//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: The Threads that Bind Us // by AncientOwl //------------------------------// Magic… what enters your thoughts when you hear this word? Is it images of fantastical feats? Maybe teleporting, levitation, or even transfiguration? To many only the unicorns are the true harbingers of magic. They command a power no other pony knows; to control the very essence of the universe itself, to create these impossible events and make them an everyday occurrence. Of course… only unicorns can make this happen… But what if I tell you that the truth goes deeper? Magic is but a small piece of the whole picture, a picture that is filled to the brim with mystery. In this void of uncertainty, we are all bound… not just ponies, but everything you see, seemingly cut from different patterns, but woven from the same cloth. Imagine a binding force… a force that commands the very existence of the universe, of everything we know. Imagine that this force is the very being of our universe, a “celestial fabric” that we are all composed of and subjected to. Magic… is the very nature of this fabric. The Celestial Fabric is the embodiment of the universe. It is composed of everything that exists within our plane of existence. We ponies are but a small fraction of a fraction of the infinitely complex structure that makes of the Fabric. Each form of life that exists has a connection to the Fabric in some way, but Ponies are somehow… different. We contain within ourselves unique abilities that are not present in the other creatures that roam this land. We cast spells, control weather, and create sustenance. We are the lifeblood of Equestria. This brings me back to magic… the feat of which “only unicorns can command”. Magic, in a deeper sense, is our ability to bend the Fabric to our will. It is not just the shallow diction we give to the abilities of the unicorns, but the unique abilities of all of our races. Our kind, the ponies, were born from the Celestial Fabric. Just as we differ in appearance and ability, so, too, does the Fabric. Each of the 3 races of pony commands a separate aspect, the metaphysical “threads”, of the fabric, each of which commands certain aspects of the universe as a whole. The Unicorns were born of the physical being of the Fabric. As the very entity of the universe itself, unicorns are able to influence all that makes up the universe in its physical being. They are able to influence the structure of anything, allowing for the movement, sensing, and changing of anything that has a physical effect on the universe, from matter and particles, to the fabric of space-time itself. The Pegasi were born of the energy of the Fabric. They command the actions the Universe takes, able to influence the very fate of anything without the will to change it. As such, they display talents in the fields of weather and movement. They command the natural forces that drive the natural world. In the absence of force, all would grind to a halt. The Earth Ponies were born of the will of the Fabric. Things do not just happen; something has to push change to occur. Earth Ponies command the power of mind and will, and as such, are the ones who command the universe to provide for them. They grow the food, they tend the animals, and they embody the very conscience of the universe. They know the effects of the changes that occur, and are able to will favorable conditions for the betterment of everything. The Unicorns embody Structure, The Pegasi embody Force, and the Earth Ponies embody Will. These three seemingly unrelated aspects are actually one in the same, the very essence of the Celestial Fabric. They embody the physical realm, the energy that brings change, and the ability to command these raw materials to form a foreseeable outcome. They are all present within the minds of every sentient creature, creating the ability to command and understand the nature of such a grand construct. So I ask you again, what do you envision when you hear the word “Magic”? Is it the shallow thoughts of simple manipulation, or the ability for any of us to change the world in profound ways we can only begin to conceive?