Isles of Everfrost: Broken Crowns
Prologue
Once upon a time, there lived a poor couple who lived deep in the forest with their seven children, soon to be eight. They had a small garden consisting of a few basic vegetables and a few spices, and a small farm of six chickens, four cows, and two goats. Their children, four daughters and three sons, were ages 5-12. The two oldest were fillies, ages 12 and 11, named Cinnamon Love and Apple Suprise.
The couple longed to move into the city and start their lives anew and give their children learning opportunities. But alas, they did not have the money to do so. They hardly had the bits to pay taxes to the King and Queen and keep their family fed, much less move into a new home.
One day, the couple decided to put Cinnamon Love and Apple Surprise in charge while they went on their way to visit somepony who could potentially help them.
Further into the woods they went, taking their most prized chicken and a few vegetables with them. They stopped their rickety wagon and walked up to a small, moss-covered hut. The Husband knocked on the door a few times and peered through the window. The door opened with a small creak and out stepped a hooded figure.
"What brings you to my hut?" Inquired the figure.
"We hate to be a bother when you're busy, but we do beg of your help," Replied the Wife.
"Is that so? Please come inside and make yourself at home," The figure spoke, stepping back inside the hut.
The couple followed the figure into their hut and sat down on the straw couch. The figure removed their hooded cape and hung it on the coat rack near the door. Stepping closer, the couple looked at the mare they sought help from. The mare's mane was as dark as the twilight sky, her coat as dark as the ivy that clung to the trees outside, her eyes were as a red as blood, and her name was... Valystine.
"We've come to ask you to help our family financially," The Wife explained, "we're tired of being poor, having little to eat and our kids not being able to learn properly."
"I see," Valystine spoke, "I think I may know of a way to help you, but, it will surely come at a cost."
"We figured as much, that's why we brought our most prized chicken and the best vegetables from our harvest," The Husband spoke.
"A chicken and a few mere vegetables won't cover the cost, I'm afraid," Valystine spoke as she walked over to a large cauldron and a shelf of ingredients.
"Then what will?" The Wife questioned.
"Your unborn child and your two eldest," Valystine replied, "if you drink this potion I'm about to make, your child will be born with certain special qualities."
"But how exactly will that help?" The couple questioned.
"When your child is born, you will find that out," Valystine replied "speaking of your child, once he or she is born, bring her to my hut along with your two eldest children and leave them at the door and return home. Four days from then, before noon, you will receive your financial aid."
"We can't just give up our children!" The Wife cried.
"Well, if you want my help, your unborn and two eldest is the cost," Valystine spoke in a nonchalant tone of voice, "believe me when I say it will be worth it in the end."
"Say we did give you our two eldest children and unborn, what will happen to them?" The Husband inquired.
Valystine did not answer the Husband but used her magic to grab a few ingredients off the shelf and dump them into the cauldron, in which she gave a few stirs and mumbled a few words over. With a small flash of pink tinted light and a bit of smoke, the liquid inside turned a bright pink. Valystine grabbed a small vial and cork from a nearby drawer. Carefully, Valystine poured some of the liquid into the glass vial until it reached the neck and sealed it with the cork. As she walked over to the wife, she gave it a few shakes and then handed it over.
"Is it safe?" The Wife questioned as she examined the bottle.
"If it wasn't, I wouldn't be giving it to you," Valystine replied, "now drink up, I added raspberries in for flavoring."
With a hesitant sigh, the Wife uncorked the potion and held the bottle up to her lips. Slowly and carefully, she swallowed every last drop of the potion and waited for some sort of immediate effect, but none came.
"How will we know that your potion worked? I don't feel any different than I did before I drank it." The Wife inquired.
"When your child is born, you will know," Valystine replied, "now off you go, I've important work to attend to."
With that, the couple left and returned home to their children and continued on with their lives.
Months later, it was time for the Wife to deliver the child she had been carrying for nine months. Her eldest daughters aided their dearest mother as she gave birth to their new sibling. It seemed to take forever for the child to come, but it was surely worth the wait. The infant took its first breath and began to scream and cry. The newborn was a baby girl and appeared to be a unicorn, at first glance, like her mother and two eldest sisters. Cinnamon Love took a pair of crude scissors and cut the cord and began to clean off all the blood while Apple Surprise delivered the placenta.
As Cinnamon began to wrap the baby in a blanket, she noticed something on the infant's back. Shortly after, Cinnamon let out a small gasp of surprise and shouted, "She has wings!"
"Wings?? But the baby is a unicorn!" Apple cried.
"No, no, she has wings too, like an alicorn! Just look!" Cinnamon cried, holding out her infant sister for Apple to see.
"My goodness, she does! Look mother!" Apple took the baby from Cinnamon and showed her mother.
For a moment, their mother had a look of surprise on her face, but it soon faded and she gave them a small, sad smile.
"Mother, you look a little sad. Is everything okay?" Cinnamon questioned.
"Girls, hand the baby here and go to your room and pack your belongings." Their mother replied.
"But why?" Apple questioned.
"Your father and I will explain on our way to Valystine's hut." Their mother replied, "now go on and pack, and send your father in too."
The girls did as they were told and started packing their things. The father walked into the bedroom his wife was in and walked over to see his new child.
"A baby girl, I see," He said with a smile "and a unicorn like her dear mother."
"Actually, darling, she's an alicorn. I guess that's what Valystine meant when she said our child would be born with 'certain special qualities'." The mother spoke with a sad smile. The father simply nodded his head at her and looked at his newborn daughter with sad eyes.
A few minutes later Cinnamon Love and Apple Surprise walked into their parent's bedroom with their packed belongings. Their father held his newborn daughter and helped his wife out of bed. Together, the five of them walked out to the wagon. Cinnamon Love and Apple Surprise climbed into the back and sat down. The wife climbed into the passenger's seat and held onto their newborn child as the father hooked himself up to the wagon harness and pulled them to Valystine's hut.
Once they got there, the couple did as Valystine instructed. The mother placed their newborn child in a basket she had taken from the kitchen on their way out and placed her on the doormat, then told Cinnamon Love and Apple Surprise to stay near their newborn sister with their belongings until Valystine came out and brought them inside. They gave their daughters no explanation as to what was going on, thinking it would be easier to part this way.
With teary eyes, the couple kissed their children goodbye and returned home. As they watched their parents leave, Cinnamon Love and Apple Surprise sat down, terribly confused and saddened all at the same time. Time slowly passed by and when the sky was a dark orange-red, a figure approached the siblings.
Cinnamon and Apple looked up to see Valystine standing a couple of feet away from them, wearing a hooded brown cape and saddle baskets filled with an assortment of fresh ingredients. With a smile, she let the children inside and explained to them their new fate.
Sure enough, as they were promised, the couple received five bags filled to the brim with bits from Valystine. Excitedly, they sold their small cottage to Valystine and moved to the city, where they purchased a larger house that comfortably housed all seven of them and a small shop to sell extra produce and animal products they made from the farm they also bought. There had been enough money to cover the cost of the three buildings as well as buy more animals and seeds and send their seven children to the best school there was to find in the entire city, which was located eight miles from the castle where the King and Queen lived...
