What You Are in the Dark

Chapters

Diversions
Dragons
Learning
Epilogue
Spectacles

Diversions

"Find anything yet?" Twilight asked, looking up from her book. The room had emptied by now, the cryptolinguistics club having gone home when the library closed for the day. Now only Twilight and Honey remained, searching every available resource for Blossomforth's mystery creature.

The pegasus shrugged. "Something about vamponies, wereponies, and all kinds of other made-up ponies. Nothing really helpful." She turned a page.

Twilight stood, levitating the book in front of her, and began pacing. "Maybe we're not looking in the right place," she said. "Doesn't Neigh York have a sizeable foreign population? Maybe it's a pony from overseas."

Honey thought about it, tapping a hoof to her chin. She quickly retrieved a second book and scanned the contents. "Well... there ARE pony-like creatures in other countries," she confirmed, "but I can't remember ever meeting anything like this..."

Twilight sighed and looked out the window. "I wonder if Blossomforth is having any luck..."

~#~#~#~

"We're not having any luck!" Blossomforth exclaimed, flying as fast as her wings would carry her as she tried to prevent any of the balloons floating from Trixie's hat from escaping, popping them between her hooves. Below, Trixie was focusing all her magical might on attempting to deactivate the absurd garment, while Spike ran around frantically trying to catch the apples that fell from each balloon.

~#~#~#~

"I wonder if Blossomforth is having any luck," Octavia mused aloud.

"I hope so," Sherbet said, stepping into the elevator. "She seemed so shaken up."

Octavia followed her in, and the elevator began to descend. Octavia was whistling something slow and pensive above the drone of the machinery. Sherbet listened, trying to identify the song.

"Well then, what are we going do about it?" the musician asked abruptly.

"Ah... I am not entirely sure," Sherbet replied slowly. "I can say that it sounds familiar, but even if I could put a name to it, I don't think speculating will help her at all."

"Which is why you have another plan," Octavia observed. "Where are we going?"

The yellow mare thought it over for a moment. "We're going to Coneigh Island," she answered.

The elevator gate made a pleasant squeaking sound as it slid open on the ground floor. The bellcolt flashed the two mares a friendly smile as they trotted out the door and into the slight chill of the Manehattan afternoon, Octavia having resumed her tune.

He listened for a moment, then began whistling himself.

~#~#~#~

Trixie seemed distinctly displeased with their endeavors so far, so Blossomforth bit her tongue as they approached the spot where she had seen the bat-pony. Spike now rode on the pegasus's back, wearing the hat that Trixie had put aside after it had unexpectedly gone off earlier.

"Well, at least we got the weird part out of the way already," Spike was saying. "I bet after that, nothing can surprise us."

The pony under him winced. "See, that's exactly the kind of thing you don't want to say when you're looking for monsters in an alley," she chided.

"Yes," Trixie affirmed, nodding briskly. "Everypony who understands the stage knows that narrative causality demands that the moment you declare you're ready for anything, a skeleton pops out."

Blossomforth edged away from Trixie slightly, raising an eyebrow. "A what? No, I just meant you should assume a surprise is coming so you can be ready for it... what did any of that even mean?"

"Not important," the showmare replied, stepping forward to examine the area. "What was this thing doing in an alley, anyway? Eating garbage?"

Spike hopped down off Blossomforth's back, eyes sweeping over the alley as he leaned against a wall. Nothing seemed terribly out of the ordinary. There was a scattering of newspapers with today's date littering the ground just behind a large trash receptacle, and not much else.

The dragon's gaze began to wander, leaving the pavement to drift upward. At that moment, he could see the monster perched on the rooftop. "Halt, fiend!" he heard himself yelling. In response, it swooped down, vicious claws outstretched. With a single flex of his mighty arm, he swatted it into the wall. Undeterred, the creature pulled itself out of the small hole the impact had created and lashed out at his powerful legs with its long, bladed tail. He leapt into the air, retaliating with a blast of fiery breath.

The creature shrieked, and he hauled it up to eye level with himself, staring right into its ugly simian face. "Now, will you stop terrorizing helpless, innocent ponies?" he asked in his deep, heroic voice. It nodded frantically, and he released it.

"Oh, Spike, you're my hero!" Blossomforth cried out, flying over to give him a jubilant hug about his midsection.

"You saved the day all on your own! I'm so proud of you!" Twilight chimed in, smiling up at him.

"Such is the power of true passion that it may burn itself into the hearts of ponies, and never after be erased. Kiss me, Spike," Octavia said, standing on her hindlegs as she drew closer, one hoof on his shoulder to steady herself.

As he leaned forward to kiss the mare, the words echoed in his ears. Kiss me, Spike... Spike... Spike...

"Spike!" Blossomforth called, tapping him on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Huh, what?" The dragon jerked out of his daydream. Above, a pigeon perched on a statue looked transfixed by his odd behavior.

"You were staring off into space," the weather cadet explained. "Then you tried to kiss my flank. Are you sure you're up for this?"

Beside her, Trixie chortled into a hoof.

"Oh, yeah," Spike said, shaking himself. "Sorry, I just... hey, wait." He scanned the wall, then pointed. "Do you see that?"

The unicorn peered up at the spot. "See what? All Trixie sees is a beautiful blue sky."

"Hold on," Blossomforth said, taking to the air for a closer look.

There, pressed into the stone near the roof, was the imprint of a cloven hoof.

~#~#~#~

The music that filled the air carried with it an odd sensation. It made Octavia feel a little like she was dancing as she walked. The smells and noises that one could only hear in a place like this recalled a time of youth when these were the only days worth knowing. To such a memory, it seemed that no matter the time or place, it was always as sunny as high noon. As a foal, it was like running through a dream.

Octavia wondered why, now that she once more lived a short rail trip away, she hadn't visited this place in so long.

"It seems I've forgotten to ask," she mentioned, "what exactly we're meant to learn about monsters at an amusement park."

"Well, you see," Sherbet replied, "I have a friend in the area who I hope might know a little." She gestured to a booth where a pale unicorn mare was beckoning to parkgoers, urging them to try her archery game. Her pink mane bobbed excitedly as she talked them up, and at least five customers tried the game in as many minutes.

Her eyes, the color of spring grass, lit up as she saw the duo approach. "Oh, Auntie!" she called. "Taking a little vacation from the hotel?"

The businessmare shook her head, chuckling. "No, Lovestruck," she said, "not now, but perhaps soon. Is your husband here today?"

Lovestruck nodded and turned to the back of the booth. "Gedion!" she called, opening a door. "Auntie wants to see you!"

Seconds later, a griffon with ruddy plumage swept out into the booth. "Why, isn't this a surprise!" he exclaimed, taking her hoof in his claw and shaking it. "Always such a pleasure to have you here, never you doubt it. And, ah, who is this?" He turned and bowed to Octavia. "My name is Gedion Exing. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, madam."

Octavia responded with a curtsy. "Octavia Melody," she said. "By the knowing may we both be enriched."

Gedion looked between the two of them. "So, what brings you here?" he asked.

Sherbet took a moment to gather her thoughts before explaining. "Gedion, you are perhaps the most worldly griffon I know. I was wondering if you might know anything about, well... bat-ponies."

The griffon scratched his chin with a claw. "Bat-ponies?" he repeated. "Well, I might. I hear things from time to time... but anything I could tell you would only be rumors and legends."

"Myths, really," his wife interjected. "We've never seen one, and I don't think they exist."

"Ah, well, a friend of mine has," the citrus mare clarified.

"Really?" The male carny's eyes widened. "Who'd have thought... well then, perhaps I can help you. There's been more than one rumor about bat-ponies out there, and they're all different."

"Different?" Octavia repeated. "Different in what way?"

"Oh, lots of ways," he replied with a shrug. "But mostly, the size. Some are said to be giants, while others are tiny and lean. There are almost none in-between. There's no consistent account of their faces, either, beyond some of the most vague details. Some have lion manes. Some have leathery, bald skin. Some even have fins."

"The strangest thing," Lovestruck added, "is that almost all the rumors started in the last few weeks. If they're really out there, they've kept quiet for a long time."

Gedion nodded. "I'm not sure why, but I think I can point you to an area. Many of the sightings have taken place around the Neigh York Times offices. If you ask there, you might find something."

This was becoming worrisome. These bat-ponies were congregating around a vital Manehattan institution. What were they planning? Sherbet frowned. "You don't know anything else?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not," the griffon said, shaking his head. "Ponies talk, but I can't learn anything they don't know."

"Understandable," Octavia assured him. "We have a starting place, which is more than we could say earlier. Thank you for that."

"As much as I would love to stay and talk some more," the elder mare added, "now that we know this, we should perhaps be going. This has begun to worry me, and I would prefer to see to it immediately."

Lovestruck patted her on the shoulder. "It's okay," she said. "Go do what you've gotta do. Just make sure you two come visit us at home later, okay?"

Sherbet smiled back at the unicorn. "Of course. I promise I will." She gestured to the musician, who gave an assenting nod, and they started to walk away.

"And bring Tangerine!" the carny pony called after them. "Hal would love to meet her!"

With a last wave, the two earth ponies slipped into the crowd.

"They were nice," Octavia observed.

