The Trigems: Tragedy To Triumph
This is a tale that has been alluded to many times, but not spoken of aloud for a long time. There are many variations on the tale, depending on the reality. Some have many survivors- others have but one. This is the tale of the Trigems: Their roots, the tragedy that befell them, and their eventual triumph as observed in Celestia’s world.
The tale begins with the first of the Trigems being born to a lovely couple- one a unicorn, the other a Crystal Pony. When the two saw that their son was a mixture of both, they were slightly afraid for him. He was something unheard of, at least as far as they were aware. Instead of hiding their son, they proclaimed that they had “found” the poor child- lost and alone. The bluff worked more than they expected, and they were given charge of the boy by the Princesses themselves. They kept their elation at the ability to raise their son a secret, though they were astounded to hear that they were not the only ones given this privilege- for another couple had “found” a crystal unicorn, this one a filly. The two couples knew the truth as they shared it freely between themselves.
Over the years, their son- who they named Crystalon Prismatic Diamond -grew close with the other couple’s daughter- who was named Amethysia Topaz Sapphire. The two families saw the children grow and learn together- and inevitably fall in love with each other. The two had this almost cosmic pull to one another, for they were the first of their kind. The wedding was a grand occasion, and both Princesses were in attendance. One of them cried tears of joy- but records of which one it was were lost to time.
The two destined ones raised a mighty number of children together, so much so that the exact number was never recorded. Their children grew up, and a pass was given to them for doing what others might consider wrong- they were still fledgling, “rebuilding” a race of ponies. But as the years became decades, and the decades became centuries, many were starting to wonder why Crystalon and Amethysia were still alive when their great-great-grandchildren were starting families of their own. It was discovered then that they had a unique physiology due to a their hybrid nature.
When it got out that the Trigems were in fact hybrids of Crystal Pony and Unicorn blood, the reactions were mixed across the board. Hybridization of any kind was looked down upon severely in society, but this was between two different kinds of pony- so it was hard to say that it was inherently wrong. However, the Princesses dispelled the argument, elevating Crystalon and his wife to noble status. The lesser folk did fear them, and many did worry about what they would or could do. Nevertheless, not much could be done about the new family of nobles.
After 400 years of life, Crystalon passed on, imparting a latent gift inside his descendants as his farewell. Amethysia passed not long after, the head of the household becoming the eldest living of their children. Though, one Trigem felt spurned, feeling that he should be the one to lead the family, instead of his brother. This Trigem left in a huff, disappearing for a long time.
Tragedy struck when the rouge Trigem supported Sombra’s army as it attacked Equestria. He was mad with power, and readily gave Sombra his support. However, the tides of war changed, and Sombra had the rouge Trigem executed before dragging the Crystal Empire into a dark limbo. The war had seen many Trigems on the battlefield, hundreds- possibly thousands- dying to prove their loyalty to Equestria. Because of this sacrifice, those that remained became far more outnumbered by the regular ponies. The nobles started to grow more aggravated with them, and pushed tirelessly for their removal. They were reprimanded by the Princesses time and again, and the Trigem’s power only became more solidified. Though this irked the nobles, there was nothing they could do- that was until Luna became Nightmare Moon. They convinced her through tricks to devise a spell that would destroy the Trigems- and it was most effective. By the time Nightmare Moon was sealed away, the numbers of the Trigems were thinned to a mere handful- but the massacre was stopped before it could mount much further.
Princess Celestia did what she could to find the traitors, capturing most of them. Though a few had doubtlessly slipped through the cracks, the rest were sentenced to death. For the next several centuries, the Trigems rebuilt their numbers the only way they could. They searched out for those they could trust to not use the spell on them, and brought them into the clan. Though it didn’t take long for Celestia to bar usage of the spell, the Trigems still had fear in their hearts because of what it could do. The very idea that they could be shattered into crystal shards was something that haunted them to their very core.
For a while, things were looking up. The clan was resurging, their noble status basically iron-cast at this point… but that was foolish thinking. 50 years before Luna’s return, the clan was attacked. A renegade unicorn had learned the forbidden spell, and rampaged through their home. By the time that the guards arrived, they could only save a single scrawny colt. The sickly thing was taken to the palace for protection as the traitors got the guillotine. Celestia saw this small child, whom had one ruby eye, a mane of obsidian, and a eye of diamond. His coat was maroon, and his Cutie Mark was a ruby, an obsidian stone, and a diamond in a triangular arc. His bones could almost be seen through his coat. She had him fed immediately, then washed. She could not ignore this child, who was now the last of his clan. She took him under her wing, as a protectorate of the crown. It was because of this that she learned his name was Rubius Obsidian Diamond.
