Tales of the Pillars: 1
Equestria. Ponyville. Day.
"So which ponies are the Pillars?" asked Ash Ketchum. Recently, his friends brought up not just Starswirl the Bearded who already knew about, but five other ponies who were allied with him. And they were known as the Pillars of Equestria.
"All five of them are Starswirl, Mistmane, Somnambula, Flash Magnus, Mage Meadowbrook and Rockhoof." Twilight laid out their names. "You already know about Starswirl. He was Princess Celestia and Luna's teacher and discovered a plethora of special spells but even he couldn't do everything by himself. That's how it's always been from the start."
"Yeah, no one can do everything on their own." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I mean...maybe I could. Some stuff I can do on my own."
"Sweet! You gotta tell me about them for sure!" An ecstatic Ash said. "Any one of them will do!"
"Yeah. I'm down to hear it." Ember agreed, interested in stories about them.
"Ahem." Twilight cleared her throat. Well, I'd say we should start with the best of them all and the one who started it off. I know every minute detail about Starswirl so-"
"I'll go first. You're gonna wanna hear this." Applejack stood up, offering to share the story. It was a good save as Twilight pouted, followed by an apologetic grin from Applejack. But this was mainly because Twilight's words would be extremely long and they'd be here all day. "Sorry. This guy's one of my heroes. Rockhoof. 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.
Many years ago.
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.
The sound of weapons going up against each other in the past went off. This was done by earth ponies who held up spears, clashing them before one of the spears went flying. It was obviously practice as other ponies within this village that sat next to a volcano were spectating. And the laughter that came from the two ponies also confirmed this.
Being guard ponies meant that they were always training for a potential threat, using as many weapons as they could, at least during this time. Such as axes, which were thrown at targets by using their mouths. And of course, being that there were guards present all over the place, protecting this village, there would be ordinary citizens who would one day become those guards or they might just be related to the Mighty Helm via family ties. And one of those ponies who was just an ordinary citizen was Rockhoof. Young at the time.
And of course, Young Rockhoof wanted nothing more than to be part of the Mighty Helm, looking up to them as most children would. Spotting one of the axes that hit a target, the young earth pony attempted to remove it. He ran up, sinking his teeth into the handle of the axe and pulling with all of his might.
Alas, he was just a child. He flew off after failing to remove the axe. And when falling to the ground, the guards would laugh at his efforts, seeing very little potential within him. Possibly zero. He was told that he was far too scrawny and weak to protect the village.
He was young and his hooves were just average at best but had the strength of a twig at most. The young colt would tear up as the best he could do now was dig with whatever strength he had. Digging holes was common in this village, at least for him. He was a farmer's son after all. But Rockhoof wouldn't take 'No' for an answer.
"Then, one fateful day..." Continuing the story, Applejack skipped ahead to really give Ash, Pikachu and Ember the juicy part. The part where Rockhoof started to make his stride at last. Still a young colt, the volcano next to the village would erupt.
This was to be expected since it was a volcano. It brought along powerful tremors through the earth, ready to burst. Buildings were shaking, threatening to fly out of the ground. And then, it happened. Lava flew out from the volcano's mouth as the bellowing sound drowned out Rockhoof's cry of terror.
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.
Indeed, dealing with lava was an issue due to how destructive it was. They chattered amongst each other, trying to find a solution but everypony here didn't have anything that responded to Lava. Despite being warriors, they couldn't exactly slash at the lava or even cut it. Naturally, this ensued panic among the village ponies since lava was practically bound to fall on them all, bringing about a rather horrific end.
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.
Ships were availabe for them but their connection to their home made it impossible for some of them to leave. Some village ponies did leave by Sea though and it looked like those who stayed behind would try and face the destruction that was coming their way. It wasn't exactly fast. In fact, it was rather slow but it was imminent. That was when Rockhoof took action. No one can exactly combat lava, but they could most definitely avoid it. Or in this case, manoeuvre it.
He thought if he could divert the flow of the lava, he might be able to save his village. He started diggin' a trench.
"No way! He did that on his own?!" Ash's voice blurted out, surprised by what he was hearing. "So cool!"
"Pikachu?!"
