//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Lord of the Ponies: The Friendship of the Ring // by Word Wizard //------------------------------// Lord of the Ponies By J. R. R. Gardian20 Chapter One The sun had just dawned for a new day, spreading light across Sweet Apple Acres orchards. A rooster crowed in the distance, signalling a new dawn. Ponyville slowly began to awaken, as did the farm. Applejack meandered down the hall, rubbing her eyes. It had been a hard night last night, the evening of Granny Smith’s 210’th birthday. That, Applejack decided, was the most rambunctious party they ever witnessed. Pinkie pulled in a few of her funloving cousins and cartloads of supplies. Hours were spent decorating, baking, wrapping and preparing. It was a fantastical feast, and a unbelievable hoot as far as fun went. All of Ponyville was invited, invited to witness the most long-lived pony in Equestria turn two-hundred and ten. Applejack often wondered about Granny. She was so old, and yet she didn’t seem so. She was… preserved, as one might say. As though she stopped aging somewhere around eighty. As much as Applejack was happy for her, it didn’t stop her from wondering if there was something wrong. “Applejack,” Granny croaked from her bedroom. Applejack took a few moments getting there, and pushed open the door. Granny was in bed, looking at Applejack with a concerned expression. “What is it, Granny?” Applejack yawned. “I have something to tell you,” Granny Smith said, gesturing to a rocking chair next to her bed. Applejack sat down, consumed with curiosity. “Is it about turnin’ two hundred and ten?” she asked skeptically. “‘Cause that’s mighty long for a pony to live, mind you.” “It may have something to do with that, yes,” Granny said, nervously. “Although I can’t really bare to tell you this, Applejack, but I’m leaving.” “You’re what now?” Applejack asked, unbelieving as to what she just heard. “I’m leaving. I’m going down to the River. A nice little house will do me good.” “Why?” Applejack pondered out loud. “I’m getting to that,” Granny said, sheepishly. “Applejack, I have to tell you something. Its about this.” With a shaking hoof she took one hoof out from under the covers, and held it steady in front of Applejack. Applejack looked at it, wide-eyed and unbelieving, her jaw slack in amazement. In Granny’s hoof was a ring. Not just any ring, but the most perfect, beautiful, wonderful ring. It seemed to have been forged from solid gold, and then some. In the lamplight it shone, shining radiant light all over the room. “What-” Applejack began, still staring at the ring. “Its my little treasure,” Granny said, frowning. “MY, little treasure, mind you.” She wrenched her hoof away and stuck it under the covers. “You don’t need to get upset,” Applejack said, looking at Granny’s contorted face. Granny Smith sighed at looked at Applejack with heavy eyes. “I’m old, Applejack,” she croaked. “I’m far too old. I am afraid I must say that I need to move on. Nopony is meant to be this old, Applejack. And I am tired. “But fate has not been so kindly to me, Applejack. It has let me live on and on, watching the world pass by day after day. Watching cities grow and fall… and still feeling tired and wretched. “This ring has been my only treasure. My only really precious thing in this world. Ever since I found it when I was a filly, I have always kept it. But…” she stopped, as if the words were catching in her throat. “Yes?” Applejack asked, looking tearyeyed at her grandmother. “But- I would like you to- have it…” Granny finally coughed out. “Before I… Move to the riverside.” “Thanks Granny,” Applejack said, ogling at the ring’s beauty. Granny regained her composure and her lungs and looked back at Applejack with tear filled eyes. “Take care of it for me,” she said, “I may want it back.” “Ok…” Applejack looked at the ring again. It was still just as beautiful… just as attractive as it was when she first saw it. “And the one thing I must let you know about this ring,” Granny said, taking it in one hoof. She slipped it on to the other, and vanished from the bedclothes. “Granny?!” Applejack jumped, looking at the empty bed. Despite her protests, a small part of her mind was worrying about that beautiful ring more than Granny, but she stomped over it with such vigor that it couldn’t hope to stand in the next few days. “It makes you disappear,” Granny’s disembodied voice said. Suddenly she reappeared in the bedsheets, holding the ring in one hoof. “So when can I hav-” Applejack stopped and tread on that part of her mind again. The part that only seemed to care about the ring. The Ring. “When are you leavin’?” she