Twilight blinked as the blinding flash faded. She and all of her friends floated in a great nothingness. Each of the ponies and dragon were translucent, like ghosts. Discord's voice echoed from nowhere. "In order to understand what Gloomy is, you need to understand what I am. Technically we are the same type of being. Feel free to help yourself to popcorn and drinks during your 3D movie experience." Bags of popcorn and cups of apple juice appeared next to each of the surprised audience members. "I am a spirit, a being of pure magic given form and life. Unlike ponies, dragons, and other creatures, spirits are not born, we are made. Either by design or by chance we are shaped out of raw magic. This magic is usually natural, as naturally occurring magic is by far the strongest. You've encountered things like that before. Remember the mirror pool? The crystal heart is perhaps the strongest example of such magic. These are natural magics that formed and sustained themselves on their own, but never quite became alive. Every so often, when things are just right, the magic grants life. I don't remember when I awakened, but it was a very long time ago, long enough to make a thousand years look like that." A snapping noise came from all directions. A whole landscape appeared before them, it looked like Equestria, but there were no towns or cities, or even structures. Ponies grazed together in herds, the Sun and Moon moved on their own without magic to guide them.
"I was alive, but I had no identity, no consciousness. There were others like me, formless, shapeless, simple. We watched your ancestors with curiosity. Over time, your forerunners used tools, built shelters, worked magic." The landscape changed, huts appeared, then villages, then towns. "You ponies are the most magically gifted species I've ever seen, even the dragons can't match you. No offense Spike."
"None taken."
"Unicorns can directly manipulate magic, but pegasi and earth ponies have magical gifts of their own. Pegasi use a kind of inherent magic to enhance their flight and control weather and earth ponies channel magic through their bodies for great strength and their connection to land itself. Another manifestation of that magic is your cutie marks. To have your own special talent, your own place in the world is something other species dream of and covet. The spirits are no different, we wanted definition, complexity, and from ponies, we learned how to get it. Twilight, what is magic?" Twilight was surprised at the sudden question, but answered Discord like a true academic.
"Energy directed to perform a task through supernatural means."
"Good. What directs it?"
"Magic can be directed by thought, gestures, rituals, a mix of the right ingredients, or words."
"No, you're approaching it like an experienced mage. Think purer, more primal, more dangerous, more chaotic. Where do the magic surges of fillies come from?" Twilight paused, trying to think of an answer.
"Emotion," Sunset said.
"Good, and don't worry Twilight, this is not for a grade. Whenever the ponies feel strong emotions, good or bad, they unconsciously release magic colored by these emotions. This magic is imperceptible and usually fades into the background energy of the world, but spirits learned how to catch this magic and add it to themselves. The more magic was absorbed the stronger and more complex the spirit would become. Different spirits developed different 'tastes' and preferred some emotions over others. Some fed on only one emotion, some had a variety. We would eventually become an embodiment of the emotion or concept we fed on. Once that happened we could no longer change our true nature so easily. I was one of the first to achieve true consciousness. I feasted on the disharmony between ponies, your wild emotions, your disorder, your chaos. I believed that chaos was the true way of things, cause chaos is change, the universe itself is chaos. Chaos also proved to be among the most powerful of concepts, I gained the power I have today. I chose a form that reflected my ideals, a mix of everything thrown together into a glorious mess. Another spirit, the one you know as Harmony, chose to be the tree you know today. She wished to exist as one with the world without disturbing the delicate balance. Harmony was born from your positive emotions, your friendship, your love. She grew to be the most powerful spirit of all, yet she doesn't use that power for herself. She was inspired by the good in ponies and only uses her power for the good of all. She actually shares her magic with you ponies, I get the impression that she sees you as her children."
As Discord spoke events played out in the memory around them. Discord caused mischief across the land and Harmony's magic protected it. "This was long before I directly tried to conquer Equestria. Most of my work was minor back then. I usually just watched as you ponies caused your own chaos. Harmony and I existed in, well... harmony. I didn't realize why she tolerated me til much later. Turns out chaos itself is a part of harmony, you need chaos otherwise there is no change. Long as my actions weren't too big I didn't disrupt the balance. However, back then there was another spirit, a very strong one. You ponies called him many names over the eons: Apophis, Tchernabog, Ahriman, Erebus, the Bogeypony, and the Pony of Shadows to name a few."
"Hold on a minute, I thought the pony of shadows came from Nightmare Moon?" Applejack asked.
"The name was attributed to Nightmare Moon in the past millennium. A lot of these names were attributed to various monsters, mythologies, and stuff over time, but this thing was the original."
"I read about this in a book on ancient equine religions. The book said that Erebus was a devil figure in the legends of the original pony tribes. The stories themselves were lost to time. I didn't think it was ever real," Twilight said.
"Erebus drew power from your darker side. He reveled in your greed, your rage, your fear, your pain, your sorrow, and your hate. Bathing in such things made Erebus evil incarnate. He became quite powerful, but he wanted more. It was then that Erebus did something that no other spirit had done before. Instead of simply feeding off your natural emotions, Erebus started inspiring, provoking, and even forcing the emotions he wanted out of ponies. Erebus began tempting ponies to do wrong, he corrupted them with false promises and petty treasures. Ponies under his sway would steal, lie, cheat, hurt, and even kill for personal gain. As more and more ponies fell to darkness Erebus became so powerful that he could simply tear the power he needed out of ponies or anything else that had even a spark of usable energy."
