//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Equestria's Forbidden History (Part 1) (Re-Edited) // Story: A Cartoonist in Equestria // by Autismo555 //------------------------------// “Wow. So this is Canterlot Castle,” Harold muttered under his breath. He stared speechless in complete awe at the monolithic ivory castle, spanning up near towards the peak of the mountain. The walls were like ten feet taller than the maximum height of a fire engine’s ladder, littered by armor clad stallions. The grand scale and the structures of the castle grabbed his attention the most. The colors of the whitish hue in the exterior the towers and the gold peaks that topped them both combined perfectly, like classic rock and orchestra music. Harold had been listening to Pink Floyd for about four years, so he would understand. But there was something bout the castle that drove Harold to wonder about the most. It was this sense of familiarity, a feeling similar to when he first met Twilight Sparkle. It was not like the castle at Disneyland, but it was something else. Something that Harold couldn’t point out exactly what it was. What was it, he wondered? “I take it you’re impressed by Canterlot Castle,” Twilight said, snapping the human from the depths of his own thoughts. Harold nodded a few times as Twilight explained what Canterlot Castle meant to her. “This is where I spent my foalhood as the personal protege for Princess Celestia. I spent many a night here, studying magic and learning the history of Equestria. To me, this castle is like my second home. I sure do miss spending my days in the library.” “Yawn,” Rainbow Dash interrupted, clearly lost by the word, “library.” She put her hoof over her gaping mouth to feign the said action. “Yeah, that’s great and all, Twilight, but there’s one thing that I’ve gotta know: where in the world of Equestria are the rest of the girls!? They all should’ve been here by now!” “You don’t have to look any further, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight answered. “Look.” The pegasi and Harold turned their attention to the sky. Another chariot touched down near Twilight’s chariot, carrying the three mares Harold came to know as Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Both Earth ponies wore a deadpanned face, the pink pony’s nuzzled closed tightly and leashed by Applejack’s lasso. Rarity’s face took the form of a pony who was on the verge of a mental collapse. It was easily seen with her eyes shrunk down to pinpricks and a crazed toothy frown forming at her mouth. The chariot came to a complete stop. Applejack led Pinkie Pie out like a leashed dog. Rarity yelled for joy as she bellyflopped from her seat and onto the grass, hugging the ground like it was her long-lost lover. “Land!!” the unicorn shouted, kissing the grass with passion and relief. “Sweet, sweet land!! Oh, how I dreamt of this moment when I could finally meet you again!!” Rarity returned to her kissing, much to the confusion amongst the winged ponies and the human. “Can anypony explain to me why Rarity is kissing the ground like that?” Twilight asked, prompting Applejack to spit the rope from her mouth. “It’s like this, sugarcube. After we took off in the sky in our chariot, Pinkie Pie began ramblin’ about her chimicherries, cherrychangas and chimicherrychangas. Rarity tried to politely ask her ta stop, but Pinkie Pie kept on goin’ and goin’ like one of Granny Smith’s records and Rarity almost went stir-crazy on us. So we had ta stop the chariot so Ah could shut Pinkie’s yap, at least until we get here.” “Well now that we’re all here, I think it’s fair that you keep your end of the deal,” Twilight said. “Please untie Pinkie’s mouth, Applejack.” Reluctantly, the cowgirl managed to comply to the alicorn’s orders. She pulled the rope with her teeth, causing the knot to untangle and loosen around Pinkie Pie’s nuzzle. The latter pony inhaled loudly as she breathed in fresh oxygen through her mouth. With a series of small gasping, Pinkie Pie turned her scowling attention to Applejack. “AJ! That was totally mean of you to do that to me!” Pinkie Pie chided. “Well, we asked ya politely to quit yappin’ about yer desserts!” Applejack argued back. “Don’t ya see how mad ya nearly made Rarity!?” Pinkie Pie pondered the question with a hum and her hoof touching the bottom of her lip. “Mmmmm. Nope, I can’t say I have,” the party pony remarked. “All I kept thinking out loud about my homemade chimicherries, cherrychangas and chimicherrychangas, but Rarity had to be such a party pooper about them and I just cooouuuuldn’t refuse to think about them! Ooh! Ooh yeah, that reminds me, I even made up a song about them! Here it goes! Chim--MMMPPH!” Before Pinkie Pie got into her usual descriptive five-minute fast-motion stories, her mouth suddenly zipped closed to a magic zipper encased in Twilight’s aura. The alicorn cast the spell to quiet the bubbly earth pony quiet before she began to discuss the matter at hand. “Listen, Pinkie Pie, we don’t have time to listen to a song right now. