For Harmony - Prologue

Her sister had noticed how stressed she looked lately. And such an observation coming from the permanently annoyed, tired, and short-tempered Princess of the Night was nothing to scoff at, for Luna was right. Many a terrible thing plagued her mind from dawn till dusk as of late. So, deciding on the best course of action was to get away from the castle for a few hours only, perhaps a day or two, allowing her to put her mind and thoughts in order without the petty problems of whiny nobles, commonplace disasters, or having to deal with a seemingly high string of minor compromises and a thousand other little things that required her signature, approval, or presence, Celestia did just that.

Leaving her regalia behind, she spread her wings right after the sunrise and moved in the first direction; she knew it was unlikely for anypony else to follow her. The sheer ludicrous idea that she would go to the borders of the Dragon Lands would never run across the minds of most of her subjects. Only Luna knew where she was heading. Like it or not, a real crisis could spring at any moment, and she would need to remain available no matter what her concerns may be.

Of which she had a dreadful amount to worry.

Perhaps it was the burden her late father, the supremely wise and powerful Aurora Solaris, had entrusted upon her. None could deny that she shared their father’s vision and a keen sense of awareness to notice grave, unfathomable dangers long before they manifested themselves. At least, most of the time, that was the case. And this was such the scenario. She could see the signs, and they were all too bright, all also mounting and inescapable.

The confrontation was not her crucial strength. That had always been Luna’s department. No. She preferred to deal with problems before they grew too large, to move things behind the curtain, under the tables, and from the shadows to weaken an enemy or empower an ally severely; to cast down a foe and increase her influence, goals, and reach for the sake of her subjects and of Equestria.

Celestia scowled. How much time did she have left before whatever terrors to make their move? Was she prepared? Were her subjects prepared? Was Equestria ready to face those coming evils?

The Princess of the Sun sighed heavily, knowing painfully well what the answer was. While her sense for lurking dread wasn’t as keen as hers, Luna had also perceived the coming catastrophe creeping, worming, and slithering its way to try and cast down everything they had worked for nearly a thousand years.

They had to prepare. Celestia knew she could do nothing to prevent the arrival of the coming darkness. She wouldn’t be able to even undermine it before casting its shadow over the land she loved. But she was also, equally aware, that Equestria, as it stood now, would not be able even to survive should the creeping shadow lurking over them engulfed them in full. They were casting her and Luna aside despite all their power and strength.

Equestria had seen much brighter days, that was for sure.

“Starswirl and The Pillars are gone. The Elements of Harmony were sealed. The Crystal Empire still trapped in its pocket dimension. The search for new Bearers has been fruitless. Luna was fending off the Nightmare inside her,” Celestia muttered to herself, her scowl deepening at each notion. “And our list of allies is painfully short.”

Not trusting her wings to perform their work as the anger boiled inside her, Celestia landed on an even patch of dirt. She was already inside the Dragon Lands territory by a few kilometers, but some vegetation was still enduring in the harsh conditions of the Dragon Lands’ borders. Looking around for a few seconds, Celestia decided to head over to the nearest hill, her pace slow while her mind was still awash with thoughts.

Sure, she could rely on her dearest friend, Queen Novo, and the hippogriffs to lend their aid, but they were sadly too few in numbers and even more pacifist than her little ponies. The buffalo tribes? Technically they were already a part of Equestria, although in a loose definition. She made a mental note to fix that in the coming years.

Then how about the Griffons? No. They were not an option. They were greedy, violent, and far too disorganized after the tragedy that occurred their nation centuries prior. Very few griffons ever dared to leave Griffonia, and those that took residence in Equestria were far, far too few in numbers to ever be considered as useful. Not to mention, there was always the threat of some creature powerful enough to rally them up and invade Equestria.

