Chapters Where All Stories Begin
The years passed swiftly for most. Years turned to decades. Decades turned to centuries. For many, they were happy to live a life free from danger, free from the horror of wondering if today was their last. For others, they were content to share this world, to bask in it's warmth without fear of destruction looming just around the corner. To some, the humans who once cause such great carnage and ruin have become nothing more than a forgotten memory.
There were others, however, that took the peace that came from the extinction from the humans and used it for their personal gains. These individuals sought out to do as the humans had, but instead of simply destroy the world they sought to mold it into a paradise for themselves at the extent of others misery. These fools were snuffed out easily, not even close to comparing to what the humans had done.
Then there was one. One who always had a smile. One who would laugh and comfort others. One... who lied to herself. She wore a mask that hid her pain, her sorrows. But this mask hid something else as well. Something much more sinister.
Princess Celestia. She went through her days, caring for her subjects, offering her advice, and guiding them in their wake. Despite all this, she could not let go of the pain she felt every night. A pain that reminded her that she was solely responsible for the loss of her sister. Every night, once the sun was set and the moon rose high, she wept. She wept for the sister that she longed to have back in her arms. She wept for the unjust punishment she herself had delivered upon Luna. She wept for she knew it was her doing that led to Luna's fall, and she would not forgive herself until her sister had returned.
Though threw the tears of pain that fell each night, another set of tear fell with them. After she wept of pain, she would weep from rage. Tears would flow from her eyes as a burning desire to take vengeance filled her. Celestia knew in her heart that the humans had place a dark seed into Luna's heart, and due to her own carelessness, she had not done a thing to prevent it's growth till it was far too late. Celestia swore the night she lost Luna, and every night henceforth, that she would see to it the humans were brought to justice. She knew however, that her thoughts were wasted on a lost cause. Nothing remained of the Humans, not even their artifacts. The whole world had been scoured from pole to pole to ensure nothing remained.
Celestia couldn't help herself. Sitting upon her bed gazing at the moon that now held the image of her sister, the fire in her heart burned brightly this night just as it did every night. "They will know my wrath, and when I've finished with them, not even Faust will be able to help them."
There was another, trapped in a state of limbo. A mare forgotten by the sands of time, her spot in history replaced with a shadow. Her name was Luna, and unlike her sister, she held no amount of hatred for the Humans. They had been horrible, awful creatures of death. They knew no kindness. But there was one.
She had stumbled upon a child, a young girl around 5 years old. She was fumbling around in a house along the border of the Griffon Kingdom and the Human's Domain. The house was in shambles with overturned and destroyed furniture spewed about. The girl inside seemed to be searching for something. She was wearing tattered and destroyed clothes, any protection they once provided gone. The girls frame was small and weak as though she had not eaten in days. She had white hair like silk that hung down around her shoulders. As Luna spotted the child, she raised her weapon meaning to kill the child, to spare it of the life it could have lived. When the child saw this, instead of panicking as would be expected, she asked the alicorn to help her find her lost doll. This request had thrown Luna off guard. Mulling over what to do, Luna decided to help the girl find her toy. She figured if the girl was to die here, she should die with something to comfort her. After a few minutes of looking, Luna spotted a foot sticking out from underneath some of the remains of the furniture. Picking it up, she saw it was the aforementioned doll the girl was looking for and went to present it too her.
This caused the girl to do something that both shocked and scared the alicorn. The girl ran up with a smile on her face, before taking the doll and raping Luna up in a hug thanking her. Luna had never seen any form of affection from humans before, and this little act had rooted her to the ground attempting to process what she was experiencing. In the girls amber eyes, Luna had seen joy and wonder unlike any other. Stepping away from Luna, the girl turned around to inspect the doll for damage. Luna saw her opportunity to strike, and readied her weapon for a quick and painless blow.
She couldn't do it.
Luna, despite everything she knew, was beside herself with this girl. A human that could show kindness, that could do something other that cause pain and suffering was something Luna had never imagined in her wildest dreams.
"Where art thou parents young one?" Luna spoke softly, unsure why but not wanting to scare the girl before her.
The girl held the doll close and her head low, "They aren't here anymore."
Luna discovered that her parents had been killed in a raid on the boarder, leaving the girl all alone. The girl had explained that once a child is either of age, or their parents deceased, they were to fend for themselves. Luna was horrified to learn this, and offered the girl food and shelter. After some convincing, the girl agreed.
Time continued as the war against the humans drew to an end. The nations had come together to end this bloodshed once and for all. Over the course of 23 years, war was fought, and Luna kept the girl hidden and safe. As the war against the humans drew closer to an end, many became suspicious of the way Luna was acting. Taking food to her room, requesting staff leave entire wings of the castle, and many other strange act that drew worry from her sister and allies. She did everything she could to protect the girl from being discovered. But one night the girl was found.
As Luna made her way back to her chambers, just days after the final battle signaling victory over the humans, she heard two screams. Luna sprinted towards the source, her eyes shrinking to pinpricks as she saw it was her bedchamber. Rushing in she saw the girl, now a young woman around 27, staring in horror at a maid that looked ready to run to alert others of the woman's presence. The woman had grown considerably, no longer thin from starvation and standing at 5'10ft. She was tall enough to be donned in one of the princess's dresses. Panicking, Luna knocked the maid unconscious before grabbing the woman and teleporting to the pedestals that held the Elements of Harmony. Grabbing the woman, Luna looked into her eyes.
"Do you remember what I told you?" Luna asked.
"I remember." The woman responded.
Nodding, Luna summoned the Elements and her magic. She focused the power into a powerful spell. Unleashing it all, Luna created a doorway to a world that was mostly uninhabited. She had been looking for a safe place to send her young friend, and had found a would that was populated with humans that appeared to be far more docile than the one here on Equis. Luna gave once last look to the woman, wished her well, and sent her through.
This was many years ago. Too many to count. Luna cherished the time she had with the woman, and prayed for her safety.
"I hope you're well Anki. I miss you."
Author's Note
The actual story will be written in a slightly different style, more character interaction with less narrative.
1 - I Was Not Prepared...
Well then... This is different. I think.
I looked around my surroundings to find I was in some sort of ruins. I appeared to be standing on a raised platform located at the end of a corridor with many windows. The windows themselves were destroyed and shattered, much like the walls that were crumbling and chipped. Stone pillars lined each side of the walls in no better condition. The floor was littered with debris from all these things, but seemed far more intact. Light flooded in from the holes and windows showing that it was daylight.
Seeing as I appeared to be alone, I checked myself for any possible damage. I was 6'3 and lanky, not much for muscle but I could run for miles. My body felt fine, and I showed no signs of visual wounds. My clothes; a plain tee, cargo pants, and running shoes, all seemed to be in order. I felt my hair to find it was still shoulder length, curly, and no remainders. Checking my pockets I was shocked to find they were all empty. Cursing myself I pat down the rest of my body hoping to find anything to indicate what happened with no such luck. Giving up, I turned to the corridor.
Alright, first things first. Where the hell am I?
Walking down the corridor, I was met by a flight of spiraling stairs. Walking down, they led me to some form a main chamber. This area was in no better condition that the last, aside from a fountain. Or what looked like a fountain. Looking closer I saw it was actually a raised set of pedestals. Upon each pedestal was a stone, each with it own individual markings on it. Just past them was what looked to be the remains of two tattered tapestries, one white and gold, the other blue and silver. Turning around, I saw an archway that led out to a field with a forest just beyond. The field and forest were separated by a chasm connected only by a bridge. Walking over, I saw the the bridge was hanging loosely on the other side, having been detached from the supports on this side.
Well that's not helpful. If I'm stuck here I better get some supplies.
I didn't know the first damn thing about wilderness survival, but I knew the ruins means shelter, and a grassy field with a forest nearby mean life. If I was lucky, I could wander into some wild fruit not too far.
4 hours later
I couldn't find shit. I was sitting inside the ruins again as nightfall had begun to approach. For now I wasn't too hungry or thirsty, but if I didn't kick my ass into gear soon then I would not survive. I did manage to find a trail leading away from the ruins in the opposite direction of the bridge to the forest, but I wasn't about to risk trying anything at night. I couldn't see, and lord knows I wouldn't be able to protect myself from harm as I am. As I lay down my head to prepare for a trek tomorrow, I continued to think the one thought that had been on my mind since I started looking for supplies.
How did I get here?
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I woke to the sun burning my eyes. I shifted onto my other side, allowing my eyes to adjust. After saying a few choice words about the sun, I sat up and began popping my joins. To say laying on stone floor is uncomfortable would be a understatement. I got to my feet only to immediately hear my stomach growl at me. I was running the clock on how long I'd be able to last so I had to start moving. Heading out the arch, I took off to the left side of the ruins till I spotted the trail from before. It was a simple dirt path with no markings. I had my doubts about it before, but seeing as I won't be getting across the bridge anytime soon I had little options. I began to walk the path, hoping to either find civilization, a farm, or even just a damn field that I could take from. I walked for about five minutes before something caught my eye. I saw a single tree sitting in the distance on top of a small hill. I was exhilarated to see this but prevented myself from running. It was possible the tree was barren like those at the edge of the forest so there was no need to waist energy on a lost cause. Coming closer, I began to spot specks of red among the green of the tree.
Apples!
Throwing caution to the wind, I ran towards the tree. Getting right underneath it, I saw the tree was quite large, easily as tall as a two story house and as wide as a bus. The ripest apples were near the top. I began thinking of ways I could knock them down, but realize it would be fruitless. The apples weren't ready to fall, and the branches would prevent anything from reaching that high. I struck at the tree with my fist in anger, only to be shocked when the whole tree shook and dropped apples all around my feet. Not wanting to waist time, I gathered as many as I could, stuffed one in my mouth and took off for the ruins. Arriving at my 'borrowed' safe haven, I began to set the apples down and eat to quell my growing hunger. Finishing off two of them, I was more than satisfied. Taking a moment, I realized if I was going to be staying here for at least a little while, I should look for someway to make my stay here more comfortable. Specifically, something to lay on as a bed. I looked towards the damaged tapestries. They would work as makeshift blankets. Looking more carefully, I saw that moss and vines had begun to grow around the area as well, which would provide with bedding. As I got to thinking about how to obtain the tapestries from their raise position, I also began to think of how long I could stay here.
I need a source of water. Not to mention I only have one source of food. On a hill... by itself...
Thinking back to the tree, I began to realize how strange it was. From what I had seen but failed to notice due to my hunger, was that that tree was the only tree out there. I had also failed to notice at the time, but the tree is at the end of the little dirt trail meaning there may or may not be anything past it of immediate use. Along with all of this, I had no tools. I couldn't navigate, or communicate so I have to stay near the ruins.
Unless
I walked out the arch towards the chasm. I then drove my hand into the ground and began to dig. Once I had finished, I moved to the side and started again. I did this a third time, and stepped back to admire my work.
S O S
There, that might help. Hopefully someone will see this.
Going back inside, I decided to go back to obtaining the tapestries and vines. I figured I'd start with the hard one and get it out of the way, so standing underneath the blue and silver tapestry I began to contemplate how to go about this. Looking at the wall beneath it, I saw that some of the stone had been pushed out. Looking at the distance it had been pulled, I figured I may be able to climb it.
Can I though? I don't think I've ever done anything like this befor-AGHHHHHH
Clutching my head, I felt a wave a pain pass through before my vision began to fade. I felt my eyes snap open and I saw an area I was unfamiliar with. Suddenly, I was climbing up pipes and unused scaffolding. The scene changed, I saw myself now climbing what appeared to be the side of a keep during a battle. Again, I now was climbing what looked to be the largest tree in the world. Quick as it came, the pain left. I snapped my eyes open, my breathing heavy. Not even thinking twice my body moved on it's own to begin scaling the wall. I was amazed at what I was doing, not even fully aware that I was doing it. I found footing either against the extended stones or the wall itself. My hands were gripping onto stones and sunk in gaps of the wall alike. I was about halfway up when I grabbed a weak stone that slid from it's place. My arm flew back and I watched as the stone dropped and broke against the ground. I was easily 20ft high and didn't want to meet the same fate. Turning to the wall, I continued my climb remembering why I was climbing up here in the first place. I was at eye level with the base of the tapestry. Making sure my right foot was placed somewhere solid, I reached out for it. Grabbing onto the tapestry, I was in the clear with my objective in hand. My other hand slipped however, and I began to fall just as the stone did.
Oh Shit!
I braced for what was going to be a devastating impact. Hitting the ground, I felt the air get knocked out of me and my head started to spin. I sat there for a moment allowing the pain and spinning to calm down before I slowly began to stand. I was sore all over, but surprised to see that nothing appeared to be broken. I hobbled over to my resting spot by the arch and set myself and my new found blanket down. I pulled off my shirt and began to look over myself. Bruises were already forming, but again I found nothing broken. Checking my legs, I found they were also tender yet not broken. I was amazed that I could have survived such a fall and to walk away from it as well. I laid on my back to rest allowing my eyes to close.
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"Come on brother! We need you!"
I snapped my eyes open to see I was no longer in the ruins. I was standing at the front gates of a fortress that was under siege. I turned my head to look at the man who had spoken and found a large burly man with two war axes in each hand.
"What do you need me to do?" I asked
"Get up there and open the damn gate. The second it drops, we kill the lot of them!" He was practically screaming this at me, but his face show nothing but joy.
"I'm on it!" I yelled back at him.
I launched myself at the wall, grabbing at anything I could. I rose up the wall with incredible speed. I almost couldn't believe what I was doing, or how I was doing it. I move along the wall like a spider. Launching myself over the top, I rush towards what I assume what the mechanism holding the gate up. I saw too guards ready to kill me, but the guards were like something I had never seen before. They looked to be human at first, till I saw they had fur covering the exposed parts of their bodies. Instead of boots, they had opted to wear nothing showing their hooves. There faces were elongated like a horses, with a mussel and ears to boot. One of them had wings protruding from its back, while the other had a horn sticking out from under its helmet. I ignored them and beelined for the gate mechanism, slamming into it with all the force I could muster. It must have taken previous damage as the thing shattered off of the wall, taking a second mechanism with it. I saw the gate drop open as my assumed comrades roared in bloodthirsty glory. I was about to join them when something slammed against me forcing me against the edge of the tower.
"DIE!"
I turned in time to see a hammer of some sort smash into my head sending me over the edge. As I fell the world went black with the sounds of death and war around me.
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I woke with a start, groaning at the pain that shot threw me. Looking around I saw I was back in the ruins still laying where I rested. I saw that my bruises had already begun to heal but would not finish for quite a while so I had to take it easy. I pulled my shirt on carefully to avoid further pain and thought back to the dream. It had seemed so real, as if it was something I had done in my life. But that had to be impossible, I didn't live in a medieval era, I lived in...
I can't remember. Why can't I remember?!
Try as I might, I could not think of a time before the ruins. Whenever I tried to, I could only think of the dream and the visions before climbing.
Calm down! Just think... Alright, I saw buildings, forts, and a tree. Maybe I just have memory loss... Amnesia. That's the word. If that's the case, I just need to wait for the memories to come back or trigger them like I did before.
Calming myself from my freak out, I looked out the window to see nightfall had come again. I decided to remain on the floor to allow myself to heal, even if it meant a little back ache. As I closed my eyes, I swore I heard someone speak to me. Looking for the source of the sound, I saw only the moon with the shape of a horse-like head with a horn coming out of it shining through a window. Nothing else seemed to be there so I closed m-
"Wait WHAT?!"
Author's Note
This probably felt a little blank slated but trust me there is a reason for that.
2 - A Living Legend Before Me
I could do nothing but stare in shock. I may not know exactly why this seemed wrong to me, but I knew that the image I saw burned into the moon wasn't suppose to be there. Looking at it, I saw it appeared more slender than the faces from my dream. Along with that train of thought-
WHY IS THERE AN IMAGE OF A HORSE IN THE MOON?!
I had to calm down. I forced my eyes closed and began breathing deeply until I felt in control of myself. Opening an eye, I saw that the image remained right where it had been. I continued to stare at it, finding that my body had auto piloted itself outside of the ruins to get a better look. Gazing at the sky, I saw that not only was there a horse on the moon but that the stars all around it seemed to dance with life. The sky as a whole seemed to be breathing with life, beckoning me to watch. I looked further, beginning to see constellations I didn't know the name of. My head pulsed, and I saw I was sitting in a field looking up at the night sky naming constellations. A woman was congratulating me. Another flash, and I was singing a song under the full moon about a tale from a far off land called "The Mare in the Moon". We sang it in hopes of releasing the mare from her prison. The pulsing stopped, and I saw I was back by the ruins looking into the night sky.
The Mare in the Moon...
I looked at the image again, and saw that it was the same one I had sung about in the memory. Recalling a part of the tune, I began to sing.
The field are wide welcome open arms
The night responds dearly with love in her heart
An unspoken friendship, blind to all faults
Lost to the world who was bitter as salt
The Mare in the Moon shall shine brightly tonight
For one of her beauty is not one to hide
She'll watch over all who would join her this night
And show them all love in the time that they bide
I watched as four stars around the moon began to grow brighter before disappearing behind it. As did the stars, the image faded from the moon as well. My eyes could barely believe what had just happened. To see what was once a wish in a memory come true. It was breathtaking, it was marvelous, it was-
"Beautiful"
The word left my lips before I could stop it. I said it in barely a whisper, yet it seemed to echo throughout the world around me. I was transfix on the moon from what I had witnessed and was curious to see what else would come.
"It is good to see someone appreciates my work."
I did not scream like a bitch.
Spinning around to the source of the voice, I soon wished I had not moved. Standing before me, easily a head higher than I was, was the Mare in the Moon herself. She wore armor similar to what I had seen in my dream, but unlike the soldiers that wore grey bland uniforms, her armor was midnight blue. Her fur was onyx black, while her eyes were slits like a cat. She had long sharp fangs and her mane and tail appeared to be ripped straight from the sky itself.
"Hahahahaha! Did I startle you? I wouldn't be surprised, even the bravest warriors tremble in my wake." She stated, her voice filled with pride.
She began to walk towards me, eyeing me up like her next meal. I desperately tried to swallow the lump in my throat but I could not bring myself to move an inch. She placed a finger on my face, tilting me too and fro continuously examining me.
"But you are no warrior are you. Tell me, were you the one who sang that tune?"
She forced my head to look at her's, her eyes boring into mine. I found what little strength I had to use my voice.
"yes" was all I could say.
The Mare continued to stare at me, as if judging whether or not I was worth her time. I was amazed when she lowered her hand as her eyes softened slightly.
"Where did you learn it?" She asked, the force behind her voice all but gone.
I release my breath, glad to see I wasn't dead yet. I quickly decided it was better to appease her than piss her off. It was a fight that I stood no chance winning.
"I... I don't know. I can't remember." I replied.
That seemed to catch her attention. "What do you mean you don't remember?" She asked, interest clearly visible on her face.
"I mean I can't remember anything. Only bits and pieces. I believe I have amnesia." I said, trying my best to calm my voice.
This seemed to almost shock her. She gave me a look I didn't quite understand before saying, "So you've finally come..."
I was about to ask her what she meant when I was blown back by the force of... wind? I looked up to see she had two wings keeping her airborne that I had failed to notice.
"Know this boy, above all else you must stay alive. Do whatever you must. I've taken care of the hard part."
After she said this, with a powerful flap of her wings she was gone. I tried to see where she went, but the blow back from her wings blew dust to my eyes forcing me to cover them. By the time I recovered, she was gone. I went back into the ruins and grabbed my makeshift blanket. Laying down, I chose to worry about it later.
Author's Note
At this time, I am looking for editors.
3 - We have a problem... Six actually
Author's Note
To give you guys a little tease, I'll release this one early. Expect chapters every 2-3 days.
3 - We have a problem... Six actually
I looked around my surroundings to see I was in an old house of some sorts. I was sitting on a rug next to a fire pit listening to a story. The story teller was an elderly looking woman, her wrinkles showing her age but her eye shown like she was just a child. She held a wonder in them that you would normally see in that of an innocence discovering something new. She was currently telling me about a land of magic and war, and how a brave princess of a nation led the other nations along with their leaders against a very powerful foe. She spoke of many things, dragons and griffons soaring through the air protecting their comrades from harm. She also told of the princess's sister, who worked her wonders behind the scene using magic to boost their forces and rally the troops. As she spoke the spark in her eye became brighter, as though she were experiencing it while telling the tale. As she spoke, I couldn't help but wonder who she could be. She seemed very loving and caring of me, as though-
Grandma..?
