The Investigation of the Missing - Prologue
Equestria - A few days after the disappearance of Cranky Doodle and Matilda in Perfect Green.
Lunar guards and Ponyville Pegasus officers swarmed all over what was once property of Cranky Doodle Donkey and Matilda, from the air they would have resembled frenzied ants reacting to the nest being disturbed as they moved back and forth. Bits of equipment were set up around the perimeter, including multiple monitors that displayed a constant stream of grotesque images. These images were being sent via a magical relay to the screens from the scanner equipment carried on the back of those criss crossing the property in a grid pattern. Or what was left of the property.
It did not set anypony at ease that the former homestead of an elderly couple had vanished from the face of Equis. Nor that in its place was an eerily perfectly green and unnaturally pristinely manicured grassy double lot, and some of the guards had started reporting that they felt like the grass was trying to grab onto them even though they were being very careful to keep in the air and stay out of direct contact. The area was cordoned off for security and safety reasons, any onlookers or curious locals were sent away by heavily armed guards. Considering what the investigation had discovered so far, it’s was definitely safer that anypony without clearance be kept far away.
Princess Luna herself sat in a makeshift camp on the far northern edge of the unnatural property, going over every single image and live feed sent from the guards who were running the grid. The state of the art equipment was a ground penetrating magic imaging system that allowed one to see what was under the ground without digging into the earth. It relayed both still images and motion video, and was also safer than digging into the ground or severely disturbing the grassy lot. The technology was developed by the lunar guard engineers working alongside Subtle Trace, who had developed the magic scanning system and spell itself. Subtle Trace had also been the first one to notice the change in the odd formations underneath the earth, her quick response to what she had seen had likely saved many lives.
She had been the first no notice what the investigation now called Phantom Monuments, monstrous alabaster statue aberrations with perfectly green seed-like objects embedded in them beneath the ground of the property. They were not actually there however, even without the ability to dig into the earth more in depth scans had noted that the Phantom Monuments seemed to phase in and out of existence. They were confined to the property at the moment, however nobody knew how long that would remain true. Part of the reason for the grid search scanning was to try to find a pattern to thier movements, which seemed to be linked to some unknown time and date system.
Though Luna wished they could dig beneath the earth and acquire a sample of a Phantom Monument, it simply wasn’t possible.
As the Princess and her first investigative squad had learned the first day, digging was a very bad idea, the grass and soil did not take kindly to damage or prolonged contact. A few members of the original group she had brought with her knew that all too personally, and one of them was still in the hospital. Poor Chasm Digger would likely never be able to move earth again after what happened to his legs. He had been the one who had initiated what was now referred to as the “Savage Soil” incident, and had borne the brunt of the volatile reaction as well.
They were lucky it had happened during the day, considering what was now known about what happened to the lot at night. Even luckier still that Nopony had been dragged under the earth, though many had to have odd vine-like things removed from open wounds by medical staff. Which was the reason only Pegasi, unicorns well versed and skilled in levitation and temporary flight magic, and night guard Thestrals were allowed to use the scanning equipment. It was simply too dangerous to let anypony come in prolonged contact with the misleadingly perfect blades of grass. After all, the unnatural grass blades had already claimed a few of the investigative team, and wounded others.
When Night fell they would have to fall back to the perimeter again, another thing they had learned over the past few days. Luna accepted that it was her fault for pushing the investigation into the night on day three, even after the Savage Soil incident. Even though she had seen the abominations and victims on the monitors herself after Subtle Trace had raced over to her tent with the scan that changed the investigation methods used a few days prior. All the signs that something was very wrong about the location were there, and were ignored. Luna had wanted so badly to see if anything could be done, if one single soul was still somehow alive under the waving blades of green and the earthen ground that she had ignored a feeling of dread that had dogged her more and more as night grew ever nearer.
The Alpha Squad of the night guard had elected to be the ones who would run the night investigation. Of the six members of Alpha only Andromeda Cloud had made it off the property and escaped what awoke at night, though she was in such horrible shape that she had to be sent to the hospital for treatment both physical and mental. None of the others from squad Alpha were ever seen again. But the footage Andromeda brought back verified the chilling fear Luna had felt since viewing the first image feed from day one.
She still remembered it, and had seen many similar videos and images since.
The formations beneath the property that seemed to belong to the multitude of missing Equestrians turned into grotesque abominable things were not still. They shifted, heads turning, ears moving, sometimes entire forms changing position or even disappearing from one location to show up in another grid section.
It was almost as if they were the missing, yet that could not be the case for ponies do not just turn into such things. Luna now suspected they were neither the missing nor anything known, but were something else entirely. However over the past two days deeper scans had found some of the bodies of the Missing. All of which were disturbingly identical to the Phantom Monuments that resembled them. The worst were those which were either disturbingly pristine or altered and twisted into something else that did not resemble any known entity or creature in the archives or restricted sections. The fact they too were mimicked by the alabaster statue monstrosities had sent quite a few guards into a panic, some requesting to trade posts out of fear, which Luna had agreed to.
