#pillars of old equestria

[caw-rky]

So, with the result of the pool, everyone can be everycreature (at the exception of those as alicorns, draconequus, ...) ! But, as I am still trying to figure out what to do with all those antelopes, here are the pillars-v1 (I plan to redo some of them but wanted to post something before my break was over) who are all ponies !

If you just wanted to see the drawings, you can stop here as now we are going on story territory ! (And yes, there is a version where Starswirl stays a unicorn, it is normal). As tumblr refuses my rambling on the AU, just knows than they are now from between the event of the Hearth Warming Eve and the reign of the sisters. Their main enemy is the windigos (than is only chased by group of diverse (>= 3 kinds) ponies). And set one is the most probable to "stick" but with modifications as I don't like how I did Mistmane the first time. There will be more later on when I do the "final" version for the pillars and when I talk about all ponykind (just add alicorn to those present here and you have them all). In the meantime, I should see what I do with the antelopes so, hopefully, mane 6 soon ! :D

[mylittleponyauprompts]

A universe where the pillars of equesteia never get trapped in limbo and instead they turn into alicorns and rule equestria to keep it safe for all of eternity

An AU where the Pillars of Equestria never got trapped in Limbo, instead turning into alicorns and ruling Equestria and keeping it safe.

Optional additions-

Does the pony of shadows and Stygian take Luna and Nightmare moons place/role?

Does Luna and Celestia still become Starswirls students? Do they become Alicorns eventually as well? What caught Starswirls eye for them to become his students? How is modern Equestria affected by these changes?

[skyscrapergods]

Are there such things as minor gods? Things like how Aphrodite is the main goddess of love and related things, but the Erotes are all gods and goddesses of more specific parts of Aphrodite's domain.

There are entities that come to represent a concept in their local community. The less people who know and venerate them, the less powerful they are. There are many names for boosted creatures: saints, partially ascended, demigods, etc. The world is massive and each part has its own culture.

Twilight was already growing taller and longer before Celestia supercharged the process and made her into a Godling. Godlings cannot go back to how they were before, but they can try their hardest to remove themself from the concept of their godhood and hope they don't grow any further.

An example of a venerated creature would be Rain Shine, matriarch of the Kirin and Conduit of Silence. She is taller and more powerful than the other kirin, but no one thinks of her as a god.

Hierarchy of Ascension

Patron

This pony (or griffin or dragon etc) is known for their association with a certain trait, concept, material, area, personality, etc. You wouldn't yet call this their "domain" and most people are unaware there is anything magical going on.

Rarity - fashion. She is well known as a fashionista, and her garments give an extra sparkle of inspiration and self love to their wearers. There are many of these in the world.

Zecora - exotic wilderness. Everyone thinks of her as foreign and strange but capable and kind. She is adept at using folk remedies and navigating the Everfree Forest with ease.

Spearhead - Subjective art. This royal guard-turned-artist builds strange compositions that many ponies find confusing. But he is skilled at evoking emotion with seemingly random shapes.

Conduit

People who are changed by their domain, and have notable power relating to it.

Rain Shine - Silence. She is more powerful when no one is speaking. Her magic caused already health-compromised kirin to lose their voices.

Trouble Shoes - Bad luck. Thought of as being a massive clumsy screwup, that is what he became.

Fleur de Lis and others with a similar build - We will have to do more research on their actual domain.

Sassy Saddles - conduit of sweatshops apparently

Thorax - Leadership that values the people rather than the self

Shining Armor - Protection

Bastian

Significant changes and powerful magic that can last through the ages. Lifespans extended but they are still mortal. Physical changes tend to manifest during highly magical moments, and can fade afterward. Known by hundreds of mortals.

The Pillars of Equestria, and later, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

Pinkie Pie - Chaos

Harbinger

Extremely powerful creatures who are on their way to a natural ascension to godhood. They Can be killed, but if their power continues to grow they will become immortal. They can start to take on other domains as people attribute more concepts to them. Known by millions of mortals.

Sombra - He has his own chapter, to be released.

Queen Chrysalis - Terrified Reverence. Ruling through fear. Selfishness and taxes. She thinks she is the Harbinger of love, of course.

Tirek - Habinger of helplessness. He makes everyone feel terrified and unable to act.

Dragon Lord - Powerful and massive leader of dragons. This is a form of near-godhood that can be transferred from one dragon lord to the next. Usually this transition is peaceful, with the old lord announcing the new one to dragons of the world. But history is stained with the blood of battles for the title. The Lord is whoever dragons believe to be their ruler. One historically successful way to achieve this belief is to kill the old one. Thankfully, modern dragon law includes term limits.

Deity

Alicorn Post | Gods Tag

Immortal beings that are many many times their original size. Massive, powerful magic that is interwoven into the fabric of reality. Gods have multiple concepts in their domains, usually related to each other in some way. This includes "positive" gods taking on "negative" traits as part of their domain.

Known by hundreds of millions to billions of mortals.

Discord - Chaos and disharmony. He is a dimensional interloper that has gained notoriety and thus power in this dimension as well as his own.

Celestia - The sun, sky, and daytime. Main Post | Tag

Drawback: Burns

Luna - The moon, the night, and dreams. Main Post | Tag

Drawback: Nightmares

Twilight (future) - Friendship and connection. Main Post | Tag

Cadance - Romantic love and family. Main Post | Tag

Boabab (oc) - Life. The beginning, the planet

Novo - The Ocean

Godling

Godlings are creatures who have been ascended through the acts of another god. They have skipped the slow growing power gain. Instead, they manifest godlike traits while still keeping their small size. The God who ascended them will usually announce the new Godling to their followers, which immediately gains the Godling a congregation and begins their ascent rapidly. They have varying levels of power and control over their domain.

Twilight (current day) - Friendship.

Cadance (formerly) - Romantic Love

Cozy Glow (temporary) - Chaos

Sunburst - Unknown. Main Post | Tag

Flurry Heart (current day, born as a godling) - Unknown

Of course, this is just putting names to the laws of magic that govern our world. And magic, as we know, does not follow rules we try to set. If you were to ask a lorekeeper from the other side of the world or in the ocean, you would hear very different interpretations of the same system.

