> The Rise of a New World > by SilverwingPegasus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > An Unexpected Discovery > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “There’s a disturbance in the time rift,” the voice of a mysterious stallion said. “You must go, and correct it. All of the world is counting on you.” The year is 25XX. The nation of Equestria is at a peaceful time. Under the eternal rule of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, everything seems very peaceful. In Canterlot Castle, a silver colored pegasus is suddenly woken up. She’s breathing hard, as if she just had a nightmare. “The world is counting on me? What does this mean?” she says to herself. “I must go tell her Royal Highness.” The sound of hooves beating against the marble floor could be heard in the throne room. All of a sudden the doors were thrown open, as a silver mare burst into the room. She was wearing elite royal guard armor. Though the armor looked a bit different than the usual elite armor. This particular armor was designed for mobility instead of sturdy defense. It was also clad in the royal guard captain emblems. This young pegasus was no ordinary guard. As she reached the throne, she removed her helmet and bowed at Celestia’s hooves. “Your majesty, I have something urgent to tell you,” the mare spoke. “Yes, what is it Silverwing?” “I was just visited by the great Starswirl the Bearded in a dream. He said to me that there’s a disturbance in the time rift. He also said that I’m the only one who can correct it.” “Hmm… I had feared this day would come…” Celestia paused. “Come Silverwing. There’s something we must discuss in private…” Silverwing followed Celestia down into a secret area of the castle. There were ancient books and scrolls lining dust covered shelves. It seems there hasn’t been anypony here in quite some time. She walked over to one of the shelves, and picked up a book. It read “The legend of Princess Twilight Sparkle” on the cover. “Who’s Princess Twilight Sparkle?” Silverwing asked. Princess Celestia stopped and looked down. “She was a magnificent young unicorn who was my student. Sadly, she was taken from us when Tirek had escaped from Tartarus, recruited Chrysalis, and revived Sombra to start a war against us 500 years ago. She, her five pony friends, Discord, and her brother, Prince Shining Armor, gave their lives to put an end to the war. She left no pony else to fill her place. But she would have wanted it that way.” “There was a war 500 years ago? Why haven’t I seen it in the castle records?” “Because the eight of them never wanted that dreadful war to be remembered. That’s why I kept this book down here where no pony can find it.” “But if you wanted no record of it, then why did you bring me here?” Celestia paused, “Because you have been chosen by the great Starswirl the Bearded. You have been training for this day all your life. Many ponies think Starswirl is dead, but in actuality, he’s been traveling through time for millennia. He has unlocked the secret of immortality, and his using his knowledge to keep a watch on us. And today is the day that you will finally meet him.” “Meet him? How?” Silverwing asked looking puzzled. “Patience my dear. Just follow me.” Celestia said as she continued walking. As the pegasus followed Celestia, the visibility lessened. It soon became hard to even see her hoof in front of her face. Still she kept walking. A few feet later, Silverwing had accidentally bumped into Celestia’s flank, with the princess giving a surprising yelp. “I’m so sorry Princess! Do forgive me, as I couldn’t see anything,” Silverwing apologized as she jumped backwards. “It’s quite alright, my child. Perhaps I should spread some light,” the regal pony replied. At that moment, Celestia’s horn glowed, and she spread her wings. In an instant the entire hallway lit up, as if somepony set it ablaze. Without a word, she continued walking forward, Silverwing following closely. A few moments later, they came to a gigantic chasm, causing them to halt in their tracks. Silverwing took initiative and started flying over the gaping hole. Suddenly a strong gust of wind began to blow towards her. It felt like needles piercing her skin, ultimately causing her to retreat. As she landed next to the princess, she looked up to her, as if silently asking her what now. The royal alicorn turned her head, and said, "You know what to do. You're not captain of the elite guard for nothing. Silverwing nodded, then proceeded to the edge of the huge breaking in the earth. As she flew over the abyss, the four gold bracers adorning her legs began to shimmer. The peridot gems started glowing a bright green hue, as what looked like a barrier of wind started swirling around the silver pegasus. As she became encased in a cocoon of swirling wind, the needling like