On-board the Ship

“Our tale begun a long long time ago, when I was still young, when ponies still live on a planet.”

“What’s a planet?” Asked a filly, no doubt brought here to learn her parent’s job. A job she would most likely do for the rest of her life, and her descendants after her.

“A planet is an astronomical object that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, but not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion,” I recited, the long years not having an effect on my love of reading and memorizing facts and figures, “a planet is so big that when we stand on it the ground looks flat instead of curving!”

“Wow...” a chorus of exclamations resounded through the room, never in their life had they heard something so mysterious before. Only the most obscure legends and myths talked about planets, our home in the distant past.

“Are planets bigger than the Ship?” Asked another filly in an almost fearful voice.

“No my dear, planets, although big, are nothing compared to the Ship. Nothing, and I mean it when I say nothing is bigger than the ship. Not after all those millennia of voyage before they finally ran into us. The Ship grows after all.”

“What is it like living on a planet? Legends say that there are no bulkheads between those living there and the great void!” Fearful eyes looked at each other and towards me as the stallion finished his sentence. So much had changed.

Using my most reassuring voice I replied, “oh it was wonderful. The void was never one of our concern, for you see the planet’s gravity pulled all of us towards the ground, and the air too. So there was never any worry about being sucked into the void.”

“But what if someone or something turned the gravity off? Or if the gravity generators malfunctioned?” Yet another fearful question in the minds of the collective ponies.

“Oh the planet’s gravity is not artificial, its natural, it exist because of how massive the planets were.”

“Ohhh”

“Now back to the previous question. Planets are wonderful, plants and animals everywhere, lush forests, clean streams and much much more. Ponies live in small villages, we farm, we party and have fun. Now lets not get too sidetracked, back to the story. It all started that one night, that night six hundred and seventy two years ago.”

“Twilight~” whined Spiked, “its sooooo late now, can we just sleep?”

“Come on Spike just I more, last one, I promise!”

“Fine, but don’t expect me to wake up early tomorrow morning okay?”

“Okay Spike, you can sleep as long as you want,” with Spike settled Twilight turned her telescope towards the last constellation she was going to study tonight.

“Hmmm, Spike could you bring the book over there to me?” Pointing at a book titled ‘The Visual Book of Constellations’ without taking her eyes off the telescope. After getting the book from Spike she turned towards the last page, on top it was written ‘The Ever Changing Constellation of Vex’.

“Spike don;t you find this interesting? A Constellation that change every year! Not even princess Luna could control it! This is amazing!”

“Okay Twilight, whatever you say.”

“But with each successive year the constellation would grow in size, leaving an ever growing patch of darkness in its center,” Twilight read off the book, “now that is weird. Spike mind sending princess Luna a letter? Spike?” Turning around she found Spike asleep, being unable to keep himself awake at 2 am in the morning. Smiling she levitate Spike back into her house and help him into bed before doing so herself, satisfied with the day’s observation.

Several months later...

“There’s nothing to worry about Twilight, its just another weird phenomena that happens to Equestria all the time,” said Luna while enjoying a cup of tea.

“But it had already swallowed several other constellations and distorted many more.”

“It also make the night sky so much more colorful! All those shifting colors are beautiful!”

“That is another issue that worries me, Pinkie felt a very big doozy when she looked at it. A very very big one, and Bon Bon swear she saw a face in those colors.”

“Now that is just silly. We think the more concerning issue is about the disturbance in the arcane plane.”

“Ahh yes, I felt it too. Something is disturbing the plane, something... Emotional.”

“Celestia had asked us to ask you to study the arcane plane. She had a very bad feeling about it, I felt uneasy about it too, so please Twilight focus on this first okay?”

“Okay princess,” said Twilight defeated.

“Now if you want to I had reserved some rooms in the royal hotel in Canterlot. You may bring your friends there if you want. We will be very glad to spend more time with our friends.”

“Thank you! I’m sure Rarity would love that!” Both of them shared a smile before Luna bid her goodbye.

“Hmmm the night sky had changed a lot recently, don’t you think so Twi?” Asked Rarity. The mane 6 were relaxing at the balcony of Rarity’s room in the Canterlot Royal Hotel, the most luxurious hotel in all of Equestria.

“Indeed it has,’ replied Twilight. The night sky was now dominated by shifting colors, beautiful yet dread instilling.

“I think its AWESOME! Just look at it and tell me how it is NOT awesome,” commented Rainbow Dash.

“Something keep giving me doozies, it happen every time I looked at the sky! And I keep feeling something is staring at us, are you THERE!” Shouted Pinkie before jumping up and turning 180 degrees mid air to face a blank wall, “hmmph, I will catch you one day! I pinkie promise!”

They all giggled at their friend’s antics, but all of them knew something must be going on. Pinkie don’t have doozies without reason.

“Well I think the colors are nice, but its scaring the animals. My poor poor friends are hiding at night now, I think they are scared of the colors.” Said Fluttershy in a sad tone, she was very concerned about the animals under her care.

“Well ah can’t say much but ah don’t like them funny colors, something just feels wrong about it.” Said Applejack.

“Well I think...” Before Twilight could continue her sentence green flame burst open in front of her face, sending Twilight jumping high into the air.

“Waoh! Is this how Celestia feels every time I send her a report? No wonder she asked me to send her only when I had learnt something new.”

“What’s the letter about Twilight?” Asked a curious Rainbow Dash.

“Lets see... Trixie... Ponyville... Oh no... This is impossible!”

“What happened? Trixie returned?” Asked Rainbow Dash again.

“Yes and she... She... Captured ponyville,” said Twilight, her face his terror, “she is holding the ponies there prisoners!”

“She... She... How could she do that! That brute! I thought she was just another pony who have a large ego and like bragging, but this!” Raged Rarity.

“We need to go back, now, hold on girls.”

“Twilight are you going to teleport? Because ahhhhhh!” Applejack manage to blur out before the entire goup disappeared in a bright flash.

“Trixie, how could you do this?” Shouted Twilight who just teleported with her friends and arrived just beyond the massive shield Trixie erected around ponyville. Standing directly across them behind the shield was Trixie, a disgruntled Spike was held in chains beside her and several foals were locked up in cages behind.

“Oh my Spiky, are you alright?” Asked Rarity, concern clear on her face.

“Trixie let GO of me,” shouted Spike.

“Yes yes, your anger, your fear they are tasty, they are good. Twilight, you have finally arrived. You cast me out last time, destroying my life and my career. I will let you know that now I HAVE RETURNED MORE POWERFUL AND GREATER THAN EVER!” Shouted Trixie, the last part of her sentence was shouted in a voice so disturbing everypony around them had to cover their ears. There is something fundamentally wrong about the voice, as if it radiates pure evil and chaos. The same could be said about Trixie’s eyes, something lurk behind those eyes, Twilight didn’t know what was, but what ever it is, it can’t be good.

“Trixie, why are you holding Spike and foals prisoner? If this is a personal grudge settle it with me, you don’t need to bring other ponies into this.” Said Twilight as she stepped forward from the group.

“Hahahahaha, oh yes I will settle this Twilight, I will make you feel the pain you inflicted on me, I will make you feel it. Yes, yes, you will live the rest of your insignificant life in misery, I will make sure of that,” said Trixie with venom before throwing off her cloak, “and I will start by taking away all that you love.”

Twilight was too shocked to retort, merely fixing her gaze on Trixie, then something caught her eyes. Trixie’s cutie mark changed. No longer was it the wand and a crescent moon, it changed into a black 8 pointed star. A symbol that made Twilight recoil in disgust and fear, she didn;t know why, but the symbol is wrong, very wrong.