//------------------------------// // Beginning Anew // Story: Age of Equestria // by EdofJville //------------------------------// His bed was as warm and comforting as ever, as he eagerly snuggled under the blanket and rested his head on the pillow. The moon shone brightly through the bedroom window beside him as he anticipated the arrival of his father and the usual bedtime story. What seemed like ages finally gave way to the telltale sounds of father’s hoofsteps coming from the hall as the bedroom door opened. Father walked in with a warm smile and his favorite book of assorted tales in one hoof and his glowing horn carrying the trademark stool with which he always sat on during his readings. Father levitated the stool down on the wooden floor and made himself comfortable as he opened the big folktale book to a random story. "Tonight's story is quite a good one, Ethereal. Its one of my favorites, although I guess I say that about most of these stories, don't I?" He smiled at his father knowingly, while he let out a small chuckle in response. As father began reading the night's story, mother came into the room, smiling and bidding him goodnight with a light kiss on the cheek before exiting as the narration continued. His eyes slowly drooped, soothed by father's calming deep voice. Before he knew it, he was asleep in a peaceful state of bliss as the quiet night outside enveloped the house. Suddenly, a loud commotion from outside could be heard. At first, it seemed somewhat distant, as if from several blocks away from home, but it gradually grew louder and louder, until a violent thud and screams forced him awake as his eyes opened with a start. Something else was amiss. It smelled like smoke. Something was burning inside the house from downstairs. Another loud thud and then a succession of bangs, loud voices, and panicked hoofsteps filled the area, scaring him. The bedroom door flung open as father appeared, a worried expression carved on his face. The sense of fear intensified then. "Ethereal, come with me! We have to leave now!" Before he could muster a reply, father scooped him out of bed with his magic and ran down the hallway and down the stairs. He was freed of his magic hold as he found himself plopped on father's back. They ran out of the house into the brick-paved alley, only to find mother surrounded and trapped by several hooded ponies. "Mother!" Father pressed his hoof against my mouth, silencing my cries. The hooded ponies turned their gaze towards us, moving in formation and pushing us back against the front door. Fire started spreading from inside the kitchen and quickly consumed both stories of the house as thick smoke billowed out around us. There was nothing but fear and intense sadness that consumed everything. It was not only home and the immediate surroundings that was caught up in turmoil. The whole city appeared to be under siege with fires blazing and shouts and noises in various directions. Through all of the chaos and carnage, only the sight of mother and father being swarmed by the mysterious attackers stood out. Father turned desperately to me and shouted as we got separated. "Run, Ethereal! Run away!" Struggling at first, legs wobbling in fear. No, I don't want to leave. I can't leave without them. "No! You have to come with me father! You too mother!" They shouted back in unison. "Please, do as we say! Leave! We'll catch up with you! We promise!" The struggle grew harder. Run. Run now! But..... mother and father are in trouble. Those bad ponies are trying to hurt them. But.... fear. He was too scared to try to help them even though he felt he should. Mother and father know best. They always know. They've never been wrong. They said to run, so run it will be. With one last effort, he forced himself to turn and run away before the hooded ponies could grab him. As he ran with all his might, a strange sound followed by the pained screams of mother and then father made him glance back, only to see a weird device pointed at them as they appeared to slowly slump over onto the ground. Crying and screaming while shaking his head and closing his eyes, he kept running away, as far away as his legs could carry him. Flames engulfed various buildings left and right. Screams and loud struggles were everywhere. More hooded ponies. More weird devices. Some of them saw him running by and gave chase. "No! Go away! Leave me alone!" Running and running, legs growing tired by the second. He tripped on a cobblestone path and fell. Their shadows lingered over him in a dark huddle. He tried to scream as he looked straight up at the full moon. Ethereal Divide found himself lying flat on the grass drenched in sweat as he stared at the night's full moon. It had been yet another dream. The same recurring nightmare that seemed determined to plague his sleep night after night for some reason in recent weeks. He slowly relaxed his heavy breathing as he rose up and gazed at his woodland surroundings. His chocolate brown mane and tail glistened in the silver moonlight as its dim rays cast shadows of the nearby trees on his sandy white coat. How long had he been asleep, he thought. He stood up on all fours and sighed. It didn't seem likely that he'd get any more sleep tonight after that damn nightmare. Just my luck... Now, what? Guess I should carry on traveling for a bit until morning and see where I end up. Maybe I'll finally end up in the next town or city. Its been too long since I last crossed paths with civilization. Indeed, it had been at least a few weeks since he had passed through the last town. The desert landscape surrounding Appleloosa had been challenging to navigate, especially when food and water was always uncertain. Fortunately, it had since given way to the more merciful terrain of a vast forest which offered substantially more resources. He had been able to eat roasted wheat and grains with the aid of a campfire he started and fresh water was plentiful thanks to several streams and creeks that meandered throughout the area. Aside from one or two encounters with a bear and a Timberwolf, things