Prologue - The Mother of Invention
Equestria, Ponyville, Castle of Friendship
Office of Twilight Sparkle
Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic, wiped the persistent sweat from her forehead and continued to work at her crystal desk, applying her signature to some documents and settling others into a pile marked with "Revision needed".
So far, she had only been an Alicorn and a Princess for only a few weeks, but she had already been overloaded by an abundance of paperwork that came in daily. Celestia and Luna had told her to expect it, as official paperwork was a constant factor in being a Princess.
She had listened and expected it accordingly, but she didn't expect to have this much end up on her desk in one sitting. Twilight was exhausted, but she pushed through until everything was finished.
"You almost done, Twi?"
Twilight turned to see Spike enter the room, carrying a lamp with him.
"As a matter of fact, I just finished." Twilight said. "It's past time for bed, and you should be sleeping right now."
"Yeah, I would be." Spike said. "Except Celestia sent us a letter about thirty minutes ago."
"Why didn't you tell me?" she yelped in reply.
"Because you told me not to interrupt you until it was absolutely necessary." Spike deadpanned. "I waited as long as I could."
"Alright, alright." Twilight replied. "What's the letter say?"
"She actually said it was for your eyes only." Spike replied, handing her the scroll. "And that it was to go straight to you in all capitals. Anyway, I'll be in bed."
Before Twilight could reply, Spike was gone and there was a poof of sound from him ;hitting the bed coming from their shared room. Twilight rolled her eyes and opened the scroll, beginning to read.
Dearest Twilight,
Though I would normally prefer to meet you face to face regarding the subject of this letter, I had to alert you as quick as I could.
This may sound strange, but I need you and you alone in Canterlot as soon as you can make it there. I cannot stress enough that you must be alone, as this is a matter of highest secrecy.
An old acquaintance of mine (In the more liberal of terms, he would not use such verbiage as I would) has come to visit along with representatives of the agency he leads among his kind. Their world experienced a massive "History-changing Event" as he puts it, and has called the favor I owe him. (I can't tell you how I owe him this favor, as you aren't prepared to know. I will tell you at a later time.)
I digress, however. As I said earlier, come to Canterlot as soon as you are able to and follow these instructions exactly as you read them here.
First, there will be two Solar Guards standing by my throne in the Day Court once you arrive. They will escort you to an empty ended hallway near my office.
Second, there will be a brick loose in its setting. Push it back into place.
Third, say this phrase - "Stand as one, or fall as many. The choice is yours."
Then, follow the stairs down as far as they go, and then I and my sister will receive you.
And tell absolutely nopony about this under any circumstances. This is a matter I must keep secret until the proper time.
Celestia.
Twilight sealed the scroll and placed it in her desk, before heading to her bedroom and climbing under the covers. She turned to see Spike curled up in a ball next to her bed, and seeing this gave a sigh of exhaustion.
Soon, she was asleep as the stars twinkled overhead, her last few waking thoughts occupied by the Princess's letter.
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It wasn't too long before dawn when Princess Twilight ate a quick breakfast and began preparing to leave. After making sure that everything was cleared and that Spike would assume that she was still in bed, she teleported herself away with a flash.
As she reappeared in front of Canterlot's Royal Palace, she noticed a massive cloud formation circling and obscuring the area around the mountain Canterlot was built upon, particularly near the summit.
As she followed the Princess's instructions and trailed the two Guards to the dead-end hallway, she pressed the stray brick back into place before reciting the phrase in the letter.
The hallway end disappeared to reveal a large spiral staircase, and Twilight began her descent. Turning to look behind her, she could see the wall reform as a solid object.
"Hmm, some form of illusion magic." Twilight reasoned. "But I've never seen it apply to a solid object before."
As she headed down the staircase, she could hear three faint voices from the bottom coming up towards her. Two of which she recognized as Celestia and Luna, but the third she didn't know. It was sharp and authoritative, but it also sounded a bit elderly.
"I understand your concern, White Knight, but Twilight will not let you down."
"That's not what I'm afraid of." "White Knight" replied. "From what you've told me, Twilight doesn't do much without her five friends with her. Which is precisely why I hope that she followed your instructions, otherwise there would be hell to pay."
Twilight was taken aback. Was this White Knight really threatening Princess Celestia?
As she exited the stairwell, she found herself in a massive underground atrium, lined with support pillars made from the marble used in the Palace. It featured a massive balcony overlooking Equestria, and a conference table.
And sitting there were Celestia and Luna, along with a strange being in a suit, which was being covered by a magical shield of some kind.
"Ah, here's Twilight." Celestia said. "I trust my letter reached you, and you followed my instructions?"
"Yes, just as you told me." Twilight replied. "What's going on?"
"That's a long story." Luna said. "However, our guest wishes to speak with you."
The being turned around, revealing his features. To Twilight's shock, it was a human male. Only his skin was a ghostly pale white, and his hair was stark gray. His primarily white suit with black accents made him look like a ghost.
"Allow me to introduce myself," he said. "My name is White Knight, director of Providence."
"It's nice to meet you, but last I checked, humans didn't look like you do...no offense." she said timidly.
"None taken." White Knight replied. "My appearance is one side effect of a lab accident about four years ago."
"What happened?" Twilight asked.
"You may want to sit down for this," he replied. "First, what do you know about Earth?"
"I know it's the human homeworld, but not much else." she said. "Is this about Canterlot High?"
"Funny you should mention that." White Knight said. "That's not the world we come from. Canterlot High's Earth is a middle ground between this reality and the one I come from, according to Providence's research in the matter. That's beside the point, however.'
White Knight straightened himself and glared at Twilight with a certainty that made her freeze in her tracks.
"Allow me to tell you of The Day Everything Changed, otherwise known as..."
"The original Nanite Event."
Twilight gave a gulp as she settled in to listen, all the while Celestia and Luna watched intently.
Author's Note
It's back and better than ever.
