The Knights Trinity

Chapter 12: He’s Awake

Luna and Rainbow Dash watched the sky as Dustin looped around and sped away towards the horizon.

“Do you think we should let him know we’re here? He really seems to be enjoying himself.” said Luna.

“Bet I can catch him.” replied Rainbow Dash as she disappeared leaving a puff of dust behind.

She flew above Dustin and matched his speed.

“Your pretty fast for a human.” she said with a smile as she shot out ahead of him. “Think you can keep up?”

Dustin narrowed his wings back as he started to gain on the rainbow colored tail before him. Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder and changed directions heading back towards Luna. Dustin turned and started flapping his wings hard determined to catch the pegasus. Just as he reached out to grab her she sped away as a burst of rainbow stretched out across the sky. The boom that followed knocked Dustin off course forcing him to the ground. With a crash he came sliding to a stop at Luna’s hooves.

“Not what I would call graceful.” said Luna as she helped him back to his feet.

Dustin wrapped his arms around her neck and gave her a big hug.

“Thanks for coming, I missed you.”

Luna placed a hoof around Dustin’s back returning the hug.

“And I you. I apologize for not coming sooner but I have all the dreams of Equestria to maintain.”

“As you saw I’ve been practicing while I waited.”

“Perhaps you should practice a little more on landing.”

“That was Awesome. Did ya see it.” yelled Rainbow Dash as she landed next to Luna.

“Yeah, you could say I saw it up close and personal. What exactly was that.

“That, was a Sonic Rainboom! I’m the only pony in Equestria that can do it.” she replied rubbing her hoof on her chest.

“That was pretty amazing Skittles, maybe you could teach me how to do it.”

A huge smile crossed her face at hearing her new nickname again.

“We could try. Here in this dream you might even be able to pull it off.”

“So how long have I been out now? Did I hit the two week mark?”

“Actually, today will be a little over two weeks. However, your body has already been moved to the castle, so do not be shocked if you wake. The doctor says all your internal injuries have healed with the exception of your ribs, and the burns have healed nicely as well.”

“I guess I probably look like a monster now, why is it I look just fine here?”

This is a projection of yourself that your mind has created. I don’t believe you actually saw the damage your body sustained in the attack.” replied Luna.

“As much as I enjoy being able to fly and all, I’d really like to see everypony again. How are they doing?”

“Your right, you do need to wake up, it’s cool seeing you here, but I like the real thing better.” said Rainbow Dash with a snort. Rarity keeps asking if your awake yet, she really wants me to bring you in for measurements to make clothes and stuff. Scootaloo told me yesterday that Apple Jack and Adrian are dating. But, you never can be sure if those fillies are telling the truth or not. They could have just seen the two of them sitting together and assumed. The eggheads found some book that they’ve been going on and on about for days now.”

“Eggheads?”

“Anthony and Twilight they’re always reading and stuff, like a couple of eggheads. Everypony really misses you Dustin. Oh I also think Pinkie Pie is going to throw you a Congratulations for not Dying party when you get back.”

“If Pinkie does have such a party for Dustin, please be sure to have an invitation sent to me as well. I think I would enjoy that.”

“You got it princess.” replied Rainbow Dash

“So it sounds like those two are adjusting well. It kinda surprises me how quick Adrian changed. Equestria must be truly magical.”

“Anyway, what do ya say about showing us around the Black Hills.”

Dustin spread his wings out and flew into the air.

“Are you two coming or not.”

Luna and Rainbow Dash flew up to join him as the trio started to glide over the tree tops at a casual pace.

After what felt like hours of flying they approached a rather large cliff face. Luna and Rainbow Dash flew up to pass over it. Much to their shock Dustin dove straight down and disappeared into the hard rock. They stopped and looked down waiting for him to reappear.

“Up here you two.” came a familiar voice ahead of them.

“How did you do that?” asked Rainbow Dash flying to his side.

“Instead of hitting the cliff you teleported yourself beyond it, very impressive.” remarked Luna.

“Nope I flew through it. Humans built tunnels all over these hills to let cars get through more efficiently.”

