> Protectors of Equestria > by Savvi > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prologue Deep within the mountains of Equestria, hidden nicely in the snow was a building. Unlike Canterlot, the building had been built deep between the rough mountain terrain. Almost as if nopony wanted anypony else to know of it's existence. The building wasn't tall or bulky. It was clear that most of the shelter was lower into the ground. There wasn't much to remember about the building or the surrounding area at all. On a dark night like tonight, it was virtually impossible to see. A familiar magenta colored mare trotted her way down a large, grey corridor. Her curly, cerise colored mane bobbed with each movement forward. A glass bottle that was pursed between her lips sloshed an amber liquid in unison with her mane. She neared the doors ahead of her and began to make out the somewhat large engraved letters "P.O.E." on it. Once she was close, a blue magic aura that she didn't care to learn the explanation of how it worked, enveloped her. Her bottom lip began to push upward as she lifted the bottle, tipping the liquid into her mouth as it both burned and soothed her throat. The blue glow disappeared and almost immediately after the doors began to part. She had gone through the process many times, and none of the actions of it seemed to phase her in the slightest. The large room that was revealed was a chaotic one. Several ponies raced between tapestries that hung from the walls. No pony in the room seemed calm in the slightest. All of them were moving madly about.The tapestry’s on the wall were worn and very old. Each tapestry was an enlarged map of a portion of Equestria. Even though most of the tapestries showed a lot of wear and tear, they were still beautifully designed and anypony of fashion would easily have admired them. It seemed clear by that fact that no pony in the room was noticing their beauty more than the information on them, that none of ponies there had an eye for fashion, or, there was something much more important at large. Two Unicorns stood off to the side arguing about the charts that they held up with their magic. A purple colored Pegasus shot across the room with a simple shout of "Sorry!" as the gust from her wings knocked over an Earth pony's paperwork off her desk. Papers scattered everywhere into the air. The yellow Earth pony looked less than pleased as she began the tedious task of picking them back up. "Seriously Miss Punch, are you drinking again? You have got to stop that while you are on the job!" Scolded a grey mare with purple treble clef on her rump. "Aw, come on. Give her a break. We called her in an emergency! You can't blame her if she was relaxing. It is the middle of the night." Retorted a mint colored Unicorn with golden colored eyes. The grey mare gave her an odd look at her response, one that stated that she found it a bit bizarre that was how the magenta pony chose to relax during the middle of the night. On a weekday no less. The pony who had been identified as Berry Punch dropped the empty bottle into a nearby trash bin before she stepped toward the two ponies who had spoke to her with a hiccup. Despite that fact that she had clearly drank more of the amber liquid than what was recommended, she seemed fairly cognitive. Her eyes glanced from the tapestries quickly as she focused on a particular onlined area. "Let's get this over with. I've got get some sleep before I work the vineyards in the morning. What do they need help with now?" Berry asked a slur in her tone. “You’re in luck, I do believe it’s a fairly simple task.” A Pegasus replied as she began to go over the details of Berry’s assignment. Just as the yellow Earth pony had finished picking up the papers the same Pegasus shot past once again, the papers flying in the breeze behind her as the purple Pegasus landed next to the other one who was talking to Berry. She handed her a chart before she was off again. The yellow Earth pony looked like she was just about ready to give up on life as the Pegasus shot by for a third time and threw her hooves up into the air, exasperated. “Well… It was going to be simple.” The Pegasus replied as she looked over the chart. There were many rules this unit had to enforce. A great deal of things had to be kept under wraps. No pony who wasn’t apart of the secret could know about them. Even the Elements of Harmony had no idea that this group of ponies were helping them. Insuring that the heroes of Equestria always made it to their destinations, and that they always saved the day. After all, it was very hard to believe that six little ponies could manage such a feat on their own, keeping all of Equestria safe. That was a heavy job. Nopony knew just how much happen the in the background. Nopony could possibly know what exactly was going on. Berry Punch’s hooves stepped back into the soft white snow as she shut the door behind her. She didn’t have any form of coat, or scarf, and she really didn’t need one. The warmth of her favorite drink was running through her veins. She smiled as she began to move quickly, starting as a trot before she went full gallop. Somepony needed her help! She shouldn’t keep them waiting. These ponies held the secrets of Equestria on their backs. They were not the faces of the Elements of Harmony. Most of them were not well known. The ponies hidden within the mountains and snow, deep under the ground, had a big, dark secret about the safety of Equestria. They cleaned up when nopony else wanted too. They were always behind the scenes, and lending a hoof to the owners of the Elements of Harmony. Welcome to the Protectors of Equestria.