Chapters The sun sets. Another windless dusk. Waves crashes against the rough rocky wall. Torches light up the sandy shore as hooded figures make their way over to a wooden casket nestled in the sands. The ocean trickles its waters higher up the shore, easing the casket back into the blue void. Hooves quickly clasp onto the wooden bed, pulling it out from the waters and back onto land further up.
The musty casket was nailed shut, albeit horribly, as if whoever wanted to get rid of it, they did so hurriedly. In the same manner, one of the three hooded figures struck a metal shaft in between the casket and the lid prying it open. Eventually, the wood gave in releasing the lid from the nail’s clutches.
Inside is a young mare, an earth pony. Unconscious. Fur wet from the voyage. The hooded figures reach in and pull the mare out from the casket. The other two figures lays the mare on the back of the third large figure and they made their way inland.
~ ~ ~
Warmth surrounds the body. The scent of dried sage permeated the air. The sound of fire snapping and hissing soon filled the room. The eyelids became less heavy and light shined through.
A mature doe with an eye patch sits beside the mare occupying herself with a book. She hears the mare moan silently. She looks at the mare, making sure she heard the moan from her. Instead the mare slowly moves her hoof from underneath the covers. This brought the doe to her legs. She levitates the book on the table as she quickly makes her way out the door and closes it behind her.
The mare slowly moves her head, her eyes making out every detail in the room. A cabinet where various liquids are kept in glass jars. A wooden table, where a tub of water and gauzes lay. A chair where a folded blanket sat. And a wardrobe, presumably where a doctor’s robes are in. This is a patient's room, a shoddy one at that.
The door opens and a stocky deer comes in, followed by the same doe from earlier. The mare looks over to the door and sees another deer, with a raggedy robe, walking in making it three visitors in the room. The mare tries to sit up only to find herself tied down.
“Easy now,” The robed deer says. The mare lowers her head back onto the pillow. “You’ve just woken up.”
The stocky deer walks by the table and stops abruptly. His horns glow and the book levitates. He then turns to face the doe. “Do not be leaving anything like this in here!” He says with a stern, gruff voice. It wasn’t until now that the mare realizes what the book was. A grimoire.
The robed deer walks closer to the mare. “Do you feel nauseous? Any signs of dizziness?” The mare stares quietly at the, doctor . “What about numbness? Any discomfort anywhere in the body?”
“She's fine, doc.” The stocky deer says. “She's only been here for two days. I’m sure she's recovered enough.”
“We can’t be too sure.” The, doctor says.
“For all we know this, mute , could be a mule-” The stocky deer stops for a moment before leaning in. “Do you think they may have sealed her throat?” The mare shudders at the thought and looks to the doctor .
“If they did, she wouldn’t have made any noise.” The doctor walks over to the cabinet. He opens the glass door and levitates a glass jar with a yellow substance inside. The cork pops loose and the doctor walks back to the mare with the jar. “Drink this.” The mare turns her head away, her eyes staring at the doctor . “This isn’t going to kill you.”
The mare looks at the yellow liquid in the jar. It looks thin and slightly clear. She turns her head back towards the doctor and lifts her head. The doctor brings the jar to the mare's mouth and tilts the jar, slowly, pouring the liquid into her mouth.
The mare takes one gulp and quickly gags. She begins to cough, almost kecking each time. “What is that?!” The mare finally says under her coughs.
“A mixture of fermented berries, my friend.” The doctor says. “You looked parched.” The cork pops back into the jar. "Now, may I ask a few questions?" The doctor says as he brings himself closer to the mare, who tilts herself away from the doctor . "Who are you?"
The mare, puzzled, looks pass the doctor , failing to memorize any sense of what she is.
"Alright, let's start simple. What is your name?" The mare, confused at the idea of not memorizing any thought of her own name, eyes darting around the room. "Aberrant." The doctor says. The mare meets her eyes back at the doctor's , "I shall name you aberrant".
The mare realizes the doe past the stocky deer, writing on a smaller book. Her eyes looking up from the book to look directly at her before writing some more.
"Next question." The doctor continues. "What are you?"
The mare looks at the doctor before uttering, "What do you mean by that?"
"Well," the doctor says, "I'm only saying what everyone has been thinking for the past two days you've spent here."
The mare looks at the stocky deer, who is intensely staring at her, memorizing briefly, before looking back at the doctor . "Are I not a pony?" She pauses before looking at the stocky deer, "An earth pony?"
