My Little Pony: Friendship is Adventure
Prologue: Storm
“Are you certain of this, Sol?” A horn glowed through the dark, lifting the moon into its place, “Is sheltering the citizens better than permitting their desires?”
An alicorn mare gazed hopefully at her life partner, patches of her blue coat shone beneath a glow converging over her. Her sky blue mane was draped over one side, riding the gentle wind, now bathed in a moon, starting to rise, filling the room in soft light and illuminating them both.
Before her stood a proud stallion, a mane like flame coursing over his snow white coat, surveying all his kingdom. The hall drew out around him, soaking in the wistful night lights and glow of distant lanterns. The Hall of the Sun offered the same view, but he’d always preferred it from here. To him, this place had no rival when graced by night’s gentle watch.
However, his look wasn’t so peaceful, “After what nightmares they’ve brought us, it is best they live only for their future.” He turned to reassure her, “But this won’t mean a slothful life. All shall have their appointed tasks; the pegasi will tend to our skies, the earth ponies to their farms, and unicorns shall aid in all efforts.”
“...And what of us? We are the last of our kind, do we have a place?”
“Nocta...” He brought a loving hoof to her mane, “We do as we must. We help our people forget the war, and to guide them with the light of my sun and your moon. Is there more noble a purpose?”
Her reassured gaze followed his to the kingdom below, content that her job for this night was finished. She lacked his confidence and composure, but he was enough of that for the both of them. She knew that so long as she was with Sol, things would turn out fine, and she accepted this with a gentle smile that he wouldn’t see, only feel.
“Sol...”
“Yes, Nocta?”
“Our children, what would they think of us? Of all this?”
“What any innocent child will: that what we’ve done is foalish, hard and cowardly.” He smiled, “But they will grow up, and when they do, they’ll be better than we were. And I don’t doubt that theirs will be even greater.”
Nocta sighed into the night sky, hiding a reassured smile, and watched the approach of storm clouds in the distance.
---===~~~~~===---
Wind hissed through cracking branches and leaves danced across the Everfree floor. The storm overhead drowned the world in its whimsical flashes, pouring rain from its wild clouds. In the middle of its chaos, was a lone blue equine, equipped with only a horn and a broken heart, trudging through the thick downpour, through and through.
As the curtain of rain folded around her, draping a soaked mane through slicked grass, she stumbled into a muddy puddle and found no strength to rise back to her hooves. She gazed up through the downpour in resignation, a gloomy world loomed over her, and with it the ghosts that haunted her.
They were memories. Memories of the great and powerful showmare she’d been. Memories of stardom, fame and recognition -- or were those dreams? It didn’t matter. She’d lost herself to the fantasy of success and fortune, mistaking the chatter of rain for the cheering of fans. To her, the stars all shined for her, up there in that endless sky. But it all came crashing down with the image of that lavendar mare, trudging over it all. The cold sorely reminded her she was alone, hungry and exhausted. Survival, at this point, was nothing more than an afterthought in the darkness that swept at her, and finally, it came. A last tear fled her eyes, and once it found the puddle beneath her, she graced the world with her parting breath, and off to sleep she went.
The great and powerful Trixie was gone.
But was she truly alone? From behind the overgrowth that danced in the wind, a creature watched. It leapt at her, bearing a glowing horn and its wings spread to shelter her from the wet and cold. Her body lifted in his embrace, as he set off with her under wing, and off into the depths of the Everfree they disappeared.
Suddenly, she fought for a breath, to the creature’s delight and he quickened his pace. A smile graced his face as he muttered silent assurances like a parent to their child. His deep voice accompanied by a slight smile.
“You’ll be fine, young one.”
You’ll be fine.
Friendship is Adventure
A fan-fic by houka-hearts-kinzoku and hlissner.
- I -
Rain
He got used to the rain.
Getting wet was never his idea of a good time, but on that day -- the day he met that peculiar unicorn sulking beneath the storm, he learnt the rain wasn’t always so bad. It always meant that she’d be looking for shelter, always meant she’d stumble across his little hut, and always meant he’d be waiting there to welcome her in.
And she might’ve appeared demanding, always condescending, demanding to be dried and fed before the sun came out. Then, when it did, she’d announce that her great and powerful self needed to continue her search for fame and she’d be gone before he could even have a say.
