Children of Oonte

by sevenofeleven

Children of Oonte: Prologue

Children of Oonte: Prologue

“Ahh, my anile sister. I have a desire to enhance a world long forgotten by you. I’m quite sure you won’t miss these weak and feckless beings.”

Shiolnar’s words dripped into Oonte’s ears like a cold and malicious poison as she blazed through the black void. For a brief moment, fear rose up, but then it was burned away by her anger. A few seconds later she slowed down.

To regular folks, the void between worlds is cold and airless. To beings like Oonte, the Equine Goddess of Light, this was of no consequence. She traveled the void like mortals roamed their apartments. Moments passed as she sat in the airless dark and focused her will.

First, a bright blue sky and a great plain of waving grass appeared. Then clouds, not unlike small cotton balls, crowded the sky. The colors were intense, but very harmonious.

If any mortals were lucky enough to see this world, they would say it was very beautiful.

Oonte looked around at her creation and nodded. It was good. All of this was done almost instantaneously.

If she hadn’t had to worry about her brother’s hideous words, she would have tested her creation by going on a gallop. One at a speed that would have even left a tachyon gasping and sweating in its wake.

Even though that was fun, she had a duty to protect. She was a goddess of light while her brother was a god of darkness. Not the night that had its own beauties, nay, but the other darkness, cruel and cold. No, these poor creatures had to be saved. Her eyes glowed briefly as she went through her memories.

Equus, that was his target. She had created it with her older sister Ilystra, the goddess of Magic. She loved to teach, but had a short attention span, well at a divine being’s level. Whole civilizations could rise and fall before her sister lost interest. But leave she did. After a while, Oonte left too. There were so many other worlds to study and or protect.

Before they left, they guided their children’s first tottering steps...

She remembered the day as she had first watched the small pony-like creatures graze. Sentience was just a dim glow in their dark-brown eyes. Their coats were a mix of earthy colors - fine for camouflage, but they were so boring.

Ilystra sighed. “So this my sister, is what we’re working with? Not to say I don’t like a challenge.”

“Please sister, these creatures will make fine subjects to raise with the Light of Intelligence.”

Unseen by the creatures, the sisters worked their magic. Centuries passed and sometimes too slowly, the light of intelligence brightened. All too often though, some promising ponies ended up in the stomachs of predators. The race increased in size and cunning, and finally, in intelligence. Predators wanting an easy meal of somewhat larger ponies found themselves in deep pits or forgetting what they were doing. Others were struck down by crushing hooves or watching their meal fly away out of reach.

Finally, a watershed moment happened. The ponies learned how to read and write. That put a smile on the sister’s faces for a moment. From there, a primitive civilization began to develop and these now larger and smarter ponies were on their way to dominate their world. Fangs and claws would soon give way to horn, wing and hoof.

Ilystra nodded. “We have done fine work here. I wonder what we will find eons from now?”

Oonte watched as an unicorn used a spell to copy a piece of food. “We might be surprised. Leaving so soon sister?”

Ilystra sighed. “One can only spend so much time with such creatures. There is soo much they blindly trudge past and not appreciate. I have work to do.”

“Fine, sister, thank you for your help,” Oonte said.

The unicorn adjusted the spell and caused an explosion that killed it and created a smoking crater.

Oonte sighed. “They have a lot to learn.”

Ilystra nodded. “That is the way of the high and low. We have given them a good foundation to build upon. Come away with me, sister. You can help with my project.”

“I wish to stay a little bit longer,” Oonte said. She rewound time and placed a thought in the experimenter’s head to try a lower energy tweak to the spell.

This time the bit of food burst into flames. The unicorn wrote down the info and tried again...

Oonte and Ilystra moved on, confident that things would turn out well. Now, it was time to return. But first someone had to be put on notice.

“No, my cruel and misguided brother. You will not have this world to defile. Not this world!” At the last word, a wave of power blew out from her flattening the grass. The world flickered at the edge of oblivion before Oonte reined in her temper. With a toss of her sky-blue mane she peered through space and time to study Equus again. There was no doubt he got her message.

How would her brother’s minions get to their target she wondered. The answer came quickly. They would take a small blue world and use it as a stepping stone. Oonte contacted the beings that guarded the world called Earth.

Meanwhile, Ilystra appeared inside her sister’s creation. It was a bit too garish for her, but she would be civil and respect her sister’s wishes. Sometimes Ilystra wished her sister was more relaxed about things. Then again it made for some interesting goings on.

“Greetings Sister.” Oonte said, while she gathered more information.

“Greetings to you as well. What is so interesting about that planet? It isn't of your creation, and it seems far too simple to be very interesting.” Ilystra asked. Already she was thinking of a new project to work on.

“Are you not aware? Shiolnar has challenged me to defend Equus, one of the worlds we made together. I will not allow it!” Determination and frustration blazed from her voice.

“Is Equus so important? Or is this about how successful he's been at destroying some of your other creations?” Ilystra didn't show much concern or sympathy. Ideas were already starting to bubble up, and she wished to be away.

Oonte paused. “Maybe. But I will not allow him to beat me anymore.”

“I grow tired of your quarreling with him. Even as foals you two were always fighting.” She sighed. “I have a hard time trying to remember when you and Shiolnar played peacefully. Ever since it's just been fight after fight. Perhaps I should get Father so he can settle this himself.”

“Good luck waking him.” Oonte scoffed. “It will take him far too long. By then these worlds will have been lost. You'd do better speaking to Mother.”

Ilystra shrugged. “She may be awake all the time, but it takes her too long to make a decision. Seems as though you will get no parental help, Oonte.” Ilystra resigned herself to getting dragged into another fight. She focused and took the ideas for her next project and saved them. When she had time to experiment with them a bit, Shiolnar might be interested. If not, maybe Oonte would be.

“Help me, Sister, and you will gain some of the worship I receive from the mortals. You know how tasty it is.” Oonte offered.

“Well, Sister, I may be bored but I am far above worship. Teaching a few beings how to use their feeble mortal minds to change reality would be far more entertaining.” Ilystra peered at Oonte’s world.

“Pleeeeeease?” Oonte begged. Her bright blue eyes cycled up to the ultraviolet and down to the infrared spectrum and back to the visible range.

Ilystra thought that was so cute. Her sister could be quite the manipulator. She sighed. “Fine. I will help you.”

Oonte's smile of gratitude was like looking into the heart of a shining sun.

Ilystra smiled in return, hers however, was not as brazen as Oonte's. Hers was more like the feeling of a warm blanket on a chilly night.

Oonte pointed a forehoof at Earth. “The stewards will allow me to add my children to their population. Some humans will become my children. I will give them the gift of mind speech so they may converse telepathically. They will be able to speak with me in the same way. I shall gift them with other qualities as well. I will make my children on Earth become like their brothers and sisters on Equus, with some changes of course. My children shall keep their hands, but some will have a horn, or wings. A special few will have both. I have already found one worthy of being my prophet. I will exhort my children to make their world a better place, and to work together. This, I hope, will be enough.”

“You plan to use your children on this ‘Earth’ to protect Equus?” Ilystra asked.

“Yes, but my children will help each other fight against my brother's cruel creations. The battle shall begin here, but will spread elsewhere until all of his abominations are destroyed!” The area around Oonte shimmered with a bright white light.

Ilystra smiled, “Nothing like a bit of fun to pass the time. Lead on, sister, and let us see what unfolds!” She moved closer so she could sense the changes about to happen.

.

Author's Note:

I'm thinking about continuing on with this story.
Please leave comments here if you want this story finished.
Continuing on.