Foxes and Dragons

Starlight Glimmer felt an excited shiver down her spine as she looked again around the vast chamber. The restricted archives of Canterlot were accessed only by the few.

Starlight's knowledge of magic made her valuable in cataloguing the precious contents on its shelves under the watchful eye of Princess Celestia.

Today they were packing, not reading, books. There were many to be cleaned and rebound due to dust and mildew that had leaked into the library in the past thousand years of the castle’s existence. Many of the archives were known only to the Celestial Sisters and the secrets they contained were still dangerous if left unchecked.

She felt very proud that they allowed her to be a part of this project.

“I still think that we should find time to reclassify these books to locate them easier.”

Starlight turned to Twilight Sparkle who was lending her librarian experience into the simple matter of storing the books, but she was over enthusiastic to take the next step and organise them.

Not to mention mentally reference them for future reading.

“We should focus on the repairs to the walls of this library first.” Princess Celestia said “Then we can see properly about organising its contents.”

“I wonder if we could use some more light in here…” Starlight murmured.

She turned, and her horn glowed as she tried to remove a lit torch from its stand.She frowned as it didn’t budge.
She moved closer and tried to move it again. This time it did, and it had some kind of chain attached.
Starlight frowned as she held the torch with her magic.

"Twilight?" Starlight said.

Suddenly the floor moved underneath Starlight shuddered. Between the cracks in the pavement dust began to flow through.
"Starlight?" Twilight answered. "What is it?"

"It looks like I've found some kind of..."

One of the paving stones slid out from under her hooves. Starlight was too surprised to cry out as she fell into the opening
She fell head over hooves down the stairs before coming to rest on the floor in a cloud of dust.
“Starlight!” she heard Twilight cry. "Are you okay?"
Starlight stood and lit the end of her horn. It punctuated by the large amount of dust disturbed after a hundred years.

“Uh. I’m okay.” She faintly replied. She groaned lit the end of her horn and got on her hooves. It felt like she only got a few bruises.

There was nothing really significant in the room that she had fallen into.
She turned and saw something in the corner.

It looked like a package wrapped in some kind of oil paper.
She lifted it up with her magic and gasped as it started to glow.

She frowned and cautiously pulled back the packaging to reveal a jade coloured crystal.

As she glanced at it, her magic illuminated the crystal showing her reflection staring back at her in the polished surface,
The swirling colours of green seamed to be moving like ocean water. She brought it closer to look into the swirling colours.
She reached out with her magic trying to grasp what she was looking at.

Cold. Loneliness. Helplessness. Deep rage.

Starlight gasped and drew her head away.

“Starlight!”

Starlight turned to see her mentor at the foot of the stairs.

“What is that?” Twilight's eyes widened at the gleaming green crystal.

“Careful!” cried Starlight. “I just felt something… terrible. Like an incredible sadness…”

Twilight leviatated the crystal but, but the crystal faded.

Twilight covered the crystal again with the oil paper.

“I didn’t feel anything. But I reckon we should be careful in regard to mysterious artefacts.”

She turned to Starlight.

“Let’s show this to Celestia…”

Both mares ascended the staircase.

Celestia was approaching the opening in the floor with a look of concern on her face.

“Princess, we’ve found something down there.” Twilight levitated the oil paper package.

Celestia looked at it with interest and drew back the paper revealing the green crystal.

Her eye’s widened with recognition.

“A Catena Garnet…” she whispered. “I’m trying to think where I last saw this…”

“What does it do?” Starlight gasped. “I put my horn to it and I got this surge of… sadness.”

“You felt something?” Celestia looked at Starlight. “These Garnets were used to project thoughts and messages a long time ago. They could also collect the power of different unicorns to be projected as one spell.”

She looked back at the crystal. “If you did feel something then…”

She paused.

“Then whose thoughts did I feel?” Starlight spluttered. “It was really scary…”

She stopped when Celestia’s horn lit up and she placed it on the garnet. The garnet glowed again with the green ambiance.

Twilight and Starlight waited for the princesses response.

Celestias horn stopped glowing and she frowned. “I don’t feel anything in this…”

“I definitely felt something!” Starlight insisted.

“Whoever was using it might have stopped using it.”

Celestia wrapped up the garnet again.

“I’ll keep this with me, if the garnet becomes active again.”

Far away in another land…

Phil setting up his camera in front of the statue of Olmeus the Great. A powerful tiger ruler from the Second Dark Age.

It was an image carved out of jade standing in full armour. He would have held a mace in his right paw, his weapon of choice, but it had broken off in the subsequent centuries.

Olemeus was a King who had defeated armies of many surrounding cities, carving out a kingdom that first encompassed species of different climates and cultures.

Nevertheless, he wrote down codes to defend the rights of all mammals within his kingdom. Predator or Prey.

He understood that co-operation between species needed to exist if his kingdom if order was to be maintained.
He planted crops and created a fishing fleet to satisfy the needs of predators and prey within his realm. He wrote laws punishing predators that hunted prey animals and prey that attacked predator species. His significance to paving the ideals that would eventually come to the establishment of Zootopia.

It was often displayed at the Natural History Museum. He was glad that it was on loan to the Museum in the city of Hidesdale.

Phil adjusted his camera and knelt down by the statue. The low angle gave Olemus an image of dominance.

He looked at the photo on his camera. He frowned. He thought his camera was playing tricks on him. He thought it had seemed brighter in the photo.

He looked closer, but didn’t see any change to the green crystal. He then leaned forward and placed a hoof on the statues torso.

He felt a twinge in his hoof when he toughed it.

He stepped back in surprise. He frowned and put his hoof against it again.

Who are you? To speak again after silence for so long is a blessing in itself

"I don’t understand… Where are you and what are you doing here?"

Open your mind and listen to my voice and I will show you how you can be more than that your physical body can limit you.

Phillip felt his anxiety filter away and a smile came to his lips.

“ Hey! You know you shouldn’t touch that!”

The snow leopard security guard approached him as Phil slid his hoof away from the stone lion.

“To be in the presence of an artefact of one so brave is such a privilege.” Phil smiled. “It is so hard to contain myself.”

The leopard frowned.

“Well, You’ll have to find another way to contain it around here.” The leopard said gruffly.

The stallion shrugged and moved towards the exit.

His expression grew dark as he approached the doors.

“I’ve been contained for too long” he murmured under his breath.

Two Weeks later

Lila curled up against the bin. There was pain in her eyes. The Malik Gang were coming. Every time she came home from school they would shout her out in the crowd.

“Watch out! She might turn on you!”

“Predator! Keep your distance!”

There were even mammals in her class that said that it was just a matter of time before she went savage. Some of her old friends wouldn’t talk to her.

She would usually hang out with other predators. They had all felt the same way. Some wanted to fight.

She got into one at school with a calf and so she was held back in detention.

Which meant she was late getting home.

The Malik gang didn’t just taunt her tonight. They chased her.

Which is why she was holding her knees and trying to be a small ball behind bins in an alley.

She sat there frightened, waiting them to go away.

Then, she saw a green shoot come out of a crack in the pavement.

She blinked back her tears and looked at the seedling.

To her astonishment, the plant wound its way out of the crack.

Before her eye’s the plant grew leaves.

Finally, a bud formed on the end.

The green covering peeled back and the golden petals of a flower appeared.

The petals fell open. Showing a beautiful flower in the cracked dirty pavement.

Lila smiled.

“There it is!”

She yelled in fright as the bin behind her moved and a large boar loamed over her. The bin over his head.

“Well, little pred. Time to teach you a lesson if you get any ideas of being the dominant species….”

The two other boars chuckled.

Lila skitted back and until the wall behind her prevented her from going any further.

Suddenly a green vine shot out of the crack and hit the boar in the middle of the stomach throwing him to the other side of the alley.

“What the…?”

Two more shoots sprang up and the two other boars squealed in fright.

The vines wound themselves around them. Coiling and drawing tighter like a snake.

The boar thrown against the wall looked up and ran down the alley as fast as he could.

Nick slurped his gooseberry smoothie as he exited the Albino café.

His long-eared partner was slurping at an iced coffee and pulled her phone as a message buzzed on her phone.

“Hey Nick, we got a message from the station. It says that a dangerous felon is in the area. They sent through his photo.”

Nick turned and frowned at the image his partner held up on her phone.

“Well I’ll be…”

“Nick?”

“This boar has the clothing of a Malik Gangster. I reckon we can assume that he’ll be kicking and screaming when we find him.”

“I don’t think we have that far to…” Judy pointed.

She glanced at a crowd of mammals crossing the road.

Among them a stocky boar in a jacket and trousers.

Nick frowned.

“Ninety percent sure that’s our guy… Let’s tail him a few blocks and ask him a few questions.”

The two officers moved down the sidewalk and the boar turned his head.

They saw his face and his expression.

“THAT’S HIM!” Nick exclaimed. “I’ll take point!”

Nick dashed past a group of Ibex who started running and springing out the way as the boar grunted and pushed through the crowd.

Nick dashed through the parting crowd as he noticed a grey and blue streak move on by.

He followed the boar into an alley as with rabbit partner standing in front of the boar.

It was behind a large hardware store.

The boar roared and picked up a broken garden stake.

Nick screeched to a stop and pulled his dart gun out.

Then his partner went into hyperspeed.

He and the boar saw a blue and grey streak move on the walls, the bins, the windows before Judy finally reappeared connecting with the boars face.

