//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty: The Origin of Magic // Story: Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn // by Scroll //------------------------------// {Since I was uncomfortable with the liberated earth ponies worship, I didn't remain with their community, but I did not venture too far either because I did not have any other plans in this time era yet and I wasn't entirely convinced they were out of danger completely, hence the reason I informed them how to summon my attention again. {Now that they achieved their freedom, what would they do with it? I had a feeling that they were raised to be dependent on their slave masters for far too long to know how to live for themselves. In addition, in this time era, traditional farming techniques were not likely to have been invented yet, so I foresaw some potential trouble for them and wanted to be nearby in case they proved to be incapable of sustaining themselves on their own four hooves. {It turned out I was right, but not for the reasons I thought. The liberated earth ponies did fairly well for themselves at first. Instead of that, it was, again, external danger that concerned them. They called upon me as I taught them to do before I left, so I swung back in to investigate along with your mother. What I discovered was a new force moved in. {They did not seem as numerous as the last army so they seemed less dangerous overall, at least at first. In fact, the earth ponies outnumbered these newcomers about twenty to one, since there were only twelve intruders. {Looks could be deceiving, though. With the right technology, training or magic on their side, even a small group of twelve could be a formidable force. I learned that lesson many times over while traveling with the Doctor. {As your mother and I returned to observe the situation, I noticed that these newcomers were not immediately attacking the nervous liberated earth ponies so I held back and observed this situation from a distance, just like I did the first time I showed up into this area. {I was glad I did, too. There was some interesting information to observe that helped me to deal with the situation later.} “Fascinating!” Feather Wind exclaimed in amazement as he and Stern Wing remained hidden on a nearby cloud which he blew a little closer using his wind powers. He was observing the newcomers via his magnification magic. “Do you see those ten bipedal reptiles with short fore-claws and long hind legs with a large, sickle-shaped claw on the second toe of each hind foot?” “Yes. I do,” Stern Wing confirmed very closely to his side so she could see out the same magnified magical window. “Those are an ancient and extinct species of dinosaurs on our planet. More specifically, a theropod genus of dinosaurs. This particular species is dubbed 'velociraptor' by our paleontology ponies who dug up ancient fossils of their skeletons. “The thing is, we had evidence of their intelligence but never to this degree. These velociraptors are wearing some kind of ceremonial armor, and whatever those sticks they are carrying is likely weapons of some kind. I have an odd feeling those are more than ordinary sticks. I think I can see a bit of glow on them, indicating they are magical sticks of some kind. “This is actually evidence of advanced intelligence. Advanced enough to form complex languages and form a complex society. “Warning; they are an entirely carnivorous species. I can think of at least one reason why they might be here.” “You think they came to . . . eat the ponies?” Stern Wing asked with intense disgust. Feather Wind shrugged. “It's possible, but why are they waiting then? They are not approaching the village at all.” “Not yet, anyway,” Stern Wing pointed out. “Maybe they are just waiting for the rest of their forces to gather.” “Which might make them more open to negotiation until that happens,” Feather Wind theorized. “Until they have a stronger tactical position, they might be more willing to talk. If the situation changes in their favor later on, however, they might start talking less and start demanding more.” “What about the second species? Those black bird-like creatures who also walk on two legs?” Stern Wing queried. “There's only two of them,” Feather Wind observed, “and one of them looks really, really old. He has to lean on a cane to support himself. Of all these newcomers, he's the farthest thing among them to look like a soldier. The worst he can be is some kind of mage. “As for his species, this one I can identify for sure. They are arakroa. They are a distant descendant to both the griffins and the hippogriffs. Back in this era, they walked more on their hind legs while their forelegs were used primarily for grasping and tool