But after nightfall, she’d always come back, just as tired, lonely and--sometimes---soaked as she’d been the day they met. None of that mattered to him, however. He was happy so long as she returned to offer him the company that was scarcely found in the Everfree.
Like any other day, today’s rain brushed against the trees outside, while the fireplace crackled warmly within. There, the lonely blue unicorn sat gazing into the flames, while the stallion stood by the window. He adjusted his square glasses again, stealing a shy glance at her, contours outlined by the fire’s gentle glow. More than that, he wanted to do something about that solemn look on her face, and cleared his throat to address her.
“So.” He said, forcing an awkward smile, “Where do you come from?”
He cleared his expression, knowing it probably wasn’t anything like he’d practiced, discouraged by the unicorn’s silence.
“I-I live in the east.” He added.
Suddenly, hope! She stirred, just slightly, her eyes rose to meet his, “East.” she echoed blankly, trying to place his lack of accent.
“Y-yes.”
“How far east?”
“Far east.”
“Stalliongrad? Detrot?” She looked irritated, “You don’t sound like a Tramplevanian.”
He enjoyed stringing her along, “Further.”
“F-Foal Chi Min?” She blinked as she thought, What is this? A geography test?
“More.” He wondered if he was overdoing it.
“Neighpon?”
He gestured to keep going.
“Agh! Do you live in the sea?” She wondered what his cape was hiding and shot him her own nervous glance, “You’re... not a seapony, are you?”
“Good heavens, no!” He sighed, “I suppose not many know what’s beyond that sea.” He wondered if he could show it to her, “Would you like to see?”
The prospect of travel brought stars to her eyes, “You’ll take me there?”
He blinked, “I mean, I have a map.”
She was a little disappointed, but not discouraged, dashing to his side with a hearty nod. “Show me!”
The stallion beamed at the opportunity to impress her, and floated a parchment from his junk-heap at his saddle’s side.
Was that a saddlebag? Trixie thought, ignoring the fact he used magic and grabbing the map out of the air with her own magic to roll it out before her.
She was baffled by the map’s detail; it offering her an overhead view of Equestria, the lands to its east and then, a white border cutting through the sea. She squinted at the small writing to read out names.
“Fi-... Fillyppines... Mareysia.... Coltstralia... I’ve never heard--” She muttered, realizing her words, “--I mean, I’m surprised there are places I’ve yet to grace with my presence!”
But her excitement trailed off as she studied further, observing islands and archipelagos, continents and countries, places she’d never known until now.
Suddenly, a spur of inspiration and a second chance at stardom. Thought buzzed through her head -- an adventure to where no pony would interfere. To a place without lavender unicorns or ursa minors, a place where she might be able to start anew. But...
“You’re not showing this to great-and-powerful-Trixie...” She eyed him suspiciously, “...just to make a name for yourself, are you?”
The stallion stared blankly at her, trying his hardest not to chuckle. Trixie couldn’t tell, taking it for puzzlement, wonder, or maybe he was just gawking at her beauty. She couldn’t have been closer to the truth if it hit her in the face, and little did either of them know what they shared: conviction.
“I don’t find amusement in impressing anyponies.” He smiled proudly, “Adventure is my calling, and I find no greater enjoyment than that.”
Disappointed, Trixie looked away, at least that leaves all the fame for me.
After all, she was the story teller, the inspiring, oh-too-wonderful, great and powerful Trixie. Of course I was, she thought, I’ll go on adventures and return with proof! That’s it. I don’t need to make stories up, it’s so easy. Why didn’t I think of it sooner?
But the map was the ticket. Would he notice if she took it?
She considered it, glancing at the map then at him to ensure he was preoccupied. Sure enough, he was tampering with his rustbags, but before she made her move, doubt shot through her mind. Would it be that easy to just up and go? No, I need a guide.
“Stallion, I have decided!” She announced, “The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to travel there, past the Imperial seas, to... to...” She paused stifling a blush, as he approached with his rustbags.
“To the east.”
“Uh, yes. A-and you will be my guide! We should get going immediately.”
He stifled a laugh, “One does not simply walk to my homeland.”
The stallion floated a roll of parchment from his bag, thickly binding several pages. On it were diagrams of what Trixie thought looked like an elongated egg with two holes behind it. On a second page was another diagram of the same, but this time with triangular planks attached to its sides. Over each diagram the title, “Gulliver” was written out in tasteful cursive.
