When the power of an old god fades from the world he Created, it must go somewhere...
He did it.
That boy truly stopped her foolish endeavor... I feel... content.
Ah, the hateful magic that so plagued this world is disappearing, but so is the rest of the mana. No matter, the boy should be able to keep things together in here; hope never dies, after all.
The reason of my existence is fading from this realm, but where? Will I follow? What will happen to... him? I long to see him, at least one more time...
I am tired; the mana that sustains me is running low. I-I think I should rest, yes, close my eyes for a second.
Just a second...
------
Delicious mana! Everywhere! I haven't felt such a pure presence since - the boy! Everything hurts. How long was I unconscious?
That scent... my son! There is something different, but it's him! And he's not alone...
Why do I smell horses?
*****
I do not own Lost Magic nor MLP: Friendship is magic.
Character list to be updated as story progresses, however, spoilers will be taken into account.
The Sage of Balance, Seneka Windell, was defeated by a boy wielding a Wand -that is, the greatest, most powerful category of staves a mage could use- made by himself and his friends. The Wand of Hope.
The Sage that lost faith in those she swore to protect broke the seals of the sages, making the monster realm connect with the world in more places and increasing the power of its inhabitants. She wanted to wipe out everything and remake the world, but the monsters still needed the presence of the populance she so despised... she bode her time until she could collect all of the magic in the world.
She had all seven of the original Sage Wands, which held the remnants of the Creator's power: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, Dark... and hers, Balance.
Using all of her hate, rage, and sorrow, she ordered the monsters to gather.
The son of the Sage of Light, having been recognized as a fellow Sage by his elders, having found one of the trees from which the original Wands were carved, wielding all six of the Lost Magics, with knowledge of powerful combinations of Runes, with support from his friends, and in command of mighty monsters himself, did battle to stop her.
At the end, the magic left the world, and so did the monsters.
When the Crystal Heart shone, it was the last straw. A certain something reached its breaking point. However, that was far from the beginning.
The conditions had been lying there for some time, waiting for a large enough signal.
When Discord escaped his stone prison, the immense chaotic power he threw around so casually ate away certain borders; the Elements of Harmony did what they could, but there were things lodged in certain places. And yet, the event's start was still far in the past.
It was a disaster millennia in the making.
When Luna fell and Nightmare Moon rose, the sheer hate she felt, and the evil magic tainting her, attracted the attention of the inhabitants of a less connected realm. And it still isn't far enough.
When Discord ruled the land the sheer insanity he spread, the creatures he twisted, and the misery he caused - it all set a precedent, a familiarity. And he should have known, but he often ignored the advantages of sanity.
The draconequus should have remembered that like chases after like.
On the surface, it was a beautiful day like most others in Equestria...
The sun shone brightly upon the town of Ponyville, making Twilight Sparkle feel its kind warmth as she took her small lunch break.
The lavender unicorn scholar watched Rainbow Dash practice her acrobatic stunts. The rainbow-maned pegasus blasted her way through the clouds with ease; each beat of her wings made her cut through the air and taste the sheer freedom of flight.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Rainbow saw Pinkie Pie tinkering around with her Welcome Wagon. The bouncing pink pony clapped her hooves together with glee as the pipes coming out of the contraption blasted confetti high into the air.
Rainbow Dash saw Applejack at the marketplace, tending to her stall. The orange farmpony presented a shining red apple to the next costumer in line.
Rarity waved at Dash from the ground. The regal unicorn made her way to a small cafe nearby for a break of her own.
On the town's border with the dark and foreboding Evefree Forest, a small cottage belonging to an animal-loving yellow pegasus filled with birdsong and the calls of different creatures, as Fluttershy made her daily feeding rounds.
Inside the throne room of Canterlot's royal palace, the sun princess perked her ears. She felt something was... off. An odd sound, but not in her ears; a curious smell, but in her heart... whatever it was, it was coming from everywhere.
Absolutely. Everywhere.
A small, glowing blue circle appeared at the edge of the garden of the cottage.
Deep inside the forest, inside the throne room of the old palace, another three circles appeared, but they disappeared as soon as something - rather, someone- was deposited on top of each one.
All across Equestria, for that was where Discord's chaos had been restricted to, these circles appeared. Only one or two actually remained open within miles of each other, and never within the towns or cities proper... it would be days before any others besides the one in the cottage would be discovered by the residents of the country, but once they were...
"Uhh... what happened?" Somepony groaned. He was answered by darkness and the sound of the wind howling.
He felt numb, but not enough to not notice that he was lying down on flat rocks.
Too flat, actually, which meant a floor of some kind, which meant the howling of the wind was caused by holes in the walls. But why did it feel like he had a couple of spikes stabbing him on the middle of his back?
"Leonard, is that you?" He knew that voice! The new voice didn't sound much healthier than his, though.
"Russell?" He groggily opened his eyes and saw a decayed ceiling; his body felt twisted, though strangely unbroken.
"What happened?" 'Russell' asked, still groaning like straining metal.
"The last thing that I remember was fighting besides you when the monsters went berserk, then the mana started to fade away."
'Russell' coughed from somewhere in the dark, overgrowth-covered chamber. "That can't be; I was alone, binding a portal close with my body, even though the injuries I sustained made me feel lightheaded... I knew my time was up."
