Book 1 - Ch 1 - The Choosing - Legends of Days Long Past
In the time before the world, before reality formed, there was only the shapeless chaos of possibility writhing and roiling in the void. There is no way of knowing how long this lasted, for time meant nothing before. But, be it after a moment or an eternity, something happened in the chaos. A pattern emerged, for what is chaos but unfettered chance. And from chance, pattern can arise.
The pattern was small, weak and fragile at first. But, it continued to shape itself from the chaos, and it grew. Soon, the pattern began to become something new. It began to gain form.
And from form, came shape.
From shape, came a body.
And within the body, came a mind.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the mind became aware.
With awareness, came identity.
From identity, came ego.
From ego, came desire.
And from desire, came will.
From will, came self.
And with self, came birth.
Rising from her primal womb, the Empress Harmony was the first being born of the chaos. She was the first existence. The first mind. She was the first centaur.
From the primal chaos, the great centaur goddess emerged like a butterfly from her chrysalis. And as she emerged, her pattern imposed itself on chaos, bringing shape and form to what was once formless. Grasping the pattern in her hand, she cradled it, nurtured it, shaped it with her will.
From her imagination, she created the land, the sea, and the sky. Where she trod upon the land, new living things came to be, some beautiful, some monstrous. The Empress loved them all, and they loved her in turn. For she was their mother. The Empress set about shaping the world, spreading her pattern. She experimented with forms and ideas, giving life to them. Those that worked well were kept, while those that didn't were gently reshaped into new forms, until she found one that was right.
Soon, the tapestry of her world was teaming with the beautiful pattern of life.
And for a time, things were at peace.
But, as the ages went on, the Empress found new, alien thoughts invading her mind. The many creatures of her world had others of their kind. Others to share their lives with. Yet she, as beloved as she was, was alone. Looking to the sky, and seeing that even her own creations, the sun and the moon, had a sibling, she yearned for the same companionship. She yearned for a family of her own.
Looking upon the sun and moon, she came upon an idea.
Reaching up to the sky, she brought down the sun and moon, and plucked a shard from each before returning them to their places. Then, reaching to the earth beneath her hooves, she called forth a blade of obsidian. Drawing the edge of the blade across the tip of her finger, she shed two drops of blood, which she dripped onto the shards of the sun and moon.
From the shard of the sun grew her first daughter, a centaur with alabaster white fur, skin as fair as porcelain, and hair like a rainbow. To her first born, she gave the name Celestia, and to Celestia, the Empress bestowed the gifts of curiosity, crafts, dance, agriculture, and domain over the day.
From the shard of the moon grew her second daughter, a centaur with midnight blue fur, deep ebony skin and hair like a starry sky. To her second born, she gave the name Luna, and to Luna, she bestowed the gifts of dreaming, song, art, philosophy and domain over the night.
But, much to the empress’s surprise, as her daughters formed, a third came to be. For the obsidian blade had bathed in the shadows between day and night, and the divinity of her blood. From the shard of obsidian came her only son, a centaur with an ash grey coat, coal grey skin, and hair like cobalt streaked black fire. To her unexpected third born child, she gave the name Umbra, and to Umbra, she bestowed the gifts of guile, cunning, patience, and domain over the shadows.
The three siblings soon joined their mother in watching over the world. As the ages went by, her children grew to become wise and powerful like her. And for a time, the Empress was happy, for she had a family to call her own.
But, her joy was not to last.
For while the Empress had been building the world, the primal chaos that bordered the world had grown angry. Angry at her audacity. Angry at the order she imposed.
And from that anger, were born the avatars of chaos.
From disorder, came a force of mischief. Of anarchy. Of cruelty.
And his name was Discord, and he was the first draconequus.
From hatred, came a force of destruction. Of entropy. Of death.
And his name was Grogar, and he was the first satyr.
And into the world, the two avatars came, seeking to return the Empress’s creation to the primal chaos from which it emerged.
