The Legend of Luna

Chapters

Prologue
The Hero Awakens
The Legend Begins
NOTE

Prologue

Note: To see this story with all my little font nuances, here's he PDF:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B\_XQvNhaw6jCMjBjMGQ5ZjktY2VmZS00ZDM3LTk0OWUtOGViZDkxN2E0YjEz&hl=en\_US

More than likely I'll do this with all my chapters. I downloaded this cool Zelda font that I use for chapter names and breaks, and I want you to be able to enjoy it as much as I do :)

Also, this is the first fic I've ever posted anywhere, and for that matter is my first fic, well, ever! Everyone who gives constructive feedback is at least 20% cooler in my book!

Also, a disclaimer: I don't own My Little Pony or Legend of Zelda. They are owned by Hasbro and Nintendo, respectively. There. You have your recognition. Now go away and don't sue me!

The Legend of Luna

Everypony knows the story of Nightmare Moon, the mare of darkness who threatened Equestria over a millenium ago, who returned and was defeated by the Elements of Harmony. Yet history is written by the victors, and the truth is often lost to the shadows. I am the last of the Sacred Scribes, an ancient guild of scholars entrusted with the task of safeguarding the secrets of the Equestrian Royal Family. On my deathbed, I put this account into writing, forever ensuring that the truth surrounding the imprisonment of the Exalted Lunar Princess and the Salvation of Our Celestial Mother shall be neither lost nor forgotten.

~Gilded Scroll XIV

Grand Scribe of the Sacred Order

Prologue

Somewhere in Canterlot, a colt without a cutie mark is having a restless sleep, plagued by nightmares he knows not the meaning of. The winds of fate are shifting, and soon the colt will realize his destiny…

A castle in the dead of night, a fierce battle raging, an alicorn mare with a coat of deep blue being lead through a torch-lit corridor by a grey pegasus stallion clad in silver armor, his cuirass adorned with a crescent moon: the air was thick with the smell of death, and the ever-present sense of fear hung over the pair in question.

“We are almost out of the castle, Your Majesty,” said the stallion. “You shall be safe soon.”

“None are safe, Titan, so long as my sister is afflicted. I must help her,” the alicorn replied.

Titan turned to look at the princess. “Luna, I assure you we will do everything in our power to free her from her curse. However, I would never jeopardize your life. You have too much to lose. We have too much to lose. If we are to stand any chance of saving Equestria from falling into the Sorceress’ wicked hooves, you must leave now!”

Luna let out a heavy sigh. “Thou art right, as always.” The princess gave Titan a concerned look. “Is he safe?”

Titan nodded. “He is in the care of a close friend of mine. He will lead a normal life. He will likely never know us, but our son will be happy.”

A single tear excaped the princess’ eye, and a warm smile appeared on her face. “Good,” is all she said before following Titan into a large courtyard.

They ran down the cobblestone path along which they had shared so many happy walks. The garden’s usual greenery had been engulfed in flames and bodies of fallen guardsmen littered the sidewalks. At the end of the path was a cobblestone archway which lead out of the castle grounds to a winding woodland trail that ended at the Canterlot market square. The soldier and the princess had nearly reached the opening, when suddenly a pair of black iron gates slammed shut, blocking the exit.

“Going somewhere?”

The pegasus and the alicorn turned to find the source of the voice. To their horror, a jet-black alicorn clad in crimson armor stood behind them. She had a flowing, blood-red mane and tail and the image of a reddened sun on her flank. Her eyes glowed a deep crimson.

Luna’s eyes were wide with terror. “C-C-C-Celestia? What hath becometh of thee? Hast thine curse changed thee so?”

“Dear sister,” Celestia spoke, sneering, “do you not like my new look?”

“Celly…”

“SILENCE!!!! DO NOT ADDRESS ME WITH SUCH FAMILIARITY!!!!! SOON I SHALL BE THE SOLE RULER OF THIS LAND, AND I SHALL NOT TOLERATE SUCH DISRESPECT!!!!” The sneer had gone, and had been replaced by a look of unholy rage.

“Sister please stop this,” Luna pleaded. She was fighting back tears as she stared down the abomination that was once her beloved Celly.

“Aww, is little Luna going to cry?” the warped Celestia mocked. “Fear not, I do not intend on letting you suffer – not for long, anyways.”

At this, Titan jumped between the alicorns, glaring daggers at the blackened sun goddess. “You will not touch her,” he threatened.

“Well, if it isn’t Luna’s little pet. Titan, was it? Captain of the Lunar Guard, rumored to be the finest swordspony in Equestria. I believe the time has come to put that rumor to the test.”

Celestia’s horn began to glow a deep red as a black sword, seemingly made from the shadows themselves, materialized in front of her. In response, Titan turned his head over his right shoulder and drew his own sword from it’s sheath: a blade as black as the night itself, engraved with three crescent moons arranged horizontally just above the pommel, two of which glowed white, the third as black as the blade.

“Ahh, the fabled Sword of the Night. An ancient blade forged from the essence of the night, enchanted by the Nocturnal Deity herself, and given to the one whom she personally deemed worthy to wield it. None but the blade’s true owner can achieve its full potenial. I have heard much of your sword, Captain, yet I never expected you to raise it against me,” Celestia said, ending with a bit of feigned offense.

Titan smirked and taunted, “indeed, I would never raise my sword against Equestrian royalty. However, the only princess around here is behind me.”

The dark Celestia’s expression turned angry. Clearly her fun was over. “You shall regret your mockery, Captain. Soon you shall beg for mercy!” With this, the black alicorn lunged at Titan, attacking with a fierce vertical slash. Titan’s warrior instincts kicked in, and he blocked the attack effortlessly. The alicorn continued her attack with unrelenting rage, hacking and slashing as hard as she could from every angle. Titan, however, proved the rumors of his skill to be true; he blocked every attack Celestia threw at him with ease.

The red-maned villain finally halted her attack and began to stare down her target. After a moment, she came to a realization.

“You parried all of my attacks effortlessly. Truly you have great skill and quick reflexes,” she stated calmly, yet with a sinister undertone. Titan simply returned her stone-cold gaze. “Since you clearly are so skilled with your blade, tell me – why did you not once attempt a riposte?”

Titan’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected the alicorn to catch on to him.

Celestia flashed him a wicked smirk. ‘Just as I thought,’ she said to herself. “Why, Titan, are you afraid to attack me? Do you actually fear harming me?”

Titan silently looked over his shoulder at Luna, who wore the same look of shock and horror that he did. Celestia noticed.

“So that’s it, then. You won’t hurt me because of her; because I am her sister. Or, at least, Celestia was her sister. As I am sure you are aware, I am not Celestia. I merely control her mind and body. Since I am not her, why do you hesitate to strike?”

Luna spoke before Titan could answer. “It is because my sister is still in there somewhere. To kill you while you are in her body would mean killing her, too.”

Titan nodded. “I will fight you, but I will not strike.”

The corrupted Celestia laughed wickedly. “You are a fool.” Her eyes filled with malice as the darkest act she could fathom worked its way into her head. “If you will not attack one whom you despise, what would you do if you were confronted by one you love?”

‘Something about the way she said that made my skin crawl,’ thought Titan. “What do you mean by that?”

Celestia’s horn glowed once more. She flashed an evil grin. “Turn and see.”

Titan turned. Nothing – none of his training, none of his travels, not even his fight with a corrupted Celestia – could have prepared him for what he saw. Luna was encircled by a black miasma. The swirling mist engulfed the lunar princess as she vanished from Titan’s view behind the black cloud.

“LUNA!!!!!”

A piercing scream echoed from within the cloud. As it died away, the mist began to disperse. A dark figure began to approach Titan. He stared in disbelief as a second black alicorn stepped forth. Unlike the first, however, this one wore midnight-blue armor, had green, reptilian eyes, and bore an all-too-familiar cutie mark.

“Luna…what happened to you?”

Titan dropped to his knees. He could feel the will to fight leaving him. Without saying anything, the corrupted Luna materialized a shadowblade identical to the one Celestia had wielded. Titan could do nothing but look at his sword, now lying useless where he had dropped it. To Celestia’s surprise, a calm smile came over Titan’s face as an interesting point dawned on him.

“Why do you look so peaceful? You are about to be destroyed by the one you love!”

“No, you are wrong,” he replied. “That’s what you wanted me to believe. You wanted me to die like a coward, lamenting over my lost love and begging for mercy. But just like you said, you are not really Celestia, and by that logic, she is not really Luna. My Luna is still in there, somewhere, and she will be freed.”

Celestia sneered. “How do you expect to free her when you are about to die?”

Titan let out a victorious laugh. “I never said I would do it.” With that, Titan closed his eyes and began to chant in an ancient, forgotten language. The two white crescents on his sword began to resonate, glowing brighter with each syllable. Finally, Titan opened his eyes and shouted the final syllable. As he did so, the entire sword became engulfed in a blinding white light, and with a loud *POP*

it vanished without a trace.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WILL NOT DO IT? WHAT DID YOU JUST DO? WHAT WAS THAT CHANT?” Celestia was furious, but it was more than that; she was frightened.

“That is for me to know,” Titan answered, “and for you to die from.”

By now, the warped Luna was upon him. As she raised the blade to strike, Titan lowered his head and closed his eyes, his peaceful smile once again appearing. ‘Her reaction confirmed my suspicions; she doesn’t know about him. She doesn’t know about our son. There is still hope. So long as he lives, there will always be hope.’

