Life before and the Reaping.
Clouded and obscured, those two words described the vision of a certain griffon as he attempted to peer through the seemingly endless mist. He could not remember how he had gotten where he was or even what he was doing beforehand. His mind matched the condition of his surroundings, hazy and unsure. His blue eyes tried to pierce through the veil of mist to no avail; it was then that the griffon heard something approaching. It was the sound of hooves against pavement; it rung in his ears as it was the only noise he could hear other than his own breathing. He turned in the direction of the hooves to discover an old looking pony; a long flowing white beard graced his wrinkling face and his dark red coat seemed to shine in the mist somehow. The old pony gave a curious smile, as his black eyes seemed to dazzle at the sight of the griffon before him.
"My my...is it that time already? Has it really been so long...and a griffon this time of all things! Splendid! I was getting tired of ponies. After all, variety is the spice of life is it not?" The pony spoke, his voice mischievous and curious, not at all, what one would expect from somepony who was in the twilight of their life. He approached the griffon, his eyes curious and analytic, almost like he was gazing into the very depths of his soul.
"Oh my, and there is nothing there either! No strong desires or passions! Certainly nothing that could come close to forming a Cogito! Wonderful! Simply marvelous! You are much different than the last couple of beings to pass through here." The old pony placed his hooves upon the young griffon's shoulders. Their eyes locked, the old pony's deep, black eyes and the light blue eyes of the young griffon.
"Tell me, what is your name young one?" The pony questioned him as he removed his hooves and began to trot around the griffon, his gaze still curious and questioning. The griffon seemed to ponder for a moment; it seemed as though he was having a hard time remembering his name. After a few moments however, his beak moved, but no sound seemed to be emitted. Silence filled the room, but the olden pony nodded his head sagely.
"I see, Atlas. A peculiar name indeed; tell me then, Atlas, do you believe in fortune telling?" The pony trotted back in front of Atlas and out of nothing, a table came into existence. On it was a deck of cards with bland backs. The pony trotted behind the table and Atlas felt compelled to step forward.
"Each reading is done with the same cards, yet no two readings are ever the same. Life itself works in the same way, doesn't it?" The pony chuckled knowingly as the cards shuffled themselves and laid themselves on the table. The first card was flipped over and the pony examined it closely.
"Ah, the Tower, in the upright position. It seems that a sudden and catastrophic change is imminent at your destination. As for the future beyond that..." Another card slowly flipped over and the pony again examined it, this time letting out an intrigued chuckle as he did so.
"The Fool, in the upright position. This card represents freedom, creativity, and emergence from nothingness." As he finished his sentence, the cards on the table vanished out of existence, followed by the very table itself. The pony gazed at Atlas, his mischievous grin still present.
"It seems that upon your arrival at your destination, a great catastrophe will occur, and you will be in a position to create something new out of nothing. Fascinating, truly fascinating indeed!" The old pony's eyes shimmered as he turned his back on the griffon. As he did, he spoke his parting words.
"You have a very intriguing destiny indeed. I look forward to watching your upcoming journey, for it will surely be one of the most intriguing. We will meet again soon. Until then..." With another chuckle, the pony began to trot into the endless mist. Atlas began to chase after him, but was soon blinded by a bright light that engulfed his entire being.
"Atlas! Atlas! Wake up! We are almost at the station!" A familiar voice entered the young griffon's head as light invaded his eyes. He cringed as he tried to close them, to block out the painful light, but it was too late. He groaned as he rolled out of his bed and looked at his assailant who had roused him from his slumber.
"Alright, alright, I'm up. Geez, Rene, you didn't have to be so loud." Atlas yawned as he stretched his long, brown wings out. He had to shield his eyes however as he looked at his friend, Rene. Unlike Atlas, who matched the stereotype of a griffon fairly well in appearance of white head and brown body, Rene was all white. Rene was a rare breed of griffon known as a snowy griffon, or sometimes mockingly known as albino griffons. His head, body, and wings were all pale white, the sun shimmered off his coat, and feathers causing the just waking Atlas much annoyance. Just as he was getting ready to curse the sun for being too bright, the room became dim and the shimmer of Rene's coat faded. Atlas looked around, curious and confused as to why the room had suddenly grown darker. Rene merely let out a sigh as he explained.
"The train must have just entered the mountain. It means we'll be pulling into Canterlot Station in a few moments." Rene slid the door to the room open, "Just make sure you are ready to go when we pull in." Rene then left his fellow griffon to prepare himself.
