The Prime Elements

Morning broke in Equestria and an alicorn, a baby dragon, and a unicorn were out and about in Ponyville. It was a beautiful morning as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky. As they walked, they saw ponies opening their shops and preparing for their daily activities. It wasn't a scholl day, so foals were either still asleep in their homes or out with their friends already.

"Good morning." A voice said, causing the alicorn to look at who it had come from.

Upon seeing who it was, they waved and smiled as they saw another unicorn approach them.

"Good morning, Lyra." The alicorn said, before noticing that the unicorn was levitating a book in her magic, "What are you reading?"

"It's just my journal, Princess Twilight." Lyra said, closing the book, "Well, more of a field guide than a journal, anyway."

"About what?"

Lyra trotted closer to the three of them, before continuing.

"I have this theory that, somewhere, there are strange things that live far beyond Equestria." Lyra said, opening her journal to the page she left off, "Right now, I'm working on a creature called a human."

Hearing that word, Twilight's ears perked up. She knew what Lyra was talking about, but she always thought she, and two others, knew what a human was. But, she wasn't expecting anyone, who hadn't left their world to know about them.

"Uh... What's a human?" The other unicorn asked, cocking her head a little bit.

"Only the most difficult to find and interesting creatures in the universe!" Lyra said, enthusiastically flipping through the pages, "Their supposed to be friendly, brave, resourceful, and clever."

"Basically, Starlight," the baby dragon said, before Lyra could continue, "they're a lot like us. Except for appearance."

"How do you know what they look like, Spike?" Lyra asked, raising an eyebrow at the little dragon, "You've never met one... Wait, have you?"

That's when Twilight quickly stepped in, before too much was said.

"Um, I think we should get going." Twilight said, putting on a smile and motioning for the others to get moving, "It was nice to see you, Lyra. Bye."

Before Lyra could respond, Twilight urged the other two forward and away, continuing towards their destination. After a short walk, the arrived at a small shop that supplied various plants and crystals. But, some of these items had certain capabilities, such as being used in magic potions, scientific experiments, and medicines. Only a few plants were rare and brought from distant lands. However, the crystals were usually found throughout Equestria and were easy to use.

"Hello, Mrs. Shard." Twilight said, opening the door and greeting the shopkeeper, "Have those Saddle Arabian ferns arrived yet?"

"As a matter of fact," The light grey earth pony said, reaching under her counter, "they arrived twenty minutes before you walked in. Strange plant to ask for though."

"I thought I'd add some exotic style to the castle."

As they talked, another customer entered the shop, ringing the little bell hanging above the door.

"Excuse me?" She said, pulling back her hood, "Do you have a jester tree?"

They turned to look at the other customer and saw that she was a zebra with a hooded cloak standing near the doorway.

"Of course, Zecora." Mrs. Shard said, pointing to and odd looking tree, "It's my last one, but it'll cost thirty bits."

"Thirty bits is fair." Zecora said, reaching into her cloak pocket and retrieving thirty coins, "Since jester trees are somewhat rare."

Twilight approached the zebra and smiled warmly at her.

"Hello, Zecora." She said, watching as the zebra paid for the tree, "Why do you need a jester tree?"

"Two injured creatures appeared in the forest last night." Zecora explained, wrapping a hoof around the tree pot and leaving the store, with Twilight and the other two following her, "But, the tree has an ingredient to help make them right."

"Do you know what they are? The creatures?"

"That, I do not know. But, one of them has eyes that glow."

Almost instantly, Twilight became very interested in the creatures Zecora was talking about. But, the more the zebra explained as they ventured towards her hut, the less she understood. Clearly, whatever they were, meant that there was either no record of such things, or there were only a very few of them. However, being the curious pony she was and record keeper, Twilight believed that if she saw these creatures, then there could be more important information and studies about them. But, what caught her interest the most, was the fact that these creatures wore clothes and armor.

"Did their outfits have a symbol or a mark that identified which land they came from?" Twilight asked, seeing the hut in the distance.

"Not that I saw." Zecora replied as they reached the hut, "But, I was too much in awe."

Opening the door, Zecora, Twilight, Starlight, and Spike entered the tree hut. It only took one second for Twilight to locate the creatures. But, when she saw what they were, her jaw dropped and eyes widened.

"Humans!" Spike exclaimed, rubbing his eyes in disbelief, "What are humans doing in Equestria?!"

"Those are humans?!" Starlight asked, staring at the two strange beings, "I thought you said they were like us, Spike?"

