A war will be fought on cold, barren lands,
with a foe whose kind has been covered in sands.
Sparks must fly in the unavoidable clash,
lest the world become covered in ash.
Harmony alone cannot again end the strife.
Worlds must be crossed to save everypony's life.
Twilight's eyes flew open, the last stanza trailing off, echoing in her ears. As she sat up in her bed, she couldn't help but replay the ominous poem once more in her head. "Strange," she thought to herself, "I've been hearing that poem in my sleep for over a week now. It's gotten to the point that I can repeat it word for word. Honestly, it's actually starting to creep me out."
Twilight bit her lip, deciding how she should react to the poem. "It definitely sounds suspicious though. A war? A kind covered in sand? Worlds... crossing? Ugh, I just can't think straight right now!" Looking to the window, Twilight realized that it was still very late at night, Luna's moon still high in the sky. "And for Celestia's sake, this is the tenth time I've been woken in the middle of the night because of that poem," she muttered under her breath, keeping in mind that Spike was sleeping in his bed only a small distance away from her own.
"This has gone on long enough," Twilight concluded. "First thing tomorrow, I'm heading down to Canterlot and discussing this with the Princess. Even if it is just a silly poem, the fact that I've been dreaming of nothing but it for so long, there's got to be something more to it. I've never even heard the poem before! It just came to me out of nowhere in my dreams."
Twilight yawned, and glanced back at the window. "Well, I better try to get some sleep while I still have the chance tonight. Otherwise, I may not be able to stay awake while talking with the princess." Twilight's eyelids started to droop, and she slid back down onto her bed as she let her weariness bring her ever closer to sleep. "I just hope that, whatever this poem is, it doesn't have anything to do with us. The last thing we need is to be faced with disaster once again after such a long period of peace.
"Ugh, this is so boring!" I muttered under my breath. "Why can't they ever find anything interesting to teach about in these schools? Half this stuff I already know, and the other half I can learn in half the time it takes everyone else! I don't even see why I need to come to school in the first place." Glancing down at my watch, I find there's only five more minutes of boredom to suffer through. "Come on," I breathed under my breath, now staring at my watch intently as if it would speed up time, "Just a bit more..."
"Zeke." I looked up as I heard my name called. I had never liked the name, but it was the only thing that my parents had left me with, other than my lazy, inconsiderate uncle. Even my only memories of them were from when I was very little, I still missed them, and would try my best to hold on to anything I had left of them.
Bringing my attention back to the teacher, she had probably caught me not paying attention to the lesson, and had most likely called me in hopes to make me stay in class until after the bell rang. "Oh, good, you can hear me." She said in her usual sarcastic tone. I smirked as I gazed back at the teacher. Math was always my academic strong suit, and as a result, my math teachers generally became my favorites. "Can you please solve the problem on the board?"
Glancing at the board, I noticed a long and complex equation written out in chalk. Taking a peek at my watch, I noticed there were only two minutes left of school. No pressure, I thought to myself jokingly.
(15*4+27)x+239 = x+(20*20+9*9+4*4)
I sighed heavily, and for a second I thought I saw a glimmer of success in the teacher's eyes. Sorry, but I'm not staying here a second longer than I have to.
Many people tell me that you should do math on paper. I find it a waste of time, effort, and trees. Staring at the board, numbers started flying through my head. I glanced at my watch. Ten seconds. I beamed with accomplishment. "X equals three." I stated gleefully. Simple algebra mixed in with a few squared numbers, nothing too hard. Five seconds. I bent down, grabbed my backpack, threw it over my back, and stood up in one fluid, practiced motion, then started for the classroom door. That's when I realized no one had gotten up early for the release bell like they usually do. Glancing back over my shoulder, I noticed the slack-jawed expressions on my classmates' faces. I chuckled under my breath.
Everyone was always surprised by my skill, and to no surprise either. I was always at the top of the class, and not just in math. Straight As all throughout my school years thus-far, I'm what most people would call a geek, and I am proud to be one. "Rather a geek than an idiot," was always my counter to anyone who insulted me, of which there were many.
I was never a very "popular" student at my school. In fact, most everyone in my school was either threatened by me or hated my guts. I never cared too much about the insults though, just a bunch of immature children who can't deal with the fact that I'm actually succeeding in where they are failing miserably.
Then my thoughts snapped back to the present. Something is off, I'm sure of it. Why hasn't the release bell rang yet? I checked my watch again. "N-no way! How?! How is there still five seconds left?!"
I turned around, looking back at my classmates. Everyone still had the same dumbfound expressions. The EXACT same. Not a single change has been made on any of their faces. There was no movement, no sound, nothing. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was standing in the middle of a very well made statue garden.
