I held the stick loosely with my hooves, bent over the table in perfect poise. Taking in a single breath, I slid my weapon back, the smooth wood rubbing against my side as I did so. I pushed forward in a single perfect strike, a resounding crack filling my being, as I sent earth spiraling across the universe. The whirling ball of blue and white glided down the astral plane, curving around Jupiter, before finding its way neatly into a small orbital black hole.
I moved sideways along the table, making sure to not hide my smug grin from Princess Luna, before I took position behind my next target. I leaned over, locking my gaze upon the unsuspecting red planet. Princess Luna stood behind my target, sticking her tongue out at me as I prepared to whoop her royal flank. Breathing slowly, I go through the motions of the shot, stopping just before I strike my target. Then, just as I unleash my attack upon the red planet, I am interrupted by a well placed comment.
"So," she said nonchalantly, "my sister said to inform you that there shall be consequences upon your return to Canterlot," which caused me to shift slightly to the left—completely botching my shot. I grimaced as I sent my target spiraling sideways towards Neptune instead. "Celestia claimed that if you ever ruin her dessert time again, that you'll be given a very warm trip to the sun."
I gave her a flat look, before my brain pierced though the fog that was the dream realm. "So you mean it worked?" I asked her in wonderment.
"Yes, it did, and if you do it again, We are under strict orders to give thou nightmares for a week."
I considered this while Luna shifted her position on the other side of the table. She floated a stick into her hooves, and then slide neatly into a perfect posture. With her eyes narrowed with focus, she struck the red planet downwards, causing it to loop around Neptune, before breaking free of its gravity. It then knocked three more planets out of a cluster, each one landing perfectly into a black hole.
"Oh, for Celestia's sake," I said, scowling across the solar system at her.
"My sister has nothing to do it, it was all skill, and thou shalt not deny it," Princess Luna quipped at me, her head turning to the side in a humph.
"Well, before I make my amazing comeback, I need to ask something," I said, my mood settling into a more serious demeanor.
"What troubles thou, Azure?" Princess Luna replied, floating soundlessly closer.
"I need you to make sure that..." I began.
"WAKE UP!"
The dream world shook as I jerked violently from the booming voice. The planetary game faded into nothing, Princess Luna stretching her hoof out as I was pulled backwards into reality.
I opened my eyes to see Kov'nere, the village leader, standing over me. I registered a look of urgency in his eyes as I struggled to right myself in my cot. Sitting up, I was relieved as I checked that Twilight was still asleep, undisturbed by Kov'nere's entrance into the hut.
"What's going on?" I murmured, my hoof going to my mouth in order to stifle a yawn.
"There has been reports of a pony's shout, it is most likely your friend, so I came to tell you of where he might be about." he rhymed quietly.
I nodded, sliding off my cot ungracefully, before asking, "Would you care to tell Twilight the news for me while I prepare a little food?"
Kov'nere shook his head at my question, and then said, "Our customs may seem strange to you, but a strange stallion waking a mare in bed, is something which we do not do." Kov'nere walked out of the hut, and waited just outside, as I could still see his striped legs under the hanging cloth.
I blinked my eyes while pondering his statement, before the implications of what he'd said sunk in. I face-hoofed and then sighed, before I walked silently over to Twilight. She was snoring softly, her face adorned with a little smile as I reached over to gently shake her.
As I was about to wake her, she opened her mouth and spoke quietly, "No, Spike, I thought I explained this already. You need pie to solve for that equation, not pancakes!" I snorted loudly at that, causing Twilight to bolt up in response. "What, no..I, huh?" she looked at me oddly, her eyes deglazing like wine from a pan.
"Glad to see you slept well, Twilight, now we need to get ready pretty quickly. I'll fill you in while you get our gear together." I said slowly to her. Twilight's gaze shifted from bewildered to one of understanding as I spoke, before nodding to me. She hopped down off the cot, and then moved to our saddlebags, her horn glowing as she began checking everything under her breath.
