Epica: The Fall of Harmony

by DaNumbahZer0

Foreboding Truth

“Spiiiiike!” The young unicorn called happily, extenuating the major vowel in the dragon’s name.

Moments later the stout purple figure of her scaly number one assistant came barreling down the curvature of stairs with a mountain of literature piled as high as the dragon was tall, balancing unsteadily in his grasp; a recipe for certain disaster. Sure enough, in his plight to bring down the stack of books that Twilight had summoned for, his clawed foot missed a step, sending him and the statue of text careening to the ground, bouncing humorously down the last couple of stairs.

The young dragon rubbed his head, nursing what would surely become another lump. At this rate it was going to look as though Twilight beat him behind closed doors. Maybe he could use that story to aid in his luck with the ladies he thought, but shook the idea out of his mind. The purple unicorn was rushing over from her desk of experiments to inspect him.

“Oh my, Spike, are you alright?” She asked with concern on her brows.

The baby dragon rubbed his noggin and nodded, “Yeah I’m okay, Twilight,” Spike said peeling himself from the floor and starting to pick up the mess he had made, “thick scales and a thick head, you know!” He beamed reassuringly.

Twilight chuckled, “Oh yeah, you have a thick head alright!” Her spiraled horn igniting in violet essence to assist Spike as the splatter of literature began floating and stacking themselves neatly by her desk, the final book prying itself from the dragon’s clawed fist.

The dragon’s eye twitched as he stared at Twilight as she performed her usual levitation charm, surely boring holes straight through her in his obvious annoyance. “Remind me again why you don’t just do that to begin with,” motioning to the freshly stacked books beside her academic throne.

She countered his annoyed glare with a raised eyebrow and smirk, “Because, Silly, I have to be able to physically see the objects I am trying to lift for the spell to work.”

His eye twitched again, raising his hand to protest the Unicorn’s logic, but before even the first words were hissed she had cut him off.

“Oh! Spike, what time is it?” she interjected, clearly aware of something she most likely had forgotten until this very moment.

Caught by surprise the dragon stumbled over his words, “But that¬…. Wait, huh,” confusion lapsing over his facial features.

“What time is it, Spike?” She repeated, a tweak of impatience humming in her tone.

The young dragon sprinted back up the arcing staircase, returning with equal haste. “It’s almost noon,” he began, but before he could question her about why the time was important, Twilight was darting around the room, rustling up her saddlebag and filling it with books, a couple freshly picked apples from Sweet Apple Acres, a quill, ink, and a dashing bit of Rarity’s handiwork.

“I told Zecora I would pay her a visit today around quarter after twelve, and now I’m going to be late,” a sigh of frustration seething from between her teeth.

Spike burst out in a fit of laughter, “Not the first time, is it Twilight? Ha ha! Better hope she forgives you or she might put a curse on you!”

“Oh, ha ha, very funny you little squirt!” Twilight said crossly over her shoulder as she was still amidst in her hustling and bustling. In truth she was only half listening to the little dragon at this point.

“Just like how the princess was going to send you back to magic kindergarten!” Spike lost it. He was now rolling around on the floor with his heavy bouts of laughter.

Twilight's cheeks turned shades of red as she retorted, “Will you stop bringing that up? It was one time! I really thought she was going to punish me! Besides, aside from it being rude, I just plain don’t like to be late!”

“Whatever you say, Twi,” Spike wavered with the final bouts of his outburst, wiping a trickle of moisture from either of his green eyes.

“Anyway, I’m off to see Zecora! Keep an eye on the place, will you?”

“Yeah, yeah, have fun, Sis!” Spike waved, ascending the flight of stairs once again to return to his work.

With that, Twilight strode from her tree home and off in the direction of the Everfree Forest.

 

Her hooves clopped cheerfully along as she trotted her way through Ponyville’s cobblestone streets. The scents of freshly picked fruits and vegetables from the market place hung merrily in the air, making her stomach growl in rebuttal to her unwillingness to stop for a bite to eat. Her tummy was making a strong argument, she thought decidedly, as she passed by Sugarcube Corner, and a torrential flood of sweet scents assaulted her olfactory lobe. She had to make sure nopony decided to stop and chitchat right now; because she was certain if she opened her mouth a waterfall of drool would cascade to the stones beneath her hooves. How embarrassing would that be?

Sugarcube Corner won the waging war between her stomach and her disdain for tardiness. Twilight felt shameful guilt rising from her belly, but it was soon washed down by the sugary goodness of one of Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s famous double chocolate filled, cream cheese icing-topped cupcakes, or DCFCCITC for short, according to Pinkie Pie. If that is what you want to call it.

