The golden sun mercilessly beat down on all living things underneath its rays. In this arid wasteland, no one can escape the ruthless conditions of nature. For miles and miles around, there was only sand. Not a single drop of water to be found. For pegasi, flying becomes tiresome. For unicorns, magic is corrupt by the incessant heat waves. For earth ponies, well, they were just plain old screwed. However, there was one pegasus who dared brave these ruthless conditions. Lost within the depth of his own torments, he traveled the world in search for ideal, and absolution. His marine blue mane was one with the wind. Lost in thought, he stopped in his tracks. Hesitant, he looked behind him, yet there was nothing but miles and miles of sand. He realized turning back was not an option. It had never been. His surroundings were a metaphor for his eternal struggle, a mirror reflecting his soul. In a place with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, he could only fight. He had to fight. The pegasus, whose name was Horus, sighed. Was there no end? He was different from other people. He was the bearer of the Eyes, thus, bound to this fate, he was forever doomed to wander alone. The sandstorm around him had ceased. He smirked, and kept trotting ahead.

Several weeks later, rumors circulated around Equestria. Apparently, some golden pegasus, capable of exerting magic, recently showed up around the area. The citizens could not believe what they were hearing. Everyone shared the same thoughts. A pegasus who knows magic, that's impossible. Yet it was true. Horus came all the way from Memphillies, the jewel of the desert, to Equestria in search of a powerful unicorn. From what he heard, this mare knew almost every spell ever created and once bore an Element of Harmony to save Equestria. But he was not interested in her spell-casting skills, but rather her as a whole. And that name... Twilight Sparkle... Why did it sound so familiar? Was she the one he had been looking for? Whatever the case may be, he knew she was a piece of the puzzle known as his past, and he was ready to do anything to take it.

"Excuse me mares, do you know of a Twilight Sparkle?" said Horus. Alas, the ponies of this town had never been so scared of a stranger since Zecora showed up years ago. The golden pegasus sighed. It seems like his curse keeps effectively repelling the people around him. Physically, there was nothing unusual about him, same for the outlines around his right eye. Yet, if one looks at his flank, where a pony's cutie mark should usually be, they see an eye outlined in mysterious blue traits, one above, one around and one below, all of which curve to follow the shape of the white sclera. Once again, he had to find his way alone. The crowd scattered around him while he kept going head held high. A sweet scent awakened his senses. It was a pleasant aroma, some foreign mixture of strawberries with a hint of vanilla, tingling his nose and circulating through his being. Graciously, he followed the scent to a bakery. Horus then pushed open the door. Behind the counter, a lovely pink mare hummed an oddly familiar tune. Her unusually happy attitude resulted in her hopping all over the place. Finally, she finished her orders and came to the golden equine without hesitation, if not a much more vigorous momentum. She came to a halt and smiled at him, causing him to blush. "Hello... I... Just... Came here to buy a few cupcakes..." he muttered, stuttering nonetheless. "Ah," she replied "A, now there's shy one! Are you new here? No! Don't speak; I know what flavor you need!" She ran back behind the counter and ripped open bags of flour with her mouth. Once the golden equine came near, she began singing what she called "the Cupcakes song":

"All you have to do is add a cup of flour and add it to the mix.
Now just add something sweet not sour, a bit of salt just a pinch.
Baking these treats is such a synch; add a teaspoon of lemon and mint.
Add a little more and you count to five and you never get your fill of!
Cupcakes!
So sweet and tasty, Cupcakes!
Don't be too hasty, Cupcakes!
Cupcakes! Cupcakes! Cupcakes!"

Before he knew it, the pink pony was done. Famished, Horus began devouring the cupcakes. Suddenly, he grimaced and began coughing loudly, trying to catch his breath. The other ponies in the bakery stopped conversing and simultaneously turned to the pegasus, now in terrible agony. An evil smirk appeared on the baker's face. Horus crashed to the ground in a thundering thud. Slowly, she approached the unconscious stallion and whispered: "Now, the Eyes are mine..."

