Chapters Night was drawing to a close as the moon began its decent onto the horizon. A black dragon emerged from his lair entrance and walked out into the cool predawn air. He made his way to his basking rock and set himself on the cold smooth stone; his scales gleaming in the moon light. The crimson slits he sees the world with gazed up at the moon, a faint smile moved his lips.
Soon Luna, you'll be free of your prisons and then I'll be able to see your beautiful nights once more. He thought to himself. With your return, Tia will no longer be alone in this world. He let out a small chuckle. We can also finally meet face to face. His smile faded as he noticed the the red wisp of smoke approaching. With a glance and a slight flick of his wrist, he caught the scroll that materialized before him. He unrolled the scroll and was surprised by the contents.
My lord, I've done my best to stop my brother Dalkeed, but he has overpowered me and is on his way to Equestria. He has lost all sentient control and in his new primal mindset his strength has grown. My actions have slowed him down long enough for my message to arrive at the closest town in time. I fear that if the ponies stay and fight him they will be hard pressed to repel him let alone kill him. I apologize for this brief report but my mate is insisting that I get my rest.
your loyal subject, Malachite.
With a sigh the dragon looked to the north west, to Equestrian shores. Well this was unexpected, he thought, I hope Malachite is alright? His gaze darkened as he got to his feet. Dalkeed needs to be dealt with. I just hope I can stop him in time. He took to the air with a pair of powerful wing beats. Finding a thermal, he banked right and made his way twards Equestria.
A stallion of the royal guard made his way to Gallopston's town hall with hast through the snow as a hustle of action took place around him. Ponies all around were vigorously packing up their belongings and gathering their family members. The stallion entered the town hall and saluted to the pegasus stallion behind a desk. "Commander, the final preparations are finished and the train is ready to depart at your command." he stated flatly. The pony behind the desk acknowledged the report with a nod. "Thank you, you may return to your post."
He turned his attention to a unicorn and another pegasus that entered the room from a side door. "Captain Arconis," the unicorn rasped, "Captain Crimson Lance," the other pegasus mono toned "Reporting as ordered, Commander." they finished together. "I'm glad to see the princess remembered," the Commander smerked, "That we worked best as a team. It's good to see you, brother, Arconis." "Well, this is a surprise." Arconis stated in calmer tone. "Hey there, Storm." Lance said, a bit moor perky, as he walked over to Storm and gave him a brotherly hug. "Now that we have that out of the way, what is the situation here, Storm?" Arconis asked after the brothers parted.
Storm looked to his oldest friend and sighed, "Still no nonsense as usual?" he paused for a moment giving his old friend a jesting smerk before he continued. "By my intel, the dragon is coming from the West. The last recon patrol put it an hour away from her and that report was ten minutes ago. Most of the civilians have been evacuated but there are a few wanting to stay. In total, there are fifteen civies still in their homes." He then pointed to a map with a wing feather. "The defensive line has been drawn in the snow here. The three unicorn squads will provide magical support for the ten ballista teams while the four pegasi squads flank him from the sides. Our main goal is to turn it away, but if necessary we will have to kill it. We are all set and ready for its arrival." He walked over to the window and gave a signal. Both Lance and Arconis herd the train whistle as it left the station. "That's the last train out of the town until the dragon has left or is dead." Storm finished darkly.
"Wow, bro, looks like a good plan except for one thing. What is our escape plan in case the dragon breaks all the ballista and overwhelms us?" Lance asked while still looking at the map. "There is no escape plan, brother. We 'will' stop it, no exceptions." Was Storms terse response. Before another word was said, another pegasus guard entered the room. "Commander, the dragon is almost here." The soldier panted. Surprised, Storm began barking out orders to the captains in the room to get their squads into place.
Snow fell lightly on the ponies and their equipment. Behind them was the town they were defending. Before them was the massive red dragon with a predatory look in its eyes. With an ear splitting roar, the dragon charged the ponies. Trampling trees as he bounded forward, caring little for the 'saplings' under his feet. With a signal from Storm, the pegasi took to the sky with their crossbows in hoof. On the ground, the earth ponies took aim with their ballistas. An earth pony captain gave the order and a volley of bolts streaked tward the dragons chest.
To every ponies chagrin, the enchanted bolts simply bounced off his thick scales. Feeling the 'twigs' hit his chest, the dragon stopped his charge and looked at the ponies on the ground. He sharply took in air, only to let it out again in a gout of orange flame. At this the unicorns jumped into action by casting a joint shield spell to protect themselves and the earth ponies that were reloading their ballistas. As the flames washed over the ground teams, the pegasi above made their attack runs.
With precise aim the pegasi strafed the dragons head with bolts. Storm didn't expect the crossbow bolts to do any better than the ballista bolts other than get the attention of the dragon off the other squads. To his surprise, it had worked better than he had hoped. The dragon had ceased his fire breathing and turned his attention on the flock of pegasi above him. In frustration the dragon unfurled his great wings and sat on his haunches. He gave a powerful wing beat witch hit the pony defenders like a hurricane. In the gale force winds the ponies were thrown back and out of the air.
With a grunt, Storm got to his stomach only to see a house collapse before him in the distance. He turned his to see the rest of his ponies around him in different states of dizziness. Behind them, the dragon was back on all four feet and slowly approached them. The dragon closed the distance between it and the ponies in a few steps. Getting to his hooves, Storm galloped twards the dragon with a spear at the ready. Suddenly, his world flashed red.
When he opened his eyes, Storm found himself and the rest of his garrison in the middle of town. A quick head count showed that they were all there and alive. Another ear splitting roar brought his attention to the west once moor. The red dragon was still there, but there was another dragon in front of it. A much smaller black dragon stood its ground before its larger kin. To his surprise, the black one held the red one's attention for the time being.
The red dragon tried to bypass the black one only to have it stand between it and the town once moor. Thoroughly irritated the red attempted to bring its claws down on the smaller black one, only to have his clawed hand strike the ground with a dull thud. With ease, the black dragon moved aside his larger kin's strike and took to the air. Enraged, the red began to lash out at the 'pest' hovering between it and its quarry. Again, with disturbing ease, the black one dodged every claw swipe.
The black one then put some altitude between it and the red as it charged up its magic in its right arm. "Good by, Dalkeed." Storm faintly heard the black dragon say as he pointed his right arm at the larger red. A red arc of magic streaked to the head of the red dragon. There was no time to dodge the spell, it hit the red one on one of its horns and encased it in red electricity. After a second or two, the spell concluded and the red dragon fell to the ground with a great rumble. Landing before the body of the red dragon, the black one lowered his head in respect.
