Story 1: Dangers of the Lost
Chapter 1: Mystery on a doorstep
Tonight was the night that had been dreading. It was the Grand Galloping Gala. Clyde wanted to avoid it altogether but he was always obligated to show up. The atmosphere was always so uptight and most of the unicorns attending were snobs. He expected little from this party. First he would walk up the castle steps to receive a quick welcome from Princess Celestia, which was honestly the most eventful part of the night, then he would head to the ballroom and mingle with a few ponies, and when he finally got too bored to stay conscious, he would leave.
As Clyde walked up this time however he noticed a few ponies were dancing in unison.
“Well it looks like Celestia wanted to spice up the entrance. Lets hope the rest is just as entertaining,” Clyde rolled his eyes sarcastically then moved on to the garden where he quickly greeted a few cousins. Before any of them could strike up a conversation he rushed off to receive a greeting from the Princess.
After a few quick hellos he finally reached the Princess. She had a guest standing beside her today. It was a purple female unicorn that looked rather dejected. He quickly realized it was Twilight Sparkle. Both she and her brother were rather famous in their own different ways but he recognized Twilight because of another reason. His friend Steam had gone to school with the her and had a small crush. He regally walked up to both of them.
Clyde made a quick bow and the Princess returned it with a quick greeting.
“Welcome Clyde,” Celestia said with a nod,” Please enjoy the party.”
“Thank you Princess,” He then turned to Twilight.
Clyde quickly shook her hoof.
“Enjoy the party,” She said in a moody manor.
He knew in an instant that Twilight did not want to be there and neither would he.
“Same goes to you,” Clyde said with a smile then moved on to the ballroom.” Well so far the night has not been too horrible.”
Once Clyde reached the ball room he quickly deflated. It was just as he expected. The band was playing the same boring music from last year, the decor was drab, and the ponies were bragging to each other. Clyde shook his head headed straight for the bar. At least he was getting free drinks so the party was tolerable. A bartender known as Dragon was pouring the drinks tonight which also lightened his spirits.
Dragon was a rather young unicorn bartender, about twenty-seven, but he had spent many years travelling around Equestria learning about the art. He had only been in Canterlot for a year but he was already pretty famous. Until Dragon showed up Clyde rarely drank anything alcoholic, now he visits the bar for a couple drinks every Saturday night. As Dragon stood there at attention, Clyde took a seat and gave a him a quick smile.
“I am glad you are serving drinks tonight,” Clyde said with a small chuckle.
“As am I,” Replied Dragon with his usual calm smile.
“I would like a Mojito please,” Clyde requested.
“Right away,” Dragon quickly and skillfully produces the highball then lays it in front of Clyde, “enjoy.”
Clyde takes a sip of the drink and turns back to the party. A pink pony had arrived and was dancing around. She at an insane amount of food then popped up in random spots.
He chuckled again,” Well this is new. Did Celestia hire a clown as the entertainment this year?
Clyde could tell that other ponies were getting annoyed by her antics but he was actually enjoying her insane actions. Clyde drank a few more mojitos then decided it was time to go home. Before he could get up however, all hell broke loose! A cake went flying and hit a female pony that was accompanying Blueblood around the party.
“Heh Blueblood that was not wise,” Clyde mumbled holding back his laughter.
The grey mare began yelling at him then began throwing cake at him. This in turn caused him to panic and knock down a statue which a rainbow colored mare attempted to catch. Her small body could not hold it up and she ended up crashing into the columns which then proceed to fall.
“Well... I didn’t expect to see this much activity,” Clyde said still amazed at the sight,” I better leave before the guards show up.
As he was trotting to the door a group of animals came rushing in followed by a yelling yellow mare. Clyde just stood there awestruck for moment then quickly rushed out the door. Once he put some distance between himself and the castle, he returned to a slow trot.
This had been the most event gala in ages and Clyde was actually glad that he attended it.
“Well now, that was entertaining but I believe it is time for me to return to the shop.” He yawned a bit then stumbled.” I believe I had one too many tonight.”
Clyde Excava is not a famous unicorn though he does have ties to the royal family. His mother Diamond was from one of the main houses and had the normal royal unicorn look, tall, white, and had a pink flowing mane. His father Rudy was a rather large brown earth stallion with a black mane from Ponyville. They met twenty-eight years ago when Rudy opened an antique shop in Canterlot.
