//------------------------------// // Chapter five: trouble in town and a tower summons. // Story: Season 10: Dawn of a new generation of Harmony // by xombiekilla //------------------------------// Once back at the castle, It was soon the evening in Ponyville; the school had let out already for the day. Hero and company had waited in the castle's foyer for Starlight and Smolder to return, which they did. They teleported to the lobby's center to greet them after their meeting. "Hero, Sunburst. I've got both good news and bad news." Starlight said as she approached Sunburst and nuzzled her face into his shoulder as he returned the gesture. "So, which do you two want to hear first?" "The bad news," Sunburst replied. "Well, things are worse than I thought. For some reason, this great new evil plaguing our land has been confirmed to be slowly progressing toward Ponyville. I have no idea why." "And the good news?" "Twilight has informed Starswirl and the Pillars. They're going to take action the moment they discover this evil attacking. Hopefully, we can prevent this disaster from happening, let alone getting worse for everypony." "We can only hope. So then, Hero. Your home has been marked on this map." Sunburst gave Hero a map of the entire town. "Here's the key to your home. I pray for safe travels for you and a good night." Hero then walked out, thanking everypony, and made his way out to Town Square. He saw his home, and it looked nice. Very cozy looking. Hero supposed that this was standard for most housing in Ponyville. The first thing on his mind was sleep as he entered his new bed. It was snug and warm. Hero might get used to this. Suddenly, Hero was dreaming and feeling nostalgic melancholy; in his dream, he woke up in his old room, only remembering his home village before it was burnt to the ground and consumed by darkness. He then looked up to see that hooded figure who did all of this, looking down at him, smirking, as if satisfied with his work. The room was then set ablaze as the roaring fires engulfed the room Hero once knew as he frantically looked around in panic for anything to put the fires out. After finding no success as the house burned away into rubble and fell apart, all the wreckage deliberately and conveniently missed Hero's head so he could see the damnation wrought upon his home. The houses were burning, and the ponies were screaming in panic. His calloused laughter echoed in Hero's ears as if mocking him and his inability to stop him. Then, the blood-curdling screams of his family and chief devoured alive by darkness woke him up. The following day came, and Hero screamed as he woke in a sweat. He had a nightmare; he curled into the fetal position in the covers to shake off that harrowing experience. It was morning out, and he was supposed to attend Friendship Academy for his first day today. Then, there was a loud rumbling as he began to feel hungry. "Oh yeah, I had a big day yesterday and went to sleep early. I can't believe I forgot to eat dinner." There was a knocking on his front door. That's funny. He wasn't expecting any company so early in the morning. "I'll be right there." Hero shouted to let whoever was there know. "A-Alright then." That sounded like a feminine voice, but she did say shy. As Hero opened the door, he saw the same periwinkle-colored changeling, pink chitin and wings, and blue compound eyes from his dream. "Um.. hi there. Who're you?" "Um. My name's Ocellus. It's a pleasure to meet you. And this is Hero's residence, right?" "That would be me, alright." "Oh, good. I've got this basket for you. It's from Starlight. She told me to give you something to eat in case you forgot dinner." Wow.. now that's a convenient coincidence. How did they know that he accidentally skipped dinner last night? "Um.. thanks. I appreciate it." Hero took the basket and offered her to come in, "You want to have some with me? I don't mind sharing." "O-Oh um... I don't want to impose. But I guess if you're alright with it, I could. Thanks." Ocellus walked in as Hero set the basket on his table and opened it up. There was a cornucopia of various treats and breakfast-based items here. There was no possible way for Hero to eat all that by himself. "Woah. There's a lot of stuff in here. Did Starlight think that I had this big of an appetite?" "Well, I guess so. She's a bit too generous at times. She told me it was her way of saying thanks for your service to Equestria yesterday. If you don't mind me asking, what did you do?" "I