High school on a Friday meant that nobody was going to be very productive. Eldon found high school to be pretty boring, well, the classes were boring to be more specific. He really only went to school to hang out with his friends, since he was able to succeed in his classes with very little effort. Before long he made it to his last class of the day, which fortunately was History. As his teacher droned on about some war or something that occurred hundreds of years ago, Eldon was busy doodling away on a piece of paper.
I wished education would actually teach me something useful for once that I didn't already know, he thought. As time slowly dragged on, clouds began to blow in from the east, blocking the sun's rays. Great. So much for a nice evening, those clouds look pretty dark. He quickly whipped out his phone from his pocket and checked the forecast for that evening. Hmph, that's strange. The weather report doesn't say anything about thunderstorms in the area, the app is probably just faulty. He didn't think of it again for the rest of the class.
BRRIIIINNNG!
"Aha! Yes! About time!" Eldon stood up from his desk and threw his bag over his shoulder "Finally, time for some much needed relaxation. Thank goodness..."
On the bus ride home, Eldon noticed that the clouds were slowly getting darker and darker.
"Heh, that must be quite the storm that's on its way!" Eldon said out loud. No one paid him any attention though, they were too busy gossiping about the big hockey game that was coming up that night.
When Eldon stepped off of the bus, a great gust of wind blew into him, causing him to stumble around for a few seconds before he was able to regain his balance. He didn't mind though since he had seen and been through weather much worse than this before.
His home was a short walk from the bus stop, just down the street really. Before long, Eldon reached his home and dropped his bag on the floor of his room, glad that he was able to get home before it started to rain. Shortly after, he collapsed in a heap on his bed, exhausted from the day's events.
Eldon slept for a couple of hours until he was called for dinner. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the alarm clock, seeing that it read six-thirty p.m. He groggily rubbed his eyes and went upstairs to enjoy the meal his mother had prepared for the family.
There were only three of them at the table, like it had been for the past three years. Eldon, his little eight year-old brother Silas, and his mother. Their father had disappeared without a trace three years ago, leaving behind no note or any sign that he had left. Upon discovering that he was gone, their mother had immediately called the local authorities.
The authorities were very patient and understanding. They did their very best to find their father, but after a few weeks had passed, the search had to be called off. Eldon still hadn't forgiven his father for leaving them without giving any reason whatsoever. They had to adjust their way of life because of him. That didn't stop Eldon from being his old, usual self though.
Eldon knew that his mother still missed his father though, having accidentally seen her going through old photos of themselves when they were younger on multiple occasions. After some small talk and a few light-hearted jokes, Eldon decided that he was done for the evening.
He cleaned up his plate and hurried downstairs, relieved that he wasn't sitting next to his rather annoying brother. In his room, he had a quick look through his window and noticed that the clouds were as dark as lumps of coal. It gave him an eerie feeling and he quickly closed the curtains. Eldon slid underneath the covers and slowly closed his eyes and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
KA-THOOM!
Eldon woke up suddenly and at full alert.
"I haven't been smoking at all I swear!" he shouted. He looked around the room to find that there wasn't anybody there at all and sighed in relief before slowly lying down again. Jeez... for a second there I thought- KRA-BOOM! "Oh, so that's what the sound was!"
Eldon rolled out of bed and stumbled over to his bedroom window. He parted the curtains shortly after, only to view what could possibly have been the harshest storm in recorded human history. Rain pummeled the ground below, lightning crackled in the clouds above, and the thunder was absolutely determined to shatter every glass window in its wake. Eldon turned away to check the time, only to see that it was blinking twelve a.m.
"Damn, there must have been a power outage, I wonder if—" KA-THOOM! It was closer that time, striking Eldon to the bone. He heard a branch thump onto the ground outside, and… there was another sound as well. What is that sound? It sounds like a violin... but that's impossible! No one in their right mind would go outside in something like this! KA-THOOM! KRA-BOOM! That time he lost his balance and fell onto the floor, smashing his head against the wall as he did so and dazing himself.
"Ouch... Wh... what the hell was that? Are we having an earthquake?" Eldon shook his head at his own stupidity. "No no… that can't be it, the building is still structurally sound. Oh what the hell, forget what I said before. I'm not going to be able to sleep unless I figure out what's going on, insane or not."
Eldon wasn't so sure of himself however, knowing that he would be putting his life in danger if he were to go outside in that storm. He threw on his clothes from the previous day and grabbed his jacket.
"Hmph, I'm surprised no one else is awake yet; this storm is extremely loud." He went upstairs and opened the front door, only to be greeted by the howling wind and rain which instantly chilled him from head to toe.
Mustering up what courage he had, Eldon went outside and closed the door quietly behind him, because slamming doors was just rude. He immediately noticed that not all was what it seemed in his backyard. A glowing object was protruding from the ground about seven feet away from him.