Discord cavorted around, sewing madness and disharmony, forcing the Empress's carefully ordered world into disarray and tormenting its inhabitants with petty games for his own amusement, introducing randomness, conflict and unpredictability to the Empress's orderly reality.
Grogar unleashed destructive entropy upon all that dared cross him, erasing whole races from existence and draining the very life from the land. From Grogar's machinations were death, decay, entropy and destruction introduced to the Empress's world.
Thus began the first war against the chaos.
Standing as one, the centaurs fought to defend their domain against the avatars. With solar might, lunar speed, shadowy cunning, and radiant unity, they fought long and hard, their battles cracking the land, boiling the sea and shaking the skies. But, at long last, they forced the avatars away, banishing them from reality and back to the chaos that had birthed them.
Yet, the damage had been done, for chaos had been introduced to the world. Try as she might, the Empress could not cleans its poison from the very fabric of her creation. In the wake of the war, strife, death, entropy and randomness had nestled their way into her pattern. At first, the Empress despaired at the poisoning of her beautiful creation. Yet, as she despaired, her children came to her and showed her something strange. Something wondrous.
For with the introduction of the chaos, came new patterns that Harmony had not foreseen. Now, the land changed and life adapted, becoming stronger. Chaos had altered the pattern, yet had also made it better, for now, the pattern could adapt and grow.
And the Empress's heart was once again filled with joy, to see her creation grow and survive in the face of adversity. True, it would never be as perfect as she once wished it would be, but, perhaps, there was a beauty to this new pattern.
But Harmony knew that the avatars were not destroyed, for they were merely aspects of chaos, and would seek to return. If she was to protect her creation… her world… her children… she would need to stand vigilant against them. Though it pained her, she would have to leave her family and stand alone against the chaos, holding it back.
With a heavy heart, she appeared before the world’s inhabitants, and declared that her time as ruler had come to an end. From that day forth, her children would rule in her stead, while she would stand against the return of chaos, holding it back to protect all that she had made. Though the creatures of the world wept at the loss of their mother, they understood that what she did, she did to protect them. And thus, the Empress departed from reality, leaving its care in the hands of her children.
The Empress continued to stand watch over her creation from afar, holding back the ever hungry jaws of chaos. Her children, seeking to live up to their mother’s example, began to live among their people, building a great city from which they ruled.
Those who venerated Celestia grew into explorers, makers, and farmers. From Celestia’s gifts of dance, came forth magic formed from the motion of the body, fueled by the fire of the dancer’s passion, but tamed through the strength of their will.
Those who venerated Luna grew into artists, great thinkers and observers. From Luna’s gifts of song, came forth magic woven by the voice, fueled by the power of the singer’s will, but given form through the lens of their emotions.
Those who venerated Umbra grew to be actors, comedians, spies and defenders. From Umbra’s gifts of cunning, came forth magic of shadows, powered by the very life of the user and focused through the calm of their minds.
And for a time, the three siblings ruled. Celestia the shining leader, Luna the wise advisor, and Umbra the cunning protector.
But the peace was not to last.
The first to fall was prince Umbra. Umbra had long defended their kingdom from within the shadows, a silent sentinel against the chaos, and the Empress's more violent children, the monsters. To protect them, he had to become ruthless and cruel. To fight monsters, he had to understand the monsters.
That understanding would lead to his fall.
One day, he vanished from the palace without a word. Neither of his sisters knew where he had gone, but they did not look for him, for when the prince did not want to be found, none could find him, for he was one with the shadows that slip ever silent between the light and the dark. The days went by and there was no sign of the missing prince. Days turned into weeks, then weeks turned into months.
And then, Umbra returned. Only, he was Umbra no more. Where once his face was handsome and kind, it was now twisted and cruel. Where once his eyes shone with compassion and love, now they burned with inky hate and darkness. Where once was a soul gem that shone with wise shadows, now was one black as the void that now filled his heart. And where once he stood as a protector of the people, he now stood as their destroyer at the head of an army of monsters.
