a writing from Eclipse about the hidden history of Equestria
Every story focuses on the hero and some focus on the villain, but few focus on the one who plays the long game, the one who take moons to play a single piece in the Grand game of chess. The scales are always balanced; you don't often see why.
in this story, the character Eclipse a historian/scientist with seemingly no moral compass and no idea just how strong she has become writes a letter to twilight describing the history that has been lost by the ages and why she is contacting her, reviling just enuff to gain her trust without starting a war, probably.
In addition, she also wrights several chapters that are never seen by Twilight but are kept secret but describe how a lack of morals and a burning passion for learning developed the current timeline.
included with most chapters is a self-drawn picture that relates to the chapter you can also see them all by clicking the link (the link will take you to my twitter, I use it for all the photos I link so you might have to scroll a bit) Chapter pictures I have moved the library to deviant art, the new link is Deviant Art link
I sit here writing, wondering where to start. I’ve been here since the start. I’ve spent more time sleeping then most have spent living, so I question what part of my story should we review first? What part is of the most interest, is it worth writing in the first place?
It’s been some time and what is time? Since alicorns supposedly live forever I've watched many close to me, and our princesses disappear. Time seems to marches forward unrelentingly. it can be hard even for the princes but it's what we must endure in order to achieve our goals. I’m not even sure if you will find this book among all the others in this library. You do have quite the collection! But I hope that these pages find you in time as to the question of where to start perhaps from the beginning.
I started as a simple, hard-working earth pony; my parents were historians of the earth pony clan that traveled far and settled down in a developing nation which would one day become known as Canterlot. They became founding members of the first library. They often went on trips to gather writings from all around. As such, I grew up learning from the very scrolls that my parents brought home.
I spent moons developing my skills and repertoire, but one day the scrolls stopped coming home. I was left in the care of the library my parents founded, moving from one to another and learning as I went and growing as I discovered. Even though I lacked magic, I became known as one of the best magic historians at the time.
I worked my way up in the world to Star Swirl the Bearded personal aid even if it was for only a short time. But the castle was not my home, so I found myself a cave. A petrified tree that used to encompass the mountain but has been ravaged by time and reduced to little more than a subterranean root system. But it was mine! A place I could carve out and make my own, a place to learn and developed away from the prying eyes of my former mentors.
With my position, few cared where I went or what I did, most just assumed I was off to run an errand for Star Swirl or the future princess. But some questions still needed answers to. But no book ever had the page. No scroll ever rolled out long enough, and no scrap of paper contained a scribbling of what I needed.
My research needed much, and with the relative ease of travel I got what I needed soon, few would notice books that went missing and relics replaced with copies. My cave grew in size and complexity. Large endless bookshelves filled to the brim, and walls of glass lab equipment capable of creating elixirs, poisons and everything in between. With ingredients like the flower from the ocean cliff and a feather from a rainbow crow, even I who could not use magic could make it. But still, my needs where unmeet.
I developed much in my time, everything from a large crystal telescope to amulets and spell books. I developed endlessly; I built what they would not! Things such as high-altitude oxygen systems for flying, advanced navigation systems to aid in flying when well above the cloud layer, even full body systems capable of surviving in a near vacuum environment.
I planned what they could not, would not, after all, alicorns live a long time, so I’m in it for the long game. But my answers were still unanswered. I knew what I needed to do. But it would be an uphill battle. Even Star Swirl rejected my questions saying they were foolish and impractical. It was unfortunate, but this would be the last time I saw him until recently, looking back I wish we could have left off on a more positive conversation. But he lacked ambition and foresight. But it did little to sway me after all my planes had already been set into motion.
For what I planned I would need magic and lots of it. I would also need a subject and a conduit. The magic was elementary but time-consuming, the distillation method was tedious but well worth it. But the means amplification and control would be tricky; my parents collected many scrolls of mystery and myth. One piqued my interest, an amulet used to move the city of Coltlantis from one location to another. The story's told that it was lost in the last migration and Coltlantis has been static since. It has since rotted away. But such an item leaves a trace if you know where to look.
It was not long after I had two of the four things needed to enact the beginning of my plan. The next would be a unicorn and another relic of days past, the memory stone. As time went on there were many who looked promising but few who had what was necessary. But one day a first-class unicorn, top of her class with an aptitude for magic, quietly walked by me at the library. The preparation was vital, all the elements were prepared and it was just a matter of opportunity. Luckily it was not long before such a night accrued.
It lasted but a second. The words were spoken, and the magic drained from the reservoirs. A new horn of crimson hue sat atop my head. However, I was not so careless to leave this new earth pony with nothing. Using the memory stone, it was but a matter of deception and timing. It would be moons before the crimson faded, and the horn took on my natural tone. But now there was no stopping my plan. It had to progress if I was going to learn what I needed to learn, but with magic on my side, the next step would take only a short time. That is of course after the many moons I required to control the horn and moons of studying and knowledge to have it work for real.
Once I was able to control the horn the search began for a set of wings. The EUP had just commissioned a new squadron of flyers separating the wheat from the chaff for me. It was habitual that a new flyer tried out and was kicked out long before they even got off the runway. Some of the best flyers had the worst attitudes. It was not long before I found a promising applicant, she was tremendous flyer with robust and sturdy wings. only her egregious attitude and self worth matched her talent.
This time I could prepare much faster. Having the amulet ready and the stone in waiting with the magic of my own, all that was left was to wait for the right moment. Later that night she was alone, wallowing in her self-pity. Her wings were an easy target. In a flash, a new pair of cerulean blue wings rested on my shoulders. Just as the horn they too faded to match my coat in time. Her memory was a breeze to alter, with few that cared for her she would be but a memory forgotten to the ages.
With a horn atop my head and wings on my back, the next part of my plan would be risky. If I were to be caught, now would be the time.
I had been forgotten by most. Star Swirl disappeared, Luna was banished, and Celestia ruled alone. There was little to stand in my way, so I made my moves swift. First, the spell, even though I had magic, I would need to do more than wave my horn around. A spell to constrain and channel the magic would be necessary. I have been studying the amulet for many moons, a simple spell but very useful. With a few little changes, it would work wonders for my plan.
Instead of giving and taking, it would stop after just the take. Instead of objects it now takes life. But pilfering one life was too little and taking all was too much. Instead, stealing a few moons from all not only keeps things under the radar but it meant I would have many future crops. Generation after generation would be mine for the taking.
The first time the spell was cast it was small but powerful, taking moons from a single village. As time went on the spell grow with my power. No longer did I accumulate life from a town, but I took from the world. Only the smallest of a portion from each, but billions add up fast. It was said alicorns lived forever, but I was not a natural one. I did not know if I was granted time like the sisters, so I collected my own just in case. Perhaps a test in the moons to come to find out but even should alicorns life be limited mine wouldn’t be.
But there were problems, unforeseen circumstances. As the spell absorbed life, it also absorbed life in the form of traits. As my power grew so did the side effects of the spell. Among the long list of oddities a few stood out. My mane now flows like the alicorn’s from the long forgotten alicorn empire. I’ve started to take up baking and playing musical instruments even though I have never studied them as well as many other interests that I also never considered before.
As my power expanded, I even took on a hint of fireproofing to my coat and gained a few scales. Even my wings took on traces of the bat pony wings. As time went on, I gained an ability to change my appearance like the stories of the changeling empire that my mother brought me. I have yet to control it; it may be useful to travel in the future as my appearance becomes harder to hide. But this was not the last time a trait would be surprising.
I noticed when angered or frustrated I would catch fire, and my appearance would change much like the stories of the kirin my father bought back. The latest development was slightly shocking but usefully. At times I would take the form of a gaseous smoke or shadow, usually at night. It was useful for slipping in an out of a building. Even small horns have started to grow on my head though my mane covers them for now.
As time goes on, I suspect it will be even more challenging to travel. But it does further my goal, with each addition I seem to understand more. And with time I would come to control the traits just as I did with the horn and the wings. It was a rare group I was now a part of even if the means of how we're alike are a little smudged. You a true alicorn now knows just how much responsibility rests on our shoulders.
I still needed one more item to ensure my work. Before Star Swirl disappeared, him and his friend spoke of a gem, they had planted it in the event they should fail to make it home in the hopes that it would protect the land in their stead. It’s been some time since then, so it was probably a good idea.
I too believe it will be good to leave a similar thing in the event my plans are discovered. I did at first think of seeking out the gem of power they had hidden. But it is rather difficult to find a small gem in all Equestria. And since the battle with the pony of shadows, there were few clues I could follow to acquire it. So, I decided to make my own.
