Prologue: Begin the Song

Warm light flickered from the campfire as the Crusaders and twins settled down for another "night" in the abandoned dragon cave. Noises and smells came in from the entrance some hundreds of hoofsteps away, but the tired ponies paid them no attention, having long since learned the foalishnness of trusting any senses outside the Everfree. As the older mares pulled out tattered blankets which could almost have once been capes or parts of dresses, one of the twins, Pound Cake, spoke up.

"Miss Belle, could you sing us a song?"

Sweetie Belle sighed, smiling at the foal. It had become a ritual of sorts, singing songs to drown out the maddening and chaotic noises before going to bed, but it still held meaning for the mare. After all, singing was her talent, even if her cutie mark had been seared off by the "falling star joke" Lord Discord had pulled on the outskirts of the Forest years ago.

She had already run through her repertoire of what she considered foal-appropriate songs, however, so she gently asked, "What song would you like to hear, Pound?"

The foal thought for a moment, then complained, "I can't decide, Miss Belle! All your songs are good!"

The unicorn giggled softly at the compliment, but before she could reply the red-headed Earth Pony across from her spoke up.

"Sing us the one about our home, Sweetie."

She glanced over to the speaker in mild dismay. Of the Everfree Crusaders, Apple Bloom had taken the loss of just about everypony in Equestria outside the Everfree the hardest. Sweetie Belle felt that she for her own part had dealt appropriately enough with the “loss” oft her older sister and estranged parents. The twins had been too young to understand much and had long since accepted being raised by the Crusaders as something normal, and Scootaloo... was Scootaloo.

The purple-maned pegasus had always been the most adventurous of them all, even before they had Cutie Marks, and despite all the warning signs she had taken her scooter as far as the Whitetail Woods chasing her once-loyal idol nearly at the cost of her life and sanity before turning back. She had been stone-faced ever since the Last Day, but Sweetie Belle thought she already dealt with her emotions about the situation privately. At least she had stopped throwing food into the little altar she had built, and was willing to let the zebra Zecora keep her idol’s feather for her. Apple Bloom, though, had been going in and out of depression for what must have been years, even refusing to answer to the name of “Apple” for a while before conceding that it was the name she was given and she damn well should honor the memory of her family by using it, and Sweetie was worried the Earth Pony might be suffering another relapse.

"Apple... a-are you sure you want to hear that one? I mmean, I don't think that's... appropriate for-"

"We all need to hear it, Sweetie" interrupted a voice.

As everypony turned to see who was speaking, Scootaloo calmly came forward from out of the side cave where she had been checking on the supplies. There was a look of sadness mixed with determination on the pegasus's face. "The twins are going to have to learn about their, our, everypony's past eventually."

Sweetie Belle swallowed. The orange pegasus rarely spoke, but when she did it truly meant she was serious. THe white unicorn glanced back and forth between the twins and the mares uneasily, but with both the other Crusaders agreeing on this, and the foals looking up to her, she couldn't find any other argument against the song. With a resigned sigh, she nodded. "All right then." As Apple bloom pulled Pound Cake close and draped a blanket over Pumpkin Cake, Sweetie took a breath, and began to sing.

Far over the Canterlot Mountains tall,
To Luna's Keep, Celestia's Hall.
Timberwolves howl in the dark;
The Dragons come, leaving their mark.
The clouds turn pink,
Our spirits sink,
Equestria falls to Discord's might...

Chapter 1: Equestria's Fall

Chapter 1: Equestria’s Fall

It had begun like any other day. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were at the park again, trying to get “awesomeness” cutie marks, and they seemed to be having mild success for the first time. Things started going wrong when the clouds turned pink. Then the grass turned into razor-sharp blades, turning the lush hills into bloodied killing fields, and everything went to the Moon.

It was Scootaloo’s idea to use the scooter and wagon to pull her friends back to the clubhouse, but when the orange pegasus saw a grayish rainbow blur speed away from Canterlot in the direction of Cloudsdale, she couldn’t just turn her back. She knew her hero would never have abandoned her, and she wasn't about to do the same to her hero.

Dropping her friends off at what she judged to be a safe location, she sped off after her mentor. As soon as she was within hearing range she yelled up to the oddly grayed out pegasus.

“Dash!”

The figure looked down at her, an expression of desperation giving way partially to annoyance. “Go away, Scoots, can’t you see I’m busy here?”

The filly wasn’t deterred. “I want to help you! What’s going on? Why is your coat grey? Wh-”

Rainbow Dash’s only reply was to fly even faster, beating her wings desperately as if every second counted. Scootaloo kept following as best as she could, confused but determined to help her mentor.

They had barely passed Carousel Boutique when the Sun vanished from the sky. At exactly the same instance the ground suddenly lost traction, and Scootaloo faceplanted in a pile of... soap?

