Prologue
"Wake up dear." A voice said echoing through a darkened hallway of a grey, cracked and broken down rocky castle "Sweetie its time to wake up, i made you breakfast, come eat it before it gets cold." A groan from beneath the covers of a mattress upon the cold hard obsidian floor then triggers the echo throughout the hallway followed by the sound of covers being pulled off of a body "Mooommm!" There was a giggle "I've been standing over you for five minutes, you can't certainly be thinking of sleeping all day are you?" "Hmmf... maybe i am." Replied another voice, Another giggle came from above "Now's not the time for sleeping dear, we've got a lot to do today now get up before i spank that little flank of yours!" "Alright alright!" Said the voice from below, "And.. Topaz..." I blinked sitting up to face the mare above me, staring curiously into her golden yellow eyes "Hmm?" I asked awaiting her response.The mare above fell silent for a moment, smiling a bit before giving her answer a few seconds later "I think... your sister wanted to speak with you, she's out in the garden." With that my mother began to walk away, i watched her slow movements and listened to the sound of her hooves carefully, i watched as her long black and yellow striped mane matched up with her tail sway with every movement she had made. She was a very beautiful unicorn in my eyes, and her cutie mark of a pink flaming heart didn't need to tell me otherwise. Once my mother had left the bedroom i took a look around. My room was basically empty besides the large poster of a red dragon above my gold rimmed king size white bed with black covers patterned with yellowish orange flames and the large bookshelf next to it. The bookshelf was old, cracked a bit though covered with colorful spellbooks ranging from all colors of the rainbow. I jumped to my hooves once i had taken one last glance in front of me and gallopped out the doorway, through the hallway, and out the front gate finding myself into the garden. It wasn't much... the Equestrian outskirts weren't exactly... friendly in a way, there wasn't much of the lush green grass or flowers i had heard about, just a bunch of dead trees and yellow or browish grass you could say. The garden was gated off with a large wired stone fence much taller than me and i was pretty small only a little over a foot tall, near the gate of the garden was a statue that i couldn't really make oit looked a lot like a snake or some sort of dragon but i could never figure out what type. There was a fountain in the middle of the small area i stood in though it never worked and never flowed with water, never could really figure out why father didn't take it down. The rest of the garden had either been patched where old trees has been pulled out of the ground and buried in with dirt or a bunch of dead flowers that laid in place where they had been alive months ago. I didn't know how long i was standing around for but just as i was aboit to flop onto my flank i could hear my name being called and i turned to see where the voice was coming from but i only found myself turning in a circle "Topaz! Over here!" "H-Huh?! Wha?" I sounded stupid blurting out in confusion like that, plus my voice was so naturally demonic it had cracked right at that second making me sound even dumber "Ack!" Giving myself a facehoof and shaking my head, i then smiled and tried to act natural as i turned to my left to see my sister smiling back at me cheekily. I sighed and trotted over sitting down in front of her with an embarrassed blush "Hey there pipsqueak!" my sister said lifting a hoof to then give me a noogie. I groaned pushing her hoof away and in return gave a roll of my eyes "I told you to stop calling me that!" "Aww c'mon! You ain't gonna let your ol' sister keep calling you that anymore?" My sister said grinning "No... Tamyra..." I replied, almost snorting in annoyance. "Well alright then, so how's training been going?" "Huh? What training?" Damn! I had forgotten all about my training! I hadn't been practicing melee or magic for days and i just slipped it off lying to my family! Tamyra gave me a frown of concern, and i could tell she knew i could see it through her expression... and her light icy blue eyes "Topaz... i know its not easy, but teleportation is the most important thing you require right now... remember all the things father has done? If you aren't able to teleport... who knows what he'll do next and mom and i are still powerless to stop it..." i sighed, i knew exactly what she was talking about... I had been abused my whole life up to this point just for being 'different' My father had never liked me, everypony in my family but not me... i could barely even lift a stick with my telekinesis "i know but i just... i just can't!" I got a smack to the face after that, and i felt as though i deserved it "No!" Tamyra began, yelling at me like never before "You CAN!!! You just need to believe, i don't care if you're still a filly one of these days you need to master it and I'll be around you every step of the way for it! Now get your ass up we're training. " "A-Alright" sitting up i started to feel a bit wobbly, that hoof smack to my cheer had knocked me into dizziness "W-Woah!" I nearly fell on my face before my sister straitened me up and mom came to see what the commotion was "Is everything alright out here?" "Yes mom!" Tamyra and i said in sync, we looked at eachother and giggled i then hopped forward wrapping my forelegs around my sister's neck and hugged her tight. She smiled and so did my mother, though that's when my brother came along i looked over at him with a grin and stuck my tongue out. He frowned and gave me the tail flick before stepping back behind my mother and for such a tiny little colt like him he had sass, i knew he'd grow up to become a great warrior someday.. "Well if you two are done messing around Topaz come inside with me,I've got a very important matter to discuss with you..." Me with my young and confused mind took my immediate response to look up at my sister, she only smiled in return and gave me a pat on the head i knew then that she knew about... WHATEVER this was and has had it all planned out from the start with mother. "M-Me?" I stuttered looking back over at my mother with a frown, she only smiled in return and i knew that look all too well. As i watched her white body disappear back behind the corner of the gate door i took in a deep breath, right as i was about to head inside a light grey hoof placed upon my shoulder. I looked up now seeing my sister standing over me with a supportive and loving expression, she didn't say anything... only nodded and gave me a nudge to the flank pushing me forward slightly. I giggled from that point i then knew things were going to be okay. Waving to my sister i then started trotting behind my mother through the darkened hallways.
