Chapter 1: Discovery
Ponyville, 7:55AM
“Dear Princess Celestia,
I hope this letter finds you well. We’ve had somewhat of an odd occurrence in Ponyville, which of course isn’t saying much given our history. Regardless, it was aberrant enough for Spike and I to worry. About 12 hours ago, a storm system formed over the Everfree as is that forest’s want. However, the lightning that we observed seemed to be green in colour, and struck very sporadically until it hammered the Everfree nearly 40 times in one area for an entire minute. I swear the thunder it produced shook the walls! Enclosed is the approximate sector of the Everfree Forest that this anomaly occurred. Should you find this of any interest, please let us know. We’re already planning on trekking out there to investigate soon. Our weather ponies are currently cleaning up the mess of clouds.
Also of note, we here in Ponyville have begun preparing for the annual Running of the Leaves and the town would be honoured if you could visit and be part of the festivities once again. We could even spend some time catching up! It’s been a while since we’ve just talked, you know?
Your friend, and faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”
With a satisfied smile, Princess Twilight Sparkle finished dictating her letter to her mentor and stowed her day planner in her saddlebags along with a few spare quills, ink, and other miscellaneous items. Her faithful dragon assistant, Spike, sat at a reading table as he finished transcribing Twilight’s letter to her lifelong mentor and friend, Princess Celestia. Shaking a small cramp building up in his writing claws, Spike read it over once more for any imperfections.
“Was it really 40 lightning strikes, Twilight? That sounds a lil’ crazy, even for the Everfree,” Spike doubted. Twilight mirthfully scoffed.
“Saw it with my own two eyes, telescope, and thaumometer, Spike. And if I recall correctly, you were watching with me, weren’t you?”
“W-Well I, uh — er, I mean I was kinda...”
Spike locked up, scouring his brain for the right words, while Twilight looked at him expectantly with a smirk.
“I dozed off. I had a long day, alright?,” Spike admitted defensively. As soon as his shoulders were up, they were down again at the thought of his big crush, “Rarity and I spent the whole day together yesterday shopping, and getting lunch, and then shopping again, and then getting ice cream, and...”
Spike let out a dreamy, contented sigh as he leaned his elbows on the table and propped his head up with his claws. His sigh morphed into a small yawn, as he still needed to catch up with the morning. Twilight chuckled as she floated over a file folder with her readings from the Everfree storm for Spike to send along with her letter, and he incinerated the mail with a puff of green flame. The ashes whisked away magically towards Canterlot.
The readings had been gathered out of boredom, really. A slow day in Ponyville came few and far between, and the storm was the perfect distraction on an otherwise boring day. Of course, Twilight was no meteorologist, but who didn’t dabble in a little storm-watching every now and again? Especially when the storm is completely unpredictable! And, of course, the lavender alicorn had the odd habit of dialling her interests to eleven, however minor they may be. It was just the telescope at first, and then she remembered the innate magic that Equestrian weather carried and broke out the long-range thaumometer. Oh, but what about actually locating where the lightning would strike? Better get the stopwatch and map to get the thunder timing down.
Before she knew it, Twilight had something of a miniature weather lab on her balcony looking out towards the Everfree Forest. And while odd and unmanaged weather above the Everfree wasn’t much of a spectacle to any Ponyvillian, the sudden and rapid bout of lightning that rattled the town near the end of the storm definitely was. Twilight planned to visit Rainbow Dash after she started planning the Running of the Leaves festival. If anypony would be interested in investigating a mystery like that, it would be her.
After giving her saddlebags a once-over, Twilight levitated them onto her back and cleared her throat to get Spike’s attention. The sudden noise made him jump, his chin slipping from his claws and clunking onto the reading table.
“Oh! Heh, sorry. Must’ve been daydreaming. Are we ready to roll?” Spike asked with a sheepish chuckle. Twilight nodded and motioned for him to follow her. Down the crystalline halls of Ponyville’s Castle of Friendship, Twilight ‘regaled’ Spike with her plans for the day.
“Yup! First stop is Sugarcube Corner. Like last year, Pinkie Pie and Applejack are helping out with the food stands so we’ll be meeting them there to work out the details. Then, we’re heading to Fluttershy’s to talk to her about making sure the wildlife near White Tail Woods steer clear of the circuit we’ve set aside for the Run. After that —“
She didn’t even hear Spike as he groaned, his claws making their way to his tired eyes to rub the sleep out of them.
