//------------------------------// // 0 - Prologue // Story: A Thousand Winters' Past // by Shadow Quill //------------------------------// Princess Twilight Sparkle, protégé to Princess Celestia and hero of Equestria, was taking some time away from her many friends and family in order to do something fun, well, at least fun in her mind. With the land at peace for once after she and her friends had defeated many evils, both ancient and current, the lavender alicorn was letting off some steam in the only way she truly knew how, reading. Yet it was not the books within her castle that she buried herself in, no it was within the hallowed halls of the great Canterlot Royal Library where Twilight found herself, muzzle-deep in ancient tomes and long-forgotten history as she shifted from one massive book to the next. And yet, within the pages of one hulking mass of literature, the young princess stumbled across something that she had never expected to see, especially within a book detailing what little history there was prior to Princess Luna’s banishment. Her wings flared in shock and her magenta eyes widened as her gaze travelled over the pages before her, and for a moment she thought somehow, she had traded out one of the huge history books for a modern spell book. Yet after checking the cover to make sure it was in fact the same book a new emotion overcame Twilight’s senses. Excitement. A scroll and quill materialized in her magical grip as she frantically wrote down notes and personal thoughts on the complex diagrams and magical formula that had been carefully transcribed onto the pages before her. She never once stopped to think about how the forgotten history had come to be, only that it was comparable to modern Equestrian spellcasting and at the same time completely different. Revolutionary breakthroughs in magical advancement had been discovered during the period before Luna’s banishment, and somehow nopony knew about it! It was a discovery to end all discoveries and the studious mare could barely contain her glee, being the first to bring these historic findings to the other princesses! Barely restraining herself long enough to place the books back where she had found them, save for the tome containing the seemingly impossible spell-craft, Twilight gathered up her notes and stuffed them neatly into her saddlebags. She raced from the library and back to Canterlot Castle, where she knew Princess Celestia would be just finishing up with Day Court and getting ready for her evening meal with Luna. Twilight barely paid the castle staff or the passing guards any mind as she blitzed through the hallways, sliding to a halt before the throne room doors just as they opened in a soft golden glow. Twilight slid past the slightly startled nobles as they walked out, coming to a halt in front of the twin thrones as Celestia slowly stood from her seat. The elder alicorn had a smile on her face, an amused gleam in her eye as she walked down the steps and stood before her nearly frantic companion. “Twilight, calm yourself.” She admonished with a nearly inaudible giggle, “I’m certain whatever it is you have to say isn’t going to vanish in the next five seconds.” “Princess!” Twilight managed to force out as she levitated the tome and her notes from her saddlebags, “You’re not going to believe this! Somepony managed to figure out how to get around the Magical-Transferal-Compatibility-Paradox!” Celestia’s eyes widened just a fraction of an inch, her gaze travelling over Twilight’s notes for a second as she gripped the pages in her own magic, “Really? And do you know who managed to crack one of the greatest mysteries known in magic research?” “That’s just it! According to this book,” Twilight levitated the tome before Celestia, missing the slight wince that crossed the older mare’s face in her excitement, “it was discovered over a thousand years ago, before Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon and was, um, detained. What I can’t possibly understand is why nopony has ever heard about this! I mean, one of the greatest magical discoveries of all time and it was somehow forgotten?!” It was only as the younger alicorn calmed herself that she noticed the crestfallen expression that had overcome Celestia’s face, her own mood falling rapidly as she took a hesitant step forward, “Princess?” Celestia shook her head and collected herself, her gaze shifting back to Twilight as she carefully stowed the tome and Twilight’s notes back in her saddlebags, “I’m afraid the knowledge you found is not what it seems, Twilight. While it is true that the magic in that book solves the Compatibility Paradox, the reason that it is not well-known is due to the fact that the magic required was tied to a single individual. He did everything he could during his life to try and solve it for every spellcaster, but in the end it proved fruitless. With his passing, the magic required was lost, and although his legacy was recorded, I’m afraid it will never again be of use to the common pony.” Twilight could feel her worldview shattering around her, her shock evident on her face as she held a hoof to her head, “But, how is that possible? Pony magic is the same now as it was then, if more refined and advanced, how could it be that nopony else could use it once it was discovered?” “Because the one who discovered it wasn’t a pony.” Celestia replied, “However, if you really want to know more, I would suggest speaking with Luna about it once she is up and about. She was far closer than I with the one detailed in that book.” Twilight’s muzzle scrunched slightly in irritation, “Could you at least