//------------------------------// // Old Stories, New Worries // Story: The Changeling Who Broke The World // by Bucking Nonsense //------------------------------// "Gather 'round, little ones, and I shall tell you a tale..." One year ago... Morning Glory listened in rapt attention as Miss Butterbean began to read aloud from the book in front of her. While Glory was already reading at a level several grades higher than anypony else in the orphanage, the young filly could not deny that there was a kind of magic in a story read aloud... As the other youngsters took their seats, Glory could not help but feel a little annoyed: At the Cloudsdale Orphanage, she stuck out like a diamond dog at a cat show. The other youngsters were all either unicorns or pegasai. She was the only earth pony in the group. She was thankful, though, that the other orphans were not the cruel or vicious type, else she would no doubt have been the target of merciless bullying. Instead, she just... didn't have any friends. At all. Smiling cheerfully, the rotund mare began, saying in an almost sing-song voice, "Now, back when the world was young, everything worked without ponies, or anyone else, having to do anything. The sun rose and fell on its own, as did the moon. The seasons turned without anypony needing to do a thing to move the snow or to make the leaves fall or anything like that. The world was in balance, in a perfect state of harmony." "But while the world might have been in harmony, the ones who lived upon it were not. Ponies, and in fact all creatures everywhere, bickered and fought against one another constantly. And during this time, when few, if any, of the creatures who lived upon this world were willing to work together for a brighter tomorrow, he appeared." The emphasis upon that last part made it clear that, whoever this individual was, he was bad with a capital Bee Ai Dee. "To this day, no one can remember who or what he was, save that he was a wizard, and one more powerful than any other that has ever lived. Worse, perhaps, was the fact that he was selfish, greedy, and arrogant. He did not care about others, and did not spare a thought concerning how his actions might harm others. He was, in many ways, a reflection of the times that had given birth to him. And when he discovered just how powerful he truly was, in comparison to others, he decided to do something truly terrible..." "He crafted a powerful relic, the likes of which the world has never seen, before or since. While none can remember what it was called, all can remember what it did: It allowed him to control every aspect of this world." That didn't sound good... "Suddenly, the harmony of the world was gone: The sun rose and set, not in their stately order, but at the whims of this terrible wizard. The seasons changed, not in their expected order, but whenever he felt they should. Weather changed in the blink of an eye, from rain to sun to snow, then back again. Even time itself would run at whatever speed amused this terrible tyrant, running fast, slow, or even in reverse, if it should amuse him to do so." Shaking her head sadly, Miss Butterbean said, "And each time he imposed his selfish will upon the world, it caused disasters to occur across the entire planet. Even the smallest change caused nightmarish calamities to spring forth. Protected by his relic, the tyrant unleashed calamities across the planet without any care for whom he hurt. The world could not long bear this wizard's cruel and petty manipulations." "And so, a group of brave and powerful wizards banded together, setting aside their differences in the hopes of stopping this deranged lunatic before his actions destroyed the entire world." "The evil one soon learned of their campaign against him, and set every conceivable obstacle against them. Using his dark and twisted magic, in combination with his all-powerful relic, he summoned forth armies of terrible monsters, and set them loose upon the world. It was a long and terrible battle to reach the dark wizard's citadel, and of the wizards who had banded together to stop the terrible tyrant, only three of the original one hundred remained standing." "A terrible battle took place, and while the brave wizards tried their hardest, their foe was too powerful for the three of them to overcome. And then, one of the wizards came up with a desperate plan. Mustering what little was left of his strength, he unleashed a powerful bolt of energy... which he used to shatter the evil tyrant's relic." This drew gasps from all of the colts and fillies assembled, and Miss Butterbean paused for a moment before she continued. "When the relic was shattered, the tyrant's control over the world was lost, and his own magical power, since it was tied into the relic, was greatly diminished. The three wizards were able to subdue their foe, but with the relic broken, they could not set right what the tyrant, in his arrogance, had set wrong. Worse, when the relic broke, everything stopped. Yes, time still moved forward, but the seasons did not change, the weather did not change, nor did the sun nor moon rise or set. The wizards of the world had to work together in order to keep the world working as it should." "When confronted about his destruction of the relic, the wizard responsible had this to say: Had he and his companions failed to stop the tyrant, his actions would have eventually destroyed the world. Instead, they were fortunate that, instead, the shattering of the relic had only broken the world instead. Once destroyed, the world would be gone. However, since it was only broken, there is a hope that, one day, the world might be mended." "And that is why, little ones, it is important that we all strive to think of others and work together, rather than thinking only of ourselves. After all, it only took one wizard to break the world... and even now, eons later, no one has succeeded in fixing it." ------------------------------------ Now... Galaxy turned at the sound of pounding at her front door. The invasion had ended but a few hours ago, and the invaders had been repelled successfully. Still, given all that had happened, she couldn't be blamed for her heart suddenly skipping a beat at the sudden, noisy interruption. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she approached the door, and opened it. In front of her was a portly pegasus mare, butter yellow coat and a bright green mane. She carried a satchel across her back, and it was clear that it was stuffed nearly to capacity. She was clearly out of breath, and the way her wings were fluttering, it was clear that she had flown a very long way very quickly. As soon as the door was open, she blurted out, "My name is Butterbean. I run the orphanage at Cloudsdale. Have you seen a little filly, about five years old, with a pink coat, purple mane, and blue eyes? Answers to the name of Morning Glory?" Taken aback by the sudden torrent of information and questions, it took Galaxy a moment to form a response. After a moment, she answered, "No, I have not." After a moment, she asked, "Why would you think that she would be here?" Bluntly, the pegasus stated, "Because she's your daughter." Galaxy, principal of Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, said, "I... I don't know what you're..." "Don't lie," Butterbean said, interrupting her. "Do you really think I wouldn't be here if I didn't do any research? I've known that she was your daughter since the day after she tried to enroll into the School For Gifted Unicorns." A voice from upstairs called down, asking, "Mommy? Who's at the door?" "It's just a visitor, sweetie," Galaxy called over her shoulder, then turned back towards Butterbean and said, apologetically, "My sister's daughter. It's... it's a long story." An eyebrow raised, Butterbean said, "I imagine it must be." Shaking her head, the pegasus said, "It's not important right now. Glory's been missing all day, and she'd left a note saying she was coming to Canterlot. I thought that she'd be here, but if she isn't, I'll have to look elsewhere." She turned to leave... -------------------------------- Butterbean was stopped from taking off when the mare behind her said, "Wait." The pegasus turned around, and took in the unicorn again with a critical eye. A pink coat, with bright pink eyes, and a tri-colored mane of red, pink, and white, with a pair of spectacles balance upon her muzzle, she was... attractive, in a bookish kind of way. Her mark was a collection of seven dark pink stars in the shape of a constellation. Butterbean, who'd been heavy all her life, couldn't help but feel a little envious, but that was a secondary concern right now. Morning Glory came first... "If you have something that belongs to her," Galaxy stated, "I know a number of spells that we can use to track her down." Nodding, Butterbean said, "Alright. I have her favorite hairbrush right here. Let me just dig it out..."