“Whats a car?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Its a machine humans invented to travel great distance at high speed.”

“So do humans fly on earth?”

“With machines and devices. Humanity has always been obsessed with flight. Maybe that comes from our early interaction with pegasi. Let me show you something.”

Dustin started to focus causing the landscape to fade away. Luna and Rainbow Dash gasped as structures slowly appeared in front of them. The sheer scale of the city was breathtaking.

“What is that??” asked Rainbow Dash her mouth still hanging open.

“That is New York City, the largest city in my country. There are around eight million humans living here.”

“Eight million? I don’t even know if there are that many ponies in Equestria.”

“Such amazing feats of construction you have accomplished, those structures are larger then even Canterlot Castle.” added Luna.

“We were limited on space to grow outward so the logical solution was to build up.”

The city faded away and was replaced by vast rolling hills dotted with sporadic structures.

“Come on lets do some more flying I’m having fun.”

“Hey Luna do you mind if I teach Dustin how to do a rainboom.”

“By all means go right ahead. At least in this setting we won’t have to worry about him crashing into anything.” she replied with a smile.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Come on.” said Rainbow Dash as she took off higher into the sky.

Once they reached what she thought was a suitable altitude she stopped.

“Okay what ya wanna do is flap as hard as you can and get some good speed going. Fly at an angle down so you speed up faster. Then pull your wings back into a power dive. Just make sure you leave yourself enough room to pull up if you have to.”

Dustin nodded and launched himself forward flapping furiously.

“Now!” yelled Rainbow Dash, when she thought he was moving fast enough.

Dustin narrowed his wings back and dropped into a power dive.

“Faster!” yelled Rainbow Dash as he fell towards the earth.

He could feel the pressure building against his body as his speed increased. He dropped farther and faster then he had ever gone before.

“PULL OUT!!! PULL OUT!!”

Dustin extended his wings and tried arching back upwards. His momentum continued pushing him down towards the ground. He began to panic as the earth rushed closer and closer. At a mere twenty feet from the ground he finally regained control and pushed himself upwards.

“Come on newbie, I know you can do better then that.” shouted Rainbow Dash from above him.

Dustin tried again and again, each attempt failing as the one before it.

Once he got back to the proper height Rainbow Dash gave him a smile.

“Try doing this next time.” she pulled her wings back and angled them off of her body.

“That’ll make it a little easier to regain control if you have to pull up too.”

“Okay Skittles lets do this together so I can watch how you do it.”

“Alright but remember, don’t “think” you can do it. “Know” you can do it.”

They launched themselves forward flying side by side. Dustin changed his angle and drew in his wings like she had showed him. The pressure grew as his speed jumped drastically. A thin white half circle of cloud started to form in front of him as the skin of his cheeks was pushed backwards. He looked over to Rainbow Dash and saw the cloud she was creating narrow out to a point as she pulled away. After descending a little farther she shot upward at almost a ninety degree angle and a burst of rainbow shot outward from where she had been. Dustin looked ahead and tightened his body. At about one hundred feet from the ground he forced his wings out to slow himself down.

“That was intense.” he said as Rainbow Dash flew up beside him.

“Come on lets try it again. I think you about had it that time.” she replied.

Hovering what seemed like miles above the ground Dustin stared down across the land.

“It really is an amazing view.” he said with a sigh.

“I’ve got an idea, come here.” ordered Rainbow Dash

She placed her front hooves around Dustin’s neck and wrapped her back hooves around his waist.

“We can do it together so my wings can add to your speed. When your ready start flapping.”

Dustin grabbed hold of Rainbow Dash and flapped hard pushing them forward. They leveled out and then started their descent. Two sets of wings beat in unison as they picked up speed.

“Now!” she yelled again and they pulled their wings in tight.

Dustin’s eyes started to water as the force and speed was almost doubled to what he had accomplished himself. He watched as the cloud formed yet again, narrowing rapidly. There was a hard jerk as they were shot upward. A ring of red and blue flame spread out across the sky followed by a thunderous boom.

