"Once, long ago, there were two pony sisters, one of the sun and one of the moon. On their hour of need, three champions appeared to defend them and help them combat an ancient evil. The war with the being cost much, including the life of one of the heroes and the sanity of another. The mare of the moon fell to darkness, distraught from the passing of her champion and the mare of the sun was forced to banish her dearest sister, lest a calamity befall her ponies.
"The stars still long for their mad mother and, it is said, after one thousand years they will aid in her escape."
"Come on Twilight, we need to get ready!"
Twilight jumped at the boyish shout and dropped the old tome she was reading, "Marvelous Mysteries of the Millennia," she quickly bent down and picked up her oldest book she ever owned given to her by, her own mentor, Princess Celestia. She dusted the aged almanac of old pony tales before hugging it to her chest and went to the door with a huff before flinging it open and knocking her poor assistant down, the present falling down the flight of stairs and smashing into the wall. Forgetting all her anger, Twilight helped up her assistant that was like a brother to her, Spike.
"Sorry, Spike, but how many times have I told you not to shout at me while I'm reading."
The dizzy dragon danced a little and shook the stars from his eyes.
"Oh, come on, it's not like there's a book here you HAVEN'T read!" he huffed, "Besides, it was probably just that old book of ponytales again."
Twilight's cheeks heated up a bit before she pouted.
"That doesn't matter now!" she shouted before clearing her throat sheepishly. "Spike, take a letter."
The dragon sighed and took out his quill and paper, mumbling something about Moondancer's party.
"Princess, I write you with a most pressing issue! It is imperative that you heed my words."
"Impera..." the dragon said thinking on the word that stumped him so.
"Important!"
"Oh, right!" he exclaimed as she began again.
"You see, I have come to suspect that the Mare in the moon, is about to break from her thousand-year prison and bring forth the great calamity. Please be on your guard princess.
Your student, Twilight Sparkle."
"Oookay, got it!" he said before lighting the scroll in his magical fire. "You know you sound like a conspiracy nut, right."
Once more the unicorn pouted, crossing her arms under her sweater mounds.
"We'll see if you keep that tune after the princess responds."
"She won't." Spike said flatly before a scroll appeared.
"I knew it! So what does she say."
Spike sighed before he began reading the response.
"My dear student,
You know I value your words above all else,"
Twilight's chest puffed up a bit.
"But you simply must stop reading those dusty old books."
Twilight deflated.
"I have ordered a chariot to take you to the little town of Ponyvill, where I have a new assignment for you: make some friends." Spike smirked before continuing. "Officially, you will be there to see that everything is in order for the Summer Sun Celebration, but please, Twilight, try to make some friends. You never know how magical friendship is until you do.
Your mentor, Princess Celestia."
Twilight moped all the way to the chariot that they embarked on. After a while, Spike sighed, he knew she'd act like this.
"Oh, cheer up, Twilight." he said patting her shoulder comfortingly. "I mean, it's not like the Princess said you weren't her pupil anymore, right?"
Twilight let loose a long sigh as she watched the scenery go by, her gaze lingering a bit on some old, rundown, ruins. Her magic had a slight pull from her as she looked at them.
"You're right Spike." she said, perking up a bit.
"Plus, it looks like we'll be at the library."Spike said with a soft smile.
A lightbulb went off when Spike brought that up.
"That's it Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, "I can research more about this 'calamity,' maybe even these 'champions!'"
Spike frowned a bit.
"Then when will you have time to make friends, like the Princess wanted."
Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Spike, this is the fate of Equestria we're dealing with, hay, maybe the planet! I think 'making friends' can wait."
Spike sighed and grumbled but knew that when Twilight got like this, there was no talking to her. The small town of Ponyville was slowly showing itself in the distance. The serene view was enough to bring a smile to his face.
Maybe this was what his semi-sister needed. He thought to himself, drinking in the beauty of the quiet town. Maybe some time away from the busy Canterlot would be good, besides, Twilight, never seemed like the "big city" type of mare. She wasn't oner that would go out partying...except that one time that that bucker, Blueblood, tried to get her "liquored up." He absentmindedly smirks as he remembers when a very drunk Twilight threw up all over the pompous unicorn's tux and how he then ran home screaming.
