The High King

by QuarterNote

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Crossover
Length: 16091

Ponified King Arthur

The nobles of the island of Ebellon have been locked in a constant struggle for supremacy for many decades. At the same time, the deer of the Great Forest to the north have pillaged and raided without mercy. But when Star Swirl the Bearded finds a unicorn foal in the wreckage of a destroyed village, he takes it upon himself to turn the colt into the King that Ebellon needs.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-02-10 19:59:14 UTC

Prologue

The gentle swishing of propellers provided a steady rhythm to the noisy bustle of the airship’s crew. The sails rippled and flapped in the breeze, timbers and rigging adding creaks and snapping to the general noise. Twilight Sparkle stood at the prow, staring into the mist around the craft, hoping for a glimpse of their destination. She’d been on the ship for three days. Her mind was racing as it thought of everything else she could be doing right now, whether it was reading or practicing her magic or researching some hitherto-unknown magical phenomenon. One of her hooves nervously tapped on the deck, and her legs felt like they were about to crawl off of her body and trot around the ship of their own accord for the want of something, anything, to do.

“We’re almost there, Twilight. Don’t you think you should calm down?” Princess Celestia asked with a chuckle as she walked up behind her protégé.

“Ehehe…sorry, Princess.” Twilight replied, blushing as she stepped down from the prow to stand beside her teacher. “I guess I’m just impatient to get there. Well, that and being out of Equestria,” Twilight added, looking up at Celestia. “That’s probably making me more nervous than anything.”

Celestia chuckled again. “I can see why. Don’t worry. The rulers of Ebellon have promised us that we’ll be treated according to our status when we arrive. I can guarantee that this will go off without a hitch.”

Twilight nodded as she turned her eyes to the mists again. She and the other Elements were only here because Celestia wanted to put on a good face for the Ebellon ponies. Ebellon was an island, placed far out onto the western sea. It had been in isolation for several thousand years, long enough that barely anypony save the princesses had even known of its existence. Celestia had sent them a message welcoming back to the world stage, and in return had been invited to the island. However, Twilight couldn’t help but think about everything that might happen during the trip. She was nervous, butterflies fluttered around in her stomach and her mind was repeatedly being drawn to what Ebellon would be like; she had never been out of Equestria before except during her visit to the Crystal Empire. What would the Ebellon ponies be like? Would they be like Equestrians, with a similar culture to their own? Or would they be rough and grim, unaware of how their overseas cousins had changed since the time that they had withdrawn from the world? Would they still talk in the archaic dialect that Princess Luna still used on occasion? Would earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns still be separate, like the three pony tribes of old?

Celestia had gladly accepted the message, appropriating an airship and inviting Twilight, her five friends, Spike, Princess Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadance, who had recently returned from their honeymoon. And so they set off, heading past Equestria’s borders and out over the open sea.

There was a grumble from behind them as Princess Luna exited her cabin, the midnight-blue alicorn blinking sleepily as she plodded out onto the deck. Crew members bowed respectfully as she passed.

“Ah, good evening, Luna!” Celestia said cheerfully as she turned to face her sister. “How has your day been?”

“Fine, Sister,” Luna replied. “Though I must say that if I have to listen to the crew sing ‘Drunken Sailor’ one more time I’m going to apply a muting spell to the entire ship.”

Struggling to suppress an outbreak of giggling, Celestia nodded. “I’ll be sure to inform the crew of your wishes.” She looked out over the prow of the ship, peering closely. “Hm…” She looked over her shoulder, back to the stern of the airship. Back that way was the airship’s poop deck, where the captain was at the wheel. “Captain! Are we almost there?”

“I think so, Princess!” called the pegasus. “According to the charts they sent us, at least!”

“You should probably go see if everypony else is awake then, Twilight,” Celestia said, looking down at her. “They’ll want to see this too, I bet.”

Twilight nodded and turned, walking back across the ship and into the crew quarters, starting first at the cabin that had been allocated to her and her friends.

“Girls?” she called as she entered the room. “Princess Celestia says that we’re almost there.”

“Oh, finally!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, sitting up from her bunk bed. “I was starting to think that we’d never get there!”

“Well, Darling, not everything can be as fast as you are,” Rarity said as she looked up at the pegasus from the bunk bed below her. “Rest assured, darling, we’re all as anxious to get there as you are.”

Rainbow Dash laughed, hopping down from the bed and pawing at the floor with a hoof. “Ha, I bet! I swear, if I hadn’t been flying around every chance I got, I’d be going crazy right now!”

“Any more than normal, you mean?” Rarity asked playfully, poking her friend in the shoulder. She got out of her bed and walked over to the back of the room. She stopped at the windows, looking beyond them. Situated as they were, the cabin’s occupants had a good view of the wake that the airship left through the mist. The wispy white tendrils were thrown apart by the motion of the airship’s propellers and left a relatively clear path through the mist, though it quickly filled back in behind them. “I don’t suppose that it will be more pleasant-looking than our present surroundings, hm?”

“We’ll just have to see,” Twilight said. She looked around, noting the absence of her number-one assistant. “Where’s Spike?”

“He went next door,” Rainbow Dash answered. “Maybe he wanted to talk to Shining Armor and Cadance.”

Twilight shrugged. “I guess I’ll go get them then. Princess Celestia said that you all might want to come out on deck to watch us arrive.” With that she turned and walked out, heading next door to the smaller, one-bed cabin that had been given to her brother and sister-in-law. She knocked twice before entering, immediately taking in a rather odd scene; Shining Armor and Spike sat on the floor across from one another, both with serious looks on their faces as they looked down at formations of little pony figurines outfitted in the armor of Equestria’s Royal Guard. Cadance sat on the queen-sized bed above them, looking down at the two miniature armies.

“Um…excuse me?” Twilight asked, causing all three to look up at her.

“Awwww, c’mon, Twilight!” Spike groaned. “We’re in the middle of something!”

“Well, we’re almost there,” Twilight said. “Celestia sent me to come get all of you.” She looked at the miniatures again, raising an eyebrow. “What exactly were you doing?”

“Playing Warhoof,” Shining Armor answered. “I let Spike borrow some of my minis so that we could play. He’s picking it up pretty quick, but I’m still winning.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to put your toys away now, Shiny,” Twilight replied, giggling. “Princess Celestia says you can watch us come in.”

Shining Armor nodded, his horn flashing with a burgundy light. All of the figurines floated up into the air and into a large box that sat in one corner of the room. The three trotted out after Twilight, joining the Princesses and the other Elements of Harmony at the prow of the ship.

“We’re close, Princess!” the captain called.

“How can you tell?” Luna asked.

“I can hear wing beats!”

“Wait...yeah, I hear them too!” Rainbow Dash called. Heads swiveled from side to side as pegasi suddenly began to swoop through the mists. Many of them rolled to wave at the incoming airship, more and more of them filling the air around the Equestrian craft. Twilight looked down over the side as the air slowly began to clear, seeing that the ocean below them was swiftly becoming visible. Ships of all shapes and sizes, from dromons powered by oars and triangular sails, to sail-powered carracks, galleons, and more, went to and fro on the water.

“There are so many ships…” she said, a note of awe in her voice.

“Get ready,” Celestia said. “I think we’re coming out of the mist.”

As if on cue, a team of ten pegasi swept in front of the ship. Working in perfect unison, the ponies began to spin in a corkscrew formation, the mist coalescing around them and spinning until finally the pegasi broke up, trailing wisps of cloud behind them. The evening sun burst through the clouds with the suddenness of a lightning strike. Everypony but Celestia was forced to squint against the glare as the airship entered the light. Eventually, eyes adjusted to the sudden change in brightness and the others began to take in the scenery.

The airship moved towards a port situated in a large, natural bay. Stone moorings and piers stuck out into the water, most of them taken by various merchant ships. Warehouses and other buildings took up a good portion of the boardwalk’s room, though there was still plenty of space for sailors and wagons to move. Long, zigzagging staircases worked their way up the rock walls of the bay alongside rope-and-pulley elevators that were ferrying cargo and ponies up and down.  Up along the bay’s rim were more piers, housing several airships that floated gently in the air as they tugged against their moorings. Farther up still was a massive wall, and Twilight could see the glimmer of armor and weaponry from guards along it, trebuchet and ballistae clearly visible in the light of the evening sun. At either side of the bay’s opening was a pair of massive stone statues, tall enough that the heads were level with the airship as it passed them. Twilight left the ship’s prow and ran to the port side to get a better look.

The statues had obviously been carved with a great deal of care; no sign of the passage of time could be seen anywhere on them, and Twilight’s horn tingled with the presence of magic on the stone. They depicted a unicorn stallion, his face decorated with a goatee and his mane falling freely down his head and neck. He wore no crown, though he was dressed in a long, flowing cape as well as a suit of plate armor.  The statues seemed to project an aura of stern authority and watchfulness, enough of it that as they passed them, an inexplicable feeling of safety fell upon Twilight. She felt muscles that she hadn’t even known she was clenching relax.

The airship was eventually brought to a stop as it pulled up alongside one of the mooring. The crew threw out lines, pegasi flying over to the platform and quickly wrapping them around the pegs in the dock. As the airship came to a stop, the captain had the crew push the ship’s gangplank out, standing aside and bowing. “You and your entourage may disembark first, Your Highnesses.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Celestia said cordially, nodding in the pegasi’s direction before walking down the gangplank, followed by the others. The dock that they stepped onto was very wide, large enough for the entire group to stand abreast without fear of falling. As Shining Armor and Cadance stepped off the gangplank, Twilight glanced off to the side at the sound of rhythmic thuds. A double column of ponies was marching down the pier towards them, all wearing barding and carrying spears in harnesses on their sides.

