Chapter 1: The Beginning of Time
The sounds of an exotic nature filled the space of the beginning realm. Not a single place was unaffected by the melody of the stars. Many inhabitants of the realm enjoyed the music, it brought them comfort and security in their small homes of patchy huts or natural land masses. This realm was unknown to you and I and we will never lay eyes upon it for it is so spiritually centered that not even the Gods of our realm themselves can see.
The story of this otherworldly life is long and enduring. There is not one person in the world who could tell you this story. But I am no person of this world. I have traveled great distances to share the story of the creatures that thrived in that land. Mighty creatures that were once a powerful and greatly respected kind. You may refer to them as dragons, but know that these are not the savage beasts that live in your stories.
Save your questions for the end of this story. You may find the answers you seek if you listen to what is happening around you. Do not forget your place. Do well to respect these ancient beings of time’s beginning, for they could one day be here, judging you. We will start with the one who spoke first. The one who built his heavens and gave land to others so that they make homes for their families. The one who created life as we know it. Be grateful child, for I am about to tell you the story of Icarus.
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Nothing filled the ever-expanding void. Filling the space with an empty grasp. There were no five main senses, nor was there a meaning. Everything was nothing. And nothing belonged everywhere. The void of nothing consumed all that was nothing. Infinitely expanding and growing beyond comprehension.
Nothing happened. Nothing lived. Until something happened. Something living filled the nothing. An unseen ripple spread through the endless void at a speed nothing could compare. Then there was something that had never existed before. Something. Something was inside the nothing, it could see nothing. It felt nothing. It looked like nothing, but it was something.
Then something happened. A bright array of creation funneled from the tear in the void. The void learned of heat, something it had never had before. Heat caused the entire void to explode into something. The expansion was now completely infinite and nothing was pushed away. Forms of heat came together to claim their own expansion in the thriving void. The forms of these claims were extremely large and extremely violent. As nothing moved further from the ripple the claims began to harden, showing they truly controlled their space.
Something noticed the creation it had caused. A creation nothing has ever witnessed before. The thing that had traveled through the ripple bringing energy and heat with it had begun to explore its newly found expansion. It looked to the claims fighting each other to be held in the warmest parts of space. It saw claims colliding to make or crumble into something new.
As the being traveled through the void it discovered how to create something itself. Energy poured in from all around the newly formed claims. As the being filled up with life it became smaller and drew nearer to a close claim that was swelling in size by the second. Soon traces of light shot out of the being and formed into legs. Trails of the energy behind it turned into nine powerful fur tails. From its legs, feet sprouted and spread its roots into claws. The energy’s gravity was so powerful that it was crushed tightly into a long and slender body. A tall neck poured out from the shoulders of the dense body and tipped into a newly formed head. The sparks of life surrounding this once godlike being turned into long streaks of soft fur and found its home all along its body. Gracefully morphed pillars grew from its forehead backward into grand and sharp horns.
The eyes became aware of their surroundings with a single blink. A heart filled with curiosity motivated the being to chase after the bloating claim before it. The more the being sped through the barrier around the claim the more its new lungs cried out to taste the life of the claim. Every nine tails of the being slashed behind it as the creature let out a mighty explosion from its chest, which escaped through the dozens upon dozens of razor sharp teeth that now found a home in its wide grin.
The surface was covered in so many different things finding ways to form a body to call its own. There were beings with dangerous claws. Some of them were so small they could accidentally be snorted into the flaring nostrils of the being finding its way to the claim. Clouds strangled the new skies of the new world. Water sweat from the fighting clouds down onto the land causing patches of plants to grow and flourish. With one final step towards the new claim, life spread throughout its vast lands in search of food and shelter.
The being slowed down dramatically as its own body was formed. The ground shook with energy the instant its new fresh paws touched the heavenly creature. Its eyes lazily turned back to the void behind it, and with one breath it said, “Icarus… My name is Icarus!” and from that moment on life spiraled into an amazing display of evolution. Icarus sat by and watched as many animals came to greet the higher being. And as they left they changed with each step.
Icarus began to wonder about itself. What was it… as the being explored the land, it came across many different pockets of water. Some large, some small. Each one filled with solid water. Everything seemed to be slowing down. As if life were dying… That was until Icarus found a special pocket of water. One that was larger than all the rest, and it was free. It moved with grace, excellence, and charm. This water pocket was not solid. Icarus could see through it and see itself in it… The first smile to ever exist placed itself on Icarus’ reflection as it spoke. “That is a dragon! A fierce, strong and proud dragon!”
Icarus now knew what they were. And they liked it, a dragon. The dragon looked far and wide, searching for others like it. “I am Icarus, the dragon! Are there any other dragons here?” As Icarus’ voice rang over the land the claim, now thought of as the planet, replied to the dragon’s call. Icarus could hear the other dragon, but it was far away.
Its claws dug into the surface with strong thrusts. Dirt and clay flew from the ground followed by stone and marble. As Icarus dug deeper and deeper into the ground the pile became larger and larger. Eventually, a large mountain formed behind it and a deep canyon laid in front. Fearing that the dragon was now lost inside the mountain Icarus flew to the top.
That is where Icarus found them. A mighty dragon perched atop the mountain. It was made from the earth Icarus had unsettled. The two were as one the moment they laid eyes on each other. Energy blasted through the clouds, giving way to the distant star and allowing, even more, energy to pool over the land.
