Deep within the dense forests of Roanoak there is a clearing that is situated far from any settlement or path, unknown to all. Within this secluded clearing sits the fluted marble columns and domed roof of a small marble temple.
The temple is immaculate; the stone is polished to a fine shine and the delicate runes and symbols that decorate it are inset with gold. Otherwise though, the building is quite unassuming - a mere five meters across at most and perhaps seven meters tall. At its center, a modest fountain that bubbles quietly with cool, clear water.
Above, the noonday sun shines down from a brilliant blue sky and strikes a glow from the marble of the temple. Wild birds twitter and sing in the trees all around the clearing and a light breeze whispers quietly as it plays through the branches and tall grass... There is a powerful sense of peace and harmony here.
A bright flash of magic nearby shatters the serenity of this scene as a runic circle appears amidst the grass in a blaze of spellfire. And just as quickly Aurora, the Alicorn Empress of Roanoak, appears in the center of the spell...
She settles her wings and steps purposely towards the temple, leaving her teleportation spell to dissipate and fade from view without a second glance. At her approach the runes carved into the temple begin to glow, and as she steps from the grass and onto polished marble a shimmering curtain of blue and purple light springs up around the structure.
The Alicorn closes her eyes for a moment...
And opens them again in the cool darkness of a stone cavern.
Her horn ignites with a pale lavender glow and illuminates the darkness around her for some ten meters. She looks around for a moment in the thin light, taking stock of the smooth stone before uttering a quiet "Exactly as I left it..." She then nods to herself, satisfied, and then proceeds down a nearby tunnel that descends into darkness.
It has been many hundreds of years since she last walked these stone paths that led the way down to the heart of Roanoak. The last time was shortly after Roanoak was founded in fact, and that was to seal the way and ensure peace for that which sleeps below...
Aurora's power still guards these dark tunnels, and she can feel the spells woven in protection brushing past her like cobwebs. Nothing she knows of is able to teleport here, and no scrying spell she is familiar with can penetrate these halls - she has tried them all over her long years.
Here, far below her forest she is truly alone, and as she carefully threads her way through the darkness she has only the sound of her hooves on stone for company. In the silence her thoughts wander to her reasons for returning here: So much time has passed, even for her, and so many things have changed...
Roanoak had not only survived a cataclysm that had befallen it, but the ponies that count Roanoak as hearth and home had succeeded beyond her wildest dreams... Families have blossomed and businesses have prospered - Trotsdale was no longer the quaint little farming town founded on the shores of the Nisean River oh so many years ago...
Truly, Roanoak was enjoying a time of peace and prosperity unlike any other in its history. But with prosperity comes visibility, and with visibility - desire. And as the world around them began to take notice, there would be those who would seek to do them harm.
Aurora shakes her head at the thought...
She is the ruler of these lands; it is her responsibility to provide stability and safety for those who chose to live within her borders... As much as she didn't like the idea, the time was coming when Roanoak would need to be seen as an empire once more. And as the monarch of Roanoak the crown was hers to bear, regardless of her desire to avoid it...
Unfortunately crowns come with thrones and castles, and those come with sycophants and dignitaries.
She sighs lightly...
Truth be told it was her wanderlust that made her so dissatisfied with being chained to a throne - and she knew this. The inability to come and go without escort and to have her travels defined to events of state was akin to being under house arrest - and she chaffed at it.
But, if she were truly honest with herself she also knew her wanderlust had been well sated with her latest adventure… The prospect of being exiled from her home forever was quite the sobering thought... Indeed, it was only by way of a chance encounter with Michi was she able to return to her lands at all – and she thought on this often.
Perhaps it was time for her to settle into the routine of courtly life and enjoy her days amongst her trees…
She smiles to herself, and as she contemplates her past and her future the tunnel ahead brightens a bit. She follows the smooth stone tunnel downward and within moments she finds herself standing before a blank wall that caps the end of the tunnel; light streams down the wall from some unknown source to pool in a small well-lit area containing three stone spheres of various sizes.
The entrance to the cavern she seeks is beyond this door…
Aurora had always thought this puzzle was clever; the three stone spheres are granite and bear no unique markings other than the whorls and ripples of the natural rock. Each varies in size from the size of an apple to the largest which weighs as much as a full grown pony, and there is no indication, anywhere, as to what these stones are for… A lifetime could be spent pondering this puzzle – or so she hoped.
The Alicorn concentrates for a few moments, and then the smoky glow of her magic surrounds the stones, lifting them gently into the air…
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She aligns the stones with the current position of the sun, moon, and her world as they would appear to a pony far enough away to look down and see all three.