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I awoke to find it was still night. I was curled up in the tapestry from before still in the ruins. I stood up, gently feeling for any pain. My body was still fairly sore from the fall. I heard a commotion coming from the archway, and wandered over to get a better idea of what I was hearing. I saw that a fog had settled over the chasm cutting off my view of the forest. Leaning against the left side, I began to listen.
"Twilight! Wait for us!"
I jumped at hearing the voice just beyond the chasm separating the forest and the ruins. It definitely sounded female, but it certainly wasn't The Mare.
Maybe these people can help me.
Listening further, I heard a yelp of distress followed by the sound of someone dragging something.
"What's with you and falling off cliffs?"
This voice was different, having a more brash tone to it.
"Now what?"
A third voice, this one sounded very bright.
"Duh." The second voice replied, followed by what sounded to be fluttering of some sort.
I heard the wind woosh down the chasm, and jumped back behind the archway as I saw a blue figure come up on this side. Looking out again, I saw a blue furred (girl?) horse/mare with wings on its back. She stood at 5'6ft, and appeared to have an athletic build. She was wearing a sports bra and short crop shorts. Her hair and tail was maid up of every color of the rainbow. In her hands was one of the support ropes of the fallen bridge.
Yes! A chance to get out of here! And if she's dressed like that, then a town must not be far. A few days walk at best.
I was about to approach her, when I heard a voice call out.
"Rainbow "
The voice sounded mystical, almost like it hadn't been there at all. The girl, Rainbow I assumed, also seemed to hear it. It was all I needed to decide to stay back.
"Who's there?" Rainbow asked.
"Raaainbow "
"I ain't scared of you!" Rainbow said
I admired her tenacity, but given the situation she was in over her head. Just then, three figures walked out of the mist. They claimed to be a superior flying squad than a group called "The Wonderbolts". They called themselves "The Shadowbolts". Apparently they needed a captain, and began buttering up Rainbow on her flying capabilities. As Rainbow went to tie the bridge supports, the lead shadowbolt stopped her. She claimed Rainbow had to make a choice, her friends on the other side or the shadowbolts. Rainbow looked torn between the choices.
"You." Rainbow simply stated.
The shadowbolts were about to congratulate her when she continued.
"Thank you, I mean, for the offer. But I'm afraid I have to say no." Rainbow said.
With that she tied the bridge supports and flew off, clearing the fog with a beat of her wings. I looked towards the shadowbolts only to see that they had vanished. Looking back to the bridge, I saw the new arrivals.
Leading in front was a purple furred horse/mare with a horn and purple eyes. She stood at 5'10ft, and from what I could tell was an average build. Her hair and tail were both straight and purple with a single streak of pink running threw them. She wore a purple knit sweater and jeans, and appeared to have an air of authority about her.
Just behind her was a pink colored horse/mare with light blue eyes. Unlike the other two, she had no wings or horn. She stood at 5'8ft, her build being more hefty than the purple one. Her hair and tail were a darker pink than her fur, with both being curlier and frizzier than my own hair. She wore a pink tee and black running shorts, this one having a bounce to her step.
The next horse/mare was a butterscotch colored winged one with emerald eyes. She stood at 5'9ft, and was slim like me. The hair and tail on this one was the same pink as the horse/mare before her's fur, having a slight wave to them. She wore a green hoodie with jeans, and seemed to almost be hiding from the air around her. Despite this, she seemed glad to be with the group.
Following her was an alabaster horse/mare adorned with a horn and sapphire eyes. She was 5'8ft, with an dieted body build. Her hair was curled and royal purple, though she was without a tail or it was too small for me to see. She wore a white with purple blouse and skirt, her walk telling me that she carried herself with elegance. I noticed with this one however, something I had missed with the others, was her bosom.
Her chest had two large protrusions, each easily half the size of her head. Looking at the others, I saw that they also shared this feature with some of them having larger or smaller chests. Thinking back, I realized The Mare had also had these, but had been hidden well by her armor.
Looking back to the last horse/mare, she was orange with bright green eyes without horn or wings. Her body was strong, standing at 5'9ft. Her hair and tail were straight, tied back in ponytails having a straw yellow color. She wore a checkered button shirt and jeans, holding herself like a proud worker.
Rainbow, from before. was gliding above them. I had gotten a look at her before, but I now saw her eyes which were magenta in color.
They were approaching the ruins. My body was screaming at me to move, instincts kicking in to hide. I wanted to trust this group, but I didn't know them. Looking out, I saw they had crossed the bridge and were making there way over.
"Hey, what do you reckon this is girls?" The first voice, the orange girl, asked.
The purple one walked over, looking at something on the ground. She studied it for a moment before looking over and gasping.
"This is a distress message! Someone might be here!" She exclaimed
The girls gathered around to look as well as I realized what they were staring at. They had found the S.O.S I had drawn and were beginning to wonder how it got there.
"Well who knows," Rainbow began, "this could have been made long ago. Maybe the pony that put it here got help."
The orange one got down and felt the dirt. She shook her head and stood, addressing Rainbow.
"Ah don't think so sugarcube. This soil was disturbed not long ago. Few days at best."
"Well if that's the case than we need to take out Nightmare Moon fast and find the one who wrote this." The purple one exclaimed.
The group nodded before replying, "Right!"
They began coming this way again. My instincts were still hot on not having me be seen, so looking around I saw a corner of the main room blanketed in shadow. Moving into the shadow, I prayed it'd be enough to hide me. The girls all walked in, and began to inspect the inside of the ruins. The purple one spotted the pedestals and rushed forward.
"This is it! These are the Elements of Harmony!"
"Hey and look at this!"
I looked to see it was the pink one who spoke and what she had referred to.
DAMN IT
She was pointing to the apples and tapestry that I had left out from my resting spot. The other gasped at the sight and ran over to see for themselves.
"This must have been what whoever wrote that message was using to survive!" The purple one stated.
"Be that as it may Twilight, to use such a magnificent work of art in such a way is horrid! Think of the beauty this once held!" The alabaster exclaimed.
"It's alright Rarity," the orange one began, "they probably meant no disrespect. They were just trying to keep warm."
While the others began to inspect my ragtag setup, the purple one, Twilight, looked around to see where the tapestry had come from. She spotted the white and gold tapestry, along with the remains of the blue and silver one that I had torn down. She put a hand to her head as confusion washed over her features.
"How did they manage to get it from way up there? They must have been a pegasus or a unicorn." Twilight wondered allowed.
"It's still warm!" The orange one exclaimed, holding the tapestry in her hand.
"Alright, you five go look for them! I'll stay here and try to figure out how to use these." Twilight said.
As the others went off in search of me, Twilight walked up to the pedestal and began to concentrate. I let out a small breath I wasn't aware I was holding and began to think of all that I had overheard. They had continued to use the word "pony" to describe the missing person so I could only assume that's what they are. I also learned the purple one's name is Twilight, and the one with the rainbow hair is called Rainbow. They seemed concerned with the well being of the one who made the distress signal, so that gave me reason to trust them. However, being that we aren't the same species, I clearly not having fur while they're covered with it, might cause them to react badly. On top of that, I couldn't help but wonder what they were doing out here in the first place. Were they a rescue team? Not to mention Twilight seemed very interested in the stones on the pedestal, so they may be explorers.
She called them the "Elements of Harmony". What exactly is that suppose to mean?
I felt a pulse in my head again, along with the pain I felt the first time. Clutching my head and attempting to stay quiet, I watched as the flashes began before my eyes. I saw six strange items, each with a corresponding name. There was Laughter, Loyalty, Generosity, Honesty, Kindness, and Magic. My eyes snapped open and I was back at the ruins. I saw that Twilight and the elements had disappeared. Hearing what sounded like distress, I glanced over to the windows of the corridor I had originally arrived in. From the windows came a bright light, but looking to the archway showed that it was still night out. Wanting to see what was causing the commotion, I began to make my way over. I stopped myself, walking up the stairs would expose me and I didn't know if I was still in danger. I looked towards the window, and saw that the wall beneath it was just staggered enough to climb. Making my way to the window, I glanced up over the edge to see the six from before. Only now they had an ethereal glow coming from them and they appeared to be wearing some form of jewelry they hadn't had before. Five of them wore necklaces, while Twilight was donning a tiara of some kind. A blast of colors erupted from them, stopping all trains of thought. I watched as the blast arched through the air before coming down on-
The Mare
I went to cry out, but was too late. The blast hit The Mare head on, the shock wave throwing me from the windowsill. I flew back and smashed against the floor to be met with darkness once more.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"The Elements of Harmony."
I saw I was once again in the house with the woman. This time I could hear her clearly instead of making out little bits and pieces.
"It is said The Elements of Harmony are six supernatural artifacts representing subjective aspects of harmony. Each one has a purpose of it's own, but when brought together their combined power is the most powerful magic known. Honesty is the element of truth, the bearer is know to be truthful in all words and to know when another is lying. Kindness it the element of caring, the bearer of this element has a never ending heart that will care for all, even those who seem unworthy. Laughter is the element of joy, the one who can wield this element is know to always make other smile and do everything in their power to see someone else happy. Generosity is the element of giving, its bearer will put others first, always ensuring that everyone has exactly what they need even if they didn't know the needed it. Loyalty is just that. The bearer will find companions that they deem worthy, and will be by their sides even if it means going through hell and back. Magic, however, is the most powerful and misunderstood of the elements. The bearer of this element will be very powerful, knowledgeable, and will see every task through to the end. The bearer will also embody small pieces of the other elements, holding each one dear to their heart."
I then was show a picture of the elements. They seemed to be gems, all of the same kind, before morphing into different shapes. I saw they were the same shapes as the ones on the necklaces and tiara. I looked up to see the woman smiling at me.
"Grandma-"
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I opened my eyes, groaning as I did. Looking around I saw I was lying next to the pedestal, hidden from the archway and the stairs leading to the corridor. I sat up, just barely peeking my head over the pedestal. I looked to the stairwell, hearing voices coming from there, to see the six girls from before followed by another I didn't recognize. This one was a powder blue pony/mare with bright blue eyes. I was surprised to see that she had wings and a horn, just as The Mare had. She was 5'3ft, with a very frail build. Her hair and tail were a soft blue, styled like that of a young girl. She wore a single midnight blue dress, and seemed more scared and unsure than the butterscotch mare had.
Following her was something that made my heart stop. It was another alabaster pony/mare with wings, horn, and soft pink eyes. She was easily 7ft or taller, with a simple looking build. Her hair and tail was tri-tone, and appeared to be blowing in a non-existent breeze. She wore and elegant white and gold dress with regal jewelry to boot. She held an air of authority and power that crushed Twilight's, while still appearing motherly and caring.
And she scared the shit out of me.
I couldn't explain it, but as soon as she came into view my body started screaming at me. The fear I had experienced before The Mare didn't even compare to what I felt seeing her. I wanted to get away, to put as much distance between me and her as possible. I had to ensure she couldn't see me, couldn't get me. There was only one thing on my mind, one thing my body was desperate to do.
RUN
But I couldn't. My only exit was now blocked, and if I moved from this spot I would risk getting seen and caught. The mare that terrified me so began to look over at me, so I ducked my head and lay on the ground praying she hadn't seen me. I sat still, for what felt like eternity, until I hear the sound of them walking away. I wasn't going to risk it, I continued to lay there praying. My prayers went unanswered.
"Wait Tia, may I head back inside for a moment. I just... I need a moment"
After an unknown voice spoke, I heard silence. I then heard footsteps (hoovesteps?) approaching my location. Locked in fear, I could only wait for the inevitable. A head poked around the side of the pedestals and gasped. I looked to see who had brought doom down upon me. It was the powder blue girl from before.
"It's you!" she said.
This confused me, how could she know who I was? Instead of answering me, she rushed over clamping a hand over my mouth before I could say anything.
"I know this seems strange but trust me. You need too wait till we're gone, then head to Ponyville. Look for a pony named Watchful Eye. He'll tell you all you need to know."
Her horn lit up in a blue glow before a flash went off to my right. Glancing at it, I saw there was now a pile of cloth next to me.
"This should help you get there and stay concealed once you've made it. Try to avoid being seen in Ponyville if possible. Also prepare yourself, the Everfree isn't exactly safe but I know you'll manage. We'll talk again soon." As she said this she removed her hand and went to return to the others. They way she was acting, it was almost as if-
"Wait." I called out to her before she had rounded the pedestal, causing her to pause and look at me.
"Are you The Mare in the Moon?" I asked.
She simply smiled and nodded before rushing off to join the others. I saw that they all walked over towards the bridge, only to disappear in a flash of light. I looked back at the cloth pile, one thought on my mind.
What the fuck is going on?!
With daylight shining through the ruins, showing that no one else was there, I moved to gather the cloth. Picking it up, a few items fell out of it clattering to the floor. Among the items were a sword, a canteen, a compass, some paper, and a pair of gauntlets. Looking back to the cloth, I discovered it was actually a hooded long coat. It was dark grey and had a second layer running across the shoulders and midway down the back. Possibly for weather protection. It was lightweight when I pulled it on. I left the hood down for now as I had no reason to hide myself here. Next, I turned to the sword. It appeared to be a simple long sword with no distinguishing marks on it. I pulled it up to see it had landed on top of it's sheath. Sliding the sword into place, I attached the sheath to my waist against my left hip. I picked up the canteen and found it full. Thankful for this, I slid it into the coat for protection along with the compass. Picking up and looking through the papers, I saw there were three in total. The first was a letter designated for Watchful Eye, so I set that one aside. The other two were maps, one presumably a map of the local area, and the other was assumed to be a map of the world. Setting these down and storing the note away, I picked up the gauntlets. They were unsurprisingly heavy, but fit as if they had been made specifically for my hands. Once they were on and secured, I looked back to the map of the local land to see two markers. One was placed over "Ponyville", and the other was placed off to the side in the middle of an area called "The Everfree Forest". These were meant to mark my location and destination. Pulling out the compass, I placed it on the map where the indicated marks were near the top left. However, I was confused as to why the needle pointed off in a seemingly unknown direction.
That's not good. I'm not gonna be able to tell what direction I'm going without reading this.
Thinking as hard as I could, I attempted to see if I had any forgotten memories of reading maps or using compasses properly. I felt the pulse, but was shown something I didn't understand. I was talking to somebody, and they were telling me how the sun rose in the east and set in the west. The moon would rise just north of east, or northeast, and set south of west, or southwest. They told me to remember that north is up, east is right, south is down, and west is left. I came out of the memory confused as to why that memory had been triggered. Remembering it was daylight, I walked out of the ruins with gear ready and map in hand. Looking towards the sun, it looked to be low in the sky. Glancing back at the map, I saw that the markers had "Ponyville" to the left of my location, or "W" as told by the markers.
That must mean it's to the west. But how do I know if the sun is rising or setting? The girls from before came from there, so maybe that would be it. I should wait till the sun moves to be sure though.
Nodding to myself I walked back to the ruins to rest, eating an apple and taking a small swig from the canteen. Gathering a few apples for the journey, I noticed the tapestry. I didn't want to leave it behind, so I started folding it up until it was compacted enough to carry and slid it into a free pocket. Walking back outside, I saw the sun had risen slightly over the ruins confirming that it was in the east. Walking towards the bridge, I was about to cross when I stopped myself.
If I'm heavier than those girls, then this thing will snap before I take to steps. But it could hold six of them right? It should be able to hold me.
Rather be safe than sorry, I stuck a foot out and applied pressure. The wood and rope bent under me bet held firm. Placing another foot out, I saw the bridge was still holding together. I walked, one foot in front of the other, till I was finally on the other side. Not wanting to waste time and glad to be free from my home/prison, I continued on. It was calm for the most part, a few bugs and birds here and there but nothing to worry about. Walking along, I began to hear the sound of gentle splashing. Coming up to the sound, I found a slow running river. The water looked calm and serene, undisturbed by any animals that may be around. Walking up, I bent down and topped off my canteen before taking a step into the water. The second I did, the area in front of me blasted out with water, startling me into backing up and placing a hand on my sword. Once the water washed over me, I looked to see a giant purple scaled serpent with orange slicked back hair and a mismatched mustache. His mustache was orange and slick on the left like his hair, but on the right it was purple and curly.
Purple and curly? Didn't the alabaster of hair just like it? Wait, she was missing a tail!
"Why hello there young fellow, to what do I owe this pleasure?" The serpent asked me.
I was stunned to say the least. Not only had he just spoken to me but he had done so like a companion. Seeing he had what looked to be the girls tail on his face, I thought he would have been hostile.
"Uh..." Clearing my throat I started again. "Um, sorry to bother you sir. I was just on my way to Ponyville."
His eyes lit up at that, "Ponyville! I just so happen to have recently met some nice mares from there. I would be more than happy to help you get there. Steven Magnet at your service!" He stated with a bow.
"That's great! Thank you Steven, my name..." I started.
"Is something wrong my boy?" He questioned.
But I wasn't listening to him. I was desperately racking my brain for an answer but was coming up short.
No use just standing here, tell him something.
With a sigh, I responded, "I'm sorry, but it appears I can't remember my name."
Steven gasped in shock, "Oh that's just awful! No matter, if your headed to Ponyville I'm sure there's someone there that can help you."
I smiled at this and thanked him. He offered me a hand to climb upon and with that we were off.
"Now you must know, I can only take you so far. I would like nothing better than to see you there safely the whole way, but I'm afraid I cannot stray to far from home." He warned me.
"That's alright, I'm more than thankful for what you can do. I'm afraid I can only repay you in apples though." I told him.
"Oh nonsense," Steven chided me, "you don't need to repay me. I couldn't ask for more than what that generous mare has given back to me."
"Was it the purple half of your mustache? I think I may have see the mare earlier, she was an alabaster with the same hair type but a missing tail." I said.
"You met miss Rarity?" He started, "Oh she was so kind to give up her tail so that my mustache could live on! I'm glad to see it caught your attention."
So she had given it to him. At least that's what he's claiming. Honestly, it makes you look like a clown.
"It suits you Steven." I lied.
"Why thank you. Here we are!" As he said this, I looked to see we were in a clearing not far from a small town.
"That's Ponyville, correct?" I asked.
He nodded, "That's it. Now I told you that we evaded most of the dangers of this forest, but know that there are still dangers ahead, like timberwolves and cockatrices."
"Timberwolves? Never heard of them." I stated.
"Oh there a nasty bunch, but easy to deal with in small numbers. Simply disconnect their heads from their shoulders and there magic will go out. Or you could try scaring them away, fire usually does the trick." Steven explained to me.
"Well good luck to you. I hope you find what you're looking for, and your memories!" Steven made his way back to the river as I turned to where the town had been located. From my guess, it'd take about 15-30 minutes to get there. I should have asked him about the cockatrices just in case, but it was too late for that now. Looking up, I saw the sun had already passed midpoint and was beginning to lower, resting right above my destination. Moving on, I was hoping to avoid any kind of run in with these so called timberwolves.
But it seemed luck was not on my side. I had walked 15 steps, not even leaving the clearing, when I heard growling coming from behind me. Glancing back, I saw three sets of eyes looking at me from the shadow of the forest before stepping into the light. Once they were in view, I saw that the timberwolves were as the name describes. They had the exact proportions, look, and sound of wolves, but were completely made of wood, sticks, and bark. Their eye sockets were empty, save for a green glow to represent the eyes. One of them snarled at me, prompting me to draw my weapon. We stared at each other for a moment, till the one who snarled lunged. I went to raise my blade to block the attack, but instead by body moved to the side and swung the blade down, cleaving the head clean off.
How did I..? no, don't question it just go with it.
With one down I turned to the others and took stance. They moved to either side of me, lunging forward at the same time. I waited for my body to respond, but it never did. I felt two pairs of teeth sink into me, one into my left thigh, and another into my right forearm. I howled in pain as my body sunk to the ground, a pulse from my head causing me to black out. From the blackness, I saw I was the center of some sort of ritual. I was be explain to that the ritual would make me resistant to magic. This would be a blessing and a curse.
Awakening, I found myself still lying in the clearing. Looking to my sides, I saw both timberwolves were now motionless with the light from their eye sockets gone. I went to pull myself up, only to hiss in pain at my arm and leg. The attacks that were made had done damage, and I wouldn't be able to patch them without help. If that was going to happen, I had to get to Ponyville and fast. Fighting through the pain, I managed to stand and pick up my sword. I was only able to make it to the edge of the clearing before I clasped again. Just from looking at my leg, I could tell I was loosing to much blood. Pulling my sword, I began to cut strips of my shirt and fasten it around the wound. I made sure to do this for my arm as well. Doing all that I could, I sheathed the sword once more and stood. The added pressure to my wounds made it bearable to stand, though I was having to hobble along now. My 30 minute walk had just turned into an hour. Pushing along, I decided to put my mind else wear to pass the time.
