One day before the end of Book One at the center of Ponyville,
A group of ponies, young and old, eagerly enter the large doors of the Crystal Castle wearing different outfits ranging from Heroes of Equestria to a sheep, while others choose to not wear any outfits at all. An earth pony Mare greets everypony waving her hoof across the room with a bright smile welcoming her guest, “Welcome to the Crystal Museum. Also known as Castle Friendship. Home to the Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle before she was crown ruler of Equestria over a thousand years ago,”
“That is a lame name,” A random colt from the crowd groans before getting scolded by the mare beside him,
The guide sighs but maintains an air of professionalism, “Yes well. Our ancestors weren’t very creative in naming this castle when they built this for Her Highness,”
“Technically it was a creation of the Tree of Harmony after The Heros of Equestria defeated Tirek,” Another colt said getting some of his companions to groan annoyed,
“Correct.”
“Know it all,” The first colt sneered before getting a firm smack on his rump from the mare from earlier. He was going to complain but a stern glare from the stallion next to her made him think otherwise, as he looked down in shame and fear, ears lying flat on his head. Everypony was taken back at the sudden display of discipline with some of the younger ones hiding their rumps away from the violent mare as some adults flinched at the bad memories. Once everypony relax The Guide composes herself and resumes her job,
“Moving on,” She guides the group to a display case on the wall holding glass replicas of the Elements of Harmony in a star formation with Magic being the centerpiece, “Here we have a replica of the Elements of Harmony. Starting from the left we have the Element of Generosity, Honest, Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, and together they make the final Element of Magic.”
A filly in a sheep outfit raises her hoof getting the Mare's attention, “Is that where the saying of Friendship is Magic comes from?”
“Correct. These Elements were used by Miss Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Princess Twilight respectively. With these Elements, the Heroes of Equestria used them to defeat powerful enemies such as Nightmare Moon, Discord, and many more.”
“Incorrect,” A voice in the back spoke out. Everypony looks behind to see a Red Earth Pony Stallion cosplaying as Royal Gourd standing next to a Blue Unicorn Mare cosplaying as Twilight Sparkle in her coronation ceremony dress, although she is missing the wings and wig to complete the outfit fidgeting nervously as she tries to hide behind the stallion.
The Guide stares back dumbly. When ponies come on the tour there is bound to be at least one of them wanting to ask questions about the exhibits, along with the rare troublemaker and know-it-all. But those were normally fillies and colts. This was a new one for her, “Excuse me?”
“Even though the Elements of Harmony were very powerful, they were only ever used to defeat two foes who became allies later or shortly after the confrontation. The only other time was when the heroes fought against the Pony of Shadow to save a pony consumed by the darkness with the help of the Pillars of Equestria. However, foes like Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra were defeated using other means. Furthermore, the Elements of Harmony were returned to Tree of Harmony never to be used again,” Aaron clarifies as the group of ponies turns to the Guide as if asking her if he is right.
The Mare was dumbfounded, she was not prepared for that statement. She can’t believe that she overlooked such a small detail about the Elements of Harmony. Her teachers would be ashamed of her. She shakes her head dismissing negative thoughts of being sent back to kindergarten for some unknown reason, and forcing a grin on her face, and continues with the tour as if nothing happened. She had a job to do after all, “Anyways. Moving on,” The tour guide leads the group of ponies down a hallway with displays of iconic scenes of the manesix adventures,
There was the defeat of Nightmare Moon, Discord's short reign, the invasion of Canterlot, and so many more familiar scenes that gave Aaron a feeling of nostalgia as they passed each one of them. But what caught his interest were the displays of scenes of events that not even he knew of.
One of them was a scene of Twilight and her friends in front of a school building surrounded by children of different species, then escaping from a jailhouse later to be revealed was Tartarus, and then face to face with not only the Return of Queen Chrysalis but as well as Tirek against the manesix and for some reason, those two were partnering up with a Pegasus filly up of all things.
Aaron couldn’t help but smirk and chuckle at the idea that those two settled down and adopted an evil filly for their own. But was corrected and embarrassed when he overheard two fillies talking about her and found out that it wasn’t the case, and that she was bad as a villain as the other two were. For crying out loud she got sent to TARTARUS for almost destroying all magic in Equestria before getting turn to stone with her companions after they almost won from what he had been told. He looks at Cozy Glow in unbelief wondering what in the world happened to her that her parents would let her behave that way. But after asking around, it turned out that nopony knew anything about her upbringing or her parents. This hints at the idea that she is an orphan, which gave Aaron mix feelings about the little evil filly. Should he be angry at her or give her his sympathy? He decided to think about this later.
