatest—" "Shaman!" We shouted, "They are the greatest shaman!" Corn Stalk looked at us funny. "How did you know—" "Is this the colt you were telling about? He is indeed quite small." This voice was unfamiliar to Us, but We saw Corn Stalk bow and turned to face the speaker. She was a buffalo who looked very old, but still incredibly strong. Her coat was white and if it weren't for her wise brown eyes, she could have been a ghost. She wore red and yellow feathers from a bird We did not recognize and there was a painted design on her withers. It looked like some circle in pink paint but We could not tell for sure. "Yes, my Lady," Black Hoof replied, her head bowed. "His name is Luna." "Luna," Black Hoof said, "This is—" "Lady Sun Dance?" The old buffalo nodded. "That I am." She gestured to Black Hoof and Corn Stalk, motioning for them to step away. When they did, Lady Sun Dance sat down next to Us. "What are you doing all alone, little one? Cathecassa here told me you were found in the middle of the desert." "Tia is sick!" She gazed at me in a way that reminded me of Mommy and Daddy. "Who is this Tia, your mother?" "Older sister." "Hmm, how much older? Is this why you travel alone — or at least alone with your sister?" "She is much older than Us—" Lady Sun Dance's wise sleepy look was replaced with one of alarm and confusion. "The Royal We?!" We pointed to Our chest. "We," We said. That should clear things up for her. She looked at Black Hoof and said something We could not understand. Black Hoof's horn lit up with a glittery yellow aura and she gently untied the knot We used to fasten the dirty quilt-cape around our neck. All of them gasped and We even heard a bowl break in the background. Sun Dance rose from her seat only to slip into a deep bow, We watched the entire tribe do the same including Black Hoof and Corn Stalk. "Your Majesty," Lady Sun Dance began, her tone stern and serious, "Prince Luna, whose kingdom is unsaid, first Alicorn in many moons, the Camp of Fire of the Lightning Tribe is in grave need of your assistance." Author's Note [Revised for print from 7/18/2023-725/2023] Are We the colt? Why? We remember once when We were playing in the forest with Tia and she told us this big word she had learned. We could not come close to pronouncing it but We recall that it started with an 'a'. When We asked Tia what it meant she continued to pick flowers before saying that it was a pony who didn't look coltish or girly 'like you, Luna'. Why does there need to be such a big word for that? This bit here has a weird history. When I had a non-brony friend read another one of my stories, Tomb of Magic, they mistook Luna for a colt/young stallion when reading some of her inner monologue. Then, after I had the idea, outline, and a few paragraphs of what would become this story, I decided to see if I had any potential cover art in my pony art folders. As I clicked through pictures of the sisters (and some of just Luna by herself) I noticed that compared to Celestia , filly versions of Luna without her regalia had a much more androgynous look to her. It seemed to fit well with the much more cheeky, tomboyish, and adventurous nature as opposed to Celestia's mature, reserved, and strategic one. (The original cover art was this)
Act Three: Lightning Without RainWe stared at the buffalo gathered around Us, and tried to fold Our wings even more. "What is it you need. W-we might be able to help you... you did ask very nicely." Lady Sun Dance shooed away all but Corn Stalk and Black Hoof, all three of them stood over Us. "Well, I overheard Hokolesqua — Corn Stalk to you — telling you of our culture." "Yes, he was telling Us about the Sage." "Well, did he tell you how the Sage is chosen?" "No." "Look up," she commanded and We gazed up at the sun, "It is the sky that chooses our Sage, at other times it is those of the sky, those of magic — those like yourself, little prince." We nodded and kept listening. "They are not entirely like you, as I feel you are too young to have earned either a horn or wings. You are clearly an Alicorn, not some mortal imitation, a pony bent by the farthest heavens to stand among true Alicorns. You are a god by birthright and species." We did not recognize one of the last words she said: god. "Unfortunately, due to the strange aging of your kind, you could be ten and fifty, or even much older, who knows? I fear you are not old enough to give me the answers to what has been. Although, perhaps you can still help us learn what is to be. I am able to read the signs the Sage draws in the fire — the very one you see right there — yet there has been nothing for many sunrises. Never has this happened before. There is only one way to contact the current Sage and it requires a magic we buffalo do not possess — not even Cathecassa's unicorn pony magic is strong enough. Although yours, little prince, your magic most definitely is, no matter how underdeveloped, for it was your kind who we lived in harmony with." She paused and looked at the sky for a brief moment, her expression somber. "Will you be willing to take on a