//------------------------------// // The Cycle // Story: In Plain Sight // by RunicTreetops //------------------------------// You stand wordlessly before the quiet cathedral. It's around mid-afternoon, and though the streets of Canterlot are fairly busy, no one seems to be going in or out of this cathedral. Nestled between two much newer-looking buildings, this church seems like any other church you might have seen in your old world. Made of white brick with a pointed bell tower on top, it has all the makings of a church that is taken care of pretty well. It's quiet, and in any other circumstance, you would probably consider it peaceful. Now, however, it almost feels as though you are stepping into the metaphorical lion's den. You take a deep breath, a technique Twilight taught you years ago. It's time to finally see what the First is all about. Teleporting through the grand set of wooden double doors, you take in the sight before you. The inside also seems like a fairly standard church. The walls are as white on the inside as they are on the outside, with almost nothing of note adorning them. An old wooden floor would likely creak beneath your feet if you were capable of making noise, and about a dozen pews facing the back wall fill the majority of the space. Said back wall is mostly taken up by a massive circular stained glass window, the design depicting a featureless, pure white alicorn looking down upon the church, her eyes closed. Beneath this window is a slightly raised section of flooring with a small wooden podium in the center. On both corners along the back wall are single, unassuming wooden doors that you surmise probably lead to storage. The room is practically silent. Aside from yourself, there are four others present. Sitting in the right pew closest to you is a young stallion with a blue coat and grey mane, silently reading a copy of The Rise of the Two Sisters. Two mares are sitting in the pews as well, one near the middle right-hand side and one at the very front left-hand side. Both mares are wearing white robes, their heads bowed and their eyes closed. One is a young unicorn with a red coat and black mane, the other is an older pegasus with a yellow coat and white mane. You recognize their posture as that of someone meditating, and upon closer inspection, you realize that the unicorn is performing the magical exertion exercise that Twilight taught you long ago to help deepen your magical pool. Her horn is glowing a faint orange, as well as the area around her. Even more surprising, however, is the other mare, who appears to be doing the same thing. Even without a horn, the space around her is surrounded by a faint blue light, inarguably magical in nature. Non-unicorns can do that exercise too? Why are they doing it here? The last pony is an older unicorn stallion situated behind the podium along the back wall. His coat is a faded grey, with a snow-white mane complimenting it. Wrinkles noticeably line his cheeks, and you wonder if his coat might have been a more vivid snow-white color when he was in his prime. A thick pair of spectacles adorn his face, and he is wearing a set of white robes similar to the two mares, but with a bit more detail. His robes have a gold trim, and he appears to have a matching gold stole draped over his shoulders. If you had to guess, this stallion is a pastor, or perhaps a bishop of some kind. You really have no idea how this religion is set up or what his title actually is, but you can reasonably guess that he has some level of authority in here. You cautiously make your way towards him, and he doesn't seem to notice your presence. He appears to be reading his own copy of The Rise of the Two Sisters, a content smile on his time-worn face. What exactly is your plan here? As far as you can tell, the only information on the First in here is that darn book which you've already read. What is this religion about? What do they do? And how does it connect to the situation you're in now? Your thoughts are interrupted by the cathedral's double doors creaking open. You turn around to see a young colt nervously peeking his head inside. He has a brown coat and a velvet-red mane, with a dirty blue cap adorning his small head. He nervously takes a few steps inside the cathedral before his stuttering voice finally breaks the silence. "U-um, hello?" The colt's high-pitched voice does little to mask his obvious trepidation. The old stallion at the podium looks up from his book with a smile. "Ah, welcome to the Church of the First! Please, come inside." His voice is gentle and pleasant. In your time observing Tia at work, you've gotten pretty good at identifying character traits by the ways ponies speak. So far, in spite of his position, he doesn't seem to be setting off any red flags. "Um, I hope I'm not bothering you. I... I'm lost. I got separated from my mom, and she said that if that ever