“Y-you don’t seriously expect me to ride such a ridiculous contraption, do you?” She asked, boring down her unconvinced gaze at diagrams that could very well have been gibberish to her.
“It is a necessity, I’m afraid. There’s no other way to cross the ley line.”
“Hey rind?”
“Ley line.”
“That is what I said! ...H-hey line?” She pouted, “What’s a l-ley line?”
He scratched his mane and explained, “A magical barrier of sorts. Impossible to cross by conventional means. Too high to bound, too deep to sneak underneath, too powerful for even the mightiest of unicorns to penetrate.”
“Surely, it would be a piece of cake for me!” She didn’t notice him hide his smile, shooting him her unconvinced look, “Although, assuming it is that... difficult to cross, how did you cross it?”
After all, he isn’t great and powerful, she thought, ...right? He smirked, one hoof on his diagram.
“With this.”
---===~~~~~===---
“SPIIIIIIKE!!” yelled the lavender unicorn, “I’m already behind by a month!”
She rushed her search for a particular book, which should’ve been easy in a library. Should’ve.
“Where’d you last see it?” Spike replied dryly.
“I... I don’t remember!” She whined, “Confound those ponies, how do you lose a book in a library!?” The purple unicorn changed course, maybe another book, any book -- a back issue or old revision would do, but nope. Not even that.
“Uhm... Twili-“
“What!?” She snapped.
“I-I found the book...”
She beamed, her eyes darting across the room. “W-where!?”
“It’s uhm...” Spike tried to repress a laugh, pointing at a sticky pink goo plastered across her back, and on it, the elusive book.
She screamed, “H-how!? Bubblegum!? AUGH! EW!“
“HI Twilight!” A filly’s voice went unheard.
“It will take me FOREVER to conjure the right kind or magic to peel this off properly!!” Twilight whined, “Spike, can you go get my-“ As her eyes settled on the little white filly looking up at her, she stifled a blush, brought out a nervous smile and cleared her throat, “Y-yes Sweetie Belle?”
“Are you ok, Twi?” her voice filled with concern.
“Ha. Ha, yes. O-of course! I’m fine!” Twilight replied with an awkward smile. “What can I do for you?”
“Twilight... I’ve been wondering...” She’d already forgotten Twilight’s predicament. “How was Equestria made?”
“What do you mean...?” replied the almost puzzled purple unicorn.
“Like, how was Equestria made? How was it founded? Who actually called it Equestria?”
Twilight Sparkle found herself silenced for a while. Of all the fillies that might have asked her, this question was obviously out of Sweetie Belle’s character. Well, she was usually curious, yes. But what would drive her to ask something like this. This didn’t exactly sound so random nor did it fit in any of the Cutie Mark Crusader’s ideals of finding their cutie marks. Twilight was now more concerned with why rather than the question itself.
“Why do you ask?”
“It just popped into my head and it’s been bugging me all day.”
Twilight shrugged it off, turning to search for another book to aid the explanation of Equestria’s history. The book, bathed in purple light, floated from a shelf and towards them. The dragon knew what a book session meant, so he escaped upstairs and slipped into his bed to sneak a quick nap.
Twilight turned to the first page and read, “Three thousand years ago...”
---===~~~~~===---
“So you’re saying...” said Trixie as she adjusted her weighty saddlebags, “...That the Princess didn’t create Equestria? And that it’s not flat?”
The stallion looked back with a brief nod, walking comfortably despite his larger, rusty saddlebags.
“The world has many mysteries.” He said confidently, carefully removing a rock from Trixie’s path, “Some mysteries are fabrications by the royal family. Though I sincerely doubt Celestia or her sister are aware of it -- many have become secrets to generations past.”
Meanwhile, Trixie was considering how willing he was to help her.
They maneuvered through the Everfree’s narrow paths and thick foliage, three days behind them. They eventually emerged into open fields when Trixie realized she’d gone further than she ever had. She tried to imagine what she might find in Glascow, let alone the lost continent of...
“What was it called again?” The colt shot her a curious look, he’d already explained it to her, over and over. “T-the Great and Powerful Trixie demands to know!”
The stallion chuckled. Seeing her that way reminded him of a certain pagasus from home.
“The Republic Continent of Asura.”
“Thank you,” she replied, staying behind him. She imagined how hot it must’ve been in that cloak of his. Why did he always wear it? But with other thoughts contending for her attention, she shrugged it off. “But why to Glascow. Aren’t we supposed to be going east?”
