Burdens Unkindby Dark-DawnChaptersResplendentCrescendoCreatureResplendent"I am so excited for the two of you!" Twlight exclaimed as she and Starlight briskly walked down a castle hallway. "It isn't every day or, hm-hm, decade that the Canterlot Union for Preservation of Exotic and Rare creatures comes across Threstlehyde Swamberon!" she stomped her hooves and let out an excited "Eeeh! I can't wait to see it like everypony else, however only six ponies at a time can view it, and wouldn't you know I am taking-" "Yes Twilight," Starlight giggled, looking at her friend warmly but with a touch of concern. "Everypony else will be ecstatic to see it. I am myself. It is only is one of the prestigious Testlone's utmost favorite magical and/or enchanted creatures in all of Equestria! Marked eighth on the scale to be exact." A wide smile flooded across Twilight's face as she bombastically yelled with a gleeful whimsy, "You read Hoovishier Testlone too?!" Starlight rolled her eyes, "Who doesn't? His writing is among the classics who wouldn't want to be able to identify fantastic beasts and where to view and apply them?" Twilight was over taken with excitement. "I didn't know you were interested in learning up about enchanted creatures!" Starlight blushed a little, and spun a hoof around in the air, "Weeell, while you are looking for a perfect place for your cutie mark sucking village where nopony should be able to find it...it did cross my mind that maybe it would be good to keep something like that around so, you know, no pony would question my tyrannical authority." she let out a sheepish and guilty smile. Twilight frowned and then rolled her eyes, "Starlight, oh well, good thing we came and stopped you when we did so we didn't have to battle a bewitched, magical monster on top of everything else." she delivered this in a flat tone, the two continued their way towards the front doors. "Spike is coming along, right?" Starlight asked, breaking the silence. "That's right! He is taking Fluttershy's place since her friend, Treehugger wanted to go, obviously, I have never met a pony so enamored in studying these kinds of creatures than her, next to Fluttershy of course." "Oh boy," Starlight sighed, the realization now weighing on her just how many ponies would actually be showing up. "What about Discord?" she asked, truthfully she was still very unenlightened as to what he found interesting. They hadn't conversed much since saving Equestria, though he was brought to her mind when Trixie would recant the tale boastingly to others. "Discord isn't tailing along as he says it doesn't have much fun to it, being chaos incarnate who could transform into one if he wanted to see it; and an enchanted creature who has been around for millennia himself I can see why it wouldn't be all that interesting." Twilight said, her gaze subtly etched with envy when she mentioned his transfigurative powers. The twosomes hooves clicked against the floor for a few more moments, before an agitated Twilight called out, "Spike! I thought you said you were ready and your luggage was by the door!" "By my bedroom door!" Spike responded, now scurrying towards the door from the hallway himself. "Oh, I am sorry, I didn't see you there." Twilight responded bashfully. "Now, is everypony ready?" she asked, even though there were clearly only two ponies in the castle. "Um, yeah Twilight!" Starlight said, obviously trying to mask her concern with vigor. "Great, just great," Twilight said, pulling a scroll out from her saddle bag. "Now all we need to do is congregate at the train station with everypony else and-" a frown tugged at the side of her mouth. "Though we already are five minutes behind schedule." Starlight rolled her eyes as they trotted a little faster than usual to make up for "lost time." The dusty roads of Ponyville underneath their hooves mixed with the occasional grassy, rabbit-bitten trail. Twilight's form bobbed excitedly with each step, even though she had lived in PonyVille for many years now it seemed she was always enamored with the scenery. Starlight envied that about her. She had been living here for a just little over two years and the sight of the town fell into a dull tedium for her. Though Twilight had been sequestered from a quaint town like this before, Starlight had not, and that is where she suspected the entrancement came from. As they all loaded into the train she took one last look behind her. Groaning internally when she did not see a blue pony with a wispy frost colored mane. She had been warned that she may be late to board on the train due to barely getting back into town herself after a show. Inside the cart she was not surprised to still not see her. She took in a deep breath. Remember Starlight, expectations only ever lead to disappointment. A part of her felt selfish and unwilling to understand her friends potential difficulty- however with the continuous repetition of similar let downs the guilt ebbed away a little more each time, until she no longer was burdened much with the fact. You'll still get to see Sunburst. she reminded herself, smiling a little at the thought. He would have already been on the train to Canterlot from the Crystal Empire. She relaxed knowing she could rest on the way as the trip was an overnight one. Twilight and her friends chatted away endlessly. Time only provided a stronger testament to their bonds since she had known them. Even though she was told she had a friendship with all of them, it seemed like an insincere sentiment at best. None of them ever pursued trying to get to know her or express a genuine interest in doing an activity with her unless prompted by Twilight. She shook her head. Thoughts like those are pointless and won't help. She knew the trip ahead would be equally enthralling as her previous thought as she trudged to the resting area inside the train. Daylight streamed through the windows, illuminating her reserved sleeping quarters. She tugged on the blinds nearest to her with her scintillating blue magic before burring her face into the thin mattress. Tiredness wheeled up in her- both physically and emotionally. She collapsed into a restless slumber, knowing she would have to muster as much charisma as she could for tomorrow. "Canterlot is always a resplendent escape, wouldn't you say, darling?" Rarity prodded as they ventured up a flagstone street. "Oh," Starlight distantly responded, "Yes, defiantly. I mean I have only been here a hoofull of times but-" "You're nervous," Rarity interjected. "And rather uncomfortable, wouldn't you say?" Taken aback at what she should respond, Starlight simply nodded, her face dropping a small amount of the faux enthusiasm. "What gave it away?" "I have known you long enough to tell when you are putting on a facade dear." Rarity cooed. "So have the rest of us. Is something the matter? We all have been a tinge worried about you." Suspicion flooded Starlight immediately. Somehow she just couldn't believe the others could feel genuine concern for her. "Oh I am fine," she lied through her teeth, "Just feeling a bit under the weather I suppose." A sour expression swept across Rarity's face before a meditative calm took over. "Fine, be that way," she said dryly, "However you'll need to be more convincing than that towards the others." Starlight remained quiet, though guilt rushed through her as did embarrassment of being caught so soon. Along with agitating Rarity, who had slowed down just to check on her. They all know how ungrateful you are. Sickness bubbled in her gut at this thought. "Starlight!" a voice rang out. She twirled around to see a dandelion-colored unicorn stallion with a fiery orange mane darting between ponies in the chaotic crowd. Even though she could tell he had prepared himself for today, he kept his aura of charming disheveledness about him. She couldn't help but chuckle as she eagerly split off from the group to join him. "Sunburst! And-?" Momentarily surprised to see that he wasn't alone as Maud Pie of all ponies kept in pace with him. She sighed in relief. The pebble gray mare with dusky lavender hair was one of the few ponies she could get along with and their friendship felt sincere. "What a surprise! Seeing you two together and all." he said with an airy excitement and tinge of confusion. "The Crystal Empire was showcasing a variety of rare gems unearthed from a previously undiscovered tunnel!" Sunburst put in to answer. "I wouldn't call malachite and lapiz lazuili rare." Maud said, "And the tunnel must have been explored at the beginning of the Neo-Pony era in observation of the-" Maud was droned out by the roar of the crowd. The threesome traversed deeper into Canterlot. "So where is Trixie?" Sunburst inquired before pale realization spread across his face. "Not following through again, I see." "She lives a busy life- what with the small amount of bits she can make off shows to survive..." "I don't know Starlight," Sunburst said, pushing his spectacles higher