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// Prologue: The History of the Elements of Power 
// Story: The Lost Power 
// by helix412 
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	Everyone has heard about the Elements of Harmony and how they, along with their wielders, have saved Equestria multiple times over. However, the other half of the history, the whole reason that the Elements succeeded, has been lost.  In the beginning, there was Discord.  He was to keep the world at peace. Unfortunately, from the moment he was created, his mind was twisted, constantly craving chaos.  The Mother of All Things decided that the world needed balance, so she created Celestia and Luna to bring peace and subdue Discord, as she herself lacked the ability to do so.  

After 200 years of peace, Discord had had enough of their attempts to seize his power. The sisters counteracted the chaos he created, so he created three servants, the “Sumes”,  to do his dirty work while he held off the sisters.  He spent two years gathering the materials for his servants of disharmony. Nocturne, the embodiment of fear and unrest, was created from a thorny rose, a thunder cloud and a flare from Celestia’s sun; Thanatares, embodiment of anger and rage, was created from the horns of a bull, the muscle of an ox, and a rock from Luna’s moon; and Contonin, embodiment of sadness and resentment, was created from a tear from Discord, a raincloud, and a feather from each alicorn princess.  When he was finished he looked at his creations, and he knew he was in the presence of what would become the three most feared creatures in Equestria. He sent them off to do their work, with the words “It will fall into disarray, and its leaders with it.” The Mother of All Things looked upon Discord, and regretted that she created this being that would stop at nothing to destroy the world. She couldn’t destroy him, for that was not her place, but she could help the world defend itself.  

After careful planning and preparation, the protective measures were ready: the Elements of Power; Will, Spirit and Strength. A problem, however, quickly became evident. There was no one to accept them, except for the ones who lived on the world below.  While looking for the right ones to wield the Elements of Power, she decided that they would find their own masters.  Thus, she released them on the world, giving them the ability to seek out potential wielders, beings who represented their given traits. Time, however, was growing thin as the Sumes began to gain power.  It didn’t take long for the Elements to find their respective masters, who were avid allies of Celestia and Luna, members of their guard, who followed the sisters in hope of bringing peace to the land of disarray. They would become the key to the fall of Discord and his demons.

One of the guards was a captain of the troops, another was a flight specialist, and the third was an intelligence and reconnaissance agent. They all had something in common: they trusted indefinitely that they had the strength, will, and trust in each other to overcome any obstacle or foe that they might face.

Once the guards received the Elements, they went to the Princesses to tell them about their new abilities. It was already evident by the physical changes that took place as a result of the new powers that they could be used. It was decided that Celestia and Luna would take care of Discord, while the three held off the Sumes.  As the battle began, the guards realized that the Elements had weaknesses, but were able to hold them off long enough for the Princesses to seal Discord in stone along with the Sumes.

Or so they thought.

When the Sumes were presumed gone, the guards were released so that they could live their lives in peace, but were advised to be ready if Discord and his Sumes returned. They vowed to do so and left with the biggest ceremony in Equestrian history.  The Element of Will met an herbalist, built what is now Zecora’s hut, and lived there in peace for the rest of his days.  The Element of Trust didn't enjoy the forest, so he created a cottage on its edge, caring for all who wandered by.  The Element of Strength wanted nothing more than to keep his family happy, and did so by creating a small apple orchard that formed a basis for a future, larger farm.

As the years rolled on, Equestria fell into another period of peace that would stay until Discord returned to have his revenge far in the future.  The wielders of the Elements of Power lived their lives, quiet and happy, and when they died the Elements existed in the form pendants that their families kept safe to be passed down for generations until forgotten.  These pendants held the abilities of the Element along with the natural abilities of the user; one held the strengths of an earth pony, the other magic of a unicorn, and the last the flight of a Pegasus.  Unfortunately, the Elements were lost; one lost to a feud and stolen, another to a careless foal in the new orchard, and the last to somepony’s paranoia, hidden and forgotten.  Thus, the Elements were lost to time until they were needed again to defend the Elements of Harmony and their wielder(s).

A few hundred years later, Nocturne escaped and went looking for revenge on the two sisters. He found Luna as she was raising the Moon, and turned her into a nightmare; Nightmare Moon. The wielders of the Elements of Power were gone by this time, so Celestia resorted to her only other option: the Elements of Harmony.  When Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon, Nocturne went with her, but Celestia feared that the other Sumes were loose and created the Royal Guard in hope that the Elements of Power would find new wielders. None presented themselves. Even then, neither she nor any pony else had any idea where the Elements were.  After the banishment of Nightmare Moon, the Griffon Kingdom, in the north, broke all connections to the pony government, and the fear or war enveloped both countries inhabitants. But no war or conflict ever ensued between the two countries; merely distrust and keeping a close eye on each other.

Although there was mistrust and hatred, there was no real threat to the Elements of Harmony. The Elements of Power simply remained dormant and hidden.  As time passed, the Elements of Power were lost to history, along with any memory of them or the Sumes. Even Celestia's memory about the Sumes faded overtime, the Elements of Power, and her motivations in forming the Royal Guard. But all was finally at peace.

Unfortunately, since there were few ponies capable of recording this moment in history, there was little to nothing recorded on the Elements or their wielders, dooming the knowledge of what they did or why they were created to obscurity. That brings us to the present, where the Elements are about to let their presence be known after their 2000 year sleep...