[onebadpunspoilsabunch]

Rewriting the last 2 seasons of mlp:fim, cause I'm bored and I need to get my ideas out.

I warn you: This is a collection of cluttered ideas, so don't expect it to be perfect o anything XD

Story of season 8 rewrite:

Instead of there being a School of Friendship, have the Student 6 be assigned to study under one of the Mane 6. 

Twilight Sparkle does what she did in the show and asks each of the different leaders to send a student to study, learn, and live with them. The student paired with each Mane Six member is:

Strength (Rockhoof) – Honesty (Applejack) – Yona (?)

Healing (Mage Meadowbrook) – Kindness (Fluttershy) – Sandbar (?)

Hope (Somnambula) – Laughter (Pinkie Pie) – Silverstream (Enthusiasm)

Beauty (Mistmane) – Generosity (Rarity) – Ocellus (Change)

Bravery (Flash Magnus) – Loyalty (Rainbow Dash) – Smolder (?)

Sorcery (Star Swirl the Bearded) – Magic (Twilight Sparkle) – Gallus (?)

I believe that this makes more sense than a school.

Give the two villains of the season (Cozy Glow and Chancellor Neighsay) actual reasons/backstories for the way they act and what they do.

Examples:

Give Cozy Glow a more believable motivation. In the original finale, Cozy's motivation for stealing the magic of Equestria is... I forgot honesty, lol.

A more believable motivation could be that Cozy feels neglected and overlooked by the other ponies, specifically unicorns, and she wants to screw with everyone by creating a level playing field (disregarding how it'll fuck up everyone in Equestria).

For the Chancellor, let's say that he recalls all of the times throughout the series where ponykind had been attacked or come into conflict with other creatures, etc. That's a more believable motivation.

Season 8 finale: 

I actually don't know how to write this in a way for it to make more sense, I just know that these specific plot points need to happen in the episode:

The Mane Six are put out of commission in order for the Student Six to be revealed to have a connection to the Elements of Harmony 

Cozy is revealed to have a connection to Tirek in some way. And we actually learn her backstory.

The Mane Six talk to Tirek and learn more about his past, and he mentions Scorpan of course

Chancellor Neighsay gets a realistic redemption, but after learning his backstory of course

Cozy Glow is sent away, not to Tartarus, but to stay with Shining Armor and Princess Cadence in the Crystal Empire to learn how to be good and get whatever the f*ck help she needs XD 

At the end of the story the Mane Six are praising their individual students and are happy that they have the same connection to the Elements and each other that they do. 

Story of season 9:

In order to understand what happens next, I highly recommend that you watch these videos by DrWolf001 on YouTube. These videos were the ones that inspired all of this:

ok, here we go!

Premiere:

Everything that happened in the season 9 premiere happens, the only difference being that Grogar is the REAL Grogar, not Discord in disguise.

Oh, and… a very special guest shows up at the school. 

Everyone in the room, the Mane Six, Spike, the Pillars, Celestia and Luna, the Student Six, everyone else is in utter shock at who it is: 

Scorpan, Tirek's younger brother, carrying a staff made from the Tree of Harmony! 

Following episodes:

Scorpan has made his reappearance to the characters. The Pillars and the Royal Sisters are ecstatic to see their old friend, especially Starswirl. Scorpan asks Celestia if the dragon egg he gave her hatched yet, and everyone is shocked. Scorpan meets Spike, and explains himself: 

When Starswirl and Scorpan first became friends, Scorpan was carrying Spike's egg with him. He explains that he found it by itself, and wanted to find it a home. He asked Starswirl to take care of it, but he refused, since he had more important things to do. Starswirl instead gave it to Celestia and Luna to use as a test, similar to Twilight Sparkle's test in the School for Gifted Unicorns. After the Pillars sacrificed themselves to stop the Pony of Shadows, Scorpan went back to his homeland. His brother was in Tartarus, and his friends were gone, so he had no reason to stay. 

Many years have passed, and Celestia still couldn't open the egg. She didn't know why, since she was a powerful alicorn. So when she built her school, she created the egg as the final test. (Even if a Unicorn couldn't open the egg, they wouldn't be judged on that alone.)

Scorpan explains what inspired him to come back to Equestria: His magical staff, which was made out of a branch from the Tree of Harmony, alerted him to the fact that more creatures were now connected to the Tree, so he came there to see. Scorpan meets them all, but is confused about something: There are only six elements for the Mane Six and the Student Six. 

Scorpan demands to see the Tree of Harmony, and storms off with the others following him.

—

Scorpan sees that the Tree is destroyed, but he is still trying to find something. The others are confused, but Scorpan says that it's "nothing". They leave, except for Spike.

Spike asks Scorpan where he found his egg, and Scorpan says he "doesn't remember". Spike is disappointed of course, but eventually says that he's accepted it. Scorpan starts asking Spike about his life with the ponies and all that jazz, and after hearing Spike talk, he realizes that Spike is exactly like him: 

He's the only non-pony member of his group of friends, he has a closer relationship with the main element (Twilight Sparkle) similar to how Scorpan had a closer relationship with the main element in his day (Starswirl), and even though he feels out of place sometimes, he's accepted his life and his duties to help his friends. Scorpan tells Spike that he believes he's the 7th Element. 

Tolerance (Scorpan) – Acceptance (Spike) – (?) (?)

Who is under Spike? That remains to be seen... meaning idk

Spike tells him that it's impossible, as when the ponies found the Elements, they only found 6. Scorpan tells him that only those that are connected to the Elements can find them. Scorpan and Spike search the Castle of the Two Sisters, but can't find the missing element anywhere. Scorpan asks Spike to try to remember if he's ever taken it or even seen it, and Spike remembers:

In the episode Secret of My Excess, when Spike was going through his greed-induced puberty, he was taking random things and hoarding them in the library. One was an orb that he found in the Castle of the Two Sisters. 

But after Spike had turned back to normal, he had returned all of the items he took. Spike didn't know what the orb was, so he just kept it in the basement. 