wind starting hitting her again. This time however, she was not harmed, but instead was absorbing the brutal beating. Just then, in a sudden movement, her eyes glowed a bright green, and her wings extended, bursting the bubble she was encased in. A green shockwave of pure wind energy, shot in all directions, effectively stopping the onslaught of wind. Silverwing landed next to Celestia, motioning for her to go first, "After you, my highness." A few moments later, they had reached a dead end. Before them stood a massive black door. This door had some ancient writing on it. Silverwing tried to make it out, but she didn’t know the language in which it was written. Celestia stepped up to the door, and recited the ancient words, “A nu shiva no sku.” Just then, a powerful force caused the door to glow. It was so brilliant, that Silverwing had to shield her eyes. Then, as the door stopped glowing, the color of it had changed. Half of the door was as white Celestia. The other half, was dark like Luna. In the center, there appeared to be a symbol. Silverwing took a close look at it, but as she got closer her cutie mark began to glow, as did the symbol. “What? Why is my cutie mark on this door? And why is it glowing?” she asked Celestia. “My child, behind this door lies your destiny,” replied the princess. Celestia walked up to the door once more, a hole in the center of the door appearing. She then inserted her horn into the hole, and cast her magic. A mechanical ‘click’ was then heard from within, the door opening soon afterwards. The two ponies proceeded to enter the room. It was dark in there. Very dark. But as they made their way deeper, the room suddenly lit up. Celestia was not behind this. As light filled the room a figure rose from the back. “Welcome, ladies. I’ve been waiting.” > Understanding the Situation > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Silverwing jumped in front of Celestia at the sound of the mysterious stallion, materializing her dual daggers to her sides. The dual daggers were unique in that they were imbued with her wind magic. The green peridot on the pommel showed this. Using her magic, she held the daggers in mid-air at her sides. She stood in a low, defensive stance, as to protect her princess. Unsure of the nature of the stallion, she was prepared for almost anything. Except for what had happened a few moments later, as Celestia stepped in front of Silverwing, and held her wing out to tell her to stand down. “Ah, Starswirl. So nice to see you after all these years. How have you been? Has time been kind to you?” Celestia asked the mysterious figure. “Why don’t you see for yourself?” Starswirl answered as he stepped into the light. What stood before the two mares was not what Celestia had thought. He had grown old, and decrepit. He was no longer the regal unicorn wizard he once was. He was an old pony, who looked as though he had just been released from Tartarus, and was drained of all his power. He turned his head, ashamed of what he had become, as Celestia walked over to him, and gave him a hug. “Oh, my dear Starswirl. What has happened to you?” Celestia said as she released him. “Come over here, and sit with me, while I explain everything,” he motioned as he walked towards a fire pit. Silverwing de-materialized her daggers, and stood in her normal stance. She followed Celestia and Starswirl, over to the sitting place. As she sat down, she removed her helmet, setting it down next to her. After everypony was comfortable, Celestia asked, “So, what happened?” “Ah, yes. The reason I called you two here,” the stallion continued. “As you both no doubt know, I had once unlocked the secrets of immortality, and time travel. However, things have changed of late. I’ve seen different times, different universes in which the great pony war 500 years ago never happened, and those 8 ponies didn’t have to die. But, somepony from one of those worlds, wants to change that. They want to make it so it did happen, in all possible universes, and make it so ponies lost the war, and evil took over the world. As a result of their evil, they had nearly drained me of my power. I barely made it back to this time. I don’t know who this pony is, and I don’t know where they are. I have, however, located the instance in which they reside. I sealed the dimension so that no pony can enter, or exit without my doing. As such, I want you, Silverwing to go there, find this pony, and stop them using any means necessary. I have enough power left to send you there. However, once you are sent, I will fade from this world. Worry not though, as when you have completed your task, I will come back due to time being corrected. At that moment, I will send you a message telepathically to see if you are ready to come back here.” Celestia, and Silverwing looked at each other