Who were those girls I saw earlier? And why were they wearing those trinkets? Is it possible those were the elements and the girls were chosen? And what of the blue one, who claimed to be The Mare? Who is this Watchful Eye she sent me to meet?
And why can't I remember anything?! Why does my body chose to react some of the time and then not? Was it because I went to make a choice and it corrected? THIS IS INFURIATING! Is it too much to ask for answers?
No. That's what the girl, The Mare, promised me. Answers. And if I keep seeing the old woman, I should be able to recall everything before long. But that ritual, what was that about. Was that something I had agreed to?
Seeing I was approaching another clearing, I snapped back to reality. This clearing actually turned out to be the town, Ponyville, I was suppose to find. Looking at the sky showed that dusk was starting soon, indicating nightfall would be along shortly. Looking back at the town, I saw I was near a giant tree, but was dumbfounded when I saw a balcony and windows on it. Peering at the window, I could just make out shelves of books.
Books? Maybe they have information. If that's the case I should ask them where Watchful Eye is. It would save me the trouble of wondering aimlessly, and I'll be less likely to be caught.
Pulling my hood up, it rested just overhanging my head. This would help obscure my face, and with that, I made my way around the tree till I found a door. Walking up to it I knocked and waited. At first it seemed nothing or no one was home, but soon enough I heard the door swing open to reveal a familiar face.
"I'm sorry but the Ponyville Library is-" Twilight froze, stopping whatever she was going to say.
I knew she wasn't looking at my face from where her eyes were pointed, so I cleared my throat to get her attention. Her eyes snapped up, causing me to bow my head slightly.
Steadying my voice I said, "Excuse me, but I'm looking for someone. Do you know where Watchful Eye is?"
For a moment she said nothing, just staring. Her eyes wondered back to my body before looking at me again.
"What happened to you?" She asked, almost afraid of her own question.
I realized she was referring to my wounds. Looking down I saw the blood had begun to soak through the fabric. "Nothing serious, I just got caught out in the Everfree Forest a little unprepared."
This seemed to grab her attention, "The Everfree? What in the world would drive you to go there?"
Shit, this could be bad. Think of something. Anything!.. The distress message at the ruins!
"I was... I was looking for a friend. He went missing about a week ago. Last one who saw him says he went in there." I lied through my teeth, hoping she'd believe me.
"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. I might know where he is, but I would suggest letting the guards look for him. I already sent a few to search the area." She responded with a soft smile.
Breathing a sigh of relief that she'd believed me, I continued. "That's wonderful, but do you think you could help me find Watchful Eye? I have business with him."
"Hm? Oh yes of course!" With that she rushed back inside. I wait for a few moments before she appeared at the door again. "Watchful Eye is located in the Lunar district. Just head to main hall from here, that tall building, and take a left down the street. He'll be on your right not to far down that way!"
Looking were she had pointed, I saw the town hall as well as the district street she had referred to. Running her instructions through my head a few times, I looked back to her.
"Thank you. I'm sorry for the late arrival and wish you a good night." With that done, I turned to my objective and began hobbling once more.
"Um sir? I don't mean to be a bother but you should really go to the hospital. You're in no condition to be walking around." She began walking after me, taking my arm in her hands once she reached me. "I can lead you there, it'd be no trouble."
I pulled against her, "I'm sorry, but my business with Watchful Eye cannot wait. I will head there after I've finished with him."
Twilight seemed to hesitate, weighing the options of letting me go or nor. She let go of my arm but stood firm. "Alright, if your business is that important than you can go. But I'm going with you to ensure nothing happens."
I don't want to make this girl suspicious. I'll let her come with me then ditch her at Watchful's. I'll say he and I know each other.
"If you insist." Was all I said.
Twilight and I began walking down to town hall. Along the way, she tried to ask me about myself.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, where did you get those injuries?"
"I ran into a nasty group of timberwolves. They managed to get me before I could get away." I told her.
Twilight gasped, looking ready to drag me to the hospital at this point. "Twilight, I'm going to see Watchful Eye, then I'll worry about my wounds." I insisted.
This seemed to satisfy her, till we realized the mistake I had made.
"How do you know my name?" She asked, clearly irritated.
Oh shit
"You said it when you opened the door." I stated as though it was fact.
"I did? Huh, must have." She said, seeming to have believed me.
Holy shit that was close.
"Well I gave you my name, why don't you give me yours?" It was such an innocent question.
DAMN IT! Uhhh I'm wearing something Grey and a Sword?
"Grey Sword."
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
"Nice name!" She simply said.
...Why is this so easy?
Along our little walk I decided to have a look around. The buildings themselves were nothing special, thrown together with bricks and straw. The ponies walking around weren't much to look at either, a few pegasi, couple of unicorns, and the rest were "regular". What got my attention were the looks. Most of them were ignoring me, but the ones who did see me had looks of shock and pain. I heard a few whispers of "How are they still walking around?" "What did that to them?" "Shouldn't they be in the hospital?" Choosing to ignore them for now, I followed Twilight down the Luna district. It wasn't much different from the rest of the town, except that some of the house had darker color schemes here. Twilight came to a stop and turned to one of the buildings.
"This is it, Watchful Eye residence." Twilight said gesturing towards the building.
"Thank you Twilight. You can head home, this is to be private." I responded, walking towards the door as I did.
"What? Go home, what about getting you to the hospital?" Twilight demanded.
Turning to her I said, "Watchful and I have know each other for years. Once we have finished, he'll be sure to get me there."
Once again, Twilight hesitated before nodding and walking off. Making sure she wasn't going to change her mind and come back, I turned to the door and knocked. After a moment, it opened up to reveal a small pony of which I hadn't seen yet.
"Hello?" The pony (a girl) asked before looking up at me.
She was like any other pony, namely pegasi, though she had distinguishing features. Her wings, which were wrapped around her, were webbed like a bats. Her eyes were amber with slits instead of pupils. She had fangs which hung over her bottom lip. She immediately reminded me of The Mare.
She began to shrink back into the door, probably caused by my silence and staring. Shaking myself out of it, causing a little bit of dizziness to myself, I knelt down to her level before asking, "Is Watchful Eye here?"
The girl stepped back inside before yelling out to somewhere in the house. "Daddy!"
Seeing that I had a moment, I straightened myself up and pulled out the note. Just as I did, the door flew open to reveal another pony just like the one before, only larger. He looked like he was about to say something before stopping, his eyes on me. His snout seemed to twitch a little and his eyes found their way to my injuries before resting on me again.
"You're injured." He stated lamely.
"Obviously. Watchful Eye?" I asked, not bothering to hide my irritation.
"Yes. Who are you?" He was hesitant to respond, as if he didn't want the answer.
I merely presented the note to him, letting him take it from my hand. As he began to read, his eyes began to widen, his slits growing large. His mouth fell open, and I began to feel the world around me spin. Looking up at me, he stood there in shock before opening the door for me. ushering me in.
"Get inside, Quickly!" He commanded.
"Of course." With that, I promptly fell face first onto his floor unconscious.
5 - Memories of a Forgotten Time
Author's Note
While it isn't specified in all memories, assume our protagonist is over 20 years of age in the scenes that apply.
5 - Memories of a Forgotten Time
I awoke myself in the arms of the old woman, though she appeared to be younger now. Her skin wasn't as wrinkled, her face had a firmer tone to it, but the glint in her eyes was as bright as ever. She was cradling me. I must have been an infant at the time. She was cooing and saying nonsense to me, as I was reaching out and giggling at her. I tried to recall her name. I know I had heard it before somewhere, but what was it. Maybe if I tried to say it she'd tell me.
"Bbbrrrrr... Oooolll... Ahhhhhh..." I tried to remember what it was, but this seemed to get her attention.
"That's right little one, I'm Bhlu. Blhu!" She told me.
The woman had tried to tell me her name, but I couldn't understand her. It was as if my mind was rejecting what she was trying to tell me. I attempted to recreate the sounds she was making, resulting in her lifting me high and telling me I was doing a wonderful job. I couldn't help but laugh, it was a wonderful feeling to be praised. I continued to try and say other words with her all through the night.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Tell me another story grandma!" I exclaimed.
I found myself now sitting inside the house yet again. The old woman, Anki, was sitting there laughing at my antics. I was bouncing on my butt begging her to tell me a tale.
"Alright little one, how about the Princess and the lost girl." She said.
Despite the title I knew that the story would be worth listening to. She began to tell me of a warrior princess, armed with a sword in hand. The princess was searching a settlement that had felt the destructive touch of war. Moving through, the princess heard thumping and scraping coming from one of the still standing shacks. The princess walked inside to find a child, born of the enemy. Knowing that leaving this child alive could spell doom in the future, the princess prepared to end the child's life. The child, looked to the princess and asked her for assistance in finding an item that was precious to them. The princess agree to help the child, and before long found what had been lost. The child thanked the princess for helping them, wrapping the princess up in their small arms. The princess, taken aback by this action, merely nodded to the child. Once the child was preoccupied, the princess prepared her blade so that she may end this life before corruption could take hold of it. But the princess lowered her blade. She saw this child had done no evil, and did not deserve punishment. Learning that the child's family had been killed, the princess took the child under her care.
"Why didn't the princess kill the child? If she hadn't done anything yet, it meant that she could still be evil later right?" I asked my grandmother.
She smiled at me and said, "The princess chose not to strike her, because she believed the child deserved a chance to prove themselves. The child was not yet guilty, and under the princesses care, never took an innocent life."
She continued to tell me that later, the princess and the child had become good friends. During their time together, the child acted as a support to lean on, someone to be there for the princess when war and duties weighed heavy on her shoulders. The princess acted as a teacher, showing the child right from wrong and answering questions as they came. My grandmother started to tell of a promise the two had made to each other, but as she began I felt my eyes grow heavy. The only part I heard of the promise was to always remember each other and...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Come on brother! We need you!"
I snapped my eyes open to see I was no longer in the home. I was standing at the front gates of a fortress that was under siege. I turned my head to look at the man who had spoken and found a large burly man with two war axes in each hand.
I remember this...
"What do you need me to do?" I asked
"Get up there and open the damn gate. The second it drops, we kill the lot of them!" He was practically screaming this at me, but his face show nothing but joy.
"I'm on it!" I yelled back at him.
I launched myself at the wall, grabbing at anything I could. I rose up the wall with incredible speed. Launching myself over the top, I rush towards what I assume what the mechanism holding the gate up. I saw too guards ready to kill me. I ignored them and beelined for the gate mechanism, slamming into it with all the force I could muster. It must have taken previous damage as the thing shattered off of the wall, taking a second mechanism with it. I saw the gate drop open as my assumed comrades roared in bloodthirsty glory. I was about to join them when something slammed against me forcing me against the edge of the tower.
"DIE!"
I turned to see the hammer smash into my head sending me over the edge. As I fell, the sounds of death and war surrounded me. I hit the ground with a hard thud, knocking the air from my lungs.
The memory isn't over?
"Come on lad! I know it takes more than that to take you down!"
I looked up to see the burly man from before offering me a hand. Taking it, I rose to my feet, stumbling as I did so. Gaining my balance, I turned to the man.
"Thanks Kaar." I said, gaining the breath I had lost.
He thrust two short swords at me. "Don't thank me yet, we got some whelps that still need butchering!"
Taking the swords, Kaar and I raise our respective weapons letting out a warcry as we charged froward into the now open courtyard. At the far side was a large reinforced door, with many groups of ponies taking up defensive positions. Rushing towards a group of pony soldiers, I crossed my arms over my chest. Once I was close enough, I threw out my arms out sending my blades through the opposition. I sliced clean through four of them, their blood coating my blades. I saw I had five left, all of them swinging overhead in an attempt to strike me down. Crouching, I lifted my swords and met their blows, locking them in place for a moment. Seeing my advantage, I poured all my strength into my legs, launch myself up and out at them causing them to stumble back. I took a swing at both the far left and right soldiers, ending them easily. The middle soldier was able to recover fast enough to swing at me again. He made the mistake of swinging overhead once more, allowing me to step to the side and drive the point of me blade into his exposed throat. As my sword pierce him, his eyes went wide and he began to gurgle on the blood now filling his mouth and windpipe. As much as I wanted to savor this moment, I pulled the blade from him and turned to the remaining foes. They appeared to be a common foot soldier and a captain, if the insignia on the second one's chest plate was anything to go by. The soldier made a blind rush for me, hoping to catch me off guard. I stood my ground, thrusting both blades into his gut. I swung outward, carving out him midsection. As he screamed, desperately trying to keep his entrails inside of him, I turned to the captain. I saw that he was simply standing there, as if waiting for me. I was confused at first, till I noticed the his horn which was glowing. Too late to react, I felt something slam into me, knocking me some distance away. Hitting the ground, I turned to see the bastard had thrown a dead comrade at me. The unicorn captain charged, leaping with his sword pointed downward to skewer me. I rolled backward, feeling the edge of the blade slice at my back. Rolling to my feet, I hissed at the pain but made ready to charge. His horn lit up again, giving me an idea. I rushed forward and made a feint at his legs. As expected, he moved to protect himself, opening up his head. I swung upward with the hopes of cleaving his horn off completely. He wasn't an idiot, and began to recoil. But I had gotten close enough, and managed to chip the tip of his horn off. He stumbled backwards, clutching his head as he roared in pain. I saw my chance, and brought both of my swords to his neck in a cross position. The captain only had time to look at me before I forced my arms forward, decapitating him. His head toppled back as a burst of blood came up, painting me red.
Having dealt with them, I turned to the rest of the battle. We were pushing them back, Kaar was taking lead smashing and cleaving as he went. I was about to join him when a horn sounded, causing the fighting to stop. We knew what this horn meant, and the two sides separated onto different sides of the courtyard. Our foes had signaled for a duel, and they were to have it. The large doors began to open, and two figures stepped forward. One was a pegasus, and appeared to be the commander of this fort wearing blue painted armor and a plume on his helmet. The other was a unicorn, who must have been second in command as they also had painted armor but a standard helm. The commander and Kaar walked to the center of the courtyard, followed by the second in command and myself.
"You know the rules. I choose the weapon, and the defeated surrenders entirely." The commander spoke, a deep male voice sounded from his helmet.
"Aye, I know what this is about. So what's your fancy?" Ask Kaar.
The commander gestured to his second, and they stepped forward.
"Silvia will be fighting as my second, the weapon of choice is broadsword." The commander said.
"What a weakling, can't even fight your own battle." Kaar spat back, disgust clear in his voice. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "He will serve as my second, and you'll see what a real man is capable of!"
I nodded, handing my swords to Kaar. Turning back, I saw a woman I didn't recognize approach me with a crude broadsword. It was chipped and dull, but it would have to do. Taking it, I stepped toward my opponent.
"You really expect to fight me with that? You're not even wearing armor. You must have already excepted death." They spoke, a soft female voice coming from behind her helmet.
I smirked at her, "I don't need armor to beat you, or the countless others that fell before you. As for the blade, you'll find it's more than enough." I readied myself to fight. She did the same.
This blade was different from what I was use to. It was heavy, and reached far longer than what I had been fighting with. If I was to win, I would have to focus on blocking and parrying attacks. Dodging could use to much stamina, or be too slow to matter. We stood for a moment, keeping our gazes level. The only sound was that of a soft wind blowing past our feet. She made the first move, choosing to swing at my left. I responded by blocking the attack and stepping forward. I didn't follow up with an attack to see how she'd react, to which she put the distance between us again.
So she doesn't want to get friendly. I can use that against her.
She feinted to my right and swung to the left. I wasn't fast enough to catch myself, so I ducked to avoid the blow. She brought her sword up high, giving me the opening I needed. Catching her blade with my own, I parried to my right releasing my left hand from my broadsword.. This threw her off balance, allowing me to charge forward. Slamming my shoulder into her breastplate, I grabbed her sword in my free hand. I threw my shoulder up, smacking the underside of her chin. She lost her grip on the blade, and I jumped up placing my feet on her chest. I kicked her down, knocking her flat on her back. I hit the ground, and recovered to see she was still daze. As she started getting to her feet, I threw her blade back to her. She looked at me surprised, probably because I hadn't just killed her.
"There is no shame in admitting defeat. Not when you're the one who's willing to fight at least." I said this glaring at the commander before looking back to my opponent. "Surrender now, and save yourself the trouble."
She picked up the blade, scrambling to her feet. "I will not surrender! I know well what you savages do to those who surrender and you will harm no one no more!"
I chuckled at her little act, "You know what happens when some worthless officer sends his second to die for him. But we've never had a fighter, who was will to actually fight to protect their own, surrender to us. You may be surprised by what you find."
I could tell this got to her. Her eyes darted around, as if searching for the answer of an unasked question.
"Silvia! Don't let him toy with you! The only way out of this is too win. Blood is the only thing these bastards understand!" The commander barked at her.
She looked back and nodded, preparing to fight till one of us was dead.
"What is your name?" I asked her.
"What?" She asked, confused by my sudden question.
"What is your name?" I asked again.
She stood tall and spoke proudly, "My name is Silvia Blueblood, daughter of Marx and Sevna Blueblood!"
I nodded to her, and we took stance, "Silvia Blueblood, daughter of Marx and Sevna Blueblood, honor is yours this day whether you prevail or fall. You have done your family proud."
With that, we charged.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Come on! We're almost there, just a little further!"
I took in my surroundings. I was now sitting on what seemed to be a log, but turned out to be the branch of a much larger tree. Glancing the direction the voice had come from, I saw a girl smiling down at me before she continued her way up. I looked down to see we were hundreds of feet in the air, a fall from this height would spell certain doom. Turning to where the girl had been, I began to climb after her. I moved from branch to branch, using the same grace I had used on the wall of the fort. Much like a monkey, I swung and flung myself higher and higher till I caught up with the girl once more.
"Isn't it just beautiful." She said.
Looking where she had, I saw an expansion of land flow out like a never ending sea. In the far off distance, I saw a castle surrounded by homes with what looked to be birds flying to and fro. The birds were actually pegasi, and the castle marked the capital of the pony kingdom. It was without name at the moment, the sisters who ruled more worried with bringing the kingdom together than naming it. Beyond that, I spied rolling hills and a snowy tundra, supposedly hiding this so called "Crystal Empire" from my sight. Looking back to the girl, I examined who she was.
Her name was Nelli, and she had been my friend for about 7 years now. She and I were 14, considered to be children, and loved to cause trouble to our elders. My family had basically adopted her, as her parents were members of the council, leaving little time to spend with her. Nelli and I had bonded over listening to my grandmother's tales, both of us gushing at the idea that they may be true. Since then, I had always thought of her as a sister. We were considered by our people to be scouters, ones who could get anywhere despite the lack of conventional means, then slip away without being noticed. Our people planed to make use of our ability in war, war that was drawing nearer every day. But we didn't care for that, we simply wanted to enjoy the world before us.
Looking back over the land, I asked her, "Nel, where do you think we'll be in 10 years?"
"What kind of question is that? Will probably be fighting in that stupid war the elders have been planning." She responded.
"I know that's what they want, but what if we weren't here to go to war. What if we ran off, explored the world, left this place and never turned back." I responded, looking back at her.
She was made uneasy by my statement, "You know we can't talk like that, if the council found out-"
"The council's not here," I cut her off, "Right now it's just you and me. So why don't you speak your mind for once. You always say that's why you want to come here, so just say it. What do you want Nelli?"
She was silent for a moment, looking at her feet.
"I want to go to war."
We didn't talk much after that day.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Lady Goldhooves will see you now."
I found myself sitting in a parlor. There were many colors decorating the room, the main theme being red, gold, and purple. The one who spoke to me was a butler, a male unicorn with simple features. He gestured for me to follow him, so I stood and followed after him. Walking along with him, I checked my breath. It was clean for the most part, but there was the faintest hint of alcohol. I had been drinking before hand, possibly preparing for what I was about to do. I remembered what Kaar and I had spoke of before hand.
"You've got her buttered up and believing this piece treaty is a real possibility. Now get her somewhere private, and show her our true intentions. Do it with your own two hands if you have to." Kaar had told me.
"With pleasure."
Following the butler, he stopped for a moment turning to me.
"One moment sir." He told me.
"But of course." I responded with a slight bow.
He nodded, turning to a door and knocking. He waited for a second, before opening it and walking in. I waited until he reemerge from the door and spoke to me.
