The Missing Princess

by PopsicleLove

Dreaming

Dawn's eyes fluttered open. This wasn't the bright, white, comforting room she had gone to sleep in. She was in a cage. It was buried. The cage was metal, and it was covered in dirt, there was no light. It was pitch black. Her hair was flowing, her eyes were bright, and she felt something on her sides. She felt... strong. But she was trapped. Suddenly, the cage melted into burning, liquified metal. The dirt melted away, and as the liquid metal engulfed her, suddenly, she found herself awoken on a starry path.

A pony with straight bangs, a purple coat, purple eyes, and a purple mane with a pink streak was looking at her. She stared back and the pony broke into shards of glass. Dawn rushed to the glass, but alas, the pony was gone. She tapped the glass, and it became a mirror. She did not see herself. She saw a great pony with a flowing mane, a white coat, great wings, a golden crown and necklace, and-

The mirror shattered off of the clouds. Then, Dawn fell. She fell back underground, in the hole she had awoken in.

"Help!" she exclaimed, but her voice sounded different. Something stared at her with bright, white eyes out of the darkness. The voice that went with the majestic eyes sounded like a child's, but distorted.

"You will find no help. You will no longer be yourself, you will disappear off of the face of the Earth!" the voice cackled, and it echoed before the eyes blinked and disappeared. The hole started filling with burning, blood red lava. Dawn scrambled to the back of the hole, but the lava engulfed it. The eyes appeared again, just as the lava was to touch her. But this time, they were tinged with blue, and it had a face. A familiar one.

Luna.

Dawn awoke in sweat and tears. She was panting. Luna sat beside her. Dawn started to cry.

Luna and Dawn trotted in Ponyville. It was odd to see a princess just walking in a small town like Ponyville. Dawn had calmed down, and they were now trotting about.

A paper hit Dawn in the face. She spluttered and then brushed out of her face to read it. It was a new paper, with a picture of six ponies.

"Ah yes, the MSAC. It's happening tomorrow. Would you like to go see it? It's really quite a show. I think you'll enjoy it." Luna smiled, leaning over Dawn's shoulder. Dawn didn't answer. She only stared at the six ponies shown in the photo. Why did so many things seem so familiar?

"Who's the purple pony?" Dawn asked. She seemed to be the most significant in the photo, since she was in the middle of the photo. And she also seemed very familiar.

"Twilight Sparkle." Luna smiled. "She is the Princess of Friendship. She was quite the student at Celestia's School for Gifted Ponies."
"Could I meet her?" Dawn asked. Luna smiled.
"Of course. She will be at the MSAC."

They trotted a bit further before Dawn spoke again.
"Who's the purple haired pony?" Dawn asked.
"Rarity, she was the most fashionable pony of Equestria, and a fantastic dress maker." Luna replied.

Dawn paused.
"Was?"
"Yes, when the princess went missing thirteen years ago, Rarity closed her shops in both Canterlot, and here in Ponyville. That blue pony there," Luna said, pointing towards the pony with the rainbow hair and blue coat. "She moved back to Cloudsdale to help the Wonderbolts."

"And the orange pony?"
"She's working hard and strong on her farm. She's still here in Ponyville."

"What about the yellow and pink pony?"
"Oh, she's still here as well. You don't really see her often though, she's usually busy working with her animals." Luna replied.

"The pink pony?"
"Oh." Luna laughed. "She's never quite in one place. She's all over the Equestria. She's a real party planner. 'The party must go on!' she says."

Dawn smiled.
"Do you think we could go meet these ponies?"
"Of course! They will all be at the MSAC." Luna said. They trotted further, with smiles upon their faces, and small talk through their mouths.

Dawn sniffed the air. "Something smells good, Luna."
"Mmm..." Luna sniffed too, and then smiled. "Are you hungry?"

Dawn nodded, smiling.
"We should go get food at Sugarcube Corner. It was my sister's favorite."
"Oh! Where is your sister now?" Dawn asked. But the question saddened Luna.
"She... died." Luna replied, with great difficulty.
"Oh..." Dawn said, eyes casting downwards. "I'm sorry."

Luna gave back a weak smile, and reached out a hoof for Dawn. Dawn smiled.

The two of them were sitting at one of Sugarcube Corner's colorful tables.
"What would you like today?" asked a pony with a blue coat and pink eyes and mane. "Oh, and my name is Mrs. Cup Cake!"

You could practically shove a smiley face emoticon in her quotations.

"Um... Maybe we could just have a minute more, please?" Dawn asked.
"Oh of course, darling!" Mrs. Cup Cake smiled.

A squeal echoed throughout the shop.
"CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSTOMERSSSSSSSSS!!!" squealed a voice, very loudly. Mrs. Cup Cake and a yellow pony who also appeared to be working there gave no notice to the shout. Dawn assumed this happened often.

"SO! Would you like apple cupcakes, cherry cupcakes, sapphire cupcakes, orange cupcakes, zap apple cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes, coffee cupcakes, drenched cupcakes, lemon and lime cupcakes, apricot cupcakes, pudding cupcakes, pineapple cupcakes, liquid cupcakes, peach cupcakes, passion fruit..." a pink pony said, before heaving and panting. She took a BIG breath and then... "cupcakes, ice cream cupcakes, cookie cupcakes, paint cupcakes, swag cupcakes, banana cupcakes-"

"Um, could I have a strawberry cupcake please?" Dawn asked, cutting the pony off.
"Um, me as well, please." Luna smiled.

"Okay!" the pink pony squealed, and then jumped to get their cupcakes.
"That would be Pinkie Pie." Luna laughed.