The Outcast

*Timeskip, Just over 1 Year later, around mid-spring*

I spent most of last year teaching the village ponies about silkworm breeding and harvesting the silk. I also helped them create what they needed to turn the spools of silk into cloth, and how to make different colors of dye from various types of plants. As an added gift, I told them a little about how the beings of another culture built their homes by altering a few details to make them seem like they were on an island very, very far from this land.

As I wake up on my mattress of woven grass as the sun strikes my eyes, making me wince from its brightness and start to get up to wander the fields around the village. I see Cloud Burst wandering around outside with our young foal wrapped up in a sling around her neck saying, "Good morning dear, I see that our little bundle woke you up early again."

She briefly smiles before letting out a huff and says, "Oh not only did little Midnight Autumn keep me and Fair Seed up, Summer's Day also kept us up...all night. We are both a little jealous at how the crying of the foals did not wake you up, you really are a sound sleeper."

I nod and slightly smile saying, "I am sorry to hear that, would you like me to watch over our little one?"

Cloud Burst sighs and shakes her head saying, "No, it is too soon. The foals need their mother for a little while before they can be shown how to get their own food by their fathers."

I look at my little foal wrapped up in the sling, having my eyes, and a black coat with a blonde mane and tail. I think back about a year ago, and remember how the estrus season of the mares took me by surprise then say, "I shall head to the lands north of here, I wish not to upset the leader of the herd any more than I already have by breeding with one mare from his herd. Fear not, I will return before the snow falls to collect you and our foal, then we all shall travel this world together as a family and a herd while I continue to bring beauty to this world.

Fair Seed approaches her home with Summer's Day around her neck snuggled into a sling, catching the end of the conversation between Cloud Burst and Galadriel, and says, "Ah'm home yall, what's goin' on now?"

I watch as Cloud Burst moves away from the door to let her in and look at Fair Seed and sigh saying, "I'm sorry for mating with you when I am not part of your herd, I plan to journey north to the lands up there for a few months while Midnight Autumn grows a little more before I can teach her how to get her own food. When I return before the snow falls, we shall move on from this village and travel to many different areas this world has to offer as a family and small herd."

She thinks for a moment before asking, "Am ah included in yer herd or are ya leavin' me behind?"

I look away for a brief moment and turn back to her saying, "What about your family, won't you miss them?"

Fair Seed smiles gently and looks at one corner of the house where she knows her family lives and turns back to Galadriel and says with a fond smile on her face, "Ah will definitely miss them, but ah'll talk to them and see if any of them wish to join us on our travels." She sees a sad look on his face and shakes her head saying, "Now don't ya dare feel bad about takin' me away from home, ah've actually been wantin' to see what's out there in other places."

My mouth lifts into a smile as I say, "Then I say welcome to our herd dear, I shall wait until the next morning to go on my journey so I may be here to talk if any member of your family finds displeasure with my decisions."

She smiles warmly at him and chuckles saying, "That's mighty kind of ya sugar, ah'm sure that there will be at least one or two."

And so the day wore on as I contemplated on what the extent of my ability to create might mean, unable to find the answer because I feel like I am missing some big piece of crucial knowledge about creating things. As the day continues on, I deal with a couple of unhappy family members, mainly being both of her parents and younger siblings. I learn later that afternoon that she managed to smooth things over with her family, and got one of her older sisters to join us when we are ready to leave the village.

Five months into my journey I find myself surrounded by a snowy landscape, standing on a cliff overlooking a city sitting on top of the water in a large bay. The city itself is built out of marble with silver and gold detail on many of the buildings. One of which catches my attention immediately, standing out like a sore thumb. A castle stands above the city, looking down at it and appearing to be made entirely out of gold and silver poured into blocks. The large city brings a smile to my face, glad to see a more advanced society than what I have seen since my time on this planet.

I make my way to the city, walking across large slabs of marble held up by marble towers constructed out of the existing stone as I come to a wide bridge crafted from what appears to be glass. I tap it lightly with my hoof to hear how it sounds, hearing a softer, higher pitched ring echo back to me. Catching me by surprise, I raise my head as my eyes widen in wonder thinking, 'Wow, they actually built this bridge out of crystal...not glass? This is truly an amazing sight to behold, I wonder what other marvelous sights this city has for me...'

