//------------------------------// // REWRITE 7: 100,000 Years War // Story: Halo: Ponies and Clouded Pasts // by Blazer //------------------------------// “Hello, Master Chief.” John glanced around the empty lecture hall—almost a hundred seats and all of them were vacant. At the center, Celestia stood on the decorative compass dais at the center. Four guards stood at rigid attention on the arrows of the design at their hooves. John’s boots reverberated around the deserted chamber as he started to walk down the steps between the desks. “Join me at the center. This lecture is going to be a little more ‘hands-on’ than what you’re used to.” Descending the entire staircase, John easily stepped over the squat gate separating the desks from the center stage. He stopped a few feet from Celestia, gazing down at her expectantly, “Hands-on?” “If you’ll allow me, I will project the lecture straight into your mind. It will allow you to see the history I have watched with my own eyes.” John blinked inside his helmet. This ‘magic’ stuff seemed limitless in its capabilities. “How do I know it won’t be a two-way connection?” “Unless you can channel magic, this spell won’t have anything to transmit back. Even if you did, it would require you willingly reciprocating the spell back at me for a proper exchange. Extracting information from an unwilling creature is difficult—almost as difficult as simply fighting them or interrogating them.” “If you say so, ma’am.” “Now, take a seat on the ground. I shall prepare the spell.” Rocking back onto the floor, John watched as Celestia elegantly folded her legs beneath herself. She bowed her head, a golden glow beginning to materialize at the end of her horn. The Spartan watched as the glow intensified, a small sun beginning to form at its center. As his visor automatically increased its polarization, he noticed small images dancing about inside the sphere. “Best to avoid looking at it directly—you might want to close your eyes.” Defiant to the end, John continued to study the orb’s images. He saw a pair of creatures not unlike the one sitting in front of him—facing each other with their heads bowed. He couldn’t make out their expressions but noticed while one had a white coat, the other had a dark-blue one—their eyes a familiar sea-green color. “The story of Equestria is a lengthy one—I pray this spell will assist in keeping your attention,” Celestia stated, keeping her eyes closed and head bowed. “Are you ready, Master Chief?” “Affirmative.” “Then let the tale begin.” Even with the polarization maxed, the light framed in the visor continued to brighten—forcing John to shield his eyes. The two ponies faded into the all-encompassing void of white as the world around him was consumed. *** One-by-one, his senses began to return. The chirping of birds, the kiss of a breeze on his forearms, the gentle earthy aroma of damp soil and the eyelid-invading rays of sun winked into existence around him. Long ago, there was no Equestria. The land was untamed and dangerous, prompting many creatures to unify into small “city-states.” What few ponies existed at the time were no different—banding together and establishing “Paradise Estate.” John opened his eyes, finding himself in an empty plain flanked by tall mountains on each side. The familiar pastel palette greeted him in its sugary glory, enhanced by the soft rays of amber sunlight bleeding between the cloud-spotted sky above. Before him, a sizeable castle stood a few stories tall—composed entirely of bubblegum-pink bricks. Surrounding it were many similarly colored ponies socializing eagerly. Some engaged in picnics while others chased each other as a form of play. One day, their way of life was threatened by the villain Tirek and his Rainbow of Darkness. The sky immediately darkened as a lone figure approached. Its general shape resembled a centaur—the lower half equine in nature while the upper-half sported both human and goatlike features. It threw forward its palm, a small leather pouch sitting on top of its hand. From the bag, a billowing cloud of lightning and smoke rushed forth—heading straight for the unsuspecting ponies. John felt his chest clench involuntarily as he watched the violent cloud-mass consume two of the fleeing equines, their screams devolving into animalistic roars. Their shapes warped and twisted within the confines of the darkened storm clouds—which whipped away to reveal their new forms: Enormous, midnight-purple dragons with wicked talons and savage maws. With a snap of his fingers, a carriage materialized—the bridles snapping around the transformed ponies like angry pythons. With a gale of manic laughter, Tirek leapt aboard his conjured craft, violently jerking the reins to prompt his new steeds into service. The dragons took off, Tirek’s sinister laughter fading into the thunderous boom of the forming storm. In the maelstrom, a single pink Pegasus briefly followed the carriage but was unable to keep up. Helplessly, it watched Tirek fly away with its transformed friends in tow. He saw its head rise, a determined scowl on its muzzle. With a brisk turn, it flew in a different direction. The pegasus, Firefly, took initiative and began a search for somepony to help. She traveled to distant lands, finding strange sights and creatures. One such creature was the first