Searching through my bags, I found some wrapped pastries Pinkie Pie had given us as a gift for our journey. Apple cinnamon turnovers, that were shaped like little alligators, each of which were wrapped in blue and purple cloth. Inside the package was also a little note that said, 'Something yummy for your tummy, with help from my good friend gummy. I hope you come back to Ponyville soon, blue, so we can have that party you promised me! From: your good friend Pinkie Pie.' I smiled warmly as I read it, a goofy grin making its way across my face as I examined the gator pastries. I brought one over to Twilight, who had just finished closing her saddlebag.
She took the pastry in her magic and then took a bite. "Mmm good," she said through a mouthful of gator turnover. I showed her Pinkie's note, and watched Twilight's lips curl into a wonderful smile. "Pinkie Pie always knows how to cheer you up, even when she's miles away," Twilight said, before taking another bite.
I nodded in agreement, turning to look over my own saddlebags as I spoke, "Kov'nere said somepony might have heard Golden Quill out in the forest, so we need to go quickly if we want to catch up with him."
Twilight's eyebrows furrowed as she replied, "I hope he's okay out there, I wanted to go after him last night, but there are so many unknowns in this forest."
I close my saddlebags, and then finished off my gummy gator, before putting my saddlebags onto my back. "Twilight, Golden Quill is a strong and independent stallion, so I know he'll make it through this. But either way, let's go quickly, in case something happened that he can't handle." I looked away, pretending to check for anything left behind.
I didn't fool Twilight though, as she said, "Awe, you're actually worried about him, Azure, that's so sweet!" Twilight's soft laughter did little for my self-esteem, but did help to lighten my mood.
"Alright, enough of your teasing," I said as I moved past her, stopping just long enough to tap her horn with a hoof, which sent the tiniest vibration of magic into it.
"Hey!" she cried indignantly, after being given what was equivalent to a mental flick on the forehead.
"Come on," I chuckled, pushing the cloth aside to walk outside. Twilight followed behind me, grumbling a little as Kov'nere waited for us.
"Good morning, Princess, for now I must tell the situation for you to quickly assess." Kov'nere said, seemingly unable to break his rhyming meter. Twilight nodded to him, her face becoming serious as Kov'nere spoke."Your friend was heard yelling somewhere to the west, so starting there that I think your odds would be best," he said, pointing to the side with a hoof.
"Are you going to come with us, we don't know much about this area, or its dangers," Twilight said, giving him a concerned look.
Kov'nere shook his head as a sad smile crossed his face, "Traveling in a large group is only for moments most dire, for the presence of many ponies can draw the mist's ire. So please take this gem, of love and hope, and may it serve you better than all of that wasted rope," he finished, before producing a golden gem, which had been tucked in his mane.
Twilight took the gem in her magic, marveling at its unique radiance. I could feel its warm magic pouring over us, and then turned ask Kov'nere about it. He beat me to punch though by adding, "This gem will shield you for a time, without the need for songs of rhyme. But if for some reason its magic should fall, into the mist your voices filled with love must call," he finished, his eyes narrowed as he stepped forward. He reached out to me with a hoof, and I pressed mine to it. We wordlessly exchanged feelings of trust and respect, our eyes locked onto each other. He lowered his hoof, and then turned to bow to Twilight, who returned it in full, while smiling at him.
"Thank you, Kov'nere, for providing us with aide and safe haven. If you are ever in need of help or just find yourself in Equestria, please come to Canterlot, I would love to repay your kindness."
Kov'nere simply smiled at her, before gesturing to the village entrance with a hoof. We followed behind him, the village mostly empty at this hour, as we approached the golden barrier. We stepped up to the shimmering wall, Twilight walking up first, holding the magical jewel in her magic.
She walked out without any issue, and as I stepped forward to follow behind her, Kov'nere spoke to me, "Good luck," he said simply. My face was inches from the barrier when I heard him.
I stopped, and then started to turn while saying, "Wait a minute, did you just..."
Kov'nere gave me a soft shove out of the barrier, his face wearing a playful grin. I almost bumped into Twilight as I passed through the golden veil, before shaking my head at Kov'nere, even knowing he couldn't see me.
Twilight was looking at me with concern, "What?" she said as we walked away from the village.
