UNCOVERING

by TheHumanWriter

Chapters

Original Story
The Void
PROLOGUE: It Was Supposed To Be A Normal Day... {EDITED OCTOBER 5, 2023}
Act One, Ch. 1: A New Day {EDITED OCTOBER 8, 2023}
Act One, Ch. 2: Friends And School, Part One

Original Story

Start of Prologue

...

The ground is shaking….

The landscape is burning….

The sky…. is melting….a bright shade of red and the darkest of blacks replaced the once pastel blue….

But most importantly….

That horrible cloud of destruction….filled with all of the greed and insanity of mankind...

What have we done….

...

WHAT HAVE WE DONE?!?!?!?

End of Prologue

Start of Chapter 1

It was another beautiful day in the town of Ponyville. Blue skies with puffy clouds, the fresh air that makes the atmosphere feel so relaxing, the mighty hills and mountains that surround the town, and most importantly, the general feel of positivity that is felt around.

The CMC's were walking on their way to school. All of them chatting about finding their cutie marks, as usual.

"So, what do ya fellas want to do after school?" asked Apple Bloom while looking at her friends. Sweetie Belle looked like she wanted to say something, but before she utter a word, Scootaloo answered first.

"Well, find more ways to get our cutie marks, duh!" said Scootaloo smugly before asking. "do any of you know what else we can do to find our cutie marks?"

Apple Bloom shrugged and said, "Ah don't know, Ahm pretty sure we did everythin' around town to find our cutie marks. Isn't that right Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle also shrugged before replying, "I think so, what else have we not done yet around Ponyville?"

Apple Bloom looked at the ground in thought. At least in her opinion, they have exhausted every activity in finding their cutie marks around town. They have tried feeding and caring animals for Fluttershy, making sweets with Pinkie Pie and the Cakes, they even helped Twilight with some of her spell experiments in her castle (which ended disastrously, to say the least. It was so severe, she banned the Crusaders from helping her in any experiment) some time ago. The CMCs also did more menial tasks: sweeping floors, raking lawns, fixing hay roofs, and others that have been ineffective in getting them a cutie mark.

Apple Bloom sighed and said, "Ah can't think of anythin' off the top of mah head."

"Well, I hope we can find something to do after school," said Scootaloo hopefully before she asked. "Say, want to join me and Rainbow Dash for my flight lessons later tomorrow?" The other two crusaders thought about Scootaloo's suggestion for a moment before giving their answers.

"Sorry, I don't think I can Scootaloo," said Sweetie Belle. "I got to help Rarity with making her new dress designs. And the fact that tomorrow is Saturday is making me be in a slightly bad mood."

"This goes the same for me, Scoots," said Apple Bloom after Sweetie Belle. "Ah have to help Applejack with the apples from the orchards. She said that they're ripe enough for buckin' tomorrow and the followin' days."

"Aw..." Scootaloo whined a bit as she looked at the ground. A split second later, she took her eyes off the ground and looked at her friends. "Oh well, at least I got Rainbow Dash with me to help with flying." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle soundly agreed with Scootaloo.

"Well, we finally arrived at the schoolhouse fellas," said Apple Bloom as the CMCs were at the front of the Ponyville Schoolhouse.

The yard and playground were filled with fillies playing with each other, chatting under nearby trees, and doing whatever helps pass the time. It was a wonderful sight to see.

"Ah just hope that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon ain't up to new tricks to make fun of us."

"Ugh, I almost forgot about those bullies," said Scootaloo as she hoofpalmed.

"Speaking of them, there they are," Sweetie Belle pointed at the two fillies approaching them with a smug look on their faces.

"Well, well, well, isn't it the blank flanks again," said Diamond Tiara, grinning evilly.

"When will you ever stop with that taunting, Diamond Tiara?" said Scootaloo angrily. "we are getting sick and tired of it."

Diamond Tiara laughed and replied, "Until you blank flanks get a cutie mark, I will always make fun of you and your stupid crusades! And so far, I don't see any," Diamond Tiara pointed at their flanks. "So... we will keep making fun of you blankies!"

"Mhm, until you Crusaders get your cutie marks, always expect us to make fun of you," said Silver Spoon as she and Diamond Tiara laughed at the Crusaders, who were getting angrier by the second.

"What's next on the list for your crusading, blank flanks? Diamond Tiara asked sarcastically in a fake caring tone. "Going to help Squeaky Clean with mopping the floors in the town hall? Or help Granny Smith with her potty time?" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon roared in laughter once more. Garnering several fillies' attention on what the commotion is all about.

Apple Bloom wanted to say something against making fun of her grandma, but before she could say anything, the school bell rang. Nearly all of the fillies stopped what they were doing and looked at the bell. After a couple of moments, most of them walked towards and entered the main door. Leaving only a couple of students, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and the CMCs left outside.

"Doh!" Diamond Tiara looked at the school bell with a fake pout and whine before she turned back at the Crusaders. "We would love to go on, but it looks like we have to get to class. See you later, *snrk* blank flanks."

The CMCs watched as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon smirked as they walked into the front doors of the school. Sweetie Belle was the first to say something.

"I wish we could do something about those mean bullies."

Scootaloo agreed. "Heh, yeah, if only we can. We have told Ms. Cherilee about like, ten times! And you know what she says? 'Oh, you should not worry about them. Keep ignoring them and they will go away.' Pfft, yeah right, as if they are like a sickness that goes away in a couple of days or less." grumbled Scootaloo.

"Well, we gotta get to class now. Hurry before Ms. Cherilee counts us absent," said Applebloom as she hurried towards the entrance. The rest of the CMCs followed suit.

=***=

In the outskirts of the town of Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres is buzzing with activity as the Apples were busy maintaining their farm. Well, most of them.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were hanging out in their treehouse as usual. All of them are bored as there doesn't seem like there is anything fun to do. After school, they have been looking around town to see if they can find new ways to get their cutie marks. However, a lot of the things they have done over the years made new crusades around Ponyville seem non-existent.

"Ugh, Ah am bored...," said Apple Bloom. "I wish we can do somethin'..."

"Well, what do you want to do?" asked Scootaloo as she was laying down on a pedestal.

"Ah don't know, just anything, to be honest," said Apple Bloom as she got up from the floor and walked to another part of the treehouse.

"How about we go ask Twilight again if she has something for us?" asked Sweetie Belle. "I am pretty sure he has something new for us."

"Nah," Scootaloo shook her head. "Twilight banned us from helping in any of her spell experiments. Besides, even if she did give us something else to do, it would probably give us boring chores like sweeping the floors or organizing shelves of books and boxes. We already did that long ago and didn't get our cutie marks."

"Oh, alright then." Then silence covered the treehouse.

After thinking for a minute, Scootaloo had an idea. "What if we go see Zecora?" Applebloom walked back to the same spot she left and looked at Scootaloo.

"Hmm..." Apple Bloom put her hoof to her chin in thought about her friend's suggestion. It has been a while since they have last seen Zecora, so it is nice to give her a visit to see what she is up to. There is probably something new she has for them. "Ah think that sounds good, Scoots."

"Yeah, it has been a while since we last saw her. So let's go see what she is up to," agreed Sweetie Belle.

"Then it is settled," said Scootaloo proudly. "Let's go see Zecora!"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS HOORA-"

Suddenly, the voice of Applejack was heard in the distance.

"Apple Bloom! Would you mind giving me a hoof here? Me and Big Mac need some help around the orchards!" shouted Applejack.

"Applejack, didn't you say that I would help you buck the trees tomorrow?" Apple Bloom yelled back with a confused and irritated tone from the treehouse window. "Ah promise Ah will help you la-" she was cut off as Applejack shouted back.

"No Apple Bloom, you got to help us right now. I realized that we need your help at the moment. *audible grunt that went along with the sound of a tree getting hit* I am pretty sure your crusading can wait until later."

*sigh* "Ah am coming Applejack. Sorry fellas, I got to do some chores for Applejack, but I would probably be free this afternoon. See you later," said Apple Bloom as she sighed again before she exited the treehouse and ran through the trees to where Applejack and Big Mac were located.

"Well, Apple Bloom is now busy," said Scootaloo. "What do you say? Want to come along to Zecora to see if she has something cool for us to do?"

"Sure," replied Sweetie Belle. "At least there is something to do rather than lay around here."

So Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle left their treehouse and walked on the path that led to Zecora's hut in the Everfree Forest.

=***=

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were ten minutes into their walk to Zecora.

"Geez, could you imagine how Zecora is okay with living deep in the Everfree Forest?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Well, Zecora is pretty much alright with it. I mean, the fact that she has potions that can do crazy and weird stuff to ponies," replied Scootaloo.

