-Troubled Times-
Chapter 1 - Freedom
Deep beneath the city of Canterlot lay a vast network of mines, Older than the city itself, forgotten by ponies throughout the ages. It was once used for the purpose of mining crystals but now lay empty and deserted. Not known to many ponies though, was that the ponies who used to work the mines were not law-abiding citizens of Equestria, but the scum of Equestrian society. Hidden in the deepest, darkest part of the caves was a jail that lay rotting and abandoned. In this jail that was supposedly abandoned of all pony life, there still remained one.
I opened my eyes and looked around me – but all of which I could see was…nothing. Pitch black darkness surrounded me, something that would drive a normal pony insane - but not me. I had been living in this darkness forever - not knowing how much time has passed since the warden and the other guards had moved the other prisoners to a new facility, leaving me chained to the wall of my cell. I remember the day it happened so very clearly, for it was the last day that I saw any light.
Thousands of Years Ago
“Sir! All prisoners accounted for! Shall we load the final prisoner, sir?!” called the guard outside my cell. I never knew his name, but it didn’t matter to me.
“No,” replied the warden, “Leave him, load the other prisoners and seal the entrance.” A look of cold contempt passed through his eyes as he looked at me.
Iron Cell - the warden of this forsaken prison. He always managed to find ways to make my life torture ever since I was placed here. This prison had no name and did not exist in any map in all of Equestria. Nameless - as the prisoner’s liked to call it, was a prison built to hold the worst offenders of Equestrian law - murderers, war criminals, and those that broke the Laws of Magic. Iron Cell walked into my cell, it was a small space roughly four hooves in length and eight hooves high. Barren stone walls and a solid iron door completed its spartan appearance. I was chained to the wall opposite the door, my hooves outstretched, a gag in my mouth and runic seals branded on my cutie mark.
Iron Cell entered my room and stood directly in front of me, “This is better than you deserve, worm.” He spat the words out as he said them. “You will rot in here forever, spending your time slowly going insane.”
‘You wish’ I thought, the gag in my mouth preventing me from talking. My eyes showing a hint of amusement. He was infuriated that I killed some of his friends, and ever since I’ve been here, he’s taken every opportunity to remind me that I was not worthy of living.
“Let’s go private, tell the queen that he died of unknown causes and we buried him.” He said as he trotted out, a smirk on his face as the guard locked my cell and left. But not before giving me a look of pity. ‘I’ll be fine’ I thought as I looked at him my eyes sending my message to him.
I could hear the other prisoners as they were loaded onto the carts and sent out of this god-forsaken place. After a while, I heard a large rock being manoeuvred into place and with a loud crash, the last vestiges of light was gone. Since then, I have spent every moment of my life in suffocating darkness.
The only comfort I had in my predicament was that Iron Cell and all the guards had died a long time ago, while I still lived. But that was no real comfort when you are trapped in eternal darkness. I had long since lost feeling of my body and I haven’t had a drop of water for so long that my tongue was dry and shrivelled, my stomach had long stopped working due to the absence of food.
Was I sleeping or was I awake? I had no idea. I heard a distant echo of voices and I moved for the first time in so long. Was there was another pony here? The knowledge that there were ponies here somehow filled me with strength and I started to do something I hadn’t done in over a millennia - I tried to break free. I fought against my restraints and they suddenly snapped and I was dropped onto the floor, as I reached a hoof to take off my gag, my sudden movements caused the gag to disintegrate in my mouth, leaving me with the bitter taste of ash. I spat out the remains of my gag and collapsed forward, I could not see, but as long as I found the door to my cell and opened it, I could find the way to the exit. My memories of this place served as an excellent guide.
As I opened the door to my cell, it swung open easily - the lock had stopped functioning a long time ago and gave way with just a slight push. Relying on my memory, I slowly trotted my way over towards the exit, and then I felt it - a slight breeze! It was so comforting after more than a millennium of nothingness, the wind felt so good on my fur and mane that I stopped and just relished in the feeling. After a while, the breeze faded and I started walking in the direction the breeze had come from. I still could not see, but I could feel the change in air! The smell was so inviting that I was delirious. I followed the delicious scent to a rock face and found there was a small hole that the breeze was flowing through. I felt around the hole, it was too small for me to fit through and I had no strength to do anything to widen it. Despair and loneliness hit me, like the hammer of a thousand warriors and I dropped to the ground unable to move - and cried. Try as I might, I could not cry, as my tear ducts were devoid of all moisture. I sat there in my grief and pain for a long time. I still could not tell how long I had been here, but I didn’t care - I was fated to be trapped here in this forsaken place for eternity. I was unsure why I hadn’t become insane from spending such a long time in this darkness - or maybe I was and just didn’t know it yet. The breeze of fresh air was a small respite from the pain I felt as I resigned myself to my new fate.
