//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: When in Doubt... Ask a Princess! // Story: One Dragon's Journey // by Hawk Noctis //------------------------------// Although he did his best to remain calm, Spike began to panic. Twilight would not have written a letter like that unless things had gone horribly wrong. Why would she send all her research and the first half of the key to him unless... Has something happened to her? Were they somehow captured? Is that why she sent this to me? Is Rarity okay? thought Spike as he tried to make sense of the situation. Spike opened the book and began to look through it. There was multiple pieces of parchment folded up behind the front cover. Spike unfolded one of the pieces of parchment and skimmed it. It contained notes written by Twilight and was mostly about the key. As if on cue, something metallic dropped out of the book. Spike bent down and picked it up to examine the object. It appeared to be half of a key of some sort. This piece was the upper part with the ring. It was gold plated and had curly waves engraved into it. Oddly enough the other end of the key didn't look like it connected to anything. Spike carefully put the papers back behind the front cover and set the book back down onto the floor where he had found it. For a moment he stood there silently in disbelief. His friends, they are the wielders of the Elements of Harmony. They had faced all kinds of danger over the past couple of years and had always prevailed. What could possibly have gone so wrong that they would send such a critical resource to him? Not that Spike doubted Twilight's ability to memorize some of her research. But she also liked having a means of double, if not triple checking her research. Spike then recalled the reason why they had left to fined the Chaos Ward in the first place. Did they run into some trouble with Changelings? No, that wasn't possible. There was no way that the Changelings would risk exposure by going after the wielders of the Elements. Twilight wants me to protect the research thought Spike. But how am I supposed to do that? If by some slim chance the Changelings were involved in this, what would stop them from coming her and taking the research back while pretending to be Twilight. How would I know the difference between the two? He had to hide the research somewhere. But where? Canterlot? No place had more security than the capital, even if the Changeling queen had once managed to get in there undetected. They did it once, they could easily do it again. Perhaps Canterlot was not the best place to hide the research. There could be Changelings there already for all Spike knew. Still, going to Canterlot to talk to Princess Celestia seemed like a good idea. She was wise, surely she would know what to do. Spike picked up the book and took it up to the main floor of the library. He grabbed his courier bag and placed the book inside. He took the key and put it into one of the concealed pouches. From there, he went up to the second floor and grabbed a piece of parchment along with a quill and one of the bottles of ink. Spike hastily began to write a letter to Princess Celestia, explaining the situation. Once he was finished, Spike used his green flame to send the letter. Less than a minute later, Spike's stomach began to churn like he was about to be sick. He belched out an ember of green fire that formed into a letter with Princess Celestia's seal on it. Spike quickly opened it and began to read. Dear Spike, I appreciate that you have brought this to my attention. Twilight is very lucky to have a reliable assistant like you. Come to Canterlot immediately, we have much to discuss and I fear that time is short. Bring Twilight's research with you. ~ Princess Celestia Without a pause, Spike put the letter away and went down the stairs toward the ground level of the library and made sure that the courier bag was zipped up and secured on his back. Once he was ready Spike left the library and closed the door, making sure to lock it. The train station was at least fifteen minutes away from the library. Spike ran there as quickly as his small feet allowed. If he was able to keep a steady pace, Spike would arrive at the station sooner. It wasn't long before Spike arrived at the train station and went up to the ticket window. “One ticket to Canterlot,” said Spike as he pushed three bits through the slot. “Good timing, the train will be here any minute now,” said the pony on the other side of the window. They pushed the ticket through the slot. “Here you go.” “Thanks,” said Spike as he grabbed the ticket and took a seat on one of the nearby benches. It was still early in the day, so there was not many ponies at the station yet. Just a few early birds who wanted to take an early morning train to Canterlot. Although more ponies began to gradually arrive as Spike waited, it didn't seem like the train was going to be filled to the brim with passengers. The train arrived at the station a couple of minutes later. Spike and the various ponies got onto the train and it departed for Canterlot soon after. As the train began to pick up speed, Spike tried not to think about Twilight and the others. It would drive him crazy with worry if he thought too much about it. Still, no matter how hard he tried they kept appearing at the fore front of his mind. Especially Rarity, Spike wouldn't know what to do with himself if something happened to the mare of his dreams. The same applied to the other five ponies. Spike felt that he would have nothing if something should happen to them. Once I get out of my meeting with Princess Celestia, maybe I should go out there and find them thought Spike. He hesitated as he thought about that. It was a crazy idea. With the exception of the dragon migration, Spike had never been on his own anywhere that wasn't Ponyville or Canterlot. Just the thought of going to other placed in Equestria on his own was extremely daunting. Besides, he was small and very young by dragon standards. Less than an hour later, the train arrived at the station in Canterlot. Spike got off the train and headed toward the castle. In most cities, Spike would be getting a lot of wary glances since he was a dragon. But since Spike had spent most of his life so far in