That possibility was the sole reason Celestia hadn’t given up hope on the griffons just yet. For all their faults and the possible danger they employed, they were remarkably stubborn creatures, and would rather first die than be used as tools or slaves under a tyrant. Even after all these years, she still hadn’t figured out an effective way to earn their loyalty that didn’t involve merely buying it.

The Diamond Dogs? They could be formidable if only their scavenging and thieving nature could be dealt with, controlled, and moderated. The Zebras? She shuddered at the thought. They were remarkably primitive; that was true, but the zebras were numerous, and many of their tribes were fierce warriors. Sadly for her, most of those tribes were not open to reason and only bowed to military might. An aspect that, while not lacking, was in extremely short supply all over Equestria.

The unification of most of their clans and their attempt to invade Equestria two centuries ago was still fresh in her and Luna’s mind. If not for Dusktantine Sparkle, Captain of the Royal Guards at the time, challenging and killing their chieftain in a one-on-one battle, the war could’ve ended with several thousands more of her beloved subjects dead on the fields. Defeated but not broken, the tribes dispersed, the invasion was off, and returned to Zebrica to lick their wounds. Beaten but unbowing, as their chantings went.

Ponies were quick to forgive but slow to forget, and the fear and mistrust on zebras were still palpable to this day. So no, zebras were not a good option just yet.

Then how about the Abyssinians? As long as the Diamond Dog Empire stood between Equestria and Abyssinia, the thought of just a simple trade agreement, much less an alliance was out of the question. The Kirin? Not even she knew what happened to the most mystical race after the alicorns themselves, how she missed Rain Shine, and her singing in the rain.

Her efforts with the Saddle Arabians were bearing their fruits after several decades of careful negotiation. Perhaps a Defensive Pact was in order in the next few years? How about Mexicolt? Well, they were technically a vassal estate of Equestria, though independent to a degree. They were fierce and surprisingly fond of their Equestrian brethren, but Mexicolt was small compared to Equestria, so while their support was welcomed, it did little to aid Equestria during a real calamity truly.

The Minotaurs were nearly as bad as the Diamond Dogs and the Griffons in terms of greed and their brutish nature. The Centaurs and the Gargoyles? They were long gone, with only Scorpan, vanished into legend, somewhere around the world remained as the last testament of their once-proud legacy. The Yaks? That was a pleasant prospect. Though… special to treat, the yaks would prove to be a boon to Equestria should they pledge friendship with Equestria.

And what of the mighty Dragons?

Celestia shuddered, not out of disgust or fear. She was quite fond of the dragons. Some of her parents’ most fabulous friends had been dragons, but those were the exception rather than the rule. If any species stood as a living contrary to the ideals of Harmony and Friendship, then the dragons would stand on top of the possible candidates.

The reality was, as always, a cruel bitch whenever problems reared their ugly heads. When had things gone so wrong? How many calamities had struck Equestria since its inception? Her plans had gone up in smoke the moment she thought victory was hers. So many dear friends and family had perished or had been lost. Her father, Aurora, her mother, Moonlight, her mentor, Starswirl, and the Pillars, Amore, all of their previous allies, and the Elements of Harmony were sealed until new, worthy Bearers were found.

“Is it my fault?” Celestia asked her as she dawdled her way up the hill. Well, was it her fault? Was it her fault things were the way they were due to her actions? Was it a punishment for her hubris always believes the best in others? Or was it merely a test to prove her resolve? Should she use her real strength to obtain that what she had once worked so hard for, only to lose in a single moment? Or should she keep on trying to achieve her goal the way she was doing now?

She shook her head. Using her power to enforce her will upon the world was not an option. She could do it, that much was true. She had the power and the unique link with the Sun to do so. Why shouldn’t she simply threaten every nation just to accept her terms, to bend the knee and accept her as their ruler, when the punishment for not doing so would mean the death of their world? Condemning half of the planet to fry over an eternal day and the other to freeze on an endless night?