asked, pretending the first part hadn’t come out. “The end of the week,” Granny said. “By the way: a family friend of ours said he would drop by after I left, to check on you, he said. Expect a gray stallion with a beard, a pointy hat and a horn. He takes an interest in Earth-pony lore, the first of the Wise ones to do so. “He is a good stallion, although queer at times,” Granny smiled a little and slipped the golden ring back into her pocket. “Especially around that ring.” “I’ll look after it, Granny,” Applejack said, shaking herself back to reality. “You have my word.” “Thank you,” Granny smiled, her wrinkled face filled with solemn happiness. “Now you run along. I have to pack.” “Alright,” Applejack began to trot out of the room, but caught herself looking back at Granny with a longing look in her eye. That ring. It was beautiful. Almost too beautiful for this world. Little did she know that that was a fair explanation. --------- The sun was high above the horizon as Reldrin arrived at the Council. Ebinfast gave him a stern look from beneath his white robes. His pure white mane fell in straight locks on either side of his head, coupled with a bushy mustache to create a firm and stoic appearance. Golox looked up and Reldrin from under his brown cloak, giving him a nervous stare. Reldrin sat down nervously, leaning his staff next to his chair. He removed his pointed cap and set it down next to him, and looked across the table with his wise, worn eyes. “I apologize for the lateness,” he said gruffly. Ebinfast nodded. “Do try to be on time, Reldrin,” Ebinfast said severely, “pressing business waits for nopony.” “Right,” Reldrin looked across the table at an empty seat. “Speaking of that, has message been received from Hilendale?” “Hilendale will not be joining us today,” Ebinfast said, standing up. The room was made of ornately carved stone, with a ceiling spiraling out beyond sight. It was the tower of Garnon. Crafted by the Race of Light in the Age of Plenty, it stood proud and tall throughout the ages. Thousands of years old, it possessed and ancient magic far beyond comprehension. Ebinfast the White, the wisest of the Wise Ones, lived in its heights, slowly unraveling the enchantments that surrounded it whilst recording their makeup. In ancient days, it is said, the Tower of Garnon was used as a stronghold for the Race of Light in the Thousand Year War. The Tower is both fortress and study, although the former seems to have been more exercised of the years. It was positioned just outside Everfree Forest, in a lush clearing of grass, sprawling its shadow upon the land for centuries. “My friends,” Ebinfast said, putting two hooves on the table, “I have gathered you here today to discuss events in the north. I know you have felt it. I have.” Reldrin and Golox nodded. “Evil is on the rise once more,” Ebinfast announced, “it marches in the shadow of the ice.” “The Forest feels it,” Golox said nervously, “the birds leave the north. Even arctic foxes have ventured southward. They speak of great evil, of towering buildings.” Ebinfast nodded. “The Empire is being rebuilt.” “We destroyed it in the forest,” Reldrin said, gruffly. “It moved northward. I knew it would.” “But where did it get the power from?” Golox asked shakily. Ebinfast nodded. “I know of only one thing that could bring the Dark Lord from the ice,” he said, darkly. “It should have been destroyed long ago. It should have been thrown into the cracks from whence it came. But it wasn’t. “It lives on, corrupting those that find it. It is hiding somewhere in this world. The Dark Lord seeks it. What ever corner of the world it sunk to, it has resurfaced. The Lord has returned to seek its power. Sombra wants only one thing. And that is the Ring.” Reldrin raised his bushy eyebrows. “I thought it had been lost years ago,” he said, stroking his beard. “It wishes to be found,” Ebinfast said, furrowing his brows. “Any creature that finds it, be it pony of not, it will use. It corrupts. It manipulates. It wishes to return to its master. Golox?” “Yes?” Golox asked, looking at Ebinfast uncertainly. “Have you noticed any strange behaviour in the creatures of the Forest?” “None, besides migration,” Golox reported. “Ever since Sombra was chased from the Forest, evil has not dared return.” “Good,” Ebinfast turned to Reldrin. “Have you noticed anything?” “I have,” Reldrin nodded, shifting under his gray robe. “Trolls have dared to move southward, becoming bold enough to even venture out in daylight. The goblins of the north become restless as well. On more than one occasion, they loot villages and burn forests. They no longer fear the day, they have grown strong