Chapter 1- The Soul Altar
It was the year 171 in the Fifth Age. The legendary hero Xenia had died helping Arianne, Ozan, Sir Owen, and Arwan hold back a massive TokHaar invasion. The Mahjarrat threat had died down somewhat, each of them deciding to isolate themselves following the deaths of Lucien and Jhallan.
Arwan was the only one of the legendary heroes to maintain any sort of contact with any of the Mahjarrat, though he secretly despised them for the fact that the Mahjarrat Sliske turned his friend Akrisae into a wight. Arwan despised Lucien above even Sliske and Zemerougal. Lucien had flat out killed half of a group assembled to stop his ascent into godhood. And Arwan was powerless to stop him at the time.
With Lucien slain by a race of ancient beings called the Dragonkin, the world faced a new threat, for they want nothing short of the complete and utter annihalation of everything in the world. The legendary Staff of Armadyl was shattered by the dragonkin attempting to impale Lucien with it. The Stone of Jas was hidden to prevent the Dragonkin from getting any stronger than they already are.
But Arwan's mind couldn't rest easily. He wondered where the dragonkin came from. How they came into being. Why their power was tied with the use of the Stone of Jas. But more than anything, he wondered about the World Gate. He knew the World Gate was how many of the races came to Gielinor from many different worlds. But was it open? Could races still come into Gielinor? Can anyone even leave? Where is it?
His studies seemed to prove that the gate was closed, but he still couldn't rest easy. Even the fairies in Zanaris seemed to say that the gate was closed. But it wasn't enough for him. Surely, if he could travel via fairy rings to different planes of existence, the world gate would be open.. How else could Goraks gotten into the God Wars Dungeon, when they live on an entirely different plane?
If the world gate was open, he wanted to go to see where humankind on Gielinor came from. A bartender in the northern part of Varrock once said something about a place called Earth. What was Earth? Where is it? Are there more people there? He'd spent many a day since the ritual speaking with Azzanadra and Ali the Wise about that.
"Anything's possible, I suppose." Azzanadra said. "We came here through the world gate, but that was aeons ago. I don't remember where it is." He sighed. "Why are you so hard pressed to find that thing anyway? You use the fairy rings all the time to go to distant realms. What makes anywhere the World Gate can take you anything special?"
"You know as well as I do that the Stone of Jas is hidden. That's good news. But the dragonkin are a threat beyond our capabilites. You saw how easily they wasted Lucien. And he had the Staff of Armadyl! The same staff that Zamorak used to banish Zaros." Azzanadra flinched as Arwan said Zamorak's name. "If there's something on the other side of that gate that can bring down the dragonkin, I want to find it. Lucien nearly attained godhood. Hell, he may as well have been a god at that point anyway! If the dragonkin's power surpasses that of even a god..." He paused a minute. "If Zaros can't even do away with the dragonkin... We have no choice but to let Gielinor crumble before them. We need to destroy the Stone of Jas. Hiding it isn't enough."
"Zaros is more powerful than you could even begin to imagine, Arwan! Do you honestly think that my Lord cannot trounce these dragonkin?" Azzanadra asked, somewhat infuriated that Arwan would undermine his god like he just did.
"I don't know, Azzanadra. I was only born 20 years ago. I don't know what ANY of the gods are capable of- save for making the Wilderness the savage wasteland it is today. You've been around millenia! You'd know more than I would." Arwan replied.
"Alas, I was imprisoned during most of my stay here on Gielinor. My Lord was banished, and I was powerless to stop it from happening." A tear formed in his eye. "Zaros is capable of many things indeed, Arwan. I have no doubt in my mind that he can kill the Dragonkin." He paused. "Perhaps I should allow you to speak to my Lord. If it will put your mind at ease, hear what my Lord has to say."
"Sounds fair enough. But how can you contact him?" Arwan asked, then face-palmed as he remembered the task Azzanadra set for him not two and a half years earlier.
"Seems you remember the Frostenhorn, the Entrana Relic, and the Barrows Icon, Arwan. But it requires more energy than what you can provide to be able to converse with my Lord." Azzanadra paced around the Senntisten temple for a minute. "Arwan. Grab ahold of the Frostenhorn with your left hand, and grab the Barrows Icon with your right, placing both your right hand and the icon on the altar. I'll do the same with my left hand and the Entrana Relic." Arwan nodded in agreement, and did as instructed. Azzanadra muttered some words, and the world around them seemed to shudder, before they found themselves standing in an empty space.
"Azzanadra, my Faithful. You have returned to me. Ah, I see you have brought Arwan with you! What do you need, my servant?" A voice boomed. Arwan bowed upon hearing the voice.
