My Little Pony Spark of Harmonyby Alex P CherryChaptersSpark of Harmony part 1Spark of Harmony part 2Spark of Harmony part 3Spark of Harmony part 1 My Little Pony Spark of Harmony Part 1 ''Long ago, the world was created by Talina, the all powerful, all knowing, and all loving goddess of the known universe. Unfortunately she fell sick, and from her sickness came the OmniVirus, which is the source of such evils as; magic, falsehoods, natural disasters, and all other gods. She created countless galaxies, each containing countless stars with planets orbiting them. In each star system she created three children to make a cure. In our star system there was the Divine Brothers Prometheus, Atlas, and Epimethius. For thousands of years they created all kinds of creatures of all shapes and sizes. 2,000 years ago Prometheus, learning from his countless past mistakes through trial and error, created Humanity. Atlas didn't approve of his creation, and got into an argument with him.'' ''Eventually he decided to give them a chance, but believed they where inferior to him, and tried to make them his slaves. Prometheus didn't like this, so he created fire to set them free. This fire embodied all of humanities virtues such as determination, intelligence, ambition, and most of all friendship. Atlas saw what his brother had done, and stole it from him. Prometheus managed to trick Atlas by turning into a horse, and stealing it back while he wasn't looking. Because the fire brought a new age of peace for humans, the fire became known as the Fire of Friendship, aka The Spark of Harmony. Atlas was infuriated, and punished his brother by making him live the rest of his immortal life as a horse. Once that was done, he founded a nation that would discipline the human race. A nation called Atlantis!'' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ''And that's why horses are sacred to the Atlantian Empire.'' A lady around her 20s closed the history book that she had just finished reading for her son, Phillip. Phillip was only four years old when his mother first read that book to him. He looked a lot like his mother, with his red hair, and blue eyes. He was close to her, and she always showed him the best of humanity. He would often ask why she gave him such a name as Phillip. His mother, Lady Clymene, who had long red hair, white skin, and blue eyes, would always comment on how fascinated he was with horses ever since he was a baby, so she decided to name her second born son 'Phillip'. He lived in the stud farm of the glorious country of Atlantis, which demanded high expectations, especially from a prince such as Phillip. He would get mocked and teased by his older half-blood siblings for his name, and his mom would always remind him that he can interpret his name however he wants. His mother was an exception since her names meaning was unknown. His mother loved horses. In fact, she owned an agricultural reserve where she could breed them. Phillip was absolutely fascinated with horses, which meant a lot to the Atlantians since horses where considered sacred. She would teach Phillip how to care for Equines daily, but he loved everything about horses, and he wanted to ride one as soon as possible, and he had very little patience. He looked up to his mother with a big wide grin ''Mommy? Can I ride a pony?'' His mother looked down to him and said ''I'm sorry, but it's getting dark, and we must be getting home. Phillip pouted ''But I want to ride one now.'' His mother sighed and said ''I'm sorry Philly, but no means no.'' Phillip looked down and kicked at the ground, and they both started walking down the trail in front of them, but after ten seconds of silence he spoke up ''Why are horses sacred?'' ''Because our creator and light bringer Prometheus is famed for turning into a pony in order to steal the Fire of Friendship. They are like brothers and sisters to humanity.'' Phillip asked another question ''Mommy, what's alchemy?'' His mother told him ''Alchemy is transmuting one element of the periodic table into another element through the use of Alko.'' She looked up to the sky and continued ''Only royalty are allowed to wield it's power.'' He continued with his curiosity ''Whats Aliko?'' Clymene smirked ''Aliko are alien organisms with a crystalline form. They can absorb energy of any kind; such as electrical, thermal, chemical, nuclear, etc, and use it to synthesis elements. They are the they are the fundamental core of Atlantis. After all, it wouldn't be called the Crystal Empire if their where no alchemical crystals. Phillip looked down to the ground again in satisfaction, but seconds later looked back up to his mother and said ''Whats magic?'' His mother stopped walking, sighed, and in a cold tone told him. ''Magic is an abomination to the universe. By ignoring the laws of physics, it ignores the laws of Talina.'' Phillip was confused. He didn't know much about theology, but he didn't like the whole 'Dominate nature and slaughter all who oppose us' vibe. He couldn't understand the difference between alchemy and magic. He bit his lip in anxiety and said ''Mom! Whats the difference between Alchemy and magic?'' There was another long silence until she finally looked back down to her son, and spoke in a stern voice ''Magic is the greatest taboo! It's very nature breaks the laws we as a scientific, and technological society follow.'' Her facial expression softened as she said ''Alchemy is when Aliko synthesizes energy to convert one element of the periodic table into another.'' Phillip looked towards Atlantis City, which was far off in the distance, past the vast plains and rivers, with the smoke emitting from its industrial buildings being the main indicator of its presence. It was the capital city of Atlantis, with its brilliant golden walls surrounding the utopian metropolis. He couldn't see much due to distance, but he would have to be blind to not notice the Spark Tower that reached into the heavens, the tip of which emitted a brilliant golden light. Lady Clymene spoke up with surprising hostility in her voice ''It is our right, and responsibility as the dominant species to bring order to this savage, and chaotic world we live in. The universe is full of cosmic horrors that are hiding in the dark, waiting for us to lose our greatest defense, the Spark of Harmony.'' Phillip said with a look of concern of his face ''Is that why Atlantis is trying to conquer the world?'' His mother sighed ''...Yes!'' ''What are these cosmic things? Shouldn't we make peace with them? What if they just want to be our friends?'' Clymene continued ''They are the embodiments of nature. Savage, barbaric, and chaotic, ...they only want to turn our planet into their own personal playground. They will know peace when we eliminate them, and...'' Phillip was startled and scared due to her sudden outburst of anger. She wasn't yelling but she had such determination and scorn in her that horrified him. Clymene noticed and composed herself ''And we can never co-exist with nature, only dominate it.'' ''But are they not living things themselves?'' Phillip was certain that since they where living entities, they could co-exist with humans... right? His mother ignored his question and said ''Why don't we get going? We don't want to keep your brother waiting do we?'' As much as she wanted to believe what they where doing was right, it made her son feel uncomfortable. Despite that however, Phillip still loved his mother very much. He took his mothers hand and together, they walked down the trail laid before them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Over the next two years, Phillip would learn everything his mother knew about horses. He would dream of one day running the farm. His mother was the best Equenologist, and horse breeder in all of Atlantis. He would hope to succeed his mother, and take over for her. Unfortunately, his simple life would change when his mother was assigned a mission by the Emperor of Atlantis, his father, to transport an entire herd of purebred warhorses to a Atlantien outpost off in the far east. ''You can't hide from me forever.!'' Phillip was wondering around the grasslands near their farm looking for his brother, until he noticed some brushing in the bushes at the base of the fence. Not thinking for a second, he charged at it to see if his brother was inside, but before he could make contact, he heard a scream. ''Eep!!'' That was all it took to know he was in there. Phillip placed his hands on his waist, with a confident smirk on his face in triumph, and said ''Geez Alex, you're really easy to find when you're such a scardy-cat.'' His brother crawled out of the bushes, with some leaves and dirt left on him. His blue-dyed hair, and green eyes where distinguishable as he pulled himself up. He wore a blue silk wardrobe with green diamond patterns, which was now all covered in dirt and grass. Phillip wasn't happy ''You know, I really would like for you to be more assertive, I mean really?'' His brother looked down in disappointment and whimpered ''I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give myself away its just that y-you where charging at me, and I got s-cared.'' Phillip and his brother Alex where done playing a game of hide-and-seek when they heard their mother calling ''Phillip! Alex! Come here please.'' They both heard her, and rushed past the barn and into their house to where she was. Phillip was wondering what she wanted since all the horses where already taken care of. When they found her, he noticed she had a sorrowful expression on her face. He also noticed she was holding some scroll. Phillip walked over to his mother and asked, ''What's wrong, mother?'' Clymene, who now had a blind fold covering her eyes said with a hint of depression ''I'm sorry my sons, but it seems I must transport the warhorses to an outpost in the far east from here.'' Phillips heart sank ''W-What? But you belong here with us.'' His mother smiled ''Don't worry I'll come back soon sweetie.'' Alex tried to protest, but couldn't say anything. Phillip was scared and said ''But we don''t want you to go. I don't want you to leave me, and Alex here alone.'' ''I'm sorry Phillip, but I must do this for our country.'' Phillip ran over to his mother and hugged on to her waist ''Take me with you!'' His mother chuckled at his devotion to her ''I'm sorry, but it's dangerous out there where barbarians live.'' ''I'll protect you!'' he begged. Tears clearly gushing out of his eyes. His mother took on her stern tone ''...Phillip...you must stay here, and that's final!'' ''NO!!!'' he screamed at the top of his lungs, with tears pouring down his eyes. Alex jumped in shock at his brothers volume, with tears dripping from his eyes as well. With all the resolve he could gather, he said ''M-Mother, can't someone else take the m-mission?'' His mother sighed ''I knew this would happen.'' They heard a buzzing sound as a giant airship came toward their direction. Clymene looked up and said ''Well...looks like my rides here.'' She looked back towards her children and smiled ''Don't worry. Your mother-in-law will look after you while I'm away.'' When the airship landed, and the doors opened, she walked toward it with her herd of warhorses. Phillip and Alex remembered about their nine mother-in-laws. They remembered all of them, and how they where the children of just one out of nine of the Kings wives. Phillip didn't hang out with his half-brothers, and half-sisters very often, considering they liked to make fun of him thanks to his name. Alex was too shy to interact with them, so he decided to hang with his energetic brother Phillip. Clymene walked over to Phillip, knelled down, and said ''Before I go Phillip, I want you to have this.'' She pulled out a book with a gold horse on the cover. Phillip eyed it with curiosity, and hesitantly grabbed it from his mother. After examining it, Phillip looked up to his mother and said ''What is it?'' His mother giggled ''It contains all the knowledge you'll ever need to become the horse-breeder I've always hopped you would be, and if you pay attention to the content, you'll find something surprising.'' She then whispered into his ears ''Outside of the farm. Trust no one!'' Clymene turned to Alex ''Don't worry! Everything will be alright. I will only be gone for a few months.'' Alex was crying quietly, but eventually said ''Y-You will come back, right? Promise?'' His mother placed her hands on his shoulders and said ''I promise!'' With that she pulled her two sons in for a hug that lasted roughly a minute, until she let go, and proceeded into the airship. Once she stepped into the airship, she had a little chat with some other figure they couldn't make out. When the other figure stepped out of the airship, Phillip and Alex found it to be none other then their mother-in-law Maria. She had green-dyed hair that looked like a birds nest, and a pair of hazel eyes. She held a beer in her left hand, and belched. She seemed to be tired as she was limping down the stairs. With a yawn she greeted them ''Well, hello there.'' Just when they thought she couldn't get anymore laid-back then this, she broke wind and said ''I'm Maria, and I'll be your baby-sitter for the month, while your mother is away.'' Alex snift the air and covered his nose while uttering ''Its nice to might you.'' When all was set and done, the airship lifted off and flew to the east. Maria looked at Phillip, then Alex, and said ''Well I'm sure your both upset about your mother leaving for a while and I feel bad for you, but I assure you everything will be just fine. Now how about you show me around quickly, so we can all go to bed.'' After showing her around the farm, the two brothers went to bed to think things through. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip woke up in his bed and looked around frantically once he remembered what had happened. He jumped out of bed and ran outside, hoping it was all just a dream. He got off of his bed, walked out of his room, and continued down the stairs and into the living room. When he came in, he saw a rejuvenated Maria and downtrodden Alex. When Maria noticed Phillip, she said ''Ah, Phillip! Your awake!'' Phillips heart sank, as he realized it wasn't a dream. He asked in a hopeful, and somewhat desperate tone ''Where's our mom?'' Maria looked concerned for Phillip and spoke in a soft voice ''She is on an errand for your father. She will be back in a month. While she is away, I am given the task of watching over you.'' Phillip dropped to his knees, and tears started building up in his eyes ''Why did she have to go?'' Maria walked over to him, knelled down, and hugged him ''Because Phillip, everyone has responsibility's they must take care of.'' ''But what about me, and my brother?'' Just then Alex spoke up ''D-Don't worry brother. It will only be for a month.'' Maria said '''My sister-in-law has responsibility's in Atlantian affairs. I have responsibility's in taking care of you while she is gone, and you and Alex have responsibility's in managing the farm. We want to make her proud don't we?'' Phillip sniffled ''O-OK, I g-guess I can w-wait for m-mommy.'' She smiled ''That's the spirit!'' With that, Maria stood back up and asked ''Now then. Who wants some eggs to lighten those spirits?'' At that, Phillip looked up at her with a weak smile. For the next few months, Alex helped Phillip with everything he needed. Phillip and Alex would often angst, and mourn about how much they missed their mother. Over time, Phillip became more and more accepting of his mother leaving. He still missed her a lot, but Maria and Alex where always there for him, the same way their mother was always there for him. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clymene was sitting in one of the passenger seats, accompanied by other passengers on board a Royal Aircraft. They were currently flying over the vast ocean. With the warhorses finally settling down in the outpost she was assigned, she decided to get back to the farm. She felt really bad about leaving her two sons, while she carried out her mission. Her thoughts where interrupted when the pilot made an announcement. ''Attention all passengers on board! We are sorry to inform you that our radar has detected a storm heading our way, so we'll have to make an emergency landing on one of the nearby islands, and set the aircraft to camp mode.'' Clymene looked confused ''A storm? That can't be right?'' This was surprising to Clymene. She thought it was supposed to be a little rain tonight. Suddenly the rain grew heavy and thunder could be heard all around her. The aircraft started to shake violently. Clymene grabbed on to a handle bar above her to keep from getting flung out of her seat. The passengers where beginning to panic, which made it hard to think of a way to counteract the storm. Just then a bolt of lightening struck one of the engines of the aircraft, creating a powerful shock wave throughout the aircraft. Sparks where flying and the lights were flickering on and off. ''That's impossible! This aircraft sports a special anti-storm coating that makes it immune to lightening strikes.'' She thought of a possible explanation for this to happen, then realization hit her like a ton of bricks ''OH NO!.....No No No No NO!!!'' She looked out the window to her right, and saw red lightening surging through the black storm clouds. This was no ordinary storm. This was the work of magic. She went to the captain of the vessel to notify him of their situation, but by the time she reached the pilots another bolt of crimson lightning struck the aircraft's wing. As the aircraft started to descend down into the ocean, the passengers in the back started to scream in fright. She looked around at the pilots only to learn to her horror that they were dead. ''This can't be happening!'' was all she could utter. She pulled the pilot corpse out of the pilot seat, and strapped herself in. Clymene never worked an aircraft before, but she had no choice in the matter. She got on the radio and said ''Attention passengers! I am sorry for the inconvenience, and due to current circumstances, I am going to be your new pilot. I am Queen Clymene, 'Guardian Angel' to the Emperor. Don't worry! I'll make sure we are all safe.'' When she was done with her little speech, she heard the passengers panic somewhat die down. She looked for an nearby island to land on, and spotted an island with forest, a few mountains, and a river. She decided to steer the aircraft toward that landmass, but realized she would never see her family ever again. She teared up, and mumbled ''Forgive me...Phillip,...Alex,....my family!'' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip liked the experience of taking care of horses. However, one of the mares was now pregnant with a foal. Phillip decided to read up on the book his mother gave him. It's been almost a month now and he has gotten over his mother leaving, but now he was excited since his mother was coming back soon. Phillip said to the pregnant mare ''Don't worry. Everything will be alright when mom comes back.'' The mare chewed on some grass from the dirt ground, and flicked its tail. Phillip knew what this meant ''I take it, you want to be left alone. Well that's OK!'' He loved all horses, but the kind he loved most were ponies. He liked how they were smaller, and more peaceful compared to the disciplined, and battle-hardened warhorses that his mother shipped off with. He didn't have many friends, but that was alright, because as far as he was concerned, ponies where his friends. It was the middle of the day, when Phillip was busy caring for the horses in the wide open fields and meadows. The weather was a little cloudy but mostly sunny. He was in the middle of cleaning the hooves of some of the ponies. Phillip was in the stables tending to the horses when his brother Alex came to give him terrible news. He never really hung out with any of his other siblings before, but there was Alex, who always treated him with respect. He would always be there for him in his time of need. He knew that despite his shy and timid way of life, Alex was a lot more mature then the others. Alex was always using manners and etiquette, and would always follow rules to an uncomfortable degree. It was almost creepy how he would always insist on doing things by the book. His brother came riding down toward him with a look of shock and depression on his face, which worried Phillip. Phillip walked over to his brother, and said ''Hey Alex! What are you doing here? I thought you where at Atlantis City?'' Alex said nothing for a while, but he seemed to be having trouble even speaking a sentence. A moment passed as Alex started to finally speak ''...Phillip...I...I'm sorry.'' Phillip raised an eyebrow at this ''Sorry about what?'' ''Phillip...mother's aircraft got caught in a storm, and...its now missing.'' Phillips eyes shrank in pure shock ''W-what do you mean?'' he stuttered Alex closed his eyes and tightened his fist ''She...is currently M.I.A. and could very likely be...'' It took him awhile to say the word, then with one gulp he screamed ''SHE MIGHT BE DEAD!!!'' Phillips eyes widened as the realization of what his brother was saying kicked in. His heart skipped a beat or two as he stared wide-eyed at his brother for what seemed like hours. He knew his brother better then anybody else, and he doesn't lie. His mother could be dead, and now he and Alex where all alone. Tears fell from his eyes as he stood there frozen in shock and horror. All those times she was there to comfort him in his time of need. All those times she told him to look at things in a positive way. All those things she taught him when he was younger, and all the times she played with him. Now...she was gone...forever! This can't be what happened, so he decided to find Maria to see if it was true. Phillip looked to his brother and said ''Alex do you know where Maria is?'' Alex just sat their sobbing silently before pointing toward the house and saying ''Y-Yeah, shes in her room.'' Phillip raced to the house and into her room screaming ''Aunt Maria!!!'' Maria was sitting near the window and writing something down of a piece of paper. She turned to face him ''Judging by your expression, I take it you know?'' ''Then its true? Mother really is missing?'' Maria said ''Your mother is currently nowhere to be found, and the aircraft was struck by lightening.'' She got up out of her seat and walked over to Phillip ''In any case, it looks like I'm going to be watching over you, and your brother until Clymene is located.'' ''How long will that take?'' he said ''I'm not sure. However, you can't just pout about her potential death. You and Alex along with your other siblings are the seed of life for this empire, and you need to have hope that she is alive.'' Phillip rubbed his eyes ''A-Alright, I'll try!'' Maria smiled ''Besides even if she has moved on, she will always be in your heart.'' She hugged him and said ''Now then! Do you need help with anything in particular?'' Phillip looked out the window to the stables ''Well, I do need some help in caring for mom's ponies.'' Maria looked towards the herd of ponies, then back to Phillip and said ''Well i don't know much about caring for horses, aside from what little I've observed from you and your brother, but I'll do what I can.'' She hugged him one last time before going outside. Phillip retreated into his bedroom, fell onto his bed and cried himself to sleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He woke up 4 hours later, and pulled out the book his mother gave him, and started reading. He noticed the tear stained bed-sheets, but didn't care. It wasn't long before he came across something that made him curious. Something about "Will Branching". He closed the book and went outside to find Alex. When he found him, he walked up to him and said ''Alex, do you know what a Will is? Alex cocked his head sideways ''What?'' Phillip continued ''This book says something about ones 'Will', and I don't understand.'' His brother said ''O-Oh, your talking about when someone has some goal, but is incapable of fulfilling it, so they pass it on to their children. Right?'' ''Is that what it is? Passing your dream on to your offspring?'' Alex confirmed ''Well, pretty much.'' Phillip got antsy ''Do you know what mothers Will is?'' ''I don't know what her Will was, but they said it will be revealed at her funeral, which is a month from now. Knowing mother, it probably has something to do with horses, but I could be wrong.'' said Alex Alex knew that royalty would set a fixed Will for themselves when they reach 12 years of age, which would become there purpose in life, along with their name of course. If they were ever unable to fulfill their Will, than the honorable thing to do would be to pass your life-work to your descendant. It was said that your Will should always be kept a secret from others, so they don't try to take advantage of it, unless you are passing the Will to them. After a while of chatting, Alex said ''Well, I have to go now...hope you feel better soon, because if she really is gone, then we must grow up and be the fine men she would want us to be. ...Oh, that's right! I almost forgot!'' He reached into his saddle pack, and pulled out what looked like a purple book. He took a look at it, blow on it a little, then rubbed his hand on the cover. Phillip looked at it with curiosity and said ''What is it?'' ''Some book that had significant meaning to our mother. She wanted to give it to you when we came of age, but I guess our time was cut short.'' Phillip grabbed the book out of his brothers hands ''Um, thanks!'' Alex whimpered in response ''Your welcome!'' Phillip watched as his brother left to go to the stables. Alex left while saying ''I'm going to go feed the ponies now.'' As he disappeared out of sight, Phillip opened the book and started reading it. It was a science book about a something called 'Equas Sapiens'. Phillip found the idea of sentient horses to be interesting. He put in his bag and went to help his brother. He wouldn't read it for a few weeks, because he was too depressed over his mothers death. When Phillip read it a few weeks later, he had a new found confidence in himself. He read a few more times, so he would memorize it, and immediately know what to do. ''I will make Atlantis proud, and make Alex proud, and...mother.'' As much as this book was lifting his spirits, all it took was his memories with his mother to send back into a depressed state. He closed the book, crouched down on his knees, held the book to his chest, and cried...quietly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip woke up in his room screaming, confused, and sweating. He looked around and saw that he was in his room. He got out of bed, and looked through his window. It was a nice day out with plenty of clouds. He saw all the horses running around in the field playing and grazing. He heard knocking at the door, so he opened it. There standing at the doorway was his mother, who looked shocked. ''Phillip dear, whats the matter? I heard screaming, so I came up stairs to see if something was wrong. Is everything all right?'' Phillip just stared at her for what seemed like hours. She said ''Phillip are you alright?'' ''M-Mo...Mother?'' ''Yes Phillip...it's me.'' Phillip ran over to his mother and cried out ''MOTHER YOU"RE ALIVE I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!'' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip woke up dazed and confused, and realized it was just a dream. He seemed to have cried himself to sleep in the stables, and had a dream. A dream that was like a nightmare because it filled him with false hope that only made the whole ordeal worse. It was now night time, so he had to herd the horses into the stables for the night. He then went into his mother's house and walked into his room. Weeks passed by as Phillip continued to grieve the loss of his mom. Sadly, those weeks turned into months and with it, his mother went from MIA to KIA. Phillip didn't believe it was true though, because he knew his mother was to much of a badass to get snuffed out by a storm cloud. He was a curious little boy. If he ever found something new or mysterious, he would want to know everything about it to satisfy his curiosity. And he was most curious about the world outside Atlantis, and now he wanted to go find her on his own, but as a prince, he was unable to travel to very many places until he got older. However, he could read books about the world outside, and maybe get an idea of his mothers whereabouts. ''Don't worry mom. I'll find you.'' Unfortunately being a prince meant he couldn't go out and explore. It didn't matter that he was a prince, because he was trapped against his will. As far as he was concerned, he was a glorified slave, who longed for freedom, just like his little ponies. His room was spacious, with decorating and paintings on the walls. He walked over to his book shelf to read a book to kill some time. He was skimming the bookshelf when a certain book caught his eye. He wasn't familiar with this particular book, but he looked at the cover and it's title 'The Golden Garden'. He walked over to his bed and started reading it. When he was finished he placed it on the table next to him. That book was pretty interesting with it's claim of The Golden Garden's apples being able to grant immortality and boost intelligence to whoever consumed it. He wondered for a second if he should go to Atlantis City to obtain one of these apples. Such thoughts were short lived as he lay down on his bed and tried to go to sleep. Memories of his mother quickly entered his mind, and he started crying again. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next morning was dreary and gray. Phillip was still in bed staring at the ceiling. He turned towards the window, and looked to the clouds. They were dark and covered the entire sky, which gave the environment a gloomy feel. Phillip got out of bed, and went outside. It was nighttime with a storm moving away from their house. He felt the cool air breeze pass him, as he walked towards the stables. The grass was wet from recent rain. He could hear thunder off in the distance, and see a storm cloud slowly head towards Atlantis City. When he reached the stables, he saw all the ponies sleeping soundly. He made sure all his ponies had everything they needed. Phillip searched for their collection of hay. To his surprise they seemed to be out. Phillip face palmed ''Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Alex must have fed them too much.'' He decided to go back into the house and went to Maria for help. He found her at her desk sitting their in thought. As Phillip walked into her room, she heard his footsteps and looked over her shoulder. With a tears running down her face, she smiled ''Phillip! What brings you to my room at this hour?'' Phillip stuttered for a bit then said ''A-Are you alright?'' Maria got out of her seat and walked over to him. She kneeled down and gave him a big hug. ''I'm SO Sorry!'' Phillip stood there stunned for a few seconds. Maria looked at him face-to-face and said ''I know it must be really hard for you two, now that your mother is gone.'' Her face grew determined ''So I will personally take you and Alex anywhere. You name it!'' ''Um, could we go to the Gold Gardens in Atlantis City tomorrow?'' Maria closed her eyes and chuckled ''Of course we can. Just so long as Alex gets to decide the next location. I'll sign us up for a tour of Atlantis City.'' Phillip smiled ''Thank you, Maria.'' ''Your welcome!'' she replied. He ran over to his aunt and gave her a hug, then went back to his room, and went to sleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip jumped out of bed and got everything packed up for his big day. He ran down stairs and saw Maria and Alex waiting for him near the cylinder tube that stuck out of the wall. Maria said ''Is everyone ready for our trip to the Gold Gardens of Atlantis City?'' Alex double checked everything and said ''I have all the currency and maps.'' Phillip did the same only to realize he forgot his Equas Sapian book. In a rushed tone he said ''I'll be right back!'' He ran upstairs, charged into his room, and grabbed his book. He then ran back down stairs, tripped, and fell the rest of the way down. Maria gasped as Alex held his hand out ''Are you all right?'' Phillip got back on his feet ''Yeah, I'm fine.'' The three of them heard a buzzing sound. Maria stated ''Ah, that must be them now.'' Phillip and Alex looked outside in curiosity and saw in the sky, a giant Airship similar to the one their mother had gone on. He didn't go away from home very often, but he remembered the few times he and his mother would use it to travel long distances. He would travel to the Gold Garden, and with his being a prince, would collect some of these fantastical apples, and feed them to the pregnant mare. He didn't know what would happen to the mare, but his mom's books said that you need to feed a pregnant mare a gold apple. He shrugged as he, Maria and Alex waited for it to land, then walked aboard the Airship. Alex asked ''Maria, whats that?'' Maria looked down to her sword, where he was pointing ''Oh, this is my Alikord. As a Guardian Angel it is my duty to always carry one around. Especially with that cloud slowly making its way to the city, but I doubt we'll be in trouble.'' ''Whats Aliko?'' ''You'll know when we get there.'' The airship lifted off and ascended into the sky. Phillip looked around the interior of the vessel, which had lots of passenger seats, each with prepared foods and drinks, and a small table. Most of the seats where occupied by other passengers except for the few open, yet distant-to-each-other seats They gave their tickets to the register to stamp, and took their seats. . Phillip took a seat at the right side in the mid-section. He looked around the area, but couldn't find his family. He sat their and muttered ''Great! Now I have to sit here and do nothing but wait for this ship to reach the city.'' ''If it makes you feel better, I can tell you about Atlantis City.'' Phillip blinked and looked toward the source of the voice. It was a girl around his age. She had brown hair, hazel eyes, and she was wearing what looked like typical brown peasant cloths. She looked at him with an eccentric expression on her face, and said. ''Though, judging by your attire, I take it your royalty?'' Phillip was dumbfounded. Never before had he heard of peasants, who spoke in such a casual manner towards royalty. Her appearance and casual yet assertive personality actually made him blush. She giggled at this ''Well, looks like I've got an admirer.'' His blush deepened ''Its not that! Its just ...I've never knew you could give such ...direct and blunt welcomes from a peasant.'' The girl raised an eyebrow ''Really? Huh. I guess you don't get out much.'' Phillip wasn't concerned with whether what she just said was an insult or not, and probably didn't care. He thought all peasants where very meek and soft-spoken, but he was wrong. He remembered that a good Atlantian would discipline any who spoke out of line, but that wasn't his way of dealing with things. He preferred to let things work themselves out. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and admitted ''Well I have never been to Atlantis City, so I guess I don't know how things work over there.'' The girls eyes widened ''What! You mean you've never been to Atlantis City before?'' Phillip blushed again ''Yeah!'' ''Well I suppose I should make you feel more comfortable since its your first time.'' She offered her hand and said ''My name is Acacia.'' Phillip shook her hand ''My name is Phillip.'' Acacia looked at him in amazement ''Phillip. Really? Wow. that must suck.'' Phillip said ''What do you mean?'' She giggled ''Well, you do love horses.'' Phillip scrunched and protested ''That's not funny.'' ''So what brings someone like you to the number one city of all Atlantis?'' Phillip couldn't help but wonder why she seemed to take pleasure in embarrassing him. ''Me and my family are going to the Gold Garden. Have you ever been there?'' ''Oh yeah! My dad works there. In fact, I'm on my way there now.'' she said matter-of-factually. Phillip remembered wait his mother told him and eyed her suspiciously ''Really? Just like that?'' Acacia gave a blank expression ''What do you mean?'' Phillip continued with his suspicion ''What are the odds of me having met someone who just so happens to be going to the same place as me?'' The girl took on a dead pain expression ''You do know this airship is exclusive travel to and from the Gold Garden. Right?'' Phillip was caught off-guard and looked at the monitor at the front of the room for all to see, that said in big letters 'Welcome to the Gold Garden Express.' Phillip face-palmed at his stupidity. Acacia continued ''Besides, even if I wasn't planning to go there, you still have thousands of people who go there every week, with hundreds of gardeners working there every day, so its no surprise.'' ''Wow, must be a big place.'' She nodded ''Oh, It is.'' Phillip looked over her shoulder to take a look out the window, but he couldn't help but be distracted by the big ominous storm cloud that was nearing the city. It was at this point the airship started to descend down towards the airport. Phillip said ''So ...do you want to go there with me and my family?'' She beamed ''That would be great. I love to hang out with you some more.'' Once the Airship landed in the hanger area, everyone started getting out of their seats and out of the airship. Phillip and his new friend waited for everyone else to get off board. When the area was clear enough, Phillip and Acacia walked over to the doors and reunited with Alex and Maria. Maria noticed him and said ''Phillip. Glad you made it.'' She then took notice of Acacia ''And who is this young girl?'' Acacia spoke up ''I'm Acacia, and I'm headed for the Golden Garden as well. So I decided to accompany you to our shared destination.'' She sniffed the air only two cringe and hold her noise. Maria took notice of this and smelled herself. She was she took a bath this morning. Alex scaned her and said ''Hey Maria, Did you remember to clean your close before we left?'' Maria said ''Huh, guess I forgot.'' she shrugged ''Ops.'' ''Ops?'' Acacia stated ''That's all you have to say?'' Maria waved her off ''So what of it?'' Acacia stuck her tongue out at her and said ''Well I'm going to ask my parents to notify our King.'' While Maria and Acacia had their little dispute, Phillip went over to Alex ''OK, now I'm confused! How is Acacia able to just call her out when shes just a peasant.'' Alex said with worry ''Just a peasant?'' Phillip corrected himself ''Well, what I mean is I didn't think commoners could just question authority like this.'' Alex said ''Phillip, do I need to remind you that we live in a technocracy? Where the ruling class consist of scientist, who promote logic, research, and constant challenge and debate of our societies beliefs.'' Phillip stated ''But doesn't that cause unnecessary conflict?'' ''Sometimes in order to mend, you must first rend.'' Phillip just blinked ''Excuse me?'' Alex sighed ''In other words, it allows us to hold multiple views, with each one pointing out the flaws and mistakes of others. What this idea aims to achieve is having all parties learn from their mistakes and correct whatever flaws are presented. It allows us as a society to better ourselves.'' Phillip knew that the Empire was split between to parties. One promoting dominance and mastery of the nature and the self, with the other advocating peaceful coexistence with nature and abandoning their technological lifestyle. They would constantly debate about what humanities relationship with nature should be. Phillip and Alex went back to listening to the argument. ''Because I wish to one day enforce the law.'' Acacia's fist tightened. Alex spoke up ''Your going to join the armed forces?'' Acacia broke away from her little spat with Maria and confirmed with much more enthusiasm ''Why yes I am.'' Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her ''Oh my, I'm terribly sorry!'' she held out her hand ''My names Acacia, and you are?'' Alex smiled and said ''Alex is my name.'' Acacia cheerily said ''Nice to meet you Alex. At least someone has there act together.'' she glared at Maria. Maria sighed and grabbed Alex's hand ''Come Alex, lets not be late for the Aliko Field Graduation.'' Alex looked to Phillip ''Hey Phil, are you coming with us?'' Phillip responded ''Actually, is it aright if I go with Acacia to the Gold Garden.'' Maria protested ''No. I can't let you go without an adult.'' ''Actually my dad should be here soon, so he can watch over me and Phillip.'' said Acacia. Maria gave up ''Fine! Go ahead. So long as an adult is watching over him.'' Acacia looked around and beamed ''Oh, there he is.'' Everyone else looked to where she pointed. They saw a man wearing the usual peasant close and a straw hat, with some work boots and gloves. He had a brown beard and mustache and a tired expression on his face which quickly vanished the instant he saw Acacia. With a wide grin on his face, he leaned done and opened up his arms to her. Acacia ran up to him and they shared a big hug that only family could give. When they where done, she told him ''Father, its nice to see you again.'' she continued to hug him. Her father spoke ''Same here honey. How was your trip to the festival?'' ''It was great! But I had to cut it short due to... '' she looked up to the looming dark cloud in worry and finished ''THAT!'' Her father said ''Don't worry my little girl. The King announced that it wasn't a threat, and that the most it came do is disrupt radio frequency which can be transferred from surrounding Element Cities.'' Acacia smiled in relief at that, than remembered ''Oh, right. Dad?'' ''Yes!'' Acacia gave him pleading eyes ''Can Phillip go with us?'' Her father looked over to the others and his expression turned from one of joy to one of shock. He quickly walked over, bowed, and said ''Please, forgive me. I didn't notice we where near royalty. I'm terribly sorry if my daughter said anything disrespectful.'' Maria reassured him ''Oh, your fine.'' she chuckled ''Kids these days think they can say whatever they want and get away with it just because the law allows them to speak their mind.'' Acacias father rubbed the back of his head ''Tell me about it... So.'' Maria sighed ''You can take Phillip with you so long as he stays out of trouble.'' He looked back at Phillip and Acacia who both smiled at him expectantly, and he said ''Alright. You can come with us.'' Phillip walked along side Acacia as he, her, and her father walked down the hall with the neon sign 'This way to Golden Gardens', and had a lot of people running through it. They followed the vast group of peasants who where all going to the gold garden, but wouldn't blend in into the seemingly endless crowed of brown clothed people with plain black or brown hair, with the occasional red or blond hair, and their skin tone ranged from white to yellow to black. Caucasian, Asian, African, American, it didn't matter what ethnicity they where. They where the lower class, who must submit to the Atlantian race. The race that (by consisting of all other ethnicity) had the right to rule. We where the superior race that embodied all of the different human bloods, and since morality was carried in the blood, we where believed to be in harmony with our own species, and thus better then all Non-Atlantians. That's what everyone was expected to believe, but that's not what Phillip wanted to believe. Phillip continued down his original path with her making sure not to bump into anyone. The hall was quite nice, with all the colorful power cords decorating the metallic walls and ceiling, and the upper parts of the walls were lined with monitors. Some where 3D maps that showed where they where in the vast city, while others showed things from advertizements, to news, to entertainment, to propaganda. Phillip and Acacia didn't speak through out their walk through the halls. When he finally reached the end of the long hallway, he found himself outside. It was the middle of the day by now, so he could see everything clearly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Buildings everywhere, each one tall enough to reach the heavens. It was like a race to see which one would touch the clouds first, but the one that out stood them all was the tower with the bright pink light emitting from its top. Phillip said in awe ''That must be the Spark of Harmony.'' He looked towards himself and saw a beautiful forest of trees. They looked like they had apples on them. He wanted one so badly. Unfortunately, he had to wait to register himself so he can be allowed in. Ounce he let the machine scan his DNA, he was allowed in. The gates of pure gold slowly opened, which only served to increase Phillips anxiety. When they where fully opened, everyone waited for the all-clear. Phillip was inpatient as he wanted one NOW! It was what his mother wanted and he just had to sit their. Finally, the speakers called out to the people. ''FAIR CITIZENS OF ATLANTIS! WELCOME TO THE GOLDEN GARDEN'' With that, the large crowd started to slowly move forward Phillip squeed like a kid on their birthday. He couldn't wait to get his hands on them. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see who is was. Acacia looked him in the eyes with part proud, part worry, and part strict expression ''Calm down, Phillip. You will have to wait to get a look.'' Phillip took her words in and composed himself ''Sorry. It's just that I'm really anxious.'' A few minutes passed as Phillip walked next to Acacia and her father. But already, he was getting impatient. With an annoyed tone, he whined ''Can't we move faster?'' Acacias father reminded him ''Patience, young lord. We can always bring you here next week.'' Next week? He didn't have the patience to wait that long. Besides, he was a prince, so he should've been able to do what he wanted. Phillip complained ''I don't need patience. I NEED MY MOTHERS DYING WISH FULFILLED!'' Phillip pushed passed the large amount of people and ran over to the nearest tree. Acacia ran after him screaming ''NO! STOP! You'll get in trouble!'' Phillip ignored her warnings and once he got to the tree, he started to climb. Her father tried to plead ''Prince Phillip, Please! We beg you to get away from that tree. You're not old enough to consume one. It's illegal even for royalty.'' Phillip countered ''But I'm not getting it for myself. I'm getting it for a friend.'' Acacia said curiously ''What friend?'' He waved her off ''None of your business.'' She looked to her father ''Dad, what do we do?'' The apples where a beautiful hue of red, and the trees leaves where a light green in color. He could see the apple orchard for miles. Phillip was anxious to get at least one of these delectable fruits off the trees. He knew Atlantis put a lot of emphasis on growing apples, but he didn't think they would make a whole forest full of life-enhancing apple trees. His thoughts where cut off when he heard a hissing sound. He turned towards the direction of the sound and came face to face with what looked like a green metallic snake. ''GA-AAH'' Startled, Phillip jumped back and fell of the branch he was sitting on, causing Acacia to gasp in shock. As he fell down the tree, Acacias father quickly rushed over to catch him. He succeeded in saving Phillip from any severe injuries. The the scruffy farmer said in a panic ''ARE YOU ALRIGHT?'' Phillip got up and dusted himself off ''NO, I'm not alright. My mother wants me to get at least one of those. And I can't even do that.'' Acacia spoke up ''Why can't you just wait until you're an adult?'' Phillip crossed his arms and huffed ''Because I don't want to what that long, duh.'' He looked back up at the green metallic snake with red eyes ''Those must be an Ouroboros. Robotic serpents who guard the trees from any perceived threat.'' He took some time to actually think about it. ''Man, that would've sucked. I would've been bitten if I didn't hear it.'' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alex couldn't wait to go to the Aliko fields to see the demonstration. He always dreamed of one day, being able to wield those 'space crystal plant sword' things. He and Maria continued down a bridge-like hallway that had balconies stretching all the way across both sides of said hallway. Passed the balconies, he could see the vast field of rocks. He held Maria's hand and said ''So ...this is the Aliko fields?'' Maria nodded ''Correct. We are going to see a demonstration, once we get a seat.'' Alex and Maria went to the register and got signed in. Once that was done, they took a seat in the balconies. Alex saw the Aliko fields and felt disappointed. It was a vast land of dirty ground and countless rocks of various sizes, and the occasional boulders dotting the landscape, ...with some mountains off in the distance. Alex sighed '',,,W-Well it wasn't what I expected, but I'm still going to watch.'' Maria smiled ''Sometimes a dirty rock can turn out to be a shining gem inside.'' ''Is that supposed to be literal or metaphorical?'' ''Literal.'' They both fell silent as a group of people came out, and lined up next to what was basically a rock farm. He couldn't make out much, due to them looking like ants from his distance, but he saw that they where graduates in their Aliko Academy. He managed to get signed up for said academy, only a few months ago. He couldn't help but imagined being there in that group of people. They watched intently as the students spread through out the rock farm with some small tools. They then started to tap the rocks and listen, then move on to other rocks. Alex was confused ''Maria, what are they doing?'' Maria explained ''Their going to use those the hilt's pummel to check to see which rocks a hollow on the inside. That will tell them that said rock has Aliko growing inside it.'' Some of the students seemed to finally find hollow rocks, as they flipped the hilt to the other end, which had a drills sticking out. They drilled into the rocks and waited for some minutes. Alex was too far away to tell what was going on, so he asked ''What are they doing?'' Maria answered ''Their drilling into the rocks to attach the hilt to the aliko, then waiting for the drill to transform into cross-guards, which is the OK signal, that shows that the Aliko has given consent.'' He understood that Aliko was living creatures, who's consent was required for their human masters to be able to wield them. He witnessed the students start pulling out their hilts, which varied from a few seconds to possibly hours. If their struggle was anything to go by, than it was pretty challenging to get those suckers out of the rocks. After roughly 30 minutes, some of the students managed to pull their crystals out of the rocks. Even from as away as he was, he could see the crystalline blades that now attached themselves to the handles of their students. Each one having a different color, and surging with electrical energy. They where absolutely beautiful. He remembered that they were called Alikord, which was the combination of the words Aliko and sword. By the time the rock farm was closed, those who succeeded where applauded, while those who failed would have to what till next month. They would have still had time left, had it not been for sudden events. By the time most of the students succeeded in retrieving their Alikord, the storm cloud had fulling covered all of Atlantis City. And at that instant, red lightening shot from all sides of the outer rim of the cloud and struck at the golden walls of the city. Alex and Maria looked up to see the center of the cloud begin to spiral. The skies where covered in black clouds and crimson lightening. It was obvious what was happening. Atlantis City is under attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phillip, Acacia, and her father stared up at the sky in shock, and horror. Never before has something like this ever happened before in their lives. Immediately after the red lightening struck at the walls, the center of the storm started to spiral inwards, and a huge flock of demonic vaguely bird-like creatures descended from the misty blanket and started attacking citizens indiscriminately. Phillip was confused and scared ''WHAT-WHATS GOING ON?'' he said, as the ground beneath them began to shack, causing some of the apples to fall to the ground. He decided to sneak one into his pocket, while no one was looking. He knew it wasn't the most ideal time to deceive his friends, but was now convinced that if he wanted to prevent crap like this from happening, he would have to take the only opportunity he could ever get in his childhood. He needed to find Maria and his brother.. Everyone was running away from the creatures that came from the giant black cloud above the city. A few of them flew towards the Gold Garden that Phillip was in, with on of them coming strait at him and his friends. The rugged old farmer grabbed him and Acacia and pushed them out of the way, as the demonic bird from hell landed where they use to be. He now had a better look at them. They had no eyes, with beaks that hid a set a razor teeth, bat-like wings, a demon tail, large talons, and a snakes tongue. Phillip coward away, and shouted ''N-NO! STAY AWAY!!!'' as the hellish monster closed in on him, while growling. Phillip closed his eyes and began to shake. Just then, he heard the sound of flesh getting ripped open, but he didn't feel anything. At first, he thought he was dead or something, but he was wrong. When he opened his eyes, he saw a man in a black cloak and shades, with green spiky hair standing over the dead corpse of the creature, that was about to tear him to peaces. Phillip also saw that the corpse was impaled by a crimson-red Alikord, which contained so much heat, that it caused the air around it to ripple. The bird thing was no doubt, cooked from the inside out, after being impaled. Phillip was absolutely petrified. He couldn't even think of moving, and it wasn't because of all the screams of terror, and pleads for help. His heart was racing and his face was covered in sweat. He just sat their looking at all the carnage and mayhem that surrounded him. Atlantis's mightiest defenses where completely destroyed and they where now at the mercy of these abominable things. All he could think about was how he was just now almost died. Finally, Phillip found the strength to speak ''...help ...HELP ...HELP!!!'' The man looked to him and said in a stern and commanding voice ''Well what are you waiting for? GET GOING!!!'' The man gave the farmer a plain sword to defend Phillip and Acacia with and said ''Head for the halls for shelter while I stay here and protect from outside.'' than he went to help other civilians who where in need of protection. Phillip and Acacia started to run as fast as their legs could carry them, while tears began flooding out of their eyes. He, Acacia, and her father ran back into the hallway for shelter against the invasion. The place was packed with people, with the adults comforting their children. It was than that Phillip wondered how Maria and Alex where doing. Thoughts of them dead quickly flooded his mind, as he and others saw severely wounded civilians being carried in. Acacia hugged her father for comfort and asked ''Father! Will everything be alright? Whats going to happen to-?'' she cut herself off as she started crying uncontrollably, just like all the other children. Her father pulled her and Phillip in for a hug, and reassured them ''Don't worry! We'll get through this and everything will be fine. I'll protect you even if it cost-'' He couldn't finish his sentence since he didn't want to fill his daughter with the idea of him dying. They ran through crowds of people, who were to scared to notice them pass by. As they went through the crowds, he slowly got separated from Acacia and her father until he was all alone. He saw the clouds over the Spark of Harmony began to reach out like a tornado. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maria had her Alikord drawn out and ready. She and Alex where in the shelter area, where Maria commanded all the professional Aliko Angels in the Acadamy to protect the citizens of Atlantis. Since she was one of the seven Guardian Angels, she was one of the highest authority figures in the entire nation. Alex could see the many towers had Angels on them using their Aliko to draw the monstrous birds to them and ambush whole flocks of them in an ambush. Every now and then, he'd see a bird corpse falling from the side of said buildings. The ground was littered with the dead of both citizens and birds, with a few unfortunate Angels. As the physics defying storm cloud was grabbing for the Spark, the Emperor of Atlantis King Iapetus stood there defending the Spark of Harmony, and pulled out his Alikord Spear. He pointed it up at the storm cloud and shouted ''Sing, CONVICTION!'' and shot a gold laser beam at the dark cloud. The dark cloud gave off a screeching noise that would shatter windows if they weren't sound proof. The laser ripped the tornado apart, the red lightening stopped, and the cloud started slowly fading away. The demonic birds hissed at the blinding light and flew away. Everyone just stared at what just happened. Phillip than decided he would look in to this later, and went looking around for Maria and Alex. He found them, and together they went back home to their peaceful farm. Spark of Harmony part 2 Spark of Harmony part 2 As they where going home by train, Phillip hugged his brother and cried ''I-I am SO GLAD you...'' He couldn't finish as he cried into his brothers shoulders, who just stared in shock at what happened just moments ago. Maria, who had a regretful expression on her face said ''I ...shouldn't of taken us to Atlantis City ...Its my fault we where in danger. I'm sorry!'' She held them both in her arms to comfort them. She knew this event would leave them traumatized for life, and she was partly to blame. Phillip hugged them back, while crying and said ''What where those things?'' ''You'll understand when you're older.'' He looked outside and saw that the storm cloud was gone in place of what looked like an electromagnetic barrier stemming from the city walls, and surrounded the entire city. The whole city was on lock-down, and on high alert. After wiping away his tears he tried to lighten the mood ''Man, they sure know how to make someone feel welcome.'' Maria sighed and scolded ''Phillip, now's not the time for humor.'' Phillip looked down in shame ''Yeah, I ...guess so. Sorry!'' Alex sighed ''...'' Phillip was wondering why Atlantis City had to set up a electromagnetic barrier. 'Shouldn't it be able to transform into a ship or something and travel through the sky?' He wondered if his brother would have the answer. ''Hey, Alex.'' ''...'' his brother didn't respond, as he just stood there staring into space. Phillip was confused ''...Um, Al?'' ''It seems to me that he's not only shaken by the attack, but his nation was completely crippled by it. I've heard him gosh on about how unbeatable our nation was. Poor boy must feel so vulnerable right now.'' Maria concluded with observation. Phillip didn't know what to say that would cheer Alex up. After all, he was able to get through with their mothers disappearance by carrying out her dying wish. He asked ''Hey um, ...Maria?'' His aunt raised her brow ''What is it?'' Phillip gulped and asked ''I have adopted mothers will, and by doing that I'm honoring her, right?'' ''Yes!'' ''And the law says that multiple children can carry on the will, right?'' ''You want to know if Alex is allowed to help you with your mothers will, correct?'' ''Well, yeah.'' Maria put a hand on Phillips shoulder ''Phillip, I appreciate your concern for your mothers dream, but Alex has just lost his trust in our nations efficiency.'' ''But what about our father single handily defeating the threat?'' ''That was the work of the Spark of Harmony. Not the cities own defense.'' ''What do you mean 'the work of the Spark of Harmony'?'' Maria closed her eyes ''That's classified information. I may be laid back when it comes to social laws, but I'm adamant when it comes to political business. ''Oh come on!'' he begged ''I don't know either.'' she said matter of factually. Phillip grinned sheepishly ''...Oh.'' ''Man your full of questions lately.'' she deadpanned Phillip smiled weakly ''Hey, I'm just curious'' His enthusiasm immediately died when he looked back at the heavily guarded city. It would only be a few more minutes until they where finally home. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the invasion of Atlantis City, the whole nation was on high alert. Once everyone was back at the farm, they decided to feed the ponies their fresh batch of hey. Alex left his brother to finish up with his ponies after 3 hours had passed to go to his room, and just sit their to reflect on what happened on that day. He couldn't figure out how they were left at the mercy of a storm cloud so easily. Alex looked at the world atlas and spoon it around ''I-I'm so confused! I thought we where unstoppable, and nothing could disturb our peace. I feel ...like some random stranger just walked in and burned down our entire house. Like everything I know and love could be taken from me tomorrow.'' he stopped it and wrapped his arms around it '' ...I'm scared!'' Back outside. Phillip went over to the pregnant mare and brought out one of the special apples. He knelled down and reached out to her with it. ''Here you go. This will make you tie you over till dinner.'' The mare sniffed it then immediately started chowing down. The mare consumed the 'gold' apple, and was supposed to give birth to a 'Equas-Sapien' She seemed to enjoy its taste and texture. Phillip decided now would be a good time to brush her mane. He got out a bucket with a brush and started grooming her. It was only 6 more months away until she would give birth. ''So how was your day? Did you eat plenty of hey and grass? Did you get plenty of exercise?'' Phillip knew she couldn't understand him, but he could dream could he? Sadly, with their mother not being found for months, she was declared dead. Phillip didn't believe it was true though, because he knew his mother was too awesome to get snuffed out by a storm cloud. He was anxious since her funeral was coming up next week, because he wasn't sure what his mother's 'will' would be. So how could he prepare? Being 6 years old, he had quite the imagination. He would fantasize about what the world would be like if he went all the way through with this. He took out a book about Greek Mythology and started reading to the 'Pregnant One'. ''Wow! This is amazing! I wish I could meet the kind of creatures in this book. Especially the horses.'' He liked the classical mythology of Greek culture. It was a shame since Atlantis defeated them roughly 1,000 years ago, because these tales served as a means of escapism for one like him. He wondered what it would be like if he could actually create the five types of magical ponies that where featured in these stories. Pegasus, Hippocampi, Mares of Thrace, he loved it all. Unfortunately, these creatures were magical in nature and he saw what that was like. He shivered. He and his brother would continue caring, grooming, feeding, their ponies. Alex became more competent and savvy in horse care over time. They would play together, laugh, and hang out on the farm. The 'soon to be mothers' diet consisted of hay, and pasture for the rest of her pregnant days. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was the day of the funeral and Phillip was having trouble preparing. He wasn't used to high society despite being a prince. 'Not all royalty are stuck up snobs. We come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.' Its been a week since Phillip took the apples from the trees of Gold Garden. Phillip wished he could feed her a second gold apple. Phillip was sure to keep it a secret from Alex. He felt bad about it, but Alex became more devoted to the laws for the sake of their nation, and Phillip didn't want to risk getting in trouble with the law. Phillip was in a nice red robe for the ceremony, but never wore one before. Alex, whom was more familiar with these customs, had to instruct him on it. After Phillip managed to get his fancy clothes on right, he ran outside to the pregnant mare. He walked into the stables and petted her ''Don't worry girl. I'll be back soon. For now, go play.'' He let her go out into the fields. He walked back to their house to see Maria and his brother facing away from him and waiting. She was wearing a blue robe with a Black Hole at the center of her back side. Alex wore a red version just like himself. Maria spoke up ''Ready?'' ''Ready!'' he confirmed. She gave him a weak smile ''Alright! Today's a big day for all of the Crystal Empire, so I expect you all to be on your best behavior.'' With everything set and ready, the three of them went to the Airship, which was crowded with other people who where likely also attending the funeral, if their attire was anything to go by. After a few minutes, the carrier set off to Atlantis City for not only his mothers funeral, but all those who lost their lives in the attack afterword. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When they returned to Atlantis City, they found it filled to the brim with guards and cameras. Phillip was intimidated by all the robot guards with giant rifles attached to their right arms. All it took for Alex to be scared was the guns alone, but the presents of many fully-armored and sinister-looking robots was to much for him. He coward behind his aunt, who just rolled her eyes in annoyance then said ''Well lets get going. We don't want to be late.'' Alex questioned ''So ...W-Where is the funeral taking place again?'' ''In District 8.'' ''Oh, OK.'' Maria guided them to the place where all the family members where supposed to meet. It was a wide open field full of tombstones, which where divided into groups. The ones on the left where simple slabs of rocks with a small gem sticking out of each one, while the tombs on the right where bigger and more decorated. Each of these tombstones had an Alikord embedded at its tip. His looked around for his mothers and found it. He noticed that it was the only one that didn't have an Alikord, but it did have a slit placed in the same location that the other Alikords where. Off to the right Phillip could see a small house full of people. Maria took him and Alex by the hand and walked them over to the group of people. ''I take it that's where our other family members are?'' Phillip said with a curious tune. ''Yes, that is where we're going to be for the next hour or so.'' Phillip whined ''But I don't want to hang out with my extended family.'' Maria scolded in a hushed tone ''PHILLIP?!! Where is your respect for your loved ones. Do not disrespect your mothers death.'' Alex spoke up ''Um ...I'm just going to go on ahead, alright? Maria nodded in approval then turned back to Phillip who argued ''Mothers not dead. I know it.'' She sighed ''Phillip! We can't search on forever.'' ''But we have the technology to find her right away, don't we?'' ''Exactly! It's been a long time since anyone has seen her. If we can't at least locate her body, then she is probably at the bottom o-'' she cut herself off just in time. She didn't want to hurt Phillip by throwing around horrifying ideas that her beloved sister-in-law might of experienced before death. In fact, now that she thought about it. She shouldn't of said anything, since he was just a kid and had a fragile mind. She cursed herself and knelled down to his level, patted him on the head, and reassured him ''Actually ...Now that I think about it. You're right! We should hope for the best.'' She hugged him before getting back on her feet and walking over to her fellow Guardian Angels. They walked over to their other family members to say hello. Alex was showing an elegant and sophisticated side. Phillip on the other hand lived on the farm, so he wasn't going to bother with such formalities. Now he didn't have anything against the law, but he wasn't the kind to act graceful, and the whole dressing up thing was really bugging him. The only reason he was even wearing it was in respect to his dead mother ...and because Maria forced him to. ''Well now, if it isn't Phillip the 'horse lover'.'' Alex groaned ''Oh No!'' and turned around to see a few of his teenage half-siblings looking down on his brother He walked over to his brothers rescue. ''What do you want now?'' Phillip asked in a irritated tone. Their leader, a blond female defended herself ''Whats your problem?'' Phillip stated ''Look, I don't want any of your mean words alright?'' ''We just came to warn you that you're going to get in trouble if you keep hanging around those horses, instead of actually bonding with your family.'' Phillip deadpanned ''Gee! I'd love to, but unfortunately, certain people like to bully me.'' They reassured him ''We're not bullying you. We have grown out of that. We're just teasing you cause ...well ...you know?!'' ''Well I don't like it. It's stuff like this that make me want to stay at the farm with my ponies.'' ''Couldn't you at least ride one to Atlantis City?'' the other teenagers suppressed their obvious laughter, which earned them a glare from their blond haired leader. Phillip scrunched ''My mom said my name meant friend to horses, not romance. That's gross!'' They stopped their laughter when Alex came walking toward them. He had a stern look on his face. ''Excuse me gentlemen, but you're being disrespectful at MY moms funeral, at HIS moms funeral, and at a funeral that will forever be remembered as a day of mourning throughout the ENTIRE country!'' They looked around and saw quite a few adults where eying them ''Fine! I suppose you're right about that.'' He waved his hand to signal ''Come on. Lets go see how Maria is doing.'' The older half-brother of theirs left them alone. Maria walked up to the gang and scolded ''What was that all about?'' ''Its nothing!'' They said in a panic. ''Didn't sound like nothing.'' Their leader sighed in defeat ''Well, Its just that we're concerned for Phillip.'' She wasn't buying it ''Sure, that's why you had to make fun of him, when you KNOW he doesn't like it.'' ''OK, OK, OK! Maybe we were a little mean back their, but we didn't mean it. Old habits die hard, ya know?'' Maria realized something ''Wait! What do you mean when you say 'we're concerned for Phillip'?'' The teen rubbed the back of her head ''Well, ya see? Ever since the city was attacked, the Emperor has gotten more and more strict with his laws, and their have been instances where people would get arrested for crimes they didn't commit. We just worried about Phillips whole 'Ponies are my best friends' fad.'' she through her arms out to emphasize ''...Also, there's news that during the attack, one of the apples from the Gold Garden went missing, and the Ouroborus recorded Phillip trying to grab one. We're just worried that it'll make people suspicious of him.'' Maria boasted ''Well you won't have to worry, because I don't know if you heard but I'm ...oh you know ...his Guardian Angel, ...so his sons are under my protection.'' The blond girl blushed in embarrassment ''Oh, right! Ha, ha, ha. I forgot that your raising them.'' After a few hours past with everyone getting reacquainted with one another, they got to the important part. It was sunny and a little windy today. Their were many graves covering the wide fields, but these graves where for commoners. Angel graves are below the ground, via elevator. They couldn't help but notice the unreasonably high amount of guards in the area. Phillip looked a little nervous ''Hey Alex?'' ''What is it?'' ''Why are their so many guards in the area? Don't you think that's a little over doing it?'' ''The Emperor of the Crystal Empire is attending the funeral of not only one of his wife's, but the funerals of hundreds of citizens who lost their lives is he not?'' ''Yes, but still. Its like he thinks he's going to get attacked anywhere he goes. In fact! I heard he is actually very paranoid.'' Alex snarked ''Wow, you're full of ideas.'' A bell rang indicating that their father was done with the ceremonies of his distressed citizens. It was time to get going with their mothers funeral. The commoners would stay on the surface to mourn their dead, while royalty would descend down into the ground to proceed with the royal funeral. Their father came in ''Alright everyone! lets proceed.'' Everyone in the small house entered a large cylinder tube. Ounce everyone was inside, King Iapetus pressed a button. The doors closed and everyone felt lighter for a brief second as the elevator descended. 15 to 20 seconds passed until the doors opened up again. To say Phillip and Alex where awestruck would be an understatement. They found themselves in a vast, wide-open, dome-shaped area with thousands of pillars of light shown down on the ground. Speaking of the ground, the floor consisted entirely of diamond with names scorched into its surface. It took him time to notice that each name was directly under a pillar of light. The family walked down the seemingly endless forest of lights, until they reached a light that had no name under it. This was clearly going to be their mothers grave with her name embedded in the diamond floor of the vast open area, with a piller of light shining down on it from the ceiling. Phillip and Alex walked up to their mothers grave, with Alex barely holding back his tears. Phillip didn't seem very upset because he believed his mother was still alive. They saw Iapetus standing over their mothers grave. The two brothers walked up to their father and bowed deeply. Phillip could barely contain his anxiety, while Alex was breathing heavily in uncertainty. Their father looked at Phillip and then to Alex. After what felt like a minute he said with a low, and stern voice ''Prince Alex....Prince Phillip....you may rise.'' They rose to their feet, and their father pulled out her will. It was a gold scroll with the royal Atlantian seal on it. Both Alex and Phillip placed their right hand on the scroll. Their father looked to Alex and said ''Do you Alex! Prince of Atlantis vow to carry your mothers fire in her passing?'' Alex stuttered ''I vow to h-honor my mothers passing by ...'' he took a deep breath then finished ''devoting my life to her will.'' He then looked at Phillip and repeated ''Do you Phillip! Prince of Atlantis vow to carry your mothers fire in her passing?'' It ticked him off how his father just assumed she was dead, but he wouldn't let that ruin this day of mourning, so he confidently said ''I vow to honor my mother by devoting my life to her will.'' ''Very well.'' He let go of the scroll, so the boys could open it. The two released the seal on the scroll, and opened it. Their mothers Will was predictable, but in a way they didn't expect 'To bring peace to the world with horse power' After a long silence Alex spoke ''Well that's ....nice.'' Phillip said bluntly ''I don't get it.'' Iapetus explained ''This vow is actually the Will of your distant ancestors, and was passed down through the generations. Your mother devoted her life to raising horses on the farm in the hopes that they would play a vital part in our nations history.'' Phillip on the other hand was relieved ''I look forward to fulfilling mothers will.'' Once all was said and done, they stepped back and saw the light above intensify into a lazer that scorched the ground. It was a quick and bright flash that returned back to its usual state. The brothers walked over to it and saw their mothers name carved into the ground. Iapetus wrapped up the funeral with pulling out the Kalm, which was their nations guide lines on how to live. He said ''Our beloved Clymene will be missed, but do not cry for her. As a scientist, she lived to discover the truth, and now she has passed into the Great Unknown.'' He and everyone else took this time to reflect on our memories of her. He than opened up the Kalm and started reading the scripture ''We do not know what happens after death, nor can we ever return, and although that is why we fear it, we shouldn't fear the unknown, but be accepting of it, and take comfort in the reality that all living things eventually die. Atlantis is a Maltheistic Technocracy, who's purpose is to shed the lies and false truths that plague our species and improve the human condition.'' He closed the book and closed his eyes ''Death is like a Black Hole; because it is one of the ultimate mysteries that our society strives to unveil, and once crossed, one can never return. and is the ultimate fate of existence. It constantly looms over our lives and strikes fear in the hearts of those whom are aware of its existence.'' Phillip tried to listen to his fathers speech but it was so boring. He knew Atlantian society had a love/hate relationship with things like death, and black holes, and other dumb stuff. After the ceremony ended. Phillip and Alex stayed to talk to some people. Maria hugged Alex to comfort him, while Phillip was eager to get back to the farm and get out of his dress. Once an extra hour or so passed, everyone started leaving. Alex was busy wiping away his tears, than looked to Phillip with a smile and said ''Well ...looks like I'm going to hang out with you a lot more often.'' He chuckled ''Of course, I still have the academy and stuff.'' Phillip felt bad for him ''What! I don't understand! Why are you throwing away your dreams?'' Alex raised an eyebrow ''Um, what are you talking about?'' ''Wont the Will impede on your life goals? Don't you want to stay in the academy to do whatever it is you wanted to do?'' Alex reassured him ''Phil, I knew mothers will would be something like this. It won't get in the way of my dreams. In fact, I'm actually planning on using her Will to further my own dream.'' They went back home to the farm. Phillip didn't know what to think about his brother devoting his entire life to this cause. On one hand he needed an extra hand in managing their mothers dream, and he did need someone to be able to talk to. On the other hand he feared his brother would eventually find out about his plans. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Its been 6 months since he first gave the mare the gold apple. Now 'The Pregnant One' was ready to give birth. Phillip was now 7 years old. He became more snarky and confident overtime. Phillip shivered as the memories of that day remained fresh in his mind. Neither, he nor Alex would ever forget how Atlantis fell like a tower of cards that day. They would often visit their mothers grave to tell stories about their day. Alex was now taking classes in Aliko Academy, so he could improve their nations system. Alex said ''So...the pony is going to have a foal early in the morning?'' Phillip scratched the back of his head in embarrassment ''Yeah.'' ''Its too bad I wont be able to see her give birth.'' ''Yeah I'm really anxious. I mean what if 'The Pregnant One' fails to give birth?'' Alex frowned at that and said ''Phillip, for the last time, she's not 'The Pregnant One'. She's just a horse.'' Phillip sighed ''Technically, shes a pony.'' Alex rolled his eyes ''Look I can understand your anxiety, but we have read everything we need to be able to do this right. Trust me! So long as you didn't feed her any kind of food that wasn't on the list, she should be fine.'' Phillip felt uneasy about that last statement. With all the stuff put away they both went to bed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was morning and the sun was shining through the windows, causing Phillip to wake up. He was sleeping like a log with arms spread out, but the light was too bright, so he tried repositioning himself for better rest. It wasn't until a few minutes later that his sleep was interrupted by the voice of Maria. ''Phillip, wake up its time to go check on the mare.'' Realization struck him as he jumped out of bed ''Holy Crap!!!'' and ran outside. Maria stood there and yelled back ''Or, you know? You could of said 'Thank You!'.'' She, however, would have to stay to take his brother to the Academy. She sent Alex to the Academy from 8 am, till 4 am, as was the appropriate schedule for students at such academies. Unfortunately, the mare was expected to bare young around 10 am, so Alex wouldn't be able to witness the birth. She didn't know much about horses, but she knew plenty about birth, and she wanted to be there as Phillips guiding hand for the newborn. After she took Alex to the academy, she came back to the farm. Phillip was busy trying to come to terms with what he found. What he saw was the most precious thing anyone could ask for. 'The Pregnant One' was now a mommy to a cute little foal. It was a girl, with an adorable brown coat with white spots. However upon closer inspection the filly looked...different. One of the most notable oddities about it was her all around facial appearance looked vaguely ...human. The muzzle was more round and stubby. Its neck was stocky, and its legs where less scrawny and bony, and more cylinder-like. Phillip was confused with his mind spinning around in circles. ''Is...Is this it?'' He was fascinated by her appearance, and walked up casually and said to himself ''What's wrong with her face?'' Maria looked her over ''She appears to have a birth defect, though I've never seen one quite like this.'' She turned to Phillip ''Did you give her mother anything during her pregnancy?'' Phillips shivered as he was so caught up in the moment that he completely forgot about Maria. He knew from the book that this was the clear resolt of feeding a Gold Apple to a pregnant mare. He didn't know what to say, but he didn't want the law to keep him from fulfilling his promise, so he lied ''I don't know how this happened?I'' Maria folded her arms ''I see!'' Phillip said in worry ''She is still going to live on the farm, right?'' ''Yes, but me and the others have to check her health.'' she demanded. ''How long will that take?'' ''Only a few minutes. Once they check her health, we'll be able to tell what she has done throughout her pregnancy.'' she sighed ''It's too bad there's no security cameras around here.'' Phillip leaned his head sideways ''We?'' Maria waved her hands around ''The Angels of Hippology!'' ''They study horses?'' ''Yes.'' Phillip was now concerned ''Um ...Is it possible for them to tell what she ate?'' Maria grew skeptical ''Of course. That's why we're doing this.'' He gulped ''Oh, you don't have to do that. I'm sure she'll do fine.'' Maria's expression turned stern ''Do you really want us to just sit here and let her suffer whatever kind of unknown symptoms she might have.'' Phillip suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine ''Can I come?'' ''No. You'll be in bed asleep by the time we do tests on her.'' He pushed Phillip away and yelled ''WHAT YOU'VE DONE IS AGAINST THE LAWS OF NATURE!'' ''Technically using technology is against the laws too.'' Alex's eyes widened at his brothers blasphemous insult. ''HOW DARE YOU!'' ''I'm just saying if that is the only reason magic is taboo then maybe we shouldn't use technology either.'' ''Have you learned NOTHING from our studies. Technology is a gift, no a blessing to humankind from our Goddess Talina. She gave it to use, so we could heal her. The world is broken and dangerous, because she is wounded. She wants use to us technology to restore order to a broken world.that is Talina.'' ''OK OK chill out.'' Phillip pulled out the instruction guide that Alex gave him months ago. ''Do you remember what this is?'' Alex took some time trying to process what his brother just said. ''Of course I do! That's the book that mother wanted you to have when you where 12.'' ''This book is an instruction manual for a theory our mother had called 'Hippos Sapiens'.'' ''What?'' ''I believe our mother was planning to create sentient ponies for whatever reason.'' He pointed at the green maned foal. ''She is an Hippos Sapien.'' ''Are you saying our MOTHER intended to break the laws of god?'' ''Well...that's not exactly what I'm saying. I believe we should honor her passing by making her theory a reality. If you don't believe me then read this.'' Alex took the book from his hands, and started reading through. He had to admit it was his mothers handwriting. An hour or so passed until Alex was done reading it. Phillip was caring for the little foal in the meantime. He stopped what he was doing when Alex walked up to him. ''You're still committing a sin you know that right?'' ''Sometimes in order to mend you must first rend.'' Alex was caught off guard by that statement ''What?'' ''In other words their are times when you must further damage something in order to fully repair it. That's what mother believed, and what better way to carry out her will then adopting her philosophy.'' Phillip walked over to the green maned foal and gave her a hug. ''I don't see how that would work.'' ''Criticism as a philosophy!'' ''So...by pointing out the flaws in society. You think the system will improve?'' ''Uh no...I guess that was a bad analogy. Think of it as me being a doctor who's fixing a patient called the world, but has to cauterize the wound in order to stop the bleeding, or has to perform surgery.'' ''You do realize people could use this philosophy to justify crime right?'' Phillip smirked ''Thank you for supporting my belief by pointing out the flaws. That's all the more reason we should keep it secret.'' He nudged his head towards the green maned pony. ''That doesn't even make sense.'' Phillip sighed ''Alex, Please!!! Do it for me, for mothers will. Just give this a chance.'' ''...Fine!'' Alex submitted to Phillips plea, and helped raise the foal. He didn't like deceiving the empire, but if this is what their mother wanted then so be it. He could only hope things turned out good in the end. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was about 3 to 4 years now since the green maned pony was born. She would run out and play with Phillip, while Alex would prepare food and water. Phillip and Alex were both 11 now. Phillip decided to name the foal after the Celtic God of Horses and fertility 'Epona'. Phillip also renamed 'The Pregnant One' to 'Maria' since his brother preferred it, and you know ...she was no longer pregnant. Alex would visit the city often to catch up with old friends. When his brother would go to the city Phillip would hang out with Epona. It was funny how he was raising her along with Maria, and yet he himself was just a kid. You could say he was like a stepfather to her. He knew she was smarter then any pony he ever seen before, but nothing could prepare him for what happened next. Epona looked up to him and with a very human smile said ''Fil.'' Phillips eyes widened at this. Did she actually just speak? He didn't even teach her anything. He didn't even know she was capable of speech up until now. Were those apples he gave Maria more potent then he gave them credit for, and were they the reason Epona was capable of speech. He sat there pondering until he felt something pull at his pants. He looked down to see Epona pulling him with her mouth. When she noticed his eyes were on her she ran over to the field and pranced around indicating she wanted to play. He decided to go and play tag with her. She was so full of life and energy. He honestly wanted to be with her, and raise her as his own. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The buildings were tall, and dark. The weather seemed to be nice today. Ever since that storm attacked the city the Atlantian militia has been on high alert. Alex was trying to gain excess to the archives for information on Hippo Sapien. Unfortunately he was denied entrance to the Atlantien Royal Archives by a guard. ''Why can't you let me through?'' ''I'm sorry prince Alex, but its orders from the Emperor.'' ''Surely his own children would be an exception.'' ''Actually that's the very reason he gave us this order.'' Alex was completely dumbstruck. 'Did his father have something against his children,...or was it something else?' ''Fine.'' He walked off to the Castle at the center of Anthropolis where his father was. He didn't want to think about the idea of their being distrust in the family, but he needed answers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip and Epona were playing hide and go seek in the barn. Phillip felt good inside. He hadn't had this much fun since...mother. He stopped looking around and just sat their deep in thought. Epona noticed this and walked over to him. With a squeaky voice she said ''Phil hip?'' Phillip broke from his trance, and looked to the ground to see Epona look up at him with those big pink eyes of hers, and a curious expression on her face. He kneeled down and lied ''It's nothing Epona.'' Epona smiled at him, and nuzzled his cheek. Phillip was relieved to have someone who was so full of life and not all fancy, and worried about consequences. He decided to read Epona to sleep with the purple book he read in the past that lead him to create her. As he was reading he came across some typos in the text. He figured it was just a genuine mistake, but he noticed something about these typos. He started jotting them down on a piece of paper. All the missing letters he filled out when put together formed a message. When he was finished he was blown away. It was a hidden code. 'Draw a Transmutation circle in the stables.' It showed a picture of the circle. Was this also what mother wanted him to do? He decided to try it out once Epona woke up. He decided to sleep next to her. He wondered what was taking Alex so long. He should of been back by now. Phillip decided to pass it off as traffic, or something. He cuddled up to his little pony and went to sleep. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alex arrived at the gates of his fathers grand castle. He got their as fast as his legs could carry him, and traveled down the main street to get here. When he finally reached his destination the entire castle was on lock-down. ''Dang it!'' He looked up at the sky to see the sun vanish in the horizon. ''Great! Now I have to wait till morning.'' He went to a nearby bench and decided to go to sleep until morning. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip woke up with a few apples placed in front of his face. ''What the heck!'' He looked over to see Epona eating some apples, with her hooves. He was surprised to see her using her hooves like hands, but that was nothing compared to what happened next. Epona grabbed another apple, (not with her hoof) but with her green TAIL. She didn't seem to notice him, as she kept eating away. She sure loves apples! ''Wow! How did you do that?'' She looked over to him, and smiled widely. She pounced him, and knocked him to the ground, than nuzzled him some more. Phillip picked her up and sat her back down on the floor. ''OK that's enough fun! I got to go take care of some business.'' She went off to her mother Maria, and started drinking from her milk. The sight made Phillip mildly depressed. He was still upset over his mothers death, but he learned to accept it over time. He would still have dreams of her being alive and well, only to wake up to the terrible reality of it all. He knew he would eventually see her again in the afterlife. He went to the stables, started making the transmutation circle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alex woke up and saw that the gates were open, and their where guards positioned there. The sun was shining brightly today, and the sky was clear of clouds. Their were people in elegant dresses walking towards the doors that lead to the throne room. He walked up to one of the guards at the gates. ''Excuse me!'' The two guards bowed ''Prince Alex! To what honor is it that you'd speak to us?'' Alex didn't like it when others put themselves below him. It made him feel like crap. He bowed respectfully to them, and said ''Is my father available for a meeting with his son?'' ''Yes! He is in his throne room eating.'' ''Thank you!'' ''The honor is ours prince.'' Alex walked to the door, and opened it. When he went inside he saw his father with his jet black hair that ended in a ponytail, and green eyes, eating a steak. He saw some servants doing what he assumed to be taste testing the drinks. He walked up to his father. The Emperor of Atlantis took notice of him, and stopped eating to acknowledge his presence. Alex bowed deeply in respect for his father, who waved his hand to show that he was allowed to stand back up. ''Alex my son! What brings you to my castle?'' ''Father! I would like to know why the archives are on lock-down.'' His father glared at him ''Because Alex the archives contain all the secrets of Atlantis. We cannot let our enemies gain access to such vital knowledge.'' ''But Atlantis is the most powerful country in all the world. No one would ever dare oppose our conquest.'' ''That's what I thought too, however their are forces beyond the understanding of science who seem to have found us.'' Alex raised an eyebrow ''What do you mean?'' ''It seems are enemy whoever or whatever they are, has managed to breach our defenses.'' ''I don't understand father?'' His father sighed ''Alex Atlantis was created for the soul purpose of protecting humanity from the many cosmic horrors hiding in the voids of outer space.'' ''WHAT!'' Alex just stared at his father trying to process what he just heard. Either his father really was paranoid, or their was a lot more to Atlantis then he first thought. He didn't like either one, but he would go with the far more logical choice of him being delusional. His father interrupted his thoughts ''If you don't believe me then you are welcome to look it up in 'Theogony' and 'Light Bringer'. Alex went to a isolated room and read them both. He was disturbed to find out that his father was right. Their are unknown horrors lurking in the dark waiting for the light (The Spark of Harmony) of Atlantis to go out. ''OH MY GOD!!!'' He didn't know what to think. All this time, and no one knew about it. He knew Atlantis was founded by Atlas who wasn't really human, but still. He went back to the throne room to his father ''Father why doesn't anyone know about this? Have we been keeping them in the dark all these years?'' ''Yes!'' ''Why are you telling me this?'' ''Because the storm that attacked Anthropolis left the public in a panic. Up until then they believed nothing could be a threat to them.'' Alex looked down in thought. He wanted to protect his people from harm, and bring peace to the world. He then realized he had what could be a glimmer of hope in this dark revelation. ''...Well maybe its time to rid ourselves of these demons once and for all.'' ''Well what do you have in mind?'' At that point Alex decided to tell him everything about Phillip, Epona, the Gold Apples, everything. