Guardians of Harmony: Friendship is Magic

by Admiral Producer

Prologue: The Mare In The Moon

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria…There were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the Sun at dawn. The younger brought out the Moon to begin the Night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all for different types of ponies.

But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day the elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through the younger one’s beautiful night. The younger sister’s resentment grew to where it could not be contained. Despite having a loving elder sister, the younger alicorn felt rejected by her subjects, the populace. Why should her sister get all the love and not her? She was a Princess too, wasn’t she? What was wrong with her Night?

Nothing. That was what. There was nothing wrong with her Night. It was her sister that was stealing her glory. Her sister had betrayed her. Her sister deserved to burn. To die. The Moon would rise. The night would last forever. The dawn would never rise again.

One fateful day, the younger sister refused to lower the Moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon.

She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. She raised an army of monsters and demons in a direct attack on her sister. The leaders of her army was a species known as batponies, nightmare creatures who fed on fear.

The ponies, in a desperate bid for their survival, pled for the elder sister to save them, to protect them. And the elder sister listened. With a heavy heart, she set out in search for the mysterious Elements of Harmony, magical artifacts created by the Protectors of Old Equestria. Her search lasted many years and she grew older, never giving up on her search.

15 years later, she finally discovered the Elements, hidden in a secluded cave in an undiscovered forest. The Tree of Harmony had guarded the Elements for centuries and the elder sister had to pass a rigorous test of worthiness. She had tame the sinister Pony of Shadows, a remnant of forbidden magic manifested in the form of a black alicorn with immense power. The elder sister fought the Pony of Shadows, eventually defeating it and befriending it with her kindness and compassion, officially passing the test. The Tree granted the elder sister the Elements and she returned to her fallen Kingdom to fight her sister.

With the wisdom she gained on her journey, the elder sister inspired the ponies to revolt against the despotic government while she faced her sister one-on-one. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the Moon.

The elder sister took on responsibility for both Sun and Moon. And Harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.

But it was prophesied that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars would aid in her escape and she would bring about the eternal night once more.
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1,000 YEARS LATER….

Underneath a tree in the outskirts of the capital city of Canterlot, a lavender unicorn mare was reading a thick brown book titled: Predictions of Prophecies.

The unicorn was named Twilight Sparkle. She had a confused look on her face as she studied the tale of the Mare in the Moon, particularly one aspect of the legend.

“Hmmm. The Elements of Harmony,” Twilight mused, “I know I’ve heard of those before….” The question was burning on her mind.

“But where?”

Author's Note:

First chapter! Yup, a lot to unpack here. Obviously, a longer version of the Mare in the Moon tale with some religious biblical symbolism in there. This will be the first story in a 5-story arc so far starting with the union of the Mane Six as the Guardians of Harmony to a new generation eventually taking on the mantle. I obviously can’t spoil everything because that would be no fun. But this is definitely an expanded (and somewhat darker) version of the series pilot. This is going to be so fun to make. Please feel free to post your feedback.