Seeing his ponies had recovered, Storm ordered them into new positions to ready themselves if the black dragon decided to attack. Storm couldn't put his hoof on it but there was something different about this dragon than the other one. The red one was primal and predatory while the the black one was calm, cool, and sentient. In a flash of red magic, the body of the red dragon was gone. "Lance, with me." Storm called, "Arconis, cover us."
The black dragon let out a sigh but then he herd moan followed by the sent of blood. His head snapped around to the collapsed building on the outskirts of town. Some pony's hurt. He thought. Without hesitation, he ran to the collapsed house. The moment he got to the structure he began to remove wreckage from the source of the blood sent.
"Stop right there, dragon" Storm called out. The dragon paused to look at the pony then continued to move objects as he spoke. "Put those down and help me," He said calmly to the ponies holding crossbows aimed at his head. "Some pony is under here and they're hurt." Storm gave Arconis a look as before motioning to Lance to assist the dragon. Between the dragon and the two pegasi, the rubble was cleared from the injured pony. The unicorn mare was laying on her left side holding something in her arms. The dragon looked at her injury, a large peace of wood was jutting out of her chest. When her eyes opened, Storm called out, "Arconis, get over here. See what you can do for her."
Before the unicorn could do anything, the black dragon waved that order off with a hand. Gently reaching in, he removed her and the bundle of cloth in her arm from the remnants of their house. She was breathing raggedly as she looked at the three before her. Her eyes locked on the dragon as he tried to back away. She motioned him over with her horn. "Take him," she said as she handed the bundle of fabric to the dragon. "Watch over him for me." With one arm the dragon took the foal as the other supported her head. "Take care of m....." Her voice trailed off as her breathing slowed and all together stopped a moment later.
The ponies present lowered their heads in respect for the dead. The dragon gave her a look and tone of sorrow as he spoke. "I failed you, but I 'will' watch over him. May you rest in peace young mare." He then reached out and used the remains of a curtain to cover up her body. After another minute of silence, the dragon looked to the ponies near him. "Sorry for not arriving sooner. If you'll excuse me, I have a lot of things to do."
The dragon turned to leave when he paused. "I'll send two of my talons to help clean up the fallen trees. Please show them no hostilities for they will show you none." He then looked down at the amulet around his neck. "Give this to the princess when you make your report." he said as he pulled it off his neck. "She'll know who it's from and who has the foal." He levitated the object to Storm before he began to walk away.
Lance made a move to stop the dragon when Storm stopped him. In a flash of red magic the dragon disappeared along with the colt. "What are you thinking, Storm?" Arconis questioned as he stood next to his old friend. "I don't know," Storm responded with a determined look on his face. "I need to make my report and present it in person to the princess."
Not much time passed before the 'talons' arrived. The two dragons were an odd sight for the ponies as they worked. As far as Arconis was concerned, the smaller of the two seemed a little jumpy. Other than some slight bickering the two got their job done in an hour or two. With the last of the wood stacked, the larger of the two dragons approached Arconis. "We have finished. Excuse my urgency but we have to attend to other matters of the kingdom." The dragon turned to leave but paused to clarify something. "Don't worry, my brother and I are stronger willed than the one who attacked your town. You will have no problems with either of us." After a nod from Arconis the two dragons took to the sky with the sun leading the way.
Emerging from his teleportation spell, the black dragon looked down to his passenger. The small colt was still asleep. Pleased with seeing this, he then waved a glowing hand as the image of two other dragons came into view. "Setteth, Roken, go to Galopston and help with the clean up efforts there. Leave when you're done." "Yes your majesty!" They bowed their heads before the image dissipated.
Alone with the colt, the black dragon made his way into his lair. Inside, he began to pile hay into a nest then covered it in animal hides. With the 'bed' made and placed next to his gravel pit, he looked at the cloth that covered the colt. It was covered in blood spatter from the colt's dead mother. Gently, he began to unwrap the small foal. He paused when a pulse of energy burst from the the child. What the? He thought, That's odd.
When he finally finished unwrapping the colt he was surprised by what he saw. With a smile on his face, he set the foal in the 'bed' he made for him and looked to the west once more. "One decade," he said to himself, "One decade with me and he'll be ready." He turned to face the the colt sleeping peacefully in the nest. With a yawn, he curled up around the small bed and went to sleep himself.
After a sleepless night and a dizzying teleportation, Storm was glad to finally be in Canterlot. He needed to make his report to the princess. With the written version already in her hooves, Storm felt a little unsure of his earlier decisions as he made his way to the grand hall with his brother and Arconis. For the second time in his life, Storm felt nervous standing before the double doors of the throne room. In hindsight he should have given the whole report in person as he found himself looking at Princess Celestia.
"Captains Arconis, Lance and Commander Storm," Celestia began as the three stallions bowed before her. "I'm glad that Galopston was saved from the dragon. I'm curious on the other dragons written in your reports. Storm, can you elaborate more on the black dragon that slayed the red one?" "Yes princess," Storm began. "The black dragon, from what I seen, is a head taller than yourself and has no head 'ornaments' to speak of...." Remembering something, Storm pulled out the amulet that the dragon gave him. "Here Princess, the dragon said for me give you this. He said and I quote 'she'll know who it's from and who has the foal.'"
Celestia took the amulet in her magic and brought it up close to get a better look at it. Recognizing the shape of the amulet, a loving smile graced her lips and tinged her words as she spoke. "He's right, I do know who it's from and I trust him with the colt." There was a moment of silence before Celestia noticed every pony was looking at her with a surprised look on their faces. "He is a very old friend," She continued. "He just likes to stay anonymous to non dragons. Now what of the other two dragons mentioned?"
"Allow me." Arconis stated wile looking to Storm. With a nod from Storm he continued. "The 'talons' your friend stent were a big help with the clean up of the forest. By what I over heard, they sound like brothers by the way the bickered with each other. The smaller one seemed interested in us but his brother wouldn't let him near us or the town. As written in my report, the elder brother approached me and assured me that him and his brother wouldn't be a future problem for Equestria." "Thank you, Arconis." Celestia nodded after he finished. "Thank you all once again for the defense of Galopston. You are dismissed." With a bow the three stallions left the throne room.
