A Prologue
Equestrian Fate Chronicles: Darkness Unleashed
A Prologue
In the beginning, there was nothing.
Then, for reasons forever unknown, the Seven were born: Chaos, Order, Creation, Destruction, Fate, Nature, and Death.
Creation led her siblings around the cosmos as they formed, watching as planets were born, stars were formed, and galaxies assembled. Finally, after several billion years, they came across a planet quite unlike the others. While the rest had been cold and dark, this one was warm and bright, filled with potential. The Seven made the decision to make their homes on this planet.
However, something happened soon after: life. It was microbiol at first and didn’t warrant much attention, but it soon evolved into more and more organisms. Finally, after a few billion years of tense waiting, the ponies were created. By this point, the Seven had been reduced to six, as Nature had wandered off into a forest ages ago. Chaos was intrigued with them, saw them as a new form of himself. Indeed, once the species started spreading, more and more forms of both Order and Chaos were formed. Discord and Peace were the first born. From there, an endless stream of minor gods were made: Deception, Friendship, Insanity, Fear, Hope. Finally, the ponies made a civilization, with villages and castles. For a few thousand years, there was peace. Then, the griffins attacked. A race entirely made of quadruped eagles with sentience, they fell upon the ponies with mad ferocity. The First Golden Age ended, and the ponies scattered. some went to the jungle and adapted by becoming zebras. Those that went near the ocean became seaponies and capricorns. Those that were captured by griffins became pegasi, and the ones that went to the fields and mountains became earth ponies. Finally, those that went to rocky wastelands and caves became unicorns. After a few thousand years, the new races reconvened in their old capital, now lost to the Everfree Forest. After much debate, the zebras, capricorns, and seaponies went back to their homes, agreeing to ally whatever new nation the other three races formed.
Thus, the pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies formed a new nation, and the Second Golden Age began. It was a time of research and discovery, as the new races started to mingle and question. Several magical theorems were created, left for future generations to solve. The Seven (minus one, as Nature was still missing) watched with fond interest. Finally, they saw fit to bless them with a gift: two alicorns to raise the sun and moon. They were named Celestia and Luna, and they were welcomed with open forelegs. New research was made into their existence and physical form. It was eventually decided that they were the combination of an Imperial pegasi, an Arcane unicorn, and a Heavy earth pony. 500 years passed, and no trouble arose. Then, Discord attacked. It was only natural, the balance between Order and Chaos had started to grow shaky, and the peace had to be disturbed to restore it. However, the two alicorns did not recognize this balance and imprisoned Discord in stone, sealing him away for a thousand years.
The Seven (minus Nature and Death) were furious at the two. They sent two beings down: King Sombra, who imprisoned the Crystal Empire, and Nightmare, who possessed Luna and forced Celestia to banish her to the moon for a thousand years (which was the standard rehabilitation period for gods). Thus, Celestia raised both the sun and the moon by herself, and the Seven were pleased. Death, however, was not. he had seen what had happened during the First Golden Age, and he saw that the Second Golden Age had ended because of his siblings. So he left to warn Celestia about them and their plans. When she refused to listen, no matter how reasonable Death was, he took matters into his own hands. He organized a rebellion against her and attacked the capital with advanced magic and technology. After a long and bloody battle, Death was defeated and banished to another universe, and the rebels scattered. Peace settled on the land, and rebuilding began. Fifty years later, the Third Golden Age began. At first, nothing much happened. When Luna came back, however, a series of events started to occur that threatened the safety of the world and its inhabitants. Finally, the remaining rebels, now reformed as Death’s followers, decided to do something about it. Their leader went to seek the aid the only god who would listen: Discord.
“What a lovely coronation.” Discord said. He and his guest were currently hanging upside down from the wedding room’s ceiling, observing the hired help cleaning up the mess left behind by the guests.
“It’s a shame, really,” his guest said, sipping a cup of tea. “A few more weeks and this whole thing could’ve been done without consequence.” Discord raised an eyebrow at him.
“Whatever do you mean, Cornelius?” The manticore next to him finished his tea and turned to him.
“The Ethereal Realm, Discord. It’s starting to destabilize here. All that advanced magic and continuous abuse has thrown it over the edge. And you know what happens next.” Discord sighed and walked to one of the windows.
“She won’t listen, you know.” Cornelius nodded in agreement.
“I need only to think of our leader to know that. If you could still show her, however-” Discord whipped around, his fiery glare cutting him off.
“The last time I tried to talk sense into her, I was imprisoned for a thousand years. Your leader got lucky, Cornelius. I didn’t.” He turned back around and sighed heavily.
“She will never listen. Even if the facts have checked and the evidence is explicit. That’s just her nature, and I’ve learned to at least appease it, if not fully submit to it.” Cornelius brooded for a while before speaking.
“Then we will have to change her nature.” Discord chuckled.
“You and I both know that is a fool’s plan, one destined to either fail or destroy you, or both.” Cornelius smiled.
“Well, it depends on your definition of a fool.” Discord’s eyes widened.
“No... There was no way out of it! No possible way! You would have to break three laws of physics and Starswirl’s Theorem of Half-life!” Cornelius chuckled at his protests.
“First of all, Starswirl never proved that theorem. It remains an enigma for even Twilight Sparkle. Secondly, Those ‘laws’ were based on incomplete data. Revolutionary and astounding at the time, but still incomplete. The Anti-Renaissance incident saw to that.” Discord shuddered as it was brought up. Countless lives had ended that day, never to return or finish their work. He sighed and walked towards the massive double doors.
“Do what you want, Cornelius, but I will have no part in it.” He stopped and muttered just loud enough for him to hear:
“Unless your leader speaks with me.” With that, and a devious smile, he left. Cornelius nodded and glanced at the floor beneath him. The maids were finishing up, eager to get out of the room and get renewals on their anti-hallucinogens. He decided no one would notice him opening a window and exiting the castle, which he promptly did. That went better than expected, he thought as he flew towards the Everfree Forest, not noticing the suspicious eyes of a certain alicorn princess.