Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time
Black Mist sat in front of his sensei's photo in prayer, a sense of serenity filling him with peace. The candles to the left and right of the photo brought to him a sense of remembrance.
"Get up!"
"But sensei I can't!"
"Don't listen to your body, listen to your heart boy! Have I taught you nothing!" Was heard in his thoughts, the memories of his last moments with his sensei fresh in his mind while in his meditative state. The sound of candles flickering was the only noise for tens of meters, the void filled by the tranquility of his nostalgia.
Suddenly, a greatly powerful, yet excited energy arose. One that carried with it the weight of disdain, and moved with haste.
The doors slammed open, sending a gust of wind through the almost vacuumed room strong enough to blow out the candles and leave only the dim light of cloud covered sun coming through the door. A dark silhouette of a pony wearing ceremonial robes walked through, the previously unheard patter of rain drops on master crafted jade steps appeared behind him. As the colt entered he seemed to be lacking a mane and had series of three dots burned into his forehead.
"Black Mist, it seems that Celestia's guard are here to retrieve you. They claim you have some higher purpose." The colt stated with an authoritarian tone to his voice.
"With pleasure, master Chi." Is the only words Black Mist said before opening his yellow eyes and stretching his black pigmented wings and legs. As he turns, his dark green mane sifted past his eyes for the smallest moment as he pulls his hood directly over it. "Let them see our temple's best." He finally says as he walks past the master and gazes directly onto the golden carriage at the other end of the temple walls.
Meanwhile, the royal guardsman earth pony that was Bacard was making his way through the gates and into the sparring hall. His bronze armor was matched by his sword, both making a subtle clang as he walked. He had a midnight blue mane that matched his eyes, and a red coat of fur that looked covered in scars. As he walked into the middle of the sparring hall to view the current match-up he was greeted by the stern looks of his comrades, many of them still mourning over the Ponyville Massacre only a few weeks ago. He had been combating the melancholy of Equestria’s position as well, but the truth behind it all was that he was getting nowhere fast.
After gathering his attention back towards the fight, he noticed the two in action were among the better fighters in his company. They ducked and weaved past each other with the kind of footing you would expect from a dancer, their training swords rarely actually making contact, and when they did, it was only to be parried by the opposer. They were good, really good. As Bacard watched, the only thing he could place about the two for sure was that he was glad they were on his side. --- Just then one of the two got the upper hand, swinging downward on the opponents wooden sword with enough force that the clash caused splinters to spray in every direction from the place of impact. The colt underneath reeled in intense pain as she dropped her hoof toward the ground, spun in place and bucked him out of the ring and directly into Bacard, launching him backwards and pushing him out of the ring.
Bacard was quick to realize that the colt laying on top of him was entirely unconscious and slid him off in order to get back up. He looked forward just in time to see the winning mare drop her weapon, put her head down and let a single tear run down her cheek only before walking out of the fight circle and heading towards the medical bench, but before Bacard had time to do anything about the crying mare he felt a hoof lay itself upon his withers. He turned to see the brilliant armor and enduring gaze of Lieutenant Colonel Sparking Sun.
“Grab your stuff private, we have some talking to do, and make it quick I will not be accused of making Princess Luna late because of your folly.” The commander said with the most assuredly pissed of tone he could muster without raising his voice.
At the same time as all this, another pegasi named Golden Leaf was undergoing a personal ritual, talking to the birds and the rodents that still frequented the Canterlot gardens. As he watched their small paws run over his extended golden furred hoof, a bird landed on his snout and another popped out of his green mane, he did not mind, it was relaxing to him. All had not been well, and the balance of nature was off. The skies had been blotted out by the ever present meddling of the dragons, the river had been tainted by Discord’s chaotic and vile magic. The insects and large mammals were being eaten by the changelings. Plants were dying as seeds were being stripped by the Griffons. The plains were growing over forests as the Bison extended their territory. If Golden Leaf hadn’t known better, he’d say the whole world had gone insane, but the thought always lingered inside him that such a thing might be the truth of his scenario.
The thought frightened him, but he didn’t get time to linger on it as he heard the rustle of bushes near the entrance into the parks gardens.
“Why the hell would anyone want to hide in here!?” Golden Leaf heard in the distance.
“I don’t know, why don’t you ask the guy yourself, huh!?” Was then heard in reply.
