//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: The Mare, the Dragon, and the Draconequus. // by TDR //------------------------------// It was once said 'that all little boys want to be heroes, and all little girls want to be Princesses.' Speaking as a Princess myself, I say screw that. The year is 38E, thirty eight years since the three tribes came together, moved from the frozen north and founded the land known as Equestria. After centuries of waring amongst themselves the three leaders of the tribes came to an agreement and now lived in peace. Every pony was content and we all lived happily ever after. Except for the parts where we didn't, which was every part. That's the problem with fairy tail endings, every one just drops a happily ever after on it and expects everything to be sunshine and rainbows from that point on. Quite sickening to be honest, it's only made more so by the fact that no one even bothers to think about what happens after. And the ones who do consider what's beyond the happily ever after are considered insane or at the very least some pony not to be around. I call bullshit on that. No matter how idyllic the story ends, there's always going to be conflict from those who don't agree with the ending. Always something no one mentions because it ruins the mask of happiness these stories wear. There's always a dark epilogue hidden just below the surface, sometimes found in real history, or in some notes the tale spinner didn't feel like adding to the actual story. Always something, like an illegitimate child of rape, some pony cutting their own hooves bloody to try and fit them into a shoe too small for them, or some one dancing to death in molten hot boots. Back on the topic of the three tribes. The pink dragon in the room that no one wants to mention here is that it isn't working. Years of strife hate and spesieum is not going to vanish from the minds of the ponies simply due to finding a new place to live and a some stupid tale about some frozen monster ponies trying to suck the heat out of our bodies. Cooperation like that takes work, lots of work with some one important to rally behind. Commander Hurricane, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Princess Platinum were the ones everyone rallied behind. Were. Commander Hurricane was not a young pegasus when the exodus happened. He did not live many more summers before he passed of old age and failing health. His successor the now Commander Pansy was a bad fit for the position,with no real leadership skills and almost no force of will to call her own, but at least she is trying. Chancellor Puddinghead was never the most stable pony to begin with and when she finally went off the deep end no one was surprised. They already had a nice padded room waiting for her. Her successor was not an idiot, but he has no presence at all, I can't even remember his name, I think it was Cookie something. Doesn't matter he's only slightly more skilled at leadership that Pansy, which isn't saying much. Grandma Platinum was one of the few of the unicorns who believed in the three tribes joining. She lost some pull when her adviser Clover left to become the next Starswirl the bearded. A bit off topic here but those ponies freak me out a little. There's a whole tribe of unicorns and a few other ponies living up in a big mountain in the middle of Equestria in some monastery. All of them are devoted to the study of magic and the few I have met are the most boring ponies in the world, great teachers of magic, also usually the best cures for insomnia. They are lead by whoever holds the title of Starswirl the Bearded, no one knows who the first Starswirl was, or how many there have been, but the name has become a title. Anything created by the title holder is connected to the title not who the pony is. While I cannot disagree with the advances in magical theory and the plethora of spells they have come up with giving all credit to a name rather than a individuals effort confuses me. But back to my grandmother. Even without Clover she did her best to ensure that the three tribes got along in the absence of the other two great leaders. Who knows, with the work she put into it she might have succeeded. Of course that was if my father hadn't killed her and framed my grandfather for it. It's one of those secrets to everybody. Every pony knows he did it to take her throne because he was tired of waiting for her to step down, or die of old age. But no one will bring it up because they either respect or fear him. My fathers rule has been turbulent to say the least, he barely tolerates the pegasi and absolutely loathes the earth ponies. But thankfully, he's not stupid, there are too many who would bury him right along side my grandmother and uncle if he tried to restart the wars. So he maintains the airs of cooperation, while undermining the other tribes authority every chance he gets. He does have one or two redeeming qualities however, he is not content to live off his mothers legacy for one. He strives to make his own way and make his name known. A few years ago he even lead a small force that cleared out a nest of hydra's that was encroaching on earth pony farmlands. His force was victorious and he was reported to have killed three of the beasts himself. Again I call bullshit, I doubt the oaf that sired me could figure out which end of the spear is the pointy end, let alone kill something. But it doesn't matter what I believe, it only matters what the rest of them believe. Get enough ponies to say the moon is made of green cheese and damned if the moon is not forever after, made of green cheese. Besides, it was that act that gave me my first taste of power. Everyone suddenly treated me like the princess I was, regarding me as far more important than even I thought I deserved due to my fathers actions. Sure it was respect by proxy and I had two siblings older than me and three younger that also had a taste, but they didn't seem to react like I did. They were content to accept power simply by being related to some one who did great things. I was not. But it would be hard for me to do anything on my own,living in my fathers shadow. As the second eldest female of the family line It was expected of me to be married off at some point. probably to cement some relationship or trade agreement with some minor house somewhere. Sent to a little keep somewhere out of the way were I would grow old popping out foals to feed some stupid noble's stupid son's sense of entitlement. The dumb colt would be thrilled he was wed to the daughter of the unicorn leader and then try to live off my fathers fame as well. I had my own plans. I was going to make my own way, earn my own respect, my own adoration. More than just some stupid unicorn nobles were going to know my name and know my deeds. I was going to make sure that I was remembered when I was finally gone, that Princess Platinum was not going to be the only one of my family that history remembered. Someday every pony was going to know the name Aviana. TDR Presents A prequel to Stories in Stone; Luna's Royal Guard. The Mare, the Dragon, and the Draconequus.