The Pony in the Crystal Cage
Chap. 1- History Lesson
Ilikadederp presents…
Over 1,000 years ago Princess Luna, the mare of the night was corrupted by her own anger and envy for her sister. Turning her into a monster of legends and her new identity NightMare Moon tried to seize control of the throne of Equestria. In the end NightMare Moon was banished to her name’s sake for a millennium and harmony was restored to all the land.
This is the story parents tell their children, teachers tell their students, what history remembers. Don’t get me wrong it’s the true story, but it’s rather… incomplete. What many do not remember today is that NightMare Moon did not act alone in her attempt to seize power. Not many remember that the royal sisters weren’t the only ones who ruled Equestria back in the old times. But during the Founding of the first Equestrian Empire, When Celestia and Luna had defeated Discord and put an end to his chaotic rein, there were three ponies from each of the races who made it possible for the people of the new nation of Equestria to come to fruition.
There was Vesper of the North, a charismatic unicorn from The Dragon’s Expanse. Vesper built Equestria’s infrastructure. Modern law, economics and political policies are based on his around his work. During the Chaos Wars he founded the Equestrian Liberation Army, the last remnants of Equestria’s old military that during Discord’s rule fought for the return of an independent Equestrian nation. Vesper was also the last surviving member of the Fraener family, an old noble house that was able to command and ride dragons. His dragon was named Vigil.
Saul of the Badlands was the ruthless earthpony leader of the Badland raiders. A vicious group of “freedom fighters” who’s “justice” ranged from attacking the supply lines of the now discorded Equestria, to burning entire villages. After the war Saul became the head of the newly established Equestrian Reconstruction Company. Saul demanded impossible tasks from his men and paid them next to nothing for their labors. But despite his faults, he was the earth pony who built Equestria from the ground up. Saul established modern Equestrian architecture, made breakthroughs ranging from more efficient smelting technics to building designs that jumped our construction methods ahead nearly a century; most importantly he knew how to quickly and effectively fold magic into solid objects to enchant them.
Then there was Apollo of the heartland, “The Pegasus who united Equestria”; Ironic that the former first prime to Discord himself, ended up banding together the Equestrians against his former master. Apollo was taught from birth by his father to be a warrior and a leader, and he excelled at both, he rarely lost a battle weather he was fighting discorded equestrians or the ELA. Apollo eventually saw his family and Equestria for what it had become. And the atrocities that Discord had wreaked upon the world. When he found the strength and the confidence, he killed his father and started a new band of rebels. Apollo sought out Vesper and Saul and eventually united them under a single banner. Working together the three ponies found victory across Equestria. Unfortunately, though they were their individual battles were very successful, they were losing the test of time. Their men were hungry, cold, and tired of fighting. It was through Apollo’s determination and the power of his personality that kept his armies together, but they were just beginning to have enough. They needed to win this war fast before his army began to fragment.
That’s when the royal sisters revealed themselves to us. The alicorn princesses of night and day joined our fight; and in a single long and bloody battle, annihilated Discord’s forces, his worshipers and Discord himself.
The three ponies were made princes in the newly reformed Equestrian Empire, living symbols of the power of an Equestria united. Unfortunately Saul never saw his image of Equestria come to fruition, because he was killed in an explosion in one of his enchanting labs.
Vesper and Apollo had fought like cats and dogs since they first met, but it got worse when they were working together in the new Empire. But if it wasn’t for those two old warriors Equestria would have never gotten off the ground and soaring into a great Empire again. And in that I believe the two grew an unspoken kindred spirit for one another, I don’t know if they liked each other, but they did respect each other immensely.
Years turned into decades and the 2nd Equestrian Empire was in the middle of a renaissance! Innovation, philosophy, mathematics, instrumentology what have you- and the whole of the Empire was benefiting. But in those decades, the two Princes had grown ever closer to the Alicorn sisters… intimately close. It was in the middle of winter when Vesper had proposed to Princess Luna. Luna was already expecting her first foal when Apollo and Celestia followed in their hoof steps. Things could not have been going better for the two sisters and their Empire… I wish this is how this story ends, I really do. But as we all know, reality has a way of bucking us in the teeth when we least expect it.
