On the anniversary of your reign,
With ingredients gathered, so profane,
With alicorn blood, pure and true,
A spell will you brew,
Unleashed Lord Typhon shall be,
And Equellenes will bow to thee.
A word of caution to this tale,
Should the kingdoms unite, you will fail.
- The Oracle of Dalephi to a young Queen Diamondae of Jewelthens.
======================================================
A tempest raged across the skies and the oceans, creating howling winds and lashing rain.
As lightning cracked the sky itself, ponies down below on the earth huddled together in their homes. Mothers and fathers alike covered their young one's fragile ears as the gods bellowed and raged amongst themselves.
One lone stallion stared up as great flashes lit up the world. His mane slapped against his neck as the rain drenched him, his long braid growing matted and knotted. His golden irises shone like beacons in the darkness. A figure seemed to fall from the sky as he watched, and appeared to be struck by lightning. He rushed forwards, cast off his tunic and strode into the water without fear.
The figure, a pony from what he could see, crashed into the water and sank beneath the waves. The stallion dove in after, and upon seeing she was a mare, he was both entranced by her beauty, and suspicious as to her origin, for she had both pegasus wings and a unicorn horn. His mind raced as he swung a hoof around her and dragged her to the surface.
Taking care to keep her head above water, he paddled back to shore and carried her to his home along the coast. The storm continued to rage high above, robbed of the life it would have claimed had he not intervened.
He entered his home and quickly took her to his bedroom, wincing as he thought of anypony catching him in the act with this mysterious mare. As he lay her down, he checked her over and wiped the blood from her nose. Satisfied she was injured but alive, he grabbed a blanket and threw it over her before leaving and allowing her to rest.
***
Canterlot was quiet today, thought the princess as she strode through the castle's corridors. Her long purple legs carried her with grace and dignity, and her mane remained neatly combed and brushed as it draped over her neck.
The palace was usually abuzz with nobles, delegates from various allies of Equestria, or even just serving ponies going about their daily lives. Not today, however. Today was strangely peaceful and quiet. The princess strode through the empty corridors, gazing up at the portraits of past rulers and high born nobles as her wings fluttered. They were growing larger and heavier by the day, and she found herself continuously rearranging them as her frame-struggled to hold them up at times. She grunted in frustration and she paused to give them a quick stretch, just as a pair of guards rounded the corner. They quickly stopped chatting amongst each other and bowed to her, each giving a respectful salute.
"Princess Sparkle," they said in unison.
Twilight Sparkle nodded at them and folded her wings. "Hello, gentlecolts. Anything to report on your rounds?" she asked as she straightened up. She thought to herself that she was getting tall now, not quite to Celestia's height yet but still taller than most. Her mane had gotten longer too, but not to the levels Celestia's or Luna's were, and didn't yet have that 'wavy' quality to it.
"None, ma'am," one of them responded. "Same as usual, all quiet in this part of the castle."
Twilight nodded thoughtfully. "That's good."
An awkward silence fell upon them as the guards waited expectantly. She gave them a goofy smile and a small salute and felt her ears begin to burn. "Well, keep up the good work, guys. As you were."
They both clicked their heels and saluted back. "Your highness." They trotted away, resuming their rounds of the castle's corridors. The princess watched them go with an almost sad smile.
Truthfully, Twilight was bored. Not that nothing happening was a bad thing, but she longed for adventure like she had before she became princess, rushing off to save the world or even just to solve some friendship problem somepony was having. Now what became known as the 'young six' were running around doing the rescuing and the solving. With a quiet laugh, she wondered if Celestia did something similar in her youth.
Equestria was the safest it had ever been, and with her enemies either reformed or turned to stone decorating her garden she felt like she had very little to do nowadays beyond make appearances here and there. Her friends were all taking care of their own lives, and their weekly catch up wasn't for another few days yet. Tempest Shadow still visited her from time to time, telling tales of her exploits in the frozen north, fighting windigos and spreading word of Twilight's lessons to lost little hamlets of ponies, and even a griffon colony or two.
