Author's Note

Greetings Everyone,

This is a prequel/lore deep dive into the world of Shimmering Hope. It is not really spoiling anything for the main story, as most of this will be a mystery, and some parts will not be mentioned at all. I will go into greater detail into things such as Death's Absence, The Great Cataclysm, and much more.

The Beginning of it All

Long ago, before the days of the sun and moon, before Grogar and the Tree of Harmony, before the realms were split apart from each other, there was just the single plane known as the Void. The Void was a blank, empty place, with energy just existing throughout it, till a sudden event occurred. From the Void, of solid white and energy, came forth a sphere, pulsating and brilliantly gold, as the first being was born. They were known simply as Life. Life did not know what they were, how they came to be, but only knew one thing, she was alone. Out of this loneliness, for who knows how long as time was not yet an idea in her infinite mind, she floated in the void, searching and confused. Until, she then saw something new, energy forming behind her, little stars of pure energy tailing her, pulled into existence.

Seeing new things made Life then floated around, creating more and more stars, until she had billions upon billions of them around her. However, with so much energy from the void now in these stars, the void lost it's white tone, and gray. This, along with the fact that Light now existed, created a shadow behind Life. Life never saw a shadow before, and so she was intrigued by it. However, the shadow did nothing, but follow her, though now she had a companion to always be with her. Life also then started to try and make more things from the void, draining it more and more of energy, until it got darker and darker, with only the stars and herself making light, but only Life had a shadow.

Then, as life tried to make a bigger star, she broke it, killing it and started a chain reaction. Life heard the stars' cries, for they were alive to her, and went to stop this. By the time she was able too...so many stars had died...their dust scattered through the void, and she, for the first time, wept from sadness and guilt. That was when she heard his voice, her shadow, spoke to her, "You didn't know that would happen...also....who...are you?" This has never happened before, and thus Life was shocked, and asked "How can you, my shadow, speak? Only the stars could ever make noises."

The shadow simply sighed, "I don't know how I can do anything, all I know is, I am here now." Life was puzzled, and thus spent time, actual time, to talk to her shadow. It was odd, as her shadow made her recall how long it has been since the death of so many stars, and yet, she felt better with her shadow here with her. They two then stayed together, and thus, they chatted, discovered new things, and then, when both were chatting, Life decided her new friend needed a name, "I need to name you, I can't call you My Shadow, you're different from me."

Her shadow hummed, "Yes, but what shall you call me? What do you call yourself?" Life thought for a moment, as she thought hard on if she had a name, until she glows brighter, "I am Light and you are Shadow...wait..no...that's just...dropping the my before Shadow." She sighs, as her shadow then speaks up, "What do you do?" Life thinks hard on this too, for she never really thought about what she did, but now, she created things that existed, beings of light, she made...life.

"I guess, I make beings real, I make..Life." Her shadow nods, as it then pulls itself from the shadows, and forms a dark sphere. "Then I," her shadow declares, "Shall end what you make, so you can make again. After all, this is all you can use, so it must end one way or another for you to make more things." Life nods, though dimmed at this idea. "Alright, but..what would you call that then?" Her shadow grows darker, then hums in thought, before saying in a deep, mind shaking voice, "It shall be called, Death."

Life takes this word in, Death, her opposite, but her ally, as the void's last bits of energy are used by her to make Death into a stable form, free of her light, to exist on his own, as she pulsates brightly, with a mix of joy and worry. "Yes, now then, let us see what we can do now, my dear old Death."

------Time Skip------

Life and Death, the first and the last beings of the Void, have done many things since the time when Death was first given free will. Life began to create more things for the energy of the oldest and weakest stars, letting their tired struggle of existence end with the help of Death. They created the universe, planets, and many realms. Life made the realm of Light, where she made small stars into beings like her, to help her create worlds. Death, however, could not make such beings, though Life knew this, and asked seven Stars of blue light, to join him in the shadows.

Once those seven stars of Blue came to Death, they were made into black stars, and their light was used to make the realm of Shadows, where they roamed and existed, and also stored energy that life needed to use to create new things in her own realm. Thus, a cycle was born, Life made things, and was happy to do so, and Death, oh Death at first was just happy to see her work, and to help put a tired and long life of Stars from the beginning, the strongest ones, to a proper end, so they can be used to make more new things.

Then, life suddenly vanished for a time, and Death was worried. Sure new things came and many were strange and new, but they were small, recent, and strange. Death then went to find Life, to ask her what she was doing. That was when he saw her, constantly changing her form of light, as she made things, small little green things, in the strange substance Death knows not of. Life then speaks to Death, in a happy voice, "I think I have done it, after so long." She then turns, and shows him a small little thing, with strange parts to it, as it is so small no one but them could see it without aid. "I have made something new, I have made something like us both, it takes energy, and fuels itself. I...don't know what to call it."

Death was confused, but then chuckles, as he felt joy for the first time, as this was something very new, something he could feel, like the Stars, but it was so small, so..special. "Then, let us call it, the first of many." Life giggles, and the two sit on this rock in space, bathed in warm lights, with the newest creation in a substance they dubbed "Life's Blood", they both finally had an idea, to make something greater. And so, on the sands of an ancient ocean, Life and Death created the first living things with their own little stars in them. Together, they created, the first being of matter, with a tine star in it, a soul inside a body.