manipulation.” “Are they meat eaters too?” Stern Wing asked in concern. “They can be, but they can also subsist on vegetables, fruits, and nuts so the technical term for them is omnivorous. “Wow.” Feather Wind took a few pictures of both species as well as the equipment they carried. “This is so fascinating! I'm learning so much about these two species from this party alone!” “What do you think those glowing sticks that the veloci . . . rapetor's? . . . do?” “I suspect they are weapons, and magical at that,” Feather Wind reported, “and the term is velociraptors,” Feather Wind reminded. “What?” Stern Wing looked taken aback. “But I thought you said there is no magic in this world. How can they make magical items, and ten of them at that, if there is no magic in this world?” Feather Wind shrugged. “Maybe there is magic on this world. Maybe it's rare, and this species knows how to access it. “Come to think of it, that would make more sense since it was hypothesized that the most sentient species evolved in places closer to magic. If this species is capable of wielding magic in some shape or form then it also makes sense that they might be more intelligent than we thought. “The thing is . . . if they did have the ability to forge any kind of advanced technology . . . why did none of it survive into the future? Maybe it did and it hasn't been discovered yet. “The fossils we found on this species indicate they were nowhere near this advanced. So far the velociraptors that we discovered indicated they were tactical and coordinated pack hunters capable of complex strategies and perhaps limited form of communication, but building tools and wearing armor was beyond their grasp, else we should have found such things buried with them.” “Maybe they aren't veloci-watchits. Maybe this is a species that merely resembles them but they are, in fact, aliens from outer space. We saw stuff like this plenty of times as we traveled with the Doctor.” “Good point,” Feather Wind agreed. “If we consider them as potential aliens, they could theoretically be capable of just about anything. Maybe they are, in fact, a race of shapeshifters that took the form of the first semi-intelligent species they found on this planet, or they are intelligent alien parasites that took over the bodies of velociraptors.” “But we know for sure that the other bird-like species is native to this world?” Stern Wing checked. “None exist anymore that we know of in this form, but yes . . . they later evolved into griffins and hippogriffs. That implies they've been a part of this world's history for quite awhile. We weren't exactly sure how long they've been around, however.” “I think we've obtained as much information as we can from them up here,” Stern Wing declared. “Let's go down there and say hello, but be prepared to conjure an energy shield in a jiffy. If those glowing sticks are capable of energy projectiles, we'll need a defense against them in a hurry.” “Agreed, to a point, but perhaps we should separate on this one,” Feather Wind suggested. “I lure their attention and talk to them. I'll need my horn, most likely, to translate what they are saying anyway. If they fire those sticks, I'll also be the one most prepared to defend myself. While I hold their attention, you can sneak up behind them. Should they choose to attack, all of their attention will be on me initially which may allow you a tactical advantage on getting the drop on them.” “No.” Stern Wing shook her head. “I want to be involved in the conversation itself, so I'm going with you.” Feather Wind clenched his jaw just a bit, but said, “As you wish.” After that they both flew down to meet the newcomers openly. xoxo “Halt!” one of the more decorated velociraptor creatures ordered as he fired his glowing stick which shot an energy projectile, close but not at Feather Wind and Stern Wing, who landed close by a few seconds ago. Feather Wind looked at the ground that was struck by the energy beam. It looked a bit blackened and it sizzled for a few seconds. After that, it became very clear to him that those sticks were indeed designed to be weapons. Based on the scorch mark on the ground, he could guess being struck by such a beam would cause intense burning damage except it was likely to be internal burning as well as external. The power source was most likely magical, from what he could tell. He looked across this small squad of velociraptors and noticed they were all armed with these energy sticks. Being the lethal projectiles that they could be, Feather Wind guessed that they might have better odds against those liberated earth ponies despite being outnumbered twenty to one, and who knows what else this party brought with them? Their natural weapons alone could make