4/13/07
Mother saw fit to gift me with my very own journal today. I cannot claim to know how much she may love transcribing her experiences and thoughts into readable material, but such has never been an interest of mine. Nevertheless, she must have spent a few bits to acquire this blank book, so the least I can do is make sufficient use of it.
Today has been rather simple in regards to my typical birthday celebration. Mother decided to forgo having a surprise celebration in light of last year’s events. Nevertheless, she was determined to prove how spoiled a prince of Equestria should be.
It was also nice to see Soothing again. I was honestly sure she would have still been too distraught over her mother’s death to make the journey down here for my birthday. She claims to be nearly finished with her ‘make-the-sour-prince-appreciate-choir’ song, but I sincerely doubt it will work.
But even if it fails, I shan’t lambast her for trying. If anything, I shall give her the highest of praise for caring enough about my happiness to make the attempt.
5/01/07
Construction of the Canterlot Alchemy Research Center has reached completion. A more creative name would have been nice, but I digress.
Work will begin in earnest sometime this week, and I foresee spending much of my time with Canerlot’s finest to expand on this new branch of magic study that I helped to create. I admit, the honor is liable to make me arrogant.
Spending much of my time up in Canterlot means I will need to get better accustomed to using my wings to make trips to and fro there on my own. It fills me with some dread, but I shall manage, especially since it means I will get to visit Soothing more often. That alone is worth the effort to conquer my fear of flying.
5/05/07
Today I leave for a month long stay up in Canterlot to aid the research team in beginning our foray into the wonders of chemical recomposition, otherwise known as alchemy. Mother is at least partially sad at this, assuming my eyes played no tricks on me and that I did indeed see a tear run down her cheek when I informed her of this news. She has mentioned before how hard she believes it will be for her to watch me begin a life on my own when I come of age.
Truthfully, I am unsure of what to do when that time comes. I rather enjoy the castle lifestyle, and all the luxuries afforded to me by virtue of being the adopted son of one of Equestria’s rulers. Yet, the appeal of starting my own life has done nothing but grow as of late, to which I am starting to consider it a worthwhile alternative. Only time will tell what decision I find to be more savory.
For now, however, a short leave from the castle is all I seek. Those researchers up in Canterlot would surely be lost without my guidance.
5/06/07
It has only been one day since I left the castle and already I feel homesick, which is strange as I never felt so when I stayed to help Soothing care for her dying mother. Perhaps it is because I know I will be gone for a significantly longer stretch of time than I was then. The fact that I can visit Soothing whensoever I please will certainly help alleviate these feelings. I wonder what her new guardians are like?
As for the research crew, much as I could do without their self-centered attitudes, having such an enthusiastic team to work with is quite nice. Especially Doctor Heartstrings. Never before have I seen a stallion as patient, humble and intellectual as him. He might end up being my sanity’s saving grace amongst all these snobbish mules.
5/13/07
It has been a week since this research into alchemy began, and our progress has been slow but steady.
Our first step was to allow everypony the chance to try out the tuning spell. Total mastery will take some time, but nevertheless they each managed to pull it off fairly well on their first tries. I envy them, for I had significant difficulty pulling it off at first, despite it being my own spell. Mother has said it was due to my lack of first hoof experience using magic, but at least such is no longer the case.
From there, work began on studying and expanding the tuning spell’s applications in many different fields, not the least of which being medical magic. After Miss Melody’s death, a certain desire has indeed settled over Canterlot, one to research deadly diseases such as hers and prevent them from claiming more lives. Perhaps with this study we can eventually make significant progress towards achieving that goal.
For now, however, all we can do with ease is turn apples into oranges. More a novelty than a practicality, but it shows that this study does indeed have potential.
5/15/07
Today I heard tell of something interesting from one of the researchers. Apparently, their daughter had a night terror last night, and yet, Princess Luna took no initiative to slay it. Since I have lived with her for so long, I informed them that my aunt has felt unneeded lately as a protector of dreams, and has been seeking a replacement task for herself.
Perhaps she shan’t need one if night terrors become rampant like they used to be.
5/20/07
Work is still proceeding along slowly and steadily. We have added a few new specified formulas of the tuning spell to our repertoire, including a rather humorous one which allows the subject to grow facial hair from their upper lip. None of these are worth flaunting to anypony, but each new spell gives us a sense of reassurance that what we are doing is not a waste of time.
5/31/07
In about a week I shall leave for home. The team can manage from here on out without my guidance. I have total confidence in their abilities to harness my tuning spell’s full potential.
Regarding the here and now, I visited Soothing and met her aunt and uncle for the first time. Unlike Melody, who was rather indifferent towards my status as a prince of Equestria — which I commend her for being — her sister and brother-in-law follow the common belief of ‘grovel to the alicorn in hopes that they will approve of every action you take’. It was quite annoying at first, but at least they had relaxed by the time I left.
Soothing says her song shall be ready in a month’s time, and I promised to make the trip up here by the 30th of next month to hear it.
I think about Soothing very much these days, it seems. Perhaps because she is the closest I have to a true friend, I want to spend as much time with her as possible. I imagine Mother probably thinks I harbor romantic affection for her, but such is not true. Quite honestly, I cannot see myself ever marrying, regardless of my status, as being a family pony is something I know full well I am unfit to be.
That said, if ever there was a mare whom I could possibly foresee myself settling down and having foals with, it would be Soothing.
6/06/07
Mother and Aunt Luna are both happy to see me again after my month long absence from the castle. Little of note has happened here during my absence, but I did mention to Luna that some ponies in Canterlot have been experiencing night terrors as of late, and that her help quelling them would be most appreciated. Her reaction was strangely muted at first, but she eventually rejoiced and declared her intention to vanquish them swiftly and without mercy. Truly, nopony can outshine her in raw enthusiasm.
6/17/07
Had I been told by my future self back when I was just a little colt that I would eventually grow pegasus wings, much less learn to conquer my fear of flying, I imagine my younger self would have spit in my face before caving my face in.
I plan to fly to Canterlot alone for my upcoming visit with Soothing to hear her completed song. I suppose anypony reading this might think Mother pressured me into doing so. The truth is that I made the decision without her input, but it goes without saying that I have her full support.
