Chapters The Creation of the Phoenix
The phoenix is a thought to be immortal mythical bird of fire. It possesses the ability to ignite its wings while flying in order to spread light or strike fear into opposition. When it comes time for it to die, it turns to ash and a new phoenix rises from the ashes. Its tears and feathers are said to have magical qualities. Though its origins can be found in a few rare myths, phoenixes are around in present day Equestria.
—Excerpt from An Ornithologist’s Guide to Modern Equestria
“Princess Twilight Sparkle. I’ve been looking everywhere in here for you!” the old librarian said as she trotted around the corner, a thick and ancient book levitating in her magical grip.
“Mrs. Dewey! I didn’t know you still worked here!” Twilight grinned as she walked over to meet the pony who had seen her often as a filly. “Just like old times then. What book has made you so excited?”
“This book was just released from the Restricted Ancient History section.”
Twilight levitated the book over to her and looked at the spine. “Myths from the Creation of Equestria and Beyond . This should be under children’s, not history…”
“Well, when I say released, it was more so taken out of the section by the Princess herself and given to me to deliver to you when you next came in here. I would expect that she left you some sort of letter inside. She seemed to be in a rush. I’ll be at the front desk if you need me.” The gray librarian turned around and headed back to the front of the Royal Canterlot Library leaving Twilight mystified.
“Why wouldn't the Princess just give this to me herself?” Twilight mused, before opening the age-old cover. A page of royal stationary lay inside with Princess Celestia’s writing on it.
My faithful Princess, Twilight Sparkle,
While you are no longer a direct student of mine, you might benefit from a few stories that I think will help you in your future studies. As this book was already falling apart, I took the liberty of arranging the myths in the order that I believe will best suit this purpose. And, if I might add, none of the myths are completely false.
Princess Celestia
“Well that’s interesting. I wonder what the first myth is.” Twilight put the letter aside and went to flip the title page before the name of the author caught her eye.
“Starswirl the Bearded,” she whispered, her voice filled with wonder and awe. “This book was written by Starswirl the Bearded. I immediately take back anything I said about this being a children’s book. He would never write something like that.” Her eyes drifted to the footnote beneath her idol's name. “Written with the assistance of the Celestial Sisters. No wonder Celestia said that every myth had at least a grain of truth.” With that declaration, she flipped the page to see what the first myth was.
The Creation of the Phoenix headed the top of the ancient paper. Words written in smooth calligraphy filled the pages, still as sharp as the day that they had first been penned.
“Well here goes nothing,” Twilight said and began reading.
* * *
After the reign of Discord, little beauty remained intact. No flowers bloomed, no birdsong filled the air. The Celestial sisters ruled, but it only over very little, as very little had been left by the scourge of harmony. Ponies grieved for what was lost after years upon years of chaos. The sun and moon rose, but they were the only celestial bodies to do so. The stars had vanished during the reign of chaos. When the moon was full, the land below was filled with light, but it all fell into shadow as the moon’s light waned. Torches had to be lit to illuminate the night. But sources of fire were running out. The knowledge of how to create steel had been lost to chaos, as had many of the unicorn’s magical abilities, and few other ways to create light were available. Ponies came pleading to their queen of light to fix this, make the moon full and provide them with fire. But Celestia had a greater idea.
She flew to the sun and captured the essence of flame and brought it back to Equestria. But it was a wild thing and could not be contained except by the most powerful of magics. However, the goddess of the Sun was not done yet. She breathed life into the fire and shaped it, created a new kind of animal: the phoenix. A bird that lived to create light and to be reborn each night from the ashes of the previous fire. It died every morning with the sunrise, only to go through rebirth and light the night once more, even if the moon was full.
The phoenixes lit the land with care and provided a glow for work and fun to be continued, even in the darkest of nights. Some powerful magicians even kept phoenixes. But there was still as much that was not known about the birds as what was known.
After the rebirth of magic, their flame was no longer needed. And so the celestial sisters lengthened the lifespan of the birds to many years so that the phoenix, which could only be reborn one thousand times before losing its fire, could fill the land with beauty and light even during the day.
