A week after his daughter’s birth and his wife’s death, Argyle Starshine is devastated and exhausted.  His friend Paisley has arrived with a gift to encourage him: a religious text in the same vein as the one Argyle had discovered previously.  Argyle has no desire to read, but Paisley makes him a deal: while Argyle rests, Paisley will read the book to him.

The tale is even older than the one Argyle had found.  Instead of elaborating on the history of the ponies of Maretime Bay, it focuses on the land from which they fled, and one mysterious mare in particular: Twilight Sparkle.