Rise of the High Bloods

Rise of the High Bloods

"Princess..."

"Yes, Twilight?"

"How did this world come to be?"

"It is a long and exhausting story to listen to, my student. Which, thankfully, is exactly the type of story that I have taught you to love."

"Neato!"

"Well, my child, you know the basics of what our history consists of. In the beginning, there were three races of humans: The Mages, The Nephilim, and The Sapiens. The Nephilim lived in their Olympus, moving the clouds and bringing about the seasons. The Mages lived in their Citadel, studying from my sister and I, learning how to manipulate the reality around them in return for allowing us  residence in their city. And finally, the Sapiens, tending to their Earth and becoming the keepers of all Earth life."

"But... if that's where we come from... Then where-"

"-Do I come from?"

"Well, you and your sister."

"Luna."

"Yeah, that's her. How did you and your sister come to be?"

"Ah, yes, of course. You see, dear Twilight, before these races came about, there was another race. A race with what your human ancestors came to describe as 'god-like' characteristics. They had the wings of Nephilim, the magic abilities of the Mages, and the strength of many Sapiens. This fourth race became known as the High Bloods, and they were also my siblings."

"Siblings? I thought that only you and Luna were the only two High Bloods in existence!"

"Yes, this is the history lesson that you will never learn in normal schools. Indeed, there was a time when Luna and I lived happily with our many siblings under the watchful eyes of our parents: Light and Dark. They taught us how to change the seasons, how to manipulate the world around us, and how the flow of life is unpredictable and precious all the same.  Under their care, they trained us how to be the gods that we would eventually become. And we were happy. Or so I thought."

"What do you mean? What happened next, Princess?"

"Calm, my child, I am about to tell you! You see, as we delved deeper and deeper into our own capabilities, the colder and colder my siblings became because of it. They began to have delusions that emotions obstructed the true flow of life, allowing imperfect creations an escape from natural judgment because of folly like mercy and kindness. They resented emotion. Before long, only Luna, I, and a handful of my siblings were the only ones left who still held our sense of right and wrong."

"What happened then?"

"Out of fear for what their children were becoming, Light and Dark created the Human Races and allowed them to thrive and prosper on the Earth. My siblings were confused by them at first, why create three inferior races, tied down by morality, no less, when you already have a race of gods? Only I and my other siblings, including Luna, who had still held dear our emotion understood the trial put before us by our parents: it was the purpose of the High Bloods to watch over and guide the humans through thick and thin for all time, and it was the purpose of the Human Races to remind us of our innate humanity. To remember kindness. To remember mercy."

"So did it work? Did your siblings remember kindness and mercy and all that stuff?"

"Sadly, no. The ways of the Humans eventually began to frustrate the High Bloods. Life had become an equation for them, and mercy was NOT a variable. When they could take no more from the Humans, they attacked. A Great Purge of the Human Races unlike anything ever seen destroyed everything in their path."

"How did you stop them, Princess?"

"Finding no other alternative, my parents reluctantly bestowed upon Luna and I the mantle of the Moon and the Sun. Not as a birthright, which was how it was originally supposed to be, but as a last resort against their own children. With our newfound abilities, Luna and I unleashed the full powers of the Sun and the Moon upon my corrupted siblings, destroying many of them. But the battles were not without their prices, and with every battle, our numbers dwindled and dwindled until only Luna and I were the only uncorrupted High Bloods left... I will never forget the battles in that war. Not as long as I still breathe..."

"..."

"I apologize if this is bothering you, Twilight... If you want-"

"But there's one thing that I don't understand..."

"... O-Oh?"

"Where do the Elements of Harmony come into the picture? Weren't you and Luna the original wielders of the Elements?"

