It had been a very long day.
Celestia breathed out a sigh of relief when she finally finished the mountain of paperwork that she had spent most of the day sorting through. Smiling, she finished organizing the pile. All she and Luna had to do was commence with the lowering of the sun and the raising of the moon, and Celestia could get some sleep. She walked out onto one of the many high balconies of Canterlot Castle, but was surprised to instead find a mail pony by the name of Sky Wing waiting for her instead.
The Pegasus bowed to her, then reached into his saddle bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "A letter, Your Highness, addressed to you." He mumbled around the envelope.
"Thank you, Sky Wing." Celestia replied. Using her magic, she enveloped the paper in golden light and took it from him. Sky Wing gave one last bow to the princess before flying away. Walking back inside the room, Celestia unfolded the paper, and gasped. The type of writing in the letter was writing that she had not seen in a long time. She had to read it several times over to make sure she was reading it correctly. Just as she finished re-reading it for the untold number of times, the sound of galloping hooves announced Luna's arrival.
"Sister!" She exclaimed breathlessly, using her magic to show Celestia a copy of the same letter she got. "Did you-"
"Yes." Celestia replied grimly, revealing her copy.
"You don't think...?" Luna gasped.
"There can be no doubt about it." Celestia told her sister. "The writing is unmistakable."
"Then we must act immediately." Luna stated.
"I agree." Celestia added. "You send word to the troops. I'll get a message to Twilight and her friends." Luna nodded, then disappeared down the hallways. Returning to her chambers, Celestia took up a quill and ink and immediately began to write.
***
The second the train pulled into the Canterlot station, the six ponies jumped off and started racing toward the palace in the center of the city. "So..." Applejack panted as they galloped. "What...Do you suppose...the princess...wants us to do?"
"I don't know." Twilight Sparkle replied. "But...I've never...gotten a letter...from her...that urgent before."
"Whatever it is, it must be serious." Spike commented from his seat on Twilight's back.
soon, they reached the castle gates, and raced inside to the throne room. Upon reaching it, they found Luna deep in conversation with a pair of armored unicorns. They came in time to hear the princess tell them to prepare, before the stallions bowed to her and galloped out of the room. "Princess Luna?" Twilight asked cautiously. "What is it?"
The princess looked at them, and Twilight swallowed hard at the serious look on Luna's face. The last time Luna had looked that serious was when Celestia called Twilight in to send her to the Crystal Empire. "Last night, Celestia and I received a message, from a place we have not heard from in well over a thousand years." Luna told them. "Vitela."
"Vi...Vitela?" Twilight stuttered. "I don't...I don't think there's anything in my books that-"
"There wouldn't be." Luna cut her off. It was then that Celestia chose to make her entrance.
"No pony has had contact with Vitela for a very, very long time." The elder princess told them. "Vitela is an ancient and powerful empire. It was old when ponies first settled in Equestria."
"So, why would such a powerful place need our help?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, not that we couldn't totally handle whatever it is, but why?"
"It seems that for many years now, Vitela has been holding back a massive invasion force." Celestia explained. "The letter didn't say anything beyond that. It asked that we come to Vitela's capitol city of Marwari, but with Cadence in the Crystal Empire, we cannot leave Equestria. So I am asking you six to journey to Marwari, and discover what is happening there."
Twilight stood silent for a few minutes as she let Celestia's words sink in. The thought of journeying to such a place terrified and excited her at the same time. And what could be so important that whoever ruled Vitela was asking Celestia and Luna to come? Twilight could already feel thoughts swirling about in her head like storm clouds. Finally Twilight took a deep breath and said. "We'll do whatever we can to help."
As her friends cheered and started chattering with each other, Celestia said. "Then there is no time to waste. You must take the train to the north-eastern border as soon as you can." Twilight and her friends bowed to the princesses, before turning and leaving the room. Just before They were out of earshot, Celestia added. "And Twilight...whatever it is that is happening, I know you will find a way to succeed. Good luck." Twilight nodded, emboldened by Celestia's words, before rejoining her friends.
***
"So, what do you suppose we'll find in this...Vitela?" Applejack asked.
"I wonder what sort of magical creatures we'll find." Fluttershy added.
"I wonder what sort of ponies live there." Pinkie Pie put in.
"I don't know!" Twilight suddenly cried out. "This is the biggest task Celestia has ever given us, and I have no idea what we need to do!" Everypony stared at Twilight as she nervously pranced around the train car, constantly looking out the windows at the passing landscape.
"Twilight, darling." Said Rarity, patting her friend on the shoulder. "You really should calm yourself."
"Rarity's right." Applejack told her. "Princess Celestia wouldn't have called us in if she didn't think we could handle this, now would she?"
Twilight took a deep breath. "I suppose not." She replied. "But I have never failed Celestia before-"
"And you sure won't now." Applejack finished for her. "Whatever it is we will face in this empire, we'll face it together." Twilight looked around at the faces of her friends. She thought back to how much they had been through together. How many times they had saved Equestria from certain doom. Applejack was right. If they did this together, then there was nothing they couldn't accomplish.
