Innocence Lost

Chapters

A Somewhat Typical Morning
New Guy On The Block
Watching And Waiting
Party Crashers
Digging Up The Past
The Diggers Dilemma
Night Prowlers
An Unwelcome Surprise
Hidden Loot
Across The Pond
Powerful Yet Powerless

A Somewhat Typical Morning

*COCKADOODLEDOO!*

Fluttershy snapped awake, squealing and throwing her sheets up towards the roof. She trembled for a bit until the bedsheet came floating back down on top of her. She squealed again as it covers her, stumbling onto the floor. The mass of sheets shudders for a bit until the pitter patter of small feet is heard. Then heard stomping right in front of her. She blew her bangs aside to see a tapping, white paw.

Angel Bunny was already fed up not even fifty seconds after waking up. Fluttershy pulled the blanket aside with a few clumsy yet somehow adorable tugs and stood up. Then the loud noise from the backyard rang again and she dove under the bed, her luminous teal eyes looking out. Angel hopped towards her, squeaking and chattering about something in the language only she could understand. She pulled herself out of the bed frame and talked in her soft, quiet voice. "The...new rooster? What new rooster?" Angel huffed and squeaked again. "The Mayor's rooster? Oh...h...how did I forget something like that?"

Angel squeaks became shrill and she seemed to be taken aback. "Angel Gilligan Bunny! There's no need for such language." He stopped in mid-squeak and she put on her sweet smile but with a rather uncertain tone in her voice. "I'm sorry...I've just been a bit...under the weather lately...I guess."

He stood there, unamused and she rapidly switched topics. "Would you like me to make you that special salad for breakfast? The one with the cherry?" Angel seems to take the bait and hops downstairs although still not smiling. No matter, he rarely smiled at all.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She had been forgetful lately, and it was bugging her. She wasn't the type to miss deadlines and such. She slowly paced around the room a few times, trying to think. She hadn't had any head injuries lately. No potions either. She stopped walking, facing the mirror on her dresser. She walked up to it and stared at her own face, trying to find a difference that wasn't there. She took a few minutes to brush her mane back to its long, flowing state. She knew she was over thinking this. Then again her insecurity made her over think a lot of things. Almost everything in fact. She stopped brushing her hair and smiled at her reflection. "Goodness. I'm over-thinking me over-thinking things." She giggles at the concept.

Soon enough the animals started to wake up and it got too noisy, so she gwent downstairs and fed the different groups. The squirrels and mice were fed the nuts and the birds pecked at seeds. The bear picked at some berries as she puts together Angles special salad, relieved that she had cherries. Last time that didn't work out so well. She pushed the salad gently towards the other side of the counter where Angel dug in greedily.

She went to the back door and pushed it open. Her backyard is lit by a rising sun, drenching it a brilliant orange hue. She sighed at the natural beauty. She normally didn't wake up early enough to see the sun rise, but it always seemed to captivate and warm her. Well...the sun was warm either way. She picked up the sack of chicken feed near the door and walked to the pen. Most of the hens were asleep, except for a few and the rooster, who sat on the fence and jerked his head back and forth in precise, calculated movements. She smiled at him and spread the seeds in the pen. She hummed a little tune as the chickens started to peck at it. The rooster also hopped down and joins in.

After a few minutes she entered the pen, to which the hens ignored. She stood right behind the rooster, knowing that he was watching her. She had to return him to Mayor Mare, but first she had to pick him up, which meant dealing with that unusual spike jutting from his ankle. Most ponies didn't know that about roosters. They all had a big spike, called a spur if you wanted to get technical. Sometimes it gets so long you actually have to file it down. She was aware that it could give a nasty kick.

She stood there for a bit, then with a surprising amount of vigor she shoved her hooves under his wings. He flapped and cawed, his legs flailing about. She covered his eyes with a cloth mask that she kept in the pen. With her hooves under his wings, flying away was eliminated. His legs kicked the air in front of him. The cloth was strategic with birds. With their eyes covered and not seeing the potential attacker, or petsitter in this case, they startto calm down. Within a few minutes he is calm, even though his little lungs were still heaving fast. She frowned a bit. This was something she never liked doing. She knew that he wasn't hers and was also absolutely terrified, but in this case she didn't really have another option.

She was gentle with him, bringing him out of the pen and to the shed where she kept her crates of various sizes. He flapped his wings weakly as she put him in a crate with a cage door. Seeing that she was in the home stretch in terms of the spur, she got a bit hasty putting him in. The rooster started to freak again as the confined space takes effect. He lashed out kicking again, catching Fluttershy's left foreleg. She yelped in surprise and pain when the spur nicks her. The rooster tried to scramble away with the cloth still over his head, but she pushed him in, lightly now and aware of her mistake. She talked to him now, a little hint of pain in her voice being suppressed. "Come on now little guy. We just have to put you in here until I can get you back to mommy."

A few minutes and the rooster is stored away safely, now breathing normal and fluffed up in an attempt to look bigger. Fluttershy was in the kitchen. Her scratch wound turned out to be worse than she thought, and was bleeding too much. She slowly wrapped it up in gauze. She usually made a big deal about injuries, mostly because some of her animal friends wouldn't turn a blind eye to meat. The bear and weasels could lose control when the smell of blood wafts through the air. That never happened of course, not yet at least, but it was hardwired in instinct, and she understood the pull. She took a few minutes to dress it properly with pressure and the other standards.

She glanced at the clock, noting it was still early enough. Mayor Mare had a very busy schedule, and it was best to see her before she got to the Town Hall. Fluttershy didn't ask about her job, or really talk to her that much. Of course the head pony knew her well enough, as she did everypony in town. But she assumed she had much to do. She took the crate handle in her mouth and walked to the door with a slight limp. She said something to the animals, but the words were muffled by the handle. She opened it and walks out slowly, not bothering to lock the door. Angel would do it on the other side.

New Guy On The Block

Fluttershy made her way through the streets with the captive rooster. It was still early enough for the streets to be mostly empty. She knew Mayor Mare didn't live at the Town Hall. Some ponies joked about that, but she had her own residence near enough to her job. She passed Sugarcube Corner, flying a little bit faster hoping to avoid the party pony inside for the time being. She failed. Pinkie Pie saw her through the upstairs window and pressed her face against it smiling wide. She opened it and called in a loud voice, maybe a little too loud for the time. "Hi Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Up here!"

Fluttershy stopped flying and turned to see her friend. Pinkie had lots curlers in her mane, which Fluttershy actually rarely saw. She assumed her mane didn't need much help. The crate prevented her from responding, but not trying to as muffled words caught the handle. Pinkie laughed at that, then righted herself "Ohhh where ya going? Can I go too? I'll be right there mmkay!" Without a moment to waste the window slammed shut. Fluttershy blinks, confused as to how she had that much energy at this hour. She hovered in the street, fussing with the gauze and waiting.

She looked to a flower stand briefly and Pinkie Pie appeared next to her suddenly, making her squeal in surprise. Fluttershy didn't notice her approach or even open the door, but Pinkie had a tendency to be utterly sneaky, sometimes she didn't make scientific sense. Or at least that was Twilight's explanation for that. Even she was unsure though. Fluttershy never understood that, or tried to in any way and Pinkie didn't even seem to notice that wasn't supposed to happen. "Hi! Why did you scream? You know I've noticed ponies do that lately. It's like they don't know I'm there. Maybe they don't then again how could you not see me? I've bee told I'm kinda hard to miss and if that's the case then why do they act so surprised? I kinda get it I guess. Anyways where you going again that crate kinda makes you hard to understand."

Fluttershy just stared at her for a bit as her brain caught up with the barrage of words flung at her. She set the crate down to respond and opened her mouth to respond but Pinkie saw the bandage and jumped at the new thing to talk about. "Waitaminute! What happened to your hoof?! Oh gosh it's bleeding through! Fluttershy you should probably take care of that."

Fluttershy again waited for her to stop, then she also looked at her leg. It indeed was bleeding through, crimson clearly visible from the white cotton. "I...thought I...did enough with that." She poked it and winces. "Oww."

Pinkie stood there, now waiting for her answers. Fluttershy took a good moment to return to the conversation at hoof. Her voice was a little louder with Pinkie Pie, as with her other friends, but not by that much. "Oh..well I was petsitting for the mayor and...the rooster kicked me. I didn't really look at it that much...." She winces again "It's more than I thought."

Pinkie again started to talk. "Well like I said you should get it looked at, maybe you need stitches or something. If so than you should reeealllyy get it looked at. Like fast."