Ebellon guards, she presumed. They look a lot more ready for a fight than the guards back home...

As the Equestrian party stopped on the pier and watched the procession the column split, the guards lining up on either side of the walkway. They shrugged, dropping their spears forward. The points crossed in the air above the group of six stallions walking under the spear points, towards the Equestrians. They moved at a stately pace, none of them overtaking any of the others. As they moved closer, Twilight could pick out physical features. The group was made up  of two of each pony tribe. They were dressed the plainest finery that they could while still identifying themselves as nobility, though each one wore a small golden circlet upon their heads, each one inlaid with a precious stone. As they reached the Equestrian party they stopped and one of the unicorns walked forward. He looked slightly older than the rest and had a grey coat, with a black mane and blue eyes. As he reached the Equestrians, he bowed.

“Hail, Equestrians. Welcome to Coltleon, capital city of Ebellon.”

“Thank you,” Princess Celestia replied cordially, giving a nod. “May I have the pleasure of your name?”

“I am known as Erebos, Princess,” the unicorn replied. He swept a hoof along the other ponies behind him. “These are my brothers. We are the Princes of Ebellon.”

“All of you together?” Spike asked from Twilight’s back, putting his hands on the top of her head to make himself more visible.

Erebos looked at Spike, then smiled. “Indeed. That was the way our father decreed it upon his death. All of us were to rule together, to prevent Ebellon from ripping itself apart after his passing. So far, it has served us well.”

He looked at each of the Equestrians in turn. “May we now have your names?”

“Of course,” Celestia replied. “You already know my sister Luna and me, so I’ll introduce everyone else.” She turned immediately to Twilight, gesturing towards her with a hoof. “This is Twilight Sparkle, my personal pupil. The dragon is her friend and assistant, Spike.”

Erebos stepped forward and carefully took Twilight’s hoof in his own, gently kissing it before looking back up at her. “A pleasure, Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight was too shocked to do anything but nod, her eyes wide and her pupils shrunken down to the size of pinpricks. It was not from the fact that he had kissed her hoof, but from what she had felt through the kiss. Every inch of her horn had lit up with the feeling, sending a loud keening noise into her head as the backlash from the kiss entered her body. It felt like she had been jolted with a particularly powerful bolt of electricity, a sign of powerful magic.

And it was magic, a spell so complex and ancient that she didn’t have the faintest idea of even its most basic function. She could feel it not only on Erebos, but on the other five Princes as well. As Princess Celestia finished the introductions, Twilight became aware that Erebos was speaking to the Equestrians.

“Please, all of you come with us. We’ve prepared a meal in honor of your visit. You will stay in the castle for the duration of your time here, and dine with us tonight. And you shall also know the history of our island, why it is how it is.”

“You have our thanks,” Luna said, speaking up. “That is most generous of you.”

Erebos nodded and the other five princes fell in with the Equestrians as they walked back through the guards. Idle chatter filtered around the group as Ebellon pony and Equestrian pony started getting to know one another. Twilight looked around as the talk filled her ears. Applejack was speaking to one of the earth pony princes, telling him of life on Sweet Apple Acres, and the importance of the Apple Family to Equestria’s farming community. Shining Armor was actually chatting with one of the Princes’ guards, questioning him on the life of Ebellon’s guardsponies. One sentence that Twilight caught from the Ebellon pony was “Royal Army, not Royal Guard.”

“So,” Erebos said as he broke away from Celestia and Luna to walk next to her. “You and your friends appear to be quite famous back home, from what your Princesses tell me.”

“Uh...hehe...Well,” Twilight responded, “I don’t know what they could have told you...”

“You’ve defeated a great number of threats to Equestria,” Erebos explained. “A dragon, a parasprite infestation, a changeling invasion...And apparently, the Great Beast of Chaos as well.”

“The…what?” she asked, turning to him with a confused look.

“Discord,” Erebos clarified. “Celestia and Luna tell me that you and your friends stopped him.”

“Hehe…yeah, we did,” Twilight replied. “It wasn’t easy, though…we almost didn’t. He made us doubt ourselves, he got inside our heads...It was awful.”

Erebos nodded, a grim look finding its way to his face. “Yes, he can have that effect on ponies. Not to mention everything else that he is capable of.”

Twilight nodded. “I can’t imagine living in Equestria with everything like--”

“No, Miss Sparkle,” Erebos interrupted. “You miss my point. The reason that it’s a good thing you stopped Discord, is because if you didn’t, Equestria would not exist today.”

That brought Twilight’s train of thought to a halt, any of her planned responses evacuating her brain at high speed. “What?” she and Spike said at once.

“Ebellon suffered greatly under the heel of Chaos Incarnate, Twilight Sparkle. Our lands were ravaged by it, thousands slaughtered by its hordes. Homes were burned, rivers ran red with blood, and those who remained after the Great Beast’s armies pillaged and burned across their property were faced with the terror of a land where nothing made sense, where you could be killed on a whim. Had you failed to stop Discord, Equestria as you knew it would have ceased to be.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes...I know. When Discord escaped back home, he was only able to get to Ponyville but...everything was going crazy.”

“It was worse when he came here,” Erebos replied, turning his gaze straight ahead. “Believe me. He was much more of a threat when my father fought him all those centuries ago.”

Ignoring Twilight’s quizzical look he trotted ahead of her, moving over to Shining Armor, who immediately began quizzing him on Ebellon’s Royal Army.

“Did he say centuries?” Spike asked. Twilight could only nod in reply, still staring after Erebos with the same puzzled expression.

A quartet of carriages had been parked at the end of the dock, teams of ponies wearing green vests harnessed to the front of the carriages. On the doors of each carriage was the symbol of Ebellon, a downward pointing winged sword with a white ring around it emblazoned on a green field. The Equestrian princesses got their own carriage behind the very first one in line, while the princes took the one in front. Shining Armor and Cadance got the third one, while the Ponyville six got in the very back. As the guards lined up in columns on each side of the convoy, a command from the lead carriage driver set the entire procession off, wagon wheels creaking as they began to move forward.

A few hours later, Twilight gave a content sigh as she stepped out of the shower in her chambers. Despite Ebellon’s somewhat archaic ways, at least their buildings were modern instead of drafty, cold stone. Coltleon’s castle had tiled bathrooms and showers, allowing her to get a very good bath. The hot water had washed over her like a tsunami, soaking her fur to her body but leaving her with an unbelievably pleasant warm feeling all over herself. Levitating one of the towels off of the rack she began drying herself, taking a deep sniff of her freshly shampooed body as she did. It smelled like jasmine, the scent wafting into her nostrils like the aroma of a masterfully cooked meal. She walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom as she dried herself, taking in the large amount of space that had been given to her for her stay in Coltleon. The room was enormous, large enough for the Wonderbolts to put on one of their more grandiose shows with room to spare. Even the Crystal Empire’s library paled in comparison to its size. The ceiling towered high above her, leaving plenty of room for a tall, vaulted glass window that adorned the far wall. Twilight’s hooves thumped softly on the carpeted floor of the bedroom, the sound swallowed up by the thick surface. As she lifted her hairbrush out of her suitcase and began to comb her mane, she looked over at Spike, who sat on the bed nearby reading one of Twilight’s books. “I’m almost ready, Spike.”

Spike gave an affirmative grunt and shut the book, looking over at her. “So, what do you think they’ll be like?”

“They seem friendly enough,” Twilight replied as she gave her mane a final shake, throwing it out over her neck and back. “But after what Erebos told me, I’m more than suspicious. Centuries ago? They look so young, but there’s something weird about them.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked as he hopped off of the bed.

“When Erebos kissed my hoof while Princess Celestia was introducing us, I felt...I don’t know, some kind of magical surge. There’s some kind of spell on all six of them, but it’s just so...advanced and complicated that I can’t even begin to think of what it does.” Twilight shook her head. “There’s more to this place than meets the eye.”

There was a knock on the door before it swung open, helped along by the magic of the servant that entered.

“Their Highnesses sent me to guide you to the assembly hall, milady,” he said, bowing.

“Thank you,” Twilight replied, nodding. She looked over at Spike and the baby dragon hopped off of the bed, jogging alongside her as Twilight followed the servant out of the room. The three walked down the hallway, which was even more enormous than Twilight’s room. It reached down a long ways into the distance, and possessed high, vaulted ceilings supported by fluted columns of stone. Tapestries hung from spaces in between the hallway’s tall windows, showing great scenes from Ebellon’s past. Many of them showed either the Princes or the stallion that was depicted in the statues in Coltleon’s port.

“Who is that?” she asked the servant, pointing at one of the tapestries depicting him. “The stallion in armor.”

“That is the King,” the servant replied. “He united the warring lords of Ebellon and forged them into a kingdom, and ruled Ebellon for many years. He protected us from many dangers and

eventually paid the ultimate price to keep us safe.”

“Safe from what?” Twilight asked, looking over at him.

“Chaos,” the servant said simply before turning and starting to walk down the hall again. Twilight looked back up at the tapestry. It depicted the King standing on a spur of rock, a sword flashing brightly in the green field of his magic. His mouth was open in a roar of challenge, soldiers bearing the colors of Ebellon charging past him towards an unseen enemy.

“Ma’am? Are you coming?” the servant asked. Twilight nodded hesitantly and trotted away from the tapestry. Spike climbed onto her back, the two of them following the servant down the hall.

