That day began the way most days in Ponyville began. It was quiet and peaceful, and the sky was free of clouds, as the Cloud Patrol had been out early. Celestia had just raised the sun, and ponies were beginning to awaken and prepare for the day ahead. None of them saw the storm gathering on the horizon.
Twilight Sparkle had just received a gift from her mentor, Celestia. It was the brand new, limited edition copy of "Transmutation and Other Transformational Spells" and she had just settled in for a day of studying.
Rainbow Dash was out, doing early flying practice. She had recently read about the newest Wonderbolt move, the Flashbang, and wanted to memorize every single detail. She would need to know everything if she was going to be a Wonderbolt.
Apple Jack, the typical hard worker, had already started work in the fields. It was the first day of Apple Buckin' season, and she planned to get a head start. Walking over to the first tree, she gave it a powerful buck, and moved on to the next.
Rarity had just finished brainstorming a new fashion line the night before, and was planning what fabrics she would need to make it. Humming quietly to herself, she wrote her notes on a paper.
Fluttershy had just woken up, and was feeding her animal friends their breakfast. She also had a new friend, an otter. Maybe she could ask Twilight the best place to build a home for her new friend.
Pinkie Pie bounced excitedly out of bed, and was hurriedly preparing their house for babysitting-it was her responsibility to watch the twins that day. She made sure to have plenty of diapers, and exciting toys for them to play with, as well as food. "I'm going to be super-duper responsible!" she said.
But there was something dark going on, deep in Everfree Forest. Five dark ponies were meeting together, planning for the coming storm. They had gathered in an abandoned castle, around an old stone table, a map of Equestria spread out before them. Their leader, a slate blue Pegasus mare with a dark blue mane and tail, spoke "Nightmare Moon may have failed us, but that will not stop us from achieving our goals. With or without her, we will become the most powerful pegasi Equestria has ever seen. And that begins right here in Ponyville." said Nightshade, stamping her hoof on Ponyville on the map. Suddenly, a higher pitched, girly voice piped up. "Can we kill some ponies? Are we going to get to smash them?" said the voice. The moon shined into the castle for a moment, revealing the speaker. It was a pure blue Pegasus with a blue lightning bolt shaped mane. Electricity seemed to crackle through it every now and then, and there was a twitchy, crazy smile on her face. Her light pink eyes were wide, and had an unstable look to them. "Sit down, Blueball Blitz." grunted Stratus, a muscular silver gray Pegasus with an ice blue mane. Despite the dark black and purple flight suit he wore, you could still see the scars on his muzzle. Nightshade gave Blueball a glare, before looking at each of the members of her group. There was Starry Skies, the rich and beautiful pink Pegasus with sapphire eyes and a light pink mane; Stratus, former member of the Royal Guard and a superb fighter, as well as her second-in-command; Blueball Blitz, clinically insane and the fastest flier of the five; and finally Charger, a steel gray Pegasus with a slate blue mohawk, and a former gang member. Then of course, there was she, Nightshade. She was the leader of all of them, and although not the fastest, or strongest physically, she was the most intelligent. It was thanks to her that they were able to devise a plan, a plan that would bring Equestria to its knees.
And it began today.
