Ponies of the Dragonlance: Ponies of Autumn Twilight

Chapters

Chapter 0: Prologue
Chapter 1: Back home
Chapter 2: Escape along the road
Chapter 3: Into the Everfree
Chapter 4: The Guardian speaks

Chapter 0: Prologue

Young Whirlwind sighed as she threw the rag back into the bucket. She stretched and moaned, then cracked her neck. Finally, she took a look around the empty room.

It kept getting harder to keep up the old inn. And old it was! Older than her, for sure. Surely older than her boss, Alphabittle, and most likely older than his grandfather! And it could be seen all around the room. The well-loved seats and tables, the trotten-off floor, the splinters theirs guests had to remove from their backside from time to time. The Inn of the Last Home wasn’t fancy, but it never had striven to be. It was comfortable.

Noon came closer and closer, and soon they would open their doors for the day. And she was almost done. The tables and seats were cleaned, the floor swept. She used her wing to wipe off some sweat from her forehead. As useless as these wings were considering what wings were normally made for, they still had their benefits.

Alphabittle came from the kitchen, surrounded by the smell of tea and roasted vegetables. “It’s cold outside, isn’t it? A bit too cold for my liking. It’s just autumn. Winter could become very harsh if it keeps up like this.” The big gray unicorn stallion looked at the pegasus girl. “It could be better if there wasn’t such a tough crowd lately. Ever since Phyllis took over-”

“Alpha, keep your mouth shut! The walls could have ears. It’s bad enough as it is, no need to get us closed down too,” Whirlwind warned.

“Yeah yeah. We’d hear them long before they could enter. The stairs up the tree are creaky enough that not even a rat could sneak up on us.” His voice still hushed down to not much more than a whisper. “The residents of Solace are getting fed up, scared. Ponies are going missing in the dark. It’s a harsh time.” A smile came to his face. “But it’s good for business.”

Whirlwind sighed again. “There are rumors, Alphabittle. Rumors of war. Dark clouds gathering up in the north. Hooded ponies whispering with Phyllis.”

The stallion smiled at her and put a leg around her. “There were always rumors about war, probably since the Cataclysm, and likely even before it. Ponies need stuff to talk about. Maybe Phyllis makes all that stuff up to keep our friends in line.”

Whirlwind wanted to answer something, but was interrupted as the door swung open. Both her and Alphabittle turned around in shock. Like all the houses in Solace, except the blacksmith shop, the Inn was built in the branches of a mighty tree. The ways were made of wood, with stairs leading up. It was nearly impossible to sneak up on any house! And yet this old lavender unicorn made her way up here and into the Inn without making the slightest noise.

Whirlwind mustered her. Old, yes, but not without life. The mare seemed to radiate life. She carried herself proudly with her tattered gray robe. “Can we help you, madam?”

The old unicorn looked at her with a bit of confusion for a moment before she blinked. “Eh...you open?”

Whirlwind still was a bit hesitant, but Alphabittle waved the unicorn in. “Sure we’re open! Come in and take a seat. You must be tired after the climb up here. Whirl, get our guest a nice and cozy seat.”

“Climb?” the unicorn mare asked, tilting her head. Then she looked at the ground below her and nodded. “Oh, yes, the climb. So many stairs.” She slowly walked in and nodded to Whirlwind. “Don’t mind me. I can get myself a good seat. Continue whatever you were doing.”

Whirlwind shrugged and put the cleaned mugs and cups on the counter while watching the old mare. She was looking around the barroom, and Whirlwind felt a bit of pride as the old mare nodded with satisfaction. That was, until she went up to their biggest table and started shoving it towards the fireplace murmuring. “It’ll be a cold night. They’ll need every bit of warmth.”

“That table always stood there! You can’t just go and rearrange our furniture,” Whirlwind said with desperation, looking towards Alphabittle for help. But the stallion just smiled.

“Let her. Maybe she’s giving a party tonight. Would be good money, after all. No harm in rearranging once in a while.” A bright light from the kitchen informed him that some of his vegetables catched on fire above the cooking fire, and he ran back to save what could be saved.

Whirlwind sighed with annoyance, which the old mare answered with a stare. “Well, don’t you want to help an old lady? I need five chairs on this table! And another, comfy one right at the fireside. There, in the shady corner.”

Whirlwind groaned. “Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t need help? I thought you could do it by yourself, like you did with our massive oaken table there!”

The old mare gasped. “Well then, looks like I’ll have to do it on my own, fine!” She went to a pair of chairs and started slowly pushing them over to the big table. Whirlwind sighed.

“Fine, I’ll help you. Five around that table, right? And one over there by the fire?”

“Yes, thank you, Whirlwind. The one by the fire should be in the shadowy corner.”

“But there is no shadowy corner! It’s the middle of the day.”

“It is?” The old mare asked with confusing. “Well, but it’s gonna be shadowy tonight, when the fireplace is lit, won’t it? Yes, I’m pretty sure it will be.”

Whirlwind smiled. “Ok, old lady. It will be shadowy tonight, you’re right. If I may ask: Are you giving a party tonight?”

Again, confusion. “A party?” Then the face of the old mare lit up. “Yes, of course, a party! It will be a grand party unlike any Equestria has seen since the Cataclysm! Remember my words, young Whirlwind!” She sat down in the comfy chair beside the fireside. “And now, I would enjoy a good mug of cider.”