quest—" "YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!" We jumped up and down, smiling wide with glee at the chance of another adventure! Lady Sun Dance's muzzle crinkled in the faintest smile. "I will see to it that you are given provisions, although it shouldn't be too far for you." She was no longer looking at me and started walking away. "Cathecassa, you will accompany her? With a pitch like that, this little foal is not a prince but rather a princess. I'm surprised Cathecassa, that being half-pony, you did not realize this." ... "This is it, Lady Luna. The Sage's Gate." Black Hoof said, pointing her cloven hoof to whatever was on the other side of the hill. The both of us had traveled two cycles of the sun and moon away from the camp. She had to keep reminding Us to stay focused and not run off to play with every new thing We found. When we set up camp at night Black Hoof would tell Us the stories she heard around the camp's fire when she was little, like Us. She showed us how to braid Our mane, even though it was a bit too short compared to hers, it helped keep Us cool. We told her to please stop calling Us 'princess' because We are an adventurer. "Black Hoof," We said as We trotted up a dusty hill covered in sand and traces of brush, "Please just call us Luna. Lady Luna makes us sound really super old — like a grown-up." "But Lady Luna," Black Hoof said from up ahead, "You are very old, no? Alicorns, they live for so long; they live forever. That makes you very old, m'lady, old and important. That is how you say it in your language, yes? 'My lady' becomes 'm'lady', no?" "You are correct. Do not worry, Black Hoof, your Equuish is good." "Thank you. Now, like I say, we are here." We reached the top of the hill, and looked where she pointed. In the middle of the sand dune stood a small stone building the same color. It looked like a castle turret with a rounded top, but three of its walls were open arches, like a gazebo. When We came closer, sliding down the bowl of loose sand, We could see worn flecks of paint. Black Hoof followed close behind. "Come inside, Lady Luna." We sighed, it seems this was a battle We could not yet win. We wanted to spend more time outside but a chance to get out of the hot sun was always tempting, so We followed her. "This is where Lady Sun Dance told me to bring you." Black Hoof was pointing at something again, the wall where there were not any arches. It was shady in the gazebo, and the only colors that stood out in the shadows were Our blue coat and the yellow part of Black Hoof's mane and tail. A door would have gone here if it was less open. The fourth wall was solid rock, where a mosaic crumbled, the pretty tiles worn and weathered until every single one had a unique texture when We ran Our hoof over it. We liked this much more than if it was shiny and new because We enjoyed thinking about what the picture could have been based on what was left rather than having it presented to Us. Pictures are a lot like ponies. Sometimes, all you have to do is look a little bit harder to find the pieces that everypony else says are missing, even though they were there all along. Other times, ponies really are missing the picture. Around the masterpiece was a carved stone frame, there were runes carved so deep We might be able to fit our hoof inside, although We are not going to try. We did not know what they said but it must have been very important. Behind Us, We heard a choked cry from Black Hoof. "How could it be?" We continue to trace the runes with our hoof. "What is wrong Black Hoof?" Black Hoof joined us, running her own hoof over the missing tiles. "Lady Sun Dance said we would need all the tiles to help decipher the magic. Well, at least for me to do so, as you do not know the runes of my kind... not to mention, you are only a tiny wisp of a filly. I have no idea where you came from, surely it must be around here somewhere, as nothing has been heard—" She stopped and held a hoof to her face, as if she would faint. "None of us have heard anything in generations... the Sage is our only answer and now even they are unreachable. Lady Luna, I am afraid we came here for nothing. Forgive me for this. I will be setting up camp outside. We will be returning to the camp with the next sunrise. You said on your way here that this Tia, your elder sister, had fallen ill and you searched for a cure. Perhaps Lady Sun Dance would know a cure of some kind. I suggest you get a full night's rest, you have a much longer journey than I do." Black Hoof trudged away with her head hung, her braids hanging in her eyes. As she went We heard her mumbling. "...was it really such a foolish hope...?" We turned and watched her go outside where the sun was already setting, even though gathering clouds hid it. She began to levitate the bags of food and other stuff off her back. We sat in the middle of the floor, tracing nonsense patterns in the sand as We stared at the mural in front of us. There was a sound of thunder behind us. ... Black Hoof fell asleep a while ago, when We went to get something from our supplies to eat, We saw that she was curled up under a