> Chronicles of Utopia: The Six > by CarnivalImpmon > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Ancient History > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once upon a time, in the magical world of Equestria, there were six ponies who possessed great power and protected all around them. Two Earth Ponies, two Pegasi, a single Unicorn, and the Princess of Friendship herself made up this group. They each represented a facet of Harmony, and wielded its power as a weapon against the dark forces that threatened their world. Honesty, the power of truth. Laughter, the power of joy. Loyalty, the power that kept them together. Kindness, the power that drove them to help those in need. Generosity, the power that drove them to give to others. Finally, Magic, the power of the other five combined, which they brought down upon their foes to either heal or imprison. These six were the best of friends, which strengthened their power even further. The creatures of Tartarus feared their wrath, though their was no wrath to fear. Each was benign, and the thought of performing cruel acts was far from their minds. However, good things cannot last forever. A seed of betrayal was planted within their group, and slowly they grew apart. As their friendship lessened, so did the power of Harmony. All at once, a great darkness seized the group, and they all vanished, leaving Equestria unprotected. The rulers of the Sun and Moon vanished soon after, and the ponies of Equestria were left to fend for themselves. They were no match, however, for the great evil that arrived, and were too stunned by their attacker that they did not even try. They dared not strike the new dark force, for it... There as always, the story ended. The pages were torn and burnt. Soul Flash sighed, closing the book with a turn of his head and a brief violet glow from the tip of his grey horn. He had read that story countless times now. He didn't know why he continued to return to it; it was a mediocre foal's tale at best, and very ancient judging by the strange group it talked about. The different breeds hadn't properly communicated outside of political gatherings and trade for a very long time. Yet for some reason, the story was always the first one Soul Flash looked at when he returned to this withered old library. There were many other books, most much longer, more informative, and more suited to a stallion his age than this one, but he found he couldn't not read it first. The unicorn huffed, levitating the leather-bound book over to a pile of others just like it. None of those drew his attention quite as much, but he refused to place that short story with the other books he actually enjoyed. Speaking of better books, Soul Flash looked around at the old rotting shelves of the library that was practically already a pile of rubble. Somehow, the books of this place had survived the weather and time. He suspected a powerful charm of some sort, maybe similar to the kind he'd placed on his own notes and findings. Soul Flash was the kind of pony who practically lived for his studies. Actually, that was truer for him than it was for most others. It was the only thing he really could do after all, since he lived alone in this forest. He had all his life. He really couldn't remember a time when he wasn't alone. Of course, there were the occasional visits to the nearby village, for food and all that, but he tried his best to be as unknown as possible. It was better that way. He felt comfortable alone. If you were trying to destroy the country's ruthless dictator whose magic is unimaginably strong, you'd stick to the shadows too. It wasn't like it was easy avoiding attention, not with his odd looks. Most other unicorns were colorful and bright, with cutie marks relatively easy to decipher. Soul Flash, not so much. He was dark grey, almost black, and had been mistaken for a trespassing shadow pony once or twice because of it, though his violet mane and eyes quickly extinguished those thoughts once someone actually looked at him. His cutie mark was a black circle, with a white one inside of it. It represented magic, both light and dark, but the others didn't know that and it led to some stares. The unicorns in the village nearby weren't exactly friendly to odd ponies either, and would ask him to show his magic, as if they were skeptical of his true breed. When would they learn that the other breeds weren't stupid enough to wander into unicorn territory, nor skilled enough to create a realistic looking horn? Soul Flash eventually settled on taking a few of the more interesting books home with him. The sun was starting to set. It was earlier than usual, but if Empress Enigma felt like lowering it now, there was nothing he could do to change it. The creatures of the forest would still come out, regardless of how early it was in reality. He levitated a few off the shelves, not really paying attention besides giving them a brief glance, then slid them into his saddlebags. He quickly trotted out of the ruins and began his journey through the forest. The vines of the trees around him were already starting to twitch as the sun set further behind the horizon and the moon slowly rose to take its place. After a minute, he'd have to illuminate his horn to see. Luckily, he'd make it home before that. His claimed house wasn't visible at first, just a bare plot of empty land across a canyon with a bridge that threatened to come apart if even the slightest bit of pressure was applied. Soul Flash didn't bother to test his luck, instead just levitating himself across. He looked around, though it was more of a reflex than an actual check for bystanders, then his horn began to glow in shades of black and green. Violet flames lit in the corners of his eyes for a moment as he focused on the empty ground before him. With a stomp of a hoof, the dark magic came to an abrupt stop and a thin black cloth floated to the ground before him. A ruined castle now stood on the previously empty ground. It was mostly free of the vines that covered the rest of the forest, but ominous just the same. Soul Flash smiled, and wrapped the enchanted black cloth around his neck. He left it on the grounds whenever he left along with a small spell, and the ruin remained hidden along with the makeshift scarf. It only responded to his magic signature, which meant there was no chance of any other unicorn (or alicorn) breaking the charm and finding his projects and crafted spells. The grey unicorn hurried inside the ruin, leaving a protection spell in place of the door, which had decayed long before he had come to live here long ago. Soul Flash couldn't remember how long he really had been here, and he didn't particularly care. His memory had faded as he buried his nose in dusty books on magic spells and dark curses, and he was perfectly alright with that. He settled down in his makeshift