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// Harmony Lost* 
// Story: The Epic of Twilight 
// by AlicornPriest 
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In th' ancient times, when life was newly born
and time and space were fragile in their shapes,
one being kept all things in ordered path.
This thing was called the Tree of Harmony,
which held within its roots the many realms
and in its boughs were held a set of gems,
six total, now so called the Elements.
Now in those days the creatures o'er the earth
were simple, thoughtless, without word or deed
worth mentioning. Yet one day thought the Tree,
“I will uplift a species as my own.
They shall be filled with all the gifts of mind:
the light of reason, purity, and good;
the wind of speech, of wisdom, grace, and truth;
the flame of strength, of honor and defense;
the water bearing service to one's kin;
the earth of mercy, love, and selflessness;
th' ethereal joy that rises from within.
These will I give to those of mine who do
my precious work. They shall maintain
this perfect world where I myself cannot,
for I must always keep this world alive
with all the sacred nutrients I give
back to this world. Who, then, among the beasts
and creatures of this world shall I decide
to carry out this service?” Out it looked
and saw the varied creatures great and small.
The smallest it discarded, for the task
required weighty tasks across the world.
The largest, too, were not selected, for
the great too easily forgot the small
and only thought of their own lives at stake.
Those who remained it thought of carefully,
and, finally, it chose the equine race,
saying, “You are strong and brave. Your light
is purest in my eyes. My world is yours
to rule o'er as you wish.” With one last thought,
it split the race in three and spoke once more:
“These first shall be my anchors. Strong and true,
their strength shall govern all that lives and breathes
upon the earth. The subtle energies
of flora and of fauna shall be thine.
These second all the endless skies shall rule
and keep the weather moving evenly,
granting dryness to the earth, or living rain.
The birds and bees will flock to your control.
The third I give the heavens and the earth.
To do this, you shall have an added strength
of mind. All matter shall be yours to bend,
to work and change and shape as is your will.”
And so the tribes were formed, and it was good.
They worked the earth with hoof and horn and wing
and balanced everything in Harmony.
But soon they grew uncertain. They cried out:
“Oh, we are lost! We do not know our aim.
What is our purpose in this universe?
Must we but strive for our small-portioned lives
and die thereafter, having done no good
but will be lost once we have left this world?”
The Tree considered this. “It is not good
that they are lost and yearning for a sign.
I must send them a messenger of light.”
The Tree shone once, and on its bark appeared
a purple star. A figure formed beside:
a pony, brown as earth, with wings and horn. 
The Tree of Harmony decreed to this new thing,
“You shall be Destiny. Go out and give
my chosen ones a sign, that they may live.”
Young Destiny went out among the fold
and spoke with all the ponies. One by one,
he touched them with his horn and wing and hoof,
and there an image formed upon their flanks.
He said, “This mark is mine. It shall reveal
to you your gifts at such at time as they
appear to you. When you are young, you shall
not bear it. Only when you know yourself
so perfectly so as to know your place,
shall cutie marks appear. This do I make.”
And thus was it performed. They grew in strength,
and wandered to fulfill their chosen ends.
However, this was not the Tree's intent.
The ponies all were meant to work as one!
Reluctantly, the Tree began again
and formed another messenger. Upon its bark
the lum'nous sun appeared. Another form
appeared: snow white and pink, like clouds at dawn.
Spoke thus the Tree of Harmony once more:
“You shall be Order. Like the sun at dawn, 
you shall bring light to all who serve my cause.
With Destiny, you shall unite the tribes
into one mighty kingdom of this land.
Your tenets shall be Harmony and love,
and all will come together by your name.”
So Order did as Harmony decreed.
But Order was a humble, quiet mare.
She saw herself unfit to rule the land
and chose instead a unicorn to lead,
a stallion named Golden Crown the First.
