Your Hearth's Warming gift: a glimpse of the Original Six. · 10:53pm Dec 25th, 2016
Everything below this warning is going to be spoilered. Do not reveal that text unless you truly want to see what's there, because you can't unsee any of it. And I'm asking that any discussion in the Comments section be equally spoilered. Let's not ruin it for everyone, because the point is to let people ruin it for themselves and yes, that came out wrong.
Here we go...
For now, the sky is a greenish-grey: not the ideal hue for travel, but it is the best they've had to work with in some time. So they set out upon what has never been a road. There are ghosts of trails here and there, faint paths carved out by the fleeing bodies of any who went before, made wider by that which scented them. Sometimes those little gaps wind about from desperate attempts to shake pursuit. A number, just like the creatures who made them, simply stop dead. A very few are perfectly clear, free of all threat, inviting and protective and fully sheltering right up until the moment the trap springs. They push their way through what will only be partial stability until the moment his power focuses again in its random fashion, chaos surging into a single area until the storm comes and the true danger strikes against the world. He can do so much, and very little of it requires his direct attention. The madness is casual, and so are the deaths.
It is insanity to venture out beyond the barricade points. To move through his world is to invite the end of self, the shredding of minds and souls. But the world is madness, has been madness for as long as any can remember and if none act, then that madness will eventually end the world.
What might be the deepest insanity among them has manifested as a single idea: try. There was nothing to lose but their lives, for all else might have already surrendered to that final ending. And so at the start, three went forth: a deserter, a self-imposed exile, and the one who would not let her go to that fate alone. They went into madness, and in time...
They travel together. They work together, when the world says they should not. They will live or die together. They stand together against the madness, the insanity of the last dream creating the only possible shield against a final shattering.
There is an earth pony, taller than average, sturdy and muscular with hooves chipped by too many fights and a coat which, if it was ever possible to find a safe place in which to bathe, might become white again. She is well into her child-bearing years and in this nightmare land, that means she is almost fully an adult. A cruel tangle of a manure-brown mane is tied back along her neck so as not to catch in twisted branches, or be caught when those wooden limbs begin to reach for her. She regards the world with a silent fury, daring it to make the next move, and knows that eventually, it will kill her. She is chasing a dream born of insanity and knows what that must make her. But she has pledged herself to this cause: that as long as she can hold on, she will do whatever it takes to heal this world. No matter how far she has to go, across distance and madness and time -- but she does not know about the time yet. The bargain has yet to show her the price she will pay.
Another earth pony trots on her right: light blue, small, too small. The world culls those without the strength to survive and to look at this mare, younger than the one she follows, is to believe the mistake will soon be permanently corrected. She can barely keep up. There are times when it seems as if she must stop moving, and the first pause will mean her last breath. But look into those dark eyes and see another kind of strength: not just the surprising power of her magic, but a fierceness and dedication which would not let her sister go alone into the dark. She gives whatever she can of herself if there is any chance it might help at all, gives far too much, and the elder sibling fears the day when there is nothing left.
The first of the pegasi is hovering above them, constantly checking land and sky with the wary eye of harsh experience. She is the eldest among them, at least ten years beyond any of the others, hard-won time in a land where simply existing long enough to gain a name could be seen as a form of victory. The fur of her coat starts as a patch of brilliant white at the peak of her spine, then gradually darkens as it moves down her body until the hocks are the furious black of a thunderstorm about to erupt, with the hooves the hot white-gold of lightning. Brilliant blue eyes continually scan the world, for she does not look for threats so much as she treats everything as one: it's how she's lived so long, and a raking scar near the left eye indicates the barely-avoided cost of that lesson. She could so easily be the leader and has chosen not to be, for the first spark of dream was not hers. Instead, she advises. Guides, protects, informs, for she knows much of this world, at least until the moment when he changes things again. There is nothing gentle about her, not that can be allowed to show. She harshly works the algebra of necessity and takes the sum total as enemy lives. She will always tell you what you need to know and almost never what you want to hear.
