The planet Eqqus. A great, shimmering blue-green orb that hangs in space, surrounded by the inky blackness of the void, it is home to an incredible variety of creatures, plants, and all manner of other things.
It is a young world, but it has its fair share of stories to tell. Stories of bravery, courage and heroism. Stories of Gods and mortals. Stories of fear and doubt, of blood and iron, of good and evil. Tales of things that have been, things that are, and things that have not yet come to pass.
What follows is but one of those stories.
Upon the surface of this seemingly insignificant planet, there are three vast continents, each surrounded by a massive, sparkling ocean of sapphire blue. It is on these continents that the many nations of this world reside, but our focus is the westernmost landmass, where is a great and powerful nation that goes by the name of Equestria.
The defining feature of this particular spot upon this continent is a great river, broad and deep, that winds its way through deep valleys, through towns and villages, through great open plains and dense woodland, until it reaches the coastline, where its waters merge silently with the open sea. It is a green and pleasant land, but it has not gone completely unspoilt by evil, for the source of this river lies far inland, deep within the dark and perilous Everfree Forest.
It is so massive that no one has ever made their way through to the other side on foot, due to the large variety of dangerous denizens that dwell beneath its leafy canopy, such as the vicious Manticore, the fearsome Cockatrice, and many other animals, each one more dangerous than the last.
It is a wild place, where the rule of nature is complete and absolute.
Deep within the very heart of this great forest, rumours speak of even more horrifying creatures. Gigantic spiders, monstrous lizards, living shadows, flesh-eating trees, and even re-animated corpses of the long dead. Few who venture into this dark forest ever emerge unharmed. Most do not return at all.
To the west of this great forest lies Ponyville; a small, almost insignificant little town, but one that will play a key role in the fate of this nation, and perhaps the fate of the entire world.
Three roads lead out of Ponyville. One travels westward, toward Trottingham, out into the rolling hills of the countryside, down to Manehatten, Baltimare and the many other cities and towns that line Equestria’s western coast. The second heads to the south-western border of the country, to Las Pegasus, toward the frontier towns and into the desert beyond. The third and final road points to the northwest, toward Canterlot, the Capital city of Equestria.
The magnificent city of Canterlot sits perched upon the mountainside, its many towers connected by viaducts and walkways. The city seems to glow in the setting sun, as the light reflects off the walls and spires of the multi-tiered city.
As the economic, academic and literal centre of the entire nation, it bustles, bristles and buzzes with frantic, electrifying energy. Virtually everyone who lives there has a particular trade, with the respective guilds and clearly defined districts. It is populated with academics, accountants, apprentices, shopkeepers, blacksmiths, watch-makers, alchemists, vendors and merchants; there is nothing you cannot find in this great, terraced city. It has also become hive of intrigue, plotting, perpetual competition and bitter rivalries, as the aristocracy fight for position, power and recognition.
For those reasons and more, it is in this city that our story truly begins.
~
Twilight Sparkle was not an un-observant sort of pony. In fact, she was rather more observant than most; for an academic of her calibre, an eye for detail was a must.
Despite this, even she would most likely have missed the tiny piece of paper that had been stuck behind one corner of her dressing room mirror, had she not discovered it by sheer chance.
If she had, perhaps none of the events that followed would have come to pass. Perhaps they would have occurred regardless.
As she stepped up to the mirror, she glanced down at her hooves. She hadn’t quite gotten used to how the strange, slipper-like shoes felt on her, and she wasn’t entirely sure she liked them. They were not especially comfortable; in fact, after a full day of walking around in these things, they often made her hooves feel quite sore. Plus, they were rather noisy; the loud clicking noise they made when she walked was somewhat irritating. Still, they were part of the Royal regalia she was required by tradition to wear whenever she was in Canterlot. And combined with the Tiara and the Peytral, they did look rather pretty. Besides, she didn’t have to wear them all the time anyway.
She shook her head and looked into the mirror, gazing at her own refection.
It served as a reminder as to just how much her life had changed over these past two years.
Part of her still didn’t quite believe what had happened. For one thing, finding out that you were the Element of Magic, a key part of the fabled Elements of Harmony, was rather surreal.
Still staring into the mirror, she slowly unfurled her wings, and gave them an experimental flap.
The elongated horn she could deal with, despite the fact it had made passing through low doorways a bit trickier than before. The wings, however… Well, they were a different matter entirely.
She frowned slightly as she tried, and failed, to close her wings. She hadn’t quite gotten full control over them yet; sometimes it seemed like they had a mind of their own. She’d asked Rainbow Dash if she’d ever encountered the same problem, but the cyan Pegasus had just given her a very confused look. Asking Fluttershy had produced an equally puzzled expression. She’d contemplated asking Princess Celestia, but she didn’t want to waste her time on something that was, to be honest, rather unimportant.
And with Ambassador Screed Broken-Beak and his entourage on their way from the Gryphon Kingdoms, she probably had enough to worry about.
Then she noticed it.
Tucked away behind the uppermost right-hand corner of the full-length mirror was a small square of folded paper. Puzzled, she reached out with her magic, and pulled it free. Levitating it in front of her, she slowly unfolded it to reveal… Nothing. She frowned, and turned it over. Still nothing. How odd.
It was clear to her that this small square of paper had not simply been placed in her room by accident; it had been very carefully and meticulously folded, and the placement of it had been too precise, too deliberate to have been mere coincidence. It obviously hadn’t been randomly blown into that position by the wind, and she had certainly not put it there. So why leave it blank?
Just as she was about to discard the small scrap of paper, it began to change. Words, as if written by some unseen hand, began to form upon it.
Midnight. Royal Archives. Restricted Section. Row 42. Top shelf, far right. Read it. You might learn something.
-F.
Then, as quickly and as silently as the mysterious message had appeared, it vanished, leaving the paper blank once more.
While Twilight was sure that wandering round the restricted section of the Royal Archives in the middle of the night was probably not a very good idea, she couldn’t help but wonder why somepony had gone to such lengths to deliver a simple message in such an extravagant and secretive way.
In the end, her curiosity got the better of her. She would go, if only to see what this was all about.
It might even be fun.