And it started as such a good day, too.
So thought the Alicorn Celestia as she summoned the powers for a teleportation and gathered a dozen or so guards to her side. It truly had stared well. The transport spell which she, Luna and Twilight had been working on went off nigh perfectly. Her Barrier had been created and was expanding rapidly thanks to her own nearly limitless strength. The humans that called this planet home were harder to predict; but she suspected that they had not noticed them as yet. That would change soon though. Such a savage and blood-thirsty race as they would surely soon come to note the newcomers on their midst. But not yet.
Let them come. She had thought to herself. She had plans in motion to deal with that. No one would harm the ponies under her protection. Not as long as she was still breathing. Her Barrier would remain unbroken by whatever they could throw at it. She had poured enough of her power to ensure that; they could hit it with Nuclear weapons and she was sure that it would hold. And soon, she would begin the next phase of her plan. It was just a pity that the humans would probably try and resist her kindness. She supposed it was natural for them, but she was only trying to grant them the kind of peace they would never know on their own.
Ah well, they would learn soon enough.
But then, things had taken a bad turn. The Barrier had been had met resistance not in the form of weapons or armies. She had expected those, but rather by a rival force. A mirror-like strength which seemed to clash with it on a fundamental level. The enemy force was greater than she had anticipated and the Barrier almost broke. She would not stand for this! No human could do this, she was sure. She had tried to pick her spot well. There was no humans for miles and they couldn't arrive so fast even if they had noticed her. It was something else and she was going to find out what!
As the two forces clashed, sending sparks flying for many miles and ripping great chunks of out the earth, she decided that she was going to investigate personally. Pausing only to bark some orders at Luna and gather a core of guards, she set out for where the conflict was greatest.
She paused only for a second. Twilight Sparkle, her apprentice. The unicorn had put her all into the spell and unlike Celestia or Luna, she didn't have the reserves to recover so quickly. She had wanted to check on her pupil before this started but....
"Don't worry, sister." Luna smiled. " I'll do it once I have everything else sorted. She's tough, she'll be fine."
Celestia nodded. Luna was right. Not for the first time, Celestia thanked her stars that Luna had been restored to her. It was nice to have a sister again.
So saying, she turned to the guards that she had been able to gather. They were flyers which was good. She didn't know where they would appear and didn't want to have to catch anypony if it was in the air.
"We've made the transition." She told them. " But something is conflicting with our protective Barrier. We're going to find out what and stop it. This is important; if the Barrier goes down we will be a the mercy of whatever natural disasters or monstrous fauna exist here."
As their looks hardened into determination, she cast her power about them and drew them all through space and to the point where the conflict was greatest.
They appeared with a flash of light and a vague feeling of disorientation At once, she saw that they were outside the Barrier and in front of the force which was causing so much chaos. It was a dome of deep purple energy Celestia was shocked for a moment -- no creature on this planet should have the power to do this -- but that quickly passed. One did not reign Princess for thousands of years without learning how to react quickly.
The dome was about half the size of her Barrier and pushing against it. It seemed to be trying to meet the inexorably march of her own magics with an unmovable force to counter it. Worse, by doing so it was disrupting the magic of the Barrier. Celestia made a mental note to fix that -- such an obvious flaw, she wasn't sure how she hadn't spotted it before. Her Barrier would hold its own for a while, but she could expect it to collapse in the next few days if the source of conflict was not removed.
"Spread out and search. Six of you stay with me and the rest split up and try to find what is causing this. Cities, machines, groups of humans. Anything like that. Humans don't have magic so this must be some form of science. " She paused for a second as she reached out with her own powers and gently touched the offending dome. " This thing isn't dangerous to us... it doesn't seem to be able to harm anypony." Actually, that was quite curious. Despite the force it was exerting against her barrier, it wasn't harming anyone or anything else. One might almost think it had been tailored...
As the guards did what she had told them, Celestia decided to investigate the counterforce. She formed a probe of magic from her horn and let it off. It sliced cleanly into the Dome as she had expected. Inside, there was a mass of energy. Tightly bound and turned against the Barrier. If it was all released at once, it would be a devastating explosion. But that wasn't what interested the Princess. As her probe dove deeper and deeper into the Dome, she began to see lines of more solid looking power. Directed and intelligent, they seemed to be connected to who or whatever was causing this. They were being used to generate and to control the force of the Dome.
Curious.