The chariot soon touched down and the duo disembarked. The chariot then took off before Spike could ask him where they needed to go. The little dragon grumbled but he and Twilight walked on.
"So, what's first Twilight?"
"First, we need to find out where the Town Hall is." she said, walking to a bouncing, slightly pudgy, pink earth mare. "Excuse me, where's-"
The mare gave a giant gasp and darted off fast enough to leave a cloud where she once was. Spike chuckled a bit while Twilight just looked on with a raised eyebrow.
"Was it something I said?"
Spike just continued to laugh in response causing an exasperated sigh to come from Twilight who just continued on before she was pointed to Town Hall by a mare selling carrots at the open market.
The rest of the day was spent being drenched, spin dried, dressed up and having her tongue on fire from drinking a few mouthfuls of hot sauce. By the time night came, Twilight, was exhausted and trying to sleep, the keyword here is trying.
The pounding music and carrying on from the ponies at the party downstairs was enough to make her groan in annoyance. When Spike came in, wearing a lampshade and, perhaps a bit out of it, Twilight finally voiced her anger.
"Can you all keep it down?! Someponies are trying to sleep!"
Spike raised an eyebrow and sighed.
"You aren't supposed to sleep the night before the Summer Sun Celebration, Twilight. Stop worrying about old stables and relax a bit."
Spike went back to the party and Twilight looked at the moon above.
"I hope you're right, Spike..." she said before sleep finally claimed her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the lonesome aether of dreams, a lone figure floated watching time pass him by as he remembered times long past. It was then that he saw a peculiar unicorn and her friends trudging through the forest, overcoming obstacles and giving off traces of magic he hadn't felt for a looong time. He could hear the Elements sing as the girls drew near.
Time blurred as the words of the purple unicorn echo.
"When we all come together, we all have the Elements."
"But you still don't have the sixth Element! The Spark didn't work!"
"But it did. A different kind of Spark." said the unicorn "I realized it when I heard you all coming for me."
The figure smiled knowing what was going to happen.
"I knew that you all...were my Friends!"
He watched with pride as the rainbow of the Elements shot to the shadow covering a good friend he knew and he heard the Voice of Harmony beckon him.
"I guess, it's time to wake up." he said with a soft smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wow, Twilight, I thought you were speaking a bunch of hooey, but, maybe we are them elements!" cheered Applejack
The group congratulated themselves before the rainbow twister of Magic split to two and then shot to a formation of old roots, like a cocoon. The twisters stopped and there was an unconscious, blue alicorn and a sneering, thin, dark figure looking at the group in sheer disgust.
"You little shits!" it said in a dry, gravelly voice. "I will not let you little whores ruin everything!"
The imposing figure took a step, causing the area around the group to quake. Fluttershy hid behind her mane, Rainbow and Applejack stand their ground with Twilight, despite their shaking legs. Pinkies mane deflated as she looked on in fear and Rarity promptly fainted.
The Elements remained dormant as the creature came closer, its hands glowing with a sickly pink energy and its eyes fixed on the artifacts the mares wore.
Unbeknownst to anyone, the cocoon of roots slowly receded revealing a much more healthy looking creature who yawed, finally grabbing all their attention.
The creature was like a furless, green, earth pony with more prominent veins along his forearms, neck and face. This one was definitely a "him," if a certain part of his anatomy had anything to say about it, causing all the mares to grow a dark red. The mane that the creature had was an earthy brown and as he opened his eyes revealing the green orbs, Rarity, now fully awake, made herself known.
"Oh, my." she said fanning herself.
"Who the hell?" the darker one said before he looked again.
"Y-you can't be here." it said in confusion and light terror. "I saw you die! You died during the Closing!"
Before the sickly one could say any more, the other threw a dagger into its forehead, causing it to leak shadow before it crumbled to ash. The mares looked on with a myriad of emotion before the creature was tackled, mid-yawn, into a hug from the alicorn.
It was then that the group saw a stunned Celestia looking at the two with tears in her eyes.
"Rhizome? Lulu?" she says before running over and hugging the two, crying in joy.
