Author's Note
Credits to Grizzly (Though to be honest he didn't do too much)
Prologue
Gazing at the sun, I was drenched with sweat from pulling weeds out from the yard. It was a hot summer and I had to eventually go out to do some work. Mom had told me that my birthday was coming soon so I was supposed to start becoming more mature as I got older as a stallion.
Fixed on the the magnificent star, it reminded me of Celestia and kept me wondering what it would be like to use magic. There had been books of the legendary four princesses and their powerful alicorn magic. It said that they had both wings and horns that produced all kinds of magic and flight.
But all of that was lost after the revival of Sombra and the release of Tirek. It’s said that every single pony of Equestria joined together in order to seal Tirek and Sombra inside of a vase. They then dropped the vase into the ocean, hoping no one could find the vase ever. But due to the immense magic it took, many ponies had lost their source of magic including their wings, horns, and even the strength of the earth ponies.
Then days ahead of the battle the four princesses had vanished mysteriously. At first, Equestria went into a panic but soon they adapted and began to learn different ways of generating magic. The ponies who had regained at least partial of their magic had paved a path for the sun and moon though they both traveled much slower.
It’s what I learned from tutoring, which consisted of my mom, dad, and a Saturday class.
I kept up the gaze until a shout from my friend broke the trance between me and the sun. It was Burn, my red pony friend who lived a few streets away. He had been my friend since I moved from Fillydelphia to Ponyville, and came over to my house to help or hang out.
“Aye! What’chya looking at?”
Burn looked in the direction I was looking,seeming confused.
“Oh nothing. I’m just spacing out.”
“Oh, well, you wanna come over to my place today? My mom made cookies!” he exclaimed excitedly.
“Sure, but let me finish up here so that I don’t get yelled at later.”
“Okay. Just remember.”
I finished pulling out the weeds from the yard and headed into my house. Mom was on the couch sleeping and I prepared to go to Burn’s house. Burn’s house was huge because he was the great great great grandson of Big Macintosh and his parents owned a farm plantation not too far from here.
“Bye Mom! Make sure to call Dad and tell him that I’m going to Burn’s house!”
“Sure honey...just make sure to be...careful,” Mom murmured in her sleep.
I headed out the door and continued to trot along the road. Beside the road lay green grass and lush green trees. The weather was hot and many ponies stayed inside to cool off. The sound of birds and the breeze in between the trees always soothed me. Many old ponies have a nickname calling me “Nature Calmer” instead of Hollow since I was always interacting with the outside.
I hopped onto the welcome mat of the house’s door and knocked. Burn’s mom opened the door with a smile.
“Oh hey, you must be Hollow? Come on in, I bet Burn told you about my cookies.”
I walked into the humongous household and saw a figure at the corner of my eye. It had a white and shade with a crescent moon necklace. Its eyes glinted with dangerous, sharp eyes as it stared me down and I felt that I would meet this stallion again. I blink and the pony figure disappeared. I thought that it was the summer heat playing tricks on my eyes so I played it off.
The place is crowded with all types of jewelry, artifacts, paintings, and pony sculptures. One of the sculptures contained the six ponies and symbols of friendship. Another had the four princesses of Equestria.
“Ah sorry about that, hon’. My son and husband love to collect all sorts of fascinations. Especially my husband, he loves things containing much history.”
“You mean Burn had a knack for collectibles?”
“Nope, he doesn’t give a badger’s claw about those. It’s his older brother that’s taken a liken’.”
I noticed something similar between the six ponies and the four princesses. One of the ponies was in both of the two sculptures and had a striped mane with a star shaped cutie mark.
“Why is this pony in both of those sculptures Miss?”
“Ah, call me Maris and that pony right there is Twilight Sparkle. She was the big one of the six ponies and was also an alicorn.”
As I was led down the big hall of the house, I wondered who Twilight was. I never heard of that pony till now. Walking up the wide stairs, Burn exited one of the doors at the top.
“Hollow! Did you try one of the cookies Mom made?” he said while nodding towards his mom.
“Oh I’ll be right there, son. Give Ma’ a little bit of your time,” Maris said as she hustled down the stairs and veered to the right.
A long silence came over Burn and I as there wasn’t much to say.
“So...what’s with your mother’s accent? Doesn’t seem like it runs in the family,” I questioned Burn.