She barely had time to register all this before a loud roar came out of the second story window of the Boutique. A light-colored figure leaped out, and the filly almost thought it might be Opalescence until it landed on the ground in front of her, claws scratching deep grooves in the soapy road. The sun chose this extremely appropriate moment to reappear, and Scootaloo found herself staring at the ravenous face of what she recognized as a white tiger wearing Opalescence’s bow.

The filly screamed, flapping her wings desperately and leaping back just in time to avoid being torn in two by the creature’s gigantic claws. As she jumped onto her scooter and began desperately attempting to fly away, she screamed out to her hero.

“Dash! Help me! Please!” There were tears in her eyes as she chased the increasingly grey rainbow.

The screams for help caused the pegasus to slow down, looking back. Indecision and pain washed over her face, and Scootaloo pumped her wings faster, hoping that by coming closer Dash might give her a lift. Just as she came within reach, however, the mare turned away, tears streaking her face as she resumed her desperate course.

Scootaloo stared as her friend, her role model, her hero, flew away, tears streaming after her even as her coat became nearly grey scale. Even the rabid tiger stalking her was forgotten for a moment. She didn’t feel anger. She didn’t feel horror. The hole burning deep into her heart hurt too much to be either of those feelings. She felt betrayed.

-----

Sweetie Belle chased after Apple Bloom, calling out after the Earth pony as they ran through what once was Sweet Apple Acres.

“Apple! We have to run! There’s nothing we can do!”

“Shut up! Don’t you talk about mah family like that! Big Mac wouldn’ta left the plow in the fields like that. Somethin’s happend to mah family, an’ Ah ain-”

The fillies slid to a halt in horror as the farmhouse came into view. Granny smith was doing a jig all over the front yard on her hind legs, her hip clearly broken and turning her cutie mark into a horrible bruise the size of an apple even as tears of pain streamed down her madly grinning face. Winona was frantically pawing at her own body as if it didn’t belong to her, and Big Macintosh was nowhere to be seen.

Apple Bloom couldn’t move. Even when Big Mac burst out of the ground in front of her and BARKED, it was like she had lost a staring contest with a cockatrice. It wasn’t until Sweetie Belle bit down on her tail and started dragging her away that she snapped out of it, kicking and crying.

“Let me go!” screamed the traumatized fill, trying to buck the unicorn in the face. Sweetie belle shook her head, pulling even harder as they slowly moved away from the scene.

“There’s nothing you can do, Apple!” she said as clearly as she could, refusing to let go. “We have to go!”

“Ah’m not leavin’ mah family!!”

The filly’s tearful wailing made the unicorn hesitate for a split second, but before Apple Bloom could escape Sweetie bit down even harder and resumed her course.

“I am not going to tell Scootaloo that I left you to a fate worse than death, Apple Bloom, and so help me Celestia and Luna I am going to drag you all the way to Zecora’s house all by myself if I have to!”

The earth pony stopped struggling in confusion, letting the unicorn drag her unhindered for a moment.

“Zecora?” she asked, fear creeping into her voice. “We’re going into the Everfree Forest?” She started to walk on her own now, but Sweetie kept her tail clamped tightly between her teeth. “Why?”

The unicorn didn’t answer, instead pulling and indicating for them to move faster. It was very fortunate that Apple Bloom didn’t protest, because that was when an orange blur flew up to them, grinding to a stop barely a hoof away and revealing a terrified, crying Scootaloo. Sweetie let go of the earth pony’s tail and bucked. Caught off guard, the filly gave a little squeak of surprise and fell into the red wagon miraculously still attached to the scooter the pegasus was riding. Sweetie wasted no time jumping in herself. As soon as both fillies were seated she screamed, “Go!”

Scootaloo didn’t need any encouragement. Even as she frantically started flapping her stunted wings again, a white tiger tore over the hill behind them, letting loose a roar that rivaled Luna’s voice. The three terrified Crusaders fled in the only direction that didn’t lead to death or madness- the Everfree Forest.

Now that they were all facing it, it didn’t take a genius for the fillies to realize the reason behind Sweetie’s insistence on going into the Everfree. Even as chaotic colors and sounds flew from the increasingly hostile world around the three ponies, the forest they were fast approaching stood oddly still, almost welcoming in comparison to what was behind them. As soon as they burst across the boundary between the trees and the now-checkered hill, however, the forest reminded them exactly why it was tradition for ponies to fear it. A root crawling across the unmarked path caught on one of the scooter’s wheels, sending the fillies flying into a shallow ravine. They landed in a pile of multicolored limbs and manes, quickly pulling themselves apart and getting to their hooves as they backed away from the forest edge.

Just outside the forest, the white tiger paced back and forth, white foam dripping from its mouth. Just as it seemed to make up its mind to cross over, its ears perked up and it stared into the forest behind the fillies. All three Crusaders turned their ears slightly, trying to hear what had given the terrifying creature pause, but too afraid to break eye contact with it.

