//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Since the Dawn of Time // by Starlight Fire //------------------------------// Since the Dawn of Time (by Starlight Fire) Prologue (I do not own My Little Pony.) * * * * * * * * * * Nighttime. The night was the realm of the Alicorn Luna, a Princess of Equestria, who raised the moon and brought out the stars each evening, and who currently acted as the Guardian of Dreams. It was generally a peaceful time where, depending on the season, crickets chirped or the rain or snow pattered against the outsides of houses. Ponies were grateful to rest each night. This particular night was not like other nights. It was three o'clock, and not all was well across the land. In Ponyville, in a large, hollow tree, there was a library. A Unicorn mare named Twilight Sparkle lived here with a very young dragon named Spike. Twilight had a light purple coat and horn, and a mane and tail that were dark indigo except for a bright pink and dark purple streak. Spike had purple scales except for his tummy and prominent head scales, which were white and bright green, respectively. Both were sleeping at this moment, although this was to change shortly. "Nngh..." Twilight tossed in her bed. "Twi-- ngh." Spike sat up in his basket. "Twilight? You OK?" Twilight groaned in response. Spike interpreted the groan as a "yes" and went back to sleep. This interpretation was, sadly, inaccurate. Twilight was having a nightmare. She had occasionally had nightmares in the past (particularly if she ate too much sugar before bedtime as a filly), but lately they seemed to be getting both more frequent and more intense. She never quite remembered them the next morning, but they were beginning to affect how much energy she had the next day. "Nngh... no... Celes-- Lu-- no... my friends... my friends! NO! AAAAUGH!!!" Spike jumped awake. "Twilight! I thought you said you were OK!" "What?" "I asked you just now." "...Did you?" Spike face-clawed as the voiced his realization. "You didn't actually wake up, did you?" "...No?" "..." "..." "I'm going back to sleep, Twilight. I really hope you stop having these nightmares, soon; I'd really like to sleep all the way through the night one of these days. Err... nights." "So do I, Spike. I'm sorry for waking you." "Good night." "Good night, Spike." Twilight Sparkle was wide awake now. She thought about going back to sleep, but her sides were sore and would not allow her to get comfortable in any position she tried. The clock read three thirty in the morning, so she decided to get up, go downstairs, and study. She had stayed up studying this late before and did not think twice about having the lights on at this unholy hour of the morning. "Let's see... what have I not read yet? Pirates and Pyromancy? No, I read that a month ago. Bonanza Bananas and a Billion Boisterous Balloons for Botany? Ha, no, I just finished that last week. Why hasn't that been put away yet? Oh, that's right, Pinkie and Fluttershy came by the other day and asked to borrow it. I still can't imagine what those two possibly could have planned together with that. I suppose I'll find out soon. They must have returned it today. Oh, what about Frimzale's Fairy Tales?" Twilight paused. "Well, I suppose it's better than nothing." She curled up on a nearby rug and turned to the table of contents. "Let's see... what looks interesting? The Great Canterlot Sugar Shortage? The Sonic Rainboom? ...Why is that in there? It's legendary, but it's been proven possible. Anypony could ask Rainbow Dash." Twilight continued scanning the contents. "The Ancient Pony Sisters? If that's talking about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna--" She turned to the page. "...I guess not." She skimmed the first few pages. "Huh. ...Time to study!" * * * * * * * * * * The Carousel Boutique stood near the center of Ponyville. It was a small, well kept fashion shop. Rarity, a Unicorn mare with a white coat and horn and a shiny, royal purple, meticulously styled and maintained mane and tail ran this shop which doubled up as her home. At this moment, she was snoozing in her bed upstairs with a sleeping mask over her eyes. She looked peaceful. She had not felt such unrest in a long time. Had she not been wearing the sleeping mask, it would have shown. * * * * * * * * * * A mansion made of clouds hovered in the sky over Ponyville. Rainbow Dash, a Pegasus mare with a cyan coat and wings and a mane and tail that were streaked the main colors of the rainbow, lived there with her pet tortoise, Tank. Tank slowly blinked as he watched Rainbow Dash toss, turn, and mutter in her sleep. He would, under normal circumstances, have been asleep at this hour himself, but his owner was making too much noise. "No... my wings... the sky.. my friends... my head..." * * * * * * * * * * The local bakery was known as Sugarcube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake, their two foals, and an Earth Pony mare named Pinkie Pie all lived on the second story. Pinkie had a bright pink coat and a very curly, rose colored mane and tail. She was known for being Ponyville's Premier Party Planner Pony. It was questionable whether other ponies remembered this about her because her parties were always excellent or because they were overwhelmed by her seemingly limitless energy. It could have been a combination of the two. Anyone who saw her tonight might have thought that this energy carried into her sleep as well. She was in her room bouncing off the walls while sleeping. Quite literally. "Friends! Party! Wait! No cake? No friends? No party? No reader? Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh..." She hovered for a moment just before bouncing into the section of wall next to her bed, and a moment later, she dropped directly into her bed and woke up. "Ow. My head! My sides! Was I bouncing off the walls again in my sleep? That couldn't have possibly been the case because if it were Mr. and Mrs. Cake would have come in by now and woken me up! But what if they didn't hear me? OR... what if they did and just couldn't wake me up? OR WHAT IF the twins tried to wake me up? No, no, no, that couldn't have happened because I sang them a lullaby right before they went to sleep and whenever I sing them a lullaby right before they go to sleep they always sleep during the entire night so they couldn't have woken up because that would just be silly! WAIT! What if the walls tried to wake me up? Especially YOU, wall number four! I'M WATCHING YOU!" * * * * * * * * * * Outside of Ponyville stood an ominous forest. On the map, it was called the Everfree Forest. To some animals (and one brave zebra), it was called home. Many of the locals called it just plain dangerous. Between the Everfree Forest and Ponyville stood a cottage known to the local animals as a safe place and medical center. A Pegasus mare who had a butter-yellow coat and wings and a soft pink mane and tail lived there. Her name was Fluttershy. Under normal circumstances, Fluttershy might match the volume of a pony speaking in a normal, indoor voice if she were to scream very loudly. Tonight was not a normal night, and it was a good thing she did not have neighbors that lived close by. "NO! NO! I TELL YOU, I WON'T LET YOU! THEY'RE MY FRIENDS! YOU-- YOU-- WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP! DON'T--" She was laying on her couch tummy-down with her front hooves pressed tightly over her forehead as if it hurt. The animals that had stayed the night in the cottage surrounded her and were trying to comfort her. Their efforts were to no avail. * * * * * * * * * * "Snnghh... nnfgh... SNORT." Sweet Apple Acres was a short distance from Ponyville. The Apples, a family comprised of Earth Ponies, lived and worked on this farm, often coming into Ponyville to sell the food they raised. Applejack was an important mare in this family. She had an orange coat and a blond mane and tail, which she kept tied in ponytails at nearly all times. She could not sleep. "Agh... so sore. Musta worked harder on the farm today 'n usual. Eesh. These nahtmares Ah keep havin' ain't helpin' either." * * * * * * * * * * Ponyville was a short distance from the capital of Equestria, Canterlot. Canterlot Castle was where the Princesses lived and ruled from. Luna had finished with Night Court for the night and was standing on the balcony that connected with her royal chambers. Her horn was glowing. "The normal nightly magic flow is not always like this... and there is nothing I can do. What is happening? Why can I not control it? Ponies will not have pleasant dreams for a long time if I cannot find the problem soon." Needless to say, she was very concerned. She cared about her subjects and wanted them to be the best they could be. * * * * * * * * * * In a dark place, a great evil was beginning to stir. To Be Continued... Author's Note: Let's get down to business. Yeah, yeah, go ahead and finish that line. Ahem. Never mind this being my first pony story (even though it is), this is my first story period. I got an idea stuck in my head and could not get it unstuck, so I'm writing it. If I actually CAN write this, that'll be a green light for me to go ahead and attempt putting another (non-pony related) idea that I've had bouncing around in my head (much like Pinkie Pie) for even longer on paper. That being said, feedback would likely be helpful in... helping... me improve. Be nice, but be honest. If you see errors (grammar, spelling, punctuation, continuity, etc.) tell me. I like reading quality work; I would like to be able to write quality work as well. I don't have a pre-reader yet. If somepony... err... someone wants to take on this daunting task, let me know. If I really like what you've written, I would probably love to have your help. (Edit: Glassed is the pre-reader, and The Equestrian Gentlecolt is the proofreader. They are awesome and you should go read their stuff.) If you find yourself inspired by the story (I guess this happens with some people) and decide to create artwork and post it to the interwebs, could you credit this story with the inspiration? If that's OK with you, I mean. Just somewhere on the page you originally post it is fine. OOO! And send me a link! I want to see. =) If you want to comment, you know what to do!