"Right inside sir, have a goodnight."
I thanked him, seeing him off before walking into the room. I saw that I was now in a bedroom, well furnished but dimly lit. The only light was that of the moonlight pouring through the windows near the bed. I looked to the bed to see my target. Maiden Goldhooves, age 38. She was a red colored unicorn with silver like hair and tail. She was sitting, but looked to be about 5'8ft with a model's body. But her eye's were what held my attention. They were mismatched, the left was a brilliant blue while the right was a crimson red. I could feel a burning hatred for this mare, but suppressed it for now. The time would come soon enough.
"I see you decided to join me." She spoke to me with a smirk.
"I was just preparing for the negotiations." I replied.
With a laugh, she stalked over to me. "I think we both know what kind of "negotiations" we'll be having."
Her eye's were lidded, indicating what she meant. She was close enough that I could smell the alcohol on her breath. Whatever I had drank, she had consumed three times as much. I had been prepared for a lot, but this through me for a loop.
"Maiden Goldhooves, do you intend to lay with me?" I asked, a playful casualness to my tone.
She giggle, pulling me close to her, "You've been very kind to me, to all of us by convincing your people to call off the war. I merely wanted to... show my appreciation."
This wasn't part of the plan. However, if she would be foolish enough to do this, it would leave her exposed and alone with me. I loathed this mare, no love for her in my heart. I barely felt any lust towards her, however I could use this to my advantage. It would make the end result more enjoyable.
Pulling on a false smile, I wrapped my arms around her waist, "I can promise you, your "appreciation" will be repaid with my own."
With that she pulled me towards the bed.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
She laid herself out over the sheets, allowing the moonlight to shine on her fully. She was wearing a see-through singlet with no panties, leaving little to the imagination. Her breasts were perky, floating against gravity as her nipples poked out, threatening to tear the fabric. Her pussy was quivering, glistening slightly in the light. I moved to kiss her, but she stopped me.
"Why don't we skip to the good part, unless you need... motivation." She said with a smirk.
Not bothering to answer her, I stood back up and began to slip off my clothes. Finished with that little ritual, I looked to her to see she was staring at me with a hunger in her eyes. Or a part of me at least.
"Care to say what's on your mind?" I asked.
"Shut up and fuck me." She demanded.
I moved over top of her, taking her head in my hands. She wrapped her arms around me, guiding me closer to her. I felt a buzzing around my dick, and looked to see she was concentrating her magic to align me with her. Pulling me forward, I slid inside her easily. Whatever she'd been doing before I arrived worked wonders as I sighed in pleasure at her warm, wet embrace. Gently resting my head against her's, careful to avoid her horn, I pushed in hilting us. Pulling out, I began a slow rhythm of thrusts. Goldhooves breathing became labored, gasping ever so slightly whenever I rubbed the right spot. Pulling her into a kiss, I tasted the alcohol on her breath as I sped up my breaths. She parted her lips, inviting my tongue to enter and explore. We began to lustfully attack the other's mouth, fighting for dominance as my thrusting increased. She suddenly broke away from me, taking advantage of my position to flip us over.
"My turn." She whispered into my ear with a giggle.
Straddling me, she once again positioned us and slid into place. She began grinding against me, allowing me to lay back and simply enjoy the bliss. Reaching my arms up under her pillows, I felt my hand brush something cold and metal. I paid no mind to it, as the mare upon me began to bounce herself, placing her hands on my chest for support. I could feel the pressure building, so I grabbed her forcefully towards me, placing my hands on her rump as I began to thrust once more. She was moaning now, loosing herself to bliss as I felt myself reaching my peak.
"I... I'm close." She managed to say in between moans.
"Well, don't let me stop you." I responded, doubling my efforts.
Pounding into her now, it was only a few moments before I let go. Slamming her down, I released a torrent of cum inside of her. She locked up, letting out a yell as she squeezed onto me for everything I was worth. Once we had finished, we collapsed, allowing ourselves to catch our breath. Coming back from the brink, I set my plan into motion.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Riding off the orgasmic high, I stretched my arms up and out. I inspected what my hand had hit earlier, and fumbled around with it discovering what it was.
Well that makes this even easier. It'll take the fun out of it, but it'll keep things quiet.
Goldhooves recovered from her own high, steadying her breath and pushing herself off my chest to look down at me.
"Well that was fun, but I'm afraid-"
I cut her off, driving the dagger she had hidden into her heart. Her eyes went wide, her mouth hanging open as I pulled myself up till our faces were level.
"Times up." I finished for her, stabbing the dagger into her repeatedly. The hatred I had suppressed came back in full, driving me to puncture Goldhooves till she was nothing more than a bloody mess. Once I had sated my blood lust, I threw the mare off of me and began collecting my clothes.
I was walking away from the manor, when I heard a scream ring out through the night. I allowed a smile to grace my lips as I continued.
One more problem dealt with...
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Alright, we're here. Are you ready?" A woman asked me.
"Uh, sure." I replied.
A blindfold was removed from my eyes. Blinking the spots from my eyes, I saw... an apple.
"Wait, why are we here?" I asked, turning to the woman. Her details were blurred from my mind, but I could see she was tall and thin with jet black straight hair.
"We're here to test something. Now look over there and tell me what you see." She said pointing to the apple.
"It's an apple. So what?" I said, confused at this little "Test".
"No no no, describe all that you can see." She chided at me.
"Ok, it's an apple in a basket sitting on top of a pedestal." I replied.
The woman sighed, "The elders were right, you think far too objectively. You're not taking in all the details, only the ones you first notice. Try again, but this time don't just see the apple. See everything around you. You were given eyes for a reason."
I looked back out towards the apple, and tried again. "There's the apple, sitting in a wicker basket. They're upon a stone pedestal, looks to be carved by hand. Beyond them is a field, and just beyond that is a forest."
"Good," The woman started, "but more detail. I know you see more than that."
"The trees are evergreens," I began, "they're tall enough to block out anything beyond them. The grass is green but crunchy, it probably needs more water. The stone pedestal is pearly white and was probably made from stone from Dower Cave. The basket is hand made, and was probably used as cradle at one point. The apple is red and shiny, it's ripe and was recently rinsed for consumption."
"Very good," I turned to see the woman smiling at me, "there is more you could have said, but that's a start. You must always remember to consider everything around you, even if it doesn't seem important. Not only will it help you in combat, but it will help you remember landmarks so you can always find your way home to me."
"Ok, thanks mom." I said to her.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Come closer child."
I leaned down to my grandmother. She was on her death bed, and had requested that I be able to speak with her alone before she passed. She was pale, the wrinkles in her skin were defined. She looked to be at least 20 years older than when she was in the chair.
"I'm here grandma." I assured her.
"Child, you use to listen to all my stories, and you would ask me if they were true or not. I can tell you, you've heard every tale I have to tell, and they are all true." She spoke softly.
I was stunned to hear this, "Grandma, that's impossible. Most of the stories you have to tell, you've said they were of a different time, a different world. There's just no way."
She smiled at hearing this, "Then what would this be?"
Reaching under her covers, she pulled out her hand to reveal a glowing orb. I gasped, knowing that this was from one of the stories she had told me long ago.
"The gift from the princess..." I was flabbergasted.
My grandmother took my hand, and placed the orb in my grasp.
"The time is coming, but I'm afraid I won't live to see it. I know that you will be able to do what I could not. Remember all that I have told you, all that I have taught you. You will forget, but in time, the memories will come back. Just know what is yours."
With that she placed her hands back at her sides and sighed. She was motionless after that. My grandmother had breathed her final breath.
"I will grandma. I promise."
I felt a presence behind me. Spinning around, I was shocked to see a mare. She was tall, taller than Celestia. She must have been 8ft with rose colored eyes. Her hair and tail was rose colored as well, hanging loosely from her form. She had white fur, and a long, flowing white dress that covered her body. She had wings and a horn, standing proudly with the feel of protection emanating from her. She seemed to almost glow in a non-existent light.
"It is good to see you are remembering who you are, and why you have come." She spoke, her voice sounding both far and right next to me at the same time.
I took a step back, only to realize that it had been my own action. Looking down at my hand, I opened and closed it a few times to find that I was in control. This was not part of the memory. Looking up at this mare I could only do one thing.
"Who are you?" I asked.
Her laughter was angelic.
6 - A Journey to the Safe Haven
I slowly opened my eyes, finding myself staring at a wood ceiling. I could feel a soft bed beneath me, and a cozy blanket wrapped around my body. My head ached, my body was numb, but at least I was alive. The question I found myself asking was where I was now. The memories had felt distant, like I had been detached from myself and watching a playback of my own actions. This moment felt very real. I must have awoken from earlier. I recalled Twilight leading me to Watchful Eye's home, handing him a note from The Mare, but nothing after that.
"Good, your awake."
Turning to the voice, I spied Watchful Eye in a chair not far from me. The lighting was dim, but I could see he had brown fur with midnight blue hair and tail. He looked strong, either a warrior or a labor worker. His eye's were a piercing yellow. I noticed that the fangs I'd seen before were less pronounced now as well.
"What happened?" I asked him.
"You managed to find your way here while bleeding to death. You stayed standing just long enough to deliver your message before your body gave out from exhaustion. Since then, I've been nursing you back to health." He replied.
I mulled over his words, starting to recall the moment when he invited me in and I fell. "How long have I been here?"
"16 hours," He began, "I managed to stitch your leg and arm to stop the bleeding. You've still managed to loose quite a bit of blood though, so we'll have to wait for you to recover before we can go."
"Go? Go where?" I questioned once again, wishing he'd explain himself fully.
"Why don't you come out for diner and we'll all talk. Can you stand?" He said.
I nodded to him, not in the mood to play games, and threw the covers off of me. I saw my shirt had been discarded, and my arm and leg were properly bandaged with no red soaking through. Throwing my legs over the bed, I sat myself up only to become disoriented from the movement. Watchful was by my side in a flash, placing a hand on my shoulder to steady me until I got my bearings back. Thanking him, I grabbed onto his other arm and pulled myself onto my feet. Once I was standing, I allowed the world to stop spinning before turning to speak with him.
I was about to ask him to lead on, when I felt nature call. "Do you have somewhere I can relieve myself?" I asked him.
Watchful nodded. "Bathrooms down the right hall, second door on your left. There's a shirt for you in there as well. Once you've finished, just follow the light and sound. You'll find us."
I walked down to the bathroom. Opening the door, I was surprised to see a porcelain throne instead of a bucket.
Fancy. Does it wipe my ass too?
Once I had taken care of business and clean up, I pulled the shirt on and made my way back. Following the light, I found Watchful Eye and two others sitting at a table. One of the others I recognized to be the small pony who opened the door. Watchful invited me over, formally introducing himself and stating his age to be 27.
Joining them, I learned the other two were Watchful's wife, Sunny Rose, and their daughter, Nightshade. Sunny had yellow fur and rose colored hair and tail. Her eye's were bright red, was 24 years old, and she held a calm and motherly disposition to her. Nightshade's fur was grey, her tail and hair being a royal purple. She was a child, only 4 years of age, and was still quite apprehensive of me.
Sunny served us all, the plate consisted of fruits and veggies along with something she had called "hayfries". As we ate, Watchful explained that the letter I had given him had informed him that I was of an extinct species know as "Humans".
"If the humans are extinct, then why or how am I here?" I asked, curious as to learn I was called "Human".
"I believe that's what our princess intends to find out." He stated.
"Princess? Are you referring to The Mare in the Moon?"
He began to inform me that The Mare was actually one of the ruling princesses know as "Luna", and that she had been banished to the moon after becoming corrupted. She had donned the title "Nightmare Moon" and in a struggle with her sister "Celestia", was sent to the moon for 1000 years. This was what created the image on the moon, and thus earned her the title of The Mare on the Moon. Watchful then told me that the letter also stated that the princess was aware of my memory loss, and had stated that over time my memories would return.
"Is this true? Have you forgotten who you were, and if so are you beginning to remember?" He asked.
I looked towards his family with hesitation, but he assured me that whatever was stated here and now would remain between us. I had no reason to doubt him. He had taken me in and helped me recover. His family had also played a part in helping me, his daughter brought supplies while his wife wrapped my injuries.
"...Yes," I said after a moment, "my memories have been forgotten, but are beginning to come back to me."
"Can you tell me what you remember?" He asked. "Nothing personal of course, just any skills or abilities you may have recalled."
I began to tell them what I remembered. I told them of my climbing, my swordplay, and anything else that I could recall. I left out the moments with the old woman and Maiden Goldhooves, along with skipping the more gory detail for the sake of the young one present. As I explained, Watchful Eye nodded along but Sunny Rose had an unsure look on her face.
"Do you not know how to read or write? Do you even know your own age?" She asked me.
"I..," I thought hard before answering, "I am unsure. I don't have any memories pertaining to either, but I have noticed if placed in a situation that requires a skill I will receive a quick blink of a memory pertaining to it. The full memories, or more complete memories, seem to only come when I am sleeping."
"One second." Watchful said, pulling out a parchment and charcoal. He scribbled something down before handing both to me. "See if you can read this, and if you can try writing a response."
I took a look at the parchment, but was unable to make out what it said. The only reason I had assume the map said Ponyville and The Everfree Forest was because I had heard those were my location and destination. Without any form of guidance, I was lost as to what was in front of me.
"I'm sorry, but I can't read this. It would appear I also have no knowledge of this script as I received no memory as well." I told them.
Nightshade snickered at this, quieting herself under her mothers gaze.
"That's alright," Sunny began, "You have a little time before you leave, so we can run you through the basics."
"Leave? To where?" I asked.
"With me. I'm taking you and some supplies to The Grove in a couple of weeks." Watchful answered.
"Why not leave now?" I asked him.
"In your condition?" He started, "You're lucky to be awake right now, let alone moving. It's a three day journey, and with how you are, there's a higher chance of you getting caught."
"Why exactly is that a bad thing? I know humans went extinct, but what's the worst that could happen?"
They were all silent at this, leading me to believe I had said something wrong.
"Come on Nightshade, let's let them talk." Sunny said.
"Okay mom." Nightshade said, her squeaky voice was booming in the surrounding silence.
Once they had vacated, Watchful and I turned to each other. He sighed, preparing himself for what he was about to say. He told me that thousands of years ago, long before Nightmare Moon, there was a devastating war. This war reached world wide, causing cataclysmic destruction too all nations. It was started by the humans, during the age when Luna and Celestia were both children. The humans had no sympathy, no care in their hearts. They sought out to destroy as much as they could, not for gold, power, or honor, but just because they could. Thinking of my memories, I realized that I had been one of them at some time.
That's impossible, this happened many millennium ago. I couldn't still be alive, could I? My grandmother looked to be only 90 at best when she passed, so humans can't possibly live that long. But my memories say otherwise... Was I like that?
"Silvia Blueblood, daughter of Marx and Sevna Blueblood, honor is yours this day whether you prevail or fall. You have done your family proud."
That's what I said, you die with honor. If humans didn't care for honor, then why would I have said that. I also rejected the idea of war at first. So why was I fighting?
"It was awful," Watchful said, pulling me from my thoughts, "and despite the years that have past, many are still apprehensive towards humans."
"So then why aren't you?" I asked, suddenly very uncomfortable with my situation.
He smiled at me, saying, "Because our princess, Princess Luna, found a human child. This child was unlike any human ever seen in history. You could talk to them, play with them, have dinner with them without it ending in bloodshed. That child proved that humans are capable of something other than death, and you are proving it as well."
"How do you mean?" I asked him.
"You could have killed me and my family. You could have leveled this entire town. Yet here you are, speaking with me as though it were a normal every day occurrence." He said.
I thought that over before asking him, "And you believe I still won't?"
His smile fell, "I don't know. Right now you lack your memories, and it's very possible that you could turn out to have something buried deep inside that could end up lashing out at us." His smile returned, "But I'd like to believe that won't happen. Everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves."
"Hmmm, I see. Well, perhaps it would be best if we discussed something else. Would you mind if I asked a little more about you?" I asked him.
Watchful's eyes lit up at this, "Of course, after all we'll be spending some time together. I believe it would be best if you did."
"What are you?" I asked, the question leaving my mouth before I could stop myself.
Watchful burst into laughter at this, much to my surprise. "Hahahaha, oh sorry. I was ready for a lot of questions, but that one caught me off guard!"
I could help but laugh along with him. It seemed his laughter was contagious.
"Wooo, okay. Do you know of pegasi?" Seeing me nod, he continued, "I and my family are a lot like nocturnal pegasi. Very similar traits, except we prefer nightfall over the day, and have more predatory aspects of our bodies to ward off predators of the night. You'll notice that most of us have dark colored fur as well. That is to help us remain hidden at night if our appearance isn't enough. We're also omnivores, eating of both plant and meat, but most of us prefer our more pony side of the diet. Many refer to us as Bat-Ponies, which frankly many of us consider an insult. Our true name is Threstral."
"You say that most of your kind is dark in color, but then why is Sunny Rose so... not?" I asked.
"I can answer that." Sunny said, walking back into the room, "And no dear, I wasn't eavesdropping on your conversation. I heard you two start laughing and assumed that the nasty part had been taken care of. As for why I'm brightly colored, my father fell in love with a pegasus. She was a bright little thing, yellow coat with a bright blue main. My father would always talk about her, she was his ray of sunshine he'd say." She laughed a little, her face turning somber. "Unfortunately I never met her. My mother died giving birth to me."
"I'm sorry to hear that." I told her.
"Oh don't be sorry dear," She said, "I came to terms with her loss long ago. I just hope I'm making her proud of me, being the mother I'm sure she wanted to be."
"I'm sure she's proud," Watchful said, "I'd bet my life on it. Nightshade's an angel, and I'm sure Melody can't wait to meet her."
"Speaking of Nighshade, and I don't mean to be rude, but she seems to be put off by my presence." I told them.
Watchful sighed, "The school is currently reviewing the history of the war. To say some ponies can be biased is putting it nicely, but hopefully with you around she'll see that not everything is as it first seems."
"And no offense taken." Sunny said.
With that, Sunny asked me to join her in the foyer where she would begin to run me through the basics of reading and writing, as well as any other skills that may need to be attended to.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 weeks have passed. During that time, I had informed the family that I was under the name Grey Sword until further notice. Sunny had aided me in basic reading and writing, along with knowledge of local lands as well as utilizing all my tools. She also had my coat taken to the local fashionista, ironically enough the seamstress was Rarity. When she told me this I was surprised, but wrote it off as coincidence.
Shouldn't be surprised. Steven had said they were all from Ponyville, and given the first pony I ran into wass Twilight, it shouldn't surprise me that the other's would have been around.
Along with increasing my skills, I managed to get Nightshade speaking with me. Our first interaction was... interesting. It came near the end of the first week.
"Excuse me, sir?" Nightshade had asked me.
I looked up from the book I had been reading. It was nothing more than a simple story of a duck coming to terms with itself to test my current reading ability.
"Yes? What can I do for you little one?" I asked her in turn.
She shifted in place, her eyes welling up with tears. Before I knew it, she threw herself into me, wrapping her arms around me sobbing into my shoulder. "Please! Please don't eat my mom and dad! I DON'T WANT TO LOOSE THEM!"
I was stunned by her actions, I couldn't think of what I had done to set her off like this. It took me a moment to realize she was referring to something she had heard in her class. I placed a hand on her back, attempting to calm her as she cried.
"Little one, I promise you that I will not bring harm to you or your family. I couldn't dare. Your parents have shown me a kindness that I wish to repay. You have nothing to fear from me, you have my word." I reassured her.
She sniffled, choking back her tears as she looked at me. "D-do you p-p-promise?" She stuttered.
"I promise." I told her. "Would you help me with something? I'm having trouble with this book, maybe you could help me read it?" I asked her.
"O-okay..." She climb off of me and sat on the couch next to me. I placed the book between us and we began to read.
By the time her parents arrived to see what Nightshade had yelled about, we were on the third book of my studies. Nightshade was laughing at my attempts to sound out the syllables of the words. A neighbor had come knocking at the door, asking if anything had happened. Watchful was quick to assure them that his daughter had had a nightmare and that it was taken care of. After that day, Nightshade spent the remaining week joining me during my studies so she could continue to laugh at me. Strangely enough, throughout the weeks I stayed with the family, I received no memories and recalled none of my dreams. I brought this information to Watchful Eye's attention.
"Maybe it's the setting?" He offered, "You may be in a situation your not use to, so your mind has nothing to recall."
"It's possible," I told him, "but I don't think that's it. I have plenty of memories already of a home and family, so I would think those memories would be triggered if nothing else."