tell me his name?” “Thomas,” was the simple answer, “and that is all I will say on the matter at this time. It is Luna’s story to tell, and I would not dare put words in her mouth when it comes to one of her closest friends.” Twilight nodded, her head spinning with the possibilities as she followed Celestia out of the throne room and into one of the Royal Sister’s private dining rooms. Thomas? With a name like that it certainly stood to reason that this mysterious spellcaster wasn’t a pony, but then why hadn’t she ever come across his name in any of the other history books she had read? It wasn’t even recorded in the tome that held one of the greatest magical secrets of all time! Twilight took a seat beside Celestia at the small round table, the cozy lounge calming her frazzled nerves somewhat as the evening sunlight washed over the room through the single large window behind her. It was only a few moments before a side door opened, revealing Luna in her morning, or rather, evening glory, meaning her head was slumped over and thick bags hung under her eyes as she plodded over to the table. Twilight desperately wanted to ask the stumbling alicorn about the mysterious spellcaster from the book, but she knew better than to get between Luna and her fresh cup of coffee. A servant had dropped off the food right as Luna had walked in, a steaming cup of the life-giving elixir presented with a huge plate of pancakes covered in thick golden syrup. Celestia had a cup of wine with a large salad before her, while Twilight had a similar ensemble placed on the table just as Luna plopped into her seat. The coffee mug was gripped with a slightly limp hoof rather than magic as the pitch-black liquid was downed in the span of a few seconds, the scalding hot temperature notwithstanding as Luna set the cup back down as she dove face-first into her food. Twilight had seen the lunar princess in the evenings before, but it still shocked her how animalistic she was before fully waking up. She slid her own plate out of the way as bits of pancake flew left and right as Luna destroyed the tower of perfect fluffy goodness before her, leaving no survivors in her wake as the light of life finally came back to her ocean blue eyes. There was a moment of silence for the fallen pancake warriors, having never stood a chance as Luna wiped her mouth with a napkin, her regal poise returning as she turned her attention to Twilight, “It has been some time since you last visited the castle, Twilight Sparkle, is there something that you wished to bring to our attention?” Shaking the cobwebs out of her brain, Twilight nodded before pulling out the tome that she had discovered within the library, “Actually, there is something I wanted to talk with you specifically about. I discovered something amazing in one of the pre-banishment history books in the Royal Library, what few there are, and Princess Celestia told me I needed to talk with you about it.” Luna’s eyes locked onto the cover of the book as it was levitated over to her, her regal bearing cracking slightly as her eyes widened just a hair. A hoof was carefully placed on the cover as she flipped it open to the page Twilight had marked, her eyes widening further as she spotted the formulas and diagrams carefully inscribed within. “According to Princess Celestia,” Twilight carefully continued, noting the sudden shift in Luna’s expression and mood, “You were close friends with the one who created these spells, and I was hoping that you could tell me a bit more about him?” Luna’s eyes closed and a sigh escaped her lips before she turned her attention to the younger royal, “It is a story that is filled with many feelings, things I have not thought about for a long time. Celestia and I were young then, new to our rule and still learning about how to lead the ponies of Equestria. The creature, no, person who made these spells,” her hoof gently ran over the text as if it could feel her tender touch, “was one of the few who I could call a friend back then. He and one other were the light in my darkness back in those days, and it is one of my greatest regrets that I couldn’t say goodbye to them.” A rush of pity ran through Twilight as she realized what must have happened, “Then, your friends, they were there when,” she couldn’t bring herself to finish as Luna’s head slowly nodded. “Our fall into madness was one of the last things they saw before We were cast into the moon,” Luna’s voice cracked slightly as she wiped away a tear that had managed to break free from her self-control, “and ‘twas one of the most painful things We realized upon Our return, that Our two closest friends were dead and there was no way to ever apologize for the pain We must have caused them.” The three princesses sat there in silence for some time, allowing Luna to get her emotions under control again. It was only when Luna sat up straight once more that Twilight dared to ask the question that she had originally come to Luna for, “Princess, Luna, would it be alright if I asked you what they were like? What kind of friends they were to you before your fall? I would really like to know, but I can understand if it’s not something you want to talk about.” Luna smiled for the first time since she had entered the room, a fond light of nostalgia entering her gaze as she saw things far beyond the walls of the lounge, “No, it is a story that I think must be told, if for no other reason than to give myself closure for my past mistakes. Come,” Luna stood as she opened the door with her magic, Twilight stumbling to her own hooves as Luna stepped into the hallway, “I believe this is a tale