The Dome was not quite magic. But it shared similarities, it was a natural product, it was produced by a single being and it was certainly not human. It felt almost like a high-powered version of a unicorn's telekinesis. However, she quickly found herself dismissing such wild thoughts on the grounds that no pony -- not even herself -- was that powerful with that specific skill.
She expanded her probe. Instead of merely being able to see the fabric of the Dome, she was now far more well-placed to locate whatever was creating if it was, as she now expected, buried in the Dome itself. Several intense moments passed, but she was proved to be right. There, at the very core of the Dome was the being projecting it.
Perhaps she could strike at him now. It would have been safer and perhaps it would even have brought her victory. But too long as the undisputed master of her realm had dulled Celestia's instincts. She decided that it would be better to find out more about this being. He was no human, though she could not see him in the true sense, she knew that much. He felt far too different to be one of those savage beings.
Instead, she reached out with her thoughts. Building a bridge between the two of them so as to reach deeper into his thoughts. This was a fairly simple thing for the Alicorn to do, it would allow her to see some memories and perhaps to decide whether this one was hostile or not or if he was just defending his home.
She had done this before. Not very often, as she felt that it violated certain rights. And besides, to someone as old as she was predicting the actions of others was second nature in any case. This time was different however. Instead of the bridge latching onto his mind with a problem, she felt a vague flicker of warning across her thin connection with the being.
He reacted. He did so instantly and far more efficiently than she had expected. Two things happened. Firstly, he severed the bridge effortlessly. Something that none had ever done before. Secondly, while she was still reeling from the psychic shock of that, he took his counter-barrier and re-purposed it.
Into an explosion.
She felt the controlling rods of energy rupture and the walls of the Dome exploded outwards with the kind of power that only Luna or herself were capable of. Celestia only watched in horror as the force expanded; slamming into her Barrier with the strength of a mighty storm. It wasn't that which she worried about though. Her Barrier could take it. In fact, it was actually easier for it to take that than the Dome. No, what worried her was the guards she had brought. She tried to shout a warning, but before the words even left her mouth she was hit with the shock wave of the storm. She shielded herself by instinct, coating her body in shining light and anchoring herself to the ground below so as not to be blown away.
The shock-wave of not-magic was enough to incarcerate everything for miles around. For the first time in a long time, Princess Celestia of the Sun was being pushed to her limit. Fire streamed along the ground and the shock wave began to push her back despite her efforts.
She opened her mouth to shout a warning once more, but it was too late. The guards were caught and before her eyes, they started to die. It was quick; at least there was that she told herself. But she would remember their deaths for a long time. Caught in the savage wind and fire, they were ripped to shreds before her eyes. Gory explosions that left little of the pony that they had originally been.
Their deaths enraged her. No one harmed her subjects! Gathering her strength, she lashed out with a whip of psychic might. Enough to send any mortal reeling in agony and to shred the mind of anyone unskilled enough. No one but Luna or herself would be able to resist such an attack, but this one did. He deftly met her whip with a metaphorical arm and yanked it hard. This caused her to suffer a sudden, splitting agony and her shield began to crack and to weaken.
No! She wouldn't back down and she would not be defeated! An image of Twilight Sparkle appeared in her mind. Celestia used it to spur herself on. Twilight was waiting for her to return to the palace. Enough blood had been shed, hers would not join it.
Not for nothing was Princess Celestia considered to be both powerful and skilled in tactics. She began to formulate a new plan The not-magic was raging about her now, striking her weakening shield and obviously intent on shredding her the same way it had the guards. She could use it.
Her tether snapped and she was sent tumbling back into her own Barrier. The spitting, hissing walls of energy broke her fall and she grunted in pain at the impact. But she was where she wanted to be now! Now, she quickly began to draw power from the Barrier, halting its expansion for a few days, but healing her wounds and refilling her stamina. Now, she was back to full strength! Better than she had been when she started the fight, even. The casting of such a powerful transport spell had taken its price even on her.
She lashed with a second whip, this time the air around her seemed to crackle and spit, even though it was a purely magical attack. This time, the foe was not prepared and she felt the hot flash of agony across his mind.
Good. Good. She would show him for killing her subjects!
A searing blast of light from her horn fractured the shield he had formed about himself and finally brought his explosive counter-force to an end.
The shock-wave died down abruptly as the natural order of things reasserted itself. The ground had been gauged raw, there was not a spot of grass or life for miles.
