Age of Equestria

by EdofJville

Trail Of Change

Ethereal Divide clung to the edge of the ravine as the raging waters of the river far below him threatened to be his final resting place. As he looked down, jagged rocks along the water's edge only served to amplify the danger of the area beneath his dangling body. His two front hooves were tightly wrapped around a small and narrow jutting piece of the rocky edge of the small canyon that divided two forests. His two hind legs were helplessly dangling in the air, as he struggled to maintain his composure and physical posture. One wrong move is all it would take to send him plummeting to his likely demise.

He cursed himself mentally for sleepwalking into this precarious situation, especially after all of the effort that he had put into building a makeshift bridge that would have allowed him to safely cross the gorge and get to the other side. Since when did he ever sleepwalk during his recurring dreams? He couldn't recall a single time before that this had happened. Why now? But of course, this was no time to analyze that. He changed his train of thought and focused it into surviving and getting out of this dangerous scenario.

He couldn't simply levitate himself up to the ground away from the ravine. Magic was out of the question. He had to improvise through observation of his immediate surroundings and persevere through sheer determination. He'd gotten this far on his own over years. He wasn't ready to give up now and perish. He tried gripping the rocky outcropping a little bit better with his front hooves while positioning his lower body closer to the cliff wall so his hind legs could make contact with it. Putting all of his strength into his upper body and chest area, Ethereal Divide shimmied up a little, bit by bit, until he managed to position his hind legs firmly onto the cliff wall. Then, he slowly but surely started climbing upwards, using the grip he had on the rock outcropping to hoist himself upward gradually, being careful to avoid slipping and losing traction.

After what seemed like the longest few minutes of his life, he managed to very slowly lift himself up and out of the narrow river gorge, completely drenched in sweat and scuffed over various parts of his furry coat and mane and tail. Ethereal Divide sat back on his haunches and caught his breath. The sun shined brilliantly over him and the wind suddenly picked up as if nature were trying to sooth him after such an arduous ordeal. He just sat there trying to recover his energy and shake off nerves for what must have been at least an hour before he finally got up. I must continue on if I want to have a chance of reaching the nearby town before nightfall, he thought.

His gaze turned toward the forest in front of him. Though he had just traversed a vast forest in the past few days, something seemed subtly different about this one. It was darker and had a foreboding sense about it. He almost dreaded going inside it, but quickly shook off any hesitation in his mind. As he entered this mysterious and eerie forest, the sunlight started to fade through the tall and dense trees that covered the area. The tree canopy here was suffocating just as much as the grass and plants were thick and overgrown. Trotting through it, he felt a vague sensation of being watched by someone or something, but he didn't see or hear anything. In fact, aside from the crunching leaves beneath his hooves and the low rustle of the wind blowing through blades of grass and leaves on the tree branches, it was otherwise very quiet.

He kept his guard up at all times, just in case. Normally in woodland regions such as this, he felt no need to be on the defensive, but for some reason he wasn't certain of, it felt necessary here. The dark woods seemed to stretch on forever in all directions by this point. It was very easy to get lost in such a place, but Ethereal Divide simply pressed forward in the same direction he had been going in since he had entered. Hours passed by, and with it, the impression of not being alone gradually increased to him. His guard was still up, but deep down, anxiety and dread filled his mind. It had been a long time since he had felt such levels of insecurity and vulnerability out in the wilderness. He found this surprising. Regardless, he had to press onward. Civilization was on the horizon. He reminded himself of the towering spire he saw earlier from what must have been a castle or fortress of some kind. This dark forest was the final obstacle between him and a long awaited rest among modern society and conveniences.

A sudden rustle among the nearby brush stopped him dead in his tracks. He tensed his body up and listened closely, his ears twitching. Nothing could be heard for a few seconds, but then, the sound of rustling returned. It was different from the wind that had been blowing through the grass earlier. This had more weight to it. It was a definite and concise imprint of sorts, such as that of a living creature. Then, more rustling, this time emanating from his other side, followed by the snap of a twig or branch. His eyes rapidly gazed around his perimeter, but he couldn't spot anything. Was it a rabbit? Raccoon? Or possibly a bear? It wasn't a bird, considering it was definitely ground-level impressions.

