My Little Pony: Talismans are Magic

Chapter 1: Searching for the Talismans

“Good morning Twilight,” Spike said looking down at purple mare who was still in bed.  “Glad you're finally up.”  “Uhhhhhhhh, morning already?...” Twilight moaned with her eyes only halfway open.  One can only imagine how exhausted she was from all the action that went on in just one day.  Making a fool of herself before she exposed the fake Candance, fighting off an army of changelings, attending a wedding ceremony along with the reception and after party.  It was a lot to take in, and the only thing Twilight Sparkle wanted was a day to herself for relaxing in the library.  “I find it hard to believe that you're up before me, Spike.” Twilight said.  “Yeah, it does feel weird being the first one up,” Spike said with a shrug.  “But at least we have the whole day to ourselves.  First we can cook breakfast, then sit outside and watch the birds later today, then take a nice long walk before dinner- oh no, I feel a letter coming!” Spike said all the sudden.  Before he could go on any further about his plans for the day, Spike started to feel the urge in his mouth to let out a huge burp.  He let a stream of green fire which turned in to a scroll with a gold hoof insignia.  “It's gotta be from the Princess.” Spike guessed.  “Here you go, Twilight.” he said while handing her the letter.  It read:

To my faithful student Twilight,

I would like to thank you and your friends once again for saving Canterlot yesterday.  However, it seems that not all bad things have come to an end just yet.  Meet me in the castle throne room, and I'll explain everything there.  By the time you're done reading this, my men should already be outside your door with a chariot ready for escort. -Princess Celestia

“Oh no!  This can't be good!”  Twilight panicked.  Before she could overreact anymore, a knock at the door was heard.  “I'll get it.” Spike said as he hurried over to the door.  “We're here for Ms. Twilight Sparkle,” the royal guard said “Is she here?”  “I'm coming, I'm coming.”  Twilight said while running down the stairs with her saddlebag.  “Our highness requires your presence at once,” the guard continued.  “Come along please and bring anything you think is necessary.”  Twilight glanced back at Spike with a smile and nodded her head to him which showed that she wanted him to come with her.  “He did say anything, so I guess that includes anyone as well.” she said.  “Alright, let's do this!”  Spike exclaimed with enthusiasm.  “To Canterlot!”

It only took about 10 minutes for the chariot to eventually make its way to the Canterlot Castle entrance.  As they were walking down the path to the castle doors, Twilight leaned down to whisper in Spike's ear.  “Remember Spike, don't show any sign of disinterest no matter what it is she wants.” she warned.  “I know we both want the day off, but anything the Princess asks for is always top priority.”  “Understood, Twilight.”  Spike said with a wink.  As they appeared in throne room, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were already waiting and they both looked a bit more relieved that Twilight showed up.  “Thank for very much for being here, Twilight.”  Celestia said with a bit of a smile.  “I am very glad you could make it here as quickly as you did.  I know it hasn't been long since our battle against the changelings, but all of Equestria could be in grave danger if we do not act soon enough.”  Twilight didn't even bother to ask what the problem was since she knew the Princess well enough that asking frivolous questions could sometimes come off as disrespect.  “I'll do whatever it is you ask for, your highness.”  Twilight stated.

“It was only about a year after my sister and I sealed away Discord that an evil dragon descended from a portal leading into our world.” Princess Luna said.  “Luckily for us, it was already in a petrified coiled up state in which it could not harm us.  Not only did we detect magic from another world, but we were able to sense something very dark within.  We took no chances with the demonic dragon statue, so we extracted its magic which took on the forms of twelve talismans.  They were scattered all across Equestria, and each of these stones contains the depiction of a different animal.”  Princess Celestia rolled out a scroll which contained twelve octagon shapes that each contained a picture of a rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.  “I have ascertained that these animal signs indicate a unique power to each of the talismans.”  Celestia continued where Luna left off.  “Unfortunately, I do not know what those powers are, and I do not know the exact location of each one.  Thank goodness though there is a way to detect each of the different talismans, but it will require patience for each one.  To ensure safety in our land, we also sealed the dragon away in one of our chambers where it could not unleash any of its powers, and we also put a spell on the door that cannot be penetrated by dark magic.”  Celestia stopped to catch a long breath, while Twilight could tell that there was more on the Princess' mind.  “Your highness,” Twilight asked with concern.  “Is everything going to be alright?”  “I know this might sound very ironic to you,” Celestia said “But even after all these years, we do not even know the dragon's name.  When Luna and I extracted the talismans, the dragon screamed in anger which indicated that it was still alive, despite the fact that it was a statue.  We interrogated the dragon as much as we could but it refused to talk after what we did to the talismans.

