Prologue
Twilight Sparkle looked out the window to the grey sky from her isolated sanctum within the mountainous forests Illithan. It was all that remained of her once peacefull life. Ages ago she would have appreciated such solice to relish in her studies, but since her friends had all but been expunged from the history of Equestria, she had never felt lonlier. Even the books she once claimed to hold all truth in Equestria have seemed to wither to lifeless paper.
It felt wrong calling the modern world Equestria. It was blank and dull. A wartorn rock of sorrow and suffering. One on rare occasions would the forces of darkness rise to challenge hope and harmony, now thats just a tuesday afternoon. She'd never immagined immortality could be so horrific. She'd seen the rise of the Goblin King; the first mortal to achieve the unholy status of Daemonkin. She'd lived through the great Tarus Rebellion against the Dragon Tyrant, Norr...a war that took the life of her dear friend Rainbow Dash. And worst of all, she'd seen the Cataclysm of the Chimeras and Ponies. The one event that forever changed the fabric of Equestria and the Universe itself.
Twilight sighed and bowed her head in shame, thinking that if there wasn't something she could have done all those millenia ago to change the way things are now... maybe...maybe she'd still have her friends...maybe she'd still have the Equestria she remembered.
"Ms. Sparkle" spoke the soft voice of a small boy "I've gathered the herbs you asked me to."
She jumped at first but understood it was just her knew assistant, a young Minotaur by the name of Alfonso. She smiled and rellished in the presence of a friendly face.
"Please, put them on my desk, Al." she turned to him with a slight limp in her right flank "I appreciate you doing this for me, the old flank has been acting up again, I'm not a ripe young 2,020 year old any more now am I?"
The two laughed, something that was hard to do... it reminded her of her old friend Pinkie Pie.
"No, I suppose not." he smiled setting the pot of flowers and roots on her desk, littered with papers. "I recieved a message from my Father, he says the campaign in Kithenica is coming to a successful and peaceful close. He should be home this month."
"That's fantastic, Al!" she said not looking at his solem expression, too busy using her magic to rearrange books "It would be nice to see the Cheiftan again."
"Yea...about that..." added Alfonso, rubbing his brown, furry arm nervously "He said in the letter that he wants me to stop apprentice ship under you. He says that magic is no place for a Minotaur cheiftan's son. He said its a science only for unicorns and fawns."
"Is that so." sighed Twilight, she knew the Cheif would never let her train his son in the ways of the peaceful ether. He was born to be a warrior. "I understand, your father is right, to a point. You must learn to be a strong fighter in these cruel times. You are a member of the Peacekeeper race and it is your spiritual duty to protect Equestria."
"Until the fey take over" scoffed the boy. "Pointy eared freaks smell like cabbages and are far too scrawny to survive a real war."
"Alphonso!" scolded his tutor "Thats no way to talk about another living creature"
A lesson once tought by her long-lost friend Fluttershy.
"The Elven peoples are extremely gifted. I have watched them from their rise to power eons ago, they will be wonderful peacekeepers when the day comes." Continued Twilight
"Yes, Ms. Sparkle..." he blushed shying away from his mentor "But what if I want to be a spell caster, just like you? Don't I get a say?"
"I wish I could help but you know the Cheif... he's as stubborn as a bull..." she blushed realizing her bull-faced apprentice's odd expression. "No offense."
"None taken," he replied "Oh...one thing... why do you call it Equestria? It hasn't been called that since, since-"
"The time of the ponies?" she said, her demeanor changing instantly
"Well yea, thast been millenia!" he began "Besides, my dad says alot of the stuff from the Age of Equestria is fairy tale."
An old spark of passion toward her fallen brother and sister ponies, flew into her heart with fiery vigour. She turned to him with angered eyes.
"Fairy tales?!?" she barked "How dare he?!? I was around when his ANCESTORS were in diapers! How dare he claim that my life is Fairy Tale?"
The small, dark brown minotaur reeled back.
"Hey don't shoot the messenger! He just said they were glorified...thats all." he cowered at the powerful stance of his Unicorn mentor.
She bowed her head in frustration, she shouldn't take out her anger on such an innocent mind. He was the future afterall.
"You want a glorified story?" she began "I'll tell you glory... 6 true friends weilding the elements of Harmony to defeat multiple enemies in the face of sheer destruction, chaos and evil. We were not only reknown but respected by our fellow ponies and Princess Celestia. We were the representation of true friendship and even in death our bond is stronger than any steel formed in the deepest Dwarf forges in Byr. We are ponies, and we will always be the purest of the pure in this stain of a world you call home."
"W-what happened?" asked the boy, his curiosity deflating his fear "Why, if your land was so perfect, did you fall."
Twilight turned away from him and pulled a book from the shelf, a book of daemons, used by only the most strong hearted and willful beings to research the Shadow Lord's nursery of beelzebubs and monsters. She oppened it to a picture of a lumpy fleshy creature devouring a ponie the child gagged at the hooror but soon his eyes widened as he saw that the beast was transforming into the very pony he absorbed.
"W-what the hell is that??" he asked his 4 fingers clutching his snout.
