//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: The Mystery of the Missing Mares // by Mr Snowpony //------------------------------// The Mystery of the Missing Mares An MLP epic by Mr. Snowpony Prologue It was a warm and sunny midmorning, ponies of all sorts happily trotted along the cobblestone streets of the most magnificent city in the world. There was to be an extravagant gala later this evening and ponies from all over the world had come to attend it. After all, the richest and most famous ponies were all going to be there, especially the richest and most famous of them all; the one and only Princess Celestia. This was a party that was truly a must come for all. -⊕- “It’s so wonderful to finally have you here, Princess Celestia.” “Please, Commander Chiton. The pleasure is all mine. I cannot wait until we arrive at the gala. I have no doubt it will be one to remember.” “I’m glad you’re so enthused, Princess. I can’t say the same for myself though. I’ve been having these odd dreams as of late, and I haven’t been able to sleep very well. If there’s anything I remember well from the oracles’ teachings, it’s to be wary of any and all unkind visions. Not to mention, I might be a little bit cranky tonight, haha!” Two of the most powerful ponies in the world walked side by side down the darkened streets that led toward the commander’s majestic palace at the centre of the island. The bite of the late afternoon wind had been chilling their bodies since they left the pier where the princess’ boat had landed not too long ago. To their front and to their back, four royal guards flanked them, two belonging to the commander, two to the princess. The princess was dressed in her usual regalia and her majestic multicoloured mane billowed in the ethereal, non-existent wind as it always had. Her cutie mark, depicting the radiant sun she raised everyday, glowed as if it were the magnificent star itself. Her alabaster coat was as pristine as ever. The commander at her side, clothed in a finely woven tunic and cloak, was an earth pony of a sandy color. He boasted a dark chocolate mane and a magnificently bushy beard. His cutie mark, though hidden from the princess by the robes he was wearing, was known to be that of a bronze spike, like the ones on the ends of his soldiers’ spears. He was muscular and had a confident gait, two traits gained from years of combat and training. “I am truly sorry to hear that,” replied the princess, “May I inquire what these dreams have been about?” The commander sighed and looked towards the distant light where he knew that his palace awaited him and the princess, “Well, there was a dream I had where I was aboard a boat out at sea. No land could be seen for miles around. My two sons, as well as my most trusted soldiers, were with me. I had no clue as to our destination, but we were all in uniform, so I supposed that there was to be a battle.” The princess gasped, “A battle? That sounds serious. Please don’t tell me that you’re thinking that this vision means you are going to war with another city again.” “Oh, no Princess! I don’t plan to start any wars any time soon. That’s not what my dream was about. No, the most distressing part was when a sudden ghastly storm came out of nowhere and poured down on me and my men. The waters were wild and the ship was uncontrollable. Though battle hardened, I had no doubt that my men were frightened out of their wits. I was afraid myself.” “You? Afraid? I find that truly hard to believe, Commander Chiton.” “Oh, believe me. You have not seen a storm of equal ferocity as to the one that was in this horrible nightmare. My men tried all they could but we all knew that the boat could not handle much abuse any further. And despite it only being a dream, it was then that the most horrifying thing I have ever witnessed happened right before my drenched, elderly eyes.” The princess looked wearily at her companion, “What happened, commander?” “The storm abruptly stopped and the waters stilled…” The escorted ponies reached their destination and stopped just before entering the large golden doors that led into the palace’s massive interior. The princess stared at the commander, a befuddled look painted on her face, “I’m sorry commander, I don’t follo-” “It was then that the sea opened up like the gaping maw of a hideous beast and swallowed the entire ship whole. My sons, my men, even I… lost forever.” The princess gazed at her friend sympathetically and mulled his words over in her head. Meanwhile, the commander’s two guards opened the doors with their unicorn magic, moving to the side afterward to allow the host and his guest both in. As they entered the main hall, they were immediately greeted by more of the commander’s soldiers. They welcomed him and the princess back to the palace, bowing low as a sign of respect. He eased his men and excused them all, including the two guards that accompanied him on his trip to and from the docks. The princess