Revelation
"Princess, I must urge you, we still haven't found anything substantial yet. Only a few runes and hieroglyphs. " A rather lanky stallion said as he adjusted his glasses with his magic. His conservative grey robes denoting his position in his order, a stark contrast to his vibrant blue coat. "You told us that our research in this matter would go unmolested unless you saw fit to intervene."
"Sentinel Book Smarts, I'm not here to interfere with your dig..." Celestia gazed around the chamber. buttresses soared to incredible heights as well as the columns, reaching to the ceiling, and the merchant quarter above. scattered amongst the chamber numerous ponies were diligently working to clear away rubble from some of the crumbling support structures. Part of her wanted to know how the dig was going, but another felt something not even she could explain it. In the weeks they started this dig echos of somepony, wormed their way into her head.
Sunshine...
As she gazed out at the organized chaos that the archaeological team had created a small chill ran up her spine. The image of a beautiful clearing flashed before her, she was young. barely even able to walk on her own. Luna she was there, only she was bundled up, she was hardly a month old.
"Uhhh.. Princess, are you okay." Book waved his hoof in front of her face. Celestia snapped out of her stupor and smiled back to the historian.
"I'm fine. Tell me what lead to your suspicious about this.. this place underneath our own hooves?" She asked looking to the slightly frazzled stallion as he adjusted his glasses on his muzzle.
"Princess I you would follow me to the east tunnel. I will gladly explain everything." he smiled as he politely gestured for her to go ahead of him. "We were checking the archives in the Sumareian and Crystal Empires grand libraries and we came upon a constant utterance in all of the books that dealt with the creation of this world and ... Well of you and your sister." The pair trotted down the impromptu road that spanned the entirety of the chamber dim magic lanterns scattered about so that they could see where the were going.. On either side she saw ponies inspecting the pillars and sifting through the rubble." They all mentioned something akin to a battle, a guardian of justice, peace and love. Sealing away a vile creature of hate and fear."
"But what led you to finding this underneath my city?" she glanced at the ceiling, a dense canopy of leaves filled her vision along with someponys voice, it was calm and sincere. "Sunshine, come on in lunch is ready." she blinked the dark stone replacing any vestige of nature. "Why does this seem so familiar?" she whispered to herself.
"I'm sorry, what was that your majesty?" Books Smarts looked to his monarch. before shrugging and pointing to several workers. "Hey Topaz, careful with those charts, Carbon Date you only need a sample of the stone not a block." he smiled back to the princess. "The guardian was for lack of a better word bound to a place called the Elder Grove we have had suspicions that it , like it has now been built into some type of temple or..." he gulped as he glanced at one of the hieroglyphs, depicting a wounded being of stars defending a miniature sun and moon. staring bravely into a swirling mass of darkness. "A mausoleum.But I digress we have yet to fully explore the site, let alone translate all these runes and heiroglyphs. "
I fall to protect that is dear to me.
Celestia paused the voice she heard sounded familiar only it was strained almost as if the speaker was injured.
"Princess, this is the east tunnel we have reason to suspect that somewhere there is another chamber that has yet to submit to shall I say the decay of time." he smiled as he trotted over to a large cabinet. "Here you go your majesty, one royal hardhat." he levitated it towards her, a goofy grin on his face.
"Thank you." Celestia gently placed the helmet on her head. "Though Smarts you never answered my question."
The scholar paused momentarily. "Princess this is going to sound crazy but, an old mare told me about the tunnels that lead here. And when I tried to thank her, she disappeared into the night, almost like a ghost or something. So I did a little digging and boom here we are."
"So you just followed a hunch and discovered a massive chamber, that according to your findings predates the founding of Equestria." Celestia looked down the east tunnel, a flash of scattered leaves fluttering down to the ground, it was autumn, what few birds that materialized in her vision were inky black masses.
Get inside, now its not safe here anymore.....He's coming for them , I'll see if I cant head him off.... I love you too.
Celestia paused a rush of cold filling her body along with a feeling that she hasn't felt in centuries. Fear. out of the corner of her vision she saw a shape it looked like a stallion, his eyes violet the only thing tearing through his inky black haze.He paused and looked her in the eye.
Sunshine, go with mommy, daddy has to deal with some big bad monster.
The voice sounded lifeless, like somepony who knew they were going to die. Celestia reached out to touch him. only to be rushed back to the excavation site.
"This door is the only thing that is stopping us from getting to the second chamber." Book Smarts trotted up to the massive stone door running his hoof over the intricate carvings. " We tried magic but apparently its warded with some kind of, super magical array."
Sunshine you have the key, to open the heart of this damned souls final resting place.
"Let me try something Smarts." Celestia welled her magic and fired it into the door. Almost as if awaiting her magical touch the door started to glow, the carvings shifting and rearranging themselves, to form a circle. Book Smarts gasped as the circle began to form a pattern within.
"Stasis ward?!" He shouted as the circle erupted in a vibrant flash of light, a wave of cold rippling magic blasted past her.
