//------------------------------//
// The Heroic Adventures 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

The curtain rose with the sound of rotating pulleys, colored spotlights cast by unicorn horns converging to make a circle of white in the center of the darkened stage. A figure stood behind it, just out of the light.

"The Griffon Empire, year nine hundred and seventy nine," a craggy voice narrated, seeming to come from every direction at once. "A year of chaos and discord. Two years ago, moon glass had descended upon the world, an ominous omen for peace-loving creatures the continent over."

A light flashed from above the lifted curtain, and a black boulder hurtled from above, giving Starlight the impression of immense speed. Halfway to the floor, it shattered into thousands of chunks, striking the woodwork with endless magical tinkling as the illusory chunks faded from view.

Slowly, the lights extended in a line across the stage, mute ponies sitting behind countertops and moving their lips in shouts as they traded bags of money and shards of glass. A stallion eagerly held a stone to his flank, and a second curtain lit behind them, showing shadows of griffon guards who were doing nothing.

"Creatures had scoured the countryside for this valuable, brand-giving material, and enough had been collected that it was no longer easy to find. Competition grew fierce. A black market had appeared, fueling the growth of piracy. Some moon glass had fallen into the ocean, and illegal liners began trawling the ocean floor in an attempt to recover it. Sarosians desired it for religious reasons. Pony and griffon pirates sought it for the money. The Power Distribution Agency urged Stormhoof, Goldoa and Wilderwind to join the fight, attempting to calm the seas and restore order to the Empire's trading routes."

There was a flash of sheet lightning, and suddenly illusory rain spattered and slammed across the stage, the previous crowd of actors changing in a heartbeat as two wooden ships on wheels rolled out from the sides, the crew of each manning cannons and harpoon guns. Lightning flashed again as the two ships passed prow by prow, battle cries mixing with the sound of wind and soon fading to agonized groans as the ships drifted apart, their crews laying wounded and defeated on the decks in the aftermath of the battle.

"Temperantia," the narrator said, voice booming like thunder, still standing just out of the spotlight. "The commander of the Power Distribution Agency and Emperor Godwin's loyal friend, a stallion with a heart of magma and a will of steel, fought against the seas, captaining ship after ship and leading mighty crusades to keep the Empire's trade routes open. But forces in the darkness conspired against the servants of Garsheeva."

The second curtain parted, revealing a jagged mountain of rock with a stallion perched atop, armored in black spiked plate and wearing a trident and electric beard that was only visible in the flashes of the storm. Dark shadows swirled around him, and he stabbed at them with his weapon again and again, energy crackling between its prongs.

"The piracy trade was fueled by buyers of moon glass on the mainland," the narrator continued. "But the warriors of light suspected more was afoot. Who would benefit from the seas being inaccessible to merchants? The rising airship industry, offering new trade to Varsidel, Ironridge and Yakyakistan? Mistvale itself, seeking closer ties through mutual isolation with the Empire? The church of Yakyakistan, isolating their greatest rival? Before he could discover, Temperantia was killed."

A crossbolt appeared in the stallion's chest, and then another, and they multiplied until he sagged and fell behind the mountain, the illusory storm continuing unabated.

"The Emperor's best friend had fallen, his ship sunk in a skirmish with the most powerful dreadnaughts Mistvale had to offer. The loss aggrieved the Emperor deeply, and his wife, Empress Ganymede, agreed to travel with him to war-torn Varsidel to propose an alliance. If the seas were safe, Empire ships could be used for trade, freeing Varsidelian airships for military maneuvers."

The storm parted with a wave, a third ship prop entering towards the audience through the curtain that had fallen over the mountain, two well-dressed pegasi costumed as sphinxes waving from the prow.

"Varsidel's own war had reached new heights in the years since moon glass fell. Would they be kindred spirits? It was a risk Godwin and Ganymede were willing to take. They flew to Ralianth, the closest power center in eastern Varsidel. The Emperor and Empress sent word ahead of their intentions, bringing material gifts and aid and pledging support for Varsidel's own war in return. Some feared it would not be enough, but the opposite was true."

With a groan of timbers, the prow of the ship prop split open like a flower, becoming the backdrop to a comfortable bedroom where the two sphinxes shared a four-poster, sleeping in each other's embrace. Armored griffon guards stood watch by the door... until both fell with a slash, a batpony straightening up out of the shadows between them without a sound.

"Whoever did it and whyever they did it, it happened." The narrator's voice turned somber. "In a span of months, the Empire had lost all of its top leadership. The houses turned to infighting, treating our land like the sinking ship that had felled Temperantia. Sages screamed at the heavens, asking why they would deliver such ruination to the world in the form of that black glass ponies would fight to possess. Wallace Whitewing, a paragon and champion who had won the tournament in years past, had returned, but the Empire's salvation was beyond words alone."

A curtain dropped again on the assassination scene, ponies wheeling out tiny fortresses and siege towers and bickering as they divided into camps and turned their backs on others. In the background, a tight circle of sphinxes was silhouetted in shadow on the curtain, but it began to break and drift apart, each lord going their own way.

"Piracy grew ever more vicious. But just when creatures believed all was lost, a new ray of hope appeared."

Suddenly, the stage erupted in illusory flames, a wildfire engulfing the entire platform as pillars of concentrated burning rose up like geysers within the rest of the storm. The narrator was finally illuminated, revealing a stallion in jet-barrel armor with radiators hanging from the sides that looked like an iteration of Meltdown's old suit. The armor floated from his back, held in a telekinetic aura the same color as the flames until it rotated, hovering at the core of the bonfire for all to see.

"Two young adventurers appeared as if from nowhere, calling themselves Lighthooves and Meltdown. A pegasus who imbued magic into his hoofstrikes and an earth pony who could command infernos fiercer than a mythical dragon, they razed an armada to ashes with powers that scarcely seemed mortal."

A jet of rainbow light flared through the flames, and they parted, wrapping themselves into a spiral around it, arching into the air and striking a ship prop like a double-helix laser, sending ponies and griffons diving overboard. Two figures hovered in the sky as the curtain rose higher, one with wings and colored streamers tied to his hooves, the other without, clad in the copy of Meltdown's armor.

"Through their power and cooperation, they reminded the houses of what staying together could accomplish, paving the way for six more years of peace."

As the show seemed to conclude, other ponies in the audience stomping their hooves in applause, Starlight frowned, leaning over to Maple. "That seems like a lot to have happened for us not to know about it before."

Maple bit her lip in thought. "Maybe? We don't know all that much about Meltdown." She turned to Saffron. "Where was the tournament in this? Didn't you say it was going to be about the tournament champions in the past few years?"

"Well... it was." Saffron stared at the stage with a blank look. "It sure was when I saw this one last year. But that was a whole lot of fancy magic effects, kind of a rushed ending, and not a whole lot was even true. At least you enjoyed it, right? Because I think my friends might've sold out and given us some political propaganda instead of a history lesson. They told me they were making changes, but wow. I didn't expect that."

Across from them, Brightcoil stretched in her seat. "It sure did look pretty, though!"

Saffron shrugged. "Yep, they did a good job on that. I, for one, am going to go talk to my friend Nimble Step and toss some questions his way. You all are welcome to come with."