The blade fell.

The corrupted Celestia, still confused and unnerved by Titan’s final words and act, turned her attention to the other alicorn. Shaking off her worries, she grinned wickedly. “You have done well, Sister.”

The former Luna looked towards Celestia and said, “I am no sister of yours. Luna is no more. There is only me. I am the new moon goddess. I am Nightmare Moon.”

“Nightmare Moon, eh? I like it. My real name is Solar Flare, though I suppose I shall continue to be 'Celestia' for the sake of the public. I have more important things to do than deal with riots.”

“It matters not what you wish to be called,” Nightmare Moon snapped. “I am going to kill you, just like I did that pathetic excuse of a warrior, and then I will rule Equestria in eternal darkness!”

‘What a shame,’ thought Eclipse. ‘I had really hoped to keep her around. She would have made an excellent puppet.’ “While I admire your ambition,” Eclipse spoke, “I cannot allow you to kill me. You do not possess the ability to do so, or have you not noticed that I possess far more power than you? And even if you could kill me, Equestria will be ruled by me alone. I will not allow you to interfere.”

Eclipse’s horn began to glow. Before she could react, Nightmare Moon found herself immobilized, trapped in the center of a glowing circle summoned by Eclipse’s magic. A second aura appeared around Eclipse’s horn and arcane symbols – resembling the moon it its various phases – appeared in the circle. Finally, with the appearance of a third aura, the circle glowed a bright red, filling the entire courtyard with a blinding light.

When the light finally dissipated, Eclipse glanced upwards. A full moon hung overhead, but its surface was now adorned with the silhouette of the alicorn who had not two minutes ago threatened to kill her and claim her kingdom for herself.

She smiled a genuinely contented smile. Equestria was finally hers, and nopony remained who could defeat her. Or so she thought…

The Hero Awakens

Note: I had originally planned to wait until I had several chapters written to submit this story, but chapter one ended up being way longer than I had thought, and now that classes have resumed, I will have less time to write, and seeing as today (01/17) is my birthday, consider this my Hobbit-birthday present to you :) I want to get to the action soon, but there's going to be one more chapter of set-up before I can really delve into the adventure.

Like last time, here's the PDF:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B\_XQvNhaw6jCNjc4NzVkYTMtNTZjNS00MzFlLWFhYTAtYzZhNDMxMDM1Y2I1&hl=en\_US

I read over the prologue and first chapter several times, and found several mistakes. With that having been said, if anyone would like to be a proofreader, I would really appreciate it.

Chapter 1: The Hero Awakens

Light is peering in through the window of a bedroom belonging to a young pegasus colt. He raises a foreleg in an attempt to block the light from his eyes, but to no avail. He slumps out of bed and groggily makes his way over to the mirror. His jet-black eyes are listless, his matching mane is mussed beyond all hope, and his normally pristine white coat is matted from sweat. He sighed. ‘Another restless night,’ he thinks to himself.

He slowly makes his way to the small bathroom adjacent to his quarters. It is nothing impressive: a fairly large metal wash basin, resting on a stone platform with a fire pit underneath for heating the bath, a manual pump for filling the basin, with a small mop and wooden bucket on the floor beside it for cleaning. The room had no windows and only one torch, making the whole area seem a little depressing. Without bothering to light the fire pit, the colt begins to pump water into the basin. After a long night of troubled dreams, he figured a cold bath would be just what he needed.

With the tub full, he threw caution to the wind and jumped in. The shock of the cold water did its job. In an instant, the colt was wide awake and alert. Leaning over the edge of the basin, he located an old scrubbing brush. It was missing at least half of its bristles, and its cloth handle had nearly unravelled, yet there it sat, next to the tub, patiently awaiting its next task. Taking the handle in his teeth, he quickly cleaned the evidence of his uneasy sleep from his fur before climbing out of the tub and shaking himself dry.

As the young pegasus re-entered his room – a simple, wood-walled, wood-floored room with a small, roughly twin-sized bed, a wardrobe that held nothing more than an old green travelling cloak which had been patched too many times to recount and an old, rusted chainmail shirt, and a small desk with a dusty, antique mirror hanging above it. His room, he thought, was surely no bigger than the closets of the Canterlot nobility, but he knew his uncle gave him what he could. The colt was pulled from his thoughts by a voice from downstairs.

“Themis! Themis, come down here! Breakfast is ready!”

Themis beamed as he called back, “coming, Uncle!”

Themis opened his creaky, wooden door and headed down the only set of stairs (fortunately enough, for they were so old he was certain he would fall through them one morning, and he knew for sure that if he had to climb any more than the treacherous set leading to and from his room they would probably end up killing him) in the cottage. It was a small cottage, located on the outskirts of Canterlot. The whole home was mostly one room, with the exceptions being his small bedroom upstairs and his uncle’s also-tiny bedroom, which was separated from the rest of the first floor by a door that was even dustier and creakier than Themis’.

The main room of the cottage was about as exciting as the rest of the dwelling. There were two thick wooden beams holding up the rafters. The walls were a basic, grey stone, the floor was made of dirt, and the roof was constructed of thatched straw. The whole house was heated by a simple cast-iron furnace, which happened to be one of the only items in the house that was new. Uncle Ironhoof, a blacksmith, had made it last winter. Now that winter had returned again, the residents of the cottage were glad that the family by whom the stove was commissioned had changed their minds – sure, they could’ve used the bits, but the warmth provided by the little piece of iron had more than made up for it.

Dirk Ironhoof was seated at a small but sturdy table, positioned near the stove in the middle of the room. He was a large earth pony, sturdy and well-toned from years of metalworking. His dark-tan coat and steely-grey mane were tarnished with small black soot stains, telling Themis his uncle had gotten an early start on the day’s commissions. When he heard Themis’ hoofsteps on the stairs, he turned greet his young ward.

“Ahh, look who finally decided to get out of bed,” he said with a smile and a kind twinkle in his sapphire-blue eyes.

Themis returned the smile and said, “good morning, Uncle!”

Themis made his was over to the table. Two stools sat on opposite ends, as Dirk and his nephew were the cottage’s only inhabitants. Dirk had been a smith in the Royal Guard in his youth, and when he resigned he immediately opened his own shop, so he had never had time for romance, and he didn’t have any other living relatives to live with. Themis wasn’t even technically his nephew. In fact, he had been left on his doorstep as a foal with nothing more than a small basket, a note and a name. Still, Dirk had always treated Themis like his own, giving what his meager earnings would allow to give the colt a happy life. He had even taken the young pegasus on as his personal apprentice, teaching him everything he knew about smithing, from what makes a good sword to how to properly temper armor to make it hard but not brittle. Themis had even managed to craft his own horseshoes last month.

As Themis approached the table, he noticed that two wooden bowls filled with what he assumed was hot oatmeal sat on the table. All they ever really ate was oatmeal, since it was all they could afford. Themis never complained, though. He knew he could be starving in the streets. He knew that his Uncle Ironhoof was not actually his uncle. He had been told of how his uncle found him on the doorstep of the cottage, and how the only thing that had been left in his basket was a slip of paper with his name on it. He had always been grateful that the kind old earth stallion had decided to take him in. He had heard stories about Princess Celestia’s orphanages. They weren’t pretty.

Taking a closer look at his uncle’s dirtied coat, Themis inquired, “getting an early start today?”

Dirk gave a bellowing laugh, somehow managing to choke on his oatmeal in his revelry. When he finally regained his composure (and rid himself of the treacherous glob of food), he said, “actually, we’re having a late breakfast! It’s nigh on noon!”

One wouldn’t have thought it possible for Themis’ snow-white coat to get any whiter, but he was indeed paler after being informed of the time.

“Noon?!? Uncle, how could you have let me oversleep like that? You know you need my help in the shop! I know you’re strong, but you’re also getting on in years! You just can’t work like you once did…”

Dirk, seeing his adopted nephew’s countenance turn from shock to concern, flashed a reassuring smile and said, “come now, lad, I can handle myself just fine. The shop’s right out back, so I could’ve called you if I’d needed you. Admittedly, I’m not as spry as I was when I was your age, but I can still pull my own weight. Besides, I figured you deserved to sleep in today.”

Themis, surprised by his workaholic uncle’s last statement, replied with little more than a blank stare, which elicited another round of raucous laughter from Dirk.

“Have you forgotten what today is?” When Dirk still got no response, he explained, “today’s your birthday!”

Themis looked dumbstruck. “My…birthday? MY BIRTHDAY! I COMPLETELY FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!”

Themis, in spite of himself, began to join in with his uncle, who was laughing himself blue. How could he have forgotten his birthday? Especially one as special as his eighteenth! After several minutes, the laughter died down, and Dirk spoke up.

“I have a special task for you today, Themis. I want you to go into town, to the market square. I want you to look around at all the different stands and shops, and I want you to pick something out, anything you like. I have to finish up some work here, but as soon as I’m done, I’ll come to the market and buy you whatever it is you’ve selected.” Dirk smiled as he saw Themis’ face light up.

Themis could hardly believe what he’d just heard. “Uncle, you can’t do that! I mean, you can’t afford it! You know how expensive everything in the market is! And besides, you –”

Themis was cut off by his uncle’s raised hoof. “Nonsense, my boy! It’s not everyday you come of age! My little Themis is a stallion now…” Dirk paused as tears of pride began to flood his eyes. “At any rate,” he continued, “I’ve been setting aside a bit of money for this occasion. I’m confident the market vendors don’t have anything worth too much more than 200 bits.”