(The little earth pony looks up at her sometimes, with something more than admiration in dark eyes. She does not notice or at least, will never admit it.)
Below that first pegasus, a monster walks on a mere two hooves. Its body is heavily scarred from the whips and nothing is more damaged than the snout, torn assunder when the ring was ripped away. It rarely speaks, in part because it is still trying to learn the language of the four-legged, but also because speech was so often punished and the last of the chains to be shed are the invisible ones. It carries a weapon which it calls an axe, claimed from the corpse of an overseer, and the tremendous blade slashes through the air with each casual movement of the huge arms. He will seldom listen to anything which could be seen as an order -- not unless it comes from the one flying above him, that whom he has chosen as his commander, for she knows how to apply that hideous strength, coating his horns in gore. And under her direction, he makes so many more pay for the deaths which he has carved into his right forearm, one slash for each of his people who died to give him this chance. He counts the slashes often, looks at the strange beings whom his Ancients led him to and swears to add nothing more to that terrible tally, for he understands that in the end, they are fighting for the freedom of all, and he will die for that. He often feels as if he already has.
The second pegasus is on the left of the tall earth pony, trotting casually along with a smile on his face that may have no true right to be there. But he smiles, for somepony has to if anypony else is ever going to at all. And he trots, for the right wing is tucked against his body in a somewhat awkward set. The wound has healed, but not perfectly, and the magic which could bring him fully back has not been found. He can fly -- but not for long, and so does his best to avoid it. It's a joke, really: a pegasus forced to the ground who lived, who chose ground in the moments before that first impact. So many things are funny when you look at them from the right perspective, and the dove-grey stallion knows a number of ways to twist things around until laughter comes forth, something which occasionally makes the oldest mare glare at him and wish for the ability to expel that part of their scant forces from the ranks. But he knows a secret: that the first thing to die under the assault of madness is perspective. The world is crazy and the proper response is occasionally to be crazy right back, displaying a deliberate insanity, one intended to bring healing. So he makes observations as they move along and at one point, the white earth pony almost starts to giggle, her grim mien nearly falling away for a single precious second. He would hope to make her laugh one day, but he doesn't know how many days they have -- and so he always tries for now. For life itself is madness, and so who's to say some madness isn't a gift?
Ahead of them, the first of the unicorns trots, letting his field push and prod: not just looking for trouble, but also simply looking. His pink fur is as clean as he can make it in this environment, and his once-elaborate clothing has been patched so many times as to make the patches into the whole of it. His face shows the haggard signs of one who's lost a fair amount of weight in a hurry, unusual in a world where it's hard to get enough to just stay alive. Bright green eyes gaze with wonder at the world around him, for while that world is madness, it is a madness he never truly had the chance to see, not until the travelers arrived and -- he took them in. He sheltered them. Because in a world with so little life hanging on, he could not bear the thought of having theirs snuffed out when he could do anything to prevent it. Hospitality: a foreign concept to just about all, and those who think they understand it usually mock him for believing in something so fatal. But he stretched out a hoof to them when it was needed, out of basic respect, hope, and dignity. He gave them shelter, and now he travels through a world he'd never truly known, because the only way he can continue to perform what he has come to see as his duty is to stay. Perhaps his presence is all he can truly offer -- but he offers that, even as it costs him his possessions and health and what little comfort which exists in this world. His people called it an act of madness, when he left, and -- he saw it as simple nobility. They call themselves nobles, and it seems to him that to truly claim the title, it is necessary to act as one. To, in a world without it, show a little kindness.
