(6)
A crimson star arose in the east, its burning gleam danced over the glittering snow. The ice was soaked in the blood-red light, and the peaks wavered like beacons of fire. Not long was the rising sun revealed before the gray mantle of foreboding clouds drifted over it; though as the sun slipped between the break of horizon and haze, the sharp cry of a horn rang forth over the Icicle Mountains. Upon its shout, the towering ice gates of Gryphus were pushed aside, and from the city’s maw marched the armies of the forgotten.
Adorned in heavy iron with wicked weaponry, they marched forward to the beat of heavy drums. Griffons lead the legions, and the front lines were driven by great lords clad in purple cloaks and shining steel as white as the snow they stomped over. Behind the masses of griffons were the equines, then centaurs, hounds and lastly trolls. Rocs poured forth from over the mountain’s barriers, bred to serve the griffons and to strike at their desire. For many hours they slowly exited the confines of the hidden city and followed the crooked passageways through the icy valleys. The leaders of their kinds were given rocs to be rode on and overhead they flew along, encircling and seeing over all. Vallak himself had bred his own winged beast, son of the great Sheol whom fell in fire. Its name was Gehenna, and he was even greater than his father in size and terror.
Vallak and Gehenna were perched atop the gates of Gryphus, watching as the armies flowed forth at his high command. He knew that one such weapon of his had yet to be unveiled and knew that the time was nigh for the world to witness the horror of the ancient world. The last of the great masters that once ruled over the infant planet had been secured and broken so that Vallak may have his desires fulfilled through it. He looked upward and rose his fist high, clutching the Afflicter and letting its powers flow freely. A great orb as blinding as the searing sun was lifted towards the heavens. For many miles all was coated in the red tint of death, though the armies of the accumulated did not stop their progress. The leaders of these armies did turn to see what Vallak had done and it terrified them. What the Griffon King had performed was only a signal to those far away.
Over many mountains, the orb could be seen lighting all in a cloak of carmine, and one such watcher noticed this. A message was passed down the peak watchtower and towards the roots of the mountains. Descending into the dungeons of Fathúm-dûn, where the first griffon city was long abandoned after the great masters battled to their ends, spanned many chambers that dug deep into the earth. There a monster was awakened, stirred to life when its bindings were broken. Its anger and fury was unleashed as the mountains flexed and moaned. Fire flowed forth in great rivers throughout Fathúm-dûn and many griffons met with death. The inferno filled the chambers and its foundation fell overhead. The ranges above titled and swayed, crashing into themselves like waves meeting in a storm. The armies finally halted as they witnessed Arteria shift before them.
Great and mighty peaks crumbled and upon the slanted slopes, great claws grasped the mountains’ crowns. With one last heave, the ancient beast took flight, shadowing the earth below as if night had fallen. All were deeply afraid, and some bowed before it in fearful reverence. Vallak, the deviser of such a being, was even afraid of his own making, but stayed stolid among his generals. As the monster soared high, it spread its arms and took towards the east away from the armies. With each fall of its wings, great windstorms cascaded over the landscape, breaking and bending everything. The last great master of the ancient world was set loose in blinding rampancy.
Vallak was pleased by his creation, and the nine legions of armies strode forward towards Equestria.
__________
Mists trickled down the mountains into the quiet valley. Like a phantom it spread its crooked arms, clawing across the ground and over the lands below. The air was thick and wet; the morning vapor felt cool and crisp as if the ranges were exhaling a new breath. Like distant smoke, the heavy dew floated silently among towers and buildings. Fog settled low over Central Equestria where both Canterlot and Ponyville were located.
Princess Celestia overlooked the morning from the confines of her gray throne room. Though she could not see far, she felt soothed by the mists before her—like a gentle veil was wrapped comfortably over her thoughts. As the morning haze in her mind lifted away, her worries overcame her momentary tranquility. She wasn’t oblivious; she knew not all was right in the world. A great shadow began its descent from the frozen north. Treachery, treason, and sadness lingered in her people; all were inattentive to the evils that surrounded them. Peace was coming to a close and there was nothing the high princess could do about it.
Most of all, she worried for Twilight Sparkle. She feared for her safety—she was like a daughter to Celestia. Losing her would grieve Celestia beyond comprehension, but she knew that she had to strengthen her, for the white alicorn honestly believed that Twilight would be the one to secure peace. Twilight would surpass Celestia, she devised this and sought for it to become true.
In a flash, Luna teleported before the throne; the high princess was unfazed by her sudden appearance. She turned to see that Luna was upset. The faint, livid light that shone weakly in her unmoved eyes disturbed Celestia. Something horrible had been revealed to her younger sibling.
“Sister,” Celestia said uneasily, “what’s going on?”
Luna gently shook her head, “The Ivory Guard, they... they told me something horrible...”
__________
In the grand earth pony city of Manehatten, clear blue skies stretched overhead from horizon to horizon. Skyscrapers, monuments to the craftsmanship of the ponies, stood high over the lands. Zeppelins and propeller driven aircraft swept overhead, prompting businesses and ingenuity for the masses. Technology thrived here more so than any other city in the known world and the equine were in peace. The city bustled with life and merriment; all was well within the largest equine city that ever existed. All was well, until a shadow fell.
