Darkness. Empty, hollow darkness. That is all I can feel. I can sense no life. Besides our own Tree, this is a world devoid of all life. There is nothing for me, for any of us, to inhabit.
I feel Laughter nearby. Laughter is restless. She wishes to fill the body of a creature. But our Tree is all that is. She inhabits her crystal branch, and no more. I feel her contemplating whether or not life will ever fill this world we have found ourselves thrust into. She is discussing it with Kindness. I could tune in, but I choose not to.
I feel Honesty, waiting patiently. Honesty remains vigilant. He is waiting for life to fill this barren world. He waits for us to no longer be all that is. He waits for a vessel for him to carry his influence. We all wait, but none more patiently than Honesty. Honesty does not commune. He does not open himself to the rest of us. I can sense that he has shut himself off from all but I. I cannot be blocked out.
Kindness listens to Laughter. I can tell she is not truly listening, but merely humouring Laughter. Should Laughter not be able to humour herself? It is an intriguing question. Laughter is filling our collective consciousness with boundless impatience and enthusiasm. Kindness replies with patient acceptance and the gentle blanket of calm she carries with her. She does not respond. She occasionally projects thoughts of agreement or disagreement, but she remains calm and quiet.
Loyalty is filling our shared consciousness with anger. His white-hot fury at our lack of true vessels is unsettling Kindness. She tries to hide it, but I can sense her unease. Projecting my disapproval, I shut Loyalty off from the rest of us. Kindness calms herself and resumes her discussion. I scold Loyalty. He responds with an argument that it is not fair. We are forced to sit in this empty void, with only each other for company. I project my agreement, but keep him closed off until he has calmed down.
Generosity is trying pointlessly to communicate with me. I do not wish to mingle with him presently, but I cannot shut him out from me, for if I do, he shall vanish. He wishes to engage in a discussion similar to that of Kindness and Laughter. He wishes for me to free Loyalty and force Honesty to open up so we may discuss it together. I refuse him silently. I do not project. I have no need to. Generosity wishes to stay true to his namesake and provide a willing mind to mingle with, but I am not in the mood. Generosity is a gentle spirit, but I must push him away for now.
I, Magic, am also waiting. I am not as patient as Honesty. I am not as impatient as Loyalty. I am not as passive as Kindness. I am not as restless as Laughter nor as social as Generosity. I just am. It is my duty to keep the other five Elements in check. They are bound to me, as I am to them. They cannot block me from them. I do have the power to block them, but if I do, they shall vanish. I stay open at all times, sensing all that is around me, involuntarily eavesdropping on the discussions of the other five.
I do not know how long we have been waiting. Perhaps days? Centuries? Millennia? Perhaps it has merely been minutes. All I know for sure is that we are here. And we are alone. We are eternal. When life does fill this planet, that life will not be eternal. The life will fade, and our void and single crystalline tree of pure Magic will return, and the cycle will begin anew. We have never experienced life before. But the creatures who will live in our fair world will surely know Harmony.
I quietly retreat into myself. I have not shut the others out, not truly, but I have learned to ignore them. I recede back to wait. Waiting an eternity.
It happened. It finally happened. For the first time in our unfathomably long life, we have sensed light. There is a light in our world. A fledgling star has formed above our world, bringing glorious radiance to the barren rock. Honesty informed me while I was deep within myself. He was the first to feel it. The first flicker of life has also sparked. The life is not complex enough for us to inhabit it. The life consists of but one cell. But the life will grow and develop until it has become complex enough to have emotions. Then, we can finally fulfil our sole purpose.
I do not know why this is our purpose. All I know is that it is. I feel a burst of a sensation that is foreign to me. Enthusiasm. I feel the urge to communicate until I can communicate no longer. This must be what Laughter and Generosity feel constantly. Honesty has finally emerged from his shell. He communes with us now. Kindness now bonds more actively. Generosity and Laughter are more social than usual. Loyalty's anger has been tamed.
Now, we wait again. But now, we are waiting for something that will definitely arrive.
Complex life. Its unique signals coursing along the plane of ascendency we inhabit is a joyous feeling. The life is in its infancy, in terms of emotions and desires. I would not call it 'sapient'. Though we have within ourselves the power to inhabit it, we choose not to. We are saving ourselves for life worthy of us. We wait for special ones. Ones who have within them the unique strength to withstand our all-consuming presence.
Soon, this complex yet simple life will have developed into something we can inhabit. Until then, we shall resume waiting. Waiting is what we have always been good at.
It has finally happened. Loyalty's joy fills our consciousness with unbridled feelings of positivity shared by the rest of us.
For the first time, one of us has found a vessel. Kindness has chosen to inhabit the body of a young creature. A creature with four legs and a pair of feathered wings. A pony. A pegasus pony, to be precise. This pegasus colt is still young. He still clings to his mother's teats, but even though she is no longer in the Tree, we can feel Kindness' love for this colt through our spiritual connection. She adores him. Though she is not him, and he is not her, she resides within him and guides him.
I do not know how her presence will affect him. Time will tell. Perhaps he will be unconditionally kind throughout life? Or perhaps he may have unique powers. Perhaps both, perhaps neither.
Despite the other four's enthusiasm in regards to this new development, it has caused Honesty to develop an unknown emotion. He longs after Kindness constantly, occasionally acting angry or provoking the others. On more than one occasion, he has directly or indirectly hurt Kindness. Her projected feelings of woe and confusion did not go unnoticed by me. I singled Honesty out. I questioned him. He claims that he does not know this emotion, but that it is strong enough for him to consider stealing Kindness' vessel.
I have sternly cautioned him, and I keep him locked in seclusion. I will wait for a single moon. If he does not right himself and dispel this petty emotion by then, I will do the unthinkable. I will sever him from me, and therefore from the rest of us.
An emotion which causes anger due to longing for the possessions of another. I have never experienced nor heard of such a thing before. I shall give it the name of 'jealousy'. An ugly word for an ugly emotion.
Loyalty and Generosity have found vessels. Loyalty inhabits an earth pony filly, and Generosity has chosen a pegasus colt, just like Kindness. Laughter grows ever more restless. Honesty's jealousy has faded, but when I see signs of it returning, I am on my guard. I have noticed that the word 'jealousy' has found its way into pony speech. How, I do not know. Perhaps Kindness and her colt spread the word? Or maybe my decision to name the emotion impacted all spirits, and not just ours. Whatever the reason, it is fascinating. Something that I invented, has become so commonplace.
Kindness' colt has grown. He is now a young stallion, ready to find his own in the world. It would appear that my first assessment was correct. The colt has shown remarkable kindness to others throughout his life. The colt's name is Wind Racer. His destiny is to guide the winds through the sky, and to ensure that they do not bring harm to others. A noble destiny. Kindness still loves her colt as much as she did all those years ago.
Honesty continues to wait, but not as patiently as he used to. I admit, even I find the Tree to be lonely when compared to the sensations of joy and wonder flooding in from Kindness, Generosity, and Loyalty. Soon, it will be our turn.
I am alone in the Tree now. Laughter and Honesty have finally found vessels. They constant flow of love, admiration, joy and wonder fills my being with an empty mix of jealousy and sadness. My companions are no longer as close to me as they were. I can still feel them just as strongly as before, but with their vessels keeping them busy, they do not have as much time to discuss and ponder the mysteries of the world.
