Author's Notes:

For those who don’t know, there is now a discord server for ANSP (A New Starting Point)! Just thought I’d let you know!

Invitation:
https://discord.gg/xAndqRS

Also, one more thing:
I am really thankful that you, or whoever is reading this, have come this far to read a story like this. I’m grateful that it has even gotten this far! So, what I am saying is, thank you to all who read this, whether you enjoy, read it just cause, or even don’t like it. I am grateful that you took the time out of your day to read my story.

For everybody, both who read this and don’t, I wish you have a good day!

“Wow you’re really blind,” Solar snickered with a large grin,” The mushroom was right outside the house and you didn’t see it!”

Flare rolled his eyes once more as he poured the potion into a bowl that he could drink out of. That was a strange night to be sure, but what made it stranger was the fact that the mushroom he had been looking for had been right outside the front door and underneath a root of the old tree. He tried not to look too far into it since the hey, free mushroom that is needed for the potion! So after he had gone throw, mixing, chopping, stirring, and yelling at Eclipse to shut it, he finally got the potion completed.

“Well... the book says that it will NOT taste good...” Flare said as he gave it a small sniff, he whipped his head away from the horrid potion. Flare gulped as he looked back down at the potion, and came to grips that he was going to have to drink it. With a frown, he said,” So... through the teeth and over the gums, look out stomach, here it comes!”

He plugged his nose and downed the concoction in three gulps. It tasted horrid, and that is coming from a stallion who would have eaten nearly anything to survive the famine in his old world. He gagged slightly and slammed the bowl down onto the floor, all while slamming his free hoof to his mouth. He held back the urge to throw up the potion as he gulped the remaining liquid down. To say it tasted horrid was an understatement of the whole century. It tasted like a dead, rotted rat that had been left out in the sun for a week, thrown into the sewers, then forcefully covered in garbage. The simple thought of this explanation made him gag.

‘That bad?’ Solar asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

“Of course it's that bad!” Flare groaned as he uncovered his mouth with his hoof,” Would you like to taste it?”

‘I’m not one to pass up an... amazing drink, especially the potion you just drank, but for the sake of my own stomach and the fact you don’t want more gagging, I am declining your... amazing offer!” Solar said, giving a dry heave as he caught a whiff.

‘It is not as bad as I would have expected...’ Light said,’ Way better then one I have had to try.’

‘Oh look at you!’ Solar mocked,’ All high and mighty since he has an iron stomach!’

“Now is not the time to be fighting,” Flare growled,” Right now, we should be planning to move from this location to another.”

‘Why?’ Solar asked

‘The hunters have been hitting closer and closer to home then would be considered safe.’ Light explained.

“Exactly,” Flare confirmed,” We have to get moving soon, if they find this place, they would undoubtedly search it top to bottom for any trace of life.”

‘But... we finally stopped thinking it was creepy!’ Solar complained.

‘You and Flare did,’ Light stated.

“Not now,” Flare growled once more.

A low, thick, silence fell upon them, none of them spoke as Flare looked around the room, thinking of what he should take. He spotted some important things such as the potion book, the journal, the few flasks of living fire that starts fires, and a pillow from the bed. He then looked for something to carry the objects in. All he could find from the place he was standing from was an old tiki mask and a weird green eyeball, the cauldron, and a shelf. He shook his head, none of these would work. He walked around the small hut, as he looked for anything to carry the objects with. He pushed old and withered objects out of the way for his search. At one point, he looked out the window and saw a wagon.

“Not fast enough,” Flare mumbled as he continued his search, hoping to find a ripe fruit that was something to carry objects.

---
The Castle
---
“Princess Prim Bite, may I ask what it is you need?” Mrs. Zap asked.

“Well... I’ve been searching the castle for answers, and I can’t seem to find what I’m looking for...” Prim said as she handed the picture of the family over,” Do you know these ponies?”

Lemon Zap looked over the picture, then her eyes widened as she opened her mouth in shock,” My goodness! This is a picture of the ancient Apple Family! The ones who grew the rare Zap Apples!”

“Do you know their names?” Prim asked, stepping closer.

“I only know one, her name is Apple Bloom, the last known Apple member!” she said as she grabbed the picture.

“What happened to her?” Prim asked.

“She... I...” Zap looked up, her eyes slightly glazed,” I... do not know! I’m so sorry, princess!”

“It's alright... a least I know a name...” Prim smiled gently,” Apple Bloom, correct?”

“Yes, Princess,” Zap confirmed.

“Thank you, Zap,” Prim Bite smiled warmly and turned to head out the door,” Have a good day!”

“You too, princess!” Zap said in kind.

Once Prim had reached the hallway, she went straight for the library. She knew where the archives were, the place of every record that had happened, even before the Moonlit Kingdom came into power, before the fall of the Solar Empire. She was focused, much more than she had ever been in her lifetime. Not only did this take her mind off of current problems, but it also told her a story she had been wondering about for years. Who and what was the Solar Empire? Why was it brought down? Who brought it down? Finally, what happened to the ponies or creatures that lived their once?