***

The servant led Twilight into a large room. Carved of stone like the rest of the castle, statues were lined up down the sides. Unlike the rest of the castle, these were all of different stallions, many of them dressed in the armor of knights. They were each armed with a different weapon, from swords to war hammers to double-bladed axes. One pegasus even had what was essentially a sword blade on a stick. Other stallions wore the garbs of lords, wearing armor or robes in a seemingly random pattern. Like the statues that guarded Coltleon’s port, these were carved with the care and skill of master sculptors. Each effigy projected an aura of authority and wisdom, as if guiding the ponies that walked through the castle with their own experiences. A large, iron chandelier hung above the room, the light of its candles augmented by the torches on the wall. As Twilight and the servant entered, he turned to her.

“The Princes will arrive soon. They will enter the throne room first, then you and your party will follow them inside. Do not enter until you are announced by the heralds.”

Twilight nodded her understanding, and the servant returned the nod before trotting over to the doors, entering and shutting them with his magic. Twilight trotted over to the others, looking around the room. “They certainly love their history,” she observed as she reached the group.

“I thought you liked history, Twilight,” Celestia said with a teasing wink. Twilight chuckled before a door on the opposite side of the room opened. The princes entered, Erebos nodding to the Equestrians as they walked past them. As they walked, the doors that the servant had disappeared through were enfolded in magic and opened inward. Twilight and the others looked in.

It was a massive space, crowded with hundreds of ponies all seated at long tables. At the far end was an enormous stained glass window, depicting a stylized unicorn. He wore a crown upon his head, and a golden burst of light shone forth from his horn and radiated out in every direction, the cloak he wore flapping dramatically as it exposed the plate armor he wore beneath. Twilight assumed that this was, once again, the as-of-yet invisible King of Ebellon. Under the window was a dais, upon which a long table with seven seats sat. The seat in the center was the largest and most ornate, obviously a throne meant for the King. As the Princes walked down the gap in the center of the hall, Twilight heard a herald begin to speak, a magically amplified voice filling the space.

“Presenting their Royal Highnesses, the Six Princes of Ebellon! Sons of the Once and Future King! Guardians of the Isle, Masters of Coltleon, Wardens of the Kingdom and Lords of All They Survey!”

“Once and Future King?” Shining Armor asked as he peered after the princes over Twilight’s head, his voice nearly drowned out by the deafening cheers. “What do you think that means, Twily?”

“I don’t know…” Twilight replied as a servant appeared in the door, waving at Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Shining. The four lined up into a four-pony block and walked in after the Princes, the herald speaking again as they entered.

“Also presenting Their Highnesses’ royal guests! Firstly, Princesses Celestia and Luna, Ladies of the Sun and Moon and Rulers of the Principality of Equestria! Following them, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire and her husband, Prince Shining Armor, Captain of Equestria’s Royal Guard!”

Twilight scowled as most of the cheering that the princes had received was downgraded to hoof-stomping, though there were still many cheers to acknowledge Celestia and Luna’s

importance to the world at large.

“I think it’s our turn, girls,” Applejack said, trotting forward along with the others. As the Elements of Harmony entered, Twilight winced and folded her ears back as the herald, who was positioned directly next to her on the door, began to shout again.

“And finally, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack Apple, Rainbow Dash, Rarity Belle, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie of Equestria! Bearers of the Elements of Harmony! Saviors of Equestria! Defeaters of the Queen of Darkness and the Great Beast of Chaos!”

The six nearly jumped out of their coats as cheers broke out around them, the hall very nearly shaking as a multitude of hooves pounded the stone floor. Looking around for a place to sit, Twilight had her attention drawn by Erebos, who was beckoning to them and pointing at another table positioned below the Princes. As the six made it to the table and took their places, Erebos and the princes stood. Immediately the hall quieted, everypony looking up at them.

“Thank you all for coming,” Erebos said, not needing to raise his voice in the dead silence of the hall. “As every native Ebellonian knows, today is a day both of celebration and mourning.” He pointed to his immediate right, where the throne sat. “For it was on this day, at dawn, that our father, High King Taerus, led the final remnants of his army against the numberless hordes of the Great Beast of Chaos, the creature Discord. Surrounded by his faithful Knights of the Realm, the King sallied forth from the shattered walls of Coltleon and brought the Beasts’ hordes to battle, cutting his way through the seething masses to face the creature in single combat.

“It was there, after a vicious battle of physical might, magical prowess, and mental strength, that he finally smote the beast with the sword Verndari and banished him from the island as his hordes were butchered to the last around him.

“But the victory did not come without cost. The contest had been decided by the closest of margins, and even as his soldiery celebrated their victory, our father fell upon the rock where he and the Beast had dueled, mortally wounded. Surrounded by his knights, the King gasped out his last directions to us. Even as the celebration went on, his knights carried him away unnoticed, and together they accompanied their lord far across the sea, to the island of Appalon. Legend holds that he will one day return to us, to lead Ebellon into a new golden age. Until then, my brothers and I were given the duty to rule the island together, and to keep the spirit of Ebellon alive until the Maimed King recovers from his wounds.”

Erebos looked from one side of the hall to the other, at all of the ponies staring up at him. Their gazes were rapt with reverence as he recounted the tale of his father, nopony speaking. You could hear a pin drop. “Tonight, we remember the sacrifice of my father and his knights and of all of those that perished in the Great War against Chaos. And so my brothers and I invite you to eat, drink, and give thanks that we are all still alive to recount this tale to you.” With that, his horn lit up and enfolded a nearby goblet in a green glow. He raised it, mimicked by his brothers. “Hail the victorious dead!”

“HAIL!” the hall called back. Everypony tilted their heads back and drank deeply, Erebos setting his goblet down before raising his voice.

“Let the feast begin!”

The hall erupted in more cheers as the doors opened to admit servants with food.

***

Hours later, none of the Elements of Harmony or any of the Equestrians could eat another bite. They sat in their chairs, taking small nibbles as they watched the rest of the hall eat their fill. Gradually, simple eating and talking had given way to song and dance, loud yells of merriment filling the room as some of the tables were pushed out of the way to make up an impromptu dance floor.

“These guys sure know how to party!” Spike yelled in Twilight’s ear as she laid her head down on the table. Twilight looked up at the only bit of the party she could see, a pair of teenage colts dancing on a table, singing a drinking song about something called the “Green Dragon.” Pinkie Pie had joined in some of the dancing, doing a jig with an Ebellonian stallion as a unicorn played a fast-paced dancing tune on a fiddle.

Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Erebos standing next to her. He gave her a gentle smile, looking down at her plate. “Did you find the food to your liking?”

“I couldn’t eat another bite,” Twilight groaned.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Erebos replied with a grin. “Would you gather your fellows and come with us?”

“You’re leaving the feast?” Spike asked. “Won’t everypony notice that?”

“It’s customary for us to leave,” Erebos explained. “We mourn for our father on this day. Nopony will miss us.” He turned and beckoned to his brothers, then turned back to Twilight. “Please. You must know the significance of this day.”

Twilight nodded and peeled her face off of the table, beckoning to the others. They all followed the Princes out through a side door, down a narrow hallway before exiting into a spacious library. Bookshelves rose all the way to the ceiling, covering the walls with row after row of aged leather bindings and yellowed pages of parchment. Twilight’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and her mouth dropped open in awe as she took them all in. As the others entered, the six princes stood in front of the library’s large fireplace, their expressions dropping into seriousness.

“And so, now the time has come for the truth-telling,” Erebos said. “You all heard the story I told in the hall, correct?” At their nods, he continued. “That happened thousands of years ago. Before the Coming of the Great Night and the arrival of the Two Sisters, even.”

“What?” Twilight exclaimed. “But…you’re his sons, you said!”

“We are,” the second unicorn, Prince Nares said.

“But, for that to be true you would have had to-“

“Live back then?” the pegasus Prince Lockheed finished. “Indeed, we did. During his reign, our father took in all six of us, hoping that when he should die a mortal death we would carry on his rule for him, ruling together. After the war against the Beast, however, his plans changed. The night before the final battle, he called all of us into his chambers and bestowed a spell of immortality upon us. It was a very great undertaking and had taken him many years to perfect. It makes us immune to the ravages of time, allowing us to govern Ebellon in his stead. We take no wives, and father no children. In a sense we are not unlike your Princesses,” he added, nodding in the direction of Celestia and Luna. “We have ruled for many centuries.”

“And plan to do so, until our father returns home,” Prince Arus the earth pony continued.

“But do you really think that’ll happen?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I mean…if it’s been thousands of years and he still hasn’t gotten back-“

“HE WILL!” all six princes bellowed together, sending the Equestrians backpedalling. Staring at their hosts with wide eyes, their hearts pounding frantically in their chests, every Equestrian watched the princes calm themselves, taking deep breaths and smoothing locks of mane that had fallen out of place in the sudden display of rage.

“He will,” Erebos said again, calmly. “We believe he will. Father would not die and abandon us, not when Ebellon still needs him.” He sighed and looked at the other princes. “Brothers, I believe that they should know why only Father is fit to rule the island.”

The other five nodded in agreement, going to sit on some of the cushions as Erebos lit the fireplace with a flash of magic. Another flash of magic from Naren moved more cushions into a circle, and the Equestrians sat down.

“Now then…” Erebos said. “Let’s begin.”

Chapter One: Finding of a Foal

A stag walked at a sedate pace as he moved through the burning village. His steps made no noise as they came down on the snow. Bright blasts of red and orange flame whipped and snapped in the cold winter breeze. They sent up small puffs of steam from melting snow, and colored the cloudless night’s full moon with a harsh orange hue. The deer’s slender legs stepped lightly over the carnage of slain ponies and around broken buildings, and his enormous, dark eyes swept from side to side, watching as his soldiers went about their duties, looking through the village. His deer were busily combing the wreckage and checking the dead, looking for ponies either freshly born or so young that they would barely remember their old lives. So far they had only found a small number, but the village had not been fully searched. The stag had hope.