Aaron recalls that he never got a chance to watch Season 8 or 9 of the show before he crossed over. Kind of hard to do so when you are trying to cross dimensions with only hope and a dream. He figured that he would surprise himself once he got to Equestria. But he had underestimated how much change can occur after two seasons had passed.
As a result, he still left so many questions, ‘why did magic only just return to Equestria?’ Aaron thinks to himself, ‘Why are Ponies living away from Canterlot leaving it in ruins? Why are the new princesses of Equestria Pegasus and not Alicorns? And most importantly why was Screwball so confident that the Twilight he met in Maretime Bay was not Twilight?’ He looks down in deep thought as Misty looks at the display before them, ‘But… but… Screwball has no reason to lie to me. So, if she is right and that she is not Twilight, then what happened to my Darling Princess of Friendship?’ A feeling of dread washes over his body as he stares toward the last four remaining displays. The answers to his questions lie before him, but he stands still as the rest of the ponies go on without him except for Misty.
She is also curious as to what happened to make Equestria it is today. But ever since she got turned down by Aaron after her confession along with her bold move of a kiss. She is torn. She knows that Aaron is in love with Princess Twilight, but after what Screwball told them could it be possible that the Twilight, they meet at Maretime Bay is not the real one? And that the real one is out there somewhere. But if they do find the real Twilight Sparkle then she will lose Aaron to her. But on the other hoof what if something did happen to the Princess or maybe she is already spoken for and is unable to have a relationship with him? Then she can have Aaron all to herself.
She shakes her head at such selfish ideas of her first stallion friend, but what is a mare to do? Aaron loves the Princess and that breaks her heart, but for Aaron to be with her, Aaron’s heart must be broken. Why does falling in love have to be so full of heartaches? She doesn’t know what to do. She looks back at him before looking away in shame.
She reminds herself that she still has a duty to Queen Opaline to retrieve the artifact located somewhere in this museum. Opaline demands it. But can she leave Aaron now and steal the artifact for her Queen? After all, he doesn’t love. He said so. Not to mention that she owes so much to her Grace, and most importantly her promise. She gazes back at her flank knowing what lies underneath the soft folds of her dress. A blank flank cover with a fake cutie mark. If she does lose Aaron, then at least she should make sure that she can get her cutie mark from Queen Opaline. She has to, she promised her.
So, there is no reason for her to still be with him. Now would be the best time to find the artifact and steal it before anypony is the wiser and she will be one step closer to getting her cutie mark. After all, she was never truly his friend. She was only pretending to be a friend so that he could lead her to Canterlot so that she could steal the Artifact. ‘He is nothing more than a dumb, short-sighted, heartbreaker of a stallion. You are better off without him. You are Misty Brightdawn, and you will get your cutie mark. And nothing is going to stop you. You don’t need him!’ She thinks to herself before her eyes gaze back at Aaron as he steels himself and moves to the next exhibit. ‘So why does it hurt so bad every time I think of leaving him? Dumb heart,’ She shakes her head and joins Aaron, ‘But is it wrong for me to pretend he is mine just a little bit longer?’
In this exhibit, there is a much taller Twilight looking much like her mentor Princess Celestia, and much to Aaron’s surprise and awe was hugging what he can only describe as a reform Queen Chrysalis and Cozy Glow with a much older manesix in the background and an adult Spike standing a good foot taller than everypony next to him. And He is BUILT. “Looks like his growth spurt finally kicked in. Good for him.” Aaron says to himself as Misty looks at him having no idea what he is talking about.
But it was the next panel that gave him a moment of concern. As the Guide goes into detail of what is happening Aaron tunes her out as he stares at the display before him. In this one, Tirek had escaped Canterlot with the aid of an unknown Magic User represented by a tall Unicorn hidden by a cloak leaving behind many ponies in a panic. He can also see the Manesix trying to calm everypony down with the pillar of Equestria chasing after the two.
“Of all the creatures to help. Why did this Unicorn aid Tirek in fleeing Canterlot?” Aaron asks himself as Misty also ponders this question.
One Thousand Years Ago, at the Gates of Tartarus
A flash of light reveals a weakened Tirek and his new partner a Cloak Unicorn Mare going by the name of Arcana. She puts out a small fire on the end of her cloak and looks at the gates before them uncertain about the plan. “You know most ponies avoid this place at all costs, right?”
“That is why it would be the last place they will look for us,” Tirek groans as he stretches his body not being able to get any magic for himself on the way out, “Once we have taken care of the guards, I will drain them of their magic; to regain my strength before we make our way to the lower levels. What we are looking for is hidden deep within, an ancient power lost to time.”
She stares at him and scoffs, “And how do I know that you won’t lock me up inside once you gain your strength back?”