library, which was really just a cluttered room that held more books than anything else, and set to work levitating the books out of his saddlebags and arranging them in whatever sorting system he was partial to that day. Author name, genre, or color...? He stopped when he levitated up a particular brown book with black burns and torn out pages. That book again. He scowled at it, and carelessly tossed it away, angry at himself for taking it and angry at the book for existing in the first place. It was getting annoying, reading the same story over and over again, but he couldn't stop! It was like the book had hypnotized him or something. Maybe it was charmed, that was probably a good enough reason to burn it some more...No, he wasn't that angry at it. And anyway, who would purposefully burn a book? Somepony who didn't deserve to live, that's who. It took a while to sort through the books, and it was only now that Soul Flash realized how many he had taken. Arcane Arts, Beast Taming, there was even one for pegasi on wind and how it affected flying. Why had that even been in a unicorn library? Oh well, Soul Flash was sure he'd find some use for it. Maybe a wing-granting spell... There was a loud roar, putting a quick stop to Soul Flash's sorting and thinking. The dragon was back. It was an old thing, large and wrinkled. Its purple and green scales were fading, and its claws and fangs were growing dull. It seemed to have trouble blowing fire now, as it had never done so while Soul Flash was there, and he would have felt bad for the thing if it didn't try to dig under the ruin, his ruin, every week. Soul Flash hurried out of his library, going to meet the dragon before it could destroy his home's foundation any further. He was almost to the exit when his hooves suddenly slipped out from under him. He yelped, tumbling forward and smashing his snout against one of the castle's pillars. He groaned, sitting up and rubbing his nose. He looked over to where he had tripped, expecting a rock or stray root he'd have to tear out, but what he saw made his ears flatten back and his horn spark a bit. That damn book. He picked it up with his magic, squeezing it a bit too hard as he brought it closer to him. It was leather-bound, with faded gold text on the cover that he couldn't read. There was an imprint on the front, implying something had been stuck there. It was gone now, but Soul Flash could tell from the imprint that it had been a stylized unicorn head. "You want to come be dragon food?" he asked the book, tilting his head a bit as if expecting an answer from the inanimate object. He was being silly, but he was raging mad at the thing which he decided was a good enough excuse for his behavior. "Fine then. Come on." He took the book in his mouth, then hurried out of the ruin. > The Stones > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The rumble of the shifting ground made Soul Flash's commute to the dragon slower, and it was made more difficult since he had to look over the book protruding from his jaws. He considered using magic to hold it, but since he'd have to use quite a bit of power to repel the dragon it was best not to waste any of it on the accursed foal's story. He made it down the cliffs to find the pale, cracked form of the ancient purple dragon digging frantically at what looked like a bunch of collapsed rocks. Soul Flash sighed heavily through his nose. Had the beast left gold in there or something? That would explain why it kept coming back. Well, he supposed he might as well help it out, or he'd never get any peace, and the wild digging might collapse his home. Soul Flash spat out the book and trotted as close to the dragon and rocks as he dared. He tensed, then forced a large amount of his energy into his horn, focusing on the tip, then shifted his thoughts to the rocks. His horn and the rocks began to glow a dark violet. The great dragon noticed, and huffed in surprise, taking a few slow steps backwards, then turning its thick neck towards Soul Flash. It tilted its head a bit, watching the stallion with dull emerald eyes. "Don't kill me now, I'm trying to help you," Soul Flash grunted, ignoring for a moment the fact that the dragon probably didn't understand him. It had never shown any sign of speaking his language. He forced more power through his horn at the rocks and the glow increased in brightness. He didn't want to move them all at once, for fear they supported something, and taking them out with a blast would be worse. Soul Flash halted the energy flow, leaving just the glow around his horn and the rocks, beginning to contemplate the spell he should use. The dragon seemed to grow impatient, and began to claw at the rocks once again. Loosened by Soul Flash's magic, they shifted much easier under its claws. Soul Flash noticed the dragon starting again, and sucked in a breath as it knocked away one of the supporting boulders. The entire pile of rocks began to shudder, and the unicorn squeezed his eyes shut, a feeling of dread filling him as he awaited the coming avalanche. There was the sound of rocks tumbling, and the ground shook a bit, then it stopped. Strange, Soul Flash had thought there'd have been something more...impressive. He opened his eyes, and furrowed his brow at what he saw. The pile of rocks had fallen, surrounding the dragon in a circle of gray and brown, but the cliff supporting the ruin had stayed. In place of the rocks was a strange cave, with a dim white glow emanating from its depths. Then Soul Flash realized how quiet it was. When he had come down into the valley, the forest had been full of the sounds of emerging nightlife and general forest noise. Now, it was silent. No wind, no bugs, looking up Soul Flash could see even the clouds had stopped moving, which was especially strange. This forest had a reputation for being less controlled than the rest of Enigia, and even though there were no pony to move the clouds or grow the trees or support the animals, everything continued to run. Still clouds were a bad sign. Not to mention, the sun had suddenly frozen on the horizon. Soul Flash returned his attention to the cave. The dragon had slithered away from the rocks and was sniffing around the cave mouth, but didn't come into the light it gave. Soul Flash trotted over to the cave, ignoring the strangely behaving dragon for the time being. It hadn't reacted badly to his magic, so maybe it wouldn't do anything if he came closer. It didn't, merely continued to sniff at the cave. It only paused for a second when it saw Soul Flash, and gave the unicorn a strange nod before returning to his snuffling work. "What's so interesting about a cave?" Soul Flash muttered to himself, walking inside. The glow could have been caused by moss, or crystals, or maybe a horde of shadow ponies had made their home here and gotten stuck. Soul Flash shuddered. He really hoped