An Otherworldly Adventure

Pone-Hedge, this ancient site is shrouded in mystery. No pony, or any creature in general know who, or what built it, or why it’s one of the most centralized points of Equestria with the highest magical fluxes. Many of scholars and archaeologists have tried to study the site, looking for anything that could tell them what Pone-Hedge is, from studying the simple stone structures, to examining the very few ancient written Ponish text scattered about, none of them still know next to nothing about the strange, deserted site. But there is one thing that the few scholars have noticed when studying Pone-Hedge, and that it is where powerful spells are performed, spells that are on par with alicorns and spirits like Discord. It is even said that this ancient site of power is where Starswirl the Beareded, and the other pillars of Light made their final stand against the Pony of Shadows, trapping him within the realm of Limbo. And it is at this site that something strange is happening.

The six pillars of rocks that circle around the central point of the of Pone-Hedge were crackling with electricity, arcing, and crackling with power as winds started to pick up, bellowing across the land as clouds start to form around the general location of the ancient monument.

Then from said forming clouds bolts of lightning came crashing down into each pillar, causing the already forming electricity to grow more intensely, and arcing all over the place. As the winds and thunder continued to rage on, causing trees, rocks, and everything around Pone-Hedge to shift and wobble, a ball of pure electrical energy was forming on the central rock bed of Pone-Hedge and started abording the arcing electricity from the six surrounding pillars. After the orb has absorbed enough lightning from the pillars, it started to glow and shine with an intense light, then after a very brief moment of silence the orb erupted in a resounding BOOM that echoed across the land. The boom explosion was so forceful that the very ground of Pone-Hedge, and its surrounding landscaped shuttered under the might of the explosive force, followed by the orb scattering bolts of energy across the ancient site, singeing the land and any foliage around it.

But the explosion not only released a thundering roar, or arcing bolts of static furry, but several dozens of smaller balls of light also emerged from the sphere. Scattering in all directions, screaming as they whizz through the skies, causing any who saw them to look upon them with wonder, awe, and trepidation.

After the shattering of the energy orb, and the scattering of the small balls of light, the storm residing above Pone-Hedge started to slowly subside, and the land starts returning to its once peaceful, and quite state. But the pillars of Pone-Hedge continues to arc with electricity, but that wasn’t all that there was to the site, now there was something else in the midst of the ancient structure. Laying on the flat stony surface center piece, body laying limp as the dying winds waft over the comatose creature, it’s clothes and the five objects scattered around it crackling with energy. The body remains limb and unresponsive the worlds sensations, even as the nights cold breeze continues to waft over it.

But after five minutes of just lying there, the body finally starts to show signs of movement, in the form of the figures right hand twitching, the fingers jittering before calming uncurling. and an exhausted groan leaves its mouth, along with a puff of heated air meeting the cold atmosphere.

~~Canterlot~~

In the city of Canterlot, the capital of the nation of Equestria, ponies were enjoying the night by means of parties or late night get togethers watched as several glowing yellow orbs just streak across the sky, leaving behind faint sparks of lightning. Up in the castle of Canterlot Luna and her sister, Celestia who was about to head off to bed, also witnessed the unusual sight of the orbs of light soaring through the air. And quite frankly, neither sister knew what these lights entail. But they were both hoping that whatever they were they did not signify another impeding threat, the ponies of Equestria were still recovering from their ordeal with Discords return, which was thankfully put to an end before too much damage could’ve been to the nation.

“Do you suppose this could be a latent effect from Discord’s magic?” Luna asked as she and Celestia continued to watch the flying spheres.

“I’m not sure Luna, with Discord you can never know what he’ll do, or leave behind.” Celestia said as she turned to look at her sister.

“But when Twilight and her friends re-sealed him, the Elements of Harmony should’ve undone everything that Discord has done to Equestria.”

The sisters conversation was halted when they both heard screams coming from the city below them, and the two alicorns turned to face where the screams were generally coming from, they both saw something glowed intensely in the city. Before it flickered and died out. Both curious and worried for their subjects, both sisters lept from the balcony they were on, and flew down to where the light came from, and when they reached their destination, the sisters found a small crowd of ponies gathered around what looks like a small crater. Touching down the two alicorns approached the small hole in the street, making the crowd separate and allowing the two sisters trot pass them, and when they reached the crater they found something in it.

“What is that?” Luna said as Celestia cautiously picks the item up with her magic.

“It looks like some kind of, dragon-shaped kite?” the elder sister remarked as she slowly turns the kite around in the air, looking it all over and examining it.

“It doesn’t appear to be dangerous, but—” the white alicorn narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked more intently at the kite.

“It has some kind of magical energy flowing through it.” the princess then turned to face the crowd as she gives them all a curious look.

“Did any pony see where these came from? “ one of the ponies, a cream colored unicorn with a rosy mane and tail, stepped forth before speaking.

