Thousands of years had passed since Discord's defeat, ushering in the age of peace. The Spirits that once roamed the world are now known to song and myth. One Spirit, however, felt a pull to wake.

The spirit was resting inside one of the last remaining great trees, thinking about his life and asking himself the same questions he always asked. 'Should I retire or return to this world? It has been a great many years since I was sent here, longer than can be counted, surely it is time to retire? This time I believe it may be even warranted.'

He had been in a self-imposed exile for almost a thousand years while recovering from wounds both physical and spiritual that had been dealt to him by a moon stained force that threatened to bring the world to its knees. 'Was it defeated?'

But his original question still remained.

"Should I return to the world?" he asked out loud, stirring the spirits and animals around the great tree he inhabited.

Skies wasn't completely shut off from the world, for if something happened in his forest then he knew something of it, and just like he had promised, he intervened where he could.

However, for the past millennium, he had not been able to physically exert much power except for dropping a branch to frighten someone or raising a vine to hold someone back. On the rare exception when the need was dire he could pull together the leaves, vines, loose branches, and other detritus of the forest into a likeness of himself, an avatar or golem of sorts, allowing him to interact with the world. Unfortunately, such extensive exertions were short-lived and could not be maintained far from his resting place, because it would leave him tired and drained for a time.

One night, however, six mares ventured into his forest in search of an ancient enemy. The same enemy who had wounded him all those years ago.

She was back, altering trees, riling up animals, and generally trying to scare the mares off.

His anger grew at first but evaporated when they dispelled the ghouls by themselves. He paused in his daze, opting to remain, watching and waiting.

The events played out in a way that seemed oddly familiar to him but at the same time alien.

Ultimately, six mares became friends and managed to reunite two long lost sisters.

Incidents like this happened on and off for the next two or three years. At one point there were even some bug ponies that walked through his forest accompanied by their queen, but they didn't stay long so it didn't concern him much.

'Time to stop messing around.' He chided himself. Smiling, he gathered his energy and power so that he could walk amongst ponies once more.

Slowly, pressure built up in the tree before a violent break split the trunk in two.

A loud, resounding snap was heard through the woods surrounding a small pony settlement near the Everfree Forest.

Most of the town's residents stopped what they were doing and looked directly east to the risen sun with expectant or shocked looks, but none were more shocked than a small, yellow Pegasus who had been tending to her garden.

"I wonder what that was...what do you think, Angel?"

The white rabbit shrugged and started to look excited, but shivered a bit as he tried to hide it, which had not gone unnoticed by the trowel-wielding mare.

Then, as if things couldn't get any weirder, all of her woodland creatures ran into the forest as quickly as they could.

She took a second to wonder to herself what in Celestia's name was going on when, after a short moment, many of the animals of Ponyville started streaming past her as well.

"What in Equestria is going on?" she asked before shrugging and figuring that they had a reason.

She did hope that they'd come back soon. They will come back... right?

Animals raced through the forest, they didn't know the path, but they still knew the destination.

Deep within an unknown Forest, bordering on Rumbling Rock Ridge, is a valley known as the Foggy Vale. Hidden from the horizon by mountains, disguised from above by large pines, it is accessible only to those who are allowed to enter by the forest Spirit. It is a sacred place that houses one of the last great Elder trees and something even more precious within, a spirit in exile.

The Elder tree, old and weathered, wore an enormous crack in her trunk. A crack that grew and grew as the Spirit within stirred, trying to awaken. While squirming, memories rushed through his mind. One memory stood out like a torch amidst candles in the darkness, the day one mistake would change his life for thousands of years to come. Old, withered images flashed through his mind of the person he once was.

The memory began hazily, a young man climbs into his car and throws a messenger bag to the passenger seat with disgust. He had just lost another job and he now needed to return to his lousy apartment, in his broken down car, in order to feed his rotten cat. He looked at his final paycheck and gave a breathless laugh before shoving it into his shirt pocket, mumbling to himself about how to achieve success, one has to move past failure. Just, this time the words felt a little more hollow.

He arrived home in a daze. He entered his apartment without bothering to close the door behind him. He grew more and more somber as the clock ticked away the hours. His body straightened quite quickly and a unknown happiness seemed to course through him without any obvious explanation.

