Is It Everything You Dreamed, Miss Sparkle?

by Arreis Of Avalon

The Tale Of Ardor : Part Three

Star Swirl was immortal… Twilight sat back, nodding. I honestly should’ve seen that coming. It makes quite a bit of sense.

Indeed it does. After all, he was a pivotal part of many a legend in the past. The rise of Clover the Clever, before Discord’s reign, was because of him. He befriended Tirek’s brother, which became Tirek’s downfall.

Tirek?

Hopefully you won’t have to deal with him. Ardor’s eyes hardened slightly. He has quite the power, and could be a threat to all ponies if left to run amuck. Thankfully, he was locked away in Tartarus.

Twilight nodded. The two fillies… Those were the princesses, correct?

That’s right, Twilight.

And… The other pony, the husk… Was that a changeling? I’ve read about them…

Half right. Ardor glanced at the clock on the wall. Twilight hadn’t remembered seeing it there before. I believe, he said, that I can spare a few moments more from my tale to explain that. He turned back to her. You see, this… husk. It was the original changeling, the first and foremost. It did not feed off of love as changelings now do. This changeling fed off of magic ability and power. It did not take all power – merely enough to survive from his surroundings, without having stolen all of Star Swirl’s energy.

That… Actually seems like an amazing feat. Twilight watched Ardor closely, thinking. You said you were related to the princesses… As none from the tribe survived… I can only assume…

Yes, Twilight. In a shadowy blast, Ardor transformed. Twilight gasped as she saw him – Him, for real, his true form. Looking into him was as though, not looking at a shadow, but a complete absence of… anything. A black hole in the form of a changeling, without eyes and without a mouth. On his head was a curved horn, much as she had seen in fairy tales.

C-change back, she said, her eyes wide. The creature nodded and changed back to the comforting form she had been talking to.

I’m sorry for that shock, Twilight. You see, I can chose any form I wish, with my ability… Yet, I’ve always preferred this form… Honest and true, as my element, with caring eyes and a kind heart. That is who I am to you, an honest guide.

Twilight watched him, thinking. This stallion might be telling the truth… No, she could tell. Just like when Applejack was honest, Ardor was as well. She nodded. No matter what, she could trust his word. Care to finish your story? I don’t know how long we have left.

Gladly, Twilight.
*~*~*~

Star Swirl awoke to the 6 creatures around him. He stood, old yet strong and powerful at the same time. He could feel his connection to all of the beings around him, deep within. However, he had no idea what all of this meant. He looked up at the 6 hovering gems. “Please,” he said to them, pleading. “I need your help to defeat the one called Discord… What has happened? Who are these creatures?”

To his surprise, the spider to the right of him spoke. Yet another magical ability, supplied by the gem. “I’m just as surprised as you all are,” he said with a silky voice. His pincers clicked together every so often as he – Yes, that’s right, he chuckled. “One minute, I’m hanging from a tree, and the next, I’ve turned into an oversized arachnid. So, typical Tuesday.”

Star Swirl, despite himself, could not help but smile at the creature’s words. “And what is your name?”

“Well, I usually go by Tikl, but you can call me jokester or idiot or anything you really want, honestly. I prefer Tikl to insults, though.” Another chuckle.

“Very well, Tikl. You seem to enjoy laughing quite a bit…” The spider nodded slightly as Star Swirl turned to the bear. “And you are?”

The bear simply watched him. Evidently, it either could not talk, or did not. Star Swirl frowned and did a rather quick spell. Using the spell, he could communicate to any creature, at least for a short while. He asked his question again, this time, the bear smiling. “I am called Killian. I do not talk much.”

Star Swirl smiled. “I noticed.”

“I will aid you in any way I can.”

“That’s kind of you,” Star Swirl said, moving next to the Owl. A quick test revealed the Owl could not speak either. Continuing his spell, he opened his mouth to question the animal.

“The name’s Castelli,” the Owl said, rolling his eyes. “I’ll do what I can to help too. I was just minding my business, trying to catch a mouse…”

“Nice to meet you, Castelli.”

“And you, Star Swirl. You seem powerful. Here, let me see…” With a single pluck, the Owl pulled out one of its feathers. “You can use this later to write down our names and everything. Should help you remember it all.”

“Your generosity will not go unnoted.” Star Swirl then turned to the husk, feeling rather… unsettled by it. “And you are?”

In a flash a shadow, the being changed, copying Star Swirl’s appearance. It spoke, it’s voice a perfect match. “I… I have no name,” the copy said. “I was just born today.”

“Hmm…” Star Swirl circled the being, taking in the copy. “You have an interesting power… Tell me, what do you know about yourself?”

The being tilted its head softly, thinking. “I… I can change into anything I want. I can be anything you need me to be. And… One name sticks in my mind. I think my crystal named me. Ardor.”

“Alright then, Ardor.” Both smiled at each other. “Perhaps, you should try and create your own form? Two Star Swirls would become confusing.”

“I agree.” In a flash, the 6th changed, becoming – Well, as you see me now, Miss Sparkle. “I believe this is better. Now, I think you should talk to the other two, Star. They seem rather interested in their new forms.”

Star Swirl turned. “Thank you for speaking honestly with me, Ardor. It’s hard to admit that you’re new to this sort of thing.” And, without another word, he went to his daughters, both of whom looked at him with respect and wisdom. “Now… My children… Luna, Celestia…”

Luna hugged her father tightly. “Father… We were so scared for you…”

“And I you, children… Please, what do you feel? What have the crystals done?”

Celestia looked up at her horn. “We’ve… Well, we’ve become both pegasi and unicorns… Not to mention, I feel powerful. Much stronger than I had been…”

“I feel the same, Tia. These wings are so fluffy… Father, what does this mean? Why do I feel so much magic in my veins now, so much power? What are we meant to do with it?”

