Chapters Prologue -- Humanity Disappears
After I had sealed the rift in the fabric of the continuum, life finally returned to some semblance of normality. Brenda cashed that enormous lottery check and we went on the biggest spending spree of our lives. I remember visiting my parents and giving them a suitcase full of cash -- same for my brother and his wife. Words could not accurately describe their joy and happiness at being given such a large sum of money. Brenda and I remained together for a very long time, even though there were times I couldn't stand to be around her. As far as her having any children by me, that was impossible as my altered genetic structure prevented me from being able to impregnate her. I continued to faithfully execute my duties as a Solar Regent, raising and lowering the Sun like clockwork every day. Life was good and stayed that way for many years.
I can't remember exactly when it happened -- it seems so long ago, though I can recall my wife, Brenda and her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and their children as well huddling in the basement of our safe house. There had been a catastrophic turn of events on the world stage as politicians, military generals, presidents and dictators waged their war of words. Tempers flared and the media acted as cheerleaders for a major war between the world's most powerful nations. Their intransigence and ignorance was truly breathtaking, leaving me astonished and flabbergasted.
I had tried to communicate with these people. I had teleported to each leader's primary office of power in order to get them to calm themselves. I had even gone so far as to use my power, with as much restraint as possible, to dissuade them from engaging in their self-destructive behavior. It had all gone for naught. As a last resort, I held the Sun below the horizon for five days in order to prove I was not joking about this matter. I became a pariah as a result of this -- I was deemed an enemy of the planet and nearly all of humanity focused their anger on me, though I had tried to inform them of their real enemies. They wouldn't listen..
I became very busy trying to destroy all the weapons of war -- I nearly succeeded in that endeavor. Unfortunately, I couldn't be everywhere at once as humanity engaged in its orgiastic nihilism, decimating itself with reckless abandon. I shook my head in disbelief at the wanton destruction and cleaned it up as best I could, though there was much that still needed to be done. After five additional days of darkness, I returned the Sun to the sky to witness for myself the level of carnage and destruction, simply appalled by the ultimate manifestation of mankind's hubris.
It didn't take too terribly much longer after that for the remnants of humanity to slowly fade from existence on the planet, leaving me as the only sapient being still alive. Of course, there were many other species of animals, birds, fish, reptiles, plants, and other living things that had managed to survive the cataclysm, but try talking to them? Not much response there, other than basic needs and desires. Even the primate species didn't have a whole lot to say, other than to wonder what had happened.
That was about a hundred years ago or so, I think. Maybe it was longer -- I don't know. I lost track of time, being an Alicorn and all that.
Raise the Sun, lower it. Raise the Moon, lower it. Day in and day out. Maybe I should call the whole thing off.
But then, that wouldn't be fair to the planet, nor all the living things on it.
I am so bored.
You know, it would be nice if I had someone or somepony or something to talk to for a change. Perhaps ...
Do I dare? Is there anyone to tell me otherwise?
I came up with a new plan -- I was going to try to bring those colorful ponies into existence in this universe -- if nothing else, perhaps I could actually talk to them, even if they might not be able to wield magic or fly or whatnot. I had spent a considerable amount of time scouting for a relatively safe location and set up a large area that hadn't been badly damaged by the final human war so as to establish a city of sorts. Using my magic over the course of several years, I built the necessary buildings and living spaces so the augmented ponies might have what they needed for their comfort.
The hard part was the actual genetic augmentation of the ponies themselves. I had selected about 20 wild ponies for this purpose and truthfully, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I went ahead anyway. I changed their external appearance to resemble what I recalled from memory, but refrained from giving any of these ponies the ability to use magic. I didn't want them turning on me and attacking me, as this sort of experimentation would make me a monster. I rationalized it by reminding myself that since I was the only sapient being on the planet and able to use my magic in this fashion that a small experiment would be acceptable ... maybe. I sensed a sort of gnawing in my gut telling me that what I was about to do was sacrilege, but I was determined to see this through.
My first attempt failed miserably -- the ponies didn't take too well to the genetic manipulation, proving to be sterile as mules, completely unable to reproduce. I took another 20 wild ponies and altered their genetic structure as a second attempt. This time, the ponies were able to reproduce, though their offspring turned out to be normal ponies as opposed to the genetically enhanced ones. I altered their genetic structure, causing the first group to violently kill their offspring. I shook my head in despair at this result, but allowed the second experiment to continue apace, though with slight tinkering to further alter their genetics. I gave them the names I remembered from the past, though this group were ones I attached the Roman number II to. I was able to communicate with them on a very rudimentary level, their intellect not having evolved enough for them to hold any truly meaningful conversation. Their offspring seemed to evolve a little more quickly and the intelligence levels of this second grouping of offspring was a little more advanced, though this led to further conflict between parents and offspring.
It took another twenty generations of parents producing offspring before the intelligence was such that I could finally talk to these ponies with some degree of success -- this is not to say that they had advanced to the point where the conversations were anything more than early childhood levels, but given enough time, the evolution of these ponies and their subsequent offspring would finally produce what I was looking for. My guess was that it would take another 30 generations of ponies for their intelligence to be on a par with the humans. It was only when Twilight Sparkle XLVII approached me and asked me about her origin that I finally knew my experiment had succeeded.
Lord, please forgive me for what I have done ...
"Tasavir? That is what you are called? Why is my name Twilight Sparkle?" the lavender mare asked me. She did not carry a unicorn horn -- she was still an earth pony, like all the others. I was still quite apprehensive of separating the ponies into their distinct races and imbuing them with their respective magicks.
"You carry the name of Twilight Sparkle because that is the name I gave you," I answered.
"Are you my daddy?" she asked, giving me a quizzical look.
"I suppose you could say that, though I am not your biological father."
"Old Rarity was telling me about the pony who carried my name before me and that you were her daddy."
I mused thoughtfully, giving a wistful look at the lavender mare. I held my silence for several seconds before finally clearing my throat to answer her. "Twilight, it's like this -- I get lonely sometimes, and female companionship is something I have a tendency to crave from time to time. If I am the daddy to some of these ponies, it is possibly true -- but you shouldn't concern yourself with that matter."
"Okay," she said, smiling, then turned around and trotted off to the house I had assigned her.
I'm going to have to be a little more careful about this sort of thing -- can't give away too much information.
Now, it was one thing to create a species of sapient pony -- but it was quite another to educate them and to cajole them into forming a society. Ponies by their very nature tend to herd, which facilitated the establishment of a society to some degree, but trying to get them to live peacefully with each other took quite a bit of trial and error. It was during the first 50 generations of these ponies living their lives, bonding with each other, passing their stories down from one generation to the next that I engaged in the attempt to teach them the language I was familiar with.
I had started with Cheerilee XVII in an attempt to have her become a teacher to subsequent generations which bore her name, but at that early stage, the education was very basic. Even Twilight Sparkle XVII wasn't all that intelligent, though we could exchange greetings. There were times during estrus cycles that I had to make myself scarce -- these mares could become rather violent during those times, even with their enhanced genetics. I tried to tone the severity of those cycles down to a more manageable level and succeeded, for the most part, so that by the time the 40th generation of ponies came into existence that they seemed docile enough for me to be around them during their estrus cycles. I had taken the liberty of ensuring there were enough stallions around to satisfy the needs of the mares, though I will have to admit to engaging some of the mares personally. There were times when I wondered if what I was doing was wrong, though I would rationalize it as a necessary evil to satisfy my needs -- after all, were there any female humans left? Nope, not even Brenda -- she had passed away more than five centuries ago.
