Leap of Faith: Wolokai Vs. Life

"Muffin?"

"No no Ditzy, marshmallows."

"But...why no muffin?"

"Because dear, muffins and ice cream simply do not go together!"

"But I wuv muffins!"

A light brown colt sighed, his dark brown, spiked up mane getting brushed as he ran a hoof through it in slight bewilderment. His cutie-mark of an hourglass bounced as he paced in front of the front counter which held 3 ceramic bowls on its top. Doctor Whooves and Ditzy Doo were patiently waiting for Wolokai to arrive at the Timely Antiques Shop, a store Whooves ran in the eastern portion of Ponyville. It was filled with many old and broken down pieces of furniture, tools, and other miscellaneous items that ranged from old stoves to polished, shining flutes.

"Where is that colt?" Whooves sighed, his tummy slightly rumbling due to the lack of attention. He stopped his pacing for a moment to sit down on his haunches and watch Ditzy Doo spin around on one of the small bar-stools, her overjoyed voice floating about the shop.

"Wooooowooooowoooo!!!! I'm a spinning muffin top!" She shouted, laughing and squeeing with glee as she spun around.

"Well..." Whooves said, a small smile creeping on his face "At least you're doing the spinning before the ice cream and not AFTER! I'm not sure the shop could handle such a mess!"

The two of them laughed as the front door to the shop opened, the tiny bell just above it jingling loudly. "Hey! Sorry I'm late, Sykes had me run some last-minute packages real quick" Wolokai sighed, wearily trudging into the shop and towards a happy looking pair of ponies.

"Oh nonsense, these things happen." Whooves muttered in a comforting manner, putting a hoof on his shoulder as he moved by into the open hooves of an eager Ditzy Doo.

She pulled him in quickly and gave him a loving hug, holding him tightly and giggling "There you are Big Muffin! I was wondering where you had cartwheeled to! Did you do a good job in the bakery today?"

Wolokai chuckled, calmly breathing in the muffin-like smell that was buried in his friend's coat. He felt so at ease now...away from work...away from stress...away from writing. In her hooves, he felt...safe. Safe from all the nerve-racking emotions he had been facing for awhile now, and away from the sleepless nights.

