//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Equestria Origins: Voidera // by Jacoboby1 //------------------------------// Rise of Voidera Prologue So much noise! Back away from me! Stay away! I don’t want to hurt anypony! If you don’t stop I’ll destroy you all! Stop hurting me! What have I done to you!? Help Me!!!! ______________________________________ Lunard awoke with a start leaving behind whatever hopes he had of getting a good night’s sleep. The dark blue alicorn hadn’t imagined the surge of magic he felt…had he? The screaming, the cries of agony, and that tiny voice calling for somepony to stop had accompanied the surge. The power that came from it was way too powerful to simply ignore. The king shook his angular head to shake off whatever sleepiness was left in him. He got up from his bed and stretched his powerful legs and wings and proceeded to walk out to the balcony. His blue eyes scanned the dark horizon and his horn started to glow softly. Both his eyes and magic stopped to see smoke rising in the distance. He spoke softly to himself “That’s where a village is, what would such a powerful surge of magic be doing coming from there? And at this time at night?” Under normal circumstances the Alicorn king would’ve sent one of his night guards to investigate. But his curiosity and a strong feeling of dread in his stomach compelled him to want to investigate personally. He was about to spread his wings to fly out but he stopped when a voice called from the bed he had just left. “Lunard? What are you doing up?” Lunard turned to behold his queen and mate Solara. Her white coat was glistening in the light of the moon. Her tired violet eyes looked at him with worry. Lunard’s blue eyes softened as he looked upon her. He smiled gently at her “I’ve sensed a strange magic my love” He said honestly “I wanted to investigate” She started to get up from the bed “I should come with you” Lunard walked to his wife and gently pushed her back down onto the bed. He shook his head at her “You shouldn’t, you’re almost due and I wouldn’t want to endanger our child” Solara nodded and looked at her swollen belly. She hated to admit it but her mate was right, she would be endangering her child by flying into the unknown. She looked up at her mate, her violet eyes showing her concern “Be careful my love, I would hate for our foal to be without a father…” The midnight blue alicorn smiled and gently nuzzled his mate. “I won’t be long; hopefully this is just my imagination playing tricks on me” She returned his nuzzle and kissed him on the cheek. Lunard then turned and walked to the balcony. He turned his gaze to the direction of the smoke and spread his dark wings. He leapt off the balcony and flew off in the direction of the smoke. One thought plagued his mind as he flew off in the distance. I pray that this is just my imagination… __________________________________ Sleep would not return for Solara. For even though she trusted Lunards abilities to keep him safe. Anxiety over him gripped her heart. She wanted to be there, right by his side to keep him safe. But another needed her attention more than ever. For the foal within her belly, was her youngest. The second child in her family. She had been blessed with a beautiful daughter, Celestia, before this one. But Solara eagerly awaited her child’s coming. According to the healers, she is due any day now. Thoughts of the child inside her distracted her from her anxiety over Lunard as she walked the halls of the castle. Situated in the middle of the Capital, the castle once held two separate wings, one day, and one night. Nowadays, with the marriage of her and Lunard, the castle was no longer divided, but united as one. One room drew her attention as it’s door opened. Out stepped her daughter Celestia. She was in her Eleventh year but already showed signs that she would grow into a fine mare. She shared her mother’s features, a pink mane, a coat of pure white, and violet eyes that looked on everything with a warmth and tenderness. Right now though, those eyes were very sleepy. “Celestia,” Solara said, bending down as best she could with her swollen belly. “What are you doing up?” Celestia yawned, and looked at her mother. “I couldn’t sleep. I felt some kind of weird magic.” Solara smiled, “You know you shouldn’t be up. You’ll never grow strong if you refuse to sleep.” Celestia gave a small giggle, “Daddy doesn’t sleep during the night though.” Solara brought her filly into a hug and said, “You know your father works the night, it’s his duty.” Celestia sighed, “I just wish he wasn’t so focused on working all the time.” Solara looked down on her daughter, “Well, we can’t all be sneaking into the kitchens to swipe cakes now can we?” She said with a wide smile. “Mother!” Celestia cried, her antics were quite well known in the palace. If cake should be missing, it’s usually Celestia with the crumbs on her muzzle. Solara set down Celestia, “Now, off to bed my dear.” she ordered. Celestia looked back at her mother and asked, “Can I…?” Understanding her meaning, Solara nodded, “She is pretty eager to meet you.” she said. Celestia walked over and placed her tiny hooves on Solara’s large belly. She smiled and spoke to the womb, “Hello there little brother or little sister. One day, you’re going to come out and meet me. I promise I’ll be the best big sister in the whole world!” “I’m sure