//------------------------------// // Prelude: Shattered Marble // Story: Night's Magic // by SteampunkBrony //------------------------------// Author's Note: Fillies and gentlecolts, this is the original version of the prelude, however, Starquake One did his own version of it which just blew my mind. Starquake One's Version Now, I know i'm not that good, i'm an ideas guy, so I thank you Starquake, and i'll be improving these first few chapters once I complete this tale. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Darkness… how long has it been now… a month, a year, a millennium? Longer? All because I wished to pursue magic that Celestia deemed "unnatural and revolting"… Luna had helped me near the end… I wonder what has become of her… I hope nothing bad… I know what happened to me… I'm locked in stone, transformed into a statue and now I sit here in the gardens of Canterlot, beneath Celestia's great castle, it's amazing what you can discover about a place with magic and too much time on your hooves. Aside from that I have no other senses, my eyes blinded, my skin numbed, my ears unhearing, even my sense of smell robbed from me in this stone prison. Discord had escaped… and I saw how he did it, and I could do it too, I just need the right moment… wait… is that… it is, it's luna… I wonder if she will recognize me as a statue… hmm her aura is different… purer… wait, purer… by the moon… I did cause her disappearance… that spell that she helped me with must have corrupted her somehow, and I was too blind to see how I was changing her… She's looking at me now, I wonder if she'll try using her magic to see me… all of us… the six of us that once were the greats, myself at magic, the others at art, agriculture, battle, enterprise, and performance… of course that had been long ago but if only I could get a hold of some power I could be free of this, the others can stay… they all got what they deserved. Art was obsessed with creating perfection… so he tried to harness the princes' life essence to wipe the country clean and start over with everything his image of perfection. Battle had tried to expand Equestria through conquest and nearly got the nation destroyed because of it. Enterprise had tried to take over Equestra through money so he could rule over everything. Performance tried to use her skills and charisma to start a rebellion. Agriculture… well he arrived after me but he was so full of hate I have an idea of why she would petrify him… As for me… I don't deserve this… I simply wanted to research black magic, the dark arts. Magic that no one understood. Gather the knowledge about it so that I could better Equestria… But she damned me to this fate of being locked in stone... Wait… what's this… is she? She is! She's examining me with magic! oh by the moo- wait… she recoiled… It's me luna, help me! for the love of the night! please… she ran…. by the moon why would she run? why… now other ponies are looking… wait could this be my chance? they are focusing on me… this could be my only chance… -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- in the gardens -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "Why did the princess run like that?" one of the three unicorns who witnessed the events asked. "I don't know… she seemed rather intent on that statue until she screamed and bolted…. perhaps something to do with that?" "Yeah… perhaps…" a third, a unicorn said. "I'm gonna try something…" "Okay then…" the second said as the unicorn concentrated. "By Celestia… there's a spirit in that statue!" "WHAT?" the first and second said in unison as they too concentrated and reached out with their magic. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- They are reaching out… now is my chance… -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The skies over Canterlot were suddenly overtaken by a whirling storm as the three unicorns near the statue fell over, the glow from their horns being drawn into the statue. Cracks formed over the alabaster surface as three royal guards rushed to where the statue was, unsure of what was happening. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I've almost done it… I can feel the spell breaking! just a little more… -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- As the three guards rushed in, the cracks spread along the white stone, a black mist seeping through them. they tried to awaken the unicorns before one of them noticed the mist. "Wh- what in Celestia's name?" one guard stammered, looking at the statue. "What is is Brightmane?" Another said looking up. "The statue! look at it!" Brightmane said. "Starwatch, go get more backup, if Discord was any indication we're going to need more he-" the leader of the three was cut off by a loud blast as the statue exploded in a wave of magical energy. Coughing from the dust the guards got back to their hooves as something moved in the blast's crater. "What happened?" Brightmane asked. "Is Everypony all right!" The three froze as a teleportation spell carried of the pony shape in the crater. "Brightmane…. alert the princesses… this can not be good!" the leader said again, looking around for the unicorns. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- on a hill in the Everfree near Ponyville -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A lone grey and black unicorn materialized in a flash of light, standing only for a moment before collapsing to the ground. Pained, ragged breathing came from him as his sides heaved with the effort of just breathing, he remained there for a moment, before he lifted his head, and a low, dark laugh began. The animals that inhabited the night around that hill, the chirping insects, the owls and bats, the predators, and the prey all fell silent as the laugh gained intensity and insanity, rising in volume as the unicorn's head fell back to the grass. They all fled the scene at a crazed shout that echoed through the forest… "i. am. FREE!" -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Author's Note Thanks for reading, I will be continuing this as I get the muse to, hopefully I can keep the character's consistent. If you notice anything wrong please feel free to let me know in the comments, constructive criticism helps make better writers after all. inspired by: Garden Party: Petrified