On the Origins of Harmony

by Pen Perfect

Part 1: Of Dawn and Darkness, Chapter 1: In Principio

In the beginning there existed a single omnipotent being. Almost nothing at all is known of Her origins and only two living beings are aware she ever existed. Yet all of Equestria’s history traces back to and is rooted in this being; a being the Alicorns came to know simply as Harmony.

For She was indeed the very embodiment of peace and unity. A being with nigh unlimited power to create, to breathe life where none existed.

As she gazed out into the blank void around her she was sad. True, there is peace and tranquility in emptiness, but it didn't feel quite right. She wanted something...more; something to pour her creative energy into, to fill the emptiness, to share her gifts of love and unity with.

It is unknown when Harmony conceived the notion of creating beings in Her own image, only that She eventually decided to do so as is plainly evident in the very existence of ponies.

And so, out of complete emptiness, 20 beings materialized before Harmony in flashes of pure white light.

As intended, these beings were nigh identical to the omnipotent being they now gazed upon incredulously; each appearing as ponies of above average size complete with both a pair of wings and a horn.

They were indeed modeled after Harmony Herself, but were all different in one way or another. Each had a unique colour pattern and their wings, manes, and horns all varied in shape and size. Furthermore, two of these alicorns stood clearly apart from the rest, standing over a head above their brothers.

Nor were they identical in non-physical aspects. Each had a random assortment of unique mental attributes and motivations. They were all imbued with the desire to seek more, to strive for a sense of fulfillment of their innermost desires. For Harmony had made them free to find their own way; to explore their passions, to pursue their dreams, to find their own calling. This was possibly Harmony's greatest gift of all, the gift of free will.

Harmony appeared to them not in physical form, but simply as a a glowing white light in the darkness. Her radiance alleviated the utter darkness of the void, affording the First Ponies their first glimpse of both themselves and their fellow alicorns.

For the first time, as Her new creations stared on in wonder and awe, Harmony's voice rang out through the void.

"My children, I have brought thee forth from the void in my very image to be as guiding eyes over creation, of which you are but the opening piece. For out of the blackness I shall bring light; out of silence, great musics and jubilation; and out of emptiness, a fair domain that shall flourish with life eternal. You shall watch over this domain, maintaining peace and unity as you rule over all of creation on my behalf. And though I shall have many children after you, I shall honour thee 'bove all the rest. Indeed, you have already received gifts others will want for; your stature shall exceed that of all other ponies and, although not impervious to harm, you shall need not fear death by any natural means. Now go forth into the home I shall make for you. Go where you will go, see what you will see, do what you will do. Go forth, and discover the part you are destined to play in my creation." Harmony's horn began to glow even as she spoke her final encouragements to her First Ponies. And magic the likes of which has never since been witnessed surged forward into the void, filling the emptiness with brilliant white light.

The alicorns gazed on at the radiant spectacle as the light began to take shape, forming into a shining white orb which stood defiantly 'gainst the darkness of the void. Around it, the light formed two smaller spheres which seemed to slowly chase each other around their larger cousin, maintaining equal distance between them.

As quickly as the light had materialized, it vanished, leaving the First Ponies to stare on amazedly at what was left behind.

As it retreated, the first sight they beheld was the true faces of the two smaller spheres. One appeared as a radiant golden disk swathed with tongues of fire, casting magnificent light out into the void. The other appeared as a silvery white sphere which seemed to give off its own pale silvery-white light, albeit much fainter than its larger brother.

Soon the last remnants of light faded away, allowing them an unobstructed view of the largest sphere in its full glory. It was covered in large patches of green and blue and pockmarked with white fluffs. Half the surface was illuminated by the light of the golden sphere, while the other resided in almost complete darkness but for the pale white glow of the smaller silver sphere. A few moments passed by, the ponies simply gazing down on the world Harmony had promised them. Suddenly, a white light engulfed them all.

Instantaneously they, albeit temporarily blinded by the light, perceived themselves to be standing on solid ground, their hoofs digging ever-so-slightly into the soft turf. As their vision returned to them, they began to take in their surroundings.

At this time, the land was bare for miles around, completely flat and consisting entirely of short grass. There were no mountains; no large plants of any kind; and certainly none of the landmarks which define the Equestria of today. It was a world of simply grass and, in the distance, water.

The First Ponies were hit with a barrage of pleasurable sensations; the warmth of the sun on their fur, the cool breeze on their flesh, the softness of the tender grass upon which they stood. All these sensations and more assailed their senses, vying for attention. And they were truly content.