"Oh yes, the Elements. When only I, Luna, and the surviving corrupted High Bloods remained, Light and Dark looked upon what had become of their firstborn children. When they saw what we had done to each other, they immediately became stricken with grief from what they had allowed to pass. At that time, though, the Humans had discovered something remarkable about themselves. When facing inevitable doom, three different Humans from three different bickering races had banded together in friendship and had manifested human emotion into a magical force. This impossible force had saved them from almost certain destruction, and reunited the long divided races into a new era of peace and prosperity. However, their new era of peace was vicariously cradled directly in the middle of our long war. This peace had a purpose, and my parents acted before it was too late. Light and Dark wasted no time in using the impossible force to forge the Elements of Harmony before bestowing them upon my sister and I. We banished the remaining High Bloods to a place where they could no longer harm the Humans. No more blood was to be spilled ever again. The Elements would see to that."

"But what happened to Light and Dark? Where were the High Bloods banished to? Will they ever come back-?"

"Ha ha ha, patience dear Twilight, patience! Such questions can only be answered in due time, and you still have two years to go before you even see a decade!"

"What?! That's all there is to this story? But- who- wha- the-"

"Oh my dearest Twilight, nothing ever truly comes to an end; and nobody ever said that this story was over. But enough with this ancient nostalgia of mine, it's time for you to get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us and I don't want you to miss a beat because you're tired!"

"... Oh, all right. Good night, Princess Celestia..."

"Sweet dreams, Twilight Sparkle..."

xXX

Twilight awoke with a gasp as she jolted upright in her bed, her body covered in a cold sweat. She was no longer in her old quarters in the Citadel, and she was no longer an eight year old student. That was just a dream. This was ten years later in the Ponyville Library after a long day of shelving a mess of books once again after the Cake kids had ran through it. Of course, the kids themselves didn't actually make the mess. The wild, hyperactive teen that the entire town had come to recognize as Pinkie Pie made the mess. She ran about in a sugar-high state all across the once quiet library, running headfirst into bookshelves while the Cake toddlers navigated them with an ease that would make the Wonderbolts blush. All in all, it was a relatively normal day. So why did she relive such a vivid memory through such a vivid dream?

Turning to her left, she saw the beautiful handmade clock that Applebloom had given her once for her birthday. In the middle of the bronze clockwork apple, she saw the time displayed in old numerals: 1:20 A.M.

'Only four hours of sleep...?' She thought to herself as she heard the light breathing of powerful lungs emanating from the edge of the room. Leaning over the edge of the bed, she looked to the far corner of the room and saw the adolescent dragon Spike sleeping on his old mattress, drooling and mumbling something about a spicy pizza that he didn't order.

She still remembers when she hatched him as an entrance exam all those years ago in the Citadel School for Gifted Mages. That was the day when her magical abilities manifested themselves into the enchanted necklace and gloves that symbolized the awakened power of a mage. That was also the day when her powers went haywire and burned the pattern of thorns from the glove and necklace onto her arms and chest.

Twelve years had passed since that faithful day and now, only now did Twilight fully grasp everything that had happened in only the past year. Celestia had finally kicked her out of the castle; she had made a very diverse group of friends.

She became a Bearer for the Elements of Harmony.

And after all of this, she had remembered that one night when Celestia had told her that story. Why?

The mage lifted her arms in front of her, letting the magic within her flow from her body. She felt the ethereal energy travel from her illuminated chest through her shoulder blades and down her arms, as the bright lavender energy traced along the pattern of thorns upon her arms. When they reached her hands, she brought her arms up to her face and contemplated her thoughts as the light from her markings shined an unearthly lavender light upon her face.

"What did Celestia mean when she said that the story wasn't over?" She asked herself as she allowed her magical gloves to materialize on her hands, the magical silk garments spreading along her arm before stopping at her elbows.

"Could the High Bloods return...?"

"Twilight..." She heard Spike grumble.

"Yeah Spike?"

"It's one in the freaking morning...go the heck back to bed..." He groaned exasperatedly as he took his bed sheet and rolled back into a ball under the covers.

'Whoops', Twilight thought, 'I forgot that Spike was trying to sleep.'

"Heh, sorry Spike. Just thinking about some stuff." She chuckled apologetically as she willed her gloves to dematerialize, allowing the magic within her to recede back down her arms. "I'll try to get some sleep now, okay?"

"Ugh, so long as you actually sleep a full night for once..." Spike replied from under the sheets.

"Night, Spike." She said affectionately.