on his muzzle with his bright magic, "She has become increasingly.... unreliable. And I am one to talk, I know, but that doesn't distract from the fact that she hasn't been coming through for you when you've needed her." Starlight didn't have a response. Maud pipped up to both of their surprise. "I am sorry to hear that your friend hasn't been coming through for you, but you've got two right here. And even though I live PonyVille adjacent, I would be glad to be there if you ever needed anypony." "Wow Maud-" Starlight said, taken aback at her kindness, "I don't know what to- thank you. I will keep that in mind. Thank you again." Maud offered her a gentle smile, "It's no problem." "So what brings you to Canterlot- if I might ask?" Starlight asked, though she thought it may be connected to what brought everypony else. To noponies surprise she answered, "Threstlehyde Swamberon. Their diet consists mostly of igneous and metamorphic rocks, which gets deposited in their spines. You can tell a lot about the environment from the spines of one, the minerals can build up for hundreds of years- making each one-" "-Special and unique." a voice with an impossible calm transcended from a green earth pony beside them. "What she said." Maud said, her tone both surprised and agitated. "Oh Starlight! And Maud and Sunburst!" Fluttershy sheepishly blurted out, recognizing them from behind the other mare. Giggling she stated, "Sounds like we are going to see the same thing, huh?" "Just about everypony is!" Starlight said, only realizing how rude it sounded after it came out. "I mean yes, who is this?" "Tree-Hugger, or is it Embrace now?" Fluttershy asked her companion with concern. "They both mean the same thing." Maud mumbled. "Hugger is my given name," she said, with an odd sharpness the mare turned towards Maud. "A Hug is a physical expression of affection and admiration. While to Embrace can be to closely hold or express willingness to accept and support something intangible, such as a theory or belief." With her blissful reality-detached bohemian atmosphere this string of words caught almost everypony off guard. Maud especially, who's eyes were widened with both embarrassment and genuinely being impressed. Sunburst developed a look of interest to continue the conversation. "Sorry if that 'peached the flow, that wasn't the vibe I wanted to give," the green mare put, "I just wanted to make sure there was clarity between the distinction." "Don't worry about that!" said Sunburst, beaming a little. "Care to join us?" he asked the pair. "We wouldn't mind at all." Fluttershy gently said. They spotted a familiar purple and green baby dragon in the distance, followed by a distressed looking Twilight. All of them looked at each other before hurrying her way. "Twiligh-" Starlight began before the buttery yellow pegasus landed in front of her- Fluttershy's speed and sternness filling her with an odd dread. "Twilight, what's wrong?" Fluttershy gasped, "Is it-?" Twilight offered Fluttershy a nod, which wrung out an "Oh dear..." "We don't have time." Twilight said, unfurling her wings. "Of course," Fluttershy said, doing the same. "Twilight...?" Starlight inquired, anxiety crawling into her nerves. "What's going on?" "Don't worry about it, have fun." Twilight said forcefully before the two disappeared with a magenta flash and a crack. The four looked back at each other momentarily stunned. "Well, if Twilight says we should still have fun, then I suppose we should'nt argue and continue on then, right?" Sunburst asked anxiously, looking around for confirmation. "Right." Starlight said numbly. Crescendo"Twilight?" Starlight asked the darkness of the castle she made it inside. "Spike?" She was met with an overwhelming silence. Her hooves clicked against the cold, hard floor, looking around for some semblance of communication Twilight normally would have left telling her where she went. This too, turned up nothing. She felt antsy from the train ride home, sitting down for that long was very uncomfortable for her. The time had passed by slightly faster with the company of Maud, the other two had waited to catch different trains. They briefly touched upon who MoonDancer was, though Maud was much more interested in detailing specifics about the creature. Starlight was ashamed that she didn't share as much enthusiasm, and she knew she should as this was something that used to interest her. Recently she couldn't even muster the sensation of happiness while doing things she usually loved. Before she could retreat to her room, she heard a knock at the door. Tempted to not answer whoever it was and pretend she had been in her room this entire time, she continued up a few steps, before the knocking became even more erratic. Starlight sighed, trudging back down the steps to at least look through the peep hole. Not surprised to see a blue unicorn mare desperately pounding at the door with a sorrowful look on her face. You could walk away right now and just deal with this later. Though she knew that would only make things worse. What if you just stopped dealing with her? Starlight opened the door with reluctant shame. "Starlight! Thank goodness! I thought you'd be too angry to open the door and I worried you had already turned in for the night!" "Get to the point, please Trixie. I am already regretting this." "Harsh but fair. Look, I did end up making it to the exhibit, but you had been gone for a long time according to whoever had seen you. I had just barely gotten off my show- you'll never believe who I ran into!" "Trixie," Starlight sighed, "As curious as I am, I am still upset, you haven't been coming through-" "Coming through?! Starlight, I thought you understood! It is difficult making money off what I do- living isn't exactly free. I get it, I made a promise, but you are only going to disappoint yourself if you expect all of them to come true! In a perfect world they would, and do you think I like breaking them? No! There are external factors Starlight. And I did at least try to make it for you." Starlight was conflicted. She caught between understanding and disappointment. Groaning she asked, "Trixie, just, try a little harder, okay? I know life is tough but it is getting upsetting, you know?" "I know Starlight. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. Why is the castle dark already? I know Twilight usually stays up later than this, is she alright?" "Gone, taking care of the usual crisis." "Again?" "What do you mean, again?" "Nothing," Trixie said, a queer expression flickered across her face. "It better be. You'd tell me if you knew, right?" "I brought you some apology apple pie," pixie pink magic griped the aforementioned dessert, nudging it Starlight's way. "Trixie." "Your favorite, obviously, and you can't have apple pie without a little sparkling water!" She began pushing her way inside. Starlight gave in, following the first friend she had made here. "So how was it?" Starlight shuddered internally, knowing she would have to muster faux excitement once more as she relayed what was supposed to be an exciting day. The moon had climbed high into the sky by the time Trixie went back to her wagon, causing Starlight to retire much later than usual. Tiredness clung, weighing her down like armor as she clamored out of bed. The first visit she made was by Twlight's room, the library, the kitchen, and her study. All of which held no avail to finding the lavender alicorn. The silence of the morning rose to a deafening crescendo as she sat in one of the chairs in the study. Another series of knocks sounded at the door, prompting an angry snort and trot. Surprised whipped through her when she opened the door to find an impatient looking Ember. Buck me. "Twilight's not back yet, is she?" the dragon gently growled. "Sorry." Starlight cooed with a smile, "I am not sure when she will be back- hopefully soon." "I still need to talk to you." Ember sighed, her tough disposition falling slightly. "Oh, well, come in then." Starlight nervously said, eyeing the thunderstorm building over them. Ember eyed the clouds too, before strutting inside, looking rather uncomfortable. "Are you alright?" Starlight asked, noticing now how pale she appeared since their last meeting. "I'm fine," she said, without her usual bombastic tone. "You clearly aren't, but if you don't want to go into it, that is fine too. So what can I help you with?" "Let's sit down first." "Oh-okay." Ember crawled into the larger armchair, sighing as she eyed Starlight. "In Twilight's absence I would defect to you, correct?" "Me? Oh, I don't know. I am only a student- much less a Princess qualified to give important information. There are three other-" Ember raised her clawed hand, "I'm going to stop you right there. The dragons only go to Twilight Sparkle for anything, not those who have betrayed us time and time again." Starlight flinched a little in surprise, "Wait, what? Do you think betrayal is perhaps-" "I assure you it is not