It stretched over the city as if night had fallen early. The sound of motorist and chattering citizens hushed as darkness descended. Silence grew from horror as their eyes lifted to see what had caused such an anomaly to their sunny day. Voiceless they cried, unable to vocalize what their eyes perceived. Frozen in place, they contended with the Statue of Liberation in the Manehattan Harbor. All stood in involuntary fright and cowardice as Malorga cloaked the city in his shade.
Finally the cries of the equine rang out as the great beast fell on his fours onto the city. The steel towers were blasted away, broken from their deep rooted foundations and scattered about in fearsome winds. The earth below upheaved, breaking the concrete realm in a great wave of seismic churning. Emergency horns sounded off throughout the expansive city as the monster crashed down upon earth, but all knew what great threat was present as below them Arteria heaved violently.
Through dust and rock, a great river of flame cascaded between the slanted towers. Gluttonous, the inferno consumed all. It stretched its flaming fingers through the gridlocked streets, scorching every nook and cranny. The ancient one, cloaked in ash and dust, heaved its neck and head up, letting loose an explosive roar that sent painful reverberations over the cataclysm. All anyone could do was run, no pony was safe from the nightmare they awakened to. Some, though unwilling, fought back.
A large remnant of the Manehatten military had departed in secret to try and hold off the coming armies of the north and their numbers at home dwindled. They arrived however, from near and far, to fight off the monster that came so suddenly. Weaponized telescopes were cranked up upon the still standing buildings as teams of unicorns focused their magic into the lenses, creating powerful beams of light. Pegasi and large aircraft, both airplanes and zeppelins, fought back with bullets and bombs. On the streets were scattered earth ponies and unicorns, using magic and machine to combat the beast. Flurries of these combined attacks overcame Molorga as a new veil of steam and black smoke engulfed the beast.
Its shadow stood still, its dark shape unmoved by the futile attacks of the equine. Its armor was too great; and even greater was it by the aid of Vallak and his studious griffons. For years, they melded together an armor upon the beast, forged from the fires of the earth and mended by dark and unknown magics. Great metal plates were fused to the natural scales of the dragon, and through its centuries of pain it grew a hatred for all things; and through pain, his malice turned to strength.
He thrashed about, swiping his tail through the spires of steel while his feet plummeted upon the encroaching armies. With wings spread wide he threw them down, cascading windstorms that tore all in the air apart. Metal and rock rained down over the city, being blown high into the atmosphere and falling like hail on the once clear day. The burning cauldron in his throat was unleashed again, sending arcing fire overhead, dwarfing even the greatest of buildings.
Malorga could not be stopped as the few remaining equine scattered like wild prey. None knew why this monster showed up, or what—if anything—was controlling it. All they could do was seek refuge among the nearby cities, and pray that the horror would not follow them.
Malorga, however, was not an untamed creature. He was smart, but demented; furious, but controlled. Malorga knew that now he was a lord upon Arteria and all who saw his fearsome form would tremble and scurry away. When the ancient masters thrived over the land, he was nothing more than a pawn among kings. Now that they had perished and he was kept alive, he was a king, the only king with none to oppose his reign.
__________
“A dragon,” Celestia faltered, “...of that magnitude? Where could such a thing be bred in secret?”
“I assume it was intentional,” Luna spoke somberly, “concealing this beast for so long. Something must have hidden it away.” She scratched the underside of her chin and thought aloud, “The timing is perfect, and the blame can only fall on Vallak.”
Celestia lowered her head and spoke in a low tone, “He will unleash everything on us. He will bear no restraint. More than likely the dragon is uncontrollable by even his command, and he intended this. To create a weapon that would destroy all in its way so that he would cripple not only Equestria, but his opposers as well.”
“But we could destroy it!” Luna asserted. “Zachary and the Prevailer, they could defeat this beast. We need him now more than ever!”
“I do not think you understand what this beast is. This is no mere dragon, but an ancient master. It is sentient and smart, they were the first to rule over Arteria in the beginning. If you remember our ancient lore, the lesser races hid underground and made their cities under the mountains and plains. Even below Canterlot there are ruins of the crystal city that was once populated by canine kind. Nothing, not even the most powerful of magic, could ensnare or overcome the ancient masters. We had to let them die out through battle and age so that we could arise.” She turned towards the window, her gray reflection in the archway expressed her grim knowledge of dark history.
“Vallak knows our weaknesses and he is exploiting them. And if you believe that he only has an army of diverse kinds and a dragon, than you are deceived, my sister. I know without a doubt he has prompted the last lords of the world to his aid as well, the same lords that ruled after the ancients and before the alicorns.”
“The canines?” questioned the Princess of the Night with uncertainty. “They are nothing like they once were. Only wanderers and scavengers who fear us still.”