I decided that, much as I like the royal lifestyle of being catered to endlessly, I shan’t need to rely on somepony else to take me where I want to go. I desire more freedom in that regard, and since I know Mother would never approve of me visiting certain locations, such as the Tartarus Caves, I have too much to gain by conquering my fear of flying to not even try.
But conquering one’s fear is easier said than done, as I have learned the hard way from up here atop the castle’s highest spire.
I can do it. I know I can.
I did it.
6/30/07
I must say, the trip up here was surprisingly pleasant. While I did manage to successfully fly off of the castle, I had assumed to travel the distance between the Everfree and Canterlot would be worse by large. It is truly amazing how fear can be so fleeting at times.
Now I am at Soothing’s house in Canterlot once again. She says her song is indeed finished and is off to retrieve it even as I write this. Her aunt and uncle are currently sitting across from me, giving me nervous glances every time I look up from writing. Perhaps because my face is obscured by this mask they cannot be assured that I am happy with my experience as their guest of honor. I have no intention of removing it, so I suppose they will just have to trust in their hospitality.
Soothing has returned. Now to see if her song can truly make me appreciate choir like she claims it will.
6/31/07
I have held off from detailing my reaction to Soothing’s song for the past day because, in all honesty, I am unsure how to feel about it.
I occasionally wondered over the past year what kind of lyrics she would choose for her song, but what she did end up choosing was quite unlike anything I had thought of. If I had to wager a guess, she was unable to write more traditional lyrics and instead decided to transcribe her thought process for writing songs into one itself.
The end result was interesting to say the least. I managed to sit through it as well, so the song was successful in that regard, but I cannot say whether or not I truly love it, much less choir in general. Not for now, anyway.
One particular line of the song has me both intrigued and nervous. The line was “Sing a melody of love.” I sincerely hope it refers to Soothing’s love of singing and not for me, because I could never begin to reciprocate such feelings.
7/17/07
For the past few weeks I have thought idly about Soothing’s song, trying to reach a conclusion as to whether I actually liked it.
The song, such as it was, left me more confused than anything else. That could be attributed to how unorthodox it was for a song, but at the same time, I never felt a shred of either happiness, anger, or even indifference while listening to it. Perhaps I need to listen to it more than once to get a clearer idea.
I suppose another trip up to Canterlot is in order, but I shall put it off for the time being, lest Mother believe that I am no longer interested in living with her anymore.
8/2/07
Summer Scape and Captain Tricolt have both now said, on separate occasions, and despite me being Celestia’s legally adopted son, they consider me a son-like figure in their lives here at the castle. Summer Scape, especially, says that she likes to pretend her real son, White Scorcher, and I are brothers. Based off the descriptions she has given of her son, Miss Scape must be stretching her imagination very far if she can pretend he and I share any blood.
In a way, everypony who lives in this castle is one big family, and it is one which I am happy to be a part of. Never to the end of time will I ever say the same about my old family.
Either of them.
9/19/07
Once again I am up in Canterlot, here to listen more to Soothing’s special sonata, but also to pay a visit to Doctor Heartstrings and all the other ponies working at the research facility.
Speaking of, it appears some of their work has escaped to the public, if the numerous hair-lipped ponies I am currently watching wander the streets of Canterlot are a clue. I wonder what is happening?
After speaking to a random citizen, it appears the research team has been selling some of its less practical spells to the general populace. Now this begs the question of where the proceeds are going.
Upon further investigation, it appears the proceeds are being used to purchase, unsurprisingly, jewel-encrusted furnishings. Times such as this are when I feel ashamed to be a pony. Hopefully, my spirits will liven upon visiting Soothing again.
9/20/07
Since yesterday I have listened to Soothing’s sonata a total of ten times, including the first time some months ago. Despite having listened to it almost a dozen times, I still cannot tell how exactly I feel about the song. I feel no annoyance, happiness or indifference to it, and to my knowledge there exists no other basic emotion to associate my feelings with.
I suppose the best assessment I can give is that Soothing’s song has me curious. I will admit to being genuinely interested in why it leaves me perplexed rather than annoyed, but I fear that it is a mystery which I lack the proper tools to research. Perhaps one day I will look deeper into this, but for now, I have other projects I wish to work on.
10/30/07
After observing pony behavior for almost a decade, I have concluded that ponies are one of two things more often than not. Either they are complete and utter numbskulls, or, as is the case with pretty much every single Canterlot noble, have their heads so far up their plots that I wonder if they eat their own horseapples.
Of course, that is my uncontrolled opinion of typical pony behavior. A more professional opinion is as follows:
Ponies are different from the world’s other races in many ways aside from their Souls. Unlike other races, ponies are often hard pressed to put on a facade to mask their emotions, thus resulting in their feelings and intentions being easy to decipher. This also applies to how they treat each other. For example, those nobles make a show of berating anypony they perceive as being below them in stature, whereas anypony with a sense of politeness would keep such opinions private. Another, more hypothetical, example would be if a complete stranger sauntered into one of Equestria’s more rural settlements and everypony retreated into their homes out of fear, while the more reasonable course of action would be to simply keep wary of the visitor until more information about them comes to light. Probably the most famous example of this reality is before the founding of Equestria, when the three pony tribes were caught in the Windigoes’ snowstorm and continued to bicker and argue rather than work together, almost being annihilated as a result. It all serves to showcase ponies’ inability to keep their emotions from escalating to ridiculous heights.
Some might think I am being hypocritical in my writing here, since I used to violently lash out at those who push me over the edge, but I was only a foal then. Foals do stupid things all the time out of ignorance and immaturity. Now I would never hit another pony unless to defend against their own violence towards me.
Were it not for ponies like Mother, Aunt Luna, Soothing, Captain Tricolt and Summer Scape, I would declare ponykind to be a garbage species.
12/11/07
Hearth’s Warming is fast approaching, and Mother is preparing another celebration. She is fully aware that she cannot outshine last years’, so she has decided to try something entirely different this year.
Last year’s celebration was unfocused in its setup, with the basic idea being to have food, drinks, and mingling of the masses. This year, while there were still be plenty of all three, there will be a main event this year in the form of a play re-enacting the founding of Equestria.
I have read about the exploits of the Six Companions a plethora of times, so to see a re-enactment will be splendid indeed.
12/15/07
Mother has offered me the chance to narrate the Hearth’s Warming play, it being the last remaining open role. I agreed, but only because I shan’t have too much stage time.