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHORS NOTE Hey everyone! Hope you like my story so far. If theirs anything wrong with the writing than please point it out. I would greatly appreciate it. Spark of Harmony part 3 Spark of Harmony part 3 Phillip and Maria where busy tending the stable as usual. Phillip would always be sure to tend to Eponas needs without Maria knowing. He knew that Maria would likely see her as a threat and notify his father, and that was the last thing he needed. When he got back to Maria, his heart jumped. Standing in front of him was an entire squad of 7 solders wearing cyber suits. His heart started beating fast. He didn't understand what was happening. He saw his father walk to the front. Phillip tried to speak, but couldn't form sentences. His father smiled, and said ''Hello son! How are you doing?'' The young prince stuttered ''F-Father! What are you d-doing here?'' ''Are you doing good? Is their anything I can do for you, or are you doing fine?'' his father asked with a calm, yet cold tone. It was then that Maria walked forward and bowed in respect. ''My King. What brings you to our humble farm?'' Phillip saw his fathers kind and gentle expression turn cold, stern, and wraithful. Maria was concerned and wondered if she had said something she shouldn't have. The King of Atlantis said in a damanding and almost relieved tone ''Guards! Arrest Ms. Maria! I want here to suffer the most brutal punishment imaginable.'' ''Alex told me something interesting. So tell me Maria! What's this I hear about a Eques Sapian?'' Maria was at a loss for words. She didn't know anything about some Eques Sapian, but their was one thought that was running through her mind 'Did Phillip and Alex hide something from her?' ''WHAT!!!'' Phillip was alienated, and feared for Epona's safety. Why would his brother betray him like that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alex felt like crap for betraying his brother, but the possibility that Epona could be a threat to Atlantis and his brother was what motivated him to protect his brother by informing his father. His name was Alex, so be definition he was living up to his purpose in life by protecting his family, and by protecting his family, he was protecting mankind in general. His father told him to stay put until he returned. He wasn't one to disobey those of higher authority then him, but this was an exception since his brother was in danger. He decided to go to the farm anyway, and face consequences later. If it meant ensuring his brothers safety them so be it. He already lost his mother, and he wasn't about to lose his brother. ''I'm coming Phillip!'' He activated the teleporter, and vanished. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip was trying to stall his father for time, but it wasn't working. Epona walked out of the stables to see what was going on. Phillip and his father caught sight of her. His father yelled out orders ''Shoot it down!'' ''NO!!!'' Phillip raced over to Epona as fast as he could. He managed to push her out of the way, at the expense of his own legs getting shot. He fell to the ground in pain screaming. Epona was shocked, and was being held tight by Phillip. When she noticed he was wounded she screamed out ''PHIL HIP!'' The solders stopped stunned in their tracks One of the guards said ''Did Phillip just defend the Hippos Sapian?'' Another of the guards said ''Did that Hippos Sapian just speak?'' Epona just sat their crying over her hurt friend. The emperor of Atlantis said ''Well well well! Looks like we have ourselves here one capable of speech.'' One of the guards said ''Your orders your Excellence?'' ''It seems my son has been brainwashed by this deceptively innocent creature. Gun THEM BOTH down!'' The guards hesitated over his clearly questionable command ''But my lord! You'd really want us to kill your own child?'' ''Do it!'' The guards tried to reason with him about the situation, which only lead to the emperor killing one of them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alex looked in horror as he hid away in the distance looking at the ensuing chaos. His brother was shot in the legs, and screaming in agonizing pain. He saw as Phillip and Epona limped into the stables, while the guards decided to attack the emperor. ''What have I done?'' His brother was right about him. He was a paranoid tyrant who could care less about his children. He was hiding on top of the roof of the barn. The emperor decided to use some pyrotechnics on the area surrounding the guards. The stables caught on fire, and started to burn. The spectacle caught the attention of everyone who was their. His father having taken care of the last guard, saw the stables burn to the ground. ''Ha' serves them right.'' He than began to laugh like a maniac. ''No one will take my life. NO ONE!'' Alex saw as the stables burned to the ground. He couldn't believe his eyes at what he was seeing. Alex ran as far as he could, away from it all. His dad was a pychopath, his brother was dead, and worst of all he couldn't do anything to prevent it once he started this mess. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Epona found herself in a vast wilderness. Phillip was right next to her unconscious for some reason. She was worried about him, and didn't understand why he was out cold. She got her answer when she saw that his legs where incinerated in the transmutation process. She carried him out of the forest. When she reached the end, she arrived at a beach with a beautiful sea. She didn't know where she and Phillip where, but she didn't care. She didn't know what to do for Phillip, so she laid him down, and went off to gather some leaves, and twigs. A few minutes passed when Phillip regained consciousness, and immediately went into a panic. ''HOLY SHIT!!! MY DAD JUST TRIED TO KILL ME!!!'' He looked around frantically trying to see if his dad was around. He didn't see his father, but he was at a beach, in between a vast sea, and a forest. It looked like he was in an island of some kind, since none of the plants he saw around him were native to Atlantis. ''What the hell? Where am I?'' He tried to get up only to find it amazingly difficult for some reason, and he felt numb below his knees. He looked down, and to his horror his legs where scorched off. Fortunately for him, his legs where cauterized, so he wouldn't die of blood lose. He crawled towards the forest, and when only a few feet away from the trees, he flipped over to face the sky. He didn't know where he was, but he didn't care. His father just tried to murder him, thanks to his 'so called' brother. He was now all alone in wilderness with no one to care for him. Sure he wanted to explore, but it amounted to nothing, with his father attempted murder, and his brothers betrayal. He curled up into a ball and started crying. ''I'm all alone in a unknown location, and no one will ever come looking for me.'' He heard movement in the brushes of the trees. He turned around to see Epona with a sympathetic expression on her face. She walked up to Phillip and nuzzled his cheek, so as to ensure him that everything will turn out fine in the end. With a weak smile, and teary eyes he said ''Thank you!'' He pet her mane, and tail. It felt soft, and fluffy. He scratched her behind the ears. She seemed to enjoy it. They continued to comfort each other. Phillip would miss his home, but he would find a new home with his little pony. He would survive in this wilderness for her. She was more than just a pony, she was like family to him, she was like the little sister he never had. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a year since the incident. Alex was standing in front of the grave of his brother Phillip. He remembered all the trouble Phillip would get into, and how he would always have to bail him out. Sadly the 'Bailing him out' part was what took his life. Alex tried to tell everyone about what really happened, but he knew no one would believe him over the Emperor of Atlantis. ''You know Phillip! I was recently promoted. Do you know what the ironic part is? I don't deserve it. Isn't that funny?'' Alex was talking to his brothers tombstone as if his brother could actually here him. His father decided to promote him for his honesty, by making him a member of the 'Knights of the Sea'. He didn't deserve such a title. In fact! It should of been him who died, and not Phillip. He was too busy reminiscing about the past to notice a girl with green hair with a yellow stripe walk up to him. He didn't know who this girl was, and frankly didn't care. She walked up to his side, staring at the grave. Neither of them spoke for 10 to 13 minutes until she decided to break the ice. ''You know! I only met him once, and that was when I was 6 years old.'' ''You knew Phillip?'' ''Yes! If I remember correctly! We met at one of the power hallways. He was so full of spirit, and energy.'' ''My names Alex.'' ''I'm Acacia.'' ''....'' ''....'' ''Why did you come here?'' ''Because ever since I met him I wanted to be his friend? I was finally able to see him again last year, only...''. ''I'm sorry!'' ''No I'm the one who should be sorry! You lost the only thing that made you happy in this world, and...I don't know, but I can't help but feel that this is somehow my fault.'' Tears were started to pour from her eyes. ''You where the one who told him where the Gold Garden was weren't you?'' ''...I'm sorry!'' ''It's not your fault. It's mine! I should of believed him.'' He was determined to redeem himself for his brothers sake. He would take on Phillips dream of a new world. However! In order to do that, he had to climb the ladder, and that meant having to accept his fathers promotion. ''I promise you Phillip I will set right my wrongs, and change the world for the better, and for you.'' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ''How long has it been since we were sent to this forest? 3 years ago?'' Phillip was now 14 years old, and was getting use to not having legs to walk on. He would often stay in the cave he and Epona settled in. He was so proud of her. She was around 7 years old, and she could think of all types of things to do as entertainment. He missed his country, and wanted to get back, but he knew it was impossible with his condition. Even if he where to somehow go back home, he would have to face his father. Her mane and tail grew over time and got really puffy like cotton. She was so full of energy and excitement that she would jump all over the place. He changed over time as well, with his red hair growing down to his shoulders, and he got a bit of a tan from staying in the sun a lot more often. Her optimistic and cheery attitude only served to contrast Phillips now depressing and cynical outlook on life. The events that happened on that day traumatized him. His mothers death was bad enough, but to have your own father and brother betray you like that was what sent him over the edge. The only reason he was able to cope with his mothers death was because she would always say to be positive, and because Alex was their for him. Now all he had was Epona, and she's been trying to cheer him up for 2 years now. ''Phillip!'' He turned to see Epona running towards him. He noticed she had an excited expression on her face. When she finally reached him she took some time to catch her breath. When she was done panting she said in a cheery voice ''Phillip I found something I think you need to see.'' Phillip raised an eyebrow at this ''Well what is it?'' ''I don't know, but its big and metallic.'' Phillips eyes widened ''W-What!'' Epona carried Phillip to the wreckage that use to be some kind of aircraft. He examined it to see what it was. It was a big silver cylinder, with one of the engines fried on the side. It had a cockpit with shattered windows. Their was a lot of dirt covering it all over. He saw something being obscured by dust and rust. He cleared it up a little, and saw that it was an insignia. When he was done he said ''This is a 'Royal Atlantian Hovercraft' the kind that people used to travel long distances.'' ''Why would someone need to create this scary thingy to travel?'' ''Well Atlantians believe our world is a cold and unpredictable place. We can't tell what will happen next, and we're always being exposed to natural disasters like floods, storms, forest fires, earthquakes, and of course savage animals roaming the lands. Currently we are just now reaching the end of an ice age.'' ''Is that why your people are harming the environment?'' ''As far as I know the world is either wounded, or sick and Atlantis's purpose is to be the cure. We are trying to fix the world in a sense.'' Phillip wasn't sure what to think of Epona's fascination for nature. It's as if she was literally living up to her name as goddess of horses, and fertility. Next thing you know she will be associated with nightmares, life, and death. He continued investigating the debris, and found that the code number looked familiar. His eyes widened when he realized it was the aircraft his mother was on. ''M-mo-mother?'' a single tear ran down his cheek as the revelation that his mother could still be alive hit him. ''Philly whats wrong?'' Epona carried him around for any possible signs of life, but to no avail. After looking around some more he gave up. He looked to Epona and said ''I'm sorry Epona! I guess I thought their was still hope.'' ''What do you mean?'' He sighed ''I don't like to talk about it.'' ''Oh,...OK!'' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the next few months Phillip would deconstruct the ship and attempt to create devices of his own from its remains. Most of them were complete failures. He was sure he would be able to at least make something that worked. Oh well, at least he would learn from his mistakes. He was hopping to be able to make peg legs, so he could walk again. Phillips most resent invention was a net made of leaves who's purpose was to act as a shield from the rain in case it storm. Another creation was a badly carved piece of wood that was supposed to be a bowl. He said ''Well looks like I still need to work on my art.'' Epona was in the forest gathering fruits and vegetables for lunch, and should of been back by now. Phillip sighed ''Epona better not be getting distracted by forest animals again.'' His stomach started growling ''That's it next time we get something to eat, I am going with her.'' He was almost tempted to just crawl over to the high rock over the sea, and snatch some fish to cock. Epona didn't like it when he would try to eat animals. ''OK so she's a herbivore. That doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to consume some meat every now and then. I mean Atlantian religion promotes the consumption of meat, so I can't exactly say 'no'. Besides I didn't make a spear, and a bow and arrows for nothing.'' He sighed and decided to wait. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Epona was in the forest gathering some flowers and grasses. She didn't know what island they where on, but from the looks of it they seemed to be in a place with a lot of different kinds of wild life. She gathered extra flowers and plants since Phillip likes to use them as ingredients for...potions. She saw something in the brushes, and walked over to it. She looked through the bush, and saw a white rabbit. Epona smiled widely and said ''Hi there, will you be my friend?'' The rabbit ran off into a burrow in the ground. Eponas ears fell low as she once again failed to make friends with the animals of this forest. ''Why won't anyone be my friend? Am I really that different?'' She immediately went back to her cheery self again ''Oh well, I guess their not ready yet. I'll give them more time to get use to me.'' She sat down, and started thinking about it. ''Are they afraid of me because I'm always with Phillip who's always hunting them?'' Epona never liked how Phillip would spend days or even weeks testing plants, hunting animals, and crafting tools. She wanted him to be a vegetarian, who cared for animals, and would let her carry him all the time. He seemed to be more interested in that big chunk of metal. She worried he might try to make something that would harm him. When she was finished gathering all the fruits and vegetables, she went back to the cave where Phillip was. When she finally returned she was met with a sleeping Phillip. She smiled at him warmly. ''Aw! He looks so cute.'' Epona placed the food down on a stack of leaves, and went to curl up to her one, and only friend. She too went into a deep sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The sun was bright, and the air was fresh. Phillip and Epona loved the morning, because it was when everything felt so new, happy, and...right. It was nice to be on an island were both of them could share their food. Phillip was busy managing the leaf blanket he made a year or so ago to make sure it would hold. Epona went over to him and laid down. He got on top of her back and held on to her mane. ''OK Epona lets go fishing!'' Epona wasn't very enthusiastic about fishing, and sighed ''Fine!'' Phillip got out his poor quality fishing rod, along with his bucket of worms he was saving for this moment. They went off to the river towards the east of their cave. When they reached the bank Phillip sat down and prepared for some fishing. Epona knew this would likely take hours of boring, boring patience, so she started a conversation with him. ''Hey Phillip!'' ''Yeah?'' ''Why do you want to eat meat?'' ''Because life consumes other life to survive. Its nature!'' ''But doesn't it hurt knowing you have to kill another living thing.'' ''It does kinda.... Where are you going with this?'' ''It's just that I would appreciate it more if you would stop harming living things and instead eat only fruits and vegetables.'' Phillip sighed ''Epona as much as we want to help the every living thing. We can't help one without harming another, that's just how life works.'' ''But if you stop eating them then they will be happy.'' ''I now you mean well, but my stopping isn't going to change the fact that they eat each other all the time.'' ''But that's not fair.'' ''I am sorry, but that is just how the world works 'Sometimes in order to mend you must first rend.'.'' Epona just stared at him confused ''What?'' ''In other words you can't fix something without damaging something else. That is one of the most fundamental laws of the universe. My people knew this was true, and incorporated it into their belief system. They believe it is honorable, and view it as self-sacrificing for a greater good.'' ''So wait your saying is the fish will be sacrificing their lives for the greater good of saving you from starving?'' ''Well technically they aren't sacrificing themselves for me. I'm just yanking them out of the river.'' ''But wait wont their families be upset?'' Phillip sighed again ''Epona explaining Atlantian philosophy is complicated. Yes their are flaws in our belief, but what doesn't? Now matter what you believe their will always be people who will try to bend it for sinister purposes.'' After a few more hours of talking he was finally able to catch a fish. It was big and looked absolutely delicious. When they managed to reel it onto the beach, he let it squirm around a little until it laid their dead. Epona was horrified by wait just happened. Phillip picked it up by the tail and said ''Alright lets get cooking.'' They walked back to the cave house thingy, set up a fire for their catch. Epona was lying down on the floor feeling uncomfortable. Phillip paid her no mind, and started bragging about how awesome he was at fishing. When the fish was done he began eating away. Epona knew she would have nightmares from this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Four more years have passed, and Phillip was know 18, while Epona was now 11. Phillip would often have to shave. Over time Phillip would eat less and less meat until he became a full vegetarian. He didn't mind the change in life style, and he was beginning to except the idea that he would never see his home ever again. He was however getting better at making tools. His bow and arrows where more well...better, and his spear was capable of ripping through flesh without breaking in the process. Sadly he would never use them ever again, and simply use them as decoration. He was munching on a thing of celery when he heard hoof steps. He looked outside and saw Epona panting with a horrified look on her face. Phillip was worried something bad happened and said ''Epona whats wrong?'' When she finally caught her breath she screamed out ''THE FOREST IS ON FIRE!'' ''WHAT!!!'' Phillips eyes widened and they went outside to look. When she carried him outside he looked up, and sure enough their was a lot of smoke ascending towards the sky, as well as a bright orange light off in the distance. Epona said in a determined tone ''We've got to stop it!'' ''I'm sorry, but how are we supposed to stop this?'' Epona looked down and stuttered ''I-I don't know!'' ''Look if we don't have any man power, or resources to prevent this. Especially since it looks like it has spread through out the forest.'' ''B-But.'' ''Once again I'm sorry, but we can't do anything about it, and if we do we'll most likely get hurt, or worse.'' ''Why can't we at least try to save the animals?'' ''I never said anything about not saving the animals.'' Epona gave a weak smile ''So we're going to at least help the wild life?'' ''...Well the animals should be able to get away easily without our help.'' Epona pleaded with him ''Please please please please please!'' ''OK OK geez!'' They went over to the forest fire to help the animals that where probably already gone by now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The smoke covered the sky, and the raging flames made it hard to hear. Phillip didn't know how to stop it. Fortunately by the time they got their it started raining. A few hours passed as the rain slowly put out the fire. It was strange how the rain cloud came out of the blue at this particular time. Epona was filled with joy over the sudden turn of events ''Oh this is wonderful Philly. Now the little animals can keep their homes.'' Phillip was suspicious of the sudden storm that came out of nowhere. He spoke up in a skeptical tone ''Something doesn't feel right.'' ''Wait do you mean?'' ''Think about it! The forest catches fire for no reason. Then it starts raining right at the last minute out of nowhere. Then it stops raining right when the forest fire is out. Something about that just gives me a bad vibe.'' Epona giggled ''Silly Philly! Everyone knows it was nature that did it. Phillip responded in a sarcastic tone ''Wow really I didn't know that.'' Epona started laughing. Phillip sighed ''What I mean is that I didn't see a single storm cloud during the fire, and then one just pops up like that. I mean their wasn't any storm clouds today, so it couldn't of been a lightening strike....unless.'' Phillips eyes widened at the idea that maybe their were other people on this island, that maybe they were survivors of the 'Royal Atlantian Hovercraft' crash,...that maybe his mother was still alive after all this time. He looked down at Epona and said ''Do you know where the source of the fire came from?'' She smiled ''Yes I do.'' ''Take me their.'' ''Alright!'' Epona carried Phillip to the area where the fire started. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When they reached the place the fire started at it looked like a clearing. They trees around them were burnt. Phillip investigated the area for any clues, and came across some footprints that looked like they a few hours old. He followed their trail, and saw that they came from the mountains. Phillip smirked at this ''I know where we're going first thing in the morning.'' Epona looked confused, but optimistic ''Where are we going in the morning?'' ''The mountains.'' ''Why the mountains?'' Phillip smiled in a new found enthusiasm ''Because that's where I will find my mother.'' Epona carried Phillip back to their cave, and they went to sleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip and Epona woke up, and started getting ready for their big day. She carried him through the forest, and down the trail towards the mountain. On their way up Epona decided to start a conversation. ''Hey Phillip.'' ''Something on your mind?'' ''You said yesterday that you will find your mom.'' ''Correct! I didn't know she was alive all this time.'' ''What was she like?'' ''She was a wonderful person! She was always their to comfort me when I was bullied by my other family members. At first I thought my mothers other son Alex was kind and loved me, but I was wrong.'' Phillip and Epona finally reached the base of the mountain. They saw a rock on the side that had some celtic symbol on it. Phillip examined it ''Huh, It looks like foreign linguistics.'' Epona smiled widely and said ''What does it say Philly?'' ''I don't know. I don't actually know the language.'' ''Oh, oh well!'' They started climbing up the mountain, with Phillip holding on tight to her mane. After a hour of climbing they decided to find a place to rest, and chat. Phillip sat on a smooth rock, with Epona lying right next to him. They both started eating and talking about Phillips life. ''So your father tried to kill you, because he's paranoid?'' Phillip sighed ''Yes....that's why.'' ''Why can't Atlantis see that they can survive perfectly well without all these machines?'' ''Because the world is a cold and cruel place. If we as a species want to get anywhere in the world we must tame this savage planet.'' ''But the world seems perfectly fine to me.'' ''You haven't experienced a tornado, or a earthquake, or a volcanic eruption.'' ''I don't know what any of those things are, but I'm sure their not that bad.'' Phillip started laughing at her ignorance. Epona didn't take it well. When he was done laughing he composed himself and said ''OK that's it when I find mother I am going to give you a run down of all the disasters the human race has been living in fear of.'' ''I still don't agree with your countries methods.'' ''Look Epona! I don't mean to sound like an ass, but you don't really have a say in what we do. I mean we're doing this to survive. Besides you're made from science.'' Epona sighed depressed ''I know!'' Phillip noticed this and put his arm around her ''Epona just because you were made from science doesn't mean you're bad, or wrong in some way. You're just as human as everyone else, well your sentience is just as real as everyone else.'' ''Its not that.'' Phillip looked confused ''Than what is it?'' ''This Atlantis sounds terrifying.'' He raised an eyebrow ''Why do you say that?'' ''Your country is trying to dominate the world with more of those scary things, and whats worse is your family sound like mean people.'' Phillip took on a stern expression ''Just because my dad's a monster, and my brother betrayed me doesn't mean everyone else in my family is bad.'' Epona giggled unaware of Phillips serious attitude ''You said your siblings mocked you for your name. Your brother was the only one you showed you kindness, and in the end even he turned his back on you. So logically, all of your family members don't care that your gone.'' Phillip snapped ''DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY LIKE THAT!!!!'' Epona was taken aback by his sudden outburst, and found herself suddenly scared. Her ears dropped down, and she laid her head low with a scared look on her face. ''YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO INSULT MY ENTIRE FAMILY JUST BECAUSE A FEW OF THEM MADE BAD DECISIONS.'' Epona was scared for her life at this point. Never before has Phillip ever lashed out to her. She thought he was going to attack her. Tears worked their way down her cheeks as she said in a whimpering tone ''Ph-Phi-Phillip?'' Phillip spoke out with clear irritation ''What?'' She whimpered ''I don't know what I said, or did to make you so angry with me, but I'm sorry.'' Phillip didn't respond for a few about a minute before finally saying ''Lets just get this over with?'' Phillip mounted a hurt Epona, they continued up the trail. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When they finally reached the top of the mountain they saw a camp full of tents. Epona was hesitant to proceed, but Phillip demanded her to go on. Epona looked around and saw skinned animals, which frightened her. ''Phillip I don't like the looks of this place.'' ''Relax Epona, I won't let anyone hurt you.'' She felt relieved, but still felt bad about their argument. They heard someone shout in a unknown tongue. They looked to the source of the noise and saw a man in animal hide who was covered in blue markings, and tattoos. He had long blond hair, with a few beads in it. The blue marked man got out his iron sword and charged at us screaming. Phillip was caught off guard ''HOLY SHIT!'' Epona got into her battle stance and patted at the ground with a clearly angry look on her face, and said ''Bring it on completely random stranger!'' The mans eyes widened, and stopped his charge. He took a few steps back, and ran back into the camp. She said ''You know! I honestly don't know what just happened.'' ''It might be cause their primitive view on the world means they are unable to understand how you are capable of speech, and now he probably thinks your some kind of supernatural creature.'' Epona was absolutely lost by the time Phillip finished his theory. ''Or he could just be startled that you can talk.'' ''I can't help it that I'm bad at socializing. Who was the one who was supposed to educate me on this stuff. Oh that's right you!'' Phillip and Epona laughed a little. She than said ''So do you forgive me for that fight?'' Phillip sighed than smirked ''Yes! I forgive you, after all you didn't mean it.'' They saw more tattooed people come out and use hand jesters to indicate they were invited them in as guests. When they walked in they saw that the all the tribe were lined against the wooded walls. At the center of the tribe was a single huge tent. They entered the tent only to be met with who they assumed was their druid. Phillip was relieved to have done his research on various cultures. He had to retain all that knowledge while living on the island in case he was in foreign territory. When he and Epona confronted the druid. Phillips eyes grew wide and spine grew cold. Their sitting at the other end of the tent was his mother. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spark of Harmony part 1 My Little Pony Spark of Harmony Part 1 ''Long ago, the world was created by Talina, the all powerful, all knowing, and all loving goddess of the known universe. Unfortunately she fell sick, and from her sickness came the OmniVirus, which is the source of such evils as; magic, falsehoods, natural disasters, and all other gods. She created countless galaxies, each containing countless stars with planets orbiting them. In each star system she created three children to make a cure. In our star system there was the Divine Brothers Prometheus, Atlas, and Epimethius. For thousands of years they created all kinds of creatures of all shapes and sizes. 2,000 years ago Prometheus, learning from his countless past mistakes through trial and error, created Humanity. Atlas didn't approve of his creation, and got into an argument with him.'' ''Eventually he decided to give them a chance, but believed they where inferior to him, and tried to make them his slaves. Prometheus didn't like this, so he created fire to set them free. This fire embodied all of humanities virtues such as determination, intelligence, ambition, and most of all friendship. Atlas saw what his brother had done, and stole it from him. Prometheus managed to trick Atlas by turning into a horse, and stealing it back while he wasn't looking. Because the fire brought a new age of peace for humans, the fire became known as the Fire of Friendship, aka The Spark of Harmony. Atlas was infuriated, and punished his brother by making him live the rest of his immortal life as a horse. Once that was done, he founded a nation that would discipline the human race. A nation called Atlantis!'' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ''And that's why horses are sacred to the Atlantian Empire.'' A lady around her 20s closed the history book that she had just finished reading for her son, Phillip. Phillip was only four years old when his mother first read that book to him. He looked a lot like his mother, with his red hair, and blue eyes. He was close to her, and she always showed him the best of humanity. He would often ask why she gave him such a name as Phillip. His mother, Lady Clymene, who had long red hair, white skin, and blue eyes, would always comment on how fascinated he was with horses ever since he was a baby, so she decided to name her second born son 'Phillip'. He lived in the stud farm of the glorious country of Atlantis, which demanded high expectations, especially from a prince such as Phillip. He would get mocked and teased by his older half-blood siblings for his name, and his mom would always remind him that he can interpret his name however he wants. His mother was an exception since her names meaning was unknown. His mother loved horses. In fact, she owned an agricultural reserve where she could breed them. Phillip was absolutely fascinated with horses, which meant a lot to the Atlantians since horses where considered sacred. She would teach Phillip how to care for Equines daily, but he loved everything about horses, and he wanted to ride one as soon as possible, and he had very little patience. He looked up to his mother with a big wide grin ''Mommy? Can I ride a pony?'' His mother looked down to him and said ''I'm sorry, but it's getting dark, and we must be getting home. Phillip pouted ''But I want to ride one now.'' His mother sighed and said ''I'm sorry Philly, but no means no.'' Phillip looked down and kicked at the ground, and they both started walking down the trail in front of them, but after ten seconds of silence he spoke up ''Why are horses sacred?'' ''Because our creator and light bringer Prometheus is famed for turning into a pony in order to steal the Fire of Friendship. They are like brothers and sisters to humanity.'' Phillip asked another question ''Mommy, what's alchemy?'' His mother told him ''Alchemy is transmuting one element of the periodic table into another element through the use of Alko.'' She looked up to the sky and continued ''Only royalty are allowed to wield it's power.'' He continued with his curiosity ''Whats Aliko?'' Clymene smirked ''Aliko are alien organisms with a crystalline form. They can absorb energy of any kind; such as electrical, thermal, chemical, nuclear, etc, and use it to synthesis elements. They are the they are the fundamental core of Atlantis. After all, it wouldn't be called the Crystal Empire if their where no alchemical crystals. Phillip looked down to the ground again in satisfaction, but seconds later looked back up to his mother and said ''Whats magic?'' His mother stopped walking, sighed, and in a cold tone told him. ''Magic is an abomination to the universe. By ignoring the laws of physics, it ignores the laws of Talina.'' Phillip was confused. He didn't know much about theology, but he didn't like the whole 'Dominate nature and slaughter all who oppose us' vibe. He couldn't understand the difference between alchemy and magic. He bit his lip in anxiety and said ''Mom! Whats the difference between Alchemy and magic?'' There was another long silence until she finally looked back down to her son, and spoke in a stern voice ''Magic is the greatest taboo! It's very nature breaks the laws we as a scientific, and technological society follow.'' Her facial expression softened as she said ''Alchemy is when Aliko synthesizes energy to convert one element of the periodic table into another.'' Phillip looked towards Atlantis City, which was far off in the distance, past the vast plains and rivers, with the smoke emitting from its industrial buildings being the main indicator of its presence. It was the capital city of Atlantis, with its brilliant golden walls surrounding the utopian metropolis. He couldn't see much due to distance, but he would have to be blind to not notice the Spark Tower that reached into the heavens, the tip of which emitted a brilliant golden light. Lady Clymene spoke up with surprising hostility in her voice ''It is our right, and responsibility as the dominant species to bring order to this savage, and chaotic world we live in. The universe is full of cosmic horrors that are hiding in the dark, waiting for us to lose our greatest defense, the Spark of Harmony.'' Phillip said with a look of concern of his face ''Is that why Atlantis is trying to conquer the world?'' His mother sighed ''...Yes!'' ''What are these cosmic things? Shouldn't we make peace with them? What if they just want to be our friends?'' Clymene continued ''They are the embodiments of nature. Savage, barbaric, and chaotic, ...they only want to turn our planet into their own personal playground. They will know peace when we eliminate them, and...'' Phillip was startled and scared due to her sudden outburst of anger. She wasn't yelling but she had such determination and scorn in her that horrified him. Clymene noticed and composed herself ''And we can never co-exist with nature, only dominate it.'' ''But are they not living things themselves?'' Phillip was certain that since they where living entities, they could co-exist with humans... right? His mother ignored his question and said ''Why don't we get going? We don't want to keep your brother waiting do we?'' As much as she wanted to believe what they where doing was right, it made her son feel uncomfortable. Despite that however, Phillip still loved his mother very much. He took his mothers hand and together, they walked down the trail laid before them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Over the next two years, Phillip would learn everything his mother knew about horses. He would dream of one day running the farm. His mother was the best Equenologist, and horse breeder in all of Atlantis. He would hope to succeed his mother, and take over for her. Unfortunately, his simple life would change when his mother was assigned a mission by the Emperor of Atlantis, his father, to transport an entire herd of purebred warhorses to a Atlantien outpost off in the far east. ''You can't hide from me forever.!'' Phillip was wondering around the grasslands near their farm looking for his brother, until he noticed some brushing in the bushes at the base of the fence. Not thinking for a second, he charged at it to see if his brother was inside, but before he could make contact, he heard a scream. ''Eep!!'' That was all it took to know he was in there. Phillip placed his hands on his waist, with a confident smirk on his face in triumph, and said ''Geez Alex, you're really easy to find when you're such a scardy-cat.'' His brother crawled out of the bushes, with some leaves and dirt left on him. His blue-dyed hair, and green eyes where distinguishable as he pulled himself up. He wore a blue silk wardrobe with green diamond patterns, which was now all covered in dirt and grass. Phillip wasn't happy ''You know, I really would like for you to be more assertive, I mean really?'' His brother looked down in disappointment and whimpered ''I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give myself away its just that y-you where charging at me, and I got s-cared.'' Phillip and his brother Alex where done playing a game of hide-and-seek when they heard their mother calling ''Phillip! Alex! Come here please.'' They both heard her, and rushed past the barn and into their house to where she was. Phillip was wondering what she wanted since all the horses where already taken care of. When they found her, he noticed she had a sorrowful expression on her face. He also noticed she was holding some scroll. Phillip walked over to his mother and asked, ''What's wrong, mother?'' Clymene, who now had a blind fold covering her eyes said with a hint of depression ''I'm sorry my sons, but it seems I must transport the warhorses to an outpost in the far east from here.'' Phillips heart sank ''W-What? But you belong here with us.'' His mother smiled ''Don't worry I'll come back soon sweetie.'' Alex tried to protest, but couldn't say anything. Phillip was scared and said ''But we don''t want you to go. I don't want you to leave me, and Alex here alone.'' ''I'm sorry Phillip, but I must do this for our country.'' Phillip ran over to his mother and hugged on to her waist ''Take me with you!'' His mother chuckled at his devotion to her ''I'm sorry, but it's dangerous out there where barbarians live.'' ''I'll protect you!'' he begged. Tears clearly gushing out of his eyes. His mother took on her stern tone ''...Phillip...you must stay here, and that's final!'' ''NO!!!'' he screamed at the top of his lungs, with tears pouring down his eyes. Alex jumped in shock at his brothers volume, with tears dripping from his eyes as well. With all the resolve he could gather, he said ''M-Mother, can't someone else take the m-mission?'' His mother sighed ''I knew this would happen.'' They heard a buzzing sound as a giant airship came toward their direction. Clymene looked up and said ''Well...looks like my rides here.'' She looked back towards her children and smiled ''Don't worry. Your mother-in-law will look after you while I'm away.'' When the airship landed, and the doors opened, she walked toward it with her herd of warhorses. Phillip and Alex remembered about their nine mother-in-laws. They remembered all of them, and how they where the children of just one out of nine of the Kings wives. Phillip didn't hang out with his half-brothers, and half-sisters very often, considering they liked to make fun of him thanks to his name. Alex was too shy to interact with them, so he decided to hang with his energetic brother Phillip. Clymene walked over to Phillip, knelled down, and said ''Before I go Phillip, I want you to have this.'' She pulled out a book with a gold horse on the cover. Phillip eyed it with curiosity, and hesitantly grabbed it from his mother. After examining it, Phillip looked up to his mother and said ''What is it?'' His mother giggled ''It contains all the knowledge you'll ever need to become the horse-breeder I've always hopped you would be, and if you pay attention to the content, you'll find something surprising.'' She then whispered into his ears ''Outside of the farm. Trust no one!'' Clymene turned to Alex ''Don't worry! Everything will be alright. I will only be gone for a few months.'' Alex was crying quietly, but eventually said ''Y-You will come back, right? Promise?'' His mother placed her hands on his shoulders and said ''I promise!'' With that she pulled her two sons in for a hug that lasted roughly a minute, until she let go, and proceeded into the airship. Once she stepped into the airship, she had a little chat with some other figure they couldn't make out. When the other figure stepped out of the airship, Phillip and Alex found it to be none other then their mother-in-law Maria. She had green-dyed hair that looked like a birds nest, and a pair of hazel eyes. She held a beer in her left hand, and belched. She seemed to be tired as she was limping down the stairs. With a yawn she greeted them ''Well, hello there.'' Just when they thought she couldn't get anymore laid-back then this, she broke wind and said ''I'm Maria, and I'll be your baby-sitter for the month, while your mother is away.'' Alex snift the air and covered his nose while uttering ''Its nice to might you.'' When all was set and done, the airship lifted off and flew to the east. Maria looked at Phillip, then Alex, and said ''Well I'm sure your both upset about your mother leaving for a while and I feel bad for you, but I assure you everything will be just fine. Now how about you show me around quickly, so we can all go to bed.'' After showing her around the farm, the two brothers went to bed to think things through. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip woke up in his bed and looked around frantically once he remembered what had happened. He jumped out of bed and ran outside, hoping it was all just a dream. He got off of his bed, walked out of his room, and continued down the stairs and into the living room. When he came in, he saw a rejuvenated Maria and downtrodden Alex. When Maria noticed Phillip, she said ''Ah, Phillip! Your awake!'' Phillips heart sank, as he realized it wasn't a dream. He asked in a hopeful, and somewhat desperate tone ''Where's our mom?'' Maria looked concerned for Phillip and spoke in a soft voice ''She is on an errand for your father. She will be back in a month. While she is away, I am given the task of watching over you.'' Phillip dropped to his knees, and tears started building up in his eyes ''Why did she have to go?'' Maria walked over to him, knelled down, and hugged him ''Because Phillip, everyone has responsibility's they must take care of.'' ''But what about me, and my brother?'' Just then Alex spoke up ''D-Don't worry brother. It will only be for a month.'' Maria said '''My sister-in-law has responsibility's in Atlantian affairs. I have responsibility's in taking care of you while she is gone, and you and Alex have responsibility's in managing the farm. We want to make her proud don't we?'' Phillip sniffled ''O-OK, I g-guess I can w-wait for m-mommy.'' She smiled ''That's the spirit!'' With that, Maria stood back up and asked ''Now then. Who wants some eggs to lighten those spirits?'' At that, Phillip looked up at her with a weak smile. For the next few months, Alex helped Phillip with everything he needed. Phillip and Alex would often angst, and mourn about how much they missed their mother. Over time, Phillip became more and more accepting of his mother leaving. He still missed her a lot, but Maria and Alex where always there for him, the same way their mother was always there for him. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clymene was sitting in one of the passenger seats, accompanied by other passengers on board a Royal Aircraft. They were currently flying over the vast ocean. With the warhorses finally settling down in the outpost she was assigned, she decided to get back to the farm. She felt really bad about leaving her two sons, while she carried out her mission. Her thoughts where interrupted when the pilot made an announcement. ''Attention all passengers on board! We are sorry to inform you that our radar has detected a storm heading our way, so we'll have to make an emergency landing on one of the nearby islands, and set the aircraft to camp mode.'' Clymene looked confused ''A storm? That can't be right?'' This was surprising to Clymene. She thought it was supposed to be a little rain tonight. Suddenly the rain grew heavy and thunder could be heard all around her. The aircraft started to shake violently. Clymene grabbed on to a handle bar above her to keep from getting flung out of her seat. The passengers where beginning to panic, which made it hard to think of a way to counteract the storm. Just then a bolt of lightening struck one of the engines of the aircraft, creating a powerful shock wave throughout the aircraft. Sparks where flying and the lights were flickering on and off. ''That's impossible! This aircraft sports a special anti-storm coating that makes it immune to lightening strikes.'' She thought of a possible explanation for this to happen, then realization hit her like a ton of bricks ''OH NO!.....No No No No NO!!!'' She looked out the window to her right, and saw red lightening surging through the black storm clouds. This was no ordinary storm. This was the work of magic. She went to the captain of the vessel to notify him of their situation, but by the time she reached the pilots another bolt of crimson lightning struck the aircraft's wing. As the aircraft started to descend down into the ocean, the passengers in the back started to scream in fright. She looked around at the pilots only to learn to her horror that they were dead. ''This can't be happening!'' was all she could utter. She pulled the pilot corpse out of the pilot seat, and strapped herself in. Clymene never worked an aircraft before, but she had no choice in the matter. She got on the radio and said ''Attention passengers! I am sorry for the inconvenience, and due to current circumstances, I am going to be your new pilot. I am Queen Clymene, 'Guardian Angel' to the Emperor. Don't worry! I'll make sure we are all safe.'' When she was done with her little speech, she heard the passengers panic somewhat die down. She looked for an nearby island to land on, and spotted an island with forest, a few mountains, and a river. She decided to steer the aircraft toward that landmass, but realized she would never see her family ever again. She teared up, and mumbled ''Forgive me...Phillip,...Alex,....my family!'' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip liked the experience of taking care of horses. However, one of the mares was now pregnant with a foal. Phillip decided to read up on the book his mother gave him. It's been almost a month now and he has gotten over his mother leaving, but now he was excited since his mother was coming back soon. Phillip said to the pregnant mare ''Don't worry. Everything will be alright when mom comes back.'' The mare chewed on some grass from the dirt ground, and flicked its tail. Phillip knew what this meant ''I take it, you want to be left alone. Well that's OK!'' He loved all horses, but the kind he loved most were ponies. He liked how they were smaller, and more peaceful compared to the disciplined, and battle-hardened warhorses that his mother shipped off with. He didn't have many friends, but that was alright, because as far as he was concerned, ponies where his friends. It was the middle of the day, when Phillip was busy caring for the horses in the wide open fields and meadows. The weather was a little cloudy but mostly sunny. He was in the middle of cleaning the hooves of some of the ponies. Phillip was in the stables tending to the horses when his brother Alex came to give him terrible news. He never really hung out with any of his other siblings before, but there was Alex, who always treated him with respect. He would always be there for him in his time of need. He knew that despite his shy and timid way of life, Alex was a lot more mature then the others. Alex was always using manners and etiquette, and would always follow rules to an uncomfortable degree. It was almost creepy how he would always insist on doing things by the book. His brother came riding down toward him with a look of shock and depression on his face, which worried Phillip. Phillip walked over to his brother, and said ''Hey Alex! What are you doing here? I thought you where at Atlantis City?'' Alex said nothing for a while, but he seemed to be having trouble even speaking a sentence. A moment passed as Alex started to finally speak ''...Phillip...I...I'm sorry.'' Phillip raised an eyebrow at this ''Sorry about what?'' ''Phillip...mother's aircraft got caught in a storm, and...its now missing.'' Phillips eyes shrank in pure shock ''W-what do you mean?'' he stuttered Alex closed his eyes and tightened his fist ''She...is currently M.I.A. and could very likely be...'' It took him awhile to say the word, then with one gulp he screamed ''SHE MIGHT BE DEAD!!!'' Phillips eyes widened as the realization of what his brother was saying kicked in. His heart skipped a beat or two as he stared wide-eyed at his brother for what seemed like hours. He knew his brother better then anybody else, and he doesn't lie. His mother could be dead, and now he and Alex where all alone. Tears fell from his eyes as he stood there frozen in shock and horror. All those times she was there to comfort him in his time of need. All those times she told him to look at things in a positive way. All those things she taught him when he was younger, and all the times she played with him. Now...she was gone...forever! This can't be what happened, so he decided to find Maria to see if it was true. Phillip looked to his brother and said ''Alex do you know where Maria is?'' Alex just sat their sobbing silently before pointing toward the house and saying ''Y-Yeah, shes in her room.'' Phillip raced to the house and into her room screaming ''Aunt Maria!!!'' Maria was sitting near the window and writing something down of a piece of paper. She turned to face him ''Judging by your expression, I take it you know?'' ''Then its true? Mother really is missing?'' Maria said ''Your mother is currently nowhere to be found, and the aircraft was struck by lightening.'' She got up out of her seat and walked over to Phillip ''In any case, it looks like I'm going to be watching over you, and your brother until Clymene is located.'' ''How long will that take?'' he said ''I'm not sure. However, you can't just pout about her potential death. You and Alex along with your other siblings are the seed of life for this empire, and you need to have hope that she is alive.'' Phillip rubbed his eyes ''A-Alright, I'll try!'' Maria smiled ''Besides even if she has moved on, she will always be in your heart.'' She hugged him and said ''Now then! Do you need help with anything in particular?'' Phillip looked out the window to the stables ''Well, I do need some help in caring for mom's ponies.'' Maria looked towards the herd of ponies, then back to Phillip and said ''Well i don't know much about caring for horses, aside from what little I've observed from you and your brother, but I'll do what I can.'' She hugged him one last time before going outside. Phillip retreated into his bedroom, fell onto his bed and cried himself to sleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He woke up 4 hours later, and pulled out the book his mother gave him, and started reading. He noticed the tear stained bed-sheets, but didn't care. It wasn't long before he came across something that made him curious. Something about "Will Branching". He closed the book and went outside to find Alex. When he found him, he walked up to him and said ''Alex, do you know what a Will is? Alex cocked his head sideways ''What?'' Phillip continued ''This book says something about ones 'Will', and I don't understand.'' His brother said ''O-Oh, your talking about when someone has some goal, but is incapable of fulfilling it, so they pass it on to their children. Right?'' ''Is that what it is? Passing your dream on to your offspring?'' Alex confirmed ''Well, pretty much.'' Phillip got antsy ''Do you know what mothers Will is?'' ''I don't know what her Will was, but they said it will be revealed at her funeral, which is a month from now. Knowing mother, it probably has something to do with horses, but I could be wrong.'' said Alex Alex knew that royalty would set a fixed Will for themselves when they reach 12 years of age, which would become there purpose in life, along with their name of course. If they were ever unable to fulfill their Will, than the honorable thing to do would be to pass your life-work to your descendant. It was said that your Will should always be kept a secret from others, so they don't try to take advantage of it, unless you are passing the Will to them. After a while of chatting, Alex said ''Well, I have to go now...hope you feel better soon, because if she really is gone, then we must grow up and be the fine men she would want us to be. ...Oh, that's right! I almost forgot!'' He reached into his saddle pack, and pulled out what looked like a purple book. He took a look at it, blow on it a little, then rubbed his hand on the cover. Phillip looked at it with curiosity and said ''What is it?'' ''Some book that had significant meaning to our mother. She wanted to give it to you when we came of age, but I guess our time was cut short.'' Phillip grabbed the book out of his brothers hands ''Um, thanks!'' Alex whimpered in response ''Your welcome!'' Phillip watched as his brother left to go to the stables. Alex left while saying ''I'm going to go feed the ponies now.'' As he disappeared out of sight, Phillip opened the book and started reading it. It was a science book about a something called 'Equas Sapiens'. Phillip found the idea of sentient horses to be interesting. He put in his bag and went to help his brother. He wouldn't read it for a few weeks, because he was too depressed over his mothers death. When Phillip read it a few weeks later, he had a new found confidence in himself. He read a few more times, so he would memorize it, and immediately know what to do. ''I will make Atlantis proud, and make Alex proud, and...mother.'' As much as this book was lifting his spirits, all it took was his memories with his mother to send back into a depressed state. He closed the book, crouched down on his knees, held the book to his chest, and cried...quietly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip woke up in his room screaming, confused, and sweating. He looked around and saw that he was in his room. He got out of bed, and looked through his window. It was a nice day out with plenty of clouds. He saw all the horses running around in the field playing and grazing. He heard knocking at the door, so he opened it. There standing at the doorway was his mother, who looked shocked. ''Phillip dear, whats the matter? I heard screaming, so I came up stairs to see if something was wrong. Is everything all right?'' Phillip just stared at her for what seemed like hours. She said ''Phillip are you alright?'' ''M-Mo...Mother?'' ''Yes Phillip...it's me.'' Phillip ran over to his mother and cried out ''MOTHER YOU"RE ALIVE I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!'' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip woke up dazed and confused, and realized it was just a dream. He seemed to have cried himself to sleep in the stables, and had a dream. A dream that was like a nightmare because it filled him with false hope that only made the whole ordeal worse. It was now night time, so he had to herd the horses into the stables for the night. He then went into his mother's house and walked into his room. Weeks passed by as Phillip continued to grieve the loss of his mom. Sadly, those weeks turned into months and with it, his mother went from MIA to KIA. Phillip didn't believe it was true though, because he knew his mother was to much of a badass to get snuffed out by a storm cloud. He was a curious little boy. If he ever found something new or mysterious, he would want to know everything about it to satisfy his curiosity. And he was most curious about the world outside Atlantis, and now he wanted to go find her on his own, but as a prince, he was unable to travel to very many places until he got older. However, he could read books about the world outside, and maybe get an idea of his mothers whereabouts. ''Don't worry mom. I'll find you.'' Unfortunately being a prince meant he couldn't go out and explore. It didn't matter that he was a prince, because he was trapped against his will. As far as he was concerned, he was a glorified slave, who longed for freedom, just like his little ponies. His room was spacious, with decorating and paintings on the walls. He walked over to his book shelf to read a book to kill some time. He was skimming the bookshelf when a certain book caught his eye. He wasn't familiar with this particular book, but he looked at the cover and it's title 'The Golden Garden'. He walked over to his bed and started reading it. When he was finished he placed it on the table next to him. That book was pretty interesting with it's claim of The Golden Garden's apples being able to grant immortality and boost intelligence to whoever consumed it. He wondered for a second if he should go to Atlantis City to obtain one of these apples. Such thoughts were short lived as he lay down on his bed and tried to go to sleep. Memories of his mother quickly entered his mind, and he started crying again. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next morning was dreary and gray. Phillip was still in bed staring at the ceiling. He turned towards the window, and looked to the clouds. They were dark and covered the entire sky, which gave the environment a gloomy feel. Phillip got out of bed, and went outside. It was nighttime with a storm moving away from their house. He felt the cool air breeze pass him, as he walked towards the stables. The grass was wet from recent rain. He could hear thunder off in the distance, and see a storm cloud slowly head towards Atlantis City. When he reached the stables, he saw all the ponies sleeping soundly. He made sure all his ponies had everything they needed. Phillip searched for their collection of hay. To his surprise they seemed to be out. Phillip face palmed ''Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Alex must have fed them too much.'' He decided to go back into the house and went to Maria for help. He found her at her desk sitting their in thought. As Phillip walked into her room, she heard his footsteps and looked over her shoulder. With a tears running down her face, she smiled ''Phillip! What brings you to my room at this hour?'' Phillip stuttered for a bit then said ''A-Are you alright?'' Maria got out of her seat and walked over to him. She kneeled down and gave him a big hug. ''I'm SO Sorry!'' Phillip stood there stunned for a few seconds. Maria looked at him face-to-face and said ''I know it must be really hard for you two, now that your mother is gone.'' Her face grew determined ''So I will personally take you and Alex anywhere. You name it!'' ''Um, could we go to the Gold Gardens in Atlantis City tomorrow?'' Maria closed her eyes and chuckled ''Of course we can. Just so long as Alex gets to decide the next location. I'll sign us up for a tour of Atlantis City.'' Phillip smiled ''Thank you, Maria.'' ''Your welcome!'' she replied. He ran over to his aunt and gave her a hug, then went back to his room, and went to sleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip jumped out of bed and got everything packed up for his big day. He ran down stairs and saw Maria and Alex waiting for him near the cylinder tube that stuck out of the wall. Maria said ''Is everyone ready for our trip to the Gold Gardens of Atlantis City?'' Alex double checked everything and said ''I have all the currency and maps.'' Phillip did the same only to realize he forgot his Equas Sapian book. In a rushed tone he said ''I'll be right back!'' He ran upstairs, charged into his room, and grabbed his book. He then ran back down stairs, tripped, and fell the rest of the way down. Maria gasped as Alex held his hand out ''Are you all right?'' Phillip got back on his feet ''Yeah, I'm fine.'' The three of them heard a buzzing sound. Maria stated ''Ah, that must be them now.'' Phillip and Alex looked outside in curiosity and saw in the sky, a giant Airship similar to the one their mother had gone on. He didn't go away from home very often, but he remembered the few times he and his mother would use it to travel long distances. He would travel to the Gold Garden, and with his being a prince, would collect some of these fantastical apples, and feed them to the pregnant mare. He didn't know what would happen to the mare, but his mom's books said that you need to feed a pregnant mare a gold apple. He shrugged as he, Maria and Alex waited for it to land, then walked aboard the Airship. Alex asked ''Maria, whats that?'' Maria looked down to her sword, where he was pointing ''Oh, this is my Alikord. As a Guardian Angel it is my duty to always carry one around. Especially with that cloud slowly making its way to the city, but I doubt we'll be in trouble.'' ''Whats Aliko?'' ''You'll know when we get there.'' The airship lifted off and ascended into the sky. Phillip looked around the interior of the vessel, which had lots of passenger seats, each with prepared foods and drinks, and a small table. Most of the seats where occupied by other passengers except for the few open, yet distant-to-each-other seats They gave their tickets to the register to stamp, and took their seats. . Phillip took a seat at the right side in the mid-section. He looked around the area, but couldn't find his family. He sat their and muttered ''Great! Now I have to sit here and do nothing but wait for this ship to reach the city.'' ''If it makes you feel better, I can tell you about Atlantis City.'' Phillip blinked and looked toward the source of the voice. It was a girl around his age. She had brown hair, hazel eyes, and she was wearing what looked like typical brown peasant cloths. She looked at him with an eccentric expression on her face, and said. ''Though, judging by your attire, I take it your royalty?'' Phillip was dumbfounded. Never before had he heard of peasants, who spoke in such a casual manner towards royalty. Her appearance and casual yet assertive personality actually made him blush. She giggled at this ''Well, looks like I've got an admirer.'' His blush deepened ''Its not that! Its just ...I've never knew you could give such ...direct and blunt welcomes from a peasant.'' The girl raised an eyebrow ''Really? Huh. I guess you don't get out much.'' Phillip wasn't concerned with whether what she just said was an insult or not, and probably didn't care. He thought all peasants where very meek and soft-spoken, but he was wrong. He remembered that a good Atlantian would discipline any who spoke out of line, but that wasn't his way of dealing with things. He preferred to let things work themselves out. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and admitted ''Well I have never been to Atlantis City, so I guess I don't know how things work over there.'' The girls eyes widened ''What! You mean you've never been to Atlantis City before?'' Phillip blushed again ''Yeah!'' ''Well I suppose I should make you feel more comfortable since its your first time.'' She offered her hand and said ''My name is Acacia.'' Phillip shook her hand ''My name is Phillip.'' Acacia looked at him in amazement ''Phillip. Really? Wow. that must suck.'' Phillip said ''What do you mean?'' She giggled ''Well, you do love horses.'' Phillip scrunched and protested ''That's not funny.'' ''So what brings someone like you to the number one city of all Atlantis?'' Phillip couldn't help but wonder why she seemed to take pleasure in embarrassing him. ''Me and my family are going to the Gold Garden. Have you ever been there?'' ''Oh yeah! My dad works there. In fact, I'm on my way there now.'' she said matter-of-factually. Phillip remembered wait his mother told him and eyed her suspiciously ''Really? Just like that?'' Acacia gave a blank expression ''What do you mean?'' Phillip continued with his suspicion ''What are the odds of me having met someone who just so happens to be going to the same place as me?'' The girl took on a dead pain expression ''You do know this airship is exclusive travel to and from the Gold Garden. Right?'' Phillip was caught off-guard and looked at the monitor at the front of the room for all to see, that said in big letters 'Welcome to the Gold Garden Express.' Phillip face-palmed at his stupidity. Acacia continued ''Besides, even if I wasn't planning to go there, you still have thousands of people who go there every week, with hundreds of gardeners working there every day, so its no surprise.'' ''Wow, must be a big place.'' She nodded ''Oh, It is.'' Phillip looked over her shoulder to take a look out the window, but he couldn't help but be distracted by the big ominous storm cloud that was nearing the city. It was at this point the airship started to descend down towards the airport. Phillip said ''So ...do you want to go there with me and my family?'' She beamed ''That would be great. I love to hang out with you some more.'' Once the Airship landed in the hanger area, everyone started getting out of their seats and out of the airship. Phillip and his new friend waited for everyone else to get off board. When the area was clear enough, Phillip and Acacia walked over to the doors and reunited with Alex and Maria. Maria noticed him and said ''Phillip. Glad you made it.'' She then took notice of Acacia ''And who is this young girl?'' Acacia spoke up ''I'm Acacia, and I'm headed for the Golden Garden as well. So I decided to accompany you to our shared destination.'' She sniffed the air only two cringe and hold her noise. Maria took notice of this and smelled herself. She was she took a bath this morning. Alex scaned her and said ''Hey Maria, Did you remember to clean your close before we left?'' Maria said ''Huh, guess I forgot.'' she shrugged ''Ops.'' ''Ops?'' Acacia stated ''That's all you have to say?'' Maria waved her off ''So what of it?'' Acacia stuck her tongue out at her and said ''Well I'm going to ask my parents to notify our King.'' While Maria and Acacia had their little dispute, Phillip went over to Alex ''OK, now I'm confused! How is Acacia able to just call her out when shes just a peasant.'' Alex said with worry ''Just a peasant?'' Phillip corrected himself ''Well, what I mean is I didn't think commoners could just question authority like this.'' Alex said ''Phillip, do I need to remind you that we live in a technocracy? Where the ruling class consist of scientist, who promote logic, research, and constant challenge and debate of our societies beliefs.'' Phillip stated ''But doesn't that cause unnecessary conflict?'' ''Sometimes in order to mend, you must first rend.'' Phillip just blinked ''Excuse me?'' Alex sighed ''In other words, it allows us to hold multiple views, with each one pointing out the flaws and mistakes of others. What this idea aims to achieve is having all parties learn from their mistakes and correct whatever flaws are presented. It allows us as a society to better ourselves.'' Phillip knew that the Empire was split between to parties. One promoting dominance and mastery of the nature and the self, with the other advocating peaceful coexistence with nature and abandoning their technological lifestyle. They would constantly debate about what humanities relationship with nature should be. Phillip and Alex went back to listening to the argument. ''Because I wish to one day enforce the law.'' Acacia's fist tightened. Alex spoke up ''Your going to join the armed forces?'' Acacia broke away from her little spat with Maria and confirmed with much more enthusiasm ''Why yes I am.'' Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her ''Oh my, I'm terribly sorry!'' she held out her hand ''My names Acacia, and you are?'' Alex smiled and said ''Alex is my name.'' Acacia cheerily said ''Nice to meet you Alex. At least someone has there act together.'' she glared at Maria. Maria sighed and grabbed Alex's hand ''Come Alex, lets not be late for the Aliko Field Graduation.'' Alex looked to Phillip ''Hey Phil, are you coming with us?'' Phillip responded ''Actually, is it aright if I go with Acacia to the Gold Garden.'' Maria protested ''No. I can't let you go without an adult.'' ''Actually my dad should be here soon, so he can watch over me and Phillip.'' said Acacia. Maria gave up ''Fine! Go ahead. So long as an adult is watching over him.'' Acacia looked around and beamed ''Oh, there he is.'' Everyone else looked to where she pointed. They saw a man wearing the usual peasant close and a straw hat, with some work boots and gloves. He had a brown beard and mustache and a tired expression on his face which quickly vanished the instant he saw Acacia. With a wide grin on his face, he leaned done and opened up his arms to her. Acacia ran up to him and they shared a big hug that only family could give. When they where done, she told him ''Father, its nice to see you again.'' she continued to hug him. Her father spoke ''Same here honey. How was your trip to the festival?'' ''It was great! But I had to cut it short due to... '' she looked up to the looming dark cloud in worry and finished ''THAT!'' Her father said ''Don't worry my little girl. The King announced that it wasn't a threat, and that the most it came do is disrupt radio frequency which can be transferred from surrounding Element Cities.'' Acacia smiled in relief at that, than remembered ''Oh, right. Dad?'' ''Yes!'' Acacia gave him pleading eyes ''Can Phillip go with us?'' Her father looked over to the others and his expression turned from one of joy to one of shock. He quickly walked over, bowed, and said ''Please, forgive me. I didn't notice we where near royalty. I'm terribly sorry if my daughter said anything disrespectful.'' Maria reassured him ''Oh, your fine.'' she chuckled ''Kids these days think they can say whatever they want and get away with it just because the law allows them to speak their mind.'' Acacias father rubbed the back of his head ''Tell me about it... So.'' Maria sighed ''You can take Phillip with you so long as he stays out of trouble.'' He looked back at Phillip and Acacia who both smiled at him expectantly, and he said ''Alright. You can come with us.'' Phillip walked along side Acacia as he, her, and her father walked down the hall with the neon sign 'This way to Golden Gardens', and had a lot of people running through it. They followed the vast group of peasants who where all going to the gold garden, but wouldn't blend in into the seemingly endless crowed of brown clothed people with plain black or brown hair, with the occasional red or blond hair, and their skin tone ranged from white to yellow to black. Caucasian, Asian, African, American, it didn't matter what ethnicity they where. They where the lower class, who must submit to the Atlantian race. The race that (by consisting of all other ethnicity) had the right to rule. We where the superior race that embodied all of the different human bloods, and since morality was carried in the blood, we where believed to be in harmony with our own species, and thus better then all Non-Atlantians. That's what everyone was expected to believe, but that's not what Phillip wanted to believe. Phillip continued down his original path with her making sure not to bump into anyone. The hall was quite nice, with all the colorful power cords decorating the metallic walls and ceiling, and the upper parts of the walls were lined with monitors. Some where 3D maps that showed where they where in the vast city, while others showed things from advertizements, to news, to entertainment, to propaganda. Phillip and Acacia didn't speak through out their walk through the halls. When he finally reached the end of the long hallway, he found himself outside. It was the middle of the day by now, so he could see everything clearly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Buildings everywhere, each one tall enough to reach the heavens. It was like a race to see which one would touch the clouds first, but the one that out stood them all was the tower with the bright pink light emitting from its top. Phillip said in awe ''That must be the Spark of Harmony.'' He looked towards himself and saw a beautiful forest of trees. They looked like they had apples on them. He wanted one so badly. Unfortunately, he had to wait to register himself so he can be allowed in. Ounce he let the machine scan his DNA, he was allowed in. The gates of pure gold slowly opened, which only served to increase Phillips anxiety. When they where fully opened, everyone waited for the all-clear. Phillip was inpatient as he wanted one NOW! It was what his mother wanted and he just had to sit their. Finally, the speakers called out to the people. ''FAIR CITIZENS OF ATLANTIS! WELCOME TO THE GOLDEN GARDEN'' With that, the large crowd started to slowly move forward Phillip squeed like a kid on their birthday. He couldn't wait to get his hands on them. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see who is was. Acacia looked him in the eyes with part proud, part worry, and part strict expression ''Calm down, Phillip. You will have to wait to get a look.'' Phillip took her words in and composed himself ''Sorry. It's just that I'm really anxious.'' A few minutes passed as Phillip walked next to Acacia and her father. But already, he was getting impatient. With an annoyed tone, he whined ''Can't we move faster?'' Acacias father reminded him ''Patience, young lord. We can always bring you here next week.'' Next week? He didn't have the patience to wait that long. Besides, he was a prince, so he should've been able to do what he wanted. Phillip complained ''I don't need patience. I NEED MY MOTHERS DYING WISH FULFILLED!'' Phillip pushed passed the large amount of people and ran over to the nearest tree. Acacia ran after him screaming ''NO! STOP! You'll get in trouble!'' Phillip ignored her warnings and once he got to the tree, he started to climb. Her father tried to plead ''Prince Phillip, Please! We beg you to get away from that tree. You're not old enough to consume one. It's illegal even for royalty.'' Phillip countered ''But I'm not getting it for myself. I'm getting it for a friend.'' Acacia said curiously ''What friend?'' He waved her off ''None of your business.'' She looked to her father ''Dad, what do we do?'' The apples where a beautiful hue of red, and the trees leaves where a light green in color. He could see the apple orchard for miles. Phillip was anxious to get at least one of these delectable fruits off the trees. He knew Atlantis put a lot of emphasis on growing apples, but he didn't think they would make a whole forest full of life-enhancing apple trees. His thoughts where cut off when he heard a hissing sound. He turned towards the direction of the sound and came face to face with what looked like a green metallic snake. ''GA-AAH'' Startled, Phillip jumped back and fell of the branch he was sitting on, causing Acacia to gasp in shock. As he fell down the tree, Acacias father quickly rushed over to catch him. He succeeded in saving Phillip from any severe injuries. The the scruffy farmer said in a panic ''ARE YOU ALRIGHT?'' Phillip got up and dusted himself off ''NO, I'm not alright. My mother wants me to get at least one of those. And I can't even do that.'' Acacia spoke up ''Why can't you just wait until you're an adult?'' Phillip crossed his arms and huffed ''Because I don't want to what that long, duh.'' He looked back up at the green metallic snake with red eyes ''Those must be an Ouroboros. Robotic serpents who guard the trees from any perceived threat.'' He took some time to actually think about it. ''Man, that would've sucked. I would've been bitten if I didn't hear it.'' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alex couldn't wait to go to the Aliko fields to see the demonstration. He always dreamed of one day, being able to wield those 'space crystal plant sword' things. He and Maria continued down a bridge-like hallway that had balconies stretching all the way across both sides of said hallway. Passed the balconies, he could see the vast field of rocks. He held Maria's hand and said ''So ...this is the Aliko fields?'' Maria nodded ''Correct. We are going to see a demonstration, once we get a seat.'' Alex and Maria went to the register and got signed in. Once that was done, they took a seat in the balconies. Alex saw the Aliko fields and felt disappointed. It was a vast land of dirty ground and countless rocks of various sizes, and the occasional boulders dotting the landscape, ...with some mountains off in the distance. Alex sighed '',,,W-Well it wasn't what I expected, but I'm still going to watch.'' Maria smiled ''Sometimes a dirty rock can turn out to be a shining gem inside.'' ''Is that supposed to be literal or metaphorical?'' ''Literal.'' They both fell silent as a group of people came out, and lined up next to what was basically a rock farm. He couldn't make out much, due to them looking like ants from his distance, but he saw that they where graduates in their Aliko Academy. He managed to get signed up for said academy, only a few months ago. He couldn't help but imagined being there in that group of people. They watched intently as the students spread through out the rock farm with some small tools. They then started to tap the rocks and listen, then move on to other rocks. Alex was confused ''Maria, what are they doing?'' Maria explained ''Their going to use those the hilt's pummel to check to see which rocks a hollow on the inside. That will tell them that said rock has Aliko growing inside it.'' Some of the students seemed to finally find hollow rocks, as they flipped the hilt to the other end, which had a drills sticking out. They drilled into the rocks and waited for some minutes. Alex was too far away to tell what was going on, so he asked ''What are they doing?'' Maria answered ''Their drilling into the rocks to attach the hilt to the aliko, then waiting for the drill to transform into cross-guards, which is the OK signal, that shows that the Aliko has given consent.'' He understood that Aliko was living creatures, who's consent was required for their human masters to be able to wield them. He witnessed the students start pulling out their hilts, which varied from a few seconds to possibly hours. If their struggle was anything to go by, than it was pretty challenging to get those suckers out of the rocks. After roughly 30 minutes, some of the students managed to pull their crystals out of the rocks. Even from as away as he was, he could see the crystalline blades that now attached themselves to the handles of their students. Each one having a different color, and surging with electrical energy. They where absolutely beautiful. He remembered that they were called Alikord, which was the combination of the words Aliko and sword. By the time the rock farm was closed, those who succeeded where applauded, while those who failed would have to what till next month. They would have still had time left, had it not been for sudden events. By the time most of the students succeeded in retrieving their Alikord, the storm cloud had fulling covered all of Atlantis City. And at that instant, red lightening shot from all sides of the outer rim of the cloud and struck at the golden walls of the city. Alex and Maria looked up to see the center of the cloud begin to spiral. The skies where covered in black clouds and crimson lightening. It was obvious what was happening. Atlantis City is under attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phillip, Acacia, and her father stared up at the sky in shock, and horror. Never before has something like this ever happened before in their lives. Immediately after the red lightening struck at the walls, the center of the storm started to spiral inwards, and a huge flock of demonic vaguely bird-like creatures descended from the misty blanket and started attacking citizens indiscriminately. Phillip was confused and scared ''WHAT-WHATS GOING ON?'' he said, as the ground beneath them began to shack, causing some of the apples to fall to the ground. He decided to sneak one into his pocket, while no one was looking. He knew it wasn't the most ideal time to deceive his friends, but was now convinced that if he wanted to prevent crap like this from happening, he would have to take the only opportunity he could ever get in his childhood. He needed to find Maria and his brother.. Everyone was running away from the creatures that came from the giant black cloud above the city. A few of them flew towards the Gold Garden that Phillip was in, with on of them coming strait at him and his friends. The rugged old farmer grabbed him and Acacia and pushed them out of the way, as the demonic bird from hell landed where they use to be. He now had a better look at them. They had no eyes, with beaks that hid a set a razor teeth, bat-like wings, a demon tail, large talons, and a snakes tongue. Phillip coward away, and shouted ''N-NO! STAY AWAY!!!'' as the hellish monster closed in on him, while growling. Phillip closed his eyes and began to shake. Just then, he heard the sound of flesh getting ripped open, but he didn't feel anything. At first, he thought he was dead or something, but he was wrong. When he opened his eyes, he saw a man in a black cloak and shades, with green spiky hair standing over the dead corpse of the creature, that was about to tear him to peaces. Phillip also saw that the corpse was impaled by a crimson-red Alikord, which contained so much heat, that it caused the air around it to ripple. The bird thing was no doubt, cooked from the inside out, after being impaled. Phillip was absolutely petrified. He couldn't even think of moving, and it wasn't because of all the screams of terror, and pleads for help. His heart was racing and his face was covered in sweat. He just sat their looking at all the carnage and mayhem that surrounded him. Atlantis's mightiest defenses where completely destroyed and they where now at the mercy of these abominable things. All he could think about was how he was just now almost died. Finally, Phillip found the strength to speak ''...help ...HELP ...HELP!!!'' The man looked to him and said in a stern and commanding voice ''Well what are you waiting for? GET GOING!!!'' The man gave the farmer a plain sword to defend Phillip and Acacia with and said ''Head for the halls for shelter while I stay here and protect from outside.'' than he went to help other civilians who where in need of protection. Phillip and Acacia started to run as fast as their legs could carry them, while tears began flooding out of their eyes. He, Acacia, and her father ran back into the hallway for shelter against the invasion. The place was packed with people, with the adults comforting their children. It was than that Phillip wondered how Maria and Alex where doing. Thoughts of them dead quickly flooded his mind, as he and others saw severely wounded civilians being carried in. Acacia hugged her father for comfort and asked ''Father! Will everything be alright? Whats going to happen to-?'' she cut herself off as she started crying uncontrollably, just like all the other children. Her father pulled her and Phillip in for a hug, and reassured them ''Don't worry! We'll get through this and everything will be fine. I'll protect you even if it cost-'' He couldn't finish his sentence since he didn't want to fill his daughter with the idea of him dying. They ran through crowds of people, who were to scared to notice them pass by. As they went through the crowds, he slowly got separated from Acacia and her father until he was all alone. He saw the clouds over the Spark of Harmony began to reach out like a tornado. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maria had her Alikord drawn out and ready. She and Alex where in the shelter area, where Maria commanded all the professional Aliko Angels in the Acadamy to protect the citizens of Atlantis. Since she was one of the seven Guardian Angels, she was one of the highest authority figures in the entire nation. Alex could see the many towers had Angels on them using their Aliko to draw the monstrous birds to them and ambush whole flocks of them in an ambush. Every now and then, he'd see a bird corpse falling from the side of said buildings. The ground was littered with the dead of both citizens and birds, with a few unfortunate Angels. As the physics defying storm cloud was grabbing for the Spark, the Emperor of Atlantis King Iapetus stood there defending the Spark of Harmony, and pulled out his Alikord Spear. He pointed it up at the storm cloud and shouted ''Sing, CONVICTION!'' and shot a gold laser beam at the dark cloud. The dark cloud gave off a screeching noise that would shatter windows if they weren't sound proof. The laser ripped the tornado apart, the red lightening stopped, and the cloud started slowly fading away. The demonic birds hissed at the blinding light and flew away. Everyone just stared at what just happened. Phillip than decided he would look in to this later, and went looking around for Maria and Alex. He found them, and together they went back home to their peaceful farm.
Spark of Harmony part 2 Spark of Harmony part 2 As they where going home by train, Phillip hugged his brother and cried ''I-I am SO GLAD you...'' He couldn't finish as he cried into his brothers shoulders, who just stared in shock at what happened just moments ago. Maria, who had a regretful expression on her face said ''I ...shouldn't of taken us to Atlantis City ...Its my fault we where in danger. I'm sorry!'' She held them both in her arms to comfort them. She knew this event would leave them traumatized for life, and she was partly to blame. Phillip hugged them back, while crying and said ''What where those things?'' ''You'll understand when you're older.'' He looked outside and saw that the storm cloud was gone in place of what looked like an electromagnetic barrier stemming from the city walls, and surrounded the entire city. The whole city was on lock-down, and on high alert. After wiping away his tears he tried to lighten the mood ''Man, they sure know how to make someone feel welcome.'' Maria sighed and scolded ''Phillip, now's not the time for humor.'' Phillip looked down in shame ''Yeah, I ...guess so. Sorry!'' Alex sighed ''...'' Phillip was wondering why Atlantis City had to set up a electromagnetic barrier. 'Shouldn't it be able to transform into a ship or something and travel through the sky?' He wondered if his brother would have the answer. ''Hey, Alex.'' ''...'' his brother didn't respond, as he just stood there staring into space. Phillip was confused ''...Um, Al?'' ''It seems to me that he's not only shaken by the attack, but his nation was completely crippled by it. I've heard him gosh on about how unbeatable our nation was. Poor boy must feel so vulnerable right now.'' Maria concluded with observation. Phillip didn't know what to say that would cheer Alex up. After all, he was able to get through with their mothers disappearance by carrying out her dying wish. He asked ''Hey um, ...Maria?'' His aunt raised her brow ''What is it?'' Phillip gulped and asked ''I have adopted mothers will, and by doing that I'm honoring her, right?'' ''Yes!'' ''And the law says that multiple children can carry on the will, right?'' ''You want to know if Alex is allowed to help you with your mothers will, correct?'' ''Well, yeah.'' Maria put a hand on Phillips shoulder ''Phillip, I appreciate your concern for your mothers dream, but Alex has just lost his trust in our nations efficiency.'' ''But what about our father single handily defeating the threat?'' ''That was the work of the Spark of Harmony. Not the cities own defense.'' ''What do you mean 'the work of the Spark of Harmony'?'' Maria closed her eyes ''That's classified information. I may be laid back when it comes to social laws, but I'm adamant when it comes to political business. ''Oh come on!'' he begged ''I don't know either.'' she said matter of factually. Phillip grinned sheepishly ''...Oh.'' ''Man your full of questions lately.'' she deadpanned Phillip smiled weakly ''Hey, I'm just curious'' His enthusiasm immediately died when he looked back at the heavily guarded city. It would only be a few more minutes until they where finally home. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the invasion of Atlantis City, the whole nation was on high alert. Once everyone was back at the farm, they decided to feed the ponies their fresh batch of hey. Alex left his brother to finish up with his ponies after 3 hours had passed to go to his room, and just sit their to reflect on what happened on that day. He couldn't figure out how they were left at the mercy of a storm cloud so easily. Alex looked at the world atlas and spoon it around ''I-I'm so confused! I thought we where unstoppable, and nothing could disturb our peace. I feel ...like some random stranger just walked in and burned down our entire house. Like everything I know and love could be taken from me tomorrow.'' he stopped it and wrapped his arms around it '' ...I'm scared!'' Back outside. Phillip went over to the pregnant mare and brought out one of the special apples. He knelled down and reached out to her with it. ''Here you go. This will make you tie you over till dinner.'' The mare sniffed it then immediately started chowing down. The mare consumed the 'gold' apple, and was supposed to give birth to a 'Equas-Sapien' She seemed to enjoy its taste and texture. Phillip decided now would be a good time to brush her mane. He got out a bucket with a brush and started grooming her. It was only 6 more months away until she would give birth. ''So how was your day? Did you eat plenty of hey and grass? Did you get plenty of exercise?'' Phillip knew she couldn't understand him, but he could dream could he? Sadly, with their mother not being found for months, she was declared dead. Phillip didn't believe it was true though, because he knew his mother was too awesome to get snuffed out by a storm cloud. He was anxious since her funeral was coming up next week, because he wasn't sure what his mother's 'will' would be. So how could he prepare? Being 6 years old, he had quite the imagination. He would fantasize about what the world would be like if he went all the way through with this. He took out a book about Greek Mythology and started reading to the 'Pregnant One'. ''Wow! This is amazing! I wish I could meet the kind of creatures in this book. Especially the horses.'' He liked the classical mythology of Greek culture. It was a shame since Atlantis defeated them roughly 1,000 years ago, because these tales served as a means of escapism for one like him. He wondered what it would be like if he could actually create the five types of magical ponies that where featured in these stories. Pegasus, Hippocampi, Mares of Thrace, he loved it all. Unfortunately, these creatures were magical in nature and he saw what that was like. He shivered. He and his brother would continue caring, grooming, feeding, their ponies. Alex became more competent and savvy in horse care over time. They would play together, laugh, and hang out on the farm. The 'soon to be mothers' diet consisted of hay, and pasture for the rest of her pregnant days. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was the day of the funeral and Phillip was having trouble preparing. He wasn't used to high society despite being a prince. 'Not all royalty are stuck up snobs. We come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.' Its been a week since Phillip took the apples from the trees of Gold Garden. Phillip wished he could feed her a second gold apple. Phillip was sure to keep it a secret from Alex. He felt bad about it, but Alex became more devoted to the laws for the sake of their nation, and Phillip didn't want to risk getting in trouble with the law. Phillip was in a nice red robe for the ceremony, but never wore one before. Alex, whom was more familiar with these customs, had to instruct him on it. After Phillip managed to get his fancy clothes on right, he ran outside to the pregnant mare. He walked into the stables and petted her ''Don't worry girl. I'll be back soon. For now, go play.'' He let her go out into the fields. He walked back to their house to see Maria and his brother facing away from him and waiting. She was wearing a blue robe with a Black Hole at the center of her back side. Alex wore a red version just like himself. Maria spoke up ''Ready?'' ''Ready!'' he confirmed. She gave him a weak smile ''Alright! Today's a big day for all of the Crystal Empire, so I expect you all to be on your best behavior.'' With everything set and ready, the three of them went to the Airship, which was crowded with other people who where likely also attending the funeral, if their attire was anything to go by. After a few minutes, the carrier set off to Atlantis City for not only his mothers funeral, but all those who lost their lives in the attack afterword. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When they returned to Atlantis City, they found it filled to the brim with guards and cameras. Phillip was intimidated by all the robot guards with giant rifles attached to their right arms. All it took for Alex to be scared was the guns alone, but the presents of many fully-armored and sinister-looking robots was to much for him. He coward behind his aunt, who just rolled her eyes in annoyance then said ''Well lets get going. We don't want to be late.'' Alex questioned ''So ...W-Where is the funeral taking place again?'' ''In District 8.'' ''Oh, OK.'' Maria guided them to the place where all the family members where supposed to meet. It was a wide open field full of tombstones, which where divided into groups. The ones on the left where simple slabs of rocks with a small gem sticking out of each one, while the tombs on the right where bigger and more decorated. Each of these tombstones had an Alikord embedded at its tip. His looked around for his mothers and found it. He noticed that it was the only one that didn't have an Alikord, but it did have a slit placed in the same location that the other Alikords where. Off to the right Phillip could see a small house full of people. Maria took him and Alex by the hand and walked them over to the group of people. ''I take it that's where our other family members are?'' Phillip said with a curious tune. ''Yes, that is where we're going to be for the next hour or so.'' Phillip whined ''But I don't want to hang out with my extended family.'' Maria scolded in a hushed tone ''PHILLIP?!! Where is your respect for your loved ones. Do not disrespect your mothers death.'' Alex spoke up ''Um ...I'm just going to go on ahead, alright? Maria nodded in approval then turned back to Phillip who argued ''Mothers not dead. I know it.'' She sighed ''Phillip! We can't search on forever.'' ''But we have the technology to find her right away, don't we?'' ''Exactly! It's been a long time since anyone has seen her. If we can't at least locate her body, then she is probably at the bottom o-'' she cut herself off just in time. She didn't want to hurt Phillip by throwing around horrifying ideas that her beloved sister-in-law might of experienced before death. In fact, now that she thought about it. She shouldn't of said anything, since he was just a kid and had a fragile mind. She cursed herself and knelled down to his level, patted him on the head, and reassured him ''Actually ...Now that I think about it. You're right! We should hope for the best.'' She hugged him before getting back on her feet and walking over to her fellow Guardian Angels. They walked over to their other family members to say hello. Alex was showing an elegant and sophisticated side. Phillip on the other hand lived on the farm, so he wasn't going to bother with such formalities. Now he didn't have anything against the law, but he wasn't the kind to act graceful, and the whole dressing up thing was really bugging him. The only reason he was even wearing it was in respect to his dead mother ...and because Maria forced him to. ''Well now, if it isn't Phillip the 'horse lover'.'' Alex groaned ''Oh No!'' and turned around to see a few of his teenage half-siblings looking down on his brother He walked over to his brothers rescue. ''What do you want now?'' Phillip asked in a irritated tone. Their leader, a blond female defended herself ''Whats your problem?'' Phillip stated ''Look, I don't want any of your mean words alright?'' ''We just came to warn you that you're going to get in trouble if you keep hanging around those horses, instead of actually bonding with your family.'' Phillip deadpanned ''Gee! I'd love to, but unfortunately, certain people like to bully me.'' They reassured him ''We're not bullying you. We have grown out of that. We're just teasing you cause ...well ...you know?!'' ''Well I don't like it. It's stuff like this that make me want to stay at the farm with my ponies.'' ''Couldn't you at least ride one to Atlantis City?'' the other teenagers suppressed their obvious laughter, which earned them a glare from their blond haired leader. Phillip scrunched ''My mom said my name meant friend to horses, not romance. That's gross!'' They stopped their laughter when Alex came walking toward them. He had a stern look on his face. ''Excuse me gentlemen, but you're being disrespectful at MY moms funeral, at HIS moms funeral, and at a funeral that will forever be remembered as a day of mourning throughout the ENTIRE country!'' They looked around and saw quite a few adults where eying them ''Fine! I suppose you're right about that.'' He waved his hand to signal ''Come on. Lets go see how Maria is doing.'' The older half-brother of theirs left them alone. Maria walked up to the gang and scolded ''What was that all about?'' ''Its nothing!'' They said in a panic. ''Didn't sound like nothing.'' Their leader sighed in defeat ''Well, Its just that we're concerned for Phillip.'' She wasn't buying it ''Sure, that's why you had to make fun of him, when you KNOW he doesn't like it.'' ''OK, OK, OK! Maybe we were a little mean back their, but we didn't mean it. Old habits die hard, ya know?'' Maria realized something ''Wait! What do you mean when you say 'we're concerned for Phillip'?'' The teen rubbed the back of her head ''Well, ya see? Ever since the city was attacked, the Emperor has gotten more and more strict with his laws, and their have been instances where people would get arrested for crimes they didn't commit. We just worried about Phillips whole 'Ponies are my best friends' fad.'' she through her arms out to emphasize ''...Also, there's news that during the attack, one of the apples from the Gold Garden went missing, and the Ouroborus recorded Phillip trying to grab one. We're just worried that it'll make people suspicious of him.'' Maria boasted ''Well you won't have to worry, because I don't know if you heard but I'm ...oh you know ...his Guardian Angel, ...so his sons are under my protection.'' The blond girl blushed in embarrassment ''Oh, right! Ha, ha, ha. I forgot that your raising them.'' After a few hours past with everyone getting reacquainted with one another, they got to the important part. It was sunny and a little windy today. Their were many graves covering the wide fields, but these graves where for commoners. Angel graves are below the ground, via elevator. They couldn't help but notice the unreasonably high amount of guards in the area. Phillip looked a little nervous ''Hey Alex?'' ''What is it?'' ''Why are their so many guards in the area? Don't you think that's a little over doing it?'' ''The Emperor of the Crystal Empire is attending the funeral of not only one of his wife's, but the funerals of hundreds of citizens who lost their lives is he not?'' ''Yes, but still. Its like he thinks he's going to get attacked anywhere he goes. In fact! I heard he is actually very paranoid.'' Alex snarked ''Wow, you're full of ideas.'' A bell rang indicating that their father was done with the ceremonies of his distressed citizens. It was time to get going with their mothers funeral. The commoners would stay on the surface to mourn their dead, while royalty would descend down into the ground to proceed with the royal funeral. Their father came in ''Alright everyone! lets proceed.'' Everyone in the small house entered a large cylinder tube. Ounce everyone was inside, King Iapetus pressed a button. The doors closed and everyone felt lighter for a brief second as the elevator descended. 15 to 20 seconds passed until the doors opened up again. To say Phillip and Alex where awestruck would be an understatement. They found themselves in a vast, wide-open, dome-shaped area with thousands of pillars of light shown down on the ground. Speaking of the ground, the floor consisted entirely of diamond with names scorched into its surface. It took him time to notice that each name was directly under a pillar of light. The family walked down the seemingly endless forest of lights, until they reached a light that had no name under it. This was clearly going to be their mothers grave with her name embedded in the diamond floor of the vast open area, with a piller of light shining down on it from the ceiling. Phillip and Alex walked up to their mothers grave, with Alex barely holding back his tears. Phillip didn't seem very upset because he believed his mother was still alive. They saw Iapetus standing over their mothers grave. The two brothers walked up to their father and bowed deeply. Phillip could barely contain his anxiety, while Alex was breathing heavily in uncertainty. Their father looked at Phillip and then to Alex. After what felt like a minute he said with a low, and stern voice ''Prince Alex....Prince Phillip....you may rise.'' They rose to their feet, and their father pulled out her will. It was a gold scroll with the royal Atlantian seal on it. Both Alex and Phillip placed their right hand on the scroll. Their father looked to Alex and said ''Do you Alex! Prince of Atlantis vow to carry your mothers fire in her passing?'' Alex stuttered ''I vow to h-honor my mothers passing by ...'' he took a deep breath then finished ''devoting my life to her will.'' He then looked at Phillip and repeated ''Do you Phillip! Prince of Atlantis vow to carry your mothers fire in her passing?'' It ticked him off how his father just assumed she was dead, but he wouldn't let that ruin this day of mourning, so he confidently said ''I vow to honor my mother by devoting my life to her will.'' ''Very well.'' He let go of the scroll, so the boys could open it. The two released the seal on the scroll, and opened it. Their mothers Will was predictable, but in a way they didn't expect 'To bring peace to the world with horse power' After a long silence Alex spoke ''Well that's ....nice.'' Phillip said bluntly ''I don't get it.'' Iapetus explained ''This vow is actually the Will of your distant ancestors, and was passed down through the generations. Your mother devoted her life to raising horses on the farm in the hopes that they would play a vital part in our nations history.'' Phillip on the other hand was relieved ''I look forward to fulfilling mothers will.'' Once all was said and done, they stepped back and saw the light above intensify into a lazer that scorched the ground. It was a quick and bright flash that returned back to its usual state. The brothers walked over to it and saw their mothers name carved into the ground. Iapetus wrapped up the funeral with pulling out the Kalm, which was their nations guide lines on how to live. He said ''Our beloved Clymene will be missed, but do not cry for her. As a scientist, she lived to discover the truth, and now she has passed into the Great Unknown.'' He and everyone else took this time to reflect on our memories of her. He than opened up the Kalm and started reading the scripture ''We do not know what happens after death, nor can we ever return, and although that is why we fear it, we shouldn't fear the unknown, but be accepting of it, and take comfort in the reality that all living things eventually die. Atlantis is a Maltheistic Technocracy, who's purpose is to shed the lies and false truths that plague our species and improve the human condition.'' He closed the book and closed his eyes ''Death is like a Black Hole; because it is one of the ultimate mysteries that our society strives to unveil, and once crossed, one can never return. and is the ultimate fate of existence. It constantly looms over our lives and strikes fear in the hearts of those whom are aware of its existence.'' Phillip tried to listen to his fathers speech but it was so boring. He knew Atlantian society had a love/hate relationship with things like death, and black holes, and other dumb stuff. After the ceremony ended. Phillip and Alex stayed to talk to some people. Maria hugged Alex to comfort him, while Phillip was eager to get back to the farm and get out of his dress. Once an extra hour or so passed, everyone started leaving. Alex was busy wiping away his tears, than looked to Phillip with a smile and said ''Well ...looks like I'm going to hang out with you a lot more often.'' He chuckled ''Of course, I still have the academy and stuff.'' Phillip felt bad for him ''What! I don't understand! Why are you throwing away your dreams?'' Alex raised an eyebrow ''Um, what are you talking about?'' ''Wont the Will impede on your life goals? Don't you want to stay in the academy to do whatever it is you wanted to do?'' Alex reassured him ''Phil, I knew mothers will would be something like this. It won't get in the way of my dreams. In fact, I'm actually planning on using her Will to further my own dream.'' They went back home to the farm. Phillip didn't know what to think about his brother devoting his entire life to this cause. On one hand he needed an extra hand in managing their mothers dream, and he did need someone to be able to talk to. On the other hand he feared his brother would eventually find out about his plans. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Its been 6 months since he first gave the mare the gold apple. Now 'The Pregnant One' was ready to give birth. Phillip was now 7 years old. He became more snarky and confident overtime. Phillip shivered as the memories of that day remained fresh in his mind. Neither, he nor Alex would ever forget how Atlantis fell like a tower of cards that day. They would often visit their mothers grave to tell stories about their day. Alex was now taking classes in Aliko Academy, so he could improve their nations system. Alex said ''So...the pony is going to have a foal early in the morning?'' Phillip scratched the back of his head in embarrassment ''Yeah.'' ''Its too bad I wont be able to see her give birth.'' ''Yeah I'm really anxious. I mean what if 'The Pregnant One' fails to give birth?'' Alex frowned at that and said ''Phillip, for the last time, she's not 'The Pregnant One'. She's just a horse.'' Phillip sighed ''Technically, shes a pony.'' Alex rolled his eyes ''Look I can understand your anxiety, but we have read everything we need to be able to do this right. Trust me! So long as you didn't feed her any kind of food that wasn't on the list, she should be fine.'' Phillip felt uneasy about that last statement. With all the stuff put away they both went to bed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was morning and the sun was shining through the windows, causing Phillip to wake up. He was sleeping like a log with arms spread out, but the light was too bright, so he tried repositioning himself for better rest. It wasn't until a few minutes later that his sleep was interrupted by the voice of Maria. ''Phillip, wake up its time to go check on the mare.'' Realization struck him as he jumped out of bed ''Holy Crap!!!'' and ran outside. Maria stood there and yelled back ''Or, you know? You could of said 'Thank You!'.'' She, however, would have to stay to take his brother to the Academy. She sent Alex to the Academy from 8 am, till 4 am, as was the appropriate schedule for students at such academies. Unfortunately, the mare was expected to bare young around 10 am, so Alex wouldn't be able to witness the birth. She didn't know much about horses, but she knew plenty about birth, and she wanted to be there as Phillips guiding hand for the newborn. After she took Alex to the academy, she came back to the farm. Phillip was busy trying to come to terms with what he found. What he saw was the most precious thing anyone could ask for. 'The Pregnant One' was now a mommy to a cute little foal. It was a girl, with an adorable brown coat with white spots. However upon closer inspection the filly looked...different. One of the most notable oddities about it was her all around facial appearance looked vaguely ...human. The muzzle was more round and stubby. Its neck was stocky, and its legs where less scrawny and bony, and more cylinder-like. Phillip was confused with his mind spinning around in circles. ''Is...Is this it?'' He was fascinated by her appearance, and walked up casually and said to himself ''What's wrong with her face?'' Maria looked her over ''She appears to have a birth defect, though I've never seen one quite like this.'' She turned to Phillip ''Did you give her mother anything during her pregnancy?'' Phillips shivered as he was so caught up in the moment that he completely forgot about Maria. He knew from the book that this was the clear resolt of feeding a Gold Apple to a pregnant mare. He didn't know what to say, but he didn't want the law to keep him from fulfilling his promise, so he lied ''I don't know how this happened?I'' Maria folded her arms ''I see!'' Phillip said in worry ''She is still going to live on the farm, right?'' ''Yes, but me and the others have to check her health.'' she demanded. ''How long will that take?'' ''Only a few minutes. Once they check her health, we'll be able to tell what she has done throughout her pregnancy.'' she sighed ''It's too bad there's no security cameras around here.'' Phillip leaned his head sideways ''We?'' Maria waved her hands around ''The Angels of Hippology!'' ''They study horses?'' ''Yes.'' Phillip was now concerned ''Um ...Is it possible for them to tell what she ate?'' Maria grew skeptical ''Of course. That's why we're doing this.'' He gulped ''Oh, you don't have to do that. I'm sure she'll do fine.'' Maria's expression turned stern ''Do you really want us to just sit here and let her suffer whatever kind of unknown symptoms she might have.'' Phillip suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine ''Can I come?'' ''No. You'll be in bed asleep by the time we do tests on her.'' He pushed Phillip away and yelled ''WHAT YOU'VE DONE IS AGAINST THE LAWS OF NATURE!'' ''Technically using technology is against the laws too.'' Alex's eyes widened at his brothers blasphemous insult. ''HOW DARE YOU!'' ''I'm just saying if that is the only reason magic is taboo then maybe we shouldn't use technology either.'' ''Have you learned NOTHING from our studies. Technology is a gift, no a blessing to humankind from our Goddess Talina. She gave it to use, so we could heal her. The world is broken and dangerous, because she is wounded. She wants use to us technology to restore order to a broken world.that is Talina.'' ''OK OK chill out.'' Phillip pulled out the instruction guide that Alex gave him months ago. ''Do you remember what this is?'' Alex took some time trying to process what his brother just said. ''Of course I do! That's the book that mother wanted you to have when you where 12.'' ''This book is an instruction manual for a theory our mother had called 'Hippos Sapiens'.'' ''What?'' ''I believe our mother was planning to create sentient ponies for whatever reason.'' He pointed at the green maned foal. ''She is an Hippos Sapien.'' ''Are you saying our MOTHER intended to break the laws of god?'' ''Well...that's not exactly what I'm saying. I believe we should honor her passing by making her theory a reality. If you don't believe me then read this.'' Alex took the book from his hands, and started reading through. He had to admit it was his mothers handwriting. An hour or so passed until Alex was done reading it. Phillip was caring for the little foal in the meantime. He stopped what he was doing when Alex walked up to him. ''You're still committing a sin you know that right?'' ''Sometimes in order to mend you must first rend.'' Alex was caught off guard by that statement ''What?'' ''In other words their are times when you must further damage something in order to fully repair it. That's what mother believed, and what better way to carry out her will then adopting her philosophy.'' Phillip walked over to the green maned foal and gave her a hug. ''I don't see how that would work.'' ''Criticism as a philosophy!'' ''So...by pointing out the flaws in society. You think the system will improve?'' ''Uh no...I guess that was a bad analogy. Think of it as me being a doctor who's fixing a patient called the world, but has to cauterize the wound in order to stop the bleeding, or has to perform surgery.'' ''You do realize people could use this philosophy to justify crime right?'' Phillip smirked ''Thank you for supporting my belief by pointing out the flaws. That's all the more reason we should keep it secret.'' He nudged his head towards the green maned pony. ''That doesn't even make sense.'' Phillip sighed ''Alex, Please!!! Do it for me, for mothers will. Just give this a chance.'' ''...Fine!'' Alex submitted to Phillips plea, and helped raise the foal. He didn't like deceiving the empire, but if this is what their mother wanted then so be it. He could only hope things turned out good in the end. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was about 3 to 4 years now since the green maned pony was born. She would run out and play with Phillip, while Alex would prepare food and water. Phillip and Alex were both 11 now. Phillip decided to name the foal after the Celtic God of Horses and fertility 'Epona'. Phillip also renamed 'The Pregnant One' to 'Maria' since his brother preferred it, and you know ...she was no longer pregnant. Alex would visit the city often to catch up with old friends. When his brother would go to the city Phillip would hang out with Epona. It was funny how he was raising her along with Maria, and yet he himself was just a kid. You could say he was like a stepfather to her. He knew she was smarter then any pony he ever seen before, but nothing could prepare him for what happened next. Epona looked up to him and with a very human smile said ''Fil.'' Phillips eyes widened at this. Did she actually just speak? He didn't even teach her anything. He didn't even know she was capable of speech up until now. Were those apples he gave Maria more potent then he gave them credit for, and were they the reason Epona was capable of speech. He sat there pondering until he felt something pull at his pants. He looked down to see Epona pulling him with her mouth. When she noticed his eyes were on her she ran over to the field and pranced around indicating she wanted to play. He decided to go and play tag with her. She was so full of life and energy. He honestly wanted to be with her, and raise her as his own. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The buildings were tall, and dark. The weather seemed to be nice today. Ever since that storm attacked the city the Atlantian militia has been on high alert. Alex was trying to gain excess to the archives for information on Hippo Sapien. Unfortunately he was denied entrance to the Atlantien Royal Archives by a guard. ''Why can't you let me through?'' ''I'm sorry prince Alex, but its orders from the Emperor.'' ''Surely his own children would be an exception.'' ''Actually that's the very reason he gave us this order.'' Alex was completely dumbstruck. 'Did his father have something against his children,...or was it something else?' ''Fine.'' He walked off to the Castle at the center of Anthropolis where his father was. He didn't want to think about the idea of their being distrust in the family, but he needed answers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip and Epona were playing hide and go seek in the barn. Phillip felt good inside. He hadn't had this much fun since...mother. He stopped looking around and just sat their deep in thought. Epona noticed this and walked over to him. With a squeaky voice she said ''Phil hip?'' Phillip broke from his trance, and looked to the ground to see Epona look up at him with those big pink eyes of hers, and a curious expression on her face. He kneeled down and lied ''It's nothing Epona.'' Epona smiled at him, and nuzzled his cheek. Phillip was relieved to have someone who was so full of life and not all fancy, and worried about consequences. He decided to read Epona to sleep with the purple book he read in the past that lead him to create her. As he was reading he came across some typos in the text. He figured it was just a genuine mistake, but he noticed something about these typos. He started jotting them down on a piece of paper. All the missing letters he filled out when put together formed a message. When he was finished he was blown away. It was a hidden code. 'Draw a Transmutation circle in the stables.' It showed a picture of the circle. Was this also what mother wanted him to do? He decided to try it out once Epona woke up. He decided to sleep next to her. He wondered what was taking Alex so long. He should of been back by now. Phillip decided to pass it off as traffic, or something. He cuddled up to his little pony and went to sleep. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alex arrived at the gates of his fathers grand castle. He got their as fast as his legs could carry him, and traveled down the main street to get here. When he finally reached his destination the entire castle was on lock-down. ''Dang it!'' He looked up at the sky to see the sun vanish in the horizon. ''Great! Now I have to wait till morning.'' He went to a nearby bench and decided to go to sleep until morning. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip woke up with a few apples placed in front of his face. ''What the heck!'' He looked over to see Epona eating some apples, with her hooves. He was surprised to see her using her hooves like hands, but that was nothing compared to what happened next. Epona grabbed another apple, (not with her hoof) but with her green TAIL. She didn't seem to notice him, as she kept eating away. She sure loves apples! ''Wow! How did you do that?'' She looked over to him, and smiled widely. She pounced him, and knocked him to the ground, than nuzzled him some more. Phillip picked her up and sat her back down on the floor. ''OK that's enough fun! I got to go take care of some business.'' She went off to her mother Maria, and started drinking from her milk. The sight made Phillip mildly depressed. He was still upset over his mothers death, but he learned to accept it over time. He would still have dreams of her being alive and well, only to wake up to the terrible reality of it all. He knew he would eventually see her again in the afterlife. He went to the stables, started making the transmutation circle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alex woke up and saw that the gates were open, and their where guards positioned there. The sun was shining brightly today, and the sky was clear of clouds. Their were people in elegant dresses walking towards the doors that lead to the throne room. He walked up to one of the guards at the gates. ''Excuse me!'' The two guards bowed ''Prince Alex! To what honor is it that you'd speak to us?'' Alex didn't like it when others put themselves below him. It made him feel like crap. He bowed respectfully to them, and said ''Is my father available for a meeting with his son?'' ''Yes! He is in his throne room eating.'' ''Thank you!'' ''The honor is ours prince.'' Alex walked to the door, and opened it. When he went inside he saw his father with his jet black hair that ended in a ponytail, and green eyes, eating a steak. He saw some servants doing what he assumed to be taste testing the drinks. He walked up to his father. The Emperor of Atlantis took notice of him, and stopped eating to acknowledge his presence. Alex bowed deeply in respect for his father, who waved his hand to show that he was allowed to stand back up. ''Alex my son! What brings you to my castle?'' ''Father! I would like to know why the archives are on lock-down.'' His father glared at him ''Because Alex the archives contain all the secrets of Atlantis. We cannot let our enemies gain access to such vital knowledge.'' ''But Atlantis is the most powerful country in all the world. No one would ever dare oppose our conquest.'' ''That's what I thought too, however their are forces beyond the understanding of science who seem to have found us.'' Alex raised an eyebrow ''What do you mean?'' ''It seems are enemy whoever or whatever they are, has managed to breach our defenses.'' ''I don't understand father?'' His father sighed ''Alex Atlantis was created for the soul purpose of protecting humanity from the many cosmic horrors hiding in the voids of outer space.'' ''WHAT!'' Alex just stared at his father trying to process what he just heard. Either his father really was paranoid, or their was a lot more to Atlantis then he first thought. He didn't like either one, but he would go with the far more logical choice of him being delusional. His father interrupted his thoughts ''If you don't believe me then you are welcome to look it up in 'Theogony' and 'Light Bringer'. Alex went to a isolated room and read them both. He was disturbed to find out that his father was right. Their are unknown horrors lurking in the dark waiting for the light (The Spark of Harmony) of Atlantis to go out. ''OH MY GOD!!!'' He didn't know what to think. All this time, and no one knew about it. He knew Atlantis was founded by Atlas who wasn't really human, but still. He went back to the throne room to his father ''Father why doesn't anyone know about this? Have we been keeping them in the dark all these years?'' ''Yes!'' ''Why are you telling me this?'' ''Because the storm that attacked Anthropolis left the public in a panic. Up until then they believed nothing could be a threat to them.'' Alex looked down in thought. He wanted to protect his people from harm, and bring peace to the world. He then realized he had what could be a glimmer of hope in this dark revelation. ''...Well maybe its time to rid ourselves of these demons once and for all.'' ''Well what do you have in mind?'' At that point Alex decided to tell him everything about Phillip, Epona, the Gold Apples, everything. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHORS NOTE Hey everyone! Hope you like my story so far. If theirs anything wrong with the writing than please point it out. I would greatly appreciate it.