And then… the library was destroyed by Tirek. So the entrance to the basement was lost underground. So Scorpan and Spike start digging, or they find a way to teleport down there, idk

They find the orb in the basement, and Spike tries to get it to transform into a jewel. Scorpan says that it can only transform in the presence of the other Elements. 

That's all I've come up with. Feel free to add, suggest, or rewrite something, please 😅

[ask-sonata-dusk]

🍃 The Dazzlings Through the Ages - Ancient Greece 🌈

Here’s the Dazzlings in ancient Greece, the very first era that they lived through in the human world since Starswirl & the other Pillars of Equestria vanished them those years ago.

The Dazzlings throughout the ages:

Ancient Greece (here)

Egyptian Era

1125 - Middle Ages

1600’s

1700’s France

Early & Mid 1800’s - England/United Kingdom

Late 1800’s & Early 1900’s - American Frontier/Old West

1930’s - Mississippi - American

1960’s - America

1970’s

1980’s

1990’s

More info under the cut!

Note: I’ve tried to be as historically accurate as possible when it comes to this series, but I’m no expert! So please forgive me for any mistakes!

I have a strange headcanon: During this time era, the Dazzlings’ bodies were slowly getting used to the lack of magic/power that they now had. due to this, they had some symptoms, like hair loss. This is why they all have shorter hair in this picture.

This is the first era where the Dazzlings have children. It’s also the first time the Dazzlings have children in general.

Oracle Gem are the children of Sonata Dusk.

Twins Sparta Divine & Glory Vine are the children of Aria Blaze.

Darling, Sliver Stone and Sliver Shield are the children of Adagio Dazzle.

(More may be added or changed in the future.)

[lesbianapplejack]

MLP AU where the mane six are semi reincarnated versions of the Pillars of Old Equestria but it’s more like in warriors how Cinderheart has Cinderpelt’s soul in her too? And same thing the mane 6 release them and that’s how they come to the present

[eiswolfzero]

Hullo, same anonymous who talked about the pillars here

I haven't found any indication of inspired ponies for the other pillars but I just wanted to give you a summary of each of them and their overall story (cause I love to talk about those ancient guys) :

-Starswirl the bearded (who has multiples namesake) : most of him is known in previous seasons (incredible sorcerer, inventor of spells, banisher of the sirens, ...) but what is learned after is that he is also what we commonly call a : JERK. He doesn't understand friendship, is very very self-righteous and serious, doesn't hesitate to treat Twilight as an idiot after she freed him and the others from limbo (because it also freed Stygian in his pony of shadows mood), ... Though after learning he was an idiot and pushed Stygian to villainy by not giving him a chance to explain himself, he becomes better and explores Equestria to learn friendship (and gets scammed once). I looked at the four different namesakes he had and we have pretty much : G1 - mare earth- part of a set, followed a rainbow to see where it gots its colors, found a lake with her friends, dove in and got pretty swirls. (No media appearance) G2 - Princess Magic Starswirl, a earth pony mare with a magic amulet that changes colors, can become an "angel" and get wings. (No media appearance) G3 - Earth pony mare, she stays up late to watch stars far past other ponies (Luna would have loved her) and is ready for adventures day or night (Cameo in comics) G4 - here there are multiples so : -Toy Starswirl : no information as she was a bonus edition pony put with Rarity's carriage -Comic Starswirl (before season 7) : all white, he was pretty much a sillier (and nicer) version of the Starswirl of the series. He litterally had a song battle with the sirens and was a goofball. (Haven't read all the comics so yeah) -Somnambula : she is an optimistic pegasus (element of hope), her tale can be summarized in : There was a big scary sphynx who took the crops from the people. The pharaoh went to it like "stop taking our food", the sphynx refuses and kidnapps him. Somnambula goes "give him back!". The sphynx gives a riddle and is a very bad sport when Somnambula guess right. Somnambula tells the sphynx to do an "all-or-nothing" turn but it has to gtfo if she wins. She is forced to traverse above a pool of weird green goo with her wings tied behind her back and a blindfold, she manages to do it and the sphynx gtfo. After arriving in modern Equestria, she takes care of a yoga-type meditation class (in her home country, if I remember well?). G1-Somnambula is a human sorceress who stole ponies youth to stay young/becomes more powerful. Kinda wonder what she would do as a young pegasus mare :vc

-Meadowbrook : Meadowbrook is a earth-pony mare healer (and not a eastern unicorn as said in Starlight debut). Her tale can be summarized in disease change people in trees, her mom catches it. Meadowbrook searches a remedy and finally realize than flash-bees can polinate the flowers causing the disease, so she tries and steal their honey. It goes wrong until she puts on her healing mask, which kinda looks like a flash-bee queen. She heals everypony and all is well. Once in modern era, she goes back to her old home and makes shop there, healing and making remedies there with a descendant (I think?). G1 Meadowbrook loves all flowers and lives in Ponyville, she makes them grow and bloom in her greenhouse and sells them. When people buys her treats, she always adds a flower in their basket and can't decide on a favorite flower. (No media appearances) -Rockhoof : Rockhoof is a earth stallion who was very small and weak and wanted to be part of the Mighty Helm, but he was too weak. He trained with a shovel. The volcano on his town island erupted and he decided to dig a trench to get the magma in the water and not in town, he wasn't going to have enough time as he was alone doing that. But by the power of the shovel, he got very strong and buff, did the trench and saving his home in the process. In the modern era, he got an existential crisis when he realized than there wasn't a lot asked of him with his shovel, failed to get a job multiple times, made a few catastrophes and asked to be changed in stone until Yona proved once more to be best yack and convinced him he was very good at stories, so he got the role of "Keeper of tales" (or something similar sounding).

Flash Magnus : Pegasus soldier of the I-don't-remember-the-name army (maybe just pegasi army?), his tale is the one I remember the less, but pretty much, pegasi vs dragon. Pegasi are caught and about to become grilled chiken, Flash takes his shield and tank dragon fire. I prefer his secondary tale in the comics where a tornado rolls toward a griffons town, the griffons-soldier are like "we can deal with it", Flash superior is like "they are jerk, they can deal with it" and the poor griffon-citizen are like :( . The tornado is about to hit the town as the griffon-soldier can't deal with it and Flash goes "fuck this shit I'm out" and saves griffons and other soldiers follow his lead to save citizens. In the futur, he is part of Equestria's army.