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are waiting for us in the castle. We all need to take this emergency seriously. That goes for you too, Pinkie.” The aforementioned pony muffled a whine behind her enchanted zipper teeth. Twilight led the group to the walls of the castle, grabbing the attention of the strict watchful eyes of the stallion guards from their posts. The stallions’ faces were serious and intimidating, like the ones who pulled the chariots here to Canterlot. Their gazes were like a hawk’s, striking fear to those unfortunate to be in their path. Some of those guards readied their spears, aimed at the human boy. It was fortunate for Harold that the guards also spotted the Royal Emblem of Equestria was pinned to his shirt, so no spears were thrown. It was a miracle that such a little medal would protect Harold from any harm. He wondered what it was like for a representative of the citizens of New York to beg for his parents’ to cease their wrongdoings in their offices. Rumor had it that Ahab or Devereaux made sure their word never got out to the people. They were all involved in an “unfortunate accident.” “Wow. There are more guards here than in the night before my brother’s wedding,” Twilight observed, noticing the big number of soldiers patrolling the wall. “I guess that Princess Celestia must’ve ordered a 24/7 watch all over Canterlot this morning. The question is, from what?” “Uhh, hello? Isn’t it obvious?” Rainbow Dash chipped in, shifting her head at Harold. “They must’ve gotten the message about an alien creature that’s said to bring down all of Equestria. Isn’t that right, Hair-Old the Matt?” “It’s Harold,” the human corrected. “Harold DeMatt.” “Whatever. Just keep walking, hue-man.” With that, Rainbow Dash pushed the human forward by his back. Harold almost stumbled forward and onto Applejack, but his fall was stopped as he was caught by the embrace of Fluttershy’s wings. Fluttershy gently propped the human back on the heels of his feet and brushed the dirt off of his shoulders, unaware of the violent urges buried deep down inside Harold. He wanted nothing more than to get back at Rainbow Dash for all that she’s been putting him through lately, what with the jeers, the threats and the way she pushed him around. No matter how much he wanted to fight back against those who would push him around, he didn’t have the strength or the heart to do so. Instead, he would have to go along with what was intended for him in the Grand Scheme of Things and move on. If moving on was that easy, Harold wouldn’t feel so down like he did at the moment. Harold and the Mane Six eventually approached the grand gates leading inside to the grand hall of Canterlot Castle. Standing before the illustrious golden doors to him was like waiting for the moment before he would be judged at the Pearly Gates by Saint Peter. One wrong sin and it would be all over in an instant for Harold. He felt completely nervous to meet an alicorn princess, his trembling nerves getting the best of his fears. He wasn’t ready to meet the princesses up close, but he didn’t see any other choice. “Well, here we are. We’re at the doors to Canterlot Castle,” Twilight stated, turning her gaze back to the other ponies as well as the human teen standing amongst them. “Now I need everypony to remember one thing: this has got to be the biggest emergency that Princess Celestia has ever called on us to answer so far. That’s why I need you all to be on your best behavior and no mouthing off. That goes double for you, Rainbow Dash.” Everypony turned their deadpanning to Rainbow Dash. She looked at everypony with confusion, never feeling so cornered before in her life. “What!?” the cyan pegasus asked loudly. “Nothing,” Twilight sighed, trotting up to the door. “Alright, everypony. Let’s go.” The six ponies ventured towards the monolithic doors. Harold remained behind from the group, still feeling unsure and doubtful about meeting the princesses. He took his locket from his shirt and ran his thumb over the engraving, hoping that it would curb his nervousness. Fluttershy was the first and only pony to notice Harold stick behind, who hung his head downwards and gazed at the ground. Without any hesitation, Fluttershy hovered in the air and flew back to the human. She laid a reassuring hoof on the back of his shoulder, snapping him from his nervous trance. “Don’t be afraid, Harold,” she whispered. “Princess Celestia is one the most understanding ponies in Equestria. I’m sure she’ll understand what you’ve been through today.” “Yeah...” Harold replied meekly. “But Fluttershy, what if she doesn’t like me for who I am? You’ve seen how those ponies back there reacted to me. I’m really worried that she might treat me like the way the others treated me.” “Oh no, Harold. Princess Celestia is the most kindest of all ponies. She would never treat you like a monster, even if you are from another world.” “I know, but--.” Fluttershy placed both hooves on Harold’s shoulder with complete reassurance. The human kept himself and his tongue still as the pegasus gazed into his worrisome eyes. “Everything will be fine, Harold,” Fluttershy spoke with softness yet with seriousness in her tone. “Believe me, everything is going to be alright. I won’t let anything happen to you while I’m around. I promise.” Harold remained silent for a moment. It was at that moment that Harold saw truth in Fluttershy’s eyes. It wasn’t because of how much he trusted her; it was because she said the exact same thing Lana told him on his first day back to school after his full two-week recovery from his compound fracture injury. Harold sighed with minor relief, still keeping his grip on his locket. He reluctantly walked to