"Greenleaf? Are you still awake?" A familiar voice filled the air around me. I knew I had been caught and so I came out from under my covers and looked upon the mare who spoke. Her mane was extraordinary, flowers just blooming from among the strands as if they were a part of her.
"Yes Gold, I'm awake." I looked myself in the mirror, today I turned eight-teen and began my life as a stallion. With that came my marks, tribal tattoos you would call them. Permanently placed around my face and body. They weren't placed there, we Trotwood Unicorns just have them, like one would get a cutie mark. Nopony knows why we have them, only that it happens. The elders say they are the marks left upon us by our goddess, a symbol that represents our loyalty to her.
My hazel eyes are bloodshot, the pain of my marks kept me up. I looked back to my older sister, she had made it to my bedside by then. Her yellow coat contrasted well with her marks, as well as her flowing black mane. That seemed to run in our family, black manes. I gave her a gentle smile and brushed my hoof along her cheek. "Thanks for checking up on me Gold." Even though she was older I always took the role of big brother, we had only been born a few years apart.
"Green, your fur is well... greener." She gave a coy smile as she sat beside my bed. "You were so pale this morning I was worried you might have one of the worse transitions. I brought your favorite book, don't tell dad." She reached into her saddlebag with her magic and pulled the large tome from it and set it gently upon my lap. Her golden aura vanished from the book. "I know dad said you shouldn't read this, I think so too, but it always made you smile so I figured why not? What's one night going to harm?"
I looked down at the cover and the only thing on it was a crescent moon. My black aura wraps around the book and opens it to the first page, a spell. I had been trying to perform this spell as it is states that I can speak to the goddess with it. The tome was older than our village and I was determined to figure out what was so important that a unicorn spent their life trying to perfect this spell. "Thank you Goldpetal, you are always so thoughtful." I ran my hoof down the page slowly, looking over the words.
"How can you even read that? Those runes are not any language known to anypony in the Known World." Gold stated matter of factly. It's true, I was the only pony in our village that has been able to read this book and it scared my father. "Well if you do learn anything let me know." She leaned over and kissed my cheek, "Let the goddess fill your dreams with love dear brother."
As she turned to leave I glanced up in her direction, "And you too dear sister." I gave a slight smile before looking down at the book. my magic rummaged under my bed till I brought out my scroll case with my notes I had taken about the spell. I waited for my sister to close the door before continuing. "Now what next? Goddess why does this have to be so... confusing?" I talked to myself a lot when thinking. It helped fill the silence. "It states that the lights will guide me but what lights? A mage light spell? Wait no I tried that the first time." I sighed in frustration and rested my head against the headboard of my bed. "What am I doing? I doubt the goddess would even want to speak to me anyway. I mean my cutie mark isn't even anything special." I tossed the covers from me and slowly rolled out of bed. I looked into the infernal mirror again to look upon my cutie mark, a simple green leaf upon my flank. "I don't think the ability to manipulate plant life is something special. Earth Ponies can do it without magic apparently." I huffed and levitated the book with me out to my balcony.
The night was quiet in Trotwood, I looked out to the other houses among the trees. Ah yes, I should of mentioned that. We live up in the trees, as the forest floor is much too dangerous for us. The timberwolves are rather wild in this part of the forest and only our trained rangers may go below. Now I had never been out of the forest, I didn't know what laid beyond this forest, not many of us did. Occasionally we met another race from somewhere else who happen upon our little community but they never stay for long. I don't even think any of them make it out. I look to see the many lights go out as many ponies get ready for bed. I however could not sleep, I was incapable of sleeping during the night. I never knew why, I just would close my eyes and my mind would be fresh and ready for anything.
Tonight was no different, I looked down at the tome and I sighed once more. "I can do this," I told myself. I looked up at the moon that shined down upon me, I closed my eyes and my horn glowed as I focused all my effort into casting this one spell. Sweat began to pour down my face as I felt the ground leave me as I raised up off my balcony. I dared not open my eyes as doing so would break the spell, and in a matter of moments... nothing. Not that anything didn't happen, it just felt like nothing. No sound, I tried to open my eyes, nothing.
"H-Hello?" I spoke and heard my words fine, I finally looked down at my hooves and I could see them but barely. Then, something caught my eye. A small light in the darkness is what I saw. I looked to it and started to move, wanting to see what it was. Was this what the spell was meant to do? Or was I dreaming? I felt drawn to the light as it got bigger and bigger. Then when the light got too strong to bare I shut my eyes closed and said again, "Hello? Is anypony there?"
"Hello, who comes before us? Dost thou look to anger our sister speaking to us?" a mare, for sure. She sounded so regal, so commanding. I opened my eyes and all I saw was a dark figure with glowing eyes. The horn atop her head was longer than your average unicorn, much longer. Her height was just about my size however. "Oh, you bare my mark?"
"Goddess?" My eyes went wide with the question, I bowed my head to her but something stopped me. I couldn't move.
"We asked thee a question, several in fact. We demand an answer to each." She didn't sound mad, just inquisitive.
"My name is Greenleaf, son of Dark Night. As for your sister, I do not know who she is, and If you are talking about my marks, yes. I just gained them today."
This seemed to please her as she gave another smile. "Well, this must mean our time for atonement is near. We will be freed and thee will help us." Her voice was young, not like the old and wise mare many of the elders spoke of. "I give thee my blessing." She leaned down and I felt her lips upon my forehead. She gave it a kiss which cause my marks to glow. "Thy magic is now in line with ours, we hope this is a suitable reward for thee?"
I was dazed and confused, the kiss threw me off guard. I heard her question echo in my mind before asking, "Why? Why would I need a reward? Are you trapped here goddess?"
She nodded, "Our sister has trapped us, thee will be our savior and bring us to her so we may beg for forgiveness. We look forward to meeting thee, Greenleaf."
She turned as if to leave but I reached up to her, touching her shoulder, "Wait goddess, nopony knows your name. Your name has been forgotten among your ponies, please tell me it."
She stopped when she felt my hoof against her, her head turned to look me in the eye, "We are Luna."
With that I was rushed back to reality and dropped from my levitating state with a thud against the wood. I gathered myself and got up on my hooves, rubbing my back which was the part in which I landed. But much to my horror I finally saw the figure of a tall black stallion in front of me. "I thought that book had gone missing, what have you done?!" my father shouted at me with anger which I had not heard in a long time.
"It worked dad, I spoke to the goddess." I looked up at the moon, the image of the goddess upon it, Luna. "I managed to make contact with her." I was excited and terrified.
"It worked? Nonsense! The goddess isn't even real to begin with! Next thing I know you will be joining that cult down on the floor below!" His purple aura picked up the book, "I will not have you poison your mind with this anymore!" With that he threw the tome into the hearth and flames burst forth from it.
"Father no!" I raced over to it but it was too late. The flames caught to the tome easily and I just watched as it burned. I had not had enough time to commit the spell to memory, and I needed it as a catalyst in order to focus my spell. I was heart broken, I had promised our goddess to free her from her imprisonment but now the only way I could talk to her was gone.
I heard my father trot up behind me and he sighed, "Look son, this is for your own good. You are my only son and heir and I will not have you wasting time on this pony's tale."
I don't know what came over me, but right before my father was able to place a hoof upon me I felt the rage bubble up inside me and my marks began to glow, "DON'T TOUCH ME!" My words echoed loud through the night, every pony in the village was able to hear me. But that wasn't the worst of it. My anger had triggered something inside me, I blacked out.
Author's Note
A pilot for a story I've wanted to write since I joined the Pony community. I hope I can get some constructive criticism from you all.