What in the world is that? Is that what's making the sound? Is it a… meteor? No, something else… Eldon thought. As he inched closer, the wind started to pick up even more, the rain pounded the Earth, and the lightning continued to crackle. He was a few inches away at this point and he started hearing the noise again. It was coming from the glowing object. Something inside him felt inclined to touch the object, but something wrestled against that notion.
Touch the orb... claim your destiny mortal...
Eldon quickly shook his head in disagreement. "Are you kidding me? I'm not touching that! ...Great, I'm talking to myself again."
Your world... and countless others will be obliterated if you do not lay your hands on the orb...
"Hands on what now? Wait a minute... am I, am I talking to that... that thing?" Eldon asked. The object protruding from the ground glowed brightly after he spoke, as if it was confirming his question.
I was sent here... I come from a planet... much like this one... where harmony and chaos reign... but the darkness... the darkness is coming once again. Lay your hands on me, and all shall be explained. Eldon ran his hand through his now soaked hair. He now believed that he had either gone insane, or this was really just another messed up dream.
"Listen... I'm not really too keen on the idea of leaving my home this late at night... but if I... this sounds weird... if I touch you, would you please go back to wherever you came from? Maybe I can at last wake up from this insanity," Eldon said. The orb remained silent but continued to give off its white glow. The crater in which it had created was slowly being filled up with rain water. "Ugh... this is probably against my better judgement... but let's get this over with."
Eldon walked a few steps forward and placed his hand on the orb, and what happened next felt like it happened in slow motion. The orb burned brighter than the sun, yet Eldon felt no heat. His hand was sealed to the orb and he tried to shield his eyes from the brightness.
"What's going on!? Hey- What the!? HELP! I'm stuck!" Eldon cried as he struggled to remove his hand, but it was of no use.
The prophecy will come to pass... as soon as we leave this world, I will cease being able to communicate with you... for the time being... but there is no doubt about it... you are the one. You have something... something that our world will desperately need... The sky then opened up, and at that point in time, Eldon feared for the worst. A single bolt of lightning struck the orb, releasing an explosion of colour and light, leaving his hair standing on end.
When the light had faded, a colourful smoking crater was all that the orb had left behind. The storm slowed to a dull rumble and Eldon was nowhere to be found. The only thing left of him were the shoes he wore. As the clouds parted, the sun's rays shone upon the crater, revealing a mark oddly shaped like a star. The symbol for the Element of Magic.
"What the hell is going on?" Eldon shouted, but nothing replied to him. Colours of various types swirled around him, obscuring his vision. "I must be dreaming again, yeah, that's it! I'll just pinch myself and wake up in my warm bed. It always works in those books I've read, right?" He used his left land and pinched his arm that was attached to the orb as hard as he could, but only succeeded in giving himself an angry red patch on his arm that pulsed in pain.
"Come on..." Eldon mumbled through clenched teeth, holding back tears as he pinched himself again, but it was of no use. "Damn it all! Why did I touch this blasted thing!? I just want to go home!" The colours swirling around him began to move faster and faster until they were just a blur, and Eldon had a bad feeling develop in his gut. "Wait. Don't come any closer to me—" He was interrupted as the colours closed in on him and struck his body, encasing him. "Uh... what's happening- aghh!" He suddenly cried out in pain. His skin felt as if it was being penetrated by a thousand needles. He suddenly heard the orb's voice faintly speak to him in his mind, much to his surprise.
You... shall be going through necessary changes... for the time being. You are to blend in... gain their trust... before you may claim your original form once again... Eldon felt his skin crawl as thick patches of hair began to sprout, slowly covering every inch of his body. The pain was unbearable, and it only got worse as his bones forcibly cracked and began to realign themselves.
"This... sucks..." Eldon hissed through his clenched teeth. Unable to withstand the pain any longer, he blacked out as the rest of his body continued to change against his will. The orb that his hand had been attached to detached itself and hovered in front of him. It pulsed a white glow and it struck the base of his neck, forming a beautiful golden chain around it. The colours slowly turned to that of fire and lightning and it expanded outwards, surrounding Eldon in a protective sphere. With one final white pulse from the orb, the sphere began to fall, descending upon a world similar to Earth, but greatly different.
And so the legend begins. It is now up to you young one... whether you'll be a hero... or die as one of the most hated beings in all of Equestria. My brothers have long since vanished... unfortunately having passed on their burden to the inhabitants of this world... but I know that our task here is not yet finished. You shall be my champion Eldon. With your power and mine combined, we'll become even greater than the evil that threatens us, greater than even the gift my brothers left behind hundreds of years ago. My brothers were too ignorant to listen to me, but now, I can proceed with my plan. If you succeed... we shall forge a better Universe, and cleanse it of its impurities. As the last of the Ancients... I'll be with you until the very end... Eldon.