When they left, Celestia walked to her bed chambers. Moving over to a window facing the south east. Looking to the horizon, she gave a small wistful sigh. Bringing the amulet closer one more time she gave it a fond look. Hearing a knock at her door she turned her attention to the pony on the other side. "Enter." She called. "Princess, I have the documents you requested." The stallion stated as he bowed. "Thank you." Celestia said as she took the folder in her magic.
Opening the folder she was surprised to see the lack of information on the colt. "Who was the pony who recorded these records?" Celestia asked as looked at the stallion. "The colts mother, Princess. Dr. Graceful Melody. She insisted on filling out his birth certificate and her colleagues had no objections. When she and her son were released from the hospital she quit her job and moved to Galopston. This took place within the last three months."
Nodding after hearing this strange information, Celestia dismissed the stallion. looking at the folder again, she sent the folder away with a small flash of her magic. You'll get better use out of this than I will. She thought. Looking out the window to the south east. She smiled and blushed as she thought to herself. Nightshade couldn't be in safer claws. Raise him well and take good care of him, Zethos.
It was early in the night as Luna took to the air. Night court ended sooner than expected but she couldn't complain. In all honesty, Luna disliked all the paperwork and bickering from the nobles. She much rather be out in her domain with the wind in her mane and the stars twinkling in the vast empty sky above. As she flew, the cool breeze of the late fall air soothed her headache from her last visitor. For the life of her she couldn't figure out how her 'nephew' ever became a prince or ever lived past childhood. None the less, she tried to ignore the petty arguments he made about the many nightclubs that dot Canterlot. To her mind, Blueblood is just a pampered colt with a silver spoon shoved so far down his throat he might as well be choking on it.
With her headache ebbing and her tempered cooled, Luna landed on her observation balcony. She was about to head inside when something unexpected struck her. The sensation was overpowering as it washed over her senses. Luna quickly turned around to look for the source of this energy. To her dismay this power aura was coming from the Ever Free Forrest. Luna found herself trembling as she gazed out at the black mass of clouds over the Ever Free. What in the world could have that kind of power? She thought to herself.
She steeled her gaze and steadied herself as she reached out with her senses trying to 'feel' who this being may be. Though she couldn't sense that, she did feel them moving closer to Ponyvile. Luna was tempted to fly down and stop them before they made it out of the Ever Free but she remembered the the nature of that place all to well. The forest might be doing one of three things. First, it just might be amplifying the power of the individual, making them feel stronger than they rely are. Second, it's doing nothing to the aura she's feeling and this being is very strong. Lastly and the most disheartening, the forest just may be subduing the aura she's feeling meaning this individual is stronger than her.
Luna was unprepared for the last wave of energy as it struck her hard. She screamed in agony as her head reeled from the pain. On impulse, the two guards outside her door came in to find the princess of the night on the floor clutching her head. "Princess, are you hurt?" Her unicorn guard asked as he came to her side. Even though the pain was intense it subsided quickly. Still it felt like some pony struck her brain with a sledgehammer. "We are fine." she replied as she got to her hooves. "Did thou not feel that, Spark?" She asked as she looked him in the eyes. "Feel what, Princess?" Was his curious response.
"Never mind then." Luna said as she turned to look back to the Ever Free. Reaching out again with her senses, she could feel the one responsible for this was getting weaker as they approached Ponyvile. Luna just realized that this aura could have awoken her sister and caused her similar pain. Turning around to the earth pony guard, "Steel, go check on our sister and see if the 'disturbance' we have felt has woken her!" With a silent salute he left the room. Luna turned her attention back on the diminishing aura that now, by her guess, was at the periphery. We hope whoever that is, is too weak to do any harm to anypony. Luna thought to herself as she continued to watch from her balcony.
A shadowy figure slowly made its way to the edge of a dark forest. Looming before them a cozy little town. Most of the lights were out but through their clouded vision, they could see what looked like a tree house with its lights still on. Slowly the cloaked figure limped to the building. All the while, the rain continued to fall upon the valley.
Inside the Ponyvile Public Library, Twilight was busy with her studies of this storm. By what Rainbow Dash had told her, not much is known on the weather that comes from the Ever Free. So far her studies have proven that the weather that comes from Ever Free is just like the weather made at the weather factory in Cloudsdale. The odd thing is that the necessary conditions for weather to happen in that place just don't exist. Caught up in her studies, Twilight didn't realize that she had woken up Spike.
"Hey, Twi, what are you still doing up?" The little dragon asked as he noticed Twilight was stooped over her work desk with her hooves on her temples. Twilight jumped at the sound of his voice. "Spike, you surprised me." She gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry if I woke you up." Spike waved her off with a claw, "It's alright. I couldn't sleep for some reason anyway. What are you up to this time of night?" Twilight showed Spike all her notes as she explained. "I'm trying to better understand the weather that sometimes blows in from the Ever Free Forest. So far I've come up with noting."
Before Spike could make a comment, there was a loud thud as something solid hit the front door. The sudden sound caused both Spike and Twilight to yelp in surprise. "What was that? Was it the wind?" Spike asked as he hid behind Twilight. "I don't know, but I doubt it's the wind because there is no wind tonight. I think somepony's at the front door." Twilight responded in subdued tone. As if to confirm, there was knock at the door. As Twilight approached the door, both Spike and her heard three moor knocks. Each knock quieter than the one before. On the last knock, it sounded as if a hoof slid down the side of the door.
Trembling, Twilight slowly unlocked the front door. When she turned the handle, the door flew open as if something was up agents it. With a dull thud, the form of a pony fell into the library entrance. This caused Twilight to jump back in surprise. Spike came out slowly when he saw the black figure fall to the ground. "Twilight, is it safe?" He asked. "Ya, it's sa....." Twilight's voice died off as she got a better look at what was before her.
On the ground, a small foal lay on their right side. Twilight then looked to the door only to see a streak of red. Her eyes darted back to the small body, only to see a small puddle of blood beginning to form under the right side of their face. Panicking she turned to Spike. "Spike, get the first aid kit. HURRY!" she almost screamed at him. Without a word, Spike ran upstairs. Twilight quickly moved to the foal's side. with her magic she removed their hood to get a better look at them. She was now looked upon the face of a young colt. His black coat and mane were wet from the rain outside and his breathing is quick and heavy.