the doors, where the others waited for both Fluttershy and the human at the base of the doors. “Alright, Harold. Time to face the music,” Harold thought to himself as Twilight opened the doors. ================================================================== Princess Celestia kept her pace at the top of the stairs of the main hall, the hoof tracks creating a small circle. As her concern grew with every passing minute, her patience shrunk to only a mere thread. Her mind began to question the reason behind the late arrival of Twilight and the Elements of Harmony. Did something happen to them? Were they attacked by their foes on their way here? Did they succumb to Twilight’s uncontrollable magic? More importantly, did the human manage to capture them and harm them in any way? All of these questions remained unanswered to her. She would have to send out a small search party if Twilight and the others didn’t get to Canterlot shortly. Princess Luna watched moodily as her sister continued to pace anxiously, easily seen with how indelicately her hoofsteps became. The only thing the Princess of the Night could do now was watch Celestia succumb slowly to her worries. She wanted so badly to try and calm her sister down, unless she wanted to be met back with the Royal Canterlot Voice figuratively slap her in the face. Luna sighed, feeling as if all hope might be lost if Twilight couldn’t make it. SLAM! The doors slammed open, drawing Celestia and Luna’s attention to the entrance. There, they saw Princess Twilight Sparkle and four of her friends gallop inside, much to Celestia’s needed relief. “Princess Celestia! I am so sorry we arrived late!” Twilight apologized, she and her friends stopping at the base of the stairs. “Thank you for coming, Twilight. You have no idea how much it means for me and my sister to see you all here and now.” Celestia breathed a sigh of relief, regaining her composure and standing tall and regally. “I was told you have the creature you described in the letter, Twilight. Where is this ‘hyooman’ that I’ve heard much about?” CREEEAAK! The doors to the main hall slowly creaked open, revealing the aforementioned “hyooman” who walked in reluctantly with Fluttershy gently escorting him inside. Harold stroked his locket with his thumb, shyly looking around at the intricate interior designs. He soaked in the marvelously done decor, the colorful glass windows and even the meticulously designed tapestries into his head like a mental image sponge. He would have to draw it all on paper later. Then his eyes fell onto Celestia. TING! Harold grunted in pain as he held his hand to his temples yet again, feeling the “sense” strike him from out of nowhere. His gaze at the pure white alicorn triggered a response somewhere deep inside of his head. It wasn’t like the aching feelings of dizziness and headaches. Instead, it felt warm, like a deep feeling of fondness grow on the inside of his chest. Harold didn’t know why he felt that way. It could’ve been her ethereal multicolored mane flowing along invisible winds. It could’ve been her golden regalia worn on her head, around her neck and on her hooves. It could even be the stoic magenta eyes looking down upon him from the throne. But... what was this unknown feeling? Why did he feel this way? “I appreciate you for bringing him here, Twilight,” Celestia said. She turned to the dazed human, clearing her throat gently to present herself to Harold who was snatched from the depths of his thoughts by the simple and elegant noise. “Welcome to Equestria, Mr. Hyooman. My name is Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria and Princess of the Sun. The one you see standing beside me is my younger sister, Princess Luna. She governs Equestria during the night and holds the title of Princess of the Moon.” Luna looked down on Harold from the top of the stairs with narrow eyes and a flattened frown. “Charmed,” the dark blue alicorn said. Harold rubbed the back of his head nervously as he stared back at the two princesses wearing a plain but wondrous expression. “Uh... H-H-Hello.” Celestia stood tall at the top of the stairs, looking down at the esteemed “hyooman” like she did to her subjects in a crisis like this. “I know our presence seems to be very intimidating to you, ‘hyooman,’ and I completely understand. But if you are willing to cooperate, you may find our chance meeting to be hospitable. Is that understood?” Harold paused. There was something about the tone of voice the princess spoke that somehow drew his attention further. Her voice sounded warm and relaxing. Somehow or rather, the sound of Celestia’s voice and its tone calmed his unsettled nerves down. It was like... motherly to him. Harold couldn’t describe how the voice felt to him. Just... motherly. “Y-Y-Yes, your highness,” Harold finally stammered out. “Very well. Do you have a name for yourself?” Harold slowly made his way to the bottom of the staircase, his legs wobbling like Jell-O. He gripped his locket tightly to his chest and cleared his throat. “I-I-I do, your highness. My name is D-DeMatt. Harold DeMatt. I-I’m from another Earth f-f-from New York City i-in the State o-o-of New York.” Harold bowed down to the princess, though his body trembled while he bent over to show the princesses his respects. “At you’re service.” “A polite young colt,” Luna said to her sister with a light chuckle. “I think