//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Oldest of Tomes // Story: Before the Age of Harmony // by Ex-Nihilos //------------------------------// Chapter 1: The Oldest of Tomes The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it. ~James Bryce Long before the rule of Celestia and before Discord ruled over Equestria ponies lived in a brand new world and faced hardships that only pioneers could after escaping the wrath of the harsh winters brought by the Windigos. They lived simply; ponies, unicorns, and pegasi in new found friendship lived in harmony together and peace blessed their new land. With their new home came new experiences and the ponies had to learn about the native things that lived in Equestria before them. Many a fantastic creature made their home in the Everfree Forest and the lands beyond it. From Manticores to Buffalos and Hydras to serpents the ponies learned what was dangerous and what was safe. Slowly they grew accustomed to these animals and lived with them in their new land. No other creature though had such an impact on them than the Dragons of Equestria. The Dragons themselves were not natives to Equestria but had settled it long before ponies. They had left their own land for unknown reasons that no pony knows. Some Dragons chose to accept the ponies with open arms and taught the ponies how to best grow new crops and even shared with the pegasi the secrets to how the weather in Equestria was created, though the secret of how it could be controlled was kept only to dragons. Most dragons though kept to themselves in hidden coves with their treasure and hidden knowledge, they cared little for the change that ponies brought to Equestria. The dragons lived with the ponies under the rule of their two leaders and the self-appointed rulers of Equestria. Two brothers who shared the responsibility of keeping Equestria safe, together they changed the seasons and each day rose the Sun and each night rose the moon. The First Brother, the eldest, was known as the Summer Dragon by ponies but was better known as Solar the Golden by his brethren dragons. It was he that brought the Sun and brought the warm pleasant springs and Summers. It was he that helped all things grow and turn green. Serious and proud he was a Bastion of the light, justice, and truth. No outside danger could threaten Equestria with the Golden Dragon standing vigilant. The Second Brother was known as Zephyr the White but to ponies he was affectionately referred to as the Frost Dragon or even more affectionately named Frosty. It was he who brought the cold Northern Winds to begin the tranquil times of Autumn and Winter. It was he who rose the moon in the cool nights and let the stars shine. Calm, gentle, and wise he made sure that each harvest was bountiful and that there was never a harsh winter. It was he that kept away the Windigos and taught the Unicorns much of about Magic and its workings. Of the two great brother he was closest to the ponies when he did not slumber deeply in the summers. Together the two brothers ruled over the dragons and kept Equestria safe. Slowly though discontent between the two brothers grew as their opinions of the ponies changed. Solar the Golden became arrogant in his rule. He looked down upon the ponies as his subjects and demanded from them tribute of their crops and riches during his rule of spring and summer. The amount was small and what the ponies already gave, so all was content. Zephyr demanded nothing and instead befriended the ponies. He spent his time with them. He let the pegasi fly with him to bring the winds and taught them how they could control the weather as well, much to the dismay of the Elder brother who remained silent of his brother’s order of rule. To the Unicorns Zephyr showed them the extent of magic and all that it could do beyond the simple levitation, raising of the sun and moon, and lighting. He was with them in their celebrations of Hearth Warming Eve and shared with them his own stories. A tension began to grow between the two brothers over this difference in treatment of the ponies. Zephyr disliked his brother’s demand of tributes and Solar chastised his younger brother for being so close to the ponies and not acting like a ruler. Springs and summers began to shrink as the two brothers demanded their times of summer and winter respectfully be lengthened. Things changed when Solar the Golden Dragon discovered The Magical Elements, an ancient set of six artifacts of immense power of legend that supposedly existed far beyond the existence of dragons. Zephyr was cautious with these artifacts and extended this caution to his brother. The proud Gold Dragon did not listen though and saw himself now truly as a god among all. He rose the demands of his tributes and forced ponies to see him as their rightful king and ruler. Anxiously the lesser brother watched from his fitful slumbers as his brother grew drunk with power and abused the Magical Elements. One summer the ponies agreed to no longer pay the exuberant tribute Solar the Golden demanded. The Summer Dragon was enraged and brought a drought to Equestria. It was the longest and most barren summer since the ponies came to Equestria and when it came time for autumn Solar refused to relinquish his rule. Zephyr began to see the change in his brother as the Summer Dragon became a tyrant. The dragon of the wind confronted his brother finally of the