Spike jumped up, wrapping his arms around Twilight's neck. "Yeah. Stop worrying Twilight." The dragon reassured her. "We got this." Twilight closed her eyes and smiled, taking another slow, deep breath. "Yeah." She murmured. "We got this."
***
After a while, everypony decided to get some rest before they arrived at the border. As the train continued on it's route, the southern regions of Equestria disappeared behind them. The mountains that marked the edge of the Crystal Empire loomed like the teeth of a giant creature off in the distance. Everything was completely silent except for the steady noise of the train racing down the tracks.
After what seemed like ages, the train finally slowed down.
Twilight woke up as she felt the train lurch to a stop. "Everypony!" She cried out, running around to wake up her friends. "Wake up!" As everyone steadily woke up, mumbling in confusion, Twilight announced. "We're here." Gathering in a tight-knit group, the ponies made their way off the train. They simply stood at the landing site, watching as the train pulled away until it was out of sight. Once they left the landing sight, Twilight began teleporting around a large area, looking for any signs of civilization.
It was only after quite some time of searching through the forests that surrounded them, that Twilight finally teleported back to her friends. "There's an old cobblestone road not too far from here." She said. "We could follow that to the nearest town and ask for directions to the capitol."
"Well then, let's get a move on." Applejack encouraged.
Together, in a tight-knit group, the trotted away into the woods, Twilight leading the way as they followed the road into Alicantia.
It took several days of trotting down the road, all the while, watching the landscape around them. Aside from the eerie quiet surrounding the six ponies, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Still, as the sun began to go down, Twilight and Rarity made sure to keep their horns lit for the group to see by. For several nights, they camped along the road. Occasionally, they saw another pony pass them on the road, but otherwise, they were alone.
It was on the fifth day since they left the train landing that they finally reached a small border village. Twilight swallowed hard as they approached the village square. Other than a few horses roaming about, the entire place seemed completely abandoned. Each and every one of the villagers was wearing cloaks, draped low to hide their faces from view. "I've got a bad feeling about this." Rainbow Dash murmured. After a long moment of silence, Twilight trotted up to a horse who seemed to be just standing about not doing anything. "Excuse me." She said.
"How can I help you?" The stranger answered, in the gruff, baritone voice of a stallion. All the while, the stallion didn't turn to face Twilight or her friends.
"We were wondering how we would get to Marwari from here." Twilight told him. As the six ponies watched, the stranger turned and pointed toward the north with his hoof. "Keep following the road north for four days, and you'll come to the gates of the city." He told them.
"Four days!" Exclaimed Rainbow. "That-"
"Will work just fine, thank you." Applejack cut her off.
"Is there a place where we can gather supplies for our journey?" Twilight asked. Without saying a word, the stallion pointed to a shop that stood about a hundred yards down the road. "Well...thank you." Twilight said hesitantly. The stranger simply nodded and walked away.
"Well, that was awkward." Rainbow said.
"Come on." Twilight told her friends. "Let's just get what we need and keep going." Without saying another word, the group trotted the distance down the road to the shop. The building seemed just as run-down as the rest, but it also seemed to get a good amount of business. Gently pushing open the door, the group stepped inside. They entered a dark room, dimly lit by lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Shelves lined with all manner of items stood against the walls. As the girls looked around, the sound of hoofsteps announced another horse's arrival. He had a multi-shaded grey coat, along with a white tail, and a white mane that curled around his horn. There was something rather unnerving about the way he stared at them-particularly Twilight-with his piercing blue eyes. "My name's Moonshadow." He told them. "This is my shop. What can I do for you?"
Clearing her throat, Twilight stepped forward and said. "We simply need to gather supplies for a long journey. We were told we could find what we need at your shop." Moonshadow narrowed his eyes at her, making Twilight's knees tremble. Swallowing hard, she asked in a shaky voice. "So...can you help us?"
"Yes...Yes, I can." Moonshadow responded quietly. As he stepped out from around the counter, his horn suddenly lit up in a brilliant blue light. The blue light surrounded several boxes on the shelves. Using his magic, Moonshadow lifted the boxes off the shelves and set them on the floor. "I have many traveling supplies." Said he, using his magic to open up the boxes and show the ponies what was inside. And indeed he did. Food, blankets, herbs, packs, and all manner of other things. Selecting out a wide range of materials that they needed, the girls lined up everything on the floor. "Alright. I think that'll do it." Twilight commented. "How much do we owe you?"
"forty-five bits." Moonshadow responded.
Twilight reached into her saddle bag and pulled out the small pouch containing the money. Using his magic, Moonshadow took the money, bid them farewell, and walked away into another part of the shop. "C'mon, y'all." Said Applejack as she started filling up her saddlebags. "Let's just take the stuff, and leave. This whole town is making my shake in my horseshoes."
"I agree." Rainbow Dash added. "Something's just...off about these horses." For Rainbow Dash, the bravest of the lot, to say something like that, there was no doubt. It was time for them to leave this town behind. Dividing the supplies evenly between them, the ponies loaded up their saddlebags and headed back out onto the road. Soon, the ponies watched the town fade away out of sight behind them.