it wasn't the latter. Shadow ponies were extremely dangerous, and Soul Flash had never had to deal with more than one or two at once. The deeper Soul Flash went into the cavern, the brighter the glow became. It also gained a slight bluish tint to it, rather than be completely stark white. A strange feeling grew in Soul Flash's chest. Not particularly bad, but he wasn't sure if he could call it good. It was just...strange, and it was enough to cause him to light his horn, just in case something was in here that he would have to protect himself from. The stallion stopped suddenly, his horn's light flickering a bit as pure shock overtook him. Before him, glowing and pulsing with an ethereal light that Soul Flash couldn't hope to explain, was a clear blue and pure white crystalline tree. Its branches extended to the boundaries of the cave, twisting and twirling like a bee's flight pattern, and hanging down from those were branches more akin to a willow's. Every part of the plant was illuminated with the strange light, and was assumedly the source of the weird feeling Soul Flash felt, which was amplified as he stood before the enormous tree. On the edge of the branches were five crystal orbs, which each contained a unique gem. Red, blue, orange, pink, and violet, in the respective shapes of a lightning bolt, balloon, apple, butterfly, and rhombus. Growing out of the shining trunk was a large shape that appeared similar to a stylized star, and in the center was a smaller version of the shape in the form of a magenta gem. Below the star were etchings of a sun and a crescent moon. They weren't carved, rather, they seemed to grow as part of the tree's crystal surface and glowed along with it. A few steps closer, and Soul Flash's flickering horn started to glow brighter than it ever had before. He quickly extinguished his magic, unsure of the effects this strange tree would have on it. The gems on the tree's branches and the one on its trunk began to shimmer, at about the same time as Soul Flash heard a loud familiar snuffling. Turning his head, he saw that the old dragon had slithered inside the cave. Forgetting the tree for a moment, Soul Flash spun around to face the lizard. He was trapped now, there was no way out of the cave besides the entrance which the dragon was blocking. The dragon clawed its way forward, but strangely, it didn't seem to be looking at Soul Flash, or even acknowledging the unicorn at all. It just stared at the tree, an almost wistful look on its cracked face. Soul Flash watched it for a moment, perplexed. The tree was shiny, so maybe that was why the dragon was drawn to it, but if that was the case it should be attacking him for getting so close to the prize. Soul Flash looked around the dragon, and saw that it wasn't only a danger if he attempted to escape, it completely blocked the pathway out. Well, there was no option then. Besides blow out the cave to make another pathway, but he didn't want to test the strength of the cliff anymore than he already had. The dragon's eyes suddenly snapped to Soul Flash, emerald irises shimmering in the bright light the tree produced. The unicorn tensed, lighting his horn in preparation to defend himself. The dragon didn't attack though, only stared down at the stallion before him. The edges of the dragon's crooked mouth twitched, making it appear to be smiling. It opened its mouth, and Soul Flash's horn flared as a shimmering violet barrier surrounded him. No flame came though, only a deep, merry sounding roar. Soul Flash blinked, staring in awe at the dragon that seemed to be...laughing? "Thank you!" the dragon laughed, throwing its great head back as far as it could in the cramped space. "Thank you, you've saved Equestria!" Soul Flash didn't respond, only stood there in shock. His barrier faded, as he was too surprised to put forth the magic to keep it up. "Oh, sorry, Enigia." The dragon ceased its laughter, only smiling warmly down at Soul Flash now. "I didn't know someone as dark as you could save us like this...But I suppose I was wrong." "You...talk," Soul Flash sputtered, backing towards the tree and continuing to gape up at the dragon. It smiled and nodded. "Yes. Sorry, you aren't used to speaking dragons, are you? Or dragons in general." It sighed. "Never mind that though, there is no time for explanations. Here." The dragon reached a front talon back, towards the mouth of the cavern. Drawing it back, the dragon brought an item balanced precariously on a single claw to Soul Flash's attention. The book. "You dropped this," the dragon said, dropping the book at Soul Flash's hooves. "You should keep track of it. It's the only one that escaped her purge." "Purge?" Soul Flash repeated, looking down at the book, then back up at the dragon, who was gazing at the tree again. "Yes. Your Empress destroyed all books like this. You're lucky to have found one." "It's just a foal's story though," Soul Flash said, getting a bit of his bravery back since the dragon hadn't shown any aggression in its words or actions. "What would Empress Enigma gain from destroying them? The story's a bit controversial, but it's just fantasy-" "It's true. Every word." The dragon directed its emerald gaze back at Soul Flash, and the unicorn flinched at its cold tone. "We don't have time. Take the stones from the tree and hurry home. The Empress's guards will be here soon." "What? Her...Why?!" "Uncovering the tree sent a wave of harmonic magic over all Enigia," the dragon growled, sniffing the air. "Now hurry. Take the six stones, and go." It shuffled backwards, freeing itself of the cave and disappearing from Soul Flash's line of sight. Loud thudding noises signaled him to the dragon's departure. Soul Flash was still for a moment, needing to convince himself that what just happened wasn't some vivid daydream. No, that was a ridiculous thing to assume. The vibrations of the dragon's steps were very much real, and the tree behind him hadn't vanished with the lizard. He shook his head, confused, but still in his right mind. "The stones..." Soul Flash turned his head to the tree, where the six gems still glimmered. He hesitated, then lit his horn and began to yank on them. He grunted as he pulled, the crystal bark of the tree holding the gems tight. Eventually though, he was able to break them out of their shining prison. The tree seemed to shudder when it lost them, but nothing noticeable changed. The gems floated over to Soul Flash, and he looked each one over with skepticism. The dragon had seemed convinced they were important, and that the book's tale was true. How could that be though? Soul Flash couldn't sense any great power coming from the gems, and the book's tale was ridiculous. Power from friendship? How could something so...so foalish be real? Soul Flash sighed, picked up the book in his mouth, and began to exit the cave. He'd look further into this