"I don't want to think about it," I said, before we adjusted our paths westward. Twilight shrugged in response, before stepping alongside me. The mist parted grudgingly, the golden gem's magic flowing out and away from us. The warm energy it gave off helped keep my mind at ease as we journeyed through the strange substance. Twilight looked around as we walked, checking for signs of movement, her paranoia growing slightly as we moved away from the village of Starfall.
"This place twists your fears and doubts, Twilight, so we need to relax the best we can," I said, putting a hoof lightly on her shoulder. She considered my words for a moment, before sighing, and then giving me a small nod. "I think I'll tell you a story, something to focus on until we find Golden Quill," I said earnestly.
"Okay, that sounds rather nice, actually, why don't you tell me about how you first met Princess Luna!" she said, her voice rising in enthusiasm.
I smiled at her, before returning my attention to trees ahead of us as we continued walking into the forest. "Well, you see, it had been many years since I had returned to Canterlot..."
-----
I walked out of the jewelry store, my hoof tracing the gems on my new collar. I turned to the right, heading towards the busy street ahead. I stopped at the intersection, simply watching the passenger carriages, along with the occasional merchant wagon, travel past me.
Stalliongrad is always busy, even at night.
I was almost ready for another expedition into foreign lands, and only had a few provisions left to acquire. Thankfully I could find most of that here in Stalliongrad, even if the jewel makers in Canterlot were better. I didn't want to set hoof in that city if I could help it, mostly because I probably had a warrant for my arrest, but for plenty of other reasons as well. I had tried not to think about that evening, of Night Light and everything that had happened. I didn't have to prove myself to anypony, least of all to them.
I was just going over my mental checklist of things I still needed to obtain. Rope, dried fruit, a compass—and then somepony screamed. I looked around frantically, searching for the origin of the voice. What I noticed, however, was how everypony was looking up and pointing. My neck arched as I glanced upwards in confusion. I didn't see anything unusual, just the stars and a pale full moon. Actually the moon looked unusually clear and bright, and it took me a second to realize why.
"She's gone!" exclaimed a pony from the crowd, before a different pony spoke up, "The mare in the moon, she's escaped!" Panic seemed to grip the ponies around me like a somepony pulling a rubber band. The tension in the air seemed to pull at everypony tighter and tighter, until it snapped. The street was filled with screaming, which descended into complete chaos as everypony started running around wildly.
This is probably pretty bad, but how is panicking supposed to help? I sighed, stepping backwards away from the main street before I was trampled. I should probably find out what was happening, but there was only one place I could think of that would have an answer—Canterlot, of course.
---
I stood at the edge of city, off of the actual road though, as many ponies were fleeing frantically along its path. If I was going to Canterlot, the two fastest ways were either by train, which probably wasn't running considering situation at hoof, or I could travel over the mountains myself. I sighed, knowing that I wouldn't go unnoticed if I used magic to travel there, but the train was probably out of the question.
I trotted a good distance from Stalliongrad, before I stopped and looked up into the night sky. The stars were beautiful tonight, but also, at the same time, a bit ominous. I breathed deeply and then felt my muscles relax. Clearing my mind, I opened myself to the magic of the night world, drawing it in patiently. My surroundings changed as the magic affected my vision, the world coloring itself beautifully with its own essence.
I reached a hoof up, feeling for the white quartz which held the needed type of magic. I tapped it twice, connecting it with the magic that now flowed inside of me. The gem hummed, vibrating at a low frequency before a wave of air rushed around my hooves. I leaped forward, the air taking me high above the ground. As I fell downward, my descent was slowed by the wind pushing outward from each hoof. I grinned like an idiot, before I pushed off the ground hard, my hooves pushing the natural magic against the ground.
I launched myself high into the air, the wind rushing about my silver mane, as I started my journey towards the mountains. While I was worried about the mare in the moon, or whatever was happening, I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy bounding across the plains. Each jump pushed me quite a distance into the sky. I closed my eyes after each leap, enjoying the feeling of the night air, before reaching the apex preceding the eventual fall.
When I reached the base of the mountains, I bent my legs in a crouch, before pushing off the ground at break neck speed towards the top. Jets of air accelerated me as I barreled over top of the first mountain. I laughed in an adrenaline induced mania as my hooves touched down on the sloping mountainside. Instead of jumping back up into the air, I instead went for speed. I rushed downwards, each hoof sending me a little faster as I barely touched the rocks. I raced down the mountain like I was chasing some invisible prize, before running up then next small hill. At the top I kicked hard, pushing a massive amount of energy away from me, and flew like a wingless pegasus.
