Sunny had been walking for hours. The roads were in a much worse state than when she and her friends left their hometown of Solace five years ago. Zipp and Pipp went to find out something in the mountain cities of the pegasi, Izzy went to the unicorns in the forests, and she and Hitch traveled through the great plains. Nopony knew why the Gods had decided to throw the giant burning mountain on Equestria, or why they had vanished after that, or why they took the magic with them.
Well, most ponies didn’t even believe the old stories were true. It was told to have happened centuries ago, and there weren’t any relics or statues or anything left from that time. If her father hadn’t told her all about it, she wouldn’t even have known about it. Most of the other inhabitants of Solace called him a bit of a fanatic. But she knew that, if her father believed it to be true, she too had to do so. She spent those five years searching far and wide for any clues, but instead, she only found a rising shadow. Ponies going missing in the night, strange hooded ponies trotting across the streets, voices rumoring about the return of dragonkind, although dragons had been gone as long as the Gods.
She was still deep in her thoughts when something caught her eye. A shimmer of light shining through the trees. She squinted her eyes, trying to figure out what it was, as the light suddenly started jumping towards her. She shrieked in fear, trying to draw her trusted (and quite rusted) dagger, as she heard a familiar laughter. “Izzy! You can’t startle me like that! There are many shady ponies on the streets nowadays! I could have stabbed you!”
The unicorn continued laughing. “But you would’ve been sorry about it!” Sunny now saw where the light came from. Izzy wore bracelets and necklaces covered in crystals! “And also, do you really think you could stab Izzy, the Stabber of Cans? I’m waaaaay to dodgy for that!”
Now Sunny too started laughing. “Yeah, that’s for sure.” She sighed. “It’s good to see you again, Izzy. It was far too long that I heard such a warm laugh.”
Izzy tilted her head. “Right...wait, didn’t you set off together with Hitch? Where is our little sheriff?” She gasped. “Please, don’t tell me something happened to him!”
Sunny shook her head. “Nonono, nothing like that. We just split up to follow different clues. He heard something about the north. Some kind of ancient empire, long lost to ponykind, and hoped to find something up there, while I searched to the east. The great plains, the coastlines. Maybe find the ruins of a long-gone civilization.”
Izzy sighed in relief. “Well, that’s good to he-” She stopped mid-sentence. “Someone’s coming.”
Sunny was always amazed by the good ears of the unicorn. Now that she actively tried to listen for something, she too heard someone trotting closer. And they weren’t alone.
Around a corner in the road came a red earthpony stallion, accompanied by five shorter, smaller, hairless quadrupeds. Their skin was a brownish-yellow, covered with pustules and warts. Goblins.
The earthpony looked at them. “Now what do we have here? It’s getting night, you have no reason to be trespassing on Solace territory at this hour.” He stared at them for a second, before he saw the gemstones all over Izzy’s legs and neck. “Gemstones. I am sad to inform you that we will have to confiscate those. We will also have to check your saddlebags for more.”
Sunny was still shocked by the fact that there were goblins in Solace. She shook her head to get a grip on herself. “Wait...You’re Sprout, aren’t you? What are you thinking, stopping ponies out on the street, demanding their valuables?”
The stallion nearly exploded. “It’s Fewmaster Sprout to you! And I don’t have to explain myself to you!” He looked at his troops. “Get their gemstones. If they don’t cooperate-” he grinned maliciously, “-kill them.”
“You can’t do that!” Sunny shouted, but Sprout just laughed and walked away. The Goblins drew their swords. The grip was taken into the mouth, and the blade protruded straight ahead. A weapon made for stabbing and slashing. Sunny drew her dagger, while Izzy, still bouncing around a bit, lowered her head. Her horn itself was deadly enough, but she also put a horn-blade on it.
“Bring. It. On,” the Unicorn said. The goblins didn’t wait for a second. With a scream of pure bloodlust they charged at them. Sunny sidestepped the first one and slit open his side, although she couldn’t fully evade the second one, slashing around with his sword. It tore through her light leather armor, leaving a gash in her left flank. But this also positioned her in the perfect place to buck out at the enemy, and she heard a disgusting, yet in the heat of battle satisfying, crack as her hoof hit the goblin’s head. He dropped dead like a stone.
Unlike Sunny, Izzy always managed to find some fun in battle. Not in the bloodshed itself, no, but somehow, the unicorn never lost her laugh, no matter what kind of situation they were in. She dodged beneath the sword of a goblin, just to impale him on her horn. “And up you go,” she laughed as she tossed the mortally wounded foe to the side. But the short time she couldn’t see clearly was enough for another goblin to stab her with his sword. She shrieked in pain and turned around, her horn at the height of the goblins neck. Although the goblin tried to evade, he wasn’t quite fast enough. The blade slit open his throat, his blood spraying all over Izzy. “Well, thank you! Now I’ll have to wash myself. Do you know how hard it is to get the stench of goblin out of you fur?”
