Third Eon
Era of of Wonders
The Flowering Life
With the beginning of the third eon, life expanded and evolved rapidly, growing in complexity, stature and power.
Occasionally one or more Humans, despite removing themselves from direct action, nevertheless granted great blessings to some new species, and in doing so these creatures acquired an elemental affinity to their patron, which in turn gave them supernatural forms and abilities, closely related to one or more of the fundamental elements.
Plants grew in many new shapes and varieties, from prairies of ever-blooming flowers, to vast forests housing monumental trees with branches that extended high up in the clouds, to bushes with leaves made of crystals that shone with an inner light, and many other marvelous forms.
Animals became mightier and much more numerous, and some grew to be creatures worthy of legend, like wandering herds of gigantic dinosaurs with skins made of stone, huge birds that made nests of gemstones on snowy mountain peaks, swarms of impossible insects moving as if of a single mind, and even more impressive creatures that swam in the oceans (1).
Yet despite the many marvels that roamed the world, none were gifted with sentience. Many were intelligent in their own right, but the privilege, and burden, of rational thought was still unknown among mortals.
The First Battles
During this time the Universe came to know also the dangers of the void.
As foresaw by the Humans, dark beings that were like shards of conscience without intelligence set their desire on Creation and, acting on something akin to instinct, entered its confines with the intent of devouring its hearth, like a virus devours a living cell.
And in these times the world set loose its guardians, the Titans, who like the immune system of an organism, would bring destruction upon these intruders. (2)
These battles often resulted in great damage upon the nearby lands and seas, often in excess of what was needed for the destruction of these enemies, and despite the fact that life and splendor were quick to return, each scar was long in the fading, and was never completely forgotten. A fact that would come back to haunt the world in later ages.
In these early times these battles were frequent (3), and it became clear to the Humans that the world needed more defenders, of a lesser scale than a Titan but more sharp and cunning.
Once again it was a matter of complementing the hammer with the scalpel.
It is said that they at first considered creating new kinds of spirits, a lesser version of the Titans, but spirits are spawns of a single element with very specific characteristics and abilities, not capable of the malleable adaptability that was required for this role.
Also spirits are in a way still part of their respective Humans, and it appeared to them that adding more would mean keep interfering with the evolution of the world, something that they wished to avoid.
Finally, as the damage inflicted by the battling Titans slowly accumulated over time, the choice presented became clear. The Humans would have to once again intervene directly in the world to create a new form of guardians, one belonging to the living.
The Living Guardian
No story tells in detail how the Humans created the first alicorn, but it is said that the first four of them took a fragment of their elements and blended them together to create a shape that was as resilient as stones, as powerful as fire, as graceful as water and as swift as the wind.
Then Gaia took this form and turned it into a living body of flesh, blood and bone, and because this first creature would become like a mother for all its species, she made the body female.
Finally Mortis forged in his tower a bright new soul, worthy of the burden and privilege of a sapient mind, and planted it deep into the core of the body, like a seed ready to sprout.
And so, by the labor and blessing of all six Humans, the first of the living guardians appeared into the world, and they named her Faust, first of the alicorns (4).
Despite being conceived in such a wondrous way, to belong into the world Faust needed to be born in it in the same manner that other mortal species do, or so say the wise, therefore Gaia created another new being, one that could gestate and give birth to both her and the forebears of the Alicorns.
This marvelous creature would be known in later days as the Tree of Life (5).
Finally, to protect Faust as she grew from childhood and into her might, the Humans decided that she was to be delivered to a new place. A place that, while still in the world, was for the most part isolated, and the Titans were commanded to keep their fights away from it, so that she could grow free from strife.
Because of this, the land where she and her kind started their journey on the world became known as the Island of Everfree (6).
The Island of Everfree
In those times, while Faust was still inside the Tree of Life, the island of Everfree was raised at the center of the Crossing Ocean, in a point distant from all continents, and it was the crowning jewel of all the lands of the world, for it was blessed equally by all the Humans and prepared like a cradle for the young race of the Alicorns, so that they would mature and grow in power and stature, before assuming their role as the living guardians of Creation.