Whirlwind smiled as she poured her a mug. It wasn’t until she was back behind the counter thatt she started wondering how the old mare knew her name.

Author's Note

Somehow, while doing nothing related to either My Little Pony Gen5 or Dragonlance, I thought that those two stories have enough similarities to justify a crossover. It will not be the same exact story as Dragonlance Chronicles, and it will not feature the original characters from there. I may use some of the location names from the books if I find them both fitting and can't think of any name of a location in Equestria to replace them with. I will also use some of the Gen4 locations if they fit.

Depending on how well this story is received, how much I actually enjoy writing it, and how it ends, I may decide to also work on the other two books afterwards.

Last point: The original Dragonlance books are a blast to read, especially the first two Trilogies, Chronicles and Legends. I think they're close to being must-reads for hardcore Fantasy fans, and the original characters are AMAZING (Raistlin Majere for best Edgy Character ever! Down with stupid Drizzt Do'Urden!) But be warned: The movie adaption of Dragons of Autumn Twilight is not very good (except Keifer Sutherland as voice for Raistlin. Such an amazing fit.) Watch it carefully!

Chapter 1: Back home

Sunny had been walking for hours. The roads were in a much worse state than when she and her friends left their hometown of Solace five years ago. Zipp and Pipp went to find out something in the mountain cities of the pegasi, Izzy went to the unicorns in the forests, and she and Hitch traveled through the great plains. Nopony knew why the Gods had decided to throw the giant burning mountain on Equestria, or why they had vanished after that, or why they took the magic with them.

Well, most ponies didn’t even believe the old stories were true. It was told to have happened centuries ago, and there weren’t any relics or statues or anything left from that time. If her father hadn’t told her all about it, she wouldn’t even have known about it. Most of the other inhabitants of Solace called him a bit of a fanatic. But she knew that, if her father believed it to be true, she too had to do so. She spent those five years searching far and wide for any clues, but instead, she only found a rising shadow. Ponies going missing in the night, strange hooded ponies trotting across the streets, voices rumoring about the return of dragonkind, although dragons had been gone as long as the Gods.

She was still deep in her thoughts when something caught her eye. A shimmer of light shining through the trees. She squinted her eyes, trying to figure out what it was, as the light suddenly started jumping towards her. She shrieked in fear, trying to draw her trusted (and quite rusted) dagger, as she heard a familiar laughter. “Izzy! You can’t startle me like that! There are many shady ponies on the streets nowadays! I could have stabbed you!”

The unicorn continued laughing. “But you would’ve been sorry about it!” Sunny now saw where the light came from. Izzy wore bracelets and necklaces covered in crystals! “And also, do you really think you could stab Izzy, the Stabber of Cans? I’m waaaaay to dodgy for that!”

Now Sunny too started laughing. “Yeah, that’s for sure.” She sighed. “It’s good to see you again, Izzy. It was far too long that I heard such a warm laugh.”

Izzy tilted her head. “Right...wait, didn’t you set off together with Hitch? Where is our little sheriff?” She gasped. “Please, don’t tell me something happened to him!”

Sunny shook her head. “Nonono, nothing like that. We just split up to follow different clues. He heard something about the north. Some kind of ancient empire, long lost to ponykind, and hoped to find something up there, while I searched to the east. The great plains, the coastlines. Maybe find the ruins of a long-gone civilization.”

Izzy sighed in relief. “Well, that’s good to he-” She stopped mid-sentence. “Someone’s coming.”

Sunny was always amazed by the good ears of the unicorn. Now that she actively tried to listen for something, she too heard someone trotting closer. And they weren’t alone.

Around a corner in the road came a red earthpony stallion, accompanied by five shorter, smaller, hairless quadrupeds. Their skin was a brownish-yellow, covered with pustules and warts. Goblins.

The earthpony looked at them. “Now what do we have here? It’s getting night, you have no reason to be trespassing on Solace territory at this hour.” He stared at them for a second, before he saw the gemstones all over Izzy’s legs and neck. “Gemstones. I am sad to inform you that we will have to confiscate those. We will also have to check your saddlebags for more.”

Sunny was still shocked by the fact that there were goblins in Solace. She shook her head to get a grip on herself. “Wait...You’re Sprout, aren’t you? What are you thinking, stopping ponies out on the street, demanding their valuables?”

The stallion nearly exploded. “It’s Fewmaster Sprout to you! And I don’t have to explain myself to you!” He looked at his troops. “Get their gemstones. If they don’t cooperate-” he grinned maliciously, “-kill them.”

“You can’t do that!” Sunny shouted, but Sprout just laughed and walked away. The Goblins drew their swords. The grip was taken into the mouth, and the blade protruded straight ahead. A weapon made for stabbing and slashing. Sunny drew her dagger, while Izzy, still bouncing around a bit, lowered her head. Her horn itself was deadly enough, but she also put a horn-blade on it.

“Bring. It. On,” the Unicorn said. The goblins didn’t wait for a second. With a scream of pure bloodlust they charged at them. Sunny sidestepped the first one and slit open his side, although she couldn’t fully evade the second one, slashing around with his sword. It tore through her light leather armor, leaving a gash in her left flank. But this also positioned her in the perfect place to buck out at the enemy, and she heard a disgusting, yet in the heat of battle satisfying, crack as her hoof hit the goblin’s head. He dropped dead like a stone.