Eventually, the princess found herself at the entrance to the great library. As she entered, the librarian gave her a smile and a polite nod before burying her nose back in the book she had open.
Twilight smiled back and gazed around at the books. Sadly, the library was as empty as the rest of the castle. "It seems nopony wants to just read books anymore." She laughed to herself quietly. "Oh my gosh, Twilight, you sound just like Granny Smith. You must be getting old."
With a sigh, she strode forwards and began taking random books off of the shelves. Some from advanced mathematics, to see if there were any equations she hadn't solved yet. There weren't so she put them back with an unsatisfied sigh. Some from advanced string theory, to see if she could drop her two bits into the matter. Her head swam as she gazed over the seemingly nonsensical scribbles and, even by her standards, advanced equations.
"Maybe not that one," she murmured and put it back on the shelf.
She passed several other rows before coming to the fiction section. She found herself rarely coming here as she grew older, finding books grounded in reality more entertaining. Her wings rustled uncomfortably, and with a grunt she began to rearrange them again.
She was glad the library was virtually empty, besides the librarian of course, while she did this. It felt embarrassing if anypony saw her do this, to have to rearrange her own wings, and was glad to do it in solitude. She bumped a shelf and knocked a book over.
"Darn."
Her wing folded by her side and glanced down at the dusty book. A warm magenta glow surrounded it as she rose it up and looked at the cover. "The Legend of Broncoles..." she read aloud as she traced her eyes over the engraved image of a lightning bolt.
One of many stories about a hero who performs great feats of strength and bravery, in a land of war and poetry, where the world remained three separate kingdoms of unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies. Where heroes and monsters, myths and legends were commonplace.
Twilight's personal favourite from when she was a filly was the book she held at this very moment. Countless books were made detailing the life and times of the hero Broncoles. Some claimed to be historical pieces, others outright novels of grand adventure, and some simply for children. Regardless of fact or fiction, to this day he remained of Equestria's most legendary and epic heroes, often discussed by lovestruck young mares playing out a fantasy, and a popular choice of costume for stallions on Nightmare Night. The stallion in question was said to have enormous strength, and sired from a god, allegedly.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to read something just for fun for a change, would it?" She glanced around to see if anypony was around. Of course there wasn't, and she let out a content sigh. As she opened the book, her face twisted in confusion and dismay as she saw the pages were either blank or all the words had been smudged out. "Huh?"
She flipped through the entire novel. Every single page was damaged, each word a meaningless scribble and the whole book just a senseless waste of paper that had been bound and pressed. Her brow furrowed in frustration.
"Who would do something like this?"
The mindless slaughter of a precious book shook her to her core. She squinted at the words, and saw some small writing that was just barely readable, along with the symbol of a lightning bolt scrawled next to it.
"It looks like a spell almost, but I don't recognise it..." she murmured as she squinted at it. She traced a hoof over the symbol, and the book suddenly began to tremble. Twilight took a step back and covered her eyes as a bright light started to emanate from it's centre. Pages ripped themselves away and formed a swirling tornado as the princess was lifted off of her hooves. She cried out and kicked in the air as she tried to grab onto something, her wings flapped uselessly against the magical pull of the vortex. "Somepony! Help!" she cried as she felt her body being pulled into the swirl of magic.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!" She shrieked as the light grew around her, and then she found herself falling, and sudden wind and rain lashed against her skin. She whipped her head around in fright, the flashes of lightning around her caused her to shriek continuously and fly blindly through the night.
Why was it night? It was barely even noon when she went into the library. Her horn ignited as she cast a shield around herself, hoping for a momentary reprieve from the storm. A bolt of lightning thundered down onto her, causing her to squeal in pain and her magic to dispel. The winds continued to buffet her, and she felt weary as blood trickled out from her nose. She feebly attempted another shield as she felt her strength weaken. Another lightning bolt struck her, and darkness took her as she began to fall.
