Hope is the faith of the young. Losing everything she holds dear, Puppysmiles embarks on the adventure of her life to find her mother, her hopes of meeting her again driving her through the horrors of a world not of her making. Too bad the Wastelands doesn't care about hope.

The Lunar Rebellion sought to bring Nightmare Moon to power over Equestria, and for two long years, a war was fought for that very purpose. In the end, Nightmare Moon was defeated, but Celestia had become broken. She lost her faith in the ponies that once only knew love, and she walled herself inside her castle at Canterlot.

For five years, no pony had seen or heard from the goddess. In her absence, Equestria falls apart at the seams. Endless skirmishes are fought over petty land disputes. Love and tolerance are gone from the land. Ponies begin to revel in the art of war. When a dangerous threat emerges from the ashes of the Lunar Rebellion, all hope seems gone from the world. But some ponies aren't willing to let Equestria fall.

Four unlikely ponies step up to correct the mistakes of the past. In their quest to restore Equestria, they will learn that through the magic of friendship, all things are possible.

This story is presented as part of the Pony Fiction Writer's Month for September 2011. Enjoy.