Chapter 5

It was a quiet summer afternoon, a gentle breeze was wafting over Ponyville just as it ticked past midday. On this particular day, a lavender mare with a sapphire colored mane sat atop a small hill just on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Right beside her she carried a wooden clipboard that had several sheets of paper attached to it and floating with the use of her telekinesis was a very fine quill.

On the actual paper were various sketch-type drawings of many different kinds of flora, much like the one she had just finished drawing before setting the clipboard back into her saddlebags along with the quill. She grinned, before trotting right down the hill in the direction of the Everfree Forest. Just as she was approaching however, her ears twitched. The sound of breaking branches and snapping twigs caused the mare to take a step back. At the very instant she did, she became rather aware of a voice that was filled with a significant amount of frustration. She even took note of a figure weaving recklessly through the darkness of the forest, to which she assumed was the source of all the noise.

Nervousness filled her being as the dark figure drew closer and closer. She gulped, having to take another step back. It was at the very instant that she stepped back that a rather large dark blue alicorn fumbled and tripped through the foliage and out of the forest. He landed face first into the dirt and grass in what looked like a rather painful way. In fact, his entire body looked painful as he was covered with various scratches and bruises that were visible through his coat. Feathers were missing, clumps of fur had been removed and were left with patches of a few bloody scratches. On top of that, even his mane was a complete disaster by this point. It was filled with twigs and leaves, all tangled up in various knots. He was a complete wreck.

The mere sight of him made Twilight jump in shock, but what really frightened her was him slowly lifting his head to meet her gaze. Plastered on his face was a somewhat goofy grin considering his position and it was followed by a rather soft chuckle.

“Did...the heavens loose an angel?” the stallion muttered weakly, “A-although...I don't think I've ever seen a lavender angel before...” the mare's ears tilted back and her cheeks flushed a tiny bit. This hadn't been the first time she had received a compliment like this, particularly from a stallion. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she recalled another particular stallion paying her a similar compliment back when she was still living in the castle. However, the big difference between the two was, this particular stallion's voice seem to hold more sincerity in it over the previous. He was even a bit more handsome and an alicorn to boot.

'Wait...an alicorn?!' This is where the mare's mind went into complete overdrive. 'I thought there were only three alicorns! And I thought they were all mares too! I've never seen an alicorn stallion before!' Everything grew a bit awkward at this particular moment as she began to eyeball every inch of his body. At least what she could see given about half of him was still entangled in a bush.

To say the least, for Silver, this was quite an awkward situation. As he found himself drifting in and out of consciousness while she examined his body. It actually made him feel like a slab of meat as he glanced up at the lavender mare. His vision was blurred as he watched her move around his body and it was only growing more awkward the longer he sat there.

“Um...help?” he begged. The reaction was instant as the mare seemed to go from examining him out of simple curiosity, to realizing that she was dealing with an injured pony, regardless of which kind he was. This is when she flew into full panic mode and the very last thing the stallion saw was a bright purple light before the world around him went dark.

The very instant he had passed out, the mare had teleported back into Ponyville, in a complete state of panic. She galloped through the streets as fast as her legs would carry her trying to find some help. She first thought to go to the hospital, but the question arose if they could even treat an alicorn properly? The next thing she thought of though was bringing him to the library and treat him herself. Which wasn't that bad of an idea, however the stallion in question was not a pony she could lift on her own. Even with magic, she knew she couldn't lift him.

As she ran through Ponyville though, allowing various potential ideas for getting Silver back to the library fast it actually dawned on her. When the idea came to mind, she skidded to a stop before simply shaking her head at her fears.

'I could've just simply teleported him!' she screamed in her head as her horn lit up. It was then that another fear ran through her mind. 'I...left him alone....near the Everfree Forest!' This is where she would probably have to slap herself. She couldn't believe that she just teleported away and left him at the edge of the forest unconscious. How could she have done such a thing? What would her mentor say to her if she found out about this? The aura surrounding her horn lit up very bright at this point. She could feel the warmth traveling throughout her entire body before she simply vanished again from the streets of Ponyville, now appearing once again at the stallion's side.

“I'm so sorry!” the mare cried out when she reached his side. “Just hold on, you'll be fine!” Without a seconds' hesitation, her aura surrounded the two of them and they both vanished in a bright purple flash of light. The next thing the mare knew, she was scrambling down the stairs of her home into the library.

