Her Eyes Reflect The Stars

by Lynwood

The Tale of the Long-Legged Mare

Once upon a time, long before Equestria, before the Princesses, before even the hearth's warming, there was a mare from a lost kingdom of ponies. She was a traveler of lands far and wide, and had long, slender, beautiful legs, and towered over the ponies of the places she visited, who were fascinated by her greatly.

The kingdom she had once called home had been a magnificent empire. It claimed the most prosperous of farmers and fisherponies. Its woodworkers and stonemasons' creations were that of legend. Its artists had made works so beautiful that ponies gathered from places untold for a simple glimpse, and its soldiers had forged the empire alongside wondrous magical beasts of metal and stone.

The kingdom's queen, a ruler of great renown, had built her palace atop a sacred spring, from which the waters of the kingdom's mighty River had flowed, all the way to the sea. This River was none other than the River of Harmony, and it was said that the queen, who sat at its base, had needed only to dip her hoof into the River's mouth to bring Harmony to her land.

What became of that kingdom? None besides the Mare remained who knew.

The ponies of the kingdom were no more, its cities long since swallowed by nature. The Mare was its final memory. Some said she had been its queen, others said she had been one of its many citizens, and some said she was merely the last descendant of its last family, but each time somepony asked the Mare, she would refuse to answer.

Instead, the Long-Legged Mare would sit among the ponies of the villages she visited and tell the many stories she'd gathered on her travels. She would tell tales of adventure on a great ocean, and of family enduring disaster. She would tell tales of command and unwitting discovery, and of exploration and the recovering of once-lost things. She would tell tales of desperate battles, and of fascinated investigation. She would tell tales of unlikely companionship in harsh lands, and of bravery and community, and of friendly princesses. If she was melancholy enough, and her listeners were lucky enough, she would even tell tales of her own lost home— though ponies argued over whether these were true.

Sometimes the Mare would tell her stories in mysterious, frightening voices, and sometimes she would tell them in soothing tones. Sometimes the stories had happy endings. Often, they did not. No matter the tale, the ponies who heard them would be completely and utterly entranced by her words, and her visits to their towns were cause for celebration, and the mare visited such settlements for many years.

But there were some who wished for more than stories. They wished for the power that the kingdom and its queen had wielded. After gathering together in a great band, they set off in search of the mare. Not long after that, the Mare's visits ceased, and the ponies who'd searched for her were never seen again.

Ever since then, the twisted Mare has appeared in the dreams of the scant few. To those she appears to, she will tell a story. However, if you see her, be respectful and be wary, for the story may not be one you wish to hear at all.

The end.

Comments

[Mr cold ghost]

I love these disparate stories about the long legged mare! I hope you continue this story. It’s very engrossing!

[dark_samus3]

11088417
Note that this is the 55th chapter, but still does fit the pattern.

Anyway, Aaaaaa, 55th chapter with 555 words on the 5th story you've written, the 5th occurrence of the chapter with the same name, on a release schedule where 5 chapters per week are published. I kinda doubt this is the last chapter, though if it is I can't help but just feel... confused. Maybe a re-read will help, but idk. Regardless, if you do come back to it, I'm sure it will be after an appropriate multiple of 5 days :)