"I guess...," said Sweetie Belle. "What chore or task do you think Zecora would give us?"

"I have no idea. I hope it is something cool though!" replied Scootaloo. Scootaloo began to jump excitedly. "Imagine the cutie marks we could get! Potion cutie mark, Spell-making cutie mark.." Scootaloo continued to ramble on about what cutie marks they could get for a minute. As Scootaloo finished talking, she noticed in the corner of her eye a small, narrow, and barely noticeable path. It was mostly covered by the bushes, but if one were to look closely, a formation of a path is visible. After a couple of moments, Scootaloo got an idea.

"Hey Sweetie Belle, look!" Scootaloo said as she stopped and pointed at the said path on the side of the road.

"Huh?" Sweetie Belle also stopped and looked to where Scootaloo was pointing at.

"Let's go down this path! I am pretty sure it would lead to Zecora's hut," said Scootaloo excitedly. However, Sweetie Belle looked on the path with a worried look.

"You sure that path would go to Zecora? It looks scary," asked Sweetie Belle as she looked at the path concerningly. "I don't know Scoots, what if-" she was cut off before she was able to finish her sentence.

"Oh come on! It would be alright," said Scootaloo proudly. "I am very sure that it would lead to Zecora." Sweetie Belle looked at Scootaloo with a questioning look.

"You sure? Because if you aren't-"

"I am two hundred percent sure. Besides, it would be boring if we take down this path," said Scootaloo, trying to persuade Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle looked down and sighed before she looked back at Scootaloo. Worry was still visible in her eyes.

"Alright, lead the way, Scoots," said Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo jumped victoriously at her victory of persuading Sweetie Belle.

"Yes! I promise you won't regret this! I can already feel that we will become 20 percent cooler!" Then, the fillies both turned and walked down the path. One feeling proud and brave, while the other is scared and concerned.

=***=

They have been walking for 5 minutes on this narrow path. The path itself has gotten so narrow, both she and Scootaloo had to crawl a lot to avoid the low branches and bush thorns. Sweetie Belle noticed that the farther they stray from the main path, the darker the forest seems to get. And it frightened her.

"You sure this path is safe? Because it doesn't seem so right now," said Sweetie Belle, growing more scared by the minute. "I don't feel good doing this, Scoots."

"Yeah, like I said before, I am two hundred percent sure," replied Scootaloo. Though, in the back of her mind, Scootaloo herself is getting worried about the path they are treading on. But she doesn't want to look scared to Sweetie Belle, so she crushed that worrying thought and kept moving on. After a couple of moments, Sweetie Belle asked.

"How much longer do we have to walk here, Scootaloo? I am getting scared that we are going to get lost in this forest."

"I am...*grunts due to her aching muscles because of the amount of crawling* pretty sure that it would be up ahead, Sweets. Come on," Scootaloo crawled through a hole in a downed tree log. "It's up ahead, I can feel it!"

After she and Sweetie Belle crawled through the log, they entered a small clearing. They began to stand up and straightened their tired muscles from the strain of excessive crawling. Scootaloo was the first to recover from the stretching. She sighed in content as she closed her eyes and felt Celesta's sun's warmth. Scootaloo then opened her eyes and saw something at the edge of the small clearing: a big mound with a hole. Scootaloo ran to the hole in question, looking into it with the help of the light.

Sweetie Belle finally catches up to Scootaloo, who was still looking in awe at the hole with the stairway.

"Hey Scoots, what are you-" Sweetie Belle stopped herself and gasped at the sight of what Scootaloo is looking at.

"Woah..." whispered Scootaloo.

"Yeah, Woah..."

After a couple of seconds, both fillies were taken out of their trance by a sound behind them. There was a rustle in the bushes across the small clearing; it was coming from the direction they came from. They both looked at each other and shook in fear of what might be lurking in the bushes.

"H-Hurry Sweetie Belle, follow me!" Scootaloo shouted before she turned and ran into the hole and disappeared down the stairway. Sweetie Belle was hesitant in following Scootaloo; she was conflicted about what to do. On one hoof, she wanted to run away from this unknown creature in the bushes across from her. But on the other, she is too scared to go into the darkness on the bottom of the stairway. She groaned and reluctantly followed suit into the hole. A couple of moments after Sweetie Belle ran into the hole, a rabbit hopped out of the bushes. The rabbit tilted its head while looking at the hole before it shrugged and hopped away to wherever it came from.

=***=

Sweetie Belle accidentally tripped while running down the big steps of the stairway. She began to roll down, and with a resounding thud, reached the bottom of the stairway. She was currently on her side facing the stairway. Sweetie Belle didn't move from her position, fearing the mysterious animal would hear her. But after a while of staring, she didn't see or hear anything move to the hole. She groaned and got up from her side on the cold, hard floor. Other than some cuts and bruises, she was alright for the most part.

She began to look around and saw that she seemed to be on a landing of the stairway. She then saw beside the stairway she came from, there was another pair of stairs that led downward. However, halfway down was covered by dirt and rubble. Sweetie Belle gazed at what was in front of her. It was the crumbling state of a wall and a door, both covered in large amounts of moss and vines. There was a big crack on the bottom part of the door, which was enough for a filly to get through.

'Scootaloo must've gone through there.' she thought in her head.

Sweetie Belle also realized that the door was very tall, at least taller than most average doors she has seen. She wondered who would need tall doors like these. Whoever built this place long ago must be as tall as the Royal Sisters.

‘If only you'd listen to me Scoots, this would’ve never happened..’ Sweetie grumbled inwardly as she walked towards the crack.

Before Sweetie Belle was in front of the door, she noticed that there was something between the moss on the wall beside the door: it was writing. Even though most were faded, a lot of the letters were still readable to her. The writing on the wall said:

[#Y#TT REGE##Y] 37#H FLO##

Sweetie Belle wondered what the words meant.

"What is a-a...Y-T-T-Rege...doh! I can't read any of this stuff," said Sweetie Belle as she tilted her head while looking at the writing. Granted, the upper two words were heavily faded; so it wasn't a surprise that she couldn't read them. Sweetie Belle can sort of decipher the other two lower words but was also confused.

Sweetie Belle was perplexed as to how this decrepit, buried structure was in the middle of the Everfree Forest. As far as she knew, she never heard of any villages or towns near or in the Everfree other than Ponyville. Which made a list of questions pop into Sweetie Belle's head. Was there once a settlement here before it got destroyed or abandoned and proceeded to get lost to history? How long ago did it happen? Who were the founders? Were they… even ponies?

Sweetie Belle was lost to these thoughts as she looked at the writing. Out of the blue, she remembered a story her older sister Rarity told her during bedtime a couple of nights ago.

=FLASHBACK=

Sweetie Belle yawned as she was being tucked into bed by Rarity. It was finally another end to another wonderful day. As she was under the covers of her blanket, she then asked Rarity a question.

"Hey Rarity, can you tell me a bedtime story?" Rarity looked at her and nodded.

"Sure Sweetie Belle, what bedtime story do you want to hear?" Sweetie Belle shrugged.

"I don't know, how about the stories mom and dad would tell you when you were young?"

Rarity put her hoof to her chin in thought. After a couple of moments, she nodded.

"Well, there is this one story I remember mother and father would tell me before bed. It was one of the only tales I was fascinated by before I was a grown mare," said Rarity before she continued. "I believe I still have the book of the story, let me go find it. Be right back, Sweetie Belle." Rarity then left the room to find the book, leaving behind an excited Sweetie Belle. She wondered what the story is going to be. Is it going to be about a mare going on adventures with a handsome stallion? Or is it a tale of how a couple got together? For a couple of minutes, she waited, lost in her thoughts about what the story would be.

Sweetie Belle was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Rarity yelling victoriously. Rarity found the book. She then heard her sister's hoofsteps getting closer to the bedroom door before Rarity herself appeared with a dusty old book in her magical grasp. The book in question was an old-looking, red hardcover book that looked like any book after a long time of disuse. The front cover had letters that said, "The myths and legends of the Pre-Unification Era."

"I finally found the book! It was under all of my personal belongings in my closet," said Rarity as she blew the dust away from the hardcover. She then went to Sweetie Belle's side and began to flip the pages to get to the page she wanted.

"No, not that one. No, no, no...aha!" said Rarity enthusiastically as she came upon a page. Sweetie Belle wanted to bend over to see what her sister was looking at, but was unwilling to get out of her comfortable position on her bed. So, she waited for Rarity to begin.

Rarity cleared her throat and began, "Long ago, before Queen Luna was banished to the moon by her sister, before the evil reign of Discord, before Hearth's Warming Eve, and even long before the existence of the three pony tribes," Rarity waved her hoof at the air for a dramatic effect. "there was the Civilization of the Old Ones."