12/23/07
We are up in Canterlot once again, so I paid Soothing another visit. She is looking forward to seeing the play tomorrow, and especially my narration of it. She also asked me if I had reached a verdict regarding her song. I told her that it might be a while before I can come to a conclusion regarding my feelings for the song. Her only response was to tease me by saying I am afraid “to admit it is the most beautiful string of notes ‘my’ ears have ever been graced with”.
Truth be told, I believe it very well might be, but my feelings about it are an entirely different matter, one which I intend to resolve another day. For now, I must join the rest of the play’s cast in rehearsing for tomorrow’s performance.
12/24/07
The play is over, and I am relieved that it went by without a hitch. Everypony from the castle is quite proud and congratulated me for my excellent narration, especially Mother, who is determined to smother me with all of her praise.
Since I was the narrator, I was able to enjoy the play as much as the audience. It really is a treat to watch events one has previously only read about in action, even if it is a mere recreation.
Mother is beckoning me to her. It must be time to return home.
1/10/08
Once again, I am back in Canterlot. Now that I have both the courage and motivation to fly up here on my own, it hardly surprises Mother that I am spending increasingly less time around the castle. She has said that she dreads the day I decide to take up permanent residence somewhere else, but would respect such a wish from me regardless. I cannot say for sure if that is what I will do in the future, but for now I only intend to visit Canterlot, and only ever to check up on both the alchemy research team and Soothing.
The research team has been hard at work exploring every possibility afforded by my tuning spell, adding to their list of successful spells with each passing test session. Thankfully, they have ceased their commercial practices with selling the more novel spells to Canterlot’s populace. Perhaps my faith in ponykind can be salvaged after all.
Soothing is doing well, too. After Melody died, her music school was left to rot without its teacher, and Soothing is working hard to restore it to its former splendor as a place where music lovers can come to learn and practice their budding talents in the field. I wish her nothing but the best of luck at this.
Soothing also wishes nothing but the best for me and my own pursuits. As for what those are, I am keen on furthering my studies of the pony psyche, or, as academics have been referring to it as of late, psychology. Perhaps if I can better understand the inner workings of pony behavior and what makes the lot of them so utterly stupid, I can change it for the better. I also plan to further my studies in astrology, but this will have to wait for the time being until I can acquire all the necessary resources for it to bear fruit.
1/11/08
It seems another night terror has befallen a Canterlot resident, if the screams which woke me and half of the city up last night are any indication. I wonder why Aunt Luna failed to slay them? Perhaps she is still not convinced her help is once again needed. I shall speak with her upon my return to the castle.
2/28/08
I write this from the Royal Chariot en route to the village of Earth. We are travelling there in response to a report telling of a crystal pony staggering into the village tired, beaten, and starving.
The report stated that this pony specifically requested to see the princesses. No information regarding their reasoning was given, only that it was ‘of dire importance that the princesses be involved’.
How very ominous.
3/1/08
After having conversed with the crystal pony, who is named Ia Painta, it is now clear that the situation at hoof can, indeed, only be solved by the princesses.
According to Ia, King Sombra has fallen to madness and enslaved the crystal ponies. This came as an enormous surprise to us all. Even the royal guards whom flew us here let slip their stoic demeanor at this horrible revelation. Ia went on to explain that he was part of a budding rebellion within the empire, and that he was tasked with contacting the princesses to plead for their help in freeing the empire from Sombra’s dark clutches.
Mother and Aunt Luna are in full agreement that King Sombra must be stopped, but asked for more information about why he fell to madness, and what his motives might be. All Ia could say on the matter was that Sombra’s reign of terror started just a few months after he returned from our first Hearth’s Warming Celebration, and that there were rumors circulating throughout the empire of experiments being conducted in the palace prior to his tyrannical rule.
What he said next, however, has us all confused and, especially in Mother’s case - as I could plainly see in her features when Ia said it -, alarmed. According to him, King Sombra’s mane and tail have developed an ethereal quality not unlike that of the princess’ own. What this means, I am wholly unsure, and Mother and Aunt Luna refuse to divulge any information concerning the topic to me, but I have a feeling that such will not remain the case for long.
Ia Painta is currently accompanying us on our ride back to the castle. The poor stallion has clearly been through a terrible ordeal, and I have every intention of seeing to it that he is comfortable within our care.
3/2/08
Mother and Aunt Luna are leaving for the Crystal Empire in a few hours’ time with a squadron of guards. Both are firmly set on bringing King Sombra’s tyranny to an end, hopefully through peaceful means. But they will not hesitate to fight should the need arise.
It is both strange and frightening to think that the stallion I met years ago has become a monster. Cold and indifferent as he was, never once did Sombra strike me as a pony capable of committing such atrocities as he apparently now has. Hopefully, Mother will succeed in making him see reason.
And where will I be all the while? Why, ruling over Equestria, of course! A sixteen-year-old colt with only the smallest amount of experience in politics will rule over Equestria while the princesses are away! They promised to be back in a matter of days, but what if they are slain by King Sombra before then! I cannot hope to rule over Equestria for the rest of my life, regardless of how qualified I might be. Everypony will grate on my nerves to no end!
3/2/08 (evening)
After a lengthy talk with Mother, perhaps I overreacted in my previous entry. Mother has reaffirmed that she and Aunt Luna will only be gone for a maximum of two days. She says that, if they wanted to, they could strike down King Sombra swiftly and with little effort, and that only their desire to reason with him is necessitating the extra time.
Mother reassures me that ruling over Equestria is hardly a demanding task, even for longer than two days. She says the only worries I could feasibly have are responding to either somepony’s request for a Court session or a monster attack on a distant settlement, neither of which she believes are beyond my ability to resolve
I suppose she is right, and yet, the feeling of dread I currently have as I write this shows no signs of dissipating. At least I have Captain Tricolt and Summer Scape to rely on for support as I take on what is undoubtedly my biggest responsibility thus far as a prince of Equestria.
May the Elements look favorably upon me.
3/3/08
I have rule over all of Equestria. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe that previous sentence would become factual. Many foals dream of becoming royalty, never realizing the responsibility such a position entails, whereas adults know this well enough regardless of whether or not they strive to attain it. My situation is unique in that I have been thrust into this situation well aware of the responsibility that comes with ruling over Equestria, but without the confidence one could attain from living longer than a mere sixteen years.
