Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria…
The world was filled with love and wonder. Ponies lived together in peace, and harmony reigned over all. Ponykind was happy – free of fear, hatred, and violence. There was darkness, yes – for the brightest lights cast the blackest shadows. But the darkness never overcame. For Equestria was protected by its many heroes, and ruled by the princess sisters Celestia and Luna. Together they challenged the darkness and drove it back, time and again. Over the millennia the land held strong against all who threatened it and ponykind stood as the greatest amongst the races of the world. It was an age of joy and love that seemed destined to last for all time.
But nothing lasts forever. Time grinds away even the tallest mountains, and the day eventually came for ponies to fade away. Their place was taken by strange new races – bloodthirsty and violent beings who tore harmony apart. Ponies retreated from the world. Equestria faded to legends of an ancient past, and legends in turn became myths, told to children in the twilight hours before sleeping. With the princesses gone and no heroes to protect their kind, ponies lived as outcasts in the new world. Never understood, never regarded as any better than wild beasts. Their age had come to an end.
And yet, even the darkness of the end gives way to the light of a new beginning.