I sailed over the rest of the mountain range quickly, the clouds keeping me company as I tried to keep an eye out for Canterlot's white towers. In the distance I spotted the city, my old home, still intact along the mountainside. And it was approaching very fast, as my jumps momentum was just now starting to ebb. It looked like I would be landing near the center, if my guess was correct, but that wasn't the problem. In all of my haste and excitement, I forgot how bad the inertia would become at this speed.
Preparing myself, I gathered my wits and prepared for an imminent crash landing. As my horizontal speed adjusted into more vertical movement, I managed to adjust my body to that I was angled downwards. I tapped my gem again, pushing more magic into it, and held it there. My flight path took me just over a bunch of houses, and then down towards the castle bridge. I released the magic of my gem, and then in a whirl of wind and sound, blasted down at the stone to slow my descent. The stone cracked as the air flowing past me stopped, so I reached to my collar to cut off the magic.
Which of course didn't stop, as it seemed that I had overdone it a bit. My body slowed as the wind blasted down into the cobblestone, and then I started back upwards as my momentum reversed. I shifted uncontrollably, my head and chest becoming parallel to the ground. The air continued to spiral away from me, which then found its way into the castle. Pieces of the castle bridge cracked and some chunks even lifted up and then smashed into the structure. Thankfully, the monsoon subsided, leaving small stones to fall onto the ground with a clatter.
From somewhere I couldn't see, I heard the breaking of wood, which was followed by somepony screaming about cabbages.
I steadied myself, swaying slightly from the rapid rearrangement of my internal organs. I had made a decent mess it seems, as I looked over the large hole in the bridge where my magic had initially struck. The structure itself seemed worse for the ware, bits and pieces cracked or just plain missing.
"Hey, you! Don't move!" commanded a stallion's voice. "I saw that little display, and now you're coming with me for interrogation!" the voice grew louder as I heard hoof steps come closer. A blue maned stallion with a bleach white coat stepped out from the shadow of the castle, the moon looming over him from behind it. His horn glowed as he approached me steadily, his armor shone with a pale white glow from the unusual night sky.
"I am Shining Armor, a lieutenant of the royal guard, and you shall come with me for questioning. With her royal highness missing, and everypony in a panic, we're not taking any chances," he said, coming within five pony lengths of me.
"And if I don't feel like it?" I said, cocking my head just a little to the side. I was pretty sure I already knew how he would answer, but it's more fun to mess with ponies that think they could just order me around.
"You're really going to make me do this the hard way?" he said, before sighing heavily.
"Ah, no, I guess you could just not try to arrest me," I replied a little sarcastically.
"Ah well, unfortunately, my job involves detaining suspicious characters, and you seem to fit the horseshoe, so now, if you'll just come with me..." he said, taking a step forward.
I chuckled at him, before my lips curled into a mischievous grin, "Like I said, Shining armor, I just don't really feel like it, but if you're so persistent about making me, I'd be game for a dance in the moonlight." Shining Armor scowled at me, whether it be from my lack of respect for his title, my refusal to let him detain me or maybe he's just having a bad day—I had no idea.
"Hard way it is then," he said simply, before brushing his mane back with a hoof, and then lowering himself into a fighting stance.
"I'm going to enjoy this, Shiny, I hope you will as well."
Shining Armor took the initiative as I finished speaking, releasing a blast of purple magic at me. The bolt was quick and precise, probably honed through hours of training—all of which I was unable to appreciate as I barely avoided being perforated. I pushed off with a hoof, my elemental magic making me softly glide instead of smacking back down into the ground. I didn't have much time to think, as Shining quickly fired another purple bolt at the spot where I was drifting towards.
I pushed down against the cobblestone, air pushing outwards from my hoof, which sent me into an arc above the stallion. At least he isn't taking it easy on me. I pushed myself faster through the air, wind pouring backwards from my hooves, before spinning around and aiming a straight kick down at him. A moment before impact, a very solid looking shield formed around him, which intercepted my flying hoof like a champ. Shining Armor's hooves were pushed backwards through the cobblestone, leaving small skid marks, before I pushed off, retreating from him.