I like him already.” Twilight stepped up to the bottom of the staircase, her face showing great concern. “Princess Celestia. With all due respect, could you please tell us why we were all summoned here to Canterlot?” the alicorn asked, cutting straight to the point. “Something’s been bothering me ever since you told me in your letter about a non-Equestrian creature being considered a threat. Does this have something to do with the confidentiality about the letter? Is something bad really going to happen to Equestria? Why is he--?” Celestia raised a hoof to silence her former student. She then looked down at her visitors with the most serious of looks. Not even Twilight had seen a face more distressing on the princess before, and she had been her student for more than ten years! “All of you, follow me.” Celestia and Luna both led the group up the stairs and into a long, narrow, empty hallway on their right. The empty stone walls echoed with the eerie dead silence. Despite the group of trotting hooves, dainty clattering horseshoes and the small squeak of leather sneakers, the emptiness kept everypony on the tip of their hooves. Harold, however, was the only one to keep on his toes. After all, he was the only creature in the group with feet. “I understand that the recent circumstances have left you all with many questions...” Celestia started off as they turned into the Western wing of the castle, another long corridor stretching down for what seemed like miles. “...and I do apologize. But now that we are all here, it is about time my sister and I revealed to you the real reason you are all here.” Celestia turned her sad eye to Harold. He knew it wasn’t a good omen to see an alicorn princess look at him with such unhappiness. “I’m afraid to say, it does involve our most esteemed guest.” “Yeah. No kidding,” Raindow Dash deadpanned. “Rainbow!” Twilight snapped. “This is much different than you think, Rainbow Dash,” Luna stated with a slight raise in her volume. “Very much. But first, Celestia and I must reveal to you one of the biggest secrets we have kept hidden from all of our subjects. This is a secret that very few know about over the years. We call it, Equestria’s Forbidden History.” “‘Equestria’s Forbidden History?’” Twilight echoed, everyone but the alicorns looking at each other with a mixture of confusion and worry. “Yes. I’m afraid so,” Celestia answered. Twilight could feel the reluctance inside of her mentor’s voice. “In the past, there were dark times during the beginning of our reign that we were afraid to make public to the citizens of Equestria. Very, very dark times. In fact, there were times in Equestria’s past we wanted to forget because of the unspeakable atrocities that happened during that time.” “U-U-Unsp-sp-speakable at-t-t-troci-ci-cities?” Fluttershy whimpered. The pupils in her eyes shrunk at the very speculative thought of what could’ve happened during certain past eras. She hid herself behind Harold, her head poking from behind his back. That wasn’t fair. Harold was supposed to hide behind her guide, not protect her. “Yes, Fluttershy. There were times in the past that we deemed too vile and too gruesome that we were forced to lock those memories away deep inside of our subjects’ subconscious.” Celestia sighed, the shakiness of that breath riddled with fear. “In order to help fill in the time gap between those horrid times and the time when the atrocities ended, Luna and I imbedded false memories of the duration into their heads. Though we were reluctant to do so, we saw no other choice but to cover up the pain. All evidence of those times were erased but we kept the records safe inside the Chamber of the Forbidden Times.” “So basically, it’s like Men in Black except with ponies,” Harold thought to himself. “How... quaint.” “Where is the Chamber of Forbidden Times?” Twilight asked. “This is one part of the trip you would find commendable, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said. “The Chamber is hidden inside Star Swirl the Bearded’s Magical Study.” Suddenly, Twilight zipped in front of the princesses in the blink of an eye. Her mouth was grown into a wide, dimply smile and her eyes sparkled like twinkling stars. “No way! Star Swirl the Bearded!? The same Star Swirl the Bearded who created over two hundred spells and now has a shelf in the Canterlot library of magic named after him!? The same Star Swirl the Bearded with a magical wing hidden somewhere in this castle!? That Star Swirl the Bearded!?” Celestia nodded. Twilight’s grin grew wider, sounding off with a squee! “EEEEEE! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! This has to be a dream come true! I’ve always wanted to go to Star Swirl’s magical study since I began studying about obscure unicorn history! The spells! The magical artifacts! The untold tales about his adventures! I bet I can get all of Star Swirl’s history so I could help fill in the blanks of how he became the most important unicorn in Equestrian history!” “Who’s Star Swirl the Beaded?” Harold asked in a whisper. “Some kooky old unicorn that Twilight reads in her books,” Rainbow Dash answered flatly. “Trust me, she’s so head over hooves with this guy, she could go back in time and marry him.” Celestia laid a hoof on her former student’s shoulder. In an instant, Twilight’s excitement was drained by her serious face. “I am sorry to disappoint you, Twilight,” Celestia said apologetically. “But this isn’t the time to research your favorite historic figure. This is a time to answer to a call of an old threat, one that I thought we would never face again.” “What are we up against, anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You are about to find out,” Luna replied. The group went through a double wooden door, leading to a foyer with a staircase that led to an upper level of the castle. As they ventured upstairs into the upper level, they saw the white walls become dull stone bricks, leading to a room guarded a red velvet rope, held up by two chrome stanchions. A sign poked out from behind the left stanchion, reading a warning sign to anyone who came across it: “RESTRICTED ACCESS WING” * “No Admittance” * Somewhere deep down inside, Harold thought he saw that sign before. These hallways didn’t make him feel any different either. In fact, these halls... these corridors... they all gave him such a foreboding feeling, it was nearly terrifying, to say the least. Celestia’s magic allowed the red tape to be unhooked delicately from one of the stanchions and attached to the other, giving the visitors safe passage inside the study deep inside of the caverns of Canterlot Mountain. The spacious study, though it was perceived only as the entrance, shared similarities to that of a museum basement. Boxes of different sizes, ranging from the size of the caverns to the size of regular cardboard boxes decorated the study alongside giant shelves ancient and porcelain knickknacks. Past the ancient items used by Star Swirl was the real study, barricaded by two gigantic light blue doors, studded with two giant stars, each one having its upmost point reaching upwards beyond the other four points. Everypony stared in awe at the magnificence that was Star Swirl’s study. Even Twilight enjoyed the trip to the caverns herself. Her pupils expanded to the point where her violet eyes became inch-thin rings. Moans of pleasure rang from her mouth, a puddle of drool dripping form her orifice. If anything, Twilight was staring before the Pearly Gates of a fangirl’s paradise. But that was far as the princesses could take them. “What we are about to show you all may disturb you for the rest of your days,” Celestia informed. “Be prepared for what comes next. Are you ready, Luna?” “Of course, my sister.” Everyone took a step back as Celestia and Luna stood before the doors. They closed their eyes and lit their horns, suddenly cringing their faces. Then their horns lit with oozed with purplish magic, sparkling dark lightning as their eyes glowed a fearful green with a shadowy aura. Celestia and Luna shot their dark beams at the stars, turning them as black as night before webs of darkness spread all over the door. The door was transformed into a decaying stone arch, studded with dark red gems, the apex being a dark crystal. Inside the arch was a downward stone staircase, dimly lit with glowing turquoise crystals. The shadows alone brought a feeling of fear to everyone in the entrance, the princesses included. “This is the entrance to the Chamber of Forbidden Times,” Celestia explained. “This is a secret room that can be opened only by alicorn magic. Inside, there are archives and tools of all the horrid times in the past that Luna and I have kept secret from history. It also holds the answers you seek.” Suddenly, Celestia’s ears perked up. She jerked her head around the caverns. She thought at first she heard an evil laugh resound somewhere in the halls. An evil, yet familiar laugh. “Princess?” Twilight asked with growing concern. “Let’s go,” the ivory alicorn ordered. “We cannot dawdle any further.” With that said, Celestia and Luna both descended into the staircase. Everyone looked at each other in worry before they closely followed the princesses down into the chamber. Harold and Twilight both took a single step inside the chamber when they felt it. Fear. The very essence of fear caused them to suddenly stop walking as they unwillingly savored every terror coursing through their veins. Their hearts beat as loudly as drums. Their breaths shortened, unable to take in all of the oxygen. Their bodies trembled greatly as they hugged themselves to calm themselves. But that tactic had no avail. “What... what is this feeling? It felt like every hair on my head is standing up!” Harold thought to himself, gripping his head out of insecurity as his eyes widened with intense fear. “This feeling... this terror! It’s scaring me! I can’t make it go away! Make it stop! Make it stop! Somebody, please make it stop!” “Harold?” Fluttershy’s sweetened voice brought the human from his frightened stupor. Her gentle hoof laid on his shoulder, the warm touch purging his fears away from his system. Harold looked at Fluttershy, who continued wearing her concerned expression for her friend. The other ponies gathered around Twilight. The young alicorn herself was wide-eyed with fear and her breath was shortened too. As it turned out, Twilight was feeling the same terror like Harold did a minute ago. How was it that she felt the same feeling while nopony else did? “Harold, are you feeling alright?” Fluttershy asked, her voice purging away the human’s fears. “You looked like you were scared near to death by something scary.” Harold shifted his shoulder away, prompting Fluttershy’s hoof to retract away