Rudy was a well known archaeologist and had collected many rare objects over the years. After he reached the age of thirty he decided it was time to open up a shop. He sold a few objects and used his earnings to build one in Canterlot. It was not big or overly fancy but it was still one of the nicer buildings around. His mother was seen as an outcast in her family because she spent all her time reading history books. She had just turned twenty-three and had another confrontation with her family. They wanted her to marry a stallion from another rich family but she knew that she would be tied down if it happened. As Diamond walked down the road she discovered Rudy’s freshly opened antique shop. Though it was not love at first sight there was a small spark. She began visiting the shop every day and slowly but surely they began to develop feelings for eachother. Diamonds family was against the two’s relationship but she did not care anymore. She simply left the family and married Rudy the very next day. They spent the next three years travelling around Equestria exploring and going on digs until Diamond got pregnant with Clyde and had to settle down.
He had graduated from Canterlot college one years ago but had lived by himself for the last eight. When Clyde was about fifteen his parents went on another expedition to a recently discovered group of ruins and never returned. It was quite common for them to go on expeditions without Clyde and he did not really mind but this time was different. His parents kept a that that allowed him to talk to them on a daily basis. One day the orb lost it’s connection and that caused Clyde to worry. Celestia then sent a scout a few days after they lost contact with the camp. When the scout returned after two weeks of hard flying he reported that the camp was empty apart from the excavation equipment.
Clyde had grieved for a year after the incident and it didn’t help that Celestia chose not to look for the expedition. When she first heard the ruins had been found she had seemed reclusive from her people. She had warned them ahead of time the ruins may have been sealed for a reason and to avoid opening it up until she could confirm what it was used for. After the incident had passed people speculated that she knew more than she was saying. Every time somepony brought up the topic she gave them a cold look that told ponies it is not wise to delve any further. Nopony had seen this side of Celestia before, not even Twilight. Once ponies learned to avoid the topic everypony went about life as if nothing had ever happened.
He let out a slow exhale and looked at his reflection in a shop window. His mane and tail were a handsome shade of blue with black stripes and his fur had a silver sheen. Though he was happy with his looks he frequently considered his size a hindrance. When he looked at his cutie mark he let out another small sigh. There was a shovel digging up a skull permanently plastered to his side. Though he got it on a summer expedition he is not sure why it had such a look. He had never found a skull like that or any bones for that matter. He just started shrugging it off.
He was now the owner of Rudy’s Antiquities and bumping into fragile pots was not good for business. He had enough money to last five lifetimes so he pretty much saw the shop as a way to keep himself entertained. His life had been rather quiet but he didn’t mind. He had the occasional visitor and he did hear some interesting stories from those that perused.
He shook his head then continued trotting,” Why am I thinking about this stuff on a night like tonight? I should have put all these memories behind me years ago.”
Clyde was enjoying the beautiful night he felt like something was off. The atmosphere was heavier than usual and he felt a constant buzz which made his hair stand up. Once he reached his doorstep he discovered why the atmosphere was so painful. There was an odd basket lying in front of his door. As he opened it he felt both shock and confusion. Two baby alicorns were lying there asleep with a note sitting on top “Please watch after them,” He read,” I was told you could help.”
“Well... that is one way to wake me up,” he said trying to catch his breath,” and why did it have to be baby alicorns?”
Clyde magically lifted the basket and carried them inside. He placed them on table then took a closer look at the two. The first, which he found to be a filly, was a dark shade of purple with a deep black mane that made him feel disoriented. The second was a buck with a ocean blue color and a frizzy mane that moved like electricity. As he touched the buck’s mane he felt a jolt of electricity go through his spine.
“I thought alicorns outside of the royal family were extinct,” he muttered while getting up from the floor,” I will contact the princess in the morning. I am sure that we both had a rough day and I do not want to make it worse”
Before going to bed he thought he saw a flash go by his window. He quickly looked but saw nothing out of place and assumed the shock was giving him hallucinations.
“I’m sure they will be fine till the morning,” he thought,” They seemed pretty Tuckered out when I brought them in.”