***
The librarian put her book down and pursed her wrinkled lips. "Really now, a princess should have more sense than that," she muttered crossly. She rounded the corner to where the commotion was coming from, and glared around at the mess. Books lay scattered about, having been knocked off of their shelves, and a light breeze rustled some loose pages that blew idly by.
"Tch. I shall have to reprimand that filly later, princess or not."
Quiet Quill quietly began to tidy up the books, paying no heed to the Legend of Broncoles as the lightning bolt on it's cover seemed to sparkle.
***
Twilight stirred gently as she felt something soft and warm underneath her. A warm blanket was draped over her, yet her mane and tail remained drenched. She sneezed and rubbed her muzzle, shivering lightly beneath the blanket as she pulled it over her shoulders. Her wings fluttered lightly as she sat and looked around. No decorations, save for some nets along the walls and things that resembled a mix of farming and fishing equipment. Four simple stone walls with two small windows to the outside, which the light of the pale moon spilled through, and the water beyond seemed to glow in it's shine.
"The storm..." she murmured. The image of the Storm King flashed through her mind, and she shivered as she realised they were eerily similar.
The princess unsteadily rose to her feet and gave herself a shake. She twisted her tail and rung it as dry as she could. Her mane had already been dried, and the warm blanket that was over her
A simple cot of hay lay in one corner, where she now was, and a large wooden door stood opposite. A rug lay on the ground between the cot and the door, and the ceiling was made of a sturdy looking wood. She stepped towards the window, her hooves echoing slightly in the small room against the cold hard floor.
A knock at the door startled her. "Are you awake?" A male's voice called out from behind it. "I heard you moving about and I don't want to intrude."
His voice was soft, yet deep and powerful, Twilight thought. "Y-yes, thank you. I'm-" she stammered. "Please, come in." Butterflies lined her stomach as she readied herself. She had several questions, starting with where exactly in Equestria she was.
The large door swung open, and a stallion slightly taller than her, and stronger looking than Big Mac, stepped through. His coat was a light brown, and his long mane a darker brown, braided into a neat knot that draped behind his neck and over his shoulder. His eyes were golden in colour, and a white tunic covered his body, ending just at his flank, covering up where his cutie mark would be. Strange shoes that looked straight out of an old play covered his back hooves, and his front hooves remained dirty and rough, from years of hard work it looked like. She gazed up at him in a mixture of wonder and fright and her wings rustled under the blanket, causing it to drop from around her.
The moonlight spilled around her as her wings spread. Her mane seemed to sparkle in the silvery light of the moon's watchful eye.
He seemed to freeze as his eyes traced over her body and his cheeks turned scarlet. "Oh I didn't--One moment."
He turned and left the room in a hurry. Twilight stared after him with a puzzled look and took a glance around the room. Slightly bigger than the bedroom, more harvesting equipment adorned the walls, and a few cabinets and shelves were dotted around. A large fireplace took up most of one wall, and a large conspicuous ornate chest, where the stranger was currently hunched over, head first into the large box, sat opposite it, near what she assumed was the main door. She could see no other doors to separate rooms, and a small collection of pillows and cushions lay around a small wooden table by the fireplace
"Can you tell me where I am, please?" she asked.
"You're in a village called Haylos, in Equellenes." The stranger replied as he rummaged around in a a chest. "Or on the edge of it at least. Where was that blasted thing?"
"Haylos? Equellenes?" she murmured quietly as unease began to set in her as she took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Breath, Twilight. Breathe." She shuffled nervously as he continued to rummage, throwing bits and bobs over his shoulders and muttering and cursing to himself.
She cleared her throat and mustered up her courage. "I need to get back to Canterlot, can you tell me the way please?"
"Canterlot? Is that a new unicorn city?" The pony paused and glanced at her. He rubbed his chin and smiled. "I admit it has a nice ring to it. But I've never heard of such a place. The closest unicorn city is Cubic Zercorinth, in the far north, past Dirta and on the edge of the unicorn kingdom."
