//------------------------------// // FOTC: Chapter 1 - A small adventure // Story: Fall of the Changelings // by Dream Whisper //------------------------------// Tell me, what do you think is the most destructive force you know? For me, it is time. Time destroys friendships, destroys relationships, purges emotions, crushes kingdoms and commits suicide. Nothing can persist in the face of time. Right now, life is slowly fading away into the past. What meaning does anything have in the face of time? Sunken into deep thoughts I stumbled through complete darkness. The darkness made it incredibly hard to make out any details, leaving me defenseless in this unknown forest. I should have arrived long ago and yet I was still here, lost in the woods. If my body had not been completely exhausted, I could have illuminated the dark forest with my magic, but for now I would have to deal with my situation. More than one time I felt like being followed, although that would be completely ridiculous. The darkness was just playing tricks on my mind. From time to time, it seemed as if shadows were crawling through the woods, waiting for lonely pray just like me. Any second now, one of these shadows would rise from the ground and devour me instead of disappearing again. A deep voice echoed through the forest, calling my name. I turned around, trying to make out anypony else in this forsaken forest, but there was no pony. When I turned around again, two giant red eyes were glooming at me from inside the darkness. I shuddered, as those eyes seemed to stare directly into my soul. The deep laughter was continuing to echo through the forest. Suddenly something grabbed my hoof, not letting go of it. I cringed in horror. I was alone here. Nopony here to help thousands of hooves around. Nopony to even hear my last screams. A claw or something seemed to cut through my intestines, at least it felt that way. I could have puked, if I was not scared so badly. I tried to turn around, away from those eyes, but they were following me. A sudden flash of blinding light lit up everything around me, causing me to blindly stumble backwards. It took a bit of frantic blinking and eye-rubbing to finally be able to see again, but the eyes seemed to be gone. Or were they? A feeling of uncertainty was left behind, the eyes still seemingly lingering behind every tree. Had it really been an illusion or had it been something more than that? I tried to stay calm, tried to think about what was ahead of me. The last thing I wanted to be in this forest was being lost. That is… if I wasn’t already. Although I had tried to keep my orientation over the entire trip, the dark forest had made it more and more difficult to keep track of where I was actually going. It looked all the same: dark and spooky. From my own velocity I fell over down right into the thick autumn leaves. It tasted cold, dirty and wet, which is not something you want to have inside your mouth. I spat out a couple of times, trying to clean my mouth from whatever disgusting bacteria lingered in these leaves. They always say a bit of dirt cleans your stomach, but I believe a bit of contaminated dirt rather makes you sick. The ground was soft, but also wet and cold. I tried to get myself up again just before jumping two hooves into the air. A shudder ran down my spine as I slowly turned around, a grim feeling lurking in the back of my head: What had grabbed my hoof? I had almost forgotten that. I looked around, but there was nothing but a traitorous stick next to a shabby stone. Sticks and stones… Luckily they had not broken my bones. Instead, I turned around again and decided to continue my journey, not without a bad bad feeling in my stomach. Actually, referring to my stomach: I haven’t eaten in days - or at least feel just like that! I could eat like a full stack of hay right now. I would start lightly, maybe that delicious carrot soufflè we had yesterday, a huge stack of sugarcoated oats, a giant.... I shook my head; this wasn’t the time to think about food, it was time to finally get home. The howling of wind through the dark leaves of the tree above me stopped my thought in an instant. Maybe I should turn around? It was not too late? No! Who am I kidding? It is already way too late. If I turn around right now, everything I have done to get here would be lost. This was only one way to go: Forward, through the dark forest. I actually tried a couple of other paths, each abruptly ending in vast nothingness, leaving me no other choice but to turn around and trotting all the way back. Each and every time I came to such a dead end, I damned the whole forest, and whoever had made these paths. Which animals actually made these paths? Foxes? Badgers? Squirrels? Again, I had to stop myself from going off a tangent about something I had really not wanted to think about in the first place. From one moment to another, the world turned dark. I fell somewhere, screaming out my soul. A hole in the ground or something. Complete darkness and the feeling of falling. My scream echoed after me, while the wind sped up, swishing by my ear. Then, a sudden thud. For a time I just lay somewhere, feeling nothing. It was all dark and I didn’t even know if I was still conscious. At some point, there came pain. Of course painful, but it was still bearable. I got up again, having landed on something muddy. My whole side was glued together by … well, something. It was still complete darkness. Maybe that mud had just saved my life. Holy mother of Celestia! This was great! Well, not really great considering where he was… Considering where he was, this was actually quite the bucked