"Yes, Lovestruck's family has always been friendly with mine." Sherbet nodded. "I actually introduced Gedion to her. "

They made their way to the gate. Before they got there, the businessmare signaled for her companion to stop for a moment. She trotted to a nearby stand, and returned with a pair of candied apples.

As they left the park and walked toward the subway station, Octavia couldn't help noticing that the sun was setting.

~#~#~#~

The sound of soft footsteps drew Twilight's attention. She turned to see her assistant entering the library. Beside her, Honey continued reading.

"Spike?" she asked. "I thought you were going to go help Blossomforth. Is everything okay? And..." She pointed to the top of his head. "What's that?"

"What? It's an awesome hat." Spike paused for a moment. rubbing his chin. "And, well, nothing's wrong, exactly," he explained. "We just found something. Blossomforth and Trixie are still looking around, but they asked me to come tell you about it."

The librarian retrieved a pen and notepad with her magic. "Oh, good," she said, giving him a big smile. "I knew we could count on you. What did you find?"

"Not much," he replied, looking mildly disappointed. "I kinda thought we'd have the whole thing solved by now. But we did find a hoofprint."

"What's so special about a hoofprint?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," the dragon clarified, though he was clearly stalling for dramatic effect. "Nothing except that it was halfway up a wall in the alley."

Twilight wrote this down quickly. "Sounds like our mystery pony is a clumsy flyer," she commented.

"And it's not a pony," Spike added. "Unless you know any ponies with cloven hooves."

Honey Do slowly raised her head to stare at the dragon. Just as Twilight noticed the motion, the pegasus spoke up. "Did you say cloven hooves?"

"Uh... yeah?"

Without another word, she stood up and walked over to the rows of bookshelves. Then, she took flight and darted from one shelf to another at breakneck speed, quickly scanning the contents.

"It can't be," she muttered to herself, pulling one book out and putting it back. "No way, it's completely impossible! Something screwy is happening here or my name isn't Daring Do!"

"Isn't your name actually..." her unicorn compatriot began, but stopped when Spike shook his head and raised a claw to his lips.

"So you've heard of something like this?" Spike asked.

The archaeologist hovered in place for a moment, examining another book. "Well, yes and no," she said, ultimately deciding this was not the right book either and reshelving it before resuming her frantic search. "There have been exactly two creatures with bat wings and cloven hooves that could be mistaken for a pony in the dark. One was a hoax, and the other has been extinct for a thousand years." She pulled out a much heavier tome now, lugged it to the table and opened it. She slid it to Twilight and Spike, who peered down at the contents.

"Kirin," Twilight read. "These creatures had the shape of a pony, but are considered more closely related to dragons. In the days of the pony tribes, kirin would congregate in population centers and help to fend off monsters, as well as opposing tribes. The majority of kirin were killed by the blizzard brought on by the Windigoes. With too few left to repopulate, the species went extinct around the time of the Nightmare War."

Daring turned the page.

"Chupacabra," Spike continued. "The chupacabra was, accord to biologist Barren Pines, a carnivorous creature that resembled a goat with unusually large hooves and glowing red eyes. When surprised, it would reveal bat wings and fly away. In the year 909 CE, multiple supposed sightings and the discovery of hoofprints in Manehattan caused a widespread panic in major cities and rural towns alike, until Pines was discovered planting hoofprints himself and dismissed as a fraud."

"See," remarked the pegasus, "these are the only possibilities, but they don't even make sense."

"Really?" Twilight replied with a small grin. "It seems to me that 'when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth'."

After a moment, she became aware that Spike was giving her a flat stare.

Honey took a seat as she considered the idea, wings still fluttering uncomfortably. "If they're the only leads we have, then I guess that's what we've gotta work with," she sighed. "Right now we should go tell the others. We'll see if they've found anything else."

The unicorn signaled to her assistant, who gave a salute as they started out the door.

~#~#~#~

The Neigh York Times offices were visible in the distance, over the tops of the buildings across the street, as Octavia and Sherbet exited the subway near the Majestic Theater. The streets were a little busier than they had been the previous night, as tonight the theater was open to the public.

The musician had resumed whistling, and as they walked, her elder again tried to place the melody. It was a few short bars, and seemed agonizingly familiar, yet just eluded her.

"Blossomforth will be relieved to know we've found a lead," the gray mare remarked idly.

Sherbet frowned as the whistling stopped, but nodded. "Yes, and perhaps after that, we ought to go visit another acquaintance of mine. If Card Trick doesn't know more about the creatures, I am certain he will want to."

"Hey, Auntie!" called a voice ahead of them, drawing their attention away from the discussion. Blossomforth flitted forward to meet them, her accomplice following at a comfortable walking pace. "We were just finishing up our search. It's getting too dark to keep looking, anyway."

"Trixie?" Octavia asked. "I hadn't known you'd be interested in this."

Trixie scoffed. "Trixie, miss out on a mystery? Never! How could I leave Blossomforth to stumble about alone, unguided by Trixie's superior wit?"

Blossomforth silently rolled her eyes.

"In any case," the socialite offered, "we've found something of potential interest ourselves. Let us go compare notes."

"Hey Octavia!" called another voice. The two earth ponies turned as Spike came running up to them, followed by Twilight and Honey. The little dragon stopped directly in front of the musician, suddenly hesitating and self-consciously scratching his neck. "We, uh... we might have figured out what's going on," he said in what was clearly meant to be a cool, casual tone.

"Not yet," Twilight reminded him. "But we have ideas."

"Crazy ideas!" Honey interjected.

"Yes, those ideas," the unicorn agreed with a sigh. "I don't suppose you've found anything else to clue us in, have you?"

Trixie cleared her throat to speak now. She reached under her cape with her magic and drew out a few newspaper clippings. "Only these," she stated, displaying them to be read by the illumination of her magical aura.

As the others gathered around for a closer look, Spike's mind began to wander. Glancing around, his eyes fell on a pile of debris. Curious about the isolated spot of rubble, he approached it and picked up a piece, turning it over in his claw.

It looked like a flake of ordinary stone. However, Spike noted that it was smooth, and that the rest of the pile seemed to share its perfectly regular fan shape. Its coloring was a dark shade of green, not matching any of the surrounding buildings. He turned to the mares, who were still discussing the newspapers. "Hey, guys," he called out, holding up the flakes. "Take a look at—"

A noise like hooves on stone drew his attention up and behind him. He didn't have time to register the large shape above until it had already plunged down to street level and collected him in its powerful forehooves, swooping upward immediately. He heard a collective gasp from the ponies below as he was carried away and over the rooftop.

"Th—that was... that was the..." Blossomforth fumbled, shocked by the reappearance of the creature.

"Celestia preserve us," Octavia whispered.

A second later, Twilight kicked into gear. "Spike!" she yelled, charging after the fleeing form, her friends hot on her heels.

Author's Note

Also appearing in this chapter:

Lovestruck - Blind Bag Wave 3.
Gedion Exing and Halcyon Bird - Original.
Card Trick - Original character of Ethereal Trixster, used with consent

Dragons

Daring Do took to the air, and Blossomforth, a breath slower, followed.

The beast's wings carried it faster than its bulk would have led its pursuers to expect. A peculiar glint of moonlight reflected off its body, making it look like something not quite real. It spared a glance back in their direction before pitching into a dive.

Blossomforth was quick to dive after it, but Daring hesitated a moment. Something instinctive told her she shouldn't follow it down, and sure enough, it quickly altered its course, using its momentum to ascend, a change the weather cadet didn't notice until just too late. It had gotten farther out of her reach, and attempting to match the maneuver would cost her speed.

But the other pegasus was closer now, having benefited from the failed ruse. "I've got you now," she called out. A sinister growl answered her, and then the target seemed to slow. The chase was over, and she couldn't help a satisfied grin. "Now unhoof that—"

A twitch of the creature's wing was all the warning she got before it spun in the air, a heavy appendage impacting her shoulder and sending her spiraling downard, out of control. Spike yelled out in surprise, trying to reach for her but held fast in the creature's grip.

The weather cadet gasped as the adventurer fell past. Blossomforth immediately went into a dive, and a few meters down, her forehooves managed to catch Daring. It was a little farther before they were stabilized in the air. Above the pegasi, the shadowy shape continued its escape.

Quickly, Honey pointed a hoof at Blossomforth. "I'll handle this thing," she growled. "Right now, you need to go back to Twilight."

Blossomforth struggled to form an objection, but before she could open her mouth Daring had streaked off again in pursuit of the target. She remained fumbling for a moment before nodding weakly and flying in the other direction.

~#~#~#~

The four took a corner sharply, nearly colliding with a taxi. The cabbie swerved, coming to a stop across the street and muttering to himself as the mares ran past.

Twilight realized that she couldn't see the creature anymore. Limited to the streets, there was no way to keep it in her line of sight. "It got away," she groaned, slowing to a halt.

A few seconds passed as her friends drew up beside her. "It got away," she repeated, her voice a little softer now. She was shaking slightly. "That thing. It has Spike, and now it's gone, just like that..."

Octavia cautiously patted her on the back. "Don't give up yet," she cooed softly. "There's still time."

