The Scrolls of Harmony I: Dawnguard

by Sadie

2. Starlight, Starbright

Twilight Sparkle. Born in the Fourth Era of Equestria, almost exactly two hundred years following the Second Eclipse of Dawn and Dusk, which had seen the departure of Celestia and Luna from the presence of Canterlot and Windhoof respectively. Many had hoped that the Third Eclipse would see the return of their beloved rulers. A newborn unicorn with a variety of talents breathed life on that day instead. For most of her life, that unicorn led a relatively average life for one of her talents. Such powerful ability was carefully trained and honed until the full extent of that was explored. Almost all of those unicorns were offered places in the royal ranks, with a select few being highly coveted spots in the Dawnguard and Nightingales.

On the hour of her planned initiation as a full-fledged Dawnguard, Twilight stood on the balcony of the royal quarters of Canterlot Castle. Princess Celestia stood beside her, ever silent as the young unicorn beside her took the chance to admire her home from a brand new perspective. “Mother wanted to take me up to the Alicropolis, while I was still in Magic School. I studied instead...” The purple eyes moved upwards to the flowing pink mane, glowing brilliantly with the softness of her favourite doll. “But I don’t understand, everypony says that you went to the sun itself. Why am I here, asking these questions?”

The other purple eyes moved, looking down at Twilight in her infinite curiosity. It was a strange feeling for Celestia, seeing a pony she had once known and revered thousands of years ago, reduced to the size of a maturing mare. And that mare knew barely anything about the world, despite her years of study. “We will talk soon. First, take the chance to admire, and study the landscape. Soon, you will be travelling to many of the locations you see.” That scared Twilight quite considerably, which only added to Celestia’s confused curiosity. “Of course, I forget you have not left the walls of Canterlot in your entire life. Perhaps that makes the assignment I am preparing for you all the more worthwhile.” She returned her eyes to the horizon, where she could just barely see the Macintosh Hills, and Hayseed Swamp. He is among them; I can feel his power growing...

From there, Twilight Sparkle couldn’t do much else apart from do as the Princess instructed. Despite the warm sun, she didn’t feel uncomfortable wearing her Dawnguard armour in the least. As if by Celestia’s doing, it actually felt lighter now than she ever recalled. Soon, it was barely noticeable, allowing her undistracted mind to take note of the land. “Okay... I think I recognize Tall Tale to the far West. Right in front of it is Smokey Mountain.” She knew the names and descriptions of such locations from her early years, but actually putting that knowledge to an almost pegasi view of Equestria proved to be a challenge unlike any other. “And Appleloosa down there... Princess, will I have to go there at some point? No offence but...” She bit down on her tongue before speaking further. Heat was one thing she didn’t handle too well, even under the best of circumstances.

Again, there was no response from the Princess. At that point, Twilight turned her attention to a town somewhere in the middle of their view. That was one of the most recent in Equestria, only being a hundred or so years old. “Ponyville, right? Founded by one of the Apple families.” Given there wasn’t really much of a history to learn about, she hadn’t thought to investigate it further. It caused Celestia to flick her gaze at her. “Oh, so I’m going there for my assignment. What are the chances that their library isn’t a one-storey building with six shelves and a cheap desk?” At last, Celestia moved from her silent position back into the royal quarters.

They too were maintained daily in the traditional fashion. Half of the room was laid out in pristine cushions around a magic fuelled fireplace. On a small table in that area, two cups of coffee appeared in a burst of golden magic. Once again, Twilight was awestruck by the incredible amount of magic that Celestia wielded for even the most casual of uses. After years of being taught to believe she was a higher being, it was so unbelievably odd to see her act in such a normal fashion. It was both terrifying, and comforting. “Come, sit. Before you can become my personal student, there are things you need to learn about Equestria. The first of which you will be departing for tonight.” It was quite literally one shock after the other for the unicorn. Still, it didn’t prevent her from timidly sitting down on a cushion opposite Celestia.

“But... Why Ponyville? It’s, bland. There’s nothing interesting about it, and what am I even supposed to do there?” The sip that Celestia took from her cup was too natural to ignore. She genuinely enjoyed watching her squirm about in confusion over her ways. “Please! I’ve been studying and training almost all of my life, just to get into the Dawnguard. And all of a sudden, I’m having coffee with a divine Princess who thinks ponies in confusion are funny.” Celestia’s smile only grew larger as Twilight continued to plead. Eventually she gave up and downed the rest of her coffee in frustration. “Fine. What’s the meaning of life?” Not even a flicker. “Am I pregnant?” The smile remained. “Is this even real life?” White lips drew another sip from the cup suspended in magic. Twilight let herself lie back to try and avoid an explosion in her head.