Mistmane : An eastern unicorn, you have seen her tale and I'm already doing a very bad job of summarizing. In the modern era she grows crystal flowers in the crystal empire. Stygian : Pretty much, small weak unicorn lives in a town. The town is attacked by sirens, he likes tales so he figures "hey let's travel all of Equestria to gets my six favorites on a team and save my town". He does it, the team stays together for a while but he feels put aside after a remark than he "brings nothing on the team" (accidentally said by Starswirl when he tried to figure out his virtue and Stygian is like : idk man, I'm not a hero (has litterally done a hero's quest but he is a dumbass)). So he decides to copy his friends stuff to become a hero too, he goes to Ponehedge, Starswirl thinks he was trying to steal their power and he doesn't manage to explain himself and decides to play friend with a shadow (bad idea). The Pony Of Shadows is normally OP so the pillars decides to seal themselves and him in limbo to never comeback. Thanks to a double-friendship laser, he begins to separate from the shadow, Twilight jumps in like "wtf there is somepony here", he explains not wanting to steal the artifacts, the pillars are surprised-pikachu-face, Twilight drags him out and bam, shadow in limbo. In the modern era, Stygian writes a trilogy on his story and it is a bestseller, and we never see him again in person after his finale, we just see him on the cover of his book when Rockhoof is being depressed than he is the only one not finding a purpose. (Was forgetting, there are loads of jokes about Stygian being a recycled second Luna with the whole "feeling underappreciated and became a vengeful shadow pony who just needed a big hug") So yeah, that means than this team is pretty much : ancient wizard (who may or may not turn into a young mare with no magic or a sillier version of himself (wonder which one is the creepier :vc)), a nice positiv girl (who may or may not turn into a villain), an healer (who may lose her healing ability and instead be like "ooooh flower !!!! :D"), a pony who has already had preeeeeetty depressive thoughts cause he felt useless, another pony who did dumb things cause he felt useless but has communication issues on top of it, an old mare and a soldier. And I forgot, they have no idea of who will change/transform, why or how. Sorry I very much failed to summarize-summarize, but I'm feeling to lazy to try and shorten the whole thing x'D

Pillar Anon! Welcome back and with so much information too heh. Fair warning for others: Long Post/Long ask

Very interesting stuff! I remember seeing the Pony of Shadows and Stygian before, but I can't tell if it was Fanart or official stuff. maybe the episode? Can't say haha

But I didn't know the whole story around it, they really went and did something Epic with all of them! Meadowbrook sounds very intersting. If she were not to turn she might be rather good at trying to help find a cure I'd say, no? But yeah, the fear of turning yourself. Of not knowing if you're the next after everything they went through. They might just...not xD

[mediumsizetex]

Pillars of Old Equestria by fenwaru

https://boosty.to/fenwaru

[ask-healthy-light]

To Eclipse's immense relief, Spike nodded as they left the kitchen, only for him to stop them again as he slowly flew out after them, as he politely asked Eclipse to look for him as soon as possible, if they found anything of note; since he figured that whatever they found about fireless Dragons in the paper, be it for good or ill, would be taken less strongly by Frost if another Dragon told her.

After Twilight and Solar briefly glanced at one another, they knew that Spike had a point, and they nodded, and promised to let him know what they found as quickly as they could, before Spike smiled, and sincerely told Eclipse to enjoy reading the paper, as to not draw any attention to them; and he flew back to the Great Hall, while Eclipse headed back to their room with the report and their tea.

When they made it to their room, Eclipse let out a sigh of relief as they stepped inside and closed the door, before they put everything down on their small desk, and sat down to read through the old report; but they only held cautious hope they would find something, anything that could help either Frost or their friends in the Dragon Lands, particularly if they could confirm they were not alone.

While Eclipse read through the old report, the Doctor back in the Medical Centre had just sent Mage Meadowbrook all the papers she needed, and the Pillar of Equestria patiently waited in front of the Mirror in Ponyville Palace for the Doctor to return, so she could thank her for her assistance; and when she heard the Doctor enter to check up on Starswirl, Meadowbrook calmly called out to the two.

Fortunately, the Doctor and Starswirl both heard her through the Mirror, and Starswirl picked it up to ask her whether anything was wrong, still breathing heavily and clearly exhausted because of how much energy he had spent to walk again; but Meadowbrook sweetly said she was all right, and she was glad to see he was doing well, too, before she kindly asked him if she could speak with the Doctor.

Since Starswirl had not heard the conversation between Meadowbrook and the Doctor, he grew terribly confused at her request, but gave the Mirror to the Doctor anyway, who asked Meadowbrook if she had received the documents she sent; and Meadowbrook chuckled, and confirmed that everything the Doctor sent her had arrived, before she added that this was exactly why she was reaching out to her again.

If there was ever anything she could do for her in return, Meadowbrook told the Doctor, she had but to ask, as she felt it was the least she could give her for everything she had done for her and the Bearded; but since she figured that she would not be able to turn down Meadowbrook's offer to help, the Doctor merely smiled to her, and she promised to let her know if anything strange ever come up.

After the Healers nodded to one another, the Doctor carefully placed the Mirror back on the bedside table, while Meadowbrook headed off to fill in and send off the documents she had received; and the Doctor told Starswirl he was very fortunate to have such caring friends, although she admitted that she was concerned they were not taking care of themselves, to which Starswirl could give no answer.

In response, the Doctor sighed, as Starswirl's silence told her enough, so she reminded him to stay careful when he left the Centre, and to remember to take care of himself, but to keep an eye on his friends of Old, as well; for although she had heard the tales of their selflessness as she grew up, which inspired her to become a Doctor, she swiftly realised there were limits to what she could do.