"My Lord, Arwan has a question he would like to ask you." Azzanadra said in his bowed state.
"Very well, I will allow it. Arwan, arise, and ask thy question." Zaros boomed.
Arwan rose to his feet slowly, the might of Zaros affecting his movement. "Forgive me, Zaros. I've never been in the presence of a god such as yourself in my short lifetime. But I must ask you. What happened with the World Gate? Do you know if it is still open?"
Zaros chuckled. "Thou hath been forgiven, Arwan. As for your question, I cannot say that I know. I have remained here in this dimension for many a millenia. Since that traitor Zamorak stole my godhood. I have been slowly gaining in power, thanks to your efforts, along with Azzanadra's and Wahistiel's as well. When I return to your world, I plan to exterminate Zamorak once and for all. But that's beside the point. As for the World Gate, I know for a fact it was still open before I was banished here. If it is open now remains a mystery to me. However, the World Gate was located near the place where the souls of those who have died rest."
"The Soul Altar?" Arwan asked increduously.
"Indeed. The World Gate was located inside the altar, if I recall correctly." Zaros said.
"Did you know about the expeditions of the Fremennik? They destroyed all of the altars in existance. They now exist in pocket dimensions, accessible only through the use of a talisman. If the Soul Altar suffered the same fate as the rest of the altars, bar the Astral Altar, how will we get there without a talisman?" Arwan asked.
As if in response, white puffs of smoke surrounded Arwan, making it hard for him to breathe. As the smoke grew denser, he felt something in his hand. Something solid. "This is a Soul Talisman, Arwan. Do not lose it. It is made from the souls of a thousand Myriad." Zaros said.
Arwan and Azzanadra both gasped simultaneously. "But the Myriad... They were killed out during the God Wars! Their souls... they can't be reclaimed!" Arwan yelled.
"Silence!" Zaros boomed. "You will not address me in such an insolent tone. Be thankful that I am a merciful god. I have decided to spare you your life. As for the Myriad, they were just one of the many races I had amongst my legions. Legendary craftsmen they were. I was deeply saddened to see them go. Alas, as craftsmen of such a caliber they were, this is what they would have wanted. To be crafted into something that will unlock many secrets. Secrets even I do not know."
"Follow the tug of their spirits. Let them guide you to the Soul Altar, and the World Gate."
"My Lord, before I depart, I have but one last question for you." Azzanadra said.
"Speak, my faithful." Zaros said.
"Two years ago, I told you of the death of Lucien at the hands of the Dragonkin. What is your take on them. How should we dispatch them?" Azzanadra asked.
"Alas, I am not sure how any of us would fare. If they destroyed the Staff of Armadyl, as you say they did, I will not be able to channel any of my godly power into anything. Likewise, the Stone of Jas is hidden somewhere that even I do not know. So there are no god-forged items accessible at the moment. Bring me something that I can channel my powers into, and there is no doubt in my mind that I cannot dispatch of the Dragonkin. But until I have something like that, I am afraid that I would be just as powerless as you are against this threat." Zaros said, with a hint of sorrow in his voice.
"Thank you, my Lord." Azzanadra said, bowing.
"You are indeed welcome, Azzanadra. Arwan. I have but one command for you. Do not die. You are still essential to my plans." Zaros boomed.
"As you wish." Arwan said, also bowing.
"Very well, Arwan, let's take our leave." Azzanadra announced formally.
"Farewell, my faithful." Zaros called out.
The world shuddered again as they returned to the temple at Senntisten.
"Well... That's depressing news, Azzanadra." Arwan said.
"Indeed it is, my friend. Perhaps a journey to the World Gate is what is in store for us. But no one knows what we'll find on the other side of it." Azzanadra said.
"Yeah. This is true." Arwan said, pausing a moment. "We need more than just the two of us on this journey. Safety in numbers, right?"
"I can talk to Ali. He'd want to go. After your last run-in with Sliske though, I don't think you'd want him to tag along to another world." Azzanadra replied.
"Damn Sliske to Hell, Azzanadra. He got Akrisae. He WANTED me." Arwan replied with disgust.
"Arwan, we've come a long way since you freed me from that pyramid. Forget what I said back at the Ritual. You've become a good friend. I'll be damned to Hell myself if I let Sliske turn you into one of his Barrows Wights. I'd sooner have him as my mortal enemy than lose an ally such as yourself. Even if you are short-lived."
"Thanks... I think." Arwan replied.
"So, Arwan... I know vaguely how Runecrafting works- Larriar had a long conversation with me about magic and it's ins and outs. I explained to her how we Mahjarrat are able to cast magic without the use the runestones you humans need. She was fascinated. She, in returned told me about runecrafting, and how it works. I'm under the impression that the Soul Talisman 'pulls' you in the general direction of the altar, right?" Azzanadra said.