I continued to supervise the ponies, though from a distance so as to allow them to live their lives with some degree of what might pass for normality. I had created a school and laid the foundation for a system of government, rudimentary as it was, as well as the basic structure of a legal system. I had taught many generations of ponies myself in order to improve their intelligence, though by the time the 45th generation of ponies were born, their intellect was sufficient enough that they were finally able to turn to Cheerilee XLV as their teacher. She performed remarkably well for many years and earned my respect and admiration. She was Twilight XLVII's teacher before Cheerilee XLVI assumed the role of teacher for the ponies. I had to enlarge the school and press more mares into teaching roles, giving Rarity XLVI and Fluttershy XLVIII those duties as well.
Some of the ponies had decided to change their names, rejecting the names I had given them. This caused me some concern, though I decided that I had intervened long enough in their lives and should allow them the right of self-determination. I watched as the ponies continued to evolve and with subsequent generations they began to develop innate differences which allowed them to begin using magic on a basic level. I was a little concerned by this, though I decided not to intervene at this point, allowing the ponies to continue to evolve.
Maybe this is for the best -- they should be allowed to live their lives as they wish without my interference.
With further evolution and subsequent generations of ponies, a full millennium had passed. Some of the ponies had returned to using names I had given their ancestors many generations in the past, though some were resolute in their persistent desire to retain names they had chosen themselves. Their language had evolved as well, which had a tendency to baffle me when they would come to me needing assistance with some matter or other. They had known about me, of course, though they regarded me as a sort of god before them. Many would approach me with great trepidation, as they had heard stories of how powerful I was -- some who had witnessed me raise and lower the Sun and Moon had told their offspring about what I was capable of doing and had embellished the truth to the point where, when the stories were told, I had become an all-powerful entity, capable of doing anything and that I was to be treated with the utmost respect and humility.
I had lost track of how many generations of ponies had come and gone after I had stopped tinkering with my experiment. I was pleased to know I could hold meaningful conversations with them, even going so far as to select certain mares to live with me in my house as companions. More often than not, it was Twilight of one generation or another I would take as my companion. Oddly enough, subsequent generations produced unicorn mares who might bear a resemblance to Twilight, but she might refer to herself by a different name. I simply called her Twilight, regardless of which name she had been given, and the mare in question simply accepted the name change with little or no question. I lost track of how many mares I had taken as companions, living many years with me by my side, alleviating my concerns and worries from time to time.
Was it Twilight? Or Rarity? Or Trixie? Or Pinkie Pie? Or ... who was it again?
Life with the ponies had actually made me happy again -- creating a society of sapient ponies had given me a purpose and eased my boredom to the point of actually being excited to see what each day would bring. I had dropped the Roman numerals from their names, simply being satisfied to ask each one for his or her name and filing it in my memory as best I could. I continued to raise and lower the Sun and Moon, being pleased to see the reaction of the ponies as they witnessed this spectacle. The looks on their faces as they watched me do these duties provided me with pleasure and amusement, and I took delight in making them happy whenever I could. They were my little ponies, and I was thrilled I had succeeded in bringing them into existence here on Earth. I had assumed everything would be peaceful for many millennia to come.
I was wrong.
What I had forgotten to take into account was a certain event which occurred nearly a thousand years ago when a black Alicorn had decided to visit Earth in an attempt to bring night-time eternal to my home world. It came as a surprise to me when she made her return.
"YOU!!" she thundered. "I was hoping I'd get a chance to see you again! Do you know what it's like to be banished for a thousand years? Well, you're about to find out!"
Where are those Elements of Harmony when you need them?
A Truce With the Nightmare
I was facing a furious Nightmare Moon, having made her return a thousand years after I had Twilight and her friends help me banish her. My memory of that event was dim, though I remembered I had traveled across a dimensional barrier to fetch the Element Bearers. With a thousand years having passed since then, I had no idea of whether or not anypony in that universe, even including Celestia might still be alive. I didn't want to abandon my little ponies, but I felt a serious need to enlist some help.
It might be a bad idea to reopen that rift, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
I lit my horn and concentrated as hard as I could, focusing on Princess Celestia and the Royal Throne Room in Canterlot Castle. I figured it would be a long shot, but I was convinced I had no other choice.
"What are you doing? Where do you think you're going?" the black Alicorn asked impatiently. "I should stop you before you even get started!"
Before she even finished her sentence, I succeeded in teleporting across the dimensional barrier and materialized in a throne room, though it looked as though it had seen better days. I was shocked to see the once proud castle reduced to a long disused ruin, the ceiling gone, the walls crumbling, the floors covered with moss, vines, and other natural growth.
"Princess Celestia! Where are you?" I called out, using magic to amplify my voice so that it would reverberate throughout the ruined castle. I called out for her again, and repeated my call for the Solar Princess several more times before I resigned myself to the possibility that she was no longer alive.
That's what you get for neglecting to contact her for a thousand years...
I took to the skies in an attempt to locate other ponies. I flew in the direction I remembered for Ponyville, but as I gained altitude, I noticed a very large city off in the distance. My guess was that it would be Manehattan, so I decided to fly there and try my luck in that city. My estimate of that city's distance relative to my position was a poor one as I found myself flying considerably further than I thought. I had no idea the city had become so incredibly huge over the years, the population probably numbering in the tens of millions.
I'll bet five dollars Celestia's in this city.
The buildings which looked large from a distance were Brobdingnagian in their scope and scale when I finally approached them. I hadn't expected mile-high buildings on such a grand scale. I descended to street level and encountered ponies the like I had never seen before. These ponies seemed to be a mix of all three races along with crystal pony traits. I approached one in an attempt to talk to her -- well, I think it was a mare, but I couldn't be sure -- but upon seeing me, she prostrated herself before me, giving me a very humble greeting in a language I couldn't understand.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but I can't understand what you're saying," I offered. She looked up at me quizzically and lit her horn with a pink aura, hitting me squarely in the face with that aura. There was no pain associated with the spell she cast, but then she talked once again and now I was able to understand her.
"I am so sorry for striking you in your face with that spell -- I pray that it did not hurt you," she stated effusively.
"No, it did not -- but the language you spoke before you cast your spell -- it's not Equish or English."
"We call it Equillisis, which has its roots in Equish and evolved with us as our needs changed. Since you are new to us, we would like to know who you might be and where you came from," she stated, maintaining a reverent tone to her voice.
"I call myself Tasavir, and I have traveled across a dimensional barrier in order to find Princess Celestia, a white Alicorn who bears a resemblance to me," I stated calmly.
She gasped very loudly when I mentioned my name. "You? You? You are ... TASAVIR?! Impossible!"
"What do your legends say about me?"
"You are ... an equal to Celestia! But ... we do not know ... I've never seen her. But I think I know somepony who might know more than me," she offered.
"Pardon my asking, ma'am, but what is your name?"
