Prologue
Once upon a time, in a small town named Ponyville, there were seven little ponies. The best of friends, the seven ponies were inseparable. They did absolutely everything together. They were the talk of the town, the most social and most liked mares in the area. Other mares envied them, stallions were yearning for them. They had it made and had no problems— or so it seemed.
While on the outside the mares seemed perfect and pristine, inside their lives and the world of their friendship, deep and dark secrets brewed. Secrets that, if they were ever to be exposed, would potentially ruin the lives of the ponies.
The ponies consisted of three earth ponies, two unicorns and two pegasi.
Golden Pearl was the leader of the group. She was the front mare, the one that the other ponies really envied. She had the sort of charm that could win anypony over. Named for her flowing, golden mane that fell naturally in a wave of curls, and for her off-white pearly colored coat, Golden Pearl was an earth pony. She had been the most popular filly in school and had originally come from Canterlot.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie were the other two earth ponies. Applejack came from a farming family and worked on her family's farm. Very friendly, but not the brightest pony, Applejack was a well known pony in town. She was regularly seen in town selling apples and was always helping ponies who needed an extra pair of hooves.
Pinkie Pie had originally come from a farming family as well. Home-schooled, Pinkie Pie came to Ponyville after her schooling had finished. She rented a suite on the top floor of the Cakes' home and business, Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie worked there as well. An extremely vibrant and optimistic, Pinkie Pie always threw the best parties and loved doing it. She knew everypony in town and had a talent of being able to cheer up anypony.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were the two pegasi of the group. And they were the complete opposites. Rainbow Dash loved to fly. A house in the sky and originally from Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash was the only pony known to be able to perform a sonic rainboom. Slightly arrogant and a little brash, Rainbow Dash was the daredevil of the group.
Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was quiet and gentle. A pegasus who preferred to walk, she lived on the outskirts of the main part of town in a small cottage. An uncanny ability to communicate with animals, Fluttershy was extremely shy and a bit of a pushover.
Rarity was the first of the unicorns. She was the only one in the group who rivaled Golden Pearl's beauty. Owning her own boutique and fashion line, Rarity was a socialite who liked the finer things in life. She had been in the same class as Golden Pearl in school, but the two as fillies had never interacted on an intimate level. So when they became friends later in the brink of their young adulthood, Rarity was slightly surprised.
Twilight Sparkle was the last member of their circle of friends. The unofficial co-captain of the group, Twilight Sparkle also originally hailed from Canterlot, something she and Golden Pearl had in common. Obsessed with knowledge and books, Twilight Sparkle was the most scholarly pony in Ponyville. So in love with knowledge, Twilight Sparkle lived in the library of the town.
The seven ponies became friends over one summer, the one where Twilight Sparkle had moved to town. Hearing that a new pony from Canterlot was moving to town, Golden Pearl asked Pinkie Pie to put together an impromptu party for her. And it was there that Golden Pearl declared that the six mares were her new best friends.
There was something so inviting, so intriguing about Golden Pearl, that none of the ponies could resist the new friendship. Within days they were already the talk of the town, as the most envious group of friends.
As the months went by, their friendship grew stronger and stronger. The limits of their friendship were tested. Secrets were found and kept. Some of the secrets were personal, belonging only to one pony; while others belonged to the group. But no matter the secret, Golden Pearl knew them all. She was the master secret keeper. It was because of this, that she was the leader of the group.
On the eve of the one year of their friendship, things began to chance. It was then that Nightmare Moon was about to strike, and six of the seven ponies found that they were the key to saving Equestria. Afraid that they would lose their friendship with Golden Pearl, the six didn't know what to do at first. But Golden Pearl had been uncharacteristically cool about the whole thing. She showed no signs of jealousy and no forms of anger. Instead, she had been surprisingly supportive of her six friends.
So every now and then, six of the friends would go off to save Equestria. Golden Pearl would always travel with them, wherever they went, and the six friends always included her in their victory ceremonies, or parties. Because although they made up the Elements of Harmony, their friendship wouldn't be complete without Golden Pearl.
On the second year eve of their friendship, Golden Pearl had decided to throw an enormous party, just for the seven of them. They decided to hold it in Applejack's barn, a big and private space just for the seven of them.
But the party didn't end as planned. Instead of ending with cheer and laughter, the party ended with an argument—an argument that had caused Golden Pearl to storm out of the barn. Fed up with their friend's constant dramatic ways, the other six ponies did nothing to stop her. Twilight Sparkle had run outside after a few minutes—the argument had mainly been between the two of them—but Golden Pearl was already gone.
"She probably just went home," Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes.
"Just let her go," Rarity said with a sigh. It was hard to find another pony who matched her for drama.
And so, the six friends finished the party with the sleepover they had planned. Golden Pearl never returned to the barn. As a matter of fact, the six friends never saw her again.
Missing signs and posters had covered the town and neighbouring towns by the end of the week. But Golden Pearl was never found or heard from again.
That is, until now. One year later, the six friends are now awkward acquaintances. Having had no need to use the Elements of Harmony since their friend disappeared, their friendship slowly fell apart and now, they were ordinary ponies, living their lives separately in Ponyville.
Rarely seeing or speaking to each other, the ponies were surprised to all be summoned to the main police station in Ponyville. Awkwardly crammed into one office, they silently waited until the police officer who had summoned them there entered it again.
"I'm not quite sure how to inform you all of this," the officer said, "since the case was closed long ago. But we've found Golden Pearl."
The six glanced at each other, some with surprise, some with anxiety.
"Where is she?" Twilight finally asked quietly. The officer sighed.
"She's dead."