"Spike," the unicorn muttered. "He's... he's gone... he's always been there, and I failed him. Celestia trusted me... she raised him after he was hatched, until she thought I was able to care for him, and then she trusted me with him. And it turns out I couldn't." Her voice was getting higher, more frantic now, as she put a hoof to either side of her head. "I can't believe I took my eyes off him! This is all my fault, I should have—"

"No, Twilight," came Blossomforth's voice as she fluttered down to the street. "It's my fault. I got Spike involved in this mess. But don't worry." She lightly hugged the unicorn with a wing. "We'll get him back. Daring is still on the trail, and I'm not giving up either."

Twilight took a few deep breaths, then nodded. "Yeah. Spike can take care of himself until help arrives, I'm sure. Thank you, Blossomforth. And you too, Octavia." Smiling, she nuzzled both ponies.

Sherbet cleared her throat to get Twilight's attention. "We'll need a plan now, won't we? We found out that the creature lives in or near the Neigh York Times Building," she explained. "We might still catch it if we go straight there."

The librarian stared for a second, comprehension slowly washing over her. Her face fixed itself in an expression of determination. "Then I guess," she said, "we're going to the Times."

There was a momentary pause. Trixie slowly turned around, the most endearing grin she had ever given anypony plastered upon her face. "Er... taxi?" she attempted.

~#~#~#~

A sharp wind whipped through Twilight's mane as the taxi sped toward the destination. Down one street, then another, she kept scanning the skies. To her left, Octavia was humming a tune she couldn't place, though it made her feel a little less uneasy. To her right, Blossomforth was flying at her top speed to keep up.

"Please be okay, Spike..." she breathed nervously.

They rounded a corner, and suddenly their destination loomed straight ahead. It was a building of middling height, with clear architectural influences of Gallopia Coltica style, particularly on the upper stories and the bright green mansard. Twilight found herself taking in every aspect of the building, trying to imagine what she would find inside.

The cab deposited Twilight and Octavia in front of the building, followed by another carrying Trixie and Sherbet. Blossomforth perched on a roof nearby, keeping a lookout. The librarian wasted no time trying the door.

"Locked," she groaned. "What now?" She stared forlornly, horn alight, at the room on the other side of the glass. Her friends backed up slightly as her magical aura grew.

Then, with a soft pop, she was inside.

The others watched as she looked around her, then spun to face them. Her eyes widened and she started talking to herself rapidly, not quite audible through the door.

Trixie leaned forward, eyes fixed on Twilight's lips. A frown of concentration crossed her face as she mimicked the motions. "Let's see... 'oh no... I'm breaking and entering'?" she reported, and immediately pressed a hoof against her forehead in an expression of frustration. "Now is not the time to do things by the book! We must rescue Trixie's hat!"

The remaining three turned to stare at her.

"...and Spike, of course," she added. They continued to stare for another moment. "What? It's not like saving Spike wasn't an assumed goal."

Sighing, Blossomforth flitted down to street level and lightly rapped on the door. The panicking unicorn snapped to attention at the noise, then seemed to get her bearings and rushed to unlock the door.

"Alright!" she said as the group stepped inside. "This... might not actually be legal, but we're where we need to be, so let's get going! We'll, er, leave a note of apology on our way out..."

~#~#~#~

The creature seemed so much closer now, Daring was certain she would overtake it in a moment. If she could just snatch Spike out of its hooves, she would have the advantage in an escape. All she needed to do was watch out for that kick that had caught her before. She focused on the goal completely, the surrounding city fading from her sight, even blocking out the sound of the wind in her ears.

"Get back here," she demanded, preparing for the strike.

When it came, it was from behind.

Something moving very fast barreled into her, trapping her in a powerful grip and dragging her off-course. She struggled against its hold, and after a few moments, managed to free herself, whirling to face her assailant.

It was gone. Whatever had hit her, it had gotten out of the way before she could find it. She turned to resume the chase—

Something moved below her. She rolled to dodge, but too late. Those hooves locked her in a bear hug as their owner curved away again. "Let... me... go!" she demanded, shoving against the beast's side with her hoof.

After a few moments, she was released, and struggled to get her bearings. This time, she paused, searching. The original target had escaped. The only way she would find it again at this point was by catching its partner. To her left, the form of the beast was moving rapidly away, and she hurried after it.

It swooped lower, and Honey hung back, watching its motion. She followed it as it wove between buildings, and was careful to maintain a line of sight. Then, quickly, she angled herself forward and dove at high speed, aiming to collide with it.

~#~#~#~

Spike wasn't sure what was going on. All he could hear were giant wingbeats, carrying him to some uncertain destination.

It occurred to him that the stones from the street probably belonged to this creature. Was that why he had been taken? "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't know those things were yours. Are they important? I'll give them back! See?" He held up one of the flakes, and thought he heard something like a chuckle in response.

His captor was climbing now, and ahead he could make out a bright green rooftop. With a broad swooping motion, they sailed through an open window, landing in a darkened room.

The hooves holding Spike released him, and he took a step forward, then turned. "Alright, now what's the big... idea...?" He gulped, backing away slightly as he finally got a look at the thing illuminated in the light from the window.

It was huge. Spike didn't feel up to estimating its height, but it had to be at least as tall as Twilight's brother, the biggest stallion he'd ever seen. The baby dragon could make out the shape of a face, similar to a pony's face but off in a way that put him in mind of a mastiff. Its mane was wild, a shade of blue that appeared almost black in this light. Along its body, the light glistened off what he could now see were scales of a dark green color. Its legs were not very different from a pony's, except for the scales and the fact that they ended in cloven hooves. Its long tail was lizardlike, and it bore a pair of giant bat wings.

"What do you want with me?" Spike asked, trying to calm down.

The thing smiled, revealing a few more teeth than Spike was perfectly comfortable with. "Want?" it asked, in a deep rumble. "I only wanted to bring you home. You are safe now. It wasn't easy."

"Yeah, I noticed, I—" The captured dragon stiffened as he remembered. "Daring Do! You HIT her! Why did you do that?"

Now his captor looked slightly taken aback. "What? What else would I have done? I couldn't simply let the ponies capture you. And besides, she had more than enough ability to recover."

Spike groaned and covered his face with a claw. "Well, whatever. Could you at least tell me who you are?" he asked.

"Oh, I beg your pardon. Have we never met before?" The beast bowed, a gesture that brought him to Spike's eye level. "I am Constantine. I was asked to retrieve you by Aurelius. The rest will be glad to know that you've returned safely. Now, we really should go to them."

Constantine stepped forward, his wings sweeping the ground to push Spike toward a flight of stairs leading down. Taking the hint, the baby dragon began to descend, wondering who it was that waited for him in the room below.

~#~#~#~

This was not a good night for Blossomforth. She didn't want to abandon the rest and fly to the top floor on her own, but she'd had quite enough dark, empty corridors for one year, and she was really starting to think she needed a vacation somewhere warm and sunny.

"It can't be much farther," Twilight panted beside her, the illumination of her horn flickering momentarily as she paused to catch her breath.

"Er... only ten more floors?" the weathermare offered with a conciliatory smile. "This is the center for all the Times' operations, so they needed a lot of room. In fact, they've even got an on-site weather team assigned to climate control."

In the bright violet light that bathed her face, the lavender mare raised an eyebrow. "Really? You can do that?"

"It's not cheap," Auntie chipped in. "I don't think it would be practical for most businesses."

"Yeah, well, you know, newspapers have some sensitive equipment." The pale mare shrugged. "I guess they're just protecting that. It sounds like a good job, though."

Behind Twilight, Trixie chuckled. "Does it pay that well, or have you been admiring their garden?" she asked, gesturing out the window to the view of a luxurious garden far below.

"That's part of it," Blossomforth admitted with a sigh. "But my brother talks about—wait." She held out a hoof to stop Twilight. Her ear twitched. "Did anypony else hear that?"

The five strained to listen. There were creaking noises and faint hoofbeats coming from a room nearby. The weathermare kicked into the air and hovered silently over to the door. With a glance back to the rest, she slowly pushed it open.

Inside, a shadowy figure was opening and closing drawers. "Is that you, Pomona?" a male voice asked. When nopony answered, it turned its head slightly, the silhouetted profile of its face revealing a curved horn. "Zephyrus? Flora? Whoever it is, I'll be done here in a minute."

Twilight signaled for the five to huddle up.

"Who is this guy? A burglar?" Trixie whispered. "Should we make a citizen's arrest?"

"Probably not," Twilight answered, shaking her head. "I think a burglar would have actually turned around. And besides, we're not supposed to be here either."

Sherbet shrugged. "So he's night staff? We should leave him alone if that's the case."

"No," Blossomforth said quickly. "I've got a hunch he's something else. Let me try this." Clearing her throat, she entered the room. "Those don't sound like reporters," she announced in the most confident tone she could muster while confronting an unknown pony in the dark.

The figure whirled around now and spotted the white mare. "Who are you?" he demanded. "No pony is supposed to be here after dark."

"Then what are you doing here?" she countered. "Do the rules not apply to you?"

The answer came with a laugh. "Not that one. I am not a pony." His horn lit up, revealing a scaly yellow-green face with compound eyes and a pair of mandibles. In all other respects, it resembled that of a unicorn pony, but the foreign elements were undeniably present. "But I believe I asked your name."