"Oh! Sorry! My name is Mellifluous Harmony Constellatio Paradrade Lunactis Sparkle," she stated proudly. Her coat was a mix of purple, pink, lavender and white, her mane and tail were very long and straight, a mix of several shades of blue and violet with just a hint of pink. Her eyes were a pretty shade of mauve, but what caught my attention was her very long horn, which was a very dark purple at the base and faded to lavender at the tip.
"Mind if I call you Harmony for short? And considering the length of your horn, I suspect you are quite magically gifted," I mused.
"There are many ponies like me who are far more powerful than me. You may call me Harmony if you like," she said, offering a smile. "But why do you need to talk to Celestia? The legends say she died about five hundred years ago."
"Nightmare Moon has returned to my realm," I replied almost sullenly.
"Who's that?" she asked, giving me another quizzical look.
"Luna's evil side," I stated flatly. I caught a brilliant flash of white light out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Celestia herself teleport to my location. Harmony bowed deeply before the Princess.
"I felt a disturbance in the aether," she said, her voice tinged with concern. "So you finally returned. Tasavir, was it? What brings you back after ... a thousand years?"
"NIghtmare Moon has returned to my realm and I need the assistance of the Element Bearers, whomever they might be."
"Ha, ha, hah! That's a good one!" she laughed. Her face dropped a little when she saw my stern expression. "You're not kidding, are you? She's returned? Would that I had better news for you, Tasavir. You're going to have to face her alone -- we currently do not have any Element Bearers, and the artifacts themselves were destroyed a very long time ago."
"So what do you do if any of your villains returns? How do you defeat them?"
"They have all been reformed many centuries ago. They help maintain harmony and equilibrium in my realm," she replied, maintaining a calm smile.
"So how do I go about defeating Nightmare Moon without the Elements?" I asked, my apprehension growing.
"You will have to find a way to make peace with her, Tasavir. Do what you can, I have confidence in your abilities."
"So I made this trip across the dimensional barrier for nothing. Very well then, Celestia, I shall do what I can. If you'd like, you're free to visit my realm at your leisure. I would like to ask about what happened to Canterlot, but I'm sure that's a story for another time."
"Indeed it is, Tasavir, and should the time arise when I have cause to visit you, we can regale each other with tales of our adventures during those thousand years we did not communicate with each other."
"That sounds good, Celestia. I look forward to seeing you once again -- that is, if I'm able to do something about Nightmare Moon."
"I have nothing less than the utmost faith and confidence in you, Tasavir. Take care and fare thee well."
"You too, Celestia. See you later." I then teleported back to Earth to notice the Moon hanging in the night sky. My ponies were panicking, galloping around frantically before the black Alicorn returned to face me.
"So, you returned. I would like to know where you went, but I don't think that's important any more. Prepare to be banished!" she cackled.
Taking the initiative, I trotted up to her and pushed my muzzle against hers and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Her eyes went as wide as saucers in surprise as I pulled away from the kiss -- little more than a very short and quick one, just to gauge her reaction.
"W-wh-what was that for?" she asked, a look of shock on her face. I giggled.
"I was curious to see how you might respond to it," I said, matter-of-factly. "You know, sometimes it gets lonely around here with nopony to talk to."
"You have all these ponies galloping around -- where did they come from?"
"They are the end result of an experiment of mine. I took native ponies to this world and genetically altered them so as to ease my boredom," I replied flatly.
"You got bored? I was stuck on the Moon for a thousand years! Do you have any idea of just how boring THAT is?"
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I hadn't thought about retrieving you from your banishment so I could have some company. It's taken me several centuries for my ponies to have evolved enough to the point where I can have meaningful relationships with them. Perhaps we can work together?"
The dark Alicorn paused in thought for a few moments, her face seemingly expressionless as she pondered. "Your apology rings hollow to me -- how do I know you're not planning on returning me to my banishment?"
"I was young and naive back then. I had been misinformed about you," I said as I stole another quick kiss from her.
"STOP THAT!!" she shouted. "Do you not know how to kiss a mare properly?"
"Show me what I'm doing wrong," I teased, grinning slyly.
She approached me and wrapped her left foreleg around my neck, pulling me close to her. I could smell her scent, an ancient and arcane odor which defied description. She leaned closer to me, her muzzle pressing against mine.
"Follow my lead, if you think you can, young stallion!" she grinned. Her breath had an almost minty scent to it as she licked my muzzle with her tongue. "What do you eat? Your scent is ... unusual," she stated quizzically.
"I had pizza earlier -- made it myself," I replied.
"The scent of garlic and tomato -- makes me hungry," she mused.
"Would you like to try some?"
"I haven't eaten in a long time -- whatever food you have to offer --"
I pulled away from her embrace and created a pizza for the Alicorn. She expressed some degree of displeasure at my action, but when she started eating the pizza, her face lit up with happiness. She devoured the pizza and demanded more, so I kept creating pizza after pizza until her hunger was satisfied. She belched in approval.
"What name do you call yourself?" she asked.
"I go by the name of Tasavir."
"Interesting. I had no idea you were able to produce such tasty food," she smiled. "As far as working together -- I will have to give that further consideration. If you promise not to banish me again, I will make you the same promise. I shall require living quarters if I am to stay here."
I gestured to my home, a large building just at the edge of the city I had created. "You may stay with me in my house," I offered.
"You would let me live with you?" she asked, almost incredulously. "I require a more impressive domicile to match my status!"
"Why? When you see the inside of that house, you will be pleasantly surprised." I offered a small smile.
"I would seriously doubt that! Look how small that place is!"
"It's bigger than you think, Nightmare," I chuckled.
"I shall require my own sleeping chamber!"
"There are several of those inside the house," I responded, almost dismissively.
"Can I have some more pizza?"
"Whenever you want it," I replied, a grin starting to make its way onto my face. Without warning, she grabbed hold of me and gave me a deep, long kiss, my eyes going wide with surprise at her bold move. She held me in that kiss for what seemed like several minutes as she forced her tongue into my mouth and swirled it around mine. I could not push her off me, nor could I protest as her lips felt as though they were locked against mine. Finally she released me.
"THAT is how you're supposed to kiss me!" she said, laughing heartily. "You keep me happy, and there'll be more than that for you!"
"Uh, great, I guess," I said sheepishly.
I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from Nightmare Moon being my housemate -- the truce we had established was tenuous at best, though I was able to satisfy her needs pretty well. The first problem we had to deal with was the current generation's Twilight Sparkle still living in my house as my companion. She was less than thrilled to be forced out of my house and complained bitterly about it. The dark Alicorn glared at the lavender mare and flashed her teeth, causing the mare to whinny in fear and gallop out of the house as quickly as she could.
"Was that strictly necessary?" I asked.
"You should know by now I am a jealous lover," she grinned menacingly, flashing her teeth at me. "We may have a truce, but believe me, I will not hold back my anger if I find you cheated on me with one of your little ponies." Her words were tinged with the soft anger of an unstated threat I completely understood.
"Wait, what? You called me ... your ... lover? " I asked incredulously.
"Do you not know what it meant when you kissed me? Perhaps you are unaware of custom, but when you kissed me on my lips, that meant you professed your love to me! That makes you my lover and me yours!" she grinned, flashing her canines. "So you'd better not get any ideas about taking another one of your ponies!"
"Very well then, Nightmare, but please don't threaten them. They have done nothing to hurt you, nor will they make any attempt to harm you. If you show them kindness and respect, they will be happy to do anything for you."