an overstatement." "Oh- well what did-" "Not relevant or conducive to this conversation. Now can I rely on you to assist me to the best of your ability?" Starlight felt like a stone had been dropped in her gut, followed by a battering ram aimed towards it. She attempted to regain control on her breathing and to unpin her ears from behind her head as to not arouse conflict. "Sure, I just have to do something real quick, you know, get some scrolls to document this." She exploded from her seat and charged into her room. Anxiously alternating which hooves she was balancing on, she was indeed looking for scrolls, but aimed to alert another Princess for advice. The realization dawning on her that she did not have Spike to send the messages nor knew the spell made her sink into a deeper panic. "Alright, Starlight, we will do our best, make it obvious and crystal clear our advice should be taken with a heap of salt, and find a way to alert Twilight." Starlight gingerly walked back into the room, levitating scrolls and quills around her. "Sorry about the wait, we have had a shortage on these." she lied. Ember took in a deep breath, "Alright, you are ready. Now, there has been a famine devastating our land, sickness is spreading quickly, followed by death. Black ra-" They both heard the castle doors open, followed by Twilight's voice ringing out, "Starlight? You here?" "In the study, Twilight!" Relief flooded through Starlight- then was followed by disappointment as Ember abandoned her in pursuit of her mentor. "We still have more to talk about-just not this anymore." Twilight greeted Ember, talking as if nothing was wrong and returning from frantically disappearing was among the tedious day-to-day cycle. Starlight felt foolish and useless as she sat amid her scrolls. The way Ember had numbly stated death and famine were ravaging her land filled her with sadness, and forced some perspective on her life. She left the castle, her endevour now to find Trixie, apologize for how rude she had been and to listen to who she ran into. Trixie had mostly listened to Starlight the night before, and she felt selfish for it. She enthusiastically pounded on the door of her wagon, parked in its customary place beneath he window. "Trixie, I am sorry, can we talk? Trixie?" Starlight peered inside, finding no sign she was in there. Where could she be? Starlight just about gave up before stepping on a crumpled looking piece of paper she hadn't noticed before. Went to PonyVille Hospital if you were worried. The note said in elegant but sharp swirls. A splotch of rain fell down to attack the paper, followed by many others. Starlight shook herself, running back towards the castle. It was only when a drop landed on her muzzle did she noticed the rain was gray. CreatureStarlight drifted through the increasing crowds along side her companions. Sunburst and Maud and taken up babbling on about the beast they would be witnessing hopefully shortly, though the denseness of bodies takeing over the streets as they neared that direction told her they would be there for a while. "-Is it?" Fluttershy's voice rang in her mind. Not knowing what it could possibly be gnawed at her. She felt an anger directed at Twilight for not allowing her to even know about a potential danger or whatever this was. Her ears pinned back in guilt as she knew it wasn't right to resent Twilight for this. She herself had been a danger to the entirety of Equestria and she couldn't blame her for not unveiling what it may be to someone whose reformation was questionable, even to herself. Punishment is what she should have gotten- the burden of knowing she didn't deserve any of what she had cut deep into her. Perhaps it was a cruel psychological punishment- Twilight knew how she felt and this was all deliberate. Her heart, heavy as a stone, beating ice through her, gave those around her a disingenuous smile and put on a happy face- for their sake. It would be cruel to them to ruin the day because of the way she was. And she knew she could never tell them how she really was. Believe me, you've spent plenty of time with yourself, nopony would like that mare. "-I know what you mean," TreeHugger's calm voice drawled. An attentive Maud now ensnared with interest looked at the pony beside her with admiration. Sunburst had taken charge in front of them, weaving a way for all of them with his politeness and eager disposition. TreeHugger continued. "Sometimes I feel like my life, too, is just loosely related, wacky adventures that spring onto me- but that does make me feel alive. To be given the chance to adapt and overcome certain situations isn't always a bad thing." Starlight willed herself not to groan. It was easy for ponies who haven't gone on perilous journeys and who were tugged into uncomfortable adventures regularly. The road beneath their hooves had been replaced by lush grass and specks of wild flowers. The sky began to morph into a gentle coral pink, a few stars littered the sky coyly, undeterred by the fact that the sun had not fully set. Their bodies so small in the sky as they calmly gleamed, Starlight stared with a hallow longing for something, though what that was escaped her. "Sooo," Sunburst began, slinking behind the two mares engaged in conversation in front of them. Starlight knew she had allowed herself to slip again and offered him a look of blissfully unaware questioning. "You haven't been all that talkative." "Sorry," she breathed, wracking her brain for an excuse. "I know crowds can really take it out of you," he said, "An a big event like this, I know it is overwhelming." Starlight's face became expressionless- for she didn't know how to respond or feel. She didn't realize he had taken notice that crowds drained her, though perhaps it was something he assumed was true for everypony as she knew this was something that happened to him. Most ponies assumed you've been through the same beats in your life, and therefore had similar things that made you nervous. "Yeah, crowds," she said, leaving it at that. Sunburst droned on about recent events in the Crystal Empire. She listened attentively, though flinched a little when another pony would unexpectedly brush beside her, as now they formed an enormous cluster of bodies. "Maud and TreeHugger seem to be hitting it off." she said once silence had grown between them, raising her voice to speak over the murmur of the crowd. Sunburst however didn't pick up on the sound of her speaking and she fell back into a tired waiting. "Hey, Twilight!" a voice rang out- an impressive feat as it competed with the drone of the entire crowd. Starlight pinned back her ears and closed her eyes. Perhaps if she didn't engage in noticing her then she wouldn't have to yell over the crowd, defending her identity. Sunburst picked up on the disturbance and looked in the direction of the shouting voice in confusion. "Did Twilight actually leave or is she still meandering here in the middle of a crisis?!" he said this in such an unbothered way it irritated her; it was always somepony else's job to put the world back into place, and one would complain about it without tackling the problem themselves. A booming roar caused many in the crowd to run away in cowardice, while many others observed Ember with fascination and no detectable sign of fear. Starlight gathered her composure, taking in a deep breath and turning to face her. She was the student to the Princess of Friendship after all, not kindly engaging with foreign allies could start something, so it was better to grit her teeth and get it over with. "Ember! It St-" "Oh hey, sorry Starlight, the dusk light really makes you look like Twilight." The sapphire blue dragon said, her wings outstretched boldly and aggressively. "Speaking of which, where is she? We were going to meet up here to discuss expanding on some policies-" Ember did have the grace of knowing when she was becoming a bore and thankfully stopped. "We aren't sure exactly. She and pursumably the gang took off and left somewhere to fix the odd crisis." Starlight said matter of factually. ""What?! What crisis?!" Ember exclaimed, worry etched on her face. "And you didn't go with her? We have to go find her and-" "Crisis may have been a strong word," Sunburst butted in, "More like small problem. We know how Starlight can get over exaggerative!" Starlight was grateful and impressed by Sunbusrt's cool diffusion of the situation, even if a little of it was at her expense. She imagined many ponies viewed her as over exaggerative actually- something she had been working on fixing recently. "No, I didn't actually know that." Ember said with suspicion and unintrest. She scanned around before becoming agitated, taking flight, mumbling about having to find Thorax and other foreign leaders for a common meetup that had been happening between them now. "Oh and, catch you later Starlight, I wanna talk to you too." "Me?" Starlight could help but shout back in surprise, "I me-an, alright then! See