A/N: Wow. It's been, like, a month since I last updated. Oops... But anyway, I have gotten SUCH a good response to this story! I can hardly believe that so many people like it so much. It's such a great feeling to know that others appreciate the time and effort that I put into my writing. I know that I don't update as frequently as I probably should, but y'all hang in there somewhat patiently, and for that I thank you again. Also, I need to thank Silver Spell, BHSBandGeek2005, Claire, Celestial Rider, and Rivendellgurl15 for reviewing. I love hearing what you guys think!
* * * *
Disclaimer: I own just about everything in this chapter, including the Six, the Gods, and the plot. I don't own The Old Mare of the Mountain, Entia, or the places. All the history and everything are mine that I had to make up because I wanted to take the time to educate you. Aren't you so happy that I care? And because I love you guys so much, pronunciations are provided.
* * * *
At the beginning of time, on the dawn of the creation of the world, everything was green and new. Each blade of grass grew uneaten, each river flowed undrunk, for nothing existed that could do so. For two hundred years the universe matured, untouched and untainted.
But then, three beings appeared, supposedly summoned from the Gods themselves. One was Amaletir, a druid who dreamt of creatures other than himself, diverse in their looks and ways. Another was Pumalthe, a human who thought of nothing more than expanding his race and its power. And finally, there was the unicorn. There were none who knew her true name, and most simply referred to her as "Mare". A dazzling white, she was the kindest of the Three, and the one that the Gods favored most.
The Three lived together, all alone in the world. But they were not alone in their thoughts. Each being imagined a world in which creatures like himself lived and thrived. But none of them knew how to turn their dreams into reality, and so they had to be content with them.
Then, Pumalthe disappeared. Try as they might, Amaletir and the unicorn could not find him, though they searched the entire universe for him. Thinking that a horrible fate had befallen their friend and companion, the two returned to their home, each mourning his loss.
* * * *
They continued to live together for 150 years, and soon Pumalthe passed out of conversation and thought. Then, one day in the heat of summer, Amaletir and Mare returned to their home after a day of hunting to find Pumalthe sitting in his chair, as if he had never left. Beside him stood a creature that resembled him in every way. When questioned by his friends, the human explained that he had gone to the Supreme God, seeking help to make their dreams a reality. When he was turned away by the divinity, he turned to the Dark God, the only one willing to carry out his request. His wish was granted, and a race of Men was created to live in the world.
The druid and the unicorn were shocked by what their friend had done. When asked to do the same, they refused, pledging loyalty to the Supreme God and his siblings.
This enraged Pumalthe. Realizing that his companions could not be won over, he got up and left, taking his Man with him. Before he left, however, the human swore to the Dark God, promising that his race of Men would be forever dominant over any that his friends would create.
Frightened by his friend's desertion, Amaletir conferred with Mare and traveled to the Temple of the Gods, where he asked for the power to bring the many creatures that he had imagined to life. The druid was the second-most favored by the Gods, and his wish was granted. Bidding goodbye to the unicorn, he set out into the world to carry out his task.
* * * *
The unicorn was left alone in the home of the Three. She remained there for some time, neither seeking the help of the Gods nor making any effort to do what her friends had done. Finally, the Supreme God descended from the Sky and asked what it was that she desired and how she planned to start her herd.
When presented with this question, Mare thought long and hard about her response. Finally, after much deliberation, she answered. "I wish for the longevity and prosperity of the dreams of my friends. I desire no herd."
This was not the answer that the Supreme God had expected. But the snowy unicorn could not be dissuaded, and the divinity left without granting a wish.
But the Gods loved Mare too much to believe that she wished for nothing. They wanted her to have a herd and a legacy in the universe as her two friends did. So, the Gods, in secret, created six unicorns to grace the universe and continue Mare's line on to the future.
The Six were regal stallion Brothers, five that represented the elements and a sixth created by the Supreme God himself. His was Solaris (sō LÄR is), Stallion of the Sun, and the eldest brother. The second eldest was Hephaejin (he FĪ chin), Stallion of Metal. He was followed by Neptonshui (nep TÔN shwee), Stallion of Water and Gait'u (Gītoo), Stallion of Earth. The second youngest of the Six was Fironhuo (fir ON hor), Stallion of Fire, and the youngest Brother was Arbremu (är BRĀ moo), Stallion of Wood. The Gods were very proud of their creations and sent them down to Mare immediately.
* * * *
When the Six appeared at the door of the white unicorn's home, she was extremely shocked, but pleasantly surprised. For all along, she had been secretly wishing for a herd of her own, but hadn't thought it right to ask the Gods for one.
But problems arose. Mare's home was simply too small for seven adult unicorns to occupy. So she bid her farewells to the house of the Three and moved with her stallions through the universe to a large valley where the herd could grow. The floor was covered in lush, green grass, and a great stream flowed through it, fed by a waterfall at one end. The valley walls were dotted with ledges and caves, perfect for a retreat from a storm or attack. It was named the Celestial Valley, in honor of the Supreme God and his siblings.