He magically grabbed the basket and began heading up the stairs. Clyde couldn’t but wonder who in their right mind would send two babies, Alicorn at that, to him of all ponies. He had never taken care of a baby before and wouldn’t know how to handle two. He walked past his parents room with a sigh. Once Clyde reached his room he placed the basket beside his bed. Clyde decided it was time to get some shut-eye. It had been a rough night and he was dreading the day to come.
“Why does this stuff always happen to me?” he thought slowly drifting in and out of sleep.
That night it stormed furiously. Though Clyde was asleep a pair of glowing red eyes stared in through his window. Slowly a white smile began to show then the creature vanished.
The next morning quickly with a boom resounding from the distance.
“What the in the name of Celestia was that was that!?” Clyde exclaimed as he shot out of bed. He looked out the window and saw a rainbow colored mushroom cloud in the distance.
“It seems that they had a successful experiment,” He said groggily as tried to gather his bearings,”What is this like the fifth time this week... I would make a complaint if it wasn’t Steam funding it.”
Once he got out of bed he put on a grey vest, groomed his mane, put on his old pocket watch, and chewed on a mint leaf. When he glanced over at the basket and noticed that the babies were no longer there.
“So last night wasn’t a bad dream,” he thought,” This is bad even though they are babies they are still some of the most dangerous things in Equestria.”
He frantically began searching every crevice. When he couldn’t find them he panicked and nearly fell down the staircase.
While running around he tripped and knocked down a antique statue which made a loud crash on the floor. To his much surprise a black shadow slid out from the statues wreckage and congealed into the purple filly who had a giant grin on her face. Though he was now thoroughly disturbed he had no time to waste, he picked her up and placed her on his back.
As he rushed into the kitchen he hoped he could find the buck before it found him. He already got a big shock last night and he not looking forward to another one.
Clyde soon wished that thought never crossed his mind because soon after the blue buck shot through the room with a flash of light and hit Clyde like a cannon ball. Breath now knocked out of him, Clyde look up to see both of them fluttering above him smiling. He was now quite angry. He got up and calmed himself as to regain his breath.
“Well that was enough fun for one morning,” Clyde gasped,” do you know how to speak or have I been talking to myself.”
They just simply stared at him wordlessly as they fluttered down to the floor.
“Well that says a lot about my state of mind,” he grumbled,” now then let's get something to eat and then pay a visit to auntie Celestia.”
After warming up some oatmeal and smashing a few apples into sauce he placed the bowls in front of them. They proceed to stick their faces in the bowls and eat vigorously. “I guess it has been a while since you last ate.”
“You know what, you are pretty cute once you get past your freaky powers,” Clyde said admittedly.
Once they finished eating, cleaned them up and founds some cloths to use as diapers which brought up the question,” were you wearing diapers when I found you in the basket?”
As he walked through his shop and checked the basket he realized no... they were not wearing diapers when he found them.
Though he couldn’t find anything to put him them in he decided they would be safe in his saddle bags. After putting the filly in one bag he had to magically lift the buck and put him in the the other. His magic gave him more trouble than the other unicorns so he had to be careful when doing it. Once the foal was safely in the other bag he lifted the bags up and put them on his back.
“I’m sure somebody in the castle will take care of you,” He said while he walked down the path,” I have no idea why somebody would leave you on my doorstep.”
On his way out he put the closed sign up and headed out. He made a lot on his antiques but he though it would be ok to close the shop down for a day.
It was a cloudy out today and it looked as if it might rain again. The normally beautiful white streets of Canterlot looked grey and gloomy. As Clyde walked he got a few strange glances and giggles but he did not understand what was so funny. When walked by a shop window he learned what all the commotion was about. His mane was standing on end from the static the blue foal was putting off. He tried to push it back down but it just sprung right back up.
“Peachy,” he said,” I wonder what other fun things the universe has in store for me today.”
Once Clyde finally got to the castle he was thoroughly tired of the stares he was getting and just wanted to put down the the saddle bags.
Walking up to the gate he noticed the guards on duty were two chuckle heads he knew in school. Usually when unicorn guards are on duty they must stand up straight and block out all distractions, not these bozos however. When they saw Clyde walk up to the gate they burst out laughing.