At the sight of his face, the pegasus instinctively hovered backward slightly, taking a moment to steel herself. "Blossomforth," she replied. "I'm here looking for a friend."

"You may call me Carpeaux," he said. "This tower is my home, and I'm certain your friend is not here."

"Well, we're certain he is," Twilight interjected as she stepped forward. "One of your friends picked Spike up off the street. We know he came here."

Carpeaux frowned, staring at Twilight. "That is a grave accusation," he said. "We have no interest in the abduction of ponies."

"Actually... Spike is a dragon," the unicorn added. "But that's beside the point. We need to know where he was taken, immediately." She locked eyes with the creature, and Blossomforth mirrored the gesture beside her.

He looked between the two of them, then sighed. "If it will satisfy you, then we will ask the Dauphin."

"The... dolphin?" Octavia asked from outside the room, tilting her head.

"The Dauphin," he repeated. "It is what we call our leader. It is not terribly dissimilar to your Princesses. But you will see when we arrive. Come." Carpeaux strode past the group, to the stairwell. He paused only a moment to beckon them after him.

~#~#~#~

Constantine directed Spike into a spacious room a few floors below their point of arrival, a room, Spike noted, that was windowless and brightly lit. It was sparsely decorated, with a radio and a collection of newspapers on a desk drawing the eye. The walls were painted a soft shade of brown, and the floor was mostly bare stone with a large round rug in the center. As they entered, a similar creature arose to greet him. It had a slightly different face, more like a terrier than a mastiff, it was a little more feminine, and its scales were a muted blue, but otherwise, it was clearly the same type of being.

"Ah, brother, it is good to see you return, and... what is this?" the waiting creature asked, perplexed.

"This is the one I was sent to fetch," Constantine stated simply. "Where are the others? I must inform them of his safe return."

"No, " hissed his sister. "You must not tell anyone of this." She then looked down at Spike. "There has been a terrible mistake, little one. I am Pomona. This... brother of mine seems to have mistaken you for one of our own kind."

"What?" Constantine yelped. "Mistake? He smells like one of us, and he was out in the city streets. What more evidence could you need to know that he is the one?"

"He smells like us because he is a true dragon," Pomona retorted. "And that is mixed in with the smell of ponies. He must have lived among them for a long time indeed. And even overlooking that, the one you were supposed to retrieve has wings! Look! He doesn't even have hooves! How could you confuse him for one of us?"

Constantine faltered at this. "I... am sorry, sister," he said mournfully. "There is no excuse for my mistake."

"Uh, excuse me," Spike interrupted, "but I think I might be able to help."

Both Constantine and Pomona fell silent, turning their attention to the baby dragon.

"Remember that pony who was chasing us? Y'know, the one you hit?" The dragon tried very hard not to sound too critical as he said that.

Constantine nodded slowly.

"Well, she's my friend. Her name is Daring Do, and she's great at finding stuff. In fact, when you picked me up I was with a bunch of friends investigating something that might've been whoever it is you're looking for." He shrugged. "I'm sure if you help me find them again, they can help you find your friend."

"Agreed," Pomona said quickly. "We're going to need all the help we can get. But first, perhaps you could tell us more about these friends of yours."

"Well," the dragon began, cautiously, "I already mentioned Daring Do. There's Twilight Sparkle, she's a unicorn, and kind of a genius. She hatched me, actually, so she's," he paused to glance uncertainly at the door, "well, she's probably really worried right now. Then there's Octavia. Let me tell you about Octavia..."

~#~#~#~

"You mean to tell us your prince is in another tower?" Octavia asked, sounding only the slightest touch annoyed.

"I'm afraid so," Carpeaux answered, gesturing to the empty room he had led them to. "My apologies. I'm sure he could have explained everything. I suppose I should have expected he wouldn't be here right now, though. He has been taking a search party out each night, looking for a lost little one."

The musician blinked, caught slightly off-guard by this news. "A missing foal? Oh, could it be...?"

"Does he have wings and hang around Bridleway?" Blossomforth interrupted.

Carpeaux gasped. "By the Dauphin's ears, you've seen him?" he asked eagerly.

"Yeah, last night," the pegasus replied. "He really surprised me."

"We were looking for him when Spike was taken," Twilight added.

"This... explains a great deal, in fact," Carpeaux mused. "I believe we now have reason to hurry. Follow me, please," he instructed, darting back to the stairs.

The ponies looked among themselves, then pursued him as he rushed up two floors. He exited the stairwell and flung himself toward a door directly to the left. "Zephyrus! Flora!" he called, knocking hard. "You need to hear this!"

The door opened to reveal another scaly creature, this one a lush green with what seemed like a perfectly pony-like face except for a ring of large roselike petals around her head. "What is it, Carpeaux?" she asked in a weary-sounding voice.

"Flora, I need both of you to come with me. Quickly." He gestured to the five behind him. "These ponies claim to have seen Cubi."

Instantly, Flora was out of the room. "Is it true?" she asked, bending slightly to look Blossomforth in the eye. "Have you found my little one?"

The weathermare hesitated a moment. "We... can't say for sure where he is now," she explained slowly, wincing. "But I did see him. I can help you locate him again, I think."

"A friend of theirs was taken by mistake," Carpeaux added. "If Zephyrus has not returned..."

"Zephyrus could not have mistaken some other creature for Cubi. It must have been Constantine," she remarked. "He has never seen the little one himself."

"Alright," Twilight cut in, "then let's go meet this Constantine."

~#~#~#~

"...and that's the story of Octavia's entire career, and why she's such an amazingly talented and kind pony."

Constantine and Pomona exchanged a glance. "Er, yes," Constantine said, "I think we understand. Perhaps we should go find this Octavia now."

"Really?" Spike tilted his head. "But I haven't told you about Trixie, or Blossomforth, or Auntie Orange..."

"No need," Pomona assured him quickly. "We'll learn about them when we meet them."

At that moment, a knock resounded through the room. Pomona immediately tensed, then snatched up Spike and shoved him under the desk, turning and sitting in front of it to block off all view.

"...enter," Constantine invited hesitantly.

Quickly, somebody rushed inside. "Constantine, have you heard?" she gasped. "We've found him!"

"Found... really?" Constantine sounded dumbfounded. "Who did?"

"The ponies," the newcomer answered. Six sets of hooves followed her in.

"Before we get to that," Twilight's voice added sternly, "I think it's time you told us where Spike is."

"Twilight?" Spike gasped, trying to peer around Pomona.

"Spike?!" she responded. "Spike, I'm here!"

Pomona shifted uncomfortably at the exchange, then, stiffly, stood and stepped aside. "Is he yours, then?" she asked. "He was brought here by mistake, and was just telling us all about you."

Twilight didn't pay any attention to Pomona's words as she dashed over to the desk and pulled Spike out from under it. "Oh, Spike!" she cried out, hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry, I should have paid more attention..."

The dragon shook his head, face pressed into Twilight's coat. "I'm okay, it's all okay," he whispered. "But... we've gotta help these guys now..."

"Yes..." She turned to look around at the creatures. "You're kirin, aren't you?"

Pomona's eyes widened. "Well... yes, but how did you know that? To much of the world we have been forgotten."

"I read about it at the local library," the unicorn replied with a tiny giggle. "But the book said the kirin were all dead. How can you even be here?"

The horned male kirin shook his head. "It is a complicated story, and Dauphin Aurelius has more understanding of it than the rest of us. He should be the one to tell you, after the little one is found."

Twilight nodded in understanding. "Alright, then. Let's go find that foal."

Author's Note

And here we go!

Bonus points to anyone who can figure out the naming theme I used for the kirin.

Learning

Wherever her quarry had hidden itself, Daring Do vowed she would find it.

There had been a few close brushes, but it continued to elude her among the city rooftops. Now, though, she had finally caught it unaware in an alley, its back to her. Slowly, she crept forward, until she was practically on top of it.

"Gotcha!" She pounced, hooves quickly ensnaring the creature. A sharp cry of surprise echoed as it struggled to take flight, trying to turn and face its assailant. In response, she clung tighter, not letting it escape again.

"Let go!" Blossomforth demanded.

Honey released Blossomforth as if the floral mare was on fire, staring at her. "Sorry, mistook you for the—wait, what are you doing here?" she asked. "I told you to go find Twilight."

Twilight cleared her throat, and the curator glanced in her direction. Spike waved to her from atop the unicorn's back.

"Oh." The tawny pegasus glanced over the group, her gaze lingering on the larger creatures accompanying them. "So... these are them, huh?"

"Yep," Twilight confirmed. "Honey Do, meet Flora and Carpeaux. Excuse the cloaks, they're a little self-conscious. They're looking for Flora's foal. Their friends should be nearby..."

Honey held out a hoof in greeting. Flora shook it uncertainly, and nodded.

"Foal, huh? If that's what hit me, he must be a pretty strong kid," Honey remarked. "I've been chasing him for an hour now. Well, I'm sure he's still around here somewhere..."

As she finished speaking, a shadow arced overhead. Blossomforth was the first to act, winging to the sky to pursue the kirin. "I've got him! Wait here!" she called back.

He weaved left and right, keeping close to the roofs as he slipped around and between chimneys and spires. Blossomforth wasn't deterred by this, her focus narrowing as she bent her body in ways she was sure she'd regret later to maneuver past the obstacles.

