The Foalympians

by KidatHeart5

The Children of Harmony

A long time ago, Equestria prospered under the rule of three princesses. Two were alicorn sisters who served as the protectors of Equestria. Celestia, the eldest, raised the sun while Luna, the younger, brought forth the moon. The third, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, ruled the Crystal Empire and spread love and joy across Equestria. Then, without warning, a menacing centaur named Tirek appeared. He stole the alicorns’ powers and locked the princesses away in Tartarus. He ruled the land with an iron fist and made his throne on the Smokey Mountains.

It had been like this for almost a decade and the ponies were starting to lose hope. Then one fateful day, a wise zebra had spoken a prophecy about Tirek’s defeat. Word spread amongst the ponies about children of harmony being able to put an end to his rule. When the prophecy had reached Tirek’s ears, he was alarmed by this. He inquired his council about how to find the children of harmony. They foretold that each child would be born separately and that it would have powerful magic regardless of their race.

When a pale, light grayish gold Pegasus named Fluttershy was born, she emitted a soft pink glow. Tirek was alerted to this and took the child. He did not want to waste such powerful magic just by finishing her off, so he swallowed her whole, hoping to absorb the magic prophesied to be used against him. The same happened to four more fillies born with the same kind of magic. Months after Fluttershy was swallowed alive, Rarity was born and glowed a regal purple. Applejack came into the world after Rarity. The light brilliant gamboge Earth pony shined a bright orange.

Rainbow Dash was next, being surrounded by a red glow. On the Pie rock farm, Pinkie Pie was born. When she glowed a light blue aura, Tirek immediately swallowed her. None of the five fillies that possessed the magic of harmony were spared of the centaur’s belly. But there would be one that would escape his grasp…

In Canterlot, Night Light and Twilight Velvet were expecting their second child. Their young son Shining Armor was excited, but the parents were worried. What if their foal had harmony magic? Then Tirek would swallow it alive. They didn’t want this fate to befall their baby, so Velvet, heavily pregnant, went out into the garden and wept.

Just then, she put her head to the ground and heard a voice saying, “There is a way to help your child.”

Velvet was surprised by the voice, but the promise of helping her child was just too good to pass up. She pressed her ear against the ground to hear more.

Another voice told her, “Your child will be a pony blessed with the most powerful kind of harmony magic.”

A third voice told Velvet, “But you must do as we say if you want it to be safe…”

Shortly afterwards, Twilight Velvet gave birth and Tirek sensed powerful magic in the swaddled foal. As with the other five fillies, he swallowed this one whole. But the parents of the foal did not grieve their loss, for instead of giving him their child, they gave him an enchanted hologram of the filly. Before Tirek even came to Canterlot to swallow the child, the filly’s parents had sent her away to the zebras to be raised by them. The only way one could get to the savannah the zebras inhabited would be through the Everfree Forest. Given its location, the filly would be safe from Tirek at all costs. The filly eventually grew into a skilled practitioner of magic and her abilities rivaled even that of the most powerful zebras.

Her name was Twilight Sparkle.

---

Spike and two male zebras were wading in a waterhole and having fun. The zebras then got out of the water and one said to Spike, “Come on, Spike! We want to see Twilight!”

Spike chuckled, “Guys, you know she can’t leave the hut. It’s too dangerous for her to be-“ Just then, he got pulled underwater.

The zebras gasped, “Spike! Bro, where are you?!”

Suddenly, water burst from the pond and Twilight and Spike landed on shore. Twilight smirked, “How’s that for a neat trick?”

Spike sputtered and coughed, “Twilight! What are you *cough* doing out of the hut?!”

She answered, “I was bored. I’ve read all of the books in the hut many times. I want to do something productive.”

One of the zebras asked playfully, “Like playing ‘Run from the Horn’?”

Twilight smirked, “Now there’s a great idea.” She shouted playfully as she began to chase them, “Run away!”

Spike watched contently as Twilight chased the zebras and the two boys were laughing gleefully.

That night, Twilight and Spike lounged near the waterhole as they looked up at the moon.

Spike told her while imagining holding the moon between his fingers, “When I was young, I looked out into the night sky. I used to think that I could just reach up and take hold of the moon.”

Twilight chuckled, “The moon would never fit in your claw, Spike. I’ve studied astronomy. The moon is too big for you.”

“I don’t know. I can grow pretty big. Twilight…Now that you’ve left the hut…what are you going to do?” When Twilight didn’t answer, Spike asked again, “Twilight?”

Twilight told him, “It was very lonely, growing up in the hut…No one to talk to but the zebras and you, of course. But I did have a lot of books, so that helped bide the time. That’s how I found out about Tirek’s reign and what happened to the princesses who once ruled the land. One night, I put my ear to the ground and heard voices. I couldn’t believe I was hearing the princesses!

“They told me things, Spike. Things about what happened in the last few decades. They told me about the five ponies with harmony magic, and how they still lived in the belly of Tirek. And of how I must free them. When I told Zecora all of this, she created a potion for me. ‘Feed this to Tirek, my little pony,’ she said, ‘and the five ponies will be set free.’

“Of course, she didn’t tell me exactly how I’m supposed to get the potion to Tirek. He’s the overlord of Equestria. Even with everything I can do, if I confront him, I’ll join the other ponies in his stomach.”

Spike suggested, “I’ll give it to him.”

“What?”

