In the middle of what was now known as the inhospitable Equestrian Central Desert, an ancient civilization once thrived there. It was once a powerful and prosperous civilization with unimaginable riches. Almost nothing of it survived the eons. What did remained there, were among the most dangerous secrets ever concealed in Equestria.
The once empty lands were teeming with ponies in dark uniforms. Deep inside the ruins of a once magnificent temple, scientists and soldiers scurry among heavy scientific equipment. Powerful searchlights illuminated an enormous ring-like structure covered in mysterious symbols.
An airship landed outside the entrance under the clear starry night. Stepping out of the airship was a stern-face donkey with an eye-patch on his left eye. The pony guards saluted him smartly as he entered the temple. As the donkey entered the chamber containing the ring, a pudgy pony scientist galloped over to him, babbling, “Director Stone, the readings from the gate has been steadily rising at an alarming rate for the past two hours. We guess-”
“I don't like guessing game, doctor. Give me facts,” Director Stone snapped at him.
“There is no other way of putting it, but the portal, it's opening!”
“Opening for whom?”
“We don't know!”
Director Stone looked at the gate. A green aura was starting to envelop it.
“Then let's ready the welcoming committee. Guards, take your positions!” Director Stone commanded. Heavily armoured colts took up attack positions around the gate. Stone stood in front of the gate, waiting.
The portal exploded into a burst of light. A hoof extended through its watery-like gate.
“At last, I'm free!” A snaky voice echoed around the chamber.
“This is Director Stone of Equestria M.U.L.E. Identify yourself!” Director Stone ordered.
The mysterious voice crackled with laughter. “Oh, is this how you welcome your god now? Oh my, how manners have changed for the worse since my ancestors last visited. But no matter, you'll learn who I am.”
“Oh, I know who you are now. Your sister has told us everything we need to know about you. She suggested we call for your arrest.”
“My sister may disrespect me, but you'll learn to fear me, for I am Prince Facet!” A gray unicorn with snake-like eyes burst through the gate.
“Bow down to your future ruler!” Prince Facet laughed as he showered thunderbolts around the temple chamber.
Twilight, to her surprise, had become genuinely intrigued. Yes, she knew Prince Facet's name was a cute word-play on the name of a real-life royalty figure from the history book. His fantastic magical power was also beyond unrealistic for any unicorn. But for some reason, she found herself reading panels as fast as her eyes could allow.
A footnote at the bottom of the page reads, “To find out more how Director Stone learn about Prince Facet, read Star Storm Issue Four!”
“So, they're trying to entice me to buy yet another comic book just to find out what's really going on. No wonder Spike has been buying them like crazy,” Twilight mused.
The book then shifted attention to the hero characters in question. There was Steam Vent, a genius inventor earth pony who built a flying suit powered by steam; the unicorn Captain Equestria, a war hero of the last great pony war who found himself transported forward in time; Beautrix, a beautiful Pegasus mare who could morph into a powerful vampire-pony beast; Crossbow the griffon, the sharpest crossbow sharpshooter in Equestria; and lastly, Star Storm.
“Star Storm? Is this what Rumble was talking about yesterday?” Twilight read the narrator's introduction to the character more carefully.
Star Storm, princess of the elusive Amethyst Kingdom. She was one of the youngest and most powerful practitioners of the nearly extinct Amethyst branch of magic. First sent by Queen Ruby Heart to retrieve a forbidden scroll stolen from their kingdom, Star Storm decided to stay in Equestria to learn more about the world outside her hermit country, in the hope that she could one day bridge the two civilizations together.
A portrait of Star Storm took up an entire page. The unicorn mare was standing confidently on a cliff, dressed in exotic garment that was a cross of warrior armour and a magician cloak.
The book ended with Star Storm learning about Prince Facet's return at the temple ruins, which turned out to be one of Amethyst Kingdom's magical portals from a millennial ago. The next issue of the story was on top of the stack. Twilight took it without hesitation.
“What do you want from me, Stone?” Beautrix asked. The elaborately dressed mare was standing under a cherry tree with an exquisitely hand-crafted umbrella in her hooves and her hat shading her face.
“I'm asking you to help,” Director Stone said.
Beautrix laughed bitterly. “After all the repulsive and regrettable things I've done? All I want is to live out the rest of my days peacefully, away from my inner monster.”