"I'm... not sure what to say. Well, once we get to The Grove, the princess will be informed and maybe she'll be able to help." Watchful said.
"Alright, hopefully The Mare will be able to offer some advice. She seems to know more than any of us." I responded.
"Okay, could you stop referring to Princess Luna in that manner?" He asked, clearly irritated with me.
"I mean no offense by that title, if that's the impression your getting. I refer to The Mare as such because we saw her as the dam of the night. Without her, the night would be dull, dark, and impossibly dangerous without her." I told him.
He was taken aback by my response, but still held firm. "That's fine, and I'm happy to hear that, but others won't see it that way. If nothing else, then please refer to her as the princess. Most will take The Mare as a strike towards her time as Nightmare Moon."
I nodded, agreeing to his terms.
A few days afterwards, Sunny took me out to a hill near the edge of the town.
"Is it really safe to be out here?" I asked her.
"Come now, we don't want you getting cabin fever Grey. Plus, I brought you out here to show you something. Look." She said, pointing to the sky.
It was nightfall, and looking to the sky I saw the stars The Mare had brought out. However, something was different. Some of the stars looked even brighter.
"Why are those stars like that?" I asked.
"Because there not stars." She told me.
Suddenly, the stars came down on us, floating around us. A few of them flew by my face, revealing themselves to be small lighting bugs.
"They're called fireflies." Sunny said. "There one of the wonders of this world we still don't understand. They light up the world around us when all is dark, just as the stars and moon do. I thought it would be nice for you to see some of the world around you before you were forced to deal with it."
I nodded to her, continuing to watch the fireflies dance.
The time had come for Watchful Eye and I to leave. My injuries hadn't healed fully, but were in good enough condition to travel. We both had packs of supplies, and I was now donning my coat once again. Dusk had fallen, and we decided to travel at night to limit exposure. He said his farewells, telling his family he'd return in five days. Sunny wished us both well, and Nightshade hugged her father. She then ran up and hugged me as well, catching me by surprise. I looked to her to see her smiling up at me.
"Remember our promise K? Keep my daddy safe for me." She said.
"I will Nightshade, and I remember what I promised you. I do not intend to break it." I told her.
With that, we set off for The Grove. We were just out of town when Watchful turned to me, his eyebrow raised.
"What exactly did you promise my daughter Grey?"
"She was afraid I was going to kill and eat both you and Sunny. I promised her that I would do no such thing, that you had shown kindness that I wanted to return in kind. I then asked her to help me read which led to her obsession with laughing at my failed attempts." I told him.
Watchful laughed at this. "So that's why she suddenly took a liking to you! And here I was beginning to think you had bewitched her."
I looked at him in shock. "Sir, I would never-"
He cut me off, "It's alright son, I'm pulling your leg. You know, joking around?"
My confused look must have answered his question.
"You don't have a sense of humor, do you?" He asked.
"Not that I remember, and given my past I really don't think I do." I told him.
He looked away, unsure, before I added, "Of course I would find it humorous if you were to trip over your own to feet."
"What do you-" He fell forward, tripping over a rock he hadn't seen.
I laughed at his misfortune as he picked himself up. He was scowling at me, but the smile on his face told me he was amused as well.
"Very clever smartass, now come on. We're burning moonlight."
We traveled for many hours. During that time, Watchful explained more about Ponyville and his role there. He explained that he was actually a decedent of Princess Luna herself, and that his family had been tasked with keeping tabs all across Equestria on the treatment of threstrals. He had family all across the nation, doing exactly as he was. The rest of our journey was spent in silence, listening for any predators or other travelers that may be out and about. We managed to arrive at our first checkpoint without incident. Setting up to rest out the day, I turned towards the night sky to observe the stars dance.
"Your a fan of her work huh?" Watchful asked?
"Yeah, you could say that." I told him.
When dawn came, we got into out respective sleeping arrangements and slept.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Once again, I was roused from a dreamless sleep. Watchful was already packing up and making ready to move, but the sun was still high indicating it was afternoon at best.
"Why you up so early?" I asked him.
"This is the most dangerous part of this journey. There's know to be a chimera in these parts, and I'd rather not get acquainted with the damn thing. Besides, if we move now, we may be able to avoid it and make greater time. So move it, lets go Grey!" He barked at me.
I immediately started breaking down my equipment and packing it up. I didn't know what this "chimera" is but if Watchful is apprehensive about it then it couldn't be anything good. Once we were packed up, we took a quick food, water, and bathroom break before setting out again. We were about an hour into walking when I turned to Watchful.
"Why did you tell your family you'd be back in five days? Isn't it a three day walk just to get there?" I asked.
"Aye, it's a three day walk, but by wing it's only two. And before you ask, I'm not flying us there because I know I couldn't do it. I've done supply runs to The Grove before and I know what my limit is." He responded.
"Ah, so do you do supply runs for a living?" I asked him, realizing just how little I knew of the man with me.
"No. Believe it or not I'm a carpenter. I just do supply runs for The Grove because they have very few sources of trade and have yet to setup a proper farm. It's a fairly new place, which is why it's not on the map. It's also why it's the safest place for you." Watchful stated.
"That would explain why I couldn't find it. But what of the ponies there? Won't they be a hindrance to me if I am to remain hidden?" I was confused as to why I was being relocated. Though it sounded good, there seemed to be some problems with this plan.
"Not ponies, threstrals. Princess Luna stated that they would be notified of your arrival, and given how much time has passed, I would think they'll be expecting you by now." He told me.
Continuing on, we managed to make good distance before nightfall. Once night came, Watchful informed me that we needed to move slower, as to not attract any beasts. This would also allow us to listen more carefully should anything come for us.
"Alright, now listen. You getting to The Grove is what's important. So if something comes, I want you to run while I hold them off." Watchful said.
"Not happening." I retorted.
"Now listen here-" He began.
"No," I cut him off, "I promised your daughter I'd keep you safe. I gave her my word that no harm would come to you so long as I was around. If you're going to die, I'm dying right beside you. Besides, I'm lost without you. I wouldn't know where to go after the next checkpoint and may end up at the wrong place."
He stared at me for a moment, shaking his head as he continued to walk. "Stubborn bastard aren't ya? I suppose you make a fair point, but don't expect me to sit there and get my ass chewed out when the princess hears about us getting maimed."
With that, we were walking again. We only walked for about five minutes before Watchful paused, his ears perked and swiveling.
"Come on. Get down." He whispered.
I followed him across the path. He crouched down behind a rock so I followed his lead. When he looked back out, he slammed his hand against his mouth to prevent making noise. He must have failed, as he turned to me with fear in his eyes.
"It knows! RUN!" He yelled.
Not waiting, I turned to sprint down the path only to have a large creature block my path. Drawing my blade, I took stance and got a good look at it. From what I could tell, it was a large wolf with snow white fur and brilliant blue eyes. On all fours, it was as tall as I was. It got low, growling at me as it readied to attack.
"That a chimera?" I asked in a hushed tone.
"No, worse. That's a Amarok! These things can kill a pony in one bite. You have to get out of here now!" Watchful commanded me.
"No! I will not leave you Watchful!" I barked back.
The growling stopped, the wolf looking at me curiously. It slowly made it's way towards us. I raised my sword, attempting to threaten it. The wolf stopped, and sat in the middle of our path.
"Well now what?" I asked.
"I don't know! No one has ever lived to tell what happens with Amaroks." Watchful responded.
Lowering my sword, I saw the wolf made no further attempts to approach us.
Go to her
This was a sensation I had never felt. Something in my mind was telling me to approach this beast. Keeping the blade in hand, I began slowly advancing towards it.
"What in the blazes are you doing?" Watchful asked.
"Shut up! Just wait a moment." I retorted.
I continued to inch my way closer to the wolf till I was an arms reach away. It continued to sit there staring at me, though now curiosity had shifted to... recognition? I slowly reached out my hand. The wolf leaned it's head forward and sniffed my hand. Once it had finished, it began nuzzling into it. A blinding white light filled its eyes the second it made contact, and before I could react, the same light filled my vision.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I was wondering around near a forest, playing with some butterflies that were just out of my reach. I followed them around, jumping and running after them until I managed to catch one. I was overjoyed in my success. I looked to find my house, only to realize I had wondered into the forest when I wasn't paying attention. The butterflies were forgotten, now replaced with a panic, a need to find my way out. I looked to in fro but I could recognize anything here. I began to call out, hoping my mother would hear me and come save me from the forest. Instead, something else found me. A growl filled my ears, and turning towards the sound I saw to blue eyes piercing into mine.
"Hello..?" I said.
The eyes lunged at me. Screaming, I threw my arms over my head in fear. My fear dissolved into confusion when I felt not the tearing of my flesh, but a tongue brushing against my arms. Looking through my arms, I saw the face of a white wolf pup staring down at me. Having exposed my face, the pup then dove down to assault my face with licks. I giggled at it antics, revealed that I was okay.
"Okay, okay, stop it!" I said, pushing the pup off of me so I could stand.
Looking it over, I saw that the pup appeared to be female and was nearly as tall as I was, only about a foot shorter.
That's strange. Aren't pups suppose to be no larger than small dogs?
I was about to question this wolfs appearance further, but recalled the situation I found myself in. I couldn't help but cry, thinking I would never find my way home. I felt something soft and wet prod me. Looking at what it was, I saw the pup looking at me, the smile gone from it's face. I threw my arms around it, happy to have someone to hold onto. Once I calmed down, I pulled myself away from the pup and smiled at it.
"You know, I'm glad you found me. But why aren't you with your pack?" I asked it.
It whined in response, ears drooping as it lay on the forest floor.
"Oh... so your lost too? Well, at least we can be lost together." I said, hoping to cheer it up.
It yapped at this, seeming to perk up a little. Apparently this pup was as happy to see me as I was to see it.
"Soooo, you gotta name girl?" I asked it.
The pup tilted it's head at me in response.
"I guess you wouldn't. Would you like me to name you?"
I yapped again, perking up once more."
"Okay then, how about..." I looked the pup over, examining it's fur and eyes before gasping in realization, "Frostbite!"
The pup yapped at this, standing up and spinning in circles. The smile had returned to it's face. It ran up and nuzzled me, something clicking into place as she did so.
We're gonna be good friends you and me.
"Alright! Frostbite it is then." I said proudly.
"Jon!"
I turned to the voice, it had been my mother.
"Mom! Over here!" I called back.
Within seconds there was a rustling and she appeared. This time I could see her clearly. She has soft brown eyes, and an almost child like face. Her skin was pale, and she wore a simple sleeved dress. Upon spotting me, she began to rush over. She stopped and screamed when she spotted Frostbite.
"Get away from my son!" She shrieked.
"Mom no! She's friendly!" I tried to tell her.
But she wasn't listening. She scooped me up, and as she did two men appeared. One man had a sword and the other a bow.
"Kill that thing!" Mother barked at them.
"Frostbite run!" I yelled over the commotion.
The pup turned tail and fled, but it was too late. I here the thunk of the bow and watched an arrow go zooming after her. I heard a pained yelp and began to cry once more.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The light left my eyes and I was before the wolf once more. I felt shock, fear, pain... and joy.
"...Frost?" I asked, my voice almost silent.
The wolf barked, leaping onto me. I yelled out, crashing to the ground with it on top of me, and felt it's tongue begin to assault my face. I laughed, a feeling of joy filling me with such happiness as I wrapped my arms around the overgrown mutt and hung on for dear life. I felt tears fall from my face once more, but these were the bittersweet tears of reuniting with a long lost friend.
"Frostbite! I thought I lost you that day!" I cried out.
Frost lifted herself off of me and span in circles, just as she had done all those years ago. It seemed she was just as happy to see me as I was to see her. I picked myself up and hugged her once more.
"I have so many questions, but for now, just know I'm overjoyed to see you my friend."
She nuzzled into me, and we enjoyed each others embrace. Breaking away from her, I turned and bursting into a fit of laughter. Poor Watchful looked ready to have a heart attack, but the happiness coursing through me prevented me from being worried. I walked up to him, waving a hand in his face. Once he snapped out of his stupor, he began to sputter nonsense till I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I can't begin to imagine how strange this looks, but Frostbite here is a friend I made in my childhood long ago." I told him.
Watchful looked at Frostbite, then back to me. Then he fell over. Checking his vitals, it was clear he was merely unconscious. I looked to Frost to see her tilting her head in confusion.
"He's just in shock. Though we won't get very far with him like this. I don't suppose you'd be willing to carry him?" I asked.
Frost just let out a huff.
"That's a no then. Guess I'll just carry him. It's a good thing I know where the next checkpoint is. You coming Frost?"
She barked, running up to my side.
Frost and I began walking the path, an unconscious Watchful draped over my shoulders, and I couldn't help but smile.
This whole situation is insane and I don't like it. But, at least now I have a friend with me.
We arrived at the second checkpoint a few hours later unharmed. While we had an encounter with more timberwolves, as single growl from Frostbite was all it took to drive them away. I was sitting against a tree with Frost laying next to me. I was running my hand along her back as I watched night transition to dawn. Watchful had yet to recover from his episode, and since I was now lost as to where to head next, we simply were left to wait for him to awaken.
Seeing as day was coming, we wouldn't be going anywhere soon anyway. I began to rest my eyes, letting darkness envelop me once more.
Author's Note
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
"Grey! Get up!"
I was awoken by the sound of Watchful yelling at me. Throwing my eyes open, I looked around for any immediate danger, but found that it was just me and him.
"Watchful, what's wrong?" I asked him, still on alert for any problems.
"We need to leave now! The beast might come back any moment!" He yelled at me.
I looked at him confused.
Beast? Is he talking about Frost? Speaking of, where is that mutt?
"Come on! I think it claimed you for it's next meal. It was laying over you when I awoke, but wandered off not to long ago. We need to move before it's too late!" He frantically told me.
I raised an eyebrow at him, noticing movement behind him. "I think it's a little late for that." I said pointing to the movement.
He turned to where I pointed in time to see Frost emerge from the bushes. Watchful shrieked, covering his head and ducking down to make himself as small as possible. Frost ignored him, walking up to me and nuzzling against my chest. I patted her head, smelling blood on her. Apparently she had gone out to find breakfast. I looked back at Watchful to see he was in no better condition then last night.
"Watchful, close your eyes and breath. I don't need you passing out on me again, considering I don't know where to go from here." I told him
He did as instructed, but was still hyperventilating. I motioned for Frost to stay put, and walked over to place my hands on his shoulders.
"Listen to me," I began, "you are not in danger. You have nothing to be afraid of. Breathe. No one is going to hurt you. You will see your family again. Breathe."
This seemed to do the trick, as his breathing began to steady. He was still breathing hard, but had managed to cool himself off enough to look at me.
"How?" He asked. "How did you tame a beast of legend? It unheard of."
Frost growled at this, glaring at Watchful. I stepped between them, and glared at Watchful myself.
"I did not "tame" her. Frostbite found me long ago when I was lost. If the memory serves me correctly, she was the first friend I ever made. You'd be wise to show her respect." I warned him.
He nodded, gulping as he turned to Frost. She had stopped growling, but was still staring daggers at him.
"I-I-I'm sorry for any disrespect I may have caused you." He said.
Frost huffed, turning her head away from him.
"Good enough." I said, looking to the sky. The sun was high above us. "We have quite a bit of daylight left till nightfall. Shall we wait to move on."
Watchful stared for a moment. Shaking his head, he recomposed himself.
"No. At this point we're far enough from any settlements to avoid running into stray wanderers or guards. We should eat and leave, unless you need to rest." He told me.
"Very well, lets get moving as quick as possible." I responded.
Taking care of the necessities, we returned to the path. Watchful was wary to be around Frost, but managed to keep his mouth shut. We walked for about an hour before Watchful turned off the path and walked towards the forest.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"We need to divert from the path here. You'll notice this tree is slightly discolored from the rest. It's the marker for the path leading into The Grove." He said.
I saw that the tree he referred to was indeed darker than those surrounding it. I followed him straight into the forest for about 50 steps till we came across a different path. This one was hidden by the trees above us, cutting off sunlight, and there were leaves littering the ground. I began walking alongside Watchful once more, Frost trailing behind us.
"Now be careful, this path is laced with traps to keep out unwanted guests." He warned
"Traps?" As I asked, Watchful grabbed me, pulling me back as a snare snapped up at my foot.
"Yes, traps. They are capable of breaking limbs." He noted, setting the sprung trap back into place.
"Right, so how will I know to avoid them?" I asked, fearing I may loose a leg if I am not careful.
"Look for piles of leaves and discoloration on trees. Those are where the traps are. If you're unsure, just follow behind me." I said.
I nodded, looking back at Frost. She had an unsure look on her face and began whining at me.
"It's alright Frost," I assured her, "Just stay behind me."
She hesitated, but began to follow. We continued along this path for a while, carefully stepping around the traps laid across it. We eventually came to an open clearing, sunlight peaking through the gaps in the trees. Watchful came to a halt in the middle. I walked up to him and he turned to me once more.
"This is where it'll get interesting. Hopefully Princess Luna's message has reached them, or we may have trouble." He told me.
There was a rustling at the other end of the clearing, and five figures emerged. They were threstrals like Watchful, but appeared to have on tribal based garbs. They advanced on us, but halted upon spying Frost behind us. Some of them looked ready to run, but the center one looked curious from what I could tell. I turned to Frost and motioned her to come to my side. She did, sitting beside me as I placed a hand on her back, turning to our new arrivals. The fear turned to pure shock, and the center one stepped forward revealing an aged threstral. The threstral looked to be a mare, with grey fur and white hair and tail.
"Watchful Eye." She stated, her voice croaky but calming.
"Grand Elder." Watchful greeted her, bowing as he did so.
She turned to look at me. "Is this the one our princess wrote to us about?" She asked.
"Yes." Watchful replied.
She walked over to me and Frostbite, bowing slightly to Frost once she was in front of us.
"An honor to be in the presents of the great Amarok, and a pleasure to meet the one Princess Luna has asked us to prepare for." She greeted us.
Frost nodded towards her, and I bowed myself. "Who do I have the honor of speaking to?" I asked her.
She rose with a soft smile, "I am Demisha Nightwalker, Grand Elder of The Grove, but please, call me Demi."
"I am known as Grey Sword, I assume you are aware of the situation before you?" I said.
"I'm afraid we only knew of your arrival. We are unaware as to the reason you have been summoned to our home." She told me.
I was shocked to hear this. Looking at Watchful, it seemed he was just as uneased by this information as well.
"That can't be right Grand Elder, surely you were told more." He said.
"I'm afraid not, her instruction was to prepare for a guest of her's." Demi responded.
"Perhaps it was a mistake to come here." I stated.
"Nonsense! Any guest of the princess, especially one who can walk along the legendary Amarok, is welcome here." She offered.
I looked back at Watchful to see he was as unsure as I was.
Might as well, we're already here.
"I hope you are correct Demi." I told her, dropping my hood and stepping into the light.
As soon as I did, Demi gasped. The others present threw themselves onto the ground. I assumed that they had done so in fear, until I realized they were all on one knee bowing to me.
That's... not what I expected.
Watchful looked as confused as I was. I turned back to Demi to see a twinkle in her eye, one that reminded me of my grandmother.
"So it's true... the stories are all true!" She exclaimed.
"Stories? I'm sorry but what do you mean?" I asked her.
"I will explain, but not here. Come, it is time you came to the grove." She told me.
She turned, walking back to where she had come from. I looked to Watchful to see him shrug, before tailing after her. As we walked, many of the threstrals that had been present tried approaching Frost, attempting to touch or pet her. She growled at all of them except for one. The one she didn't growl at managed to place her hand upon Frost's back, before petting and hugging onto her. Frost merely shook the threstral off, causing them to giggle. The voice was high and bubbly, leading me to assume they were a mare. Other than this, we walked mostly in silence. We came to a bend, and as we did one of the threstrals moved forward towards vines that were blocking our path.
"Welcome to The Grove." He said, a deep rumbling voice escaping from him as he pulled back the vines.
I was amazed by the sight before me. The trees here reached high, higher than I would have expected. There were platforms and bridges crossing from tree to tree. Houses had been constructed against the trees, both on the forest floor and on the platforms. The air here smelt strong of natural plant life, and the lack of sunlight made the air cool. Threstrals were moving to and fro, also donned in tribal dress, building and helping utilize the supplies for construction. Young children were running along the bridges, flying across the expansion of nature and construction as though it were a playground. There were a plethora of lanterns strung about, all giving off a soft blue and purple glow. The colors blended with the forest to give the whole scene a serene feel.