And so, another legend was born: The legend of the Solar Princess and her journey to the sun to bring light in the darkness.
*
Footnote: In rare cases, the phoenix has been known to give up its life so that others may live. However, this has only happened twice throughout Equestria’s history and even that is still a source of great speculation. For further reading on this myth, refer to the section entitled The Rise of the Celestial Sisters .
Author's Note
How many myths will there be? I dunno. I'm open to suggestions. Will there continue to be myths interspersed with Twilight's reading and her actions and whatnot? Definitely.
The constellations are a mysterious force in the night sky. Princess Celestia manages them each night with the moon*. Each constellation is formed by a collection of stars into a specific shape and there are known to be twelve primary constellations in the night sky: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Each maintains dominance in the night sky for approximately one month before rotating.
Mythically, the twelve main constellations are said to at one point been ponies in Equestria. After a war that ravaged the land, they were imprisoned in the night sky to protect the citizens of Equestria and watched over by the Princess of the Night. Little else is known about the creation of the constellations, but different myths and legends surround each one.
*Formerly managed by Princess Luna
—Excerpt from Sky and Space
“Phoenixes? Why would the princess want me to learn about Phoenixes?” Twilight wondered aloud. “That note aside, this is obviously nothing other than absolute balderdash. I know it was written by Starswirl and Celestia did say that there was at least some truth, but that myth was utterly ridiculous! It’s not scientifically possible! Flying to the sun is not scientifically possible!”
“Shh!” hushed another pony on the other side of one of the ceiling-high bookshelves.
“Sorry,” said Twilight sheepishly, realizing that her voice had gradual gotten louder and louder as it usually did when she was about to head into a rant. “Well, what’s the next outlandish myth that the Princess wants me to read? The Star’s Reclamation ?”
The alicorn looked up confusedly. “Reclaiming the stars? Discord. Could he really have the power to take the stars from the sky?” she whispered in a voice that was partially awe and partially disgust. “Well I bet this myth is just Luna flying into space and lighting them back up again. But the princess did want me to read it.”
She glared at the next page almost in a battle of wills between reading it and disobeying the orders of the one she most respected.
“Fine.”
* * *
The constellations, once prisons, had gone out along with the rest of the stars during the reign of Discord. All other stars were also hidden from sight of mortal eyes. When the two sisters looked to the heavens, they saw the faintest pinpricks of light while others saw only shadow. And so they realized that the stars could not be put out, not even by Discord. A veil had covered the stars, a veil of darkness.
The Lunar Goddess flew to the edge of the atmosphere to remove the blackness that assisted in preventing the rebirth of magic. But it was no simple darkness. The shroud was a living nightmare that covered Equestria and plagued the ponies below with dreams of darkness. For seven days and seven nights did the she fight the shadow while her sister watched helplessly from below, unable to assist without potentially losing the only force strong enough to bring about the rebirth of Equestria.
Ponies watched below as their goddess fought for them in the space above, their night now illuminated by the moon, for it was strong enough to pierce the blanket, and blue lightning that was always enveloped in blackness almost as quickly as it appeared. And so the ponies prayed and sent their power to the moon princess.
At least, she threw down the forces of the nightmare and banished them to the moon. Darkness lifted from the world below, bathing it with the glow of the stars once more. Magic also began to reconnect slowly, one of the few things it needed now clear again.
And so, another legend was born: The legend of the Lunar Princess and her first fight with the nightmare for her people.
Author's Note
So yes, not all the chapters will be long due to the amount of Twilight and the myth topic, but some will be huge (but those will mostly come at the end ;)
Feel free to drop any myth ideas in the comments!
