Chapter 4
A Brief History
Long ago, when Equestria was still young, the draconequi ruled the land with an iron fist. Chaotic, merciless, and cruel, the land quailed before its tyrannical king, Discord.
After millennia of Discord’s unbearable dominion, the Elder Ones, who ruled from behind the Veil, and were powerful beyond imagination, decided to bring about a new race to rule Equestria: the noble alicorns. Led by their king, Hemerus, and their queen, Nocturna, the alicorns met the draconequi in battle.
As the Elder Ones watched, however, they realized that it was a losing battle; the draconequi were simply too strong. So, they blessed the king and queen with the most powerful weapons known to ponykind: the Elements of Harmony. With them, the alicorns turned the tides of war and obliterated the bulk of the draconian army.
When they finally arrived at Discord, they were met with the most powerful force they had yet encountered. For every draconequus that died in battle, the draconian king gained said draconequus’ power. Even armed with the Elements of Harmony, the king and queen soon realized that they would never conquer Discord. And so, each monarch made a sacrifice.
King Hemerus, Lord of the Day, sacrificed his power such that his eldest daughter, Celestia, would inherit it. Queen Nocturna, Lady of the Night, sacrificed her power such that her youngest daughter, Luna, would inherit it. Finally, with their dying breaths, the two monarchs cast a spell that imprisoned Discord and the rest of the draconian elite in an alternate dimension in which time did not flow for the next twenty years, while the princesses’ powers grew strong enough to defeat Discord.
When fifteen years had passed, Discord’s two sons, Despair and Destruction, broke free from their bonds. They decided to attack each princess individually. The elder, Destruction, attempted to Ruin Celestia’s pure heart, while the younger, Despair, attempted to erode Luna’s strong will with Hopelessness. Both underestimated the princesses’ strength, and were vanquished. However, to this day, it is said that Princess Celestia’s greatest fear is the Ruination of her people, and that Nightmare Moon had succumbed to the Hopelessness of living in Celestia’s shadow.
When the twenty-year mark had passed, Discord escaped from his prison, and Chaos once again began to rule Equestria. Armed with the Elements of Harmony, the two princesses met Discord in battle. When the Lord of Chaos saw the Elements, he laughed in their faces, telling them of how their parents had utterly failed to defeat him with them. As strong as the bond was between Hemerus and Nocturna, stronger still was the bond between Celestia and Luna; wielding the Elements with raw power never seen before—or since—Celestia and Luna overcame Discord with ease, trapping him in a statue for all of eternity. And ever since, until the incident with Nightmare Moon, Equestria has been ruled in peace.*
* However, it has been said that when the time is right, the Sons of Chaos will once again walk the land, and free their father. Although powerful apart, legend has it that the three together are completely invincible.