//------------------------------// // Tracking a Princess // Story: Star Bolts // by Norwegian boy //------------------------------// Dash and Falco walked into the library, they could see Dash’s friend standing together, talking. “Twilight and Applejack, please. You are both talking nonsense, you can’t actually believe that Falco is alive, he died two months ago.” Said Rarity. “I have to agree with Rarity on this one, my pink senses haven’t told me that he’s alive.” Said Pinkie. Falco leaned towards Dash. “Do I want to know what ‘pinkie senses’ are?” He asked her. “I advise you to let it go, Twilight tried to figure them out and she just ended up with a headache and a lot of pain.” She answered him. “Got it, ignore pinkie senses.” He then walked towards them. “I don’t know high and prissy, I feel pretty alive.” They all turned towards Falco and Rarity was not happy to see him. “You.” She pointed a hoof at him. “You’re that rube pony that insulted me at Sugarcube corner.” He smiled at that. “That I did.” He took off his saddlebags and put it down on the floor, then he sat down on the couch. “And I just did again a few seconds ago.” Rarity turned towards Twilight. “Just who is this rude pony?” She asked her friend. “This is Falco.” All three of them looked Falco who just a normal expression his face, then at Twilight. “Do you expect us to believe that this rub pony is Falco? The one who sacrificed himself two months ago? I don’t believe you.” Fluttershy and Pinkie nodded in agreement. Falco just rolled his eyes. ‘It seems like I need to convince them.’ He thought. “The first thing I did when I arrived here was to punch Pinkie in the face, then I scared the yellow one.” He pointed at Fluttershy. “And then Dash wanted to punch me in the face.” Rarity and Fluttershy didn’t know what to say while Pinkie ran so fast to him that he didn’t have time to react, she gave him a hug that was a little too hard. “You are alive, we can finally have your party.” She stared to squeeze even harder and Falco had difficulty breathing. Applejack and Dash ran over Pinkie to stop her. “Let him go Pinkie, you are suffocating him.” They manged to pry her off him. Falco feel on the floor trying to regain his breath, Applejack walked over to him. “You okay Falco.” “Am I’m NOT okay.” He pointed a hoof at Pinkie. “She just tried to kill me, again.” “She didn’t mean it.” She tried to tell him, but he didn’t want to listen. “She didn’t mean it? She tried to give me heart attack two months ago and now she tried to strangle me, if this goes on I might be dead before the day is finished. I have already died once, and I would like to stay alive.” He sat back on the couch and stared to rub his neck. “Fuck this hurt.” Pinkie looked down on the floor. “I’m sorry.” “Sorry isn’t going to cut it, I was going to ask you to throw me a party but right now I don’t want to. Here’s an idea, think before you act.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Now that we all know that Falco is alive, you might tell us why you told Applejack to gather us all her.” Falco said nothing, he just looked at Dash. “I think he did that because of me.” Her friends looked at her. “Darling, what do you mean?” Dash hung her head. “I Failed Twilight, I should have saved you, but I was to slow and because of me she lost her horn.” She fell on the floor and stared to cry. “I don’t deserve to be her friend and I don’t deserve the title of loyalty.” Twilight went over to her and gave her hug. “I don’t care that you are not worthy to be the element of loyalty, I just want you to be my friend.” Dash returned the hug. “Thanks Twilight.” The others also joined the hug. Then they looked over to Falco who watch the whole thing. “If you girls think that I’m going to join the hug, then you can think again. I’, not the hugging type.” They all broke the group the hug, Twilight decide to as Falco something. “So, Falco. You said that you would stop the Shadowbolt. How exactly? They are faster and stronger than a normal pegasus, they are even faster than Rainbow and she is the fast pegasus I know.” He just smiled of her question. “I’m glad you asked the question Twilight, I do have a way to stop them. But, if I going to show you then you six must promise me that you aren’t going to tell Celestia that I am alive. Something tells me that she wants to arrest me after I escaped from captivate.” “I think I speak for all us that none of us are going to tell princess Celestia, I’m not even a big fan of her anymore.” Said Twilight, the other nodded in agreement. “Alright then.” Falco