speechless. They both blinked a few times before Silverwing spoke up. “I’m not sure what to say. How can I be the only one able to do this? And I must do it alone?” “No, my child,” Celestia answered. “You do have friends. Or rather, you will make friends. I’m sure of it. You may be in a new world, however, you are not alone. You never will be.” Celestia turned to Starswirl, “Does the Celestia and Luna of that world know of this?” Starswirl nodded. “Yes. I was able to tell them before I left. You see, in every dimension, there is only one Starswirl. And that is I. So, when I tell them something, they know it’s true.” “Alright my child,” Celestia said turning back to Silverwing. “Your first task once you arrive is to speak with the Celestia, and Luna of that world. Once you do, they will give you your next task. Understood?” “Yes your highness,” Silverwing nodded. “Good. Starswirl, let’s begin,” Celestia turned back to him. “Agreed.” Starswirl conjured a rune glyph on the floor in the center of the room. It was a brilliant glow of yellow, the color of his magic. As he concentrated on the rune, he gave Silverwing a nod to step in. But before she did, Celestia stopped her. “My child, take off your armor. When you get there, there is not going to be anypony else who knows of where you come from. Keep it that way until you meet with the princesses. Your armor is a dead giveaway to your origins. So take it all off, save for your bracers, and leave it here.” Silverwing nodded, then striped down to her bare coat. She was a brilliant shade of silver, with lavender grading on her legs down to her hoofs. Her muzzle also shared the feature. Her mane and tail were dual-toned blue and purple, the blue being the most dominate. Her eyes were a soft shade of teal, almost mesmerizing. Her cutie mark was an image of green wind, the same as her magic, with a dagger over it, the same style as her dual daggers she wields. After she striped down, she blushed a little. She felt a bit embarrassed as she was naked in front of both Princess Celestia and the great Starswirl. She had never been in the presence for anypony so important without her armor on. In fact, she had never been in front of anypony without some kind of clothing on. It was mandatory for everypony to wear clothes in this world. It helped to cut down on ponies lusting after one another, and breaking out into sex where ever they may be. So Celestia made it a law that everypony must wear clothing, or face jail time and a fine. “Princess? Won’t everypony question why I’m walking around naked?” Silverwing asked in an embarrassed tone. “I have a feeling that no pony will even look a second time. If what Starswirl said about that world is true, it sounds just like ours did 500 years ago before the great pony war began. Everypony walked around naked without a care in the world. Even Luna and I did! Hahaha! Don’t worry, my child. You’ll be safe. And if you get into trouble, you know what to do. But do try to cut down on magic use. Pegasi aren’t supposed to use magic in that world, like you can. Only use it in dire circumstances.” “Understood, Princess,” Silverwing nodded. “Good. Now step onto the rune, and Starswirl will continue,” Celestia said as she gave Silverwing a hug. Silverwing nodded, then stepped on the rune. At that moment, the magic produced by Starswirl intensified ten-fold. Wind started swirling around the room. Books were flying everywhere. Silverwing looked at Celestia with tears in her eyes. Celestia looked at Silverwing as she said, “Goodbye, my daughter. I love you!” “I love you too, Mom! I’ll miss you!” Silverwing cried out before vanishing. > A Dire Encounter > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a nice, and sunny day in Ponyville. Princess Celestia had done a wonderful job raising the sun, and Rainbow Dash was on top of the weather. There was a pleasant breeze in the air to compensate for the hotter temperature on account of it being summer. Every time the breeze blew, ponies would stop and take it in to help cool off. However this is Ponyville, and Ponyville is known for its unexpected events. Just outside the town, and deep inside the dreadful Everfree Forest lies a silver pegasus, unconscious. Unsuspecting. Unaware of what was watching nearby. Yellow eyes glowed in the shrubbery, as they watched their target, never breaking the line of sight. A horrible stench was in the air. A stench so powerful that it could wake the dead. Which it did so to speak. As the silver pony coughed and gagged on the smell, she woke up, dazed. Now was the perfect time for the creature to make its move. As Silverwing tried to gather to her hooves, she staggered. A bit dazed from the transportation, she tried to collect her senses. Then as she turned around to survey her surroundings, two large claws, followed by a large wooden