//------------------------------// // The Very Old Folk // Story: Twidark // by Isseus //------------------------------// "Oho! So that's how it works. Never would've guessed." Twilight was laying on her back on her bed. Around her were floating the different items of her wanton decadence. There were partially eaten pies and half-drunk glasses of cider, among the various reference tomes and dictionaries, all of them bathed in the purple glow of her telekinetic magic. Absentmindedly she made a few notes on a parchment by her side, not even bothering to look at it while doing so. She'd found out that ever since she took the yellow pill and found the strange ribbons of energy underground, she'd been able to think with such speed that it amazed even herself. Even now that she was no longer touching any of those strands, it felt as if she'd supercharged her horn with a surplus of magic. It was like someone had cleaned the thinking engine inside her head, oiled it and filled it with infinite fuel. Multitasking and concentrating on several things at once felt easy and natural to her. When before she'd had to use all her concentration on just one task to succeed in it, she could now handle several thought processes, calculations, spells and functions at the same time. She could even eat cake at the same time. Life was good for Twilight Sparkle. She'd already managed to restore the whole ancient tome. It had been almost too easy with the energy that was coursing through her. She didn't even need the scalpels or the other tools for the job anymore. Her control over her magic was so precise, that it took her less than ten minutes to remove all the pages from their moldy prison. Now she was hard at work reading the faded pages while copying them for future use. She'd been amazed at how easy it was to transcribe even the most complicated images, diagrams and even woodcut prints on the pages. Twilight never was much of an artist, and anything more complicated than writing and copying basic text always led to an inky mess. The tome itself had been an amazing read up to this point. The Necroponicon, or The Book Of Dead Ponies, was a repository of knowledge, both arcane and mundane, from ages long past. She'd basked in the thought that she might be the only living being in the world who had access to such a gift. The book had been originally written over two millennia ago, and the moldy tome she was now perusing was just a translated copy of the original work. It had been called by many names through its time, but the first name it'd ever had was Al-Azif. She hadn't found a literal translation for the name, but the idea it conveyed was "screaming" or "howling". Maybe it referred to the speech of long lost ponies, whose words and deeds carried throughout history, even if they were already gone from this world. The original author, Abd Al-Khamsa, or "Servant Of The Five", hadn't existed at all. At least none of Twilight´s history books held any mention of him. It was quite possibly a name given to a group or tradition of scholars of old. His translated name might have held some more answers, as "The Five" was mentioned a few times in the ancient history of the southern lands. They had been well respected mares, who had ruled the vast desert lands together, from a majestic city called Eram, The City Of Pillars. Not surprisingly, the description of that long-lost city, as well as its general location, matched those of the archaeological dig site where this tome had been unearthed. Why there had been a translation there, and not a book in its original language, was puzzling. Had someone walked there on a pilgrimage to maybe look for something hidden there? She made a mental note to take the trip herself and study the herself. Who, or whatever, Abd Al Khamsa had been didn't really matter, because what he´d written was pure gold for the unicorn mare, now reclining comfortably on her fluffy mattress. She was about halfway into the book, but the ideas and theories contained withing had already opened up her mind to so many new possibilities. The book had told her of the energy streams contained within the crust of the land she lived in. She´d walked above such vast reservoirs of untapped potential all her life. Now thanks to a series of coincidences she'd finally found them, and the book had told her what to do with them. It was called geomancy. The art of using the inherent magic suffused in all living beings that flowed around the world as a gigantic network of criss-crossing streams. According to The Necroponicon, the streams were composed of raw Mana, or Essence. This Essence was what allowed life to sustain itself in the world. It made flowers bloom and allowed baby ponies to be born. Also, when a living thing´s time was up, its Mana returned to the underground stream, to be born again as something else. She found the thought strangely comforting. She didn´t often think about what happened to ponies in the end, but this option was a lot less scary than just vanishing completely. The origin of Mana was told to be the lifeblood of an ancient being called Gaia, or Terra (the names were used interchangeably). This being was described as the source of all life. It was definitely described as female, and some of the woodcuts of her in the book were enough to make Twilight blush. She was pictured as a powerfully built Equine, with wings and a majestic horn and a flowing black mane. In the stories she was one with the land, making everything grow and blossom. For aeons she was the only being in the land, molding and shaping it for the future. She created the flora and fauna of the land, and finally all the numerous sentient species of Equestria. In time, she fell in love with another powerful being "from across the stars". The being was as powerful as her, and they continued to create the world together. He was the one who brought entropy and death into the circle of life in the land, allowing things to truly live. Together they had two children, called the moon and the sun. "You´re not telling me those were Princess Celestia and Luna ..." The father was called Nyarlathotep. He was described as a dragon of immense ... "proportions". He was also alluded to be very unstable, and in the end he became a threat to the land. Gaia and Nyarlathotep fought, bringing ruin to the land and destroying every living thing, save their daughters and the handful of mortals they managed to save. In the end Gaia was killed, and her blood seeped into the ground she so much loved. Her blood became the life that sustained life in the land, and everyone who was born, lived and passed on would be a part of her. Nyarlathotep reigned supreme in the land, enslaving all those that came to live from her former lover´s blood. He created his own twisted creatures called the Nightgaunts, shadowy shapeshifters that had no face, just two bulging eyes and a monstrously wide mouth ... Twilight had to stop and stare at the picture on the page. There was no doubt that she was looking at a Changeling. "One more piece to a puzzle I´m only starting to understand even exists." He was called a king of old, or a creature from behind the stars. Sometimes he was even described as a divine being or an Outer God from a different universe or dimension. He often walked the land in the guise of a pony, usually a tall, slim, joyous stallion. He had "a thousand other forms", most of these were reputed to be maddeningly horrific. Nyarlathotep delighted in cruelty, was deceptive and manipulative, and even cultivated followers and used propaganda to achieve his goals. Causing madness was more important and enjoyable than destruction for him. "You've gotta be bucking joking me! This can't be true! This can't be!" Twilight was sweating intensely, and her teeth were chattering together. She almost lost concentration on her magic, and barely stopped the book from plummeting to the ground. She carefully laid it on her bed and continued reading. In the end, the two Daughters Of Terra joined together and rallied the young races of ponies, mules, zebras, pegasi and ki-rin. Together they waged an eternal war against the King Of Chaos, only after centuries succeeding in trapping him in stone. Of his return it is written that: "That is not dead which can eternal lie, yet with stranger aeons, even Death may die." This sentence foretells that somewhere in the future the Dragon Of Discord And Lies ... Twilight couldn't read any more. This was too much to take in. The room had started spinning around her. She tried to cling to her mattress, but her whole world was going down and she couldn't do anything to stop it. The sudden realizations and connections were making themselves in her synapses without her consent. She felt like the cake and cider she had earlier gorged in were now trying to get out through her mouth. She could barely stop herself from vomiting all over her bed. She had trouble breathing, feeling her heartbeat as a thunderous banging of desperation in her ears. She was about to pass out from panic. She punched the mattress with her hooves. She flung the machinery and furniture around the workroom. She screamed. She cried. Still the ideas wouldn't let go. And in the end came the cold realization. She could fight it as much as she wanted, but this was the truth. She had to accept it. She could only lie on her back, staring at the ceiling. Her breath came in short gasps. After a moment, she took a large glass of cider and downed it with one swell gulp. And another. And another. The sweetness of the drink made her retch, but she kept going. After a while the sugar started working its own kind of magic, and she felt her mouth turn up again in a smile. She glanced at herself in a small mirror on the wall. The reflective surface had been cracked by some stray projectile, taking with it several pieces of glass. Twilight´s reflection was twisted and shattered. She calmly adjusted her mane, turned her head from side to side and gave a small giggle. "It´s alright. This changes nothing. Teheheeeheeehe ... The worst has already happened, and we've defeated him for good. He won´t be coming back. He won't be hurting me EVER again." She'd decided to return to the book. It had already thrown the worst it could at her and she'd been able to take it. No silly book was going to beat her. She was a librarian after all. How silly would it be for a librarian to lose to a book. She let out another mechanical giggle and lay down back on the bed. She took a small bite of a cherry cake and turned to the next page. She choked on the piece in her mouth, trying to swallow it whole by accident. On the page was the unmistakable image of a draconequus. She could almost hear his taunting voice, as he was gloating over his victory. Still, she was here, all right and sane. He hadn't won. She had. She'd pulled the rest of the Elements out of their mind-controlled delusions and together they had imprisoned him once more. "You aren't gonna mess with Twilight Sparkle any more you motherbucking plothole. Whether you're Discord, or Nyarlathotep, or Mr. Ed, I don´t care! I slapped you silly and I bucked you stupid and if you want another dance with me, it's gonna be a Danse Macabre for you." "Such strong words from you little Miss Sparkle." Twilights words stuck in her throat as she stared at the image. The draconequus on the page had come alive, and was now clearly speaking to her. It was even HIS VOICE. "This isn't happening. I´m just confused and shocked