//------------------------------// // 1: Destination: Equestria // Story: Djinn of Equestria // by morbiusgreen //------------------------------// June 18, 1463 of the Common Age For the deer, there were only four different types of magical and arcane study: Enchantment, Potion Brewing, Clairvoyance and Spellcasting. Each magical discipline came with its own set of rules and methods of study. Enchantment was the most common among any deer who showed an aptitude for magical abilities. It involved the pouring of one’s inner aether into a previously carved magic circle. With the right words and intent behind said words, these circles could enable the caster to create enhanced objects such as weapons, cookware, modes of transportation and more. Despite less than half of the current deer population having been blessed with the right amount of aether pools within their souls, almost every deer who possessed magic was capable of this. Potion Brewing, unlike Enchantment, needed no magic to cast. Instead, it required a vast knowledge of herbs and plants not only from local sources, but from around the world. Even deer who had an aether pool too small to cast magic were capable of becoming a master of potions, provided they dedicated their lives to the craft as it was one of the more diverse of the arcane arts. Despite anydeer being able to do it, if a potions master had a semblance of control over their inner aether flow, they could use this to enhance the effects of the potions they brewed. Clairvoyance was the second most rare magical ability among the deer. Only those with a deep and vast reserve of aether within their pools allowed for such a skill to manifest. There were two types of Clairvoyants, the first and more common being those of the First Level. They required an enhancing gem in order to push their inner eye through the Weave of Accord to see far into the world. A Clairvoyant of the Second Level, on the other hand, needed no artifice to cast their spell, but could do it by pushing themselves into the Weave and seeing sights half a world away at best. The last arcane art was spellcasting. Nodeer had managed to master that discipline in years, and it had become more or less academic. Most deer who could cast magic could move things with their magic or make it flow into something like a magic circle, but that was it. Despite nodeer being able to use this anymore, it was still regarded as a basic for magical academia and was taught to those young fawns who wished to learn about magic. There were legends among the populace that there were spellcasters in the Golden Age such as Faenia the Fair or Vasimon the Veritable, but so much of their history had been lost during the Age of Ruin that it was hard to be sure if they were real or myths. In truth, most of the magic taught in this vein came from the studies done on the unicorn ponies, since they were the true spellcasters of the world. The Hall of Unitas’ third floor had four similarly sized classrooms, each one built specifically to study the four deer arcane arts. When anydeer came up the stairs and walked through the double doors that led to the hallways, they would see two doors on each side of the hallway, evenly spaced out. In the first classroom on the right, the focus was Enchantment. Personal desks sat in a circle around the room, focusing on the center where a basic blank magic circle had been carved into the stone floor. There, the teacher would use chalk to inscribe the ancient runes on the circle in order to teach their lessons and would also teach the history of this art. The door immediately next to the Enchantment class led to the Potions class. This room had no windows to preserve many of the ingredients from direct sunlight exposure, and had long tables with chairs on either side along with many different potion mixing apparatuses sitting in the center. At the front of the classroom sat a large desk and behind that a chalkboard where the teacher would write down the basic instructions for creating the many different potions that had been learned over the centuries. The door opposite this one led to the Clairvoyance classroom. In this room, studies done on the art were mostly academic since a First Level Clairvoyant was rare and a Second Level having not been seen in hundreds of years. Much like the Enchantment class, the desks were in a circle facing the center where a small amber stone, a weaker mirror of the Third Eye, sat. The teacher would not only display the Clairvoyance magic but would teach about the history behind it. The door immediately next to the Clairvoyance classroom was the Spellcasting class. Much like the Potions classroom, the tables faced the front of the classroom. As with the Clairvoyance class, Spellcasting was academic, only this one was completely so as nodeer in centuries had come close to possessing the amount of aether within required to cast spells. The lessons involved the study of ancient deer spells and modern day unicorn pony ones. At the end of the hallway, however, was a fifth door, or rather, a set of blue double doors which led to the main hall where assemblies and graduations would be taking place. It was here that Acolyte Opheda, now a doe of twenty-one, stood along with her fellow classmates. The room was the largest in the temple, and normally sunlight shone in through the four great stain glass windows at the front near where a podium stood. The ceiling seemed to rise up further than seemed possible, but Opheda knew that this was due to an ancient enchantment which allowed for the room to be much larger within than without. The wall sconces were lit up with bright orange firestone light which gave the room a particularly eerie vibe as the inner flames within the stones allowed for the shadows they cast to leap and dance around like some deer of shadows. At the front of the room the High Priestess stood, her milky white eyes looking out over the crowd. Opheda assumed this was just for effect, seeing as how she had been blind ever since she’d known her, and probably for many years besides. High Priestess Santhea was the only deer known to have mastered three of the four magical disciplines, Enchantment, Potions and Clairvoyance, and was known as being the wisest out of all the Priestesses. Not even Maerise came close to her magical talent, and she knew Enchantment and Potions. Opheda’s eyes were on the High Priestess as she spoke. “As I gaze out upon the many students I sense here today, I can feel the excitement and nervousness within each and every one of you. I have heard about all that you here have accomplished, and I am very proud to see those within this room shedding their Acolyte titles for that of a Magus. You pushed yourselves to your limits since coming here, and with the bestowment of the blessings of the Priests within these hallowed halls, you shall begin new training as a Magus.” She stepped back and the second highest Priest, an older buck named Tharos, who had black fur and white stripes going down his sides that reminded Opheda of a reverse zebra, stepped