Over the next week he gave away many of his belongings, even his grotesquely overweight cat, Meat Muffins.

After disposing of his material possessions, he walked deep into the forest, a thoughtful look on his face, until he came to a ravine. It spoke kind words to him, this maw of the earth told him to relax, be at ease, his troubles were almost finished.

Taking a moment to survey his surroundings, he inhaled slowly before letting it all out in a relaxed stream of air. The rains that pounded his town during the past month left the subtle smell of fresh soil and rain water.

"This is a good place." he said, talking to the tree perched at the edge as if they were old friends.

In the last moments of our life we often think of the things that we will miss. The tree, being an old weathered thing, had the scars of time ravaging its decaying body. As the man ran his hand over the carving of a heart with his initials in it, he remembered love, and loss.

He also thought about his family one last time, the same one he was leaving behind. His mother and father had been abusive. Regretting having kids, they left the young man to act as a rock for his sisters and brothers to lean upon. As for the parents themselves, both were now gone because of how they lived their lives in squalor, eventually it catches you. The man wanted to hate them, but didn't, he pitied them instead.

He pulled out a photo from his pocket, a photo of him and his five siblings, younger children he had raised in lieu of real parents. The picture had been sparked by his catching of a large fish during a competition. Once he had taken it in, his sister had thought it a great idea to capture the moment as a family. They were grown now though, some with their own families, and didn't need him anymore.

Shoving the picture deep into his pocket once more, he heaved deep and began to fashion the noose. His hands fought the actions, but continued anyway.

With one last sigh he wrapped it around his neck, he then tossed the rope around a higher branch before tying it off and standing on a lower one.

A step, a short drop, and a sudden stop, it seemed like such a quick and simple way out. He looked at the carving once more before coming to the realization that this wasn't at all the way he wished to be remembered.

Reaching over, he attempted to untie the rope from around his neck, but that was simply not the plan fate had in store for him.

As he shifted his weight, the wood beneath him buckled and the rope tightened around his neck. The seconds that should have been quick and painless became slow and agonizing minutes. The man scrabbled at the tree, trying to get a grip, but underneath him the branch broke off.

He kicked and thrashed, trying to lift himself by the rope, but he wasn't strong enough.

As everything grew dark and distant, black spots formed in his field of vision. The world looked fragmented and cracked, like fragile glass hit with a rock. It lasted a second before the sky shattered into a uncountable pieces. The last thought that occurred to him was one of his youngest sister.

"Where am I?"

The young man asked as he looked around. The light hurt his eyes and the wind tickled his skin. His pain and exhaustion started to fade and he felt sadness his chest.

He looked around and found that a serene lake laid just beyond the treeline. Sluggishly, he pulled himself to it along the ground as his legs were too weak to support him. As he crawled, he noticed that his body was unclothed, but pushed it out of his mind until he could sip from the prisine.

'Just a little more.' He thought to himself with one last pull towards the lake. The reflection he sought, wasn't one he had expected.

As he looked into the reflection, he noticed that his reflection showed something much larger with golden eyes before it shimmered, showing his own face. The Man rubbed water over his eye and stared again, trying to see the golden eyed creature, but the ghostly image never showed.

Looking around, the Man noticed large, celestial planets in the sky. The air was crisp and everything was quiet; no low hum of electrical lines, nor the sound of any creatures, just silence. As he lay on the grass, a sound did start to make itself know, a quiet laughing.

"Ah, so, you've finally awoken." A large, white, horse with ornate, shining, golden armor cooed. Along with the armor the being sported both a horn and wings, with a mane of rolling fire flickering between her massive shoulders. "Now that you're awake... hey!"

The mare looked around, the naked Man she had been watching over for the past few days had turned and sprinted away from her.

"Get back here!" The mare commanded as she appeared off the side of his running path.

"No!" The Man barked as he changed direction and ran. Naked.

"I mean it!" The mare roared again as she appeared farther away.

"No, you can't make me!"

"Want to bet?" The mare asked with a smile as she disappeared.