did the same with her two guards, telling them that she would be fine by herself and to enjoy the party without her. When they were left alone, the princess spoke again, “That does sound unnerving. What do you think it means?” “I’d prefer not to think much about it. After all, it’s only a dream.” The two ponies began walking again and reached a grand room filled to the brim with prestigious ponies. The numerous guests therein were busy amongst one another, chatting, laughing, and drinking the night away. So focused were they with each other’s company, they hadn’t noticed the two new ponies that had just entered the massive ballroom. Comforted by the lack of attention, the princess continued her private conversation with the commander, “But didn’t you say so yourself? Your oracles believe that you must be cautious of dark and puzzling visions, and we both know that their warnings aren’t words to be taken lightly.” “I know, princess… but like I said; if I continued thinking it over through the night, I’m afraid I’d be a dreary pony to be around with at this party, haha! We certainly don’t want that now, do we?” The princess’ couldn’t help but give a smile to the commander, “No, of course not. The life of the party is most often its host. Let’s make this a lively and joyous night.” To this, the commander smiled and bowed to the princess, “I wholeheartedly agree. I shall see you later in the dinner hall, Princess Celestia. I have other ponies to meet and servants to give instructions to.” “Alright then, commander. I hope you have fun. Perhaps I’ll talk to some of the guests that have come to attend your splendid party. I spot a few familiar faces I’ve not seen for some time now and I must catch up with some dear, old friends.” “That sounds like a wonderful idea. Take care, Princess Celestia.” And with that, the commander headed off. The princess began looking around to find anypony she might recognize and saw that some of them had already noticed her arrival and were walking up to her. The older of the two had a midnight blue coat and seemed to have had his ivory white mane completely shaven off except for a single lock which was braided on the side of his head. He also wore a brilliant blue stone on a golden collar around his neck which seemed to glow all on its own. His cutie mark was a blue and gold flail. The younger stallion had a dark, emerald coat. On his head was a blue and white striped cloth and what looked to be a wig made from the hair of another pony’s mane. Because of this, the princess couldn’t tell if he had any actual hair under the wig or not. His cutie mark was a blue and gold shepherd’s crook. Both of the stallions were pegasi. They wore loincloths around their flanks and had golden anklets on each leg. They also had mascara on, making their sparkling eyes seem to pop out. With all these features taken into account, it didn’t take long for the princess to recognize the two stallions. “Prince Menes! Prince Lazuli! How are you two? I haven’t seen you boys for a few years now.” The older stallion greeted the princess back with a nod and said, “Please, Celestia. Just call me Lapis Lazuli. We are all royalty here, after all.” The younger stallion looked amusedly at the older one then turned to the princess as he said, “Forgive my brother, Princess Celestia. When he asks to talk in a more personal fashion, it only means he wants your hoof in marriage.” The princess tittered as she shook her head, “Same old Prince Lazuli. Your father is doing well, I hope?” The older stallion replied with enthusiasm, “You could actually ask him yourself! The pharaoh is here tonight. He went straight to the dinner hall riding on his ebony litter, being carried by four of our country’s strongest pony-servants.” The younger prince continued for his brother, “Yes, along with fifty more of our pony servants following suit, ready to aid him in whatever way they can.” The princess couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, Pharaoh Uraeus does love to make an entrance. I remember the day he brought his entire zoo over when we came to visit the city of Damshire. King Shamrock was appalled that your father didn’t mention he was bringing something so extravagant and yelled at him right in front of all the other nobles. The king just simply had no place for all the animals while he had his party.” Prince Menes put a hoof to his chin in thought and said, “I remember that day. The king had no choice but to have the animals stay in the garden where the party was being held. Everypony considered it the most fetid party they had ever been to and it almost ruined his entire reputation.” Princess Celestia affirmed with the younger prince stating, “Yes, if I had not spoken on poor Shamrock’s behalf, he would have probably been thrown off his throne.” Prince Lazuli laughed in response, “Hah! Thrown off his throne! That’s a clever one. However, it was quite tragic if you ask me. King Shamrock had almost declared