Midday
June 13th, 74 BNM
Equestria, midland mountains
Canterlot, Coltosseum

Day 4 of the tournaments, already going by the name of the Equestria Games. That moniker would later in history be used in sporting events in Equestria with less tense political atmospheres hovering over them.
Compromises had to be made, but neither side was too happy.
The hosting of the games in Canterlot, the Royalist capital, was not liked by the Nationalists and Separatists. The forbidding of any Alicorn participants, done to placate the Separatists, sparked some slight tension in the other 2 factions.
Even among the games, these meetings were well used by all factions to iron out any deals made in this now 5-year peace.
Despite this all, tensions still existed. Worse for those Starswirl would confide in was news of some hidden group, linked to rumours of Siral the Savant, making a move to kill a trusted accomplice of his.

Coltosseum, playing fields

Running tracks, marked with hurdles and jumps, were the main team event, the tripartite dash. Each faction fielded teams of one Unicorn, one Pegasus and one Earth Pony, as they competed on 3 different race tracks at the same time alongside each other, working together to dodge the obstacles.
Hurdles for the Earth Ponies, waving hoops to fly through for the Pegasi, and small catapulted loads of rotten vegetables aimed to bring down the Unicorns. The 3 could work together, as the obstacles affected only their target pony kind, as a Pegasus could blow away the vegetables or help the Earth pony over the hurdles, a Unicorn could lower the barriers and freeze the hoops, and the Earth ponies could stop any hoops moving and any projectiles flying by running past, when their operators would freeze them. All the while, putting in the fastest time for all 3 to cross the line.
The royalist stallions, decked in splendid blue and white tunics, dashed down the track, while beside them the Separatists put up a good fight, though a vegetable had hit their Unicorn in his lane and screwed up their teamwork and speed.
Pulling ahead, the Royalist Unicorn magically shrunk the hurdles for the Earth pony, as they took the strategy of having him run past and disable the catapults and moving hoops ahead of them. Keeping pace, the Unicorn was the slowest, but less projectiles came his way.
Nearby, the Nationalist Pegasus crossed the line first, but the whole team had to cross to finish. With the event ending, the Royalists had the fastest time for their team, despite none of their pegasi, unicorn or earth pony coming first in their categories. Their teamwork gave their slowest paced one enough speed to finish first overall, by mere seconds.
Once again, in the team events, the overall unity of the Royalists in their cause was demonstrated by team morale, as the Nationalists and Separatists, while good individually, often times fell apart when working as a team, both in the battles, despite having a frequent numbers and strength advantage, and in these sports.