The ponies that served under his banner moved through the town as well. They were preoccupied with their own business as they took anything they fancied from the shattered remains of homes and storefronts. Any survivors they found were dispatched with casual, ruthless efficiency. The stag nodded approvingly as he watched them work before stopping as he came to the largest building in the village, the chieftain’s home. The building’s porch was slick with blood, a small number of pony bodies littering the ground, slowly being covered in the ash-greyed snow that fell from the sky. The house’s door had been smashed off of its hinges, merely one of the many that had been broken in the course of the attack. The stag once again nodded approvingly. The ponies who had attacked this place had been thorough.

“My lord! My lord Prince!” called a voice.

The self-styled Great Prince of the Forest turned and saw another stag bounding towards him. As he reached the Prince, the stag slid to a stop and bowed. It was hasty and sloppy, but in the newcomer’s mind, now was not the time to spend precious moments on ceremony. “The scouts have spotted torches. They’re coming from the southeast. We think that they may be soldiers from the closest castle.”

“How many?” the prince asked, raising one slim, dark eyebrow.

“Five score,” the stag said, looking back up at his lord. “They will be here soon.”

The prince nodded his elegant head, then turned it from side to side, looking around the village. “Gather the rest and make your way back towards the forest. I will follow shortly.”

“Yes, milord,” the stag said, giving another hasty bow before leaping off. Within minutes the thirty warriors had assembled in the village square. As the Prince watched they marched away in good order, moving east into the night, towards a nearby forest. The prince merely stood on the hill for a short while. Waiting and looking to the southeast, he saw the hundred-strong party of ponies gallop closer and closer. The stag let a thin smile cross his lips before deciding to follow his troops. Blue-white magic slowly curled up around his majestic antlers, gathering along the tines and coming together in the open space between them. The magic formed into a ball that flared brightly for what seemed like a mere instant, obscuring the prince from the sight of the oncoming ponies as the stag teleported away.

***

Hooves thundered on the snowy ground, kicking up flurries of greyish-white. Shouted orders and whinnies filled the air as the company moved into the village square, the banner carried by one of the company’s troops waving and snapping in the wind. The company’s leader walked to the edge of the square, snow swirling about him and sticking in the short, brown beard that covered his chin. His green eyes narrowed, and he pursed his lips as he took in the sight of the burning settlement. He turned to the rest of the company, jerking his head back towards the village. “Go. Search for survivors.”

The company trotted off into the village, sticking together in groups as they searched the buildings that were still intact. There weren’t many. Those that were no longer burning had collapsed, their blackened remains slowly being covered up by the snow. Scorched, Ash-covered bodies protruded from wreckage in various forms: a burnt hoof here, a soot-blackened head there. Other bodies littered the streets or were slumped over fences, water troughs, or wagons. The captain sighed as he turned away from the search, spotting the one pony that had not gone along with the others.

He wasn’t even an inhabitant of the castle anyway, or even an inhabitant of this region of Ebellon. Then again, nopony on Ebellon was even sure of where he had come from. The unicorn had just…appeared, one day. Then again, one did not question Star Swirl the Bearded. The lime green unicorn watched the searching ponies impassively, his beard waving in the wind as the bells on his hat tinkled gently.

The captain walked over to the wizard, the earth pony bowing respectfully as he approached. “Are you sure you wouldn’t be more comfortable back at the castle, Master Star Swirl?”

“No, I’m quite all right,” Star Swirl said as he scuffed the snow with a hoof. He looked around the ruined village, taking in the destruction.

“Bastards,” the captain growled as he followed the wizard’s gaze. “There won’t be any ponies left on Ebellon if this keeps happening.”

“Or at least, any ponies left on Ebellon that are not under the thrall of the deer’s leader,” Star Swirl muttered as he and the captain walked forward, moving into the village as the winter breeze swept his cape every which way, the bells on the cape’s hem jingling merrily in stark dissonance to the present surroundings. The captain walked after him, his head turning left and right as he scanned the village’s ruined buildings.

“Do you think anypony survived?” he asked, turning to the wizard beside him. Star Swirl sighed as he looked around, white clouds of warm air drifting from his mouth.

“I’m not sure,” he whispered. “The deer are nothing if not thorough.”

The captain nodded hesitantly. “It’d be a miracle to find a single pony alive, let alone if we can even find a foal…”

“Take heart, Captain.” Star Swirl said. “Ponykind has overcome adversity in the face of death before. Do you not recall the Great Winter of old?”

“I do,” the captain said before sighing heavily. “But the Windigos did not follow the unicorns here. And thus we learned no lesson of friendship.”

“But that does not mean that the lesson cannot still be learned,” Star Swirl said reassuringly. “And even in the darkest of times, hope remains.”

“Captain! Captain Keen Edge!” called a soldier as he galloped over, a small bundle hanging around his neck.

“What is it, Trapper?” Keen Edge asked. “What’s that you’ve got there?”

“A foal, sir,” Trapper said. Gently taking one part of the cloth in his teeth he unwrapped it just enough to reveal the foal’s face. It was a colt, a unicorn with a dusty brown coat and chocolate-brown mane. He was sleeping peacefully, seemingly unbothered by the carnage around him.

“How would a unicorn get into an earth pony province?” Keen Edge wondered aloud.

“The family must have immigrated,” Star Swirl said. “Either way, it would not be safe for him to stay in these lands. He should be taken to unicorn territory.”

“Agreed,” Keen Edge said, nodding. He looked back at Trapper as Star Swirl levitated the foal from him and hung it around his own neck. “Finish searching the village, then return to the castle. Master Star Swirl and I will return ahead of time so that we may prepare him for the journey.”

“Yessir,” Trapper said, saluting.

“Preparations will not be necessary, Captain,” Star Swirl said. “I know who to take the little one to.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes,” Star Swirl said. “The Lord of that province is an honorable pony, and he loves his son dearly. Hopefully that love will extend to this little one as well,” he added as he gently nuzzled the sleeping foal. “Plus, I have a feeling that this little unicorn will be somepony special.” He looked up at Keen Edge as his horn started to glow. “Be well, Captain, and good fortune to you and your troops.”

“To you as well, Master Star Swirl,” Keen Edge said. He bowed as Star Swirl lit his horn as he got ready to teleport. A flash of magic later the wizard was gone, leaving only a circle of bare ground.

***

Star Swirl reappeared far to the south of the earth pony province, on a peninsula on the southwestern coast of Ebellon. The snow was not as deep here, the winds not as biting. A short walk away he could see a castle, its keep and walls thrown into stark relief by the silver light of the full moon. Nestled in the shadow of the nearby mountain of Highcliff, the castle town of Arcan was the capital of the realm of the same name. Arcan Castle was a grand building, its walls fifty feet high and ten feet thick. The grey stone that the castle was made of reflected the moonlight, making the castle appear to glow on clear nights. The banner of Arcan’s lord hung down the façade of the keep and on the outer surface of the walls, depicting a blue ring surrounding a blue flame on a green field.

As he began walking with his hooves crunching on the snow, Star Swirl’s mind was not on the view of the castle. Instead it was dwelling on what Captain Keen Edge had said. Despite Star Swirl’s apparent optimism, the Ebellon ponies’ lack of harmony and cooperation with one another had long been a staple of the island’s makeup. Various petty kings and lords had divided the land amongst themselves. Many of the northern nobility concerned themselves with warring against the deer and their followers. The other lords fought amongst each other. Their lands were small, only another tiny piece of land amongst the many other fiefs, duchies and baronies that made up the pony lands of Ebellon.

Things needed to change, Star Swirl thought.

Star Swirl stopped at the end of the path at the other side of Arcan Castle’s moat. Looking up at the wall, the wizard waited until a sentry spotted him.

“Who goes there?” the Arcan soldier demanded.

“Star Swirl the Bearded! I have come to ask a favor of your lord!”

“Lord Rune is asleep!”

“It’s important!”

“I apologize, sir, but I cannot let you in without Lord Rune’s permission!”

Star Swirl growled and was about to acquiesce and go bed down in the nearest inn when a voice called out over the wall.

“By my horn, Star Swirl the Bearded! What brings you out to Arcan at this time of the year?”

Smiling, Star Swirl turned back around and looked back up at the parapets. Another unicorn had walked up beside the sentry, the hauberk he wore over his mail vest emblazoned with Arcan’s insignia as well as with the symbol of his rank. “Captain Crescent!” Star Swirl said jovially. “I should ask you what your old bones are doing out so late at night in such cold weather!”

“You’re far older than me, wizard, and you would do well not to forget that,” Crescent said, winking at Star Swirl good-naturedly. He turned his head over in the direction of Arcan Castle’s gatehouse. “Open the gates!”

Arcan Castle’s massive drawbridge slowly but surely moved downward as the guards in the gatehouse winched it down. Once the drawbridge was lowered and its massive timbers firmly upon the stone, the massive iron portcullis behind it was cranked upward, raising it high enough for Star Swirl to be able to walk under it as he moved towards the castle. The final door, a simple wooden gate, was pulled open with magic, the horns of the guards flaring brightly as they pulled it open. Star Swirl looked around as he entered Arcan Castle’s courtyard, taking note of the guard barracks and the unicorn soldiers that patrolled the walls.

Captain Crescent walked up to Star Swirl as the wizard entered, the grizzled soldier’s face split in a wide grin, his teeth glinting in the moonlight. Crescent’s neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper mane and beard framed his face perfectly, his wizened features taking in Star Swirl and his little passenger. He walked closer, peering into the bundle that hung from the wizard’s neck. “Where’d you get the little one?”

“He was in a village, in an earth pony province that had been destroyed by the deer,” Star Swirl said, the memory of the place still clear in his mind. “As far as I know, both of his parents were killed, and he was the only survivor. And so I brought him here.”