Fluttershy avoided the topic and went back to her route as her pink friend bounced next to her. She probably did need stitches, and she knew it. But there was three reasons why Fluttershy didn't go to a doctor for those things. First off she could do it herself, and had in the past with her animals.

Secondly medical visits were expensive. Fluttershy didn't have a problem with bits, in fact she had quite a few of them, and out of her little group of friends, she was close to having the most, of course playing second to Rarity. But she wasn't loose with money either way, and was well prepared for some sort of imminent takeover of Equestria had the possibility arise for a fifth time. She also hated hospitals, and had a lingering fear of them. She slowed her pace as she reflected on that. She didn't have a reason for being afraid of hospitals, it was just a lingering feeling that she could never place. She knew her mom also had the same fear, also unexplained. She never looked into it either. Maybe it was just genetic.

Pinkie didn't know anything about medical stuff, so she went along with it. The yellow mare and her bouncing friend made their way to Mayor Mare's house. Pinkie Pie knocked on the door with Fluttershy behind her, ears back and tightening the bandage. After a few minutes the head pony answered the door. For the time of day she looked overly ready. Her mane was fully dyed and styled and she wore her mayoral outfit. She spoke with her leading voice. "Hello you two, are you here for Princess Twilight's new banners? I must say the seamstress of Canterlot really know how to make a good flag"

While Pinkie Pie jumped at the conversation Fluttershy stood back and rolled her eyes. Twilight had been an Alicorn not even half a year, and already Ponyville was making "accommodations" for housing a Princess. However those were Celestia's orders, not Twilight's. Ponyville was a rural area, and didn't really have space for a castle. Princess Celestia wanted Twilight to assist in Canterlot as her right hoof. Twilight hadn't responded to the offer but refused to move from Golden Oaks Library and abandon her friends. So Celestia agreed, as long as there were at least some changes. Twilight made sure they were minimal.

Some of Equestria's citizens actually weren't too pleased with Celestia's recent decision making. Twilight's coronation was, by all formal accounts, a blatant abuse of power. Most notably shifting the royal structure. Twilight's crowning came with a price, however it wasn't Celestia's to pay. Luna had been ousted by the new changes. She now was the highest ranking official of the Equestrian Royal Forces, and although still a very important pony, she played little role in politics anymore. With her formal identity of Nightmare Moon, many ponies were wary of her new found command.

Mayor Mare invited them both inside. Fluttershy noticed somepony else who was there. He was a Pegasus stallion, with a brown coat and emerald green eyes. He had a few white freckles on his snout, and a cutie mark of some sort of claw. His mane was black and grey, patterned to alternate between colors and was styled rough and shaggy. He seemed to be a tad smaller in stature than other stallions, but still taller than the average mare. Mayor Mare was about to say something, but Pinkie rush tackled the guy right off his hooves, yelling about a new pony she didn't know. The stallion didn't seemed as startled as he should have been. He got up and spoke in a lighter voice, that seemed to be in sync with his size. "You really shouldn't jump at strangers like that."

Mayor Mare seemed annoyed at Pinkie's actions, and pulled her away from the newcomer. "Pinkie Pie, this is Granite. We were discussing a purchase of land. He's Ponyville's newest resident."

Pinkie Pie jumped up and down, giggling like a filly. "OHMYGAWSH! A NEW FRIEND! You'll be my friend won't you Granite? You have to. Everypony is."Granite seemed to be taken slightly aback, and he took a few steps backward with his ears flat. "Uhh sure?" Pinkie Pie hugged him, and he didn't protest, even though he did have a look of confusion and annoyance on his face.

After a few seconds the Mayor acknowledged the crate with the rooster, and spoke to Fluttershy. They didn't really have any extended conversation, as the Mayor understood Fluttershy well enough to know it wouldn't get anywhere if they tried. She took the crate from her, and walked out her back door, where she had a small chicken coop of her own.

Fluttershy stood in the doorway, trying to avoid Granite's attention entirely. She really didn't want to meet another new pony. She felt even more insecure than she usually did though, which was a whole lot. Maybe that was because nowadays most ponies knew Fluttershy's boundaries well enough, but with a new resident she'd have to start that over. Pinkie was chatting with him, and he gave rather simplistic answers to her many questions. Many were yes or no. Apparently he wasn't all that keen on making new friends either, but he also didn't seem to be overly uncomfortable to the bubbly pink mare's fast train of thought. His ears stayed back, but other than that he played along. He looked up at Fluttershy for a few seconds, and her chest jumped, like it usually did. He looked away, not speaking to her, possibly sensing her unease.

Usually she would leave at that point, but instead she made her way inside, ever so slowly, until she was sitting in a chair on the other side of the small glass coffee table. Pinkie and Granite were on the other side, sitting on a couch. The set up of the furniture was more like an office waiting room than a living room at somepony's home, after all it was the Mayor's house. Modern. Tables and shelves were fashioned from glass, chairs and sofas were black leather, and the walls were painted sky blue blue, with some polished wood integration here and there. The kitchen had some more cherry oak wood. Fluttershy looked at the glass table, avoiding eye contact with the others. There was two mugs of steaming liquid that was probably hot coco. They rested on coasters.

There was also a stack of official looking papers, and Fluttershy realized it was a lease for housing. Fluttershy looked for more details, but Mayor Mare took them from her line of sight. Pinkie hushed as the head pony started to talk. "Well now Granite, since we are pressed for time, I'd like to wrap this up if you don't mind." He nodded and she proceeded.

"As we've discussed there is certainly a niche for you in Ponyville. The central area is getting a bit overcrowded, and there isn't much space for building a new residence. You did say that you'd rather be in a calmer area." Granite nodded again with a mummer of agreement that Fluttershy didn't catch. The Mayor continued. "Then I think the area we selected would be perfect for you. The only downside is the location of the Everfree Forest.....you'll be rather close." He chuckles at that. "That's actually a good thing for me. I would probably need to visit every now and again."

The Mayor pauses, and looks at Fluttershy, who looked back. She herself was terrified of the unearthly place, and couldn't think of a soul that wasn't, other than Zecora. It was close to her house too, and her own property line extended into it's shadowy brush.

She thought about it for a moment more, and looked up at the Mayor, and she got what she was trying to say. She continued to make her business speech, pushing the papers to him. "Alright then, It seems we have reached a conclusion." Granite took a quill and signed the documents. Fluttershy sunk in the chair as he did. As of that moment she had a new neighbor, and she wasn't all that happy about it.

Watching And Waiting

It was around dinnertime when Granite got to his new property. There wasn't a house here, at least not yet. That was on him. The stallion had concluded his meeting with Mayor Mare, and gained a uppity little follower in the process. The pink mare was throwing him a welcome party, which was very excessive to him, but the Mayor said that was part of her destiny. Kinda just what she does. She wasn't kidding when she said she was friends with everypony either. He knew that Pinkie Pie was also the Element of Laughter, and he was beginning to question why fate would place such a power in the hooves of such a carefree mare. The rest of his day was spent buying building materials from ponies in town. A pile of sawn logs was already delivered here, but he was still waiting on much more.

Before now he was homeless, although he chose to be. He was an archaeologist by trade, studying prehistoric remnants that predated Celestia's birth, and usually just pitched a tent close to a dig site. He heard there was a ruin of some old castle from Luna's banishment in the Everfree forest, and he wanted to see it. The castle was rumored to be obliterated by the explosion the Elements caused. Welding the very bones of existence wasn't a light undertaking.

With the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle, Equestria was beginning to feel wary of the power their royalty could use. There was never a problem with laws or freedoms, but if you looked at it the right way, some of Celestia's decisions could be viewed as a selfish abuse of her position. Luna's banishment was something ponies were starting to look into more. Because of this, Granite's job was more important than ever. He was in a position to literally dig up evidence, which, technically wasn't in his job description, but there was coin in it for him, so he obeyed. What he'd found so far hadn't made any difference, but maybe the castle would fix that.

The other part of his trade had to do with animals. Not your average bunny or mouse, more like extinct or endangered creatures that would happily shred a pony to pieces. Granite knew how to work with these, and the Everfree forest was where most of the remainders lived. Most of his quarry were nothing but fossils now, but there were still a few ancient species that were being hunted to near extinction because of their interference with livestock and general ponykind progression. He planned to save them, and keep them rounded up on his property. Or something like that. The Mayor was fully aware of his plans, and she seemed confident enough to his success. Ponyville might not like it at first, but with her voice backing him up, he could prove safe.