A single gem of the highest quality and purity, a flawless black diamond forged in the early days of the earth in the crushing pressures and temperature of the mantel. From the few clues left behind, Star Swirl and his friends imbued the crystal with a bit of themselves. I would do the same, but my being would not be the same energy cast into Star Swirl gem. So different would the gems be with their powers it was almost as if I was making the exact opposite of what Star Swirl and his friends produced.
It was often said that a rainbow could not form without the help of the rain, while Star Swirl gem would be filled with light mine would be filled with darkness. But what is light without a shadow and what is a candle without the dark?
Perfectly balanced as all things should be, a gem of purity to protect that land and a gem of discord to nurture it. All that was left to do was plant the gem in a place where it could absorb all that nurtured it. What better place than my cave devoid of light with stone roots that starched across Equestria given new purpose.
Now it was but a waiting game, as time moved forward so did the land modernizing and changing. But here I sat and studied and watched from high above. Viewing as the land and my gem changed. It started just below the ground and soon to my surprise, it rooted. Before long I had but a sapling. Before the eight hundredth moon without our princes Luna what had started as a single gem in the ground was now a magnificent tree holding seven unique gems.
I often reflected on what these meant or why they grew as if they were apples on a tree. Why seven. Why a tree. But I knew the gem planted by Star Swirl must have been in a similar state. However, I believe they are more symbolic than direct. Much like an amulet it directly channels and magnifies magic. I think the power is within each pony, but only a pony that resonates with the gems can use them. Since the gems were given life from me, they should respond to me?
Star Swirls gem would be much more difficult to control. If each of the pillars had cast magic upon the gem, each gem likely responds to a specific attribute. The gems themselves are likely only a conduit to help amplify and focus meaning you would have to be very skilled to use all at once as it would be difficult to match each attribute.
One night as I was flying high to meet the children of the night for a drop-off, I flew over the castle and noticed a rather particular stained-glass window. Since Celestia banished her sister to the moon, I rarely came to see my old stomping ground. But there it was, proof positive Star Swirl had succeeded just as I did.
The rumored elements of harmony that were used to banish the sister were none-other than the fruit that Star Swirl tree had produced. I often checked back with these windows to see essential updates. I wondered if the windows would have downsides; after all, they tell great stories. The stories you might not want others to know.
It would be some time before I figured out where Star Swirl planted the tree, but it was easy now knowing how the gems worked. Knowing Star Swirl, he would not travel far if he was going to hide something. So, I took wing to the castle of the two sisters and searched the grounds. A cavern just out of sight was the location of a considerable gem shaped tree with roots that stretched far. It was no doubt the structure that held the gems that were now gone from its sight. The tree still retained much of the magic the gems stored as it was visibly still influencing the land.
I had yet to remove the fruit from my tree, but should the time come I believe it can be done. In time the tree grew and would take on a personality of its own. Perhaps our trees can have a playdate; mine has become quite talkative over the years. However, now was not the time as the day spoken by many was approaching. On the thousandth moon of peace, the stars will align and help the princess escape.
I was there that night watching from up high. Little did I know you would be the center of attention. I waited in the shadows as you struck down the darkness and brought back the sister. It was only later when I saw the stained-glass window that I knew that you would be the one to teach me what no book could teach, what no scroll had to offer. But it was still far too early.
The book had to be written before it could be read. I helped from the background, invited situations and created opportunities. Even left the door open to Tartarus once, and made sure a statue curse was a little weak just in time for a field trip with a secret organization’s help. All in the name of research.
I had much time to travel both in my days before and after your arrival. I have seen the apple kingdom, the Pinkie clone village, the sea ponies of Coltlantis, the hills of the hippogriffs. I have journeyed so far as Tireks land’s, Abyssinia and Ornithia, even other dimensions and worlds. Including the dream factories where I learned from the nyx. The birth pool of Chrysalis where the very ground seemed evil. I've studied under the zebras, reindeer and the deer of the forest. The witch doctor giraffes. Even the rhinoceros of plains whose magic was pure and powerful.
Observing back to my travels the alicorn empire used to be vast. The legend said that the very ground they walked on was left better then it started, but the day I found the empire it was little more than scorched earth.
Based on the stories, alicorns live a long time but they can still succumb to war. It was said long ago the outcasts of the alicorn empire became the tribes of ponies that wandered the land. In the empire, all would start out as a pony with one particular attribute of wings, magic, or strength. As time went on some would learn what they needed to; others would fail and become outcasts.
These outcasts numbers soon outnumbered the alicorns. But a few of the alicorn no longer wished that they had to send their friends away. And so, the war began. One faction was holding to the ways they knew and the other hoped to include all those that did not succeed in ascending.
Two of their commanding leaders were the parents of the two sisters were of the group who wanted to include were thin in numbers. Before the last battle, the commander had a vision of things to come; this battle would consume all that fought in it. With this battle, the empire would cease to exist.
He knew what he had to do. With the help of his mate, they transported the two sisters to a traveling wizard of the unicorn tribe. For they knew they must go back and finish what they started.
Just as the vision the commander saw there was naught but dust left, no more was the ground blest with magic but scarred with the stains of war. Buildings lay demolished under layers of sand and armor lay empty. Their battle was fierce. Their weapons and armor made of a material so hard I could not dent it even as I was now. But continuously I found helmets with holes and gaping gashes. Armor that had been bent and contorted in all directions. Their weapons splintered and melted. The force used to damage them must have been extreme. I can only imagine the hide of an alicorn must have been equally strong.
One of my favored objects I brought back was a suit of armor, very different from the knights armor of pony's, covering much more than just the face, it subverts the idea of war and turns it cold and unethical when you can't see the eyes of your enemy. I don't know what the alicorn empire did to cause their downfall but it must have been catastrophic for them to send only two to keep teaching their ways. Even though it fit me like a glove being quite flexible and protective, it was made of the most durable material; I have yet to even scratch it for a sample to study even now.
But by far the Pinkie clone village was a most exciting place I have had the pleasure to visit. I happened upon it while flying and saw a giant pink blob on the ground and have since taken a liking to visit now and then. They told me every generation of Pinkies that came from the lake changed slightly from the previous generation. But by the 40th generation, the Pinkies had a mind of their own and did not want to party.
They left the village without having fun and settled down developing their systems and their laws. It is a small village but a nice one. They all have their interest, wants and needs but all look similar to the original. Some changed their hair others walked the land in search of something, but here they live in harmony and are happy living together.
I’ve spent all my life traveling and learning from all far and wide. I have even spent time in trot and even the Draconequus dimension. I’ve collected countless artifacts from snowdrops gift to the clouds used as the foundations of Timbucktu. Also a golden apple and changeling amulet. Many of mage Meadowbrook’s and Star Swirl’s own projects, including a sliver of mirror that seems to lead to other dimensions. Even a fragment of Amore’s tail, perhaps one day I will hunt down the rest.
I've been around so long one of the few hobbies that don't get old with age is a good scavenger hunt.
I have books dating back so far some are still written in Poniform scratched into stone. But what does it all mean I wonder? I have attained so much and learned so much. It is still just shy of what I needed to learn.
I won’t lie, I’ve twisted myself in so many ways I’m not sure I’m even a pony at this point. I believe there’s still something left to learn if you’re willing to teach. I know how much you love books so I'll leave this one here for you to find on your own time. When and if you're ready to teach you to need but a quill and ink to write your reply in this book.
The alicorn empire was a mighty land filled with magic and mystery. The very ground on which they walked seeped with magic. With each step of a hoof, the earth seemed to grow, the sheer magical potential of a full grown alicorn must have been awe-inspiring.
But their society was far more alluring than their doctrines. In the empire, everypony was born with at least one of three gifts. The gift of flight, magic or strength. It would not be long before the young ponies would start to undergo training and conditioning.
A grueling process where a pony would learn of the traits they were not born with and develop skills and attributes to overcome their shortcomings. By the age of 30 moons, one of two things happen.
If the pony had practiced and studied hard, they would be given a test, that if passed, would permit the pony to be made an alicorn. But it was a difficult test, and many lacked the ability or aptitude. For only a lucky few were welcomed into an exclusive club and given the prestige and honor of being made an alicorn.
But for those that failed the test, they were cast out. The failure rate was high and steady. Over time, clans of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns began roaming the land. They had an unsteady peace, the earth ponies would farm, the pegasi control the weather, and the unicorns control the magic. As the clans grew over time, they started having foals of their own instead of taking in those that were cast out.
The alicorns cared little for those that were cast out. It was a process with no revelry or flare. As soon as the test was over they were unceremoniously dumped outside the gates with not so much a second to say goodbye.