"Well now!" Whooves exclaimed, moving back behind the counter and dissapearing into the back room "How about some of that ice cream?!"

~~~

"I love my friends..." Wolokai breathed, walking through the darkened streets of Ponyville. It had been a few hours since he had arrived at the Antiques Shop, and with the sun going down and belly full of ice cream, it was safe to say that Wolokai was calling it a day. The street lamps flickered slightly as he made his way down the street, a light wind blowing about and gracing his mane and coat gently. The further he walked, however, the more and more the back of his mind started to re-produce all the emotions he had been trying to run away from. As his heart sank, he could only thank Celestia that his appointment with the doctor was bright and early tommorow, before he had to go to college.

He turned a corner, and immediately spotted the red outline of a stallion standing farther down the street. His black beanie was pulled firmly over his head, and his expression was as stone cold and emotionless as ever. Big Macintosh was standing guard at the top of the staircase leading down to Vinyl's Cage Corral, looking towards the large line that was starting to form on his right and sighed.

Wolokai trotted up the street, his hooves clopping loudly against the pavement and sending echoes of sound across the area. He gave and received a nod from Big Macintosh as he went by, moving up into the darkened parts of the street, all the lights above flickering or shutting off. The wind from before seemed to grow in strength, pushing adamantly at the Pegasus as he caught sight of Vinyl and Octavia's house towards the end of the street.

Just as he moved past Bon Bon's shop, he stopped, his ears perking. The wind howled, pushing at the trees and gently pushing at the clouds, moving them in front of the full moon to cover the town in darkness. The colt shifted his eyes to the left and right nervously, his heart thudding in his chest. Although the wind was picking up in volume, it carried with it some kind of...weird music.

The Pegasus looked around cautiously, his heart beat thudding louder. The music sounded as if it was coming from somewhere behind Bon Bon's shop, floating forth from some kind of alleyway to its left. For a moment, the lullaby of music seemed to mesmerize him, drawing him closer into the dark shadows of the alley. His heartbeat thudded like the sound of tribal drums as he made his way down the blackened alley. He rounded the corner at the back of Bon Bon's shop, catching sight of a few rusted dumpsters and the wooden steps that led up to the back door of the store, along with the wooden fence that outlined the back of the lot. A few old pieces of furniture and baking supplies were strewn about in front of the dumpsters, and it was near one of these trash containers that the music seemed to float from.

"H...hello?" Wolokai whispered, his voice weak and tinged with fear. His breath came out in a vaporous steam as the temperature started to drop, drawing a light shiver across his skin under his fur. As he approached the dumpster...the music stopped. Even the sound of the howling wind stopped, despite the fact that the trees and his mane continued to move and flap from its force. "W...what is this?" he whimpered, staring at the greenish dumpster as a large spot of rust on the dumpster started to grow, the green paint on its sides starting to peel and fall away. As the rust continued to spread, Wolokai quickly turned and move to run back the alley...when he came face to face with a rusted chain-link fence with a deadly coil of razor wire resting at its top.

He gasped, falling back on his haunches and scrambling backwards across the ground. All around him, the area beyond the fencing grew dark as the fences themselves started to fall and peel away into more chain-link. "N...no!" he cried, lifting up his hoof and staring into the glass of his hoof-watch.

1:42 A.M.

"Shit! Shit shit shit! No!!! Not now!!! NO!!!!!" he screamed, falling forward and burying his face in the dirt, covering the top of his head with his front hooves and shaking. As he shook and shivered, the sound of clicking and grinding metal wafted out of Bon Bon's shop...along with the siren.

As the siren blared, Wolokai let out a torrential scream, his ears picking up a distant, fading voice over the screams of the siren.

"...in!"

"...you...ffin!!"

"...uffin!!! Talk to me!!! Please!!!"

"MUFFIN! MUFFIN WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!"

Wolokai gasped for air as he sat up quickly, his chest heaving and his mane damp with sweat. The cold night air bit at him as Ditzy's voice rang out in his ear, the soft touch of her hooves on his fur filling him with slight warmth. "Muffin!? Muffin are you ok?! Why are you sleeping outside!?" she cried, a worried look on her face. Wolokai didn't respond to her right away, taking the moment to look around at her surroundings. He was laying out in the middle of the street, just in front of Bon Bon's shop.