"Indeed, the talisman will tug in the general direction of the altar it's attuned to." Explained Arwan.
"Which direction is it pulling? I've gotten somewhat accustomed to this new world, despite being imprisoned in that damned pyramid for millenia." Azzanadra asked.
Arwan holds the talisman close for a second, waiting for the familiar tug. It never came. He tried moving around, but the talisman never responded, despite everything he did.
"That's... New. I've never had a talisman act like this before. Even the Cosmic Talisman responds on the mainland. Which means..." Arwan went on. "The Soul Altar has to be in another realm."
"What? Another realm?" Azzanadra sighed. "Well, Zanaris seems to be as good a place as any to start looking, what with it being the nexus of all realms."
"I was thinking the same thing. I've used the fairy rings many times to teleport to one place or another. I have no idea what's in store for us, so I'm going to bring a stockpile of runes, just in case." Arwan said.
They walked from the Temple in Senntisten to the Grand Exchange in record time. The guards who usually guard the gate into the Senntisten ruins were off duty, so they used the gate that was usually reserved for the Digsite workers.
After purchasing several thousand runes, Arwan and Azzanadra made their way to the River Lum and walked along its banks until they saw the fairy ring. Stashing his runes in one of his pouches, Arwan looked to Azzanadra.
"Are you ready for this?" Arwan asked.
"I've been to countless realms myself, Arwan. Remember? All Mahjarrat hail from Freneskae, a land torn by millenia upon millenia of war. I'm pretty sure I can handle whatever comes our way." Azzanadra said with a smirk.
"Alright then, let's do this." Arwan said, stepping into the center of the fairy ring, disappearing from sight. Azzanadra followed right behind him.
After a few seconds, they arrive in the familiar realm that is Zanaris. Arwan stepped out of the fairy ring and took a look around. He'd been here before many times, be it to travel around the mainland quicker than normal, or doing various tasks for people both on the mainland and here. Still, he couldn't help but be captivated by Zanaris's beauty. There were pine trees everywhere forming the border of the area. They grew so close together, you couldn't walk through them if you wanted to. The streets were rather dusty, but the residential fairies saw no point in having paved roads when they float everywhere. Arwan looked around for a fairy, but there were none nearby. They were probably out doing their random errands, he thought. Arwan looked in the houses that the fairies had constructed in the trees in amazement that anything could live in them, even something as small as a fairy. Arwan walked over to the sheep that always stood by the fairy ring.
"Hey Sheep. How are ya?" Arwan asked.
"I'm doing quite well, thanks for asking. How about you Arwan?" The sheep replied.
"I'm pretty good actually. Gonna be doing some field work. Not sure when I'll be back." Arwan said.
"I know you and your field work. Stay safe, human."
"As safe as I can be."
At this point, Azzanadra looked at Arwan with a look of confusion.
"Did that sheep just talk?" Azzanadra asked in wonder.
"Why, yes I did." The sheep responded. Azzanadra fell to the floor, unsure of whether or not he was losing his mind.
"Sheep... Don't... Talk!" Azzanadra practically yelled.
"This is Zanaris, Azzanadra. Nothing should surprise you here." Arwan said with a chuckle. As Arwan was talking, a raincloud appeared above Azzanadra's head, unleashing its torrent on him.
"Stupid cloud..." Azzanadra mumbled as the cloud dissipated as quickly as it came.
"See, don't be surprised about anything here. Anyway, see ya later sheep." Arwan said.
"Farewell." The sheep said, walking off to the nearby wheat field.
"That was... Odd..." Azzanadra said cautiously.
"There's a talking cow here too, but the cow and the sheep don't get along very well. The cow doesn't get along with anyone... Anyway, let's get outta here." Arwan said.
"We should. Arwan, what direction is the Soul Talisman pulling now?" Azzanadra asked.
"Let's find out." Arwan said, pulling the Soul Talisman out of his pack. He held it out and was surprised to get a tug this time. "It's pulling towards the fairy ring. Maybe something will happen if we dial a code while holding this thing."
"Worth a shot." Azzanadra replied.
After several minutes of tinkering with the fairy ring, the Soul Talisman begins to float from Arwan's hand, glowing softly.
"Whoa..." Arwan said in wonder.
As the talisman got closer and closer to the center of the fairy ring, the glow became more and more intense, flashing from a bright white to a vibrant yellow- a stark contrast to the blue-colored grass that made up most of the area.
"Whoa indeed." Azzanadra said, just as confused at what was going on.
