Chapter 1: In the Beginning

Chapter 1:  In the Beginning

The world was a young and fertile work of art, kept under the watchful eye of King Genesis and Queen Theia.  They had spent ages creating the earth and each creature upon it, experimenting with their magnum opuses modeled after their own alicorn image.  They created ponies with wings, ponies with horns, and ponies with nothing at all to see which creature best suited the Paradise they created.  It was hard for them to decide which creature would rein supreme, for they loved each kind of pony experiment equally.  In the end they allowed for each breed of pony creature to live in their newly forged Paradise.

The king and queen enjoyed watching how capable the earth ponies were at using the world they created, and how the earth ponies appreciated the ground that they tilled.  They loved watching how the pegasus ponies were able to manipulate the weather, and how the pegasi appreciated the sky they created.  They were happy to watch the unicorns create a magical balance to their fellow ponies, and the unicorns appreciated their ability to bring a sense of wonder to the world with their abundantly unique abilities.  If only chaos hadn’t ruined the harmony the king and queen had created.

Genesis and Theia remembered the day Paradise was lost to chaos, recalling the battle they waged with the mischievous spirit of disharmony known as Discord.  While the defeat and imprisonment of Discord was a triumph to the world, the seeds of confusion and distrust had been planted in the minds of the ponies they watched over.  Ever since that day, the king and queen watched from their heavenly home as these ponies grew and changed from the time they created them.  The three tribes had become segregated, and the distrust between them festered into hatred.  That hatred lead to civil wars, and the king and queen watched their harmony swaying and their Paradise fall under blankets of snow and ice.

In a feeble last attempt to restore harmony between the three tribes, Genesis and Theia created artifacts that they called the Elements of Harmony.  These elements were designed to be shared equally between the three tribes, demonstrating how the tribes could work together to achieve peace.  While two members of each tribe were able to successfully wield them, the wielders were soon brought to trial and banished for their radical ways.  The elements were soon buried deep within a cave to be forgotten about by all of pony kind.  It was in that moment that King Genesis and Queen Theia vowed to no longer interfere with the lives of their creations.

In a final attempt to aid the ever more hectic world, the king and queen bore two alicorn daughters out of their shared love and their desire for harmony.  The eldest, Celestia, was to help the earth with the sun while the youngest, Luna, was to help usher in the night, giving the earth a sense of balance that it had lost due to arguments.  As mere children, the sisters had to learn the functions of both sun and moon.  This started out as a difficult task for them, but as they grew into teenagers their skills improved to near perfection.  Their parents could not have been prouder, grateful for the pride their daughters took in their independent duties.

The decades of not interfering with the world took their heaviest toll on King Genesis.  He spent his days listening to desperate prayers from unhappy ponies as their pleas wafted through the cold air on their way up to him.  His heart ached as he realized how grievous the prayers had become over the years as the earth continued to cover over in a thick blanket of snow and hard feelings.  He could hear his little ponies losing faith as their hearts grew as cold as the world they lived in.  Having one day come to a breaking point, he lifted his horn in the air to summon his family to him so that they could discuss what to do.

Queen Theia flew quickly to her husband’s summoning, leaving a trail of sunset behind her as she streaked across the astral plane they called home.  Her two daughters flew behind their mother, having a hard time keeping up due to their smaller sizes.  As soon as all of them stood before the starry glow of the king, he lovingly nuzzled each of them in turn.  “My loving family,” he said as he opened an astral window, showing his family the suffering ponies of the world.  “You have my thanks for coming before us on such short notice.  It would appear that our little ponies are no longer able to restore harmony as we had hoped for so long.  I fear this may be the end of them if something is not done.”

Queen Theia had watched as generations of the ponies relentless bickering eroded the world she and her husband had so lovingly created.  With each flight of her sunset, the world looked colder and more unhappy than the days before.  “It is no longer our place to directly effect their world,” she admitted, her eyes dropped in dismay.  “Ever since we interfered with Discord, our pony’s lives have made a turn for the worst.  We should have allowed them the free will to defeat him themselves, but instead we interfered, leaving them with a culture of distrust and disharmony.  You saw what they did with our Elements of Harmony last time we tried to interfere.”

King Genesis bowed his head to his wife, remembering how their well laid plans had turned against them.  “I remember the day that we vowed to never again interfere with their lives,” he said stoically, doing his best to keep his emotions in check.  “My greatest fear is what would happen by breaking that vow, but I feel it is of the utmost benefit to the world for us to try something.  The ponies are growing close to starvation because of their disagreements, and I fear for their extinction.”

The two young princesses looked up at their distressed mother, who wrapped a protective arm around each of them.  The graceful queen allowed a tear to escape her delicate eyelids, the tear streaking along her milky cheek before disappearing into her coat.  “We are nearly powerless to the anger that lives in their hearts,” she said, holding protectively to her children.  “If we were to fail, what would become of their existence?  Would our own existence come into question?  Even our children are helpless to the cold ways of the ponies.”

Celestia laid her head against her mother’s shoulder, breathing in the queen’s scent.  “Will they die without us?” she asked, watching her father nod with closed eyes.

In spite of his best efforts, a tear fell from the king’s eyelids.  It sparkled faintly against his starry coat before he wiped it away.  “We are left with little choice,” he said with a deep sigh.  “If the ponies are to survive, they must band together.  In order for them to do that, we must confront the creator of this chaos so that they may see the error of their ways.”

