Banished Shadows

by Intercollision

The Drawn Gate

Chapter One: The Drawn Gate

In the time just before dawn, when the bats and owls have returned to their roosts and the birds have yet to wake, the world is at its most silent. Twilight Sparkle often woke early to enjoy the stillness offered; she found her best thinking was accomplished before the town awoke in a bustle of activity.

Twilight frowned, something was nagging at her, a sensation of anticipation that hung heavy in the air, and yet she was at a loss to identify its source. She tried to focus on the feeling, but it flitted away, like a gnat dancing at the edge of her consciousness. She was puzzling over this when the sun slowly rose above the horizon, the stars fading as dawn stretched its cerulean fingers across the sky. She sighed, It’s probably nothing, really, and with that thought she pushed her musings from her mind and pulled herself from the window.

“Spike,” she called as she passed the bed of her roommate and assistant, “get up, there’s a lot we need to do today.”

The baby dragon merely groaned and rolled over in response.

Twilight rolled her eyes, “Now Spike, you can't sleep all day.”

“I could if you weren’t so loud,” he mumbled.

With an exasperated sigh, Twilight reached within herself and focused that special energy that she, like all unicorns, was born with. Spike yelped and leapt out of his bed as something invisible pinched his backside. He stood there a moment rubbing his bottom and glowering at Twilight. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Twilight giggled, “I’m sorry Spike, but sometimes it’s the only way to get you out of that bed.” Spike’s expression remained glum. “Here, why don’t we go out and find you some gems for breakfast, would that make you feel better?”

Spike’s eyes lit up, “And how!” He dashed downstairs and Twilight was forced to trot quickly to keep up with him. She smiled to herself, Spike could be difficult at times, but at least he was quick to forgive—or at least forget—any transgressions.

Outside, the air was slowly warming in the morning sunlight, and the crisp smell of early autumn accompanied the myriad colored leaves that lay scattered sparsely across the ground. The day was young yet, and the rest of Ponyville’s inhabitants were just waking, so Twilight and Spike had the road to themselves as they made their way out of town.

“So Twilight, where are we going?”

“I was thinking we’d go to the plains, I’ve never seen what they look like in the fall.”

“And the best gems are up there too!”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow at him, “You really have a one-track mind.”

Spike waved her comment away, “Nah, I’m just hungry.”

They walked on in amiable silence, passing the outskirts of Ponyville marked by Fluttershy’s cottage, the chickens in their pen just rousing themselves with subdued clucking. The buildings of Ponyville faded behind them as the woods surrounded them, the trees teeming with the rustle and calls of awaking life. Twilight, finding the energy infectious, couldn’t help but increase her pace to a jaunty trot, Spike easily keeping up in his excitement for the outing. They veered away from the path that would lead deep into forest, and before long the trees began to thin.

The edge of the woods was just in sight when Twilight's pulse suddenly quickened, the sense of anticipation she thought she’d left behind at her window darted back into her mind. Twilight pulled up short, trying to pin down the sensation, but maddeningly it remained elusive, just on the periphery of understanding.

“Gah!” Twilight cried in frustration.

Spike spun at the noise, “Twilight, are you okay?”

“What? Oh, yes, sorry, it’s...it’s nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, Spike, let’s just go on.”

They walked on in a more leaden silence, Twilight lost in thought, Spike intent solely on his stomach. Twilight felt as if she were being led by the nose, had it really been her idea to visit the plains? They wound their way up through the last outcroppings of rocks and abruptly they were standing on the vast expanse that was the plains. Twilight’s eyes widened, her concerns momentarily forgotten as she drank in the sight of the dappled ground glittering in the morning sunlight, the browns, reds, and yellows of fall reflected in the sandy earth. “Spike, it’s beautiful!” she gasped as countless points of sand winked at her, the ground a shimmering ocean in the morning light, but Spike was already digging some distance away, searching for his breakfast, and didn’t hear.