'Leonard' shifted a little, making the spikes on his back flare up in hot pain and needles prickle all over his skin, which still felt odd. He grimaced, but bit down his complaints. "You looked fine to me. Beat up, but you would survive. Probably."
"You know, when I said my son's decisions would change the course of history, I didn't think they would affect time and space themselves."
"At least we know he succeeded - in both timelines." Leonard tried to wipe his brow, only to be shocked when a stubby periwinkle appendage entered his field of vision. He yelped in surprise, then in pain as his movement caused another explosion of feeling on his back.
"Leonard! What- gah!" Russell had a similar revelation.
Both of them rolled onto their stomachs, though Leonard had a harder time of it due to whatever made his back ache like so.
"Leonard?" A pale yellow stallion with golden hair spoke his name. Those green eyes of his were huge! The voice was the same, and he was wearing the same white robe, white wizard hat, so it could only be...
"Russell?" He asked, before looking himself over. Periwinkle coat -almost gray- with his same pale lavender hair. He was shorter than his companion, but since he was younger it was no surprise. His deep purple robes and grey coat and hat also made it over to... wherever they were. He could only assume he still had his red eyes.
They examined their new bodies. They had four legs now, which ended on some stubby... thing; they were soft and sensitive when pressed delicately against the ground, but acted pretty solidly when hit with force, making a sound not unlike hooves.
They each also had a horn on their heads, Russell's was conical with a spiral flute and tapered to a sharp point, while Leonard's, though similarly fluted, curved backwards slightly.
Their clothes seemed to fit these... new shapes, though their bags now hung awkwardly from their necks. Well, at least their contents were still there.
Leonard wanted to find out just why did his back feel like it was being stabbed, but a low rumble interrupted that thought.
"Leonard... are you there?" A low, deep -though still distinctly female- voice called before being overcome by a severe and painful-sounding coughing fit. The colt's blood ran cold.
"Who is-?"
"Mother!" Leonard called out, tripping over his hooves, ultimately crawling over to the other side of the ruined hall to where a throne once stood. His eyes fell upon the figure at the bottom of the stairs. The yellow unicorn managed to catch up to him and let out a surprised gasp.
At the bottom of the stairs laid a dragon at least thrice as large as he was -counting the tail-, her red scales gleaming softly under the light entering from a hole in the wall, her white underside scales almost hidden from view.
"Mother!" Leonard almost entered a panic when he saw her wings, which definitely weren't in the same position they once had been, but crawling over to her side made him see that they were merely changed. They were limbs on their own, strangely enough, but hey, if he was a miniature horned horse now he certainly wouldn't question the possibility of the travel having affected her.
Managing to still his beating heart, he noticed that she seemed... healthier, youthful even. Well, compared to how once she had been she now resembled the dragons his friend- no, his companion- Issac had found. Her blue horns still clashed with her scales, and were still longer than his new forelegs, though.
She grumbled once more, and opened her eyes. Green orbs dulled by exhaustion fixed on him.
"Mother, it's me, Leonard." He said, immensely relieved to see her well.
"You look like a unicorn of myth." She said, speaking softly and slowly as to avoid another coughing fit. Sniffing the air, she added. "You even smell like a horse... but that presence can only be yours."
"I knew you told me your mother was..." Russell spoke, but his surprise robbed him of words. "You didn't tell me she was a- a-..."
"An elder dragon, from before even the Great War." He said, managing to stand properly now. He carefully approached, one step at a time, and gave her a gentle nuzzle - it felt appropriate. "The last one alive."
"I thought I wouldn't see you again." She reached a claw under his chin, making their eyes meet. "I feel... oddly at peace now."
"He succeeded, mother. Hate won't plague you, or anyone else, again." He felt incredibly silly, being scratched by his mother like that. He still wouldn't change the sensations for anything in the world, though.
Russell sighed, knowing that he might not see his own family again.
"You must be Russell Lightbrad." He heard her say, and bowed his head. "I can tell from your outfit."
Leonard began fidgeting and trying to get his coat off; the sensations were getting unbearable! With some assistance he managed to get rid of the clothes covering his front half.
He had a pair of black, leathery wings on his back. Now it all made sense! Being on his back, he had pressed them against the hard stone floor, which was what produced the painful bursts whenever he moved. He had to endure a few pokes and prods before the pain faded, likely from proper circulation being restored.
"Look at that." Russell said as his darker companion got a gentle wing massage. "Do you think it's yet another strange effect from this new mana?"
"Most likely." Leonard's mother said. "I feel... much different now."
"What kind of effect would it have on the monsters?"
That was a sobering thought. If not only Leonard and his mother were here, but also a Russell who remembered a different past from him... how many monsters had made it over?
"Well, as much as I'd like to rest, we need to find a way to warn any residents." Leonard began the arduous and complex process of dressing himself. "Why am I bothering to do it like this?"
He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. A black aura enveloped his horn and discarded clothes, which began wiggling about and, slowly but surely, he put his clothes back on.
"Oh, right, if there is mana, we can still use magic." Russell scratched his head, only to stop and contemplate his action.
He was scratching. With a hoof.
"Well, I felt like I was ground up between two stones and then put back together, and I wasn't at death's door when this happened." He turned towards his mother. "I can only imagine how tired you must still feel, are you alright?"