Sweetie Belle was now very curious. Before, she would only be half interested and slowly falling asleep. Now, sleep has left her body as she is engrossed with every word that Rarity says.

"The Old Ones were once the dominant species of the planet. There are many versions of what they look like. They are sometimes pictured as scaleless dragons, and others as furless and tailless apes,” explained Rarity as she turned the book towards Sweetie Belle. The pictures were interesting, to say the least. Even though many of the drawings had different designs, they shared multiple things in common: a furless bipedal creature that had a flat face, a triangular nose, small ears on the sides of the head, and beady eyes. Sweetie Belle was now even more intrigued.

“Furless and tailless apes? How are they able to stand on two legs without a tail?” asked Sweetie Belle as she gazed at the different drawings of the creature.

Rarity shrugged. “I don’t know Sweetie Belle, but that is what a lot of versions of what the Old Ones look like. Just imagine all the clothes they have..." Rarity drooled a bit before shaking her head and snapping out of her trance. Then, using her telekinesis, she flipped the page. The page showed a crude sketch of a city with oddly shaped tall buildings.

"As I was saying, the Old Ones had also mastered unknown magic that helps them create advance machinery, constructed massive cities with tall towers that would make Manehattan a small town, creations that can help them fly, and they even had created contraptions that could leave the planet!"

Sweetie Belle gasped at her sister's words. This was by far the most interesting bedtime story she has ever heard! Furless apes that can build great cities and give them magical abilities to leave the planet? It was too much for Sweetie Belle to imagine.

Before Rarity was able to continue, Sweetie Belle hastily interrupted her.

“Creations that can fly?! Leave the planet?! How can they do that Rarity? Nopony has been able to do such a thing other than the alicorns-“ Sweetie Belle said before she too was interrupted.

“Sweetie Belle! Remember your manners and do not interrupt when somepony is talking,” said Rarity sternly at her younger sister.

“Sorry Rarity, I was just curious, that’s all,” replied Sweetie Belle looking away a bit ashamed.

Rarity sighed before she said to her. “I know Sweetie Belle, I am also sorry for my outburst. I am exhausted from the long and stressful day, and you know me when my stress is at high levels.” Sweetie Belle nodded in understanding before she waved at Rarity to continue.

“Well to your question Sweetie Belle, as I said before, the Old Ones had the knowledge to help them create advanced machinery. Even I am puzzled how such things are even possible. And here is another thing Sweetie Belle that I almost forgot to mention, I have said that the Old Ones have mastered some form of magic for their achievements, but it is widely believed that their creations are not powered by magic at all!” Sweetie Belle gasped again at the mention that the legendary creatures would be able to do such things without magic.

“No magic Rarity? That is even crazier! How are they able to do such things?” said a wide-eyed Sweetie Belle. Rarity chuckled a bit at her sister’s reaction.

“Well, I am afraid I don’t have an answer for that one too, Sweetie Belle,” said Rarity. “All I know is that the Old Ones can do such things with the use of their creations that seemed magical, yet they are not powered by magic in any way.”

Sweetie Belle went silent and thought for a moment before asking another question. “If the Old Ones were that numerous and powerful, where did they all go? What happened to them?”

Rarity paused and turned the book to face her. She then flipped a page, read it for a couple of moments, and turned to another page. After a couple of more moments of doing the same thing, she said, “Well, there are also many versions as to how and why they disappeared. One well-known version said that the Old Ones were obsessed with warfare throughout their history. So obsessed to the point they created great weapons of destruction. Their weapons had the abilities to wipe out whole cities, morph lands, and can even destroy a continent!” Rarity explained while at the same time she did a dramatic explosion with her hooves. "well, at least that is what it says here."

She turned the book so that it faces Sweetie Belle. She marveled at the drawing that had the creatures with multiple strange contraptions, both on the ground and in flight, on what looked like a battlefield of sorts.

"And because of that, an unknown global conflict caused themselves to be utterly destroyed." Rarity ended with a slight shudder. “I… I couldn’t imagine such a species to be so violent that they do such atrocities like this.”

Sweetie Belle was both greatly astonished and deeply disturbed at the thought of weapons of mass devastation. How can a great civilization create such things? How could they go to deadly heights of creating inventions that are used in conflicts with themselves? Do they not know the idea of harmony? Not to mention, there was a war that spanned the whole world? This was more than a tough pill to swallow.

"T-They c-created w-weapons of m-mass destruction? T-They d-d-destroyed t-themselves? G-Global w-w-war?" said Sweetie Belle as she quivered under the covers of her blanket. Rarity nodded.

"That is what the well-known and accepted version of how they vanish said. Many others explained they either disappeared because of plagues, natural disasters, lack of resources to power their creations, or they simply just left," said Rarity as she looked on to Sweetie Belle with concern. "You do know that this is all just a folk tale, right Sweetie Belle? They are just that; stories. They aren't real. If the Old Ones were real, there could've been some remains or ruins. But there isn't." Sweetie Belle looked at her sister with a mix of confusion and fear.

"You s-sound as you believe in that stuff Rarity, you sure t-t-they aren't real?"

Rarity nodded confidently. "Yes, Sweetie Belle. As I said, if they were real, there's going to be the remnants of their cities that are being discovered by archeologists and explorers alike. However, so far, there hasn't been such a discovery." said Rarity trying to calm Sweetie Belle by caressing her mane before she left the room with the book in her magical grasp. After a while, Rarity returned and continued. "I believe, however, that there is a significance with the tale."

Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow. "A significance?"

Rarity nodded and began to explain.

"Yes, Sweetie Belle, a significance. The tale was said to be created during the time of the Pre-Unification Era, in which at that time, ponies were constantly fighting one another. Somepony must've created a tale at the time to warn other ponies of what would've happened if they kept fighting or never getting along with each other. Even though it didn't stop them from warring against themselves until the reign of King Cosmos and Queen Daybreak, it was still an interesting folk tale about the significance of harmony."

Sweetie Belle slowly nodded with understanding. It would make sense for a pony back then to tell a tale of fictional species that annihilated themselves due to their obsession with warfare. It would make some ponies stop and think about how a civilization, even with such great knowledge and advancements, was destroyed due to their lack of harmony. Still, she wondered how a pony could come up with so much imagination for such a species.

"That makes sense. I still wonder how did a pony can think about such creatures. I mean, I think we could probably come up with such an idea now with fiction novels or writing, but back then... I just wonder. Not to mention, you said that the Old Ones created such things without magic, right Rarity?"

"Yes, Sweetie Belle, they did such feats without magic. I too am also interested in how can one imagine such things a long time ago. A civilization race of furless apes with the capability to travel outside the planet? Whew!" Rarity did a dramatic wipe of her head to clear the invisible drops of sweat. Sweetie Belle giggled at her older sister's dramatic gesture before Rarity continued. "Well, Sweetie Belle, do you want to hear another more pleasant story? I am sure that it would clear your thoughts of the Old Ones enough to help you sleep." She nodded.

"Alright then, do you want to hea…”

=END OF FLASHBACK=

Was this the ruins of the Old Ones? Was this buried structure evidence of their existence? Was the foundation she was standing on a mass grave of what was once a bustling city? Sweetie Belle was deep in thought. She imagines how much of this discovery means for ponykind, that is when she finds Scootaloo and gets out of here.

Sweetie Belle then widened her eyes, realizing a stunning revelation. Scootaloo is not a unicorn, so there isn't a way for her to see through the darkness. She may be stuck somewhere, crying for help; or maybe she is lost in the darkness, stumbling around trying to find the exit; or, or, or...

Sweetie Belle tries to calm her nerves from panicking. Panicking isn’t going to help at the moment. Scootaloo panicked and it caused her to be somewhere deep in the unknown structure. After taking a couple of deep breaths, she gathered the courage and crawled through the crack of the door.

=***=

Sweetie Belle soon found herself in a hallway with doorways flanking each other, at least that is what it looks like with the limited lighting coming from the crack.

"Geez, it is so dark in there..." She shuddered before lighting her horn. A couple of moments later, half of the hall was coated with a faint and white glow that emitted from Sweetie's horn. Shadows danced around her as she looked from side to side, trying to see what the area around her looked like. The condition of the visible hallway was identical to the conditions outside: more cracks, erosion, and flora in the walls and floors; heavily corroded ceiling, and worst of all, it was far darker.

"SCOOTALOO, ARE YOU THERE?!" shouted Sweetie Belle, her voice echoing loudly through the doorways and halls. After a couple of moments of silence, she got an answer.

"Sweetie Belle, help me! I am over here!"