human ponykind would ever encounter: A young girl named Megan. Soaring over the rapidly-changing countryside, Firefly zoomed over a row of inconspicuous houses—clipping a weathervane and tumbling down a well with a large splash. Out of the house came the girl in question: Perhaps early into her teens and dressed like the daughter of a rancher. Cranking the well’s winch, Megan helped Firefly out of the water before being comically drenched as the Pegasus shook herself dry. After a brief conversation, Megan hopped onto Firefly’s back—the two setting off towards an uncertain horizon. With the help of Megan and a motely crew of ponies from Paradise Estate, the group found a powerful enchanter that granted them the ability convert the Rainbow of Darkness into one of Light. Together, they confronted and defeated Tirek—ushering in a new age of collaboration between the Humans and Ponykind. A time not recorded in any books or scrolls—my sister and I call it “The First Generation.” Lightning flashed as the raging storm was renewed—the battleground set at Tirek’s castle. The terrible centaur opened the small pouch once more, the billowing storm clouds heading straight for Megan and her group. With a flourish of her arm, a small mote of light flitted forth—immediately being consumed by the terrible storm. Suddenly, the Rainbow of Darkness began to glow. The glow turned into a shining brilliance as it began to change, now bearing the aurora of a true rainbow. It rushed over Tirek and his dragons, reverting them back into ponies while the former simply vanished. As Megan and her friends rushed over to the reverted ponies, a new figure emerged from the castle: standing upright, resembling a gargoyle with a scorpion tail. The prismatic ribbon danced over it, transforming them into a male human dressed like royalty. It turned out that Tirek had a younger brother named Scorpan who was forced into servitude of the other. The Rainbow of Light reverted Scorpan into his true self: A human prince kidnapped from his distant kingdom. With Megan’s help, he established a new, benevolent rule over Paradise Estate and the surrounding lands. For fifty years, Scorpan proved to be a fair and kindhearted monarch. But, like all mortals, he could not rule forever. With Megan’s blessing, they created the the first Alicorns—myself and my sister. Alicorn. The word was unfamiliar, and yet he instantly recognized what it meant: Powerful immortal beings possessing both unicorn horns and Pegasus wings. John watched two small ponies approach the older, wizened-looking prince. Bowing his head, he opened his hands—the Rainbow of Light bursting free. Cocooning the two equines, it stretched taller and longer—eventually unfolding like a giant flower to reveal two Alicorns standing at its center. One bore a white coat with a billowing pink mane—a large estoile emblazoned on her flank. The other had dark-blue fur with cream-blue curls cascading down her neck—an inky patch of night sky with a moon in the foreground on her haunches. The Rainbow had disappeared—consumed in creating the demigod creatures. However, not all humans were happy with relinquishing the Rainbow of Light to Ponykind. Some did not trust the ponies to be true allies while others only trusted themselves—believing humans had no defense against darkness without the Rainbow. Fear drove them to despise their former ruler, for he had given the ponies everything rather than selecting a successor from his kind. It wasn’t long before the more xenophobic humans formally seceded from our rule—vowing to reclaim the Rainbow’s power to safeguard Humanity’s future. Two sides loomed at the edges of a wide, empty plain. On one side stood the two Alicorn sisters—faces drawn into masks of sorrow. No more than several dozen ponies and the occasional human formed ranks behind their leaders with similarly pained expressions. On the other side of the field were hundreds of armored forms. Human soldiers armed with gleaming halberds and tall war bows stood defiantly, their eyes looking over their enemy with steely-eyed determination. The Alicorn sisters nodded to each other, their side enveloped in a bright purple flash—vanishing from sight. After several meaningless battles, we found our forces and morale depleted. Horrified by the casualties inflicted, my sister and I could no longer watch our previous allies slaughter our loyal subjects. We fled to the far edge of the realm, beyond the Great Sea. There, we found peaceful, unsettled lands to call our own. The army dispersed, both ponies and humans morphing into small hovels—creating a large town as several moments passed. A large flag bearing a yin/yang-esque symbol was raised at the center of the burgeoning settlement. The last of the remaining humans lived peaceful lives with their pony brethren, but they could not hide their shame and guilt. At their final request, we struck them from all written records and muddled the minds of our small settlement to prevent any recollection of the First Generation. When the last of the humans had passed from old age, our promise had to be fulfilled. We buried our ponies’ memories with the body, thus beginning the first official recorded age of our people: Prequestria. The houses flipped into larger, more permanent-looking buildings. The town grew into a city