Powerful gusts from the swoop of a pair of wings encircled me. They felt so cold, like a windigo. I shivered and shut my eyes even tighter.

"Help..."

A warmth receded and I knew that the monster, the griffon Stolas, was gone. Whether he flew away silently or used magic, mattered nothing to me. Just the thought of him no longer being here was a blessing.

"THOU CANST OPEN THINE EYES, OUR PRESENCE IS THAT OF JUSTICE, NOT OF TERROR."

I gulped. How can I trust an ever-shouting voice? Although her speech mannerisms are vaguely familiar...

Off track. Stop this foolishness. Just ask her...

"Could you speak quieter?"

I winced at a wind only I could feel.

"Please...?"

"That we can do."

A sigh escaped me. Her low voice felt stern yet calming now that she was no longer thundering like the very storms I feared in foalhood.

But... who was 'she'?

I suppose it is time to open my eyes...

One.

Deep breath in.

Two.

By the blessed sun's light, you are safe.

Three.

When my eyes opened I was greeted with the sight of another being not quite fitting into the world I had left.

Yet, at the same time I felt as if mayhaps she did belong there, in a way, with her coat of orchid's lavender and her animate mane and tail the color of glowing gold light. Her height was colossal, and with her long legs and graceful neck it became painfully obvious that I was a mere ant to this creature.

But that was not the end of her splendor. Her inky blue eyes, which were thickly lashed, had a sky blue 'C' of cosmetics painted around them and her mark was a golden apple paired with a cabbage-colored plant sprig I could not identify.

Just like the last alicorn, she wore jewelry: a collar-like necklace made of glowing gold and studded with square cut gems of blue and white. Her boots of gold, each studded with three colorful emeralds, rubies, and sapphire, each seemed to eleganty flow and mold to her legs so one could not tell where she began and garb ended. Her crown, a radiant 'O' circlet of gold wound with the same plant on her mark rested atop her head.

As she stood there, sculpted eyebrows arched in an almost rebellious manner, I noticed that she herself seemed to be glowing, now radiating light as yellow as a cat's eyes catching the light of a harvest moon.

"We sensed a peasant-soul in need of aid. Might it be you?"

I nodded, utterly dumbstruck.

"Doth thou speak?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"How fortunate. The mute ones can be rather difficult."

"Where am I...? And... umm... who are you?" My voice continued to be naught but a hoarse whisper.

"We are Elysium, Queen of Paradise. And as for where you are..."

Elysium's horn lit up and a bright aura as pure as any gilded substance encircled me like a snake.

"...we can show you."

I yelped in surprise as she telekinetically dragged me over the side of the floating pavilion, leaping into flight once more.

In my life the divided pony tribes always squabbled. We squabbled over territory and superiority. Over knowledge. Over food.

Over beauty.

Some ponies had more trouble with this than others... to some the outer look was everything, like the castes and races they were born into. My dear friend Platinum had battles fought over her foolish remarks and her appearance. They were all empty inside. 'Lara, Starswirl, Kaw.

...I barely knew 'Lene. Nopony knew much about that demon.

Though the realm we now flew over was anything but a hollow shell of vanity. A sun and moon both hung in the sky shedding light over the unearthly landscape below. It contained two 'halves' divided by a fiery mountain ringed chasm whose bottom was unseen.

Whilst I attempted to view the world veiled in this eternal twilight, I was startled as I gazed below me with nothing more than the aura generated by the queen's magic to keep me afloat.

The land so far beneath me obeyed no laws! The massive continent stretched out from across all directions. Behind me were shining cities with strange houses bearing flat roofs and many courtyards scattered across the hills. They varied in size, some are alone, some are close together creating what look like small towns.

Spreading out from there were all sorts of things that should not be: plains rolling into forests and rivers. Snow began to appear on mountains that looked to be many days away from these villages, while stretching toward what I assumed was the north there was a bare expanse of dirt, with nothing and nopony to speak of.

"We see thou art puzzled by the desert," the queen called, "What doth thou think of the realm?"

"It is all impossible!"

Her expression did not falter. "We see," she answered flatly.

"It is!"

"Mere mortal, thou hath overreacted."

"Why do you keep speaking like that? Like a noblemare I would see at a court."

"We thought you might have adopted a speech pattern of the court in your later years, despite spending most of your life as an errand filly to a fraudulent excuse of a wizard."

Fraudulent?! I thought, Master Starswirl knew more than the entire Unicorn Court, how could that be fraudulent?

"Perhaps you should face in front of you, as there is nothing noteworthy behind you, Clover 'the Clever' as you were ironically called. Do you not wish to see more so-called 'impossibilities'?"

I nearly jumped at her venomous tone, but alas there was nothing below me. I watched the strange queen with a mane that put gold to shame recompose herself before I faced forward.

Author's Notes:

Silly Clover, you spent all your life as a peasant and don't know what an olive branch is.

Also, if my early modern English is off please let me know.