Twilight decided she ought to pick up Zecora a nice treat as well while she was there. It was the least she could do for not keeping to their scheduled time to meet up. With her quivering hunger quelled, the horned pony continued her trip to the Everfree Forest.

Her trot soon began to gradually become quieter, no longer a pitter-patter of clopping against stone, but a swishy, gentler sound as she left Ponyville behind, striding from the market streets into the glowing meadow that separated the town from the forest. The field was alive with the melodic humming of woodland creatures. Songbirds chirped and sang from the tree line as insects of all kinds chimed in, harmonizing nature’s welcoming buzz into an orchestral wonder. The unicorn couldn’t help but smile as the sounds tickled her ears and scent of sweet grass and beautiful flowers lingered in her nostrils.

Soon she arrived at the edge of the forest, staring into the mysterious depths of the lush foliage. She had walked this path a hundred times in the past, but there was an eerie feeling in the air whenever she crossed into the Everfree Forest.

Her path was a serpent slithering through the dense overgrowth that stretched on endlessly in every direction. The trail itself was thinly splotched with any sort of growth, surprisingly enough, worn into the dirt from traffic traveling to and from Zecora’s hut. The bright side was it made it numbingly easy to find the route to the zebra’s home, even at night.

Before long, Twilight was at Zecora’s door. The Zebra’s home was abstract. Many trinkets and trophies from her homeland lined the walls, inside and out. Although none of the décor was intended to frighten visitors, their alien nature often made their symbolization of welcome and hello hard to discern past the frightening appearances.

Twilight lightly tapped the door with her hoof, “Hey Zecora! Sorry I’m a little late,” she called. Seconds later the door swung ajar revealing a manic black and white figure beyond the threshold. Her eyes were bloodshot and roaming wildly in all directions. Her mane, although not uncommon for it to be primly drawn up in a flowing, banded crescent, stuck out madly today like she had caught a stray lightning bolt from one of the weather ponies. She looked like she had had way too much of whatever special brew she had been concocting, Twilight thought to herself, smiling coyly.

“Twilight Sparkle, so glad you could come! Come inside and sit, my little one!” The Zebra said in her normal rhythmic manner.

Twilight just gazed upon the foreign mare with great concern, “Um, Zecora, are you alright?”

“Yes, yes, my dear all is fine, a little late, but you’ve still made good time.” Zecora said with a glint of her normal self in her shimmering blue eyes.

Twilight stepped inside her quaint little home, and noticed that it wasn’t just Zecora herself that looked a mess today. Jars and flasks that normally hang suspended in the air by strands of thread now lay scattered throughout the room. Navigating the chaotic scene was like playing some absurd game of hopscotch.

“Wow, what happened here?” Twilight asked as the duo made their way through the cluttered maze.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Twilight. All seems well to my sights.” Zecora chimed as they zigzagged their way to the bubbling cauldron in the center of the room. “Oh you must mean the mess all around! I’m trying out a new recipe I’ve found!”

Twilight’s eyes scanned the room, a look of unease quickly forming on her face, unsure of what to think of the mess, despite Zecora’s excuse. “Oh…. Well, what new recipe are you trying, Zecora?”

“It's a brew to sooth one’s mind at night. Particularly handy when it’s sleep you fight.” The Zebra’s eyes widened erratically as she realized she spoke words she did not wish to say. “I mean, that is to say….”

But Twilight cut her off, “Zecora,” her brows drawn in concern for her friend, “What’s going on?” Her friend stood, digging her hoof into the ground nervously in a repetitive fashion, avoiding Twilight’s longing gaze.

The words lingered on the Zebra’s lips, daring to spring forth with every breath she drew. Her chest felt tight, a lump formed in her throat and she could feel oncoming sensation of dank perspiration beginning to coat her skin. The striped mare finally mustered up the courage to lay her frightened eyes upon the unicorn’s longing ones.

“I’m your friend, Zecora. You can tell me. I’m here for you!”

The walls in Zecora’s mind crumbled. A drawn out sigh passed through her lips and she spoke, staring into the bubbling cauldron, “On the midnight hour of the darkest day, The Ones who should stay locked away, Come again to scourge and scour, Hope and light they shall devour, Blood light will shower land and sea, Drowning peace and Harmony….”

Twilight struggled to maintain her composure, fighting gravity from pulling her jaw limp. Confusion dotted the purple pony’s face. She gawked at her friend, completely confused.

“Those words came to me in the darkest of dreams, shrouded in darkness and bone chilling screams,” Zecora explained, casting narrowing eyes upon her Unicorn friend as she spoke, “I fear this nightmare may be an ominous premonition; a warning and not just silly superstition.”

