By the time Jet Lance had reached the throne room, the entire guard force was there. Something had happened, and nopony had told him yet. His suspicions were correct, however, because he suspected that it had something to do with the Princess. Weaving through the crowds of heavily armored guards, he could see they were gathering around Luna, who had been the first to reach the throne. "What's going on?" "What's happening?" "Where is the Princess?" said the guards, shaking in their suits of armor. She picked up the note that was lying on it, wiping away her tears as she turned to the gathering of stallions. "Disperse, everypony. This matter is in my hooves, not yours. Whoever did this will pay the 1000 year penalty, without any doubt..." She trotted out of the room with the note hovering beside her, slamming the doors behind her as she entered the foyer, and out the doors to presumably gather the Elements of Harmony.
After all of the guards had calmed down and were done inspecting the room, Jet Lance, the aforementioned guard, was pondering at what he had saw on the paper. He had seen the odd symbols on the note, wondering if it was just him in a nervous state hallucinating things, or if it was actually symbols instead of letters. Nevertheless, he was worried for the Princess more than a possible ransom note. His job as a guard was remarked upon, seeing as though he was picked to be one of the Princess's personal servants before her foalnapping. He walked up the stairs in the foyer to the more political oriented rooms, heading for the secretary's office.
There she was, the mare that he's been dating for a long time. Prime Decree, Celestia's head secretary. She was sitting at her desk, writing down messages to ponies, possibly about the situation. "So...She's gone?" asked Lance, sitting down beside her. "As evidenced by her unprovoked disappearance, I'd say she's been kidnapped." She looked towards him, sighing. "But what about the note? Don't we know who took her?" asked Lance, shivering at the thought of the mare that he's a servant to for years being taken away without notice. Sighing once more, Prime set the quill down. "Unfortunately, the note was cryptic and we're working on deciphering it as soon as we can. It seems to be some sort of forgotten or old language, rather than a bunch of symbols." Lance thought for a moment, looking over to the paper Prime was working on. "What is this? Some sort of request for...a replacement Princess?" said Lance, asking yet another question. "Yes, the absence of Celestia is a very bad thing. We'll need the most politically intelligent citizen we can find to fill in for her while we search. Lucky for you, you're going to get to serve her just as you did with Celestia."
Prime Decree had explained how the replacement system works. First they check into the records of all colleges and universities in Equestria, finding the most excelling student in the subject of politics and governmental issues. They pull up their names and gather them up, then compare their grades to see who is the legitimately best mare for the job. Two days later, Prime Decree had made her way into the private chambers of Lance, shaking him awake. "Wha-wha...what is it?" he mumbled, yawning. As Lance rubbed his eyes and sat up, Prime placed a small photo onto his lap. "This is her, Jet. The substitute Princess. Her name is Ditzy, but the town of Ponyville has taken to calling her Derpy Hooves, for some unexplained reason. She is employed as a mailmare currently...even though she spent four years studying government subjects in the College of Canterlot." Lance picked up the picture, holding it close. It was a grey pegasus, cross-eyed with a blonde mane. "Certainly an...interesting pony, from what I've just heard." Prime Decree smiled, yawning and kissing him on the cheek. She trotted back to the door, closing it slowly. "I have to get to bed now. Sleep well, Jet Lance."
