//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Twilight Sparkle, Bringer of Chaos // by Caligari87 //------------------------------// “C’mon sis! You promised I’d get a story tonight!” The young filly pouted, forelegs crossed. An older pony sighed and gently sat down next to the bed, nursing the sore spot on her back. Blackout curtains were drawn since the sun had decided to stay up again, but it was technically far past both their bedtimes. “Okay, but just one, ya hear?” "Yay!" The filly clapped her hooves with glee and snuggled down into the sheets. “Do the one about the Sky Mares and the Emperor!” “All right then. Get comfy, and no interruptions!” Gaining an eager nod in response, the older sister lowered her voice and began to spin the ancient tale. A long time ago, earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns lived free, unfettered and happy. They came and went as they pleased, and did as they wished, so long as it did not harm another pony. The sun and moon shared the sky, and it was never dark or light. All was equal and well in the land, which the Ponies called Equestria. Then two pony sisters decided they were not pleased with the state of things. They saw the land and other ponies, and felt a need to organize, create rules, and bring ponies together in purpose. They shared their desires and dreams, gained many followers, and were eventually declared Princesses of Equestria. From their castle, not far from here, they governed the land together. For a long while, all their subjects loved the Princesses. But the sisters were not satisfied. One fateful day, the two Princesses discovered an ancient, forgotten magic. Seeking yet more prestige, they used it, and were transformed, from carefree mares into towering, monstrous creatures, gaining control of the combined powers from every kind of pony. Overcome with this new power, the Princesses became proud and cruel, seeking to control anything and everything that they could touch. They ruled with hooves of iron, bending the land and ponies to their will. They even grew strong enough to move the sun and moon, creating light and dark whenever they wished. They enslaved the ponies of the land to harsh hours of wake and sleep, rigid seasons where the weather wouldn’t change for months at a time! Soon, many ponies and other creatures became tired and angry of being ruled over, but none were strong enough to defeat the sisters. One of these, a young dragon, set out to find a solution. Seeking far and wide, he found the source of the same ancient magic the sisters had, and knowing he would need it to defeat them, used it for himself. But the sisters had taken all the magic that offered control. The dragon got what was left, the magic to destroy control: Chaos. It cruelly transfigured him, creating a disjointed, random mishmash of a body that barely resembled anything at all. Still, it made him powerful, strong enough to take on the tyrants ruling the land Biding his time, the dragon waited until a time when the two sisters were apart. He attacked the younger Princess first, and she battled him with dark magics, waves of creeping blackness and stabbing starlight, sucking vortexes that would tear a pony apart... But the dragon was clever and unpredictable, and his Chaos magic overcame the Night-Mare, imprisoning her in a body of stone. When the older sister returned, the dragon was ready. They clashed, and the Princess rained scorching light, white-hot beams of which bored holes into the very mountains, roaring whirlwinds of flame incinerating all in the blink of an eye... But again the dragon was crafty and unfettered, his entropy breaking the Day-Mare’s power. He sealed her in stone as well, never to escape. The ponies of the land were overjoyed to be released, and hailed the dragon as their savior. He promised them that he would let Chaos reign supreme, and clutching, hateful Order would never again be known in all the land. They crowned him Emperor, and he took the name Discord, defender of Entropy, the First Chaos… “...And to this day, he rules with infinite unpredictability, protectin’ us from the return of Order.” The earth pony sighed. “Hail Discord,” she finished. Her little sister clapped her hooves again. “Golly I love it when you tell it!” she exclaimed. “Never gets old. I wish I was there to see Discord beating those creepy Sky Mares into stone!” The mare only smiled weakly, but played it off as a stiff back while she got to her hooves. “Well, that’s enough for tonight. Sleep tight, little sis.” She kissed the filly on her snout. “Big day tomorrow.” The filly nodded and wriggled deeper into her blankets. On her way out, the mare closed the door behind her, walking slowly to offset the tension along her spine. “Applejack?” A tiny voice called after her. The door cracked open again. “Yeah, sugar-cube?” “...Do you think the Sky Mares will ever come back?” The earth pony was silent for barely a moment. A more astute observer might have noticed the slightly lower slouch in her shoulders, or the heavy, quiet sigh. The filly however, saw none of it. “I don’t believe so, sis. I reckon they’re gone for good.” “Oh good! They sound really mean and scary. Well goodnight, big sister!” “Goodnight, Apple Bloom. Sleep tight.”