Even as the outcasts grew in size and complexity, their civilizations were small compared to the alicorns, so the alicorns paid little mind to the developments of the outcasts. Over time, there was a growing group of those in the empire that started to care and mourn for the loss of their friends, even if they were not alicorns.
The group consisting mostly of the Sunshine family and the Pitch family. Together, their families made up almost an 8th of the alicorn class. They had many prospects under their care.
Before the war, the two families often married a mare and colt to gain another prospect. It was not a genuine marriage but one born of ancient bylaws. The last marriage between the two families though was more genuine than others. A fierce commander in the empire, a huge stallion with a mane of fire and a commanding mare with hair as dark as night and eyes as bright as the moon. They often met in planning and strategy meetings, and as time went on, they soon found themselves in love.
After a time, two little unicorns where born, one as bright as a star and one dark as the night. It would be some time before the sisters became alicorns. But as they approached there thirtieth moon, niter was ready to take the test.
Now fearing for their children futures, the cause of the group grew. No longer was it about morels, it was about family. The the two lovestruck alicorns could not bear to send their children off.
The two families, while outnumbered and underpowered, began a campaign to change their society as they knew it. A few families were sympathetic to there plea and joined the cause. Such as the iron hide family that supplied the impervious armor. The green hoof family that controlled much of the food in the land. And lastly, the reclusive family of mages, skilled in magic and witchcraft.
Together, they were less than a third of the alicorn class; but mighty in terms of raw power and skill. Each soldier, even one yet to achieve the alicorn class, was clad in impenetrable armor. Trained and well feed, layered with enchantments of the highest order.
The parents were careful to exclude the sisters from the war. If they were going to win, they would need leaders that did not know of such brutality. As the thirtieth moon approached the alicorn sisters were still learning, but time was not on their side.
The war lasted many moons. The great alicorn empire, once numbering over fifty thousand was reduced to just a few hundred. There were but a few candidates left, and the sisters were still learning.
On a fateful day as the war went on far behind the front lines, the two sisters studied under there mentor. A stray enemy soldier was far behind the fronts looking for easy targets. He found just the two, but these were no ordinary children. For he had found the children of the opposing armies general. If he were to succeed, it was likely the opposing forces would concede in a matter of days.
He moved in for an attack but was pushed out of the way at the last second by the sisters' mentor. The two tussled on the floor for a few moments, pushing and jabbing each other. The soldier was releasing beams of red energy from his horn as the mentor tried his best to direct them away from the two sisters.
As fate would have it, a single red beam struck a supporting pillar and caused the ceiling of the Cappel to collapse.
At this moment, the two sisters learned the one thing they never taught in school, and the one thing that would cause many to fail: Friendship.
A special kind of friendship shared by sisters, each helping the other to survive under the rubble; one holding up the stones and the other giving encouragement and strength. The older of the sisters endured under the weight of the stones, keeping the younger safe for three days. The younger never once left the older sister, even though she might have been able to slip through the cracks and escape.
It was later when the injured mentor finally got word to the generals and told them of the news. As many guards as could be spared were sent to the ruins and were instructed to hurriedly dig up the rubble. Moving massive stone after stone, little progress was made. The castle was a mighty building with thick walls and ceiling. It was far too dangerous to blast the stone away without knowing where the sisters where.
The two sisters were dirty and malnourished after being trapped for days. The older sister magic was now fading, the bubble protecting them from the tons of stone above them was growing smaller and smaller. Cracks and holes began to open, allowing smaller stones to funnel into the shield.
As the bubble grew just large enough to fit the two ponies with not much more room for anything else, the two sisters nuzzled close together, promising to be together forever. It was then when a bright flash of light overtook the dark cavern.
The sisters now lay on the ground with wings and horns. They were so surprised that they failed to realize the older sisters shield had grown to almost the size of a house, pushing stones and soldiers off to the side and allowing them to be bathed in fresh sunlight. They were no longer ponies, they were alicorns.
Within moments, the parents of the two sisters flew down in a panic and enveloped the two sisters in a warm embrace.
That night, the sisters' father slept just outside the sister's rooms, worried for their safety. In the middle of the night, he awoke in a cold sweat and breathing heavily. It was not often that alicorns where given visions, but he knew what this one meant.
The next day, the stallion conversed with the two sisters and informed them of a trip they were going to take. He promised that when they had finished their learning they could return to the empire and rebuild it anew. He knew that was a lie, but the events of the previous day had been hard enuff on the two sisters.
Later that night, the two sisters said goodbye to their parents and started on there trip. A traveling wizard belonging to unicorn clan, still young, but very capable and wise, would be their new mentor. The stallion hoped that this figure would be able to protect the last of their kind until the sisters could teach another.
As Their father watched the sisters leave he was mentally preparing for the battle ahead. He knew that the vision he saw would come to pass and he knew what he had to do, and what it would ultimately result in.
In the days to come, the few hundred alicorns remaining were reduced to little more than a dozen. There were but 15 left. The parents of the two sisters and the 13 alicorns opposed to them, mostly from the warrior family. There was no way the two of them could defeat 13 stronger and more well-trained generals. So they crossed their horns in the final moment of the battle, knowing that they would change the course of history.
A spell of light and dark combined to create a never-ending prison, shielded by the fire of a thousand suns and a desolate void as empty as space between the stars. The two created limbo and cast themselves and the other alicorn commanders into its depths.
The parents were smart. Libo was no ordinary prison. A one-way cell with a door that could only be opened from the outside. An inconvincible void where they would spend the rest of eternity fighting a never-ending battle. But it was a price they were willing to pay for the sake of the sisters.
With the last of the grown alicorn gone, the magic that once permeated the ground was gone. The land was barren and scorched. A colossal crater now lay among the ruins and the plains. There was but ash where civilization had once lay, but as the empire was gone, so too were their twisted ideals.
As time went on, the two sisters and the traveling wizard made their way to the clans of outcasts. The wizard offered help and aid in exchange for a place to settle. The sisters had grown much since their travels had started. And the wizard knew that they needed more than just him to talk to. So Clover The Clever sought a friend, Star Swirl.
As time moved on, the war was forgotten. The magic that once radiated from the land became a shadow of its former self, so new tenants started to arrive, one such group being the Wendigo, fierce creatures of ice and magic. This group drove the three clans together, but squabbles turned into rage, and lines were drawn in the ground. Even with the squabbles, in time, friendship lit the sky ablaze with ribbons of light and cast out the windigos as the alicorns magic once did.
It was not long before the two sisters, now know as Princess Celestia and Luna, ruled the kingdom, and their faithful mentor, Star Swirl the Bearded, roamed the land and helped them learn. It's not known how much the sisters remember of the time before. It's been so long, generations of pony kind have passed and new generations grew. It's possible they don't even remember the days of old or those who ensured their safety.
But one thing is clear, they rebuilt the empire anew just as their father wanted.
Coltlantis was a thriving undersea city. It was a large city made of coral and sterling silver that would shimmer under the rays of sun that made it to the depths of the hidden city. It was a thriving society keeping thousands worm and fed and provided a sense of safety to all those who inhabited it.
Vast fields of kelp and other sea flora kept the ponies fed. Large bubble nets holding the various kind of fauna lay just outside the city providing all that the flora could not. In all the time they lived in the city, nopony was left hungry.
Even their guard was mighty. In all the years since they had started moving the city, never once did a creature get through their outer perimeter. A fierce guard made of only the best swimmers, they patrolled the waters just outside the city and never left an opening. A few were stationed in the city and were regarded as heroes among the other ponies.
But that's not where their stories begin. Many years prior, a dark and mysterious evil who called himself Grogar started to roam the land, swallowing up town after town and clan after clan. It was said if you ran to the water and swam out to deeper depths, the creatures could not get you. But the water was not a place to live for a land pony.
One village tried to build boats to float out to sea. The logistics and size of the vessels soon became problematic. They soon realized that the room required to grow the food required a larger boat then they could build, and that was only for a few ponies. But they believed water would be their salvation.
Soon they became a great seafaring nation with many ships under their control, a large pearl export and fishing village. When the evil came around, they would all set sail for a few days. But this was only a stopgap measure.
Even their best spells and magic could only sustain them for a few days. They needed something stronger and more capable. An old story from a group of pearl divers said along the reef lay a single clam so large no one could pry it open. And when close enough to it, you seemed to be able to breathe for hours.
It was said if you could touch the shell, you could breathe the water like the air. And if you were fast enough to touch the pearl while the clam's mouth was open, it would turn your coat to scales and your lungs to gills.