Coltosseum, Nationalist box

Lord and Lady Trumane were the only Alicorns among the Nationalists who currently watched from the box, as others were elsewhere with small matters to deal with. They were the most prominent among the Alicorns, and public face required they be exposed more often.
Lady Trumane, a yellow and pale lilac maned Alicorn mare, gave a slight grimace at the Nationalist team coming a very narrow third, and last. Lord Trumane, a marble white, blue maned Alicorn stallion, grumbled under his breath:
“I won’t be making any more wagers on our own team if this keeps up.”
“Surely you wouldn’t start wagers on the other teams?”
“Of course not, but maybe if this were on Nationalist territory…” Lord Trumane idly leered around at the Coltosseum and its cheering, or jeering in some cases, crowds of ponies, with suspicion.
Lady Trumane rolled her eyes, knowing this paranoia was in him, and yet it wasn’t unfounded: “I suppose being on Royal territory may be disheartening, but perhaps that should inspire them to perform harder.”
Lord Trumane huffed at this, as he eyed up the rest of the field, knowing the individual events were where the odds were more even. Lady Trumane darted her eyes across the Coltosseum, eyeing up the stands.
In the Separatist box, she caught sight of the committee of Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth ponies that made up their ‘leadership’, or backwards thinking rabble as she thought of them. If she had to put money on any side in the Civil War losing the ability to keep up, it would have been them. But they were as stubborn as they were in disharmony, the only thing they often agreed on was to separate Equestria into 3 nations that traded, but governed themselves.
Casting her gaze around, Lady Trumane had a simple vision of the 3 factions. The Separatists, stuck in the past wanting to divide Equestria, but often internally chaotic as a result of differences. The Royalists, stuck in the present to maintain the status quo, having the least numbers but greatest unity. And the Nationalists, wanting a council of Alicorns, not a single royal family, leading Equestria, keeping each other in check, the future.
Staring across, she regarded the royal box with more respect, but also derision. With her Alicorn magic, she cast a sight enhancement spell, and spied on the royal box from afar.
Queen Aurora, her white body like marble against her black and pink shimmering mane, spoke with Princess Celestia, the only very slightly smaller, now adult white Alicorn with the pink mane. Nearby was Princess Luna, younger looking but also an adult, watched with her light blue mane and darker blue body in contrast to her sister. And in the box with them, she saw King Nova, stocky, blue bodied and with a white and green glowing mane. Beside him, a palace captain and servant Unicorn, Blacksaddler she believed she recalled, was speaking to him in a whisper.
As King Nova’s expression grew slightly concerned, Lady Trumane remarked to her husband:
“Well my husband, take consolation that not everything is going swimmingly for the Royalists right now. Whatever it is, King Nova seems not too pleased to hear it.”
“Best news in I have heard in the last few hours.” Lord Trumane grumbled, the white, blue maned Alicorn knowing Lady Trumane was putting her skill of scanning crowds, good for seeking subtle hints of possible deceit or weakness in negotiations, to good use.

Royal Box

“You are sure he said it was urgent?” King Nova asked, as the crowds began to swell in volume, the magic aided javelin competition up next for Unicorns of the factions.
“Yes, and he also told me to say that, and I say this with no disrespect on my behalf, that this is more pressing than a silly sporting event that won’t do much to improve relations in the long term.”
Frowning, King Nova wished he could disagree. But this tournament was merely one step in numerous he envisioned in slowly ensuring peace. Baby steps, to avoid another conflict.
Even so, King Nova knew he had to send someone.
Sensing his thoughts almost, Queen Aurora offered aloud, placing a reassuring hoof on Celestia and Luna’s backs in succession as she remarked: “I’ll go. It would be best if one of us stayed here, and you and I agree that magical matters as Starswirl likely has concerns with is more my expertise.”
With a smile of thanks, King Nova softly kissed Aurora in thanks, the Alicorn queen departing with Captain Blacksaddler.
As their mother left, Princess Celestia and Luna quietly whispered as they turned their eyes back to the field events:
“What do you think Starswirl wants?” Princess Celestia wondered aloud.
“If it is urgent, not something that bodes well.” Luna remarked soberly, to which King Nova also overheard, frowning himself as he now couldn’t get the subtle train of thought of a possible threat out of his head, one he hadn’t seen coming.
He only hoped it wouldn’t be too serious.

