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“Hey! Give it BACK!”
The elder mare sighed. Patience is indeed a virtue.
She watched over the children with growing amusement, and slight annoyance, as they tumbled with each other, fighting over a small doll.
“No! It’s mine! Mine! Mi—whoah!”
A filly and a colt. Two sides of the same coin, they represented harmony. At least, if they weren’t squabbling over a petty little figurine, she thought.
She sighed again, lethargically lifting herself off the ground, and made her way to the pair. “All right you two, pack it in. Your mother said you wanted to hear a story, didn’t she?”
“Mother says a lot of things,” the colt grumbled. He sat down where he was, tightly holding the doll as his sister tried to wrench it out of his grip.
The oldest of the three finally held out her hoof to the current possessor of the doll, who, after a moment’s hesitation, surrendered it to her. She looked over it, taking in every detail, the green cap and tunic, the cute little sword sheath, and the surprisingly well detailed blue shield.
Despite all that has happened, a relic remains.
She looked over their little abode, feeling humbled. Behind her was the porch to the simple house she had built. Well, she couldn’t take all the credit for its construction. She had friends every step of the way. After all, what good is there in having a creation but no one to share it with?
Surrounding her was the beautiful flora that resided in the forest. There was nary a spot on the ground that wasn’t covered in healthy, green grass, or the small flowering plants. It all culminated around the pond that resided near the centre of the clearing. She smirked as she watched the ripples in the water, knowing exactly what they signified.
Her humble dwelling was not alone in the place, as it was surrounded by similar constructions. A little further away, however, were homes carved out of the stumps of old, giant trees that once populated the forest. Beyond them were simply regular trees, stretching out as far as the eye could see. They twisted and turned, in a way that was scarily complicated, yet beautifully natural. She breathed in deeply, savouring the peace and—
“Miss! You said you were gonna tell us a story!” A belligerent tone interrupted her serenity. I’m sure I’ll get used to this someday.
“Yes, I suppose I did. Now, sit down, and I’ll tell you all about them. Including this certain pony’s adventure,” she said, holding up the figurine for the young ponies to see.
“Ooh! You keep not telling us about it, being all secretive and stuff,” the filly remarked.
“And for good reason. Some of the things in this story are really only for grown-ups to hear—” she feigned a nervous look around before focusing back on the two, “—but I think I can tell you most of it. As long as it stays our little secret, how does that sound?”
The duo looked at each other before nodding, and replied “We promise,” in unison.
The mare cleared her throat before saying, “Once upon a time—”
“Aw, not one of these again!”
She sighed once again. Shifting her position in order to become more comfortable, she stared into the eyes of the foals. Despite their apparent dislike of her stories’ ‘boring’ beginnings, she knew they’d come around. They always did. She knew that, eventually, their eyes would be full of wonder and they would beg her to continue, if only she could keep them still for a moment.
“My dear little ponies, many classic tales have begun with those four, timeless words. You may see them many times throughout your lives, repeating over and over, but they will always hold a certain weight to them.” She held up the model of the pony in green. “They serve as a vessel, a means of transportation to other ponies’ lives, told purely through word of mouth. But it’s not how a story begins, or even how it ends, but it’s the journey that should be really important. Sometimes we only see what really makes us happy when we have to fight for it.”
She broke into a grin. “I won’t pretend this to be one of those legendary, classical tales. But one thing I can promise you is that every word is true, and it has impacted all of our lives.” She paused for a moment, and stole a glance towards the ripples in the pond. Looking deeply into their eyes once again, enticing their attention, she continued, “Even for those who were not born yet.”
Turning up towards the sun that was slowly making its way across the sky, she pondered for a moment. “There is a lot to tell. It could take the rest of the day, or possibly many more to come. But we won’t know for sure until we take the first step on our journey now, will we?”
Finally, the mare gestured for the two to sit down comfortably, and also did so herself, resting her body against the soft grass. “Now, though you may have heard the story of our land many times, I do believe that it’s a fitting accompaniment to this tale. I believe I should start there.”
The foals rolled their eyes for a moment, before snapping to attention again. The older pony blinked. Since when did I gather their attention so well? Wasting no more time, she began.
“Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, a sacred six Elements rose to power. Together, they were guided by the alicorn princesses in aiding their home, driving back many evils that plagued their borders. They were hailed as heroes, champions of their time.
“Until one day, the alicorns vanished, and Equestria fell.”
