//------------------------------// // 1: The Weight of the Water // Story: The Elements of Creation // by NPC White Mage //------------------------------// The Elements of Creation 1 : The Weight of the Water Roan Island was a beautiful and popular vacation spot for ponies all over the world. The warm, tropical weather was the greatest way to escape the brutal cold of most winters. During these winter times, when the temperatures on the island settle at a comfrotable seventy to eighty degrees, the beaches, hotels, clubs, and streets are lined, packed, and crowded with all sorts of ponies; however, during the summer months, when the temperatures reach scorching degrees, only the native ponies can be found still on the island. Even a paradise can become unbareable given the wrong conditions. The local ponies love their summer months though, being able to finally enjoy their home without the constant noise and commotion of hundreds of tourists. The vacation spot was outside of the borders of Equestria and was in open waters. While it is called an Island, it is actually an archipelago, or string of smaller islands making a group. Each island had it's own name, but the largest, and undeniably the most famous was Roan Island. This is where the royal palace was and, by the transative property, was where the royal family lived. Roan Island was ruled by three Alicorns; two sisters and a brother. The was the royal family ruled the islands was not too different than the way Celestia and Luna ruled Equestria. The eldest sister, High Tide, rose in the morning when Celestia brought the sun, and with her rising, she brings in the tide, allowing ships to come to and from the islands, children to play in the surf, and sea animals to reach the shore easier. Once the sun begins to set, and the moon rises, High Tide switches with Low Tide, who pushes away the tide exposing the many sand bars and rocky reefs that surround the island, making it almost impossible for ships to get close at night. The third member of the Royal family, Rip Tide, is the captain of the royal guard and has the ability to create massive walls of water to crash down on whomever he deems a threat to Roan Island. Together, these three create a perfect balance for the ponies of the islands. High Tide smiled down from her balcony, watching the inhabitants of Roan Island go to and fro about their daily business. She loved sitting up here, watching the ponies. Actually, this is where she hid from her responsibilities as well. There were times when she should have been in court, tending to the problems and duties royalty had to deal with, but instead she put off her job to stand here and watch. It was like reliving her childhood, back when she didn't have much responsibility, and instead was allowed to play in the water she now goverened over. As she reminicsed, she head the tap of hoof-steps behind her. With a sigh she turned and regarded her brother with sad eyes. "That time again, huh?" Her response was a simple nod, but her question was rhetorical anyway, it was just about noon and that was when he duties could be put off no longer. Rip Tide was very few on words, speaking only when necessary; however, even though he rarely spoke, High Tide understood him as though he never stopped talking. "I wish I had an assistant who could take care of all these duties for me...is that selfish?" Once more her brother remained silent, the only noise he made was the clip-clop of his hooves on the tile floor, and the occasional clink and clack of his plate armor. As they approached a large set of double doors, High Tide put on her "Princess face". Calm, assertive, attentive, and kind. The large doors swung open and she trotted gracefully to her position atop a large set of stairs. Typically, or at least so she read, more princesses and other royalty had thrones, lavish chairs they sat in that were nothing short of amazing and beautiful. She was glad she didn't have one. It always seemed like such a thing would only ever widen the rift between her and the people she served. Yes, in her mind she served the citizens of Roan Island. Technically they were her subjects and servants, and in their mind they all served her, but that wasn't true. She was the one, along with her sister, that decided the outcome of vital situations, the relations of other kingdoms, how to distribute resources, and multiple other things. This was her job, and her people couldn't live without them. She smiled and turned to her guards. "Send in the first appointment." The armored knight stomped a few times, and the doors slid open. Flanked by two royal escorts the first appointment waltzed across the red carpet like he was accustomed to being among royalty. He was a dark gray colt with a stunning silver mane and a cutie-mark that was a grinning silver mask. "Hail Princess High Tide and her family! Princess, if I may, let me tell you a story." ---------- Rip Tide never followed his sister into her Throne Room, going in there reminded him too much of his mother and he couldn't stand it. She had always tried to make him into a nice, proper colt. Which was the last thing he wanted to be. Playing outside, getting dirty, swimming, and playing with the other colts is all he ever wanted. It caused problems, that was for sure, and eventually she stopped trying. After that all he did was spend time with the guards and now he was the captain of the guards and protector of the entirety of Roan Island. Normally he would go back to the barracks and do his normal paper work, but something stopped him, and he decided to go check on his youngest sister, Low Tide. Her room was on the opposite side of the palace from High Tide's. The palace was built that way for a symbolic reason, the separation of high-tide and low-tide. Even