"Yes, mana is abundant here, so I won't have any problems." She inhaled deeply, savoring the immaterial energies that permeated the place. "Darkness, curiously enough. There is a forest outside, teeming with life... it might be dangerous."
"We need to prepare." They needed to find out just how much could they still do, what had happened to their magic, if the local wildlife would react with hostility, where was the closest settlement, and whenever or not monsters roamed this place.
A small pillar of light rose from the center of the circle near Fluttershy's cottage. Out of the light came a small, drop or flame-shaped creature that floated above the ground.
It was grey, barely larger than a foal, with two arms that ended in wicked-looking blue scythe-like blades. Its small, green eyes peered absently into the distance while the jagged line of its mouth contributed to its blank expression. The peaceful energies sweeping away its old desires.
Until it heard a chicken cluck rather loudly.
A frown appeared on its visage, slowly floating towards the source of the sound with a hungry look on its eyes. It did not hunger for food, for it didn't need physical sustenance.
No, as anyone aware of their origins would know, monsters could draw nourishment from the ambient instead.
"Now Elizabeak, don't make such a fuss." A soft voice said, making the small pangs of hunger increase. "Yes, I feel something odd, but that's no excuse to act like that."
The soft voice continued saying something, but the small cinders of the old hate that birthed it were gaining strength, drowning out the words.
Soon, it saw the origin of the voice, a small, winged yellow equine surrounded by chickens in a coop. It was vaguely aware of the equine's capacity for energy - whatever the pink-haired creature was, it was packed with it- but it was blinded to its significance by those old fires.
The creature was distracted - not that the monster could understand, but making no noise ensured that the equine wouldn't find out about the presence of the intruder...
Until the various animals started to make noise, one of the chickens in particular flailing about, trying to get the equine to turn around. Which it did, and it gasped in surprise.
A rabbit white as snow stood in front of the approaching monster, moving its limbs about trying to mime a message.
The monster couldn't understand, of course, no matter how hard it stared at the rabbit or how close it floated to it. Not yet, anyways.
All it understood was the overwhelming desire to raise its scythe...
*****
To my most faithful student:
There has been a strange surge of foreign magic all across Canterlot, and I fear that the rest of Equestria, too, is experiencing the same phenomenon. I would like to request that you and your friends stay alert as to any strange events that might arise from this and report to me your findings, no matter how small or ridiculous they may appear. I have asked the same of other acquaintances in different cities, particularly professors of magic, but one can never be too safe.
So far, there has been no negative interference with any naturally-occurring magical phenomenons nor the inherent or acquired abilities of the residents of Equestria, suggesting that this new influx of energy is more similar to an aura or presence than a spell or comparable arcane activity. Of course, no single being could produce such a uniform, nigh-omnipresent aura without being extremely powerful and skilled, however, it feels less consistent that what a single source could produce. My sister has proposed the idea of multiple sources so similar to one another that they blend together, yet remaining distinct enough that the energy forms its own 'tides' and 'currents', which would produce variations in the characteristic alignment of the flowing energy without changing its overall density.
Needless to say, be careful Twilight.
Love
Celestia Gloria Solaris, Headmistress of the Royal Canterlot Academy of Magical Studies.
*****
"Oh! This is serious, Spike!" Twilight Sparkle, unicorn scholar and recipient of the previous letter, nervously trotted in place.
"Well, I admit that not signing the letter 'princess Celestia' is odd, but doesn't that just mean she doesn't want you to feel like it's some sort of royal duty?" Spike, a small purple dragon and Twilight's number-one assistant, tried calming her down before she had an 'episode'.
"That is the thing!" She turned around to see him to the eye, then her voice dropped to a whisper, as they were still in a public space. "She's scared, and if she's scared, what-?"
"Whoa there." Spike interrupted her, whispering as well, waving a claw around and massaging his temples with the other. "Scared? Seriously?"
"Read the letter again, you know her just as well as I do. Look at the strokes of her quill, the tone of her words." To tell the truth, Twilight Sparkle was also scared, even before the letter had arrived.
As Spike scanned the letter, Twilight once more looked all around her, at Spike, at the ponies walking about.
Colors, swirls she hadn't seen before... well, she guessed she had always seen them, only now she was aware of them - ever since the change. Equestria had always been a certain way, and now that it was a different way... she didn't know, maybe the change drew attention to itself? To the things she had always seen but ignored?
Spike gulped, finally getting what Twilight was hinting at. "Sh-should we get the others?"
"Yes, we need to warn them." The thought of her friends managed to get her to focus. "Come, Spike, I can see Rarity, and Sugarcube Corner isn't very far."
*****
"Just like that?" The bat-winged pony asked, incredulous.
"The passing of the Lost Magics may normally be highly significant, a sign of recognition from a Sage to another as being the successor whom will take up their Wand... or they might do so to a hero at the world's twilight." The yellow pony replied.
"But it isn't the safest way to go on about things; Sages are powerful, yes, but not invincible." He continued, paging through a book with his nose. "We are still weak from this... unwilling travel and sudden change."