“The unbroken line of Pinscher is still a great threat to us. They are the lords of the hounds who rallied their kind enough to take hold of the entire land with only five thousand. They enslaved all and built many cities and towers, many of which our kind now occupy. It was an age of despair and dread for all under their paws. The hounds are not to be reckoned with, for they are fierce and beyond our powers, even able to withstand our magic.
We will be pushed to our breaking point, Vallak will not stop until Equestria is his. And how Vallak came to this tyranny is beyond me, for he was once peaceful and gentle. He was the one who brought the scattered griffon tribes together under one, reborn kingdom.”
Luna stepped forward and stated, “Like Zachary has told us of his journey to Gryphus, he wielded a staff of great power. It was a weapon that even spoke to Zachary, which sought to capture his mind. Maybe this staff has bent his mind to do not his will, but a will of a greater one?” This was a fact Celestia had looked over. It had slipped her mind that Vallak was in possession of a magical artifact, and this worried her even more.
“Sister,” Luna approached cautiously, placing her wing around her sibling in affection, “We must call for aid. We cannot do this alone.”
“The only armies that might still aid us are the Capra, though even they are still terrified after their war between the Griffons years ago. They are submissive and have withdrawn back into their mountains, as if the ancient masters still roamed Arteria.”
“What of the Cervians?”
“They are no longer warriors but peacemakers. They have not been in battle since a millennia ago and they dare not cause strife upon Arteria again.”
“Is there not anyone who will aid us?” Luna could not believe that the equines had no allies in this day and age.
“In your exile, many of our allies have fallen short. They care not to aid us but to only aid themselves, to be their own separate powers and to not give any more strength to us. Through our power they fear us, even though we have aided them long in the past. We can only accumulate within our kind, bringing the armies of the great equine cities to defend the country. That is all we can hope for.” Luna shadowed her sister, stepping off of the throne floor and onto the lower marble.
“I cannot believe that is the case,” Luna breathed sharply. “I will seek out aid if you are too stubborn to do so. Gather the equines if you must, I still have faith in our old friendships.”
In a wisp of shadow and starlight, the Princess of the Night departed. Celestia remained fixed to her spot, overlooking the colorless valley below. Her mind was restless, seeing as how all she had built was falling before her. Her thousand years of peace was coming to a close; she knew that someday this would occur, but she dared not to place her thoughts on the future. War was to come to Equestria whether she deemed it or not. Her emotions gave way as she bowed her head in grief, and gently rain began to peck on the window before her.
__________
Over solid sea and flowing sky, Twilight siphoned through a shuffled mix of contorting colors. As if a painter blended the hues of reality over an endless palette, the world shifted soothingly, yet violently in its nature. Her formlessness wavered over land now and her arrival was coming soon, but her mind broke free from its intended destination. Like a stray thought, she whisked elsewhere and off course. The alicorn immediately put an end to her flight as her body remade itself. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that she was falling over a wide river amongst an outstretching forest. Her wings were without strength as she descended in an uncontrollable spin.
Water rushed around her as she plummeted into the cold river. She kicked upward and emerged, fighting against the steady current. Her faded, wet mane fell over her vision as she paddled towards the bank. Adrenaline fueled her need to reach land as she wildly flailed to safety. As her footing found the rising, stony river bed, she pushed with all her might and almost leaped onto the wild grass. She dragged her body out of the water completely as she gasped and heaved.
Twilight rolled over and tried to catch her breath. She was physically and mentally exhausted from the amount of siphoning she had performed in the last few days. It had taken a toll on her body she couldn’t comprehend until now. As if reopening an old wound, every time she performed syphonic relaying she grew to a worsening condition. She honestly thought that if she were to produce even the slightest magic that she would certainly lose consciousness.
Twilight placed a hoof on her chest, feeling her lungs expand and contract with every deep breath. Above her were the encroaching trees that hung over the frigid river. A blue sky and vibrant sun shone behind the foliage; beams of light trickled over the soaked, purple pony. The warmth of the day began to dry her fur slowly, but surely. Water trickled over the smoothed stones by the bank, they sang softly and sweetly to one another. Her dazed mind was lulled by this entrancing melody and soon she was in a deep sleep.
She awoke quite suddenly a few hours later when a dark shadow fell over her. Her eyes came upon an upturned figure, its features shrouded by sunlight and her adjusting, waking vision. Twilight couldn’t identify the creature, it stood tall over her, silently watching over the alicorn. Before she could speak, another, similar statured creature arrived next to it, then another.
The first and center one spoke up, “Arise, equine.” Its voice was low and commanding, and in it she found herself obeying without question. She rolled herself over, feeling her battered body ache with every strenuous muscle movement. It took a longer moment than she had wanted it to be, but made her way onto her hooves, holding her head steady as her mind pounded against her skull.
Her eyes finally adjusted to the site of the creatures, and she was relieved to see three stags looking down upon her. They were lean and tall, with antlers like crowns of six points. Their fur and tails was short and tan, ranging from beige to dark brown. Their cloven hooves were dark as jet, and their eyes were of the bark of chestnut. Each carried a delicately woven satchel of different color, upon each pouch was sown beautiful intricacies of their kind under wavering trees and leaves. Golden buckles held the bags together, which glimmered brightly in the sunlight. Their forms were the most impressive to gaze upon, for Twilight thought that the deer folk were much like their own race, and much smaller than she once thought.
