MLP: Prelude pt 7
#7 of MLP: Prelude
Lunar had just left the library after what seemed like the most shocking moment of his young life. He was trying his best to wrap his mind around what had just happened and it was hard to do so. Both Celestia and Luna seemed to be just as surprised but once the shock wore off the two mares giggled and leaped around their friend. However the young colt had to excuse himself in order to try and collect his thoughts. It was not something that had to be taken lightly. He didn't understand what Evening Star meant when he said Lunar was of the House of Elidar.
Sighing deeply, the colt with head held low walked from the library and into the main section of the castle. He had come down the gilded staircase that made up the center of the room and exited out into the front courtyard. Many of the gardeners and grounds keepers were busy going about their duties tending to the vast array of flowers and trees that littered the grounds.
As the young colt made his way through the grounds of the castle. He just wished things would have gone back to the way they were. He wanted to be back home with his mother and father, back in their village. It may have been small but it was home.
He soon stopped beneath a large willow tree and sat down. All he could do was think about what had happened and what had transpired...
1 hour ago
Autumn Breeze had just come from the inner courtyard of the castle. Trotting behind her was Lunar, Celestia and her sister Luna. She was sent to actually fetch Lunar but both princesses were enjoying his company, more to the point that the three of them were playing tag. Once Autumn had gotten the young colt to follow her, both Luna and Celestia were curious as to what their parents wanted with their friend.
The unicorn mare guided the trio of friends through the winding castle corridors and stopped in front of a set of large oak doors. "Their majesties are inside Lunar and they asked that I come get you."
Lunar looked up to the mare as if to ask what they wanted him for but Autumn just shook her head. "I don't know what they wished to ask you. All they wanted me to do was to come a get you." Lunar then looked to the door and walked forward, pushing the doors open, both Celestia and Luna following close behind.
The room in which they entered was the royal castle's library. Books galore covered the walls and shelve of the room. A large stained glass window allowed in a multi-colored array of lights that lay upon the carpeted floor. The library itself was sectioned off in two tiers, the first being the ground floor and the second being accessed by two spiral staircases. Evening Star was looking through several books at once as his wife was upon the ground floor, laying close to the fireplace and reading a book of her own. Lunar cleared his throat and gathered the attention of both regal ponies.
Evening was the first to speak, placing the books he was looming through back upon the shelves in which he took them. "Ah Lunar I see Autumn was able to find you, good. There are things that the three of us need to discus." It was then that he noticed his two daughters. "As much as your mother and I would have liked to speak with Lunar alone I suppose it would not hurt for you two to listen as well. Celestia you already know of the subject in which we will be talking about but we must ask you to remain quiet, This is something that Lunar must know."
Lunar nodded his head and sat before Solaris as Evening Star descended the stairs and walked over to his wife. "A very long time ago on an island far to the northwest the first of our kind were touched by the magic of the world. Its power was so great that it changed us, molded us into what you now see. At first we were nothing but common Earth ponies but over time and exposure to the world's magic we grew wings and then our horns in order to control our magic. So powerful was our race that by the grace of the Maker we were granted immortality, thus the Alicorn race was born."
Lunar nodded his head in agreement. He had never really known of race he was apart of till he was just five years old. He had come to his mother and asked her so many questions about why he was so different then all the other foals of his class. Was he some kind of freak pegasus or a weird unicorn. It was before he met Celestia and his mother told him just what kind of pony he was. She had told him that he was a symbol of harmony, a combination of all three major pony tribes. That is what the ponies of Equestria believed anyway. Only he was now seeing that it was not true.
"Over the many years our kind prospered and so did our magic, so much so that over time we no longer needed to absorb the magic of the world, our bodies could generate all the magic we would ever need. Our horns became our amplifiers of our magic and life upon our island home was peaceful. Sometime before that the island was split into four parts, each being ruled by a family of powerful Alicorns. These four families kept the peace on our island. They were the House of Astaria, Coranus, Elidar and Zypheron. These four Houses were as such because they held sway over the very forces of our world.
Astaria as its name may suggest was the guardians and controller of the stars as well as the moon. Coranus controlled the life giving sun. Now I know what you were taught as a child, that the unicorns were the ones that controlled the sun and moon but that is simply not true they held very little influence over such objects. The House of Zypheron controlled the winds of the world, and finally that bring us to Elidar, House of the Earth."
Celestia sat beside Lunar on his right, Luna on his left. The three friends stared at the elder Alicorns in thought. "But then why have I not seen any more of us? The only other Alicorns I know of are in this room." Lunar wanted to know, he had to know. Solaris and Evening Star looked to each other then to the colt.
