Season 10: Dawn of a new generation of Harmony

by xombiekilla

Chapter one: It all begins with a dream.

Author's Note:

For those of you that got this famous reference, you rock!

(The gold text that is conjoined with the rest of the regular text is bugged and no matter how hard I tried to fix it, it ignores every attempt I made, so you'll have to deal with it.)

The three lines I did was the best I could do to fix it.

"I feel like I'm falling... falling through an expansive black ocean... What is this place? Where am I?"

Hero opens his eyes to see he is no longer in his bedroom. Whatever this place was, it was quite the enigma. After gathering his bearings, Hero ventures further into the strange voided realm. The ground beneath him fades away, revealing purple-stained glass flooring with pictures depicting ponies, dragons, and creatures of all kinds. Hero has no idea who they are, but for some reason, he feels he will soon enough.

"Hero... Every journey ahead begins with a single step forward. Can you do it?..."

"What!? Who said that? Who're you, and how do you know my name?" It couldn't be defined any other way. That voice turned out to be a ball of light that appeared to be circling Hero. But it felt warm, like something he should trust. Listening to this sphere felt right as if it were the voice of an angel.

"In time, my identity will become clear to you. But you must remember that you're special. As you proceed further, you'll find your road ahead difficult. Always remember to keep your light burning strong, little one..."

"Right then. Thanks for that, I guess." There is no way to go forward as Hero sees a series of stained glass stairs forming into the void to guide him as if this place were sentient and had a destination in mind. "So where does this lead to, I wonder?" Hero then ascends the glass stairs to reach a new yellow-stained glass platform, showing two alicorns. Hero has heard of these two beings. He never met them before, but they were the rulers of Equestria. "Wait!? I've heard of these two before. Princesses Celestia and Luna, right?"

"Throughout your journey, you will encounter both friends and foes alike. Friends will always be there for you when you need them most. Friendship is essential, especially during tough battles you cannot win alone."

Then, three transparent figures appeared in front of Hero to his left. They looked like they'd make good friends. Trustworthy, loyal, and dependable—There was a light-blue pegasus with a rainbow-styled mane and tail. A Changeling with periwinkle-colored chitin, pink wings, and blue compound eyes. Lastly, it is a blue Griffon, stalwart and confident in its appearance. Why did these figures feel familiar to Hero? He doesn't recall ever meeting them.

"However... Not everyone you meet will be friendly to you at first. Some may require more time than others, and many would only wish to see that you're defeated."---

Then, to Hero's right, three more phantom figures manifested. These guys look wicked, the kind that you would generally feel better staying away from—from a somewhat taller-looking gremlin, an insectoid changeling female with swampy-green hair, to a shadow of some sort. "Yeah. Because those three don't look evil at all, not in the slightest," Hero jested as they disappeared after he saw the holograms and a glass stairway revealing the way forward.

Hero steps forth to the next platform. This time, it is a pink-stained glass platform shaped like a heart. At its center was a pink alicorn and a white unicorn stallion, with a smaller alicorn in between them. They looked like a happy family together.

"Power slumbers within you... If you give it a form... It will give you strength... Choose wisely, little one..."

Three stone obelisks then rise in front of Hero. Each one carried a weapon, but why? The one on the far left had a sword. Picking it up, he feels the orb of light's voice speaking into his mind.

"The power of the warrior... Infinite strength... Incredible valor... The ability to crush your foes..."

"This sword feels like it's made out of nothing at all. It weighs lighter than a feather." Then Hero inspects the center obelisk, which has a shield on it.

"The power of the Knight... Stalwart courage... Fortified resistance... The shield that repels all..."

"This shield looks way too big for me to use." Then comes the obelisk on the far right. As Hero inspects it, he sees that it has a wand on it.

"The power of the Mystic... Endless potential... Abundant curiosity... A desire to lend aid to others."

"Man, holding onto this stuff makes me feel powerful. Just incredible. So this is what magic feels like." Hero gives it some thought. He could be like a healer and defender on one hoof, preferring the more supportive role. Of course, he could also settle for the traditional 'might makes right' style. Choices, choices. "It was a tough choice, But I choose to be supportive—I choose the path of the Mystic." Hero feels a horn appear on his forehead. And then he feels pure magic flowing through his horn to his veins. This was awesome.

"Now that you have chosen, which power will you give up in exchange?"

"Well... I guess I didn't think about that. Hmm..." Hero saw both the shield and the sword and weighed his options. "Well, I'd rather be able to exercise might in a pinch. I guess I'll give up the power of the Knight." All three obelisks collapsed, sank to the floor, and disappeared. "W-Woah!? T-They are gone..." Then, another glass stairway guided Hero forward through the inky black darkness.

Hero then made it to a turquoise-stained glass platform. There was a blue dragon on the left, a purple one on the right, and a lime-yellow changeling with orange horns in the center.

"Throughout your journey, you'll be expected to interact with every creature you encounter, both the good and the bad. Your choices can affect the world around you. Pay heed to your words, little one."

The three figures that appeared perfectly matched the images they were standing on. Hero approached the blue dragon first. Much to her confusion, she asked him, "So then, what do you fear most?"

"Being different... Getting old... Losing my friends forever..."

"So those are my choices, huh? Okay then." Hero had to think about this. If what that angel said about friendship before was true, losing them wouldn't be very nice. Everyone is different. That's what makes them unique. Everything becomes old, and he eventually dies, even if he knows that. "I would fear losing my friends forever."

"So losing your friends forever scares you so much, then?"

"Y-Yeah.. it would." The blue dragon seemed... satisfied with his answer. Then came the lime-yellow changeling.