As her voice grew solemn and warm, she quietly told Starswirl that even the Pillars, and he himself in particular at the moment, had their limits, and they would not be able to help everyone, but she promised that this was all right; and as Starswirl looked at her in confusion, she told him that it was better to help a hoofful of beings, or even just a single one, especially if it was themselves.

Although Starswirl stayed silent, he turned away to gaze outside, when the Doctor told him:

"After everything you've all done over so many years… You deserve a break."

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request! | Start at the beginning! | Next part!

Featuring: Solar Eclipse and Twilight Sparkle as Twilight Eclipse from @asktwilighteclipse

[nox-lunarwing]

A curved horn? Isn't that a sign of evil?

Why because sombra had a curved horn? Sorry to say dear, one pony does not a sign make. Besides I have three of them due to being half dragon. Plus plenty of other creatures have curved horns such as the kirin or the abada of the zebra tribes to only name a couple.

Unless you think this only applies to ponies?

If this is the case then let me remind you that Mistmane, one of the six pillars of old equestria herself has a curved horn as well! Plus this was still a trait common among her village and still is among various other eastern ponies.

[lianatheowl]

Behold

The young rulers of Equestria - Celestia and Luna - and their regent Starswirl the Bearded!

Starswirl in TCOD is 550 years old wise sorcerer, who is still alive thanks to some secret artifact similar to philosopher's Stone.

He is the leader of the Pillars, the group of ancient heroes(still alive by the same reason btw)

When Luna and Tia were just little girls Starswirl was the one in charge of the country.

Moreover, Starswirl the Bearded is the hierophant of Equestrua, which means he can directly contact with Fausticorn herself, looking for advice or wisdom from the Goddess

Now, about young princesses:D

You do remember that Discord is some sort of main character in TCOD univerce? Good:³

Because this noodle used to be close to them when he was a boy:³

Yeah, as you can see, he always liked Luna more😅

Translation of "Poisoned Chaos" is in progress btw:³

So

[caw-rky]

4/4 first - prev

The pillars are a legendary hypothetical group of heroes. A few old files dating from before the sisters reign have been found on the group but were heavily redacted from before the separation of Equus and Equestria. Only hypothesis can be done on its role and members. From what scholars have deciphered, Starswirl the Bearded seems to have been involved in a way or another as most redacting have been registered as being of his doing. Princess Celestia has indicated her lack of knowledge about any group her old mentor could have been a part off aside from the solar mages. --------------------------- Originally I tried another style soooo, little bonus !

[mylittleponyauprompts]

An AU where the Elements of Harmony as physical objects never existed. It was just a title and gift/curse given by the Deity that is the tree of harmony. An Element bearer is one chosen by the Tree to be one of the many possible heroes of their time, and the possibility of becoming a demigod to keep the universe in balance is on the table.

Celestia and Luna were chosen to bear the burden of the day and night for the rest of time, Elements and Demigods of Day and Night.

Discord is the Tree of Harmony's opposite and equal. Although he is much more mobile than the Tree. He is the God of Chaos/Disharmony and the Tree God of Harmony/Order.

Starswirl was the Element of Wisdom. Fkash Magnus the Element of Courage. Mist Mane the Element of sacrifice. Somnambula the Element of Patience. Rockhoof the Element of Persistence. Mage Meadowbrook the Element of Healing. And Stygian the Element of Guidance. No one really remembers Stygian and how he guided the others together, to threats that needed stopped, or how he discovered and guided the others to the Tree of Harmony.

Both the tree of harmony and Discord can seem rather uncaring to mortals. They are gods and hold no allegiances to anyone but themselves and to keeping the universe intact. They may seem cold and heartless and are morally grey and a neutral party. But someone has to do the not so fun job of keeping the universe in balance, and the tree and Discord were literally born into that job. They know nothing else but their duties as gods of harmony and disharmony.

Optional addition- Discord has an equivalent to the Trees Element roles it gifts/curses. Although he's not so fancy with naming, in fact he just calls them the Discorded. Let them give themselves their own fancy titles and get dramatic with it, Discord loves dramatics! Sombra and Tirek would be possible examples of a Discorded.

[kindheart525]

Obsidian and River are best of best friends (like us <3) what are some other best friend pairs either in the auraverse or thirdverse

I’m so glad you asked this bestie ❤️ There are a number of best friend pairs in the Auraverse especially, some which I’ve explored before but others that I’m very excited to introduce to you all hopefully in the coming year! There are plenty of pairings that start out as best friends and later become lovers (Seaweed and Shamrock, Tea/Violet/Rosie, etc.) but for this I’ll focus on the purely platonic pairs. Which include:

Iolite and Aurora Borealis, who have supported each other through a lot of emotionally difficult times, of which I still have plenty more to show you all

Yngvlid and Polished Antique, one of her first friends in Equestria who she’s still very much in touch with

Erudite Spell and Swift Valor, but especially when they were kids before their lives and careers got in the way of them hanging out more often

River Morganite and Obsidian, who you’ve already mentioned but I felt I should still add to the list. Fashion besties since fillyhood, and their kids are close too!

River Morganite, Stockholm, and Yngvlid, since both gals are fellow fashion lovers who have helped River with so much of her activism and helped her through some pretty rough periods. Stockholm has the extra benefit of being her future sister-in-law!

Brazen Plumage and Tea Cake, though their friendship is more like a big sister and little sister!

Cheddar Changa and Plum Pastry, who are not only best friends but career partners—since before they even had a career

Astor Anomaly, Prophecy, and Milkweed, our resident witch trio ✨

Milkweed and Bumblebee, who grew up together as offspring of the Pillars but have genuinely bonded over their mutual love of herbs and other life forms of the natural world

Astor Anomaly and Blue Velvet, two friends who confide in each other even when they feel they can’t talk to anyone else

Red Cedar and Marmalade Meringue, two toxic mommy friends who met over budding interdimensional communication technology

Ravenclaw, Meteor Shower, and Bullseye, who played as a trio a lot as kids but are still bonded in a variety of ways! The twins have obviously been close since the womb, while Raven gets to bond with Bullseye over their insecurities and with Meteor over their common masculine interests

Slumber Party and Witch Hazel, who grew up in the orphanage together and were more than overjoyed to connect later in life

Sahar and Ginger Root AKA Diya, her mare-in-waiting but also her closest confidant (aside from her own wife after they finally became close)

Summer Beauty and Crash Racket but…their friendship isn’t something one should strive for

As you can see, some characters have multiple best friends! Each friendship is just so different that it’s sometimes impossible to rank one as significantly “better” than all the others.