them quite formidable as well. “Proceed no further!” the same individual demanded. “Hold your attack, General Slekcorza,” the elderly arakroa politely requested. This individual was a black raven-like creature that stood erect on two legs but was also hunched over at the back. He had to lean on a cane to prevent himself from falling forward. He also had what kind of looked like a long beard that nearly extended all the way to the ground except that 'beard' was made of feathers. Similarly, the eyebrows of this creature was so bushy it concealed his eyes but, again, the eyebrows were made of thick wads of feathers instead of hair. He was also the only one to wear a robe, in this case a black robe with golden embroidery on it that kind of looked like star-shaped patterns. {I had an uneasy feeling from all of the velociraptors here. Not just because I knew they were meat-eaters, but also because they were all armed, proved willing to use their weaponry, and deliberately had an intimidating disposition to them. They looked really aggressive, but I noticed that they did not outright attack yet and I had the feeling that they were also very nervous to meet me for some reason. {The elderly arakroa, on the other hoof, I had the opposite feeling from him. Mind you, it was just an initial impression, but my gut feeling told me he was a scholarly and friendly grandfather-like figure. {I didn't know if he was really in charge of this group or not, but I hoped he was. He seemed like the most reasonable and approachable member of this party.} “All thosse who pose a ssecurity risk musst keep their disstance,” the one dubbed General Slekcorza insisted with a bit of a reptilian hiss to his speech pattern due to the physiology of his tongue. “If they really are a security risk, are you proposing to antagonize one who defeated the dragon Fang all by himself?” the elderly arakroa asked the general. “I sincerely doubt you'd be able to hold him back if he had hostile intentions so, for the moment, I suggest we do nothing further to antagonize this most formidable horse. If we do, it may prove only to our own detriment.” The general glanced back at the elderly arakroa with a single sidewards slit, reptilian-like eye. “I am only doing my job, elder sssage,” the general reminded. The elderly arakroa nodded. “I realize and appreciate that but, for now, I think you can best do that by putting your weapons down. We did not come to fight him anyway. More to the contrary if all goes well. We came to ask him for a favor so please, good sir, put your weapons down.” “Thiss iss a mosst unorthodox sssstrategy! I musst object!” the general complained. “Objection noted. Now please, bear with me on this one.” The elderly sage then regarded Feather Wind. “Forgive our rudeness please, mighty horse. I assure you we did not come bearing ill intent. More to the contrary. The general is just being defensive since it is his job to keep me and my assistant safe, but I believe if you had hostile intentions, his presence would not make a difference anyway. “Please inform me if you can understand any of my words.” “I certainly can,” Feather Wind informed back. “The reason my horn is glowing right now is because I'm casting a spell that is acting as a translation magic.” “Ssorcccery is at work here?” General Slekcorza asked very defensively as he raised his own weapon. “Desssissst your magicsss, little horssssse, or faccce the wrath of my blaster!” Feather Wind's eyes shifted quickly to General Slekcorza the moment he spoke and he privately noted the words “sorcery” was interesting because it implied recognition and therefore existence of spellcasting. That did not suggest how common such practice was as of yet, only that it existed at all. The liberated earth ponies back at the quarry, however, did not seem to recognize it and mistook him for a god for performing it at all. That, at least, suggests the art was unknown in the local area but, if these newcomers recognized it, it may suggest they came from a more distant or remote area of the world with more exposure to magical arts as well as magical-based technology. “He just told us he's using his spell to help translate what he's saying!” the elderly sage said in a tone of objection towards the general. “But it might be more than that!” General Slekcorza spat. “Tricksssy horssse might be weaving a ssuggesstion sspell to manipulate our mindss azz well while he'ss busssy transslating.” “Or he could just kill us as easily as he did that dragon,” the elderly sage pointed out. “He hasn't yet, however, so I think, for the moment, we can give him the benefit of the doubt.” General Slekcorza shook his head. “That isss not my job! All creaturess we encounter isss a potential enemy