A shadow fell across the land, ponies who once lived together in harmony were at each other's throats. Hate and conflict raged across ancient Equestria as wars ravaged the world. The land itself seemed to sicken and lose its color and life. A tear fell from Twilight's eye as she watched, even though it was just a memory, she could feel the magic of the world dying.
"The ponies that were still good realized what was happening and attempted to use their magic to banish Erebus and all who served him from the land. Harmony lent her magic to these virtuous ponies. The spirits themselves began to choose sides. Those that joined harmony wanted to protect the ponies and feared Erebus would drain the magic and life from the world. The servants of Erebus, ponies, animals, and spirits alike, feared what would happen if Erebus lost, then they would lose the power he gave them and face justice for their deeds."
A great battle raged across Equestria. Armies of ponies clashed in the land and sky. Animals, monsters, and dragons fought each other in a terrible chaos. Spirits unleashed their power. The bearers of harmony, Sunset, and Spike watched the memories unfold from high above in the sky.
"I didn't take part in the action. I honestly didn't care who won, as long as the war went on as long as possible. It was glorious chaos."
The landscape seemed to fast forward as days, months, and years went by in an instant. Finally the scene settled on a mountain. Twilight recognized it as Mount Canterlot, but the mountain was bare, no cities were built upon it. Around the base and in the sky above the mountain a great battle raged. The battle seemed to be nearing its end as one side surrounded the other and forced their army against the slope of the mountain. Twilight exhaled in relief as she noticed that the victorious side was waving banners depicting the Tree of Harmony.
"In the end, the mortal servants of Erebus failed and were forced to surrender to Harmony. She always did have a way of inspiring you ponies. She didn't even rule over you like Erebus did over his followers, she was content to simply be a symbol and asked nothing in return. The ponies that fought for her fought for their freedom. But Erebus was not done."
From the mountain's peak a great surge of magic shot into the sky and all at once the Sun vanished. It did not fade or set, it simply wasn't there anymore. The Moon hung alone in the sky, then it too vanished. One by one all the stars winked out until the sky was a great dark void.
"Erebus literally stole the sky, don't ask me how. It was a display of power, he demanded that all bow before him or they would never see the Sun, the Moon, or the stars again. Erebus would rather see the world freeze in the void than lose his power. But Harmony had an answer, she gave the ponies pieces of herself, the elements. They were created over thousands of years from the magic of friendship within the ponies. The heavens were restored, although now they no longer moved on their own, they needed magic to move. Whatever dark magics Erebus used likely caused permanent damage to reality."
A great rainbow of light shot from the armies of harmony up into the sky the celestial bodies returned. A solitary equine figure rose off the mountaintop and hovered in the air above it. They were too far away to make out details but there was something off about it, something that made every instinct scream to get as far away from it as possible. A flash of red light erupted from the figure and struck the mountain. The whole mountain shook and rumbled as the armies of harmony scrambled to escape. The peak suddenly exploded in a huge volcanic eruption. A deadly pyroclastic cloud raced down the mountain towards the army. There was no way they could escape in time.
"Erebus was angry, none who defied him could survive."
A small group of six ponies stood their ground as the army fled. They were too far away for Twilight to see clearly, but Twilight had a good idea of what was about to happen. The rainbow shot from the six and forced the volcanic cloud back. The ash, lava, smoke, and heat were pushed back up the mountain all the way to the peak. The figure at the top, undoubtedly Erebus himself, began rapidly attacking the six unknown heroes. Dark purple, blood red, sickly green, and pitch black magic auras struck them in a dazzling display of dark magic, but the rainbow shielded them like it had shielded Twilight and her friends from Tirek. With alarm, Twilight realized that the shield was cracking in places as it withstood the barrage, she had always assumed harmony was invincible, was Erebus truly that strong? The cloud now whirled around Erebus as he frantically attacked with lightning and fire, somehow withstanding the deadly heat and choking ash. The rainbow created a great vortex flowing into the shattered peak and Erebus was sucked down along with all the ash and smoke, still wildly firing off magic. In a great flash of light the entire mountain was restored and the peak made whole again with Erebus trapped deep inside. The mountain quaked for a minute longer then went still. A great cheer rang out from the armies of harmony.
"And so Erebus was chained deep in the earth and there was peace in Equestria. The spirits, creatures, and ponies that served Erebus either fled, hid, or became the first inhabitants of Tartarus. Over time the ponies formed three tribes, earth, pegasus, and unicorn. The rest you likely know from the history books."
"So that's how Equestria was made!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"How do you know all this stuff and why tell us everything? You haven't told us anything about yourself until now," Twilight asked.
"I know because one of my powers is clairvoyance. I'm basically nigh omniscient. I can know anything I want if I know what I'm looking for, I'm willing to look, and no one is actively hiding it. How do you think I already knew so much about you when we first met? I was keeping track of all six of you from my stone prison from the moment you became the bearers of harmony. As for why I'm telling you, it's because for once I believe you will need all the info you can get. For a second I thought Gloomy killed all of you and I refuse to let it get that close again."
"But what does this have to do with Gloom?" Sunset asked.
"Everything, Erebus is Gloomy's creator and the original source of his power."