De Writer and the Orb of the Ages

by De Writer

De Writer and the Orb of the Ages

The class was restless. De Writer did not blame the young colts and fillies of his class. They were mostly unicorns of various colors, like himself, but there were several earth ponies and two pegasi.

The day was as bright and pretty as if the world was new, which, in fact, it was. Not new as ponies measured time, perhaps, but still really new as worlds went. The Titans, the Creators of the world still looked in on it from time to time to be sure that all was going as planned.

Which it often was not. In the course of his long life, the old blue unicorn, De Writer had actually met and talked with a few of the Titans. It was an odd experience.

More than once, a Titan had actually asked him what they could do to make a better world. Once, they had even taken his advice, to his lasting bemusement.

He paused in the lesson on writing, a chalk in the grip of his magic, looked the restless youngsters over and grinned. “You are not going to learn any more today, without a break! I can see that! Recess for a bit! Go play! I will call you back with the bell.”

The class scattered instantly. A young pegasus started to flutter out when a young red unicorn colt tried to close her wings with his magic. As she fell the few feet to the ground, he laughed. He was still laughing right up until a sharp pull of blue magic from old De Writer pulled HIS feet out from under him and he landed hard beside his victim.

De Writer strolled over and said, “Reacher, let Skyglow go. Now.”

Reacher snippily retorted, “You can do it, Graybeard! Or are you too old and useless to do anything besides teach?”

Suddenly, blue magic dragged the surprised and horrified Reacher up off the floor. His hooves were solidly fused to the roof beam overhead. There was no longer any trace of magic holding him up at all.

De Writer calmly replied, “No. I am not too old and useless to do it. I was giving you a chance.”

A soft pulse of blue magic dissolved the red magic of Reacher. As the last of the red magic vanished, there was a snapping sound. A blue spark shot from Skyglow up to Reacher, hitting his horn. He yelped in pain.

De Writer looked sadly up. “Forgot that if you don’t undo your magic, it stays connected to you, didn’t you, Reacher? My undoing it is what made that happen to you. You should have done it. Then you would not have a horn ache.

“This is your last prank in this school. You were warned about it already.” Over at the teacher’s desk a quill held by soft blue was scratching across parchment. A blotter took up excess ink and the paper folded itself with coins inside.

De Writer handed the packet to Skyglow. “My dear, I have an errand for you. There is an address on the packet. Would you please deliver it to the address in the village of Evanesence?

“Be sure to deliver it to the Housepony, Mrs. Corbie. She is our Reacher’s mother. As I promised after his previous prank, I have expelled him and am giving his parents a generous refund of tuition.”

Skyglow began to radiate a pure white light that totally confused the vision without blinding at all. A small hoof lifted over the package. It vanished without a trace of any ordinary magic.

A voice, at once gentle but hinting of enormous power behind it, said, “Your package is delivered, De Writer.

“We meet once more. For a Mortal creature you have done amazing things. I cannot find a single time that you have told a lie.

“You have been both gentle and kind but have no hesitation to be as strong as the situation demands.”

De Writer hung his head a little and replied, “I have been teaching the Titan of Life’s Creation how to read and write? What must you think of such a trivial thing as this?”

The voice from the glow offered, “I think it a wonderful thing and not at all trivial. By this skill, knowledge and thoughts can be passed to others far away, beyond the reach of unicorn magic or even to generations yet to be born.

“That is why I am here, De Writer. There are things happening between the Titans. This amazing world is at risk and must be given into the hooves of a new generation that are not Titans.”

Frowning in concentration, the blue unicorn asked, “What has that to do with me? I am old. I may be hale and strong now but that will not last. I would guess that the question properly should be, what part are you asking me to play in this change?”

If it could not be seen, the Titan of Life could be felt to smile. “I will leave two daughters to your care, De Writer. Celestia and Luna are their names. Together, they will regulate the heavens. They are going to live forever, if I have my way. They will need to be raised to understand truth, goodness, mercy and strength.”

De Writer pointed out, “I may not be your best choice then. As I said, I am old. They will need much guidance over a long time.”

That amazing voice spoke with that same gentle tone that had underpinnings of steel, “If a babysitter were all of my need, you could be right, De Writer. I also need you to keep a Chronicle of all those things that happen around the children or that may be a danger to them or their rule.

“You write. You write well, swiftly and clearly. Thus, the Chronicle that you keep will also serve them as a guide. I know that you will never put anything untrue in it.”

Dryly De Writer said, “But only for so long as I live. At the risk of saying things again and again, I am old. I will keep your Chronicle as you ask and raise Celestia and Luna too.

“There is another practical problem, though. Gathering the things to write in the Chronicle will be a large task in itself and much might turn out to be wrong later. How do I avoid that pitfall?”

The voice of the Titan of Life radiated amusement as it said, “Here. Use this.”

From the glow was extended a small clear pale green sphere that had a base with three ornate feet. A small band around the the base was inscribed with a motto. It was written, De Writer noticed with amusement of his own, in the same hoofwriting as the small pegasus Skyglow.

Looking up, he asked, “What is it and how do I use it?”

Still amused, the voice of gentle steel said, “It is the Orb of the Ages. In it can be seen anything that has happened or is happening. There are two limitations. It cannot see any of the Titans or anypony that has possessed it.

“The other limitation is equally simple. It cannot see the future. No being or thing at all can see that.”

Now intrigued, De Writer asked, “How can that be? I mean, time has three parts, obviously: The past, the present and the future. Isn’t that right?”

The voice rang with more steel than gentleness as it retorted, “Wrong! Have you ever, De Writer, been surprised at something? That surprise came from the future NOT being predictable. The future does not exist at all! It is only the multitude of possible outcomes for all that is happening. It is a mathematical abstraction and not a reality at all.

“There ARE three parts to time. They are the absolute instant of the present, when the possibilities manifest. There is a short period of the present when it is plastic and ordinary ponies or others interact. They have to see, hear, feel, think and then do. Those actions all take time which is setting to become the past.

“The past is fixed and immutable. It has happened. It cannot be undone. It CAN be remembered or, with the Orb of the Ages, seen. The past can be a guide.

“The Orb of the Ages exists in the Absolute Instant of the present, which, by the way, is where we are right now. You and I are a tiny fraction of a second out of place from all else. Literally nothing can touch you here except a Titan.”

De Writer bit his lip as he thought. “What if I want to interact with others? If I am here, how can they see or touch me, or I them, for that matter?”

The voice gentled, “You will exist to them as a shadow cast upon time. They can see it and hear it but not touch it any more than you can touch a shadow. YOU can touch them during the true instant and they will experience it. You have enough control, through the Orb, to be touched by them if you so will it. The Orb’s magic will not allow you to be harmed.

“Will you take the tasks and the Orb?”

Without thinking through all of the possible consequences, De Writer nodded, “I will, if it will help our world, I will do it.” He reached out with his blue magic and cradled the Orb of the Ages to him.

The amazing glow that was the Titan of Life quietly vanished.

De Writer looked up and nodded to himself. His blue magic reached up and freed the young red miscreant and set him on his feet. Reacher sneered, the flutterbutt didn’t deliver your note! I was watching.” Looking around in confusion suddenly he asked, “Where is she? She was here a second ago!”

De Writer replied, “She has gone home.”

When he rang the recess bell, there were a dark blue, almost black filly and a white filly extra in his class. They appeared at first glance to be unicorns. Then they opened their wings some.

De Writer took his chalk and wrote on the board, “Class, Welcome our new members. They are a kind of pony called Alicorns. Their names are Celestia and Luna.”