Rubius grew well in the castle over the years, soon becoming a strong young stallion. Though, Rubius was very restless. He had asked to leave the castle before, but had always been only escorted around the city if he was let out at all. He needed to see the world! So, he decided to do something drastic. He crafted a false image for himself, a new face to wear. He made himself look like a regular unicorn version of himself, though he melded the eye colors together. But before he left, he hid his Cutie Mark beneath a fake. Satisfied with his work, he started to leave the castle uninhibited- though he was stopped at the entrance by a guard. The guard asked for his name, and Rubius thought he was done for- before he came up with one on the fly. He gave a simple name, and left with the guard none the wiser.
Rubius traveled the world, finding love in Minos with one of the locals. Though Silver Sheen was beautiful, Rubius was hesitant at first. Such relations were frowned upon by pony society- though what was he to do? He dated her for about three years under a simple name, learning more about his intrepid love interest. She was smart and witty. She was gentle and respectful. She was about his age, too. Once he felt the time was right, he revealed his true self to her- a face which she gladly accepted. They eloped not long after, and a single daughter was born to them before Silver Sheen died. The daughter was unlike anything that Rubius had expected, for she was half-pony, half-minotaur. She was his firstborn, and he had to protect her. If the world was to find out what she was… There was simply no telling what would happen. Working his magic, he made his daughter look more like a regular unicorn. She would be safe, at least for now.
Even though he had lost much, Rubius could not stop his travels. He brought his young daughter with him as he entered Griffonstone. He set up shop, working on weapons for his cover as a simple blacksmith. It seemed that Celestia had not yet figured out what had happened. Rubius continued working, though he had not expected to fall for one of his customers. She was a regular, a griffon named Gnashbreak. She was strong, and confident. Young, yet experienced. Beautiful, just as much as Silver Sheen was. Though Rubius had crossed the interspecies line once before, it was not easy to open up to Gnashbeak. It took a good three years of trying, but Gnashbeak opened up Rubius’ heart once more. He showed her the truth of himself and his daughter, but she did not back away. The two eloped after this, and Gnashbeak bore a single son before she died. The son was a hybrid, much like his half-sister. Though he was half-griffon as opposed to half-minotaur. Once more a widower, Rubius kept his new child close, hiding the hybrid features with magic. He had two children to take care of now, and one was on the verge of being able to remember things. However, the troubles were not yet over.
Rubius found himself returning to Equestria, and many spoke rumors about his children. He paid them no mind, however. If they wanted to take his children, they would have to get through him. He set up shop in a medium-sized town, mainly working on the weapons and armor of the Royal Guard. But as he worked, he saw somepony being harassed. Without much thought, he stepped in. To his surprise, he had just defended a thestral- a flying pony that had bat wings as opposed to feathered ones. From her dark gray mane and tail, to her royal blue eyes that had slitted pupils, to her purple coat, to her Cutie Mark of a nimbus cloud with a checkered racing flag popping out of it- he couldn’t get her image out of his head after she flew way. He got a bit of a berating from the pony that had been harassing her, but he didn’t care.
He sat up at his shop that night, looking off into the sky. He was thinking about that thestral mare when lo and behold, she came to his shop to thank him. She told him that her name was Nimbus Speedfang, and that she wanted to be a racing pony. Rubius had replied that he could see why- she flew off quite fast earlier! She tried to explain herself, but he asserted that there was no need. Days went by, and they had little rendezvous during each night. Each night, they grew closer to each other. Each night, their connection deepened. They fell for each other, and after one year Rubius revealed the truth to her- and she only grew to love him more. They eloped, and soon after had their first child- a son. He was half-unicorn, half-thestral. Not long afterwards, they had twins- one son and one daughter. The son was a crystal zebra, the daughter a crystal thestral. This was when Rubius found out that Nimbus had Zebra relatives- and he took it well, considering. But then Nimbus died, leaving Rubius with a heavier workload than ever before. He concealed the anomalies of his children once more, and left for the Dragon Lands.
Rubius kept to himself in the Dragon Lands, busying himself with his work- that was until he met Zaltara. Rubius didn’t know what he was thinking. He fell for her, hard- and she accepted him rather quickly as well. It had gone by so fast, but they soon had a daughter. Half-pony, half-dragon. Rubius loved Zaltara, and he knew the reasons why. She was fierce and exciting. She was mature yet playful. She was probably much older than him, but he didn’t care. They went back to Equestria together, but this was the mistake that sealed his fate.