“Why do you intrude upon our land?” asked one of the cervians.
Twilight answered, “I come from Equestria, seeking Zachary. Do you know of him?” The cervians looked at each other with subtle surprise in their faces.
One spoke, “How could you possibly know this?”
“So you do know who I search for? He comes from Equestria after all.”
“And who are you exactly?”
Twilight straightened her posture and stated, “Why I am Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, one of the four alicorns in Equestria and—“
“We have never heard of you before.” Twilight stopped, she didn’t know whether to take that remark as ignorance or as insult. The center stag went on, “The last we heard of Equestria, there were twelve alicorns, and none were a princess of 'friendship.'”
Another added, “Yes, the alicorns, if I recall correctly, were of forest and sea, earth and sky, flame and ice, season and time, life and death, and lastly the matrons, sun and moon.” Twilight did not know of these things, but kept her thoughts to herself.
“I am a new Princess, though I have been one for thirty years. There are only four of us now, sun and moon, and love and friendship. But I wish, fair cervians, that you lead me to Concordia please. I greatly desire to speak with Zachary.”
One of the stags answered her saying, “There is much more we wish to speak with you on, but time is pressing. The sun begins its descent into the west, and we must cross many hills and dells to reach our hidden city. Come with us, Twilight Sparkle.”
__________
The morning air soon became hot and heavy as the foliage trickled green light upon the brushy, forest floor. The woods were thin and high; their limbs were sprawled out, covering the sky above. The trees were much higher here than in the Everfree, and their bark seemed ancient and strong. Untrodden was this land, nothing seemed to have made trails throughout it, not even the wildlife. To the leading cervians however, the thick and near impassable landscape seemed to move to the side and pull away from them, creating a once unseen path. It covered back behind Twilight as they journeyed forward, keeping the many routes of the cervian highways hidden from those unfamiliar with this land and its magic. As they traveled in line, with hoofs as light as falling leaves, they stopped at each berry bush they came by and picked few fruit from its branches. They never harvested the entire shrub, but only a certain amount, leaving the rest for the woodland animals.
On the voyage the introduced themselves as Sydian, Deronin, and Vinisius, however Twilight had difficulty remembering who each was. It was a horrible thing to think, but to her they all looked the same. She did figure out a way to recall their names, for each had varying satchels with different intricacies, and each was woven of contrasting colors—this is how Twilight remembered their names by. It was in the order of Vinisius, Deronin, Sydian, and then Twilight Sparkle, that they walked through the forest.
Sydian, bearing the only white satchel, stepped back and walked alongside the alicorn.
He began by saying, “We were informed by the Emerald Lady of your approach one moon ago, but we expected your arrival to be fitting of a Princess.”
“Well, better to arrive in secret,” Twilight jokingly said while wringing the remaining river water out of her mane.
“Nonetheless you have arrived, and quite timely so.”
Twilight prompted the question, “Who is the Emerald Lady? And how did she foresee my coming?”
Sydian returned Twilight’s curious look with a gentle smile while answering “The Emerald Lady is Lady Nabeleen, our matron and leader. She protects us and guides us. She has been with us since the beginning and has lead us from desolation to our home here in Concordia.”
“Desolation? What desolation?” The deer looked down upon her with unease.
“Have you no knowledge? Of the Old World and the youthful ages of this planet? When the world was young, the great ancient masters of the world dwelt on the surface causing great strife among the smaller kinds. Whatever fortresses we built, they would destroy. Any walls brought up, they would tear down. Any city begot, they would cease it—and so on. We, all kind that is upon this land now, were forced to hiding underground. It was not until the ancients fought against one another that we were able to return to the new surface, a surface that looked nothing like our old surface. From there, who lead us? Only our matron arose on the eve of a new age, Lady Nabeleen. She brought us to the forest of Cervidas and and there we prospered in many long years of peace.”
Twilight was a bit taken back by this and didn’t know what to think of this information. Her prior and studious knowledge of Equestrian history told her that what this stag spoke of was lies, but in her doubt and openness to the vast and once unknown world to her, she began to believe. Perhaps the same history is explained from the different viewpoint of the Cervians, she thought. This talk of multiple alicorns, a vaster kingdom of equine, and great beasts that forced all creatures underground was a bit too farfetched for her beliefs; yet still she began to believe it, if not for the sake of believing in such mythology to be true. Twilight returned to an earlier question of hers and spoke it.
“What of her powers then? How is it that she was able to foresee my coming?”
“She is mysterious, as is her powers and origin. Her magic is much akin to ours, yet so unequally greater in many ways. We cannot foretell your coming, or see over many lands and forests beyond our own, or even speak into the mind of the unwilling, but she can.”
Twilight reflected on this matter for a moment, then said, “Is that not a concern to you? That she has this power and is your leader?”