you will,” Solara said with a smile. With that, Celestia obeyed her mother and walked into her room. Solara looked after her child, “Good Night...my little sunshine…” She said as she closed the door behind her filly. ______________________________________ Lunard landed at the scene of a massacre. The entire village was in flames, charred corpses of the villagers littered the ground. Lunard’s blue eyes looked over the corpses. “What could have done this?” he thought aloud. There was nothing ceremonious about the corpses. They were strewn and an outsider wouldn’t figure they were alicorns at all, just charred remains of some large animal. Only the remains of wings and horns provided the identity of the bodies. Lunard closed his blue eyes and held a hoof over one of the corpses. “May you find peace wherever your hooves walk now…” His ears perked up when he heard a noise. The alicorn king turned to see one of the night guards limping towards him. He was bleeding heavily and his once glorious blue armor was nothing but charred tatters. “My…king…” the soldier fell onto the ground hard. Lunard ran to the soldier and looked him right in the eye. “Soldier, what happened here!?” The guard coughed blood as he tried to answer “It…came…from the…sky…” “What did?! What caused this massacre!?” The dark blue alicorn asked quickly and forcefully. “It…started screaming at first…” the guard said, his strength starting to leave him “Then…the eyes…those red eyes…then…the pain…” Lunard knew that the guard didn’t have long to live. With all his magical power he couldn’t hope to cure the guard in this state. His horn glowed a soft blue and the soldier’s eyes started to slowly close. “I will find what did this” Lunard promised “You will find peace” “It was…an honor to serve…my king…” the soldier’s eyes closed as the last of his strength left him. Lunard couldn’t save him, but he made sure his death was an easy one to endure. The king’s blue eyes looked to the town center. Most of the smoke was coming from over there. It was the logical place to look next. Lunard looked one more time at the soldier. “It wasn’t an honor to serve me. It was an honor to be served by alicorns like you…” He cantered to the center of town. _______________________________________________ Solara stood on the balcony looking out towards where the smoke came from. It softly pillowed into the sky and it only added to her anxiety. What was Lunard facing? She hoped it was not some evil beast that has come from the mountains. Solara could not bare the thought of losing her mate. The child inside her however, did not want to feel her mother’s sorrow. So, she started kicking inside the womb. Solara felt it, gently running a hoof across it. “Patience my child,” She said, “The world is not going anywhere. It will be here when you come.” The child’s kicks subsided but Solara kept petting her belly. She wanted nothing more than to hold this child in her forelegs. To tell it stories of days long gone, to kiss it good night, to bring comfort in sorrow. Now, if only her mate would return to see the child born. _______________________________________________ Whatever the alicorn king expected to find at the center of town aside from smoke and flames…it wasn’t this. As he entered the center of town, his horn aglow ready to fire any spell he would need, he stopped at the sight. At the center of a small crater in the center of town…was a foal. Lunard kept his horn glowing as he approached the foal. It didn’t move but he wasn’t about to let his guard down. His blue eyes looked over the young foal. Unlike the charred remains of alicorns surrounding it the foal was relatively unharmed. Its coat was as black as a starless night and its mane was as white as snow. It certainly resembled an alicorn, it was the same shape as one and it sported a horn. Its wings however were unusual. They didn’t have feathers and almost looked like leather; they resembled wings of a dragon rather than one’s of a regular alicorn. Lunard reached out with a hoof and gently pushed the foal. It stirred in its slumber and slowly opened an eye. Lunard was taken aback by the eye, for it was red and slitted, almost like one belonging to a snake. The foal looked up at Lunard with the red eye then got up on its shaky legs. It backed away from Lunard its red eyes showing fear and not malice. It spoke in a small masculine voice. “Don’t hurt me…” Lunard simply stared at the foal and looked around “Did you see what caused all of this?” He asked. The foal looked at the larger alicorn then backed away even further “I didn’t mean to hurt anypony…” His voice was wary. The king’s eyes grew wide “You caused all of this?!” Lunard said, and approached the young foal, his voice a little too loud. The foal returned his gaze with one of fear “I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!” he cried. “You killed all of them?!” Lunard said, advancing on the foal “What magic did you use to cause all of this!?” “Please stop!” the foal cried. he held his head in his hooves and Lunard could see his eyes were glowing a little. “Explain yourself!” Lunard said cornering the foal on the wall of the crater. “BACK AWAY!!!!” The foal’s horn glowed blood red and Lunard felt a shockwave throw him back into the opposite wall of the crater. It took him a minute as he laid there in a daze. Lunard got up and shook his head to get rid of the