NOTE: Before you start complaining, that this doesn't follow canon, please read the Author's notes.
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In the time before time… there were the four.
Two pairs of siblings. One, a pair of opposites. The other a pair of complements. Where they came from, no pony, dragon, gryphon, dog, changeling, or any other creature that walks our dear Equus knows. Nor are they ever to know, for these mysteries are locked, even to the four of which we speak. Should they ever grace our world again, they would tell us nothing.
The first of four was Galaxion, the Alicorn of Space. With coat of deep indigo and a mane of swirling vortexes of stars, he controlled the ebb and flow of the cosmos itself. Matter sprung to existence at his beck and call and galaxies moved before his might. Where he went, all of space bent to his will, eager to please its master.
The second of four was his sister Calendra, the Alicorn of Time. She bore a coat of gold and a mane unto sparkling sand, as the sand of an ever-flowing hourglass. From her vantage, she could see all of infinity, what was and what would ever be in the endless choices to come of the multiverse. She could exist wherever and whenever she pleased.
The third of four was of the other siblings. She was Faust, the Alicorn of Life, she had a coat of purest white and a mane as red as the fires of life itself. Where’er her hooves trod, life would spring into existence behind her, flourishing and thriving.
The last of four was her brother and opposite. He was Thanatos, the Alicorn of Death. He wore a coat as black as pitch and a mane to match. Though he were Faust’s antithesis, they did not quarrel as each understood the other was necessary. Where he walked, life would crumble and decay. Out of respect for his sister, rare it was that his hooves would touch ground, instead choosing to hover on his six great black wings, only touching ground whenever he got tired. It is said that great cataclysms occur whenever Thanatos tires.
And so the four were released unto the vastness of the cosmos free to go wherever they pleased and do whatever they wished. And so they lived, and this was enough for a while.
But as the four did explore the universe, they began to find other living beings. Life beyond imagination existed out in the cosmos of unimaginable shapes and forms, from beings made of stone and earth, to beings made of energy, to beings made of metal and fuel. Beings that lived but nanoseconds that could only be observed by ones as divine as the four, to beings that were as eternal as they.
And so the four began to wonder as the euphoria of discovery gave way to questions with no answers: If they exist and are many, why do we exist and yet are few?
And after much deliberation, the four came to an agreement: That there must be more of them.
Galaxion took Faust as his wife, as Thanatos did Calendra. And so they set about the task of creating life such as they. And soon, Faust found herself with foal.
The four did settle upon a barren ball of molten rock and metal in the middle of empty space. Galaxion shaped the world into a suitable home for the soon-to-be five, as Calendra and Thanatos cooled the fires that would burn their new member. And so, upon their little floating rock, Galaxion, Calendra, and Thanatos waited and watched, giving Faust whatever she desired while she was carrying the new life.
As Faust waited she sowed the seeds of the new world. Her breath filled the world with the seeds that would one day become life on our fair planet. And it was not long to pass that she found herself giving birth to her first daughter.
As her companions watched the Alicorn of Life give birth to another, they were stunned to see a fire alight in the sky, coalescing into a star, smaller than any they had ever seen, which quickly took orbit around the world they had made into their home. And as the star came to be fully formed, so too did Faust’s labor finish. The first of the Alicorn Children, Celestia, was born.
And so did Faust lick her child clean, the waters of her womb becoming the oceans and rivers we know today, and the new sun shining upon the world giving the final spark needed to cause the seeds of her breath to grow and flourish into forests and meadows and jungles across the world. Their home, once a barren rock, was now green and blue with life and color.
The four saw that this was good, and so Thanatos and Calendra went about making their own child as Celestia grew and played. Galaxion took charge of the sun until his daughter came of age and Faust nursed the foal from her teat. In time, Calendra gave birth to Katonda; he who sees the path ahead. The second of the Alicorn Children.
The four were overjoyed with their new children, and so they set about making as many as they could, for truly there was no greater joy than parenthood; than making something new of your own flesh and blood. And so the twins Everflora and Everfauna, were born of Faust’s womb. The third and fourth of the Alicorn Children. Upon Everflora’s birth, the trees and meadows bowed to her, and upon Everfauna’s birth, the race of creatures known as the “critters” was created. The first and oldest race, not particularly intelligent, but infinitely tenacious, determined to live at any cost. The critters, endless in shape and size and habit, found refuge among Everflora’s forests and meadows.