Spike ran up to Twilight's side, "I got it Twi." He said, holding the first aid in his claws. Twilight horn flashed with her magical aura. Spike watched as the colt, first aid kit and a book levitated slightly. He then found the colt in his arms and the first aid kit along with the book open. "Hold him, Spike wile I clean his...." Twilight began, her voice shaky, but stopped when she saw the colt's wound. A long gash from the base of his horn, across his right eye, to his cheek was oozing blood. Without another word she began to bandage the cut and stop the bleeding.
Simultaneously she began to check the rest of him for other cuts or injuries. She got as far as his left foreleg before he began to cough up blood. Frantically she looked through her medical textbook for answers. Finding the right passage in the book, it was clear he had a punctured lung that required immediate professional medical attention. Seeing his eye was bandaged well enough she quickly closed the first aid kit and got her rain coat. "Spike place him on my back." She barked at her assistant. Without complaint, spike helped get the colt on her back. "Will he be alright Twilight?" He asked, concern tinging his words. "I hope so." She too sounded concerned. "I need to get him to the hospital, can you..." Spike raised a claw to stop her. "Say no more, I'll clean this up." he said before sending her off with a hug.
Twilight left the library at a full gallop, hoping that the colt will make it to hospital. The street lights made the trip easier but the rain was making the ground slick with mud. As she ran she could feel the colt still breathing and every now and then he would cough up moor blood. At one point, Twilight thought he stopped breathing but realized that she was mistaken. As she thought she wouldn't make it they arrived at Ponyvile General Hospital.
Nurse Redheart was working on some paperwork at the front desk when she heard the front door open. She nearly gasped when she saw Twilight enter. "Twilight, what's..." That's when she noticed the black foal on her back. Pushing a button for the intercom, "Emergency at the front desk." She called. Not three seconds later a gurney along with a couple of orderlies came out to Twilight. Gently, Twilight placed the colt on the gurney before the orderlies rolled him into the hall marked 'Authorized Ponies Only'.
Panting heavily, Twilight looked to Nurse Redheart. "Will he make it?" "I think so," Redheart began. "But he looked to be in very bad shape. What happened?" "I... I don't know." Twilight breathed as her and Redheart took a seat in the waiting room. "Spike and I were up late doing some work when we herd a loud noise agents the front door. When I opened the the door, he just fell in. I guess I panicked when I saw the blood on the door. After bandaging his eye, I came here." Nurse Redheart nodded in response. "Twilight, I'm glad you brought him in but you need to go home and get some rest. You look tired and need rest. How long have you been up?" "Since yesterday." She replied sheepishly. "Get some rest Twilight, Our little guest will be fine. Dr. Ace will see to that." With that said, Twilight sighed as she knew Redheart was right. She needed sleep and worrying over the colt won't make it any better. With a nod, Twilight waved goodby to Nurse Redheart and left for home.
In the emergency room of the hospital, the colt was being stripped of his cloak and body suit. Surprised by what he saw, Ace looked to an orderly, "Get him into x-ray for a full body scan. I have to call a colleague for assistance." With a nod, the orderly rolled the colt into another hallway. Ace then walked into his office and cast a communication spell. I hope she's awake . He thought to himself.
Though Luna was reluctant to do so, but guard Spark insisted that she see the royal doctor. In her bed chambers, Luna was being checked by Dr. Will. "I don't sense anything wrong physically, Princess." The doctor stated matter of factly. "Can you explain what you felt before you collapsed in pain, Princess?" "We... I felt an aura permeate from the Ever Free. This aura felt to have struck us in the mind with the force of a hammer. The sensation was not of magic though." Listening intently, Will wrote this down for further study. "I see. On that note I'd like to look into this more, with your permission, Princess." Luna nodded at the request before rising to her hooves.
Following suit, Dr. Will got to her hooves as well before she felt a magical tug at her mind. "Excuse me, Princess. It appears that I have somepony who requires my attention." Dr. Will bowed to Luna before leaving her bed chambers. In the hall she answered the message to her mind. An image of a stallion appeared before her. "Well brother," She began. "I never would have thought you would contact me this early in..." Dr. Ace cut her off. "No time for pleasantries sister. I need you her stat." She looked at him in confusion. "What do you need me there for, brother? My practice is treating nobles and..." Again, Ace cut his sister off. "Sis, I have a 'code black' laying in x-ray right now and I'm in the dark." Even though his tone was calm, his words were tinged with concern.
At hearing this, Will stopped walking and stared at her brother incredulously. "What do you mean a 'code black'? Princess'...." For the third time tonight, Ace cut his sister off. "I don't have time to explain things, Sis. I know I've been an ass in the past but I need you here now. I can't do this without you." At those words, Will nodded, dismissed the spell and galloped to her quarters in the palace. With her necessary things packed she teleported to Ace's office.
By the time his sister arrived, Ace had the x-rays and was shocked at what he saw. Will took one look at the x-rays and gasped at what she saw. Ace looked to his sister. "This may be my patient, but this is your expertise. You lead, I follow." He spoke in an emotionless tone. With a shaky nod, Will and Ace left the office towards the operating room. This was going to be a long night for the all of them.
Surgery was long but ended with the colt resting in post op. "I don't ever want to see a case like this again." Ace stated flatly as he took off the surgeons mask. "We're doctors, little brother. Cases like this are always a possibility." Will said soothingly as she placed a hoof on her brother's shoulder. "You know what I mean, Sis." Ace retorted flatly. "The little guy is lucky somepony got him here when they did. He's maybe eight or ten years old and judging by the amount of healed bone fractures, he's been through more things than the royal guards go through in their whole career."
When they got to Ace's office, Will turned to her brother and smiled. "Think of it this way, Ace. You and I were just dealt a bad hand, but you turned around and still won the pot." This got a smile from him. "Thanks, Sis. I know gambling is my special talent," His smile faded. "But I don't want to think of it like that." Ace looked to the folder with the colts information on it. "Ace, I have to get back to the palace. Check up on him every half hour and let me know of any complications." Will gave her brother a hug and gathered her things before teleporting back to her room in the castle.
When Dr. Good Will left her room, Luna went back to her balcony to find the presence from before. It took her some time but she found them. They were somewhere in Ponyvile. Though their aura was very weak, it was stable. Just as she was content with letting it be, the aura pulsed. It didn't hurt as much as to let her know that it was not going to die. When the pulse died down, it completely disappeared from her senses. Luna let out a sigh and looked at the clock. Seeing it is almost dawn, she began to lower the moon as on the horizon the sun was beginning its rise.