Once the talisman reached the center, it just dropped to the ground, still glowing the same vibrant yellow it had been glowing before. Once it touched the ground though, the mushrooms that made up the fairy ring began to glow the same vibrant yellow. Before long, the whole fairy ring was nothing more than a solid circle of yellow on the ground.
"I... I think that's a portal to somewhere." Arwan said.
"I'm sure of that myself. Where is the question..." Azzanadra replied.
"Only one way to find out though..." Arwan said with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Let's go." Azzanadra said.
Arwan and Azzanadra stepped into the glowing yellow circle on the ground and found themselves floating in space.
"Look at the stars, Azzanadra." Arwan said.
"Amazing. Here I thought Zanaris was the most visually pleasing place I'd ever see. These stars go on forever." Azzanara replied.
The weightlessness they were experiencing soon subsided, and they found themselves in a cave somewhere.
"What is this?" Azzanadra asked no one.
"I'm... Not sure. And the Soul Talisman is gone too. It must have burned up while making that portal here." Arwan said.
"Yeah. Well, we might as well explore. See what we can find." Azzanadra said.
"There seems to be a village down that way." Arwan said, pointing toward a light off in the distance. Arwan noticed that it was nighttime, and a sudden chill went down his spine. "I don't like being out here this late at night. Well... I don't know how late it is, but I don't like being out here. We don't know what dangers there are."
"You have a good point, my friend, but I think we should walk towards the village you pointed out. It's as good a place as any to begin the search for the World Gate." Azzanadra said as he began to walk towards the lights.
After a few minutes, they were already at the village, but no one roamed the streets. It was quiet, perhaps a bit too quiet for a village, regardless of the time of night. Arwan pointed toward a building that stood out more than any other building around. It was a giant circular building that stood in the center of town. It had a sign on the front porch that read "Carousel Boutique".
"Hmm... Seems the people here speak the common tongue." Azzanadra pointed out.
"Yeah. Well. It's getting rather cold out here. Maybe the people in that building can provide a place to sleep for the night." Arwan said, fighting a yawn.
"You have a point. Let's go." Azzanadra said, walking toward the building.
It was a rather short walk to get to the building, not taking more than a minute from where they were. Arwan approached the door and knocked on it three times. After no answer for a minute, Arwan and Azzanadra turned around to leave to go the next house when they heard the door open behind them, and a rather aggravated female voice coming from behind them.
"Honestly, it's three o'clock in the morning, what pony is awake at three-" She stopped talking and stared at the people on her porch. They turned around and looked at her. She wasn't a person at all. But a unicorn. And a small one at that. And she was talking.
Azzanadra was the first to break the silence. "This has been a very strange day..."
The unicorn stared at Azzanadra for a moment, then looked over to Arwan. After another awkward silence, the unicorn spoke up. "Come in, dears. It's rather cold out here, isn't it?" More than happy to oblige, they followed her inside.
Arwan glanced around the building and saw some things he'd expect to see from Thessalia back in Varrock. After a moment, Arwan spoke up, choosing his words carefully. "Where are we?"
"Why, you're in Ponyville, of course dearie! But if I may be so kind to ask... What ARE you exactly?" The unicorn said.
The question caught them off guard. Arwan was a human of moderate size and Azzanadra was a rather big mahjarrat.
"We're humans. Well, I am at least. He's a Mahjarrat." Arwan said.
"A human..." The unicorn repeated with interest.
"Indeed." Azzanadra said. "A mahjarrat is kind of like a human, but we live longer and are much more powerful."
"Yep." Arwan said. "So do you have a name, miss unicorn?"
"Oh my! I'm so sorry humans! I've been so caught up in you that I haven't introduced myself! My name's Rarity." She said, extending her hoof for them to shake.
"I'm Arwan." Arwan said, accepting her hoof-shake.
"My name is Azzanadra."
"It's pretty late guys. You should probably get some sleep. I'll introduce you two to my friends in the morning, and we can talk about everything then." Rarity said.
Arwan chuckled sheepishly and put his hand behind his head. "Sorry for waking you Rarity."
"Yeah, sorry." Azzanadra said.
"Good heavens, don't be sorry you two! I could never let two... humans? Yeah, I think you said humans. I couldn't let two humans sleep outside!" Rarity said, her horn glowing. A soft thump was heard. "I've prepared the guest beds. Go ahead and get some sleep. We can talk more when everypony's awake."
"Thank you, Rarity." Azzanadra and Arwan both said, yawning.
"Not a problem!" Rarity said, yawning herself. "I'm going to go back to sleep. Good night." She said as she went to her room and shut the door behind her.
"So we're in Ponyville." Arwan said quietly.