Granite sat in the front of his land, near the road and a big rock to his right. He leaned against it, and the cool stone sent a small, soothing chill down his spine. He could spend time getting the lumber prepped, but he decided to put it off until morning. The space was generous enough. It was on the grassy outskirts of Ponville, quiet and peaceful, and in the low purple din of evening, it was beautiful. Aside from a few homes, and a clocktower, nature was everywhere, but seemed to center around a large pond a short distance from a cottage built into a low tree. He looked at it for a moment, and notices that it was swarming with birds of all different types. Songs of frogs and crickets hummed from the pond, and little lights of fireflies lazily danced in the dim light. The cottage wasn't terribly far from him, maybe a five minute walk, but the plains were spacious enough, and to be honest the property line probably extended closer to his own, and the building itself barely took it all.

The lights were out, but he thought he could see a face in one of the upstairs windows, looking at him. He knew Fluttershy lived there, and also knew she was the Element of Kindness. Then again the Element thing wasn't exactly a secret, and mostly everypony knew who they were. They did save Equestria four times now. He looked at the ground, trying to play it off like he didn't know she was lurking. She ended up at Mayor Mare's house that morning, by coincidence, and didn't seem all that pleased about having a new neighbor. That didn't bother him all too much, Granite was a lone wolf anyways. Her face kept popping in and out from behind the curtains, and he was starting to feel edgy, so he got up, moving back to the edge of his property that extended into the forest. He stood there for a moment, feeling a chilly breeze brush his fur. It seemed to beckon to him, promising answers to age old questions.

He turned away, putting it off. He noticed some lights had come on in the cottage, and the door was open. A cyan colored Pegasus with a rainbow colored mane was standing on the doorstep. Rainbow Dash didn't go inside, but seemed to be talking to Fluttershy. Granite thought for a moment. Rainbow Dash represented Loyalty, and seemed to be the only Element Granite didn't think was misplaced.

He knew Rainbow Dash a little back in flight camp, but hadn't spoken to her since. For that matter he had some classes with Fluttershy, with even less conversation. She had a whopping sixteen point five wingpower, could pull off a Sonic Rainboom, and somehow still hadn't managed to impress Spitfire. That wasn't much of a surprise to him, Spitfire was stubborn and cocky. Granite could pull a decent wingpower, but hadn't needed to in years.

The doors to the cottage closed and Rainbow Dash started to walk towards him. She gave a smile that seemed a little forced as she approached. "Well well, when was the last time I saw you?"

She held out her hoof and he bumped it in a brohoof. "Grade six flight camp was it?"

Rainbow Dash smiled a bit more naturally now, seemingly relived that it wasn't as awkward to see and old classmate as they had both thought. "Something like that. You're grounded now?"

Granite didn't like that word. "Grounded" was a term hotshot Pegasai used to refer to somepony who preferred solid ground instead of clouds. Usually it was an insult, implying weakness, but Rainbow Dash didn't seem to mean it like that, so he let it slide. "Fossils and ruins aren't exactly plentiful in Cloudsdale."

She rolled her eyes a bit. "Oh yeah, you do that." He nodded, and gestures to his cutie mark, which depicted a fossil claw. "Do I really have a choice?"

She frowned a bit. "I didn't mean it like that." He just stared at her like he was angry, and she started to back away, visually feeling bad. "Well Pinkie Pie told me to come find you...for a welcoming party. You down?"

Granite smirks. He wasn't really planning on going to that, but it seemed he wasn't going to weasel out of it either. He smiled when she cracked under his harsh looking stare. It was fun messing with her. "Where is it?"

"Sugarcube Corner..." A pause when he didn't show signs of recognition. "A bakery towards the center of town, not far from the Town Hall"

"Ah okay then. Wanna race there?"

She raised an eyebrow and laughed "Good luck"

With that Rainbow Dash streaks away, her mane and tail blurring with the night sky. Granite took after her, he wasn't as fast as her, nopony was, but he did attend six years of flight camp after all, and he did pack a eleven point one wingpower. Granite used the time to think. He wasn't all that social, but maybe meeting some resident's wouldn't be all that bad.

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

Fluttershy went directly home after returning the rooster to it's owner. She stitched up her hoof like she should have done that morning and for the rest of the day wallowed in her insecurity. She was naturally shy, but with stallions she was a disaster. She recognized Granite from flight camp. They were in the same class and all, but they had never spoken or anything. She did remember a few things about him, and those things only made her more nervous. There wasn't anything bad, but she'd seen him being picked on, and he tended to keep to himself, even though Rainbow Dash sometimes broke that barrier. Other than that she didn't know much else, she wasn't really the most chatty filly either.

She turned on the TV around six o'clock. The cut had sapped some of her energy for the day, and she was starting to feel tired earlier than usual. Fluttershy actually tended to be a night owl, even though one would never know that because she stayed indoors. Most of her free time during the day was nonexistent, so whatever she wanted to do by herself, she'd taken to doing at night. She curled up in her bedroom with a cup of citrus tea, the pale blue reflection of the TV giving of the faintest of glows.

She tried to shut out her problems, but she couldn't seem to shake the though of something else. She sat upright in her bed. It was like he was staining her brain cells. She got up and makes her way to a window. Slowly she peeked out from behind the curtains. Granite was sitting on the ground, leaning against a big rock in what was was now his property. She watched him for a moment, and she felt a small, tingling feeling inside her chest that was unfamiliar to her. Looking at him now, she thought he looks rather handsome...

She started to daydream a bit, and he looked up, catching her spying. She darted back behind the curtains along with a miniature panic attack and a squeal. She stayed away from the window until Angel hopped up the last step of the stairs, making himself look cute as he scrambles over what, to him, was a really big wall. He breathed heavily for a few exaggerated minutes, making sure Fluttershy saw him. She talked in her usual, sweet voice. "Oh Angel...I'm sorry...I was just..."

Without warning Angel hopped up on her back, on top of her head and slapped Fluttershy, all with rabbit speed that he didn't use all that often. Fluttershy blinked a few times, confused and hurt, more at the gesture than the action. He didn't hit her hard. "Wh..why would you?"

Angel facepaws, and after a few moments of a stunned silence Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Oh...y..you know what I'm thinking don't you?"

Angel tapped his foot irately, giving Fluttershy an impression of jealousy. She looked at Angel, then again out the window at her new neighbor, then repeated, double taking a few times, as if trying to make a decision. Angel stopped tapping when she did that, and he put on a impressive display of crocodile tears. She sighed and broke under his watering eyes. "No...not to worry Angel...I'm just being overly hopeful is all"

Angel didn't seem convinced, but a knock on her door saved her from the situation. She made her way downstairs, carrying Angel on her back. She flipped a few lights on before answering. Rainbow Dash was there, seemingly edgy or in a hurry. "Hey Fluttershy, have you seen a brown stallion around here? Pinkie Pie told me to find him, he's late to the party. You are too by the way."

Fluttershy is silent for a little, then she piped up. "Yes, he bought land over there." She flicks her head to the left. "I think his name is Granite. He used to go to flight training with us."

Rainbow Dash took longer than she should have to remember. "Oh...wait...you mean the history guy?"

Fluttershy didn't know that part. "Umm...I'm not sure.....I've never..."

She was interrupted by her friend, who was looking in his direction and not paying attention to her. "Yeah that him alright. Geez it's been years since I've talked to him." Rainbow starts to walk off "Welp, better not keep Pinkie waiting much longer. See you at Sugarcube Corner?"

Fluttershy nodded meekly, but by then Rainbow had already left her doorstep. Pinkie had invited her to the party, and she pinkie promised to be there, but it had completely skipped her mind until now. With some reassurance and a little white lie to Angel she headed out. She ducked with haste as Rainbow bolted full speed above her, followed later by Granite, who coasted at a leisurely pace. She watched them both go. Tonight was gonna be rough.

Party Crashers

The ring of party music echoed across the Town Square. Some of the houses had closed windows, trying to shut it out. Others were empty. Pinkie Pie had recently been "stepping up her game" with her parties, at least that's how she put it. It was essentially just, w more food, with Vinyl Scratch behind the turntable, which made it much louder. Granite didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this big. From above, it looked like everypony in Ponyville was there. There was an abundance of guards around the place, perched on the rooftops and patrolling the area. He assumed that meant Princess Twilight was attending. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered or annoyed by that.

Rainbow Dash lead him to the store's entrance. She walked right in, but the guards stopped him. "Hold it right there sir."