The stones hover for a moment before the entire wall slides silently to the side, exposing another tunnel… One that is smoother, and crystalline – like molten glass poured into the shape of a tunnel. The glow of her horn shines and refracts from the translucent walls creating a dazzling display of flashing reds and blues.
She sets the stones aside, dimming the light spell she has been casting to allow herself to acclimate to the gloom, and then takes a deep breath before she steps through the threshold.
The wall behind her slides silently closed again…
This tunnel is fairly short, maybe a body length or two before it suddenly opens into a vast echoing cavern of glass and crystal.
The Alicorn consciously lets out her held breath as an age-old mixture of tenderness and terror bubbles through her. This is the very heart of Roanoak, and this place holds a power that is at once her loving charge and a power so ancient and unfathomable as to be frightening. A fragment of the will of the world lives within this cavern, and it is a thing of such vast power that there are no proper words to explain it - it merely 'is'.
And she is a bit afraid.
A faint pale blue light can just barely be seen - as if an echo of sunlight were trapped within these seemingly endless glassy walls. The glow appears as a light haze in the distance of the cavern that slowly swirls around the smooth crystal columns that divide floor from ceiling.
Down here, within the cavernous heart of Roanoak she is confronted by the reality of her situation... It was easy for her to be complacent in the thought that she controlled Roanoak. After all, nearly a thousand years have passed while the dormant power here has heeded her requests and granted her immortality. But her voice is a mere whisper; the faintest suggestion into the dreaming consciousness that is the Land... And that whisper could just as easily be ignored - or swept aside with little notice.
Such was the power contained here and her task, the reason for making this trip, is to fully awaken that power - and in doing so restore her own abilities...
But what if that power found her wanting?
She hesitates. She had not exactly been the best caretaker of the gifts that she had been entrusted with; holding the portal to the Wastelands open for too long and causing the feedback that nearly destroyed Roanoak, letting her curiosity and frustrations get the better of her and nearly exiling herself with a single well-placed spell... These are not the things you want your avatar to be doing...
A powerful and loving sensation washes over her - like a warm summer breeze. She closes her eyes and her consciousness falls away as melodic ringing sounds echo around her – through her – and within the tones a thought is formed;
: But learning from her mistakes is... :
Across the cavern a small globe of purple spellfire flickers into being and floats silently between the translucent crystal columns. It lazily bobs and weaves as if floating about on imperceptible currents of air, and is soon joined by another, and another.
Aurora stands transfixed, eyes closed - she is lost in the power and the will that is Roanoak. As the shimmering globes of blue and purple dance about the cavern they illuminate the glassy floor and ceiling in flowing color and shadow. They glide about the cavern and circle the Alicorn as if examining her for a few moments, and then suddenly collide in a brilliant flash that sends a rippling wash of power outwards in all directions.
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Her mane and tail are lashed by the torrent of energy as it passes – a rippling, expanding sphere of magical energy that shakes the foundations of the forest far above. But Aurora is unmoved, as if the explosion of power was nothing more than a playful breeze.
-=-
She lies in the cool grass of a nighttime hillside and above her the dome of the heavens turns slowly in the blue-black sky of a full moon. She raises her head and looks about, confused; as far as she can see in any direction are more dark hills dotted with tall silver trees, and off in the distance she can just make out the sparkle of a river as it winds it’s way through the peaceful landscape.
At the top of the hill above her rests a mighty oak. Its broad branches hold a sea of leaves that sway silently in the cool currents of the evening.
She feels that she should know this place, or at least remember it. She has been here before, she knows it - but she cannot remember it. Rising to her hooves and settling her wings, she scans the horizon a moment more for something recognizable – but there is nothing but a vague feeling of familiarity.
: Doest thou no longer remember the realm of thy foalhood? :
She jumps and turns quickly, casting about for the source of the voice – but the voice is not heard as much as it simply is, and there is no location, no echo. In fact, there is no sound at all; the breeze in the grass around her and the leaves of the tree above her are silent.
“This is a dream…”
Her voice echoes in the world around her and the word ‘dream’ repeats a few times before fading.
“Well, yes – and no… It is hard to explain without knowing a bit more about what this actually is…”
Aurora looks over her shoulder and standing there, between her and the oak at the top of the hill as if it were the most normal thing in the world, is a very large stag of deep earth brown coat and dark green dapples. He motions with his head indicating the hills and trees, “But, for now, know that this is real enough.”
He turns and walks towards the oak, “Please, follow.”
It is unusual for Aurora to feel, well, small. But as she follows this mysterious being up the hill she understands how ponies must feel in her presence… She is eye level with his shoulders, and the branching antlers that he wears as if a crown draw her eye, serving to illustrate his reign over this place… Wherever, whatever it is.
