//------------------------------// // A Shocking Discovery // Story: Ancient Curse Unleashed // by DesertRainstorm //------------------------------// Update Note: January, 10th 2016 This story underwent a re-write. Some details may have changed. Twilight Sparkle woke up early. She was meeting with her friends over at Fluttershy's Cottage. Spike was still asleep, so Twilight left him there. As she drew closer to Fluttershy's cottage she could hear her friends voices. "Twilight might be able to explain,” Apple Jack's southern accented voice filtered through to Twilight's ears. "Do you think its Discord? Because if it is, It’s not funny,” came the brash voice of Rainbow Dash. "I might be able to explain what?” Twilight asked and then she froze when she saw her friends, they were in a human form, like when she went through the portal to Canterlot High. "So she didn't look in a mirror this morning,” commented Rarity. "How is this possible?” came Fluttershys soft and quiet voice. "I don't know, I could ask Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, after regaining her composure. Rainbow Dash was wearing a powder blue hoodie, a white shirt and light blue jeans, with strangely enough rainbow colored tennis shoes. Her cayn wings fluttered slightly. Rainbow Dash flicked her long rainbow colored hair out of her face. She set her magenta colored eyes on Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy was in close proximity to Rainbow Dash. She was also dressed in a hoodie and blue jeans. Her hoodie, and shoes were a light yellow color, as well as her wings, while her blouse was a light pink. Her pink hair covered half of her face. Her visible blue eye showed worry and concern. Pinkie Pie was sitting in the tree above Rainbow Dash's and Fluttershy's heads. She was wearing a pink long sleeved shirt and pink jeans and, of course being Pinkie Pie, pink shoes. Her pink hair was pulled back out of her face. She had a wild grin on her face. Her blue eyes were sparkling mischievously. Apple Jack was sitting across from Rarity at the table. She was wearing an orange flannel shirt with blue jeans and faded brown cowboy work boots. Her yellow hair was pulled back like it always was. Her hat was pulled low over her green eyes. Rarity was wearing a white blouse, white jeans and white tennis shoes. She flicked her long purple hair out of her face. Like the others she was looking at Twilight, her blue eyes sparking with interest. Dark white runes traced around her wrists and spiraled up her arms, stopping midway on each forearm. Twilight, herself, was dressed in a lightweight lavender hoodie, a pink and dark indigo shirt, lavender jeans and pink, indigo and lavender chucks. Her pink, indigo and purple hair was carelessly tossed over her shoulder. Her confusion was evident in her purple eyes. Runes peeked out at the cuffs of Twilight’s hoodie, they were similar to Rarity’s but a dark purple instead. "Do you really think she will know?” Rainbow inquired moving away from the tree, her magenta eyes blazing in her typical fashion. "Know what young Rainbow Dash?” Inquired the very pony they were talking about. "Princess Celestia,” The six ponies turned into humans chorused and bowed respectfully. They noticed that even the Princess was turned into the strange form. The Princess was still wearing crown. She was dress in an elegant sleeveless dress that stopped about four inches from touching the ground. Her light rainbow colored hair was flowing down around her shoulders. Her wings were the same color as her dress: Pure White. A short sabre was strapped around the waist of her dress. Celestia also had the dark runes, but unlike Rarity’s, they spiraled up the Sun Princess’s arms and under the fabric of her dress. The Six noticed somebody standing a few feet behind the Princess. It was a female somewhere between their human form age and Princess Celestia's. She was wearing black and grey camouflage pants, a black tee shirt and thick black combat boots. Her black, green, pink and blue hair was spiked. Her white wings were black tipped. Her amber colored eyes were contrasted by a dark flare of black on her face. The short sabre was strapped to her leg. She too had runes spiraling up her arms and under the fabric of her shirt, lighter in color on her pitch black forearms and darker on her ashy grey skin. "What with the swords?” Rarity piped up. "Alicorns and Unicorns have them. The sheath blends in with your clothing,” The Person replied, a