Atlas wracked his brain to try to remember what they were going to Canterlot for. After a few moments of thought, it came back to him. They were going to Canterlot as escorts for the Griffon Prime Minister. Celesita had invited dignitaries from all around the world to talk about the Changeling threat, and as one of the major powers on the Eastern Continent, the leaders of the Griffon Republic were invited. Atlas, Rene and other members of the Griffon Security Network had come along as bodyguards for the dignitaries. He could remember his glee when he was first told he would be placed on the assignment. He had heard so much about Canterlot and pined to see the marvelous city of which he had heard such high praise about. They chartered a boat to ferry them across the sea and they docked at Manehatten. They then caught a train outbound from Manehatten to take them non-stop to Canterlot. Atlas had been on the morning shift that day, so he was on duty from sunrise until early evening when he was then relived. He had enjoyed a marvelous dinner, courtesy of Equestrian government. He then retired for the night in the carriage that was assigned for the GSN. As he thought on yesterday's activities, the words from his strange dream echoed in his mind.
'It seems that upon your arrival at your destination, a great catastrophe will occur, and you will be in a position to create something new out of nothing.' His body shivered as fear gripped his whole being, but he quickly shook his head and laughed it off.
"It was just a dream, Atlas. Just a dream." He reassured himself that it was just an odd dream, brought about by the long voyage and little sleep that had been imposed on him. He slid open the door to his room and made his way out into the carriage. He looked down both ends of the hallway. It was a rather dull carriage, with a few rooms like his own on either side. He made his way forward and opened the connecting door that led to the next carriage over and entered.
This carriage contained the bar, and it was busy. He saw fellow GSN members purchasing some of the famous apple cider that came out of Sweet Apple Arches; while across the room was a group of zebra's quietly conversing among themselves. He had noticed it yesterday while on duty, they seemed to have been sharing the train with the Zebra Tribes delegation as well. The zebra's noticed his gaze and bowed slightly, as was their custom for greeting. Atlas shook himself out of his stupor and returned the bow before he joined Rene at the bar. Rene gripped a glass between his talons that contained apple cider. He brought the glass to his beak and took a sip, letting out a blissful sigh as he did so.
"You should try this cider, Atlas. It really is as good as they say." Rene set his glass down as he looked his friend. His happy expression quickly changed to one of confusion and worry, "What's wrong with you? You look terrible. Well, more so than normal." Rene chuckled as he shook his friend's shoulders. Atlas glared at Rene as he laughed sarcastically along with his friend.
"Ha ha, very funny. I just had a rough night of sleep; I had an odd dream where some old pony talked to me about my future. Something about imminent catastrophe. "Atlas spoke about his dream as he brought his talons to his head and rubbed it gently as if trying to rid himself of a headache. Rene gave his friend a pat on the shoulder as he tried to reassure him.
"Don't worry man; dreams are just dreams after all. I'm sure this summit will go fine. Just look at it this way, you get to explore Canterlot on your time off! I know how much you've been looking forward to that!" Atlas chuckled in response; he was quite eager to explore the pony capital and take in all it had to offer.
Just then, Atlas felt the train beginning to slow down. Slower and slower, it went before finally it came to a complete halt. Rene stood up and stretched his pale wings out before looking to his friend.
"Looks like we've arrived at Canterlot Station. We need to meet up with the Equestrian Royal Guard; they'll be in charge of escorting our dignitaries the rest of the way. We'll be bringing up the rear in case anything happens. Our luggage will also be taken care of, so let's go." Rene made his way towards one of the side doors that had already been opened. Atlas stood up and followed his friend as they both stepped out of the train and onto the platform.
Canterlot Station was one of the busiest train stations in Equestria, as it was the central rail hub for four different rail lines, and the station that serviced the capital city. Built into the mountain under Canterlot, the station they arrived at serviced the rail lines that ran from the eastern seaboard; the station itself was a rather wondrous sight. A large stone platform in the middle which serviced the two rail lines, each of which at two lines running into that station, one outbound and one inbound, making for a total of four rail lines in the station itself. The platform was filled with all kinds of activity: ponies had set up stands to sell food and beverages as well as souvenirs from Canterlot. The station was also a melting pot of races: minotaurs, zebras, griffons and ponies all intermingled and talked with one another as they waited on their trains. Atlas was absolutely awe struck by the sight as he stepped onto the platform. He heard Rene chuckle and he quickly tried to compose himself as he spotted the Royal Guard. Rene was his squad leader so he went to go speak to them. He watched them converse for a moment as Rene seemed to point to a certain carriage; the guards nodded their heads and then proceeded to form an outside said carriage. Rene then returned to where Atlas was still standing, taking in the wonders of the station.
