The darkness stretched on for miles. The light from her horn didn't even light the ground before her.
Where am I? she thought to herself. I was talking to Trixie just a minute ago. She looked to her left and then to her right. Nothing. Pure black nothingness. She was alone. Slowly turning around in a circle she called out to the void.
"H-hello?! ...Can anyone hear me?! ...Is there anyone here?!" Her voice didn't echo. Even her hoofsteps were eerily silent.
Panic started to creep into the corners of her mind; tears in the corner of her eyes. What happened? Where is the wagon? Where's Trixie?
Then to her left, a Bit-sized orb of white light sparked to life in the distance; as if it were answering her question.
Looking at it wide-eyed and confused, Star stepped forward. The sound of her hoof hitting solid ground echoed like a room with tile walls.
The light intensified and grew, causing Star to look away and squeeze her eyes shut. As her eyes adjusted to the blinding sphere, she heard a low murmur.
"Wh... re... ou..." It seemed vaguely familiar. But she couldn't place it.
Inching apprehensively toward the voice, Star tilted an ear in its direction.
"Wh... re... you?" The voice repeated more clearly. Still faint and distant, it tugged on Starlight's curiosity. She walked toward it more calmly and inquisitively. Star lifted a hoof and reached out to the sphere of light. Upon touching its warm glow, it grew larger and chased the void away.
Her eyes adjusted to her new surroundings. An abandoned town lay before her. Many buildings had crumbled or wasted away to dust. What used to be a well-traveled road was overrun by grass and weeds. Only the rut caused by many hooves and carts betrayed its history.
Stepping forward into this new place, Starlight looked around for more clues. Continuing down the empty street, something made her feel uneasy. I've been here before. But, when?
Just ahead, next to a weather-beaten fence something sparkled in the dust. Starlight trotted toward it for a closer look.
At first glance, shards of colored glass stood out. But something was amiss. They were too thick and opaque to be glass. Were these gems? Where did they come from? Clearly they didn’t belong here.
The confused unicorn furrowed her brow. Levitating a larger purple piece with magic, she turned it over, looking for more clues. This odd gem seemed familiar but not any kind of jewel she had studied before. Maybe Rarity or Twilight would know.
Twilight! Starlight had completely forgotten the search for her mentor. She picked up a scoop of dust with all the tiny shards and ran farther into the abandoned town. She had no idea where her hooves were taking her but they seemed to know and have a mind of their own.
The beaten path started to feel familiar. She kept running.
Far ahead loomed a shining blue mountain. Its glittering rock face began to disintegrate before her eyes. The closer she got the clearer she could see it wasn't a mountain but a giant pile of rough blue gems.
Star slowed down to a trot and skirted the pile to the left, still eyeing the collection with curiosity. Something was familiar about these gems too. Not just the dust she collected on her way here.
Something purple moved in the corner of her eye and startled her. She stopped in her tracks and refocused on the path around the back of the gems.
Sitting at the base of the pile sobbing, with her head down was the mare Star was looking for, Twilight Sparkle. But something was very different about her. Starlight gasped in wide-eyed horror.
"Twilight! Your WINGS!" Starlight stared in disbelief. "They're GONE!" she yelled.