The stallion turned with a sigh, “Were you not listening to a word I had said before we left?”
She cocked her head, “T-the Great and Powerful Trixie was busy packing.”
The stallion sank his head, preparing to explain again.
“We need parts to repair the Gulliver. I have an... acquaintance in Glascow who may be abe to help us. Assuming all goes well, we ought to be off to Ovisica soon after.”
Trixie paused, the words had gone over her a second time, but she kept her usual tone. “Then the Great and Powerful Trixie shall not accept anymore delays! Off to Glascow we go, and then to Ovisica!” She suddenly rushed forward disregarding the weight on her back.
The stallion pursued, keeping his cloak tucked close to his body. He was hiding himself from the sunlight, or so he’d like Trixie to think. His horn began to glow a light blue as the weight lifted off his back. Meanwhile, Trixie continued her rush until--
She screamed. A misplaced hoof broke her concentration and her load toppled from side to side. Before she knew it, she’d lost her balance and she fell to the ground--no, a cliffside. And now she was sliding down it endlessly toward a much steeper lip.
The stallion lept, “Trixie!” as he released his heavy saddlebags and jumped over and after her. As she fell she shouted, desperately clawing at dirt and reaching out with her magic without success. Her panic and weight pulled her further, foiling any desperate attempt to stop as she finally slipped of a steeper lip further below. The stallion followed, grabbing hold of her mid-air as they plummeted.
“W-what are you doing!?” She cried, “You’ll get both of us killed!“
In a dashing display, his cloak flew open, revealing a pair of wings, granting them lift and carried them to safety. The saddlebags followed, enveloped in his magic, as he observed the unconscious unicorn in his hooves. She’d only fainted from the shock, to his relief -- at least she was alright. But now he had something new to carry.
---===~~~~~===---
“Fine mare ya carryin’ ‘round there, bud.” jested one of the bulls. The hotel still had that vibe, just like how he had last seen it so long ago. “Lemme guess. Two for a nigh’, gone in the morning, mare goes down them stairs, and ya’d never be back.”
The bull sported large horns with silver engravings. Beneath them were huge brown eyes that complemented his fur although with a deeper hue. His low voice came with a thick accent, uniquely complimented by his height, but what the stallion couldn’t forget was the history between them. The two were friends from a more tragic times.
“If you’re still bitter ‘bout me and Agape, I’ve apologized all I can, Chic.” He sighed. By now, he could tell when Chic was sarcastic. “I didn’t mean to leave her like that. Something just... Came up.”
“Whatever i’ was, ya broke her heart there. And I ain’t lettin that just slide me by. So you ‘n me’s got some unfinished bus’ness ta settle.”
“Later, please?” He pleaded, “Let me get her a bed first.”
“Right. She got nuthin’ ta do with us. Get ‘er to two sev’nteen.” The bull tossed a key to the stallion, who proceeded to collect the saddlebags in his mouth. His back was already taken by a certain unconscious unicorn.
“Meet me at the ol’ place.” The bull added as the stallion disappeared up the stairs.
The door clicked open, revealing a familiar room; reminding him of old times.
“Home again...” he muttered, taking great care to lay Trixie on the bed before tucking her in.
The amber hue of the sunlight suggested nightfall was approaching, and it made him feel uneasy. The nagging memory of a home far away slept in the light of dusk, and he yearned for it, but as a knock snapped him back to reality, it all sank into the back of his mind.
He turned to the door, peered through the looking glass and was greeted by ghost of his past. Not so sure to believe his eyes, he studied her. A deep blue unicorn, a golden headband fixed her blue bangs in place, as a bun rose up behind her mane. Her horn was broken, half of it shattered, and likely for long enough to have had healed a fair bit. At least, it didn’t look so painful now, he thought. But despite all that there was sadness in those blue eyes, if the pouting lips weren’t a dead giveaway.
Opening the door, he muttered her name in shock, “Serena.” He took another breath, “Serenata Agape...”
There was no mistaking it, that bubbles on heart cutie mark was one of a kind and so was her voice..
“It’s been a long time...” A smile. “A very long time....”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Friendship is Adventure: A fan-fic by houka-hearts-kinzoku and hlissner.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic© - Property of Hasbro - Produced by Lauren Faust
