Fire in the Leaves, Fire in the Mountains

"That's right, Twilight, you're getting it! Just push a little ha-OOMPH!" Twilight flew backwards into Luna as the spell rebounded, leaving a sprawled mess of purple and midnight blue in the corner.  Luna untangled herself, and sighed.

For the last few weeks, Celestia has delegated the task of instructing Twilight with her studies to Luna; viewing this as both an excellent learning opportunity for them both.  Luna had always been the more studious of the two sisters, and although Twilight was quite enthusiastic to learn anything new, Luna was less enthused.

"Ughh..." Twilight gurgled.  Luna helped the little purple unicorn up on her hooves. "Princess...what happened?" Luna smiled at Twilight as she looked down at her.

"Thy efforts were too hasty, as was the problem last time.  After gathering thine magic within yourself, thou doth not simply release it.  It is most important that you retain what you have gathered, focus it, and WHILE releasing it into the proper form, gather the magic as it is released, keeping the quantity the same."  Luna winced as she mentally scolded herself for not correcting her speech.

Twilight stared at the scorched outline of the practice dummy against the wall.  This was utterly different than anything she had learned before and she was having to relearn most of her own habits with spell casting to accommodate.  That, and her own magic was being drained significantly simply from containment and focus.  "Luna, when your sister told me I'd be learning Alicorn magic, I had no idea it would be this...strenuous.  How can you possibly do something like this every day?"

Luna gave Twilight a look of mock annoyance. "Thou-you are used to process and repetition, twilight.  Alicorn magic is no different, only more patience, control, and magic is required in exercising it.  Doth- Do you remember using thy elements of Harmony?  The principle is much the same; acting as conduit rather than caster."

She smiled as she watched Twilight's face scrunch up in  concentration as she prepared the spell again.  "Remember...patience, and equilibrium."  Twilight shut her eyes, and relaxed slightly.  Small sparks of green rose up from the ground underneath her, and after a few minutes, a small green fire had formed a circle around her.  Twilight opened her eyes, which were glowing white, and her horn let out a crackling bolt of indigo towards one of the few remaining practice dummies.

Upon reaching it, a sudden green flash erupted from it, and in its place...was a statue of Twilight.

"a-HA!" Twilight exclaimed, and looked at Luna triumphantly.  Luna smiled.  "Very good; that's the first successful transfiguration you have done after learning learning theory.  Now you have applied it.  What, then, can you tell me is the advantage of this method of the normal way you already know?"

Twilight frowned in confusion, staring at the statue. "...I don't know."  Luna smiled again.  "Try changing it back."  Twilight focused, and a magenta bolt of her own magic reached out and zapped the statue.  Nothing happened, and after a few seconds, she gasped in realization.

"It...it's permanent!"

"Precisely!  Normal transfiguration only lasts for a fixed amount of time before the spell decays and the original snaps back into existence.  Do you notice anything else?"  Twilight looked down.  There was a small crater underneath the statue which had caused it to sink into the ground somewhat.

"It...utilized the surrounding matter to compensate for extra density!  But that-" "THAT, Twilight, is why it's permanent.  Normally, magic converts energy into extra mass, which is why you can conjure items from seeming nothingness, or how a certain dragon can become full-grown and snap back without eating anything new."  Twilight winced a little as she remembered Spike's transformation.

"So...what does transfiguration have to do with moving the sun or the moon?"  Luna rolled her eyes and giggled, which made Twilight sit down and pout.  "You see...my sister and I move the moon and sun across the sky across the entire world.  When it comes to its setting or rising, we are pushing or pulling it across the rest of the world.  If we did not do this, their orbits would deteriorate and crash into the ground."  Twilight nodded, and urged her to continue.  "Many, many unicorns would be able to do this on their own, but it takes only myself and my sister to move them.  This is not because we are collectively more powerful than all of you."

Twilights eyes widened massively as the revelation began to take hold.  "So you mean...any one of us..." Luna smiled.  "No, Twilight.  Only a few of you have ever been capable of commanding the Core magic as we do.  Most normal unicorns would have passed out from the exertion of maintaining focus, or died trying to do so.  My sister and I...despite our practice, are gifted with more fortitude, and more in the way of magic and stamina."  Twilight nodded, and looked at Luna just a little bit differently than before.  "And you, Twilight, are gifted enough to have an abundance of both.  All you need to learn is the patience and stubbornness to exercise them.  I believe we are finished for today."  Twilight grinned weakly as she wobbled to her feet.  "Thanks again, princess.  I know how hard it is for you to be awake during the day."

Luna yawned, and looked back at Twilight with tired eyes. "Just be glad we are in a good mood today, little one.  I had not expected to be the royal fall-breaker for thee during thy lessons."  Twilight smiled sheepishly. "I'll...uh...work on that.  See you tomorrow!"  Luna watched the purple mare take off, seeing her slow down as she reached the exit to the gardens into canterlot proper.

I am glad, sister, that she is the one who saved me.

Twilight Sparkle exited Canterlot Castle feeling fresh and renewed.  Though it took a lot out of her, her personal lessons with Luna had been an opportunity she would never forget, and never stop appreciating.

She smiled inside as the noontime sun shone through the autumn leaves above her, and remarked to herself on how beautiful Equestria looked around fall, with the blazing reds and oranges of the trees around her giving the feeling of magic and impermanence.

