//------------------------------// // Chapter 0: Once Upon A Time... // Story: A Seemingly Familiar Tail // by Copper Springs //------------------------------// Once upon a time, chaos rained in the land known as Equestria. Peace was shrouded by the whims of the God of Chaos, the only thing they knew. Desperate to receive salvation from him, the ponies sought help from the surrounding nations. When none answered their call, a lone unicorn was sent out to find help. This was their last ditch effort. When the unicorn didn’t return, many believed she had died. Others thought the God of Chaos was holding her prisoner. Whatever the reason, they all knew the unicorn would never return. One day, the unicorn returned in the company of two brave ponies. The ponies’ appearance resembled that of the mythical alicorns, with the wings of pegasi and the horns of unicorns. Where they hailed from or why they wanted to help the ponies of Equestria was a mystery. Many dismissed them as nothing more than fantasy in the beginning. They were only ever spotted from afar and were quickly gone before they could be approached, like ghosts or a mirage. They traversed the land in search of something that could stop the God of Chaos. It was later learned that they searched for the Elements of Harmony, magical stones that were considered legends themselves. Despite their efforts to remain hidden, news of their search spread far and wide. While many still believed it to only be rumor, it gave the ponies something they hadn't had for a very long time: hope. One day, the unimaginable happened. The chaos stopped. What was once the epicenter of the madness, where the God of Chaos sat upon his throne, there was suddenly nothing. Nothing except the two alicorn sisters. None knew exactly how they stopped the God of Chaos, except perhaps the unicorn that had brought them to Equestria and accompanied them on their search for the Elements. The two sisters were declared the new rulers by the people of the land, who were overjoyed by by their newfound freedom. Though it was never their intention, they accepted graciously. From that day forth, the two sisters ruled over Equestria together. Though many rose to oppose the newly formed nation, all were crushed under the great power the alicorn sisters possessed. Equestria soon found itself at the pinnacle of the magical world. The Elements of Harmony were never used on an outside foe again. Through the harmony they established, the sisters protected the land and maintained balance between night and day. The elder sister would raise and lower the sun, while the younger would decorate the nights sky with stars. The peace brought about by their rule was not meant to last, however. The younger sister eventually grew jealous of the older. Everypony basked in the beauty of her sister’s sunrises and sunsets and every moment in-between. While many a pony appreciated her night sky at dusk from time to time, everypony slept the night away until her sister brought the dawn, flushing out her beautiful stars. Consumed by her anger, she transformed into Deepened Dusk. Nopony knows why she turned when she did, but all who saw her would never forget the sight of her pitch black wings. In her turbulent state of mind, she decided that if no one wanted to see her stars, then no one would see them ever again. She sent the stars raining down from the heavens onto the lands she once protected. It wasn't long before her sister took note of the damage she was causing. The elder sister confronted her. Unfortunately, the elder sister soon found that talking was going to do nothing. Thus, the sisters fought in a battle that raged for many days and nights, though none were aware even as they looked to the skies. Each sister vied for control of the stars, alternating between fighting high in the heavens and near the ground . They seemed evenly matched, and their fight left nothing but devastation in its wake. The fight finally came to an end when the elder sister realized there was only one way to stop her sibling. With a heavy heart, she called upon the Elements of Harmony once more to launch one final attack. Five falling stars marked the battle’s end. These stars shot in all different directions from the epicenter of the battle, the sisters’ castle. Later, they became known as the last fallen stars and are said to bring good luck to any who finds them. Rising from the ruins of the castle, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, was the elder alicorn. The moon rose behind her, glowing with the intensity of all the stars combined. Upon the moon’s face was the silhouette of a mare. From that day forth, the lone alicorn became known as the Phoenix Queen, savior of all the lands, and Deepened Dusk became the Mare in the Moon. However, this is not the end of our tale. Deepened Dusk is not gone for good. She bides her time, waiting for the day she will be to bring down the stars once more. It has been prophesied that on the thousandth year of the Phoenician calendar -- one thousand years after her imprisonment-- on the Autumn equinox, the stars, still loyal to their former master, will aid Deepened Dusk in her escape, and she will rain vengeance upon the land.