until proven otherwisse.” “Enemy?” the elderly sage echoed incredulously. “Did we really come here to make an enemy of a horse capable of killing Fang? May I remind you how long that dragon has held us at bay? This horse took him out by himself. If he is our enemy then this is likely a battle we cannot win anyway so, for the last time, PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN, SIR!” General Slekcorza slowly did so very reluctantly, but he also nodded at his other soldiers to do so as well. Slowly they followed suit. “Soldiers!” The elderly sage shook his head. “Sometimes they think more with their weapons than their brains, I fear!” That comment privately amused Feather Wind because the Doctor often made similar remarks. “Why did you come?” Feather Wind asked with a slight tilt of his head while regarding the elderly arakroa. “First, may I introduce myself?” the elderly sage asked politely. Feather Wind nodded. “My name is Awalki and this is my assistant, Koacrow.” He gestured to the other much younger arakroa in the party. “You already met the general, of course,” Awalki went on with an almost reluctant gesture to the general. “I'll be watching you very carefully!” General Slekcorza warned. “Do not try anything to antagonize ussss, or we will attack!” “I'm pretty sure he means it,” Awalki said with a frustrated sigh. “Please understand that he means well. He's only trying to keep us safe, and we are addressing a very dangerous horse, it seems. One who is capable of magic and possesses a curious glowing horn.” Awalki seemed interested. “Now that's a new curiosity. Are you a mutant? Are there other horses like you in this world? Is that horn artificial or natural? Please indulge me. I have a million questions, you see!” “Aren't you also going to ask about my wings too?” Stern Wing prompted curiously as she spread her wings a bit. “Actually, yes! I would be most fascinated to hear your side of the story as well,” came Awalki's friendly reply. “Those certainly seem natural.” “They don't appear to be made of any artificial source,” Koacrow agreed observantly. “The wings in question appear to be attached to the lower sternum of her back in the upper region along the spinal cord. “Please, Miss . . . could you expand your wings to maximum length, or would that hurt you in any way?” “That would not hurt me at all.” Stern Wing proudly spread her wings to maximum length and held it straight. “The wingspan appears to be about three and a half feet in length per wing. Fascinating,” Koacrow observed. “She appears to weigh over three-hundred pounds,” Koacrow went on while rubbing her beak thoughtfully. “The bones might be hollow but that would seem unlikely to support muscle structure that bulky. If the wings were the only factor, she should make a pretty clumsy flier.” “Excuse me! I am a great and powerful flier!” Stern Wing objected. “Want to see a demonstration?” “Please do!” Koacrow eagerly invited, but Awalki held up a claw in objection. “Perhaps at a later time. We've come for another purpose for the moment,” Awalki reminded. “Later, then?” Koacrow asked hopefully to her teacher. “If she chooses to indulge you,” Awalki granted. “Since she offered initially I assume, for the moment, she will be willing to demonstrate at a later time as well. If she still feels that way by the end of this conversation then, by all means, take in as much data as you can.” Awalki turned back to Feather Wind as he said, “Back to the issue at claw. It is my understanding that you were the one who summoned the storm and defeated the great dragon Fang. Am I correct in this assumption?” “Indeed,” Feather Wind confirmed, then narrowed his eyes a bit. “Why are you so interested in the dragon's demise? What intentions do you have for these ponies?” “None of your businessss!” General Slekcorza hissed. “Please, General . . . allow me to do the talking,” Awalki kindly requested. “Matters of security are your domain. Please allow me to continue with mine. It is why I am here, after all.” The general gave a reptilian-like gurgle that was reminiscent of a growl of a large cat. “Silurians!” Awalki said with a shake of his head. “Never one to give others the benefit of the doubt, I'm afraid.” “What did you say?!” Feather Wind asked suddenly towards Awalki sharply. “That silurians do not give others the benefit of the doubt,” Awalki repeated. “That's a silurian?!” Feather Wind asked as he looked at the general in astonishment. “Ah . . . yes. His species is known as a silurian, and mine is the arakroa,” Awalki informed. “At least you got the names of one of them right,” Stern Wing whispered to Feather Wind with a teasing half-grin passed to her friend. “It was the paleontology ponies who gave the name velociraptor. We