Wandering into the city, my excitement of seeing advanced society grows as I wander through the streets. I shift my eyes to the left of me to see a mythical griffon speaking to a caribou, then look right to see a red deer stag doing business with a small dragon. As I turn to look ahead of me, I see a strange creature looking similar to a pegasus but having a rear sloping, curved horn on their head with a couple of burrs growing in line along the top part of its horn. Their coat is blue with a line of red scales from their rear to the edge of its nose, and having a silver mane and tail along with cloven hooves. The creature makes its way to a side street, wanting to speak to them and find out what they are as I hear a loud gasp come from the alley.

I go to check it out and see the creature atop of another creature, a young, light pink unicorn filly with a blue mane and tail whose mouth is covered by the hoof of the creature I was going to speak to. As I see the unicorn's face when it turns to the side, I see tears streaming down her face and head down the alley myself to confront them. As I get close enough, I grab hold of the creature with my magic and yank him off the filly, causing him to look around in surprise and anger shouting, "Who's doing this?! If I find whoponyever's doing this, I'm gonna beat you to death and then rob you!"

I turn the creature to face me slowly as my anger rises slowly from seeing what he was doing to the young filly and say, "Oh really now, you are going to beat me to death are you? I think that you really need to be punished for what I saw you do to that filly."

The creature watches himself turn to face the wall and shouts, "Let me go damn you or I'll call my friends to kill you!" He hears no response as he is then slammed headfirst into the wall and shouts out in pain, forcing his eyes to close when he hears a crack. The crack is followed by the sound of something breaking off, then falling and landing on the ground. He opens his eyes to see his horn laying on the ground in pieces, then turns his gaze to look at the one that caused the damage and shouts, "YOU'RE BUCKING DEAD! YOU HEAR ME, DEADER THAN A SKELETON!!"

I look into his eyes as my anger rises even further and say, "Your threats mean less than shit to me, but if you wish to continue your punishment I shall indulge you." I turn him towards me and slam him from side to side into the brick buildings, breaking as many bones as I can without endangering his life saying, "Do you wish for more, or will you repent your sins and apologize to the filly you forced yourself upon?"

He whimpers in pain and looks over to the crying filly huddled into a corner, trying to curl up into a ball from shame and says, "N-No more pain...I-I-I repent...I'll apologize. I-I'm s-s-sorry little homeless filly for doing what I did."

The little filly looks up at the tall white stallion that saved her life, awestruck by how tall he is and says in a trembling, yet scared voice, "T-Thank y-you f-for s-saving me m-mister, y-you a-are rescuing me...r-right mister?"

I release my hold on the stallion and let him fall to the ground near the far wall, hearing him cry out in pain and look to the filly saying, "That is exactly what I am doing little one. Do you know much about this city?"

She nods her head and says, "This city looks pretty, but in truth, it is the exact opposite inside the city. Fathers and mothers are actually family members that enjoy breeding with each other, they even sell their children to the slave traders. Most every foal able to walk in this city has killed some creature to take what they have for themselves, this entire city is rotten to the core. Anything that is sold or bought here, used to belong to another that is most likely dead."

My eyes widen at what the filly tells me and ask, "What about you, have you ever taken a life little one? From seeing how you shed tears, I am guessing that you have not."

The filly shakes her head saying, "N-No, I-I could n-never bring myself to do something like that. I only stole food from wherever I could find it."

I nod my head and ignore the creature crawling away in tears saying, "Do you have parents that I can take you to?"

She shakes her head once again and sighs saying, "My father is also my older brother, and my mother is also my grandmother. They both sold me to a slave trader, but I escaped from him about a week ago and have been hiding from him since. C-Can you take me with you mister? I-I promise I'll do whatever you tell me to."

I sigh and look at the scrawny filly and say, "I need to have a look around the city a bit longer, can you make it to a safe place outside of the city?"