Some other notable friend pairs include:

Stockholm and Triple Threat, who are cousins-in-law but also have a lot to bond over beyond that connection. They not only have a mutual love of theater and fashion, but are also each other’s biggest supporters as each of them birth and raise some extra magical quadruplets!

Triple Threat and her Old Lady Squad, who aren’t “best friends” to her in the same manner that a friend her age would be, but are very close mentors who mean just as much to her

Bumblebee and Astor Anomaly, another pair of Pillar offspring who have less in common when it comes to personality but are still there for each other whenever they need it most

There are also some friend pairs, some of which you know about and some of which you have yet to see, that are sadly doomed to not last

Stockholm and Saltwater Taffy

Flurry Heart, Blueberry Sticks, and Red Cedar (even though they never really liked each other)

Trailblazer and most of her wrestling team guys

Aura and ??? (not just the Toxic Quad)

Blueberry Sticks and ???

Plus there are plenty of other Auraverse bestie pairs I’m excited to show you, like Stockholm and Erudite Spell, and Indigo Sprint and a new character named Electric Dawn!

As for the Thirdverse, I have fewer friend pairs established both because the cast is smaller and because so much of the story is family-focused. But I do have a few planned, like Sunny Sweet Dreams and Candied Apple, who met through a peer mentoring program, and Laffy Taffy and her friend group. I have a few ideas for other characters who could have best friends, but I’m still planning things out!

[magic-aggy]

new art, old OC. Acorn. Princess of a prehistoric feudal kingdom in my mlp au.

she is essentially a sort of proto-pony. in her time there arent a lot of clear races, and chaos magic runs wild and rampant so you dont stay what you're born as for long. mutation is the norm.

in her time, long long long before anything modern equestria remembers, every creature is born bound to a 'natural element', aka one of the pillars of chaos magic. there are six, each corresponding to a set of inverted elements of harmony.

the element you are born under gives a vague indication of the kind of magic you will wield, but it tends to not follow particularly clear rules besides general elements.

(discord is not to blame for this, this predates even him)

she is the daughter of a feudal lord of a moderately large and well fortified kingdom in the wastelands that span the planet. her home is roughly where ponyville is in the modern day.

she is a scholar, a rare kind who has the freedom and resources and passion required to commit herself to the study of the world around her. in particular she strives to build an understanding of the natural magic that rules her world, so that she might manipulate it to better serve her fellow creature.

most creatures are too busy surviving to worry about how things work beyond a surface level.

in particular she seeks to turn the wasteland into a place where creatures can thrive, instead of fighting for every scrap of fertile land and what little water remains. she wants to free her world from the shackles of competition to survive.

dont miss the sharp points on her horns, like most creatures in her world, she has with age mutated and grown into a form that predisposes her towards violence, though she is uncommonly timid and small.

its a shitty shitty world and she's kind and sweet and she wants to fix it!!! and she'll get her chance. just you wait.

[azure-wolf-227]

Pony Tribes: Night Ponies

The Night Ponies are a trio of Pony Tribes with strong connections to the night and to Princess Luna. These Tribes are the Thestrals, Cervidians, and Lycanequus.

Note: The Lycanequui and the Cervidians are creations of Featherfury that I’m using with their permission. I’m also using their headcanons for the Night Tribes’ origins and their culture along with my own ideas.

In General

The Night Ponies rever Princess Luna, favoring her above the other Alicorns. They do respect the authority of the other princesses; they just love Luna the most because she was one of the first ponies to accept and protect them when they were shunned and feared by the ‘Day’ Ponies (Unicorns, Pegasi, Earth Ponies).

All three tribes are naturally nocturnal so they posses tapetum lucidum (eyeshine) which grants them excellent night vision.

Thestrals, Cervidians, and Lycanequui are commonly called Bat Ponies, Deer Ponies, and Wolf Ponies respectively, though most of them consider these terms to be offensive.

Most Night Ponies don’t mind Nightmare Night and even celebrate it while some find the holiday offensive towards Princess Luna and towards themselves as many horror stories feature Night Ponies as monsters and antagonists.

Princess Luna’s enjoyment of the holiday has changed the minds of most of them but there are a few who still dislike the holiday.

Stygian, the one who gathered the Pillars of Equestria, was a Cervidian although he is erroneously depicted as an Unicorn. Because he was thought to be a traitor, the Cervidians denounced him and made his name taboo, only referring to him as The Betrayer.

After the truth about Stygian is revealed, the Cervidians now say his name and honor him.

Night Ponies are often proficient in magic aligned to the night, moon, darkness, and shadows.

Night Ponies obviously have Cutie Marks that represent their Special Talents just like the Main Tribes.

Origins of the Night Tribes

The Thestral Tribe

The origin of the Thestral Pony Tribe is quite possibly the easiest to explain. They are the result of a genetic mutation. 

Long before the founding of Equestria, Pegasus foals were mysteriously being born with bat wings, tufted ears, and draconic eyes. Because it was beyond their understanding at the time, Pegasi were convinced that the strange looking foals were monsters that had to be destroyed. The mothers of these foals for the most part refused, knowing deep down that their strange looking foals were still normal ponies. Some did agree, but they were few and far in between. Those that refused escaped from their herds and sought refuge beyond the borders of the old pony nation. The foals were then allowed to grow and breed, allowing the genetic mutation to evolve into a full-blown pony tribe all its own in the years that followed. 

However, the Thestrals as they called themselves lived close enough to the old country to be affected by the blizzard. Like the Pegasi they descended from, they headed for the newly founded pony nation of Equestria. They remained in hiding for a while, fearing prosecution. They considered coming out of hiding when the six heroes who called themselves the Pillars of Equestria first came together as they were gathered by a Cervidian, a pony from one of their fellow outcast tribes. However, that plan was dashed when that very pony supposedly betrayed his friends and later became the Pony of Shadows. 