Twilight froze. Sweat dotted her brow as his words sank in. "Cubic Zerwhat now? Dirta? They're not real places," she murmured. "They're... only in storybooks..." Her voice wavered as she began to suspect what had happened. The book, the magical glow, the symbol upon it, the sensation of being pulled. Her mind raced and her mouth felt dry as she put the puzzle pieces together. Had she really been transported into a world separate from her own? She'd experienced something similar before, when she and her friends were transformed into the Power Ponies in one of Spike's comic books. Sunset Shimmer also had experience travelling between worlds, what with going to a different version of Equestria. She had her friends to help her in those situations, however, but now she was alone.
The tall pony gave a throaty laugh and grimaced, turning away from her. "I assure you the Dirtans would have your horn as a trophy if they heard you speak such blasphemy. There is a war going on you know." He turned back to the chest and cried out triumphantly. "Aha! There it is." He pulled out a simple looking sky blue robe and shook it gently at Twilight, trying his best to avert his eyes from her figure. "Here. Put this on."
War? She had never experienced war before, only read about them in stories. Twilight didn't seem to hear him continue as worry knotted her stomach. "Deep breaths, Twilight," she told herself quietly. Her legs began to tremble and her tail swished nervously. Her eyes flicked back and forth as she struggled to form complete thoughts.
The stallion coughed and shook the robe again, and chanced a glance at her face, trying very hard not to let his eyes wander. "Hello? She who fell from the sky?"
She snapped back to the present, and looked down at the cloth. "What do you want me to do with that?" she asked.
The pony's ears flattened down as a small smile played across his face. "Oh I see." His grasp of the robe slipped and it dropped to the ground as reached inside his tunic. "How much drachmae do you charge?" He asked as he extracted a small pouch from around his neck. A small jingle of coins caught her attention as she looked at him, quite confused.
"Drachmae?"
The pony rolled his eyes and sighed. "Money. Drachmae is the most used currency in Equenelles. Heh, it's virtually the only thing the three kingdoms agree on." He looked around out the window, almost ashamedly, to see if anypony was nearby or listening and rubbed his nose "When I saw you fall I figured you a messenger of the gods on some divine quest, not a mare of the night." His gaze focused on her and he winked. "But I won't complain. How about... twenty drachmae for an hour? Thirty? That seems fair."
Twilight shook her head. "Mare of the--What? I don't-" Then it dawned on her what he meant and she recoiled, snatching the robe up from the ground. "I'm not a prostitute!" she cried as her cheeks turned scarlet. "How dare you!" Her hooves trembled as she held the cloth over herself, feeling her cheeks burn as blood rushed to her head. "How--How dare you!" She repeated, lost for words.
The pony raised his hooves defensively. "Hey you're the one flying about naked, it's not my fault if I or anypony else mistook you for a whore."
Twilight felt anger build up inside herself. She marched straight up to him and jabbed a hoof at his chest, momentarily dropping the robe. "Listen buddy! How dare you speak to me like that. I am a princess I'll have you know!" She spread her wings as if to illustrate her point as her eyes blazed with magical fury. "I am the Princess of Friendship, the First and Last Star, sole successor to Celestia and Luna." She slammed a hoof down to punctuate her words. "My name is Twilight Sparkle! And--and--HOW DARE YOU?!" She spun around as magical energy built up inside her skull, and her temper grew too much for her to contain.
A bolt of pink energy fired from her horn and struck the wall with such force she cracked the stone in two. Moonlight spilled through, shining a silver beam of light across the room.
He stared at her in awe and chortled quietly. "I've heard of the power of unicorns, but nothing like that... most impressive."
She took a deep breath and turned back to him. A scowl spread across her face as she stood in silence, her wings still fully erect and almost throbbing with an extreme dislike. Magic surrounded the robe as she held it up and brought it close to her chest. "Turn around."