Themis’ own eyes began to water as he realized what was implied by his uncle’s statement. All this time, he had been going without. Why? Not only to ensure that the young pegasus’ needs were taken care of, but also so he could do something special for his nephew’s coming-of-age. The pure kindness of the old smith was almost more than Themis could handle. Almost.

Giving his adoptive uncle one last, face-splitting smile, Themis scarfed the rest of his oatmeal and bolted throught the door.

Dirk called after him. “Wait! You forgot your cloak!” Unfortunately, Themis was already out of earshot. Dirk sighed and shook his head. “That lad’ll catch his death of cold, running out in the middle of winter without his cloak,” he grimaced a bit at his next thought, ‘not to mention the looks a full-grown stallion with no cutie mark’s bound to get.’

Dirk went upstairs to Themis’ wardrobe and removed the worn green traveller’s cloak, resolving to take it to the young stallion when he ventured to the market later.

The market square was alive with activity. Ponies of all types, sizes, shapes and colors were scurrying about. The constant buzz of a hundred conversations was cut through by shopkeepers shouting their wares – it was truly a sight to behold. Themis could not help but grin as he trotted through the fold, his head spinning with excitement. He saw a number of specialty shops, such as Madame LeRouge’s Potions (I guarantee it won’t kill you or the next one’s free!), Bill E. Goat’s Bombs (they’re a blaaaaaast!), and Archie’s Shooting Gallery (shoot for the moon; even if you miss, I still get paid). Themis finally spotted the bazaar, where one could find all sorts of general goods.

Stepping through the door of the bazaar, a wave of warmth swept over the young pegasus, reminding him that he had left his cloak at home. ‘Oh well, it would take to long to go back for it now,’ he thought. He slowly stepped up to the counter to inspect the wares on the shelf behind it. There didn’t seem to be anything special; just a rather crude wooden shield, a bundle of arrows, and an unassuming piece of folded cloth.

The shopkeeper, who had been napping in his chair behind the counter, woke with a start when he heard Themis’ hoofsteps. He stood, stretched, and cleared his throat before addressing his customer.

“Good affernoon, an’ welcome t’ the bazaar.” The shopkeep let out a yawn, then eyed Themis curiously. “Wha’s a yungun like yerself doin’ in here? T’ be hones’ we ain’t got a whole lotta useful stuff, jus’ this dinky shield and a few arrows. Times are tough, tha’s fer sure.”

Themis suddenly felt bad for the poor shopkeeper; he knew firsthand how tough it was to earn a living these days, and he realized just how hard the merchant’s wares must have been to sell. They really weren’t very practical. This prompted Themis to ask about the cloth.

“Um, what’s that?” he inquired, pointing a hoof at the folded piece of fabric.

“Wha’, this? Honestly, it’s about the only useful thing in here, but it’s so damn, inconsp…insiplic…hard to see, tha’ I plum forgot I had it. As fer wha’ it is, well, it’s a cloak I bought off a travelin’ salespony who came through here a while ago.” The merchant took the hood of the cloak in his teeth and laid it out on the counter for Themis to see. I was a beautiful emerald green, made from a cloth Themis had never seen before. “Crafted by unicorns from spellweave cloth – a rare material that is, made from pure magic. Heat resistant, waterproof, light as a feather and durable ta boot. Only problem is that it was made fer a pegasus, but there ain’t much of a pegasus population in Canterlot, seein’ as mos’ of ‘em live in those cloud-towns, ya know, like Cloudsdale or Skyloft. The few tha’ do live here are about as poor as everyone else these days, or part o’ the Royal Guard. In fact, most of my customers are unicorns. They make up the bulk of the upper class, since they’re so special…” The salespony took a deep breath, presumably to keep his jealousy-induced rage in check. He let out a heavy sigh, then continued. “Anyways, they’re ‘bout the only ponies wha’ can afford ta shop at the market nowadays. Doesn’t really help tha’ I’m askin’ a small fortune for it – 500 bits. I’d hazard a guess – an’ take no offense now, lad – tha’ ye probably can’t afford it.”

Themis hung his head. His cloak was so worn, and he had been wanting a new one for a while, but the relatively small pegasus population negatively affected the supply of pre-fitted cloaks, and to have one customed tailored would have been too expensive. He finally comes across the perfect cloak, and it cost more than double what his uncle had saved. He was disappointed, but the thought of his poor uncle saving such a relatively large sum just to buy him a birthday present quickly lifted his spirits. He could find something somewhere else. As he turned to leave, he found himself face-to-face with a very familiar pony.

“Hey there, Themis,” Dirk said, relieved he had found his nephew so easily. “Find anything you like?”

Themis almost looked back at the counter, but thought better of it. “not yet, Uncle. In fact, I was just about to go look somewhere else.” Themis sincerely hoped he had fooled his uncle. He hadn’t.

“You seemed pretty interested in that cloak,” Dirk countered, pointing a hoof at the spellweave garment that was still laying on the counter, “which reminds me, you left this at home.” He reached into one of his saddlebags and pulled out Themis’ ragged cloak. “Don’t want you to catch a cold on your birthday!”

The shopkeeper, who had been watching this exchange as if it was the most interesting thing he’d seen all day (which, in fact, it had been), noticed the shabby state of Themis’ garment, and immediately felt a pang of guilt wash over him. He gave a small yet genuine smile as an idea found its way into his head.

“Did he say it was yer birthday, lad?”

Themis turned to back to face the shopkeeper. “Yes sir, my eighteenth.”

“Well, why didn’tcha say so? Seein’ as it’s yer birthday, and such an important one at tha’, I can let ye have this cloak at, hmm…let’s say, a hundred-fifty bits?”

Themis was shocked. For the second time today, the kindness of another pony had caught him off guard, and this time he didn’t even know the guy! Snapping himself out of his stupor, Themis soon realized what the shopkeeper had offered.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I couldn’t possibly accept that offer. That cloak is worth too much.”

The merchant simply smiled and said, “think nothin’ of it, kid. It’s the least I could do. Besides, how many pegasi are even gonna come in here? None, tha’s how many! Honestly, ye’d be doin’ me a service, takin’ this thing off my hooves!”

Themis was so overwhelmed by what he had just heard that all he could do was nod.

Dirk approached the salespony, fished the bits he’d saved up out of his saddlebag, and handed them over to the shopkeeper. He took the cloak, and then walked back to where his nephew stood, still looking rather overwhelmed.

“Cut that out, Themis! If you keep shutting down every time somepony does something nice for you, then…well, actually, you’ll probably be fine,” Dirk said, letting out a hearty chuckle. The earth stallion then turned to the shopkeeper and said, “I appreciate what you did. You really made his day.”

The shopkeeper stepped out from behind the counter, revealing himself as a muscular (but surprisingly short) earth pony. He walked over to his two customers and flashed them a friendly smile.

“Think nothin’ of it,” he said. “I remember when I came of age. I wish somepony had done somethin’ special for me. I honestly wanna thank ye for givin’ me the chance ta do somethin’ nice for somepony. I hate havin’ to deal with the rich, snobby nobleponies. It saddens me tha’ more honest, hardworkin’ folk like yerself can’t afford ta come here more offen.” The kindly merchant then turned his gaze towards Themis. “And t’ ye, lad, happy birthday. My name’s Argus, fer future reference. If yer ever in need of any supplies, I’ll be sure ta give ye a discount on whatever I’ve got in stock. And trust me, I never forget a face.”

Dirk and Themis thanked Argus one more time, then turned and headed back outside. Themis snuggled into the warmth of his new cloak as a bitter wind hit the duo. Themis looked up at his uncle.

“Thanks, Uncle Ironhoof. I know that was a lot of money. You really didn’t have to do that.”

Dirk smiled at the young pegasus and said, “I know I didn’t. It just does my heart good to see you happy. Besides, it looks good on you. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say green is your best color!” Suddenly, he had an idea. “You know, I had 200 bits saved, so there’s a little left over. What do you say we get an early dinner on the town?”

Themis glanced at the clock tower, which loomed high over the square. It was almost five. ‘Wow, I hadn’t realized it had gotten so late,’ he thought.

“Dinner sounds great,” he answered with a smile.

The pair found a pleasant little restaurant on the edge of the square. Once they were seated, Dirk reached into his saddlebag once again while Themis was preoccupied with removing his new cloak as carefully as possible. This time, he pulled out a long box wrapped in plain brown paper and tied up with what appeared to be burlap string. He handed the package to Themis.

“What’s this?”

“Just a little something I’ve been working on for you. Happy birthday, Themis.”

Themis said a quick thanks and went about opening the package. When he’d unwrapped the box and lifted the lid, he almost burst with excitement.

“A sword! Thank you, Uncle!”

Dirk laughed. “Glad you like it. I studied your technique while you were training. Based on the way you handled the training sword, I was able to estimate the proper balance for that blade. It’s custom-made to your movements. Should sit comfortably in your mouth. Hell, I’d even go so far as to say it should feel like and extension of your body. Of course, this means you’re going to have to do twice as well when you practice!”

Themis smiled at his uncle. Truly, he couldn’t wait to get home to test out his new weapon.

“I don’t get it, Uncle Ironhoof. You’re teaching me to be a blacksmith. Why do I have to learn how to use a sword?”

Dirk looked gave his nephew a kind yet stern look. “I learned how to wield a blade when I was ten, and that skill is what made me the smith I am today. By starting you a year younger, I hope it will make you a better smith than me.”