Unlike Sunny, Izzy always managed to find some fun in battle. Not in the bloodshed itself, no, but somehow, the unicorn never lost her laugh, no matter what kind of situation they were in. She dodged beneath the sword of a goblin, just to impale him on her horn. “And up you go,” she laughed as she tossed the mortally wounded foe to the side. But the short time she couldn’t see clearly was enough for another goblin to stab her with his sword. She shrieked in pain and turned around, her horn at the height of the goblins neck. Although the goblin tried to evade, he wasn’t quite fast enough. The blade slit open his throat, his blood spraying all over Izzy. “Well, thank you! Now I’ll have to wash myself. Do you know how hard it is to get the stench of goblin out of you fur?”

The last goblin snarled in fury. Having been the last to charge into battle, he was also the only one to turn around and run. But Sunny wouldn’t have that. With a scream of rage and a giant leap she was upon him, crushing his spine beneath her hooves.

The two friends looked at the slaughter. Both being wounded, they slowly walked towards Solace in silence. Goblins, here, in their hometown, commanded by a colt they had known for years. Dark thoughts welled up in their minds.

Whirlwind was very busy that evening. It seemed like all of Solace wanted to gather around their fireside! As soon as she delivered a mug of cider, the next order was placed. Spiced potatoes, roasted apples and other very fragrant food filled every table in the room. Every table except one, their biggest. Whoever it was the old mare was giving a party for, they hadn’t arrived yet.

She sighed as the door swung open. A young earthpony and a unicorn trotted in slowly, looking around. The unicorn got a lot more lively, jumping around, smelling the food, ordering drinks, laughing with people who didn’t even talk to her. The earthpony walked up to the empty table and sat down. “Madam, I’m sorry, but this table is reserved,” Whirlwind hastily told her.

“Well, I don’t see anypony else sitting here, so I’ll sit here until those it is reserved for show up. And now, Whirlwind, could I have a nice cup of Alphabittle’s tea and a big bowl of spiced potatoes? Thank you.” She smiled at the young pegasus.

“How do you kno-” it hit Whirlwind like a buck to the face. “Sunny? Is that really you? You’ve been gone for so long, we feared the worst!”

“It was a long journey. So now, I’m hungry and tired. We can chat after I finished my meal, okay?” Whirlwind nodded and trotted towards the kitchen.

Just as Izzy sat down besides Sunny, the door opened again, and two pegasi walked in. The first one to walk in had pinkish-grey fur, a rose mane with cyan highlights and wings whose feathers shared those colors. The second pegasus was a bit shorter, with pink fur, a purple mane and white, softer wing feathers. Sunny smiled when she saw them, and Izzy enthusiastically waved them over.

Zipp went straight through the crowd towards her friends, while Pipp, who always was the most popular of the companions, bathed in the attention the residents of Solace gave her. They may not have identified the other three at a first glance, but nopony could ever forget the talented and quite attractive musician. Zipp sat down opposite of Sunny and sighed. “Well, what else did I expect?”

“Let her have this, Zipp. You know how much she loves to be the center of attention. I’m sure it was hard for her out there where nopony knew her,” Sunny said with a wide smile.

“That’s what you think. I think she managed to create a fanbase all over Equestria. Even the parts we didn’t visit!” She waved at Whirlwind, signaling that she wanted a mug of cider.

Izzy wasn’t the kind of pony to sit still for a long time. And sometimes, ‘long’ was defined as anything more than a minute. She spotted an old unicorn mare telling stories to little foals by the fireside, and with a bright grin she joined the audience.

“Have you ever heard the story of the Elements of Harmony?” The foals shook their head. “Well, it was many moons ago, long before the Cataclysm struck. A great evil returned to the world on wings of night. The evil aspect of the Goddess Luna ponynapped the Goddess of light, Celestia.-” one od the foals groaned.

“Don’t tell us a legend about the gods. They never were real, and even if they were, they were responsible for the Cataclysm! We don’t need stories about those, Do you know a story about dragons?”

The old unicorn smiled. “Dragons. The fierce and fiery rulers of the skies. I’m sure I know a story or two about those. Give me a second. I need to try and remember one. It has been far too long that I told any.” She took a good gulp of cider.

Again, the door swung open. An orange earthpony stallion with green mane entered, clad in chainmail. As soon as he saw the two ponies sitting at the big table, his face started to glow as he made his way through the crowd. “Sunny! Zipp! It’s been far too long since we last met!” He hugged them both, then his eyes found the other two ponies in the crowd. He smiled and ordered a mug of Cider.

Zipp emptied her mug in one long chug. “When Pipp and I made our way to Solace, we witnessed something strange. A group of guards demanded we give them every single jewel we carried with us.”

Sunny nodded. “Same thing happened to Izzy and me. Just...it was Sprout and a group of goblins.” Her two friends gasped. “Goblins in Solace. Can you believe it? Back in the old days, no goblin would even dare to set foot inside of five miles of Solace. And now, they’re working here.”

Hitch looked at the crowd nervously. “Do you think that something evil has taken control of Solace?”

“Sadly, Izzy and I didn’t have a chance to interrogate any goblins, and Sprout fled even before the fighting started, I’ll have to ask my dad if he knows anything.”

Alphabittle, who had just been talking to a customer in earshot of their conversation, dropped his tablet. “Sunny? Could it really be you?” He rushed over to her, giving her a big hug. A long hug. Too long for her taste.