‘This oughta be a long day...’
“Oh, that’s no problem at all Twilight. It should only take a few days to reach out to all the critters out there, i-if that’s alright with you.”
“Excellent! I can always count on you, Fluttershy. Just let me know if anything comes up, I’ll be happy to help.”
Twilight and Spike had found their way over to Fluttershy’s cottage not too long after their rendezvous at Sugarcube Corner. And they were making good time too! Applejack and Pinkie Pie both worked out what would be best to sell at the festival along with who they could reach out to to get help setting up their stands. A few upstanding mares and stallions came to mind, and after a fairly brief mosey through Ponyville they were able to secure some extra helping hooves. After a parting cupcake or three, Twilight set out to let Mayor Mare know of their plans for the confection stands and attractions for the festival, who was delighted by the initiative taken by Ponyville’s resident Princess.
“Of course, Twilight. O-Oh, and before you go, I was just about to settle down for some lunch. Would you like to join me? If you’re not busy, that is — n-no pressure.”
Before Twilight could respond, her stomach responded for her. The trio had a good laugh at that.
“Heh, I guess that’s your answer. A little break wouldn’t hurt. Thank you, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy, ever so kind, smiled in return. “It’s my pleasure, Twilight. Ooh, and I even kept the gemstones from our last sleepover, Spike! I-If you want them, I mean.”
Spike lit up, “Aww, thanks Fluttershy! You’re so thoughtful, I’d love to ha — URRRP”
In a flash of green flame, Spike belched out a rolled and sealed scroll, its seal bearing the mark of Equestria’s diarchs, Princesses Celestia and Luna. The young dragon cleared his throat sheepishly. Fluttershy, accustomed to Spike’s method of royal communication, was more interested in the scrolls themselves.
“Goodness, did you have business with the princesses today, Twilight?”
She nodded, “Mmhm, it’s about the storm that happened yesterday over the Everfree. I can tell you all about it inside, if you’d like?”
The three friends walked into the cozy cottage and out of the brisk autumn breeze to talk about Twilight’s findings and read the royal response.
And a confused stranger watched from the edge of the forest nearby.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
After looking over your findings from that storm, I will admit that it does seem fairly strange. I am sure you’ve already caught this yourself, but the spikes in the thaumatic energy for each lightning strike is well beyond what is normal, even for Everfree Forest. As lightning in Equestrian weather serves to relieve excess magic in the air, I find it somewhat troublesome that this storm had so much magic to release given that there hasn’t been any notable thaumatic event nearby — at least, to my knowledge. I shall have a detachment of the Royal Guard and a survey team at the ready should anything arise once you follow through with investigating this anomaly. All you need to do is say the word.
As for the Running of the Leaves festival, I’ll be sure to attend this year. The leaves in Ponyville turn such a wonderful shade of vermillion! After missing the festival last year, I’m very excited to see the beautiful Autumn colours this year. Luna has already agreed to uptake my royal duties for that day, bless her. I look forward to seeing you and all my little ponies soon.
Your friend, and proud teacher,
Celestia
P.S. That’s another two bits for the ‘Princess’ bet, Twilight! You’ll break the habit soon enough.
Princess Celestia, Equestria’s co-ruler and Princess of the Sun, let out a satisfied sigh as she whisked her reply away to Ponyville with a green wispy flame. The shiny ashes pirouetted out of her balcony in little eddies on the wind towards the famous little Equestrian town, and danced between the birds fluttering by as they flew over the Equestrian capital of Canterlot. Raising from her cushions by the open vista, she receded back into her sunlit bedroom towards her door and out into the halls of Canterlot Castle. Her guards, as stoic and vigilant as ever, saluted their co-ruler as she made her way to the throne room and met their loyal gestures with her signature heartwarming smile.
A lot was on her mind since she read Twilight Sparkle’s letter. For one thing, the storm over the Everfree Forest somewhat defied magical logic — as tenuous and volatile as it seemed. Lightning was the world’s way of letting off excess magic, hence the weather ponies’s need to organize thunderstorms; had there been some sort of event or incident that caused a build-up of magic near the wild forest, the storm would’ve been a natural result of it. No such thing occurred however, which threatened to furrow Celestia's brow and ruin her serene and regal expression.
