The First Lunar Guard

by GhostWriter

Part 0 - Meet the Storyteller / ar gefn ei geffyl gwyn

– The Storyteller / ar gefn ei geffyl gwyn –

It's cloudy night time in Ponyville, and you're on your way home from one of Pinkie's It's-A-Day-Before-Your-Birthday parties. The streets are quiet, only a few street lamps lighting your way, until you pass the local Lunar Guard who is busy snuffing them for the night. You continue on without a second thought, but as you turn to pass through the darkened center of town you begin to pick up your pace.
Suddenly, you hear a voice. "Hey, hey.." It's old and quite raspy, as if the very lungs it came from were collecting dust. It sounds male. You stop, despite your better nature, and look around.

"Yes, yesss...you, right there," the voice hisses in satisfaction. "I see you are a creature of the night, much like myself, yes?"
Something steps out of the shadows, and there is a break in the clouds, moonlight shining down over the streets. It is a pony, or seems to be; their entire body is hidden under a worn, raggedy cloak. You quickly assume they're some beggar or peddler, and begin to tell them you have no money with you. They laugh, though it sounds closer to wheezing than anything else.

"I do not seek your coin, my friend, have no fear! Allow me to introduce myself: I am known by many as Shyft, and I am the Storyteller. Not a storyteller, not some storyteller, no. I am THE Storyteller. No other can spin a tale like me. One might say it is my gift, hehe!"
You still feel uncertain, unable to discern if this is a trick or not. The pony seems to notice this.

"You are still wary? I suppose I cannot blame you. There are strange things that roam in the night, and they are not just in my stories. But I assure you, dear friend, I mean no harm. Like you, I am out here alone, merely passing by, an old wanderer. Perhaps Fate has intended for you and I to meet, hm?"

You're not sure if they're asking this or telling you this, but you nod your head anyways. The pony laughs again, the raspy sound alone making your own throat feel dry.

"Yes, yes! Hee hee hee, Fate does work in mysterious ways, does it not? Here you are on a cloudy, moonlit night, out of the darkness comes a mysterious pony, and you are left to question whether you trust them, and how much. It's like something from a story, yes? Hm?"
They laugh a little more, and somehow you manage to chuckle a little with them as you nod again.

"Heh heh, hmm...you know, now that I think of it, this /does/ remind me of a story! Tell me, friend, do you like stories? Oh what am I saying, of course you do! All ponies like a good story, so long as you know what they like. But what I have for you, my fateful friend, is a special story. Please, won't you sit with me and listen? I promise to not take long!"

They turn away from you before you can answer, climbing onto the steps of the Town Hall. You look to your right, at the path home, and tell yourself to just leave now. But something about this strange pony has caught your interest. It's late, you tell yourself, but they promised to not be long. Making up your mind, you follow Shyft to the steps to be met by his raspy laughter.

"Ahah! I see Fate truly has brought us together, hee hee! Now come my friend, please! Take a seat, right where you are. Make yourself comfortable~"

You find this comment odd, but odder still is the comfy pillow you find yourself sitting on! You look behind yourself in bewilderment, but there it is, a big red pillow. You look up at Shyft, who nods his head excitedly, whispering for you to sit. You decide it best to do so and get this over with, and so you sit. The pony laughs—something he seemed to do often—as he turns away, shuffling under his rags.

"Yessss, that's perfect. An audience of one, a special story for a special new friend! Tell me, does the name Luhnótt Vaktyff sound familiar? No? Well then, you're in for a treat I tell you, a real treat! Our story is about a young batpony, or Thestral, who schemes to kill the princesses and whose single decision could change the fate of our great Equestria! It is a tale about trust, loyalty, friendship, and especially Fate. I think we could relate, eh? Hee hee! But now then, let us begin.."

Shyft turns around seeming to cradle a small bag under his cloak. He sits and reaches down inside, seeming to rummage around through it with his hoof.

"Hmm...now where is--oh, there! Yes, yes. Now then, our story begins on a night very different from this one, thousands and thousands of years ago. Allow me to set the scene.."

You notice the moonlight fading as clouds cover it up, but then you notice that it seems far darker outside than before. Shyft doesn't seem to notice as he pulls his hoof out, but it's too dark to see what he has.

"It was Winter, the season of Death. The air was dry as tree bark, and stung with cold.."

He waved the hoof as if throwing something, and suddenly the temperature around you drops. You shiver as the stinging chill sinks into you, your breath visible as small cloud-like puffs. You watch as Shyft reaches down again, continuing as if he felt nothing.

"The stars were quite different than they are now, brighter and younger, as was our world. Younger, newer, and far less tame. The Winter Moon shall shed light for us on this cold eve so long ago.."

You see him throw a sparkling dust into the air, only for it to fly above you and become twinkling stars on a dark sky. Another toss, and a bright light bursts above you. Another look, and a pale full moon is there to meet your gaze. You look at Shyft with wonder, but already he is in his bag again.

"You and I are no longer in Ponyville, dear friend. We are far away, in a ancient forest whose name is lost to time. The snow is falling around us onto the frozen ground, and a strange fog hangs in the air. We are surrounded by trees, their dead, crooked branches just barely visible through the haze and starlight.."

Another wave sends a cloud of hazy smoke into the air, which swirls around you both until all the surrounding buildings, except for the Town Hall, are obscured. He begins to throw sticks out in different directions, but in their flight they twist and change, so what lands just beyond appears to be tall, dead trees. Snow begins to fall from the sky, small flakes catching on your fur before vanishing. Shyft stands there, facing towards you.

"This..is where our story begins. In an older time, in an older place, in an Equestria that is both young and harsh. And it is on this night, at this place, that the thoughtless actions of others shall set one pony onto a path that can only end in death. Listen well, my friend."
Finally, he pulls out a small, glass ball. He raises it before quickly smashing it against the ground, and a blinding light suddenly consumes everything.