forward. “When I call your name, please step forward and receive your certification,” he said. Using his magic, he opened up a long scroll. “Acolyte Agassa.” Opheda listened with rapt attention as Acolyte after Acolyte was brought forward and received a scroll with a red seal on it. The Acolytes would break the seal with their magic and finally prove once and for all that they were ready for the next level of magical study. The seal was enchanted with a spell that every aspiring Magus had to be able to break in order to graduate. Opheda had to admit that she was nervous. She’d been practicing nonstop on breaking a seal of similar strength, or at least she hoped she had been. None of the Priestesses would actually tell them what the enchantment was, or else it wouldn’t be a final test of magical ability. Finally, it was Opheda’s turn. She stood and walked down the center aisle, passed the stares of her peers, and briskly made her way to the stage. Tharos looked at her with a stern countenance, then lifted a scroll towards her. She took it in her own magical grasp, and immediately could feel the strength of the magic binding the certification was not to be trifled with. She concentrated hard on the small runes which bound the paper shut. The miniscule magic circle on the seal began to glow her signature magic color, a bright sapphire blue, as did her antlers. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the runes themselves, slowly translating them into modern deerish. And suddenly she saw a face in her mind’s eye. A strange face, flat, with dark green eyes, a small nose, and long hair which blew in the wind behind him. She instantly recognized the face as belonging to the same being she’d seen in a dream over a year ago. A face she’d all but forgotten as just the machinations of a hyperactive dreamstate she’d fallen into. The face moved away to show the same bipedal being she’d seen, only he was reaching out to her with his hand. Despite the expression on his face lacking any sort of emotion, one brief plea escaped his lips. “Help me.” In the next moment, she was hovering over the world and looking down at the ruins of a large castle. Zooming out farther, she saw a red line moving from the ruins towards the Temple of True Accord. She knew the continent the ruins belonged to. It was Equestria, home of the ponies. She gasped and her lapse in concentration caused her to pour too much of her magic into the scroll. As had happened many times previously with her, the world around her exploded and she was flung back against the wall. All she knew was pain as she fell, landing hard on the stone floor below. Her ears were ringing with, so she could barely make out the tones of concern from some of the Priests, but she could better hear the laughter coming from her peers. No…I won’t let it end here, she thought angrily as she tried her best to stand back up, but a hoof on her back stopped her. She looked up and saw the concerned eyes of her matron looking down on her. Her matron said something, but it was indistinct. She shook her head to clear it, and more of her hearing began to come back. “…okay? Opheda, are you hurt?” Maerise was saying as the younger doe concentrated on her words. “Nnng…I’m fine,” Opheda said. In truth, she’d felt much worse in her earlier experiments when she would be flung against the wall of her room before she decided to try and slow down like her matron had suggested. She stood up and looked at Tharos. “I’m ready to try again.” To her dismay, Priest Tharos only shook his head. “Acolyte Opheda, you lost concentration at the pivotal moment. If you had maintained it, you would have broken the seal. You have failed this test and will remain an Acolyte for another year.” Opheda’s heart sank, but it turned to anger when she heard the mocking smirks of her peers. “No, I can do it! I know what went wrong! I was so close! Please! Give me another chance!” She turned to the High Priestess. “High Priestess, please! I beg of you!” The blind doe, who was facing forward into nothing, simply shook her head. “My child, Tharos is correct. You have failed this test. You must repeat your studies and aim to work on your concentration.” Angry, heartbroken and shocked, she shouted, “Buckshit! This is complete and utter buckshit! You’d give somedeer like Livalia a chance but not me!? FUCK YOU!” Before anydeer could say anything, she ran out of the hall, slamming the doors behind her with her magic. Had she been paying more attention, she might have heard a loud snapping sound and seen a small sliver of a crack form in the door. Maerise stood outside Opheda’s door later that evening. She’d tried to chase after her charge, but Santhea insisted that she give the Acolyte a day or so to calm down before talking to her. However, Maerise was too worried to give it so much time. She did her best to wait, but by the time dinner rolled around, she couldn’t bear to wait, so she grabbed a spare bowl of potato and carrot stew, one of Opheda’s favorites, and walked to her room. Knocking, the older doe said, “Opheda? Are you awake?” Silence. “I know you’re probably not hungry, but I brought you some food.” More silence. Maerise knocked again. “Opheda, I know you’re angry and hurt, but give me a chance to talk to the High Priestess. I might be able to get you a chance. It’s not unheard of, you know?” More silence. Maerise was growing worried now. She knew Opheda wasn’t a really heavy sleeper, but this was ringing alarm bells in her mind. She fiddled with the door, only to find it unlocked. She gently pushed it open, looking around the room. Only to find it empty. In shock, the older doe dropped the soup, letting its still steaming contents spill out onto the floor as she rushed inside. She hoped that Opheda was just in the bath trying to cool down, but the bathroom was empty as well. And to top it off, her personal belongings were completely gone. The bed was neatly made, the curtains were drawn, the desk was properly organized, and the floor swept. It looked as though the room had been prepared for somedeer new to move in. The only thing that looked out of place was an envelope laying on the bed. Maerise saw that it was addressed to her, so she hastily opened it. Dear Matron Maerise, Please forgive me, but I have to leave this place. I thought long and hard about what I want out of life, and being constantly belittled and picked on for having less magic than anydeer else is not what I want. Even the teachers have mocked me. Don’t try and deny it. You know I’m right. Nodeer takes my claims seriously, not even you. Remember that vision I had a year ago? The one you insisted was a dream? I saw the same figure. I saw the Djinn during the ceremony! That’s what made me lose concentration! I couldn’t help myself! I tried doing things your way. I tried following the rules, but that got me nowhere. So, I’m doing everydeer there a favor by leaving. Now you won’t have to worry about a magical surge or explosion in my room. I’m heading far away, farther away than anydeer has ever traveled in centuries. Good luck in your