back to her. “I... I’m alright, Fluttershy,” Harold fibbed meekly. “Really. I’m okay now.” In truth of the matter, Harold wasn’t okay. He was still shaken up from this unknown feeling of terror, leaving him to ponder about it. What was that feeling just now? Why did he feel it? Was it somehow connected to the “sense” in any other way? More importantly, why was Twilight the only one who felt what he felt? Harold didn’t know. All he knew was that it took the effort of her other friends to snap her out of her frightened trance and calm her down. Feeling the familiar rush of insecurity, Harold rubbed his arm as he and the ponies followed closely to the princesses into the deep bowels of Canterlot Mountain. ================================================================== “Princess Celestia, I still don’t understand what’s going on,” Twilight told her mentor as she and the others descended deep down inside the mountain. “I can get why you wanted to keep all of the worst times a secret from everypony else. But I still never got the reason as to why you wanted them to be a secret in the first place.” Celestia looked to her sister. Luna gave a single approving nod, proving that it was time that they told the truth of the current situation they were in. Celestia sighed then turned back to her faithful student-turned-alicorn. “Twilight? Do you remember the play you put on in celebration of Hearth’s Warming Eve?” “Of course,” Twilight replied. “It was a story telling of how Equestria was born.” “Would you care to tell the exact same story to Harold?” “I’ll be glad to do so.” Twilight turned to Harold, prepared to give a history lesson to the human. “Now pay attention, Harold. This is really interesting stuff. Before Equestria was born, there were three tribes of different ponies living at the time. There was the Unicorn Tribe, the Pegasus Tribe and the Unicorn tribe, and they all shared a deep hatred for one another. The Earth ponies had to grow food for the pegasi and the unicorns in exchange that the pegasus ponies could provide them with weather and the unicorns to raise and lower the sun and the moon. “But one day, a dreadful blizzard came along and cut the food supply short. The leader of each tribe, Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane and Commodore Puddinghead--.” “THAT’S ME!! I PLAYED THAT PART!!” Pinkie Pie piped up. “...all gathered in one meeting to discuss what to do, but the meeting didn’t end well. So, the leaders, along with their second-in-command, Clover the Clever, Private Pansy and Smart Cookie set out to find new land to inhabit. They ended up finding a new land, of course, but it turned out they claimed the same spot of land at the same time. Of course, they ended up fighting over who claimed the land when another blizzard swept across their location. In order to escape the blizzard, the tribe leaders and their second-in-command took shelter in a nearby cave. “But once they went in the cave, the tribe leaders began to fight again, this time over where their side of the cave should be. It wasn’t before long that the blizzard began to sweep up inside in the cave. Clover the Clever deduced that the blizzard was the work of windigos, evil snow spirits that feed off the hatred from everypony and creates a strong snowstorm with every hate and loathing it consumes.” Harold went silent, very intrigued by how the story went. “Oh, man,” he muttered. “What happened next?” “Well, the tribe leaders continued to argue, eventually becoming frozen by their own hatred for each other. It just left Clover the Clever, Private Pansy and Smart Cookie to fend for each other. But then, their growing friendship and their warm hearts kept them from being frozen by the ice of the windigos and they used the Fire of Friendship to melt away the windigos. Afterwards, the ice freezing the leaders thawed and they learned the meaning of warmth and harmony once more and they dubbed the land, Equestria. Since then, we have celebrated a holiday called Hearth’s Warming Eve, where we gather around once a year to gather with our families to sing carols and celebrate the founding of Equestria.” “It almost sounds like Christmas in Equestria here,” Harold thought to himself. “I still don’t buy it,” Rainbow Dash added in, her face written in disbelief. “What does the story have anything to do with why we’re here? And why is Hair-Old the center of the whole, ‘bringing a great threat to Equestria’ business? He looks like he couldn’t even swat a fly!” “Ummm... I don’t swat flies,” Fluttershy deadpanned. “Am I going to bring a threat to Equestria, Dashie?” “Uh...” “Despite what you all may think, Rainbow Dash brings up a valid point,” Celestia pointed out. “The story has plenty to do with our current situation. It all started years after the founding of Equestria, when the three pony tribes, Earth ponies, pegasus and unicorns alike all lived together in harmony. After many years of peace and prosperity, another civil conflict was waging once again, this time over which tribe leader was the most worthy to take the throne of Equestria. “Many fights and wars waged on for years, until the tribe leaders had come up with a solution. They would create a leader with the strength and the high morale of an Earth pony, combined with the powerful magical properties of a unicorn and the graceful flight of a pegasus. In short, they would create