A World Without Princesses

by PonyTom

Chapter 3 - Castle of the Sisters

Macintosh stared in horror at the sight before him. A terrible, horrible sight. 'Can't you bring the manticore back,' he thought to himself. 'I'd rather deal with anything other than this. At least with the manticore I knew exactly what I was in for. With this.... there's a few what-ifs that make me more than a little uncomfortable.'

Three little ponies stared out into a fog-filled cavern, two land masses separated by a considerable gap, the depths of the fall made invisible by mist. The only thing connecting these two cliffs together was but a rickety bridge. Macintosh backpedaled a bit, his jaw working wordlessly. "Well, let us get to it if we wish to see the Castle before the sun does flee."

"N-nope!" Big Mac blurted, falling to his haunches but continuing to push himself backwards. Zecora and Braeburn turned to face the mighty stallion as he put as much distance as he could between him and the pit.

"Dear Macintosh, this bridge is strong," said Zecora, who gave the structure a look over, seeming to wince. "Strong enough, don't get me wrong."

"Y-Y-You go on..." said Big Mac, gulping as he finally stopped near a tree. "I-I'll wait."

"Big Mac" Braeburn groaned. "Don't tell me you're afraid of heights!" Macintosh stared at his cousin, glaring at him as if he were angry. Braeburn looked into his eyes, and his jaw fell, before growing into a big grin. "Oh my goodness you are aren't you?" Macintosh did not respond, simply flattening his ears. "Holy... I never thought I'd find somethin' you was scared of that I wasn't!"

"Don't push it" Big Mac warned.

"Hey hey, calm down big guy," Braeburn raised his hooves. "I'm not judgin'! Everypony has a weakness!" Despite still feeling somewhat embarrassed, Big Mac decided it was at least an attempt to be nice and simply nodded. "One you've gotta get over, like, right now, so hop to it big guy, cause the only way to conquer one's fears is to face 'em!"

"Nope!" Big Mac shook his head hard. "Not doin' it!"

"I feel, kind sir, I must interject! We've not finished our mission here yet!" Zecora stepped towards Big Mac, staring straight at him. "You'll be at risk on your own. Just come with us, you're not alone."

Macintosh stared out at the bridge, his jaw hanging wide. He gulped, feeling his stomach tighten as he mustered up his courage. He slowly stood to his hooves, and began stepping forward, feeling every instinct, every alarm scream at him, trying to convince him to turn the other way. 'I really want to, I swear,' he thought to himself. 'But I've got a job to do, and an Apple never goes back on his word.' He placed a hoof on the first wooden plank and let its weight slowly press down; immediately, he felt every tremble, every vibration in the structure as if he were all the way on the middle. He pulled his hoof back up and tried to back up, simply bumping into Zecora and Braeburn. Macintosh turned to face them, wide-eyed.

"L-lemme go" he said. "I wanna go back."

"Big Mac" said Braeburn with a frown. "You can do this, cuz."

"Nope" he said with a shake of his head.

"Macintosh" said Braeburn, giving the larger stallion a somewhat chiding glare. "You can do this."

Big Mac was breathing a bit heavy, turning his attention back to the bridge, then back to Braeburn. It was then that Big Mac was struck by the irony of it. Having to kill spiders because Braeburn would scream like a filly and run and hide. Having to follow him into the barn at night because Braeburn was afraid of the dark. Having to pull splinters from his hooves because Braeburn was too much of a wuss to do it himself. His entire life, he had always been the bigger stallion, and though he never considered himself too overly proud, Big Mac felt something of embarrassment to have the tables turned; his cousin all too ready to do something he himself wanted desperately to turn away from. Taking a deep breath and steeling his nerves, Big Mac turned his attention back to the bridge. He walked forward, gently easing one hoof down.

And then another.

And another.