“Oh, she comes from Canterlot and developed that accent from Grandma and Grandpa, who came from Manehattan,” Burn answers.
“Your mom told me about your brother. How is he?”
“He’s off collecting more with Dad. I have to stay here with Mom and make sure that she stays well.”
It was hard making talk with Burn since I didn’t know much about him and he never asked questions about me. I don’t want to start talking about myself since that might rub off that I have an inflated ego. So, we just sat in silence for a solid thirty seconds until his mom called and climbed up the staircase. She was holding a plate of cookies and was smiling cheerfully.
“You both share now,” she commanded.
“Ok,” we both said simultaneously.
We walked up to Burn’s room and settled while eating the batch of cookies. I think of how the cookies tasted as I bit into one and oh lord was it heavenly. Burn’s room was a mix of white and blue. The white being the ceiling and the blue being the side walls. His bed was at the corner with his name etched into the blanket.
He had a window with light pouring into the place. Across from his bed was a desk and counter where multiple pony figures, papers and sketchings were sprawled. On the walls were insanely well drawn ponies including his mom, what I assume, his dad, and his brother.
“Welcome, senorita,” Burn said with an exaggerated pose.
“Bite me,” I said fancily with an exaggerated pose.
We both laughed our lungs dry.
After settling down, Burn asks if I wanted to see his collection of magic items. One of them was a stick with a circle at the end, apparently it could float any form of matter inside the center of the circle. Another was a powerful slingshot that was shaped in a catapult, it was used to fling things with the user’s magic. Sadly, both us didn’t know how to use magic since you had to awaken it by some sort of means.
There was a loud banging from the front door. Burn got up from his seat and walked out of the room. I follow him and trotted down the stairs. The banging continued even as we walked down the stairs. We get to the bottom and see Burn’s mother opening the door. A tall cyan stallion with marine clothing was at the door looking frantic.
“Quick! I’ve got news that–” *gulp* ”–pirates have invaded Equestria!” The blue stallion said, stumbling over his words. “They’ve already pillaged Canterlot and are heading towards Ponyville!”
Everything pauses
I stood idly, still registering the words he was speaking. As soon as I realized what he was saying my heart seemed to plummet into my stomach. An invasion? Who could they be? I’ve never heard of any pirates or organization that could do such a thing in Equestria. My head is swirling with questions as I try to sort everything.
Maris quickly speeds towards me and stops.
“Alright lad’, you’ll need to go to your mum and dad before things start heating up. They’re probably worried sick with ya” Burn’s mother says with a pale and terrified expression.
I’m still standing because of the now new questions that keep filling up and up.
“But what abo-” I was interrupted by a loud explosion.
We all glance towards the new menace. Burn’s mother got to the window next to the front door and saw smoke rising about the forest. She quickly goes back to me.
“C’mon hon’, Quickly!!” Maris said even more terrified.
I realized the explosion was much more near Burn’s house than mine.
“What if they get to y-”
“No time for questions! JUST MOVE!!” She hustled me towards the door.
The marine asked me if I wanted him to escort me.
Alright which one? Either run towards home and get myself killed by pirates OR have the marine run with me and get Maris and Burn killed by pirates. And then there’s the third and fourth option which is both of those situations but everyone gets killed. Great.
“Ummm, stay here,” I answered.
As I prepared to head straight to my place, Burn stops me. His eyes were serious but frightful at the same time.
“You better make it out alive or you’re never gonna have any more of those cookies,” he said intensely.
“I can say the same to you,” I reply.
I take one last look at him and bolted towards the direction to my home. I still had swirling questions and inferences, but one thing that stuck out in my head was the idea of running. Soon more explosions rose.
I didn’t look back. I got inside my house and there waited my mom, dad, and my grandpa, Theros. He was a gentle old pony and only visited us once or twice a year. My family never knew where he lives or anything, he just pops in and out every once and in a while. This time he looked very serious.
“Oh honey! I’m so glad you’re safe!” my mom said in relief.
She hugged me so tight that I could’ve become one of those melons in the melon challenge.
Dad had the same expression as Mom except more controlled. My grandpa looked more reserved and less serious.
“Son, I have to take you somewhere,” Grandpa said.
“Where?” I asked.
“There’s no time to explain but I’ll tell you that you’ll be safe there,” Grandpa answered.