Now, upon the empty field, Harmony appeared before them in all the magnificence of her physical form. She appeared as an alicorn three times the size of even the tallest of the First Ponies. Her fur was pure white and had a radiant golden-white glow about it. Her long, flowing mane and tail were of equal parts pale silver and gold, exuding a warm light of their own. Her wings began as gold at the tips and slowly morphed to silver towards the trailing edge. Her massive horn matched the pure white of her fur and wound up towards the tip in an ornate design. Her hooves were adorned with a pattern which appeared almost as golden fire. On her flanks were emblazoned a large star of black and white in equal proportions, surrounded by the sun and moon. She was truly a sight to behold.

Standing before the ponies, Her horn began to glow white.

At once, the minds of the ponies went blank. A few moments passed before their minds slowly flashed back to reality. So came to pass Harmony's final gift of creation to her Chosen Ponies, that of knowledge. For Harmony's spell had reached into their minds and imbued all the knowledge of their surroundings; the nature of the world and the celestial bodies which surrounded it, life and death, day and night, and everything else they would need to know to guide all aspects of Harmony's creation, including what she intended them to do to begin their roles as caretakers of creation.

When this spell was completed, Harmony immediately began weaving another. The ground shook and convulsed, almost seeming to have taken a life of its own. Mountains surged forth, gentle hills rose up, water began to flow across the land in shallow chasms, and vegetation, from the smallest shrub to the mighty forests, began to spring forth across the land. Equestria's surface was no longer endless flat grassland, but was now more resemblant to the complex and diverse system of interconnected geological features that it is today.

Lastly, the final, and possibly most magnificent, threads were woven into the tapestry of creation. For all around Equestria, creatures of all types surged into existence. From small bunnies to massive dragons, beings of all shapes and sizes appeared to fill the emptiness of the land.

Chief of these creations were the ponies. Harmony crafted the Pegasi, ponies with a set of wings but no horn, to rule the skies; Earth ponies, ponies with neither wings nor horns yet with unique gifts of their own, to work and have dominion over the land; and unicorns, ponies gifted with a horn yet no wings, to work great magics and render assistance to the others. Harmony thus created a system of interdependence and unity as these 3 predominant types of ponies would work together to survive and thrive in the land she had created for them. As this spell was completed, Harmony finally rested.

"Go forth!" She exclaimed one last time, reiterating her prior instructions to her Chosen Ponies.

Harmony faded first to white light, then to nothing at all, leaving the ponies to take their first steps toward their destinies.

Author's Note:

Exactly what Harmony revealed to them as well as their first adventures in Equestria to come in the next chapter.

This will be the last brief chapter for a while.

Comments

[Pen Perfect]

Decided to post chapter 1 by itself, chapter 2 to come shortly.

This will be the last brief chapter for a while.

This chapter is quite light as will be the next one or two, but the story is tagged as dark for a reason. And the first evidence of this is fast approaching (and you thought you knew the story of Hearth's Warming/Unity Day *ominous laughter* )

[Pen Perfect]

Any thoughts/feedback on chapter 1?

[Bootsy Slickmane]

Hmm... I've never been much for any sort of creation myths, but I think it fits with the universe. Not much presented here, but enough to leave me intrigued and curious as to what happens next. I think it flows nicely with just enough details to keep the pacing. The dark tag looms over me as I read, and I'm wondering just what will go wrong and when. No system is perfect, and surely the flaws in the world (even if it's just the imperfections and disharmonious tendencies in the minds of those living there) will start to show at some point. Whatever happens, I sense it's going to be big and less than peaceful (after all, we only know of a handful of alicorns that are around in the present day). I feel a series of storms brewing just over the horizon.

Anyway, I'm not really a critic or an analyst (just a guy with too much time on his hands), but so far I think it's good and I look forward to reading more.

[Pen Perfect]

3220239

I know exactly what you mean in terms of not really being into creation myths. The problem is I needed somewhere to start and didn't want to take the lazy route of "nopony knows how it all started" or the likes.

I've been particularly concerned about getting through this creation/first days of Equestria portion, which plays out as more of a condensed history, in a manner that is believable and holds onto the author's interests until the real "juicy" events can logically commence.

This is also why:
A) The first chapter was brief
B) The second chapter is also as brief as possible
C) I'm releasing chapter 2 and 3 concurrently

Another problem with writing these first couple chapters is the limitations placed by the premise of the story. As the story is supposed to be a book written on Equestrian history by a pony who wasn't alive at the time, the only possible source of information would be the few writings that Celestia protected all these years (as well as her own knowledge which she shared with him). For this reason, going into excessive details on these early days would be illogical as they predate even Celestia herself.

Anyway, thanks for the critique and I'm glad to see you're still interested