When Discord Calls (Name pending)

by Moonlight_Glimmer

Prologue: A History of Equine Affinities

-----------------------------------------------------------

The Art of Balance:

by Time Turner Whooves, PhD

-----------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7: A History of Equine Affinities

In our modern society, there exist a powerful arcane magic capable of moving the tallest of mountains, shifting the largest of oceans, and leveling the most fortified of cities. It is a magic that has been all but lost to time. Most who hear such a claim are filled with skepticism. "If such a power exists," they deduce, "then why don't we see it every day?" Such a claim is reasonable; surely one would have knowledge of at least a single occurrence of a massive energy in their lifetime. It is this dogma that clouds the minds of ponies everywhere. One obvious example lies at the tip of one's muzzle, metaphorically speaking. By analyzing the incident here within dubbed "The Nightmare Moon Incident", one would understand the relevance.

For one thousand moons, fillies and colts were told the legend of the Mare in the Moon. The story began with the appearance of a pair of alicorn sisters. Together, they banished the chaotic Discord and brought order to Equestria and were considered royal deities in the eyes of the once captive ponies. During this peaceful time, the sisters helped keep the ponies in a rhythmic, orderly life. The elder sister brought the light of the sun every morning. With the solar light, ponies lived a productive and meaningful life during the day. At dusk, however, the younger sister reigned over the land, bathing Equestria in the soft, reflected light of the moon. Few creatures were awake during the night, so the younger sister felt unappreciated. Soon, she decided she that if she could not earn the ponies appreciation, she would claim it by force. Reluctant to fight her sibling, the elder alicorn tried to use reason, but the younger alicorn's ambitions and emotions blinded her sense of logic. Seeing no other choice, the elder sister banished her younger sister to the moon, sentencing her to a one-thousand-moon time out of sorts.

During the time of her banishment, the young princess was forgotten in the minds of her former subjects, written off as mere legend. Few believed that she existed and fewer still believed that she would return. It was not until the Summer Sun Celebration's one thousandth anniversary in Ponyville that everypony realized the truth to the tale. Nightmare Moon descended upon the world, capturing our fair princess and cast the world into perpetual darkness.

Few know the full ending to the event, but there is some evidence that points to another legend. Moments before the eternal night was ended, residents of Ponyville mentioned feeling or seeing a strange magical force emanating from the old castle in the Everfree Forest. Those with a strong enough control over magic described it as not one force, but multiple. Further research into the matter turned up an interesting result: The Elements of Harmony, the ancient force used to defeat Discord and banish the lunar princess all those moons ago.

The elements themselves are quite fascinating as they all are different yet intertwining. The element of Honesty is a trait that many desire, but few have the integrity to maintain. Kindness is a trait that is difficult to reinforce, especially when dealing with less...honorable...ponies. Loyalty is consistently tested in the face of adversity, and few are willing to place others before themselves. The element of Generosity is rather rare in our modern society, ponies place success on how one does for themselves, so few take the time to give back to those around them. The penultimate element, Laughter, is one that life severely lacks at times; carefree cheer can make light of even the most precarious of disasters. By combining those five elements, the sixth element, Magic, manifests and Harmony is restored. Such magic is said to be very powerful, it has recently been reported on a copious amount of occasions ranging from the Canterlot Royal Wedding to the banishing of the foul Tirek. Each time, the story seems to revolve around the same six ponies, as if they were born to harness such an arcane ability. Such a thought leads to a viable hypothesis: what if everypony is born with a disposition to certain powers?

In such a thought process, research was conducted to find the validity of such a claim. One document that turned up was an early journal entry by a young Starswirl the Bearded. The entry was written as followed:

"Each of the four races of ponies seem to have an affinity for an element.
Earth Ponies are hardworking and loyal much like the strong, supportive
Earth itself
Pegasus Ponies are independent and carefree much like the whimsical,
flowing Wind
Unicorn Ponies are well versed in magic, which is elegant, yet dangerous,
much like an open Fire
Alicorn Ponies are adaptive and nurturing, filled to the brim with life, much
like the calm Waters of the world
Such is the way of Equestria."

Starswirl then goes on to describe the concept that elemental magic also contains a slight moral alignment at times.

"Though the Earth is strong and supportive, it at times has a tendency to
resist change and remains stuck to its own devices
Wind, although independent and carefree, tends to shift and change to match its
desires and even gentle breezes have been know to blow the world over
The elegant, yet dangerous Fire has been known to bring change both good and
bad; when used irresponsibly, one can cause serious damage
Nuturing and adaptive, Water at times may seem to have no faults, but it, too, can
be clouded and shaped, changing it to be unable to help those that need it."

The clear point that can be drawn from his early musings is that Starswirl recognized the affinities that ponies have for magic. How one uses it is also important, however. One's intentions and control can be the difference between Order and Chaos. In seeing these basic affinities, one is open to the argument that one's own cutie mark is an iconic symbol for their affinity. If such is true, can someone unlock their true potential and harness their untapped natural magic reserves? Only time will tell.