later. If the dragon was right, and the Empress' guard was on their way, he'd need to hurry home and set up the cloaking spell. The last thing he wanted was to tangle with those beasts. > Opposing Sides of Luck > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Golden feather clips, only fifty bits!" "Five hundred bit worth, thirty percent off!" "-has been blessed by the Empress herself!" "Pilfered from the Temple of-" "Old as the stars, but appears new-" "A great bargain!" "Goldie!" Golden Leaf was shaken out of her light stupor, brought on by the noise of the crowd, by the high-pitched shout from the foal beside her. She looked down and sighed at what she saw. "Charm, the cloud isn't going to swallow you up. Stop flailing," she chided, before grabbing her brother's tail with her mouth and yanking him out of the condensed water he had been squirming in. His wings buzzed, and she released him so he could flutter back down to the cloud. "I wanna go back to the ground," the bronze foal whined. Golden Leaf huffed, affixing her brother with a scolding look. Copper Charm was a stubborn foal. His wings had matured quicker than his classmates, and for some reason he had taken that as a sign that he was grown up (even though he was still a blank flank) and his decisions were law. This nature led to a lot of arguments with his big sister, mostly about clouds. He could fly, but hated standing on the solid moisture. "We won't be here long," Golden Leaf assured him, beginning to walk once more through the crowded streets of the New Cloudsdale market. She was a blooming inventor, having been interested in mechanics long before she'd gotten her cutie mark, which had come in the form of a golden three leaf clover with a gear at the end of the stem. It showcased her seemingly perpetual lucky streak in the field of mechanical innovation. Most of her breakthroughs came from mistakes she made while trying to do something else. She had come to the market to sell her newest inventions. She'd hit a recent epiphany in harnessing pegasus magic to affect other things, beside the weather. She wasn't going to be selling anything having to do with that today, but it definitely inspired her to offer some older things. "You always say it won't take long, but then it does!" Copper Charm stomped a front hoof, but followed Golden Leaf. "Trust me this time," Golden Leaf said, pausing to nuzzle her brother's red mane. He huffed, but said nothing more. The two made their way to Golden Leaf's rented stand, and she began to unpack the gold, silver, and copper contraptions from her saddle bags. Copper Charm didn't assist, and she didn't press him to. He flopped down behind the stand and began to bat at his sister's cinnamon tail. Her green fur contrasted strangely with the color, but she didn't mind. Her appearance wasn't of utmost importance to her. A white stallion, who had previously been circling the market in the sky (probably an athlete or something, based off of his wild mane style and lean figure), was her first browser, but he bought nothing. A high-class mare was the second, but just like the first, her bits remained in her bags. The browsers continued to file in, drawn by the sparkling metal and strange shapes of Golden Leaf's inventions. She smiled pleasantly to each one, though over time she grew more weary. She never had many customers, but it was disheartening each time her hard work was turned down. Each invention functioned. Each gear was painstakingly placed so the portable oven wouldn't catch flame and the clock-like device that calculated how fast one was flying was as accurate as possible. It just seemed that no pony needed the devices. Or at least didn't think they did. Golden Leaf sighed as yet another pegasus passed her by. Copper Charm was growing more restless, flittering in circles behind her. She regretted not bringing along a toy or something to keep him occupied, but it was too late now. At least the sun was starting to set. Soon they could go home and- Golden Leaf's thoughts were cut off by a stallion suddenly landing in front of her stand. His amber eyes met her ruby ones, and the next second he was gone, a single tawny feather fluttering to the ground being the only thing that remained. Golden Leaf blinked, then looked down at her counter. One of the contraptions was missing. She jerked her head back up and looked around at the surrounding crowd frantically. Copper Charm noticed her distress and poked at her left back leg. "Goldie? What's wrong?" He followed her gaze for a moment, before piping up again. "Are you looking for something?" "Th-thief..." she whispered. "What?" "Thief!" Golden Leaf's wings flared out and she leapt out of the stand. "Charm, don't move!" She flapped her wings a few times and took flight, scanning the market from above. "No no no!" she panted. She wasn't sure what had been stolen, but something had been stolen, and that was enough. This was her livelihood, she needed to sell the inventions. If she didn't, then neither her or Copper Charm would be comfortable, or eventually even alive. Finally, she spotted a stallion with tawny fur and a thing made of silver metal held in his mouth. He was edging through the crowd with his wings held strangely, almost as if they'd been broken. Golden Leaf slowed in her flight. If he was hurt, maybe he needed whatever he'd stolen more than she did. She had plenty of bits, maybe he didn't... The stallion looked up and spotted her. His eyes widened and he began to gallop. Golden Leaf shook her head and dove after him. This was no time to hesitate. She'd ask questions after she caught him. "Stop!" she yelled, "Thief!" Predictably, he didn't slow. The two were approaching the edge of the New Cloudsdale market now, the cloud suddenly cutting off to reveal a dark forest far below. Unicornia territory started around here, Golden Leaf mentally noted. The thief leapt over the side of the cloud, his wings unfurling as he caught himself. She noticed him struggle a bit in the air, as if flying caused him pain. His wings were slightly bent, making his flight pattern noticeably crooked. Golden Leaf found herself slowing again as her conscience piped up once more. She desperately tried to push it to the back of her mind, replacing her thoughts with Copper Charm and how much she needed the money that selling the invention would bring. If she sold it, of course. Golden Leaf was weighing her options when she saw the thief suddenly spasm mid-flight. His wings snapped shut, practically glueing themselves to his sides, and he plummeted down. The silver item he'd stolen slipped from his open mouth, but neither pegasus noticed. Golden Leaf screamed in surprise and horror, all thoughts of his crime vanishing, and she dove down, trying desperately to reach him before he hit the ground. His cries filled her ears and she responded with a yell of her own. Her