went over to his saddlebags and open it with his mouth. “Let’s see here.” Her reached his hoof into the bag and tried to pick up something, but it wasn’t easy for him. “Dame it, how can ponies grab thing with their hoofs? AJ, can you help me.” She walked over to him and looked into the bag. “Which one of them do you want me to take?” She asked him. “The one that has my cutie mark on it.” He told her. AJ reached into the bag and grabbed a neckless that had his cutie mark and put it around Falco’s neck. “Thanks.” He turned to the other’s. “Watch this.” He pressed the cutie mark, when he did metal surrounded his body. When the girls saw that they were so impressed that their jaws fell on the floor, Falco just smiled under his mask. “Pretty cool huh.” He said in a metallic voice. Dash was the first to say something. “That’s so cool.” She ran over to him. “How did you do that?” She asked him. “I think this is what happened to my Arwing.” He told them. That confused them all. “What do you mean by that?” Twilight asked him. “Well Twilight, the couple that found me also found four neckless beside me and after I studied them I found out that they are made of the exact material as my Arwing. I guess that’s the reason Celestia didn’t find my Arwing.” “Whatever happened to you had to happened to your Arwing, I would like to study them.” Twilight said with The helmet disappeared and revealed unhappy Falco. “As I said two months ago, over my dead body. This is what we need to defeat the Shadowbolts and last thing I need is you breaking them.” He told her. Twilight just crossed her forearms and stared to pout. “Pout as much as you want, I’m not given them to you.” He pressed the mark on his chest and the armor disappeared, he gave the bag to Applejack. “Here AJ, you keep it safe.” She hesitated a little. “Are you sure about that?” “Yeah, I trust you.” He just gave her a smile reassuring smile as she took it, he then walked over to blackboard. “Alright then, what do we know about the Shadowbolts?” He asked Twilight and the others. Twilight walked over to him. “As I said before, not much. They are pegasus and they are very skilled flyers.” She told him. “I can confirm that last part.” Said Dash. Rarity. “Their clothes are just hideous.” Fluttershy. “They are very scary.” Pinkie. “They aren’t very nice, they wouldn’t let me throw them a party.” All of them gave Pinkie a question stare. “What? They won’t.” Falco was the first to say something. “Okay, let’s just focus on the important things. Like that they are pegasus and they are good flyers.” Pinkie just sat down on the floor and crossed her hoofs and was not happy. “I think we should fight fire with fire.” “You want to create your own team with four peagsus and try and stop the Shadowbolts?” Twilight asked him. “I already have one pegasus, if she wants to help me.” He turned around and looked at Dash. “What do you say Skittle? Want to help me stop these evil pegasus?” Dash already knew the answer to that. “Yes, I will help you stop them.” That got her fiends to react, special Twilight. “Are you sure Rainbow? The last time you tried to stop them didn’t go so well.” “I am fully aware of that Twilight, but this time I think we have a chance. You saw the armor Falco had and with him as our leader, I think we have a chance to stop them.” Dash told her. “Alright, if you say so. But how are you going to do that? I don’t think that princess Celestia is going to help you.” Dash didn’t have answer for that but Falco. “You are right Twilight, Celestia isn’t going to help use. Luna are.” All of them looked at him with confusion, Twilight was one who had to ask. “Say what? How can she help you? She is a wanted criminal, according to princess Celestia.” Falco just smiled. “Call it a hunch.” That got Twilight’s jaw to drop. “You are going on a hunch?” Falco just smiled. “You got to be kidding me.” She just walked to her blackboard shaking her head. “This is all well and all, but I want to talk about the elephant in the room.” Said Rarity. When Pinkie heard that she got curious. “Oh, there’s an elephant in the library? Isn’t it a little big to be in a library.” When they heard that, there was mix reactions. Twilight slammed her head against blackboard, Dash was on the floor laughing, Applejack and Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile of what she said while Falco wasn’t sure if she serious or not. “Pinkie dear, it’s just a metaphor. It’s means that we are ignoring the obvious problem.” Rarity explained to Pinkie who let out a bit oh. “And that’s how Falco