With the morning sun up in the air, Luna made her way to the dining hall for breakfast. As she approached, she could smell the many morsels the chefs were preparing. Inside the dining hall, Celestia sat at the table. Already a pile of scrolls and papers sat to her side. Hearing somepony enter she turned her attention to them. "Morning, Luna." Celestia said in her usually cheery mood. "Morning, Sister. I see that thou has started early today." Luna stated gesturing to the pile of papers and parchment. "Yes and no. I couldn't get all my work done yesterday so I decided to finish it this morning." Celestia said with a sigh.
Breakfast arrived after Luna decided to help her sister. With the small piles of paperwork finished, Celestia turned to Luna. "So how was night court?" Celestia's innocent question was met with a sharp reply. "They nephew nearly wast banished to the sun for his insolence. To accuse the nocturnal gathering spots of our citizens for his lack of rest is absolutely unfounded." At that, Luna stabbed her knife into a jar of blueberry jam. With a sigh she pulled it out and spread some on her toast. "OK," Celestia cautioned, "Other than Blueblood being himself, was there any other things that happened?"
Luna paused as she finished her piece of toast. "Yes," She began with a confused look on her face. "We... I felt a disturbance last night." Celestia's brow furrowed. "What kind of disturbance was it?" "Some...one stronger than us.. me came out from the Ever Free and entered Ponyvile." Luna looked to her sister. "They are in no condition to do any harm for they are very weak, sister." Celestia lowered her head in thought. "You right to let this being go, Luna. If they're as strong as you say they are then Twilight will find them and report to me about them." "There is one problem with that sister." Luna interjected, "It was not a magical disturbance the individual made." Celestia looked curiously at her sister. The responding look though, gave her the answer she was looking for. After dabbing her lips, Celestia got to her hooves and began to leave. "Excuse me, Luna but I have some scrolls I need to read."
It was early afternoon when Twilight finally woke up. At this she was hardly surprised, she didn't even get home until four in the morning. After getting out of bed, she ran her brush through her mane and made her way down stairs. It was as if Spike had had expected her to come in at that moment because he was making lunch for the two of them. "Hay there Twilight. There's a note from the hospital on the table for you." "Thank you, Spike." She said as she opened the note.
Miss Sparkle, my name is Dr. White Ace. I need to speak with you face to face about the colt you brought in last night. sincerely Dr. Ace.
The briefness of the note caused Twilight to furrow her brows in confusion. "Is everything alright Twilight?" Spike asked as he brought a pair of sandwiches over to the table. "No," Twilight said as she put down the note. "The doctor wants to talk with me about the colt we saved. His note's just a bit vague on the reasons why." "I can watch the library wile you go check up on him." Spike offered. "Thanks Spike." Twilight said as the two ate the rest of their lunch.
The weather outside was bleak as Twilight made her way to the hospital. Yet the weather couldn't keep one pony's spirits down as Pinkie Pie zipped all over Ponyvile. "Hi there Pinkie!" Twilight called out. "Sorry Twilight, can't talk, got to find new pony!" Pinkie called back. Her words blurring together. Before Twilight could call out again Pinkie was off in a blur of pinks. At that Twilight shook her head with a chuckle.
For the second time in as many days, Twilight found her self entering the hospital. She walked up to the front desk and gave the note to the receptionist. "Dr. Ace wanted to talk with me." After looking at the note, the receptionist pointed down a hall, "Third door on the right." She said sweetly. With a polite nod, Twilight walked to said door and produced a pair of knocks. "Come in." Was the reply.
When she stepped in, Twilight noticed a dark green coated unicorn stallion with a bright red mane sitting behind a desk. "Ah, Miss Sparkle I presume?" He asked kindly. Twilight nodded. "Please call me Twilight. You wanted to talk with me Dr.?" "Yes, but I also have something to show you. First things first, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dr. White Ace, don't let my cutie mark fool you, I do practice medicine." Curios enough, his cutie mark is a stack of poker chips. "Now," Ace continued. "With that out of the way, lets go see how the little guy is doing. Please follow me Twilight."
After passing down a couple of halls they came to room twenty. Ace held the door open for Twilight and closed it behind them. He then cast a spell on the door and windows. Twilight gave him a curios look for the spell cast. "My apologies Twilight, I need to pull a third party in our conversation and don't want prying ears hearing what they shouldn't." He said calmly. With another flash of pink, a familiar face appeared before them. "Dr. Will!" Twilight exclaimed as she hugged said unicorn. "Twilight, It's good to see you." Will said as she accepted the hug. "You two know each other?" Ace added. "Well, that makes introductions essayer. Lets get to the reason why my sister and I needed to speak with you Twilight."
Dr. Will moved aside the privacy curtain to reveal the sleeping black colt. Twilight could see the bandages on his face were fresh and his breathing has softened. "The poor kid has been through a lot in the past day." Will stated remorsefully. Ace hovered the folder of the colt to his sister and nodded to her. Silently telling her that she needed to say the next few things for he couldn't. "Apart from the laceration on his face, the little guy suffered multiple broken bones, a punctured lung and a large bruise on his right side." Twilight sat silently listening to every word as she stroked the colts mane.
"How badly was he hurt?" Twilight asked. "Well," Will began again. "His left foreleg was broken in four places. Same thing for all the ribs on the left side and his left wing was broken in three places." To that, Twilight curiously raised an eyebrow. "Left wing?" Ace answered her with a nod. "He is the main reason for me calling my sister for help." Will walked over and removed the thick blanket from the top of the colts body. Now with his cloak and clothing off, Twilight could see his wings. One was in a soft cast and the other folded against his body. "He's an alicorn." Twilight breathed.
"Yes," Ace said while he looked at the folder on the colt. Looking at the clock, Ace gave his sister a glance. With a nod, Will traded places with Ace so he could check up on the colt. After placing a hoof on the colts head, Ace put the blanket back on him. "Sis, are you sure that this is normal? His low body temperature concerns me." "Yes Ace. At least I believe so." Twilight looked to the foot of the bed and noticed the colts belongings. "Are these his?" She asked Will. "Yes, well, other than his body suite that's all of his things."
Pausing for a moment she looked to her brother. Looking back to Twilight, "Twilight, could you do me a favor?" She asked. Twilight gave a nod. "We're doing all we can to find out who this kid is and find his family. I was wondering if you could help by finding out what this is and what it means?" To 'this', she levitated an amulet on a fine silver chain.