As they move under the branches of the oak he turns and lays down, and motions for her to do likewise. “Sit. We do not have much time, but for the moment I just want to look at you.”
She follows suit, laying herself in the cool grass at the base of the massive tree. He smiles down at her as she sits before him under the light of the full moon, and she can feel the love in his gaze.
A few moments pass, and just as she is about to ask him who he is, he speaks; “You have certainly grown.”
Her ears go out to the sides as she tilts her head a bit and looks confused. “I have?”
“Yes.” He smiles again and once again continues as she begins to speak, “Not in stature, but in wisdom. In the moments between your beginning and your present, you have indeed matured.”
She looks away from the stag. “I certainly do not feel wise…”
“Perspective – your journey has been too brief for you to see the scale of the distance traveled.”
“But, the rift incident… That was certainly unwise...”
“Aurora.” She turns to meet his gaze. “Perspective.”
He raises his head and looks into the distance behind her. “Yours is the responsibility for much and for many, and this is a heavy weight – hence the form you wear and the power you command.” He looks back to her, “But, do you not believe the least of your subjects feels the same trepidation and sense of importance for the care of their foals? Each day decisions are made that perhaps might not end as they desire – but, they none the less must make them. Just as they must learn the lessons that each decision teaches.”
She pins her ears and leans forward a bit, stressing her words in frustration, “So many could have perished given a mistake on my part! Not just one foal, or even a dozen… Hundreds… That is my perspective, and the lesson is quite clear...” She shivers a bit with the emotions she is keeping restrained.
He nods, “Your vision is clouded by your youth… And, in some ways your kinship with your people. You lack Perspective.”
She suddenly finds herself observing a vast forest as she formlessly floats above it. All that is the forest – trees, animals, grasses, insects, even motes of earth and the very air itself fills her awareness as a dim cacophony – a sea of sensation held at bay, just below her awareness. The life of everything is within her sight, and all that is – is alive. The breadth of everything she can dimly perceive is so vast even at this distance it threatens to overwhelm her, but something holds her above it, sparing her.
: See now this mere reflection of your lands. Know now the vastness of all that is within your domain. :
The vision blurs as the forest passes below and the sun spins above, and she finds herself amidst a forest fire. In her dim perceptions of the world she feels the countless endings of the vibrant life around her – even insulated as she is from the depth of sensation, she is struck numb from the loss.
: The fire destroys all in its path. It is indiscriminate, mindless – yet… :
The vision blurs again as time passes. Scorched ground grows green once more, burnt trees give way to new saplings, and life begins anew all around her.
: It is essential to promote growth. :
The stag looks down at her as she blinks and glances around quickly. “It is your nature to desire nothing but the best in all things, but without travails there is no betterment born of consequence, nothing to overcome to grow, and nothing to learn from.” He smiles, “If you are paralyzed by the fear of moving incorrectly, you will never move.”
“Even your dear Trotsdale is better for having endured the past. Had you not tried to help so many, and thereby brought a new age of technology to your people, and had the resulting cataclysm not forced them to band together and utilize what they had discovered – they would not be where they are now.”
He nods as he sees the realization dawn in her. “What you decide to do – in all things – is with my blessing."
He nods again as her eyes go wide, knowing this form for what it is. "You will of course make mistakes; such is the responsibility of all reasoning beings. And in some cases the consequences will be dire because of your power; but trust that this is essential… The good that you can bring into your world by trying far outweighs the risk of failure. The tragedy is if you do not try, do not fail, and do not learn from this.”
Aurora sighs, and nods slightly - understanding.
He returns her nod, “Perspective.”
That word, like a spell woven, banishes the glamour and he is gone. The mighty oak, the hills, the trees, all of it whirls away into the darkness.
The presence of Roanoak recedes from Aurora, and like a warm, comfortable blanket being slowly removed the Alicorn stirs from her reverie... Her eyes flutter open and she looks about, confused for a moment as to where she is.
The pale blue light that fills the cavern brightens around her – seeming to radiate from everywhere, and yet nowhere, creating a hazy cloud of luminescence that eventually shrouds the cavern completely.
Bright lights appear from within the gentle mist all around her and she fidgets a bit as they fly about her hooves. They spin and swirl around, leaving faint trails in their wake as they dance in various geometric patterns.
The lights fade for a moment and darkness begins to form in the cavern once again. Then suddenly two new lights spiral out of the mist directly before her – brighter than the last – and as they reach equidistant points of the circle they are inscribing they halt...
: My power is yours once more. :
The lights suddenly flare brightly and come together, punctuating with a brilliant flash.
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And Aurora finds herself standing in the now moonlit glade that surrounds the temple.