“Spike! Spike!” she cried as she galloped down the stairs and straight into the kitchen. “Get the first aid kit! We need it now!” As the mare skidded into the kitchen, the first thing she'd take notice of would be the state it was in. While it wasn't too bad, it was still quite a mess. On top of that, she watched as a baby dragon mixed a bowl of cake batter with gem bits in it.

“Twilight!” the dragon cried out in shock, the urgency and volume of the mare's voice almost causing him to drop the mixing bowl he had. “I-I thought you wouldn't be back for a couple more hours!”

“I wasn't expecting to come back until then either!” Twilight snapped, her panic getting the better of her for the moment. “But...something came up! I found somepony at the edge of the Everfree!” It took a second for this to register for Spike, granted he was accustomed to Twilight's panic attacks, but never like this. The look in her eyes was even more upset than usual for some reason, but he dared not question it. “He's in bad shape and I need the first aid kit! Where is it?!” All the poor dragon could do was simply point in the direction of the cupboard where it was stashed.

In the time Twilight was searching for the First Aid kit, Silver had actually begun to stir again. As his eyes flicked open and the world once again came into focus, he found himself waking up not only with a splitting headache, but his whole body in a bit of pain. He felt sore, extremely sore but he knew why that was. He could even feel small spots of searing pain all across his body as he slowly lifted his head.

Silver had to rub his eyes as he glanced around the room, the blurriness faded very quickly as he made an attempt to climb from the bed. Just as he lifted his hoof and placed it on the wooden floor, his ears twitched. Hoofsteps up the stairs, they were frantic no less. This made him panic, retracting his hoof from the floor and returning his body to the position it had been not more than a few seconds ago as he waited for the hoofsteps to reach him.

'Don't move a muscle...' he thought, 'Don't let her know you're awake yet...' but he also knew it wouldn't be long before she found out. He knew some of the larger cuts he had needed treatment, otherwise he could be on the opposite end of some really nasty infections. However, what really made him not want to move was the mare in question. Silver knew very well that he had seen her somewhere, but where had he?

His eyes veered up as she reached the bedside. Unlike the last time, this time he actually got a very good look at her. At which point he felt his heart stop as she opened up the first aid kit. All of it came flooding back to him on exactly who this mare was. It was so much that it even made his life flash a little before his very eyes as he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

'Oh horsefeathers...' he thought, as a cold chill ran up his spine. 'I used a pick up line on Twilight Sparkle...' he slowly closed his eyes and at the very second he did, an image of Princess Celestia banishing him to the sun ran through his mind. 'No...she won't banish me to the sun for hurting her student...she'll have me executed...' Even though he knew the chances of this were very unlikely, it was still a possibility if he hurt Twilight in any way. Plus, that didn't add what a few other ponies could do to him if he did either.

Silver's train of thought went on for quite a while, at least until he felt a cotton swab being dabbed on one of his wounds. The very instant it made contact though, he felt an even greater searing pain from the antiseptic that she was using. Which only caused him to wince before he glanced up at her again.

“I know you're awake,” Twilight whispered, it was obvious too, considering he was gazing up at her. This only made Silver grin as he readjusted his position on the bed as so she could continue cleaning up some of his wounds.

“Am I that obvious?” he asked, as his own horn lit up, which began to remove the leaves and twigs from his mane and body. He even piled them neatly just off the side of the bed. This whole process took a good few minutes and actually helped distract himself from the pain of the antiseptic. It was short-lived however as by the time he had finished, he felt another burst travel up his body. “Can you please be a bit more gentle?”

“I'm being as gentle as I can!” she snapped, “It wasn't MY fault that you were this badly hurt!” This in particular caused his ears to lower a tiny bit with a small blush appearing on his cheeks. She was right of course too. It was his own fault for the injuries he had sustained, granted he had decided against flying out of the forest for fear of being spotted. Which had proven to be a bit of a mistake.

'But...its not a total loss...' he added to his thoughts, 'I did just meet this very...lovely mare.' Silver had to catch himself in his own thoughts, feeling an immediate wave of shame washing over his mood. 'No! Bad! She's Princess Celestia's student! I shouldn't even be thinking about that!' he screamed in his mind, even as his eyes traveled over the curves of her body. 'Although...she is still a mare...' he thought, as his eyes trailed back past her rump, to which he couldn't exactly get a good view of. 'And a beautiful one at that...'