Chapter Two: Pains of Mind and Body
Luna slowly made her way to her room. Finished with night court this evening, she allowed her thoughts to go back to events that happened earlier this week. Despite all her many distractions, she couldn't keep the strange being out of her thoughts. How is it that someone with that much power can simply hide in Equestria without being discovered? She mused to herself.
As she turned a corner, she got an idea. Whoever thou are, thou must rest when that weak. She thought to herself with a gentle smile on her face. In a state of rest, we shall find thee. Why didn't We remember this earlier. Arriving at her destination, she stepped inside and began preparations for the encounter with the one she was looking for. With most everything now in place, Luna removed her crown and placed it on the night stand for the mornings rest. She then lay in bed with her head on a pillow. Contempt that every thing's in order, she reached out with her mind.
It took some time for her to look for the aura, but when she found it she smiled. Luna's joy at finding this individual was short lived however when she noticed all the mental safeguards in place around it. With a little probing, she found that the safeguards, like the aura, aren't of magical properties. With a few safeguards of her own, Luna jumped in. When she 'landed' she noticed that she had no metaphysical body. In fact, there was nothing around her accept empty darkness. Suddenly, the area around her thoughts started to take form.
Moments passed and she found herself in a cave in the Ever Free Forest. She noticed her mane was no longer an ethereal mass of stars as it hung in front of one of her eyes. With a hoof, she moved the strands out of her eyes as she looked across the fire to see a cloaked form of a foal. Luna made to move to the foal's side but was stopped with a razed hoof. "Stay where you sit, intruder." A distorted voice said with heavy breaths and in tones of pain and warning. "My mental disciplines may not have been enough to keep you out, but they can force you back out if I deem it necessary."
Surprised at the hostel tone and that the foal could see her move when their sight was covered by the hood, she complied. "We believe thee, thou has harmed Us before." Luna said as she sat back down. "Who are thou and where are thou currently located?" "My apologies for harming your mind unknowingly," The distorted voice said, sorrow mixing with the pain of their tone. "As for my name, I go by many. You may call me The Arcane Terror. As for where I'm at, I don't know..." The foal winced in pain. Before Luna could move to comfort them, the foal razed a hoof to stop her before slowly regaining a stance of authority.
"Is thou going to be alright, Arcane Terror?" Luna asked. She was truly concerned for the well being of this foal and wanted to help. "I'll be fine. Now, you were about to introduce your self." The foal said as they moved their right hoof over their left side. "We are Princess Luna of Equestria and we have many questions to ask of thee." Luna said as she continued to look over the foal. Judging by the foal's build, she determined that he's a colt about eight to ten years in age. The horn poking out of the hood was a dead giveaway that he was also a unicorn. "How has thee not heard of Us before, Terror? How grave are thous injuries..." Terror razed a his left hoof, as his right still clutched his left side, to stop her before he spoke.
"As far as I know, the only dragon representative of Equestria is, Malgole. Also to my knowing, he has no offspring yet because he just rose to power seven months ago." "We are no dragon!" Luna retorted, though it lacked effect without the royal Canterlot voice. Gesturing to herself with a hoof she continued. "We are the younger of the royal pony sisters and ruler of the night." Seeing the colt tilt his head in confusion, she softened her tone, though she thought it couldn't get any softer than it was without her magic to amplify her voice. "You can not see Us? Yet you can tell when We move. How is that possible?"
"It's true, I can't see you." He began. "That's because my eyes are closed outside my mind. Normally this wouldn't be a problem because sight still works in one's dreams; but I'm also unconscious and as father has told many other dragons, my mind and body work differently than others..." Terror winced again and this time he stayed on his belly. Luna moved to his side and went to remove the cloak. Before touching the garment, Luna was stopped by the fire that stretch between them. "Why will you not let Us help you young colt?" Luna pleaded as she watched him tense in agony. "I know you want to help me, but tending to my injuries in my mind wont heal my body out there!" Was the harsh reply. The distortion in his voice vanished as he heard he was identified.
Rolling onto his right side, Terror continued in a calmer tone. "To answer your second question first, I don't know the extent of my injuries. All I know is that my right side is sore. My left side and my right eye feel to be on fire." When Luna made no more moves to aid Terror, the fire moved back to the center of the cave. Reluctantly, Luna put some space between her and the foal. Noticing a saddlebag nearby, the colt telekineticly moved it under his head. Without looking at the alicorn before him, Terror continued. "Getting back to the previous answer, my minds eyes can't see you but I can 'feel' your metaphysical body moving around inside my thoughts. I know it sounds weird, but this just tells me where you are and what vague movements you're making." Terror paused as his head looked in the direction of Luna. "If you don't mind, may I get a better 'look' at you?"
Luna, by now, was beyond perplexed and was just plain lost. "And how dos thou plan on doing that when thee just said that thou cant see Us with they mind's eyes?" "My mind is capable of many things. The fire before you not only can banish you from my head, but it can it can also act as my eyes in the same way that ones hooves can feel the form of an object. I ask your permission to do this because it is no different from me asking to touch you in the physical world." At this, Luna felt uncomfortable but she weighed the two options in her thoughts. If she let him do this he may let her comfort his suffering with the presence of another. On the other hoof, she can refuse and do her best to get him to accept her privacy and hop he will still be open with information.
"You have Our permission." She said simply. Luna stood before the foal and the fire. "Please hold still, this wont take long." Terror stated as the fire turned black. Luna no longer felt its heat but she didn't feel cold either. The black flames snaked their way to her. They only hesitated once when they touched her left fore hoof. When she didn't draw back, the flames slowly enveloped her hoof and began to move up her leg. After a few moments, Luna found herself encased in black fire. To her surprise, there was no mischievous magics mixed in with the fire. Another moment passed before the fire left her body. It returned to the center of the cave and returned to its normal color.
"I thank you for letting me do that." Terror said with pained gratitude. "For someone to trust me without knowing me that well tells me a lot about you. Other than your coloration, I now know your physical form and size." He paused with another wince of pain. "Terror," Luna began, "If thou trusts Us enough, can We see they face?" Wile she spoke, she moved closer to his right side. When he didn't protest, she lay down and set his cloaked head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Princess, but I feel that my face has changed in some way and has altered the form you see before you." The colts head suddenly shot up, "Someone is looking for you, Princess." Luna looked up and felt that some pony in the physical world was calling her name. "It seems that thou is correct. If Thou dos not mind, may We come and visit thee again? We still have questions that need to be answered."