The plains themselves were largely unexplored despite the fact that ponies, and other creatures, frequented them to hunt for gems and other minerals. Even Twilight’s books had scarcely any information on the region.

With Spike distracted, Twilight decided to take the opportunity to explore the area a little; after all, she might learn something here that she couldn’t find in a book, as much as she hated to admit the limitations books possesed. She turned and strode off towards the rising sun, her hooves making only a whispered impact in the soft earth. At first, Twilight wandered aimlessly, swinging her head side to side to take in her surroundings. Scattered rocks and brush dotted the landscape, mostly in shades of brown or gray, punctuated here and there with stunted, gnarled trees.

Strange, she mused, there isn’t much in terms of plant life, or any other life for that matter, out in this direction. Twilight ruminated on this as she walked. It was bizarre since life, even if only bugs and plants, was usually abundant in Equestria, but here it looked as if life was struggling just to maintain a hoofhold. Twilight came out of her reverie and looked around worriedly. “Oh dear.” Nothing looked familiar and Spike was completely lost to sight.

Instead of turning back, Twilight felt herself drawn irresistibly onward, her legs moving of their own volition. I suppose I could go just a bit further. It was then that she felt the lightest tingling on her skin and slight resistance as if she were walking through a gossamer curtain. Twilight blinked, this area of the plains suddenly seemed wrong, out of step with the rest of the world. Unease settled itself over her, there was something about this place that was unnatural, it was too quiet, too dead, a place other creatures feared. Inexplicably she knew that had she come to the plains yesterday she would have been unable to find this place. Despite her misgivings, Twilight felt compelled to explore further.

The plains were transforming the farther she walked, the sunlight fading and the ground becoming more barren and rocky, a wasteland bereft of even a hint of wildlife or vibrancy. Large boulders twice as tall as she was peppered the landscape, most with large chunks missing or split completely in two, casting long shadows that menaced Twilight as she passed. With each step her hooves rang against the rocks, echoing dolefully in the heavy silence.

Twilight hesitated, she felt a pull dragging at her mind more clearly than before, gently coaxing, urging her to move forward. No, I...I should leave. Her thoughts came slowly, tentatively, but gradually she regained control and turned around. In the distance she could see where the wasteland faded back into the well lit and comfortingly gentle hues of the plains, and was just about to strike off for that border when a gleam of light caught her eye.

Something glinted in the wan sunlight just a few meters to her right, stuck in a crevasse beneath one of the shattered boulders. Well, it can’t hurt to take a look. Cautiously, Twilight approached the crevasse, the tugging sensation growing stronger as she neared. The boulder lay hunched over the fissure, almost like a protecting arm, shielding it from the elements. Twilight crouched down, peering into the darkness beneath the boulder. As her eyes adjusted, the gleam resolved into a thin line of gold. No, not a line, an inlay! Twilight could now see that the line was actually a gold filigree set into the spine of a book.

Excitement bubbled up through Twilight’s stomach, It’s a book! She could hardly contain herself, there could be anything in that book, knowledge that nopony had possessed in hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Hurriedly, she bent her will on freeing it; the telltale glow that surrounded her horn whenever she used magic danced across the delicate patterns of gold. The book moved slowly, almost reluctantly. Twilight strained harder, and suddenly there it was, hovering before her eyes.

It was a small book, and would be considered rather dull except that the dust-brown cover was filled with an intricate filigree that seemed to shift as she looked, making it impossible to focus clearly on the designs. There was no title that she could read, and as she gazed into the hypnotic patterns on the cover, a now familiar sensation of anticipation welled up within her again. Instantly, Twilight knew that this was the source of her feelings of unease, and why she had been drawn to this wasteland. She could feel the power emanating from the pages, it made her skin tingle and her mane stand on end.