"You are going to need all the help you can possibly get." Leonard's mother added. They had kept their magic, even to the point of feeling like they still held their Wands, only in the middle of their heads (it was as odd to experience as it was to describe)... but casting runes was awkward now that they were quadrupeds, Leonard found a roundabout way by means of using a stick as he would a staff or wand and use it to draw the rune.
"As the Head, I have the power to appoint a replacement should something unexpected happen to another of the Sages." He looked displeased as he perused the book. "It was surprising that one of our own would turn against the rest like that, though."
"Doesn't the recipient need to prove his or her worth in combat?"
"We already did. What, putting on such a convincing show for Seneka wasn't enough demonstration of skill?"
"Well, that is enough for Light, but what about the other elements?"
"Didn't you always spar with each other to keep yourself sharp, son?"
"Well, I did, mother."
"Have you won any such battles?"
"Yes..."
"Did you hold back?"
"Of course not!" Leonard said, only to slowly realize that, if he didn't hold back, then neither did the others. Master of Mist Curtain, General of Gravel Rock... and certainly not Lord of the Summer Haze! That woman did everything intensely! Windcaller Priestess was also pretty good for being so young.
"Ah, my monsters were also weakened, every last one of them." Russell said, closing his book with a hoof, pushing it into his bag with his nose.
"Why don't you use your magic?" Leonard asked.
"I... was never good with precise levitation." He confessed.
"You mean to tell me that Bishop of the White Night, Head of the Seven Sages and one of the greatest Magi, can't hold a book?" Leonard snorted when he suppressed a laugh, a small grin forming at the revelation.
"Well, unlike Jester of the Prime Moon, I saw no need to use magic when I could just reach the high shelf." He retorted, and even Leonard's own mother chuckled.
"Very funny." He deadpanned. "Anyways, I have some new monsters we captured in case we saw you again, but I didn't have the chance to pass them over... guess it was a good thing I didn't."
"I concur. In any case, we can still use magic, but it has been weakened by our state and is awkward to cast due to our form; we have our guardian monsters, but they have been similarly weakened, as has been our control over them... until we gain new strength to go with this new world, it would be best if we just used a small amount."
"I have something else you can use." Leonard's mother said.
"Mother, you don't mean... the Trio Runes?"
"Surely you can figure out the combinations faster than the kid, maybe those old poems hold the key?"
"Had I heard anyone else offer me the knowledge of the method to use three runes in a single spell, I would likely have dismissed it as myth." Russell said. "But given that you predate the Sages and we have become creatures of 'myth' ourselves, I see no point in questioning it."
After sending princess Celestia a letter explaining her recent ability, which Rarity seemed to share to a lesser extent, Twilight, Spike, Pinkie Pie and Rarity made their way to the marketplace. They had last seen Rainbow Dash fly over there, and it was certain they would find Applejack.
Sure enough, they found the former next to the stand of the later.
"Cutie Mark Crusader Dog Trainers!" The war cry of three rambunctious fillies made more than one market stand owner flinch in fear of what might happen next.
Which was number five, type three in Twilight's 'CMC escapades' list: The Crusaders chase an animal through the market. A dog this time, if they hadn't made it obvious.
Sweetie Belle, Rarity's sister, a white unicorn with a light purple and pink mane, Scootaloo, an orange pegasus with a violet mane, and Applebloom, Applejack's sister, a yellow earth pony with a crimson mane. Two of them chased the poor dog, at first glance stuck inside a pale blue box, while Applebloom stood on top of it rodeo-style.
"Applebloom!" Applejack tried to scold her sister, but ultimately had to jump out of the way.
On a second look, Twilight noticed that the dog was not stuck inside a box... the dog itself was shaped like a box!
This qualified as 'strange', which also meant it qualified for panic!
No! Bad Twilight! No panicking until Celestia says it's OK to panic!
Applejack got a grip on the situation before she could, however. Whistling loudly -and it was loud- she ordered the dog to sit. This had the unfortunate side-effect of making it stop so abruptly that the earth filly was tossed into the air, landing on a shrub and toppling the planter, while Sweetie and Scootaloo tripped over their hooves trying to stop and sent them to the ground.
The box-dog (dog-box?) turned around, barking and wagging its tail happily. Its little triangular ears pointed towards the hat-wearing apple farmer, while its short stubby legs did what they could to make it adopt a normal sitting position.
"Now, where did yah come from?" The orange farmpony asked, not that she expected an answer, but rather from the sheer oddity of having a brick-shaped animal bark at her.
"Ah found it over at th' edge of th' orchard!" Applebloom jumped out of the fallen shrubbery and ran up to her sister. "Dogbox may look strange, but is very nice!"
Twilight took a good look at it... the energy swirling around it was pretty much colorless and neutral, unlike (for example) Spike's, which was red, fiery, and hot.
"Dogbox." Rainbow Dash deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at the fillies.
The aura itself wasn't the interesting thing, though; it bonded and connected with Applebloom and Applejack! Not quite in the same way friends' did with each other, but rather in how owner and pet did! A little deeper than a simple pet's, though.
"Yup! We came up with the name ourselves!" Sweetie piped in, proud of their accomplishment.
"We're trying to teach it some tricks!" Scootaloo jumped into the air and flapped her wings for a second, making a buzzing noise not unlike a bumblebee's.
"Spike, take a note please." Twilight said, paying close attention at the strange (new? Cursed? Mutated?) animal in front of them.