“Tirek might think I’m just a puny dragon. As far as he knows, he’ll have nothing to fear from me. I’ll feed him the potion and he’ll cough up the five ponies. Then you all get together, overthrow Tirek, and boom! You save Equestria.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“Well, it’s worth a shot, don’t you think?”

Twilight thought about it, and then a determined smile spread across her face. She said, “Yes, Spike. It might just work.”

---

High atop the Smokey Mountains, Tirek sat on his earthen throne in indifference while ponies and other species came from all around to present him gifts. Spike and a cloaked mare were waiting in line since early in the morning. When it was almost noon, the two of them were two or three beings close to the pile that had amassed at Tirek’s hooves.

Spike breathed in awe of the sight, “So much treasure…and he’ll devour it all. What is he? Part goat?”

The cloaked mare shushed him, “Shh! Spike, you don’t want to offend him.”

“Sorry, Twi- I mean, Golden Thread. I think you can really get away with this disguise.”

She hissed, “Yes, but not if you blurt out my real identity!”

“Okay, I think we’re up.”

The baby dragon and the cloaked Twilight stepped towards the pile and faced up at Tirek. Spike, now fraught with anxiety and fear, regretted even coming to the Smokey Mountains in the first place.

Tirek rumbled, “And who may you strangers be?”

Spike stuttered, “Um…I am Spike…the Dragon…and I’ve come to offer you a gift, oh mighty overlord.”

The centaur said, “I sense powerful magic in the mare with you. I surely would’ve drained her magic long ago.” He then roared, “Show me your true identity, mare!”

The pony complied, “As you wish.” When she took off the cloak, Twilight showed her true appearance.

Tirek shouted in shock, “You?! You escaped?!” He then grabbed Twilight and continued, “I do not know how you escaped the fate of the other five, but you will join them now!”

When he swallowed her, Twilight pulled out the potion and let it fall with her.

Tirek proclaimed, “Look upon me, peons! Look upon me, denizens of Equestria! Witness the fate of those who oppose me! I am Lord Tirek, and my reign shall be eternal! It is only at my whim that you st-”

Before he could finish his sentence, he started to gag. Within moments, he heaved up the hologram of baby Twilight. When the hologram faded, it turned out to be a bag of flour swaddled in a blanket.

Tirek gagged, “W-what is…KKKK! H-happening…?”

Just then, he retched up a rose-colored streak of light. Zecora’s potion had worked. Twilight rocketed across the sky. When the blinding light died off, Twilight opened her eyes and saw she was still flying through the air. She was surprised to see an unconscious pink mare with a long, straight brilliant raspberry mane in her arms. Twilight also felt something brush against her back and looked behind her. She was surprised to see wings, newly sprouted from her back!

Twilight didn’t have long to take it all in because she saw that she and the pink pony were heading towards a hill! Twilight concentrated on her wings and successfully got them to flap. She managed to evade the hill, but she then lost control and crash-landed on the ground. She was unharmed, thankfully, but she wondered if the pink pony was all right. She merely nudged the pony and suddenly, the latter’s eyes flew open. Twilight stepped back in surprise as the pony’s eyes looked all around before resting on the alicorn.

The pink pony started, “Oh…my…GOSH!” The pony jumped up and her hair poofed up as she said that last word. She began talking excitedly as she zipped around Twilight, “It’s you, the pony I’ve been dreaming about! You came to the rescue, and now here you are and where are the rest of the- *gasps dramatically* Ohmigosh! You haven’t rescued them yet!

“Oh, I almost forgot! My name’s Pinkie Pie! What’s yours?”

Twilight answered, “It’s…Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.”

Pinkie shook her hoof violently as she said, “Nice to meet ya, Twilight! What’s it like being an alicorn? Do you fly around a lot? Ooh! Ooh! Do you like cake?”

Twilight said, “I’m sure we’ll talk about all of that later. Right now, we got to get to the Smokey Mountains.”

“Okie-dokie.”

One by one, reversing the order in which they had been swallowed, Tirek disgorged the rest of the ponies. Loyal Rainbow Dash landed in the clouds. Honest Applejack awoke in a bushel of apples. Generous Rarity crawled from a trove of gems. And kind Fluttershy, the last released, had so long lain in the stomach of Tirek that her ability to fly was almost completely drained. Unable to even spread her wings, she walked from the still mouth of the centaur.

All six ponies and Spike walked towards Tirek, who had fallen to the ground from the nausea fit. Tirek glared at them with menacing eyes and rumbled, “Do not think what you have done…will go unpunished…Already my strength returns…Prophecy or not, I will…not be beaten by brats like you…In time, I will destroy you…”

Twilight said, “You have ruled for too long, Tirek. We will take back Equestria and restore peace and harmony. Any who stand with us stand against you. Goodbye.”

With that, Twilight teleported the ponies and Spike away from the Smokey Mountains.

Comments

[KidatHeart5]

6990488 Yep! That's the one!

[Godslittleprincess]

I noticed that you and your sister tend to favor portraying Twilight as the youngest of the Mane 6. Is it because of the "Youngest Child Wins" trope or some other reason?

[KidatHeart5]

7000400 Well, even though the birth order was mainly just coincidence, I just paired up the personalities of the Mane Six with that of the six siblings. It has nothing to do with birth order.

[Godslittleprincess]

7002161 The Mane Six's birth order in this story is exactly the same as the birth order in the Royal Canterlot Family series. Why does your sister favor this birth order?

[KidatHeart5]

7002459 I don't know. Maybe you should ask her.