Tirek growls in frustration. If it wasn’t for her help, he would still be in Canterlot listening to more of Twilight’s friendship lessons hoping that he may change his way and become a good little Centaur. Just like what happened to the other two. A burning anger rises from within himself as he remembers the last time, he saw the only two creatures in Equestria that he could have called friends. They are nothing but shadows of their former selves. The friends he once knew are long gone, but none of that matters. He is Tirek. And he will not be brought down by the very Mare that ruined his plans and his life all those years ago.
Once he gets his hands on this Ancient Power lock deep within Tartarus. Then not even Twilight or any of her friends can stop him. The only problem is that he is running out of time. It won’t take long for Star Swirl to find him and turn him back into stone. He needs to get the power before that happens. And this mare is the only chance he has! He looks back at her, calming himself. Oh, of course, he could just drain her of her magic and be done with it. He is better off working alone at this point. But he needs her just the way she is.
“That is a chance that you are going to have to take. After all, you are not strong enough to face Twilight and her friends on your own. And your little ruckus in the Pony towns will only last so long before Twilight restores order. Not to mention we just escaped by the skin of our teeth from Star Swirl’s little group of ponies. We got about 30 minutes before those no-good ponies get Discord involved. And if that happens, then both of us are not leaving Tartarus alive after he is done torturing us. Like it or not, we need each other if we want our revenge,” He smirks before giving her a mock bow, “Your Highness.”
Her eyes widen at his statement. She thought that she had hidden herself from his gaze, but she was mistaken. After all, it is not the first time Tirek has been in the presence of an Alicorn. He a magic stealing Centaur for crying out loud. He knows what Alicorn magic feels like.
She takes a step back in fear of being discovered but he laughs at her, “If I wanted your magic, I would have taken it when Star Swirl found us and left you for dead. Relax you are more useful to me with your magic than without,”
She grounds her teeth in frustration before reluctantly grunting in approval, “This better be worth it,”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that. Once we get our hands on The World Eater's Power. No Creature in Equestria can stop us,”
After they dispose of the guards, Tirek drained them of their magic, regaining his strength before locking them in their own cages to make sure they don’t get any funny ideas. The Evil duo enters deep inside the prison to the lower levels and did not stop until they reach the last level. The deeper they went the darker the journey became until the light didn’t shine anymore. Every step they took made small clouds of dust in their wake, a testament that nopony has been down here in a very-very long time. Arcana uses her magic to light the way in a soft purple hue as they reach the bottom only to find a dead end. Before she could complain Tirek used his hands to feel across the wall before moving a palm-size stone revealing a hidden button. But for some reason, he didn’t push it.
“What are you waiting for?”
He takes a step back and looks at her, “You push it,”
Taken back Arcana shakes her head. She knew he was a power-hungry selfish individual, but she didn't think he was also lazy, “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely,” he replies with no humor in his voice crossing his arms before looking dead ahead, “The Ancient Ponies made sure that only an Alicorn could open this door. The button is a deceitful trap meant to lure and trick any foolish creature to their doom if they try to open the door,”
Uncertain about the credibility of his resources, she glares at him, “How do I know that this isn’t a trap?”
He rolls his eyes at her, “There are much easier ways of disposing of you, than relying on ancient traps to do the job,” He snaps his mouth hinting at what he means,
She huffs at him before using her magic to push the button. But instead of moving, the button reacted to her magic and glowed the same as her magic. Soon the wall was glowing in the shape of an Alicorn before it moved inward and rolled away revealing a hidden tunnel, “The Ancient Ponies were Alicorns?” She says to herself,
“Who do you think built this place?” Tirek scoffs at her before entering the tunnel with Arcana following behind. They walk for what seems like hours before the tunnel widens into a massive room filled with Alicorn-like Statues in various poses on either side of the room making a path down the middle of them to the end of the room. Some of them stand proud with wings high above their heads while others look like they are ready for battle or were victorious in many battles. However, the odd thing to note about the statues was that some of them were over 20 feet tall while others were more lifelike size.
“How come I never heard of this place?” Arcana wonders as she stares at the statues as Tirek continues walking before finding a stick on the ground and turning it into a torch lighting his way,
“You tell me. After all, this is your culture's history is it not?”
“Then how did you hear about it?!” She demands as she moves to catch up with him, “This is Ancient Lost History!”
“I overheard the guards talking about a button at the bottom of the stairs that kills anyone who tries to open it. And later when I was searching to find an old goat’s bell. There were mentions about an ancient war fought long ago with a creature sealed away in the deepest parts of Equestria guarded by massive doors. According to those texts, only an Alicorn may be granted passage to The World Eater,”
Arcana was flabbergasted by the sudden bombshell information, “I can’t tell if you are being serious or not.”