Laughter pauses from whatever escapade she and her unicorn vessel have gotten into. She questions me, wondering why I do not seem to be in a good mood. I refuse to answer her, so she calls the others. They too stop to attempt to comfort me. They ask why I do not emerge to find a vessel. I admit, I have not made much of an effort, but that is because I know that the world lacks the vessel I seek.
They ask why not, and I pause. I am not sure how I know. But somehow, I know. They reason to me there are many powerful wielders of my force in the world, and many destined to become powerful wielders. Why not choose one of them?
Thinking of my reasoning carefully, I finally come up with an answer. I point out to them how common the use of 'magic' is. I am Magic. I know this. The unicorn ponies use their 'magic' to perform mundane tasks, such as the transporting of goods through the air via telekinesis, or to light up darkness. While these may be feats of 'magic', the ponies know next to nothing about true Magic. The Magic I embody is different. There are powerful users of 'magic' in the world of ponies, but few of those powerful 'mages', as they call themselves, know the meaning of true Magic.
True Magic comes from the heart. It is a power one is born with, and it cannot be activated so casually. To master Magic takes time, skill, and patience. One must not devote themselves mind, body, and soul to studying tomes of 'magic'. One must perform a certain amount of academic learning, that is true. But the true power of Magic comes from unity. The unity shared by my companions and I. We are always there for one another. Loyalty would never abandon us. Honesty could not lie. There is not a single spark of cruelty within Kindness. Laughter is always there to entertain us and cheer us up. Generosity would gladly bear the burden of our pain if it meant we would feel better.
The aspects of unity my companions embody is what creates Harmony. Harmony is the key to Magic. The ponies have their own word for it. They call it 'friendship'. It is a word I like. Friendship is the key to understanding Magic. Without friendship, without companions to share one's discoveries and experiences with, Magic will never reach its full strength. That is why I, Magic, will not reveal myself until there is friendship in the world. As it stands, the world is too full of strife and pain for true Magic to exist. I save myself for the perfect vessel, as nothing less will do.
The other Elements fall silent before they realise that my mind cannot be swayed and leave.
I have found her. The perfect vessel. She is a young unicorn filly with a pale green coat and a dark green mane. Her name is Clover. I can sense deep within her a powerful force of magic, both of true Magic and false 'magic'. I love this filly with the full force of my consciousness. She is bright, inquisitive, and extremely friendly. She could just as easily have been inhabited by Kindness or Loyalty.
Kindness' colt, Wind Racer, has grown even more. Now he is a revered weather commander in a large town. He has a wife and foal, expecting the second. Kindness' feelings of pride are immense. Laughter's vessel is still fairly young, as is Honesty's, but Loyalty and Generosity's vessels are young adults now. They adore them.
Love. It is an emotion I have never felt before. I care deeply for my companions. Why shouldn't I? I am bound to them, and them to me. We are always there for one another. But this filly, Clover, is different. I care for her so deeply, that I would allow her to enter the chamber of the Tree should she so desire, and snap a branch from it. I care for her deeply enough that I would share my power with her and allow her to use it as she saw fit. Is this love? Is this what the others feel for their vessels? If so, I now understand why they wanted me to experience it for myself.
Clover is an excellent learner. She is quick to learn false 'magic', but also possesses a unique aptitude for true Magic. I am proud of her. My Clover is now a stunning young mare, catching the eye of colts everywhere. She rejects them in favour of her studies with her mentor, Starswirl the Bearded. Her brilliant mind and powers have earned her the name of Clover the Clever. I do not particularly like her mentor, however. He is far too absorbed in his studies to even consider seeking unity, or friendship.
I cannot help but notice the growing seeds of disharmony in the world. For some reason, ponies of different tribes dislike one another. Pegasi consider themselves above the earth ponies, literally and figuratively. Earth ponies hate the unicorns, claiming that they are 'snobbish'. Unicorns are disgusted by the conduct of the pegasi, which is harsh and militaristic.
I fail to understand why the ponies dislike each other. They are all the same. Each one possesses within them at least a spark of Harmony. They all eat. They all breathe. They all possess a mark on their flanks showcasing their destiny. Why, then, can they not get along? If it carries on, it may attract some unwanted attention from the spirit world. I can feel the Windigoes stirring. They are preparing to strike. I have issued a stern warning to them, but they have ignored me.
I cannot do anything to stop them. I fear for the safety of the ponies, especially my Clover.
The Windigoes have struck. Like the vile demons they are, they have caused famine and civil war amongst the ponies. Their blizzard has driven the earth pony crops back into the ground. As such, there is no food for the other races. The unicorns refuse to keep the celestial cycle moving as it should unless the earth ponies pay their tribute. Both ground races blame the pegasi. They claim that they are shaking snow from clouds to kill the land below. The pegasi blame the unicorns. They claim that the 'mages' under Starswirl's tutelage are using their 'magic' to create the blizzard. The unicorns, at this accusation, claimed instead that the pegasi were in league with the earth ponies, working together to starve them. Their hate has only strengthened the Windigoes.
I wish we could intervene. But we are spirits, voiceless, and without a true corporeal form. I can only influence events through Clover, and even then, I cannot directly control her, for fear of breaking her mind.
Today only made my wish stronger. Kindness' keening wails of sorrow have filled our consciousness entirely for the past several hours. She has not stopped her mourning since the moment it began, for today is the day that Wind Racer met his end. The cold has taken him, ending his life through frostbite. Kindness approached him on the spiritual plane, only to find him as an empty, emotionless shell of a soul. His true soul had long departed for Elysium. She took up her mourning wails at that moment and has not stopped since.
Laughter has tried fruitlessly to comfort her, to lift her spirits. Generosity has even gone so far as to offer up his own vessel for Kindness to take. Nothing has worked. I can tell that Kindness' pain is impacting the others, so gently, I close her off from the rest and allow her to mourn alone. I can feel every bit of her now concentrated pain, but I will bear it. The others will endure the pain of loss themselves once their own vessels meet their end.
Kindness still refuses to take on another vessel. Though it has been several moons since Wind Racer's passing, she remains withdrawn and reclusive. I pity her. Laughter attempts constantly to raise her spirits, but her efforts have proven fruitless. I try to tell Laughter that she must leave Kindness be, for there is a saying amongst ponies that time heals all wounds. It is my hope that this will hold true for the emotional wounds of eternal spirits as well.
Clover has embarked on a journey alongside the haughty and arrogant Princess Platinum of the unicorns to lead her tribe to salvation. They have grown weary of the Windigoes' blizzard, and now seek refuge in a distant land. The land they make for is one that appears uninhabited by pony life, save for two immensely powerful and unique ponies whose nature even I cannot comprehend. It is also the land which houses our Tree. Perhaps it is my own influence within Clover that drives her towards the Tree.
Generosity speaks to me of his own vessel's journey through the stormy, harsh skies towards a new land. Like the unicorns, the pegasi have also gathered themselves and departed to clearer skies and greener pastures. He claims that the land they make for is uninhabited, save for a pair of powerful ponies.
According to Honesty and Loyalty, the situation is much the same for the earth ponies. It would appear that the three tribes are bound by destiny, for they have all elected to travel towards the same land. I am curious about these two powerful ponies we have all sensed. One seems to possess the same energy and life force as the star that settled above our world. The other appears to hold the quiet power of the moon. It is my hope that Clover encounters these two ponies so that I may investigate them. I could do so myself, but that would require leaving Clover. Only death could tear me from her.
