//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: The Dragon Extinction 
// by Stunt Monkey 
//------------------------------//

My name is Star Swirl, I carried this book with me while travelling around the Unicorn Kingdom and many other dangerous lands. throughout the ages some of the pages have faded or torn. I apologize for this. I also apologize for my plain writing style, I am not a writer after all.

The information I have recorded within here however, needs no apology. I made the effort to record my travels as I discovered facts and advice that every pony can depend upon in the future. I am proud to trust my discoveries in the hooves of King Platinum, this book was given to me by him, in which to write my findings about the missing dragons. He asked that upon my return from my journey and an official library copy had been made, the original should be given to his daughter and heir of the Unicorn Kingdom, Princess Platinum.

This journey was a great honour for me and a pleasure too. Princess Platinum and I rarely see each other now, sadly, I am encumbered with tasks from King Platinum on creating new spells. When we were young, we often spent time together, as the Head Wizard I was tasked with training the princess in various magic.

King Platinum's request of me presented many problems for other countries too, after all, when the dragons first started disappearing, the Pegasus Tribe was quick to accuse the Earth Tribe. The King predicts that unless the Unicorn Kingdom can make peace with the Earth pony Tribe and the Pegasus Tribe, war could be on the horizon. The King's head advisor, Faint Memory, had a solution that he refused to share with me; he requested that I write only in lead. It is true that the secrets held in this book could ruin entire empires overnight. Magical inscription or ink can not be reverted, however, Faint Memory is able to make 'changes' as he see's fit, in order to protect the other countries, should they discover the original findings in this book.

It is for the best, it is very unlikely that Princess Platinum will be able to make any sense of my poor writing either. It is blurry shapes compared to the fine palace script that she is used to.

As you can see from my introduction, I agreed to take this journey, I had no choice. An opportunity to explore the kingdom and go in search of dragons? Any other pony would be mad to take on such a task. Everything I have learned on my journey led me back here, however I truly believe that the secrets contained within this book should be shared. That is why before I completed my journey across the Unicorn Kingdom, I turned to my dear long life friend, Leather Binding. Page by page, he rewrote all of my findings. Nothing changed unless I requested it. And truth be told, there were a few small alterations to be made with every chapter.

Thanks to Leather Binding, this book is now a fitting gift for Princess Platinum, even with her recent disdain for reading. But I prey she will take to heart the importance of the secrets kept within, even if Princess Platinum never reads this books full text, I'm sure she will enjoy the Poetry of the Dragon Tongue, taught to me by dragons themselves. They are unique to this book, as I am the only living unicorn with the knowledge of the dragon language.

Princess Platinum is a very intelligent, thoughtful mare. I remember teaching her at a young age, I remember the word games and magic puzzles we enjoyed together. I'm sure she will show great interest in learning the secrets contained within this book's pages.

In faith,

Star Swirl
Head Wizard in the time of King Platinum.