//-------------------------------------------------------// Daughter of Sol -by Protopony350- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Birth //-------------------------------------------------------// Birth It was a beacon in a dark empty void. It was created, and it began its voyage, having no knowledge of anything but itself and the fact that everything else was nothing. The shapeless energy traversed the vast emptiness, having no goal, and moving at great speed across the nothingness of space, encountering no celestial bodies or signs of life. The amount of time would be incomprehensible to us, but this was of no consequence to the flowing stream of cosmic power, because time itself had yet to come into being. So the raw power continued, never encountering anything but the darkness. The energy came to an abrupt halt. A large formation of brown matter was floating motionless before it. The energy felt a small twinge of curiosity, tho it had no concept of such a feeling before. The energy sat in place, shining its radiant light onto the floating shapeless matter. The matter formed into large clusters of rock and water particles at the touch of the light. Noticing the change in the matter, the energy decided to shine even brighter, eventually allowing a small part of itself to be disconnected and mingle among the formations. The energy felt the feeling of "surprise" for the first time, as its own power formed a sphere within the chaotic mass of rocks and water, and began to pull them together. The rocks crashed together with a force unseen before, and they began to spin. Ages passed by, and the rocks finally formed two solid masses. One was massive and colorful, while the other was small and pale blue, emitting a faint glow of life from within its otherwise lifeless and sterile form. The energy watched as the rock took shape, and it again began to shine even brighter. The energy had always moved forward, and had never had any reason to question itself, but something was changing within it, and it began to think. Why can such a small and insignificant rock become such a thing of beauty? I could become just as magnificent if I wished! The energy began to spin, just as the rock had done. The dark void was filled with radiant light as the energy began to spiral. Particles of solid light rained down onto the newly formed planet, and it began to show the first signs of life. The energy spun faster and faster, until it appeared as a solid disk of light. It glowed with a fierce and powerful radiance, and it finally slowed. Above the planet now shined an orb of unparalleled majesty. I have at last found my resting place. I shall shine brightly upon this small world, and my light shall spread life throughout it. I shall watch over them, and they shall love me. I am Sol, bringer of light to the darkness! Sol hung in the sky for many years, never moving, but always watching. Eventually Sol noticed life begin to move on the small planet. First Sol saw the striped ones. Small four legged creatures with beautiful stripes adorning their bodies. This was the first Zebra tribe. Next emerged the great scaled Dragons. Still small in comparison to Sol, these beasts still towered above the small Zebras. Sol finally took notice of the small colorful four legged creatures. They appeared similar to the striped ones, but some could soar through the skies, and others could manipulate matter with, what FELT like, small amounts of Sol's own power. The first Ponies showed themselves. Sol was mesmerized by the lives of these small Ponies.  Sol watched them as they would build, only to be halted by the Dragons. Time and time again this happened. Sol watched for 200 years, tho this measurement meant nothing to Sol. After this time, the Zebras and the Ponies had began to shrink in number, and eventually the small remainder of them moved from Sol's view, migrating to the dark side of the planet. Sol felt sadness for the first time. Sol had grown fond of the ponies, and wished to see them again, but found itself unable to move from its new resting place. Sol was completely unable to intervene. It could even feel its connection with the planets core fading. In becoming this planets sun, Sol became solidified as a universal constant, rapidly losing its ability to influence the planet. Sol could feel itself trembling. The planet below had become a violent wasteland thanks to the scaled monsters, and Sol wanted nothing more than to put a stop to the chaos. Sol heard a voice from within itself. "Hello, am I alone?" Who are you? "I don't know" How are you speaking to me? "I am sorry, but I do not know" Sol felt a pressure within itself. You seem to be a manifestation. I, for the first time, felt sadness for a creature outside of myself, yet I was unable to do anything about it. I believe you are the result of my yearning to aid the inhabitants of this planet Sol glowed a violent red, and produced a solar flare. A