Music is one of the most impactful creations of all time. Nothing else has inspired nations or caused epic works of literature to be penned so much as music has. Nowadays, there are many ways of creating music, such as with instruments, hitting objects, and with one’s voice. Although the exact date of when music was created is unknown, it has been around for centuries upon centuries as an integral part of Equestrian society
Today, many schools teach music, either as a hobby for foals or as a career choice for the exceptionally talented. Many genres of music have been created over the years, such as classical, country, wub, and jazz. Even in the furthest reaches of the Equestria and the rest of the known world, music thrives in abundance, from the zebra tribes of Afriqua to the frozen tundra of the north.
—Excerpt from An Introductory Guide to Music
“While that would explain where the nightmare forces that took over Princess Luna came from, as well as explain why she was rather susceptible to them it still is curious. Not as obviously false as the phoenix myth, but still most likely wrong.” Twilight’s brow furrowed in thought. “Could Discord really be that powerful to have taken over Equestria and have left so many negative impacts that still affect us today?”
She glanced down after turning the ancient page once more. “I just hope that not all of these will only be focused on Celestia and Luna. As much as I love the Princesses, there is only so much…” her voice trailed off upon reading the title of the next page. “The Discovery of Music . Hmm. I’ve never been that interested in music as opposed to being at least slightly interested in phoenixes and stars. Maybe the princess wanted others to read this!” Twilight perked up in the comfy armchair she had sunk into while reading. “I could go share this with Vinyl, Octavia, and Lyra! Last I heard, they were in Canterlot which makes it perfect.”
The alicorn got up out of her chair and placed her saddlebags over her back with a quick levitation spell, sliding the book inside them. She headed out of the library, waving to Mrs. Dewey as she passed, and emerged into the bright sunlit courtyard of Canterlot palace. It was the middle of spring, so all sorts of greens were flowering from the ground and felt soft underhoof as Twilight walked across them towards the main exit gate to the palace.
Nodding towards the pearly white unicorn guards keeping watch, Twilight continued in the direction of the one place in Canterlot that she spent little time in due to her studies: the arts area. Walking past the street artists spontaneously painting masterpieces and musicians strumming guitars with hooves and magic, she approached the main theater of Canterlot, which was currently bedecked with banners and streamers of electric blue, mint, and light grey. A large central banner entitled “Bass Battles” hung above the main eight glass doors. Opening the door with a swish of her magic, Twilight entered the room that seated over ten thousand ponies.
Lyra looked up from where she was practicing on the stage-lit stage to see Twilight enter. “Hey Princess Twi, what brings you here?”
“I came to show you, Vinyl, and Octavia something I think you might find interesting.”
“Cool, they’re in the back.” Turning around from the stool she was sitting on, she yelled, “V! OCTY! TWI’S HERE AND SHE WANTS TO SEE YOU!”
Twilight stepped back slightly, surprised at the volume that had just came from the mouth of the lyrist. But it served its purpose, as two ponies quickly trotted out from behind the curtain the served as the backdrop to the stage.
“Hey Twi, how’s it going? Want to check on the prep for the concert tonight?” Vinyl asked, her usual trademark glasses not present on her person, which allowed her red eyes to sparkle in the lights that shined upon the stage.
“Not quite. I was given a book by the Princess and I came across a chapter I thought might interest you.”
“Excellent. What kind of book is it, if I may so inquire?” asked Octavia, her curiosity piqued.
“A book of myths.” After saying this, Twilight lifted the book in question out of her bag and let it float in front of her, flipping it to the last page she had been on. “The one I wanted to show you is called The Discovery of Music .”
“Sounds interesting. Did you say the Princess gave it to you? Does that make it automatically true or something?”
“She said the myths had some truth to them Lyra, but I am not quite sure how much of that statement I believe. Now without further ado,” Twilight cleared her throat and looked down at the browned page. “Before the rule of Celestia, there was a filly by the name of Melody…”
* * *
Before the rule of Celestia, there was a filly by the name of Melody. The tribes had been united a few years earlier by the leaders (and their assistants) of the three races and each coexisted in the new land of Equestria, at peace with one another. The Heart of Harmony blazed over the united ponies and fostered creation among them.