Upon seeing what Everfauna had done as a mere babe, Celestia and Katonda found themselves inspired to create creatures of their own. And so Celestia and Katonda, with the help of Faust, created the first of the sapient races. And so it was that the Unicorns and the Zebras came to be. Everflora too would soon come to desire a race of her own, and so, with the help of her mother, came the Ents, the Treants, the Squatches, and the Timberwolves. At Celestia’s request, she also created another race with the help of her sister and her mother; that of the Earth Ponies, so that the Unicorns would no longer be lonely as the sole race of ponies short of the Alicorns themselves. And so the early mortal races rejoiced.
Meanwhile, Thanatos and Calendra were celebrating the birth of their own set of twins: Alatamus and Ridiculum. The fifth and sixth of the Alicorn Children, they of justice, law, and order, and anarchy, lies, and trickery respectively. The two brought a twisted sense of balance between the already existing races through their own quarreling. And so an odd sense of harmony was born between order and chaos. While the world could be a dangerous, sometimes unforgiving place, there would always be a sort of equilibrium. Celestia found herself getting along well with both her cousins and often became the mediator between their disputes. With the help of their dear aunt, they also brought to being many races including the Donkeys, the Buffalo, the Elk, the Deer, the Bovines, the Sheep, the Horses, and the Pigs, each of them in some way similar to the harmonious pony races, and yet slightly twisted as per Ridiculum’s whims. Ridiculum would also later experiment on the side with his own races, including the Mimickers, the Imps, and the Trolls. Not one to be outdone by his brother, Alatamus countered by creating the Kirin, the Diamond Dogs, and the Cuddle Cats.
Next to be born was Pyrus; Faust’s first son and seventh of the Alicorn Children. At his birth, the fires of the planet roared in triumph and glee. Volcanoes sprung from the ground, burbling with magma, and heated vents opened on the ocean floor. And so, in time, did Pyrus create the Dragons, Salamanders, Phoenixes and Kitsunes with the help of his mother.
The eighth and ninth Alicorn Children were to follow: Scolaris and Taliesia, son and daughter of Thanatos and Calendra. Scolaris gave unto the races of the world knowledge and wisdom and Taliesia gave unto them creativity and passion. Scolaris would inspire the races to learn and observe the world around them, teaching facts and numbers and sciences, while Taliesia would inspire the races to create beautiful works of art, dance, and theatre.
Soon after followed Cataegis, the tenth of the Alicorn Children. The winds howled and cheered at his coming and the sky was suddenly filled with creatures of all sorts that glided on the air. The Alicorn of wind and ice would soon be inspired by his sister Celestia to make two new races, the Pegasi and the Gryphons, who would fly on the air and rule the sky together. The Pegasi became fast friends with the Earth Ponies and the Gryphons would become friends with the race that would follow the next child.
Niketas was born to Calendra and Thanatos and through each and every race there shot a sense of fighting spirit; a passion hitherto yet unknown. The eleventh Alicorn Child would come to be known as the Alicorn of Glorious Battle and Honorable Combat, and his race was the Minotaurs, with strength rivaled only by the Earth Ponies. The Minotaurs were characterized by insatiable lust, but for what differed between each of them, whether it be wealth, power, love, or knowledge. The other races too received this gift, but to nowhere near the extent of the spirited Minotaurs.
Then to come was Aquaria, the twelfth of the Alicorn Children. The oceans sprang to life with untold amounts of new creatures at her birth to Faust and Galaxion. Waves crashed and seas stormed in her presence. In time, with the help of her mother, she would come to help make the Seaponies, the Octoponies, the Squids, the Marshfolk, and the Sea Serpents
The thirteenth of the Alicorn Children was Materna, the alicorn of motherhood. At her presence, each and every one of the races found themselves fertile and fruitful. And so new life found itself sown across the land without need for Faust’s aid. Materna herself created the Flutterponies and the Crystal Ponies with the help of her aunt, two races meant to spread love and cheer across the planet.
Alas, not long before the birth of Faust’s next child did disaster strike, for by this point Thanatos had been hovering for millenia and his wings did tire. And so, for a split second did he deign it safe to rest. Alas, that was too long, and so did a great earthquake strike the planet, causing death and destruction to reign across the land. Thousands died in the catastrophe and the ensuing chaos that followed, and though Materna’s gift allowed them the means to recover, the races knew death for the first time and it frightened them.