Dustin watched in awe as he realized they were leaving a trail of flame in their wake.

“Hey, you can fly to ya know.”said Rainbow Dash snapping him back to reality.

He extended his wings and gently brought them to a stop.

“That was Epic!” exclaimed Dustin pulling her tighter against him.

“That wasn’t a sonic rainboom, that was a sonic FLAMEboom, it was Totally AWESOME!”

“Well done, both of you. That was quite an exhilarating display. ” added Luna flying up to meet them.

“Thanks Luna. I owe it to Skittles, I don’t think I could have done that without her.”

Dustin reached out for Luna and he disappeared along with the scenic view.

“What happened?” cried Rainbow Dash in terror as she searched frantically for Dustin.

“It is okay Rainbow Dash. Dustin has simply awoken.”

“Really!! You mean he’s really awake.”

Yes, now I must go, let everypony else know of the change in his condition in the morning.”
................................................................................................................................................

Dustin opened his eyes and tried to focus on his surroundings. He could make out the edges of his rather large bed in the dimly lit room. He heard a door open and saw a blurred figure approaching. His vision gradually cleared as Luna’s face came into view.

“Hello beautiful.” he choked, his throat dry and coarse

Luna looked at him blushing slightly.

“I promised I would be here when you awoke, and I do not break my promises. I am sure your friends will be coming on the first train to Canterlot.”

A pony Dustin had not noticed walked forward and offered a small glass of water.

“Drink this slowly.” she said. “To much to fast will only make you sick.”

Dustin tried to take the glass but couldn’t find the strength. Seeing him struggle Luna took the glass and raised it to his chapped lips. He had to fight the urge to try and down the entire glass as the water eased the pain in his throat.

“Thank you.” he said softly and took another sip.

He started to try sitting up but the sudden pain in his chest told him it wasn’t a good idea.
“You’ll need to spend at least a few more days in bed before you are fit to move around to much. Just relax and drink. The doctor will be here to check on you in the morning and he can give you a minor pain killer if he feels it is safe.”

Dustin laid his head back into the pillow with a sigh. His entire body hurt and he felt weak. He looked around the room and noticed it was lavishly decorated. On the wall hung a large painting of Luna and Celestia. The door and window frames were capped in gold. There was an attached bathroom, and from what he could tell it was equally large and grandiose. As he took a bigger drink of the water he felt the tension in his throat starting to release.

“Quite the place you have here. A little over the top for a mere human isn’t it.”

“If you would like it could be your room anytime you visit Canterlot. It is directly adjacent to my own.”

“That would be great Luna.”

Dustin started coughing hard and he winced at the intense pain from his chest.

“Are you alright? Should I summon the doctor now?”

“I’ll (cough, cough) be okay (cough) Just need to stop (cough) talking.”

Luna used her magic to bring a golden braided rope over the headboard and placed the end near his head.

“This rope is attached to the servants bell, if you need anything at all simply ring it. I will let you rest. When you feel up to seeing me again tell one of the servants I will leave instructions for them to wake me.”
“Thanks Luna.”

“Rest well Dustin.”

Luna turned and walked out the door. She poked her head back into the room before closing the door.

“I am glad you are back with us.”

................................................................................................................................................

“Oooohhh Anthony, don’t stop.”whispered Twilight as he caressed the stars on her flank.

She moaned as they kissed, their tongues swirling around each other. Anthony slid his hand up her side and slowly back down to her breasts. Her nipples were erect and puffy and she squirmed as he squeezed and teased them. Anthony started kissing down her neck and across her belly. Twilight closed her eyes and spread her legs invitingly.

“Please Anthony.” she begged opening herself to him.

“Hey Twilight, are you okay in there?” called Spike from outside the door.

“I’m fine Spike!” she growled as she pulled her hoof from between her legs and sat up.

She had figure with it being so early he and Anthony wouldn’t be up yet. Panic struck as she thought about Anthony already being awake and hearing what Spike had. She quickly hopped out of bed and headed for the shower as the mood had been completely destroyed.

Anthony awoke to a banging on the balcony window. He sat up and saw Rainbow Dash impatiently pounding on the glass door.