Systematically, this continued, Macintosh paying attention to each and every detail, his understanding of the universe seeming to become infinitely greater with some sort of strange, acute clarity. Every shake of the bridge he felt through his whole being. Every gust of wind was like a twister. Every sound, even the sound of a caterpillar's yawn, could be heard by Macintosh as he pushed forward. Slowly, he saw the other end of the cliff drawing closer. 'I can do this' Slowly, his goal seemed in sight, as if he could reach out and touch it. 'I can do this' He was drawing closer. Oh so close. 'I can-'

"Keep goin' Big Mac," said Braeburn behind him. "Almost halfway there!"

Macintosh froze. He turned to see Braeburn and Zecora behind him, effectively blocking his ability to turn back. He wanted not to. He wanted oh-so-desperately not to, but he couldn't stop himself. Macintosh let his attention turn to look down over the edge of the bridge.

That's when everything went black.

---

In the span of what seemed like seconds, Macintosh suddenly registered solid ground. His side pressed against it. 'Great, did I fall?' He sighed, despite what he was certain were certain-death-grade injuries. 'Shoulda known Braeburn'd get me killed.'

Deciding now was as good a time as any to greet death, Macintosh slowly opened his eyes. To his surprise, he could see Zecora and Braeburn a short distance away, Braeburn seeming like he was trying to pop his back into place. "Man... he's heavier than he looks... an' he looks heavy to begin with..."

Macintosh groaned. "Nnh... what happened...?"

Braeburn and Zecora turned to him, Braeburn raising a brow. "Well, ya fainted Big Mac. Right in the middle of the bridge." Braeburn smirked. "I thought you freakin' out from the manticore poison was scary, but when you fell over I coulda sworn we were gonna lose ya!" Macintosh visibly turned pale, and Zecora swatted Braeburn's foreleg. "Ow, hey-"

"Do not worry, you are alright," said the zebra as she stepped forward. "One step closer to our urgent plight. Take it easy, but stand when you can, for we've delayed too long in our grand plan." Macintosh sighed and nodded, slowly pushing his hooves beneath himself, and pressing himself upward, minding his injured leg. He felt a bit wobbly, a sensation that terrified him, but he gained balance and reaffirmed that he was, in fact, not on the bridge anymore.

"This has been a big day for you, ain't it Big Mac?" Braeburn grinned a devious grin. Macintosh turned to his cousin, frowning.

"Don't tease, Brae."

"I'm not teasin'" said the stallion with a chuckle. "I'm not surprised is all. After all, you ain't used to this much excitement are ya?"

Macintosh shook his head. "Am I to assume you are?" He felt a hint of scratchiness in his voice, though he decided to save his water momentarily.

"Nope" said Braeburn with a shrug. "But I've had closer to it than you." Macintosh frowned and, truth be told, wanted to rebuttal, but there were no sentences short enough for him to say what he felt needed to be said, so he simply snorted and let Braeburn have a win. Everypony turned their attention forward, and all at once, everything was forgotten. Macintosh felt his heart stop, though not in terror as it had been. Their eyes focused upward, above the treeline.

Where dark towers jutted into the sky.

Zecora's eyes widened, and a smile formed on her face. "The Castle of the Sisters... it is near... my friends, I believe we are near!"

The group resumed their trot, their goal now partially in view. Macintosh felt his heart race, his muscles tense. 'This is it. All this travel, all this walking, all this danger... its almost over.' The stallion did not try to hide his excitement as a massive grin grew into his features. He could see Braeburn smiling as well, though Zecora seemed more apprehensive than anything. He wanted to ask why, really he did, but Macintosh needed this; he wanted a few moments more to pretend everything was going to be alright.

The trio continued their trek forward, hearts filled with anticipation. Macintosh could barely hold in his excitement as he saw more and more of the ancient structure appearing from between trees and rocks, until eventually, they were upon it.