blanket with colorful zigzag patterns. The stars were out but it still felt cold and dark because they did not shine much, although the sand caught what little light they shed. Perhaps many of the stars had fallen out of the sky and became buried in the sand. That could be why We cannot see them. Plink, plink, plink! That is what stars sound like, when Tia is better will dig in the sand and retrieve them. The two of us will gather them like flowers, keeping them safe until we can both fly them up to their home and the stars will shine once more. We will help them find those they lost. We try not to take too much since nice fillies do not steal food, or at least they do not steal lots of food. We only needed enough to tie up in our former quilt-cape; Black Hoof was nice enough to bring it with her since We would not let go of it. We placed the newly tied sack on Our back and walked into the gazebo, the Sage's Gate. There was thunder rumbling in the sky and dark clouds covering the moon. We wish it would rain. Our favorite weather is often the rainiest. We continued to stare at the runes. Why were they carved so deeply in the stone? We are not seeing the whole picture here, perhaps We should try to look at the one in front of Us. Black Hoof said it was important. There does not seem to be much left, We thought, all the tiles are broken. We trace our forehoof back and forth across what remains and notice something. Before, We thought each space had its own feel, but that does not seem right. The tile two spaces ago feels exactly like the one Our hoof stopped on right now. Maybe there are more like these. A few spaces later We find another tile with the same feel to it, like a snowflake. That is three, this cannot be chance. Four. We keep going, trying to reach as many as We can with Our hoof. Five. Six. We puff up Our cheeks and stick the tip of Our tongue out as We focus. Seven, eight, nine, ten. We have to use Our magic to push in six more tiles. Without making a spooky boom noise, or any at all, the interior of the rune frame — the ruined mosaic — slides away folding itself into tiny squares that disappear into a slot in the frame We could not see before. This creates an open window We are tempted to sit in. There is a very quiet clicking sound, but We are not sure where it comes from. Then We hear a plink-plink noise that is also quiet. What is it? Are there stars falling? Should We run out to catch— Wait, it stopped. The runes start to sparkle, We see brief white glimmers as small as fireflies inside, and with the softest sssss a screen of something that proves to be neither glass nor metal when We touch it slides out, along with thick curls of dark pink and blue mist that makes us feel sleepy until We cover my muzzle with one of Our forehooves and breathe through Our mouth instead. After rolling around a bit it vanishes, and We are left all alone again. We take Our hoof away from our muzzle and poke the smooth surface of the strange window. It ripples with bright window colors like a prism where We touch it. In the rainbow light, We see the reflection of a place that is not the desert. It ripples and vanishes. We found the Sage's Gate! We creep back outside just as a night breeze blows, ruffling Our mane. We shake Black Hoof back and forth trying to keep Our voice in a whisper. "Black Hoof, We found the gate!" She does not listen. "Come on, Black Hoof! We are going to see the Sage now!" She cannot be that tired, can she? "We are going to see the Sage! There is a pretty door!" Please, wake up! We pause and press our ear to her fuzzy chest to try to listen for a heartbeat, Tia told Us to do this because ponies' hearts are important, although We forget why. We hope she is okay... We listen. She is okay. We hear her heart. That means she must be okay. We head back to the gate now that We know she is just sleepy. Hmm, the mist made me feel sleepy, and We were still awake now. Black Hoof did not cover her muzzle and was already asleep... maybe it made her sleepier? It will be okay to leave her here though, she is a scout, after all. We face forward and scrunch up Our face as We charge my horn with all the magic We can. It is not much yet, but maybe in the future it could be, if We practice really hard. We try to hold the weird gate-mirror the same way We would a door, hoping to pull it open. It did not work. We tried to push it open instead, and Our horn started to shoot sparks. That also did not work. We then tried to push one half and pull the other. "Come on, please open," We whispered. The door did not say anything. Maybe it did not hear Us? "Ahem. We asked you to open, please do so." Humph. We see how it is. It is time to use what Mommy and Daddy call the Royal Voice, it is something that Alicorns can do, where we become, very, very loud. "WE, LUNA OF THE EVERFREE, WANDERER OF ALL LANDS ORDER YOU TO OPEN YOUR REALM TO US, GATE OF THE SAGE LEST YOU FACE OUR ETERNAL WRATH AND YOUR LEGACY BE WIPED FROM ALL EXISTENCE!" We stomped Our hoof and Our horn's light flickered, going off for the briefest moment before it re-lit, flaring with energy. For a