with the immense size of the castle, it didn't take Rip Tide long to get to his sister's room. After all, he had learned, at a young age, all the ins and outs of the Palace's secret passages and shortcuts. Her door was closed, as was normal for this time of day, as Low tide usually only was awake during the evening since that was when she brought the Low Tide. Of course there were exceptions depending on the time of year, and the tides would switch, or even continue for two full shifts. It wasn't something Rip Tide understood as well as his sisters. To him it would be an endless headache. Maybe the knowledege was just natural to them? It was possible. Maybe it was like... like getting hungry? It would be a feeling that they needed to change tides...like some kind of natural cycle that they both were compelled by that was also naturally in sync. The Alicorn shrugged, he didn't understand and he doubted he ever would. Reaching out an armored hoof, the prince softly tapped at the wooden door. The knocking was just loud enough to hear it if you were awake, but soft enough that it wouldn't wake anypony should they be asleep. He listened to the silence that followed, trying to hear movement from the other side of the door, but to no avail. He raised his hoof and gently pushed in the door, and without so much as the squeak of a rusty hinge, it swung inward. Craning his head into the room, Rip Tide scanned the semi-darkness around where he knew his sister's bed would be. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he finally was able to make out the delicate outline of his youngest sister's outline, and convinced she was okay, slowly retreated from her room. Thinking himself silly for wanting to check on Low Tide, the Prince-Captain trotted off to his office at the barracks. There was a ton of paper work to catch up on before the change of tides. ---------- The door closed with a soft click and Low Tide peeked out from under her covers. Her beautiful cyan eyes were filled with tears. She didn't want her brother to see her sad, and she has been sad alot recently. Normally she could handle her depression, but the last few..days? Week? She couldn't tell how long she had been this upset. It was like a part of her had been torn out and was now lost. She felt empty. Typically when she was feeling this low, she would always cheer up during her tide, but recently not even that was helping. She was also beginning to think her mood was affecting her control of the tides as well, for each time she took the throne it seemed to be gettting harder and harder to efficently clear away the surf. Climbing out of bed she slumped over to her window and slid the curtains open just enough to peer outside. The sunlight stung her overly tired eyes. It took her a minture to get used to the garish light. Once her eyes adjusted, she stared out over the blue expanse. Reaching out with her magic, she caressed the water, feeling its cool surface and allowing its collective consciouness to teem within her mind. She could feel the pulse and beat from every creature that swam in the ocean and she cracked a small smile. It always consoled her knowing that so many lives depened on her doing her job; however, the smile quickly faded. Then came the feeling of tearing. A sharp pain ripped through her mind, as though somepony or something was tugging powerfully on her magic and trying to tear it away from her. With a start she jumped back and let out a squeel, withdrawing her magic and finding sanctuary in her own mind. The pulling had been stronger today, almost unbareable. It was as though the source of the force was getting closer. Low Tide was getting worried. She had hoped this situation would pass but she realized now that it was just the beginning of something much more serious. That was when she was struck with inspiration. Throughout her childhood, Low Tide had buried herself in books and scrolls, learning as much about her heritage and powers as possible. By the time the Tide sisters had taked the throne, Low Tide was already much more adept at using magic than her sister. When it came to Rip Tide, Low Tide had a larger range of magic, but none of it was as powerful and awesome as her brother's ability to bring out the violence of the ocean. It has been years since Low Tide actually had time to sit down and read a book, but today she decided she would make time, besides, it would be great to see her old friend Leather Bound, whom she had appointed Grand Librarian of the Palace's library. The library was in the same wing as Low Tide's room, so she didn't have to go near the throne room and potentially catch her sister's eye and get scolded for not resting in preperation for her time to take over the tide. As much as High Tide would hate the comparison, she was turning out to be her mother. It didn't take long at all for the light blue Alicorn to arrive at the large double doors that held back ages of knowledge and experience. With a soft touch, the doors swung open and Low Tide stepped carefully inside. She treated the library lime most ponies treated her throne room. With respect, humility, and even fear. She loved the books, and to her they were old friends that would always be there. Silently waiting for the day she chose to pick one up. Well, that day was today, and not wanting to wast anytime, Low Tide trotted up to the large wooden desk in the middle of the room and placed a hoof on the counter. A little silver bell sat there, but she dared not ring it. It was a silly reason really, when she was little she loved the sound of bells, all types of bells, and she would ring them and play with them every chance she had; however her mother was easily irritated and quickly becaom loath of her daughter's bell playing. Low Tide was scolded very