//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - Old Legends // Story: Friðr's Guardian // by -Watcher- //------------------------------// Long ago, before time and magic, there was a garth. It rested peacefully within a valley of prodigious beauty and life, tucked away from the prying eyes of all who inhabited the world. This place housed creatures of legend, flora that could blind mortals with its beauty, and the beginnings of all magic. It was here that the story of time began, and it would be the place where time would end. In the center of its courtyard, there was tree. Its roots extended to the farthest reaches of what was the world. Its leaves brought life and joy to all those who were privy to its presence. Its trunk was stronger than any material or alloy and held steadfast in the event of any and all conflict. This tree was called Friðr. It was this tree that would lead to the world as it is known. Centuries passed, and the garth and its surroundings remained undisturbed by the likes of mortals. Friðr continued supporting the rich, prosperous lands beyond the humble valley she resided in. As the world grew alongside Friðr, she could feel the appearance of new life scattered across the globe. This overjoyed Friðr, and she welcomed the newcomers into her valley, spreading her joy and magic to all those who would let it into their hearts. Sick were made well. Blind were healed. Dumb would speak, and deaf would hear once more. Pegasi were gifted control of the heavens, a blessing brought by the wind that moved through Friðr’s branches. Earth Ponies were gifted strength and endurance akin to the trunk and roots that supported Friðr. Finally, Unicorns were given the blessing to utilize and manipulate the very magical energy that Friðr herself used. Once again, time passed, and the ponies that first came to the valley had spread to the farthest reaches of the world. Peace and harmony reigned supreme, and it was not accident. Friðr did her best to help those in need, even speaking in spirit with a few. She became akin to a goddess to these ancient ponies, and she was as benevolent as the word had allowed. However, this generousness led to word being spread around the neighboring kingdoms and beyond. Though many were quick to return Friðr’s kindness with similar charities, there were also those who sought to harness rather than share, to harm rather than to help. One such king, a unicorn of immense power, hearing of the tree’s magical properties, sought to use the estate for his own gain. Assembling an army of experts and explorers and warriors, the king led his people into the sacred valley, hellbent on capturing the power of the tree. This would soon breed the first major conflicts in the world’s history. Battles raged across the lands as factions fought to protect or control the tree. Blood was spilled on the once holy lands of the valley, and it pained Friðr to see her ponies in such dark times. As the wars raged on, the connection between Friðr and the ponies waned more and more. This only served to worsen the battles as the ponies fought even fiercer than before, thinking the dying earth was due to the others. All the while, Friðr watched with a sadness that threatened to consume her, weakening her more and more. One fateful day, the king responsible for this pain and misery led a final push against the garth’s defending forces. Overwhelmed, both by number and power, the defenders fell. The king burned and ravaged the surrounding area and took no prisoners. For the first time since time itself had started, the sacred grounds of the garth were tainted with the blood and fear of ponies. This had finally broken the spirit of the great tree. As the king marched his way into the central courtyard, the tree spoke without being heard. Only he could hear. Only he could feel the tree’s wrath. Only he could feel what true fear was. Friðr spoke of the injustices the king had thrust into the world, forcing him to the ground in an unrelenting telepathic assault. The king’s men were unable to aid as the tree had surrounded the courtyard in a barrier of pure energy. They were forced to watch as their leader was made powerless in the presence of what seemed to an invisible force. The tree could feel its power had been all but drained by the chaos and pain in the world, and sought to give the world she looked after one final gift. Releasing the king from her embrace, she put a curse on him, a curse that would bound him to this place for all eternity. He and he alone would be its protector and guardian for all of time. With her judgment passed, Friðr drew all the energy she had left into what would be her final spell. A powerful magical beam of energy erupted from the top of her branches, showering the land in a pale white light. This light was not a simple spell, but Friðr’s very life essence. It scattered across the globe, bringing with it life once more and wiping away all the pain and blood of all ponies and creatures. As a parting gift, Friðr whispered into the king’s mind one final time. Though the words she spoke are unknown, it is said that king simply nodded in a knowing gesture and ignited his own horn, from which poured a blinding blue light that engulfed the garth in its entirety. It is said the king, as an act of redemption, agreed to hide the garth away and seal what remained of Friðr’s magic from the world so that it may one day return when the time was right. Over the millennia, many have claimed to see the garth in many different locations, though all accounts of such events have never been accurately documented or verified. However, it is also said that the king’s magic was weakened from the immense power required to initiate the spell. As such, many believe that every half-century, the king must rematerialize the garth in order to regain his strength. This location is said to be the original plot where the garth was all those years ago, though this location has been lost to the sands of time. This does nothing to impede the many explorers and scholars who wish to discover the garth and learn the secrets of those