“HAHAHA, I see yeh are trying somethin new with yer hair today,” cackled the guard on the right,” is yer life that dull, hahaha, what do yeh think about his hair, Avery?”
“Oy, I think he is trying to bring back a style that died off thirty years ago,” Avery Said trying to catch his breath,” I expect him to start bangin his head any moment, George.?
“Hardeharhar,” Clyde mocked begrudgingly,” I need to speak to the Princess, can I go through?”
“I dunno,” said George still chuckling,” She said she was tir’d from the Gala and didn’ want to be disturbed unless it was importn’”
“This is important,” he said clenching his teeth,” would you so kindly let me through?”
“Alright alright,” as George now holding back his laughter,” No need t’ get yer hair standin’ up.”
“I don’t know, Clyde,” Avery said still cackling,” The Princess recently imposed a tax requiring you to buy each of us a beer!”
“Eeyup tha’s what she sai-,” George began to say before getting cut off.
“If I have said it once I will say it a thousand times! Stop butchering the Equestrian language George! I know you can speak proper! Heck you even went to grammar school!” Clyde bursted out no longer able to hold back his annoyance,” and if you would just let me though I would buy each of you two drinks!”
George laughed,” Eh, you are no fun at all, haha, but atleast we got two beers out of you this time!
They both burst out in laughter again and opened the gate.
As Clyde walked by he gave George a tap on the shoulder giving him a good shock,” Good stallion, thanks for all the help and no my life is not as dull as you might believe.”
While George stood there dazed Avery with his mouth hung open asked,” Oy what did you do to him!?”
“Oh, you know this kind of weather,” Clyde said now in a better mood,” I tend to build up some static.”
“Ok, if you say so,” Avery said still confused,” Nice kids by the way... they look nothing like you.
“Thanks,” he said as he began walking again,” That is a great burden off of my back.
As he walked through the hall he noticed in a mirror that his hair was no longer standing up.
“Thank Luna,” He said,” I would hate talking to Celestia with my hair in that state.”
Looking back he saw that both the babies were now asleep again. He was glad that things were calming down a bit. It had been a rough morning for him and the babies, so he decided to let them rest until he got to Celestia.
When he got to the throne he noticed Prince Blueblood was whining to Celestia about the mare from last night.
“But Celestia I want you to lock her up for dirtying a royal face,” Blueblood whined in his snobby voice,” I had just gotten groomed before the Gala.”
“Blueblood you get groomed twice a day,” Celestia protested calmly,” what is a little cake?”
“But she dirtied-” Blueblood whined before he was cut off.
“Please, do you even know this Pony’s name?” she questioned calmly.
“No... there was a glass shoe but she broke it for some reason.” Blueblood said now quieting down.
“I wonder why,” questioned Celestia a little mockingly,” How am I supposed to punish this pony if you know nothing about her?”
“I... uh... don’t know,” Blueblood said now stumbling his word,” but I want her puuunished.”
“Alright I will send someone to find this non-descript mare you told me about,” Celestia said mockingly.
“Thank you,” he said in a gratified fashion and left the throne room.
“Not the brightest bulb is he?” Clyde joked as he walked up to the throne and gave a bow.
“No, but he is still technically family,” Celestia laughed,” so, why have you come to visit me today Clyde?”
“Well I have a couple things you might find interesting,” Clyde said as he removed the bags from his back.
“Well what do we have here?” she asked happily.
“Two alicorn babies that were found lying on my doorstep last night after the Gala,” He said while opening the bags for the princess to see.
“A-a-l-i-corn,” She said almost speechless.
“Yes,” Clyde said astonished at the princesses reaction,” I thought the only alicorns left were that of the royal family?”
“We are supposed to be,” said the princess looking at each of them closely,” and none have carried children in years.”
“Then where did they come from,” Clyde asked as he popped a few mint leaf in his mouth,” I didn’t see who put them on my doorstep and all they came with was a basket and note saying ‘Please watch after them; I was told you could help.’”
“This is very odd,” Said the princess thoughtfully,” If they didn’t mention their name it must be for a good reason.”
“So what do you want me to do with them?” Clyde questioned as he chewed on the mint.
“Well, I would like for you to watch after them,” said the princess,” It wouldn’t be safe for them to grow up in the castle.”