Themis continued to mope. “But Uncle, you were in the Royal Guard, and you quit because the Princess started making everypony in the Guard fight and you didn’t want to fight. I don’t want to fight either, so why are you making me?”

Dirk kept his voice calm, though he was clearly upset by the memory of his time in the Royal Guard. “There’s a difference, Themis. The Princess had been planning for us to attack ponies. I didn’t want to attack other ponies, so I left. I’m teaching you how to use a sword so you can understand what makes a good weapon. How can you expect to learn how to find a proper balance, how to determine if an edge is sharp enough, how to know exactly how much impact a blade or shield must withstand if you have no knowledge of how they are used? Do you understand?”

Themis sighed. “I guess so.”

Dirk smiled at his apprentice. “Good. Let’s continue.”

As he went to place the sword back in the box, Themis noticed a small envelope at the bottom. It looked old. He carefully removed the envelope and dumped its contents onto the table. He looked up at his uncle, his curiosity apparent. Before he could ask, Dirk spoke up.

“This letter was in your basket when I found you. It was addressed to me specifically. Your father was an old friend of mine, and he left you in my care. Now that you’re an adult, I feel it’s time for you to read it.”

Themis looked down at the folded letter. He cautiously opened it, and began to read.

Dirk,

It has been too long since I’ve seen you. I hope this letter finds you well, especially since it has my son attached to it (what? Doesn’t everypony need a laugh in these trying times?). Sadly, the rest of this letter is not so light-hearted. The attack on the Lunar Guard you said Celestia was planning is apparently more than a rumor now. Our mutual friend, Captain Flare, tipped me off last night, and the Princess is set on attacking within the week. I don’t know what this means for Equestria, but I am certain it won’t be good. In the likely event I don’t survive, I am leaving my son in your care. To my knowledge, Celestia does not know about him, as Luna used an enchantment to conceal his presence from her. If I don’t make it, I’m sure Luna will, and she will know to seek you out when things have calmed down. If she does not contact you within a month, assume the worst. I know this is a big burden to place on you, but I really have no other choice. It is too dangerous to for us to try to keep him ourselves. He is too important to the future of our kingdom. If I survive, I shall be forever in your debt. If I don’t…thank you.

Your Friend,

Titan

Themis sat in silence, staring at the last thing his father ever wrote. He felt his eyes watering as a single tear ran down his face. Dirk decided to speak up.

“Your father, Captain Titan, was the head of the Lunar Guard, and the finest pony I’d ever met. Courageous, kind, selfless to a fault, and the greatest warrior to ever set hoof on the battlefield. You’re mother, the ‘Luna’ referred to in the letter, well…” Dirk trailed off, trying to figure out a way to make his next statement without completely shattering his nephew. He realized he couldn’t, and decided to be blunt instead.

“That ‘Luna’ was Princess Luna, goddess of the moon and co-ruler of Equestria.”

When Themis looked up at his uncle, the sight nearly broke Dirk’s heart. The young pegasus’ face was streaked with tears, and his pupils were the size of pinpricks from his uncle’s most recent revelation.

He was barely able to choke out his response. “M-m-my m-m-m-m-other i-is the p-p-pr-princess?”

Dirk gave a sorrowful sigh. “Well, she was, at least. Might as well tell you what happened. The story going around is that Luna became corrupted by evil magic and attempted to kill Celestia and plunge Equestria into eternal night. However, the truth of the matter is Celestia was the one who became corrupt. I’m not exactly sure how, but the change was apparent. Not physically at first – no, that took a while. But she started acting different, that’s for sure. She began talking about how she had enough power to rule Equestria alone, and how Luna was only getting in her way. She soon began to plan a takeover of the kingdom. That’s when I left the Royal Guard. Even though I was just a blacksmith, the thought of my weapons being used to take the lives of other ponies disgusted me. Looking back, I’m lucky Celestia didn’t question my decision to leave. Again, I was just a blacksmith, so she probably thought nothing of it. Anyways, she did end up attacking the Lunar Guard. She launched her assault the night after your father dropped you off with me. Many good soldiers were lost that night. Your father left leadership of the Lunar Guard to his lieutenant, Rhea. She survived and gave me the details the next day. Sadly, the surviving Lunar Guard were declared traitors, and the poor mare was captured and executed not a week later. Anywho, while Lieutenant Rhea lead your father’s troops, Titan tried to lead your mother to safety. They’d almost made it, when Celestia found them and trapped them in the garden. It was then she did the unthinkable. She spread that taint – that vile, horrible curse that had turned her from benevolent deity to cursed queen – to your poor mother. It was then that she became the ‘wicked mare of darkness’ – Nightmare Moon. It was Nightmare that killed your father. Without remorse, without mercy, Titan was struck down by the one pony he would have given everything to protect. Then, using the death of your father and the now-corrupted Luna as a cover, Celestia banished your mother to the moon and fabricated the whole conspiracy story to make herself appear to be a heroine.”

As Dirk finished, he could clearly see a whirlwind of emotions taking hold of his young ward, and none of them were pleasant. When he walked around the table to comfort Themis, he noticed something of much more consequence.

“Themis…you’re flank…”

Themis cleared his eyes of the rage-induced tears to glance down at his flank. He couldn’t believe what he saw.

He had gotten his cutie mark.

He sat there in stunned awe, glancing at his new feature. It was an off-white waxing crescent moon. It seemed to glow in contrast to the darkness that comprised the rest of the lunar shape. The whole moon was shrouded behind three transparent, whispy grey clouds.

Dirk couldn’t help but smile. “Well, if there was any doubt before, I think it’s gone now. You are definitely the son of the Moon Princess.”

As Themis and Dirk continued to admire the lunar symbol now adorning the younger’s flank, they had no way of knowing that they weren’t the only ponies watching with piqued curiosity…

A dark-blue unicorn with a white mane sat at his usual corner table in his favorite restaurant at the edge of the square. Canis was relieved to finally have a break from work; Celestia had really been somewhat of a tyrant since she took total control of Equestria, and not even her most trusted advisor was spared an extra work load.

A quick survey of the room revealed a small crowd this evening. It was still early, so there would probably be more ponies here eventually. For Canis, however, the smaller clientel meant less noise, which suited him just fine. His sight fell upon a particular pair of ponies. They had been making more noise that any other patron, and seemed to be far more jubilant than they had any right to be.

‘Why are they so happy? They look poor enough to me. Stupid wretches…’

He sat there, just watching the duo celebrate. He despised them, but he wasn’t exaclty sure why. Maybe it was because they were happy? Perhaps it was because they were poor? Maybe it was because they were poor and happy? Not that it really mattered, since Canis had decided to hate them regardless. He would do just about anything in his power to make them miserable.

He would get his chance.

After watching them for what seemed like hours (in fact, it had only been about twenty minutes), something most curious happened. There was a small flash near the flank of the young pegasus. When it cleared, his previously blank flank was adorned with a cutie mark. It was not the sudden (and seemingly unprovoked) appearance of it, however, that caught Canis’ attention; it was the mark itself.

It looked suspiciously familiar, like he had seen it before. He knew it wasn’t possible, since that particular cutie mark had just appeared. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen it before. He sat silently, wracking his brain for an answer. When he finally realized where he’d seen that mark before, he was left in total disbelief.

‘It can’t be…’

If his suspicions were true – as unlikely as they seemed – then the princess must be informed immediately. Silently, as to avoid drawing unwanted attention to himself, Canis slipped out of the restaurant and into the streets. Using the wooded path from the market to the palace gardens to further avoid being seen, he galloped as fast as he could back to the castle.

Solar Eclipse was standing in the throne room, staring silently out the window. She had been unable to rid herself of an uneasy feeling these past few nights. It almost seemed like something was amiss, like there was some sort of threat to her out there somewhere. But that wasn’t possible. Was it?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

‘I suppose I’ll have to worry about this later,’ she thought with a sigh. She slowly returned to her throne, not entirely prepared to deal with whatever was about to come through the double-doors. “Enter.”

Almost immediately, the doors flew open and in strode a very hectic and exhausted-looking Canis.

Eclipse was a little surprised by the sudden appearance of her trusted official. “Canis Majoris, my chief advisor. What brings you here? Is today not your day off?”

Canis, remembering protocol, bowed deeply before speaking. “A thousand pardons, Your Majesty. I would not have troubled you if I did not have news which you may find…unsettling.”

This got the deity’s full attention.

“Pray tell, Canis. What could be so…unsettling?”

It was clear to her advisor that, while she attempted to maintain her calm demeanor, she was a little apprehensive about what he was going to tell her.

“Of course, I’m certain it’s nothing Your Highness needs to worry about. I was just at the market, when I saw a most peculiar thing – a young pegasus got his cutie mark.”

Eclipse began to laugh. “Canis, you had me scared out of my wits. Over what? A pony getting their cutie mark? If that’s your idea of ‘unsettling,’ then you need to get out more!”

Canis, though he did not like being mocked, remembered with whom he was speaking and politely laughed at the princess’ jabbing. His countenance then hardened, earning him a curious look from his sovereign.

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, I was not finished. It was not the appearance of the cutie mark that surprised me, nor even the age of the pony involved – he looked to be near adulthood, from my judgement – but rather the mark itself.” At this, the princess’ nervousness returned, propmting a rather smug grin from her advisor. “Shall I describe it to you?”