never knew, until now, what this species called themselves back when they were still alive,” Feather Wind informed his friend quietly, “but the arakroa evolved into griffins and hippogriffs. Because of their history, which actually has maintained some pretty decent records, we know what they called their ancient ancestors. I'm guessing the name survived across the eons to our present day.” Feather Wind faced his friend. “That's not why I'm surprised. I'm surprised because I've encountered that name, silurian, before. “I've done some research on the Doctor's history. He wasn't forthcoming of it much himself, and I suspect there are gaps in his memory anyway. After nine-hundred years, I'm surprised he remembers as much as he does but, apparently, some of those memories can get fuzzier between each regeneration. “I have, however, found a library hidden within the TARDIS. It was Vision who helped me to discover it in the first place, and she probably found it through her empathic connection with the spirit of the TARDIS which seems to trust her a lot for some reason. That library, at least, has some records of some of his older adventures. Among them, I stumbled upon the name of some of his old enemies. Silurians were one of them!” “Oh!” Stern Wing looked alarmed. “Is that going to be a problem for us?” Feather Wind shook his head as his facial expression calmed down a little bit. “Not necessarily. “Apparently, the species the Doctor primarily hung out with were called 'humans' from a planet called 'earth'. He defended that planet from many kinds of invading alien species, but silurians stood out in a special way because, unlike the other threats, this one was actually native to the planet as well but they were buried and hibernating for many thousands, perhaps millions of years before being accidentally awoken. The Doctor's earlier encounters with the silurian race was, unfortunately, antagonistic but that didn't always remain so. A sub-species of silurians turned out to be quite reasonable, and he even personally befriended a few of them. “In this case, it might depend on which breed we're dealing with here.” “So these silurians have multiple breeds as well, just like we do in the future,” Stern Wing figured. “Probably,” Feather Wind replied. “What consspiraccy are you two plotting?” General Slekcorza asked very suspiciously. “We were talking about you, silly pants,” Stern Wing replied semi-honestly. “Why do you ask? Were your ears burning?” “What trickery iss thisss?” General Slekcorza hissed. “Ears . . . burning?” Awalki asked in confusion. “Why would the general's ears burn?” “It's just an expression of ours,” Stern Wing clarified. “Whenever we say that, it denotes an awareness that somepony . . . I mean, some creature is subconsciously aware that they are being talked about.” “You're talking about the general?” Awalki asked. “Not him specifically. We were talking more about his species,” Stern Wing clarified. “Why would you be unfamiliar with his species?” Koacrow asked in confusion. “There aren't many of him left,” Awalki reminded his assistant. “This really might be the first time they've encountered a member of his species.” “Why? What happened to the rest of his species?” Feather Wind asked a little anxiously. “They used to be much more common,” Awalki admitted. “In fact, they used to be the most technologically advanced and dominant species on this planet but, after The Dark Star crashed on this planet, most of his species went into deep hibernation to avoid the cataclysmic after-effects of the fallen meteor.” “Wait, go back. The Dark Star?” Feather Wind reflected. “Now your ignorance on that point is less understandable,” Awalki admitted. “I suppose the more major effects of the meteor is well before your time, but much of it is still being felt to this day. “In fact, that is actually why I have come to you. The Dark Star meteor struck our planet well over a hundred years ago, but it did far more over time than it did upon its initial impact, and its initial impact was so massive it is said it knocked the orbit of our planet off-kilter. “The silurians barely had time to make preparations before the meteor struck. This small piece of the Black Sun seemed to sneak up on us out of nowhere as if it were deliberately trying to surprise us in order to cause as much devastation as possible. Everything that we've seen from this meteor's behavior ever since it crashed seems to affirm these earlier hypotheses of the meteor's quasi-intelligence.” Feather Wind widened his eyes a bit in horrified recognition. “The Dark Star meteor has had a malevolent influence on the nature of our planet ever since it crashed,” Awalki lectured on. “It wasn't the first or the last meteor to