“I don’t know anything about watching babies let alone alicorns,” Clyde protested and swallowed his mint,” And why can’t they stay in the castle?”
“There are some things I am not allowed to discuss,” the princess said firmly,” As for raising them, I will send a maid to your shop tomorrow.
“This is all kind of sudden,” Clyde said dumbfounded,” how long will I have to watch them?”
“Well I want you to raise them of course,” said the princess with a smile on her face.
“Huh?” said Clyde unable to speak.
“On another note, who saw you with them?” asked the princess suddenly serious.
“Nopony apart from you and the guards at the gate,” said Clyde still dumbfounded,” If I ask them not to mention anything they won’t, I know them personally so I’m sure they will listen.
“Good, now if you will excuse me,” Said Celestia now with a smile back on her face,” I am expecting a visit from Princess Luna.”
“Yes Princess and thank you for seeing me.” said Clyde already tired,” Is there anything else I should know before I leave.”
“No, but if I need you i will send for you,” the princess said still smiling.
As he put the saddle bags back on he saw Princess Luna come in escorted by the bat winged guards.
As she went by she greeted Clyde,” GREETINGS CLYDE EXCAVA, WE TRUST YE ARE WELL TODAY?
“Greetings Princess Luna,” Clyde said with a bow,” Today has been full of surprises but yes I am well.”
“WE ARE GLAD TO HEAR THAT,” Princess Luna exclaimed,” YE MUST VISIT US SOMETIME!”
“The next time I’m not busy I will,” Clyde gave another bow and headed for the door.
As he walked out he could hear Princess Luna,”GREETINGS SISTER! WE CAME TO TELL YOU THAT WE WILL BE ATTENDING NIGHTMARE NIGHT!”
“Greetings to you sister,” Princess Celestia said,” we will talk about Nightmare Night later; We have more important matters to discuss.
Halfway through the hallway he heard a louder than usual shout come from Princess Luna,” HE HAD WHAT!?”
“I’m not sure how long the babies will stay secret with Luna,” He thought to himself and grabbed some more mint to chew on.
On the way out he checked on George and Avery. George was still a bit dizzy from the shock but he was coherent enough to joke about it. Clyde told them that the princess doesn’t want people to know about the babies so it would be wise not to mention it. Both looked at him confused but agreed.
“Are they yours and Celest-,” Avery was about to ask.
Clyde quickly face-hoofed and stopped Avery before he could continue,”NO! I found them on my doorstep!”
“If ye’ say so,” laughed George while hitting Clyde on the shoulder and receiving another shock.
Avery chuckled,” Oy, George you might not want to touch him; you might forget your name permanently next time.”
George staggered a bit and said,”who?”
Clyde laughed,said his goodbyes, started home hoping it wouldn’t rain until he got there.
“Why the pegasus scheduled rain on today of all days is beyond,” He grumbled and checked on the babies the who were still asleep,” I don’t want to know what will happen if the buckhits water.”
His luck ran out halfway to his shop. The pegasus had apparently put a little extra clouds up because the Gala interfered with the rain schedule and it was pouring
Rushing home Clyde couldn’t help but yell,” AHHHH BAD DAY BAD DAY BAD DAY!”
After receiving multiple shocks he finally reached his shop and placed the babies on the table and took them out.
“You are going to give me a lot of trouble,” he said after looking at the blue foal who began to smile,” I know you understand me at least and are amazingly quiet for babies.”
The next thing he new the babies looked at each other and began to cry.
“Oh come on you’re doing this on purpose,” he said to them and then took a sniff,” Well I might as well change you.”
After 20 minutes of flailing, mostly from him trying to get the foal’s cloth on and off, he disposed of the clothes knowing he would never use them again.
Next he went on to get them some lunch. He knew after what they did to the cloths they must be hungry. Once that fun was done he placed them on the table wondering what to do with them next.
“Well since I’m going to be watching after you I might as well name you,”he said.
The filly took a few tries Night, Dusk, Dark, and Shadow didn’t fit. He finally decider to call her Void after looking at her mane for a bit. It was like looking at an infinite black space that absorbed all light. The buck was a bit easier. Clyde decided to call him Spark for obvious reasons.