"Well Lunar that is because before you were born, Solaris and I thought we were the only ones of our kind left. You see over one hundred years ago there was a mare by the name of Summer Wind. She shared a special bond with a stallion by the name of Azure Sky."
"Just what kind of bond?" Lunar was a bit confused on that point.
"It is a bond between two Alicorns known as a Destiny Bond. To those that share it, the two become intertwined and eventually become a mated pair. Summer and Azure shared such a bond, however Azure was already in love and married to another mare from the House of Elidar, her name was Gaia." Just then the door to the library opened and in stepped a unicorn mare. She carried a tray with several teacups and a teapot behind her in her magic.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your majesties but I thought it might be best if I brought you some tea." The unicorn mare had set down the tray she was carrying and placed the five saucers upon it , with the teacups to follow. She then took the porcelain teapot and very gently filled each cup with the hated liquid. Lunar didn't really care much for tea but Celestia and Luna seemed to enjoy it and it was for them that he tolerated it.
Once the mare was finished, Solaris had dismissed her. Each Alicorn too their respected cup within their magic and held it aloft in front of them. "Now where was I?" Evening thought for a moment before regaining his thoughts. "Oh yes, Summer had pursued Azure in an attempt to court him but Azure continued to refuse her. As I said he was already in love with another and even if he were not married I doubt he would have agreed. Summer Wind was furious and swore that she would get Azure to love her one way or another. It was then that she began to tamper with the very magick of the world. She believed that if she had enough magic, that she could will Azure to love her. Many times she was stopped from doing so but ultimately her perseverance won out and she was able to taint it with her jealousy and hatred. This changed her from the mare she once was into a creature of untold vengeance and anger. She was no longer Summer Wind, she was now and forever would be known as Anarchy Shade." The stallion then took a light sip from his tea cup before continuing his tail.
"Anarchy swore vengeance upon Azure and anypony associated with him, which meant Gaia, Solaris and myself. But of course a creature of anger and hatred would not be satisfied with just that, so she also turned her malice upon her race, damning them for what she believed was a curse. Using her newly enhanced powers she slew every pony in her path till only we remained. It was then in that desperate time that Azure felt that since he was the one she wanted most, that he would sacrifice himself so that the rest of us could escape." Evening sighed deeply. "It was one of the hardest decisions he had ever made. He would give up his life to seal Anarchy within the realm of darkness but at the same time he would be leaving behind his mare. We pleaded for him to reconsider but in the end it did little to change his mind."
"What did he do?" Throughout the entire story Lunar had taken it with a grain of salt. He was not sure if he could believe such a tale but then why would the king and queen lie to him. Even Celestia and Luna seemed to be enthralled by the story.
"Azure used all the magic he could muster to stop Anarchy. When it was over, the two of them were weakened but Azure had a job to do. So he tapped into a power that very few can and should ever use, Life Energy. By using the very energy that gives life to all things, Azure created a rip in the fabric of space/time and cast Anarchy into it then he closed the rift before she had a chance to escape. Doing this helped save what little of our kind remained but at the cost of his own life. Gaia, Solaris and myself left the now desolate and barren island that was our home and traveled east. It was nearly ten years before we set hoof in Equestria. The ponies of this land admired us and thought us to be the epitome of Harmony in the world. We were given everything even though we did not ask for it."
"But why are you telling me all of this? I mean does this have something to do with me?" Lunar asked. He was uncertain as to what the king and queen were getting at by tell his all this but he knew it had to lead somewhere.
Both Evening Star and Solaris nodded. "Indeed it does Lunar so allow me to continue and I shall tell you. Gaia had stayed with Solaris and myself for some time before one day she simply disappeared. We had no warning and clue where she might have gone. We both knew that even though Azure had been gone for nearly two decades at that point, she had still not gotten over his passing. For thirty years we feared we might never see her again, until one night. I was just raising the moon when I felt a familiar aura on the winds. I knew somehow it was our friend Gaia but I could not be certain that is until a few days later. It would seem that night was a special one because a foal was found on the doorstep of two of our best guards. My wife as well as Celestia went to see this foal upon hearing about it from the foals adoptive father.....Night Hawk ."
Lunar gasped and his body slowly shook, his father's name was Night Hawk. Evening nodded to the young colt. "I see you have pieced it together. I know this may not have been the way you wanted to find out about us, nor your origins Lunar but it is your heritage and your birthright. You are the son of Gaia and Azure Sky as well as a member of the House of Elidar."