Twilight felt a bit more relieved as she started to think that all the trouble she came here for was to help Princess Celestia identify the dragon's name.  “No worries,” Spike interjected.  “I'm a dragon myself so I'll do everything I can to make it talk or else I'll give it a piece of Spike!”  “I applaud your enthusiasm Spike,”  Luna replied.  “But I'm afraid the real reason you two are here is because the dragon is missing.”  Twilight and Spike froze in fear at the same time, both of them realizing a quest would be coming up very shortly.  “That wasn't all that we discovered last night,”  Luna resumed.  “During my night watch, one of my personal guards went to his post to guard the chamber, but then he noticed a light coming from behind the door.  When he opened to check inside, the room's torches were lit up and the dragon statue was no where to be found.”  “Which leads to only one conclusion,” Celestia said sounding a bit agitated.  “An intruder got in to the castle and discovered this room while the wedding reception was going on.  It's the only possible time it could happen since no guards were on duty during the reception and after party.  Additionally, whoever took the dragon statue with them could be in grave danger.  There's no telling what could happen since the dragon is no longer in the room that suppressed its dark magic.”

So what should I do first? Twilight asked sounded a bit more hopeless than earlier. “There's a lot to take in and I'm not sure where to start.”  “I have an idea, but first let's get you back to the chariot where the guards wait.” said Celestia.  When Twilight and Spike were escorted by the princess, Celestia said.  “It would be safer to track down the talismans first before you confront either the interloper or the dragon.  “In the meantime I will find a locator spell to indicate the first talisman.  When I do, I'll send you a letter with further details.”  “Thank you your highness, I won't let you down!” said Twilight as she was getting ready to board the chariot with Spike.  “And  Twilight.”  Celestia said.  “Yes?” asked Twilight.  “Remember that your friends are always there for you, and don't do anything reckless.”  With those last words of advice, Twilight and Spike departed on their chariot back to the Ponyville library.

Meanwhile, in an abandoned facade townhouse in the slums of Manehattan, Trixie had been getting settled in with her new hideout that she teleported Shendu inside; they knew they needed a place where no pony would bother to go.  At the same time, she did not want to be too far from civilization.  “What kind of strange place is this?” Shendu asked sounding a bit confused.  “It's very filthy and dark for a place  that looks somewhat inhabitable.”  “This was the best I could think of, Shendu.”  replied Trixie.  “I had an uncle that used to rent rooms to other ponies, but after a couple umm... bad decisions, he fled from Manehattan and never came back to check in.  Obviously, none one on his lease wanted to live in a townhouse with no water and electricity, which is why it's in a bit of a mess.”  “The cleaning can wait for now; I have to admit you're more cunning than I thought, Trixie.  One that lurks in the shadows is more likely to stay undetected.” Shendu complimented.

“This is only the beginning of our operation.”  Trixie said in return.  “There are also some connections I have here in Manehattan that my uncle knew very well back in the day.  Because he always had a good relationship with them, I know they will gladly serve as my enforcers and search all of Equestria for the talismans.”  “Very good to see that's covered.”  said the demonic dragon.  “But make sure that you do not draw too much attention when you come and go from this residence.”  “Rest assured, Shendu.  Our mission is becoming much more promising the more I put my mind to it.”  said Trixie as she walked out of Shendu's room.

As Trixie quietly walked out the townhouse entrance, making sure that no one saw her,  she growled to herself “I will make sure no other pony gets in my way of domination.  Not even that wretched Twilight Sparkle!...”

End of Chapter 1