"They are weak, Tasavir! Why do you keep them around when you have me?"
"I do not wish to kill them -- and I beg you not to do so either. Please let them live their lives, they are practically all this planet has left -- not to mention they do a good job farming the land and providing food, not just for themselves, but for us as well. Without them, we'd have to rely on our magic to keep ourselves fed."
"Very well then, Tasavir -- I shall tolerate their continued presence. I warn you this, though -- I am to be the only mare in your life now, so do not even think of bringing another one of those ponies in here to sully this place."
"What about having them clean it up every once in awhile?" I grinned. She responded by scowling at me, baring her teeth.
"I told you! None of your little ponies are welcome in this house any more! Not even to clean it up!"
"Then I shall ask you to clean --"
"What do I look like? A MAID!?! I'm not going to clean this place when it gets dirty! That's YOUR job! If you make a mess, YOU clean it up! Not ME!"
"Can't you take a joke? I was only kidding, sheesh," I stated in mock exasperation. She chuckled a little before a frown crossed her face.
"Don't patronize me, Tasavir -- that's a quick way to anger me. I don't care if you're the only Alicorn stallion on Earth, as you call it, but I can still make this MY realm and don't you forget it!"
"I'll do what I can, Nightmare, though I believe I requested you treat me as an equal, not as one subservient to you," I stated, attempting to maintain an even tone to my voice.
"Do you wish to challenge your magic ability against mine?" she queried, flashing an evil grin. "I have become much stronger over the course of those thousand years. And what has happened to your magic? I'll wager it has atrophied to the point where you're no more powerful than Celestia was when I defeated her! You should be thankful I haven't chosen to banish you, though if you continue to try my patience, I might very well do that!"
"I hadn't planned on your return, that much is true. You might forget that my magic is quite strong, though I respect you enough not to get into a fight with you. I would like for us to get along with each other better, and there's a part of me that thinks you might be interested in bearing a foal for me -- an Alicorn foal at that," I offered. The corners of her mouth turned upward in a smile at this last mention.
"The idea is very tempting, Tasavir!" she said, almost giggling. "If you continue to treat me right, who knows what may happen? I could teach you some new things..." she let her words trail off to gauge my reaction. I flashed a sly grin at her, nodding my head very slightly. "So you're definitely interested. Good!"
"I've always had a certain curiosity about you -- and what you're really like under that exterior of yours," I opined.
"Perhaps one of these days you'll get to know the real me -- but until then, I demand you not take me for granted! Treat me with the respect I deserve! I shall endeavor to treat you respectfully, or at least as best I can."
I don't know what to make of this -- I'd better watch my back...just in case.
As the days became weeks, Nightmare and I had settled into something of a routine -- we would take turns with the Sun and the Moon, though she resented the daylight. I informed her that daylight was necessary for the ponies to survive, so we reached a compromise and decided to split the days and nights into equal halves. I mused about every day being an equinox, which caused her to chuckle.
With the passage of more time, her attitude relaxed, especially when her pregnancy began to show. Several months had passed and my little ponies came to respect, admire, and worship the black Alicorn as Queen to my King. Even though I didn't really like being called a King, I accepted it. Nightmare savored and relished being called Queen and took advantage of every opportunity to get the ponies to assuage her ego by having them worship her. She seemed to take great delight in tormenting them with embarrassment, though they seemed oblivious to this -- with one exception.
Twilight Sparkle -- if she had a roman numeral behind her name, it would be LXV -- had been the one I had forced out of my house upon allowing the black Alicorn to live with me. She deeply resented the humiliation of being scorned for another pony and had resolved on her own to take revenge. She was not sure how to go about it and had discussed the matter with her friends. The advice she kept getting was that this black Alicorn was every bit as powerful as their King and was not to be trifled with. She would hear whispers about how the dark Alicorn liked to eat ponies, but shrugged them off as conjecture and speculation.
"I will find a way to make him pay for what he did to me! And I will kill that black pony, whoever she might be!"
She had only said it once, though word of her defiance had made its way back to me. Even though some of my ponies might be her friends, they knew better than to trifle with me. I had discussed the matter with Nightmare, who suggested I make an example of the lavender unicorn, that her defiance would not be tolerated.
"I understand your concern, Nightmare, but she doesn't have power to rival mine. Her magic is no match for yours," I had told her.
"Even so, failure to make an example of her will set a bad precedent. You must punish her and show your little ponies that defiance of any kind is intolerable. If you don't do this, I shall do it for you -- and I shall be considerably less lenient than you," she had cautioned.
I had made a show of it -- I had teleported to the city square and called every pony to convene at once. The assembled group of ponies bowed deeply before me, prostrating themselves -- except for one. She had defiantly strode up to me and demanded I expel the black Alicorn and allow for her return to my home, offering forgiveness should I accept her offer.
I snorted in derision at her defiance and announced to the group of ponies that this Twilight Sparkle had become a liability and was to be expelled from the city -- castigated, ostracized, excommunicated -- but not killed. She looked around at the angry faces of all her now former friends -- none stood with her, none came to her assistance. Instead, they all surrounded her, frowns etched on their faces. They all chanted "Shame, shame" at her. I felt a little piece of me die that day when she turned around and wailed in sorrow and anguish as she galloped away from the city, into the wilderness to who knows where.
"You should not have spared her, Tasavir," the black Alicorn warned. "She will return and make trouble for you. If it had been me, I would have --"
"I cannot bring myself to kill one of my little ponies, Nightmare. I ask that you respect them enough not to kill them," I stated, giving her an expectant look.
She sighed in resignation. "Very well then. But if she returns, I will take it upon myself to --"
"I will address that matter should it arise, Nightmare. Again, I ask that you not kill them -- not even her, should she return. I will have my ponies inform me if she does -- they might actually kill her instead, though."
"That will save us that trouble," she chuckled.
A few more months had passed and Nightmare's pregnancy was just about finished. She was excited by the prospect of having a foal of her own to care for, though her mood swings had caused me quite a few sleepless nights. Her food requests had become very interesting to say the least, and I had had to become very creative at finding foodstuffs to satisfy her cravings. Eventually the fateful day came when her water broke and she went into labor. I stayed close to her and helped her push the foal out -- a dark indigo blue Alicorn filly, which she decided to name Moon Beam. Her deep blue eyes drew me into their depths and I smiled warmly at the little foal. I cleaned her off and wrapped her in a soft blanket and levitated her over to Nightmare, who softly cooed to her little filly.
"Tasavir, I hope you are willing to provide me more foals -- thank you so much for this one! Moon Beam is going to be very special, but I hope to provide her with additional siblings!"
"You have my word, Nightmare. As many as you wish," I replied softly. Her response was a big toothy grin.
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Celestia Visits Tasavir (and Nightmare Moon)
Quite a bit of time passed as Nightmare and I grew considerably closer -- the relationship we shared had evolved from one of reluctant acceptance to one of intimacy. Moon Beam grew quickly and was joined by two more siblings, another filly named Night Shine and a colt named Midnight Strike. Like their older sister, these two were dark-coated Alicorn foals, blessed with great magic capabilities and very fast learners. We took great delight in teaching them as much as we could and watching them play -- their curiosity seemed boundless.