As he passed a roof access door, she heard the clop of hooves on stone and hesitated. Slowly, she lifted herself up to the top of the access and crept over to the opposite edge. Below her, she could see him peering around the corner, waiting.

This was her moment to take the initiative. She sprung forward and twisted in midair, landing in front of him and blocking off his escape.

When the massive kirin turned to face her, she suddenly found herself questioning that decision.

He was larger than the others of his kind, standing nearly as tall as Celestia herself. Like the rest, his body was covered in silvery scales, and his hooves were cloven. His whiplike tail ended in a tuft of golden hair, and his mane was like a lion's.

The face was the most striking part. His face was that of an adult dragon, angular and fierce, and currently set in an expression of great irritation. He bore a horn with a shape similar to a bolt of lightning, and, as she had already seen, a pair of massive batlike wings. The combination put her in mind of something awful, but she tried to ignore that.

"Oh... I'm sorry, are you..." she began, not sure how to address this creature.

"I'm actually very much in a hurry," he informed her, in a voice that sparked with impatience. "So if you're looking to study me, you'll have to ask another time." He spread his wings to take flight.

"Wait, please," the pegasus insisted. "You're looking for a foal, aren't you? I saw him nearby. My friends and I want to help you."

"You...?" He shook his head. "I haven't the slightest idea who you are or how you know me. How am I expected to believe I can trust such a sudden offer?"

Blossomforth backed off slightly. She had, in fact, no idea what she was doing. Here she was standing face-to-face with a creature she wouldn't have believed could exist two days before, and she was offering to solve his problem. Of course it was strange. They were completely alien to one another.

But were they? The weathermare had to consider that for a moment. He had a family, and he cared about them. She was delaying him from something precious, and it angered him. After all, even though she knew nothing about kirin, the basics, the very most certain facts of nature must remain true, mustn't they?

She decided to believe in that.

"Because," she explained gently, "you've got something important at stake. And you would be willing to take any risk for your people... wouldn't you?"

The kirin's eyes softened slightly. "That is... worth considering. I would have preferred time to test this new world, to see where we fit in, but after all, for Cubi's sake... if the price is trust, then so be it. Show me." He lifted off, and the pegasus followed suit.

~#~#~#~

As Blossomforth returned, the assembled ponies looked to her expectantly.

"Er... I caught up to him." She gestured behind her as the large kirin stepped out of the shadows. "I don't think this is exactly the right one, though."

"Dauphin Aurelius!" a voice above them called. Constantine and Pomona alit in front of Blossomforth. All together, the kirin present bowed.

Daring looked around at them and scratched her head. "So I guess he's, what, their leader or something?"

"For the time being," Aurelius answered. "But you propose to help us. How?"

"Well," Spike started, "it's simple. First we..." He trailed off, his expression slowly taking on a note of confusion. "...actually, yeah, how do we do that? We know the kid's around here, but that doesn't mean we have any idea how to get him back."

In response, his caretaker smirked. "Oh, come on, Spike. I always have an idea. In fact..." Her horn lit up. "Aurelius, may I cast a identification spell on you and your friends? It's harmless, but I need your permission for my spells to have an effect on a draconic creature."

The oversized kirin eyed her curiously. "Very well, but how will that help?" he asked.

"It's complicated, but," Twilight explained, "basically, I need to analyze the composition of the magic in your bodies and determine what epimagic markers are used to attune to certain internal aura leylines inside your bodies. Pegasi and unicorns both possess magic, but with differing forms and functions, and I suspect the same for kirin. I'll use the leyline patterns from your bodies to develop a quick baseline kirin pattern, and we can use that to isolate your young one from any other lifeform we would find on a standard kiidar sweep spell!" She grinned. "It's ingenious, I tell you!"

Pomona leaned close to Spike. "Does she get like this often?"

"Er... only when she's trying to solve something difficult," Spike replied, looking slightly nonplussed himself. "Which, come to think of it, happens way more often than you'd expect... a few days ago she was trying to figure out how to enchant the library's bookshelves to sort themselves."

Trixie scoffed. "This is a ridiculous idea. You're just going to do a scan? Then what, grab him and drag him back? Where's the style? Where's the emotion?"

Blossomforth shook her head. "Trixie... I understand theatrics are your thing, but we can't really worry about that right now. Twilight's spell can pull it off, so that's what we're going with."

Octavia hummed. "Yes, but... she does have a point..." she offered. "Doesn't one have to think like a foal to find a foal?"

"No, Blossomforth is right. We need to be practical about this." Twilight lowered her head in concentration. "So! Here we go!" she declared, magic intensifying.

There was a surge of light and color as the brilliant magenta magic arced from her to the kirin. It enveloped them, slowly taking on a variety of colors before returning to the unicorn.

"Yes... oh, that's unusual..." She hummed as the glimmering strands flowed into her. "I might need some notes on this for later. High proportions of N-absorbing and T-catalyzing magic... what could that mean? An incredibly efficient conduction field, but almost no emitters..."

Her assistant had procured a quill and paper from somewhere while nobody was looking and was hastily writing down everything she said. Trixie shot him a questioning glance, then took her hat back and checked inside it.

"Flight appears to be accomplished by exercising endomagical evocation, rather than a purely physical process," Twilight continued, her look of fascination deepening. "Putting it all together, I should be... just about... ready!" The spell wound down, and the last few wisps of magic were pulled quickly to her. Her eyes closed in deep concentration, and soon the aura of spellwork began to emanate anew from her horn. "Calculating the arcanopressure differential... identifying key leyline nodes... obtaining individual magistructures... externally relaying internal monologue... reticulating splines..."

"Is this it?" Blossomforth asked, tilting her head.

"Yes!" Twilight exclaimed, the light of her horn suddenly shining brightly as she set off down the street at a rapid clip. She took a right out of the alley, hurtling forward with singleminded determination. She charged ahead to an intersection, then turned left, away from the theater district and toward a shopping center.

The spell clearly showed her there wasn't far to go. The kirin would be in a building just ahead.

A tiny bell chimed as she entered the store. The zebra clerk stashed his newspaper to pay attention to the customer, then blinked several times. "Oh, fondest greetings, Miss Sparkle," he said in a mildly surprised tone. "To what do I owe the honor?"

Twilight looked around, getting her bearings. The spell had led her to Stripe of Culture, a popular store that sold goods imported from the zebra homeland. "I'm... looking for somepony," she answered.

Ignoring tapestries, pottery, and musical instruments, she trotted toward the back of the store. There, her signal had zeroed in on a figure, highlighting it with a slight aura. She closed in to examine it, but stopped short and twisted to the right as she saw something move, ready to give chase, her telekinesis already starting up.

Her determined expression faltered when she realized the motion had just been an employee restocking a shelf. With a sheepish chuckle, she turned her attention back to the object that had led her here. It was a small, simple metal sculpture of a zebra, in a proud pose. She picked it up and turned it over in her magic several times before coming to the conclusion that this could not possibly be the kirin she was looking for. She glanced around once more. Aside from herself and the two employees, the store was empty.

Feeling a little foolish, and a little guilty about startling the employees and then leaving without buying anything, Twilight returned to the desk and set the sculpture down. "What can you tell me about this?" she asked.

The clerk looked down at the object, then flashed her a smile. "This is a guardian statue," he told her. "It watches over you and imbues you with bravery and wisdom. It's also made of starmetal. Very rare. Five hundred bits, and it could be yours."

Sweating slightly, Twilight coughed into a hoof. "I don't suppose I could open a line of credit here, could I?"

The zebra recorded the transaction, then nodded to her. "It's all yours," he informed her. "Have a good night."

When Twilight stepped out of the store with her new purchase on her back, she found Daring waiting, giving her a questioning look. "Twi, are you taking a break from looking for a lost kid to go shopping?" the pegasus asked.

"I must have gotten something wrong with the spell," the mage pouted, stamping a hoof. "I have to try again." She closed her eyes and began her thaumaturgy again. "Perhaps if, instead of querying 'enchantment', I try looking for 'scales'," she mused.

"What'd I miss?" Blossomforth asked as she arrived, panting from the workout she was receiving tonight.

"Good timing! Hold this!" Twilight demanded, thrusting the statue toward the weathermare and setting off again.

"Huh? What?" Blossomforth took the item and stared in confusion. "What is this for? Twilight?" she called after the unicorn.

The magic pony hurried on, pursuing a new target indicated by her radar spell. As she arrived, she ground to a halt, looking up at the sign this time.

"Pound For Pound's Scale Emporium?"

~#~#~#~

"By the way," Constantine began, "we've only had time for the most cursory introductions thus far... you are Octavia Philharmonica Melody von Clef, the great musician, are you not?"

"I am," Octavia confirmed, hesitantly. "Why?"

"Your friend told us about you," the kirin elaborated. "Some of the things he said made us curious."

"Is it true you defeated a giant bear?" Pomona added.

The group had realized by now that with Twilight as worked up as she was, behaving impulsively and moving with a speed none of them would have thought possible, there was no way they could possibly keep up with her. With nothing else to do, they had returned, resignedly, to the alley to wait until the scholar had either found the foal or sent up some kind of distress signal, alternately discussing each other and their next move.