endeavors. That is what you always say, right? Your ex-charge and former Acolyte, Opheda Maerise’s heart sank at the accusatory words. She hadn’t known things had been this bad for Opheda. If she had known, Maerise would have taken steps to make sure the poor doe was properly taught. She folded the paper and rushed upstairs to the Meditation Den. She only knocked a few times before opening the door in a hurry. As was normal for her, Santhea was sitting on her pedestal, both hooves on the Third Eye. Before Santhea could get anything out, Maerise blurted out, “She’s gone! She ran away!” Santhea slowly removed her hooves from the Third Eye, and her amber eyes returned to their normal milky white. “Whoa, slow down, Maerise. Take a deep breath.” “No time! No time! Opheda ran away!” Maerise shook the piece of paper in her magical grasp. “She wrote me a note!” Santhea’s demeanor changed and became more serious. “Read it to me.” As Maerise read the letter once more with a tremble in her voice, Santhea’s expression changed to become one the younger Priestess had never seen before: rage. When the letter was finished, Santhea grit her teeth. “So…poor Opheda was hurt by those who were meant to be her teachers and peers simply because her magic was less.” “I take full responsibility for this lapse,” Maerise said. “I should have paid more attention to her.” “Do not put the blame on yourself,” Santhea said. “There are others in this Temple who are at fault. I will address the entire Temple myself to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again.” “But what about Opheda?” Maerise asked worriedly. “We can’t just leave her like this!” “And we won’t,” Santhea said. “A search party will be sent after her. Unfortunately, we can’t spare many to-” “I’ll go!” Maerise volunteered immediately. “I’m still the most junior of all Priests here.” Santhea smiled. “I was hoping you would, but I would not order this of you. You know her best. You would know just where she might go. I would say to go now, but it is too late in the day. Pack up what you can, and when the sun rises again in the morning, you can head out.” Maerise nodded, and rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her with a bang. She had to fix this, she just had to! Santhea listened until her old charge’s hoofsteps were out of range before she straightened up. Reaching up with her magic, she rang a small bell. Unseen even by her, a shadowy figure formed on the wall behind her, materializing into the shape of a shadow. Her own shadow. Its eyes were the only thing that didn’t cast a shadow, the crimson glow bathing the Meditation Den in its light. Santhea shivered when she felt the cold icy stare on her, waiting for instructions. “Evasia…I have a new task for you…” June 19, 1463 of the Common Age The Mors Ruins, despite having been sacked more than a millennia prior, still stood tall and proud, having been carved out of an extinct volcano using ancient magic that was much more prominent in the Golden Age. The vast city that had once surrounded the ruins had long since turned to dust, as had the corpses that had littered the streets, but the palace itself, once majestic in its splendor, had withstood the test of time. At least, the structure itself had. Its once brilliant white stone exterior had been charred by the massive fires that had spread through every corner of the massive structure. Over time, many of its proud towers had fallen to the ravages of time and weather. The Great Hall had been smashed to pieces by blast after blast of magic during the attack on the palace itself. The drawbridge had since rotted away, leaving no way into the ruins save for a stack of stones that had once been a massive tower, and even that was too unstable to attempt a crossing into the ruins proper. Many of the parapet walks were destroyed by the siege catapults, leaving the walls to each level open. The moat had since dried up, leaving the hidden spikes beneath the water exposed, along with the skeletons and remains of many various explorers who had since attempted to reach the ruins themselves. The ramparts themselves had all but been smashed apart, leaving nothing but rubble. The keep, however, was still more or less intact. Its black cover wasn’t attributed to the fire, but rather to the enchanted obsidian covering the stone construction which had provided a last refuge during the final days of the attack on the palace itself. The interior was, more or less, intact. There were ruins of cots that lay out in rows, old silver and gold candlesticks lying or standing on stone tables positioned around the walls alongside ancient gold and silver plates, bowls and other pieces of silverware. In the center of the room there stood a raised stone platform. Sitting on top of said platform, a massive spherical piece of amber colored gem sat, illuminated by the small sliver of light that shone in through the only patch of the roof that had actually been damaged through the window. As the sun moved further up into the heavens, the stream of light moved closer to the crystal sphere. It moved closer until finally the first part of the beam struck the crystal, illuminating large specks of dust and pollen trapped within it. The stone door which separated the keep from the outside suddenly began to move. More light flowed into the ancient keep as an unusual creature entered the ancient structure. The deer-like creature had lime green legs and rump which transitioned seamlessly to a lemon-yellow coat of fur, then golden yellow, then burnt orange the further up her body it went. Her nose was a milky white as were her eyelids. Her ears mimicked autumn leaves, but the illusion was broken the moment she would swivel them. Her antlers spread majestically above her head much like those of a buck. At the tips of her antlers a few of the leftover autumn leaves were stuck. Her eyes were lime green just like her fur near the bottom of her body. Her short tale was reminiscent of a green leaf. The tall and majestic being strode into the keep, the pale green aura that surrounded her antlers vanishing after she closed the stone doors behind her. She made her way past the ruined cots, directing her steps towards the amber colored sphere at the center of the room. When she stopped in front of it, she put a hoof on the surface. She took a deep breath, and her eyes began to change color to match that of the amber gemstone. The gemstone began to darken, then a scene began to form inside it. In her mind’s eyes, the being noted the appearance of a majestic palace built into the side of a mountainside with a massive circular city to the east of said palace. The palace’ tall parapets, walls and towers had been, much like the Mors Ruins, carved from the mountain itself through the use of magic, but magic foreign to her kind. The entirety of the city had once been a side of the mountain before it had been blasted away by a powerful magic akin to that belonging to a deity. No, two deities, the deerlike being thought to herself. One as bright as the day and one as black as the inky canopy