Granite huffed. "Umm this is supposed to be my welcoming party."

The two guards looked at each other and back at him. "So you're Granite?"

Pinkie Pie came up behind them before he could answer. "Come on boys! You really gotta hassle everypony in town? Seriously stop doing that. Twilight isn't in any danger."

The guards looked at her, and the block comes up. Granite walked past them cautiously, and their eyes trailed him. He found himself in a room full of ponies he had never met before. There was whole counters of food. Cakes, cookies, pudding, candy and Jell-O in a overabundance of flavors and colors. One of the larger cakes had the words, "The Cake is a Lie" stenciled on it, and a mint green pony with a matching green and white mane was laughing hysterically at it for some reason. There was a pony with a electric blue mane and white fur mixing beats in the back. Another pony with dark grey fur and a black mane was drinking punch at a table not to far away with an uptight demeanor, with an expression of detest for the beat. There were a few others he had met in the town before this while buying supplies. Pinkie Pie was bouncing in front of him. "Isn't it so wonderfully amazing super dooper Granite?"

He took a moment to adjust to the scene. His ears went back. "Isn't it a little...much?"

Pinkie giggled, oblivious to his discomfort. "Nope!" She yanked at one of his hooves. "Come on, you have to meet my friends."

She dragged him away from the door and towards the back, where a group of mares was gathered around a table, seemingly arguing about something. Princess Twilight was there, with another two guards behinds her. Rainbow Dash was there, along with two other ponies, one Earth Pony with an orange coat with a blonde mane, tied back in a red hairband at the bottom. The other was a snow white Unicorn with a deep purple mane curled way too formally for the occasion. Fluttershy was there too, but she shrank back slowly when Pinkie brought him up. Granite's hooves scrapped against the wooden floor in protest. He wasn't comfortable at all.

Pinkie brought him all they way up to the table, then sits down between him and the white one. "Found him! Late to his own party. Silly stallion!"

On an impulse Granite bowed to Twilight. She frowned slightly. "Umm no need for that Granite. I'm not so used to it yet."

He straightened. "Sorry...I just assumed..."

The white mare interrupted him with an accent that belonged in Canterlot and with a hint of detest. "Twilight refuses to accept the perks of royalty. Rather silly if you ask me."

Granite paused, astonished at the lack of respect. He shot back with a bit of a nippy attitude. "You don't sound very happy about it."

Twilight looked away for a moment while the Unicorn stared threateningly at him. He stares back, and it stayed like that for a few seconds. Twilight looked back up. "Don't worry about it Granite. I told my friends the coronation wouldn't change anything between us, and it won't. There's no need to argue with Rarity."

The orange mare spoke now, with a heavy southern accent. "Ah think Rarity is just jealous"

Rarity opened her mouth, and used a totally different tone of voice, like she was offended. "Of course you would say that Applejack. I simply think Twilight should embrace the rewards for all her hard work. Is that a crime?"

Applejack sighed exasperatedly. "Or maybe Twi could choose for herself wat she want's ta do. Ever thought of dat?"

I went on like that for a few minutes. Twilight started rubbing her temples halfway through. She clearly was at odds with the situation. Rainbow Dash eventually busted the argument by slamming the table."GUYS!" The argument was cut swiftly as Rainbow continued. "It's up to Twilight what she's gonna do, and we shouldn't complicate it with our own complaints. Now why don't you two go away and give Twilight a second to herself?"

The group of mares stayed where they were for a bit, then Rarity and Applejack left the table in opposite directions. Rarity went to talk with the dark grey mare near the turntable, while Applejack went to stand next to a big, red stallion with a work collar. Neither of them looked happy. Fluttershy walked off with Rarity before Granite could notice.

Now it was Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie and Granite. Twilight still had one hoof on her head, and she talked in a tired voice. "It's been going like that for months now. It really is exhausting."

Granite took awhile to catch up. "So....you didn't ask for wings?

Twilight looks a him with a blank, almost apathetic expression. "No, but it's not like I don't take is as an honor either. I'm just...confused on what to do."

Rainbow Dash grumbled. "Whatever you want. You shouldn't let us stop you from becoming all powerful."

Granite continued to press to topic. "Dash is right, you can't run from your destiny. Things like that are set in stone."

Twilight looked up from the table, then back at the guards, and vented her anger at them. "Would you two get out of here?! He's not hurting me, so back off!"

The guards shrank back hurriedly, making their status as protectors look bad. Of course Twilight was an Alicorn, and could probably kill them if she had a motive. At least have them demoted a bit. She then seemed to relax. "My guards are convinced there's something wrong about you. I don't need them harvesting information from me. Or you for that matter."

Granite looked at her confused. "Why would I be a threat? I'm just an archaeologist. Best I can do is give a pickaxe a good swing."

Twilight perked up at that with a little more enthusiasm. "So Rainbow was right about that then. You're here to inspect Darkfall Tower right?"

He shrugged. "I plan to sometime soon. I'd like to build a home first though."

She smiled tiredly. "Good. Let me know if you find anything interesting okay?"

He nodded and get's up from the table. He turned around, and bumped into a tall Pegasus stallion, with a yellow coat, and a brown mane that covers his eyes with a basketball cutie mark. Given his height that talent wasn't too far fetched. Granite stumbled and looses his footing when he bumped into the tall one, but all he did was snicker. Granite got back up, but was shoved right back down, rather roughly from behind. He looked up to see yet another one, more matching his own size but his muscles were much more toned. He had a chocolate brown coat and a pale blonde mane, however it didn't cover his eyes, which were a navy blue color. His cutie mark was a hoof weight, which explained a lot. This one jeers at him while on the ground. "Well look who it is Hoops, little colt Granite comes back to town. Poor guys gotta nose bleed!"

The tall yellow one, who must have been Hoops, laughed mockingly. Granite gets up, blood running down his snout and noticed the party stopped dead. Vinyl Scratch stopped playing music, and even took off her shades to see better, which actually stole some attention as her ruby red eyes could be seen, which didn't happen often judging by the way Rarity was staring. Ponies stopped talking. Guards stepped in front Twilight defensively, and the Princess groaned in annoyance. Rainbow Dash stepped in. "Knock it off Dumb Bell, I thought we were past this crap!"

The second pony, Dumb Bell according to her, swayed a bit and it was apparent he was drunk. "Shut it Rainbow Crash, Pebbles has some..."

SWACK!

Granite gave Dumb Bell a pop in the jaw, and he recoiled, clearly not expecting it. Rainbow Dash flapped back with her wings, out of harms way. Hoops did a quick lunge at Granite, but the red stallion that Applejack was with went after him, keeping him pinned with little effort. Applejack whispered something to him, then nodded at Granite, as if there was a silent understanding. Fluttershy watched, trembling. The ponies gasped and whispered to each other and the guards quickly intervened between Granite and Dumb Bell, but Twilight raised a hoof, dispersing them. The guards retreated and one whispered to Granite in a husky voice.

"Beat his ass kid."

Granite looked at Twilight, unsure of what she was trying to accomplish. He wasn't even sure he knew what he was trying to do. Hoops and Dumb Bell used to be the bullies of flight camp back when Granite was a colt. They picked on everypony, but Granite was the only student to get beaten up by them. Others usually just got called names.

Dumb Bell got back up, and with all eyes on the fight, there was a score to settle. Dumb Bell rushed Granite head on, and Granite struck with a low kick to the legs, ducking under and tripping him, causing a faceplant. Before he could get up, Granite spun around, faster than he should have been able to, ready for another pass.

Dumb Bell got up, with a few splinters in his face from the wooden floorboards. He was drunk, but seemed to be focusing fast, so he wasn't too drunk. He took a quick look at Hoops, who was still hopelessly pinned by both Apple siblings, now Applejack held down his flailing wings while her brother kept his hooves down. He looks back at Granite and taunts him. "Not bad Granite, never used to put up much of a fight back then. You come at me now, let's see what you can do."

Granite stayed silent, but complies. He made a quick rush at him, and Dumb Bell started to counter. Granite flies above him, coming down in a bullet kick. Dumb Bell stood aside at the last minute and Granite hit the floor hard.

Dumb Bell mocked him. "Bwahahahahahaha! That was wonderful. Do it again. You really think you can....hi-"

He got cut off by two, navy blue hooves around his neck. Dumb Bell felt a cold metal on his temple. The point of a dagger. The crowd fell into silence. The guards drew their own weapons, but it didn't matter now. The crowd went into a panic, but a coarse stallion's voice coos from behind Dumb Bell.

