Shining Armor trotted up, already aware of the significance of the words written upon the scroll as if they were carefully stitched together forming the very image that shook me to the core.
“You’re a smart filly”, Shining Armor spoke in a humble fashion. “You’re already starting to understand what these scrolls have been shouting for centuries!” He projected these last words that vibrated through everypony’s ears.
“But…I don’t understand…how?” I was still a bit skeptical even after it dawned on me; it’s understandable, even the easiest filly to influence could see an issue with this puzzle that was just starting to piece itself together.
“I don’t understand much either, the scrolls origins are as mysterious as the tree of harmony, they seemed to be around since the dawn of ponykind. I could…we could never trace them back to their origins even after countless years of searching.” Shining Armor started, “You see, these scrolls have no origin.”
“What do you mean, you didn't work alone? How can the scrolls not have an origin?” Starshard asked still not grasping what Shining Armor was preaching upon the young fillies. Shining Armor’s answers would ultimately lead to more questions.
“Royalty is more than an image to us that were fortunate, it was a path that was already carved in stone; it was destiny.” Shining Armor explained. “We have a duty to keep Equestria safe from the terror that was once hidden in the shadows-waiting to feast upon society. Understanding these scrolls was the only way to prevent catastrophe up until the point that the dark forces unleashed their true potential after gaining enough power. I have yet to give up on these prophecies since they were never wrong in the past. They were our only hope of guidance; it is now your task to restore peace in Equestria. Before it’s too late.”
These words came to be a shock to Unity and Starshard. I admit that they had caught me off guard as well, revealing things that I could not have guesses in a million years.
“How do you know that it’s truly us? Did anypony else get their cutie marks during the eclipse?” It was normal for Unity to question logic before committing to anything she was uncertain about. At that point that uncertainty was revolving around the fact that she wasn’t sure if Shining Armor had the right ponies. She respected him but thought he was odd at times, obsessing over the scrolls. She was never really the pony to jump to a conclusion without looking at the whole picture; but this time the picture wasn’t complete.
“Nopony else, just the three of you.” He replied patiently, understanding the doubt that the ponies had. After all he spent all these years examining these mysterious scrolls, he must know something about them that we don’t.
Upon further examination of the scroll, it became evident that the three ponies portrayed in the image highly resembled us.
Apple Bloom was in the study the entire time but had yet to utter a word. It was as if she camouflaged herself with the bookshelves and their eerie setting. She then spoke with uncertainty.
“Are sure these ponies are fit to do what you ask of them, they are just fillies after all?”
“They aren’t ready yet, I wouldn’t let them out on a treacherous journey without going through every aspect of their training. Equestria depends on them AFTER ALL.” Shining Armor put emphasis on these last two words revealing that he was in fact serious about this entire speech.
~
Apple Bloom had prepared beds for each of us in a secure room further in the castle. Surely somepony with a few screws loose could jeopardize this entire plan if they had the will too. The news of the event that took place earlier today would spread like wildfire upon the already scorched ruins of Equestria. The royal guard would once more serve its purpose.
At the corner of my eye I could see a silhouette slowly approaching then galloping towards Apple Bloom. It was Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom jumped into Scootaloo’s hooves as they hugged each other for close to a minute, tears rolling down their eyes, damping their coats. It wasn’t long before the two ponies made small talk and kept themselves updated on the events that happened in the years that had pasted. At this moment, both mares were acting as if they were fillies again, a joy that is rarely seen in Equestria these days; illustrating that it is important to take pleasure in the small things even if the world around you isn’t the way that you’ve always wanted it to be. Beyond these walls, Equestria was cruel showing no remorse towards the lives lost and destroyed during its rampage on society but within these walls friendship prevailed over everything else. Harmony was within these walls, if only the rest of Equestria could see…
Shining Armor also showed a nit of happiness towards the reunion of the long separated friends but his expression was far from gleeful. Trotting up to us out of the corner of my eye, hidden in the shadows; he spoke.
“I will give you a couple of days to settle in but we will need to get moving quickly. Our first expedition will involve going to the Everfree forest. Now, I’m sure that some of you have heard of the tree of Harmony so I won’t bother going into much detail before we arrive to its resting place. I have no idea what terror we may encounter but know that I will be there with you along the way. This battle is not yours to fight alone.”
“I will go with you as well”, Scootaloo spoke. “It is important that you feel a sense of security and I will do my best to provide that for you. I vowed to put my life on the line when I joined the guard. This is my duty and my way to repay you for what you’re doing.”
“I will go as well”, Apple Bloom declared.
“No”, Scootaloo interrupted her before she could continue with an explanation. “The farm needs you; Ponyville needs you.”
Although taken back from this sudden disagreement between her and her best friend, Apple Bloom nodded. She understood that Ponyville needed her more than she could be of use for the heroes that stood before her.
Shining Armor handed a few spell books to Unity that would prove useful during their journey. It wasn't long before Unity got lost in one of them, studying every word and occasionally emitting light from her horn to test the minor spells out.
Shining Armor had a look of sorrow in his captivating sapphire blue eyes. He once had a sister much like Unity but she had unfortunately perished along with her friends at the hooves of King Sombra. Her face would remain carved into his memory along with his faithful wife, Cadence.
“It is time to sleep everypony; there is a lot to do in the following days. Shining Armor has weapons you could practice with, Starshard and he will help train you along with Eclipse Shine.” Apple Bloom had started to explain the various tasks we would have to accomplish in order to be prepared for Everfree.
~
Blowing out the candle light surrounding the circular room where everypony slept but Shining Armor, Apple Bloom laid in a bed next Scootaloo.
Sleep came easy to some but in my dream state, I never knew what to expect. Blankets embracing my small body, my head cushioned by a luxurious pillow; I finally drifted away into a world that one could only ever dream about.