suffering that he had brought to Equestria and the oppression he showed the ponies. Solar disregarded his brother as naïve and continued on with his rule. Zephyr in his love for his brother did nothing for he wished not to strike him down. The eternal summer continued until the crops withered away and little food remained. Solar blamed the ponies and with his allied dragons brought fire to the ponies cities. The Frost Dragon could no longer stay quiet as towns burned and ponies suffered. Zephyr confronted his brother again and did not allow his pleas to fall on deaf ears. He chased away or defeated the dragons loyal to Solar, infuriating the elder brother. Solar finally met with his brother who demanded that Solar relinquish the Magical Elements and to stop the madness he had created. Solar in his rage accused his brother of jealousy and claimed that Zephyr wanted the elements to himself. The two dragons attacked one another and in their fight they brought great destruction to Equestra. For countless days the two fought until Solar's own arrogance became his undoing. Wishing to end the battle with his brother Solar sought to gain the power of the earth itself. Solar took to a great volcano with the power of the Magical Elements in hopes of gaining the enormous power of the fiery volcano yet weary from his fight Solar lost his grasp upon the Magical Elements and fell into a great pit of molten rock that he had created. Zephyr in this chance managed to take the magical elements from his brother. Solar could not escape the Volcano on his own and sank into the center of it, and in his last breathe he swore vengeance against all of Equestria and Zephyr. Zephyr, guilt ridden, plunged the volcano into an eternal blizzard and covered the top of the mountain in a glacier to entomb his brother within. With his brother's prison made the great White Dragon brought order to Equestria again on his own. Fearing the allure the Magical Elements as well as the power it held Zephyr hid them away so none but himself could find it. The ponies accepted him but out of fear and loathing more than love. They did not accept him now that they knew the extent of destruction Zephyr could create. The dragon saw then that the time of dragons was coming to an end. With the knowledge that he had taught them the ponies could rule equestrian on their own without his help and so the Zephyr dragon told them to learn from the mistake of dragons and to rule Equestria rightly. Before he left though he returned to the hiding spot of the Magical Elements and with what strength he had left he used the elements one final time to change their own nature. He changed them into the Elements of Harmony and made it so that only those that truly embodied the elements that created peace could use them. The six elements became those of loyalty, generosity, kindness, honesty, laughter, and magic. No longer able to use the elements and content with how he left the world Zephyr departed into a slumber deep in the Evergreen Forest to watch Equestria grow in his dreams... Placing the book down Twilight Sparkle took a moment to think about what she had just read. The Dusty old tome with the picture of a Gold and White Dragon had told a tale so fantastic she wasn’t sure she believed it if it hadn't been found right here in her own library. Spike had found it this morning hidden behind one of the old bookshelves of her home, or rather it had been lodged between the wall and the shelf to be forgotten until it was stumbled upon by the dragon during the young unicorn’s ceremonial reshelving of the library. The words were archaic and written like a poetic ballad and at first Twilight found it hard to read but thanks to her knowledge of old texts she was quick to become accustomed to the words used by the book and understand the tale that it told. She would never have even guessed such a story like this existed as only a few books still existed about the times before Discord and after Equestria was founded. Most ponies just assumed nothing important happened in that short time and they especially did not figure that ponies had once lived with such terrifying creatures such as dragons. Even more was the story it told, the vague account of how two brothers fought each other for control of Equestria. If this Zephyr dragon hadn’t won who knows what could have become of Equestria. Perhaps it wouldn’t even have existed? This was something that had to be discussed with the Princess Twilight decided. If anyone knew the complete history of Equestria it would be her. “Spike?” she called out to her faithful assistant but when no answer came she left the dusty tome to find him. Her first guess proved to be her best as she found the baby dragon asleep in his bed. Twilight smiled softly at the snoozing dragon, shaking her head she figured the letter could wait until morning. Returning to the old tome see took one final look at the cover. The two dragons, one gold and the other white, circling each other in front of the picturesque of the four seasons around the six arranged Elements of Harmony was faded yet in its prime it must have looked magnificent. Vaguely though she could make out the expressions upon the dragon’s faces, or perhaps it was just the trick of her mind. Which ever it was it the young filly could swear she could see the glare and the anger in the eyes of the Golden Dragon, and the sadness in the White Dragon's...