ancient times. Perhaps, someday, there will be one who finally succeeds and is given a wish that will only be true if it is made with a pure heart and contrite spirit. Until then, the garth and its new caretaker remain a mystery lost to the ages. She stared intently at the pages before her, chewing the words in her mind, mulling them over mindlessly. An urge to throw them back into the book and be done with it crossed her thoughts, but she resisted it. It was not the only book near her. Stacks of tomes, both old a new, formed a wall of long-dead trees around the lone soul in the center of the library. The only source of illumination that allowed any reading was that of a simple candle sitting at her side. Usually, she reveled in the security that accompanied this book fort. The isolation was only made sharper and more real by the purposeful lack of light. And yet, she noticed none of these things. Her mind was elsewhere, focused and attentive to the task at hoof. After all, if no pony else was willing to try, then she had a duty to do what they would not. This line of thinking slowly crept its way into her thoughts—again, which only frustrated her more. Grimacing, she focused her gaze once more on the pages in front of her. An entire nation’s compiled works of academia, fiction, and literature at my hooves, and I still can’t find a single thing that is even remotely related to what I need, she thought, slamming her head down into the book that still lay open in front of her. Wait a second . . . she began in her head as a spark of knowledge lit from within. She scoured the pages of the book closest to her, remembering something that may help after all. No, not that … not that, either. Oh, got it! She came to the beginning of the legend she just had just finished, Friðr’s Guardian, and began skimming the contents. After a few seconds of skimming, she came across one of the paragraphs in the beginning. Its leaves brought life and joy to all those who were privy to its presence, she read to herself, closing her eyes to mull the words over once more. That’s it! she beamed, this has to be what I’ve looking for. Now, just where is this garth .. Much to her displeasure, her very important studying was interrupted by her ears flicking behind her. Somepony was coming this way, and they were coming very quickly. Fighting down the urge to be stubborn and confront who was making far too much noise, she quickly snuffed the candle at her side and did her best to hide within her book fort. Heh, knew these things weren’t useless. Looks like I’m right ag— Her self-congratulatory remarks were cut short as the large doors to the library swung open. She held her breath, forcing her heart and muscles to relax. Not one bit of her moved, not even her ever-sensitive ears. She was completely still. Not a single being in this world would be able to detect her. And yet … “Twilight, I can see you. You aren’t fooling anypony by just laying in the dark,” an all-too-familiar voice rang out against the grand room. Darn, Twilight cursed to herself. “Spike, I told you not to just barge in like that … its uh distracting … yeah, distracting,” she slurred, sleep making its way into her speech despite her attempts to conceal it. Spike simply looked at her with an almost pained expression that bore concern, but that soon faded into what could only be a simmering annoyance. “Twilight it’s,” he began, looking towards the clock, “Three in the morning. You need to get some sleep. I can see you definitely need it.” Twilight relaxed her neck and lowered her head, ears pressed against her head. She really was pushing herself too hard, and she knew it. This was the ninth night in a row that she had been up this late, searching. “I know, Spike, I know,” she finally said, risking a dreary glance at the still-maturing dragon. “I just … I need to find something at this point. You know that,” she ended, gesturing to the grand bookcases that were mostly empty at this point. Finally, Spike allowed his gaze to soften, if only a little. “I know, Twilight, but you also know that this can only end badly if you continue to push this hard. You can’t dedicate every moment of your life to this, especially now that you have more than enough responsibilities to take care of. You can only cancel day court so many times before ponies start worrying about you. Our friends are already worried, Twilight.” Slowly, Twilight relented and settled on her haunches, letting out a long sigh in an unspoken agreement. She knew he was right. This may only be the ninth day, but this had been going on for months. Sooner or later, she would crash, and that wouldn’t be good for anypony, let alone herself. In the time she was wrapped in her own thoughts, Spike made his way over to his mother made sister, careful to not trip over the tangle of covers and pages strewn about the still dark room. This’ll be fun to clean later, he thought to himself. He embraced her lovingly, a gesture she happily returned. “You can try more tomorrow. If she knew you were doing this to yourself to help her, she would be devastated. Just let yourself breathe and focus on what you know you can do. Please, Twilight. Just take a break,” Spike said, a little weakness entering his voice as he did so. “Okay, okay,” Twilight began, “I promise,” she said, rising to her hooves and wiping a little moisture from her eyes. “Time for bed, Spike." The dragon visibly relaxed. "You could say that again," he mumbled, wiping at his own tired eyes. The pair made their way out of the room and into the hallways of Canterlot Castle. As they walked, Spike’s youthful curiosity had proved too much for him yet again. “So … did you find uh ... find anything this time?” he asked tentatively, not wishing to add to his friend’s anxiety. Twilight grinned and glanced back to the library behind them. It would be unwise to get the dragon’s hopes too high, but … lying isn’t really something she enjoyed doing. The solution, she found, was to strike the middle ground. “Not really,” she began, her grin slowly fading into its original placidity. “Just some old legends.”