They all heard it. A howl, the same sound that always announced Zap Apple Season. It was normally a welcome sound for the Apple family, but Apple Bloom was shaking in fear. It was the howl of a timberwolf. From the sound, it was barely a hundred hoofsteps behind them. The white tiger stopped pacing, its eyes dilating in terror, and fled back towards Ponyville, each step making a different sound. The sight would have been hilarious if it weren’t for the fact that timberwolf chose just that time to leap out of the bushes, sharp wooden teeth biting ravenously.

The fillies screamed again and fled, but remembering the encounter with the cockatrice they fled together, and in a focused direction. Scootaloo got to the wagon first, quickly flipping it over and reattaching the scooter. The timberwolf howled again and burst through the bushes right behind Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, but thankfully missed, leaving just a knife-like gash across Sweetie’s rear right leg. The pain was almost enough to make her fall, but her Earth Pony friend grabbed her by the mane and pulled her onto the wagon just in time as they sped away.

As they sped through the forest, the growling timberwolf behind them was joined with howls coming from all directions. Scootaloo took a moment to glance back at her friends and assess the situation, and immediately regretted it. There was blood everywhere. If the wagon wasn’t red already it would have had red polka-dots on it now. Blood was flowing from the lacerated leg, large drops of Sweetie’s life falling onto the wagon with every bump. Tears were streaming from her face as she desperately tried to keep from screaming like her big sister always told her to.

The distraction and shock proved to be a mistake, and another root caught on the scooter, this time slamming them into a sheer rock cliff. The last thing Scootaloo saw before hitting the rock was a black and white figure leaping off the cliff from above and landing between them and the pack of timberwolves.

Chapter 2: The Wisdom of Zecora

Chapter 2: The Wisdom of Zecora

“...A radish leaf does not a good brew make...
But quiet now, I see your friend’s awake.”

Scootaloo groaned and opened her eyes. She could barely see through the throbbing pain, but the smell of strange herbs and the rhyming, melodious voice told her she was in Zecora’s hut. The zebra in question trotted over and gently placed a bow of green liquid in front of the pegasus. The filly carefully tried to feel the area where her head had met the cliff, but rather than meeting a rough mane and somewhat soft fur, her hoof made contact with several layers of bandages. She tried making a face as she felt moisture, only to stop when the effort just pulled on the wound underneath. Looking up, she opened her mouth to talk, but the zebra stopped her with a raised hoof.

“Although your wounds are mostly mended,
You’re not as healed as I’d intended.
This potion green will ease your pain,
But wait until you’re well again.
For speaking now would only make
Your head and body both to ache.”

The pegasus nodded as well as she could without making her headache worse and sipped the potion. Almost immediately the pounding decreased to an almost bearable level. Sighing deeply, she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

----

Apple Bloom waited for her friend to resume resting before collecting the bowl. Of the three fillies, she was the only one not physically hurt, so it fell to her to watch over the others. She didn’t mind; the work kept her mind occupied, and she was desperate for an excuse to think of anything other than... that.

She shook her head and kicked herself, refusing to let her mind wander down that path. There would be time to break down later; right now, her friends needed her. As Zecora gently replaced Scootaloo’s bandages, the Earth Pony wiped off the bowl she was carrying and carefully refilled it with a ladle of potion from the bubbling cauldron sitting in the middle of the room. She carried the substance to the white unicorn lying in another corner. The filly’s expression visibly brightened at Apple Bloom’s approach, but it quickly turned dark with worry as she glanced over at the sleeping pegasus

“How is she?” asked Sweetie Belle. The Earth Pony grunted.

“About as good as Zecora’s potions can make her. How’s yer leg?” The filly motioned at the somewhat freshly bandaged limb.

“A lot better than it was before,” the unicorn admitted, “although the bandages are going to need changing soon. Where’s Zecora?”

Apple Bloom looked around. “She was just here a moment ago.” She thought about going outside to look but stopped, thinking about the creatures that waited beyond the door. Getting eaten, or worse, wasn’t on her agenda at the moment, especially not right after escapting that fate a day or so ago.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to dwell on that dilemma for long, and the kindly zebra came in from a back door carrying an odd assortment of vegetable and fungal matter. Although Apple Bloom would usually have no problem with this, a flash of blue drew her attention like a magnet to the straw saddlebags the herbalist set down on a low table. It only took a glance to identify the vile plant. It was Poison Joke.

The filly gaped as Zecora carefully used a pair of hoofmade tongs to place the toxic leaves in a stone pestle. Setting down the tool, she then proceeded to drop in what looked like truthflower seeds and a few strange dotted mushrooms. Satisfied with the small pile of herbs, the zebra picked up a mortar from a shelf and began slowly crushing the materials into a smooth paste.

