//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: We Gotta Get Outta This Place // by Sense of Humor //------------------------------// “Good evening, Prince Shining Armor! I trust your diplomatic errands have been fulfilled?” “Ah, more or less, Chapel.” Shining Armor responded with tiredness lacing the tone of his sentence. It would be crystal clear to those he spoke to that his meeting with others across the borders of Equestria was less than invigorating for the Prince. Several days worth of stay and a portion of those hours spent signing papers that were several feet in length. If his horn could speak, it would probably forbid him from using the signing spell ever gain. “On the brighter side, they're a very friendly division of Griffins...more so than the natives of Griffinstone.” Shining Armor told his Advisor, who gladly opened a set of doors for both of them that to led to the outside. Only Luna’s past prison was there to illuminate them tonight. “I just hope I don't have any other diplomatic missions that come right after this.” Chapel hummed in thought, his brow furrowing as a symbol of deep thought. “Well-- to my understanding, Your Majesty, you won't have any other overseas duties for nearly a year.” “Ah yes, the Summit Of Leaders.” The stallion prince received a nod as confirmation and spotted his chariot in the distance, glinting it's golden coat in the moonlight as if it had been waiting for him. “That is good news. Now I can get back home without anything to be troubled over.” “I see. In a hurry to get back to Princess Cadence, are we?” Shining Armor blushed ever so slightly, but nodded to the pegasus. “You have no idea, Chapel. Why, just the other day, Cadence sent me a message about our daughter. Flurry Heart has apparently said her first word in the past few days; Momma, as Cadence described. “ He shrugged in disappointment. “I didn't get to hear this firsthoof, of course...but between you and me, I'd have liked to hear Dada first.” Chapel laughed to himself just as the Pegasi who would fly the chariot arrived, munching on something they bought in their time there. “Of course sir...Nice Night, Clipper, Flow. “ The two nodded to the advisor, and then bowed to Shining Armor. Clipper seemed to be more aged than his partner and definitely the more experienced. Flow was a younger stallion, somewhat younger than even Shining Armor himself. Regardless of age, they'd both done perfectly in getting the Prince here and left no doubt that they take him home without trouble as well. “I take it you two made good use of our pit stop.” “Heh, you might say that, Your Majesty.” Clipper’s statement was accompanied by a nod from Flow, who was the first to buckle himself into the Chariot’s straps and harnesses.”You ready to head home?” “Indeed.” The Prince and The Advisor hopped into the Chariot itself, before Shining Armor turned to Chapel. “I don't suppose you know of any quick routes home, do you?” “I fear not, Your Majesty. The alternate routes that have been made ever since that new island appeared are the only ones we can take as recommended, only it will be a day's flight.” “...And what about the unrecommended route?” “I beg your pardon?” “Princess Celestia's instructions to not set hoof on the island were clear, but if we took the original route…” Shining Armor explained diligently. “ we'd only be flying over the island. We wouldn't be landing or anything, just flying.” Chapel frowned deeply. “I don't know, sir…” Clipper turned his head towards them. “We’d be happy to do it, wouldn't we Flow?” “Of course!” The young Stallion replied. Darkness. Screaming. Crunching. Falling. Chapel surrendered with a light huff and sat back against the backrest of the Chariot. "Oh, very well then. It is your decision, My Prince." The ground rushing up to his body, filling his nostrils with dirt. Shining Armor patted his back softly. "That's the spirit, Chapel!" Shining Armor shot up from the hill's slope, gasping for breath. With his mane slickened and soaked with sweat, he could barely see past twelve feet in front of him, let alone anything else. His hooves clumsily carried him forward, threatening to buckle beneath him thanks to to the endless time spent running. His wide eyes darted at every corner and cranny in the trees, expecting something reveal itself within. His heart hammered faster than the wimgbeat of a hummingbird, pumping adrenaline instead of blood through his veins. He felt the urge to vomit, surpressed it and continued on. He tried not to think about the wall of storm clouds. He tried not to think about the crash. He tried not to think about Clipper's body. He tried not to think about Flow's body, what was left of of it that is. He failed to keep from thinking about what was eating