Crescent nodded. “He won’t be happy about it, but I will wake Lord Rune. You’re free to come inside while you wait.”

Star Swirl nodded back and followed Crescent as the captain turned and began making his way towards Arcan Castle’s keep. The two guards standing on either side of the doors opened them with their magic, allowing Star Swirl and Crescent passage through before the guards shut the doors once again. Crescent led Star Swirl into a room, Star Swirl turning to his guide as Crescent spoke.

“I’ll go wake Lord Rune. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back shortly.”

Star Swirl nodded as Crescent shut the door. Star Swirl walked over to one of the long, flat couches, gently settling the foal down against his flank as he looked around.

Large tapestries hung from the rafters, depicting the coats of arms or images of previous rulers of Arcan in moments of glory, whether in battle or in matters of rule. The room was mostly stone, though the seats were richly cushioned. A large fire blazed merrily in the hearth, keeping the room warm during the night for anypony who wanted a moment’s contemplation in relative comfort.

Star Swirl looked toward the doors as voices began to become audible through the thick wood.

“So you’re saying he brought a foal from an earth pony province that turned out to be a unicorn?” one voice was asking, its tone a deep bass that Star Swirl assumed was Lord Rune.

“That’s what he said, milord, yes,” said Captain Crescent.

“And he wants me to ward it?” Rune asked, his tone dripping skepticism.

“Yes, milord.”

The two voices stopped outside the door, Rune sighing. “And you say that the village was destroyed by the Great Prince’s forces?”

“That’s what the wizard says, milord,” Crescent said.

“Damn,” Rune muttered. “Well…who knows? It could work out. Taikus could use a brother. Ever since Blossom died…”

“I understand, sir.” Crescent said. “He’s waiting inside, if you wish to speak with him.”

“Very well,” Rune said. “Stand guard out here, Captain.”

“Will do, milord,” Crescent said, hooves clopping on the castle’s stone floor. They stopped a second later, a short burst of hoofbeats being followed by silence.

The heavy wooden door swung open with a burst of blue magic. Lord Rune of Arcan entered the room, heavy steps thumbing onto the woven rug on the floor. He was a large unicorn, rugged and muscular. His grey coat was immaculately groomed, his black mane tied up in three ponytails, the largest one running down the back of his neck and two other smaller ones on either side of his head. His blue eyes swept the room silently for a moment before turning his goateed muzzle over to Star Swirl’s position. His eyes locked first onto the wizard’s, then on the small foal wrapped protectively in his front legs.

“That’s him, then?” Rune asked as he walked over, his hooves quietly scuffing on the stone floor.

“It is,” Star Swirl said, looking down at the foal.

“And you brought him here, hoping I would raise him?”

“It would be too dangerous to take him to any other province.”

“All of Ebellon is dangerous,” Rune said. “The southern moors and the minotaur tribes. The mountains and the griffin keeps on their peaks with their lords watching the lands below, not to mention anything that may live up north, beyond the Great Forest in the farther reaches of the island. The deer and their Forestborn, and the dragons that live in the northern reaches. Even our lands aren’t safe. Brigands and bandits and warring lords. All of them are too busy fighting the enemies of their ambitions instead of the more pressing threats. Even Arcan is not safe. Even here, we have incursions of deer and their damned Forestborn, bandit raids and gods know what else.” He glared at Star Swirl. “We are our own worst enemy, as the saying goes, wizard.”

“Indeed,” Star Swirl said. “But you, my lord, are different, are you not?” Gently levitating the foal from his legs and getting off of the couch, Star Swirl walked closer to the unicorn lord. “You, unlike so many of the other lords on Ebellon, are happy with what you have. A son that loves you. Subjects that trust you and know that you will protect them. A large amount of good, fertile land that is not only easy to protect, but prosperous. You have everything you could ever want and more.”

“And this matters, why?” Rune asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because this is the sort of father this colt needs,” Star Swirl said, gesturing to the foal with one hoof. “A father that is ambitious, yet willing to place his subjects over his goals and desires. A father that is smart enough to know what he has and keep it running that way, or improve it. That is why, my lord.”

Rune stepped back a few paces from Star Swirl, then looked at the foal before walking over to him. “Does he have a name?”

“None that I know.”

Rune nodded slowly, taking in a deep breath then releasing it. “Very well.” He turned to Star Swirl. “I will take him.”

Star Swirl nodded, a smile forming on his lips. “Good. I do have one condition. I will come by

periodically to train him in magic.”

“Taikus already has tutors. Why can’t this one share them?”

“He can. I will augment his training, however.”

Rune sighed. “Fine.”

Star Swirl nodded. “Good. Thank you, my lord. I assure you, you will not regret this.”

“I hope not, wizard,” Rune said. Star Swirl nodded back before teleporting away with a small whisper of wind. As the magical residue from the wizard’s departure began to settle, Rune gently picked the colt up in his magic, walking over to a small couch close to the fire. Reclining in it, he laid the foal down against his side, watching the little pony’s chest rise and fall with its breath. “My adopted son,” he whispered softly, nuzzling the foal. “My little Taerus.”

Chapter Two: The Current Within

“Again,” Star Swirl’s stern voice said as he stood in front of Taerus, now a young colt just coming into his magic. “Try lifting it again.”

“But we’ve been doing this for hours, Master Star Swirl,” Taerus groaned. “Can’t we stop for the day?”

“No,” Star Swirl replied. “Not until you at least move the rock.”

Taerus looked down at the rock in question. It was a small thing, only as large as one of his small hooves. They’d been in the room since midmorning as Star Swirl had tutored his young charge in the most basic of a unicorn’s abilities: levitation. So far today, the same as every other day, Taerus had failed to move it. Sweat trickled down his forehead and matted his fur to his body, evidence from other failed tries. “But we’ve been trying for hours!” he whined again. “Why do I have to be stuck up here and Taikus gets to be down in the practice yard?”

“Because Taikus is old enough that he must start training to be your father’s successor one day,” Star Swirl said. “A lord must know their swordplay and their schooling in equal measure. Your brother’s time will come today. But for now, you need to focus on your training. So,” he finished, “try again.”

Taerus gave a snort, but acquiesced to the aged wizard’s direction. Lowering his horn, he closed his eyes and bared his teeth, focusing every ounce of thought he had on the stone. Just like always, his thoughts and feelings seemed to compress as they moved up his horn. Continuing to concentrate, Taerus felt the gentle warmth of his inner magic suddenly reveal itself fully to him. He strained and growled in effort as he fought to breach the magic’s current, the magic backing away as he fought to reach it.

“Don’t try and force it,” Star Swirl said. His voice came to Taerus as if from a distance, the notes of his bass voice echoing off of unseen surfaces. “Let the magic come to you. Go with its flow first, then direct the flow as you need. And be gentle. Magic is a potent force that brooks no foolishness from those that wish to use its power.”

Taerus backed off somewhat, trying not to put so much strain on the current. Mental orders turned into polite requests, gently beckoning the immaterial magicks towards his consciousness. It slowly moved towards him, eventually wrapping itself around the inside of his horn. Its touch was gentle, like a lover’s caress, as Taerus felt its power begin to flow through him. He then returned his focus on the rock, willing the magic out of the tip of his horn, attempting to guide it across the space between the rock and his horn. He felt it coalesce inside his horn, then start to ease out. Taerus smiled as he felt the magic move and, emboldened, shoved it towards the rock as hard as he could.

Star Swirl felt his hat go flying off of his head as the magic lashed out against the rough treatment, sending a large cloud of black smoke bursting into the air. Taerus disappeared amidst the cloud, ash flying in every direction and coating the stone walls of the room in a fine layer of black. Coughing, Star Swirl peered into the cloud as he looked for his student. “Taerus? Are you alright?”

No answer came back from the cloud. Shaking his head, Star Swirl lit his horn and cast an air-clearing spell. The ash and smoke coalesced into a ball and floated out the window before being blown away in the wind, leaving the room clear and ash free. Taerus had been blown backwards by the explosion, his rump and hind legs propped up against the wall as his chin rested against the floor. He had obviously been sent rolling. The colt groaned as he opened his eyes, the green irises showing up against his black-streaked cheeks. Star Swirl replaced his bell-strung hat back on his head before sighing in resignation at the colt’s lack of progress. “Alright,” he said. “I think that’s enough for today. We’ll take a bit of a break tomorrow; just book lessons, no magic.”

Taerus managed to get to his hooves and nodded dazedly, staggering out of the room as Star Swirl opened the door for him. Shutting the door behind the colt, Star Swirl walked over to the window of the room. The window overlooked Arcan Castle’s courtyard, a large, hundred-hoof wide space that was large enough for the castle’s entire garrison force to muster with room to spare for its levies. The castle’s large wall rose up above the courtyard and the other buildings in the place. Sentries dressed in the colors of Arcan patrolling the walls as they watched the grassy plains out in front of the castle. As he watched, he saw a cloud of dust moving towards the castle a short distance away, coming over a hill. A horn began to blow from the gatehouse and the castle’s drawbridge lowered, its portcullis rising and its gates opening as a company of ponies galloped through. They spread out into the courtyard, filling it with a sudden rush of activity. Star Swirl looked out among them, finally seeing the pony he wanted to see out in the center, beneath the company’s standard. His horn lit up and a bright flash lit the room as Star Swirl teleported outside.

Lord Rune’s horn sparked into life and lifted his helm from his head as he looked around the company of soldiers that had accompanied him. The unicorn lord had aged gracefully in the ten years since Star Swirl’s arrival at Arcan Castle, the black of his goatee being lightened by age to a salt-and-pepper gray. His armor rustled and clinked gently as he looked around the courtyard, noting the soldiers gathering around the castle’s smithy to have their arms and armor repaired. A loud crack of magic caused him to look to his left, where Star Swirl was walking towards him across the yard.

