From The Desk of Princess Celestia

To whomever it may concern,

If you are reading this record, then you undoubtedly know what has taken place throughout the world these last three years. However, I realize the same cannot be said as to how these changes have come to pass. Thus, I am writing this document to explain why our world is now home to these strange and wonderful creatures: The Pokemon.

It all began three years ago, during the Summer Sun Celebration. Inside the Everfree Forest, Discord planted the seeds of chaos, unbeknownst my sister and I. Thick, black vines grew from the forest and sought to destroy Equestria, and with it, The Tree of Harmony. But the vines that grew in chaos did not last, for our newest princess, Twilight Sparkle, and the other Elements of Harmony restored peace by returning their Elements to the Tree of Harmony. But in the process, the tree gave birth to another item: A jeweled chest, sealed by six locks.

It took many months, but Princess Twilight and her friends were able to find the six keys required to open the chest. During the time, Tirek had stolen all of Equestria's magic, and the only hope to defeat him lied within that crystal chest.

The jewel chest had encased inside of it the raw power of the Elements, the power to change the world for the better. The bearers of harmony gained the power of the elements, defeated Tirek, and restored Equestria's magic to my subjects.

However, the power of harmony, though supposedly orderly, does behave in mysterious ways. It constructed Princess Twilight's Castle in Ponyville, and restored the country, but there was an extra effect from its power that nopony foresaw.

After defeating Tirek, the energy of the Elements worked its magic as it flowed into the heavens, the earth, and even the animals. Creatures of the air were born from the heavens. On the Earth, rocks, trees, rivers, and even fire all came to life in many new forms. And the animals we knew before, they all changed, transforming into creatures endowed with the powers of nature.

Nopony knew what these strange creatures were. Even I did not know what to call them. But through the passage of time, these creatures became known as the first Pokemon to inhabit Equestria.

At first, all my little ponies grew wary of these new and strange creatures. They believed they looked strange and unusual, possibly even dangerous., no doubt from the fear they had felt during Tirek's attack. But no large acts of violence occurred between the ponies and Pokemon just yet.

However, the Pokemon that had been once animals before, confused and outraged by their new forms, became hostile towards everypony, and they unleashed their newfound powers upon the land in blind fury. This problem did not just occur within Equestria, but among the other races of the world as well. Day after day, more news of Pokemon attacks sprung up from the ponies, the gryphons, the minotaurs, the Saddle-Arabians, and even the diamond dogs.

The races of the world grew fearful of all Pokemon and their unusual powers. They retaliated against these attacks from the hostile Pokemon, hoping their resistance would drive the creatures away. But in the process, many Pokemon, the ones born from land and sky, were driven away as well, even though they had not caused trouble like the others.

The fight between Pokemon and ponies continued, as did other conflicts around the world, until the chaos threatened an all out war that would render the Pokemon extinct, as well as take the lives of hundreds of my subjects.

It was more than I could bear, all of this chaos, caused by the energy of the Elements of Harmony themselves.  One could say that the power of harmony could never give way to such destruction, but then think themselves wrong at that time. I had done so myself. However, another fact remained true as well, one I had forgotten in my grief.

From chaos and struggles, a chance of peace and harmony can be found afterwards, like a rainbow dewed calm after a storm.

Thankfully, many ponies did not hope to fight these new creatures, nor did they want to. Where most found fear and terror around them, these ponies found kindness, love, and even friendship. They befriended the Pokemon and sought to show everyone that they all could live in harmony together. A few of these ponies were none other than the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Later in time, they would come to be known as Equestria's first Pokemon trainers.

They did meet conflict as their quest for peace progressed, from both Pokemon and pony alike. But they did not stop, and these ponies and their Pokemon partners showed the world that they could work together using one thing that could join them together: Pokemon battles.

The art of battling with Pokemon and their trainers began when a rogue Pokemon went on a rampage. The destruction it caused threatened to decimate the town of Ponyville into rubble. It would have too, had the bearers of harmony and their Pokemon not stopped the enraged creature.

However, though their opponent's strength was vast, the bond between pony and Pokemon led the trainers to victory as they defended their home town. Through the excitement of battling, and seeing the display these defenders showed, my subjects soon realized that not all Pokemon were the same. Not only did the Pokemon help to protect them under their trainers' direction, but the ponies there realized that many of the Pokemon hadn't even attacked them before.

Like wildfire, the news of the Pokemon trainers spread across the world. And little by little, the mindset of all Equestrians began to change. As everyone sought to right the wrongs they had made towards the Pokemon, many bonded as friends with them, just like the first Pokemon trainers did before. And at the same time, the animal Pokemon quickly calmed down and reforged their old bonds of friendship.

This new mindset spread outside of Equestria's borders, and my subjects, now bonded with their own Pokemon, began to create a world where both Pokemon and pony could live in harmony alongside each other.

The world that the Tree of Harmony had set out to make in the first place.

The world of Pokemon.

Now, Equestria, or rather now known as the Equestrian Region, has entered an era of peace, where Pokemon battles are no longer needed for self defense, but rather for entertainment and bonding between a Pokemon and their trainer. Even now, when fillies and colts reach the age of 12, they can earn their Pokemon Trainer's License and embark on their own journey around the world. Many young ponies have already left their homes to take on the Pokemon Gym Challenge, in hopes of competing in The Equestrian League, and even to go as far as to defeat myself, the Regional Champion.

And that is where our story begins, where a certain young colt sets off to leave his mark on the wonderful world of Pokemon as a Pokemon trainer.

-Princess Celestia,

Regional Champion of the Equestrian Region