Everypony around who saw the changing of colors in the flora around them always had held a quiet regard and appreciation for the beauty of fall, and even though Nightmare Night had already passed, fall celebrations were right around the corner.  A lot of ponies from Equestria and beyond, worked on massive floats to go down main street in conjunction with the ENORMOUS amount of partying that goes on for several days to celebrate the beauty and lovely colors autumn graces ponies everywhere with.  All ponies everywhere, no matter where the lived or what they did, felt the wondrous tingle in the air as the breeze swept down from the north mountains, and hoofball started in full swing.

She chuckled to herself. Not everypony can be so relaxed and appreciative about the fall, she thought to herself. Rarity’s probably having an “absolutely DREADFUL” time deciding what to wear, and how to tailor dresses for the coming celebrations. Applejack was probably a bit annoyed at having to rake up all the leaves on her farm, although it was doubtful she’d be as bothered by her problems as Rarity.  I think I’ll pay Rarity a visit after picking up some apple fritters from Sugar Cube Corner, she could probably use a break from filling all those orders.  She smiled to herself and made her way on over to shop, wondering what Pinkie Pie might be doing to prepare for the coming festivities.

A loud crash reached her ears as she trotted up to the door of her friend’s place of employment, and curiously she walked up to the door and looked inside.  To her horror, she saw Pinkie Pie sprawled onto the floor after having fallen off a ladder, in the process of pinning up fall-themed decorations for the store. “PINKIE PIE!” she yelled, rushing into the store, rushing to her friend’s side.

Pinkie looked up with a dazed expression, and shook her head from being stunned. “Oh hi Twilight! I was just pinning up some streamers when I felt my Pinkie sense a-tinglin’! Course, I forgot what it meant since when I twitch-a-twitch atop of a ladder, well...it never really ends well?” her friend said happily, still wall-eyed. “Are you okay?” she asked with concern in her voice, looking the pink mare over for any injuries. “Of course I am, silly-filly! It’s not the first ladder I’ve fallen off of, and it’s certainly not gonna be the last!” Wobbling to her feet, she smiled at her friend, putting Twilight’s heart at ease.  “So, watcha doin’ here, Twilight?” she asked, cocking her head to the side after her wandering left eye unsettlingly moved back into place.

“OH. Oh I stopped by to pick up some apple fritters on my way over to Rarity’s, I, uh, was going to see if she needed some help preparing for the fall celebrations, and if she had time to relax after working as hard as she’s probably been doing.” Pinkie Pie hopped on over behind the counter, looking for the apple pastries. “Here you go! Two bits for two fritters.” she said pointing to the delicious pastries, as she put them in a bag. Twilight opened up her saddlebag, and dropped two bits on the counter, thanked Pinkie, and trotted on out of the store with a smile on her face and a bag of some of the best-smelling apple fritters in Ponyville held in her mouth.

She made her way on over to Rarity’s, remarking on how well everything had been going for the past few weeks since Nightmare Night, and how relaxed the pace of things had become.  She smiled when she remembered how hectic Rarity made things for herself around this time of year, and imagined what sights would await her as she met with her favorite unicorn friend.

Off in the distance he heard the wind chimes, greeting the new world with a discordant harmony with beauty only the wind could bring.  The hot air still rushed down off the mountains from the volcanoes that had formed the land he now walked upon, and the new grass had filled the vast expanse of barren lands that the lava floes had formed long ago.  He smiled at the golden fields of wheat that stretched before him, and peered out across the horizon, to the ocean’s shore where the sun was beginning to rise for the first time. Though creating life was a difficult process indeed, he stood proud in the morning of the world, where all things protean and wonderful emerged under his watchful gaze, seeking the life and form that he granted them from their lifelessness and chaos that they held from the void they came from.  He had brought order and vitality from chaos and transience, and was proud at the change he had wrought.  He heard a voice on the wind, crying out something insignificant.  He tended to the tree he had made in a forest of many, nurturing its roots to dig into the fresh soils beneath them, filling his lungs with the scent of the new earth beneath and before him.  The smell of morning dew and the song of his fowls reached him, and he closed his eyes in bliss.

The voice on the wind was louder now, more insistent, stirring him from his reverie.  He ignored it once again, content to listen to the birds sing and watch the morning sun cast its glorious light across the plains and beyond, and all the animals of his land sing in-“GRANDFATHER!” the voice yelled loudly now, almost screaming into his ears.  He looked around for the source of it, confused.  “GRANDFATHER!” the voice yelled pleadingly, as he continued to search, losing sight of the dawn as he raced to the sound of the voice.

His eyes suddenly snapped awake, in an instant forgetting where he was or who was holding him. He woke violently and stood up, nearly knocking over the tree he had been sleeping on after hitting his head on it.  Everything that had happened in the past year rushing back to him all at once, in a maelstrom of terrible memory that dwarfed the sudden pain he felt all across his body. “GRANDFATHER!” his granddaughter Liira-Sa cried, looking up at him with a shocked and concerned expression.  He remembered his injuries, and stumbled in pain, wincing at the burns that covered a large portion of his back and flank.