Soon, the Man lost his fiery maned pursuer. He ran and ran until the scenery changed. The vast forest gave way to tropical vegetation. The lakes and streams he passed were overtaken by a large, crashing ocean.

Tired from running, the Man slowed to a walk. His bare feet stung from running, oddly enough, however, they were still clean. He looked around and didn't notice the ledge he was walking towards until it buckled, taking him to the surf below.

A feeling of fear shot through him as it would any being suddenly plunging down from a high cliff. He slammed his eyes shut just before he plunged into the ocean, the warm water and taste of ocean assaulting him before he was able to break the surface for a breath of air.

A lush island filled with large trees and three identical mountains lay before him. He looked around and the land he had fallen from was now miles away. 'What?'

He cast his eyes back to the island and knew he only had one way to go. 'I hope there is nothing there that will eat me.'

In no time he reached land and slowly dragged himself ashore. Interestingly enough he noticed that when he fully exited the warm water, his body seemed no more wet than when he was in the forest.

Looking around for any signs of life he spotted a raven sitting on a branch staring at him, its stare didn't falter until the man turned to it. It took flight and flew a wide circle around him and then into the forest. "That seems… odd?"

With a few, unsure steps, he found himself drawn to the bird.

After walking for what seemed like hours, around lakes and through the thick, island forest, he reached a clearing. In the clearing, a structure stood tall and untouched by the forest. Large white pillars and open air design starkly contrasted with the beach and plant life. Its regal design gave the impression of a temple, but the lack of statues and ornate fixtures contradicted the young Man's suspicions.

"What is this place?" He muttered. Curiosity having got the better of him he kept walking and strode through the two outermost pillars. "Maybe this is the afterlife and I really am dead?"

The instant his foot crossed the threshold of the temple, an explosion of fire and light filled his vision. He felt like he was falling as the brightness surrounded him, before sending him flying backwards onto his back.

“How dare you!" The blast of heat felt unreal. "How dare you take your own life when you have family who care for you?! Who are you to run from them, from me?!" An amorphous Hellfire, roaring and pulsing, swirled and gathered in a ball at the center of the cove. Torrents of fire seeped up from the surrounding ocean and the sky turned hellish yellow.

"I think I pissed something off." He uttered to himself quietly, so as to not tempt the unknown force surrounding him.

"I am indeed 'pissed off,' young one!" The amorphous hellfire swirled and rushed in front of him, slamming down on four hooves as the fires receded back into her her mane. A slender neck extended high and two glowing eyes bore down on the Man, a gaze that He dare not meet.

Shielding his eyes, he prepared for what was his expected damnation. In an ironic turn of events he found himself rethinking his past actions before admitting to himself that he probably should have thought through his action before his untimely demise.

The blazing Mare took two steps towards the man before putting one limb forward as if preparing to pounce.

"I'm-I'm sorry!" The man shouted in terror, tears running down his cheeks.

"And what exactly are you sorry for?" the voice asked as she stood up from her crouched position. The being seemed to have a more feminine tone, when it wasn’t blowing out his eardrums.

"I-I gave up?" His voice turned from that of the condemned to the confused. His tone turned the statement into a question. Had one moment of weakness led him to commit the unthinkable?

"Hmm, didn't quite catch that. What did you say?" The feminine figure was clearly annoyed as it loomed over him.

"I said, giving u-AH!" He fell back again as he shrieked in surprise as the being that he had been talking to transformed into an enormous white horse with ornate, shining, golden armor. Along with the armor the being sported both a horn and wings, with a mane of rolling fire flickering between her massive shoulders.

"Do I scare you?"

"Little obvious, don't you think?"

"Good, that means you won't run away again because you know I'll catch you." She cooed as she strode past the baffled Man. "Now, follow me."

She looked back and promptly rolled her eyes at his flabbergasted expression. She mumbled to herself, before taking him under her wing. "Great, I broke him."

"It's okay now," she said soothingly. "I know this is a lot to take in, but trust me, you have an important job ahead, should you choose to accept it."

"What is going on!" He shouted, surprised at his scream when he finally recovered from his mental tailspin. He coughed and closed his hands around her wing before continued at a more acceptable volume. "Sorry, um, what happened to me?"