"Everypony relax, just looking for an old friend."

Some ponies stopped, but most just ran out the door. Princess Twilight was quickly moved out of harms way, Rainbow Dash was helping Granite off the floor. She'd seen this stallion before, but she had never once spoken to him.

The stallion behind Dumb Bell grunted, throwing his captive to the floor hard, which knocked him against a table on the way down. He had navy blue fur that looked dirty, like he'd been in a dust storm. His mane was a reddish orange mix with golden yellow, and he had a cutie mark of drops of blood, with black flames within. Rainbow got the feeling it was a more violent destiny. His eyes were a bright orange and one had a scar running across it. One of his ears had a chunk taken out of it. She realized he was looking directly at Granite, who was tugging at her hoof, towards the door. She followed him, rushing out of the bakery and into the street. Fluttershy was out there, shuddering under the mass of hooves running about. Granite stopped, then turns around to pull her away too. Rainbow Dash was flying above now, and Granite followed her from the ground, dragging a whimpering Fluttershy behind him. When he looked back he saw guards swarming the place, but they didn't see the stallion. Most likely still inside. It didn't look like they caught him either.

They eventually made their way to the grassy plains, and it wasn't three seconds before Fluttershy panicked and locked herself inside her cottage. Rainbow and Granite stood on her doorstep, but neither of them said anything. Rainbow Dash knew she'd seen the stallion before, but she couldn't place a name. By the look on Granite's face he already had, and he wasn't looking too good. He looked at his cyan classmate and mouths something.

"Tomorrow"

With that he went back to his own property, leaving her to wonder who the buck that stallion was.

Digging Up The Past

Rainbow slammed another book closed again in annoyance. Granite's welcome party was three weeks ago now, and his promise to explain was way overdue. The stallion at the party was never caught, but the Ponyville Express was plastering the incident all over town. Whoever he is, he was a master of evasion, which made his name harder to place. Rainbow was digging up everything she could. Normally she'd drop the research, but Twilight tasked her with it, because she was being held up with her royal stuff. So Rainbow started taking it seriously, which was rare for her. For all the newspaper articles and gossip, she had no leads.

She even checked her flight camp yearbook to no avail. The only pony who seemed to know anything was totally focused on building his house and not answering her. Fluttershy was also being distant, but Rainbow payed less mind to that. She was a shy one, and ponies with knives didn't exactly work wonders on her mind. Also would hardly be the first time she boarded herself in. Rainbow Dash paused briefly over her own picture. The little cyan filly with the carelessly messy mane and the cocky smirk. She hadn't changed much, and didn't really intend on it.

She flips forward a few pages. The student's were separated by grade scale and age, although some other flight camps used flight ability to segregate trainees. Fluttershy was about half a year older than her, and so was further ahead. She eventually finds the shy little filly with one eye covered by her bangs. A few rows under Fluttershy was Granite who was in the same grade as Fluttershy, and also a little older than Rainbow, by a few months, but not a whole year. In his younger picture, he had one larger spot surrounding his left eye in addition to his snout freckles along with a scruffy looking mane, though not as scruffy as she wore hers back then. It made him look much younger. Borderline childish. Then again back then he was.

She slammed the yearbook shut in a fit of rage. This was getting her nowhere, so she kicked back on her bed, completely done with trying. The sun shone brightly through a window. It was autumn, and she volunteered to participate in the Running of The Leaves again over the weekend, and she felt like relaxing until then.

*****

Granite withdrew the brush from the gravel. His snout was so close to the ground that it had bits of dirt on it. Every time he exhaled a small cloud would puff away from him. He was inches away from a shard of ivory colored rock. He had taken a walk out in the Everfree Forest and eventually stumbled upon what he was here to do. Now in the ground around him a skeleton was partially uncovered. Normally Granite had a whole crew of ponies helping him with such projects, but they all ditched him when word got out of Daring Do's latest exploits.

He huffed at the though, causing another puff of debris to float lazily away from his face. He had a long time rivalry with the adventurous mare, and they shared very similar jobs. However where Daring Do would delve into temples wrought with spear traps and quicksand, Granite would shove his hoof in the ground and eventually pull something cool out. Daring Do was heroic and bold. Granite was clam and collected. They were the embodiment of the two types of archaeologist. The recent reveal of her actually existing in the form of author AK Yearling had put a heavy strain on Granite's work, although he knew that well before anypony else.

He kept poking at the loose dirt around the fossilized skeleton of...whatever the animal was. The whole skeleton wasn't there. In fact, this find was only partially complete. That happened very often and it was very irritating. So far he had uncovered a few ribs and a foreleg, but looking around the surrounding rock, he surmised that's all he was going to get. He tossed the brush aside and stood up from his crouched position. He had a ton of dirt on his stomach, but it didn't seem to bother him. He walked slowly over to the tent he pitched on the edge of the forest borders. The dig wasn't far into the forest. Maybe twenty feet. It made him wonder what might lie further in.

He unzipped the tent and the flap swayed gently in the fall breeze. In the distance the leaves were soothing hues of orange and red. But the Everfree trees remained their shade of haunting purple and green. They never changed. Everything about that forest was radiant with a primal aura that seemed so ancient and unnatural. As if the trees were older than time itself. To Granite, it was an irresistible call for exploration and discovery. He entered the tent and rummages around. He came out with a sketchbook with a worn leather cover. He was barely out of the tent when his ears twitch. He though he heard a quick little yelp.

*****

Fluttershy ducked behind the stallions tent, barely leaving his field of vision. She waited motionless as he listened for the noise he hopefully didn't know was her. She could practically feel him tense up suddenly, as if bracing for an ambush. Fluttershy had no intention to do so, instead she was doing her own detective work. She'd been following him for two hours now, and she found herself to be surprisingly intrigued with whatever he was doing in the forest. whatever it was must have gruelingly dirty work, as the state of his coat suggested.

After what was probably a minute or so, Granite relaxed and walked back towards the forest edge. She moved around the tent with the speed of a snail on the back of a tortoise and gingerly tiptoed her way towards the forest. If he decided to turn around her cover would've been blown, but Flutteshy had quietness and grace equal to that of a ninja. She hesitated when Granite walked straight into the thickets.

She took a moment to think. For her, sneaking around like this was a bold move. After the threatening pony at Sugarcube Corner, she attempted to stay away from Granite completely. Whoever the insane blue stallion was singled out Granite specifically. They knew each other. But as much as Fluttershy attempted to push the thought away, it always came back with double the curiosity. It got unbearable. Fluttershy was actually worried more for Granite than herself. So she summoned all the courage she could muster and eventually made it to this moment. In this moment, Fluttershy felt something. Something different, like whatever happened on the other side of the brush was crucial to her very being. It somehow felt...right.

She took a deep breath and stepped through into the forest

The Diggers Dilemma

Fluttershy kept pressing forward, following the hoofprints left in the soft soil by the archaeologist. It took only seconds for her to have second thoughts about finding him. All around her the eerie presence of the forest gnawed at the back of her mind, whispering little nightmares right into her thoughts. It took quite an effort to shut them out and continue. Every sound made her fur stand on edge. She thought she heard the distant howling of a Timberwolf somewhere ahead of her. Everything seemed slower, like the laws of time were bending to the forest's will.

There was a reason she disliked this place, but she proved steadfast in tracking Granite down. After what seemed like an eternity she found a clearing with a large pit dug into the ground. A really large pit. She paused. There weren't supposed to be clearing in this forest, the brush grew too quickly. Certainly no craters. But sure enough, scattered around her were the snapped branches of Everfree vines. Had Granite managed to cut them somehow?

She stood there thinking to herself when a voice came from her left.

"You just gonna stand there?"

She jumped instantly at the sound, flying a good distance in the air. She frantically grabbed a branch a good distance up and clings to it like a sloth, as if letting go would be fatal. She shuddered as Granite chuckled below.

"Jumpy much?"

She didn't respond, she just held onto the branch. Now she was at a lack for words. She stopped shaking, but she stayed up there. Again his voice came from below.

"I'm guessing you didn't come here to practice tree-hugging right? Come on down from there."

It took her a few minutes, but she let go from the branch and hovered to the ground, Once her hooves hit dirt, she started to drag one across the dirt in an awkward gesture of unease. For a painfully silent minute she kept doing that. Then she saw Granite crack a small smile.

"Now, why is it a gentle mare like you came out here?"

Fluttershy evaded eye contact when she spoke and her voice got quieter with each word. "I was...um wondering...what you were doing."