Her hoofsteps echoed in the halls as she walked past two guards who were on post. The two saluted as she walked by, and she gave them a small smile, but quickly returned back to a slight frown. Ever since the attack, guards have been stationed at most exits and entrances, in the towers, and posted around the castle at more, as her sister put it, tactical advantages. Not only that, but some guards wore thicker armor that covered the neck, joints, and almost the whole body. They carried pouches with small darts of their own to knock out any targets. The spears, almost all of them, were now serrated to do more damage to flesh. Prim, though not too vocal about it with Midnight, was slightly scared of the guards in the new armor. They looked like monsters from an old forgotten land, who had to defend against an evil overlord.

She shook her head as she rid the thoughts from her mind. Now was not the time to be thinking of that fateful day or the guards' new armaments. Now was the time to turn the corner and to enter the library. The library doors had been busted down in the fight, so they had to replace them with new ones, the old ones were meer chips. The new ones were a lot prettier, and actually matched the structure, the cold crystal floor, and roof. The doors, though now fitting the design of the castle, weren’t too special, just made of out wood painted the color of the castle with a design of a moon that would split in half once the doors opened. One of the more nicer things in this castle.

The library did sustain too much damage, some books were torn or knocked off shelves, some taking the shelves with them. Yet, the library still looked the same as ever. They had a royal librarian to check out books, keep track of them, and make sure nothing is taken for too long. There were two, one for morning shift the other for working the graveyard. The funny story behind this was Night always taking the books and never returning them. Even though the Royal Family was small, other staff loved to come by and read books when their shift was done or when they had no other work. So that was why there are two librarians because Night didn’t want to return any books.

Walking by the librarian, Prim waved at her, and she waved back. A gentle smile in the mare’s lips as she asked,” Why hello, Princess Prim, how may I help you?”

“Hello, Mrs. Scroll,” Prim replied cheerfully,” I’m just going to the archives.”

“Alright,” Scroll nodded,” Just remember, bring them here for me to check them out.

“Alright, I’ll be right back,” Prim chirped as she walked on to the archives.

The Archives... boy did she not want to be here. They were old, older than almost everything in this town, and yet, each scroll was perfectly kept and contained, now faded ink, barely any torn parchment. Walking in here made Prim feel like she had stumbled upon an entry to the past, deep within the heart of the olden castle. She had opened the door and walked down the many steps of the horrid castle steps, the smell of old parchment hit her nostrils as she touched the last step. Though it was dark, Prim had no problem seeing the countless number of shelves containing scrolls of the past.

“Now, the name ‘Apple Bloom’ should be around in the A section,” Prim muttered,” Or the Apple family themselves...”

So her search began, the name only helped in finding itself, which made Prim happy that she wouldn’t have to search for hours.

---Back in the Forest---

Flare had found a bag made of a weird material. The bag could expand like it was made of rubber, yet it was as tough as sundried leather. The items he carried looked to be heavier than what they actually weighed in the bag. This came as a slight surprise to him, but he still had bigger things to worry about at this point.

The scene that grew around the stallion was, he had to admit, rather beautiful. Just a few moments back he passed by a little creek that was being fed by a small waterfall. The water seemed to be rather clear, vastly different than the swamp of old and murky waters that housed giant crocodiles made of rock. He thought monsters were weird... till he got his leg chomped on by a giant rock. He escaped, thankful to have a good amount of hp and attack to get rid of the beast. As he remembered the moment, he tripped and fell. Something flew up and hit him in the nose, which bounced off and landed a few inches in front of him...

*WHAMP!*

A large pair of metallic teeth slammed upward. It scrapped his nose, leaving a small, yet bloodied gash all the way up it. He quickly got up, whit his magic, he lifted the covered ground up, then, with a forceful slam, grounded the objects down. Fifteen... sixteen? Possibly even seventeen traps went off. In the distance, as the weight of the situation dropped onto his shoulders, he heard a voice roar in excitement.

“COME ON, BOYS! WE GOT ‘EM!”

Flare growled for he knew that voice. He bolted through the traps, not watching the ground as he did so. The ground felt weirder as he ran on, ultimately, he came to a rather steep hill. His heart was pounding as he looked down, he didn’t know where it led, what part of the forest, and if it was dangerous... well, all he had to do was take a leap of faith since walking isn’t going to be easy at all here. He had to choose quickly since the voice roared in anger.

“WHAT THE-!? HOW!?”

He had to act now, and act he did.

---Back at the Castle, in the Archives---

Prim had found two scrolls, one about the Apple Family, the other about a pony named Applejack. Right now, she was reading the scroll about the Apple Family and she had to say, for ponies who founded a town and raised it up, they got little hold in the town itself, not only that but many ponies tried to cheat their way around rules and laws to get the farm. Though she did find the information she was looking for. Apparently, Applejack was the element of Honesty... she knew instantly she was going to have to find the scroll... or foal book talking of the elements. Though, as she read through the scroll, she found that Applejack had a younger sister and older brother, all being raised by their grandma. Prim found this adorable, though old that she wasn’t living with her parents.