For another thing — and Celestia hoped this wasn’t the case — this meant that this time of relative calm and peace across Equestria might falter once again. Having lived for several millennia, she learned to see the predictability of life, as it were. History had a way of teaching such a thing. She recalled the shadows seeming darker and the starry nights seeming duller leading up to her sister’s banishment. The memory still made her heart ache, but it served as a reminder that everything had a tell, living or not.
Rounding another corner, Celestia made it to the throne room. Her sister and co-ruler of Equestria, Princess Luna, sat tall and proud on her throne with a patient smile. A rather nervous earth stallion stood before her holding a hard hat to his chest. Luna’s eyes flicked over to find Celestia approaching her throne and gave her a subtle wink.
“S-So you see, your highness —“ Celestia made it to her throne, making the stallion double-take “ — es — your highnesses, with the building being bought out by Ivory Towers, we can no longer follow through with the demolition. I’ve already spent so much out of pocket for the tools a-and equipment for such a big job, I-I don’t know how I’m gonna make it through the month.”
Luna took a beat as she mulled over the situation in her head, “You’ve already provided the necessary documents, so we see — er, I see no issue with compensating you for your loss.” The hardworking stallion let out the breath he was holding, the tension in his withers fading. Luna was not finished, however. “Tell me, Hard Hat... this Ivory Towers, what does he intend to do with the old building anyway?”
Hard Hat meekly shrugged, “Word around the bend says he plans on making it an inn a few weeks from now, though I don’t know with what company. What with Canterlot getting more and more tourists from Griffonstone and Trottingham and such, I can’t rightly blame him for wanting to provide such a service.”
Luna nearly let her contempt for such an opportunist show on her face, but she caught herself. A Princess should always exemplify serenity, she reminded herself. “I imagine you are just as proficient in renovation as you are in demolition, correct?” An eager nod from Hard Hat satisfied Luna’s query. She began drafting a royal order on some parchment she kept nearby. “Then by the behest of myself and my sister, we shall... recommend your services to Ivory Towers once renovations begin. Take this —“ the order floated over to Hard Hat, who took it graciously “— and present it to him. You’ll find that he’ll be quite eager to work with you.”
Hard Hat bowed eagerly and happily, his muzzle practically kissing the floor, “Oh, thank you Princess Luna! I won’t ever forget your generosity, thank you!”
Proud of her sister, Celestia chuckled as the elated construction pony trotted out of the throne room. “Nicely done, Lulu. I should take breaks more often! You seem to handle this very well.”
As soon as the throne room doors closed, Luna let out a long yawn and slouched in her azure throne. “If only it weren’t two in the afternoon. Just a little later in the day and a mite longer of rest, and I would be able to actually enjoy making our citizens happy.”
Celestia giggled, and nuzzled her sleepy sister, “Oh hush, Lulu. I know your heart soars seeing our little ponies happy.” A coy smile spread across Luna’s face.
“Indeed it does, Tia. Now, what did Twilight need from us?”
“The area that was struck the most must be in so much disarray! I mean, sure, the natural growth of the Everfree will regenerate the area in a few days, but there has to be adverse fallout there. All the more reason to investigate, right?”
Fluttershy nodded as she swallowed her last bit of rose petal salad. “Well, I’m sure it would be quite the sight.”
Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike all sat around the table in Fluttershy’s cottage shooting the breeze about recent Ponyville happenings. That is, until Twilight got started on talking about the storm. Spike had already felt a Sparkle-Certified gush-fest on the horizon. He was just happy she finished her sandwich beforehand, lest she forget about it entirely. And so began the Spike Space Out protocol, developed to protect himself from misplacing his marbles. He moseyed over to the couch near Fluttershy’s front window, climbed up, and gazed out to the great outdoors.
“I agree! Which is why we have to get out there soon. I’ve already determined the safest route to the afflicted area — it should only take a couple hours from here, all things considered. And — oh, gosh, you and your animal friends must’ve been so rattled being so close to the storm! How did you manage?”
Spike was on another planet by this point; his vacant stare and elbow on the back of the couch propping up his drowsy head would show anyone just how out of it he was. Twilight gushed over the aberrant storm, and while Spike was genuinely interested in whatever came of it, he couldn’t say the same about all the minute details that Twilight found so fascinating. And so the Spike Space Program reached new heights that day as he stared out to the Everfree Forest. Despite the dark unknown of the tree line, the sight was quite pretty. Looking out a window in Equestria was a great way to gain an appreciation for the great beautiful outdoors, second only to actually going outside.