She approached with precaution, fearing the effectiveness of her poison. In the blink of an eye, Horus woke up, walloped the pony around the head, sending her crashing against a wall. The other ponies in the bakery ran for their lives at that very moment, yet less than half actually understood what happened. The keeper of the Eyes spat out the cupcakes. With assurance, he approached the pink equine. "Well faker," he said "Where is the real Pinkie Pie?!" She did not reply. Horus sighed, and then looked away. "Do you want to know how I figured you out? Easy; you had the cupcake song wrong. You only count to five, and it’s a teaspoon of vanilla." Surprised, the imposter asked: "How do you know that?" Horus smiled. Sarcastically, he replied: "The Eyes shall always see the truth."
"Well then," replied the faker, "I suppose you should know about us as well." Actually, Horus didn't have a clue of who they were. He knew there were always envious characters trying to obtain the power for their own causes, but never before did they disguise themselves as someone he's met. They were no ordinary opponents. They knew the two met before. They knew what she meant to him. Are they trying to rid of her so I may never regain my memories? I have to stop them for Pinkie's sake. She's the only bridge between my past and present! The equine unleashed a yellow shockwave and stopped on the impostor pony. Just like glass, the equine's figure shattered into thousands of pieces, before evaporating into thin air. "What other secrets are there?"

Horus heard a faint cry from a remote corner of the bakery. He bashed the turquoise wooden door with a powerful body slam and, accidentally, tumbled down the stairs leading to the basement. Smooth, he said to himself, now I'm bleeding. He noticed a trail of blood dripping down each step of the way. The sound it made sent chills down his spine. He reached for the back of his head. Immediately, the several layers of flesh slipped down his hoof. The further he went down, the bloodier it became. At one point, he felt something hard and prayed he didn't just touch a bone. It was a small gap, but nevertheless, it still hurt. The depth of it however, was another question. The cries became louder as he came closer to a steel door. On it, "FREEZER" was written in large capital letters. He put his hoof on the knob, but quickly pulled it back after a cold burn swept through his body. He looked at the thermometer and knew he didn't have much time. Horus sat down. Full of Zen, he let the powers of the Eyes take over. He summoned an azure cloud, which then wrapped itself around the knob, twist it and pulled open the door. A frozen gust of air then broke his concentration, causing the door to slam shut. The pegasus was about to try again, when he felt a massive blow to the back of his head. He crashed violently to the ground, unconscious.

Two years ago, a tragic event had befallen onto Equestria. Discord had returned, now stronger than ever. He had long, crimson wings, boar-like fangs and his antlers were made of solid steel. He was no longer a petty creature; he was the Discord Dragon. Celestia and Luna immediately rose up to the fight, but only one lived. Discord's dark powers were too much for the Elements of Harmony. Eventually, their powers were consumed by his evil. During the tremendous battle between the Eclipse Sisters and the mighty Discord Dragon, Luna met her end, sacrificing herself to save her sister. Celestia, broken and scarred, didn't stand a chance alone. Suddenly, out of nowhere, two majestic alicorns stepped in and confronted the mighty beast. The first, whose fur shined like gold, used his horn to summon a second sun, and tossed the massive projectile onto the vile creature. The second, with a silver body, whipped a whirlwind with his wings. The two then circled the beast and, repetitively, stabbed Discord. His powers crumbling in a tornado of blood, the vile being used his final breath, and generated a massive explosion and sent the two saviors flying. It was now their turn to make the ultimate sacrifice. They used all of their remaining life force to contain the explosion, thus protecting Equestria as a whole, but also kept the little town of Ponyville intact. Pinkie, who was the last one left in the village after the incident saw him; the golden pegasus, with a pair of mystical eyes on his flank.

"Where am I?!" No answer. The golden pegasus heard nothing but the echo of his own voice. There was no light, and not a thing in sight. Suspicious, he carefully galloped forwards. Afar, he finally distinguished a pigment of light. he ran and ran towards it, but alas in vain. Yet, the further he went, the louder the voices. Finally, after quite some time, he jumped through a bright portal, and found himself leaning against a wall. He looked down around him, and paralyzed in astonishment upon seeing...hands, topped by five mid-size fingers in each. And they were no other than his own. But why did he know what a "hand" was? His right member bore a sword and his left member bore a shield. However, his eyesight was too blurry to recognize the emblem painted on the object. He felt pain, and slowly sought the source. In the end, the golden equine finally noticed the cause of his suffering; an arrow in his knee. No, these were not medieval times. There was a gun holstered onto his belt. What is this? Where am I? Are these my memories? the pegasus did not recognize anything, yet somehow, he knew everything he looked at. He knew what hands were and he even recognized the black weapon around his belt. Were these my memories? Suddenly, he felt this foreign body mutter out a name: Saevin. "Yes Horus?" The equine's host looked up. He saw a handsome young man, with long silver hair and an almost caramel-like tone to his skin. His cat like irises crossed the host's own, only he wasn't looking at this human; he was looking at Horus himself. "You shall awaken in time. I will be waiting..." Wait, screamed the pegasus! A purple unicorn's hoof slap brought him back to reality.