and bold. “Further and further south I see them, but I suspect they will be returning to the Crystal Empire with the Dark Lord’s rise to power.” Ebinfast was silent. He looked at his staff thoughtfully, watching the blue crystal in its tip glow as it leaned against the hard marble table. Reldrin watched the white wizard with intent. “That is most disturbing,” Ebinfast said, finally. “But the question remains: what shall be done?” “A very tough question indeed,” Golox pondered, stroking his beard in thought. “Although.” “I know where the ring is,” Reldrin spoke up suddenly. Ebinfast and Golox gaped at him. “It was found by a close friend of mine about a hundred years ago. She turned two hundered and ten yesterday. Although I know little of this ring of hers, my guesses have grown more certain, until it is the only remaining option. “She is leaving at the end of the week for a riverside village, and I will persuade her to leave the ring with her daughter, Applejack. Applejack is a young and able mare who I trust will march against the Dark Lord when the time is right.” “How do you propose to get this friend to leave her ring,” Ebinfast questioned, “after all, it does corrupt to serve its own will, does it not?” “Earth Ponies are a noble race. They have will beyond that of any other. Will that, however hard, can overpower the Ring’s powerful magic,” Reldrin stated. “And the Apple Family has the most of that willpower I have ever seen. It is fate, my friends, that let the Ring fall into such able hooves. I will see to it personally that Applejack receives the Ring, and that she embarks on her quest as soon as evil moves.” “I will watch the Dark Lord from the Tower of Garnon,” Ebinfast stated. “The Forest will have my eyes glued to it!” Golox exclaimed, leaping up, wide eyed. “I shan’t let a thing get by!” “Very good,” Ebinfast said coldly, “Dismissed. Remember your duties.” “We will,” Golox and Reldrin said in unicen, and began to depart. “And Reldrin,” Ebinfast called after the wizard. He turned around, fixing his deep blue eyes on the white wizard. “Do meet me back here if anything arises. You needn’t have an appointment.” “Thank you,” Reldrin nodded, and trotted to the exit with echoing hoofbeats. Ponyville was next. ------- Now, there may be a few things you wonder about the Dark Lord. His name, though few state it, is king Sombra. Long ago, in the Age of Light (About year 500), he forged the Rings. These rings were no ordinary, run of the mill jewelry. No, these were magic rings. They held power that challenged fate itself, granting the holder power beyond that of mere pony. The Dark Lord forged three sets of rings, as is told in the poem of old: Three for fair Unicorns under the sky, Seven for the Earth ponies in halls of stone, Nine for lords of pegasi that fly high, One for the Dark Lord on his Dark Throne, In the Crystal Empire, where shadows lie, One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them One ring to gather them and in the shadows bind them, In the Crystal Empire, where shadows lie. After a thousand years in the Age of Darkness, the Race of Light took up arms against the Dark Lord. The Race of Light was a contingency of unicorns bound together by their love of art and goodness, a prevailing race in the ancient days. Together, these ponies waged the Thousand Year War on evil. Bloody battles were fought, staining the stones red with the blood of ponies and black with the blood of goblins, of evil things. But the Race of Light fought on, beating the dark hordes back with every swish of a whistling blade. During the bloody war, three tribes united against one common foe: the Dark Lord of Crystal. The Race of Light, the Race of Stone, and the Race of Wind, previously on strenuis terms, scattered throughout Equestria. They banded together and rose as one to destroy evil once and for all. They were the Army of the Sun. Together they marched, together they fell, and together they slashed their way to the Dark Lord’s northern stronghold. The final battle, the Battle of Crystal, was waged just outside the Dark Gates of the Crystal Empire, from which the Dark Lord’s army marched. The Army of the Sun fell apart in that fateful battle, overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Few remained, a mere ten thousand, but they fought with ten times the strength of any normal warrior. These were warriors who had watched their comrades be slain in battle. They had seen bloodshed. They fought for their families, their lives, and Equestria. Slowly, a ring formed, a ring of hope. Back to back they fought, hope driving their last stand. It was there, in that very bloodbath that the