“Oh, we were lucky to catch the storm early. Everyone was already safe and sound before the worst of it.”
Fluttershy, however, was simply content with talking to her good friend. She’d never admit that Twilight’s hyperfocus moments could get a little long-winded at times, and would rather just hear her out. Seeing her friends talk about their passions was one of her favourite things to do, all things considered; it was like being in school again! Learning new things from her friends was just lovely. And it came without all the awkwardness and tests, homework, deadlines, scary teachers, oral presentations, group projects, phys. ed—
“Uuuhh, girls?”
Spike had noticed something strange walk out from the tree line of the Everfree. It was tall, and... weird looking. Weird enough to snap Spike out of his daydream. Getting the two mares’ attention however...
“Oh, that’s a relief. Well, I’ve already got Pinkie and A.J. on board for the trip tomorrow. Once I get back to town and hash out the final designs for the runners’ jerseys with Rarity I’ll be sure to ask her too.”
Fluttershy finished her glass of apple juice with a small slurp emanating from her straw. “Rainbow Dash might be dealing with all those stray clouds until later today. I hope she isn’t too tired tomorrow...”
“Girls? Th-there’s something outside...” The odd creature seemed to be staring back at Spike. He noticed it was completely bi-pedal. And were those... clothes on its body? “It’s kinda creepy looking.”
“Well I’d hate to carry on without Dash — I guess it wouldn’t hurt to play it by ear and see if she’s up for it tomorrow morning. Either way, we should find something nice to do for the weather ponies for all their hard work.”
Spike fully turned around. “Girls!”
“Gah!” Both of the mares jumped a little in their seats at Spike’s shout.
“W-What’s wrong Spike? Is everything okay?” Twilight stammered. Spike gestured feverishly for one of them to see whatever it was he was seeing.
“There’s something out by the trees!” Spike explained. Twilight dropped off of her chair and trotted over to the window. Spike turned back towards the window to point towards the treeline.
“It’s right there! I-It — huh?”
“Uh, what should I be looking at, Spike? I don’t see anything...”
Spike blinked as he tried to find the mysterious stranger. All he saw was the same beautiful nature he was spacing out at a little while ago, save for some clouds that the weather team managed to wrangle up. Flustered, Spike turned to Twilight in a tizzy.
“It was there, I swear! I-It was tall, and it had some kinda outfit, a-and it stood on two legs like me!”
A raised eyebrow and a confused smirk from Twilight told Spike that she believed otherwise. This served only to get Spike a little more riled up.
“Are you sure you weren’t just daydreaming, Spike? I know that you space out someti—“
And a frustrated groan from Spike told Twilight just how serious he was.
“I wasn’t daydreaming, Twi. There was something watching the cottage. I-It must’ve noticed me watching it and ran off when I called for you.”
Fluttershy got up from her seat as well. She walked over to Spike and faced Twilight with a patient smile. “Why don’t we go take a look, Twilight? It was just right by the edge of the forest, right? It wouldn’t hurt to go check.”
Before Twilight could interject, Spike shot her a pleading look. “Come on, Twi! What if it had something to do with the storm?” She found that unlikely, but she didn’t want to invalidate her favourite dragon’s feelings. With a defeated sigh and smile, she nodded.
“Alright, lead the way, Spike. But we don’t have a lot of time; we still have to get to Rarity’s for more festival prep, okay?”
Spike was already halfway out the front door before Twilight could give him that reminder. Fluttershy followed suit, politely calling out to Spike for him to be careful and slow down. Twilight chuckled and followed an eager Spike down the hill and towards the forest.
To Twilight and Fluttershy’s surprise, Spike was quite eager to lead the search for this mystery creature. It was a short walk to the edge of the Everfree, and while they were barely five metres into the untamed forest, the group felt ill at ease. It was almost as if the Everfree was a different world entirely, and for all intents and purposes it was; not only did it produce its own weather, it had a vastly different ecosystem than other forests in Equestria — and a lot more dangerous too. Despite this, Spike was determined to find any kind of indication that the mystery creature was there.
