The Pillars of Equestria
In the turtles lair, Leo and Karai were sparing in the dojo, Mikey was showing Shini one of his comics, April, Donnie, Raph, and Casey were watching another episode of Space Heroes the Next Generation. Raph spoke, "Man, It's been over a week since we had any action."
"I hear ya," Casey agreed, "There hasn't been any crime activity as of late."
"Well, maybe it's good we're finally getting a break." April noted.
"Yeah, but too big of a break can get boring after awhile." Mikey replied.
Leo came in with Karai and spoke, "Which is why we must also be prepared for when and if the time comes when we need to be at the peak of our strength."
"Well, something better happen soon, or I'm gonna go crazy." Raph said in irritation.
"And I thought you did years ago." Donnie replied.
"Ha! Good one." Mikey laughed.
Raph was ready to jump Donnie, until they saw sparks cracking out of thin air, and suddenly a portal appeared, "Uh, Donnie, what is this?" Casey asked.
"I don't know, all I do know is it's a gateway." Donnie answered.
"But to where?" Shini wondered.
"Guys!" came a familiar female voice from the other side of the gateway.
They saw it was Princess Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer using their combined magic prowess to open the gateway, "Twilight?" Leo gasped.
"Starlight?" Karai asked.
"Guys, you have to come through the portal. There's something you have to see." Twilight instructed.
The ninjas looked at each other, as April spoke, "Well, we have been wanting something to do."
"Then let's go." Leo ordered, as the group grabbed their gear and went through the portal as it closed.
On the other side of the portal in Twilight's castle, the turtles and their human friends appeared in their anthro or normal pony forms, "We made it." Mikey cheered, as he and his bros checked their anthro pony forms out.
"And in one piece." Donnie added.
"You know no matter how many times you go through a portal to another dimension and taking on another form, you never quite get used to it." Karai told Shini, Casey, and April.
"It's good to see you guys again." Twilight smiled.
"And it's great to see you too, Twilight." Leo smiled back.
"How did you manage to open a portal like that without using the one located at CHS?" Donnie wondered.
Starlight spoke up, "Well, Twilight and myself pondered on it and using our combined magic prowess and magic from the mirror portal, we were able to create our own portal spell to any part of your world so long as we've been there already."
"And we were able to open a portal right to the lair," Twilight concluded, "We're just lucky you were all there."
"Not much action going down in the city, unfortunately." Casey sighed.
"So what's the big call?" Raph inquired.
Starlight began, "Well it all started when Sunburst came for a visit, which is good because he is my oldest friend after all. But then he started finding out he had a lot in common with my other friends, so I desperately tried to find another way to bond with him, but I ended up turning us back into foals..." April spoke up.
"Maybe you should cut to the chase?" she suggested.
"Oh, right," Starlight grinned sheepishly, "After Sunburst left, we suddenly got a message from Princess Celestia to come to Canterlot asap, because Sunburst found something very important."
"Did he say what?" Leo inquired.
"Only that it's something that may change everything we know about Equestria history," Twilight answered, "And I wanted you guys here in case it was going to be something really big. Because let's face it, things tend to get big when something comes up."
"No denying that." Raph replied.
"So come on, we better get going." Twilight instructed, as the group headed for the train station to rendezvous with the others.
After a train ride to Canterlot, the crew made their way to the castle, and who should be waiting for them but Blade Swipe wearing guard armor and a helmet, "Blade!" the ninjas greeted.
Blade smiled, "Hello, old friends. It's good to see you all again."
"Feeling's mutual." Leo agreed.
"Based on the armor, I say you're doing very well." Karai noted.
"Yes. Being a guard in Canterlot has always been my dream, and now I'm finally living it."
"Well then, Blade Swipe, be a dear guard and take us to the Princesses." Rarity instructed.
"As you wish." Blade bowed his head before escorting them inside.
As they reached the throne room, they saw waiting for them was the Royal Sisters and Sunburst. Blade announced, "Presenting, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Company. And also presenting, the Ninjas of the other realm."
Starlight trotted over to Sunburst, "Good to see you again, Sunburst, even if it hasn't been that long."
"I know." Sunburst chuckled.
Celestia spoke to the ninjas, "It's good to see you all could come. How have things been in your world?"
"As of late, dull." Leo admitted.
"Well, you won't find it dull after you hear what I found." Sunburst replied.
"What did you find?" Twilight asked.
Sunburst levitated a an old musty book up, "I found this journal among the other contents from the mystery barrel I bought during my visit."
"What's it about?" Applejack asked.
"Prepare yourselves." Sunburst began as he opened the journal and started reading it's contents. As he read an older male voice narrated.