As far as the lavender unicorn who had been banished from our city, we paid little heed -- we figured she would pose no serious threat to us, so we simply forgot about her existence. Even as a new Twilight took her place and proved to be much more of a valuable asset, the previous one had traveled a great distance to meet with others who might be able to help her. As it turns out, Princess Celestia from the other universe had traveled to mine in order to meet with me, though she encountered the renegade Twilight and took her back to her universe. Little did I know Celestia had plans in store for that one...
"Twilight, it has been far too long since I last saw you -- I am amazed Tasavir sought to recreate the original," the Solar Princess mused.
"Princess, please don't mention his name again! I can't believe he would take Nightmare Moon as his special somepony!" the lavender unicorn exclaimed in exasperation. "He seems to be under her thrall -- he listens to her and does as she demands!"
"Perhaps he fears being banished -- though I wonder how long it has been since you were sent away from him. Tell me, what was your relationship to him?"
The unicorn blushed deeply in embarrassment. "Well, we were very close," she said very softly, her head lowered. "You could say we were lovers -- everything was fine until that black pony showed up."
"What you tell me strikes me as bizarre -- perhaps I should visit Tasavir and see all that has transpired in his realm. He visited me some time ago when he was facing the threat of Nightmare alone and sought my advice. Twilight, you are welcome to stay in my realm and meet with my little ponies as you wish -- perhaps you may make new friends here."
"Thank you, Princess, that sounds like a good idea! I have seen some of these ponies, and their like quite mystifies me -- I have never seen ponies like these!"
"My little ponies have evolved to some extent since your time here -- they may appear unusual to you --"
"Are they Alicorns? I have seen so many with both wings and horns, though many also seem to have a crystalline structure to them as well!"
"No, Twilight, they are not -- they have evolved to include the characteristics of all pony races -- some even have zebra mixed in as well, as the intermingling of races improved the genetic structures of all of them. You have seen the majestic structures which populate New Manehattan, which was built on the ruins of Old Manehattan some seven centuries ago. The number of ponies has multiplied exponentially as a result of medical and magic advances -- technology and science have evolved to meet the needs of my little ponies as well," the Solar Princess explained. The lavender unicorn was suitably impressed and quite eager to meet with ponies who were new to her.
"I bid you a short farewell, Twilight. I shall assign a guard to escort you as necessary so you won't get lost. New Manehattan is quite large, much larger than you may remember."
"Thank you so much, Princess! Please talk some sense into Tasavir -- I wish to return to his side once again," the mare implored.
"I shall see what can be done, Twilight." With that, the Solar Princess teleported across the dimensional barrier to meet up with what had become to her, a rogue Alicorn. Her jaunt was swift, her appearance in my throne room quite sudden.
"Celestia, what an unexpected surprise," I stated, taking my gaze away from my black Alicorn lover.
"What? My sister has returned? How droll," Nightmare uttered lazily. Her belly was swollen with what would become our fourth foal together.
"Luna? What has become of you? Tasavir? You have made her pregnant with a foal?" Celestia asked in surprise.
"Don't call me by that name, Celestia!" the black Alicorn barked. "Yes, I carry his foal -- this will be our fourth together!"
As if to punctuate her pride, Moon Beam bounded into the room to meet up with us. The oldest of our foals was now about ten years old, but still hadn't gotten her cutie mark. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she gazed at the alabaster Alicorn mare with amazement.
"Wow, who are you?!" she asked, flashing a big toothy grin, her canines evident.
"I am Celestia -- I might ask the same of you, little one -- what is your name?"
"I am called Moon Beam!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Daddy has told me quite a lot about you! I was hoping I'd get a chance to meet you some day! You're even more impressive than he told me!" She bounded around the Solar Princess, grinning and giggling in her excitement. Her effervescence was quite infectious, causing us all to chuckle lightly.
"Tasavir, is she your oldest? She is what -- ten years old?" Celestia asked, her smile quite wide.
"Yes, Celestia, that's about right -- so what brings you here? I wasn't quite expecting you to show up in pony," I mused. Nightmare seemed quite a bit more reserved in her opinion, her smile much more muted.
"Tasavir, a small matter involving a certain lavender unicorn mare has come to my attention -- she has told me about your treatment of her and she wishes to return to your side," she stated calmly. The black Alicorn scowled at her, my reaction a bit more muted.
"You mean Twilight? I hate to tell you this, Celestia, but she is not welcome here anymore. To add to that, her replacement has already been born and is being trained in my city -- the new Twilight will serve well in her new capacity. I don't say this to trouble you, but there are certain conditions I must adhere to in order to maintain my presence in this realm. I do not wish to be banished, as Nightie has told me on several occasions would occur were the original Twilight to return to my side. I apologize for the trouble I've caused her."
The Solar Princess pondered my explanation and mused thoughtfully for a few moments, digesting and processing the information. She then gave me a baleful look, her eyes almost pleading with me. "Tasavir, I say this not to anger you, but your arrangement with my sister displeases me. I understand your reticence towards banishment, and believe me, it's not pleasant to spend a thousand years banished to a remote location from which there is little hope of escape. I do not wish that upon anypony, least of all one such as you -- but there should have been other possibilities other than sending your Twilight away. Luna, I implore you allow for her return -- if not by Tasavir's side, at least perhaps in your domicile."
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. A good suggestion, Celestia, one I heartily approve of!" the black Alicorn grinned, flashing her canines again.
"I will trust you to do the right thing, Luna," her sister admonished.
"I do whatever I please, Tia! You are in no position to make such demands!"
"I shall not send her back -- at least not until she is ready," Celestia stated flatly. "Tasavir, I shall advise you to exercise caution."
"I understand, Celestia. Be careful," I replied. The Solar Princess gave me a puzzled look at my unusual farewell, but took her leave anyway.
"That's right, Tia! Be careful!" Nightmare shouted after her as her teleport faded. "What?" she asked, glaring at me as I stared hard at her through slightly narrowed eyes.
"I didn't mean it like that, Nightie," I replied flatly.
"Whatever," she muttered before laying out beside me again. "Feed me another grape, loverboy!"
Twilight Makes New Friends
Twilight met with a number of the evolved ponies, many of them marveling at her appearance, some even bowing to her in reverence as she had become a legend to these ponies. The lavender unicorn was initially surprised by their reaction, but began to take it in stride, accepting it as normal behavior from them. She had to receive a translation spell from one of them before she was able to converse freely with them, though amazingly enough, she met up with Mellifluous Harmony first.
"And who might you be?" Twilight asked her multi-colored descendant, giving her an almost quizzical look. "Hmm. Your coloration seems to indicate you might be a distant relative of mine."
"I am Mellifluous Harmony, and I am so honored to meet you, Twilight! Yes, you are correct in your assessment -- my family legends include being related to you, Beatrix Lulamoon, and Princess Luna! There was a great deal of intermixing after your initial foals were born. I never thought I'd actually meet you in the flesh! I thought you were mere legend from long ago!" she chirped. A look of wonderment marked her features as she continued to gaze at the unicorn.
"I'm curious to know how much magic you possess -- I am trying to gather a number of ponies to help me with a certain matter. I must admit that I am from another universe and that I am not the original Twilight Sparkle -- where I come from, I am the sixty-fourth descendant of the one who carried my name. My origin is shrouded in mystery, but the one named Tasavir told me that I was initially his creation!" she stated with some exasperation, an admission which caused Mellifluous Harmony to gasp in shock.