about all the things I've read." "Tisk tisk tisk Miss Sparkle. I would have expected more from you. Weren't you supposed to be the open-minded scientist?" "You're not real! We shut you back into your stone!" "Oh? Six little fillies with a small bit of Tass are enough to imprison a star-child of Azathoth?" "I don´t even know what those words MEAN! You can't be real!" "Dear me. Did the though ever cross your mind that I was never really imprisoned? Maybe I let my DAUGHTERS think that, so they would leave me alone? Maybe I cut myself to pieces and hid among the minds of everyone? Maybe it is that small madness in your head that is my real Essence?" Twilight slammed the books shut and collapsed on top of it. "Mhmhwh whmmh hmm." "You're not real. I'm just a bit on the edge. You're not real. YOU'RE NOT! BUCKING! REAL!" With mounting horror she saw a two-dimensional claw extend itself out from between the pages. With the slippery moves of a spineless worm, the miniature Discord pulled itself to freedom. "Ahh. That's better! I was starting to feel so oppressed." "You're just a figment of my imagination. I just need some sleep and you´ll be gone." "Gone? Oh no, you misunderstand me Miss Sparkle. I'm here to stay and help you. To teach you." "What!? I'd NEVER listen to you!" "You have invoked the pact. You have called me by my true name name and I have answered. I am here. Well at least this small part of me is. And I´m not going away." "I can always use the Elements to banish you. I can hurt you!" "You are no longer the Element of ANYTHING, little filly. Ever since you abandoned your friends, you lost the right to that power." Twilight had no words of denial to shout out anymore. She tried to find a flaw in his logic. She tried to deny him. And yet he was still there, on her bed-end, dancing a shuffle-step to invisible music. The feeling of fear was quickly turning into rage inside her. She started to cast magic at him. All the bindings and dispels she knew. All the fail-safe spells she'd ever been taught. They failed. She put her brains into overdrive, inventing new magics that Equestria had never seen before, calling elements of nature into being from emptiness, teleporting raw fire from the heart of volcanoes and the absolute cold from the moon on her opponent. To no avail. She intoned old words that came onto her tongue from books forgotten and languages not spoken in centuries, and let them circle the air in burning runes around the miniature creature, trying to tie him in the glowing chains of mystical letters. He easily slipped past them. She pulled on the lifelines of the land and aimed their power at him as cascading silver fire that disintegrated everything around and under him. Still he kept on dancing to that invisible music of the planes, to the mad blind piper of his father's court. He was Discord, the star-child of primordial chaos. He had found a way in and could not be exiled. He laughed and taunted the unicorn mare, who was already lost beyond the boundaries of hatred and panic. Finally exhausted, she fell to the ground in the smoldering ruins of her former room, whimpering hollow threats and pleading for her sanity all the while. With barely open eyes she could only see the small figure of the draconequus walk to her and pat her gently on the nose. "That's the first lesson my dear. Discord always wins. Now let me show you something even more fun." The heat of the desert was scorching. Every step in the sand burned her feet, as High Tail struggled forward. On her back she was carrying almost half of the supplies of their small caravan with no complaints.She was followed by a small group of other ponies like her. There was Black-Eye, always with a smile on her face. There was Refining Step, her graceful feet barely touching the burning sand. There was Long Neck, who had never lost a competition in her life. And then there was White Cross, the quiet one of the group. She had barely said a word since they left Eram for the Far Oasises. With the five companions was the small draconic creature, barely a child of his race. He was merely called Abdul. He was the personal adopted son of Princess Zenith and her sister Nadir. It was he who had gathered them from the famed City Of Pillars, and told them they had to make the arduous trek through the blazing desert to meet their rulers. They had been traveling for a week now. None of them knew where they were, save for the small dragon who walked in front of them, never hesitating in his direction. Refining Step was complaining about getting sand under her horseshoes, but no-one cared enough to listen anymore. High Tail and Long Neck were arguing about which of them would win a race, High Tail claiming that the only reason the other had won their previous bout was because she had cheated with her long neck. Black-Eye was talking incessantly to White Cross, the latter not saying a word in return, even if she ever got the chance from the other´s constant babble. Near the evening they found the first Oasis. Abdul told them they would rest there for the night. The oasis wasn't very large, but any place that had water in the middle of the desert was sure to have some life in and around it. They drank hungrily from the clear water and soon turned in for the night under the welcome shade of the few trees and bushes surrounding the area. In the morning they were startled awake, as two majestic creatures approached them from over the nearest dune. Almost as one they got up, only to bow down to the ground when they recognized the two princesses. The beautiful white mare with the flowing mane like the sunshine of midday, Zenith, and the blueish-black mare with the flowing mane of the starry night sky, Nadir. They were legendary in the