warned them of a great new evil that's approaching. It's a long story. But this awful guy unleashed these terrible creatures of darkness, and I fear they're already here, even though they said they are approaching." After taking a bite of a blueberry muffin, he explained to Ocellus what he did that Starlight was so grateful for. "O-Oh, dear. I don't like the sound of that. Do you know what they're called? Every creature should have a name, right?" "But that's just it. I have no idea. I saw them in my dream, and I still can't believe they exist." After swallowing down what was possibly his fourth bite of muffin, he continued to tell his story. "I sure wish that Gallus was here to hear this. But he's currently serving as an elite guard to the princess." "I'm sure she had her reasons for recruiting him. So, who's this princess?" "Y-You're joking, right?" "No?" Hero swallowed his last bit of muffin as he sheepishly answered Ocellus's question. "Princess Twilight Sparkle. You've never heard of her before?" "Can't say that I have. Why?" "Well, she and her friends have saved Equestria more than I can count. She even helped me with finding my friends, too. You've already met Smolder." "You mean that orange dragon lady?" "Y-Yeah, her." "That's right. She did say her name was Smolder, huh? I can't shake this feeling that something terrible will happen today. I don't know when or exactly where. But whatever it is, it can't be a good thing." "Try not to worry about it; today will be great. Well, time's ticking, and we gotta get to school." "You're a student there?" "W-Well, not exactly. I graduated from Friendship Academy, the same as my other friends. I even have the cap, gown, and diploma to prove it." "I guess we can eat on our way to the school, huh? I don't have anything against that." "Sure. We could do that." They both made their way out of Hero's home to Friendship Academy. Ocellus and Hero walked through the bustling morning crowd, making their way to Friendship Academy. "So you said you graduated from the academy, right?" "Mhm. What did you want to know about?" "Are you employed there or something?" "Well, kinda. I serve as an assistant secretary to the guidance counselor." "And who's that?" "One of my friends, Silverstream." "That's cool." "Hey. I'm curious; you mentioned you encountered those shadowy things?" "Yeah. They were these creepy black shadows. Their eyes looked yellow and soulless like they have an endless hunger for life itself." "Eugh. Now that's creepy." "Tell me about it. They're why I lost my old home and everyone in it. I was the only survivor." "Oh dear, that's horrible. I can't imagine what going through that must have been like. I'm so sorry for your loss." "I-I promised that I'd stay strong for them, my family. They may be gone, but I'll still be the best I can be, you know?" "Well, that's not exactly an easy thing to do." "You're not wrong. But, honestly, I don't have much choice, now do I?" "No. I guess not. These fruit pies are delicious, huh?" "Yeah, they sure are." The two have now approached the entrance to the academy. Hero was ready to take his first class. Ocellus and Hero entered the school and were met with a crowd of friendly and accepting ponies. "I never get tired of this place, you know?" "Well, I am kinda new here. So who's my first teacher going to be, huh?" Ocellus took a look at Hero's schedule and giggled a bit. "Hey, what's so funny?" "You've got physical ED with Yona." "Okay? Who's that? Friend of yours, I'm guessing?" "Mhm. Her, Gallus, Smolder, Sandbar, and Silverstream are the greatest friends I could ever ask for." Hero looked a bit nervous, but only for a moment. "Yona isn't too bad. You'll be fine. I promise." "Yeah. I'll do my best there. Wish me luck." "Yeah. Good luck." Ocellus waved goodbye as Hero made his way to physical education Hero soon arrived in the PE Room to see a few ponies gathering, and then a big mare walked in. She could easily tower over Hero. This must have been what a yak looked like; they looked powerful, no doubt about that. "Alright then, little ponies and creatures. Yona is pleased to announce that we've got a new student here today. This is Hero. Make sure to give him good treatment. We'll ensure ours and his first day will not be so bad." "U-Um.. hi guys." They greeted back in earnest. This school honestly wasn't too bad. No wonder Luster Dawn loves the place so much. The first few exercises weren't too bad. Hero was doing a pretty decent job, and so were some others. "New