harshly and watched as her mother had all her bells removed from the castle. She claimed they interfered with Low Tide's training. Since then the Princess had never touched another bell again. "Oh! My! Princess! I didn't see you there!" A familiar and sweet voice chirped from behind a near by stack of books and scrolls. Leather Bound, the princess' best friend growing up, stepped out from behind the stack. A pair of out-dated, think glasses sat before her eyes and her mane was in a very typical librarian bun. Brownish and black ink stained her hooves from all the books she handled. However, it was impossible to deny that she was beautiful, and if she had taken care of her looks she would have been the center of attention for alot of colts and maybe even some mares. "What can I do for you Princess?" "Please, Leather Bound, don't be so formal. I may be a Princess, but I will always be your friend." "If you say so..." There was some skepticism in the mare's voice. It had been a long time since the two of them had spoken, and Low Tide felt guilty about it. "Leather Bound I need your help. You know these pages better than even the authors I'd wager, and I need to know if you have ever seen or read anything about a problem with magic in my families history." Low Tide had learned from her sister to hide her fear and worry when she spoke to her subjects, but Low Tide viewed Leather Bound as a friend first, and a subject second, so she wasn't afraid of the emotion she poured into her voice. Leather Bound furrowered her brow and traced her hoof in circles on the tile floor, a habit of hers when she was thinking about something. Low Tide always thought it was cute. "Low, you and I have been over your families history, heritage, and lineage over and over when we were younger, and we both know it better than our own cutie-marks. There isn't anything in your family that sounds like that, but then again it has never been that there are two princesses at the same time. Roan Island had always been ruled by a Prince and a Princess. The princess controlled the tides, and the prince guarded the islands with his power over the waves, and in the case of your ancestor Tumult, could even control maritime weather and create horrible storms." She paused a mintue, still thinking. "I know there are ancient artifact and even some illnesses and posions that can affect a unicorn's magic, but I don't think Alicorns are held to the same effect, being more powerful than a standard unicorn..." Low tide could tell speaking to Leather Bound was a great idea. Leather Bound, growing up, had a favorite type of book: mysteries. She loved picking up a Sherlock Hooves novel and solving the case herself. Low Tide knew that presenting this problem to Leather Bound would spark her interest enough that she would consider it a puzzle and "all puzzles have a solution, no matter how hard it may be to discover," a motto Leather Bound lived by. Low Tide could see it in her friend's eyes, her mind was churning and bruning. "Well, the reason I ask is because recently I've been experiencing this...tearing pain every time I use magic, and recently its even been hard to manipulate the tide... I figured it was just a phase and it would pass, but it has been getting worse and....and I feel like whatever is happening is almost like something is trying to take away my magic..." The Alicorn's voice was full of fear, but that was a completely natural reaction to her current prediciment. It wasn't common that an unknown ailment caused issues with an Alicorn's magic. "I know I must sound crazy, but I couldn't tell anyone else. It would just worry High Tide, and my brother would just shrug it off and tell me it was nothing..." "....I think I may have some ideas on what might be happening, but I won't know for certain until I do some research..." Leather's voice trailed off, her mind obviously scanning through her mental catalogue of the library's contents. She knew every book on every shelf, but remembering what she knew always took a bit, and most of the time, the information wasn't perfect. Low Tide knew her friend would need time to gather the information she needed as well as time to actually research the information she had. "Thank you so much! I couldn't ask for a better friend." Her only response was nod and a smile as Leather Bound's eyes began to scan the surrounding shelves. Low Tide knew she had already lost her friend to her obssesive puzzle solving, so quietly, the Princess retreated back towards the door, starting to browse the shelves as well, but no where near the speed that her friend was. That was when she felt the sudden drop of weight on her back. As if a load of stone had been suddenly shoved into her saddle bags. The strange wright shifted her center of gravity and she fell sideways into the shelf, knocking several tomes to the ground. She stood up shakily and looked towards the door. Something was wrong. --------- The barracks were filled with the typical silence that accompamied this time of day. The guards were out on the palace grounds, or in the towns, or at their post in the guard towers. This left Rip Tide alone in the barracks, filling out paper work and guard shifts. A lot of ponies thought that the guards just patrolled where ever they pleased, but that was far from the truth. Truly it was a fragile system; it was important to know each guard personally, and how they functioned alone, in a group, and with each individual guard on the force. This delicate balance was important to keeping the guards preforming at their optimal rate of effectivness. The captain had just posted the next shift and patrol routes when he was hit with the weights. Being a sturdy stallion, the weight barely affected him, but it was impossible to ignore. After waiting a