Prologue: The Story Begins
It’s a cold winter’s evening.
Outside, the moon of the Lunar Princess beams down on a field of fresh, thick snow, casting navy shadows over the pristine white. The air is clear and cold, carrying the distant scent of pine as well as the more dominant scent of frozen water. The dark silhouettes of trees dot the horizon, spots of black against the backdrop of velvety blue sky. Tiny speckles of diamond-like stars flicker in and out of sight—first masked by a stretch of wispy gray clouds, then clearly visible against the darkness.
And in the middle of all this serene beauty stands a pony.
She exhales, watching the cloud of her steamy breath evaporate into the cold air. Her ears twitch beneath the thick, fur-lined hoof of her warm cloak, picking up the muted babble of voices ahead. Her hooves crunch into the deep snow and she bites back a shiver as the cold seeps into her unprotected lower legs.
She left the village behind her not long before sundown—it has only been a few hours since then. Some of the friendlier locals told her of an inn where she could stay, a ways down the road, and she assumes that’s the source of the noise she hears.
After a few minutes of steady trotting her suspicions are proven correct. The black silhouette of a tall, squat building appears, windows glowing with golden light. Dark shapes of bodies can be seen moving beyond those windows, even from here can the pony detect conversation and song.
She gives a cry of happiness, breaking into a run. After getting caught in the evening’s earlier snowstorm, she’s quite ready to be out of the cold—and she’s never seen anything quite as inviting as those inn lights.
When she arrives in the courtyard, she slows down, reigning in her gallop to a trot. The space before the building is strewn with discarded wagons and other vehicles, blankets thrown carelessly over the objects to keep out the snow. Scraggly bushes surround the perimeter, their leafless silhouettes sharp and black.
The pony’s hooves make clopping noises on the hard-paved path that leads to the door, leaving wet patches on the stone. Somepony had obviously swept the snow off it earlier, leaving the frozen substance piled along the path.
Once she’s directly outside the inn, the babble seems even louder. She takes a deep breath, waiting for her limbs to stop trembling, composing herself after her mad dash to reach the warmth. After she feels ready, she reaches out a hoof, pushing open the wooden door.
A wave of heat and sound washes over her. Though the slew of new sensations are somewhat jarring, a slightly bewildered smile crosses her face and she closes her eyes to help process it. The leftover snow clinging to her coat melts away, dripping off in steady streams. She trots in.
The inside of the building is packed and noisy. The floor is crowded with rickety wooden tables, most of them surrounded by ponies. The babble of talk is all that can be heard, with strains of some bard’s warbling music from one corner. The air smells like hot, wet bodies, woven around the deep, earthy smell of some kind of stew. The pony can also detect an undercurrent of some kind of tang…unmistakably alcohol.
The pony lets the door swing closed behind her, shaking out her dripping hooves. She forces her way through the crowd to an empty table—unfortunately, one near the bards.
She winces, muzzle wrinkling with distaste as their grating music drills into her skull.
“Anything I can get for you, hun?” A large, middle-aged mare appears from the crowd, squeezing over to the table. Her tan-colored face is creased with age, graying brown mane pulled up into a tight bun. A stained, spotted apron encases the majority of her substantial girth, just barely blocking her cutie mark—all the pony can see is the edge of a pot and a spoon.
The pony takes a moment to appreciate the mare’s skill—there's a tray of empty wooden tankards balanced perfectly on her hoof, not a single one has tipped over, even with the jostling of the crowd.
“Just a bowl of stew, please,” the pony’s voice is soft and quiet.
“You got that.” The mare sets down the tray she’s carrying, pulling a crumpled notepad and short, chipped pencil from a pocket on her apron. She balances the notepad on her hoof, clenching her teeth down on the chewed-up eraser of the pencil. “Anything else?”
“No thank you.” The pony shakes her head. The matron gives a nod, scribbling down the order, then grabs the tray again and trots off.
The pony gives a barely-perceptible sigh, glancing around her. Nopony has registered her presence yet, something she’s grateful for. The nearest tables are engaged in intense conversation and she only catches snatches of it--
“And then I said: ‘watch where ya goin’, ya prancing pipsqueak!’ The lil’ guy didn’t seem to like that, ‘cause he said—”
“I can’t believe the price of carrots these days. Honestly, you’d think there’s a famine or something—”
“Hey, did you hear the news? Old Farmer Hay Bale’s barn burned down the other day—!”
The pony’s ears twitch in annoyance. She wishes the bards would stop singing.
“Hello weary traveler.~”
Her head jerks up in surprise and she stares, wide-eyed, at the bard who addressed her. She bites back the incredulous laugh trying to force its way through her lips—he looks ridiculous. From the floppy feathered cap perched on his curly, purple mane; right down to the outlandish, puffy-sleeved shirt he wears. Even the color palette of his outfit was strange—vibrant shades of red and green that made him look like a Hearth’s Warming tree.
“Yes?” she says politely, eyeing the odd-looking instrument perched in his hooves—same as the one emblazoned on his flank.
“You strike me an admirer…of ancient lore!”
Now her ears perked up in interest—she was, in fact, an admirer of ancient lore. She was on a journey for it, in fact.
“With a penchant I see…for old history…as you’ve never heard it before.~”
“Very much so.” The pony leans forwards, excited and invested. “But what would you know that I haven’t already read?” Here the bard winks, readjusting his grip on the instrument.
