Princess Celestia is a tyrant that needs to be saved by Twilight and her friends, under the guidance of Princess Flurry Heart, the last princess.
When an old threat rises up against the New Equestria, a land of peace and harmony, with every species of creatures resides. It is the sole, most powerful kingdom in the world. But, when an old threat from the Everfree Forrest, which has grown over a thousand years, to the point that not even the current immortal Princess Flurry Heart, and her daughter, Princess Twilight, can step in it without being harmed, Twilight must bravely enter the forest, under the protection of the Elements of Harmony, to save New Equestria. Also, if you send me a message in my user page with an idea to change the story line, I might use it.
Stories with the most amount of influence over this story (they were great, which is why I used them):
My name is Twilight Sparkle, daughter of the current Princess Flurry Heart. This is my recount of my story.
'This really was a great day to meet Fluttershy.'
Fluttershy is one of my best friends, and she used to be a spy for the tyrant ruler Celestia. The long walk through the cold, stone hallways leading to the cell was boring, until I met Fluttershy.
Somehow, Fluttershy knew a lot of things about the ancient Equestria from a thousand years ago. I don't know how, but I think she might have researched a lot to find out.
She didn't really know much of what happened outside her cell, too, as she was imprisoned for making a rebellion in the New Equestria, which my mother first made one thousand years ago, when the once good Princess Celestia turned evil after the staged death of her beloved protégé, Sunset Shimmer. Some rumours say that Celestia's own sister, Princess Luna, killed Sunset, but that can't be true, as Princess Luna also loved Sunset Shimmer, and she turned into Nightmare Moon shortly after Celestia turned into Daybreaker, as she calls herself.
According to Fluttershy's findings, as that is the reason why coming to see Fluttershy is so fun, Princess Celestia's adoptive niece, Princess Cadance, who was also my mother's mother, killed sunset out of anger towards Celestia, and, before killing Sunset, Cadance turned evil, and called herself Heartbreaker. She was called that because her fiancé, Shining Armour, died, and thought it was because of Celestia.
No one knows how Shining died, not even Fluttershy, but Celestia thought that Shining Armour died of poison, but no one ever found his body. I think he was just kidnapped by a group of thieves, and, after a few years, managed to escape, but got lost in the Everfree Forrest, as that was the last place he was seen.
These days I don't listen to Fluttershy's findings any more, but I just like to spend time with her.
But that is enough thinking, as Fluttershy was now looking at her expectantly through the steel bars of her dark cell.
She was a yellow pegasus mare, with a pink mane and tail, and cyan eyes. She also had a cutie mark of three pink butterflies.
"Hello Fluttershy."
"Oh, Twilight! I was not expecting you today."
There was an awkward moment of silence, as both of them weren't prepared for this surprise visit.
"So, how has your day been?" Fluttershy asked.
"it was OK. Just the usual procedure, where I had to do some royal duties. I also went to Doughnut Joe's." I replied.
"Did you bring some for me?"
"Yes, of course I did. I said I would try to help you, even though you are about a kilometre away from my room." I said with a little sarcasm in my voice, handing over the doughnuts.
"The last time you told me how far your room was to mine, you said it was only one hundred yards. Also, how large is a kilometre?" She asked while taking a bite out of a doughnut.
I was a little confused as to why Fluttershy asked that question, but then I remembered that, since Fluttershy lived in a different place that mine, ponies used a different measurement system, called the Imperial System. I also went through the trouble to learn the Imperial System for Fluttershy.
"Around 1093 yards," I replied.
"OK, but I don't think it is that far."
"One day, I actually measured it, and it was exactly 1 kilometre away from this room. But you don't know how long and tiring that journey is, as you have never seen it."
It took me a moment to realise that that came out harsher than it was supposed to, and it was too late to take it back, as Fluttershy got that sad look in her eyes that came when somepony implied that she was in a prison for ages.
"I'm sorry. That came out a bit harsh." I apologised.
"It's OK."
Nothing much had changed since when they last visited, which was last week, so I couldn't tell her more.
After a minute of awkward silence, I tried to think of something to share. Maybe a history lesson? Or maybe one of my mew disco-
"What's that?"
"What's what?" I asked at the sudden question.
Fluttershy pointed something out that was next to me. "That."