Gate fell. The Army of the Sun poured in to the Empire, smashing all they lay hooves on. It was a glorious moment, hope rose in the hearts of those brave warriors. The end of the war was neigh. But evil would not give up hope so easily. Rising from his dark throne, the Dark Lord Sombra took up his weapon and stood against the combined armies of Light, aided by the power of the One Ring. It was there, in that moment that all hope was lost. Warriors flew in every direction, dashed by Sombra’s mace to slam against a cliff face. Sombra stood tall, clad in dark armour to the hilt. No weapon of pony making could destroy him. The Ring’s power made him beyond the hope of anypony to destroy… except one. The brave Queen of Equestria took a final stand, rallying her troops one more time she charged the Dark Lord, a head on assault. But the power of pony could not defeat Sombra, and Celestia’s assault fell beside her, struck down by orcish arrows. She screamed as she galloped, the Sword of the Sun raised high above her head. But alas, darkness could not be stopped in that last charge of hope. With one sweep of his mace Sombra sent the Queen flying into a nearby rock face, splattering bright red blood across the stone. Celestia’s younger sister, Luna, was forced to watch this fate. She ran to her crumpled sister, crying with disbelief; but as she drew nearer, she saw Celestia still breathing heavily. Luna crouched near her sister and removed her plumed helmet, crying as she raised the Queen’s face in her hooves. “Luna,” Celestia croaked, “take up my sword. It is time… for you-” And with that Celestia’s eyes rolled back in her head, leaving Luna alone in the dark battle. In that moment, all sorrow inside her took on the form of anger, contorting her face with rage. She looked up, into the eyes of Sombra laughing menacingly a few feet away, and reached for the sword. But Sombra reached it first. With a firm stamp of his armor-clad hoof, he snapped the blade in two, right as Luna lifted the handle. Holding the shattered sword, Luna cared not about her life, nor that of Equestria: she cared only for her avenging her sister. “Darkness has only so much power!” she shouted, leaping from the blood covered stone, brandishing the sword in front of her with anger and hatred. The shattered blade glowed a dull yellow, angry at its previous master’s demise. Sombra laughed a deep, sinister laugh. “HAH!” Luna cried, slashing the sword at Sombra’s right fist as it hurdled toward her. A steaming piece of metal fell from the hand, hitting the ground with a hard thunk. Luna held the blade perfectly steady as she delved for Sombra’s heart, but the Dark Lord was already mortified. The finger she had chopped off: it was the ring finger. Disconnected from the Ring, Sombra’s material form crumbled, reducing to ash that blew away in the wind. Luna’s eyes opened wide as the armor in front of her crumbled, leaving empty air in its wake. In that moment, Luna, daughter of Faust, smashed into the ground. The battle was won, the armies of the Crystal Empire scattered, letting the wounded armies of Equestria slaughter their way to victory. Luna pulled herself up and joyusly looked over the lifting darkness, smiling; then she turned to look at her sister. Celestia was sprawled upon the rocks, her golden armor glinting in the appearing sunshine. Luna kneeled before her, dropping her head and mumbling softly to herself. “I will continue as you wished me to do, sister,” she mumbled, “I will look after the Kingdom of Canterlot. Equestria is free. You may rest in peace.” A tear dropped from Luna’s face as she swallowed her sorrow. Beside her on the rock, a there was a glint of gold. Luna looked closer, and, without really thinking about it, slipped the Ring into her pocket. That was a day of much celebration. On the return trip, the Ring left Luna and bounced into the Great River… hoping to be found by a more easily corrupted creature. There it stayed for hundreds of years, until it was found by the most unlikely creature, a creature even the Ring did not expect: an earth pony filly playing in a riverbed. For years she kept it, and she realized it made her invisible by donning it. But she was not evil at heart, and not easily corrupted. Earth Ponies in what would come to be called Ponyville were good, peace-loving, and generally friendly. The Ring could not get a hoofhold in Granny Smith’s heart until she was very old, and even then it troubled her. That is why she made up her mind to give it to Applejack before she left for a little house in the river colony of the Ponyton. And maybe her old friend Reldrin could give a bit of advice on the matter…