moment it became evident that the pressure wasn't going to fade. As the Prince was trying to get accustomed to this new pressure, the door to the barracks slammed open and a badly beaten Guard dragged himself across the threshold. "C-captain...g-go quick. Princess High T-Tide..she's..i-in trouble." The guard tried with all his might to remain standing, but it was to no avail. He collapsed with a sigh. The beated guard was easily recognized as High Wind, one of the fastest pegasi the Royal Guard had to offer. Rip Tide didn't need to look at the previous shift notice to know that High Wind has been assigned to Throne Room duty today, along with three other guards. So where were they? Why would only High Wind return to the barracks? It wasn't in High Wind's nature to run from a fight. He was one of the bravest and steadfast ponies on the guard, and to see him here meant that thing must have been truly horrible. The weight still bearing down on him, Rip Tide propped High Wind against a wall, to make sure he didn't choke on his own blood. Ignoring the pressure on his body, the Prince tore from the barrack as though death himself was riding him. He sprinted across the palace gournd. Normally he would have taken the guard's enterance to the palace, but in his haste and with his mind clouded with fear and worry, he ran to the front of the palace and up the steps. The doors were opened and the bodies of Royal Guards were strewn about. The captain didn't know if his men were alive or dead, but at the moment that wasn't his biggest concern. As he charged forward and into the Throne Room, he was put face to face with his greatest fear. Princess High Tide, his eldest sister, was missing. Prince Rip Tide let out a painful howl. The waves on the beach surging and crashing down in response. Tears began to well in his eyes as he fought to supress the rage that boiled within. If he wasn't careful, his rage would be the destrucion of Roan Island. As his insides seethed with anger and fear, he heard the soft clip-clop of hooves behind him. In his fury he turned and charged. A scream filled the air, and the sound caused Rip Tide to stop in his tracks. Looking up, he found himself horn to throat with Low Tide. Staggering back, the Warrior Prince began to apologize repeatedly, trying to remove the terrified look from his sister's face. "W-what's going on? Where is High Tide? What happened?! I was in the library with Leather Bound and suddenly I felt like something heavy fell on my back. Where is High? Why are you acting so strange?" Her questions came as a constant stream, and Rip Tide had no answers. "What are we going to do?" There was no good way to answer that. Either the pair could sit back and hope that their sister would return to them, and hopefully in one piece; or they could look for her, with no ideas where to begin or whom to ask. "If we could find one of the court attendants, we might have a chance to find-" "Excuse me?" The voice came from the door way. It was instantly recognizable as Leather Bound. "I'm sorry to inturrpt, and I know it isn't a great time...but I found something for you Low Tide..." There was a slightly grim tone in her voice, and it was something Low Tide had never heard from her friend before, but for some reason, it wasn't suprising in the current situation. "I think you should follow me to the library...both of you." ---------- Sound was the first thing that returned to Princess High Tide, and she immedeatly wished it hadn't. Her ears were assaulted by a great roaring and grinding. The symphony of sheer noise brought back her sense of feeling in the form of a splitting migrane. The pain was so intense it took every fiber of her being to hold back her body's urge to vomit. Wearily she tried to sit up, but found herself bound in a position that made movement, even the smallest kind, impossible. Reaching deep within her mind she tried to grasp her magic, but was shocked when she found it was being blocked. She couldn't explain it had she been asked to, but it felt like her magic was hidden behind a wall of greasy fog. Desperatly she tried to push past it, but found that she couldn't focus on doing so and was suddenly extremely tired. Giving up she dared opening her eyes and looking around. She was sitting, well...laying on a cold stone floor of what appeared to be a large tunnel. It was dark, but a faint like filtered in from an adjacent chamber. Curious, the princess craned her neck and tried to see into the annex, but to no success. So, instead she closed her eyes, relaxed, and listened. She could only make out bits and pieces... "-wakes up. Do...think that....will just lead....to it? No...play it safe. Sven, do...more of...drug...we can't...fully functional Alicorn..." The voice was...familiar to the princess, but her weary mind couldn't begin to comprehend where she had heard it. "Aye, zhere...plenty of...zee Prinzess von't be....do not vorry, Comrade." The voice that High Tide could only attribute to Sven cut through the darkness. Even with the princess' mind beng affected by something, she easily identified the accent of that of the northen Griffon kingdoms. That scared her even more so than her not knowing where she was. If she was being held by the Norther Griffon Kingdoms it could very well be an act of war...her thoughts began to become muddled and she couldn't even remember the name of the Griffon's current leader. Slowly the world began to fade back into the darkness she had just awoke from. Before she lost conciousness completely, she noticed shadows moving in the faint light, and heard hoof steps approaching her. "It looks like another dose will be needed Sven, make sure it is ready." That same, silky smooth voice was the last thing she heard before she drifted off into a dreamless nether.