Queen Theia’s eyes widened in fear as she looked at the astral screen.  “Oh no!” she exclaimed as the image on the screen changed to the Draconequus they had trapped in a cave over a century ago.  “He will be the ruin of them!  Why could you think Discord will aid us?”

King Genesis changed the image on the screen to an image of swirling windigos.  “These creatures are a byproduct of his wicked presence,” he explained, watching the windigos howl through the air.  “While we have not been able to control them, we have been able to take control of Discord in the past.  I believe we can force him to put an end to this.”

Celestia watched her parents fret over the image of Discord they brought back on the screen.  “This curious abomination is a threat?” she asked, witnessing Discord turn a row of rocks into cakes.  “If one were to ask, this appears to be merely a distraction.  How can cake be anything more than a treat?”  Celestia got an idea of his abilities when she watched Discord levitate the cakes and toss them one by one at a cave drawing he had made of her parents, noticing the childlike look of vengeful delight on his face.

Celestia couldn’t help rolling her eyes and laughing at Discord’s immature antics, which bothered her mother.  Queen Theia scolded her daughter as she giggled at the cake splattering.  “My child,” Theia reprimanded.  “This is but one small example of the chaotic powers Discord is capable of.  His magic is contained by the enchantments your father and I have placed upon his prison cave, but if left to his own demise his mischief would grow worse and more sporadic as his control takes root.  Do you understand?”

Celestia watched Discord laugh at his own childish behavior, having a hard time keeping a smile off of her face.  “I do not,” she admitted.  “Please, tell us.  What is it that makes this creature such a hazard?”

King Genesis took a deep breath as he increased the size of the astral screen.  “My daughters, there was a time before you were born when ponies lived in a Paradise we created for them,” he explained, showing the world’s past to his children.  “This Paradise was invaded by Discord, whose only goal was to bring about havoc.  He wished for chaos to rein supreme, and the only way to do this was to tempt the ponies curiosities about it.  He presented them with the opportunity for something new and exciting, something that was just the opposite of what we had intended for them.  While we were able to imprison him in the caves, he did irreparable damage upon the hearts and minds of the ponies in Paradise.  Their desire for change lead Paradise into decay, bringing about years of arguing and disdain.  Paradise was lost in a permanent blanket of snow and ice brought on by windigos, a byproduct of Discord’s chaotic magic.  The ponies have relocated several times since then, but each time their arguments have ushered the coldness back into their lives.”

Luna watched the conjured images of Paradise gradually disappearing under the heavy snow and thick ice, the three tribes suffering from the plight caused by their own inability to compromise.  She sneered when her father changed the screen back to the image of Discord floating aimlessly about in the cave.  “I do not trust this creature,” she said, watching him pace the ceiling of the cave and chatter madly to himself.  “Why can the ponies not see that they need each other?  Surely if they saw the error of their ways they could survive this storm.  Why must we interfere, especially knowing what that has done in the past?”

King Genesis shook his head at his daughter’s questions.  “We can not risk standing idly by any longer my daughter,” he replied.  “While we have made it a custom to let the ponies discover their destinies for themselves, we simply must act now or risk losing them forever.  While the ponies are perfectly capable of their own harmony, they have proven that they are also susceptible to their own greed.  Forcing Discord into cooperation is our last hope.”

Queen Theia minimized the astral window her husband had brought about.  “I fear we must go to earth at once if we are to succeed in your father’s plans, however doubtful they may appear,” she explained, giving her children one last nuzzle.  “Girls, we must ask that you stay behind for your own safety.”  Celestia pouted at her mother’s request.  “Why can we not go along?” she wined.  “We have never been to earth before!  When will it be our turn?”  King Genesis stood seriously before his daughter, his hard stare quieting her arguments.  “It may not be safe for you my child,” he said in a steady tone, ignoring Celestia’s pouty facial expression.  “We will leave open an astral screen for you and your sister.  We encourage you to keep watch over us as we work.  I wish for you to learn from our actions in case one day it is you who must encounter Discord.”

While she was not pleased with the outcome, Celestia and her sister each nodded in agreement to their father’s request to stay behind.  At the very least she was looking forward to seeing what the outcome could be, even if it meant there was nothing she could do about it.  “Good luck father,” she said half heartedly, accepting a hug from the starry-coated stallion.

Genesis teasingly tapped his moody teenaged daughter on the head with his wing, smiling at her over reaction at having her mane messed up.  “Celestia, my dear princess,” he cooed in spite of her whining.  “If it makes you feel any better, I am putting you in charge while we are away.  You will take care of your younger sister, won’t you?”

Celestia had heard this ploy before from her father, but that commanding look on his face quit her desire to fight him.  “Sure, okay,” she replied, rolling her eyes as he planted one of his fatherly kisses on her cheek.  “Just stop embarrassing me!  I’m not a baby you can kiss all the time.”

Theia had just finished giving Luna a kiss of her own.  “Make sure your sister doesn’t over-do it this time,” she whispered with a teasing wink.  “You remember last time she took things too far.  We still can’t find all those stars!”

Luna couldn’t help chuckling at Celestia’s annoyed smirk, especially as it screwed up under her mothers kiss on the cheek.  “I promise to behave,” she said, allowing her father to take a turn to kiss her cheek.