Eventually, they were discovered by the newly coronated Princess Luna, who took an immediate liking to them. Much like actual bats, the Thestrals were a misunderstood tribe. Ponies believed they were evil because they merely looked evil. Luna wanted to show the world that they were just ponies, so she befriended the Thestrals and made their existence known by recruiting a good number of them into her newly founded Night Guard. In return, the Thestrals gave her their friendship and swore to forever serve her.

The Lycanequus Tribe

It is unknown when exactly the Lycanequui were originally stricken with the curse that eventually became a true part of them, but they do know it happened long before the founding of Equestria and that a single Earth Pony was to blame. 

His true name lost to the ages, this stallion was afflicted with the curse after supposedly angering a powerful wolf god named Fenrir. Nopony knows what the pony did to make Fenrir angry. Some believe that it was because the pony killed Fenrir's two mortal sons, Skoll and Hati. Others believe the pony was just disrespectful and Fenrir might've overreacted. 

No matter the reason, Fenrir decided the pony had to suffer for his crimes and afflicted him with the werewolf curse. To add to the foolish pony's punishment, Fenrir made sure that he would remain lucid in his werewolf form. The pony would always be aware of what he did in his werewolf form, even during the moments where he lost complete control of himself. Enraged beyond rational thought, the stallion turned his werewolf fangs on his former fellow earth ponies, infecting as many of them as possible with Fenrir's curse just so he wouldn't suffer alone. 

Eventually, the bitter pony was struck down, betrayed by the pack he had selfishly built for himself. Sadly, nopony in the werewolf pack really knew their former alpha's name. They only knew that he came from a family of Earth Pony farmers called the Harvest Clan. To assure that future generations of ponies would know the Harvests had spawned the fool pony, the first werewolf was given the name Harvest Moon. 

For years, the werewolves in Harvest Moon's pack and their descendants suffered until one of the newly coronated Royal Sisters of Equestria, Princess Luna attempted to cure them. All seemed to be going swimmingly until their wolf halves started to fight back, refusing to accept death. Caught off-guard by this, Luna lost her concentration and control of the purification spell with it. As a result, the two halves fused, creating ponies with canine faces and tails that could turn until full wolves at will. 

Despite being angry that she had failed to deliver on her promise to cure them of the werewolf curse, the spellborn hybrids thanked Luna for trying to help them and pledged undying loyalty to her in return for her kindness. Along with Thestrals and Cervidians, the Lycanequui, as they called themselves, became a part of Luna's Night Guard.

The Cervidian Tribe

In ancient times, there was a tribe of cervids that were just as sentient and intelligent as ponies. These cervids were allies to the pony nation that existed before Equestria, but relations were as shaky as those between the three pony tribes. So, nopony expected for love to blossom between some cervids and Unicorns.

The children born of these illicit unions were pretty much ponies with deer ears, and tiny growths on their heads that would eventually grow out into antlers. These hybrid foals were kept secret. It was noted as they aged that the hybrids were able to channel magic through their antlers much like how Unicorns did it through their horns. For years, the foals were kept hidden and more were born.

The hybrid foals were eventually discovered and the Unicorn King of that time issued a proclamation. Unicorns who broke their law of pure breeding had to either kill their hybrid foals or leave the kingdom to be with their cervid lovers. Each and every one of them chose love over acceptance. Their cervidian lovers took them in and things seemed great for a time. The hybrids grew in numbers and it looked as if they'd have a fighting chance.

Then came the great blizzard that drove ponykind to what would later be called Equestria. The cervids were the first to die, unable to survive in the harsh conditions that ponykind's hatred brought forth. The rogue Unicorns died next. Only the hybrids survived and managed to make their way to the newly founded kingdom of Equestria.

While the Equestrians were hesitant to take them in, the hybrids were welcomed with open hooves. In honor of their cervid ancestors, the hybrids called themselves Cervidians. Equestrians would later come up with the simplified term of "deer pony".

It is said that the Pillars of Equestria were brought together by a Cervidian named Stygian who later grew jealous of their powers and sought to steal their magic from them.

After being discovered and cast out, Stygian found the Well of Shade and gave himself to the darkness, becoming the Pony of Shadows. In hopes of stopping him, the Pillars sacrificed themselves to steal from them to seal him away in Limbo, sealing their own souls with him in the process.

It wouldn't be until just over a thousand years later that they would all be set free and shown the error of their ways by the Harmony bearers

Shortly after the disappearance of the Pillars and the Pony of Shadows, the Royal Sisters were coronated and the existence of the Cervidians was brought to the attention of Princess Luna. Many ponies looked upon them with hatred ever since one of their own turned to the path of darkness, fearing that they were all the same.

Luna was not so close-minded. Like she had done with the Thestrals and the Lycanequui, she befriended the Cervidians and offered them a place in her Night Guard and her court. Seeing a chance to prove they weren't backstabbers like Stygian had seemingly proven himself to be, the Cervidians took Luna's offer and swore to forever serve her in return for giving them a chance where most others wouldn't have.

Appearance, Behaviour and Diet

Thestrals

Thestrals are recognized by their bat wings, draconic eyes, sharp teeth, and tufts of fur topping their large ears. These traits are why they're also called "bat ponies". Many day ponies once believed that they were demons, but they're merely Pegasi that are better suited for the night. They have much clearer night vision and much better hearing. Like any other pony, Thestrals come in a variety of colors with their wings a darker shade that compliment the pony's coat and mane.

Like Pegasi, Thestrals mostly have slim and aerodynamic bodies perfect for flying. Taller and/or bulkier bodies are often due to mixed-ancestry.

Unlike actual bats, Thestrals do not instinctively use echolocation but they can learn that skill with practice. This skill is mainly taught to the Thestrals who join the Night Guard.

Diet wise, Thestrals are not much different than the Main Tribes, though they have a preference for any kind of fruit. Contrary to popular culture and myths, Thestrals do not feed on blood.