His ears seemed to adjust at the last few words so he could actually hear them. Then he looked at the pit. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what it is."

He looked at her and saw the blank look on her face that told him she had no idea what he was talking about. He sighed and started walking towards the edge of the pit. "Come take a look. You'd might like to see this."

She followed. They both stood at the edge of the hole. It was actually pretty shallow, but the area was large. About four feet down, a giant skeleton laid sprawled out, embedded in the ground. Fluttershy could only see a leg and a few ribs, plus some other small bones she didn't recognize. The leg alone was at least as tall as a good size tree, and it had some threatening claws at the end. She just started into the pit, wide eyed.

He saw her expression. "Amazing isn't it. This is the fossilized skeleton of a Ursa Minor."

She looked at him. "How do you know that?"

He chuckled. "I don't. Not for sure. I don't have the whole skeleton. But that foreleg is certainly a bears." He flew down into the pit while explaining. "It clearly has a five digit paw with a predators weaponry. Big old hands"

He shuffled in the dirt a little as Fluttershy joined him in the crater. She felt minuscule standing next to it. The creatures hand alone was as big as she was. Granite rolled another oddly shaped rock over. "It's also omnivorous, because I've found two different types of teeth. This one is a molar, and there's some canines over there."

He gestured towards where there head should have been. Fluttershy looked to where he indicated, then looked back to him. "Where's the head?"

He looked a tad bit discouraged at the question, "No idea. That's the catch with the Cosmic Ursa species. They're ethereal creatures, mostly comprised of magical essence. They have skeletons, but they are delicate. The rest of this one could have disintegrated completely. Or maybe it's nearby...all I know is I don't have it."

Fluttershy looked down at the paw again. "Well...it's still very impressive."

He sighed. "Yeah, but without the skull the value of it decreases dramatically. I won't get payed all that much for it."

She looked at him, puzzled. "Paid?"

"Yes. I have to make a living somehow. The Manehatten Museum of Natural History normally pays big for complete findings. But they get upset when you come back with half a skeleton."

She blinked. "But it's not your fault you don't have it all."

He actually laughed at that a little. "Then you understand the diggers dilemma."

*****

They talked for an hour or so after that. Fluttershy found everything Granite knew to be intriguing. Past creatures that had moved on from the world, leaving only their bones as any sign that the ever existed at all. Literally thousands of species, all gone forever. It was only when night started to fall that Fluttershy's unease of the forest returned, and she wanted to go back. Granite decided to go with her.

They started walking home. Fluttershy really didn't like the forest, but walking with him made it seem much less threatening. If he knew everything about a fifty foot astronomical bear, including how to escape it, she was convinced he could get her home safely. They still talked while they walked. Granite was really easy to talk to, before she had been nervous about seeing him again. The only thing she really remembered about was that scruffy little colt in flight camp, but now she knew how to talk to him, and she was happy with it. Happier than normal.

She looked up at him and noticed something. He seemed to be scanning the bushes. She looked at the bushes and back at him. He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. She slowed down and looked at his face. Something was wrong. "Wh...what are you doing?"

He immediately shushed her. "Do you hear that?"

She listened. "I don't hear anything."

His tone went grim. "Exactly"

She noticed it now. It was dead silent. The normal din of sounds had abruptly stopped. No crickets, or owls or anything. Utter stillness. She scooted closer to him for comfort. She pulled out his left wing and hid under it, which seemed to get his attention. She whispered, afraid of shattering the silence. "Wh...what's happened...what is it.."

He just kept looking forward. Then a rustle in the leaves to their right. Fluttershy yelped and Granite snapped his head in the direction of the sounds. A snap of a twig. Then the rustle again, the thing in the bushes moving behind them. "I think we're being hunted"

Fluttershy was whimpering now, hiding under his wing like a shield. Granite kept his eyes locked on the bushes. They didn't rustle again. Instead the thing started moving towards them. They both instantly knew what it was. A Timberwolf, but something was different, instead of the normal green leaves, it had orange and yellow leaves attached to it's wooden body, and the body itself was pricked and pocked with holes. The eyes shown a deep, smoldering red, and it's mouth was frothing.

Fluttershy had seen the wolves before, but never quite like this. She stayed behind his wing and started whimpering. Granite didn't seem too phased, if anything he was intrigued. He talked to it, although it was maybe more directed at himself than the wooden predator. "Wow. Look at you. Somebody's a bit sick huh?"

The wolf growled at a menacingly low tone while he kept talking. "No wait....it's Autumn...yeah that makes more sense you're REALLY sick. Knocking on death's door aren't ya?" The Timberwolf tried to walk towards him, but it creaked with every step, It was an effort to even move for the animal. Another step towards them, barking like mad, then it's eyes flickered out and it collapsed into pieces. Granite pulled his wing away from Fluttershy and folded it back against his body. She took a few seconds to realize the danger was gone. Her expression changed from fear to astonishment. "Did...did you kill it?!"

Granite was quick to calm her. "No!...no it just fell apart. It was sick. Some Timberwolves get that way when fall comes around. They change with the trees. That's all."

A small pause from her. "I didn't know that."

He seemed a little saddened , but he ushered her to the edge of the forest and away from the wooden shrapnel. "Yeah. But all things have their time."

Those words seemed to linger in her mind. This pony was an archaeologist. He probably knew that better than anypony. But he said it with some emphasis. Almost ominously. She didn't think much about it though, she just followed him out of the forest and into the night.

Night Prowlers

Mayor Mare stared grudgingly at the clock on her desk. Eleven at night. Another late night at the office. Town Hall closed at eight. She knew she was locked in, and she didn't care. She had the key. Before late nights made her edgy, but since Princess Twilight's coronation, Ponyville had added security. The mayor didn't have guards, but she did have security stallions who patrolled about, which made her fell a bit safer.

She had a pile of paperwork on her desk. A very large, very time consuming pile of paperwork. That she wasn't even halfway done with. This was defiantly the worst part of her job. She liked the publicity and making others happy, but the damn paperwork was just overwhelming sometimes. She often wanted something different, but she played with cards she was dealt They weren't bad cards either. They were good to her. She had bits and friends and enough mane dye to last a lifetime. But she sometimes got sick of it. Just like everypony else. Do one thing your whole life, who couldn't get fed up?

Suddenly her ears pricked up. Somepony shattered glass. Security rushed past the door to her office and down the corridor ahead. One stopped. "Ma'am we have a situation. I'm going to ask to to lock your office."

She didn't say anything. She got up cautiously and closed the door, locking the double bolt. She kept her mouth shut for fear of what foolish gibberish would spill out. But she was shuddering. She went back and hid in the square space under her desk. There was muffled grunts and a scream as she saw blood splatter on her office door window. She covered her mouth and stayed where she was and closed here eyes. This wasn't the kind of difference she was hoping for. Somepony was picking the locks. The door creaked open, and hoof steps echoed in the silent room. She could vaguely make out four navy blue hooves from under the desk. They stood in one place for a moment then turned to the left, away from her and toward the giant safe on the wall. The safe where all of Ponyville's funds were kept.

The thief tried the tumblers for nearly ten minutes. The mayor was silently loosing it. She had the combination memorized, and she was the only one who knew it. She was praying that he'd break it so he didn't come looking for her. She was relived with the loud clunk of the safe's systems opening. Then she tensed up again at the pony's voice. It was hauntingly calm considering that he just killed a few armed stallions.

"There we are. This is good. Very good. Probably 'bout 10,000 bits in here. Enough to get me the hell outta here."

Then she heard another voice, deeper and rougher with a peculiar accent like a sailor. She couldn't even say if it was a pony or not. "Not enough to fix my ship. That's still on you little rat."

"All in good time my fine feathered friend. This won't be our last score. We need to clean this place up first. Load up the loot and get our flanks out of here."

"What about the mayor?"

She froze up at that, but the stallion snapped at his companion. "She's not here, and if she was, she'd keep her mouth shut, because we'll be back for her."

"And the Commander's boy?"

The stallions voice drips with menace now. "That little pest isn't a problem. He's not anything like Cobalt. The boy's soft and innocent. He don't know what he's got himself into. Now help me load this up. We ain't getting anywhere without it."

She sat there for thirty minutes, helplessly listening to the endless clinking of bits being loaded into bags. Then squelching of bodies being stuffed into body bags. Then they left, leaving not a trace of their coming, except a very scared, traumatized mare that wouldn't speak of this for fear of her life.