“Hey, get up.” came her muffled voice as she started to pace.

Anthony pulled a blanket around himself as he walked over and opened the door.

“Its about time. Dustin woke up last night, could ya let Twilight know? I gotta hurry and tell everypony else so we can all catch the train.” with that she flew off leaving a rainbow streak across the sky towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Anthony stood in the doorway rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning. His eyebrows perked up as he realized what the blue pegasus had just said. He threw on his uniform and went running down the hall to Twilight’s room.

“Twilight, Dustin’s awake lets get going.” he called as he leaned on her door.
The door whipped open causing him to almost fall into the room.

“How do you know that?”

“Rainbow Dash just told me. She went to tell everyone else.”

“Spike, get a quick breakfast together we’ll be going to Canterlot this morning.”

She grabbed her saddlebags putting Starswirl’s journal inside and they headed towards the dining room.

As they ate they heard the castle doors open and a group of voices coming down the hall. Rainbow Dash flew in and landed on the table with a snort.

“What are ya doin? We don’t have time to eat we gotta get to Canterlot, like now.”

“Rainbow Dash, the train won’t even be here for almost forty five minutes.”

“That’s right, and all that zippin round your doin is gonna wear ya out before ya even get there.” said Apple Jack as she walked in with Adrian and the other ponies.

“Hey you two, long time no see.” said Anthony to Apple Jack and Adrian with a wave. ‘

They sat next to each other at the table as Adrian put his arm around her neck.

“So what Sweetiebell told me was true. The two of you really have become an item.” commented Rarity as she pulled up a chair next to Twilight.

“Yep, its official, I’m Adrian’s marefriend.”

“Congratulations.” said Fluttershy as she flew up and gave Apple Jack a hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”

“So what did Big Mac and Granny Smith have to say about it?” asked Twilight.

“They both warned me about making her mad, but they gave us their blessing none the less.” replied Adrian with a chuckle as he remembered the conversations.

“Great, that means I get to throw you a party when we get back. It’ll be so much fun, we can bob for apples and have music and games and I’ll have Mister and Misses Cake make a huge heart cake, and you can dance and let everypony in town know just how happy you are together.”

“Easy there Pinkie Pie. I won’t deny you a reason to party but can we just keep it simple. Just a small cake, a few friends, and a game or two. It doesn’t need to be like our welcome to Equestria party.”

“Listen hear Adrian,” she replied suddenly serious. “You do your thing and let me do mine.”

“Okay, Okay you win, I will leave the party plans to the Super Party Planner.”

“Good.” said Pinkie Pie as she smiled once again and disappeared.

They all sat around the table discussing what had been going on before grabbing their saddlebags and heading to catch the train. As they arrived at the station Rainbow Dash saw Scootaloo at the ticket counter.

“What do ya mean I can’t get on the train without supervision?”

“Scootaloo what are you doing?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I’m trying to get a ticket to Canterlot, I wanna go see Dustin.” said the little filly slumping her head.

Rainbow Dash flew to the counter and gave some bits to the ticket master.

“One ticket to Canterlot please....for each of us.” she said looking down at Scootaloo. “I’m sure Dustin wouldn’t mind seeing you.”

“Thanks Rainbow Dash your awesome.”

“I know.”

Everypony else bought their tickets and quickly boarded the train. Before long they were making their way to Canterlot.

The train rolled to a stop at the Canterlot station as Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo waited eagerly to get off. As the group walked to the castle several guard patrols walked by saluting as they went.

“Looks like ya’ll made a good impression with the guards.” said Apple Jack.

“I know Sword Dancer kept trying to call me Sir Adrian.”

“Sir Adrian huh, I kinda like the sound of that.”

“Don’t start. Luna already had a little fun at my expense with that one.”

The guards opened the gates and bowed as Twilight and the others entered the castle.

“Twilly!!”

“Twilly?” said Anthony giving the purple mare an odd look.

“Shining Armor what are you doing here?”

“We were here helping with the dignitaries from Saddle Arabia. Princess Celestia said you would all be coming today so we decided to stick around.”

