The second Cicada closed the door behind her, she dropped her disguise. Twilight and the others had gone back to catch a train to Ponyville. It was strange. She had known them for only a day and already they were friends. She was starting to feel sad that eventually she would have to go back to her own home and only have her world’s version of them.
“Lila! I’m home!” The changeling called out.
It didn’t take too long before the bird flew down from upstairs. She quickly perched herself on Cicada’s back, being careful not to dig her claws into her owner.
“I got this book to start looking at. Apparently it’s got some of the oldest legends from this Equestria. Maybe some of the legends here and the ones from home.”
The queen started up the stairs to the office. She set the book down before pulling up a chair. Next, she grabbed a few scrolls to take notes on as well as an ink bottle. “Lila? If you don’t mind, could I..?”
She didn’t have to finish as Lila plucked out one of her navy feathers. Cicada clipped the end of the feather and put a quill tip on it. She dipped the quill in the ink and let it hover over the first scroll. She moved the book closer and they opened it.
Years and years ago, to long for anypony to count, Equus appeared from almost nothing. Only the being known as Faust existed, and she is what created the universe. For the beginning of the planet’s life, Faust lived by herself, caring for all the plants and animals. Eventually, she became lonely, and decided to make two children for herself. The first one she named Lucia. The second she named Umbris.
Cicada looked at the pictures that were given for each of the names in the book. There was a Faust in her Equestria, but here, she was pictured as an Alicorn, not a changeling.
“Does that mean that’s the whole reason our worlds are different?” Cicada said making a note on her scroll.
Then she looked at the pictures for Lucia and Umbris. Lucia looked like she was parts griffon, pony, breezie and maybe buffalo. She also, wasn’t fully sure, but the picture also suggested maybe she was part sphynx.
The picture of Umbris looked like a changeling and minotaur centaur with thestral wings, a dragon’s tail and the arms of a diamond dog. There was also a gem in his chest, but she wasn’t sure where that was from. The more Cicada looked at his picture, the more she felt she had seen it before. Like in her dreams or something like that.
Turning her attention back to the words, the queen began to read again.
The three of them lived on Equus with just them for a longer time than Faust had been by herself, but eventually, they felt lonely again, and a the two siblings started to grow apart trying to decided who their mother liked best. Eventually, Lucia decided to make her own children and created a small group of sentients which were the first alicorns.
Umbris became angry because she had been able to give them parts of the powers he only had. She told her brother it wouldn’t matter since she made so few. In response, her brother created his own race which became changelings. He too gave them some of his sister’s powers but while he made many, Umbris made sure they were not as powerful.
Eventually, the two created race after race, populating the planet. In the end Lucia had made one last race much like the alicorn but only with one of its powers in each of the three types creating ponies.
Trying to make his own race like the ponies, Umbris created the thestrals to live with the ponies. In the end, his changelings were still his favorite.
Faust looked at how her two children had populated Equus with their creations, but she favored Lucia’s more. Umbris grew angry that his mother had chosen his sister who had taken his powers for her own race and tried to battle his own sister for control of Equus.
In the end, Lucia won and she gave her ponies rule over a large land mass which would someday become Equestria. Changeling eventually became the enemies of ponies and were sent to a place where hopefully they would never be seen again.
Cicada wrote down a few more notes from the story. “Lucia and Umbris… Lucia and Umbris… The more I hear their names, the more they sound familiar. Can you think of anything Lila?”
The nightshade phoenix shook her head. “I just can’t think of where I’ve heard it.”
Cicada yawned. “It’s been a long day. I know it’s early, but maybe I should head in for the night. Who knows, maybe sleeping will get me to think of it.
The changeling went over to the room she had picked as her own. She got in her bed, and Lila landed on the perch she had gotten for her pet while out shopping for furniture. After the two were settled, Cicada turned out the light, and tried to get to sleep. It didn’t take long for her to drift off and start to dream.
In her dream, Cicada saw a figure. She couldn’t fully recognise it, but it made her feel like it was someone she knew, someone she had grown up with. Was it her mom?
‘I’m here. Right here. You know me. Was I wrong? Was she right? It’s better here. Maybe I should come and fix it. But do you need help? She is waking up. I don’t know if I can. Will you live long enough for me to help? Let me help. I can make it better. It will be worse if I can’t. They’re all in danger. Why won’t you listen? You have to save her.’
Cicada woke up, startled. She looked out side before looking at her clock. It was darker, and clock told her about an hour had past. Lila was fast asleep on her post.
“What was that?” She whispered to herself. “What’s going on?”
Then, her wound started to feel like it was burning, and she passed out again.