“He told us that you’ll be going to an island, that you’ll be ok,” Mom exclaimed.
“Wait but what about yo-” I was interrupted by another explosion.
“You have to go now, sweetie! Make sure to button up when you get cold. Don’t starve yourself or get into trouble. Make sure to remember us as well!” She said while sobbing.
I didn’t know why they asked me for this. No, they didn’t ask me, they forced me. I was angry and stamped my hoof on the ground.
“No, I’m not gonna leave yo-” Another explosion interrupted me.
Theros picked me up and carried me outside. He ran away from the house. I could hear roars of flames and howling winds behind me. There were explosions after explosion and I could see bits of wood and stone flying.
“Wait what about Mom and Dad!” I screamed.
“They’ll be fine!” he answered.
Then I saw an explosion way too close to Burn’s house.
“NO!” I bucked Grandpa.
He winced and let go. I sped off towards Burn’s house. I kept running and saw piles of rubble and ruins. There were also gruesome sights that I would not like to detail. Some of the houses were so wrecked that they seemed as if they vanished from thin air.
I came to what used to be Burn’s house. Half of the house was almost completely gone, the windows and frames splintered and shattered. His room was exposed but the drawings and decorations were gone as well as half of his bed. The place was in ashes. I crept slowly because of my fear inside of me. What I thought had come true. Burn was on the floor of the house and extremely injured.
“BURN!” I yelled, while sprinting towards him.
I lift his head to see that his eyes didn’t blink. I put my hoof onto his heart and saw that it didn’t have the rhythmic beat. He was gone.
I didn’t see his mother. She could have made it out but I highly doubted it. I even thought of what I would see if I rummaged through the rubble.
This is my first experience with death and I didn’t know what to do. I just sat there and mourned through the minutes that passed. Soon Grandpa came and tried to convince me to come with him. I didn’t care though, since I knew that it would never be the same. But looking at the devastation filled me with something that I never felt. I stood up, with tears still filling my eyes.
“Let’s go,” I tell him strongly.
Chapter 3: River Traveling Part One
I soaked myself in the river to get rid of the daily muck and flies. Grandpa had gone down in a direction of the river to go search for any remaining survivors from the train. We would soon be heading out of the woods towards west. Grandpa had not been detailed about where he was exactly taking me, but I was assured by him that this place could help me gain insight of what had happened one hundred years ago. I didn’t talk to him about the dream a couple of days ago of princess Luna. What I was hoping for was that Luna would contact me during my dreams but there’s been no sign of her.
She had put down a plan that that instructed me to follow my grandpa. I asked why but she only said that my grandpa was a very wise man and could guide me towards the island. The island, she told me, was a great manifestation of magic that was conjured by Star Swirl the bearded. She explained that Star Swirl the bearded was one of the strongest conjurers of his time and had made the “island” as his last act. She then secretly whispered to me that it was actually an archipelago, or a cluster of islands. She said that many people thought of it as one island only because history depicts that there’s only one island recorded in the files. Although the island was never explored, a lot of researchers and travelers had “seen” the island in the ocean, south-east of ponyville. The archipelago, she said, was called “The Arcane Island(s).” All throughout her explanation she smirked mischievously as if me and her were telling our deepest, darkest secrets.
To be completely honest, I had grown a small crush on her. Even though she was thousands of years old, she was only a few centimeters taller than me. And her smile was so interchanging that it could switch from royal and majestic to playful and mischievous.
I shook the thought from my head and stepped out of the freezing river. I dried myself out with a shake and trotted back to the camp. I checked for anything that seemed misplaced or messed up. I looked through the log storage that was half filled and then stood in front of the fire pit.
A rustling in my tent got my attention and I very sneakily trotted toward the tent covers. A memory hit me of me and Burn sneaking around the house in the middle of the night. I winced from the pain of remembering that he was gone. Once I got to the tent, I pulled the covers back, preparing for the worst. What I thought was gonna be a menacing beast or an evil villain, it was instead a raccoon that was feeding off of my apple stash. I chased the raccoon away, furiously screaming. When I was sure it was gone, I murmured, “Never come back here again.” I checked the damage done to my stash and around 2 apples were ruined. One was half gone and the other had nibble marks on it.
“What a troll,” I said, while rolling the damaged apples into the river.
The apples sank into the river.
I turned around to go back to camp but a bubbling from the surface of the river made me look back.
