Star Wars: The Legend of the Alicorn

by Hudibadudi

Chapter 1: Survival

Chapter 1: Survival

A rusty-colored pegasus, Sunset Aura, emerged from a forest and out into the snow. A cold wind was blowing through her golden mane, making her shiver. She looked nervously around before saying, “Ok, it looks safe.” Two other ponies, a blue-green unicorn and a violet earth pony walked out carefully.

Winter Star, the unicorn, asked, “How much farther do have to go before we reach the Crystal Empire?” She too shivered from the unexpected wind.

The earth pony, Violet Petal, answered, “I really don't know. We've been running for almost three weeks now. It can't be far though, I hope.” She looked over to the pegasus and asked, “What do you think? Are we close?”

She looked off into the distance. All she saw was an endless white tundra with blowing snow. “This forest is the last of the shelter we'll have. The rest of the way is across that tundra.” She asked, “Winter, do you think you can use your magic to protect us from the wind when we stop at night?”

“Maybe,” she replied. “We have no choice but to try. Turning back is not an option, and we definitely can't stay here.”

Violet said, “I guess it's the only way, but there's one problem. What will we eat out there? I have some food, but if we don't know how far away the Crystal Empire is, how can we be certain that we'll survive?”

Sunset said, “I do know, however, that the Crystal Empire is on the other side of that tundra. What I don't know is how long it will take us to cross it.” She paused for a moment, thinking, “It could take us a day or two, or it could be a week. I agree with Winter, though. We have to try.”

Violet sighed at the thought of what lay ahead. “Are you sure? I mean, what if we get lost? There's no landmarks or anything out there, just endless snow.”

“Violet, I know we've been through a lot already,” said Winter. “But we're almost there. And I don't need to tell you what will happen to us if we go back.”

Violet winced, memories of her family's death came flooding back. A tear ran down her cheek as she hung her head. “I … I know. It's just ...”

She was cut off when Winter embraced her. “I'm sorry, Violet. I shouldn't have said anything.” She berated herself for not thinking about what effect that would have. “We all lost family and friends after the invasion. I just need you to know that you're not alone. Sunset and I are here for you, and we will be here for you forever. We just need you to be strong right now. I know you can.” She cast a glance at Sunset.

Sunset struggled for something to say, “Uh, yeah, come on Violet. Winter is right, you can count on me, you should never feel alone. I've got your back.”

Violet sniffled and wiped away a tear. “Ok. I can do this.” She took a deep breath. “I think we've wasted enough time here talking.” She looked at her friends and smiled. “We're almost there. Let's go.”

The three ponies walked out into the whiteness, the harsh, bitter-cold wind blowing through their manes. They walked straight into the wind, cold, but determined. After nearly an hour of traveling like this, they sky began to darken as the sun set. “We need to stop before long. If we keep going until it gets dark we won't be able to see anything,” Winter shouted, trying to be heard over the wind. “I think if we gathered the snow up into banks to shield us from the wind, we can lie down for the night. Not to mention the magic shield would be too tiring.”

“Yeah, you're right,” said Sunset. “And we can huddle together to keep warm.” Her stomach growled. “Violet, how much food do we have?”

“Let me see,” she said as she looked in her saddlebags. “I'd say we have a few pounds of dried apples and some berries we picked yesterday.”

Winter said, “Alright, try to push the snow up into a bank on the side the wind is coming from and we'll have a little shelter from it.”

They silently set to work, pushing the snow with their hooves. It was hard work, but the snow was deep, so they were able to make a sizable depression in which to lie down. After the work was done, they lay down next to each other, huddling for warmth. Even though the wind was still fiercely blowing, they were protected from the worst of it.

Violet took some of the apples and berries out of her saddlebags and distributed amongst the three of them. They ate in silence, before Violet spoke up. “I uh … I want to thank you both for your support earlier.” She threw her hoof around Winter's neck, pulling her into a hug. She relaxed for the first time that day, forgetting about the past and letting herself sink into the comfort of the embrace.

Winter looked silently into Violet's eyes for a moment before leaning over and planting a kiss on her cheek, causing Violet to blush a little. “That's what friends do, Violet. We support each other in our times of need.”

Sunset looked at the two of them and said, “Come on, you two can do that lovey-dovey stuff after we get to the Crystal Empire.” Sunset sighed. She just didn't understand how Violet could have gone through all she did and still be able to find happiness in somepony she had met just weeks before. “Let's just try to get some sleep.”

The other two ponies nodded in agreement and laid their heads down. Despite the cold, the three ponies were exhausted from the day's journey and they soon drifted off to sleep.

Morning came too soon for them. Violet was the first up. She tried to go back to sleep, but no matter how many times she tried to get comfortable, she couldn't. She stretched and yawned before gently nuzzling against Winter's neck, waking her. After Violet saw that she had disturbed her friend's sleep she whispered, to avoid waking Sunset, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.”

“Don't be sorry, Violet,” she quietly replied, “I wouldn't want to wake up any other way.” She looked around for a moment. The wind still blew and the sky was still cloudy. She thought to herself, 'Is this place always like this? How can the crystal ponies even survive in this weather?' Her train of thought was cut when she heard a strange sound. She focused on it, trying to determine its origin. It was a loud roaring sound, that increased in volume before slowing diminishing as it moved away.

The noise woke Sunset. She rubbed her eyes and asked, “What's going on? What was that noise?”

Winter replied, “I don't know, I've never heard anything like it. But it sounded like it came from the direction we're going, so we can investigate when we get there, and avoid it if it's dangerous.”

Violet pulled some of the fruit out of her saddlebags. “Here, I'm sure we're all hungry.” Her two friends agreed and then they ate their small breakfast.

After they had finished Sunset said, somewhat reluctantly, “I guess we should get going now. Hopefully we get there today.” She didn't hear her friends' reply. All she could think was, 'What did that noise come from? And where did it go?'