Tales of the Unforgiven

by HeatseekerX51

Thulian Cosmology

Creation 1
“In the beginning, darkness covered the land, and the great beasts roamed freely.

In the beginning, light shone in the heavens, and the three great steeds were but twinkles far away.

At first the great steeds did not know of the land, and for many ages went on in darkness and coldness.

But when they at last discovered it, they desired to bring their light upon it.

The monsters of wrath shook the land with their battles, and war was upon the face of the earth.

For many ages thence, light and darkness struggled.

The three great steeds pushed back the darkness into the depths of the earth.

They saw the land was barren, and desired to bring forth life unto the earth.

First, Valkyrion created the rain, and brought forth rivers, lakes and oceans.

Sleipnir created the mountains and the valleys, and brought forth growing things.

Kerannus created a light in the sky, to shine upon their work and give warmth to living things.

Then, Sleipnir set the elements to form beings of living things; Valkyrion set into these forms the breath of life; and Kerannus set into them the spark of mind.

The three great steeds looked upon their creation, and saw that it was good.

The great steeds were filled with love for their creation, and that love shone unto all things; and all things in their creation was filled with love.

And the great steeds blessed them, saying: “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the waters and the seas, the skies and the earth.”

But darkness remained in the pits of the earth, and was jealous of all things that moved in the light.

The great beasts fell upon the living beings, and began a great slaughter.

Other beasts convinced a lesser part of the living beings to become creatures of darkness, twisting their forms.

The great steeds saw what the beasts had done, and once more filled the land with war.

The greater beasts of darkness were cast into the outer beyond, while lesser beasts were imprisoned in the earth.

Some darkness remained, for the living things needed rest and grew weary of too much light.

Sleipnir and Kerannus took from the earth, and created the moon.

Valkyrion set the moon in the sky for half the day, a light to keep the beasts away in the darker hours.

The three great steeds saw their creation, and said: “Let us create beings in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the land and the sea and the sky.”

And so Sleipnir formed the first ponies out of clay, Valkyrion gave them the breath of life, and Kerannus, after seeing them in their own form, gave them the spark of mind, and light of soul.

In male and female, in Pegasus, Unicorn, and Earth Pony, they were created.

And the great steeds blessed them, saying: “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and live in harmony with it.”

And the great steeds saw everything they had made, and beheld that it was very good.”

“What does that mean?”

With pale mane and beige fur, King Rubicon looked down to his two little sons, Æclypse and Sombra, who sat on the rug staring up at him. It was Sombra who had asked the question, Sombra who was always curious.

“What does what mean, my son?”

The little gears turned in Sombra mind as he formulated what he wanted to say.
“That it was very good. What does that mean?”

“Well.” Rubicon began, closing the ancient tome on his lap and reclining in his seat. “It means that the great steeds liked what they saw going on, they were satisfied in their creation.”

This was one of the few times that the young brothers had been invited into their parents chambers. Rubicon felt it more appropriate as a father to handle this sort of education himself, instead of entrusting it to others. That time would come shortly when his sons were a little older. For now, it was his duty to teach his children in the ways of their heritage and wisdom.

“Any other questions before we continue?”

He saw the eyes of his eldest widen a bit. “Yes, Æclypse?”

“Um…” The little one started. “Where did all the darkness go?”

“Good question. You see, many of the great dark beasts were banished from the earth forever. But, there are some that remained, buried deep down. It is these creatures of the darkness my sons, that we must be ever vigilant against. The Windigos were some of them, which came back for a time during the struggle of the tribes. Thule, and all ponies must be on their guard not to let the beasts of darkness return.”

“Where are the great steeds now, Father?” Growing more interested, Sombra nudged closer. “Did they leave us? Will they ever come back?”

“It is said that the great steeds left the earth, and now watch over us from the skies. They created the world for us, not for themselves, and if they had stayed we would not live as free as we do. As for if they’ll ever come back, my father told me that one or all of them do visit us from time to time. Either in times of great need, or to meet one of us who is special enough to peak their interest. Personally, I think they created the Alicorns, so that we would have guardians among us.”

“What did they look like?” Æclypse asked.

“Like us, for the most part, only much more splendid. Valkyrion was the creator of the Pegasus, and had great wings of every color. Sleipnir was the creator of Earth Ponies, with eight-legs, he lent to them his great strength. Kerannus, creator of we Unicorns, it is said swung his horn like a spear, and was the source of our magic.”