The queen sent a few of the fastest swimmers during low tide. It took many tries, but one finally slipped the pearl out of the clam's mouth before it slammed shut. With this trinket, the group swam below the surface and has lived there since.
The large clam older than the seafloor produced a single pearl of pink alabaster. So powerful was the pearl formed from a grain of sand, layered by moons of magical buildup, it glimmered brightly even through the darkness of the deep.
But all was not well as time went on. Just as the giant clam lived in the deep, so did others large carnivorous creatures that were hard to track and harder to keep away. For the first few moons, it was not difficult to hide, as their village was small. As they grew and expanded their farmland, things became more difficult to control. Their village grew to a town and then a city. But the scents and bright lights brought other uninvited guests.
If you live long enough, trouble always finds you. In time, the queen put together a plan to keep the society together. Every few years, they would migrate to a new location and establish their city till next year.
With this strategy, they would be able to expand and live just a few steps ahead of all the creatures hunting them. But it was not without risk. Before the migration, scouts would need to find a spot for the following year.
Planning and organization were required. And migration after migration it was carried out with exacting precision. The royal diver squadron was commissioned and had the duty and privilege to hunt for new ground. Some of the most capable divers committed their lives to the city, only retiring when they could no longer keep up with the young ones. Even the older ones still helped with the planning and execution.
It was considered a honor, but as time went on, the logistics got more and more difficult. And planning went from a few days to months. In time, planning would start the day after the migration and it soon became a full-time job.
A powerful object was needed to aid the sea ponies. So the queen sent out the most powerful of her soldiers to hunt down a mythical fish, a deep-water hornfish that hunted its prey by teleporting behind them. A fearsome creature, but still just a fish. While it could outmaneuver the sea ponies, it could not outthink them.
It was a battle that lasted hours, but in the end, a single horn lay in the sand. They used the horn and imbued it with silver and gems and special runes to increase its magic a thousandfold. So powerful was the horn, it moved not only the city but the ground the city sat on. It was a dangerous tool if used improperly.
One such incident involved accidentally switching a large mass of air with the water below. This resulted in a catastrophic implosion of the air buddle shaking the foundations of the city and rendering a shockwave that cracked glass and stone for miles. Anypony near the coast probably saw a small tsunami that day.
As time went on, the queen aged and soon was no longer able to move the city. But in her age, she had forgotten to teach her people how to use both the horn and the pearl. As time went on, it was rough going, and one migration the unthinkable happened.
While the city was moved, it was done in error and the sea ponies had to move fast to prevent a catastrophe. During the rush, the horn was dropped and drifted to the ocean floor to be covered in silt. But they made it to the city just in time to make sure it was secure. And by chance, it was not a bad spot either.
When the time came for another migration, the temple was ransacked looking for the horn, but it could not be found, since it was halfway across the ocean floor. The sea ponies could no longer live in their utopia. And since they had forgotten how to use the pearl, they could no longer go back on to the land.
In time, they were driven from their home by the creatures of the deep. The great city made of colorful coral and silver soon degraded. The coral turned white and the silver tarnished to black. All that was left was a single pink pearl surrounded by turning black and white spires that encased it like a swirling wave crashing on a beach.
It would be some time before I found the horn and even longer until another found the pearl. But Coltlantis still may have some secrets deep within the coral lattice.
Flying is great fun, but what if you could do it faster? What if you could go higher? I tried many times, but ran into one of two problems. First, it became harder to breathe the higher I went, which became a problem if I just went up there for a minute, but after a few minutes, I was wheezing harder than a Canterlot guard on training day. The other problem I ran into was the lack of lift provided by my wings the higher I went.
The first of the two problems would be fairly easy to fix; in my possession, I already had a breathing apparatus from my deep-sea explorations: a simple canister that held compressed air from the ground and used a regulator to dispense air in tune with my breathing.
It required some modification. The tank had to be much smaller, and the face mask needed to go over my muzzle. With some tweaks and modifications the mask was fitted, the regulator shifted and altered for above-sea pressures rather than below-sea pressures.
Most importantly, the tank was shortened and condensed to lighten its weight and size. Luckily the tank did not have to survive the crushing depths of the water, so it still held a considerable amount of air even in its diminished size.
With the new breathing regulator, I was able to stay up in the high altitude air for much longer. I found when compressing the air on the ground if a little magic was used you could get a little more oxygen then the rest of the gasses into the can. Especially at high altitudes, this seemed to be an important factor
I experimented a lot with gas mixing. I found the most efficient mixture was an odd one. I filled the tank with almost pure oxygen and allowed the mask to leak just a bit. The regulator was set to only a third of its pressure. With this combination, the tank lasted three times as long and provided ample oxygen to maintain a clear head.
It was important to make sure I never ran out of air pressure, as the lack of it would cause hallucinations and confusion. While flying several kilostrides above the ground, it's important that you don't blackout and fall to the ground. It may be the last time you ever fly.
Now would come the hard part. I needed to figure out how to provide power without my wings. I did think about using propellers, but while they might help for a particular altitude, they too would have the same issue as wings once they got up high enough. I also thought it was a bad idea having multiple large spinning blades in front or behind me.
So I came up with a novel idea with some inspiration from the deer of the forest and their liquid magic that they used to great effect. a finely distilled mix that could be given magical properties. I set it up so when the mixture came into contact with a metal mesh layer with an enchantment, it would react.
A unique mechanism, when the mix came into contact with the screen, it did two things. First, it expanded onehundredfold. Secondly, it would combust in cold steam expanding onethousandfold once again.
With these two reactions, the force that was generated was more than sufficient to blow the apparatus off the lab table. Perhaps now was a good time to move this experiment outside.
Firstly I needed a method of moving the fuel from the tank to the testing apparatus. I came to the design of a tube with a magic rotor in the bottom half and a centrifugal force pump at the top. The mix would enter through the top of the tube and be spun sideways by the fins that sat atop the rotor.
The rotor itself was the key to controlling the speed at which the fuel enters the mesh, and the reaction started. I found the faster the rotor spun, the more fuel was added to the line, but this type of pump had its limitations. I found using several smaller more well-made pumps were often better than a singular large one.
I also added a spring-assisted switch which had to be open with magic. I set this in the closed position and only with magic could it stay in the open position. In the event that the pilot blacked out or lost control, the fuel would stop flowing and would hopefully prevent you from plummeting to the ground faster than normal.
The next part was figuring out how to control the reaction. One of my first attempts was to contain the reaction in a tube with one end that was closed. This did help channel the reaction in one direction; it also increased the power of the reaction by limiting the force in one direction. This also made it much easier to control.
prototype 1
With all this testing outside, I ended up making these large plumes of clouds. While the average pony would not be able to tell them apart, a pegasus might before I continued my experiments. I added a suction channel to the testing bench. This channel fitted with large suction fans emptied underneath a lake.
Every time I tested the mixture the large plume of cloud material was whisked away through the pipes. The mixture was then let out and was allowed to mix with the water in the nearby lake. This eliminated the large plumes and kept my experiments under wraps.
With the tube containment came many advances but a few disadvantages. The reaction was rather difficult to start, as it would often backfire into the closed end of the tube and prevent the fuel from reentering the tube. A method was needed to direct the reaction towards the back end of the tube.
A special conical section that reduced from a large opening to a much smaller one was added before the screen, along with a magic rotor that spun small fan blades to pull air in from the front of the tube. This fan, as well as the conical section of the tube, provided a large pressure difference between the inside of the reaction chamber and the outside. When the mix was pumped in and hit the screen, the reaction was encouraged to move towards the lower pressure outside of the chamber.
With this advance, I no longer had the backfire issues. But the fan blades did have to get spinning up to a significant speed and required a lot of concentration on top of controlling the valves and the outer pump rotters.
I spent much of my time training. I practiced doing multiple small puzzles using magic and spinning rocks as fast as I could. In time, spinning the rotors were like second nature and controlling miniature mechanism became easy as well.
Now that all the pieces were assembled and ready, it was time for a test flight. I had already tested the device on a circular track. But being able to control it would be more difficult when flying then it would be on a railed track.
I strapped on the breathing mask. I positioned the tank with rotors and valves and affixed the single large device just between my wings. I was ready to test my resolve. I started up the regulator and spun up the frontal fan blades. When the pressure got to a maximum, I slowly open up the valves and started the pumps.
Not even a second after I was off the ground, I faceplanted right into the ground. It would be some time before I was ready to undertake another test flight.
I had a few issues to fix. The reason I crashed was simple. I was unable to control the thrust from the reaction with just my wings. Simply put, the thrust pushed my head over hoof. I knew I had to move the reaction further down. I noticed when on the track the reaction tended to lift the back wheel perhaps if the reaction happened behind the center of the pony rather than on top.