The best elements within us can spread light and virtue, and I know ponies who represent them all – strength, bravery, healing, beauty, hope, and sorcery. Myself and these Pillars of Equestria were gathered together by another to maintain and share the light of these powerful ideals. But we soon came to believe the pony who brought us together only wanted that power for himself. Cast out and alone, this power-mad pony turned to darkness to satisfy his thirst. Transformed into a Pony of Shadows, he returned for revenge – to extinguish the Pillars' light and rob the world of hope. To stop him, the Pillars and I must make a grave sacrifice. But we shall leave behind a seed in hopes that one day it will grow into a force to stand against the darkness for all time. We must now face the fiend with the only plan we have...
It concluded with Sunburst reading the final line, "I only hope it will be enough." That's the last entry. And maybe Star Swirl's final words before he vanished." the ponies were shocked, while the ninjas were confused.
Princess Celestia levitated the book over to her and Luna so they could inspect it. The Princess of the Sun spoke, "I've always wondered what happened to Star Swirl. This is quite a discovery, Sunburst." she commended him.
Sunburst did a bow, as Twilight asked in shock, "So it's genuine? You can verify that this journal really belonged to Star Swirl the Bearded?!"
Luna nodded, "Indeed. From the looks of it, the last thing he wrote before facing the Pony of Shadows."
"Uh... So, the Pony of Shadows was really real?" Rainbow Dash asked sounding a bit nervous.
"It appears so." Celestia confirmed.
"We never met the other Pillars, and we were too young to understand the danger they faced." Luna explained.
"Hold on a second now," Applejack spoke up, "All those legendary ponies were real, too? And they went off with Star Swirl to face the Pony of Shadows, and then none of them were ever heard from again?"
Pinkie spoke up while nudging A.J, "Uh, yeah. Weren't you listening?" she grinned
"But what happened to them?" Fluttershy wondered.
Rarity answered, "They must have defeated the villain, since Equestria is still full of light and hope."
"But how? And where did they go?" Starlight asked.
Celestia looked at the journal contents, "My Olde Ponish is a bit rusty, but I wonder if the answers can be found somewhere within the pages of this book."
Twilight began boasting, "Well, I just happen to be an expert in Olde Ponish. I mean, I've practically memorized every ancient text about Star Swirl there is!"
Spike face palmed himself, "Seriously. All of them." he confirmed dryly.
Luna spoke, "We have fond memories of our old teacher. If you could discover what happened to him, we would be most grateful." she levitated the book to Twilight who grabbed it, while looking excited.
"Solving a thousands-year-old mystery could take forever! Think of the research! The re-reading! The re-re-reading!" Sunburst said giddily, while holding his hoofs to Spike and Mikey who fist bumped with him, but didn't look as thrilled.
"You might find you need help." Celestia noted.
Applejack spoke up, while motioning to Twilight, "Luckily, she's got a whole bushel o' helpers right here." Everyone stood behind her.
"Totally!" Rainbow agreed, "Uh... how long will all this research take, exactly?"
"Let's get this back to my library. I'm sure we'll figure out what happened in no time." Twilight said, as they were about to leave, until Raph called out.
"Hold it!" everyone turned to Raph, feeling startled by his outburst.
"Whatever is the matter, Raphael?" Rarity asked in concern.
"Is anyone here going to explain to us what's going on?" He asked.
"Yeah. Who is this Star Swirl?" Shini asked.
"And what're these pillars?" Leo wondered.
Twilight spoke up, "Well, Star Swirl the Bearded was regarded as one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria. His knowledge of magic was unrivaled by any. The creator of more than 200 hundred spells. One of which I finished for him, thus granting my princess title." she blushed.
"And he was the one who banished the Dazzlings from Equestria to our world?" Karai asked.
"Exactly." Twilight confirmed.
"So who are the pillars of Equestria?" Donnie asked.
"Originally they were believed to be legends and bedtime stories, but apparently they were real." Blade explained.
"I'll tell ya'll about the one that's my personal favorite, the Legend of Rockhoof." Applejack began telling the tale.
Rockhoof was known far and wide for his incredible strength. But he didn't start out that way. You see, Rockhoof was a tiny little fella, the son of a farmer. They lived in a village that sat at the foot of a gigantic volcano. And the village was protected by an elite group of guard ponies called the Mighty Helm. Young Rockhoof wanted nothing more than to be part of the Mighty Helm. But he was told that he was too scrawny and weak to protect the village.
"Wow the Mighty Helm sounds kinda mean." Mikey said, only to get shushed by his brothers. Applejack continued.