And yet, despite Equestria being under my leadership until tomorrow, very little seems different. The staff is treating me no different from how they typically do, and fate is showing mercy by not conjuring a crisis for me to resolve. Perhaps it is because my time as ruler is so short that nopony has seen fit to treat me in the same capacity they do Mother and Aunt Luna.
After tomorrow, I will be able to truthfully say to ponies “I was your ruler for a time”. I cannot deny such a thought evokes some excitement from me.
The only pony who is treating me like royalty is Ia Painta, who is staying here in the castle until further notice. Life in this castle tends to be rather uneventful, so having somepony new to speak with is a welcome change, even if he is groveling at my hooves more often than I would like. His Soul is of an easel with all seven colors of the rainbow. This, combined with his last name, indicates a talent in painting, and indeed, Ia says his job was as a face painter in the Crystal Faire every year.
Regarding King Sombra, Ia says he cares little for the outcome of his and the princess’ encounter, only that the crystal ponies remain unharmed, especially his family. I can see the look of pain and fear in his face every time we meet together, how he regrets leaving them behind while he came to Equestria for help. Such a feeling, while I understand it, is something I cannot foresee myself ever experiencing, as I have no intention of ever starting a family.
We will know King Sombra’s fate come tomorrow. Hopefully, everything can be resolved with no casualties.
3/4/08
Mother, Aunt Luna, and their guards returned a couple of hours ago, and their news regarding the fate of both King Sombra and the Crystal Empire is both confusing and, for Ia especially, painful.
According to them, King Sombra was not only unwilling to talk, but wasted little time in lashing out at them with what they described as “magic of a different wavelength”, and things devolved into chaos very quickly from there. Mother’s guards had no choice but to retreat, as King Sombra’s magic was too powerful for them to stand against, leaving her and Aunt Luna to take down Sombra themselves.
Mother has told me before that an alicorn’s magic is about equal to that of everypony in Equestria combined. With such power doubled on their side, it comes as no surprise to hear that Mother and Aunt Luna easily overpowered King Sombra, who was given one last chance to surrender instead of be slain. This is where both the confusion and pain of their story begin.
Beaten, and with no chance of escape, Sombra activated his horn. The next thing everypony knew, the whole Crystal Empire vanished in a burst of green light, leaving not a trace of its existence behind. The princesses and their guards were too shocked to do or say anything even as King Sombra descended into a fit of maniacal laughter through his tired gasps. Eventually, Mother demanded to know what happened to the Empire, to which Sombra just grinned and said “The answer will come in due time, upon which I will be there to reclaim it.”
What this means, we are not sure, but all is well for the time being. Mother and Aunt Luna have said Sombra is no longer a threat, but they did not confirm his death, which is what leaves me conflicted. Did they really kill him? Was his statement just a farce, or is there more to their story than they are letting on?
Whatever the case might be, there are more important matters I must attend to than questioning them. Ia Painta has been shut up in his room ever since learning of the Empire’s disappearance, mourning the apparent loss of his family and friends. I have told him that there is yet hope, as Sombra seems not to have killed everypony in the Empire, but rather displaced them. I have assured him that Mother will do everything in her power to find the Empire, whatever condition it might be in, and return it along with everypony living there. In the meantime, Ia shall need new living arrangements, and I will be travelling again to Canterlot to find a suitable home for him until his own is restored.
While I am up there, aside from visiting Soothing, there is another task I must complete. Mother produced an amulet at the end of her and Aunt Luna’s story, explaining that it fell off of Sombra’s person during their fight, and that they brought it back home because they believe it might have some connection to Sombra’s descent into madness and tyranny.
Quite an interesting little trinket, it is. Black and red color scheme with an alicorn motif and, most interestingly, I can sense a magical presence within that feels familiar, yet different from that of a pony’s magic. The alchemy research team and I shall attempt to unlock the secrets of this amulet and possibly gain a clue as to the Empire’s current location.
Mother plans to give a formal declaration announcing the Empire’s disappearance in the coming days, as well as a plea for allied countries to join in a search effort to locate it. Knowing how rumors multiply among ponies faster than rabbits in heat, I dread what sorts of stupidity I shall hear of during my time up in Canterlot.
3/7/08
Mother’s declaration came out a few hours ago, and as I believed, ponies are jumping to conclusions despite the declaration stating with crystal clarity that “Our actions were wholly just, for King Sombra had abused his power horribly and with little to no care for the crystal ponies’ health and happiness.”
Maybe I can convince Aunt Luna to use a transformation spell to turn me into a dragon.
At least things have been relatively intellectual in and around the research facility. I had repeated the princesses’ story to them, and while they had the amulet as proof, only after Mother’s declaration did they wholeheartedly believe the story and agree to shift resources from my tuning spell onto the amulet, which we have taken to calling the Alicorn Amulet due to its alicorn motif.
Ia Painta has taken up residence in a small abode not far from where Soothing lives, which will make visits between them more convenient. In order to keep Ia from getting swamped by curious types asking questions relating to the Empire, I have asked Soothing and her guardians to keep an ear out for him and make sure his stay in Canterlot, for however long that may end up being, is pleasant, which they have agreed wholeheartedly to.
I hear Heartstrings calling for me; our work on the Alicorn Amulet is about to get underway. I wonder what secrets it holds?
4/1/08
After almost a month of studying the Alicorn Amulet, one thing has made itself clear to everypony on the research team; it is wholly responsible for King Sombra’s fall into madness.
One of our first experiments was to simply try on the amulet and record any immediate effects from that alone. We all took a turn wearing it, and while nothing happened on the surface, we all felt an identical sensation of something “poking” our natural magic. This confirmed that the amulet has its own native magic, so we focused our efforts on attempting to unearth its nature.
Further tests gradually painted a clearer picture of how the magic works. It was determined very early on that the magic employed by the amulet is quite unlike that of a pony’s own. Whenever we attempted to draw the amulet’s power into ourselves, it came in with absolutely no resistance. In fact, thinking back on it now, the “poking” sensation we all felt could be attributed to this, which suggests the amulet’s magic has some level of sentience.
But the most alarming aspect to this amulet yet was discovered just a few days ago, during a week long trial in which one of us would wear the amulet and make extensive use of it while the rest of us recorded any noticeable long term effects. It only took a few days for us to realize the amulet is beyond the capacity for anypony to control.
