Introduction:
It has been twenty five years since the initial takeover by Malicious Shadow. In that time, the majority of Equestria and its bordering territories have fallen under harsh tyrannical rule by the self-proclaimed Dark Emperor. In nearly every town, city, and community, Equestrian citizens suffered in poverty and brutal military control. Freedoms were scarce, and even the smallest glint of joy or happiness was practically non-existent. There were, however, several settlements scattered around the outer rim of Equestria that were rarely visited by the evils of Malicious Shadow. One such settlement was the village known as Haven.
Haven was located in the northern section of Equestria, just a few miles shy of the frozen mountains which formed the border. It was set in the base of a valley, in which flowed a single river, and was covered in lush, wavy hills of grass. The village itself was of average size, just large enough to hold a few local shops in the town center with numerous homes surrounding them. Outside constructed areas of Haven were numerous farming fields, which provided for the entire village.
The population of Haven consisted almost entirely of Earth Ponies, mostly farmers and gardeners, constantly in a hard-working bustle to maintain their land. A small grouping of Pegasi and Unicorns also took residence in Haven, and were always ready and willing to lend a helping hand around the village. The final three, and perhaps the most unique citizens of Haven were three young alicorns. These three alicorns were orphaned and brought to this village when they were still barely newborn.
The oldest of these alicorns was a colt named Solaris. Being that he was still young, roughly twenty five years of age, he was only a few inches taller than your average sized pony. His mane spiked backwards from his neck, and his tail was long and flashy. His coat was a dark navy blue, and his main and tail sported a fierce golden hue. He had eyes as blue as the sky; his visage soft and kind. He bore no cutie mark, but such a thing wasn't uncommon in those times. Even in places such as Haven, ponies feared to embrace freedom, which resulted in prolonged cutie mark acquirement. Solaris knew nothing of his origins, only that he was born and brought to the safety of Haven when Malicious Shadow first came to power.
The second of these alicorns was another colt, named Gaia, who was a year younger. He stood at the same height and stature as Solaris. His mane and tail were styled almost exactly the same as well, however they were colored a deep forest green. His coat was a lush earth-brown, and his eyes were a vibrant light blue, resembling the sky reflecting off the surface of a lake. He carried a very youthful expression wherever he went, like a toddler clueless to the corruption of the world around him. Gaia had been best friends with Solaris since they were fillies. He, too, knew nothing of where he came from, only that he was brought here at birth. A cutie mark failed to present itself on his flank as well, which only served to confuse him. Since he was young, he had always had a joy and talent for manipulating the earth, whether it be from digging tunnels to creating hills of rock. In recent months, he had even learned to use his magic to influence the growth of plant life. He had always figured he would gain a cutie mark somehow related to these talents, but despite his obvious enjoyment, he still bore no cutie mark.
The third and final alicorn was a mare named Selena. Unlike the others, she knew of her origins. She was born in a village outside the Equestrian Capital almost a year after Malicious took control. For a short while, her parents managed to safely raise her. However, shortly after Malicious killed his fellow members of the Shadow Family, he went on a rampage and ordered the execution of all alicorns in the Capital and surrounding villages. Selena's parents were unable to flee in time, but they managed to entrust her into the care of an Earth Pony family, who were bound for Haven. She has been living in Haven ever since, but not a day goes by where she doesn't feel saddened by the loss of her parents.
Selena boasted incredible beauty, even for an alicorn. Her mane and tail were long, and gently wavered in the wind. They were a deep, dark blue, like the night sky just barely illuminated by the stars, and her coat was pure white, giving off a soft glow that could only be rivaled by the moon itself. Just like Solaris and Gaia, she had no cutie mark, for even under the safety of Haven she was frightened to embrace who she was. Although acquainted with Solaris and Gaia, she didn't really consider them friends, and would rarely ever speak to them. She instead spent much of her time alone, often taking long, lonely walks around the village and the surrounding fields.
Chapter 1:
Departure From Haven
“Come on Solaris! You can keep up faster than that!” Gaia hollered down the side of the valley at a quite worn out Solaris several feet below. “You’re aware at what’s at stake here, right?” Solaris, who was preoccupied with jumping from boulder to boulder, didn’t bother to look at him when he answered.