happens, I should wait for her here." The pastor gives a light chuckle. "Fret not, little one. You are safe here. All are welcome in the church, and I promise that no harm shall come to you. Come, take a seat wherever you like. I'll wait with you until your mother arrives, alright?" "Y-y-yes, sir. Thank you, sir." The pair take a seat on one of the back left-hand pews, away from the other ponies present. The other reading stallion had briefly stopped to gauge what was going on, but returned to his reading shortly after. The mares didn't react at all. After sitting for a few moments, the "pastor" continued silently flipping through the pages of his book, with the colt looking at both him and the book with a noticeable interest. You find yourself in a strange bind. Answers or otherwise, you don't want to do anything that'll make this poor kid any more scared than he already is. You suppose you'll just have to wait it out. Thankfully, you aren't waiting long before the kid breaks the silence once more. "Um, sir?" "Yes?" "Uh, um... who exactly is the First?" Huh. How convenient that this kid is asking the questions you want answers to. This ought to be good. The pastor gives a slight chuckle before responding. "The First is exactly what her name implies. All things come from the First, my boy. She is the progenitor of all magic." "What's a progenitor?" "Hmhm, it means that before the First, there was no magic. All of the magic in Equestria was contained within her mighty alicorn body. She knew that life in Equestria deserved to be happy, so rather than keep all of the magic for herself, she exerted the magic into the world around her." "Exerted? Um, you mean like those mares over there?" The colt notions to the two mares in the church, still meditating. "Yes, precisely! Though, she did go about it a bit differently. She exerted and exerted until there was almost no magic left. Being the mighty alicorn that she is, she lost her body and, in doing so, her ability to physically interact with the world she loved so dearly." "That's so sad! What happened to her after that?" "After that, she was quite happy. She looked down on the denizens of Equestria, who were delighted with their newfound magic. For a time, there was nothing but joy and peace. And she knew that she had to maintain this joy somehow." "How did she do that without a body?" "Well, just because she doesn't have a body doesn't mean she's powerless. She is still capable of using magic, just like you or I! With that magic, she bestowed her wisdom upon her subjects. She taught them about the Cycle." "What's the Cycle?" "I'm surprised nopony has taught you this already, child." The stallion adjusts his glasses before continuing. "Tell me, are you happy with your life?" "Happy? I mean, of course I am! Equestria is wonderful, and everypony is so nice!" "Haha! Right you are, my boy. And the First agrees! You see, the Cycle is referring to the cycle of life in Equestria. Our lives are precious and joyful, but wouldn't it be nice to make sure that others have lives that are just as terrific?" "Yes, of course it would!" "Indeed! The First imparted her wisdom upon us, her subjects, about how to do just that! You see those mares over there? The ones you said are 'exerting?' Many creatures do that to meditate, or to improve their magical prowess. It does do exactly that, but it is also how we give back to the First by giving back to the world around us! The magic that we exert has to go somewhere, after all. When one exerts their magic, it spreads throughout the world, ready to help another creature partake in the wonder that is life. We enjoy our lives thanks to magic, and we give back by exerting some of that magic. Then, when our time has passed, the magic still in our bodies returns to the world around us and to the First, who continues to watch down on us." The stallion motions to the stained glass window. The sun conveniently begins to set directly behind it, painting the church in a brilliant light. "Wow, sir, that's a really cool story! But, um, I have another question." "Ask away." "What about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna? I thought they were the first alicorns." "Hmhm, a fine question indeed. You see, the First did what she did because she knew what the outcome would be. The First has seen all of time, and she loves what she sees. As such, she does what she needs to do to ensure that a wonderful future comes to pass. One such thing was creating avatars for herself to put an end to the reign of Discord, who was doing much to disrupt the beautiful manner in which Equestria was growing at the time. These avatars took the form of the Royal Sisters, two lowly subjects who become the First's foremost tools in establishing peace and prosperity. This is why they are alicorns, you see." "Tools?" "Well, yes. They live to serve the First's purposes. For lack