A tortoise came out of the place where the apples last sank.
The tortoise was relatively small. It had dopey eyes and wrinkles crowded around it’s body. Even so, the shell on it’s back was clean and seemed pretty hard. It clambered out of the river and went in my direction, looking at me with it’s tired eyes. I bent over and pet the tortoise on the head. I picked it up gently and noticed a pair of goggles dangling from its back, left leg. I took the goggles and inspected them. The goggles were circular and had an orange shade to its rim. It seemed just about the right size for the tortoise's head and eyes. I strapped the goggles around the tortoise’s head and peered into its old eyes.
Tank.
“What was that?” I thought.
You’re serious about this hibernating business?
I looked all around, searching for the sound.
Tank’s not some fuzzy little bunny. He can take care of himself.
I finally found where the sound was coming from. It was coming from the tortoise.
C’mon Tank! We’re gonna be late for our very first pony pet play date!
I was bewildered by the tortoise and the sounds. My mind was then flooded with memories of the tortoise. I kept my eyes shut, trying not to get nauseous from the memories and reality, until I fell over with the tortoise still in my hooves.
I saw many images of ponies and animals but one particular pony always stood out in the memory. In the tortoise’s eyes, a bright blue pony with a rainbow mane stared into my eyes. The image then flickered to a scene where the blue pony, with five other mares, were standing in winter weather. The ponies were bundled in winter wear, and were standing near the edge of a pond.
I couldn’t control any of the tortoise’s movements, as he was covering himself with dirt and snow. I read that during the winter, animals would go into a long sleep called hibernation, and so I figured that the tortoise was getting into hibernation.
When the tortoise almost covered itself completely, I got a glimpse of sad faces from the ponies. After everything went dark for a couple seconds, a light shown through the dirt. The light expanded and I finally got a glimpse of the outside world again. The snow that coated the ground was gone and the pond was now melted into a big pool. The trees were now starting to grow leaves. The blue pony was staring at me in delight and expectancy.
The vision stopped and I opened my eyes. The turtle was gone but the goggles remained.
I lay on the ground.
I got up from my river nap and slowly made my way to camp.
I looked up and gray clouds rolled over the sky. Lightning flashed and the wind picked up from a small breeze.
Author's Note
Meh, this is a bit of filler. I think.
The moon shone lightly through the branches of the looming forest. It was a cold night and there were unfamiliar sounds echoing through the foliage. I followed my grandpa, wondering if he even knew where he was going. Moments of silence passed on when soon enough, Grandpa pierced it.
“This might be a long trip, Hollow. The night grows ever longer and darker, the longer the two sisters looms away.”
“What do you mean? Shouldn’t the night shorten if she were to fade away,” I said, as I thought of the dream I had of the princesses. Was it real? If it was, why did it happen?
“Ah, that is also true. But when the night grows longer, that means that something has happened to the ones who control the moon and sun, the Star Magicians, which also means that Luna and Celestia may not support the control anymore. This probably happened because of the attack on Canterlot,” He replied.
He decided to take a break from the possible wandering and camp in a nearby clearing. He set up a fire and asked me to gather dry, dead wood. When I came back only a few minutes later with piles of logs and sticks in my hand, I saw that he quickly prepared everything for the night despite his old age. The tents were set up, big chunks of trees were already set as chairs, luggage prepared for a quick dash just in case, food already set out, and bedrolls already laid down.
“How did you make the tent? Those logs must’ve been triple the weight of you and would’ve taken all of Equestria’s patien-.”
He interrupted with a hearty laugh and told me to sit next to him.
The moon was now high in the starry sky and the clouds rarely interrupted the glow. The eerie feel of the crowded forest now was replaced with a calm and relaxing sensation. The breeze of the open area was very subtle and lightly flicked the dancing fire. It felt like all of the past gore and terrors had just been plucked from my mind.
“I’ve had this question ever since you first defended the train from the fireball. Why are you able to use magic? Or, how are you able to utilize it?” I questioned.
“Hm, It’ll be hard to explain and might be a bit long. But if you’re that eager than I might just tell you.” he said.
“Please?”
“I might as well since we’ve got time. Now here’s how it goes,” he begun.