second Our eyes were blinded by a glow that vanished quickly enough for Us to see a bolt of lightning strike the very door We yelled at. Its clear surface swirled and clouded until it opened, spewing fluffy-looking fog and light from somewhere else. We looked inside, there was no longer a desert. "Thank you," We whispered before stepping into the unknown once again, something We had done countless times each day and night. ... We may not be able to fly now, but every night We look up at the stars and sometimes We wonder what happened, but there is never an answer. This is what the stars were like though, they are so bright, so alive. Is this the sky? Is this blue-purple land with its tiny white fireflies forming a bridge beneath our hooves what the sky is like? Are We awake? Are We asleep? Is this space? If this is space, why can We walk? Wait — why is everything fading? It is all so blurry now — the colors are running like water with every springy, float-y step We were taking. Deep blues, glow-y soft whites, and blue-purples became greens, silvers, and the black of this strange new night Tia and Us had to get used to. The air was warm and Our legs were shaking a little teeny bit. We looked around, a bit more curious than We were nervous, and were about to light Our horn up just a little bit so We could see better, when something really cold touched our hooves, and We jumped around, almost spilling Our food. We looked down— —at the ocean. Our hooves kicked the soft sand that was outlined in the weak starlight. We are on a beach. The waves lapped our hooves. 'Hello, Luna,' the ocean said. We giggled really quietly, as quiet as giggling could be; silly Us! There was nothing to be nervous about. We waved goodbye to the ocean. As much as We wanted to play alongside the shore, We had to go. The ocean spits up seaweed anyway, which is yucky, and We secretly do not want to play with the ocean that much anyway. The shore holds all the treasures. We cannot say that though because then it might cry, and the ocean cries these tiny stars — which must hurt — that are an awful lot like salamanders. They like to crawl over the same treasures We look for. Once when Our family was whole, Mommy and Daddy took us went to the ocean, the stars got stuck on Tia, and even though it was pretty funny she started shrieking, which was not. We do not want to think about crying or Tia shrieking! We turn around and walked towards the inner part of the island. It was filled with trees! At least, by the looks of it. Instead of stepping highly and lightly as We did in the firefly land, We drag Our hooves in the sand all the way to the tree line. Even if the ocean has poor manners — that both my sister and I can agree upon — sand is always super fun, it always tempts Us to build tiny cities or play with crabs. We like crabs. We look up when We see vivid green grasses and ferns a bit like the ones we had at home but lighter. They are almost as tall as us! We know that hidden somewhere in there are the roots of the trees. They are tall, with rough silver bark that gleams beneath the moon and strong branches on which pointy-edged leaves in dark shades of purple and green, unlike most of the trees at home which were hunched over with brown-green leaves in long strands like a pony's mane. From within We think We hear singing, the whole air of this place seems to be alive with a melody carried by the night breeze, and so We delve into the garden of shadows. ... All around Us, the trees are dense, the leaves of the highest branches tossing the meager starlight back and forth with brief shakes. There did not seem to be any other signs of life besides Us and all the fireflies in the air, although We did not feel lonely. That is a Tia-feeling. We only feel this loneliness in crowded rooms. It seems nice here, We thought as We continue to walk through the grass, which makes a shh-shhh noise when stepped on. We wonder if anypony else is here. This island after all, even though We do not see any ponies here so far, there could be one somewhere on this island. We have no idea how big it is, and they could be hiding! From the look of the shore, We think it would take a few days and nights of traveling to get across. Since it is an island, it should have a center of some kind. We have never been to an island before today and Tia's never been to one at all, although our parents have told Us about them and We have read about them in books. If We reach the center, We could climb a tree so We can see if there are any houses on this island, or anything else We are supposed to search for! We stop walking for a moment but refuse to lean against a tree, it might tempt Us to nap. We pluck a strand of grass and prop it in Our mouth, chewing the end in thought. Maybe We should just walk some more until We come across something? We turn back to look at the grass, freshly trampled by Us. No, that is a terrible idea. It would be too dangerous. It is always important to know what is ahead and around you when traveling, this was one of the first things that Tia and I learned. We may look like fillies, even