“It’s alright Liira; I was just dreaming.” He looked at the vast, ancient forest that stood tall around him, and remembered them as they were in their infancy.  How wild and untamed it had become, filled with all manner of creatures; full of malediction and darkness.  He looked down, and helped his beloved granddaughter up, feeling the weight of his years and his crown.  Cursing himself for his carelessness, he had taken some comfort in the killing of the dragon that had come across them in their sleep, and was pleased that the fool had decided to wake them before talking.  The beast never stood a chance against the Emperor of Gal’Karii, and he remembered fondly the confused expression the dragon held in his eyes before they exploded out in gouts of flame, consumed by the inner fire he made spill out from the dragon’s core.

Liira, not having seen war or death as young as she was, was horrified at the spectacle, and cried in her grandfather’s embrace for several hours before falling asleep.  Despite his injuries, he carried her for some time under the light of Luna’s moon, finally succumbing to exhaustion himself.  He had grievous injuries from fending off the dragons to allow his family and their friends time to escape, and had commanded the remaining pegasi not under his brother’s control to flee for their lives, find shelter, and wait for his return.  He sighed, wondering when it was that he would be able to return, and if it would be within his grandaughter’s lifetime.

He smiled to himself, remembering that even though she was a unicorn, his blood flowed through her veins, and even though she wasn’t a true immortal like himself, she would live for an extremely long time compared to other magic-users, especially her fellow unicorns.  He sometimes lamented not giving her the gift of flight as per his son’s request, being that he greatly enjoyed flying, whether it be by himself or with those he cared about.

He reminded himself that he had a destination to reach, and that as much as he enjoyed remembering the past, he had to focus on the present. “Liira-ka, we must be going.  We cannot linger on our way to our destination, and though my constitution and condition would warrant it, we cannot rest. Come.” He nudged her gently with his nose, his long grey hair brushing over her.  Their golden eyes met, hers pleading for her grandfather to stay and heal his injuries more before they set out again.  He smiled. “You look so much like your grandmother, Liira. If only…” he became lost in the memory of her, before snapping out of it from hearing a giggle from her. “Silly grandfather; wanting to leave in a hurry then holding us both up with your reminiscing.  You need so stop being so old and remember your granddaughter has been around for several hundred years already, and is no green filly herself.  Come on, we need to make it to Canterlot before sundown, and we’re not going to do it with your head up in the clouds.” He chuckled to himself as the started down the path outside of the forest, looking far off into the distance from the hill they were on, he noticed the nice little cottage owned by a curious yellow Pegasus, who seemed intently focused on the birds she was singing with.

“Oh my dear Twilight is was the MOST. HORRIBLE. THING.  I had an old order on a rich client from Manehattan, Golden Globe I think his name was, and I could NOT find his outfit ANYWHERE!” Twilight looked around the mess of the boutique, and saw not a single thing in the shop that wasn’t upturned in a violent fashion, as if a storm (or Rainbow Dash) had torn wildly through here. “And then without warning, I receive a letter TODAY that he needs his suit prepped and ready for a charity ball he’s attending next week, and that he’s coming tomorrow to pick it up. Darling, you MUST HELP ME FIND IT!” Rarity’s delicate white hooves clung to her friend dramatically, all the while staring up at her with the most desperate, pleading sapphire eyes anypony had probably ever seen. She chuckled, noticing Opalescence trying to break free of pile of fabrics tangled around her. “Of course I’ll help you, Rarity! What are friends for?” Rarity swung her arms around her friend in a dramatic embrace. “Oh Twilight dear, you are simply the best friend ANYpony could have.”

After rummaging around for a few hours, they finally emerged victorious from the Boutique’s storage basement, finding the lost suit hung up amongst a number of different back orders and forgotten dresses that had overflowed the white unicorn’s staggeringly massive wardrobe.  After filing the necessary papers and putting the suit up on a rack in the front, they both collapsed on her bed, and remembering the apple fritters she had placed on the nightstand, Twilight picked the bag up and placed it next to her friend, who had her hoof on her forehead from the exhaustive searching she had done all day. “My dear is that…are those apple fritters?” Rarity sniffed the air and greedily opened the bag, her eyes widening upon recognizing the contents. “Oh darling, you shouldn’t have! I have enough pastries here to…to…” she gave way to her own exhaustion at maintaining her composure, and greedily stuffed an apple fritter into her face from the bag, so completely out of character that Twilight reeled back on her hooves in laughter at her friend’s sudden break in her all-important façade. Still laughing, she looked up to see Rarity glaring angrily at her with half a fritter sticking out of her mouth, fuming with embarrassment. After stifling a laugh of her own, she offered Twilight the bag, and they promptly began to eat, and began sipping the tea that Rarity had prepared earlier for them after seeing that her friend had been kind enough to bring treats.

They sat and laughed while talking about news and the changes fall had brought all around; Rarity gossiped loudly at who was seeing who, what this mare and that mare were wearing to such and such occasion, strange clients she’d had this week.  Twilight talked about the new magic she had been working on with Princess Celestia, as Rarity listened in rapt attention at her describing the spells she had learned from the new form.

“Firstly, you have to ground yourself very strongly on the earth below your hooves.  Then, feeling the earth beneath your hooves, the Princess said to focus very strongly on the earth deep below her, and use a seeking spell to look for a magic…apart.”

Rarity cocked her head, puzzled. “Apart from what, darling?”

