//------------------------------//
// Guardian Halo 
// Story: Guardian Halo 
// by The Wandering Bard 
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Lyric entered the remote village after journeying for days without another in sight. The rainy season had apparently arrived in this part of the land, muddying the roads and slowing her travels. Her two-toned green mane had dribbled into her eyes, and her legs, normally parchment-colored like the rest of her coat, were caked with mud. She sighed in relief at the thought of finally having some dry shelter, and at the fact that the rain had momentarily stopped. She glanced around for anypony who might call this place home. There was a cluster of small stone houses with thatched roofs, but there was not a soul nearby. She started to think that the villagers may have left for someplace drier until she spotted a fire in the distance. Trotting towards it, and stamping off mud along the way, Lyric saw a gathering of earth ponies around a large bonfire. When she was close enough, she tapped the shoulder of a stallion on the edge of the crowd.



"Yeah? Can I help ya?" he asked when he saw her cloak and the large, cloth-wrapped bundle on her back. He was unsmiling, his eyes drawn.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she said, scrambling backwards some. When she was received in this manner, it was almost guaranteed that she would be sent away. "I am a traveller, and was wondering if it would be possible to take shelter here for the night. My name is Lyric."

He was quiet as he looked her up and down. Lyric fought the urge to dance from hoof to hoof. "Wait here," he finally said. "I'll get the Elder." With that, he disappeared.

After a moment, Lyric took the bundle off of her back, untied the string, and opened the oil-cloth to examine the parcel inside. It was her lute, her precious lute. Although the varnish was faded from where she—and others before her—had handled it, and scratched from her life on the road, the lute itself was unharmed by the rain.

It was then that the stallion returned with a pony who could only be the Elder. She had a face wizened with age, and she was adorned in a large, green cloak embroidered with golden leaves. A small filly trotted at her side. His task done, the stallion nodded and walked away.

"Greetings, Traveller," the older mare hailed in a voice that was strong despite her age. "I am Elder Amber Leaf. You are?"

Lyric rewrapped her lute in the protective cloth, slung it onto her back, and bowed. "My name is Lyric, Elder. I am a travelling bard who is hoping to take shelter in your village."

"For how long?" Amber queried.

"Only for the night," Lyric replied, "and then I shall be on my way."

This seemed to satisfy the Elder, for she said, "You may stay, Lyric, but forgive us for not welcoming you properly. We're in mourning, for we've just lost somepony very dear to us."

At this, Lyric's heart dropped. It was never pleasant to experience such a loss, and here she had stumbled right into what could only be their send-off for the departed. She reached out towards Amber with a comforting hoof. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea," Lyric said, and lowered her hoof once more. "Perhaps I should leave you to grieve."

Lyric moved to turn away, but Amber Leaf told her, "No, no, there is no need. I've already said that you are welcome. And while I thank you for your consideration and your apology, it is not necessary. After all, how could you have known?"

At this, the filly spoke. "Gramma... what happened to Grampa? Where did he go?"

This question was enough to break the old mare's composure. Amber's chin quivered, and tears fell down her cheeks as she knelt to look her young granddaughter in the eye. "Grandpa is gone, dear. He's... His soul has left this land."

Now the filly's eyes filled with tears, and she asked again, quieter this time, "But where did he go?"

Amber sighed and stood. Wiping her face, she said, "I don't know, Summer, and I wish I did."

Lyric's ears perked up at that. She bit her lip, and, after a moment's hesitation, she said, "Um... I might actually have the answer for you, if you'll allow me to share it. Although, I must warn you that this tale does not start happily."

Amber looked to her granddaughter, and saw the filly staring up at Lyric in wide-eyed anticipation. She then returned her own gaze to Lyric and nodded. "Go on, then. Maybe it will bring us some peace of mind."

Lyric bowed once more and seated herself before her audience of two. Her thoughts briefly turned to her instrument as she considered taking it out to play, but this was a somber occasion and a somber tale. She felt that, for once, music was unfitting. She took a breath and began.

"Long ago, before the Royal Sisters came into power, creatures of chaos freely roamed these lands. Where we now see peace and prosperity, there was nothing but sadness and fear for the ponies who lived here then. The forces of good and the forces of chaos were constantly at war, but one pony was determined to see it end. His name was Starswirl the Bearded."

It was then that Summer cried out, "I know who he is! Did he make all the bad things go away?"

Lyric smiled. "In a way, he did. But not at first. You see, he knew that he needed to find somepony worthy of taking care of these lands, and that they also had to be strong enough to cast the evil creatures out."

"Huh? But why didn't he do it?" Summer asked, cocking her head to the side.

Lyric's smile gentled. "Because Starswirl was still young. He was not at his full power, though history shows us that he grew to be a great unicorn. He felt that he would not be the one to defeat the dark forces, but his mind was set on his goal.

"At the time, Starswirl knew a pegasus mare named Halo. She was quite a bit older than yourself, but she had not yet gained her cutie mark. Starswirl knew that his friend wanted an end to the chaos as much as he did, and thought that perhaps she could find her purpose during the journey. When she was asked, Halo accepted Starswirl's offer to travel with him right away."

"And did they find the Princesses and make everything better?"

"Hush, child, and let Miss Lyric finish," Amber softly chided before she turned back to the bard.

"It's alright," Lyric said, giving Summer a grin. Summer reminded Lyric of herself as a filly, listening to her parents' stories and shouting out questions or commentary on the tale being told. "Starswirl did eventually find the Princesses, but not until quite a while after these events." Summer nodded at that, and Lyric continued. "At first, things were quiet for him and for Halo, save for a few near encounters with the creatures of chaos. But what they saw one day utterly horrified them and shook them to their cores.