glowing white orb appeared along side Sol. The orb began to slowly orbit Sol, and it bathed in its radiant energy. "Why am I here? What even am I?" That even I do not know. You simply came into being, much as I did, and I had no control over your birth Sol had no real idea of how this had transpired, but he felt happiness flood over him at the sight of the smaller orb of light. "What is my purpose? Am I meant to shine upon the planet, as you do?" Sol thought for a moment, and he formed a new idea. An idea that would change the course of the small planet before them. I am bound to my place, yet you freely move. Do you wish to help me? Do you wish to see what I am now unable to see? The orb of light stopped for a moment, and pondered these words. "What do you mean? I'm made as you are made. How could I possibly help without harming them?" Although I have lost my connection to that world, you are still much a part of me. I can give you shape, and I can hide your true power within "But I don't wish to leave! It is warm here, and you are with me! Why would I wish to live on such a small rock when I have all of the void in front of me?" I gave part of myself for that world, and thus feel that I must protect the inhabitants of it. You shall always be near me, and you shall always have the expanse of space to look upon. You are a true part of me, one that can never be severed. You are forever connected to me. You live as I live, I die as you die "If this is truly what you wish, I will go to them, but promise me that I will be with you again!" The day will come that we will be together again. It may be soon, it may be at the end of all things, but we will be together. "Do what you must. I will trust in you" The white orb began to form into the shape of a Pony, tho much larger. Upon its back sat a pair of magnificent wings, and upon its head a large horn protruded. Live among them. Guide them.  All will be made clear to you. Now go forth. You are to be a beacon of light to these creatures, just as I am to this planet. You are Celestia, daughter of Sol, and protector of the Equine races of Earth! Celestia hesitated. "What if I fail?" You shall not Celestia was terrified, but trusted in her father. She spread her wings, and began her decent. //-------------------------------------------------------// First Contact //-------------------------------------------------------// First Contact The air was warm, although it paled in comparison to the warmth of being near her Father.  As she descended upon the empty field of grass, Celestia felt a terror take hold of her. She could not explain the feeling that she was overcome with, but it was like she had lost a part of what she was. She was feeling the power of gravity for the first time, and was unable to freely move in all directions as she had been before. "What evil have you cursed me with, you flat beast?" Celestia angrily asked the ground, for this was the first solid object she had ever felt, and it was horrifying. She was met with complete silence. "Answer me, or feel the power of Sol himself overcome you!" Celestia attempted to scorch the ground with mighty solar power, but found herself unable to harness it. "What dark power do you hold over me? I shall escape your evil!" Celestia spread her wings, and gave them a mighty push, but she was only propelled a few feet. "What has happened to me? Why are you doing this?" Celestia had used her wings to bring her to this planet, but it took only a single flap to send her flying across space like a rocket. Celestia decided that the best course of action was to run from the ground, but she also found this to be difficult. "I'll use these protrusions to get away, and I'll find a way to SMITE thee!" She said as she attempted to run, but was immediately tripped by her own legs. Celestia, Daughter of Sol, the first Alicorn, savior of the Ponies, had just face planted on the cold hard ground, her legs a tangled mess. "Father, why did you send me to such a place? I am powerless here!" Again, she was met with silence. Celestia stayed on the ground for a long while, contemplating her predicament. "Look, I know we got off to a bad start here, but I have come to this rock to SAVE you, why are you so determined to hinder me?" The ground continued to ignore her. Celestia felt her anger building, and she decided to attack in the only way she could. Celestia took a bite out of the ground. "Take THAT you.........." She froze. "What charm have you cast upon me?" Asked Celestia with a mouth full of grass. Celestia took another bite, and another, finding herself enjoying the taste of her mortal enemy! She continued eating, and for the first time, she fell asleep. Celestia stood on a seemingly endless black surface, yet was somehow looking down at the Earth from space at the same time. Above her was Sol. She wanted nothing more than to return to him, but she was unable to fly. She attempted to call out to him, but her