Deronin turned and answered for Sydian, “Why should we fear her? For the ages beyond the Equestrians’ history she has protected and nurtured us. Without her, we would have no home. Without her, we would be no more.”
They continued further in silence into the gleaming woods. The sun eased further into the west, the bits of sky she could see through the thick, green and yellow foliage had churned into a soothing and warm orange. Columns of sunbeams bent at an angle through the woods like leaning pillars of solid light. Her stomach was growling and eyes sleepy, she needed nourishment.
There came a point where the stags stopped in their progress and turned towards the small mare behind. Twilight froze stiff as their darkened eyes fell upon her form.
Vinisius spoke before her, “From this point, we must blindfold you. Do not take it as an offense, however. Our law states this for all outsiders entering into Concordia, no matter the regality this being possesses. It will not be too much further, and I will make it certain that you do not stumble along the way.”
Twilight agreed as one of the stags looked over towards a young fern growing beside the road. He closed his eyes gently as his antlers began to glow bright green. It was unlike the aura the unicorns possessed, it was more like the florescence of a soft and easy to perceive sun than a wavering cloak of color and shimmer. A single, long fern leaf was pulled from the bush and before the four, the leaf’s glow began to blaze, becoming hard to look upon. When the intensity faded away, the leaf was now a threaded work. Its fiber became ligaments and strands, woven together to become a band of thin fabric. He hovered it over Twilight’s eyes and bound it behind her head.
They continued further through Cervidas and into the secret city of Concordia. Twilight had lost track of time as they trekked continuously towards their goal, but it seemed to her that they had been walking for hours on end since she was blinded. The alicorn could first perceive only sound, smell, and the subtle change of light—as from the shade of trees to the sun through the forest ceiling. After sometime, she began to feel the presence of something new, a strange sense of wonder and allurement. It was the same feeling she felt when first entering her new home in Canterlot Castle. Her filly-like wonder upon seeing the grandeur of the courts and vaulted ceilings, of the luxury and royal decor. She saw nothing, but still perceived this magical feeling.
Along with this, she felt something new. As if stepping through a portal into the past, no words could describe the surreal sensation of what she was experiencing. She felt that she had wandered into a golden and forgotten age, where wonder and magic thrived above all else. Images, whether fictions or not, filled her mind; and these pictures resembled the grandest of citadels that stretched beyond sight and into silver haze. She saw shimmering spires upon a sky blue canvas, breaking through the clouds and dust far below. She marveled at sharp and spiraling fortresses that clashed upon the sea towers in the violent ocean, and in these cities were dug deep chambers of light and warmth, where the mysteries and magics of the old world lay dormant even today. All of these images and more poured into her mind, and these she believed were of the ancient world, the world before the ancient masters ravaged.
Almost enchanted by this perplexity, she was halted by one of the stags after they themselves had stopped progressing. Her hearing came back to her, and she noticed that the sounds of the forest had changed. No animal or chattering could be heard, nor hoof fall or creaking tree. The sound of wind over a wide plain of grass was discernible to her. Far away, she could hear the trickle of water over stones. It was eerily quiet, almost unreal.
Her blind was removed and before her all was revealed. She was under a great, arching gate made up of silver trees and stretching branches. The same glittering white trees stretched around and was all one, encircling a city of soaring trees as tall as Canterlot’s towers. In the center of the stretching city was the grandest and lord of the arboreal, the World Tree. Its limbs filled the sky and hid away the quiet city below, and its roots were like walls and hills themselves that crawled over and through the city. Its thick, dark bark was rich and powerful, no metal or stone was stout enough in Equestria to be as sturdy as the World Tree’s. Another great and vaulted gate was carved out near the base of the massive tree, and inside was an enclosed city.
The paved road they stood on, wrought in smooth, umber river stones, lead straight towards the tree. From that main road, it branched off into other districts of hills, dells, and outstretching fields of long, soft grass. Lakes and streams whisked through Concordia, and many cherry and maple crafted bridges were erected to overcome them. Wide and large trees of many kinds served as homes for the massive populous of silent and friendly deer folk that walked to and fro in near silence. Every so often, one might hear a gentle laugh or quiet murmur, but nearly all cervians spoke from mind to mind, and even then they would only speak when they would have something to say and not just speak for no reason. They willing allowed their minds to be open, and this is how they conversed with one another. Most wore nothing but their fur, but there were plenty who wore long clothing of fine materials. Twilight wondered why there were no guards or battlements, or fortresses or armories; she realized that the only protection they needed was the forest gate itself.
Twilight Sparkle was astounded and speechless, her eyes could not take in such a wooded utopia. The cervians noted her expression and pleasingly smiled.
“Come now,” Sydian said, “we must go to the World Tree and into the Star Palace. There you will meet Lady Nabeleen, and most certainly you will meet the wizard you seek.”
__________
They all proceeded down the pathway, and from there Twilight began to think more critically of her surroundings. She took in mind the mass of foliage above them, and the great size of the World Tree’s leaves. A single one could be used as a large raft or boat, and if one fell it might lead to a serious injury, yet when looking around she spied no giant leaves. She noticed that there were no leaves of any size, non had fallen even from the smaller, yet still impressively large tree homes and towers. No leaves filled the streams, streets or fields; this realm seemed undying to her, and that itself increased her thirst for answers.
