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// 01 - The tragedy of Hyperion and Periapsis 
// Story: The Story of Everfree - a Narrative Chronicle 
// by Recon777 
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In a world where alicorns occur exceptionally rarely, the unexpected convergence of two of these majestic beings shattered the status quo of history.

The time was over six thousand years ago. It marked the first instance of more than one alicorn existing in the world at the same time. The chances of a mortal pony giving birth to an alicorn were low enough that only one appeared every few millennia. Typically, by this time, the preceding alicorn would have departed Equus for various reasons. Despite their immortal nature, all alicorns would eventually find themselves at odds with the fabric of this world.

Throughout the extensive history of Equus, thirteen other alicorns had surfaced. Some caused worldwide calamity, and all posed a significant burden on pony civilization. All but six eventually chose to depart Equus for the stars in pursuit of greater meaning. The remaining six had met their demise in catastrophic magical detonations that reshaped the world, resetting the calendar years and heralding the dawn of a new age.

Two alicorns existing on Equus simultaneously presented an interesting situation. There was a male and a female, and so they became a mated pair, seeing one another as equals, but having very different preferences and characteristics. Each of them viewed the world as their playground to do with as they pleased. But what pleased one was quite different from what pleased the other.

The male alicorn, Hyperion, reveled in mastery of the physical world. His joy stemmed from crafting breathtaking landscapes and vistas, controlling the appearance of celestial bodies to create awe-inspiring displays. He meticulously arranged the night sky for its beauty and built a regal floating fortress to be their home. To impress his mate, he would orchestrate a total solar eclipse, showcasing both his power and his affection for her. He sculpted the mountains and seas to fashion a world where she would find happiness and he could receive her love and attention.

Hyperion largely disregarded the tens of millions of mortal ponies inhabiting his world, almost forgetting their existence altogether, for it was natural that a fully matured alicorn loses youthful memories. From the mortals' perspective, the occasional upheavals of the world at Hyperion’s whim were perceived as ‘natural disasters’ that they learned to try and keep their distance from. Since Hyperion seldom addressed the mortals directly, they remained largely unaware of him as an individual.

In contrast, the female alicorn, Periapsis, held a fascination with animals and living beings. Unlike Hyperion, she did take notice the mortal ponies, vaguely recalling her origin among them. Peri kept a collection of both animals and mortal ponies as pets, and was particularly fond of her ponies, that she groomed and cared for. She enjoyed putting her pets in various luxurious accommodations and watching them interact with one another. When she was feeling bored, she would sometimes instigate a conflict between pony factions to see how they would resolve it.

She occasionally had her favorites, but for the most part, individual pony lives did not mean much to her. She never viewed them as people, but more like livestock for her own entertainment. She was usually kind to them, but if one crossed her, she would swiftly destroy it and move on. The mortals under her watch learned not to question her in any way, and that she would provide for them generously as long as they did not object or protest. They lived in a bizarre hybrid of fear and fortune.