is still alive, princess Luna told us that you sacrifice yourself to save us. How are you still alive?” “I don’t know, I’m no expert in magic. What I remember was that I woke up in a bed after what I did.” He told her. Applejack decide to say something. “Why did it take you two months to come here?” “First of, I was hurt. It took me a week before I was healed and the second was that I didn’t have any money, the couple that found me said that they could pay for it all, but I refused. I decide to get a job to pay for boat and train ticket, I was just glad I found a job and I had to learn how to fly. After seven weeks I had enough. How I am alive, I have no idea.” Falco wasn’t giving them an answer, so they look at Twilight for the answer, she was busy writing something on a piece of paper with her magic. She stopped when she saw her friends looking at her. “I don’t know.” She went back to the paper. Rarity blinked a few times. “Well, I did not expect that.” “Look, it doesn’t matter how I am alive and to be honest I don’t care. We live in a world where magic is possible, can we just leave it at that.” Again, it was not the answer they were looking for, but they said nothing. “Now, if you all will excuse me and Dash, we have a princess to find.” He stared to walked towards the door but didn’t get very far. “Wait.” He stopped and looked at Twilight. “I would like to talk to Falco alone for few minutes.” Falco just gave her a nod, he then looked over to Dash. “Wait for me at AJ farm, I be there as soon as I can.” Dash just gave him a salute and walked out the door, her friends followed her. Then it was just him and Twilight. “So, what do want to talk about Twilight?” “I want to thank you.” That got Falco to tilt his head to the side. “Thank me? For what?” “For what you did to Spike, you help him when I didn’t. I didn’t do anything and princess Celestia didn’t gave any answer, so I’m glad that you brought him to his father.” Falco just waved a hoof. “Don mention it, I’m just glad that the little guy is with his father. But there’s one thing I don’t understand, why didn’t you help Spike? Why didn’t you try to find them?” Twilight hang her head in shame. “I don’t know alright, it never came up.” Then her ears fell. “I was like a big sister for him and I didn’t do anything.” Falco walk over to her and gave her a hug, he doesn’t normally do this stuff but this he made an exception. “There, There.” He said while patting her on her back. Twilight just stood there, taking the hug. It didn’t fell right. “You don’t do this often, do you?” “No, no I don’t.” They just stood there. “You can let go now.” She told him. He did that. “Thank god, it was getting awkward.” Now, they just stood there not knowing what to do. Falco cleared his throat. “Well, if you will excuse me. I have a princess to find.” He started to walk towards the door, he stopped just before the door. “Oh, there’s one thing. I kind of threw up in your flower two months ago.” She pointed a hoof at him. “That was you?” “I didn’t mean it, Luna teleported me and AJ from the castle. I didn’t know the trip would make me throw up.” He tried to explain to her. Twilight scratched her cheek. “I guess that make sense, I guess is because ponies have resistance against magic while other species…” “Wow, wow. I didn’t not ask for you to go into geek mood.” Twilight just gave him annoying glance, which he ignored. “Now, if you will excuse me. I have princess to find.” He ran out the door before Twilight could say anything else. Falco landed in front of the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres, Dash was waring for him there. “Ready to find a princess?” He asked her. “Sure, but how are we going to find her? Princess Celestia has searched over all of Equestrian and found nothing, how are we going to find princess Luna.” Falco just gave her cocky smile. “I already know where she is thanks to my armor, follow me.” He took flight towards the Everfree forest, Dash hesitated a little when she saw where he was flying towards, she eventually followed him. After flying over the forest in silence, Dash decide to ask Falco something. “Have you figured out who ells that could joined the team?” Falco didn’t hesitate to answer. “No.” Dash almost stopped flying when she heard that. “What do you mean by no? I thought you had a plan, I thought you knew who to join the team.” He looked at her. “How the hell should I know that? I’m not from this world and the only peagsus I have ever meet is you, the yellow one with pink hair who is afraid and Celestia’s guards. So, tell