wings flattened against her side as she dove, hoping against hope that she'd reach him before he hit the rapidly approaching trees below. Unfortunately, her lucky streak only applied to her innovations, not her ability to rescue. Ruby and amber met once more before the thief hit the first branch with his back and his screams stopped abruptly. A resounding crack made Golden Leaf's wings flare out once more, catching her before she could face the same fate. The tawny pegasus vanished beneath the thick cover of leaves and wood, leaving Golden Leaf to stare at the cracked branch he'd hit. Time stood still for a moment, as her eyes stuck to the dark hole in the leaf cover that the thief's body had left behind. It was too dark in the forest to see what lay below, so she could only wonder about his fate. A shiver slid over Golden Leaf's frame as she slowly lowered herself to the top of a tree and perched there, staring down through the trees at the dark below. She was seized with a desire to return to New Cloudsdale, to return to Copper Charm and forget this had ever happened. Her conscience wouldn't let her do that though, she had to check if he was alright. If there was even the slightest chance he had survived, she had to make sure. If he had, he'd no doubt need immediate assistance. Taking a deep breath, the green mare flew below the leaves and branches, squinting her eyes in the dark that suddenly overtook her surroundings. She focused on going straight down, not wanting to get too far from where the thief had probably landed. As her eyes adjusted, Golden Leaf saw that the forest seemed to be void of life besides the trees and the occasional predatory growl. Her heart beat sickeningly fast as her hooves finally touched the leaf blanketed, fern infested ground. She looked around, and her eyes settled on an unmoving, pony-shaped lump a few feet away. Taking a gulp of air, Golden Leaf walked up to the body. There was no movement of breath, or even a twitch of the ear. An ant crawled over the thief's shoulder, and he didn't move. "Hello?" Golden Leaf said quietly, reaching out a hoof but stopping just before she touched the pegasus' side. "Are you...?" She stopped, drawing her hoof back. He was dead. She was sure of it. After a moment of just staring at the unmoving form of the passed criminal, she sat down and drew a hoof over her eyes. She wasn't crying, but it hurt to look at the dead pony before her. She didn't feel right just looking or flying away, she felt like she should honor him somehow. She didn't know his name, but the emotion she had seen when he'd fallen had stirred her. He wasn't a cold-hearted criminal, he was a pony like her, and he had died like she would if she had been the one falling. A low growl and the clinking of metal startled her out of her state of mourning. She leapt into the air in a spur of fright and clung to the first branch she crossed. The sound of heavy footsteps reached her ears, along with increasingly loud growls and metal scraping against metal. Golden Leaf's eyes widened. She'd only heard those sounds once, on the Longest Night Celebration when it was held in New Cloudsdale. The Empress's royal guard. > Kindling the Spark > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Golden Leaf sat frozen in fear on her branch as the sounds of the royal guard came steadily closer. The monsters were barbaric, and though they were probably here on a mission, they might take her as a witness and seriously harm her. The Empress was the only one who was known to be able to control them, and many a pony had been hurt by the creatures on the few holidays the Empress left the Royal City. The pegasus covered her mouth with a hoof as one of the guard came into view. The great, brown beast was hunched over as it padded across the forest floor, sniffing and and panting. Drool dripped from its gaping maw, and it was draped in golden armor that glinted in the specks of sunlight that filtered through the leaves. Soon, it was followed by droves more, sniffing and growling as they moved in a pack formation, their thick canine bodies moving in unnaturally bipedal stances. Golden Leaf shuddered in fear when one stopped near the tree she was in and sniffed the air. It thankfully didn't look up, and instead barked to its comrades. They all stopped, looking at the one who had barked in quizzical manners. It pointed to the ground. Golden Leaf followed its strange paw to where it pointed, and saw it was showing the others the body of the thief who had fallen. The royal guard all began to howl enthusiastically. The pack surrounded the passed pegasus, and the sound of tearing flesh filled Golden Leaf's ears. She shuddered in horror, covering her eyes with her wings and sinking back against the trunk of the tree. The ripping sounds quickly stopped, and the sound of slurping replaced it. After a moment, those sounds stopped too and the pack moved on, assumedly to wherever they'd be ordered to go. Golden Leaf tentatively removed her wings from her face, making a point not to look down at where the thief's body had been. She instead directed her gaze in the direction the royal guard had gone. They weren't usually seen far from the Empress. If they were all the way out here, something must have been seriously wrong. Golden Leaf cast a look upwards, Copper Charm coming to mind. She bit her lip as she considered her options. She really needed to go back to him, he was probably worried about her, and the sun was just a little while from slipping over the horizon. She wanted to get him home before night fell. Then again...somepony could be in trouble. The royal guard had an aura of danger, and a glint of anticipation in their breath. Copper Charm would be fine, he was a strong foal, and she'd left him in the market before. He'd gone home alone many times, he wouldn't be too worried, and he knew his way. Golden Leaf cast one more contemplating look up at New Cloudsdale, then jumped off the branch and began to fly after the guard. Golden Leaf followed them for what felt like hours, and her wings ached terribly by the time they finally stopped. She dropped, exhausted, on a tree branch, and lifted only her head to watch the guard as the sniffed around. They'd stopped near a ravine that had a rickety bridge hanging across it, and a strange white glow emanating from its bottom. The beasts didn't seem interested in that though, and just continued to sniff the air and paw around. Golden Leaf watched curiously as they clawed at the ground, then sniffed empty air and took a few steps towards an empty patch of grassless ground a little bit away from the edge of the cliff. They eventually stopped in their apparent investigation and gathered in a group, snarling and barking at each other for a while. The group suddenly turned collectively towards the grassless patch of ground, their dog-like ears raised