Luna had given birth to a unicorn colt, they named this colt Erebus. When Erebus came of age they discovered he was very gifted in the arcane arts. Since childhood Luna and Vesper taught him every school of magic on record and even a few of their own. When Erebus was only 27, he was appointed Arch Mage of Equestria, and was one of the most powerful Unicorns in recorded history. In the following months Vesper traveled into dragon’s territory and bargained with a dragoness for one of her offspring; and that dragon was named Nyx. Erebus eventually became the new ruler of the crystal empire, and at first he was a very good ruler; his people were happy, the empire prospered. But since he could speak his first word, Erebus had a drive to pursue knowledge, and it knew no end. Erebus wanted to learn a school of magic his father created centuries ago. The magic he invented when he was at war with Discord. Back then they called this school Tenebris Magicae, but we know it now as Dark Magic. Now normally, a unicorn who showed promise in the magic arts would work all their lives for a chance at studying the treacherous art, and Vesper believed that Erebus wasn’t ready for this particular magic due to his age. But his pride in his son’s accomplishments overwhelmed his caution. And unfortunate for Erebus, the pursuit for knowledge is very easy devolved into the quest for power. The pivoting point where Erebus became the tyrant was after a skirmish was a changeling hive that attempted to take control of the Crystal Empire and leach from its vast reservoirs of emotion. Erebus used an immensely powerful spell using dark magic to defeat the changelings. But the damage was done. Erebus had finally made the turn from a ruler, to a tyrant. He enslaved his people and forced them under a dictatorship, and under this new regime Erebus adopted a new name. That name, was Sombra. With heavy hearts, the royal family invaded the crystal empire, and relieved Sombra of his throne. But no matter how evil Sombra had become, he was still Luna and Vesper’s son. So they destroyed his physical form, and sealed his essence within the ice of the frozen north. But in a last act of spite, Sombra cast one last spell. At the end of the battle, the entirety of the crystal empire and all of its people vanished without a trace.
The tragedy hit the prince and princess of the night like a dagger in the back. Luna had tried her best to keep up with her duties of maintaining the night, but her grief and her guilt made her heart weigh heavy with sorrow, and her work suffered. The diamond stars began to wither and fade away. The entire night sky that used to be filled with such vibrant color and energy became a shadow that draped over her people. And the Moon, the very heart of the evening waned into a monochrome shell of its former self. Vesper spent every moment of his own time at his wife’s side, trying to comfort her and reassure Luna that she would recover and move on from this tragedy.
Years pass since the tragedy and Luna and Vesper had begun to move on… at least they tried. But the mare of the night was hit with another dagger in her heart when she began to realize. In her melancholy, her subjects had forgotten her. They frolicked and reveled in the day while they passed by her night with not a second glance. They had lost their wonder that used to glow like the thousands of stars in Luna’s heavens. Luna worked tirelessly for years to gain back the love of her people; but no matter how hard she tried, it was all in vein. Luna repeatedly asked her sister permission to extend her night into the dawn, but this was something Celestia just could not do.
The tension grew between Luna and Celestia, until finally Luna simply did not ask for her sister’s permission to extend the night; that was also the first recorded total solar eclipse. So began the lunar rebellions, and you all know the story from there. At least I hope you know the story from there… any questions?
A KLJP production…
A brown coated earth pony asked to his class of 200 students.
A colt raised his hoof in the back row. “How much grass you be smokin' before class Mr. N?”
The class spurt into a fit of giggling and chuckling. While Professor Bill Neigh of Celestia’s School for the Gifted stood there at his podium lightly chuckling to himself. “Oh, Ms. Gazer I’m sure your menstrual cycle is wreaking havoc on your already arid wit, but do at least TRY to think of something cleaver. And your grammar is still atrocious; I can see you haven’t been attending your Language Arts classes for a few years; you might want to correct that. Otherwise I might just have to fail you for a SECOND time Ms. Gazer”. The students erupted into a fit of laughter as Star Gazer snorted and glared at his instructor.
“I can see a certain Collage professor hasn’t let his legendary rants go dry” Said a lavender unicorn mare standing in the doorway of the lecture room.
The brown earth pony‘s head shot over to the entrance, his eyes widened and he grinned from ear to ear “Twilight Sparkle!” The professor exclaimed, dashing to the door and snatching the mare in a tight embrace “Oh how long has it been sweat heart, fifteen, twenty years!?”
“Twenty five years and six months professor” Said the lavender mare returning the gesture.
“STUDENTS!” he addressed his class, pulling Twilight alongside him for the ride. “This is Twilight Sparkle, she started here just like yo- LATROTSKY! STICKS!” Neigh exclaimed, making the filly and colt that were just making out jump out of their seats. “Next time I catch you two fraternizing in my class I’ll pull the security tapes and send the footage to everyone on campus!”
“Sorry Professor Neigh.” Fiddlesticks meekly replied. While Jeff Latrotsky sunk back into his seat with a grunt.
“Some things never change huh Professor? “ Twilight cracked.