me how I could possible know who to join the team.” Dash opened her mouth to answer but she had no answer, he was right. He wasn’t from this world and the only pegasus he had meet was herself, Fluttershy and Celestia’s guards. “Sorry, I forgot.” She said with embarrassment in her voice. Falco just shrugged it off. “Don’t worry about it, I was hoping you knew a pony that would be willing to help us.” Dash thought for a moment and she knew a pony. “Yeah, I know of a pony. My old flight instructor, Dawn Star.” “Is she a good flyer?” He asked her. “She is one of the best there is, she taught me fly and thanks to her I am now the fastest flyer in Equestria.” Falco could hear Dash brag about herself. “Begging fast doesn’t mean that you are the best, you need skills to back it up.” Dash just rolled her eyes of what he said. “I know that.” She said in and annoyed tone, Falco just laugh at the way she answered. After some flying, Falco and Dash landed inside the old castle in the Everfree forest. They landed in the throne room and the first thing they saw was two thrones, one had sun over it and the other had a moon. It also looked like nobody had been in the castle for centuries. Falco looked around. “So, I’m guessing that this is Celestia and Luna’s old castle.” Rainbow walked over to a column and touched it. “Yeah, I heard that they lived happy here. Until Nightmare Moon took over princess Luna.” Falco raised an eye brown of what Dash said. “Say what?” She looked at him. “Ask Twilight about Nightmare Moon, she knows the story better than me.” Falco decide not to say any more about that, he active the armor, Dash walked over to him. “How are we going to find the princess? I know for a fact the princess Celestia has already search here, five times and she found nothing.” “Luna is here, I’m getting a strong signal from her headset.” Dash just gave him a confused look. “It’s like a magic signal.” He explained to her. “Oh, why didn’t you just say that.” Falco just rolled his eyes under the armor. “It looks like the signal is coming from down below, no wonder Celestia didn’t find her sister.” He took a few steps back. “I’m going to blast a hole in the floor, so I suggest you step away.” Dash did as he said, and Falco summons out a couple pf blaster from his armor, he aimed them down on the ground and was about to fire when the floor opened up. he looked over to Dash. “Hide.” Dash ran over to one of the column while Falco disappeared. Falco watch as the floor opened up and moved back, he could see stairs going down and the two bat ponies walked up from the floor, both were male. Falco moved away very quietly so they wouldn’t hear him or know that he was there. “Can you believe it? That we have to live underground like this.” Said one of them. “What can we do? We are wanted criminals, thanks to Celestia.” Said the other one who looked older than the first one. “It’s just stupid, princess Luna wasn’t responsible for what happened, and Falco Lombardi saved us all by sacrifice himself to save us all. I saw it with my own eyes.” Said the young guard. The older guard just shrugged his shoulder. “What are we going to do? Celestia’s guard are twice are large as princess Luna’s and it looks like that Celestia has more power than princess Luna.” He then pressed one of his hoofs on a necklace that was hanging around his neck, when he did that he changed into a normal pegasus. He then looked at the young guard. “Now come on, we have work to do.” He then took to the sky. The younger guard just stood there. “I still think it’s stupid.” He then also pressed the necklace hanging around his neck and he also changed into a normal pegasus, before he flew away he pressed a switch on the floor and the floor started to move again and it was back into it original place, he then took off after the other one. Once they were gone, Dash poked her head out from the column to see if the coast was clear. She couldn’t see anyone. “Falco? Are you here?” She walked out from it and started to look around. “Falco? Where are you?” She got no answer. “I’m right here.” Falco reappeared right beside Rainbow making here jump a couple of feet in the air, she landed on the ground with thump. She managed pulled herself up. “Was it really necessary to scare me like that?” She asked with an annoying voice. Falco removed the armor. “Yes.” He walked over to the switch in the floor and pressed it with his hoof, then the floor started to move revealing stairs that was going down. “Come on, let’s talk to Luna.” He walked down the stairs and Dash followed him.