It took five minutes for Twilight Sparkle to reconsider entertaining Spike’s little investigation. ‘I want to believe him,’ she thought, trying to justify her feelings, ‘but he can get so defensive and antsy over stuff like this. I hope he isn’t just crying timberwolf...’
As she stepped over a few odd looking shrubs, Twilight caught herself. What reason would Spike have to lie? Spike wasn’t so prideful as to lead them into the Everfree rather than admit that was daydreaming again. And what reason did she have to doubt him? Her disappointment in herself showed on her face as she scanned the short underbrush beneath her.
‘Maybe I should apologize later...’ Twilight considered.
A shout from Spike put a stop to her thoughts. “Girls! I found something over here! By this log!”
Fluttershy had already made it over by the time Twilight arrived at the scene. Spike was crouched over what looked to be a journal, already opened face down in the dirt. Luckily, it stayed out of the mud that it fell beside.
“Who do you think it belongs to? Is a name written in the cover?” Fluttershy wondered. Twilight levitated the journal closer to get a better look when she saw something very strange: a rough sketch of Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Whoever it belongs to, they’ve got some questions to answer,” Twilight muttered warily. She read aloud the entry on the left page.
“Day Zero, Night...”
“I’ve done it. After so much work, I’ve finally gotten away from the Queen’s insanity and escaped Astra.”
“Astra? Where’s Astra?” Spike wondered. Twilight shrugged, mulling it over as she tried to recall.
“I-I’m not sure Spike. Wherever it is, I don’t think it’s on the map. Here, let me continue.” Twilight refocused on the peculiar entry.
“I wish I could be happy about it, but the others... well, I can’t dwell on it now. What’s done is done. I can only hope that my partners made it out as well.”
“Goodness, it sounds like they got separated from their friends,” Fluttershy worried. Twilight continued, as her curiosity was completely captured by what followed.
“I’m not entirely sure where I am now. Judging by the ancient tome I ‘appropriated’ from the Queen’s archives, I shouldn’t be on Oris anymore. So far, that seems to be the case; the moon above me is massive compared to Hiria, and the stars... by the gods, the stars! I’ve never seen so many. I’ve got to thank Morren for reminding me to pack my old camera for the trip. That is, if I ever see him again...”
Twilight shook her head in an effort to slow down her thoughts. “Oris, Hiria — What are all these names? The way this is written...”
She trailed off, deep in thought. Spike and Fluttershy both shared a look waiting for Twilight to continue reading.
“O-Oh! Sorry, I’ll continue.”
“I’ve found a fairly habitable cave in the forest I’ve found myself in. Something about this place rubs me the wrong way. It feels as if something is always watching me out here, though I suppose it could be the nocturnal critters that I’ve no doubt spooked upon my arrival here. That, and it feels as if the air here makes me feel... tingly. As if the manaflow of wherever I am is stronger. I’ll have to use Marianne’s thaumatic reader thingy at some point, maybe it’ll answer this mystery for me. For now, though, I think I’ll put this bedroll to use and get some rest tonight. After that heist in the Queen’s archives, I’m sure I’ll be out like a light in no time.
“To Morren, Adrianne, Ilryneth, and Natlaia, wherever you are, I hope you’re all safe. I pray that we meet again soon.”
Twilight flipped through the pages past the entry and drawing, only seeing empty pages. A plethora of entries preceded the one she read, however. Spike spoke up. “Gosh, that sounds... creepy. I’ve never heard any names like those before. And that Queen — it didn’t sound like it was talking about Chrysalis, did it?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “Not at all. By the sound of it, this pony comes from very far away.”
“And who knows if it even belongs to a pony! I’d bet my bottom bit that it belongs to that weird monster I saw,” Spike spoke with confidence. Twilight closed the journal with a newfound resolve.
“I think you may be right, Spike. This journal, the storm, that mystery creature — they might be connected. First thing tomorrow, we’re coming back to the Everfree. I get the feeling we’ll find whoever this diary belongs to.” Noticing that the sunlight leaking through the treetops above them was noticeably lower, Twilight rallied the group. “For now though, we should probably get back to Ponyville.”
Spike and Fluttershy agreed, and the trio headed back to safety. Remembering that Fluttershy said to check for a name, Twilight flipped to the inside of the front cover as they walked back to civilization. A short entry was written there, which she read aloud as well.
“This journal belongs to Ezra Stoutbrook, the greatest thief Astra has never known.”