"D...Ditzy Doo" he panted, putting his hooves over his eyes and groaning "Where...what...time is it right now?"

"What!?" She squeaked, looking down at him with worry and concern "What do you mean what time is it? I was flying home from Whooves house when I saw this big puffy cloud up in the sky. I was playing around on top of it and making it into the shape of a muffin when I heard you scream! I flew down and found you twitching and flailing in the road!"

Wolokai's head continued to pound, drawing a frustrated grunt out of his lungs as he half-shouted "Ditzy, please! Just tell me what time it is!"

Ditzy frowned, cocking her head in confusion and looking up towards the Ponyville Clock Tower that rested in the distance. "2:23 A.M.,but what does that have to do with you flailing around in the street!?"

The colt sighed, his breath regulating after a moment as he shakily stood up, leaning his weight partially on Ditzy and whispering "I...I don't know, ok? I don't know what happened...but I need to get home, right now. Help me out?"

"Wolokai maybe we should get you to the clinic...you might be sick!" Ditzy whimpered, helping him along up the street as they neared Vinyl's house.

The Pegasus grunted, weakly pushing open the small wooden gate in front of the house and moving up to the door. Meanwhile, inside in the house, Vinyl sighed and downed the last of her coffee before sharing a tender kiss with Octavia. "I hate working..." Vinyl sighed, setting the mug down on the counter and turning towards the front hall.

"Oh nonsense Vinyl, you love your job! Music's your passion after all!" Octavia giggled, "Wake me up when you come home, ok?"

Vinyl nodded and smiled, giving Octavia one last peck before opening the door with her magic and exclaiming "Of course I will! See you later Octa- WHOA!" She cut herself off as she beheld Ditzy Doo helping in a staggering Wolokai, his mane damp with sweat and his eyes horrifically bloodshot.

"Goodness!" Octavia shouted "What happened!?"

"I don't know!" Ditzy replied, hearing nothing but incoherent mumbling from the drowsy colt "He mentioned something about a doctor's appointment today around 10:00 A.M. as we were coming up to the door! I found him having some kind of...nightmare in the middle of the street!"

Vinyl frowned, helping the two of them to Wolokai's room, and opening the door for them both. Octavia hurried in after them, watching as Wolokai was gently pushed down onto his bed, his vest and watch carefully removed and placed on the floor nearby. "Oh dear..." Octavia mumbled, putting a hoof on his forehead "He doesn't have a fever...doesn't appear to be sick. Maybe it's just the lack of sleep he's been getting...he IS a bit of an unhealthy insomniac..."

"Well let's not go jumping to any conclusions" Vinyl said, turning her head towards Octavia and scratching at her own chin "Wolokai's been in and out of the clinic for a bit, it still could be a disease."

Octavia thought about this for a moment, looking over towards Wolokai before sighing and whispering "I don't think we're going to be able to find out anything until he either wakes up or until after he comes home from the Doctor's."

Vinyl nodded, turning towards the door as she said "Are you going to watch over him Octy?"

This question drew a heavy sigh from the formal mare, her tone one of concern but also dread "I want to...but I have such important meetings with the Symphony group tommorow...I don't know how I'll be able to stay awake if I'm up all night wat-"

"I'll watch him" Ditzy Doo blurted out, cutting Octavia off as she threw up a voluntary hoof. Vinyl and Octavia looked at each other for a moment before looking back at Ditzy and a passed out Wolokai, a look of concern on both of their faces.

"You...sure you'll be ok Ditzy? I know you operate one of the very early shifts down at the mail center" Octavia whispered, a tender hoof resting on Ditzy's back.

"Yes Ma'am!" Ditzy exclaimed, a determined look on her face "I'll watch over the roost while the chicks sleep! Mama Hen will be just fine!"

Vinyl smiled and gave a slight nod as she said "Thanks Ditzy, be sure to wake Octavia up if there's an emergency, ok? I'll catch you all later, I'm late for the Corral"

Octavia watched Vinyl go before turning towards Ditzy and giving her a comforting smile. "Thank you..." she said, letting out a tiny yawn and turning towards the door herself "Good Night Ditzy Doo."

Ditzy Doo nodded, waiting until Octavia had left the room before turning back towards the dozing Wolokai, watching his belly rise and fall with air. She smiled slightly as she looked over him, from his hooves to his messy mane. "Oh Muffin..." she whispered, fanning out her wings and lightly flapping them so that she hovered up into the air. She carefully floated over him, touching down gently on the other side of his bed between him and the wall. Tucking her wings to her side and her hooves underneath herself, she took a good, long look at her beloved's face.

