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// Prologue 
// Story: The Cloud Knight Series Book One: Risen Wings 
// by Redstreak 
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Book 1 - Risen Wings











Prologue













From the ancient scrolls in the library of Canterlot:

        Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all different types of ponies.
        But as time went on, the sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night.
        One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her but the bitterness in the young one’s heart transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness, Nightmare Moon. She vowed she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to Ponyville, the Elements of Harmony.
        Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and harmony was maintained in Equestria for generations.
        However, on the longest day of the thousandth year, Nightmare Moon escaped from her lunar prison and once again brought fear to the ponies of Equestria. Her elder sister, Princess Celestia, entrusted her pupil, Twilight Sparkle, with the task of regathering the Elements of Harmony and defeating Nightmare Moon. 
Along the way, the young pupil acquired the friendships of five special ponies, each representing their own unique element: Applejack, the element of honesty; Fluttershy, the element of kindness; Pinkie Pie, the element of laughter; Rarity, the element of generosity; Rainbow Dash, the element of loyalty. In the end, Twilight Sparkle herself was revealed to be the embodiment of the lost element, magic. Through their combined efforts, they were able to quell the beast within and restore Princess Luna back to her former self. Due to their heroics, these newfound friends were given the honorary title of the Mane Six. 
As time went on, these six ponies continued to courageously battle new dangers that threatened to disrupt the peace and unity of the land of Equestria. The Discord Incident, The changeling Uprising, The return of The Crystal Empire, even the ascent of Princess Twilight and her subsequent return to a royal-less existence, along with other monumental struggles, have become important markers in official history texts.
As their fame grew throughout the Equestrian Kingdom and throughout the surrounding countries, The Mane Six, wanting to continue peace, established a new federation of the Royal Guard, taking up government positions as its leaders in the capital of Canterlot. This newly improved federation could not have been created at a more fortuitous time, for in distant lands a storm was brewing that would bring the Mane Six to the brink of destruction. However, that will be saved for another time. This is not their story, not yet.
Sometime after this storm (the current records do not give a specific date,) an era of tranquility settled over the land. To commemorate this lack of turmoil, a grand ball was to be held in Canterlot. Guests from as far as the outer edges of the neighboring countries were invited to attend this event that was to be in celebration for two days.
On the eve of the second day, an extraordinary feast was held in honor of the anniversary of Princess Celestia’s birth. As the dinner came to a close and the guests began to deliver their gifts, a cloaked beggar entered through the front door of the main hall. Princess Celestia, not being one who turned away those in need of help, asked the vagabond wolf what it was she needed. The beggar revealed that she was merely passing through and had run out of food nearly a day ago. With every pony in Canterlot having been congregated in the castle, she feared that this was the only place that held any hope of obtaining sustenance. The princess immediately ordered a plate be brought forth on which this new arrival could dine.
Due to the princess’s benevolence, the beggar wolf brought out a potion she had taken with her from her village. Her original intent was to sell the mixture in order to have money to take back home, but now decided to offer it to the princess in gratitude for her generous hospitality. The wolf explained that whosoever drank the elixir would experience an inner peace like no other, and, as a result, would have their magic increase three-fold for an undetermined amount of time.
The beggar thanked the princess once more before quietly departing the castle, never to be heard from again.
As night fell, Princess Celestia retired to her bedchambers and, remembering the elixir, retrieved it from the pouch of her satchel. Thinking an increase in her magic would ultimately prove beneficial to the interests of Equestria, the princess calmly drank the mendicant’s gift. However, no sooner had the concoction passed her lips than did Celestia become violently ill.
For days she was not able to leave her bed; her magic had stopped working, and others’ magic took no effect on her. Her sister, Luna, took on the role as ruler of both sun and moon in her absence. As time went on, unfortunately, Celestia’s state of health grew worse and worse. Her once vibrant and colorful mane faded to dull shades of gray, her once ample frame slowly growing thinner with every missed meal. Luna, heartbroken over her sister’s deterioration, began to fall apart herself.
One morning, Luna woke to check on her sister to find that breath no longer flowed through her. Within a day Luna herself died, some saying that the sisters’ spiritual bond was so strong that one could not bear to live without the other. The next day they were both buried in a private section of the castle gardens. It is said that, according to legend, their spiritual energies were so infused within the sun and the moon that the heavenly bodies continued to rise, even after their guardians’ deaths.
While a wave of mourning swept throughout the kingdom, the mages of the Canterlot Court knew it was pivotal that the successor to the throne be elected quickly. Through a unanimous vote, Princess Cadence ascended to the position of ruler, thus beginning the dawn of a new era for the nation of Equestria.
As the flow of time continued, new generations of ponies came to power as the older generations died off. One day, the throne was down to a young mare, Princess Terra, and her husband, Prince Firma, who ruled with a kindness not seen since the days of Celestia. And unto them a son was born...