and their fangs bared. They moved together towards it, claws making deep gouges in the ground, and drool dripping from their enormous jaws. Golden Leaf watched with bated breath as they approached the patch of ground, nervous for a reason she couldn't explain. There wasn't anypony there, was there? One of the guard suddenly leapt forward, howling and scraping at the air above the bare ground. Though, instead of hitting empty air like Golden Leaf had thought it would, it hit something hard, something that sounded like stone as the creature's claws scraped against the invisible surface. Magic. Golden Leaf bit back a gasp as she remembered where she was. She'd been so caught up in sneaking after the guard she hadn't even noticed the transition. The air was thicker, brought on by the massive amount of condensed magical energy that coursed through air because of the ponies that lived here. Unicorn territory. She'd wandered right into Unicornia. Golden Leaf's wings flared in a sudden burst of fright, and she hurriedly settled the feathers back down, pleading to the celestial bodies to keep her from being heard by the guards. Luckily, they were too engrossed in their task of attacking the decidedly not empty air to hear the sound of wings and hooves as Golden Leaf panicked. The pegasus looked around, suddenly feeling in more danger than she had while following the royal guard, more scared than when the thief had dropped out of the air. It seemed harder to breathe, which she knew wasn't possible. The high concentration of unicorn magic made the air denser, true, but it was as easy to breathe as it was in New Cloudsdale, thus was the nature of magic. She just had to calm down. This deep into the forest there wasn't likely to be any unicorns, not any that would make themselves known in the presence of the royal guard at least. She was safe, she just had to remember that... All illusions of safety vanished when she spotted a dark gray unicorn suddenly appear out of nowhere, walking right out of the side of the grassless patch of ground. Golden Leaf felt and heard a scream breach her lips, and though she quickly covered her mouth with her hooves, it was too late. The royal guard abandoned their task and turned. They noticed the unicorn first, then the pegasus in the trees. With a bark and a swift movement of paws, the beasts had split into two teams and gone scrambling after the two ponies. Golden Leaf found herself frozen as the canines pounded towards her, and her eyes glued to the unicorn. "Dammit!" she heard him yell, and she squeaked as his horn suddenly lit up. The aura was a nice violet shade, but she had no time to admire it. She suddenly found the ability to move again and leaped off the branch, bursting through the leaves into the sky. There was a loud snarling as the royal guard clambered up the tree but she paid them no mind. Instinct reigned over her mind and she dove back down towards the unicorn. He was quickly being surrounded by the guard, and though his magic had taken out several of them, they kept coming. He was backed up against a tree, horn sparking with that purple glow. Golden Leaf took a deep breath, then slammed into his side. He yelped, and she hooked her front hooves under his forelegs. With a grunt, she lifted up into the air again, pausing a few feet above the tree cover and panting with her new load. The unicorn seemed to be in shock, staring down at the trees below with wide eyes. He then craned his head up to see the pegasus who now held him, and a scowl crossed onto his face. "Pegasus," he said smoothly. She looked down, and smiled weakly. "Sorry," she mumbled, "I couldn't leave you though." The unicorn just glared at her, then directed his gaze back down to the trees. In a moment, shock seemed to regain him again. "The saddlebags," he gasped, squirming a bit in Golden Leaf's grip. She grunted, shifting to keep her hold on him. "What?" "You left them!" the unicorn screamed, kicking out at the air with a hind leg. "Saddlebags? What...You had saddlebags?" "They were concealed with a spell, moron," he growled. "We're far away enough though so the spell is cut off from me. Bring me back down!" "What?!" Golden Leaf snapped, "No! That's insane! The royal guard is still down there!" "Does it look like I give a buck?" the unicorn snarled, kicking out again. "I need what's in those bags. The Empress wants them, obviously, but she can't have them! They're..." He paused, snout scrunching up in thought. "...Important. Somehow." "What do you mean?" "There's no time! Bring me back down! Now!" The unicorn kicked out again, not ceasing in his squirming now. Golden Leaf bit her lip in frustration. "It's too dangerous!" "I can destroy them, it'll be easy!" he yelled, "Besides, if we don't kill all of them now, they'll go back to the Empress and she'll send something worse than a bunch of brain-washed dogs after us." Golden Leaf shuddered at the thought. The unicorn was right. If they didn't stop the guard before they left for the Royal City then they'd be in even more danger, and more ponies might get caught in the crossfire. Copper Charm might be... "Alright," she agreed. The unicorn stopped struggling, sighing in relief. Golden Leaf shifted a bit so she had a better grip on him, then dove back down towards the forest. She alighted on a tree branch and dropped the unicorn next to her. The royal guard were still there, tearing away at black saddlebags that lay on the ground. One was completely destroyed, a book laying on the ground a few feet away. It was dirty and a bit torn, but otherwise appeared alright. The beasts were moving towards the second one, but before they could get to it, Golden Leaf heard a loud ringing noise next to her. She turned her head and saw the unicorn with his horn emitting what looked like bubbles of black, green, and violet. Violet flames extending from the edges of his eyes, but instead of heat they seemed to emanate cold. His eyes suddenly snapped open, glowing a bright green. He leapt down from the tree, walking slowly up to the royal guard. They barked and snarled at him, but the unicorn wasn't fazed. "Don't touch my things," the unicorn said coldly, a beam of black and green shooting from his darkened horn and washing over the pack. They yelped and cried as the sound and smell of sizzling flesh rose into the air. Golden Leaf gasped, ducking down and covering her ears with her hooves. She closed her eyes, waiting for the horrid sounds to stop. Eventually, they did, and the pegasus opened her eyes to see nothing but ash where the royal guard had been. She took a shuddering gulp of air, then jumped down from the tree and trotted over to the unicorn, who was levitating the book over to himself. The purple flames and strange magic bubbles were gone, and the violet aura was back. "What kind of magic was that?" Golden Leaf asked quietly. The unicorn shot