Apple Bloom watched in awe as the mixture began smoking and bubbling on its own. Just as she thought it might spill over, Zecora whisked over to a tall jar, scooping up some glimmering dust from the very bottom and carefully sprinkling some into the frothing potion. As if by magic the bubbling ceased, the angry red hue of the mixture giving way to a gentle, orderly deep blue color. Satisfied with the result, Zecora reached into a nearby drawer, pulling out a funnel and some glass vials. She picked up the pestle with a surprisingly gentle movement, given that she was using her teeth, and carefully poured a few drops of the liquid into each vial. As soon as the last drops left the implement, the zebra set it down on the counter and swiftly corked the vials, taking care to make sure the liquid was sealed tightly.

Apple Bloom was unable to keep her curiosity inside any longer.

“Miss Zecora, what potion is that? Ah ain’t never seen nothin’ like that before!”

The zebra only smiled mysteriously.

“A potion blue to help your quests,
When next you face Lord Discord’s tests.”

Her smile faded into a serious expression as her rhyme ended.

The filly thought about the explanation, then shook her head in frustration.

“That ain’t answer anythin’! Couldn’t you just say outright waht it is?”

The playful grin came back onto Zecora’s face, and she put on a mock disappointed expression.

“Dear Apple Bloom, you are no mule;
What lands indeed did Discord rule?”

The filly blinked, confused. She thought back to what little she had learned before... She knocked a hoof against her forehead; that wasn’t relevant. Why would geography have anything to do with a potion? And what... Then it hit her.

“Equestria,” she whispered in a hushed voice. “He only ever ruled over Equestria!”

Zecora smiled at her, a fierce glint in her eyes.

“His armies mad did bring much pain,
But never did our lands he gain...”

“An’ the zebras must’a brewed some sorta anti-Discord potion or somethin’!”

The herbalist chuckled softly.

“Indeed; it kept our soldiers sane
‘Till the Sisters brought peace again.”

Apple Bloom felt a spark of hope in her heart. For the first time they had a wa to fight Discord’s power! Then she looked at the five tiny vials, and her face fell.

“But... there’s so little...”

Zecora nodded sadly.

“That is correct, dear Apple Bloom.
Though many herbs are in this room,
‘Tis not a plant this potion needs:
Not flowers white nor berry-seeds,
But Diamond Dust, a precious thing
Found only where the Diamond Dogs sing.”

Apple Bloom blinked in confusion, and said, “Zecora, Diamond Dogs don’t sing.”

The zebra only shook her head, a strange, distant look in her eyes.

“No more in day do they appear,
Surrounded now by stone cliffs sheer,
But once their songs, hearty and loud
Did echo in great feast halls proud.”

The filly tried imagining the dark, dank tunnels and mines she heard about as royal halls and made a face. It was as silly as putting up ribbons in a mine to beautify it. Still, as she began thinking about the stone halls like foundations for a castle, she could almost see the majestic passages of polished granite, carpeted against the cold and lit with endless rows of glowing lanterns.

A quiet nostalgia was slowly replaced by a gnawing fear. If Diamond Dust could only be gathered in those halls, the mineral would probably be guarded jealously by hundreds of Dogs. She reminded herself the Dogs had probably descended into barbarism centuries ago, and she shuddered to think what they’d do to a few helpless fillies trying to steal their Dust.

Her hindlegs buckled, and she sat down in despair at the thought of it. Zecora waited patiently for her to speak.

“We don’t have nearly enough potion to do ANYTHING in Equestria... but we’re not strong enough to fight for the Dust you need...”

A snort stopped her line of thought, and she looked at the zebra, a puzzled expression on her face. Zecora only buried her face in a hoof.

“Dear filly, kingless though they be,
Some will still use diplomacy.”

“Oh,” replied the earth pony, looking down in embarrassment at having so quickly made assumptions of an entire species. Still, the prospect of diplomacy with such creatures frightened her, and not just because of the stories she had heard about them. She remembered the last time she had tried to... do a business transaction, and she didn’t look forward to botching such an important event. Still, she couldn’t just put all the danger and responsibility on Zecora. She looked up at the zebra.

“How soon would you need the Diamond Dust? I think everypony here would like to help get it, but the diamond fields are a long ways away even before everything, and Sweetie Belle might not be able to walk that far for weeks!”

The herbalist smiled.

“It has been long since I could walk
In granite halls simply to talk,
But soon before the clouds turned pink,
I fixed our diplomatic link.
Tomorrow night they’ll come to speak;
In Everfree, His strength is weak.”

“They’re coming here?” the filly squeaked. She trusted the zebra, but there was a large gap between believing that the creatures which had always been described to her as evil were reasonable and actually having them in the same room as her. She only hoped the other Crusaders were ready to have a whole new perspective on the creatures who had once kidnapped an older sister and a hero’s friend.