30 minutes later
Canterlot, Magical Academy
Starswirl’s study

Starswirl insisted on secrecy, as what had been told by Chack put doubts and paranoia in his mind. As soon as Queen Aurora had arrived, Captain Blacksaddler leaving the room to await them finishing, he decided to get introductions out of the way fast.
Queen Aurora however, already had seen Chack, but only once, when they first arrived in Equestria. And last time he’d had both arms and a whole tail.
As she quietly shuffled inside, Queen Aurora let slide that Starswirl had bowed to her more noticeably than Chack had, who had merely nodded his head with a curt expression as he stood from his seat.
Gesturing to Chack, Starswirl remarked: “Introductions will not take long, but in short, what I’ve learned, came from him. He has been a contact of mine, under a guise of a weapon forger in Nationalist territory.”
“A Nationalist infiltrator? Are they hiding something?” Queen Aurora asked, as she always was suspicious of the Alicorns leading them, particularly the Trumanes. Before Starswirl could reply, Chack shook his head, remarking bluntly:
“I wish. The one who cut a few bits off me had no faction to speak of.”
“But it is the circumstances of the attack that has my concerns. But I needed you or your husband, because it concerns a Wizard who was in Equestria before I returned, who vanished 49 years before I returned. The Savant.” Starswirl explained.
Sensing much more to this, Queen Aurora used her magic to pull a pillow seat over, gesturing slightly for the Wizard to sit. She noticed Chack had already sat back down on his chair, and couldn’t help but wince in sympathy at his half stump tail and missing left forearm, covered by a makeshift tunic.
The tale of Chack going on Starswirl’s behalf to the Savant guild, for any records of why he vanished, and if he did return as promised at the same time Starswirl remerged to find Chack and ultimately return. More importantly, to chase a supposed Unicorn who was spreading rumours of a supposed Savant linked individual, potentially influential, somewhere in Equestria, looking for followers.
That described Mare had been the same Unicorn that attacked Chack on the road back from the Guild, of whom he was injured, but he likely mortally wounded, likely.

“Are you certain she was not operating alone?”
“She clearly had influence from elsewhere, given what she’d spread word of in the guild already. She was merely an agent, but Chack blatantly used my seal to gain access to the archives, making him a target. They didn’t want him to return with anything he found it seemed, and sent her after him.”
Queen Aurora looked down, recalling her ruling days as Queen beside King Nova, before Starswirl returned, or Celestia was born: “Siral barely interacted with the royal family, or many Alicorns for that matter, beyond letters. He was rather mysterious.”
“Yes, he had a bad run in with a rogue Alicorn in his past, to make a long story short about his distrust.” Starswirl remarked.
“That mysteriousness explains why he so easily vanished, and why if he has returned, nopony has really found him.” Queen Aurora was pondering in thought right now, as Chack then remarked:
“But also about that one who attacked me. I met her before, years ago. In a skirmish in Salaman, she went beyond her required job in protecting your royal ambassador in protecting a corrupt leader I took out. It took me some searching, but she went to the Savant Guild.”
Starswirl had some documents on her, not much, but enough:
“Teal Quirt. Unicorn mare, she would be around 63 by now, and yet by Chack’s description, she displayed a rather youthful look for her age, which given Chack damaged her horn, would not have been as possible.” Starswirl remarked, as he then concluded:
“She may have gained her power by an outside source. According to some history, she left the Royal magic court because they began demoting her due to lessened magical ability by Chack’s hand, and not on good terms.”
“You believe an Alicorn may have been aiding her and maybe others from the Guild academy?” Queen Aurora asked, to which Starswirl shook his head:
“Not an Alicorn, but yes, perhaps a powerful Unicorn. I suspect that may still look to ‘recruit’ from the guild, which means whoever it is has an interest in it.”
“Siral maybe.” Chack remarked, to which Starswirl quickly hushed the curt Salamander, remarking:
“No. I knew him, assassination attempts and recruitment were never his style, he would keep to himself entirely, independent. Covert recruitment of followers is not Siral’s methods. I suspect a student of the Guild who feels it is a key place to recruit followers to their cause.”
Queen Aurora thought over the facts, and decided to make a preliminary decision: “My husband and I shall discuss the final idea, but I think I can speak for both of us when I say this warrants investigation. Knowing you Starswirl, I expect you and your friend here would have started without our approval.”
“She knows us too well.” Chack grumbled, while Starswirl paid the Salamander’s rumblings no heed.
“Precisely. But we shall keep this covert, though from time to time I may call upon magical using students from this academy, or the royal guard. I feel Chack will have to remain here until he has regrown his limbs.”
Nodding at this, Chack remarked: “Canterlot will be getting a new forgesmith, once my stuff is shipped from Nationalist territory over the next 2 weeks. Letters already sent”
Queen Aurora accepted this news, but she couldn’t help but ask the wizard with all seriousness, as Starswirl shuffled his blue cloak out of thought once again:
“You are certain this is not a Nationalist, Separatist, or heaven forbid, an insurgency amidst Royalists?”
“Clearly not. Despite any misgivings, as those silly games show, none of the factions in Equestria have any true reason to spoil these 5 years of peace. Whatever this new group is, they may be operating with a different agenda. What that is, I do not know.”
“Then let us hope that unknown is revealed before anything bad comes of it.” Queen Aurora remarked, to which Chack restrained the urge to gesture angrily to his missing arm and half tail.