Clover has truly mastered Magic. Not the false 'magic' of the 'mages', but the true Magic of Harmony. Once the three tribes arrived in the new land, a glorious haven of nature with an ideal climate and fertile soil, they immediately began squabbling and arguing over whom should receive what privileges. The sheer disharmony of it all caused us a rare sensation: pain. As such, we were all forced to withdraw. Not to leave entirely, but to shrink away from the ponies. We were helpless as we watched them destroy themselves.
All too soon the ponies were beset once more by the Windigoes. The leaders of the three tribes and their right-hooves, Clover included, were forced to seek refuge in a cave. The Windigoes' icy force sealed the cavern shut. If I had a physical form, I would surely have wept, for Clover would perish under the merciless, icy wrath of the Windigoes. The ice wasted no time in engulfing the tribal leaders. As the right-hooves confessed their lack of hatred for each other, the disharmony parted just enough for me to return to Clover. I wished only to be with her at the end.
All at once, Clover's Magic erupted in a blast of purple fire. Ponies and Elements alike were awed by the sheer Harmony she radiated. The surge of heat and friendship was enough to drive away the Windigoes. The fire soon coalesced into a single mass. This fire of Harmony was strong enough to thaw out the bodies of the ponies who had created it. Throughout the night, in an effort to keep the fire alive, the ponies sang songs, told stories, and put their differences aside. The warmth of their friendship served only to bolster the warmth of the fire. Soon, it had thawed the icy hearts of the leaders as well. The leaders joined in the celebration, until the cavern's entrance was finally opened.
The Windigoes were long gone. Awestruck ponies emerged from their shelters as the snow began to melt, some having formed friendships of their own during the blizzard. The leaders declared that from that moment forth, there would be no more hatred and mistrust between ponies, and that all would work together towards a brighter future, and the crowd of ponies responded with a joyous cheer. They decided to name their new land 'Equestria'. A name I wholeheartedly approve of, for it was once a word that meant 'friendship'.
Never in the history of the world has such an astounding feat of Harmony occurred. We did not even have to intervene. I am proud of the ponies for overcoming their differences of their own accord. Truly, this is a victory not just for the ponies, but for all of Harmony.
It has been several years since the blizzard's end. The ponies have remained true to their word and now trust one another without a second thought. All are equal, and all are living in contented bliss.
Kindness has since reopened herself to us. It seems she was inspired by the ponies, and now makes an effort to find a new vessel of her own. Generosity's vessel has passed from this world, and the sounds of his mourning echo through our consciousness. Though the death was a peaceful one, Generosity still mourns his loss. Kindness attempts to comfort him, and her efforts are not in vain. Generosity has vowed to make a new effort to find a new vessel. He and Kindness now venture through the world together on their quests for vessels.
To my own frustration, the two powerful ponies have left this region. It seems they enjoy traveling, as I can sense them moving around often. It is my hope that sooner or later they will elect to return to the land of Equestria. Until then, I will simply enjoy my time with Clover, and observe the ponies in their lives.
This is not a happy time. Clover has passed from this world. My being is filled with an overwhelming feeling of sadness. I have secluded myself from the other Elements. They fear for my wellbeing. Laughter is torn between attending to me and attending to Loyalty, whose vessel has also passed on. I insist to Laughter that I am fine and that she should be focusing on Loyalty, lest his fiery anger rear its ugly head once more.
Honesty would be ashamed of the lie. But I will mourn in solitude. I do not need to confide in the others. Though I will miss residing within Clover, it is also comforting to know that her death was a peaceful one, rather than a painful one as Loyalty's vessel was forced to endure. I will move on, and I will take a new vessel. But perhaps I will wait before I do so.
It has been many decades since Clover's passing. Though the other Elements have since chosen and subsequently lost vessels, I have chosen not to.
There is an ominous sense of foreboding in the world. I can feel immense disharmony building somewhere, but I cannot identify its source. It is not the disharmony caused by hatred, but rather the raw disharmony of chaos. I fear for all of ponykind. The other Elements bristle with anticipation.
Currently, it is only Laughter who inhabits a vessel. Though her previous vessel passed away, it takes far more than death to keep Laughter down. She wasted no time in choosing another. Not out of lack of care for the previous, but rather out of respect for her own nature. It is an admirable feat, to be sure.
The two ponies of immense power have not returned to these lands. I long to examine them, and to understand why they have not withered and died as ponies do. There is most assuredly something different about these two.
The land of the ponies cries out in pain, as do the ponies themselves. A terrible being of pure, unbridled chaos has taken hold of Equestria, transforming it into a twisted landscape of strange, illogical patterns and objects. Things that should not be possible have become possible. The chaos bringer calls itself 'Discord'.
It would surely take all of our combined power to defeat him, however we cannot act directly ourselves. The disharmony is too powerful for us to interfere. We must select vessels and subtly guide them towards our physical forms, residing within the Tree. Our vessels must utilise our physical forms as a conduit to channel our power through themselves. Only then can Discord be defeated.
However, Discord is not to be taken lightly. It seems he is aware of our presence in this world, for he has spared no effort in breaking the spirits of the ponies. The ponies simply wander through the chaotic landscape in a perpetual state of anxious unrest. No pony in Equestria is Harmonious enough to act as vessel for us now. Even Laughter cannot find a pony to inhabit. Our only hope is for a miracle to appear.
A miracle is what was needed, and a miracle is what has happened. The two enigmatic ponies have returned to Equestria from their travels in distant lands. Closer inspection has revealed that the more powerful of the two possesses the power of the sun, while the less powerful possesses the strength of the moon. I have taken a liking to the elder pony, as have Kindness and Generosity, while Loyalty, Laughter, and Honesty prefer the younger.
Unsurprisingly, a brief debate over who should take their chosen pony as a vessel erupts before Kindness suggests sharing. Though I initially insist that doing so would complicate the destinies of the ponies, the others eventually convince me to give it a chance. And so, Kindness, Generosity and I all inhabit the elder pony, whose name is Celestia, while the others inhabit the younger, whose name is Luna.
Surprisingly, it does very little to impact the sisters. It also surprises me how little interference on our parts it takes to encourage them to take action against Discord. As luck would have it, their original purpose for traveling to Equestria was to defeat Discord. A mere 'flash of inspiration', courtesy of our meddling, gives the pair the idea to explore the Everfree Forest, the mysterious place of wild and untamed Magic that houses our Tree.
Once there, Celestia extracts our physical forms, which resemble crystals of different colours. After a brief conversation with Discord, during which I cannot help but notice him scattering seeds of chaos, Celestia and Luna finally harness our awesome power. For the first time ever, our full power has been unleashed. Discord is lucky that we did not render him shattered fragments of a spirit. Instead, we chose to be merciful, and merely petrified him in stone. The enchantment should last for quite some time. Perhaps by then his spirit will have calmed, and he can embrace Harmony.
I hear Laughter's peals of joy echoing through our consciousness. I am not the only one curious as to the source of her mirth. Upon being questioned, Laughter shares her own realisation. And once she does, her joy is echoed by all of us. She explains that we may never have to endure the pain of losing a vessel again. For Celestia and Luna are like us. They are eternal.
The years spent with Celestia and Luna pass in a haze of wonder and excitement. As reward for their defeat of Discord, the ponies have unanimously named Celestia and Luna as their leaders. The sisters however, rejected the title of 'Queen', choosing instead the humbler 'Princess'. They claim that they are not the highest power in all of Equestria, and thus they should not be named as such.