Standing absolutely still in the same exact spot, Ethereal Divide continued to eye his surroundings, but to no avail. After no more sounds were heard in the span of a few minutes, he began moving again, increasing his pace as he wanted to leave this forest sooner rather than later. It was impossible to tell if it was still daytime or if night had already fallen. He eventually passed something that caught his attention. It stood out among the many trees in a small clearing. A majestic tree covered in masks and adorning decorations and antiques. It was clear that it was some sort of treehouse. Someone lived or had lived there, in the middle of this expansive forest. Why someone would choose to do so was beyond his understanding. It appeared to be well-kept and in good shape, which implied that someone was indeed still living inside it.

Pressing on, he resolved to reach the town and leave behind these cursed woods before his next sleep. There was no way he'd be sleeping here, that's for sure. There was probably some lurking creature or creatures in the forest, though what kind they might be, he had no idea. And sure enough, as he thought that, the sounds of rustling and snapping twigs returned to his ears. Immediately tensing up again, he scoured the vicinity for any creatures. A bright yellow light flashed and darted away out of the corner of his right eye. Now he was certain he was being stalked by something. Suddenly, he spotted another yellow light to his left, followed by yet another further away in the dense brush. The clanking of what sounded like wood tapping onto wood was clearly audible. Don't tell me its a pack of-.., but his thought was interrupted by a set of loud clanging noises and vocal chants of some unknown language. This was followed by whimpers and low growls as several creatures dashed away into the forest away from him. The clanging and gruff feminine sounding chants also seemed to follow the fleeing creatures, fading away as it got less and less audible, eventually disappearing and being once again replaced with the common absence of noise that he had grown accustomed to in these ominous woods.

Shrugging off the encounter, Ethereal Divide trudged forward for hours more. The rest of the journey was uneventful, and soon, the trees began to give way to the sky, revealing that twilight had set in. It was a sight for sore eyes when he laid eyes on the edge of the forest and the quaint looking town that was before him. It was a lovely sight, being quite picturesque with a farm, large windmill, and town square situated under a starry evening sky. The pink and orange hues of the late setting sun cast mystical rays of light that reflected off of a large castle that was shaped like a giant tree. The castle confidently stood tall as the sole piece of the town's skyline.

Reinvigorated at the beautiful sight, Ethereal Divide couldn't help galloping into the town like a child eager to open presents on Hearth's Warming Day morning. He began looking for the nearest obvious hotel or inn that he could spend the night in. Of course, being a traveling loner, he had no bits with which to pay for a night's stay, but he usually found some money working temporary odd jobs while staying in a town or by doing favors for the inn keepers. The town, though small from the outside looking in, was like a maze while in the middle of it. He stumbled onto a large central building that had signage indicating it was the town hall. Engraved on it was the simple but cordial message, "Ponyville Town Hall". Next to that was a plaque that read, "Ponyville" and "population 358". Next to that, one more plaque that read, "Founded in..." but the latter part of that which stated the year was smudged by worn material, much like the final plaque, which read "Mayor Mare, mayor of Ponyville---" with the years also not being legible.

This wasn't what he needed right now. He couldn't sleep at a town hall. He had to locate a hotel somewhere and soon. He was tired and his mind was starting to fail him, not to mention he hadn't bothered to eat in over a day. His energy reserves were depleted and it was quickly catching up with him. He couldn't think straight as he wandered around clueless about this town called Ponyville. Half awake and half asleep, he found himself subconsciously drawn to the magnificent castle on the outskirts of town. Upon arriving at the front entrance of the grand structure, it dawned on him that this was no ordinary castle. It seemed important, as though it were reserved for lavish ceremonies, elite meetings, or perhaps, even a royal summer home for the princesses of Equestria. He couldn't be sure though, as he struggled to raise his hoof to the door in order to knock and make his presence known.

