//------------------------------// // Prologue - The Rise and Fall // Story: Harmony's Evolution // by ParsleyParsnips //------------------------------// Ponyville Quintilis 26th 1090 4:37pm Ponyville, a small secluded village at the centre of the grand kingdom known as Equestria, was enjoying a day of peace. The birds were chirping and the critters gathered food. A pink pony known to the locals as Pinkie Pie was hopping down the many pathways with her Pegasus friend, Fluttershy. They were out delivering muffins to the many members of the community on the way back from Sweet Apple Acres to the south, where Rarity, an artistic Unicorn, was helping Applejack, a work-horse, with her dress for her cousin Braeburn's wedding in Appleloosa. Whilst bouncing through the centre of Ponyville, cheerily throwing muffins left, right and centre, the friends looked and saw a cyan Pegasus zoom through the sky, performing many amazing feats of daring acrobatic ability. Nearing their final destination they noticed a purple Unicorn practising some new types of transmogrification spells with her dragon companion. "Twilight, are you sure this is safe?" Spike concernedly asked. "Of course, Spike..." Twilight replied, raising her eyebrow. "Don't you trust me?" "Yes..." Spike replied hesitantly. Twilight lifted her horn, and suddenly a bright magenta aura materialized around Spike, lifting him off of the grass. She closed her eyes and gripped her hooves tight, a beam of energy emerged from her horn - the next moment, Spike flailed around in clear distress and with something strangely wrong with his limbs. Twilight's eyes remained closed. "Hi everypony!" Pinkie Pie shouted, hopping up to them both. Upon hearing Pinkie's voice, Twilight's eyes opened... ...but before her, for some peculiar reason, she could see nothing but endless white. As Spike dropped from his levitated state he watched his limbs slowly reshape themselves to their normal position. Pinkie and Fluttershy stepped forward. "Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "Are you alright?" At that precise moment, Twilight snapped out of her strange trance. Her eyes returned to normal and spiralled into focus, viewing her two friends in front of her. Strange buzz aside, she turned to Pinkie in outrage. "PINKIE!" Twilight shouted, turning to face the young mare. "WHY DID YOU SNEAK UP ON US?!" She sat down on the grass in a huff, next to Spike. "We came to give you these muffins, silly!" Pinkie said joyfully, revealing a basket full of delicious home-baked muffins - which made Twilight's ears perk up. "Wow, they look delicious! Thanks for making- whooooa!" Twilight's thanks were abruptly cut off as, out of nowhere, the basket was lifted up. Slowly, but surely, it was rising into the air. Pinkie and Fluttershy both looked at Twilight - but no, she wasn't making it levitate. Somepony, or something, was making it lift up into the sky. And from the thin air in front of them, there appeared a mysterious being, with apparent hold on the basket of muffins. Floating off into the wind, the ponies were sure they heard it say the word "Muffins..." as it vanished. Fluttershy turned to Twilight, evidently mystified by that strange event, but with the feeling she needed to apologize. "Oh, we are very sorry for bothering you Twilight." "That's okay, Fluttershy. I needed a break from practice anyway," Twilight responded. "What was that thing?" "Ooh, another guessing game? Whee! Maybe it was-," Pinkie was just about to launch into a list of names before Twilight shushed her. 9:48pm "Well it has been lovely catching up with you girls," Twilight said a few moments later back at her library. "I think I should retire now, though." "You aren't that old yet, Twilight," Pinkie joked, making Twilight giggle. "No, Pinkie," Fluttershy said, "She means she should go home." "Okey-dokey-lokey!" said Pinkie. After a quick hug, the three said goodbye and began to head back to their homes. However, as they looked upon the sunset, all three of them stopped for a moment - something seemed out of place. That sunset came a little bit too quickly. Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy couldn't quite tell what it was, but it was as if the very air around them had turned alert. They looked into the distance, looking for something that was seemingly wrong, but none of them could put a hoof on it. Suddenly, as if by transcendent means, there appeared something on the horizon. It was a dark, intimidating aurora, similar in appearance to a dark storm cloud, but with a very unnerving presence. The ponies watched it for a moment, somewhat expecting it to pass by, but they soon realized that the dark haze was approaching Ponyville with alarming speed. It was swallowing up the orange sunset, shrouding Ponyville in a dusky gloom - it was as if night had come quickly, but the atmosphere was distinctly malicious - and for Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy, they were extremely unsettled. Twilight was quick on the mark - this could be one of many evil forces that she'd already faced, and this time she'd be sure that it was put to an end before any serious dangers appeared. "Pinkie, I need you to round up Rarity and Applejack," she instructed. Pinkie nodded, and bolted off towards Sweet Apple Acres - just as other ponies were peering out of their windows wondering what had happened to the sky. "Fluttershy, I'll need you to fetch Rainbow. She should be at her house at this time." "Okay," Fluttershy said quietly, but with as much confidence as she could. She fluttered up to Rainbow's cloud house over in the fields, as more ponies spilled out onto the streets to look up at the troubling shade of their normally twinkling night. This wasn't the dark blue sky that Luna would put up - this was a sinister grey. "What are you going to do Twilight?" Spike asked, having just come out of the library. "I'm going to gather up the Elements of Harmony, just in case. Then I'm going to find Discord, and see if he can help." Pinkie Pie appeared at Sweet Apple Acres, hoping to find Rarity and Applejack. A speedy search of the farm winded up with them nowhere to be found. Fluttershy was faring no better, as Rainbow Dash wasn't in her house either. What both ponies did find, however, was a note. They both read: "I'm at the town square. Meet me there if you're looking for me!" Upon reading it, both ponies raced back to the town square. Fluttershy flew down from upon high and fluttered over the town square, scouring the area for any sign of her friends. Just as was written on the note; Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity were at the town square, evidently rattled, along with other ponies trying to meet up with their own friends. Fluttershy spotted a pink haze weaving through ponies crash into Applejack and Rarity, being tossed aside into boxes and bags. She winced as barrels came toppling down upon the three ponies. Fluttershy flew over the growing crowd to her friends, helping them up from their accident. “Now what in tar'nation?” AppleJack pondered. "Yeah, what is going on?" Rainbow said aloud, flying a few feet up in the air. Pinkie let out a shrug, “Well I'm not entirely sure.” "Well, um, I'm not sure either," Fluttershy said. "Twilight just told me and Pinkie to gather up everypony so that we'd be safe." "Oh, what in Equestria is this dreadful night?!" Rarity said dramatically. "Simmer down Sally," Applejack said. "I got a hunch." The group left the puzzled town square, and headed for Twilight's library. As they entered, they saw Twilight up on a shelf. Twilight immediately threw them their Elements of Harmony. "Okay, girls! I believe I have found the cause of this strange occurrence," Twilight said, putting on as stern and serious a voice as she could. Her five friends listened in as she announced: "It is Discord!" There was silence. Fluttershy stepped forward, "Ar-Are you sure, Twilight?" she said quietly. "I mean... he has changed." "I am sure he has, but you haven't seen him do terrible things, as I have," Twilight responded. "Plus, if he is behind this, we can use the elements against him to reverse everything." "B-but what if you're wrong?" Fluttershy pressed with a mixed tone of disbelief and anxiety. "Well... if I AM wrong, then nothing will happen. The aurora will still be here. Then, well, we can just release him no harm done! Is everypony in agreement?" They all nodded, donning their Elements of Harmony. The fields just beyond Ponyville were even darker than the main town, as no lights from windows could make things visible. This became evident to the girls as they reached the fields after they came from the library in search of Discord. "I better create some light," Twilight said, using her horn to create a magical light - but just as she did so, all six jumped back in fright. Discord, as menacing as could be, was standing there in delirious laughter. "You really thought I changed, didn't you?" Discord said