The last goblin snarled in fury. Having been the last to charge into battle, he was also the only one to turn around and run. But Sunny wouldn’t have that. With a scream of rage and a giant leap she was upon him, crushing his spine beneath her hooves.
The two friends looked at the slaughter. Both being wounded, they slowly walked towards Solace in silence. Goblins, here, in their hometown, commanded by a colt they had known for years. Dark thoughts welled up in their minds.
Whirlwind was very busy that evening. It seemed like all of Solace wanted to gather around their fireside! As soon as she delivered a mug of cider, the next order was placed. Spiced potatoes, roasted apples and other very fragrant food filled every table in the room. Every table except one, their biggest. Whoever it was the old mare was giving a party for, they hadn’t arrived yet.
She sighed as the door swung open. A young earthpony and a unicorn trotted in slowly, looking around. The unicorn got a lot more lively, jumping around, smelling the food, ordering drinks, laughing with people who didn’t even talk to her. The earthpony walked up to the empty table and sat down. “Madam, I’m sorry, but this table is reserved,” Whirlwind hastily told her.
“Well, I don’t see anypony else sitting here, so I’ll sit here until those it is reserved for show up. And now, Whirlwind, could I have a nice cup of Alphabittle’s tea and a big bowl of spiced potatoes? Thank you.” She smiled at the young pegasus.
“How do you kno-” it hit Whirlwind like a buck to the face. “Sunny? Is that really you? You’ve been gone for so long, we feared the worst!”
“It was a long journey. So now, I’m hungry and tired. We can chat after I finished my meal, okay?” Whirlwind nodded and trotted towards the kitchen.
Just as Izzy sat down besides Sunny, the door opened again, and two pegasi walked in. The first one to walk in had pinkish-grey fur, a rose mane with cyan highlights and wings whose feathers shared those colors. The second pegasus was a bit shorter, with pink fur, a purple mane and white, softer wing feathers. Sunny smiled when she saw them, and Izzy enthusiastically waved them over.
Zipp went straight through the crowd towards her friends, while Pipp, who always was the most popular of the companions, bathed in the attention the residents of Solace gave her. They may not have identified the other three at a first glance, but nopony could ever forget the talented and quite attractive musician. Zipp sat down opposite of Sunny and sighed. “Well, what else did I expect?”
“Let her have this, Zipp. You know how much she loves to be the center of attention. I’m sure it was hard for her out there where nopony knew her,” Sunny said with a wide smile.
“That’s what you think. I think she managed to create a fanbase all over Equestria. Even the parts we didn’t visit!” She waved at Whirlwind, signaling that she wanted a mug of cider.
Izzy wasn’t the kind of pony to sit still for a long time. And sometimes, ‘long’ was defined as anything more than a minute. She spotted an old unicorn mare telling stories to little foals by the fireside, and with a bright grin she joined the audience.
“Have you ever heard the story of the Elements of Harmony?” The foals shook their head. “Well, it was many moons ago, long before the Cataclysm struck. A great evil returned to the world on wings of night. The evil aspect of the Goddess Luna ponynapped the Goddess of light, Celestia.-” one od the foals groaned.
“Don’t tell us a legend about the gods. They never were real, and even if they were, they were responsible for the Cataclysm! We don’t need stories about those, Do you know a story about dragons?”
The old unicorn smiled. “Dragons. The fierce and fiery rulers of the skies. I’m sure I know a story or two about those. Give me a second. I need to try and remember one. It has been far too long that I told any.” She took a good gulp of cider.
Again, the door swung open. An orange earthpony stallion with green mane entered, clad in chainmail. As soon as he saw the two ponies sitting at the big table, his face started to glow as he made his way through the crowd. “Sunny! Zipp! It’s been far too long since we last met!” He hugged them both, then his eyes found the other two ponies in the crowd. He smiled and ordered a mug of Cider.
Zipp emptied her mug in one long chug. “When Pipp and I made our way to Solace, we witnessed something strange. A group of guards demanded we give them every single jewel we carried with us.”
Sunny nodded. “Same thing happened to Izzy and me. Just...it was Sprout and a group of goblins.” Her two friends gasped. “Goblins in Solace. Can you believe it? Back in the old days, no goblin would even dare to set foot inside of five miles of Solace. And now, they’re working here.”
Hitch looked at the crowd nervously. “Do you think that something evil has taken control of Solace?”
“Sadly, Izzy and I didn’t have a chance to interrogate any goblins, and Sprout fled even before the fighting started, I’ll have to ask my dad if he knows anything.”
Alphabittle, who had just been talking to a customer in earshot of their conversation, dropped his tablet. “Sunny? Could it really be you?” He rushed over to her, giving her a big hug. A long hug. Too long for her taste.
“Hey Alpha. Nice to see you too. Could you...could you please let me down? I’m starting to suffocate!”
