Tender Hoof and The Four Stones
Prologue
Galloping through the dense forest, the unicorn panted with every hoof step she took. The heat began to sink into her, making her throat ache for the sweet chill of water yet she pressed on. The roars and laughter behind her reminding, that if she stopped now all would be lost. The mare pushed herself, her horn beginning to glow a radiant blue. Taking her last hoof step, she mustered as much of her magic as she could and teleported in a ball of sapphire light.
Falling onto the cold floor of a cave, she allowed herself to breathe. Knowing these short breaths would be brief however, the unicorn stood, igniting her horn once again with the blue aura, levitating a quill and scroll, she wrote a letter. After finishing the last sentence, she rolled the scroll and levitated it in front of her eyes. Closing them, she trotted over to a spot and set the scroll down. Turning to the small pond, the unicorn stood tall, her eyes and horn glowing.
Levitating gallon upon gallon of water, she began to encase herself, and the saddlebag she had been carrying, still strapped to her side. Closing her eyes, she froze the water around herself. Freezing her moment of sacrifice forever in time.
Chapter one: New Beginnings
"Teeeeen-Teeeen!" Whined a young lemon yellow filly. The mare she was currently jumping on groaned an irritated response at the bouncing kid. "What!? Speak up Ten-Ten!" The filly shouted right in the older mares ear. Sitting up, the pale blue pony eyed the lemon colored filly in front of her warily. "Lemon… How many times do I have to tell you not to jump on me?" She complained as she gingerly stepped out of bed. "Sorry sis but mom said she wants you up for today." Lemon chimed as she hopped off the bed. "Today..? What is today again?" The mare asked her younger sibling. "Duhhhh! It's the moon rising ceremony! Princess Luna will be making the night an entire twenty-four hours!" Lemon practically shrieked with excitement. "Oh! That's today…" Mused the sleepy mare.
"Tender Hoof! Lemon Snout!" A song like feminine voice came from the other room, calling the two sisters. "Coming mother!" Tender yelled back as she brushed her mane and silently wishing she were a unicorn. Being an earth pony, meant ponies like Tender Hoof, her mother and sister are in the lowest of classes despite providing most of the food. A sigh escaped her lips as she ran her brush through her light golden mane. Oh how she wished to have the special talents of magical or flight related things, but no Tender Hoof, like most is a farm pony.
Setting the brush down, Tender opened a small box, fishing out a small green bow with a silver feather attached to it. The feather reflected in her, own silvery eyes. The mare tied the bow into her mane before turning to Lemon. "So, what do you think?" She asked with a bit of excitement in her voice. "You look great! Did you make that yourself?" Lemon replied in kind, her head tilting ever so slightly, with a curious smile. "Yeah." Tender answered with a proud smirk.
Both ponies stepped out of the room and trotted down the hall to the living room. Their eyes fell on a lovely older mare, trotting about the room, her golden coat shimmering in the early morning sunlight. "Morning momma!" Lemon chimed as she trotted over to the mare. "Yeah, morning mom." Tender added in as she stepped into the light. "Good mor-Oh my Celestia… Tender Hoof… That bow is so lovely! You truly do look like your grandmother. Always putting feathers in her mane…" Her mother reminisced as she trotted to the kitchen, running a hoof through her snow white mane.
Tender smiled a bit sheepishly and messed a bit with the feather. The younger mare nudged her, and grinned. "Trying to get the eye of a lucky stallion?" Lemon said a bit teasingly. "Oh you sound just like mom!" The blue mare replied, playfully grabbing Lemon and ruffling her light brown mane. The yellow filly giggled, squirmed, and squealed trying get away from her sister. "Girls! Time to get on with the morning chores." Their mother chimed in, her silvery eyes stern, but gentle. "Yes ma'am." Both ponies answered as they trotted out of the house, the older letting the younger go first.
The two began the morning chores of tending to the farm and animals. Tender corralled the sheep as Lemon stood by the pen's entrance. "One is going into the forest!" The younger shouted, pointing with her hoof. "Wait here with the rest, I'll be back!" The older shouted back as she galloped after the sheep, picking a rope in her teeth as she raced through the farm and into the forest. Tender slowed to a trot as she looked around for the lost sheep; the rope in her mouth making it a tad difficult to call out for the sheep. "Great job Tender Hoof… You couldn't have grabbed a holder for the rope." She thought to herself as she trotted.
Stopping after taking a few more steps, she found herself filled with a sinking feeling, though she didn't know why. Tender kept going, ignoring the sudden feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.
Tender heard the thing she had been hoping to, the "baa" of a sheep. She smiled to herself as she started to gallop towards the sound. The sounds got louder as she neared the sheep, however she halted in the middle of a stride. The blue mare stared up at the mouth of a massive, deep, dark cave. The baas were coming from within, gathering herself, Tender stepped in. "It's just a cave, just a deep, dark, scary cave… Stop! Your scaring yourself"
End Chapter one