pony doing good for the first time. Have you done this before?" "U-Um, I guess. I used to work around my house and do farm work with my uncle and parents." "That is good enough for practice. Alright then, everypony. We need to do the new cheer for our school. This new festival is approaching, and I want our school to be the best." Everypony agreed as they all cheered their approval. "But I'm not a cheerleader. How would I be useful to anypony?" "Do not worry, Hero. Yona will have a solution for you." Indeed, she did. She provided him with some smokers and colored streamers. "What's this for?" "Cheering favors, Hero. Our cheers every year have to be flashy. It is how we always win the gold trophy, mostly every year." "Mostly every year?" "Steep competition, Hero. Yona doesn't like it much, either. But it's a good challenge for us." "I see. Okay then. I don't see why I can't at least try it." "That is a good spirit, Hero. Yona has faith in you, then." She pats his back, which makes him fall onto his stomach. "Oof. Hey. What was that for?" "Oops. Yona is sorry. Sometimes, I don't always know my strength." As cheering started, Yona saw some pitch-black figures in the distance of the gym court, and they were getting closer. "Hey, you! What're you doing out of class? Yona disapproves of skipping." This had alarmed Hero for apparent reasons. "What!? Oh no... It's those things again. Quick! Everypony, get back now! Believe me. They're anything but friendly." Then that blade came back as if it knew he needed it most. "Alright then, you freaks. It's me you want." The shadows then surrounded the whole room, causing the students to panic. Hero began his charge as he rushed the small group of three in front of him, using a flurry of downward swipes with his sword, knocking the three in front back and guiding his other slashes to the ones in his blind spot. "I don't think so." "Wait, Hero, this is dangerous. Yona will help you." Yona rammed her horns into one of them to knock it over and then stomped onto it, flattening it under her hoof as it vanished into a dark-like mist. "Take that, little creeps." "Y-You killed it? Well then, the help is appreciated. Just be careful, okay?" "Yona will smash little creepy shadows. Students will leave and alert Headmistress Trixie, now!" The few remaining students that were left all nodded as they left the strange shadows for Hero and her to deal with. "You're a very brave pony, Hero." "Yeah, thanks. But let's save the compliments until after we beat these guys, yeah?" Both Hero and Yona rushed into the shadows. He jumped onto Yona's back as she boosted him up. Hero used this added air-time to land an aerial strike from above, delivering a pulse of what appeared to be light magic as that explosion cleared out the rest of them, only leaving behind an entirely new shadow- this one looked a bit taller and wore darkened armor. "This one looks new. But I can tell he's one of those things." "Armor or not, if it can be smashed, then Yona will smash it!" The new shadow took this as a personal challenge as it leaped up to deliver a swift kick to Yona's side, toppling her over as it stood on her. It was about to dig its claw into her side, ready to grab her heart, as a stray blast of light shot the shadow, knocking it off of Yona as she got back up. "Thank you, Hero." "That didn't come from me, Yona." Hero and Yona looked to where the blast came from to see a robed grey stallion with a white-gray mustache and beard, a blue wizard's hat, And his horn glowing white with the spell that sent that shadow sprawling onto the floor. "Get away from them right now, you empty husk!" The stallion shouted at the creature as he charged another light spell; this time, he blasted the shadow's body again, obliterating it into a dark mist as it shrieked in pain, and a pink and glistening heart rose from its chest. In its last moments, it tried to reach out desperately for that heart as its body vanished. "Starswirl. Yona is pleased to see you." "Yes, Yona. When Twilight informed me of these shadows, I then used a tracking spell on the only other thing that could lead me to you two: the harmony magic I sense inside that pony right next to you." "Me? Right, you're referring to me. My bad." "Alright then, you have to come with me. Yona, this pony's day is adjourned. We've got something crucial to discuss." The wizard then guided Hero to his side as he gestured for him to grab his forearm. Once he did, he and Hero teleported off the school grounds.