* * * *
Many years passed, and the Celestial Herd flourished in their home valley. By mating with the pure-white unicorn Mare, the Six were able to establish their own small harems of similarly colored unicorns. The members of the herds were the same color as the stallion that led them: Members of the Sun Herd were gold, members of the Metal Herd were silver-grey, members of the Wood herd were green, members of the Water Herd were blue, members of the Fire Herd were red, and members of the Earth Herd were brown and other earth tones. Each harem stayed in a certain section of the valley, and the unicorns only associated with those of the same color.
Neither the Gods nor Mare was happy with this situation. One night, the Supreme God visited Mare in her sleep. He told her of his dream, that one day her herd would represent the colors of the rainbow and all those colors in between. He showed her images of the Celestial Unicorns standing below the Crystal Arch near the entrance to the valley. Mare marveled at the beauty of the herd; at least one unicorn represented every shade of every color imaginable, and they were all arranged in the order of the rainbow.
Breathless, Mare asked the Supreme God how she could make his dream a reality. They must not be separate, the divinity responded. The Six must come together and work as one. Right now they are not connected, and thus they are weak. Join the lines of the Six into One.
* * * *
Keeping the words of the Supreme God in mind, Mare set out to combine her herd and create the gorgeous rainbow that had been shown to her. Interfering secretly, she caused events that forced the harems to abandon their individual areas and move into the great field that made up the floor of the valley.
At first, the unicorns still remained in their harems with others of the same color. But soon, they began to wander through the fields, which caused them to interact with others of different colors. Friendships grew, and so did romance.
The next spring, there were many surprises. Though most of the foals were purebred colors, there were quite a few new colors added to the herd. Purples, oranges, teals, and bronzes emerged on the coats of the babies. Though initially looked down upon, non-pure colors soon became as common as the pure ones, and the Celestials had no choice but to accept them.
All the while, Mare watched her herd grow, both in size and color. Though no longer used to enlarge the herd, she felt a special connection to each member, for they were all distantly related to her, the original Celestial broodmare.
* * * *
Finally, five years after the Supreme God made his dream known, Mare decided that the time was right to make his vision a reality. Just before dawn, she left her cliffside home and descended into the valley. The Celestials were unsure of what to do, for the white unicorn rarely came down to her herd. Her age and the location of her home had earned her the nickname of 'The Old Mare of the Mountain' among the unicorns.
Upon seeing Mare, the Six dropped all matters and swiftly approached her. They bowed when they reached her and didn't rise until she spoke. The stallions listened to what she explained to them, and, though confused and skeptical, they left immediately to carry out her instructions.
Ten minutes later, Mare stood on the Crystal Arch, looking out on her valley, still covered in night's darkness. She waited a few moments, and then noticed that details and landmarks were slowly coming into view. The white unicorn stood silently, anxiously awaiting what the light would unveil.
Finally, the sun broke over the top of the valley wall, revealing a sight that, even though she had seen it before in dream, took Mare's breath away. Below her, at the base of the Crystal Arch, the Celestial Herd stood as a rainbow, coats, horns, and jewels glinting in the light. She scanned across the spread, red to orange, yellow to green, blue to purple, with the browns and blacks filling in at the end. The Six stood in front of the herd, heads raised with pride in their herd.
The Gods were watching that morning as well, and they were pleased with Mare. They rewarded her with never-ending life, which she accepted gratefully. Assembling as a rainbow to greet the Gods and the sun became a tradition for the Celestial Herd, but Mare refused the honor of leading the ceremony, as she was content with her memory of the first assembly. As the oldest of the Six, Solaris accepted the duty, bringing mixed feelings from the herd.
* * * *
The Celestial Herd continued to thrive for years after, completely isolated from the rest of the universe. Mare had lost contact with Amaletir and Pumalthe and did not ask the Supreme God, who often visited her in dreams, about events in other worlds.
Because of this, the Celestial Unicorns had no notion of the great evil that was brewing in another universe. He was Entia, who earned his reputation as 'The Shifter' from his ability to take on forms other than his own. He lived in a dark castle, built entirely of large stone slabs, next to which was a valley similar in size and shape to the Celestial Valley. But this valley was filled not with grass and joy, but fire and sorrow. It was called the Valley of Fear, and it was from here that the Shifter formed and trained his army.
Using his shifting ability, Entia crossed the barriers of the worlds and entered the Celestial Valley. Repulsed by the great wealth of goodness and happiness that resided there, he prepared to leave, but his keen senses detected a small amount of animosity and anger somewhere in the valley.
After searching the entire valley, the Shifter finally found the source. The ill feelings were coming from a small group of Celestials, particularly those that were black. Their anger was directed at the Six, particularly Solaris. The Stallion of the Sun didn't believe that black was a color that was included in the rainbow, and thus proceeded to exclude the twilight Celestials from the morning ceremony.