Arrow Horn is the researcher who volunteered to wear the amulet, and as his name suggests, archery is among his favorite hobbies. As the trial carried on, we noticed him spending less time around the facility proper and more time on the grounds outside where he had set up an archery range. The breaking point came when we woke up one morning to find Arrow Horn already outside, relentlessly shooting arrow after arrow at the target, eventually covering up the entire center mark. Our attempts to reason with him only gave rise to violent tendencies, and he almost shot an arrow straight through Doctor Heartstrings’ chest before I managed to subdue him. Only by threatening to snap his bow and arrows in half did we convince him to relinquish the amulet, to which he returned to his normal self right away.
During the trial, I did happen to notice that Arrow Horn was much more proficient with casting magic than he was without it, with his perfect shots being the pinnacle of evidence for this. This confirms that the Alicorn Amulet grants the wearer increased proficiency with their magic, with the most noticeable effects being in whatever they use it the most for.
We will have to be more careful with how we use the amulet from now on, now that we know it turns ponies mad with extended use.
4/13/08
I have been so busy helping the research team that I had forgotten today is my seventeenth birthday, and only because a message from Mother arrived was I even reminded of it. She says she wishes I could have been at the castle, but respects my decision to stay here, and that she knows how important it is that we uncover the Alicorn Amulet’s secrets.
She also says the search for the Crystal Empire has turned up nothing, but that each of the countries involved with the search have refused to back down. For Ia’s sake, I hope the Empire is found soon, and intact.
4/24/08
After thorough testing from every conceivable angle in every conceivable manner of study, some information, both interesting and confusing, about the Alicorn Amulet has come to light.
Apparently, the amulet contains a total of three magical signatures, and we have identified two of them already. The first is unmistakably King Sombra’s, as it has an especially harsh edge to it. The second signature is that of Mother, which in itself is unsurprising since she had to carry the amulet all the way from the Empire using her telekinesis. However, we have found traces of her magical signature not just on the surface, but within the amulet itself! In fact, her magic is so prevalent within the amulet that we are all but convinced the accursed thing was made using her power. Why this is, we have no idea, but I intend to speak with Mother about this as soon as I return to the castle.
The third magical signature was unique in that it seemed not the mark of any one particular pony, but rather a whole new type of magic altogether. The way it churns and flows through the amulet is unlike anything any of us have ever seen, but one aspect that stands out is its coloration. We managed to extract a small sample of this magic, to which we learned of its green and purple coloration, the former being more prominent. Upon learning this my mind went back to Mother’s story, about how the Crystal Empire vanished in a burst of green light, which indicates this new magic possesses considerable strength.
Everything we have learned has only left us with more questions than answers. Sadly, I fear that without King Sombra we may never learn the whole story. Mother might be able to shed some light on all the goings on surrounding the amulet, but for now, our attention will shift to studying this unique magic. Perhaps we can learn to harness its immaculate power for good causes without risking anypony’s safety.
5/16/08
I heard tell during a stroll through Canterlot on my way to visit Ia and Soothing that many young foals experienced night terrors last night. Perhaps Aunt Luna will change her mind and return to her job of patrolling the dreamscape if night terrors become widespread once again.
Ia is getting along quite well with Canterlot’s populace, which is good to hear. Perhaps when the Crystal Empire has returned he will have his family visit sometime. I let him know that search efforts have still turned up nothing, but that Mother shan’t quit until the Empire is returned. The hug he gave me in response was refreshingly brazen.
Soothing’s music school is also coming along nicely. She even has some volunteers for teaching positions, and every week she holds classes for foals wishing to study music. It is nice to see her in such high spirits, having recovered from her mother’s death last year. I still cannot give a solid opinion of her special sonata, but perhaps I will have time to think it over once research on the alicorn amulet is complete.
6/1/08
After exhaustive study on the strange green magic found within the Alicorn Amulet, we on the research team have a better understanding of how exactly this new magic works, though we still lack an explanation as to its origin.
We on the team have collectively decided to refer to this alien magic as “dark magic” due to the fact that much of it is still surrounded in mystery. What we do know is that it allows the user to cast magic with almost no difficulty while increasing their proficiency. At the same time, dark magic has an addictive quality that makes the user want more with continuous use, in turn robbing their psyches of rational thought.
Seeing how the amulet is imbued very strongly with this dark magic, it could very well be that King Sombra wore it for an extended period of time, eventually succumbing entirely to its influence and becoming the tyrant that Mother cast down. Additionally, though this is pure speculation on my part, this could also be the reason he developed an ethereal mane and tail. The amulet is also imbued with Mother’s magic, so perhaps wearing it long enough grants the user some of her physical characteristics. Not that we will ever find out for sure, for I plan on keeping the wretched thing locked safely away so nopony will ever again be hurt by it.
At the same time, I believe there are many ways in which dark magic can be harnessed for good purposes. Only a pony with iron clad constitution can hope to control it, of course, but I genuinely believe I am such a pony.
6/13/08
Upon returning to the castle I immediately presented all of the research team’s findings on the Alicorn Amulet, dark magic, and what we think might have happened to King Sombra, to Mother. I also asked why her magic seems so heavily intertwined with the amulet, and how King Sombra possibly could have stolen it from her.
Regarding her power’s presence within the amulet, she has no idea how Sombra came to possess her power, but what she said regarding the amulet itself had me stunned. According to her, if the amulet really can grant those who wear it the powers of an alicorn such as her, their spirit would be connected to the Tree of Harmony, which would mean a number of things, not the least of which being a greatly extended lifespan.
Clearly this shan’t happen without prolonged exposure, which is quite the relief.
Regarding dark magic, Mother was at first hesitant to let me study it more in depth, but relented when I assured her that I understood the risks and know how to control it. I already have some ideas of how I can apply the better qualities of dark magic in new ways to the benefit of Equestria. I will have to do it alone, as I am sure nopony else on the research team has the constitution to properly channel dark magic without letting it cloud their good judgement. At the very least, this means I will get to spend more time here at the castle.
I also spoke with Aunt Luna about the gradual surge of night terrors in Canterlot. Her response was unusually muted, and even a little cold, which I found more than a little disconcerting. Perhaps she was just grumpy because I accosted her while she was tired and heading to bed.
