Illa Novo Incipit

by Darkswirl

Shield 0460

This cave isn't a natural formation.

Cortana groaned in pain as her form flickered about. What had happened? Where was she?

She managed to lift her head from the floor and scan the room around her. It was dark, but she could still see.

The room she currently lay with her back up in was nearly two yards in either direction with a podium in the center, holding a small box. The room was bare of any other features save for that box, and a small beam of light making itself known through a hole in one of the walls.

Cortana got to her feet and noted happily that she still had retained a solid form before cautiously making her way towards the beam of light. When she pressed her ear next to the hole, she was only met with silence. Gazing through the hole revealed only a long hallway with windows on either side and a red rug that led from one end of the room to the other.

Nothing moved and nothing sounded as Cortana continued to watch, before finally giving up. She was scared, curious. Should she be fearful of whatever creatures inhabited this world? After all, Humanity grew violent on it's own. Despite claiming to have created these creatures to be pacifistic in nature, Cortana doubted even the Forerunners, with their massive knowledge of geneplay, could keep a race from eventually showing even the slightest signs of aggression. And who knew how long these creatures had existed?

Testing her luck and the use of deductive reasoning, Cortana gave a gentle push against the wall with the hole in it- but it refused to budge. Rather than admit defeat, Cortana tried harder against the cold stone; but her attempts where in vain, as the wall stood solidly before her.

The chest.

Cortana looked around to find the source of the soft whisper that had invaded her ears, but her gaze was met only with darkness and the faint outline of a box in the middle of the room.

Cautiously approaching the box as she had the wall, Cortana eventually made her way to the center of the room and rested her hands on the golden clasp that held the thing closed. The latch came undone with a simple, yet satisfying, click. Inside the chest, Cortana could make out the shapes of six rupees that glowed dimly until she waved her hand near them.

Incredibly curious as to their nature and purpose, Cortana picked up the top-left-most gem, a purple one that felt warm to the touch and began intensifying its glow. Suddenly, pain coursed through the A.I.'s physical form as she flashed quickly between different shades of purple. All the while, images and sounds played out through her mind...

«=(Ӂ)=»

"Are you sure these will work, Didact? Isn't it unwise to leave them without our hardlight weapons?" a being said.

Cortana was blinded- all she could see was white.

"No, we swore to keep all of our possible influence from these creatures. It is bad enough that I am breaking the rule here, giving them a weapon, and I will be damned if I allow them introduction to our common devices. They must evolve on their own, peacefully. But, it would be unwise to allow them to survive without a means of protecting themselves, should the Flood discover their whereabouts. I have added safeguards to the Hardlight Crystals. The Artificial Intelligences inside will only allow the wielder the ability to fire the weapons if their intentions are deemed pure, as though to protect others from a threat rather than to cause malicious, intentional harm. Should the wielder fall, the constructs will make use of the teleportation grid to keep from falling into the Flood's control. They shall be the bearers of our Mantle in their own world."

"I understand, Didact."

When Cortana's vision returned, she found herself standing in a charred crater. Above her, three figures raced around each other; one long, snake-like being and two large winged equines. The aerial battle began to slowly descend into the crater until the two equines had subdued the strange being composed of many different parts.

Each creature stood panting and wounded, and it was the tall, white equine that spoke first.

"We will not allow you to reign over these tortured ponies any longer, Discord! As the new rulers of this land, Equestria, Luna and I hereby sentence you to stone for your heinous crimes against ponykind!"

The snake-like creature laughed as if it had heard a humorous joke. "Come now, Celestia. New rulers of the land? After what I've done, do you really think your precious little ponies will submit to a higher power? No! They will hate and rebel against you!"

"Then they shall be reasoned with!"

"And if they don't?"

"...We shall not become what you have become, Discord. Let us both pray that your imprisonment in stone grants you the needed time to see the errors of your ways so that you may one day return to Equestria as that simple fun-loving child you once were, not as this monster you've become."

