Ponies of Fayra — Legend of Harmony

Zeph followed behind Clef as he led her away from Cozy and Runa. As Zeph passed Cedar and Kira, she motioned for them to follow her. Once they were out of the main building and walking through the treeways, Zeph trotted up closer to Clef.

“Sorry about Cozy. She can be a little intense sometimes… Most of the time.”

“I was probably being too pushy. She’s just so amazing. Anyway, I promised supplies, and supplies you shall have. What kind of magic are you used to using?”

“Uhm, none.”

“None?”

“Yep, none.”

“You at least use water dust, pollen, spores, or water weed seeds for water, don’t you?”

“No. Though, water would be nice. We really haven’t been drinking nearly as much as we should.”

“O~kay, detour. We’re going to get you ponies some water before we get supplies. Hydration is no joke.”

Zeph followed Clef as he took a sudden turn down another path.

“We’re going to go to Willow’s ground-level garden and get you water from there. It’s the best-tasting water we have. Unlike pure magical water, it has a more rejuvenating quality. For some reason, fresh magic water always tastes kind of dry.”

“Can’t say as I’ve ever had ‘magic’ water before.”

“So your clan drinks water directly from the forest like the Everlost?”

“We don’t actually come from the forest.”

“I suppose since you have an earth pony in your party, I shouldn’t be as shocked as I am, but given how well Cozy controls magic, I’m still finding myself quite shocked. I was under the impression that earth ponies didn’t like magic.”

“We’re not from the earth pony area either.”

“Oh, uhm, you come from the Everfog?”

“Not there either… Cozy didn’t seem to want me to say, so, any chance we could change the topic?”

“Very well, I’m not usually one to pry where it’s not wanted. We all have our secrets after all. You haven’t met Willow yet, but he’s our Sapweaving expert. He’s not much of an adventurer, though, so he tends to stay around the base and manage things. He’s also the one responsible for having built most of the base itself. I’m fairly certain we’d still be living in tents if it weren’t for him.”

As the group turned around a tree, Zeph could see a large garden beneath her. Following the down-sloping pathway, the group arrived at the center of the garden where a tall, light-gray, older male unicorn with white hair was waiting for them.

“You’ve got quite the horde of—interestingly looking visitors with you today.”

Clef walked beside Willow and turned to face the rest of the group. “From left to right, we have Zeph, Cedar, Argon, the bunny, and Kira.”

Kira walked forward and held out her hoof. “I’m a pony, and it’s nice to meet you.”

Willow smiled at her, “You certainly are an interesting-looking pony to boot.” Reaching out his hoof, Willow tapped Kira’s before turning his attention to Cedar. “You look a might thirsty, young fella.”

“A might bit, actually.”

“Then you’ve certainly come to the right place. Follow me, and I’ll get you a nice tonic mixed up.”

Zeph followed Willow along with everypony else as he made his way over to a nearby building with an outdoor bar. Walking behind the bar, he began mixing things together as he talked.

“So, what brings an earth pony all the way here?”

“A pegasus and her bunny. Before that, I was stuck out on an island in the middle of the ocean.”

“The ocean, you say? Here I thought islands were just in the middle of lakes.”

Willow poured a yellowish liquid into several bowls and placed them in front of everypony.

“I’ve never seen a lake. Wonder if the islands are different?” remarked Cedar before taking a sip of the liquid.

Following suit, Zeph took a small sip of hers, then downed the rest of the bowl.

“Y’all weren’t kidden about being a might bit thirsty. I’ll get another round made, but you should sip it this time.”

“This water is amazing! What’s in it?” asked Zeph.

“Family secret sap blend. Since it sounds like you’re the leader, what brings you and your bunny all the way out here?”

“Trying to get Argon back home. He’s from Apple Valley.”

“That’s a—long way from here. Either you’re more than a might bit lost, or you come from an interesting place.”

“Little of both, but I think we know where we’re going from here. At least Cozy does.”

“Which one of y’all is Cozy? Didn’t reckon Clef introduced a Cozy. My memory must finally be going if I can’t even remember a few minutes ago.”

“She’s hanging out with Runa while I help the rest of her party get supplies for their trip.” explained Clef.

