Silence reigned in the empty blackness of a bedroom, the world itself seemingly frozen still. Not a single living being dared to make a sound, instinctually deterred from announcing their presense near the house. A flock of sparrows, once a usual guest at the branch of a nearby poplar, were now keeping their distance, choosing to nest on a willow near the cliffside. The distant ticking of an old grandfather clock resounding through the empty halls being the only proof of passage of time in this purgatory.
Something stirred in the crumpled bedsheets, a blot of inky darkness distinguishable from its shadowy surroundings by its complete and total absorption of all visible light. The blot shifted in place, its form slowly shifting to something resembling a pony, bituminous matter that made up its body pouring forth to form four protruding limbs with blunt, flat stumps. The liquid flowed towards the creature's center mass, forming a distinctly equine silhouette, an elongated neck pouring out from within the creature. Two white dots floated from the depths of the creatures face, blinking for a few moments as it adjusted to the sensation of sight.
Apricot colored strands broke from underneath the creature's skin, coating its body in a layer of fur in a matter of moments. Streaks of magenta sprouted from the creature's head, the color spreading down the back of its neck, reaching its shoulders, similarly colored tail manifesting on its croup. The white dots widened significantly, a speck of emerald green growing to form irises that stared blankly into the ceiling. One big, pink star with a blue trail followed by two smaller stars formed on its flank, finalizing the transformation.
The Shepherd took a deep breath, not out of need, but to acclimatize itself to the foreign sensation. Its lungs filled with air, the sickly sweet smell still lingering in the abode. Minutes were spent as the creatures breath quickened and slowed, fluctuating between stretching its lungs to their limit, to letting the stinging sensation overtake them for minutes on end. The creature rose from the bed, its breathing excercise coming to a swift end as it understood the intricacies of breathing, its gaze concentrated on the bedroom's lone exit.
It took a tenative step, shakily putting its right front leg forward, planting it firmly into the wooden floorboards. The material cracked under the pressure as The Shepherd learned to walk, the action coming to it far more naturally than the previous excercise. It looked down at the imprints it was leaving in the house's flooring, its steps considerably softer from the next floorboard onward.
Entering the tiled bathroom, it found itself standing before a mirror, a perfect copy of itself staring back at it. The Shepherd tilted its head to the side, unblinkingly observing its reflection for any sudden movements. Retracting its head into its initial position, The Shepherd's mouth grew into a wide, ear-to-ear grin. It subdued the grin when it stretched beyond the confines of it's face, resulting in a semi-natural looking smile. A set of razor-sharp teeth dulled to a more natural looking row of incisors, as The Shepherd masticulated its jaw.
It opened its mouth as far as it could go, straining its vocal chords to produce a sound from a body for the first time in a millenia.
"I see you tomorrow."
It parroted distant memories of yesterday's conversation with Hitch, getting a feel for utilising airflow to make noises. The Shepherd went over each and every tooth with its tongue, excercising the appendage. Sunny's memories hinted at what it required right now, an image of the alphabet ripped itself violently from the mare's memories, rushed to the forefront of The Shepherd's perception.
Half an hour was spent on this basic rehearsal, the creature rolling each letter in its mouth, getting the feel of every syllable. Its current form certainly had a harder time with proper enunciation, yet what it lacked in language skills, it made up for in its inconspicuous nature.
Taking a deep breath, words meant to be said millenia ago finaly erupted from the creature's maw.
"Never. Again."
Scorching rays of the midday sun shone mercilessly upon a green hill on the edge of Maretime Bay. A ray of light reflected off the glass of the nearby lighthouse, playfully dancing along the coat of a liliac colored unicorn, currently lounging on a folding chair, protected by the shade of a rather sizable umbrella. Three additional ponies preoccupied with much of the same activities accompanied the unicorn, all relaxing in the safety offered by the umbrella.
"This is nice and all, but we're still missing something very important for a group picnic." Pipp noted, scrolling through her phone.
"Sunny said she'd meet us today, so she's going to meet us today." Hitch replied in an annoyed tone, his eyes wandering towards the closed door of Sunny's residence.
"At this rate, I doubt she'd be ready tomorrow." Zipp interjected, a bored expression on her face as she flexed her wings.
"Come on now, show some solidarity." Hitch retorted, finally prying his gaze away from the lighthouse. "Don't all mares take a long time to get ready?"
A surprised gasp from Izzy was the only thing that saved Hitch from a rather physical rebuttal from the pegasus.
"Sunny!" The overly excited unicorn cheered for her friend, waving her hoof at the earth pony. "Come over here, we've been waiting for you!"
All looks were glued to the apricot colored mare calmly trotting towards the group, her mane slightly rustling in the breeze.
"Hi everypony, sorry for the wait!" Sunny apologised as she stepped into the shade, a sheepish smile on her face. "I've been looking into some of Dad's work, and I might've got a little caught up in it all." She finished, rubbing the back of her neck.
"A little?" Hitch said with a raised eyebrow, standing up from his folding chair, walking up towards Sunny with a stern expression on his face. "You've had us worried sick, Sunny!"
"It was really important!" Her heated answer wasn't a surprised to Hitch, his reaction a mix concern and anger.
"Important enough to stay home the entire week? To refuse your concerned friends see if you're alright?!" By the time Hitch's voice grew a few decibels louder, the conversation became uncomfortable to both listen to and look at for everypony, but the ponies talking. "What could be so important?!"
"It was my Dad's last project before he... he..." Sunny shut her eyes, her ears pinning to her head.
"I... I'm sorry, Sunny." Hitch replied, sighing heavily. "I shouldn't have blown up on you like that."
"He wrote that somewhere in the Prismatic Mountains there is an entrance, once that may lead to the location of Old Equestria's most valuable memoirs. The Journal of Friendship. " Sunny said, looking at everypony at tge same time.
"The Journal of Friendship? Sounds awesome!" Izzy began, desperately trying to steer the conversation to a more positive subject.
"Yeah, what's it about?" Zipp continued, catching onto Izzy's plan. She was relieved to see a coy smile make its way to Sunny's face.
"Legends say, it holds the wisdom of six mighty heroes from Equestria's past." Sunny said excitedly. "That within it lie the teachings of Queen Twilight Herself."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go and grab that journal!" Izzy exclaimed, rushing to Sunny's side.
"Well, it's going to be a mountain hike, so we'll need some preparations..." Sunny looked thoughtfully into the distance, scratching her chin. "I say we go tomorrow. Is everypony okay with that?"
"Sure, I'm in the mood for some mountaineering." Zipp commented, getting up from her seat.
"That'll make for some great content!" Pipp added, typing something on her phone. "Count me in."
"You already know my answer!" Izzy said with a smile.
Sunny turned her attention to Hitch, who was standing with a conflicted expression on his face. The stallion noticed the lull in conversation, coreectly presuming it was his time to answer.
"I'll go, somepony has to keep your hide safe after-" His words were cut short when the earth pony lunged at him, confining him into a hug.