Luna would never allow her to do such a thing. And it was something Celestia recognized as a vile thought, one that made her stomach lurch with disgust, and her sense goes fuzzy. The very notion that such an idea crossing her mind was proof that it wouldn’t work. It would never work. She was not a tyrant, and she would never be. She had never desired power, and she led because no one else was capable of doing so without losing their morals and ideals.

Luna had partially failed when she allowed a Nightmare to taint her. Although perhaps that was also proof of her strength? Jealousy and envy had taken over her heart, drawing the Nightmare to her, resulting in the birth of Nightmare Moon. But even as they had fought, also as defeat was a near certainty for Celestia, Luna, her beloved sister, recognized the error of her ways and stopped the Nightmare long enough for Celestia to use the Elements of Harmony against her.

Now Luna was locked in a constant battle against the Nightmare inside her. The price for their faults. Luna’s jealousy and Celestia’s neglect.

And what of the dreaded Queen Umbra? She was the sole responsible for the sacrifice Amore had to perform to stop Umbra, and in doing so, locking the Crystal Empire in a pocket dimension, frozen in time until, one day not too far into the future, its return. And with it, Umbra would most surely return as well.

Speaking of returns, what if Tirek returned? He was locked away in Tartarus, that much was true. But there was no way that Kin-Slayer, that putrid monster that had murdered his parents, would just stand by idly forever.

What of Grogar? The Father of Monsters, the Goat Lich, the Usurper, the Necromancer? Perhaps the most dreaded enemy of all. A calamity in his own right. During his reign, he had been responsible for ending the lives of countless innocents, would-be heroes, and powerful creatures—her parents among them. Not to mention the crippling injury he bestowed upon her older brother, Blueblood. Thankfully, when his victory seemed all but imminent, Gusty the Great managed to snatch his Bewitching Bell from him, hiding it somewhere, not even she knew and causing his downfall.

Where was that monster now? No one knew. Some say he is living, biding his time in the forsaken ruins of Tambelon. Starswirl himself theorized he could be lurking in the deepest, darkest, coldest pits of Tartarus, forever bound to that place and unable to escape. Luna believed he was dead. Truly and utterly, and that he would never be back. As for herself? She sincerely hoped either Luna or Starswirl to be correct. In the end, all she could do was to prepare in case he returned.

With dreaded returns in mind, what of the Windigoes, the Ice, and Despair Demons? It had been they who ended Blueblood’s life before he ended their rampage, entrusting a shield against them to his beloved friends. If the protection of Harmony failed, what could they do against them?

Then there was the threat of Lavan. The megalomaniac, egocentric, narcissistic monster wishing nothing but reshaping the entire world into his view of beauty. Which according to his delusions, he was the one being that encompassed the true meaning of beauty and perfection.

Finally… Discord. In terms of power and sheer existential threat, he was the greatest foe of them all. Encased in stone, he remained in the Labyrinth on display as another simple statue. His followers of old had been defeated, all records of his existence destroyed aside from legends. No one but Luna and herself knew the figure was, in fact, Discord. If Harmony wavered, if Chaos was strong enough… he’d be free once more. But she was no fool. She knew, regardless of how strong Harmony was, Discord would one day return.

And from there, what other new, terrible horrors and dangers were heading their way along with the coming dark, turmoil-filled times just rising from the horizon?

As was before, as it was now, as it had always been Celestia’s goal, ever unchanging, ever-present, ever consuming her thoughts and guiding her actions. If Equestria fell… then the entire world would soon follow and plunge it back into a time of suffering, stagnancy, and paranoia for all.

“The world must unite,” she muttered. “All of Equis must unite under the Equestrian Banner. An entire planet, not just a nation, guided by Harmony and Friendship,” she said.

Again, Celestia was no fool. Harmony and Friendship were pure and powerful beyond measure. This was an absolute truth. But for all that it was giving and prosperous, it had one crucial weakness: it made those that did not understand it to see them like weaklings, opportunistic thieves, and tyrants under a disguise of courtesy. She knew well what the other nations thought of Equestria, her sister, and herself.