He had been such a good friend to her over the years...and she had always been kind and sweet to him, but more and more she grew increasingly worried about him. Over the past few years Wolokai seemed to be...slipping. His mood was dropping, he was eating less, and sleep had all but escaped him at this point. The more she worried, the more she cared...and the more she tried to be a good friend to the poor colt. As time went on however...Ditzy started to seriously question her feelings for him...noticing that the more time she spent with him, the happier she felt.

Was it because they were best friends? Co-workers? Friends since filly n' foal-hood? Whatever it may be, Ditzy knew in her mind that he needed her, just as she needed him...but the question of 'as what?' always seemed to prod at her mind. She liked him, of course, with their friendship of so many years. But was it possible that she...may be liking him as something more then just a friend?

"Muffin..." she whispered, laying her head down on his neck carefully and brushing the top of her head under his chin. Her eyes drooped until eventually, they closed completely, her mind pulling her into a deep, muffin-filled sleep. It was her minds own way of telling her that the question wasn't important right now.

Whatever feelings she felt for him...it could wait till morning.

~*~

Ponyville Mental Counseling Center - Ponyville - 10:15 A.M.

"Sirens again?"

"Yes...I heard them again..."

"Same time?"

"1:42 A.M. or P.M....it doesn't matter which."

"I see...any trouble sleeping at all?"

"Loads...I haven't had a good nights sleep in awhile...I don't know if it's the writing demand or the Thanatophobia that's doing it..."

Wolokai was resting on his stomach, the soft, velvety texture of his Counselor's couch giving him a slight comfort. It had been around eight or so hours since he was brought home by Ditzy Doo, a mare he had woken up too only that morning. It was a bit awkward, waking up to intoxicating scent of Muffins resting just under your chin. He had looked down to find a sleeping Ditzy Doo resting on him, her drool partially wetting a small part of the colt's chin. He smiled despite this, and gave her a light, squeezing hug before looking towards the clock and reading the time of 9:45 A.M.

By some miracle, he had managed to ninja his way out from underneath the Muffin Mare, cover her with his vest and blankets, and make it towards the office without being late.

"Thanatophobia...you are referring to your fear of death?"The counselor said, adjusting himself on his chair. He was a fairly small-sized unicorn colt, with a coat of blueish fur and a purple mane that semi-matched his eyes. On his face rested a pair of black spectacles which he adjusted and moved on his face every ten seconds at least..something that had come to annoy Wolokai over the many visits he had to this office.

"Yes...the panic attacks have been getting a bit...unsettling." Wolokai sighed, staring towards the far wall as the Counselor made a few notes magically in his file which rested on a desk a few feet behind the couch and chair setting.

He looked up as Wolokai stated this and said "To reiterate, these panic attacks have been happening for a few months now, correct?" A nod out of the Pegasus pushed the Counselor on "Mmhmm, and you are still having problems with these feelings of negativity...loneliness being the top of the list?" Another nod from Wolokai drew a sigh out of the Counselor, who proceeded to shake his head and say "I don't understand Mr.Kurr, you say you are lonely yet you have such wonderful friends. Ms. Scratch, Ms.Sharpe, Ms. Doo, Doctor Whooves, the list goes on! Why would you feel lonely if you have friends?"

"I don't know..." the Pegasus groaned, rubbing at his weary eyes with his hooves "I just feel like...they're distant from me, like something's pulling me away or pushing them away from me."

The Counselor scratched at his chin for a moment before looking towards one of his many art pieces which lined the walls of his office...a theory forming in his mind as he asked "Tell me...about your writing."

"My writing?" Wolokai breathed, looking up towards the Counselor with a questioning frown on his face "What about it?"

"You are getting quite famous for your work, I hear. Very popular amongst some crowds here in Ponyville. Tell me, how did your last story go? What was it called again? I know it was one of the Leap of Faith series."

The Pegasus sighed, rolling over on his back as he spoke up towards the ceiling fan above "Leap of Faith: Generosity Vs. Laughter was the last story I wrote...and I haven't wrote another since, for good reason."