No bugs could be seen darting before the path or across, nor any birds built nests in the trees or flew high over. There were no shops, there was no smoke, Concordia defied what a city was meant to be.
“But how?” Twilight asked herself. “How could this be? How could Concordia sustain such a large populous without markets, schools, appropriate housing, and such? How does this economy function? How does this society even work?”
Before she knew it, the sun retreated behind the doorway of the World Tree. The gate itself was large enough to fit a zeppelin into, and inside was a spiraling city made entirely of its wood. Many circular windows, both open and enclosed with glass, gave way to the setting sun’s light, painting the vast interior architecture with deep reds and dazzling yellows. It was beyond beautiful in Twilight’s sight, more so than perhaps her heart could take. She would love to spend months going through every nook and cranny this city could offer.
As they walked further into the tree city, she questioned, “Where is the Star Palace, my stags?”
Vinisius responded and pointed, “In Matron’s Loft, at the top of the World Tree.” She cowered at the thought of climbing nearly a mile up into the mountainous tree. Her hooves ached from the miles she had already trodden. Her mouth was parched and stomach empty, she figured that they were close to their destination when entering the World Tree.
“Will we be taking the stairs?” the pony wearily asked.
The stags laughed as if a fawn of theirs had asked such a simple and obvious answer. She felt even smaller around them, but Sydian knelt to her level and answered, “Of course not! Unless you want to go to a desired district floor. We shall take the rootway!” Twilight did not know what a rootway was, but proceeded to follow the deer once more. To her surprise—yet again—the rootway was a natural elevator in the tree itself. Using the rising water that the World Tree takes from the lakes, rivers and underground springs around Concordia, the ingenious Cervians crafted a platform to rise atop the water. The water ran through one of many large shafts that quenched the arboreal giant, and by halting it momentarily, they could pull over the shaft a large platform and then release the water again. With its accumulated pressure, they were able to easily rise up into the highest regions of the World Tree in a few minutes.
The entourage and Twilight stepped onto one of the accessed platforms and up they slowly rose. The shaft was not dark and empty, but carved into it was large panes of glass that overlooked the shrinking city below. Twilight was once again marveled by everything the Cervians had offered so far. When the platform stopped its ascension, they stepped off and then took a large set of stairs that opened up over the tree. From the height of Matron’s Loft, the wind picked up and the air was cooler. The sky was clear and amber with the setting sun. From horizon to horizon, nothing hindered its sight from the height of the World Tree.
The center was carved out flat, but around its branches were many raising and lowering manors and dwellings that swayed gently in the massive branches. In the very center was a palace of many spires and lookouts, this was the Star Palace. The castle was carved from the tree itself, but reinforced with dazzling stone that shifted its hues as the sun rose and sank throughout the day. Its outward architecture was much like Canterlot Castle, but steadily built on solid ground and not upon a cliffside.
Before the entrance to the Star Palace stood her alone, the Lady Nabeleen. With fur of white and eyes of emerald, she affixed her gaze upon Twilight as she approached. A certain presence enveloped Nabeleen that Twilight could not put into words. It was a sense of protection, a desire to learn, a firm and unyielding strength, and a mix of these things that she felt. Most of all, a sense of ease overcame Twilight, and she welcomed this above all other senses. Her magic could be felt through Twilight, unknown yet knowable. Twilight bowed as they met, for she knew that Nabeleen was a great delver in magic and was a withheld master of its art, and Twilight held that in the highest respect.
“Welcome,” Nabeleen said, “I have been expecting you.” Twilight rose and met eyes with the fair lady once more.
“As I have heard from your fair kind who you sent for me.”
“Oh, I did not send for you,” a smile formed sweetly upon her lips, “my children were in the right place, at the right time.” Twilight turned back towards them, but they were walking away. They had fulfilled their duty and off they went to rest for the coming night.
“They are gatherers, and they did not seek you.” Twilight turned back, not knowing what to say. Nabeleen went on, “I know what you seek, and he is here.” She finally broke away from Twilight and looked towards the ruby sun. Her sea green eyes flared with the shimmer of the sunset, and they alit like golden flames.
“You know not of it, but it is true. The enemy is moving, a great movement has begun in the north. War is upon you.” Twilight had a hunch and she knew it, but she wondered why Celestia had yet to reveal it to her.
Nabeleen returned towards the alicorn, answering with a voice of love and power, “Celestia is concerned for all things in her land. She loves all and protects them like the foal she could never bore. Even going so far as to hiding the truth, yet not bearing falsities. She is a master of words, but only twists them to keep the minds of her kind safe and unafraid. She has desperately fought to keep this so for more than a life age of Arteria. You cannot blame her for keeping peace, but that peace is soon to run thin. A dark enemy is on the rise. Tirek is his name.