Spark of Harmony part 3 Spark of Harmony part 3 Phillip and Maria where busy tending the stable as usual. Phillip would always be sure to tend to Eponas needs without Maria knowing. He knew that Maria would likely see her as a threat and notify his father, and that was the last thing he needed. When he got back to Maria, his heart jumped. Standing in front of him was an entire squad of 7 solders wearing cyber suits. His heart started beating fast. He didn't understand what was happening. He saw his father walk to the front. Phillip tried to speak, but couldn't form sentences. His father smiled, and said ''Hello son! How are you doing?'' The young prince stuttered ''F-Father! What are you d-doing here?'' ''Are you doing good? Is their anything I can do for you, or are you doing fine?'' his father asked with a calm, yet cold tone. It was then that Maria walked forward and bowed in respect. ''My King. What brings you to our humble farm?'' Phillip saw his fathers kind and gentle expression turn cold, stern, and wraithful. Maria was concerned and wondered if she had said something she shouldn't have. The King of Atlantis said in a damanding and almost relieved tone ''Guards! Arrest Ms. Maria! I want here to suffer the most brutal punishment imaginable.'' ''Alex told me something interesting. So tell me Maria! What's this I hear about a Eques Sapian?'' Maria was at a loss for words. She didn't know anything about some Eques Sapian, but their was one thought that was running through her mind 'Did Phillip and Alex hide something from her?' ''WHAT!!!'' Phillip was alienated, and feared for Epona's safety. Why would his brother betray him like that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alex felt like crap for betraying his brother, but the possibility that Epona could be a threat to Atlantis and his brother was what motivated him to protect his brother by informing his father. His name was Alex, so be definition he was living up to his purpose in life by protecting his family, and by protecting his family, he was protecting mankind in general. His father told him to stay put until he returned. He wasn't one to disobey those of higher authority then him, but this was an exception since his brother was in danger. He decided to go to the farm anyway, and face consequences later. If it meant ensuring his brothers safety them so be it. He already lost his mother, and he wasn't about to lose his brother. ''I'm coming Phillip!'' He activated the teleporter, and vanished. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip was trying to stall his father for time, but it wasn't working. Epona walked out of the stables to see what was going on. Phillip and his father caught sight of her. His father yelled out orders ''Shoot it down!'' ''NO!!!'' Phillip raced over to Epona as fast as he could. He managed to push her out of the way, at the expense of his own legs getting shot. He fell to the ground in pain screaming. Epona was shocked, and was being held tight by Phillip. When she noticed he was wounded she screamed out ''PHIL HIP!'' The solders stopped stunned in their tracks One of the guards said ''Did Phillip just defend the Hippos Sapian?'' Another of the guards said ''Did that Hippos Sapian just speak?'' Epona just sat their crying over her hurt friend. The emperor of Atlantis said ''Well well well! Looks like we have ourselves here one capable of speech.'' One of the guards said ''Your orders your Excellence?'' ''It seems my son has been brainwashed by this deceptively innocent creature. Gun THEM BOTH down!'' The guards hesitated over his clearly questionable command ''But my lord! You'd really want us to kill your own child?'' ''Do it!'' The guards tried to reason with him about the situation, which only lead to the emperor killing one of them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alex looked in horror as he hid away in the distance looking at the ensuing chaos. His brother was shot in the legs, and screaming in agonizing pain. He saw as Phillip and Epona limped into the stables, while the guards decided to attack the emperor. ''What have I done?'' His brother was right about him. He was a paranoid tyrant who could care less about his children. He was hiding on top of the roof of the barn. The emperor decided to use some pyrotechnics on the area surrounding the guards. The stables caught on fire, and started to burn. The spectacle caught the attention of everyone who was their. His father having taken care of the last guard, saw the stables burn to the ground. ''Ha' serves them right.'' He than began to laugh like a maniac. ''No one will take my life. NO ONE!'' Alex saw as the stables burned to the ground. He couldn't believe his eyes at what he was seeing. Alex ran as far as he could, away from it all. His dad was a pychopath, his brother was dead, and worst of all he couldn't do anything to prevent it once he started this mess. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Epona found herself in a vast wilderness. Phillip was right next to her unconscious for some reason. She was worried about him, and didn't understand why he was out cold. She got her answer when she saw that his legs where incinerated in the transmutation process. She carried him out of the forest. When she reached the end, she arrived at a beach with a beautiful sea. She didn't know where she and Phillip where, but she didn't care. She didn't know what to do for Phillip, so she laid him down, and went off to gather some leaves, and twigs. A few minutes passed when Phillip regained consciousness, and immediately went into a panic. ''HOLY SHIT!!! MY DAD JUST TRIED TO KILL ME!!!'' He looked around frantically trying to see if his dad was around. He didn't see his father, but he was at a beach, in between a vast sea, and a forest. It looked like he was in an island of some kind, since none of the plants he saw around him were native to Atlantis. ''What the hell? Where am I?'' He tried to get up only to find it amazingly difficult for some reason, and he felt numb below his knees. He looked down, and to his horror his legs where scorched off. Fortunately for him, his legs where cauterized, so he wouldn't die of blood lose. He crawled towards the forest, and when only a few feet away from the trees, he flipped over to face the sky. He didn't know where he was, but he didn't care. His father just tried to murder him, thanks to his 'so called' brother. He was now all alone in wilderness with no one to care for him. Sure he wanted to explore, but it amounted to nothing, with his father attempted murder, and his brothers betrayal. He curled up into a ball and started crying. ''I'm all alone in a unknown location, and no one will ever come looking for me.'' He heard movement in the brushes of the trees. He turned around to see Epona with a sympathetic expression on her face. She walked up to Phillip and nuzzled his cheek, so as to ensure him that everything will turn out fine in the end. With a weak smile, and teary eyes he said ''Thank you!'' He pet her mane, and tail. It felt soft, and fluffy. He scratched her behind the ears. She seemed to enjoy it. They continued to comfort each other. Phillip would miss his home, but he would find a new home with his little pony. He would survive in this wilderness for her. She was more than just a pony, she was like family to him, she was like the little sister he never had. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a year since the incident. Alex was standing in front of the grave of his brother Phillip. He remembered all the trouble Phillip would get into, and how he would always have to bail him out. Sadly the 'Bailing him out' part was what took his life. Alex tried to tell everyone about what really happened, but he knew no one would believe him over the Emperor of Atlantis. ''You know Phillip! I was recently promoted. Do you know what the ironic part is? I don't deserve it. Isn't that funny?'' Alex was talking to his brothers tombstone as if his brother could actually here him. His father decided to promote him for his honesty, by making him a member of the 'Knights of the Sea'. He didn't deserve such a title. In fact! It should of been him who died, and not Phillip. He was too busy reminiscing about the past to notice a girl with green hair with a yellow stripe walk up to him. He didn't know who this girl was, and frankly didn't care. She walked up to his side, staring at the grave. Neither of them spoke for 10 to 13 minutes until she decided to break the ice. ''You know! I only met him once, and that was when I was 6 years old.'' ''You knew Phillip?'' ''Yes! If I remember correctly! We met at one of the power hallways. He was so full of spirit, and energy.'' ''My names Alex.'' ''I'm Acacia.'' ''....'' ''....'' ''Why did you come here?'' ''Because ever since I met him I wanted to be his friend? I was finally able to see him again last year, only...''. ''I'm sorry!'' ''No I'm the one who should be sorry! You lost the only thing that made you happy in this world, and...I don't know, but I can't help but feel that this is somehow my fault.'' Tears were started to pour from her eyes. ''You where the one who told him where the Gold Garden was weren't you?'' ''...I'm sorry!'' ''It's not your fault. It's mine! I should of believed him.'' He was determined to redeem himself for his brothers sake. He would take on Phillips dream of a new world. However! In order to do that, he had to climb the ladder, and that meant having to accept his fathers promotion. ''I promise you Phillip I will set right my wrongs, and change the world for the better, and for you.'' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ''How long has it been since we were sent to this forest? 3 years ago?'' Phillip was now 14 years old, and was getting use to not having legs to walk on. He would often stay in the cave he and Epona settled in. He was so proud of her. She was around 7 years old, and she could think of all types of things to do as entertainment. He missed his country, and wanted to get back, but he knew it was impossible with his condition. Even if he where to somehow go back home, he would have to face his father. Her mane and tail grew over time and got really puffy like cotton. She was so full of energy and excitement that she would jump all over the place. He changed over time as well, with his red hair growing down to his shoulders, and he got a bit of a tan from staying in the sun a lot more often. Her optimistic and cheery attitude only served to contrast Phillips now depressing and cynical outlook on life. The events that happened on that day traumatized him. His mothers death was bad enough, but to have your own father and brother betray you like that was what sent him over the edge. The only reason he was able to cope with his mothers death was because she would always say to be positive, and because Alex was their for him. Now all he had was Epona, and she's been trying to cheer him up for 2 years now. ''Phillip!'' He turned to see Epona running towards him. He noticed she had an excited expression on her face. When she finally reached him she took some time to catch her breath. When she was done panting she said in a cheery voice ''Phillip I found something I think you need to see.'' Phillip raised an eyebrow at this ''Well what is it?'' ''I don't know, but its big and metallic.'' Phillips eyes widened ''W-What!'' Epona carried Phillip to the wreckage that use to be some kind of aircraft. He examined it to see what it was. It was a big silver cylinder, with one of the engines fried on the side. It had a cockpit with shattered windows. Their was a lot of dirt covering it all over. He saw something being obscured by dust and rust. He cleared it up a little, and saw that it was an insignia. When he was done he said ''This is a 'Royal Atlantian Hovercraft' the kind that people used to travel long distances.'' ''Why would someone need to create this scary thingy to travel?'' ''Well Atlantians believe our world is a cold and unpredictable place. We can't tell what will happen next, and we're always being exposed to natural disasters like floods, storms, forest fires, earthquakes, and of course savage animals roaming the lands. Currently we are just now reaching the end of an ice age.'' ''Is that why your people are harming the environment?'' ''As far as I know the world is either wounded, or sick and Atlantis's purpose is to be the cure. We are trying to fix the world in a sense.'' Phillip wasn't sure what to think of Epona's fascination for nature. It's as if she was literally living up to her name as goddess of horses, and fertility. Next thing you know she will be associated with nightmares, life, and death. He continued investigating the debris, and found that the code number looked familiar. His eyes widened when he realized it was the aircraft his mother was on. ''M-mo-mother?'' a single tear ran down his cheek as the revelation that his mother could still be alive hit him. ''Philly whats wrong?'' Epona carried him around for any possible signs of life, but to no avail. After looking around some more he gave up. He looked to Epona and said ''I'm sorry Epona! I guess I thought their was still hope.'' ''What do you mean?'' He sighed ''I don't like to talk about it.'' ''Oh,...OK!'' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the next few months Phillip would deconstruct the ship and attempt to create devices of his own from its remains. Most of them were complete failures. He was sure he would be able to at least make something that worked. Oh well, at least he would learn from his mistakes. He was hopping to be able to make peg legs, so he could walk again. Phillips most resent invention was a net made of leaves who's purpose was to act as a shield from the rain in case it storm. Another creation was a badly carved piece of wood that was supposed to be a bowl. He said ''Well looks like I still need to work on my art.'' Epona was in the forest gathering fruits and vegetables for lunch, and should of been back by now. Phillip sighed ''Epona better not be getting distracted by forest animals again.'' His stomach started growling ''That's it next time we get something to eat, I am going with her.'' He was almost tempted to just crawl over to the high rock over the sea, and snatch some fish to cock. Epona didn't like it when he would try to eat animals. ''OK so she's a herbivore. That doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to consume some meat every now and then. I mean Atlantian religion promotes the consumption of meat, so I can't exactly say 'no'. Besides I didn't make a spear, and a bow and arrows for nothing.'' He sighed and decided to wait. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Epona was in the forest gathering some flowers and grasses. She didn't know what island they where on, but from the looks of it they seemed to be in a place with a lot of different kinds of wild life. She gathered extra flowers and plants since Phillip likes to use them as ingredients for...potions. She saw something in the brushes, and walked over to it. She looked through the bush, and saw a white rabbit. Epona smiled widely and said ''Hi there, will you be my friend?'' The rabbit ran off into a burrow in the ground. Eponas ears fell low as she once again failed to make friends with the animals of this forest. ''Why won't anyone be my friend? Am I really that different?'' She immediately went back to her cheery self again ''Oh well, I guess their not ready yet. I'll give them more time to get use to me.'' She sat down, and started thinking about it. ''Are they afraid of me because I'm always with Phillip who's always hunting them?'' Epona never liked how Phillip would spend days or even weeks testing plants, hunting animals, and crafting tools. She wanted him to be a vegetarian, who cared for animals, and would let her carry him all the time. He seemed to be more interested in that big chunk of metal. She worried he might try to make something that would harm him. When she was finished gathering all the fruits and vegetables, she went back to the cave where Phillip was. When she finally returned she was met with a sleeping Phillip. She smiled at him warmly. ''Aw! He looks so cute.'' Epona placed the food down on a stack of leaves, and went to curl up to her one, and only friend. She too went into a deep sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The sun was bright, and the air was fresh. Phillip and Epona loved the morning, because it was when everything felt so new, happy, and...right. It was nice to be on an island were both of them could share their food. Phillip was busy managing the leaf blanket he made a year or so ago to make sure it would hold. Epona went over to him and laid down. He got on top of her back and held on to her mane. ''OK Epona lets go fishing!'' Epona wasn't very enthusiastic about fishing, and sighed ''Fine!'' Phillip got out his poor quality fishing rod, along with his bucket of worms he was saving for this moment. They went off to the river towards the east of their cave. When they reached the bank Phillip sat down and prepared for some fishing. Epona knew this would likely take hours of boring, boring patience, so she started a conversation with him. ''Hey Phillip!'' ''Yeah?'' ''Why do you want to eat meat?'' ''Because life consumes other life to survive. Its nature!'' ''But doesn't it hurt knowing you have to kill another living thing.'' ''It does kinda.... Where are you going with this?'' ''It's just that I would appreciate it more if you would stop harming living things and instead eat only fruits and vegetables.'' Phillip sighed ''Epona as much as we want to help the every living thing. We can't help one without harming another, that's just how life works.'' ''But if you stop eating them then they will be happy.'' ''I now you mean well, but my stopping isn't going to change the fact that they eat each other all the time.'' ''But that's not fair.'' ''I am sorry, but that is just how the world works 'Sometimes in order to mend you must first rend.'.'' Epona just stared at him confused ''What?'' ''In other words you can't fix something without damaging something else. That is one of the most fundamental laws of the universe. My people knew this was true, and incorporated it into their belief system. They believe it is honorable, and view it as self-sacrificing for a greater good.'' ''So wait your saying is the fish will be sacrificing their lives for the greater good of saving you from starving?'' ''Well technically they aren't sacrificing themselves for me. I'm just yanking them out of the river.'' ''But wait wont their families be upset?'' Phillip sighed again ''Epona explaining Atlantian philosophy is complicated. Yes their are flaws in our belief, but what doesn't? Now matter what you believe their will always be people who will try to bend it for sinister purposes.'' After a few more hours of talking he was finally able to catch a fish. It was big and looked absolutely delicious. When they managed to reel it onto the beach, he let it squirm around a little until it laid their dead. Epona was horrified by wait just happened. Phillip picked it up by the tail and said ''Alright lets get cooking.'' They walked back to the cave house thingy, set up a fire for their catch. Epona was lying down on the floor feeling uncomfortable. Phillip paid her no mind, and started bragging about how awesome he was at fishing. When the fish was done he began eating away. Epona knew she would have nightmares from this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Four more years have passed, and Phillip was know 18, while Epona was now 11. Phillip would often have to shave. Over time Phillip would eat less and less meat until he became a full vegetarian. He didn't mind the change in life style, and he was beginning to except the idea that he would never see his home ever again. He was however getting better at making tools. His bow and arrows where more well...better, and his spear was capable of ripping through flesh without breaking in the process. Sadly he would never use them ever again, and simply use them as decoration. He was munching on a thing of celery when he heard hoof steps. He looked outside and saw Epona panting with a horrified look on her face. Phillip was worried something bad happened and said ''Epona whats wrong?'' When she finally caught her breath she screamed out ''THE FOREST IS ON FIRE!'' ''WHAT!!!'' Phillips eyes widened and they went outside to look. When she carried him outside he looked up, and sure enough their was a lot of smoke ascending towards the sky, as well as a bright orange light off in the distance. Epona said in a determined tone ''We've got to stop it!'' ''I'm sorry, but how are we supposed to stop this?'' Epona looked down and stuttered ''I-I don't know!'' ''Look if we don't have any man power, or resources to prevent this. Especially since it looks like it has spread through out the forest.'' ''B-But.'' ''Once again I'm sorry, but we can't do anything about it, and if we do we'll most likely get hurt, or worse.'' ''Why can't we at least try to save the animals?'' ''I never said anything about not saving the animals.'' Epona gave a weak smile ''So we're going to at least help the wild life?'' ''...Well the animals should be able to get away easily without our help.'' Epona pleaded with him ''Please please please please please!'' ''OK OK geez!'' They went over to the forest fire to help the animals that where probably already gone by now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The smoke covered the sky, and the raging flames made it hard to hear. Phillip didn't know how to stop it. Fortunately by the time they got their it started raining. A few hours passed as the rain slowly put out the fire. It was strange how the rain cloud came out of the blue at this particular time. Epona was filled with joy over the sudden turn of events ''Oh this is wonderful Philly. Now the little animals can keep their homes.'' Phillip was suspicious of the sudden storm that came out of nowhere. He spoke up in a skeptical tone ''Something doesn't feel right.'' ''Wait do you mean?'' ''Think about it! The forest catches fire for no reason. Then it starts raining right at the last minute out of nowhere. Then it stops raining right when the forest fire is out. Something about that just gives me a bad vibe.'' Epona giggled ''Silly Philly! Everyone knows it was nature that did it. Phillip responded in a sarcastic tone ''Wow really I didn't know that.'' Epona started laughing. Phillip sighed ''What I mean is that I didn't see a single storm cloud during the fire, and then one just pops up like that. I mean their wasn't any storm clouds today, so it couldn't of been a lightening strike....unless.'' Phillips eyes widened at the idea that maybe their were other people on this island, that maybe they were survivors of the 'Royal Atlantian Hovercraft' crash,...that maybe his mother was still alive after all this time. He looked down at Epona and said ''Do you know where the source of the fire came from?'' She smiled ''Yes I do.'' ''Take me their.'' ''Alright!'' Epona carried Phillip to the area where the fire started. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When they reached the place the fire started at it looked like a clearing. They trees around them were burnt. Phillip investigated the area for any clues, and came across some footprints that looked like they a few hours old. He followed their trail, and saw that they came from the mountains. Phillip smirked at this ''I know where we're going first thing in the morning.'' Epona looked confused, but optimistic ''Where are we going in the morning?'' ''The mountains.'' ''Why the mountains?'' Phillip smiled in a new found enthusiasm ''Because that's where I will find my mother.'' Epona carried Phillip back to their cave, and they went to sleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip and Epona woke up, and started getting ready for their big day. She carried him through the forest, and down the trail towards the mountain. On their way up Epona decided to start a conversation. ''Hey Phillip.'' ''Something on your mind?'' ''You said yesterday that you will find your mom.'' ''Correct! I didn't know she was alive all this time.'' ''What was she like?'' ''She was a wonderful person! She was always their to comfort me when I was bullied by my other family members. At first I thought my mothers other son Alex was kind and loved me, but I was wrong.'' Phillip and Epona finally reached the base of the mountain. They saw a rock on the side that had some celtic symbol on it. Phillip examined it ''Huh, It looks like foreign linguistics.'' Epona smiled widely and said ''What does it say Philly?'' ''I don't know. I don't actually know the language.'' ''Oh, oh well!'' They started climbing up the mountain, with Phillip holding on tight to her mane. After a hour of climbing they decided to find a place to rest, and chat. Phillip sat on a smooth rock, with Epona lying right next to him. They both started eating and talking about Phillips life. ''So your father tried to kill you, because he's paranoid?'' Phillip sighed ''Yes....that's why.'' ''Why can't Atlantis see that they can survive perfectly well without all these machines?'' ''Because the world is a cold and cruel place. If we as a species want to get anywhere in the world we must tame this savage planet.'' ''But the world seems perfectly fine to me.'' ''You haven't experienced a tornado, or a earthquake, or a volcanic eruption.'' ''I don't know what any of those things are, but I'm sure their not that bad.'' Phillip started laughing at her ignorance. Epona didn't take it well. When he was done laughing he composed himself and said ''OK that's it when I find mother I am going to give you a run down of all the disasters the human race has been living in fear of.'' ''I still don't agree with your countries methods.'' ''Look Epona! I don't mean to sound like an ass, but you don't really have a say in what we do. I mean we're doing this to survive. Besides you're made from science.'' Epona sighed depressed ''I know!'' Phillip noticed this and put his arm around her ''Epona just because you were made from science doesn't mean you're bad, or wrong in some way. You're just as human as everyone else, well your sentience is just as real as everyone else.'' ''Its not that.'' Phillip looked confused ''Than what is it?'' ''This Atlantis sounds terrifying.'' He raised an eyebrow ''Why do you say that?'' ''Your country is trying to dominate the world with more of those scary things, and whats worse is your family sound like mean people.'' Phillip took on a stern expression ''Just because my dad's a monster, and my brother betrayed me doesn't mean everyone else in my family is bad.'' Epona giggled unaware of Phillips serious attitude ''You said your siblings mocked you for your name. Your brother was the only one you showed you kindness, and in the end even he turned his back on you. So logically, all of your family members don't care that your gone.'' Phillip snapped ''DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY LIKE THAT!!!!'' Epona was taken aback by his sudden outburst, and found herself suddenly scared. Her ears dropped down, and she laid her head low with a scared look on her face. ''YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO INSULT MY ENTIRE FAMILY JUST BECAUSE A FEW OF THEM MADE BAD DECISIONS.'' Epona was scared for her life at this point. Never before has Phillip ever lashed out to her. She thought he was going to attack her. Tears worked their way down her cheeks as she said in a whimpering tone ''Ph-Phi-Phillip?'' Phillip spoke out with clear irritation ''What?'' She whimpered ''I don't know what I said, or did to make you so angry with me, but I'm sorry.'' Phillip didn't respond for a few about a minute before finally saying ''Lets just get this over with?'' Phillip mounted a hurt Epona, they continued up the trail. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When they finally reached the top of the mountain they saw a camp full of tents. Epona was hesitant to proceed, but Phillip demanded her to go on. Epona looked around and saw skinned animals, which frightened her. ''Phillip I don't like the looks of this place.'' ''Relax Epona, I won't let anyone hurt you.'' She felt relieved, but still felt bad about their argument. They heard someone shout in a unknown tongue. They looked to the source of the noise and saw a man in animal hide who was covered in blue markings, and tattoos. He had long blond hair, with a few beads in it. The blue marked man got out his iron sword and charged at us screaming. Phillip was caught off guard ''HOLY SHIT!'' Epona got into her battle stance and patted at the ground with a clearly angry look on her face, and said ''Bring it on completely random stranger!'' The mans eyes widened, and stopped his charge. He took a few steps back, and ran back into the camp. She said ''You know! I honestly don't know what just happened.'' ''It might be cause their primitive view on the world means they are unable to understand how you are capable of speech, and now he probably thinks your some kind of supernatural creature.'' Epona was absolutely lost by the time Phillip finished his theory. ''Or he could just be startled that you can talk.'' ''I can't help it that I'm bad at socializing. Who was the one who was supposed to educate me on this stuff. Oh that's right you!'' Phillip and Epona laughed a little. She than said ''So do you forgive me for that fight?'' Phillip sighed than smirked ''Yes! I forgive you, after all you didn't mean it.'' They saw more tattooed people come out and use hand jesters to indicate they were invited them in as guests. When they walked in they saw that the all the tribe were lined against the wooded walls. At the center of the tribe was a single huge tent. They entered the tent only to be met with who they assumed was their druid. Phillip was relieved to have done his research on various cultures. He had to retain all that knowledge while living on the island in case he was in foreign territory. When he and Epona confronted the druid. Phillips eyes grew wide and spine grew cold. Their sitting at the other end of the tent was his mother. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