The voice was incredibly faint, but it was unmistakably Scootaloo's. And she sounds like she is in danger.

Sweetie Belle yelled back, "I am coming Scootaloo! Just hold on tight!" She then proceeded to gallop across the hallway, passing by multiple doorways in the process. As Sweetie Belle ran towards the general way the sound of her friend came from, she jumped over fallen doors, rubble, cracks and holes, and just about anything that was in her way.

Even though her main objective is to find Scootaloo and get out of here, she couldn't stop the feeling of curiosity in the back of her mind. She wanted to explore these ruins, see what things are hiding behind all the shadows, and what the Old Ones were like when they were still alive. She then shakes her head and focuses on the task at hoof.

After a minute of galloping and dodging, she suddenly stopped in her tracks as there was a large hole in the middle of the hallway; effectively blocking her path from moving forward.

Sweetie Belle shouted at the hole, "Scootaloo, are in there?! Are you ok?!" She then proceeded to widen her eyes when she got an answer.

"I-I am over h-here Sweetie B-Belle. P-Please h-help m-me...," croaked Scootaloo from somewhere deep in the hole. Sweetie Belle can hear the fear and hurt from Scootaloo's voice, mixed in with what sounded like sniffling.

"How did you get down there?" asked Sweetie Belle, who was still trying to think of a way to get down without hurting herself.

"I-I-I accidentally fell in here when I was running away from t-the sound i-in the bushes," explained Scootaloo. "it was so dark I couldn't see where I was going, but I didn't care. That is until I fell down the h-hole and broke a wing a-a-and a leg." Sweetie Belle heard more sobbing from the hole. "P-Please help me Sweetie B-Belle, it is dark down here and I am h-hurt, and I am s-s-s-scared,"

"Don't worry, Scootaloo, I am coming down there!" said Sweetie Belle trying to calm her friend. Sweetie Belle looked around, trying to find something that would help bring her down the hole. After a couple of moments of looking, she found what she was looking for: a rope.

The rope in question was of a strange black material, filled with yellow and blue wires from what Sweetie Belle can see from the holes dotting the rope. She found it wrapped around a part of what looked like a piece from the wall beside the hole. It looked secure enough. Sweetie Belle proceeded to grab the end of the black rope and tossed it into the hole, seeing it disappear in the inky blackness.

"Ok, I am coming Scootaloo! Here I come!" Sweetie Belle then grabbed the rope with her teeth and started to climb downwards. She was making decent progress of going down, overstepping some jagged areas or tips of the sides. However, halfway down, the rope snapped, causing Sweetie Belle to scream in terror as she fell down the hole. After a while of ramming and getting scrapped into the sides while falling, she made contact with the rough ground. Causing her to cut the magic off her horn, covering her in darkness.

"O-Ow..." she groaned in the darkness. She then heard her friend call out to her in panic.

"S-S-Sweetie Belle, a-are you o-ok?!" said Scootaloo, almost shouting.

"Y-Yes, Scootaloo, I am fine. I think," replied Sweetie Belle before she got up and lit her horn. The glow of the horn showed her that she was in a big spaced area; With multiple columns that touch the high ceiling along with more of those tall doors in the farthest stretches of the area that the light can reach.

Sweetie's eyes then laid on the crumpled figure of Scootaloo, who was laying right beside one of the columns nearest to her. She looked horrible. Her hair was messy along with tear-faced cheeks, her orange furred body was covered with multiple bruises and bloodied scratches, and her leg and wing were hanging or laying at an odd angle. Without hesitation, Sweetie Belle ran to her friend who saw her with joy.

"Scootaloo!"

"Sweetie Belle!"

Sweetie Belle hugged Scootaloo with care due to her injuries. They both hugged for a couple more moments before both of them letting go.

"Scootaloo, oh goddess, you look horrible!" cried Sweetie Belle as she looked over her friend. Scootaloo chuckled as she replied.

"Hehe, y-you can say t-that again... Argh!" Scootaloo visibly grimaced as she holds her side. Sweetie Belle looked on with more concern.

"Scootaloo, I know this may be an understatement, but are you alright?" Scootaloo slightly nodded.

"I-I think so, I believe the only m-major injuries I received are my broken left wing and leg. Ugh...sweet goddess they sure do hurt."

Sweetie Belle turned away from her friend, trying to find something that can help her. She then looked and saw the multiple doors in the farthest edges of the area. She then turned back to face Scootaloo and said.

"Scootaloo, wait right here, I just need to see if there is anything useful here to help you. Like medical supplies or something." Scootaloo then widened her eyes.

"N-NO!" Scootaloo shouted before blushing from embarrassment and corrected. "I-I mean, no, Sweetie Belle. P-Please, I don't w-w-want to stay here in the darkness again. Can't I j-just g-go with you? B-Besides, you look hurt too!" Scootaloo pointed at the scratches and bruises Sweetie Belle has on her body. Sweetie Belle sighed and replied.

"No, you can't come along Scootaloo, you are badly injured. I don't want you to injure yourself more than you have to; besides, even with all these injuries, I am still in better condition than you. We also need to get out of this place sooner or later; we can't sit around this place forever."

Scootaloo however remained adamant about going with Sweetie Belle. "W-Well, can't you help c-carry me?"

"No, Scootaloo, you are too heavy for me to carry. And not just that, it would make your wounds worse! Unless I must carry you because of a dire situation, I am not going to, Scoots." Sweetie Belle then smiled and continued. "Besides, I am only going check those rooms," she pointed at the doors at the edge. "I am not going to be in them for too long. If I don't find anything useful in them, I would return and we would think something out. Deal?"

Scootaloo turned and huffed at the floor. After a couple of seconds, she looked back at Sweetie Belle with a relented expression. "Fine, deal. Just make sure you be careful and come back ok?"

"Don't worry Scoots, I will be back," said Sweetie Belle before she turned and trotted to one of the doors. The door looked different than the one she went through not long ago. It had mixed color patches of light and dark brown, along with a small rectangular window on the top corner of the door. The said window seemed to be smashed, with only little bits of glass remaining on the frame. The words on the sign beside the door were heavily faded, as the other signs Sweetie has come across. The sign said:

TING RO## N#. #5

After gazing at the faded words, Sweetie Belle pushed the door with her body, trying to get it open. After a couple of moments of pushing, the door slowly swung open while creaking loudly. Sweetie Belle glanced inside and looked at something that widened her eyes and made her jaw drop.

=***=

She appeared in what probably used to be a meeting room, judging from the remains of the large table and chairs. There were other kinds of furniture in the room too, but they are not what got her attention at the moment. No, what got Sweetie Belle's attention was a large hole in the other side of the room. Or rather, what she sees outside of it. She trotted past the table, chairs, and other unimportant stuff as she stared out the large gap in the wall.

End of Chapter 1

Author's Note

"Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone." -Sarah Teasdale

The Void

Darkness, darkness, and more darkness.

Suddenly, there was LIGHT.

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PROLOGUE: It Was Supposed To Be A Normal Day... {EDITED OCTOBER 5, 2023}

-----------------/

A man walked down a sidewalk in the busy city of New York. He stopped in front of a crosswalk filled with people, waited for the go-ahead from the traffic light to walk across the asphalt road. Cars beeped and roared past the pedestrians, turning lanes to get to their respective destinations past the T-intersection.

The man sighs and lifts his arm to glance at his smartwatch. He was getting late to his meeting, which was two blocks away.

"I should've woken up earlier so that I don't need to worry about being late," he grumbled. "If only I didn't have that much work to do last night, I would've slept around eleven PM! Screw Michael for dumping all of his work on me!"

The man then tapped the watch’s shortcut button to the news app, waited for the newsfeed to fully load, and scrolled through with the help of the scroll button of the smartwatch.

"Democratic incumbent defeated by a Republican senator? Nah. Twenty-five percent of Indonesia's capital is underwater? Nah. Scientists found unexplained readings in the northern regions of Canada? Nope, not that one either," he muttered as he scrolled through the newsfeed.

Suddenly, the crosswalk light turned from the hand to the walking figure, signaling to the pedestrians that they were now permitted to cross the road. The light for the cars turned red, causing all the automobiles that didn't pass the crosswalk to slow to a halt.

The man noticed the crowd moved on without him, so he quickly turned off his smartwatch and hurriedly walked across the crosswalk with the other people. He then lightly jogged across the sidewalk, passing by other pedestrians so that he could get to his meeting on time.

The man brought up his arm and glanced at his watch again, which notified him that the meeting would start in five minutes. He grew more anxious by the second and slowly jogged faster. Without warning, a police officer walked out from behind a car some ten feet from the man. The guy, who was too busy with his watch, noticed the officer too late, and caused them to fall into the pavement.