Melody lived on the streets, her parents lost to the hunger and strife soon after giving birth to her. She scavenged the wastes, one of the few of this time to do so. One day, she explored a cave that had been untouched by ponies since the creation of the world in search of something that might have been left behind that she could use, unknowing of the cave’s origins.
She voyaged deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth, her horn lighting the way in front of her until she came to an underground lake. Drinking her fill from the water’s edge, she noticed that the lake was fed by water dripping from the ceiling. The drops hit different patches of water and made sounds that Melody hadn’t heard before. She went over and listened to the pattern that they made upon the eroded rock. The falling water created the first type of music. Inspired, Melody ran to the surface as fast as she could.
Returning to the surface of the earth, she rushed to her hideout on the streets where she had collected anything that she thought might be of use. Among her clutter were glasses of varying shapes, sizes, and colors: the only thing that she had left from her glassmaker parents. Turning them upside down, she dribbled water from another glass onto them, one drop at a time, in the pattern she remembered from the cavern. As the song floated out into the street, ponies stopped and listened to the melody weaving its way through the paths and town of Canterlot while a flash of light briefly illuminated a hideout as it christened a filly’s flank with a drop of water on a glass.
Others were inspired by the filly’s creation, though it was unknown who created it. Some went out and created their own music, while others in the area were inspired to paint masterpieces. No one could ever figure out where the water song came from, but they knew that every day, an hour past noon, music would make its way through that part of the city. It became the place of art and song, eventually becoming the heart of the Canterlot art district.
And so, another legend was born: The legend of the filly who discovered music.
Author's Note
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave myth suggestions below :)
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The Battle of the Stars, Part 1 of 13: Aquarius
Author's Note
Sola’s Day: Sunday
Sage: Sagittarius
The Battle of the Stars, Part 1 of 13: Aquarius
Ponies born while the constellation Aquarius is dominant tend to be extremely intelligent and forward thinkers. While they wish to help ponykind, they can sometimes become too focused on the task at hand and ignore others as a result. Aquarius is known as the water-bearer because she brought gifts to ponies in ancient times. Aquarius, despite the connection with water, is associated with air due to free-thinking and explorative thoughts. Some famous Aquarius-born ponies are Leonardo da Hoofsi, Mare Curie, and Albert Trotstein.
In myths, Aquarius was an earth pony mare and one of the leaders of the Council of Twelve along with Taurus and Virgo. She is also said to have invented many items and ideas still in use today, such as arches, plumbing, the printing press, and the postal service. She experimented on most things she could get her hands on and is said to have invented at least one new species. Historians commonly refer to her as the most intelligent pony in all of history.
—Excerpt from The Basics of Astrology
Octavia broke the silence that had fallen after Twilight had read the last word of the myth. “Well that was certainly interesting. It is no wonder music feels so natural if that is how it began.”
“I guess that even back then no pony dared venture into the Canterlot Caves except for that little filly. They were rather scary after all.” Twilight glanced down at the book. “I wonder what other mysteries they could hold.”
“Who cares those about dreary caves, what’s the next myth?” Without waiting for Twilight to respond, Vinyl levitated the book out of the alicorn’s grasp. “The Battle of the Stars, Part 1 of 13: Aquarius . That sounds AWESOME!”
“Vinyl, please—“
“It’s okay Octavia, she can read it. Do you have anything to add Lyra?”
The unicorn in question thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “Other than saying that it would have been pretty cool to live back then when this place was getting started, no.” Her smile got wider as she said, “I can’t wait to hear about this star battle though. Read on V.”
“My pleasure.”
* * *
An excerpt from the journal of Aquarius*—
Council Day
I can’t believe these ponies! I tried to propose a solution to the problem that would work, but some fools decided to go against it. Libra sat out, not wanting to get into the debate, but bull-headed Taurus and his followers didn’t want to listen to a word I had to say. Some of them don’t even deserve to be in the Circle of Twelve. Even after Virgo sided with me (as we all know her talent for picking apart every plan presented) those idiots neglected to listen. I could just tear my mane out!