“It came from the sky your majesty; it was one of those flying orbs before it came soaring down to the street.” The unicorn said as she articulated the events that occurred when the kite came down to Canterlot.

Just then another glowing orb came flying over Canterlot, a bit lower than the others, and this one was on a crash course with the castle. A resounding ‘BOOM’ echoed throughout the city when the orb crashed, scarring the ponies in the street, even the princesses were startled by the crash. but both alicorns were able to get a handle on the situation, recovering from their own shock of the event, before addressing their subjects.

“Everypony calm yourselves!” Luna bellowed as flared her wings, getting every ponies attention almost immediately upon her announcement.

“Now fret not, your princesses will investigate this matter, but for the time being return to your homes to avoid any injuries.”

The ponies did as the night princess said, rushing out of the streets and into any nearby buildings. With the cities occupants heading into the buildings for shelter, Celestia and Luna took to the air and flew back to the castle. When the two reached the structure they could see the royal guards scrambling around, moving the rubble that feel from the large hole made in the castle wall, and pegasi scanning the hole to make sure no more of it will fall. Flying through the opening the pair found themselves in Bluebloods room, with the bed, rug, and some of the decorations of the room scattered about, or just out right ruined. Same with the door that has a hole in it as well, and the left one was hanging on by one of its hinges. It’s a good thing that Blueblood was in Manehatten, otherwise the princesses, heck, all of Canterlot would be victims of the spoiled prince’s whining for days till his room was ‘perfect’ again.

Trotting pass the destroyed doors of the pampered prince’s room, the princesses followed the trail of shattered vases, and knocked over podiums until the reach the end of the hallway. Where the two of them found some lodged into the wall, with a small group of maids, butlers, and guards looking up at the object. Which looked like a coiling black serpent of some kind. Again with her magic, Celestia took hold of the object and tried to remove it from the wall, although it was certainly pretty stuck in the wall, but with a little effort the solar princess was able to dislodged it. once the bauble was free both princesses examined it, and they both noticed that it has the same magical energies coursing through it. however there was, something else flowing through it, they couldn’t exactly describe it, but they knew that something about this object was different from the dragon kite.

“Just where in the world did these things came from?” Luna asked as she and her sister left the group of castle staff and guards, who were cleaning up the debris around the crater in the wall, and were trotting down a hallway.

“Your guess is as good as mine Luna.” Celestia replied as the two rounded a corner. “But for the time being we should store these in the treasury, and send out search parties for where the other orbs flew off to.”

“Agreed. Until we know what these things are, it’s best to keep them in a secure place until we can uncover what they are.”

Celestia silently nodded as the sisters continued on their way to the treasury. Several minutes later and two alicorns had arrived at their destination, a set of large iron doors, each with a special lock that bares either sisters cutie mark. Celestia and Luna then started to pour just a little bit of their magic into each lock, Celestia unlocking the left one, while Luna unlocks the right one.

After the hefty locks were undone, the doors to the treasury slowly creaked open, a testament to how rarely they open and are upkept by the staff. the doors opened just enough for the alicorns to slip right through them, entering the large chamber filled with bags, piles, chests and crates of bits and other valuables. But the princesses didn’t linger to long within the treasury, as they just cleared a single table near the back of the vault of the bags of bits, before placing the two objects they were carrying on it. leaving and closing the doors to the treasury, the sisters started to look around the castle for the captain of the guard, and after a few minutes they found the stallion checking up on the hole in Bluebloods room.

“There you are Captain Shining Armor.” Celestia said as she, and Luna, approached the stallion. As well as the pink alicorn standing by his side. “And Cadence, this is a rare sight to see you up this late.”

“Kind of hard to go back to sleep after something busted through the castle wall, and causing the castle to shake slightly.” The smaller pink mare retorted to the elder alicorn.

“Speaking of which, did you find what caused this?” Cadence asked as she gestured to hole, and the mess made in the room with her wings.

“Yes, and that is why we sought out Captain Shining Armor.” Luna said as she looked at the stallion, who stood at attention after being addressed.

“How may I be of service princesses?” the stallion asked as he looked at the two rulers.

“We need you to assemble a team to try and track down those spheres of light, and if you discover any strange artifact looking objects bring them to the castle so that we can store them in the treasury vault.” The stallion saluted to the royal sisters before leaving the three alicorns in the room.

“So aunty what do you think those lights were?” Cadence asked as she, and her two aunts, left Bluebloods room to get the out of the castles staff, and guards way of repairing the wall. And cleaning up the room.

“We don’t know, but once the sun rises tomorrow we will launch into a more, thorough investigation.” Celestia said as she raises a hoof to cover her mouth, as a yawn escapes her.