A while before your mother was born, I was an adventurous lad. I climbed the crystal mountains, passed the Crystal Empire and saw amazing sights. I ventured the ruins of Manehattan and Fillydelphia. Then I came across a dreaded forest that reeked of monsters and fear. But, none of that would stop me. I walked through with my head held high and the forest was crowded with black, ugly vines. I kept going until I stumbled across a crumbled castle. It’s walls were covered with moss and the glass cracked and scattered. The inside hold old, musty furniture but the banners of two alicorns that held high at the damaged windows were in good shape..
I then knew where I was. I was at the castle of the two princesses, the sisters that controlled the balance, the rulers of both night and sky, Celestia and Luna!
The astonishment of realizing it made me silent in awe. The breeze in the castle suddenly picked up into a raging wind. My mane was whipping around everywhere and I had to hold all my bearings so they wouldn’t fly away. My eyes were closed tight to protect from the debris. The rushing wind stopped. I opened my eyes to see a bright, white orb. Curiosity took over my mind, as I gazed at it. I walked up to it and placed my hoof under it. The orb glowed brighter and then began losing it’s shape. What was left of the orb was a liquid pool, floating in my hoof. It then spiraled from my hoof to my chest where it hovered and launched itself towards my heart. I lurched from the force and I suddenly came to a tree. It shimmered with elegance and I felt drawn towards it. I went over and touched the tree with my hoof. It gave off the same shimmering glow as the orb and glowed brighter and brighter until my vision became all white.
I came back to the same creepy castle and forest. My eyes hurt from the blinding light. I had not realized until later that a symbol, resembling fire, had marked my coat forever.
I scratched my head with my hoof. “A tree? An orb?”
“Don’t ask me, I wanted to know ever since that day, and telling the story has made me tired.” He said with a yawn. “But believe me, magic should not be used carefree. It’s an immense power with possibilities beyond imagination.”
“Yet, ponies before had used magic every single day. And the Star Magicians also control the moon and sun every single day.” I retorted. He frowned at me and I was beginning to believe that I was getting on his nerves. He went to the separate tent a couple feet away from mine and opened the flap entrance.
He looked at me drowsily. “Good night, Hollow. My old bones are already giving out on me so you’ll have to take care of things tonight so make sure to drench the fire, cover the ashes with something, bring water in from the river, organize the logs, and take watch for the night.”
“Wait but tha-!” Too late, he had already disappeared into the tent and faint snores could be heard from the outside.
I groaned, and set off to do the work. When I finished the work, the moon was high in the sky.
The disappearance of the sisters had made the moon and sun last for several more hours. The Star Magicians had made it better by reducing the hours but it was still unbearable.
I went into my tent and snuggled into my bedroll. It took me awhile to get comfortable. I shuffled around from one side to another and finally felt myself sink into my mind.
Luna appeared but from what was a white world was now a balcony hanging off of the Canterlot castle.
“Hello fellow-uhhh, what is thine name?”
“Hollow.” I said tiredly.
“Hollow, interesting name. Yes, interesting indeed.”
“What do you want? I’ve been through hell of a day.”
“Well, I do remember speaking about our next visit, did I not?” She questioned.
“Continue.”
“I do also remember you saying something. What has thou want to say?”
“Oh. Well I was going to say that Equestria has been attacked.” I expected the mare to be troubled but instead she remained calm and steady.
“I have predicted this ever since me and sister sealed ourselves.” She sighed and turned around towards the outside. I followed and looked out to expect a destroyed city over-ran by moss but instead was the exact opposite.
“It probably looks different from what you know. But, this is Canterlot and it was a paradise to many ponies.” She turned off her Canterlot voice and spoke modernly.
We stood side by side and my heart pounded intensely inside of my chest. The rhythm clashed in my ear. This was the first time that I had stood so close to a mare besides my mother.
“Yet, in your eyes, it’s now only ruins of something that has been forgotten.” She turned around and she gazed into my eyes as if she was seeking for something in there.
“I can not contact any other pony besides you. You must save Equestria.” She spoke in a clear and serious tone. I knew that deep inside of me, I saw not a princess, not a friend, but a burden. It was a heavy load to take. Yet, I also felt deep inside that this was my duty. She has placed her trust onto me, she is willing to risk everything on this underaged colt. That feeling pushed every single doubt I had away.
“You may be an unbearably, irresponsible, and reckless princess…” I looked from the balcony to her flaming eyes.
“But your wish, is my command.”