situation. Horsapples, this stupid dark old forest and its holes in the damn ground. A bit of my magic might help me out here, illuminating the dark. As soon as I had created the light, I immediately stopped the spell again. Had I just seen that? Disbelief was my first reaction, natural considering what I had just seen. The contents of my stomach suddenly developed the urge to somehow escape my body. Had I really just seen that? I had to make light again. Sometimes you know you shouldn’t do it, but you just can’t stop yourself. The light of my spell emitted once again, shining brightly onto the sea of bones and skulls and blood. This cave was most certainly not an amusement park. I was not amused. Not in the slightest. I felt a wave of nausea overtake me, and I closed my eyes again, knowing I would never forget that image. My whole body tensed up in my pathetic attempt not to throw up. There was no uncertainty anymore. My intestines seemed to have declared war on each other and a stomachache was the inevitable result. My brain however, commanded me to march on. There was a war to be won against those traitorous organs, who seemed to have united in some kind of major rebellion against the forces of logic and reason. The battle commenced and the war field was my stomach, being bombarded again and again, until the pain was excruciating. The eviction of the forces of the rebellion was my last resort. This brew couldn’t be made much worse anyway. A bit of puke would fit just fine. This was horrific and terrible and terrific, but it was not the end of my journey. Was my mind now joining that rebellion? I had to make a stop to this all, shaking my head almost as if that would shake out those gruesome images. I would have to banish them somewhere so I would never have to remember again. This was neither the time nor place to give yourself in to grim thoughts. I stepped backwards from the scene of disaster, until I was painfully reminded of whatever was on my side. I had assumed it would be mud, but now… I started galloping away from this cavity of horror, just... far, far away. I didn’t know where I was running as it seemed there were only walls all around me. Maybe I should have not run, maybe I should have better remembered my way back, maybe I should have not crossed the cave randomly. In the end, I was stuck somewhere deep inside, not knowing where to get back or where to get forwards. I just trotted along unknown paths. Unknown paths which would lead me into the future. It still is strange how on a single day, fate can change everything, yet months can pass by without anything worth mentioning. I had wanted to get back to my family, to celebrate my son’s birthday. I had wanted to bring my present - A silvern statue of Soarin, the wonderbolt. I had wanted to be there as fast as possible. I had taken short-cuts, I had taken unknown ways. I wonder, what would have happened if I had taken the long route, coming minutes too late, but still arriving at home, not in this forsaken cavity. What would have happened if I had already bought that present the day before and had not been so tardy? Would I still sit next to my loving wife and son? I tried to remember their faces, but my brain hindered me. It stops me every single time and I hate it for doing that. I have forgotten them, my wife and son. There is nothing left but the knowledge that they once existed. Their names, their voices, their faces. All is lost. In these caves, I found something that not only changed my fate, but the fate of Equestria. To this day, I regret taking a shortcut, regret not having the time to take a longer path. Time is a brutal force. It takes away what you had and it doesn’t give you anything in return. You have to work for what you want and time is going to steal it from you no matter how hard you fight. It was a day or two, in which I mindlessly stumbled through dark caves, dried blood in my coat. You lose the feeling of time when you have nothing to remind you. In every second I thought about my family, how they would be disappointed when I would arrive there so very late. If I had known… My magic faded at some point and after that I stumbled through complete darkness. It was then, when I found it. I could have never known, how should I? Nothing but a mere necklace, shining in the dark. It was beautifully ornamented, probably just beautiful enough for my special somepony. She always wanted new jewelry. She loved the way that rubies sparkled, but she preferred topaz. Sometimes, she would decide for an emerald and sometimes, if it fitted her outfit, she would take the sapphire. Why can I remember which jewels she picked, but not what she looked like? My pain is deep and my sadness bitter, but I have cried too much. Back then, I thought nothing when picking it up. A necklace, what should be wrong about it? Back then, I didn’t think about it. I was foolish and young and stupid. Maybe this is all a punishment for my stupidity in those early days. I touched the necklace, felt the cold, flat ruby gliding under my hooves. Then, suddenly something struck me down and changed me forever. I could have known. I should have known. It was a necklace found in a cave of death and darkness after all. It felt like a lightning echoing through my body, tensing up all my muscles, rendering me unable to move. I cringed, tried to scream, but my mouth was sealed shut. The pain only grew and grew and grew until I lost my consciousness and the calming darkness awaited me. When I got up again, I could make out rhythmic echoes of a drop of rain impacting on a puddle. A sound so quiet, it had been unhearable under the heavy