//------------------------------//
// Intro 
// Story: Harmony's Call 
// by LostGuardianNexor 
//------------------------------//


In the grim darkness of the Nightmare Crusades, there was only war.


Brother fought brother, cities fell to the dark forces of Discord, and above all other horrors, our grandest princess Celestia was slaughtered by her own flesh and blood, the wicked Nightmare Moon.

These were dark times for our small kingdom of Equestria, and all seemed lost as more and more land was claimed by the evil princess. But when it seemed like we were about to lose, when Nightmare Moon descended upon the bordering kingdom of the Crystal Empire, something amazing happened.

The Elements of Harmony, the six virtues that define the ultimate magic of Friendship, awoke from their century-long slumber and shone above the kingdom like beacons of hope. It was then that the valiant princess, Mi Amore Cadenza, wrought the power of Friendship through her horn and banished Nightmare Moon to the darkest depths of Discord, to be eternally held down by the tortured souls of those she murdered.

A sense of peace filled Equestria as the land under her rule fell back into ponydom's hooves. There was rejoice, jubilation of which had never been seen before, and the princess was dubbed the new queen of Equestria, to be eternally sustained by the loyalty and love of her subjects.

Many years passed under her rule, and ponydom prospered. It wasn't until the 24th century that Cadance turned her gaze to the stars. With her careful assistance, ponydom stretched out a gentle hoof into the blackness of the void, Harmony lighting their path. Over many decades, the kingdom of Equestria became the Equestrium, a galaxy-wide territory containing more than a million worlds. Cadance was it's leader, in spirit and faith; revered as Goddess of the sun and moon.

But despite the magic sustaining her life-force, Cadance passed away at the dawn of the 29th century, and yet with her death, the people's devotion to her only increased. Soon, people began to lead religious crusades on those who did not see Cadance as Goddess, branding those not of faith as heretics and executing them in her name. Discord began to spread once more throughout the Equestrium; a time bomb just waiting to burst.

And burst it did. Cadance's most trusted adviser, Trixie the Great, saw a new world when she looked into the seductive fires of Discord; an empire ruled by her through the power of Nightmare. She pledged her soul to Discord, and through her body allowed Nightmare Moon to re-enter the material world. This event, known as the Trixie Heresy, was one of the darkest times in pony history since the Nightmare Crusades. Hundreds of worlds were lost, and many of the Equestrium's greatest defenders were torn asunder. It once again seemed like all was lost, with no Goddess to stop the Nightmare and nopony brave enough to defend the Equestrium from Discord's twisted followers.

Once again, Harmony found a way by hunting down the new champion. It found her on the small agri-world of Terra, a young pony by the name of Faust, and bestowed upon her the highest state of ponydom: the form of an Alicorn, the same shared by the Goddess. She traveled to the Equestrium's capitol world, Equestria, and there encountered the queen of Nightmare. Her Discordian magic was strong, but Friendship eventually overtook her and Nightmare Moon found herself in the fires of Discord again, even more souls gathered to constrain her for eternity.

Dubbed the new lord of the Equestrium, Faust made it her duty to keep ponydom safe from Discord, projecting a field of magic across the Equestrium known today as the Harmonium which would keep people safe from its temptations even if they traveled through the plane of Discord itself.

Happiness spread throughout the worlds, only to be crushed by many more threats; violent alien races from beyond the Ultima Harmonia, like the psychic Eldeer or the barbaric Hogs. But rather than hide, the Equestrium instead took up arms and fought to preserve peace.

That time is now. Everypony shall wage war for their galaxy's safety, from the bio-engineered soldiers known as Space Mareines to the humble ponies of the Equestrian Guard. Everyone shall fight, and all those after us as well, because in the grim darkness of our future, there is only war; just as it was during the Crusades, so it shall be.