I stopped to catch my breath, holding a hoof out against the bridge's side to steady myself. I looked over at Shining Armor, and felt a smile cross my face, "Well, I am actually having fun, Shiny, I'm glad you're not a pushover, actually, I think I'll really enjoy this!"
Shining Armor's scowl had been replaced with a small smirk. He looked at me oddly as he lowered his shield and moved a little closer to me. "You're full of surprises yourself, whoever you are, and why are you calling me 'Shiny'—only my baby sister calls me that."
I laughed in spite of the situation, "The way the moon makes your armor shine like a torch, the name just sort of fit, I'm sorry."
Shining Armor shook his head at me, "You trash the castle bridge and resist arrest, but calling me a nickname is the thing that you're sorry for? It seemed that you are like my sister, you're just as impossible as she is!" he said, stomping a hoof into the ground in protest.
"I'll have to meet her someday, and then you can take notes," I replied, stepping back towards the center of the bridge.
"Take...notes..." Shining Armor face hoofed after I said that, before settling into a more serious manner. "Alright then, let's do this, you troublemaker."
I grinned, closing my eyes for just a moment, the universe seeming to slow as its very energy seeped into me. I took a deep breath, moving my legs backwards for a frontal assault. I opened my eyes, and then pushed off as hard as I could, flying towards Shining armor like I was shot out of cannon. Shining raised his shield on reflex as I covered the distance between us in only a short moment. As I came within striking distance, I crouched low, before bringing my right fore-hoof up to strike the low side of his shield. Upon impact, I released a great deal of my air magic, which sent Shining Armor, bubble and all, hurtling into the sky.
I bent my knees, condensing a majority of my magic into my hooves, before I sent myself flying up towards him. The ground beneath me cracked and ruptured, the bridge collapsing as a reaction to the force of my jump. I flew through the air, the wind whipping around me as I became a reverse shooting star. I came up to meet Shining armor, who had dropped his shield, which of course meant that I smacked right into him.
"Ooph," he spat out as I collided with him, before he looked around and realized he wasn't dreaming. "Are you insane!" he screamed, barely audible over the wind.
I shrugged a little before shouting back, "Probably, but it's all because of the system trying to keep earth ponies down!"
"WHAT!" he yelled, his face confused and terrified.
I shook my head at him as we continued to fly upwards. Our momentum was starting to slow, and Shining Armor was just beginning to understand the gravity of the situation. So of course, he hit me in the face, hard.
"Ow," I cried, scowling at him, "was that really necessary?"
"I'm going to cause you as much pain before I die, it's the least I can do since this is all your fault!" he yelled, before taking another swing at me. Our falling was accelerating towards the ground as we threw punch after punch at each other. Our voices barely carried over the wind, each of us screaming at the other as we fell towards our demise.
It was at this point that I realized that I had probably screwed up. The dawn of this realization was promptly punctuated by the sudden and overwhelming bright celestial body that rose over the mountains. The blazing warmth bathed us as we fell, the beams of light reflecting off Shining Armor like a multi-surface mirror. We rushed through the air, a spiraling golden star, approaching the end of our existence.
I rotated towards the ground, my right hoof out to keep Shining Armor from giving me another black eye. I frowned as I tried focus on gathering energy for another wind tunnel, but it was made very hard to concentrate by the flailing pony next to me. I shut my eyes, trying to clear my thoughts when the wind stopped, completely. I opened my eyes to look down at the ground, which had stopped growing like a giant pie aimed at my face. I looked at Shining Armor, and noticed a golden levitation field around him, before checking myself to find the same magical aura.
"That's enough!" boomed a very regal, and very irritated voice. I looked over to see Princess Celestia standing on the far side of the Canterlot Castle bridge, her horn alight. Her face was a mix of anger and annoyance, with a splash of curiosity. As she lowered us to her, I could see a dark colored mare, who seemed to be hiding behind the prominent princess. When we were close enough that Celestia didn't have to shout to be heard, she spoke again, "I'm taking you to my throne room, and you both shall remain quiet until then, understood?" she emphasized the last word quite clearly. We both nodded our heads, before Shiny and I both slumped in quiet shame.