while other small settlements began to pop up all around. Suddenly, the image held perfectly still as if paused on a screen. That is as far as the history of humans go on this planet. The black void below the “stage” rushed up to meet John—his eyes blinking back open in the real world. He glanced about at the four guards surrounding the dais—the rays of a late afternoon sun starting to appear through the hall’s windows. Slowly working herself to her hooves, Celestia looked up at him with that damned smile still plastered on her face. Her voice resonated in his mind but her lips did not move. I hope you understand the sensitivity of the information I have shared with you. You understand that it must never be repeated to anypony—or anyone. John glanced at the guards before giving Celestia a quick nod. “I trust that you will be forthcoming when the time comes to share your history with us. Of course, there will be no need to be so visually-driven in your explanation.” She bowed her head, “I must take my leave, Master Chief. I look forward to hearing about your kind tomorrow.” She paused for a moment, as if waiting for a response from John. After not getting one, she turned away and strode off—nodding to her guards as she moved out of the lecture hall. *** “My lord, I bring news of the object.” “Leave us.” Gaspar eyed the retreating forms of Geraldine and Garret as they moved to the exit—their hulking armored forms disappearing into the hallway beyond shutting the ornate wooden doors behind them. “Speak.” “The ponies have secured the impact crater and keep a careful watch. Our scouts could not afford to get very close. They did well to keep the skies—!” “I did not bid you enter to hear your excuses. Do you have anything for me or not?” The messenger hesitated. Gaspar couldn’t help a smirk—best to drill bad habits out of them while they were still green. A little tough love always went a long way. That is, if the recipient survived. “We spotted a carriage flying towards the meteorite. It ferried a foreign creature clad entirely in strange armor.” “What did it look like?” “It stood on two legs and had no eyes or mouth. Like nothing we’ve ever seen before.” Gaspar clacked his beak with mild surprise. After a long pause, he rose, putting a scarred claw on the young messenger’s shoulder, “Very well. Continue to watch. Report to me if you see this creature again or the Equestrian perimeter dissipates.” “Very good, my liege.” He snapped his other clawed hand—Garret and Geraldine moving back through the doorframe. The messenger scurried away, ignoring the discerning gaze of the two burly gryphons. “Ready my airship.” “Your grace?” “It is time I have a little chat with our Equestrian neighbors.” *** Starlight exhaled as the guard dropped like a stone. She didn’t like using force, but the guard had refused her entry repeatedly. He had even threatened to inform the Princesses of Starlight’s insubordination. That had been the last straw. Hiding the unconscious guardspony inside an enormous decorative vase, she continued towards the guest quarters of the palace. If she recalled correctly, she had stayed in the same room when the Map had sent her to solve a Friendship problem between Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. That must be where Twilight would be staying. The thought of something falling from outer space had frightened Starlight so much she hadn’t been able to sleep. Combined with her lack of patience, the unicorn believed that this wasn’t something that could wait until morning. Packing her saddlebags with her necessities for an overnight stay, she had teleported herself into Canterlot proper, then into the Palace itself. The lack of hospitality from the guards was surprising, but expected. Judging by Twilight’s instructions, it seemed that nopony outside of the ex-Element bearers and the highest echelons of pony government were kept in the loop. Lucky for her, none of the royal guards were as well-versed in magic as she. She peeked around the corner, managing to glimpse her mentor’s room and the single guard keeping watch. Ducking back and closing her eyes, she prepared a simple but powerful compliance spell—her horn glowing a light teal as she unraveled and re-raveled the arcane at will. Reopening her eyes, she rounded the corner and released her magic at the unsuspecting guard. The hallway flashed blue as the magic permeated the tall corridor—the guard suddenly going wide-eyed and staying that way. Satisfied the spell had done its work, Starlight trotted over to the door, smiling at the guard, “I’ll be heading inside. I’m expected.” “Of course, Starlight Glimmer,” the guard replied, her voice monotone. Starlight felt a pang of guilt for the pegasus, but this was an emergency. She noted the light spilling out between the door and the carpet. She felt a little less guilty about coming over in the middle of the night—at least Twilight was going to be awake. Grasping the handle with her magic, she swung the door open and entered the room. As soon as her eyes saw it, she stopped—jaw hitting the floor. Before her stood a massive biped. More than seven feet tall, armored, faceless, arms crossed and staring directly at her. The two shared a moment of silence. The creature leaned forward. “Boo!” Starlight screamed, her horn flashing bright teal.