that would be better told in a more comfortable setting.” Twilight glanced behind her at Celestia, who waved her off with a hoof as she sipped at her wine, “Go ahead without me. I think this is something that should be between the two of you. I will be available in my study until an hour after sunset if you need me for anything.” Feeling much more comfortable with leaving her mentor behind, Twilight nodded with a smile before following Luna through the halls of the castle, their hooves clicking on the marble floors between each long carpet as they climbed up several flights of stairs. It was only as they stepped up to a set of large oak doors that Twilight realized that they had come back to Luna’s personal chambers, and a feeling of slight nervousness overcame Twilight as Luna opened the doors with a wave of her horn. They walked into the main living space as a collection of candles lit around them, illuminating the dark room with a warm glow as Luna pulled out several pillows and arranged them in the center of the floor. Twilight lay down on one pile while Luna took the other, the doors closing behind them with a click of finality, leaving the two mares alone as Luna let out a soft sigh. “I believe it would be best if I started at the beginning, back when my friends didn’t know each other and only one of them had ever met me, although putting it that way might be stretching it a bit.” A soft chuckle managed to escape Luna’s lips as she gazed up at the ceiling, her eyes seeing things only she knew as the tale began to fall from her mouth. “It was over a thousand years ago, when the winters were harsh, and the kingdom was just beginning to grow beyond the simple collection of villages and towns that had originally formed Equestria.” Twilight hung on every word as Luna spoke, her eyes wide as saucers as she tried to imagine what it must have been like back then, “Most of the tribes still lived apart save for when they had no other choice, the pegasi living in their great cloud cities while the unicorns and earth ponies squabbled and bickered over the land. We met the first of our friends when she was just a filly, before she had even earned her cutie mark. Her name was Snowdrop, and it is thanks to her that we have the miracle known as the snowflake.” Twilight gasped as she realized what it was Luna meant, “You mean Snowdrop was the one who created the first snowflake?! Tell me more, please!” Luna chuckled as her gaze returned to reality, her eyes landing on Twilight as a smile graced her features, “All in good time, Twilight, be patient.” “Sorry.” Was the admonished reply as Twilight fought back her inner scholar and tried to pay attention. “It was in fact the creation of that first snowflake, or as she referred to them, ‘the stars of winter’, that earned Snowdrop her cutie mark, and her appreciation of the night that captured my attention as she grew into a strong and caring mare.” The smile on Luna’s face fell into a frown as she continued, “However, she faced many hardships in her early years, and even after her great gift was bestowed upon ponykind, she still struggled to find her way in a world that never truly understood her. In many ways we were alike in that regard, outcasts who just wanted to find our place.” “What made it so hard for her?” Twilight had to know. “Snowdrop was a pegasus like any other, not overly powerful in flight or noteworthy in any other way, save for one.” Luna’s gaze locked with Twilight’s, “From the moment she was born, Snowdrop was completely blind in both eyes. She never saw the stars she loved so much, could never see the brilliant designs she created, or see the smiles that she brought to ponies’ faces each and every winter.” Twilight’s jaw dropped open in dumbfounded shock, her mind screeching to a halt at Luna’s words, “B-Blind?! But how did she fly? How could she have made such amazing and detailed designs like snowflakes if she couldn’t see?” “That is a mystery even to me,” Luna replied, “but if you think that is shocking, then the rest of my story will be rather hard to believe. There are things that even now I still struggle to comprehend, so I can only imagine what it will be like for you.” Now Twilight’s curiosity was peaked, there wasn’t any way she was going to let this go until she knew everything. She had to, if for no other reason than to finally learn more about the mare in front of her prior to her fall into darkness. A smile found its way to Twilight’s face as she shifted into a slightly more comfortable position, “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I’m willing to find out if you are willing to tell me.” Luna nodded, “Then I think the place to continue would be several years later, when Snowdrop was a young mare. I was still learning how to rule Equestria, Celestia and I both were at the time, but it was the appearance of Thomas that truly put our skills as princesses to the test. He was unlike anything we had ever seen before, but it would not be long before he had worked his way into our hearts, and those of our little ponies. You see, Thomas was a being that came from far beyond the borders of Equestria, so far in fact, that if he hadn’t managed to prove it time and time again, we would have never believed his outlandish claims of being from another world. Yet over time, he created such wonders, such amazing creations, that there was no other possible explanation.” Luna’s gaze shifted to the ceiling once more as her eyes once again became lost in the past, “Thomas, the first and only human to ever appear in our world, and one of the few beings we have ever called our closest friend.”