her a glare. "It doesn't matter," he said, setting the book down next to the untouched saddle bag. "Alright...then what's in those bags that's so important?" Golden Leaf looked at the torn black fabric on the ground. "Um...bag." "I don't know what they are exactly," the unicorn said sliding the book into the bag with his hoof then levitating it onto his back. "They're important though." "Vague, aren't you?" Golden Leaf said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What's your name?" "Doesn't matter to you," the unicorn said, turning to her. "A better question is, what's a pegasus doing in Unicornia?" "What's a unicorn doing in the middle of the forest?" Golden Leaf retorted, "Appearing out of nowhere with 'important things' in his saddlebags?" "I didn't appear out of nowhere," the unicorn scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Another cloaking spell, though this one's more powerful and is connected to an object, not me." "What are you hiding here?" "Why do you care? It doesn't matter anyway, I'm leaving now." The sinister bubbles appeared around the unicorn's horn again, along with the violet fire. There was a popping noise, and a black scarf fluttered to the ground between Golden Leaf and the unicorn. An old ruin was suddenly visible on the grassless space. Golden Leaf gasped at the surprise structure, and her feathers ruffled. "I've never seen anything like it," she mumbled. "You've never seen any magic besides Empress Enigma's," the unicorn scoffed, levitating the scarf up and around his neck. Golden Leaf sighed, then held out a hoof to the unicorn. "My name is Golden Leaf," she said. The unicorn gave her an odd look, eyed her hoof, then turned away, adjusting the scarf. "Soul Flash," he finally said. Golden Leaf smiled. "It's nice to meet you." > Convergence > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Night fell. The sun dropped out of the sky quicker than Soul Flash or Golden Leaf had expected, but it wasn't surprising. Enigma was probably angry, and as she had sent the royal guard out there was no doubt. The forest was filled with hungry snarls and slurps and, for the first time in a very long time, a pegasus and a unicorn shared the same roof. It was purely out of necessity, you never knew what was lurking at night, but even so, it was uncomfortable to say the least. Golden Leaf was surprised at the good condition of the ruin's internal. The outside made it appear uninhabitable, but inside it was actually quite nice. The stone was cracked and dusty, and all things made of fabric were moldy and moth-eaten, but Soul Flash's books were in fine condition, and nature-themed decor gave it an almost homey feel. Not noble and certainly not majestic, as the castle had been meant to appear in the past, but nice and not a bad home. The pegasus followed the unicorn silently, looking around curiously at the surroundings. Soul Flash seemed tense, his tail flicking ever so often, and his pace stalling with each noise the ruin made. "How did you find this place?" Golden Leaf asked, unnerved by the awkward silent walk. Soul Flash didn't respond. Okay, maybe a different topic. "Do you know who used to live here?" There was silence for a while, and Golden Leaf was about to ask something else, then the unicorn responded. "Royalty," he said curtly. "Really?" Maybe history was the way to dissolving the tension. Judging by the books, this stallion might be a more studious type. "What kind? Ancient unicorns?" "No," Soul Flash said, shaking his head. "I don't know what they were. The few pictures I've found depicted them similar to the Empress, but I doubt that's accurate. Probably just deifying the rulers." "Ah." Golden Leaf nodded thoughtfully. "Could I see the pictures?" Soul Flash stopped suddenly and didn't respond. "...What is it?" "This is where we sleep," he said, turning to her and gesturing to a nearby doorway. "Oh. Yes. Thank you for letting me stay." "You leave as soon as the sun rises." Soul Flash walked into the room. Golden Leaf hesitated a moment, her friendly nature dimmed a bit by his cold demeanor, then followed. The room had a few old looking, but colorful pillows piled in the back, next to a black book. There were lamps in the corners, which Soul Flash promptly lit with a spark of magic. A large chest of drawers was in a corner, and the unicorn levitated one of the drawers open. A few pillows of various colors floated out and piled in the opposite corner. "You sleep there." Soul Flash gestured to the new pile. "Alright," Golden Leaf said, nodding slowly. Soul Flash went to his own bed and laid down. He slid off his one saddle bag then opened the black book, beginning to read. Golden Leaf hovered in the doorway for a bit before edging over to her pillows. She pressed down on one with a hoof. The fabric was tough, not soft in the slightest, but Golden Leaf laid down without comment. Her gaze was quickly drawn back to Soul Flash, who had his snout buried in his book and seemed to be doing everything in his power not to look at her. "What are you reading?" Golden Leaf asked. "A book of spells. I know them all already, but since this is my last night here I thought I might as well do a quick review." Soul Flash didn't look up, and his voice was little more than a mumble. "Ah." Silence reigned for a few uncomfortable moments. "Can I see?" Now Soul Flash looked up, affixing the pegasus with an odd, almost scornful look. "Why? You can't perform magic." He looked back down at the book. Golden Leaf sputtered a bit, unsure of how to respond. She couldn't help but feel an odd mixture of jealousy and hurt from his words. "I can actually," she said, shifting a bit. "That's how pegasi work. Magic is what gives us our ability to fly and change the weather." "I'm aware." Soul Flash looked up again, smirking. "My magic allows me to do that, and much more." "It requires study for you to learn how to do that, it's instinctual for us!" Golden Leaf exclaimed, her wings flaring slightly. "Hm." Soul Flash looked back down. Golden Leaf was about to say something else, but stopped and sighed. Her feathers settled, and she laid her head down on her front hooves. After a few minutes, she spoke again. "My mother used to tell me about unicorns," she said. There was no response, negative or positive, so she continued. "She was a mail mare, and brought letters and packages from Pegasopolis to the edges of Unicornia and Earth. There she'd meet up with one of the local mail mares, and pass on the mail. It was mostly things from nobles; Trade organization and that sort of thing. The earth ponies were fine, but she loved delivering to unicorns most. To see your colorful magic levitate the letters and packages..." Golden Leaf chuckled breathily. "She was a bit ridiculous, my mother, but nice. It was like she didn't even care about breeds, she found everypony fascinating." Soul Flash