you later Ember!" "Who was that? I mean I got her name is Ember and she is high up in the political chain of dragons but-" Sunburst said, struggling. Starlight giggled, getting a litter closer to him so he could hear. "I would say so, remember when I told you how Spike was the Dragon Lord onc-" "Oh! Of course! I can't believe I didn't pick up on that! I wonder what she wants to talk about? I mean, wow Starlight, talking to a leader of a foreign land. Don't forget about us little guys!" he said, accompanied by a nervous laugh. "Nah, pfft." Starlight got out, exhaustion had already begun to take over her from the day. She unconsciously moved closed to Sunburst, realizing how much she like how he smelled. Sunburst was a very attractive pony in her opinion, a fact she knew he must know somehow. And he was such a kind, genuine and intelligence colt- No, stop it. This only hurts you as you know he wouldn't choose you. Though she continued to admire his natural charm for a few moments more, wishing she could bury her head into his neck- but it was a hopeless fantasy she made herself abandon. "This is it Starlight!" Sunburst beamed excitedly, we are next!" "Whoope!" Starlight said, chuckling a little. "We only have four people in our group though, including myself," Sunburst noticed, "Too bad Ember couldn't have joined us, I would have loved to speak to a real dragon." "Spike's a real dragon." Starlight reminded him. "You know that doesn't count." he retorted playfully. The grass they had previously stood on now had turned to a grayish blue stone, a tunnel before them leading underground. Starlight marveled at just how expansive it was, the amount of horse power it must have taken to make this- it was beyond her. Two ponies had stepped closer towards the entrance, realizing they too, were next. Most of he foals had already come and gone for the day, though she just now realized how pleasant it was to not hear the cacophony of spoiled children wailing. They trudged down into the cavernous tunnel. Lamps with gentle light were scattered along their walk, changing from blues to pinks and purples in correspondence to the kinds of gems being showcased there. Maud had already been here countless times, though her eyes still hungrily looked at them as they passed. TreeHugger informed the crowd to be quiet moments before their guide did- as the creature was sound sensitive. The guide pleasantly surprised and amused to know he wouldn't have to repeat the same instructions he had over the course of the entire day. "Now everypony, remember, the Threstlehyde Swamberon may look intimidating, but looking it directly in the eye will result it it cowering in its cave." TreeHugger whispered, "Voices low, and no piercing glares." As they entered the deepest portion of the cave, the exhibit for the creature came into view. Starlight looked around curiously, her child-like wonder resparking as she craned her neck to see what was in front of the others. Sunburst beside her look like he was about to pop as he bated his breath in excitement. Maud and TreeHugger, who had been through this song and dance before walked with a unbearably slow calm, causing Starlight's agitation to flare up slightly. The ponies behind them were thankfully silent. "Do you see it?" Sunburst whispered with wonderment. Clearly not looking for an answer as they all saw it. The creature was enormous. Their eyes had first gone to it's thick, long tail; covered in thousands gem like scales, all which gleamed different shades of blue, yellow, green and pink. Traveling up onto it's back were hundreds of jagged spines, swirls of browns, grays, and red not unlike the cave walls were found there. It's arms themselves were equivalent in size to a full grown stallion, they were broad and had thick claws in front for tearing through even the toughest of ground. It was its face that Starlight found the most intriguing. It had a floppy neck littered with spines like the ones on its back, she knew it could inflate it when threatened like a pufferfish, dissuading any predator from thinking about attacking something so thick and spiky. The narrow face conveyed an innate innocence, it's white, colorless eyes scanning around its enclosure both confused and adventurous. The scale colors dulled the farther they traveled up him, however the muted tones also held their own unmatched beauty. Sunburst nudged her in excitement, his luminous magic glowing gently at his horn as he scribbled something down in a notebook. "I didn't realize we would be getting to look at the moon stone variety!" he bombastically whispered, "These are easily one of the rarest variants!" TreeHugger looked his way, both in warning and with an impressed look on her face. Maud's eyes sparkled with excitement every time it would stretch out, extenuating it's spines and opening its mouth to yawn, revealing a kaleidoscopic row of topaz teeth. Which each step it took, dust clouds sprung up, the particles gravitating to its underbelly in a curious way. Starlight envied how content this creature could be with access to dirt rocks, and a comfortable underground home. Knowing in a few days he would mostly be left alone was just another bonus, being left to his own devices. Not having to answer a question or be expected to have a care in the world, Starlight wished that she had been born into this species family as she watched it. "Alright," the guide said, realizing suddenly that they had been allowed to view over the usual allotted time, "Let's keep moving." He then went on to mention the gift shop, as well as the usual professional parting semantics that stung to say hundreds of times a day. To keep up a happy facade like that all day was impressive. Starlight gave the creature one last look of melancholy jealousy. She wished she could still feel charged and excited still after the encounter as the ponies in front of her, but the affect was already wearing off. They glided further in mostly silence. Sunburst had skipped ahead of her to prod TreeHugger with even more questions about the creature, promising to be right back. Starlight heard a pony clear their throat behind her. Oh great, now what? She couldn't muster up enough bravado to turn around and confront the pony who was being rudely indirect. When it happened again she pinned her ears back in annoyance, reluctantly turning her head to give whoever it was a scathing, questioning look. The pony behind appeared to be shocked that she attracted her attention. Her purple eyes full of confusion and suspicion, she gave Starlight the same look back. "Were you trying to get my attention?" Starlight asked, barely above a whisper. The mare continued to stare at her for a moment, the confused look in her eyes suddenly turning into excitement. "No, sorry, I have been feeling under the weather recently," the unicorn said, her voice snuffed with mucus. "I didn't mean to bother you- but, are you Starlight...?" Starlight couldn't help but sigh. "Yep, that'd be me." Wondering also why they would let a sick pony view such a rare creature. "I'm MoonDancer- one of Twilight's old friends." Starlight failed to see how this was of much importance. The cream colored mare began to slip beside her, continuing to speak with growing interest. "I have heard a little bit about you, not much, just that you are her student mostly." "Mm-hm." Starlight said, prodding her to just get to the point already. "I am sorry, you must get this a lot, I didn't mean to bother you, Twilight made you sound like a pony worth knowing." Starlight scoffed a little, MoonDancer looked both surprised and mildly insulted at this. "Sorry, but I think Twilight may be a little biased and would make her student sound better than she actually is." MoonDancer wrinkled her nose, "For Celestia's-sake, who hurt you?" The two stared at each other for a moment, before Starlight couldn't help but chuckle. "Myself I guess." "I know how that goes, you should maybe stop doing that though." "It's that easy, is it?" MoonDancer let out a laugh, "Ha, no, not at all, it will be one of the hardest things you'll ever do. I think you are strong enough though- or you can choose to be." Starlight had mixed feelings towards those last few words. Though she couldn't help but be interested in a little more of what she had to say. "As Twilight's protege I am sure there isn't much I could show you that you didn't know- but I do happen to have a few copies of Hoovishier's books that I know she doesn't have." She slid Starlight a coy grin. She knew she had gotten her. "That sounds great," Starlight breathed, "Perhaps next time I am in Canterlot we can get together sometime...?" "Of course," MoonDancer replied as the stone walls faded away to the night sky and a grassy field. "Whenever you are free- I get being a student of a Princess doesn't give you much free time, but if you ever get any time-" from her saddle bag she produced a small slip of paper, which she scribbled her address on. "Mail me and we can set a date."
