The Summer Sun Celebration. A holiday commemorating Celestia's triumph against Nightmare Moon. A day to herald in the coming of summer. One of the most amazing, most magnificent, most wonderful events in all of Equestria.

But not for Celestia. For her, the "celebration" is nothing but regret.

It was supposed to be easy. A simple ambush. Jump a flanking force of Sombra's before they reach the battlefield. Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Wonderbolts had done it a thousand times before. She could do it in her sleep.

But then things go south for Dash, and she's taken behind enemy lines. Everypony knows her fate: to be brainwashed into serving Sombra. But what seems to be hopeless may just reveal more about Dash than she knows about herself.

Seventy years after the show, the Elements of Harmony have been stolen. The thieves left no trace, not so much as a single clue to follow. The only lead: a single pony who happened to see them leave. But with the threat of violence if she talks hanging over her head, she's scared and in hiding. Fearing for the safety of Equestria, Celestia and Luna dispatch a small set of ponies, led by royal guard Iron Phalanx, to track her down, find out what she knows, and, above all, keep her safe.

But you don't steal the Elements unless you're up to something big, and the thieves aren't keen on letting that something get out so easily. As they do their best to impede the group's progress, other machinations run, their motives unknown, and the first strike, an attempted invasion of Canterlot Castle, is just the tip of the iceberg. Every lead simply opens more questions as ever more unlikely links are found.

Phalanx and his group aren't deterred by this. Not in the slightest. But the more clues they uncover, the more it's clear the rabbit hole goes far deeper than anyone realizes...

Hayfever's lived in southern Equestria her whole life, never going far from the town in which she was born. But one day, during her midlife crisis, she decides to get out and see the world, traveling to the Crystal Empire alone and on foot. Her journey will take her all across Equestria, opening her eyes to the land she lives in. As she travels, she records her day-to-day adventures in her journal, slowly compiling a travelogue of all sides of Equestria, of big cities and secluded villages, of mountain peaks and river valleys, of ponies friendly and hostile. This is her journal. These are her tales.

Starlight's new life with Twilight has been steady. She's making new friends to fill holes she didn't know she had. But there's one friend who's been missing for years: the one she misses the most, the first one she ever had. She hasn't seen him for years and doesn't even know if he remembers her.

With a new leaf turned, Starlight decides to try to rekindle her friendship with Sunburst. But will he remember her? And will he accept her for who she is now and in spite of what she's done?