Prologue: And So the Connection Flickered
Tiny sparks flew from the fireplace as smoke billowed upward, never to be seen again. The scent of pine wood filled the room as a tiny porcelain cup was placed with a *klink* on its saucer. Celestia had always enjoyed her time alone in her room, and this evening was no exception. It was the only place she found herself comfortable, away from all the nobles and bureaucrats with their blabbing mouths and pompous outfits, begging and whining if everything wasn't the way they wanted it. Too many times had the princess slapped on a fake, plastic smile just to keep her subjects at ease. And it wore on her. This tea time was her saving grace, time she would spend curled up on a velvet cushion with a well-written book to keep her company. Or sometimes, even the old and faded letters of her prized pupil, Twilight Sparkle. It was hard to imagine that only a few months ago, the little purple unicorn seemed so small and innocent. Joy with a hint of sadness shot through Celestia as she now saw her student, with a new set of wings and an air that commanded attention. She would still receive letters, but it would never feel the same coming from a now fellow princess.
Celestia thought of the letters once more, now remembering that she was expecting one soon. She yearned to know what more could be learned about friendship, especially from one as experienced as Twilight.
"3...2...1..," Celestia counted down, a small smile on her lips as her eyes closed shut, waiting for a scroll to come rolling out of the fireplace in a green fireball. When that familiar sound didn't come, she slowly opened an eye, disappointed at the outcome. Twilight was never late with this, she thought to herself. What in Equestria could keep her from-
FWOOOSH!
A green inferno erupted in the room. The magical fire, while failing to burn anything or even produce heat, had succeeded in scaring the living hay out of the princess. Expecting one of her foes, be it Chrysalis or Discord, Celestia took a defensive stance, horn aimed at the center of the blaze. She fired a singular beam through the flesh of the attacker, tearing a hole right through the...paper?
She had little time to react as she was pelted by a rain of parchments, each one landing with a soft thud.
"What in Tartarus is-"
More scrolls rained from the fire, covering Celestia until she was practically swimming in them. Finally, the torrent stopped, leaving one bewildered princess and a ton of scrolls to read through. She sat up, levitating one to her eyes and unfurling it. Symbols littered the scroll in a chaotic pattern. Some were hieroglyphs, some were just shapes. There were even some actual words. She tossed it aside, assuming her sister or some complete fool had played a prank on her. Hilarious. Celestia sighed, prying open another parchment. She raised an eyebrow. More incoherent symbols. This pony was really dedicated. She nearly tore open another one with the same results. Ok, this was definitely a prank, she thought. Perhaps Twilight had done this? If that was the case, she frowned, a lesson in humor was more use than another lesson in friendship.
Nearly half an hour later, and Celestia was furious. Absolutely livid. Every scroll had been either blank or filled with symbols until she felt that they would spill out onto the floor. She was about to burn every single one of them, readying a tiny bit of solar energy in anger, until one last scroll flew from the fireplace into her lap. This one, she noted, unlike the others, had a royal seal on it. She opened it, searching for answers.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I appreciate humor. I really, really do. Being around ponies like Pinkie have taught me a lot about different points of view. Maybe some of those are on humor, and maybe some are on ethics. Princess, forgive me for saying this, but what exactly were you drinking for you to send this cacophony of letters my way!? I'm buried up to my flank here in scrolls, and they're all just a bunch of squares or whatever! I know you have good intentions, but I ask politely that you try and refrain yourself from doing this and/or whatever alcohol you may be in contact with.
Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle
P.S. This is Spike, just warning you that Twilight maaay have had a little too much cider tonight. Can't blame her, it's really good.
"Delightful," the princess deadpanned before pondering the situation. Perhaps some pony had pranked all three of the princesses (not including Cadence). She would have left it at that had her two personal bodyguards not busted into the room.
"Your Highness," they said, quickly bowing before her. "There's a disturbance in Canterlot. Something about a mail problem. We've got a couple of ponies outside demanding to know what happened. Shall we get rid of them?" Celestia's eyes went a little wide before returning to normal.
"Tell them I'll confront them about it in the morning. Don't take no for an answer." The two guards nodded before heading back out the door. She burned all of the scrolls in front of her, save the one Twilight had written, and grabbed a scroll from her drawer and a pen off of her desk.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
Report to Canterlot immediately. This is not a punishment; I'm just as confused as you are about this. But if it's anything serious, I require your experience and knowledge in this matter. And lay off the cider, please.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia
In another part of Equestria, smoke was also billowing from a fire. This smoke rose into the sky, producing a powerful smell and a cloud of embers as it whistled by in the wind. 4 stallions sat around the blaze, hunched over in an attempt to stop the bitter cold air from taking them completely.
"Damn, Reddie," one of them said with a smile while he shivered. "You outdid yourself tonight." The one he called Reddie only nodded. Red Arrow, his full name, was a native earth pony of Equestria, one of only a few still remaining with pure native blood. These natives did not come out of the societies established under any of the traditional banners (pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies), but rather lived quietly on as little as possible. Red Arrow had a crimson coat with with brown streaks on his sides and a thick black mane that flowed down most of his back. The group's chef, he found amazing ways to find food and cook it, even when things looked their bleakest. It explained his cutie mark of a woven basket with assorted fruits in it.
The forest the group was currently in was about 200 miles north of Manehattan, where crowded urban life turns into completely uncivilized woods. The closest town was Guzten, and that was about 50 miles north-west. They had stopped in Manehattan recently, picking up some supplies and shoving them in their large camp bags before heading into the forest two days later to live for about a week. Their next stop was due in Haybany, which pretty far away, but the message wasn't due for about 3 days, and that was pretty short, considering the message was coming from Las Pegasus. After all, this was their break from delivery, and they intended to enjoy it.
Equinox had had enough food for the night. He flew up into the highest tree he could find, dragging his hammock up with him. The other three watched as he strung it up, collapsing into it with a sigh of relief. His silver mane matted against his raven-black fur blended into the night sky above. His cutie mark of a bright white star was the last they saw of him for the night. He liked it up here, alone with the stars and the little bugs.
Red began putting out the fire while the other two crawled into their sleeping bags.
"Stupid bastard always was alone," Hyde muttered. The "flankhole" of the group, Hyde's gunky blue hair and his signature golden fur were constant reminders of superficiality. Born in a family of lawyers and bankers, Hyde was at the pinnacle of wealth and influence. After his family fell out of the Canterlot Elite, Hyde took to the streets as a small arms dealer, earning him two tiny daggers: one on his flank, and the other in his vest. Paired with his wings, there wasn't a damn thing he couldn't chase down.
Chew crept into his tent quietly, carrying the last few pieces of a dandelion sandwich with him. He quickly wolfed down the rest of it before climbing into his sleeping bag. "The Great Equalizer," as he was called, Chew had a pretty good reputation for quelling fights. When you're stuck with a group of stubborn stallions like these, there needed to be a voice of reason. Luckily, the night bore no more trials, and the four fell asleep under a quiet night sky.