But I shall not. Libra has been teaching me to be more peaceful and patient and I shall try to take those lessons to heart. It is no matter that my plans to safely share magic among mortals have been shot down time and time again. Those pegasi have especially interested me in the way that they could potentially handle control over air. I wonder if one might be willing to let me study him (or her) to further my plans.
Stella’s Day
Yesterday when I flew out on my wind currents to relax, I went a bit too far and discovered a series of natural caves in the side of a mountain. It is far enough that only the Twins and Virgo with their similar control over the element could hope to reach me here. I think I’ll call them the Canterlot Caves after that old legion that Taurus managed. Oh the irony.
Luna’s Day
Today I found a young pegasus filly named Night Breeze who seemed willing to take part in my experiments. Of course, her parents also agreed. I will attempt to impart some of my control over the air (naturally, only a tiny part of my abilities will be enough to give a mortal supreme control over the air) into her. Despite some of my brethren’s beliefs that only unicorns possess the ability to control and direct magic due to their horn, I am certain that if I as an earth pony can control the currents, a pegasus might have even more ability to do so due to their wings.
It will be taking place in the lab I discovered yesterday. Here’s hoping that all goes well. Magic can be unpredictable at times, but there is no other way to proceed than through research and risks.
Igni’s Day
The experiment was a success! Night Breeze was extremely excited, especially after riding on the winds at such a high speed to get to my lab. I was able to impart enough of my magic that she can now manipulate clouds with ease and tell how fast the air is flowing. I won’t give her any more of my magic because it would be too much for a filly to control, but she will most likely take on some aspects of my personality due to the magic transference. I will continue to look into the risks and benefits of giving some of our magic to mortals.
Aer’s Day
Cancer came to see me at my house today. She wanted to see if a rumor going around the capital was true. Specifically, the rumor that I had come and taken a pegasus filly away to experiment on. There was no way to answer that question. She knew me well enough to know when I was lying and if I told the truth she would tear me apart with her words. Stupid motherly instincts. So I did the only logical approach: I told her that I had been to see a filly, but I didn’t take her away. She gave me a skeptical look but then moved on to other topics.
I have a feeling that this is going to come back and make me regret it.
Sola’s Day
It seems like everyone is suspicious of me. Though we didn’t have council the other day, people keep dropping by my house asking me all sorts of questions. I wish Night Breeze had kept her mouth shut regarding the experiment. I guess I should have expected that a filly would brag about being talked to by one of the Twelve, not to mention being taken to who knows where.
I have been going to my lab frequently to continue more experiments by myself. The caves serve as an excellent location to study. I am currently in the process of moving some of my more… hazardous experiments to there for safety. Hopefully nothing will explode in transit like it did the last time I moved things out of the dungeon.
Aer’s Day
After the council meeting tomorrow, I will proceed in my experiment based upon analyzing the different races in their natural habitat. I hope all will go well. It should, based upon my research thus far. If I succeed, we will not have to look for a way to impart our magic to mortals, for this new race will have mastery over it and characteristics of them all.
Council Day
Our bi-monthly council meeting went as well as could be expected. Taurus and Aries refused to listen, Libra tried to keep peace, Sage was busy fiddling with whatever he found interesting, and the Twins kept everyone else entertained instead of focusing on the real problem at hand. I know we’re immortal and have all the time in the world, but sooner or later we have to look to the future and move forwards. The others are idiots if they don’t get that.
But I was able to ignore it better than usual because I cannot wait to spend the week working with my experiment.
[pages torn out]
Terra’s Day
Thank goodness council only has to meet once every two weeks. I couldn’t stand to be with those buffoons right now. I was searching through my private library for something, anything that could help me quell the monster I unleashed. Another lab gone, the few experiments there escaped.
Luna’s Day
I had to do it. There was no other way. Our world would have suffered if that thing I made found its way out of the caves. But now no one will ever know what I did and what I did to myself to end the problem.
Igni’s Day
I fear that the creature created a wound that will not heal on its own. I was foolish to think that I could have created a new species, the one to lead these mortal ponies on. Instead I created a beast that lives only to prey upon others.