"He visited me some time back, though I thought he was legend as well! How could he have created you?" she asked as she tried to regain some composure.
"He never told me how, though he informed me that he created not only me, but the other Element Bearers out of frustration with his boredom. He told us that he had been working on perfecting us over the past several centuries, though his first attempts were quite crude. I am still somewhat amazed he was able to accomplish what he did, but what he did to me recently has me much more upset -- he banished me from his city and I would like to return to his side. He has had Nightmare Moon as his lover for the past ten years," the unicorn complained bitterly.
"Why would you want to go back to him? He clearly doesn't want you any more," the mare mused. "Even if he did, you've been away from him for so long..."
"That doesn't matter! I want what we had before that black Alicorn showed up! I need your help!" Twilight pleaded.
She chuckled softly and said, smiling pensively, "You know, Twilight, I've been looking to do something interesting for quite some time, and what you desire strikes me as an opportunity for an adventure. I have some friends of mine I'd like to introduce to you, ponies I think you'll find can help you with your mission."
The lavender mare clopped her hooves together almost excitedly. "Oh, that sounds great! I can't wait to meet them!"
"Follow me, Twilight, I'll take you to them!" the mare chirped happily before flying off towards a higher section of the big building.
"Mellifluous Harmony! I can't fly!" she called after the mare, who turned around and lifted the unicorn, carrying her off to meet the ponies who would become new friends. When they arrived at their destination, Twilight was floored to see quite a few more ponies than she had expected -- there were about fifteen ponies having a party, the festive streamers strewn about the room almost haphazardly. A predominantly pink pony flew over to meet the two.
"You must be a descendant of Pinkie Pie," Twilight mused as the pink pony flew a bit closer, then gave the unicorn a quick hug. She nodded her head rapidly in response to the observation.
"That's right! Twilight, I can't believe this! I have heard legends about you! I never thought I'd meet you! This is so great! You can join us in our party!"
"Um, Pinkie, I don't think a party is appropriate right now," Twilight stated matter-of-factly. The pinkish mare seemed a little crestfallen. "I don't mean to disappoint you, but I have a mission, and I need your help."
"Surely your mission can wait until after our party? I'll make you the guest of honor!" the party pony chirped, flapping her wings excitedly as she buzzed up and down, grinning ear to ear. Her pinkish horn glowed with a bright pinkish aura.
"Well, okay, I guess," the lavender unicorn sighed. She was introduced to distant descendants of the other Element Bearers, the resemblances quite striking, the differences somewhat jarring. To see Fluttershy's descendant with blue streaks in her coat, mane and tail, not to mention a yellow and blue swirled horn threw her off, even if the yellow-blue mare seemed nearly as timid as her forebear. Rarity's descendant had an almost prismatic white coat, her wings radiating muted rainbow tones, her mane and tail a paler mix of purple, gold, and red. Rainbow Dash's descendant was the most colorful, her coat, mane and tail having a vibrant polychromatic scheme which outdid Rarity's. Twilight took to calling them by their ancestors' names, something each of them found quite endearing.
The party lasted well into the night, but just before everypony was to leave, they received a special visitor. Princess Celestia had tracked Twilight's magic signature and found she had succeeded in meeting the ponies the Alicorn had intended for her student's counterpart to encounter.
"Ah, Twilight. I see you managed to find some new friends!" the Solar Princess said warmly and smiled.
"Thank you, Princess! Is there any way we can obtain the Elements of Harmony?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Twilight, but those artifacts were destroyed many centuries ago."
"How are we supposed to banish Nightmare Moon without them?" the lavender unicorn asked, her exasperation starting to become evident.
"Tasavir asked the same question ten years ago, Twilight -- and I suggested he find another way to deal with her. I apologize for the repercussions that answer has precipitated, though I had no other answer for him. If there were some way of recreating those artifacts, perhaps we might succeed where he has failed," the Alicorn offered.
"Who was it who created them in the first place?"
"None other than Starswirl himself -- his notes are stored in the Royal Archives, though those old tomes and scrolls are in serious need of restoration, Twilight."
"How would we go about doing that?"
"Twilight, you ask so many questions!" the Alicorn giggled. "Please, follow me. I shall show you to the Royal Archives, where you may see for yourself what has become of the old collections. Some were lost when the capitol was moved to New Manehattan after the Great War of Canterlot, some seven centuries ago. The painful reminders of that conflict still resonate -- my sister was claimed in that terrible war."
"I'm so sorry, Princess," the mare replied glumly.
"Not your fault, Twilight. Your visit has brought some happiness to me, and I would beg you to stay here in New Manehattan with me, if you would, please," she offered softly.
"Tasavir was all I knew from the time I was a little filly, Princess! The past ten years have been hard on me -- I desire to return to him if I could, and teach that black Alicorn a lesson or two!"
"Perhaps if we succeed in banishing her, my sister's counterpart could be persuaded to return to my realm and take the place of my fallen sister," the Alicorn mused pensively. "Very well then, Twilight, I shall assist you as much as I can, but I believe your new friends will be of greater assistance to you." The lavender unicorn clopped her hooves together in appreciation at this.
"Thank you so much, Princess! With your help and theirs, I think we will succeed in this!" she chirped happily.
The Solar Princess wrapped her left wing around her ersatz student and teleported her away just after she bid them a short farewell, letting them know she'd be back to see them soon. The two arrived in what appeared to be a throne room considerably much larger than the one Tasavir called his own, though he would consider such a large throne room to be unnecessarily large. Twilight commented on this and was informed that since there were so many more ponies in New Manehattan, the throne room had to be accordingly sized to accommodate the throngs -- at least, it was that way about three centuries ago. These days, visitors to the throne room were few and far between.
"About three hundred years ago, I created a group of ponies whose job it was to mediate the affairs of others who had conflicts with each other. In order to resolve their differences, the mediators would take the role I would normally occupy as the monarch of Equestria. Thus freed from my most onerous of duties, I was allowed to take time for myself once again I observed the mediators, and satisfied with their admirable performance, allowed my little ponies to believe me a legend as I allowed myself to grieve the loss of my sister fully. It was only when Tasavir returned that I realized I left them too much latitude in performing their duties, as their descendants appropriated more power to themselves, becoming oligarchical in their nature. In a way, I must thank Tasavir for his visit ten years ago," the Alicorn mused as the lavender unicorn trailed her, having to canter to keep pace.
"That's quite fascinating, Princess," Twilight mused. "That explains why things have become as they are here -- I must admit, I am amazed to see how much things have changed from what I was taught under Tasavir -- he sought to recreate something of a mix between Ponyville and Canterlot with his city. His Royal Archive consists of certain books taken from human libraries -- they have been very well preserved, but he told me they hold little importance, given what happened to humanity about seven centuries ago," she offered.
"Tasavir told me some stories about how humanity died off -- very unfortunate, even though he tried to save them from themselves. I would like to return to his realm and converse with him some more," Celestia mused.
Princess Celestia led Twilight through the remnants of the Royal Archives, though to the lavender unicorn, everything was new to her. She marveled at the tomes and tried to pick one up with her magic aura before the Alicorn chided her gently.