Some time passed. It was getting into the afternoon when Twilight woke from an unexpected sleep. Her weapons and armour had been placed on a mannequin on the other side of the room. Much to her dismay, Celestia wasn’t there. “Oh no... Maybe that really was a dream...” She had been reading about the royal sisters before Celestia had appeared, and she hadn’t encountered anypony on her way up to the royal quarters. What if she had just invaded the room, hung up her armour and gone to sleep there without asking for any sort of permission? Her future with the Dawnguard, not to mention all of Canterlot would be in jeopardy! “Celestia! Please oh please, let this be just another really bad dream!”

She pulled her armour back on with great haste, not paying attention to the fact that it still bore the glow from the dream, or that it was in fact lighter than before. The entirety of her mind had become fixated on the terrible reality that she had just treated the royal quarters as her own. An initiate of the Dawnguard, who had slept through her initiation ceremony! Isran would be disappointed beyond relief. The Captain of the Royal Guard would banish her to the Badlands for the rest of her life! “Unless... I can just make it to the ceremony without anypony seeing me. I mean after all, they won’t punish me that badly for sleeping in, right?” She had to make it down the really long staircase first. And she hadn’t gotten around to asking when the staff tended to Celestia’s room. At any moment, a pony could be coming up the stairs and see her running down them in terror.

Not a single encounter occurred in the fifteen minutes between fleeing the royal quarters, and exiting the door to the staircase inside the main tower. Oddly, there were no guards outside that doorway. Twilight didn’t have time to ponder why there weren’t any guards as she continued to gallop towards her hopeful destination. Even from a distance, she could see the Dawnguard and Nightingales gathered in the Hall. “Oh no, they’re still waiting for me! How am I going to explain this one?” At last, she stood in the corridor where the two great doors stood open. Just around the corner, hundreds of ponies were gathered. Her fear was so strong that not a single bead of sweat fell down her face. Any loss of water would cause her to faint. “Okay, you can do this...” A shuddering, nervous swallow rolled down her throat. “Here goes...”

With dozens of excuses and pleads in mind, she stepped out of her hiding space into full view. Eyes scrunched up, throat tied up in knots, she practically braced herself for the onslaught of hundreds of ponies staring at her in disgruntled disappointment. Several seconds passed before she worked up the courage to flick one eye open. Instead of being met with scornful stares, a sea of white and black helmets greeted her instead. Her other eye flicked open while her throat slowly unravelled. They were actually bowing to her. “What in Equestria is going on?” At that point, her gaze settled on the raised section of the hall at the other side. Isran was standing on the left of a strange white object in front of the Dawnguard. Karliah, his counterpart from the Nightingales stood on the right. “Wait... is that...” From the direction of the object standing on a pedestal, a very familiar voice filled the entire hall.

“For two hundred years, I have waited for one pony in particular to grace us with her presence. This pony has much to learn, and yet she has much to teach all of Equestria. Listen to her words, respect her commands, follow her actions. And most importantly, know that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle is destined for great things. She will lead both the Dawnguard and the Nightingales to a better Equestria, one where both Luna and I will return. You have all served us well. And for that, you have our thanks.”

Both sides raised their heads towards her. Pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies. Equestria’s protectors. And Celestia had just put her on the spotlight.

“Uhh... Thanks, I guess?”

*

“Amani ya akili, amani ya mwili. Amani ya akili, amani ya mwili.” Peace of mind, peace of body. Atop a pole no thicker than a cherry sat a zebra. Very few could achieve the balance required to meditate on such an unstable object, and nopony questioned the sharpness of Zecora’s mind. Renowned throughout most of southern Equestria as a master warrior, her talent lay in exposing the identity of countless hostile Changelings. Many lived among ponies peacefully, leading content and rewarding lives. They were more often than not the target of such attacks, considered traitors to their own kind. Such burning hatred always led to a bitter end, and actions that not even days of meditation could allow her to recover from.

Only an ear flick gave away any sign of life between chants. Hiding away in the shadows outside Zecora’s clearing, a pair of red-amber eyes flinched at the ear flick. The clearing was about twenty metres in diameter; a large tree took up most of the eastern half. It would take approximately one and a half seconds to close the distance between the edge of the clearing, and Zecora herself. Nopony could have such fast reflexes. She was balanced on a stick, in deep meditation. A sitting duck if there ever was one. The ideal prey.

The one lurking in the shadows made its move. Galloping from cover, it covered the first six metres without interference. Zecora made her move at that moment. “Foolish.” A powerful kick from her right hind leg propelled her up into the air while the pole span. It struck the attacker firmly in the forehead, leaving him disorientated while Zecora returned to the ground. Her fighting pole rested firmly in her front hooves. “You creatures of the dark! Be gone before you are nothing more than a mark!” The pony before her eyes looked rabid, such behaviour she had never seen from a Changeling before. But it was relentless, and desperate to take her down. That trait was very common among them.