Stone moved closer and said with a softer voice, “I'm giving you a chance for redemption. I'm giving you a chance to prove that you're not a monster.”
Beautrix looked away. “No pony is going to forgive me. They don't trust me anymore. I'll never redeem myself to them.”
“Whoever said about redeeming yourself to them?” Stone turned away.
Beautrix unfurled her umbrella to shade herself from the bright sunlight, and she followed Stone back to his airship.
“You know Foresight, riding this airship actually brings back some fond memories,” Captain Equestria said to Agent Foresight as they rode in a high-tech, pressurized airship.
“You had airships back in your days?” Foresight asked, looking up from her clipboard.
“Yup, my parents used to take me on airship joy rides. Back then, they weren't as comfortable, or safe.”
“Don't worry Captain, airship technology has improved tremendously in your absence.”
“Prepare for landing,” the airship pilot announced from the cockpit.
“Landing? We're still at least five hundred feet over nowhere,” Captain Equestria asked, confused. He got his answer when a gigantic airship, as large as the tallest tower in Canterlot, loomed into view amidst the clouds.
“Welcome to Airship Carrier One, M.U.L.E's mobile headquarter,” Foresight said with no small amount of pride.
Captain Equestria's jaws turned slack with awe as he watched the ponies on the carrier's flight deck guide their airship to land.
Prince Facet had located and retrieved the Hydra Stone from an upscale auction house, and in his moment of triumph he used its magic to hold the auction's distinguished attendees hostage in the town square.
“It's being over a millennial since I've received any tribute from your race. But no matter, Prince Facet is a benevolent ruler. Pledge your loyalty to me, and you'll find me a better ruler than your fake 'princess' have ever been,” Prince Facet said to the shivering crowd of ponies in ballroom garbs, pointing his magic staff menacingly at them. “Now, bow down before me!”
An elderly pony wearing faded guard uniform stood up and said stoically, “I've been a royal guard all my life. I've never once bowed down to the tyrants who came before you, and I shall not bow down to you.”
Prince Facet laughed raucously. “Then I shall make an example out of you. This is what you get for your undying loyalty to your puffy princesses!”
Prince Facet pointed his staff at the elderly pony, when a shield flew from the sky and knocked the staff out of his hooves.
“Who attacked me?!” he cried.
Captain Equestria jumped down from his airship with Crossbow landing closely behind him. “It's rude to disrespect your elders, Prince Facet. Haven't your mother taught you manners?”
“Insolent fools! I'll have your hide!” Prince Facet fired off a bolt of lightning at them. They leap to safety just in time. The ponies started running away in panic.
Captain Equestria recalled his enchanted shield, which flew back to his outstretched hoof. He threw it again at Prince Facet, knocking Prince Facet to the ground. Crossbow, now in the air, fired two shots of arrows at Prince Facet, pinning him to the ground by the sleeves of his royal gown.
Captain Equestria stood over Prince Facet. “Surrender now, and we may consider repatriating you back to your home country.”
“You overestimated your strength, ponies!” Prince Facet suddenly vanished. It was a hallucination.
“Look out!” Crossbow cried out. The real Prince Facet jumped off a statue, his staff aimed at Captain Equestria's head.
“Oof!” A cannon ball from nowhere hit Facet in the chest, and he tumbled to the ground. The ball exploded into a net, trapping Facet.
“You guys started the party without me?” Steam Vent, in his shiny full-body armor, landed next to Captain Equestria. “My invitation card didn't say this will be one of those parties.”
“Steam Vent, is that you?” Captain Equestria asked.
“That's me! The one and only Steam Vent, and no pony ever throw a party in Canterlot without me. I hoped there's a buffet here, otherwise this is one lousy party.”
Captain Equestria glared at him. Steam Vent shrugged. “What? Chill. Mission accomplished. Let's take this party-crasher out of her.”
“Twilight! Where's lunch?” Spike interrupted Twilight from the doorway.
“I'm still busy tidying up your mess. You'll have to fix your own lunch,” Twilight said, hiding the comic book.
“Well, if you said so. I think I'll have ice-cream cake for lunch today. Mmm!” Spike smacked his lips as he ran out of the tree house. Twilight rolled her eyes. She carried on reading the next volume.