(Prologue) In the Beginning
For as long as people could remember; the Princess' have ruled over all with a fair, but firm grip. It was know that in ancient times, three tribes ruled the land; A Militaristic Tribe worshipping a winged goddess of War; a reclusive, xenophobic tribe dedicated to the ways of magic and science, making new discoveries and protecting their secrets to the death from those deemed "less worthy"; and finally, an Agricultural tribe worshipping the Earth, simple folk living relatively peaceful lives, normally pushed around frequently by the brutal, violent Warrior-Society from the Mountains, and denied the protection of the powerful Mages, for the most part.
These people lived in chaos and disorder, until the rise of two mysterious newcomers in the seemingly endless power struggle; named Celestia and Luna. These two young women, rumored to be the incarnation of ancient Goddess', united all under their banner, whether through superior diplomatic skill or forceful Military conquest; their war of Unification ending in the formation of the Celestian Empire; a young nation lead by two powerful leaders, adepts in the ways of magic and the sword, and great leaders, appealing to the majority of both their Citizens and their Soldiers.
Never aging, it seemed, the Princess' lead their Empire through thousands of years of hardship; disasters, wars, famine, the worst of incidents laid down directly at their feet, which they overcame to the best of their abilities, which proved far beyond that of any mortal being. For a time, things were good; peace, order, and stability reigned; the odd border-conflict between Griffons to the East and Dragon-Hunts filled the gaps between major incidents. However, as time passed; the younger of the two sisters began to feel discontent; always living in her sister's shadow. While she and Celestia were officially co-rulers, the older of the two took a much more active and assertive role in the affairs of the Empire, the Military, and the day-to-day lives of the Citizens, being adored by many, the Empire itself even being named after her!
Princess Luna couldn't help but feel jealous, her older sister dismissing her feelings as "childish" and that she'd eventually grow out of them and mature. As a result, the younger of the two rulers resorted to treachery. On the day of the Summer Solstice, Princess Luna refused to lower the moon to make way for the sun, declaring her sister "Unfit to rule", Luna's force of Loyal soldiers and airships turning on the capital of Canterlot. The brief, bloody coup ended in defeat for Luna and her forces, Celestia's superior numbers and support amongst the people winning the month-long struggle.
Luna and those loyal to her were then forever banished from the Empire, the young Princess stripped of her great power, and forced to live in dishonor and exile, her current whereabouts unknown.
Twilight Sparkle turned her gaze away from her book, a rare thing for the young mage to do, especially when a book caught her interest like this. Still; she had to tell what time it was, the young, personal student to Princess Celestia herself calculating the position of the sun and... Realizing she was in danger of being tardy. She slammed her book shut, tossing it in her side-bag, sprinting to reach her quarters at the Canterlot Library, passing several other mages, student at the Academy, who she nearly knocked over in her desperate attempt to reach her quarters in time.
"I swear, this is the third time this week." One of the newer students commented as Twilight quickly ran out of earshot.
"Don't worry about her; she's too absorbed in her studies to care about the well-being of others." A long-term student explained, the three heading on their way as Twilight reached her destination, slamming her door open, inadvertently hitting a small, scaley figure unfortunate enough to have been standing nearby. "Spike!? Spiiike!?" Twilight called, hearing a groan from down below, looking to the young dragon sprawled across the floor. "Oh... Sorry." She said, kneeling down to help the baby-dragon up.
"It's fine..." Spike said, taking Twilight's hand with his free claw, the other containing a scroll.
"Is that from the princess? How long ago did you get it? Was that the only one or was there another!?" Twilight asked, speaking rapidly and hyperventilating as she went over the possibility that she had been ever more late than she thought she was.
"Slow down, Twilight!" Spike exclaimed, his head still aching from being hit with the door, Twilight's panicking not helping either. "This is the only one she sent so far, and I only just got it; I was gonna come get you." Spike answered, relieving his friend and caretaker.
"Phew... Well then; what does it say?" Twilight asked, taking the letter when Spike handed it to her. "Dear Twilight Sparkle; as you know; I've been impressed with your progress lately; your powers showing great potential unlike anything I've ever seen before." Twilight read, happy to receive such positive feedback from her mentor. "But there's something missing; a connection to others that will surely help you on the long road you still have ahead of you. This is why I am relocating you to the nearby town of Ponyville to make some friends!?" Twilight exclaimed, wondering who had done what with the real letter from the Princess, or what madness had overcome her teacher! The signature below was clearly written in Celestia's handwriting, however, Twilight taking a moment to absorb all this before sighing and standing. "Well... Pack your things, Spike. It looks like we'll be setting out for Ponyville tomorrow morning." Twilight said, resigning herself to her fate. She didn't dare question Celestia's judgement, though she couldn't honestly say she was too fond of the idea of interacting with other ponies, as they only got in the way of her studies and research. Still; there was no escaping it; tomorrow she'd be bound for Ponyville, which was coincidentally the town hosting the Summer Sun Celebration, the thousandth one since the banishment of Princess Luna and her followers... All coincidences set aside, Twilight went to bed early that night; troubled and feeling she'd need the rest; as tomorrow was going to be a long day.