Faust tried to alleviate the pain with her next child, Interitum, the fourteenth Alicorn Child. Interitum would be the herald of the afterlife, known as the Warden of Tartarus and the Gatekeeper of Elysium. He was the keeper of the secrets of reincarnation and the master of the underworld. With his help, the souls of the newly dead had a place to go, and eventually, if they so chose, to be reincarnated.
He too created a race with the help of his mother. The Tartarus Ponies were hairless creatures with skin so pale it was literally transparent, allowing anyone to see the bones, blood, and organs pulsating within. Alas, the ponies and other races had grown fearful of new things in the wake of the catastrophe, and so the Tartarus Ponies were shunned, relegated to working in the Underworld with Interitum.
Faust and Galaxion grew desperate, distressed at how the races of the world treated their child but were determined to try again. And so they bore one last foal: The fifteenth Alicorn Child, Luna. And as she was born, so sprung into existence a great light in the sky that lit up the night. And so the moon came to exist, and all those that dwelled upon it. The races, while wary, were thankful for the light that lit up the sky, making the night slightly less frightful and more readily accepted Luna than they did the dreary Interitum. And so, when she came of age, Luna, with the help of her mother, created the last of the pony races: the Kestrals, better known as Batponies.
Alas, the creation of the moon was too little too late. Fear had seeped into the hearts of each and every being upon the world. Fear of death. Fear of the death of their loved ones. Fear of each other, lest somebody cause their death. Fear of the pain that inevitably comes with death. And this fear of death turned into a fear of a great many irrational things.
The fear was twisted over time, no matter how much the Alicorns tried to help their mortal friends. The fear twisted itself into anger, and eventually into hate, and thus doom was spelled.
The four took no alarm when Calendra once again found herself pregnant. The four simply thought that there would be one more child to add to their brood. Alas, they could not have known that this child was the spawn, not just of Calendra and Thanatos, but also the collective hate and fear of the world. And so was born Tyrannus, the last Alicorn Child.
Tyrannus was not like the other Alicorn Children. Where his siblings were filled with wonder and love for their world, Tyrannus was only filled with malice and cynicism. When his siblings attempted to get along with him, he would shun them, only to later complain that nobody spent any time with him. When his siblings encouraged him to create, all he would do is destroy.
Tyrannus would go on to make the demons and monsters that roam the land, not with the help of his aunt, but by twisting the creations of his siblings and cousins. But he did not stop there. Tyrannus spent eons studying and creating the blackest of black arts and, perfecting his technique, managed to summon a horrendous being from beyond space itself called the Sm’uuz. And thus Tyrannus began the second great catastrophe.
Unleashing his horde of monsters across the world, Tyrannus ravaged the world of mortals and the races quivered before his might. The Alicorns, which would have normally helped and saved their people from destruction, were forced instead to contend with Tyrannus himself and his enslaved outsider.
Tyrannus cackled and gloated before them. “Look now,” he said, “As all your harmony and creation falls apart before me. What good is your harmony? What good is creation when with but a whim I can tear it all apart or corrupt it to my whim?” And thus, Tyrannus corrupted himself with the aid of the Sm’uuz. Transforming himself into a demonic, horrifying centaur, he dubbed himself Tirek and set about the conquest of the world the four had created with their children.
The battle lasted eons, and none of the Alicorns made it out unscathed. Materna was the worst affected, being swallowed by the Sm’uuz and distorted and transformed at its corrupting touch. Upon being ejected from its scummy maw, her legs had rotted through and her hide had turned black and her hair had turned green and stringy. Taliesia and Ridiculum too were affected, though they would not know it until much later. The others merely felt the trauma of battle, though it was enough to bring each of them low.
Meanwhile, the planet below suffered. Without the guiding hoof of the Alicorns, the mortals were left to fend for themselves. The Flutterponies suffered the worst, as when Materna was corrupted by the Sm’uuz, they in their eternal connection to her, were as well. The rest of the mortal races were simply hunted and devoured by the legions of Tyrannus’ monsters. In the eons of chaos, all the history and friendships that the mortal races had forged was lost. Centuries of knowledge from the golden ages were forgotten, and alliances that had once been second nature became enmities. The Gryphons and the pegasi in particular fought bloodily, and the pony races each became hostile and suspicious of one another. Diamond Dogs and Buffalo began to feel a most extreme prejudice between one another, and the newly dubbed “Changelings” that were once the Flutterponies became hostile towards all, but most especially the Crystal Ponies. Out of all of this hatred was a new race born: the Windigoes, who sought nothing more than to freeze the world under their cold, unfeeling, ethereal hooves.