The princess hesitantly nodded, and Canis began again. “It’s a sphere, entirely black save for an off-white crescent – a waxing moon. It is veiled by three transparent grey clouds. Does this sound familiar to you?

The princess’ eyes were now wide with fear. It wasn’t possible. It just wasn’t. She would have known, wouldn’t she? “A-a-are you c-certain you got a good look at it?”

“Positive.”

The princess sighed, more out of sheer fright than exasperation, and attempted to collect herself. “Canis, did you recognize the pony?”

Canis shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Your Majesty, but he was with somepony I did recognize. Do you recall that blacksmith who resigned from the Royal Guard shortly before your brilliant takeover?”

Eclipse nodded. “I do indeed. His name was Dirk Ironhoof.” She paused for a moment before giving a sharp whistle. Almost immediately, a pair of gold-clad guards entered the throne room.

“Ray, Ion, go and summon Captain Flare. Tell him it is an urgent matter.” The two guards saluted, then left as quickly as they came.

The deity turned her attention back to her advisor. “Thank you for the news, Canis. I shall handle matters from here. You are dismissed.”

Canis bowed once more, then turned and walked out of the throne room. Once he rounded the corner, he began to prance giddily. He just loved making ponies miserable!

Back in the throne room, the princess waited rather impatiently for her guard captain to arrive. She was pacing, and her thoughts were frantic.

‘If Luna had a foal, she wouldn’t have been able to hide it from me, would she? Celestia had an intimate link with all life in Equestria, a trait I supposedly inherited when I took control of her. I was unaware that the blacksmith had anypony living with him at all, so is it possible that this ability is limited? If it is true, is the foal as powerful as Luna? Is it more powerful? Is it a threat to me? Is it – ’

Her thoughts were cut short as the throne room doors opened and Captain Flare entered. He looked very much the same as the rest of the guard – an alabaster pony with golden armor – with the exception of him being a unicorn, and being just slightly taller than the average guardspony. He saluted the princess, and waited for her to speak.

The princess took her cue. “Captain, something has come to my attention, and if my suspicions are correct, it could have dire consequences. As hard as it may be to believe, Luna may have had a foal before her banishment.” Eclipse could have sworn she saw Flare jump a little at the announcement, but chalked it up to disbelief. “I believe that the pony in question is living with Dirk Ironhoof, the blacksmith. You remember him well, do you not?”

Captain Flare said nothing, but nodded to confirm his familiarity with the smith.

“As you know, he runs a shop near the outskirts of the city. I want you to take a small group of your finest men, and bring them both to me. Use force if necessary.”

Flare was suddenly very nervous. He knew how stubborn Dirk could be. More importantly, he knew why Dirk resigned, and therefore knew he would not come along willingly. He did not want to see his old friend come to harm. “Princess, I don’t really think that’s necess-”

The princess had anticipated a little hesitation from her captain, being aware of his friendship with the blacksmith, but was nevertheless outraged that he would actually voice his disapproval.

“ARE YOU QUESTIONING A DIRECT ORDER, CAPTAIN?”

Flare, scared senseless, immediately bowed and began stammering. “N-n-n-n-no, o-of course not, Y-Your M-M-Majesty!”

The twisted Celestia grinned maniacally. “Good. Now go.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Flare turned and exited the throne room.

Left alone to her thoughts once again, the black alicorn only had one thing running through her mind: ‘maybe they’ll put up a fight. Flare and his soldiers would be forced to kill them, and this whole issue would just go away.’ She wouldn’t admit it to herself, but this was the first time since the death of Titan that the corrupted Celestia had known true fear.

Themis and Dirk entered the dark cottage. It was still light outside when Dirk had left, so he didn’t bother lighting the torches. ‘I would have extinguished them before I left anyways,’ he thought to himself. The duo found a couple of pieces of flint and went about lighting the torches – four on each side of the long walls, and two on the shorter walls. With the cottage fairly well illuminated, Themis sat down at the table and opened the box containing his new sword. It wasn’t immaculate, but it was formidable. The blade was sturdy, with a double-edge and a slightly reflective finish. The pommel guard was a plain as it gets – one-piece carbon steel, running straight across the bottom of the blade. No engravings or anything. The hilt was a single piece of solid oak wrapped in dark brown leather. The hilt was capped by a small steel ball. It was currently resting in a leather sheath with a shoulder belt, adjusted for Themis’ narrower shoulders. Dirk had a heck of a time trying to find an appropriate model to determine the size of the belt. He was used to smithing for earth ponies and unicorns, and the pegasi he’d crafted for while in the Guard wore bulky armor. While they may not have been as built as he was, at least they weren’t so scrawny. “Aerodynamic, they call it,” he had scoffed. He was finally forced to wing it, if you’ll pardon the pun. Luckily, the belt fit Themis perfectly, and soon the sword was sitting comfortably on his back, right between the wings.

Themis jumped up and began to run towards the back door of the cottage, when Dirk stopped him.

“Easy there, Themis. Those training dummies aren’t going anywhere. You should wait until tomorrow, when you can actually see what you’re doing!”

Themis looked crestfallen, but Dirk couldn’t help but chuckle at his nephew’s enthusiasm. It seems he had gotten over all the emotions the letter had evoked.

Themis walked back to the table, and he and his uncle began talking about tomorrow’s work orders. Dirk was just telling Themis about a commission for a new cart axis when he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Well,” sighed Dirk, “I wonder who that could be.”

The earth stallion lazily trotted over to the door, and opened it to find a frantic-looking Flare standing on his stoop.

“Flare? What in the hell are you doing here? Especially at this hour?”

Flare held up a forehoof, as if to silence Dirk. He began to speak in a panicked whisper. “Shhh! Keep it down, will you? Look, I don’t know how, but Celestia found out about Themis. She sent me out with a patrol to find the two of you, but I came ahead of them to warn you. You have to get out of the city, and fast!”

Dirk took a moment to process what he had just been told. ‘How did she find out? She didn’t even know about the foal. How? HOW?’

Dirk turned to look at his nephew. He suddenly grew panicked. “Themis! Out the back, quickly! Make a break for the gates! I’ll explain everything once we’re clear of the city!” Dirk paused to take one last look at his friend. He nodded a silent ‘thanks,’ and galloped out the back after the young pegasus. He grabbed an old sword from the shop – which was little more than a forge, an anvil, a bench, and a few assorted tools – as he ran by, and soon he and his nephew were galloping side-by-side through the streets toward the gates.

Dirk heard a commotion from behind him, and turned his head to discover that the troop Flare had outrun had caught up and was hot on their hooves. Dirk looked ahead of him to the gates, and was struck with a grim realization. Turning to his nephew, he shouted, “they’re gaining too much ground! They’ll overtake us before we reach the gates! You keep running, I’ll hold them off!”

Dirk stopped, turned around and drew his sword. Themis panicked and stoped as soon as he realized what his uncle was doing.

“Uncle, no! There are too many of them! We can outrun them, come on!”

Dirk, as much as he wanted to believe they could both make it, knew it was a fool’s hope. No, he realized, he couldn’t fight them all. But he could delay them long enough for Themis to escape. He closed his eyes and smiled.

“Themis, you’re a good colt. You’re always thinking of others. That’s why you need to keep going. More ponies than you realize are counting on you. Head down the mountain. Go by hoof and keep your hood up; you’ll be harder to spot. There’s a small village at the bottom of the mountain called Kakariko. In Kakariko there’s a soothsayer. Seek him out. He will know what you need to do.”

Dirk took one final look at his nephew, who’s face was now streaked with tears. “Themis…I shall always remember our time together. Now, go!”

Blinking away the tears, Themis now saw the guards were upon them. He turned and galloped away at full speed, not even daring to look back. He galloped through the gates, and ran as hard as he could down the mountainside. He didn’t think. He couldn’t let himself think. He had to keep going, no matter what. For his uncle…for Equestria.

The Legend Begins

Note: Hey guys. I want to start by apologizing for this being so late. I really wanted to have this out a couple of weeks ago, but the College Air Force dropped the No-Life bomb on me. Aside from just finding time to write, I've also had major bouts of writer's block, which hasn't helped either. I mean, you should've seen it. Man, did this suck. All my brain cells said I was daft for writing such a horrible chapter. But I wrote it anyway. It sucked. So I wrote it again. It sucked. So I wrote it a third time. It burned down, fell over, then sucked. But the fourth one! The fourth one sucked less! Here's the PDF:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B\_XQvNhaw6jCMzVKWWZEYXpSQTZqWkExZUE3ejdBQQ/edit

And as a special treat for those of you who have waited so patiently, I'm including a draft of the first chapter of my next project:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B\_XQvNhaw6jCLXZfWFRwbXpTSVd6YWhOc2xSY1R0dw/edit

I really hope you guys enjoy these! On that note, feedback, both positive and negative, is welcomed, encouraged, and sorely needed. I really want you guys to like this stuff, since it takes a good deal of time to do, but I can only improve your experience by knowing your opinion. I know you may not want to be "that guy" who says something critical, but really, you won't hurt my feelings :)

Next week (03/03) begins Spring Break for me, and I will try to get the next chapter up sometime before returning to school, but after that, there will be nothing until at least April, since the rest of March is fat-guy-at-the-buffet full.

Chapter 2: The Legend Begins

A very nervous and downtrodden Flare stood before the princess. His eyes were glued to the floor. His mind was still racing from the events that had transpired that evening.

Solar Eclipse sat on her throne, awaiting a report from her captain. Realizing he wasn’t about to speak on his own, she took the matter into her own hooves.