“Here!” My ears jumped as I heard a voice - was it really a voice or had I finally gone insane? I listened closer, and could hear the sound of hooves! There was definitely more than one pony out there. I strained my ears to hear what they were talking about - all I could pick up was the words “ancient” and “discovery”, so they must have been explorers. I slowly got up and trotted over to the where I thought the entrance was and waited. After a while I saw the glow of magic, as a luminescent veil wrapped itself around the boulder blocking the entrance. Mages! They must be here to find specimens for their studies! I took a step back and focused my mind on magic that I hadn’t used in millennia, but a sharp pain from my flank paralysed my whole body and I faded into unconsciousness, just as a light shone through the door.
I slowly opened my eyes and shut them again as blinding light assaulted my retinas. I could feel something soft under me. It was extremely comfortable and I let myself relax when I heard another sound that snapped me back into reality. It sounded like a giant bird shooting past in the sky at high speeds. As I scrambled back up into a standing position and opened my eyes only to have them assaulted by the light again as the sound of hooves drew closer. I very slowly opened my eyes to a strange sight.
I was in a room. It was clean and decorated simply with a ornate dresser placed near the bed a table with a bowl containing apples,grapes and bananas with a glass of water. The entrance to the room was a beautiful mahogany door with gold decorations that seemed to be modeled after the sun and moon. A grand mirror was set against the wall to the right of the door and my bed was an elegant white with fitted sheets.
Mages must have been beginning to treat their specimens better for some reason, or I could be imagining things, I thought as I surveyed my surroundings walking over to the fruits I picked one up in my hooves and sniffed it. It didn’t smell poisoned, but I had no idea what poison smelled like. I hadn’t eaten in over a millennia and had forgotten the taste and smell of food. I took a tentative bite out of the apple with a satisfying crunch and delightfully tasty juices sprayed into my mouth. I demolished the bowl of apples and all the other fruits .After gulping down the water I turned toward the mirror in the room and took a look at myself.
I was well built with a white coat and a midnight blue mane that shimmered in the light, a powerful muscled frame even though I had been locked away for over millennia. I was surprised at how my body had not shrunk through the days of my imprisonment – even my tail was still long and lustrous.
I trotted over to the bed and lay down, if I was to be sacrificed I would prefer to do so after some relaxation as I closed my eyes and drifted off to a comfortable slumber one that I knew to be true after such a long time of unrest.
I opened my eyes again and lifted my head, Yawning and stretching as I looked out of the windows at the beautiful night sky. As I sat there looking out at the moon I felt a presence in the room.
“Come out ye who walk the night. Art thou here to kill me?” I asked my tone sombre.
“We are surprised thou can detect our presence, where does thou hail from?” asked the presence, surprise and admiration apparent in her voice.
"Answer my question first."
"No. We are the Princess here - it is thou who will answer." She paused, realising that this was perhaps a silly thing to be arguing about. What pony didn't know her? She coughed self-consciously, and said in a slightly quieter voice. "... We are Princess Luna. Now thou will answer our questions!"
Surprise is evident on my face as I turn to see a midnight blue alicorn with a shimmering mane that flowed like silk which contained the stars embedded within, Her royal features and toned body giving off an air of authority, her voice one of a ruler but therein also lay uncertainty.
“Thou art Nameless having been imprisoned for over millennia in the mines of Canterlot for crimes against royalty, your highness.” I said as I bent my fore hooves in a bow.
“Why dost thou use the Royal Speech?”
“I apologize, your majesty, for my ignorance. I am not aware that the Speech of old was now reserved for royalty alone.” I replied still in a bow.‘Times have changed’’
“What crimes did thou commit against royalty?” asked the alicorn seriously, but with underlying curiosity.
