The Elements of Eternity

by Aura Burst

Chapter 3

The sun hovered carelessly above the edge of the horizon as we reached the outskirts of the village, threatening to dip below and blanket the world in shadows. For the moment, however, the setting glowed brilliantly red as dusk approached. I was concerned by the possibility of the world regaining its earlier hostility the instant night had fallen. A shiver arched up my spine as the thought crossed my mind.

Morning Dew and I hadn’t spoken frequently during the journey. I assumed that social interaction, similar to flight, was one of the skills that hadn’t “carried over” through my apparent cognitive reset. At least, that’s what I had assumed was the case. It was entirely possible that I was randomly created by some magical or scientific phenomenon and dropped indiscriminately into the world. Entirely possible, but not particularly probable. I grimaced upon reminding myself that I had a perfectly functional set of wings on my back that I didn’t know how to use.

The forest ended abruptly, suddenly meeting a large section of farmland that I’d somehow missed from my earlier vantage point. A roadway divided the two main fields, which were each then divided into two subsections of equal size. I saw that corn and wheat were the two crops nearest the edge of the forest. The others were unfamiliar to me. On the left side of the road was a short, leafy, green plant that didn’t appear to bear anything edible (at least from what I could see). The one on the right was a plant that looked like a small tree, only in place of leaves and branches were a number of what seemed to be narrow cactus arms. These “trees” bore a dark pink fruit with green leaves growing off in such a way that the fruit appeared to be on fire.

Now, I am not now, nor have I ever been an agriculturalist. Or a botanist. Or... I’m getting sidetracked. The point is, I’m no expert, but all of these plants looked out-of-place to some extent, some more than others. I wanted to ask Dew about this, but try as I might have, my questions always got lost somewhere between uncertainty and shyness. I kept telling them to go left when they got to confidence, but they never listened.

Beyond the anomalous herbs were a series of comparatively average-looking wooden huts, raised slightly off of the ground by supports and accessible by a little wooden staircase in the front of each. Each hut seemed to only consist of one small room, though a dividing curtain of some sort could have remedied that. The rooms created by this method would be uncomfortably small, however, so I didn’t assume that would be the case.

The walls of the huts were what you’d expect: medium-sized pieces of wood tethered together with handmade rope. The rooftops, however, were each crafted from three or four gigantic leaves that couldn’t have possibly come from any tree I’d encountered so far. The leaves were a vivid, glossy green that seemed more appropriate for a tropical climate, rather than the half-deciduous, half-pine forest I thought I was in. Upon realizing how stupid that sounded, I decided that the local climate couldn’t be expected to make sense, and questioning it further would only give me a headache.

A pair of young Earth fillies wrestled enthusiastically in the grass just behind the first hut on the right. One was mint-green with turquoise eyes and a sky-blue mane. The other was pastel-orange with a rose-red mane and eyes the same color. Neither had yet earned a cutie mark. As Dew and I grew closer, both froze and locked their eyes on us (mostly me), following us (me) until we passed their hut. When the hut blocked their view, I could faintly hear two sets of tiny hoofsteps moving up to spectate from behind cover. I gave them a quick glance, which caused them to recoil behind their hut for just a moment.

It was even worse as we went further into the village. Past the cluster of mostly-similar hovels, we found ourselves in what I guessed was the central area, based on the fire pit, sitting area, and the general assortment of ponies inhabiting it. Curiously, all of them were Earth ponies, and not a single one had marked flank. And of course, there was that one other thing...

“Is it just me, or is everypony staring at me?” The question was rhetorical. I didn’t doubt that everypony was staring at me. I lowered my head slightly and moved closer to Morning Dew, as though I somehow expected this stranger to protect me from his co-strangers.

“You’re the first visitor... Well, ever. It’s not surprising that your presence is causing a bit of a commotion.” Dew stated without missing a beat. “Also, there are... The things on your back. That’s not normal at all.”

Oh great. I’m weird. I thought. Also, commotion? I don’t think that’s the right word. They look like they want to rip me apart and dry my flesh to make Pegasus jerky.