As i followed my mother she took a turn to the left near the throne room but that was when i started getting suspicions... mother NEVER let me come through these hallways. I started getting a bit nervous looking at the walls, they were a lot more cracked and broken down than the ones in the main halls i was used to, there were no paintings of ponies dragons, or anything in here just empty hallways "M-Mother?..." i asked squeaking a bit as my curved tipped ears took a droop. My mother said nothing in return instead she proceeded to stay completely silent as we walked through the hallways until reaching a door to the far right end corner of the castle. As she opened it a bright white light gleamed and lit up most of the hallway we had been standing in, i quickly lifted a hoof to cover my eyes from the brightness and waited to adjust to it. Once i felt i could see again i slowly let down my hoof and opened my eyes, that's when my jaw dropped... the whole room inside was completely made out of crystals and diamonds but each of which looked as of it had a tiny galaxy inside. I felt as though i forgot how to breathe for a second and my mother could tell. "Amazing isn't it? For years now i have been gathering these... and using them for a certain purpose... one that could save all of pony kind from the evil that roams these lands..." She began with a sigh "But... its not easy, for these gemstones are rare and can only be acquired in one way... though i am afraid my magic is no longer strong enough to mine for these." That last part confused me, i had always thought unicorns had an unlimited magic supply... but it turned out i was wrong "What do you mean mother?" I asked looking up at her with a concerned frown "Well... these type of gems can only be obtained upon... a planet far from here... and i can't keep going back and forth for much longer" My mother replied quietly, i feel into a state or shock and my mind started going through many thoughts, was she dying? Did she fail on a quest she needed to succeed in? Was she being sacrificed?! "You... wha... what do yo...?" I began but cut myself off mid sentence before i could finish. My mother had seemed to catch the message and just smiled "Its okay sweetheart." She said lifting a hoof, i lowered my head a bit thinking she was going to give me a head pat, but instead she reached behind her head and unwrapped the phoenix head shaped necklace from her neck. I looked up at her, my expression then began to change into a lot more confusion than before "This..." My mother began lighting her golden yellow magic from her horn, using her telekinesis to levitate the necklace and strap it around my neck "Is now yours... use it well my dear." I was speechless looking down at the necklace around my neck. I didn't know what to say nor did i know how to say it, the charm around the necklace was just too beautiful to let up. "But mother i!..." "Shhh..." My mother had stopped me from saying another word pressing a hoof to my mouth. I stared up at her and watched as her horn began to glow for a second time at that moment i then began to have a strange feeling within my body as the charm around my neck began to float and fade "Wha!?!" I started to panic as i then began to float with it. I was being LEVITATED and i didn't like it "Mother what are you doing!?!" I hated heights i was only a unicorn i had no wings! and i couldn't fly! At least... i thought i couldn't... but that was seconds before i was engulfed in a white light and felt... something sprouting from both my right and left sides "M-Mother what's going on!?" With each scream of terror i let out i had gotten no response. "Mother!" I finally decided to open my eyes and look down to see her looking up at me but her horn wasn't glowing anymore... and i was still afloat in the air but... how? Out of the corner of my left eye i noticed something orange and... flaming... i turned my head to see that it was a wing attatched to my side i looked to my right to see another and i was flapping them!? Hovering above my mother as she watched? This had to be a joke... but it wasn't... "What is?..." I was speechless, i didn't know what to say all i could do was continue to hover and stare down at my mother who looked up at me with a smile the whole time i was afloat. I couldn't even move, i started feeling fear rush through my body and many thoughts rushing through my head. How do i get down? Where do i land? How am i flapping if I've never used wings before? How do i KNOW how to flap?! Why am i not burning to death because of these!?! Where was