“Cadence is here too, that’s great I can’t wait to see her.”

“She’s talking with Celestia right now.”

“Oh Anthony, Adrian let me introduce you to my big brother, Shining Armor.”

The white stallion bowed slightly and looked the two humans over.

“I have to thank you for keeping Twilight and the others safe. Sword Dancer told me about what happened, I’m glad you were there. Changelings can cause a lot of trouble if left unchecked. Did you hear about Dustin?”

“Actually that’s why we are here, he just regained consciousness last night.”

“Twilly you’ll have to wait, Princes Celestia wants to see you and Anthony right away. I can have one of the palace guards show the others to Dustin’s room.”

“Do you mind Anthony.”

“Nope that sounds like a plan. I was wanting to talk to her about the journal and I think Dustin will have plenty of company until we arrive.”

Shining Armor motioned to one of the guards, and told him of the situation. The guard saluted and walked over to the group.

“If you’ll all follow me please.” he said as he started down a nearby hallway.

The other ponies talked excitedly as the fell in behind him.

As they neared Dustin’s room, Adrian saw a familiar pony standing guard outside the door.

“Sword Dancer how’s it going? I knew we would find you here, anything to report.”

Sword Dancer gave a stiff salute.

“All is well. How have you been?”

“Busy.” replied Adrian giving him a slap on the back. “How’s Dustin doing?”

“Why don’t you all step in and ask him for yourselves.”

Sword Dancer pushed the door open with his magic and stepped aside.
...............................................................................................................................................

Dustin watched happily as his door opened and the small group walked in. Pinkie Pie popped up next to the bed throwing a hoof full of confetti and glitter in to the air.

“Welcome back.” she yelled just before she was shoved out of the way by Rainbow Dash.

“It’s about time newbie.” said Rainbow Dash flying up onto the bed next to him.

Dustin carefully turned a little to his side. and gave her a gentle hug.

“Thanks Skittles. Next time I think we should try that flameboom again it was pretty awesome.

Adrian and the others looked at the couple in total confusion.

“It’s a long story.” he said with a smile.

“Thanks for coming, all of you. The doctor was here a little while ago. He said I should be up and running in a couple of days. I’ll still have to take it easy for a bit of course. Where’s Anthony and Twilight.”

“They had business with Princess Celestia.” said Rarity “I’m glad your awake. Once your able to walk again I need measurements. I’ve nearly finished with Anthony and Adrian’s clothes and their ceremony outfits are simply divine.”

“I promise that will be one of my first stops when I get back Rarity.”

“You mean he can’t walk?” came the distraught voice of a young pony.

Rarity picked Scootaloo up with her magic and set her on the bed next to Rainbow Dash.

Dustin reached out and ran his hand over the filly’s head. Despite the pain in his chest and shoulder.

“Hey Scootaloo it’s great to see you.. I can walk still, I just have to wait for my chest to heal up a little more before I do. Right now it would hurt a lot if I tried.”

Tears started to form in her eyes as she notice Dustin was wrapped in bandages and not clothes.

“It’s not fair. Why did you have to get hurt, you coulda died.”

“It’s alright.” replied Dustin as he wiped her tears away. “I am a Knight of Equestria now, I have to protect everypony so this doesn’t happen to them. You’ll understand when you get older.”

Scootaloo reached up and gave Dustin a hug.

“Please try not to get hurt again.”

“I’ll do my best I promise.”

Fluttershy walked over and placed a small package on the nightstand.

“Um I didn’t get the chance to say thank you so I brought you a gift to help you feel better. I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will Fluttershy. Thank you.”

“I brought games.” yelled Pinkie Pie as she leaped up behind the other ponies.

“I got you the coolest thing ever, but you have to wait for Twilight to get here. I kinda left it in her saddlebag. I guarantee its the best way to make time fly when your stuck in bed.”

“Thanks Skittles, you didn’t have to. You already taught me how to fly what more could I ask for.”

“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.”

Dustin reached out and pulled her in with Scootaloo for another hug.