But Rockhoof wouldn't take no for an answer. Then, one fateful day... the volcano erupted! The molten lava poured down the side of the volcano... and try as they might, the Mighty Helm couldn't figure out a way to save the village! They had to evacuate. But the village ponies didn't wanna leave their homes. They spent their entire lives there. They had nowhere else to go! So Rockhoof decided to do something crazy. He thought if he could divert the flow of the lava, he might be able to save his village. He started diggin' a trench!
"By himself?" April asked.
"Digging a trench fast enough to stop lava by yourself is impossible." Donnie stated.
"Good thing Rockhoof didn't believe in the word 'impossible'." Applejack smirked, and continued narrating.
He continued to work, knowin' the odds were against him, but determined to push through it. Then, somethin' magical happened. Rockhoof got visibly stronger! But the lava was getting' closer. Through his extraordinary determination and sheer force o' will, Rockhoof more than earned his place in the Mighty Helm.
"Whoa," Casey gasped, "Rockhoof sounded like an awesome dude."
"Especially what he was trying to do to save his fellow ponies." Leo added.
"Just one of the reasons I was always fond of his story." Applejack smiled.
"So who're the other ones?" Mikey asked.
Rarity cleared her throat, "Allow me to tell you a tale of a pony named Mistmane, a pony who saw the beauty in everything." she offered, and began narrating.
Mistmane was once the most beautiful unicorn in all the land, and a very promising young sorceress. She was as talented as she was beautiful and kind. Everypony loved her and missed her when she was sent to the finest magic school. While she was gone, she was delighted to find out that her best friend, Sable Spirit, was crowned empress. She couldn't wait to return home once she finished her studies. But once she arrived, she was devastated by what she saw.
"What happened?" Mikey asked nervously.
Empress Sable Spirit made everypony work day and night on her palace. Leaving them no time to take care of anything else, including their own homes. Mistmane refused to believe the accusation knowing her friend too well, but there was no denying what was in front of her. Sable Spirit took everything that was beautiful away from anypony else! And Mistmane was sure there had to be some explanation.
"Sounds like Sable Spirit was a real Vanity Queen." April noted. Rarity continued to narrate.
Mistmane went to confront her friend to discover Sable Spirit was old and horrid. She wanted her palace to be a beacon of beauty and everypony would be awed by its majesty. Sable Spirit told Mistmane that it was she who taught her beauty was everything. She was jealous of Mistmane always being praised so she attempted to perform a spell that would make her equally beautiful, but it went horribly wrong. She declared if she couldn't have beauty then she would take it, just as she took the title of Empress instead of being given it.
"Yeah that's a vanity queen for you." Raph confirmed.
Mistmane fought Sable and defeated her. Everypony thought Sable Spirit was defeated, and that was that. But Mistmane knew there was more she could do to help. Beauty isn't everything. But Mistmane knew that it does have the power to make ponies smile. She made a huge sacrifice to bring that smile back to her friends' and family's faces... including Sable Spirit's. So she gave up her own beauty to everypony including Sable's. Sable Spirit was so touched that she vowed to be more like her friend in the ways that mattered. From then on, she ruled with kindness and compassion. Even though she gave away her physical beauty, she dedicated her life to spreading beauty all over Equestria. Any time you go out of your way to brighten somepony's day by doing something like giving them flowers, you're following in the hoofsteps of Mistmane.
"Wow, that's beautiful." Shini gasped.
"And touching." Mikey shed a tear.
"Yeah-yeah, but you guys wanna hear a real legend?" Rainbow asked getting them pumped.
"Sure. What've you got?" Leo asked.
"This is the story of one of the best ponies next to me, Flash Magnus." Rainbow began narrating.
A long time ago, before the Wonderbolts were even founded... Flash Magnus was a lowly cadet in the Royal Legion. And the Legion needed to fly over the Dragon Lands to get to their comrades on the other side. But as they got closer to the dragons... the dragons attacked!
Mikey got scared and clung to Donnie who pried him off. Rainbow Dash continued with the legend.
Flash Magnus and the Royal Legion tried to get past the dragons... but the dragons wouldn't let them. Flash Magnus and a few other cadets were separated from the battalion. He managed to get away, but the dragons captured his friends and took them back to their lair! Flash wanted to rescue his comrades, but the commander felt there was no way to get past the dragons. Flash offered to be a decoy to lure the dragons away so his comrades could save the others. The commander gave Flash Magnus Netitus, the fireproof shield to help him. The shield has protected Legion heroes for generations, and he had deemed Flash worthy to use it. While Flash Magnus bravely flew for his life, Commander Ironhoof was able to get his soldiers back. Flash flew like the wind faster than the dragons. But Flash knew he couldn't do this forever. Luckily, he had a plan.