His sisters plead with him to return to them, but he brushed them off. He was prince Umbra no longer. He was a king. The monsters he once fought showed him the truth, that his sisters were holding him back, keeping him from his destiny. They ruled while he languished in their shadow. No more. Now, the shadows would take their rightful place on the throne.
And so Umbra ceased to be, and Sombra, Prince of Shadows and King of the Monsters, was born.
And for a decade, Sombra waged war against his sisters, seeking to dethrone them and claim their crowns. But his sisters would not bow, and through their combined might, they pushed back his armies, shattering his power. Cornering their brother in his stronghold, they offered him a chance to surrender. Sombra, defiant to the end, refused, and moved to strike them down. With great reluctance, his sisters sealed him away, banishing him to the shadows from which he drew his power.
And there was great sadness in the sisters, whom had lost their only brother.
Yet, despite their heavy hearts, they returned to their people, and began to rebuild.
Time passed, and the sisters recovered from their grief, and moved forward.
And for an age, there was peace.
But, as before, it was not to last.
For many years, a rift had been developing between Celestia and Luna. Celestia had always led, as was her right as the eldest. But Luna, like her fallen brother, grew tired of forever being in her sister’s shadow. Luna’s jealousy of her sister’s exalted position grew by the day, and she heeded Celestia less and less. Her night was as important as the day, so why did she not rule as her sister did. It was not long until her jealousy turned to fights. Then from fights to war. Soon, the land was torn apart again by conflict, the people of the sun and moon battling to prove their mistress the true ruler of the land and sky.
But the war would never have a victor, for the fighting had drawn the attention of the Empress. Turning briefly from her vigil, she called for an end to the fighting, and summoned her bickering daughters to her. Celestia claimed that Luna began the war, while Luna claimed it was Celestia, then began to squabble again. The Empress, though her patience was vast, was not infinite. Calling her daughters to task, she made her decree. If they could not work together to keep the world in balance, she would separate them until they could. By her decree, the sky was to be shared equally, but the land was to be split. To the south, Celestia would rule. To the north, Luna. And until the two were able to set aside their differences, they would not be permitted to enter the other’s domain.
Her edict enacted, the Empress dismissed her wayward children from her sight. Upon their return, Celestia and Luna called for a great exodus by their people to their new domains. Those that answered Celestia’s call renamed themselves the sun-gazers, while those who chose to follow the traitorous Luna renamed themselves the night-weavers.
And to this day, the sun-gazers have lived under the watchful eyes of Queen Celestia, ever wary of the children of the night lurking to the north, plotting her fall.
*****
“Sunset?”
Sunset almost jumped out of her skin as a gentle voice from behind snapped her out of her reverie, nearly causing the young fire-caller to drop the tome she was reading. Placing a hand over her chest and taking a few deep breaths, she forced herself to calm her nerves enough to think.
“Yes, matron Tender Heart?” She replied as she closed the book and set it on the table next to the sofa where she’d been curled up to read. With one last deep breath to steady herself, she rose to face the matron of the Golden Tree orphanage, the will-o-wisp she’d conjured to provide light floating up next to her, shedding its illumination through the rest of the room.
“Dear, why are you up so late?” Tender Heart said. The middle aged earth-weaver’s kind, maternal, salmon pink face and long, two-toned robin-shell and sky blue hair lit up softly in the light of Sunset’s will-o-wisp, while her warm voice was laced with concern as she approached her young charge.
“I… I couldn’t sleep.” Sunset said, looking to the side and rubbing her arm. “So I came down here to read.”
“Couldn’t sleep?” Tender Heart asked, “Is something wrong?”
“No, no, nothing’s wrong…” Sunset stuttered as she looked up at the matron. “I just…”
“You’re nervous about tomorrow, aren’t you?” Tender Heart said with a warm yet knowing smile.