of night itself. Now, all remnants of said magical blast had been cleaned away and had been replaced by a sprawling cityscape populated by over a hundred thousand individuals. The wall which surrounded the entire city had been, like the palace itself, built out of the stones of the mountain on which it lay. Unlike the rest of the mountain, the sprawling metropolis was green with vegetation and each section of the city was separated by large rivers which spilled over to the ground below in majestic waterfalls to a large lake below. Currently, the city was abuzz with excitement as hundreds of small multicolored dots below hurried and scurried along the many streets. It was two days until the Summer Solstice, an event this innocent species celebrated as a national holiday, albeit with a different name. The view began to move towards the western palace, more specifically towards a smaller tower to the northern section of the palace itself. Phasing through the wall, the view approached a young-looking purple unicorn sitting at a desk reading about something. The being moved closer, examining the unicorn and what she was reading. Coincidentally, the latter was reading about ancient deer civilizations and simultaneously writing notes using her magic onto a nearby piece of paper. “…only similarities in magic between ponies and deer is the ability to move things around with magic…” she was muttering as the notes reflected the same thing. “Spike! Where’s that book about the eastern continents?” “Come on, Twilight, we’re on a break now,” a young sounding voice, presumably Spike, came from a place below the desk at which the unicorn sat. “The Summer Sun Celebration’s a couple days away, and Moondancer’s birthday party’s happening tomorrow. Just relax like me.” “I am relaxing, Spike,” the unicorn, presumably Twilight, replied as she got out of her desk and headed to a large bookshelf on the opposite wall. “Never mind, I’ll look for it myself.” The scene shifted to focus on the other occupant in the room, a small dragon with green spikes and purple scales. He was sitting in a small bed reading something of his own, a book with images and words encased in white circles. She orders this dragon around like he’s her personal servant? And here I thought slavery was illegal in Equestria, the deerlike being thought. “Huh…what’s this?” Twilight’s voice said, sounding confused. The deerlike being moved the scene back up and refocused on Twilight. She was holding a brown book with a golden unicorn head painted onto the cover. “Spike? Did you go to the library earlier?” “Nope. Haven’t moved from this spot,” Spike replied. Twilight frowned, then looked back at the book. “Huh…” The deerlike being could sense a powerful magic lingering around the book, a magic that was swiftly dissipating. She immediately knew that the book hadn’t been in the room moments before. It had been teleported in by some powerful magic and presumably placed in such a place where anydeer could see it. “Spike, I’m going out for a bit!” Twilight said, putting a saddlebag on herself and placing the book inside one of the pouches. “Uh huh, okay,” Spike replied in a distracted tone. Rolling her eyes, Twilight rushed out, completely unaware that she was being followed through the aether by the deerlike being half a world away. Twilight ran through the palace gardens until she reached a spot near a pond beneath a small tree. She sat down and opened the book. As she read an ancient thousand year old story, the deerlike being read along, somewhat intrigued by these Elements of Harmony. Why are you showing me this, Great Seed, the being asked the stone, despite knowing it wasn’t sapient enough to actually respond. Anytime she’d visited this stone in the past, it had shown here exactly where to go. Mostly it had been farms where she’d granted a healthier harvest to starving communities. But this was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. Just then, the image went dark again, and reappeared in the ruins of an ancient castle. However, to her surprise, it was nighttime here. She wondered if she was seeing something on the other side of the planet, but the hallway she appeared in had suits of ancient armor in the shape of ponies on either side. That, and the dust particles in the air were frozen. Her eyes went wide with realization as she knew more or less what she was experiencing. A Djinn’s Prison. At said realization, the view shifted to show a creature unlike any she’d ever seen sitting on a bed. There was a book hovering in front of him which was encased in a dark green and black magic. He read the floating book while he ate a pink, brown and white colored cake. The creature was a bipedal apelike creature, only without the fur. Instead, he had pale skin, at least that which showed. He (she somehow knew this Djinn was male) wore clothes unlike anything she’d ever seen and his hair flowed in the air like it was being blown on, but she knew what a Djinn’s Prison was like where time froze. And if this Djinn had enough power flowing through him to cause his hair to flow, he was obviously one of the more powerful ones. But why…why show me this? she asked again. By sheer happenstance, this Djinn was reading the same book as the one Twilight had been reading. After finishing the cake, he tossed the plate and fork away, causing it to vanish into the same color of mist that encased the book. He grabbed the book then and continued reading it without the use of his powers. He read aloud instead of silently like most would. “Yeah…Elements of Harmony…like they could free me,” he muttered as he put the book down and closed his eyes, leaning back and putting his arms behind his head. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled deeply, causing a couple nearby dust particles to move before returning to their place in the air. Again, why this? she wondered. Unless… A stray thought came to her mind, one that filled her with dread. She slowly zoomed out the view and saw that this Djinn had been imprisoned within an ancient ruin much like the one she was in currently. When she passed the barrier of the prison, daylight flooded the ruin and she saw that it was located near a vast ravine which separated it from a forest. Beyond said forest was a small town, and north of that was the same palace she had recently seen. This can’t be a coincidence, she thought. The gem went dark at that, and she pulled her hoof away when the gem cleared to reveal its dormant state once more. Fearing that her thought might be correct, she ran out of the keep towards a larger building, one that hadn’t escaped the siege. Most of it was exposed to the elements, the hot sun beating down on it but a small portion was still somewhat protected from the ravages of nature. A large hole in the side of the wall which had once been a hidden enchanted door stood in plain sight, a set of stairs past it leading down into a curving stairway. The deerlike being lit up her antlers, illuminating the ever-darkening path down towards what once had been a secret library where the secrets