Resplendent"I am so excited for the two of you!" Twlight exclaimed as she and Starlight briskly walked down a castle hallway. "It isn't every day or, hm-hm, decade that the Canterlot Union for Preservation of Exotic and Rare creatures comes across Threstlehyde Swamberon!" she stomped her hooves and let out an excited "Eeeh! I can't wait to see it like everypony else, however only six ponies at a time can view it, and wouldn't you know I am taking-" "Yes Twilight," Starlight giggled, looking at her friend warmly but with a touch of concern. "Everypony else will be ecstatic to see it. I am myself. It is only is one of the prestigious Testlone's utmost favorite magical and/or enchanted creatures in all of Equestria! Marked eighth on the scale to be exact." A wide smile flooded across Twilight's face as she bombastically yelled with a gleeful whimsy, "You read Hoovishier Testlone too?!" Starlight rolled her eyes, "Who doesn't? His writing is among the classics who wouldn't want to be able to identify fantastic beasts and where to view and apply them?" Twilight was over taken with excitement. "I didn't know you were interested in learning up about enchanted creatures!" Starlight blushed a little, and spun a hoof around in the air, "Weeell, while you are looking for a perfect place for your cutie mark sucking village where nopony should be able to find it...it did cross my mind that maybe it would be good to keep something like that around so, you know, no pony would question my tyrannical authority." she let out a sheepish and guilty smile. Twilight frowned and then rolled her eyes, "Starlight, oh well, good thing we came and stopped you when we did so we didn't have to battle a bewitched, magical monster on top of everything else." she delivered this in a flat tone, the two continued their way towards the front doors. "Spike is coming along, right?" Starlight asked, breaking the silence. "That's right! He is taking Fluttershy's place since her friend, Treehugger wanted to go, obviously, I have never met a pony so enamored in studying these kinds of creatures than her, next to Fluttershy of course." "Oh boy," Starlight sighed, the realization now weighing on her just how many ponies would actually be showing up. "What about Discord?" she asked, truthfully she was still very unenlightened as to what he found interesting. They hadn't conversed much since saving Equestria, though he was brought to her mind when Trixie would recant the tale boastingly to others. "Discord isn't tailing along as he says it doesn't have much fun to it, being chaos incarnate who could transform into one if he wanted to see it; and an enchanted creature who has been around for millennia himself I can see why it wouldn't be all that interesting." Twilight said, her gaze subtly etched with envy when she mentioned his transfigurative powers. The twosomes hooves clicked against the floor for a few more moments, before an agitated Twilight called out, "Spike! I thought you said you were ready and your luggage was by the door!" "By my bedroom door!" Spike responded, now scurrying towards the door from the hallway himself. "Oh, I am sorry, I didn't see you there." Twilight responded bashfully. "Now, is everypony ready?" she asked, even though there were clearly only two ponies in the castle. "Um, yeah Twilight!" Starlight said, obviously trying to mask her concern with vigor. "Great, just great," Twilight said, pulling a scroll out from her saddle bag. "Now all we need to do is congregate at the train station with everypony else and-" a frown tugged at the side of her mouth. "Though we already are five minutes behind schedule." Starlight rolled her eyes as they trotted a little faster than usual to make up for "lost time." The dusty roads of Ponyville underneath their hooves mixed with the occasional grassy, rabbit-bitten trail. Twilight's form bobbed excitedly with each step, even though she had lived in PonyVille for many years now it seemed she was always enamored with the scenery. Starlight envied that about her. She had been living here for a just little over two years and the sight of the town fell into a dull tedium for her. Though Twilight had been sequestered from a quaint town like this before, Starlight had not, and that is where she suspected the entrancement came from. As they all loaded into the train she took one last look behind her. Groaning internally when she did not see a blue pony with a wispy frost colored mane. She had been warned that she may be late to board on the train due to barely getting back into town herself after a show. Inside the cart she was not surprised to still not see her. She took in a deep breath. Remember Starlight, expectations only ever lead to disappointment. A part of her felt selfish and unwilling to understand her friends potential difficulty- however with the continuous repetition of similar let downs the guilt ebbed away a little more each time, until she no longer was burdened much with the fact. You'll still get to see Sunburst. she reminded herself, smiling a little at the thought. He would have already been on the train to Canterlot from the Crystal Empire. She relaxed knowing she could rest on the way as the trip was an overnight one. Twilight and her friends chatted away endlessly. Time only provided a stronger testament to their bonds since she had known them. Even though she was told she had a friendship with all of them, it seemed like an insincere sentiment at best. None of them ever pursued trying to get to know her or express a genuine interest in doing an activity with her unless prompted by Twilight. She shook her head. Thoughts like those are pointless and won't help. She knew the trip ahead would be equally enthralling as her previous thought as she trudged to the resting area inside the train. Daylight streamed through the windows, illuminating her reserved sleeping quarters. She tugged on the blinds nearest to her with her scintillating blue magic before burring her face into the thin mattress. Tiredness wheeled up in her- both physically and emotionally. She collapsed into a restless slumber, knowing she would have to muster as much charisma as she could for tomorrow. "Canterlot is always a resplendent escape, wouldn't you say, darling?" Rarity prodded as they ventured up a flagstone street. "Oh," Starlight distantly responded, "Yes, defiantly. I mean I have only been here a hoofull of times but-" "You're nervous," Rarity interjected. "And rather uncomfortable, wouldn't you say?" Taken aback at what she should respond, Starlight simply nodded, her face dropping a small amount of the faux enthusiasm. "What gave it away?" "I have known you long enough to tell when you are putting on a facade dear." Rarity cooed. "So have the rest of us. Is something the matter? We all have been a tinge worried about you." Suspicion flooded Starlight immediately. Somehow she just couldn't believe the others could feel genuine concern for her. "Oh I am fine," she lied through her teeth, "Just feeling a bit under the weather I suppose." A sour expression swept across Rarity's face before a meditative calm took over. "Fine, be that way," she said dryly, "However you'll need to be more convincing than that towards the others." Starlight remained quiet, though guilt rushed through her as did embarrassment of being caught so soon. Along with agitating Rarity, who had slowed down just to check on her. They all know how ungrateful you are. Sickness bubbled in her gut at this thought. "Starlight!" a voice rang out. She twirled around to see a dandelion-colored unicorn stallion with a fiery orange mane darting between ponies in the chaotic crowd. Even though she could tell he had prepared himself for today, he kept his aura of charming disheveledness about him. She couldn't help but chuckle as she eagerly split off from the group to join him. "Sunburst! And-?" Momentarily surprised to see that he wasn't alone as Maud Pie of all ponies kept in pace with him. She sighed in relief. The pebble gray mare with dusky lavender hair was one of the few ponies she could get along with and their friendship felt sincere. "What a surprise! Seeing you two together and all." he said with an airy excitement and tinge of confusion. "The Crystal Empire was showcasing a variety of rare gems unearthed from a previously undiscovered tunnel!" Sunburst put in to answer. "I wouldn't call malachite and lapiz lazuili rare." Maud said, "And the tunnel must have been explored at the beginning of the Neo-Pony era in observation of the-" Maud was droned out by the roar of the crowd. The threesome traversed deeper into Canterlot. "So where is Trixie?" Sunburst inquired before pale realization spread across his face. "Not following through again, I see." "She lives a busy life- what with the small amount of bits she can make off shows to survive..." "I don't know Starlight," Sunburst said, pushing his spectacles higher on his muzzle with his bright