The World of Tartarus Forged · 3:55am Nov 6th, 2016
Over a thousand years ago, two ponies bearing the combined traits of Unicorns, Earth Ponies, and Pegasi appeared in Terra. Seeing how ravaged Terra was, they set out to show the inhabitants of this world how to turn the frozen wastes of their home into a brilliant world of Harmony.
However, four forces of chaos, disharmony, sickness, and hatred would not relent and continued to corrupt the world with their powers. Thus, the two ponies, sisters, were forced to deal with the source of the problems tearing this world apart.
First, they confronted Discord, a strange being with even stranger powers. He was the source of Chaos in the world, and with his defeat, reality would once more take a definable shape, and reasoning could once more take root in the minds of the inhabitants of this world.
Next, they dealt with Sombra, a unicorn so steeped in Dark Magic that an aura of Hatred radiated from him and influenced all within its range. With him gone, the ability to understand and empathize with others would return to the people of this world.
Afterwards they trekked north to the Land of Ice and sealed away the Windigo Tribe, whose very presence caused distrust and suspicions within the hearts of others. With their power locked away and no longer leaking into the magic of the world, warmth and happiness could once more spread.
Through these journeys, the sisters noticed something strange. The magical beings of this world were almost all sick, weak, and dying. It was easy to determine why once they looked closer. They all had very low levels of magic, and in the magical rich environment of Terra, the ambient magic could seep them, causing sickness from taking in magic they were not accustomed to holding and keeping in check. So the sisters went on one final journey, too the south.
There, they confronted Tirek, a centaur born with the power to draw in the magic of other living beings and use it as if it was his own. In a responsible person, this gift could be the ultimate technique in healing magical diseases, but in the hands of the self-styled Centaur Lord it was a plague on the land.
The sisters and Tirek did battle, but even with their great magical power they simply could not match the combined might of nearly every magical being on Terra. They were forced to flee, beaten and bruised.
They tried again some time later, but this time bringing with them a strange power that had aided them in stopping the three previous threats. With this unknown power, they banished Tirek from Terra's plan of existence, never again to torment its people.
Of course, the people of Terra had long since adapted to the harshness of life, and even without the corruption of the Four Powers, trust and love were slow to develop. In time though, it did indeed grow. Settlements began forming, and then villages, cities... Until, one day, all Sapients had discarded the rags of the wilds, and taken on the robes of the civilized. There were still conflicts now and then, but generally, Terra had become a happy place.
In gratitude to the two sisters who shattered their chains, the people of Terra renamed their world Equus, and in time those very same sisters found themselves leading a portion of this world, Equestria, as the Immortal Princesses.
Deep within another realm however, Tirek began his own journey. Being confronted with a power that could best even the combined might of an entire world of magical beings, he decided that relying on that power alone was a bad idea. So he painstaking built up his personal power, slowly, and often painfully.
He had set out to rule a world. He wasn't picky about which one though, this world would do fine.
SBSBSB
Tartarus Forged takes place in a world setting that is similar to the canon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic world, but different all the same. The two biggest changes are the above backstory and a young Twilight Sparkle being afflicted by a condition that causes her magic to become chaotic if she tries to draw too much too fast, called Surging.
Tartarus Forged's entire story revolves around the idea of a Twilight Sparkle willing to get her hooves/hands dirty to get the job done, and being powerful enough to go toe to toe with the bigger baddies of the show and outright curb-stomp the rest.
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Civilization
All creatures in Tartarus Forged are generally referred to as sapients where we would use the term people. The term implies that the individual, or individuals, in question is/are capable of reasonable thought and civil life.
Next, all creatures in Tartarus Forged are magical. Whether they are slightly magical or immensely magical only matters to the arrogant and egotistical, or to those who compete in competitive sports. it is not believed by any that magic belongs only in the hands of one species or another.
A Sapient is considered a full adult when they reach the age of eighteen, with all rights and responsibilities therein, but when it comes to ponies, they have an exception. When a pony develops their Cutie-Mark before the age of eighteen, they are afforded the opportunity to find work in the field their Cutie-Mark implies they would be good in. They will be supervised by another until they turn eighteen, but otherwise they are allowed to work if they so choose.
Tribalism and other Stigmas
Tribalism is the act of hating one or more species other than your own. Tribalism is not a large problem in Equestria, but it is a problem nonetheless. Dotted around the country are groups or individuals who, for one reason or another, despise another species in its entirety. Princess Celestia has done her level best to stamp these beliefs out over the years, but could never get it to fully die away.
The castle in Canterlot is considered a zone under permanent ceasefire by any creature that holds tribalist beliefs, usually because Princess Celestia is merciless against offenders in her own home.
The Pony Races
Unicorns are genetically predisposed towards learning faster than the other races. Back before Celestia and Luna came, Unicorns ruled over the as-of-then-unnamed Equestria using advanced technology and tactics. Magic was better developed for them, but only because they were smarter in how they used it and how they developed it.
The magic of Pegasi isn't as versatile in utility as Unicorns, but it was no less powerful with it's ability to manipulate weather and allow them to walk on clouds. Pegasi became such pros at using the weather that they eventually incorporated it into their everyday lives. Homes were built in skies out of clouds, lightning was channeled and directed to power technology, and some Pegasi even got jobs as living wind turbines for ships that sail the seas, and recently the skies.