“Runa? Our resident hermit pony is ‘hanging out’ with a new pony?”

“Not just any pony, the most amazing pony ever!”

“Why’s it so shocking she’s hanging out with a new pony?” inquired Zeph.

“Runa spends most of her time in her workshops. She’s usually not the most talkative pony. When she does hang out, she tends to stay in the background and not say a lot,” replied Clef.

“Maybe that’s why Cozy seemed to like her. She could sense her fellow antisocialness.” Zeph turned her attention back to Willow. “So, why’d you become a Sparkmaster?”

“I wanted to be around youthful energy that wanted to do something different! Which the Sparkmasters have both in spades. In my younger days, I dreamed about doing something exciting and meaningful, but as I went through life, I just did the same old things everypony else did. So when Clef came to Sapwood looking for people to join the Sparkmasters, I figured it was high time I did something with my life that—I wanted. Especially since I probably don’t have a whole lot of it left.”

“I know that feelin’.” interjected Cedar. “Having spent my entire life hanging around one mighty small island compared to the mainland, I’m grateful to be able to experience more, even if it is late in life.”

Willow laughed bombastically, “You’re still just a youngin. Unless you go doing overly reckless things, you still have a lot of life left. Judging by the gray in your mane, I’d say you’re about the same age as Dusty. Over the hill, sure, but that still means you have a long way to the bottom of it. Now, given you just let yourself slide down, and it’s going to feel like a shot trip. Which is why it’s important to be doing something meaningful with your life.”

At Willow’s words to Cedar, Zeph felt empowered. As it was exactly why she had left the Lost Isles. She wanted to do something that felt truly meaningful in life.

“Hey, so, a little off topic, but… Could you tell me more about the Purebloods?”

“If you want to know about them, you should talk to Dusty. He’ll know a lot more than the rest of us, given that he is one,” replied Willow.

“If you’re interested, we can go visit him next,” interjected Clef.

“I’d like to, but I also know Cozy could be ready to go any moment, and supplies would be—really nice.”

“Unless my ability to count is going too, there are three of you. So, why don’t you go with Clef, and I’ll take your friends to gather supplies?” offered Willow.

Looking over to Cedar, Zeph was met with a “you can leave it to me,” along with an affirmative smile. Not wanting to lose the opportunity to get good information on her first real-world villains, Zeph parted ways with Cedar and Kira and made her way back up into the treehouse pathways with Clef.

A few quick turns and they reached the second-largest building. Upon entering, Zeph saw a bright flash, followed by a large puff of smoke. As the smoke cleared, she saw an older pure white unicorn staring thoughtfully into a smoldering pile on a workbench.

As Clef led Zeph closer to Stardust, she noticed that unlike the rest of the Sparkmasters, his fur was pure white, with no strange striped undertones.

“Hay, Dusty! We have a guest who’s interested in talking to you.” Called out Clef, which caused Stardust to look away from his workbench. Nudging up his glasses, he sighed heavily and made his way over to meet them.

“I believe you are a pegasus. Is that correct?”

“Yep, and you’re a Pureblood, I hear.”

“Indeed, what can I do for a pony who’s supposed to not exist?”

“I’ve heard some villainous things are afoot in the Everbloom, and I was wondering if you could fill me in on the details.”

The stallion looked at her baffled for a long moment. “That, my dear, may very well be the strangest thing anypony has ever said to me. Clef, can I have some context?”

“Zeph here is from somewhere… Not entirely sure where, but it seems unicorns are as unknown to her as pegasi are to us, and she seems to have taken an interest in the fact that the Purebloods are also known as Pollenplunders.”

“Ah—I see. I’m guessing you’ve been talking to Blossom? She has some rather radical ideas. Not entirely unfounded, mind you, but concerningly radical at times. There is little doubt that the Purebloods hoard pollen and distribute it in ways that benefit them the most. However, it is little different than what any other clan does. They just don’t have the ability to do it as well as the Purebloods.”

“So you’re saying they’re not really villains?”

“Not quite. Anypony willing to put profit above lives may as well be considered a villain. I’m just saying the other clans are not any more honorable in intention. They’re just lacking the means to show it.”