“What’s going on? Is time frozen? That’s not possible, is it?” Just as I finished talking, the classroom door flew open. However, instead of the hallway that should have been there, there was nothing but a dark void. Before I could even question what was going on, I was picked up by an unseen force and instantly thrown into the void. In that exact moment, I lost consciousness.
Author's Note
Before I say anything, I just want to note that I made the first draft of this chapter approximately two years ago. While reading through my rough draft recently, I couldn't stop kicking myself over how many errors I found and how rough and unpolished it felt. But after going through it with a fine-tooth comb, I think I may have smoothed it out to the point where I am generally okay with it.
Also, while I have written a few stories before, this story is the first story I will be publishing to an official site dedicated to stories like this. I am not asking you to be nice because of either of these facts, however. I don't want a bunch of hollow praise or sugar-coated truth just because it's my first story. If you're going to praise it, I'd like it to be honest. If you're going to criticize it, then go right ahead, though I'd be more appreciative of constructive criticism. Don't fear for me by treating me kindly because you're afraid I will give up if I get nothing positive about the story. No matter what feedback I get, I WILL be continuing this story. It is something I am doing because I want to. Anyone who likes my story is just an added bonus in my book. So please, when leaving a comment, be honest.
"Celestia?" Twilight called as she cracked open the grand doorway leading to the princess' throne room. "You in here?" Twilight was determined to get that confounded poem off her mind if it was the last thing she did. While it might have been a bit out of the way to take the long train ride from Ponyville to Canterlot to see her mentor, she just couldn't put up with letting those stanzas keep waking her up in the middle of the night anymore.
"Ah, Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight heard Celestia's voice calling from further into the throne room. "I wasn't expecting you. Yes, I'm here. Please, come in."
Relieved and, honestly, a little gleeful to hear her old mentor's invitation, Twilight opened the door with her magic enough for her to slide into the throne room, then gently closed the door behind her. She immediately found Celestia sitting in her throne, a pile of scrolls sitting beside it. As Twilight approached her mentor, she noticed that a few of the scrolls were unevenly closed, most likely from being hastily re-rolled. Once she was close enough to talk without raising her voice, she nodded her head in greeting to Celestia. "I'm sorry if interrupted your reading. You seem quite busy at the moment." Twilight nodded towards the pile of scrolls, finding they were piled up nearly as high as herself.
Celestia chuckled. "Oh, don't worry about that. Nothing's more important to me than a visit from my favorite princess." Celestia let out a sigh and visibly relaxed, seeming somewhat relieved. "You hardly ever visit me face-to-face anymore. While I do appreciate your many letters, there are quite a few things a quill and paper alone cannot express."
Twilight flinched as she sat in front of Celestia, stung with the guilt of not coming to visit her more often. "I-I'm sorry. It's just... Things in Ponyville have been-"
Celestia waved her hoof, seemingly brushing away the apology. Once Twilight had stopped, a warm smile spread across her mentor's muzzle. "Oh, don't worry about apologizing to me. You're here now, and that's all that matters." Celestia then donned an obviously over-dramatic face of intrigue, bringing a hoof under her chin, making Twilight giggle slightly. "Now, please continue with your last sentence. I'd love to hear how things in Ponyville have been."
Twilight brightened up considerably. Even though she hadn't come to see her mentor for quite a while, Celestia was still making an obvious attempt to keep her comfortable. Guess I can't really call it an attempt if she's succeeding.
"Things in Ponyville have been going great! The weather team has been keeping mostly on schedule, and a few new local businesses opened up recently. Of course, with Mayor Mare running all the major local events, there's been a few hiccups along the road, but nothing more than that."
"That's good to hear." Celestia raised her other hoof to her chin, keeping her upper body levitating in mid-air using her magic, prompting another giggle from Twilight. "And your friends?"
"Well, Applejack has been keeping up with her work at Sweet Apple Acres, so not much has changed with her."
"That's good to hear. As popular as Sweet Apple Acres has been getting, they need an honest working pony keeping things in order."
"Rainbow Dash has been going off to Cloudsdale quite often to practice her flying with the Wonderbolts, but they've been lenient and kind enough to let her stay around Ponyville during her time off."
"As loyal as she is to her friends, I doubt she'd have even joined them if it meant losing you all in the process."
"Rarity's still as into her dressmaking as ever. In fact, I believe she's been thinking of creating her very own catalog to get delivered to her regular customers so they don't have to travel all the way to Carousel Boutique every time they want to make a purchase."
"Both an ingenious marketing idea and a generous option to her clients. Quite commendable."