I turned around, and just noticed cloud of green smoke that came from one of the two hallways leading to here. It coalesced into a blob of almost tangible fog, and then shrank almost instantly into a letter and fell onto the floor.
I know it shrank, because it has happened before, when my mother finds that I am late for a meeting, and reminds me to get there. She only reminds me of important ones, and, as I picked it up and read it, I found that it said:
IMPORTANT!
Dear Twilight Sparkle
Come to throne room immediately
From your mother
Princess Flurry Heart
It must have been urgent, as my mother even forgot to write full stops.
I said goodbye to Fluttershy, and she asks me to come soon. I hurry to the throne room, but fail to notice Fluttershy calling for me to come back, saying the Princess has something else to say.
Once I made it into the throne room, I opened the doors, and entered the room.
The throne room was a white, rectangular room, with windows lining the walls, which were all partially drawn, as usual, and a red carpet running from the doors to the stairs, leading up too the throne, where the Princess sat.
She was an Alicorn, a combination of all three species of ponies, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi. She had a light pink coat, and a mane and tail with blue, purple and pink stripes.
The princess said in her regal voice, "Is Fluttershy with you?"
"No, she isn't. I thought you wanted her to stay in her cell."
"But I asked you to bring her with you."
"No, you didn't."
"I sent another note after the first one."
"Oh, you did? I didn't get that one."
"Maybe Flutt-"
Suddenly, a green cloud of smoke, much like the previous one, came floating trough the door, interrupting the princess, and the scroll in it landed next to me.
I picked it up, and read:
Also, bring Fluttershy. I release her from her cell.
"Now, how did that get there?" The princess asked curiously.
"I don't know. Maybe Fluttershy had the magical ability to send notes? She knows a lot of things. Maybe she found a way to use magic?"
"I didn't. I just know how to re-direct letters." Suddenly, Fluttershy was standing right next to me.
I jumped back, and said in an alarmed voice, "How did you get there?!"
"I noticed that the gate was open, so, right after you left, I tried to call you back, but you ran off, so I followed you here."
"OK, now that you are all here, I would like you to meet our newly captured spy."
Before any of us could reply, the doors opened, and a new pony came in.
Three ponies walked into the room. One of them, who was bound, was being led by the other two, who were guards, wearing gold armour. The other pony, who was bound, was a pink Earth Pony mare, with blue eyes and a pink mane and tail, and they both looked like they went through a storm. She also had a cutie mark of three balloons, one of them was yellow, and the other two were blue.
I know her hair is like it went through a storm because a similar incident happened to me once. I once had this really large fan, which I used for experiments. It was the most powerful fan I could get, so, if I accidentally got caught in the immense gust it produced, which I once did, I will look like that pink mare.
As soon as the ponies came in, there was a flash behind the Princess's throne. Princess Flurry Heart looked behind her for a second, then resumed her stance.
When the bound mare saw the Princess, her hair somehow got less wilder, and got more... straighter, as it seems. Her expression also saddened. I think her mane is connected to her emotions, but that is just an assumption, so it is not accurate.
"Twilight, Fluttershy, I would like you to meet the first spy Princess Celestia has sent in over a hundred years-"
"A hundred years!?!" I interrupted. I know there haven' been many spies around in the New Equestria, but I didn't know that Celestia hasn't sent another spy in one hundred years!
"As I was saying, this spy is named Pinkie Pie"
"Hi everypony," Pinkie said in an optimistic tone, which was quite surprising. Even though my mother was an Alicorn, which she once said that ponies were afraid of them, as nearly every single one turned evil, and they came to terms with the Alicorn, they still feared the Princess. It looks like Pinkie Pie did not.
Also, I noticed that her mane got a little more fluffy.
"Hello, miss Pie-"
"You can call me Pinkie."
"OK then, Pinkie. My name is Twilight Sparkle. And this here," I pointed to Fluttershy, "Is Fluttershy."
"Hello. It's nice to meet you."
"So, as to why I brought you here, let me show you something."
The Princess pulled a scroll from behind her throne, and unfurled it to show a picture depicting 6 gems. one in the centre, and the other 5 around it, forming a pentagonal shape. the middle gem was purple, while the other ones were red, orange, green, blue and pink.