magic, "She has become increasingly.... unreliable. And I am one to talk, I know, but that doesn't distract from the fact that she hasn't been coming through for you when you've needed her." Starlight didn't have a response. Maud pipped up to both of their surprise. "I am sorry to hear that your friend hasn't been coming through for you, but you've got two right here. And even though I live PonyVille adjacent, I would be glad to be there if you ever needed anypony." "Wow Maud-" Starlight said, taken aback at her kindness, "I don't know what to- thank you. I will keep that in mind. Thank you again." Maud offered her a gentle smile, "It's no problem." "So what brings you to Canterlot- if I might ask?" Starlight asked, though she thought it may be connected to what brought everypony else. To noponies surprise she answered, "Threstlehyde Swamberon. Their diet consists mostly of igneous and metamorphic rocks, which gets deposited in their spines. You can tell a lot about the environment from the spines of one, the minerals can build up for hundreds of years- making each one-" "-Special and unique." a voice with an impossible calm transcended from a green earth pony beside them. "What she said." Maud said, her tone both surprised and agitated. "Oh Starlight! And Maud and Sunburst!" Fluttershy sheepishly blurted out, recognizing them from behind the other mare. Giggling she stated, "Sounds like we are going to see the same thing, huh?" "Just about everypony is!" Starlight said, only realizing how rude it sounded after it came out. "I mean yes, who is this?" "Tree-Hugger, or is it Embrace now?" Fluttershy asked her companion with concern. "They both mean the same thing." Maud mumbled. "Hugger is my given name," she said, with an odd sharpness the mare turned towards Maud. "A Hug is a physical expression of affection and admiration. While to Embrace can be to closely hold or express willingness to accept and support something intangible, such as a theory or belief." With her blissful reality-detached bohemian atmosphere this string of words caught almost everypony off guard. Maud especially, who's eyes were widened with both embarrassment and genuinely being impressed. Sunburst developed a look of interest to continue the conversation. "Sorry if that 'peached the flow, that wasn't the vibe I wanted to give," the green mare put, "I just wanted to make sure there was clarity between the distinction." "Don't worry about that!" said Sunburst, beaming a little. "Care to join us?" he asked the pair. "We wouldn't mind at all." Fluttershy gently said. They spotted a familiar purple and green baby dragon in the distance, followed by a distressed looking Twilight. All of them looked at each other before hurrying her way. "Twiligh-" Starlight began before the buttery yellow pegasus landed in front of her- Fluttershy's speed and sternness filling her with an odd dread. "Twilight, what's wrong?" Fluttershy gasped, "Is it-?" Twilight offered Fluttershy a nod, which wrung out an "Oh dear..." "We don't have time." Twilight said, unfurling her wings. "Of course," Fluttershy said, doing the same. "Twilight...?" Starlight inquired, anxiety crawling into her nerves. "What's going on?" "Don't worry about it, have fun." Twilight said forcefully before the two disappeared with a magenta flash and a crack. The four looked back at each other momentarily stunned. "Well, if Twilight says we should still have fun, then I suppose we should'nt argue and continue on then, right?" Sunburst asked anxiously, looking around for confirmation. "Right." Starlight said numbly.
Crescendo"Twilight?" Starlight asked the darkness of the castle she made it inside. "Spike?" She was met with an overwhelming silence. Her hooves clicked against the cold, hard floor, looking around for some semblance of communication Twilight normally would have left telling her where she went. This too, turned up nothing. She felt antsy from the train ride home, sitting down for that long was very uncomfortable for her. The time had passed by slightly faster with the company of Maud, the other two had waited to catch different trains. They briefly touched upon who MoonDancer was, though Maud was much more interested in detailing specifics about the creature. Starlight was ashamed that she didn't share as much enthusiasm, and she knew she should as this was something that used to interest her. Recently she couldn't even muster the sensation of happiness while doing things she usually loved. Before she could retreat to her room, she heard a knock at the door. Tempted to not answer whoever it was and pretend she had been in her room this entire time, she continued up a few steps, before the knocking became even more erratic. Starlight sighed, trudging back down the steps to at least look through the peep hole. Not surprised to see a blue unicorn mare desperately pounding at the door with a sorrowful look on her face. You could walk away right now and just deal with this later. Though she knew that would only make things worse. What if you just stopped dealing with her? Starlight opened the door with reluctant shame. "Starlight! Thank goodness! I thought you'd be too angry to open the door and I worried you had already turned in for the night!" "Get to the point, please Trixie. I am already regretting this." "Harsh but fair. Look, I did end up making it to the exhibit, but you had been gone for a long time according to whoever had seen you. I had just barely gotten off my show- you'll never believe who I ran into!" "Trixie," Starlight sighed, "As curious as I am, I am still upset, you haven't been coming through-" "Coming through?! Starlight, I thought you understood! It is difficult making money off what I do- living isn't exactly free. I get it, I made a promise, but you are only going to disappoint yourself if you expect all of them to come true! In a perfect world they would, and do you think I like breaking them? No! There are external factors Starlight. And I did at least try to make it for you." Starlight was conflicted. She caught between understanding and disappointment. Groaning she asked, "Trixie, just, try a little harder, okay? I know life is tough but it is getting upsetting, you know?" "I know Starlight. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. Why is the castle dark already? I know Twilight usually stays up later than this, is she alright?" "Gone, taking care of the usual crisis." "Again?" "What do you mean, again?" "Nothing," Trixie said, a queer expression flickered across her face. "It better be. You'd tell me if you knew, right?" "I brought you some apology apple pie," pixie pink magic griped the aforementioned dessert, nudging it Starlight's way. "Trixie." "Your favorite, obviously, and you can't have apple pie without a little sparkling water!" She began pushing her way inside. Starlight gave in, following the first friend she had made here. "So how was it?" Starlight shuddered internally, knowing she would have to muster faux excitement once more as she relayed what was supposed to be an exciting day. The moon had climbed high into the sky by the time Trixie went back to her wagon, causing Starlight to retire much later than usual. Tiredness clung, weighing her down like armor as she clamored out of bed. The first visit she made was by Twlight's room, the library, the kitchen, and her study. All of which held no avail to finding the lavender alicorn. The silence of the morning rose to a deafening crescendo as she sat in one of the chairs in the study. Another series of knocks sounded at the door, prompting an angry snort and trot. Surprised whipped through her when she opened the door to find an impatient looking Ember. Buck me. "Twilight's not back yet, is she?" the dragon gently growled. "Sorry." Starlight cooed with a smile, "I am not sure when she will be back- hopefully soon." "I still need to talk to you." Ember sighed, her tough disposition falling slightly. "Oh, well, come in then." Starlight nervously said, eyeing the thunderstorm building over them. Ember eyed the clouds too, before strutting inside, looking rather uncomfortable. "Are you alright?" Starlight asked, noticing now how pale she appeared since their last meeting. "I'm fine," she said, without her usual bombastic tone. "You clearly aren't, but if you don't want to go into it, that is fine too. So what can I help you with?" "Let's sit down first." "Oh-okay." Ember crawled into the larger armchair, sighing as she eyed Starlight. "In Twilight's absence I would defect to you, correct?" "Me? Oh, I don't know. I am only a student- much less a Princess qualified to give important information. There are three other-" Ember raised her clawed hand, "I'm going to stop you right there. The dragons only go to Twilight Sparkle for anything, not those who have betrayed us time and time again." Starlight flinched a little in surprise, "Wait, what? Do you think betrayal is perhaps-" "I assure you it is not an overstatement." "Oh- well