"She needs Zachary one last time, to deal with the foe she has feared more so than any threat before. Alwaid was only an apprentice, you will soon meet the master.” There was a cold silence as a gale blew strongly over them.
“Yet...” she paused for a moment, looking away once more. “...there is hope. Hope on the precipice of doom itself. Whether that hope becomes a reality is beyond my judgment.” Twilight swallowed uncomfortable, visibly worried and scared. Strangely, Nabeleen’s eyes appeared softer and her beauty was more easier to look upon. Twilight relaxed, but her inner concerns still haunted her.
“I do not need to seek the sanctums of your mind to know that you are afraid. All who live through the long night forget the light of morning. That is all I shall say.”
She took a breath and turned towards one of the many halls upon the branches. Twilight looked with her and saw one that stood out among the houses. It was long and slanted backwards, rising up from the tree and into the open air.
“There is where you will find him. It is Zachary’s dwelling. He awaits you.”
She turned away and began to slowly walk back to her palace as Twilight stood still, pondering what Nabeleen said.
Before leaving, Nabeleen spoke one last time, “You may stay here as long as you like, but war will still come.” Twilight turned and finally spoke out something that Nabeleen did not predict.
“Will you not aid us? I know your kind is not accustom to war, and what I can tell they are a peaceful kind, but will you not aid us some how?”
Nabeleen turned her head slowly to the side, and Twilight noticed that she was saddened. A tear rolled down her cheek and she did not reply, retreating back into her palace alone.
__________
Twilight Sparkle approached the sweeping manor. Its entangled archways were interconnected with the massive branch below that slanted slightly upward from Matron’s Loft. Railing in the appearance of leafless, white saplings stretched across the pathway towards the vaulted and ivory door. The bridge and floor of Matron’s Loft was smooth to her aching hooves; they both seemed to be made of a fine grained birch in texture and hue that warmly glowed in the fleeting sunlight. The tree seemed to merge with the undulated house, yet its wood differed and appeared to be made of beech. As if carved by the high winds and time, the temporary home of Zachary was a masterful hall to behold. With great curved roofs, archways along its sides and face, and short spires upon ever corner, the construction of this temple was beyond that of Twilight’s comprehension.
It lifted up near the rear of the branch and hung itself openly over the blur of tree towers below. Its name, The Gailexium or High Watchhall, was given for two reasons. It is a place to study the celestial bodies, where Cervian astrologers built their seeing scopes to map out the dark seas of starlight and mysteries above. It is also known by its second name, for it is a formidable vantage point from which one can see far over Cervidas. The enormous and swaying branches of the World Tree seemed to open before the end of the manor so that one could view at great distances—even being able to see the glint of the westward sea.
As the alicorn neared, the double beech doors swung inward slowly and silently as if blown by the breeze. They were thick entry ways and did not creek. High, lofty ceilings greeted her, as well as the thick scent of many woods. Pines, cyprus, elm, birch, and many more smells overcame her nostrils. The atrium she entered was lit only by the lights of the heavens through the many windows, both along the upper and side interiors. The grand hall she came into was rectangular, and the far wall she faced was veiled by heavy, ivory curtains. Two halls were adjacent to her that led into different studies, observatories, dwellings, and other quiet places. Cervians, both young and old, studied from books floating before them as they reclined on benches and cubbies along the walls. They paid no attention to the pony, but gave warm smiles whenever she made eye contact with any of them. They treated her with the same kindness as they gave their own kind. The alicorn almost felt that they knew she would be coming and that they knew who she was. Twilight felt that Zachary was beyond the light-beige veil and she proceeded towards it.
Her magic was still weak, so she maneuvered her hooves to push away the drapery and made her way into the next room. When she looked into the divided half of the atrium, she was almost blinded by a flash of crimson light. Twilight placed her hoof up for a moment to shield her eyes. When she removed her foreleg, she took in what she noticed first. The room stretched upward and wavered in solid branches, cut cleanly and smoothly so that one may climb them. At the far end was an immense, oval window overlooking the green horizon and dazzling sunset. The sun itself was resting halfway below the range of untouched landscape and it stretched its alit arms over the many miles of Cervidas. On the high branch in the center of the room was an odd shape, about eye level in height to her, if Twilight was next to it. It was dark against the setting sun, but as the pony’s eyes adjusted, her vision clarified what she was looking upon.
It was Zachary, and yet it wasn’t Zachary at the same time. He was garbed in ivory linen, it was lush and appeared as comfortable as fresh snow. His dark, brown hair was shoulder length, yet combed neatly down in long curls. He sported a beard about an inch thick that formed over his lips, chin and jaw line. The outline of his form seemed almost like a single flame against the setting sun. Zack remained youthful still, even with a beard and longer hair. He seemed to Twilight to be empowered, stoic, and in serenity. He was so much at peace that he did not even realize who had entered. He was in deep meditation, off somewhere within the sanctum of his mind. Twilight lastly realized that around him were fawns of various young ages, deep within their own state of minds. He was their mentor, yet Zachary was always the one who knew he would never know it all, yet still sought knowledge.