body came flying her way. Her training kicked in, as she dodged the attack, jumping backwards, as the claws swiped the air. She materialized her daggers, and got in her combat stance. Knowing she has no armor on, she’ll need to take extra care not to take damage. She knew she couldn’t be making the first move. She waited there, staring down the Timberwolf until it made its move. She could see it’s wooden body twitch, a sign that it was going to charge. She’d studied these creatures in her world. She knew their ins and outs, how they planned out their moves. Their body language. Even though they were all extinct in her world. The wolf then charged, making a b-line for Silverwing. Perfect timing, too. As it charged, she stood there, waiting until it got closer. Then, when it was just a few feet away, she dashed under it, slicing it’s neck with one dagger, and gutting it’s belly with the other. It was done. As the head of the wolf fell off, the body collapsed, breaking into wooden pieces. Silverwing stood up, de-materialized her daggers, and took a breath. “What a great way to be introduced to this world,” she said to herself. “Now let’s see if I can’t find out where I am.” She’s scanned her surroundings, trying to determine where she was located. Around her was trees, flowers, and bushes that she did not recognize. Almost all of which had some type of thorn, or barb on it except for the strange blue flowers that grew in large clusters. She’s knew of these. Poison Joke. She’d read about them, and knew to stay away. But she was curious what they’d do to her. Though she didn’t have the time to play around. She needed to get to Canterlot Castle as soon as she could. As she was busy observing the area, a lavender alicorn burst through the bushes. Silverwing jumped back in surprise, and got in a low stance. With the noise she was making, Silverwing was surprised she didn’t detect her sooner. “Is everything alright!? I’m here to help!” the purple pony exclaimed. But upon taking a look around all she saw was a silver pegasus, unharmed, and a pile of Timberwolf pieces. The purple pony was relieved, but curious as to what happened. “Did you do this?” the alicorn asked. No reply from Silverwing, she asked again, “Did you do this?” Still no answer. “Uhh, can you speak?” she said tilting her head. Silver then noticed that this pony as not a unicorn, as she then saw her wings with that last question. She was an alicorn. A princess. Realizing what she was, Silverwing bowed down. “Forgive me your highness. I did not know you were royalty as first.” “Uhh, okay?” the princess said, shocked. “As for your earlier question, yes it was I. I was attacked by this creature upon my arrival to this forest. I had, but no choice to defend myself. Such a dreadful place. Which begs the question, why are you here, your highness?” Silverwing continued. “Uhh…” the alicorn was speechless. “Majesty? Are you alright?” “Uhh, yes. I’m fine. Just startled a bit.” “Do you require assistance, your highness?” “Um, no, no. I’m fine. Also, can you stop addressing me as highness, majesty, and all that, please?” the royal pony said. “But that would be disrespectful.” Silverwing, replied. “Please, just call me by name.” “Yes. Though forgive me for asking, but what is your name?” Silverwing asked, as she stood up. “Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Twilight Sparkle. But right now isn’t the time for introductions. Come with me to my friend Zecora’s house. She’s not too far from here.” “Yes Twilight.” A little bit later they came to a hut looking structure located deep in the Everfree Forest. Why anyone would live here is unknown. As they walked up to the door, a grey and black striped zebra opened the door. “Ah, Miss Twilight Sparkle. What a pleasure. I see you brought a guest as a safe measure,” the zebra says in a rhyme. “Hi, Zecora. I’ve come for that experiment we talked about. I just happened to meet this pony on my way here. Apparently she took care of a nasty Timberwolf all on her own. So, I was curious, and decided to bring her here.” “Ah, yes quite. Such a curious thing to see a pony like this handle herself so well in a fight.” “Yes exactly! “Well what are we waiting for? Come on in and close the front door.” As they walked inside, Silverwing could see various things scattered about the hut. Most interestingly of all, though, was the huge black cauldron in the center of the room. She sensed no ill will from the zebra, but she still stood ready just in case. They all sat down at a table off to the side. Zecora had brewed some green tea, which Twilight had loved. Silverwing sipped at it, not exactly being her choice drink, but she couldn’t complain. They all just sat there until Twilight speaks up. “So! We never properly made introductions. I’ll go first. I’m Twilight Sparkle. While yes I