Princess Twilight Sparkle walked comfortably through the Ponyville streets, feeling a little lazy and enjoying the afternoon sunshine. She smiled at all of her Ponyville friends as she walked by them.
"Good morning, Princess Twilight!" some ponies called out.
"Good morning!" Twilight returned cheerfully.
"Princess Twilight! Princess Twilight!"
"Oh, hello, girls. What's going on?" Twilight greeted as Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle ran up to her.
"We found-" Apple Bloom started yelling. Scootaloo covered her mouth. "Not so loud, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said with a glare, a hint of fear in her voice. Apple Bloom gave her an awkward smile. "Sorry."
Twilight turned to Sweetie Belle who looked as if she had been crying. "W-W-Well, Princess Twilight, you see, Apple Bloom l-l-lost our ball in the Everfree F-F-Forest while we were playing catch, s-so I went after it by m-myself while Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were arguing. Oh, Twilight, I was absolutely terrified! I c-came to this field of green grass a-a-and there was a mirror just standing in the middle of it. Scootaloo's ball was right next to it, so I-I-I walked up to it and got it. But then, I looked into the m-m-mirror and th-th-then- Oh, Twilight! It was the worst thing ever!" Sweetie Belle started crying. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gazed at Princess Twilight, their eyes filled with fright.
"Can you show me where the mirror is?" Twilight asked Sweetie Belle gently, her voice soothing.
Sweetie Belle felt her tears drying up as she nodded, her legs trembling. Sweetie Belle led Twilight, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo into the Everfree Forest, and walked for five minutes through underbrush. They came upon an open field just as Sweetie Belle had described. And sure enough, there was a mirror standing in the center of the field, strange runes carved around the edge of the mirror. Twilight examined the mirror from far off, but didn't see anything that could scare the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"I want to go home now," Apple Bloom whimpered.
"Me, too," Sweetie Belle joined.
"How about you three go get some cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie just made new batches of chocolate cupcakes this morning. Just promise me one thing," Twilight said.
"What?" the three asked in unison.
"Don't tell anybody about the mirror and don't come here. I don't want anything to happen to you three," Twilight said.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," the three girls said in harmony as they did the motions. Twilight smiled at them and they ran back to the familiarity of the Apple House.
Twilight turned back to the mirror in the distance. She walked closer, stopping about halfway to the mirror for a better look at the runes. She read the words on the bottom with a little bit of difficulty.
ynitseD fo sdlroW
The other runes were of kinds that Twilight had never seen before. She pondered and puzzled over the runes, trying to make sense of them, but there was no clue to help her besides the words written on the bottom. ynitseD fo sdlroW. What did it mean? Twilight figured out that in reverse, it spelled "Worlds of Destiny"...or was it supposed to be "Destiny of Worlds"? She wasn't sure. Twilight walked closer to the mirror. She peered into the mirror and gasped.
Twilight found herself in a dark, vast, empty place. Suddenly, she saw blood red eyes appear in the darkness. Then, the eyes disappeared and Twilight was falling, her wings clipped, images of her friends showing up and then vanishing as sharp, gleaming claws ripped through them. Twilight crashed somewhere and found herself in Equestria...but it was in ruins. It was dark, dry, smoky, and sad, a sight that Twilight never thought her beautiful world could become. A voice suddenly rang in her head.
"Twilight...Twilight, look around you. This is what will become of Equestria unless you can save them...unless you can save them all..."
"Save them from what?" Twilight asked. The voice sounded really young and boyish, the kind that belonged to a colt about Apple Bloom's age.
"An evil force has come, Twilight. The King of Chaos has risen and he is creating an army that even the combined powers of the princesses and the elements of harmony can't handle. The only way you can defeat him is with the help of the Star Knights."
"The Star Knights?" Twilight asked.
"Yes. There are ten Star Knights: the Prince of War, the Charmer, the Princess of Hope, the Wizard, the Dreamer, the Knight of Courage, the Keeper of Secrets, the Musician, the Mistress of Truth, and the Master of Friendship. You must travel to different worlds and find them all before it is too late." Twilight saw the silhouettes of ten creatures; one looked like an alicorn while a couple others looked human.
"Who are you?" Twilight asked.
"I am somepony you've seen all the time, yet you do not know me. I am a close friend, but I am far away. I am with you, but I am not nearby. I am here, but you can not always see me. I shine for you and show you the way. I follow you everywhere you go. I am one, but to you, there are many of me. You study me, wish on me, and talk about me. You admire me and I admire you. We are two very different beings, but we are sister and brother at heart. I am like you and you are like me."
"What?" Twilight asked, confused.
"You must return, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Your friends are waiting for you."
Twilight Sparkle suddenly was back in Equestria, outside the mirror...except the mirror was gone. Twilight Sparkle returned to the comforts of home, deep in thought. How would she find the Star Knights? Who was the King of Chaos? What evil force was coming? Who had spoken to her in the mirror? And the question that bothered her most...what happened to the ynitseD fo sdlroW?