The stallion obeyed with a small shrug, and began to hum a quiet tune as Twilight slipped the robe on.
It surprisingly fit her quite well, and her wings rustled gently underneath as she thankfully, although they were clearly still visible under the robe. She glared at the pony as he continued to sing and remained facing the wall.
"You can turn around now," she said. The anger had subsided for now, and she took deep breaths to remain calm. She hadn't gotten that angry in ages, and yet it felt somewhat of a relief to let off some steam.
He turned and looked at her, eyeing her properly for the first time.
"You say you're a princess?" His eyes focused on her forehead. "Of the unicorn kingdom I'm assuming? But then..." He gestured to her wings and cocked his head. "You have wings, like a pegasus." He looked her in the eye curiously. "Are you a bastard?"
The anger rose once again. Twilight raised a hoof to give him a deserved slap and he simply reached out and caught her hoof before it connected.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Although his voice was kind, there was a subtle threat hidden beneath his words. "Trust me." His muscles seemed to ripple with his words, and his grip was tighter than she was expecting.
Twilight wrenched her hoof away from him and glared at him. "Why shouldn't I? All you've done is insult me and call me a whore and a bastard!" She looked around as panic began to swell inside her. "I've never been--and I don't know where--or when I am--and---and." Twilight rounded in him. "And who are you anyway?!" she demanded from him as tears began to well up in her eyes. She backed up and stumbled over a chair.
The stallion sighed and bowed to her. "My name is Broncoles. I saved you from Poseidon's embrace. You're in my house, where you cracked my wall with your sorcery, and we're on the edge of the village of Haylos. It is currently the four hundred and forty first year of Lord Zeus's Light, and the beginning of Poseidon's Month. You're lucky the water didn't kill you when you landed in it, it's treacherous this time of year." He scratched his nose awkwardly. "Although you were naked, so maybe that's why the Ocean Lord spared you. He likes his mares as much as Zeus does."
Twilight stared at him with an open jaw, choosing to ignore his remark about her nakedness. His words reverberated around her skull as she absorbed the information. "Did... you say Broncoles? As in-"
"The one and only," he said proudly with a smile as he straightened up.
Her eyes widened and sparkled with excitement. "The legendary hero?!" she exclaimed as she tapped her hooves together.
His smile faltered as he gave her a quizzical look. "The... what now?"
The excitement faded from Twilight as she looked him over. He had none of the markings Broncoles was depicted as having, and he remained rather rude for a legendary hero of his renown. His home reflected a simple fisherpony too, and she stammered. She figured it must just be a coincidence and felt disappointed. "It's... difficult to explain. Let me start over, Mr... Broncoles. My name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm-"
He waved a hoof and grinned. "Yes I know, oh great and powerful first and last star." Her ears burned with indignation as he gave her a mocking bow. "Come. Sit. Tell me your story. I'm intrigued."
Twilight relented and sat down on one of the pillows beside her. The surprising comfiness of it caught her off guard. Broncoles trotted over to the fireplace and , soon creating a small blaze as he stoked it gently. For such a large pony, he moved with a certain graceful quality, she thought as she watched him.
"There. That should do for now." He turned to look at her and settled down on his own pillows. "Begin."
She took a deep breath and began to explain herself, starting with her morning routine, and the daily life of a princess.
Broncoles watched and listened intently, simply occasionally nodding, and remaining silent.
***
As the princess finished, he took a deep breath and ran a hoof through his mane and fiddled with his braid. "That is... very interesting, Twilight Sparkle," he murmured after a few minutes of saying nothing. The quiet sounds of the oceans waves lapping against the shore outside filled the heavy silence that fell between them.
Twilight looked up at him miserably as he stood and stretched, cracking his neck and shaking his legs. She took a deep breath and asked him, "You don't believe me, do you?"