“Hey Alpha. Nice to see you too. Could you...could you please let me down? I’m starting to suffocate!”

Alphabittle complied with a nervous laughter. “Sorry, girl. But,” his face grew darker, “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. You won’t find your dad here, Sunny. He vanished three years ago.” Sunny gasped. “Nopony knows where he went. But he said that, if you ever returned, I should give you this.” He pointed at an unlit lantern in the corner of the room. “Didn’t say why. Just that it should belong to you.”

Sunny eyes filled with tears. “Dad….gone? And he didn’t leave a clue where to?” The unicorn stallion shook his head. “I’m sure he’ll return!”

“Sure, girl. Although-” the stallion grinned nervously as he looked through the barroom “-I doubt he’d enjoy coming back. Phyllis and her branch of the Canterlogic Order changed. They are driving pegasi and unicorns away. Not openly, but with rumors, with unfriendliness. This was once a safe haven for all who searched for peace, but those times seem to be gone by now.”

Over by the fireside, the old mare finished remembering her story. “So, my little ponies, do you know the story of the Great Dragon War?” The foals shook their heads, as did Izzy. “Well, it was a long time ago, many years before the Cataclysm. It was a peaceful time. The Goddess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, spread joy and warmth across all of Equestria, and even beyond. But a shadow was growing. The Goddess of Envy, an evil mare whose name was never spoken by people with good intent, was slowly poisoning the message Twilight left in her subjects.” The foals groaned.

“You said this story was about dragons, but instead you talk about the gods again!”

“Wait for it. There will be dragons,” She looked confused for a second. “Where was I again? Oh yes, I remember. So, when the Goddess of Friendship finally noticed this, it was already too late. Ponies turned against one another. The different tribes went to war against each other. And when everything seemed bleak, it got even worse. The Goddess of Envy had managed to gather many dragons around her, and her forces attacked Equestria when it was weakest. Goblins, dragons, ogres and even ponies joining her army killed all those who stood in Her way. Even when the tribes managed to reunite, the enemy seemed far too strong. That was, until the gods of good managed to convince some of the dragons who didn’t join the war before to help their loyal subjects. But they still weren’t enough against the overwhelming forces of evil. The God of Protection, Shining Armor, went on to create a powerful weapon, the Dragonlance! With its power, and the less powerful copies made by ponykind, they managed to slay many of the evil dragons. When the surviving dragons retreated, the remaining forces of evil were quickly destroyed. And that’s how friendship between the tribes became stronger than it ever was. And it was this friendship that protected ponykind from many other dangers. Because only if the ponies stand united, they can be strong.” The foals and Izzy applauded the story, but someone else didn’t. An older peachy pink earthpony mare with blonde hair rose from her seat, having already consumed multiple mugs of cider.

“Lies! Nothing but lies! You’re trying to fill the minds of our foals with stupid stories of Gods and Dragons and Unity! Look around you! The unicorns have retreated to the forests, and the pegasi to their mountain cities! They left the earthponies alone, so they could bear the brunt of the storm that’s brewing in Equestria! We don’t need unity or friendship! We need to show our strength!”

She staggered towards the old mare. “Leave now, or I will make sure you’ll get arrested! You are not welcome here!”

Izzy jumped up and stood in the way of the angry earthpony. “Phyllis! Calm down! If all tribes worked together, we could-” but was cut short by a hoof towards her face.

This got Hitch involved. He jumped from his seat and pushed Phyllis aside. It wasn’t a hard push, but together with her drunken state, she lost her balance and fell into the fireplace. The stench of burned hair and burning flesh filled the room, together with screams of pain. Still burning and screaming, the mare jumped up and tumbled through the room.

The old unicorn mare grabbed the objects closest to her and gave it to Sunny, who had stood up to help where she could. “Knock her down so that we can put out the fire!” Sunny did as she was commanded, only realizing what she was swinging when it already hit Phyllis. It was the lantern her father left her. But any thought about that was cut short as a wave of rainbow light went out of the lantern when it Phyllis. The fire went out, her skin healed over, and new fur grew, all in just two seconds. Everypony in the room was silent as Phyllis stood up again. “What kind of trick is this? This...this can only be some kind of dark power!” She put her hoof down with power. “Give me that thing!” At the same moment, the door swung open, and Sprout trotted in.

“Sunny Starscout and Izzy Moonbow, you are under arrest for resisting the local Fewmaster!”

Whirlwind whispered to Sunny. “Go through the kitchen! Run, as long as you still can.”

Sunny, together with her friends, did exactly that. Sprout tried making his way through the crowd, but because the inn was full, he wasn’t fast enough.

In the kitchen, the five friends looked at the basket with which food and drinks was transported up into the inn. Hitch looked at it. “I’ll stay back here, lowering you all down!” but was cut short by Alphabittle.

“No, boy. I’ll lower you all down. Whatever that lantern just did, you need to find out what is was. I don’t think the higher-ups of Canterlogic over in Maretime Bay are as extreme as Phyllis. Maybe they can help you figure it out.” The five friends nodded with thankful faces as the big unicorn started lowering the basket. “Best of luck to you five!”

Down on the ground, they started running as fast as their hooves could carry them, out into the night.