20 years before the return of Nightmare Moon, Rubius was with his beautiful wife. All his children were sound asleep, aside from one. His first born of his third wife was still out at his lessons- and that was what saved his life. The house shook as the ceiling started to give way. The family did not have much chance on this day, the fourth birthday of the first born of the third wife. The building was torn apart, and the members that were in the house gathered out in the open. They were surrounded by figures in dark cloaks, only offset by the burning flames surrounding the area. The figures accused Rubius of a great crime, that of dirtying his family’s lineage with non-pony blood. Rubius laughed, and did not deny. He cast aside the mask, for he knew he was dead anyway.
This caused the crowd to gasp, and then murmur. They had not heard much of the Trigems after Rubius had disappeared from the castle 12 years ago. They had all presumed him to be dead, though Celestia had held on to hope. The figures knew that they could not let her find him alive- and so, they attacked with all their might. They killed the dragon first, watching his tears run down as he saw her broken body. They didn’t stop there, as they approached the children. They took them, one by one. They held Rubius, and disabled his magic so that he was helpless. They took the youngest, the one that had the most to live for. In an instant, they snuffed out her life, without mercy or remorse.
They forced him to look on as they brutally broke the twins’ legs before snapping their necks. They relished in his anguish as they plucked his son’s griffon feathers one by one, making sure to make it painful. They then forced the beak to bit off the tongue, forcing it to bleed out. Rubius was distraught as they went to his oldest. He begged, pleaded, and did whatever he could think of. He didn’t want to see her die. The child of his first wife. The fruit of his first love. Yet, there was nothing that he could do.
They broke off her horns, then ground them to dust. They forced her to swallow the dust, almost suffocating her before she reluctantly complied. One by one, they plucked the hair from her tail, then started whipping her over and over. She refused to die, so they continued by holding her down as they broke her bones, one by one. Each sickening crunch was worse than the last, until even she could not hold onto life any longer.
Rubius cried out in agony. His wife. His children. Gone, save for one. He wouldn’t let them find him. He would die before he let them find Sapphiron. With a primal yell of rage, he threw off his assailants. He couldn’t take all of them, but he could certainly scare them away. He pulled out all the stops- He tapped into the gift of Crystalon. He glowed with power as he rained down crystals upon his foes. Most of them ran for the hills, but a few fought back. They were the fools. He sent them away, one by one- until the last one caught him off-guard. The forbidden spell was used, and Rubius fell. The final one that stayed left, certain that all the Trigems were now gone for good.
Once the coast was clear, Sapphiron ran up to his father. He cried out his one blue eye and one green eye, begging his father to get up. The power had left his father, and the cracks were beginning to show. Sapphiron was terrified, teal coat paling. He didn’t want his father to leave. He didn’t want to be on his own at such a tender young age. His father did his best to comfort the boy, but he wasn’t making much headway. Knowing he had little time left, he stared at his son straight in the heterochromatic eyes. He said that he must be strong, and always remember to be the better person. He explained that ponies would come after him if he was seen, so he must remain hidden. Sapphiron asked him how he could do that- and Rubius smiled. He said that he could teach him one final spell- one that would help him live amongst the ponies in peace. Rubius then lit his horn, parted his son’s ruby mane and touched his horn to his son’s head. He transferred the knowledge into his son’s mind, and then passed on.
Sapphiron allowed himself a moment to grieve, his seven colored gem rainbow tail drooping. Today was a day that he would never forget. The worst birthday in the history of ever, and it just had to be his. His breath caught a bit, for he had seen everything. Zaltara. Lapis. The twins. Topaz. Tourmaline. ...Dad. He clenched his teeth. Those monsters had taken everything from him… and for what? Prejudice. That was what Sapphiron understood was wrong with Equestria. But he couldn’t change things as he was. He needed… a partner. That was when he came across “Maestro Spectrum”- Blue-green eyes of determination. A darker teal coat when compared to his own. Reddish-brown mane with a single turquoise streak down the center. A seven-colored rainbow tail. Somebody with similar ideals, and a similar background as well. This was the beginning of the Great Campaign- to change the hearts of ponies worldwide. This would take Maestro’s charisma and public image, and Sapphiron’s well-placed sightings. With careful maneuvering, they could change the opinion of the majority of ponykind- and so they set off for their aim together.