Agua’s Day
I have no choice. The wound has begun to fester and I, for all my knowledge, know not how to heal it. I must go to Cancer. For once, I fear for my life. Very few things can kill an immortal, but this has been feeding off of my magic and weakens me daily. And so I must turn to the only pony I have called a friend.
*
*A real and historic document, albeit heavily degraded, discovered in ancient ruins along with many others written by different authors. It has been included in this book as is to provide accurate evidence of the Constellation Wars. Each book was restored through magic so that they are readable today and can be found in the restricted archives of the Canterlot library.
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The Birth of the World: All That Grows Green
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The constellation Orion is one of the most famous and easily seen constellations in the night sky. It is one of the few constellations visible throughout all of Equus and is very useful for navigation at sea. It is one of the larger star patterns and has been studied greatly by astronomers.
It is named Orion after a warrior from ancient Equestrian myths, though his origins are unknown. One common myth is that he hunted down the spawn of chaos after Discord’s first defeat, though another says that he was raised to the stars after valiantly defending Princess Luna. Many cultures around the world have different myths on the origin of Orion and scholars are unable to determine which one is true, if any of them are.
—Excerpt from An Introduction to the Stars
“Well that was certainly an interesting idea. Who wrote this collection again?”
“That’s the confusing thing Mrs. Dewey. It seems that Star Swirl the Bearded wrote it along with the Celestial Sisters. But I just can’t see that Star Swirl would write a work of fiction. He didn’t write any other fictional stories.”
“Then,” the librarian said, an amused look on her face, “You have to consider the idea that it isn’t fiction. What is it that Sherclop Holmes said? ‘Eliminate all other factors and the one that remains must be the truth.’”
“But—“ Twilight started to say.
“No buts. If Star Swirl never wrote any other fictional stories, then that means that this is most likely nonfiction as well. Coupled with the fact that the Princess wanted you to read it and that she apparently assisted in the authoring of it, this book is genuine fact.” Mrs. Dewey then reclined in her chair, a smug look on her face as she looked at alicorn in denial.
“If this was real, it would disprove some other historical texts.”
“Not true. Aside from a few contained in the restricted section, historical texts only go back to after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came to power. And, though I probably shouldn’t be telling you this as you aren’t yet allowed in there, the books in the restricted section back up some of these myths.”
Twilight continued to stare at her fillyhood mentor with a look of half disbelief and half confusion. “They do? Now I can’t wait to see what is in there. They could contain fountains of knowledge.”
“Yes they do and need I remind you that you hold one of those books in your hooves? Now if you would be so kind to read the next myth, it’s about stars. I’ve always liked the stars.”
Twilight glanced down at her lap, her eyes skimming across the simple title Orion . She gave a resigned sigh and started to read the words on the page. “There was a time during Discord’s reign that a resistance arose…”
***
There was a time during Discord’s reign that a resistance arose, a resistance to overthrow chaos and reestablish order and peace. It was no small task to overthrow a god, for only the items of the gods can defeat them. And the gods had left behind very little when they left the world of Equestria and even fewer items were known of. Specifically, three items, trees rooted in the creation and essence of the world. One had sunk with the greatest city in existence, while another was impossible to find without the help of an immortal. Only one even had the possibility of being reached: the Tree of Harmony.
In the resistance, a plan was made to journey to the Tree of Harmony and retrieve its fruit to combat the forces of chaos. The two children of the gods who had sided with the forces of good were the ones to go, accompanied by a few elite guards and the captain of the resistance military: Orion.
The path to the foot of the mountain was fraught with danger and evils spawned from chaos awaited the party at every turn. The party fought its way to the forest Everfree, but not without great loss. Only three arrived at the entrance to the mystical wood, Orion and the two he had been charged with protecting: Luna and Celestia.