“Captain?”

Flare slowly looked up at the black alicorn, his mind continuing to replay the scene from earlier.

“Ion, Nova, go after the colt!”

Two of the six guards accompanying Flare took flight, heading towards the gate. Flare then turned to his old friend.

“Dirk, put down the sword. Just surrender peacefully and come with us.”

Dirk clenched the sword tighter in his teeth. “You know what’ll happen if I do, Flare. I’m better off where I stand.”

Flare sighed and hung his head. ‘I had really hoped it wouldn’t come to this,’ he thought. ‘I should’ve given them more time.’ With a heavy sigh, he finally gave the order he had been dreading.

“Then in the name of the Sovereign Crown of Equestria, Her Royal Majesty Princess Celestia, I hereby place you under arrest. Guards…seize him.”

The four ponies who had stayed behind suddenly dashed towards Dirk. Each of them was greeted with a dizzying blow from the broad side of Dirk’s weapon. The four pegasi fell to the ground, dazed. Before they could recover, Dirk delivered a skull-crushing stomp to each of their heads. Their blood began to stain the streets. He slowly turned to Flare, an almost solemn demeanor about him.

“I know there’s no way out for me, but I at least have the choice of executioner, and it sure as hay won’t be some common guardspony.” He glanced down at the four corpses. “I guess the poor bastards didn’t have a choice. Geez, I hate killing.”

“Please stop, Dirk,” pleaded Flare. “Just give yourself up. I don’t want to have to kill you myself.”

Dirk gave his friend a kind smile, then closed his eyes.

“Funny – I wouldn’t choose anypony else.”

“Captain?”

The sudden intrusion of Eclipse’s voice shook Flare out of his memory. He sighed, and delivered the news.

“Dirk is dead.”

“And the boy?”

“There are two members of my patrol out searching for him now. The other four are dead.”

This caught Eclipse off guard. “Dead? How?”

“Dirk put up a fight. He broadsided them with his sword, then crushed their skulls. I don’t think he’d initially intended to kill them, but when he refused to surrender, I gave the order to arrest him, and he resisted. Things got out of hoof.”

Seeing the pain in her captain’s eyes, Eclipse began to understand what happened.

“I’m guessing you administered the final blow?”

Flare nodded.

Eclipse paused. Some small detail in Flare’s story caught her attention.

“You say he attacked your troops with a sword before killing them?”

Flare nodded again.

“Curious.”

“Ma’am?”

“Tell me, Captain, do blacksmiths usually carry weapons in public?”

Flare nearly gagged. “I…uh, I…I…”

“Why were they out in the streets to begin with? Most ponies are inside at this hour, yet here these two were, armed and walking about. It’s as if they were expecting trouble from somepony.” She gave Flare a look that made his blood run cold – calm, but icy.

“I was wondering, Captain?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“They wouldn’t have been tipped off by somepony, would they?”

Flare began to sweat, his heart racing in his chest. “I-I d-don’t underst-stand wh-what you m-m-mean, Your H-Highn-n-ness.”

That icy glare ignited into a fiery gaze that probably could have melted iron. “Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean, Captain. I was aware of your friendship with the smith, and I expected a bit of…hesitation…in carrying out my orders, so…”

“She had me follow you.” A dark-blue unicorn emerged from behing the throne, his sleek white mane covering half his face, giving him an appearance that was every bit as sinister as he himself.

Flare snarled at the newcomer. “I thought I smelled a rat! Just what did you tell her, Canis?”

“Nothing yet,” replied the advisor.

Eclipse stood from her throne and began to walk towards Flare, whose anger was growing along with his fear. “Captain Flare, did you break off from the patrol to warn the smith?”

Flare eyed Canis maliciously, then gritted his teeth and said, “yes.”

Eclipse, having never lost the burning gaze, spoke with a nearly-tangible venom in her voice. “Captain Flare, I find you guilty of treason, and hereby strip you of rank and sentence you to death by hanging. You shall be executed at dawn. Scorch, Blaze, escort this traitor to the dungeon, then send word to Thanatos to ready the gallows.”

Two guardsponies stepped from their posts just within the double-doors and, after putting him in shackles, began to lead Flare to the dungeons.

As he was being lead away, Flare gave Eclispe a cold glance over his shoulder.

“Watch yourself. That boy will be the end of you.”

The double-doors slammed shut, an eerie silence falling over the throne room in their wake.

With her former captain having been lead away, Eclipse did her best to shake off his threat and returned to her throne. She then turned her attention towards her advisor. With a slight nod she said, “you may be seated, Canis. I do not wish for you to leave just yet.”

Canis bowed deeply and took a seat next to the throne, grinning sickeningly.

A few moments later, a pair of pegasi flew into the throne room and landed a few paces in front of the princess.

One of them stepped forward, bowed and said, “I regret to inform you, Your Majesty, that the colt has escaped.”

Eclipse became incensed.

“WHAT DO YOU FOALS MEAN HE ESCAPED??? YOUR ORDERS WERE TO EITHER CAPTURE HIM AND BRING HIM TO ME, OR TO KILL HIM! IF HE IS STILL ALIVE, WHY ARE YOU HERE?!?”

The now-terrified pegasus who had the misfortune of delivering the bad news attempted to continue.

“Well, uh, you see, Your Majesty, we, uh, think he might be, uh h-h-hea-ead-ddding to-towards, uh, K-Kakar-iko.”

The princess held her breath in an effort to calm her fury and began to plan her next course of action. ‘Obviously direct confrontation failed,’ she thought. ‘Perhaps another option will present itself.’ She once again faced her advisor.

“Canis, I would like for you to depart for Kakariko immediately. Find the colt and follow him. Do not confront him directly just yet, however do whatever is in your power to hinder whatever he attempts to do. Until we can confirm his identity and his intentions, we must assume he is a legitimate threat.”

Canis smirked, then bowed. “Of course, Your Majesty. I shall see to it that, should he have any intention of causing you grief, he has a most miserable existance.”

Eclipse grinned with wicked contentment as her advisor exited the throne room. ‘What would I do without such a valuable puppet,’ she pondered. The princess turned back to the two pegasi who were still cowering before her.

“Ion, Nova, you have done well. While you may not have apprehended the colt, we at least have a clue as to where he was going. However, we still know nothing of his intentions. I therefore want castle security tripled until further notice. On that note, Nova, you are now Captain of the Royal Guard, effective immediately. Do not make the same mistake your predecessor made. I will not tolerate disobedience.”

Nova saluted the princess and barked a rather strong, “thank you, Ma’am,” then turned with Ion and left the black alicorn alone.

The alicorn strode over to the window and gazed at the silhouette featured on the lunar surface.

‘Just what were you planning,’ she wondered.

Becoming lost in her thoughts and worries, Eclipse retired to her chambers and entered an uneasy slumber.

Themis ran. He ran and he never looked back. Looking back would mean remembering, and remembering would destroy his resolve. He had to keep going. He was almost half way down the winding mountain trail to Kakariko, and he was exhausted. He was so tired, in fact, that he didn’t notice the rather large stone in the middle of the path. His right forehoof caught it, and he hit the ground hard.

Too exhausted to stand up, he instead glanced skyward. The moon was full and bright, bathing the world in its beautiful, ethereal light which seemed to grant comfort to all who beheld it. All except Themis. The silhouette, which the young pegasus understood now to be that of his mother, haunted every recess of Themis’ mind.

‘What happened, Mother? Why were you betrayed? Why is Father dead? Why are you on the moon? And why am I here?’

These troublesome thoughts mingled with his growing weariness, and soon Themis slipped into unconsciousness.

When Themis awoke, he was greeted by a warm sensation enveloping his body. Regaining his senses, he quickly discovered he was in a bed. Sitting upright, he began to take in his surroundings. The room was dark, illuminated only by moonlight entering through a dingy skylight in the middle of the slanted ceiling. The room had an old dusty bookshelf filled with tomes and scrolls next to a desk with an ancient and yellowing quill in an equally ancient-looking inkwell. Along the wall to his left, there was a pitiful wooden door that appeared as if it would fall off its hinges if somepony looked at it the wrong way. There seemed to be a thin haze of smoke drifting through the room, giving it a mystical feel.

‘Where am I,’ thought Themis. Lifting a hoof to his throbbing head reminded him of tripping. He tripped because he was running. He was running because…

He tossed the covers back and charged through the decrepit wooden door. He stopped when he found himself in a circular, torch-lit room. In the center of the room sat a fairly small, circular table, adorned with a purple cloth and a crystal orb in the center. Drawn purple curtains kept out the natural moonlight, so the room was bathed in an ethereal orange glow. The haze seemed to be somewhat thicker in this room.

Before Themis could take another step, an elderly fuchsia unicorn wearing a purple robe stumbled through a door opposite Themis which he had failed to notice due to the thick smoke, which seemed to be following the poor old pony.

“Sorry…about the…smoke,” he said, coughing up a lung. “Burnt…the roast.”

Themis raised an eyebrow at the newcomer, but decided not to ask about the apparently failed cooking endeavor. Instead, he inquired about the stallion himself.

“Who are you?”

“I, dear Themis, am called Teresias. I believe I am the soothsayer you were seeking.”

Themis beamed. “So I’m in Kakariko? I made it? But, how? I mean, that rock, and my head…and how do you know my name?”