The structure had definitely seen better days. Portions seemed to have fallen into the castle, likely exposing some rooms to the elements outside. Trees, vines, and other vegetation seemed to be growing around and through the structure whenever possible, showing that no matter how strong the structure, nature would always be able to overpower pony architecture. As they stepped closer, Macintosh spied a few broken pillars, and a statue; a strange statue of a mare rearing up, her hooves extended. It was almost unsettling, really. Finally reaching the large, wooden double doors, the three ponies exchanged glances.

"Well..." said Braeburn. "... We ready to do this?"

"Eeyup."

"Indeed."

Zecora slowly pulled her hoof up and pressed it against the door. Slowly, it was pushed open, yawning as yet another hole was added to its collection. The inside was, to Macintosh at least, every bit as majestic, if eerie, as the outside; he could see rays of sunlight bleeding through the fallen structures, trees and bushes growing in the main hall of the old building. A few more statues of ponies stood out, though one was missing a head and another had fallen long ago and broken into pieces. There were various doors, leading to what Macintosh could only imagine to be different wings of the castle, and at the far end of the hall were two sets of stairs that went to either side before meeting at a platform above. Above that area hung two ancient, worn flags.

One yellow one, with a sun emblazoned upon it, and another one blue, beholding the moon.

He stared at those flags, wide-eyed. "... It can't be..."

Braeburn stepped to Big Mac's side, staring at the flags as well. "M... Macintosh, what does this mean?"

Macintosh stared at the flags for a bit longer. It was funny, really; he had believed the stories as a colt, all too readily. He believed that there really had been great magical unicorn princesses who controlled the sun and moon, and that one of them had been banished for being a bad filly. Then, as he grew up and reality, bit by bit, was forced upon him, those ideals turned to mere fantasy. Oh sure, he never let Apple Bloom on that he didn't believe them when reading her bed time stories, but that was for the fun of bonding with her.

And yet these simple pieces of fabric, these collections of thread did something. They challenged everything he thought he knew.

'What if... what if I was right the first time?'

"Big Mac?" A yellow hoof waved in front of the stallion's face. "Big Mac, you home?" Macintosh shook his head, turning his attention to his cousin, who looked at him with a hint of concern. "You've had a rough trip, so don't go playin' with me on this cuz."

"I-I'm fine" Macintosh nodded. He gave one more glance to those flags, and decided to shelf his concerns for later. 'Okay, so maybe this whole thing isn't a load of bologna. I'll reserve judgement for now, because even if the princesses are real, that doesn't mean they were magical super-mares. After all, we always hear about parts of history that get exaggerated. This could be like that, right?'

Braeburn's head turned back and fourth, looking between doors. "Okay, so.... where do we begin, mi compadres?"

Zecora grimaced a bit, her own attention shifting between entries. "This is quite a conundrum indeed... We may have to check every room to succeed..." The zebra's focus shifted from door to door, trying to decide where they should begin. "But to separate could be a folly, lest we be hit by traps in volley." She turned to her companions. "Let us stick together then. Keep on guard, no matter where, no matter when." Macintosh and Braeburn nodded, and Zecora nodded in return, before turning around and walking forward, seeming to choose a door and then walk into it, the two stallions following her into the unknown.

They entered yet another hall, though this one was smaller and darker, lacking any holes in the roof for natural light to seep through, and the windows seemed to be, for the most part, blocked by trees and bushes. The hall itself was bare, the only thing worth notice being a worn purple rug that seemed to have escaped being pilfered by anypony who might pick the bones of the old castle. Despite the lack of paintings whose eyes follow you and suits of armor that look like they could come to life any moment, Macintosh still felt a great deal of trepidation, and he could tell his companions shared his tension, though they pushed forward; despite the fear or because of it, he could not say.

At the end of the hall, they entered into a large chamber. The walls were covered in various bookshelves, each lined with various tomes, some of which lay scattered on the floor, some of which seemed like they were held together by luck and happy thoughts, and bits and pieces Macintosh merely assumed had once been whole books. 'I sure hope whatever clue we're lookin' for is in better condition than these books,' Macintosh thought to himself,'otherwise, we're up a creak on this one...'