At first it seemed a reas'nable exchange,
but as his lineage commanded all,
they grew in arrogance. It was quite clear
(to them at least) that Order had made them
the rulers of the pony kingdom as
a sign that they were better. After them,
the pegasi, now skilled and trained in war,
considered themselves likewise high above
the other two. And even under strife,
the earthen ponies called themselves the best
as well, and hatred filled them up inside.
This threw off balance, causing massive storms
by creatures known as Windigos. Before
the Destiny or Order spirits could
return and save them all, they fled their homes
and settled in a place long miles away.
The Tree was most unhappy, so it sent
a third creation out to guide them all,
a lunar creature, marked with crescent form,
and said, “You shall be Balance, and my last.
Go out and keep the other two in check.
Reflect the light of Order. Walk the path
of dreams and thought. Mark Destiny's domain.”
And so she did. She gathered her two kin
and set them up to rule Equestria,
the new abode which ponies had secured.
And so they ruled, but still it was not good.
The ponies, though they served the laws of life,
were not advancing technologic'ly.
The Tree could not determine what was wrong
until it realized the flaw it'd made.
And so it called to Destiny, who came
upon the Tree and wondered at its aim.
Thus spake the Tree: “I need another force,
yet lack the pow'r to make one. I believe
that Destiny has weakened ponykind.
They do their duty given, but no more.
So therefore, I demand that you remove
the cutie mark and all your other works
and come back here to give my power back.
I shall make Vision with this energy,
a mare of violet hue and noble aim.
Her eyes will point towards heaven, and one day,
perhaps, she'll reach it.” As he left the Tree,
he burned with anger. “Ponies need my mark!”
he cried. “Can I not do what Vision would?
I will create and form, and they will see.
I will not be forgotten, left to die.”
He went to all the ponies and performed
his miracles. “See, ponies, what you'll gain!
See glass, see concrete, see aluminum;
see nuclear, electric, hydrogen,
entropic, sub-atomic energy;
see airplanes, trains, and steamers; see the world
that you could have should you reclaim your prize!
This is your destiny! Reach out and see!”
But rather than be happy, they were scared.
They fled in panic from his strange display.
That made him only angrier. He swore,
“I will be Vision, Harmony or no!
My works shall be remembered for all time!
But where was love, may cruelty remain;
but where was laughter, anger shall remain;
but where was honesty, let lies be king;
but where was selflessness, let greed be king;
but where was loyalty, make all betray;
but where was friendship, lonely shall they stay!
All shall be backwards! Darkness shall be light,
freedom shall be slavery, and true
shall falsehood be. O Grief, be my new joy!
Discord, be my Harmony!” So named,
he forged himself a body of eight parts
and conquered poor Equestria with ease.
His powers multiplied, his anger died
'til nothing but enjoyment yet remained.
This rule was fun! No matter how they hurt,
the ponies would continue. Here he stood,
the king of earth. The Tree had lost this war.
When Order came with Balance to attempt
to sway King Discord from his evil reign,
he laughed and struck them down. But though it seemed
completely lost, yet hope remained. The two
could not die, though they had lost their forms.
They sought out two new forms much like themselves,
two sisters, born yet nearly close to death.
They filled them, granting them new life and limb.
Thus Order, newly named Celestia,
and Balance, now named Luna, rose again.
However, something rather odd had changed
within them. They had lost their memory.
They only knew, but vaguely, of the pow'r
which rested in the Tree of Harmony.
The tree, upon their coming, saw their forms
and realized the weight of their demise.
It gave them six smooth gems of pow'r, which spoke
the virtues of its type. With these six giv'n,
the sisters traveled to the mighty king,
and turned him swiftly into solid stone.
Yet he had one last trick within his sleeve:
a bag of seeds that dove beneath the earth
to tear the Tree he loathed from root to branch.
The Tree contained the smallest bit of force
within itself; though it had lost the gems,
it stayed defended for a bit of time.
But when the power faded, Discord's seeds
grew stronger and entangled the poor tree.
With this the real story can begin
of Twilight, newly crowned, and her dear friends.
This also is the story that must come
before the other, “Harmony Regained.”
Be patient, for the story must will come.