"The Royal Guard will greet the dignitaries as they exit the carriage. They'll escort them and we'll head out a few minutes after them to make sure there aren't any tails." Rene explained the plain and Atlas gave a nod to show his understanding. After a few moments of waiting the zebra and griffon dignitaries emerged and began to walk towards Canterlot, escorted by the Royal Guard. As they planned, Rene and Atlas followed them after a few minutes had passed; other GSN members along with escorts for the Zebra Tribe were securing other possible routes. It was a long ascent as they walked their way up an inclined plane that led to the exit of the station. As they neared the top, they were assailed by the bright light of the sun as they stepped out into the open.
It took a few minutes for Atlas's eyes to adjust from the artificial light that was lit the rail station and the incomparable light of the sun. As his eyes finally adjusted and he was able to see the sights in front of him again, he gazed upon the sight before him with wide eyes and beak agape. There before him was the capital of Equestria in all of her majestic glory. Canterlot glimmered like a diamond in the warm bask of the sun. Though some of her beautiful spires were current under repair, it hardly detracted from the overall beauty and glory of the city. Rene let out a chuckle, as he nearly had to drag Atlas along with him towards the main entrance to the city. He watched as the entourage of dignitaries entered the city, with no signs of any tails. Rene let out a blissful sigh as he turned to the still gawking Atlas.
"Well, now that they are in the city, the Royal Guard will see to them. We get to take a break!" Rene exclaimed as he stretched his wings in relaxation. Atlas emerged from his stupor as he looked Rene in the eyes; his own filled with excitement and wonder.
"That means we get to explore Canterlot! Right!?" Atlas jumped into the air and flew around briefly in pure delight before finally landing back on the ground much to the amusement of his fellow guardsman.
"That is correct, we are expected to be back on duty in time for the summit dinner at seven, but we are free to roam the city until then." Rene placed his talons on Atlas's shoulders so he wouldn't take off into the sky again. After he Atlas had calmed down enough, they made their way through the main gate and into the city proper.
It was a busy day in the city and the high-end socialites of Equestria filled the streets of the capital as they made their way to the art galleries and coffee shops that catered only to the rich and famous. Rene and Atlas were sitting under the shade of an awning at a nearby coffee shop. It was one of the more modest ones in the city of extravagance that served coffee that middle class workers like Rene and Atlas could afford. They both sipped their coffee in bliss, both agreeing that it was the best they had ever had.; yet while Atlas was having the time of his life, Rene seemed to carry about him an air of annoyance and angry.
"Dude, what's wrong? It looks like you want to beat me up for my lunch money." Atlas joked to try to lighten the mood around them. Rene seemed to let out a sigh as he took another sip of his pure black and bitter coffee.
"I don't like these ponies. They trot about with such a degree of arrogance and pride when they have most likely done nothing in their life to deserve what they have. They were merely born into nobility and can just live their lives without having to work hard for even a single day." Rene spoke with annoyance in his tone, his discontent for the nobility around them. Atlas could certainly understand the hatred he had for the nobility. He knew Rene had come for a dirt-poor family and he had worked as hard as he could his whole life to end up where he was right now as a Commander in the GSN. Yet here were ponies that lived their whole life better off than Rene had and who most likely hadn't worked nearly as hard if at all to end up where they were. As Rene put it, they were merely lucky. Atlas could merely place a reassuring talon on his friend's shoulder to try to cheer him up. It seemed to work as the pale griffon brushed off the talon with a laugh.
"It's just jealously most likely. I'll get over it with a few more sips of this coffee." Rene and Atlas laughed as they both took a sip of their coffee. As they did, a group of young mares passed their table. They were different from the other ponies because they didn’t have the air of high society about them. They all seemed very close and they walked down the street all laughing and smiling together. Atlas and Rene both watched as they passed by and ventured further into the city. Atlas was the first to speak up.
“Well, they seem pretty different from the rest of them.” He chuckled as he spoke and set his emptied mug on the table as he looked to Rene. Rene nodded his head sagely; he seemed to know about them.
"Yeah, they are favorites of Celesita, the purple mare especially so. She's the student of Celesita; her name is Twilight Sparkle. She apparent helped save Canterlot and Equestria from the Changeling Invasion when even Celesita couldn't." Rene also set his mug down as he let out a small yawn.
"Really? A mare so young managed to best a thousand something year old princess?" Atlas seemed to question the validity of such a statement. Rene quickly shook his head as he continued.