The ponies stepped forward, towards a long reading table. Various books had covered it, bits and pieces of paper scattered about as if somepony tried to get in a quick read before the castle was abandoned, most likely subsequently looted, and the library was ignored for whatever reason. Macintosh looked at a few of the books and was surprised to find strange characters that only remotely resembled letters he had ever seen before. He gently opened a book to find more. "... I can't even read this..."

Zecora seemed to be scanning over the table herself. "Equestria has changed in a thousand years... a dead language was one of my most likely fears..." She shook her head, picking a book up and opening it with care. "We'd require an expert on Old Equestrian lore to decipher these texts and learn what they store."

Macintosh stopped, something catching his eye. He looked at a stack of books and pieces of paper, as well as an empty ink bottle with a quill in it. On the floor, he saw various crumpled pieces of paper. Picking one up, he placed it on the table and attempted to open it up, and was shocked by what he saw. "Seems like such an expert's been here already..." Most of the note he had picked up was either scribbled out or gobbledygook he barely understood, but there were bits and bobs that seemed to make at least a fraction of sense...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Princesses' rule was relatively short; lasted a mere thirty years before younger sister was banished. Eldest disappeared five years later.
Tree of Harmony? Seen references, but not much else.
Texts mention taking kingdom from a 'Discord' - must compile more data.
Eldest princess did something with the Elements of Harmony, but what?
Mention of a Crystal Empire to the north; likely in or near the similarly named Crystal Mountains.
Princesses seem to have odd descriptions; they use magic, but seem to possess wings. A mutation, maybe?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Your gaze is intense, it has me in suspense..." said Zecora, staring at Macintosh in confusion.

"Yeah," agreed Braeburn, "Whats it say, Big Mac?"

Macintosh frowned. "Lotta things... doesn't seem like we're th' first ponies with our particular goal though." He hoofed the note across the table to Zecora, who took it and read it over.

"Is there anything else?"

Macintosh simply nodded. Braeburn stepped close to him. "Y'alright?" Macintosh nodded again, waving a hoof dismissively. "Should take a drink from your canteen, cuz." Despite not wanting to waste water, Macintosh figured he had been somewhat over-conservative with his water. He popped his canteen open and took a quick drink, sighing in relief before shutting it back. Zecora had already been by his side by the time he placed it back in his bag, and was picking up the scraps on the floor, opening them and looking them over.

"... Whoever wrote these shared our intention...." She opened another one and looked it over. "... They too noticed the signs that I mentioned." She began stuffing bits of paper into her bag as she found them, or otherwise throwing them to the side. "If these notes were not worth keeping, one must wonder what knowledge they're reaping..."

"Yeah, that's cool and all," said Braeburn, holding a hoof up, "But does any of it help us?"

Zecora looked over a few of the notes a bit more closely, though she still frowned. "It seems our friend shared our frustration... the answer lies not at this station." Braeburn groaned, throwing his hooves in the air, and Macintosh simply sighed and hung his head.

"So, what? We've been wasting our time?"

"No..." Zecora looked around. "They seem to have secluded themselves to this room. A likely hiding place in this desolate tomb... but answers are not always found in a book..." The zebra smiled to her companions. "I say we continue, give the rest a good look." Braeburn seemed nonplussed by this particular appeal, and Macintosh could not really say he disagreed. However, he did find his interest peaked; were they stumbling upon ancient, lost knowledge? Did he now know things that only one other pony had known for centuries? And that thought brought up another concern that made him frown and look upon the books and papers.

"... What happened to the pony who wrote these...?"

Everypony froze. Zecora frowned. "Let us move on while the sun is on high, so we may finish before the moon's in the sky." The two stallions nodded in agreement, and they began to make their way away from the table, and back out of the library. Macintosh stopped, however, looking back for a moment.

'I've got a bad feelin'...'