"It seems so. I wonder if everyone here is a unicorn, or what." Azzanadra replies just as softly.
"Dunno. But let's get some shut-eye. We'll need it for tomorrow." Arwan said, drifting off to sleep.
"Yeah..." Azzanadra said, yawning. "Good night."
"What are they?" A high pitched voice practically yelled in excitement.
"One calls himself a human, the other's a mahjarrat from what they said." A familiar voice said.
A bright pink pony prodded Arwan. "Wake up sleepyheads!"
"Ugh..." Arwan wiped the sleep from his eyes and looks over at his friend, still snoring away. "How can he sleep through this?"
"Oh, you want him awake? That's not a problem!" The pink pony exclaimed, seemingly vanishing for a few moments.
"Uhh... Rarity?" Arwan asked, recognizing her voice as one of the two who were speaking as he woke up. "Who was that?"
"I'm terribly sorry for waking you, Arwan. That was Pinkie Pie. She's..." Rarity stopped.
"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie yelled as loudly as she could, dumping a bucket of water on Azzanadra, waking him up instantly.
"AAARRGH, COLD!" Azzanadra yelled.
Pinkie Pie bounced up and down happily as Azzanadra stood up.
"I'm Pinkie Pie! My friends call me Pinkie! I haven't seen anypony in Ponyville like you two. Actually, I don't know what you two are. What's a mahjarblabit? Never mind what a marjarbat is, you guys are new here and haven't had a party yet! As Ponyville's premier party pony, I'm gonna give you the biggest, bestest, most awesomest party EVER!" She yelled excitedly before vanishing again.
"Gods, she's loud..." Arwan mumbled.
"Indeed she is Arwan. Azzanadra, I'll go grab you a towel." Rarity said sheepishly, Azzanadra standing there dripping wet with a scowl on his face.
"I am not a morning person..." Azzanadra mumbled.
Rarity returned a few minutes later with a couple of towels for Azzanadra and floated them over to him with her magic. Azzanadra and Arwan looked at Rarity, stunned at how she floated the towels.
"How are you doing that without runes?" Arwan asked after a brief moment.
"I'm not sure I understand, Arwan. What's a rune?" Rarity asked in confusion.
"You levitated those towels to Azzanadra. Levitation is a type of magic last I checked. Magic can't be performed without runes unless you're a Mahjarrat." Arwan said.
"Or a unicorn, darling. Every unicorn in Equestria has access to magic like this." Rarity said, taking pride in her magic.
"Intriguing, Rarity. Very intriguing. That pink pony, Pinkie Pie I think her name was, didn't have a horn, but she vanished near instantly. How does she do magic?" Arwan asked.
Rarity chuckled a bit. "Darling, that's Pinkie Pie for you. No one really understands her. She's able to do many things that leave everyone who witnesses them utterly baffled."
"But no one knows how she does them?" Azzanadra finally piped in, having finally awake enough to take interest in the conversation.
"Not a single pony aside from maybe Princess Celestia knows much about her unique brand of pony magic, I'm afraid." Rarity said.
"No matter, it'll make for an interesting case of study in any case." Arwan said.
"Well, now that the two of you have finally woken up, I'll do the honor of showing you around Ponyville and introducing you to everypony!" Rarity said. "You already met Pinkie Pie."
"Is everyone in this town as strange as she is?" Azzanadra asked.
"This town is fairly quiet unless Pinkie Pie is up to something. Or Twilight for that matter, now that I think about it. Or Sweetie Bell and her friends." Rarity gets lost in thought for a moment, thinking about everypony in town. "On second thought, no one's quite as strange as Pinkie, but this town IS fairly strange in general."
"Great..." Azzanadra said glumly, as Rarity escorted them out of the boutique into the town.
"Hey Rarity!" A voice shouted over the general hubbub of the town.
A little purple dragon ran over to Rarity, holding what looked to be a rather large sapphire.
"This. Is. For. You." The dragon said between breaths, panting heavily.
Rarity floated the gem out of the dragon's claws, eyeing it with interest. "Why thank you Spike! Such a lovely sapphire." The dragon blushed a little bit.
"It's no problem, Rarity. I've had that one since I was tiny." Spike said looking down. When he looked back up to see Rarity, he noticed Arwan and Azzanadra. "Uhh, Rarity? Who and what are they?"
"Did that dragon just talk?" Azzanadra asked.
"It's purple too..." Arwan said, ignoring the questions.
"Nice to meet you too," Spike said mumbling under his breath.
"I'm Azzanadra. I'm what's called a Mahjarrat." Azzanadra took note of Spike's somewhat agitated demeanor. Arwan looked at Spike.