Celestia bowed her head softly. “I will always follow your instructions, Father. You wished for us to end Discord, correct?”

“I-I had meant for the Elements to, not you, Darling…”

“Father… Look around you. Six Elements… Six Beings… Do you think there is some connection?”

Star Swirl glanced around at them all in turn. “I… Hmm…”

All of the Six smiled at each other. The Elements seemed to glow as they did, a rainbow of color. In a single instant, it all made sense. “Harmony… The opposite of Chaos…” He turned to his daughters once more, albeit addressing all of them. “Friendship between you all, all you different beings… It is a sign of utmost trust and harmony. Harmony is the only thing that can defeat Discord… You all represent that. Only you all can defeat him.”

Luna shrunk back softly. “Father, we are not ready. We do not understand our powers…”

“I think I do… Each of you has a pivotal part of Friendship ingrained in you from birth, something that made it possible for the Elements to find, or, in some cases, make you. Tikl, you are Laughter, something to bring much needed Joy to the lands after Discord’s end. Killian, you are Kind enough to do anything needed of you, no matter the price. Castelli, you are willing to give up anything, or make anything to further the quest, Generous enough to keep us alive. Ardor, you are Honest with yourself and with others, a perfect trait in any friendship and any kingdom. Celestia… You are Loyal to any cause you put your mind to, especially your friendship here. And, Luna… Dear, sweet Luna… You have always been so powerful, and to bind together every Element, a certain life force is needed, a magical bond. You shall represent Magic.”

All Six beings nodded, understanding their roles. Star Swirl sighed, looking at the hovering gems above once more. “You must all claim your crystals… Keep them safe from harm.”

“What of you,” Tikl asked.

“Me? I simply helped supply them. My work here is done.”

“Not so, Father,” Celestia said. “We all felt it. Without the original creator… If you die, we all lose our power. The Elements will shatter.” Star Swirl’s eyes widened. “Using up that much life energy should kill a normal pony, yet here you stand. You have become Immortal, as I believe we all are now.”

“I… This is a lot to take in.”

“You can say that again,” Tikl said. “To think my friends called me old before…” Celestia giggled softly.

“I mean… Immortality…” Star Swirl sighed, then nodded. “I shall help protect the Elements with my now… quite extended life. I will help guide you all in your quest.”

All in agreement, they set off to defeat Discord.
*~*~*~

And the rest is… Well, history. Ardor smiled softly, chuckling. Discord was turned to stone – Again, anything created with life energy could not be destroyed unless we killed Star Swirl, which would be counterproductive. We sealed him away in stone with the magic of the Elements. Then, Celestia and Luna decided to create a center of a kingdom, Canterlot. This way, all ponies from every span of life could come and live in harmony. However, there were beings manipulated by Discord who did not wish for a lovely life. Those, I took in. They became the Changelings.

So, Changelings were originally ponies?

That’s correct. That is why they feed off of love now. They were ponies once… And all ponies crave love, no matter what the form. Changelings, however, forsake that life, and now pay the price to their most inner desires. He sighed softly. It’s a tad bit saddening, but somepony must look after the disharmonious and, quite honestly, bad seeds.

Twilight took a deep breath. Is there anything else I should know about them, or you?

Well… Only one short thing. You see, the Elements all supplied us with one special power, to help guide us to the roles they represented. Tikl now held two types of poison – A deadly one, and one that could make you laugh uncontrollably with a single bite. Killian gained the ability to heal easily, quickly healing us in case any of us got sick or hurt. Castelli gained the power to pull anything from anywhere, usually knotholes. He used this to give us what we needed. However, neither Luna nor Celestia knew the spell to read minds. We often needed to solve the mystery of what he supplied could be used for. Luna, she could calm ponies within their minds. If I remember correctly, she used that power to enter nightmares and relieve anxiety. I have the power of illusion, of course, to shape my body into how I need to look for ponies to see the truth about themselves, and others. I also had my ability to absorb power. That, sadly, faded with time. Lastly, Celestia had the weakest, but most important power of us all. She knew where the next Generation of Elemental Bearers would be found.

Wait… She knew?

Yes. You see, in the case one Host of Power dies, or betrays the others, the Elements scatter into new ponies. In this case, after the Rise of Nightmare Moon, the Elements scrambled, causing you and your friends to claim the elements. Luckily enough, all the original hosts remained with residual power, meaning we can still use some power from our own Elements. Thusly, you can see me as I appear now, instead of my… other form.

Twilight nodded, then gasped. She stood quickly as her chair seemed to dissolve under her. W-wait, there’s still so much more I want to talk to you about!

I’m sorry, Twilight, Ardor said calmly. I’m afraid our time is up.

Wait, Ardor, don’t-

With a gasp, Twilight awoke. Above her, Owlicious flew, hooting. She shook her head, panting, almost as though she had awoke from a nightmare. She looked at the clock, seeing she had overslept. “O-Oh! Thank you, Owlicious!” She stood quickly, looking around. “Oh, I need to write this all down! I need to keep it all straight in my head…” Without another word, she ran off up to her room.

Deep in her mind, Ardor rested, thinking over how the Owl had cut their time short. Tsk… Castelli never liked me much back then, either...

Comments

[The Lunar Brony]

Literally you need to make another chapter this is such a good story!

[Arreis Of Avalon]

4797231 Thank you very much. Think of those last 3 chapters as the prelude to where the AU will start to come into play. This is where it will shift slightly from Canon.

[Treble_Sketch]

New chapter soon?

[Arreis Of Avalon]

5277260 You're in luck~ I started the latest chapter and itll be posted within a week...
... Hopefully. ^^; College Apps, School, craziness. I haven't gotten to work NEARLY as much on fun stuff. *le sigh* Such is life~