what did-" "Not relevant or conducive to this conversation. Now can I rely on you to assist me to the best of your ability?" Starlight felt like a stone had been dropped in her gut, followed by a battering ram aimed towards it. She attempted to regain control on her breathing and to unpin her ears from behind her head as to not arouse conflict. "Sure, I just have to do something real quick, you know, get some scrolls to document this." She exploded from her seat and charged into her room. Anxiously alternating which hooves she was balancing on, she was indeed looking for scrolls, but aimed to alert another Princess for advice. The realization dawning on her that she did not have Spike to send the messages nor knew the spell made her sink into a deeper panic. "Alright, Starlight, we will do our best, make it obvious and crystal clear our advice should be taken with a heap of salt, and find a way to alert Twilight." Starlight gingerly walked back into the room, levitating scrolls and quills around her. "Sorry about the wait, we have had a shortage on these." she lied. Ember took in a deep breath, "Alright, you are ready. Now, there has been a famine devastating our land, sickness is spreading quickly, followed by death. Black ra-" They both heard the castle doors open, followed by Twilight's voice ringing out, "Starlight? You here?" "In the study, Twilight!" Relief flooded through Starlight- then was followed by disappointment as Ember abandoned her in pursuit of her mentor. "We still have more to talk about-just not this anymore." Twilight greeted Ember, talking as if nothing was wrong and returning from frantically disappearing was among the tedious day-to-day cycle. Starlight felt foolish and useless as she sat amid her scrolls. The way Ember had numbly stated death and famine were ravaging her land filled her with sadness, and forced some perspective on her life. She left the castle, her endevour now to find Trixie, apologize for how rude she had been and to listen to who she ran into. Trixie had mostly listened to Starlight the night before, and she felt selfish for it. She enthusiastically pounded on the door of her wagon, parked in its customary place beneath he window. "Trixie, I am sorry, can we talk? Trixie?" Starlight peered inside, finding no sign she was in there. Where could she be? Starlight just about gave up before stepping on a crumpled looking piece of paper she hadn't noticed before. Went to PonyVille Hospital if you were worried. The note said in elegant but sharp swirls. A splotch of rain fell down to attack the paper, followed by many others. Starlight shook herself, running back towards the castle. It was only when a drop landed on her muzzle did she noticed the rain was gray.
CreatureStarlight drifted through the increasing crowds along side her companions. Sunburst and Maud and taken up babbling on about the beast they would be witnessing hopefully shortly, though the denseness of bodies takeing over the streets as they neared that direction told her they would be there for a while. "-Is it?" Fluttershy's voice rang in her mind. Not knowing what it could possibly be gnawed at her. She felt an anger directed at Twilight for not allowing her to even know about a potential danger or whatever this was. Her ears pinned back in guilt as she knew it wasn't right to resent Twilight for this. She herself had been a danger to the entirety of Equestria and she couldn't blame her for not unveiling what it may be to someone whose reformation was questionable, even to herself. Punishment is what she should have gotten- the burden of knowing she didn't deserve any of what she had cut deep into her. Perhaps it was a cruel psychological punishment- Twilight knew how she felt and this was all deliberate. Her heart, heavy as a stone, beating ice through her, gave those around her a disingenuous smile and put on a happy face- for their sake. It would be cruel to them to ruin the day because of the way she was. And she knew she could never tell them how she really was. Believe me, you've spent plenty of time with yourself, nopony would like that mare. "-I know what you mean," TreeHugger's calm voice drawled. An attentive Maud now ensnared with interest looked at the pony beside her with admiration. Sunburst had taken charge in front of them, weaving a way for all of them with his politeness and eager disposition. TreeHugger continued. "Sometimes I feel like my life, too, is just loosely related, wacky adventures that spring onto me- but that does make me feel alive. To be given the chance to adapt and overcome certain situations isn't always a bad thing." Starlight willed herself not to groan. It was easy for ponies who haven't gone on perilous journeys and who were tugged into uncomfortable adventures regularly. The road beneath their hooves had been replaced by lush grass and specks of wild flowers. The sky began to morph into a gentle coral pink, a few stars littered the sky coyly, undeterred by the fact that the sun had not fully set. Their bodies so small in the sky as they calmly gleamed, Starlight stared with a hallow longing for something, though what that was escaped her. "Sooo," Sunburst began, slinking behind the two mares engaged in conversation in front of them. Starlight knew she had allowed herself to slip again and offered him a look of blissfully unaware questioning. "You haven't been all that talkative." "Sorry," she breathed, wracking her brain for an excuse. "I know crowds can really take it out of you," he said, "An a big event like this, I know it is overwhelming." Starlight's face became expressionless- for she didn't know how to respond or feel. She didn't realize he had taken notice that crowds drained her, though perhaps it was something he assumed was true for everypony as she knew this was something that happened to him. Most ponies assumed you've been through the same beats in your life, and therefore had similar things that made you nervous. "Yeah, crowds," she said, leaving it at that. Sunburst droned on about recent events in the Crystal Empire. She listened attentively, though flinched a little when another pony would unexpectedly brush beside her, as now they formed an enormous cluster of bodies. "Maud and TreeHugger seem to be hitting it off." she said once silence had grown between them, raising her voice to speak over the murmur of the crowd. Sunburst however didn't pick up on the sound of her speaking and she fell back into a tired waiting. "Hey, Twilight!" a voice rang out- an impressive feat as it competed with the drone of the entire crowd. Starlight pinned back her ears and closed her eyes. Perhaps if she didn't engage in noticing her then she wouldn't have to yell over the crowd, defending her identity. Sunburst picked up on the disturbance and looked in the direction of the shouting voice in confusion. "Did Twilight actually leave or is she still meandering here in the middle of a crisis?!" he said this in such an unbothered way it irritated her; it was always somepony else's job to put the world back into place, and one would complain about it without tackling the problem themselves. A booming roar caused many in the crowd to run away in cowardice, while many others observed Ember with fascination and no detectable sign of fear. Starlight gathered her composure, taking in a deep breath and turning to face her. She was the student to the Princess of Friendship after all, not kindly engaging with foreign allies could start something, so it was better to grit her teeth and get it over with. "Ember! It St-" "Oh hey, sorry Starlight, the dusk light really makes you look like Twilight." The sapphire blue dragon said, her wings outstretched boldly and aggressively. "Speaking of which, where is she? We were going to meet up here to discuss expanding on some policies-" Ember did have the grace of knowing when she was becoming a bore and thankfully stopped. "We aren't sure exactly. She and pursumably the gang took off and left somewhere to fix the odd crisis." Starlight said matter of factually. ""What?! What crisis?!" Ember exclaimed, worry etched on her face. "And you didn't go with her? We have to go find her and-" "Crisis may have been a strong word," Sunburst butted in, "More like small problem. We know how Starlight can get over exaggerative!" Starlight was grateful and impressed by Sunbusrt's cool diffusion of the situation, even if a little of it was at her expense. She imagined many ponies viewed her as over exaggerative actually- something she had been working on fixing recently. "No, I didn't actually know that." Ember said with suspicion and unintrest. She scanned around before becoming agitated, taking flight, mumbling about having to find Thorax and other foreign leaders for a common meetup that had been happening between them now. "Oh and, catch you later Starlight, I wanna talk to you too." "Me?" Starlight could help but shout back in surprise, "I me-an, alright then! See you later Ember!" "Who was