Inside the gems, there were some pictures. I noticed my cutie mark (a purple, six-pointed star, with five white stars (also six-pointed) surrounded it, and one more star, behind the middle one, which is the largest one, and was smaller than the middle one, but larger than the other white ones) was in the centre of the purple middle gem, and Fluttershy's was in the right gem, the pink one. Pinkie's one was in the bottom-right one, the blue one. The other three, the red, orange and green ones, didn't have any cutie marks on them.
"Why does that picture have our cutie marks on it?" i asked.
"This is a picture showing the Elements of Harmony, which were stolen by Celestia for safekeeping after Sunset died, as you know."
"Yes, but I didn't know they looked like that."
"They don't. But this is a picture describing the 'bearers' of the Elements."
Before Celestia stole the Elements of Harmony, and before they disappeared, they had 'chosen' six bearers. Celestia, Luna and Cadence bore the Elements of Loyalty, Honesty and Laughter respectively, while the Elements of Generosity and Kindness were used by Sunset Shimmer and a mysterious pony that was lost in the castle's archives, but, according to Fluttershy, as she knew what happened during the change of leadership, she knew that the Elements were disconnecting from their previous bearers.
But, the final Element, the Element of Magic, never had a bearer, according to Fluttershy and my mother.
"Didn't the Elements disconnect themselves from their bearers?" I asked.
"They did, but now it seems they have found new bearers."
"Who are they?" Pinkie has been so quiet when we had our conversation, so, when she talked, it came as a surprise for me.
"It looks like you, Pinkie, are the Element of Laughter."
She then looked at Fluttershy and I.
"Fluttershy is the Element of Kindness, and you, Twilight, are the Lost Element of Magic."
It is called the 'Lost Element of Magic' because it never had a bearer, so people started calling it 'lost'.
"I am the Element of Magic?!"
"Yes, you are. And now I am going to send you, including you, Pinkie on a mission."
"Mother, you just captured her."
"I know. That is why I release you, Pinkamena Diane Pie."
Suddenly, the chains that bound Pinkie disappeared. The guards accompanying Pinkie left, closing the open door behind them.
Before anypony could react, Pinkie asked, "How do you know my full name?!"
"I know many things. Also, It says here on the scroll."
She lifted it up for us to see, and we moved in to find our full names written underneath the gems, in a very fine writing.
"Also, your name appeared just after you came in. I assume that Twilight saw it," The Princess said while turning her head to look at me.
"I did."
"So, your mission will be to collect as much information as you can about the former princess, and, most importantly, find the location of the Elements of Harmony, which is basically spying on them. Also, you will need this."
She handed the scroll to me.
"I call this The Friendship Map, as all the bearers of the Elements were friends, and it reminds me of my old friends, but you can call this whatever you want."
My mother used to be great friends with the other princesses, Sunset, and was the daughter of Princess Cadance, and even tried to solve the problems from a thousand years ago, that changed the course of history for ever. But she failed, as I am now having this conversation with my new friends and my mother.
I looked at the others, and we made a silent agreement.
"We will keep it the same, The Friendship Map." I replied.
There was a bright flash, and, when it ended, everypony looked at the source: The Friendship Map, which was now written on the top.
"Did you see that?! It reacted to when I said the name!"
"Yes, I noticed that. Right when you saw Pinkie, the flash happened, so I guess the Friendship Map reacts to you, Twilight."
There was a short pause, which was interrupted by the Princess, "So, when shall you be heading out?"
"I think we might be leaving tomorrow. Is that enough time to prepare?" I asked the others.
After we exited the throne room, I decided to let my old and new friends have some rooms.
"So, this is my room," I said while pointing a hoof to the door to my room. "And these are all the rooms you can stay in for now." I point to the rest of the rooms in this black walled corridor. While I gave them some time to think, I stepped away and looked around the corridor that I have been familiar with for most of my life.
It was a white-walled corridor, like the rest of the castle, which had marble beams, every few metres, supporting the wall. The wooden doors leading to other rooms were each spaced exactly 5 metres apart (I measured them), and the marble floor, polished to perfection as always.
While observing, I noticed the two were ready to tell me about their rooms. "So, where will you be staying?" I asked while walking up to them.
"Well, I was thinking, since we will probably be staying in here for a while, and you are my best friend, I might stay near you."
"Yes, I might do that too," Pinkie concurred.