Finally, the battle was won. The Four and the Fifteen won the battle against Tirek and the Sm’uuz. Sealing the Sm’uuz and Tirek away in Tartarus where Interitum would forever guard them, Thanatos struck the final blow against his own son. Wielding his massive scythe, Thanatos castrated his son, the flesh falling into the sea below them. Thanatos then stabbed him through the chest with his blade. Leaving it embedded in his son’s core as the other Alicorns banished him too to Tartarus.
The Alicorns returned to the planet, broken but victorious. Alas, the world they returned to was not the one they set out to save. Tirek’s demons and monsters had ravaged the land beyond recognition. The mortal races all stood at each others’ throats, twisted and furious as the monsters that Tirek bent to his whim. The Alicorns mourned the loss of their paradise.
Thanatos blamed himself for the destruction. Were it not for his first catastrophe, the mortals would not have felt fear, and were it not for his son, the world would not have been twisted so. Thanatos fled the planet to the center of the universe, where he would remain until the death of the universe itself.
Calendra mourned, but did not allow herself respite. The battle had weakened the fabric of space and time and she vowed that she had to make sure that no other horrors such as the Sm’uuz wormed their way into the universe. She and Galaxion left the planet to travel the universe and make sure that nothing else attempted to destroy reality as the Sm’uuz had.
Only Faust was left on the planet with her children and nieces and nephews. She looked upon the broken and bloodied faces of her children and saw the pain in their hearts. She offered each of them the choice to forget the battle… to forget the beginning… to forget it all and end the pain.
The Alicorn Children took it.
The Alicorn Children each took a form they felt to be most suiting of them and found a place to rest and sequestered themselves away. Celestia retained her usual form of a winged white pony with a fluted horn and pink mane, then slumbered within her sun. Katonda took the form of a winged and horned zebra and slept atop Mount Kilomonzebro; the highest mountain in the savannah that would one day be known as Zebrica. Everflora took the form of a horned and winged pony with a coat made of grass and legs made of bark and a mane of vines. Everfauna took the form of a shaggy horned and winged clydesdale, with claws upon her hooves and fangs in her mouth. Together, they constructed a castle deep in the forest known as Everfree, and there they slumbered. Alatamus took the form of a great diamond dog and slumbered deep in a cave in the middle of nowhere, while Ridiculum lay with Taliesia, the both of them becoming strange mishmashes of chimeras, in an act they would come to regret most dearly. Pyrus took the form of a great red dragon and slept in the most violent volcano on the planet. Scolaris took the form of naught but a small mouse and slept in his archives deep beneath the planet’s crust. Cataegis slept upon a cloud perched above the tallest mountain in the windiest mountain range of the earth, becoming a massive, slate-grey gryphon. Niketas slept in a sealed chamber below his most favored coliseum, taking the form of a winged Minotaur. Aquaria slept in the deepest trench in her beloved ocean having become part sea pony and part sea serpent. Materna, who now called herself by a different name, constructed her own palace of wax and ichor in the middle of the badlands, and slept within, maintaining her corrupted form from the fight with the Sm’uuz but opting it to armor it with an exoskeleton, like an insect’s. Interitum slept within his underworld, taking the form of a winged, horned tartarus pony. And poor little Luna slept in a palace upon her moon, following her eldest sister’s lead and retaining her form of an indigo horned, winged pony with a light blue mane.
Each of them slept as long as they needed to recuperate from the battle. And as they slept and their dreams took hold, they each began to forget. They forgot their birth, the creation of the mortal races, and the horrible battle that took place as their minds and bodies rested. But they did not forget each other, and while they did not remember the roles they played in the creation of the world, they did not forget their loving parents, aunts, and uncles. They would wake whenever they woke, rested, but confused, and entering a world that would no longer remember them. A chance for a fresh start if there ever was one.
Meanwhile, Faust would watch over the world they created, making sure that life would continue to thrive. While her children and nieces and nephews would not remember the horrors that came before, she would. And she would never let such a thing happen again. For the life on this planet was hers, and she would protect it at all costs.
And so time passed. Millennia flew by as Faust maintained silent vigil. Eventually, the mortal races would forget all about what happened and they would form their own histories, theories, and religions that would attempt to explain what happened to bring the world about, why there were so many monsters roaming the countryside, and why all other races were inferior to they.
The golden age was long over, and the dark age had long since begun.
...eventually, the Windigoes would return, and the world would freeze.