Teresias laughed. “Relax, my boy. I’m a soothsayer! I know everything! Well, eh, at least most of the time, hehe. You see, its all really quite simple. I was out enjoying my nightly stroll, when I decided to take the path up the mountain to Canterlot. I don’t walk it nearly enough, and it has such lovely flowers in the springtime. Well, it’s winter now, so there wasn’t much along the lines of flora, but still, such a breathtaking view of the night sky…I’m sorry, where was I? Oh, right, I remember. I was walking up the trail when what should I see but an odd pony-shaped bundle lying in the middle of the path. I thought, ‘well, that’s certainly an unusual spot for a pony to take a nap, I’d better see if the poor chap is alright.’ And sure enough, you were NOT alright. I lifted you up and carried you back to my hut in Kakariko, then I sat and gazed into my magic Orb of Divination – a crystal ball, in laypony’s terms – to ask why you had come to me (everything happens for a reason, you know), and it told me everything; who you were, where you come from, and most importantly, why you’re here! So, Themis, are you prepared to learn what fate has in store for you?”

Themis nodded hesitantly before asking, “are you certain you’re a soothsayer? I mean, no offense, but you seem a bit…scatterbrained.”

Again, Teresias chuckled. “Why, of course I’m a soothsayer, lad! I’ll admit, my senility sometimes overshadows my brilliant ability – sight beyond sight! I can see all things past, present, and future! It’s my special talent, see?” He moves his robe aside to reveal his cutie mark, a purple magnifying lens with a rather strange-looking eye in its center. “Yes sir, I come from a special bloodline. Once every half-millenium or so, a member of my family is born with remarkable magical power, going back to my ancestor, Starswirl the Bearded, and Marelin before him, going all the way back to Vaati, the first mage employed by the Court of the Royal Sisters at Canterlot! Yes, and in five hundred years there will be another, then in a thousand, and so on until the fates decide to revoke my family’s gift! Oh, wait, that’s not why you’re here, is it? Of course not! Now, let’s see…ah yes! Your role in the great and timeless story that is Equestrian history!”

Teresias made his way to the round table, taking a seat in the chair closest to him, and motioned for Themis to take the other. As Themis sat, Teresias began gazing into his crystal ball.

“Themis, I need you to place a forehoof upon the Orb of Divination. Only then will I be able to accurately see your destiny.”

Themis layed his right forehoof delicately against the orb, and as he did so it began to radiate a soft white light. A milky white mist swirled within the ball. It was indiscernable to the pegasus, but Teresias was watching it with rapt attention. After several minutes, the light faded, the crystal cleared, and Teresias turned his gaze to Themis.

“Themis, you do indeed have a very important role to play in Equestrian history. I cannot reveal everything to you now, but in order to fully grasp the situation at hoof, I must begin with the story of the creation of the world.”

Many millenia ago, before the Royal Sisters came to power, before King Discord’s reign of chaos, even before life itself, our world was a dark world of chaos and dissonance. Molten lava covered much of its surface, heat-generated electrical storms dominated the skies, and even the air itself was a horrid blend of toxic gases.

One day, three Spirits descended from the heavens. They looked upon this hellish planet, and decided to give it life.

The first Spirit, Whinny, was the embodiment of raw power. She cast a powerful crimson aura across the world. This aura caused the lava to cool and harden, its flow ceased. She then shaped the new land masses to her liking, creating the mountains and plains upon which we walk today.

The second Spirit, Marore, was the essence of courage. She braved the toxic air, her emerald aura cleansing the atmosphere and creating a stable, breathable balance of gases. The storms had calmed, and the world was now peaceful.

The third Spirit, Neighru, looked upon the reformed world created by her sister Spirits and, being the embodiment of eternal wisdom, saw its potential for sustaining life. Thus, with a mighty wave of cerulean energy, she gave water to the seas and skies, plants and animals to the land, and lastly ponies, one race in each of their images, to admire and care for the new world. The Spirits looked upon the utopia and were pleased.

Soon, the time came for the Spirits to depart. Their work was done, and they were fated to return to the cosmos. Before departing, they choose to create one final race of ponies to keep watch over all of their precious creations. By combining the powerful Earth ponies, the courageous Pegasi, and the wise Unicorns, the Spirits created two small fillies of an entirely new species – alicorns. These alicorns were placed in a castle in a magically-guarded realm where they could safely grow until they were old enough to rule with authority and compassion.

With their tasks complete, the Spirits ascended to the heavens, forever leaving our world. In memory of our creators, the first ponies erected three temples in the locations where each Spirit returned to the cosmos, vowing to never forget the love they showed and the virtues they embodied.

“Of course, that was many, many eons ago. Other intelligent species have emerged, villages, towns, and cities have been built, but we still have not forgotten. Each race still retains the essence of its Spirit, and Equestria is still watched over by the Immortal Sisters. Well, it was at least…”

“That’s a nice story, sir,” Themis said, “but what does it have to do with me?”

Teresias waved a hoof before grumbling, “keep your horseshoes on, I’m getting to it! Grandma’s gravy you youngsters are impatient these days. Where you fit in with all of this, lad, is simple, but does require a little more information. You see, when the Spirits rid the world of its chaos, they overlooked two things – the sun and the moon. They were still wild and free, and very chaotic. This chaos desired to retake the world over which it resided for so many timeless ages before the Spirits, and it was from this chaos that Discord was born. Discord, while made from the essence of pure chaos, lacked the power to completely revert the world back to its previous state since so little chaos remained. He did, however, cause quite a commotion for a millenium or two.

“Finally, the alicorn sisters, Celestia and Luna, were old enough and powerful enough to stand up to Discord. They stormed his castle and the battle of the ages ensued. It seemed as if Discord would be victorious for a while, but finally the alicorns drew all of their strength and combined it with the magical energies of all life forms. The elder sister, Celestia, then channeled the harmonies of the magic into a physical form – the legendary elements of harmony – and together with her sister used the magical artifacts to launch one final attack against Discord, turning him to stone. The alicorn sisters then took power, rebuilt Discord’s capital city, renamed it Canterlot, and as a last preventative measure to ensure peace eternal, took control of the sun and moon, thus ridding the world of all chaos (well, the chaos that wasn’t encased in stone, at any rate).

“Everypony lived happily ever after, but not really. Nothing is ever that simple. Before Discord was defeated, he used the last of his power to put a curse on Celestia, the elder sister. In her heart, he planted a seed of chaos. Nothing big, or flashy, or even noticable, but sinister nonetheless. It took a few thousand years, but eventually that seed of chaos grew into a full-blown maelstrom, and sadly our princess fell victim to it. She was transformed into an evil sorceress of chaos and cruelty. That seed’s name is Solar Eclipse, and it is the last of the uncontrolled chaos in this world. You already know the events of the takeover, so now I can explain your part in all of this.”

Themis smirked, “let me guess? I have to find those ‘Elements of Harmony’ and use them to defeat Cele- um, Solar Eclipse?”

Teresias pounded a hoof on the table. “No, consarn it! If you’d give me a moment, I’ll get to it! Seriously, what is it with ponies having no patience these days? It’s a virtue, you know! Now, normally the Elements can dispell chaos, no problem. However, they were created and wielded by Celestia, meaning they bear her essence. While Eclipse may not really be Celestia, she still has Celestia’s body, and therefore her magical essence. The Elements of Harmony cannot be used against their bearers or their creator, so therefore they are completely useless to you. There is, however, another option. My ancestor Vaati also had the gift of Divination, and claimed that one night the Spirits came to him with a vision. The next morning, he requested a private audience with Princess Luna. He informed her of his vision, which foretold a reign of chaos which the Elements alone could not stop. He then instructed her to forge a sword from the very essence of her night; from her very soul. He then told her to engrave runes into the blade, each a crescent moon. He told her to then take the blades to each of the Spirit Temples and have the blades blessed by the sacred guardians within. This would embue the blade with the virtues of the Spirits: power, wisdom, and courage. Lastly, he told her to enchant the blade with an encantation in case the sword should ever need to be guarded. His final instruction was to keep the sword a secret and to bestow it upon the one in whom she saw the Divine Virtues.

“The secret of the sword was well guarded by Luna and my family. Celestia learned of the sword, but never discovered its true nature nor its purpose. In time, Luna gave the sword to your father. She felt it was he who should wield it. However, we see now that it was you.

“Now to tie all of this information up with a pretty little bow. Before your father died, he activated the safeguard encantation. This split the blade into its three essences and hid them deep within the temples, the locations of which have long been forgotten except by those who already know where they are. Your job is to find the three parts and bring them to me. I will combine them, and then you shall use the completed blade to defeat Solar Eclipse and return Equestria to its rightful rulers. Do you understand?”

Themis nodded, a newfound determination welling up inside him.

“Excellent. Before you go, make sure you collect your sword and cloak from the bedroom. Oh, and take this with you.”

Teresias reached into a pocket on his robe and removed a golden hoofband with a mysterious green stone in the center.

“This is an invention of mine. With it, I can see and talk to you through my crystal ball. I call it a Gossip Stone. I will guide you to the temples using the Gossip Stone, but be warned – the temples are filled with an ancient and forgotten magic. Spells and magical items tend to have different effects when inside the temple walls, so you will be on your own when you get inside. It won’t be easy, but the fates have decided that you’re the pony for the job. Good luck, Themis.”

With that, Themis returned to the bedroom, donned his green spellweave cloak and equipped his sword, then headed for the door to Teresias’ hut. The elderly unicorn approached him.