“…Is it that obvious?” Sunset said with a sigh.
“I’m afraid so, dear.” Tender Heart chuckled as she gently patted Sunset’s head, earning a soft pout from the young girl. “But, you don’t have any reason to be. Either your fire will be bright enough, or it won’t be. There’s no point in being afraid of something you can’t change or control.”
“I know.” Sunset said as she wrapped her arms around her waist and shivered. “It’s just… I don’t know… I just… I… I know the chances are small, but I really want to be picked… And it just keeps going round and round in my head. What if I get picked? What if I don’t? Is that wrong?”
“Of course not, dear girl.” Tender Heart replied as she knelt down to look Sunset in the eyes, warm pink meeting cool teal. “I don’t think there’s anyone in Solaria that doesn’t dream of being a phoenix-born. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. And…honestly…it's fine to be nervous. But, being scared and letting it consume you doesn’t do you any good. What will happen tomorrow will happen. If you’re picked, then you’re off to Heliopolis. If not, then you’ll still be Sunset Shimmer, the brilliant, brave girl that I’ve had the pleasure of caring for since she was a baby.”
Placing a hand on Sunset’s cheek, Tender Heart smiled at her young charge.
“So, let’s get you to bed.” Tender Heart said, “You’ll need to be up bright and early tomorrow. Don’t want to be tired out for the test, do you?”
“No matron.” Sunset said, her face relaxing a bit.
“Good girl.” Tender Heart said as she rose back to her full height. “Come along now.”
Nodding, Sunset scurried over to the end-table and grabbed her tome, before following Tender Heart as she led her back to the bunk room. Hugging the tome to her chest, she sighed as the familiar scent of the leather and parchment filled her nostrils. The tome was one of the few things that was truly hers; a gift from her best friends in the world: Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, for her ninth birthday last year. But not her real birthday. She didn’t know when her real birthday was. Instead, it was the day Tender Heart had found her on the steps of the orphanage wrapped in nothing but a simple blanket and a note with her name: Sunset Shimmer.
Hugging the tome a little bit tighter, Sunset followed Tender Heart into the bunk room. Reaching her bed, she quietly opened her personal trunk so as to not disturb the other girls, and slipped the precious tome into its designated spot, before closing the chest and climbing into bed.
“Sleep well Sunset.” Tender Heart said as she tucked Sunset in. “Remember, regardless of what happens tomorrow, you are Sunset Shimmer. Don’t forget that.”
“I won’t matron. Until the Sun returns.” Sunset said.
“Until the Sun returns.” Tender Heart said as she patted Sunset’s forehead one last time.
Curling up under the blankets and rolling onto her side, Sunset closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
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Revised and expanded,
I hope?oh hell yes!If so,I'm so in.~Skeeter The Lurker
Having centaurs and humans interact is bound to make for some interesting architecture to be sure.
10009844
I hope not to disappoint.
10009869
It does indeed. One thing not mentioned in the legend is how large the centaurs are when not shrinking themselves to fit in with the populace. The natural size of the siblings is roughly half the size of a fully powered Tirek in the S4 finale. They just usually shrink themselves down to interact with their people more easily. Nobody knows how large the Empress is when her power is fully unleashed, because mortal minds have a hard time fully perceiving her.
almost missed this glad I found it
so happy to see this i loved the original but as i pointed out in it i had wantedm ore now i am getting more
*super tight steel crushing hug* THANK YOU
That was a really nice explanation if the creation of the world and its gods.
It got split huh? I think it was fine as it was, but ok.
10009884
Speaking of Tirek, I'm kind of surprised he wasn't part of the creation myth. Since he's a centaur.
Other than that, great myth and opening. I liked the original and hope this one will be even better!
10009918
I'm glad you're enjoying me brain squeezings.
10010331
You're welcome.
*Manifests pseudopod and hands aceina a towel* BTW, you might need this, since you just hugged a bunch of water.