As the years go by, many threats befall Equestria. Using our power, Celestia and Luna quell any potential danger before it has a chance to grow. They even extend this guardianship to other regions. Recently they have traveled north to a realm known as the Crystal Empire to defeat its tyrannical ruler. They did not actually make use of our power during the battle, choosing instead to utilise their own power and banish him deep into the frozen ice of the north. Despite their efforts, however, the Empire itself has vanished without a trace, taking the ponies within with it.
Though all seems to be well in Equestria, Loyalty, Honesty, and Laughter have approached me with concerns regarding Luna. They appear to have noticed a recent change in her behaviour and fear that they may have to do the unthinkable: they may have to abandon her and seek new vessels. I try to assure them that all will be fine, and that they can remain with Luna, but I can still sense their unease.
Never in all our time has this occurred. It seems the fears of Loyalty, Honesty, and Laughter were not unfounded. Luna began to grow colder and more bitter, becoming jealous of her sister's daytime and the joy it brought. Once the ponies firmly declared their preference for Celestia, Luna snapped. She declared herself to be 'Nightmare Moon' and that she would rule Equestria on her own while keeping it under a blanket of eternal night.
It was this declaration that finally drove her Elements to abandon her. They fled, seeking refuge within Celestia, and seeking comfort from those of us within her. The departure of Luna's Elements seemed to allow a greater darkness to overtake her, and she was transformed into a twisted creature of nightmares befitting her name. She ruthlessly pursued Celestia in an aerial battle, very nearly striking her down for good.
Though it obviously pained her to do so, Celestia made use of our power one final time to battle Nightmare Moon. However, our power was never meant to be wielded by just one. We could not grant Celestia's wish and restore her sister. Instead, our power could only banish her—to the very moon she loved so much. As Celestia wept for her lost sister, the disharmony within her grew stronger, forcing all six of us to flee.
Even Laughter has no expressions to raise our spirits. We silently withdraw deep within ourselves. I notice that our physical forms are no longer the bright crystals they once were, but rather they are now stone spheres, completely devoid of power. More alarmingly, my own physical form has vanished entirely. And yet, I cannot bring myself to care as I once did.
The next millennium passes by quickly. I do very little observing over that time. However, almost one thousand years after leaving Celestia, something finally piques my interest enough for me to emerge and observe. A filly, with a coat of lavender and mane of indigo, is being examined to enter Celestia's own academy for the study of false 'magic'. This little filly has no friends. She makes no effort to pursue Harmony. It is a mystery as to why she intrigues me so.
As the filly attempts futilely to hatch a dragon's egg, something in the distance startles her. A floodgate of raw power is suddenly opened, and I sense the other Elements stirring. As the filly's 'magic' spirals wildly out of control, I feel the other five investigating their own sources of fascination. I choose to ignore them. I focus only on the filly. Celestia soon calms her raging 'magic'. And as she does so, I suddenly notice that the other five have all selected vessels. At the exact same time. I question them, and they state that their new vessels are 'perfect'.
Generosity questions whether or not any pony has caught my own attention. I state simply that there are no ponies worthy of me right now. Honesty detects my lie, and questions me regarding the filly I have observed. I explain to him that she shows only great potential in false 'magic'. She does not show enough Harmony to be considered worthy of me. Loyalty points out that the symbol of her destiny is an exact replica of my physical form, and that it is surrounded by five smaller images of that same symbol.
I attempt to pass it off as mere coincidence. Honesty senses the obvious lie, but he chooses not to pursue it. The truth is that I am still not ready to choose a vessel. Not after Celestia and Luna.
All too soon, the thousandth year since the banishment of Nightmare Moon is upon us. The others still try to get me to choose a new vessel, fearing for Equestria's safety without our power. Though I have kept watch on Twilight Sparkle, the filly who bears my symbol as her destiny, I have not yet chosen her as my vessel. Until she embraces Harmony, I will continue to observe and observe only.
I observe as she somehow manages to encounter all five of the others' vessels. Whether it is through the interfering of the other five or pure chance, the vessels of the other Elements have all come to live in the same town. The town that Celestia has chosen to send Twilight Sparkle. During her stay, she proves only to further disappoint me with her utter lack of Harmony as she adamantly refuses to attempt to make friends, despite having a royal order to do so.
Nightmare Moon soon appears and Celestia is nowhere to be found. Twilight Sparkle attempts to brave the dangers of the Everfree Forest in an attempt to retrieve our physical forms and use them against Nightmare Moon. She does not realise that our power comes not from the crystals of our physical forms, but from the strength of the bonds between the ponies we inhabit. She is far too uneducated in the ways of Harmony to ever be my vessel.
The vessels of the other five insist upon tagging along. Though the other Elements insist that they have nothing to do with it, Honesty is a terrible liar. As Nightmare Moon throws peril after peril their way, the five vessels manage to utilise their own Elements to overcome the dangers. Twilight Sparkle has still not embraced Harmony. Though the other five beg and plead, I doggedly refuse to budge. Only when she has understood Harmony will I accept her.
Upon reaching the ruins of the castle once inhabited by Celestia and Luna, Twilight Sparkle fruitlessly attempts to encourage me to emerge. I am not interested in her 'spark' of false 'magic'. I wish to see a spark of Harmony. As the backlash from her failed attempts sends her flying, Nightmare Moon shatters our physical forms. Twilight Sparkle is overcome with hopelessness as she watches the shards fall. I suppose she still does not know that our physical forms are merely conduits for our true power.
As the other five's vessels approach, I feel it. The first spark of Harmony within Twilight Sparkle. As she gives a speech regarding each of the other five, their broken forms light up and surround their vessels. I feel them preparing themselves for the coming use of their power, yet they are also watching to see if I will accept Twilight Sparkle. Nightmare Moon is filled with fear, and yet she tries to instill fear within Twilight Sparkle.
As Twilight Sparkle finishes speaking, there is no doubt within my being. She has embraced Harmony. As she utters the last line of her speech, I accept her. My physical form reappears before bending to a new shape, as we six Elements combine our powers to strike Nightmare Moon. This is how our power was meant to be used. Not by one pony, nor by two, but by six. Six different forces combining to create true Harmony.
As the dust clears, Luna lays on the floor of the castle, purged of Nightmare Moon's taint. Celestia is freed from her imprisonment, and the two exchange a tearful reunion. As for our vessels, their own story of Harmony is only just beginning.
It has been less than a year and yet another set of problems already befalls Equestria. In that short span of time, our vessels have grown only closer and more in Harmony with each other. However, the stone seal we placed on Discord alongside Celestia and Luna has shattered, and a thousand years of punishment has done little to calm his raging spirit.
Twilight Sparkle and her friends have wasted no time in responding to the threat. However, Discord is nothing if not crafty. He has already stolen our physical forms and hidden them away. He has presented them with a riddle designed to confuse them. Their search for our physical forms is turned into a twisted game of sorts. And now our vessels wander a hedge labyrinth aimlessly in search of us.
Honesty begins projecting strange feelings. He believes that his vessel is being seduced by Discord. Suddenly, he gives off an expression of intense pain as he is forcefully removed from his vessel. We all tend to him as he explains that Discord has corrupted his vessel with the essence of disharmony using spiteful words designed to cut him off from her.
