//------------------------------//
// Ancient Tales 
// Story: An Iron Pawn 
// by Eathlome 
//------------------------------//


An Iron Pawn

Ancient Tales
(otherwise known as The Chapter That Is Totally Relevant To The Plot, And Not Just Filler)







During our dash down the shattering volcano Cora had finally stopped laughing, and was trying to calm the rest of us down.
"Don't worry, we don't have much further to go."
Had I not been trying to avoid falling into the pockets of lava spewing out of the ground I would have stared at her, I nearly did anyway.
'What do you mean, "we don't have much further to go"?  In case you've forgotten, I'm mortal!  I know this body is incredibly resilient, but that doesn't mean I want to test if I can survive being submerged in lava!'
Cora gave a short giggle before replying.
"I'm pretty sure you'd be fine, but that isn't what I meant."
I leaped over a small chasm that suddenly opened in front of us, narrowly avoiding the gush of liquid stone the shot out of it.  As I landed, I jumped to the side and dodged a large chunk of rock which had fallen down after us.  Cora continued obliviously, as the boulder continued to careen down the mountain.
"The only reason that the volcano is erupting is because my sudden influx of power excited it.  Once I'm far enough away, everything should settle down nice and quickly."
'If that's the case, then why didn't you just will yourself away and end this?'
Cora stared at me for a second, a blank look face across her face.
"Well..."
If I were still flesh and blood, I would have sighed, and if I hadn't had my arms flung wide to help me balance, I would have facepalmed.
'Nevermind.  Just how much further?'
"Right..."
I leaped over another newly formed magma pit.
"...about..."
As I landed, the ground at my feet crumbled, and a stream of magma burst forth, engulfing me to just above my waist.
"...now!" Cora exclaimed cheerfully, just before being launched from my shoulder as the liquid mixture of rock and metal solidified, halting my momentum.  As I watched Cora sail down the side of the now-dormant volcano only one thought came to mind.
'Heh.'
As I was trying to figure out how to release myself from my stone tomb Scribe landed nearby, panting heavily.  After a moment to catch his breath he began to bombard me with questions.
"What happened?  Why did everything just stop? Why are you half buried?  And where is the most divine and magnificent one!?"
His voice had been getting more and more urgent with each question, so I decided to answer him before he worked himself into hysteria.
'Cora... Cora... Cora... and that way.'
I pointed to the stumbling and wobbling figure of Cora as she clambered back to us.  Scribe flew to her and hovered just beside her.  Once they were about halfway back I called over to them.
'Stop messing around, and just get over here already.'
Cora gave a little huff of irritation and appeared next to me in an instant.
"Awww, how did you know?"
I stared at her blankly... well more blankly than usual.
'You are an ancient, incredibly powerful goddess.  You would do far more damage smashing into any physical object than it could do to you.  Also, the only time I've ever seen a goddess unsteady on her feet was when Loki slipped Skadi some mead without her noticing.'
Cora snorted a bit at that last comment and gave my shoulder a punch.  In the meantime Scribe had made his way back to us.  He looked at me for a while, then shrugged.
"I suppose that the infinitely powerful and most wonderful one will be able to get you out."
Cora winced slightly as I remembered what I had told her earlier.
'No.  She can't.'
Scribe looked, the shock shown clearly on his face.
"B-but she i-"
'I don't mean that she's incapable of doing so, but she's interfered so many times now that the other deities will be looking to limit her influence, especially our last performance.'
I gestured to the devastated area around us, and Cora blushed, her silvery cheeks darkening ever so slightly.
'I'll just have to get myself out.'
"How do you plan on doing that?!"
If I still had a mouth I would have grinned as I pulled back my fist.
'Like this.'
I punched my earthen prison, resulting in a sharp crack and a few slivers of stone fly off.
"That's going to take forever." Scribe groaned.
'Well get Cora to entertain you.  She's the goddess who holds domain of this planet's very core.  I'm sure she could tell you how it was made.  That ought to interest you.'
"Oh, I'm sure he doesn't want to hear that old story." Cora interjected with a wave of her hand.  "He'd probably... much rather..."
Cora trailed off as Scribe stared at her with puppydog eyes.
"Please?"
Cora swayed from side to side, a look of reluctance on her face.
"Well I suppose..."