crash onto our planet. Far from it, but almost all of the other examples have actually been beneficial. Ever heard of Starlight Dust?” Feather Wind shook his head. “Huh. How about the Twilight Star?” Awalki went on. {I did recognize that last name a little bit, but the only other time I heard of something like that was 'Twilight Sparkle', and that was a unicorn in the future who later ascended to the status of an alicorn, otherwise known as 'The Princess of Friendship'. Derpy Hooves told me about her, and I've observed the alicorn personally from afar a few times later on. {What Awalki was talking about, however, sounded like something else almost entirely. At the time I figured the two names was just a coincidence, so I shook my head no despite the fact I did recognize the name a bit.} “No? You haven't heard about the star either?” Awalki double-checked. “No. I never heard of it,” Feather Wind confirmed. “I assume you are talking about an actual celestial body, correct?” “More than that, I'm talking about the star. It is brightest at twilight, hence the name of the star. It is also a dying star, unfortunately, but one good thing about it is it showers many magical comets upon our planet that is enchanted with a magical substance we call Starlight Dust. This dust is the reason why any magic exists on our planet at all, and it is likely the primary reason for the ascended intelligence of any of our species, including mine, yours, and the silurians.” After being mentioned, the general gave a firm nod in agreement. “Starlight Dust is also the primary power source of all of our technology,” Awalki lectured on. “In short, Starlight Dust is responsible for virtually every blessing that has ever happened on our planet ever since it first started raining upon us. “The Dark Star meteor, on the other claw, is something else entirely. “Believe it or not, most Starlight Dust barely harms this planet when it falls. A vast majority of it burns up in the atmosphere and, as it does so, it rains magical dust upon the land which generally enhances the quality of life and breeds magic. Smaller fragments occasionally manage to crash into the earth. If one struck you directly, you'd be very lucky to survive the impact but, on the whole, especially on a planetary scale, Starlight Dust barely leaves any harmful side effects. “The rocks themselves are actually made of super-condensed, energetically charged magic crystals. At first, they are very hot to the touch after burning up in our atmosphere. Pure Starlight Dust contains compact magical essence which has been very helpful with magical-based technology. It has also helped us to discover many kinds of science. Starlight Dust has ever been a blessing to our planet except that which it strikes directly upon landing. “The Dark Star meteor, on the other claw, rocked the planet very violently upon its landing, and the planet is still trying to heal from its injuries ever since. Not only did its initial impact cause a major stir, which is also the primary reason most of the silurians went into hibernation, it has also acted like an infected wound on our planet ever since. “The region around where it struck quickly grew cold and showered the area with ice and snow. Dark clouds loomed in the sky which blotted out the sun around the region it struck. All life in the area withered and died, then came back . . . reborn as something dark and sinister and something . . . well, I don't know what the opposite of life is but, whatever it is, it is that. The Dark Star breeds unlife, if that makes any sense to you. No longer does it require food to live, instead it has a mental craving to consume flesh and feed off life energy. “At first, the contagion was limited to within a few hundred miles of the meteors crash site but its influence has been expanding ever since. New monsters have also been bred thanks to The Dark Star's influence, and those not in the state of unlife already are still very savage.” “Where did this Dark Star come from?” Stern Wing asked in a horrified tone. “I have a theory to this,” Awalki announced. “I believe it is a cast-off of the very same Black Sun that is consuming the life essence of the Twilight Star. I have an observatory in my lab back in the city I come from. An up-close examination of this phenomenon reveals that the magical essence of the Twilight Star is being torn away from it and spirals around the Black Sun until it can no longer be seen within it. “The Black Sun is not like any traditional star. It does not emit light, instead it sucks in light. I know this can be very hard to imagine, but the Black Sun creates deeper darkness around it and it feeds off the light of stars somehow. It seems to create a powerful vortex of gravity