It was easier to blame everyone but myself.

Down I spiraled. I was not literally falling because I was comfortably sitting in my chair at the desk for my computer. Emotional scars were always the hardest to heal. I was (subjecting myself) being subjected to a never-ending abyss of self-loathing interspersed with drug abuse, the vapor hits my lungs and clouds my mind while the chemicals mix with my blood going to my brain. Yep, Sufficiently high as a kite.

Correction-HIGH AS FUCK.

I move away from the computer to go to bed with the usual numbing thoughts of what should have been, followed by what can only be described as; pointless arguments with figments of my imagination as my brain cooks up the worst scenarios. Constantly. Some times they contain my friends, other times my family.

‘They only tolerate me when I’m around.
The only reason I haven’t been kicked out is that I’m their only son.
I would be so much less a dam burden if i just disappear-‘

’NO…….no………..inhale……exhale……just stop it and breathe.’

In the end, the only thing keeping me from losing my shit was a handful of things you could get addicted to. The not-so-generational wounds of which were mostly psychological and emotional, instead of physical. Not that I ever acknowledged them. Not that I could anyways, It would be too painful now to do that.

This was the spiral. Something I called my current life. Trapped. Make mistakes. Make excuses. Refuse to own up. Hide like a coward in hope it goes away. Blame is shifted to make more pathetic excuses. Hide like a coward. There is no getting out. They hate you. Make a mistake. Snap and yell. Vent the frustrations. Have them ignored. (You misheard something certainly, you could still make things right.) Hide like a coward. Shift the blame. They only tolerate me. Waste away. Waste away. Waste away……..’Pathetic worthless waste of air.’

I was startled and woke up from my daze feeling like I was moments from hitting the ground after freefalling. One moment I was inwardly spiraling to god knows where, the next I was somewhere else. It just wasn’t my room. This spiral was different. I opened my eyes to dreamlike vista of colors and lights colliding and refracting to make this kaleidoscopic image that was SERIOUSLY ABOUT TO FRY MY EYES.

One moment I was climbing in bed, the next I'm nearly blinded and feel weightless. Any attempts to vocalize the sudden burning sensation behind my eyelids were met with deafening silence. I do not know how long I drifted like this, but it was driving me mad. The lack of sensations across my extremities gave it the feeling of a sensory deprivation chamber except the asshole behind the chamber door is trying to burn out your retinas.

‘God I don’t know what’s happening but I just want this to fucking end and soon.’ I groaned to myself inwardly about how much life is starting to suck right about now; before I am caught off guard by a new voice.

’Thats real fucking pathetic sounding from my perspective, didn't you say you wanted to disappear?!’The voice sounded like it belonged to a guy that likes to fuck with you but distorted with a constant bassy growl that gave my skin goosebumps. ‘wait did it sound like....no I'm just imagining shit. This is all a dream! Right? RIGHT?!?’

’Wrong’

‘Who’s there!’ I yelled silently and opened my eyes again. Sound didn’t travel in this place. All I saw before me was a candle with a lit wick. This would probably be the most bizarre thing if it were not for the M.C. Esher kaleidoscope nightmare happening on my periphery. As well as that the candles' flames burned green and quivered when the voice spoke again.

’Little man. Little coward. Oh I can think of all the fun and wonderful things youll get yourself into~. When you wake up be sure to greet the family for me!’ The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once. It paralyzed me locking all my joints and it started to feel harder to breathe.

I didn’t have the strength to say anything as it felt like all the life in my now weightless feeling body is all but sapped. I feel my stomach lurch as I fall. The last thing I remember hearing was a chorus of laughter as I fell into a jade light that completely overtook me.

Hollow Vane

To call this afternoon a shock to the system for Guards Mare Rosary would be quite an understatement. There she was minding her post, watching the village entrance for...really anything at this rate. Not that there was a lack of creatures or crazy happenings, quite the opposite in truth. Every other day there's reports of howling or the roars of beasts in that damned forest. Her fellow Guards Mares even reported seeing shadowy figures move in the corners of their eyes when turning in from their post.

’So tired. When is the next rotation?’

Rosary Looks down to her watch tucked under her sleeve, it read 4:00am.

’Two more hours of this shit and I can finally get some shut eye. Note to self; never try to do your job while running on three hours of sleep...in three days. Mother of bucking Umbra I'm such a moron for going to the Moonlit Revelry.’

She Immediately smacked herself for that.

’NO! Don’t think negatively like that, your best friend was getting married and wanted to celebrate.’

Her mind starts to slowly recollect the events of said party...

Rosary Zeal walked up to a large, suspended platform. It hung from the trees by thick rope and was made of thin but sturdy logs that matched the surrounding forest. This was the location of the Moonlit Revelry, or the Lunar Gala. The Batari had made it to one of the most important nights of the year not only for social status, she dressed to look the part. Her green dress perfectly fitted to her charcoal fur and complimenting her lemon yellow and amber mane with black tips like scorch marks, a black under-suit and skirt accentuates her feminine form.