Since then the investigation had begun using a rotating assigned work schedule, to protect the sanity of the remaining guards and others. Thankfully as long as the sun was up, the worst they had to worry about was the reactions of the sea of grass and soil beneath it. Which was easy enough to avoid triggering so long as no contact, or absolute minimal contact, was made with the blades and earth. The reaction was touch sensitive, and though some investigators still got cut or had the odd vines embed themselves in open wounds, none had been almost dragged under the earth since the changes in protocol were enacted.
This was only during the day however, at night things grew far worse and infinitely more dangerous.
What the videos and stills Andromeda had brought back showed was far worse than the possible fate of The Missing, there was something else in the land beneath thier hooves besides the missing. Something horrible, unnatural, and still very much unknown. Something dangerous, and as a result yet another new protocol had been enacted. Before dusk fell, all guards and officers must evacuate to the perimeter of the property. Nopony or nobeing should go near the property until after sunrise. This was for their own safety, and to protect others from the fate that befell Alpha squad. The five missing members had been found twenty four hours later, under the earth amongst some of the Missing. Their bodies had not been recovered, the risk was too great. Today five more alabaster Phantom Monuments had appeared, each mimicking the five dead members of Alpha squad.
The investigation had taken a toll on Luna as a result of the schedule being the opposite of her usual sleep cycle. However determination to find out if any survivors existed, or at least recover a single body, as well as figure out the cause of what this property had become drove her onwards. She felt it was her duty as Princess to oversee this investigation, and she was also the only one who could protect the guards and others from whatever was within the boundary of that perfect green lot.
She had sent a letter out to the Archivist Division, who had delivered multiple materials and books to Twilight Sparkle for research reasons. Luna also sent daily reports to her friend, who was working on trying to find any reference to something like this happening in the past. So far there had been no results, but in her last letter Twilight had said she thought that perhaps looking into folk legends and songs might help. Since oftentimes those materials had hidden information from ages past hidden within, it was worth a try. Until then Luna had to stay here and oversee the investigation itself and ensure the safety of those working with her.
The crystal alarm by her desk went off like a siren, as did others all around the perimeter. It was time for the guards and officers to return and write up their reports, dusk was nearing. As Luna continued to transcribe her observations and thoughts of the stills and video on the display before her, she noticed something new. It looked like underneath the many formations and Phantom Monuments there was something else. She reversed the image feed to that point, then slowly frame by frame she scanned for what she had seen. Then she saw it, freezing the frame at that moment she began to draw and describe the twisted boughs and winding vines that made up something far beneath the earth. It almost looked like a massive pathway or bridge, but that was impossible. She moved it forward one frame and froze, then without a second thought she printed the current frame and the previous one. Holding them side by side in her magic Luna shuddered.
Whatever that was, it wasn’t just made up of abnormal looking organic wood and vines. In the second frame, barely visible but still there, was what looked like a hoof wrapped in wood and leaves breaching the structure. A shriveled hoof from which plant-life seemed to grow. And odd symbols seemed to be visible within the structure, symbols she had never seen or heard of in her very long life.
As the hoof beats of those involved in the investigation resounded as they made their way into camp, a single set made its way towards Luna’s tent. A shimmering pale yellow magic field moves the tent flap aside, and a light peach coated unicorn mare with a orange mane and teal eyes poked her head into Luna’s tent. A uniform indicating her as a special investigator of senior rank glimmers in the sun as dusk grows near. Clearing her throat, she spoke as calmly as possible, aware that Princess Luna was currently absorbed in her work.
“Princess Luna, Cold Trails reporting in. The guards near the eastern boundary reported the grass blades were extending up and grabbing them as they flew over that section of the grid. I advise we limit scanning of that region for a day until the region calms down.” Noting that Luna remains frozen in place, barely reacting to her report, the mare tilts her head. “Princess Luna, have you found something Ma’am?”
The midnight blue alicorn turned her head to face Cold Trails, her starry mane waving in a nonexistent breeze. Her eyes wide, and filled with what looks like a combination of unease, worry, and most unsettlingly fear. Her magic still holding two printed images, Luna responds in a voice tinged with fear but filled with the force of authority. “Get us Twilight Sparkle, bring her here now. We need her assistance immediately.”
Cold Trails nods and says, “Yes Princess Luna, it will be done”, before leaving the tent and teleporting to the Castle of Friendship.
Inside her tent, Luna stared numbly at the images. A horrifying thought has begun to take root in her mind, something that shouldn’t be possible. She hopes with all her might that Twilight will prove her worst fears wrong. However hope in cases like this, is often the last bastion of those desperately wishing something horrible isn’t real.
Author's Note
The sequel to Perfect Green begins. Part one will take up multiple chapters. This is the prologue, the next chapter will be out later tonight.
For those who have read the first story, you may notice and recognize what the investigation team and Luna are discovering. As to why those things are in the lot, that is what the investigation shall soon discover at great cost.