The filly nods her head happily and says, "Yes, yes I can. I know of a hidden tunnel that leads away from here, do you want me to show you where it is?"

I smile at her kind gesture and shake my head saying, "Thank you for offering, but I will be fine little one. I must meet whoever runs this city and scold him for letting the city run like this, I am not at all pleased with this city's state."

She gets up off the ground and hastily gallops over and grabs his back hoof as he turns to go find whoever runs this city saying in a panicked voice, "NO DON'T! He is a really powerful and cruel ram sorcerer, you won't last a moment if you anger him! He delights himself in the utter torture, misery, and whatever else he can inflict upon his subjects."

I stop and look back at the little filly and say, "Do you know that he does those things for certain?"

The filly nods her head quickly and says in a bare whisper, "I watched him force himself upon his own daughter, he then killed her a few months later for getting pregnant. I know of a few other things he did to his subjects because I snuck in to steal food from him at least once a day, please do not go to see him for I fear for your safety!"

As I consider what to do, I sigh and nod my head saying, "Very well little one, I shall be content with just looking around the city and join you by the treeline near the cliff when I am done okay?"

She sighs in relief and lets go of his back leg and says, "Okay then, thank you for listening to me. I will be waiting for you there, bye!" then hurries off down the alley to go find the secret passage out of the city.

I spend three hours wandering around the city, learning that the city is much worse than what the little filly told me and sigh with disappointment as my anger rises to a critical point. Deciding to leave the city and find a new place to explore, I make my way towards the long pathway leading towards the mainland.

As I exit the city and walk across the marble bridge, I feel the ground start to shake violently but pay it no mind and continue on walking as my anger transforms into rage at the state of the city and its inhabitants. Cracks form in the marble underneath my hooves as I continue to walk absentmindedly along while thinking of how best to deal punishment to each and every citizen inside the city. As I give into the overwhelming rage clouding my rational thinking, I decide on how best to do it using my father as an example.

The young filly stands on the far side of the cliff and watches as the stallion that saved her makes his way across the bridge. She watches in awe as sections of the bridge crumble to pieces after he passes them, noticing a bright golden glow coming from his eyes as his gentle, kind expression slowly changes to a more angry one.

I make my way to the high cliff that looks down upon the bay city, as I think, 'It is time to issue a warning to them first, Old Testament-style...'

As I reach the top of the cliff, I gaze down at the city and close my eyes. I concentrate on my inner body and the power coursing through it and will my voice to be heard by all in the city, then suck in a breath and open my eyes with determination burning in them. I think of what I want to say to those within the city and using all the strength I can muster, I shout at the top of my lungs, "HEAR MY WORDS, OH VILE SINNERS BELOW MINE EYES...I HAVE SEEN WITH MINE OWN EYES THE DEPRAVITY OF THOSE WITHIN THY 'GRAND' CITY OF SADDLELANTIS AND AM GREATLY DISAPPOINTED IN YE! I AM GREATLY ANGERED BY WHAT TERRIBLE THINGS I HAVE SEEN, SO MUCH THAT I DEEM YE WORTHY OF PUNISHMENT MOST DIVINE! REPENT THY SINS NOW AND BE SPARED, OR SUFFER MINE WRATH!" I then go silent to hear the response from the city.

A herd of ponies near a certain dark forest hear a great booming voice coming from the skies above them and begin to flee the area in fear for their safety.

She removes her hooves from her ears as the stallion stops his booming voice that echoes within her skull still and shakes her head to attempt to find relief, hearing cries of laughter rise up from within the city as she thinks, 'WHAT IS HE THINKING!! HE IS GOING TO GREATLY ANGER GROGAR!' when she hears another voice shout an answer back from the city, "WE LOVE OUR CITY THE WAY IT IS, NOPONY IS GOING TO PUNISH US FOR DOING WHATEVER WE WANT! NOW GET LOST OR SUFFER MY WRATH, FOR I AM THE GREAT GROGAR AND YOU ARE NOPONY!"

I sigh sadly and then respond, "MINE NAME IS GALADRIEL AND YE HATH BEEN WARNED, IT GREATLY PAINS ME TO RESORT TO VIOLENCE. BUT ALAS, THOU LEAVE ME NO CHOICE..."