Twilight stared out the window at the landscape passing by; the rocky cliffs and mountainous terrain around Canterlot giving way to rolling hills, meadows, and well-tended fields of crops that made up the breadbasket of the entire Empire. The crowded train car was filled with the sounds of people talking, discussing the upcoming event, gossip, and rumors.
Some of the people nearby found themselves in shock as Spike received a letter from the Princess, his green-flame nearly causing a panic, though once reassured the train car wasn't on fire, people slowly went back to their conversations, as if nothing had happened.
"Huh... It seems Princess Celestia wants us to oversee preparations for the event." Spike said, handing Twilight the parchment.
"Very well..." Twilight said, looking over the list as the train slowed and soon stopped at the station platform. She turned her gaze towards the windows again, noticing how crowded the station and street around it looked; thousands from all over the Empire gathering in this normally quiet rural town for one of the greatest of celebrations. Most of them began clearing out, heading to other events going on throughout town, a few people lingering around the platform, waiting for relatives or just simply anti-social, like Twilight.
Still; Twilight left the train with all the others; people spreading out and disappearing into the crowd around town, leaving Twilight, Spike, and a few others behind.
"You know, Twilight; maybe you should try making friends like the Princess asked. It can't be that hard; give it a shot! I'm sure the people here have plenty of interesting things to talk about." Spike said, urging Twilight to follow through with Celestia's request first.
Twilight glared at Spike for a moment, sighing as she knew she couldn't just ignore Celestia's request, no matter how much she disapproved of the idea of making friends. After all; how would that help her in the long run? Still; Spike was right; it couldn't hurt to at least try. She noticed a pink-haired girl, who held a large stack of papers in her hands, approaching her. Figuring this nearby person would be as good as any to try and make friends with, Twilight spoke up. "Hello..." She said, not really sure what to say, never having been one to start conversations before.
The pink-haired girl Twilight spoke to looked her and Spike over thoroughly, noticing their luggage. Upon seeing this, she gasped and ran off back into town, leaving behind the papers, which now flew freely into the air as she ran down the main street.
"Well... That certainly was interesting." Twilight said, while Spike sighed and followed her to their new place of residence; the Library. The old building was definitely the kind of place Twilight would call home; surrounded by a vast amount of knowledge in a fairly secluded community where she wouldn't find herself dealing with many others on a daily basis.
Across the vast, wild expanse of the Everfree Forest; a storm was brewing. Princess Luna, having traveled the world during her thousand-year banishment, now stood looking out over the opposite end of the mighty forest which made up the Western border of the Celestian Empire. She had seen much, met many, and was exposed to new ideas chief among these being an idea that government could be run by the people, or more accurately; elected representatives of the people. A system where personal freedoms and the liberty of all Citizens took priority over the authoritarian dictatorship young Luna had known most of her life.
Of the many, many tribes she had met in her travels, she had gathered plenty of followers; some following her because they believed in her cause, others because they wanted a share of the wealth the Celestian Empire had to offer; whatever the case, she had gathered with an army of Tribals; dark-skinned tribespeople from the Far West whose shaman's held a vast knowledge of the properties of magic, an energy most Mages in the Empire barely understood by comparison; Tribals from the far-north hardened by harsh climates armed to the teeth, who lived for combat; and Nomads from the south, who valued the earth as a sacred treasure and regarded the Celestian Empire and their Industrialization as a threat to the well-being of that which they loved.
Luna had brought all these people together under her banner; uniting them into a massive force capable of standing toe-to-toe with Celestia's army. Now here they stodd; with one great barrier between them and the rich, fertile, industrious lands to the East, still living under an Autocratic, iron-fisted regime; a situation that would not change lest Luna herself expose to the people what it was they were missing.
She watched as a couple local tribesmen she'd recruited as guides emerged from the forest, having found a relatively safe path around the worst beasts the forests housed. With that being said, Luna signaled to her united force to move forward; the vast army marching through the Everfree Forest. Little was said as they wandered beneath the thick canopy, through which little light shined. Their progress was stunning, however, little incident being had with the creatures of the forest, some speculating they'd even arrive in Imperial Territory before dawn.
Luna's thought were troubled as she marched at the head of her force. She wondered how much had changed in her absence, how many still remembered her and if her sister was still angry with her... Still; Luna had goals to fulfill; to liberate Equestria from the grip of tyranny and injustice, a goal she would see through to the bitter end. All doubts took a back seat in her mind, replaced with anticipation for the upcoming battle and, hopefully, defeat of her older sister; a figurehead despised by most who knew of Equestria's existence. After all; the fact the people of the Empire loved Celestia would mean nothing when the world itself was turned against her.