Before Octavia could answer Pomona's question, the sound of hooves drew their attention. Peeking out onto the street, the musician saw her lavender friend approaching from the left, looking weary and annoyed, dragging a bulging bag filled with miscellaneous items.

"What happened?" Spike asked as Twilight stepped into the alley. "And... didn't you start off going in the other direction?"

"Wrong parameters... still need adjusting... one more try... one more try...!" she insisted, waving a hoof. Octavia lightly tapped her, and she wobbled dangerously.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Blossomforth ventured.

"Trixie told you so."

"Shh. But I think I've got something. Flora, can I take a look at your mane?"

Flora seemed surprised by the request, but nodded. "Alright... what do you need to see?"

The pegasus fluttered closer, examining the giant pink petals closely. "Your mane is made up of rose petals... I could go home and get a bunch of them. I'll scatter them all over the place, and they'll remind Cubi of his mother and draw him out! At the very least, it should make him easier to spot. That would be good, right?"

"It's... worth a try," the kirin agreed.

Octavia coughed lightly. "Well, it's alright in theory, though it relies on quite a lot of factors we don't know. Are you sure about this?"

"Trixie is telling you, it's not exciting enough!" The showmare nearly shouted. "Make the petals turn into doves! Make them shine in rainbow colors and whistle disco music! Do something with them!"

Blossomforth sighed and rubbed her temple. "No, let's not make this too complicated. I'm sticking with what I've got."

She was thankful that it wasn't very far from the alley to her home. Her wings were still sore from repeatedly pushing her limits tonight. She landed and rushed inside, setting Twilight's statue down beside the door. In a blur of motion she entered the kitchen and retrieved several large bags of rose petals from the pantry, as well as some of the decorative roses that were scattered throughout the house. Moments later, she was outside, taking to the sky with some difficulty, burdened as she was by her new payload.

As she approached the alley, Blossomforth tore the bag open, letting the petals drift free. Her wingbeats spread them about, causing them to snow down over a wide area. Here and there, she dropped an entire rose bloom. Soon she had thoroughly covered an entire city block with fragrant pink.

Finally, the pale mare alit before her friends once more on her newly-made rose carpet. There was a bit of appreciative applause, and she indulged a small bow. "If nothing else, this should at least make him easier to spot," she said hopefully.

"I'll go take a look from above," Daring offered, sweeping into the air.

"We, as well," Aurelius agreed, signaling the other winged kirin to take flight with him.

Blossomforth started to take off once more, but found Auntie Orange at her side, patting her shoulder. "You've done quite enough," the earth pony assured her. "Rest your wings for now."

Twilight spoke up now, recovering slightly. "We should figure out what's next. What do we do if Cubi has left the area?"

"Well... I kinda used up a whole month's worth of rose petals, so I won't be able to do this again," the weathermare admitted. "We'll have to try your signal spell instead."

The lavender mare's eye twitched at that. "Right... anypony else?"

Trixie raised a hoof. "Now that the bad ideas are out of the way, it's Trixie's turn. If we're going to try to get his attention, we'll have to think a little bigger. You've seen the shows, you know nopony draws a crowd like Trixie." She smirked and gave a deep stage bow. "Trixie could whip up some fireworks, or some funny trumpets... or a flock of birds with their voices magnified, perhaps."

The mother kirin pondered that. "Well, he is a curious sort. He might investigate if he heard such a thing..."

"Or it might scare him away," Sherbet pointed out. "I think we should save that for a last resort."

The showmare shrugged. "Let the record show that Trixie tried."

"Speak the name sweetly enough, and the ear will hear it. Perhaps if I sing for him, he might come," Octavia offered.

"That's better," Blossomforth agreed. "Alright, we'll do that next. For now..." She spread her wings again. "I'm gonna go see how it's going up there." Kicking into the air, she drifted over the block, keeping an eye out for the foal.

"Hey," Daring called out from a few roofs away, "we're not seeing him." She tapped a hoof to her forehead, then started toward the alley again. "I guess we were just too slow to—"

The breath was knocked out of her as a dark blur collided with her once again and pushed her out of sight.

In a flurry of feathers, Blossomforth was in pursuit. The fleeing form curved sharply, a gesture she struggled to mimic with her wings feeling like they were about to fall off. Then, without warning, it released Daring, who managed to right herself in midair just in time for the other pegasus to collide with her. They fell and landed on a rooftop below with a pair of soft thuds.

"What was that?" the weathermare asked, rubbing her head.

"The kid, I guess," her friend answered. "He's been doing that all night. Every time I'm not looking, he tackles me."

She straightened up at that. "Wait, really? He just... grabs you, and then lets you go?"

The adventurer groaned and tried to loosen up her muscles that ached from the fall. She slowly nodded as she turned to look for the kirin. "Yeah, usually while I'm trying to do something important. It's like he thinks it's funny, like it's—"

"A game?" Blossomforth finished.

Honey's head whipped around to face the other pegasus, realization dawning on her face. "He's been trying to play with me this whole time," she gasped.

"He just wants to have fun with you, and that means—"

"—if I just let him play—"

"—he'll come straight to you!" Blossomforth beamed. "This is perfect! Keep an eye out, I'm going to go tell everypony about this and figure out the rest of the plan..."

~#~#~#~

A few minutes later, the pallid pegasus perched on a ledge just below the top floor of the store offices. She peeked around the corner of the building, and spotted a pair of wings belonging to one of her new acquaintances just visible over the line of a higher rooftop. On the street below, the earthbound ponies discussed the plan, until Trixie's snoring interrupted them. Twilight shook Trixie awake, and they all moved off to get into position.

Glancing up, she locked eyes with Honey Do, who hovered across the street. The two nodded to each other, signaling they were ready. Honey set off, taking a straight line over the spot where they'd last seen Cubi at an urgent speed. Blossomforth watched anxiously, waiting for the moment to act.

It didn't take long before the shadow moved, lifting from the skyline on a direct collision course with the curator. The white mare winged to action, arcing high enough to be visible from the street at all times as she moved to intercept the two. The rest of the plan would only take a few seconds, at most.

A single firework shot into the air, letting off a bright light and a crackling sound.

The foal latched onto Honey. A second later, Blossomforth grabbed both of them.

Twilight's magic pushed gently against them, countering their momentum.

Pomona joined the mass of wings, holding them all together with strong hooves.

Octavia's voice rang up from below, directed at somebody the pegasus couldn't see. "To your left! Almost there!"

Constantine crashed into them now.

Another magical field had joined Twilight's, holding the group together.

And now the largest weight was added as Aurelius collected them all.

They were descending now, the confused ball of kirin and ponies not able to properly generate lift.

"Forward... no, that is too far, back a little..." Carpeaux called out.

They slowly gained downward momentum. Soon, they collectively stopped trying to fight gravity. All the plan required they do now was fall.

As they accelerated toward the street, it occurred to Blossomforth to wonder if perhaps they had overlooked some aspect of this plan. She wasn't exactly a mathematical genius, and had consistently proven herself to be decidedly less capable with physics than chemistry. She wasn't even sure what the margin of error on something like this was. How much could she afford to have underestimated the distance to the street?

Well, she decided, it was a little late to concern herself with that. At this point, there really wasn't anything left to do about it but take the plunge. She shut her eyes, one hoof holding tight to her friend, the other to the smaller, scaly form that wriggled in surprise at the sudden aerial group hug. The world around her rolled over twice. Free-fall felt so strange. As much as her job required a lot of flying, she had never considered being in the air to be particularly gratifying, and she had certainly never considered that she might find herself there without the use of her wings. This moment would have to be something to remember for later reference, if she survived it.

A pressure beneath them pushed back, informing them of their success. The draconic and incidentally equine mass plummeted into the pile of petals prepared beforehoof. A mountain of loose plant matter cushioned their fall, slowing them until the entire group gently flattened itself out at ground level. Another body jumped in after them, reaching straight for the foal. Blossomforth pushed him toward the waiting hooves, then pulled herself free of the floral mound.

"Cubi!" Flora cried out, hugging the foal to her. "We've been looking everywhere! Where have you been?" Tears gathered on her cheek as she nuzzled the young batwing's round, lime green face.

"Mama?" he responded, hugging back. "I was just having fun, and I got a little lost, I didn't mean to scare you..."

Blossomforth raised an eyebrow. "About that... are kirin usually that... playful?" she asked.

Flora shook her head. "No, but I'm afraid losing track of time and place while out playing is not something entirely new for Cubi." She smiled at the pegasus. "I'm very grateful for your help, and all your friends."

"Dun mention it," Honey replied, crawling out of the pile with a dazed expression on her face. "We just hadda help... oog, think I got the worst of that one." She climbed to her hooves unsteadily. "Well anyway less get you guys home, you got some catching up to do."

~#~#~#~

"In our time, we heard many rumors that our kind were born of the union of ponies and dragons. This is not the case. We were born of stone." Aurelius trotted to the window in his room in the Times Building, peering out at the night sky as he spoke. "We were carved by pony artisans, to stand guard over treasures of every kind. Some of us were intended to be fearsome, others to evoke some aspect of nature. It was later on that we were given life, by a form of lunar magic. By day, it fades, and we are statues once more, but at night, we live as any other creature does."