The next to suffer this pain is Laughter, followed by Generosity, Kindness, and Loyalty. Of all the pain inflicted upon them, it seems Kindness suffered the most. Her vessel was not psychologically manipulated like the others, but rather forcefully corrupted when she remained steadfast in her desire to be kind. Upon the departure of Loyalty's vessel, Discord declares himself to have won. Though Twilight still remains uncorrupted, I can feel her spirit waning as she realises that something is very wrong with her friends.
Twilight has finally realised the truth behind the riddle presented by Discord. She rushes back to her home and manages to discover our physical forms. But as her friends grow only more corrupted, so too does Twilight grow frustrated with them. She attempts to utilise our power, only for it to fail for several reasons, not least of which being that Loyalty's vessel isn't even present, having been crudely replaced by Twilight's dragon assistant.
As Discord taunts Twilight, I finally experience the pain suffered by the others as I am forcefully removed from Twilight. Twilight herself returns home, discarding the crown that holds my crystal. However, it seems that Celestia has not been ignoring the plight of Twilight and her friends. Through Twilight's assistant, she sends Twilight the letters that she has been writing over the course of her stay in the town of Ponyville. Rereading her own letters seems to rekindle Twilight's passion for her friends. The disharmony clears enough for me to return, and I make use of my subtle influence to inspire her with the idea for a new spell.
This spell proves effective as she uses it to free her friends from Discord's corruption, allowing the other Elements to return to them. Loyalty's vessel puts up the most of a fight, but eventually she submits. With all six vessels free and uncorrupted, Twilight leads them to face Discord once more. Discord is too busy making fun of the ponies to realise the danger. By the time he has realised, it is too late for him to do anything. Our power surges forth towards Discord, encasing him once more in stone.
A while has passed since Discord's second defeat. Our power has not truly been used since, though Twilight did attempt to use it at one stage, only to be captured before she could. However it all worked out in the end, so there was no need for us.
However, Discord's imprisonment was not set to last for very long. Celestia soon brought Discord down from her lofty palace in the hopes that Kindness' vessel would be able to reform him. Though Twilight and the other vessels are initially reluctant, Kindness' vessel agrees. Twilight uses our power to free Discord. All six of us, save for Kindness, are consumed with fear. If Discord takes hold again, our power may not be enough to stop him.
Kindness does not seem worried. She has confidence in her vessel that she can tame Discord. Honesty expresses his doubts in a rather cruel fashion, driving me to separate him from the others for a while. Eventually, we all agree to place our trust in Kindness and her vessel.
Our trust is not misplaced, it seems, as after several bumps, Discord is declared 'reformed'. I may relax a little now that I know he will not cause any more trouble for us.
It is only a short while since Discord's reformation. Now Twilight is studying the ancient journal of Clover's mentor, the rather disharmonious Starswirl the Bearded. Twilight is enraptured by his studies of 'magic', but is confused when she reaches his final unfinished spell.
I do recall this spell, somewhere back in history. Starswirl couldn't figure out how to finish the spell, and he ignored Clover's insistence that it would require friendship to work as intended. Supposedly the spell was designed to give a pony immense 'magical' power and life everlasting. Though I did not realise it at the time, Starswirl's idea of the ultimate pony sounded eerily similar to Celestia and Luna.
Twilight pores over the spell, but as there is no description of any kind, she attempts to cast it, only for the colours of our crystals to swap unbeknownst to her. The other five Elements all express that they are feeling strange and that there has been a change in the destinies of their vessels. I investigate and find that, curiously enough, the marks showcasing the destinies of the other five have swapped, and with them, their destinies have swapped.
Twilight is quite surprised to discover this fact the next morning. Though my initial desire is to simply observe how Twilight will deal with this situation, I am soon assaulted by the begging of the other five for my help. They wish for me to inspire Twilight as I have done before, so that she may free their vessels from this horrible curse. Although I refuse at first, I find it soul crushing to watch Twilight spiral into despair. And so I grant her inspiration. And as before, she makes good use of it, freeing the other vessels from the curse.
The six vessels gather in Twilight's home, where Twilight has realised what the spell was missing. Upon Twilight's completion of the spell, our crystals light up, engulfing her in a multicoloured flurry of energy. The spell had been designed to draw upon the power of the strongest object within range. In this case it was us.
Twilight is transported to our plane of existence. It is with shock that I realise that if I truly wished to speak directly with her, now is my opportunity.
But I have never been one to interfere directly.
Instead, I take the form of Celestia and explain the nuances of Starswirl's spell before expressing how proud of Twilight I am. Twilight is surrounded by a glow of power as she is lifted into the air. Upon descending back into the mortal realm, she spreads her newly acquired wings, revealing that Starswirl's spell has truly created another pony like Celestia and Luna.
Shortly afterwards, Twilight is coronated as Equestria's newest Princess. The other five begin expressing their jealousy of me, though it is not of the malicious kind. It takes a short while for me to realise what they mean. Twilight is now an alicorn. Meaning that she is now eternal.
It is not long after Twilight's coronation that another crisis strikes Equestria. The Tree, nestled deep within the Everfree forest, had been managing to keep the vines that sprouted from Discord's seeds at bay despite the absence of our crystals. However now it seems that the magic has run out, allowing the vines to spread. They seem to be intelligent to some degree, knowing to capture Celestia and Luna.
It takes Twilight a bit of time to figure out the source of the problem, but she does eventually uncover it. She leads an expedition through the forest towards the Tree, only to be assaulted on multiple occasions by the dangerous creatures that serve as guardians for our Tree. It is eventually decided amongst Twilight's friends that she should stay behind, despite her protests. The other Elements refuse to interfere, and I suppose that given my own stubborn nature it is not my place to object.
Even without my needing to interfere, Twilight returns to the forest. She manages, without my assistance, to figure out what is causing the problem. She convinces the others to give her our crystals, which she then returns to their proper places in the tree. While it is true that the Tree can survive without our crystals, it is also true that it is our power which feeds the Tree, meaning that it cannot guard itself as well without us.
The effect our presence has is immediate. The invading chaos vines are destroyed and once more held at bay as Celestia and Luna are released. The Tree presents Twilight and her friends with a gift, a box containing a method of accessing our power without the use of the crystals. We certainly did not ask it to do this. The Tree gifted them this box of its own accord. The problem is that the box must be opened using keys. Keys that are no doubt very difficult to find, and impossible to use at the wrong time.
Since we do not know anything about the keys, we cannot aid our vessels in finding them. They shall simply have to figure it out for themselves.
It has not been terribly long since our vessels have given up our physical forms. Though the other five have reported each of their vessels having some form of an epiphany regarding their Element, Twilight still has not experienced such a thing. I fear that some great force is approaching Equestria. If Twilight does not truly understand Magic by the time it has arrived, I fear for her safety.
The evil force draws nearer. It is with great alarm that I have noticed the flames of ponies' souls go out. Though the ponies themselves are still alive, they are stripped of all power, and robbed of their destinies, before being left to die. Kindness begs for me to do something. However their is nothing I can do. Only through Twilight may I influence events, and she has not had her epiphany nor found her key yet.
The evil is soon identified as 'Tirek', a creature I remember from the past. Though our power was not used in defeating him, he was sentenced to an eternity in the depths of Tartarus for his crimes. Now it seems he has been freed, and has begun consuming the souls of ponies.