"I said they're like us, except in appearance."

Twilight was still staring wordlessly as Zecora plucked some leaves off of the jester tree.

"By the way you stare at them," Zecora said, dropping the leaves into her caldron, "it's almost as if you found a very powerful gem."

Twilight closed her mouth and shook her head, trying to collect her senses.

"Zecora, do you know how they got here?" Twilight asked, keeping her eyes on the humans.

"Unfortunately, no." The zebra replied, stirring the liquid, "But, when they're better, I'm sure they'll let you know."

After a short time, Zecora's medicine was finished and she scooped some into a bowl. She went over to the human with a burn mark on his chest and opened his mouth, before pouring a small amount of medicine and closing his mouth again. Then she approached the second, but when she opened his mouth and poured another small amount, the human woke up and was on his feet faster than they could react.

"COME ON!!" The fanged human shouted, reaching to his side and finding that his sword wasn't there, "What?!"

Suddenly, there was a purple mist that engulfed him and his arms were forced apart. Then he felt himself being lifted off the ground and held weightlessly in the air.

"Whoever is using magic on me," The human growled, "release me! Now!"

"Not until you calm down." Twilight replied, her horn glowing.

The human looked down at her with a very confused and surprised expression.

"Did... Did you just say something?" He asked, staring at Twilight with a gaze that could cut through metal.

"Yes." She replied, staring back at his glowing blue eyes.

The fanged human's eyes widened in awe at that single word. Clearly, he had never heard a pony speak before, which made perfect sense to Twilight, because she only knew very few humans and they knew about her. However, the fact that confused Twilight the most, was that these humans were very, very different from the ones she knew. For instance, the ones she knew didn't have swords or wore armor. If anything, they were far more advanced than the one she was holding in her magic. And, she certainly never met a human with fangs and glowing eyes. The only thing she could think of that came close, was a demon.

"What's your name?" Twilight asked, cocking her head slightly, "And why do you have fangs?"

"My... My name is Matthias." He said, relaxing his nerves and senses, "And I'm a half-demon from Vandlgrad."

"A... Half-demon?"

"Half human, half demon."

"Why are you here?"

"Put me down and I'll tell you."

Turning her head to the others, Twilight saw that they were either confused or concerned. But, since two of them had never met a human, it was to be expected.

"How do we know we can trust you?" She asked, turning back to Matthias.

"In truth, you can't." Matthias replied, looking at the other human, "But, that's something I've grown used to over the years."

Thinking for a moment, Twilight slowly lowered him back down to the ground and released him. Matthias stood tall over them wearing only his stitched pants, leaving his upper body exposed. As well as his scars. She wanted to ask him about them, but she feared that it might trigger some bad memories. So, Twilight chose to stay on the current topic and ask about the scars later.

"So, why are you here?" Twilight asked again, cautious of the being in front of her.

"To put it simply," Matthias began, "we were supposed to find and kill a very powerful and very dangerous sorcerer named Mortese. But, when we did find him, he escaped into, what we knew, was a portal. However, he gave us no choice, since the cave we found him in collapsed and Killian was injured. It was our only way out."

"I'm assuming Killian is the other one?"

"Yes. And before you ask, he's a regular human."

"Why are you fighting Mortese?"

Looking around and spotting his hooded shirt, Matthias remembered that he had something that could help explain their purpose.

"In one of the pockets," he said, pointing at the torn blood red fabric, "I have a journal with several entries in it. If you read it, you might get some answers."

Twilight stayed focused on Matthias as Spike searched through the pockets and retrieved the little leather book with a stitched spine.

"It's odd seeing a dragon serve a pony." Matthias said as Spike opened the book and stood next to Twilight, "But, then again, it's only a youngling. Probably... six years old, maybe more."

"I'll have you know that I might be small," Spike countered, eyeing the half-demon suspiciously, "but I'm older than I look."

"Of course. I don't mean any disrespect, little dragon."

"Hey, I've got a name and it's Spike."

Looking at the others, Matthias realized that none of them had introduced themselves.

"And you three?" Matthias asked, looking from one to the other, "I suppose you have names as well."

"I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle." The purple alicorn replied, before pointing behind her, "This is Starlight and Zecora."

"Charmed to meet you. And thank you for your hospitality, Zecora. I apologize for my earlier actions."

Zecora bowed her head respectfully as she put the bowl of medicine on a table.

"Your writing is odd." Twilight commented, looking through the pages, "I mean, you speak the same language as us, but I don't understand the symbols and markings in this book."