dizziness. He looked over at the foal who was cowering in front of the king. Lunard could see now. The foal was not attacking out of anger. The foal was only attacking in self defense. Lunard got up and advanced slowly on the young foal. His blue eyes gazed down at the foal with an unreadable expression. He spoke in a firm voice. “If you promise not to attack me I will not attack you in turn” The foal slowly nodded “Okay.” Lunard advanced to the young foal and his horn glowed. “Hold still…” He said. The foal scrunched up in a ball as Lunard brought his horn to tap him on the head. Lunard closed his eyes as the scanning spell did its job. The foal looked up at the alicorn king with those red eyes of his. “What are you doing?” Lunard spoke plainly “Checking to see what magic you performed on me.” After a minute, his spell finished scanning the young foal. The result was just as Lunard surmised, the magic this young foal performed by instinct would’ve taken the average alicorn, even a unos alicorn, years of training. This young foal was a true prodigy in magic, but of a sort that Lunard never encountered before in all his years of magical study. When Lunard was done he looked down at the foal that had just uncurled himself from the ball. “Do you have parents young one?”He asked gently. “No…not that I can remember…I just remember falling…then…everypony was yelling at me…” The foal looked down, his white mane covering his red eyes “I got scared and then…I just saw red…” Somewhere in Lunard’s heart pity was found. The foal obviously had no idea of the power he could wield. The dark blue alicorn knew that if he left this foal here somepony else would find him. Possibly exploit the young foal to perform all manner of dark magic. In his heart of hearts Lunard couldn’t fathom leaving the foal to be turned into a weapon of terrible destruction. Lunard reached with his hoof and gently tilted the colt’s head up so their eyes met. He smiled gently at the colt, Lunard kept his kind tone, “You were simply, scared little one, your magic activated to protect you from harm” The colt simply stared, his voice laced with sorrow, “But, I’ve caused so much harm to everypony else” The king nodded and said, “That you did, and with my teaching I can teach you to control the power you hold inside you. Teach you to harness it for good and not for mindless destruction” The colt smiled and practically bounced in excitement“You will! Thank you mister um…” “Lunard” the alicorn king said “I’m King Lunard, watcher of the night and ruler of the Alicorns” The colt nodded “I’m uh,” He tapped his head with his hoof in thought “I, don’t know my name, and I don’t think I’m king of anything.” “Then I shall give you a name” Lunard said looking down at the colt “From now on you shall be known as Voidera, it is the name of a great hero of our kind. Long ago he was a great sorcerer who held magic of great power. Think of it as a symbolic name that one day I hope you will live up to” The newly christened Voidera hopped around the king happily, declaring“Voidera! Voidera! Voidera! I love it!” Lunard chuckled a little at the colt’s enthusiasm. When the colt finally calmed down Lunard looked at the horizon. Dawn was approaching and he needed to get the colt out of here before the day guard showed up. He looked down at the colt “Can you fly yet?” Voidera spread his leathery wings and gave a few practice flaps “I can try!” He leaped off of the ground and flapped furiously. Sadly his attempts were for naught as the colt came crashing down in front of Lunard. “Ow…” he groaned. Lunard chuckled a little then picked up Voidera with his magic. The colt landed softly on Lunard’s back “I’ll do the flying young one” Voidera smiled and wrapped his small legs around Lunard’s neck for support. The king smiled; despite all the colt had done Lunard couldn’t help but feel fond of the strange colt. He wondered if he would feel the same when his own son or daughter was born. He spread his large wings and flew out to the rising dawn. ________________________________________________ As Solara watched the horizon, she knew dawn was to approach. She had no idea what her love had found. But, she was simply hoping for his safe return. Than, another thought came into her mind. “My legs,” She said, “they are...moist…” She screamed as pain came to her. The child decided it could wait no longer and yearned to be released. A guard, one of the day, burst into the room. “Your highness!” The young alicorn said, “What happened?!” “It’s not what’s happened my guard,” Solara said, her face contorting in pain “It’s what’s happening! My child is coming!” _________________________________________________ “You will stay here from now on Voidera” Lunard said as he opened the door to the highest tower of the palace. “Here you will be safe from anypony wanting to exploit your power” Voidera ran past the king and looked around the tower. It was large and spacious with many types of scaffolding to climb on. The tower was rarely used by anypony and no servants would venture up here if Lunard told them to. It truly was the safest place for Voidera to be at. When the colt stopped running around his new home his red eyes turned to the king. “Where are you going to stay?” He asked with a tilt of his head. Lunard spoke simply “I will be downstairs with my family.” Voidera looked down then back up again “But, aren’t I