//------------------------------//
// Prologue: The Last Alliance 
// Story: Lord of the Ponies: The Fellowship of Harmony 
// by ColvaMoon5 
//------------------------------//

The world is changing

I feel it in the water

I smell it in the air

Much that's once was, is lost

For few now live, who remember it

It began with the forging of the Great Rings.

Three were given to the Alicorns.  Immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings.

Seven to the Diamond Dogs, great miners and crafters of the mountain halls.

And nine.  Nine rings were given to the three races of pony, Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth, who, above all others, desired power.

For within these Rings was bound the strength, and will, to govern each race.  But they were, all of them, decieved.

For three other Rings was made.  In the lands of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord, Dark Curse, forged, in secret, a three master Rings, to control all others.  And into these Rings, he poured his malice, his cruelty, and his will do dominate all life.

Three Rings to rule them all.  One by one, the free lands of Equestria fell to his changeling armies, to the power of the Rings.

But there were some..... who resisted.  A last Alliance of ponies, and alicorns, marched against the armies of Mordor.  And, on the slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Equestria.

Changelings snarl, growl, and roar as they charged at the Alliance.  Even though they we're outnumbered 2-to-1, the Alliance had to win, no matter the cost.   Unicorns fire volleys of magic at changelings on top of ridges, killing many.  That did not stop the ground forces advance, however.  The alicorns, with Celestia at the front, ready a volley of magic.  She shouts commands in alicornian, and the volley fires, killing many of the first wave of changelings.

Yet, the demonic creatures still pushed forward.  What compelled to surge forward.  Was it fear, or courage.  The alicorns summon swords, and slash down the second wave as they clashed.  The Alliance has suffered little to no losses...so far.  The ponies join their alicorn compatriots.  With their superior fighting skills, it was clear the changelings, while outnumbering the Alliance, had no chance.  Victory was near.

But the power of the Rings...could not be undone.  Dark Curse, holding a mace in one hoof, strolled to the front lines, his own forces falling back, to stay out of curse's way.  He towered over the ponies, being doubled the size of even Celestia.  The Rings rested on his horn and, with a single swing, killed dozens of ponies and alicorns instantly as they were sent flying away.  He swung again, and again, and again.

Starswirl the Bearded, King of the Crystal Empire, and Ruler of the Free Ponies, would not stand this slaughter.   He charged at Dark Curse, conjuring a shield bubble to block Curse's mace so he could strike with his sword.  However, it was futile, as the Dark Lord smashed through it in one swing.  Starswirl paused for a second, shocked his most powerful defensive spell broke in one strike.  That was when he made his mistake.

A mistake Dark Curse wasn't going to let go unpunished.  Smirking behind his helmet, he swung at Starswirl with the force of a mountain, slamming the king into a rock wall, dead before he hit the ground.  A blue pegasus with black armor flew to the dead king's side, taking it off as the pegasus reached him.

It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Commander Hurricane,  daughter of the King, took up her father's sword.  As she roared reaching for the sword, Dark Curse smashes it into four pieces, breaking it.  He then reaches out to the pegasus, intending to make an example of her.  Yet, in a final act of defiance, Hurricane unleashed a bloody curdling scream, and swung the broken blade at him.

And it found it 's mark.  Dark Curse reeled back in pain, as his horn, with the Rings attached to it, fell to the ground.  Dark Curse began to glow, sucking energy all around him.  Realising he had been beaten, Dark Curse made one last attack to punish the world, to teach them a lesson.  If he couldn't have this world, he would make sure the winners wouldn't survive to celebrate.  He exploded, sending a shockwave out in all directions.  The alicorns used their magic to shield the ponies from the blast, but they themselves were vaporized because of it.  The only alicorns to survive were Celestia, Luna, and Cadence.  Their rings protected them from the blast, but just barely.

Dark Curse, the enemy of the free ponies of Equestria, was defeated.  The Rings passed to Hurricane, who had this one chance to destroy evil, forever.

But the hearts of ponies, are easily corrupted.  And the Rings of Power had wills of there own.

It betrayed Hurricane, to her death.  And somethings, that should not have been forgotten, were lost.

History became legend.  Legend became myth.  And for two and a half thousand years, the Rings passed out of all knowledge.  Until, they ensnared a new bearer.

The Rings came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the Misty Mountains.   And there, it consumed him.  The Rings brought Gollum unnatural long life.  For five hundred years they poisoned his mind.  And with him, they waited.

Darkness crept back into the shadows of the world, rumors grew of a shadow to the east, whispers of a nameless fear.  The Rings knew their time had come.  They abandoned Gollum.

But something happened the Rings did not intend.  They was picked up, by the most unlikely individual imagined.

Granny Smith, of Ponyville.  A elderly light green Earth pony picks up a ring on the cave floor.

"What's this?" she says as she observes the rings, "Three rings? Ha."  The mare then hears a loud scream say as she places the rings in her coat pocket, "My precious is lost!"

For the time will come, when the smallest things, will decide the fate of all.