Then she saw a huge explosion of gold, white, black and purple coming from the Everfree Forest, felt two presences (which Rarity also picked up) and shortly afterwards there were two echoing roars, which everypony could hear. She turned around, as did everypony else. Then they saw them.
*****
Some time before
"Yellow Shogs?" Leonard asked, a playful smirk on his face.
He was eyeing the six small, pliable monsters with mild amusement. The things resembled an oversized serving of flan without the caramel and with huge eyes, so it was easy to see why.
"They are the easiest thing to control I have of the Light element." Russell couldn't help but envy Leonard a little. He had three drop or flame-shaped monsters with red scythes at the end of their arms and a trio of bats! Leonard had always been proficient with monsters, being half-blooded, and on top of it those two types of monsters were easy to control (even if Darkness monsters tended to be a little more bloodthirsty than others when wild).
"Ghosts and Bats are not going to win any wars, Russell." Leonard said, somehow managing a shrug. "They just have to get us out of this forest."
And hopefully they would serve that purpose well, given that the more powerful options were out... well, more like extremely unreliable. The monsters won't harm anything they don't tell them to, having already captured them and bonded with them, but they were very likely to wander off on their own and attract unwanted attention.
Leonard's mother would stay and rest, given that the ruins felt safe - for some reason, animals didn't come close to the castle... maybe it was magic. Still, it had to be some fantastic spell to endure such long time! That was a question for later, for now she had to get comfortable. She was used to living in ancient ruins... but she had an unexplainable desire to see what this new place had been like during the height of its splendor.
The lingering sadness, ghosts of past regrets, gave the decayed structure a melancholic feeling - yet quite different from those of the destroyed city she used to call home. What was the story those weathered old walls could tell? Why had it been abandoned? Who had cried inside the room that had once held a throne? Had the place been inhabited by ponies?
The pair of stallions made their way out of the front gate, creatures in front, while she hid inside a small chamber off to the side.
*****
All the monster knew, thought, or lived for was gone.
Gone was the hate, the rage, the thirst for vengeance.
It had been replaced by piercing cyan eyes which held fury far, far beyond that which had given it life. They flooded it and absolutely overwhelmed it, folding its will unto itself with ease.
"WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY, MISTER!?" The voice belonging to the eyes said, having blown out the fires long ago in its- her tirade... yes, the voice was something it had to call 'female'.
The voice demanded a response, but it could not give one. All it could do was stare back blankly and apologetically for its transgression. It hadn't even actually hurt the rabbit! It had hopped away!
"You won't hurt my friends, understood!?" The voice, belonging to a creature far greater, far more powerful, and far more imposing than it, demanded a much simpler answer.
The Wraith nodded, submitting itself to the will of its new master.
Then two roars made their way to their ears.
*****
Slightly less time before
"These things are alive! Really alive!" Leonard yelled, blood trickling from a wound on his foreleg, as he saw his summoned book hoist a strange, wolf-like creature made out of wood high into the air with a blue tendril before absorbing it and closing, capturing it.
The rest of the wolves paused, one of their own had just disappeared before their eyes, and the strange new creatures that followed the ponies were making things much more difficult. Their claws and fangs slid off of the blade-armed ones without much harm - some, but not enough. Even if they felled a bat, or those spectres, or the slimy creatures, they dispersed into mist! And the ponies kept firing beams of golden light and orbs of blackness, or calling down thunder!
Russell lifted a forehoof, which had a small stick tied to it, and hastily drew a rune consisting of three strokes, a downwards one, a diagonal one, and an horizontal one that crossed the first one in the middle. His horn shimmered with magic and directed it to himself, the golden glow enveloping him and diminishing the bruises he had gotten when a wolf had slammed him against the side of a cliff.
The wolves knew this was prey not worth the effort, having lost five of their own already. They retreated.
Only for a different creature of the forest to take their place.
*****
Leonard's mother heard the roars, and felt the presences. She knew what they meant- it could only be Russell and her son.
She had let her son fend for himself for a great part of his life, and he had suffered plenty already. He even came to hate and despise others for a time, just like a true monster... Not now.
She did not know if it was due to the new mana, her talk with Russell's boy, or just the sudden change in scenery, but she was out of the castle and running towards the source.
She felt energy she didn't know... she didn't remember she had had. She could pay dearly for not resting properly, but it was evident she didn't have merely the appearance she did in ages past; she had recovered some vigor as well, even if her body still demanded rest.
She had yet to test her 'new' wings, but she didn't have to fly, just take one mighty leap and glide over the huge gap in the earth separating the castle from the path Leonard had taken.
*****
Leonard screamed in pain as the scorpion tail of a manticore, having felled his last bat, pierced his side and broke one of his wings. Russell's last monster threw itself at the tail, but sadly wasn't as effective as they would have liked.
A bright golden beam was more effective, quickly followed by Russell drawing the healing rune twice in quick succession and pointing it towards Leonard.
It thankfully neutralized the poison, but it simply didn't have enough power to heal him, leaving a bleeding hole on his torso, broken ribs and a crumpled wing... Russell wasn't faring much better, having a hind leg completely broken, twice, and large claw marks across his chest.
Down on the ground, his own robe stained red, Russell decided to gamble the last of his energy in what could very well be a bust. Leonard made a similar choice.