He decided that this was another thought he simply need to shelf for now, and turned to follow his cousin and the zebra back down the hallway into the main hall.

Their time in the main hall was limited as they made their way into yet another entryway to yet another hallway, though this one was a deal lengthier than the last, and had a few doors along the way. The windows allowed just the faintest beams of light to pierce the darkness, branches from trees and vines casting unnerving shadows that, thankfully, were only barely visible. The three stopped at the first door along the path, Braeburn deciding to be the brave one and press it open. Inside were a few broken bed frames, an old closet, and a chest that was wide open.

"Servants quarters, I would surmise. That anything remains is a surprise."

"Is it likely we'll find anything in here?" Braeburn raised a brow. "I mean, call me crazy, but I don't suspect a Princess hiding world savin' doohickeys would leave the only clue to their rediscovery in a room for their workforce." All in agreement, the ponies gently closed the door back and continued along the way of the hall. As they reached the next room, it was Macintosh who pushed the door open, though there was even less luck here than before; the room was entirely empty, save for pieces of stone and debris from a hole in the ceiling leading up to the floor above.

"Hope our clue wasn't under that when that happened..."

"Not likely is this to be." Zecora hummed, looking at the debris, then up into the hole. "The Elements would be in a Pride of Place, so all would see and know their face. Any clues would be somewhere dear... somewhere private... but not too clear...." The ponies made their way out of the room, and Big Mac pulled the door shut once more. As they continued down the hall, Zecora reached a door and pressed her hoof into it, but it would not budge. "Hm... this door seems to be stuck. Not by lock, but maybe luck?"

Braeburn stepped forward, a grin on his face. "Don't worry, young mare, let me handle this." Macintosh rolled his eyes, while Zecora stepped aside, seemingly indifferent to the stallion's suggestion of her being weaker. Braeburn placed a hoof on the door, and the confident grin he was wearing suddenly strained. "Just... gotta give it a little shove..." He pressed harder. He brought a second hoof up and pushed with both. "It.... I feel it budging...!" The door stood firm, and Macintosh could tell that Braeburn had done little more than strain the wood against whatever was most likely blocking it shut.

"Brae, let's jus' go" said the stallion, trying to help his cousin save face.

"Y-Yeah..." said Braeburn, stepping away from the door. "Probably nothin' important in there anyway..." With a nod, and a noticeable attempt to not look directly at anypony, Braeburn stepped forward, pretending he didn't even notice his injured pride. Macintosh and Zecora shared a look, and both smirked, turning to follow the indignant stallion.

They reached the end of the hall, entering another door that led into a circular stairway. "A tower," said Braeburn, sighing. "Of course a tower. There's gonna be lots of stairs, aint there?"

"Suck it up, Brae." Big Mac sighed, taking point and stepping into the stair way.

"Gonna be okay Big Mac?"

Macintosh glared at Braeburn, his eyes giving a solid warning. Turning back to the task at hoof, the stallion began his ascent, his cousin and their zebra companion in tow. Along the climb there was an occasional window, allowing light to pour in, even if a lot of it was subdued. Macintosh could feel his legs growing tired and sore, the excitement of the day finally catching up with him, and a quick glance back allowed him to confirm that Braeburn was feeling the burn too, though Zecora seemed surprisingly unaffected. 'This mare is sturdy. What exactly do medicine mares do?' Macintosh didn't let this thought bother him long, however, as they approached a door. Putting his best hoof forward, he gently pushed the door open and stepped inside, and his eyes grew wide at what he saw.

It was not a very large space by any means; it was what one might call cozy. There were a few bookshelves, on which lay many tomes, and a bed was nearby which seemed relatively immaculate considering it was a thousand years old. A banner hang nearby, emblazoned with a sun marking like the banners downstairs, and there seemed to be an empty pedestal in the center of the room. "Well Big Mac, now you can say you were in a mare's room before." Big Mac snorted, deciding to not even dignify his cousin with a response as he looked about. He let his eyes fall to the bookshelf, but all he saw there were more books written in that ancient language. Braeburn sighed. "Is it too much to hope our friend left us some little tidbits of knowledge here?"