"I still find that pretty hard to believe. Moving lava?" Rainbow Dash chimed in. Even though she knew this story, that part was unreal to her. "It'd be impossible for one pony to dig a trench fast enough to stop the lava. I mean, even I couldn't do that."
"Nowadays it's not impossible with what we have but back then, that was unheard of," Twilight added. "It is impossible to think about or even for one pony to pull off without any help.
"Good thing Rockhoof didn't believe in the word 'Impossible'.He continued to work, knowin' the odds were against him, but determined to push through it. Then, somethin' magical happened."
Back to the story, the young Rockhoof watched onward, deciding to do something about this. No one else could come up with something so he ended up, overreaching. But it seemed to be the right call. Quickly, the young earth pony ran to dig up new holes. If there was one thing he was good at, it was digging.
And he dug like his life depended on it. Which it did, considering everyone he knew in this village were in jeopardy of the lava. The approach was a trench. The deepest thing he could think of. And with these digging skills, he was going above and beyond what anypony was normally capable of.
He had all the time he needed but he still had to watch out for the lava which was still flowing down the volcano. To make sure this was successful, he was digging a trench next to the volcano. And of course, this action didn't go unnoticed. The guards and all the townsfolk would eventually take notice of Rockhoof.
Their jaws dropped, horrified as the young earth pony's life was in danger. He was right next to the volcano, potentially making him the first victim of this incoming disaster. The fact that he was going through with this was stunning to watch but also mortifying.
Of course, try as he might, he was just a boy and he had his limits for a body that wasn't fully developed yet. But it was that absolute willpower within him that caused a magical phenomenon to occur. The shovel he held would suddenly glow a light blue energy, rapidly engulfing the earth pony.
Before he knew it, in a matter of seconds, he went from a scrawny child to an absolute powerhouse. Bulky and large like an adult. In fact, he looked like an adult as everypony felt like they were seeing things now. One second he was fragile and weak and now he looked like he could move heavy objects with ease.
With this physical increase, Rockhoof couldn't take the time to admire his new appearance. He had to keep moving. And he started moving like never before. With just one dig, a hole appeared at stellar speeds, making the trench develop faster than what he usually could. One dig was enough to cover many metres in seconds thanks to how powerful he was now. And all he was doing was galloping at a regular pace but everything in front of him was being destroyed so fast.
Afterwards, he managed to find the best place to finish the trench as the lava would be away from the village and anywhere else. The lava would then pass through only the trench's pathway and nowhere else. The trench stopped at a cliff over the sea, making the lava reach a continuous spot. A spot where the lava could constantly flow without threatening anyone else.
And with that, the village was safe from harm thanks to the effort of this one pony. The villagers cheered for Rockhoof's achievement and the fact that he saved all of their lives. And of course, this also grabbed the attention of the Mighty Helm, who had to have someone like him in their ranks. Rockhoof, wishing to join the Mighty Helm, went for it immediately, fulfilling his dream while also being bigger than everyone else now.
Through his extraordinary determination and sheer force o' will, Rockhoof more than earned his place in the Mighty Helm.
"Ah, sweet stuff!" Naturally, Ash loved that story. "Thanks for the story, Applejack. That was something else."
"Yeah. Even if it wasn't about me," said Rainbow Dash who would giggle afterwards.
"I know, I know. I always look up to Rockhoof because of that." Applejack nodded in response. "Come to think of it, I might've spilt some of this story to Apple Bloom before. So she does know something about it. That's just one of the pillars and even before Rockhoof met the rest."
"So, when did they all meet?" Ash asked.
"It's best to warm you up before we come to that conclusion, darling." Rarity rubbed her hooves together. "I believe it's my turn to go next and tell you about Mistmane." Before she could do that, a flash of light went off here at the Pokemon House.
Naturally, this was the cause of the Pokemon working on a Get-Well-Soon Gift for Queen Chrysalis with Fluttershy instructing them. With so many Pokemon working on it, accidents were bound to happen.
"Yeesh. What kind of gift are they making." Pinkie Pie commented. "It's probably something big so I think I can add something to eat in there."
"Some flowers would do. Those always work out," said Rarity.
"Speaking of flowers...I should check up on Daisy and Paradise. I'll be right back." Twilight would depart to her castle to check up on the Flora Ponies. She couldn't be too careful leaving them alone for too long. "Keep on going without me."