"Unlikely, dear Celestia. But I know when I have been defeated, and I would likely die if I even rolled over just now. So, cast your spell- use your precious little elements to imprison me. But remember, dear Celestia: I'll be back."

Both equine's eyes lit up in white- a sign of the immense power within them -before a swirling vortex of multiple colors shot forward and wrapped around the opposite being.

Cortana squinted her eyes as the scene grew white and changed.

A tall, white equine with wings spread and head lowered- pointing its horn at an enemy, another tall equine with a jet-black coat, stood before Cortana as she gripped her head in pain.

"Sister! Do not make me do this!" the white one begged as six orbs began swirling violently around her.

The dark one responded with mocking laughter before her own horn lit up with a dark aura.

Cortana saw the white one blink back tears as she shut her eyes and clenched her teeth. The orbs were just a blur now, and when the white one reopened her eyes they were pure white orbs of power. The surrounding orbs stopped on a dime before firing a beam of multicolored energy upward, in an arch, until it crashed down on the darker being.

As the light darkened from its blinding properties, Cortana found herself staring into the sinister eyes of the same dark creature she had seen only a moment before. But the creature paid no attention to her- it's attention elsewhere.

"You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the...By the spark that resides inside of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of, MAGIC!"

Cortana turned to see a group of equines standing proudly at the base of the dais on which they stood. Cortana was stunned by the diverse features each shared. There were two winged equines, of which Cortana identified as Pegasi from Greek mythology, and two Unicorns, from Ancient Greek history. Still, the last two resembled normal equines save for their vibrant colors. Before Cortana could continue with her observations, the same act from before occurred again; and Cortana was left blinded while the screams of the being behind her faded into nothingness and the scene changed again.

When she could finally see once more, she found herself standing in between the tall, white winged unicorn, who Cortana had now identified through slang terminology as an 'Alicorn', and the six equines from before. The box that she had opened now lay on the floor, empty.

"This doesn't make any sense!" the white one said, worriedly, as she paced around.

Suddenly, the hall echoed with deep laughter. "Make sense? What fun is there in making sense?"

"Discord! Show yourself!" the Alicorn commanded sternly.

More laughter followed and Cortana could begin to see one of the images on the stained glass windows move. It was that of a chimera from Greek mythology.

"Did you miss me, Celestia? I missed you...It's quite lonely being encased in stone but you wouldn't know that, because I don't turn ponies into stone!"

"Enough!" Celestia declared with a flick of her head. "What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?!"

"Oh, I just borrowed them for a teensy little while."

"You'll never get away with this, Discord."

"Oh, I've forgotten how grim you can be, Celestia. It's really quite...Boring."

The scene flashed to it's end and Cortana found herself standing in the middle of a purple checkered field.

"Ugh, fine. Use your little elements; try and friend me. Just make it quick- I'm missing some excellent chaos, here!" the chimera said irritatedly as he snapped his fingers, disappearing in a flash only to reappear a few seconds later, sitting on a throne.

The same scene Cortana had watched three times before repeated itself, with the six equines letting loose the power.

«=(Ӂ)=»

Once again, her vision went white. But when it faded, she found herself once again in the dark room with the box. The purple rupee in her hand no longer glowed, and the others held the same state.

"You're...You're all Forerunner A.I.s...You're all weapons...And, and these creatures! So diverse! Such knowledge- an entire civilization to study!" Cortana shouted in excitement, her form flickering between red and blue for a few seconds before settling with the latter.

A flash of blue light erupted from behind Cortana before beautiful golden rays of sunlight filled the room.

"Guards, on me! We have an intruder and a thief in the Chamber of the Elements!"

Comments

[Hero101]

I'm surprised that so few people commented, meaning me being the only one. Oh well. Great so far really think you should continue this.
Also... seoenquirer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/firstpost.jpg

[Chadbunger]

crap! she's been made! RUN! FOREST! RUN!