There are a few old poems, written in an ancient tongue that few still know, that dated back to the era of Leonard's mother.
Within the depths of the canyon, the towering fires announce the domain of the Gold dragon god.
Cutting through the winds, with a gaze that could freeze your soul, the Black dragon god soars.
Neither one was very artistic, or even good, but it was an old language from an age full of parables and the like. They had deducted that it meant Earth, Fire and Light for the first, and Wind, Water and Dark for the second; the words themselves indicated the specific rune.
With almost-automatic strokes that came from practice, and a swiftness that came from adrenaline, both of them completed their spells. Feeling the rush of energy of a successful spell, they closed their eyes and pointed their horns at the beast.
Two great lights, one gold, the other purple, shot high into the air past the canopy of the forest, where they each took the shape of a long, serpentine dragon. They roared and dove back down, slamming into the manticore and sending it flying against the rocks, causing more to dislodge and land on it, injuring further to the point it prefered to retreat.
Both dragons rose to the skies again, intertwined, and faded away. At the same time, two heads came to rest at the ground, and the eyes in them closed, demanding sleep.
Having roared well above the treeline, the dragons could be heard further than within the oppressive darkness of the forest, and heard they were. A certain lavender unicorn even saw the liberation of energy that came from such a potent spell casted by two great, if tired and injured, wizards.
This had not been part of the plan, but it would be fine as long as they were found... who wouldn't, after such a display?
"Bravo!" A grey mare clapped her hooves as the performer bowed to her audience.
"Thank you, aunt Sue." The other mare, a grey ('goldish gray' her dad insisted) earth pony with a treble clef cutie mark, smiled warmly at her relatives. Her cello supporting her weight, standing on her hind legs, a loving audience, the deep notes coursing through her body... it was a fantastic feeling.
"It was so kind of you to drop by, Octavia." A brown earth pony stallion said. "You must be very busy."
"Nonsense, uncle Clyde!" The mare waved a hoof, still holding her bow, dismissively. "One can never be too busy for family. I was making my way back home, so it isn't any trouble."
"Well, what about your friend?" Aunt Sue looked past the window to where a white unicorn mare was petting the... huge wolf-like creature Inkie and Blinkie found around the farm, attracted (or so it seemed) by the deep music of Octavia's cello. Octavia said it was as large as a stallion named "Big Macintosh - and he honors the name" from Ponyville.
"She insisted, actually, once I told her you lived here." Octavia replied, seeing her flatmate play around with the brown-furred wolf. "And I don't think she minds too much, in any case."
Outside, Vinyl waved a small stick around with her magic, but didn't actually throw it. For some odd reason, the hound was transfixed by the glowing stick, even its tail stopped wagging.
"You like magic, eh?" She said, amused at seeing such a large creature utterly mesmerized by something so simple.
"Arf!" The dog barked its response and licked the unicorn, making her drop the stick; the hound quickly picked it up in its jaws.
"So... not only you have skin tough as a rock, you show up with what looks like a turtle made of rocks, but you also have tastes?" She asked, and the wolf barked in response, throwing the stick.
Vinyl picked it up. "Well, remind me that I have to show you this one unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, she's got some impressive magic!"
To her surprise, the hound shook its head and bumped its nose against her head, above her shades.
"You... like me?" She asked, and got another bark, then the hound turned and barked towards the house. "And you like Octy as well?"
She got another bark.
"OK, first, that other unicorn here falls ill out of the blue, you show up and your friend starts following Tavi's cousins, and now you want to follow us." She got nuzzled by the wolf. "This is shaping up to be an interesting day."
"I'm going to call you... Treble!" She said, feeling the wolf's tough skin against hers. "Strange, once I said that, I got the idea that you'd look wicked awesome in purple!"
*****
Zecora poured some soup on a bowl, then presented it to her guests.
One of the guests, a walking mushroom, shook its head, accidentally sprinkling some spores on the floor of the hut.
The second guest, a large, black bat with its head vaguely in the shape of a "Y", declined as well. The bat had a bandage wrapped around its head from where the zebra had given it a good whack. That was what it got for going right at her like that; Zecora had been living in the forest for a long time now, and expertly hit it right in the middle of its eyes with her staff.
The zebra looked at the bat... wondering why a creature of magic had appeared like so, and where had it come from. It was odd, and the way it submitted like it never had attacked in the first place... she couldn't help but feel like it was linked to the new presence permeating the forest. It was just there, doing nothing but feed these creatures.
Wait, now it IS doing something - it's being pulled! It was being desperately pulled by two other... uh oh, that felt like whoever it is is trying something in a 'do-or-die' mentality.
And then there was an echoing pair of roars.
*****
The rush of blood in her ears somehow didn't drown out the sound of her friends' hooves pounding the ground besides her. Twilight knew - somehow- that what they had just seen was important, that she just had to investigate it without delay!
The group of ponies plus one black-purple aura creature bonded to Fluttershy approached the cliff that had fallen during the Nightmare Moon incident. At the bottom, through the trees and bushes, she could make out two small lights, one golden, the other purple. They were too small and dim.