Sombra pinched his brow, “If they were so good, why didn’t they wipe out all the dark beasts for good?”

Rubicon began with some difficulty. It was a question that had been argued about for as long as anypony could remember. It was difficult to reconcile the benevolent creators with the reality of darkness and evil in the world.

“Nopony knows for certain my son. But I will tell you that it is because the great steeds are creators, and it is not in their nature to destroy. Thus, the darkness will always be with us, and so will the light.”

“Father?” Æclypse chimed. “If they created the sun and moon, why do the Alicorn’s have to move them?”

The king opened his mouth to speak, but found the words would not come forth. He thought a moment, putting a hoof to his chin.

“Before the Alicorns, it was we unicorns who moved the heavens.”

“Before that?” His son pressed.

“Before that… I’m not sure anypony knows. Perhaps the answer you seek lies somewhere in the older archives.”

“Down in the chambers underneath the castle?”

“Yes.” Rubicon took the book in his magic, and placed it gently on the bed behind him. “There are many books and scrolls down there from long ago. Longer even than the time of Princess Platinum, longer even than the mighty Vortigern. I should make a point to inquire into such matters with Iambic.”

Rising from his seat, The king stretched his back and gestured to his sons to follow him.

“Come now, dinner should almost be on the table. We’ll continue tomorrow evening.”

Their father was a giant compared to them. Not brawny like some of the other stallions, but tall, with a noble poise. The red cloak that hung over his barrel, trimmed with gold tasseling, was impeccably cared for.

“Do you think we’ll ever get to see any of the dark beasts father?” Sombra asked.

Stopping in his tracks, Rubicon took a long breath, and craned his head around to them.

“Everypony meets one of the dark beasts. For there was one of the creatures of darkness that the great steeds could not defeat, one that stood immobile when all others retreated.”

Captivated, Æclypse let his words fall from his mouth with a quiver. “Which one?”

This was a lesson that Rubicon had wanted to hold off on, until they were a bit more mature. But, they had asked, and he would not lie to them about it. Gazing into his son’s eyes, he conjured the name of the dark beast that eventually would overcome every opponent.

“Death.” He answered.

The image of the family in the hall shimmered and blurred away into dissipation. In it’s place, Prince Æclypse the Valiant stood, watching the memory fade.

“Fascinating.” Luna said to him. Around the two the stellar vista of the dreamscape rolled on gracefully, a pathway of soft light under their hooves.

“I had no idea you possessed such a rich lore about Equestria.”

“I’m sure the other tribes have their own version of things.” The prince remarked as he and the princess walked along the floating road. He tried to think of other examples, but he had not studied much Pegasai or Earth Pony lore.

“A little different, but all three rivers flowing from a common spring I have no doubt.”

Luna lowered her head in unhappy thoughts. “Our tutors never spent much time explaining things like that to us. They seemed more curious as to our own origin.”

“It is hard to blame them, isn’t it?” Æclypse glanced at her sidelong. “Yourself and Celestia are remarkable creatures. It would not surprise me in the least if you truly were the craft of the gods.”

Sparing him a begrudging smile, Luna flicked her mane back as she raised up. “You say such sweet things my prince, but I would not wish it so. I tire of being so different from everypony else.”

“Your sister seems to wear it well.”

“She has little choice in the matter. The citizens adore her so, no matter how distant she keeps herself.”

A shooting star passed by over their heads, a sign that somewhere in the world, a new mind had just been created as Luna had told him.

“So not even you know of how you came to be?” He asked.

“The circumstances of our birth are as much a mystery to Celestia and I as they are to you. My mind often wonders about it.”

“Well… No matter where you come from, you are here now. And that is what matters to Equestria.”

He skipped a beat before adding: “And that is what matters to me.”

Luna felt her breath catch in her throat. She blushed, and leaned a little closer to Æclypse.

Author's Note:

Thanks for coming around. This was something that was rattling around in my head for a while. You never know where some of these elements are going to pop-up!

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Shouldn't you finish the previous story before you start this one?

[HeatseekerX51]

7886904 "Tales" are miscellaneous shorts and side stories. I'm not starting a new story in this continuity, these are just extra.