//------------------------------// // The Tale of the Three Sisters (REWRITE) // Story: The Tale of the Three Sisters // by idontevengohereanymoreso //------------------------------// Long ago, in the magical land of Equestria, peace lived in the earth. In this place there was beauty like never seen before, because none had ever tried so hard to achieve it. Long ago, before the land was conquered by the three tribes, it could be called beautiful by itself. Millions of forests that blanketed the land, separated by bountiful meadows. Rivers cut through the land, diverting off into the smallest brooks by which the animals drank. The mountain ranges soared high, and if one were to climb them, it was said that they would see all of Equestria itself. This land was pure, untainted by so much as a hoofprint. That was before the tribes came, bringing the Windigoes with them. For even in this new land, they brought their petty squabbles along. In the tales of the founding of Equestria, they say their conflict lasted barely a few hours. Maybe a day. This is gravely wrong. The Windigoes could not extinguish their power so soon, but kept the ponies alive while their power spread. Weeks passed, then months. The cold spirits consumed their hatred, and since it was so great they could only grow stronger. The beasts howled in delight as freezing winds spread across the once gorgeous land, bathing it in ice. The trees groaned and splintered under the enormous weight of the snow, and sunny fields held no warmth. The streams froze solid, and the animals had no choice but to hide or flee from the stinging winds. Where there had once been paradise now lay a frozen wasteland. When the ponies had finally destroyed the spirits, they were horrified at what they had done to this land they wished to claim. They simply could not leave, find another place untainted like before, no. To do so would repeat their follies. The tribes had done this to the land. And they would fix it. The tale of their cleansing would take far too long to tell. Their struggle to right their wrongs as great, but hoof in hoof, they pushed on. For years and years the cleaned the land of snow and ice, cracking the frozen rivers and shoveling the snow away. The unicorns continued to raise the sun, melting the tundras so that the earth ponies could farm the land. The pegasi moved the clouds away and watered the crops. And slowly through the huge effort, the tribes created a tradition that would stay through thousands of years, all tribes working together to wrap up winter. After over a decade, it was done. The only part not cleansed of the ice was the far north, which was far too cold to melt. The ponies rejoiced once their task was done; but something was wrong. Though the trees were free of snow, they still bent and groaned. The rivers still flowed, but the fish and animals did not return. Even though they had rid the land of winter, its consequences remained. But what could they do? They could not fix the trees or bring the creatures back. They couldn't make the meadows glow once more like they had long ago. They could not fix this like they thought they could. And the ponies survived, but their mistakes continued to weigh them down. Until the Sisters came. Long ago, in the magical land of Equestria, there lived three sisters. The youngest sister held the power to raise the moon, bringing night upon the land and sleep upon its inhabitants. Her coat was midnight blue, her mane was a shimmering sky of stars. The middle sister raised the sun, bringing light and therefore life to the ponies. Her coat was the purest of whites with the smallest tint of the morning sunrise, and her mane was a long cascade of pastels, always moving in a nonexistent breeze. But the Eldest was the most powerful of all. For the Eldest held the magic of controlled the earth they stood on. With her power, the fields glowed golden and the dead forests thrived once more. It hurt her to see the land in such disarray, the ponies' hearts and eyes so dark. So she summoned her magic and mended the earth. Her power was none to be trifled with. She could raise whole mountains, and then easily smash them down again. Ponies whispered that she was the goddess of the world itself, that she kept the earth alive. This was not true, of course. The Eldest had felt the earth's pain, and done everything in her power to help. Her coat was a light viridian, which contrasted to her jade mane, which swirled with flowers and wheat. Together, the three sister alicorns regained the peace the land had long ago, and ruled Equestria in happiness. Then, a shadow crossed over the land. A monster came. He had the body of a large black pony, but at the base of his neck, where the head would emerge, there was a Minotaur-like torso. He had two black horns and poisonous yellow eyes, pupils black slits. He was not as fast as a Timberwolf. He was not as big or strong as a dragon. He could not turn ponies to stone with one look, like a cockatrice. He couldn't dig through the earth like a Diamond Dog. He wasn't even that scary, by appearance. The monster's name was Tirek. He held a dark and terrible magic, one so horrible, it had been hidden by whatever creatures lived there past, for fear it would fall into the wrong hands. And yes, it truly did, and in one of the worst hands possible. It was a darkness that could take the very magic that gave the ponies their light. Their joyful thoughts would turn sour, and darkness would corrupt them, stealing every last bit of all that gave them reason to live. Their cutie marks vanished and their pupils grew clouded. He stole the very magic from their being. And with every pony he drained, he only grew stronger. Tirek only hungered for power. It did not matter what he crushed in his path. He had an darkness in his mind that could not be cured; and he used that darkness to turn ponies. He had already drained hundreds before the Sisters came to stop him. The sisters were horrified to see what had once been happy being who once laughed and loved now shells of themselves, only able to cower at the feet of Tirek. An anger alighted itself in their eyes. Any other would quail at seeing this blazing anger, but he was no other. He refused to have his army fight the sisters, and said he would fight only the Eldest. She accepted, much to the wild protesting of her sisters. And they fought. Anypony who saw them would say they were not mortals, but gods. Lightning crackled with intensity as they fought, and the ground rippled and shook every time their horns clashed. It went on for days. Then, weeks. Months passed as these immortals battled. Finally, one stood above the body of the other. Then, the Eldest smiled wearily, took a step towards her sisters, and collapsed. Tirek had been defeated. A century passed, and all was well again. The Eldest had recovered, and now she and her siblings were flying over a small town near their castle. Then, a sudden pain wracked through the her mind, and a dark blast of crackling energy shot from her horn, hitting a space at the edge of the town. Suddenly, dark, ragged trees shot up from the ground, soon creating a shadowy forest. Only beasts and monsters lived within, slaying any innocent that dared to enter. The Eldest was horrified at what she had done, and fled to the castle, locking herself in her room. There, she gazed inside herself, and what she saw shocked her. A black seed, with several dark roots in her heart. For as the Eldest had struck the killing blow, Tirek had used his magic to place a seed into her heart, knowing one day it would grow and turn her to shadow. She would become the monster he had been, and with her magic, none would be able to defeat her. The Eldest cried that night, not in pity for herself, but because she knew what she had to do. She told her sisters, begged her not to carry it out, that they would find another way. She desperately wanted to believe them. But with a heavy heart, she knew she had to save her kingdom, and her sisters with it. In a cavern, deep below the earth's surface, the Eldest stood before her only family. She placed a crown on the middle sister, and told her to take care of the youngest. She then turned to her younger and opened her mouth, but before she could get a word out, the younger leaped forward in a tearful hug. Holding back her emotions, the Eldest embraced both her sisters. They stayed there, hugging, for what seemed much too short of a time for all of them. Then,with tears sliding down her cheeks, the Eldest broke the embrace, and with one sad smile, she backed away into a much smaller cave and closed her eyes. Then, harnessing all her power, she grew a nearly impenetrable wall around her, sealing the cave off. "Goodbye." Thousands and thousands of centuries passed. The Middle and Younger sister ruled Equestria in Harmony. But the Younger grew jealous of the older, as all the ponies played and sang in her glorious day, but shunned and slept through her own beautiful night. Her jealousy went so far, she turned into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. With a heavy heart, the older had to harness the Elements of Harmony, and banished her younger sister to the moon for a thousand years. When the younger finally returned, six mares, the Element Bearers, cured her of her darkness. And all was well again.... Then, as a newly crowned alicorn sang out how everything was going to be just fine, deep underground, in a desolate cavern.... A crack appeared.