Canterlot, everypony recognized him either by name or simply as 'the dragon that lives at the castle' in some cases. Spike approached the castle gate and waved at the guards. “Hey there Spike, long time no see,” said one of the guards. “What brings you to Canterlot?” “I'm here to see Princess Celestia. She's expecting me,” said Spike. “Then go on in, best not to keep the Princess waiting. Have a nice day!” “Thanks.” Spike wlaked through the gate and took a moment to take in the spectacular view of the courtyard. At the center was a massive fountain with statues of ponies holding vases that poured water into the pool below. Standing at the top of the fountain was the statue of a unicorn. Water sprayed in four directions from small holes in its horn. The courtyard was rich with plant life as well, with the majority of it being a wide variety of flowers in a plethora of colors. A cobblestone path lead around the courtyard garden and toward the various parts of the castle. Spike walked along the path toward the entrance to the great hall. The guards fixed their gaze on Spike as he approached. Without a word, the two guards used their magic to open the doors for Spike. He nodded in appreciation and entered the grand hall. The grand hall was large in scale, even for a full grown pony. Spike felt smaller than usual as he walked along the red carpet that lead up toward an elegant staircase. The walls of the grand hall were decorated with murals that depicted the history of Equestria. Even the series of pillars that stood along the sides of the carpet were decorated with images of ponies and their culture. The throne room was beyond the double doors at the top of the stairway. The steps were large and each step took a lot of effort for Spike and his small legs. As he reached the top, Spike leaned forward and panted heavily. I wish Twilight was here thought Spike. This would be much easier if I could just ride on her back. Once he had caught his breath, Spike approached the throne room. The guards opened the doors for Spike and nodded politely. Spike entered the throne room and saw Princess Celestia sitting on the throne. She seemed occupied with a message she was reading, but then her eyes shifted toward the small dragon. “There you are Spike. Thank you for coming here on such short notice,” said Princess Celestia. “Did you bring Twilight's research?” “Yeah, it's in my bag,” said Spike. “Good. It will be safer if you hold on to it rather than letting it sit around in the library. Not even Canterlot is safe I'm afraid.” “But what am I supposed to do?” exclaimed Spike. “My friends might be in grave danger! What are we going to do about Twilight and...” “Don't worry, Spike,” said Princess Celestia soothingly. “Everything will be alright. But before that, did Twilight tell you anything about the Chaos Ward?” “Only that it's a magical amulet that the Changelings might be after.” Celestia was silent for a moment. She closed her eyes as if she was unsure how to respond. Finally she reopened her eyes and spoke. “As of today we can confirm that they are after it.” The Princess levitated the tattered document she had been reading earlier and turned it around to show it to Spike. “This is a message from the Changeling Queen herself. She claims that she knows where the Chaos Ward is and that she has some of her best minions looking for the key.” “What? How did they find the amulet so quickly?” exclaimed Spike in a panic. “We don't know. Chrysalis doesn't elaborate on that. The rest of the letter is mostly empty threats about how she is going to use the Chaos Ward to bring down Equestria. Of course, that is IF she is able to obtain it.” Spike recalled how formidable the Changelings were during the first invasion. The fact that they were going after the key as well meant trouble for Twilight and her friends. “So what are we going to do?” “I'm not sure at the moment. If we send out any scouting parties the changelings will surely intervene. I don't want any more of my subjects to go missing.” Both Spike and Princess Celestia stood there in silence for a minute. Spike was worried that the mission Twilight and her friends had gone on would be a little more dangerous, but now it had gone to another level entirely. In that moment, their faces came to the front of Spike's mind clear as day. Fluttershy, there was no pony who was as kind and caring as her. When Spike had gotten sick with a really bad fever, Fluttershy brought him soup that helped him get better. Nopony was as good at giving advice as honest Applejack. Even though she said that she was uncertain about his chances with Rarity, she still gave him helpful advice to get on the mare's good side. There was no question that Rainbow Dash was made out of liquid awesome. She even taught Spike a thing or two about staying in shape. Spike couldn't help but chuckle as he thought of Pinkie Pie and her crazy, physics breaking antics. She threw the craziest parties and invited Spike to them more often that not. Rarity, what could Spike say about such a beautiful mare that he hadn't said already? She was elegant, she had style, and she was an artist of fashion. She even saved him from his own greed and kissed the young dragon on the cheek several times. Spike cherished the time he spent with Rarity. And then there was Twilight Sparkle, Spike's adoptive Sister. She had been there for all of his life. Sure she had the tendency to overwork him and throw him around like a ragdoll, but he knew that she cared about him. They looked after one another. As Spike thought of his friends, an image of them fading away into the darkness appeared. It was followed by the voice the Changeling Queen laughing. Spike would not let anything happen to his family, and in that moment he realized what he needed to do. It was a crazy ideal after all, but Spike couldn't bear the idea of losing them. “What if somepony who was very small and not part of the military went?” asked Spike. “It is likely that the changelings would ignore them, why?” asked Celestia, even though it was clear she knew where the conversation was going. “Then I'll go out there and find them!” declared Spike. Princess Celestia was speechless as she stared at the little dragon with a surprised look. “But you are only a little dragon. