Chapter One: Double Departure
There were places where the sunlight could not reach, sanctuaries beneath the unsuspecting hooves of many ponies, many broken halls of long forgotten things untouched by warmth or luminescence. Some things were meant to be forgotten as many would phrase, dark secrets that would threaten life or even that which has past. And so this story began in the depths of a mountain, where the wind seemed stole from the earth. But as they say, a Unicorn with mane as red as blood thought with a morbid smile, where the breath of the world ceases so does life.
At a glance the pony would seem dead to others anyway; he looked thin and the shape of his bones were visible through the layers of fur and thick clothing. On his back was a small bag. His name was Grief and his journey was at an end. Looking back at the opening to the mountain depths, Grief could see the blizzard still howled relentlessly like a hungry snow-wolf unleashed from its cave. Grimacing at the memory of the biting air, he turned and proceeded down the gloomy corridor, the ghostly wails of the storm fading into silence behind him. He was glad for the sparse warmth that emanated from the torch held clamped in his mouth.
Finally the corridor ended and Grief cantered into a misty cavern vast in size but quieter than anywhere he’d ever been before. A circular carving was set into the floor of the shadowy cavern, in the middle a thick dais rose up from the floor inlaid with runes in a language that Grief did not recognise. He circled the dais warily then stepped closer. He dropped his bag and the torch to the ground beside him, reaching inside he sorted through his various essentials that he had hastily crammed inside until his hoof brushed against the item he searched for. Hooves shaking, he pulled out a tattered old scroll. A ghastly smile cut across Grief’s face, this was his favourite part.
After unravelling the scroll and laying it out on the cold stone surface of the dais, Grief began to read. His voice was hurried but firm, ‘animus dim Coltheart, erodus dima reckr.’ Slipping a small knife out from his sleeve, he placed the blade across his hoof and sliced it gently along, blood welled up like mournful tears. Wincing painfully, Grief pressed his bloodied hoof into the blank parchment at the bottom of the script. He healed his hoof with magic, staunching the flow of blood. ‘Fire,’ he muttered, musing to himself, ‘I need fire…’
He returned to his pack and rifled through the contents hurriedly, then in an unprecedented rage threw it at a wall, spilling his belongings and causing a few magic artefacts to thus explode.
He shied away from the heat and light emitted from the blasts, then turned back to the dais; next to it on the ground was his torch, still flaring brightly. He cussed his own stupidity as he retrieved his torch. Without further delay, he dropped the flickering torch onto the dry parchment of the scroll which erupted into night-black flames. The flames burned through the scroll leaving nothing but ashes, yet an intense purple magic flowed down from the fire and into the altar itself. Grief stepped back slightly, almost tripping on the grooves cut into the floor. He steadied himself and watched as the ancient magic took effect. The purple glow mingled with the dark flames, a foreign magic of which Grief had no knowledge of.
Slowly, the ancient runes began to crumble and sink away from the altar, they were surely the bonds that held his master, Grief thought with a triumphant smile, now he would not be stopped. With a loud crack, the dais began to fracture, lines zigzagging all across the surface like a finished puzzle being undone. Grief knew what would come next and threw himself clear as the structure shattered into many shards of rock. Smiling darkly, he knew that his task was complete. Master would be proud, very proud indeed. Looking back to where the altar had been, Grief could see the magic and dust residue clearing away. In the centre of the rubble stood a being unlike any other he had seen before, this was his master.
The creature, its eyes were firmly shut, didn’t move an inch. Grief exhaled in awe, his master stood on two legs and was hairless except for a long black mane. Not only that but it seemed he lacked a tail and hooves. He crept closer and cleared his throat nervously, preparing to speak. The noise must have startled his master because those eyes opened; eyes of the blackest night. Grief came to his senses and bowed his knees in respect. ‘I come at your calling, my dark master, to loyally serve you.’
He glanced up, trying to hold his balance as he continued to bow. He grunted in exertion and struggled back to his feet, maintaining what he called a “safe distance.”
The two-legged entity turned and observed Grief. After a long while of staring, most of which left Grief feeling overly unnerved, his master spoke. ‘One and a half millennia have I been encased in that stone prison; time that I put to good use planning my revenge upon those wretched Equestrians that took my freedom in the first place.’