"Oof!"

"Agh!"

The man's mind swirled, dazed from what had happened moments ago. The officer was the first to get up and helped the man to his feet.

"Are you alright, sir?" asked the officer with a questioning gaze. The man, who finally noticed who he bumped into, quickly responded.

"O-oh, I'm alright, officer. T-thanks for the h-help," he stuttered, nervousness evident in his voice. While he hadn't had any bad experiences with law enforcement in the past, he was still nervous around them, most likely because he was worried about getting something wrong and being scolded for it.

The officer narrowed his eyes.

"May I see your ID, sir?" the officer asked with his arms crossed. A crowd quickly formed around the two, which made the anxious and nervous man even more nervous.

"L-look, officer, I am going t-to be late for my m-meeting-" He was interrupted by the impatient police officer.

"Sir, this will not take long at all. Just hand me your ID; I will ask some questions, and you can be on your way,” the officer said loudly as he crossed his arms.

The man gulped and hurriedly searched his suit for his wallet. After he found his wallet, he took it out and rummaged inside it for his ID. He was about to give it to the officer when someone in the crowd yelled in alarm.

"Hey! Look! There is something in the sky! What the heck is that?!"

Everyone turned in the direction of whoever yelled. It was a lady with her left arm pointing at the sky. When they all looked at what she was pointing at, murmurs quickly rushed around the puzzled crowd.

"What is that?"

"Is that a glowing orb?"

"Is that a kite or drone?"

"Vick, are you getting this on your camera?"

The object that caught the attention of everyone on the block was a ways off into the sky, small and hanging in the space far above the skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan. It looked like a bright orb, like a mini star.

The officer beside the man took out his radio and said to the piece, "Dispatch, this is Officer Leonardo. There is something strange hovering over Midtown..."

Without warning, the 'star' grew brighter and brighter, to the point that it was as bright as the sun itself. Cars beeped, swerved, crashed, or stopped. Everyone covered or shut their eyes with either their hands, arms, or objects that they were holding. A bright cyan hue blanketed the city.

As soon as it came, the 'star' disappeared with the hue that once covered the city. Everyone opened their eyes or lifted their hands from them. People stood there, still shocked at what had happened only moments before. Many gazed at the area where the anomaly once was, only to find the space above the towers to be empty, as if it had never been there from the start.

Suddenly, the radio in the officer's hand audibly cackled, "All units, please respond through your radios if any of you are alright. We had a strange anomaly that appeared over Midtown Manhattan. We're getting reports..."

Suddenly, a bright flash appeared in the sky, followed by a loud boom moments later. A lot of people screamed and covered their eyes. When many opened their eyes again, they saw an unbelievable sight.

A giant, bright fireball hovered over the city. It covered the sky with its red glow, and it quickly expanded by every second that passed. Suddenly, a shockwave came from the anomaly, which caused it to appear as if a supernova happened. The shockwave wrecked the skyscrapers under the orb, forcing them all to collapse. When the people came to their senses, they tried to run away from the destruction, but it was far too late. The shockwave immediately rushed through the area like a tidal wave. The force blew people from their feet, stationary cars from their positions, and parts of short buildings and high rises. Anything that wasn’t firmly bolted down flew along with the shockwave. It was utter chaos.
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*/-x-.....-x-/*

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The man coughed as he shakily stood up and looked at himself. His suit was torn and filled with many holes and cuts. His pants were likewise in a similar condition, with one of the legs showing his bare skin, which was bleeding profusely. He grunted as he gazed at his surroundings.

’Goodness, what has happened here?’ The man muttered as he stared in shock at the area around him.

The area was literally hell on Earth. The remaining buildings looked like burning skeletal husks of their former selves; ravaged cars were strewn across the broken roads and under the rubble; and numerous bodies scattered the street.

The man then noticed a there was a body in front of him: it was the police officer, his exposed portion was his back. He looked either dead or unconscious, laid still and unmoving. The uniform was tattered and torn, like the businessman’s suit and pants. The poor guy somehow still had his radio gripped in one hand. The man wanted to shake the officer to see if the law enforcer was still alive, but before the guy could do that, he noticed that the ground seemed to get brighter with a reddish hue. The man turned 180 degrees and saw the ginormous, blindingly bright red mushroom cloud grew rapidly like the shockwave before. Its edges were approaching quickly him.

The man then closed his eyes and brought his arms up in surrender, accepting the hopeless situation and end. He thought about his family, friends, and last but not least, the business meeting.

"I guess I will never arrive at that meeting," the man said with a sad smile as he and the surrounding area were engulfed by the cloud of death.

/-----------------\

OUTRO MUSIC

Music created by elohim6081

EDITED ON OCTOBER 1 & 2-5, 2023

Author's Note

Hey guys! I know many of you want an explanation as to why I'm uploading another prologue instead of a new chapter, so let me explain.

I felt like the previous prologue was rushed, too much background info was in it, and some other things.

This prologue will be the final version, so there will be no more rewrites or something along the lines, thankfully!

Also, comment if you have any questions or you find an error that needs to be corrected.

Until next time, PEACE ✌️!

Act One, Ch. 1: A New Day {EDITED OCTOBER 8, 2023}

Author's Note

FINALLY! After over a year, the first chapter has been published! I want to apologize for how long the delay was, I am incredibly sorry for it. I don't have many excuses besides laziness, confusion about how I should've started it, and other things in real life. I wanted the chapter to be released on the 23rd (so that it could be in line with the one-year anniversary of my absence from the fanfiction), but circumstances prohibited it. Well, at least late than never, am I right, guys? Also, this is the first time in my life I've written a 6k-word chapter, so hopefully it will be enjoyable for y'all.

On a side note, I want to give a shout-out to my pre-readers, Saffron48043, DuvetofReason, and Bossypants for helping me with this chapter! It would've probably looked worse without them.

If there's any objective criticism, send it away! I'm still a learning writer, so I am willing to learn things that can help my writing.

Act One, Ch. 1: A New Day {EDITED OCTOBER 8, 2023}

--==[}_____{]==--<

The colt slowly rolled from one side of his bed to the other; his mouth was slightly ajar with some drool leaking out, and his eyes were still shut. He snored lightly and was noticeably still sleeping. A few minutes later, some hoofsteps sounded from down the hall, and they were getting closer to the colt’s bedroom door. Suddenly, they stopped on the other side of it, the silence returning once again. After a couple of moments, a soft, feminine voice called out, slightly muffled by the door.

"Honey, are you awake?"

The colt didn’t react to the voice, as evident by the continued snores coming out of his mouth. He was still in the dream realm. When the one who called out noticed that there was no response, she repeated the question with a couple of soft but firm knocks on the door.

"Bluey, honey, are you awake? Breakfast is ready, and you have to prepare for school."

The colt, now known as Bluey, started to arise from his slumber, but his mind was still fogged up from sleep.

"Huh…?" he groaned. He remembered hearing somepony called out hi-

"Bluey?" the voice called out again from behind his bedroom door, and a couple of loud knocks followed, resonating throughout the room. "Please get up, Bluey; you have to eat breakfast with the family and get ready for school!"

As if a bucket of cold water was dumped onto the colt, he sprung up from his bed like a Jack-in-the-Box. This caused his blanket to fly out onto the wooden floor, and he landed in an upright position. Sleep immediately left Bluey’s mind, and it made him alert to his surroundings. The room was slightly dark due to the curtains that covered his window, but enough light shined through a crack that he was able to see clearly.

"I'm up, Mother!" he said in a loud voice. "I am awake, now!" He looked at the bedroom door across the room.

"Good, good!" his mother’s muffled reply made her content evident. "Hurry up before the breakfast gets cold, dear."

"Yeah, Mother, I will. Just give me a minute or two to freshen up, ok?"

"Okay, Bluey! I will be waiting with your father and sister downstairs in the dining room, alright?"

"Sure, I’ll be down there soon."

"Wonderful!" Bluey’s mom replied before her hoofsteps were heard walking away from his door and towards the end of the hall.

Bluey sighed in relief and stretched each of his legs, causing a couple of muffled pops from each of them. The relief in his legs made him sigh again, enjoying the new feeling that came to them. As he took a step forward, he felt something soft under his hoof. When he looked down, he saw his blanket messily splayed across the floor.

"Right, right, I almost forgot about it," Bluey muttered as he used his teeth and brought the blanket back onto the bed. After he successfully placed the cloth on the mattress, he used his hooves to smooth out the multitude of wrinkles and folds that were on his blanket, causing it to become tidy.

Afterward, Bluey turned and trotted to the desk in front of his bed. Above the desk was a window from where he could see the outside world. At least, that would’ve been the case if it weren’t for the blinds.