She stood out but not too much to overshadow the lucky mare of the night the annual celebration was, impromptu, dedicated too.

Speaking of the lucky mare. Here she comes now…
Niria Shadowheart. Beautiful beyond measure was her childhood crush. So graceful was her gate. She wore a red silk dress that accentuates her cherry streaks in her black mane and tail.

“Rosey you look amazing!” The stygian mares stared at each other for but a moment but to Rosary it felt like forever. She was lost in the moment, with the one pony that matters in the whole world to her; on the night that matters the most to her. So bittersweet was the moment to Rosary as she knew her feelings could never be reciprocated...

The guards mare on duty was awoken from her daydream suddenly the heavy hooffalls of ponies in armor was hear from behind. She didn’t know what to make of what she was seeing.

Princess luna, and a company of 150 guards ponies both lunar and solar. Except for the Princess all the ponies present were wearing some kind of padded garb. The metal used for the guards uniform armor all but missing except for the studded intricate gloves one group of unicorns were wearing.

‘Whats going on?’ She was in awe as Princess Luna, HER Princess, The Night Mother, The Progenitor of ALL Batari, was approaching her.

“Be at ease my little pony there is nothing to fear. (Yet.) Please can you state your name and rank?”

Rosary was silent for a moment before she caught her composure. “Yes ma’am, Staff Sargent Rosary Zeal reporting!”

“Good, now what is your current assignment?” Rosary paused. It should be obvious right? Is this a test?

“Im on the night watch to monitor if any threats from the forest approach the village ma’am! Do you have any orders for me?” The princess nodded.

“Astutely observed Staff Sargent, I need you to return to the town have put it on lockdown. I do not want to see any pony hurt and they will be safest if they lock their doors and hunker down for whats to come.” This brought a dreadful pause to Rosary, why a lockdown? The last thing she said was incredibly disconcerting; enough so that she had to ask even if it broke decorum.

“Your Majesty….. is the village in danger?” The princess was not perturbed by the question and strangely was seeming to ignore her as she was staring off into the forest. Princess luna’s form and silhouette faded to all black like a shadow cast in the sun before, The soldiers were gone and so was the princess. It was if at one moment she was in front of her and in another she was gone. But Rosary still has her orders and flys off towards the village cathedral, she has a bell to ring. She must warn the village of the looming threat, but how can she explain it to them in the panic when even she doesn’t know the cause.

Luna arrived with her soldiers in an alcove. Her spell was mass teleportation locked in on the signature she was alerted to from Canterlot. Magic felt from the other side of the Canterhorn Mountain? Definitely worth investigating; Faust knows what threats this could possibly entail. Many of the magical devices brought for this trip started blaring alarm tones.

"Your Highness! We're picking up a large energy disturbance!" A few of the soldiers with the detection gear were dreading these readings and were moments from freaking out. "Quickly, give me a status report! Is it the same energy signature? Quickly!" The Princess was about to say more but the blaring alarm tones were hitting a fever pitch. At this one of the soldiers with the gear decided to voice his thoughts.

"Damn it, the magic sensors we brought are about to fry and overload at any second if we keep them on." The guard turns off the device and hocks it deep into the woods. "Whatever is in this forsaken place probably has more magic than all the Alicorns combined! The sensors said a lot was converging at our location, and if that's true NOTHING can save us from whats coming, we’re dead! Dead!"

With this some of the other soldiers murmur with fearful trepidation, even more look to their Princess for guidance. She would need to have that guard evaluated for if he was fit for duty after this. At least the others kept their composure but she could tell it was just barely hanging by a thread. One that could snap at any moment.

Luna holds her head high and starts to cast a spell before saying, "Guards form up around me!" As they convene to her location Luna augments the spell with her sorcerer blood, she entwines raw mana with her force of will and with it she sends forth a magical sphere that expands outwards in all directions with that the 50 foot diameter Sphere of Invulnerability is complete. Everypony is safe inside; and just in time too as the Jade light arcs from the clouds. The light coalesces into a radiant sphere that grew steadily in size. Everypony down below was forced to watch as this gargantuan mass of unstable magic swelled like a balloon before it rapidly collapsed.

Luna didn't want to believe what she was seeing but she could swear that there was something or somepony(?) obscured by the baleful energy. Lurking inside is the silhouette of a small thin figure, in the space where their eyes should be glowing orbs of dark green and black flames are soon snuff and replaced with a shining golden orange. The coalesced energy dissipates as soon as it arrives as a figure falls from the sky into the tree line unnoticed by everyone except one.

The ponies present take a moment to breathe a sigh of relief as the storm lulls to a slumber, one of the unicorns closet to Princess Luna steps off towards her. "Ma'am You're going to want to see this."