"Then," Twilight ventured, "Princess Luna was the one who created you?'

"No," the Dauphin replied. "Though I was crafted after the same symbol your Princesses embody, we are more ancient than that. And yet I suspect you have figured out that we have a connection to her all the same."

A hush fell over the ponies as they considered the implications of this idea. It was a little uncomfortable to think about this, knowing it might be the answer to a question long forgotten.

Blossomforth cleared her throat. "Then, if that's the case, while Princess Luna was sealed away..."

"We slumbered." The kirin stared at the slowly setting moon for a moment. "Her dark magic, tainted with rage, blocked off the power that normally gives us life. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that we awoke, in a strange new world filled with sprawling cities of stone and metal."

"And I thought Spike liked to oversleep," the purple unicorn commented. Spike looked like he might protest, but reconsidered at the last moment and hugged Twilight, chuckling.

"That must have been difficult," Sherbet sighed sympathetically. "If you need any help adjusting to the world around you, we would be more than willing."

"Yes," interjected Trixie, "come find Trixie and learn all you need to know about the city! Although you may perhaps have the advantage when it comes to the 'nightlife', in the end..."

The door swung open and a breezy voice blew in. "I'm certain we'll be taking you up on that soon." The ponies turned as the speaker entered, a silvery batwing with a mane not unlike sheep's wool, which gave him the appearance of a walking cloud. "I'm Zephyrus, the father of the little one you found. I came to express my gratitude."

"Of course." Octavia bowed. "We did as we must. After all, 'the little things are infinitely the most important', are they not?"

Spike practically swooned at that, and Twilight had to brace him with a hoof to prevent him from falling over.

"Whatever your reason, we are in your debt," Zephyrus said, returning the bow. "I count myself lucky to have met you before dawn."

Twilight turned back to Aurelius. "It was really fascinating learning about the kirin. I hope we can talk more soon. Now, sir, if you don't mind, we should be going. It's nearly morning, and I know Spike is going to regret going without sleep..."

The kirin smiled. "Go and rest," he told her. "I believe we have all earned it."

~#~#~#~

Dear Princess Celestia,

I recently met some new friends. At first, everypony thought they were monsters, and I was scared of what they might do, but when we talked to them, I found out that they were all alone in the city, and they really needed a helping hoof.

The experience taught me that being able to put yourself in somepony else's hooves is important. I also learned that when somepony is forgotten but not gone, simply reaching out to them can make a world of difference. You should always make the effort, and always consider how you would feel in the same situation,

Twilight paused in her writing for a moment to glance at the sleeping dragon. She pulled his blanket up around his shoulders and nuzzled his cheek gently.

because in the end, everypony needs somepony. And you should never forget that nopony likes to be taken for granite.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

She read over the brief letter a few times before rolling it up and setting it aside. "You can add something when you wake up, if you want," she mused, stretching her hooves out with a yawn. She glanced at her bed for a moment, then, shaking her head, opted instead to lie down next to Spike, a hoof draped lightly over him.

She didn't notice the goat staring at her through the window.

Author's Note

The Stripe of Culture clerk is named Biashara.
The kirin are all named after sculptures in New York City museums.

Epilogue

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Spectacles

"And now," announced the blue unicorn, casually tossing her knife straight up in the air, "Trixie needs a volunteer."

Twilight Sparkle quietly edged away, not keen on the idea of being the target of Trixie's demonstration. Trixie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Instead, she began balancing another knife on a hoof with an impatient expression.

A white hoof went up. "I'll do it," said a pegasus, fluttering onto the stage.

Trixie grinned. "Well well well, Trixie is pleased to have such an enthusiastic accomplice," she said. "What's your name, and where do you come from?"

Rolling her eyes, Blossomforth giggled. "Junior Weather Cadet Blossomforth, from the Manehattan University of Natural Sciences," she replied. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head too hard during that last trick?"

"Welcome, Blossomforth," Trixie announced in a booming voice that was probably not necessary for her small audience. She pointedly ignored Blossomforth's last statement and gestured to one side. "Please stand on the markers just over there."

Blossomforth trotted to the indicated position, placing her front hooves on one marker and her rear hooves on the other. "You mean like this, Trix—"

"Prepare yourself, Junior Weather Cadet Blossomforth of the Manehattan University of Natural Sciences!" Trixie declared.The knives that currently lay scattered across the stage began to rattle. All at once, they rose into the air on leathery wings, and flew straight at Blossomforth.

The pegasus flinched, unprepared for the assault, but the knives stopped short. They began circling her in the form of a loose sphere of bat-winged blades, occasionally twirling themselves. The pattern gradually shifted to several independent bands of flying knives, then to a complicated spiraling pattern. They were still a little creepy up close, but Blossomforth still let out a small "ooh" at the intricate motions.

After a few moments, the cage of knives lifted away. It flattened out into a single thick, rotating ring, and individual knives began floating around it in even more complex patterns. Blossomforth applauded as they traced floral shapes above her.

Then, the shapes stopped. The ring stopped rotating. All the knives began to float together into an undifferentiated cloud.

The cloud shuddered.

"Uh, Trixie?" Blossomforth turned her head to look at the showmare. Trixie was rubbing her temple, cringing and doubled over like she was in pain. "Hey, are you alright?" Blossomforth started to step off the markers, but Trixie held up a hoof, then pointed up again.

Blossomforth gasped as she realized the entire mass of knives had suddenly begun to plummet toward her at once. She knew instinctively she wasn't fast enough to outrun it. Flying would be even worse. There was nothing she could do but duck and cover.

It took several seconds after she had heard the sound of more knives than she dared to count thunking into the wood around her before Blossomforth registered the fact that she was still alive. Opening one eye, then the other, she looked around. The exact area where she was lying had been perfectly outlined by knives. The audience of six ponies and one dragon looked shocked. Trixie didn't seem to be in pain anymore, and she was taking a bow with a smug expression.

"Of course there was never any real danger," Trixie assured them. "Trixie would never let anypony be hurt. See?"

With a sheepish smile, Blossomforth nodded.

"Thank you again for helping to preview my new show," Trixie said as her friends joined her on the stage. "With your feedback, this one will be unforgettable! Tell me, should the knives be on fire for the real thing?"

"I've heard of knife-throwing performances, but I don't believe I've ever heard of anything quite like, well, that," Orange Sherbet commented.

"Truly, Trixie is one of a kind," the showmare said with a mock-mourning sigh.

"Yeah, but... maybe you should tone that last trick down a bit," Honey Do interjected. The tawny pegasus pointed to Blossomforth, who was still eyeing the point-down knives nervously.

"Hm, perhaps—"

"No," Blossomforth said, suddenly flitting over the field of knives to place a hoof on Trixie's shoulder. "That was a great act. Yeah, I thought I was going to die a couple times, but that was the point, right? It's not like I was ever in any real danger." At that moment, the knife Trixie had thrown earlier clattered onto the stage directly between the hoof markers. Blossomforth chose to ignore the sound. She smiled nervously.

"Thank you, Blossomforth." Trixie looked to the others. "Well, then, if there are no further objections, Trixie thinks that much is decided."

Honey shook her head. "If Blossomforth is okay with it after being in it, I guess I can't argue."

Twilight glanced at a clock. It was past midnight. "Whoa, look at the time!" she exclaimed. "Spike and I need to be getting back to the library. It is way past his bedtime."

"But Twilight," Spike protested as she began to walk out the door, "I'm not even..." He trailed off into a yawn. "Tired," he concluded a moment later.

"We should be going, as well," Sherbet said, beckoning to her husband and daughter. "I'm glad you invited Tangerine, but she really does need her sleep."

Sherbet's daughter nodded. "Thank you very much, Miss Trixie! I am looking forward to your next show!"

Trixie patted Tangerine's head, then doffed her hat. From it, she produced a slip of paper. "Don't forget your backstage pass," she said with a grin, proffering it to the filly.

Tangerine took the pass excitedly as her parents chuckled and ushered her out. "Thank you!" she called again before they exited.

"And now," Trixie said, looking around at the others remaining, "Trixie will be retiring to her trailer. Good night!" She cast a smokebomb spell, obscuring the other ponies' view of her. A few seconds later, it dissipated to reveal Trixie fumbling with the door. She opened it and slipped out without looking back.

Octavia stared. "Can you remember the last time she left a room without doing that?"

The pegasi shook their heads.

"Well, I suppose the active mind is the hardest to follow, after all." Octavia shrugged. "But we should be going as well."

"I've gotta admit, she's come a long way," Honey casually observed as they exited the theater and turned left.

Octavia nodded. "Indeed, the first time I attended one of her shows was a few years ago. I was struck by her attitude. I almost thought she hated her audience."

"Hated them? She barely even acknowledged they were there!" Honey's wings fluttered irritably. "But... maybe it's just that performers seem more distant when you don't really know them. Maybe she seems better these days because we're friends now."

"I think that is exactly the case, but more directly than you think." The cellist smiled at something invisible. "Friends change us all. Good friends change us a lot."

Blossomforth blinked. "No... I'm sure Trixie always had her better nature in her. We've just started bringing it out."

Several seconds passed in silence. Then Honey stopped abruptly and turned to Blossomforth. Octavia followed suit.

"Hey, Blossom... isn't your place the other way?" Honey asked.