After finding some things for them to play with Clyde heard a knock at the door. When he went to the door he saw Steam Buckerson and his dragon Oswald standing there with a smile. When Clyde opened the door they rushed in with various trinkets.”Yeah come on in...”
“Hey Clyde I hear you finally had some children,” said Steam as hoofed Clyde on the shoulder,” why didn’t you tell me you were married; Hell I didn’t even know you were dating you sly stallion!”
Oswald punched him on the other shoulder and gave him a thumbs up alongside a toothy grin.
“First how did you know I had kids,” He said infuriated,” second how did you get here so fast?”
“Oh George and Avery dropped by after their shift and said you knocked up some mare wink wink nudge nudge,” he said with a goofy grin,” And I got here on my latest invention!
Both Steam and Oswald pointed outside to a large iron machine with a boiler on the back,” I sold the plans to a couple entrepreneurs hoping to adapt it into an automatic cider maker; smart guys and sly talkers... I think they’ll do quite well!
“They aren’t my babies... I found them on my doorstep last night after the Gala,” he said still seething,” Who else knows?”
“Damn, sounds like you had a rough night I mean after I got drunk on that hard apple cider Applejack was passing out I took Clockwork home and -,” Steam’s yammering before getting cut off.
“Yeah don’t talk like that around the babies,” he said as he saw Oswald playing with them,” They’re pretty smart and I don’t know how much they understand.”
“Ah ok Clyde I get yah,” Steam grinned,” Oh you were wondering who knew about the babies lets see; there’s Clockwork, Oswald, Ash, and Iron.
Oswald is ok since he rarely talks and I can trust Ash and Iron but who is Clockwork?” Clyde asked as he grabbed some mint.
“Dunno some mare I met last night at the Gala,” Steam said rubbing his chin hair,” I mentioned that I bu-
“Yes and I stopped you from going into specifics,” Clyde said chewing on his mint,” On another note tell Ash and Iron not to tell anyone... I trust them unlike some other ponies I know.”
“Aight will do good buddy,” Steam Chimed,” so you wanna to see the Night Vision Goggles and smoke bomb I made?
“Might as well since you are going to show me anyways,” Clyde said tentatively as he swallowed the mint.
“Aight put these on and look at a dark space,” Steam said as Clyde put on the goggles.
“No what everything is green but I- Argh!” Clyde yelled as Steam flipped a switch,” you nearly made me go blind you sonova....”
“Oops I guess it is too light out my bad,” Steam said laughing,” Now I’m sure the smoke bomb is around here- Oswald NO!”
Steam quickly grabbed took an round ball from Oswald and chucked it outside where it quickly blew up and covered the streets.
“Sorry,” said Oswald with his toothy grin.
“Aight that means it is time for me to go,” Steam said with a worried look,”besides I have to piss like a horse, later bro!”
Steam and Oswald quickly rushed out the door, got on their contraption an sped down the road.
Steam Buckerson has been Clyde’s friend since they were young bucks. Though Steam likes to purposefully make Clyde stress out for fun, they always get along in the end. His parents are some of the most famous unicorn inventors in Equestria and Steam managed to inherit their skills and then some. He is able to enchant various objects and manipulate metals quickly. Due to his magical talent he was sent to a school for the gifted. He always brags that he in class with Twilight Sparkle to anypony he meets. He also has a way with mares whether it is copper fur and golden mane or his foul language Clyde will never know. His Cutie mark is 3 gears.
Oswald was an odd occurrence. When the testers at the school for gifted unicorns found the black egg in a fresh batch they thought it was bad but they let steam try it anyways. To their surprise a blood red with black spines and wings hatched from it. His scaled were slick and had a black sheen on the red. The testers hadn’t seen a dragon like that in a thousand years and had assumed they were extinct. That being said Steam was very happy. Oswald is a quiet dragon and frequently mimics ponies for fun.
Steam lives in the mountain with Ash and Iron Rockwell. They are earth ponies that Steam hired 5 years ago to help him collect Various metals from the mountain. They quickly became friends and will frequently be with Steam during events.
“Well that was fun while it lasted,” Clyde said as he checked on the babies,”you seem tired I guess you want to take another nap.”
As he put them to bed in a spare bedroom he wondered yet again how he got into all of this.
End of chapter 1