“Head to the east. There you will find a great plain. The first temple, the one dedicated to Whinny, lies in the realm of the goats, in the mountains on the other side of that plain. Keep courage in your heart and falter not. The fate of the world rests in your hooves.”

Themis gave one final nod, thanked Teresias for his guidance, and departed. He had a long road ahead of him, but he felt ready for any challenge he would face.

A suspiciously blue raven sat in a tree outside of a decrepit old hut in the small village of Kakariko. Were it not the middle of the night, it might have drawn more attention, but at the moment it went unnoticed as it stared silently at the door of the hut. Canis mentally cursed the fact that he couldn’t cast a listening spell in his modified form; he would have loved to know what was going on inside that hut.

After what seemed like hours, the door finally opened and a green-cloaked pegasus pony stepped out. As the pony began to gallop eastward, Canis took to the air, following at enough of a distance where he felt he wouldn’t be seen.

Gradually, the rolling mountains surrounding Kakariko shrank into hills, then flattened completely into a vast, rolling plain. A fresh winter snow had fallen, leaving nothing but a serene white landscape that glowed under the supernatural light of the full moon. A calm, icy breeze swept across the land, causing the loose powder to dance like tiny, shimmering sprites through the night air.

‘I love winter,’ thought Canis as he observed the magical scenery from the air. ‘There is no warmth, no life. Winter kills everything that is not strong enough to survive its silent fury. It’s just as things should be. Just as things will be.’

An obsidian alicorn with a red mane that flowed like liquid fire walked through the dark. There was no scenery, no sky, no ground. There was no noise. Only silence and emptiness. And her. Lying amidst the black nothingness was a single, sickly-looking white figure. A mane of solid pink framed her horn and face, tattered and beaten wings were folded at her side, and a faded grey sun adorned her flank. As Solar Flare approached the pitiful-looking alicorn, the the latter attempted to rise, only succeeding after many near-collapses.

Celestia spat, ‘Solar Eclipse, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“You would be wise to watch your tone, Celly,” replied Eclipse, her voice heavy with an arrogant drawl. “I control you now, so I would appreciate a little respect. Anyways, I came here with a question. My chief advisor, Canis Majoris, recently discovered a colt whom I had no previous knowledge of. As it turns out, this colt could be a real problem for me, and I am just the slightest bit annoyed about the fact that I had no idea he even existed. Also, four of my guards were killed tonight. I did not learn of this until my former captain informed me. I thought you, being the ‘goddess of the sun,’ had an intimate connection to all life in Equestria. When I took control of you, I gained all of your magical abilities. So tell me: why can I not sense the life energies of other ponies?”

“Did you read the manual?”

“Your insolence will get you nowhere.”

“What are you going to do, execute me? Good luck with that.”

“No, but perhaps I can find other ways to punish you.”

“And just what, pray tell, do you have in mind?”

“At the moment, dear Celly, your sister is merely banished. I can change that oh so easily.”

“…the sun.”

“What?”

“You cannot sense the life forces of other creatures because you are not directly linked to the sun as I am. Though you control my body, my mind, and my magic, you are not truly me. The connection I have with the sun, and therefore all life in Equestria, goes far beyond mere magical capability. It has grown over millenia of patient and loving rule, and is something that nopony can achieve by magic alone. That is why you are numb to other life forces.”

“I see. Well, I had hoped that there was a more practical solution, but no matter. This mystery colt, the dead guards, and all the other snivelling lifeforms in this world are irrelevant and expendable. Anything that lives such a short, pedantic existence cannot contibute anything noteworthy to history. That duty is left to the immortals, and since I am the only immortal left in this world, I fear nothing.”

“I have seen many ponies come and go in my long life. Sure, most of them passed silently, unnoticed by the world. Others, however, achieved more in their short lives than I did in my immortal existence. Their accomplishments, while not as physically noticable as control of the sun, were no less significant in their respective purposes. A mountain may stand the test of time, but it sees far less of creation that the bird whose time is so fleeting. And do not underestimate the ponies of Equestria. Those who fear nothing have the most to fear, and the insignificant many outweigh the indisposable few.”

“Spoken like an oversensitive fool. Remember, Celestia, that I am where I am and you are where you are because of the way we peceive life. You were weak and sensitive, which left you vulnerable to me. Born of chaos, I fear nothing and do not value frail mortality. For that reason, I shall endure.”

Solar Eclipse turned and walked away, leaving what she presumed to be a dumbstruck Celestia in her wake. As she returned to the waking world, a new confidence washed over her. She was immortal, and that fact alone assured that she had nothing to fear.

Flare sat alone in his cell. The dungeon was damp and cold, the cracks in the stone walls offering little protection from the harsh chill of winter. He sat, his mind a blank slate, his heart filled with nothing but regret – for what he had done, but moreso for what he had failed to do. He should have stood up to the princess, he should have warned Dirk sooner, he should have creeeeeeeeeaaaaaaak.

The iron door squealed as it opened. Flare looked up to see a large, imposing earth pony coming towards him. His coat was as grey as the dungeon’s stone. He wore a black hood over his head and a belt around his waist which held a loaded keyring. An image of a guillotine on his flank completed his rather macabre image. ‘I really do not want to know how he got that,’ thought Flare upon seeing the grim signet.

“Th’ princess says you’re to hang at dawn.” The newcomer’s voice was a deep, gravelly bass and would have scared any other pony senseless, but Flare couldn’t care less at this point.

“Yeah, I guess you get some practice in, eh Thanatos?”

“What happened, Flare?”

“I did the right thing. For once in my life, I followed my heart instead of my orders, but it wasn’t enough. My friend is dead, I’m in here, and Equestria’s last hope is out there in the dead of winter being hunted like game. I blew it, Than. I really, truly screwed the proverbial pooch on this one.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“What do you mean? There wasn’t a whole lot more that could have gone wrong.”

“Quit being such a pessimist, Flare. You aren’t dead yet. You never know when your luck might change.”

“Than, are you implying something?”

“Maybe. I may be trying to subtly remind you that in addition to being the Royal Executioner, I also serve as the dungeonmaster. Which would mean…”

“You have a key to my cell, you cheeky bastard!”

Not only to your cell, but to every cell in the dungeon, to the dungeon itself, and, most importantly, this.”

He reached back and took the keyring from his belt, then used a forehoof to single out a rather large, golden key.

Flare looked dumbstruck. “Is that what I think it is?”

Thanatos gave a sly grin in return. “If you think it’s a key to the royal treasury, then you’d be correct. Since the princess is up in arms over this colt, she’s tightened security. You and I both know what’s in that room. Since I’m the biggest, toughest, and generally most terrifying pony on her staff, the princess saw fit to put me in charge of guarding the treasury. What she didn’t know is that I want her out as much as the rest of us. I hate my job.”

“Wait, weren’t you always an executioner?”

Thanatos let out a thunderous laugh. “Of course not! Like the kindly Celestia would ever have need for such a character!”

“Geez sorry, it’s not like I knew you beforehand,” Flare replied, a little indignantly. “So what were you?”

“I was the gardener.”

“What’s huh??? Gardener? But…your cutie mark…”

Another haughty laugh. “I had a knack for getting rid of weeds. I guess it is a bit excessive…”

They both shared a laugh.

“Look, I’d love to let you out, but I can’t. That’s too suspicious. If I’m going to help you at all, I need to keep up my ‘loyal servant’ façade. What I will do is ‘accidentally lose’ the treasure room key, and try to delay your execution. There are too many soldiers on guard detail to assemble an archery squad, we don’t actually have a guillotine at the castle, and the princess wouldn’t dare give a traitor the dignity of being killed by her, so if the gallows were to somehow, I don’t know, break, I could probably buy you a week. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling something will have happened by then, and that this key needs to be with you when it does.”

Thanatos dropped the key, then slid it between the cell bars with a forehoof.

Flare smiled gratefully at the unlikely ex-gardener. “Thanks, Than.”

“For what? I wouldn’t help a traitor like you.” He turned, looked back at Flare, flashed a quick grin, then left, the door giving another horrid squeal as it slammed shut.

“It’s not over yet then,” Flare said to no one in particular. He slowly walked over to the cell’s small cot and, with the treasury key tucked safely under the pillow, fell into a refreshingly peaceful sleep.

NOTE

*white noise* umm..hello?....Is this thing on?.....Oh, hi there! It seems I've been kidnapped by life and am currently being held in some unknown location...it's dark and smells like cabbage. Anywho, for those of you who have been waiting around dreading the next update for this story, I wanted to fill you in on my plans for this and explain the hiatus. I actually have mapped out every single dungeon for the rest of the story. I mean literally. I (badly) drew maps of all the dungeons. This means I have a strong idea of how the action will play out for the next stretch of time for our hero. That said, I have absolutely no idea how things will play out for me, since I am knee deep in Livy's "History of Rome" at the moment. I would like to (in other words, will) complete the first three dungeons before updating again. Each will have it's own chapter, and as you've learned I'm quite wordy, so needless to say there will be a massive update before the end of summer. It will probably take me the entire summer to do, however, ergo the status change. I am still working on the story, and some goodies to go along with it such as (hopefully) a cleaned-up copy of each dungeon's map and a musical selection or two. I thank those of you who are still on this crazy trip for your patience. It is indeed most appreciated, and watching that view counter slowly climb is driving me onward. Rest assured, the adventure will return: Teresias said so! Until then, peace and pizza!

P.S. I will likely resume under a different pseudonym. Edward Nigma was always intended to be temporary alias while I thought of something more original. Ciao!