Princess Twilight Sparkle rose up out of her bed, as she did every morning. Ever since narrowly avoiding defeat to the now reformed Changelings, things had been a little quiet... but the extended tenure of peace could change at any moment, and as a defender of Equestria alongside six other very special ponies, she had to be ready for anything. That morning though, even the vigilance and diligence of the circumspect royal wouldn't prepare her for what was to follow.
The lavender mare stretched herself all over, vaguely aware in the back of her mind that something was amiss, but with such a packed schedule ahead that day she couldn't afford to worry about the minutiae of life. She had to give a speech at Ponyville Elementary, open a new extension to the spa, preside over the annual celebrations of Zap Apple season... really, it was enough to make anypony not to want to leave the relative safety of her duvet.
Twilight couldn't really complain, though. She'd known what the responsibilities of being a princess entailed when she took on the job, and so realistically she didn't have a hoof to stand on when it came to complaining about her heavy workload now.
Despite her laudable professionalism though, some lingering self-doubts crept into her mind while she made her way downstairs, as they had done quite a bit recently: Wait a minute, you didn't choose this way of life at all. Celestia foisted these obligations on you, without your prior knowledge or even your consent. Just think how much happier you'd be, sitting in your library, reading your books all day, without so much pressure...
Before she could become too agitated with 'what could have been', Twilight ushered her misgivings aside. Everypony relied on her wisdom and wizardry to save the world constantly, and that's not even to mention the small contributions she made to the lives of the citizens of Ponyville everyday, such as dispensing valuable advice and counsel to those who needed it. She'd just have to put her selfish desires away, and continue to devote herself to her duties.
Besides, it was too late to do anything about her situation now...right?
The answer soon came as Twilight trotted into her gargantuan dining hall, where her star pupil Starlight Glimmer was enjoying a large clump of grass on toast (yummy), and Spike devoured a bowl full of Gem Flakes, while also devouring page after page of the latest misadventures of his favourite Power Ponies in a recently delivered comic book.
Twilight frowned profusely at this uncouth spectacle, and began to lecture the two other inhabitants of the castle about proper decorum at the table. "Starlight, that cutlery by your side isn't arranged properly at all! And Spike, what have I told you about reading while eating? You know you can't digest your food properly when you... what are two staring at?"
Starlight had stopped mid-mouthful, stray strands of hay dribbling from her mouth as she regarded her teacher wide-eyed in complete shock.
Spike meanwhile, was so taken aback by the appearance of his boss/surrogate parent in front of him he'd already dropped his precious periodical into his breakfast, so that the paper began absorbing the milk.
"What, what?" Twilight began to feel a little uneasy all of a sudden, and glanced alternatively between her friends with a degree of apprehension. "Is my mane sticking-up? Are my ears inside-out? There's a zit on my muzzle, isn't there?"
"Y-Yes, yes to all of those things..." Starlight wasn't sure how to inform her teacher about the major difference in her presentation between now and last night. "B-But that's not what we're..."
"T-Twi..." Spike, always one to get to the point, almost blurted the news right away. Subtlety was never his strongest suit. "Y-Your wings..."
"Huh? What about them? Come on, spit it out!" Twilight raised a confused eyebrow at the incomplete sentences from the duo. Wherever this was going, she didn't like it.
"They're gone!!" Both Starlight and Spike announced the staggering revelation in unison, and even though Twilight was sure they were mistaken, she couldn't help but turn around to check the status of her feathery appendages based on their urgent tone alone.
Her bemusement turned to abject horror when she realised that indeed, her freshly-grown wings, which had been attached to her for barely a few years, were completely absent. There wasn't even any trace of them on her back, just flesh and bone, as if she'd always been a simple unicorn. That wasn't the only unpleasant surprise waiting in store for her either...
She was back to her original height...
She felt considerably less power in her horn than the previous evening...
And she was pretty sure she was about to faint.
As Big Mac might say... Yup.
Her last thought, upon kissing the floor as Starlight and Spike ran over to her with noticeable concern was: What the hay is going on?!
..............................................................................................................
Meanwhile, in three other locations across town, spirits were considerably higher.
From a rundown orphanage, whoops of joy could be heard, along with the sounds of something flitting around heedlessly knocking fragile objects over, to the deafening screams of those in charge...
From an antique caravan, a loud cackling split the morning air, and signs of very powerful magic bursting like fireworks were spotted by passer-bys, who swiftly moved on.
And finally, in a small cottage on the outskirts, a pair of stunned parents stood shaking in their colt's doorway. They'd come to wake him up, but were abruptly halted in their mission by observing his new height. Let's just say, he didn't exactly resemble his name anymore.
All three ponies, given a gift that was their heart's desire, 'stolen' from a mare that was clueless as to what was happening...
This is where our story begins.
Author's Note
A little project I'm going to be working on, when I have enough time. Every chapter will be from the perspectiveof one of our four protagonists, as they try to figure out just what the Tartarus is going on. And no, the answer might NOT be as obvious as it seems... 
No prizes for guessing who the trio of lucky recipients are. (Clue: they're in the character sheet) Also, chapters will be short, but sweet. So you can read them on your coffee break... yay!! 
Let me know what you think so far! 