though we both are really hundreds of years old and have plenty of time for learning. So, maybe We should not wander around, but We should still climb a tree. We do not know what is ahead of Us, which is bad, and We do not have much of an idea of what is around Us which is even worse! Wandering is a really bad idea so, it is settled: We will climb a tree! We look up towards the branches of the tree We are leaning against. The branches do not look like they could hold Us. Hmm We nibble the grass some more. Maybe We should find a different place to climb a tree... and make sure it is a really big tree, too! We squealed with excitement. This part of our never-ending adventure is going to be longer than We thought! ... Come on! We shove a few twigs out of Our way; a few of them get caught in Our mane, but that is okay, We can pull them out later. We just need to get to the end of this branch! We teleported up here with Our magic and somehow managed not to hit any branches — although We did find a bird's nest with a few eggs inside, and no mama or papa bird — but now the tree seemed to have other ideas. It had taken quite a bit of walking to find such a nice tree with branches We would be able to stand on. As We walked further into the woods We noticed large stones everywhere, their surfaces were covered with moss, but when We scraped them away We saw that the stone once belonged to a building: it was a large chunk of some now crumbling building We had yet to find. Maybe We would be able to see it from here. We pushed through the last bit of leaves, they tickled Our face as We did, as did a soft breeze. The island really was like a big garden with greens, purples, and dark blues everywhere. We could even see a few clearings with large pink flowers and lily pads floating on distant ponds. Everything was glowing softly and it felt so peaceful. The island was very hilly, covered in the forest like a blanket. We saw more large ruined stones scattered across the island drawing Our eyes to the highest hill. There was a castle — a rather small castle that nopony has taken care of, its dark gray stone walls blending in with the sky. Almost every part of the castle collapsed except for a single tower that stood in front of the moon. It would still be the night when We got there. All was still. We wonder who lived there, and if they still did. Somepony who lives in that castle must be mysterious, and maybe they liked quiet just like We do. Or they could be lonely like Tia is when We are not in the mood to play with her. Either way, it seems this is where We are supposed to go. We retreat back into the leaves. ... "Hello?" We whisper as We step quietly through a hole in the broken wall of the tower. We see a long staircase spiraling upward, a few sad-looking papers blown up and down. We trotted forward, gathering them with Our magic. They are damp and ruined. Strangest of all, it looked like someone burned them on purpose, using a mysterious magic to strip away every last word leaving nothing but curious horizontal burn marks. We dropped the papers and decided to climb the stairs instead. Perhaps their author was there and could provide Us an explanation. Every so often We came to a set of wooden doors which were quite worn by the sea air and the holes in the castle which let that air in. We opened some of the doors slightly but it became clear that the only things inside were dusty furniture, nothing that We would like to play with it. We closed the last door and kept going. Soon We saw moonlight streaming through the last door at the top of the stairs, which was slightly ajar. We could feel the wind coming through. Pushing the door open, We thought about how dull all these stairs were. Was the pony who lived here boring? We hope not. Inside the room at the top of the tower, there was a large fire pit of some kind, except it was not lit and the ashes were being blown out the holes in the walls where the building had crumbled. Just like on the stairs, there were scraps of burned paper everywhere and halves of books, most of them were spilling out of the pit. What few windows that remained were in pieces and We had to be careful to avoid shards of colored glass. Among these shards of colored glass were long crystal prisms about as big as Our foreleg. Most of them were pastel blues and pinks, but one lying close to Us was a deep purple. We grabbed it in Our magic and looked at the surface. It was marked with chips and scratches — some of which formed words. We recognized the date as one from a few hundred years ago, sometime after Mommy and Daddy left. We looked around the room. This was some kind of magical trinket We remember relatives having. You take a special kind of crystal and enchant it, so when it is placed in a machine of some kind it shows you really pretty pictures. We have never used one before. We poked around the room some more, the crystal placed on Our back with Our small stash of food so We can use what little magic We can control so far to carefully move objects out of Our way. After pushing away large splinters of what must have been a shelf. Behind