Giving her sister and niece a farewell Celestia bid her fellow alicorns a goodnight, before trotting down a separate hallway that leads to her room. Cadence also bid Luna a goodnight as a tired yawn escapes her own mouth. With her sister and niece heading off to bed, Luna made her way to the throne room, where a bunch of nobles and other ponies were standing in front of the door, and as soon as they saw her they immediately hounded Luna. Which the midnight alicorn was not at all pleased with, but such is the life of a princess after all.

~~Ponyville~~

Ponyville has certainly been put through the ringer this year, what with Nightmare Moon returning, followed by her being reformed back into the princess of the night, and then a month after that the spirit of chaos makes a return. And put not only the town, but all of Equestria through the loop. It was complete and udder night mare for the poor towns ponies. But now the spirit is re-sealed in his stone prison where he belongs, and it’s all thanks to Twilight Sparkle, and her band of friends. once Discord was dealt with the whole town had a big party, curtesy of Pinkie Pie, and celebrated for such a victory over the whimsical yet disturbed spirit. However when night fell, and ponies were about to head home and rest up for tomorrow, the ponies saw something incredible.

Flying through the sky from the far east, ponies could see several dozen of glowing yellow orbs streak across the sky, their bright yellow coloring contrasting against the night sky. while the towns pony were all just marveling at this sight of soaring yellow orbs, Twilight Sparkle and her circle of friends were more worried, and concerned as they continued to watch the strange light show that is happening.

“Oh! Now that is one pretty light show!” Pinkie babbled as she was marveling at the sight more so than her friends, or the rest of the towns ponies.

“Yeah it’s pretty, but this doesn’t seem to be a good thing.” Applejack responded to Pinkie’s fascination with the lights, before turning to look at her lavender unicorn friend. “Do you think this is something that Discord came up with?”

“No way. We beaten him and the elements changed everything back.” Rainbow Dash interrupted as she hovered by her friends.

“Well that’s what should’ve happen, but I’m not sure if this is due to Discord’s shenanigans.” Twilight said as she kept looking at the lights, especially the once that were soaring over Canterlot, and even spotting two crashing into the capital.

“I just hope it is just a harmless light show, the last thing we need is that horrid Discord rearing his head up again, and causing more trouble.” Rarity bemoaned as she looked at her friend with a worried look.

“Wait a minute.” Fluttershy said as she pointed at the sky, getting all of her friends attention. “Something seems different with that light, there!”

In the midst of their sky watching, both the heroines of the day and the towns ponies saw what the butterscotch pegasus was gesturing towards, and that is one of the orbs of light making its down to the town itself. Straight towards the crowd of ponies! Screams of panic ensued as ponies ran around, and ducking into cover, same goes for Twilight and her friends as all six of them ducked into the nearest building with seven other ponies. A few seconds later and everypony heard a ‘KA-BOOM’ wrack the air, while the ground beneath their hooves rumbled slightly, although Pinkie’s jiggling around like jelly would say otherwise. Once the shaking had stopped, and the ponies staying inside for a few more minutes incase another ball of light came crashing into town, the ponies left the safety of their hiding holes and slowly crept their way to the new crater in middle of the square.

“What in the world is that?” Applejack asked as she, her friends, and the few brave towns ponies who left their hiding places, looked at the small object in the center of the crater.

Twilight carefully reached out with her magic, and plucked the object from its spot on the ground. the item now being suspended in the air looked like a statuette of an eagle, made out of what looks to be bronze, perched on a small pedestal. And despite the rough, and quite forceful impact of its crash, the statuette looked to be in perfect condition, with not a dent nor crack to be found. Not even a spec of dirt was on it.

“Wh-what do you think it is?” Fluttershy asked nervously, as the avian raptor gave the mare, and the other ponies, a rather unnerving feeling.

“I’m not sure, but if this is what came from that orb of light…” Twilight said as she looked skyward, and saw that there were no more soaring orbs of light in the night sky. “Then there might be more of these.”

“But what are they?” Rainbow asked as she poked the statuette, which Twilight pulled it away from the pegasus before something happened.

“I don’t know, we’ll just have to wait until tomorrow when Celestia is awake to see if she knows.”

With that Twilight started to make her way to the Golden Oaks library, while the other ponies dispersed and went home for the night, some still talking about what had just happened. When the unicorn made it to her home, she climbed the stairs up to the living quarters where she could hear a familiar snoring sound, which brought a small smile to her muzzle. and when she made it up to her room, Twilight indeed found Spike fully passed out in his basket, snoring, and twitching away as he muttered something about Rarity in his dream. Placing the statuette on her dresser Twilight covered her mouth as a yawn escaped her as he laid down on her bed, but before she went to sleep she looked out her bedroom window and up to the sky.

“I really do hope this isn’t another sign of trouble.” The unicorn then turned away from looking at the window, and start to make herself comfortable under blanket. But while she started to drift off to sleep, the object she brought home with her pulsated with a shadowy mist, before settling down to its normal blank state.