The boar groaned and came down like a tree falling.

Judy panted. “Uh…uh. I got him!”

Nick lowered the dart gun.

“I take it that iced coffee wasn’t decaf…”

Sergent Higgens pulled up in his cruiser and saw the semiconscious boar on the ground in handcuffs.

He opened his door and chuckled as he pulled himself out of the car.

“I guess it was the right place and right time…” he said.

“Well, for him I think it was the wrong place…” Judy chuckled.

Higgens hauled the boar to his feet and marched him back to the car.

He non-candidly put the boar into the backseat.

“I really hope you weren’t too brutal.” He said “There is a certain amount of restraint…”

“He picked up a wooden stake, so I reckon he needed a bit of persuasion to come quietly.” Nick answered.

Higgens nodded.

“Well, time for the tedious time of getting this crook properly processed…”

“It’s not muh fault…” he stammered “the shadow… the shadow…”

Nicked pulled a water bottle from his belt and clicked the cap off.

Pshh!

“Gah!” the crook cringed.

Nick looked at his bottle and then to the boar.

“This guys a little jumpy.” He murmured. “I wonder what spooked him?”

Equestria

Twilight Sparkle walked out of the library and into one of the palace gardens. She took a deep breath and stretched her wings. She was getting claustrophobic sitting in the library all day.

It was definitely worth it, now the archives could be repaired while the collection would be taken to Fillydephia with a continent of the royal guards and Princess Celestia.

For Twilight, a weekend away was on the calendar.

A place guaranteed where there was no-one to reach you.

Starlight Glimmer came out weighed down with saddlebags.

“Oh. All set?” Starlight Glimmer exclaimed.

Princess Twilight grinned and Pow!. Teleported.

Starlight waited a few moments when Twilight reappeared again with her own things.

“Ready!” she said.

They both teleported and reappeared in Twilights castle.

They looked at the mirror and its glowing gemstones.

“After you, my dear student…” Twilight said.

“No No. Royalty has its right.” Starlight snickered.

Sunset Shimmer waited by the broken horse statue.

A weekend away. She really hoped that she wouldn’t jinx it. Especially the track record with her friends in this world.

The pedestal glowed and two familiar faces came out weighted down by bags.

“Should’ve warned me” Sunset smiled. “Then I would have brought a luggage carrier.”

Twilight embraced her friend.

30 Minutes later

All three girls were relaxing by the beach. They’d started with the volleyball, moved on to swimming and finally relaxing on towels on the sand.

“You know what I think?” Starlight murmured.

“Honest question?” Sunset smiled.

“I reckon we should make this a compulsory weekend, once a fortnight.”

“Yep. I reckon getting away to another world is the best way to escape and unwind.”

**********************

Fluttershy flew over to her cottage. Discord was coming soon and she wanted the house prepared for his arrival.

She saw Angel the rabbit leaning against the hutch. He had annoyed expression.

“Oh… I’m so sorry. I forgot to get the alfalfa from the icebox.” She said.

Fluttershy moved into her cottage and came out with the green foliage. Angel chewed away happily.

“I’m really glad that rabbits are so caring and understanding…”

Zootopia

“Gah!” Delgato held both his arms up as another blow made him reel back a pace and a half.

He was in the ring and he nearly didn’t fend off the last two blows.

Judy Hopps was coming at him again and he ducked back again this time throwing a right hook and caught the rabbit as she moved through the air.

He followed it up and tried to get the rabbit as she was still recovering on the floor.

“Don’t reckon you’ve lost your touch on the beat rabbit.” He sniggered. “I’ve given up going easy on you!”

“Really?” The rabbit replied “I was going easy on you!”

“Oh… That’s it! You’re in for it now!”

He threw a punch that caught Hopps square in the chest and sent her flying on her back.

“Oof!”

Degalto barely took a step forward when Hopps flipped back on her legs.

He caught the dangerous glint in her eye.

Delgato swallowed.

He threw his arm up to cover his face…

Only to have a double rabbit hindleg kick in the stomach.

Delgato landed against the ropes.

“Arghck!”

He pulled himself up and tried to regain his footing

The clanging bell signaled the end of the bout.

The lion let out a weak sigh of relief.

“Hate to end your bout, but there’s a few things that the chief wants Officer Hopps to deal with.” Rhinowhitz exclaimed

The rabbit shrugged and pulled at the velcro on her mitts.

“Thanks’ Hopps, I think I’ve learnt a thing or two…” Delgato murmured

“Anytime.” Judy smiled.

The rabbit picked up her towel and squirted some water into her mouth from her bottle.

Delgato was still catching his breath.

He glanced at Rhinowhitz and the Rhino gave him a sly smile before following the rabbit out of the arena.