"Mrrf..." Spike mumbled back. "Night, Twi..."

Tucking herself deeply into the bed sheets, she couldn't help but steal a glance at the night sky beyond the panoramic window next to her bed. Even after twelve years, she still had such a primitive grasp on the forces around her. As she closed her eyes, the words that Princess Celestia said were still echoing in her mind, haunting her every thought until she finally drifted back into her slumber.

"Oh my dearest Twilight, nothing ever truly comes to an end; and nobody ever said that this story was over..."

xXx

Silence. Nothing but tranquility and silence surrounded the Moon Goddess Luna as she walked about on the white sands of the Moon. From where she stood, the Sun was eclipsed by the Earth just enough to where it cast an exquisite halo around the planet. Only every once in a while did this ever happen, so learning exactly where to stand in order to witness this event was a painstaking ritual. Similar to how one might perfect his or her hunting techniques, it took her decades to manually map out all of the places on the Moon where this could be seen, when it could be seen, and how it could be seen. To her though, it was all worth it just to see the midnight Sun, for it was one of the few things left in this world that reminded her of her father's old secrets. Secrets that he intended to only tell Luna: Celestia only seemed to have interest with the Day, and therefore spent most of her time with Light on the Earth with her other siblings.

She can still remember the day that her father brought her up to the Moon to show her something special...

("It's, ah... huh... somewhere around here...")

("Dad, what are we doing up here? My training is done for the day, and as much as I want to stay, we need to get back to mom so that we can rest.")

("But you just said that you wished to stay, did you not?")

("... I suppose I did, but what exactly IS it that you wanted to show me? I know practically every nook and cranny of this whole place, what else is there to see?")

("Not on the Moon, Luna. It is a unique day that your mother created today, one that only comes by every once in a while.")

("Oh...? What do you mean father?")

("AHA! I knew it was around here, I created this place for pete's sake. Here...")

("What is it? Can I see- HEY!")

("No peeking Luna, I want this to be a special surprise for you; for paying attention during practice today and being patient with the lesson.")

("Okay, then... I'll play along...")

("So you move over here...")

("Okaaay...")

("... And you turn thiiiis way...")

("Uhuh...")

("And you move your head up just the sliiiightest little smidge...")

("Aaaand...?")

("Open your eyes.")

…

("'Gasp'!")

("Hah. I KNEW you'd love it.")

("By mother's name, The Earth looks... heavenly!")

("Yeah? Didn't I tell you it was a special day? Be in the right place in the time and you never know what might happen.")

("Oh, it's just... Oh it's just so beautiful! When did you first discover this, dad?")

("Back when it was just your mother and I. Before we found out that we loved each other and we just had the entire planet to ourselves.")

("Wasn't it lonely for you two? The entire planet to yourself with a stranger who didn't want to talk to you?")

("Yes, for a long time it was. For a long time, we didn't know what to do with each other besides just letting us go on our separate lives. One day, though, I flew up here to escape the wide spaces of the empty Earth and I arrived to see your mother here on the Moon; just sitting down, looking at the Earth with a curious expression on her face. Before I could say anything, she said: 'Isn't it lonely up here?' I was confused with her sudden social gesture, so I replied:

'I suppose. Sometimes.'

I didn't want to loom over her anymore, so I sat down next to her as she replied:

'It's the same for me too, you know.'

She turned her gaze from the Earth to me as she patted the ground next to her.

'Come on,' she said with a smile, 'I'm tired of being alone, aren't you?' I was, so I scooted next to her as she rested her head on my shoulder. Her light skin radiated a comforting warmness that I had never felt before while in the cold of space, and I immediately couldn't get enough of it. She was just so beautiful in that one moment that I had to physically look away from her to keep from bursting into tears right then and there.

'It's so nice and cool, being next to you.' She muttered to me, softly rubbing her head against my shoulder. 'It's a nice change from the heat.' Bringing a smile to my face, we sat there in silence for a good couple of minutes before your mother finally spoke.