“Yes I know what’s at stake here, but this isn’t really fair you know,” he said with exhausted breath. “I mean come on; you’ve spent your whole life playing around on rocks. This is rougher on me than it is on you!”
“Awww come on you poor filly, you have to try harder!” Gaia replied as he began gracefully bounding up from boulder to boulder, ascending the valley wall. It was just a few short moments later that he found himself at the top of the valley, overlooking the village of Haven below.
“The view is really spectacular up here! At the rate you’re moving, it’ll be about another twenty years until you get to see it!” Gaia shouted down again at Solaris, who was drained and slumped on a rock.
“Ugh, you already won, Gaia. Can’t I just fly up now?”
“Oh alright, fly on up you pansy,” Gaia laughingly mocked. Solaris spread is wings and flew up to meet Gaia on the valley’s edge and plopped himself on the ground, not even trying to hold himself up.
"Next time it's going to be a flying race," he said has he turned his attention down to the village of Haven below.
It was getting close to dusk, and the setting sun to the west cast a brilliant golden-red light across the village, giving it a heavenly glow. The sunlight reflected off the rivers surface, causing it to sparkle and glisten like a thousand fireflies.
“I think we’re pretty lucky, Gaia,” Solaris declared. “Haven really is a shining utopia, far from the reach of the Emperor. We live peaceful, fulfilling lives here, with very few visits from the Emperor’s officials, if any at all.” Gaia smiled in response and seated himself down.
"You really like to be sentimental, don't you?" he asked. "You have a real poetic view of the world."
"Yes I know, unlike you. You just like to have fun." Solaris chuckled and pushed himself up off the ground.
"Right you are, but be honest. Would we even be friends if either of us was any different?" Solaris put on a light smile and looked to the sky above.
"No, I don't think we would... I'm glad to have you as a friend." He laughed as he returned his gaze back to the village below.
“Same here, friend... Well, not to break up this precious moment, but you lost our race. Remember the stakes?” Solaris’ head dropped.
“Yes, I remember. I have to… ask Selena on a date,” he said despairingly.
“Oh it won’t be that bad!” Gaia replied, nudging Solaris with his hoof. “I’m doing you a favor with this. You’ve had a crush on her for a long time. I’m just giving you a little encouragement is all.”
"You have a funny sense of encouragement, Gaia." Solaris said as he turned and headed to the pathway that lead back into the valley. "I'll ask her tomorrow, though I highly doubt she'll say yes. She barely even talks to us after all... She's always so quiet."
"Either way, you have to talk to her tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll be there to cheer you on from the sidelines. " Gaia replied as he followed Solaris down the path.
"Yea thanks, that'll surely help," Solaris rolled his eyes.
The two alicorns had made their way back to the village just as the sun was beginning to creep below the horizon. With the last light of the sun dying out and the moon just beginning to rise, they parted ways and headed for their individual homes. The village life was calm at this hour, as most of the residents had retreated to their homes to spend the evening with their families. The streets were quite barren, inhabited only by the few street lamps that lit up the alleys. Solaris was making his way down a small alley, which intersected the villages main street up ahead. As he traveled the alley, he couldn't help but admire the sheer beauty if the village. It wasn't a luxurious city made of marble and stone, nor was it a castle made of silver and gold. It was a simple town, with simple folk, and Solaris just felt at peace here.
As he reached the intersection with the main street, he froze in place as another figure stepped in from the corner of his eye. On the other side of the road, strolled Selena, the light of the newly risen moon reflecting off her coat, causing her to glow. Solaris' eyes widened, and he felt a strange weakening in his legs. His heart began to pound and he began to choke on his own breath. He couldn't deny it, Selena's sheer beauty bedazzled him, and he could do nothing but stare in awkwardness. Luckily for him, Selena did not turn to look at him. She continued down the street with her eyes looking down, as if deep in thought. As she finally passed Solaris, he felt himself unfreeze. He looked at her for a moment, then lifted his leg as if to approach her, but he found himself frozen again. He dropped his head in a sigh, turned, and began walking the opposite direction towards his home. Just before he rounded a corner, Selena had stopped and turned her head ever so slightly, just enough to look at him. She stared for only a few seconds before turning her head back forward and continuing her walk; her expression unchanged the entire time.