Her eyes go wide as she watches his body begin to glow brightly, then slowly shines brighter and starts to alter his body's appearance. The first change she sees is that his mane and tail blow away with the wind and reappears as smoke blowing in the nonexistent breeze, she is unable to tell if his eyes will continue to glow like the sun or will return to normal after his power stops.

I then stand up tall and look up to the sky and begin calling upon my ability and shout, "OH GLORIOUS SKIES ABOVE, GAZE DOWN UPON THE ACTS THAT THOSE UNDER THEE COMMIT. LET THY DISPLEASURE BE KNOWN AND DELIVER THINE WRATH!" I shift my gaze down to the sea around the city and continue, "OH GREAT AND POWERFUL SEA AROUND THE SHINING CITY, FEEL THE PRESENCE OF THOSE ABOVE THEE AND TASTE THE CORRUPTION THAT TAINTS THEIR CITY. EXPRESS THINE FURY AND RETURN THE CITY TO THE MURKY DEPTHS!" I then look upon the city itself and then steel my resolve to see this through and resume, "OH VILE SINNERS WITHIN THE CITY, I VIEW THEE AS THE VILEST OF CREATURES. LET THYSELVES BE KNOWN FOREVERMORE AS CHANGELINGS! MAY THINE APPEARANCE AND SHAPE-SHIFTING ABILITY INSPIRE LOATHING AS THE BUZZING OF THY INSECTOID WINGS INSPIRES DISTRUST AMONG OTHER RACES. MAY THY SUSTENANCE BE NOT FOOD NOR WATER, LET THY'S SUSTENANCE BE FEEDING ON THE EMOTIONS OF OTHERS! THY SINS SHALL BEAR WEIGHT UPON THY SUFFERING AND SERVE AS AN ETERNAL REMINDER, LET THY SUFFERING BE DONE ONCE THY REPENTANCE IS COMPLETE..." I rise up on my back hooves and then finish shouting, "SO SHALL IT BE!" and return my upper body to the ground, putting all the strength I can into stomping my front hooves onto the ground.

The filly loses her balance as the ground shakes violently under her as she watches the brilliantly glowing stallion with wide, wondrous eyes at how majestic and beautiful he looks now. She examines his features again and sees that he has a horn on his head like she does, but has appendages like some other ponies she has seen, and also has the strength of the ponies without either. Wondering what kind of pony he is, she puzzles the clues over in her head for a few moments when she hears the laughter get even louder as she looks over at the city.

*3rd person POV, The bay city of Saddlelantis...*

The various beings inside the city of sin roll around on the ground laughing so hard that tears stream from their eyes, not noticing immediately when the clear, sunny skies above them start to slowly fill with clouds. The raucous laughter in the city starts to quickly quiet down as they take notice of the clouds beginning to gradually get darker with each passing moment, the laughter dies down completely when the clouds become almost as dark as night. They continue to watch with curiosity as the clouds begin to move in a circular pattern above them when rain begins to slowly fall from the sky.

The circular movement continues to pick up speed as flashes of light briefly illuminate the clouds above and the streets below, bolts of lightning begin to wander towards the ground as they split the sky open with their loud cracks of thunder.

Nervousness and worry starts to fill the streets as the beings in the city start to make their way towards their homes, trying to get out of the storm.

Minutes tick by as the storm continues to grow in strength, the gentle wind quickly turns into a howling wind that blows the creatures below around the streets. The air starts to fill with static as lightning bolts begin to race down from the clouds and strike the houses of stone relentlessly.

Five minutes pass by as the waves on the sea begin to slap and strike at the outer walls, making a few stones to come loose from their place. The waves on the sea get higher and slam into the walls around the city, causing the loosened stones to fall from the wall and into the sea.

*At the top of the cliff, Galadriel's POV*

I watch as their punishment is dealt, with their walls and homes are battered by the waves, wind, and torrential rain. I feel the ground begin to rumble, causing part of the outer wall of marble to collapse into the sea. Cries of alarm rise out of the city as a white glow starts to engulf the city. I then sigh sadly as the waves retreat from the city, returning in one massive tidal wave that crashes against the outer wall and sending its stones flying towards the far side of the city. Some houses are struck and destroyed from the impact of the heavy stones, while others are simply flattened by the force from the tidal wave.

