Notes about Kingdom of Heaven and Earth #2

So I promised I’d talk a bit about the artifacts that the Mane 6 got as a present from Celestia and Luna. These are all based on one or more “actual” legendary items or pieces of equipment that can be found in legends. Most of them have been modified to actually fit in the world of Friendship is Magic, and artistic liberties have been taken in how they are represented. So, without further ado, let’s start with the first half, as there is lot to talk about.

Magical Tome of Star Swirl the Bearded
Original Name: The Bellflower Seal Manuscript
Owner: Twilight Sparkle
Type: Support Artifact
Legend Level: B-

Magical Tome of Star Swirl the Bearded is an artifact with deep ties to its creator, Star Swirl the Bearded. It is an ancient grimoire that was created for the sole purpose of recording all of the knowledge gained and known by its creator. The actual book has no definite number of pages, as it grows according to the knowledge that is inputted into it. It extracts this information straight from the user after linking to his or her magic, and records everything into its depths. One could call it the ultimate preserver of magical knowledge, able to outrival the eons it has existed.

The tome is used by inputting a small amount of the new user’s magical power into it, after which it forms an immediate contract. From that moment forward, the grimoire acts as a guiding tool to the owner, becoming a focusing tool to the unicorn magic desired by the one using it. Instead of the usual process of creating the spell in one’s mind and then forming it in reality, the grimoire instead absorbs the magical power and runs it through the spell stored in it, like water fills a canal. When the spell-formula is filled with enough magical power to activate it, the book recreates the spell and launches it, making it reality.

The name of the artifact comes from the Cutie Mark of Star Swirl the Bearded himself. A bellflower that represents the harmony of elements and magical power was the source of his untold power and expertise in the field of unicorn magic. A stylized bellflower, modeled after the Cutie Mark of the grimoire’s owner, is the symbol embedded on to the book, and acts as what holds the contents of the book together. If the sigil would ever be disrupted, the results would be chaotic, as the harmony of knowledge inside the book would be disrupted. What would follow would be an untold release of magic in the nearby area, changing the landscape and reality itself.

It is not only information and spells that the tome is capable of storing. As long as anything is counted as “magical concept”, be it an item, way of thinking, condition of victory or perhaps even a thought, they can be stored into the book for later retrieval. It is for this reason that the grimoire is counted as one of the most valuable artifacts in the history of Equestria, as it literally has collected countless other legends, becoming a treasure trove that is left second only by the “Record of He who Saw All” stored in the vaults under the capital of Marecedonia. Not only that, but the Magical Tome of Star Swirl the Bearded has actually a twin artifact which was known by the name of “The Destiny’s Judgment Manuscript”, but that has been lost long time ago, along with the creator of both.

Real Legend: The Bellflower Seal Manuscript is actually based on various grimoires that can be found everywhere in legends and myths, but most prominently, it takes after Kin'u Gyokuto Shu, once used by a Japanese “mage” named Abe-no-Seimei. He himself got it from a Chinese sage, who had written his knowledge to the manuscript. The idea of recorded information being passed down to other users and absorbing the knowledge of their wielders was lifted from there, though it has existed in other mythologies.

As I figured that Twilight would be too overpowered for a journey like in the story if she had access to all of her magical knowledge and power from the start, I needed a way to reduce that power, yet keep her competent. That was why her horn was cut, and she got the grimoire as her artifact. By relying on an outside source, she is on the same level as the other main characters when it comes to facing the threats of the world as they travel towards Marecedonia.

Chain Bridle of Beastmaster Roaming Plains
Original Name: The Chains of Open Worlds
Owner: Applejack
Type: Offensive Artifact
Legend Level: C++

A chain that once belonged to the greatest Beastmaster of them all, Roaming Plains. The Chain Bridle is a golden chain that is able to extend according to the wishes of its owner, becoming as long or short as there is need to. In fact, it does not respond to thoughts themselves, but the “need” of the user, adapting perfectly to the situation the user is in. The Chain Bridle is unbreakable when it comes to facing physical strength, but certain forms of very powerful magic are capable of cracking its surface. One should always be careful when trapping creatures who can utilize magic.

The Chain Bridle’s true power lies on how its strength and grip vary depending on the target. As it is meant to be used against beasts, it acts in such manner. The more removed the target is from civilized nature of ponies, and the higher the target’s status as a “monster” is, the tighter the grip of the Chain Bridle. Creatures like manticores or hydras are tightly bound by it, with no hope of breaking out of the grip, but things such as higher level changelings or canines can slip from its grasp if they are intelligent enough. Such is the blessing and curse of the Chain Bridle, as it was never meant to be used against other civilized creatures.

