Letters
Prologue
By: spu313
Hoofsteps sounded through the Everfree Forest, interrupting the blanket of silence that hung perpetually over the dark woods. The sound of hurried breathing followed, a noise soon to be drowned out by the distant, but loud, sounds of heavy hooves, shouting voices, and clanking armor.
A blur skidded into the clearing, his sides heaving, his eyes wide and darting. Pausing for a moment to catch his breath and clear his mane from his eyes, the dark brown unicorn cursed under his breath. Clearly stumbling from the exertion, the unicorn got off to a shambling start before gaining speed and disappearing from the clearing.
However, all did not return to quiet with the departure of the unicorn. Soon, the other sounds drew closer, reaching their peak as a squad of Royal Guards sped into the clearing. The squad, consisting of three unicorns and two pegasi clad in royal gold, slowed to take in their surroundings.
“Shh! I can’t hear him!”
As suddenly as the sounds had come, they ceased. All became quiet as the guards stood perfectly still, ears erect and searching. It took a moment for them to adjust to the quiet, but soon they picked up the sound of fleeing hoofsteps in the distance. They darted off, leaving the clearing empty once more.
Wordsmith ran. He ran like he never had before. He was a speaker, a thinker. He wasn’t an athlete, he wasn’t a fighter. But run he did, for if he fell into the hands of the guards, all was forfeit. The brown unicorn plowed through the undergrowth of the Everfree, desperately searching for his way out.
He had paused at a clearing to catch his breath and get his bearings. He had paused again at a river, looking for a safe ford. He had crossed the river at a low point formed under a natural dam made from the bones of a once-great water dragon. When crossing, he had espied a purple scale on a rock, confirming his suspicions as to the nature of the bones. Soon ahead would be a chasm with a small rope bridge spanning it, making the end of his journey, if only his weak body could get him there.
Wordsmith ran on for what felt like an eternity. He casted his eyes far ahead, hoping to catch sight of his destination. In the distance he saw fog rising from the ground, a welcome sight to his tiring body.
He slowed as he approached the chasm, searching for the bridge. He found it still upright, but covered in moss and vines. Some of the boards looked rotted, and some were missing altogether. Wordsmith placed a tentative hoof on the bridge, at the same time grabbing hold of his magic in case something went terribly wrong. Placing more weight on his hoof, he found that the bridge still felt solid enough to hold him. Heaving a sigh of relief, he began to cross to the other side.
“Halt, traitor! You have committed crimes against the crown! Resign yourself to the law!”
Wordsmith cursed to himself as he weighed his options. On one hoof, he was halfway across the bridge, almost to the other side. But, any move by him could provoke a violent response from the guards. On the other hoof, if he didn’t move, he was as good as lost.
Celestia help me...
An idea sprung into Wordsmith’s head. He planted his back hooves firmly on a plank, tensing himself. He then used them and the plank to spring forward, hoping to leap to the opposing side. However, halfway through pushing off the plank broke in half, leaving him without enough momentum to make it to the other side. He fell heavily onto the last few planks of the bridge, causing them to creak. Scrambling to his feet and onto solid ground, he narrowly escaped as bolts of magic slammed into the bridge where he had been, shattering it.
Not wanting the possibility of the guards crossing after him, he reached down with his magic an unsheathed a short knife from a hoof-sheath.
"Weapon! He is armed, commander. I advise use of lethal force.”
“Affirmative.”
Wordsmith quickly cut the ropes holding the bridge, letting it fall into the chasm. He dropped to the ground, once again narrowly escaping bolts of magic, this time glowing red with lethal enchantments. He rolled to the right, again dodging blasts of magic.
Buck! Combat magic! The one time Blades isn’t here to protect me...
Wordsmith rolled to the left, with the red bolts kicking up dust where he had been moments before.
Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic and craftiest of the Elements, if there is an afterlife, if you can hear me, please, please help me.
Wordsmith lept to his feet and jumped back, a red bolt landing in between his splayed forehooves. He took a few steps back and rolled to the right, casting his eyes to the sky. There he saw the two pegasi attempting to sneak to a vantage point from which to grab him.
Buck me. Buck my useless horn, buck my useless body. I’m not a fighter, and I can’t flee, what can I do?!
Wordsmith lept to his feet again, desperately searching for a way out. Unknowingly, or perhaps by supernatural intervention, he cast a “state of nature spell,” which allowed him to see temperature gradients, air density differences, relative humidity, wind currents, and the like. His mind clicked into overdrive as he saw his chance. He shot a heat spell into the surrounding air, raising the ambient temperature to the dew point. Fog rapidly appeared, concealing him from the hostile spells of the unicorns. He looked to the sky, noting the pegasi as the only remaining threat. He saw a temperature imbalance caused by their presence in the air, and immediately saw how to take care of them. He swallowed, then sent another heat spell to the area directly above them, this time drawing heat from the area. The rapid temperature change caused a sudden downdraft, removing lift from the pegasi’s wings. They tumbled from the sky, screaming in fear as they fell into the chasm. Wordsmith steeled himself for what he knew would come next. The screaming stopped suddenly with a resounding thud and the crunch of ruined armor.
“I’m sorry. So, so sorry.” he whispered, shaking a tear from his eye.
Wordsmith walked in a straight line from the bridge until he saw the gray, ruin of a castle. Mist swathed its crumbled battlements and fallen stones from the walls lay covered in the surrounding undergrowth. Stumbling into the ancient castle, Wordsmith located the spell gem in the entry court and activated it, raising a magical barrier around the premises. He then went down into the dark maze of corridors under the main hall, following the directions of the last letter. His hooves echoed eerily down the halls and he was forced to use his torch to burn through the mess of cobwebs. He found and pressed the red stone that the letter described, opening a hidden niche in the wall. Looking inside, he saw the final scroll wrapped in a dragonfire seal. He opened it and began to read:
Dear Princess Celestia...