7/22/08
For the past month I have been holed up in my room, performing more experiments than I can hope to tally on dark magic, trying out a plethora of formulas and theorems of my own design to learn the full potential of this strange magic. As it turns out, the possibilities afforded by dark magic put my own tuning spell to shame.
Dark magic possesses raw magical power far greater than that of its regular variant, and my efforts have heralded results that leave me consistently amazed, especially whenever I use it to power my tuning spell. Just the other day, for example, I was able to create solid rocks out of air particles in little over a second. The power this grants to me is immeasurable, but the sad truth is that even I can only resist dark magic for so long.
Repeated use of dark magic has continually weakened my mental strength to resist its addictive property, forcing me to cease its use altogether for the time being. All the same, I have recorded all of my findings in the Inspiration Manifestation. The power dark magic grants to an effective caster is too great not to warrant further investigation, even if it might be a long while before such an opportunity has arisen. In the meantime, it should be safe from curious fools in the castle’s hidden chamber.
8/2/08
Soothing and Ia have become good friends during my time at the castle, and Soothing has made good on her promise to help make Ia’s time here in Canterlot comfortable. Search for the Crystal Empire has still turned up nothing, and a few countries have given up, declaring their efforts to be a lost cause. I withheld this last bit from Ia, as it would do nothing except crush his hope, and I could never wish that on him.
It also seems that the ponies of Canterlot have grown accustomed to my presence, if their current behavior is any indication. Since arriving yesterday, I have received not a single bow. A few stares upon my initial arrival, sure, but nothing to indicate they harbor deep reverence or even disgust towards me. This pleases me, of course, and I look forward to spending my time here with Soothing and Ia in a more casual light than I have previously.
8/10/08
The three of us have spent the past eight days bonding with each other, as I am told good friends are supposed to do: laugh and joke, play a few games, and so on. I remember the very idea of friendship was something I scoffed at in my youth, preferring to do little else other than read and sulk in my despair. Now I understand how good it feels to have friends, and I hope Soothing and Ia view me in the same light.
8/29/08
True to his claims, Ia has quite a talent with the brush and easel. The three of us decided to hike up the Canterhorn today, and Ia decided to take along some art supplies he purchased at the market. The landscape up there is absolutely breathtaking, and Ia decided to paint it while Soothing and I spent some alone time together, reminiscing about our lives and other silly sentimental nonsense.
The finished painting is now hanging in Ia’s bedroom, and it is simply remarkable how well he managed to perfectly recreate the Equestrian plains on that canvas. So amazed was I, in fact, that I asked if he could teach me the ways of artistry. Upon recovering from his shock of having a member of royalty ask a favor of him, he agreed with a fervor I believe has no equal at this point in time.
Truthfully, I only asked him to teach me because Mother and Aunt Luna have had little need of me in governing this country. I remember that Mother intended me to be a third wheel, to which it only makes sense I shan’t be needed very often for official matters, but life has been rather boring as a result. Aside from learning how to paint, I suppose my studies into pony psychology might be due for a revival. I have gotten to know many different ponies very well over the years, and learned so much from them that has made me a better person, so I believe learning how the pony psyche itself works would let me learn so much more.
At the very least, I shan’t be bored.
9/16/08
Only in recent years has the study of pony psychology gained serious traction among scholars. Between now and the time of Equestria’s founding, curiosity about the equine condition was sparse. Astral the Great was the only scholar to extensively research pony psychology, or at least the only one to record their findings.
Reading through his books, I must say I am intrigued by some of his theories, the most notable undoubtedly being his theory of Planetary Influence. The idea that a planet itself might dictate the behavior of its inhabitants sounds completely ludicrous, and yet, I can think of nothing to disprove the notion.
One detail of his works in particular caught my attention above all else. Astral the Great believes that chaos is wholly independent of Planetary Influence, meaning that Discord himself would not adhere to such a system. Which would make him wholly alien, I imagine?
No matter. Such a question is probably better left unanswered, and I believe there may be more yet to discover in these books that holds more significance.
9/30/08
After having read all of Astral the Great’s works, I now believe there is a grain of truth to his theories, but nothing more.
According to him, we all currently live on what is known as a ‘benefic planet’. Such a planet has a positive influence on its inhabitants, giving them a benevolent demeanor. A malevolent force still exists, though, it is easily outshined by the former in prominence. Conversely, a ‘malefic planet’ harbors a greater malevolent force than a benevolent one, in turn giving its own inhabitants a malevolent demeanor.
This is not entirely plausible, however. The bitterness and hatred that governed ponykind prior to Equestria’s founding no longer exists, so to say that there exists a pre-determined set of behavior for all sapient creatures is incorrect. That said, I do find it interesting how the dragons went from being a peaceful, if rather callous species, only to turn quite violent in the past few centuries, so perhaps these forces Astral believed exist are very flexible, assuming there is truth to his theory.
This warrants further study.
10/17/08
Painting is hard. It is also a dinner bell for trouble.
I hope this paint easily washes out of my mane.
10/23/08
It has taken many agonizing hours of learning under Ia’s tutelage, but I believe I finally have something of a knack for painting myself. I shall never recreate the Equestrian plains on a canvas, but I can now paint a reasonable facsimile of most anything.
Ia says that painting is more than just a talent, that it is also one of society’s most valuable cultural tools. Paintings can give future generations a visual glimpse of what times were like at their conception. An example he gave was if a town is constructed in the middle of the Equestrian plains sometime in the future, and his painting of the landscape survived until then, the idea that the town’s inhabitants could see what the area they call home looked like long before any of them were born is delightful.
I doubt anything I paint will ever be held in such a regard, but the feeling that it might become timeless is nice.
11/30/08
The more I read of Astral the Great’s work, combined with my observations of pony behavior throughout recorded history, the more I wonder if his theory of Planetary Influence was merely the progenitor to a study of great significance.
The history of ponykind has remained consistently uplifting after Equestria’s founding, barring Discord’s influence. We are a peaceful lot, with a desire to avoid bloodshed whenever possible, after learning we could go extinct by clinging to hatred and strife. Looking at the history of every race in this world as a collective whole, however, may validate Astral’s theories to some extent.
Scouring through multiple imported texts has revealed several interesting facts about the histories of other races in relation to our own. For example, the gryphons appear to have been relatively peaceful at around the time of Equestria’s founding some thousand years ago, only to become increasingly territorial soon after and seek to conquer the minotaurs, who themselves had been fighting the yaks for control of the frozen north for some time before abandoning that fight to fend off their new adversary and future allies.
