//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Courage // by scion //------------------------------// The Everfree Forest. For ponykind, it is a source of mystery and danger, an untamable wilderness that stretches for miles and miles. It is full of many dangerous beasts; hydras, manticores, and even the occasional dragon have called the Everfree ‘home’ over its existence, welcomed into the green depths with open arms. Few ponies or other creatures of civilization have ever called it home; the perils of the depths appeal to few. It has resisted all attempts to tame it over years longer than many could count; the weather there will never be regulated by Pegasi, the plants never tended by even the bravest of earth ponies. The magic of the unicorns is inadequate, like a single candle trying to light a mansion in the dead of a moonless night. The immortal gods themselves, the Sun and Moon, have tried to tame or conquer the forest; the ruins of the last attempts to civilize the Everfree lie broken and abandoned, slowly being reclaimed by trees and animals. Even Chaos has found itself stymied, for all the power and potency it possesses. And the Everfree has power, greater than any know. The Sun and Moon have some inkling of this. They have even used it to their advantage in their immortal lives, for the forest provided safe haven when they were young and the evil of Tartarus roamed the world, for while the Everfree is no stranger to death, it does repel evil. And when Chaos reigned and brought their first attempts at civilization crashing back to the ground, they and their mortal charges fled to the Everfree, where Chaos could not harm them. This relative safety led to the attempt to control the great forest; ponies, at the command of their immortal gods, split wood and stone to create a safe haven within the dangerous jungle. But it was not to last. For while the strange magic offers safety from evil, it also abhors civilization. The homes came under siege from nature itself, and despite the efforts of even the greatest mages, or even the Sun and Moon themselves, it was a lost cause. No pony knows how, or why, any of this is; even the immortal gods of this realm have long since stopped their questioning and have accepted that the forest will never be tamed, or conquered, or even answer their questions. It has existed for longer than recorded pony history, and it will likely remain until the stars themselves succumb to time. It has been, and always will be, ever free. Deep within the forest is a spring, clear as glass, with a small, sandy island in the middle. Large and deep enough to swim in, it feeds a small waterfall that leads to a stream. Fish dart around in the spring, feeding off the algae and insects. Peace reigns upon its shores, and even the hungriest manticore will gently help a newborn foal to drink from its cooling water. The Sun and Moon know of it, though they do not grasp the significance of the spring; they sheltered there when they were young, when demons and monstrosities roamed the earth, for at the banks of the spring, there are no predators, or prey. Just equals, great and small. Today was not so peaceful, for the first time in centuries longer than a mortal can count. The forest was silent, not so much as a bird chirping. Something was wrong, and every creature in the Everfree knew it. Every creature in the forest feared it. Darkness began to creep towards the pool, even with the sun high in the sky. Movement came from within the shadows- large, gangly creatures with heads as flat as a sheet of paper, with hands, not hooves, on the ends of their forelegs. Arcane lines were painted onto the skin, but the pattern in the center of their chest and back glowed a malevolent red. They moved slowly, with purpose and utter confidence towards the spring. The pool glowed a brilliant white, as though lit by an inner sun. From the sandy island in the center, a glowing white ball rose into the air, where it stayed momentarily. From behind the island, an ethereal creature leaped up and seized the ball, cradling it protectively. It was a hodgepodge mix of many animals. Its head and front were that of a pony of unusual size, with a horn sprouting from its head. The forelegs were also that of a pony, the hooves cradling the ball protectively to its underbelly. On its back, a pair of glowing bat wings sprouted, wrapped protectively around the ball. Its rear legs were that of a lion, and instead of a tail a wicked-looking stinger arched up. The creature eyed the dark gangly ones that looked on impassively at the shores of the spring. As one, they began to wade into the spring, heading for the island in the middle, and the guardian of the ball of light. A scream was heard as the ball was torn from the guardian, a scream that pierced the very fabric of the world. It faded, the guardian becoming nothing more than a dimly glowing star as the pool returned to its normal watery state. The dark creatures, clutching the stolen treasure, each plunged a long arm into the very heart of the ball. It turned black and hardened, then burst into many pieces. Each piece became an insect, larger than a pony’s hoof, sparking with energy. The black insects spread their wings and flew, heading away from the spring. In the Everfree and the lands closest to it, the twilight fell like a veil.