of the Cervina Kingdom had once been stored. The stone pathway was dark, cold, and stank of animal droppings and rust from the long fallen away torch sconces that had been built into the walls to light the way. Finally, she reached the bottom where another hole in the wall existed where a large door once stood. She walked in, looking around at the large domed room in which she found herself. The ancient scrolls and tomes that lined the shelves on the walls had, thanks to the ancient magic protection runes engraved in the walls, been remarkably preserved despite the sounds of dripping water and the stalactites and stalagmites forming on the ceiling and floor below. The lettering on the walls directly over each section of shelving was written in the Old Cervinae tongue, which no deer in the modern era knew anymore. None, that is, except the unusually colored deer who roamed the library. She walked around, looking for two subjects in particular: Saddle Arabia and the Melody Gems. When she reached the section that she assumed held information on the latter, she pulled scroll after scroll from the shelves, looking them over, but found next to nothing save for a mention of an ancient cult who worshipped the stones as deities trapped in said gems. It was when she found a long-forgotten tome in the next section called The Saddle Arabian Affairs, written by an ancient deer who had spent twenty years in the then brand new nation of Saddle Arabia, where she found an answer. And it wasn’t an answer she liked. The more she read, the more her worries increased and the more she knew what she’d need to do. Carrying the book out using her magic, she returned to one of the smaller and more secluded bedrooms she’d found in the former palace, one that had a solid roof and her bedding which she’d laid out on the stone floor. She began to gather everything in the room that she could. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she had a feeling she’d never be coming back to the place she’d called home for many years. Finally, her saddlebags were all packed. By the time they were, however, it was too late to even consider walking out, so she simply made a small meal, then tucked in for the night. In the morning, she was off for Equestria. June 19, 1463 C.A./1000 A.N.M. Celestia sat on her throne, listening once again to a petition from one of the noblestallions below her. The throne room in Canterlot was illuminated by the light of her sun, which shone brightly through the stained-glass windows depicting famous Equestrian historical events over the past two thousand years of her reign. The smile plastered on her face was one she’d spent said years practicing ever since she and her long lost sister assumed the throne of Equestria. The stallion before her throne, a green furred older noble named Duke Herdinand, was one of the more tolerable of the Canterlot nobility. He wasn’t as pompous as other nobles, and actually had some decent ideas to bring to the table. When he wasn’t using his wealth to get his balding patch or graying purple mane treated in an attempt to stave off aging, that is. “…with the oncoming summer,” he was saying, “I believe having some public fountains around the commerce districts would benefit everypony involved. Not only would the young foals have a place to play and cool off during the inevitable heat waves, but it would mean that the shops and carts would receive more business from the parents or guardians who are watching over the children. And during the other months they can be used as a public meeting place for families and lovers.” Most ideas were good, anyway. Duke had been trying for the past five years to get a public water fountain system put up, stating the same excuses and reasons for said fountains. Every day, right before the Summer Sun Celebration, he would bring the petition to the table. It wasn’t that Celestia thought that it was a bad idea, but she felt it was a bit redundant considering the fact that she controlled the sun and its motion across the sky, and the Cloudsdale pegasi controlled the flow of air and the weather, so there was no need for fountains. Celestia felt that it was just a needless beautification project that would make Duke look good for the people. When Duke had finished with his explanation, Celestia smiled warmly down at him. “Duke Herdinand, you bring this up every year, and every year I give the same reply. There have been no major heatwaves in Equestria for many years. Our weather is controlled, remember?” Duke nodded. “Yes, your highness. I know that, but I still believe that it would be good for business and for pleasure. That’s why, this year, I added something new to the proposal.” Celestia picked up the paper with his proposal written on it. She had given it a cursory glance, something she rarely did but since Duke had never changed any of the proposals over the years, she hadn’t read it over completely. Looking over it more closely, she noted a new line at the end of the proposal. “Even if you were to bankroll half of the project,” she said, “this would cost the crown plenty of bits.” Duke nodded. “It would be worth it, I promise,” he said. “And we don’t have to do it in all of the places I’ve mentioned. Why not give it a trial run? I’ll bankroll the construction of at least one fountain site in one of the busier parts of Canterlot.” Celestia knew that he was using this more as an excuse to use it as a tax write off, but even she could see the appeal in having fountains in a public place that weren’t just there to make the city look beautiful. She was just about to reply when she saw a light pink mist surrounded by green flames approaching her. She knew just who was sending her a letter, and held up a hoof as a scroll appeared in front of her. “One moment, please,” she said as she opened the letter. My dearest teacher, My continuing studies of pony magic have led me to discover that something really bad is about to happen. For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is in fact Nightmare Moon and she’s about to return to Equestria and bring with her eternal night. Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true. I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle Celestia’s smile froze. The time indeed had come for her student to face the challenge of becoming one of the Elements of Harmony. She did indeed have complete faith in her trusted student, but she’d held the young unicorn close to her for far too long. It was time for her to make her way out into the world and make some close friends. She remembered the group of five fillies she’d seen in the town over the years, and just how close each of them had grown. It had amazed her just how the five seemed to emulate five of the six Tenets of Harmony. And she’d made sure that each of them had a pivotal role in the Celebration so that Twilight would have to meet them. Retrieving a blank scroll and a quill, she began to write back. My dearest, most faithful student, Twilight, You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely. But you simply must stop reading those dusty old books. My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony’s life than studying. So, I’m sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year’s location, Ponyville. And I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends. I have attached the Official Overseer’s Checklist for the Summer Sun Celebration. I know you won’t disappoint me. Princess Celestia She sealed the scroll, then raised her horn. A green dragon flame came out of it and engulfed the scroll, sending it back to Spike. She turned back to Duke. “My most sincere apologies. I had to reply to my student.” Duke waved his hoof. “Not at all, your Highness. I understand. Is it okay if I continue?” Celestia nodded. “Of course.” June 21, 1463 of the Common Age Celestia stood in the old ruins of her old home. It was nearly time for the 1000th raising of the first summer sun of the year, but she felt a strong urge to return to the site of her greatest failure. The site of the place where she had to use the Elements of Harmony against her own sister, her own fur and blood. She could feel the magic that held her sister to the moon waning as the night reached its conclusion, and she knew her sister’s return was imminent. She allowed herself one small tear before she straightened herself, getting ready for the upcoming battle between her and Nightmare Moon. She knew it was a losing battle for her since she no longer bore the Elements. The last time she’d used them, it was by force, and as a result she had no longer been worthy to wield the ones she had used. She felt it was an acceptable loss, and had made it her mission to find the true wielders of the Elements in the hopes that they could free her sister of the wickedness that had buried their claws so deeply into her heart. Looking through the broken wall in the throne room, she remembered the last time she’d seen her sister in her true form had been in this very room. The throne room from where she and Luna had once ruled the kingdom. Together. “I was a fool to miss the signs, dear sister,” Celestia said, “but I will not allow the corruption in you to corrupt my little ponies. No…our little ponies.” “Thou art correct in only one thing, dear sister,” a menacing voice echoed through the old ruin. Celestia tried to located the source of the voice, but Luna had always been a master at deceit and misdirection. Not even Celestia could match that even after a thousand years. “You are a fool!” A blast of sapphire colored magic burst out of nowhere, striking the alabaster alicorn in the head. Celestia was flung back and impacted the wall behind her. It collapsed, but fortunately not on top of her. Celestia quickly got to her hooves and looked around. “Luna, please listen to me!” Celestia said, raising a magic shield around herself just as another magical blast was fired at her from behind, “You don’t have to do this! You’re right, I was a fool! But I can make things right! Just let me help!” A dark swirling mist appeared over the raised dais, forming into a form Celestia had never hoped to see again. Nightmare Moon stood there, in all her infernal glory. “Muahahahaha!” Nightmare Moon laughed triumphantly. “Help? Now why would I want help? I like who I am now! No longer under your hoof, no longer the weaker sister who needs to be pushed down! I. Am. EVERYTHING!” Another burst of magic from her horn shattered Celestia’s shield, and she was caught in the powerful dark beam of aether that emanated from Nightmare Moon’s horn. Celestia struggled against the bonds that held her, but without the Elements of Harmony to aid her, Nightmare Moon was too powerful. “Please…I beg you…” Nightmare Moon grinned wickedly. “I like you begging. Do it again.” With no one around to put on airs for, Celestia bowed her head as best she could. “Please…I’m begging you…don’t do this. The consequences alone could be-” “TO TARTARUS WITH THE CONSEQUENCES!” Nightmare Moon shouted in her own version of the Royal Canterlot Voice. “I have lived in your illustrious shadow for far too long! It’s time for me to shine, so to speak!” Suddenly she paused, and looked around the room. There was a look of confusion in her eyes, and then her grin returned. Turning back to Celestia, she smirked. “So that was your plan, then.” Genuinely confused now, Celestia raised an eyebrow. “My…plan?” “There is a trace of magic here that I have never felt before,” Nightmare Moon said. “A potent binding magic. And a potent source of magic within it. Trapped.” Celestia’s eyes widened briefly at that. Damian Price! Nightmare Moon could sense Damian Price! “I don’t know…what you think I was planning…but-” “You think I am a fool once again, dearest sister,” Nightmare Moon said mockingly. “This prison you constructed to imprison me is old! I can sense it!” “Luna, please-!” “I! AM! NOT! LUNA!” Nightmare Moon boomed before tightening her grip on Celestia’s body. Vanishing in a teleportation spell, she appeared in front of Celestia. “Have fun in your new eternal prison! And worry not! I shall take care of our precious ponies. FOREVER!” “LUUUNAAA!!!” And suddenly, she was lying on the floor, dead silence surrounding her. She groaned in pain as she looked around the throne room. She noticed a few differences this time around. The moon was all wrong, there were two stallion guards standing at attention at the doors, but those weren’t what caught her eye the most. She saw herself standing on the dais, horn down and casting a spell. She started to approach, getting a better look at her echo, when a familiar voice called out, “Now this is unexpected. I never expected to see you again, Princess Celestia.” The alabaster alicorn turned in the general direction of the voice, and saw the human turned Djinn standing in between the frozen guards. His expression was somewhat emotionless, but one eyebrow had shot up. The bipedal being lifted off the ground, hovering over towards the Princess, and landed a few steps away from her. “No offense, but you look like shit.” Celestia winced at the Djinn’s language, but simply nodded. “Allow me.” He waved his hand, the dark green and black mist formed around it, then flew towards her. Immediately, the pain went away and she was able to stand straighter. “How did you get here?” “My si…Nightmare Moon discovered this place and threw me in here,” Celestia explained, looking back towards her echo. “Ah…so tonight is the night of Luna’s return,” Damian said. “I’m surprised she found this place, but not that she would banish you in here.” Celestia turned towards him, approaching him slowly. “And just why are you not surprised about that?” He didn’t flinch as she approached, just replied, “Because it’s easier to get in here than it is to get out. Throwing someone into prison is a lot easier than getting them out. This still isn’t good, though. The world can’t afford to lose you.” Celestia stood proudly in front of him, spreading her wings. “I’m confident that my faithful student will figure out what she needs to become the Element of Magic,” she said. “And if she doesn’t, your sister picked the