Professor Neigh grumbled incomprehensibly before continuing. “Anyway, I personally instructed Ms. Twilight when she attended this school just like the rest of you losers, and look where she is now? The personal protégé of princes Celestia AND the element of magic… dear gods! THAT! Kids, is what you call ‘bragging rights’” the professor grinned smugly as his former student rolled her eyes. “Maybe if you batch of whacked asses would pay attention a little more to your betters and keep your tongs out of each other’s mouths” He said glaring at the filly and colt. “Then maybe you’ll live to actually make something of yourselves other than the next generation of test subjects in the equestrian science community!”
The speakers above the door in the classroom screeched a high buzz, signifying the end of the day.
“Alright” Shouted professor Neigh “Tonight I want you all to hit the library and come back with a report on pre-rebellion Equestrian Lunar culture!” The students sighed and moaned as they left the lecture room. “HEY! Moaning is for the bedroom! Now get to work!”
Twilight looked at her former teacher with a halfcocked brow “Moaning is for the bedroom? Really professor?” she giggled.
“Oh I got a whole load of new material since you went off to your ‘apprenticeship’ your grace” he said taking his papers and tapping them on the podium a few time.
The lavender mare blushed a bright red as she shook her head. “Please don’t call me that Professor; I’m still the same Twilight I’ve always been.”
“My tanned ass you are.” Professor Neigh said, now somehow scowling and smirking at the same time. “Your defiantly not the same goody little four shoes filly that pranced into my school twenty five years ago and annoyed my flank off with your constant barrage of inquiries, your nitpickiness and textbook intellect.” The professor leaned over onto his podium and took a gulp from a bottle of water sitting on the pedestal. “Now you’re a frackin' hero! You saved Princess Luna from her own demons and allowed her to redeem herself. You defeated Discord, the spirit of bloody chaos, single hoofedly!” The brown coated stallion shoved all his books and notes into his saddlebags and slung them over his back. “And from what I hear, played a hand in saving Canterlot at the royal wedding, then going on to save the crystal empire from Sombra-”
“That was more Spike’s doing.” Twilight, still blushing, shuffled her hooves.
“Speaking of witch how is the little guy? He was just a baby last time I saw him before you left for Ponyville.”
“Spike’s gotten a lot bigger since we left Canterlot.”
“Has he gotten his wings yet?” He asked motioning with his hoof for her to follow him.
“Yes, but they aren’t strong enough for him to fly yet. It’ll be a while before that dragon is flying anywhere I’m afraid.” Twilight followed Professor Neigh out of his lecture room and down the extensively decorated hallway of the collage.
“How unfortunate, my eldest daughter is crazy about dragons; every day she give me a lecture about them –I never knew how utterly boring I sounded until then.” The professor opened one of his bags and pulled out a key with his teeth, shoved it into the lock and opened the door into his office. “When Spike does grow into his new appendages tell him to come and let her… I don’t know, nag him, ride him, fondle him what have you!”
Twilight scanned the office; it was a complete train wreck. Books scattered across the room with papers and bookmarks poking out. Crumpled and shredded papers littered the floor, crunching with every step they took. And the smell of old food hung in the air like a rotten apple off a tree. “Uh Professor how lo-” she was interrupted by the sound of the teacher pushing a pile of research materials off his desk.
“Please Twilight” Professor Neigh said quickly opening and closing his desk drawers, rummaging through the contents. “You’re not in school anymore, I’m not your professor anymore, and you can call me Bill.” He pulled out an old ‘pear’ that appeared to be in an advanced state of decomposition. “Huh… I was wondering where that went.” The earth pony then threw the offending fruit out the open window.
A loud “GAK!” emanated and a very irritated looking pegasus now poking his head threw the window.
“Sorry, prof-… Bill, what are you looking for?” Twilight asked picking up a few books with her magic and levitating them over to a table, neatly stacked.
“A book.” He said poking his head under his couch.
Twilight looked around at the hundreds of books both on their shelves and scattered around the room; then looked back at the professor frowning with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s a black, leather bound, journal with a distinctive bluish silver symbol burned onto the front. You’ll know it when you see it.” He half shouted as he tore open his closet door and searched his jacket pockets.
Twilight scanned the pigsty of a room; eventually something caught her eye on the table near the couch. She tried to grab hold of it with her magic but a spark of energy arched from the object and struck Twilight in the horn. “OW!”
“OH YOU FOUND IT!” Bill shot over to the table and cleared away all the debris until he found what he was looking for. “I probably should have warned you that it reacts violently with regular magic… sorry.”
Twilight scowled at the professor while rubbing her horn. “What sort of magic was that anyway, I haven’t felt a locking spell that powerful before?”
