Six years ago, a spark of magic saved the world of Equestria from the clutches of a Nightmare. This spark later grew into a powerful twinkle - a star, Princess Twilight Sparkle. But before that twinkle flourished, her magical talent shined. Through a spell gone wrong, she inadvertently summoned a creature from another world - a human who referred to himself as Anonymous.

This tale is not about him, and his mischievous nature - but of another creature, from a far distant land. The resulting magical hurricane from the inexplicable summon alerted the distant kingdoms of Erenorn of Equestria’s existence. There, a King sought to make ties to this world - and disturb the natural peace that resided. For he was a greedy Ascended - a winged Seraph bearing magical gifts, like many of his kind. Save the weakest few; our protagonist.

In Arin’s tale, we followed his growth under the caring guise of the Two Princesses - as first a friend, then a Knight - and finally, something more romantic. But all of these feelings were built and schemed by the very same Seraph who sent him there. An unwanted bastard of the King, Arin was a magicless Inert. He bore no arcane power, nor wings - like plenty few beneath the legions of Leotoln’s iron rule; the King who stole the throne of the Far Reaches.

Leotoln had intended to use Arin as a figurehead of Seraph rule - the Inert’s demeanor asserting that they were a kind, gentle race, who had the best intentions at heart. Had this succeeded, Leotoln’s forces would have been able to assassinate Princess Celestia, free the Umbrum Army, and simply watch as Luna’s leadership would falter. Under a magical influence, she was charmed - and would have likely married the unwitting Inert.

The ponies in kind would innately trust Seraphs; and would submit to their own demise, thinking they were in good hooves. Had this plan succeeded, Equestria would cease to be, as the Seraphs would assert their total political dominance over the realm.

All of this was thwarted… by a scrap of luck. A missed bolt. A failed assassination plan, all because Arin bore a lost dignitary’s armor across his torso - thus saving Celestia’s life, and alerting the two rulers to malevolent forces lurking in the dark.

This was the first failure of many to follow. Three Seraphs were tasked with derailing a train, and ending the lives of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor - but this plan too, was thwarted. In the wreckage, Queen Umbra - an Umbrum of the dark armies lurking beneath the Crystal Empire - intercepted the assassins, and took their very lives in the snow. Finding Arin’s body, and needing a bargaining tool to escape her own pursuit - she captured him, and tended to his wounds.

During his tenure in her snowy abode, his words were able to sway the Umbrum into embracing the hope and light within her, and seek redemption. Through painful reflection, she managed to stifle the hive of voices clawing at her mind - and seek repentance. She returned Arin to the company of his lover, Princess Luna - before slinking off to tend to her own matters.

Upon the return to Canterlot, the Knight - assisted by Vapor Cloud, another guardian tasked with personally protecting Princess Celestia - helped uncover a plot to charge vast amounts of power north, into the Crystal Heart. Through theorycrafting, planning, and simple clues - they had enough reason to dip below a free weather storm and seek confirmation.

This led to the reveal of the truth; had they not braved the storm below, King Leotoln could have very well forced the Crystal Heart to become overwhelmed with mystical might, and explode in a deadly wave of potent, world changing magic. But alas, this failed - and instead, a contingency plan was put into place.

The Crystal Heart was empowered, then stolen, leaving little hope for victory. The morale of her ponies were breaking and cracking, as faith in peace became a fragile rumor at best. Turn coats were among them - nobles who craved power, or feared the Seraph’s might - and many more commoners who lost their trust in a faltering government. At the very least, they had a new ally to join them - the now former Queen, Umbra.

With little options left, Princess Celestia declared war. And a battle for the Capital - the Seraph Siege of Canterlot - began. Leotoln, using the power of the Crystal Heart - recreated the very same accident that alerted him to Equestria’s presence in the first place; the Green Flash. It shattered the sky, and allowed his armada of airships to grace Canterlot Airspace.

Had Twilight Sparkle and her friends - along with the aid of her Knight - failed to close the crack in reality, it would have been a total victory on the Seraph’s front.

But still, a terrifying battle lay ahead - and in the ring of cannonfire, hope began to fade. The Seraphs resorted to deadly, terrifying crimes to claim control - burning the fields of Canterlot Castle in swathes of flame, destroying scout ships without warning or cause - all to insure their victory. Hundreds died beyond count, as many more were routed - or retreated to the castle, to make their last stand.

It was here that our hero - Sir Arin, made a grave mistake. He charged the King - his father, in a flurry of rage. The result was instant. He was impaled on his spear, and tossed to the side - bleeding out regardless of his Seraph blood, and losing life fast.

The brave stallions and mares of Equestria’s military fought for their country - and there lives. At the very last moment, their last chance of success erupted from the sky. Twilight and her friends, channeling the power of pure magical Harmony, erupted a mighty blast to encompass King Leotoln, and Umbra - who sacrificed her life to prevent him from escaping.

Umbra passed, but Leotoln used the Crystal Heart to store the light of Harmony within. The Princesses retreated - Luna clutching onto her lover for the last time, before the Seraphs pinned them to the Castle Throne Room.

In their last stand, Vapor Cloud was disabled - Luna was knocked to the far wall. And in a moment of gleeful victory, Leotoln charged Harmony within his Crystal Heart spear with a wonderful idea. Another thousand years banishment, for the Lunar Princess.

To save her Sister from reliving that fate, and without thinking - Celestia threw herself in front of the blast, before being ripped out of this world. She was banished in her stead.

Luna, with one last spell - sought to enter Arin’s dreams one last time. And in this faint magic, she called out to him - and it was enough.

The dormant ember within his chest stirred, and he was able to fight once more. His powers awakened, he stood with a beat of glorious, mighty wings. He had ascended. Leotoln sought to kill him with harmony, but he withstood the blast - and even absorbed it into his powerful Ember.

He turned the magic back on Leotoln, and in one fatal moment - ended the war with a shot from his bow. Harmony’s might poured off of him, channeled through the reclaimed crystal heart. With the knight’s magic touch it turned into healing magic, closing wounds and restoring limbs, and even brought back the most recently deceased. Equestria had triumphed - and Arin used his title as Prince to both ascend to King of the Far Reaches, and command a withdrawal of Seraph forces.

Using his title, he sought to restore peace to Erenorn - and with Umbra by his side, he did just that. Leaving Princess Luna to govern Equestria and tend to her ponies, Arin spent the next three years trying to find the old blood of Alma Sol - the Fallen Ravens, to once again lead his people so he may one day return to his new home - Equestria. In doing so, a Civil War sparked - delaying his return until order could be restored.

Now, a new day has dawned. And soon, a new story would unfold - one that traveled the road long abandoned, into places even I could never imagine. I write this prologue now - to transcribe what I’ve learned to paper, and to help bring this understanding to light.

For now, dear reader - the tale winds ever onwards. And it starts much the same way it began. In a throne room, on another tiring, boring day in the castle - as the Seraph himself would tell me, down the many roads we all walked.

Please, enjoy.

~Pumpkin Spice. Author and baker, brewer of potions, wife to an unerring storm, and devoted friend to Arin, the mighty Knight who stood against the dark.