Early Morning
June 14th, 74 BNM
Equestria, North Midland valley lake
Military Fortress, the Stone Citadel.
Basement halls, ‘forging’ chambers

The cauldron was broiling now, and yet the bubbling opaque grey liquid inside the 30 by 30-foot vat was cold as the northernmost seas.
Atop the walkway ‘viaduct’, Siral and a few mask wearing lab assistant ponies waited patiently, the Black Wizard’s scarred visage hidden beneath his grey cloak as he fired his grey horn.
She was ready.
A simple spell to awaken her, as he shot a small dart of grey magic into the liquid. Seconds later, the bubbling potion brew suddenly stilled, becoming like a dead, grey egg-like liquid now, almost like the white of an egg the colour of concrete.
The potion then flared a brighter grey, and then turned a fierce blue/grey colour.
A reverberating, almost clicking rumble, filled the chamber, as something stirred inside the liquid.
Casting his eyes around as the mixture dimmed, Siral saw it spring from the potion. A scaly white forearm, a draconic limb.
Bathed in the potion, the large form pulled itself from the vat, and as Siral and the others rushed down to the ground level at the base of the vats, it tumbled down the vertical side, landing in a crumpled heap covered in the grey potion.
Coming to a stop, Siral began working his magic, siphoning the grey potion off it. As he cleaned it off, it began to stagger onto its own legs, all 6 of them.
Like the carving showed, she was a sight to behold, though her eyes remained shut still as she stood up.
Her entire body was a grey colour, with a darker blue/grey, teal like spine of fur running along her entire frame, head to tail. But while the spine of her body was elongated Unicorn, the rest had been altered.
Her arms were scaly and bulky, mixing the dragon arms with the gorilla torso, The Unicorn mixed with the Gorilla, giving her upper body an upright stance, like a centaur’s in a way. Her lower body however, with its top half grey furred and blue mane spine atop it, had a brown coloured scorpion lower body, with 8 jagged legs, the front 2 having pincers on them to act as small grasping hands if need be. The tail was taken from the chimera part, as the serpent that formed the tail had no mind of its own, and was merely an eyeless serpent acting as yet another appendage for her to wield.
As ‘Teal Quirt’ staggered up, Siral beheld her new face. The gorilla features made her snout shorter, and her now greyer fur and teal coloured mane were marked with that which made her a true force to be reckoned with.
Her old horn was gone, her forehead smooth now, but in its place she now sported 4 Unicorn horns, curving slightly and tipped with dark blue points, all facing downwards and outwards, like a headpiece crown stretching down to her jawline almost.
Her dragon arm and one front pincer arm braced herself on the ground, while Siral spoke with a commanding magical voice:
“You are now greater than you could have ever been, and more. Never again will a defeat bring you low as before you are now. Most trusted servant of my will, arise. Teal, the first of a new breed of beings, to eclipse the Alicorns forever.”
At the last word, Teal Quirt’s now changed, poisonous and glowing green eyes burst open, her breath strong and calm as the clicking, throaty roar of her now rawer, deeper, commanding voice, filled the chamber.
“Yes master.”

Meanwhile
Early Morning
Canterlot, Magical Academy
Starswirl’s study

Starswirl had been mulling over some scrolls with his breakfast of bread and water, when he was suddenly stuck with a vague recollection, almost like a suddenly surging passing thought, akin to a folk song stuck in one’s head suddenly playing in their mind. Though perhaps, not as strongly as this one.
The Envious One: A cold hearted servant, scheming for power and revenge.
The chanted mantra of the prophecy, mentioning one of the 7 beings, struck Starswirl still as he bit into his bread, the scroll slipping from his magical grasp.
Putting a forehoof to his head, Starswirl collected his mind, but he couldn’t help but wonder where this had suddenly come from.
Perhaps this was a warning, that whatever it was going on had something to do with those prophesized threats.
All the more reason to try and unravel these hidden events and agendas as fast as possible.