“Twilight I must be honest with you… I am a stallion of science, a rational earth pony with a very firm grasp on the laws of reality and magic alike. I have a master’s degree in History, Astronomy, Arcane sciences, Philosophy and Engineering. And upon that I can say without a measure of doubt! I haven’t a fracking clue what’s up with this bloody thing whatsoever.” The stallion said opening the journal and placing it on his desk. “But what I DO know is that it’s old… I mean older than the princesses old.”
Twilight’s interest was piqued, he had her attention now. “Wow… who did it belong to?”
Professor Neigh looked up with a cheeky smirk “Prince Vesper Fraener.”
Twilight cocked her head “Vesper Fraener? You mean that unicorn you were talking about in your lecture today? I remember you mentioning him back when I used to be in your class but I never found any books or anything on him. And certainly nothing so detailed like what you were just talking about. I never knew Princess Luna or Celestia ever had spouses. Or offspring for that matter!” Twilight rubbed her chin ‘I wonder why Princess Celestia or Princess Luna never mentioned this… Of course it would be a touchy subject now that I think of it.’
“Neither did I until I got my hooves on this black beauty! He is such a fascinating character Vesper. One of the ponies who literally built Equestria, ready to tear it all apart for the mare he loved! It’s quit the tragedy. ANYWAY!” He shouted. “This is Vesper’s personal Journal, in it he keeps a very detailed timeline between when he was a colt to just before the lunar rebellion began.”
“Can I see that?” Bill stepped out of the way allowing twilight to hop onto the professor’s desk and examine the book. The lavender Mare skimmed the pages. “Bill I can’t read any of this; what is this language?”
“That, my old friend… is the ancient language of the dragons.” Bill said, his grin still beaming.
Twilight looked over to the professor as if he just stuck apples up both his nostrils. “The language of the dragons… this entire book is written in Draconic? And you can read it?”
Professor Neigh nodded “And believe you me it wasn’t easy learning.” The professor trotted over to the bookshelf behind his desk and pulled out a large folder. He pulled on the snap that held it closed and pulled out a thickly folded piece of parchment. “This is a rubbing, from the dragon stone at the dig sight at Mt. Draco. It’s not much to go off of, but at least we have a base to work off of actually translating dragon into Equestrian.”
“Yeah I read about that on Equestria Geographic, it’s incredible!” Twilight giggled with excitement.
“Well it’s about to get a lot more incredible, because this isn’t the whole thing.” Professor Neigh refolded the paper and tied it back up in the folder.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, cocking her head.
The professor slipped the folder back into place. “I mean that this isn’t Vesper’s whole journal, he ran out of space to write in this one. And I know where the second one is, it’s in the tomb of the Eight.”
Twilight cocked her eyebrow. “Tomb of the Eight, I’ve never heard of that. What is it?” she queried.
“I’m glad you asked; it’s the final resting place for NightMare Moon’s top lieutenants, eight of the most brilliant strategists, most powerful mages, and most ruthless killers ever to have existed. I know where it is thanks to a few hints from old Vespy’s little black book. Now I’d bet my last bit that Vesper is buried with them, and with him his second journal and the only firsthoof recollection of the Lunar rebellions from NightMare Moon’s side of the story! It may revolutionize everything we know about the Rebellions! It could open up a whole new perspective on the princesses! And I want you to come with me to find this ancient fellow.” Professor Neigh said, his boyish grin glowing with enthusiasm.
Twilight rubbed the back of her neck “Wow uh, really... I just dropped in to say hello, and you just expect me to go out treasure hunting with you, on a whim?”
Bill nodded his head “Yeah.”
The Lavender Mare’s gave the professor that look like he was crazy again “I don’t know shouldn’t we tell the Princesses about this plan of yours first?”
The brown earth pony sat down in his chair with his mouth agape. “Twilight I’m surprised at you! I’ve never known you to pass up a chance to go find a mostly old book! And besides; the princesses don’t need to know right now, you know that if we tell anyone about this, it isn’t going to stay quiet. We’ll be wading in a sea of mediocrity, trying to get a slice of our own pie!”
Twilight bit her lip, trying to decide what to do. On one hoof she would be jumping blindly into the fray without a single mind of what’ll happen. On the other a potential find of the century and she’ll be the first to study it with another brilliant mind. She smiled deviously. “When do we leave?”
The exultant professor jumped out of his chair in delight and shouted “WOOHOO!” The brown coated earth pony started shoving books and written notes into his saddlebags. “I’ll meet you at the Ponyville train station Tuesday at six o’clock bright and early! I’ve got lots of preparations to make I’ll speak with you later!” The wild professor said in a very fast manner as he slung his saddlebags over his back and charged out the door like his mane was on fire.
Now Twilight stood there in Professor Neigh’s office alone, with her face buried in her hoof. “What have I gotten myself into this time?”
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
The Pony in the Crystal Cage