At this, the Counselor nodded, his theory quickly coming true "I see...and why is that? Did something go wrong?"

A sad nod and a sigh escaped Wolokai as he grumbled "I thought it wasn't a good piece of work...and I was a little hard on myself for it."

"I see..." said the Counselor, his hoof gently tipping down his glasses to the near edge of his snout "Well Mr.Kurr that may be the first source of your problem right there. Self-doubt! You're worried that if you start writing again you'll create another 'catastrophe' or what not, correct?" Wolokai nodded and the Counselor went on "And because of this, you're off your game! You enjoy writing, you love writing! Writing is a passion of yours and it's something that makes you smile. Without this, you feel down, without purpose!"

Wolokai groaned "That doesn't explain the panic attacks, or the sirens! What does my writing have to do with that!?"

This is where the Counselor flashed a devious smile and muttered "Well it does, actually... can you tell me about Pinkamena: The Darker Descent?", it's the second installment of your previous series.

The Pegasus raised an eyebrow and muttered "I...could. But I still don't see what that has to do with my panic attacks..."

"Just...trust me on this one" retorted the Counselor, his form leaning back in the chair in attempts to get comfortable.

Wolokai sighed, taking in a breath and letting it out as a defeated sigh before beginning:

"Pinkamena: The Darker Descent, is a continuation of the tale of Pinkamena who in the previous story, savagely murdered several ponies to feed the poor of Hoofington. After she was sent to the moon for her crimes, an evil, chaotic force known only as The Entity, came back with her during her return, and escaped when Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Detective White Quill tried to banish it. From there death and chaos ensue until The Entity's ultimate defeat at the hooves of White Quill..."

"I think I'm starting to see now..." said the Counselor, his hooves pushing the glasses back up his snout "Your writing...is like a safety net, a vacuum of negative feelings. You put all of your dark feelings and pain into your stories, and you use it to distract yourself and detach yourself from the world.To get away from your fear of death and your thoughts of loneliness...you write! It's like your very own stress ball...does that make sense?"

"I...guess so. I don't want to disappoint though...there are a lot of people counting on me to give them a good story...and I'm really sensitive to negativity...that's why I was afraid to keep writing after the last one...I could already hear the critics seething in pain." murmured Wolokai, his wings twitching slightly as he tried to get comfortable.

The Counselor nodded slightly before he spoke "Wolokai criticism shouldn't be taken as an insult. As long as it's constructive, logical, and means well, then you should take it in stride and either use it or leave it for your future endeavors. They're trying to help, not hinder you." Just as Wolokai sighed, the sudden ringing of a bell-clock had the Pegasus jumping, with the Counselor sighing and carefully folding the file into a dark brown folder with his magic. "Well then," he said, hopping off the chair "Time is up I suppose. Same time in two weeks Wolokai?" The Pegasus nodded, hopping off the couch and heading towards the door as the Counselor called after him "Try to get back into writing Wolokai! It'll be therapeutic for you!"

"Yeah...whatever...I'll try to get to it after college..."

The University of Northern Canterlot - Canterlot - 11:45 A.M.

Wolokai kept his head down as he walked through the crowded front hall of the University. All around, ponies ran this way and that with crammed saddle-bags or books floating around them via magic. If anything, the entire area sounded like nothing more then a cheering crowd at a stadium, making his ears partially ring with pain. He quickly took to the air, flapping his wings back and propelling himself forward towards the large staircase. He flew up to the third floor, landing on the slick, polished tile floor with a soft tapping of his hooves. From there, he trotted down the hallway and towards the door with a plaque reading 'Room 223-B: History-Scroll'.

He made his way into the classroom, which was set up like an amphitheater with a large space in the middle for the Professor to walk and move about as he gave his lectures, as well as a large wooden table resting in its middle. Most of the seats had already been taken with Ponies chatting to each other, tapping on their laptops, or listening to music on their P-Pads. Wolokai sighed, shifting the weight of his saddlebags over to his left side and trotting up the small wooden steps that led into the seating area. He trotted up towards the very top of the seating area, moving down one of the rows in hopes that he could find a decent seat. When he finally found one, he let out a breath of relief and unloaded his saddlebags underneath the tiny slab of wood that was attached to the chair, turning it into some kind of weird-looking desk.

