So, this is the beginning of a bit of a speculative story. I hope it'll turn out well and I won't be struck down with writer's block or lose my inspiration, which has happened to me a lot in the past. So, if you like it, please review and tell me.
Princess Celestia stood alone on a small rise as she stared into the distance. The moon was absent in the night sky above; the only light available coming from the stars. Miles away, on a blood soaked ridgeline known as The Farrier's Way which marked the Northern most border of Equestria, a battle raged as the ponies of the 1st and 3rd Equestrian Legions engaged the fearsome Black Talon Griffon flock. Celestia watched in silence as half a dozen Bomb Spells detonated in rapid sequence, followed screams of anguish. She could barely make out individual figures, outlined by a dozen fires started by flaming arrows and Incindiary Spells.
The ongoing Griffon War, fierce and bloody though it was, it was not the fighting that had drawn the Sun Princess to the frosty North of Equestria.
"My Princess, she is ready." Celestia turned her head away from the battle and looked down at Thunder Wing, the Captain of her Royal Guard. Celestia gave a slight nod, and glanced at the large gathering of ponies which had formed a rough circle around her, facing outwards. A hundred white and gray Pegasi clad in golden armor shuffled about nervously, their eyes searching for the smallest hint of a threat. None were comfortable with the Princess being so near to the front.
Thunder Wing had expressed this thought, but Celestia had overruled him. The Princess desperately needed to meet the pony she had traveled all the way from Canterlot to see. Celestia slowly strode towards a rickety wooden cottage hidden in a small grove of ancient trees. Instead of a door, a heavy wool sheet hung in the doorway.
Celestia glanced at Thunder Wing, who had moved to follow her. "You will wait out here." Thunder Wing hesitated, before bowing his head and took a small step back. His displeasure was obvious, even in the dim light of the new moon sky. Celestia lowered her head to avoid the top of the door frame, pushed the sheet aside with her magic, and stepped inside.
The interior of the cottage was dark with only a few small candles providing light. Fog swirled all around the single room in hypnotic patterns. In the center, on a pile of ragged pillows, sat a unicorn mare with a pale gray, nearly white coat and white mane. The mare's cutie mark was a grandfather clock half obscured behind a parted curtain. The mare's eyes were hidden beneath her mane as she stared at a candle.
"We were told you requested our presence," Celestia said, refraining from using the Royal Canterlot Voice. The pony did not speak, only dipped her head slightly in affirmation. Celestia waited, but the mare remained silent. The sound of a muffled explosion in the distance prompted Celestia to press the silent pony. "Speak, Mare of Time, or was our journey for naught?"
As if it had been waiting for Celestia's question, the smoke all around her instantly changed its pattern. Instead of many independent swirls and loops, the smoke began to slowly circle around the Mare of Time. The smoke circled faster and faster, until it became a whirlwind. Then, as quickly as it began, the smoke stopped.
For many minutes, the smoke remained still. Celestia resisted the urge to shift her weight, trying to maintain her regal appearance before the mysterious pony in front of her.
Suddenly and without warning, the smoke divided upwards into two parallel columns around the Mare of Time, who looked up at Celestia for the first time. Celestia took an involuntary step back from the sight.
The Mare's eyes were completely white, containing no iris or pupils. The Mare's lips moved wordlessly for a fraction of a second. Then, the words not matching the movement of the Mare's lips, a great, booming voice pulsed in the Alicorn's ears. The sound was so horribly loud, yet so completely soft, it forced the Princess to her knees. Celestia covered her ears with her hooves in an attempt to shield herself, but the voice seemed to be inside her mind.
'Mare of Burning Star above
heed my warning
for all you Love.
When the Wheel of Night
has lost its patron,
the Monster of Slight
Banished by Harmony,
And the God of Chaos
Forced from His throne
A Rain of fire will fall to ground
to deliver the our Salvation
Looked upon with Trepidation.
Sired by a Lion
with the Heart of a Lamb.
Then the World Itself shall quake.
An Evil force made to wait
shall escape from its cage.
The sounds of Battle will resound
And the Land of Peace
will feel War.
Kindness lays upon the floor,
appears to breath
Nevermore.
A rage contained, a rage released
The only way to Slay the Beast
But when Titans Roar
And fists do Clash,
If left alone to their fight
All the world shall turn to ash.
Good may win, it may not
But Good it won't remain.
Evil in the end shall have its way
Unless the warrior's hand is stayed
The Mare of Time's lips ceased to move, and she returned her unseeing eyes back to her candle. Celestia rubbed her head with a hoof and struggled to stand. When she finally managed to raise herself on shaky legs, the Mare of Time tilted her head in her direction without taking her eyes from the candle.
"I have no more words for this world. I think...I think I would like to rest now." The Mare's voice was a tired, raspy whisper, so quiet Celestia debated for a moment whether she had truly heard it at all. The Princess of the Sun opened her mouth to ask inquire, but was cut off when every candle in the room was simultaneously extinguished, plunging the cottage into total darkness.
By the time Celestia managed to conjure a Light Spell, the room was empty. The pile of cushions the Mare had been laying on appeared undisturbed. Celestia nodded her head sadly, understanding whatever it was that had given the Mare of Time her power had taken its leave. Thousands of years of experience allowed her to recognize the few times when she had no say in matters, and she recognized the Mare of Time's exit as one such instance. As the large white Alicorn turned towards the doorway to leave, a small wisp of smoke floated past Celestia's ear.
"It shall start where it All began. Farewell, my Beloved Celly." Celestia jerked her head abruptly in the direction of the voice. It was not the same gravelly whisper as the Mare of Time's true voice, but instead a soft, silky tone she remembered well. Not only that, but it had called her 'Celly'. Only one being in all of existence had ever called her that. But when Celestia again searched the cabin, it remained empty.