Moby-Spike

Moby-Spike

Prologue

Call me Twilight Sparkle. I am a lavender unicorn, once the bearer of the sixth element of harmony, magic. I was also the personal student of our great Princess Celestia, ruler of the land of Equestria. But those were of days past, and things have changed for more than just myself.

After Queen Chrysalis was banished from Equestria and her invasion stopped in its tracks, a new era of peace descended upon our country. There were no longer disturbances which required the elements of harmony to act, and many a pony was grateful for the lack of chaos and danger. But not me. A year after my brother Shining Armor and my foalsitter Princess Cadence were wed, Princess Celestia decided to once again lock away the elements of harmony seeing as no new threats were likely. I was happy to know that everypony in Equestria enjoyed the occasion, but I still resented her decision. While I was joyful that I had bountiful time to read, study, and hang out with my friends in Ponyville, I grew restless. And soon enough, I discovered that my friends had as well.

It started with Spike. As the years past, he had grown, as dragons are bound to do. While not fully an adult, he was having more and more trouble maneuvering about the library. I didn’t mind it much, but apparently he began to feel like a burden. I discovered he had a diary, and had been writing page after page about his longing to “leave the nest” as he termed it. I felt guilty for reading his diary, and apologized profusely for doing so, but Spike couldn’t care less about my transgression; he seemed a world away in his own eyes. One day, he called our group together for an announcement, so Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and I gathered in the library before him. He revealed that he was leaving, with the intent of finding a life for himself that he couldn’t find in Ponyville. We were shocked and saddened by his pronouncement, and despite many attempts we could not convince him to stay. A few days later, he gathered his belongings and set off west. I watched him go with tears in my eyes, for I would miss him most of all.

But he would not be the last of us to grow weary of our lifestyles. As we grew older, we realized more and more that we could not simply idle by in Ponyville for the rest of our lives. Soon, Rarity was offered an upscale position in Canterlot designing clothing for a fashion line under Hoity Toity. She accepted, and while we did protest her choice we did it with less vigor than what we showed towards Spike. She promised that she would come back to visit us whenever possible, and would make sure never to forget her best friends. There were no dry eyes, and many hugs were exchanged, and the next morning she departed on the train for Canterlot.

Things were mostly uneventful for a few months. The Cakes retired from running Sugarcube Corner and became full-time parents, allowing Pinkie Pie to take full control of the delicatessen. Business was booming for her, and she always seemed to have new recipes for us mares to try out whenever we came over for treats. One thing that did change was the Apple family; namely, Granny Smith passed away. The family was stricken with grief, along with all of Ponyville. A funeral was held, and once again tears were shed. However, Applejack and her younger sister Applebloom picked themselves up and helped to run the farm just as efficiently as ever. Big Macintosh took a little while longer to get over his sadness, but he soon returned to leadership of Sweet Apple Acres.

Finally, a day came when the last straw broke the camel’s back. Rainbow Dash left us. Instead of gathering us together before she left, she wrote a long note explaining herself, and then stole away in the night. Fluttershy found the note and read it to us. It went as follows:

Dear Applejack, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie,

I’m sorry but I really have to leave Ponyville. I’ve gotten bored with nothing to do but weather patrol, and I’m going to follow the Wonderbolts on their tour until I get them to welcome me as one of them. I swear, as the element of loyalty, that I’ll come back to you girls once I’m a Wonderbolt. I wrote this to you because I don’t like sappy goodbyes all that much, and we’ve already had our fill of those with Spike and Rarity leaving. I know it’s hard to let someone as awesome as me go, but I’ll be back soon, I promise.

Rainbow Dash

And then we cried again, the last time I would cry alongside my friends. With Rainbow Dash gone, I no longer saw a reason for myself to stay. Like her, I had grown tired of doing nothing but reading and studying. It was great, until I ran out of books to read. Even when I went to Canterlot and looked for books, it just kept getting harder and harder to find anything I hadn’t read countless times before. I had graduated from school, and no longer had studying of my own to do; it got to the point where I simply studied and took tests that I made for fun, but eventually that became boring as well. I longed for the adventurous days of years ago, when I had to conquer an Ursa Minor single-hoofedly. Eventually, I concluded that those days were gone, and I would never experience anything like them as long as I stayed in Ponyville. So I gathered my things and gave up my post as Ponyville librarian to a young stallion named Featherweight, who happily accepted the position. I talked individually to Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, telling them of my plans to find adventure back east at Horse Shoe Bay. We exchanged our pained goodbyes, and at long last I set off for new adventure and a new life. I write this down as an entry into my diary and as a historical piece, for what unknown trials await before me serve only to invigorate my sense of excitement. There may be battles, or monsters, or even crystal ponies, but I cannot know. I also cannot wait, and will make sure to document all that happens to me.

My train to Horse Shoe Bay is now pulling into its station, and I am readying myself to begin my journey. I see cracks of sunlight over the open sea, and the dawn fills my heart with a giddy anticipation. My adventure has only just begun.