New Lost Cities Art! · 11:04am May 29th, 2016
So for whatever reason I was reminded that I have a Wacom tablet and an old copy of Photoshop, and I realized it's been a little while since I did any digital painting. Since I'm in a bit of a slow spot with my writing at the moment, I decided to try and illustrate one of my favorite characters from Lost Cities: Queen Platinum.
Now, those of you who've read Lost Cities might immediately object, "But CiG, there aren't any characters in Lost Cities! That's the whole point!" And you would be correct. The only actual characters in the story are the cities themselves – everypony else is merely alluded to, their stories told in the margins or simply forgotten by time.
But a few ponies do get mentioned by name, and one that always intrigued me was Queen Platinum, the ruler of the Heartspire and lord of all unicorn kind. Not the Queen Platinum of the old Hearthswarming pageant, but her descendant many dozens of generations removed.
The Last White Queen
Queen Platinum XCVII, who like her mothers extending back nearly a thousand years styled herself simply as The White Queen, ruled the most powerful kingdom in the world prior to the founding of modern Equestria. She was the last of her line, and after her death the unicorn nation was forcefully absorbed during the Second Unification.
Over the thousand-year history of the Heartspire, the unicorns grew increasingly cruel, and went in search of darker magic to augment their already profound powers. The blood magic that Platinum XCVII practiced, though vile, was exceptionally effective. She nearly killed Luna in their confrontation, and was only destroyed thanks to Celestia's aid.
There is a school of thought, popular mostly among unicorn scholars, that insists Platinum XCVII was not even a pony by the end of her life, that the dark arts she practiced had turned her into something more like a demon. Or, at the very least, she was no longer a unicorn.
Other scholars, who aren't themselves unicorns, consider such theories to be rather self-serving. To them, Platinum XCVII was both a unicorn and a warning of what ponies may become, if they let nothing stand in the way of their quest for power.
That is equal parts awesome and terrifying. Thank you very much for sharing it with us.
She was no longer just a unicorn, she was Rarity!
Very nice painting.
Why make her a cutie mark swap of Rarity, though?
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It's not quite clear at this size, but if you look closely her cutie mark is actually a crown.
Old mad monarchs make for exceptional stories, so long as you don't have to live under one. Liking the details on her mouth there.
This is very good art. I wonder what the real Princess Platinum and her descendants looked like (we saw Princess Platinum portrayed by Miss Rarity, just as Princess Twilight Sparkle imagined Miss Starlight Glimmer as Snowfall Frost).
It only takes 97 generations to fall to such depravity.
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I know that: what I meant was: why is her hair, body and face the same as Rarity?
Because she played her ancestor in the hearth's warning Eve pageant?
Blood magic be no sin
For the life that sings within
The blood is but a fuel
For an ever more glorious burning
I'm liking the bloody maw there
Terrifying.
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Depends on how long they interbreeded.
Will you be doing the leaders of the other two cities as well?
You call this Lost Cities, but all I see is Land of the Blind.
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All part of the CiGverse, no doubt.
Vampire Rarity finds all seven dragonballs
I am in a state of envy.
Fantastic work man, as always. The pose is really good. Everything from the shadow over her throat to the camera emphasis on her front half causes her to appear just a little distorted, unreal, and menacing. It's very effective.
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Because Rarity's ancestor IS Princess Platinum.
Do you have a deviantart or something where you post these? I'd love to see it.
Is this Platinum a part of that story? If so must read then...
Sort of an Elizabeth Bathory, then?
There's something in Dante's Inferno about a man who was so evil that God didn't even wait until he died to damn him. Instead the Divine Finger flicked the booger of his soul clean out of his body and straight to Hell, leaving the still-breathing clay to be animated by a demon until it expired.
Something like that?
Second Unification is the beginning of the Diarchy, yes?
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Yes. I don't have an elaborate personal universe like some authors, but in the Lost Cities stories the original Unification took place as portrayed in the Hearthswarming pageant. The second Unification took place under Celestia and Luna, around 14 centuries later.
Very interesting, but I am a big sucker for lore. I can only imagine that Queen Platinum XCVII either went so far into the dark arts that others felt she needed to be stopped, or she got actively into the war and conquest game, and then necessitated ending her dynasty. I am also curious what exactly she was becoming there.
Yet another reminder that I need to read more of your stuff
So it's confirmed. You can both write and art. Well. Guess I'm just going to have to kill you...
This reads like the backstory for a Dark Souls villain.
Nicely, nicely done!
Yes... Apparently they may become Rarity, if they're not careful.