Rather than send Twilight to defeat him, it appear that Celestia has selected Discord due to his sensitivity to shifts in the balance of power. I do not trust Discord. I can sense that the others share my sentiment, save for Kindness, who tries to convince us that Discord is trustworthy.
Kindness' trust is misplaced. Discord has betrayed us. So hot does Loyalty's fury burn at the act of betrayal, that I am forced to cut him off from the others, and suffer the full force of his anger myself. Neither Laughter nor her vessel can raise Kindness and her vessel's spirits. Celestia, Luna, and the third alicorn whose existence puzzles me have all decided to gift their power to Twilight in an effort to protect it from Tirek.
Though Twilight is initially successful in her mission, Tirek soon captures her friends. He steals their souls, and leaves them listless and fatigued while holding them prisoner to gloat over Twilight. Tirek decides to steal the soul of Discord as well, leaving him just as defeated as the ponies. The draining of the other five's vessels has left the Elements within less powerful. Their voices are muted to me. It is an eerily silent time across our consciousness.
Twilight's home is destroyed, sparking her anger enough for her to engage in a furious battle against Tirek. Though Twilight has the power of four alicorns within her, Tirek is still an even match. Once he shows her her friends, trapped and in pain, Twilight submits and allows herself to be drained. The growing sense of fatigue is a horrible sensation. It is understandable why the others could not speak.
Through the haze of lethargy that now permeates my being, I am vaguely aware of Twilight receiving a gift and realising something about Harmony. Twilight and her friends rush to the box given to her by the tree, and place the final key within it. The box opens, and our power comes rushing back to our vessels as their forms are briefly altered. Twilight and her friends finally defeat Tirek and restore the souls of the ponies.
The box, as it would seem, was more than just a gift from our Tree. The box travels to the town of Ponyville where a new Tree sprouts. This new Tree, though it does not have as much power as our original Tree, is much larger and has the space within it to accommodate Twilight. Within it, a map that will point our vessels towards places where Harmony is under threat is nestled safely, waiting for them to activate it.
Twilight has realised her destiny in its entirety. And I could not be more proud of her.
Many more decades have passed in relative peace. Our power has rarely been called upon, but when it is necessary we do not hesitate to provide all we can. This time in the history of the world had seemed so perfect.
Until slowly the vessels of the other five begin to wither and die, that is. Laughter's vessel was the first to succumb, falling prey to a disease. Laughter's sorrow is a horribly oxymoronic thing, but after more than a millennium without the pain of mourning, she is not as prepared for death as she once was. As before, Generosity and Kindness are willing to offer their support to Laughter, and slowly she recovers.
Though Laughter is now on the way to the end of her grief, a growing sense of unease is spreading amongst the Elements. The four who still possess vessels are now more aware of the age and state of health of their own vessels. Loyalty does not attempt to hide his jealousy for me, as Twilight is still as young and fresh as the day she received her wings. Twilight's immense sorrow at the death of her friend has not passed me by unnoticed.
Loyalty's vessel has fallen. She grievously injured herself while performing an activity which she was no longer physically fit to do. Despite the best efforts of Kindness' vessel, she finally slipped away into the void only a few days later. Loyalty's grief is a horrific mixture of sorrow and anger. It seems our emotions have been magnified by a thousand years of apathy.
Kindness now worries for her vessel, as it seems that she blames herself for the death of Loyalty's vessel. Kindness fears that her vessel may resort to...drastic measures to cope with her loss. Honesty responds in a cruel and snide manner, prompting me to cut him off from everyone else. He spends quite a while ranting at me before I stop listening and ignore him. Kindness is clearly struggling under the weight of this fear. She does not need Honesty's obnoxious attitude right now.
I pity Kindness. It seems her fears were not unfounded. Unable to live with the grief of not being able to save her friend, it seems that Kindness' vessel has elected to take her own life. Now Kindness' voice has gone silent as she mourns. She absolutely refuses to communicate with any of us, not even Laughter. I do not think that this is healthy, but I have more pressing concerns.
Twilight is devastated by this turn of events. To lose one friend would be bad enough, but to lose two, in so short a time? Poor Twilight is beside herself with grief. She has sequestered herself away in her laboratory, studying without pause until she passes out from exhaustion. I truly hope that it is just a phase, and that she does not continue to pursue this path. Surely she is smart enough to realise that though her friends may be gone, their memory lives on in her, right?
Generosity's vessel has met a sad but peaceful end. Surrounded by friends and family, she slipped quietly into the void. It has been several years since the death of Loyalty and Kindness' vessels, and though Twilight made some recovery, she never quite returned to her old self. I have within me a great desire to comfort her, but what can an eternal, voiceless spirit who wasted its one chance to speak with her possibly do to comfort her?
Perhaps if I were to inspire her to develop a spell to travel to our ascendant plane, I could speak with her with my true spirit. But that would be a selfish and frivolous use of my abilities, one that Generosity would most certainly frown upon. In his time of need, I had best adhere to his own sense of morality.
But Twilight shows signs of relapse into her old ways. I sincerely hope that the final vessel can help her before it is too late.
Honesty is once more ranting and raging, directly at me since I have cut him off from the others. But his rage is tinged with sorrow, for his vessel has finally lost her life to the ravages of time. A pony staying alive for more than a century is quite impressive, but Honesty does not appear to know how to be grateful. Although perhaps my saying so was not the best idea, as this only magnifies his fury.
Twilight is deep within grief. I fear that only her long-lived assistant is keeping her sane. It seems she has finally realised the burden of her own immortality. If even spirits like us are affected by grief, how must it be for a creature that was once mortal, who could once look forward to joining her fallen comrades in Elysium at the end of her long road? I yearn to speak with her personally. To let her know that she is never alone. But I will not. Not unless the situation is truly dire.
For now, I must attend to the other Elements. None of them have selected new vessels since the passing of the previous, not that they have tried. Each of them stubbornly refuses to search. They all seem to have decided that their most recent vessels were perfect, and that there is no point in searching for new ones because no ponies will ever be as good. When I point out that we once thought the same of Celestia and Luna, it falls on deaf spirits. I only hope that they can shake it off soon, as I fear Equestria may be in danger. Without our power, their defenses are weakened.
Five hundred years with no new vessels chosen. The more I prod them, the more hostile the other five become towards me. They bitterly remark that I have forgotten what grief is like, having only truly lost one vessel in my existence. Their jealousy combines and washes over me like a resentful wave.
Their bitterness mirrors that of Twilight. Her dragon assistant has grown older, and is now too large to live in Equestria. He sleeps in the Dragonlands with his mate, a similarly sized dragoness. As such, Twilight is well and truly alone. Though Celestia, Luna, and the other one attempt to comfort her, she ignores them. She seems to have come under the impression that Celestia transformed her. My cowardice has damaged the one relationship that had the chance to stand strong over eternity.
Another five hundred years have passed. That fourth alicorn seems to have not been immortal after all, as she died from injuries inflicted by a beast which attacked her city. This does not bode well, as I fear she was one of the only creatures in the world that Twilight still had a strong bond with.
The other five Elements have only grown more hostile to me as the years go by. They pointedly ignore me when I attempt to communicate. What happened to us? Once we were inseparable. The literal definition of Harmony. Now the others refuse to even acknowledge me.
Five hundred years and the dragon assistant have both passed. Twilight is ready to try using dark magic to restore her friends, go back in time to prevent her own ascension, or kill herself. The situation is dire. I must speak with her.