This island was large and bountiful (7), it rose from the ocean to steep shores, and immediately inland there was a colossal mountain chain that surrounded it entirely, and that was named the Gray Wall, for it was like an impassable fortification with peaks and precipices like towers and battlements, and was guarded by numerous spirits.
Proceeding inland, the mountains became lower and gentler. Valleys and rounded summits were covered in forests teeming with life, and because of this they would be given the name Emerald Hills.
From these heights ran torrents of clear and sweet water, which then merged into placid rivers as they reached the lowlands in the interior part of Everfree. These wide fields and peaceful meadows were rich in fertile soil, and because of the numerous crops that would later be grown on them, they were given the name Plains of Plenty.
Finally at the center of the land there was a vast and deep lake of crystalline water, the Skymirror, always fresh and cool even in the heat of the day and decorated with many shining reefs and caverns. At its own center, like an island within an island, stood a mountain, the tallest and most massive of all the heights of the world, this granitic monument was like a sovereign among all other peaks, and it was named Thronos, the seat of the Gods (8).
The Alicorns
It was a common belief among us alicorns that we were the apex of life in the Universe, and it might very well have been so. Indeed while there were many different creatures to whom the Humans gave their blessing, none received more than one or two of these gifts at the same time.
It was not so for us, for we had been uplifted by all six Creators, and thanks to them we obtained abilities that overshadowed most other creatures, be them living or spirits.
We were immune to aging, sickness and poisoning, at least the ones of this world, and remained very hardy against injuries and very quick to heal even from grievous wounds.
Our bodies were tough and strong like the earth, and fueled by an inner fire that lit us with passion and energy in all our endeavors. We could fly like the wind in any weather and swim with grace among the waves.
But the greatest gift bestowed to us was something that had remained until now unseen anywhere else in the Universe, save in the Humans themselves.
Sapience.
The awareness of our own selves, a thinking, creative and rational mind that made all manners of sciences and magic as easy to master as flying is to a bird.
Indeed in this we were more similar to our Creators than to any other mortals.
Yet despite all these magnificent abilities we still remained mortals, for we could yet be slain by violence or grief, a reality that was to become all too familiar in the later days of our reign (9).
Faust and Laurent
It was a clear, bright morning when the trunk of the Tree of Life finally opened, and the infant Faust was born.
From that secret place where that most holy tree stood, a spirit carried the young foal swiftly to a clearing in the forest on the southern slope of Thronos, where a dwelling for her had been prepared.
There were no buildings there, but the peaceful meadow provided all the necessities for a healthy and serene growth for the young Faust.
Her bed was the fresh grass, her cover from the rain were the green leaves of the forest and her roof was the sky.
Much of the alicorn’s earlier youth was spent in that clearing, slowly growing and maturing while being attended by several spirits, and sometimes even being visited by one of the Humans themselves in the form of vague dreams and distant visions.
During those long, glad days she was instructed in the ways of the world, and the many fields of nature and magic came supernaturally easy for her to master.
She was also taught the history of creation, and indeed it is from those ancient teachings that comes the lore, reported even on this book, regarding the beginning of the Universe before the alicorns.
For a time Faust felt content with her life, but as she matured, she began to feel the loneliness of being the only one of her kind.
And so the Humans created for her a companion, a male of her own species of equal stature and might, and they delivered him on the northern slope of Thronos, opposite to where Faust was originally set.
His name was Laurent.
In his infancy he was very much similar to his counterpart, but soon several differences became evident.
Indeed while she was more methodical and loved to study, especially the matters of magic, he was more instinctive and emotional, and of all skills he loved the most the ability to fly. And in later days, while she became known as the mind of their kingdom, he was its hearth (10).
It was only after Laurent was weaned out of his infancy that the two alicorns were made aware of each other and were allowed to meet. And even in the blessedness of the Everfree, that moment became renowned for its great joy, and was forever remembered as one of their happiest memories.
Meeting in the Light
Some time after Faust and Laurent became well acquainted with one another, a spirit appeared and told them to climb to the very peak of Thronos.
The two were hesitant at first, as they had been forbidden to reach higher than the limit of the snow, or more distant than the shores of the Skymirror, but spurred on by the insistence of the spirit they flew higher and higher, soarin above ever more steep and unforgiving slopes, until finally they reached the top of that sacred mountain.