After a couple more moments of bickering and twig snapping, the two revealed themselves to be Lunar guardsman, and very frustrated ones at that, “You there.” They stated toward Golden, who simply flinched in reply to the elite soldiers. “We need you to come with us, Luna’s orders.” the one said.
“Your Golden Leaf, right?” The other said.
Golden Leaf walked with them to leave, not wanting to speak up in fear of the intimidating guard’s reactions.
Meanwhile, the scholarly Wizard, Azure Flame, began a look at what seemed to him as mail at the door of his dorm. To be a Hero read the letter, and after looking it up and down, and found it to be a summons from the Princess of the moon.
So he walked into the hall and made his way, stopping only to grab his tailcoat and books.
And yet one more came when Ghost, another colt, with seafoam green mane and a slate grey coat landed on the steps of the prison’s stair with a rather loud thud.
“That hurt you ass!” He screamed into the guard behind him, whom didn't seem to react in any way but to sigh.
As Ghost struggled to get up with the shackles around his hooves and trudge forward up the absurdly large staircase he started to make painfully reluctant talk with the guard. “You bringing me to my execution now? It’s the least you could do after having me locked up for a crime I didn’t commit.”
Again the guard refused to speak.
“Tough guy huh! This is just proof of your corruption! Equestria has bigger things to worry about than the likes of me! It’s all cause each Princess is a colossal bitch!” Ghost said at the top of his lungs while refusing to walk, turning around only to see the but of the guards spear held by his magical grip. Within moment’s he was to hit the ground, and woke up being carried to Luna’s throne room.
All of the ponies and their respective cohorts sat in front of Luna on her mighty throne. The room for a moment was quiet, an air of seriousness building into tension amongst the group. Ghost grinned in defiance, Black Mist nodded in acceptance, Azure simply stared, Golden quivered in fear, Bacard stood at attention and the rest seemed informed.
“As you all know, Celestia is busy regarding other, less militaristic matters as of the moment. So I summon you all here for a reason, and may you listen when I speak it.” Luna projected over the group, all of them reacting with expressions of wonder and respect. “We are losing this war.” She started, pausing as if for dramatic effect. “But we have not lost it.
Eighty years ago, we put the Elements of Harmony back into the Tree of Harmony, it proved to be a fatal mistake as the forces of darkness threatened to end the land, but as a daring sacrifice, Rarity, the Element of Generosity, threw herself into the cloud in self sacrifice. For thirty years the land was at peace.
Fifty years ago, King Sombra came back from the dead in search of those who had ended him before, after stealing the crystal heart and shattering it for good, Sombra took over the Crystal Empire once more and pushed away Cadance and Shining armor. After getting settled back into Canterlot, they revealed the secret that was their ten year old son, and the reason that they did not stand and fight against the evil king. His name was Sparking Sun, and he was born an Alicorn like his mother.
Twenty years ago, the bison took back their independence and took back Appleloosa. The dragons as well, claimed back all the peaks in Equestria, causing a great pollution.
Ten years ago, the Griffons declared war on us and began an all out attack on our east coast, mass murdering a quarter of our population and ending all trade. Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, charged into the front lines of their second wave, and in her final blaze of glory, brought with her an estimated total of two-hundred enemies with her before she was shot from the sky, and subsequently executed.
Five years ago, Chrysalis took her hive to the Tree of Harmony and took it for herself, using the power to engulf every forest in Equestria. Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness claimed that day that she was going to bring the protection of nature back to us, and left on a great quest, looking for the Tree of Life.
One year ago, Discord betrayed us, mutating the populace into horrid monsters we now refer to as Daemon. Two weeks after his betrayal, Applejack, the Element of Honesty, was placed upon a pike, and placed into the middle of Canterlot Town Square with a not that said, “Ponyville is next.”.
A month ago, Princess Twilight, Spike the dragon and the last remaining Element, Pinkmena Dian Pie, took a last stand against Discord in Ponyville. A flash of light large enough to to be seen for hundreds of miles appeared in there, and all was gone. While Discord won that day, Twilight won us time.” Luna looked toward the stars, and then back at the group. “Tonight we find that the shards of the Elements of Magic have come back to us with your names written across them, we believe that you might be our last hope. The heroes of prophecy. We don’t think you the new Element’s of Harmony, but instead,
The Aspects of Emotion.”