“Envious, greedy, hateful!” Celestia whispered angrily. The one thing she honestly hated were idiotic fools that preferred to jump off the cliff of wanton ignorance, preferring to cause turmoil, to be selfish in their goals, greedy in their commitment, and only caring for either vain glory or false respect. “Equestria has been at peace for centuries. Only Chieftain Volvirr broke it for a time. But have we not advanced more than any other nation? Have we not prospered? Are we not a nation free of famine? Is Equestria ravaged by warring nobles or countless civil wars? Fools. FOOLS! All of them, petty, whinny…” Celestia stopped herself, closing her eyes and drawing in mouthfuls of air to calm down.

It was frustrating, yes. But there was nothing she could do. Those nations were independent. And, for better or for worse, they had the right to guide themselves and their people however they saw fit even if that meant damnation for them.

But what if every nation, every species, every creature on the surface of Equis worked under a single banner? A unique symbol of casting their blind hatred of their differences aside and turn it into a strength?

She could see it, plain as the Sun shining brightly upon the world. Each species using their natural gifts and wits to its fullest potential, while relying on others to do the same. All were striving to build something far greater than what poultry reward they could achieve on their lonesome.

A World-Wide Nation. An Equestria on a global scale. The entirety of Equis guided by the example and wisdom of Harmony defended and raised properly by Friendship. That was her dream, her goal. She could force them to bow, but why force others to bow when greeting them as equals, accepting their hooves, hands, claws, or whatever in Friendship was a much better option? Much, much tricky and time-consuming, yes, but in the end, the only right way to avoid future conflict.

Celestia sighed heavily, finally reaching the top of the hill. But there was yet another problem. Two. First, she needed more help—loyal, reliable, worthy, and wise advice to achieve her goal. The birth of Cadance was in and of itself a miracle. She could rely on her to take up the task of guiding the Crystal Empire once it returned, bearing in mind they could defeat Umbra in the first place to make that into a reality. Problems for another day, her niece was still a foal, after all.

But three alicorns set to ensure guidance over the world, or in truth to oversee the progress of the most dangerous places of the world as it developed, was an impossible task. She’d have to find somepony worthy of ascension, several capable individuals, and even more loyal forces to just try to achieve such an enormous mission.

If a nation, like Mexicolt, Saddle Arabia, Hippogriffia, or Yaktakistan, could oversee themselves after joining Equestria in an alliance or even become vassals, protectorates, or, dare she dream, fully enter Equestrian territory by themselves, all the better. Alas, those nations capable of effective self-rule were depressingly few in numbers.

Celestia looked at the road before her and gasped, her legs walking coming to a halt as she stared wide-eyed at what was in front of her. “What happened here?” She asked to no one in particular. Not that any creature would hear her now.

Before her eyes, scant thee hundred meters away were two giant unmoving dragons. With simple teleportation, Celestia appeared scant meters away from the fierce creatures. It took her a second to realize the dragons were long dead. Most of their scales had been torn off from their bodies; their flesh turned to ruin by what she deduced had been a frost and acidic damage.

Looking around, Celestia found discarded spears, arrows, and other scattered weapons, though few in numbers. But no other corpses aside from a few helmets still bearing the remains of ashes.

“Dragon Hunters,” Celestia growled, her stomach lurching once again. Though few in numbers (and ever hunted down by Royal Guards the second they were spotted), they were a blight on weaker, younger dragons. The sole reason Dragon Lord Torch had remained amicable towards Equestria (and had prohibited raidings into Equestrian soil), was due to Equestria’s efforts chasing down and punishing those vile hunters. Dozens of groups had been captured over the centuries, hundreds executed, and thousands of innocent dragon lives saved. “But there are still a few remaining.”

It was more than obvious the hunters had won against these two dragons. Barely adults or close to it, judging by their size, they should’ve been able to fend off the hunters, or at the very least escape. How could have these two dragons lost to the Dragon Hunters?