him. He failed to keep from thinking that he was too young to die. Pushing the thoughts of bloodcurdling screams and yellow stained teeth from his mind, the unicorn Prince raised his head heavenward. It was morning; he'd failed to notice the rise of the sun since he woke up. A fly noisily buzzed around his head, trying to get at the cut on his cheek that oozed a small amount of blood. Shining Armor began to swat at it, before he realized that he hadn't discovered Chapel's body anywhere near the others. It didn't mean that he was still alive, but it did mean that there was a chance of it. "Chapel! Where are you?! Can you hear me?!" Seconds passed, and his heart feel in his chest. He was about to presume his advisor dead before a voice carried faintly through the air. "Your Majesty?! Is that you?!" With a new sense of hope fueling him, Shining Armor raced in the direction of the voice as it continued to shout. "I'm over here! Hurry! I'm stuck!" It didn't take a terrible amount of time for the prince to skid onto a rocky cliff edge, where he gasped at the height. They had crashed somewhere 200 hundred feet above ground level, and much farther above sea level. He could see mountains that dwarfed them in the distance as well as nearby, and there were even trees that were oddly large and diverse. They were almost the size of some mountains and grew in large clusters that might as well have been called forests. When Shining Armor looked farther, he gasped at the realization of not being able to see the ocean from whatsoever. How large was this island? "Your Majesty?! Is that you over there?!" Chapel. Shining Armor peered at an outcropping of the cliff that extended farther than his own position, spotting the mangled mess that was once his chariot. He galloped over to the wreckage with urgency and discovered that Chapel was lying underneath the metal mess, pinned to the sandy rock ground. "Chapel! Chapel are you okay?" The Prince knelt down next to the pegasus, examining the blood smear above on of his eyes. " Prince Shining Armor! Thank Celestia!" Chapel looked as though he would have hugged Shining Armor if he wasn't trapped under the weight of the Chariot. "My wing is broken, but I'm otherwise just fine! I can barely get this thing to budge!" "L-Let me try." His horn sputtered with a magic flow, which soon encased the Chariot rubble in a film of blue light. Shining Armor gritted his teeth as he shoved and pulled on many, many pounds of gold and steel while Chapel himself strained every muscle in his body. The two believed themselves to be trying so hard that the ground shook at times with their effort. Finally, their combined efforts managed to toss the remains of the chariot off and onto the very edge of the cliff. "...Very good, Sir. I had thought you had perished in the crash..." Chapel remarked sadly, and glanced back at the forest. "Did you find Clipper and Flow? Perhaps they need our help?" Shining Armor bowed his head ever so slightly, staring at him hooves in dismay. "They...They are dead, Chapel." Chapel shared his look of dismay and silently said words of respect to himself, while Shining Armor patiently sulked. It was his fault for having chosen to fly through this accursed island, and therefore his fault that two fine examples of loyalty were now dead. He was gently broken from his thoughts by a hoof on his shoulder, and he raised his to head to see a worried Chapel. "We must find a way off this island, sir." "Of course...We'll need to..." Shining armor trailed off as they were both briefly standing in a dark shadow instead of the heat of yellow rays. Something had just blotted out the sun. "What...?" WHAMF! A giant object had shot up into the air beyond the cliff edge, ten times the size of an elephant and many more times as heavy. It's giant dark mass slammed down onto the cliff edge just twenty hooves away from them. They both shrank back in shock and disbelief when they saw that the object was one humongous arm. This was impossible; this arm was larger than the entire body of Tirek at full power--nothing could be larger than him! WHAMF! Another arm appeared on the opposite of the first, giant strands of muscle rippling as it caused the rocky cliff edge to crackle and crunch like a potato chip. With a sense of dread, the ponies turned just in time to see a mountain of a head rise up from the hiding place that was the cliff. It didn't stop rising before them until this monster's chin was well over fifty hooves above their heads. Shining Armor's eyes bulged in absolute fear and intimidation at what he was seeing, his mind blankly trying to explain what it was. Two red eyes painted with yellow irises, narrowed at them and a single huff of breath surrounded them in a hurricane of dust and sand.