city of Eram. They led the country from high atop the spiraling towers of the Palace of Pillars that stood above the whole city. None could approach them. Princess Zenith spoke to them with the clear voice of the breaking dawn, of the waking world. "I thank you for completing the first part of your task. I know it is too much to ask of all of you, but we are out of options. If we are to save our beloved city from the approaching storm, we must work together to secure our future." She paused to look at the five assembled ponies whose faces were painted with confusion and fear. "I have brought you here, to this oasis, to celebrate one who is most precious to us. This is a sacred place to our kind, for this is a place where we may commune with our Divine Mother. In this place does her blood flow freely to the surface and nourish all of us." She pointed towards the small pond of water. The five mares didn't know how to respond, so they just kept their heads bowed down. After a moment, Princess Zenith spoke once more: " I would ask of one of you a favor." The five ponies exchanged looks of worry, none of them daring to move. The scorching desert heat was already blazing, but the five could not bring themselves to move, let a lone speak to their divine rulers. "You don´t have to be afraid of me. Before this day is past, I wish to call you each my friend." The Princesses were asking them to be their ... friends? What could you even say to something like that? And then one of bowing ponies rose up and took a step forward. It was the mare with the white mark on her face. "I am called White Cross Miss ... uhm ... Princess, and ... I ... uhm ... I'd like to be your friend too and ... I´ll do whatever you ask!" She quickly lowered her head, almost burying it into the ground. "Then my dear friend White Cross. Would you please step into the pool of the oasis? At the middle you will find a very special and remarkable stone of golden colour. Would you bring it to me?" "I ... uh ... okay." White Cross slowly waded into the water, giving a small yelp as her barrel touched the surface. It was only two feet down at the deepest point, but she was still struggling to reach her destination. She took a big mouthful of air and plunged her head underwater. After a small while she returned to the surface, holding a yellow stone in her mouth. She quickly made her way to the shore, near the princesses, and bowing low placed the stone at their feet. "Thank you White Cross. But this stone is not for me to carry, but for yours alone. It is a stone of Tass, the solidified Essence of Life. Please carry it with you from now on, and it will one day become the Element of Kindness which shall bring peace to this land. Twilight's vision returned to the dim darkness of her cellar. For a moment she thought she'd only fallen asleep, but was suddenly jerked into reality when she saw the small figure sitting on the remains of her bed. "What was that?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "That was what I´d call exposition. It´s how the famed Elements of Harmony got their beginning." "But you weren't there! How could you know what happened?" "Oh but I was. Remember the smiling little pony that would never shut up? She would become the first Element of Laughter. I've always had a very special relationship with the carrier of that specific Element, and let's say they've always been the closest to my heart." "So one of the original Elements of Harmony was mad? Is that it?" "Oh no no no. Mad is such an overused word, only fit for the tongues of people who can't fathom any other way of thinking than their own narrow view of reality. " The small Dragon of Chaos walked around Twilight's prone form, making her crane her neck to follow him when he continued: "But the Element of Laughter carried me with her on their quest as they collected the Tass from five different oasises, each with a very specific resonance. It was thanks to Black-Eye that I found out what my two children were planning. When I saw my elder daughter finally bring out the sixth piece from the famed Fountain of Youth, the place where I had a ... misunderstanding with their mother, it all came together in my head. She was collecting sources of portable Mana, so she could carry the blood of her mother into battle as a weapon against her own father. Imagine how hurt I was!" He clutched his clawed hand to his forehead and leaned backwards dramatically. Twilight only raised one of her eyebrows, which seemed to disappoint the draconequus. He sat back down and ended his story in a half-mumble: "So that is when I built my contingency and made sure I would not fall to the likes of my daughters." Twilight let the story sink in to her mind. A few of the neurons in her supercharged cranium were already firing out their impulses. "That would make the pills I got from Zecora ... solidified Mana? Or Tass?" The small creature clapped its hands in joy, seemingly becoming his own, malign self. His voice was dripping with venom as he spoke again: "Oh you´re such a sharp student!" and in yet darker voice continued: I´m going to KEEP YOU" Twilight didn't even seem notice these attempts at intimidation. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she barely looked at the world-ending chaos given form, now sitting irately on her forehoof. "So what happened next? How'd you end up in a book? And how did I know those spells I tried to cast on you? I've never even heard of the language I spoke, let alone any spells that would actually require words." The dragonequus was staring at her, seemingly surprised for the first time in her experience. "Well if you're going to teach me all about new magic and how to use these Essence Lines and Tass then I'm all ears."