Throughout the perils and danger, Luna and Orion had begun to experience an emotion that they had never felt before. They had begun to love each other. They loved each other passionately and deeply. Not knowing what they would encounter in the Everfree, they asked Celestia, Luna’s sister, to marry the two of them so that no matter what happened, they could one day be reunited. And so, on the shores of the Everfree, Luna Astrum and Captain Orion Venator were wed.
The three ponies ventured into the woods of the Everfree with haste, for the minions of the enemy were still hard on their heels. Crossing the forest and fighting their way through the native inhabitants, they arrived at a gorge, deep and long, spanned by an ancient wooden bridge that led into a dark stone tunnel, barely wide enough for a single pony. Celestia started to cross, but only made it halfway before the enemy caught up with them at the age-old cliff.
Orion sent Luna out onto the bridge and stood at the opposite end to give them time to cross over. After Luna and Celestia crossed over into the tunnel, Orion sacrificed himself and cut the bridge so that they would be safe. Emerging from the tunnel as alicorns, for realizing their destiny in front of the tree as children of the gods, they saw the chasm, now uncrossable without flight. The two sisters rushed over to where Orion had fallen as they emerged from the tunnel, their new magic expelling all of the forces of evil and completely obliterating them in the grief that had overtaken the siblings.
As Luna reached where her new husband lay, he saw her one last time and died peacefully, his mission to protect the ones that he loved the most finally completed. To honor him, Luna raised his spirit into the stars where he could be seen throughout the world, rearranging them in order to remember and honor him for eternity.
And so a legend was born: the legend of the brave warrior Orion and the alicorn he loved till death.
Author's Note
I so want to flesh this out and turn it to its own fic. So, this will be the one of the only chapters that I request that no one develops into a full story yet, if anyone ever decides to do that. It has nothing to do with the Constellation Wars though.
Feel free to drop myth suggestions below :)
Discord, or chaos, is one of the two driving forces of nature. It is contrasted with harmony, or order. While harmony can be harnessed through use of the Elements of Harmony, no such thing exists except in legends that can control Discord (the force, not the creature). The origins of chaos are unknown, but some scholars believe that it has been around since the very beginning of the world.
Discord is also the name of the sole draconequus in Equus. He is said to be a god, but he has been imprisoned in stone by Princess Celestia for over a thousand years. As a result, the extent of his powers are unknown. The only known effective force against Discord is The Elements of Harmony. Almost nothing else is known about the creature Discord.
—Excerpt from Forces of Equestria
“How interesting. While I’ve read numerous myths on how the constellation Orion came to be, it’s nice to know the truth.” Mrs. Dewey mused, leaning back in her comfortable rolling chair.
“Forget that, Princess Luna— Mmpfh!” her rapidly growing in volume voice became intelligible from the hoof that suddenly appeared in her mouth. She looked up to see the librarian glaring at her.
“This is a library, in case you forgot. And I don’t think Princess Luna would appreciate you yelling out who her first marriage was with.” With one last glare, she withdrew her hoof from Twilight’s mouth, still watching carefully to make sure she had calmed down enough to not freak out again. “In response to your next question, yes, the Princess had a few more marriages over the years.” After pausing to once again silence the alicorn with her hoof, the librarian continued. “You were not the only one to know of the existence of Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna. Now, I would recommend that you go and ask her yourself instead of continuing to nag an old mare. I’m sure she would like to hear one of these myths again.”
“Okay Mrs. Dewey. I’ll go over there now.” Twilight was looking at the ground, somewhat in shame for getting to excited and almost violating the cardinal rule for library patrons throughout the world. She started to head out the door on her way to Luna’s quarters when the old unicorn stopped her.
“And Twilight? Whenever you finish that book, I would love to hear about more of the stories contained within.” She gave her former pupil a smile and was pleased to see it returned. Waiting for a moment to watch her round the corner and disappear, the head librarian of the Canterlot Library and Archives opened a small drawer under her desk. Levitating out a key, she turned around to a small door behind her and unlocked it, disappearing into the forbidden depths of knowledge contained inside.
*
Reaching the top of the tall spiraling tower, Twilight knocked on the wooden door emblazoned with a blue crescent, only to have it slowly swing open to reveal the room beyond.