"Fluttershy's been taking care of her animals as always. Not much has changed with her either, besides finding a couple other injured animals and nursing them back to health."
"Ah, Fluttershy. Kind and caring as ever, it seems."
"As for Pinkie Pie..."
Celestia lowered her front slightly with her magic and cocked one of her eyebrows, giving her the impression of leaning in due to interest. "Hmm?"
"Well, she's just as crazy, random, and energetic as ever."
"Anything to get just a little bit of laughter in everyone's day." Celestia chuckled. "So, now that I’m caught up to speed with your friends, I get the feeling this visit isn't just for a casual chat?"
Twilight shook her head slowly. Although she loved talking with her best friend, she did have to admit, rarely did she ever travel all the way to Canterlot simply to converse. She made a mental note to start scheduling more regular visits. "No, it's just something that's been bugging me for the past month."
"Oh?" Celestia dropped the fake expression she had been wearing while they had been talking earlier, now looking genuinely curious. "And what is it, Twilight?"
Twilight was somewhat hesitant, now that the focus had been draw directly to her. Although it seemed like something more, the thing that brought her here was, after all, simply a poem from her dreams. "I-I'm sure it's nothing, but..."
"Come now, Twilight. The mere fact you brought this up to me personally tells me you don't think it's nothing. Don't worry, whatever it is, I'm sure it seems important to you, and I'll be sure to treat it as such."
"Well..." Twilight struggled to put the words together in the right way. She knew they meant something to her, but verbalizing her concerns were a different matter entirely. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. If anything, she should start with the facts, the things that couldn't be questioned or misinterpreted, then work from there. "You see, for the past month, I've been getting the same dream."
Celestia tilted her head to one side. "Every night?"
Twilight shook her head. "No, not quite every single night, but often enough to make me suspicious that it's more than a dream."
"And it's the same dream every time?"
"The same exact dream. No deviations whatsoever."
"Yes, that definitely is enough to warrant some suspicion of a deeper meaning." Celestia closed her eyes, as if pondering something. "So what is this dream?"
"A poem."
"A poem?"
"Yes, a poem. Six stanzas, each pair of two rhyming."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"You wouldn't be able to recite it by memory by any chance, would you?"
Of course I can! Twilight bit back her retort. Although she was flustered, it was because of the poem, not Celestia, and she wasn't going to blow up at her mentor because of it. "I'll try." Twilight began mulling something over. "Although, it wouldn't hurt to have it down on paper."
"One step ahead of you." Celestia's horn began glowing with a golden aura, and a short distance away, Twilight could hear a quill being dipped in an ink pot.
"As always." Twilight chuckled teasingly. She then began raking her mind for the exact words of the poem. "I think I got it. You ready?"
"And waiting." Celestia winked at Twilight.
"Alright." Twilight cleared her throat. "A war will be fought on cold, barren lands, with a foe who's kind has been covered in sands. Sparks must fly in the unavoidable clash, lest the world become covered in ash. Harmony alone cannot again end the strife. Dimensions must merge to save everypony's life."
Celestia sat silently, eyes closed, listening intently to poem as she wrote it down on paper. Once Twilight was finished, Celestia opened her eyes and looked to her, eyes brimming with curiosity. She levitated the paper with the poem over to her, and scanned it over once more in silence. "This..." Celestia began, not tearing her eyes from the poem for even a moment. "This seems like a prophecy."
Twilight tilted her head curiously. "A... prophecy?"
"Yes." Celestia looked up from the poem. "An ominous and foreboding prophecy, but a prophecy nonetheless."
"But..." Twilight was dumbfounded. Of course, she had come up with that same conclusion initially, but something just didn't make sense. "How am I able to come up with a prophecy myself?"
"That is a curious thing, I agree, but there can be many explanations."
"Really?"
"Yes. It could be that, by chance, you are completely in tune with the sender of the prophecy. It could be the fact that your magical abilities have finally grown strong enough to receive stray prophecies. It could even be that you will be directly affected by the prophecy. Regardless of how you received it though, we should not completely ignore it."
"So, what should we do now?" Twilight hadn't expected the poem to really turn out to be a prophecy, and didn't know what Celestia was planning now that the conversation had gone down this path. Very rarely were prophecies received by princesses. In fact, the most recent prophecy was of Nightmare Moon's return, and that was written in "Mare in the Moon" countless ages ago.
"Hmm." Celestia comically rubbed her hoof under her chin. "Well, we could attempt to decipher it from what we know currently."
"A-Alright." Twilight felt herself shaking slightly, although she was unsure of whether it was due to foreboding, anxiety, excitement, or perhaps even a mixture of the three.