Author's Note
Here you go, my new story. The original characters that are in here are based off characters I made while playing The Fractured But Whole, an amazing game. Anyway, enjoy!
It had been a few hours since the showdown at the Castle of the Two Sisters and a, now more adult looking Princess Luna was still clutching a, now clothed, creature, apparently named "Rhizome." I turns out there was an old leather armored suit close by.
"It's been hours, sister-" Celestia stated before Luna cut her off.
"Thou hast his other arm, Sister."
Celestia indeed was holding onto his other arm so she just closed her mouth, her cheeks darkening and her ear twitching as Rainbow Dash stifled her laughs. Twilight glared at her new friend who looked away, still holding back the torrent of laughter that threatened to break through her, admittedly small, mental barrier. Applejack wasn't fairing much better, she just had a hat to hide it. Pinkie was too busy giggling and talking about a party she was gonna throw. Rarity was fawning over the scene and Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane with a face red enough to make an apple jealous. Twilight gave a weak apologetic smile to her mentor, who sighed.
"Well I haven't seen either of you in one thousand years!" she blurted before clearing her throat to correct herself. "That, is, I suppose I can let this keep going for another hour....or two."
Luna gave a triumphant grin before going back to cuddling Rhizome's arm between her ample melons. Said man just sighed a bit.
"I'm sure they'll be fine in a few minutes." he said with a voice as soothing as a leaf whistle, though tone was a lot lower. "So, were you the ones with Harmony's magic?"
Fluttershy hummed in quiet relaxation While Twilight shook herself and replied.
"We are...well, we were chosen by the Elements..." she says a bit softly.
"Thank you." he said, his voice still having a calming effect. "You gave me enough Ether to speed up my regeneration."
Twilight blinked a bit and shook herself once more, her cheeks reddening a bit. Rhizome blinked a little before he smiled softly.
"What is that?"
Rhizome chuckled whimsically, his laugh almost as a wind chime. The girls all sat, serenity washing over them. Pinkie giggled with him and all the others smiled.
"Ah, thou doest not know of Rhizome's Aether?" Luna asked, making Twilight shake her head with an embarrassed look. Luna smiled. "'Tis the passive magic woven into his voice."
"Rhizome was given his gifts with plants by Harmony Herself." Celestia said, getting the attention of Applejack.
Rhizome looked off, clearing his throat as a light blue blush made its way to his green cheeks. Luna giggled and Celestia rolled her eyes.
"Dids't thou forget his humility, Dear Sister?" Luna said, mid-giggle.
"I just don't want any more ponies over exaggerating and wanting to call me a demigod...again."
"Oh yes, the sect of 'The Green Thumbs.'" Luna says, laughing once more, boisterously.
"They burnt manure as an offering!" Rhizome said with a disgusted face. "That couldn't have been healthy for them."
Rainbow Dash broke at this, laughing loudly and rolling on the ground. Applejack just kept her mouth closed and looked away.
"Um...did you look after animals too?" came the quiet voice of Fluttershy before she eeps and hides in her mane.
"Well, yes. I guess I looked after a few..." Rhizome stated.
"A few?! Thou nurtured a pack of timberwolves, a family of bears and even a flock of phoenixes!" Luna said through more laughter.
Rhizome sighs as Luna laughs and Celestia stifles a giggle. Everything stayed like that before a Timberwolf pup jumped into the building. Applejack and Rainbow prepared themselves to fend it off, even Pinkie pulled out a cannon from...somewhere? The pup looked at them with a raised brow but walked on by them, disinterested and sat right in front of Rhizome, gaze unblinking. Twilight keeps a fire spell in mind as she watches warily. Rhizome and the Timberwolf pup stare at each other before it gives a hollow yip.
"Ah, so that's how it is, huh?" Rhizome replied to everyone's surprise but the princesses.
The puppy wagged its tail and yipped again, panting. Rhizome chuckled at the antics as the group looked at Fluttershy expectanexpectantly. The mare blinked a bit before shrinking back at the attention with another eep.
"H-he said 'Planter.'" Flutter squeaks.
"The hay does that mean?" shouts Rainbow as the pup nibbles his backside to scratch itself.