Author's Note

Yes, Goblins. I also mentioned Ogres, yes. Some of the more stereotypical fantasy/DnD humanoid monsters may make appearances here, as well as some of the G4 non-pony races, although sparingly.

Chapter 2: Escape along the road

They ran through Solace. They knew that Sprout would be on their trail in just a minute, and most likely a force of goblins with him. They had to get away as soon as possible, and on a path their hunters would not expect. Easier said than done. Sprout had spent his entire life in this village. He knew every street, every way, every path. So they decided to take the most straightforward way out of town: The western street, towards Maretime Bay. They knew they would have to leave the street at some point. Sprout and his mother would be able to tell where they were headed, and the street would be blocked by enemies before they could even get halfway to their destination. Especially because the way towards Maretime Bay lay between the sea and the Everfree Forest. The outskirts of that forest were mostly harmless, but nopony who ever wandered deeper into it ever returned.

They ran for about an hour before they stared feeling their bones. Because of their rather speedy laving of Solace, they didn’t have a chance to rest. They were tired, hungry and still shocked about what happened back there. Thus, they decided to leave the path and find someplace to rest for the night. It wouldn’t do them any good if they collapsed right on the street, even though that meant their enemies had time to prepare a blockade.

Slowly, their path only illuminated by Sunny’s lantern, they walked into the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. Pipp was the first to break the silence. “I can’t believe it! How, for ponies’ sake, could our sweet little hometown change so much in those five years? Today was meant to happy! A celebration! And instead, we are now fugitives! Hunted by ponies we have known for years! It’s not fair!” Tears started welling up in her eyes.

Zipp put a wing around her. “I know, sis. We didn’t even have time to say ‘Hi’ to mom. Nopony could have foreseen this. Forced to run away from home. It’s just not right.” She sighed. “But now, we have to try and make the best out of a shitty situation. So, first, we should talk about one thing: did anypony find out something during these five years? Pipp and I didn’t. The pegasi have retreated beneath the mountains. Their cities are in the caverns, protected by giant doors. Some of those doors could be as old as the Cataclysm, but if there ever was any kind of relief on them, they were destroyed long ago. There are no records about any time before or even short after the Cataclysm.”

Izzy shook her head. “The unicorns have retreated into the forests. No sign of anything old in there. Although they seem to be afraid of even the thought of magic or the gods. Mention one of these words, and they go all crazy, believing they need to have some strange ritual or they would invoke some kind of curse. Although..the same is true about mayonnaise. I have no clue what’s so bad about mayonnaise.”

“I have traveled the North,” said Hitch. “We heard something about an ancient empire up there, but I found no trace of anything like that. No ruins, no descendants, nothing. It was nothing but an icy desert. If there ever was an empire, it was completely obliterated. Although,” he opened his saddlebag and got out a helmets, made out of solid crystal, “they northerners seem to have quite a hand for handiwork. This thing looks amazing, and fits even better.” He smiled. “Oh, and I’ve heard that, even farther to the north, there is a civilisation of yaks, but the way there is deadly, with monsters hunting in the blizzards, and even if you would manage to cross the icy mountains, the yaks seem to be hostile to everything not a yak. So I didn’t try to get there.”

Sunny sighed. “I traveled through the great planes to the east. Some nomadic tribes of earthponies manage to live there, but they, too, aren’t very welcoming to outsiders. But it seems they have some kind of religion, praying to their deceased ancestors, calling on them for leadership. But as far as I can tell, it’s nothing but belief, not actually some kinds of spirits that help them, or even gods. Even further to the east, there is a mountainrange that was settled on before the Cataclysm. But the Burning Mountain hit Equestria just beyond those mountains. What could have been a fertile land centuries ago is now nothing but the sea, and most of those ancient cities in the mountains were swallowed by either the sea or the earth. No clue about the time before the Cataclysm left there to find. So, all those five years managed to do was getting us away from Solace, allowing Phyllis and Sprout to turn it into a corrupt place that welcomes goblins and rejects pegasi and unicorns. I’m sorry to have dragged all of you into this stupid idea of mine.” She let her head hang low.

Don’t beat yourself up, Sunny.” Izzy nudged her. “We all agreed. And imagine if we would have found something! We could have rewritten history! Back in Solace, we most likely wouldn’t have been able to change anything. Times are getting darker. That’s the way of the world.”

Zipp raised her wing. “Look, over there! A cave! Deep enough in the forest to not be found by Sprout and his goblins, but not deep enough that we would be entering the inner Everfree Forest.” Relieved, they entered the cave. Hitch took the first watch, Zipp the second. Sleep came fast.

When the sun rose the next morning, the companions were already on their hooves. “Pony damn it! Raw roots for breakfast,” Hitch sighed. “I could kill for a serving of Alphabittle’s spiced potatoes.” His friends chuckled. “Hey, a full grown stallion like me needs his nutrients!” When his friends just continued chuckling, he sighed.

Zipp spent most of her watch and the following morning with sharpening her wingblades, although she knew that soon she would need to replace them. “We should be able to make good progress today. Sky’s looking clear, no storm. Still, we should stay in the forest as long as possible. Less encounters that way.” The other companions nodded.

After breakfast, they started moving out. In the early lights of morning, the forest lost some of its spookiness of the night, and Izzy did her best to raise the mood of everyone else by singing songs. Soon, they all started to lighten up, their worries banished for the moment.