Recognizing this as a perfect opportunity, Entia shifted into his true form and confronted the dark unicorns. Eager for any way out of the rule of Solaris, they were easily persuaded to join forces with the Shifter. After they agreed, Entia told them of an attack he had planned against the Celestials, which he was going to execute shortly. The unicorns were enthusiastic about the attack, and the evil being returned to his universe feeling optimistic.
* * * *
A few days passed, and then Entia made his move. The Ceremony to Greet the Sun had just ended, and the members of the herd were off guard. Suddenly, the sky darkened and the wind began to blow swiftly. The Celestials panicked and gathered in the middle of the valley, seeking protection from the Six.
The only unicorns that didn't gather by the stallions were the twilight Celestials, those that the Shifter had bought out days before. They ran past the herd and arranged themselves in a circle, facing outward. Their herd mates looked on in wonder as the sky swirled above them. The young foals cried out in fright as the wind began to howl through the valley, and as it reached its peak, a great bolt of lightning came from the heavens and struck the ground in the center of the circle formed by the black unicorns.
After the lightning struck, the sky cleared and everything returned to normal. Surprised and relieved, the members of the Celestial Herd left the Six and resumed their normal routine. The only unicorns that didn't move were those in the circle, for they were guarding something dear and precious to them. The Shifter could not be seen.
* * * *
That night, Entia left the circle and led the black Celestials up to the cave retreat of Mare. He was counting on the element of surprise, but that was too much to hope for, for the white mare had the Gods on her side. She met the Shifter at the entrance to her cave and invited him inside.
Fierce negotiations went on that night, neither Enita nor Mare giving in. Finally, the Supreme God intervened and expelled Entia from Mare's cave, forever banning him from entering it.
Enraged, the Shifter took his unicorns and hid in a small grove of trees, where they awaited the dawn. When the sun finally broke over the wall of the valley, the evil being crept to the Crystal Arch, where the daily ceremony was beginning. Knowing that this was the time to make his move, Entia led the dark Celestials to the back of the rainbow order.
Solaris looked up and over the herd below him, as he did every morning. But this time he saw something that he hadn't seen since he had banned the twilight Celestials from participating in the ceremony. His eyes locked with those of the Shifter, and then he knew. The Stallion of the Sun stopped the ceremony, turned his back to the shocked herd, and galloped along the paths in the rock walls that led to Mare's cave. The other five, sensing their brother's reaction, left their positions and gathered around Entia and the black unicorns.
* * * *
Solaris reached the cave of the white unicorn and entered, bowing quickly before speaking. "Mare Mother, there is something evil in the valley."
Mare didn't turn. "And what is this evil, Solaris?"
Confused, he fumbled with his words. "I, I am not sure, Mare Mother. He is in the company of the black Celestials and has brought them to the morning ceremony. I have seen him, and I am sure that he does not have good intent."
"I know of what you speak," the unicorn mare said. "He came to my cave last night, demanding that I turn over the valley to him. He has won over the twilight harem; they were too unhappy for too long. They will follow him and support his cause."
"We can defeat him!" Solaris exclaimed. "We outnumber him at least fifteen to one. We shall stop him before..."
"Before what, Solaris?" Mare cut in, looking at the stallion for the first time. "Before he takes the black Celestials away? They have already given themselves to him; there will be no winning them back. Or maybe you are afraid that the herd will realize that there are other creatures, other forces at work in the universe? I have watched how you lead them, and it is important that we no longer continue to believe that we are the only beings in this world."
Solaris was shocked at her reaction. "Are you saying that we should let him stay?"
"Of course not," she replied softly. "The Gods visited me last night. The evil is meant to be here, and we are meant to fight it."
"Fight it?" the stallion asked.
"Yes," Mare answered. "This is war."
* * * *
That was the start of the First War, the classic battle of Good versus Evil. Both sides fought strong and hard, though not always by the rules. Entia jumped between worlds, transporting himself and his Shadow Unicorns from the Celestial Valley to his castle and the Valley of Fear.
Thus, the Celestial Unicorns never knew when to expect an attack, for their foe was there one day and gone the next. This gave them a disadvantage, and, even with the support of the Gods, the only thing that kept them alive in the battle was the skill and bravery of the Six. Each stallion was large and powerful, two great advantages in the game of war. They never seemed to tire, and always fought to the end.
Because of the strength and determination of the Six, the tables began to turn. Victory was near for the Celestial Herd. But then, without warning, one by one the six original stallions began to disappear.
* * * *
Okay, I hope you guys liked that. In case you didn't figure it out, this is the history of the Celestial Valley and the Celestial Unicorns and all that. I'm really sorry that I waited so long to update. I had a writer's block like you wouldn't believe, but I think it's finally gone! *cheers* And to all of you who plan on following this story to its end, I would strongly suggest that you familiarize yourself with the info in this chapter. It may just be history, but it has a big part to play in the actual story plot. Oh, and I'll have more info about each individual stallion brother in later chapters, so don't worry. And, if you're good at making up prophecies and riddles and stuff, please tell me in your review and give your e-mail address or AIM screen name. Yes, and I do want everyone to review. Please?