"I'm Arwan. I'm a human." Arwan said without any emotion.
"Okay. Hey Rarity, I'm headed back to the library. Twilight's up to her eyeballs with books, but she told me to give you that sapphire for some reason. She wants to see you later." Spike said.
"Alright then, dear. I'll be sure to stop by." Rarity said as Spike walked off.
"Rarity, you mentioned Equestria earlier. What is that?" Arwan asked.
"Oh, dear me! I never told you? Equestria is our beautiful country, ruled by none other than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the goddesses of the sun and moon." She replied almost immediately.
"I see. Is there a way we could speak with one of them?" Arwan asked.
"The best way would probably be through Twilight, dear. After all, she is Princess Celestia's most trusted student." She replied after a quick second of thought.
"Do you think she'd mind if we came with you later on when you go to the library later?" Azzanadra asked, thinking the same thing that Arwan was thinking.
"She probably won't mind. She usually enjoys company. Not to mention the fact that you two aren't ponies. She'd be fascinated by you more than likely." She replied. "Anyway, let's go introduce you to the Apples."
"We're going to meet apples? Sentient ponies are strange enough, but there's talking apples too?" Azzanadra asked.
"No dearie! The Apple family is responsible for the bulk of the apples here in Ponyville. Without them, we'd probably starve. Plus, one of the Apples is one of my best friends." Rarity explained.
"Okay then. Let's go." Arwan said.
After a walk to the outskirts of town that took all of ten minutes, the trio came across a rather large farm and heard repeated booms coming from somewhere on it.
"That must be Applejack now, bucking the apple trees." Rarity said, walking onto the farm and up to the orange pony in the distance.
"Hmm? Oh howdy Rarity. Who's that ya got with ya? Don't look like no ponies Ah've ever seen before." The orange pony said, extending her right hoof. "Ah'm Applejack. Who're ya'll?"
"I'm Arwan, and this is Azzanadra." Arwan said, returning her hoof shake.
"Pleasure to meet ya'll. Ah'd introduce ya'll to the rest of mah family, but they're off in Appleoosa helpin' the buffalo over there with some things." Applejack said, offering her hoof to Azzanadra.
"That's a shame. So, Applejack, what was that you were doing right now?" Azzanadra asked, returning her hoofshake as Arwan did.
"Oh, Ah was bucking the apple trees to get the apples offa them. Apple season's passed, but some of the trees Ah missed have some apples on them, so Ah'm getting them down before they go bad." She replied.
"I see..." Azzanadra said.
"Oh, Rarity! You heard about that party Pinkie Pie's plannin', right?" Applejack asked.
"Why yes, I have. Are you going to be there Applejack?" Rarity asked.
Applejack nodded her head. "Yeah, Ah'm gonna be there. Ah was wonderin' if you'd make me a dress, given this is a special occasion and all."
Rarity's eyes lit up. "I'd love to, Applejack!"
"Thank ya kindly, Rarity. Ah gotta finish buckin' these trees. Only got a few more to go." Applejack said.
"Okay, dearie. We'll leave you to it then." Rarity replied, walking off as she said it.
After another ten minute walk back into town, the trio decided to pay Twilight a visit at the library. Rarity daintily knocked at the door. A few seconds later, the door opened and Spike walked out from behind it.
"Twilight! Rarity's here with the not-ponies!" Spike yelled.
"Hey Rarity." Someone's voice said coming from somewhere inside.
"Dear, I love the sapphire, wherever did you find it?" Rarity asked.
"I found a spell that can create them. I figured you might want one." Twilight said. After a moment, she looked over to Arwan and Azzanadra. "And just what are you two?"
Arwan looked somewhat annoyed at her attitude, and Twilight quickly apologized for her tone.
"My name is Arwan. This is Azzanadra. I'm a human, and he's a mahjarrat." Arwan explained.
"Okay, I've heard stories of humans, but what in the hoof is a mahjarrat?" Twlight asked.
"We're immensely powerful beings from another realm. We have incredibly long lifespans." Azzanadra explained, deciding to leave out the fact that the mahjarrat race was an incredibly violent one. "I myself have been alive for around eight thousand years, but spent around half of it asleep."
Twilight looked at Azzanadra, studying his features well.
"You don't look like somepony who's over eight thousand years old. Now that I think about it, that'd make you two or three thousand years older than Princess Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed. Rarity looked as if she was in shock as well at the fact that Azzanadra was as old as he was.
Azzanadra chuckled softly. "Well, like I said, I was asleep for more than half of it. Back then, times were..." He stopped for a minute. "Actually, I think I'll explain more later. Twilight, you seem like the inquisitive type, would I be correct in assuming that?"