“It’s a familiar tale.~” He sings. “Of a once mighty king! But the story you know…goes much deeper, so…sit back as I tell you and see~.”
“Quick Strings!”
Both ponies jump as a scolding voice rings through the air.
“What have I told you about annoying the customers?” The matron pushes her way back through the crowd, a scowl on her face. Here the bard, Quick Strings, steps back and sweeps into a bow.
“Forgive me, madam,” he says, his voice changing from the warble of his song to a high-pitched, polite tone of a colt. “I am merely sharing my tale with a fellow history lover.” The pony is surprised at how much younger he sounds without the vibrato in his voice.
“Do not fret over his manner,” she assured the matron. “I am interested in his story.”Quick Strings shoots her a wink and a thankful grin.
“Well…” The mare frowns reluctantly, placing a steaming bowl of carrot and mushroom stew before the pony. The pony in question inhales deeply, breathing in the savory smells. Her stomach gives a growl.
Finally, the matron sighs.
“Very well," she says, giving in. “But if she gets tired of you, back away!” Quick Strings give a quick nod, a barely-concealed grin on his face.
“You enjoy your meal, hun. If he gets annoying, you come find me.” The mare turns, trotting away.
“Now.” A spoon levitates upwards, supported by the turquoise glow of the pony’s magic. “Relay to me your tale.”
Quick Strings nods, striking a chord on his instrument and bursting into song.
“There once was a colt with a coat dark as coal,
who had eyes of a bright burning red.
Courageous and strong,
it was not very long
till the crown was bestowed on his head.~
For the king in the north
had to be a great force
to survive all the harsh elements.
But the power he held
from the keep where he dwelled
would lead to his people’s lament.~
But there was a time
when his rule was kind
when the kingdom was wealthy and thrived.
Somepony caught his eye
and he soon realized
he wanted a wife by his side.
He thought all was right,
they saw eye to eye,
a princess from a southern ally.
His heart grown fond
as they fostered a bond
the world could not ever defy.~
Both hearts longing for
simple love to soar,
but nothing simple for kingdoms and kings.
Would stand certainly,
for eternity,
see what a veiled future brings.~
One thing’s for sure…
as the ages move on.
The harshest of debts
is to live with regret,
so chase what you love
or you’ll find it’s departed and
gone.~”
And so the story begins.....
I'm super excited to be starting this story! I can't wait to see what you all think of it. Tell me what you thought in the comments below! 
Stats
Page generated in 0.016 seconds
Total duration
1,045 users online
1,905,343 hits today, 2,782,760 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
First person narration? That's very interesting...
This opening feels like the beginning of a D&D game, and it's based on the L-Train Metal Opera I haven't listened to...okay, you've hooked me. I'll keep track of where this is going, right after I listen to Fall of an Empire.
10081850
Thanks for the comment!
Yeah, that narration killed me when I was writing. XD I kept switching back to second person....
The next chapter will be in past tense, how I usually write. I only wanted to put this one in present tense to differ between events happening in the past, and events happening in the present.
Fall of an Empire is a GREAT song. It's one of my favorites.
10081862
Ah, so that's why you did that. Now everything makes sense...
I've only listened to Moonrise, which is pretty good, but I'll take your word for it that Fall of an Empire is all that and a bag of chips.
Oh god, i listen to that daily. Well then, time to indulge in its written form!
Sounds great so far! Aaand i might have sung along with the bard. Well, can't wait for more!
I do like Fall of an Empire and my favourite is... it's gotta be Heaven's Fury!
10083129
Same! That, or Crossroads of Life.....
If this is a crossover, then you should mark it as such. Is this the first story of the Eponaverse?
10088500
No, it's actually the second--both stories are up on my profile page! Oh, and it's not a crossover.
What's the Eponaverse? I'm confused
10092992
It's my universe of Next Gen. So far, it only has two stories--both of which are up on my profile page. (One of them is really bad tho.....lol)
10093001
Oh ok, now far next gen? Like G5 prediction?
10093008
No. Like, the kids of the Mane Six and so on. THAT kind of next gen. XD
10093012
Oh so a continuation, here, have this
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/214781/fixing-the-finale
10093014
Yeah. Something of a continuation. XD
I will be ignoring certain canon from the show, so it's more like an alternate universe.
I like it so far!
10112498
Thanks! Hope you'll continue to enjoy it.
Intriguing... You have my attention.
A couple things to keep in mind for editing are:
These are all pretty minor things that are easy to fix. So far, I'm liking the clear tone you set and the pacing and interaction going on with the OCs. You're framing things pretty close to the source material, from what I remember. Personally, I always preferred 'Moonrise' to the L Train's opera about Luna and Sombra but I like seeing stories inspired by them or the other way around.
10226186
Yeah, I got an editor who's much better with punctuation than I am, and that gets fixed later on. XD
Just started reading (I had this in my “read later” section) and I’m already really liking it! Did you come up with that song at the end? I thought it was beautiful.
10246229
Aw, thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying my story. ^^
As for the song, I didn't come up with it. This whole story is inspired by a song, and the lyrics are from the song themself. If you wanna see, there's a link in the story description!
This has been siting in my read it later folder for a while and now I am excited to finally read it!
10272981
yay! I hope you enjoy it!