'You want to do something fun?' She asked me. I nodded curiously. Without moving her head, she raised her hand and moved the Sun until the Earth eclipsed it completely. Lowering her hand and again relaxing on my shoulder, we both leaned against each other as we fondly admired her handiwork.

'There,' She whispered to me, 'Now whenever you feel alone, this can remind you that you aren't.'

She hasn't moved the Sun since.")

("...Wow...")

("Wow, that felt really sappy.")

("No! It's a beautiful story, truly! Just one thing though...")

("And what would that be, Luna?")

("If she hasn't moved the Sun since, then that means the location on the Moon where you watch it changes constantly.")

("You do catch on quickly.")

("So, where would the spots be? Can you show me?")

("Uhhh, well, It's starting to get late anyway. Like you said, that's enough training for today. You need some sleep.")

("Oh, come ON!")

("How about this: If you're good and practice as diligently as you did today in NEXT week's lesson, I'll show you how to map out a couple of them. How's that sound?")

("... 'Sigh' Okay... It really is getting late, I guess.")

("That's a good girl. Come on, I'm sure that your mother and sister have cooked up one doozy of a sunset during practice today! Let's not drag our feet, eh?")

There was no practice the following week.

By that time, the war had begun.

That was eons ago, literally, for the now matured Princess of the Moon. First, the Moon was bestowed upon her, then it became her prison. Now, all was once again as it should have been, with her sister raising the Sun and Dawn, and she raising the Moon at Dusk.

"All is well, father." She whispered to no one as she let gravity take her onto her back. "I wish you were here to share it with us, Tia and I..." Her galactic-colored hair and dark navy blue wings pressed up against the white sand as she turned her gaze upward to the canvas of space. No sand had ever gotten inside of her dress, now that she thought about it. Her dress looked as if two navy blue ribbons had swirled around the curves of her body, modestly exposing her slightly pale toned stomach and binding together below the abdomen to create the lower part of the dress. The only true metal on the dress was her Obsidian breastplate which bore the symbol of the moon engraved in the middle. Her sister's dress was exactly the same, but was white in color and had a Golden breastplate with the symbol of the Sun embodied in the center.

Right about now, her sister was probably sleeping comfortably in her quarters in the Citadel. In five hours or so, they would switch places, as they always did, and then it would once again be her turn to shut out the world and slumber through the daytime.

But on some days, like today, she just wanted to lie on the Moon for its whole orbit and stargaze the whole way through. She had always been fascinated by the celestial bodies beyond the Moon because of one simple fact.

She and her sister had no control over them, and things that she did not understand always had a way of capturing her curiosity.

She willed her Lunar Staff, the physical embodiment of her power, to appear next to her as she reached out her hand to it and allowed the power within to flow into her arms and up into her eyes. No longer gazing at the Terrestrial Eclipse, she turned her vision to the distant planet of Mars. Using her magic, she zoomed in through a clear patch of the atmosphere and marveled at the Super mountain of Olympus Mons in all of its vast glory, standing as tall as it had when she had first discovered it during her imprisonment a thousand years ago. Her eyes drifted across the landscape as she came across the abyss that was the Valles Marineris valley.

Whilst losing herself in her gazing of the deep void of the planetary scar, something occurred in the corner of her enhanced vision. She didn't notice it at first, simply thinking that she had imagined it, until she caught the slightest flash of what she believed to be a twinkling star. Zooming back out with her vision, she got up and took a minute to see if what she had seen was, in fact, a shooting star as she looked back up at the heavens for a good minute or two. Nothing. 'I could have sworn that I saw it near Saturn...' She thought to herself as she once again enhanced her vision and looked to haloed planet of Saturn. As she zoomed in, the ethereal prism of Saturn's rings solidified more and more, revealing clouds and clouds of asteroids swimming about in the gaseous sea of colors. Beyond that, four of the planet's moons came into view, the planetary moon of Titan being one of them. From her vantage point, she could see that a massive thunderstorm was brewing within its atmosphere; a bright and flashy light show that could easily be seen from space. 'Is this all that I saw?' She thought to herself, now feeling silly from worrying about such a trivial thing. 'Just some little lightning storm from another planet?' Now she was getting very curious. Sure, she had let herself get lost in her head while gazing at the eternal hurricane on Jupiter, but now this thunderstorm was creating some small openings within the planet's atmosphere. Maybe she'd finally be able to sneak a peek at the planet's surface. With that thought in mind, she excitedly waited for an opening in the raging storm. A bolt of lightning flashed brilliantly, evaporating a space in the clouds large enough to see through. Taking her chance, she zoomed in past the murky yellow and finally took a glance at the surface below.