He sat, burying his face in his hooves and letting his mind wander for awhile while the Counselor's words continued to float through his mind. Critics, negativity, fear of dying, loneliness. How was he supposed to keep up with all? How was he supposed to escape from this, by writing? He couldn't write forever, or write enough to keep his mind off of things. It was only a temporary release, a small fix to a growing problem. A weary sigh escaped his lungs as the class quieted down, the sound of the Professor's office door opening. A large, silver coated Stallion calmly walked out of the office with a small smile on his face, with his long, grey mane bouncing in time with his hoof-steps. He had a weary look in those purple-ish eyes of his, but it was cleverly hidden by his look of determination. His cutie-mark of a rolled up scroll seemed to shine as he moved out into the center of the room and exclaimed "Good morning everypony!"

As usual, the class, minus Wolokai, chanted back "Good morning Professor Scroll!!!"

The Professor chuckled and turned his head towards one of the white walls lining the room, his hoof hitting the red button on a black remote resting on the table. Up above on the ceiling, a silver-colored projector clicked on, and the lights shut off, dimming the area slightly. The projector was showing a Pony-point presentation, with the program focused on one slide titled 'Review'. Wolokai looked around and watched as the class got out their pencils and notepads, eager to take notes and listen as the Professor spoke "Now, we're just going to do a quick review on the Years of our Princess Celestia, 1900 to 1999, and then we'll move on to the Solar Flare and the Cults of the Pre-Nightmare Era. Now, we all know that in the 1990th year of the world, pony kind was on the verge of great discovery, what with..."

Wolokai tuned the professor out, letting out a light groan and burying his face in his notepad. The same lectures...the same bullshit. What did he care about history? All he cared about was the future...and the impending doom of mortality that continued to prod and poke at his brain. What was beyond death...what was waiting for him? A plain of higher existence...or the black oblivion of nothingness?

"And now," said the Professor, the projector clicking over to a slide with a weird, blue symbol etched into a piece of brick "We're going to move over into the Cults of the Pre-Nightmare Era. But more specifically...we're going to talk about The Cult of the Lunar Shard!"

Wolokai snapped his head up, his ears perking up to their highest point. That name...The Cult of the Lunar Shard...seemed familiar to him. It was like trying to remember a friend's name and it was right on the edge of his mind. He peered closely towards the symbol on the wall as Professor Scroll went on "The Cult of the Lunar Shard was established around the second year of the Emerald Moon, which historians log as the time shortly after the rise of Nightmare Moon. This cult was dedicated to the study and worship of dark magic under the wings of Nightmare Moon, who at the time served what she believed as a dark, and demonic God."

"Why does that...why does this...feel familiar? Where have I heard that name before...?" Wolokai thought, his eyes wide and focused on the projector as it slid through various slides of art and paintings depicting the wearers of dark cloaks and wielding dangerous magic.

"The Cult of the Lunar Shard has been around since the Rise of Nightmare Moon, with the last of its breed finally destroyed around twenty to thirty years ago. The last known reported sighting of the Cult was on the fourth day of the first month of the second year of the Sun Season." Wolokai let out a soft gasp as the next slide went over, displaying the text:

Last Sighting of The Lunar Shard - 1/4/2 - The Battle of the Everfree

"Yes, The Battle of the Everfree was the very last conflict that had occurred between the Solar Flare and The Cult of the Lunar Shard. Historians describe the battle as one of intense ferocity, with the defense of Fort Hoof being bravely led by one Captain Kolokai Kurr. This battle offers more questions then resolutions however, for at the battle's end, Captain Kolokai had seemed to of dissapeared, along with the rest of the Cult."

"Grandpa..." Wolokai whispered, staring at the picture of the abandoned fort in the Everfree Forest. He had heard the tales of his Grandfather's heroic deeds...and that he had died serving his family and country. But...how could they tell him he's dead if there was never any body to prove it?

