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// Prologue: The Spark 
// Story: The Spark Within 
// by Crimson X 
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	Legend tells of a powerful force, some strange magic that lies hidden far up north, isolated from civilization. It was locked away for ages, until a small group of nomads found it. Immediately notifying the princess, these nomads were hired for an expedition to recover that magic, hoping that it could finally bring peace and order to Equestria. They went with a large group of talented individuals, all hoof-picked by Celestia herself to assist the nomads on their mission. The mission, however, was a tragic failure, and every single one of them was lost and never heard from ever again.
Years have passed since the discovery of said magic, which has been kept a secret all this time. Equestria, under many threats, has remained on top thanks to the leadership of the princess. One fateful day, during an expedition to unknown lands, not owned by Equestria, a strange amulet was found. At first thought to be just an old stone, this amulet had a strange surge of power that almost brought down the entire royal palace in Canterlot, which alerted the princesses. 
The stone was put then into intense study, where I, Twilight Sparkle, was asked to take charge of the research team. I went in and put all my efforts into figuring out what the stone did and why. One day, I came across with a strange symbol, one that stuck out to me. It was bigger than the rest of the markings and was placed directly in the center of the mysterious stone. After sleepless nights and weeks of research, I finally figured out what the strange mark meant. It was the ancient Equestrian symbol for the word ‘Fate’. 
I was thrilled because of my amazing discovery and went to notify the princess, only to find out that she was gone. I looked through the entire palace, but the princess was nowhere in sight. I did find something during my search for Celestia though. There was a new mosaic in the hall of legends, one that I had never seen before, or at least I don’t recall seeing it. It was of a gray pegasus flying high up in the sky. It seemed just like any other mosaic, except that this one had something different. It was glowing.
It wasn’t just made to look like it glowed, but instead the stallion himself glowed, a bright blue light emanating from his heart. Maybe it was the reflection from the sun. I followed the bright blue light, which left a trail of brightness that seemed to point towards a wall at the far end of the hallway. I instantly trotted towards it, and when I finally made it there, I could see that the light began take some sort of form, creating strange symbols, odd shapes that reflected unto the wall. As I moved closer, I found out that it wasn’t just random shapes, but letters, which began to make up words. It seemed to be a message, maybe a clue unto where the princess was. Whatever it was, it was crucial that I would know about it, as it might be a clue left behind by the princess. I then proceeded to read the strange message. In big, beautiful letters were the words   “Only the spark will save you”.
I don’t know what it meant or why it was left there, but I just knew that it was something important. This ‘spark’ might be the only possible way to bring Princess Celestia back. Without her, the entire kingdom would be in peril. 
It’s been two years since Princess Celestia disappeared. Princess Luna was supposed to be the heir to the throne, being co-ruler of Equestria and all, but instead she chose me. I knew Celestia had taught me well and that this is what she would’ve wanted, but I just didn’t know if I could make it as a princess. I thought I’d fail, putting Equestria in complete and utter danger. 
Unfortunately, I was right.
Under my rule, three cities fell.  Appleloosa was the first to go. Four months ago a reporter went to Appleloosa researching for a news story about their complex irrigation system that allowed them to grow apple trees in the middle of the desert. She was never heard from again. A few days later, a friend of mine went on a vacation to Los Pegasus with her family. She never came back. I got worried and sent her some letters, trying to see if she was okay. A month passed and there was no response from her or her family. After that everything went silent. 
Taking advice from Luna, I sent a reconnaissance team to figure out what happened in both cities. They were gone for exactly three days, where they returned empty-hoofed. They said that everything seemed okay. No sign of conflict. No destruction.  Everything was perfectly normal. Everything but the fact that every single pony in the area was gone.
A few weeks ago, a very good friend of mine by the name of Rarity came rushing into my private observatory, where I spent most of my time in. She seemed scared, no, terrified. I asked her what had happened but she was simply panicking, muttering about ‘them’ coming back. I waited a bit until she calmed down and asked her again. She then proceeded to tell me that Ponyville had been invaded, and that the only reason she managed to escape was that she was already on a train heading towards Canterlot when she noticed the town getting overrun. I instantly went down to Ponyville with a squadron of highly-trained guards, but to my demise, every mare, stallion and filly was gone and there was no evidence of what happened.