The Princess looks to what the guard has in her hands, the same device that was signaling alarms earlier still on and functional but the line reads flat. "Mind telling me what I'm supposed to being seeing here?"

"Ma'am all the aberrant magic we picked up and tacked down was here on top of us moments ago and now its gone, and not only that it seems the surround environment had some if not most of its ambient magic drained." This was not a good sign to Luna. Her thoughts raced upon hearing the report before remembering something.

"I want everypony to fan out and search the area for any disturbances. I'm certain I saw something in that anomaly and I have a feeling its still in the forest." Luna didn't know why but she felt something deeply wrong in her stomach at a thought, ’if a pony could harness an anomaly similar to one they witnessed they they could be a very dangerous foe for all of Equestria. They would be utterly monstrous.’

There wasn't long before a disturbance caught Luna's and a large majority of the guards off kilter; as two guards came back to the spot the teleported to carrying a Batari Colt. They both were carrying his arms across their shoulders and quickly got him to safety. Safety being a huddle of eleven guards with him unconscious in the center. The two that carried him approached Luna. "Your majesty we have a huge problem! We found a civilian and a colt no less all the way deep into the forest crumpled against the base of a tree!"

Luna was expecting to find maybe some twisted sorcerer or demi-lich come out of hiding and thus this expedition would turn into a dangerous monster slaying quest, just like the good old days. But a colt? When did he even get out here? ’Was he responsible for the anomaly?’ No thats just utterly preposterous; the poor colt's herd is dying knowing he's missing especially if he was local. Luna decided then she would take him back to Canterlot Castle to get him checked in at the royal infirmary, and follow up with the locals of Hollow Vane after to see which alpha he belonged to.

Princess Luna looks to the Batari colt and notices that his clothes were dirty and torn in spots. He couldn't have been any older than 14 or 15 and was average height for a young colt his age. His gray coat is standard but what catches her curiosity is his mane color and clothing of choice; Bright gray with blue faded tips. His blue hooded clothes had a pair of gray and black battered scarfs wound around his neck and collar and his black pants were torn at the legs. ’He has cuts and bruises all over...He was also born with a nonstandard mane color for most batari, I wonder who his sire and dam were…’

"Everypony there's been a change of plans, we'll have to postpone the search with a civilian in danger. We'll be returning to Canterlot, I should have enough mana for one last mass teleportation." Luna Wasted no time, quickening the spells casting process but this starts to immediately make her feel her well of metamagic drain as she pushes through a wave of fatigue, her mind reeling from the whiplash of what just happened. It was worth it in the end as casts the spell from before as the she, the guards and the colt they rescued all fade to black from the forest before fading in at the gates of canterlot castle.

"Quickly get the colt to the infirmary and get me a registry of any ponies that have gone missing in the hollow vane on my desk and I want somepony back down there to check in with the guardsmare I talked with at the gate…..as well as their commanding officer. Everypony else return to your stations and you are not to disclose to ANYPONY what happened today is that clear?" They all salute before going to report to their commanding officers, some going to the barracks.

Soon the princess is left to herself and proceeds to her room and get some well deserved rest; after reaching her room she was met with a welcome face. "Ah Luna you’re back already! How was the search? Are you injured?" ’Tia you were always the worry wort.’

"Sister please you must learn not to coddle me like a foal after my outings, I'm fine. Just tired mentally and physically. I had to use a lot of my magic get everyone out of the forest." Celestia knew when something was on her sisters mind.

"Oh? surely there was something of note to tell me then?" Luna relented and told Celestia of what occured on their investigation; there was no chance of Luna leaving out finding the colt and she knew it Celestia's maternal instincts kicked in immediately when she heard. "Dear Faust the poor thing.”

Today has been quite strange, Luna was awoken to a magical surge; one that almost every unicorn with developed magic could feel and The royal archivists and the canterlot institute of sciences was already looking into what exactly happened within the hour.

According to the report on lunas desk, the Surge was felt because aberrant magic was coalescing towards the north side of the mountain. Abberant magic is a very misunderstood phenomenon because unlike chaotic or harmonious magics they have grounding in the reality that is Equestria and its ponies and the rest of the world. Aberrant magic is NOT from this world. Its invasive and ten times out of ten manifests as highly dangerous weather, natural disasters, or new breeds monsters showing up for the first time. She thought she was going to find the Jade Heart or at least one of its aberrant spawn…

So why in tartarus did she end up finding a colt?

Author's Note

Sorry it took a while. Life and shit happens. This one is oddly personal so it was bound to go through several tumble dryers of revisions and rewrites. The characters of this story will be using spells and mechanics from Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition.

Also to put in perspective think most adult stallions cap out in height around 5’9” feet (true short kings). Eclipse is currently 5’0.” Luna is 8’5” and most adult mares are around 6 foot at the smallest lmao.