//------------------------------//
// The War of Horrors, part two 
// Story: Humans 
// by unclefester84 
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The Siege of Everfree

For as long as the mountains of the Grey Wall existed, none ever managed to cross them. The combination of impassable terrain and hostile weather rendered any attempt doomed to failure from the start.
The tall, sheer walls offered no grip or ledge to any who undertook the climb, the terrible winds made flying utterly impossible to even the most skilled of living creatures, magic itself was so confounded by arcane turbulences that any spell would simply be lost in the mayhem, and the very stones were so hard that any attempt of carving or demolishing them was futile.
Indeed it had been only thanks to the help of many mighty Earth Spirits, and nothing less than the blessing of Azibo himself, that the alicorn managed to create the Underpass to connect the interior lands with the outside world. (1)

In ages past this mighty barrier had proven so daunting that none of the Abominations ever attempted to cross them. Now however, under the command of the Enemy, the entire legacy of horrors that had invaded the Universe since times immemorial smashed against it, in the attempt to enter the hallowed lands of the Everfree, and despoil them. 
And if during this time they had actually succeeded in their crossing, they would have been met by little resistance, for a time of sorrow and darkness had fallen on the alicorns, at the news that their beloved King was now gone.

Indeed it was the entire population that mourned the loss of their King, for he had been highly honored and respected, but most of all he was deeply loved by all his subjects, so much in fact that, making true his words in Whiteshore, he had been for many like a second, even if distant, father figure. (2)
And so a cold grief overwhelmed the entirety of the kingdom, and it could be clearly perceived that the Enemy was now extending its dark influence in the Everfree, and even one standing in the streets of Corona, at the base of Thronos, one could feel a presence like black tendrils at the edge of their mind.(3)

Still, of all those who loved King Laurent, none felt the hurt of his loss more than his beloved Faust.
So deep was the connection between the two alicorns, that in that moment when he immolated himself against the Enemy, the Queen suddenly stood up from her throne, and immediately almost fell as if hit by an unseen arrow.
She then sat back down like in a shock, unmoving and incapable of speech, and many of those present rushed to her assistance, but nothing seemed to move her from her state. Then, a short time later, the news of what transpired in Whiteshore made their way to the throne room.
In that moment the entire court fell into stunned silence, then, like a whisper in an empty cavern, came a soft noise, the soft crying of the Queen.

Faust was no stranger to grief, the Great Crusade had taken a heavy toll on her beloved alicorns, including her close family, and she had mourned for each and every loss, but while in those times she had often managed to keep some sort of regal appearance, and held her more emotional reactions in private, this time all her walls came down crumbling like sand, and she cried openly in pain and grief.
Her tears fell abundantly on the magnificent throne and pristine marble floor, and despite all the attempts to clean them afterwards, many would claim even to the last days of her kingdom that they could still see their stains, forever marking the day when the Queen’s heart broke.
It was only with the help of her family that she could finally be moved from the throne room and accompanied to her private quarters, where they wisely decided to keep her company at all times, so that she would not be left alone in those large, and now empty, rooms. (4)

And so it was that upon the Everfree descended a dark and cold night, even more bitter than the ones of the extreme north and south of the world, and while the alicorns were the ones more affected by this sorrow, other living creatures and even the very land itself seemed to have lost part of their splendor to a somber gloom. (5)

But even in that darkest of time the light of courage never succumbed completely to despair, for while the Grey Wall remained unconquered, the long tunnel of the Underpass was under the constant assault of the agents of the Enemy, and the garrison of the Seven Gates fought with incessant fervor against them, with magic, weapons and even bouts of physical confrontation.
Indeed it seemed as if the news of the demise of their King lit a fire of rage in their heart, and many threw themselves against these enemies with little to no regard for their own safety, and their officers often had to rein back their fury so that they would not waste needlessly against the horde.
Besides the alicorns, many Spirits also offered their assistance, though few of them were suited for combat and most instead facilitated the duty of the defenders in the form of messengers, spies and logistical aid. (6)

Still the foes seemed unending, despite being repelled again and again by the terrible powers of the Grey Wall and the valiant defenders, their attempts never ceased, and so the siege of Everfree went on for many years, locked in a stalemate that seemed to hold on forever.

Revelation of darkness.

That the world they were traveling in was different from the one they knew, became apparent immediately to Aurion and Princess Hope.
As the Tree of Harmony disappeared over the horizon, a dark feeling quickly entered their mind, a sensation of ‘wrongness’ that gnawed at the edge of their consciousness and seemed to spread from nowhere and everywhere at once, this was the effect of the Enemy upon the Dreamscape and the Weave, although the two were unaware of it, that made access to the Weave difficult, if not outright impossible to all but the most focused and skilled spellcasters. (7)

And so the two alicorns resorted to flying their way towards the Everfree, despite having most of an entire continent and a whole entire ocean to cross.
But that did not discourage them, and instead they took this chance to enjoy each other’s company, outside the blessed influence of the Tree.
Their journey soon soured however, when they encountered the first signs of the destruction wrought by the reawakened Abominations.

Beautiful landscapes had been corrupted, and all the settlements they encountered, from quaint little villages to sizable cities, had been reduced to rubble by forces well beyond the scope of normal creatures, or even any known natural phenomenon, and Aurion immediately recognized the imprint of the fiends he trained so long to destroy.
Great apprehension captured both alicorns hearts as more and more signs of destruction became evident, for while indeed no Abomination was present, neither were any other of their kind, and the two rightly guessed that something horrible was happening on the world, and was imperative for them to reach the Everfree as soon as possible.