the first alicorn to ascend to the throne of Equestria and unite the three tribes of ponies into a single harmonious civilization.” “So that’s how the idea of the alicorns came to be,” Rarity exclaimed, drawn in by the development of the story. “Oh my, this is becoming quite the interesting piece of history.” “I know, right!?” Pinkie Pie yelped, holding a bucket of popcorn in her hooves. “Best history lesson EVER!!” Pinkie Pie threw her nuzzle deep down into the popcorn and gobbled them up noisily. Twilight rolled her eyes before she stepped up to Celestia to address another one of her concerning questions. “Princess, there’s something I don’t get. If the idea of the alicorn was created over a millennium ago, then how were you and Luna born?” she asked. “That is an excellent question, Twilight,” Celestia said, brimming with a slight smile. “After spending a lengthy amount of time theorizing the possible ways to successfully create an alicorn, Princess Platinum recruited her tribe’s best unicorns to cast a magical spell conjured up and assisted by none other than Star Swirl the Bearded himself.” Suddenly, Twilight perked up like she was a deer shone in the headlights of a carriage. “Wait a minute! You’re joking, right!? You’re not saying that you and Luna were both created by Star Swirl the Bearded now, are you!?” Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle lightly to her former student’s sudden display of enthusiasm. “How do you think Star Swirl earned the title of Equestria’s greatest unicorn? Surely not just by creating over two-hundred spells that you’ve mastered in you’re studies.” “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Twilight screeched with bursting eagerness, her shrieking ringing out from all the way outside of the castle walls. “OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!!! This has got to be the story of the century for me! My mentor and her sister created by the biggest name in unicorn history! He must’ve been like a great friend to you! Better yet, he must’ve been like your dad even!” Harold huffed silently through his nose as he heard one of his most resentful words. Dad. Father. Pop. Every synonym relating to the word “dad,” let alone the word “dad” itself left a bitter taste in his mouth. It was because of his wrecked relationship with Ahab DeMatt that most of Harold’s problems were stemmed off of. Now here he was, watching Twilight go fangirl crazy because the princesses had a famous unicorn for a father. It figured. He was officially feeling jealous at this moment. “Now hold on one minute,” Rarity interjected, raising her hoof in the air. “This is the story of how you and Princess Luna came to be, isn’t it? So why would you insist on keeping it a secret hidden in this musty old cellar?” Celestia sighed once more, this one out of silent fear. “Because our creation was what brought Equestria to its darkest times.” Everyone but Celestia and Luna gasped. They hadn’t expected that the creation of divine-like beings like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to be the signal to their so-called “dark times.” No one dared speak up, not even a scared whimper from Fluttershy as they made their way to their designated destination: A lone wooden door, guarded by twin crystals that glowed a bright orange-yellow like torch fire. The door was carved from a thick layer of petrified Everfree Forest tree bark, a perfect fit for an unsettling setting if everypony were to agree so. Celestia and Luna’s horns lit up, enlightening the seals written in Equestrian runes in the color of their magic aura. A CLICK! was heard from within the door and it opened to reveal a gaping cavern, though not as tall as the entrance into Star Swirl’s study. Old cobwebbed shelves were lined against the craggy walls, filled with stacks of decaying parchments and scrolls. Old newspaper articles, the old one-page articles from The Equestria Times ranging from serial killers to anti-Celestiism terrorist groups, leaned against the walls on top of each shelf. Glass display cases contained magical artifacts imbued with dark magic. Guillotines, racks and spring-loaded metal masks with spikes on the inside were among the many Medieval-like torture tools to be placed in the more spacious areas of the corridor, stained in rust and dry crusts of blood. Rarity and Fluttershy felt they were going to faint from such a repulsive sight. To Harold, it was like Jigsaw set up shop here and completely forgot about it for hundreds and hundreds of years. At that moment, Pinkie Pie’s overbearing curiosity nearly got the best of her as she picked up the metallic nail mask and stuck her face inside to see. “Ooh! What does this do!?” she asked, accidentally activating the switch to set off the springs. “Pinkie Pie!? What are you doing!?” Twilight screamed. “Put that down, now!” As soon as the alicorn screamed her order, Harold ran over and smacked the mask away from Pinkie’s hoof and onto the cold, stone floor. The springs unloaded and the mask clamped shut with a sharp, metallic screech that prompted Harold to flinch and cover his ears. Pinkie Pie turned with a sheepish smile as she became the subject of hardened expressions from Twilight, Celestia and Luna. “YOU INSOLENT FOAL!! HAVE YOU NO REALIZATION OF WHAT YOU’VE ALMOST DONE TO YOURSELF!?!” Luna scolded the party pony, wings unfurled and her Royal