The Chain Bridle once belonged to the famous Beastmaster of Equestria, who rose to fame after the fall of Discord and banishment of Nightmare Moon. Roaming Plains was in charge of the special platoon that needed to drive away all the carnivores from the vicinity of the new capital and the lands in the nearby area. In the process, Roaming Plains became famous for his ability to tame wild beasts and make them into beasts of burden for the ponies. His spirit and intent eventually seeped into the golden chain he was using, and thus, a new artifact was born, with the sole purpose of catching any and all beasts it encounters.

The true power of the Chain Bridle lies in its ability to grow according to the wishes of its owner. The most famous tale of the artifact comes from its first owner, who used the chain to subdue an army of wild beasts gathered by a griffin warlord. It is told that the chain extended up to 10 kilometers in total length that day, spanning across the battlefield and binding hundreds of creatures at once. The fearsome aspect of the Chain Bridle truly is that it does not care about the numbers of the enemy, just how monstrous they are. It is said that Roaming Plains once boasted that even if the whole world was overrun by monsters, he would be able to bind them all in a single day.

Real Legend: The Chain Bridle is based on the legend of Gleipnir, which is found in the Norse mythology. Gleipnir is a chain that binds the fearsome wolf, Fenrir, till the end of times. As the previous chains were unable to hold Fenrir, the dwarves built Gleipnir from material that were “impossible”. One could, in a way, say that Gleipnir was impossibility binding the possible, in a way that the Chain Bridle is civilization binding savagery.

Since Applejack, in multiple occasions, shows her skills with a lasso, I found it only fitting to give her a similar artifact, which is why she ended up with the Chain Bridle. The true power of the Chain Bridle is something Applejack has yet to realize, however, as there are multiple ways one can use a chain, after all…

Wing Armor of Commander Hurricane
Original Name: Golden Splendor of the Skies
Owner: Rainbow Dash
Type: Defensive Artifact
Legend Level: B+

Armor that once belonged to the leader of the pegasi, the armor itself is made up of many parts, but it is still counted as only one artifact. The Wing Armor is a spending collection of equipment that protect the body of the wearer, while granting him or her magically boosted abilities. The Wing Armor makes the wearer nigh invulnerable to any sort of physical damage, enabling him or her to crash into the enemies in full speed. Not only that, but the flight capabilities, such as speed and acceleration speed are also boosted due to the aerodynamic shape of the armor.

Made out of metals no longer known to ponies, the Wing Armor is the ultimate armor from the past, granted to the greatest warrior amongst the pegasi, until it passed into the hooves of Princess Celestia. Its powers were of use to many pegasi, but they always came with a cost. After all, while it gave greater speed and made the wearer impervious to physical harm, it also reduced the dexterity of the user, making him or her more akin to a highly destructive projectile than a warrior dancing in the skies. Nevertheless, this armor has proven time and time again to be the source of legendary pegasi’s power.

The Wing Armor is tied to many legends, the least not being how it was utilized by Commander Hurricane himself to destroy the Grand Dragon that threatened the ancient home of the pegasi. The armor was apparently created by a legendary smith, as per the mother of Commander Hurricane ordered. It worked as a pair with the earrings created by the same smith, meant to enhance a warrior in a way that would make him unbeatable. However, as wearing both the earrings and the armor would have made the warrior too powerful, the artifacts were separated soon, and in time, the earrings were lost completely. Nowadays only the armor remains.

Legends tell that at the end of his life, Commander Hurricane offered up the armor in exchange to bringing forth the ultimate power hidden in the equipment. By sacrificing his protection, he was able to manifest a weapon powerful enough to destroy an approaching army with a single strike. However, this legend is rather dubious, as the armor still remains, and there are no legends telling what army it was that this armor was used against. It is speculated that the weapon referred in these legends is actually something completely different, which the Commander traded his armor to. In any event, there is no doubt that the Wing Armor is the greatest artifact of the pegasi ponies, and it will continue to be so.

Real Legend: The Wing Armor is actually based on two sets of armor that appear in legends. One is the equipment created by a god Vulcan to the hero Aeneas, who got them due to the plead of his mother, Venus. These arms and armor were one of the reasons why Aeneas was as successful as he was, becoming the source of the hero’s power.

The more prominent source material for the Wing Armor is, however, the armor of the hero Karna, from Hindu mythology. The golden armor that the hero was born with (called “Kavacha”) made him invulnerable to all weapons, practically making him one of the greatest heroes of the legends. However, due to all sorts of things happening in the legends, Karna eventually lost the armor he was born with, and was slain.

It remains to be seen what sort of power Dash will eventually summon from her armor, and in what ways it will help her during the journey…