---
I was seated in front of royal throne and was waiting for Princess Celestia to address me. I did my best to simply sit still, in spite of the nasty glances I was getting from Shining Armor, who was twitching next to me. A squad of royal guards were observing us as we fought to not fidget in place. They eyed us with a mix of curiosity and wariness, while the whole room awaited the return of the sun.
Princess Celestia stepped out of a doorway adjacent to her throne, where I caught a glimpse of a dark coat, before the pony slipped back into the shadows. Princess Celestia slowly stepped up to resume her proper position in the throne room, and seated herself before looking upon us all. Her expression was unreadable at the moment, her eyes taking the time to observe each and everypony in her presence. Finally, after building the tension, her gaze fell upon us like a flaring spotlight in the darkness.
"Lieutenant Shining Armor, report," Princess Celestia commanded, without the use of the royal voice.
Shining Armor straightened at once, snapping his hoof sharply to attention, before stating in an official tone, "While the castle was in a state of panic, there was a disturbance coming from the front courtyard. I went to investigate the source, and found this pony amidst the debris," Shining Armor pointed at me with a hoof as he said this.
Princess Celestia looked me over, and I thought I saw a small flicker in her eyes, "Azure, I believe that was your name, correct?" I nodded as I gaped at her, a little surprised she actually knew my name. "Please continue your report, lieutenant," Princess Celestia said, her eyes seeming to pierce my soul.
"Of course, Your Highness," he said, before going on, "I attempted to detain Azure, given the suspicious nature of the circumstances, but he refused to come quietly." Shining Armor gave me an odd look, but then went on with his report, "We engaged each other in combat on the bridge, though no real damage was done, well, except for the bridge." I turned and scowled at him, pointing a hoof to my black eye, and he had to work hard to stifle a laugh.
"So, who attacked first then?" Princess Celestia asked.
"Um, that-t was me, your majesty," Shining Armor said, his voice stammering just a bit.
Princess Celestia frowned slightly, but then I spoke up, much to my own surprise, "I sort of goaded him into it, your majesty, though I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it."
I thought I could see the smallest smile grace her lips, but it vanished before I could be sure, "You've caused quite a bit of trouble, Azure, I'm not sure what to do with you."
"If I could tell my side of the story, your majesty, I would be grateful," I said, bowing my head slightly. Princess Celestia nodded, and I went over the details of my last encounter with Iron Quill and his son, as well as my initial requests into the Canterlot archives.
"So, here we are, many years later, Azure," Princess Celestia said, still gazing at me, but with a softer look in her eyes. "What would you like to ask me, that you didn't get the chance back then?"
I blinked for a moment, before clearing my throat, "I would like you to personally allow me access to the research materials I need, or to change the requirements for becoming a magician in the university."
Princess Celestia pondered my request, closing her eyes while she did so. After about a minute, she opened them, and I could see just a hint of sorrow in their infinite depths. "I'm sorry, Azure, but I cannot interfere on your behalf, or rather, it would be unwise to take such action."
A little bit of anger weaseled its way into my voice as I said, "But why, Princess? Can't you see how unfair this is to earth ponies? That you would allow this to continue is just...just wrong!" I nearly shouted.
Princess Celestia gave me a sad smile, before saying, "While it is in my ability to force them into your request, it would set a very bad precedent. Also, and more importantly, it would not remove the bitterness in their hearts, but would only cause it to fester," she finished, her tone bringing absoluteness to her statement.
"That's unfair and you know it princess," I said, glaring up at her. "I've been getting the raw end of the deal my whole life, and I'm really starting to get a bit peeved," I said, as I punctuated the last word with a hoof stomp, which busted a hole in the marble floor.
The royal guard suddenly snapped their attention to me, their spears pointed in my direction. Princess Celestia held a hoof out to them, after which they relaxed slightly. Shining Armor was glaring at me with a combination of shock and confusion.