Twilight chuckled edgily, “Oh, Zecora, surely it was just a bad dream. You can’t really believe….” She was cut off harshly.

“You ask me to tell you what is on my mind, and yet when I speak, it is doubt that you find!” Zecora shouted venomously, boring angry eyes into Twilight’s soul, “Listen to me and do not be a foal, these words I have heard are black as coal! They are a prophecy I heard long ago, that foretells the rise of a powerful foe. They speak of a coming of terror in our lives, where harmony is broken and monsters thrive!”

Twilight shrunk beneath Zecora’s wrathful outburst. Her tail tucked tightly between her haunches as she hunkered down, melting into the floor. “I…. I….” She had lost her ability to speak, caught off guard by her friend’s unexpected rage.

Zecora could see the fear she had struck in Twilight’s heart. Her rage subsided as quickly as it had come about, floating away in the summer breeze. She shook her head, ridding her mind of what had come over her, “I am terribly sorry, my dear Twilight! I did not mean to give you a fright! These dreams I have had just have me on the brink, it eats at my heart and makes it sink.”

Twilight’s gaze finally met with Zecora’s again. This dream of hers, this premonition, really had her spooked. She had never once seen Zecora like this. It was as if her foundations were crumbling inside her, creating deep rifts in her heart and digging out her roots.

“I’m so sorry, Zecora,” Twilight began, carefully inching toward the striped mare, “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just didn’t realize how badly this dream had affected you.”

“You have no need to apologize, as I can see how it must appear from another’s eyes.” Zecora said, grabbing a nearby wooden ladle and began to churn the sweet brew bubbling excitedly in its metal confines.

There was an awkward silence as the Zebra continued sloshing the mix that Twilight felt compelled to break. “Soooo…. You really believe that this dream was more than just a nightmare, then, Zecora?”

The striped mare did not respond. Her eyes remained glassily transfixed on the swirling currents she was creating in the pot. Twilight looked on anxiously, watching the maelstrom swim in Zecora’s eyes.

“Um…. Zecora?

The Zebra shook her head wearily, finally snapping back to reality, and fixed her eyes on Twilight’s. “Yes, I am afraid to say I believe it may be, for a telltale sign in the night’s sky I did see.” The reminiscence sent icy pricks down the length of her spine.

Twilight stepped forward and embraced her friend, hoof around her shoulders, “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Zecora sighed and told Twilight everything in perfect detail. From the chanting of the prophecy and monsters in shadows, to the flickering flash of crimson that shone in the night, Zecora’s words hung heavily in the air, thick as smoke and made it equally hard to breathe as she digested the information. It sent shivers down the young pony’s spine. Now she could understand why it must have unnerved Zecora so much to have experienced the dream, herself.

“I-I don’t know what to say….” Twilight meekly managed to say after enduring the horrors of the thoughts that haunted and hung heavily on her friend’s conscience.

“There is nothing needed to be said, about these thoughts that sink one’s heart like lead. But something further makes me sick with worry, it tears and bites at my soul with great fury….” her words lingering ominously as a dark cloud ready to burst.

Twilight ached with anticipation, “What is it, Zecora? What’s on your mind?”

 
The Zebra’s eyes glassed over with tears as she spoke, “To tear the fabric of Harmony, one must pull the threads at the seam. To crush the Elements is to blot out the light, blacking the sun for an endless night. If the Elements of Harmony were to fall, it would mean eternal chaos for us all….”

In her heart, Twilight knew now what ate at Zecora’s mind. The truth was written in the words of old, but some masochistic part of the young unicorn spoke up desiring to hear the words. A hard lump in her throat threatening to choke her as the words slipped out absentmindedly, “You mean….”

Both ponies stood rigidly as Zecora nodded, “Whatever evils come, should it be true, I fear they will come all hunting you….”

Twilight felt her heart stop, staring blankly into Zecora’s eyes.

Comments

[OkamiDash]

This shows a lot of promise... *thumbs up*

[Aurora Aura]

Descriptions of everything are absolutely brilliant and Zecora's lines are really well written, i can't wait to read more

[Level0Hero]

I agree with Okami. This fic shows much promise. Here's a thumbs up and fav.

[Inferno demon Dash]

HOLY BUCK! This is going to be GGGGGGOOOOOODDDDDDDDD...not far better this is going to be very kick ass....would you mind maybe think of adding the Dark Elements in this story as well, they don't have to be the main villians but they can tempt and whisper dark thoughts to their peaceful counter parts, I'm going to do anything I can to read and review each chapter...you ever need any ideas, advice, or help, never be afraid to email me, I got your back, you got some serious style with writing my friend, one I'm hoping you may teach others.