voice would not leave her throat. "You shall witness the end" Celestia looked for the source of the deep booming voice, but found nothing. "You have taken all from him. I thank you, for my task is nearly complete" The voice grew closer. Without warning, the Moon appeared between herself and Sol, and it was cracked into two pieces. Stars began to rush from the broken halves, and the once empty void was filled with billions of lights. Celestia could do nothing be watch the brilliant display, her eyes beginning to water from the sheer beauty. The pieces of the moon came back together, but they took on a new shape. Now an enormous Dragon flew before her. "Watch, and be set free, for Sol is no more" The Dragon split into countless copies of itself, and flew toward Sol. One by one they began to melt, leaving thousands of skeletons behind. The Dragon bones began to spiral, and they formed a new Dragon, much larger than any that came before. Celestia fell to the ground as she witnessed the Dragon wrap its wings around Sol. "NO, LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She was finally able to say. She launched herself from her platform, and released a beam of powerful solar energy at the Dragon. The Dragon was incinerated, but Sol was also gone. "Such is the fate of the Princess" Said the voice. With a terrified scream, Celestia awoke from her first dream. Celestia was in a state of shock at what she had witnessed. She immediately shot her eyes to the sky, and was relieved to see Sol still shining upon her. "T'was this cursed Earth that I have eaten! I shall never again ingest your vile magic that bestowed upon me those dark visions!" Celestia slowly stood, still uneasy on her hooves. She began to take short steps, each one more steady than the last. "You flat fiend! I have conquered you!" She said in triumph as she gleefully trotted along the grass. Celestia was so caught up in her victory over the evil field, that she nearly forgot her entire reason for coming to this planet. "Dear Sol, I have won my first battle on this evil rock that you so love! The scaled beasts shall be of no consequence to my power!" She declared triumphantly to the sky. Celestia was more focused than ever before. She set her sights on the mountain range before her, and she happily, but carefully, began to sprint toward them. Celestia had ran, and then walked, and then crawled, toward the mountains for longer then she cared to notice. "They look so large, yet are never any nearer! And this body! Why must it slow when I wish to keep moving? Is this another curse? Have I yet been defeated by this lowly walking surface?" Celestia continued to complain, not noticing the set of eyes that now watched her. "And why do I have this bone sticking out of my head? What sort of creature would require such a thing? Who decided that-" She was suddenly cut off by the feeling of claws jabbing into her wings. A large scaled claw had swooped in from the sky above, and plucked her from the ground. "Unhand me! I am Celes-" Again she was cut off as the Dragon let loose a deafening roar. The Dragon flew as high as he could, clearly attempting to frighten Celestia. Celestia had no fear of the sky, but felt her heart drop as she looked down at the ground, her old nemesis, as it grew ever farther from her reach. "Scaled beast! I have come here to put a halt to your evil transgressions! Return me to the surface, and I shall show you the true power of Sol!" The Dragon was taken completely off guard, and began to laugh at the words of Celestia. "My dear Pony, have you never met a Dragon before? You are but a piece of dirt to us" "Do not underestimate the dirt! It has been a worthy adversary thus far!" The Dragon again began to laugh. "For such a large Pony, you sure have a small brain!" "I don't know what a 'brain' is, but that sounded quite insulting!" The Dragon was nearly in tears at this point. "Oh that settles it! I'm taking you to the King, he'll get a real kick out of you!" Celestia perked up at these words. "Yes! A royal audience! Just what I was hoping for! We may get our problems straightened out without bloodshed yet! The Dragon was out of breath, and was unable to even laugh at her words. //-------------------------------------------------------// King of the Bright Lands //-------------------------------------------------------// King of the Bright Lands After an unknown, but undoubtedly long flight, Celestia had lost consciousness in the grasp of the dragon. Although they had been near the great mountain, the dragon flew in circles, in an attempt to confuse and scare the pony. After a good while passed, the dragon nosedived toward the mountain. "The King will just LOVE you, but first you need to be softened up a little," the dragon told the dizzy and confused pony. The dragon grabbed Celestia's face, covering her eyes, and threw her against a stone wall. She heard the sound of a sliding stone, and then nothing. It was dark. For a moment Celestia was sure she had met her end. For the first time in her life she couldn't see the hoof in front of her face. For the first time in her life, Sol's light wasn't shining upon her. She panicked. Her first reaction was to turn her anger toward the evil ground. She stomped and screamed at the vile creature, but nothing came of it. The hours passed. The days. Celestia had yet to grasp the concept of time, but she had become a master of the art of bordom. After many days in the enclosed dark area, she had run out of insults to spit at the hard stone floor. She was done doing anything. Having not eaten for a few days, she was on the brink of death, though she had no idea what that even meant. A loud creak.  