On that peak the young alicorns admired a view like nothing they had ever seen.
Below them a sea of pristine white clouds turned the snowy mountaintop into an island of naked stone and ice that seemed to be floating in the sky.
The summit itself was a vast amphitheater, filled with a frozen lake even clearer than the water of the Skymirror, and at the perfect center of that most hallowed pool stood a small islet, green with grass and flowers that seemed to thrive in spite of the cold and barrenness of the rest of the summit. And a great light came from it.
Faust and Laurent stood for a while as if frozen at the edge of the ice. However it was not the cold that blocked them but the sheer awe towards what they perceived was waiting for them on that islet. Indeed it was as if the entire world at that moment was holding its breath, daring not to break the silence.
Like in a trance, the two alicorns then started walking forwards, for it felt inappropriate to fly in such a place.
After what seemed like a small eternity they reached the islet, yet they still did not dare to set a hoof on it, and instead bowed low, for in that light stood, in her Unmasked Aspect, Gaia, the Human of life.
Faust and Laurent had both known the Six only in their minds, so to be finally in the presence of one of the creators of the Universe was overwhelming for both their bodies and souls.
Gaia did not speak directly to them, for her Voice would be fatal to the balance of the world, so at her side she manifested a new spirit, her herald, in the form of a pristine white doe.
Duty of this spirit was to give sound to her thoughts, and through its voice she communicated with the two alicorns.
And the Herald said:
“Greetings children, first of the Alicorns, blessed above any other creature, to you great gifts have been granted, and yet to such privilege will also be paired a great responsibility, which will be revealed to you in a later time.
For now know that you are to be the first of many of your kind, and to them you shall be like chiefs and elders, praised and honored, and you shall transmit to them the wisdom that has been imparted to you in the years of your youth.” (11)
Then Faust and Laurent were silent, doubt obscuring their minds.
“How could we lead an entire species towards its future?”
Finally said Faust.
“We ourselves are young and know not the ways of leadership, or even of the world beyond the shores of the lake”.
But they perceived that Gaia smiled at them, a look of motherly affection that quelled their fears.
Then the Herald spoke again.
“Be not afraid of others similar to you, but learn to guide them as friends before than leaders, and the rest will come with time and experience”
It is said that of many more things Gaia, though her herald, spoke to the two alicorns, but much of it had been lost to time and memory, it is known however that, with their fears addressed, Faust and Laurent accepted their destiny and, with a final blessing from the Human of Life, they were sent forth from that most hallowed place, to walk the wider land of the Everfree.
That day, which became later known as the Day of First Revelation, the two future monarchs left the slopes of Thronus and, after flying for the first time across the clear waters of the Skymirror, left the mountain of their infancy and stepped for the first time on the plains of the Everfree.
The Founding
For a long time Faust and Laurent traveled the yet unexplored lands, waters and skies of the Everfree, and each day they learned new things, either by themselves or under the tutelage of the spirits that still accompanied them as guides on the new world.
And as time passed affection grew between them, first in friendship, then in love, and then finally, as is the way of the mortal species, they conceived the first of their children, whom they named as a good omen for the future.
Hope.
After the birth of the couple’s firstborn the Humans began to send out also the other alicorns that were created in the Tree of Life.
These were somewhat less in might and stature compared to the original two, and it is said that, while Faust and Laurent were born from the very trunk of the Tree, these others came like fruits from its branches.
Yet even these held the blessing of all six Creators, and surpassed in both might and wisdom any other mortal species (12).
Hope was still young when her parents found themselves with several new infant alicorns to care for, but despite the suddenness and unfamiliarity of the task, the two quickly adapted to the role, and soon enough their family grew and matured.
Many joyous days were spent exploring and discovering the wonders of the Everfree, and the wandering tribe grew in wisdom with the passing of each.
Soon individual talents and preferences began to surface among the alicorns, and with this new diversification the Humans sent a new gift.
Each alicorn would receive a symbol, a sign that, like snowflakes, would be unique to their personality and talent, and would help them recognize and take pride in their qualities.
This gift was the Mark.
This sign appears once an alicorn finds their true vocation. Even Faust obtained one in the image of a quill and an inkpot, symbolizing her desire and destiny to write the story of the world (13).
