Twilight, and her friends sat in an open field at night, it was coming close to nightmare night, while the six relaxed under the stars, under most night’s Flutteryshy would’ve been hidden away, boarding up her home for the upcoming event but with the help of the others, she had finally managed to take in the chance and went outside after sun down. Twilight was relaxing reading under a book with a smile her horn glowing gently, Applejack drinking some cider with a small chuckle, all the while rainbow joining having a bit more than the others.
Pinkie pie sat around moving with excitement while enjoying cake and rarity enjoying the diamonds of the sky, and spike by her side admiring what he secretly called the diamond of the land. A gem he’d never touch but longed for above all else. They enjoyed the night with no trouble on what seemed like a peaceful night. Though that was how most seemed to imagine it. That was until a stranger appeared.
There was no telling how the stranger came a stallion, His eyes slightly dark blue, anchent and cold eyes. Pure black furr. Though you’d only tell from it from his face since it was the only thing that anyone could see since he wore a cloak hiding the rest of him. It wasn’t long before the others had finally noticed them.
“Why hello there how are you are you new to ponyville, my names pinkie pie.” Pinkie said giving her wild and excited tone looking to the stranger, who remained silent for a second before finally responding;
“Yes, I am a lonesome traveler who wishes to rest before continuing my journey.”
“Oh, so you’re a traveler huh, I bet you’ve had some interesting adventures, maybe some stories.” Twilight muttered not really thinking as she placed her book down making sure to save her spot for later while the others look towards the stranger who sat for a moment, as he nodded;
“I do have a few stories yes.” The strange traveler gave a smile then as he seemed to move getting more relaxed as the others looked towards him giving a smile, though mostly twilight who watched then as he muttered;
“Would you care to listen to one.” He muttered before taking a cup of cider that hanged out by the side still left untouched though Rainbow dash giving him a dirty look right then sighed in content as he took a sip of the delicious golden nectar, as the others looked towards the stranger though Fluttershy shook in fear of the stranger not knowing why but something about him gave her the shakes.
“There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight.
“Hey why is it twilight why are you in the book, I mean it’s neat but why are you there.”
“Pinkie it’s an expression he means midnight in other words.” Twilight muttered correcting pinkie so soon while the stranger went on continuing his story.
In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across.
“Please if I was there I’d be flying over it in ten seconds flat.”
However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their horns and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water.
“Wow sugarcube they sound even more powerful then you to do something like that.” Applejack muttered giving a snicker as twilight muttered, “it happens sometimes.”
They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.
And Death spoke to them.
“Death as in death oh boy that’s creepy.” Spike muttered had a shiver thinking of the idea of meeting the being known as death.
He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.
So the oldest brother, who was a combative stallion, asked for a horn more powerful than any in existence for he had broken his horn long ago: a horn that must always win duels for its owner, a horn worthy of a unicorn who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder skull of a unicorn lost on the banks of the river, fashioned a new horn from a bone that hung there, and attached it to the oldest brother.
“Woah that is dark, it that true twilight.” Starlight muttered looking over to her mentor for a moment, as twilight gulped.
“there are some legends about how unicorns who lost their horns would find ways of replacing them but they never worked, but the fact he was strong before and this he might’ve been able to take on starswirl.” Twilght gulped before the stranger continued.
Then the second brother, who was an arrogant stallion decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.
“Sounds like something Dashie would ask for.” Pinkie muttered quickly as Rainbow dash rolled her eyes.
“No even I wouldn’t want to be that cocky with someone like death this brother sounds like a complete idiot.”
And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.
“Wait Death has a cloak to make himself invisible.” Twilight asked her curiosity rising as she looked over it though pinkie nodded giving her lovable grin;
“well of course what would death do run flapping his arms when he got another person who dies they’d run away from him.”
Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death’s gifts. In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination.
The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally with the Elder horn as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful horn he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible.
Starlight winced; “something tell’s me this is going to end for the older brother.” Knowing how cockiness could kill faster then any horn
That very night, another unicorn crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The theif broke the horn off for himself and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother’s throat.
And so Death took the first brother for his own.
The group began to feel sick to the stomach when applejack looked towards her and muttered;
“C-Could that even happen sugar cube.”
Twilight merely nodded; “Some unicorn’s would do it for power thinking it would make them more powerful the practice stopped once
Celestia outlawing it though some think the practice still happens in secret even to this day.”
Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in hoof. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him.
Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her.
The group looked as though they wanted to cry feeling bad for the middle brother even with his cockiness though fluttershy seeming to be the only one able to speck;
“T-that’s so sad, but I guess he’s with the one he loved.” As they watched the storyteller and listened.
And so Death took the second brother for his own.
But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.”
There the storyteller, the traveler got up as his tale was spoken and slowly walked away leaving no comment and vanished the rest watched before he had finally vanished without a trace and they wondered who was the stranger.