maniacally. "Discord! I knew it!" Twilight shouted. "Alright, girls, let's show him! Elements activate!" The ponies stood firm, and their Elements of Harmony began to shine brightly. A wondrous glow came from Twilight's eyes, and she began to levitate, lifting her friends alongside her. And in the most amazing burst of power, there exploded a familiar yet magnificent rainbow, which leapt across the sky and smashed down on Discord. He raised a paw against the colourful onslaught, but couldn't do anything as he slowly but surely turned into the stone statue of his origin. But it didn't end there - after the rainbow faded, another, even larger rainbow leapt from them. It shot up high into the sky and exploded cataclysmically, sending rainbows in all directions, cutting through the thick aurora and restoring the natural night. The ponies were exhilarated. As they touched down back on the ground after their powerful double rainbow, they all cheered at their success... apart from Fluttershy. "Umm, girls? The- The Elements..." The ponies turned away from Discord, wondering what Fluttershy was talking about. "Hey, you're right - The Elements! We're not wearing them anymore... where have they gone?" Twilight looked around, searching for where they might have gone. "Th-that was what I was saying, um... look," Fluttershy timidly pointed to something on the grass. The ponies looked at where she was pointing - and saw the Elements of Harmony; in pieces. Destroyed. "Oh no, The Elements!" Twilight darted over to them, looking at their remains in despair. This couldn't be possible - their double rainbow was incredibly powerful, but how could the Elements of Harmony have been shattered? As Twilight desperately tried to restore the Elements of Harmony back to their seamless state, Fluttershy carefully stepped through, over to the fallen statue of Discord. She laid her hoof upon the stony figure, holding back her tears. "Goodbye, friend." Twilight stopped, and looked over at Fluttershy. She realised the most enormous bond, even if she didn't feel it herself, between Fluttershy and Discord. Twilight trotted over to her and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Fluttershy. I'm sure we'll find a way to release him," she said softly. She turned towards the restored night sky. "Someday." Fluttershy allowed herself a small smile - Twilight could be so reassuring to her at times. Looking down once more at the broken Elements, clearly irreparable, she slowly walked back to her cottage. Area Unknown 10:17pm "My Queen; the decoy was a success," a raspy voice said. "Those meddling mares have imprisoned the rogue Draconequus." The queen, sitting quietly on her throne, spoke two words without looking up from her dark floor gaze; “Very good.” She rose from her throne, hovering over towards a balcony. "What of the elements?" The subject responded, head bowed down in respect, “Destroyed.” The Elements of Harmony, destroyed – for this queen, such brilliant news could only bring her to laugh maniacally with glowing eyes of evil. As her laughter grew ever louder, she was caught unaware by a ringing echoing throughout the throne room. Ears perked in recognition, the Queen stepped sideways, craning her neck to look at a small, green orb at the back of the room hovering over a table. She stepped over to the orb and placed her hoof on top. There came a cold voice; "Chrysalis, I assume everything went to plan?" "Of course it did," the Queen responded. "One of the streams should be heading in your direction." "Mm, yes... I see it now." The cold voice looked up from his green orb; he could see the rainbow-coloured wave head across the air. His horn glowing a bright yet dark colour, he fired a sinister bolt of magic into the oncoming spectrum – to which it transitioned from its multiple vibrant shades to a single, pitch dark and malicious tone. 'Soon my slaves, very soon you shall return to me' he thought, licking his lips. The King watched the darkened shock wave slowly but surely invade the starry navy of the night – watched it collide, unexpectedly, with what appeared to be a lone Pegasus up at the same altitude. He allowed himself a grim smile as he saw the grisly effects of the distorted wave take place – the Pegasus had turned a fiery red with an enormous glow, and had proceeded to viciously raze a nearby town. The Sovereign spoke back into his orb; "Chrysalis, it seems as if we have succeeded." "Excellent. Enjoy the show?” "Yes, it was...enlightening."