clopping of my hooves before. Now, in this complete silence, I could hear it. I got up, confused and unsure. I looked around me: The necklace was gone. Even after I used my magic to illuminate the darkness, I could not find that shining ruby anymore. I gave up searching for something that would not get me out of there anyway, and started listening to the distant droplets. With every step I took, the sound got a bit louder. Soon a very distant trickling mixed with the sound of the drops, creating an unlikely symphony. When I found the puddle, I knew I had found my way out. The droplets of rain were falling from a stalactite up above the puddle of water. When I already thought I had only found a way deeper inside, a distant thunder interrupted my grim thoughts. It had to be rain! I decided to climb up to the stalactite, to see what was up there. The climbing was hard and nerve-wracking, as the stone walls were mostly covered in moist moss. More than one time, a hoof of mine lost its hold, but luckily you are not born with one or two but four. ( hopefully ) I found my way up onto a ledge. That was about as close I could get to the stalactite. My efforts didn’t go in vain. Up there, I could make out a slight shimmer of light penetrating the darkness of my cave. The light came from across the room and was just bright enough to see from up here. It would require a leap of faith, but I was willing to do it. I would have done anything at that point just to get out. I took a few steps back and hesitated for a moment. Was I really going to do this? This was crazy! I could never do it! It’s impossible. You are going to impact down there, break your bones and die of starvation. Don’t do it! I started galloping, not even listening to my own speculations, not listening to what was reasonable. I jumped, giving all my strength. With this jump, I could either reach my family or fail and die. I did not die. A heavy weight seemed to be lifted from my shoulders, but the danger was not resolved yet: Barely, by a hoof or two, my front legs grabbed onto the ledge. It took me all of my strength to pull myself up onto it, but I had done it and I felt a fire burning inside of me; A fire of pride and relief. I had done it! I am the best pony! I should really run for mayor next time… Stopping my usual trailing-off-topic process once again, I started to evaluate the situation. The hole in front of me was most certainly too small for me to fit through, but the stone seemed old and fissured. With the right dosage of magic at the crucial spots, I would be able to cause it to break apart. My magic blasted the thick stones in front of me apart, revealing more of the light of the sun, blinding me. Although a couple of clouds were dropping their freight upon what seemed like a mountain, the sun just above the horizon seemed to shine directly into my face. I had to close my eyes and I took a deep deep breath in. I had freed myself. I yelled and screamed and jumped and… realized that my journey was not yet complete. I had to get home before the sorrows would rip my wife apart. She always worried about everything and everypony. It almost seems as if she is made of nothing but worries. She never wanted to let my son stroll outside as he could cut himself with the gras or fall down and break his neck. I always laughed about her worries and never respected them. I hate myself for never having told her, but I secretly kept an extra eye on our son, just for her. I was there, on top of the mountain of Canterlot, able to see my home from here. If my wife looked up here right now, she would see a small figure between the mighty rocks. I made my way down, driven by the need to see them again, to reunite with my family, to get home. I started to gallop, started to give all that I had. Of course it was a risk to foolishly storm through the rest of the forest, but my mind could not take the seperation much longer. The trees flew by, left and right, but I only had my home in mind. The ground flew by, sticks and stones, but I only had my wife in my mind. The clouds passed by, but I only had my son in my mind. When would I see them again? After a while, I stumbled across the road leading me home. My steps sped up, faster and faster. The desire pierced my brain. I needed to get home again. It was a small village, but that only made it much more appealing to small families like ours. You know everypony in your village and you do not have to fear any murderers or thieves or similar ponies. When I finally arrived in the village, I noticed that it was completely empty. I was unable to find even one pony! My home would be down the third street, then in a couple of hundred hooves on the left side. A beautifully ornamented little house, painted in light blue colors, with dark blue curtains to give a certain contrast to it. The natural green surrounding served as an icing on the cake. At least that is what my wife had used to say. I reached the front door and stepped inside. After looking around, I had a strange realization: My home was very much similar to the village: It was small… and empty. Neither my wife nor my son were waiting for me. The party was already over and the house felt empty without them. My stomach reminded me that there were other things than a family to embrace. Food would be very nice now, so would be water for my dry throat. I decided to just take out the old hay from yesterday and drink whatever was left. Although my stomach cried for something to eat, I could not get down any hay. I tried everything. I tried to force it down. Nothing, nothing eased my hunger. I hungered for something, but for what?