In an age long past. a great power was known. It was a power first discovered by two sisters, and they spent many years studying and learning the way to utilize this power. As they ventured across the land, they taught others how to use it as well. Over time, it became known as Harmony. With the use of Harmony, kingdoms began to rise and flourish. Small towns grew into massive cities, home to all sorts of wonders and amazing things. Schools were opened, where scholars studied the power of Harmony and passed on their knowledge to the younger generations.
As the years passed, the two sisters became revered for their mastery of Harmony, and they formed their own nation, which became the heart of all things pertaining to Harmony. Under their awe-inspiring guidance, the world entered a Golden Age.
The two sisters used their mastery of Harmony to forge two relics that would help guide the other nations. Each using three of the six base elements that comprised Harmony, the elder sister, Celestia, used the elements of Generosity, Kindness, and Magic to craft the Golden Sun, while the younger sister, Luna, used the elements of Laughter, Honesty, and Loyalty to craft the Silver Moon. Six Great Lighthouses were built across the world to power these relics, each Lighthouse harnessing the power of one of the Elements of Harmony.
As the knowledge of Harmony grew, and the Lights of the Great Relics shone upon all nations, so too did the ambition of those who, above all else, desired power for themselves. The peace that once existed throughout the world became strained between the nations, as each sought to increase their power above that of their neighbours. The knowledge that once flowed freely became hoarded treasure. The strain became too great, and finally, a great Calamity unlike anything before fell upon them: war. As the chaos of war grew stronger, the two sisters watched in horror as everything they had worked so hard to accomplish was twisted into abominations. Nation after nation fought and battled over who controlled the Lighthouses, each seeking to gain dominance over at least one of the two Relics.
Finally having enough, the two sisters rose up, each using their respective Relics, and used all of their power to do the unthinkable: They sealed away the power of Harmony. One by one, the Lighthouses darkened, and with their Lights went all knowledge of Harmony. The two sisters, to avoid further bloodshed, took the six essences of Harmony, the Elemental Stars, and vanished from history. Without the Lights to guide them, the nations fell back into an uneasy peace, but the world was not the same. Terrible things had been done through the misuse of Harmony. The roads and forests that had once been so safe were now filled with all sorts of dark creatures, remnants of the abominations created for the war. Without the Lights to guide them, the world slowly slipped into a peaceful decline...
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"Applejack! Wake up! Come on, wake up!" Her mother called urgently, shaking her.
She slowly stirred, blearily opening her eyes as she looked around. A sudden thundercrack outside snapped her fully awake. A gust of wind howled past, causing the windows to rattled. Just as she was about to slip out of her bed, a small quake shook the entire house, nearly throwing her to the floor. Her mother rushed to the window, prancing nervously. "Another one. And slightly stronger too." She worriedly bit her lip. She turned back to her youngest child. "Your father and brother are already out helping the neighbours get out." As Applejack clambered to her feet, her mother briefly focused, a small glow forming about her. A ghostly hand grabbed some clothing that had been hanging on the wall and brought it down to her. She quickly helped her daughter into the jacket and placed the Stetson on her head. "There. That'll help keep the rain off you a bit. Now, hurry!" And she quickly headed out of the room.
The filly hurried after her, nearly tripping down the stairs in her rush. Her mother was just finishing up tying a shawl about her. "I'm going to go on ahead and help your father. I need you to go check on the Pie family and see if they need any help."
"Momma, what's going on?" Applejack asked. "There's never been a storm this bad before!"
Her mother gave her a grim look. "The Mt. Solus Boulder is falling. The Sage and his acolytes are trying to hold it back, but it may just be a matter of time." She gently put a hoof to her daughter's cheek. "That's why I need you to go help the Pies. Make sure they get to safety."
"I can do it!" Applejack said, standing just a bit taller.
Before going to the door, her mother paused. She seemed to think for a moment and then nodded. "Can't be too careful." She to a stand by the door and picked up a small blade with her mouth and brought it over to Applejack. "Just in case. The quakes could spook monsters into the village." She buckled the sheathed blade onto her daughter's back. "Just remember your training, and you'll be fine. Remember, use Harmony sparingly, you've only just started your lessons." She quickly pulled her into a hug. "Be safe!" She went to the door and hurried out.
The filly went to the door, pausing at the rain pouring down. In all her life, she had never seen a storm this bad, but if the Boulder was falling...she shook her head. She had to go find Pinkie! As she hurried out into the rain, another quake made the ground tremble beneath her feet. Two small boulders tumbled down and blocked the stairs leading south. That meant they'd have to cross the bridge if they wanted to make it to the plaza. She hurried northward, quickly running up a flight of stairs. The door to the Pies' home was slightly ajar, and she poked her head in.
"Hello?" She called out. After quickly looking around, she concluded that they must have already left for the plaza. She quickly exited back out into the rain, but as she began to pass around the house, she heard grunting. Coming around to the back of the house, she found her friend Pinkie desperately trying to pull a heavy trunk through the mud.
"Pinkie! What are you doing? Leave it and let's go!" Applejack shouted.
Pinkie stopped for a moment and looked over at her. "But all my part stuff is in here! I just can't leave it!"
Applejack glanced from her friend to the heavy trunk and back. "There's no time! The Boulder could fall at any moment! We've got to go now!"
Pinkie glanced at her trunk, and then shook her head. "Alright. Let's go! " She gave the trunk one last look and then turned and headed off with her friend. As they came to the bridge near the Sage's house, they couldn't help but notice how swollen the river that ran through the village was. And how fast it was flowing.