“How many?” the wizard asked.

Rune’s lips curled up in a dimpled smile and his horn lit up again, taking a pair of antlers from his waist and holding them up. “One deer and around fifteen Forestborn.”

“A good day, then,” Star Swirl replied, the wizard giving a smile of his own as he approached. “Any good loot?”

“One of the ponies-at-arms managed to get a hold of the deer’s bladebow. I think it’ll take him a while to learn how to use it, but it’s a good weapon for now. A few others got a hold of the Forestborns’ weapons, though I took one of the blades to hand over to the smith to see if he can make blades like that.” He sighed. “A good day, for the most part.”

“And how many lost?” Star Swirl asked, his smile dropping from his face.

“Ten,” Rune replied, his own smile falling from his face as he looked down at the ground and sighed. “That deer was the cause of most of ‘em, we caught the Forestborn off guard while they were looting the farm. Those deer are monsters with those bladebows…I eventually had to take him on myself.” He gestured to his armor with a hoof. It was covered in cuts and gouges, a number of the links in the chainmail beneath it severed by an extremely sharp weapon. “It was close, but a blade in the throat doesn’t do anypony good, even the deer.” He shook his head, watching a wagon come through the gate. Ten shrouded bodies lay inside it, blood staining the sheets in various places. “How did they even get this far south?” he asked to nopony in particular. “The Great Forest must be three hundred leagues away from here…”

“Was the group larger than what you killed?” Star Swirl asked. “A small group can move through the countryside unnoticed, especially when led by a deer with some modicum of magical skill.”

“True,” Rune conceded, giving a nod. “But they’re getting bolder…There’s no telling where they’ll strike next…had I the time and finances I would have walls built around every village…”

“It isn’t your fault, my lord,” Star Swirl replied.

“I know.” Rune said. He sighed again, looking up at the gate as the portcullis ground shut and the drawbridge rose up in front of it with a clanking of chains. “I just wish that I could march on the Great Forest myself.”

“Understandable,” Star Swirl said, nodding.

“Father!” a voice called across the yard, its tones cracking with the onset of puberty as the sound of galloping hooves reached the ears of both. Rune’s weathered face cracked in a grin and he spun as a colt charged into him. Rune’s muscular body withstood the impact with ease, the colt bouncing off of his solid frame and rolling backwards before landing on his back, his gangly legs in the air as he laughed and sat up.

“Ah, here’s my boy!” Rune growled playfully as he reached out and ruffled the colt’s mane with his hoof. The colt laughed, hugging his father as he threw his gangly legs around his neck. This was Taikus, Lord Rune’s biological son. Graced with the sandy white mane and golden fur of his mother and the deep blue eyes of his father, Taikus was in the midst of puberty. His body was skinny from rapid growth, his legs long and lanky and his body thin as a weed. A wooden sword was belted around his waist, a practice weapon from Arcan Castle’s training yard. His flanks bore a sword and shield, the product of his first day of arms training.

“How’s the training going?” Rune asked him.

“Great,” Taikus said as he nodded, his long mane falling into his eyes. “Pommel says that he’s going to put me on real steel soon.”

“In that case,” Rune replied, his cheerful tone dropping and being replaced with utmost seriousness, “Be extra careful. Real steel is nothing to fool around with, understand?”

Taikus nodded again, the honesty of a son obeying his father bright in his eyes. Rune stood up, nudging his son’s cheek. “Go on now, Pommel’s probably wondering where you’ve run off to.” As Taikus ran off, Rune turned to Star Swirl again. “How’s Taerus been doing?”

“He had a bit of an accident today,” Star Swirl said. “He’s not hurt, but he did nearly manage a levitation spell. He still needs to learn to be gentle with the magic, but all in all he’s made relatively good progress.”

“And what of his conventional schooling?” Rune asked. “How is he doing in that regard?”

“Very well, actually,” Star Swirl replied. “He’s progressing far quicker than even my previous student.”

“Good,” Rune said with a reassured tone. “I’m glad.” He looked around the yard again, noting his soldiers going off about their own business, some heading out the now-reopened gate back towards the village that the castle watched over, others heading back to the barracks to get some much needed rest. He waved his hoof at the wizard. “You’re dismissed, Star Swirl.”

“My lord,” Star Swirl replied, bowing before turning around and trotting back to the castle.

***

“Ow! Hey, careful!”

“Relax, squirt, it’s not my fault that you got covered in ash.”

Taerus groaned in mild discomfort as a rough brush held in Taikus’s magical grip raked up and down his back. The colt sat in a washtub; bubbles thick all around him as his elder adopted brother sat on a nearby stool and washed him. The ash from earlier in the day had managed to stick into Taerus’s fur, forcing Taikus to scrub his brother vigorously as he did his best to get the stuff out.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Taerus muttered as his head was jerked back and forth by Taikus’s hooves as they worked soap into his messy brown mane. “At least you can use magic.”

“Well, I’m older than you,” Taikus replied, filling a nearby bucket with water from the tub and dumping it over his brother’s head, plastering his mane and fur to his body. “Don’t give up, Taerus. You’ll get it eventually.”

“But you’re getting to do all the fun stuff!” Taerus said, looking up at his brother as well as he could with his mane concealing his eyes. “You get to use swords and go around Arcan with Papa and all of the other stuff?”

“Because I’m older,” Taikus repeated.

Taerus snorted. “Only by five years.”

“The fact is still there, Taerus. You’re not strong enough to run around with Father and the soldiers yet, and you can’t lift a sword because you can’t levitate either. It’s not your fault that you can’t do anything, Taerus. It’s just that you’re not old enough. Just wait, give yourself time. You’ll start it eventually.” He lit his horn again and lifted his little brother out of the tub. “Come on now, time to dry off.” Lighting his horn again he pointed it at Taerus, a rush of warm air and heat sending his coat rippling as the air collided with his body. Within a few minutes, Taerus was warm and dry, his fur mildly fluffed out from the rapid change from cold to heat.

Taikus flung one gangly leg around Taerus’s shoulder, smiling at him. “Your time will come, little brother. Be patient.”

Taerus nodded as the two walked out of the washroom and into their bedroom. It was a nice, open area of the castle, a number of windows looking out over the grassy plains of Arcan with the sea far in the distance. The room was stone like every part of the castle, though a large, thick blue rug covered up the majority of the floor. The walls were bare for the most part aside from the windows, though there were a number of toys either strewn about the place or put up on various pieces of furniture. Two large beds took up a good deal of the room’s space. Silken sheets and soft blankets were neatly made on top of them, a multitude of pillows resting against the headboard of each one. A candle sat on the nightstand between the beds, providing most of the present illumination in the room. Taerus and Taikus each got into their own beds, the sheets softly rustling as the two moved their bodies underneath them.

“Goodnight, Taerus,” Taikus said before snuffing out the candle, the sheets on his bed rustling

again as he rolled over. Taerus rolled over onto his back, folding his front legs over his belly as he looked up at the room’s high, vaulted ceiling. Slender silver slivers of moonlight streamed in through the windows, sending stripes across the blue of the carpet. Taerus took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his chest rising and falling with the action before he turned over and tried to sleep.

It didn’t work. Flashbacks of the lesson with Star Swirl and the conversation with Taikus kept playing through Taerus’s mind. He imagined going until his dying day never being able to even lift a pebble, growing up as an invalid and being bedridden for the rest of his life, his legs eventually atrophying from lack of use with his horn nothing but a useless stump, Taikus becoming Lord of Arcan and ruling the people while he stayed in bed, unable to do anything but watch as Taikus won glory and honor in war while he was forced to stay behind.

No, the colt thought, shaking his head as he sat up. That’s stupid. Taikus would never do that, and neither would Papa.

But the thought remained. Taerus eventually harrumphed in frustration and threw the sheets off of himself with a hoof, hopping out of bed and walking across the room, to the doors. Turning his head over to Taikus’s bed to make sure his brother remained asleep, Taerus reached up and opened the door with his teeth, carefully sidling through the crack between the doorjamb and the door itself before closing it behind him. Taking time to let out a sigh of relief, Taerus turned around and looked down the hallway. It was empty and silent, as everypony in the castle was undoubtedly asleep.

Nodding, Taerus began to trot down the hallway. Though illuminated with a number of torches the hallway was still dark, and Taerus had to be careful that he didn’t bump into anything. Stone statues carved into the shapes of knights lined the sides of the hall, and cast eerie shadows on the floor in the dark lighting.

Taerus very carefully made his way out of the castle, heading into the yard of the castle’s inner wall and from there out into the rest of the castle’s outbuildings, between the inner and outer walls of the place. Here, Arcan Castle’s main assembly yard, as well as its smithy, granaries, well, kennels, and other buildings were kept. There was also a small garden, which was where Taerus was currently headed. The garden was protected by a wrought-iron fence, in a mostly successful effort to keep larger pests from getting inside. Built as a favor to Lord Rune’s late wife Blossom, the garden was still one of the most meticulously kept places within the castle. Grass and flowers provided a soft carpet underneath Taerus’s feet as he entered through the fence’s gate, the roots of the large tree that took up a significant portion of the space poking up to his left as he walked over to it. Sitting down on his haunches with his back against the tree, Taerus looked around him for a pebble or stick, something that he could use to at least practice his levitation on. Spotting a small twig that was lying on top of one of the roots next to him Taerus took it in his hooves and put it down in front of him.