it, We find exactly what We are looking for: a machine about the size of Us with a fair deal of gears and whirly things, now quiet. We may not have used one of these before, but at least We know what it looks like, and that could help Us! We dust off this clear shiny crystal circle miniature window We find before cleaning the rest of the machine's outside. When We are finished, We see that there is a little door in the side, We pry it open with Our magic. It is very rusty and makes a creaky noise. We frown; there are a few spiders inside, poor things. We make them a new home in the splintered shelf remains, and give them some of Our food — Black Hoof called it prickly pear — before We continue. We levitate the crystal off of Our back and into the machine, before shutting the tiny door. Next, We pull the tiny lever on the side and the gears begin to turn slowly for a moment before stopping. Maybe it needs magic, too? We push the lever back into place and hear it click. Then, We pull it down again, this time with Our hooves, and shoot as much magic as We can manage into the strange object. Everything seems to need magic! It works, too! It starts to glow pretty turquoise just like Our magic! Suddenly, the gears start turning again! They go faster and faster... and faster... and faster?! One of the whirly gears on the silver and copper colored outside flies off and almost hits Us in the face, but We dodge it just in time, only to hear it smash into one of the last whole windows. Oops. The Flying Gear Not-Quite-A-Box started to make a noise that sounded vaguely like a really injured cat or Tia whining, and then there was a weird crunching noise and it started to shoot shards of crystal at Us. We shrieked and run away, able to avoid most of them, although one managed to cut Our cheek a little bit. But, We did not cry because We are such a big filly. When it stopped, We crept back out making sure to be careful in case it saw Us and decided to shoot more purple crystals at Us. We pried open the crystal door thingy again. The neat-looking prism, despite the nicks and dents it originally had, was now in a much worse state. It looked like a purple corncob after somepony had eaten all the corn off it and then thought the cob might be pretty tasty too. Double oops. We removed it carefully and gave it to the spiders as a housewarming gift. There was a pink crystal nearby that did not have any scratches on it. We are sure it will have pictures that are just as pretty as the purple one. We check the date on this one, stumbling over some of the words. If We are reading this right then this one is the most recent! It is only about a month old — We cannot be sure, since it becomes hard to keep track of how much time passes without Tia to help. Although, sometimes We count, too. We repeat the entire process over again, and dash behind some rubble after pulling the lever and shooting the machine with magic. There is a humming noise that did not happen before and We risk a small peek to see what is happening. The Not-Quite-Box machine is glowing the color of Our magic like before, but then it fades to a soft pulsing white. The white aura seems to fade and fills the room like fog, or Our breath of a chilly day. It forms shapes We do not recognize and We see bits of color slowly leak back into the magic fog forming some kind of painting on the wall. We see two purple eyes and an amber and yellow coat. There is a silky white mane, too. The picture is a mare. We can only see what she looks like from the withers up and faint outlines of a messy room behind her. There are no holes in the walls and the broken furniture is covered with images of it in its right places. The pit in the middle blazes with multicolored fire. In the background, there are all sorts of bottles, gears, and other charms that look like things We saw at the buffalo camp. She swallows and We can see tears in her eyes. Her wings are wrapped around her like she is trying to give herself a hug and the bun she pulled her mane into is coming undone. Bits of her forelock hang in her face and her horn is glowing with a magic similar in color to her coat. She looks older than Mommy and Daddy, but her mane is not sparkly or like any other adult Alicorn's at all. We are not sure what to do beyond just sitting and watching this vision that seems to be coming out of the tiny mirror crystal. We float Our bag of food over to where We are and begin to nibble some of the contents. The mare starts to speak. She has a very thick accent so We cannot understand everything she says because it spills over all her words and We have never heard anypony speak like that before! It is so confusing and makes Our head hurt, so We just imagine her pausing a lot so We do not make our head hurt, and that is a good solution. We wish We could understand everything she said, though. "Well... I suppose it is... test the Equuish out... most common language, after all... for the last time... before I destroy all my research... I am Princess Amira Fire-sight..." She sniffles a bit and grabs a hanky that We did not find in this mess. We