The stocky deer walks over to the bed side. "You may have the body of an earth pony." His horns glow pulling the covers from the bed revealing the mare's body. "But would an earth pony have hooves like you?"
The mare's body was that of a normal pony, only the hooves were that of a unicorn. A cloven hoof . The doe gasp at the sight of the hooves nearly dropping the little book from her concentration.
The stocky deer places a hoof near the mare's head bringing his head closer. "Are you not an abomination that the earth ponies have created?!" He huffs. "Are you not a walking disease sent to contaminate us?!" He begins to yell louder. "Are you only sent here to cause chaos for us again?!" The mare stares on at the stocky deer as a moment passes. "What are you!?!"
"I don't know what I am!" The mare yells back, her chest rising up and down in anxiety. "I am just an earth pony born with hooves just like you!" She begins to breath heavily. "I don't know what all this could mean. I am just as confused as you are."
The stocky deer gazes past her. "Your parents..." he murmurs under his voice.
"What?" The mare says.
The stocky deer looks directly at her. "Your parents. What are your parents!?" Before the mare could say anything the stocky deer glows and is pulled away by the doe, who's little antlers are glowing intensely than before.
"That's quite enough, Adler." The doctor says. "She does not need to go deep into her lineage for you whilst presenting yourself fearful." The stocky deer is placed away from the bed and the glow dissipates. "She may not even open up to you."
The doe sits down on the floor after the magic she had just casted, rubbing her temples with her hooves.
"I am truly sorry for our friend, Adler, here." The doctor says as he begins to reach down and pulls on a lever. The top part of the bed is then raised to have the mare sit upright. "He is just on edge."
"We are all on edge, doc." Adler says.
"We are all wanting answers from you." The doctor brings a stool over and sits down. "You see, you are the only visitor from the capital in the last eighteen years."
The mare stares onward past the doctor . "How long have you all been here?"
"We've been here for twenty-three years now." The doctor pausing before continuing. "No ponies. Just those with cloven hooves ."
"How many?" The mare asks.
The doctor pauses before continuing. "We are now at ninety-one hooves. ninety-one hooves living strong."
The young doe places a conch shell back into her bag and walks toward the doctor . “Four Bane is wanting to see her now.”
“Very well.” The doctor says. His horns glow and a drawer opens, levitating a scissor.
The mare sees the scissor floating towards her and squirms in her bindings before, Adler, blocks the scissor’s path.
“What are you doing?" Adler asks. "She is not to be trusted.”
“Do you see any horns on her?” The doctor says. “I do not”.
It takes a while before, Adler, moves away allowing the scissor to cut the bindings tying the mare down. The mare slowly sits up, her cloven hooves clasping at her wrists.
“Come, aberrant,” The doctor says. “The elders await us”.
Eyes laid on the mare, primarily her hooves, as they walked on a dirt path leading to the mess hall. There are no ponies. No pegasi. And, among a whole village of cloven hooves , there are no unicorns either. There are hushed chatters left and right. Foals, colts and calves are few. The older looking members have their horns, what seems to be, sawed off or hacked off. A rite of some sort that the mare wishes to never think of.
The one eyed doe leads the mare, along with the doctor and Adler, up the stairs and in front of the doors. Adler holds the mare back, walking past her toward the door, where he places both of his hooves on the sturdy wooden frames and pushes them open.
From inside, various race of cloven hooves, from the Zebra's of the southern lands, to the stoutly Goats from the west. Buffalos from the mountainside of the capital. To the Elks of the far north, sat around a giant rectangle table. They converse with one another, each bickering to each other. Angry expressions are drawn on their faces, some with a more uneasy notion on them. The chatter dies down as one by one they address their gaze to the entrance of the hall. Silence filled the hall, with the occasional pop from the giant fireplace, placed on the north side of the hall, it's orange glow illuminating the back side of every being in this very hall.
"Excuse us," The doctor begins. "You have called for us?"
"Aaah, yes," A deep voice can be heard from a giant elk, whose antlers are tall, stretching out as if trying to touch the ceiling, sits from across the table. "Come in." He beckons with a wave of his hoof.
The doctor urges the mare to follow him to a set of empty seats from the left side of the Elk.
"I do believe we have ourselves a, guest from the capital."
"Not actually a guest," a zebra says, with a leaf ornament around it's head. "More of an intruder ."
"Oh not this again," a stoic buffalo, with one horn sawed off, says as he huffs. "Only those with cloven hooves are sent here to the island. She's a mule ."