"I'd better start baking" Pinkie Pie always had the decision to make something for Chrysalis and it involved food, of course, causing the earth pony to suddenly zip away.
"Anyway, listen to this, Ash." Rarity cleared her throat. "This one is a tale of beauty and how it can be found in everything. If you look closely, you can always find something beautiful. And Mistmane represents that. She used to be the most beautiful unicorn in the land."
Back in time once more, this story took place in an eastern-styled town. And here, the ponies dressed elegantly and with style compared to Rockhoof's home village. And the one who was the pinnacle of beauty was the unicorn Mistmane. Another member of the Pillars who had yet to meet them.
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.
Mistmane, who worked at a school with splendid talent, earned the respect of everyone there with most aspiring to be like her. One day though, a letter came to her that was of seemingly great importance. Once receiving the letter, her a smile graced her face since her friend has made such an achievement. This required a celebration between old friends.
However, as Rarity narrated, it was rather devastating what followed after her return to her hometown. The beautiful town which carried a great ordeal of vibrancy, now had a toned-down ambience and atmosphere, followed by visible damage on the buildings. Planks of wood covered some windows for protection, the blooming trees had all lost their leaves and the ponies here weren't carrying their bright smiles at all, instead frowning while they swept the ground and carried water in buckets.
"What happened here?" A shocked Mistmane asked one of the ponies sweeping.
"The Empress happened. She makes everypony work day and night on her palace. We don't have time to take care of anything else." He replied, aiming his hoof at the palace which stood out from the rest at this point, keeping its vibrancy.
"But that can't be. I know her! She would never do this." Of course, since her best friend became Empress, this was rather shocking to hear. But there was no denying the sight in front of her. And this only worsened when she saw a foal running with what looked to be a flower.
This flower would soon be taken away from the foal via a red magic. With a gasp, the foal witnessed the flower fly over to a chariot that was also clean compared to everything else. Of course, this belonged to the Empress, who wore all black with red accents and patterns here and there on her dress while her face was masked. Sable Spirit took everything that was beautiful away from anypony else. And Mistmane was sure there had to be some explanation.
With her saddened face transforming into a serious one, she would approach the palace. In all of its beauty and splendour, which also had everything it needed to keep everyone in it healthy. The same couldn't be said for the outside since everypony was being worked to the bone. Mistmane arrived, gazing at the new empress of this place.
"Sable, is that you?"
"Don't tell me you don't recognize your old friend." Sable Spirit replied with a rather pompous tone. And with this status, she was all high and mighty without a doubt.
I don't. My friend would never work our families and friends to the bone for something as silly as a palace." Immediately, Mistmane would share her disappointment, seeing the palace as a waste of time with all the work that was put into it compared to everywhere else.
"Silly? My palace is a beacon of beauty! Anypony who passes will be in awe of its majesty!" Sable exclaimed.
"What good is a pretty palace if it just hides the misery of its ponies?"
"Beauty is everything. You taught me that." Sable Spirit aimed her hoof at the beautiful unicorn.
"What?" said Mistmane, pulling back. She wasn't sure what Sable was talking about when she said that Mistmane taught her about beauty being everything.
"You were always the pretty one." Sable would leave her throne to approach Mistmane. "You got to go to the best magic school. Everypony missed you. Everypony loved you! I admit I was jealous, so I tried to perform a spell that would make me beautiful. You can see how that went!" The mask was there for a reason. When she removed it, she revealed a massive drawback that ended up sullying her face.
Protruding with wrinkles and puffed-up cheekbones, Sable Spirit looked rather old for her age. Way older for her age. A failed spell caused this mishap and also caused Mistmane to gasp in shock. "I found if I couldn't have beauty, I would take it. I wasn't chosen to be empress, you know. I took it! Just like I'm going to take everything else." Sable continued.
"I can't let you do that." Mistmane stood there, immediately refusing to let Sable Spirit go on with this harsh rule.
"Let me?" Sable laughed in the face of this, finding Mistmane's response to be humorous. But after a few moments of laughing, she would suddenly attack, unleashing a spell on the floor. From the lavish floor, thorns would erupt, forming a cocoon around Mistmane. This was to trap her but this did not last.