This new idea made things harder for both, as now the body of Matter couldn't enter either realm they made, so the soul was taken, and the body left behind. This however, made Life's work easier, as the energy in the realm between theirs was now able to fuel the life of other beings, though, it was hard at first. Life experimented, and created many creatures. She kept on creating, until. She created a powerful race, one with four legs, tails, wings, and horns. She made them and gifted them a part of her own Light, and thus created the Alicorns, and Magic.

Death, then was given these new beings, and he gifted them his sight, to see souls, his shadows, to be able to use powers of the darkness, and, lastly, as he saw Life's Light in them, he made each and every one of them beings he could not claim, and thus him and his Seven Shadows, now Seventy due to the hard work of collecting the souls of the new beings all across the middle realm meant more hands were needed, could not end their existence, and thus harm Life.

Over the years, a concept the Alicorns' created, Life made more creatures, and the Alicorns, helped them grow, and to make each one become something more, and then told that creature to tell what it did to Death, and to ask tell him things they wanted to tell him, since they could not see Death often, and felt like they owed it to him for the gifts he gave them. Death, and his Shadows, loved the stories the souls told them, and became happier to do their jobs and guide such informative beings to their realm to rest, and stay a while, until Life needed their energy.

However, some souls became constant, and slipped out of the Realm of Shadows, and popped into new life, with the memories of old, and was more inclined to avoid Death, as they wanted to avoid being destroyed. They became fearful of no longer existing, and this sentiment spread rapidly through all beings Life made. They begged her to keep Death away, to help them, and they begged the Alicorns to help them, to fight death. Life and most of her Lights and Alicorns simply sighed, and told them it was natural. However, one Alicorn did not, and tried to fight off a Shadow of Death, and wounded the Entity. This had never happened before, and seeing the Shadow then take form, and attack the Alicorn, sparked a great cascade of fear, fighting, and the breaking of the Cycle. The fights and wars, soon massive conflicts destroyed almost all life, as the living picked sides, the Lights and Shadows took up arms, and the Alicorns were divided.

Life and Death could only watch as everything fell apart, and Death was angry, livid, as the Alicorns slaughtered so many, on all sides, and yet could not die due to his gift. However, he could not take it away, or Life would be hurt...but then, as he watched two Alicorns break the planet and slay a sun, he then had enough. With his great powers of Shadow, he stabbed his very self into the void, and ripped it into pieces, he then pulled from the holes, pure shadow, that formed barriers so grand and unfathomable, only he, Life, the beings of their realms, and the Alicorns could cross them. He then grabbed all the Alicorns, and tossed them onto each world, and then cursed them all, for that if they try to fight again, they must relinquish their souls, their Light from Life, back to Life, or they will be trapped in the Realm of Shadows. Each Alicorn took this differently, but eventually all agreed.

As time went on, many of the Alicorns, ashamed for what they did, went into hiding, and slept. Life hid away, letting her Lights, her Angels, work and watch over her creations. Death, however, took things personal, as he took souls, and made more reapers, and then, he tore into the void, and stole dark energy, and thus cursed all realms with it, so that eventually the Alicorns will fail and give Life back the pieces of her soul they were given, NO..stole from her. His rage and hate was massive, and thus, he ended many of the splintered realms he created, to vent and feel good about his decisions, and to take up his mind with stories, as Life was no longer there for him.

Eventually, his curse worked, and most if not all of the Alicorns found and fought the darkness he set upon their realms, their universes, but some instead conquered it without fighting. One such case, was the Brightest of the Alicorns, Celestia, who instead turned her Dark Counter into her sister, and gave her new sister the Moon, and both kept their quadrupedal forms and decided to start being like Life and Death, and thus found the planet of Equis, and watches it from afar. Unknown to them, Death was watching them, as he felt guilty and sad, as he lost the joy he once had. His form was dark, empty, with only a slight bright red around it, the only sign of Life's effects on him. The decades went by, as Death began to watch each universe closely, and saw how little of life's creations were left, how scattered and weak they were, and he felt alone.

Thus, one day, he simply vanished, and went to a world to live out a mortal life, as he tried to take on a mortal form, and thus, took on a form of the natives. He became a tall, pale ape, with hair of black on his head, and his body showed no signs of life ever even being the being who helped make him, until you saw his eyes. Those orbs held that last spark of life in them, a fire of amber, glowing faintly. Life notices this, and watched her oldest friend, and knew he felt bad for the pain he caused her, for everything, and thus, she decided to keep him safe, and once he was ready, she would come down to either join or bring him back to her side.

That day did eventually happen, though, Death forgot one thing he could never change about himself, the part of him that made him and Life fundamentally different to all other beings. And that was, unlike the Alicorns of old, or the beings of new, neither Life nor Death have a physical body, they are just a soul. And thus, when he took on a body, he made it from his Immortal soul. Thus, Death couldn't ever die, and he might have known, or he might have not, but to find out, will have to wait. I wish you all a good day or night, and I hope to see you again...as I recount a tale, from.. Once Upon a Time.