A horrible sense of dread overcame her instantly when she saw what was below...

Upon the surface sprawled a massive collection of structures. It didn't look organized in any way at all, so she couldn't call it a palace or temple complex, but the sheer size of the constructs suggested otherwise. From what she could see, there were no visible or apparent entrances with which to access it's interior.

But what frightened her most of all, was the formation of the constructs. When she zoomed out, they formed an ancient symbol. A symbol from her past that she had long chosen to forget. A symbol that she had once feared above all others...

"What is this...?" She whispered with a shudder of fear creeping into the back of her soul. "It... can't... be..."

Before she could observe further, the murky, yellow maelstrom passed back in front of her vision, once again closing off the surface from view.

"No, no, NO!" She hissed to herself as she was forced to zoom back out to normal function. Hastily, she pulled her staff from its vertical stance in the white sands and teleported to the edge of the dark side of the Moon. She couldn't just let this one go. Her past, along with her sister's, was supposed to STAY in the past.

She couldn't return...

She can't return...

She desperately scanned the yellow moon for another opening, no matter the size, but the more and more she looked, the more and more the storm began to die down. She zoomed back out into her normal vision and just looked up in vain at the infinite space.

The most dangerous being in existence...

... and she had just lost her...

'This is out of my hands now' she thought to herself as she looked back towards the Earth in the direction of Equestria. 'I need Celestia's guidance on this.'

She turned back away from Earth and grabbed her Lunar staff as she prepared to take off. But at that moment...

((((((( They will be free))))))

The voice came from nowhere. She could feel it speaking to her from within her head, as if it was a dream from the past...

((((((( The Elements have returned)))))))

This time, she did not feel a sense of dread; rather, she felt shocked. This voice was another specter of their past. This voice... she knew...who it was...

((((((( And...)))))))

"That's..." She whispered as she slowly turned back away from the Earth and once again looked to the void.

The star. The one that caught her eye earlier. That was no star. It was a comet. Or, at least... It appeared to be...

((((((( So...))))))

But this comet was not burning as a normal blue-tailed would. This one burned a bright orange hue, and its tail was relatively short. "Burning" didn't even really fit a proper description of the object. An energy seemed to be radiating off of it, propelling it at an unbelievable speed...

((((((( shall...)))))))

... And it was careening right in the direction of the Earth...

((((((( they.)))))))

"Oh, no..." She whispered as the object screamed past the Moon with an impossible momentum, forcing Luna to raise her arm to protect her vision from the brightness emanating from it. However, when it passed by her, she felt a familiar presence. One she had forgotten over the long course of her eternal life. One lost in conflict and strife...

"Prometheus...?"

The object rocketed past the Moon, and made an impossible beeline to the Earth's atmosphere.

"There's no way I mistook that." She said to herself confidently, "That was definitely no comet..."

That was a High Blood...

...and a powerful one at that.

She immediately grabbed up her staff, unfurled her wings, and ascended off the Moon, breaking apart the ground with the sheer force of her leap as she made for the Earth. With a great beating of wings, she sped faster and faster, attempting to catch up with the streak of orange. However, as it got farther and farther away, it dawned upon her that she took off too late; and the streak entered the atmosphere and disappeared through a massive collection of cumulonimbi.

Unable to track the object any longer, she cursed to herself and immediately changed course for the Citadel; doubling her speed. By now, Celestia must know that there is a fourth High Blood on the planet.

Which meant that Luna had to get to the castle as fast as she could...

...because she remembered that feeling of familiarity back on the Moon...

... the feeling that this High Blood might not be hostile...

And if she didn't tell Celestia soon...

... she might kill him.