perfect prison to place you in,” Damian said bluntly. “Your magic doesn’t work here, meaning you will age like a normal pony and eventually die if you aren’t released. You can’t wish yourself out, and even saying ‘I have no wish’ will do nothing for you.” Celestia frowned. “How do you know Nightmare Moon is my sister? Nopony today knows about it, and I made sure any records of that fight were expunged.” “If you aren’t broken out of this prison using the Elements, then I’ll tell you,” Damian said. “But first, there’s someplace you should see in this shadowy prison of mine. Follow me.” And with that, he slowly hovered away towards the open throne room doors. Celestia hesitated. Sure, she’d wanted to free this trapped soul, but the way he was acting was very contradictory. The last time she’d met him, he was asking her not to make a wish and seemed to be showing concern, but now he seemed lacking in emotion. She had to remind herself that, unlike Luna who had been trapped in a perpetual dream, this Djinn was trapped in a perpetual nightmare, one he couldn’t even escape. She was surprised he hadn’t completely lost his mind already, but from what Twilight had discovered about the curse of the Djinn, they were kept sane by the magic that held them in place. She followed Damian as he headed down a set of stairs. They reached a hallway which walked directly towards a very familiar room. The door was open, and Celestia walked in, looking directly at the stone tree which held the Elements of Harmony. She walked up to them, circling the tree and touching them with her hoof. Even in this shadowy reflection of the real world, she could feel the lingering power of the Elements within. However, she noticed a lack of a presence beside her. Turning, she saw Damian leaning against the wall watching her with an appraising eye. She held out her hoof. “Why don’t you come join me?” she asked. Damian shook his head. “For a thousand years, I’ve tried to approach that replica of the Tree of Harmony, but I can’t. It repels me like we’re two magnets with the same charge.” Celestia frowned. Even in this prison, the echoes of the Elements were repelling him? She tried to use her magic to lift the nearest element off of its perch, but when nothing happened she facehooved. She had to resort to lift them off physically with her hooves, setting them on the ground in a circle around her. As she sat in the middle of them Damian asked, “What are you doing, Princess Celestia?” “Trying to communicate with the Elements,” she said, facing him. Damian shrugged, then leaned against the wall and sat down, leaning his head back and putting his hood over his head. “I’d say wake me when you find something, but I have not slept in a thousand years. Good luck, Princess.” Despite Twilight’s report divulging that little tidbit of information in her report, it still shocked and horrified the Princess that such a fate could befall an innocent victim. She closed her eyes and begun to concentrate… Time Unknown, Date Unknown In a world where time had no meaning, the passage of personal time had finally meant little to nothing to the ancient human turned Djinn. However, Celestia’s meditation had somehow stretched out, and he wondered to himself if her student had actually failed in gathering the Elements of Harmony as she had been meant to. As Celestia continued to meditate, he summoned the book he’d been reading, King Sombra and the Amulet, a dramatic retelling of how Sombra created the deadly artifact before he was defeated in his battle with the diarchs of Equestria. The author had taken many liberties when it came to the actual events, and he even acknowledged this in his forward. Even so, the story was one Damian Price thoroughly enjoyed, since the author was able to describe the scene around him with perfect clarity. He was so good that Damian had made a television out of nothing and had displayed the entire book out in television form. As he read, he had to constantly remind himself to keep silent, since he was now in the presence of another. He’d had so many years to have the habit of reading aloud set in stone, but now old manners had started to resurface and he could only read silently. He still moved his lips to the words, but made absolutely no noise as his unexpected fellow prisoner sat in complete silence. A part of him felt like he should leave her alone, but the majority of his soul screamed out that if he left, she wouldn’t be there when he came back to check on her. Guess I’ve been lonelier than I thought, he pondered as he quietly turned the page. He was internally screaming and wanting to have a conversation with Celestia about anything. Hell, I’ll talk with her about the importance of paper clips, for Christ’s sake! But he kept his mouth closed as he kept on reading. Time marched on, or whatever passed for time in this endless prison. Damian was so engrossed in the book, imagining the final battle scene between Sombra and his former friend Radiant Hope when he heard something unusual. He looked towards the alien sound and saw one of the spherical rocks beginning to glow orange. He put down the book, which immediately flew away back to its resting place, standing and watching this new event with eager curiosity. Another stone began to glow seconds later, this time pink. The next was blue, then the fourth purple, and the final one red. The orbs began to circle around the still meditating Celestia, who finally stood, eyes still closed. She began to float up and out of the room. The pressure against Damian’s chest vanished, and he watched as she began hovering back towards the throne room. With the elements no longer repelling him, he flew off after her, keeping a respectful distance as he watched her approach the throne room once again. She landed on the dais and sat in her old throne, and Damian landed near Luna’s throne, as it was the closest he could get to her without feeling overwhelmingly repelled. He took a seat and watched Celestia, tilting his head in curiosity as the orbs circled her faster and faster. From above, an orb of pure energy began to form, the energy matching the lost sixth element’s own color, a deeper shade of pink. The orb morphed and shimmered until it became a six-sided star of the same color. Damian felt the repelling energy suddenly vanish with the appearance of the sixth element, or whatever this copy of it was. That was when he heard what sounded like the shattering of glass from below. He turned slowly, and felt the first surprise he’d felt in many, many years. Even Celestia’s unusual imprisonment with him hadn’t surprised him since he’d known for years that Djinn prisons were easier to place prisoners into than they were to take someone out. But this, the shattering of reality itself around him? This was something not even he’d known about. More cracks appeared, suspended in midair. From beside him, the shadow Elements spun faster and faster, glowing more brightly with each passing minute. Damian touched his glasses and they darkened so that he could see the events without being blinded. Celestia