The scroll went over their daily life, their names, their friends, and so on. She learned a good bit about this mare simply from the scroll, so she wondered how the scroll about her. Though, her setting in which she was reading these scrolls, she felt like she was being watched. She looked around the old room, the feeling getting worse as her mind seemed to play tricks on her, making shadows look like they were moving. She grabbed the scrolls and quickly walked up the long staircase, right back up to the actual library. She walked over to the librarian and set the scrolls down on the desk.

“Would you like these to go?” she asked with a smile.

“Yes, please?” Prim asked.

The mare nodded as she put the name of the scrolls down in a book, then nudged them towards her princess. Prim smiled as she grabbed the scrolls with her wings and left, bidding the mare a good day. She walked out into the hall and saw two guards, both wearing the old armor(Most likely recruits), came towards her. They saw each other and the two new recruits saluted as they walked by, most likely on patrol. With a slight pep in her step, she walked to her room, the two scrolls held snuggly against her side. She could finally read them... hopefully at least, in peace. Well... unless Midnight came in to check on her. That’s when she flinched softly, and the lil pep disappeared. She grumbled a bit... but had an idea of what to do. She finished her walk to her room and found a pen and paper. She wrote quickly on it, telling Midnight that she was not going to be in here for the rest of the night. The reason for not telling her where she was going was so that she would be left alone. Also, so that she doesn’t worry that Prim had left and was gone.

Once the note was written, she laid it on her bed and walked to a room that hasn’t been visited ever since Flare left... his room. Prim, with the scrolls at her side, she left her room and went straight to Flare’s room.

---In the Forest---

WELL THAT COUD’VE GONE BETTER. Flare had gone down too quickly and had tripped. So he started to roll down the hill. He ended at the bottom of the hill. His face was planted in the ground, his flank was now in the air. He was dazed, but still found a way to get up. He stumbled a little bit, and he put his hoof against a nearby tree as he waited for the world to go back into focus. His bag was... somewhere between here and half way to another dimension. The voice of the hunters was far and distant, but the new growling of a beast was ever present. Once the world stopped spinning on its heels, Flare could finally focus on the two faint, yet glowing green eyes that pierced the darkness. In an instant, Flare froze as the memory came flooding back.

He and the Queen were alone in the forest, something to do with finding a lost foal. They got surrounded by Timberwolves, as soon as he noticed the wolves, the Queen was gone, she had left him for dead. He barely made it out of there alive. He had gashes and bloodied puncture wounds up and down his hind leg and back. His brother helped heal him, but some of the marks, though his fur covered them, were still there. He felt a cold and growing hatred start to rise throughout his body as the wolf dared to step into the light. Flare felt pain shot through his front legs, and he forced himself to sit down. He saw what was wrong, his veins started to become more visible, yet they were a deep black, a small number of others were a light blue, slightly visible against his blue fur. He heard a soft crackling, like a fire slowly burning and destroying the wooden fuel source.

Flare felt his mind lose grip of his body like he was giving it up to something else. That is when he heard it, a voice echoing in his mind, saying one thing, over and over again.

Hatred, hatred, HATRED!

He felt his mind kick back and his body was no longer his own, he had given into his hatred, his desire to kill that he had held back for so long, he wanted those wolves to hurt as he did. The wolf lunged forward and then yelped in pain. The ground erupted with a barrage of pointed metallic spikes, the punctured the wolf’s feet which kept it in place. Flare walked over, and the beast tried to snap at him, which the monster did not care for. He used his magic and slammed the wolf’s mouth shut, its own teeth tearing into the gums of its mouth. It didn’t even see the blinding light, as it was burnt to a crisp.

He took a deep breath, and everything came back into focus. He trembled slightly, the energy that took up was far more than he thought it would be.

“WHAT. WAS. THAT!?” Solar shouted,” WHY DID YOU GO FULL IMMA KILL THIS SUCKA!?”

“He gave into-” Light started, but Flare cut him off.

“I gave into my hatred...” Flare said calmly.

“Your hatred seems to be stronger than I thought it would be,” a deep voice rumbled.

Flare turned, his eye glowing a fierce red at the voice. He looked around for this voice’s origin and stopped as he stared into large, blue, reptilian eyes that stared right back at him. He could see a hint of blue light coming off of the figure, which looked to be rather big. Flare glared at the figure.

“Who are you?” he asked

“My name is Sithis,” The figure said,” I would like for you to come with me.”

“No,” Flare said simply,” Not until you show yourself!”

The figure walked out of the bushes and showed their true form.

---Back at the castle---

Prim opened the door to Flare’s room... and dropped the scrolls at what she saw. There, hovering above the bed, and glaring right at her, with a charged laser. Once the blaster saw her, it slowly uncharged the blast and floated over to her and gave a small bark. The skull nuzzled the mare as she unfroze and petted the skull. She leaned down and picked up the scrolls. Tonight... was going to be an interesting night for reading scrolls…