from which nothing else around it can escape.” A black hole. In all my adventures with the Doctor, I've encountered a few of those from a distance and read about it as well. Contrary to what Awalki thinks, a black hole is not a star . . . Well, there might be a super-condensed matter in the center of it that originally came from the death of a former star. Still, I never heard of a black hole ejecting a meteor of its own, and I assume that is what he's implying. Besides, a black hole is neither intelligent or malevolent. It is a natural spatial phenomenon. As Feather Wind thought more on it, it occurred to him that something else strange was going on here. This Twilight Star does not sound like a traditional star either. If Awalki was right that Starlight Dust does indeed come from the Twilight Star, then this star might indeed be a magical-based star, perhaps ignited by and burning by something else other than what a traditional star was fueled of. Maybe this black hole started as a natural hole in space until it fed off the magical energy of a magical star. Since Starlight Dust caused sentience to rise on this planet, if what Awalki is saying is correct, then perhaps it did the same for the black hole feeding off the star. Ever since then, it actually did become sentient, and malevolent. If an intelligence was born from a black hole, it is likely a mind that knows only darkness, both literally and figuratively, as well as an endless hunger to consume. In theory, a mind like that could notice the Twilight Star ejecting magical meteors out into space in the desperate hope to inspire life, harmony, and magic somewhere else. After a while, it sent a meteor of its own to follow its food source. If Starlight Dust enchants other creatures with magic, enhanced life, and intelligence, then it's simply more food for the “Black Sun” to feed off of. This is amazing! I think I'm discovering the origin story of both light and dark magic on our planet, as well as the reason for the rise of all sentience on our world! “Why are you telling me all of this?” Feather Wind asked Awalki. “What does me defeating the dragon have to do with The Dark Star?” Even as he asked, he already had a theory. Feather Wind was just waiting to see if Awalki confirmed it. “The reason I'm telling you this is because you have already displayed a power vast and beyond anything we've ever encountered before,” Awalki said. “The horses that you rescued even call you, 'The Storm God'. “Frankly, I don't care what you are. Your actions against this malevolent dragon proved you have good intentions for the horses who benefited from your heroism, and you've done it by demonstrating a power so vast it could defeat an ancient dragon all by yourself. “Since you've gone that far, we were hoping you could save our world from The Dark Star, or at least reduce its influence. If it isn't stopped, these horses you saved won't live too long to enjoy their newfound freedom. “The Dark Star is corrupting everyone and everything in its path, and its influence is spreading faster and faster. The more it infects, the more power it gains, and the more power it gains, the faster it spreads which, in turn, increases its power. It's a never-ending cycle which will eventually consume our world just like the Black Sun is doing to the Twilight Star. “I believe the Twilight Star's final, desperate hope to save itself is by spreading new life and harmony to another distant planet, and I believe the Black Sun has followed its influence in the hopes to destroy the life the Starlight Dust creates. “Will you help us? Can you help us? If you say no to either question then we are all doomed. It's only a matter of time before The Dark Star consumes us all. “Even in lands very distant from where it crashed, some worship it as a god and it has granted them dark powers with the intention for its users to use it to spread its corrupting influence. One of those influences, for example, is plaguing the city all of us here come from. “Actually not just the city, but the entire countryside.” “Hiss name is Plague,” General Slekcorza announced. “He wass once one of my kind, a fellow sssilurian, but hass ssince become sssomthing elsssse. He sstill hass the general shape of a ssilurian, but he iss made entirely of a sswarm of wormss instead. One touch from him infectss other creaturess with thesse wormss. It createss endlessss torture in it'sss victimss. The flesh regeneratesss asss fasst asss the wormss within their body consume it, driving the victims mad with raw agony. They cannot help but obey Plague, and he usesss his sssslaves to spread the wormsss. “He desstroys our cropsss as well and, if any creature conssumes the worm-infested food then they, too, become