10010440
Glad you enjoyed it.
10010526
Eh, since I was doing such a major retrofitting of the story, it made more sense to do this.
10010650
To be infuriatingly cryptic, myths and legends don't always include all of the details. That said, if I include Tirek, I'm not sure if he's going to be something from the ancient past, or if he's going to be a new threat. After all, an aspect of chaos is adaptation…
Ah, I see you decided you agreed with the people who commented on the old story that a full rework and expansion like this needed/deserved to be its own thing. Track transferred over to this entry. Best of luck with your writing.
10010668
I did. It honestly felt odd having the completed 1st ed. looming over the revised version. This just feels better, y'know?
10010694
I tend to agree. A clean slate to put all your fleshed out ideas on, as well as somewhere any changes to events that come about won't be overshadowed by confusion.
I have an alternate title name for this if you want to hear it.
10010787
Thank you, but I'd prefer to keep it as is. I do appreciate the offer though.
10010920
I wanted the old one to stop being referred to an [Contest Entry] in chapter name ant as [1st Ed] in title plus my idea is a pretty similar name
would have been beter leaving htem as one thing
not cause i dont agree with your logic but because if not for the fact this got featured id have lost it when you split it and probly never found it again cause when you split it it got deleted from my read laters
you very neary lost a reader because of that and probly did loose several others who didnt notice in time, thankfully this keeps geting featured (it deserves it) so youll get those back and then some but still
10010922
its not your story, quit bugging.
10011976
Makes sense. Glad you caught it before it got lost.
10011977
I'm making suggestions.
Great way to expand and fully establish this universe. Eagerly looking forward to seeing more of it.
10016799
Thank you. I'm looking forward to expanding on it too.
Predictions
Will follow general outline of the abridged 1st edition, but much, much longer. Politics and drama ensue.
A sequel will arise that is focused on Sunset’s trials and tribulations as a ruler. Politics and drama ensue. In the end conflict with the north is on the horizon.
Next story is centered on that conflict. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity are the northern counterparts to Sunset and her friends. Conflict, adventure, and friendship ensue.
Final story is a united world facing the forces of Sombra. Redemption through death ensues.
10018039
Without giving away too much, ca. 30-35% of your predictions are close.
10018074
Awesome! I look forward to the surprise of where we go then. The writing is great and the ideas fun.
Loved the originals and this story. Can’t wait for more.
I am simply amazed. I really enjoyed the storytelling of the Empress and a sortof mythology in it. Really great storytelling so far.
10370510
Thank you. Buckle in, the ride gets wild.
The beginning reads like a bible
10643553
That's kinda the idea. Its an origin "myth".
i am re-reading this
10750520
I am re-reading this again
I have decided to re-read it again as soon as I finished it
10759501
You must really like this world.
this is the last time I say this but I am re-reading it again and I will keep re-reading this every time I finish this story
i can't remember how many times I read this at least 40
Decided to restart the story again
Decided to pop in for a reread of this what with the update—and the fact that I’m a bit stuck on a chapter, lol. I had forgotten how epic and enchanting your origin myth sounded; it reads like something youd find in a big old collection of myths or hear from a traveling bard/storyteller. Definitely gives me something to aspire to when I try to give some of Rubicon’s backstory the same treatment! ;)
Seriously, my friend, your worldbuilding and the deliberate care and thought you put into it is marvelous!
11673826
That was exactly what I was going for. Hopefully I can manage the same when I finally get to Selenia.
Got a long journey ahead.
So Luna got shafted huh? "Traitorous Luna"? Well, alright then.
Also, simply forcing separation doesn't seem like the best idea, Harmony. Just saying.
Amazing first chapter. Reading on.
11687747
Thank you.
Regarding Luna, consider that this is being told from the perspective of the people who follow Celestia. Might their view of events be colored by the fact that Luna and her followers were on the other side of the conflict.