was starting to rise from her seat once more. Suddenly, the cracks shattered, and a massive wall of rainbow light shot out of a hole in reality directly towards Celestia. The shadow Elements were engulfed in the light, doubling in brightness as she made her way towards the open doorway. Beyond, Damian saw seven other Ponies, six very familiar ones and a slightly taller alicorn who had a look of extreme relief upon seeing Celestia. As Celestia passed the threshold of the cracks, the shadow Elements vanished in a large plume of multicolored smoke, flying into the air and directly back towards their original resting place. Celestia landed, then finally opened her eyes. Looking around, she smiled warmly at all the ponies there. Her horn glowed and beyond the barrier, Damian saw sunlight for the very first time in a thousand years, its warm golden glow pouring in through the broken windows and roof. Despite his glasses being tinted, he still had to shield his eyes from the brightness. Then, once Celestia had finished raising the sun, she turned towards Damian and held out a hoof. “Damian Price, are you coming?” Damian walked up to the threshold, tilting his head in curiosity as he reached passed the cracks. Intense pain ran up his arm and he recoiled. Once more, he tried to put his hand through, but the pain only doubled. He stumbled back, clutching his throbbing arm and hissing in pain. Celestia’s smile began to fade as Damian shook his head. “You are free, Princess Celestia. That’s what matters now. Like I told you long ago, let my story be forgotten. Barricade this castle. I am nothing but a danger to anyone who comes here.” Celestia’s expression fell, but just as quickly a determined look appeared in her eyes. She turned to the new wielders of the Elements. “Listen to me, everypony. This is the mythical Djinn of the Everfree. He has been trapped in his own prison just as long as my sister was trapped on the moon.” The orange mare was the first to speak. She looked suspiciously at Damian and said, “Ah thought that was just an old mare’s tale.” Damian shrugged. “I’d rather I wasn’t even that, Applejack.” “And just how do ya know mah name, stranger?” she asked. “Pretty soon, that won’t matter, now will it?” Damian asked, pointing to the cracks in reality, which were very slowly repairing themselves. Celestia quickly turned to the purple unicorn. “Twilight, remember when I asked you to research Djinn? It was because I met this one. I don’t have much time to explain. But the Melody Gems you found? They’re another name for the Elements of Harmony. You can use them to free him.” Now that was news to Damian. The only way he knew of to free a Djinn was if another wished for the freedom of a Djinn, and he’d kept that secret to himself so no one else could suffer the same fate. Twilight looked at Damian with a mixture of fear and curiosity. “But…his power-” “I’ll explain more after he’s freed,” Celestia quickly interrupted her. There was a hint of desperation in her tone. “Please, Twilight. The barrier between his prison and our world is closing again.” Twilight looked between Celestia and Damian. Damian still wasn’t sure about this. Something told him that this wouldn’t work, but there was a small sliver of hope coursing through him now. Twilight turned to her new friends and nodded. “Come on, girls.” The cracks continued to reform, and Damian watched as the Element Bearers began to glow once again. The five mares behind Twilight began to lift up into the air, surrounded by a glowing white light. Twilight kept her gaze on the open barrier between worlds. To Damian’s surprise and dismay, the cracks began to form even faster with each passing second. He saw a look of fear pass over Celestia’s face, and she rushed forward, trying to kick at the pieces of shattered reality. However, she simply vanished, reappearing moments later and trying to hold down one of the broken pieces that had yet to reform. “Twilight! Hurry! There’s not much-!” But it was too late. The rest of the shattered pieces reformed, leaving Damian once more in darkness and silence. He stood there, stunned by what he’d just witnessed. He stumbled backwards, tripping over the stone steps leading up to the thrones. He reached up and made his glasses normal once again. He was once more facing two standing frozen guards, with an equally frozen Celestia casting a spell in perpetuity. The only reminder that she had, indeed, visited him. He took a deep breath, sighing as he slowly stood and let the dust that had accumulated on him fell away back to its normal spot. He closed his eyes and tried his best to purge the lingering hope away. Not even Deus Ex Friendship Lasers would save him from his fate, and it was best if he accepted it. Suddenly, he felt himself enveloped in warmth. Opening his eyes, he immediately had to cover them as he was engulfed in a familiar warm rainbow glow. He found himself restricted in his movements as he was lifted into the air. The light from the rainbow began to blur together, finally forming a blinding white light. He closed his eyes and tried to cover them with his hands, but even with his eyes closed, the light pierced his vision. That, and he was unable to move his arms how he wanted to, making him feel helpless for the first time in centuries. The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back on a stone-cold floor, staring up at the very familiar throne room ceiling. Only now, it was brightly lit. And the view was half blocked by a smiling alabaster alicorn. She held out her hoof to him. “Welcome to the real world, Damian Price.” June 21, 1463 of the Common Age A beige Saddle Arabian unicorn sat in the woods near territory that had once belonged to a race called the Kirin. It was evening after the unusually long morning, and she had started a fire and was actually roasting a chicken she’d stolen from a nearby farm. The smell of roasting meat filled the air and caused her to salivate as she used her magic to turn the deceased animal on a spit. Unlike the weak and pathetic ponies of Equestria, their Saddle Arabian superiors could ingest meat, but apparently that knowledge had been suppressed ever since she’d been…away. While she continued to rotate the chicken, she opened her saddlebag, looking triumphantly at what she’d managed to retrieve over the course of the year since she returned. A multifaceted dark red gem, courtesy of a once powerful amulet, a slender white glowing gem from a pathetically weak (and now dead) king’s former staff and a multicolored sphere from an ancient idol. She’d traveled to the Kirin’s territory to find an artifact known as the Fire of Peace, but had been greeted by desolation and ruin within the once verdant landscape that had housed the once proud race. She’d found a small patch of forest within the rubble where she now sat, looking over her newly acquired treasures. She put them away, then pulled out a book, reading over what she needed next. Her dark green eyes narrowed as she grinned. “Enjoy your freedom while you can, my dearest. I’ll be coming for you soon…”