wish We could hug her. "...my last words... these are the last words of the last demigod, the last Sage of the buffalo." We smiled. Wait 'till I told Black Hoof that We found the Sage! "...I have no apprentice, nopony to take my place... the last bit of magic... precious objects... stored inside the chest underneath the floor over towards the left... I cannot say that... I was never the best student, nor was I the worst... I should have gone with the others they needed me more, I think..." What is she talking about? Gone where? Did her family leave too? "...this is my 1,100th year... my last few days... I stayed to protect the buffalo, to keep the magic going in hopes that somepony would have made it back..." We paused at the exact same time she did, the vision of Amira burying her face in her hooves. After a moment she composed herself again, although her eyes were very red. We stretched out a hoof to try to hug her, but the vision only dissolved for a few seconds, warping around where We stretched out Our forehooves. "...If I had gone with them, perhaps even a demigod like me could have made a difference... would not feel this way..." Is there something We are not getting here? What happened to her family? "...If anypony... any creature finds this... know that you may be alone in the world..." That is not true, We have our sister! "...you are alone in a world of mortals... I had such cowardice... could have made a difference but I stayed..." What is a 'mortals'? We do not think we had that in Our forest, and We knew almost every single creature or plant in the Everfree. "...trust nopony, roaming is dangerous, hide yourself where... cannot get you... I did and I paid dearly for it... and if possible, if there is a hope out there... god that survived... I do not know the entirety of what happened... I have one last thing to say Survivor... once more I beg you to do what I could not... make a move! Find something!" The fog faded and Amira Fire-sight vanished from the room. We were out of food and sunlight was beginning to show through, the crystals everywhere catching it. We stood up and brushed Ourself free of crumbs. It was time to find that chest! ... It took a while but We were able to pull up the salt-weakened floorboards and found what Amira said was there: a chest. There was the image of a spiraling shooting star with a tail of flame burned onto the cover. The design was colored silver, purple, and white, and located where Our parents usually had their cutie marks placed on something. Thank goodness there was no lock, We do not think there would have been time to search for a key because pretty soon Black Hoof was going to be worried trying to look for Us, and lock-breaking spells are very hard! We were not sure how one fits magic into a chest but it seems Princess Amira knew what she was doing: inside were rows of bottles in different colors and sizes. Each of the lids was labeled with worn letters. One of the larger bottles was made of plain brown clay and hidden among the glass ones. It was decorated with paint, and small pictures of red birds covered the surface. The way they were painted looked a lot like some of the designs on the buffaloes' tents. We plucked it out of the chest and slipped it into my now-empty food sack. We poked through the chest some more. A lot of the words were a bit too big for us to read, but most of them seemed to be medicine of some kind each with a wax seal with the image of a different animal on it. Bear. Bird. Fish...? Deer. Llama. Bovine. Fuzzier Bovine. Breezie. Worm-thing. Swine. Minotaur. Pegasus. Elk. Big pony with wings that look like a butterfly's wings. Moose. Boars. Donkeys and mules. Buffalo. A pony with butterfly wings and lots of holes in their legs...?! Earth ponies. Sparkly ponies. Buffalo. Unicorn. Snake. Ponies with sparkling eyes. Giant spiders. Yetis. More different types of ponies blurred before Our eyes. We think this one is a giant parrot. Dragon... rawr! Seapony. Siren. There is even a bottle that We almost grab — on it is a winged, horn equine with a messy mane that looks just big enough to be slightly older than Tia. Yet, the outline of the body looks wrong and We do not understand why the silhouette for an Alicorn would be of a half-grown foal when all of the other pictures are of adults. No adult Alicorn looks like that. It goes on and on until We find a bottle with an equine that has both a flowing mane and tail as well as a wing and horn. This time, We do not need to stumble over the labels tied around the lid to know who it is for, but We are careful to double-check anyway. Alicorn, is what it says. Tia... We slip the bottle inside and knot the sack clumsily with Our magic. "Thank you, Amira," We whisper to the empty room before leaving. ... Dawn has passed, but the sun has not warmed the sands yet. There are dark clouds in the sky. Black Hoof stares at us, completely speechless. She had just witnessed Us using the Sage's Gate. Or maybe it is what came after that, when We gave her the red bird bottle. Our mane was free of twigs now but the braid had come loose in the process. We