“Apart from…yourself and other living things.  She said it was called Core, and that all magic ponies and other creatures possess comes from it, and that in the past Alicorns were non-magical, and it was only after discovering this earth magic that they were able to use magic.” Rarity’s eyes widened in surprise at this revelation as she continued. “All magic unicorns and alicorns carry comes from this; over a long period of time and usage, Core magic became a part of them, and altered their biology and health.  Alicorns no longer became sick, or passed on from old age.  The grew taller and stronger, and their command over magic increased to such a degree that they could control elements of the earth itself, and the stars and moons as well as the planets.  Even though they had been moving of their own accord long before then, they could now fix the time of day, how hot it was going to be, whether a meteor shower was going to happen that night, or whether or not it rained that day. It’s what gave them control of the elements of nature, Rarity!” Her friend looked back at her, utterly stunned.

“Do you mean to tell me that you’re…studying magic…that only the Princesses have been able to use?” Twilight nodded, smiling. “My dear, that’s…astounding! To think, a UNICORN exercising the powers of a goddess, I dare not think…” she shuddered and then laughed, puzzling Twilight. “Oh my dear, I should not think any differently of you for this, Even if you gain immortality and I do not, you are still one of my dearest friends, and no matter what you learn will not change how I see you.” She lay over to Twilight, embracing the lavender pony in a warm, gentle hug. She smiled, to herself. I hope you never change, Rarity…

Far off in the distance, near Everfree Forest, a certain yellow Pegasus was finishing up her chores, and remarking upon the glorious sunset that spread all kinds of colors across the sky.  Her turquoise eyes stared longingly into the distance, and wondered if she should spend some time with Rainbow Dash now that she was done with everything for the day. “Oh dear, she’s probably busy racing or doing something important up in Cloudsdale, If I went I’d just be a bother to her. Maybe I’ll just make dinner and see if Angel needs-“ an audible crack sounded off in the forest, and with a muffled exclamation of surprise, she looked out over the rock she was hiding behind to see what it was that was coming her way.

To her astonishment, she saw two of the strangest looking ponies she had ever seen.  The smaller one was a unicorn wearing some elaborate white apparel, and had the deepest, darkest, and most luxurious shade of red fur she had ever seen on anypony.  She had a white mane, despite looking so young, and had the most gorgeous golden eyes she had ever seen on any creature before.  The hair on her upper mane was held tight by a beautiful obsidian brooch, and she carried herself with the grace and strength one would expect from royalty.  She then gasped as she saw the other pony coming out of the woods.  Like the other, smaller mare he had the same odd hair color and deep, red coat, but he stood several times taller than her, even taller than Celestia.  He was a massive alicorn with very large wings, and it was only when he stumbled that she noticed that he was severely injured, with very serious burns and scarring being covered up by his robe and outfit.

Immediately, her shyness melted away to compassion, and she came out from hiding behind the rock, flying up to the two strange ponies. “Um…excuse me, I couldn’t help but notice that you’re injured, and, um, I have a cottage over here and I can help since I take care of animals, and-”

“I would like that very much, thank you for your hospitality.” She gulped as the alicorn spoke, his deep voice rumbling through her, with an air of authority and weight that she didn’t think was possible.  Noticing her discomfort, the young unicorn with him smiled to her. “We won’t be a bother, we’re just passing through on our way to Canterlot.” The strange unicorn spoke with a very odd foreign accent she had never heard before, and with a start she realized her pupils were a deep golden color as well as her irises, and were barely noticeable. “Oh! Okay that’s alright. I don’t know if you like animals, I take care of them because I live out here, and I love them so very much.  I’m too shy to live in town, so –oh, sorry, I forgot; come inside, let me look at your wound.”

The three awkwardly shambled on into Fluttershy’s cottage, the large alicorn having to dip his head and knees down to come in through the door as he was so tall. He winced and gasped, collapsing into the smaller unicorn, who was just barely holding him up. “OHMYGOODNESSHOLDON!!!” Fluttershy yelled and went as fast as she could over to her medical supplies, picking up as many bandages, salves, and other medicine she could find for burns and fatigue she could carry in her mouth and wings.  Angel carried the rest over to the living room. “Here; here come over to the bedroom, there’s nowhere here where you can lay down comfortably.”

She very carefully, with the help of the unicorn, helped move the massive alicorn stallion over to her bed, and gently set him down.  As she reached to take the robe and clothes off, the red unicorn stopped her, saying that she’d do it, and slowly took his robe and dressings off.  It was only now that Fluttershy noticed the large crown bracelets adorning the massive alicorn’s feet and legs that had been covered by his robe, and felt her jaw drop at the stunning beauty of the jewelry.  A large onyx gem sat atop each bracelet, with numerous smaller sapphires and rubies adorning it in an intricate pattern that was enhanced with the delicate artistry on the silver.  She realized that the bracelets were very much like upside-down crowns, and she began to realize how important this particular alicorn might be.  After looking up from each of the bracelet/crowns, she gasped as she saw the true extent of his injuries; he had been horribly burned on the side facing them, and she could see nothing but charred, cracked flesh where his cutie mark should be.

With his permission and her insistence, she was allowed to tend to his horrible burns, applying salves to ease the pain and encourage healing, painkillers to further numb the pain, and bandages to keep his skin from being further exposed.  “How in Celestia’s name did this happen? Who or what did this horrible, horrible thing to you?” she said, her quiet voice full of concern and confusion.  His companion gave him a nervous look, at which he said, “Go ahead Liira, you can tell her.  We have nothing to hide from one who has offered such help and hospitality given so freely with a kind and open heart.”