"Ok then. You can stay in any room you like. Make sure to prepare for tomorrow's journey, too," I reminded them.
"We haven't forgotten. At least, I think Pinkie hasn't."
"I haven't."
We waited for anypony who had a statement, but, after nopony spoke up, we said our goodbyes and went to your rooms to prepare and rest up for our long day ahead.
Sun rises, indicating a new day has just begun.
I opened my eyes, ready for a new day, where I can study and practice my magic, and meet Fluttershy again- [remembers everything from previous day] Oh, I need to prepare for the trip.
Right, now, I will need to bring some water, a few snacks, maybe a tent... no, it might be too big. Then maybe a sleeping bag, some matches, and... I think that’s all I need for camping.
After preparing to leave, I went to the door, and opened it to find...
A bunch is streamers, balloons, and confetti, like somepony used a party explosion, a divine that I invented a few years ago. Yes, I created a few things in my life.
“Hello, Twilight!” somepony shouted from somewhere in the corridor.
I then noticed Pinkie inspecting a cannon that had a blue barrel and wheels with thin pink tires and a star with yellow petals and an orange centre, with a purple background.
“What’s going on here?” I asked, raising my voice a little to be heard in the large room.
“I was just testing my part cannon for the trip.” Pinkie replied.
"Ok, but can you do it outside?" I asked in exasperation.
"Maybe. But that would just ruin the fun. Ya' see, I am not just a master party planner, but a great prankster."
“I don’t think this counts as a prank.”
“But with the look on your face when you came out of your room, the test went greatly.”
“That still does not excuse your bad decision to test your party cannon in the hallway. You could have just done it outside.”
“But I don’t know how to get outside.”
“Just go through that door,” I pointed to the door at the end of the corridor, “And it leads to a-“
“Good morning everypony.”
I just noticed Fluttershy come into the corridor.
"Good morning
"Good morning Fluttershy."
"What happened here?"
"I was just asking the same thing."
We both looked at Pinkie expectantly.
"What? I was just testing my party cannon," Pinkie said in mild exasperation.
"That still does not excuse your choice to use a party cannon in the hallway," Fluttershy concurred with my previous statement.
Pinkie noticed too, as she said, "But that's what Twilight said."
"I know. So, are we ready yet?" I asked.
"I am," Pinkie and Fluttershy replied at the same time.
"Then let's meet my mother," I said, and lead the others to the throne room.
After reaching the throne room, my friends and I waited, after knocking on the door, for my mother to answer.
After a minute of waiting, I decided to ask about Pinkie's life, "So, what did you do before being captured?"
"Who, me?" Pinkie asked.
"Yes, you Pinkie," I replied.
"I used to live on a rock farm," Pinkie said calmly.
"A rock farm? I have never heard of a rock farm," I said.
"That's because they are rarely found here, and we're discontinued a short while back," Fluttershy informed me.
"Ok, so what did you do there?" I asked.
"Life on the rock farm was really boring. All we could do is just farm rocks," Pinkie said.
"Ok, but there must be some fun parts there," This time itt was Fluttershy who asked the question.
"There wasn't a single fun part there," Pinkie replied.
"Ok. So-" I was about to ask a question, but then noticed the door opening.
We walked into the throne room, and we're greeted by my mother, "Hello. So are you ready to go?"
"Yes we are!" Pinkie replied for the group.
"Ok. Then you need to leave at once," My mother said with some urgency in her tone.
My mother never gets this anxious, stop I asked, "Mother, what's wrong?"
"I have just received news that a new threat has arisen." My mother said.
"What kind of threat?" I asked.
"One that hasn't appeared in a thousand years." The Princess replied.
"So, what kind of threat?" I repeated my question.
"One that hasn't appeared in a thousand years." The Princess repeated her answer.
"Ok, but can you tell me what this threat that hasn't appeared in a thousand years is?" I asked instead.
"I can't tell you that, so just focus on your task."
"What exactly is the task? I forgot." Pinkie asked asked while looking a little sheepish.
"We need to find as much information about the princesses as we can," Fluttershy replied for us. "Also, do you know anything about them, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked Pinkie and she shook her head.
"Ok. So, are you ready to leave?" The Princess asked.
As we exited the throne room and I closed the door, I turned to Pinkie to ask, "Where are we going?"