But with this idea came a complication. I needed to move the reaction lower but still next to me. I could not have it dangling hooves behind me or in front of me. I decided to shrink the size of the reaction chambers and made two: one to sit on each side of me just under the wings.
It was a bit odd, as I could no longer tuck my wings into my body. But at the speeds I was going to fly, my wings were more for changing course and for flapping.
In addition to the reaction chambers change, I added a set of goggles, as it became hard to see and my eyes started to water when I got going. With these changes, I was ready for another test flight. This time, however, I picked a nice, long lake: in the event I should faceplant again, at least it would be into the water.
This time, the test went much better than the first; I was flying high, but control was still a bit of an issue.
I developed a special set of front brakes that fit tightly over my front hooves. They had a small wing on the outer edge, which allowed me to use my front hooves to control my movements much more finely than my wings would allow.
With the third test flight, things were much smoother. The little wings on my hooves helped greatly with maneuverability and gave my wings a rest as they no longer had to make tiny adjustments. But with two steps forward, there always seemed to be a step back.
I noticed that there were issues with the rough layout of my equipment. It was not streamlined. The EUP’s newly-formed flying squadron had suits that covered their coat and made them far more aerodynamic, cutting the drag considerably. I figured I would do the same.
I encased my equipment in a slick cover that sliced through the air rather than pushing through it. The mask underwent a large change too. The whole regulator mechanism and breathing apparatus was made smaller and fit under a full-cover helmet that wrapped around my face; it even stretched over my horn to cut the drag behind it and protect it in the event of another fall. I'm not sure if I could reattach it if it were broken. I did not want to relive that whole switching process again.
I also tied back my mane and tail in a tight configuration to help eliminate drag. But with the latest test, I had a new problem again. With such little drag, I was able to go much faster, and the reaction seemed more efficient with less drag.
So fast, the blood ran from my head to my back hooves. This problem required quite a bit of research. I found using a suit with laces that should be tightened and constricted the blood flow to the legs keep more blood towards the front hooves.
I even went to add inflatable bladders that would pressurize when going fast enough. This prevents much of the blacking out at higher speeds along with special breathing and turning up the regulator most of the problems were minor.
Just as I was getting used to flying with the equipment, I noticed a new problem. At speed, the fan blades became useless. The air was entering the reactor faster than I could spin the blades. I developed a special fan blade that retracted at a high enough speed meaning I no longer needed to spin them when at high speed.
Interestingly enough, when at the right speed with the fans retracted enough air was being compressed to not only work normally, but better. The faster you went, the more air was compressed and the better the reaction seemed to work.
But there remained a single problem. Flying so fast and high, it was often difficult to see the ground and where you were going. Even knowing if you were the right side up was difficult.
A small hoofband with gems helped me greatly. It had several displays on it: a line of gems ranging from green to red indicating the height above the ground, and a large gem with a moving elongated sapphire indicated where my wings were relative to the ground.
On my left hoofband were six small gems correlating the level of the mix in the tank and a series of gems indicating hoofs per second, as well as a good old-fashioned compass. Enchanting the gauntlets meant they would work without a second thought. Combining them with the hoof wings made the instruments easy to read even when changing direction.
It was important to keep an eye on the height meter. If I went above the red, even the supplied air was not enough, and my skin began to burn. In addition, my wing and hoof controls became less effective.
Perhaps I would revisit this issue and create a pressurize protected suit. I would also need to rethink how I maneuvered way up there. Perhaps small reactors on the hooves as control wings seemed ineffective?
With these advances, I could now travel very far and fast high up where no one could see me. This apparatus was ahead of its time, and I was careful not to misplace it or let it out of my site. With the one exception of losing one of the magical rotors from a pump that one time. Perhaps someone would use it to help a turtle fly or something. Wouldn't that be funny?
I was flying up high watching two young colts meandering through the mountains. They had been walking for some time at least a day or two. They came from a small village off to the north. They were brothers, I presumed, based on their matching coats and manes.
Two brothers would be perfect for what I needed. Every adventure has scrapes and bruises, some even have broken bones or missing limbs, but some adventures have a thorn that just can't be reached or removed.
I flew ahead and made sure the mountain ahead was saturated with rain and clouds. As the ground became wet, the path became even more treacherous. It was the only pass through the mountain, and the two brothers would have to take it.
Their legs were small, but in time they eventually made it to the pass. A thin overhang that was just wide enough for a single colt. As the two walked past one of the thinner parts, I struck a dark cloud causing one of the brothers to slip off the ledge. The other was now clinging to the side of the narrow cliff.
The little colt that slipped down the incline lay there still breathing but unconscious. The brother hanging on the edge was now yelling for help. I swooped down just out of sight behind a sharp turn and waltzed my way towards them. The little colt yelled for me to help.
I looked at him inquisitively and asked, “Why?”
He looked shocked and with a panicked voice managed to say that a lightning strike had knocked his brother down the cliff, and he needed help. I stood unmoved and asked why he did not go down there himself.
He again looked confused wondering why I simply would not help him. He spoke again in a shaky voice, saying he might get hurt if he were to fall down the cliff, maybe even break a bone.
I told him bones only grow back stronger. And once more he only looked at me in confusion, this time shouting for me to help him.
I reach down and grabbed his hoof, pulled him up to my eye level, and then released the young colt. He slid down the slope to lay next to his brother, who was just starting to come around.
As he slid, I heard a loud snap and a scream of pain from the colt. He had clearly broken a leg. But if he was to become my splinter, he would have to be able to deal with inconveniences.
He looked up at me with a look of hatred and confusion as tears ran from his eyes and asked a simple question as to why I had done what I did.
I told him only that he needed to survive. And again with a look of confusion, he asked what happen if they could not.
The answers were simple but hard for him to take. As I turned my flank to him and his now-awake brother, I said but a few words. As the words rolled off my tongue, I realized what I had become, but my path was clear. I told them they would perish here in the mountain and none would find them. With those final words, I unfurled my clock, spread my wings and took off in a hurry.
I don't know if the brother realized how deformed I was or if the clock had hidden my appearance. But I did not go far. My splinter was still young and had yet to become a nuisance. It needed time and practice.
I watched from up high as the two brothers struggled to bandage the leg of the younger. As the two slowly made their way out of the pass and over the mountain, I could hear them talking and whispering to one another. It would be some time before I know what they had said.
As time went on, the younger one no longer walked with a limp, and the two finally found a town to settle in. They were smart, and now that they had grown some and were able to use magic rather well. They were, however, starting to get accustomed to the easy life.
I made sure their paperwork went missing and their rent payments got lost in the mail. I made every push to make sure they went in the direction I wanted. It took some time, but in a city like this, underhanded deals and Ponzi scheme where not uncommon. I made sure that the deeds paid, well.
With a little cajoling of the nearby hustlers and swindlers, I made sure they meet only the most dishonest ponies, and in no time they were off to the races. Raised by con artists and taught by undesirables, they were exceptionally underhanded. If ever they needed something, they could dream up a scam to get the bits.
They moved around a lot, and I often lost sight of them. But the stories of swindling and robbery spread throughout the land. It was not long before the two brothers got their cutie marks: the elder of the two brothers an apple missing a slice, and the younger with the missing slice.
Truly they were a force to be reckoned with. They could sell you your own home at an upcharge, and then sell you the furniture. They were exactly what I needed. A splinter so sharp you would not feel it prick your skin, but large enough to be uncomfortable.
As time went on, they did much, but they never forgot how they got there. I hear they have accumulated millions in bits over time. It never seems to end; they both play their parts. One is the business side; he knows just how to get the bits. The other is the figurehead. He could talk a child out of their candy.
On a day like any other, I was shopping in a small bazaar far from any civilized town when the two brothers approached me.
Without a word of warning, they snatched my cloak and cast it aside. They seemed unmoved by my appearance, while several others ran for their homes. It was then I realized what they were talking about all those years ago. They hadn't forgotten me. In fact, they planned to get back at me.
They spoke in a loud, demanding voice, asking if I remembered them. But how could I forget? I proclaimed that I had not forgotten, but I gave them a word of caution, reminding them that it was I who had made them who they were today.
With the same face he had given me all those moons ago, he muttered his words softly such that I did not hear him. They both turned to me and spoke in unison, asking what I meant. And I told them of the story, assuring them I never left.
I did leave out my motives for my actions, but they listened to what I said with a grain of salt anyway. They looked confused and unsure: the grudge they had held for so long seemed changed. They were grateful for the opportunity, yet still mad for what I had done. I assured them that I would no longer interfere and that their life was now their own.