The entire time Twilight was treating Silver, she took notice of the looks she was receiving. It wasn't exactly the first time she had seen anypony actually eyeballing her. She had a few in the past, but not very many. However, this was the first time she could genuinely catch a pony in the act and she wanted to tell him off for it. However, something about this particular instance actually found it rather cute, only making her smile instead.

“I'm Twilight--” the mare started before she found a hoof gently pressed against her lips.

“You don't need to introduce yourself, Twilight Sparkle,” Silver smiled, “I already know who you are...I did work at the castle directly under Princess Celestia for about a year.”

“Oh you did? Then what did you exactly do at the castle?” Twilight asked, “I don't think I've ever seen you around before.” At this particular moment, his smile morphed into a very playful grin. Almost as if he had something in mind.

“If I told you, then I'd have to kill you,” he jokingly replied, however the response he received wasn't what he had expected at all. Instead it only made Twilight take a few steps back from him. She looked absolutely frightened by it. It was something that at first he thought it was funny, but at the same time also be informative of his job at the castle. When it didn't work however and instead only frightened her a tiny bit, he sighed. “I'm kidding, Twilight!” he finally said, “My job is being an informant for the Princess and to help keep Equestria safe and peaceful.”

“I-Informant?” she inquired curiously.

“A spy essentially,” Silver replied, “My name is Silver Crescent.”

“Equestria has spies?” she continued on, it was followed by another soft sigh as Silver slowly shook his head.

“Yes, of course it does. All kingdoms have spies. In Equestria's case, there are a total of three,” he explained, “Thankfully its a very relaxed job so we don't need a large number, we just simply need quality. Its also why we're paid on a salary instead of hourly wages.”

“But...what purpose...?” Twilight tried to ask, but before she could he once again stopped her. He was actually perfectly calm as he gathered all of his thoughts on the matter. A smile moved across his face once again before he chuckled very softly.

“How do you think the Princess keeps the peace so well?” Silver asked Twilight, which only made her question it as well. In fact, it was something she often did wonder about. Especially given how often some of the nobles she had seen always seemed to bow a little bit more to Celestia. “She has people like us, who seek out information on individuals. Especially nobles who have...oversized egos.” the moment after he had said that, he coughed a couple of times and she could swear she heard him say a name amongst the coughs. To her it had sounded like she said the word 'blue', but she simply ignored it for the most part.

“So...you're telling me that she has a bit of dirt on every noble in Canterlot?” Twilight asked, there was a brief pause before the mare actually broke out into a fit of laughter. Silver couldn't quite tell what she was laughing at. Either it was the fact about the nobles or it was the simple fact that he was claiming to be a spy for the princess. Granted it was a little tough to believe, given just how peaceful Equestria typically was.

“Don't believe me, huh?” he called on the laughter after about thirty seconds. Twilight's laughter began to die down by that point, after which she wiped the tears from her eyes. As she returned her gaze to the stallion lying on her bed, he could see exactly what she thought about him written all over her face. It was very evident, especially in her eyes, that she didn't have much belief in the fact that he was what he said.

“Why would I?!” she replied, “You haven't exactly given me any real evidence that you're a spy! Or that you even know Princess Celestia for that matter!” she laughed again, which only caused Silver to just sigh very softly as he listened. “I could even make an argument that you don't even look the part! But I might just be reading one too many spy novels.” It was at this point where he simply smirked.

“Unless we're attending some formal event, we don't wear suits,” Silver stated, “Far too uncomfortable to wear constantly.” he only paused for an instant as he tried to think of a clever response for her. “And you do realize that spies rely on information, right? We tend to know more about a pony than most would think.”

“Then prove it!” Twilight challenged, poking his muzzle with her hoof at least twice. “Prove to me that you're this 'spy'.” It was almost too perfect for him, to the point where he couldn't help but laugh inwardly. Silver readjusted his position on the bed, to better allow him to gaze right at her with his golden orbs. It was a bit unnerving for Twilight at first, but she quickly shook it off. Now determined to prove that he wasn't a spy. What came from the stallion's mouth next however would only cause her jaw to drop.

“Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's personal student,” he began, clearing his throat, “When you were but a filly, about seven or eight, you took the entrance exam for Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Upon taking the exam, you initially struggled, but upon being startled by a very loud sound in the distance, a magical surge occurred. Which caused complete havoc within the room. It not only caused you to hatch an egg containing a baby dragon that you later called 'Spike', but it also transformed him into a full sized dragon.” As he explained this and Twilight listened, her confidence slowly began to vanish. “That's not all though, you also transformed everypony in the room, which in turn caused general havoc. At least, until Princess Celestia arrived to calm you and help you gain control. After which, everything returned to normal and you earned your cutie mark.”

“I-is that all?” she asked, now beginning to feel a tiny bit violated by his words. “B-because that's common information!” she lied, attempting to at least put up some fight. It was to no avail however as he had an air of complete confidence around him. To the point where it was completely terrifying.

“Nope...that's just the first part,” he grinned, “You also graduated at the top of your class, an A+ student, possibly the highest grades of anypony in the school. Your brother is named Shining Armor, whom has just recently been promoted to Captain of the Guard. You are also a holder of one of the Elements of Harmony, which you used to restore Princess Luna to her original self and finally, your magical abilities compared to other unicorns are top par and still growing if you believe it. Oh and your old foal-sitter is Princess Cadance.”

'H-how...did he...?' Twilight thought as her jaw dropped. Never in her life had she met someone like this stallion. Not only did he seem to know everything about her, but he also knew about her family and even her foal sitter! It was disturbing just how much he knew. What else did he know about her? In fact what else did he know end of story? As she just stood before him, her jaw hanging open, the mare could feel her heart racing. It wasn't a feeling she had ever experienced in her life either. Coupled with it, she could even feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. To say the least, this stallion was something else for her altogether.

Two days had passed since Silver had escaped Nightmare Moon's clutches and it was at this point she found herself once again trotting through the halls of the ancient castle. It was quite a lonely place however, the more she wandered, the more echos she heard throughout the building. She wasn't frightened in the least by the bizarre noises that came from the place. Oh no, that didn't bother her in the least. In fact, she actually welcomed the noises as they broke her away from whatever was on her mind at the particular time. In this particular case though, she actually did have something on her mind as she trotted into the library of the castle.

The very instant she trotted into the room, a very strange feeling washed over her body. One that she had grown rather familiar with over the past day. Nightmare fought against the feeling, having to press her hoof to her mouth to suppress it before taking very deep and slow breaths. It became frustrating the more frequently it happened, which is why she was now looking up one of the bookshelves for answers.

'If memory serves...then the books on medicine and healing should be...' with a hoof raised, she scanned over the bindings, reading the titles she could possibly read. It was to little avail however as she found the dust on them was far too thick to even make out a couple letters. This resulted in her horn lighting up and her aura enveloping all of the books before gently levitating down around her. Which granted her a far better view of the titles.

Nightmare's eyes shifted between the books, returning ones she didn't need to the shelf very quickly. It took a considerable amount of time as she went through each and every book, she eventually found the exact one she was looking for. It was a book regarding common illnesses and remedies.

'Now...how about a remedy to soothe nausea?' she thought, as she flipped through the pages. She moved relatively fast, flicking through them with a combination of her telekinesis and hoof. Until she reached just one particular page with the information she desired. However, what she read was useless, as right after she read it, she simply just returned the book to the shelf. A slightly saddened look appearing on her face.

As she sat in place scratching her head, another wave of nausea overcame her. Unfortunately, with how sudden it was she knew she wouldn't be able to fight it and instead she just galloped right out of the library as fast as she could to find the nearest open container and she was thankful about it too. Taking ahold of a large, empty pot and just emptied the contents of her stomach into it without a second's hesitation. It had all happened in a matter of seconds before she slowly raised her head.

'Guess I won't be eating apples anytime soon,' she thought with a final belch before leaving the pot and the contents of her stomach behind to go find another meal.

Author's Note

AND Chapter 5. I apologize for taking my sweet time posting.

I'm trying to get it finished before posting in rapid succession. I am up to Chapter 12 when it comes to completion.

12/20. Only 8 more chapters to write.