Dusk Glow didn’t know how long he had been flying, but he knew he could at least see the scenery below him now.
Several continents were arranged together, separated by oceans.
There were snowy mountain ranges in the north, deserts and seas of clouds in the south, and plains, forests, and high mountains in the center.
On one of the high mountains, a castle stood out prominently.
The entire world unrolled before him like a vibrant painting.
“Is this…
another world?” Dusk Glow muttered to himself.
I’m so lucky to see a sight like this in my lifetime, Dusk Glow thought, suddenly feeling a sense of gratitude.
This world looks like a fairy tale illustration drawn by a child.
The world in the picture is gently embracing me.
It’s more vivid than any imagination and more real than any dream.
Just then, the horn on top of Dusk Glow’s head suddenly dissipated.
One second he was a unicorn, and the next, the protective magic shield vanished into thin air.
He felt the world instantly turn violent.
Dusk Glow: (;☉益☉) Ah!!!
What the heck!
Dusk Glow began to plummet rapidly from high in the sky, the gale force winds tearing at his mane.
The atmospheric pressure instantly squeezed the breath out of his lungs, and his face was blown into extremely distorted shapes.
“Wryyyyyy…” Dusk Glow couldn’t control his voice.
Swish!
A strange sensation came from his shoulder blades, like something was gently unfurling.
Dusk Glow struggled to look back, only to see a pair of wings suddenly spreading open from his back, the pure white feathers gleaming in the sunlight.
“I…
I have wings?!”
His voice caught in his throat, and his pupils shrank.
His body instinctively flapped the wings faster than his mind could process.
The air currents abruptly lifted his body, and his line of sight spiked sharply.
He frantically flapped his wings in a panic, feathers fluttering wildly as he drew a crooked, wobbly trajectory through the air.
“Wait!
Stop!
This isn’t right!
I…
I never learned how to fly!!”
He desperately wanted to stop, but the wings seemed to have a mind of their own, carrying him in a slanted dive toward the clouds.
What is going on!
Dusk Glow panicked internally.
First a horn, now wings.
Why does every extra body part absolutely refuse to listen to me!
With the appearance of these wings, Dusk Glow was sent into a high speed nosedive toward the castle on the central mountain, constantly accelerating as if it had locked onto a target.
Accelerate!
Accelerate!
Still accelerating!
Dusk Glow’s black tail and mane were already dragging long black streaks behind him.
He could even feel the surrounding air currents being forcibly manipulated into a unique trajectory.
Suddenly…
As if reaching a critical tipping point, the wings accelerated one last time.
In a flash, a black sonic boom laced with silver stardust and trailing streaks exploded outward with a massive BOOM.
It expanded for several kilometers in diameter, violently blasting the cloud cover apart.
The crowds below Canterlot Castle were originally busy with their own lives, but they were suddenly drawn by this massive commotion and all looked up at the sky.
Seeing that black aura explode, a wave of exclamations immediately erupted from the herd of ponies.
“My goodness, what is that?”
“By Celestia, I’m witnessing a miracle!”
“Mommy, there’s a black donut in the sky.”
In fact, it wasn’t just Canterlot.
Most of the residents in all of Equestria noticed this phenomenon.
Ponies everywhere looked up and discussed it in amazement.
Perhaps the newspapers would even publish a story on this spectacular sight tomorrow.
“Hurry up!
Spike!” Twilight Sparkle was galloping frantically in the direction of the shooting star.
“That’s definitely not a shooting star!
That’s a pony falling from the sky!”
“Twilight, wait for me!” The little purple dragon was sweating profusely, hugging a massive pile of books as he struggled to keep up.
“Are you absolutely sure that ‘shooting star’ is a pony?”
“I am completely certain,” Twilight Sparkle said without slowing her gallop.
“And according to my calculations, the landing trajectory should be right near the Canterlot royal palace.”
“Then shouldn’t we use dragon fire to send a letter and warn Princess Celestia first?”