Twilight beamed at him. "I do like to say I'm an intellectual. Why do you ask?"
"Perhaps you'd be interested in knowing of our world's dark history. I'd just rather not discuss it right now." Azzanadra said. "Arwan, you might wish to know this as well."
"I'd love to, Azzanadra." Twilight said. She glanced at Arwan. "So, what's a human?"
"Compared to most of the other races where we're from, we're rather short lived. Humans are known as being some of the only users of magic in the world, the only others being gnomes and Mahjarrat like Azzanadra." Arwan said.
Twilight's ears perked up at the use of the word magic. "Funny you should mention magic, actually." She chuckled. "Princess Celestia actually tasked me to live here in Ponyville to learn more about the magic of friendship. But aside from that, I like to think I'm proficient at magic as well."
"Magic of friendship?" Azzanadra asked. "How is friendship magic? I mean, I know friendship is good and all... But a source of power? I can't really believe that."
"I'm trying to figure that out as well. From what I've gathered so far, friendship itself isn't really a source of power. It's more of an amplifier for it, the stronger the bonds between friends, the more powerful the effect is." Twilight explained, walking over to her desk. Everyone followed her over there. "Of course, that's just a theory. A while back, Equestria was threatened by an evil pony called Nightmare Moon. She was an evil pony who wanted to keep Equestria in eternal night. No pony knows why she did. Our records say it was because most ponies loved the daylight that Princess Celestia reigned over, while fearing and sleeping through the night. Nightmare Moon was actually our beloved Princess Luna, believe it or not. But according to our records, Princess Luna was envious of Celestia and threatened to shroud the world in eternal night, never lowering the moon. Celestia couldn't reason with her, so she was banished to the moon. A thousand years later, she escaped and came back here, to do it again, but Princess Celestia made me and my friends bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Even to this day, I'm not really sure how, but we all used the Elements and defeated Nightmare Moon, reverting her back into Princess Luna without destroying her. And even weirder is the fact we did the same thing to the god of Chaos, Discord. The Elements of Harmony are even more mysterious than the magic of friendship." Twilight took a deep breath. That was one of her favorite stories to tell, mainly because it had things she wasn't sure about.
"It's true, you know. We really did all that." Rarity piped in.
"Interesting." Azzanadra said. "Maybe you could teach us what you know about the magic of friendship, and how to utilise it."
"We'll see." Twilight said with a gleam in her eyes. "I've told you our world's story. Tell me yours."
Azzanadra sighed. "I don't really know too much about what has gone on in the last few thousand years. I was only recently woken out of my slumber, and that was actually because of Arwan."
"I see. Arwan, what do you know?" Twilight asked inquisitively.
"Where should I begin?" Arwan chuckled. "Do you want to hear about my exploits, or the history of the world up until recent events?"
"Tell me what happened before your time, and work your way up." Twilight said.
"Alright. We come from a world called Gielinor. We're not really sure just how old our world is, but everything that we know of can be put into five different ages. The first of which was the creation and population age. The gods created Gielinor and brought different races into the world by different means. No one knows who brought humans, or from where, but we were there." Arwan explained. "The only god we know of during this period of time was a god called Guthix. He represents balance of everything. After everything was said and done at that point, he went into a deep sleep, marking the end of the first age."
"The Second Age is what is known as the age of Gods. At this point, the gods were able to directly interact with Gielinor's inhabitants. Each god represented something different. I already mentioned Guthix, who is the god of Balance. What we call the World Gate was also closed during this time. The World Gate is something I've been researching myself. It's what supposedly allowed all the races in Gielinor to enter the realm in the first place." Arwan continued. "During the second age, many different races flourished, creating nomadic settlements and the like. It was also during this period of time that Mahjarrat were introduced to Gielinor, though I'm not sure how they got there. Azzanadra says that a god named Icthlarin brought them there. The mahjarrat served the god Icthlarin for a long while, before seeing the god Zaros, an immensely powerful being, even for a god. Given the mahjarrat align themselves with whoever's the strongest, they switched their allegiances to Zaros for the time being. It's said that Guthix used an artefact called the Stone of Jas to shape the world, or if it wasn't him, another god. There were a few artefacts like that- mere trinkets that hold the power of gods for use by anyone who can actually control them. Another of these artefacts was the Staff of Armadyl, a staff imbued with the power of the God of Justice Armadyl himself. It fell into the hands of many people, before finally coming to rest in the hands of a mahjarrat named Zamorak. Zamorak made it so that each mahjarrat was forced to either ally with him, or defend Zaros. Those who defended Zaros were eliminated over time, save for a few. It was with the staff and the stone, and several other mahjarrat that Zamorak was able to overthrow Zaros, banishing him from the world, and stealing all of his power for himself. As such, Zamorak was seen as a major threat to the well being of the world at the time and was banished, marking the end of the second age."