“I became an immortal, your majesty.”
“How? Such a thing is impossible.” She replied, surprise and curiosity evident in her voice.
“A group of sorcerers seeking eternal life used me as a sacrifice. They did not quite gain what they wanted and I became the unfortunate bearer of their gifts.” I said, cringing at the memories.
“Then why was ye locked away?”
“In a moment of madness I killed all of them, one of them being the high wizard of Canterlot himself.” I stated flatly this was one memory I would have liked to forget as I stood up and trotted over to the window.
“Did you raise the moon?” I asked, changing the subject, looking out the window at the silver moon that sat so gloriously in the night sky.
“Yes, thou art princess of the night. Why does ye ask?” Suspicion under toning her voice now.
I turned and trotted over to Princess Luna who backed away as I approached, when I was directly in front of her. I realized that we were of almost the same height. She had backed away from me uncertainty on her face.’ She looks so cute’ I thought. Then I smiled and said in the warmest voice I could muster.
“Because it is beautiful, your highness.”
Her face changed to one of relief and even a bit of happiness as she heard my compliments. I realized now that she smelled of the most intoxicating smell of sweet grapes.
“Wh- ” she started to say before I spoke again.
“Like you.”
At this her face changed into one of confusion, then realization and then to embarrassment as she blushed. At least I was sure she blushed it was hard to see as she was standing in a patch of shadow.
“Thank you for the compliment, but…” she said, but started to trail off, leaving an awkward silence between us.
‘She looks so cute standing there not knowing what to say’ I thought as I looked at her with a smile on my face.
“How about you show me around this place?” I said changing the subject.
Luna, glad to have something else to think about, said with a warm smile on her face.
“Why not, we are not busy with royal duties this night.”
She started walking towards the door, when I pushed open the window and stepped onto the ledge.
“Step down from there! Dost thou want to fly without wings? Thou art surely mad!” She said concern evident in her voice.
“Do not worry your highness, I will be fine.” I said as I smiled at her and stepped off the ledge.
She jumped out the window after me and we both plummeted to the ground. Luna snapped open her own wings and raced to catch me and just as she’s about to catch me, I disappear and she stops in mid-air, confused and begins searching for me.
I laugh as I look down at Luna “Over here!” I called.
She looks up and sees me hovering above her with my own set of wings.
“When didst thou grow wings?” asked a visibly shocked and angry Luna.
“Just now.” I replied nonchalantly and grinned at her.
“Thou must be punished for trying such a prank with Royalty!” She said anger and irritation evident in her voice.
‘Let us have some fun with her.’ I thought as I grinned and flew towards her. Before she can react, I twirl and drift past her, whispering in her ear. “If you can catch me first.” Before blowing on her ear.
She shivered visibly and turned around trying to hoof me but I just laugh and flew upwards.
“Thou shall suffer greatly when we catcheth thee!” She says, visibly enraged at my little stunt.
I just smile and start flying towards what seems to be a large forest in the distance. A quick glance behind me, and I can see Luna desperately trying to catch up with me. I’m surprised at how fast she is and immediately accelerate with a powerful flap of my wings. I saw vengeance in her eyes and I was starting to regret teasing her. ‘What’s done is done I suppose’. As we neared the forest, I swooped low and landed in a clearing of sorts and quickly jumped as Luna smashed into the ground where I was standing not one second ago.
“Thou cannot… run from me … any longer.” She said panting.
I was surprised at her lack of fitness we had only been flying for five minutes.
“Where are we? “ I asked casting my gaze at the lush field around me and the trees.
“The Everfree forest, what does ye intend to do bringing us here?” she asked with suspicion in her voice.
“You’re pretty fast, but you lack for fitness, your highness.” I stated.
“Are you questioning my weight?! Why you insolent-!” She asked shock evident in her voice.
“NONONONONONONONONONONO!!!! That was not what I said your highness, I’m very sorry if you misheard me!” I said as I immediately bowed down in front of her and apologized. ‘Though it has been over a millennia, mare’s still have not changed I see.’ I thought in my head some things do last forever.
“Well then, since you have been caught by me, you must suffer your punishment.” Luna said with a smile on her face.
‘Why does she remind me of a child?’ I wondered how old was she?