still didn't look up, but Golden Leaf could tell he was listening. "What are your parents like?" "I don't know." Soul Flash closed the book. "I've lived alone for...a long time." He sighed and looked at Golden Leaf. "Why did you help me?" "Huh?" "When the royal guard were attacking," the unicorn explained, tapping a hoof against the ground impatiently. "Oh. Because they would have hurt you." Golden Leaf smiled nervously, not completely understanding why Soul Flash was asking this. "But you're a pegasus," Soul Flash said, frowning. "And I'm not. You saving me was equivalent to breaking a law, almost as much as you entering Unicornia was." Golden Leaf was quiet, then eventually shrugged. She wasn't sure how to explain what she did, she had just done it because it seemed like the right thing to do. She doubted Soul Flash would accept that answer though. The unicorn huffed. "Why did you come here anyway?" "I followed the royal guard," Golden Leaf admitted, "I was worried about why they'd be so far from the Royal City." "Why were you down in the forest?" "A thief stole something from me. Now that I think back, it probably wasn't that important..." She sighed. "I just hope my brother had enough sense to go home instead of get all fussy about me. I hate to say it, but it's not the first time I've been gone until after dark..." "You have a brother?" Soul Flash questioned, cocking his head. "Oh, yes. Copper Charm." Golden Leaf chuckled. "He's pretty young and stubborn, doesn't even have his cutie mark yet..." She trailed off and her gaze drifted to Soul Flash's flank, eyeing the round mark curiously. "What does yours mean?" "My-" The unicorn caught her gaze and narrowed his eyes, flicking his tail forward to cover the mark. "My talent is magic." He didn't elaborate further, instead looking away to the far wall. "Oh." Golden Leaf couldn't help but feel a bit sad that it wasn't something they could talk more about on an equal level. She didn't understand anything about unicorn magic, but if it was his special talent then he knew all the ins and outs. Oh, there was something she could ask about. Soul Flash might respond to more questions about knowledge. "Then...do you know about the Empress'?" "What do you mean?" Soul Flash asked, looking back at her. His eyes were cold, violet shards of ice. She'd definitely gotten his attention. "Empress Enigma's magic," Golden Leaf said, "Why is hers so much more powerful than any other unicorn's? How does she have wings and a horn? She isn't really some sort of goddess, is she?" Soul Flash was silent for a minute, scanning over the pegasus critically and with an almost confused glint in his still cold eyes. His mouth twitched slightly and he turned his head away again. "She's an alicorn. That's why she has both the wings and horn. I'm not really sure if it's natural or not, but since she's the only one it can't be. Not completely anyway. No, she's no goddess, but I'm not sure what that makes her besides just the most powerful pony in Enigia, maybe even the world." Soul Flash's brow furrowed. "I can sense her magical aura, even from so far away. It feels like it should be comforting but...there's something wrong with it. I don't know what." He blinked, then glanced back at Golden Leaf. "Why?" "I'm...curious." She shrugged, then quickly followed up with a question so her host wouldn't get bored. "What do you mean 'magical aura?'" "All ponies have a magical field surrounding them which embodies their core, like a soul or something of that nature," Soul Flash explained. "It can't be used to track anypony, or read their minds or anything, it just lets you know they're out there and alive. You can't usually feel it from very far away unless the pony in question is extremely powerful, like our tyrant. And...I suppose they actually have to have a soul. Shadow ponies don't have them." "I've never felt anything like that," Golden Leaf said, cocking her head. "Most ponies don't, they're very faint," Soul Flash said. He smiled slightly and Golden Lead mentally cheered. "I developed a spell to heighten my ability to read them. I got my cutie mark when I finally developed it." "Wow," Golden Leaf mused, "I wish I could feel souls like that." "It's not very helpful," Soul Flash sighed. "I mean, I can tell if somepony's still alive, but other than that there's no use. I was just curious about them is all." "Well, being curious is how I got my cutie mark," Golden Leaf giggled. She turned slightly and lifted a wing so he could see the mark. "I'm lucky in the field of invention. I just had to get curious enough to start inventing to get it. I made a machine that produces light with only a minimum amount of magical energy, and it appeared." "A machine that produces light?" Soul Flash repeated, narrowing an eye and leaning his head forward slightly to see the mark better. Golden Leaf smiled. She was getting somewhere with this stallion. "Yes. Magical energy flows in, simply by some pony pressing their hoof against a little button and activating it. It was an accident really, I broke a wire and it zapped me. It started glowing, it got enough energy by just brushing against me. I used that knowledge to make the rest of the thing." Golden Leaf sighed happily at the memory. "My parents were so happy that it worked. They had me make another, and sold it immediately to our neighbor." "Fascinating." Soul Flash sighed, dropping his head to the pillows. "Won't your parents worry over your disappearance?" "Oh, um..." Golden Leaf looked down, wings drooping. "No. They...passed. Quite a while ago, actually. Charm barely remembers them." "Condolences." The unicorn snorted quietly, then flicked his head and lit his horn. The lamps went out, thrusting the room into shadows. "We should sleep now. Who knows when the Empress will raise the sun, but you have to be gone when it does. I have...places to be." "Of...course." Golden Leaf nodded, ignoring the fact that he most likely couldn't see her in the dark, and curled up on her makeshift bed. The harsh fabric of the pillows agitated her skin, but she remained quiet and draped her wings over her body to protect against the slight breeze blowing through the ancient shelter. "Good night, Soul Flash." Golden Leaf received no response, and resigned herself to the tense silence, eventually drifting off. Soul Flash watched the pegasus as best he could, holding his breath in anticipation for some show of aggression, some sign that everything he'd been told about the spilt races was true. They had to be split for a reason. This pony couldn't just be...normal. What was the point if this winged mare was no different from the horned ones he'd met in unicorn villages? In fact, she seemed almost...sweeter. It was unnatural. With a grimace and an uncomfortable twitch, Soul Flash surrendered to the night, pushing these treacherous thoughts to the back of his mind.