• Published 4th Feb 2018
  • 339 Views, 2 Comments

Linchpin Cycle: The Final Pillar - Gpizano



The lands of Equestria grow darker every day, as the despot's forces grow and press the resistance, the fate of the kingdom rests in a group of mare's hooves.

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Prologue

It is told that long, long ago, the world was much different from what it is now. It was not a void but more likened to a maelstrom as life clashed and flowed with no particular direction, purpose or thought. But all of life soon paused, for it was then that the hoof of the creator had raised to make all take heed. With but a thought the creator made the world take direction, much as an artist commands the brush and paints to create a picture or to arrange words to craft a story. At that point the creator was done and then came the time of the first beings...

Many dispute who came first. It was said the alicorn of the sun was first born, casting her light from the sky to warm the earth and cause many of the plants and animals to awaken and grow. She was followed by her sister the alicorn of the moon, who would cast a gentle glow that brought with it the first dreams as living beings slept in the cool nights.

Others claim that demons came first, flying from the frozen norths to bring their deathly chill, clawing up from the dark undergrounds with vile desires, or those that were simply left over from the times before the creator's will was set in motion.

The greatest of these demons was the wicked centaur Tirek and it was said that when he saw the lands nurtured under the lights of the sisters, so did his desire to possess and corrupt it all become immense. The battles between him and the sisters would rend the lands where ever so they fought, creating gorges, forming mountains and lakes, decimating lands to the south until they were nothing but sand and rock. By leaving the sun in the sky unattended, the oceans would boil and when the moon was left in the same state, the lands would freeze and whither in the night. It was upon seeing this destruction that the sisters did call for a truce with Tirek, the demon begrudgingly accepting since he knew that there would be nothing left for him to possess should he continue this stalemate with the alicorns.

And so did the sisters return to the sun and the moon to continue the cycle of night and day while Tirek returned to his domain below the ground... for now.

Then would come a time of peace when the older races were allowed to flourish, among these were the proud and mighty dragons, the deep sea dwelling sirens, the immortal phoenixes, the swamp dwelling hydras, and so on. It would be at this time that some demons would try their hand at roaming the lands, some with nefarious intentions and others merely having a curiosity of the above ground. One such demon, a gargoyle named Scorpan, was of the latter and found great beauty in the land, making his way as a peaceful traveler to explore and discover.

It would be a time later that the younger races would come such as the covetous Griffons, the mighty minotaurs and yaks, the graceful hippogriffs, and of course the tenacious pony.

Many claim that the ponies are all in Celestia and Luna's image, which so pleased the alicorns that they blessed them in different ways. This gave rise to the stalwart earth ponies, many gifted in strength and connected to the earth, the free spirited pegasi, lords of the sky, and the studious unicorns, wielders of magic.

In time, as ponies learned to cultivate the land and build their homes, the Mi Amore line gave rise. The family worked to unite the different communities of ponies under their banner and Dolce Mi Amore was crowned the first queen. It was a glorious time when she commissioned many a brilliant pony to work on marvels of agriculture, academics and commerce.

Yet as they progressed, Tirek's spies were ever watching, informing him of all that was happening as he waited and planned. It would be two generations later, during Campana Mi Amore's rule that he would make his move, sending out an army of darkness that cut through the land like a steel knife.

Even with the destruction Celestia and Luna knew they could not deal with the matter themselves, lest they destroy the ponies they dearly loved and all the ponies had created.

However, another course of action presented itself as the kingdom of Equestria was on it's last legs. A pony named Stygian and his friends had taken shelter inside a church in a forest outside of Pony Village. As his friends fought the forces outside, Stygian knew that not even his brilliant strategic mind could get them out of this alive and was left with only the recourse to pray. He prayed and prayed, desperation and fear giving way to solemnity and acceptance that their deaths were soon at hand.

And then, a miracle...

It was said that on that day, both the sun and the moon were in the sky as one before a light shot down to the earth outside of the church. From it a great and beautiful white tree took root and bloomed before bathing Stygian's six friends in a pure rainbow of light. Thus were the Pillars of Equestria born.

Rockhoof the mighty, Mage Meadowbrook the gentle, the ever optimistic Somnambula, the exquisite Mistmane, Flash Magnus ever steadfast, and the powerful Starswirl the Bearded.

With these new powers, they were able to push back the forces of darkness, rallying all pony troops to join them as they took the fight to Tirek's doorstep deep underground. Where with a final, radiant blast, they bound the great demon from horn to hoof with mighty chains of light! Harmony then returned to the lands and ponies did rejoice in their new heroes!

Peace was returned to the land for many years as the Pillars of Equestria settled into their new lives as heroes.

Unfortunately, it was a peace that was not meant to last...

And so did the heroes fall...

So was pony-kind once more brought to the brink...