After he hopped onto his chair, he stabilized himself with one of his forelegs on the table, shoved his schoolbooks to the side, and used the other to quickly push the curtain aside. He was immediately struck by an intensely bright light, and it was so great that he immediately lifted his foreleg to cover his eyes.

"Well, that was a dumb decision..." he angrily muttered under his breath, and he squeezed his eyelids shut as his eyes stung with pain. When a few moments passed, Bluey opened his eyes again, squinted through his window, and through the light of the rising sun, took in the view.

Bluey observed a stunning, cloudless, orange sky with cyan undertones. In the far distance, he could make out the tall, snow-covered mountains. At an angle, they looked like connected groups of frozen waves that were at their climax. Although just a tiny pinprick, if one squinted hard enough, Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, can be seen hanging from the tallest mountain of the range.

Bluey had a decent view of the sprawling town from the second floor of his house. Due to his home being situated on a small, out-of-the-way hill, he was able to see the town's famous and most important structure yet: the Crystal Tree Castle. The Castle was the tallest building in the town and home to Twilight Sparkle, the recently crowned princess and the most well-known of the Six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. The tall, sparkling branches arched over each other, and they encircled a round structure that was connected to its nearby slim watch towers. The tallest part of the castle was a coned roof with a bright violet six-pointed star on top of it.

When Bluey angled his gaze downward, he saw the many yellow-colored roofs and brown and gray structures of Ponyville. Most of them were houses of differing sizes, but some were big, stony structures that were mostly located at the center of the town. As time went on, the blue colt witnessed many ponies become active on the cobbled and dirt streets. Some were talking with their neighbors; a couple of them were cleaning their front porches; and others did a variety of activities. The neighborhood was starting to become alive.

He would’ve looked on longer, but the thought of breakfast and school snapped him out of his trance. Bluey then got down from his desk and used one of his forelegs to open a drawer on his right. In it was a metal box, and so he opened it to find numerous small sticks with reddish spots on their edges.

"Okay, let’s do this," Bluey muttered before he used his left foreleg to brush away some of the hair from his mane at the front of his head. Between the numerous navy blue hair follicles was, admittedly, his short horn. For one reason or another, his horn is shorter than other colts his age. This led him to struggle with using magic from time to time, compared to others who would have little difficulty. In times past, his parents were the ones to do magic for him. However, over time, Bluey showed that he was capable of performing some fundamental tasks, like holding tiny or light-weight objects and starting small fires. So, they usually left him alone, only helping him if they were asked to or if they stumbled upon him doing something that looked complicated.

Bluey then closed his eyes and concentrated on a spell his father and teachers taught him. His horn began to glow blue, and he started to feel the power flow out of it. Suddenly, a small match was enveloped in a bluish hue, and it levitated from the box and hovered a hoof's length in front of him. Afterward, with a small whoosh, the edge of the stick was lit up with a miniature flame that danced on the red spot. Immediately, he opened his eyes and smiled at his accomplishment. Without wasting time, he turned around and trotted to a door across from him.

With a push from his hoof, the door creaked forward. The combination of the match and the sunlight from his bedroom showed a windowless, small bathroom. Its floor was made out of wooden planks, and the walls were made of gray stones. A mirror, a sink, and a stool were to his left, while a bathtub and toilet were to his right. Bluey looked up and saw the box-shaped lantern with a candle inside, and a silver chain helped the thing hang from the ceiling. Using his magic, he opened a small door on its side and inserted the match onto the top of the candle’s wick. Suddenly, the wick fired up, which caused a white and orange glow to illuminate the parts of the room that the sunlight couldn't reach.

"Phew, thank goodness nothing bad happened," Bluey sighed in relief before he blew the match’s fire out, made sure that no remnant of its flame survived, and threw the stick into a trash basket beside the bathroom sink. He then turned and closed the door, using his magic to slide the latch into its lock, which locked it. Now, it was only the hanging lantern that lit the room.

He then turned and climbed on top of the stool, which allowed him to fully examine himself in the mirror. Bluey looked in the mirror and saw his blue-furred upper body, black eyes, and a messy dark blue mane staring back at him. After a moment, he looked down and saw his comb on the edge of the sink, next to the water faucet. He lit up his horn again, which caused his part of the room to glow with the familiar bluish hue. He picked up the comb and quickly but gently combed his mane in one direction. He also made sure that the comb would go around the horn and untangle some hair follicles that were stuck on every side of the pointed cone.

After a couple of seconds of combing, he stopped and looked at his handiwork in the mirror. His mane is now neat rather than messy, combed to his right side, making him look like a handsome noble. Bluey smiled, content with his work. He then placed the comb down and turned the faucet’s handle with his right hoof. After several moments and an odd squeaky sound later, water gushed out of the funnel. He held his breath, turned his head at an angle, and moved it toward the torrent. The gesture made the water fall onto the left side of his face before it rushed over and covered the other side.

When a couple of moments had passed, he swung his head back from the waterfall and took some big gulps of air. Water dripped from his drenched face as he looked at himself in the mirror. For a moment, he looked like a desperate fish that somehow landed on dry land. Parts of his mane got caught and wet, but most were untouched.

Bluey turned off the faucet, stepped down from the stool he stood on, and grabbed a towel that hung from a rack attached to the bathroom door with his teeth. He then used his right foreleg as a holder and nuzzled his head into it, which wiped off a lot of the water from his muzzle, cheeks, forehead, and parts of his mane. When he was finished, he looked in the mirror for the umpteenth time. His hair became unkempt again, with a small portion of it still wet, and some parts of his face looked partially moist.

As Bluey looked at himself, he flashed a toothy grin.

"Well, pal, even though you’re messy, you are looking handsome today!" He happily told his reflection. He then looked beyond the front of his body and onto his flank, which was blank. Bluey's mood suddenly became sour when he remembered that he still hadn't acquired a cutie mark. His smile quickly turned into a frown, and his eyebrows scrunched against each other.

"Right, right, I almost forgot that I haven’t gotten a mark yet," he muttered. For a minute, there was only silence as Bluey stared at his blank flank. If it weren't for the muffled but recognizable voice of an anxious parent, he would have remained in that position longer.

"Hey, Blue, are you alright, kiddo? What’s taking you so long?"

"Oh, sweet haystacks! I nearly forgot!" Bluey panicked as he quickly threw the towel into the bathtub, opened the lock and the door, and galloped out of the bathroom. If he hadn't been careful, he would’ve knocked into the chair and desk. Thankfully, he was thoughtful enough to miss them and trotted to his bedroom door. Bluey hurriedly laid one of his hooves on the lever handle of the door and pushed down, opening the door a crack, and he replied to the one on the other side as he looked up at him, "Sorry, Father, I was a little too focused on something and nearly lost track of time."

On the other side of the door was a tall, black-furred, and clean-shaven unicorn stallion with a short and combed gray mane. His white eyes looked down at Bluey with confusion and annoyance for a moment before they relaxed.

"Oh, and good morning." Bluey quickly added with a sheepish smile as he looked up at his father.

"Well, good morning to you too, son," he said before furrowing an eyebrow. "But you've got to be more aware next time. Number one," his father lifted a hoof. “my stomach is rumbling with hunger." As if in response, the father’s stomach growled. When a moment or two had passed, he then twitched his hoof downward and continued, "And two, you and your sister are going to be late for school! Whether we like it or not, time marches on.”

Bluey quickly pushed the door aside, leaving the doorway wide open and revealing his father's form in full view. Without the door in the way, it is possible to see the stallion's flank, which displayed the cutie mark. His was a newspaper with a quill beside it.

Bluey rolled his eyes at his father before he replied sarcastically, "Alright, Father, you don’t have to explain the whole history of Equestria to make a point…" He then pointed his hoof toward the ceiling and quickly whirled it around like a fan. "Whether we like it or not, time marches on!" he said, in mock imitation of his parent, and ended with a grin.

"Hey! That’s my line!" Bluey’s father tried to make himself look angry, but instead looked as if he was trying to hold back a laugh; the edges of his mouth arched upward.

"Well, it’s mine now! Aha!" Bluey replied joyfully as he circled himself several times in a dance. He then continued, "You can’t do anything about it now, Father!" He closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue at him.

For a second, Bluey’s father was in shock at what his son did, but then he made a sly grin and said, "Oh, you’re not going to get away with this, Bluey!"

Before Bluey could react, he was tackled to the ground with a thud, and an gasp emitted from him. His father’s body was on top of him, with enough weight to not suffocate him. For a moment, he was dazed from the surprise attack. A second later, however, he felt something that was all too familiar on his abdomen. Suddenly, Bluey snapped himself out of his daze and looked at his parent. Due to an obstructing foreleg, he could only see half of his father’s tilted head. His left eye looked back at him with a mischievous look in it.