He shook his head. "I am afraid not, but I will still assist you to the unicorn kingdom, as I am intrigued by this word 'alicorn', you call yourself." Broncoles narrowed his eyes at her. "A unicorn with wings was once said to be the son of Zeus, a great and terrible evil upon the world who dared defy the gods..."
His voice faded as the fire lightly crackled. Silence once again fell between them, interrupted only by the sounds of the waves cresting the coast outside.
Twilight hung her head and looked at the ground as she traced a hoof over the table. A great and terrible evil? The only alicorns she knew were some of the best ponies Equestria had, save for when Luna had her Nightmare Moon phase. "I'm sorry, I don't know anypony called Zeus, it was just an accident that I came here..." She felt embarrassed, and her wings rustled uncomfortably under her borrowed robe.
"Hmmm." Broncoles rubbed his chin and thought for a moment as he watched her. "Ah. No matter." He clapped his hooves and smiled as she looked up. "You are welcome to stay the night, I will sleep in here so you can have the bed. You seemed quite taken with it when I brought you in from the cold."
Twilight felt stunned for a moment, and nodded slowly, impressed with his generosity. "That's... thank you. Thank you for saving me." She smiled at him.
He waved a hoof and chuckled. "No need for that, I was raised to be respectful by my mother, Hades rest her soul. Besides-" He leant down close to her. "How often does one get to save a princess?" he asked with a cheeky grin. She waved a hoof at him and scowled before breaking into a smile. She rose from the pillows and moved to the bedroom doorway, taking a long look around the room.
Her gaze rested on Broncoles and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. "What are you doing?" she asked as he began to stretch and lift his tunic up, revealing his flank and sides. He pulled at his mane, releasing it from it's small braid and sent it cascading down around him.
"Eh?" He turned to her quizzically as he slipped his tunic over his head. "Undressing. You don't expect me to sleep in my clothes do you?"
"Uhhhh..." Although she was used to ponies being quote-unquote naked, the sudden sight of him without his tunic made her acutely aware that he was now naked, and she had still never 'been' with a stallion yet in that sense.
She stared at his muscles, and how they rippled, and his light brown skin appeared bronze in the dim light of the fire. She noted his cutie mark, a golden lightning bolt emblazoned on his flank, the same symbol that was on the book. She quickly turned into the bedroom. "Uhhh s-sorry," she mumbled as she closed the door.
Broncoles flexed his shoulders and stretched his muscles. He snorted with a laugh as he lay down on his back and folded his hooves over his chest, his thoughts swimming about the strange mare in his bedroom. When the moonlight hit her, and she spread her wings, she resembled a nymph of the wild. Like one of Aphrodite's attendants, beautiful, yet deadly. Her magic had more than proven that.
Her words echoed inside his head, of how she came from a place where all ponies were equal and wondered what that would be like. "By Zeus," he muttered as he slapped himself in the face. "What have you gotten yourself into now, Broncoles?"
He closed his eyes and turned over, stretching his legs out as he rested. His breathing remained the only sound as the last of the embers snuffed out.
Meanwhile, Twilight lay as still as she could and covered herself with his borrowed blanket. Her mind raced as she thought about the book, and the magic that it had contained. She'd never even read about anything like that, how was she supposed to know what would have happened? She thought about Broncoles, and the stories she had read about him and his adventures.
She raised her hooves and looked at them as a sudden realization spread across her. "What am I doing?" she asked herself. The butterflies in her stomach slowly disappeared, and her feeling of fear merged with the small excitement that was beginning to grow in her. "Just this morning you were wishing you had some excitement in your life, now you've got some. In what seems to be one of your favourite historical settings no less, fictional or not."
She turned over into the hay and stared at wall opposite her. "Also this would be a great way to study interdimensional travel." A smile spread across her face as she thought about the stories she read, and how different it would be to experience them first hoof.
She pushed any remaining negative thoughts out of her mind for the time being and closed her eyes, taking deep, slow breaths. The strong scent of hay in her nostrils gave her a small comfort.