that? I mean I got her name is Ember and she is high up in the political chain of dragons but-" Sunburst said, struggling. Starlight giggled, getting a litter closer to him so he could hear. "I would say so, remember when I told you how Spike was the Dragon Lord onc-" "Oh! Of course! I can't believe I didn't pick up on that! I wonder what she wants to talk about? I mean, wow Starlight, talking to a leader of a foreign land. Don't forget about us little guys!" he said, accompanied by a nervous laugh. "Nah, pfft." Starlight got out, exhaustion had already begun to take over her from the day. She unconsciously moved closed to Sunburst, realizing how much she like how he smelled. Sunburst was a very attractive pony in her opinion, a fact she knew he must know somehow. And he was such a kind, genuine and intelligence colt- No, stop it. This only hurts you as you know he wouldn't choose you. Though she continued to admire his natural charm for a few moments more, wishing she could bury her head into his neck- but it was a hopeless fantasy she made herself abandon. "This is it Starlight!" Sunburst beamed excitedly, we are next!" "Whoope!" Starlight said, chuckling a little. "We only have four people in our group though, including myself," Sunburst noticed, "Too bad Ember couldn't have joined us, I would have loved to speak to a real dragon." "Spike's a real dragon." Starlight reminded him. "You know that doesn't count." he retorted playfully. The grass they had previously stood on now had turned to a grayish blue stone, a tunnel before them leading underground. Starlight marveled at just how expansive it was, the amount of horse power it must have taken to make this- it was beyond her. Two ponies had stepped closer towards the entrance, realizing they too, were next. Most of he foals had already come and gone for the day, though she just now realized how pleasant it was to not hear the cacophony of spoiled children wailing. They trudged down into the cavernous tunnel. Lamps with gentle light were scattered along their walk, changing from blues to pinks and purples in correspondence to the kinds of gems being showcased there. Maud had already been here countless times, though her eyes still hungrily looked at them as they passed. TreeHugger informed the crowd to be quiet moments before their guide did- as the creature was sound sensitive. The guide pleasantly surprised and amused to know he wouldn't have to repeat the same instructions he had over the course of the entire day. "Now everypony, remember, the Threstlehyde Swamberon may look intimidating, but looking it directly in the eye will result it it cowering in its cave." TreeHugger whispered, "Voices low, and no piercing glares." As they entered the deepest portion of the cave, the exhibit for the creature came into view. Starlight looked around curiously, her child-like wonder resparking as she craned her neck to see what was in front of the others. Sunburst beside her look like he was about to pop as he bated his breath in excitement. Maud and TreeHugger, who had been through this song and dance before walked with a unbearably slow calm, causing Starlight's agitation to flare up slightly. The ponies behind them were thankfully silent. "Do you see it?" Sunburst whispered with wonderment. Clearly not looking for an answer as they all saw it. The creature was enormous. Their eyes had first gone to it's thick, long tail; covered in thousands gem like scales, all which gleamed different shades of blue, yellow, green and pink. Traveling up onto it's back were hundreds of jagged spines, swirls of browns, grays, and red not unlike the cave walls were found there. It's arms themselves were equivalent in size to a full grown stallion, they were broad and had thick claws in front for tearing through even the toughest of ground. It was its face that Starlight found the most intriguing. It had a floppy neck littered with spines like the ones on its back, she knew it could inflate it when threatened like a pufferfish, dissuading any predator from thinking about attacking something so thick and spiky. The narrow face conveyed an innate innocence, it's white, colorless eyes scanning around its enclosure both confused and adventurous. The scale colors dulled the farther they traveled up him, however the muted tones also held their own unmatched beauty. Sunburst nudged her in excitement, his luminous magic glowing gently at his horn as he scribbled something down in a notebook. "I didn't realize we would be getting to look at the moon stone variety!" he bombastically whispered, "These are easily one of the rarest variants!" TreeHugger looked his way, both in warning and with an impressed look on her face. Maud's eyes sparkled with excitement every time it would stretch out, extenuating it's spines and opening its mouth to yawn, revealing a kaleidoscopic row of topaz teeth. Which each step it took, dust clouds sprung up, the particles gravitating to its underbelly in a curious way. Starlight envied how content this creature could be with access to dirt rocks, and a comfortable underground home. Knowing in a few days he would mostly be left alone was just another bonus, being left to his own devices. Not having to answer a question or be expected to have a care in the world, Starlight wished that she had been born into this species family as she watched it. "Alright," the guide said, realizing suddenly that they had been allowed to view over the usual allotted time, "Let's keep moving." He then went on to mention the gift shop, as well as the usual professional parting semantics that stung to say hundreds of times a day. To keep up a happy facade like that all day was impressive. Starlight gave the creature one last look of melancholy jealousy. She wished she could still feel charged and excited still after the encounter as the ponies in front of her, but the affect was already wearing off. They glided further in mostly silence. Sunburst had skipped ahead of her to prod TreeHugger with even more questions about the creature, promising to be right back. Starlight heard a pony clear their throat behind her. Oh great, now what? She couldn't muster up enough bravado to turn around and confront the pony who was being rudely indirect. When it happened again she pinned her ears back in annoyance, reluctantly turning her head to give whoever it was a scathing, questioning look. The pony behind appeared to be shocked that she attracted her attention. Her purple eyes full of confusion and suspicion, she gave Starlight the same look back. "Were you trying to get my attention?" Starlight asked, barely above a whisper. The mare continued to stare at her for a moment, the confused look in her eyes suddenly turning into excitement. "No, sorry, I have been feeling under the weather recently," the unicorn said, her voice snuffed with mucus. "I didn't mean to bother you- but, are you Starlight...?" Starlight couldn't help but sigh. "Yep, that'd be me." Wondering also why they would let a sick pony view such a rare creature. "I'm MoonDancer- one of Twilight's old friends." Starlight failed to see how this was of much importance. The cream colored mare began to slip beside her, continuing to speak with growing interest. "I have heard a little bit about you, not much, just that you are her student mostly." "Mm-hm." Starlight said, prodding her to just get to the point already. "I am sorry, you must get this a lot, I didn't mean to bother you, Twilight made you sound like a pony worth knowing." Starlight scoffed a little, MoonDancer looked both surprised and mildly insulted at this. "Sorry, but I think Twilight may be a little biased and would make her student sound better than she actually is." MoonDancer wrinkled her nose, "For Celestia's-sake, who hurt you?" The two stared at each other for a moment, before Starlight couldn't help but chuckle. "Myself I guess." "I know how that goes, you should maybe stop doing that though." "It's that easy, is it?" MoonDancer let out a laugh, "Ha, no, not at all, it will be one of the hardest things you'll ever do. I think you are strong enough though- or you can choose to be." Starlight had mixed feelings towards those last few words. Though she couldn't help but be interested in a little more of what she had to say. "As Twilight's protege I am sure there isn't much I could show you that you didn't know- but I do happen to have a few copies of Hoovishier's books that I know she doesn't have." She slid Starlight a coy grin. She knew she had gotten her. "That sounds great," Starlight breathed, "Perhaps next time I am in Canterlot we can get together sometime...?" "Of course," MoonDancer replied as the stone walls faded away to the night sky and a grassy field. "Whenever you are free- I get being a student of a Princess doesn't give you much free time, but if you ever get any time-" from her saddle bag she produced a small slip of paper, which she scribbled her address on. "Mail me and we can set a date."
