The six ponies and dragon tumbled down through darkness itself for what felt like eons. They felt the force of it crushing down upon them like the pressure in the deepest oceans. Every twist and turn they were met by icy winds that battered and chilled them to the bone! They tried to call to each other, but the words were stolen from their throats. Hanging in-between consciousness by a thread they clung to each other desperately, but the wind howled on and they slipped farther and farther away from the awake world. Finally the darkness let out a great moan and the icy winds turned into a blizzard that battered their very minds with its chill. Unable to hold on anymore, the seven friends lost each other to the black void and were swept away.

Day one, Time 7:07 AM

Twilight shot up, a cold sweat gathering on her brow and her breaths coming short and fast. That nightmare was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It actually felt like it was real and she and her friends were there. Calm yourself Twilight, it was only a dream. She told herself. You probably just had too much excitement at Pinkie’s party. At least, that’s what she thought she had been doing. Yes Pinkie wanted us to meet her somewhere to host a party for-somepony.

The thought of Pinkie made Twilight worry for her friends. Quickly she swerved her head around to see if they were alright. To her shock, she discovered that not only was she alone, but she wasn’t even in Ponyville. She was lying in a small clearing of trees, with the first rays of sunlight spearing through the canopy and touching the floor like golden columns. Small grey birds flew all around the trees, busily weaving vines together to make elaborate and wonderful nests. Sadly, there was no a single sign of the others. Quickly Twilight go to her hooves and headed to a break in the clearing, so as to get her bearings. Had she taken the time to inspect the clearing a bit more, she would have noticed it was not naturally formed.

As Twilight headed further through the woods, she had the odd feeling like she was being watched. Turning around however, she could see nothing except birds and some large butter coloured moths. Smiling at her own sketchiness she continued along her way. When she finally parted from the trees she was blown away by what she saw. Before her eyes were dozens of large, rocky hills, covered with thick green forests and tranquil valleys. Small streams flowed among them like veins.

Now Twilight was beginning to worry, where was she? These hills were not on any Equestria maps, and surely somepony would have discovered them. What if I’m not even in Equestria anymore? Twilight brushed that thought out of her mind. This was most likely an area close to the Griffon’s mountains. Intrigued by this area, she decided to head down into one of the valleys. As she descended, Twilight noticed a large flock of birds taking off in desperation. It was almost like they were fleeing from something, but Twilight couldn’t see anything from where she was.

Suddenly her hoof brushed against something soft. Looking down she was shocked to find a golden saddlebag with her Cutie Mark stitched to it. Attached to the bag was a piece of paper that read Twilight Sparkle. Opening the bag, Twilight discovered a full water bottle, some dried apples, several bags of biscuits and a note. On the note were a black die and a chess king. Where have I seen those before? She wondered to herself. With no other option available, Twilight opened the note and began reading.

Twilight Sparkle

You begin the game in the Os-Mine Hills, located in the northern section of Topaz territory. Travel east to an area known locally as the Forest of Silence. Go to the middle forest (Mid Wood) and you will find a thick dome of vines known as The Dark. Collect one of the vines to receive more help.

Best of Luck!

Twilight looked over the note several times but couldn’t recall ever hearing of these locations, and she had read every geographical book in the Canterlot library twelve times! Whatever the case, it seemed she had no choice but to follow the instructions. At best it would lead her to her friends, and at worst she could at least find out more about where she was. Still, the thought of going to some place called the Forest of Silence didn’t sound comforting. It sounded every bit as fierce as the Everfree Forest, and she dreaded to think what creatures prowled within it. Looking into the saddlebag again she found a rolled up piece of parchment. Spreading it out, she discovered is was a map fragment.

Twilight studied the map for a bit and plotted the fastest course to Mid Wood. Quickly she gathered everything into the saddle bag and prepared to head off. Before she even took a step however, she once again got the feeling that something was watching her. Twilight spun around, horn glowing with magic and found herself face to face with two yellow reptilian eyes. “Spike?” She asked hopefully.

Slowly the figure revealed itself not to be Spike, but some form of large lizard. Its body was a beautiful gold colour and it looked slightly draconic. Quickly Twilight gathered her magic in her horn again and readied herself. The lizard hissed at her but didn’t stay and fight. It just slowly lumbered around the unicorn and into the grove of trees. Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Well that could have ended worse.”

“It speaks?”

Suddenly Twilight felt long bony hand spring out of the ground and grab at her back legs. Instinctively she bucked and not a second later howls of pain echoed around the hills. She readied her teleportation spell but more hands sprung out and grabbed her around the neck. Quickly she focused her magic on the hands, and was soon met with a confused and enraged grunt.

“Magic, it uses magic!”

Before Twilight could do anything else something hard impacted with her head, and the lavender unicorn fell to the ground as her assailants cackled with delight.

Time, 7:49 AM

The great hall of the Palace in Del was empty. Not even the palace workers were present to performing their daily duties. Two guards stood at attention by all doors, and whenever they were questioned they responded. “By orders of Chief Adviser Drumm.” Inside the room the guars could hear him speaking to a group of people, but they didn’t delve any deeper. It wasn’t their place to get involved in such things. One thing that they heard often however was “find it by any means” so they assumed it was a cure for the illness that was plaguing the king. One thing’s for sure about Drumm. One guard thought to himself. He may be a snivelling sour man, but he is devoted to his King.