As time progressed the tribe swelled with the arrival of new alicorns, some of whom were still delivered directly from the Tree of Life, but most now came as the fruit of the first romances, and it became evident that soon there would have been need for greater stability, to have a place to be called home, and so the first village was established on the Everfree.
It was a small hamlet at first, founded on the southern shores of Thronos, comprising only a few buildings of thatch and wood, but in only a short period it dramatically grew with its population, and as it expanded it also blossomed in sophistication.
Many changes and innovations came from this first transition from a nomadic tribe to a sedentary civilization, but two of the firsts and most important ones, were the official recognition of Faust and Laurent as queen and king of the alicorns, and the invention of a way for the division of time.
Indeed up until then the time of the world had been counted in the turns of the sky, in days. But as their number became too great to be practical, a new measure was created, the Year.
Each year would measure one thousand days, and their official count would begin with the day of the coronation of Faust and Laurent (14), an event from which came also the name for the rapidly growing town.
Corona.
And so, with the institution of the new kingdom and its capital, the long Era of Wonders came to its conclusion, and began the time for the reign of the alicorns.
(1)While many great creatures still exist in the world today, I can say for certains that none can match what I saw illustrated in the walls of this palace and in the pages of this book.
(2)Sentences like these remind me that this civilization was exceptionally well instructed in science, and not only in magic, which is often overlooked among the scholars of the Foundation.
(3)”frequent” could mean any amount of time, given the context.
(4)Every time I read this passage I have palpitations. This revelation would send shockwaves through all ponykind, although I'm not sure all would welcome such a notion.
(5)Remarkably, to this day some creation myths still involve a ‘tree of life’ of some sort, Yaks folklore for example says that the world is supported by the branches of such tree.
(6)The largest forest in the world today is called Everfree, it’s a place vast, wild and untamable, and it is said that powerful magic is hidden there, not to mention it’s where the original Castle of the Sisters was located, and where the Pillars seeded the Tree of Harmony, could all this be only a coincidence?
(7)The exact size is unknown, some notes here and there let me believe that it was smaller than Equestria today, but still large enough to house a large nation.
(8)This is the only instance where the name ‘Gods’ is explicitly given to the Humans, whether it was common for them to be addressed as such is unknown.
(9)Their description matches everything we see in the four princesses, but also confirms that, despite their power, they are still mortals like any of us.
I’m not sure how to feel about it.
Curiously this part is written in a direct point of view, using “us alicorns” instead of “the alicorns”, while most of the rest of the book is instead written dispassionately, like a scientist describing his studies.
(10)I cannot understate the magnitude of this revelation, in no text or tradition there has ever been any mention of Laurent, at least among ponykind, however there are some fragmented hints in ancient griffin lore, apparently derived from the fragments of an old shattered inscription (now unfortunately lost) that dated back to well before the beginning of their civilization, and that allegedly mentioned a “King before kings, who’s heart was the hearth of the sky”, and is believed by some to be the reason why traditionally the sovereignty of their kingdom was given to male heirs.
(11)In these direct dialogues I preferred to adapt the ancient way of speech to a more modern version, if I had tried to give it the tone that was meant originally I would’ve had to probably overuse terms like “thou” so much that Princess Luna herself would have felt her ears burning.
(12)Even today there are differences between alicorns. Princess Celestia is taller and arguably more powerful than even her sister, but it is not sure if the same applies to these alicorns of old, for all I know Celestia herself could be nothing more than one of these ‘lesser’ versions, with Faust and her family being orders of magnitude greater.
(13)And suddenly all those who question where cutie marks came from suddenly have their answer. Of all the things that came to us from this ancient time, this is the only one that remains completely untouched in its form and function, even today every pony receives a cutie mark when he or she finds their talent.
(14)The count of time has been one of the greatest frustrations of the Foundation, as some clues seem to contradict each other, but with the added information found in this book and around this palace, I am pretty confident that time was longer back then (I guess I owe ten bits to Dr. Savannah).
While their seconds were similar in duration to ours, it took one-hundred of them to make a minute, then one-hundred minutes made an hour, then ten hours to make a day. I still cannot say if they had something similar to weeks or months, but with a year of one-thousand days it makes their count of time almost thrice as long as ours.