"It was nearing sunset on this day of their journey, and all had been well. But when they came to the edge of a valley and looked down below, only death lay before them for as far as they could see. Starswirl gaped, and Halo froze at the sight. A great battle had taken place that day between the good ponies of the land and the forces of chaos, and the losses were heavy.

"Halo flew over the land while Starswirl picked his way over the ground. They found many slain changelings on the battlefield and ponies of all kinds amongst them. When Halo saw tents at the other end of the valley, she landed at the edge of what appeared to be a camp. The wounded were still being carried off of the field by the living and relatively uninjured, and she immediately tended to them.

"'Water, please...' and 'I don't want to die...' were some of the most common things she heard. And every time, as she fetched what was needed or laid a hoof on their brows, she said, 'Don't worry. I'm here. I will take care of you.' None of those who had fought in battle even questioned Halo or her presence. They were just grateful for the help.

"As she saw to the wounded, Starswirl aided in taking them off of the field and into the medical tents. Both continued this work well into the dark hours, but despite their best efforts, many more were lost in the night.

"Halo finally found Starswirl as dawn neared, and he could see that her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen. 'Why, Starswirl? Why does this have to happen? What have these ponies done to deserve this fate?' Her voice was thick with sorrow.



"Starswirl sighed. 'I don't know, Halo, but we must continue searching. We have to ensure that all of this fighting ends.' Halo could see that Starswirl's eyes were red-rimmed as well.

"'So, we are going to leave them like this?'

"'Unfortunately, we must, if we want this madness to cease.' Here, Starswirl paused. 'However, let us at least stay until they have buried their dead. It would be fitting for us to say goodbye to those we tried to save.'

"Halo agreed, and both began the trying task of helping the ponies lay their comrades to rest. It was long after the sun had risen that this was complete, and the living recited a few words of parting. Halo and Starswirl stood off to the side, silent, as the dead were saluted.

"'What now?' Halo quietly asked of her companion.

"'Hm?' was his only reply.

"'What will happen to them now? They are buried, I know this, but what now? Will they just be left like this until they are forgotten? Or will somepony take care of them?'

"It was then that a light flashed on Halo's flank, though she was too focused on her thoughts to notice. Starswirl, however, had seen, and gently placed his hoof on her shoulder.

"'I think that it is you who shall take care of them, Halo.'

"'What?' She turned to face him. 'What do you mean?'

"Starswirl levelled his gaze on her once-bare flank, and she too looked to it to see what had appeared. It was a ring of golden light, her cutie mark. Halo was in awe.

"'But what does it mean?' she asked.

"Starswirl said nothing as he thought of how best to respond. After a time, he swept his fore hoof over the freshly dug graves. 'These lives have ended,' he said. Next, he pointed to the ponies in the tents. 'And these lives continue as they have before.' He then pointed to Halo. 'It is a circle, and it is one you now have a part in.'

"'Starswirl, I don't understand.'

"Rather than give her a direct reply, Starswirl said, 'Close your eyes.'

"Halo tilted her head, puzzled, but did as he asked. At that moment, she felt magic surround her, and then felt a strange tingling on her forehead. The tingling continued for quite some time, and she shivered at the sensation. When it was gone, she opened her eyes and looked around her. Nothing had changed. Or so she thought, until Starswirl led her to a small stream nearby. When she peered into the water, she jumped back in surprise, not sure if she believed her eyes.

"When she looked again, she saw a horn on her forehead that was as white as the rest of her coat. She touched it, and found that it was real. She then spread her wings, unsure until that very moment that they would be in their proper place. 'I... I'm an alicorn...'

"'That is correct,' Starswirl told her as he stepped up beside her, 'for only alicorns can exist outside of this realm and live eternally.'

"'And I can guide the souls of these fallen ponies, and any others who need my help finding their way,' Halo said in awe. 'I can create a new realm for them and help them find peace.' Here, she hugged her old friend. 'Thank you, Starswirl, for everything you have done. I wish you luck on the rest of your journey, and I am sure I will see you again.'

"Starswirl hugged her in return. 'Goodbye, Halo, and good luck to you as well. I know you will help these ponies, and many more to come.'

"With that, the new alicorn began to fade, and it is said that as she did, many lights alighted from the graves of the fallen ponies, and even some from those of the changelings. They all rose into the sky as the still-living ponies looked on in wonder, and one by one the lights disappeared as they joined Halo on their new journeys."

Amber and Summer were hushed as Lyric finished her tale. Looking among the crowd, Lyric could see that many of the gathered ponies had also listened in. Finally, Summer broke the silence when she trotted forwards and said, "Um... Miss Lyric? Did that really all happen?"

Lyric fell quiet, and she contemplated her answer before facing the young filly. "Honestly, Summer, I don't know. I've tried to learn more about her, and this is the only story I've come across. But..." Without realizing it, Lyric put a hoof to her chest where an arrow had once struck her. "I think I've seen her."

"Really!?" Summer's eyes widened. "What was she like?"

All those who had heard the filly's question turned to the bard. Lyric's smile was shaky as a few stray tears now fell from her own eyes. She recalled a coat of pure white, a golden gaze filled with warmth, and a voice that soothed her fears and pains.

"She was so kind, and so beautiful. She told me that she would take me away, if I was ready." There was a pause in the night as she composed herself, willing herself to speak despite the pang she felt in her heart. "I was saved before that could happen, and so here I am, telling you the tale and what I know. But even if we don't know the truth," Lyric said, brushing her tears away, "isn't it comforting to think that there is somepony waiting to take care of us all?"