Everytime Arwan mentioned Zamorak, Azzanadra's mood darkened, until he finally had to excuse himself from the conversation.
"The third age is what's known as the God Wars. Not much is known about this period of time other than the fact that after a short time being banished, Zamorak returned, waging war on every other god, and literally every being and every god fought in this war. It lasted for roughly four thousand years. During this time, what we know happened for a fact was that a weapon was forged. A weapon powerful enough to slay a god, aptly named the godsword. Each god participating in the war was aware of this, including Zamorak somehow. Entire races and civilizations were decimated in the wake of this war, forcing those hardy enough to stay alive to either fight or hide. This was also the time when Azzanadra was put to sleep. Azzanadra, even now, is immensely powerful, though not as strong as a god. Azzanadra single-handedly wiped out many armies of Zamorak's, which led to Zamorakian priests binding Azzanadra's very essence into four diamonds, forcing him into a comatose state for thousands of years. With one of the major threats gone, Zamorak's plans were starting to take shape. The world was on the brink of disaster, many places in the world even today continue to show unreversible damage from the god wars. At the peak of the God Wars, however, Guthix woke from his slumber and banished every other god in the world from Gielinor, no longer allowing them to directly interact with the world. Guthix shed many tears for the near-destruction of his world, vowing that if it happened again, he'd just destroy the world. That marked the end of the third age."
Twilight took this in, revelling in hearing the darker parts of another world's history. She seemed especially fascinated with the god Zaros, her eyes lighting up slightly whenever his name came up.
"The fourth age is known as the Age of Mortals. The god wars are finally over at this point, and the few remaining races alive were able to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and rebuild. Because the gods weren't interfering anymore, races were able to seek a more permanent place to stay, most races preferring to stay in their own parts of the world. Not every race was content with that though, and many attacked various other races for either food or to expand their own land. During this time, a threat called the Dragonkin were prominent, albeit in a different realm. They're linked to the Stone of Jas itself, gaining power the more it's used, though the increase in power causes them pain that can only be even somewhat be sated by causing death. A hero named Robert the Strong is thought to have killed them all, but more on that later. Towards the end of the fourth age, runestones were discovered, allowing humankind to make great strides in all fields, allowing them a solid defense against many other races by using magic."
Twilight looked at Arwan. "So magic is a relatively new discovery for your kind?"
"Indeed, magic has only been around for human use for maybe 200 years at most." Arwan replied. "But there are a few other races known to use magic, mahjarrat being a very noteworthy example."
"Intriguing. Go on." Twilight said.
"The fifth age, which goes from almost 200 years ago to the present day is the age of progression. Thanks to the ability to use magic, whole kingdoms are able to thrive and even expand, defending themselves from threats like vampyres and the like. Not everyone agreed that magic was for everyone though. A group of barbarians felt that magic was a tool best left for use by only the gods, and destroyed the temples that allow the creation of the runestones. As such, over time the rune supply began to dwindle. Contributing to the decline of runes was the burning of the wizard tower- a place where people could go to study magic in peace. A group of Zamorakians were refused complete control over the tower, and as such, they decided to burn it to the ground, eradicating the knowledge on how to create runestones altogether. The secret was lost for nearly a century. Recently, however, I managed to aid in the rediscovery of how to create runestones, despite the fact that the temples are destroyed." Arwan looked up at the sky and noticed the sun going down. "Wow, it's getting late."
"It is, isn't it? Arwan, you can tell Azzanadra that the two of you can come back here and finish telling the rest of everything that's happened in your world. I have some things I need to do before I go to sleep tonight. Stop by tomorrow, okay?" Twilight said, pushing Rarity and Arwan out of her house with her magic.
"Okay, Twilight! See you tomorrow!" Arwan said.
"Ow! That really hurt!" Rarity complained softly, rubbing her flank with her front right hoof.
"What's wrong?" Arwan asked.
"I'm not used to Twilight using her magic like that. Honestly, she needs to learn to tone down the amount of force she puts in her spells, or she could really hurt somepony!" Rarity said.
"Yeah, she really could. She seemed excited though. Wonder what's going on tonight that's so important for her." Arwan replied.
"I saw Pinkie Pie zipping around town all day since I stepped out earlier. I tried talking to her earlier, but she wouldn't stop for more than a second before going back to zipping around." Azzanadra said, catching up to Arwan and Rarity as they made their way back to the Carousel Boutique.
"Oh no." Rarity said. "That means..."
