The southern deserts of Equestria are rich in untapped culture and legend. It had only been a couple of decades since the banishment of Princess Luna that journeys to officially explore the unknown have begun. During this time, the economic state of Canterlot was at an all time low, with the only thing keeping the kingdom alive was it's long-running mining industry, but even that was starting to decline. So as word of legends originating from the native buffalos of the deserts hit the silent towns of early Equestria, several ponies came flocking to the desert to seek out the legends and riches. Shortly, myths and legends the settler ponies spoke came around, most of the time becoming mixed with buffalo lore. Many wonder, what was the first legend of the settlers? Some would say that it is lost in the retellings and mixed cultures of the ponies and buffalos. However, the descendants of some of the earliest settlers know what the very first legend, the story that was told amongst the earliest of settler ponies. This is the legend of the Ghost Pony; the Spirit of Redemption...

The legend of the Ghost Pony begins one hundred years after the fabled banishment of the queen of the night, when the city lands had become stricken with poverty throughout. When rumors of treasures hidden in the distant sands began to rose after early explorers entered the deserts of the South, it spreaded like wildfire in every direction imaginable. At this time, a poor mare gave birth to thirteen black sickly unicorns, the youngest of these children being Blaze Rider, and this is his story. Having their father died in the mines shortly after the twelve brothers were born, the young Rider Brothers had to work in the coal mines while their sick mother slowly died away. The brothers constantly fought one another, but their mother was there before they killed each other.

However, before the first born brother could get his first tooth, their mother passed away as well, leaving them by themselves in the untamed world of city life. Without a guide to break up their fights, they were quickly fired from the mines, leaving the thirteen unemployed and homeless. One by one, the unicorns turned to a life of crime, with only Blaze keeping to his mother’s words of righteousness and loyalty. The rumors of treasure in the desert soon hit the town and the brothers took this opportunity and went out on the hunt for riches in the unexplored lands. They headed towards Stampeding Mesa and began to mine there, using their prior experience as fillies.

They mined, day and night, searching for a fortune, only to get angrier and angrier with each other. Many lost their minds, turning against the group and trying to eliminate each other. Blaze kept quiet during these conflicts, but was scarred by the violence and abuse the brothers gave to each other and him. Years later, when only seven brothers remained, while mining, they came across a massive vein of Foal’s Gold, but due to the insanity that build over the years, they believed it was real gold. Blaze’s remaining brothers shoved him into a small dried ravine as they ran back into the mine to collect the gold. For an entire week, the poor unicorn starved and dehydrated in his prison, trying to find a way out. Finally, having enough of this torture and wanting the gold to himself, Blaze mustered all his might and crawled out of the canyon and pushed a bunch of large boulders at the entrance of the mine. While his brothers continued to dig deeper for more gold, Blaze loaded the covered wagon with as much of his brothers’ gold he could steal and shoved the boulders over the mine entrance, sealing them in.

They all died from each other within a week with the only remaining pony of the Rider family being Blaze, but this glory never lasted long. A tornado torched in fire, claimed to be sent by the gods, swept over the land, taking Blaze with it. But instead of killing the unicorn, the flaming tornado burnt off his flesh, his wagon, and his Foal’s Gold. He looked upon the eye of the tornado and saw the dastardly deed he did as his eyes turned to dust. When the sandstorm died down, all that was left of Blaze was a skeleton with his soul trapped inside. For decades, the skeleton spirit traveled across the badlands, searching for some reason why he’s this and not suffering for his crimes in Tartarus.

Until one night, a hundred years later, while looking upon the buried mine in which his brothers lay, he came across a group of settler ponies. He witnesses as a pink Earth Pony mare being attacked by her six brothers and noticing a pair of wooden coffins in the back of the wagon. Seeing that she was just like him, hundreds of years ago, at that moment, Blaze knew his destiny, and fire erupted across his bones as his charged at the confrontation, looking for a fight. Blaze stood between the mare and the attackers and upon seeing the flaming spirit, the six brothers turned to stone from total shock. The mare then asked for the hero’s name after witnessing this selfless act, he turned to her and said,

“I was once a black-hearted sinner, a killer, but now I am, and forever will be a savior of the desert. A pony that shall smite the wicked and provide the light of which I lacked. I am the Ghost Pony, the Spirit of Redemption.” With that said, he ran off into the sunrise, off to redeem himself and to this day, they say that he continues to wander the desert, searching for more lost souls to save. They say that if you look upon Stampeding Mesa at the final hours of night, you’d have a slim chance of seeing the red glow of the Ghost Pony, running into the East and beyond the horizon…