At the hands of Discord, the gold and silver alicorns had met their end. Eternally thankful, Ponyville mayor decided to erect a statue in honor of the nameless heroes. Pinkie however, too shy to admit it, knew the name of the golden pony. However, she was afraid of this world, as she saw it for what it really was. Gone were the days when she smiled endlessly. Gone was her optimistic vision of her world. She had seen too much already. It took her so long to crawl out of her misery as a child, yet it took less than a week for her to fall back into the abyss. The citizens and her friends noticed her behavioral change. But she was not alone. Celestia was left scarred by the death of her sister for more than two years now. She closed herself in, constrantly cried and deemed herself unworthy to continue being the ruler of Equestria. As she was about to flee, there was chatter in the court about Zecora, and how she found a pegasus with golden fur and a luxurious blue mane. That was the princess' ray of light; a rope she would grab, and pull herself out of the abyss. She commissioned guards to search all over Equestria, refusing to lose faith. Even if she remembered the hero as an alicorn, there was still a chance. Little did she know, it would not be up to the guards to find him, but for him to find her guards...

It was a warm summer evening. At Sweet Apple Acres, Applebloom was leaning on a sturdy, wooden fence watching her sister buck apples. After a long day of work, Applejack came back covered in sweat. The little filly helped her older sibling carry the fruits of her labor into the barn, where they would start making cider. Night had fallen by the time they were done. The earth pony tucked in her little sister, kissed her on the head, and quietly opened the barn door. Under the cover of dark, the mare galloped towards Carousel boutique. Applejack knocked three times. Rarity opened the door.

"Careful not to wake Sweetie Belle. I don't want her to know about this." The two mares quietly walked towards the basement. An oil lamp was lit.

"-Girls, Twilight said she found him.
-Um... Him?
-Yeah. Don't ya remember? Tha' stallion who saved our lives!
-Wait, you mean...
-Yes! Isn't it fabulous? Now girls, shall we rejoice in a bottle of champagne?
-No thanks. I...can't. Remember? Our scars?

Rarity put down the bottle and glasses. How could she forget? After the Elements of harmony were destroyed by Discord, the "mane 6" acquired a better, darker power. Her friends quietly walked out of her home. The night revealed her long kept secret. Slowly, but surely, her fur turned black.

"Are you okay?" said the purple unicorn. Horus straightened his jaw and assured her that he fine now, although his jaw might need wiring. She apologized for her rather violent move and introduced herself. The unicorn's name was Twilight Sparkle, and she came to the bakery after her friend Rarity found a trail of blood leading to the freezer door, located in the basement. "Don't worry, we found her Horus." The pegasus looked surprised at the pony. "I know you have been here before. Don't think you're the only one with great magical powers. Although, I sense something is still lacking." He struggled to stand on his hooves. "It's okay, you don't need to go see her. We're still in the process of thawing Pinkie out anyways..." He asked her when did they find him. She told him that a festival was going on, she came to check on Pinkie after rumors of a murder in the bakery. When she came inside, the place was turned upside down. Everything was destroyed; the chairs broken into pieces, the glass counter shattered to bits, and the curtains and wallpaper shredded into pieces. Judging by how everything seemed "flipped", the unicorn deduced that somepony was looking for something. She then caught eye of a blood trail leading to the basement. Following the path, she saw the unconscious stallion, along with a hoofprint of blood on the freezer door. She then immediately sought help from her friends. "..and then we carried you all the way here. I brewed some medicine and prepare some bandages. Believe it or not, these types of injuries happen really often to ponies like us. Looks like I forgot to introduce myself; I'm Twilight Sparkle. You are?" No answer. Horus sat there, on the bed, void of movement.

"-Here, lie down for a bit. I want to perform a subconscious memory exercise.
-What?
-Lie down, relax, and try to recall those lost memories of yours. Try to recall the last thing that happened before you lost your memories. Just close your eyes... And relax..."
He fell into a deep sleep.

"-I hired you become I believe you are able. It doesn't matter if you're a human and I'm elf.
-Alright, tell me, what's my reward then?
-... I chose you because i believe this mission will be the key to your problems. I know for a fact that during this, you will find your place, you will find a place to call home.
-You're no prophet, you can't solve my problems.
-I am just like you; a wanderer, who has sought aimlessly for an answer, the only true thing left for me to hold onto. If you are truly desperate for a physical reward, then I can promise you mountains and mountains of gold.
-Alright, deal. Oh! Before I leave, tell me where I am going and what I am looking for.
-The Heart of Time, a precious heirloom, given to me by my father. It holds an incredible power and can be dangerous if placed in the wrong hands. We have reason to believe the thief isn't a humanoid creature, and may have escaped into an alternate dimension. We have currently code-named it "Equestria".
-... You said you were like me but just what are you?
-I am their King of course. Now Horus, bearer of the Eyes, pass through this portal and retrieve the Heart of Time.