Swallowing a lump, she noted that, while they were pony-shaped, they were of a defined color instead of the rainbow-flecked white of the ponies she had seen until now. She nevertheless pushed her sprint a little further, ignoring the small scratches from the greenery around her to the best of her ability, before jumping through the last one and into the clearing.
Then another light burst from the bushes in the opposite direction.
Before them stood a dragon, standing taller than Celestia, with gleaming red scales and all thick muscles and sinew and snake-sleek curves.
How did she miss that she didn't know, even if she had discovered the ability to partially see creatures through some objects less than an hour ago and had yet to get used to the idea.
What she didn't miss was the dragon standing on edge and giving a quick glance to the ponies-
Rarity screamed, and Fluttershy gasped in surprise. The smell of blood wafted over them and Twilight finally realized that the sinking feeling in her gut was justified.
A colt and a stallion lying in pools of blood.
Then, the dragon was over the pair.
"Hey! Stay away from them!" Rainbow Dash yelled, shooting forwards to tackle the creature.
Unfortunately for her, it proved as effective as the last time she had attacked a dragon.
The ancient creature met Dash's hooves with claws -oddly enough, sporting five digits- and a small flare of red coursed through the dragon's frame as the collision happened; the arms took the impact like it was nothing, then pushed the pegasus back with enough force to toss her clear over the treeline.
Applejack was the next to react, unfortunately in the same way Dash had. This time the dragon was more prepared, and sucked in a large breath; Applejack darted to the side in anticipation... but the dragon was older and more experienced, and was ready for that, blowing the fireball in such a way that it hit the ground in front of Applejack in an explosion of dirt and smoke.
Leonard opened his eyes, seeing little more than a blur of colors around the unmistakable presence of his mother... the blurs were dodging fireballs.
He was not going to let anyone hurt her.
His foreleg twitched once, then twice, then rose to scratch the dirt in a well-practiced combination, while trying to gather what power he could from the environment. His horn was surrounded by a black aura and focused on the largest of the foreign presences.
Twilight felt the magic shift, and dropped to the ground a second before an orb of shadows streaked past her - it wouldn't have hit her anyways, but there was no mistaking it was aimed at her. She hopped back on all fours, before jumping to the side as another ball shot at her - this one falling short of the right distance.
Then Applejack and Rainbow Dash found their attack interrupted when four rock pillars shot up between them and the dragon. Twilight and Rarity saw that they were constructs of brown energy, rather than completely-solid rock.
The injured ponies struggled to stand, and the colors around the purple-clad one began to swirl. "Stay... away... from my mother!" He shouted, what energy he had left moved violently before abruptly stopping with his collapse.
"You're going to have to get past us first." The yellow stallion's tone was severe, despite -or perhaps, because- of his condition.
"What!?" The ponies were shocked, and looked at the panting dragon in disbelief.
She, for her part, fell on all fours and tried to catch her breath seeing the ponies back down. With a trembling hand, she ripped open the remains of Leonard's robe...
The wing below hung limply, a hole could be seen, bleeding, and some very obviously broken bones. The colorful equines gasped in surprise yet again, whispering among themselves - though she could still understand things like 'he has wings too' and 'how is it possible?'.
She snorted in anger, but retained enough sense to know that the ones that attacked her didn't have anything to do with it - it was hard to make claw marks with hooves or use flat teeth as fangs, after all. She didn't have to like the idea she just had, but options were rather limited.
"They need help." She slid her arms gently around her son, and carefully stood with him on her grasp. "Hurry!"
They looked at her warily, but the orange one supported Russell while the white one tore his robe and levitated some sticks for a makeshift splint for his leg. The Sage-turned-pony grunted as it was applied, but it was either that, or having it hang and be a torment while moving. The rest of the formerly-white garment became bandages to keep pressure on his chest wound.
Even if she was exhausted, she couldn't help but notice... Leonard was light... so very, very light. In spite of her tiredness, she felt she could keep carrying him forever... was it because of his new body? Her strength? She could hardly recall a time Leonard had felt that delicate that didn't involve him being small enough to fit in her hand.
It took her a second to notice that the purple unicorn and the yellow pegasus were apologizing, but she just grunted and told them to start moving. The wraith floating next to the pink-haired mare was a surprise, if only because it hadn't attacked at all, which meant that either she never saw them as enemies, or she was so scared she commanded it to stay near her for protection.
She would take what she could.
Apparently, a friend of theirs lives somewhere near, and should be able to provide help.
"Save the talk for later." She grunted once more, partially because the muscles in her legs felt as if on fire. "I didn't survive all this just to lose my son."
Rainbow Dash cringed, guilt evident on her face. She could only swallow it down for now and keep going.
Some of the forest's inhabitants made noise in the distance.
The aged dragon in the group took no chances; she roared with the barely-contained rage of an angry mother with an injured child, and everything fell quiet around them.
Fluttershy barely reacted, much to her own surprise; there had been many parallels between that roar and that of a mother bear protecting her cub... heck, it even made her feel an odd sense of security.
A dragon and a mother at the same time; nothing was foolish enough to pick a fight like that.
The wraith, black bat, and mushroom paced back and forth in a patrol-like manner, having understood the intent behind their masters' words of concern. The hut was additionally protected by... something. She could smell it. It felt like magic, but not any magic she was used to, and the walls also had a strange smell to them.