She pulled on her wing, managing to free it on the second try, she shook it like a soggy rag as if to dry tears off as she spoke.

"In short, you died." The Mare said in a cold tone. "To be more specific, you committed suicide."

"I can't go back, can I?" The Man asked as a matter of fact.

"No and with the passage of time, your body is now too decayed to repair, even for me." The Mare watched as the Man doubled over and started to dry heave. "Breathe."

The Man's tears refused to fall as he collapsed to his knees.

"Breathe, young man." The Mare warned as she lifted her hoof. After a a few seconds went by, she shot her hoof to the side and kicked him so hard he spun around and landed on his back. "I told you to breathe. I worked for a month to get you well enough to wake up, can't have you ruining that."

"I'm sorry, my mind kind of went blank."

He was cut off by a sudden hard slap from a massive, white wing that shot out from behind the Mare's head. Rubbing the side of his head, he came to his senses. The winged horse adjusted her own stance so she was once again in front and looking down upon him. "Better?"

"Yeah, I really can't go back, can I?" He looked to her for confirmation, but her sad look only furthered his realization as his emotions kept crashing over him like a tsunami.

"It's okay now." she said soothingly. "If you truly wish to make it up to those you have lost and make amends, then I have, well, a job of sorts for you, if you wish to take up the task."

The Man sat up and looked at here with reservation. He tried to speak, but his voice refused to make itself known, so meekly, he nodded his head.

"I am nurturing a world, one that is as different as the one before, but better. I am in need of someone who can act as a warden of the forests. A spirit, custodian, and a friend to animals, if you will." She said as she turned to him, locking her shining blue eyes with his. "The job is yours if you will have it."

"What's the alternative?" The man asked.

"Your soul goes into the ether and chooses its own coarse."

His brow furrowed in confusion. He tried to organize his thoughts before he spoke. "I can't imagine you look kindly on what I did. What makes me so deserving?"

She looked at him incredulously, believing the choice was clear. "You're patient. Aside from having the qualities I seek, I came upon you in the moment you gave up. Until that day a few months ago, you were steadfast."

"Lotta' good that did." He said plainly. That earned him a hard slap across the back of the head, and while he was cringing from the hit he spat out. "Ouch, okay, take it easy, hothead. If you watched me for as long as you claimed, then I know you saw my amazing inability to keep a job for more than a few years. I could literally list you two minutes of burned job experience. You see where I'm going with this."

The Mare's eyes cast downward onto the Man as she sat near a large, stone slab. "I see where you're going with this, but I believe you do not."

"What?"

"What do all those jobs have in common?" The Mare asked

Silently, the Man understood and nodded his head. "Lack of pension and a lot of frustration?"

"No... what?" The mare shook her head, confused. "What?"

"Nothing. Was is patience?" The man zipped his lip and stood by, silently.

"Very good. Now the hard part." she said, saying the last part under her breath. "You also took the responsibility of raising your brothers and sisters and watched after them. That in and of itself deserves recognition."

Deciding to get down to business, he squared his shoulders and met her gaze. "Okay. So, when do I start?"

This caused her to turn serious.

"First, I must tell you what you will gain and lose if you choose to-" she was cut off by the dismissive wave of a hand.

"Putting aside the fact that I am currently talking to a myth and staving off a mental breakdown-" He was cut off by a wave of steam snorted in his face.

"It's Alicorn, Rudolph. Not myth, got it?" She corrected him while sipping a cup of tea that appeared from nowhere.

"Right, Alicorn." The Man took a few steps toward the edge of the temple. "Things have already changed for me, I may as well see where I'm going next." He said, to which she nodded.

"That they have, Mr.#̧̭̬͂#͇̞̫̟̙̟̾̔̇̄̊̅̓#̺͍̣̒̀̂ͅ#̠͇͔͈̞̭ͪ̎̇̿͌ͫ#̫͙̝́̀̿͂#͍͉̃̓#̘̪͇̬͔͊̿͆ͅ#̭̜͔ͯ."

Much time had passed since the first meeting, and the spirit had developed an extreme dislike of his former name. Regretfully, this had caused him to forget portions of his former self, including his name. Only a distorted impression of noise had remained through the millennia.