A portion of the wall began to raise from the ground. "Are you still alive, little pony?" asked a familiar voice. She didn't answer. It would be hard for anyone to answer when they'd never drank a drop of water in their entire lives. Celestia was without voice or strength. She was a shell of the loud mouthed ground smiter she had been days before. "Pretty much what I figured," the voice said. Celestia didn't try to move. She just let the dragon scoop her up. Was this the end? She was so sure she was already dead, but now she was only confused. Confused and starving. She had no idea how long they walked through the stone halls. The world felt as if all light had been extinguished, and she was in no condition to even attempt to measure time or distance, so they may have been walking for days. She was absolutely shut off from the entire world. That is, until they came to the main hall. The great mountain had been hollowed out, and the top had been torn from it. Celestia was bathed in Sol's light, and a glimmer of hope came with it. She was still in dire need of food and water, but she was able to open her eyes. She wished she hadn't. The king stood before her. "Great King of the dragons! Mighty ruler of the earth and skies, I bring before you the self proclaimed 'adversary of the dirt', the first known hybrid of horned and winged ponies. She calls herself 'Celestia', and she is a the most entertaining creature I have ever known!" the dragon presented Celestia to the king as if she were some sort of prize. The room fell silent as the king spread his enormous wings. "Entertain me," the king demanded. It took all of her strength, but she was able to speak a few words. "You....my dream," she said. The first dragon began to laugh, but was silenced by a growl from the king. "Dream? What do you speak of? Have you met me before?" asked the king. Celestia attempted to answer, but had used all of her strength. She passed out before the great dragon King. "What have you done to her?" the King asked with a seething anger in his voice. "I thought it'd be best to knock some of the fight out of her. She's been in the chambers for 5 days," the poor foolish dragon answered. "My guards, bring her food and water. I wish to speak with the pony," the King ordered, to the great confusion of the other dragons. The King burst into the air, and let out a mighty roar. He swooped down and grabbed the first dragon in his huge claws. "My old friend, you know all prisoners are to be brought to me immediately," The King said to the dragon as they flew higher into the air. "I-I'm sorr-" The king grabbed the dragon by his wings, and snapped them off like twigs. He dropped the screaming dragon . He burst into flames as he made contact with the accursed ground below. The king returned to his throne room, wanting to talk to the pony as soon as she was able. Celestia had regained consciousness when her captor had met his explosive end, and was presented with a large bowl of water. She was immediately taken aback when she slowly dipped her hoof into it. She was both confused and utterly amazed at the sensation of feeling  water for the first time. "What is this magical substance? Is it a means to destroy me? What am I to do with it?" She asked with what little voice she had left. It was at this moment that Celestia noticed the King watching her. She had thought she had been in another dream when she first saw him, but now she was able to take in the full majesty of the creature before her. The King was more vast than any creature she had seen on this planet thus far, although that wasn't saying much. His red scales and piercing orange eyes filled Celestia with a dread she had never experienced before. Just for one fleeting moment, she wished that she had died in that dark room. To her, anything was better than being faced with the monster from her nightmare. "Little pony, have you never seen water before? You are to simply drink it, and your voice shall return to you," the King said in the most nonthreatening tone he could muster, though it was still enough to chill the pony to her core. She was reluctant at first, but what did she have to lose at this point? She drank the water in one gulp. Even