❇❂❇




At first there were the gods and goddesses, but little else.  Each of these great beings knew what they wanted to do, and to be.  They all claimed names and forms, they took power over what they desired, are known for these traits today.  But when the deities first acted, it was rashly.  During the formation of their beings they forgot that none of them had claimed dominion over the creation of a place for their powers to rule.  None of these beings would trust another with this power, as they believed that then they would only allow what they desired to exist.  In order to stop the conflict several of the gods and goddesses put forward an idea.
"What if we create a new deity, to hold this responsibility?  Then all of us would be free to do as we desire."
The other deities agreed with this solution, and each of them granted a fraction of their power to create this new life, and thus a new goddess was born.  The goddess knew her purpose for existence, and began to work to create a world for the others to enjoy.
First the goddess reached out her awareness and found tiny motes of matter, floating through the void.  Grabbing the most plentiful of these particles, the goddess brought them together.  At first she tried to force the particles together, but they would drift apart as soon as she released her hold on them.  The goddess began to spin the particles around each other, and to her excitement they stayed together.  The goddess looked as the tiny spinning ball, and frowned.  It was far too small, it needed more.  The goddess pulled more of the plentiful particles and fed them into the growing orb.  The orb grew smaller as more was added to it, this confused the goddess and she continued to force more into the ball.  This continued for eons uncounted until all of the goddess' work went up in flames.  The particles had smashed against each other, and crushed each other, and then there was light.  It was an incredible thing, but it was not what the goddess had been trying to create, and so she prepared to throw her work away.
But she was stopped by one of the others.  She said that the was awed by the goddess' creation, and that she thought it would prove useful.  And so the goddess granted her creation to the other, and returned to her work.
Now more learned of the small pieces she had to work with, the goddess reached for the rarer motes, the heavier and more durable ones.  She then returned to her labor, and spun these particles together.  As time passed the ball grew bit by bit, though this time it did not ignite.  The rocky ball the goddess had created was presented to the others.  They rejected it, saying that it would be impossible to create anything there.  The goddess upset with her failure, and enraged by her inability to fulfill her duty lost control of her power, causing many of her first creations to spring about.  The goddess looked out across the void which was now filled with distant lights and sighed.  It would take many, many eons to remove every single thing she had made in her moment of instability.
'It was at this time that one of the youngest approached the goddess.  She claimed to be enthralled with the goddess' most recent creations, saying that they enraptured her very spirit.  The goddess, having no use for her failed creations, and seeing the wonder the other found in them offered them all to her.  The young other graciously accepted, thanking the goddess for her generosity.
With her last creations now no longer her responsibility the goddess returned once again to her purpose.  She worked slowly, and over time her plans came to fruition.  A glowing ball of liquid rock had formed, with small solid chunks floating upon the surface.  The goddess descended to the planet she had made, and began ensuring its success.  After millions upon millions of years what the goddess had been waiting for happened.  Smoke from deep in the center of the planet raised into the sky and it hung there, then there was a sudden flash accompanied by a sharp crack, and then a new substance was falling to the planet.  Unlike before this substance was not of stone or metal, and did not burn away all it touched.  Instead this substance brought life.  The others approached the goddess, and admired her more.  They heaped praises upon her, and said that with care this would become the greatest creation of all.  But the goddess was tired, the constant creation had weakened her, and she could not continue.
And so the goddess called the upon dregs of her strength, and melded into the most abundant thing, the liquid metals around her, and created new life as had been done for her so long ago.  The goddess created many more of these beings, and gave them a single task.
"Ensure that this planet continues to grow while I slumber.  Ensure that it does not fall stagnant, and continue my work untill I return."
The goddess then receded into the very center of her creation, and fell into a deep sleep




❇❂❇





Cora fell silent as a loud CRACK filled the air.  I had just pulverized the stone encasing my left foot, and wrenched my right free from the ground, along with most of the rock on it.  Scribe was staring at Cora with awe filled eyes, several sheets of paper covered in a elegant spidery script, from while he was transcribing Cora's tale.
'Alright, glad that that didn't take too long.  Where to next?'
Scribe gently blew on his papers, to dry the ink, before placing then gently in his saddle bag.  He then pulled out a map of Equestria and laid it down for us to see.
"We're around here." he said, pointing to the lower left of the map, "If we go a bit to the north we should run into Port Redstone, I really need the supplies, and we could also hire a ship if we are going to go north."
I glanced over to Cora, who shrugged with a small look of confusion on her face.
'Alright, sounds like that's what we're doing.  Good thinking Ink Stain.  Now, let's get a move on.'
Scribe rolled his eyes at the name, as Cora giggled.  After she clambered back up to my shoulder the three of us began our trek to out next destination:  Port Redstone.






As the goddess slept her children worked to make sure her creation did not fall to ruin.  As the goddess slept they toiled without rest, for they needed none, and acted without fear, for they had none.  As they toiled, as they worked, as the goddess slumbered deep beneath the surface, many changes happened, many new creations were brought into existence as the other deities claimed there place on this new world.  And finally after many millennia the goddess awoke once again.