Liira visibly relaxed, and bit her lip before speaking. “He was attacked by dragons, along with the rest of us.” Fluttershy gasped and understood immediately how an alicorn as powerful as this one obviously was could be injured so severely. “We… he was banished from our home after his brother staged a coup and overthrew him with the help of the dragons we’d been at war with for so long.  He…Grandfather…stood up against all the dragons himself after everyone else in the royal family was ordered to leave, and he…he bought them the time they needed to for… most… of them escape to safety, along with everyone else. They destroyed half the city fighting him after…after…” the little unicorn broke down in tears, and came over to embrace her. “There, there; you’re safe.  His wounds aren’t fatal, and I’m sure he’ll heal up if he’s given enough rest.  Everything will be okay, you needn’t worry.” Liira sobbed into the kind embrace of this strange savior from a strange land, and they both realized how far from home they all both were…

He stood overlooking a bluff.  The hot wind still blew down east from the mountain range, and off in the distance he could see the reds and oranges of liquid fire being reflected off the clouds.  He looked down into the pasture and smiled.  I’ve been waiting a long time for this, he mused to himself.  Down several hundred feet below, a great valley stretched out before him, lush with all forms of plants and animals; a herd of creatures stood grazing upon the field, and as happy as he was at how well his work had turned out, something was missing.  There, peering at the four-legged creatures that were not very much unlike himself, he saw into the eyes of one…and felt his heart break.  Failure, he thought to himself.  The gaze returned to him was little more than the blank stare of an animal; a beast that had no more soul than the trees and the rock upon which he stood. He spat at the ground in disgust, and watched bemused as flowers burst forth from the hard, unyielding rock in bright, vibrant life. Everything he had made, all of this world he had designed, and he still could find nothing, no one to sate his loneliness, to comfort him and converse about anything, ANYTHING new.

He wanted, as odd as it sounded in his mind, someone to disagree with him about something.  As old as he already was, he never could remember where he came from, or who or what came before.  He had just…woken up in that terrible, barren place.  There were people back then, odd beings with humorously mismatched limbs and appendages, and an equally asinine sense of reality.  He had spent time with them, and as playful as they were, they were an anathema to him.  They thrived on a lack of order, reigning chaos and destruction on a world devoid of any life or beauty.  They avoided the laws that governed the natural world as a stream both avoids and follows consistency.  Yet for all their freedom, they had no reference other than the games they played with each other for complex thought, empathy, or anything remotely resembling curiosity.  They lived in utter discord and disharmony, and as interested as they were in him, they could not find anything resembling a common ground.  They were not animals, for like him they never needed to eat or drink, never became injured, and never became old. He supposed that they were a remnant of an era far preceding his, and decided to have nothing more to do with them.  They celebrated his departure with building a statue of him, and covering it with paint and a rock hat.

Shaking himself from his reverie, he walked down off the bluff towards the sea.  He walked up to the waves, and remembered just how much he enjoyed the sand beneath his hooves.  He stared out across the vast ocean, into its timeless depths to the dark creatures that lived in the darkest cradles of the sea.  One of the few creatures he never dared meet or even let notice of his existence was the Leviathan.  He knew not of any other name to call it; it was an ageless creature that had been there long before him, and as far as he could tell, was larger that the horizon would allow his normal sight to take in.  He suspected that though there was once life, this monstrosity had laid waste to the entire world, and the only creatures that had escaped the chaos embodied it themselves.

Suddenly, he felt eyes on him. He quickly turned around, and there, not ten feet behind him, was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.  The mare looked at him quizzically, and had his breath taken away at once by her eyes.  He saw in their endless sapphire depths stars, and upon looking up from them he saw she had an ebon mane, which flowed unnaturally slowly in the ocean breeze.  In this too, he saw the sparkling of stars. She smiled and began to walk toward him, her hooves not even disturbing the sand beneath her.  He saw then that unlikher mane, her fur was some protean color; an unknown and strange thing that seemed to persist in shadow, and could not be identified.  He realized he had been staring at her, and he quickly turned away from her gaze, embarrassed. He felt a soft touch against his cheek, and gasped as he felt-

*Crash* He awoke with a start at the loud sound, and remembered where he was.  He looked around, and saw Liira peacefully dozing on a chair next to him.  Smiling, he got up and looked around for the compassionate yellow Pegasus who had so graciously granted them room and board.

Rainbow Dash been practicing maneuvers in the sky near the Everfree forest most of the afternoon when she was startled to see Fluttershy flying very fast across the treetops, carrying in her mouth a long list, and a satchel on her.  She was so startled, she had forgotten to brake, and plowed right into the pink-haired Pegasus, sending them in a blur of yellow, blue back over the treetops towards her cottage.  After briefly losing consciousness, she got up, shook the dirt off of her fur, and looked to see where Fluttershy was.  The yellow unicorn was lying down in the dirt, her head wobbling around from being stunned.  She shook her head, and recognizing who she had run into, quickly began picking up her things and apologizing.