Lights were on inside throughout the castle, so it was pretty evident that somepony was home. However, he hesitated just before knocking on the door, wondering if he'd even be allowed to stay in such a regal looking abode. It wasn't a hotel as there was no signage indicating it. I should probably stay somewhere else tonight. I doubt I can get inside this place. Backing away, Ethereal Divide slumped along and eventually gave in to sleep as he collapsed down onto the front lawn of some schoolhouse and drifted into unconsciousness, leaving the long day behind him.

The bedtime story. Father. Mother. Escaping the terrible hooded ponies. Tripping on that cobblestone path. Being surrounded by them. Closing in. Screaming in sheer desperation and fear towards the night sky and the full moon. The eyes appear again in the moon. Why? That's not part of the normal chain of events. What is that? Who is that? "No! Don't touch me! I don't want to go with you! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Their huddled masses close in. I have to escape.

Whispers all around. He could hear them. They sounded like children. A mix of colts and fillies.

"WHOA! He doesn't have a cutie mark!", a loud filly's voice emphatically yelled.

At this, Ethereal Divide jumped awake, hastily eyeing the scene as a group of at least a dozen school ponies laughed at him gleefully. The memory of where he was and where he had fallen asleep the previous night rushed back to him as he tried to process the dozen or so faces of curious fillies and colts that were gawking at him and his cutie mark-less flank. Three of them in particular seemed especially intrigued: a yellowish earth pony with a red mane and tail and a bow, a white unicorn with light purple mane and tail, and an orange pegasus with a dark pinkish mane and tail.

It was quite apparent that he was causing a big scene when who appeared to be the teacher arrived. She was a pink earth pony mare with flowers as a cutie mark. "Now now everyone, its not polite to stare at and gossip over a stranger, even if he is erm... well.. an adult pony without a cutie mark. Everyone come inside! Class will be starting soon!" She gave Ethereal Divide an odd look of concern and curiosity combined as she guided her students inside the schoolhouse.

Capitalizing on their departure, he darted away from the school's campus, but didn't get very far before bumping into someone and falling back on his rump.

"Oof!", exclaimed a female voice upon their collision.

He looked up to see a beautiful lavender mare with a mane and tail imbued with a gradient of purple hues and a striking streak of pink. Even more striking was the fact that she had both a horn and a set of wings. She was undoubtedly a rare breed of pony: an alicorn. How is this possible!? Only Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance are alicorns. And they're all royalty! But who is this!? She can't be a --..

"Hello there", she said with an awkward but warm smile. "I'm so sorry for bumping into each other like that, but you seemed to be galloping in quite a hurry and came out of nowhere. Are you alright?"

She outstretched her right hoof to him. Ethereal Divide grabbed it and she pulled him up to his feet. Before he could reply, she spoke once more. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. And you are?"

Less than a day spent in this town known as Ponyville and I've already experienced my share of unusual encounters. First being startled awake by school ponies and then crashing into some random alicorn! What kind of place is this!? His mind raced with questions as he locked eye contact with the curious mare named Twilight Sparkle.

Author's Note:

Procrastination is a common enemy of writers everywhere and I'm no exception. Couple that with a full time job and its easy for time to fly by before finally publishing the next chapter of an ongoing story. But, here it is! Chapter 2 was packed with events and details, particularly involving the changing setting as our main character Ethereal Divide traveled through the wilderness on his way to the next town after that near death encounter. Good thing he can compensate for his lack of magic with survival skills and a little ingenuity, eh?

Now that his next town stop has been revealed to be none other than Ponyville, the unfolding tale of his story and the path that destiny has in store for him will gradually come to light bit by bit. Twilight will be an integral guide to his next steps, and her friends will help to some more indirect degrees. But the mane 6's presence in this story is temporary, as is the involvement of the princesses later on, but they're all important in the larger context overall.

The Everfree Forest, timberwolves, and even a certain zebra will make proper appearances in future chapters, but rest assured, this story will eventually grow far beyond the confines of little old Ponyville. Equestria is vast, and other lands lie beyond even it. For now though, we will watch together to see what Ethereal gets into while enjoying his Ponyville stay and learn more about him, his past, and just why he's still lacking a cutie mark as a young adult and why this unicorn can't do magic.

Hopefully, I'll muster the effort to get chapter 3 done and out sooner than it took for me to finish this chapter. Thanks for reading and following along!