"Come on guys, do we really have to do this?" I asked my friends.
"Yeah," they all said at the same time.
"I did tell you we were gonna teach you about the Pillars sooner or later," Smolder said to which I sighed.
"Okay fine. Who's first," I asked.
Oh oh! Yona wanna talk about Rockhoof!" Yona said.
"Now that you mention him, didn't he say something about saving his village from a pool of lava?" I asked to which Yona nodded, "How did he do that exactly?"
Rockhoof was known far and wide for his incredible strength, but he didn't start out that way. You see, Rockhoof was a tiny little fellow. The son of a farmer. They lived in a village that sat at the foot of a gigantic volcano, and the village was protected by an elite group of guard ponies called the Mighty Helm. Young Rockhoof wanted nothing more than to be part of the Mighty Helm, but he was told he was too scrawny and weak to protect the village, but Rockhoof wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
Then, one fateful day...the volcano erupted. The molten poured down the side of the volcano, and try as they might, the Mighty Helm couldn't figure out a way to save the village. They had to evacuate, but the village ponies didn't wanna leave their homes. They spent their entire lives there. They had nowhere else to go, so Rockhoof decided to do something crazy. He thought that if he could divert the flow of the lava, he might be able to save his village. He started digging a trench.
Good thing Rockhoof didn't believe in the word "impossible." He continued to work, knowing the odds were against, but determined to push through. Then, something magical happened. Rockhoof got visibly stronger, but the lava was getting closer. Through his extraordinary determination and sheer force of will, Rockhoof more than earned his place in the Mighty Helm.
"Wait, he just got stronger? Just like that?" I asked extremely confused, "No workout montage? No strength enhancing potion? Not that I'm complaining or anything, but that's just...I don't even know how to say it. How is that even poss-actually wait. Never mind. Magic."
"I swear to God, magic is the answer to everything now."
Heh. I can just imagine a child going up to their parent and asking where babies come from, and the parent just says magic. I mean, that's technically the truth right? I mean, it is magical to, as Howard Wolowitz says, "do the dance with no pants," right?
"I'd say so."
"Anyway, what about the other Pillars?" I asked.
"Oh, you gotta hear about Mistmane. It's my favorite legend after all," Ocellus said.
Mistmane was a very promising young sorceress. She was as talented as she was beautiful and kind. Everypony loved her, and missed her when she was sent to the finest magic school. While she was gone, she was delighted to find out that her best friend, Sable Spirit, was crowned empress. She couldn't wait to return home once she finished her studies.
But once she arrived, she was devastated by what she saw. Her village was in ruins. Buildings were dilapidated, the plants were dying, and the ponies of the village were miserable.
"What happened here?" she asked a random stallion that was sweeping the road.
"The empress happened. She makes everypony work day and night on her palace. We don't have time to take care of anything else," the stallion explained while pointing to the palace, which was very beautiful and stood out from the rest of the village.
"But that can't be I know her. She would never do this," Mistmane said.
But there was denying what was in front of her, as alittle colt ran through the village with a panicked look, carrying a flower that still had much life in it in his aura. The flower was then taken away and brought into a royal carriage, making the colt sad. Sable Spirit took everything that was beautiful away from anypony else, but Mistmane had to be sure there had to be some explanation. She wanted answers, so she went to confront her friend.
As Mistmane walked through the palace, she took into account of how everything was different from the village. The walls were clean and free of class, the air was nice and clean, and the plants were full of life. She approached the pony on the throne with a determined looked, and noticed the veil that was covering her face.
"Sable? Is that you?" Mistmane asked.
"Don't tell me you don't recognize your old friend," Sable said.
"I don't. My friend would never work our families and friends to the bone for something as silly as a palace,"
"Silly? My palace is a beacon of beauty. Anypony who passes would be in awe of its majesty."
"What good is a pretty palace if it just hides the misery of its ponies."
"Beauty is everything. You taught me that," Sable said, pointing at Mistmane.
"What?!" asked Mistmane, who was appalled.
"You were always the pretty one. You got to go to the best magic school, and everypony missed you. Everypony loved you! I admit, I was jealous, so I tried to perform a spell that would make me beautiful. You can see how that went!" Sable said as lifted up her veil, revealing her old looking face, and making Mistmane gasped, "I vowed that if I couldn't have beauty, I would take it. I wasn't chosen to be empress you know. I took it! Just like I'm going to take everything else."