As the human silhouette was engulfed by the blue portal, the elf, sitting in a large golden, throne-like chair whispered: "If you come back, that means you have failed. You don't belong here as a human and deep down inside, you know that. Your true role is over there, as an alicorn, creature of legends."

"Aren't you afraid of this task?" Saevin, a silver alicorn with a long, white mane slowly walked towards the shore. Dripping wet, he spread his wings and shook himself dry. Their surroundings were peaceful. A gentle wind swept across the meadow. The birds whistled a pleasant tune. There were no clouds in the sky, the stream was of a clear blue shade and flowers of various colors bloomed. Somewhere along this path was Ponyville, a small village filled with interesting, but welcoming characters. Horus' fur shone brightly, almost like a second sun. His emerald eyes were filled with determination.

The two trotted down the road. When they finally reached the village, it was already sunset. They quickly blended into the crowd of ponies, anxious to meet other alicorns besides their monarchs. At night, the bearer's fur became the color of sand. THis change also occured when in the right conditions. But now, he was faraway from the arid lands of Memphillies. For a brief moment, he forgot about his mission. For a brief moment, he felt happiness for the first time. That sensation didn't last however.

The soil was painted with the blood of the fallen guards. High up in the sky, Discord's flames rained upon this small town, consuming everything in its way. Celestia had retreated from battle. Shortly after her sister was impaled in front of her eyes, a great barrier of fire cut them apart from one another. While running away, she saw her lifeless sister lying somewhere beyond her reach. Even if she insisted on going back, the guards would not obey. Canterlot wasn't any better either, which is why they insisted on her returning home, to fight alongside her people. Applejack watched in horror as her beloved home burned to the ground, leaving behind nothing but ashes. Big Mac had tranquilized Applebloom to save her from the scars of war. Injured but determined, the Apple family led the citizens out of the burning city. Just when all hope seemed lost, a blinding ray of light tore the red skies apart. Two alicorns were seen, charging towards their enemy. Equestria was blessed with two new heroes.

"Saevin, hurry! I can't hold this thing any longer!" The silver alicorn used all his might to create a large orb, floating inches above his horn. Unfortunately, Discord Dragon's right claw broke free from the magical shackles. The beast then crushed Saevin in his palm. The sounds of his bones smashed into pieces fed his anger like oil feeds fire. The creature opened his palm, attempting to devour his remains, but there was nothing there. From behind, a large blade sliced off his entire arm. A shockwave of green blood ensued, and the streets of Ponyville were flooded by the acidic liquid, melting away the buildings. Saevin, immune to the effects of the dragon's blood, drove his horn through Discord's eyes. Nothing sufficed; the dragon seemed unstoppable.

"-Do you see now, equines? There is only ONE king; ME!
-Tsk! There are no kings and no slaves. There are only three creatures; you, me and Horus.
-There is no one left to admire your splendor because nobody did in the first place."

Discord flew higher and higher. He spread his wings real wide and declared himself new king of Equestria, no, the world. He then shot a massive ball of blaze down towards the ground. Saevin shattered the projectile with his horn. A massive heatwave swept across the surrounding areas. The vile creature's massive limbs briefly covered the light of twilight. His moment of glory was short lived. Behind him, Horus held a massive orb of light at the tip of his hooves. In a matter of seconds, this would all be over.

"Fool!" he cried, "In your vanity, you have flown to close to the sun!" The silver stallion charged underneath its scales. At last, the stallion had pierced through its scales. Horus unleashed the second sun.

"-Now Discord, the wax on your wings is gone. Plunge to your doom!
-Not before I take you two with me!
-!"

I will always stand by you, master, whatever the cost may be. Since you first summoned me, all those years ago, I have stood loyally by your side. All these insignificant others I had met before are powerless before your might, before your bravery. These other cowards fled, or treated me as a slave. You, on the other hand, have treated me as a friend. The contract we have together will break at your command, until then, I shall stand by you as your shadow. Even after the checkmate, when countless corpse dirty the battlefield, when your magnificent crown lies shattered and rotten, I will stand by your side, until you choose to end the game by your own command.

Several days had passed since Horus awakened. He began to blend in with the busy crowds of Ponyville.