Twilight was suddenly aware of how exposed she was out here alone, and she had the distinct impression that she was no longer welcome in this desolate place. Hastily, she tucked the book in her saddlebag and cantered back towards the plains, relieved to feel the warmth of the sun once again on her back and the gentle thump of soft earth beneath her hooves. She found Spike basking in the sun next to the hole he had dug, sucking leisurely on a large shard of quartz.

He opened one eye lazily, “There you are Twilight, where have you been?”

“Just wandering around,” she responded distractedly, “but you’ll never believe what I’ve found. Let’s get back to the library and I’ll show you.”

Spike followed Twilight as they made their way back to the now lively town, but up in the plains, past the scrub and the sand, a low rumbling began. An ancient consciousness was stirring, buried deep beneath the fractured boulders of the wasteland. Something had drawn it from its slumber, but it was slow to wake and still groggy with the remnants of the sleep of eons. There was no hurry, after all the ages it had lived through a mere few days meant nothing, and there was much that could be done in the meantime to prepare. No, it would wait, and rise when its strength had fully returned.

* * *

Twilight and Spike entered Ponyville with the sun more than halfway to its zenith and the streets now filled with active citizens. They wove their way through the crowd, Twilight’s thoughts consumed with the book. She was so giddy with curiosity to see what it contained that she nearly walked straight into Pinkie Pie, who had stopped to talk with Spike.

“Oh, I’m sorry Pinkie Pie, I didn’t see you there.”

“Didn’t see me? What were you looking at?”

“Uh, nothing, I guess.”

“Gee, that doesn’t sound like a very interesting thing to look at.”

“I...suppose you’re right. Anyway, how are you today?”

“I was just telling Spike that Mr. and Mrs. Cake are leaving for Fillydelphia today, I’ll be in charge of Sugarcube Corner for a whole week!” Pinkie Pie gave a little hop of excitement.

“Oh Pinkie, congratulations!”

“Thanks! I’m going to have a party to celebrate, and—”

“That sounds great,” Twilight interrupted, “let me know when it is. Right now though, I need to get back home.”

“Oh.... Okey-dokey, I’ll see you later Twilight.”

“Bye!” Twilight called over her shoulder, already moving off into the crowd, Spike trailing in her wake.

“That wasn’t very polite of you,” Spike admonished when he caught up with her.

“I know, but you know Pinkie Pie, once she starts talking you’re lucky to get away before supper. Besides, I really want to get back to the library so I can investigate this book.”

“A book?!” Spike exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. “That’s what you’re all excited about? Just a book? You really need to get out more.”

Twilight flicked her tail dismissively, “It’s not just any book Spike, I found it in the plains, and there’s something very odd about it.”

“So you found some old book that somepony threw away? That doesn’t seem very interesting to me.”

“It’s not a book somepony threw away—well, maybe somepony did throw it away, but that’s not the point.” Twilight took a deep breath, “Spike, I think the book is magic in some way.”

Spike stared at her a moment then scratched his head saying, “Magic? You really think so?”

“Yes! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

Spike shrugged, “If you say so, but whoever heard of a magic book?”

Twilight gave up with a sigh, they had reached the library anyway, and she had more important things to do than try to explain something to Spike that she didn’t really understand herself. Twilight lit a candle on her desk, then carefully extracted the book from her saddlebag. The filigree on the cover no longer appeared to shift, rather it had settled into a series of concentric circles with lines that branched off from the inner rings, curling and weaving between the other circles.

Gently, Twilight set the book on the desk and stared at it. Innocuous as it appeared, the book made her nervous, it felt...alive almost. Twilight hesitated, unsure if the book was perhaps dangerous, or if she was just being silly thinking a book could have life.

“Well, aren’t you going to open it?”

Twilight jumped at the sound of Spike’s voice, she had been so absorbed in her own musings she hadn’t noticed him standing next to her. Twilight looked nervously back at the book. “Right, open it.” Taking a deep breath, she bent down and delicately lifted the cover. Scrawled across the center of the first page in large, curving letters were two words in deep-red ink.