The second unicorn is trailing behind the group. Part of that is guarding the rear. But he is also the most recent arrival and does not feel entirely comfortable traveling with them. He did not want to join, when they came to him. They searched for him, they somehow reached the greatest barricade point ever to exist, and he laughed when the white earth pony asked him to leave. He laughed to her face: few would have even deigned to look at her during the logical rejection. He had his plan, she had only her dream, his was ludicrously superior -- and then the true madness came, broke plans and magic and barricade, and now he trots behind them while little drops of blood fall from his chin, for he will never be good at shaving and no matter what he does, the beard grows back every day. The greatest caster of this generation, beaten with his smallest effort, unable to counter a simple trick. And with nothing left, nowhere else to go... he went with them, for he had learned what madness truly was, and her dream was not it. So now he trots quietly, sharp yellow eyes seldom able to look directly at the rest of them, hollow cheeks smudged with dirt and dried blood. (The bells hanging from his hat do not ring as he moves, for one must always practice and he will not allow them to move, with the effort behind that silence both casual and invisible.) But sometimes he does look up, look ahead, and he is starting to perceive something strange. Because there is a new kind of power there, one he doesn't understand. Pegasi, earth ponies, a unicorn and a monster operating as something close to equals: something which should not be. Some ingredients are not supposed to mix. But the result is before him, and the blending of so many ingredients has created a powerful alchemy. Together, they are strong. It is a strange experiment. And for the first time since leaving the freshest of ruins, the unicorn truly considers whether he might wish to become a part of it.
He trots a little faster, tries to catch up. And when they hear his hoofsteps quicken, they pause to wait for him.
Well, it wasn't all spoilery, just glimpsed the initial starts of each section. No spoilers there, except what I already guessed.
Weather isn't spoilery? Unless it is...
I wonder how they compare to the Current Six...
A little credit where it's due: Wolfstorm guessed that the sisters had a minotaur companion during the Discordian Era, and Void Knight used the clue placed in A Mark Of Appeal and worked out that Luna had been the group's Generosity. Feel free to upvote those comments accordingly.
(I'm probably overlooking other successful deductions and apologize for that: those are the two which came to mind.)
So <spoiler> was originally a <spoiler> but <spoiler> was either <spoiler> or <spoiler>, and <spoiler> was always <spoiler>? I suppose that is why <spoiler> <spoiler> <spoiler>'s <spoiler> so <spoiler>y?
Oh! Did anyone catch the reference to <spoiler>'s <spoiler>??? She may have been more <spoiler> than she thought!
All the spoilers aside (the word has lost all meaning, and I'm pretty sure I'm spelling it wrong now LOL) I love these kind of behind the scenes looks!
If you're releasing this now... I wonder if that means the next story post will make this info public?
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No. I just wanted to do something a little special for the holiday. (And those following me on Twitter were told on the 23rd that something was coming, but not what it would be.) There's been little clues, hints, and mentions from just about the beginning. I thought it was time for an actual view.
You all give me a lot, and... this is what I can try to give back.
4355451
You brought the semantic saturation on yourself.
Wow...just wow.
It's an interesting dynamic you have here.
I can't believe Rosebud was his sled.
Ya know, this reminds me a little of Emperor Joker. Maybe not the story beats, but Celestia is already very reminiscent of Superman, and the way she insists on standing up in the face of madness and fighting almost literally hopeless fight with a mad god- and gets other people to do so- is a bit familiar. I can't wait for it to actually come out. (Maybe it'll be here before A Song of Ice and Fire is finished.)
On the downside, the Pegasus that inspired their trip doesn't sound remotely like the Doctor, so I can't keep pretending this will be a secret crossover anymore. Laughter does sound like he's played by Matt Smith, but I doubt that's intentional.
4355499
...
...I have to hurt you now.
Actually, first I have to fill out this Amazon return form, and then I have to hurt you. Give me three minutes.
4355466
Well, thank you for the present!
4355499
You're treadin' on thin ice, buster.
That was really awesome. Thank you!
4355499 I initially read that as Roseluck.
4355472
I'm aware.
Also, that sentence actually did actually make sense if I used actual words. But this way was funnier
4355449
Oh hey! I forgot I said that. Haha, puts a smile on my face to be right. This whole post had me grinning for all the hype. I can't wait to see these fleshed out in a fic someday. I had a whole long post half-typed up speculating on this blog but real life intervened and made me inadvertently close the tab. Still salty about that 2 hours later.
