Prologue
Fate/Sacrifice
Prologue
More than several Millennia ago, during the time known as the Chaotic Period, the draconequus Discord ruled the world through chaos.
He held power that could empty oceans, give flight to mountains, and mold the very air to do his bidding. His power was absolute and all who tried to challenge his views were slain. It was said that in that time period, order was punish most heavily and anyone not found reveling in chaos was almost instantly executed.
Now, the universe has always operated in balance, Order and Chaos being equal. But with so much chaos present, and for such a long period of time, the universe had to take direct action. It's solution? The Requiem Pearl.
Created by both order and chaos, the Requiem Pearl held a powerful magic which would become known as 'Heavens Feel.' Whoever used the pearl could bend the universe to their whim through wishes, allowing even the weakest of creatures to become gods simply by holding the Pearl.
When the Pearl was first created, it was found by a small filly and her sister; Sunny Day and Starry Night. Using their power, they ascended into godhood, using the pearl to give them the power needed to de-throne Discord.
In the final battle, as the two princesses powers clash with Discords, the draconequus was able to get an understanding for the Pearl. And with such a powerful object present in the world, he understood that he could very well be killed. So, using the last of his magic, he tried to destroy the pearl.
However the use of Chaos magic on an object made up from the balance of order and chaos threw that very balance off, resulting in an annomoly. The Pearl was removed from existence, fading right in front of the three gods eyes.
But even without the pearl, the two princesses won, encasing the god of chaos in stone and leaving the two in power. The Pearl gone, they believed that they could now bring balance to the world and undo what Discord had one.
For hundreds of years, the two ruled in peace, until one day a guard came to the princess. On his right hood lay an intricate seal, glowing with a powerful magic that the the two rulers hadn't felt for centuries. In shock, they tried to understand what the seal meant, but each attempt at understanding it only lead to more confusion.
For years, the two rulers subjected several tests to the guard, not knowing the repercussions of messing with the seal. Finally, after ten years, the two princesses had made a small breakthrough, a small break in the seal. But as they celebrated, believing that they had gotten a step closer to recovering the pearl, they guard began to feel the effects of Chaos and Order magic leaking from the seal.
The magic, effecting his mind, drove the stallion mad and one night, he fled the princesses castle. For months the two rulers tried to find him, but with each search turning up nothing, the two began to loose hope.
Then one day, the two began to hear rumors of a stallion matching the guards description killing ponies. Worrying about their subjects safety, they began to follow the rumors, the two princesses themselves actually going out into the fields in search of the rogue guard.
Then, after two years of searching, they found him. The stallion held an elderly mare by her throat, but what was shocking was the appearance of the two ponies. The stallion now had dark red tribal looking lines spread throughout his midnight black body, all converging on his seal. His eyes now were blood red in color and a dark aura seemed to almost leak out from him.
The mare however looked to be the stallions exact opposite. Pure white in color, she she has similar tribal lines spreading throughout her body, only cyan in color. Her eyes glowed a pale blue and despite her close proximity to the dark stallion, she seemed almost at peace. On her hoof also looked to be a seal. While different in design, the two princesses could feel the Requiem Pearl's magic connected to it as well.
Before the two princesses and their guards could react, the dark stallion rushed at the mare and impaled her with his horn. As she bled out, the dark stallion was tackled by the guards, chained up almost instantly.
The princesses, despite their best efforts, could not close the mare's wound, the horn of the stallion seemingly to be cursed. As the life finally faded from the mares eyes, the two princesses watched as the seal and the lines on the mare fade from existence.
Confused but understanding that they needed to get the dark stallion back to the palace, they were unprepared for the dark pony to let out an insane laugh as he erupted in power, the chains holding him disintegrating almost instantly as a barrier surrounded him.
With watching eyes, the princesses could only helplessly watch as the seal on the stallion pulsed with energy, growing stronger and stronger as the red lines began to recede. When the final line had disappeared from the stallions skin, a bright flash erupted in the barrier, all present being momentarily blinded by the light.
When they could finally see once more, the princesses let out a gasp as the Requiem Pearl was brought into existence once more. Realizing its power was in the hands of a madpony, they fired on the barrier their spells only being absorbed. With bated breaths, they saw the stallions lips move, and after a moment the barrier faded, allowing the princesses to rush the Pearl before it could be used again. But as their magic tried to grasp the pearl, it faded from existence once more, leaving a stunned crowed and a madly grinning pony.
Nobody knows what the dark pony wished for, as moments after the shock wore off, he snapped his neck, killing off any chance of finding out. For years the two princesses tried to make sense of what they'd seen, but without any leads, they were once again denied the pearl.
Fast forward another century, and once again a guard was shown to display a seal. Gripped with fear, they tried to capture the stallion. But, once again, despite all possibilities, the stallion escaped. Resulting in another mad chase.
Over the millennia, this cycle would repeat over and over again. Eventually the princesses began to understand the basic idea behind the war.
1) Seven individuals would be chosen from all races in the world, be they dragon, pony, griffon, or any other sentient creature.
2) Each chosen one will be marked with a seal on their hoof, claw, ect. To win the war, the marked ones must collect the seals from the other chosen applicants by either murdering them or having the seals willingly given away.
3) With each seal lost, the seals themselves grow weaker, as they are what keep the pearl from coming into existence.
4) Once only one seal remains, the pearl will be summoned for one wish before disappearing again.
In the past, the princesses had tried to control the war, but each attempt had only lead to disaster. From Sombra, a studious unicorn from Celestia's school of magic, had turned into a tyrannical emperor of the crystal empire. To Bahamut, once a small pony raised dragon, now the king of dragons. No matter who you were, the pearl always seemed to bring out the worst of ponies. Several times ponies working under the princesses had won, only to use the pearl for their own selfish gains.
After so many times, the princess had simply washed their hands of the war. They couldn't really punish the winning ponies as they would most likely ascend into godhood. They couldn't interfere as the winning pony seemed to have a habit of betraying them. And lastly, they sure as hell wouldn't get the pearl for themselves as it always disappeared.
For millenia, the two princesses had watched the bloody war, as ponies sold their souls willingly to darkness. Until one day, just months after Princes Luna returned, a new war was set to take place; One that would change equestrian history forever.