"How did you know my name?" The Man demanded as he looked over at the Equine Deity and backed away cautiously.

As he took a step back, the realization trickled in that he had just yelled at what could quite possibly been a deity, a being who had the power to incinerate him without a thought or throw him around like a rag doll in a dryer. He slowly shrank from his rigid pose.

However, the mood lightened up a bit when she laughed.

"Mr.#̧̭̬͂#͇̞̫̟̙̟̾̔̇̄̊̅̓#̺͍̣̒̀̂ͅ#̠͇͔͈̞̭ͪ̎̇̿͌ͫ#̫͙̝́̀̿͂#͍͉̃̓#̘̪͇̬͔͊̿͆ͅ#̭̜͔ͯ, as I have said, I have been watching you for a long time, along with the rest of your world. Our dimensions lie close to one another, and at times they cross. That is when I pick out the gems, and maybe a couple hunks of coal to balance my world."

She sat up and teleported the Man to her, wrapping Him in a wing once more, and guided his face to look up at the sky.

The sky shifted and things that were, things that are, and some things that have not yet come to pass flew across his field of vision, and soon there was too much shooting past to comprehend.

"In truth, I show you this so that I may guide you into becoming a warden of the forests, but ultimately the decision is yours. There will come a day where I may no longer hold sway over Equus-"

He looked up at the Maker's words.

"Equus?" His questioning face turned to her again, his face neutral, wanting to know.

With a smile and a quieter voice, she started speaking again.

"Yes, Equus is the name I've given to it. A place that needs someone that will watch over the forests and nature. Hope you like dirt and no air conditioning." She stated tiredly, eyes closing peacefully.

The two beings sat in silence until the Man looked out onto the horizon. He playfully sneered. "I haven't given you my answer yet. Isn't it a tad brazen to assume I'll take the job?"

"I know you will, it is written on your face. Trust me, I have been doing this for a while now." she said, giving him a weary yet mischievous smile and bumping his side with a wing. "I have spent much time looking for the right beings to fill the roles that must be filled."

"Guess I'm the man for the job." He smiled up at her. She snorted in response.

A hoof went to her chest as her she took a sudden intake of breath and looked down at him with a slight smile. "So humble." She feigned being stunned for a moment before resuming her strict stoic tone. "Though you won't be a man much longer. As a spirit of the forest, your new power cannot inhabit your current form, but there are a few perks, for instance, getting to live forever."

"That sounds more an inconvenience than a perk." The man mumbled, being comically morbid. "Wait."

His expression shifted to one bordering on panic. There is only one thing that he knows that lasts that belongs in a forest.

"You're turning me into a tree!" He shouted before getting a face full of fiery tail.

She twitched her head, looking like she was trying to get rid of a fly. When she chose him to take up the job, she hadn’t expected him to be so odd. "What? No. Not only a wise choice but an entertaining one at that."

She smirked, looking as if a weight on her soul had been lifted, even if only for a moment. "You will take a form similar to mine."

"So, what will I be, exactly? A shrub?"

She scoffed in amusement. "Hah! Sure, monkey boy."

This Alicorn seemed leagues away from the prim and proper being he had believed her to be. She felt like a good friend that you could talk to, the same kind of friend that would barge into your house without warning, but would then spend all their time with you because there is nowhere they'd rather be.

After a brief moment of silence, she touched her horn to his head and magic started to pour in. He experienced no pain or pleasure, but rather a feeling akin to a rush of warm water followed by a dive into a cool river. Eventually, the feelings of wetness disappeared, leaving him with a sense of normality, and a slight worry that he wasn't worthy and she hadn't done anything to him after all.

"Wha'th'fu..." The Man gurgled before shakily rising. Wobbling slightly, he looked down.

"Be careful, you've been given much control and a great volume of knowledge." The Maker warned. "It will take time, but you will master it, until then, you must be exceedingly careful not to hurt anyone."

"Claws?" he asked before he lumbered past the Alicorn to the calm waters nearby.