"It might seem unfair now, Azure, but I promise you will understand one day," Princess Celestia told me, her voice barely above a whisper. Then, in a far more formal manner, she spoke, "Now, as for your punishment," she said, which caused my stomach to turn over as if I had just falling a hundred meters. "For the destruction of Canterlot Property, and the battery of two Canterlot staff, I sentence you to..." I held my breath, my imagination completely blanking for once. "One year of community service," Princess Celestia boomed, which echoed through the royal throne room.
"Um, Your Majesty, the standard punishment for those crimes would be..." said a familiar voice from behind me.
"I'm very well aware of what the law states, Iron Quill, as I have written most of them myself," Princess Celestia said, which caused me to spin around. The death glare between me and the older stallion could have flash fried ice cream. "But this is an unusual circumstance, and I feel a different type of punishment would be best for the kingdom." she continued, giving me a warm smile. "Azure, you shall be serving out your sentence in the service of my sister, in the tower of the moon."
Both me, Iron Quill and Shining Armor practically shouted at her, "Your sister?"
Princess Celestia looked out into the throne room, and proclaimed in the royal voice, "Hear me, Canterlot, for my sister, Princess Luna has returned to us. Tonight, we shall hold a grand feast in her honor!"
---
Shining Armor and I walked down the halls together, an odd feeling hanging in the air. He had been ordered to show me to the tower where I would be serving out most of the next year. We turned down a long hallway, which ended in an ornate door, that was carved with a wonderful display of the night sky.
He stopped as we reached it, before turning to me, "Just go through here, through the next hall, and then up the tower," he said. I nodded to him, and then reached for the door handle. He put a hoof out to stop me, causing me to turn back to him.
"What is it, Lieutenant?" I said, my energy was quite low after today's events.
"Um, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," he said, after which I gave him a confused look. "I mean, I'm sorry for how some unicorns have treated you, we're not all like that, you know," he finished.
I smiled softly at him, before saying, "Thank you for that, Lieutenant, I hope I get to meet more ponies like you someday."
"You can just call me shining if you want, and if it makes you feel any better, you're a better fighter than most unicorns I've ever met," he said, before holding out a hoof to me.
I met his hoof bump with a smile, and then we parted ways. I opened the door, and walked down the dusty hallway to ascend the tower of the moon.
-----
"I can't believe you fought with my brother!" Twilight said, grinning at me as she held the golden gem in front of us.
"Wait, Shiny is your brother?" I said, almost stumbling over a tree root. Before she could answer, we heard a scream from somewhere ahead of us.
"That sounded like Golden Quill," Twilight said, before holding her hoof out to help me up.
Getting up, I looked around, and then pointed past a grouping of trees, "Over there, let's go!" I said, the pair of us running even as I spoke.
Moving past the cluster of oaks, I saw a shadow in the mist. We edged closer until we could make out the a ruffled golden coat, which was quivering in a ball.
"Golden Quill?" I asked, as I slowly reached out to him. The shaking mass of pony let out a short yell, so I stepped away from him.
"No, no, stay away, you're not..no, I don't have any," he said, shaking his head, his gaze locked on the ground in front of him.
"What's wrong with him?" Twilight asked, her eyebrows furrowed in worry.
"This mist really messes with you, so it's hard to say exactly what he's seeing," I said. "Let's get him out of here, away from this toxic air."
Twilight held the gem out to me, and I tucked it underneath my collar, feeling it press tightly against my coat. She levitated the shaking Golden Quill into the air, who at once started to fill the void around us with his screaming.
Twilight flinched, almost dropping Golden Quill, before she called out to me, "Make him stop, we don't know what might hear us!" I frowned, walked over to them while pulling at my collar to let the protective gem fall into my hoof, and then shoved it in front of the golden pony.
"Ooh, sparkly," he said, taking it in his hoof, his eyes going wide. Golden Quill held the gem in awe, before clutching it close and curling up in Twilight's levitation field.
"Well, at least he stopped shouting," I said, as I exchanged a glance at Twilight.
"What are we going to do with him?" Twilight said, "Should we go back to the village?" I looked around, turning my back to her to hopefully orient our position.
We can try, but I'm not entirely sure we can find out way back," I said, shaking my head slowly. "But I have another idea, if you want to try for it."