“Yes, your highness.” ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ I questioned my common sense after being locked away for millennia.
“Sit with me, nameless one.” She said as she sat down on the ground. I knelt next to her, and then lay down on the soft grass.
“Is this my punishment your highness?” I asked uncertainty evident in my voice. She said nothing and just lay there gazing at the moon. Now out in the open fields and under the light of the moon, I could see just how beautiful she truly was. Her coat was a beautiful rich midnight blue that blended in with a shimmering mane that reflected the stars and the night sky. Her features were one of grace and beauty, yet was still rather cute.
We sat there in silence for a while, Luna gazing at the moon a neutral expression on her face and I just looked at the stars and relished in the magic of the moment.
“Do you know what I have always dreamed of?” She asked melancholy in her voice.
“To meet a handsome Stallion and settle down?” I answered, just saying what popped up in my head. Wasn’t that what all mares wanted to do?
“No….” She said as she sighed and gave me a look that said ‘I will murder you.’ Silence befell us as I waited for her to tell me what she wanted to say.
“To find some pony who enjoyed the night as much as I do.” She replied.
“Good luck with that.” I snorted “Most ponies prefer to sleep at night and play and work in the day.” I said and instantly realized my mistake. A millennia of solitude and it appears the filter between my brain and mouth had disappeared.
Luna gave me a look that could turn a cockatrice to stone as silence befell us again. I was desperately planning an escape route. After a while she sighed.
“That is true…” she replied, sadness evident in her voice.
I gulped as her words registered in my brain. ‘I am dead.’ was the only thought running through my head.
“But you are here wandering the night with me. Are you not?” she said after a long spell of silence as she looked at me with those large soulful eyes which was of the most beautiful blue.
“I guess I am.” I said, relieved that she was not going to kill me.
“I like the night, the silence and calm that comes with it always soothes me and helps me feel more at ease with myself, the light of the moon and stars empower me and I feel secure in their light’s embrace.” I said as a smile covered my face and I closed my eyes to savour the feel of the night.
Unbeknownst to me Luna was staring at me with a look of shock on her face and a smile was starting to form on her features.
“I don’t enjoy the night.” I continued, my eyes still closed.
“I love the night.” I stated serenely, soaking in the glow of the moon and the feel of the soft grass beneath me.
I opened my eyes and looked over at Luna and was surprised to see a soft smile on her face.
“Your highness?” I asked, confused. ‘What did I say to make her change her mood?’
“Please, call me Luna.” She said, that same soft smile on her face which was beginning to unsettle me.
“Yes your highn- I mean, Luna.” It was strange changing from respectful to friendly in such a short period of time.
“You have still not given me your name.” She said, her face returning to its neutral expression.
“I do not know my name. It has been so long, that I have forgotten.” I replied, sighing.
“Then I shall bestow upon you a name.” She said and put a hoof under her chin and started thinking. I noticed she was no longer using the Royal Speech - strange. I sat there and waited for her decision while looking up at the moon.
Several minutes passed, and I could tell that she was deep in thought. Her face reflected her thoughts smiling when she had a good idea, and then frowning again when she didn’t like it. ‘She’s just like a foal’ I thought, even though she was an immortal alicorn who had lived almost as long as myself, she was still so foalish that it was adorable.
After many hours of thought, I slipped back into the same trance in which I had spent the better part of my imprisonment. I would appear dead to another pony, but I was merely sleeping.
Luna was thinking, Various ideas floated around her head as she concentrated on bestowing a name to the stallion who lay next to her. Names such as shining moon and names relating to the night floated around in her head but none of them seemed to suit the stallion who lay silently next to her. She found him frustrating, mysterious and insufferable yet oddly attractive. The last thought caused her to to blush, fortunately her dark coat hid the colors well. She sneaked a glance at him to see if he noticed- but she needn’t have worried for he was asleep. She was annoyed that he would fall asleep in the company of royalty and contemplated hurting him to wake him up.
As she was deciding whether flinging him around with magic or stepping on his tail was the more enjoyable option she heard him whispering something in his sleep. Curiosity overwhelmed her and she leaned in closer to hear his mutterings. ‘Luna...so beautiful...’ Those three words sent a shiver through her and caused blood to rush to her cheeks; this time the colour change was visible.