Swallowing nervously, Grief ducked his head down hoping that his master would not associate him with the Equestrians in mind. He had only one allegiance, to his master. ‘I am not master,’ the creature spoke as though he had read Grief’s mind, ‘I am Lord Coltheart, I always will be, but it would be wise to obey me nevertheless.’
‘Yes ma- …I mean, yes Lord Coltheart,’ said Grief in hasty response. He bowed again, realizing how stupid he must look and hating the logic of it all the more. Coltheart smiled for the first time since he had been freed, it was neither a kind nor a humorous smile; it was a smile that represented years of unbridled evil which was now free to do as it wished. ‘I plan to change this world, and so you shall be my left arm, Grief,’ said Coltheart, his voice echoing though the cavern ominously.
‘Like fire I shall burn away the stain that is known as Equestria, you will be a leader among my army. I already have a task for you; it will be the first of many tasks which will not go unrewarded.’
As Coltheart spoke, Grief watched him summon an image of death and destruction at his own hands, tears of joy pricked the corners of his eyes. ‘Th- thank you mas- I mean Lord Coltheart. I am greatly honoured to serve you’
Letting the image fade away in a puff of purple smoke, Coltheart grunted in response, ‘I do not expect you to fail. Should you do so, I will… dispose of you and find a better mare for the job.’
Enthused, Grief nodded eagerly, ‘I promise never to fail you my Lord.’
‘We’ll see. Now, your first task begins. I charge you with the task to bring me an army from another realm. A long time ago it was my home,’ Coltheart gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into a stone wall, causing Grief to flinch. ‘They took that from me as well, those Equestrians. I was special where I came from; magic is not common there like it is here.’
Coltheart’s hand moved up in front of him and burst into dark flames, they licked at the air greedily, seeming to feed off of the macabre atmosphere. ‘I fell through a hole in reality caused by my overuse of time magic; it took me to another world altogether, this one. I am trapped in an alternate dimension wherein the dominant species are the ones who do the manual labour in my home dimension.’ Grief struggled to grasp the concept of what Coltheart was saying. His mind was, suffice to say, blown.
‘Can you not get back there, my Lord?’
‘No. I can make a portal back to there, but I am too big to get through. However you are small enough to fit.’
‘You want me to go through this portal…’
‘Yes.’
‘…and bring back an army?’
‘Yes.’
‘Through your tiny portal, my lord? No disrespect of course.’
‘The individuals will be presented to you, they are the only others in my own dimension to wield magic of their own. That is why they have been chosen.’
The portal materialized in front of Grief, a purple swirling pool of shadows beckoning for him to enter. Before him stood a doorway to another dimension, he shook with excitement at the mere idea. ‘Go now my servant, do my bidding and you shall be justly rewarded,’ Coltheart said, a smile flickering on his face. The cavern became darker and the shadows writhed around Coltheart as he poured more magic into the portal. Grief took two steps and was immediately consumed by a vast span of stars that blazed past. He was falling though space. A voice met his ears across the vast astral plain; it said ‘go now, to the world of Man.’
Then everything went dark.
***
Dawn broke across Equestria. Celestia’s sun touched the sky as Luna’s moon fled across the horizon. Warm streaks of sunlight warmed the backs of many happy ponies as they cantered about their daily business. A small town called Ponyville was particularly busy, the annual Running of the Leaves festival was imminent and preparations were being made. Banners were spread from building to building depicting the crunchy browned leaves of Fall. The town hall was swathed with leafy decorations and the market around it was selling festive treats of all kinds. Away from the ruckus, near the border of the Everfree forest, a small group stood huddled together. Gentle winds tousled the fierce, red mane of Fleetfire Bittermane and the sun warmed her blue back pleasantly, upon which her backpack was securely tied.
She was about to leave for a journey through the Everfree Forest. She looked over at the others who had come to see her off. There was Pinkie Pie, the eccentric party pony who seemed to be making one huge fuss about nothing; she was bawling her eyes out, great fat tears rolling down her cheeks and round her snuzzle. Fluttershy, nature’s best friend, scraped her hooves across the ground in a bid to distract herself from crying too. Rarity, the dramatic one who lived and worked at the Carousel Boutique whined to seemingly nopony about how the situation was the worst thing ever. In an oak tree branch, Rainbow Dash, the one who she knew was quite fast, was trying to appear indifferent, but every now and then she sighed deeply as though her thoughts troubled her. In grim silence, apple loving Applejack stood at a distance and kicked the nearby oak to keep her mind off the subject at hand.
Only one pony had managed to concentrate fully, trying to suffocate her worry under a casual disposition, Twilight the librarian. She stepped forward, dry leaves crunching underhoof and stopped right in front of Fleetfire. After a moment’s hesitation, Twilight embraced Fleet gently and held her by the shoulders for a second, eye to eye with her. When she spoke, her voice stayed as firm as her emotional posture, ‘the Everfree Forest is a hostile place, try not to forget that when you’re on your little quest. Be safe, you.’ She poked Fleet with the end of her hoof and hugged her again.
Rarity released a theatrical sigh as she trotted past a slowly retreating Twilight and threw her hooves around Fleetfire, catching her by surprise and almost knocking her off balance. Chuckling light-heartedly, Fleet held her at arm length before pulling her back into a hug. ‘You crazy mare,’ Rarity said in a scolding tone, ‘I don’t know what’s inspired you to go on such a crazy expedition as this. I suppose I never will find out, ah well, just promise me you’ll be safe.’ Typical Rarity, always putting others first, thought Fleetfire with a smile.
‘Uh, I promise. You do know that I have no problem defending myself don’t you?’
‘Yes, well, there are things bigger than you out there, so be wary all the same,’ replied Rarity hastily.
‘I’ll keep that in mind.’
Next to speak was Fluttershy; she looked anxiously at the dark trees that bordered the Everfree Forest, ‘it is a very dangerous place, Fleet. If you’re going in there alone then you will need to protect- eeeh!’
She almost jumped out of her hide when Fleetfire swung a crossbow off her back. Wincing, Fleet wished she had been more subtle about it; Fluttershy was a fragile soul sometimes.
‘Ah, well then, not to worry I see,’ she said, trying to swallow her nerves, but squealed again when she was abruptly pulled into Fleetfire’s arms. Then the shyness melted and she sank into the warm enfold, tears leaking out of the corners of her tightly shut eyes.
Fluttershy shuffled away and Applejack left her spot by the oak tree to stand in front of Fleetfire. A sniffling Pinkie followed close behind. Taking off her hat, Applejack opened her mouth to speak but the words failed to form on her lips. Finally, grasping Fleetfire and giving her a friendly squeeze, she said ‘You be safe now, ya hear me sugar-cube?’ Fleetfire acknowledged her by smiling warmly and whispering, ‘yes.’ Apple patted her on the arm and stepped aside for Pinkie Pie. Emotions were beginning to stir in Fleetfire and her will was struggling to hold them back.
Pinkie had stopped crying, all evidence of sadness or distress had disappeared. ‘Well I guess you’re going now. Be sure to send postcards, because postcards are fun!’
Fleetfire laughed and clapped her hoof around Pinkie’s shoulder companionably. ‘You may be disappointed there. I don’t think there are any mail-boxes in Everfree,’ she replied casually, ‘but I won’t be gone for long, three weeks max.’ Pinkie beamed in response and bounced away happily. Fleetfire also beamed, she couldn’t help it; Pinkie had that effect on ponies.
Pirouetting off the branch she’d been resting upon, Rainbow Dash landed on the path in front of Fleet. Smooth, thought Fleetfire. ‘So, you’re going, eh? Good for you,’ said Rainbow as she struggled to act cool and in control. ‘I hope you find what you’re looking for or whatever…’
Rainbow trailed off, her eyes were watery and she turned away to wipe them. Fleetfire rested her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder, ‘trust me, you’ll see me back here alive and well in no time. I already promised,’ she said, then pulled Dash into a sincere embrace.
Tears rolled down unbidden. Fleetfire let it all out, the happiness for having such kind friends and neighbours, the sadness for having to leave them, a small mix of anger for having let the past catch up with her…
Wiping her eyes, she stepped back and regarded all of her friends as they gathered in front of her and looked upon her in return. She cleared her throat and looked at her hooves for a brief moment as she worked out what to say. When she next glanced up, her expression was hard and determined. ‘I’ll see you all later. That I can promise. But for now, goodbye my friends, it’s hard to come across good ponies like you girls.’
At long last, Fleetfire turned to the old trees of the treacherous Everfree Forest. She started to walk, her heart beat faster in anticipation of what was to come. Hoisting her bags into a comfortable position on her back, Fleet flapped her blue wings and soared through the trees. Foliage and tree trunks blurred by. With Ponyville behind her, the first leg of Fleetfire Bittermane’s journey had finally begun.