am a princess, as you may have guessed, I prefer being treated as a normal citizen of Ponyville as this is my home. But enough about me. Who are you?” “My name is Silverwing. Captain of the Canterlot elite royal ga-“Silverwing stopped herself. She had just remembered that she couldn’t reveal her true identity to anypony until she met with Princess Celestia. “Elite royal what?” Twilight askes after Silverwing’s pause. “Elite royal gatherers…” Silverwing made up as she couldn’t think of anything else. “Uh-huh… Well at any rate you’re here now. What were you doing in the Everfree forest? “I was, uh, heading back to Canterlot castle as my assignment was unsuccessful. Then I was attacked by that Timberwolf. Then you came along.” “And what exactly was your assignment?” Twilight continues the interrogation. “Um, well I was supposed to, um…” Silverwing couldn’t think of anything else. As good as she was at most things, lying wasn’t one of them. Far from it. “You’re not who you say you are, are you?” Twilight asks sternly. Silvering sighed. “No. I’m not. Sorry…” “Then tell me who you really are, please.” “You wouldn’t believe me if I did…” “Try me.” Twilight said with a smug smirk. “As you wish. My name is Silverwing. Captain of the Canterlot Elite Royal Guard, Celestia Division. I’m from the year 25XX, and have been sent to this time frame to correct a dire disaster from happening. Princess Celestia of my time, and Starswirl the Bearded have sent me here. I am to talk to the Princess Celestia of this time immediately, as receive new orders from her.” Twilight had a blank stare on her face, almost as if she was petrified. She gathered her wits after a few moments, and thought to herself. ‘Hmm… If this pony is who she says she is, then I must get her to Canterlot. However, I can’t just bring some strange pony claiming to be from a different time to Canterlot, without making sure she’s truthful. Only one pony I know of can truly tell if she is being sincere, and that’s Applejack.’ Coming out of thought, she looked at Silverwing, then to Zecora, who gave a nod, then back to Silverwing. “Alright. I must say I don’t know if you are being truthful. As such, I must make certain you are. I must ask you to please comply with everything it is, I tell you to do. I can’t be too careful with ponies making claims like you. Is that understood, Silverwing?” “Yes, Twilight,” Silverwing nodded. “Good. Now, for my first task, I must cast a spell that will prevent you from flying, and using magic. Before you protest, I know you’re a pegasus, but the spell is one in the same. If you do object to this, then I shall have to take measures I don’t want to have to take. Is that understood?” Silverwing knew she needed this pony’s help, so without a second thought, she agreed. “Good. Now stand still.” Twilight’s horn began to glow a bright pink, as she cast the spell. A bright light had engulfed Silverwing, as she lifted up into the air. When she was fully suspended in the air, a hoof like swatch of magic pushed into her chest, entering her body. It then pulled out a glowing silver and green orb like object, and placed it in Twilight’s hoof. Silverwing’s body then began to lower to the ground. As she was placed on the ground, and the magic field faded, her cutie mark disappeared. She tried to stand up, but was too weak to do so. “Do not worry. This orb contains your power and energy. I will keep it safe with me until I determine you are not a threat to Equestria. When that decision is made, you will gain your energy back. All I ask if for your co-operation. Understood?” Silverwing weakly nodded. “Good. Zecora, if you will please prepare the potion for our guest here.” “Yes my Princess. I will prepare the potion to help this pegasus.” Zecora walked over to her alchemy table, and began to mix reagents to make a purple potion. She walked back over to Twilight who had placed Silverwing in a bed, and handed her the potion. “Here is the potion. It will surely put this pegasus back into motion.” “Thank you, Zecora. Here Silverwing, drink this and rest. It will help you regain some strength back. Enough to walk normally for sure, along with a day of rest.” Twilight then held the potion to Silverwing’s mouth, tilting it as she weakly drank the purple liquid. Silverwing quickly grew sleepy, and closed her eyes. “Good. Rest. Tomorrow we will go to Sweet Apple Acres, to meet a friend.” As she drifted off to sleep, a female voice entered her head. “You are doing well my child. Keep at it.” > The Attack Begins > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Yeehaw! What a great day for applebucking!" an orange mare exclaimed. "Eeyup!" replied a red staillion. It was a beautiful, sunny day out on Sweet Apple Acres. The Apple Family was busy working the farm. Applejack and Big Macintosh were bucking the apple