"That...is a Chimera..." she spoke with great, deepseeded disgust "Changelings as your people call them..."
"What are they?"
"They, my student... are the kin to ponies."
Alphono's eyes widened and he burst into uncontrolable laughter.
"You're kidding me!" he cried "Those ugly things are related to the majestic beauty of ponies? That's rich!"
The boy continued in his laughing fit, but Twilight's stony face was unmoving. The boy soon stopped, controlling himself as he now understood there was no jest in that statement.
"Ponies are the representation of good, harmony and love..." Began Twilight, reading the book through memory alone "Ponies were not born of the Gods' will. They were created by the elements of good. But the universe must be balanced... and thus, good could not exist without evil. Chimeras, the second spirit beasts. They too were born against the gods' commands, though their birth is the representation of evil, chaos and hate. They are in every way ponies' kin and hated enemy, andvice versa... it is their king, Vlitch...the First... that brought the Age of Equestria to a close."
"Tell me more!" begged the boy with glossy eyes.
"Alright young one, if you insist" Twilight chuckled laying down, curling up next to Alphonso and his book of Daemons "It all began ages ago...back in a town we used to call Ponyville..."
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Ponyville
5,000 Years Ago
Chapter I:
The Slothful
"Come on, Twilight!" barked Rarity, tugging at Twilight Sparkles tail "You slothful little pony you."
"Rarity! You couldn't have waited!?!" trudged Twilight after her, still trying to look at her notes that magically floated after her "I know I promised we'd go to sugar cube corner today but I'm litterally in the middle of something."
Today was like any other day in Ponyville, the everypony was humbly going about their daily routines as they always did. Though town seemed a tad bit quieter than usual, Twilight didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary on this peacful summer afternoon. Excluding the extremly agrivating Rarity. Of allthe ponies to disrespect the importance of Twilight's work, Rarity was easily the LEAST most likely. Rainbow Dash, probably, Pinkie Pie, definitely but RARITY!?! She was a busy body herself and with her knew line of clothing coming out next month, Twilight was shocked she'd be so willing to pull away for a cupcake, not to mention (quite literally) drag Twilight along.
After several minutes of tugging, pulling and flustered arguments, Twilight finally gave in and followed the over exstatic Unicorn to Sugar Cube Corner. Rarity seemed almost to prance with gittiness, something Twilight wasn't necessarily used to seeing from such a elegant pony. When they reached the door, Twilight stopped and took another glance at some of her notes.
"Hey can you get the door, Rarity?" said Twilight distracted "I'm almost done with my notes, and then I'm FINALLY all yours."
Several second passed and nothing happened.
"Rarity?" she looked up to see the white and purple pony just grining nervously looking at Twilight then the door and repeat. Twilight grunted in frustraiton at her oddly acting friend "Fine! I'll get the door. Whats gotten into you, Rarity?"
As Twilight pushed open the door she saw a completely dark room on the inside. As she stepped in she heard a pony whisper "now". On cue with the whisper the lights spung on and confetti cannons fired, covering Twilight in streamers and glitter.
"SURPRISE!" shouted everypony inside Sugar Cube Corner in synthesis, with a quieter, delayed "surprise" coming from Fluttershy
Twilight looked around the spritely redesigned room, obviously in the Pinkie Pie fashion, a massive banner saying the with the words "Happy Birthday, Twilight Sparkle!" written in big, multi-colored letters. Twilight put a hoof to her forhead and laughed.
"Oh my goodness, everypony." she blushed and smiled "I had completely forgotten! I'd been so busy with my work!"
"We know" answered Apple Jack
"That's why we took care of it for you." continued Rainbow Dash
"Hope you like it." mumbled Fluttershy.
"We've been planning for two weeks now!" shouted Pinkie Pie seemingly coming from no where blowing a noisemaker.
"You know how hard you are to keep a secret from?" said Rarity coming up next to her friends.
"Awwww, thank you, girls!" she lept forward engaging in a large group hug.
"Um, cough cough" spoke bay dragon out of the girlish circle. "who do you think TOLD them your birthday was coming up?"
"Oh and of course thank you, Spike!" said Twilight gleefully, squeezing her assistant in a big bear hug.
"Don't mention it!" choked Spike
"Let's Party!" shouted Pinkie Pie "Crank up the tunes Fluttershy!"
Fluttershy seemed to be nervously looking about her band of birds. "Where's Falsetto?" she worried "He's never absent? Has anyone seen a big blue jay anywhere?!?"
"Nice one Fluttershy," teased Rainbow Dash "You had one duty, make sure the music is here on time"
"I know, Rainbow Dash," she said back deffensively "He was here thats why I'm worried"
"Oh I'm sure the music will be fine." interjected Twilight "I'm just happy you guys did this for me"
"Thanks Twilight," smiled Fluttershy "I still wish I knew where Falsetto was."
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Outside of the Sugar Cube Corner, unheard by the partying ponies of Ponyville, a blue jay named Falsetto cried out. Its body cut by barbed, lash-like tentacles, ripping its wings. The bird chirped one last time, before the red mass of flesh absorbed him through its fanged maw.
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