"What did he do?" Raph wondered.
He led the dragons straight into a storm that the Legion had planted! One taste of the lightning, and the dragons retreated. Flash Magnus' plan worked, and their comrades were saved.
"Now that's true bravery." Leo admitted.
"I know, right?" Rainbow asked.
"And what of the other ones?" Karai asked.
"Ooh! Ooh! Me next! Me next!" Pinkie cheered, "This story is about a pony named Somnambula who had a village named after her." she began narrating.
A long time ago a village fell prey to an evil Sphinx who demanded most of their crops. Like her fellow villagers, Somnambula didn't have much, but she used what she had to keep others from giving up hope. The son of the Pharaoh, Prince Hisan, was so moved by her compassion that he decreed nopony would go hungry again. But when Hisan stood up to the Sphinx, the beast captured him, telling the Pharaoh the only way to get Hisan back was to solve her riddle. Nopony would volunteer to save the prince. Nopony except Somnambula. The Sphinx gave her the riddle. "I shine brightest in the dark. I am there but cannot be seen. To have me costs you nothing. To be without me costs you everything." As Somnambula thought of the hardship she and her fellow villagers had experienced, she instantly knew the answer. "Hope!", she shouted.
"That was easy." Donnie admitted, as Pinkie continued.
The Sphinx was so enraged, it seemed she might still refuse to release the prince, so Somnambula asked her for one more challenge. But if she accomplished it, the Sphinx would leave from the kingdom forever. The Sphinx quickly agreed, asking only that Somnambula walk to the prince across a deep chasm... blindfolded! Further, the Sphinx had cast a powerful spell that prevented Somnambula from flying. But Somnambula never lost hope! She knew she'd need to make a leap of faith to save the prince. Guided by the sound of the prince's voice... she easily made it across. The Pharaoh asked how Somnambula prevailed, and she explained that she had always hoped she could make things better for her people and that hope had carried her through. The Prince replaced the pearls Somnambula gave up with a string of glowpaz. And around her neck, they glowed bright enough to light the entire kingdom.
"Amazing to hear how much hope she had in herself." Karai admired.
"Sometimes having hope is all you need to tip the scale in battle." Leo noted.
"And the last pillar, who is it?" Donnie asked.
"Um, if it's ok, could I tell this one?" Fluttershy asked, as the princesses confirmed, "Ok, this is the story of Mage Meadowbrook, a pony best known for making healing medicines." she started narrating.
Long ago, she studied medicine under her mother and kept multiple journals. In one of her journal entries, Meadowbrook discussed how she dealt with a Swamp Fever epidemic that infected her mother and fellow villagers. While searching for a cure, she discovered that flash bees are immune to the disease-spreading flower's poison. Using her healer's mask to shield herself from the bees, Meadowbrook collected some of their honey and used it to develop a cure for the epidemic. Afterward, she dedicated her life to helping other sick ponies across Equestria.
The ninjas were astounded by the stories they were told, as Leo spoke, "So like Starswirl, those legendary ponies vanished with him?"
"Exactly." Sunburst confirmed.
"And who is this Pony of Shadows?" Casey wondered.
Blade spoke up, "Legends had it that many years ago when Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon, traces of her dark magic stayed behind in the walls of the Castle of the Two Sisters," he motioned to the Royal siblings who nodded, "When night falls onto their castle, that dark magic takes the form of the Pony of Shadows. But based off this new information there's more than what we were led to believe."
Celestia nodded, "Now that you know of our legendary figures, I trust you will help our subjects in uncovering the truth to what happened to our mentor and the others?"
Leo stepped forward and answered, "You can count on us, Princess. Ninjas, let's go uncover this mystery together."
"Oh, yeah boy!" Mikey cheered.
"Well, we got nothing better to do." Casey admitted.
"As long as most of the studying is handled by the eggheads." Raph motioned to Donnie, Twilight, and Sunburst who scowled at his insult.
"Come on let's go." Twilight said, as they all hurried back to Ponyville.
Celestia turned to Blade Swipe and spoke, "Go with them, Blade."
"Princess?" he asked in surprise.
"They will need as much help as they can get. And I have a feeling things may take a surprising turn. So I want you to join them and protect them." she instructed.
Blade bowed his head, "I shall protect them with my life, Princess Celestia. On my honor as a Royal Guard and ninja, I shall not fail." he went after the others.
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wow. I hope the turtles will make at lest 1 new friend.
Eggheads, the most used way of describing twi and her geek squad.
If only sci-twi was hear to.
be honest: how many of you would make a "skipping the intro joke" if I made an "insert intro here" joke?
I can only imagine how fast Blade Swipe went to catch up with them.