part of your family now?” He asked. The king expected this question to come up. He didn’t expect to feel guilty about leaving the colt alone though. He shook his head “You’re a special case Voidera, keeping up here is for your own good.” He tried to state as best he could without sounding cruel. Voidera shook his head “How come I can’t stay with you though?” The young colt asked. Lunard lowered his head to the colt’s level. His blue eyes were stern but comforting as he spoke, “Under normal circumstances I would love to take a colt such as you into my home” he shook his head slowly “But I can’t risk somepony finding you and taking you away to use you for evil. You’re safe here; so long as you do not leave this tower nopony will use your powers for malice” The colt slowly nodded and said, “I, I think I understand” “But I will visit when I can, I will teach you to control the magic you wield. Maybe one day you will be able to leave this tower to live a normal life” Lunard’s blue eyes took on a determined look as he said, “I simply want to make sure you can handle things when that day comes. I refuse to let anypony turn you into a weapon.” Voidera simply stared at Lunard as tears began to well up in his red eyes. He walked up to Lunard and pressed his head into the Alicorn’s chest. Lunard’s blue eyes slowly softened. Despite all the power this one wielded, Voidera was still a foal who wanted somepony to care. Lunard spread his wings out and wrapped them around the colt in a warm embrace. He smiled softly at this gesture; it brought back memories of his mother embracing him when he was a colt himself. Voidera brought softness to the otherwise stoic and regal alicorn king. Voidera looked up at his newfound teacher and friend with tear filled red eyes “Thank you Lunard…I will never forget what you’ve done for me…” Lunard smiled down at the colt “And I will never forget you Voidera…I promise to make you into a stallion I can be proud of…” The two alicorns simply held that embrace for a while. An outsider would’ve thought them father and son. In a way…that’s what they were now. __________________________________________________ Lunard slowly returned from his trek up the tower. Voidera was safe, the situation would pass as one of those unsolved mysteries, and Lunard was home. Nothing could foul the king’s mood… Except of course a guard running up to him, one of the night. The young guard saluted and spoke in a tone often used when addressing the king. “My Lord! The whole castle has been looking everywhere for you!” Lunard held up a hoof, “Speak plainly my guard, what is so distressing?” “It is Queen Solara my lord,” The stallion said with a bow, “Her child, your child is coming!” Lunard got within inches of the young guard’s nose and said. “Take. Me. To. Her. Now!” The guard needed little incentive to comply. _______________________________________________________ Celestia was awoken yet again as the dawn peeked over the horizon. But not by sounds of birds singing, but by the sound of alicorns moving outside. Celestia sat up, rubbed her eyes and opened the door. Outside she saw guards, nursemaids, healers, everypony who had some job in the palace was running about. Their voices were frantic but held a purpose. Celestia stopped in front of one healer, “What’s going on?” She asked. The healer bowed her head and said, “My princess, your mother is about to have her child.” Celestia’s eyes grew wide, she demanded, “Where is she!?” The healer spoke frantically, “In her chambers, you’d best hurry. So must I if I’m ever going to find those towels!” The healer took off without another word to the princess. Celestia took off the opposite direction toward where her mother and father were. She spent the next few hours fighting the urge to return to sleep as she sat in front of the guarded doorway. She could hear her mother’s cries of pain if she got close enough. But she heard her father’s voice there as well, acting as a voice of comfort in the strife. Celestia sat there as the hours went by. It was practically noon when the door slowly opened. A nursemaid walked outside and Celestia stopped her, “Where is she? Where’s my mother? Is she okay? Is the baby okay?” She fired off a mile a minute. The nurse maid smiled, bowed, and simply stepped out of the way. Celestia entered the room. Solara was well, tired looking, but well. She laid on the bed comfortably as she held a small dark blue blanket in her forelegs. Celestia stood there for a minute, there was an atmosphere of peace and serenity. Lunard was looking down at the bundle, his face proud and soft. A rare thing for the alicorn king. Solara looked and saw Celestia standing there, she smiled, and beckoned her with a hoof. Celestia obeyed, and walked over to the bed, hopping on it. She looked down at the bundle. In it, was a small blue coated alicorn filly. She was the spitting image of her father. Her mane was a shorter light blue color. Her eyes were teal, wide eyed, and curious about the world she was brought into. When she caught sight of Celestia, the little filly squealed and reached for her. Solara smiled at both of her daughters, “Celestia, this is your sister, Luna.” Celestia smiled and reached a hoof for her sister. Luna hugged the hoof and nuzzled it. Celestia felt a warmth in her heart that could never be matched. “Welcome to the world,” Celestia said to the filly, “Lulu…”