Chapter 1- Come on in
Come in, come in.
Who am I? Where is this? Such wonderful questions, and since you’ve stopped by; I’ll entertain your curiosity.
My name is Gaia Magusa. You don’t know me, but you live in Equestria, and I know you. I’ve heard everything you’ve said. I’ve felt every step you’ve taken. Your Daily strolls through town. That time you stopped at the Applestand; I’ve felt it all.
The wind has relayed the flights of the Pegasi in Cloudsdale. The trees have whispered how the Earthponies have tended them in the orchards. And daily the flowers speak of the Unicorns. Though it’s not just the Ponies to which I am accustomed.
I’ve felt the Dragon’s fire, the Griffon’s neglect, and heard the melodies of the Seaponies. The Kirin’s voice, the Nirik’s rage; I’ve borne witness to it first hoof.
What’s that? Magic you say? True, true. Magic is involved, but no. I am not the caster. The Magic involved was cast, long before Discord; back when the World was young. Not by me, but by another. And I was the target.
Let me take you back in time, to a world; feral and untamed. The word ‘Equestria’ wasn’t even created yet, and the land created the First Tribes.
Oh? No. no, you are quite right; land can’t create Ponies or other living beings. I agree. Though you see, flesh and blood are a far cry from vines and sap. And that my dear friend, is where my kind comes in.
You see, we were born of the land's resources. Vines and sap. Twigs and mud. Rocks and stones. Even of the water or magma flowing beneath the land. We rose out of the ground, and our souls were bound with the land we formed from. For me, the mangrove swamps were my family.
The poison of the bogs inscribed my purple accents, while the foliage gave my body its cocktail of greens. My mane, if you look closely is just vines intertwined to form flowing hair; or rather the illusion of it. My tail is no different. Once I proudly bore the Antlers of my kin; forged of the wood from Mangrove trees.
My bow, you ask? You’re right. Neither the bow nor the choker I wear are part of my form. Both were gifts. Gifts from one I treasured; now long gone.
More on that later. Our existence was a simple one.
Huh? No, I wouldn’t say primal; though by your current standards I guess I can see how you would think that. We were more than happy to tend the land; watching over it’s creatures and guiding those not like us.
Hm? ‘Those not like us’ you wonder. While there were no current Ponykind, there was a species of Ponies that lived on the land amongst us. They resembled your current ruler; though smaller and at that time, possessed no magical know-how.
Who were they? I believe you would have learned of them by the name: The Lost Alicorns. They were most certainly primal. Nomadic tribes of Alicorns. Though unlike your ruler, they were childish; innocent. Innocent to the point of naivety. Dangerously so, in fact. Unfortunately, for them, the Tribes were created to guide them.The Tribes weren’t innocent.
There was undeniably blood of our kin on our hooves. Those perhaps that fault lies with me. Though the land from which we came, carried it’s own biases and opinions of other such land it had interacted with.
What do I mean? Let me give a personal example: the Magmatics; those of us born from lava, were shunned or rather disliked by those of the forests. The swamp from which I rose, had an inherent bias towards them. You see, the volcano nearby had been involved in a few forest fires. Mama; that is the Mangrove Swamp, was not amused when set ablaze. And naturally she instructed us; her children, to stay clear of the tribe that lived there.
Naturally, my kin was content to heed the decree; I however, was not. Unlike my brothers or sisters; I was borne of poison. The only of my kind to come forth from the bog; my poison wasn’t just for show. I was toxic; inside and out. And so, with a heart saturated with a lethal dose of hatred, I ventured forth from the safety of Mother and visited the Magmatics. Those poor fools.
Oh? It sounds like I was starting chaos on purpose? Strange, why you would point out the obvious...Oh, I see. You thought I was a destined hero or perhaps a savior of Equestria? I’m afraid you’ve been misled. I was never valorous, so sorry to destroy your preconceived notions of me.
No, that won’t do at all. Sit back down, the doors are locked and you will hear my tale. It’s been so long since I had another to talk to; that pile of bones over there doesn’t offer much to a conversation. Shut up, Flash! Nopony cares.
Who? Him? He was a royal guard until he stumbled into my home like you, dear. It’s not just him; as you can see from my walls, I have quite the collection of friends to keep me company.
Your friends are coming and will put me in my place? I’m so sure. I’ve existed here since the beginning. Many have searched for the lost. They never found Flash, nor Carrot Top, nor Twist or any of the others. And I promise you; nopony is going to find you, should I desire it. I suggest you sit down and listen to me. You’re in my realm now.
Good. Good, It seems you understand. Now where was I? Ah right, the beginning of chaos. Before that though can, I interest you in some Ponycorn? Yeah, yeah, I know it’s unhealthy, but I’ve grown rather fond of the sweet over the past hundred years or so.
No? Fine, more for me. Ah, that hits the spot. Stop whimpering. So as I was saying, there I was, creeping up on the volcanic tribe.