They had been walking quite some time when the forest got so dense that the only ways were either deeper into the Everfree Forest, and thus into the dark parts, or onto the road. The choice was all to easy. The road seemed empty, and they decided that, at least for the moment, they would travel along the road. Far to their left, they could already see the sea. It would be two more days to reach Maretime Bay. Not long after, they heard a cart moving in the opposite direction.

“Into the bushes,” Sunny whispered. “We don’t know who goes there. It could be friend, foe or stranger. Better not take any risks.” Her friends nodded and joined her. All except Hitch. “Hitch! Come on!”

But the stallion shook his head. “I’ll stay out here. If they are foe, they do not seek for one pony alone. If they are friend or stranger, maybe they can help us, at least with good food.” Sunny nodded slowly. “And trust me, I’ll be as careful as I can be. No risks will be taken.”

Then they stopped their conversation as the cart came into view from behind a curve in the road. It was pulled by two ponies, and two others were walking besides it. Their faces, or even their tribe, were indiscernible because they were wearing heavy cloaks reaching down to the ground. Not even their hooves could be seen.

Hitch settled down, facing towards the strangers. Pipp, staying in the bushes, got nervous. “Sunny, something about those ponies doesn’t seem right. They send shivers down my spine. We’d better stay ready to help Hitch if things go south.” She mounted her crossbow on her belt. It could be loaded, drawn and triggered by mouth using a mechanism. Sunny nodded, drawing her dagger, Izzy readied her hornblade, and Zipp had already put on her wingblades in the morning. Now it was time to wait as the cart pulled closer. When it was just a few legs away from Hitch, the ponies stopped and who seemed to be their leader shouted, with a hollow, lisping voice: “Hail, wanderer.” The sound of the voice managed to send shivers down everyponies’ spines.

But Hitch didn’t show this. “Greetings to you too, travelers! It seems we both have chosen a poor day for the road. I have been walking many a mile today, yet you are the first other ponies I encounter.” Sunny thought she heard a slight snicker from one of the travelers, but if that really was the case, she didn’t understand why. “Have you seen other people traveling the road today?”

“Nay. But the wind is cold and carries a storm. This may be why you won’t find other wanderers on this day. We would not be on the road ourselves if we didn’t hear about a miracle.”

The companions in the bushes looked at each other as Hitch spoke. “A miracle, you say? And it lies in the direction of Solace? I come from Solace, and I haven’t heard of any kind of miracle. Tell me, what kind of miracle could you be talking about?”

The strangers looked at each other for a second, before the answer was given. “We carry with us a friend. The shadow of death is already lingering above his head. When we heard that there was some kind of healing in Solace, we traveled from camp a few hours away from here towards Solace as soon as possible. If the tale we heard is wrong, our friend will die just as he would have done without it. If the tale is true, he may still be saved!”

“I’m sorry that I can’t help you. I wish you all th-” Hitch was interrupted as Sunny jumped up, carrying the lantern.

“I can help you!” Sunny jumped out of the bushes. The strangers looked at her, and beneath their cowls, she saw gleaming eyes. Hitch, too, looked at her. “I have been the one who healed Phyllis in Solace. Well, it was this lantern, to be exact.” She walked towards Hitch and whispered to him. “Follow me. If they try something, it’d be better if you’re by my side.” He nodded, and together they closed in on the cart. “Where is your friend?”

The leader of the strangers led her behind the cart and showed them another pony, completely cloaked in the same kind of garment. But just as Sunny climbed onto the cart, it started moving, bursting free from the restrictive cloak. Sunny screamed at the sight.

In the bushes, the other companions had been ready to attack in case of a trap. But just as the scream rang through their ears, something else happened. Zipp, starting to run, suddenly felt a weight on her back and heard her sister scream. Izzy joined in just a second later as another attacker came out of his hiding place above her. ‘How, for ponies’ sake, were they able to sneak up on us like that?’ Zipp thought as she turned around, throwing her attacker off.

Hitch, torn between assisting Sunny and the others, suddenly had his own problems on his hooves as all the travelers got out of their cloaks, revealing their true appearance. He gritted his teeth. He didn’t have time to equip his steel gauntlets before the fight started. Suddenly, a wave of rainbow light, accompanied by a scream unlike anything any of the ponies had ever heard, burst out of the cart.

Sunny had been paralyzed when the creature removed its cloak. It wasn’t a pony. Its furless skin was covered in brownish-red scales, its mouth filled with sharp teeth, and on its back were leathery wings, not unlike those of a bat. Yet the overall form was still ponylike. Before Sunny could react, it grabbed the lantern, and it reacted. The creature let go of the lantern with a scream so terrifying that it got Sunny out of her paralysis. The wing that grabbed the lantern was scorched up to the shoulder, and the creature gleamed at it. Before it recovered from the sudden shock, Sunny was upon it, and sent it flying with a buck against its breast.

Zipp slashed with her wingblades at the creature that attacked her. Its scales were the least intimidating feature, but they proved valuable against the sharp blades that didn’t do much more than slightly cutting through. Still, she had the reach to keep it at bay. For the moment, at least. Izzy, on the other hoof, took a much more aggressive stance. She slashed and stabbed with her hornblade. Her enemy was already bleeding from multiple wounds, but the same was true for Izzy. Pipp was just drawing her own little dagger, seeing that her crossbow would be too much of a risk for her friends. With a warcry she jumped at the one attacking Izzy. Not expecting the sudden attack, the creature tried to evade in the last second, but it wasn’t enough. The dagger penetrated deep through the scaly skin until it sliced the beating heart in two. Pipp, with a triumphant look in her eyes, tried to pull the dagger out of the corpse. But somehow, it didn’t work. She pulled and pulled, but the blade wouldn’t move. Confused, she looked at the creature, and let go of the dagger with a small scream. It had turned to stone, and her dagger was trapped in there!”