"Please, Twilight, those tomes are extremely fragile -- I have been meaning to transcribe them on new paper stock, though I must admit to a level of fatigue," she noted and allowed a sigh to escape her lips.
"Princess, I would like to do that for you! I am extremely fascinated by all the tomes and scrolls in this room and I would be honored to have the task of transcribing everything -- it will give me an opportunity to study all the materials here as well!"
"I would be pleased to give you that task, my faithful student!" the Alicorn nearly chirped as the memories of her long-departed counterpart came flooding back to her. She fell to her haunches as those memories continued to wash over her like a tsunami, tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks. The lavender unicorn noticed this and trotted over to her, nuzzling her softly on her neck.
"Princess Celestia, I am so sorry! I will stay with you for as long as I can -- I had no idea my presence would remind you so much of the pony I was copied from," she said softly as she continued to nuzzle the Alicorn's neck.
"Oh, Twilight! I have missed you so much!" the Princess nearly wailed as she wrapped her wings around the unicorn, returning the nuzzle with great affection. Tears continued to stream down her face as she did this. The two held the embrace for a long time -- neither one wanted to break the embrace, so deep was their affection for each other. The lavender unicorn seemed to be recalling long-forgotten memories herself, ones which had been transferred from the Alicorn as the two had rubbed horns together. It was only when Twilight's sense of duty made itself known that she broke the embrace first.
"Princess, there is so much work to do! I will need a great deal of parchment and ink, not to mention an even larger number of quills!"
"Twilight, we have new ways of doing the transcribing," Celestia noted, teleporting stacks of paper and ink pens into the room. "Many advancements have been made during your absence."
"Do you have a computer, Princess? Tasavir had me working one when I was with him -- he showed me how to fashion my magic aura into human hands with fingers so I could work a keyboard -- he trained me until I was capable of typing more than a hundred words per minute," the unicorn mused, causing her mentor's eyes to widen.
"Um, no, Twilight, we haven't made those advancements -- at least, not to my knowledge."
"I'll have to check with Harmony to see if she knows about computers," she mused. Focusing on her descendant's magic signature, Twilight teleported back to where the others were still holding their party, then located the prismatic purple pony.
"Mellifluous Harmony! What do you know about computers?"
A big grin came across the mare's face as she flew over to meet her forebear. "Ah, I was wondering when you might ask about that! We have been using them for more than a century! Come with me, I'll show you my own," she offered, lifting the unicorn before she had a chance to answer, then flying off to her apartment. Twilight had to hang on tightly as the mare flew quite fast -- not as fast as Rainbow, but fast enough to cause great unease.
"Can you slow down a little? I don't like heights all that much," Twilight shouted above the rush of air blowing past her. The mare carrying her laughed as she made a few twists and turns before flying through a window into her apartment, coming to a graceful landing.
"Wow, I wonder if I'll ever be able to do that," Twilight mused aloud before taking in the sight of the apartment. The furnishings dazzled with a faint luminescence which seemed to permeate the entirety of the apartment.
"Unless you can transform into an alicorn or craft a spell to grant you flight, I don't know. Welcome to my apartment, Twilight! What do you think?"
"I've never seen anything like this! Tasavir's home has nothing to compare to this!" she exclaimed in wonderment as she trotted around, inspecting everything, gingerly touching a hoof to shiny surfaces, only to watch in amazement as whatever she touched seemed to glow even brighter.
"If I may be so bold as to ask, Twilight, what's his place like?"
"Well -- I spent quite a few years trotting around his castle -- and it has his favorite items in it. He chose to decorate it with lots of paintings he himself has painted over the past several centuries, sculptures he himself had crafted with his hooves and his magic. His furnishings seem -- ordinary compared to these. I wonder if he visited your place or not," Twilight mused as she continued to examine everything. "Um, do you have any books?"
Mellifluous Harmony laughed out loud initially, then took a moment to regain her composure. "Sorry about that, Twilight -- all of our books are now on computers, except for those Princess Celestia might be retaining. I suppose that any of those books would be centuries old and very fragile."
"The Princess told me this -- I was hoping you would have modern books -- but if they're on computer, then please show me what I'm missing!" she chirped excitedly. Her excitement was quite infectious, eliciting a big grin on the other's face.
"Hang on a second, I'll turn it on now," she noted as she used her magic to illuminate the wall behind Twilight. "Turn around, the wall behind you serves as the monitor. Simply use your magic to search for what you want."
Twilight tried to do this and experienced some degree of frustration as she was unable to find anything -- it appeared her magic didn't seem to work with this computer. After a few more moments of trying, she asked a question which made her feel somewhat less intelligent. "Um, how does this work? I've never tried using anything like this," she said, her uncertainty showing.
"I'm sorry, Twilight, I should have taken that into account -- I keep forgetting you're from a different world, and this technology is way more advanced than you're used to. I'll help you along," Harmony offered and began flicking through directories. Quite a few selections were under ancient magic, which piqued the librarian's interest.
"Oooh, that one looks good! Let me see that, please!" she exclaimed excitedly, practically bouncing on her tip-hooves. Harmony giggled at the mare's excitement and opened the file. The language which flashed on the wall was considered by modern ponies to be archaic -- and Twilight seemed to be at a loss. "Um, I can't read it," she noted dejectedly.
"Oh, that's right -- sorry, Twilight, let me fix it for you," she offered as she ran through a selection of translation programs. As the words flickered with each successive program, Harmony would ask her forebear if what she saw was legible. They went through about a dozen different programs before Twilight shouted a command to stop, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the other. "Interesting -- this translation program is one of the oldest known in Equestria! You truly are from the past!"
"Well -- not really -- I'm 29 years old, but -- Tasavir told me I was the 65th mare to carry the name of Twilight Sparkle. I think he never changed the language we learn to read, write, and speak, even though so many centuries have passed since he began his ... experiment," she noted. "Thanks for thinking so highly of me."
"I definitely want to take some time to figure this out -- I find it quite fascinating!" Harmony beamed.
"I'm just hoping we can find a way to get rid of Nightmare Moon in his world -- I want him back," Twilight remarked. "The sooner we can get started with that, the better as far as I'm concerned. After that, I'd be happy to teach you what I know."
Harmony deflated somewhat, her mood dampened by Twilight's impatience. She continued to show the librarian more books, the searches becoming more tangential as more and more interesting bits of information flashed on the wall. Twilight continued to be amazed by everything she was learning, her excitement once again rejuvenating her descendant's mood.
"Wow, it looks like I might be able to re-create the Elements of Harmony! I need to meet with Princess Celestia again! Um, is there some way I can get a copy of this and take it with me?"
"No problem, Twilight -- here, let me use this," Harmony answered as she used a crystal to copy the information from the computer. "Okay, you can use your magic to display the information on a wall. I'll take you back to meet the Princess."
The words weren't even out of the mare's mouth when she was shocked by Twilight's teleport. So sudden was her departure that it took Harmony a good two minutes to figure out what had happened.
"I would have liked to join your audience," she called out in exasperation before teleporting after the librarian. "How much did he teach you?" she asked rhetorically as she materialized a few meters away from the lavender unicorn.
"Everything I know," she replied with a giggle.
A Visit to the REAL Royal Archives
"Twilight, I would appreciate it if you would give me advance knowledge before teleporting away from me so quickly," the alicorn stated, a hint of exasperation in her tone. She mentally chastised herself for taking such a curt tone, but her ancient memories of her student had given her renewed hope that the lavender unicorn would stay with her. Celestia's face showed a great weariness coupled with renewed hope.