As he looked into the reflection, he saw an quadrupedal figure with a brown coat with a leafy green mane that ran halfway down his back, between a set of wings, they were large with leaf patterned feathers. His tail feathers, however, were long and striped like a bird of prey. He looked at himself more and found antlers made of wood growing out of his head. “What is this?”

It was in the midst of this discovery that he made another observation. His eyes burned golden amber and were the size of baseballs. As he stared, the pupils contracted into slits before dilating again.

There was a terrible itching sensation all over his body, and he noticed that a green moss had started to spread across his coat like some sort of fungus. As he watched, it started to form into plates, gradually hardening into a chitin-like shell with a shade of white usually reserved for dead trees.

Once he collected himself, he examined his body further, finding an odd mark on his leg that traced all the way down to his back hooves. It resembled roots of some kind, wrapping around his leg in jagged lines.

"What the hell?" he asked, quietly looking over his newfound self.

"This is your new form, my little reindeer." she giggled with a excitement as she walked up to stand by his side. "You are now a warden of the horror and beauty that is nature, and your duty is to protect and manage the forests of Equus." she proclaimed. "But a word of warning to you, young one. While I gift you with great power and a great responsibility, you are not invincible. There will be times when you must fight, and during such times, you must remember this fact-"

The Spirit nodded. "You're only a man."

She looked around and cautiously stated. "No, I'm pretty sure you're a forest spirit now."

"No, I was just quoting the servant of an emperor. Nevermind." he grumbled, realizing he had said the quote out loud.

She chuckled at his embarrassment. In truth, she knew the quote, but she liked the teasing. "Now, we need to give you a proper name for your station. How about Ardennes?"

"Shattered Skies." The new spirit said, the sky shattering being the last thing he remembered.

"Ardennes? Did you say something?" She asked, unsure if she'd heard him voice an opinion or not.

"Shattered Skies." He announced. "It is to remember why I have my duty as a warden of nature. Even though this mark doesn’t look like shattered glass."

She mulled over his choice of name for a while. The name was sort of macabre, considering she alone knew the inspiration for it, yet it held a deep meaning for this individual. After a couple minutes of deliberation with herself, she made up her mind. "Yes, your name will be Shattered Skies. Is there anything that you would like to ask me to provide before I send you off?"

Kind of too much, too soon. Maybe I should ask her what she needs. He shook his head and replied. "Maybe just some answered questions."

"I will answer to the best of my ability. You have but to ask." she responded, raising an eyebrow.

Good, maybe I can get some clarity. He thought. "Who exactly are y-"

He was cut off by a large, white hoof being placed over his lips.

"All but that one. Trade secret." She said, winking.

"Fine. Is there any way I can have a different form? This one may scare people, and that would make my job quite a bit harder."

She smirked. "Oh, you don't like the form that I have given you?"

"You know that isn't the case, ’Mom.'" Her eye twitched a little at the joke. "I like the form and the new life that you're giving me, it's just that this form is a bit... intimidating, and it would make it hard to sneak around, if need be. If this is a planet with beings, give me leeway."

She motioned for him to sit at a table she conjured and poured him some tea.

"I've done this for a few Spirits already. I could give you the ability to take the form of any creature, though Equus is not ready for more of them-"

"What would you suggest?" Skies asked.

She mulled it over, taking a careful sip from her own cup.

"Mortal civilization has yet to grow up on the planet, but the day will come when the spark of civilization comes to lift them to their full potential. One day they will make settlements and if you want to live among them that is your choice. I can give you any disguise you want. However, once you choose a form, you will be stuck with it." she said, stirring honey into her tea. "I could transform you into whatever you wish, and all you’ll need to do is envision the pony or creature you wish to look like."

"I would appreciate that very much." He puffed up. “Is it at random?”

She smirked and nodded at his antics and leaned over, once again touching her horn to his forehead. A tingling sensation quickly spread over his body before dissipating. "There, done."

After a short while of silence while they sipped their tea, the Alicorn looked up, and with a look of finality on her face, asked. "Are you ready, Shattered Skies?"

He looked back at her, already dedicated to his new cause. "Pretty much."

The alicorn rose to her hooves and brushed her wing over Shattered's mane, ruffling it. "Follow me."