“Ohmygoodness Rainbow Dash I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going I was so focused on the list of herbs I needed to get from Zecora’s for healing up that poor pony who came in yesterday out of the forest; his burns are still-” She stopped as Rainbow Dash put her hoof on her mouth. “Don’t worry about it; I shoulda been paying more attention to where I was going.  Who’s this pony patient you’re treating? What’s this about burns?” Fluttershy stammered for a moment, and finally found her words. “H-He’s a red alicorn who just walked out of the forest. He had horrible burns all over his side, and his granddaughter-” “YOU HAVE AN ALICORN AT YOUR HOUSE??!!!” Rainbow Dash yelled loud enough for practically the whole of Equestria to hear.  Fluttershy cleared her throat and continued. “His granddaughter is an unicorn, although she’s nowhere near as big as he was.  H-He’s taller than Princess C-Celestia, and he’s got these odd crown-bracelet things on, and lots of white clothing.  I think he’s some kind of royalty.  I was going to tell the princess about him after I made sure he was stable…” She trailed off and looked at the ground.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  Foreign Royalty visiting Equestria? An alicorn, no less.  The only alicorns she had ever seen were the two princesses, and considering how large Equestria was, they must have traveled quite a long way indeed. “Hey Fluttershy,” she said, suddenly having an idea. “Why don’t you go to Zecora’s and get and get all the medicine and stuff you need, while I go tell Celestia about your visitors? I’m sure she’d want to hear about this as soon as possible.” Fluttershy paused, and quickly nodded picking up her things. “I-I’ll be back as soon as I can.  You’ll tell the princess that he’s hurt and they’re both very nice…won’t you?” she looked up at her with pleading eyes. “Of course, I will.  I’ll be back here in no time, bye!” Fluttershy watched her friend blast off, leaving a long rainbow trail towards Canterlot.  She smiled to herself and began her trek back to Zecora’s.

Up, high in the castle, Princess Celestia had finished her morning duties.  With nopony to see this afternoon, she was having tea with her sister, giggling about ponies they had met on their lunch in Ponyville and her sister’s awkwardness about handling all the positive attention she was receiving now that ponies had warmed up to her after Nightmare Night.  “Oh Tia, how can you even THINK that??! Of course that big red stallion is attractive, but he’s an Earth Pony! How much fun could he be if-” Abruptly, there was a loud rapping on the glass window to the balcony, and the Princess of the Sun looked up, and was astounded to see a frantic Rainbow Dash, waiting to be let in.

“Tia, isn’t that-”

“Yes, yes it is,” She walked over to the glass doors, with a measure of curiosity. “Although I can’t possibly imagine why she’d be here by herself.”  Celestia’s horn glowed softly, and the door unlocked itself. “Rainbow Dash, whatever has brought you here? It’s a pleasure to see you again, but this is an awfully sudden visit.  Is something wrong?” The rainbow-tailed Pegasus took a moment to catch her breath, after what apparently had been an awful rush to reach the princess.  She cleared her throat, and spoke, “Fluttershy is…treating an injured alicorn...who came out of the Everfree forest.  She said...he was burned pretty badly...and that he had a granddaughter or something...along who was a lot smaller than him.  She’s picking up medical supplies from Zecora’s...but she probably wanted you there as soon as possible so you can help ...and identify him.  GUH!”  Both the princesses’ jaws dropped in utter shock, paying no heed to Rainbow Dash as she flopped over on the floor, exhausted.  An alicorn? Here? Who could they possibly be, and why would they possibly need journey to this far if he was injured?

“Did…did you see what they looked like?” Princess Luna tentatively asked behind her.  “No,” Rainbow Dash said regretfully, having finally caught her breath. “But she did say he was red.  Do you know anything about them?” Celestia looked back at Luna, and Luna only gave her a worried expression and shook her head. “Well, I must see these newcomers at once! They are almost certainly royalty, and I would not be a very good princess if I did not offer them help and hospitality.  Come, sister! We will inform the guards of this new development, and set out to see our new guests at once!” Her sister excitedly nodded and ran off to inform the captain of the guard of the situation.  It had been…so LONG since either of them had had the company of another alicorn aside from each other, and even back when their mother were around, there were no true alicorns outside her sister and her mother that she knew of, with the exception of their aunt and missing father. She was extremely anxious to meet their new guests, and resolved to have a large banquet to welcome them here once this mysterious alicorn had recovered from his burns.  She walked out to the balcony with Rainbow Dash, and immediately teleported to Fluttershy’s cottage.

Liira had woken up from her nap to see Grandfather smiling down at her with his usual kind face.  She was glad that he was able to walk again, and they went into the kitchen to find something to eat.  There upon the tables was a basket of delicious apples, which they both devoured hungrily, as they had only had a few plants that they found were edible along the way through the forest.  They heard a loud SNAP outside, and immediately recognized it as an incoming teleportation spell.

Leaving his apple half-eaten, her grandfather immediately went outside to investigate.

After briefly re-orienting herself, Celestia recognized the cottage, and was about to ask Rainbow Dash if she knew anything more about their guests, when the front door opened.

There, in front of her, was the strangest pony she had ever seen.  He was definitely an alicorn from the wings and horn, but he had the oddest appearance.  Deep, golden eyes without pupils stared at her appraisingly, and a thick, white and grey mane covered the other half of his face.  He had a deep, dark, red coat, and wore what had to be regal attire.  Unlike the necklace and golden shoes she wore, this alicorn had a cape of the purest white she had ever seen, and clothing with beautiful gold patterns interlaced with the same white fabric.  She looked down to his legs, and the silver crowns, which adorned his legs like bracelets, immediately caught her attention.  Each looked to be upside down, and held in their center a black gem darker than any onyx she had seen.  An amazing level of craftsmanship and detail had gone into them, and made her jewelry look plain by comparison.  He stood about a head taller than her, not counting his unusually sharp horn, and despite his leaning on the doorway for support.