"Wow..." Was all I could say.
Demi chuckled beside me. "I'm glad to see your impressed. We've worked hard to make this place feel like home, and are overjoyed to have you."
I nodded to her, taking in the scene before me once more. Looking up, I saw the forest blocked out the sky fully, but the tops of the trees sparkled and glistened as though there were stars here.
"How is that possible?" I asked, pointing at the ceiling.
"That is thanks to the starflies." Demi told me, "Similar to their cousins fireflies, starflies give off a light light mimicking that of stars. They can't survive in sunlight, as their bodies are very fragile and susceptible to heat. They produce a pollen that can be used for medicine, and in return, we threstral give them a safe home away from the harsh light of the sun." The male threstral told me.
One of the starflies floated down to me. Holding out my hand, it landed on me and dimmed its light. Moving it closer to my face, I saw that it looked exactly like a firefly, but appeared to be made out of pure membrane making it see-through. It flutter off, leaving a thin film on my hand.
"That film is part of their saliva. It can be used as a sweetener for food or compressed into a pure form of mana restoring potion." The younger mare threstral said.
"That's amazing, but while I know Demi I don't know the rest of you." I responded.
"Oh, my children sometimes forget their manners." Demi spoke. "This is my eldest son, Thorn Pincer," She gestured to the bulky one who had opened the vines and spoke. He had grey fur and black hair and tail, and looked to be in his early 20s. "this son is Hardened Hooves," She gestured to a slightly thinner threstral. He had black fur and bronze hair and tail, and looked to be in his teens. "my youngest boy, Clever Wit," This one was shorter than the rest. He had silver fur and dark grey hair and tail, and was a child around 10-12. "and my daughter... Midnight Star!"
I turned to see the mare she yelled at cuddling against Frost. She had black fur and midnight blue hair and tail. She looked to be in her mid-teens, probably 15-16. Frost was currently nuzzling against her, clearly enjoying herself. I cleared my throat to get their attention, and Frost shot up attempting not to look at me. I shook my head with a smile, amused by my companions actions. Turning back to Demi, I saw her rubbing her head with a scowl on her face.
"I apologize for my daughter. She's a rambunctious one." She said with a tired smile.
"No need, I'm sure Frost doesn't mind the extra attention." Frost shot me a glare for saying this, causing me to chuckle.
"Well then, I've completed my part so I shall be off. Good luck to you Grey, hopefully we'll see each other again soon." Watchful said.
"Not staying for the banquet? Who are you, and what have you done with Watchful Eye?" Demi asked with a sly smile and a playfully accusing tone.
"I know, all of tartarus must be freezing over! But I promised my family I would not be gone for too long and I wouldn't want to worry them." Watchful responded.
Demi softened her smile at this. "I understand Watchful. Thank you for bringing Grey to us, we'll take it from here."
With a nod, Watchful returned to the forest path leaving me with new company.
"So, what now." I asked.
"Now, we'll go have a feast! To celebrate you coming here." Midnight exclaimed.
"A feast for my arrival? Isn't that a bit much?" I asked.
Thorn chuckled at this. "It would be a bit much, but it's not just for you. We're also celebrating the return of our beloved princess of the night. You just happened to arrive in time, so you will become part of the celebration." He told me,
I shook my head. "That's not neccassary. I wouldn't want to take away from this event." I told them.
"Oh I'll have non of that! You were invited here by the princess herself. You would be adding to it, not taking away." Demi assured me.
"Come on then, we're going to be starting soon!" Cleaver exclaimed, his voice high and full of energy.
We made our way to the center of The Grove. Many threstrals stared at me curiously, a few back away in fear. Whether that was from me or Frost I wasn't sure. Some greeted me with simple hellos as I passed. Approaching the center, I saw the base of the tree had been carved out, making for a large meeting hall of sorts. There were threstrals of every shape and color roaming about inside, but the commotion all but came to a halt as we walked in. All eyes were on us as we made our way forward. Once we reached the end, we turned and Demi addressed the group before us.
"Everypony! I would like to introduce you to our special guest for the evening! This is the one our princess has asked us to prepare for, Grey Sword!"
Many of the faces lit up at this, the threstrals began muttering among themselves at this news. Though some were unconvinced, stepping forth with scowls on their faces.
"How do we know this is the one Princess Luna has asked us to house? This 'Thing' and its beast could easily lead to the death of everyone here!" One of them exclaimed.
Demi frowned at this, "Morning Star please, he was accompanied by Watchful Eye himself as the note proclaimed he would be. We also know of the stories from our princess about not all humans being blood hungry beasts!"
"That doesn't prove anything!" Morning Star argued, "This human could be no better than the rest, and that story was never proven to be true! It's all speculation!"
"Then why don't you take your Princess's word for it."
All heads turned to the source of the voice. Standing in the opening was a tall dark blue alicorn. She was easily 6'6ft, wearing a regal dress and jewelry. She had dark blue fur, and her hair and tail looked like a piece of the night sky itself, flowing in a non existent breeze. She had a powerful air about her that threatened to destroy anything or anyone to close to her. Her face showed her authority. Immediately, everyone began to bow to her, telling me who she was. She made her way up to me causing Frost to growl at her. I hushed her, turning to the royal before me.
"Princess Luna I presume?" I asked her.
"Indeed, and may We say it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance sir..." She began.
"Grey Sword, your Majesty." I finished for her.
"Grey Sword, again, a pleasure. Now my little ponies, was there not a celebration to be had?" She asked, a smile upon her face.
Cheering rang out around the hall, as the threstrals began serving food. Luna turned to Demi and greeted her.
"We would like to join this celebration, Grand Elder." Luna spoke.
"Of course your Majesty. We would be delighted to have you." Demi told her.
Taking our seats, the feast began. The threstrals began conversing among themselves, and I turned to Luna.
"So why is it you asked me here your highness?" I asked her.
"We felt this location to be safest for you. I'm sure by now you've learned of the worlds history involving humans, so I wanted you somewhere We knew you would come to no harm. We can discuss further why We have brought you here, but for now let us enjoy ourselves and feast!" She exclaimed.
I nodded to her, turning to the palette before me. It was filled with all kinds of fruits, veggies, and even a few cuts of meat. Before I could touch it, I felt a thump resonate across the table, and looked to see Frost had laid her head on the table and was giving me "the eyes". Sighing, I threw a roast to her, watching her happily catch it and begin eating. Turning away from her, I saw Luna staring at Frost with wonder.
"An Avarok. You managed to befriend an Avarok." She stated.
"Yep, Frost and I found each other quite a long time ago." I told her.
"That is a story We will have to hear." She stated.
We continued to eat until, we were stuffed. Then they brought out dessert.
Author's Note
If you need a better idea of what The Grove looks like, think of Kashyyyk or the forest moon of Endor from Star Wars.
Reference:
"You. Fucking. MUTT!" I exclaimed, dragging a now bloated Frost behind me. Luna was following behind in hysterics from what had transcended.
When they had begun to bring the dessert out, they presented Luna with a large helping of treats and sweets ranging from exotic delicacies to plain chocolate pudding. Luna never got to try any of these, because the second Frost caught a wiff of the sweat smells, she leapt forward. The poor serving mares shrieked in horror covering themselves with the platters that held the treats, as I rushed forward to pull Frost off of them. Once I had, I discovered that Frost had just wanted the sweets to herself, as her fur was now matted by many of the treats she had bitten into. I heard laughter, and turned to see Luna was doubled over from the scene she was witnessing. That moment of hesitation was all Frost needed to lounge again, digging in once more to the feast she had claimed. I attempted to wrap myself under her to lift her off the food, only to have her plop down on top of me and continue as though I wasn't there. Luna's laughter spread to the entire hall, echoed by all present. By the time I pulled myself out from under Frost, she had finished off all there was and was licking her chops.
Luckily she had eaten too much and couldn't bring herself to move when they brought out the rest of the desserts. I, along with many servers, apologized for what happened to her personal dishes.
She steadied herself just enough to speak, "Tis quite alright, the show more than made up for it!" She exclaimed, laughing once more.
Once the feast had ended, Luna had asked to speak with me privately. Demi told us that we could use a currently unoccupied hut, and that it would be my home until an official one had been declared. I was now dragging Frost through The Grove to my temporary residence. The damn mutt still couldn't bring herself to move, and seemed more that content to have her butt dragged along the ground as I pulled her. Once I finally managed to drag her inside, I threw her down unceremoniously, only to have her stick her tongue out and look happy as could be.
"You're real proud of yourself aren't you?" I asked her.
Her response was to roll onto her back and stretch out her legs before flopping back down.
I sighed, shaking my head as I turned to the still giggling princess. Once she got inside, she cast a spell over the hut and burst into full blown laughter once more.
"Hahahahahaha! Oh I have not had a laugh like that in so long!" She exclaimed.
"Well, I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves. What happened to the "we" thing you were using?" I asked her.
She steadied herself, clearing her throat. "One moment." Her body shimmered, shrinking her down to my own height. Her hair lost it's mystical properties, turning back to the soft blue that she had back at the ruins.
"There we are. I only use the royal we and that appearance for when I am being formal. I cast a silencing spell over the hut so now we may speak freely to each other." She said.
"Are you going to change forms every time we meet?" I asked her putting on a playful smile.
"Well I could if my savior would so like." She responded with a smile of her own.
"Savior?" I asked her.
"You probably don't remember yet, but long ago, shortly after the war had begun a group of humans raided my and my sister's castle. All our guards fell, along with many humans. But two survived. They came to us, and we believed they were ready to kill us. One of them argued that we were not to be killed, as we were innocent of any crimes. The other ignored him, and prepared to end our lives. Before he could, his companion stabbed him from behind, piercing straight through his heart and killing him. As the man fell, my sister burst with magic causing the other to flee. That man was you, I recognized your face the moment I saw you."
I was stunned by this, surprised to see that I had played a part in protecting the princesses of Equestria.
"I won't lie, that moment traumatized us. We had never seen death before, not in that fashion, and it drove us to think humans were nothing more than killers that would kill their own kind for their personal gains. It was not till nearly a thousand years later that I found a human child that reminded me of that day, and caused me to think differently of the man who had slain his own comrade to protect us. You've also popped up in multiple sections of history, all over the time of the war. It's why I'm so interested to hear what your mind holds." She said.
"And your sister?" I asked.
Luna sighed at this. "My sister did not feel the same way. To this day, she still festers a burning hatred for your race."
I remained silent, taking in this new information.
Am I really the reason they're still alive? And is this really not the first time I've done something like this?
"But enough about my past," Luna began, "what about you? What have you learned so far?"
"I'll tell you, and spare no detail. But know this, I did fight in that war. Pony blood is on my hands." I warned her.
"I understand. Now please, tell me what you remember."
We sat down as I began to tell her everything I could recall. As promised, I spared no detail, telling her of my grandmother, to of the fight at the keep. As I told her, her face shifted emotion from excited, delighted, saddened, disgusted, curious, sympathetic, and confused. When I finished telling her everything, she smiled at me.
"It is good to know you have begun to recall some of your old life, and it was cute hearing how you and Frostbite met, but to hear you assassinated a mare after sleeping with her, that you hated her so blindly. How is that?" She asked.
"I'm afraid your guess is as good as mine. I only know what I felt during that memory. Perhaps I learned something about her that drove me to hate her." I told her.
"And Kaar, the way you describe him, he sounds like the one who went to strike us down. But I'm most curious about how your grandmother had that orb, as well as how you only have so many memories. The orbs magic should be helping you recall them."
"Magic? Ah shit, I forgot to tell you I received a memory for some ritual. It was to block out all magic from affecting me. I was told it was a blessing and a curse." I informed her.
Luna gasped at this. "That sounds like the Polar-Magi ritual. It's a ritual that negates all magic directly inflicted on you. The orb can't absorb magic because your body isn't letting it!"
"Speaking of which, where it the orb? I didn't have it on me when I came here." I told her.
"The orb has been infused with your being. It's acting as a placeholder for all your past memories. If you were to come here as you did without the orb, your mind would be flooded with memories in an instant, possibly causing your brain to overload and stop functioning." She said.
"So it's acting as a safety, but needs magic to charge." I mulled over this information. "Is there a way to reverse this ritual?"
"Well... Yes. Technically there are two ways, but both are costly. We could either sever you from the rituals power, possibly killing you in the process. Or we could sever the physical part of you tied to the ritual." She answered.
"Wait, physical part? As in the ritual put a physical mark on me?" I asked
"Precisely. Here, give me your hands." She commanded, placing her hands towards me palm up.
I placed my hand in hers, and watched as she lit her horn and surrounded my hands in her aura. My left hand lit up with a symbol I didn't recognize.
"There, the ritual is tied to you by your left hand." She said.
"So in order to physically remove the ritual, we need to..."
"Cut it off." She finished for me.
Great, if I want my memories I either need to sacrifice my hand or put my life on the line. FUCK!
"Lets not worry about that for now. If I recall correctly, there may be a spell in the archives that can replace lost limbs." She told me.
"Right. I think I'd rather not think about it now anyway." I said, rubbing my hand at the thought.
She rubbed my shoulder, offering me a small smile of reassurance. It wasn't much, but it helped me feel better.
"So, you've heard about me and my past, why not tell me about yours?" I asked.
She recoiled at this, blushing and stuttering before finding her voice again. "Oh, no no no. I don't want to bore you with my life. It was quite drab and full of nosy nobility."
I enjoyed seeing her flustered like this. To think even the great royalty of the land could be reduced to a blushing mess.
"Come now," I started, "Surely you must have some interesting stories. You've been around since before I was born. Why not share! We should put trust in each other. After all, you should be contributing if we're going to be spending time together reminiscing about the past."
She looked off to the side, biting her cheek as she thought my words over. A smile crossed her face as she faced me once more. "Well, if you must insist, there was this one time when Tia and I were but foals, and she-"
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Our laughter echoed around us as we attempted to control ourselves. I was clutching my side, and my face hurt from how long I'd been smiling.
"-and as she went to cast the spell, a spider lander on her shoulder. She screemed like a filly and set the whole building on fire!" Luna shouted, bursting into laughter once more.
We had been sitting here for hours as Luna told story after story about her and her sister's antics as children, and as first time rulers. Celestia was the main source of most of these stories, leading me to enjoy them even more. To think that the mare who had scared me shittless by just glancing at her had been caught skinny dipping into a pool of cake, a literal pool of cake, made her that much less intimidating. This had also been the most amusing moment of my time here so far.
I'm going to like our little talks.
Once we had calmed down from our hysterics, Luna perked up, as though she had heard something. She sighed, standing and bowing to me.
"I apologize Grey Sword, but the night is coming to an end. I... rather enjoyed myself tonight. It was nice being able to talk to someone, to laugh like I was a filly again and forget my responsibilities for a while. Thank you for this, I look forward to our next talk." She said, beaming at me.
I stood, matching her height. "Thank you princess. That was the first real laugh I've had since coming here. I know next time will be a little less fun," I glanced at my hand, thinking of what was to come. "but know that I appreciate all that you are doing for me."
I hugged her. Luna's body went stiff at the contact, but she returned the affection. My body began to heat up at this, and I could feel my heart begin to race. I didn't want to let go of her, but I managed to pull away, knowing she had duties to attend to. When I did, I saw she seemed to be looking anywhere other than at me.
"Yes, well. Until next time Grey Sword. Have a good day." She turned from me, donning her regal appearance and began charging her horn.
"Luna." I called to her, causing her to face me. "Call me Jon."
She smiled at this, and in a flash she was gone. With nothing to do I turned back to where we had been talking. I noticed Frost was staring at me.
"What?" I asked her.
She just barked at me in response.
Well that's helpful... But Luna raised a good point earlier. Why did I hate Goldhooves so badly? Maybe one of the threstrals can help me.
With that thought, I walked back out into The Grove to see that construction had calmed down, and that there were less threstrals out and about.
Right, they're nocturnal. I may have to look for another source to find information.
"Grey Sword!"
I turned to the voice to see Midnight Star and Clever Wit approaching me. Midnight looked as lively as ever, but poor Clever looked ready to pass out any second.
"Hello you two. Is he going to be alright?" I asked.
"Oh, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Clever said, yawning while barely keeping his eyes open.
"Right, so what can I do for you?" I questioned them.
"Well, we were actually sent to grab you by mom. She said she wanted to talk to you about something." Midnight told me.
"Alright then, I'll go see her." I said, stopping for a moment as a thought occurred to me. "You two know most of the threstrals here, being the Grand Elders children right?" They nodded at this. "Is there someone here that could dig up some documents or information on ponies, living or deceased?"
"That would be me!" Clever exclaimed, perking up at the question.
"I need any information on a mare by the name of Maiden Goldhooves. Anyone she was affiliated with, family ties, or rolls she played during the war with humans. I know that she died sometime during the war, but I don't know exactly when. Apparently there was talk of a peace treaty when she died." I lied.
"Maiden Goldhooves, yeah she was one of the council members at the time the peace treaty was put into action. It was about 300 years into the war. Anything in particular you want to know?" He asked me.
"Anything and everything you can find. I'm trying to find out why she was assassinated." I told him.
"I'll see what I can do, but it won't happen tomorrow. I'm gonna need time to gather information." He responded.
"That's fine. Thank you Clever. Now, I believe your mother wants to speak with me yes?" I asked.
They nodded, leading me through The Grove. We came to a tall tree near the back of The Grove with a single platform on it. They began to beat there wings, only to pause as they looked back at me.
"Oh right. No wings. I guess mother didn't think that one through. Do you think Thorn is still awake? He might be able to carry him up." Midnight said to her brother.
I walked to the tree and ran my hand over the bark. It was tough, and felt like it would support my weight. Looking up, I saw the stubs of sawed off branches.
"I think I may be able to get up there myself." I told them.
"How?" They asked in unison.
Instead of answering, I ran at the tree and propelled myself as high as I could. I latched onto one of the lower stubs, placing my feet against the bark for support. Shimming up, I was able to switch between bark and stubs to ascend the tree. Looking back, I saw the children staring up at me slack-jawed.
"You coming?" I called down to them.
Snapping them from their trance, they began to fly up with me. It took me about two minutes to reach the underside of the platform. Pushing off of the tree, I grabbed onto the edge and pulled myself up. The two continued to stare at me in disbelief. Clever came to his senses, his eyes widening as a large smile spread across his face.
"That was so cool!" He exclaimed.
"I'll say." Midnight responded, her thousand yard stare fixated on me.
Shaking my head at them, I walked forward to the door. Placing my hand on it, I gently swung it inward to see Demi sitting at a table with a strange set of cups and a jug meant for pouring.
"Ah, I see you've made it. Come, sit. Have some tea." She said.
Walking over, I took my seat across from her as she began to pour "tea" into my cup. Pouring her own cup, she looked towards me with a rather sullen expression.
"I'll get to the point, no need to beat around the bush. I need to know why you're here." She said.
"Excuse me? The princess has asked me to come here, trusting that you would be able to keep me safe. Is that not reason enough?" I retorted.
"I understand that, and I'd say you're safe as could be here. It's MY people I'm worried about. Princess Luna has told us that not all humans are monsters, but that doesn't rule out that most were. I need to know your intentions here before I allow you to stay here any longer." She responded.
I sighed, picking up my cup and taking a small sip. The tea tasted sweet, along with something I couldn't put my finger on.
"Very well, I am here because this place is one of which Luna can come to and speak to me about what I've done in the past without either of us being discovered. I'm here because she trust you to keep me a secret, and because she trusts me not to bring harm to you or your people." I said.
"And do you plan to bring harm to me or my people?" Demi asked.
I hesitated, feeling words forced into my mouth as I spoke. "Right now, I have no memories of what happened in my past to determine a real answer for you. But as I stand now, I would not harm a single living creature unless I was defending myself."
Demi finally smiled, seeming pleased with my answer. "That will suffice. I placed an honesty elixir in your cup that made you tell the truth, so I know you're not lying. I wanted to trust you, and I especially wanted to trust my princess, but I had to know you wouldn't be a danger to my people or my children."
you... BITCH!
I was furious to know she had drugged me with an elixir, but as I ran her words through my mind my anger started to subside. She had done this to protect her people. To know that her trust in me was not misplaced. Still, she had lied to me and misused my trust.
"I'm can't say I'm not upset that you saw this as an answer to your problem, but I understand why you did this. You're peoples safety is your first priority, and if I was to threaten that, then I would need to leave." I spoke.
She nodded, a somber look on her face. "I am sorry I had to trick you, but if I had told you my intentions you may not have taken the elixir. You may have even killed me where I stand now."