Celestia looked back to the prophecy. "Let's start going down the stanzas. 'A war will be fought on cold, barren lands.'"
"That line seems like it needs no further interpretation." Twilight noted. "The meaning is written clear as day."
"Hmm... I'd prefer not having to participate in a war, but if this poem turns out being true... Also, I wonder what these 'cold, barren lands' are?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Twilight thought about the phrase. Winter was a ways away, so either it was telling of a location outside of the Equestrian borders, or it was a prophecy intended for a much later date.
"You're right, not much to go on. Next, 'with a foe who's kind has been covered in sands.'" Celestia thought on this for a moment, then put on a teasing look. "But I don't think I buried a whole kingdom during my reign." Celestia joked.
"Perhaps the sands it refers to are metaphorical, like the sands of time?" Twilight suggested.
Celestia nodded. "Yes, kind that was thought to be extinct makes much more sense than a whole species being buried simultaneously. Although... I can't be too sure that hasn't happened before." She chuckled to herself, Twilight nervously joining in for a moment. "Anyways, stanza number three. 'Sparks must fly in the unavoidable clash,' Huh..."
"I guess that means the war really is inevitable." Twilight didn't like the thought, and already she imagined crossing swords with a figure shrouded in mystery, sparks flying off every which way as the heavy blades of metal collided with terrifying force.
Celestia didn't seem too interested in Twilight's comment though, mumbling to herself, half-lidded eyes blank as though she seemed to be thinking something over. "Sparks... surely it can't mean-"
Twilight raised an eyebrow as her mentor became lost in thought. Rarely did that ever happen, as Celestia was always so collected and aware. For something to have caused her to space out like this, it must really be something significant. "Princess Celestia?"
Celestia's eye's flew open wide once she heard Twilight's call. "Oh! Sorry. I got... caught up in some memories is all."
"Really? Those must have been some powerful memories. What were they about?"
"Oh, just a friend of mine. Don't worry, I highly doubt he has anything to do with the prophe-"
In that exact moment, a dark-colored pegasus crashed to the ground near the door on the other side of the throne room, completely unconscious. Celestia froze, staring at the figure across the room.
Twilight was on her hooves the moment she noticed the pegasus, slowly walking towards him. "Should we get him to the castle's infirmary?" Twilight called back to Celestia.
No response.
Twilight looked at the room around the pegasus. No hole in the ceiling, the stained glass walls were in tact, and the door hadn't been opened since she walked in earlier. "Where did he even come from?" Twilight called again. "Did you see anything?"
Still no reply.
"Celestia?" Twilight turned around just in time to see her faint and collapse back onto her throne. "What in the...? Celestia!" Twilight dashed back to her former mentor. Once she realized she was only passed out, Twilight sighed. Who is this pegasus? She thought to herself. She had rarely seen Celestia faint, and never once because of a single pony! She turned back to the pegasus laying on the ground, then stepped closer to get a better look.
He seemed to be in adolescence, a few years younger than herself. His coat was black, but not completely. It seemed to be a couple shades lighter, more like a charcoal or soot. His mane and tail, however, were pitch black, and were styled in a strange but sleek cut. He had green highlights around the fringe of his mane, in a stripe along his tail, and, strangely, at the tip of each of the feathers in his wings. His hooves were the same color as his highlights, and his cutie-mark-
"Wait, what?" Twilight stared in shock at the pegasi's flank, which was completely... well... blank, to say the least. "How is he nearly my age and still without a cutie-mark?" Twilight shook her head. Now wasn't the time for such trivial questions. There were two unconscious ponies in the room, and she had to make sure they were both taken care of before she did anything else.
Deciding it was best to let the guards deal with Celestia, Twilight picked up the unknown pegasus with her magic and opened the door, heading for the royal infirmary. As soon as Twilight ran into a guard on her way there, she stopped him and told him what had happened. As soon as she finished her explanation, the guard rushed off towards the throne room, calling over his shoulder to make sure the pegasus was kept in the infirmary for further questioning.
"There's only one question I want answered now." Twilight muttered to herself as she neared the infirmary of the castle. "Who in Equestria's name is this pegasus?"
Author's Note
Unlike the last chapter, this one WAS made this year. It has still been a while since I decided to revise it though, I believe the lat time I opened the file was sometime in February. Nonetheless, a lot more comfortable with this chapter than the last, and I know my skills are only going to improve from here on out.
Once again, please, be honest in your comments. Believe it or not, false praise is not as helpful as truthful criticism. That being said, next chapter will probably be posted soon...ish.