“So,” he said in an impossibly deep yet comforting voice. “It is you now that rules the throne.  It has been so long since I have visited this land.  Tell me, how are your daughters doing? It has been so long since your father and I spoke, that I was worried that he didn’t remember me…” He trailed off as he looked at her with a calm, reassured stare.  Celestia sputtered.  “I-I think you have me mistaken for someone else! I don't have any children, and-” Suddenly, Celestia was struck with a vision of her mother, the former Queen of the Sun, and Ruler of Equestria.  She had been told often how much they looked alike, and with a start she realized how old this alicorn must be to know her…her grandfather.

She could only remember her mother, and had never knew her father, let alone her grandfather before him.  “I am Celestia.  I have ruled Equestria for the past several thousand years, and I have never heard of you, never seen anyone like you.  Granted, I have not seen another alicorn other than my sister and mother, but you must be ancient to have known my grandfather…”  The red alicorn gave her a confused expression, then a dawning realization spread across his face, which then was replaced with a melancholic look of regret.  “I apologize; you look so much like your mother, child, that I could not tell the two of you apart.  This much should be expected, for it has been an age since I last visited this realm.  Tell me, you mentioned-” There was a snap next to her, and Luna appeared, agape at the new visitors. “Ah, I presume this to be your sister?  Judging by your marking and color, I believe you must be Luna.  I have spent many nights appreciating the maker of the new night, as have my people.” Luna shook herself out of her amazement and quickly blushed, hiding behind her sister’s massive flank. “Oh dear, thank you. I’ve never had someone really say that to me, and well, um…” the blue alicorn buried her face in her sister’s wings in embarrassment.

Celestia chuckled, and looked back to her new visitors.  “Now, I believe a small yellow Pegasus who we are all fond of here has been taking care of you.  May I see your wounds? My sister and I know a number of healing spells that may help you recover.” “Certainly,” said the red alicorn.  “I am but a guest here, and as you have not rejected my need for sanctuary, I appreciate any hospitality you may have to offer.”  They all walked into Fluttershy’s cottage, and upon reaching the bed, he removed his cape, and the two princesses gasped in astonishment at the severity of his burns.  “Oh dear, you weren’t exaggerating when you said he was badly burned…” Celestia said quietly to Rainbow Dash, who was still gaping in awe at the alicorn.  Luna had covered her mouth in shock, and had a single tear roll down her cheek.  “W-who…what did this terrible thing to you?” the night princess asked in both shock and indignation.  Celestia, however, already knew.  “How did a dragon manage to hurt you this badly?” She calmly asked.  “It was not a single one.” He stated matter-of-factly.  “They had overrun the city and palace after the coup, and I fought them as best I could to allow my people and family to evacuate.  Their…king, I guess you could call him, did this to me, as his fire was the only one strong enough to break through my barriers.  He is the emperor and father of all dragons, Azjhaarus.  He was the one who killed my brother, and under whose wing my kingdom is now shrouded.”

Luna yelped in surprise, and stood shaking. “You…you KNOW him? He’s REAL??!!” Celestia looked at her sister, confused. "Who is this Azjhaarus you speak of? What is he to illicit such fear in you, sister, and destruction in this foreigner's land?” She asked her sister.  Their guest replied.  “He is an ancient; a creature that inhabited this world through both its destruction and its birth.  His wings, his flesh and his rule dwarfs mountains, blot out your sun, and obscure hope.  He is vast in all respects, and I have been at war with him these past fifty millennia over mineral rights to my kingdom.”

Celestia felt herself sit down.

Fifty centuries?? Nopony could be that old.  Her mother had passed into the beyond just after the sisters’ first several thousand years of life, and she had been only twenty-two thousand years of age.  For this pony to have known her grandfather, for him to have been battling this creature for so long and not be overrun...he had to be beyond ancient.  He was an archaic remnant of a bygone era, before Discord, before Equestria…how old could he possibly be?  She looked up at him with a new fear in her eyes, and posed the question that had been on all their minds up until now.

“What is your name, and how long have you been around?”

The alicorn’s kind smile fell, and he suddenly looked as old as he seemed, with a distant expression that belied countless eons of memory.  “My name…is Fen-ka Shal.  And my age…how old I am?  I do not know.  I have been around since this world was barren, and I brought life and beauty to it.  I have watched the landscape change beyond all recognition, and watched the earth move and change across many eras and areas.  If you would reference it to how long the war has been going on, hmm…” Everyone except the smaller alicorn sat in stunned amazement.  Fen-ka Shal was a name they had never heard, and if he was who he claimed he was, then he was the fabled king of kings her mother had told them about in their bed time stories.  This…entity… was the progenitor of all ponies, and was old beyond reckoning.  “Ah yes, I think I have this figured out.  You see, I never celebrated my birthday, so I just lost track of time as it passed my by. I believe…if you account for the standard calendar…that I am approximately two and a half billion of your years old.”

Fluttershy had been trying to find Zecora’s place for quite awhile now, and as the sun was beginning to approach the horizon, she had to find her way fast, or risk spending the night in the Everfree forest.  She frantically searched for the big tree that was Zecora’s, and realized how hopelessly lost she was.  Suddenly, she spotted the cave where spike had found that dragon.  It was a landmark above the canopy, and with some hard bearing on her directions, she recognized where she was, and how to get to Zecora’s.  As she sped down to the tree that housed the Zebra, she noticed a little smoke coming out of the tree-chimney, and set upon the ground.