The fact that the gryphons became so greedy so soon after ponies learned to embrace harmony is quite interesting. Some may say ‘tis merely coincidence, and indeed, I would say so had it not been for several more examples of this shift in behavior present throughout all of recorded history. The dragons only began wreaking havoc on the Gryphon Nation after the yaks severed all connections with the outside world, and the centaurs’ invasion of the Marequesas and subsequent defeat by the orcas happened immediately prior to the Great Cow Skirmish.
All these seemingly coincidental occurrences suggest that, if Astral the Great’s theory holds any truth to it, then all living things have a degree of control in the matter. Still, the entire idea of one’s behavior being influenced in negative ways is unsettling. However, it is uplifting to know that the world is in an era of relative peace, marred only by the continued conflict between the dragons and the Gryphon Nation.
I intend to continue research into this topic, and if Astral’s theories are indeed truthful, then a method of control over it as well.
12/23/08
Hearth’s Warming is fast approaching, and Mother has prepared another celebration in Canterlot. This year, I have chosen not to narrate the Hearth’s Warming play, preferring instead to watch it with Soothing and Ia as attendees.
Ia has been feeling especially depressed as of late, almost assuredly because the Crystal Empire has remained elusive to the search. Seeing Ia taking part in the Hearth’s Warming celebration is a strange, almost alien, concept. He says the Empire has no true equivalent to Hearth’s Warming, but it feels wrong that he is willing so readily to partake in this country’s customs. Has he lost hope that the Empire, along with his family, will ever be found? Or does he refuse to let his fear for their safety prevent him from having what he believes will be a good time?
Whatever the case, seeing him happy is a great enough gift for me, and I believe Soothing as well.
12/25/08
Ia got drunk at the celebration last night, and sang to all of Canterlot what he calls ‘the Ballad of the Ice Beast’. Needless to say, the entire escapade was of utmost hilarity, and Ia is currently hiding under his bed covers out of embarrassment.
Oh well, he had a good time, which is all that matters.
1/29/09
I have spent many hours thoroughly researching Astral the Great’s works and matching his claims against the historical behavioral trends of every known society in this world.
It all makes sense.
Throughout history, the ratio of peaceful, harmonious behavior to aggressive, ambitious attempts to conquer other societies has remained almost perfectly consistent, with the former always outweighing the latter by a substantial volume. This lends credence to Astral’s belief that we all live on a benefic planet.
Of course, my study leaves me with nothing but conjecture, so I cannot prove Astral’s claims to be true. As well, I am unsure whether I truly believe them myself, even after everything I have discovered. I suppose any good scientist should retain a sense of skepticism in the absence of irrefutable evidence.
And yet, the overwhelming support of my research in favor of Astral’s theory being true keeps me from dismissing it. Now I realize Astral’s theories are impossible to prove without first understanding more about pony psychology and what, if any, relation it might have with ‘planetary psychology’ for lack of a better term. Magic will surely aid me in this regard, but until I gain complete mastery over it I am ill-prepared to tackle such an endeavor.
With that said, magic can aid me here and now in another regard, that being how to influence pony behavior as I see fit. If I can develop a spell which allows me to mold the ‘current’ of behavior in living things, I could potentially make the world a kinder place to live. If nothing else, Mother would applaud such a feat, I believe.
2/14/09
If my studies into pony psychology have made one thing above all else clear, it is that despair is the true bane of peace and harmony. No one, regardless of race even, develops malicious intentions without having first suffered through someone else’s own. At the heart of every scoundrel lies a wounded spirit, their despairs manifesting as a desire for vengeance, power, or a great many other motives without a care for the well-being of others. But had they never been mistreated by their peers, or parents, whichever the case may be, I cannot believe they would ever have grown so apathetic to the world and all of its inhabitants.
I believe this is the case even for Tirek and Sombra, and perhaps even Discord to a lesser extent. I know not what motives any of them had for committing their misdeeds against Equestria, but surely a spark of friendship existed somewhere deep in their hearts. ‘Tis a shame that fate decreed them to be enemies of Equestria rather than allies. Although, had it not been them, others would have taken their place.
With them all gone now, what does the future of Equestria hold? To my knowledge, none of the three were slain which, according to Astral’s theories, means Equestria should be on the path toward eternal peace, but only if there exists a consistent volume of despair spread among all living beings. If that is the case, then do those three contain it all? And if not, who might be next to join them?
I must study harder to develop the spell which can seize control of this current of despair before this happens.
2/28/09
I hear tell that the ‘Pony of Night Terrors’ has been quite active in Canterlot as of late, and much more aggressive than they were in the past. A couple of nobles held a Court session asking for aid in protecting their foals from the pony’s wrath, and Aunt Luna claims to be on the verge of tracking down the mysterious entity, but states that this entity is quite adept at evading her within the enormous Dreamscape, so she cannot be certain how long it will take to track them down.
How long has this ‘Pony of Night Terrors’ been around? And, assuming they are intelligent, what do they desire? Whatever their reason for terrorizing the citizens of Equestria might be, we shan’t learn until Aunt Luna succeeds in capturing them.
3/6/09
I only consuled Ia only minutes ago, about how the search for the Crystal Empire is coming to an end. The last remaining few countries involved in the search have announced their withdrawal, proclaiming it to be ‘wasting time and resources’ or ‘utterly futile’. I would call them a number of expletives, but perhaps ending the search now is for the best. Every known land mass in the world has been thoroughly searched, and not a trace of the Empire has been found anywhere.
Ia was, understandably, quite upset, but he did not cry like I thought he might. I must credit him for having such a strong character. Soothing says he is likely crying on the inside, that he refuses to make visible his real feelings. I hope he realizes nopony shall think him weak for crying over his missing family.
3/10/09
Ia, Soothing, and I made another trek up the Canterhorn yesterday. The air between us was laced with concern, now that we know Equestria has followed in abandoning the search for the Crystal Empire, meaning the search itself is dead entirely.
We spent probably the better part of the early afternoon sitting on an outcropping of rocks, chatting about anything other than the Empire’s fate, which I am confident was on all of our minds the bulk of the time. Only after what was probably around five minutes of silence with us all failing to think of a new topic did I ask Ia if Soothing and I should be worried for his well-being.