“What’s it say, Twilight?” Spike whispered.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like it.” Twilight stared at the words, their color shifting ever so slightly in the flickering candlelight. The letters were strange, they flowed one into the other, a jumble of loops, twists, and spirals that was at once elegant and coarse. Puzzled, Twilight turned the page and instead of finding more text, a simple archway was sketched in the center of the yellowing parchment, its opening barred by an iron gate.

Twilight stood transfixed by the image. The arch looked worn, ancient, its stones riddled with cracks. It appeared as if it would collapse save for the vines that twined their way around the arch and through the gate, their diamond-shaped leaves obscuring what lay behind the bars. Thin wisps of ink curled sinuously from behind the arch, stretching across the page like smoke. Twilight traced their lines with her eyes, a warm pressure building behind her forehead. Her gaze rested on the gate, trying to look through it, the pressure in her skull building, pulsing in time to a low rumble that now permeated the room.

“Uh, Twilight, I don’t think this is such a good idea...” Spike trailed off with a gulp.

Twilight hadn’t heard a word, she was completely swept up by the rumbling, which was growing steadily louder. She could feel the vibrations reverberating in her chest, the pressure in her head intensifying, on the verge of pain. The candle rattled on the desk, the flame flickered causing shadows to skitter around the room before the whole thing toppled over and went out.

Spike backed slowly away from the desk, away from Twilight, whose vision was now consumed by the archway. The wisps of ink began to writhe, wriggling and flexing across the page, the leaves on the vines gently swaying as if caught in a breeze. The rumble was now a roar, Twilight felt it shake her bones, her heart pounding rapidly in time to the syncopated rhythm. The cacophony built to a crescendo and just when Twilight could stand it no longer, it vanished. And there, before her eyes on the page, the gate stood open, broken vines trailing before the gaping maw of the archway.

Unable to look away, Twilight stared unblinking into the inky blackness that filled the arch. A stray thought drifted through her mind, Wasn’t that gate closed a moment ago? The darkness on the page beckoned her, reached for her. The silence was complete, the air thick with anticipation as if the entire world was holding its breath, waiting. Without knowing why, Twilight slowly bent her head, gently touching the tip of her horn to the void that filled the arch.

The world exhaled in a flurry of wind and noise, books toppling off the shelves, inkpots and quills tumbling through the air. Spike fled the library as the gale shook the building, but Twilight stood stock-still, head bent, horn still brushing the surface of the book, oblivious to the tempest surrounding her.

Light poured out from where her horn met the arch, spreading across the page in a harsh, blue glow before spilling off the page onto the desk in an unearthly waterfall of luminescence. The light continued to expand until every surface in the library was imbued with an ethereal, blue radiance which crackled and ejected sparks that were caught and hurled about by the wind. Twilight's senses were overwhelmed, deafened by the wind, blinded by the glow, unable to move. Suddenly, a massive clap of thunder rang out, shattering windows and hurling Twilight across the room where the gentle touch of unconsciousness enfolded her in its embrace, and darkness closed around her.

Comments

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This review is brought to you by by the group: Authors Helping Authors

Grammar Score: 10

Pros:
Excellent characterization
The description is phenomenal
The story's premise is intriguing

Cons:
I... Oh jeez. I can't even think of any. That's impressive.

Notes Section:
As a disclaimer, I would like to point out that, as of now, I've only read the first chapter. That being said, I must ask: HOW DOES THIS ONLY HAVE 59 VIEWS!? I was absolutely spellbound with the imagery you put into the story. From the moment Twilight wakes to the appearance of the arch, I feel like I'm right there with her. This is on par with some professionally written works, or perhaps even better (considering the stuff being published lately). The characterization of the characters was also very well done; not once did I find myself questioning "Would Twilight/Spike actually do that?". I commend you, good sir. A like, favorite, and a watch from me.

If at all possible, would you be willing to take a look at my story, Of High Seas and Howling Winds?