"I can't let you do that," Mistmane stated.
"Let me?" Sable laughed before firing a spell at Mistmane's feet, causing vines to sprout out from the ground and wrap her in a cocoon.
Mistmane managed to break free. Sable then summoned a red dragon spirt, with Mistmane summoning a blue one. The two dragons battled with each other, but Mistmane's managed to win, and then launched itself towards Sable. She dodged out of the way, the dragon knocking over a potted plant, and started to approach Mistmane, thinking she won. However, due to Mistmane's lessons, vines sprouted from the potted plant and trapped Sable in a cocoon.
Everypony thought Sable Spirit was defeated, and that was that. But Mistmane knew there was more she could do to help. Beauty isn't everything, Mistmane knew that it does have the power to make ponies smile. She made a huge sacrifice to make that smile back to her family's faces, including Sable Spirit.
"You did this for me?! Even after I was so cruel?" Sable asked to which Mistmane just hugged her.
Sable Spirit was so touched that she vowed to be more like her friend in the ways that mattered. From then on, she rules with kindness and compassion.
Even though she gave away her physical beauty, she dedicated her life to spreading beauty all over Equestria. Anytime you go out of your way to brighten somepony's by doing something like giving them flowers, you're following in the hoofsteps of Mistmane.
"Wow. Performing an act of self sacrifice for the sake of others? Kinda reminds me of Professor Rarity," I said.
"Mistmane was able to get others into seeing beauty in everything, even in changelings before Thorax took over," Ocellus said.
"Yeah yeah. Now let's talk about my favorite legend: Flash Magnus," Smolder said.
A long time ago, before the Wonderlbolts were even founded, Flash Magnus was a lowly cadet in the Royal Legion.
"Hey that's copyright infringement right there!," I joked before turning to Shimmy, who was next to me, "I'd like to speak to your manager and file a complain for the stealing of my name."
Shimmy giggled at this.
"How dare they take the name of the Legion?!"
And the Legion needed to fly over to the Dragon Lands to get to there comrades on the other side. But as they got closer to the dragons, the dragons attacked. Flash Magnus and the Royal Legion tried to get past the dragons, but the dragons wouldn't let them.
"Everypony, RETREAT!" the commander yelled.
Flash Magnus and a few other cadets were separated from the battalion. He managed to get away, but the dragons captured his friends and took them back to there lair. He tried to save them, but the commander forcibly took him back to safety before he could.
"Commander, we need to save our captured comrades," Flash said.
"I appreciate your loyalty Flash Magnus, but getting past those dragons is going to be impossible. Nothing will work," the commander said.
"Commander Ironhoof, I'm pretty sure I can outfly the dragons. If I can lure them into chasing me, you can all sneak into the lair and retrieve our friends before they get back," Flash said.
"Are you willing to take that chance soldier?" Ironhead asked.
"I am, sir," Flash said as he saluted.
"It's a very brave thing you're doing, but you'll need all the help you can get," Ironhead said before giving Flash a shield.
"Is this...the Titus?! The fire-proof shield?!" Flash asked as his eyes widened.
"It has protected ancient heroes for generations, and today, I can't think of a worthier flank for the Titus to protect. Good lips I soldier."
Flash flew up with the Titus and into the entrance of the dragon's lair.
"Hey! Come and get me fire breath! If you can! Hey! Hey! Come and get me! Hey I'm over here!" he yelled before a torrent of fire came at him. He ducked behind the Titus, completely protecting him.
While Flash Magnus bravely flew for his life, Commander Ironhoof was able to get his soldiers back. Flash Magnus flew like the wind, faster than the dragons, but he knew he couldn't do this forever. Luckily, he had a plan. He let the dragons straight into a storm that the Legion had planted. One taste of the lightning, and the dragons retreated. Flash Magnus's plan worked. He tried to give the Titus back, but the commander let him keep it, as a symbol for his bravery.
"Holy...what a brave pegasus," I said.
Seriously! Like holy shit this guy had some balls!
"I know. Plus it involves dragons, so that makes it cool," Smolder said.