Twilight nodded to me, before saying, "Let's hear it, uncle, but we should hurry if we can."
"Of course, Twilight, I was thinking that now that I'm actually able to see clearly, we should head for the library."
"Can you find it without knowing exactly where we are?"
I nodded to her, "My estimates placed the structure along the grand magical flow, I just need a moment to focus so we can follow it."
I shut out the world, and listened only to my own breathing. I focused natural energy into myself, and after a moment, opened my eyes to gaze at the augmented world. The green haze floated around us, looming like a predator about to strike. I looked around, glancing for a moment at the brilliant glow coming from inside a curled up golden pony. Twilight's blue aura shifted as I felt for the massive flow of energy that stretched across the world.
"There it is!" I said, pointing to the south where I could barely detect the stream of magic. "I think the mist is disrupting my magical senses, so I can barely feel it. If it wasn't for Kov'nere's gift, I think we'd be lost out here."
"Lead on then, Azure" Twilight said, carefully floating Golden Quill in front of her.
"To the library!" I called, pointing my hoof forward with a goofy grin on my face.
Twilight flicked me in the face with her wing as she said, "Be serious, uncle." I still caught a hint of a smirk as we moved forward.
I followed the barely visible flow for about ten minutes, moving between trees and rocks, while Golden Quill mumbled something about 'My precious.' Soon, we came to the base of a very steep mountain, which completely blocked our path.
"Well, what now?" Twilight said, setting Golden Quill down next to her.
"Give me a sec, Twilight, I think there's something here," I said as I walked closer to the steep wall. I squinted my eyes as I was staring at the red earth, before seeing a glimmer of green. Blending into the earthy tones of magic, I found an odd stretch that was colored differently than the rest. I went to touch it with a hoof, and then found my whole leg slip right through.
"What in Tartarus?" I said, hearing Twilight come closer as I spoke.
"It's an illusion spell!" Twilight exclaimed.
"I think we found what we're looking for, grab Golden Quill, I'll go first." I said, watching her walk back to the golden ball of pony.
I stepped through the magical camouflage and into an ancient magically lit chamber. Before a strange circular door stood an old pedestal that was connected to what appeared to be a magical circle. The old circle was unlike any design I had ever seen, and I stood there staring at it as Twilight walked in behind me.
"Uhh," she said simply, her eyes taking in the old architecture.
"Well said, Princess Twilight," I teased, receiving an annoyed frown in response.
We walked deeper into the chamber towards the circular door, before Twilight gently put Golden Quill down on a small stretch of moss. I examined the pedestal in the center of the old circle, while she tended to the scared pony.
"Is there anything we can do to help him," she said as she ran a hoof through his mane, which caused him to shiver slightly.
"I'm not really sure, but now that he's out of the mist, he should snap out of it in time," I said. Gesturing her over to me, I asked, "What do you think about this writing, Twilight, I don't recognize the language."
"I'll take a look, but can you try to get Golden Quill to drink some water, it's been at least a day since he last had the chance," she said, walking over to me. I nodded as I past her, pulling open a saddlebag to extract a canteen. I crouched next to Golden Quill, who was still staring at the gem, which seemed less bright in the luminosity of the caverns magical light. I touched the canteen gently above his lips, and allowed a little to trickle down into his mouth. He lowered his jaw, and automatically lapped at the water while retaining an unbroken stare at the golden gem.
"This is really old writing, Azure, I haven't seen this language used in a long time,' she said. "I think I've got this part of the translation right, the first bit goes something like, 'One must show either strong magic, or a strong mind, to enter the star house'."
"Hmm," I said, looking up at her as I put the canteen away. "I wonder how we're suppose to do that..." I said, before a strange hum interrupted my question. The magical circle that Twilight was standing on shimmered briefly, before she vanished in a flash of light and a very surprised "Huh?"
"Twilight!" I yelled, my hoof reaching out as she vanished. I rushed over to the where she had been standing, but nothing happened as I stepped over the magical circle. I heard something fall to the ground behind me, and turned to see Golden Quill facing me, his eyes wide and staring at where Twilight had been.
"Huh? Azure? What happened? Where am I? What just happened to Twilight, and why is my chest soaking wet?"