Before they could speak a word, I disappeared with a flick of my horn into thin air. The only thing they had left of me was my misshapen cloak. I don't know what the brothers plan to do with the information now that they have met me face to face for a second time. But they failed to share my physique with anypony for some time.
I told them I was done with them, but they still had a part to play, and my plans were just beginning. Before they left town, I made sure I slipped a letter about a cider shortage into one of their bags.
This was the last time I saw Flim and Flam, but it was not the last time I slipped some information to them, as the splinter had not yet been driven deep enough just yet.
I'm not entirely sure where Tartarus came from or how it's connected to the doors, but one thing is for sure. It was built by someone, and whoever constructed it left a backdoor just in case they ever needed to get out.
But the backdoor was even more difficult to get to than the front door. Deep within the caves of the mountain, a small round door inscribed with runes and a faceted depression that looks like a gem might fit sits unassumingly.
Even if the door is moved or dug around it does not lead to Tartarus. Only when the door is opened does it connect the red cave system. The stone changes suddenly from a gray shale to a red granite.
Whatever magic was used to create the doors predates unicorn magic. But a relic just as old was able to unlock the door. A gem-encrusted golden skeleton key that I've used many times does seem to open the door, but only barely, and then it needs some time before it can be used again.
But even though the door opens, it took many moons of mapping before I found the main chamber. Tartarus was a mishmoshed cave with offshoots and turnarounds at every corner. After moons of mapping, I finally found the main cavern, and just as the stories told, a large three-headed dog slept with several creatures chained to the floor around him.
This was the first time I had seen the front door from the inside. Interestingly enough, there was no keyhole on the inside. It seems that if one had enough magic, the door should be able to be open the door from the inside. The creatures themselves had little magic, but I suspect combined they might be able to open the door.
As Cerberus slept, I talked to many of the inmates. Most were just large monsters, but a few were intelligent. One such character was one who called himself Tirek, or Lord Tirek if he is to be believed.
He and I spoke many times. He often tried to convince me to let him out, but I refused, since I knew I would need him later. But in time I did make a deal with him. He knew of Tartarus long before it was called such. He spoke of a magic school that taught only the most advanced magic.
Years before it was converted into a jail, it was a thriving school that taught all type of conjurations, elemental control and numbers subfields of obscure magic. They even taught dark arts deep within the caves. Hence the reason the school was cut off from the outside world.
Tirek said deep within the labyrinth there were classrooms and libraries and all sorts of interesting magical items. He spoke of a master that went to the school and taught life magic. Perhaps one day I would travel to Tirek lands and learn from his master as well. But now my attention was turned to the cave and finding the school.
I struck a deal. If I found the school and found it useful, I would release Tirek and provide him just enough magic to open the front door, on the condition that he forget about me and never speak of me again.
I moved deeper into the cave; soon the rough stone became too smooth and eventually looked carved. Before me lay a large set of metal doors which luckily were not sealed by magic. Behind them lay a cavernous main hall to the school.
Vast hallways and rooms, all for practicing and experimenting. Rooms filled with strange markings and materials of all shapes and sizes. But this place was huge, and there was no way a single pony could view all of it.
But with an interesting mix of magic, two spells called Accelero and Simerlo Duplexes. I could literally be in two places at once. But I was not limited to just two clones. I made an army and had them search for libraries and notebooks. Their orders were simple: to absorb all info related to magic at the school, especially the dark magic that seemed to have been lost to the ages.
Each clone was somewhat limited and could only handle so much information. The nice thing about the clone was, when it returned to the original, all the memories, emotions and things it had done accumulated in the original. Over the next several days as I explored the ruins, clone after clone returned.
It was not long before I had accumulated generations of learning and magic from those that predated much of the magic the ponies had made. I would come back to visit and experiment, as Tartarus provided a rather useful place where no one would notice, since few ever visited.
When I returned to the main chamber and caught Tirek’s eye, he proclaimed loudly that he thought I had died in the tunnels. I silenced him quickly; Cerberus only shifted in his sleep and then rolled over into a deeper slumber.
As promised, I would release him with the caveat that he forget me. But I asked him for one additional condition: to wait once he had gotten out. I told him to hide in the forest for a few moons and accumulate magic slowly. Only when he was able to take ponies’ magic at will would he be strong enough to take over; I could not let him fail right out of the gate.
Luckily, he agreed to stay in the shadows for some time, and our deal was struck. With a flash of light and a speedy getaway, he was out of his chains and through the large door. Unfortunately, it roused Cerberus who managed to squeeze between the doors before they closed. I'm sure a few would notice their guard dog missing.
Cerberus being such a large animal it was not long before someone noticed him wondering about. It would be several days before Cerberus wondered into any towns and days before he would be returned, but just in case I did have a plan.
Before heading back down to the school, I left a clone disguised as Tirek for a few days, just in case someone came looking. I spent the next several moons exploring the school and all the things it had to offer before making my way to the main cavern and then to the back door.
On my way home, I wondered what had happened to Tirek? Had he begun his conquest? Was he stopped? Did he further my plans, or would I have to correct something?
It was not long after I left that I got to watch the show unfold from high above. It was slow going at first but picked up speed as time went on. It was not more than three days before Tirek and his Draconequus friend had guzzled up half of Equestria’s magic.
But as always, Equestria prevailed, and yet another chapter was written in the book.
In my time exploring Tartarus, I came across many interesting items. Libraries of books, rooms filled with glass jars that constrained creators, not of the world. Great stone doorways that seemed to lead to nowhere. But none more so than the red stone.
This was not an ordinary gem, as it was surrounded by runes and bars and any manner of trap and barricade tightly locked away as if it had spawned a rift in time itself. Interestingly enough, one of the walls of the room was no longer carved smooth, but looked as if it had been blasted away by a mighty spell or pulled from reality itself.
It was a mighty room, but all the detail in the room seemed to be centered around the middle. I suspect the gem was created elsewhere but was brought to this very room where it could be controlled.
It was some time before the bars could be removed and even more time for the barriers to be dispelled. But as the floating gem was just in reach, I realized just how powerful the gem was.
An interesting stone, not of this world, that magnifies and multiplies magic corresponding to your emotions. Its only side effect is that it also amplifies and magnifies your emotions. Used improperly, it can create devastation and discourse. Luckily for me, my intentions were strictly for learning purposes.
According to the history books deep within the school, a student once tried to mix the magic of many creators together but ended up creating a number of creations that had mixed and matched body parts of all different animals. Along with the various mashed-together bodies was powerful mashed-together magic.
It's important to note that the only difference between science and fooling around is writing it down. But luckily, the students here recorded everything right down to the smallest detail. Every detail of how the magic worked was recorded, so redoing the experiments should be no problem.
According to the notes, the creatures were so powerful and capable in their magic, the discord they brought to the school would have been devastating if the professors had not cast them away into a blank dimension.
In the notes, it said the creators were exasperated with their magic being so uncontrollable and unpredictable. Turning stairs into slides and walls into floors. In some parts of the school, the gravity would simply change unexpectedly. I was unsure if this was a side effect of the creators or the magic cave I was in, but it was most unsettling.
But that was not the only unexpected oddity deep within the caves. Rooms seemed to fold into each other. Sometimes if you went right four times, you might not end up back where you started; sometimes you would have to take lefts and a few more rights to get back where you were. I didn't know what was bending the space I was in, but it was most difficult finding my way around.
The stone was far too powerful for me at the time to use properly, so I cast it in silver and iron to lessen the effects of its magic amplification. An amulet that, when used correctly, should amplify my magic tenfold and my desire for learning tenfold as well.
I figured if I used gold and silver the dampening effect would be less pronounced and would amplify the gem more but still keep it controllable. I was unsure if I would ever need to change the amulet, but I always kept the materials on hand just in case. The zebras always said it was better to have what you need rather than having to get it when you need it.
When using the amulet, I would often work tirelessly for days, becoming sleep-deprived. I had to force myself to take it off every couple of days. If I didn’t, I suspect it would have consumed me.
But due to its power, I cast a spell onto the gem and the amulet: one could only remove the amulet if they themselves wanted to remove it. This way I could be sure if something were to happen to me or the amulet without my express permission, it would not happen at all.
I got much done with the amulet. But much like training to run faster, in time my magic grew in proportion to my new skills. Not only did it grow, it was much like trying to water a flower with a fire hose. And before I knew it, even before I put on the amulet, I found myself capable of all the magic I needed.