The storm continues on for another several minutes as I see the city crumble and sink into the depths of the bay, shedding a couple of tears for those that died from being crushed by their houses and the flying stones saying, "And thus, it is done, your penance begins." I start to feel an itching sensation on my flanks and use my tail to swat at it to get rid of it.

The filly's eyes widen as she sees the city vanish into the sea, then turns her eyes up to the stallion that rescued her and asks, "Galadriel, what kind of pony are you?"

I look at the little filly and shake my head solemnly at her and say, "I am afraid I do not know, little one, I have been like this ever since I came here." The itching sensation gets stronger, making me reach back with a hoof to scratch my left flank first, then my right one.

She smiles and then asks, "Since you do not know, I noticed how you are strong like a pony with no appendages or a horn, can use your horn like horned ponies such as me, and have the appendages of a pony with them that can fly through the sky. I think that you are an all-pony, but that doesn't sound nice..." She then continues to think for a few moments, hoping to come up with a cooler-sounding name mumbling, "Alipony...Alistalli...no and no..." trying one more time, she suddenly gets it and exclaims, "OH, I KNOW...AN ALICORN!" she then prances around him excitedly asking, "Whatcha think, whatcha think?! Pretty cool-sounding name, isn't it Galadriel?! Galadriel the Alicorn!" She then gets an annoying itching sensation on her rear too and says, "Ugh I bet this itching is caused by some tiny creatures that are really hard to see with your eyes, how about we go find a pond or stream and drive them away?" A flash appears from behind her, catching her attention and startling her briefly. She looks at where the flash came from and sees a strange yellow shape on her rump saying, "What is this funny mark on my flank, how did it get there I wonder?"

I chuckle and say, "Alicorn does sound like a good name, just call me by my given name please little one." I then gaze at the image on her flank and say, "That there is an image of a lit-up light bulb. Perhaps it may mean that you have a few really great...or 'bright' ideas usually. The mark itself is actually kind of cute, heh. What do you think about the name Cutie Mark for that image on your flank?"

The filly beams a wider smile and nods saying, "I like that name, maybe you might get one too because my flanks stopped itching after I got it. My name is Light Bright, do you mind if I join your herd?"

I turn away from the bay as the skies return to being clear and sunny, then look at her and say, "I don't mind at all because you're already part of it. I don't know, I guess we will find out as time passes."

Light Bright smiles and says, "Thank you so much for rescuing me from that mean Kirin Galadriel, and also for letting me into your herd. Where are we going now?"

An idea comes into my head as I say, "Well, I am planning on traveling back to the place I first opened my eyes, in a dark forest somewhere southwest of here. Though first, I think that I shall see what lies on the other side of the mountains ahead of me, are you up for a little journey through some snow little one?"

She nods her head yes a few times and says, "Yay, I get to see new places other than that horrid city!"

*An hour later, at a distant shore opposite of the destroyed land bridge to the now sunken ruins of Saddlelantis*

Grogar crawls his way onto shore, sputtering and coughing up water as he saves himself from drowning. He then looks around the shore to see who survived, only seeing black pony shaped creatures with holes in various places on their bodies, chitin covering most of their torso, two fangs protruding over their lower lip, big round bluish eyes, insect-like wings of varying colors that flutter from time to time, vaned fins in various places on top of their heads matching their wing color. He cringes in disgust at the hideous figures of the survivors of Saddlelantis and walks towards the land's interior, leaving them to fend for themselves.

One of the changelings looks at their former leader and drools, seeing an aura surrounding them and shouts with a hiss, "LOOK...THERE'SSS FOOD!" and hears another call out, "CATCH IT, LET'SSS FEED!"

He forces himself to run as they start to salivate and shouts, "GALADRIEL, WHOEVER OR WHATEVER YOU ARE...I WILL GET YOU FOR THIS!"