Bluey started to panic; his eyes slowly turned into pinpricks. "L-Look, Father, y-you don’t have to do t-this!" He stuttered, his body lightly shaking, "W-We can t-talk thro-o-ough thi–" He was abruptly cut off before he could finish his sentence.

"Hehe, nice try, son," his father chuckled before he continued, "but you’ll have to suffer the consequences of your actions!" He then opened his mouth, tilted his head backward, and sucked in a lot of air. At that moment, he looked like a shocked pony who had been told the news that his wife was pregnant.

Bluey’s eyes bulged out of their sockets as he cried out, "W-wait, NO–" before he could finish his sentence, the stallion immediately brought down his muzzle and blew raspberries onto his child’s tummy.

"EEEEEEEEK!" Bluey shrieked as the highly tickly sensation swept over him like a hurricane. He wriggled and bucked wildly under his father's weight, attempting to escape the ticklish onslaught brought on by him. He turned to the left and then to the right, but he wasn’t able to escape the strong grip of his parent. All he could do at the moment was laugh his head off as the stallion continued to blow raspberries into his bare abdomen.

"P-Please, Father, stop!" Bluey cried out between his laughter, praying to the Harmony above that his father would stop the madness. To the colt's dismay, however, the stallion ignored the plea and continued tickling him.

Finally, after what felt like a long time (even though it was only about thirty seconds), his father stopped tickling him, giving Bluey some time to breathe. He gladly lolled and breathed a lot of air into his lungs, thankful that the nightmare was over. He lay on the floor, his strength mostly drained from the chaos. For a time, he was content where he was, rejuvenating his strength.

"Are you alright, Blue?" his father asked Bluey. He didn't respond until he felt some sort of weight added to his chest.

He opened his eyes and saw his father's head resting on top of his foreleg, which was on his chest. While his face had a smile on it, there was a hint of concern.

"What d-do you think, father?" Bluey asked with a slight stutter in his voice.

His father chuckled before replying, "Well, if you ask me, you look fine."

Bluey replied with a huff, "If by 'fine' you mean nearly out of breath and my strength mostly sucked out of me, sure..."

"Gasp! Was that disrespect I heard, my son?!" His father asked with feigned surprise. He then smirked evilly and continued, "Looks like you need to be punished again, Bluey."

The colt felt his eyes bulge out again as he panickedly replied, "F-Father, please, I don't w-want to be tickled agai-" He was cut off by a hearty laugh from the stallion.

"Haha! I was just joking, son," he replied with a cheeky smile.

Bluey rolled his eyes as he sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness, Father. Please don't do that again..." He said it with a whine in his voice.

The father chuckled as he got off of the colt and helped him to his hooves. He replied, "Hehe, no promises, Blue."

Bluey huffed in reply before he said, with a determined look on his face, "One day, father, I will take my revenge on you." He pointed a hoof at the stallion. "You will receive it when you least expect it!" he proclaimed as he flashed a grin.

The black unicorn smirked and said, "We'll see about that, Son. For now…" He took on a serious expression, puffed out his chest, and placed a hoof on it. "I am unstoppab-"

A couple of hoofsteps accompanied by a creaking noise and a familiar feminine voice interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. The voice seemed to be coming from around the bend at the end of the hallway.

"Bright and Bluey Writingson, are y’all sleeping or something? It’s getting late! Hurry up for breakfast!" The mare's voice

"Whoops!" The father, now known as Bright, exclaimed with an embarrassed look as he turned his head to look behind him towards the end of the hall. He then replied to the one who called from downstairs, saying, "We are coming down soon, honey!"

"Well, you better! Don’t make me come up there and drag y’all’s butts to the dining table!" The mare called back with feigned anger and a playful tone to her voice. The hoofsteps audibly trotted down some steps and away to someplace in the house. The stallion chuckled before he looked back at his son, a sly grin now on his face.

"Alright, Blue, we have to hurry downstairs to where your mother and sister are so that we can eat breakfa-" His stomach growled abruptly, as if in anticipation and delight at the thought of food. Bluey giggled at the sound. "As I was saying!" his father continued with a slight irritation at the interruption. "We can eat breakfast, and you and your sister can go to school while your mother and I go to work."

"Sure, Father. Let’s go!" replied Bluey excitedly.

With that, the black stallion turned and walked toward the end of the hall, and Bluey followed him. Their combined hoofsteps sounded like a cacophony of sporadic knocks on wood. They passed by three doors before they reached the end of the corridor and rounded the corner to the staircase. Bright was the first to descend the stairs, with his son following close behind. When they arrived on the ground-floor landing, they trotted down the short hallway before they came across a T-intersection. A smell of cooked eggs, hay, and a soup of some kind hit them, which caused the empty food storage organ of the adult unicorn to growl again. The scent was coming from the left doorway.

"Ah, the smell of cooked eggs and hay, and your mother's special broth for breakfast!" He exclaimed excitedly as he licked his lips. Bluey tilted his head and looked at his father with some confusion.

"Uh, Father, what is a 'broth'?"

Bright stopped and turned his head to look at his son. He then responded with a wave of his foreleg, "Oh, well, it is just a fancy word for a soup."

"Oh, alright," Bluey replied before he continued with a determined tone. "C'mon, Father, let's go and eat!!" With that, he trotted forward and into the left doorway. His father chuckled before he followed his son.

When they entered, they were met with a dining room mixed with a kitchen. In front of them was a round table with four chairs, and beyond them, in the corner, was the kitchen with the cupboards, stove, sink, and oven. On the table were four bowls, each filled with fried eggs and hay, and they were placed in front of each chair. Hanging from the ceiling overhead was a lit chandelier that had a similar design to the single one in Bluey's bathroom. Next to the kitchen's stove, was a window with its curtains partially lifted, allowing some sunlight to pour in.

Sitting on one of the chairs was Bluey’s twin sister, a dark gray-furred unicorn with a long, red mane. She had a cutie mark that showed a bunch of papers with a symbol of a mouth next to them. The filly was about the same size as her brother. At that moment, she was facing away from them and was looking at the mare across from her.

The mare in question was a blue-furred unicorn with red streaks that ran across her navy blue mane. On her flank was a sewing machine with a ball of yarn next to it. She, too, faced away from the colt and the stallion and looked at the stove that had a metal pot over it. A giant wooden spoon encased in a teal glow hovered beside her. The mother and daughter were busy conversing.

"So, that is how you make that soup, Ma?" The unicorn filly asked with a tilt of her head.

"Yes, darling, as far as I remember it from my mother, your grandmother," she replied before she noisily tapped the spoon against the pot.

With the sound of Bright and Bluey’s hoofsteps, they turned and looked at them. Both of their faces showed that they were relieved at their arrival.

"Finally, I thought I would have to drag both of your rumps here!" exclaimed the mare jokingly as she flicked off the stove and walked toward the dining table, placing the spoon into the pot.

"Well, we have arrived!" replied Bright as he went and sat on a chair across from his daughter, his front legs ahead of his rear ones. "So, there’s no need to do that!" He chortled.

"G’morning, Mother, and good morning, Sis," said Bluey as he greeted his sister and mother with a smile.

His sister waved her hoof at him and smiled back. She replied, "Good morning, TB." One of her black eyes winked at him.

Bluey felt a little embarrassed about the nickname Lily gave him. He felt it was too childish, even though he himself was not even a stallion yet.

"Good morning, hun!" His mother responded as she brought the pot from the stove to the table with her telekinesis. The soup in the pot had steam coming from it like smoke from a chimney. She then brought up the spoon and gave each of the bowls a healthy serving. Bluey’s stomach growled loudly, and his mouth started to water at the food. His mother put a hoof to her lips and snickered; his father flashed a grin at him; and his sister giggled. Bluey’s cheeks started to burn from embarrassment, and he looked at them with a goofy smile.

"Sounds like somepony is starving, eh?"

"S-something like t-that, Mother," Bluey replied sheepishly as he hopped into the chair next to his sister. When he first glanced at his bowl of fried eggs and hay, he fell into a trance and forgot the embarrassing incident from earlier. His mother sat down next to her husband and asked something, which startled him and brought him back to reality.

"Alright, is every pony ready?" She looked around the table at her family members.

"I sure am, Ma," Bluey's sister replied.

"You bet I am! I can't wait to taste your 'broth', as father liked to call it," the blue colt replied excitedly. The mare chuckled in amusement before her gray eyes looked at her husband.

He winked and said, "Ready when you are, Martha."