“Wow. Lucky I didn’t stab it to death with my horn, eh?” Izzy nudged Pipp. “Good job!” They turned towards Zipp’s opponent.

Hitch had been stunned for a moment by the rainbow light coming out of the cart, but snapper out of it as the creatures in front of him snarled. With only his hooves as weapons, he seemed to be easy prey. The first creature jumped towards him, just to get a well-aimed buck to the head. Without a sound, it collapsed, the body turning to stone. The other three started to encircle the single Earthpony. Against three opponents, Hitch knew he wouldn’t have a chance if nopony came to help him. Then he heard a thud, and one of them went down, a crossbow bolt though its head. The other two attacked, their eyes glistening with pure malevolence. Hitch bucked in the direction of the first one, but it dodged the hooves. Hitch already saw himself being torn apart by those muscular jaws, when one of them was stopped mid-charge by Sunny, who jumped on its back. The last one reached Hitch, its sharp teeth tearing deep into his flank. Hitch screamed, and the creature turned around for a buck. Although stunned by the pain, Hitch managed to at least partially dodge it, but it still hit his head, knocking him out. Izzy and Zippy, charging from the bushes, made short work of the last remaining creature. Zipp cut through its legs, and Izzy slit open its throat. With a last gurgle, the last enemy turned to stone.

“Hitch?” Sunny cried, kneeling besides her friend. “Hitch, come on. We need you!” The fangs had left deep wounds on his flank, his headwound bleeding across his face. “Please, Hitch…” Sunny lowered her head. Those wounds could easily spell the end of a pony, especially the headwound. It could easily be that his skull was broken. She grabbed the lantern. “It’s all because of you stupid thing! Now help him!” She touched the lantern to Hitch’s flank. A soft shimmer of rainbow washed over the body of her friend. Slowly, the deep gashes healed over, as did the bleeding wound on his head.

Hitch slowly rose, still staggering. “Wha- What happened?” He looked around, holding his head.

Sunny hugged him, opening her mouth to say something, but Zipp’s shout reached her before she could say anything. “There’s more coming!”

Chapter 3: Into the Everfree

The companions looked left and right. From each side, more of those ponylike creatures were closing in. “Into the forest!” Zipp shouted. “They are more massive than us! We can loose them in there!”

The friends ran into the forest. Izzy was still bleeding from her wounds, but she managed to keep up without problem. Hitch, on the other hoof, stumbled about. His wounds may have been healed, but the blow to the head still influenced him. His friends slowed down to his pace, but this would allow their enemies to track them much easier. Still, their friend needed their help. Kept steady by them, Hitch didn’t stumble over any roots or twigs.

They went deeper and deeper into the forest. The closer they would have stayed to the road, the easier they could have been found, especially now that their opponents knew they were trotting through the forest. There was only one way: Through the deeper parts.

The trees grew denser and denser, their shapes twisting more and more into nightmarish monsters. “The Everfree Forest.” Pipp whispered, her voice filled with fear. “Do we really have to go in there?” Sunny nodded.

“Do you want to take your chance with those monsters back there, which we know will kill us, or the forest, which could also kill us?” Pipp sighed. Sunny was right, of course. “Then we have no time to waste. The sun is well past its zenith already. I don’t want to stay a night in the Everfree myself.”

Even though they trotted along until sundown, they didn’t get through the forest. They even needed to walk back multiple times because the undergrowth got so thick they didn’t get any further. Thus, they stayed in the lighter outskirts of the forest. Finally, they sat down to rest for the night. They didn’t dare to light a campfire, alerting their hunters of their position. Zipp took the first watch, Sunny second.

Hitch was still disoriented. The blow had been worse than they expected. Even though he didn’t take watch, he stayed awake. “Ponies with lesser headwounds have gone sleeping, just to never wake up again,” he had said.

As the night went on, Hitch heard something. Zipp, sitting just outside their camp, didn’t move. She hadn’t heard it. This got a smile out of Hitch. Zipp was proud of her abilities, and yet she managed to overhear something moving around the camp. His smile died down as his thoughts started to wrap around this. There was something moving around the camp! He jumped up and stared into the forest. His eyes caught a flash of white, yet before he could see what it was, it had vanished again. He strained his eyes. There, on the other side! He turned and turned around. Zipp watched this and put a hoof on his back. “Hitch. Go to sleep. You need to rest. Tomorrow, everything will be better.”

But Hitch shook off her hoof. “Look, over there! There’s something moving in these woods!” Zipp followed his pointing hoof, but saw nothing. She shook her head. “You don’t believe me, do you? But I know I’ve seen it,” Hitch said, his voice slightly trembling. “Something white! Like marble. Look, there it is again!” He started running into the direction he saw it.

Zipp let loose a swear. “Everypony up! Hitch is running into the forest!” The other companions jumped from their bedrolls. Within a few seconds, they took their most important things and followed Hitch. Izzy was the first to reach the stallion.