As time went on, I found I no longer needed the amulet; in fact, I had outgrown it. As my power had grown far beyond what the gem even without the casing could provide, so too did my ambition. In addition to not wearing a magical gem that could easily wipe a town of the map, there were no ill side effects. But a powerful artifact like this was dangerous to just throw out. And it felt unwise to place it back in Tartarus as I was not sure I could reset the traps and barriers, I was also not sure what else lurked deep in the winding caves.
I decided I would weaken the gem as much as possible: within the amulet’s casing, I carved runes and inscriptions which weakened the gems so much it would be limited in the power it had, one could do anything as long as it was not more than a simple age spells. I infused the metal with the magic of the mountains. It made the metal virtually unbreakable and the gem unremovable. Only the deers should be able to remove the gem now.
It would be some time before I needed it again. But another chapter in the book was ready to be written. The quill and ink were ready, but I had not yet found the pages. But there are always blank pages in the world just waiting to be filled.
A traveling magician I often liked to watch from the back of the crowd. Not the best at magic as her father in Las Pegasus was much more of a show pony, but she was by far funnier. Her antics and comical missteps turned a simple magic act into a real show. And she had a hint of narcissism which I found humorous in my age.
If there were two things I had learned from her, the first would be that magic comes in more than one flavor; it comes in many. While she was a magician, she was not great at magic despite her boasts. But what she lacked in magic, she made up for in tricks and sleight of hoof.
The second thing she demonstrated more than any creature I knew was just how vain a pony could be. She held a grudge like no pony else. It was a rather desirable trait for my plans.
As I followed her one night, she went to a small town, where she met a crowd she could not wow. It happened often, but this crowd was rather unhappy with her attitude, and they were quite vocal. It was not long before she got in a spot of trouble that developed into a much larger problem. If it were not for those two young colts that went to the mountain and found the Ursa minor, who knows what would have happened that night!
But good intentions can often turn into a bad situation, and it was not her that solved the problem. She was so furious and mad she bolted out of the town as fast as she could.
It was a perfect opportunity to make another thorn for my plan. I still hadn't mastered my changeling magic yet but it was enuff to change my main color and a few other features.
I approached the magician walking sullenly along the road and offered her a bit of information. Tales spoke of an amulet a few towns over that could amplify her magic. I neglected to leave off the part where it amplifies your emotions as well.
She wanted revenge, and the amulet would exact it for her, but at a cost.
I rushed ahead to the town and found the store. When the shopkeeper went home for the night, I made my move. Changing my mane and positioning myself behind the counter, I waited. I found a nice glass bell jar and made quick work of positioning the amulet prominently on the shelf.
It was a few hours before she finally came to the shop. The sun was nowhere to be seen behind the thick clouds that were dumping pails of water down from the sky. the shopkeeper was sure to come back in just a few hours. Finally, the pony burst through the door and sought the amulet she was told about. I hesitated at first to draw her in, but when she hurled her bag full of bits on to the counter her resolve was clear. we made our deal, and she set off. I made sure to put everything back, lock the door, and slip out the back through the opening under the door.
The following days were rather interesting. Large domes, secret plans, and a lot of scheming. I watched as a single pony managed to escape from the dome and get word to the only pony who might be able to beat the magician.
The one pony who would not win through power but through planning, for the amulet, even weakened as it was, was still far more powerful. But the pony was reasonable and sought the help of the zebras, just as I had once done. While it was not magic that removed my thorn, it was exactly as I hoped it would be.
Perhaps someday, someone who can use the amulet for good and associate magic with healing or helping might put it to good use. But for now, I think it best to leave it with the zebra of the forest.
But just as planned, the pages were written. It was not always smart to rely on magic alone; sometimes relying on friends and planning is far better.
Getting to the moon would be difficult, with my experience in magic propulsion my first thought was to blast myself up to the moon. The propellant I used for my thrusters needed some modifications to allow it to burn slower and in a more controlled fashion. Its ignition system was also tricky, in the thruster fuel was added slowly. In the rocket design the only way to get enuff power was to burn a great deal of the fuel at once. This meant once the rocket was started it would be difficult to stop it.
Once I got the fuel mixture figured out, I started work on the fuselage models. It became obvious that a rocket was very different from a thruster. My inexperience resulted in several large blast holes in the ground. It also became apparent that the amount of fuel I would need to lift not only myself but the rocket off the ground would become increasingly hard to get ahold of. If I was going to use rockets, I would need much more study into how they worked, and how to properly use them safely.
Another method I thought of was to try to fly up there. With a modification to my flight suit, I should be able to travel to the outer atmosphere of the planet. The suit would protect me in the space between, but moving in space is difficult, the jets only propelled you in the direction they were pointed, and I would need to make smaller wrist mounted ones for steering. Not to mention some system to balance them all to achieve stable flight; my gem circuitry was not up to par with what it used to be. In the end, while it was feasible, it would take far too long.
Instead, going back to the basics seemed to be best. So, for the first time in a long time, I got out the carving equipment. The rune I was about to make would have to last a long time because I did not know how long I would be gone.
I found a slab of dark granite. A hard stone perfect for carving. It took many nights of planning and scribing, but before long I had a block carved deep with runes and inscriptions. I began to fill the rune with magic from the seven dark gems that hung just across from the stone in their crystal tree.
My plan was simple. I would banish myself to the moon as Celestia had done to her sister, but I included an extra bit of rune magic to bring me back. When a sister rune that was around my neck was shattered, it would trigger the main rune to banish me back here.
With my perspirations completed, I set off on my journey. Bringing with me all that I would need for several moons of exploration. I suspected that the moon itself was habitable since I doubted that celesta had banished her sister to a place she would not be able to breathe, but just in case I donned the pressurized suit and brought with me a small birdcage containing a finch.
To my relief, the yellow bird flew away as soon as I opened the cage, and it was safe for me to remove my suit.
On the moon I fully expected it to be desolate, but to my surprise, it was lively and bustling. The creatures were odd colorful things much like ponies, I suppose. Deep in the moon castle were tomes of dream mixing and creation, but the Nyx, as they called themselves, were not willing to teach an outsider.
They did not stop me from watching or reading their tomes. During the time of waking hours, I often found a few creatures still asleep and was able to play with their dreams when the Nyx were not around.
But as luck would have it, Luna, or as she prefers to be called now Nightmare Moon, finally found the moon castle, and it was time for me to return to the cave. I made sure to grab an ample amount of the various potions and several tomes in the library that I copied. I slipped out the back before Luna caught a whiff of me.
With a snap of the small stone around my neck, myself and my bags were banished to where I started, the stone slabs now cracked down the middle. I had brought back with me many interesting things, Before I could put them to good use, I would need a lot more practice.
Next, to the telescope, I built myself a dream pool carved out of a large stalagmite, and overnight I practiced mixing and matching dreams. In my studies, I copied the positions and even improved on them. Soon I would need to figure out how to make the potions without the moonstones as I was running out of them. As time went on, I figured how to look into dreams without the dream pool and with practice, manipulation of a dream without the use of a potion.
The trip was interesting and the skills useful, but it was still not what I was searching for.
The King from the North
Long ago I knew I would need more than just a thorn or a splinter. Some chapters would need a bit more of a conflict.
When studying with the Nyx, I learned a lot about dream manipulation. I was not very talented at it, but I had hundreds of moons to study. If you practice anything enough, you are able to do it well to some degree. I put those talents to use many times in the past but never in any useful way.
For the most part, I used dreams to influence small or insignificant things, but this is the first time I really put my skills to the test.
I looked for a suitable test subject, but ponies were too dangerous to experiment on and animals did not have the kind of dreams I could manipulate. They were too simple, too animalistic. As I was flying over the north mountain looking for a rare blue flower, I noticed a group of yetis high up on the most northern mountain.
They would be a prime subject for testing. Far out of the way and hidden from the rest of the world by a never-ending storm. They were a shrouded, diverse group. Much smarter than animals but still rather primitive, there were several among them that seemed to be more cognitively capable than the others.
It was tricky mixing the reality that I needed to infiltrate their dreams, but I had moons to practice and many test subjects, and soon I was twisting and changing the minds of the Yeti. The simple ones were easy and fun to mess with. They enjoyed the simple things like cake and fun. But among the Yeti there were a few that had more ambitious dreams.
One seemed to be a leader of sorts. In his waking hours he managed his village, he directed others to get food and water and made sure the tasks for the day got done. He was also one of the few who could speak, and not just grunt.
His dreams were already that of grandeur and power. He dreamed of building a great ice castle and being fed boiled pork while relaxing on a bed of cotton, but his dreams were limited to just what he knew. He had never ventured outside his own village or seen past the storm. Over many moons, I intervened, adding to his world view. I added to his dreams not only in dimension, but in grandeur. If he dreamed of a castle, I would make it twice the size. If he dreamed of gold, I would triple the size of the hoard.