"Mules do not have cloven hooves!" A goat bleats over the table. "If any mule were to have cloven hooves, they'd be an, abomination ."
"Then the mare would have surely sicken the deer now wouldn't they?" The buffalo huffs. "It has been nearly 3 days and no signs of sickness has arisen now has there?"
"I would like to keep it so." The zebra says, as he tilts his head toward the ceiling.
The room is then filled with arguments once again. The mare stares in confusion. What has been happening here on the island? What has been happening in the past? The elk raise his hoof in silence. The room falls quiet again.
"Guest . Mule . Intruder . Abomination . In any form, or ill given name ," He shoots a gaze to each of the races. "this, mare, is a fellow cloven hoof, is she not?" The mare sees the other, cloven hooves avert their eyes and stare down on the table. The elk stands himself up from his seat and begins to walk toward the mare. "I have heard such anger and mistrust from the so called, ponies , of the world, that I had hoped not hear, or bare witness, to any of it since the day we were sent here." He stops briefly by the mare's side, she gives the elk a quick gaze before looking away.
The elk continues. "But it seems the days on the capitol is also changing, and with it, I assumed, the ponies' actions ." The elk walks past the buffalo, the goat and the zebra as he slowly continues toward the giant fireplace. "But it seems the, ponies, are adamant, of sending any, who bare cloven hooves, out from their lands." Silence fills the room. "We should all, at the very least, understand what has happened in our perspectives, rather than let the body of a familiar, and hated race, guide our thoughts." The elk reaches the fireplace. His antlers glow an orange hue and out from the fireplace, a lone ember rises from the ashes. "At least give her the opportunity to prove her innocence before snuffing out her will to live." The ember from the elk's levitating spell begin to crumble and fall to the ground leaving no trace of fire burning within.
The elk turns from the fireplace to face the party. "Should any given threat rises, from the moment our mare friend arrived here on the island, I will give up my position as, leader , and have you all banish me." The other races lift their heads to look at the elk. "That is what I give up for," He extends his hoof to the deers beside the mare. "it is they who give up their life for," The mare catches Adler, the doctor , and the one eyed doe nod their heads. "to find the truth." The elk then shifts his eyes to the other races. "In the unexpected three years of silence, I expect you all do the same."
A moment of silence passes. Soft murmurs begin to arise from the silence as the other races chat amongst each other. The goat shuffles out of their seat and is escorted out of the mess hall by their subordinates. As the others chat amongst themselves the elk walks over to the mare.
The doctor stands up from their seat as the elk approaches. "I take it the meeting has, adjourned ?"
"I don't think it will be likely to resume." The elk states. He then gazes on pass the doctor toward the mare. "I take it you are in need of answers?" The mare stares on, not sure whether or not to nod or give any sign of understanding.
The doctor leans into the elk. "She has no recollection of her name whatsoever." The doctor whispers. "I've given the liberty to call her, Aberrant , if that is okay with you?"
"Call her what ever you may," The elk says. "she is a cloven hoof no less." The mare furrows her brow at the elk, not wanting to be given a name she doesn't like without her consent. "Give her the dignity of finding herself before placing such a name on her." The elk continues.
The doctor lowers his head. "Yes, Four Bane." He quickly says. "I should have thought of that sooner."
Four Bane continues pass the doctor , and toward the mare. He stands firmly by her side before speaking. "Here, we call ourselves, cloven hoof. " He states. "You may take the name, and do with it as you please."
The mare steps down from the chair and stands herself before Four Bane. "Then you may call me, Cloven Hoof."
~ ~ ~
The hooves clop their way down the windy dirt road up the hill as Cloven Hoof, Four Bane and the three deer make their way to a wooden hut, with thatch roof and a single window facing the same direction as the door.
"This is where you will be for tonight." Four Bane, says.
The party bring themselves closer to the hut before stopping under it's awning. "It may seem shanty," The doctor says. "but at least you will have company."
"Company from what?" The mare asks. She turns to face the open cliff side from where the door is facing. Below the hill is the rest of the village. Suitable houses, some with clay exteriors, others with only straw, stand in bundles of each other. The only secluded hut, her own. "I'm, literally, far from the only civilization here on the island."
"I'll be here with you." Cloven Hoof spins herself around to see the doe walk herself up to her. "I don't think you've known who I am yet." The doe places her hoof at her chest and bows. "I am, Eleanor. A, scribe, of the same sort." She places her hoof down. She then levitates the grimoire out from her bag. "Only, I know magic as well."