"What do you think you'll get most out of life?" The changeling asked him.

"The best that life has to offer... Trials through adversity... Acknowledgement for my deeds..."

Well, the best that life has to offer is purely subjective. Expecting trials through adversity teaches you about having hope, even in the darkest situations. And he wasn't interested in having an ego, so Hero supposed...

"I believe I'll most likely experience trials through adversity in life." The changeling looked satisfied as he said this.

"So, is that what you think you'll get most out of life? Alright then." Then came the purple dragon as Hero approached him.

"What are your hopes and dreams?"

"To be number one... To have the power within myself... To be with my friends forever..."

Well then, being number one isn't everything in life, and he wasn't sure if he wanted any more power than he already had. This strength alone feels almost too much. So then, Hero guessed that if he had to rely on his friends, he'd rather be with them forever. "I choose to be with my friends forever." The purple dragon also looked pleased with his response.

"Is that how you truly feel?" Just then, those three figures disappeared, and a strange ornate set of double doors had manifested from the darkness to Hero.

"Don't be afraid, little one... take your time... One step at a time... Pass through this door to proceed..."

He did so as the door disappeared with him. He was then led to an orange-stained glass platform on the other side. The door disappeared behind him as he looked at the glass floor. It had Celestia and Luna on it, but they looked different. They looked frightening, and Hero then had the strangest feeling that something terrible was about to happen for some reason. He looked around and saw these peculiar black creatures that had risen from the floor surrounding him. "Woah!? What're these things?"

"Verily, little one... There will be times when you will have to fight... Always remember that you must keep your light burning strong..."

They began to rush at him, ready to fight. "No choice; I gotta fight through them." Hero had his magic and that sword he chose to keep in his magical grip. Hero jumped over the first two that rushed him first as he did a backward slash on them, knocking them away as they fumbled to the ground. He moved in to finish them off with a three-hit thrust combo. The other shadows briefly looked at their fallen brethren before they fixed their gaze on Hero and charged. "Oh no, you don't!"

He dashed between them, deftly dodging their swipes as he fired a blast of magic at them from behind to defeat them in one shot. Then, more have risen from the ground behind him.

"Behind you, little one. Always be aware of your surroundings..."

"Oh snap!" Hero jumped to the right to gain some distance between them and him. "Phew. I would have been in trouble if that voice didn't warn me." He managed to get them within his sights. As he moved in to rush them with a flurry of sword slashes, he saw them get torn into black and misty shreds. "Alright then, what's next?" Hero saw another set of glass stairs leading him to a black and lime-green stained glass floor as he advanced. The way he came from was swallowed up in darkness. This floor's design had that same changeling female with long, swampy-green hair.

Then, Hero saw a stray shadow in the middle of the floor before him. It took its form and grew into a massive, giant, and dark version of himself, towering over him as it bore its yellow eyes at him. "W-Woah!? What in Equestria? This thing is huge."

"But beware, little one... The more you step into the light... The bigger your shadow becomes... But don't be afraid... Keep moving forward... And remember that you hold the greatest power of all..."

Hero was walking back to try to gain some distance until he reached the platform's edge and knew the only way out was through this monster. "A-Alright then... bring it on!" The beast was ready to oblige as it raised its left forehoof to swat at him. He dodged its attack as he climbed onto the left arm, using it as a platform. He rushed up to its head to strike at its face. One slash, then two, then several, and Hero saw that it was enraged. Its roar knocked him off it as he landed back on the floor.

"Oh yeah, it wasn't a fan of that." The monster now wanted his blood as he saw its weakness: a dark sphere in the cavity in its chest. "There! I'll aim my magic there." Hero used his magic blast to blast away that core. The monster shrieked in pain as it was mortally wounded, stumbling down and bending onto its front hooves. The shadowy giant was giving Hero time to finish it off. "Sorry, big guy. But you forced me to do this." With all his might, he lunged at its face, stabbing it with his blade as it started to collapse... onto him. "What!? Oh crap."

Hero tried to shield his face with his hooves as the giant shadow landed on him. As he felt it melting into a black tar-like liquid, it consumed him as he felt cold, unrelenting darkness swallowing up his entire body. Hero was struggling, but it was useless. It had him right where it wanted him. Then everything faded to black. It was palpable and suffocating; he felt he couldn't breathe as he began to panic.

"It's time for you to wake up now... But always remember... Keep your light burning strong, little one... Keep your light burning strong, and the darkness will never have you..."

The tar-like shadow had swallowed Hero up entirely, and with a look of fear and uncertainty in his eyes, he faded out...

"Verily... You're Equestria's last hope, little one... My end is nigh... But your story has only just begun..."

Comments

[Mystic Sunrise]

You know. If you're going to use someone elses artwork, and apparently without asking them if you could, you could at least give credit to the artist who made it.

Here's their Deviantart profile. https://www.deviantart.com/moonrises. I know the cover art belongs to them, because I went to make sure.

[xombiekilla]

10443455
All images I use come from derpibooru. I think it's clear to see who disliked this. Not because the story itself is trash, because I made sure to make it good, but because of some random image chosen that I felt fit the cover for said story. Sorry pumpkin, but I'm not dumb.

[xombiekilla]

Furthermore. Why get mad at me for something that I see everyone doing nowadays?
Am I stupid? Do I look stupid to you guys? Don't answer that. Please do not treat me like I'm a gullible fool who is incapable of understanding simple cues and rash decisions. I view that as an insult to my intelligence, and that makes me very angry.

[WOFDragonPony]

Is this a Breath of the Wild reference?

[xombiekilla]

10443565
Nope. Station of Awakening: Kingdom Hearts.