For the next 20 years, Maestro built up his reputation as somebody trustworthy. It wasn’t hard, given his talent and willingness to prove his claims. This garnered him quite a bit of sway in the hearts of ponies, for they loved his art and his upfront nature. Sure he had his secrets, but his word had a lot of weight behind it. So when Sapphiron sightings started going around, he was always there to assure people that Sapphiron meant no harm- that he only wanted to fit in, like everyone else. And people started to believe it shortly after the return of Luna. Maestro continued his travels, touching the hearts of many. Though one mare was more touched than anyone, that being Luna herself. She often spent time with Maestro, for his ideas were very fascinating indeed. He often helped her feel better about what she had done as Nightmare Moon, even convincing her that she should let go- though that took a good portion of a year to pull off. He was somepony that she felt she could trust, and perhaps more. Yet Maestro kept his distance, refusing to cross that line.
As the years went on, more and more ponies came to believe that Sapphiron was good, and that his cause was just. The time of prejudice against non-ponies and hybrids had to end. Even Luna supported this course of action, especially after Maestro had reformed Tirek. Nopony was quite certain what he’d done to get that result, but they weren’t complaining. Luna felt more drawn to Maestro than ever, and one day approached him about it- But he turned her down. He reasoned that he was not worthy of her love- He was a mortal pony, and that she would outlive him by thousands of years. She pointed to the example of Shining and Cadence, saying that they were happy despite that- but Maestro wouldn’t listen. He said that if she knew who he really was, that she wouldn’t want anything to do with him. She insisted that she wouldn’t do that to him. He was silent for a moment, then walked off.
For the next good while, even though the laws were starting to alter, Maestro kept himself away from Luna. She didn’t get it. He was doing this for her own good. He ran into Cadence, and before she could urge him to go for it, he cut her off. He explained that he couldn’t be with Luna- not yet. He did care for her, but the time just wasn’t right. He didn’t want to risk doing this now, at such a sensitive time. His goal was so close- the day was coming. He buckled down, and continued. His time would come.
Then, the day came. Ten years after the return of Luna, on that fateful day. Maestro braced himself as he went to speak on this momentous occasion- the day that the law had passed. He stood before the ponies, and they all cheered. He had changed their hearts- or at least the vocal majority. He saw some in the crowd that didn’t look very happy, but they couldn’t do much about it. He raised a hoof, and the audience went quiet. He first voiced his pride on the great victory that was achieved on this day, and the ponies cheered. He once again silenced them, and became somber.
He said that this day is also one of remembrance of the tragedy that had occured on this very day thirty years ago. He explained that on this very day, the Trigems were thinned out to a single survivor. This caused the crowd to murmur a bit, and he explained that the final Trigem is alive, and that his name is Sapphiron Rubius Emerald. The nobles that had tried getting rid of them all those years ago looked pale, afraid that he was confirming the rumors. Everyone else was talking excitedly about how they had met and seen the last living Trigem, and this caused the nobles no end of concern. Maestro raised a hoof, calming them down. He explained that Sapphiron was very well present, and pleased that this day had balanced out the worst birthday ever with the best one he could ask for.
This got the audience even more excited. They whispered about possibly seeing him here, or maybe hearing him speak on this day. Once more, Maestro got them to be quiet. He explained that it would take time for Sapphiron to be comfortable in public, to really accept that he was now safe. He also said that Sapphiron was not going to appear today as a precaution; for there were still those that felt he was a danger. He wrapped up his speech, and went to talk to Luna. He explained to her that he did share her feelings towards him, but that he felt that he had to get this done first before getting into a serious relationship. She understood, and the two started dating.
Somewhere down the line, Maestro disappeared from the public eye, never to be seen again- Though ponies wondered why Luna took to dating Sapphiron so quickly after Maestro disappeared. Perhaps Maestro had perished, and comforted her before he passed. Maybe Luna saw in Sapphiron what she saw in Maestro, and moved on quickly because of that. There were some that thought that Maestro and Sapphiron were one and the same- but they were quickly shot down when others pointed out that the two had been seen in the same place before- multiple times, even. As for Sapphiron, the ponies grew to accept him as a revered individual, a national treasure. They cheered him on as he proposed to Luna, and rejoiced when she accepted. Though, some could’ve sworn that they saw Maestro smiling at the wedding- but when they looked again, he had disappeared from sight.
As for what came after that, nothing is quite certain. Though one thing that many agree on is this: the Trigems had finally overcome the obstacles, and made things better- ponies, non-ponies and hybrids alike owe him much.
Author's Note
This is a project that I've been meaning to do for some time- the story of the Trigem Clan. Yes, this is the base story- though alterations are in the various universes, such as the Eclipse Multiverse and others. I don't think I'll write each variation though, as It would get rather repetitive after a while. Anyway, feel free to voice your thoughts below.