The blue mare, Rainbow Dash, and the orange one, Applejack, were also keeping guard.
She could tell they wanted to talk, but also didn't want to disturb her rest. She held on to her son's belongings, as well as Russell's; it gave her an odd sense of comfort, like if she was next to him.
Inside, Twilight held Leonard's wing in her magic.
"I... I'm going to have to set it before we move on to the hole." They were acting quickly; the wounds needed to be treated professionally, but they could not simply carry the pair in their state. The poor colt kept gasping and seemed to lose focus on the way.
Leonard grunted in reply, slightly better now that he wasn't being carried, and tried to loosen his muscles. Under Fluttershy's directions, Twilight shifted the wing.
He growled, but fought the impulse to jerk away his wing, then slumped, exhausted from that last effort of will.
Zecora was cleaning Russell's injuries after Rarity extracted the splinters, double-checking to see that none got overlooked. He would need stitches, and seeing a doctor about the broken bones was simply common sense.
"We are going to move you to the hospital." Fluttershy cooed, holding Leonard's hoof as Twilight did her best to bandage his side.
'The Everfree isn't safe.' Twilight thought, angry at the state the two ponies were in. 'There are a lot of places that aren't safe... I should do something.'
'I need to do something.' She furrowed her brow in determination. 'I need to make the world safe for my sis- huh?'
She recoiled as Zecora pressed a small cotton ball with disinfectant to a cut on her face; then she shook her head, suddenly light-headed. She quickly got back to the task at hoof, concentrating deeply on it as Zecora tended to her in turn, to the point that she forgot what she had thought about and even what she had realized.
She never had a sister.
*****
Fleur de Lis blinked.
The... winged... whatever didn't move or react. It was shaped like a comma, with dark shading and a large 'X' on its... head? It also sported a halo.
It didn't seem to do anything other than follow her ever since she had found it around the larger of flower patches in the property. When Fancy had said that they would have a refreshing change of pace in his summer home she wasn't quite expecting to find a... whatever that was.
It didn't look like it meant any harm, but she still insisted that Fancy sent a letter back to Canterlot.
Hers would be one of hundreds, albeit not as interesting as the one about a jet-black dragon-like creature, or the one Shining Armor sent about a huge golden golem and a golden dragon; it was, however, the only one that had perfume sprayed on it.
A little consideration for a stressful matter.
*****
Dear Prince My dearest and most esteemed Teacher:
Please excuse the lateness of my reply; there have been many discoveries in quick succession and pressing events that demanded our involvement.
I saw it.
Just as I can see the gold cloud around Canterlot, a patch of brown over Sweet Apple Acres, green around Cloudsdale and an ominous black and purple from the depths of the Everfree Forest. The auras of living beings behave in certain ways according to their mood, and are of different colors according to their nature; while most ponies have white ones with flecks of rainbow colors, Spike's is an intense, hot red. These auras have strange interactions with one another, depending on the relationship between the owners. Further observations pending.
Shortly after sending you the last letter, there were some events happening in quick succession.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders barreled into the market along a strange creature that behaves like a dog; it resembles a box with dog features more than a dog itself. It, too, had an aura, albeit colorless; this dog bonded with Applebloom and Applejack. There are even more strange creatures, like bats and walking mushrooms, that I have never seen before.
Attached to this letter are pictures of the diverse creatures, usually standing besides whoever bonded with them. Noted on the back are the names we were given for each creature, as well as some of their more notorious characteristics.
Yes, that means that Fluttershy bonded with the ominous scythe-armed creature, apparently called a 'Wraith', a more powerful form of the 'Ghost' creature.
The reason we know the names is because of a pair of ponies that appeared inside what seems to be the old castle.
If what they are saying is true, then they weren't always ponies. They came from another world, as did this new magic and the creatures. I was unable to learn more about them, however, since they were in dire need of medical attention after being attacked in the Everfree Forest; we kept them talking to keep them conscious, which was the source of our new knowledge.
We found them because of a powerful spell they cast. The aura of the environment, or 'mana', was pulled towards them and turned into a pair of large magical constructs that resembled dragons, which, due to their proximity to the town, could be seen and heard.
The younger pony is... an alicorn. More or less. He has dragon wings, and his horn is curved not unlike Sombra's; his aura is the same dark purple of the Everfree, and uses Darkness magic. He, however, doesn't give off that sensation of rage and intimidation that Sombra had - unless his mother was being threatened, then it was sharp like a sword and almost toxic. He is the son of a dragon, whom is now sleeping off her exhaustion in front of the hospital, waiting for her son to recover from multiple broken ribs, a broken wing, and several other injuries. Apparently, he can command these new monsters with greater ease because his mother is one of them - no, I have yet to discover any of the hows or the whys, but apparently there is a spell to capture the creatures and bond them to a wizard.
The older one is a unicorn stallion. His injuries include a broken leg and several bite and claw marks. His aura is golden, like Canterlot's, and even in his weakened state feels... strong; when he thought they were in danger, it felt like tempered steel, instead of the chaotic flows that my friends gave off. He uses primarily Light magic, and is the more powerful magic user of the two.
The both of them can command this 'mana'-born magic with incredible ease, and know much more about these monsters than they had the time to tell us, but I shall wait until they recover more properly before making my inquiries.