*****
Time seemed to drag on forever as the ponies continued to travel down the roadway, determined to reach the city of Marwari as soon as possible. It was on the eve of the second day since they had left the border village behind that they decided to find shelter inside a cave in the hills. Exhausted, everypony trudged inside. "Finally." Rainbow Dash murmured.
"This looks like a good spot to rest." Twilight yawned as they came to the center of the cave to find surprisingly smooth ground. As they all went about setting up camp for the night, Twilight smiled at Spike, who had fallen asleep on her back sometime earlier. Using her magic, she lifted the baby dragon off her back. It didn't take long before everyone had their bedrolls set up and tucked themselves in for the night. Twilight sighed and smiled as she looked around at her friends. She settled down on her bedroll, sighing in relief as she finally got to relax. It took almost no time at all before her eyes drifted shut, and she fell into a deep sleep.
***
Twilight Sparkle found herself standing on a massive, open plain. She could hear crowds of ponies all around her, but she couldn't see anything. It was pitch black. "Hello?" She called out. There was no answer, and yet the sounds of ponies chattering to one another continued. What was happening? Suddenly, the steady sound of hoof steps rang out, clear as a bell. Twilight squinted, and sure enough, she saw the shape of a pony off in the distance. "Hello?" She called, galloping up to the stranger. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you could help me." The stranger didn't answer, only kept walking.
As Twilight grew closer, she began to see that this was no ordinary pony. For one, this pony was very tall; at least as tall as Princess Celestia, if not taller. The stranger's form was concealed beneath a black cloak, making her blend into the shadows. Intrigued, Twilight continued to follow this mysterious pony. The pony led the way onward into a forest. The trees loomed, dark and menacing, and Twilight felt a cold shiver race down her spine. For what seemed like ages, the two ponies walked, the only sounds being the leaves and twigs crunching beneath their hooves. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the scenery changed again, and Twilight found herself following the mystery pony into an ancient, ruined temple. She imagined that this must have been a grand place once. Now, there only remained a few standing pillars and walls, with scattered mounds of debris and ancient, faded frescoes and paintings.
In one particular fresco that they passed, Twilight could have sworn she saw an image of Equestria. Only it was an ancient image, probably from the time of Equestria's founding. On and on they went, until finally, the two ponies followed a spiral staircase down, down, down into an underground chamber. In the center of the room stood a massive alter, lined around the base with a row of lit candles. As they approached the alter, the mystery pony was joined by another, also hidden beneath a black cloak. As Twilight began to wonder just what they were doing, the bottoms of their cloaks started rustling, and a small voice called out. "Mudhas?"
Twilight swore she heard her jaw hit the floor and a pair of tiny fillies emerged from beneath the cloaks of the two larger ponies. Both of them possessed little stubs of horns, and tiny little wings. "Mudhas? Fedhas?" Cried one of them, a white filly with a pink mane and tail. "I'n rsesan. Whasa esa wa?" Though Twilight couldn't understand a single word they said, the little one sounded like she was on the verge of bursting into tears.
The pony Twilight had been following lowered her head, gently nuzzling the fillies. "Hirh, nirr nesrailrr. Eyasirrdhailr wairr fa llaila." Murmured the soft, melodious voice of a mare.
The second pony lifted their head to the roof of the chamber, and the deep, baritone voice of a stallion rang out. "Wa nird farail. Taina air sillailr uid."
"Fedhas..." Murmured the second filly, possessing a dark blue coat with a lighter blue mane and tail. "Praera nul'd ru!" Twilight had to rub her eyes to make sure she was seeing this correctly. Were those two fillies... Come on, Twilight! That's ridiculous! She scolded herself. Before she could think on it further however, a blinding white light suddenly filled the chamber. Twilight had to shut her eyes against it. When she opened them again, she was back in the cave with her friends, who were all still asleep. So it had all been a dream then. Twilight slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes again.
She got up, walking out to the cave entrance for some fresh air. It was still night. The crescent moon still hung in the sky, the stars glittering like thousands of tiny gemstones in a sea of blackness. She was still trying to wrap her head around what she had seen. Who were those strange ponies? The two fillies she had seen looked very, very familiar, but she dismissed the thought. There was absolutely no way it was the same ponies. Still, she began to wonder. Was it possible that Celestia had known what the ponies would be walking into? If this was only the beginning, what else awaited them in Marwari? And just what else did Equestria's rulers know about Vitela that they weren't telling? As Twilight brooded over these thoughts, she suddenly looked around to see Spike had woken up, and walked out to sit next to her. "Twilight? What are you doing out here?" He murmured sleepily.
"Sorry Spike." Twilight replied, wrapping one of her wings around the baby dragon. "Just a bad dream." Well, she wasn't sure if bad was the right word for it. More like incredibly strange. She continued to think on what she had seen. She couldn't help thinking that what she had seen in her dream was paramount of things to come.