very soft accent tinging her words. Rarity and Twilight looked down at their right legs and found that this person was right. Rarity’s blade was white as her skin and the hilt was emblozened with her cutie mark: three diamonds. Twilight’s sabre was lavender in color, same as her skin, and her cutie mark was etched in the hilt as well. "Are you going to accompany them, Nova Burst?” Celestia inquired. "Only if you and Princess Luna approve,” Nova answered. "How do you know them?” Rainbow inquired, picking a speck of lint off her cayn colored skin. "I was a student of both of them, when I was younger. Of course that was before the Nightmare Moon incident,” Nova responded non-chalantly. "But you should be old,” Rarity commented in shock. "When Princess Luna took me as a student there was a binding spell, until I completed what she had to teach me we were bound together. So when Princess Luna became Night Mare Moon and was entrapped in the Moon, I became a Dark Whisper of the Night. In that state I was able to freely transverse the dream realms, and report back to the Nightmare,” Nova explained. The group looked from Nova to Celestia as if asking a question. To their surprise Celestia nodded. "Yes my sister did bind Nova Burst to her as a student. Nova had finished her studies with me. Luna felt that there was only a few more things Nova could learn from her when it happened. There were other circumstances in Nova's case as well,” Celestia explained further. "Celestia, could you please come back to Canterlot. Everypony is becoming unsettled about these Human forms. Prince Blueblood is having an exceptional fit. Raven had to come and awaken me,” Princess Luna said as she landed lightly. "Princess Luna,” Nova quietly said and she bowed, her wings spreading out. "Hello Nova,” Luna replied with a cheery tone. Like everypony else, Luna had been turned into a human. Luna was wearing a dark blue long sleeved shirt, black jeans, and black shoes. Her midnight blue hair was flowing down her back. She had a sabre strapped to her leg. Her dark blue wings were fluttering in slight nervousness. Luna looked at her older sister and their faithful student from long ago, Celestia and Nova could see the worry in Luna's dark blue eyes. Blue runes, only slightly lighter than her skin, were visible under the cuffs of the sleeves of her shirt. "Do you think it would be a good idea for Nova to accompany Twilight and her friends?” Celestia inquired "Yes, it would be a good idea. Nova would be a good added security,” Luna agreed, "We have to get back to Canterlot sister. We can't leave the Nobles to barrage Raven for too long." "All right then, Nova I leave you with Twilight Sparkle and her friends,” Celestia said and with that Luna and her left to return to Canterlot. . "So you six represent the elements of harmony,” Nova remarked. "How did you know that?” Rainbow inquired. Nova disregarded the question, "We need to find our starting point." "Do you know what caused this transformation?” Rainbow inquired. "A particularly nasty Ancient Curse,” Nova responded, as the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony caught sight of the hilt of the sword strapped to Nova's hip: the design was not one that ponies would be calm about. "Ancient Curse? I never read anything about that,” Twilight commented "The place where I read it is now in ruins,” Nova said simply, she closed her eyes and then recited "Once the six are six again, Discord will reign for naught a day, an old foe will rise to convey the new path for a new form to take way. Six and one will find the way to the dark one who caused this new way, weather success or fail, the seven will know naught." "That is way creepy,” Muttered Pinkie Pie. "I know there is a place here in Equestria that is the key to reverting back to our original forms,” Nova said quietly, "But the landscape has changed a bit in the last thousand years" "So how long do have to reverse the curse?” Twilight inquired "Three maybe four days at most,” Nova replied. "That’s not much time,” Fluttershy said lofting herself into the air. "I know we have to set off tomorrow,” Nova commented Early the next morning, before the sun even rose, everyone met at Fluttershy's cottage. Nova had a simple satchel bag while the rest had backpacks. Nova pulled out a map of Equestria carefully making mental notes of how much the distances had changed she put it away. With a nod of her head she set off with the mane six following her.