"Then, allow me to read them to you." Matthias replied, reaching towards the book.

Hesitating for a moment, Twilight placed the book in his hands and he began to read the words he had written throughout the years.

"My home is a place of wonder and chaos, love and hate." Matthias began explaining as he read, "There are demons, humans, and living forces of nature. Demons kept to themselves mostly and rarely interacted with anyone who wasn't their kind. They're capable of preforming magic that can either be very beautiful, or very dangerous. Humans are smart and, any who have been trained, are skilled enough to stand against a tidal wave, unafraid of being overpowered by a force stronger than them. However, every race has it's own dark shadows. Unfortunately, the worst shadow came in the form of a demon named Mortese. A sorcerer who is so powerful, he can summon the elements to do his bidding and change his appearance in a heartbeat."

"What makes you think he's here?" Twilight asked, feeling a small sense of worry run through her mind.

"He created a portal and said that there were other worlds for him to conquer. But, he summoned the portal so fast, he probably didn't have a certain world in mind. However, even with humans and demons fighting together, we weren't fast enough to capture him."

"And those scars?" Starlight asked, pointing at the damaged skin, "How did you get those?"

Matthias looked at his arms and torso, inspecting each and ever mark he saw. Twilight, however, turned her head towards Starlight and glared.

"When Mortese declared war against the humans," Matthias continued, closing his book, "they captured as many demons as they could. They believed that if enough decided to fight against them, then the humans would be wiped out. I was only a child when they captured my mother and me. She was a human and didn't belong in the same cells as the demons, who were stripped of their magic and freedom. But, even though she was human, it didn't save her from the punishment that she received."

"And what punishment was that?" Twilight asked, now very concerned about the world Matthias and Killian were from.

Lowering his gaze to the ground as a tear rolled down his face, Matthias put the book down on a nearby table.

"They burned her for giving life to a monster." He said in a very sad tone, "After that, I became a slave in the castle. I spent nearly twenty years cleaning, polishing, and serving those who owned me. And if I made a mistake, I was whipped. However, I met my first friend while I was there."

"And who was that?"

"Princess Katrina. Daughter to King Tiberius, the ruler of Vandlgrad. She saw me scrubbing the floors in the halls one day and offered me some water from the kitchen. However, since I was a half-demon and she was a princess, our friendship was kept a secret."

Rubbing his arms, Matthias remembered several moments when he and the princess were alone together. As he did, Twilight noticed a warm smile and another tear roll down his face. But, she knew well that it wasn't a tear of sadness.

"You said Mortese was powerful enough to control elements." Twilight said, taking a step closer, "What do you mean by that?"

"I trust that you're familiar with the four basic elements, such as fire, earth, wind, and water?" Matthias replied, wiping away his tears and receiving four nods in response, "Well, there are four others that exist, but many choose to ignore them. Those are light, darkness, ice, and thunder. All of these are known as the Prime Elements, the building blocks of all worlds. And Mortese, somehow, has the power to control them all."

"Do you know where he is?"

"Unfortunately, I don't. I believe that when the portal opened, it changed it's destinations. So, for all I know, he could very well be on the other side of the world."

Turning and looking down at Killian, who lay on the bed, Matthias looked at the burn mark on his chest and sighed heavily. But, then he noticed something. As he looked, the burn mark changed in size and colour. Now, it was no bigger that a closed fist and it still decreased in size, until it had vanished completely. But, what happened next caught everyone off guard.

"YAAAAAHHH!!!" Killian hollered as he suddenly rose up and tackled Matthias.

"Killian, stop!" Matthias pleaded, straining to keep Killian under control, "You have to relax, before you hurt yourself!"

"IT'S YOUR FAULT!!" Killian shouted, trying to get an advantage, "YOU SHOULD'VE RUN THAT BLADE THROUGH MORTESE WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE!!!"

Killian quickly shifted his gaze to the sword and reached for it, grabbing the handle and drawing it out of the sheath. But, before he could use it on Matthias, he was quickly engulfed in a purple mist and the sword was forced out of his hand.

"Calm down! Now!" Twilight said sternly, levitating the sword to her side.

"Who said that?!" Killian asked, angrily trying to break free.

"Are you always like this when you wake up after an injury?"

And like Matthias, Killian was shocked when he saw who spoke. Then he looked at Matthias in confusion and worry.

"Just relax for a moment," Matthias said, getting back on his feet, "we'll be able to sort this out together."