“Well ain’t you two gettin awfully cozy together.” remarked Apple Jack.

“Not as cozy as you and Adrian from what I hear. Is it true?”

Adrian put his hand on Apple Jack’s back as she blushed slightly.

“Yep, is that a problem?” replied Adrian sternly.

“Not at all, congratulations to both of you. Just remember Apple Jack, if he ever gives you grief let me know and I’ll knock it outta him for you.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I think I c’n do that myself.” she said with a laugh.

The door opened as nurse Red Heart walked in with a small tray of food.

“Alright everypony needs to leave while Dustin eats and I change out his dressings. You can all come back in about an hour.

“Nurse Red Heart can Rainbow Dash stay it would mean a lot to me.”

“If she gets to stay so do I.” said Scootaloo defiantly.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt if the two of you stay, but the rest of you need to leave for a little while okay.”

Adrian and the other ponies walked out to the hallway discussing what to do for an hour.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo both moved as nurse RedHeart helped Dustin sit up. Little by little she unwrapped the gauze from around Dustin’s chest. Scootaloo gasped as the bruises and scarring came into the view. Dustin saw the look on the young ponies face and looked down.

“She got me pretty good didn’t she. You know Scootaloo if it hadn’t been for Rainbow Dash I’d look a lot worse.”

“Is that true?” she asked.

“Yeah kinda.” replied Rainbow Dash looking down at the bed.

Scootaloo reached over and hugged Rainbow Dash.

“Your awesome. Did you swoop in and save him?”

‘That’s exactly what she did.”

Dustin watched as Rainbow Dash started to cry.

“Whats wrong Rainbow Dash?”

“Its just, if I’d been faster, you wouldn’t have got hit in the first place. Then Anthony said that by moving you I might have made your injuries worse. Some hero I am.”

“You are a hero Rainbow Dash, I didn’t see Adrian or Anthony when I opened my eyes, It was you. When I saw your face I knew I was going to make it. I wanted to thank you for having the courage to help me, but I couldn’t speak. That’s what I was thinking before I lost consciousness. It’s nobody’s fault except mine and Chrysalis’s that I got hurt. I chose to stand in the open and confront her. So please don’t blame yourself.”

Once all the dressings were removed Dustin looked himself over.

“See, none the worse for wear, I still have all my parts and that’s what matters most.”
Rainbow Dash looked at all the scars and smiled.

“Ya know mares dig ponies with scars, it gives you that bad stallion look.”

“I don’t really care what other mares think, just you.”

“I’ve always liked the bad stallion types.” she replied with a smile.

“Eeeeeewwwww gross will you two knock it off already.” piped up Scootaloo as she covered her ears.

“Sorry Scootaloo.”

Nurse Redheart started to wrap Dustin back up as he told Scootaloo the story of what happened.

She sat and stared in wonder hanging on every word of the story.

“All done, you should eat your lunch and get a little rest while you wait for your friends to return.” said Nurse RedHeart heading for the door.

“And no funny business until he’s healed up.” she added giving Rainbow Dash a wink, causing her to blush deeply.

Dustin leaned back against his pillow and motioned for the two ponies to move closer on the bed. He put one arm around Scootaloo and the other around Rainbow Dash and pulled them close.

“You heard the lady, time for a little rest.”

They both snuggled into him getting comfortable.

................................................................................................................................................

Anthony and Twilight both bowed as the throne room doors closed behind them. Celestia lowered her head in acknowledgment.

“Twilight did you bring the journal with you?”

“Yes princess it’s right here.”

She pulled the book out of her saddlebag and floated it to Celestia as it changed.

“Now that explains a lot. This book is set to only respond to alicorn magic, it would appear this is StarSwirls doing. The reason the book went undiscovered is that the library shelves were filled by servants, not by Luna or I.”
Celestia took the book and flipped through it scanning over several entries.

“Did you find anything useful?”

“I found the entire book amazing it’s full of unfinished spells, and spells I’ve never seen before. But, there was nothing in it about ancient humans.”