Earth Pony magic, unlike the magic of Unicorns and Pegasi, is more subtle and passive, but, again, no less powerful. Earth Ponies have dominion over the magic of life itself, making them ideal healers and farmers. All they have to do is remain near an injured Sapient and their magic would infuse the wounded party with life energy, boosting their recovering rate and improving their chances of recovering from serious injuries. The life magic within them keeps an Earth Pony healthy and at their prime for a long time, and makes them very hard to kill. All but the most powerful weapons will leave them down and out, but they will recover fully with time.
Not much in known about Alicorns, as there are only three, but there are some solid facts. Alicorns are immensely magically powerful, they seemingly do not age, their power is tied to a concept, and they bear the combined traits of the above-mentioned pony races.
Religion
Celestia and Luna were once worshiped as Goddesses by the ponies shortly after their arrival and liberation of Equus. However, at their request, the worship was toned down to royal treatment, which is what started them on becoming the rulers of the country of Equestria. Today, what we would call church seminars are usually more akin to community gatherings, where Celestia and/or Luna recall stories of their youth, before they became Princesses.
Despite their displeasure at being referred to as Divine however, some cults still to this day maintain a presence dotted about Equestria. They were peaceful in nature, so Celestia let them remain and maintain their beliefs. She did however have to intervene a few times whenever the Solar Empress cult or Lunar Sovereign cult crossed horns or blades.
Nobility
In the past nobility was a title that was bestowed upon Ponies, and in the rare case another species, for extraordinary deeds done in the name of peace, unity, and friendship. To be a Noble was a sign that you placed the well being of Equestria and her citizens above yourself.
Today, nobility is a social ranking attained through politics and fortune. Very few nobles are Noble by the true definition. Celestia keeps the true Nobles close in her personal circle of friends, thankful for their aid in running the kingdom. The rest she keeps an eye on, knowing that if she ever slipped in her vigilance, they could ruin the kingdom her and her sister had fought so hard to forge.
Affinities
Magic is a seemingly endless resource, a resource that all creatures have access to, even if that access is limited by how much magic they can use at any one time. However, just because these creatures can use magic does not mean they can all use it with equal measures of ease. Every creature, every species, and every race has an Affinity, a natural understanding of a concept, that allows them to learn magic related to this concept, much more easily than they would any other type of magic that does not relate to this concept.
Every creature has two Affinities; Primary and Secondary. Primary Affinities are shared by all members of a species, a concept that is unique to the species in general and speaks to what they are. Secondary Affinities are unique to each individual, a concept they have cultivated through a combination of birth, growth, development, personality, morality, and beliefs.
Example 1: Rainbow Dash has a Primary Affinity for Air, and a Secondary Affinity for Lightning. All Pegasi share an Affinity for Air in general, as they were born and bred for the skies, and Rainbow Dash's unique mixture of everything that makes her who she is leads to her having a Lightning Affinity.
Example 2: Spike has a Primary Affinity for Emotions, and a Secondary Affinity for Transportation. Dragons have always been powerful as race, but the source of their power has always been their close bond to empathy as a whole. Depending on the types of emotions they feel, their magic, and even their bodies, will fluctuate to mirror that emotion, leading to a variety of changes. Spike's Secondary Affinity in Transportation magic is a result of both a longing to communicate with other Dragons, which are far away from him, and a desire to always be useful to Twilight, even if he may not physically be there. He has developed a peculiar magic in response allowing him to use his fire to transport objects by burning them.
[Author's Note: I drew inspiration for the Affinities from the Nasuverse, of which they use a system very similar. Each person is born with two things, an Element and an Origin. The combination of these two things determines the direction they will take their magical studies, and unfortunately prevents individuals from learning much more than what their Element and Origin dictates, unless said Element and Original are obscure enough that they could apply to multiple schools of magic.]
Wow Diamond Tiara is 18! Man the CMC are little for their ages. An interesting development you have here and it does show why Twilight was a student to Celestia at such a young age.
4287167 I was more trying to explain Moondancer's old job, but that's a good point as well.
4287173
If you want you could drop the age of getting a cutie mark by 6 years but leave in the apprenticeship until 18.
I have to admit, this IS some good info. :-D Maybe you COULD include it, in universe, during a history lesson Sunset gives the Cutie Mark Crusaders while she is helping Fluttershy foalsit them.
This is pretty awesome, dude. The way you established an interesting mythos, while also carrying elements of the source makes it similar, and still unique. This is definitely another mythos i'll enjoy looking to alot. Though personally, i love how Tirek was indeed presented as the greatest of the four dark elements. And how HIS presence was even greater than the others.:)
4481844 When I get tired of working on Hero Souls: Awakening, I'll switch back over to Tartarus Forged.
Just found this again, and i still like it. Especially the sort of duality that exists between the two realms of Terra, and Tartarus. Celestia and Luna are the immortal rulers of a land of friendship, and harmony - Tirek is the immortal ruler of the realm of decadence, and darkness. Realms as different as the Darkness, and the Light. Yet undoubtedly require each other for their existence in some cosmic way.
So what i'm getting is that Tirek in the world of Tartarus Forged is FINE with being the ruler of one of the few ponts connecting multiple realities?
Which just so happens to represent our modern Hell in several of them?
Cool beans.
Edit: have now finished the post