In time he became not only the leader of his village but through power and intimidation, he took control of many of the other Yeti villages. Several villages became one and in time most of the villages were under his supreme control.
With the villages now united it was not long before they started to venture beyond the mountain.
At the base of the mountain was a large trading hub. Hundreds of airships captained by races from all over the world. There were creatures of every kind and cargo in numerously equal diversity. At first, they stole a ship, then two, then four, and so on.
One morning the newly hired guards were patrolling the lower docks, when a small fleet fell from a dark cloud. In minutes hordes of Yeti descended on the docks and started rounding up various creatures and things. The guards were of little help. Within a day the fleet went from a few to a few hundred.
But this was not the end of his dreams. I had introduced him to many things in his sleep. Among the fantasies and dreams of grandeur, I instilled a lust of magic. He believed he would need magic to further his goals, and if he was to sit on a throne, he would need powerful magic, far beyond what he had seen before.
He began his conquest in search of magical items, but magic powerful enough to bring one's dreams to reality is few and far between.
He found many trinkets and artifacts but never something that got him to his final goal. He searched town after town, city after city. He stopped at nothing in his conquest.
Unfortunately, only misfortune followed him in his travels. Until one day he found misfortune in the form of a rock. Just as the stone had done to others, it brought destruction and catastrophe to his fleet. And it was not long before magic had caused the ship carrying it to crash into the ground.
Interestingly, it was another throne I had planted long ago that ended up taking the stone, the unicorn that I had influenced long ago now carrying the stone back to the Yeti. Unknowingly the unicorn pressed on with her quest. It was not long before the two meet. The Yeti offered the pony a deal. The stone in exchange for a new horn when he found the magic he was looking for.
They made a formidable team. The pony was well versed in ancient magic even though she could not use her own. She spoke of a staff that could absorb all the powers it touched. Alone the staff was useless, but she knew where they might acquire the fuel to power it.
I never intended for the two to work together but in the grand scheme of things I suppose, it would work nicely.
For a time, the Yeti of the north terrorized only the north. Now with the help of the unicorn, he had much greater ambition and ambition that rivaled the one that I instilled in him, this was his own. With his new glory, he needed a new name.
He now called himself the Storm King.
He sent the unicorn on many quests in search of the staff she spoke of. With his army and her aggressive nature, it was not long before they covered half the continent in fear.
I watched as they traveled and pillaged the land. A simple tactic, but effective, invade, take and leave. I sat atop a cloud watching from high up as they repeated this over and over. Every day I watched as they got closer to their final goal.
Life and Death in Pony Form
I've seen death as he walks on the land, and life flying through the sky as she often does, but I didn't always see them. I remember the day well as it was my first encounter. After many moons, I had forgotten how old I was, but my time did come just like it was scheduled to.
I sat there in my cave fiddling with the focus on my telescope when I noticed a figure in the background, he stood there confused and unmoving. I turned to him; he was visibly taken aback as if it was the first time a pony still in life had ever noticed him. I cocked my head in curiosity.
He had a list with checkmarks next to what I presumed were names. Instead of putting a checkmark in the next empty box, it looked like he was writing something. With a flash that somehow seemed to draw what little light was in the cave causing the room to dim, he disappeared. Moments later, two appeared before me.
Death covered in his dark hood and permanent scowl, and life herself draped in flowing white sky and a smile that seemed to cut through the candlelight of my cave. She looked at me with interest before turning to death and smiling.
She said nothing, but death seemed to sigh as he removed a second list from his robes. I could not read the names on it but there were only a handful of scribbles on this list. I watched as he scribed what I can only presume was my name. They both then turned to me, life giving me a smile as bright as the morning sun and death giving me a grin, of sorts. It was probably the best smile he could muster but it sent a shiver down my spine. With that, they disappeared.
After that day I've seen them both in our world, working feverishly, taking and giving. But death seems to ignore me as if I no longer existed in his view. Life was no different to my presence either. It was as if I was no longer alive or dead, but somewhere in the middle.
The World is Shrinking
I lived forever, that was true, but I grew to fit my power. Ages have passed but Equestria still grows and continues to expand its borders, it now encompasses over two-thirds of the world. There are but a few places for me to hide. A small town now sits at the bottom of my mountain, for now, a continuous snowstorm stops all but the most determined. A large boulder stops the rest from even seeing the cave.
My mane now drags behind me and mixes with my tail. I really should trim it one of these days.... As well as my horns that curl around my ears into almost complete circles. Even my wings have grown to accommodate my new height and size. I'm no longer the size of a pony, or for that matter a horse.
But my physical size is the least of my issues now. My eyes glow slightly with the accumulated magic of my life. The magic itself has carved its way deep into my skin, changing the color or my coat and covering me in the twisted brambles of my past.
I can't die now that death has crossed me off his list, but perhaps I will be consumed by magic? Who knows what awaits me at the end of time?
Story accurate version
Small pony version
The Stars in our Night
In my studies of the library of Tartarus I came across many things, but none more intriguing than the idea of using one's very life to power magic; although I suppose both I and Star Swirl had come to the same conclusion some moons ago, here it was, written down and experimented with.
It was only now that I realized what the red stone I had plucked from the test chamber actually was.
A book from the library spoke of creatures with powerful magic summoned or created, but too powerful to be contained by normal means. The wizards of the school cast them into stones and with practice, used the creature's powers as their own.
The book spoke of one such creature named Cosmos, that was so powerful they had to cast her into six gems. But when they tried to use these gems, many of the students became enamored and unable to do their work.
Being cast into a gem stopped most from having any control, but even in the divided state the monster that was split 6 ways still had some leeway. The wizards realizing the power of these gems were prepared to act, but not before the gems started to overtake the school.
Before long the hallways had been ravaged, the classrooms and libraries lay empty. She had almost complete control, and it wouldn't be long till she escaped Tartarus if nothing was done. She was bound to the gems but no longer where the gems in control. The wizards summoned one last creature to aid them. A creature of pure discord. They offered him his own realm and treasures beyond belief, all in the hopes that he would help them.
With the magic of the remaining wizards and with the help of the creature they cast Cosmos back into the gems, and banished the gems into the sky where they formed a heart-shaped constellation. The constellation did not glow with the warm light of the sun, though. It burned with malice as if she was waiting for her revenge.
If I remember correctly, the constellation disappeared some time ago. Perhaps it was knocked out of the sky by a meteor? Regardless, I hope the gems are never joined. The wizards in the book were powerful, more so than those that walk the world today. If she were to escape her prison, I'm not sure any pony could put her back.
It's Been Some Time
It's been moons since I left the book for Twilight to find, but it was not soon after I left the book that the princesses retired and left her in charge of the kingdom. I doubt she has had time to read or to do anything fun for many moons.
To my surprise. I strolled into my cave late one night, after visiting the giraffe of the plains, and there it was, the sister book to the one I left in the castle all those years ago. It occurred to me that the princes had been vacant for several days leaving the duties of Canterlot to others. Perhaps they finally forced her on a vacation, or she locked herself in a library again.
Try as I might, there sat the book, pulsating light coming from the runes on its spine. I had much to do that night, but the temptation was too great. I dropped my haul on the ground and approached the book.
The words were simple and precise, clearly the work of someone who had to get back to their work.
As soon as I finished the last sentence, I set the book down. I hastily put away my supplies and gathered my bags. I was unsure how long I would be gone this time, but I spread my wings and with a great down flap that shook the ground, rocketed into the sky with great enthusiasm.
Time was not important to me anymore, but I certainly didn't want to be late for my meeting with the princesses.
As I Watch The World Spin
It's been many moons, ages have passed. The world is now fully encompassed by life, mixed and varied, all types of creatures roam in harmony and friendship. The world is very different from the one I grew up in, modernized and mechanized.
I've probably been forgotten long ago. It was only a few hundred moons that I helped the princesses with development. I taught them much about magic manipulation, but I soon became outpaced by the younger minds. They told me I was still valuable to the research, but the scientists and engineers were developing things faster then they could write it down.
I decided the best thing was to leave my library of knowledge for them to dig through.
I sought a new home on the moon where I could watch them develop in peace. It's been moons since I have left. My body has grown more, developing a build which was hard to get used to. My mane now drags far behind me and I haven't trimmed my horns in a long time. Luckily there are no trees to get snagged on up here.
The princesses’ title has been passed down from generation to generation. But here I remain, lost once more to history and myth.