The thought made me uneasy. I had intended it as a joke to myself, but my imagination shaped it into something much more terrifying. Of course, the collective glare I was receiving from the townsfolk wasn’t helping.

Dew led me toward the side of town with structures comparable in size to legitimate houses, though they retained the “branches and leaves” style of architecture, maybe if only to match the rest of the village. The larger homes suggested a hierarchy of some sort where ponies of greater political position would receive higher quality lodging. Or maybe some ponies just had better work ethic and spent more time building their homes.

Our destination seemed to be the largest one, adorned with colorful gems, small stone carvings, and painted cloth covering the windows and doorway. Smoke poured from a hole in the roof, and I was suddenly overwhelmed by the smell of... something. If this is the dining hall, I’m not hungry anymore.

Dew asked me to wait for a moment as he peeked through the hanging cloth then went inside. I looked around, noticing for the first time that the populace had formed a semicircle around the front side of the structure, leaving a generous amount of space between myself and the nearest of them. Some looked confused, others almost angry, and a few of the younger ones even looked a bit fearful. I quickly reviewed my mental checklist of things to encounter after awakening in the rain with amnesia: Living darkness? Check. Strange glowing forest? Check. Xenophobic villagers? Check.

I was doing great so far. The only two things left on the list were space aliens and fire-breathing dragons. I mused that if I didn’t waste any time, I could probably finish up by the following afternoon.

As Dew returned, I exhaled for the first time since he’d left, though the relief didn’t last long. Trailing behind him was a hideous... Trailing behind him was an elderly mare with a makeshift crutch fastened to one of her forelegs. Her tail was missing almost entirely, and one of her eyes was missing entirely. The other eye was as matte-gray as her coat, and her frazzled black mane covered her other eye, which I might have thought was also missing had she not approached and looked directly at me.

Everypony stood in silence as their elder appraised me from head to hoof. I stayed as still as a statue, following her with only my eyes. Finally, she turned and retreated a few paces, breathing in deeply then letting out a gruff sigh. I braced myself so that I wouldn’t startle when she first spoke, but I did anyway.

“This is a development, indeed.” Clearly, with a voice like that, she was breathing in too much of whatever that was billowing out of the roof of her hut. She could have sanded the paint off of furniture by reading it a story. I was convinced that if I were to return to the forest, I’d find that there was no bark left on the trees. Too much?

“Is it?” I earnestly asked. I probably should have opted to refrain from saying anything, but the silence was unbearable. The elder turned back to me, flipping the hair out of her face and giving me a one-eyed stare. She regarded me for a moment before continuing.

“Oh, but certainly.” She spoke slowly and deliberately, as if I knew little of the language. Or maybe that was just part of the image. “In such desperate times, we wouldn’t have expected one such as yourself to appear. But this is a great sign, it is.”

“Great as in good?” I grinned, sheepishly. Needless to point out, I was handling the situation poorly.

“Terrible!!” She shouted. Even Dew flinched slightly. I could feel the horrific sound turning my hair white before looking down and remembering that my hair was already white. “If you have come here, it can only mean that the legends passed down by the old Gods are more than just stories.”

That was just what I needed. I had already pieced the story together. I was the central element in some terrible prophecy that would bring destruction to... Something. For some reason. Something like “A lone mare with no past would appear on the horizon and bring with her an unspeakable dark force that would devour the world upon the setting of the sun.”

“Close!” Did I say that out loud? “But I fear the prophecies are much worse than you speak. When the sun touches the horizon on the eleventh day, the beast sealed within the Temple of the Eternal Sky will rise up once more and burn away the landscapes until nothing remains. This can only be prevented if the Sky Goddess reaches the temple and renews the seal before it is too late.”

I thought about that for a moment. On one hoof, it wasn’t the living darkness that was the problem. That could have been good or bad, depending on whether or not the darkness would be a separate problem. And all we had to do was get this Sky Goddess to go fix everything, right? Sounds simple enough.