"Open your eyes and look around," commanded Zecora, "If something moves, listen for a sound." The ponies thus began to mill around the room, poking and prodding at everything. Big Mac pulled on the edges of the bed, but simply tilted it. Braeburn tugged on books, but nothing happened. After several minutes of searching, the three stopped, and Big Mac hummed.

"Nothin' here?"

"Nope" agreed Braeburn. "Looks like this is a wild goose chase..."

"Do not say that just yet my friend," said Zecora with a glare. "We've checked two wings, this isn't the end."

"C'mon Zecora" said Braeburn with a sigh. "Look, I was willing to follow you into this forest an' all, but if there was somethin' here, it ain't no more." He waved a hoof. "Look around. Somepony beat us to the punch. If there was somethin' here of value, its gone now, taken away by goodness knows what." He placed a foreleg on the pedestal, leaning against it. "I mean, this place has been ransacked li-" His sentence was cut short as the pedestal fell to the side, and he along with it, but came to an abrupt halt at an angle. A click was heard by all, and suddenly the area surrounding Braeburn began to drop. He leaped away from the platform, and everypony watched as the floor that had fallen had actually done so in a familiar pattern. "G-great," said Braeburn, "More stairs..."

"Wow" said Macintosh.

"Y-Yeah" said Braeburn. "Not sure how clever it is... I mean, the switch is kinda right there, big as all get out..."

"Clever enough, I presume, that nopony else has found that room..." Zecora stepped forward, and was the first to walk down the admittedly short flight of stairs. Macintosh followed until they reached a point where the stairs ended and led to a door. Zecora pushed it open, and all three followed into an admittedly tight space, leading to a golden platform with a lever in the middle. Zecora reached into her saddlebag and pulled a lantern from it, twisting the handle and lighting the area up.

"This is pretty cool..." said Braeburn. "Should we... pull that lever?"

"I don't know" Big Mac frowned. "I've got a bad feelin' about this, an' it just keeps gettin' worse the further we go..."

"I fear we've no choice in this. If we ignore it, we'd be remiss."

Zecora stepped forward, wrapping her hooves around the large lever, and tugging on it. It cranked loudly as she did, and suddenly the floor beneath them shook violently, and began to descend. Macintosh simply stared in awe as the ancient machinery lowered them. "Impossible..." he said, shaking his head. "They had elevators back then?" He did not get a reply, but did not expect one, to be honest. Macintosh and his friends could only wait for the mechanism to deliver them to whatever it had in store.

Eventually, the round walls ended, and they were greeted by a new sight. Jaws fell as the ponies entered into a large space; as if a castle had been built beneath a castle. Their platform stopped, and everypony stepped onto solid ground, staring across a bridge that stood over a waterway that came from an unknown source. The trio casually began to move forward, taking in the scenery; the entire place seemed to have been a cave at one time, until somepony had the mind to come down and convert it. They crossed the bridge, reaching upon a large pair of double doors. Putting his hoof forward, Macintosh pressed the massive door open, and everypony stepped inside.

Inside was a massive library that seemed to dwarf even what was up above. The ponies stepped forward, eying various books and tomes. The room had all sorts of strange odds and ends; a telescope for star gazing, a globe of the planet (from a time when ponies thought the world was flat no less; back then such a thing would have been heresy!) and a statue of a pony rearing up, though she was peculiar in that she had both a horn and wings.

"This must be the Eldest's Retreat" said Zecora, staring wide-eyed. "A sanctuary after she left the royal seat..."

