Cosmology

by EroPony1000

Manifest Destiny

With no threat from without and relative peace within the sturdy walls of the Citadel, restlessness prevailed over tranquility. The steam-engine was developed by a coalition of Unicorn arcanists and Dispossessed engineers, and soon after the first locomotive was revealed.

After only a single successful demonstration work began on a city-spanning rail network, but many ambitious eyes turned to the unsettled regions of Sol Celestia, previously thought to be too remote for expansion.

Starswirl, seemingly always to be found at the forefront of great new endeavors, journeyed with the tracklayers as they drove along the flank and onto the back of Sol Celestia, excited by the prospect of a locomotive that could one day make travel between tail and crown feasible, now that the portal had closed.

When the sisters had briefly awoken and their gazes had met he was there, standing upon the precipice of convergence. At the same time, a young pony named Somnambula had a dream-vision which lead her to Aesir-Bilröst.

There she remained for a time, studying to interpret her dreams, yet the dreams eventually morphed into exhausting nightmares so terrible that the poor girl began to avoid sleep whenever possible. Starswirl hypothesized that her dreams were somehow connected to the Sisters' rotation, and decided to bring her along as he journeyed with a small band of Dispossessed, scouting the lands ahead of the tracklayers.

There was disappointingly little to be found in the vast wasteland between wither and loin, but the camping was pleasant and there was plenty to drink. The Dispossessed drank a hard brew made from the sparkly fluid harvested at the Seam, which made Somnambula's head swim pleasantly.

During the first few nights Somnambula hardly slept, but as the journey took them further into nowhere she was able to sleep more and more, the fast moving visions slowing down until one night she found herself walking in darkness toward a baleful fire contained within a shallow metal bowl. Looming above the flame was an immense, shadowy presence with yellow eyes and a bleached smile like a crescent moon.

Upon awakening she relayed it all to Starswirl who spent the next day or so pondering while they travelled. The baleful flame and crescent moon reminded him of the War of the Sisters, and the burning scar that had since faded to ash.

When Sol Celestia's back had turned on the Tree once more, the two of them sat by the fire and Starswirl revealed his thoughts on the meaning of her dream, careful to express that he felt much still remained uncertain.

He told her of the coming return of the alignment and his hope to cross the bridge over to the Young Moon. He also expressed his hope of establishing contact with the survivors of the scar, freed as they were from the Nightmare.

As for the presence behind the flame he could not say, but suggested that it would reveal itself in time should they follow the clues they had.

Meanwhile, the tracklayers had made good progress, following the markers left by the scouts. A locomotive had been assigned to the unfinished track, and kept the workers busy by ferrying supplies to them, aiding in the construction of its own track and making the process easier.

The lack of landmarks was still troubling, mainly because there was little point in establishing permanent settlements along the rout. Still, Starswirl assured them that having a swift way to traverse the wasteland would pay off in the end, and as they approached the radiance of the rainbow mane the workers started to believe him.

There was a clarity of mind that came upon them as they approached the mane, which seemed to rain down from it. Even Somnambula felt her anxieties melt away. She felt strong, safe and more like herself than she had since she was a filly.

Starswirl harbored an ambition to crest the head and build a lighthouse. From this tower he would observe the rotations of the Sisters and the event of their alignment. Eventually, he hoped to cross the bridge of horns and build a sister tower.

He intended to remain in the first tower and be its keeper, hoping that Somnambula would be the keeper of the other lighthouse. Now more than ever he was sure of that idea, and not just because of the proximity to the mane. Her vision showed her something, and whatever it was she would find it on the Young Moon.

It was decided that a way-station be built upon the plateau of the withers, along with a warehouse and servicing yard. From that vantage one could gaze out across the waste of the back and see the glow of the rainbow-tail on the horizon.

Starswirl and Somnambula carried on to scout the location of the tower, and to show the girl a view that none save Starswirl himself had ever seen, so far as he knew.

The climb was magical, in more ways than one. Treading near the source of the mane, which flowed away from the climb of the neck like water was an experience that would ever remain with Somnambula; one that she would call upon in memory to sooth and inspire her.

As they reached the crown Somnambula hesitated, but Starswirl merely stepped into the ethereal mane. She followed after him, and for a brief moment she felt utterly secure in the knowledge that there were greater mysteries beyond the scope of comprehension, and was not afraid. The knowledge felt intrinsic, as plain as all things mundane, yet otherwise obscured. A thought flared inside her mind, telling her what was missing; what shroud, now withdrawn, had been hiding the truth.

Doubt.

Then they were on the horn, and the previous moment's revelations vanished from her mind, leaving only the lingering feeling that she was forgetting something.

Together, she and Starswirl stood at the precipice of Sol Celestia, gazing out into the gap between bodies.

How far they had come.

Author's Note:

Wrote this one mostly while I was falling asleep, which seems fitting…