The 8 friends just sat there in the dark with Faris and the rest of the crowd, wondering what kind of show this was going to be. From out of the darkness came a high, shrill voice. It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female, but this is what it said (translated to Ponytalk by Faris so the eight could understand): "We know it now as the Great Dead City, but it was once called Haazina: the treasure inside the dryness. The outer walls were covered in gold, and the buildings were richly studded with precious gems. And the gold and gems of Haazina burned so brilliantly in the sun, that the city could be seen glowing from one horizon to the other"
The Baboon musicians to play a quiet, almost eerie melody. The eight friends' eyes widened as the darkness was suddenly filled with light, and the silhouette of the city appeared before them, as if magically suspended in the air.
The unseen storyteller continued: "Although it is true that Haazina is dead now, it was not always so. Tonight, we have set our tent near the Great Dead City and it calls on us to tell its story so that we may never forget. It is known that what made Haazina more precious than any other known city under the stars was not the gold or the jewels of the city, but its beloved ruler: King Kairlamah"
The silhouette of a Hamadryas Baboon wearing a pyramid-like crown appeared before the crowd, walking as quickly as it could, as if it was trying to say hello.
The unseen storyteller continued: "All who knew this Baboon glady sang his praise. It was said that he was more giving than the sun and far more compassionate. His generosity was so great that he refused to drink until he knew that no one was thirsty. He refused to eat until he knew that no one was hungry. He couldn't even sleep until all were sleeping. King Kairlamah made peace with the desert. The winds never raged inside Haazina and the water inside its golden walls was so cool and honey-sweet"
The eight's nostrils flared as a light honey scent filled the air inside the tent. Suddenly, the silhouettes of two Hamadryas Baboons with swords appeared near the silhouette of the king and they bowed to him.
"Now, this king was blessed with two strong and hansome sons", spoke the storyteller, "And this comforted him greatly. He felt that as he grew old his beloved city, and all who lived there, would be loved by his sons as well as by himself. Many years passed, each as gentle as the one before it, until finally the king knew that soon the wind would take his soul. Kairlamah summoned his two sons to his deathbed and whispered his last words to them: Haazina is like a fire in the desert. And like a fire in a barren place with so little to feed it, it is a fragile thing. You two must tend to this city carefully. Feed it with the generosity of your hearts and nurture it with your compassionate wisdom. Do this and you will find comfort and happiness here always"
The silhouette of Kairlamah then stopped moving, as if he just instanty died and floated up into the sky and vanished.
"But, of course, I would not be telling you this story if that was how things came to pass", spoke the storyteller as the silhouettes of the two brothers started to fight each other with their swords, "Quite obviously, they did not. Upon King Kairlamah's death, his two sons quarreled. They were not willing to share Haazina. They did not tend their magnificent like a fragile fire. They did not feed it with their generosity nor nurture it with compassionate wisdom. Instead, each tried to claim it as his own. And as we all know, when two fight over a single burning log, both end up getting burned. In time, the brothers divided the city in two, and each brought in fierce Fenrirs to protect his half"
The 8 friends began to stir with fear as the giant silhouette of a Fenrir Wolf appeared before them. The eight glanced arouns nervously. None of the other Animals seemed frightened. But our 8 heroic friends shuddered together as magic and reality became as inseparable as music and song.
"The two brothers waged war", the storyteller continued, "Each tried to wrest control of Haazina from the other. The fighting raged on for years. Much of the coty was destoryed and many lives were lost, but the brothers remained stubborn. Each refused to give in to the other. They called upon what they believed was dark magic, but it was really to dark forces of the great evil one known as Kurayami, and each summoned certain Demons from Kurayami's realm to join their armies. But of course, these were evil Beings who cannot be controlled by mortals, for they feed primarily on destruction. Thus the winds came"
At this, a wail of howling wind was heard. The silhouettes of what looked like a Demonic Dragon, a Demonic Chimera, a Demonic Griffon and a Demonic Antelope appeared. The 8 friends became greatfully terrified.
"Winds so violent", the storyteller went on, "They stripped the gold from the walls ripped the gems from the buildings and scattered them through the desert. The water turned sour, and those who survived the battles were forced to flee their once beautiful city. It is said they escaped to the deep caves near the coastline, and that their descendants are there to this day, dwelling with those dark spirits and delving even deeper into what is forbidden. The two brothers, however, stubbornly stayed behind with their Fenrirs, neither willing to surrender. That is how they grew old. And that is how they died. At least their bodies were eaten by the starving Canines, whose offspring, to this day, prowl the streets of the lifeless city, reminding us so that we may never forget Haazina's legacy of greed"
Suddenly, someone let out a scream as a giant silhouette of one of the Fenrirs leapt out of the darkness and began to slowly prowl the room. The 8 friends watched its huge shape passing over the wide-eyed faces.
A loud growling and a baleful howl filled the tent. The eight felt a jolt of panic. The Elephant-sized, bone-crushing Wolf was pursued by even more Demons before it suddenly leapt straight up and vanished. There was a moment of stunned silence, then a great burst of light. An explosion of colorful sparks filled the tent with a crackling chaos of color.
Again there was silence, for a long breath, then riotous foot-stomping and and different species calling erupted from every corner of the tent. But the eight friends were very frightened, especially with seeing the flecks of colored light. Griffy had already swooped out of his sitting place and rushed to Fluttershy for comfort and Fluttershy was already hugging him, due to her being very frightened as well. Spike was already hugging Twilight's neck from fear as well. Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie and Rarity had already jumped to their feet and were trembling, as in a cold wind.
"What are you doing?", asked Faris in a grave voice, "What troubles you, outlanders?"
The eight friends opened their eyes and found that the candle and oil lamp lights were lit again. They felt a little embaressed, but they decided to explain of what they just whitnessed.
To Be Continued