I nodded, before thinking about who she had sent for me. "If you were worried that I may attack you, then why did you send your children to collect me?" I asked.
She recoiled, shocked by what I had said. "I didn't send my children! I would never endanger them like that!"
"There the ones who came to me, saying that you wished to speak to me. If you didn't send them, then who did?" I asked.
Her face fell, before turning furious. "Harvest Moon! That slimy little devil. I sent him to collect you, thinking he would be able to protect himself or flee if the worst came. He must have used my children as his meat shields!"
"It would seem monsters still exist." I stated.
Demi sighed at this, looking apologetic. "I didn't mean to offend you tonight, but it seems I will have to make it up to you at a later date. Harvest must be dealt with. If my children are still around, they can show you to your permanent quarters. If you'll excuse me."
I nodded, taking my leave. Walking out, I saw Midnight jump away from the wall and act like she had been doing something other than eavesdropping. Clever, on the other hand, had passed out on the platform.
"I take it since you were listening, you know what I'm about to say." I stated.
Midnight let out a fake gasp, sputtering as if looking for the right words to say. "I don't know what your talking about! Why would you assume that?"
I raised and eyebrow at her, and she sighed in defeat.
"This way." She said.
She picked up her brother and floated back down to the floor. After joining them, we walked a short distance to a hut that looked recently constructed. Unlike the others, it had red painted stripes on either side of the door.
"Here we are, some of the other villagers took the liberty of marking it for you so you'd know it's yours!" Midnight exclaimed.
The pain was fresh, and the way it portrayed the hut almost made it look like...
It's a warning sign to the others. It's not a marker for me, it's a signal to let them know I'm an outcast.
I decided not to voice my thoughts, grumbling to myself in silence. I turned to Midnight to see she was innocently beaming at me.
Either she's oblivious, or she's playing it off really well.
"Thank you." Was all I said.
I gave a sharp whistle, and before long Frost was bounding over to me. I turned to my "home" and walked inside, ignoring whatever Midnight was trying to tell me. I threw off the coat I'd been wearing for almost three days now, along with my shirt. Taking a look at my wounds, I saw that they had recovered nicely. Walking over to the bed, I pulled the cover aside to see the villagers had left me a surprise. I flipped the bed over in anger, and opted to sleep on the floor. If they wanted me to treat me like that, I'd play the part.
YOU DON'T BELONG HERE MONSTER Had been written in blood on the sheets.
Author's Note
Alright. so work is going to put a slight delay on things. We're pulling double shifts until we can get people hired. Expect the next few chapters in a week or two. Sorry about this, but I didn't have the time I normally did to write chapters ahead of time. By next month we should be back on track.
I woke with a start, hearing a soft thump. Looking to the noise, I saw Frost was up and alert. She was staring at something just past me. Whipping around, I didn't see anything at first. I eventually saw a scroll resting against the floor.
Who got in to put that there?
Snatching up the letter, I opened it up only to have an object fall out. Picking it up, I saw that the item was a small clock of some kind attached to a chain. Looking back at the letter, I began to read it's content.
To Grey Sword
I forgot to give you this before we parted ways. Staying in The Grove, you'll need someway to keep track of time since the sun and moon aren't an option. Hopefully Sunny got around to teaching you how clocks work, or maybe you have an old memory of them. Otherwise this pocket watch won't be much help.
Regards
P.S. There's an enchantment on your bag that can send notes and other items through. If you ever need to contact the princess but don't know how, just send me the message and I'll pass it along.
Well ain't that handy. Would have been nice if you told me earlier.
Setting the note back down, I looked at the "pocket watch". As Watchful had hoped, I did end up asking Sunny what the clock in there home was as well as it's purpose. While she didn't get around to teaching me the finer details, I knew that the sun was up between 8am and 8pm, and the moon rose and set at the contradicting times. The pocket watch had a little slot that showed pm, just as their clock had, and that it was just past 3.
I've got at least 5 more hours till Luna comes back. I suppose I should find something to occupy my time.
Putting the watch away for now, I looked around the hut to see it was mostly barren. There were no books, not much in the ways of physical activities aside from cooking, and little to no furnishing. I growled slightly, thinking to the bed and the little 'message' they had left for me. Turning to the door, I contemplated whether or not I actually wanted to leave.
They've got nerve, marking my house and defiling my bed. But there were some that seemed genuine in their response to me, like Midnight had. Maybe I'll get lucky and run into her or one of the other four elder's children.
I looked back into the hut to see Frost was staring at me with an expression the spoke of worry. She had been concerned, as far as I could tell, last night when I had stomped away from the bed and thrown myself onto the ground. Frost had nudged and prodded me with her nose, trying to get a reaction, until finally deciding to just curl up with me and sleep. It had felt nice to be in the presence of someone who genuinely cared.
I chuckled softly, offering her a small smile. "I'm just heading out til Luna returns. I trust you can keep yourself entertained until then?"
She boofed softly, perking up a little at my words.
I couldn't help my smile from growing at her actions. "Alright, but don't cause any trouble. I don't want any more problems than we already have."
I turned back around and walked out. My face fell neutral as I walked out into The Grove. The threstrals were working once again, attempting to make more platforms and huts. I saw one group across from my home, staring up at a tree that was much like Demi's. It was at the edge of The Grove's clearing, but this one reached all the way up and made up a part of the roof overhead. The group seemed to be discussing something, and moving closer I began to make out there words.
"It's too close to the starflies, we can't risk damaging them."
"It's already been cleared and discussed, our job is to find a way, not bicker about if it's possible."
"But how are we supposed to do this? The platform isn't the problem, it's the wind from our wings."
"We could cause immense damage to the colony if we fly that close to them."
"Wings are out of the question!"
"We'll figure this out, we just need to approach this differently."
I recognized the last voice. Stopping just behind the group, I made myself known.
"Maybe I can help." I stated.
All heads turned to me, and the one who spoke last walked forward. Thorn Pincer stepped up to me, scrutinizing me with his eyes.
"You look better without the hood." He said, smile touching his face.
I smirked at this as he offered me a hand. Taking it, we shook before turning back to the tree.
"So what's the problem?" I asked.
"We're trying to figure out how to connect the trial hut to all our sentry and communications posts. It wasn't an issue at first, until we found out we needed another communications hut up here." He stated, pointing to all the corresponding locations.
Following his movements, I saw the trial hut was above the main hall. The sentry and communication posts were all high up in different trees spread throughout The Grove hidden mostly by the natural foliage. Looking back to the tree before us, I saw the many starflies seemed to be buzzing about near the top.
"Why this tree?" I couldn't help but ask.
"It's the last area we need for full coverage of the surrounding area. It'll also double as a collection center for the starflies pollen and saliva as it'll be the closest to the colony. But that's where the problems start..." Thorn trailed off.
"Can't fly up to build without disturbing the colony." I finished.
"Exactly. We don't even need to build, we just need to place markers. Once those are in place, the building can be done without flying." He said.
"Well if that's all-"
"Why do you care?" I was cut off
I turned to the source to see a male threstral glaring at me.
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"Why do you care? This is our job, our home. Not your's. You shouldn't even be here, and you damn sure shouldn't be butting in on our work." He stated.
Thorn was about to say something, but I beat him to it.
"I don't."
That seemed to get everyone in the groups attention. The silence hung in the air before I spoke again.
"I don't care about your plans, or about helping you. I came over because I needed something to do, and you looked like you were struggling with something. But if your so sure you know what your doing, that you don't need me, then so be it. I'm sure I'll find something else to bide my time with." I said, walking away as I did.
Just trying to help jackass. No one asked for your opinion on the matter.
"Grey!" Thorn called out.
I turned to acknowledge him.
"If you think you can get these markers up there, I won't stop you from trying."
I mulled over the thought, looking at the markers. They were two triangle shaped open prongs with pikes on the end, no doubt for placing them into the tree.
Fuck it. I need something to do.
I took the markers without a word, throwing my right arm through the openings. I stood at the base of the tree, touching the bark and looking at the branches to decide my best course to the top.
"They need to be placed at the same height, roughly ten paces apart." Thorn said.
Without responding, I leapt and began making my way up the tree. I crawled my way up the trunk, letting my mind flash back to the memory of climbing with Nelli. While the overall memory had been bitter, the freedom I felt when climbing that tree brought a calm to my mind. Before I knew it, I was just under the colony of starflies. Some of them began floating around me, curious of this new entity near their home. Securely planting my feet and readjusting the grip of my left hand, I slid the first prong off my arm. Grabbing it, I thrust the pike into the tree. Giving it a few test pulls to make sure it wouldn't fall out, I shimmed over to where the next prong should be. Going through the same steps, I slammed the pike in the tree only to have the bark holding my feet give out. My breath hitched and my body tensed. I gripped the prong tightly as my legs swung out beneath me. The pike was slipping as well, so I acted fast. Swinging myself forward, I grabbed hold of the tree once more. Pulling the prong back out, I placed it further away hoping it wouldn't offset the construction too much. After testing it, I took a moment to catch my breath. Calming down my nerves, I made my way back down much slower than I had gone up. When my feet finally hit the ground, I shakily stepped back and turned back the group. Eyes wide and jaws down, it seemed that Thorn was the first to recover.
"I... Did you grow up in a tree?" He asked, still bewildered by the sight he had witnessed.
I couldn't help but laugh at this. His question brought the memory to surface once again, and I found myself asking the same question. When I recovered enough to look again, Thorn and the rest of them had lost their shell shocked expressions and a few had even started to laugh with me.
"I honestly don't know, but I suppose it's not out of the question is it." I told him.
"Well, that was all I had to attend to today. You said you were looking for something to pass the time, right? Why not come with me to the barroom and we can start to know each other, since it seems you'll be staying for a while." He offered with a smirk.
"Barroom" was not a word I was familiar with, but the tone of his voice didn't indicate anything sinister. I agreed, and we proceeded to disband from the rest of the workers towards a hollow tree near the far end of The Grove not far from Demi's hut. Walking inside, I saw that the walls of the tree had been shaved to make shelves which held strange bottles of varying size and color. There was a long booth along the front of the shelves, just far enough away for a body or two to move behind comfortably. Tables and chairs were set about the place with stools in front of the long booth. Threstrals were enjoying themselves, talking and drinking the liquids as they laughed and cheered with each other. A single threstral was behind the booth, cleaning out a wood mug and removing empty bottles from the shelf.
Watchful had something similar to this in his home, though it was more personal.
"A bar?" I asked Thorn, casting a glance in his direction to see he was beaming at me.
He chuckled at me, "No not a bar. Bar's are messy, dirty places for deadbeats. This is our barroom, similar but you have to work in order to earn your drink since we don't have a currency yet. Figured you earned it for solving our little dilemma so fast."
I nodded, following him to the stools of the booth. I saw that most of the patrons ignored us, and those that didn't offered smiles and raised glasses. We took our seats, and the threstral working the glasses came over.
"We don't serve anyone. You gotta earn it pal." She told me sternly, her voice low and threatening, her gaze hard.
"Easy Jager, Grey here just did my days work in a few minutes. He's earned his drink." Thorn reassured her, patting my back as he did.
"Oh!" Jager exclaimed, "Hehe, sorry 'bout that. Usually visitors don't know the rules and expect their drinks on the house. Name's Jager Meister, yes like the drink. What's your poison hun?"
Her voice calmed considerably taking a lilt, burr undertone to her words. She had an almost song like voice, ringing sweetly through the air. Nothing like before when she had put on her threat.
I spoke softly, "No offense taken. But what's Jager Meister, and why would I drink poison?"
Both their faces fell considerably. Jager turned to Thorn, glaring accusingly.
"Is he old enough to be drinking?" She asked.
"Hey, I thought he was! I didn't really ask!" He argued.
I decided to step in, "As far as I'm aware, I'm nearly two thousand years old."
Jager stared at me for a moment, before bursting out into laughter. She clutched her side and hung on to the booth as she regained her breath. Once she looked back at me, her face fell and the laughter stopped.
"Holy shit, your serious." She stated.
"Yes, I am. I have drank before, and you didn't answer my question." I said pointedly, annoyed at being laughed at.
She straitened herself up, "Well, this isn't what I expected but sure. 'Poison' is just another way of referring to the drinks, you know, alcohol. As for Jagermeister..."
She turned around, grabbing a bottle off the shelf. Placing the bottle in front of us, she reached under the booth to pull out to small wood cups. As she did, I took the bottle in my hands, inspecting it. It had no label, but was a blue wide glass with amber liquid.
Snatching the bottle from my hand, Jager poured both cups and placed one before me and Thorn.
"Drink it slow, and enjoy the burn." She told me.
"C'mon now Jager, we want him to enjoy his first drink. Well, first that he can remember anyway."
Choosing to listen to Jager, I slowly poured the liquid down my throat. It tasted sweet, like vanilla, with a hint of a dirty, root like aftertaste. As it washed down my throat, I felt a gentle burn pierce through me. When it did, I felt something tug at my mind, almost as if I was trying to remember where I had felt this before. It spread through my body as a drank, eventually finding the cup to be empty. I placed it back down, looking to see Jager staring at me with a small smile.
"So? What do you think?" She asked.
"It was good. Calming almost." I stated.
A smile grew on her face as she turned back to Thorn, "See? I don't have a special talent in this for nothin'!"
Thorn thew his hands up defensively, "Alright, you were right. But now that we know he can drink, lets see if he can make us laugh."
I saw both eyes turn to me, expecting me to do just that. I sighed, trying to think of something to say to satisfy my company.
I smirked, thinking of when Watchful first met Frost, "Alright, why don't I start with how I got here..."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Laughter echoed around the room as I finished my last story. I had told them of how Nightshade had gotten into the habit of laughing at my misfortune. I couldn't count the number of drinks I had had at this point. My mind was a haze, and it was becoming incredibly hard to talk and sit up-right. During our story time, I had learned that Jager had been giving her name at birth and simply chose not to change it after finding her special talent. When I had asked about why she was named that, she told me that she'd rather not talk about it. Thorn had not been named as he was, his original name had been "Fairy Dancer". I had fallen over from laughing at this, as the prospect of such a large man with a name like that had been too much for me to hold back. Many of the other patrons had begun to overhear us, and had started listening to our stories and tales. Now we had the whole barroom's attention, but before we could go any further, Jager tapped my shoulder gaining my attention.
"It's late Grey. Wasn't there something you had to do?" She asked.
Something I had to do? What does being late have to do with me? Silly mare, I like you.
I chuckled softly at the thought, reaching into my pocket to pull out the pocket watch. I giggled at the notion, before opening it up and looking at the time. I still couldn't read it, and my hazy mind wasn't helping, but I eventually made out that it was 9 something.
Huh... was I suppose to do something? I remember 8... and passing time... something about Lun-
The world stopped as realization hit me. That moment sobered me up enough to have me spring to my feet staring at the watch in horror. But the time hadn't changed.
"Oh shit." I said.
"Grey? What's wrong? You shouldn't be moving so fast!" Jager shouted at me.
I didn't listen to her. I bolted out the door, rushing to my hut as fast as I could. The adrenaline in my veins kept me moving, helped me to see where I was going.
"There you are!" A familiar voice called out.
I stopped, stumbling as I did and turned to the call. I turned to see a pegasus mare, with dark blue fur and snow white hair. Her hair was done up in a bun, and the white hair was echoed by white tuffs on the inside of her ears. She wore a black cloak, covering most of her body, but I could see she was nobly dressed. She had brilliant blue eyes, and everything about her seemed weird. I could have sworn I've seen this girl before, but I couldn't put a name one it.
"Uh... H-hello? Hwo are you?" I slurred out, the adrenaline wearing off allowing the effects of the alcohol to take over again.
"My name is Winter Breeze, but you know me as Luna." She said with a soft smile and bow.
I could only stare in shock, this mare was too small, to high pitched in voice. Yet everything about her told me she was telling the truth. There was one way to be sure.
"Why 're we meeting tonoht?" I demanded.
She shrunk at this, and possibly the harshness of my voice. "Tonight... we sever you from the ritual."
I smiled, stubbing towards her and pulling her into a forceful hug. "It IS youuu!"
She froze, sniffing as I held her in my grasp. "Have... have you been DRINKING?!" She shrieked.
I stepped away, a smile upon my face. "Abstalutaly!" I told her, watching her disappear from my view and be replaced with The Groves leaf ceiling. Frost wandered into my view not long after, sniffing and prodding at me.
I reached up and pulled her to me. "Heyyyy buddy! I've m'ssed you!" I told her, wanting Frost to know how much I care.
I heard a sigh not far from me, but couldn't bring myself to let go of Frost. "Well, I guess this makes one thing easier..."
I giggled as I began to feel the grass beneath me move, watching the ceiling above do the same.
Everything is right in the world! Now I sleep.
And I did.
Author's Note
Unedited, Late, and I was drinking while writing this. 10/10 author!
10 - Regaining What's Lost
Author's Note
GOOD LORD THIS TOOK TO LONG
I'm truly sorry that this chapter took so long to get put out, especially with how short it ended up. Long story short, I'm terrible at schedules and need to work on it. As stated before, the chapters following this one will be bi-weekly to monthly on release.
10 - Regaining What's Lost
I tried to look around me, but found the task more difficult than I had imagined. The only word I could think to describe the area around me was void. Everywhere I looked, I was assaulted by complete nothingness. The sheer grand fortitude of the abyss caused me to feel very insignificant and minuscule. The only solace I had was myself, seeing my own body and knowing that I existed, gave me a focal point to center the mass abyss.
What the ever-living hell is this?
"You've thought many things coming here, but that was a first."
I froze on the spot. The voice had seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. It was as if it hadn't spoken at all, but rather had been my own mind speaking to me. Panic flooded through me as my mind desperately tried to process this onslaught of everything and nothing.
"Calm." The voice said(?) simply.
As it did, I now found that the void was filled not just by me but a small grass island with a single maple tree. Under the tree stood a familiar figure.
The alicorn from my memories! But... how?
She laughed for a moment, "It is clear you don't yet remember me, but now that the ritual symbol has been stripped from your being you will begin to remember all that I have asked you. All that you agreed to carry out for me and your people."
Can she hear my thoughts?
"Yes, in a way." She stated, clearly having understood what I was thinking.
"So... has this encounter between us happened before?" I asked her.
"It has, with many different results. Sometimes you already know everything and merely report to me on your status. Other times you could barely talk. Your body and mind has adjusted well to having it's memories stripped away however, as you seemed to keep your basic functions and are recalling your past with much ease." She answered.
"I... What is this? And what am I to you? What did I agree to do for the humans?" I asked.
She shook her head at this. "I'm afraid I can't tell you this, but this meeting does have reason behind it. I come to tell you that the mare who watches over you, Luna, is not someone you should push away any longer."
"Any longer?" I started. "What does that mean?"
"All in time my child. For now, just stay safe and do what you must to earn the trust of the threstrals who have opened their home to you."
My head started to get light, and a haze began clouding my vision.
"We'll speak again soon, and by then you will have some of the answers you seek and more than you thought to ask. Oh, and tell Frostbite I said hello!"
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Hold your bow a little higher."
I followed the instruction of me teacher, raising my bow up at the target across the field.
"Good, now take a shot at it. We'll see how well you do on your first attempt."
I grabbed an arrow out of the quiver on my back, and hitched it onto the string. I attempted to pull and aim the same way I had seen my father done many times before. Once I was sure I had the shot lined up, I let it go. The arrow struck the target high left.
"Pretty good for having no practice. You let the bow jerk to hard when you released your shot. Otherwise that would have been a center shot. Alright, put the bow up and come with me. I'll run you through some exercises and techniques to help your aim and speed."
He spent the next hour teaching me stretches, stances, and hand placement. He explained what each one helped with, ranging from comfort of the shooter to precision of the shot, and how often I should practice to keep myself fit and ready. By the end of his lecture, he and I had begun a competition to see who could get a better score out of 50 arrows. I lost horribly.
"That's why you never challenge a master at his own class." He had chided at me.
We continued to work on shot precision for the rest of the day. By dusk, I was finally making accurate groupings on center target.
Standing in the middle of a clearing, our instructor spoke to us.
"Now, today you will be learning how to find your way back to camp without a map, compass, or guide to help you. To narrow down your help further we will begin at noon when the sun is at it's highest. This will be a competition of sorts, you want to beat the other students to camp first. We expect you to return here before the sun gets low enough to aid you. Any questions?"
"What if we get lost?" A girl from behind me asked.