“That is most likely due to the fact that humans had been gone long before he was born. However, I sense something within this book. A magic locked deep inside its pages. Whenever I try to open it, the spell seems to push back. I believe I need my sisters assistance to unlock it. Guard fetch princess Luna at once inform her it is a matter of utmost importance and her help is required.”

“Yes your highness.” replied one of the guards running to the door.

“If you do not mind waiting I believe this could be an interesting discovery for us all.”

“If that’s the case then I’m not going anywhere.” replied Anthony as he sat down on the floor.

Princess Cadence joined the pair and talked about the recent dealings with the royals.

After a brief wait Luna walked into the throne room and joined her sister with a yawn.

“What is so important it requires me to wake early?”

“This.” said Celestia holding up the journal.

Luna took it with her magic and her eyes went wide.

“You feel it too, don’t you sister.” remarked Celestia at her expression.

“Guards leave us at once.”

They patiently waited as the guards cleared the throne room. Once everypony else had left, Celestia sat the book in the middle of the floor. The two princesses touched their horns together as they started to glow. I look of pain showed on Celestia’s face as Luna gritted her teeth. The book opened and flipped to a page somewhere in the middle. The glow of their horns intensified to a near blinding light.
A dark mass stretched out of the pages and crept across the floor. Before long the entire room was engulfed in blackness. The princesses separated, breathing hard as the glow of their horns dimmed. Slowly, a figure emerged from the darkness.

“Hello Celestia, Luna. I knew you would be able to find me here when the time was right.”

“St-St-StarSwirl.” studdered Twilight as she bowed.

“Ah yes, young Twilight, I sensed your presence when you found the journal. And this must be one of the humans, Anthony I believe I heard you called.” he said looking him over.

“And is that Cadence I see over there.”

”Yes, yes it is.” replied Cadence somewhat shocked.

“So what wisdom do you all seek from my journal? Would it be spells, advice, or perhaps guidance?”

“Why did you hide the journal from Luna and I.”

“Because you were not ready for it. I could see that the two of you were starting to turn away from each other. I knew that when you were together again you would need me. Because of this, I made it so that it would take both of you to unlock the secrets in this book.”

“Do you know what this threat to Equestria is?” asked Anthony.

“I may Sir Anthony, and if you all listen closely I may know where the information you seek can be found. After King Cosmos and Queen Celista died I sealed away their journals and saw to Celestia and Luna’s schooling. They ruled Equestria during the humans time here. If humans are needed to defeat this threat then surely the answers are there as well.”

“How dare you hide our parents journal from us. You should have...”

A crash of thunder and lightning silenced Luna before she could finish.

“And what would Nightmare Moon have done with this information?”

Luna sank back, her head low.

“Please forgive me for doubting your judgment. May I ask where this journal is?”

“On the north wall of my old room you will see a symbol carved into a stone. If you both push the stone with your magic the door will be revealed. Just remember some of what you find may shock even you.”

“Thank you dear friend.” said Celestia with a bow.

“Worry not, I am here should you need further guidance along the way.”

With that he faded away as the darkness slowly left the room and the book snapped shut.

“Quickly sister we must go.”

The small group followed Luna and Celestia through the castle. After traversing several sets of stairs, maze like hallways, and corridors they arrived at the room they sought. Celestia pushed the door open and they all began looking for the engraved stone.

“I found it.” shouted Shining Armor as he dusted the stone off with his tail.

Celestia and Luna’s horns glowed brightly as they pushed the stone inward. As the stone gave way the floor beneath Anthony’s feet dropped and he fell into the waiting darkness.

“Anthony!!” screamed Twilight as she ran to the hole and used her horn for light.

“Shoulda seen that one coming.” he said as he brushed himself off. “Twilight stay there I see something.”

He stepped out of view for a moment and came back with a very large book.

“There are a couple of these down here, but this one has the same symbol on it that’s etched in the stone.”

Celestia lifted Anthony out of the ante chamber with her magic and placed him safely on the floor.

“Luna and I will start going over the books. I think now would be a good time for the rest of you to go to the dining hall for lunch. We will send for you once we find something.”