"Not really bested, but she was able to know something Celesita didn't know, still an impressive feat in my book."
"I suppose." Atlas stretched his forelegs out as he sighed blissfully, it seemed like nothing could ruin this perfect day. That's when he heard something. It was a laugh, a chilling, mischievous laugh. It was a laugh he recognized from his dream. It chilled him to the bone; he shouldn't be hearing such a laugh outside of his dream. Then, the voice of the old pony filled his ears, his tone eerie.
'Didn't your fortune foretell of a catastrophe?'
Time seemed to stand still for Atlas as there was a giant flash of light. Then the earth shook violently; lightning came forth from the sky and hit one of the beautiful spires of Canterlot. The majestic town collapsed on itself as it plummeted from in high. He could hear the screams but he couldn't comprehend them. Everything appeared to be moving in slow motion for the young griffon. He watched as one of the large stones from the tower fell upon a random pony that appeared to be the same age as Atlas. He watched as the stone slowly crushed the pony beneath its massive weight, shattering his bones and spewing his blood across the street. More screams, more yelling, more panic, more chaos, the streets were filled with the screams of terrorized and frightened ponies, begging for salvation from the protector, Celesita.
Just then, a giant shadow seemed to cover the land, blotting out the loving light of the sun. It slowly spread across the whole sky, moving as if a giant sphere were encasing the world. The once beautiful blue hue of the sky transformed into a bloody red taint. The earth shook some more, then another giant flash, and a strong force that forced him to the ground. As he tried to stand, he noticed small blue balls of light in the distance. They seemed to be rising to the sky, as if trying to escape from this twisted world. Then the great force subsided and the orbs seemed to slowly float back to the ground.
He quickly looked to his side, his first concern to check on Rene's condition. He seemed to be fine, but he was out cold. As he looked around, he noticed that everyone, save himself, was unconscious. As he rubbed his head with his talons, trying to get his baring and figure out what just happened, he felt a shiver run up his back. He quickly turned around and was face to face with the old pony from his dreams. His grin ever present, this time it almost seemed to be mocking Atlas.
"It seems as if the catastrophe that was foretold has come to pass. No doubt you are confused by what has just occurred, so I will keep it brief. What you just witnessed, was the death of the world." The old pony spoke with a laugh as he saw Atlas's face pale in fear and shock. Before the griffon could speak though, the pony continued to talk." Do not fear though, you and everyone who was in this city during the Reaping is still alive. Everyone else outside of this city has been killed, those little blue orbs you saw earlier are their souls, it is the only thing that remains of the individual after the body is destroyed. They do still retain their individuality, but without a body to inhabit they can do naught but float around. I'm sure you will learn more about them on your journey, so I will continue on. What you are in now is known as Paradox World. It is known as this because while we occupy this world, any and every possible world is currently a reality. This is a world of pure nothingness, yet it is everything at the same time, that is why it is known as Paradox World." The pony chuckled, amused by the confusion that gripped Atlas. The griffon gripped his head with his talons, trying to make sense out of what the old pony was saying.
"As I said before, you hold a special role to play in this world. Before too long, a new world must be created with a new set of rules. No doubt every living being will struggle to bring their own world to fruition, which is where you step in, young Atlas." The pony came up and set his hooves upon the shaking shoulders of Atlas." You will be the champion of whatever Cogito you choose to believe in to bring forward during the Birthing. What is a Cogito you might ask? Well, you will soon learn that from the one who initiated the Reaping, so I shall leave it at that for now. Still I wonder though, if you will even choose a Cogito to champion, for I see a much more interesting route you might take." The pony laughed as he removed one of his hooves from his shoulder. It began to glow lightly as he placed the hoof upon Atlas's head." Soon though, this world will be infested with the monsters from Tarturus. You must be able to defend yourself, and I shall grant you that power." The light in the pony's hoof flashed brightly and then vanished. The pony then stepped away from Atlas, his grin larger than ever before.
Atlas was a mess of confusion and fear, and just as he was getting ready to open his beak to speak, he was assailed by a massive wave of pain. He yelled loudly as he gripped his head with his talons. It was as if someone were drilling into his skull. He tore at his head with his talons, trying to remove the source of his pain. Blood trickled down his scalp as he tore at his feathers and skin. Finally, it came. In a cry of pure agony, a white horn burst forth from his forehead. It glowed lightly, but Atlas was all ready succumbing to the pain as he felt himself losing consciousness. As his eyes began to flutter and eventually closed, the voice of the old pony filled his head once more as he heard him trotting away.
"I look forward to our next encounter. Until then, farewell."