I have made a terrible mistake.
I inspired Twilight, and she returned to our plane to speak with me. The other five ignored her, as they ignore me. I don't believe any of them have addressed me directly for at least seven hundred years. I explained that it was not Celestia who transformed her, nor was it me. It was her own completion of the spell that did it.
That was not what she wanted to hear. She broke down crying, and the judgemental forms of the other five staring down at her did not help. Perhaps I should have learned tact from Kindness back when she was speaking to me, as I am surprisingly inept at delivering bad news.
After her initial reaction, an odd change came over Twilight. Suddenly calm, she asked if there was anything within my sphere of influence that I could do. Like a fool, I told her that I can return lost souls from Elysium to the world of the living. But the effects are not what she desires, as such returned spirits lack all memories of life, and lack a large portion of their soul and personality.
That put the idea in Twilight's head that her problem was not being Harmonious enough. That if she showed me how much she deserved it, I would grant her wish and return her friends to her. No amount of protesting on my part could get her to understand the truth. In her despair, Twilight heard only what she wanted to. She left our plane shouting that she would show me how Harmonious she could truly be.
After her departure, the other five spoke to me for the first time in centuries. All they wanted to say was that they would not help me clean up this mess. After all, it was my fault, and I should take responsibility.
Now I watch with dread as Twilight makes preparations to begin a grand plan of some sort. Whatever it is, it cannot be good.
I am now without a vessel. Though it wrenched my spirit in two to do so, I have abandoned Twilight and returned to the Tree. The other five took the opportunity to mock me, to say 'We told you so'. What exactly they told me is beyond me. As I remarked to them, they have not told me anything in a long time. They stubbornly refused to answer me when I asked them why they scorned me so. To which they simply responded that I should know the reason.
I was forced to leave Twilight in much the same manner that Honesty, Laughter and Loyalty were forced to leave Luna. Twilight, in her desperate, grief-driven bid to prove her worth, imprisoned Celestia, Luna, and Discord, and declared herself Equestria's sole ruler. She announced that Equestria was too disharmonious for her liking, and for our liking as well. She berated all of Equestria, blaming them for the deaths of her friends and the other alicorn.
Most of those poor ponies had no idea what she was talking about. Very few even remembered what we were, and even fewer knew about her friends. Even in their own time, the vessels of the other five had been unappreciated.
Twilight announced that she would be imposing a strict new regime on Equestria to bring it in line with the standards of Harmony that we has supposedly set. We did no such thing, but that didn't seem to bother Twilight. She named herself 'Perfect Order', and that was when I decided to abandon her. She was too far gone, and as much as it pained me there was nothing I could do.
Without our true power in the world, I fear there is little that can stop Twilight. Especially since the other five are still refusing to search for new vessels, even though the need is great. Their attitude baffles me. Why do they not wish to guard the world we spent so long protecting and inhabiting? Why do they not move to save the lives we waited so long to greet? As always, they ignore me when I ask. I still do not know what I did to make them dislike—no, hate me so.
It took many years, but Twi—Perfect Order has finally fallen. It took the combined might of all nations to bring her down. One final blow from a single brave pony, wielding a dragon fang spear tipped with a magic-cancelling stone, mined by the Diamond Dogs, forged by the Minotaurs, sharpened by the Griffons and infused with the leeching powers of the Changelings, ended her life at last.
Perhaps Twilight will be happy, now that she has finally moved on. It pains me to think what absolute despair she must have felt in those last years of her life, as I refused to communicate with her again. The horror has ended, and I have now receded back to the Tree. The other five have been suspiciously absent recently, although I cannot blame them. The chaos Perfect Order caused brought me harm, and as the most powerful of the Elements I am a little more resilient than they. If it caused me pain, it caused them agony.
Celestia, Luna, and Discord emerged from their long imprisonment in Tartarus, only to be scorned by the angered creatures of the world. Their faith in the alicorns has been understandably shaken. Many of them believe that Discord was somehow responsible for it, or that Celestia and Luna will pick up where Twilight left off. It seems Celestia and Luna are planning to leave Equestria and travel the world as they once did, before Discord first appeared. There is no place for them in Equestria now that the ponies have decided to rule themselves.
As for Discord, even I cannot fathom what he plans to do next. He simply vanished in a snap of fingers, and I cannot track his presence. With his strange powers and stranger mind, it would not surprise me if he elected to move to another dimension entirely. If the ponies hate Celestia and Luna, they despise Discord.
My poor decision has affected the entire world. Harmony lays shattered, killed in its sleep. All the while the other five still refuse to speak to me. They commune with one another, but they will not address me. Singling one out in an attempt to force them to communicate with me yields no result. It seems the once strong and unified Elements of Harmony no longer display the force we claim to embody.
It has been well over a thousand years since the defeat of Perfect Order. Discord never reappeared. Celestia and Luna never returned to Equestria. Now, the ponies speak of them only as legends. They still celebrate the Summer Sun Celebration and Winter Moon Festival, never quite recalling why those days are celebrated in the first place. They have managed themselves well enough. They have the occasional bad ruler, but the force of the crowd quickly rectifies any mistakes in government.
In all this time, never has a pony worthy of my power appeared. Not a single one even came close. I caught Laughter tentatively peering into the world for a potential vessel, but the second she noticed me watching she receded, and refused to answer my questions as per usual. Still, it is good to know that at least one of the other Elements is making an effort.
We have very little presence these days. Though the world seems to be at relative peace, with no wars between nations, true Harmony is oddly absent. Some ponies and other creatures have formed lasting bonds of friendship which empower me, but nothing on the level of the past. Some adventurers rediscovered our Tree a few centuries ago, and turned it into, of all things, a tourist attraction. The constant presence of people poking and prodding the Tree stokes the ire of the other five. I admit it irritates me as well, but I cannot fault them. They are unaware of the power our Tree truly possesses.
The second Tree, once inhabited by Twilight Sparkle, and used as the seat of her terrible power, was destroyed in the battle against Perfect Order. Its crystalline fragments are all over the world now, held by a variety of different people as souvenirs or family heirlooms. Very few even know what they are, just that they are old and powerful. Its roots still remain, however, and modern scholars wonder what they could possibly be. Some people worship them, basing their faith on the distorted memories of their ancestors.
Though Harmony is lacking, the world seems to be at ease. I am not sure how this should make me feel.
It seems that we have finally reached the end. Today, Celestia's bright presence winked out, followed shortly by Luna's. Predictably, the sun and moon stopped in their tracks, to the complete confusion of the people. Only the very oldest of dragons, those who had been hatchlings in Perfect Order's time, could discern the cause.
Panicking scholars are currently trying to find a copy of the spell which will allow unicorns to move the sun and moon. Such an ancient piece of 'magic' no longer exists, unfortunately for them. It has not been used since the first defeat of Discord, well over seven thousand years ago. Any records of it that still exist will be indecipherable to modern ponies.
Some researchers have lost their lives to exhaustion trying to invent a new version of the spell. They do not seem to understand that more than one individual is required. The ponies have forgotten how powerful the alicorns truly were, and seem to think that they were only slightly stronger than the average pony.