“Don’t force it…” he said to himself as he began to focus on the twig. “Let the magic come to you…and guide it.” Closing his eyes and focusing harder on the twig, he reached deep within himself, feeling the current of magic running through his body. Taking a deep breath and releasing it, he opened himself up to the feeling. Energy came to him and the familiar, gentle warmth of the magic began to flow through him, spreading through his body and focusing up at his horn. Gently pushing it through his horn up to the tip, Taerus remained as calm as he could as the magic began to coalesce at the tip of his horn.

Aaaaaand…stick, he thought. Opening one eye, he saw a faint green aura begin to materialize around the stick. Giving a laugh of exhilaration, he closed his eyes again and concentrated harder on the stick. Up…he thought. Uuuuuup…uuuuuuup…The light on his horn began to glow brighter and brighter, the ball at the top becoming larger. Taerus’s face scrunched up more as he tried to force the magic out without causing it to explode again. Finally, he remembered what Star Swirl had said.

Please?

The ball of magic at the end of his horn suddenly disappeared. The aura around the twig intensified and brightened, the twig suddenly rising into the air and stopping at eye-level with Taerus. The colt started laughing and pumped a hoof into the air, giving a loud cheer.

Loud barking suddenly began to fill the air. Taerus froze, the light on his horn winking out and causing the twig to drop to the ground as the clip-clop of hooves and the barking and growling of dogs got closer. Finally, a gruff voice reached Taerus’s ears. He recognized it as the voice of Muzzle, Arcan Castle’s kennel-master.

“Hm…gate’s open… Go find ‘em, boys.”

The pattering of two sets of paws sounded on the ground as Taerus saw two dogs enter the garden, their silhouettes outlined in the moonlight. Their noses were down on the ground, their heads slowly turning down in his direction before they looked up. Finally they charged at him, barking loudly. Giving a cry of fright Taerus leapt to his hooves and tried to run, only to be tackled again almost immediately. The dogs bore him back against the tree and he closed his eyes, waiting for razor-sharp teeth to sink into his neck…

Only for something huge and wet to slurp his cheek, dragging fur and the skin beneath it along its path. Giggling a bit at the ticklish feeling it produced, Taerus turned his head towards the dogs. “What the-mmmph!” He was cut off as a second massive dog tongue licked him from chin to forehead, covering his entire face. As the dog’s tongue left his forehead he started laughing, the two dogs taking that as incentive to continue the assault, the two tongues licking furiously at his cheeks as he waved his hooves frantically, trying to playfully shove them away as the two dogs whined happily.

“What in the…Oi! Grey Wind! Summer! Off with ya!” Muzzle’s voice barked as his magic took hold of the two dogs’ collars and pulled them off of the colt. A light soon blossomed against the tree, letting Muzzle’s stern, craggy face get a better look at Taerus as the colt dragged his hooves along his cheeks to try and wipe off some of the dog slobber coating them, the odd giggle managing to make its way out of his mouth. “Wha…Taerus? What are you doing out of the castle so late at night?”

“Um…” Taerus began awkwardly, suddenly remembering where he was. “I was practicing.”

“Practicing.” Muzzle repeated.

“Um…yeah. My…my magic, y’see. I was trying to levitate a stick, and uh, hehe…I did it!” Taerus said, picking up the stick with his horn again and holding it in front of the kennel-master.

Muzzle’s face softened a bit at the explanation, the unicorn stallion shaking his head and chuckling. “Well, can’t argue with a unicorn and their magic…though I suppose I should’ve known it was you when the dogs reacted the way they did when they found you. Love you more than anypony else in this castle, I reckon, even me.”

Taerus chuckled as the haze born from fear of a mauling finally faded; this wasn’t the first time he’d been tackled and licked silly by some of Arcan Castle’s dogs. Muzzle beckoned him up, Grey Wind and Summer coming up behind him as Taerus stood. “Come on, then. Best get you back inside before your lord father knows you’re missing.”

Taerus nodded, too filled with elation at finally coming into his magic to worry about what anypony might say should his midnight jaunt be discovered.

Chapter Three: History Lesson

The next day, Star Swirl stood in front of Taerus, looking down at him with mock severity. The wizard raised an eyebrow. “I ought to leave you to your own devices more often if you’re going to be this determined to better yourself,” the wizard told him. Taerus chuckled a bit as he remembered Star Swirl’s eyebrows going up high enough to knock off his hat after Muzzle had told him what Taerus had done the previous night. Star Swirl sighed and shook his head, laughing a bit himself. “Well, either way I think you’ve earned a respite from magic lessons for now. Meet me at the main doors. I’m going to gather some food. We’re going out today for a history lesson.”

“History outside?” Taerus asked, cocking his head to one side as Star Swirl opened the door. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Star Swirl replied. He left the room and trotted down the hallway. Taerus galloped out of the room and watched as Star Swirl teleported away, then shrugged and began making his way down from the room he was at to the castle keep’s main doors. By the time he got there, Star Swirl was standing in front of them. Two saddlebags were strapped across his back, the wizard nodding at the young colt with a tinkling of bells. “It’s not far. Just down here on the shore,” he said before opening the doors with his magic. The two trotted out of the keep, making their way through the castle as they made their way towards the gates. Eventually they clattered across the drawbridge, heading out down the dirt path that led towards a small, natural bay a half-a-day’s walk away. It was a warm midsummer day, the sun shining down on the green, grassy pastures through the scattered cloud cover. The grass rippled as a light breeze blew across it, bringing the smell of grass to the pair’s nostrils, augmented with wheat, alfalfa, and barley. Star Swirl and Taerus made their way through the fields around Arcan Castle. Serfs tended to the fields, some giving the pair a wave of their dirt-covered hoof while they went about their work.

As the drawbridge went up behind them, Taerus looked at Star Swirl. “So…where are we going?”

“You see that path up ahead, the left in the fork?” Star Swirl asked, nodding his head forward. Taerus looked up the road towards the fork, then looked at the left path.

“Yes?”

“That’s where. Down there is an important piece of history in these islands, one that I doubt anypony in Ebellon now remembers, despite how short a time ago that it happened.”

“What happened?” Taerus asked.

“Do you recall the stories I told you, about the Great Winter of old?”

Taerus nodded and made an affirmative noise. The Great Winter had been caused by mysterious beasts known as Windigos, and had forced ponykind to flee its old homeland. “What about it?”

“Let’s just say,” Star Swirl said, “that not everypony was happy about the decision. Not only to move, but to cooperate with one another even if it meant that they would die if they did not.” He turned his head and looked down at Taerus. “You and I are going to where some of those ponies decided to go instead of following their kin south.” With that, he turned left at the fork. Taerus followed him, old stallion and young colt walking down towards the bay.

***

It was a grand spot, and Taerus breathed a sigh of awe as he looked out over the bay that the pair had come to. While he had been out of the castle before, it had never been this far; mostly only into the groves of trees around the place, the foothills around Highcliff, and even down to the sandy beaches down on the shore, all of which were within a short walking distance, and an ever shorter gallop, from Arcan Castle itself.

The bay itself was indeed a piece of scenery to be in awe of. Large groups of trees dotted the landscape around the bay, forming timbers that concealed most of the area, though there were many open spaces as well. The bay itself was a small, semicircular beach bordered on two sides by high, white cliffs that caught the midday sun magnificently. Star Swirl left the path as they came to the area, trotting down into the grassy fields towards a large stone structure in the distance. Taerus galloped after him, giggling as he ran around in the grass and flowers. Star Swirl smiled as he heard the colt play, the two gradually threading their way toward the structure.

A short walk later Taerus looked up at the obelisk while Star Swirl laid out a blanket for them to sit on, then began setting down food. “What is it?” the colt asked, still looking as far up it as he could.

“I’ll tell you while we eat,” Star Swirl replied, sitting down and patting a spot next to him. Taerus trotted back over to the blankets and took the bread Star Swirl offered him in his hooves, still looking up at the obelisk while he ate.

“It’s a monument,” Star Swirl said as he swallowed a bite of apple, letting the fruit’s juice run in rivulets down his chin and into his beard. “Made by the unicorns of House Altai, a noble house of the Unicorn Kingdom. After Princess Platinum led the rest of the unicorns to ponykind’s new home in the south, House Altai refused to go with them. Taking the ponies of their house that would follow them, along with as many soldiers and civilians as they could, they struck south east, heading for a land of their own that they wouldn’t have to share with unicorns that were, in their eyes, traitors to the Realm for collaborating with ponies that they saw as beneath them.” Star Swirl gestured out to the bay. “Their ships arrived here after five months of travel, where they immediately began scouting out a place to erect their first castle, and begin creating a new Kingdom carved out of the territories of the petty tribes that owned Ebellon at the time. But their first achievement was this,” he finished, pointing to the monument. It was a tall thing, reaching high into the air. Composed of marble that was chipped, cracked, and faded with the passage of time, the obelisk itself was built upon a platform, raised up on the hill and reachable by several tiers of stairs. There were runes on the front, made in a language that Taerus couldn’t understand.

“What does it say?” he asked. “The writing.”

“It’s a proclamation by the Altai,” Star Swirl replied. “It goes thus: ‘We are the Altai, Firstborn Anew of the Unicorn Kingdom. We claim Dominion over this Land and All Within, from the Highest Pegasus to the Lowest Earth Pony. Look upon this Monument and Know, Lesser-Born, that it is only the Beginning of what We will accomplish.’” He looked at Taerus when he stopped reading. “They pressed inland after landing and completing the monument, then built Arcan Castle as their first capital.”

“Really?” Taerus asked, turning to Star Swirl in surprise. The old wizard nodded.

