Prologue
The planet Equus was home to many different creatures and enough wonders to keep even the most avid adventurer busy for a lifetime and still not see all the world had to offer.
Wonders that will now be lost.
In the Griffin Kingdoms sat a massive ship, the end result of a combined effort of every nation on the planet, a ship meant to carry the first ever wave of colonists to the nearest habitable planet after decades upon decades of work. It was going to be the mark of a brand new era for Equus, spreading to the stars.
Thousands, if not millions, from all races gathered at the fence surrounding the facility where the colony ship rested waiting for take off.
Yells and screams echoed across them all blending into a sort of white noise, those who could fly attempted to fly over the fence but were stopped by griffin commandos who patrolled the skies. The only gate into the facilities was lined with more soldiers attempting to hold out the crowd as best as they could.
Far off in the distance unnatural clouds swirled covering everything, colors constantly shifting as it slowly approached the facility as the ship was loaded with supplies and people, not everyone was one of the original selected colonists but many of them were missing, assumed lost.
As the storm approached the crowd became more frenzied as more and more tried to force their way into the facility and to the only salvation.
When the storm neared enough to be heard a shield of pure magic went up around the entire facility and those around it, made up of multiple colors based on the casters. The most powerful shamans from the Zebras, the most knowledgeable of the Kirin, and the Princesses of the Ponylands.
Each of them in positions they could have easily guaranteed a place on the ship, but all of them chose to remain behind and use their power to try and hold back the storm of destruction to buy time.
As the storm reached the shield it flared as it made contact, halting in its advance, building up on the shield.
A sort of calm settled over the crowd and the panic lessened with the shield holding.
No one knew where the storm came from exactly. It appeared on the other side of the planet and just hung in the air. At first, no one was concerned as the nearby nations assembled teams to investigate.
Concern began to be felt as everyone sent in to investigate stopped responding after getting a little way inside.
Eventually, an autonomous machine was sent in and like before, stopped transmitting. Unlike the expeditionary forces, it returned as it was programed to do after a time, its cameras had been recording the entire time despite not transmitting and what it showed was the expeditionary forces seemingly having perished, dying where they stood, those armed hadn't even drawn their weapons to indicate they were attacked.
Many theories were had as the world's governments discussed the matter, till the research station set up near the storm went silent. An investigation team was dispatched after a certain amount of time without contact. The team reported they couldn't find the facility.
It was soon realized the storm had begun to expand, swallowing everything in its path.
Everything was tried to halt the expansion but all failed and soon it became apparent that the planet would eventually be swallowed by what was quickly dubbed ‘The Storm of Destruction.’
Once word got out, many panicked and began trying to find safe havens. Others took advantage of the chaos to abandon any sense of right and wrong choosing to spend the last days indulging in whatever they desired. Others still worked diligently to try and find a way to halt the expansion.
They failed, and now those who had not been lost to the storm gathered at the facility to try and board the colony ship turned evacuation ship, the only hope for anyone to survive.
The shield blocking the storm began to flicker after a time, and those closest could see cracks begin to form in it.
Then with an ear piercing sound none could describe the shield shattered and once more the storm began to advance, seemingly faster then before.
The crowd panicked like never before and then it happened, at the front gate a single shot rang out, a soldier dropped. Before him a lone stallion glitched in a shaking hand was the soldier's side arm, clinging to his side was a young foal. With only a second of hesitation, almost in shock of what they'd done themselves the stallion grabbed the foal and ran for the gate.
Like the shattering of a dam all others followed behind.
Chaos descended as soldiers lost control, so heavily outnumbered. Muzzle flashes dotted the wave of Equusanity as soldiers tried to defend themselves, but the remaining scraps of order were gone as the crowd forced their way into the facility. It rapidly became everyone for themselves as even soldiers abandoned their posts and ran for the ship while others tried to hold their positions.
Children screamed for parents having been separated or cried over fallen forms as pools of crimson spread under them. Some stopped long enough to scoop up the lost children and run for the ship, either to try and get them to safety or perhaps use them to try and get sympathy others were trampled.
The ship's crew saw the mass of terrified people sprinting or flying for the ships loading ramp and fled up it, those in line also began running.
As the crew reached inside of the ship they radioed the bridge they were aboard and the ramps began closing even as people ran up them. The ship couldn't take on that many people and if they didn't seal it the ship would be lost and there would be no hope of escape.
On the bridge of the ship the captain watched through the external cameras as the surge raced for the ship on a personal monitor on his chair.
The doors closed with many flying races risking making the dive to try and shoot the gap, some made it, most didn't and some of those who didn't party did, those who made it having to shield themselves from the sight as their lower halves were crushed, their momentum carrying them forward in a spray of blood and gore. Many of them died of shock then and there within seconds, others were not so lucky and would take minutes to bleed out.
As soon as the doors were confirmed closed the captain gave the order to prepare for lift off as those outside swarmed over the ship trying desperately to find a way in, the sound of their voices drowning out the count down.
When the engines fired countless ones were caught in the exhaust and incinerated almost instantly if they were lucky.
The ship began to rise as the Storm reached the gates of the facility, a few desperate refugees tried to cling to the ship, none could as it started gaining speed. Those who could fly were able to catch themselves, those who couldn't plummeted to a swift death on the scorched pad bellow. Some of those who could fly raced off away from the storm while others hung there or moved to land either in shock at having failed or giving up hope and accepting the inevitable. Soon swallowed by The Storm.
The ship was soon enveloped by The Storm beginning to shake violently as it raced up towards the sliver of freedom it could still see, many on board held on for dear life as the shaking got worse and worse. The captain ordered the engines to full power, by passing safety protocols to get every ounce of power from the engines.
As alarms blared and the ship's computer announced the reactor was in danger of overloading the ship broke free of The Storm and thus the planet's atmosphere.
The engines were fully redlined when they were ordered to be shut down and let the ship's momentum carry it while the crew tried to organize, make repairs and figure out what to do with the excessive number of strangers who now found themselves all thrust together by pure luck on a long journey into the unknown.
The last remaining representatives of their home world hurtling through space and an unknown future.