Diamond eating fangs, claws that could cut diamonds in half, scales sturdier than any armor, a fire breath capable of melting pretty much everything, unmatched regenerative capabilities, virtually immortal (she had yet to know of a dragon that died from old age), eyes capable of seeing even in the darkest of places, a keen sense of smell unparalleled by any other creature, formidable strength, endurance, and stamina that even Rockhoof would find it hard to match, and capable of eating virtually anything. And perhaps worst of all, sapient.

And all of that was merely the capabilities of a baby dragon out of their hatchling phase. The older the dragon was, the deadlier it became. Of course, it depended from dragon to dragon, but they were all dangerous.

Indeed, an apex predator. Only other comparable beings that could match them were either other dragons, magically enhanced creatures, demigods, or virtually Godly beings, such as alicorns and Discord, a literal God.

All of these gifts were responsible for shaping the general dragon mentality of seeing themselves as rare creatures, standing above pretty much every other species, which explained their arrogance, egocentric behavior, their greed, and their violent nature. That was the reason Dragon Hunters usually went after small dragons, adolescents, babies, hatchlings, and even eggs. Anything that came from a dragon was guaranteed to deliver a massive bounty.

Walking around the looted corpses, still wondering how two dragons near adulthood were brought down, Celestia stumbled upon her answer. Approaching a small crater on the ground, carefully protected by the two dragons’ claws, the Princess of the Sun saw the shattered remains of several eggs.

Celestia closed her eyes for a minute in respect. Now she understood how the Dragon Hunters defeated the dragons and why they had been so suicidally driven to claim such a prize. When she opened her eyes, Celestia offered a quick prayer for the dragons and their eggs. There was nothing she could do except issue an immediate investigation once she returned to Canterlot. She’d find the surviving hunters and bring them to justice. That, she promised.

Reaching with her magic, Celestia gathered the remaining eggshells. The hunters had taken the hatchlings, so there was no harm in taking the remaining eggshells for herself. Distasteful, yes. But she could use the shells as ingredients for brewing powerful potions in her school.

Celestia was about to leave when something else caught her eye. Approaching one of the claws, she discovered a small egg still intact. It was of light purple shade with dots of darker purple coloration. Celestia’s mouth went agape, her magic dying out and dropping the eggshells back to where they belonged.

Carefully, with trembling hooves, the Sun Goddess reached for the single egg. Picking it up slowly, gently, tenderly, she brought it close to her chest. Impossibly, her eyes widened further as she felt the flickering warmth inside the egg.

“It’s still alive!” She blurted, jumping to her hooves. Standing on three legs while using her right forelegs to cradle the egg, she smiled widely. It took her but a moment, but she realized the position she was in. She had just found an abandoned egg. And according to dragon law… “This egg is now mine.”

Extending her wings, Celestia took up to the sky, flying as fast as she could back to Equestria. She couldn’t help but smile giddily. She’d hatch the little dragon inside her egg, raise it, teach it, love it, and guide it. A new prince or princess of Equestria would be an excellent addition to her family!

A prince or princess that would solve her second, more significant problem. Simply put, she needed a symbol. Other nations would never accept her, Luna, Cadance, or any Equestrian, pony or otherwise, as the face of the success of the ideals of Harmony and Friendship. But what could be a valid symbol of unification if not even an alicorn could suffice?

Why the one creature that embodied what Harmony and Friendship were not. What better symbol for Equestria than a dragon raised by such ideals for the world to see?

“You shall become my daughter or son, little one—royalty of Equestria. And you shall aid me in uniting the world to a single nation,” Celestia said softly to the egg, kissing it softly.

She had to hurry up, and there was much planning to do.

“Luna is going to be so happy to become an aunt again!”

End Prologue.

Author's Note

Special thanks to anyone that read this!

Special thanks to Allegrano Melody for a quick edit help for all your reading pleasure.