a worm-walker, an unliving host of the unholy ssswarm.” “And that's just one of the many villains popping up here and there,” Awalki added. “I'm afraid this pattern will keep continuing until some creature gets rid of the source of all this evil.” “This Plague sounds absolutely sinister,” Stern Wing said in a spooked tone, looking at the newcomers at first then transferred that same spooked expression towards her friend to gauge his reaction. What she saw was him looking very alarmed and deeply thoughtful. There was a rapid calculating look to his eyes that she actually found attractive to see. “Frankly, we are overwhelmed,” Awalki admitted. “Our resources are diminishing while this dark force continues to get stronger every single day. We're running out of options. Will you help us?” “Why don't you awaken the rest of the silurians?” Stern Wing checked as she looked back at the group. “You said a bunch of them are hibernating as a result of the crash of The Dark Star. Can't you just awaken them? Then you'd have an army to help you deal with these threats.” “And feed them with what? Food cursed with worms empowered by dark magic?” Feather Wind asked his friend. “It sounds like this Dark Star caused very severe damage upon its initial arrival. Right off the bat, there was already a food shortage because of that. The silurians must have realized that and they believed the only way to protect their species was to hibernate most of them until the storm passes, figuratively speaking. They left a few awake to help manage things in their absence, and here they are.” Feather Wind waved a hoof across the newcomers in front of him. “Because they are awake, they're noticing an accumulating problem, but they no longer have the resources to fix it.” Feather Wind looked at Awalki squarely. “I take it The Dark Star's initial landing also damaged many of your cities and power sources? You said you used Starlight Dust to help power much of your technology. Was that damaged or corrupted as well?” “Put it this way. There are entire continents that sank below the ocean when The Dark Star fell onto our planet. That's how severe the damage was,” Awalki announced. “When those continents sank, it brought down every life form, every farm, every creature and every city we have ever had on it. All of it vanished below the waves, untouchable by any creature that can't breathe underwater. “We used to also have power lines made of crystalline cable that transferred energy from one place to another but, when The Dark Star meteor fell, many of those power lines got damaged or destroyed. Ever since then, it limited the transference of power, communication, and transportation. We used to have the ability to convert matter into energy and transfer it down these crystal cables but, when they broke, most of our civilizations got cut off from each other. I imagine most of them are having a hard time of it, especially the ones closer to The Dark Star.” “Isolation . . . the antithesis of the magic of harmony,” Feather Wind realized. “I think you are right. I think you are being assaulted by a god-like and malevolent force which seeks to tear you apart then kill or corrupt you one by one.” “What better counter against a god than another god?” Awalki reasoned. “As such, will you help us?” “To begin with, let us mention the fact that he's no god,” Stern Wing announced. “He's flesh and blood, just like any of you. The only difference is the fact that he has a natural connection with magic, hence the horn.” Awalki shrugged. “Even still, we have never encountered another horse quite like him before.” “Actually, I agree with that statement,” Stern Wing said proudly to her friend. “You really are an amazing pony, even by the standards of our time.” “Any horse that can defeat a powerful dragon like Fang that easily must surely be capable of resources we lack,” Awalki added. “No matter what he is, we can only benefit by working together.” “'Live together, or die alone,'” Feather Wind quoted. “Aptly put,” Awalki agreed. “Before I agree to anything, I think I want more information,” Feather Wind requested. “Let's start with your city. I want to see that and this Starlight Dust power source you keep mentioning. I also want to see the Twilight Star through your telescope. As for the Black Sun, I take it that it cannot be seen by your telescope?” “Yes and no,” Awalki corrected. “It's true it cannot be seen directly because it emits no light of its own, but it has a way of pulling, bending, and twisting light around it. It can be seen more by the absence of light rather than its presence, even if there should be light nearby it.” Feather Wind waved a hoof dismissively. “Whatever. I want to see it anyway, at least as much as we can.”