“Zack...” Twilight said in a breathless whisper. His hazel eyes opened slowly after a few seconds of delay. Twilight was impressed, and a little alarmed that he heard her speak his name so softly. One by one, the young deer opened their eyes as well, ears perking up and curious eyes affixed on the strange animal before them. He took another moment to realize who was before him, but from his stolid, warm face there slowly grew a smile.
“Is this a dream?” he wondered, suppressing the subtle excitement in his tone. He uncrossed his legs and slowly walked forward, almost creeping towards her. His bare feet plodded with every step over the glossy wood as Twilight stood silently happy before him. Zack bent before her and felt her face. “No,” he answered himself, “this is not a dream... But how? How did you find me?”
Before she could answer, Twilight was embraced by a sudden and tight hug. His hand caressed the back of her mane as Twilight leaned in with affection into his sepia locks. He pulled away and met eyes with her again—his seemingly glowed with delight. That’s when the alicorn noticed his true age, when looking into his old eyes. A certain light flickered in them, and through the appearance and color of his pupils she noticed that he was older, older than his immortal body made him out to be.
Twilight tilted her head, taking in his visage and saying, “Hearth and Roren told me that you went to Concordia, so I came here.” Zack was bewildered by this information.
“You went to Rhignes Rock? Then to Cervidas?” He scratched his beard, “It must have taken you months to find me. I knew I should have told Luna about my departure to Concordia.”
“It only took me two days to find you,” she said dryly.
“By panexus?”
“No, Siphonic Relay, to-be-exact,” she spoke in the same, almost prideful tone.
Zachary nodded, “Yes... that sounds right.” He turned and softly laughed, “That’s one thing I have yet to achieve! Though you unicorns have an upper hoof in that matter, with your magic conducting horns. I have to force magic through my mind, pulling it by force through the air itself to use it. But yes, that is unicorn magic, and I am no longer just a practitioner in that study of arcane arts.” He turned to his students who drew in close behind him.
“Take a look,” Zachary expressed while using hand gestures towards the pony. “This is the Twilight Sparkle! The one in the stories I have told you of.” Their eager eyes lit with excitement as they hopped toward her, examining her from all around. They were nearly her size as they swarmed about, touching her gently and opening her wings. They ‘ooo’ed and ‘awhh’ed and began asking her simple questions. She tried to answer every fawn’s question with her best answer, mostly stating the truth when it came to her adventures. Zack chuckled as they continued to pester her, and soon shooed them away so that they could be alone.
They stood on the high branch, overlooking the maroon and navy swirled horizon. A purple river of cloud crossed over the wavering, clashing colors, mixing with the twilit atmosphere. The twinkle of stars began to blink into the sky one after the other as the light of day retreated from the night. The windows and high branches beyond glittered with fireflies, pulsing about in lively greens and twinkling yellows. Beams of white moonlight trickled through the skylights above, dancing between the World Tree's branches above the manor.
Zachary took a firm breath in and began, “So... Celestia needs me—or so I assume.” Only to her did he sound much older, around the age he was truly at. “I feel you do not visit me to just stop by and say hello.”
“Yes, war is coming.” Twilight’s vision was unmoved towards the distant woodlands of Cervidas as she spoke. She felt colder, as if the warmth of Concordia was emptied from her heart, leaving behind the worries of her true home.
“The Griffons... Vallak...” He squinted his eyes, “I knew this day would come.” He turned and began stepping down off the slopped platform. Twilight turned and followed him. “I dread it, you know. I wish not to fight.”
“None of us do, Zachary. We need your guidance, however. We know of no other enemy besides the Griffons.”
“There are plenty, Twilight Sparkle. There always will be an enemy against Equestria. Power must have opposition.”
“Celestia calls for your aid!” She felt the need to reinstate her plea. “She knows we can’t win this without you.”
“If you were to ask me when I was younger, then I would aid you without doubt or reason. But I am old, Twilight, sixty years old. I still possess my youthful power, and know much more about magic than I have ever known, yet I also know more about peace as well. I wish not to murder the lives of griffons or anyone whom they rallied. Their leaders only wish for this, but the people themselves wish for tranquility. Can we not try to elect a more sensible approach?” Twilight was unsettled by his response, it was the total opposite of what she expected.
“I cannot answer that, and I will not be Celestia’s voice. But I feel that if there was a peaceful answer to this war than we would have tried to accomplish it years ago.”
“True, however, I must rest on the answer to whether or not I leave Concordia to aid in this conflict.”
Twilight forcefully interjected, “If you do not fight, you know Equestria will be lost. Everyone you know and love will be captured or killed. Do you not care for Pinkie or Rainbow Dash? Or Luna or Celestia? Or even me, Zachary?” Zack looked down upon her, his face seemed grim and long in the growing darkness of the High Watchhall.
“I must sleep on it.” He stepped ahead of her and opened the veil into the brighter atrium and held himself away under it. “I will have a dwelling prepared for you in the Gailexium. A warm bath will be set and dinner will be in one hour. I will not attend it tonight.” He lowered the curtain softly and walked away.