Macintosh simply looked forward, and noticed a desk sitting in the middle of the sanctuary. On that desk as a book, and as he drew closer, he noticed that the book had been emblazoned with the sun. He gently reached a hoof forward, tugging it open, but whatever hope he had vanished when he noticed that it had been written in the same language as every other book he couldn't read in this forsaken place. Macintosh let out a sigh, closing the book and making his way towards the other two with the tome in his mouth. Braeburn snorted, shaking his head. "Well," he said with a sigh, "I'm beat. Don't look like there's anything in here worth much unless you're gonna loot th' place."

"Indeed" Zecora said with a hint of defeat, before turning to Macintosh. "Oh! Early we've decreed! What is this I see, a text before me?" Macintosh nodded, and Zecora took it from him, opening it carefully and letting her eyes roam the pages. "This book is written in the ancient tongue... but if a clue yet remains, this is the one." She smiled, though there was little mirth, and more uncertainty, in the look of her eyes. "I suppose we've dallied too long, my friends. Lete us return to Ponyville before the day ends."

The ponies turned to make their way back out of the sanctuary, though Macintosh had to stop once more and look back. His eyes settled on that statue and its peculiar structure. 'It looks like a pegasus... but the horn... are unicorns real...?' Big Mac simply shrugged, turning his attention back to his friends and stepping out of the room.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note:

This is the point where the big changes begin.
From here on out, this should only kind of resemble the story I had written before.

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

Hmmm. Instead of being Air Nomads, the third tribe are mythical. Interesting.

[RealityCheck]

I'm afraid the premise fails, because you have the earth ponies ruling everything.

Reality time. "I'm strong and grow plants good" is not even in the same league as "I can fly and summon lightning and tornadoes" or "I can kill you with my brain." The earth ponies would be the lowest caste in the system.

[PonyTom]

4662160
You seem to assume a group of people would not be smart enough to compensate for their short comings. And also assume that all unicorns are master spell-casters and that all pegasi are ace fliers who can do Sonic Rainbooms on a whim.

I assure you, there's more to the rise of the Earth Ponies than just the obvious talents. I'm not even doing a good job at hiding just what might have played a role.

[MrAskAPirate]

"The Castle of the Sisters... it is near... my friends, I believe we are here!"

Better?

[PonyTom]

4663852
Was, but then your choice of icon gave your comment a somewhat less helpful tone.

[MrAskAPirate]

4663959
My bad; didn't mean it that way... how about... this one?

[howard035]

4662160 You're forgetting the earth ponies and pegasi teamed up against the unicorns. Later on wealth and power gradually shifted to the tribe that makes/grows everything, but I don't believe there was ever an earth pony/pegasi war in this 'verse.

I would love to see this world's version of the Hearth's Warming Eve play.

[PonyTom]

4665445
HAH! Actually that part remains the same. I altered some elements, but that one stuck.

Someone who paid attention! ... I.... I just might cry.... its so amazing...

[PonyTom]

4664058
Much better!

[howard035]

4665471 Well I love me some alternate universe fics, especially the history leading up to the present state. One thing that never got answered though, is why unicorns didn't just say "buck it" and go build their own country somewhere else, especially in modern times. Move in with the Zebras or the Buffalo or something.

[PonyTom]

4665599
That's something I intend to touch upon with this alternate itteration. I'm hoping not to disappoint.

[howard035]

4665635 Cool, I can't wait.

[SFaccountant]

It's kind of funny that Big Mac, in the "serious, tough adventurer role" has actually contributed less than Braeburn at this point. He's already passed out twice and been injured. Braeburn rolled a twenty on finding secret rooms and hasn't been scratched yet.
Although Zecora has been rocking this all on her own, as expected. I'm starting to think she just wanted the stallions around to carry her luggage.

[Photonic Rainboom]

Braeburn was feeling the burn too

The irony.

[XionXionHolic]

4817811
And for eye candy, of course... ;)

[DiscordFan]

Unicorns aren't real or alicorns aren't?

[LuseneXxx]

4662160 This. The Mud Ponies wouldn't stand a chance against the Glorious Unicorn Master Race, who seem to be the most intelligent, innovative and technologically-oriented anyway.