“That doesn’t sound so bad. Who is the Sky Goddess?” As the question left my lips, I was almost knocked to the ground by the sudden feeling of realization. The villagers just stared at me in silence, though most of their emotions had shifted to a sort of awkwardness and confusion. But all of the details were right there. I was the odd one out. I was the only pony with wings. And somehow, I was the only pony with a cutie mark, which I still just couldn’t figure out. “You know, today just isn’t a good day.”

* * * *

I found myself sitting on a log by the fire pit, slowly finishing off a bowl that had contained some variant of mushroom soup. My appetite had gone away upon finding out that I was some kind of higher power in all of this, but I knew that I had to force myself to eat if I wanted to have any energy for the coming storm. Not only did I have to embark on some sort of quest the following morning, but the sun had gone down by that time, and I was keeping a close watch on the darkest of the shadows. If one of them moved unnaturally, I’d feed it the old mare. That would either satisfy its hunger or kill it.

Dew remained the only pony other than the elder who would speak to me. The rest just went about their business and attempted to ignore me, but not without the occasional passing glare. I grimaced.

“If I’m supposed to be some kind of goddess, why is everypony so rude to me? I don’t think that’s how that works...” I emptied the bowl and put it down beside me. I didn’t look toward Dew as I spoke, but I assumed he knew I was addressing him since, well, you know.

“In their defense, you do represent a lot of horrible things, apparently. It’s a little strange, though. I hadn’t heard anything about any kind of legend like this before now. How come I’m always the one who is left out of the loop?” At that moment, we were both equally whiny, and it felt good to have an ally in this cold and cruel world.

“That’s quite a loop to be left out of. Are you sure you didn’t just forget? It seems kind of important.” I responded, standing to stretch my legs. I hadn’t realized that I’d been sitting in one place for over an hour. I looked around, scanning the area for something unusually unusual, but found nothing of interest. The landscape didn’t appear to be glowing anymore, but it still wasn’t as dark as it should have been under the light of a crescent moon.

“I’m absolutely certain.” he stated, following me as I wandered aimlessly in a random direction. “Careful not to go to far. You might not be able to find your way back.”

I turned and regarded him, conflicted on whether that was a warning or an insult. I certainly hadn’t gotten lost in the forest of my own accord, if that was the implication. I was pretty sure that appearing in a place without any transition leading up to it didn’t count against me in that category. If it did, then the game was rigged and I wanted my money back.

“Whoa, I didn’t mean anything by that. It’s just that once you leave the village, it’s nearly impossible to get back if you don’t know exactly where you’re going. The forest changes depending on which way you go.” Dew backed off a step and held up one hoof.

Wait, what?

“Explain that.” I took a step closer. Dew didn’t realize it, but he was about to confirm my suspicion that this place didn’t make any sense. At all.

“Well... It’s not really... This is just something everypony knows. I’m not sure how to explain it.” With every step I took toward him, he took one back. Suddenly, he stopped. “Wait... I just realized something. You’re able to speak now. Fluently.”

“Hey... I hadn’t noticed, but you’re right!” I was excited for a moment, but it didn’t last. “Wait, don’t change the subject! Even if you have to dumb it down, just try your best.”

Morning Dew was silent for awhile. He looked up into the sky in thought, then walked slowly back to the fire pit and sat down. I followed, feeling relatively content that I would not have to be afraid of my shadow this night. The world simply wasn’t dark enough. I knew in my heart that it would find me again eventually, but for the time being, I was safe.

“Okay, so-” Dew interrupted my internal monologue, causing me to jump slightly. He shrugged, then continued. “Let’s say that you leave the village heading north, walk for an hour or so, then loop around and try to come back in from the south. Are you following me so far?”

“Big circle. Got it.” I wanted to point out that I wasn’t stupid, but I decided to let it go.