told her what happened as best as We could. It came out longer and more complicated than needed and We think a messed up the part with Princess Amira. We tried to make up for that by including as much detail as possible about all the other birds' nests We saw when climbing trees. She did not seem to believe Us that much but accepted the bottle anyway. Her magic had a much easier time keeping it afloat. She had told us to go stand away since she wanted to see what was inside and did not want us to get hurt. We were not sure what could be so dangerous about such a pretty bottle but listened anyway. Her magic broke the seal with one quick move and there was a bright flash and what could not be anything but the sound of thunder. We would not know, We had jumped behind the still-open gate until the bright light stopped and We could see again. "L-L-Luna...? A-are you still there?" Black Hoof nervously called. We came out from Our hiding place shivering all over and here We are now. Black Hoof looks terrified, We do not think her green eyes could have gotten any wider. In one of her hooves, she held one of her braids, We were not sure if it was the purple or the yellow one... both her mane and tail had gone pure white. She shivered slightly and We saw yellow sparks come off of her coat when she twitched a certain way. "Are you alright, Black Hoof?" It took her a while, but Black Hoof's wide-open mouth formed the words, even if her eyes still showed nothing but shock. "I-it seems that the bottle... was meant as the inheritance of the next Sage... and I... I opened it..." "Does this mean you are a Sage now?" She stopped looking so dazed, and shook her head from side to side. "Y-y-yes it seems so... Luna, we must return to Lady Sun Dance and give her this most urgent news!" We looked down and dragged Our hoof in the sand, trying to draw the swirly shooting star We had seen on Princess Amira's potion chest. "We cannot, Black Hoof. Our sister still needs us, more than ever now that We have gotten the medicine that can help her." Black Hoof nodded, looking downcast. "I see... but there is one thing I must do." We look up at her and tilt Our head. "What is that?" Black Hoof fixed her gaze on Us, kneeling down on her forelegs so she was at Our eye level. "You cannot tell anypony about the events that have transpired here, that you have met others who live in peace. At this time, safety is rare, and the less anyone knows about anyone else, the safer we all are. You do not tell anyone about my tribe, and I do not ask for the location of your sister and where you live, unless you wish to visit again. This information is meant for those like me to unravel. You and your sister are worth more than you realize and the world cannot risk something happening to you. The two of you must grow, and deeper magics await you both. Luna, this is the beginning of farewell, I have enjoyed my travels with you, and must also admit that my kind do not have the resources to protect you. Luna, you have so much to look forward to, and I hope — which has been renewed thanks to the story you have shared with me — with all my heart that you find the truth." We try not to cry. "C-can We tell Our sister? About you and—" Black Hoof shakes her head no. We give her a big hug and we both get up and We follow her back to her home. ... We shift the bag of supplies on Our back, it was a parting gift from the buffalo. It contained more than enough food for Our journey back, which had not taken as long as We thought. We remembered the way well, even if We were unable to use the stars to map Our way since the sky remained overcast for many days and nights. The reddish cliff where Tia lay ill was already in sight, just over the horizon. We smiled. It may not be what most would consider home, but Tia was there and that was close enough, sand or snow, rain or shine. Once We get there We pause only to transfer the food We were given to our usual saddlebags, the ones that fit us. We hid the one We had when traveling with Black Hoof under a rock. We gave Our sister the medicine, which was not exploding light but a syrup mixed with herbs that smelled as strange as Amira's accent sounded. But We carefully gave them to sleepy Tia, whose coat burned like fire and was as chilly as snow as time passed. We put the bottle with Black Hoof's bag and sat outside to wait, getting lost in counting clouds, distantly wondering where We might be able to dispose of the empty bottle where not even Tia will find it. A while must have passed, it was dawn when We arrived but now it was sunset when We heard any noise at all inside. "Luna?" A voice whispered from behind us. "We have been having the strangest dreams..." We turned around and grinned as wide as We could. "Tia!" We shouted jumping up and tackle-hugging her. Something hit Us on the head, and We could tell by the look on Tia's face that she had felt it too. We both looked up at the sky, it had begun to rain. We stuck out our tongue to catch drops and Tia laughed, pointing at a white-hot lightning bolt in the distance. Author's Note [Revised for print from 7/25/2023]