war on father for embarrassing him in front of everypony.” The younger prince said, “Fortunately, they both decided that it was unwise to battle each other since they were on opposite sides of the sea. I mean if they did wage war, they probably would have gotten too many other nations involved in their little bout.” “I see nothing wrong with that! Just more fun for us! Aren't I right brother?” continued Prince Lazuli, to which both he and his brother laughed. The princess was unamused and forced a smile, “Well, if you two princes wouldn’t mind. I think I’ll be heading off to the dinner hall now. I’m quite famished.” Prince Menes smiled at the princess and told her, “Of course, Princess Celestia. We’ll let you be on your way. My brother and I have other matters to attend to anyway.” As the two brothers moved on to other conversations, the princess faced away and rolled her eyes, “Ugh… those two… How can ponies enjoy war so much?! I can’t wait for an era of nothing but peace and harmony then we’ll see how much fun they have.” As one of her ears twitched, the princess took a slow and steady breath to calm her nerves. Eventually, her shoulders drooped and stress fully left her body. “Serenity, Celestia... serenity… You are at an extravagant party with royalty and warlords from all over the world. Most of these ponies have had many wars with each other in the past. In a palace full of ponies who can’t seem to settle an argument or a misunderstanding peacefully, you must stay civil. Otherwise, there is no more hope for a sane and pleasant world.” Brightening up, Princess Celestia walked into the dinner hall with a grin on her face. Tonight was supposed to be a fun night. She should enjoy it and not worry over the unruly aspects of life. Those problems were for future Celestia to worry about. “Oh, I’m getting upset over it way too much. Hay, that was probably the worst thing that was going to happen tonight!” BOOM! The walls began shaking and the floor shifted around before calming down again. The princess looked worriedly around the room, noting that not a creature was making a sound. She broke the ice, “… What just happened?” BOOM!!! The palace started rumbling uncontrollably. The numerous ponies in the dinner hall started galloping in frenzy. Panicked ponies began fleeing the scene as their screams filled the night air. Soldiers and guards from different cities and towns began storming out of the palace to see what all the trouble was. The princess got her wits back together and followed suit, ready to assist in whatever way she could. As she exited, she saw faces frozen in shock, looking out towards the sea. As she turned her head, her jaw dropped, mirroring the other ponies’ expressions. Right before her eyes, Celestia began witnessing one of the most horrifying events in her life. Half the island was flooded and more water was rising in. The island was being eaten by the sea. -⊕- Twilight Sparkle set a bookmark on the page she ended at and closed the book. She glanced once more at the title as she reflected upon what she just read. Spike walked into the room and noticed that his roommate was still awake, “Haven’t you finished that book yet, Twilight? It’s almost bedtime.” “Almost! I just got to the good part.” “The good part? Aren’t you reading a story about a sinking island or something? What was it called again?” Twilight floated the book towards her faithful assistant and revealed to him the title, “It’s the myth of the lost city of Atlantis! It’s a great piece of fiction that I’m sure you’d enjoy reading too. It’s got Princess Celestia in it acting a bit like a sourpuss. I know I should be writing angry letters to the author for such an atrocious misinterpretation of the princess, but it’s actually rather amusing to read her acting in such a way.” “I’m glad you enjoy it so much, Twi, but can’t you just get some rest and turn the lights out? I’m really tired right now.” “Oh, alright, if you insist. But trust me when I say this is a story for the ages. You won’t want to miss a single word of it!” “Whatever you say, Twilight…” And with that, Twilight turned out the lights. … “BURP!” Suddenly, a gust of luminescent green flame erupted from Spike’s mouth, a delicately wrapped scroll taking its place as soon as the magical fire disappeared, masking the bedroom once again in peaceful darkness. Twilight immediately turned the lights back on and grabbed the letter with her unicorn magic. She quickly unravelled it and began reading the message that lay within. “Huh? What’s this?” -⊕- Resting on her massive, plush mattress, Princess Celestia reread the invitation for the fifteenth time that bitter night. “An exuberant gala is to be held on Manehatten Island thirteen days from now… It’s the first gala that’s been held on an island since that horrible catastrophe from a thousand years ago. It should be utterly ridiculous of me to assume that such a traumatizing event would come about again… “… Right?”