Blossomforth opened her mouth to answer, but then thought about it. Honey Do and Octavia both lived near the museum. Blossomforth's house, meanwhile, was near the library, which was in precisely the opposite direction. "Oops. Um, haha, I guess I'll just... go that way then."

""Do you need accompaniment?" Octavia offered.

"No," Blossomforth replied quickly. "I'll be fine on my own. It's not too far." She turned and started toward the university, waving to them. "See ya tomorrow!"

She took to the air as she went, mindful of the fact that it was actually quite some distance to the university. There wasn't a single pony in sight. Manehattan nights were rarely quiet, but for the most part, the nightlife was downtown. This block contained some small theaters and studios, a convenience store, and some apartments. The starlight was filtered and muted by a light mist. Under the low-hanging clouds, the air was still and cold. It was like the city had simply stopped.

Blossomforth wasn't really comfortable with a night like this. She loved the sun and the wind, and the sound of foals playing in Central Park. Darkness and silence made her wary.

There was a sound to her left, and she craned her head in that direction. She thought she caught a glimpse of something disappearing into an alley. She stared at the spot for a moment, then shook her head to clear it. "Keep it together, Blossomforth," she told herself. "It's Manehattan. The only monsters are in the subway."

Still, she had seen something. Curious, she fluttered closer. She landed beside the alley and slowly poked her head around the corner. Near the back of the alley, Blossomforth could barely make out something shaped like a foal. She stepped closer. "Hello?" she called out. "Are you okay? Do you need help?"

The dark figure remained still for a second. As Blossomforth took another step forward, however, it suddenly spread a pair of wings.

She gasped. The wings were easily as large as her own half over, and they didn't look like the usual feathery pegasus wings. Instead they looked batlike, and she recoiled, images of knives about to plunge into her swarming her mind.

The next second, the bat-winged pony-shaped creature had taken flight. Blossomforth's mind took a few moments to process the encounter. Then, she stumbled back out of the alley and bolted for home.

~#~#~#~

My Little Pony, My Little Pony

Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahhh…

(My Little Pony)

I used to wonder what friendship could be

(My Little Pony)

Until you all shared its magic with me

Great discoveries!

Tricks galore!

A rich slice of life,

And a heartfelt score.

Budding courage,

It's an easy feat

And magic makes it all complete!

You have my little ponies

Do you know you're all my very best friends?

~#~#~#~

"I'm telling you, I saw it last night," Blossomforth insisted. "It was like a pony, but with giant bat wings and razor-sharp teeth and—"

A mint-green earth mare with a shock blue mane shushed her loudly. Honey and Twilight exchanged a look.

"Blossomforth," Twilight said slowly, "I know that must have been scary, but do you think you could keep it down? You're interrupting our cryptolinguistics club." She gestured to the half-dozen ponies milling about the library's back room and poring over various books.

Blossomforth responded with an apologetic look. "What I mean," she continued more quietly, "is that there's a monster out there."

"Doubtful," Honey chipped in. "We've got a catalogue of all known wildlife in the region, and there isn't anything like that. It was probably just a normal pegasus."

The white pegasus shook her head. "No, I know what I saw. It wasn't a natural pony."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Bloss," Honey said with a shrug. "I can't help you find something that doesn't exist. If it was real, that would be big news, but I don't know how you could even prove it."

Blossomforth groaned. "Alright," she said, turning away. "I guess I'll go ask somepony else, then." With that, she hurried out the door, pausing to steady the stack of books Spike was carrying to Twilight.

Honey stared after her for a moment, tapping her chin in thought. She cast a glance to Twilight. "Do you think there might actually be something out there?" she asked.

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. It's kind of interesting to think about, at least. I'd like to see whatever it was up close, even if it's nothing."

"Well, one thing's clear." Honey fluttered to a bookshelf, plucked out a new book and set it down on the table. "Something's definitely got Blossomforth acting weird."

"Fhtagn," Twilight agreed.

~#~#~#~

Sherbet frowned. "Monsters? Really?" She thought for a moment. "Most likely a flying fox. I didn't think they ever left the subway."

Blossomforth had arrived at the Orange Hotel just as Sherbet was beginning lunch with Octavia. They now sat around a table on a balcony on the top floor of the hotel, discussing the previous night's events. The air was cool at this height, helped by a gentle breeze.

"No, no, no," Blossomforth insisted. "This definitely looked like a pony, except for those wings."

Sherbet looked down into the cup in front of her, brow furrowed as she swirled the tea within. Octavia raised a hoof. "You mean to say it's a bat-pony?" The gray mare quirked an eyebrow. "As in, na-na-na-na?"

Sherbet blinked and turned to Octavia. "What?"

"Nevermind that," the gray mare answered, waving the question aside. "I find this difficult to comprehend."

"Yeah, so do I," Blossomforth stated resignedly. "I already asked Twilight and Honey about it. They said there was nothing like that around here."

As Sherbet contemplated, Octavia simply shrugged. "Well, I should think they would know as well as anypony, but that just makes your little mystery all the more unsolvable. I'm sorry, Blossomforth, but I'm afraid all the advice I have for you is to try and put it out of your mind."

The pegasus sighed heavily. "Maybe. But I'm not sure if I can." She stood, tapping a hoof to her forehead in thought. "I know there has to be some key to this whole thing somewhere. I saw it after I left Trixie's rehearsal. Maybe she knows something about it. I should go ask her."

Octavia nodded. "Then, by all means, go. Good luck, Blossomforth." She offered a pat on the shoulder. Blossomforth smiled, turned to the edge of the balcony, and took flight.

Sherbet cleared her throat quietly. "I'm not sure why," she said, "but what Blossomforth said she saw, I'm certain I've seen it somewhere..."

Octavia looked back to Sherbet, then out over the city. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Was that Blossomforth? Is she leaving?" asked a voice behind her. Both mares turned to see Spike standing in the doorway.

"Yes, she was just telling us about our little monster problem," Sherbet said, nodding. "Why do you ask?"

Spike groaned. "I was actually coming to ask if you'd seen her. Did she say where she's going?"

~#~#~#~

The Majestic Theatre, Trixie's favorite hangout, was abuzz with intermission activity when Spike arrived. "Uh, Blossomforth? Trixie?" he called into the crowded lobby, but he received no response. He began pushing his way through the crowd, a few nonplussed ponies backing away from him.

After a minute of trying to navigate the room, the frustrated baby dragon climbed up on the nearest surface, attempting to peer over the crowd. Almost immediately, he spotted a distinctive watermelon mane, and gave a triumphant stomp. His footstool, a purple mare with a red-and-white mane, glared at him angrily in response.

"Oh, uh... sorry about that, I'll just... be going," Spike muttered quickly as he sheepishly dismounted the mare and dashed toward Blossomforth.

As he approached the bench where the two were seated, he could hear Trixie telling some kind of story in her characteristic dramatic tone. "So in the end," she was saying, "it was Trixie's hat that saved the troubadour from a catastrophic mistake!"

"That's very, er, impressive," Blossomforth replied slowly, "but what does that have to do with the monsters?"

"Hm? Why, Trixie's story is much more interesting than any monster!"

Spike, having managed to position himself right next to the blue mare by now, cleared his throat, which caused Blossomforth to jump slightly. Trixie looked down at him, amused.

"Hey, as riveting as that all sounded, I need to talk to Blossomforth," he said.

"Yeah? About what?" Blossomforth asked. "Did I forget something? Oh, I totally forgot to bring Twilight next month's weather schedule, didn't I? She must be—"

Spike placed a claw on Blossomforth's lips to shush her. "Actually, no. I'm here about you. We were all worried about you after you left the library, so I volunteered to come look for you. I got to the hotel just as you were leaving."

Blossomforth sat blinking in surprise for a few seconds. "But... that was over an hour ago," she said, glancing at Trixie out of the corner of her eye.

Spike looked from Blossomforth to the clock and slowly back. "Well, I might've made a stop or two on the way," he said with a blush. Trixie suddenly coughed a few times, and it sounded a lot like a laugh. Blossomforth herself cracked a knowing smile.

"Okay, so you're here. What now?" she asked.

"Now... I dunno." Spike scratched his head. "I wanted to help you feel better, but I guess the only way to do that is to figure out what it was that you saw."

"That sounds boring," Trixie said. "Why, Trixie could have the whole matter solved in a single day."

Blossomforth looked at Trixie, confused. "Are you offering to help, too?" she asked.

"Well, since you want my help so badly," Trixie declared, standing with a flourish, "the Great and Powerful Trixie is on the case! I swear I will personally flush out these monsters! Fear not, gentle Blossomforth, for with an amazingly brilliant unicorn such as myself helping you, there will be no place for the wicked to hide!"

Silence followed that proclamation. Trixie seemed to have earned some stares from the surrounding ponies, and after a moment somepony in the back, only a purple mane visible from where they were standing, cheered weakly.

"Thanks, Trixie," said Blossomforth with a grin. "I feel a lot better with you helping. Meet me outside the theater tonight and I'll show you where it was..."

Author's Note

Background ponies featured in this chapter:

Tea Love (Blind Bag Wave 2)
Fizzypop (Blind Bag Wave 1)
Bitta Luck (Blind Bag Wave 3)