For a while they considered combining their powers to teleport forward in big leaps, but the strange ‘wrong’ feeling made them hesitant to do so, and with a newfound urgency they sped through the winds of the upper air towards their destination, covering great distances in mere hours.
But even alicorns of their stature could not maintain such speeds forever, and the two took rest when they could, sleeping off the weariness that seemed to grow the more they approached the Everfree.

It was during one of these stops, when both of them fell to an uneasy yet irresistible slumber, that they found themselves standing together in the Dreamscape, and in dread they witnessed something like a great shadow hanging over everything, including themselves.
Then suddenly another presence made itself known, and before either of them could react, a vast shape made of night sky and starlight descended over the shadow, dispersing it.
Their dread then turned to amazement as they realized that a Titan of Dreams stood above them in their protection.
That kind of vision would have been enough to stagger even the stoutest of hearths, for the appearance of one of these Titans was an event rare even among their kind, but even more astonishing was the manifestation, seemingly from nowhere, of the Herald of Mortis, who brought to them the words of the Humans. (8)

And the Wolf spoke to them, saying:
“Beware children of the alicorns, beware! A foul enemy has taken root in the World and now you find yourselves in a danger more perilous than anyone of your kind ever had!”

He then explained what befell the kingdom during their absence, and Aurion had to rush to the help of Hope when the Herald told them of the fate of King Laurent, her father, for in her sudden grief she almost lost her footing and fell to the ground.
And seeing her weeping, the Herald was moved to pity, like never he had been witnessed before, and with a low voice spoke again.

“Do not weep young Princess, your father is no longer among the living, that is true, but he now dwells with many others in the presence of Mortis, my Master, and in that blessedness there is no end, just a forever new beginning.”

None had ever heard a Herald speak so explicitly of the workings of the Humans beyond the scope of the physical World, and in that revelation the grief of death subsided, and the tears came to a stop. (9)

The Wolf then continued, explaining the current state of the besieged Everfree, and revealing that the grief that dulled the spirits of the alicorns was at least partially caused by the influence of the Enemy, for it knew that the armada of Abominations would never be able to break the fortifications of the Island as long as the alicorns themselves remained unconquered.
And yet this news brought little joy to the two lovers, for even if they could hold on the Everfree, the alicorns alone would never be able to break the siege, and knowing of the limitations of the Titans, Aurion voiced that perhaps it was time for the Humans themselves to intervene in the struggle.

And the herald answered.
“Do not think that the Humans remain idle in this affair, brave Aurion, for They can work many wonders without ever being noticed.
Furthermore you know that They have vowed to ever diminish their presence in the events of the World, so that one day You might inherit its governance, and They shall not go back on this, for otherwise all the strife that had befallen on Creation until now would be in vain.
But do not despair now, for there is indeed a way for this conflict to be won, and for this the two of you will play the most important roles.” (10)

And in the minds of Aurion and Hope came then a vision, to her was given the responsibility of going back to Everfree, to use her presence and her magic to rouse the alicorns from their sorrowful grief, contrasting the effect of the Enemy on their souls, and to him was instead appointed the duty of remaining on the outside world, to seek several items, “fragments of Creations” to be used to forge a weapon that would have turned the tide against the Abominations.

As the vision subsided, the two alicorns opened their eyes again, only to realize that they were once again awake, and the sun was beginning to show itself over the horizon.
As the warm rays shone on their fur, they looked at each other, and then fell into a tight embrace. It would appear that the starstruck lovers would have to go their separate ways, so soon after having finally met.

And so with a heavy heart, Princess Hope resumed her flight towards Everfree, while Aurion, seemingly guided by instinct, headed in all haste towards that distant and dangerous place, known as the Cradle of Fire.





Annotations


It is never openly specified, but I can guess that somehow the protection of the Grey Wall extended also in the sky above, and the ground below, the Everfree, otherwise any Abomination could have just flown over, or dug under, them.

This passage brings us back to Laurent’s speech about what it meant to be a King, apparently he was more right than I thought.

So apparently the protection of the Grey Wall did not extend over the metaphysical realm (or at least not completely), and yet apparently the Enemy could not manifest physically in the Island even if his power was over it.

It might sound flattering, but I think I can understand how Faust felt (I never thought I'd ever pronounce such words). When my wife passed away I felt a horrible sensation, it was as if a dark hole had suddenly been carved in me, and nothing my family did seemed to shake me out of my grief. In time, the wound healed, but I still miss her so much.

I don’t think I need to mention it, but often when it’s talked about “night” or “darkness” it is meant as a metaphor.

Just like during the Great Crusade, Spirits entered the fight as well, but contrary to then, this time they seemed to do it by their own will rather than the command of their Human. This is possibly one more proof that the “evolution” that the Humans took, affected both themselves and their “fragments”.

It’s still not entirely clear to me, but apparently with the ability of influencing the dreamscape, the Enemy also managed to “close off” access to the Weave by influencing the minds of the alicorns, although some passages suggest that the Weave itself was somehow disturbed by it.

Quite curious that they both fell asleep at the same time, when I'd imagine they would have taken turns sleeping and keeping guard, but perhaps they had some help… I’ll also take a guess and the Darkness they saw was the influence of the Enemy on the minds of the sleeping alicorns, if not even it trying to take form in the dreamscape. As for the Titan I can speculate that the term “of Dreams” and “of Death” were interchangeable, since it belonged to Mortis, the Human that supervised both those aspects of the Universe.

Indeed if this account is accurate (and true) this could be the only real insight in the entirety of the world, of what the afterlife consists of (at least for the alicorns of old). Also it is interesting how the Herald reacted to the crying Hope, showing pity “like it had never before”.

This would indeed explain much of the behavior of the Humans as time went on, and how it seemed that they almost abandoned the world to its own devices.