trees. Little Apple Bloom was tending the pigs in the pen. Granny Smith was busy baking apple treats for the apple stall at market. Everything was perfect. For now that is. Meanwhile, a silver pegasus was stirring inside of a lone hut, dwelling within the Everfree Forest. Silverwing, was finally waking up, after a day of sleeping. She moaned as she awoke. "Ugh... My head... What happened...?" she groaned as she woke up. She sat up, and looked around. Slightly dazed, she examined her surroundings. It took a few minutes for her to remember where she was. "Oh, yeah. That's right. That happened." she said as she put a hoof to her head. As she got out of bed, she tried standing. It took a bit, but she did regain her balance. She looked around, and saw neither Zecora or Twilight nearby. "Hmm, I wonder where they went off to." She walked to the window, and looked outside. It was dark over the forest, because the trees overhead blocked out the sky. She then walked to the door, and opened it. As it opened, she walked outside. She stood just outside the door, and yelled for the two missing ponies. "Twilight? Zecora? Where are you two?" No answer. "Hello? Anypony out there?" she yelled again. Still no response. "Hmmm... I should really stay here in case they come back. But I need to find Twilight to go see her friend. What to do?" "Aaaaaahhhhhh! Help me!!!!" a sudden scream was heard nearby. With no second thoughts, Silverwing ran towards the scream. When she got to it's source, a yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail lay on the ground. She wasn't moving. "Are you okay miss?" Silverwing asked. No reply. She was unconscious. Suddenly there was a roar nearby. Silverwing ran to the helpless pony, and hoisted her up on her back. "Huuurrrgg! This is so much harder without my abilities. But I must save this pony." She struggled to get her on her back, but was able to do so. She ran as quickly as she could back to Zecora's hut. When she looked back to see if anything was following her, what she saw shocked her. Pony eating plants were chasing after her. It seems they attacked the yellow pony, and wanted to finish the job before Silverwing arrived. She ran as fast as she could, but the plants were closing in on her. She wouldn't be able to out run them. She know she had to do something to save this pony. She stopped, and put the pegasus down. Then Silver turned around to face the plants. Without her powers, she'd never be able to beat them, but maybe she can hold them off long enough until help maybe came. She'd never studied these creatures before, but now was a good time to. Though, she needed to be careful. She was still a bit weak from the day before. There were three of these things, and they seemed very hungry. They closed in on her, and all at once, the grabbed at her, with tentacle like vines. She was able to dodge, but barely. She lured them away from the pony, using herself as bait. She taunted them, wagging her tail, and shaking her flank to gain their attention. She was being every bit as sassy as she could, to get them away from the passed out pegasus. It was working. Then the pony awoke briefly. She weakly turned to Silverwing. "H-here.... Use this Silverwing..." she said before passing out again. As she fainted again, a silver and green orb rolled out of her hoof. Silverwing, knew what it was, and dashed towards it. The second she touched it, it burst, engulfing her in light. Silverwing, just regained her strength, and powers. She materialized her daggers, and dashed with lightning speed at the plants. She quickly cut them down to size. They were no more. Mere trimmings now. She de-materialized her daggers, and went to the pony. She lifted her on her back, and took off into the sky. She raced into the forest looking for a way out. However, she came to a bridge which overlooked a chasm. Across the bridge were some old ruins, of what looked like a castle. Just as she was about to step onto the bridge, a slender figure materialized in front of her. This figure as tall, and had a body made up of all kinds of things. It was quite chaotic to put it. She jumped back, and got in position. Then quickly noticed who he was. "You're Discord, spirit of chaos! Friend to Celestia." She said. "Ahh, you must be that wayward pony Twilight spoke of. Silverhoof was it?" he replied. "Silverwing." "Bah. No matter. Oh dear! Is that Fluttershy?" "I don't know. Is it?" She asked. "Indeed it is. We need to get out of here now." She nodded. Discord held the ponies, and teleported them to Ponyville. Twilight's castle to be exact. They had appeared outside the castle doors, Fluttershy held by Discord still unconscious. They opened the door, and walked in, 5 silhouettes standing in the hall silently. "I see you have finally arrived, Silverwing." Twilight spoke as she stepped forward.