of a better term, they are not 'princesses' so much as extensions of the First herself." "So everything that they do is what the First wants them to do?" "Of course. They would not be doing their jobs very well otherwise." What?! That's ridiculous! Does this church really believe that? If that's the case, then that means there's an entire religion dedicated to, for lack of a better term, dehumanizing Celestia and Luna! They have free will, darn it! They didn't ASK for the First to make them alicorns! And what about how hard they work every day to keep Equestria running? The church basically discredits everything they've ever done! "That's really cool, mister! Thank you!" As the boy finishes saying that, the doors open once more. A mare with a red coat and a velvet-red mane matching that of the colt bursts inside, her stress evident on her face. She quickly scans the room before recognizing the colt and rushing over to embrace him. "I'm so sorry! I looked away for just a moment and you were gone!" "It's okay mom, the church took care of me, just like you said!" The mare looks up at the pastor, tears gently forming in the corners of her eyes. "Thank you so much for taking care of him. If there is anything I can do, please-" "That will be unnecessary. Seeing the two of you reunited is reward enough." "I-I thank you again. May you have a blessed day, good sir." "To you as well. First be with you, and remember! With every story comes an end. With every birth, there is death. With every rise, there is fall. With every ruler, there is a replacement. Only the First is eternally the First." The mare, relief evident on her face, ushers the boy back to the entrance. The colt gives a sheepish wave to the pastor before the pair leaves the church once more. You look over to the pastor, who smiles to himself and stands up, bringing his book with him. He walks back to the podium before he begins exerting magic like the two mares, a gentle golden light now emanating from him. You smile as well. You might be in a bind right now, but at least that colt is going to be okay. On top of that, you finally received an explanation as to what exactly this church, and by extension the First, is all about. You already knew that book was cruel to Celestia and Luna, but you can now confirm that members of the church share those beliefs. On top of that, you learned what this "Cycle" is, as well as the church's doctrine. That said, even in spite of its shortcomings and views you definitely don't agree with, it doesn't seem as though the church is malicious. You bring a hand to your chin as you enter a state of deep thought. Now that you know what the Cycle is, you can try to piece together what Tia meant when she said your magic operates outside of it. Since the Cycle perpetuates the First's magic throughout Equestria, that would mean that your magic comes from somewhere else. Your magic is the only magic that doesn't stem from the First, which might explain why it still works. That then leaves the two motivations behind the spell that's been cast on you. Wanting to make you suffer, or wanting to see the world as it would be without you in it. Hmm... ... What was it the pastor said about the First's plan? "She does what she needs to do to ensure that this wonderful future comes to pass?" ... Oh. Oh no. Did... did the First herself do this? That would at least explain what creature was powerful enough to do what even Celestia can't. Your magic isn't a part of the Cycle, so is it not reasonable to think that the magical surge that brought you to this world was also not the result of Equestrian magic? If that's the case, is it possible that the First didn't see your arrival coming? That your very existence threw a wrench into her plans? If you're right about this... You've made a very, very powerful enemy. You perform Twilight's breathing technique once more, but it does little to calm your nerves. You need to focus. What can you do to get out of this? Think, darn it! You exist outside the Cycle. The Cycle involves releasing your magic into the world around you to give it to new life, either through death or magical exertion. Since you aren't a part of the Cycle, your magic is strange and doesn't fit in. You haven't died, but you HAVE exerted your magic before. But unlike everypony else, yours won't end up being passed on to anything else... Or will it? Your eyes shoot open as you realize something. If your magic is unaffected by whatever removed you from existence, then even if everything else is gone, your home, your legacy, your relationships... one thing should still be the same. One place, very dear to you that you have neglected to visit in quite some time, may still be standing. Emboldened, you book it back to the train station. If you're quick, you may make it back to Ponyville before the day is through. You need to pay a visit to the One Tree Orchard.