Just as they were nearing the other side, the earth began to tremble beneath their feet. It started slow at first, and then grew steadily higher. There was a great crashing sound, and they both turned towards Mt. Solus. They could just make out the Sage and his acolytes, the glow of Harmony about them, when a great dark shape came rushing down at them. The Boulder had fallen! The Sage and his helpers held their ground desperately, but the two fillies could easily see them straining just to hold it. Quickly they rushed off, finding their path blocked by another small boulder. That meant a detour through the small wood, past the abandoned cottage.
The two shared a glance, before checking to make sure their blades were ready. Some of the smaller monsters occasionally managed to slip into this area, since ponies rarely went there. As they carefully made their way, a faint moaning sound caught their attention. A stallion was lying next to a boulder, groaning. "How bad am I hurt?" He groaned. "Oh, I'm probably going to die, aren't I? And with those monsters loose too!"
Pinkie took one look at him and simply shrugged. "Actually, it looks like your fine. Well, I mean, as fine as any of us can be at the moment. I mean, it is raining, and the Mt. Solus Boulder is going to tumble down on us, but..."
"The Boulder is falling?!" The stallion cried, leaping to his feet. "Forget the monsters, I need to get out of here!"
As he went dashing off, Pinkie turned to Applejack. "Did he say something about monsters?"
A loud shriek was her reply. "Oh, great." Appplejack said, reaching back with her muzzle to grasp her blade. "Here they come!" The two fillies stood their ground as a large bat flew towards them. At just the right moment, they both leapt apart, swinging their blades. The bat fell to the ground, two gashes running down its sides. They grimly nodded to one another and began moving again.
The rush of water told them they were going in the right direction, and they found themselves at the top of the last stairwell leading down to the plaza. As they made their way down, there was a loud shout, a loud splash, followed by a filly's scream. They rushed down to see Big Mac, Applejacks older brother, clinging to a post in the middle of the river with all his strength. "Big Mac!" She shouted. Over on the partially destroyed bridge stood Applejack's father, as well as Pinkie's parents. Applejack's mother came rushing out of the house. "Applejack! Pinkie! Quickly! Get to the plaza and get help!" She looked out to where Big Mac was. "All of us have already used up our Harmony reserves helping the others! Hurry!! Maud has already gone ahead! I'm sure you'll meet her there!"
The two fillies ran for all they were worth. As they got to the plaza, they found it already crowded with other villagers who had evacuated their homes. In the center stood the large Harmony stone. They could just make out a stallion there, recharging his Harmony reserves, one of his front hooves touching it. They called it a stone, but it actually was a giant crystal that emitted Harmony. No one was sure why, but it was able to replenish a pony's Harmony, if they were worn out. As they neared, they found Maud with Pinkie's grandmother, the Mayor of the village. She was addressing a small group to go help the Sage with the Boulder. Just as Applejack and PInkie approached, they hurried off and Maud began speaking to her grandmother, finishing just the two fillies got there.
"I see. That is terrible!" Mayor Mare said. The stallion touching the stone opened his eyes and leapt back across the channel that surrounded the Harmony Stone. Mayor Mare turned to him. "How are your reserves? Are you replenished?"
"Enough to help Big Mac." He replied. "You kids lead on!"
Mayor Mare nodded. "That would be wise! Many of the pathways have been blocked by the quakes! You three can show him the way!"
They hurried off back the way they came, running as fast as the wind and rain would allow them. As they went back across the bridge, Applejack's mother appeared and called out to them. "Did you find help?"
The stallion stepped forward. "Yes, ma'am. I'm good to go!"
Hurrying the rest of the way, they made it down. The stallion closed his eyes and began to focus, just as the ground trembled again. Everyone froze. From further up, there was a terrible sound that filled their hearts with dread. They turned and looked up, just in time to see the Boulder come crashing down.
For what seemed an eternity, all they could do was stand there. Applejack blankly stared where brother just was. Then where her father had been. Where Pinkie's parents had been. She shook herself. Downriver. She needed to get downriver. There was a chance that the impact had sent them down that way, and if so, then they needed help! She shook herself, and began to run. She made it across the bridge, but as she turned, she heard two voices and stopped. A male voice spoke first, almost a snarl.
"I can't believe that we are the only ones to survive!" He said. As he walked into view, Applejack's eyes widened. A blue dragon! He wasn't as big as the stories said they could be, but he was definitely bigger than any ponies in the village. As she looked on, a red female dragon also came into view.
"How could we have anticipated Sol Sanctum would unleash such fury?" She answered.
"It's a miracle that even the two of us were spared..." He growled.
"That switch... It must have been a trap..." She hissed.
"But to think it could conjure up a storm this powerful!" He growled, looking back to the mountain.
"Another demonstration of the awesome powers of Harmony." She hissed.
"Regardless, we must not fail the next time we challenge Sol Sanctum." The male replied.
The female nodded. "Next time, we shall certainly..."
She was cut off by a loud shout. "Applejack! Wait!"
Applejack nearly cursed Pinkie out loud as she came running after her. She screeched to a halt. The two dragons were eyeing them with malice. As they approached, the male stepped forward. "You were eavesdropping on us just now, weren't you?"
Applejack could only nod. Pinkie looked at her. "Applejack!" She glanced at the two dragons. "Applejack, they look kinda scary...should we be talking to them?"
The two dragons looked to one another, before the female looked back at them. "You must forget everything you heard."
The male cracked his knuckles and nodded. "Don't worry...We'll help you forget!" The pair drew their swords.
The two fillies drew their own small blades before they realized what they were doing.
The female chuckled. "Oh, look, Saturos! They mean to fight back!"
"Nothing to worry about, Menardi!" The male replied. He threw out his hand, and a swarm of fireballs flew at the two fillies. Applejack was thrown off her feet, smacking against a tree. She saw Pinkie lying limp a few feet away from her. The edges of her vision began to dim as she watched the two dragons run off. "Big...Mac..." And she faded into darkness.