The doctor rises to the thought as well. "Ah yes, then there is I." He bows as well. "Marrien Ahke, at your service."
Cloven Hoof passes her gaze to each of the deer, and Four Bane, before continuing. "So, you are all the, officials of the island?" She asks.
"I wouldn't say officials , lass." A gruff voice can be heard coming up from the path toward them. A buffalo, with the broken horn, makes the clearing. "More of the first , cloven hooves, to arrive on the island."
"The, first?" The mare questions.
The buffalo makes his way over to the company by the hut. "For, twenty-three years, young lass, have these four been here. The first being, Four Bane." Cloven Hoof looks over to the elk. "The longest any of the cloven hooves have been here. Three months before a new face showed up."
"That would be me." Marrien says. "I helped cultivate the crops you see here today.
"A gardener and a doctor. Who says deer can't do multiple things at once?" Adler says.
The mare looks over to him. "I guess you were the third?"
"Oh no," Adler says. "Wasn't here before, Eleanor." He states.
"You weren't?" The mare says. She looks to, Eleanor, who turns away, staring into the forest. "What, happened?" She says.
Four Bane, steps in. "It wasn't until we saw, Eleanor, arrived, that we knew something wasn't right."
"What wasn't, right?" The mare asks. "What was, wrong to begin with?"
"We thought it was just the way the, ponies , herded Marrien and I." Four Bane says. "We both had antlers, at least we thought the, ponies, were sending those that can conjure magic through horns."
"Our suspicions were correct," Marrien continues. "when the, ponies, were sending zebras here to the island. Year two, I believe?"
"I had only thought they wanted me for my parents." Eleanor says. Cloven Hoof looks toward the doe. "I had thought they just needed a simple answer. They took me in and begin to beat me." The mare's eyes widen. "I gave them the answer they were looking for. Only, the beatings, they didn't stop." The doe continues to quiver. "They- they..."
"They wouldn't leave her alone." Adler continues. "They did to her what the, ponies, did to my sister before." Adler begins to clench his teeth. "When I saw Eleanor with the eye patch, the moment I arrived, I knew what they had done to her."
"The, ponies, believed those with different colored eyes had a source of power." The buffalo continues. "They would remove the eye that is the brightest of the two." The mare turns her gaze slowly to the doe.
"That didn't work, apparently." The doe says. She peers into the trees, a glow warps around a single tree. The leaves begin shaking and the ground rumbles. The tree is then uprooted and thrown across the forest, spearing and splitting any tree in its path, before lodging itself in between two boulders. "I may not have the largest horns, but my magic became stronger because of that trauma." She sat herself down on a fallen log. "My only regret, is to not be able to use this, new found power, against the ponies ."
"They'll have what's coming to them." Four Bane says, "A shame we won't be delivering said karma."
The silence set in as a moment passes. Cloven Hoof turns her attention to the buffalo, her eyes wondering on his horns. "What about you?" She asks.
The buffalo looks up from the view to meet the mare's eyes. He hesitates.
"Year three ," Eleanor continues, reading from her book. "The ponies begin removing the horns of those, who they believe, could conjure magic. "
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Eleanor's Entries I - The Chronicles of the Island
It has been a month now. My eye is still sore. It pains me to know that there are those, younger than me, who endure this torture only to die from shock, if not the loss of blood. Four Bane and Marrien have been so kind to every one who arrives on the island. I've been tasked to write down the inhabitants that live on the island.
There are now a total of 13 new members on the island. Savor Meer, wanted to know if the water is fresh. As a buffalo they may need it more than I do. I can live with just a little of the greens that cultivates around here. Marrien is also beginning to find wild vegetables the island produces. Just today he is starting to build a place that can help with growing more fruits and vegetables in the next coming years. Who knows how long we will be here. Best be prepared before anything happens.
~ ~ ~
Adler came to me today. He carried a book with him. Says it's his sister's. He wants me to have it. I think he wants to still believe that his sister is still alive. I don't blame him. I'm just surprise he came to me. I will just, read it, if it makes him feel any happier. ... This book is a grimoire...
~ ~ ~
A year has passed. More members are arriving the island that we are now housing 27 hooves. Actually, make that 29. Two new, young members have been born in the last months. I don't think Four Bane likes it but, what can you do? Love is still blooming even after all this, crisis. I still don't know why the, ponies, are wanting those who can conjure magic. What are they planning? If anything, magic, is the reason why they do this. And it is the core reason that, they, need something.