“Spike, do you need me to help you remember exactly who knocked over all the ink?” Twilight Sparkle said, deadpan.
“Uh…” Spike chuckled awkwardly.
Suddenly, the “shooting star” let out a deafening crack that shattered the air, and a black aura blasted outward from it.
Twilight Sparkle’s eyes widened at the sight.
“What is that?” Twilight Sparkle muttered to herself.
“It looks like an aerodynamic phenomenon caused by breaking the sound barrier.”
“Whoa, that is super amazing,” Spike said, scratching his head.
Twilight Sparkle continued her full sprint.
At this moment, she didn’t notice that her star cutie mark flickered with light a few times, glowing as steadily as a breathing rhythm.
Meanwhile, on the other side, in Ponyville.
“Look!
That black ring in the sky!” Due to the shooting star’s appearance, Rainbow Dash had quickly gathered her friends together.
She took the lead, pointing at the sky and shouting.
Everypony looked up, completely captivated by the magnificent sight.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“I absolutely have to go see what’s going on.” With that, she flapped her wings and soared high, speeding toward the direction of the ring.
Applejack frowned.
“This whole thing looks mighty suspicious.
I’m gonna follow ‘er and take a look, just to make sure Rainbow doesn’t get into any trouble.”
Just as Applejack was getting ready to head out, Fluttershy gathered her courage and said, “I…
I’ll come too.
Maybe I can help.”
Rarity elegantly adjusted her mane.
“Well, if everypony else is going, I certainly cannot be left behind.
Who knows, they might be in desperate need of a fashionable touch.” Rarity also decided to tag along.
And Pinkie Pie bounced around excitedly.
“Wowie!
This is definitely going to be a super duper big adventure!
I wanna go too!”
This black ring had drawn everypony out, but Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie didn’t notice that their cutie marks had all coincidentally flickered a few times.
…
What is the most hopeless way to kick the bucket?
Dusk Glow found that these wings couldn’t brake.
They absolutely wouldn’t brake!
Watching himself get closer and closer to the castle on the central high mountain, with his wings showing not a single sign of slowing down, Dusk Glow closed his eyes in pure despair.
Is my trip to another world going to end just like this?
I’m definitely going to bite the dust if I smash into the ground like this, right?
Talk about buying the farm before the adventure even started.
Just when Dusk Glow thought he was absolutely doomed, a gentle force suddenly enveloped him.
He slowly opened his eyes, finding himself securely caught by a white Alicorn princess radiating a holy aura.
“Do not be afraid, young one,” the princess said gently.
“Wh…
who are you?” Dusk Glow was still reeling from the shock.
“I am Princess Celestia.
Welcome to Equestria,” Princess Celestia said with a smile.
Princess Celestia?
She’s Princess Celestia?
And…
this voice…
I feel like I just heard the gentle rumble of the sun itself.
It was different from what Nightmare Moon had shown him.
Although the mane was still flowing, the Celestia in Nightmare Moon’s memory had a pink mane, while the one standing before Dusk Glow right now had a colorful one.
Plus…
she looks so gentle.
My first impression is that she’s as warm and comforting as the sun.
The two ponies returned to the ground.
Only then did Dusk Glow notice that he had landed in some sort of garden.
Furthermore, they were surrounded by Royal Guards wearing golden armor, standing off to the side in full combat readiness.
“Um…”
Just as Dusk Glow tried to speak, a deep wave of exhaustion suddenly crashed over him.
It felt like all the magic in his entire body had been drained dry.
His vision gradually blurred, and he finally passed out, collapsing onto the ground.
“Hmm?”
Celestia stepped forward to check on him, only to discover in shock that the wings on Dusk Glow’s back had dissipated, turning him from a pegasus into an earth pony.
Her brow furrowed in a rare display of emotion, and a confusion she hadn’t felt in a thousand years swirled in her eyes.
And unbeknownst to everypony present, the wheel called fate had begun to turn in an unknown direction.
This young stallion’s arrival was about to bring colossal changes to the world.