//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Forgotten Friendship // by CJ Esmerio //------------------------------// Narrator - In the land of Equestria and beyond, there are as many stories as there are these incredible creatures who inhabit it. Some remain secret to all those but a select few… A cloaked vigilante, known as the Twilight Warrior, is standing on top of a tower while overlooking a city. Others have become the stuff of legend… The Pillars of Old Equestria, along with a long-lost friend, exploring another part of the world that they've not seen in more than a thousand years. …and there are those who were born of our dreams. Princess Luna observing the dreams of various ponies, dragons, and others in the Dream Realm. Like the Equestrians themselves, these tales have survived the test of time, and with each passing day, countless adventures unfold from the top of the world to the bottom of the sea. Princess Skystar swimming around and having fun in the sea underneath Mt. Aris with her fellow hippogriffs-turned-seaponies. In the main part of Equestria itself, there are four powerful princesses. Celestia for the day, Luna for the night, Cadence for family, and then, there's the most important princess of all: Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, who makes sure that everyone feels like they belong, enjoying their lives in a magical world of friendship. ########## And she doesn't do it alone... helping her along the way on this amazing journey are Twilight's closest friends, who along with the princess herself, all represent the Elements of Harmony - generosity, honesty, laughter, kindness, loyalty, and magic. Over the years of friendship that they've shared together, the Mane 6 have been able to help several realize the error of their ways, and those include the Princess of the Night herself, as well as a draconequs that represents chaos, a powerful unicorn that is now under the mentor/friend-ship of Twilight herself, and an entire race of transformed Changelings, as well as an Earth Pony botanist that is currently trying his best on creating new memories of friendship and happiness. "Um, Mr. Sunburst, sir?" Everyone looked back at the platform, and saw that the voice was coming from an Earth Pony... that had been flattened like a pancake because of the large crowd. "No worries, I got this!" Pinkie Pie walked over to him, placing one end of a "bendy" straw in her mouth, and the other into his. Then, she began to blow air into him as if she were blowing air into a balloon until, eventually, there was enough air for him to... Poof! "There ya go!" The restored pony coughed a few times, and said, "Thanks... ow, my head..." Sunburst smiled, and said, "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to my assistant, Casey." "An assistant?" Starlight said, surprised. "Wow. Is Flurry Heart that much of a handful?" "You'd be surprised," admitted Sunburst. "But he helps out with other things, as well, and it's nice having somepony to give lessons to." The country-speaking Earth Pony walked over to Casey, and shook his hoof. "Pleasure to meet ya, sugarcube. My name's Applejack, and this is my little sister, Applebloom." "Howdy, Casey, nice to meet ya!" Sweetie Belle introduced herself next, followed by Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Starlight, and Rarity. Then, Twilight came up to him, and said, "Hi, Casey, I'm Twilight Sparkle." The two of them shook hooves, and Casey said, "It's a pleasure to, um... finally meet you, Twilight." Rainbow suddenly frowned, and muttered, "He never said that to us." Applejack looked at her, and she replied, "What?" Sunburst walked over to stand by the princess, saying, "He's a big fan of yours, Twilight." Casey began to blush, feeling embarrassed. "I-I mean... well, I've seen so - I mean, heard so much about you... ever since you defeated Nightmare Moon..." Twilight gave him a warm smile. "You don't have to be nervous, Casey. I enjoy making new friends." Casey simply nodded his head, which was still red, and whispered, "Um... thanks." "Wow, and I thought you were the shyest pony in all of Equestria," said Rainbow Dash, looking at Fluttershy. "Oh, leave him alone," replied Fluttershy. "He can't help it if he has a crush on Twilight." All of a sudden, everyone except her was now looking at Casey. "Uh-oh, did I... say that out loud?" While Rainbow Dash slowly started laughing, an embarrassed Casey began to quickly walk away. "Um, I will just... see you all later..." Woosh! Then, all of a sudden, he took off in a flash, leaving a gust of wind behind. "I'm sorry," whispered Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash was still laughing silently, to herself, until Twilight gave her a look that made her stop immediately. "Me, too." They've also made friends with a young Earth Pony that goes by the name of Casey, whose entire life prior to their meeting is a mystery itself. He eventually became the special somepony of Princess Twilight, and even made a best friend of his own - a gold Earth Pony that represents balance between chaos and harmony. ########## But not all intentions are pure… there are others that remain in the darkness, with hopes to achieve goals of control, domination, and power. A shadow-like pony makes his way into a cave, and stops when he reaches a wall made entirely of andesite. And that is where our story begins, with a misguided search by a relentless stallion, hoping to fulfill his lifelong wish for revenge. BOOM! After disposing most of the wall, the sinister pony took a few more steps, and then, a smile appeared on his face once he chose to remain still. In front of him, carefully wedged into a pile of boulders, was a magical and mysterious shiny object. What he unearths instead is an even bigger mystery, and an even greater power that could make his wish come true. ########### "Come on, Sunset! You'll have plenty of time later to write to Princess Twilight!" "Almost done!"After writing just a few more words into her Friendship Journal, Sunset closed it up, and hurried out of her front door, where she found all of her friends waiting for her. "Alright, let's go." Sunset Shimmer has wishes of her own; first and foremost, is to learn what she can about friendship while living her life in the new world that she calls her home. Originally from Equestria, and once filled with evil desires, Sunset now spends her time being with her friends, who are the human counterparts of the Mane 6, and they have dreams and wishes of their own: to discover new friends, to explore the world, to perform amazing music, and to eat lots and lots of sugary treats. "What? He never said that all of our wishes have to involve friendship." Heh, heh, of course, Pinkie Pie… but do you want to know what the funny thing is about wishes? Sometimes they really do come true, and that is why you must be extremely careful for what you wish. Because you just might get it.