When she looked up at the sky however- she realised just how much time had passed while she was in her contemplations. The moon was already on the last leg of its journey through the night sky and she was so far away from canterlot! She quickly got up and with a powerful but silent flap of her wings started her journey back to Canterlot to perform her duties, leaving her companion behind. ‘He’ll be able to fly his way back to the castle’ she thought as she sailed through the night sky towards Canterlot.
I was soaring through the clear blue sky with not a care in the world when suddenly, I felt somepony prodding me with their hooves and I awoke to a sight of three young fillies in front of me.
I yelled and stood up immediately, which evidently scared the fillies, and they screamed as they ran away. Shaking my head to clear it of sleep, I noticed that Luna was no longer beside me. As I looked around me, the trees that seemed so ominous the night before, now looked so harmless and the sky was a beautiful blue with not a single cloud to be found.
I stood in silence, soaking in the warm rays of the sun for a few minutes before trotting off towards the direction which I flew last night. The magic that allowed me to sustain my wings had disappeared and i was now a simple earth pony. ‘Luna will be so surprised when she sees me’ I thought to myself chuckling.
-End Chapter 1-
Hey thanks for reading through the first chapter! Everything might be confusing now but i will elaborate further in the upcoming chapters so stay tuned!
I WAS LOST. That was definitely true as I trotted deeper into the forest.
It was midday; I could tell as the sun was shining brightly overhead. The rays of heat beat down upon me, causing my mane to stick to my body. The humidity of the area was not helping to alleviate the heat but making it that much more unbearable. If only I could use my powers freely then I could escape this dreadful heat. I thought to myself as I trotted on. I was no longer in a forested area but a swamp of some kind. The muddy water, dead trees and barren landscape adding a sense of hopelessness to my situation
I trotted on walking along the water's edge, hoping to find a settlement of some kind or one of the native pony folk to lead me out of this dreadful place. I was beginning to get thirsty and there was no clean water in sight. I will just have to wait till I get back to civilization I suppose. The thirst reminded me of my days in prison and I felt a barrier threatening to burst in my mind ,the barrier that kept me sane throughout my long imprisonment. Protecting my fragile mentality from crumbling due to the memories. I shook my head to disperse the traumatic thoughts and decided to rid myself of my thirst. I walked up to the water's edge and peered down; it looked dirty but drinkable I hoped...
I bent down and took a small sip of the water and regretted my decision instantly. I spit the water out and scraped my tongue with my fore hooves which only worsened the taste as the ground was muddy. The water was salty and tasted of something slimy and the mud left a bitter taste in my mouth that was wet and gravelly at the same time. The combination was interesting to say the least. As I sat there contemplating my lack of common sense for drinking swamp water, I heard some pony's talking. As they're voices became clearer I counted 3 distinct voices. I decided to hide in some bushes and observe them to see if they were friend or foe.
"Daring do is the most awesome pegasi ever!" I heard some pony say in a loud voice that conveyed confidence and self-assurance.
"Yes we know rainbow." This time the voice was intelligent albeit weary probably from the previous pony rants which I assumed was named rainbow.
"Thanks you guys for following me here ... um...you know since you guys are so busy..." This voice belonged to a kind soul definitely a pony who was shy and courteous.
"No problem Fluttershy! I'm always there for my friends!" The voice which i assumed to belong to a pony named rainbow said.
"Spike's taking care of the library today and this is an excellent opportunity to observe the survival mechanisms of frogs!" The intelligent voice said most definitely belonging to a bookish pony.
"You’re such an egghead Twilight" the voice that belonged to the pony named rainbow said.
As the voices got nearer I clearly saw them now 3 ponies were near the water’s edge one was a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane that was messy and unkept with a long rainbow colored tail. This I assumed to be the one they called Rainbow.
Then there was a purple unicorn which I assumed to be Twilight as she had an air of intelligence about her with a purple mane which had a pink streak through it and a purple tail.
The last pony was a yellow Pegasus with a pink mane and tail, her mane covered part of her face and she looked very kindly so I guessed that she was Fluttershy.
It was strange as they approached I could feel something within me slowly loosen; albeit only by a small amount, but this small release filled me with strength and I felt a small flow of magic around me. I decided to watch them from the safety of the bushes only 5 hooves away from them.