After about a quarter of an hour's worth of awkwardly stumbling on his new legs, the duo arrived at a whirlpool. Images appeared to flash by in the swiftly whirling waters.

These images were mostly of ponies doing a vast array of different of things, some of them good, some of them not so good.

Two ponies raced by while leaves swirled in their wake, almost appearing to charge down into the maelstrom.

A man finding a box and looking into it with a startled expression on his face. Then that same man, much older, lying on his death bed, clutching a photo album to his chest.

A griffin fighting a large dragon, then a bright light taking off into the sky.

A group of mares gathered around the broken body of a man.

The same mares gathered around the statue of an Alicorn, openly weeping.

A man with wings and armor who was quite visibly pissed off, then a his daughter with similar pair of wings, sharing the same armor and expression.

A million more images like this flew by, swiftly being conceived and consumed by the water, each one filling him with a different emotion, until he felt as if every emotion conceivable was raging inside his chest.

"Wh-what is this?" he stammered.

"The life stream. It is the culmination of the past, present, and future. It is how I watch and guide Equus, and it is how I will guide you." she stated with pride. "All that's left for you is to dive in."

"I have one more question."

"What is on your mind."

"How many other Spirits are there?" Skies asked as he looked into the whirlpool to see the many faces of Spirits he has yet to meet. "Some look more powerful than others."

"That is something you have to discover for yourself." The Maker smiled. "But do not fret, you will do fine. Once you arrive, seek out the Earth Elemental, she will guide you and I suspect you two will be fast friends."

"Elemental?"

"Yes, there are four Elementals and above them are Harmony and Discord." The Maker waved a hoof to show the two Spirits in the whirlpool.

Skies smiled. "Anyone above those two?"

"An answer for another time."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Skies stepped forward and looked straight into the vortex. Right before dropping into the maw of time, he turned with one last question to the mare who had surprisingly discarded her armor in favor of light regalia. "I know it's a 'trade secret', but please, who are you?"

She smiled, knowing it was a rhetorical question, but decided to answer regardless.

"You know who I am, Skies. I'm #̫̮̺̦͍̽ͫ#̶̥̻͔͇̤̿͑̽ͅ#̠̜͖̰̟̽ͨ̂ͭ̈́͝#̡͇̟͓̃̃̈́̉#͕͓̖̟̋͑̐̏ͅ#̹͌͜ ̖̥̻͙̇̔ͬͥ̊ͭ̑#̜̐̉#͔͈̉̾̐#̯̗̼̦̹#̝͓̙̦̋͟#̧̮̗̂̑. My door is always open to you, come have tea sometime."

The last part of the memory consisted of her stepping up and giving him a warm hug.

Then the sudden feeling of being shoved backwards.

A great many animals surrounded a great tree deep in the forest. A tree that had a visibly growing crack in it, causing the tree to groan and snap from the movement.

After a few minutes passed, the tree split open and out seeped a Spirit covered in sap.

He stood and shook a bit, before wandering over to a nearby lake to clean off.

He was surrounded by thousands of animals who had never met him. One by one all the animals started to bow.

Once cleaned off, the stallion walked back up to the mound in front of the great tree, sat down and looked out over the supine animals. Unbeknownst to them, he hated the bowing. He was the spirit of the forest, not the king. 'Never a king.'

He cleared his throat.

"Greetings, my honored guests." He waved to the crowd with a raised hoof. "Please rise. It is my privilege to be among you once again. As you all know, I am the spirit of the forest, and I have been gone... for the better part of the past thousand years. I understand that some of you have business to attend to, so I ask that you to return to it now or sometime soon so that your companions will not worry. I sense that a couple of ponies have entered my forest looking for you."

After a moment about fifty of the animals left. Once they had left the sanctuary, he spoke once more. "Good. Do any of the remainder of you know where the wolf spirits are?"

As if on queue, a large, white wolf swaggered her way through the multitude of animals. As she reached the front, she stopped and spoke to him in the way that one would to an old friend.

"Many of us died in the war, Skies, you know that as well as I. We still remain, but we're spread thin, especially after your little 'nap.'" She grinned, making a show of revealing row after row of glinting teeth.

Smirking, Skies was relieved that his friend had made it out after he had been dealt his near fatal wound.