An Unwelcome Surprise

It had been two days since the night at the dig site. Almost three, since it was currently one in the morning. Since then, she hadn't seen much of the archaeologist. She assumed he was in the forest. Fluttershy was up most of that night. Most of her animal friends were asleep, except for a few owls. She wasn't tired, she usually stayed up fairly late.

Most of the lights were off, except one lamp and the red hot metal of the running stove which was boiling a pot of water so she could make pasta. She was sitting on the couch, reading a book under a blanket. Normally this would be her relaxation time, but tonight was different for several reasons. First, the wind had picked up, which made the Everfree Forest and the surrounding households a bit spooky. The wind howled like an animal. Trees seemed to take a eerie reaction, lazily scratching windows and letting leaves loose, and making residents jittery. Fluttershy was no exception. But she had lived through countless nights like this, and she had become rather accustomed to the windy night aura.

The main reason for her unease was Granite. She was on the fence about her feelings for him. She liked him. A lot. But she was totally clueless about where to go from there. She had a hard enough time getting to know ponies in a daily basis, but she had never really attempted anything beyond friendship. There were certainly stallions attracted to her, after all she was a model for some time, but she always denied any romantic advances. Her shyness was just too overwhelming. But now she was the other end of things. She liked him. But was it the other way around? Granite had been nice to her. But she remembered how easy going he was with Pinkie that first day. How he played off Rainbow's abrasive greeting. How he clicked with Twilight's princess problem. Maybe he was just...tolerant...of everypony...not just her.

She slumped down into the couch as her thought started to run rampant. She was talking out loud now. "Maybe Rarity could help. She at least knows more about relationships. Then again there's no way she could keep it quiet. She gossips way too much to let this slide under the radar. Last thing I need to be is a public conversation piece."

Her rant was interrupted by the timer for the stove. She got up quickly and turned the heat down a little so the bubbling water didn't spill over. She emptied a box of noodles into the pot, then set the timer again.

She paced the kitchen for the ten minutes it took for the pasta to be ready. The timer went off , and she drained the noodles into a strainer. It made the room a little warmer. She fixed herself a bowl, and sat down to eat. She didn't get very far before she was stopped by a scratching sound from the other room. She ignored it, these nights it was probably a tree branch tapping on a window. Then it came again, and again. It was louder than what she was used to.

She got up, thinking she left a window open or something. But when she got the the main room, the scratch came again, from the door. She stood for a moment. This was actually a common occurrence for her. Animals came knocking during storms, looking for shelter. She looked though the peephole to check. She gasped as a large, reptilian eye looked back at her. She hadn't seen anything like that. Maybe a dragon, but this was much too small for that. She slowly attempted to crack open the door, but she opened it too far, and the creature pushed her aside as it fumbled into her house. Then it was yanked back by something. A leash around it's neck.

Fluttershy just took a few steps back. This was confusing. It took her a few seconds, but she cleared her head and opened the door all the way. Granite was at the other end of the leash, flapping his wings hard in the opposite direction, slowly dragging the thing out of her living room. She was less surprised than she should have been. Granite didn't know that all animals eventually made their way to her. Granite hadn't even seen her, because he had his eyes closed in exertion for what seemed to be a difficult wrangling.

Fluttershy simply steeped out of the way onto her porch. She took a moment and looked at the animal. It was large and definitely a reptile, but no like any she'd seen before. It stomped around on two legs, three clawed toes on each foot. It had a narrow body and arms with three fingered hands. The hands had wicked looking claws on the fingers. It's tail was long, nearly doubling it's body length, and all down the length of it were small, dark green spines. It's neck was shaped like a winding "S", and at the top was a saurian head. It was typical for a reptile. A long snout with large, beady yellow eyes with the classic vertically narrow pupil. It also had finlike frills on either side of it's head, colored bight scarlet, a deep contrast do the dark green hide.

Fluttershy noticed something else. It had sharp teeth. Which of course meant it was a predator. Granite yanked once more, which pulled the animals back out of her house. The bipedal lizard stopped right in front of Fluttershy. She held her breath. She was nervous, but not scared. She yelped quickly. The thing didn't attack. Rather, it just stood there, sniffing her hooves. Then it licked her with a blue forked tongue. Then it prodded back to Granite, who was panting from the effort.

He looked up while still panting. "Hi...there...Rassalif...isn't dangreous...and he...wanted to say...hi."

Fluttershy cocked her head. The big lizard also cocked it's own head, mimicking her. "Who's Rassalif."

Granite stood upright now. "The lizard. My pet. He's a Basilisk."

Fluttershy was more confuse now. "Basilisk? I've never head of them. Is it tame?

The lizard started making low hooting sounds as they talked. It reminded her of a cat purring. "Yeah he is. They don't live in Equestria. At least not anymore. They were relocated to the Draconian Isles hundreds of years ago, so nopony know what they are anymore." Rassalif sat down while they talked, curling his tail around his body. Granite absently stroked his head, and he closed his eyes in response. "He's very smart for a reptile. Training is easy for the guard there. They're used as pursuit units, but they form a unbreakable bond with their handlers. Think of him as a big, scaly, police dog."

Fluttershy had heard of the Isles. It was an tropical island chain off the south east coast of Equestria, apparently the homeland of the Dragons. Very few ponies ever went there, and those who do rarely came back. But not because it was dangerous. There was a maximum security prison there, where Equestria's most wanted were sent for banishment. Fluttershy started to think again. If this Basilisk was from the Isles, then Granite must have been there at some point or another. She thought of that navy blue stallion at the party. How he pegged Granite with hatred. It was no coincidence that Granite and him showed up at the same time.

Fluttershy voiced her concerns. "That blue stallion...."

Granite stopped petting the lizard and looked at her with a more serious expression. "Yes. His name is Sideswipe, and he's an escaped convict from the detention center there. My dad is Commander Cobalt, head of security there. I used to live on the island with the soldiers. Rassalif was my tenth birthday present, and he's been loyal since he was a hatchling. Since my dad can't come out here, he asked me if I could track him down. I don't want to. My dad and I have never been on good terms, and I'm no solider. But it is a big problem. In exchange dad agreed to give Rassalif back to me permanently. Basilisk can hunt down prey from miles away. He'll have no problem tracking down Sideswipe."

Fluttershy tensed up. Rassalif was tracking a wanted criminal, which lead him to...

She stammered. "So...why are you here?"

Granite paused, then looked at the open door. "Because apparently Sideswipe's been in your house."

Hidden Loot

Fluttershy stood by as the Basilisk sniffed around her house. She was incredibly confused, and partially traumatized about the criminal who may or may not have been in her house at some point. How was that even logical? Why would an escaped convict break into her home? Nothing had been stolen, all her clothes and valuables were right where they usually were. Jewelry in the box, dresses in the closet, and she never kept money at home. She didn't like this, but she couldn't protest. She felt like she was now under scrutiny for harboring a fugitive, although if anything the reptile sniffing around her house had more of a clue than both Fluttershy and Granite

Granite was leaning on the kitchen counter watching Rassalif intently. Meanwhile the big lizard was let loose upon Fluttershy's home. Fluttershy expected him to thrash about and break stuff, but instead Rassalif moved with grace, weaving around furniture and being very mindful of his surroundings. The other animals hid from him though, the pursuit of Sideswipe was the only thing keeping him from snapping up a bunny or two, and most of Fluttershy's resident's fled from the house. Other's were hidden in cabinets or birdhouses. Reguardless the dominant presence of an alpha predator emptied out Fluttershy's house. She couldn't remember the last time her living room was like this.

Rassalif let out a few barks, and Granite responded by following him. "Hes got something"

The lizard moved faster now, on some sort of trail, leading his handler into to a corner of the room. Rassalf stopped, then stompped the floor three times in a rhythmic pattern and pointed with his snout at an empty corner.

Fluttershy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. He was pointing at nothing and at this point she was convinced either Rassalif was just fooling around, or he was following a false trail. But Granite walked over and examined the floor for a few minutes, scouring the area for anything out of place. She walked up behind him, and she noticed something. A nail in the floorboards, just slightly loose and just slightly askew but now very suspicious.

Soon enough Granite noticed too, and he tugged at it. It popped out with relative ease, and he pulled the board away. In the shallow space under the house, there was now a variable goldmine of bits just spread about. He looked back up at his pet. "Good job boy. See if you can map out Sideswipe's path. We'll have to work on returning his stash." Obedient to the letter, Rassalif once again began to sniff, which lead him out the front door. Granite then shot Fluttershy an accusing glance.