"So we are.... alone then." came the voice, a hints of pain and joy mixed in its speech. "Oh right, ten thousand years that's a long time for you to forget who I am." Celestias vision adjusted after being blinded. Before her stood the open chamber Book Smarts mentioned. "Fear not Sunshine, the ponies are only stunned, they will be completely fine in thirty or so minutes."
She carefully trotted into the chamber, the gentle crunching of leaves made her pause as more memories returned.
Spectra, I told you I'm not the best with foals.... But why make me watch them today... fine just be back before the storm comes.
Celestia looked to the far wall of the chamber there pinned on the wall by three strange glowing chains hung a statue. its head tilted up to the door.
"Who are you?" she looked at the statue a small portion of its midsection was torn away to show several red gems. Celestia looked at the pinned up pony, before realizing it wasn't a pony.
"Come on you treat it like you never seen a zebra before. Especially the one you called daddy." Celestia couldn't tell but it seemed the statues face moved slightly.
"Oh and to your question....hmmm I haven't put much thought to that but....Ah got it, My name is Ser Luxor knight errant of the pony nations. I was born in year three of the Neo-harmonic era ."
"But it's only just been deemed the Neo-harmonic era, how could you from the future if all this around you predates Equestria." Celestia looked to statue its eyes shifting up trying to look at the sky that wasn't there.
"Because, I predate this version of the world." Luxor moved slightly. Celestia looked at the alleged time traveler.
"What do you mean this version of the word?" She asked. only to be met with complete silence. Luxors head tilted down to his wound.
"It is how they created it, the world would grow and prosper, then it would die. Each time resetting itself, the same ponies the same events, its all one big loop." Luxor twitched his forehooves in an effort to free himself after centuries on them being pinned against the wall." Each time he would.... kill you."
"Kill me, Who? Why?" Celestia asked a numb shock running through her body.
"He doesn't really have a name, but the legends call him Wrath. He is an equalizer, for every act of good and compassion there must be an act of cruelty and selfishness." Luxor blinked towards the princess. "But, then there was me and Spectra, we neutralized him put him in a prison of stone and sealed him away. Changing the world forever."
She looked on the statue with a sheer horror. "Your Wrath." she looked at Luxor, his face contorting to a smile.
"Princess, one does not simply kill a god, only contain them, like your sister. I bear the last fragment of this beast, in the hopes that with my death will make up for all the ..... The pain, the suffering. I thought my only way to make up for it was to protect you and Luna when you were reborn into the next cycle. It seems that I still failed." A single tear rolled from Luxors eye. "Spectra, if your out there I'm sorry. I still couldn't protect them." as the tear fell to the ground his body began to chip and crack.
"There has to be a way to stop him tell me." Celestia looked as the ancient figure began to deteriorate.
"Four years from now, while you are with foal you will visit an orphanage there you will see a small zebra. Tell him he is destined for great things and take him under your wing. Teach him all that you know, Lady Sparkle will help you, as will your sister." Luxors right hind leg fell to the ground. "Tell him that ..... He should love and care, and not be distant and angry."
Luxor smiled as a series of cracks ran up his face. "Well I guess my contract is up... Death, I gave my message take me and this monster far away from here, far away from my ...... Sunshine."
Celestia watched as the statue grew darker before it disintegrated in to a thin black cloud. She looked at the pile of dust and smiled.
You will grow up to do great things, in a world where hate and evil will try to bring you down. know that those you love will always be there, to help you back up.
"Ugh my head... Princess are you okay? What is that? how did you get the door open?" Book Smarts galloped to her.
"Amazing all the ruins seem to indicate some sort of.... What is that?" the stallion pointed to the dust pile. Before delicately trotting over to it and removing a violet heart shaped gem.
Love will always prevail princess.
Four years later.
"Your majesty, thank you so very much for reading to the children." A cream colored mare said joyfully.
"Yes well, I figure I might as well get the practice in before.. you know. And besides it was a pleasure Ms.Consonance. " she returned the mares smile.
A young colt cried out as a red ball bounced between the adults. Celestia looked to the colt only to be momentarily surprised by the youths striped coat and deep violet eyes.
"Why hello there, what might your name be?" Celestia smiled as she picked up the ball with her magic, and gently placing it in front of him.
The colt looked down to the floor, then back to her as he tried to work up the courage to tell her his name.
He's probably no more then three.
"Let me see your bright happy face. My name is Princess Celestia, and yours is?" she nudged his chin up with her hoof.
"M-my name is L-Luxor." he finally stammered. "Thank you for my ball." He wrapped his forelegs around it pressing it tightly to his chest, gazing back up to the two.
"Luxor, and may I ask how old you are?" Celestia glanced up to Consonance, who was looking at the exchange a smug smile on her face and a faint flash of magenta in her sky blue eyes.
"He's one and a half years old. and might I say a very smart little colt for his age. I mean his first word was synonym." The mare smiled as she leaned over to tussle his mane. "He's some type of strange little genius."
Sunshine.
"How would you like to come home with me little guy." Celestia glanced up to the orphanages director and nodded.....