"We will have watchers following you from a distance. If you stray to far away, take too long, or go in the opposite direction, they will step in to set you on course again. Every time one of us has to do so, your score will be docked."
He waited a moment before continuing. "No more questions? Alright, you have 15 minutes to get your barrings of this area."
I began looking around. I ignored the immediate area and focused on the far landmarks that could be seen. To the direct south was the Tree of Life, large enough to be seen from almost anywhere. To the northeast was a few unmarked mountains. A tower was to my west. There was nothing else of note to be seen so I merely waited for the competition/training exercise to begin. As I was waiting, wagons and instructors began to pull up to our group.
After 15 minutes were up, the man spoke again. "Alright, you will all now be blindfolded and led away from this area. This exercise will only last for 3 hours once it begins. You will be led out in wagons to you can't retrace your steps. Remove your blindfolds once you hear the horn."
With that, a woman walked up to me with a scrap of cloth and motioned me to one of the many wagons that were to take us away. I got in and slid over the blindfold, ready to get this over with. Two others joined my wagon, and before we started to move we were told not to try and converse with one another.
The ride was rather uneventful. We stopped to let one of the others out and move on to the next area. At the second stop, I was pulled from the wagon and set on the ground before I heard the wagon start to move away. I began to think of where the landmarks I had seen were, and how the corresponded to camp.
Tree of Life South, Mountain Northeast, Tower West. Tree of Life South, Mountain Northeast, Tower West. Tree of Life South, Mountain Northeast, Tower We-
My musings were cut off by the sound of a horn blaring. I ripped the blindfold off and took a look around. Trees. I was in the middle of some forest area.
I need to get above them.
I picked a tree at random and began scaling it. Before long, my head poked out of the treeline, giving me a view of my surroundings. I immediately saw the mountains in front of me, considerably closer than before. To my right was the Tree of Life, and past that was the tower.
Simple enough, walk towards the tree.
With that in mind I made my way down the tree and followed the direction the tree had been in. I made it to camp in 30 minutes, just behind 2 others that had been in the exercise. We sat and spoke about what we had done to get back so quickly. After an hour, almost all of the kids had made it back. All but one.
"Sir! Cale didn't make it!" A female instructor yelled out.
"What? Explain!" Our first instructor demanded.
"Right when the horn sounded, he panicked and took of in a random direction. He ended up running straight into a Manticore. This is all we could recover." She stated, holding up a bloodied shirt.
"Damn. Well that's unfortunate. I'll be sure to inform the boy's parents."
This had been the third death since this training started.
"It's that time again Frost." I said.
Frost and I were standing in the middle of a castle. A castle I quickly recognized to be the ruins I awoke in. Frost turned her head to me and whined.
"I know girl, but if everything is as it should be, this will be the last time. Unfortunately, this will also be the longest time. It'll be 500 years before we see each other again, but I know you won't forget me. And I certainly won't forget you." I finished with a small smile.
Frost nuzzled me with a sad look in her eyes. Getting a good look at her, she looked smaller than she did now. Younger even. I waved my hand, and Frost took that as her cue to leave. Once she was gone, I made my way to the throne room and up to the blue chair. I pulled out a note from my pocket and stuck it in the seat of the fabric.
"Now listen, and yes, I mean me getting these memories whenever I get them. This note has on it the location of a bunker of sorts that I've been using as a home. In it are many weapons and tools necessary to complete our job. Know that in order to unlock the door to this place, you will have to remove that mark on our hands and you will have to confront Celestia. I would recommend waiting to do so until you have some sort of bearing on your abilities so that you can escape from her once you do. You do not, do NOT, want to fight her. Best of luck, we've made it this far." I told... myself.
With that, I turned and left. I walked into the main chamber where the elements were, and passed it to the stairs into the hallway. Walking to the end of it, where I awoke, I turned to look into one of the still intact windows. In the reflection, I saw an aged man, easily reaching his hundredth year of life.
"Now here comes the "fun" part." I said as I started to glow.
Everything hurt.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
I felt wood and thatch under my back, my left wrist stung like no other.
What the hell happened?
I suspect that's exactly what Luna will ask you.
...What?
I creaked open my eyes to see that I was back in my hut. Frost and some mare I didn't recognize standing over me. Frost was staring at me intently.
Did you hear me? Can you hear me right now?
Yes... I can.
Frost immediately started barking and jumping around.
OH IT'S FINALLY BEEN LIFTED! WE CAN TALK TO EACH OTHER AGAIN OH YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
As this was going on, I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see the mare staring at me with concern.
"Jon? Are you alright?"
There was only one other person who knew me by that name.
"Yes Luna. I... Think I'm alright." I told her.
She sighed in relief, giving me time to look over her strange form and recall what happened when we met. After a moment, I remembered she had come disguised, calling herself "Winter Breeze". Looking at her now, it was clear she was pissed.
"So exactly why were you so drunk you couldn't stand?" She demanded.
"I, uh, I helped out with some of the construction in the village so they treated me to a few drinks." I stammered out.
"Well... I suppose worse could have happened, or rather it did happen." She said.
"What d-" I went to ask her, but as I lifted my hand to grab her, I saw that I no longer had it. Instead I had a stump where my hand should have been. My mind began racing at a million miles per hour, and I couldn't calm my breathing.
Jon! Relax. Luna can explain. You haven't lost your hand forever.
Hearing Frost's words did little to calm me down, but I was able to stop myself from doing anything until I heard what Luna had to say.
Luna had grabbed onto me at some point and was trying to get my attention. "Jon! I can still give you a hand! I just needed you to be awake for it!" She practically screamed at me.
Taking a few deep breaths, I managed to struggle out. "How long?"
"I don't know what your referring to so I'll just answer all of it. You were unconscious for over 6 hours, the spell needs an hour to work, and you'll have your hand by tomorrow night." She stated.
"I... Wait tomorrow?" I asked.
"Yes, well... I could do it tonight, but I misread the spell before you were drunk. While you were under, I decided to look it over one last time, see if I didn't need you awake and could surprise you, when I realized I needed a "donor", if you will." She nervously said.
"A... Donor? You're gonna take someone else's hand!?" I shouted.
Luna recoiled at this. "No! Maybe donor was the wrong word. I need a replacement, a gauntlet or some form of sturdy glove that you could use."
My breathing had finally settled at this point. "So what, I just run around without a hand for the next day? I don't see myself being very useful."
"I understand." She started, "However, you now have no resistance to magic, allowing the orb to be recharged. You should start receiving memories again."
At her words, I remembered the last memory I had. The memory to myself.
I have to get back to the ruins.
Not like this you don't.
I looked over to Frost to see her giving me a level stare.
I lost you for 567 years. Before that, we lost the ability to talk to one another for nearly 800! I won't lose you on some suicide mission where you can't even defend yourself. When the time comes, I will take you back there myself. I know what you left there was important, but Damn it you are staying here!
I lowered my head, thinking about what she had said.
Fair enough. I would like to know more about how we're talking to each other anyway.
I looked back to Luna. "So I guess your taking off soon?"
"Yes. As much as I would love to stay and here about why you and Frost are having staring competitions, I'm afraid I need to get back before my lack of presence is noticed." She said.
As she made to leave, she looked back saying. "Till tomorrow Jon."
"Later Luna."
When Luna left, Frost immediately started to tell me how happy she was that we could properly speak to each other again. Her 'voice', as the best way to describe it, was very husky, but sweet. She had a slight growl to her tone that never seemed threatening, rather charming instead. There was a bite that-
Use one more dog pun to describe my voice and I'll bite you Jon.
I chuckled at that. It was amusing to see that she could hear my thoughts, but also terrifying to think she has access to my mind like that.
"What exactly allows us to communicate like this?" I asked.
Ah, you haven't remembered yet. Well, the simple answer is imprinting. When we met the first time, you and I forged a connection that bound you and I together. As we both grew, the connection became more powerful and opened the potential for advances in our bond that had never been achieved before. I recall what all we had managed, but it was a joint effort on our parts to make it happen. Without your memories, you would need to relearn the techniques. I would say that you might be able to wait for the memories of our connection and practices, but there's no guarantee it would be enough.
"What do you mean? If we've done this once we can just do it again." I didn't understand what she was alluding to.
Frost's eyes lowered at this. That's what I'd like to think, but that ritual you had performed on yourself took away our chances to learn for sure. You received the memories, but the rejection of magic limited our bond to the mere physical aspect.
"Physical? So there was more." I stated, beginning to put together the basics of our 'bond'.
Frost nodded. Originally, we had a connection of physical, mental, spiritual, and magical aspects, divided into two different elements. The first we discovered is physical aspect. No matter how long apart or how damaged our minds have become, we always manage to recognize one another. The second element is we have effected each others ageing. As you grow old, you'll notice a small change in your physical form over a long period of time. On the other hand, I now age must faster. Where I would have lived thousands upon thousands of years, I will now only have a few more centuries to live before my end.
"I... I'm sorry. I don't..." I was at a loss for words for what to say. To know I had caused her life to be shortened so greatly caused a feeling I had yet to experience. Remorse.
You don't need to apologize Jon, you've said it all before and I've came to terms with the fact long ago. The second aspect was mental. What your experiencing right now is the first part of it, a form of telepathy that allows us to communicate and understand each other to the fullest extent. I actually learned your language this way. The second part of the mental connection is much more intense. With it, we're able to link into the others minds, to see what the other see's. We can try that one later. Spirit is the third aspect. This is the most intense, allowing us to become one being in thought and action. We can both act and think independently, but will do so with more coordination. Additionally we can allow the other to take full control of ourselves, giving full control of our body to the other. We will both see and feel what happens, but only one will be in control until control is returned to the original host, or we force the other one out. I know because I had to force you out to prevent you from doing something incredibly stupid to me.
I thought over everything she'd told me so far. Obviously we had put a lot of thought and practice into this in order for her, and soon myself, to know this.
"and our magical aspect?" I asked.
As an Avarok, I was blessed with a high amount of passive and dormant magic. The passive magic allows me to see in the darkest of areas as though it were daylight as well as heighten my senses and act as a constant armor coating. You receive these same benefits as well. You, however, can also access my dormant magic to use as your own. It reacts to and can be used with the same magic and spells used by unicorns, dragons, and an unknown type of magi.
"I could use magic?"
You began mastering the magic as soon as you could, and with the benefit of having alicorn like reserves and strength, you became quite the spellcaster.
"If I gain your passive magic then why was I harmed earlier?"
She raised an eyebrow at me. You're smarter than that Jon. At the time of your injury, you were still under the rituals power. Not to mention the farther apart we are has an effect on stable our bond is. There was never a large change in our connection, but there's a noticeable difference between standing next to each other and being miles apart.
"Okay, but what about when the timberwolves just fell apart?"
That's a good question, but I believe that can also be answered by the ritual. Timberwolves are a makeup of chaotic magic combined with the forest itself, and when they came into contact with you the mark most likely diffused that magic.
This was all good and well, but there was a serious problem I wanted an answer to.
"If we could achieve all of that, why did I give it up?" I looked to Frost, needing to know.
Frost hung her head. I'm sorry. You told me you went through with the ritual because you didn't know about me. You also said that even if you had known, you'd have done the ritual anyway. It was too important to have it done. It needed to happen. I'm afraid if you want the answer, you'll have to wait for it to come to you.
I didn't want to believe her. Why would I still do that to Frost even if I knew? What could have been so important?
"Well, I suppose I'll know in time. Hopefully, if what that alicorn said is true, I should be at the end of... whatever this is."
Frost perked up at this. Alicorn? Are you talking about Luna?
I shook my head. "This is a different alicorn. She came to me while I was unconscious. She looked a lot like Celestia, but her hair was simply red without the flow to it. Oh! She actually wanted me to tell you hello."
Frost started jumping around at this. At last! This whole mess is coming to an end! Faust you glorious bitch it's about damn time we finished this!
I wasn't sure how to react to this sight. Clearly this was something good, but I did not yet know why. Hopefully as the past returned to me, I would find myself celebrating as well.
"Alright then. If there's nothing else you can think of to tell me, I'm going to go see if I can find something to make my arm stop hurting."
One last thing you should know is that your memories will not all be 'complete'. They will seem fragmented in a way, not making any sense during the memory, but leaving you with the necessary information afterwards. From what you've told me, your earliest memories are always complete, as well as any other memories seem to be of great importance.
"Thanks for the heads up Frost." I said as I made my way out the door. I was surprised to run into Harden Hooves.
"Grey I was sent to- WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAND!" He shouted, eyes flying to my missing appendage in shock.
I was a little stunned by his outburst, but quickly remembered my goal.
"I must have misplaced it. Can you tell me where I could get some medical aid? This hurts about as bad as it looks." I responded.
He looked at me like I was a ghost, before hitting the ground unconscious.
Well shit.
Seeing that Harden wasn't going to be of any help, I started making my way towards the main hall of The Grove. I didn't make it very far before I was intercepted once more.
"Excuse me." A rather quiet voice said off to my right.
Looking over, I saw a scrawny lackluster threstral. His hair and fur were both grey, almost blending into each other.
"Can I help you?" I irately asked him.
"I-uh... I just noticed your um, 'problem' and thought that I could help you." He mumble out.
"I assume you're referring to my hand, or the lack of one. If you think you can help, go for it." I told him.
He blinked back in surprise as I shunted my stub towards him. "Oh! Uh, yes! I should be able to help. Just hold still and don't panic."
"What do you mean 'don't panic'?" As I asked this he raised his arms and brilliant flames shot out of his finger tips onto my arm. I reared back in shock, fully expecting pain, but only felt a gentle caress as though the fires were massaging my arm. As soon as they came, they dissipated taking the ache in my arm with them. Moving my arm around showed that it had been healed and the open wound of my wrist had been sealed fully.
"Wow..." Was all I could muster.
"I hope that helps you sir. My name is Blaze Cure, and if you ever need healing just look for me or my sister. Have a good day." And with that he walked off.
That had definitely been an experience. I was still standing where I had planted, to shocked to move. While that had been a helpfully and interesting encounter, there had been something about it that put a pit in my stomach.
You hadn't noticed?
Frost? Do you know what it is?
Yes. He performed magic.
...and?
He wasn't a unicorn.
That set off warning bells in my head. I didn't know why that was a danger sign, but I was willing to trust my instincts.
Is non-unicorn magic users that's uncommon?
Uncommon!? Jon it's unheard of! I know that all ponies have inert magic with ways of accessing it, but no pony other than unicorns and alicorns can use it directly.
That's... unsettling. Do you think Luna would know more? She with her past with the trestrals it's possible she may know something we don't.
Possibly. We can ask-
"Hey Grey!" I turned to see Jager.
"Oh hey, something up?" I asked her.
"I was 'bout to ask you that. You're jus' standing there staring at the forest like it just moved." She playfully taunted me.
I let out a nervous laugh, letting out tension I didn't know I had built up in my body.
"Yeah, I'm just reeling from losing my hand." I lied.
"Oh yeah, heard 'bout that. The Princess is supposed to be coming 'round to help with that ya?" She asked.
You could probably tell her the truth about Blaze. If anything she probably knows.
"Yeah, she should be here tonight with a solution." I told her.
I probably could, but it can wait. I have the feeling she didn't just come over to chat.
"That's good, that's good. Hey, before I forget Thorns was looking for ya. Wanted to make sure you didn't get into trouble last night."
I raised my stub to her, jokingly saying "Too late."
We shared a short laugh as she had me follow her. It looked like we were headed back to the barroom. Along with wanting to make sure I was alright, Jager told me that Thorn also had something to discuss with me.
Careful around Thorn.
What why?
I overheard a conversation between him and his mother. He has little to no care for you or humanity, and apparently it was his idea to drug you with the truth serum.
So he's a heedless asshole. Great.
Not the words I'd use, but yes pretty much.
As we approached Thorn, I saw he was looking my way with a grin. Pushing down the agitation I felt growing towards him I responded with a smile of my own.
"Glad to see you're still in one piece! We were worried when you took off like you did." He stated.
"Yeah, 'just had an appointment I didn't want to miss. What were you wanting to talk about exactly?" I asked him.
"Yes, about that. Listen Grey, the ponies here aren't too pleased about you being here. Even with the princess's word mixed with what my mother has said, there just isn't much trust coming your way. I want to help change that." Thorn said.
"What are you talking about?.. And help me how?" I was hesitant to receive an answer.
"You see, the ponies here would feel much better around you if you did something to induct yourself a bit more, did something to see you in a kindred light. A right of passage if you will." He began.
"Thorn Pincer! Don't tell me you want to put him through the trial!" Jager scolded him.
"Come on Jager! I'm just giving him the option." Thorn replied.
Be careful how you go about this.
"I'm listening" I told him.
"Excellent. As Jager said, I offering you a chance to take our trial. The trial is a guaranteed right to be here and to be respected when completed. It would be the surest way for you to deal with the issue." Thorn said.
"If that's the case then it's no doubt going to be a challenge." I responded.
"Of course. You see the trial-"
"Thorn! Cooler's been asking for you." An unknown threstral said.
"Damn. Sorry Grey, we'll talk more later." Thorn told me.
"Right. See you." I responded.
As Thorn took off, I turn to Jager to see her already walking away shaking her head. With her gone, I began to look for another source to learn about the trial.
If you're really set on this trial, you should go talk to Demisha.
Can I trust her?
I'm not sure, but given she's the Grand Elder it would only make sense that she would know the most about it. Chances are that she's the one who initiates and moderates this trial. Hopefully she'll be able to tell you whether or not this endeavor will actually be worth it.
I began walking to Demi's tree, but commotion from the main hall pulled at my attention. Looking over, I saw that Demi herself was herding around some of the villagers. Making my way forward, I noticed that they were setting up for some sort of event. Demi must not have noticed me come in, but one of the other villagers did.
"Do you 'need something'? If not I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We're very busy." They told me.
"I'm sure. I just need to speak with Demi." I said.
"The Grand Elder is clearly not available. Please leave so we can continue our preparations." They responded.
"Sure." I walked right passed them straight to Demi. Once I got close enough, she managed to spot me and waved me over.
"Grey Sword, what can I do for you?" She asked.
"I was wondering if you could tell me about some kind of trial you have? Thorn mentioned it but had to take care of something before he could explain it." I told her.
"Oh. Well- no no no place that on the west wall- the trial is a passage right for our hunters. Only the strongest and most cunning can survive. To complete the trial, you must- it looks fine dear, go help Shadow Ward- you must kill a great beast and bring back a trophy of proof, something from the beast to prove your ability."
"I see. When could I take the trial?" I asked.
"The trial itself doesn't take place for a few months, not until after 'Nightmare Night'. Ugh, I hate that the common ponies adapted that into a holiday. We lose one of our princesses and they celebrate! The nerve! -That will be hanging above the main table. -At first snow is when you can begin the trial. The trial takers will have to survive the cold, the beasts, and are only allowed to use the weapons and tool that they can craft. Nothing pre-made is allowed."
As she finished her explanation, Demi tensed up. She turned to face me, eyes wide with worry.
"You aren't... planing to attempt this trial are you?" She timidly asked.
"That was the idea actually. I figured going through this would help me with my standing in The Grove." I told her.
"Grey! That trial is not something you just walk into! You must have years of training and preparation, not to mention the trial is normally completed in a group! To attempt it alone would be suicide!" Demi practically screamed this in my face.
I raised my hand placidly, saying "Grand Elder, if what I've seen of my past is even half true, and that's just what I've seen so far, I would be fine. And as you said, it's not something I could do now. There are a few months between now and the trial, I'll work around The Grove and when the time comes we'll talk again. Fair?"
She scrutinized me for a moment before hesitantly replying, "I'm really not okay with this. I ask that you speak with the princess before you set your mind on this."
"I'll be sure to do that. If there's nothing you need of me, I'll take my leave." I responded.
"You won't be doing any heavy lifting with only one hand so I have no need of you. Have a good- WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? THAT'S VERY FRAGILE!"
Demi was clearly refocused on her task at hand, so I made myself scarce. Looking to the pocket watch, I saw it was six in the evening.
Where did the time go?
You and I spent quite some time talking this morning.
Fair enough, I'll just head back then. Luna will be here soon enough.
Making my way back to my hut, I noticed something strange on the walls. Where previously there had only been the red paint warning everyone to stay away, now there was a symbol painted on with a teal color.
Frost come look at this.
What is it?
She pushed open the door to see what I was referring to.
What do you think that one means?
It looks like a emblem of some kind, possibly a family crest.
Why is it on our wall?
Did you make an impression on anyone? It's possible that this is a sign of trust, or that it's a sign of warning.
Well shit. Let's hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