Fluttershy's ear's fell back and she immediately went into recoil mode, frantically stepping away from the stash and the makeshift detective who found it. She tried to speak up in defense, but no words came out.

Instead Granite spoke. "If anypony else decided to take up this task, you'd be suspect and probably in hoofcuff right now. But, lucky for you dad didn't feel like wasting money sending out somepony who's actually qualified. You're not in trouble."

She was still taken aback, but he seemed to be serious, so she eased up a little, but not much. He continued to talk. "I'm sorry about his. Sideswipe's file said he can pick almost any lock. These bit's are from the Town hall safe. It was hit hard last night. Three stallions went missing, along with all the money. Twilight's guard found body bags near my camp. Sideswipe tried to peg me with murder."

He looked back at the loose floorboard. "Guess he needed another place to leave the cash. He must have ditched it here."

Fluttershy stammered. "W..Wh..Why?"

He looked back at her with a now sympathetic gaze. "Safe storage for a later pick up. You're a victim of circumstance. He probably bolted for the closest residence to my camp. That led him here. I'm guessing Rassalif will..."

He was cut short by his pet walking back through the door, right in between the two ponies, standing a moment at the cash drop, then running across the room and leaping out the kitchen window with incredible ease for an animal his size.

Granite smiled with satisfaction. "There we have it. Sideswipe picked the lock on you door, hid the bits here and escaped through the window there."

He also ran towards the kitchen, looking out at the street. Rassalif was following the scent, but it didn't lead much farther. He stopped at the bank of the lake near her house, the he jumped in. He splashed about and paddled back to shore, where he shook the water from his scales and prodded about while making whining whistling sounds.

Granite sighed. "Damn. Trail ends there I guess."

He flew out the window towards his pet, leaving Fluttershy in the kitchen. She sat down on the floor, holding her head between her hooves. This was too much too soon. A hunt for a highly dangerous criminal coincidentally leading trough her house. Or...

Her head perks up with a new though. What if this wasn't a mere coincidence. What if this radially insane and spontaneous chain of events could help her interact with Granite on a different level? It wasn't ideal and it was certainly unwarranted but...

She quickly bolted the window shut, then rushed outside to catch up to him. "Wait!"

He didn't go far. "What?"

She tried to think of something on the spot, something to make him stick around longer. "What about the money? You're just going to leave it there?"

"No, I was gonna come back for it"

"Well so is he right? Shouldn't we return it to where it belongs...I mean...do you have any other leads besides your pet's cold scent trial?"

Rassalif snorted at her, as if he knew she was talking bad about him, but Granite looked around the area. It was still a little dark out, the sun just starting to rise up with Celestia's aid, thankfully nopony around to eavesdrop. "He's coming back for that stuff. We need it there to catch him."

She partially flinches at the idea of Sideswipe coming back to her house. Again she looks for an alternative. "Well he won't know that we moved it. We can take it back and then come back and wait for him and then...maybe we can get some guards to ambush him?"

He pauses for a minute, thinking that over. "I guess we could."

He walks back to her house, and she smiles inwardly, content with her quick thinking. She got to spend some extra time with him, even if they were loading stolen money into suitcases to be returned.

Across The Pond

While the two ponies talked, they were being watched. In the distance, on the other side of the glittering lake, a tree shook. Several birds flew out in a frantic escape. A griffon's head poked through the leaves. It had the larger beak common to the tercels of the minority species. Certainly uncommon in Equestria. Even more uncommon perhaps was the color, instead of the classic yellow white, his beak was a sleek jet black. The rest of his body was a combination of mottled black and brown, with wings mostly black. His underbelly was a snow white. He had a scar running across one eye, which was also thick with cataracts.

He plucked a feather from his chest and unrolled a scroll. Not having any ink, he cut a small gash in his arm with a claw. He stared briefly at the many, many, many scars from doing this before, writing for that smart ass stallion that wrecked his ship. "Little scalawag. He better hope this little side trip brings in the booty..."

He grumbled and writes whatever the two ponies were saying. In all fairness he was better suited for reconnaissance than the one who asked. His avian senses could hear and see everything the two were saying from the safe distance. "Little blue'd have to get much closer to hear anything at all. With that lizard prowling about he'd have a hard time."

He finished writing and rolled up the scroll. Suddenly a poke on his back. Sharp. He swiftly turned around to find that all to familiar insane smile back at him, pasted on a blue face, answering with the disturbingly cool voice. "Get the intel Blackbeak?"

"Got me money?"

"Course I do." Sideswipe tossed a small drawbag towards the mercenary. "Couldn't lie to a pirate now could I?"

The griffon caught it and shoves the messy message to his companion. "Guess you could, but ya'd be payin in blood."

Sideswipe read the message intently. "Something you already do my friend. Kill you to buy some ink?"

"Maybe I would. And we ain't friends. You're a stowaway who crashed me ship. Now I'm stuck with ya."

Another cocky smile. "Sums it up quite nicely."

"You suck."

Blackbeak looked away from his forced employer and back at the two young ponies in the distance. "Kid's gotta Basilisk. Hope you didn't underestimate the brat."

Slightly less calm tone. "Not a chance. If anything Fluttershy is more of a threat."

The griffon stopped, then turns confused. "You mean the yellow one? Little wench would be scared of a blowfish! How in the hell is she a threat?"

"She didn't fall flat of a secret stash hidden in her house. Plus she's hooves over heels for Granite. Love can make you do some crazy stuff."

"Aye. Perhaps ye've got a point there. Then again what ye know about that?"

Blackbeak felt the creepy sense that something was amiss. Sideswipe's face went emotionless as he searched his broken mind for a plan, then he sighed. "Nothing yet. Just keep tabs on the stallion. I'll be getting the bits back tonight."

"Tonight? How?"

Once again his face smiled with a disturbing ease. "Simple. Break in again and take it. Then we'll drop by and talk to our little lady friend."

He chuckles, and Blackbeak shivered. That sinister chuckle always sent a shiver down his spine, which was hard to do for a battle hardened griffon. Then again, Sideswipe wasn't a normal pony

Powerful Yet Powerless

Twilight looked through the telescope on her balcony. Starwatching was somehow soothing for her. That letter from the Solar Elite was the worst test ever. The high security prison on the dangerous offshore island crawling with dragons and age old creatures and STILL a criminal manages to get to Equestria, chooses to hunt in Ponyville for no logical reason, and Cobalt sends an archeologist to find him. All the while she wasn't allowed to intervene. Celestia told her it was a practice of patience. Sometimes a princess needed to stand aside. Something about lowering dependence on royalty to solve everything. Sounded lazy to her. But Granite at least had some basic combat training, at least according to his own test at Sugarcube Corner.

That amused her a little. Not even a whole year as a princess and she was already giving her own test, under the rules of another bigger test. She opened the door and stepped inside the library. She still lived there. She liked it, and nopony decided to argue the point, even though she was pressed to live in something nicer, something fancier. Truth was, she lived that life before. Her old place in Canterlot was an extremely nice and expensive property that she got at a steeply discounted price via "student privilege."

She flipped open a book with a bound leather cover titled '"Criminal Intent." Pages of pony mug shots flashed across her eyes. Backgrounds and possible motives filled the book. She moved all the way to the back section. Equestria's most wanted. Shadow King Sombra: Deceased . Changeling Queen Chrysalis: Banished. Changeling Princess Thorax: Unknown Refugee. Discord: Reformed.

She stopped on the one she knew about. Sideswipe: Imprisoned. She grimaced and her horn lit. The text changed, letters flying off the page and new one manifesting. Her horn calmed and the page now read Sideswipe: Ponyville. She read on, skimming over the background. Classic stuff. Orphaned and left behind, left the path of harmony and friendship yada yada yada. She paused over the motive section. She read in her head so Spike wouldn't wake. "Institution Test #12: Oddly enough, suspect doesn't respond to common criminal stimuli. Rejects anything of a sexual nature. Wealth takes a minor effect, only when needed for a greater goal. Understands friendship and takes advantage of the it. Brutally takes advantage of previous friends and often kills them after they give in. Likes to mutilate faces. Also cuts manes of victims. These seem to simply be enjoyable to him. Intelligence and strategy makes Sideswipe a deadly killer."

She grimaced and slammed the book shut in a fit. She hated standing by like a helpless...well bystander. She hated lying to her friends more. Nopony knew about this, and she wanted to keep it that way. It had to stay that way. National security demanded so. Unless Granite involved somepony else, which, according to his dad, was in direct violation of his mission, nopony would ever know.