When Twilight was young, she used to sit on the balcony and look down at the statues in the royal garden. At the strange creatures of fur and armour and feathers and horns, and just...wonder on them.

And out of all of them, out of the unique draconequus and the rare Cyclops and the terrifying Invention Monkey, one particular statue always caught her eye.

Four...blocky, for lack of a better word, knights. Frozen in perfect formation, their heads hidden deep within the confines of their helmets. Each one stuck in the same pose, for as long as she'd known them.

And beneath them, engraved into the stone they were a part of, was a simple message.

"Wake us when something fun happens or Celestia stops being a bitch, whichever comes first."

When the ponies woke up the next day to begin their daily work, something was amiss. Twilight Sparkle, resident librarian and pupil to Princess Celestia, was missing, leaving only a heavy tome unopened on her desk. The library showed signs of struggles; burn marks and soot lining the inside of the room. The only witness to the crime was Spike, the librarian's assistant. A scroll was sent to Celestia immediately, detailing what he'd heard.

"I screwed up Twilight, I'm sorry. I don't want to have to drag you into this, but I have no choice."

What followed would forever go down in Equestrian history as the longest night of self discovery, general nonsense, diplomatic relations, more general nonsense, changeling culture, debate on morals and beliefs and general nonsense that the world had ever seen.

And don't get me started on all the nonsense.

Now heavily edited.

There comes a point in every ponies life when they sit down and wonder, "Is this it? Does this mark upon my flank determine who I am, or does who I am determine what is upon my flank? Was there ever a choice, or are we all caught up in the stings of destiny, no way to break free? Would it even be possible to venture forth, and go against my nature or am I doomed to stay as I am?"

Rainbow Dash's epiphany wasn't quite as deep as this. It worried her though, she started to act differently, more brashly. She distanced herself, kept things close to her chest. A close friend notices the signs, and decides to help her the only way she knows how. By dragging her to an amusement park and forcing her to have fun.

But it seems like the universe is trying its hardest to ruin this day, and there's something fishy about the park Pinkie decides they must go to.

After an accident with the Cutie Mark Crusaders leaves Scootaloo in Ponyville hospital, the doctor notices something strange about her. After a quick inspection of her wings, Scootaloo is allowed to leave. She wanders around Ponyville, wondering why her wings are different from everypony else's. Eventually, a mare notices her, and with a sigh, begins to tell her a story and a secret.

One that will change Scootaloo's life forever.

Today seemed different. An old traveller comes into town, seeking to expand his knowledge of the world. The elements of harmony have been called to the palace to deal with a rising threat. An army grows in the distance and the entire guard is dispatched to fight it. Yet, things don't quite fit together. The only pony who notices this is a brilliant brown stallion, trying his hardest to solve his own mysteries. The mystery of a long metal tube and broken down watch. Yep, today was certainly going to be different.

(First fan-fiction, so feel free leave a comment or something.)