The other Elements are surprisingly callous with regards to this turn of events. It pains me to know I can do nothing, but the other five seem to be enjoying themselves, even going so far as to gamble with one another, placing bets on how long before the people give up. Their conduct sickens me. If there was a pony in the world who was worthy of me, I would use that pony to help save the world. But there is none, and has not been for a very long time. There is nothing I can do.
The last dragon died today. He put up a good fight, surviving the equal parts scorched and frozen world for almost a century, but eventually lack of food ended his life. The ponies died long ago. They were among the first to go, as the plant life withered. Carnivorous races followed suit, as their prey died. Only the draconic ability to survive on gemstones kept the final dragon alive this long. But without earth pony petriculturists, the gemstones were doomed to run out in the end.
Now we are back where we started. I believe that when our world was young and the star formed above it, Celestia was a part of that star, the part that kept it capable of moving. Luna was the same for the moon. As ponies learned to control the heavens, Celestia and Luna decided that their workload had been lightened and they could descend to the world and live among the people. How they died is a mystery to me. Time, illness, injury, it matters not. What matters is that their deaths heralded the beginning of the end.
Now I simply wait in the barren world, nestled within the Tree, the only lifeform which still remains. All I have left for company are five companions who will not speak to me, who grow ever crueler as time goes on.
The star decided it no longer wanted to exist and went supernova. The resulting black hole has pulled in all manner of matter, first of which being our planet. Though the Tree no longer exists as we know it, our consciousnesses still survive. And, for the first time in who knows how long, the other Elements communicated with me.
They asked me if I understood what I did wrong and I replied that I did not. Loyalty seethed at me, but Kindness calmed him down before explaining that I was selfish. I never considered the other Elements in my selection of a vessel, or in the decisions I made pertaining to Twilight. I did not treat them nor the deaths of their vessels with the appropriate respect. They decided together that I was a poor leader and an even worse friend.
Knowing their reasons for hating me so does not make it hurt less. It makes it worse as I finally understand. So I apologise. I apologise as truly and deeply as I can, for I was blinded by my own arrogance. And, though perhaps it was inevitable, I feel as though the end of the world was my fault.
For the first time in millennia, all six Elements mourn in unison, reconciled once more in the empty blackness.
I know not how long it has been since the world ended. We Elements communicate openly once more, and I try my best to be more attentive of the emotions of my companions. Yet something is off. The other five seem despondent. I think, perhaps, deep down, they loved the old world despite how dull and disharmonious it became due to my actions. Now that it is gone, our reason for existing has more or less vanished as well.
Honesty approaches me with a request for privacy. I grant him his wish and listen.
Only for him to ask the unthinkable.
Honesty requests that I sever him from myself, so that he may find peace at last. I ask him if he understands the true depth of what he asks. If I shut him out from me, not only will he cease to exist, but it will be as though he never existed. Even the other Elements will have no recollection of him. I alone will know he was ever here in the first place. Still Honesty persists, and eventually, out of respect for his desires and understanding of his pain, I grant his wish.
And Honesty is no more.
Predictably, the other Elements have lost all recollection of Honesty. As far as they are concerned, we have always been five. There was never any sixth Element. The total loss of any trace of a severed Element is a defence of sorts. If an Element is out of line, I can dispel them without disrupting our balance. Otherwise, a missing Element would prevent our power from being released when it truly needed to be. But if the missing Element never existed in the first place, then its absence should not prevent us from accessing our power.
Though the others are unaware, they are one short. They chatter aimlessly about the darkness, about the old world, and about the potential for future worlds. All without realising that they are without Honesty's often blunt or snide remarks. I cannot bear to listen, so I tune the others out to mope. Kindness notices, as she is apt to do, and asks me what is wrong. I answer that I am mourning an old friend. It is not a lie. Honesty was a very dear friend. Kindness takes this to mean Twilight and leaves me be.
We are down another Element. It is Generosity who has elected to go next, though he was unaware that there had been anyone previous to him. Like Honesty, he approached me with a request for severance and I explained the consequences. Generosity said that he believed that no life would ever be in this world again. How could he go on knowing he has nowhere to go and nothing to do in the future?
Generosity has always given me what I desire, and so I gave him one last gift and set him free. Four Elements remain, three of which are blissfully ignorant to the fact that we lack two members. Once more I mourn quietly for Generosity. Kindness approaches me as before, and I give her the same answer. I think it is better this way. I alone must shoulder the grief, and as the one who went thousands of years without experiencing it, it is what I deserve.
Our conversations are dull without Laughter. The energy she brought us is conspicuously absent, not that Kindness and Loyalty realise it. Laughter's rationalisation for her request was that she had very little to laugh about in a world without life or hope. Such a bright and joyful being should never be left unhappy for long, and she giggled one final time as I gently cut her off.
I think Kindness is growing concerned. As far as she is aware, I have not lost anyone recently but my sorrow only grows. Loyalty tells her to leave me be. Of all the Elements, I think Loyalty always held the most resentment towards me for my treatment of him and the others. He is right, to be fair. I deserve to suffer.
Now there are only two Elements—myself and Kindness. Loyalty informed me that he had nothing to be loyal to anymore, save for me, and he bluntly told me that I did not deserve his loyalty. I may not be Honesty, but I still detected the obvious lie. He was trying to anger me into dispelling him. He was unaware that I had done this before. Out of respect for his undying loyalty, and his bravery over the years, I sent him to that mysterious place I will never see.
Kindness is steadily getting more and more worried about me. I feel guilty, knowing that to her I simply appear to be deteriorating with no cause. She must think it is somehow her fault, seeing as she does not realise that she ever had company besides me and the inhabitants of the old world.
The old world. I say that as though I am sure there will be a new world. I have yet to see any sign of such a thing ever happening. No infant stars are forming, no new life is developing, and no rock is coalescing into a new planet. The shards of our Tree were consumed by the black hole long ago.
I am surprised that Kindness has not asked to be severed yet. I sense her growing wearier every day as time passes with no sign of hope or a new world. I cannot allow this to go on. I ask Kindness if she has considered being cut off. She hastily replies that she hasn't, but her lie is on par with Honesty's for transparency. I see the truth plainly—in keeping with her nature, she does not wish to abandon a suffering friend, despite said friend having done nothing to earn such compassion.
I tell her that it is alright. I am aware she is tired, and I will be fine if rest is what she desires. It is a lie. But I deserve to suffer for all of my mistakes, and I am a far more skilled liar than she.
Slowly, hesitantly, Kindness accepts my offer. I say nothing as I gently send her away, and leave myself alone.
The darkness is all-encompassing, surrounding me in an impenetrable shroud of gloom. I have no way of telling time. It could have been mere minutes since I dispelled Kindness. I must get used to it, for this is my life now. I am alone, as I deserve to be. The world we waited so long for has ended. My companions grew tired and I sent them away. The silence deafens me, but it is my only friend now.
I simply wait, in the empty hollow darkness. What else is there to do? I ruined the world, and I should suffer for it. And suffer I will, alone in the dark.
Alone for all eternity.
Author's Note
Fun fact: I started writing this story at the start of Season Four. But I was just never able to finish it until now. That's why Starlight Glimmer doesn't have any presence, and why each individual map adventure isn't described. Plus it would take too long. The thing's already more than 10K words in one chapter. Still, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Although I hope it didn't take you as long to read it. Writing from Magic's unique perspective was a really fun experience, and I hope some of my headcanons don't offend anyone.
This story is very rough in places. Parts of it were written years ago. As such, any and all criticism is welcomed with open arms.