I watched as the Pegasus named Fluttershy opened a basket and released some frogs into the water saying “Here you go little froggies your new home." with a kind voice it was obvious that she loved animals.
"Why do we have to come into the Everfree to release frogs?" Rainbow said with a confused tone.
"The frogs just went through their mating season Dash so in order to prevent overcrowding in the pond Fluttershy has to relocate some of them." Twilight explained in a scientific voice obviously proud of her knowledge.
"I'm sorry if I caused you problems..." Fluttershy said in a small voice while hiding behind her mane.
It was clear to me that they meant no harm and just as the pony named Rainbow was about to answer a giant shadow rose from the swamp and blotted out the light.
"HYDRAAAAAA!!!" I heard rainbow and Twilight scream before they could turn and run however one of the Hydra's heads had blocked the way and the other 2 heads were beginning to descend down upon them.
Twilight immediately shot 2 blasts of magic at the Hydra's descending head and forced them to withdraw immediately after, she and Fluttershy bolted towards a small opening below the Hydra's legs. At the same time the Pegasus Rainbow flew at high speeds and started to whiz around the Hydra's head like a rainbow colored fly.
I was surprised that Hydra's still existed in this time i thought they would have all been killed off a long time ago. I decided that I should help them even though i was unsure whether i could. But you never know until you try!
I focused my magic around my hooves and though there was a flash of pain from my cutie mark i felt my hooves growing and changing into claws. Short pointed tip claws that resembled those of a dragon's. Just as I completed the transformation the Pegasus named Rainbow was knocked to the ground by the Hydra and the other 2 ponies were running back to help her. The unicorn named Twilight threw up a shield while Fluttershy was trying to help Rainbow to her hooves but it was clear that the Rainbow Pegasus had suffered serious damage and was unable to move. One of the hydra's head's descended down upon them but it was effectively blocked by the shield that Twilight had projected around them. I was surprised; not many unicorns had enough magical power to deflect a Hydra attack. But it was clear that the effort of keeping the shield was putting a strain on the unicorn.
-------Twilight's POV-------
As the Hydra's heads descended for another attack Twilight braced herself for another but it never came. Confused she opened her eyes to see the Hydra's heads reeling back and a strange pony with claws instead of hooves standing in front of her. She heard the mysterious Colt yell to her "Keep your shield up and don't falter!" Before he jumped impossibly high into the air to slice at the Hydra's heads again.
-------MY POV-------------
I could see she was clearly surprised to see me but who wouldn't be? After expecting impending death only to have it averted by a mysterious pony from nowhere. I slashed again as the Hydra's head came in for another attack. I needed to end this fast as I didn't know how much more magic i had in me. After dodging another set of lunges by the Hydra's heads by jumping high into the air i decided to gamble it all on one powerful attack. As the Hydra's heads tensed their muscles to lunge at me in the air I concentrated all my magic into my right forehoove.
As the magic started to flow towards my hoof I visualized a giant claw that could slash off the Hydra's heads in one fell swoop. As I imagined 4 claws made of pure steel sharpened to a fine point growing from my hoof and extending to be the same size as the Hydra's heads. The effort was sending waves of pain from my cutie mark to my whole body but I persisted and finally they grew from my hoof. 4 giant claws made of steel glinted in the sunlight, just as the Hydra lunged at me ready to devour me, I swung my claw downwards and watched as it sliced a deep wound into the Hydra's heads . But it went no further as the magic that sustained the claw dissipated and caused the claw to shatter into nothingness before the deed could be done.
But this was enough to severely wound the Hydra as it recoiled from the pain. Blood spraying everywhere from its wound. It was not enough to kill it but it was more than sufficient to cause severe injury and great pain. The Hydra released a cry of pain as it quickly retreated back into the swamp, its blood turning the water green to a dark greenish red.
My whole body was racked with pain as my cutie mark sent flashes of white hot searing pain throughout my body. I began falling towards the ground, my consciousness beginning to fade. I expected to feel the hard ground and all the bones in my body breaking from the fall.
After a few seconds I did feel something but it wasn't hard it felt a lot softer and bouncier than the ground should be and there was a strange magenta colored glow that surrounded my vision. I was glad that at least I wasn't splattered against the ground as I faded away into darkness.