"So who's next?" I asked.
"You gotta hear about Somnambula! She's amazing!" Silverstream cheered.
Long ago, a village fell prey to an evil sphinx, who demanded most of their crops. Like her fellow villagers, Somnambula didn't have much, but she used what she had to keep others from giving up hope. The son of the pharaoh, Prince Huzan, was so moved by her compassion that he decreed nopony would go hungry again. But when Huzan stood up to the sphinx, the beast captured him, telling the pharaoh the only way to get Huzan back was to solve her riddle. Nopony would volunteer to save the prince. Nopony except Somnambula.
The sphinx gave her the riddle.
"I shine brightest in the dark. I am there but cannot be seen. To have me costs you nothing. To be without me costs you everything."
As Somnambula thought about the hardships she and her fellow villagers had experienced, she instantly knew the answer: hope.
The sphinx was so enraged, it seemed she'd might refuse to release the prince, so Somnambula asked her for one more challenge, but if she accomplished it, the sphinx would leave from the kingdom forever. The sphinx quickly agreed, asking only that Somnambula walk to the prince, across a deep chasm, blindfolded. Further, the sphinx castes spell that prevented Somnambula from flying.
But Somnambula never lost hope. She knew she needed to make a leap of faith to save the prince. Guided by the prince's voice, she easily made it across. The pharaoh asked how Somnambula prevailed, and she explained that she had always hoped she could make things better for her people, and that hope had carried her through. The prince replaced the pearls Somnambula gave up with a string of glopaz, and around her neck they glowed bright enough to light the entire kingdom. Forever after, glopaz became the village's symbol of hope.
"One of my rules in life is to never lose hope and give up until it's over, and Somnambula...she lives up to that rule," I respected," Anyone else?"
"I guess I can talk about Mage Meadowbrook," Gallus said.
From the journal of Mage Meadowbrook
Today I tried again to brew an unsniffle elixir, and I finally got it right.
"Meadowbrook, I believe it's time you had this," my mother said, handing me a box. I opened the box and gasped at what was inside.
"My very own healer's mask! You think I'm ready mother?" I asked to which she nodded.
Mother opened the door to the sound of knocking to reveal a hooded pony. She lowered her hood to reveal her sickly face. Bags under her eyes and orange spots all over her body. Mother gasped at the sight.
"What caused this?" she asked.
The pony reached behind her and showed a blue flower with orange spots on it. Mother calls it "swamp fever." We've been trying to find a cure, but...it hasn't been easy. The fever spread like wildfire. I fear if we don't find a cure soon, everypony will be in grave danger.
With mother sick, I didn't think I'd ever find a cure. But staring at those cursed flowers today, I saw something. I realized the flower's poison didn't affect the flash bees and if they were immune to the swamp fever, their honey could be the cure. But they were so aggressive defending their hive, I didn't know how I was gonna get it. I returned to the hive with my healer's mask for one last effort.
Today, I cured mother and the rest of the ponies. It was the greatest feeling and I promise to cure ponies all over Equestria.
"I really like how it doesn't even explain exactly how Meadowbrook got the honey."
"It's amazing how you don't know when or even if you can get back up when you're at your lowest," I said, "So who's the sixth one? It's been a rule of six my entire time here."
"Starswirl the Bearded," Sandbar said, "There isn't some kind of epic story about him saving others, but he created hundreds of new spells, including a time travel spell and a dimensional travel spell."
Starswirl the Bearded? Created hundreds of spells? This guy sounds like a rip off of Gandalf the Great.
"These ponies sound amazing, but wait. How are they here? Like here today? You guys called them legends and part of pony history. So unless they're immortal...or they time traveled...they should be...well...not here," I asked.
"Thousands of years ago, the Pillars fought the Pony of Shadows. Starswirl and the rest of the Pillars sacrificed themselves by sending the Pony of Shadows and themselves to limbo. Just a little less than a year ago, our teachers brought them back, as well as the Pony of Shadows. And through the power of friendship, they all saved a pony named Stygian from the darkness," Ocellus explained.
"Sent...to limbo...for a thousands of years..."
THAT MAKES BEING TURNED INTO STONE LOOK LIKE TIMEOUT AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
"Well...at least they had each other?"
I...think I'm done with history for today.