were going relatively well and danger seemed to be a distant risk. The nightmares were currently the only real nuisance he had to deal with. Putting his thoughts to rest, Ethereal Divide trudged onward for the better part of the night. As usual, he had no real sense of direction. He had learned how to survive and fend for himself on his own over years of living the stray solo life. The odds should have been against him all these years considering he was probably the only unicorn in existence that couldn't use magic, not to mention the fact that he was still lacking a cutie mark as a young adult stallion. But despite this, his will to live had pushed him to keep going, albeit aimlessly across the land of Equestria. He had no family or friends. It had been himself and his inner thoughts for many years, only occasionally stumbling into cities where his reserved and awkward social interactions with other ponies often led to being branded a deviant, thief, or even a lunatic in some cases. He didn't care though. What others thought of him was not important. He could and would live life without them. Of course, there were times where the pangs of loneliness plagued him. He would always manage to shake them off in due time, however. But it didn't keep his mind from wondering how his life would be different had things gone better for him in the past. Perhaps that was the reason behind the return of those cursed nightmares. Apparently, he hadn't fully put his past behind him as he once thought. The hours went by and soon the first light of the morning sunrise began appearing over the horizon, briefly illuminating what appeared to be a town in the distance. He couldn't be sure, but it seemed a towering structure similar to a castle or fortress was situated in that town. He was finally drawing near to the next stop in pony society in his never-ending travels. However, the rising sun soon revealed a narrow canyon divided by a raging river lay before him. In order to reach the town, he would need to find a way to get across that canyon. Without magic or wings, it would be a difficult challenge. However, he was no stranger to ingenuity and adapting on the fly. His time in the wilderness over the years forced him to learn various methods of survival and trail-blazing through sheer necessity. And he wasn't about to give up and turn back now. Civilization was near, and he'd be damned if he was going to accept being denied delicious food, comfortable shelter, and some modern conveniences because of a little gorge and river with an attitude problem. He scoured the vicinity of the canyon for any possible bridges, either natural or ponymade. Despite an extensive search, he found none. With that option off the table, Ethereal Divide headed downstream where the canyon gradually ended abruptly as a long, steep waterfall. Looking at the lake and long, winding river below him, he spotted a large collection of wood pilings, likely gathered by a group of beavers. There was his solution. It would be a long trek getting down there, but if he could round up that wood, he should be able to fasten it together with some vines and branches into a rudimentary bridge over the river gorge. If he started now, he was sure he could finish the project by day's end. With his mind made up, he set out to get things done. Hours later, an exhausted Ethereal Divide collected and dropped off the last of the makeshift lumber beside the narrowest gap of the canyon that he could find. The sun was nearly setting, but he pushed himself to tie the wood pilings together via several long strings of vines from the forest. Tethering them together to his side of the canyon, he gripped the other end with all his might through his teeth and threw it across the gorge to the other side, where it luckily latched onto a stone outcropping and hanged steady. The hard part was now done. All that remained was to cross the makeshift bridge. He couldn't be sure that it would hold his weight as he crossed over it, but he had no choice but to attempt doing so. By that point, the sun had set and night had fallen. He deemed it too risky to try crossing the bridge now while it was so dark and he was also quite tired. It was time to call it a day. After all, he had been awake for 24 hours now. Sleep was necessary for whatever lay ahead. He knew it would be foolish to push himself any further right now. Surrendering to sleep, he found himself dreaming again. It was that same damn nightmare. However, something was different this time around. A sense of lucidness that wasn't present in any previous incarnation of the nightmare was troubling him. He was a colt again. He was tucked in his bed as father came in to read a story. But as he looked out the window at the moon, a faint shadow of a mark appeared on its surface. It seemed somehow sentient, yet not part of his dream. It was something of an intruder, and in fact, he felt he was being observed by something or someone from far away. He fell asleep in his bed, and as usual, father returned to snatch him away and run out the door of the house, finding mother surrounded by those same hooded ponies, wearing all black clothes. Father yells to leave and run. Mother does the same. A sense of reluctance as he struggles to run as they command him. Finally, he runs. As he does so, he stumbles and trips and the shadows of other hooded figures hover over him, ready to catch him. As he looks up, he sees the moon again. What is that? Eyes in the moon? He tries to run, but then he stumbles again. Ethereal Divide woke up in a shock, realizing he'd been sleepwalking and happened to cross onto the bridge. The bright light of day stunned him as he covered his eyes with his right hoof. A loud snap fully wakes him up as he instantly realizes what just happened. A sinking sensation fills his stomach as the bridge breaks from underneath him. Somehow, through a stroke of luck or maybe last minute reflexes, he managed to grab onto a jutting stone pillar and wrap his hooves around it as the bridge tumbled down, crashing into the raging river below.