The gist of it was this: Excited to see C+L character development and earth pony status confirmed is great. I like the parallels to the mane six that you can see in this sextet yet you give them enough character even in these brief snippets to make them stand out. I'm very curious, if the naming convention for Hurricane and Starswirl is true, if that means the other companions could be Pansy and Clover the Clever/Platinum (that latter seems more likely, if genderbent). Now just imagine that but with several unneccessary words in between and you'd have my original post. Maybe it's for the best I lost it
Thank you for the peak into the Discordian Era.Fingers crossed that someday there will be more.
I take it that the beard was Discord's gift as he took down Star Swirl's barricade point and home?
4355449
My thoughts (including some further guesses): Ok, so the black-and-white Pegasus is clearly Zephyra, who we know to be Honesty. And the second unicorn is Star Swirl, who is Magic. So if Luna is Generosity, that makes Celestia Loyalty (which I'd suspected for a while, given how protective she is of both Luna and her little ponies), the grounded Pegasus Laughter, and the first unicorn Kindness. Now, let's suppose our two unnamed ponies are the seeds from which Founders grew, like with Zephyra. That would make the pink unicorn either Platinum or Clover, more probably Platinum, given that he's implied to have had the kind of comforts that could only come to one of truly exalted rank in this era. And I guess that makes the Pegasus Pansy.
Fascinating. So much data. So many implications about culture at that time. So many hypotheses confirmed.
...
Okay, about two or three hypotheses confirmed, but still. Thank you for the fascinating glimpse of that time.
4355736
I had thought of Celestia as Loyalty too. I think it fits her best.
Thanks for that, Estee! I look forward to reading more about these characters at some future point. The setting you've built around them is very interesting.
Well, Return of Harmony. (S2 E1 & E2) the Mane 6 tried to use The Elements of Harmony with Spike taking Dash's place as Element of Loyalty. They weren't blasted into cinders. This clearly shows
Pretty much anyone with good intentions can use the elements, including nonponies
The power of the elements depends partially on "How well do the bearers fit the elements?" and partially "How close is their friendship?" 1st time they used the elements, the answer was to both was "Not very well" Thus, the effect was weak enough Discord could resist them
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I'd argue it's Starswirl whose not in this group, unless minotaurs aren't able to wield the Elements. The pegasi are clearly Honesty & Laughter; unknown unicorn is Kindness; Luna Generosity. That means we have 2 left and 3 possible bearers; Celestia must be one. So either it's Celestia Loyalty Starswirl Magic, or Celestia Magic and Minotaur Loyalty. And if you read his blurb - it's all about Loyalty. I mean 'He counts the slashes often, looks at the strange beings whom his Ancients led him to and swears to add nothing more to that terrible tally, for he understands that in the end, they are fighting for the freedom of all, and he will die for that.' If that's not Loyalty, I don't know what is. Starswirl's bit also notes that he doesn't feel like part of the group, but sees a strange magic between them. And with Friendship as the most powerful Element of all, and Celestia the leader - it seems far more likely to me she is Friendship/Magic, and our Minotaur Loyalty. Starswirl is their Spike.
VADER IS LUKE'S FATHER?!?!?!
Mindblown. Completely and utterly.
Uh, what exactly is being spoiled here? I'd like to know before I read it.
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Star Swirl's one of the two we know for certain.
She confirmed it in their talk at the orchard.
Did anyone else notice the way Kindness (who for now I will imagine voiced by Doctor Wolf) referred to other nobles? That means that these Barricade points aren't just little outposts; they can be big enough to have political crap and rich people. That feels like a big deal.
4355499
...why is this getting such a reaction? I can't figure this out at all--it sounds like nonsense to me--so could you or someone please explain it? It's driving me bonkers...
I wonder what Celestia and Luna called themselves back then.
4358294
Celestia and Luna Invictus.
Source: A Mark of Appeal - Erogenous Zones
Also confirmed by Referee Moonsault in the chapter Karma Bultra and in the final chapter:
4357601
It'a reference (and somewhat of a spoiler) for the end of Citizen Kane.
4358580
Thanks a ton for clearing that up for me