His reply still runs through my brain even now, as I cannot help but be humbled under its power.
“There was a time when, indeed, I would have broken down in tears over the loss of my family and home. Yes, I am heartbroken over the loss of everything I once held dear. My entire world. But I cannot bring myself to cry over these losses. After all the time I spent under King Sombra’s rule, I have suffered enough to become immune to the anguish of pain, whether from the heart or the body.
“Listen, Soothing. Solis. I ask that you not worry over my well-being. Despaired as I am, I will be fine. I have you two, as well as others who make me happy to live here in Equestria, which is what my family and friends would have wanted.
“So… I will not cry.”
To whoever may read this, my apologies for the tear stains.
3/20/09
A little over one month it has been since I began researching a spell with which to control the current of despair that infests ponykind. I am amazed at how much progress has been made in such a short amount of time, especially compared to how long it took me to complete my tuning spell. I suppose it helps greatly to have access to magic myself, instead of being forced to rely on countless estimates and hypotheses rather than solid trial and error.
Even so, the spell is still in an early experimental form. A few final parameters are in need of tinkering before testing proper can commence. Due to the nature of this spell, I am not involving any of the research facility’s staff. Truth be told, I fear what Mother might say if she got wind of this project. No doubt, she will forbid me from continuing with it, but what she might say about my intentions in developing it are far worse.
At least I shall have found a worthwhile destiny to call my own.
4/13/09
Today I turn eighteen years of age. The celebration was as spectacular and heartwarming as those previous, but Mother was not as jubilant as she has been years past, and I believe I know why.
No longer is Princess Celestia officially my legal guardian. I am now free to take charge of my own life, and given what Mother has said to me time and again, I believe she fears I will indeed make the choice to do just that.
My choice has already been made, and I am currently shaping my own destiny, as I must in the absence of a Soul. I do not intend to cut Mother out of my life, but I believe her love for me may be strained once I reveal to her my plan.
And, if I were completely honest with myself, I would prefer she did come to hate me once I do.
4/26/09
Ia has added another painting to his collection. The subjects for this one included myself, him, as well as Soothing and her guardians. How he managed to paint himself into such a portrait shows the extent of his artistry mastery.
Ia says he intends to reassure his family and friends, should the Crystal Empire ever return, that he lived a happy life here in Equestria. The following quote comes from the message he wrote on the portrait’s backside:
“Should this message reach you after I pass away, please be happy to know I lived a good life here in Equestria. The ponies here were more than welcoming of me, and while I ache every day not knowing what fate befell my fellow crystal ponies, from now until my dying day I will cherish the support given to me by the denizens of this wonderful southern land.
Until we meet again.
- Ia Painta"
I suppose it shall fall unto Mother and Aunt Luna to deliver this message should the Empire ever return. Or perhaps, if my plan comes to fruition, I might carry out the task myself.
4/30/09
It appears the ‘Pony of Night Terrors’ has been active all over Equestria for the past couple of days. Reports have come in at regular intervals since last night of ponies of all ages experiencing night terrors.
But what makes this different from every previous incident is that half of all the ponies’ reports spoke of a tall, blue-armored mare with a coat as black as pitch, just within their perception amidst their respective maelstroms of fear and horror.
I assume this is describing the Pony of Night Terrors, but Mother’s reaction to this news has me confused. When the first report came in with this description, her eyes widened and she tensed, and I am almost certain I heard her breath catch in her throat. When I asked what the matter was, she left, saying she needed to have a talk with Aunt Luna.
I am nothing if not intelligent. I know Mother is suspicious of her sister being the Pony of Night Terrors herself. The description of ‘blue armor’ does indeed point to Aunt Luna being responsible. But that is circumstantial evidence, as a single color match is not definitive proof that Aunt Luna is the Pony of Night Terrors.
And yet, I cannot shed myself of suspicion towards her. She is usually reluctant to talk about the Pony of Night Terrors whenever the subject is brought up, and I would have thought a pony as experienced with dreamwalking as her would find no trouble in tracking down and apprehending such a malevolent force terrorizing Equestria’s populace.
Is Aunt Luna capable of such treachery as terrorizing Our subjects? And if so, what motive could she have?
5/10/09
Mother and Aunt Luna have been cold to each other for this past week. I can feel the tension in the air between them at every meal, as does every guard. Nightcanter especially, as he even refuses to sit next to Aunt Luna from now on. I cannot say that I would have the gall to do so myself; that is how unnerved even I am over this recent development.
This is definitely related to the Pony of Night Terrors. Could it be true? Aunt Luna really is the vile entity that has been terrorizing Equestria’s populace all this time? Mother refuses to say a word regarding the matter, which strongly suggests this to be the case, but that still leaves the question of why Aunt Luna would commit such an act unbecoming of a ruler.
And is she finished now that she has, supposedly, been caught?
6/1/09
The tension in the castle is too much for me to bear any longer. I have taken up residence once again in the research facility, intent on continuing development of what I now call my ‘despair convergence’ spell.
Now is not the time to pay attention to Dr. Heartstrings and the rest of the research team. Not even Soothing and Ia are worth my time right now. I must finish this spell and put my plan into motion as quickly as possible. I only take time away from work on it to either eat or write in this diary. So many thoughts and events I have transcribed here, instinctively preserving my life so others may know my story, should they happen across it.
I do not believe such will happen for a long time.
6/15/09
At long last I have completed my despair convergence spell. I have spent so much time and energy making something that can potentially change ponykind for the better. It was well worth the effort, based on my tests, but to make it work on the whole of Equestria will be my greatest challenge yet. Had I not the power of an alicorn, I believe such would be an impossible endeavor.
6/20/09
My resolve is faltering.
I have spent almost a week in the research facility, scared to return to Everfree Castle and inform Mother of my plan. I cannot believe after all the work I put into crafting my spell, I am now unable to propose it to Mother. Damn it!
Maybe if I knew for certain she would
Knock Knock
Solis stopped writing in response to the knocking at his room’s door. The suddenness caused him to jump a little, as he’d firmly settled into the permeating quietness of the nighttime atmosphere.
“Solis, are you in there!?” Soothing’s voice called from behind the door.
“Would you mind if we came in?” Ia’s voice followed.
With a sigh, and a ruffle of his wings, Solis closed his journal and set the quill beside it. “Yes,” he called, turning towards the staircase. “You may enter.”