He rose and was pulled into an embrace by the large mother wolf. He squeezed back just as fiercely.

"Sif, it's very good to see you again. This takes care of so many steps for my return." He said as she chuckled then returned a statement of her own.

"Yes, we all know you'd be dead or stuck as a weed without me." She winked. The two released their embrace and sat down next to one another.

Skies turned once more to the gathered crowd.

"I thank all of you for the honor of your appearance." He gestured to the ruins of what was once his hideout from the world. "You are all free to use this place as your home, you are all safe here."

Every creature in the sanctuary bowed, and began preparing their leave.

Sif glanced towards Skies and asked. "So, no crazy stuff? No checklists or anything that causes head trauma?"

He looked over and gave her a quick half-smile. "No, not this time. I just want to relax and live my life a little. Plus, I'm tired of fighting." Sky turned to Sif. "What has happened since my exile?"

"I can only tell you basic things, most of which you are probably already aware of. If you want specifics, there is an owl that lives in Ponyville’s library named Owl... ah, something or other. I'm sure he can sate much of your curiosity." She replied as they stood and walked off through a nearby waterfall.

They stopped in front of a chasm, and she sat down next to the slightly smaller form of Shattered Skies disguise, Skyfall, a silver-gray pegasus with blue hair, but the same eyes so Sif could always tell who it was..

"I see you wasted no time is disguising yourself, Skyfall," said Sif.

"Excellent! Yes, bring to me this Owl-something!" Sky proclaimed with a raised hoof, completely ignoring his friend’s statement. Sif covered her face with a large paw in response.

She laughed. "You're such a dork."

He put down his hoof and smirked while opening several jars whose seals were covered with carved symbols, a barely visible glow coming from the grooves. As he gathered the materials for some tea, he looked over to Sif.

"What is 'Ponyville?'"

"It is a town filled with ponies. You remember those. Weird technicolor creatures that fear anything non-pony," Sif spat in annoyance.

"Peaceful?"

"Kinda. The town gets attacked by large creatures regularly and weird stuff tends to happen."

"Ah, well, sounds like the perfect place to try and live a normal life I guess."

"You're just saying that 'cause you're too lazy to walk farther."

"Sif! I am completely shocked and appalled at your accurate and factual statement!" Sky feigned offense before they both burst out laughing.

Sif brought Skyfall into a hug. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back."

"When you got hit I thought yo-"

Sky put his hoof on Sif's snout. "Shh, that was then, and I'm perfectly fine now."

Sif straightened herself out. It had been years since she left the forest. She had gone into hiding in case their enemies were hunting them. Sif had a life debt owed only to Sky, and she never felt like she fulfilled it, despite him saying she was always free to go.

"So, where to next, Sky?"

"Nowhere. I go to Ponytown-"

"-ville." Sif corrected.

"Ponyville, thank you, and live in retirement. You should go and be with your kin." Skyfall knew that it was Sif's dream to revive her tribe and reestablish their culture.

"No, I am not going to leave your side, Sky."

"Sif, you're a nine foot long, grey wolf. You will scare off the ponies." Sky said trying to dissuade her.

"There is a potion I can drink that will make my form like a pony’s." Sif said. "I have been looking for the recipe for years, and I know I am close to finding it."

Sky sighed. "I would never abandon you, Sif. If you want to live in Ponyville with me, then I will respect your wishes."

Sif sighed in relief. "Good, until then I shall live in the forest and watch over you."

The two sat down for tea before Sky asked. "Do you know where Ponyville is?"

Sif shrugged. "I'm sure one of these woodland creatures know."

“Let’s get going then.”

Author's Notes:

This is Shattered Skies. A story that is slowly turning into a lore rich universe. If you're reading this, chances are I'm either working on one of the various spin-offs I have planned or trying to contact someone to get this published. (Not Hasbro, because they have an impressive ice wall that puts the Night's watch to shame.) This story will have some dark content, but nothing overtly gruesome. There will also be adult content, but nothing sexual, other than the occasional allusion.

Art by Mix-up

I finally found the image that inspired the island in which the Maker lives on.

Gazebo

Thank you for reading.