Later that day
Midday
Equestria, North Midland valley lake
Military Fortress, the Stone Citadel.
Living quarters

She quickly grew stronger, and slowly was getting used to her now 8 scorpion legs, 2 of which were small gripping claws as well. Now, she was bigger than any Alicorn would ever be, and more powerful, once she honed her abilities.
Before the others were called to see her fully ‘recovered’, Teal had already found that, true to Siral’s predictions, transformation magic was much, much easier now.
But ahead of her, staring at her with mixed reactions, were the other 5 who she knew were lined up by Siral for similar enhancements, by choice, or by force. She would have chosen anyway, as she’d said to Siral, but circumstances forced her unconsciously to need them.
Walking forwards, Teal saw the stares, and gauged their reactions for future reference.
Golmov, the 50 foot [shrunken for now] black and yellow striped dragon, seemed to stare with interest, his senses detecting the now much greater latent power in her, and a much greater ‘presence’ by any senses he had. He may have second thoughts, but the greedy dragon seemed open to volunteering for enhancements now that he sensed the changes made.
Odi-Viscer, the bald grey Earth pony stallion, stared with some trepidation, but curiosity. He was stunned by her change, scared almost, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He feared her, he respected her. And he knew that could be a danger for him, and others. He wanted that power, as that meant nopony could pose a threat to him, he could BE the threat, and let the world be his anger management tool, once he’d dealt with the Alicorns, one of whom ruined his life.
Satio, the gluttonous but kind Minotaur male, was unnerved by her appearance, but there were some thoughts as he turned to give a brief glance down at his less than intimidating, fat body. A sense of empowerment that he felt in Teal made him feel inadequate, as he saw how much he could change things to make life easy with that power, ease his need to satiate his gluttony which was borne of his insecurities and love of simple things.
Iena, the pale green Pegasus with the white mane, openly had some repulsion at Teal’s form, but as soon as Teal had showcased just how easy transformation came to her, her eyes grew alight to the possibilities of disguise, altering her appearance, for a large variety of things. How easy it would be to manipulate, or even just keep her body she was proud of, in its prime with such magic. Like Satio, she saw such power as the end of all her struggles in life, and a bolster to her own talents.
Lady Ave-Dol however, couldn’t help but feel some sympathy and reservation about this all. She was an Alicorn, she already had great power, but at the sight of how intrigued, hopeful after the initial shock as well, that the other 4 were at Teal’s newfound power, she felt it would be wrong to warn them.
And yet, the pale blue and yellow maned Alicorn mare couldn’t help but feel sorry that whenever Teal fully let her guard down, that would be her true form. She looked to Siral, and shot a look of sadness as she knew he had predicted that experimental potion might do this to her.
But behind the Black Wizard’s façade of humbly introducing Teal to the others, he was ecstatic. The power he could give them was luring the 4 others in like fish to bait, and only Lady Ave-Dol, as expected for one without such an Alicorn or misfortune influenced life, had reservations about wielding improvements herself.
Never mind for now, she would be the last anyway among those here.
The Black Wizard saw all the pieces falling into place, and once more were enhanced, he would make his first few more open moves, and if he hadn’t caught on, finally let his ‘old friend’ know he was back.

Author's Notes:

The first of the 7 enhanced beings has now been born. The being of Envy, the former Unicorn mare Teal Quirt, shortened to Teal.
Not every sin being shall have as complex a design as Teal’s, but all will be formed of a variety of ‘parts’.
6 of the 7 ‘Sin’ beings will have their eye colours altered to mirror the colours associated with their respective sin references, e.g. green for envy.