//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Darkstar's Dragon Quest 
// by FlamingMaiden 
//------------------------------//

	In the pale morning light, a parchment yellow alicorn walked slowly down the rows filled with books. His wings were outstretched, the tips of each feather lightly dusting the ancient books' spines. He strode carefully, walking slowly to the age old writing desk. His horn flared with a soft yellow glow, a quill and several rolls of parchment floated out of the drawer and landed neatly on the top. In the careful way he had perfected over the eons, he began to write.

To whoever may find this,

I am Prince Darkstar Cayne. Nopony will have heard of me because my tyrannical twin sister had imprisoned me and my nephew in the library in the highest room of the north tower. This is my recounting of your so called perfect reign of my sister.  The quill's scratching momentarily ceased. Darkstar breathed took a deep breath of the seaward breeze and continued writing.

Long ago, when the world as we know it was being created, deep in the Everfree forest there was a magnificent castle made of gleaming white marble. Inside the castle lived six magical alicorns; Queen Daun, King Dousque, Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Galatea, and myself, the only prince, Darkstar Cayne. My mother, Queen Daun was a white as snow while father as pitch black. My sisters are white, midnight blue, and black with white spots.

When mother and father passed, the second oldest child, my twin sister, Celestia, being jealous of Galatea, used her magic to turn our eldest sister into a star and placed her at the tip of Monoceros' horn (the unicorn constellation, stationed between Ursa Major and Minor). With Galatea out of the way, Celestia was free to rule over all of Equestria with me and our younger sister by her side.

Three hundred years after Galatea’s incarceration, Luna and I helped Celestia build the Canterlot castle. Just months after completion, she learned about Luna's affair with a common Pegasus, which had lasted for over two years. Soon after the information crossed her, Celestia banished Luna to the moon because she had fallen in love with a commoner. Little did Celestia know, Luna had had an alicorn child with the Pegasus and had entrusted him to me. I valiantly tried to keep his existence a secret, but like all secrets, his was bound to be discovered.

When Celestia found out that I had harbored the child, she locked us both in her least favorite place, the library in the highest tower, though its unfinished collection offered little entertainment, we didn't mind in the least. It was there she had planned for us to remain. What she didn’t know was that just years after imprisonment I had pulled enough bricks out of the south wall to allow the young alicorn, Aries, to escape.

With nothing else to do I began to read. I read and read, filling myself with knowledge. I hoped the young alicorn world start a new life somewhere out in the world, but, unfortunately, it was not so. Every day Aries would return with food, water and books. Together we began filling the mostly empty shelves. Not a hundred years from his birth, Luna's son, Aries, died. I became depressed at the loss of my nephew, friend, confidant, and brother in the search for knowledge, I mourned for many years.

By now more than three hundred years had passed and I began to get lonelier and lonelier. Three hundred years of forcible imprisonment. I am writing this so that someday in the future, someone will have the guts to stand against my sister’s tyranny.

The fate of Equestria Lies in your hooves,

Darkstar 



With practiced precision, Darkstar teleported the sealed parchment into the library in main body of the castle. He slowly began to walk to the window, wanting the watch as the sun rose over the horizon. The pinks and oranges and blues of the sunrise calmed him. He sighed into the distance, wanting to feel the wind rushing beneath his wings as he soared through the air.

He watched silently as the sunlight grew in strength and encroached into the space he had occupied for a thousand years. He silently hoped that somepony would find his letter and take it upon themselves to overthrow the Tyrant Celestia.

As the morning light encroached into the library, it reflected off of something, the diffused light turned pink. It was several minutes before Darkstar noticed. When he did, he strode towards it, the light shining from under the bookshelf closest to him. He peaked under it and saw a large red bound book he had never seen before.

This must be from Aries' last delivery,  he thought to himself. He gently set the book on the oaken table and examined it. The light had reflected off of the blood red scales that covered it. On the front was a silver dragon's eye stone, though having read of them he had never seen one. Written across the top in gold leaf was the book's title.

"The Dragon Book?" Darkstar read. He scoffed. Nopony had seen a full grown dragon since the last Dragon Migration, more than five hundred years ago. Darkstar had watched it from the window with Aries. Darkstar settled the red scaled book on the table and began to examine it.

Each and every scale was perfect; the hue of each one was only slightly different from the last but the saturation was exactly the same. The light reflected off of it was so intense that the scales had some sort of gem like quality to them. The silver dragon's eye stone seamed to move as the light bounced around the room.

Darkstar gazed at the pink lights on the walls and turned slowly in a circle, staring in awe at the wondrous sight. When he was facing the book again he began to fight with himself about whether or not he should open it and see what was inside. He gazed at the large, dragon hide-bound book; its cover not at all worn over the millennia.

Finally he decided and opened the book. The scent of aged vellum wafted from the pages, the pitch black ink standing out brilliantly on the tanned sheep’s' hide. He gasped as he began to read.