~ ~ ~
This disgusts me! What are they doing? Why are they doing this? Members are arriving the island with their horns cut off! Why must they cut them off? The caskets are just stained with blood!
~ ~ ~
It has been 3 years. 67 hooves... and counting. The numbers are slowing. That is good, in some way. The living conditions have improved from huts, to suitable houses. They are not up to standard but, what can we do? We are all not carpenters. We do not know how to build homes. I should not argue, as I like being alone. Although Marrien wants me to come live near the village, I simply want to live in peace. That is how I like it. That is what makes me happy. Alone. Where I can think. It's, what makes me happy...
~ ~ ~
I've always wanted to know how magic works. I've no horns to conjure any magic, but, according to Sey'lie, a zebra who also studies magic, our minds are what help produces the energy we need to conjure magic. She says that there are three types of magic known to the cloven hooves. -The first type is the verbal use of magic. The vibration of the tongue, changing the tone of the voice, to change the very air around the user to conjure magic. -The second is alchemy. Although, quite dark for me, it is Sey'lie's choice in magic. Creating tonics and potions through the use of mixing nature to create spells. -And the third, is apparently, telepathy. Magic, for those with horns, use to weave spells and conjure a storm if need be. It is the strongest of the three types of magic. Sey'lie says that I would not need a horn to conjure magic. Instead, I can focus on my trauma to create the spells all by just remembering what I've went through. It's scary to think that she knows all this, however, she says that she cannot do it as her bloodline does not have any horned ancestors. I thought rhinoceros' were related to the zebras of the west. Sad to say, I'm relieved that she can not conjure magic "telepathically."
~ ~ ~
5 Years. It has been five, long years. I do not like seeing those arriving with bloodied horns. Although new members are arriving at a slow pace. I should have been used to it by now... Maybe I'm just queasy... No. That may not be it...
~ ~ ~
I have not been able to produce magic in my entire life. I've always envied those with horns, especially of the males. Unicorns have both genders using magic. I hate that I can't conjure any magic. I've been practicing for 2 years and nothing is conjuring! Why can't I do it? I've been thinking of the pain. I've been thinking of, my pain! My mother. My father...
~ ~ ~
I've a headache for a while now. Four Bane visited me and asked if I needed anything. I told him I am fine. He looked worried. I've never seen him like that. Maybe all this is slowly getting to him too. He puts on a stoic attitude that I don't know what he is feeling. I hate when they do that. Just tell me what is wrong, damnit! I hate having to guess!
~ ~ ~
8 Years have past. 3 years since the capitol sent anything. I'm beginning to worry that maybe we are all that is left. 87 hooves... 6 young included.
~ ~ ~
Adler came to see me again. He has been visiting me ever since he gave me the book, but, it feels different now. He has been visiting frequently and has an impatient attitude with him. I told him if everything is alright and all he ever says is that his sister was once a quite remarkable doe. She could do this. She could do that. And even conjure magic. I know I should be amazed by his sister, but, having to know how magic works, she must have gone through so much trauma to conjure any magic, especially at a young age. I may not know, but I think I don't want to know either. I feel better not wanting to think about it at all...
~ ~ ~
15 Years. The older members are becoming feeble and we don't have a single clue as to where to make a burial site. The island is huge, but, it is also small. I hate having to think about it, but it's what I need to for now. I have never thought about this being brought up until now. To make things easier, we are at 94 hooves. 11 Young. 65 Healthy. 18 Old.
~ ~ ~
...My head aches so bad...
~ ~ ~
Adler came by today. Boy... What a day. All I can say is that I did it!
~ ~ ~
My head aches were a sign that I had little antlers growing. I guess from the use of mentally training, and straining, my mind began to awaken. I was able to levitate, something, for the first time. Within 2 months of levitating magic became easier. My horns were growing. It all started when Adler began to exercise my mind with me. He started a regime with me and began with us waking up early in the morning. I would had to concentrate on a single object. He wouldn't let me take a break for an hour. Even when we were done, he would spout nonsense about how things never will work with me being useless. Maybe it was his way of making me stress. Good work, Adler. Although, in return, I almost broke one of his hooves. I have had enough of his yelling that my mind hurt and magic came out of no where. I lifted him off the ground and flung him to a tree. I thought I'd killed him. He only laughed as I got closer. He had me scared.
~ ~ ~
23 Years. 7 of the 18 elders have passed on. 6 more hooves were born. 65 healthy. 91 hooves altogether. We may be dying out as of now. Here on the island. Cloven hooves...