//------------------------------// // Opening // Story: Pony Fantasy V: Exodus of the Void // by GMBlackjack //------------------------------// The day was beautiful - the sun was bright, the birds were singing, and the trees were rustling in the breeze. To the average observer it would seem that all was right with reality. Queen Luna of Trotton was not the average observer. She lifted her muzzle to the sky, eyes closed, her wings furling out. She felt the breeze closely, letting it flow between the feathers of her wings and the folds of her stellar mane. “Something is wrong with the wind.” She said, almost breathlessly. She had been alive for countless years, and she knew the wind like the night sky itself - and it had never behaved like this. It was as if… as if the wind were trying to scream but its voice was muffled. She opened her eyes and looked down from her perch atop her castle. It was a fine castle, the color of night itself. It stood out like a sore thumb in the day, but that was just how she liked it. It's graceful spires clawed against the intense day, in defiance of the sun. All of her subjects would always remember the beauty of the night, even when the day stole it from them. She smirked as she recalled the fact that many of her subjects believed she herself controlled the night sky and the moon itself - such ideas were absurd, of course, but she did nothing to quell the rumors. Around her castle was a small town - the town of Trotton, the capital of her queendom. It was rather unusual for a capital - there were many cities within her domain that were much larger. But Luna cared not for size - she cared for the quality of life, and every person in the town of Trotton could say they had a good life, and for the most part that was the same for the kingdom at large. It was a place at peace, a place without the problems of war or unchecked progress - unlike the other kingdoms. Though the others were at peace for now, that was hardly the case most of the time. She sniffed the air again, once more feeling that something wrong with the wind. “Mother?” A refined voice came to her ears, one that had accompanied her in this castle for the past two decades. “Yes, Rarity?” Luna asked, looking down from her perch to the elegant unicorn that barely came up to half her height. Princess Rarity had once again put her silver crown on upside down, though she still somehow managed to look fashionable with it like that. Her figure was white and elegant, her face in an expression of concern. “The wind is acting strangely.” Luna said, looking away. “I need to go investigate.” Rarity blinked. “Go investigate?” She said, worry and sadness evident in her voice. “I shall head to the Wind Shrine, and check on the Crystal. I may be able to see if anything is wrong…” Rarity frowned. “But… you just came back from your visit to Solamane! The people have barely gotten a look at you since you’ve returned!” “The Wind Shrine is in our Kingdom.” Luna responded. “I will not be leaving our borders.” “Yes but… the advisors are going to throw a fit.” Luna smirked. “The advisors throw a fit no matter what I do.” Rarity sighed, her head drooping. “And… I haven’t got to spend much time with you since you got back.” The sentence tore at Luna’s heart. “I… I am sorry Rarity. I need to discover what is wrong. However, the Wind Shrine is less than a day away for me. I will be back by tomorrow, and we will be able to spend time together. We can have a private banquet, just the two of us.” She smiled, the stars in her ethereal mane twinkling with emotion. Rarity sighed. “I suppose you are right Mother… but please hurry back will you? They can all be… insufferable when you’re not here to manage them.” Luna laughed. “I know you can take care of them. I trust you Rarity. You will make a fine Queen some day.” “I know.” Rarity smiled. “Now get going so you may return faster. I’ll have a feast set for tomorrow night, in the light of the moon.” Luna nodded, spreading her wings. “Goodbye my daughter, may the wind be in your step.” “And may the wind be in your wings.” Rarity said, waving with a hoof. Luna flapped into the air, her horn lighting with a dark magical aura. Her wings alit with stars, and she shot into the sky, a trail of cosmic dust behind her. Rarity smiled as she watched her beautiful mother take off in the direction of the Wind Shrine. She returned to the castle. She had a banquet to prepare and those tapestries she made weren’t going to hang themselves! ~~~ Later that day, as the sun was setting, the sea was calm. The sun was close to the horizon, making a beautiful shimmering reflection on the water. It almost seemed like a crystal. On the sea floated a small vessel - sails at the ready, and moving through the water at a brisk pace. Purple-clothed pirates set about keeping the ship in tip-top shape, ensuring the journey went