the charm??? "Mooooommmm!!!" I started to call out again, i closed my eyes hoping this was all just a dream i could snap out of when i reopened my eyes... but it wasn't... i could then feel myself being surrounded by some sort of magic but i knew this feeling. After i was teleported i slowly opened my eyes, i could feel myself sitting on solid ground and i let out a sigh of relief. Looking up i could see my mother staring down at me and of course she still held the smile that i knew all too well. "Mother!" I squeaked jumping to my hooves, hugging her leg tightly i began to tear up but feeling her hoof stroking through my mane a second later i started to calm down, i could then feel her pulling me into a tight hug and rock me back and forth "Shhhh... its okay sweetie..." She whispered in my ear, she then began to hum a melody one that Princess Celestia would sing to her sister every night when she was little well... at least that's what my mother had told me. I don't know how long my mother and i sat out in the open for but it felt like hours and it started getting dark. It wasn't long before my mother broke the tune of her melody to speak to me "Its time for bed now, come on I'll tuck you in." I was too tired at this point to even start an argument or grump at my mother, besides i had a long day. As my mother picked me up and took me to my bedroom i couldn't help but think of all the new things i could be experiencing "Tomorrow... is a big day... i just hope I'm ready for the magic lessons..." I said to myself quietly "What was that dear?" "Oh uhh! Nothing mother." I sighed and took one last look at my wings, they weren't flaming anymore they were... light grey and white? I didn't understand this i started to lift one up and was blinded a bit by a bright light shining off of the underfeathers. Once i had regained my vision i noticed each of the underfeathers weren't... feathers... they were blades made out of... gemstones? Looked and felt an awful lot like Topaz... i suppose that's how i got my name then... i was born with Topaz inside certain parts of my body that would sprout out when new bodt parts were created but i never could fully understand it... and these blades were covered in a layer of fluff to keep them from cutting through my hide and i could control whether i wanted the fluff over the blades or not. Before i could examine the wings fully i was tucked into bed and kissed upon the forehead by my mother, i blinked and looked up at her and listened to her soft hums before she left the room.When she closed the door i fell alseep right that second.
When i woke up the next morning i could feel something wasn't right, the air was cold and every light was off. This wasn't normal... usually my mother kept a barrier around the castle to keep the castle warm and lit but when i looked out my bedroom window the golden barrier wasn't surrounding the castle that's when i started to panic. I immediately jumped out of bed and galloped my way through the castle screaming mother's name "MOTHER!?!" But i would get no response each time. I finally found my way into the kitchen and started to tear up, but right as i stepped into the doorway i noticed something on the counter. Again with my young and curious mind i decided to trot forward and jump onto a chair to see what it was, it was a note and next to it floating in a bubble of light blue magic was a silver and gold tiara embedded with purple and dark pink gemstones. I reached out with a hoof to grab it and looked it over the gemstone in the middle of dark blue in color and shaped look like a tiger head. I frowned and turned my head to look at the note, as i lit up my amber yellow magic from my horn i levitated it in front of me, luckily i had known how to read due to my years of studying magic and science that i found very fascinating. The note had said "Dear Topaz, i leave you here with a tiara and an entrance into the portal in the basement, i have not much to say on this matter but you have been chosen... you are a queen and you must protect the. dimensional planet Arthros with your life. you are one of the best hopes for keeping its universe safe, talk to Kalus the Dragon God once you arrive... he'll tell you everything you need to know." I had a huge feeling this note was left by mother but... me?! A QUEEN!?! Why and how!? That's when i re-read over the note "Kalus..." I thought aloud, he must have the reason to why i was chosen, and i needed to find him... It took me a while to gain my courage and jump back down to the floor then head on my way to the basement.