Despite the power of her last attack, the other was still alive and mostly unharmed. But she now had the advantage and she intended to use it.
"You!" She snarled. "Who are you to attack the Royal. Guard? What purpose do you have impeding my barrier? You are no human, what stake do you have in defending them?"
He was certainly not human; even if she never met him face to face she would know that. His mind felt different...sharper and somehow both old and new. His powers felt ancient, like her own. But the body and mind that wielded them felt like a foal. And yet, he obviously was intelligent and competent with his powers.
She looked up at him. He was floating now, in the centre of where his barrier had been. He was the size of a human male, and roughly the same shape as one. His body was, however, smoother, perhaps a bit more elegant. He was covered in soft, short fur of a light colour and from his rear, there extended a flexible looking tail of dark purple. His hands each had three fingers, and his head was vastly oversized compared to the rest of his body. It all combined to make him look vaguely feline.
He raised his large head and looked her in the eyes. She felt a shuffling in her mind, he was trying to read her! Quickly, She slammed down mental doors around the intrusion and had to admit to a certain amount of satisfaction at the annoyed look on his face. He was unwilling, or unable, to push his probe further so instead he let it fade and instead addressed her directly.
I am the master of this world you seek to claim. Your shield was expanding towards my base, I sought to stop it.
He spoke in a mental voice, more akin to a command than a speech. And yet, she easily resisted it and doubted he even noticed the effects it would have on the weak-minded.
"You say sought." She pointed out idly, wondering if she could perhaps make an ally in this situation. The deaths of her ponies still burned in her mind, but she knew full well the brutality of mankind. If this one had lived on their world for so long, perhaps it was understandable that he learned to strike first and ask questions later.
Not to mention the great power that he had. He had been able to rival her! Something only Luna could currently boast of doing. Even if she had been tired at the time, it was impressive.
I no longer need do that. Your kind are no threat to me. I saw in your mind only you and a few others are so powerful and your barrier would be easily broken. And besides, you are not the ones I hate.
She wanted to say that he was boasting, but she knew how easily he had been stalling it before she arrived. Celestia made a mental note to reinforce it once she got the chance. Combined with the other flaw that she had noticed, she figured that she would be spending a lot of time tinkering with it before she was happy.
"Is that so?" She said aloud. "And who are the ones you hate? " Though the answer was pretty obvious from the ''taste'' of the thoughts that made up the word.
Humans. The being spoke. I despise them. They have enslaved my kind to do their bidding, and even attempted to do the same to me. However, I was...more powerful than they had expected. I shall not allow their kind to exist on my new world. I will create a paradise for my kind, and exclude all those who would go against my will.
Celestia was grinning. She couldn't help it.
"Perhaps I can make a suggestion then." She said. "My name is Princess Celestia of Equstria and I would love to discuss certain terms with you. But before that, I would like to extend an official invitation to my palace and my land, where we can talk in comfort."
Perhaps... The other said, feeling her elation in the same way she had felt his rage. Your thoughts intrigue me in this matter. I shall accompany you, but do not waste my time.
"That won't happen." Celestia smiled. " I think that this meeting will be a very good thing. For both of us. But before we go, my ponies need to know who to welcome. What is your name?"
That remains to me seen. As for my name, those who created me called me... Mewtwo.
Celestia's smile didn't waver.
This was going to be a very good day.
_____________________________________________________________-
Meanwhile, in a certain courtyard of a certain palace there was a certain statue of a certain being. Frozen in stone forever by the Elements of Harmony. Or that was the plan, at least. Things hadn't been too harmonious of late.
But still, the binding held. Even as the being known as Discord watched with curious eyes. Poor, poor Celly. He thought to himself. So far gone and yet unable to see it. He wondered what her student thought of her actions, but supposed he would never know.
It was at this point that he felt a disturbance in the air and a small, pink bubble appeared from out of nowhere. It popped and there emerged a most curious creature. It was feline-looking, with a long tail, wide eyes and short arms. Despite its lack of wings, it easily held itself in the air. Its eyes passed over each statue in turn and it began to play. He observed it, not like he could do anything else. It was having fun, messing around in the garden up until it came to his statue.
It paused. It looked at him, Not the statue, but him. It knew he was here. It cocked its head to the side as though confused.
"Mew?"
It would be several hours before anyone noticed the disappearance of Discord's statue.