“Hey Hitch. What’s up? Did something scare you? I get scared easily too. No need to run away like that.” Hitch shot her a look that made her stop for a second.

“I’ve seen something. It looked like an animal, but it seemed to beckon me. We have to follow it!” He squinted his eyes. “Over there!” He changed direction slightly, dancing around the trees with a suddenly boost of dexterity that defied his headwound.

The further they followed Hitch, the deeper into the Everfree they came. No moonlight shone through the leaves at this point. Suddenly, Hitch stopped. “It’s gone. I can’t see it!”

His friends caught up to him, and Sunny hugged him. “Everything will be fine, Hitch. We’ll just go back to our camp, rest for the night, and tomorrow, we’ll find a way through the Everfree.” She turned around and gasped. “Wha- Where is the trail we left? We’ve run like all of Tartarus was chasing us, and yet, we didn’t leave a trail?”

Izzy nudged her. “We didn’t. But there is a path.” She pointed forwards. “And I don’t know what could have left that trail.”

She was right. A trail wound through the forest in front of them, yet no signs of anything ever walking it. No hoofprints, no nothing. No leaf lay on it, yet just besides it, the leaves were at least a hooflength high. Sunny gulped as a cold chill ran down her spine. Izzy danced forward. “I think we should follow it. Maybe Hitch was right all along!” So, Hitch and Izzy strode forward into the deeper parts of the Everfree. Zipp and Pipp followed. Sunny sighed as she lit up her lantern, following them at last.

They haven’t walked more than a few minutes, when the air grew cold around them. Mist rose from the ground, and ghostly lights shimmered inside. The companions drew their weapons. Out of the mist stepped a pony. Or rather something that had been a pony a long time ago. The body was not any more solid than the mist it stepped out of, and the armor it wore bore signs none of the companions had ever seen. Sunny looked behind herself, only to see more of those ponies stepping out of the mist. They were surrounded by an army of ghosts!

Another ghost, bigger, greater than the others, stepped into the mid of the ring. Clad in the same heavy armor, helmet on its head, an ancient looking sword on its side, it opened its mouth, but no sound was made.

Izzy was the first one to break out of the paralyzing, chilling fear. “Hello there! I’m Izzy Moonbow! And who are you?” The ghostly knight turned its head to face her, and suddenly, they all heard a voice deep inside their heads. It doesn’t matter who I am. Not anymore. But what matters is why YOU are here. No living being has entered these woods for decades, and for a good reason. Death lingers here for those who dare to desecrate its holy grounds! The other ghosts drew weapons. How do you dare to come here?

And much to everyponies’ surprise, Izzy started laughing. “Oh, mister ghost, we didn’t know anything about this! As to why we are here, it’s easy! See, these are my friends, Sunny Starscout, Hitch Trailblazer, Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals. We had just met again in Solace, when we got into a bit of a trouble, and then Sunny hit Phyllis with her lantern, and the crystal in it made a rainbow light-”

A crystal? SHOW US! The knight strode through their group, radiating an aura of otherworldly cold. He looked at the lantern for half a minute before he bowed down. We swore to protect this wood a long time ago, but we abandoned our vow when the Cataclysm struck. We fled, just to be buried by the very forest we protected. Now we will guard it forevermore. But you brought hope to us. The ghosts opened up a path in front of the companions. Go forward, you who carry Unity. You will find that you are welcome.

The companions looked at one another, before they bowed their heads. “Thank you, noble warrior. I hope this 'hope' you talk of also applies to us. Farewell.” Sunny rose and stepped forward. And with that single step, she dissappeared.

“Su-Sunny!” Hitch screamed. “What have you done to her? Where is she?” he asked the ghosts, but they only pointed towards the path. With a heavy sigh, Hitch stepped forward too, ready to face whatever may lie in the dark.

Sunny stood in a clearing in a very lively forest. Squirrels were chasing one another up and down the trees, bunnies hopped across the green grass. Everything was so...peaceful. She heard steps behind her. Hitch. Izzy, Zipp and Pipp followed close behind. “Sunny...where are we?”

She didn’t answer. She just took in all of it.

“Didn’t they say we would be welcomed? By the bunnies? The squirrels?”

“By me.” A deep voice reverberated across the clearing. The friends looked around, but didn’t see anyone. “It is a rare occurrence that the guardians let someone pass, and even rarer that they open the path to this place. It has been far too long since somepony visited me.” From behind a tree stepped a shining white deer, wearing a golden necklace with a golden butterfly. “I am the guardian of this place. Once it was a sanctuary for all living things. A place filled with kindness. And although it still is, it is unknown to those outside, for if it became known, dark forces would seek to destroy it. The burden has been passed down my bloodline since the Cataclysm. But I see that you are in desperate need of rest. Sleep here, and tomorrow, we shall speak about your travels, wanderers.” He lowered is head.

The companions, who had been fully awake a minute ago, suddenly felt a surge of tiredness and warmth wash over them. “We should...decide...yawn...who takes watch…” Zipp whispered, falling asleep with the last word. Pipp lay down besides her, snuggling with her big sister. Izzy, Sunny and Hitch lay down in a circle around them, and in less than a minute, all of them were fast asleep.

The deer smiled. “Sleep well, little ponies. It may very well be your last good sleep for a long time.” Then he walked into the nightly forest.

Chapter 4: The Guardian speaks

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