"You may, Princess." Were the last words Luna heard before her eyes opened and her sister came into focus. "Luna! Come on Luna wake up!" Celestia called out as she nudged her sister awake. "Tia, what are th.." Luna never got to finish her question as Celestia pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank the stars you woke up." Celestia began, relief was heavy in her tone. "For a moment I thought you wouldn't wake up. Your hear rate dropped lower than normal and then your body burst into black flames." Luna could feel her older sister now crying. Returning the embrace, Luna began to calm her elder sister. "We are fine, Tia. We are alive and well." Looking to Dr. Will, Luna nodded for her and her staff to leave her room and the sisters.
When Celestia calmed down enough she pulled away and looked her sister over. "How many did you visit this time, Lulu? The last time you over extended that spell you nearly put yourself into coma." Luna gave her sister a sheepish expression before answering her. "One, sister. Just one this night." Celestia's expression was nothing short of surprise. "Who in all of Equestria could cause you to.." Luna stopped her short before Celestia could get anymore upset. "I found him,Tia." Was her simple reply.
Twilight awoke with a groan as the noon days sun shown in her eyes. Wondering why she has a kink in her neck, she began to raze her head. With a couple of pops, her neck felt better. To her surprise, a paper had attached itself to her face as she glanced down at her desk. "Not again!" She groaned. With her magic, she removed the paper and checked it for smudges. Satisfied that the writings were not smudged, she looked back to the pile of open books and assorted notes to add the paper that stuck to her face.
"I've got to stop this all night study thing." She said to no pony in particular. Before she turned to head for the kitchen, she lifted the reason for her lack of sleep and looked it over once again. The amulet Dr. Will gave her to study almost a week ago shined in the noon sunlight. On the face of the amulet was a hornless dragon wearing a crown wreathed in flames. In the foreground of the dragon was the planet and the dragon was positioned so they were appearing to hold the planet in their arms as their tail and wings stretched out. Around the picture was an engraving in a language Twilight has never seen before.
Twilight guessed that the dragon depicted in the background was or is of royal decent and that he or she rules or ruled over the planet. She couldn't tell for sure, but the engravings on the outside would tell her everything, once she figured out what language this is. "Twilight?" Spike called out from the kitchen. "Are you awake? It's nearly one in the after noon and you have an appointment with the hospital to see if the kid has woken up yet." "I'm up Spike." Twilight called back. "I'll be down in a moment." Turning to leave the room, she set the amulet in her saddlebag and brought it with her.
"So, Twi, did you find out anything about the amulet?" Spike asked as Twilight entered the kitchen. "No, not yet, Spike." Twilight stated disappointingly. "I just can't seem to find what language the engraving is written in. I've checked all the books on other languages spoken around the world and haven't found anything." "I'm sure you'll find what ever language it's written in, Twi, just give it time." Spike said as he set lunch on the table for the both of them. "You might as well eat something before you go see the kid."
Twilight left for the hospital shortly after finishing lunch. With the amulet and her incomplete notes in her saddlebag, she hoped to do a little more research on the amulet if the colt wasn't awake. If he was awake, she would ask him what language the engravings on the amulet are written in. As Twilight crested the hill overlooking the hospital, she noticed Fluttershy flying away from the entrance in her direction. Fluttershy, noticing Twilight, landed next to her. "Twilight, Rainbow's hurt!" Fluttershy said worriedly. Twilight, surprised, followed Fluttershy to the hospital as fast as her legs would carry her.
Upon entering the hospital, Twilight noticed her other friends waiting over by the far wall in the waiting room. "That was fast Fluttershy." Rarity said as the two drew near the others. "Well, um, she was nearly here when I saw her." Fluttershy said quietly. "What happened? How did Rainbow Dash hurt herself?" Twilight asked while she caught her breath. "Crazy mare's gone an' flown over the Ever Free." Applejack said in concern as she rubbed her forelegs together nervously. "I tolled her ta stay over the farm."
"Dashy was doing some super duper awesome moves," Pinkie chimed in "She was only over the the Ever Free for a moment or two when she went stiff like a board. When my tail started twitching, she was gliding to the ground." Pinkie looked to the ground as she said the next part. The mirth in her voice was gone. "She hit a tree on the way down." "Fluttershy came an' got me after Dash crashed." A J said as she put a hoof on Pinkies shoulder. "I carried her here after Shy put a splint on Dash's wing." "I think it's broken." Fluttershy said softly.
The door to the back rooms opened and Dr. Ace came out with a clipboard in his magical hold. "Party to see Rainbow Dash?" He called. The five mares in the room walked over to him. "Follow me." Dr. Ace said as he lead them down a familiar set of halls to room number twenty. Ace stopped just before the door and looked to the group of mares. "Please keep your voices down, Miss Dash is wide awake and fine but her roommate needs his rest." Twilight knew who Ace was talking about. Ace opened the door for the five mares and gave Twilight a nod as she entered. He then closed the door behind him after he entered.
"Hey guys," Dash gave a wave with her left leg as the other was in a sling. "Sorry to have scared you all. For some reason, everything was going to plan until I felt a prick on my neck. Then everything blacked out." She rubbed her neck where she felt the 'prick'. "Ya darn right you scared us all. And what do ya mean by 'ya felt a prick'?" A J asked in concerned bewilderment. "I believe I can answer that." Ace said as he levitated a barb in the air before them to see. "I pulled this out of your neck when you came in, Miss Dash. What ever shot this at you must like to eat sleeping pray. Lucky for you your wings stiffened to glide you to safety."
Fluttershy took the barb in her hooves to get a better look at it. "I've never seen any animal with this kind of barb, nor have I heard of them being able to launch them at other things." She said quietly. "Neither have I." Twilight added. "So, Doc., how long am I going to be stuck in bed?" Dash asked, already getting board. "Well, let's see." Ace began. "Your right wing is broken and you have a hairline fracture on your right foreleg. All in all, I think you'll need three weeks to recover at the latest."
"Three weeks!" Dash exclaimed. "What am I going to do for three weeks?" "Well," Ace started calmly. "You could rest and do quiet activities," He said bluntly. "Or you can drive yourself crazy listening to your roommate's hear rate monitor. Your choice." He finished cheekily. Looking to Twilight, ignoring Dash's dagger stair, he spoke calmly. "Speaking of witch, Miss Sparkle, my sister should be here momentarily." As if on cue, a pink flash of magic appeared on the other side of the door. The door opened to revel a white unicorn mare with a silver mane and tail. Her cutie mark looked to be a first aid kit.