Peering inside, she saw Zecora performing some odd ritual near a large cauldron filled with a deep indigo brew.  Fluttershy knocked hesitantly, hoping she wasn’t interrupting anything important.  Zecora stopped what she was doing, and upon seeing Fluttershy’s face, smiled generously before opening the door. “Kind Fluttershy, whose hair is pink.  You have come for my help, I think?” Nodding at the odd Zebra’s rhyming question, she gave Zecora a list of all the herbs and medicines she needed.  “Powerful healing potions are these; do not think this will be a breeze.  What creature has come under your care, for whom my medicine I must spare?”  Fluttershy mumbled something. “Speak up, dear Pegasus friend of mine; everpony knows your voice is fine.”  With a slight blush, Fluttershy spoke clearly for Zecora to hear. “H-he’s a big red alicorn.  He has terrible burns, and he’s quite fatigued.”  Zecora’s eye shot up at this proclamation.  She might have well said that the sky had turned green and Twilight didn’t like reading.  “An alicorn, you say? His majesty has come this day!” She gleefully went back to her brew, and performed some sort of praying motion before looking back up.  “Your medicine you shall receive, for in him we shall always believe!” Fluttershy looked a little confused, and nodded slowly.

Back at the cottage, there had been a good minute and a half of shocked silence before someone finally spoke up. “That…that’s impossible.” Celestia said, sounding quite a bit like her star pupil.  “There…there is nothing on this earth that old, and there never could be.  How could you possibly be…” She trailed off, staring in awe at the stallion who stood before her.  Luna spoke up. “History tells us that alicorns and unicorns gained their powers and form over thousands of years through use of Core magic.  If you are as old as you say you are…than perhaps there’s quite a lot of history that we’re missing.  How would you account for that?”  The red alicorn stared at Luna, sporting that maddeningly enigmatic smile. “It’s quite simple, shepherd of the moon.” He paused, and Celestia had to stifle a giggle at the archaic title he addressed Luna with, making the dark blue unicorn blush heavily.  “I designed this world. Every stalk, stem, leaf, feather, scale, and hair, every mountain and valley, is all my creation.”

Fluttershy had begun her flight back home, flying over the emerald treetops of Everfree forest, her medicine tucked securely in her satchel.  She liked Luna’s night, despite how scary it was at times, but that was just her own fear of the dark speaking to her.  She noticed a strange green glow far off into the distance, past the horizon.  As interesting as the phenomenon was to her, it was certainly much too far off to investigate, and it was probably a natural occuranc-FLASH! Fluttershy gasped, her wings clamping shut to her sides, and managed to hold onto the top of a tree as she watched the entire horizon flare up with the bright green light, and just as abruptly as it had appeared, it was gone.

I DEFINITELY have to ask Twilight about that.  I’ve never seen anything or heard anything like that, and it most certainly isn’t natural.  Shakily, she released the tree, and started her flight back to her cottage.

There was a loud cacophony of braying, questions, and laughter particularly from one blue Pegasus.  Everyone was asking the giant red alicorn questions all at once, and his smile rapidly turned into a frown.  His head snapped to the side, noticing something that surprised him, and after his attention returned to the clamor before him, he nonchalantly lifted his hoof a few inches off the ground, then dropped it.

It felt like a very brief and very powerful earthquake had struck, and the whole house shuddered from the impact.  Abruptly, there was silence, and his noncommittal expression did not change.  “Look at me.” He said simply.  His face body began to glow with red light, lifting him off the floor.

Outside of the cottage, Angel was looking for some tasty evening treats, when he saw a strange, ruby light glare out of all the windows.  Curious, he bounced over to one of the windows, but when he got there, the glow had subsided.  Looking at the mushrooms he had picked up and started snacking on, he shook his head and threw the mushrooms in the bushes.  He decided that he really needed to hit the carrots hard after that, so he bounded on over to Carrot Top’s carrot patch to see what delicacies lay in store for him.

The room was dead silent.  The alicorn had transfigured himself into something…else.  Everypony there felt the immense ocean of magic that was barely contained by the glowing red aura Fen-ka Shal had blazed with, and they knew for a fact now that he certainly wasn’t a pretender, and was powerful beyond reckoning.  This did not satisfy Celestia, however.

“Granted, you are an alicorn, and granted, you are very powerful.  Quite a bit more than myself, I might add.” The glow ebbed back into his skin, and he looked like a normal alicorn again, if alicorns could be considered normal.  “Despite how that…felt, it is still not enough proof for you to claim to be the creator of all things.  I am old for a reason, and time gas taught me not to take what presents itself to me at face value.  You must give me some reason not to doubt you. “ Fen-ka Shal smiled, and walked up to Celestia, with Luna tensing up behind her.  “Truth is not a thing lightly seen through the eyes of others, or whispered by their lips.  I will show you what you need to know, through my memories.  He bent down, and touched his horn with hers.  Immediately, she felt a massive wave of magic flood through her, and immediately she began falling.  Suddenly, she was standing upon solid ground, and with a growing sense of dread, she realized she was in one of his memories. “Watch, child and see…”