Canterlot Voice blowing her away like a hurricane. “THESE INSTRUMENTS AND ARTIFACTS HAVE BEEN LOCKED UP IN HERE FOR MANY HUNDREDS OF MOONS FOR A GOOD REASON!! THEY ARE MOST UNPREDICTABLE, UNBEARABLE AND HIGHLY DANGEROUS, EVEN ON THIS DAY!! YOU WILL NOT TOUCH, NOT LOOK OR NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING NEAR THESE DESTRUCTIVE OBJECTS, LEST YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN!! THAT GOES FOR ALL OF YOU, TOO!!” Luna turned and pointed her hoof towards Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy, who all held either one of the tools or one of the dark magic artifacts in their hooves. Quickly, they placed the items back where they belonged and casually whistled or muttered false conversations with each other. Celestia laid her hoof on Luna’s shoulder, who calmed herself with a deep breath. The ivory alicorn levitated the mask back on its original placing and ordered the group to carry on. The group trekked through the deep recesses of the mausoleum of blood-stained devices and gut-wrenching stories of murder and terrorist acts scribed on the parchment paper. The caverns grew darker and darker as they made their way to the back of the caverns, stopping before yet another wooden door. The Everfree Forest wood door was carved in with a crimson symbol on the front, resembling a pony’s skull covered by a pointed hood, a downwards curve drooping from the “jaw joints” with an eye etched at the bottom. Twilight and Harold both froze at the spot. At the moment they looked at the door, they felt a deeper sense of terror build up inside of them once more. For some reason, an internal voice screamed inside of them, warning them of impending danger. It sounded like, “Abandon hope, all ye who enter!” But what was the reason for this fear? Why did they have a premonition that whatever lied beyond that door was something bad? Something beyond scary? Why Harold and Twilight the only ones who felt this disturbance in the air? Whatever the case, there was no turning back now. Celestia had already opened the door, revealing a darker cavern inside, partially lit by a sickly green glow of the crystals. Again, the sinister shadows continued to creep the cavern’s visitors. Everyone slowly stepped inside, already feeling their bodies shudder. The cold, dismal darkness itself terrified the visitors. But Harold and Twilight knew there was something else in the room besides the room itself that scared him witless. That feeling amplified as the door shut behind them, engulfing them in the empty darkness. Celestia and Luna both lit their horns, the crystals stuck in its walls illuminating in reaction. Like a glow-in-the-dark sticker, two different types of crystals lit either a bright golden light or a calming shade of blue. Within minutes, the cave was glowing with the crystals, but it revealed something bad. Something far more evil that the instruments of torture in the corridor. At first glance, the setting itself scared everyone. Applejack whinnied and hid her face in her Stetson hat. Fluttershy yelped and hid herself behind Harold. Rarity fainted with shock. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie zipped to each other and hugged each other for protection. Twilight and Harold were frozen stiff, petrified by what they saw. The front of the room revealed a glass display case, showcasing seven robes colored midnight black with red streaks throughout the cloth. A tome with a seal of golden pony skull in the front and titled with golden ancient Equestrian letters sat open on a rack, revealing black ink written in the same pre-evolved language. In the center of it all was an empty burlap sack, tied around the neck by brown string, adding in seven turquoise beads for both magic and show. The display itself wasn’t what everyone feared the most. They feared the dark stained glass window looming over the case. At the near-bottom of the window, depictions of seven unicorns, all garbed in the same black-and-red cloaks, stood in a perfect U-formation. The center one larger than the other six and their horns sparked with dark lightning, like the same magic Celestia and Luna casted to access this place. In the center of the window, there was a shape, depicting a creature that was neither pony, nor human. It was a centaur... no... ...no, it was a demon, complete with its set of horns spurting from both sides of its head. The upper half of the centaur demon was of a hulking gorilla, muscular and deadly. Its dots made for the eyes were as yellow as fear itself. Its skin was crimson like blood and his beard and sideburns were as white as a phantasm. Its hair, horns and clawed fingernails black as midnight, like the lower half of its body. It wore a black tunic and black wristbands and it carried the same burlap sack in its raised hands. Sprouting from within was like a rainbow, though it was like a serpent with seven hues of black and dark gray, twisting around the top, with seven ghastly figures of the same unicorns embedded it its dark smoke. No one dared to say a word as they looked upon the window. Only Celestia and Luna were the only ones to speak. “This is why we are all here,” Celestia spoke. “This is one who will bring ruin and destruction to Equestria.” Celestia looked to the image in the window herself, riddled with a mixture of fear, terror and seriousness. “His name... is Tirek.”