"Ugh... where am I?"

A purple mare awoke at precisely 7:53 AM. The sun had finished rising for the day. Little by little, she got to her hooves. A strong breeze blew past her, ruffling the stalks of golden wheat around her. She gave a blink, and turned her head. There was wheat as far as the eye could see.

What is going on, and how did I get here..? Spreading her wings, she took to the sky. The wild blue yonder shone azure all around her, with few clouds. The Alicorn let her gaze drift over to the mountain range close to her. Canterlot stood proudly atop one of the higher peaks, meaning... Ponyville should be here. In this spot.

This is getting too weird. Where is Ponyville? Where am I? She flapped her wings frantically in a hopeless attempt to bring her home back. Her indigo mane billowed behind her as she hysterically darted around, trying to see further. Sensing that there was no hope, she glided to the ground gently and collapsed in a heap. The wheat scratched at her skin, scraping and cutting her, but she hadn't a care. Tears began to fall out of her amethyst eyes.

When Twilight Sparkle was finished crying, she snapped into a mode of rational thought. She needed to if she wanted to bring her home back.

Where was I last night that could have caused this? There must be a rational and reasonable explanation to my current predicament. As hard as she tried, her mind seemed to be in a state of mild retrograde amnesia.

Twilight Sparkle's memories would not come back. She had sat in that cursed field for over an hour, trying to get the slightest tidbit of information from her unforgiving brain, but there was nothing. It was a complete blank. She opened her wings, stretched, and took a running start. When she thought she had enough trajectory, she launched herself into the air. Her wings were exhausted, and felt like stones from her confusion and sadness. Nonetheless, she had to get over it if she wanted to go where she was currently heading.

Canterlot.

Surely Princess Celestia would have an answer to what was happening. Twilight sped through the air like a bullet, fueled by her need for answers.

The purple mare turned her head from side to side as she flew, caring not about the aerodynamics so much as her futile attempt to find Ponyville. Even though she was certain it was gone, she still couldn't shake the idea that she might have overlooked at and would see it if she just looked left. The wind whipped across Twilight's face, making her squint.

Purple hooves clicked down on the marble streets of Canterlot. She flicked her ears. In the distance, there was a sound. It was quiet, easy to overlook, yet sounded like... screaming? Twilight Sparkle galloped as quickly as she could through the posh streets toward the sound, pushing through crowds. At one point it occurred to her to fly over the crowds, and so she jumped into the air and began a glide over the ponies below.

There was a dirty white Unicorn curled in the alleyway. A large brown stallion stood over her, close enough that she shrunk away at the scent of his breath.

"Do you 'ave any money, kid? Y'see, I been goin' real hungry, and I need to feed my chillun, see?"

"No, sir... I don't have anything for you. I'm sorry." He turned around aggressively and walked away, dragging his hooves.

"I'll be back, kid." The moment he had left, Twilight swept down from the roof she had been watching the scene unfold from. She trotted to the Unicorn in the corner.

Twilight opened her mouth, and asked, "Were you the one screaming?"

"Yes," said the white pony. "He came out of the shadows. I thought he was going to rob me of the few possessions I have."

"Surely nopony could be cruel enough to do that?"

"You would be surprised what happens in the darker streets of Canterlot. You're not from here, are you."

"Well... I thought I was. But now I'm not so sure." Twilight turned and began to trot out of the alleyway. As she walked aimlessly, she remembered her quest to the castle and jumped into the sky, her indigo mane slapping her with the force of the wind.

"Who goes there?" The castle guards stood at their posts.

"It is I, Twilight Sparkle, former protege and student of Princess Celestia."

"We have never seen head nor tail of you. Get out of here, you lying, misbehaving scoundrel!" Twilight gasped. She whipped around and pretended to trot away. When the guards stopped watching her, she galloped to the kitchen window. Using her magenta magic, she opened the latch and crawled inside. A cook appeared to be baking a feast, as he was surrounded by platters of all shapes and sizes, overloaded with the finest of foods. The lavender Alicorn teleported outside the kitchen door, slamming right into an Earth pony.

"Hey! Watch where you're goin', kid!" Twilight's eyes widened. That accent, that brown fur, the build... it couldn't be. She looked around, but he had disappeared.

Was that the pony that tried to rob the white Unicorn I saw in the alleyway?

Twilight shook her head. It couldn't be. It didn't make any sense. His excuse was that he needed money to buy food for his children, but here he was, trotting about the palace without a care, appearing to know the place quite well.

She ran into the throne room as quickly as she could.

"Princess Celestia! I need your help! Ponyville is gone!" Twilight sobbed. A completely different pony sat atop the throne.

"You usurper! What have you done with Princess Celestia?" The other pony looked confused.

"Who is Princess Celestia?"

Author's Note

Hello. This story is an exercise in trying to extend my writing. I hope you enjoy it. "Gone" will not be updating on a schedule. However, I will eventually be continuing the story.