The Red Star

“I can't remember exactly where I got it.” Dusk shine said, still looking at the picture of the gem. “All I know is that it is really important.

“If you want I can just do a memory spell to look into your mind and see for myself” Twilight suggested. “ Its relatively painless and it should not take long”

“Go ahead, can you make it so that I can also see the memories?”

Twilight came a little closer to Dusk Shine. “Of course, now just have a seat on the floor and relax.” Twilight's horn started to glow and Dusk Shine blacked out.

“Hey Dusk Shine wake up!”

Dusk hine opened his eyes, he was in a cave lines with torches. The walls glinted with hidden minerals. In front of him a brown earth pony holding a pickaxe has looking at him with concern.

“Get up, don't want the guards finding out you're slacking off” Dusk shine got up and followed the stallion down into a side tunnel.

“What am I doing here, and who are you?” The stallion looked at him with something akin to pity.

“Looks like they hit you with another memory loss spell.” “I'm Dust Cloud Remember?”

“ We got caught together”

“Im sorry I dont understand. What did u mean about us getting caught together?” Dusk Shine asked backing away from Dust Cloud.

“Wow they must of really got you good. We were both running from that crazy unicorn and She managed to catch us both with that weird gem of hers. After that she put us to work on this dig project.  I don't know what we are really digging up but it looks like some form of temple.  So far we've only uncovered the top part. I can definitely make out the imprint of lots of these sun drawings everywhere.”

“Whats this gem you mentioned earlier?”

“ I really don't have a clue, it seems to make her magic more powerful”

“Do you know where she keeps it?”

“ You can't be thinking of stealing it, I heard she even sleeps with the thing”

“ Just tell me where she sleeps then and i'll do the rest” Dusk shine whispered.

“ At the end of the big tunnel there a door in the wall, Through that door go into the third room on the right and you should see her”

“Ok thank you, when I get it i'll come back for you.”

Dusk shine trotted back into the main tunnel. He got to the door and found it locked. He turned around gave gave a good solid buck against the padlock and it popped open. Before any guards came he entered into this new hallway and went to the third room on the right.

A light blue unicorn was sleeping in a small cot.  In one of her hooves a gem shaped like red star glinted in the half light. Dusk Shine grabbed the gem with his mouth and gingerly lifted it from under the mares hoof. He then trotted back out of the door and into the main hallway. Checking for guards he went back to the side tunnel where he found Dust Cloud passed out of a crate.

“Hey Dust Cloud wake up I got something to show you”

Dust Cloud looked up at him sleepily until his eyes fell onto the gem in his hoof.

“What were you thinking! When she wakes up she is going to kill the lot of us for daring to touch her gem. You have to get it out of here before she finds out you took it.”

“Whoa dude calm down for a second. How can I get out of here anyway?”

“It’s supposed to be impossible, she has a shield around all of the entrances. Maybe the gem could help you with the shield but there is still about twenty guards between you and the exit.”

“Dont worry about me Dust, just pass me your pickaxe and i'll be out of your way for good.”

Dusk Shine walked down the hallway up to a group of three guards who were standing beside a door with a magical shield in front of it. He walked up to them purposely and when he was close enough he nailed the first one in the back of the head with his pickaxe. After the first one fell he quickly knocked out the other two with the pick and grabbed his cloak. He put on the cloak so that is covered his wings and kept the gem clearly visible on his chest. He then trotted straight through the shield and found himself in a hallway leading upwards completely full of guards. When the guards noticed the gem they spread out along the walls of the hallway and let him walk straight through. Dusk Shine walked up the hallway and opened a little door that appeared to be build in the side of a hill. Once he was outside he started galloping down a trail that he hoped leaded out of the forest. After about five minutes he heard a crash behind him. The blue unicorn was flying at him in a magic bubble.

He blinked a few times and suddenly he was back in the library staring into Twilight's eyes. He stumbled away and kicked his head into one of the book shelves. the last thing he heard was the sound of a lot of books falling and then he blacked out.