Solaris' home was a small thatch-roofed hut. It wasn't anything flashy or luxurious, but it was a decent place to live. He immediately crawled into bed and attempted to sleep, but sleep never found him. His mind was racing with thoughts of Selena.
"I'm such a foal," he said quietly to himself, covering his eyes with his hooves. "She'd never..."
Solaris was awoken the next morning to the blare of a deep horn. He jumped out of bed, quite startled at the unexpected sound. He stood perfectly still and listened for the sound again. In just a few short seconds, the horn blared again, this time a bit louder than before.
"There's no instrument in Haven that makes that sound," he said to himself. "Thats the sound of a war horn!" Just as he finished his sentence, Gaia burst into his home in a panic.
"Solaris! There's trouble! A legion of soldiers is marching into the valley. They'll be in the village in a matter of minutes! We should get to the town square on the double!" Without hesitating, the two of them rushed to the town square, arriving just as the army was arriving. They hid themselves behind a nearby structure, just peeking out from behind the corner.
The legion was made up of fifty unicorn soldiers, dressed in the standard black armor of the Emperor's Military. They stood at perfect attention, as their leader began to make his way to the center of the town.
"You think they're here to occupy us or something?" Gaia quietly asked. Solaris studied the army closely.
"I doubt it. Unicorns aren't as physically tough and strong as earth ponies and pegasi, and the Emperor is known to deploy only those two for a military conquest. Unicorns are usually only thrown in as support. The fact that this legion consists entirely of unicorns can only mean they're here to handle a powerful source of magic... in other words... alicorns," he explained. Before Gaia could respond, the legion leader had reached the town center and was reading aloud from a scroll.
"Attention citizens of Equestria! At this time, you are hereby ordered to release unto us any and all alicorn residents, or any information pertaining to the whereabouts of alicorns, within this general area. They will accompany us to the Emperor's Coliseum, where they shall be registered by government officials, as decreed by your Emperor, Lord Malicious Shadow."
Solaris and Gaia froze in fear, for they knew what the mention of the coliseum meant. The coliseum was constructed by Malicious Shadow just a few years ago, and it has been his favorite form of torture and entertainment ever since. They knew they would not be registered for anything, for only two things ever happened at the coliseum: forced battles to the death, and public executions.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I think it's a good idea to get out of here as quickly and as quietly as possible," Gaia whispered as he slowly backed away from the corner.
"Hey, you two," said a quiet voice from just down the street, causing the two alicorns to jump in surprise. "Come over here." The voice was coming from an earth pony, who Solaris and Gaia quickly recognized as Haven's leader. They quietly crept down the street and met him under the shadow of a tall structure.
"Don't worry you two," said the village leader. "I'll handle the visitors. You two need to meet with Selena and find a way to get out of Haven without them seeing you. Don't worry about us, Haven keeps no official records of its citizens, so it will be easy to convince them that there were never any alicorns here. I told Selena to wait for you on the north side of town. Go quickly!"
"Thank you, sir," Solaris gratefully replied with a shake of his hoof. With that, they were off, running quickly through the streets to the north side. They soon found Selena waiting patiently at the entrance to a dead end alley. Solaris sprinted to meet her.
"Selena, you need to come with us, theres-"
"I already know. The village leader told me." she said, cutting Solaris off mid-sentence.
"In that case we don't need to waste time explaining. Come on, we need to sneak out the north side and creep up the back of the valley." Solaris explained.
"No, we can't do that," Selena replied, pointing her hoof at the top of the south valley wall. "See up there? There's five pegasi soldiers constantly watching the surrounding area. If we just try to walk out, we'll be spotted." Solaris began to pace and think of a plan.
"Well we can't use a teleport spell. None of us can teleport far enough. Flying is, of course, out of the question. Do either of you have any ideas."
"Wait!" Gaia interjected. "I know how we can get out! We'll go underneath! Follow me!" Gaia bolted off through the streets, and Solaris and Selena struggled to catch up to him. When he finally stopped, they found themselves in front of Gaia's home.
"Come on, inside!" he said as he motioned for them to follow him. He led them through his home and into his bedroom, where he immediately began using his magic to open a hole in the floor. When the hole was large enough to fit into, it revealed a tunnel carved into the underground. Gaia quickly jumped in.
