//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Vanishing in Equestria // by Pernix //------------------------------// Vanishing in Equestria Prologue 9:39 P.M. Canterlot Library: Southeast Wing, 3rd Floor The sublime ambience of chirping crickets filled the atmosphere of the library as the moon steadily rose in the night sky. The excitement and exhilaration taken place during the day had started to dim down to a peaceful, serene calm. The lights seen from many towns in the distance slowly began to flicker out one by one, until the illumination had died down completely, turning hustle-and-bustle towns into small dark mounds peering out of the moonlit earth. Along with the various towns spread throughout the land, Canterlot also started turning in for the night. The windows of the castle began to turn to a near-black darkness, as the indoor lights were almost simultaneously doused in unison. The inhabitants returned to their homes, retiring all activities experienced and undergone during the busy day. Although most everypony had gone to rest, there were the guardsponies stationed to work the night shift around the castle and facilities. Despite the notoriety of such a position, it wasn't a job to complain about. The nights were usually always serene and peaceful, and rarely anypony tried to cause problems during the shift. The position was, surprisingly, a highly-revered one. As the library personnel began to close for the night, guards were scheduled to patrol and make certain that the individual wings were secure. From ancient scrolls to forbidden tomes, each section was locked up to the point of being completely airtight. It wasn't too often that anypony would attempt to break in, but precautions were still taken to the furthest extent. The southeast wing was the last to lock up for the night, following directly behind the other sections of the library. Only two guards were stationed in the wing, mainly due to the simplicity of the duty given to them. As the first and second floors were confirmed locked, both guards encountered each other in the hallways of the third floor. "Hey there, Ezekiel!" shouted one of the guards. "Oh, hey Lowen!" replied the second guard, "I see they have you running the graveyard shift too." "Yeah, I got called in last minute. Can't really complain, though." Lowen glanced over to one of the large-framed windows in the hall, gazing at the starlit sky above the serene landscape. "Beautiful night, isn't it?" Lowen continued. "Sure is. I'm actually pretty glad I got stuck up here tonight!" "Heh, same here! A scene like this doesn't come by too often." "Don't I know it. The stars are shining, and there isn't a cloud in sight. The pegasi must've pulled out all the stops when they cleared the sky tonight." "Well, they sure did a good job." The guards continued to chatter and catch up on recent events as the moon continued to rise in the sky. As the minutes passed by, both of the ponies had remembered the reason why they were in the library in the first place, and decided to continue with their duties. "Ah, I should really be getting back to my patrol. Only a few more sections to lock up, then it's stationary duty." Lowen began. "I should do the same. I'll head the other way and get the sections around the corner." "Sounds like a plan, Zeke. Be seeing you around the bend." "Later, Lowen." After an exchange of friendly farewells, both guards traveled in opposite directions, continuing with their rounds. Lowen nonchalantly trotted down the abandoned hallway, locking the last of the opened library sections as he progressed. After securing two of the wings, he walked over to the hallway windows, staring into the night sky. Dark, eerie clouds began to fill the diamond-gleaming sky, concealing the shimmering stars with an opaque gray fog. The clouds moved so quickly that the bright illumination of the moon was snuffed out within mere seconds, leaving the earth darkened and devoid of light. "So much for the pleasant working conditions..." Lowen mumbled to himself. Lowen reached his right foreleg behind his head, turning on a standard flashlight that had been mounted onto his armor. The beam pierced the ominous darkness that seemed to pollute the halls after the unwelcome clouds had concealed the glowing moonlight. After securing the last section on the current floor, Lowen began to progress back towards the front end of the wing, now grimacing at the thought of filling in for the stationary guards out front. As he drew closer to the staircase near the front of the wing, the guardspony was snapped out of his pessimistic trance by a startling sound. The noise was a mix between a shrill shriek and an elongated gasp. As if somepony had attempted to scream before their voice was muffled into a noisy whisper. Its pitch and tone were enough to make Lowen's mane almost stand straight into the air, as his eyes shot open and adrenaline rushed through his body. "Z...Zeke? Is that you?" Lowen called out, concerned about the well-being of his friend that had gone in the same direction as the disturbing sound. No response came, worrying the startled guard even further. Despite the sheer eeriness of the noise, Lowen quickly proceeded downstairs to find his friend who didn't, or couldn't, respond to his call. After reaching the bottom flight of the staircase, the frightened stallion found a sight that chilled him to his core. A set of guard's armor laid in the middle of the library lobby, as if its wearer had suddenly vanished into thin air. The chestpiece and helmet sat directly next to each other, as they shimmered in the beam of Lowen's flashlight. Lowen instantly began to think of the untimely fate that could have befallen his friend, as he began to shudder in his own armor. "Oh no... Zeke! Zeke, where are you! Answer me!" Lowen shouted in desperation, to which no response came. As he examined the armor that laid in the open, another sound began to come to his attention. Whispers. Faint whispers echoed through the lobby walls, repeating themselves in an eerie reiteration. The whispers sounded as if multiple voices were speaking at once, as each individual sound seemed to mesh with the others in a macabre harmony. Lowen, now frantic with fear, instantly turned around and bolted through the front doors of the library, trying to find an area of safety where other ponies would be present. As he ran outside, his flashlight revealed more sets of armor that had been dropped throughout the courtyard. "No... no, no, no, no, no!" Lowen repeated to himself, desperately attempting to find help. "Is anypony there?! Hello?!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, only to receive no reply. The whispers followed him into the courtyard, echoing in his ears as he started to lose every trace of his sanity with each passing moment. Tears welling in his eyes, Lowen ran to the opposite side of the courtyard, forgetting his bearings and location due to the fear he was experiencing. The voices continued to play like a broken record in his mind as he ran through the pitch-black plaza. His flashlight was only able to light the way ahead of him, revealing only a straight pathway in front of his face. Before long, Lowen had run into the corner of two converging walls, trapping him between them and the origin of the voices. Lowen slowly turned around, whispers becoming louder as they continued to drone through his ears. The flashlight mounted on his armor began to flicker and fade, showing that the power source was nearly completely depleted. As he shuddered in the corner, he noticed that the whispers started to become more legible, as they started to form recognizable words. As the voices grew louder, they also became clearer, revealing the two words that were repeated continuously: "I exist." "Leave me alone... just leave me alone!" Lowen screamed, stuttering as he continued to quake. As Lowen's flashlight began to die, the eerie shadow of a pony began to grow from the grass in the courtyard, despite having no source of light or host to cast it. The shadow grew only a few yards away from Lowen, facing him almost directly. As the whispers continued to replay and repeat, the shadow began to stretch out and move towards Lowen as the beam from his flashlight was nearing the point of completely dying out. He attempted to step backwards and tuck further into the corner, but could only press himself into the corner as the shadow drew nearer and nearer. It wasn't long before the shadow was only a couple of feet away from him. It progressed with no haste, as the terrified guardspony could only shake in sheer terror. There was nothing he could do to escape his unknown enemy now. The whispers were now loud enough to be ear-shattering, and the shadow was only a few inches away from him. Paired with a terrified scream, the light flickered out to a pitch-black surrounding. Everything went dark within an instant. The whispers ceased, as the guard's armor clattered to the ground, leaving Canterlot plagued with an eerie silence.