“Is that why you became a Sparkmaster?”

“Afraid not. I am pure of blood alone, certainly not intention. I am here to satisfy my own greed for knowledge. Getting back on topic, instead of Pollenplunders, Purebloods would be better called worker bees. They mindlessly follow their queen, while buzzing about making little more than noise and honey. The true crime happening there is the populous losing their ability to think for themselves.”

“Wow, that’s pretty harsh…”

“Thus is often the case with reality, my dear. Do you have any further questions?”

“I guess not if there’s not actually any villainous plot to foil… Here I was hoping to start solving my first real conspiracy.”

“Well, if it’s a conspiracy you want. There are some odd things going about the forest that are being brushed under the bushes. For example, the last time I was getting supplies from Sapwood, I noticed that the shimmer willow groves were looking a bit thinner than my memory recollects from my youth. When I inquired about it, I was met with quite the amount of hostility. Now, given, I am a Pureblood. In thus, some level of hostility is expected. However, it felt as though it was more of a defensive hostility. Especially as I got the feeling that even clan natives were not in the know.”

“Not sure what I think about that.”

“Another one involves the Shardseekers. Over the past few moons, it has become more common for their mines to run dry with little warning. In thus, they have become increasingly reliant on the Purebloods. Of equal interest, the Purebloods have been prioritizing trade with the Shardseekers. Perhaps it is simply a turn for generosity and a sign of goodwill on the part of the Purebloods. However, it seems strange that nothing else seems to indicate this, at least that I’m aware of. In thus, it seems more likely that they are colluding in some way. Though, perhaps, I’m simply spending too much time around Blossom. After all, ponies can change, and minerals are not a renewable resource.”

“Really don’t know what to think about that one either…”

“I have one more for you. This time involving a particularly interesting clan. The Everlost have become more hostile. Their once peaceful nomadic nature seems to be shifting to fierce territorialism. At the moment, it seems to be limited to places of strange magic deep within the Everbloom, but whispers of more mundane resources being claimed by them seem to be spreading.”

“I’m starting to think I just don’t know enough about unicorns and their world in general.”

“If I may, why the interest in conspiracies in a culture you are not invested in?”

“My main reason for coming to the… unicorn and earth pony world is to return Argon to his home in Apple Valley. However, I was also hoping to get to work on some real detective cases. Back home, I’m known as one of the best detectives… okay—only detective.” Zeph laughed awkwardly. “But the Lo— my home is so peaceful that the most intense cases are missing ponies who got themselves lost. Thankfully, those are rare, as the outcome to those are sometimes unpleasant, to say the least.”

“I see. So the paradise nature of your home is why you’re trying so hard not to talk about it, I assume? Probably a wise idea. Though you give away its existence by your mere existence. You say you’re going to Apple Valley, too. Thus, you will be announcing your existence directly to the royal family. If you want to protect your home, you should end your journey here.”

“W—why?”

“Unless, of course, you are prepared to become the representative of your kind, and shoulder the responsibilities of exposing them to the greater world. As of right now, I believe you are supposed to be extinct. Since you don’t appear to know much about unicorns, I’m guessing you haven’t actually met many until this point and are still relatively unknown. Is that correct?”

“Yeah. The Sparkmasters are the first unicorns we’ve met thus far.”

“And have you come into contact with earth ponies yet?”

“Kind of, but not really. We have an earth pony in our party, but he’s never been around other earth ponies before.”

“Huh, that sounds like an interesting story, but digressing. That means you still must properly weigh the weight of proceeding forward, that is if you haven’t already.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have little doubt that the royal family will not tolerate the existence of a race of ponies who are unknown to them. To say it another way, you are a threat until proven otherwise. You are also an opportunity to conquer. The royal family isn’t exactly shy of wanting to rule all of Equitoria. The Everglow is resistant to their influence by its nature. Though I do wonder for how long?”

Zeph stared at Stardust blankly, feeling more than a little lost and wishing she had Cozy with her.

Stardust smiled knowingly at Zeph. “I sense you are feeling overwhelmed.”

“Yeah, I—I think I need to think about some stuff.”

“I too believe that would be wise.”