smoothly. The captain, a rainbow-maned pegasus by the name of Rainbow Dash, was standing at the very tip of the boat, defying the wind to blow her into the sea. Though, being a pegasus, she’d probably just be able to fly away before she hit the water below. The wind blew through her mane and tail, the rainbow colors flapping in the breeze. She frowned. Why was the wind getting stronger so quickly? What was going on? Then her mane suddenly went flat. Everything became deathly still. She blinked. “The wind just stopped…” ~~~ In a cavernous room that was trembling considerably, a pink mare’s hair suddenly whipped around in a strange spiral pattern before settling back into it’s natural poofy state. Pinkie Pie let out the most distraught gasp she could muster. “Oh no! The wind’s stopped!” She began to fret. The magical display next to her popped up with an alert. “Yes I know the wind’s stopped you don’t need to tell me! Just get there faster!” The display didn’t respond. It was just a display after all. “Party pooper.” She muttered, the entire cavern around her continuing to shake. It began to shake harder, and the interior began to get hotter. “Oh. Forgot about this part. This is going to be quite the fun ride! Maybe I’ll turn it into an amusement park attraction…” She let out a high-pitched “WHEEEEEE!” ~~~ Rarity stood atop Trotton castle, watching the sun set. She sighed. “Mother… come back…” She had long since gotten the advisors off her tail - they wouldn’t stop nagging her about the Queen and her whereabouts, even after she had already explained everything. She was tired of explaining what had happened. She just wanted to have her banquet tomorrow with her mother. As the light of the sun disappeared, Rarity stood bolt upright, no longer in her depressed pose. She felt fear. “I say…. the wind… the wind… It’s gone! But you can always feel it from up here!” She stared in the direction Luna had left in. “Mother… what has happened to you?” ~~~ Luna ran through the Wind Shrine, her face almost in a panic. Normally it was nearly impossible to simply walk through the Shrine for the winds were so great - but she’d had no difficulty getting here whatsoever. She flew straight through the great double doors, landing right in the Crystal Sanctum. Before her stood the tall and slender Wind Crystal, it’s soft blue glow lighting up the large domed room. It was a glorious sight - taller than herself by a large margin, and smoother than anything else Luna had laid eyes on. But something was wrong.  Luna felt a voice enter her thoughts. Luna stood agape for a second - the Crystal could speak? Luna watched in horror as the Wind Crystal began to crack. The voice began to fizzle out, replaced with a strange resonating tone - it took Luna a moment to realize that the sound must be the Crystal screaming. Luna lit her horn, filling the area with a dark light. She attempted to fuse the crystal back together with her magic, but deep down she knew she was nothing compared to the forces that the Crystal itself was made of. She was likely only delaying the inevitable. “How?” The tone reached an unbearable volume, and the crystal cracked further. A feeling of dread crept into Luna’s stomach. “No…” The wind crystal shattered, spreading crystal shards across the room. The sound stopped instantly. The room was filled with a bright light. ~~~ Out in the woods, far from most civilizations, an orange earth pony sat next to a fire. Her gigantic chocobo mount ruffled it’s golden feathers, trying to keep warm. The forest loomed large around them, and the world was peaceful. Applejack yawned. “Ah say, this is a mighty nice campin’ spot you found us Winona. Not a sign of monsters anywhere. Nice to have good luck for a change.” Winona simply cawed. Then she looked up into the sky, craning her neck. “What is it girl?” Applejack asked, adjusting her hat so she could see upwards. Winona pointed at a bright light in the sky.   “Huh… issit just me or is that light gettin’ bigger?” It was, in fact, getting bigger. Too big for comfort, in fact. Soon, it was a giant fireball streaking across the sky, lighting the world up like a lesser version of the sun. “By Luna…” Applejack said, her jaw open as the fireball crashed into the landscape, landing several miles away with the most deafening noise Applejack had ever heard. Winona cawed in panic, but Applejack held up a hoof to calm her. The world was once again silent, and she could hear crickets chirping. “Winona… whaddoya say we check that out in the morning?” Winona only cawed in response. Applejack chuckled. “That’s my girl.” ~~~ PONY FANTASY V: Exodus of the Void Starring… Applejack as Bartz Rarity as Lenna Pinkie as Galuf Rainbow as Faris Winona as Boko and Queen Luna as King Tycoon …and many more to be revealed later. Written by GM, master of the Void. Credit to Square Enix and Hasbro where it’s due.