Out of the three Night Tribes, Thestrals are the most similar to the Main Tribes in terms of culture. They do not have a holiday or celebration specific to themselves like the Lycanequui’s Harvest Moon festival or the Cervidians’ Lockhorn Tournament.

Ponies with Thestral ancestry can inherit either their large, turfed ears, sharp teeth, draconic eyes, tapetum lucidum, and/or love of fruit.

Lycanequui

Lycanequui are recognized by their adorable canine faces and wolf tails. This appearance is why their tribe is also known by the more simplistic name of "wolf pony". Their senses of hearing and smell are more developed. Like any other pony, Lycanequui come in a variety of colors.

Lycanequui inherited the larger bodies of their Earth Pony ancestors but they are less bulky than the average Earth Pony. This, of course, varies from pony to pony, especially if they have mixed ancestry.

Lycanequui can turn into wolves at will, which gives them a boost on their physical strength, speed, and senses. This is not without risks, though, as spending too much type in their wolf forms can cause Lycanequui to lose themselves to their primal canine instincts. With training, they can remain in their wolf forms for longer periods of time. This skill is mostly taught to members of the Night Guard.

Like true wolves, Lycanequui can howl and do so in both their pony and wolf forms. However, a Lycanequus howl isn't exactly ordinary. In fact, their howls tend to be much more melodious, like the Lycanequus in question is singing rather than howling.

Lycanequui display many canine-like behaviour and body language like wagging their tails when they are happy or growling when they are angry.

Lycanequui can eat typical pony foods (grass, hay, flowers, fruits and veggies, etc...), but their bodies need nutrients that can only be found in meat. As such, they also eat small animals like rabbits, rodents, fish, and birds.

Ponies with Lycanequui ancestry can inherit their sharp teeth and/or enhanced senses as well as their taste for meat.

Cervidians

Cervidians are recognized by their antlers, and their larger, rounder ears. Like any pony, they come in many colors with some bearing white markings on their tails, bellies, and chests. Antlers can vary in appearance and size. Some have larger or smaller racks than others. Most Cervidians have "deer" or "elk" antlers; "reindeer" and "moose" antlers have been seen as well, but only mares can have "reindeer" antlers and only stallions can have "moose" antlers.

Like their Unicorn ancestors, Cervidians have cloven hooves and their bodies tend to be slim and delicate, though not always. Their height and body-shape mostly depends on the type on antler they have (i.e. those with moose antlers are larger than those with white-tailed deer antlers). Variations in body-shape and size can also be due to mixed ancestry.

Like their cervid ancestors, Cervidians shed their antlers at a certain time of the year to "refresh" them. A Cervidian's antlers can be broken despite being naturally dense and hardy. While fractured or broken antlers are still very capable of channeling magic, perfect symmetry with them is required for a Cervidian's magic to function properly; spells tend to fizzle out or even backfire when a Cervidian tries to perform with damaged equipment. Because of their innate magic, a Cervidian's antlers will grow back rather quickly, so they aren't without their magic for long. Antlers grow back in as little as a day or as long as week. 

Unicorns actually envy Cervidians for this because their horns don't grow back once they're broken. This is because unicorn horns are permanent whereas Cervidian antlers are not. Some Cervidians wear their manes in ways that don't cover the bases of their antlers due to a myth that it's better for their antlers if the bases are allowed to breathe. Those that believe the myth tend to tie their manes back or wear them as mullets or mohawks. Those that know the myth is just a myth wear their manes in ways that cover their foreheads and let their antlers poke through.

Although Cervidians are omnivorous like other ponies, they lean into a more vegetarian diet. They have a fondness for nuts and fruit, their favorite nuts being acorns and pecans while their favorite fruits being berries of all kinds, persimmons, and apples.

Ponies with Cervidian ancestry can inherit their large, round ears and fondness for nuts and berries.

Celebrations

The Winter Moon Ball - a celebration of the longest night of the year, counterpart to the Summer Sun Celebration. It’s a semi-formal event, fancier than the Summer Sun Celebration but less stuffy than the Grand Galloping Gala. The celebration happens in a different city each year and it begins once the sun goes down and Princess Luna raises the moon.

The Harvest Moon Festival - a Lycanequui holiday to celebrate and remember the origin of their tribe and give thanks to those responsible. While they don't know for sure, the Lycanequui claim that their personal holiday supposedly takes place on the night the first werewolf was born. They honored said werewolf by naming the holiday after him. Much like the Summer Sun Celebration and the Winter Moon Ball, the Harvest Moon Festival takes place in a different city every year. In fact, the first Harvest Moon Festival after Princess Luna's return took place in Canterlot. During the day, adults take their wolf forms and collectively go on a hunt, catching as many small animals as they can for a great feast of meat, fruits, and vegetables. They give thanks to Fenrir by leaving an offering of various meats and animal skins from their hunt and wooden wolf carvings at an altar built in his honor. The offering mysteriously disappears by morning and often a huge wolf paw-print is found in its place, suggesting that Fenrir came and collected it. They say if he is pleased with the offering, the whole tribe will be blessed with good luck for the year. They honor Princess Luna by howling various songs they wrote, giving thanks for her attempt to help them and the fact that her failure made them into what they are now. Since her return, Luna herself has been present at every Harvest Moon Festival, listening and even dancing to the songs they perform just for her.

The Lockhorn Tournament -  Around the time of year when they have to shed their antlers, cervidians hold a competition in which they literally butt heads to see who is stronger. The actual point of the tournament is for them to knock off their antlers or loosen them up so they fall out faster, so it's more or less a big game they like to play with each other. Ponies actually come from far and wide to see the competition and the shedded antlers are often ground to make colorful beads for souvenir necklaces and dreamcatchers or broken up so the prongs can be sold. Lycanequui and dog owners in particular buy the prongs as they make excellent long-lasting chew toys. The best looking shedded antlers are collected to be made into a trophy of the winner's choosing. Your typical trophies are a necklace or dreamcatcher with more ornate beads than those of the souvenir variety, a crown or tiara made from antler prongs, or just the very best pair of shedded antlers properly preserved and painted and/or carved with a simple but decorative design (think floral vines or Celtic circle/knot patterns).