[i][u]Ponyville, just before dawn.[/u][/i]

Light was slowly beginning to creep into the sky, and Princess Twilight Sparkle was sitting in front of her library, staring up at the receding stars. There was a small smile on her face, as she pondered her namesake, like countless nights before. [i]Twilight.[/i] The in-between time, neither day nor night, when nothing is certain... She liked it, and dawn especially. There was always an atmosphere of... potential. A lack of borders, of the restrictions imposed upon the world by the sun and the moon.

“Can’t sleep either, Rosie?” 

It was completely out of the blue, and the princess didn’t even look away from the stars as she said it. Obediently, the dark-feathered griffon stepped out from the shadow of the library’s entrance. Smiling a bit, she said “Your ears are getting sharper, your highness. I, ah, thought you might like some company.” Twilight simply patted the grass beside her with a hoof. Rosie walked up, and sat in the spot, turning her face to the sky as well. The brightest stars still shone, but one by one their weaker siblings were winking out, replaced by the oncoming blue of day. “-sigh-” The princess’ face gradually grew darker as they sat, in contrast to the horizon.

The smile was gone, replaced by the expression she had been wearing most of the night, the one that made her look sick to her stomach. “I can’t shake it, Rosie. I still have this feeling, this… [i]apprehension[/i]. I think about tomorrow, and all that comes to mind…” She trailed off, and slowly lowered her head, until her purple eyes were fixed on the griffon’s auburn ones. “Am I sending our hundreds of Explorers to their deaths?”

There was silence for a long moment, and the world around them continued to grow imperceptibly brighter. Another moment closer to the day, and everything that meant. “Your highness…” The Guard finally began. “Your highness, this venture is important, and you know it. After all, it was [i]you[/i] who argued that mass exploration was the first step towards making the world a better, friendlier place. Yes, the risk is great, but the reward… We’ll be laying the groundwork for the greatest diplomatic acts in history, and providing the first true possibility of an interconnected world...” She looked into those deep purple orbs, reflecting the faded light of the stars, and said “I’m willing to die to make that happen.”

Once again, there was silence, as they studied one another’s faces. Commander Red’s was hard-set, determined, her eyes straight and honest. There was no doubting her words. Twilight looked away, the ghost of a smile on her lips, and said “Fine, you’ve convinced me, Commander. I can only hope the rest of the League shares your enthusiasm.”

“They’d better,” was the growled response. As they made their way back towards the library, the first rays of the rising sun falling on their backs, the princess said “In any case, we’ve been over the security arrangements dozens of time, and all of us have seen them as adequate. Every team is well-equipped to handle anything they might face… It’s down to luck, and that’s something we just can’t control.” She took a deep breath as they reached the doors, looked back at the tiny sliver of sun that had just risen, and finished with “Let’s get a few hours of sleep. Today’s a big day.”

“That it is, your highness,” Rosie muttered under her breath. “That it is.”

---
[u][i]Later.[/i][/u]

The various and sundry forms of Explorers were slowly filling Ponyville Square, and Rosie was sitting on a low cloud above them, musing. The members of her Team were all down there somewhere, she thought, and went through the list in her head. The dossiers were rather basic, not much on personality, but they would have plenty of time to get to know each other along the way. No, they mostly detailed skills, possible conflicts, and the like. Clipper Team, as they would be called, was small, one of the smaller Exploration Teams, but even so had no shortage of interesting and unique members. Even a [i]changeling[/i], for Sister’s sake! She was pretty sure the princess had a hand in their placement, considering the Team’s specific mission. Members of several non-pony races, a saurian, a deer, a zebra, the changeling, herself, made up over half the Team, rounded out by two Earth ponies and two unicorns, giving any group they came in contact with a subtle microcosm: all of these very different beings working harmoniously towards a higher goal. It was quite clever, in Rosie’s opinion.

The high, clear notes of a trumpeter rang out over the town, signaling the arrival of the princess, and before long the entire square was respectfully quiet, Twilight had taken the stage, and all of the Guards that would be in command of each Team were standing at attention in a row behind her. She needed no microphone, and called out clearly over the hundreds of heads, instantly silencing the small murmurs that had begun to build. “Explorers! You have all applied, and been chosen, to be a part of the greatest set of expeditions in Equestria’s long history. You are courageous and skilled, be you pony, deer, or griffon. Saurian, zebra, or buffalo. You know the dangers, and are prepared to face whatever challenges may find you, out in this magnificent world of ours. Most of all, you are determined! Determined to bring the world together, to make the future of all of your races a better one! A brighter one! A [i]friendlier[/i] one! I am only one pony. I can only do so much. But to see you all here, to see your faces, no matter the shape, no matter if they are scaled, or feathered, or furred… It makes me proud. Proud that I was the one to bring together such a group. Proud to be the one that sends them on their way.”

“I, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, officially declare this Explorer’s League operational! Good luck to you all, and may the Sisters, the trees, the swamps and the spirits watch over you forevermore. Now, I leave you in the more-than-capable hooves of my officers, who will guide and command you for the duration of your expeditions. They will inform you of the Teams you have been placed in, if you do not know already, and within the week your journeys will begin. Lieutenant Bud?” A muscular gray-coated unicorn came forward from the line of Guards, and began clearly listing the members of each Team, in alphabetical order by Team name. Clipper Team was third, after Amble and Bray, and the list went on for quite a while after that, as there were over three-hundred Explorers in all.

After her Team was called, Commander Red left the stage by wing, unable to hide her enthusiasm, and flew the short distance to their meeting-place (called out along with the members): the library. Smiling broadly as she approached the great tree, she passed the spot where she and the princess had been sitting early that morning, went inside, and made herself comfortable, waiting patiently for her small Team to assemble.