The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM

by FireOfTheNorth

Prologue: A Dark and Stormy Night

Prologue: A Dark and Stormy Night
“You’re not supposed to be here!”

Nopony took the Pale Pass anymore.

I kept reminding myself of that fact as I crept through the mud in the dark. Every so often a lightning strike would illuminate the night, allowing me to see where I needed to place my hooves to avoid being washed away. I was certainly leaving an easy to follow trail in the damp and spongy earth, but there was no better time to make my escape than tonight.

The storm that sprung up so suddenly reeked of pegasi mischief, but it was the perfect cover I needed. Anypony who ventured out into this downpour had to be either crazy or incredibly stupid. Or, like me, were trying to get away with something illegal. This rain would surely keep the town guards indoors, curled up around their fire with “confiscated” bottles of wine. Much to my pleasure I saw Dunnard as I stole through Kvatch, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. And if he was in town, nopony was guarding the entrance to our local mountain pass.

I gathered all the supplies I could and embarked into the tempest. Sure enough, the pass was unguarded and offered a direct escape into the Horizon province. It would be as good a place as any to start a new life. And, being engulfed in civil war, they could probably use as many capable fighters as possible. And I believed I at least had enough experience in combat to make a decent living.

A particularly nasty gust of wind blew the frigid drops into my face. Each felt like an icy miniature knife cutting into my flesh. I pulled the hood of my cloak closer around me. Enchanted to resist both water and cold, it had been doing an admirable job of keeping me warm and dry so far. But, somehow the rain would always find a way to enter through the one place it didn’t cover.

I almost stumbled down a steep embankment when an eerie wailing sound cut through the storm. Could it be that the myths about ghosts haunting this pass were true? I realized that it was only the wind blowing through the twisted branches of dead trees. But I understood why nopony wanted to use this pass anymore. Besides leading to a land currently embroiled in war, the wailing of the wind in the dead branches had given way to an innumerable amount of myths about ghosts.

The wavering light of a torch came into view in the distance. I had completely forgotten that there was a guard at the other end of the pass as well. But I had come this far and I wasn’t turning back now.

As I got closer I could see that the torch wasn’t being held or levitated, but was mounted in a bracket at the checkpoint. There was nopony to be seen around, but I wasn’t taking any chances and crept into the brush as I passed the circle of torchlight.

Just in the nick of time too, as I crouched in the undergrowth the sound of several hooves reached my ears. I hid in the grass as best I could and waited for them to pass.

“I’m not going through that pass,” I heard the gruff voice of a stallion say.

“Keep your voice down, Bereloth,” a mare’s voice whispered in the darkness, “Do you want to alert the Imperials to our presence?”

“Have you all forgotten what they say about this pass?” Bereloth spoke more quietly, but not by much, “How it’s haunted by the tortured souls of the soldiers who died here!”

“I’ve been through this pass before,” a charismatic stallion’s voice with a thick Horizon accent said, “It’s not haunted, but if you are afraid to continue, you can go back and turn yourself over to the Imperials Bereloth.”

“Of course not, my Jarl,” Bereloth said, “I will follow.”

Hoofsteps resumed on the path, but were quickly interrupted by the whooshing of arrows. Somepony cried out at the same time I heard an arrow bury itself in flesh.

“Imperial ambush!” the Jarl cried out, accompanied by the ringing of steel as swords were drawn.

I couldn’t see anything from my hiding place but the shifting shadows cast by ponies running around frantically in front of the torch. The clashing of steel on steel filled the air as the group met resistance. The bodies of armor-clad ponies rushed past me, mere hooflengths from my hiding place.

As I turned to try to wriggle away from the fight I caught the glimpse of a unicorn in Imperial Legion armor. Her hoof came down on my head and the world went black.