GrumpySmoke

    It was the greatest question we've ever asked of the universe.  From when our species first walked upon the frozen lands, hunted and gathered through ages we have asked of the greatness if we are all there is.  Empires rise and fall, civilizations grow and fade, but we still asked.  Are we alone in this life?  Is Humanity the only intelligence to be spoken of?  We did not know, but so long we speculated.  We wondered, and we searched, and as the years turned to centuries, we gazed above and hoped.    There are those who would swear that beings far more advanced than us have come here, have visited the little blue marble that is Earth.  S

    Flames burst to life, once again banishing the darkness of the cavern.  The Phoenix Medallion hovered in the center of the room, an inferno raging forth from it and consuming the entirety of the far wall.  Colors danced amidst the fiery surge, oranges and blues and pinks that dazzled and sparked.  As the flames began to pool into the center, the darkness too began to draw inwards.  What had once twisted and convulsed upon the wall now moved with great haste inwards to where the unicorn had been suspended.    The medallion sparked and hissed as bolts of fire-red lightning shot out from it in all directions.  The flashes illuminated Tobias

    Doors slammed.  Windows snapped shut.  Whispers and gasps of fear echoed in the air.  The few ponies brave enough to hazard a peek hid again almost immediately afterwards.    Tobias was well aware of how the inhabitants of Ponyville reacted to anything new or different.  He had watched them be suspicious concerning Griffons, as well as outright terrified of a zebra.  It was no surprise to him they were terrified by his presence. As he strolled down the main street every pony in sight fled.  Occasionally a foal's curiosity got the better of him or her, but inevitably would be scooped up by a parent and vanish back indoors.  The ponies of

    Spike went tearing down the hallways of the palace as quickly as he could.  With a letter in hand, he was on a mission to find Princess Twilight.  For the first few days of living in the new castle he'd been excited to be in the new, much larger home.  The necessity of rushing between dozens of rooms instead of only a few diminished the luster of their new arrangement.  When he finally found her in one of the upper floor studies, the young dragon was gasping for breath.  He held up the letter, wheezing out just a few words,  "Letter--from--Princess--Celestia."  He collapsed forward the moment Twilight's magic plucked the scroll from his h

    There was a knock at the door, shattering the silence of the small office.  Seated at her desk, Celestia didn't move.  She'd been staring at the bare surface of the desk for some time.  Even after the loud knock she did not budge or flinch.  Her eyes remained on the smooth surface.  There had been papers before her some time ago, but they were gone now.  She couldn't recall when they had been removed.  The whole day had been a haze, as had the one before.  Now she simply sat and stared, the stress and worry had finally worn her down enough that her fatigue was too strong to ignore.    The knock came again, and Celestia sluggishly turned

    The dull thud of the mug hitting the floor gave no echo.  Midnight Harvest just stared with bloodshot eyes at where it had dropped.  He'd emptied it, and a dozen before it.  His other mug was still half-full.  The pony reached, but watched as his leg split into two hazy images.  He tried to fit his hoof into the handle, but only pushed that mug over too.  He bared his teeth, clenching so hard it hurt.  Giving up on trying to use the mugs he flopped onto the table and slid his legs to wrap around the bottle.  Three empty ones were strewn around him, two others broken in the kitchen.  With difficulty he finally managed to tip it so the open

    Confusing flashes of light went crisscrossing through his mind's eye.  He felt a headache that bordered intolerable, but couldn't react to it.  It was like the stars and flashes and pain held him underwater, surrounding and crushing him.  For a moment Ion Cloud forced an eye open, blurry images zooming this way and that.  He thought he saw something, a shape maybe, but it was gone.  His eye closed again, and as he slipped back beneath the surface he thought he heard music.  The pain and lights returned, and he fell away once again.    The shock of consciousness hit like a falling rock.  He didn't jump, cry out, or even move.  He felt as