When i had gotten there i stared at the large wooden door towering over me i had never been to this part of the castle before it was far to the back left end of the castle. Mother had told me i was forbidden to go here and now i could understand why, lighting my amber yellow magic and using my telekinesis to turn the knob i opened the door and peeked inside the room behind it. It was a lot brighter than i thought it was though the whole room was empty except for the arched white crystalized portal, It had been activated which made sense... perhaps mother was inside! But... then again there were no details to her location on the note nor for my sister or... even brother but thrn again he had a tendency to wander off to random places, maybe mother took him with her. i couldn't sense mother's aura in the castle nor any of my other family members except for father's but he was always sitting on his throne in thr middle of thr castle. "Well... it's all or nothing..." I sighed, after which i found myself galloping and hopping through the galaxy shielding of the portal. Seconds later i started going through a wormhole and tried my hardest to keep myself strait, i closed my eyes and opened my mouth but it seemed trying to scream here wss impossible due to how much pressure there was pushing me through. I hated it... i hated it all! I wanted out of this place and luckily my dream for that came true right as i opened my eyes again but i was... falling, it took me a second to realise before i panicked, i was so scared i had completely forgotten i had wings. But before i almost hit the ground i could feel myself being lifted by a massive claw "H-Huh?" I turned to look at where the source was coming from but all i could see was a giant arm, when i looked up i was surprised to see a pair of pure white glowing eyes staring back down at me. Finally my brain made a click and i jumped bsck screaming in terror, some sort of giant monster was holding me on its claw and i had no way of getting down, i didn't know how high up i was either but i could tell by how hard the air pressure was that flying would be easy "Calm yourself young one!" Said loud thundering voice commanding above me, i squeaked and curled up a bit "Now now little one..." The voice continued "I am of no harm to you... though you must be the new queen..." Queen? Me? I had completely forgotten due to how much fear i had just experienced. "U-Uhh... yeah! I guess?" I replied quietly, i could feel my voice cracking i was just that scared. Just then the head to the source of the white eyes emerged from the shadows, it was HUGE! Dark midnight blue in color, horned, and very scaley that's when i knew "K-Kalus?" The dragon just chuckled, i couldn't tell if what i had asked was right or wrong because the tone of his laughter wasn't like anything i had ever heard before! But... hearing his response made things very clear "Yes little one... i am the god you speak of... Kalus, Dragon god of the Stars i keep the Arthian galaxy free of evil, but now that you're here it is your job to keep it free of both evil and darkness, i shall stay by your side through it all and offer any assistance if you need my help." I couldn't believe my ears! Or... eyes this... THING holding me above had to be over 300 feet tall or at least i thought. It did seem that way from my perspective after all i was only just a filly barely over a foot tall and i was like an ant compared to his size. But wait... he was willing to help ME? This was confusing "R-Right..." I replied squeaking which was barely audible "Relax your majesty, as i have just said i mean you no harm... i am of but only gentle peace in your presence." No harm? Gentle peace? What was this dragon talking about!?! He was gonna eat me and i knew it! I started to have a panic attack, i could feel my heart pounding harder than it ever had before. I started to hyperventilate and could feel myself leading to the point of screaming but something stopped me. I heard... humming... when i looked up at Kalus i could only see that he was watching... staring at me in a way that was so tense that i immediately froze up, but then i heard it again. Though it wasn't coming from his direction it was coming from behind me. When i turned around sitting behind me... smiling with such a warm gleam was my sister... it wasn't my mother but it was the second best thing to her "Tamyra!" I yelled in excitement, i stood up and took a leap jumping into her hooves and held her close. Her warm hide and sound of her beautiful humming like a meadow in a flower garden had calmed me down in an instant "Shhh..." Tamyta said lifting a hoof, she then began stroking it through my mane as she rocked back and forth, I had wondered how she had gotten up onto Kalus's massive claw so quietly and how i didn't sense her when she arrived, hell i didn't even know she was HERE before but... seeing as i now didn't have to worry the thought slowly left my mind. "Tamyra... W-Where's..." i couldn't bare myself to finish, what if mother was dead? If she were i really didn't wanna know the news "Hmm?" I could tell Tamyra was now worried by the way i had cut myself off from finishing my question "U-Umm..." Tamyra's worried expression turned into a saddened frown, she knew and there was no way i could hold back the question now, but right as i was about to finish she had cut me off to answer. "I don't know, but I'm worried about her too." So that was it huh? I could either go back to the old castle in Equestria and stay with my abusive father, I could stay here in Arthros risking my life as a royal queen to fend off evil and raise a successful kingdom, or i could go out into the worlds that i know of in a massive search to find out what happened to my mother. It took a while... thinking of my decision, but once i had gotten the thought in mind i sucked up my fears and sighed. "You know what..." I began lifting my head from Tamyra's chest to look up at her with a grin. "I know what i'm gonna do."