the King was impressed by this. Her voice returning to her, she immediately berated the King. "How DARE you harm me? Do you have any idea who I am?" She asked the bemused dragon. "I know only what has been told to me. You are the "adversary of the dirt', as my foolish guard told me," he answered her. "I will not speak with the feeble enemy of my father!" She said, showing great courage on the outside, but trembling with fear on the inside. "Well the dead fool was right about one thing, you are entertaining, but now my patience is wearing thin. How do you know me? Tell me about your dream," the King said, greatly annoying Celestia. "Why would I tell you anything? You are nothing compared to the majesty of my father!" Celestia continued to defy the beast in front of her. The King spread his wings, rose his head to the sky, and unleashed a burst of white-hot flames. "I am King Primitus Ignis, first King of the dragons, keeper of the white flame, ruler of earth and sky, King of the bright lands of the world, nightmare to the equine races!" the King declared, causing every dragon in view to fall to the ground and shake in fear. "And what does that mean to ME? I am Celestia, the daughter of Sol, the savior of this planet, the protector of the equine races, the first born of the life-giving star, the smiter of your kind, and the conqueror of the ground itself!" she replied, spreading her own impressive wings. The King was done playing games with the little pony. "I shall show you what my name should mean to you," he said, alarmingly calm. The King shot into the air, and took Celestia in his massive claws. With a single flap of his wings, they crossed the border into the dark lands. Everything had happened so fast, and Celestia had no real time to react before they had traveled a fair distance. "What are you doing? UNHAND ME!" She demanded. "I shall, but first you will see what fate awaits all who defy my will." The King came to a stop, and landed in a pitch-black field. Celestia was pinned to the ground, and was in complete darkness. "Let it be know that your fall comes at the hooves of your "savior" Celestia, the daughter of Sol, the great enemy and destroyer of the dragons, " the King announced into the darkness. He unleashed another blast of his monstrous white-hot fire. For just a moment, Celestia saw them. A village. An entire village, reduced to ash. The flying ponies, the horned ponies, the grounded ponies, the creatures that her father loved so much, reduced to nothing in an instant. Screams. Screams and nothing. Not even a hint that a village had stood mere seconds ago. The King again took to the sky. Celestia was again unable to speak. "Nothing to say? No remarks about your great power? No threats?" The King began to laugh. A horrible, earsplitting, thunderous laugh. "Why?" was all she could muster. "Because you denied me my answers. We shall return to my mountain, and you shall tell me of your dream, or you shall see another village burnt to cinders." It only took moments for them to make it back to the throne room. The king gently sat Celestia back in the same spot he had plucked her from. "Now, little pony, you will tell me the dream that you spoke of," the King ordered. Celestia, just barely holding back tears, complied. "I heard your voice, oh fearsome King of dragons. You spoke of the destruction of Sol himself,  and I watched as you led an army against him. You and your army were reduced to nothing, but a new dragon was born," explained Celestia, with just a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "A new dragon? What did he look like?" asked the King, who was genuinely enthralled by the story. "He was much larger than even you, yet he retained your voice. He was a brilliant cobalt blue, and his eyes matched your own. He died, but along with him Sol was also extinguished," Celestia continued. The King pondered her words for several minutes. "I see. I am pleased with this dream, Celestia," Said the King, who took on a much softer tone. King Primitus Ignis, the King of the earth, flew far above his mountain, displaying a wicked smile. "All creatures of the earth, despair, for my lineage shall live into eternity, and my children shall rule over you for all time!" The sky was suddenly filled with thousands of dragons, and they began to chant in unison. "Our king shall rule eternal! The dragons shall live forever! Long live Primitus! Long live his decedents! Long live his great empire" The sky began to grow dark as the dragons covered everything. The King looked down at the terrified pony, still holding that same sickening smile. "Do you see now 'Daughter of Sol'? We shall live forever, and even Sol himself will fall at our might!" The king flew above the vast army of dragons, and unleashed his flames. The smoke rose high, and Sol was, at lest temporarily, blocked out. Celestia did the only thing she could do. Celestia ran from the mountain, and into the dark lands.