The unicorn mare, now known as Martha, giggled and proclaimed, "Alright, everypony, let’s ‘dig into the meals,’ as they say!"

"Woohoo!" The siblings rejoiced.

"Finally…"

Bluey thought about using the spoon his mother gave him to eat the soup, but he decided not to because he was far too hungry to conjure up his telekinesis.

With that, all of the family bent their necks forward and started to eat their meals. A loud cacophony of slurping and munching sounded throughout the room. For several minutes, it was like this. The ponies didn’t talk to one another, as they were all busy eating from their respective bowls. When the family was finished, as if they were of one mind, they laid back into their chairs and sighed in unison. Their eyes were closed, and their mouths were slightly ajar in relief. A moment later, Bluey was the first to talk.

"Wow, that was pretty good, Mother," Bluey said before he opened his eyes and looked at her with a big grin. "Thank you so much!"

His sister also praised her mother, saying, "As Bluey stated, thanks for the food, Ma; it was indeed good!"

His mother's face blushed as she replied, "Why, thank you, Bluey and Lilly! It's good to know y'all have some manners, unlike your father here..." She jabbed a hoof at her husband's shoulder with a smirk. The stallion, who was resting peacefully, jerked himself upright with a surprised grunt.

He then laughed and defended himself, saying, "Haha! Woah, hey! I too was about to congratulate you, honey!"

"Well, you were too slow!"

The couple chortled while their children looked on with smiles. After the shenanigans died down, silence returned to the room. For a couple of seconds, there was only the loud ticking of a clock in the next room, and some birds chirped outside. The blue unicorn mare was the first to speak up, ending the silence.

"Has anypony heard the news that the Royal Sisters will be joining the Nightmare Night festival here in Ponyville?" Martha asked as she looked around the table.

"Wait, really?" Lilly asked with surprise evident in her voice and wide eyes. "I didn't know that they were going to come here!"

"Mhm," the mother replied. "They are planning to celebrate the festival with the Element Bearers and Princess Twilight Sparkle."

The blue unicorn colt gaped at her before replying, "Woah! That's so cool! I can't wait to see them! Who will be coming here?"

It looked like the mare was about to respond, but before she could, her husband replied first, "I've heard that all three of them would be coming here." He then exited his chair, lit up his horn, and levitated all of the bowls with a light gray glow towards the sink. What he had said surprised the siblings, as they both looked at him with astonishment and excitement.

"EEEE!" Lily squealed, her forelegs and body shook excitedly. "I can't wait to see them! Oh, I cannot wait!"

"All three of them?" Bluey, who was far more composed compared to his sister, asked with an amused look as he leaned over with interest. His forelegs rested on the table. The stallion chuckled at the colt’s and Lily’s reactions and nodded.

"Yes, Son, Princess Celestia and her two sisters, Princesses Luna and Moonshine, are going to be in this town tonight for the holiday."

After a couple of moments, the gray unicorn filly, who became calmer than before, lifted a hoof and asked, "Pa, if I may ask, where did you and Ma get this information? I don't remember this being in the town gossip, newspapers, or at school." Before he could reply to the question, his wife spoke up to him.

"Thank you for the help, honey; I appreciate it," Martha smiled as she got up and trotted toward the sink. She then used her magic to levitate them over a trash basket and dumped the remaining contents into it. Next, she turned the faucet on and started to clean the bowls with a sponge.

"You're welcome, Marthie," the stallion responded with her nickname before he walked to one of the kitchen's drawers and levitated a cup out of it. He then continued, "As I was about to explain, a letter that arrived an hour ago from your cousin, Fierce Fighter, after he told us many things, said that he overheard a lot of rumors that the Princesses are planning to come to Ponyville this evening."

Bluey raised an eyebrow at the name.

"Fierce Fighter? Do you mean the one with the red fur and brown mane, Father?" When the stallion nodded, he looked at his sister, who looked back at him with the same confusion. Fierce Fighter was a friendly, patriotic pegasus who was a distant cousin to Bluey. Occasionally, he would come by their house whenever the annual family reunion took place. Other than that, however, they didn't see or talk to each other. While the blue colt never had anything against the soldier, he wasn't necessarily close to him either.

The colt turned his gaze back at his father, who was pouring water into his cup from a levitated jug, and asked again, "Wasn't he supposed to be stationed in Cloudsdale?"

"Well," Bright brought the cup to his lips and sipped some water from it. When he was finished, he hovered and placed it on the table. He resumed, "According to the letter, he was moved from there to Canterlot for a reason he didn't state." He ended with a shrug.

"Hmm, interesting...," Bluey muttered as he looked at his hooves. Before he could ask another question, the clock in the other room began to ring with a repeated bong. All of them widened their eyes as realization hit them.

BONG

"Oh no! We forgot about the time!" Martha Writingson wailed dramatically as she quickly finished cleaning the last bowl and placed it into a small metal dish rack that was next to the sink. With that, she whirled around and told her still-frozen children, "Kids, hurry and pack up your things! We're all going to be late!"

Immediately, as if time itself had sped up, Bluey and his sister swiftly hopped out of their respective chairs and galloped out of the room. Bluey was the first to climb up the stairs, with his sibling not too far behind. Several times he nearly tripped, but either through sheer luck or divine internvention, he was able to make it to the top intact. After he turned the corner and went through the seemingly long hallway, he arrived at his bedroom and trotted to his bathroom. When he got inside, he quickly searched for the toothbrush and toothpaste.

"Ugh, where are they? Aha!" Bluey exclaimed as he found the toothbrush and toothpaste sitting on top of the toilet. He focused on his magic, lighting up his horn with a familiar glow. Carefully, he unscrewed the cap from the tube, placed it near the edge of the sink, and hovered the brush and paste over the sink. He then got onto the stool, which helped him see himself fully in the mirror. With the help of the mirror, he started to brush his teeth. When a minute had passed, he took out the toothbrush and rinsed his mouth using the water from the faucet.

After he placed the toiletries where he first saw them, he left the bathroom and walked to his desk with the bare window over it. When he squinted through the blinding sun, he saw that it was higher in the sky than when he last saw it. Groaning in frustration, he quickly pushed his chair aside and found his saddlebag under it. Using his magic again, he dragged the bag out and hovered it onto his back, making sure that it was secured and wouldn't fall off easily. He then used his mouth to grab his schoolbooks and other necessities, inserting them into the opening of the saddlebag.

"Bluey!" He heard Lilly calling from down the hall. Looking up, he saw his sibling looking at him from the end of the hallway, in front of her bedroom door. She had a saddlebag on her back and an anxious look on her face. She continued, "Are you ready yet? Pa and Ma are waiting downstairs."

Grunting, Bluey pushed his chair back into its place in front of his desk and quickly trotted out of his bedroom and through the hall. When he was only a couple of hooves away, he replied, "I'm ready now; let's head down, Sis."

His sister quickly nodded before she turned, went around the corner, and trotted down the staircase. Bluey then followed her, not far behind. With each step, the worn wooden stairs creaked. When they arrived at the bottom, the twins went down the short hall and went through the right doorway.

Bluey and Lilly found themselves in the den. Across from them, a couch sat in front of a fireplace encased in a stone chimney; the other portions that led upward were hidden from sight by the ceiling. Hanging above the mouth of the furnace was a big, square-shaped analog clock; the second hand loudly ticked away the seconds. An unlit chandelier that looked identical to the one in the dining room hung above the space between the couch and the chimney.

To their left was the front door with two rectangular windows on opposite sides of the doorway; their curtains were partially opened to allow sunlight into the relatively dark room. The two located their parents, who waited patiently in front of the door; they both seemed to relax when they laid their eyes on them.

"Finally, it took you long enough!" said Bright Writingson with relief in his tone. His wife, Martha, spoke next, worry and concern returned to her features.

"Are you both prepared? Saddlebags, books, everything?" When Bluey and Lily nodded, she sighed in relief, and she returned to a relaxed position. Martha then turned to Bright and said to him, "Alright, let's go, honey."

With that, the unicorn stallion lit up his horn and pulled the door open. Sunlight immediately poured through the opened doorway like a tsunami, bathing them in brilliant white.

"You all go first," he said with a smile as he stepped aside.

"Thanks, Bright," his wife thanked him as she trotted forward and through the doorway. The siblings followed suit, making sure to thank their father for his manners.

"Thanks, Father."

"Thank you, Pa!"

He replied to them, "You're welcome!" With all of his family outside, he took a last glance around the living room before he walked through the entrance and closed the door.

--==[}_____{]==--<

END OF CHAPTER 1

EDITED ON OCTOBER 1 and 8, 2023

Act One, Ch. 2: Friends And School, Part One

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