Right after being trapped by the thorns, Mistmane's magic would radiate, beautifully flaring out of the thorn cocoon before obliterating it. There, she emerged with grace like a butterfly blooming into its adult form. And yet, she did not retaliate.
But that didn't stop Sable Spirit from continuing her attack. Her guards knew what was coming instantly clearing the way for this next spell. And it was a rather destructive one. Her red magic extended from her horn when rising before transforming itself into a crimson dragon.
Mistmane would respond in kind. With her magic forming a spiral beneath her, a skyblue dragon would emerge, going after the crimson dragon.
"No way! That can happen?!" Ash's voice spoke through the narration of the story. That part really made his heart race with excitement. This whole story was exciting to hear. "Can you and other unicorns do that, Rarity?!"
"Unfortunately, only those from Mistmane's land were capable of that. But I'm certain we have something deep within. Now, pay attention. Rarity would continue to the story.
It was a clash of dragons. The two magical forms of energy would smash into each other, headbutting with great ferocity while both ponies exhibited different emotions. Mistmane's was calm, perfectly representing her dragon's colour while Sable Spirit's was hostile, much like how her dragon appeared. They would breathe fire against each other, spiralling and zipping all over the place.
Sable Spirit growled, putting her all into this. Meanwhile, MIstmane was so casual, perfectly in control. And with this control, her dragon would wrap around Sable Spirit's restraining is movements. With this powerful constriction, the crimson dragon would dissipate, making Mistmane victorious.
And for the finale, the sky-blue dragon would zoom over to a nearby pot, hitting it and flinching Sable Spirit, who thought it was after her. But hitting the pot was Mistmane's idea as it elevate the plants within. Sable Spirit, believing that she missed would approach Mistmane for one more attack, only for the plants to fly out and grab her. She was pulled back, receiving the same treatment she gave Mistmane earlier in this conflict.
But her was stronger, keeping Sable Spirit in a root cocoon that she could not break out of. This conflict was over with Mistmane as the winner. And with this victory, the guards from before would show themselves, popping out of two cherry blossom trees that they hid in. Their only response was to cheer for this instead of confronting Mistmane. They wanted this to happen.
"Everypony thought Sable Spirit was defeated, and that was that. But Mistmane knew there was more she could do to help."
Mistmane, still seeing Sable Spirit as her friend, had to do something. Before she left the palace, she took a single flower with her. This was the same flower that was taken away from the young colt for the sake of beauty. SHe would simply plant the flower into the ground, making new soil. Mistmane knew what had to be done.
Beauty and life had to be brought back into this world. And with Mistmane's magic that could be done. With her magic beautifully flowing into the flower, buds would start popping up at rapid speeds. Flowers were returning and the vibrancy of the town had a chance to be restored.
But this came at a cost.
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.
The same spell Sable Spirit had used before which backfired on her was used here but with success. It was incredibly successful, with a shockwave of light, the town had also been restored as Mistmane put her all in to this. The damage done to the buildings which haven't been taken care of was reversed. The trees, ground and even the skies were restored by this Beauty Spell, which was seemingly hard to pull off. But not for Mistmane.
And with the magic spread across the entire town, it reached the root cocoon that Sable Spirit was in, lowering it. And with this widespread magic, once Sable Spirit left the cocoon, she was affected as well. Bewildered, her beauty had returned to her thanks to Mistmane.
"You did this for me? Even after I was so cruel?" Sable said with utter disbelief. The fact that Mistmane did this, sacrificing her own famous beauty just for the sake of the town was outstanding.
Mistmane did not care about her appearance at all, not obsessed with her beauty. Hers was natural ever since her younger years and giving it up did not leave an impact on her. Instead, she saw beauty in everything else and cherished that more than anything. And it showed with how she brought beauty back into this town. And something like this struck Sable Spirit to the core. Her way of ruling on that day changed because of Mistmane's beautiful sacrifice.
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.
"Man...That's beautiful alright." Ash nodded. He saw the beauty in that story indeed.
"PIka. Pika."
"Sacrificing something is beauty in its purest form. At least to me." Rarity honestly said. And it was special considering what her element was. "It can be hard. I know how it feels." She grimaced as she has sacrificed quite a lot as it all came from a generous heart.