"I-I don't know..."
Rhizome clears his throat again to get their attention.
"He spoke through the dirt." he says, "Timberwolves are part plant, after all."
Twilight's eye twitched briefly.
"That doesn't explain anything!"
"Ya!" said Rainbow. "What the hay did it mean by 'Planter?'"
The rest of the girls looked at Rhizome expectantly who just sighed.
"Girls, he can speak to the plants." Celestia explained in a motherly tone.
"Pardon me princess," began Applejack, "do you mean, he can speak to ANY plant?"
Luna just rolled her eyes and looked at Celestia.
"They act as though they didst not hear of the Heroes." she said with a flat look to her sister.
Many of the girls looked at each other confused.
"Do you mean the foal's tale?" asked Rainbow Dash incredulously.
That made both, Rhizome and Luna, look at Celestia who blushed and gave a sheepish smile.
"Girls," started Twilight, "maybe we can talk about all this later? We need to return to Ponyville."
Celestia gave a small smile to Twilight as thanks before it melted into her normal, motherly smile. The group then made their way back to the little town with Luna still holding onto Rhizome's arm.
There was a small celebration, with a parade, when the group got back. Luna never stopped happily holding on to Rhizome's arm. Celestia chuckled when she saw the bemused face of him as many of her little ponies threw roses and rice to the two. Celestia then smiles motherly as she watched the new group of Element holders. Pride puffed up her chest as she watched her beloved student chat happily with her new friends. Unbeknownst to her, however, Rhizome was looking at her with a soft smile.
After the parade, Pinkie put together a small party at the library all her own. She had already, somehow, made banners welcoming Princess Luna and Rhizome when they got back and Rhizome found it hilarious when Twilight's eye twitched at the, seemingly, impossible pony that was her new friend. When the party got busy enough, and Luna finally let go, Rhizome made his way outside to Twilight's surprise, as well as Celestia.
Twilight followed Rhizome when Pinkie's back was turned and found him laying down on grass and looking up at the slowly approaching night sky. She stayed relatively far away but Rhizome still spoke to her.
"Sparkle, you really need to work on your sneaking skills."
Twilight was stunned and a bit angry at Rhizome addressing critiquing her like that.
"I always loved watching the sky." he continues, "No matter how many time's I'd look at it, it would always calm my heart."
Rhizome looked at Twilight with a tired smile, his green eyes soft and a bit beaten down from wearies that may have been as old as the old castle the group had come from. The scholarly mare lost her frustrations and made her way beside him before he once more looked to the sky above.
"You really knew the Princess a thousand years ago?" Twilight asked, causing Rhizome to laugh.
"She was a lot more vibrant back then, as much of a spitfire as her sun." he said with a wistful look on his face. "You know, even with the war back then, there were good times. A lot of good stallions and mares..."
Twilight gave him a worried look as she saw tears begin to well up in his eyes. She couldn't even imagine what the creature before her was thinking and her eyes, once more roamed his form. Despite the Princess and he, himself had claimed he was over one thousand years old, he looked young, close to her age even. His physique wasn't nearly as muscular as many stallions she knew, including her brother, the muscle he had was still toned, just slim. She knew his chest was the same, he had a bit more of a "swimmer's body," if her books were anything to go by, leaner than a weight lifter's but not out of shape. The tight, leather suit, despite it's age, clung to him nicely emphasizing his Figure. His mane was short and quiffed. Twilight's cheeks heated up a bit.
"You really don't look a thousand years old." she mused before covering her mouth making Rhizome chuckle.
"I guess that's one benefit to rapid regeneration, isn't it?"
"Then why do you have those scars?" Twilight asked, lookin at the scars that the suit didn't cover.
Rhizome looked at his right arm and traced it's marking. His eyes were filled with a distant gaze, one of sorrow.
"They're a reminder." he said, hollowly.
The rest of the night was filled with celebration but Twilight couldn't help but feel pity for Rhizome as her mind thought of those scars.
Author's Note
Hey all, here’s a new chapter, hope you like it. Sorry if there a few grammatical mistakes or switching tense, I don’t really have an editor atm. Please don’t be afraid to comment with feedback or questions.
Later all!
