Rising Above All: The Origins of New Edenia

It had been quite a trek back to Thorn's hideout. Twilight and her friends had followed what they could only describe as a labyrinth of passageways to the little abode they were now sitting in. As they sat there, Thorn lit a small fireplace.

The elder let out a long sigh, his nose twitching as he prepared his long explanation. He looked up at Twilight and her friends and bit his lip. "Listen up, I would like to ask you that you won't ask questions over this until I'm done with my story. Is that okay?"

"Sounds good to me." Twilight nodded, glancing at her friends who nodded as well.

"Good." The elder cricked his neck before shifting a little closer to the fire. "Now, our story begins hundreds of years ago. Back then, this land was known as The Kingdom of ?. It was named this due to ?. Anyways, it was a peaceful time back then. The kingdom was mainly made up of deer, though it was known to have griffons and ponies there as well. However, that all changed one day."

The elder sighed again as he took a sip of his soup. "The day the windigos appeared." The others grimaced at this, almost backpedaling at the glare the old deer was giving. "They came from Equestria, and they declared that they were kicked out due to the friendship that had been formed there, expelling them from the wrath they so loved to devour."

"Hearth's Warming..." Twilight muttered to herself, realizing what event he meant.

"The windigos then declared that they were going to unleash their wrath upon us, wanting to make a new home here in the South." The elder continued, ignoring Twilight's mutterings. "They told us that they would turn our kingdom into a place of nothing but anger, fear and hatred, something they loved to make."

"That's horrible." Fluttershy commented, putting her hooves over her mouth.

"Indeed. Their invasion and declaration was...devastating. The kingdom was not ready to deal with them." The elder sipped the soup again. "The windigos quickly made their home here, freezing part of the land into a snow-filled wasteland. They destroyed crops, froze citizens, destroyed buildings...they were nothing but monsters."

"But you all stopped them, didn't you?" Twilight interrupted, rubbing her chin in thought. "The event you talked about earlier was Hearth's Warming Eve, and event that happen centuries ago. There's no way they would have stopped with the South. They would've come back to Equestria eventually."

"But there is nothing in Equestria that says they came back, does it?" The elder remarked, causing Twilight to nod in confirmation. "Yes, you're right. The windigos never left the kingdom." The elder chuckled as he finished his soup. "You see...I honestly don't know the details. Even the previous king doesn't." He looked up with a cheeky smile, slightly blushing. "We weren't into recording history back then. Most stuff was passed down the old fashioned way."

"You mean stories?" Twilight giggled, waving her hoof. "We understand, please continue."

"Yes...you see, the king back then figured out a certain magic that could kill the windigos."