“Princess?” she called, peering around the almost pitch black room. The setting sun through the heavy black curtains illuminated a crescent bed that dominated the center of the room where an unmoving shape lay covered by blankets. At the sound of Twilight’s voice, it stirred and groaned.
“Oh, if you’re still sleeping, I can go and come back later,” she said nervously, starting to back through the door.
“Nay Twilight, stay thy hooves. We would have been awoken soon, so ‘tis no matter,” came a drowsy voice, followed by another groan as the blankets were surrounded by a blue glow and thrown off the bed, nearly hitting one of the fully stocked bookshelves that ringed the room.
“Well, I can still come back later if you want me too…” her voice dwindled off.
A ruffled alicorn head rose from the bed to give her an are-you-serious look. “What is thy question?” she asked as she levitated a small glass of water over to her.
“Well,” said Twilight, still standing in the stone doorway, “I was wondering if you were actually married to Orion.”
Luna’s eyes widened and spat out the water in surprise, making her cough. “Wait, what?”
“I was just wondering if you were actually married to Orion.”
Now that her brain was actually thinking, Luna’s eyes narrowed in something between anger and annoyance.
“Oh, I’m sorry Princess Luna, I didn’t mean to offend you. I’ll just be going back now.” Twilight continued to back up until she was starting to go back down the stairwell backwards. She was almost to the point of running when Luna called her back.
“I meant thee no ill harm. Our anger was directed at our sister, not thee. I apologize Twilight.”
Her head stuck out around the curve, looking questioningly at the alicorn, who had by now propped herself into a sitting position on the bed. “You do?”
“We do.”
She breathed a deep sigh of relief and trotted back into the room. “Then could you try not to use the royal ‘we’ and talk like a modern pony?”
Luna thought for a moment, then responded “You will have to give me a break, as I just woke up. Now in answer to your question, yes, I was at one point married to Orion. I assume that my sister saw it fit to give you Starswirl’s collection of myths?”
“Yes, she did.”
Luna tapped a spot next to her with her hoof. “Then come over here. I’ll find an interesting myth that will probably also explain a few questions.”
“But, Celestia rearranged the chapters in the book.”
“Then read me whatever she has in there next. It has been a very long time since I set eyes on this tome.”
“Does that mean it’s real?” Twilight practically leaped at the chance of finally getting a straight answer.
“All in due time Twilight,” Luna chuckled.
“Alright then. The Birth of Discord . Wait, is that the Discord?”
“Read on and find your answer.”
***
There was a time when all was peaceful and the ponies were in harmony with nature and each other. The gods had returned and watched over their subjects below, their chosen council managing the affairs of the world from the birthplace of knowledge. All was well and Equus prospered.
Then, in the council placed by the gods, a schism occurred. A simple matter, but it took root in the world and upset the perfect harmony. The schism caused turmoil and anger, growing and growing. Because the council was at one of the three roots of the world, it quickly took root. And the seed of discord was planted.
Still, the power of the immortals of the council prevented the seed itself from growing, but it exerted its influence and afflicted the population of the world, those closest the most.
Tensions among the immortals grew and they fought. A war broke out, a war that ended soon after it began. But its repercussions stretched farther and further than even the gods could have guessed. Without the council, order dissolved, revolutions began, and small empires started to rise. And the force that suppressed the seed of discord was taken away.
The seed, alone on the Island of Knowledge, gave birth to a creature.
The creature was weak and alone, powerless to stop the island from fracturing underneath him from the forces of chaos. But he was spared when a pegasus mother found the island and the creature on it, saving his life by bringing him with her back to where she lived with her two daughters.
The creature of chaos grew into the creature known as Discord, the embodiment of the very thing that would have destroyed him alone in the ocean. He turned his back on those who raised him and became the monster that ruled over every living thing.
And so a legend was born: the legend of the fracture of the world and the creature of chaos.
Author's Note
Feel free to drop a myth idea below or give this story a like or a fav!