He frowned as the Professor went on "The Solar Flare was considered to be the arch-nemesis of The Cult of the Lunar Shard, as they had direct ties to a group of Holy Paladins who for the longest time, served as the protectors and watchers over nature and time itself and used their mighty powers of magic to stop the Lunar Shard. They were the ones they called 'The Aegis Guardians'".

A hoof went up in the crowd of students, the voice of a mare echoing out across the room "Professor, I'm a little confused. Why were the Solar Flare and the Lunar Shard so hell bent on fighting one another...and where did these 'Guardians' come from? Why would Celestia need a group like that to watch over Nature and Time...isn't that her job?"

"Ah, a very good pair of questions" said the Professor, his smile lingering on his face "Let us delve a little bit deeper into the Cult's thought process. To the Lunar Shard, nothing brought them greater satisfaction then chaos and anarchy, much like Discord except he did not believe in the murder and killing of ponies. The Lunar Shard had always spoken of a dark Entity which they served, decreeing that all who would dare oppose them would be bathed in the unholy glow of dark magic and death. Naturally, being Equestria's top defense force, the Solar Flare were tasked with the mission of hunting down and eradicating the Lunar Shard's temples and forces, and this is where The Guardians come into play."

The class grew tense as the Professor went on...his tone changing to one of great seriousness. "There used to be an island..." he said "Of strange, and wonderous power. A place of light...of joy...of magic! This island wasn't just any regular island either... it was that very place that had witnessed the birth of Princess Celestia from the mother, Holy Queen Solaria. The Solar Flare was considered to be the main physical force dedicated to Equestria's protection...but The Guardians of Aegis Island were considered their army of magic. Before Holy Queen Solaria became pregnant with Celestia, The Guardians served as magical protectors of the Royalty and common folk of Equestria. Their magic knew almost no bounds, and each was trained fluently in every form and aspect of magic. When Solaria was laden with her dear filly, however, the Queen's power was sapped, drained by the needs of her unborn daughter. Thus, it fell upon The Guardians to learn and become well versed in the ways of controlling nature, the sun, and according to some historians...time itself."

"So..." shouted one colt "The Guardian's of Aegis Island controlled everything?!"

"Well, yes for a time, but not anymore" explained the professor "As it turns out, shortly after the birth of Celestia, The Lunar Shard launched one last, daring attack against Equestria by assaulting Aegis Island. They were defeated of course, being massively out-powered by The Guardians. It was after this battle that The Lunar Shard's attack capability plummeted, and victory presented itself to Equestria. The only problem is...exactly two months after the battle...Aegis Island, dissapeared!" An audible gasp rippled across the class as the Professor nodded, going on "Yes...amazing indeed! Nopony knows what exactly happened to Aegis Island or to the powerful ponies who lived there. Considering there has been a lack of interference in the magical ways of the world, many historians believe The Guardians just...went out with time. Others argue the fact, saying Aegis Island still exists somewhere out there, and The Guardians have simply relinquished their duty to manage the world and have returned it to its proper place in the hooves of Princess Celestia. But...who really knows?"

As the bell rang, the Professor shouted over the roar of rising students, the thuds of hooves, and the flaps of wings "Don't forget your homework! Read chapters 43 through 47 and be ready to delve deeper into the culture of the Lunar Shard!" Wolokai wasted no time in hearing this, grabbing up his saddlebags and making a beeline for the door.

The Lunar Shard...the date of their disappearance making the number 142, his Grandfather Kolokai's missing body. The cult worshiping an Entity.

Was it coincidence? His nightmares and panic attacks associating themselves with that number? HIS grandfather going missing? An entity in a story he wrote being worshiped by a deadly cult?

If there was anypony who could answer his questions...it was the stallion he had known for his entire life. The stallion who was there at The Battle of the Everfree, the stallion who was the current Captain and leader of the Solar Flare, and the stallion who was very close to Princess Celestia and Luna.

If there was anypony he could get answers from...it was the stallion who had had mentioned The Cult of the Lunar Shard a few times already from his youth.

Captain Volokai, of the Solar Flare.

...his Father.

(Finally this update is out...yeesh!)
http://askwolokai.tumblr.com/