"What are you waiting for, jump in!" Without a word, Solaris and Selena descended into the pitch black pit, as Gaia used his magic to close the hole behind them.
Casting light from their horns, the three alicorns gazed down the long, dark corridor. Gaia was the only one who didn't hesitate to begin walking.
"What is this place Gaia?" Solaris asked as he began to follow his friend down the tunnel.
"This is a tunnel I carved myself when I was much younger. I used to come down here all the time and just carve tunnels for fun. I haven't been down here in years though. I almost forgot they were here." he explained.
"Where do they go?" Solaris continued.
"This main tunnel will exit at the top of the north side of the valley. There's a bit of a hill coming up, and I know how
much you love hills, Solaris." Gaia chuckled.
"Very funny," Solaris replied as he rolled his eyes. "Just guide us to the end."
"Aye aye, cap'n," Gaia responded sarcastically. "By the way, you better not think this little incident is going to get you out of our bet."
"Bet?" Selena interjected herself into the conversation. "What bet?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Solaris replied, a small bead of sweat running down his head. "Just some stupid little wager we made yesterday." Solaris froze his head forward, not brave enough to turn around and look at her as he explained. Gaia couldn't help but snicker to himself.
The journey was quiet for quite a time. The three alicorns said very little to each other, and just focused on their journey through the cavern. The rough terrain of the floor made the trip somewhat difficult, and in addition to many winds and turns, it took much longer to reach the top of the valley than it normally would above ground. But after a long hike up an elevating tunnel, the three alicorns found themselves at the tunnels exit, which was covered by a giant boulder. Gaia used his magic to grab the boulder and push it up, allowing the three of them to crawl out of the tunnel and into the open.
"There we go," Gaia said as he gently set the boulder back on top of the hole. "No one will ever find it."
"I'm honestly surprised you were able to make such a long tunnel," said Solaris. "That must've taken you ages."
"Believe me it did. I used to be quite the digger. I can't take all the credit, though. Much of that main tunnel was a pre-existing formation, but I'll gladly take credit for it!" Gaia boasted in response. Solaris laughed lightly as he turned his head to the direction of Haven. Being over the top edge of the valley, Haven could not be seen, but Solaris worried about his home none-the-less. Gaia, noticing his friend's dismay, approached him and put his hoof on his back.
"Don't worry, Solaris. The leader said he could handle it. We already know there won't be an occupation because there were no earth pony or pegasi legions, save for a few scouts perhaps. I'm sure that by now the soldiers have left and Haven is at peace again. Let's focus on a plan now."
"You're right Gaia," Solaris slowly turned back to his two comrades. "Well we're out of Haven, but where can we go? We have to stay somewhere."
"I can always dig us a cave or tunnel to stay in," said Gaia, opting in his idea.
"No thank you, Gaia," Selena responded. "Not all of us are quite as comfortable in the dirt as you." Gaia pouted in slight agitation.
"Well, what do you suggest then?"
Solaris turned his head to the range of frozen mountains, just barely visible to the distant north. That mountain range formed the northernmost border of Equestria. The temperatures were well below freezing all year round, and violent snowstorms constantly flooded the mountain passes. Even the bravest of Equestrian soldiers would fear to venture into those mountains. Without looking at the others, Solaris took a few steps toward them, where he stopped and stared at the far off peaks.
"Something wrong?" Selena asked, walking up beside him.
"That legion that entered Haven... said they were on a mission to round up all the alicorns of Equestria, and being that they are to be taken to the coliseum surely means they will be killed one way or another. Have either of you ever heard of the village of Winterspeak?" Selena tilted her to the side at the mention of the name.
"That does seem familiar," she said. "I think somepony in Haven was talking about it once. Is it a village in the mountains?"
"Yes, it is. Due to the harsh weather and conditions, there is seldom any solid form of communication with the village, so no pony really knows it's there. However, I'm sure the Emperor knows of its existence, and I'm certain he'll be sending a legion there soon. I think we should fore-go finding a place to hide for now, and head to Winterspeak to warn them."
"I agree," Gaia replied with a nod.
"As do I. Let's get going," Selena said as she spread her wings. The three alicorns thrust their wings against the ground and took flight, and departed for the frozen north. Solaris took one final glance in the direction of Haven. With a deep breath, he forced his attention forward, leaving Haven behind.