"But that's why you're generosity, aren't you?" Rainbow Dash nudged the unicorn.
"Hm-hm. Indeed." Rarity proudly said. "Mistmane's legend certainly inspired me through the years and I've seen sacrifices so far that would make her proud."
"All these pillars sound amazing." Ash loved what he was hearing.
"I wish my dad told me about this before," Ember added, also loving these stories. But unlike Ash, she was actually born and raised in Equestria and yet neither of these stories came to her.
"Oh, don't worry. There's something about dragons in all of this." Rainbow Dash said with a smile, surprising Ember.
"There is?!"
"Oh yeah. I've got more than one idol than just Daring Do. There's one pony way in the past who I look up to as well. Before that...it's feeding time." Before Rainbow Dash could share what she knew about one of the pillars, it was time for everyone to have some lunch.
All of them agreed, bringing out their Pokemon for lunchtime. The Pokemon House would get a bit more crowded. And of course, they would also have the benefit of hearing these stories with Ash aiming to catch them up on what he's heard. Meanwhile, the gift for Chrysalis was coming along relatively well.
There were some hiccups here and there with all these Pokemon who had different natures and personalities. Fluttershy laughed, knowing that they were doing their best. She hadn't heard about her friends talking about the Pillars of Equestria. But Audino certainly did with her excellent hearing.
She got everything, hearing about their history and having an equal amount of amazement in her heart and eyes. It almost distracted her from working on this gift.
Canterlot.
Meanwhile, back at Canterlot, after searching for anything Starswirl could have left behind relating to the Dread League, Celestia found nothing. The best she got was about a demon named Malebolge and that was about it. But she would not give up. She would continue searching for her old teacher's secrets.
She would bring over the secret notes and books that were stored away in a dark room, out into the sunshine at last. With a little bit of magic, they were removed of any dust that sullied them.
Entering the room was her little sister Luna, who most likely had something to share. She was also working hard at the moment. While Celestia was searching for a way to find and get past the almighty barrier, Luna was searching for Reshiram, relying on the Hyperdream.
"Any updates?"
"Reshiram's bubble is still growing. But he still cannot hear me." Luna updated Celestia. "However, he seems to be receiving some form of consciousness once more. Reshiram is healing without a doubt. I'm still not sure where to find him just yet but it seems Zekrom has an idea of where."
"He does!?" Celestia leaned in. "What does Zekrom know!?"
"It wasn't until last night that he came to me. Zekrom's travels around the world haven't helped him find Reshiram at all. He might be sensing Reshiram at last."
"Oh!" Music to Celestia's ears. It seemed that the chances of finding Reshiram were increasing. Reshiram was once again dreaming with his health slowly being brought back. His whereabouts may be unknown but with this gradual restoration, Zekrom, his opposite, might find him at last with this development.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 112 End.
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Aw, I hate cliffhangers.
Nice that Ash learn more about the pillars. And oh boi. That ending
Sure know how to keep us in suspense
I hope Ash does not talk about the Pillars to the Dazzlings and their family. Reason is obvious, They don't want to hear good things about the group of ponies who banished them from Equestria. If Ash does talk about Starswirl and the pillars, I can see him getting blasted with Siren Magic, Pokemon moves or both.
I'm worried that Starswirl will try to do something bad to the ghost and dark type pokemon
11566476
I think he'll do something worse to every pokemon. I mean every Pokemon is powerful in their own way
i think you forgot about mage meadowbrook, shes one of the pillars too.
11566771
Oh, right. Thanks. Knew someone slipped my mind.
11566791
np bro
11566650
Why?
11567034
Many reasons involving that Pokemon have the very powers of the elements. I mean a mouse that generates pure electricity, creatures made of the actual elements and also some moves that shake the very earth itself, summon a tidal wave of water and control the weather. So yeah that might be the reason.
11567096
So...
For starswirl. The pokemons are dangerous for they abilitys
maybe celestia could get that misconception out of him
11567104
She'll try but remember how he was after he was freed from Limbo and before accepting friendship and realizing his actions
11567143
Fine. Now iam worried too
And iam still thinking about his reaction about the humans
him and neighsay
11567148
Sorry for the negative view but how will a powerful wizard from a 1000 years will react to his world and another merged into one?