When it charged again, Zecora was ready. Two hits from opposite ends of the pole, on either side of the pony’s head. As it lunged again, Zecora stepped around to deliver a firm stab at the back of the skull. It stumbled forward for several seconds before collapsing. “Mbovu kiumbe.” Vile creature. Her breathing was heavy when she knelt down to apply a potion to the pony’s skin. “It is about time you Changelings left. You should realize by now that I am quite deft.” The vibrant blue emulsion began to bubble on the pony’s skin quite violently. Such a process burned away the physical camouflage that they employed. “Now, let us see...” As the liquid faded, she saw nothing but charred skin. It was far from the black exoskeleton that she had expected to see. “Ni nini hii? Ilikuwa mimi makosa?” What is this? Was I mistaken?

She sprung back to her hooves and turned around, only to be met with another rabid pony leaping right for her. Only the fighting pole locked into its jaw protected her from the wild gnashing of long fangs. And this time, she could easily stare back into the glowing eyes of something that definitely wasn’t a Changeling. “Mchafu pepo!” Foul demon. Zecora threw her weight to the right while pushing the pole back. It successfully threw the pony off, long enough for her to beat it in the head with several striking blows. By the end, a small coating of blood covered the end she had used to bash the skull in. Without warning, she turned again to deliver one final blow to the first pony that had attacked her. It sailed right into a rock, and didn’t move again.

There was almost definitely a third waiting in the darkness. But it was having serious doubts about attacking after the display. “Go back to the hovel you call home! I do not like those with mouths of foam!” A few seconds passed before it began to run. Leaving the bodies where they lay, Zecora gave chase. Deep in the Everfree forest, hundreds of things could cause ponies to go mad. But this would be the first time that three turned to the behaviour of rabid animals. And if there were more, it would make some sense that the one she pursued would return to their hiding place.

It took almost an hour for Zecora to find anything indicative of a nesting area in the pursuit. Her target stopped to recuperate several times along the way, suggestive of a low stamina. Her own was sufficient enough that she didn’t break a sweat for the entire pursuit. The end result made each frustrating pause well worth it. “By Hircine...” Zecora was well aware that the ancient capital of Equestria was located in the Everfree forest, and that it had been abandoned for thousands of years. At least, it had been abandoned for thousands of years, until recently...

Two different types of ponies seemed to be present, of all three races. One group were identical to the ones that attacked her, savage and beast like. The other were very organized, herding the savage ones into pens made out of Everfree wood. One thing was common throughout; every pony there had the same characteristic eyes. From her saddlebag, she produced a self-writing scroll that would dictate her thoughts, and then return to her home for later sorting. I have come across some sort of afflicted pony society. Those who have retained control of their mind seem to rule over those who have not. The distinguishing characteristic is their eyes, red irises with glowing amber whites. Sharp fangs may be a common factor too.

Zecora moved to a position closer towards the old castle. From there, she had a much better view of what went on in the pens. It seems... that they are breeding the rabid ones. For what purpose I do not want to delve further into. Another group of sane ponies approached the pen below her. Each wore studded maroon clothing that covered every portion of their skin. Dark red hoods concealed their heads, and cast a shadow across their faces to hide distinguishing features. The society here appears to have a common taste in clothing. Perhaps there is more to this than simply breeding a race of feral ponies after all.

Another group emerged from an archway in the castle itself. This time the sun was facing towards the direction they approached from. As the edge between shadow and light passed over their faces, a noticeable pale in their skin took hold. “Mabaya uchawi.” Evil magic. The transition caused her memory to stir. Such creatures had been mentioned in books she had studied at Canterlot. Ancient creatures, ponies that slept by day, and lived by night. I must inform Celestia of this discovery immediately. Zecora folded up the letter and carefully tossed it up. It burst into green flame, leaving no trace of any message behind.

“I think it best that I vacate this area. It would not do to be caught in hysteria.” She got up from her hiding spot and turned to sneak off. Three jagged blades hovered dangerously close to her snout.

“Well well... Our poor Spring Heart has been very hungry as of late... How fortunate that a stupid zebra conveniently wandered into our hooves.”

Comments

[Blagdaross]

Now you've got me, I want more!

[Sadie]

2678069

xD I'll do my best to get the next chapter out. The only problem is that it happens to coincide with another really long chapter for another story.

[Edensola]

Hmhmhm *Squee* I love Zecora's awesomeness.

I imagine next chapter is going to be quite complicated. -to type that is-

[Sadie]

2684398

Eh, just rather long actually. Going from Canterlot to Ponyville, conducting an investigation, heading off to shoot some vampires and finally solving an ancient puzzle all in the one chapter is just a matter of time.

Oh, and Zecora will be back, and not as an insane boss/vampire lord either. Without spoiling too much...

[nukestar]

So Celestia is Meridia, Luna is Nocturnal and Twilight is Azura in mortal form, makes sense. Although I find it interesting that you chose to make them daedra rather than aedra. Also I say that the unnamed enemy is Molag Bal (or his pony version) as that vampires are within his sphere.