“Indeed. Aided by their magic, it only took them a few days, though the first castle was nothing so grand as stone; before, it was wood, and more of a motte-and-bailey with a tent city around it rather than a proper castle. Once the castle was completed, the unicorns crowned their house’s Lord as King of Ebellon. With that, they set out to conquer the rest of the island. Their first priority was to subdue the tribes of ponies that made this peninsula their home; they were easy prey for the unicorns, who were united and more numerous than the scattered, small, primitive tribes of various pony species here.”

Here Star Swirl paused in his narrative to take a deep draft of ale, giving a sigh of contentment before continuing. “And so this peninsula was made theirs, though their next target, the southern lands beyond the peninsula, would not be so easy. The earth pony tribes that made the southern plains their home had heard of the invaders and how easily they defeated their neighboring tribes. And so with that, they crowned a king of their own and gathered all of their warriors together. As the unicorn army marched from the peninsula with the king at its head, the earth ponies met them in battle on the plains.”

He shook his head. “It was a fool’s errand from the beginning. While the unicorns of Ebellon did know magic, it was very basic, raw and unrefined. The plains were also exclusively earth pony territory. While they had fought unicorns before, the magic of the invaders was far more focused, and therefore, far more deadly. Hundreds of earth ponies were slaughtered in the first charge, the rest running for their lives across the plains, away from the flare-ups of balefire and massive craters. The unicorns marched on, subduing the now leaderless and grievously weakened tribes one by one. Within days their kingdom had doubled in size, and their army had grown. It repeated like that everywhere the army marched. Those that resisted were destroyed. Others saw the hopelessness of their situation, and bent the knee to the unicorns. It went on like that for months, until finally the entirety of the South was theirs. And to most of the tribes’ surprise, life became better. Gone were the nomadic days of their forefathers, who never stopped in one place long enough to grow any noticeable amount of food. Gone were the days of constant war for survival against other tribes. Life improved under the organization of the unicorns, who introduced roads and better farming methods, kept law and order, and in general bettered the life of everypony on Ebellon.”

“So…how did the island get like it is now?” Taerus asked. “With everypony fighting over everything?”

“Hubris,” Star Swirl answered simply. “The kingdom remained prosperous and grew in population for many years, the concepts of chivalry and knighthood spreading across it until Ebellon’s culture became as it is today. The unicorns eventually built a city in the center of their lands, the city of Gran Marus. From there, the unicorn king ruled with great wisdom, and the kingdom and its nobles grew more and more powerful with each year. Until the king died. His successor, his only surviving son out of the game of thrones that had claimed all of the others in their quest to be king out of all of their siblings, was an ambitious pony, one who was not content with the current borders of his kingdom. He had heard tales of a separate kingdom to the north of their own, a kingdom of deer hidden in the Great Forest that rivaled theirs in size and power. And so, he thought to put himself into the history books by conquering that kingdom. He called on every noble to flock to his banner, and with their support formed a massive army, the likes of which Ebellon had never known before or since. With his host gathered, the king marched north and met the forces of the deer in battle on the plains outside the Great Forest.

“It was a massacre for both sides. The powerful magic of both the deer and the unicorns reaped a bloody tally on the armies of both. Eventually, the deer retreated into the forest, hoping the unicorns would be too scared to follow. They were wrong. The king urged his army on, and with that they began a purging of the forest. Villages and enclaves of deer were slaughtered, great swathes of trees burnt to the ground as massive pillars of smoke rose into the sky. Eventually, the Great Prince of the Forest, the ruler of the deer, had enough. Taking to the field with the remaining deer soldiers of his army, he and his forces met with the rampaging ponies. In a vicious battle that lasted three days and nights and cost both sides many lives, the ponies were defeated and driven into the depths of the forest. They were never seen or heard from again. And it was after that that everything began to go wrong.”

“What happened?” Taerus asked.

“Filled with fury and the urge for vengeance by the brutality of the ponies that had butchered his deer, the Great Prince embarked on a crusade of retribution against the unicorn kingdom. Deprived of their king and with no heirs to the throne, the kingdom split into fragments, only able to put up piecemeal resistance against the deer that rampaged through their provinces. Foals were stolen from their cribs as villages were massacred, towns were burned, and castles were stormed and brought to ruin. Finally, the deer reached Gran Marus. Alone, the Great Prince called down a great storm upon the city, one that made the earth shake and the sky scream with winds until the city collapsed in on itself. The deer stormed the ruins and butchered all within, then burned what remained to leave only ruins behind. Their vengeance complete as the shattered remains of the kingdom collapsed in on themselves, the deer then returned to the forest to lick their wounds. And so it has been for the past two hundred years. They roam as they please now, raiding isolated farms and villages and stealing any foal that they can find.”

“What happens to the foals?” Taerus asked, dreading the answer of what would be done to innocent infants under the hooves of the deer.

“Nothing bad, at least from the deer’s perspective,” Star Swirl replied. “They’re taken before they have any real memories of their parents, and though they acknowledge themselves as ponies, the deer refer to them as the Forestborn. They are gifted with unnaturally long life by the Great Forest’s magic, and serve in the Great Prince’s armies. They guard the forest against any invader, accompanying their deer masters on raids into pony lands. They show no mercy to their former kin. Their only master is the Prince.”

“That’s horrible…” Taerus whispered.

“It’s a fitting punishment,” Star Swirl replied, shrugging. “Punishment for the crimes of our forefathers.” He looked up at the sky. The sun was now well past its zenith and beginning to set, the sky steadily darkening as it moved. “It’s getting late. We’d best be heading back.”

With that he got up, packing up what food they hadn’t eaten while he was telling the story before folding the blanket back up. As Taerus got up and the pair started walking, the colt looked up at his teacher. “Star Swirl?”

“Hm?”

“Has anypony ever tried to fight the deer again?”

“Oh, plenty of times,” Star Swirl replied. “But all of them have failed to defeat the Great Prince. Many lords have met their end by attempting to fight him. And so they have spelled the doom of their houses as the Prince capitalizes on their weakness and destroys their lands. Nopony else is brave enough to claim them and risk angering the deer.”

Taerus looked up at his teacher in shock, then turned his head back forward.

“Ebellon needs somepony to rally behind,” Star Swirl muttered. “Somepony with the interest of the entirely island in mind, not just their own lands.” He sighed. “Ebellon needs another king.”

He let that hang in the air as the two continued up the road to head back to Arcan Castle.

***

“So, how was going out with Star Swirl?” Taikus asked as he and Taerus sat on their beds that night. The elder colt was playing with some of his figurines, the white aura of his magic moving a pony knight and a dragon around his bed as they clashed in mortal imaginary combat.

“Interesting,” Taerus replied, flipping through a book that Star Swirl had given him about levitation. Every now and then as he finished a page, Taerus would light his horn and strain to turn a page over, giving a loud gasp of relief each time he managed to succeed, and a harrumph of frustration if he did not. “Did you know that Ebellon used to have a king?”

“Really?” Taikus asked in a faux-interested tone as he leaned the dragon forward and made a “Braaaaaaah…” sound to imitate the dragon breathing fire at his knight. The unicorn figure raised its shield, blocking the make-believe flames before striking the dragon a mortal wound with his sword. Taikus released his magical grip over the beast and it fell over, dead. “Never knew that.”

“Well that’s what Star Swirl says,” Taerus replied. He yawned suddenly, picking up the book in his mouth and depositing it on the nightstand as he began to get under his blankets. “I’ll see you in the morning, big brother.”

Taikus chuckled, lifting his figurines onto his side of the table. “Goodnight, little brother.” With that he extinguished the candle sitting on the table, plunging the room into darkness as the light was snuffed out.

***

Star Swirl the Bearded’s room was a flurry of activity. The wizard pulled scrolls and tomes from bookshelves, scattering them across the room as he searched for information about the Old Kingdom, as he termed the reign of Ebellon’s former rulers. He had scoured everything he could in an attempt to find some way that Ebellon could gain a new king, going through books that were older than he was, tomes that had survived the test of time even from the original Unicorn Kingdom that had been founded in the lands now known as the Frozen North. He was beginning to doubt that he would ever find something, when, as he pulled a book from its shelf and flipped through it, four words caught his eye.

The Test of Kings.

Intrigued, the wizard sat down at his desk and plopped the book down on the carved wooden surface. Flipping back through the book until he sighted the page again, he looked down at the masterful sketch that took up the majority of the page. It depicted an ordinary sword, with an aura of what was unmistakably magic shimmering around its hilt. What writing that there was on the page was written in the Elder Script, a scripture that he was luckily familiar with.

The Test of Kings is a method devised to choose a worthy successor for the Throne, should either the King’s entire line be slain or more than one of the King’s sons has survived to adulthood. The test is simple: A sword is forged and enchanted with a spell, one that makes the sword partially sentient. Not in a true sense of awareness, but magical sentience. It is able to see into the heart of every stallion that chooses to attempt to take it, and what it sees within the stallion’s heart will determine whether it will choose him or not. The sword, after its forging and enchanting, is placed inside a stone to await the Test. After the King dies, depending on the circumstances either the lords of the kingdom or the King’s sons will each take a turn in attempting to pull the sword from its stone prison. The sword will only come free if it sees worthiness in the heart of its wielder, one that will be a good king, placing the needs of the kingdom over the needs of the self.

“That’s it…” Star Swirl said, sitting back, his lips beginning to curl with a smile. “That’s it…” But immediately afterwards he shook his head; within his mind a sudden feeling had come up, telling him that the time was not yet right. It urged him to wait, to let things be as they were until Ebellon truly needed a new king. Star Swirl had felt such feelings before, and had always trusted them over the advice of anypony that he had ever known. Nodding at the decision, he closed the book and put it back on the shelf, marking its place in his mind as he got up and began taking off his bell-lined hat and cloak.

The time would come.

Ebellon would have a King.