“Once you reach the spot where the village should be, it just won’t be there. Logically, it should be, but it just won’t. You can only come back into the village from exactly where you left.” Dew pantomimed every action with his hooves, even though I could pretty clearly figure it out just from his words. Long story short: the world was unstable and needed to be given medication. “But that isn’t the only thing. If you leave to the north, within a half hour, you’ll reach snow and mountains. Ponies have tried to find out what was beyond the mountains before, but none of them ever came back.”

Already, his description of the landscape didn’t match with what I had observed from atop the cliff shortly before meeting him. The mountains could only have been hours upon hours away, and there was no snow in sight, in any direction. The climate was far too warm. If I recalled correctly, there was another mountain range to the west, then plains to the south. Maybe the western mountains were closer than I had thought, but that still didn’t account for the snow.

“Tomorrow, you’ll be leaving to the west. The river leaves the village in that direction and passes through a large valley. At the end of the valley, where the mountains come together, there is the Temple of the Eternal Sky. I wasn’t even sure it existed until earlier. I’d only heard it mentioned in passing. It didn’t seem like anything of interest at the time.”

I’d just have to let that one pass as well. No use in arguing. He’d lived his whole life here, and I’d only lived here about three-quarters of mine.

“To the south, the forest soon turns to jungle, then ends abruptly with a beach about an hour out. From there on, it’s ocean. Just like the mountains, nopony who has ever tried to cross it came back.”

“And that explains where you get the leaves!” I stomped a hoof for emphasis. Dew looked at me, quizzically.

“All of this information, and that’s what was bothering you?”

“Of course not. This whole thing is completely absurd. I saw the village from a cliff in the eastern forest. There isn’t any snow, or valley, or ocean, or anything like that. It’s all just forest, then some plains to the south and mountains everywhere else. What you’re saying makes absolutely no sense.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you!” He seemed frustrated. “It’s different, depending on how you leave the village. If you look at it from one of the western mountains, it’s going to look completely different than how you saw it. I’m not claiming that it’s logical. I’m just saying that this is the way things are.”

He had begun to raise his voice at the end. For a moment, I’d thought he was leading up to some sort of elaborate joke, but there was no humor or deceit in his tone. If only because he was the only pony who had chosen to be nice to me, I chose to believe his story. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

“...” He seemed conflicted. There was definitely more, but he wasn’t sure if I should know the rest. “Well, this is where it gets a little strange.”

“I have nothing positive or constructive to say in response to that. Continue.”

“Sometimes, when you come back to the village from outside, it’s... Different.” He seemed to question what he was saying, as though he was unsure. “Like, I can explore the forest for a day, then come back and discover the season to have changed. Once, even, somepony who had disappeared in the mountains had returned, and nopony remembered him ever leaving except for me. Ever since those things began happening, I tried to stay in the village as much as possible. The only reason I found you is because I was having a particularly terrible day and decided I could clear my mind by going for a short walk.”

I hadn’t been expecting that. Although reluctantly, I could comprehend a pocket of space where different vectors of travel returned different results. I even felt as though I may have encountered a similar subject once long ago. But events undoing themselves? Seasons rapidly shifting? That was above my pay grade.

“There’s one more thing, though it’s not quite as interesting as what I’ve already told you.” Once Morning Dew began moving away from the previous subject, he seemed more at ease. I could see how such an experience could be unsettling. “There’s a fenced-off pathway that leads from behind the home of the village elder to the northwest. Nopony knows where it goes, but she’s rather adamant about keeping ponies away from there. I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but it seemed related.”

As a homeless Pegasus pony afflicted with amnesia awakening alone in a forest, I had had a ridiculous amount of time to think and nothing at all to think about. Now, though, the tables had been turned. I had far too much to think about, and not nearly enough time to work through all of it. In the morning, I’d be leaving on a quest that I didn’t even know I could complete. And given the “dynamic geography” of the area, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to find my way to any stupid temple at the end of some stupid valley that I still wasn’t sure existed. I sighed heavily, then turned to Dew.

“So am I going to have to sleep on the ground, or do I at least get a pile of hay for the night?”