“You are Icarus, the creator!” Barked the earthen dragon. “I am Kaliantaro, the mighty dragon born from your claws.”
Icarus smiled once more as the earthen dragon spread its wings in a wide display of beauty. “I am Icarus, mother of this world. The Maker of this time. Will you, Kaliantaro, join me?”
The earth dragon shook his head as soon as the words left her mouth. “I will follow you anywhere, Icarus!”
Just like that, a whole new birth of life was brought to the planet. Creatures down below evolved into four-legged wingless creatures. Up above on the mountain top, more dragons were given life and breath. Generation after Generation both populations grew larger and larger. Soon there were winged creatures down below. These creatures were just as adventurous as Icarus. They built their own homes, just as Icarus had when she formed the mountain and canyon. The land creatures helped each other grow as one, flourishing under their star. On special occasions, these creatures would attempt to reach the land of dragons. Many failed, others would give up. But one was determined.
That one had made it to the top of the mountain where it was greeted by Icarus and Kaliantaro. It was taller than the others. Its wings were large, but it was no comparison to Icarus. Icarus and Kaliantaro were the largest beings in this world. They both could fly up the mountain in just a couple wing beats. But to have finally met one of the creatures from down below they were thrilled.
“Great dragons, I come on behalf of my pony kind to meet you with open wings. I am Celestia, their leader. We face dark times and request help. Will you give energy to our lands once more so we may thrive in harmony?”
Icarus agreed to aid the pony. Her body changed shape until she was nearly the same size as the pony. As she changed, all the dragons in the land changed with her. Each one different, but ultimately the same. They were all connected to her and her life. The dragons gave cheers to Icarus as she flew down the mountain with Celestia.
It was a long and harsh journey to fly down the mountain in such a small form. The strong winds push Icarus harder than ever before. Only a couple minutes down the mountain and the dragon had to rest. Celestia led them to a small crack in the mountain’s side which concealed a hollow entrance into the rock.
“Just how did you manage to make it all the way up here with such brutal challenges?” Icarus let out a small groan as she sat on the cold hard ground. This was certainly far different than when she was in her true shape.
“Believe me it was not easy. This was just one of my resting spot. Thankfully this mountain has been shaken up enough to make shelters like these all around it.” The pony looked to Icarus with a smile and settled down opposite her.
A soft hum vibrated from Icarus’ chest as she turned her eyes to the mare in front of her. “You must be a brave pony, to come all the way up here for the others. Never before have I met a creature from the surface that could brave this mountain…”
Celestia gratefully accepted the praise from the ancient dragon. “I do what I can for my people. We’re a small population, but with each passing year, we grow more and more. And it’s all thanks to you Icarus.”
The dragon looked at her with confused eyes now. What had she meant by, ‘it’s all thanks to you’… Her feathered body shook a bit. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, you’re the creator of this land aren’t you? Our ancestors watched as you came from the sky. They cheered when you built the mountain and dug the canyon. Because you stirred the earth we were able to make our own plots out of it. We created homes for ourselves. Seeds were spread all around the world that gave us crops. Without you, we wouldn’t be speaking to one another and I would have never ventured up your mountain.”
Icarus’ face filled with shock. She didn’t know she had done so much for this world simply by searching for her equal. A warm feeling embraced her and excitement spread through her wings. “I must see what I’ve created. Will you take me to visit everything?”
Celestia looked a little taken back by the question, but she soon agreed and smiled to the dragon. Once the both were well rested and able to fly again, they took off. By now the wind had died down and most of the clouds had faded away on their own. The land presented before Icarus was ever expanding with life and growth. Her claws pointed our various water pockets that had connected to one another, forming rivers and lakes. New mountains had formed over time as the ground became too crowded with trees and plants. The earth was pushed up from below by their roots to make more room for them to grow. Rolling lands of grass littered the land with a happy green smile. Creatures flew in the sky and ran on the ground. Others swam in the water or drank from the edges.
The two neared the end of their flight when Celestia had begun to descend at a much sharper angle. Being closer to the ground now Icarus was able to see more ponies. All of them were hard at work trying to save their crops or plant new ones. Their homes were barely being held together by their deteriorating foundations. Things here looked less impressive than from up above and especially compared to her kingdom atop the mountain.
“As you can see, things down here are really rough for us. We used to thrive in the nourishment of your land, but something has changed. Everything seems to be slowing down. The energy is draining into the ground, too far for us to reach it. We need a way of keeping the energy up here with us so that life may flourish, or we will all certainly die.” Celestia looked to the darkening light sky. “There’s plenty of energy out there to serve us for this planet’s lifetime. We just have no way of accessing it. And we hoped you would.”
Icarus followed her eyes to the sky and smiled. She could see the energy beaming down to her. “I will help you, so long as you leave enough energy for them to maintain their own lives.” She motioned to the stars and planets above.
“We would be more than happy to. If we had a way of using that energy, I would personally see that it was only what we needed.” Celestia lowered her head to the dragon in a bow.
Icarus lowered her head as well, but not in a bow. She gently kissed the pony’s forehead. A light circle formed between her eyes. As soon as Icarus pulled away a pearl white horn lifted from Celestia’s forehead. The horn was sparking with energy in Icarus’ presence. And then, from this moment on for eternity, the first alicorn was created.
