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// Chapter I: Prologue 
// Story: Sunset Over Equestria 
// by Vict0r1994 
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Author's note: This is my first Fanfiction story, so I would appreciate any reviews and grammar corrections if necessary, as English is not my native language. I hope you like it, and I'm looking forward to your feedback! Thank you for reading.



It was a regular summer evening in Ponyville. Discord had been stopped long ago and the Changeling forces were defeated in the battle of Canterlot and scattered afterwards as a result of Shining Armor's protection spell, so ponies could now finally mind their own business and enjoy their lives without worrying about dangerous foes.

The wind was blowing slowly through the green branches of the trees, as the serene songs of the birds accompanied it in a warm and peaceful summer symphony. Even the Ever Free forest stood now calm and less creepier than usual, being illuminated by the warm rays of a setting sun. All the artisans and workers in the city were doing their job happily, whether they were creating stylish dresses, bucking apples until sundown, collecting honey from bees while singing with the birds, lending books to other ponies, baking and selling delicious cupcakes or making sure the sky is clear and no raining clouds would settle over the colorful industrious town. Even the hoofsteps of the ponies echoed through the peaceful atmosphere in Ponyville, being interrupted only by the chattering of the residents from time to time.

Nopony seemed to predict what terrible danger lied ahead of them. Nopony knew that a new threat to the happy lives of the ponies everywhere was rising in this very moment in the far away lands of Canterlot, a threat from which not even the wielders of the elements of harmony could save them from – a threat which was about to tear apart all of the Equestria they knew and loved, a threat which was not a mythical creature or a monster, but a pony, a pony who was about to write the darkest pages of history ever seen by pony eyes.

They were all just simple pawns, unaware of the dark political games at the Imperial Palace in Canterlot, or at least most of them were as it was about to turn out. The monotonic atmosphere was suddenly broken as the door of the library was shut open and an apparently said and alerted baby dragon sprinted through the streets. His quick steps echoed in the beautiful sleepy town as he ran faster and faster, with an expression of fear and disbelief on his face.

The Baby Dragon bursted open the door of Carousel Boutique, but before he could even gather up the energy to speak, the young mare inside greeted him "Why, hello there Spike! It's quite peculiar you showed up in the precise moment when I needed you, but now that my Spikey-Wikey is here, I am going to ask your opinion on this fabulous dress…" She couldn't finish the sentence, as the Baby Dragon stopped panting, took a deep breath, and, with a blank expression on his face, similar to the one of a pony who saw Night Mare moon for the first time, starred right into her eyes, and said the words anypony in Equestria expected to hear the least "Rarity, I don't have time! It's an emergency! Princess Celestia has… died."

Upon breaking the news to her, he barely could keep himself from crying as he saw the shocked look on the face of his beloved friend for whose happiness he was ready to do anything, even to give his precious fire ruby only a few months ago. As he noticed Rarity was speechless, he proceeded to saying with pain in each word "We just received a letter from Canterlot, and…" he struggled not to sob, but a few tears slipped from his crystalline eyes "and Twilight told me to get everypony at the library, so that… so that we could read the letter to all of you! What's even worse is that they suspect…" he stopped as he could not speak the next word without taking another deep breath "murder!".

Rarity could not believe the words she had heard from the baby dragon, and, with a horrified expression, told him "This is impossible! Who would do such a horrible thing as murdering the princess?". Spike shrugged in an innocent manner, and added swiftly "We should go get the other girls as well! You'll… hear the details when we gather at the library."

The two ran to the Sugarcube Corner, then took Pinkie Pie with them and visited Sweet Apple Acres, and so on until all their friends joined the group and ran towards the library. Fluttershy was the last to be informed, and cried out of both fear for such a horrible deed and sadness all the way to their destination. The sky darkened as the Sun set under the horizon, ending both a day, and an era in Equestrian history, a glorious era of light and friendship which lasted more than a millennium, while a dark sky of uncertainty and danger enveloped the lands in its unholy glow.