Alphabittle complied with a nervous laughter. “Sorry, girl. But,” his face grew darker, “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. You won’t find your dad here, Sunny. He vanished three years ago.” Sunny gasped. “Nopony knows where he went. But he said that, if you ever returned, I should give you this.” He pointed at an unlit lantern in the corner of the room. “Didn’t say why. Just that it should belong to you.”
Sunny eyes filled with tears. “Dad….gone? And he didn’t leave a clue where to?” The unicorn stallion shook his head. “I’m sure he’ll return!”
“Sure, girl. Although-” the stallion grinned nervously as he looked through the barroom “-I doubt he’d enjoy coming back. Phyllis and her branch of the Canterlogic Order changed. They are driving pegasi and unicorns away. Not openly, but with rumors, with unfriendliness. This was once a safe haven for all who searched for peace, but those times seem to be gone by now.”
Over by the fireside, the old mare finished remembering her story. “So, my little ponies, do you know the story of the Great Dragon War?” The foals shook their heads, as did Izzy. “Well, it was a long time ago, many years before the Cataclysm. It was a peaceful time. The Goddess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, spread joy and warmth across all of Equestria, and even beyond. But a shadow was growing. The Goddess of Envy, an evil mare whose name was never spoken by people with good intent, was slowly poisoning the message Twilight left in her subjects.” The foals groaned.
“You said this story was about dragons, but instead you talk about the gods again!”
“Wait for it. There will be dragons,” She looked confused for a second. “Where was I again? Oh yes, I remember. So, when the Goddess of Friendship finally noticed this, it was already too late. Ponies turned against one another. The different tribes went to war against each other. And when everything seemed bleak, it got even worse. The Goddess of Envy had managed to gather many dragons around her, and her forces attacked Equestria when it was weakest. Goblins, dragons, ogres and even ponies joining her army killed all those who stood in Her way. Even when the tribes managed to reunite, the enemy seemed far too strong. That was, until the gods of good managed to convince some of the dragons who didn’t join the war before to help their loyal subjects. But they still weren’t enough against the overwhelming forces of evil. The God of Protection, Shining Armor, went on to create a powerful weapon, the Dragonlance! With its power, and the less powerful copies made by ponykind, they managed to slay many of the evil dragons. When the surviving dragons retreated, the remaining forces of evil were quickly destroyed. And that’s how friendship between the tribes became stronger than it ever was. And it was this friendship that protected ponykind from many other dangers. Because only if the ponies stand united, they can be strong.” The foals and Izzy applauded the story, but someone else didn’t. An older peachy pink earthpony mare with blonde hair rose from her seat, having already consumed multiple mugs of cider.
“Lies! Nothing but lies! You’re trying to fill the minds of our foals with stupid stories of Gods and Dragons and Unity! Look around you! The unicorns have retreated to the forests, and the pegasi to their mountain cities! They left the earthponies alone, so they could bear the brunt of the storm that’s brewing in Equestria! We don’t need unity or friendship! We need to show our strength!”
She staggered towards the old mare. “Leave now, or I will make sure you’ll get arrested! You are not welcome here!”
Izzy jumped up and stood in the way of the angry earthpony. “Phyllis! Calm down! If all tribes worked together, we could-” but was cut short by a hoof towards her face.
This got Hitch involved. He jumped from his seat and pushed Phyllis aside. It wasn’t a hard push, but together with her drunken state, she lost her balance and fell into the fireplace. The stench of burned hair and burning flesh filled the room, together with screams of pain. Still burning and screaming, the mare jumped up and tumbled through the room.
The old unicorn mare grabbed the objects closest to her and gave it to Sunny, who had stood up to help where she could. “Knock her down so that we can put out the fire!” Sunny did as she was commanded, only realizing what she was swinging when it already hit Phyllis. It was the lantern her father left her. But any thought about that was cut short as a wave of rainbow light went out of the lantern when it Phyllis. The fire went out, her skin healed over, and new fur grew, all in just two seconds. Everypony in the room was silent as Phyllis stood up again. “What kind of trick is this? This...this can only be some kind of dark power!” She put her hoof down with power. “Give me that thing!” At the same moment, the door swung open, and Sprout trotted in.
“Sunny Starscout and Izzy Moonbow, you are under arrest for resisting the local Fewmaster!”
Whirlwind whispered to Sunny. “Go through the kitchen! Run, as long as you still can.”
Sunny, together with her friends, did exactly that. Sprout tried making his way through the crowd, but because the inn was full, he wasn’t fast enough.
In the kitchen, the five friends looked at the basket with which food and drinks was transported up into the inn. Hitch looked at it. “I’ll stay back here, lowering you all down!” but was cut short by Alphabittle.
“No, boy. I’ll lower you all down. Whatever that lantern just did, you need to find out what is was. I don’t think the higher-ups of Canterlogic over in Maretime Bay are as extreme as Phyllis. Maybe they can help you figure it out.” The five friends nodded with thankful faces as the big unicorn started lowering the basket. “Best of luck to you five!”
Down on the ground, they started running as fast as their hooves could carry them, out into the night.