Pinkie replied with a "Huh?" And I elaborated, "How do we get to the... place where we need to go?"
"Oh! That is easy. We just need to go to the west of Equestria, and cross the border into Outcast Island. The Princess' castle is located there," Pinkie answered.
"So, lead the way, Twilight," Fluttershy said, and I lead them out of the castle.
Once we reached the gates, something came to my mind. "Hey, do you want to keep a diary of what happened on this trip?" I asked the others.
"Ok, but where do we get one?" Fluttershy asked.
"I might know a place," I said, and led them to a shop next to the castle that sold books and notepads. After buying one, we departed for the island, and, on the way, I wrote about what happened. I have a very good memory, so I can keep track of what happens with great detail.
While writing about these past events, I noticed an orange blur in the sky, which was going in the direction of the end of the road, and the entrance to the castle grounds from the largest city in Equestria, Canterlot (the city).
The others noticed me following the blur, and followed it too. We arrived at the gates to the entrance to this majestic city, and the blur was lost, and was last seen going down the mountain, presumably to Ponyville, the village next to the Everfree Forest, the most dangerous Forest in all of Equestria. We ran down as fast as we could, in the direction of Ponyville. I don't know why I was running, but it might be something to do with the blur.
After an hour of travelling, we stopped at the front of a farm near the outskirts of Ponyville, where the blur stopped in front of a sign, and started to take the shape of a floating orange, red and yellow sludge, and into the vague shape of a unicorn with an orange coat, and red and yellow hair. A few seconds later, itt dissolved into must, which I curiously touched.
And it was probably the hottest thing I touched in my life. Sure, I touched a few hot things, on accident, of course, but this was the hottest by far! But before I could make comparisons, the heart ended, and I felt darkness seep into the edges of my vision.
The next thing I knew, I was floating in a black area, with a light somewhere in front of me. That light then dimmed, and transformed into the same pony as before, but this time she was clear. She was an Alicorn. I didn't know there was another Alicorn alive, so this one was a mystery. And she was the same pony as before.
Then she said, "Find the Elements," and started dissolving.
"Wait! What elements? What do they look like? Where do I find them? How do I find them?" But, by the time I finished asking those questions, she had completely dissolved.
Then her voice, from somewhere... no, everywhere, said, "Wake up," and I suddenly felt tired, and closed my eyes.
When I opened them again, I was lying down on the grass, as I can feel it. Suddenly, two heads popped into my field of vision, the first one saying, "She's up!" Presumably to Fluttershy.
"Yes I can see that," Fluttershy replied next, "Are you ok?" She then asked.
"Yes, I think so," I replied.
"What happened?" Pinkie asked, while they gave me room to stand.
"I am wondering the same thing," I said.
"I think you passed out," Fluttershy said.
"What happened?" Pinkie asked.
"After I touched the midst, which was surprisingly hot, I found myself in a black plane, with the pony we saw earlier floating as well, I think. She was an Alicorn, and she told me to 'find the Elements', and I asked what they are, where to find them, and the like, but she didn't answer, and told me to wake up, and I found myself like this." When I was done, I waited for somepony to say something, and it was Fluttershy who asked, "There's another Alicorn out there?"
"By the looks of things, yes," I replied.
"So we need to find the 'Elements'? But what Elements?" Pinkie asked.
"I think she meant the Elements of Harmony," Fluttershy said.
"So we need to find the elements?" I asked for clarification.
"Let's just find them and see what happens," Fluttershy suggested.
"Great idea!" Pinkie exclaimed. She then pointed to the distance and asked, "What about her?"
We looked at where she was pointing to and saw an orange Earth Pony pulling cart files with what looked like... apples? It was hard to look at from this distance. We walked over to her, and Fluttershy greeted her by saying, "Hello.”
I could finally see her properly, and she was an orange Earth Pony, with light yellow hair , both pulled into a ponytail, and she was wearing a Stetson and her cutie mark was of the apples.
“Hello. Do you need something?”
“Yes I think we might,” I replied, while pulling out my map.
When the pony saw the map, she asked in confusion, “What's that?”
“Before any of us can answer that, we need to know your name,” I said
“Ok then. My name is Applejack. What about you?” Applejack asked.
I turned the map to her so she can see all of it, and her name appeared over an orange Element, which said Honesty, and her cutie mark appeared as well.