“I could care less if you believe me or not,” They reached the end of the room and came before a massive double door sealed with heavy chains running across it in an X formation. Many hieroglyphics line the walls and the door with pictures of Alicorns fighting a giant creature before sealing it away behind a door. This very door in front of them.
Arcana looks around the walls for any signs of hidden buttons or switches but all she can see are the massive doors and the chains. “So now what?”
“Now you died?”
“What!?” She backs away from him charging her horn ready for an attack to which he starts chuckling at her,
“Kidding,” He smiles at her with a smug face filling her with rage, “But we do need your blood to open the seal,”
“And how do we do that?” She deadpans, “Last I checked neither one of us brought any weapons with us down here,”
“Why with the knife in your cloak,” he points to the left side of her cloak, “You have been hiding it there since we met. I was wondering when you were ever going to use it,”
She glares at him before pulling out a small knife from her cloak. She brought it with her for safety but at this point, it isn’t much use, but she's glad she didn't get rid of it. “Make sure that the blood hits the chains otherwise it won’t work,” Tirek orders her as she flies to the door, “Hurry up, we don’t know when those no-good ponies will show up. I would like to absorb The World Eaters’ power before then,”
Carefully Arcana cuts above her hoof sending small drops of her blood onto the chains as they turn red from impact before the color starts spreading across the rest of the chains making a low groaning sound before the chains shatter like glass and turn into dust. Tirek quickly moves to the doors and starts pushing dropping his torch much to her confusion, “That was much easier than I thought,” She moves to help but he stops her, “Don’t touch it!”
“Now what?!” She snaps at him,
“I rather not face a horde of alicorn statues, thank you very much,” He groans as dust starts shaking from the ceiling,
Arcana jumps and turns around staring frighteningly at the statues, “Wait! Those things are alive! Why didn’t you say something earlier!”
“They will only activate if an Alicorn tries to force open the door. It is their last line of defense to keep the World Eater locked away,”
“Neat trick,” She says as the doors finally give way, and he pushes them open.
They enter the room on guard ready for anything. But what they found only filled them with despair, fear, and rage. In the center of the room lies a massive pile of bone filled with bone dust belonging to what was once The World Eater. Along with five small piles of dust surrounding the creatures’ remains in a star formation. They searched the room to see if this was some kind of trick. There is no way they came all this way for a dead animal. But the more they search the more they found nothing. Here they stand, two of the most wanted criminals of Equestria with their last hope being this pile of bones and dust. Tirek shakes his head in disbelief, this can’t be how his revenge ends even before it started. This can’t be the end. But this is no magic here. There is nothing left in Equestria that he can use to defeat the ponies. For the first time in his life, he had no plan, no power, and no time left before everything would be taken away from him again.
Arcana growls before she hits the pile of bones with her hoof sending shards of bones flying across the room, however, she does not notice a single drop of blood land on the ancient creature's remains hissing as it disappears, “This is IT!? This is your great plan,” She shouts at Tirek as he leans on the door with a hand on his head not paying her any mind, “Steal magic from the World Eater? Well, guess what, you can’t. And do you know why? Because it's DEAD!”
“Get off my Back Mare!” He takes a swing at her causing distance between the two of them as they stand their ground, “There was no way of knowing that the seal used to imprison the World Eater would starve it to death!”
“Like I care! So Now what? Oh, so fearless leader?”
He grabs his fading torch before reigniting the flame, “We must get out of here before the ponies find us. We may be able to hide on the other side of the world if we can get to the harbor-”
“Excuse me!” Arcana is many things, but a quitter she is not. She can't believe she's hearing such words coming out of the Oh so Great and Powerful Tirek,
“I can no longer stand in Equestria. And I don’t know about you, but I rather not be turned into stone again thank you very much,”
“But what about the ponies?” She flares out her wings in anger, “What about our revenge?!”
“I rather hide and keep what little freedom I have left than face them again as I am now. You can come along with me if you want. But I am leaving NOW!” Tirek gallops out of the room to the exit with Arcana right behind him yelling insults and curse words.
If they had only waited a few more seconds, they would have seen something. Something that nopony would believe with their own eyes. The bone dust slowly flowed like a river to the standing bones filling up creaks in the bones until the bones were whole once again. A minute later the rest of the bone dust fused into long-lost bones before rearranging themselves until there was only a skeleton structure of a large creature. The bones look like they were brand new before turning red as blood flows from them once again covering them before creating a massive heart inside the creature before letting out a strong heartbeat.
*Bumdum*