PROLOGUE
THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE CELESTIA, the now known world of Equestria was empty - uncultivated, unpowered, unimportant. The land was lifeless. Even the now vibrant and green Everfree Forest was dead. There was no happiness. No sadness. No magic. Nothing at all.
After millions of years of loneliness and neglect, the dead world would finally hear a graceful voice, shining with hope.
That voice would come from a looming cloud of heaven, watching over the universe, looking down at the many worlds.
. . .
"SIRE, SIRE!" called out the tremulous voice in the Gods' atrium. "We've discovered something new!"
The king and queen of the heavenly kingdom looked up at the small messenger. "What could it possibly be?" asked the queen.
As the messenger dashed up the the king and queen, he quickly realized to kneel down and bow. "Queen Jewel," he recited, "I have a discovery from the stargazing tower."
The queen's eyes immediately lit up. "Wonderful!" she shouted. She blushed. "Astronomy always has fascinated me. Proceed with the letter."
The meeker king smiled at his wife for her fascination. The messenger grinned as he read the letter, "Dearest and most royal King Gemerson and Queen Jewelia," he read, "we have found evidence of a new world highly substantial to great power. Please report to the tower as soon as possible to gaze at the new discovery. Signed, Professor Wondersen."
The messenger looked up to find the queen smiling as she rose from her pillow on the ground. The king also rose, using his magic to take the letter from the messenger. The pegasus bowed and flew out of the atrium.
"Gem," said Queen Jewel, "If they're serious - this could mean so much to Crystalia! We've always dreamt of being the overlord Heaven."
King Gem fixed his gaze on her and stopped. "Yes," he spoke, "That could happen. There is a possibility."
They looked at each other one last time before they took off in flight.
. . .
"THE BOOK! THE BOOK!" Celestia was screaming. "It's cut off! The pages are gone!" She was breathing hard, sweat flooding her face. "NO - it can't be cut off. I NEED IT!" She hollered. In her frustration, she fell to the ground, hallucinating. "No…" she whimpered.
Suddenly, a spark ignited in her body. She slowly but powerfully stood to her full height, spreading her hooves on the dark library floor. Her eyes darkened to a night black, but then burnt to a red hot burning fire. And before Princess Celestia knew it, her coat turned a blinding white, her mane a fully fed fire. "THE BOOK!" she screamed, and blew up half of the famed Canterlot archives.
For the first time in one thousand years, Celestia had a rage shift.
She slowly returned to normal, all of the magic and power draining out her body. As she fainted to the ground with a loud "thud", eleven guards rushed to her side to bring her to Princess Luna.
Luna was sitting quietly on her bed next to Celestia's, reading a large and torn brown book. She looked highly captivated in it, as if it were important. The guards slammed the door on the way in, surprising Luna. "What is it? What's wrong?" she asked. She struggled to get a look at who or what they were carrying, but they soon realized that it was Celestia. Luna gasped and nearly fell over when she shoved the book under her pillow. A drip of sweat trickled down her temple, and she quickly wiped it off.
When the guards were finally done with putting Celestia in her bed, she started to regain consciousness. She was covered in ash, her horn and wings slightly burnt. Her hair was also different. The beautifully colored flowing mane was a long, straight black. Luna speedily got wet towels to clean her sister up while she told her what had happened.
"Now," spoke the quiet Luna, who was cleaning up Celestia, "what happened?"
Celestia had become partly conscious with her sister's help. She weakly spoke, "The book. The book of Crystalia. It's… cut off.
Luna's eyes shrunk. Without showing her fear, she let Celestia continue.
"I had a prophecy… a vision. In my dreams. A black shadow of a diamond crept over Equestria… my kingdom. The Defenders are gone, Luna. And I don't know why. I need that book to find out why this may be."
"My sister," Luna began, "The Defenders… are gone?"
Celestia nodded.
"Who will defend from evil?"
"I don't know," Celestia spoke, "but we must defend the kingdom at all costs. Please, sister, we must do it. For my plan. Without the defenders, who will I have to persuade to the citizens that… that…"
And without another word, The sisters stared into the night sky as a layer of it deteriorated.
Equestria was, for the first time, vulnerable.