"Well, I wasn't expecting such a large group for the colt." Will said as she took in all present. "They're not all here to see the kid, Sis." Ace said. "One of Twilight's friends had a run in with an Ever Free resident and well." He gestured to Dash behind him. Ace then turned to the others present. "Every pony, this is my elder sister Dr. Good Will." "Excuse me," Rarity spoke up. "What is this I hear about a colt?" In unison, both doctors face hoofed. Will was the first one to regain her composure. "Well, about one week ago, Twilight brought in a colt who was badly injured and due to some unknown details, we asked her to keep him a secret to all who didn't already know of him."
Suddenly pinky began to move spasmodically as a combo unraveled. When she stopped moving she smiled widely as she yelled "I found him!" "Found who Pinkie?" A J asked as Pinkie was hopping near the privacy curtain. "Pinkie," Rarity chided. "Dr. Ace told us to keep quiet so the little dear could get their rest." Dr. Will walked over to the curtain and moved it aside. Other than both doctors and Twilight, every pony in the room looked in shock at what they saw. Fluttershy immediately went to his side to get a better look at him. "Please leave the blanket on him Miss." Ace said in a hushed tone.
"Oh my stars," Rarity gasped. "He looks to be no older than Sweeties age." Dr. Ace looked to his sister, "Will, I need to ask you something." "What is it brother?" "Is he conscious or not? His brain activity seams to be too high for a normal pony to be unconscious." With a nod, Will walked over to the other side of the bed and checked the colt. "Yes brother, he's still unconscious." Will said in a normal speaking tone. Looking to Twilight, Will continued. "Twilight, could you help me with this, seeing you are the only other pony here qualified to operate this." She asked as she held up a metal case and opened it.
"What's that thing, Dr. Will?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked on while Will and Twilight began to fiddle with nobs and a paper feed. "This, Rainbow , is an old invention of mine." Will began. "I use this device to gather brainwave samples and compare them to others found where some pony has touched the mind of another." Seeing as all but Twilight and Rarity were lost, she began to elaborate further. "Mind magic is an uncommon practice, but is still used under strict laws. Mind manipulation magic is still forbidden. Mind magic also leaves an imprint of the last connection between two ponies and I know most every pony has had a visit from Princess Luna at one time or another." With her explanation mollifying every pony, Will then attached some nodes to the colts head as twilight plugged in the device.
"So," Fluttershy began quietly, "Why are you using this on him?" "Well, Miss Fluttershy," Will began, "Unicorns by their very nature are the most magically gifted race of pony in existence, next to alicorns. A strong enough one can do a great many things with their mind and magic. Other than that, I'm not permitted to say why." Twilight connected the dots immediately, but kept her mouth shut as Will turned on the device. A moment went by as data began to record on the paper the device fed out the side. Suddenly it exploded inside of a magical bubble made by Dr. Ace. "Well, that was unexpected." Ace said as he opened a window to let the smoke out without causing the fire alarms to go off.
"I don't understand," Will began. "It worked just fine on Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. Why did it break? What went wrong?" Rarity noticed that most of the paper that came out of the machine was undamaged and picked it up in her magic. "Dr. Will," Rarity looked up. "Could this explain why it broke?" She asked as she gave the paper to Will. Will took the sheet in her magic and looked over the data on it. "That explains it." She whispered. In a louder voice so all could hear, "His mental activity is the highest I've ever seen let alone been able to record." "His mind broke it by overloading the sensors?" Twilight asked in bewilderment. "Yes, Twilight, his studies must be very far along for him to have this much mastery over his mind and magic."
Suddenly, every pony in the room fell to their knees as a wave of pain struck their minds. After a moment of silence they all got back on their hooves. "Starless night! what the hay was that?" Dr. Ace said as his head still throbbed. "I don't know," Twilight began. "it didn't feel like magic." "Well what ever it was it still hurts." Rarity said as she held a hoof to her head. "I think the machine provoked some sort of mental retaliation from the little guy." Will said as she rubbed her temples. A thought ran across her mind to what Twilight said. "Excuse me every pony, but I have to get back to the castle to attend to my other duties." With a farewell from every pony in the room, Dr. Will vanished in a pink flash of magic.
After Dr. Will left, Dash looked over to the kid. "Hay, Doc., how hurt is the kid?" Ace looked to dash and smirked. "He'll be fine. He has healed quite a bit since he's been here. I'll make a bet that he'll be fit enough to be discharged from the hospital by the end of the month." Ace looked to the other ponies in the room with him. "Well, ladies, it's time for us to leave. Miss Dash and the kid need their rest." Ace then looked to Twilight. "Miss Sparkle, I'd like to speak with you in my office." With their goodbys said, every pony left the room. Rainbow Dash, now alone in the room with the colt, was trying to figure out how badly hurt the kid was to end up here and why he had to be kept a secret.
Arriving at Ace's office, Twilight was allowed in first followed by Ace himself. "Miss Sparkle," Ace began as he walked behind his desk "I know that my sister and I just made your job of keeping the kid a secret harder. But I hope you can keep what he is a secret from them." "You're right, Dr. Ace, it's going to be harder to keep what he is a secret. Not to mention keeping every ponies curiosities in check." Twilight said as she rubbed her head. "Are you going to be alright Twilight?" Ace asked seeing her pain. "Yes. I'll be fine." Was her reply.
Reaching into her saddlebag, Twilight pulled out the amulet and her notes on it. "Dr. Ace, this is all I could find on the amulet." She said as she slid the notes across the desk. "Most of it is merely speculation, but with a little more research at the Canterlot library, I hope to find the language that's written on it." "What about the symbol on the front?" Ace asked as he skimmed the notes. "Again mostly speculation, But it must symbolize a planet wide kingdom." Taking in everything, Ace looked out his window to peace it all out. Turning his gaze back to Twilight, gave a appreciative look. "Good work Twilight, you can take a break from your research for now until my sister contacts me again."
Seeing the depressed look on her face he changed his approach. "If you can't find anything in the Canterlot library, go ahead and ask one of the princesses if they know anything about the amulet." When her expression changed from disappointment to joy, Ace could only do his best to not break out in a wide grin himself. After all, he had to keep up his poker face in practice.