"My apologies, Princess, but I had considered what you'd said and the hope that Mellifluous Harmony would have a computer excited me," she replied reverently.
"Princess, it is an honor to meet you!" the prismatic mare stated cheerfully. "I had no idea I'd be meeting my ancestor -- or at least, a copy of her," she added, causing said mare to blush lightly at the compliment.
"I have been waiting for the proper time, my little pony -- and it would appear the time has finally arrived," the alicorn began. "Mellifluous Harmony -- you and your friends will be needed to assist Twilight with her endeavor. I will escort both of you to the Archives so you may conduct the necessary research in order to recreate the Elements of Harmony based on Starswirl's notes."
Both mares were astonished and flabbergasted by this information and bowed deeply to Celestia. She let a chuckle escape her lips upon witnessing this. As they rose, both had big smiles on their faces. "Please, Princess, lead the way! To think I might be able to return to his side once again fills me with so much hope!"
"Hearing the happiness in your voice brings me a renewed sense of joy," the alicorn stated as she led the way to the elevator. The doors opened and two mares entered, leaving Twilight a little nervous. "Twilight, have you never traveled in an elevator before?" asked Celestia, a wry smile on her face.
"Um, I've never encountered such a device before," she offered meekly.
"I have," Harmony noted dryly. "Twilight, just relax -- you might feel a little motion, but that's just the normal operation of elevators."
"I get a little claustrophobic," she complained as she stepped inside the car to join the alicorn and her forebear.
"Twilight, I'd appreciate it if you would stay here with me instead of Tasavir -- I understand your desire, but I feel it is misplaced," Celestia opined softly. The elevator moved so quietly and so smoothly that Twilight didn't even notice the sensation of movement.
"But -- but -- I love him! Please!" she begged.
"How long has it been since you were last by his side?" asked Celestia as she cast a warm gaze upon the unicorn. The alicorn lost herself in her memories, a smile making its way on her face. "I believe you may have been away from him too long and that he may already be lost to the Nightmare -- but I also believe if you can recreate the Elements of Harmony, you would be doing me a great favor as well as yourself."
"It's been ten years," Twilight stated dejectedly as she lowered her head before returning her gaze to meet that of Celestia's. "But even so, my love for him has never wavered -- but what is this favor?"
"Twilight -- I'm sure you're aware that Luna was killed many years ago -- but if she can be restored in Tasavir's world, perhaps she can return to my side -- and you can be reunited with him," she mused wistfully, her smile widening a little further as Twilight's expression brightened considerably.
"That would make me so happy," the unicorn chirped as the elevator finally reached its destination. The doors opened to reveal what looked like a stone corridor which was very dimly lit. "Where does this lead us?" she asked, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
"I've never seen such a place," muttered Harmony as she surveyed her surroundings.
"This leads us to the Royal Archives," the alicorn stated softly. "Everything was moved from Canterlot several centuries ago and the books, scrolls, manuscripts, and parchments were located on the lowest floors for protection."
"I've always wanted to see some of those items," Harmony mused, her voice amplified by the crystalline walls of the passageway. Their hoofsteps echoed loudly on the floors, the walls causing the sound to reverberate quite loudly.
"It's been some time since I last checked on them -- I believe they should still be safe, though," Celestia declared. Twilight was practically pronking like Pinkie Pie, her enthusiasm so infectious it brought a warm smile to the alicorn. Harmony giggled softly at the unicorn's giddiness.
"Oh, Princess, I can hardly contain my excitement! To be able to see Starswirl's writings for the first time!" she exclaimed almost jubilantly.
"If you are anything at all like my long-lost student, I believe you will be overjoyed," the alicorn opined warmly, her mood greatly buoyed by the unicorn's eagerness. She let her mind wander back to an ancient time when Twilight herself would display such enthusiasm, a tear trickling from her eye as the memories returned in a flood of emotion. She continued to trot closer to the archives, the two mares trailing behind, both of them with big smiles on their faces. Presently, they reached the archives, a set of ordinary looking doors being the only barrier separating them.
Celestia's horn glowed softly and the doors hummed with her magic, then creaked and groaned upon being moved for the first time in at least a century. Dust eddies swirled around them and a stale scent wafted on the air, their noses crinkling in disagreement with the odor before they trotted in slowly, the Princess lighting the way with her horn before operating a switch to turn the lights on. The ancient lighting flickered for several moments before finally gaining strength to illuminate the room. Mellifluous Harmony and Twilight Sparkle were amazed by the size of the room and stood in stunned silence as they took it all in.
"Behold, the Royal Archives," Celestia stated matter-of-factly, taking a moment to savor the look on the two mares' faces.
"Is this -- is this -- everything?" asked Twilight as she now wandered about the room, admiring the shelves which were packed with every conceivable book, scroll, and bound volume of parchment which had been previously housed in Canterlot -- and considerably more volumes which had been added in the several centuries hence. Harmony trotted around in amazement as she gawped at the size of the collection.
"Um, it looks like this might take awhile," Harmony uttered softly, still flabbergasted by the immense assortment of material.
"Ooh, I can hardly wait to get started!" Twilight chirped, pronking around on her hooves again, unable to contain her excitement. She raced over to a shelf and took a book at random with her magic, and flipped it open to start reading -- but stopped when she was presented with her first major obstacle. "Um, Princess? Why can't I read this?"
"What language are you used to reading, Twilight?"
"Tasavir instructed me with his homeworld's languages -- and I tried to learn as many of them as I could -- but -- but -- this is printed in -- I -- I -- can't read it!" she cried in anguish.
"I believe I can give you a translation spell," Celestia giggled before lighting her horn and rubbing it along Twilight's horn. She was amazed to see the words appear to shift into a semblance of something she could decipher.
"Mellifluous Harmony used a translation spell, but these -- Princess, why are there two Archives?" the unicorn queried.
"The other one is merely for show," Celestia replied matter-of-factly. "This is where the most sensitive information is kept, which is why I only allow certain ponies access to it. I knew you'd be able to recreate the Elements of Harmony if provided the actual notes and writings by Starswirl. The other Archive is merely reference material, but the most arcane knowledge is kept here."
Mellifluous Harmony trotted over to another section of ancient tomes and began reading the spines aloud before stopping at one particular book. She pulled it from the shelf and presented it to Twilight with a flourish of magic and a big grin on her face. "I think this might be the one you're looking for, Twilight!" she beamed excitedly. "I can hardly wait to see your finished work!"
"I may need your help with this, Harmony," the unicorn averred softly as she skimmed through the tome, stopping on a page illustrating the Elements themselves and runic structures establishing the thaumatic properties imbued in the stones. Celestia watched, an amused expression on her face.
"Twilight, you may take the materials you need with you. I'll prepare a room for you and Mellifluous Harmony, should she desire to stay here and assist you," the alicorn declared. "I would like to limit the amount of time these doors remain open."
"I'll have to contact my supervisor to approve an extended absence," the hybrid mare explained. "I have to be at my job tomorrow morning and I can't be late -- but I'll see what I can work out. Thank you for your kind offer, your Majesty, I would be thrilled to work alongside Twilight!"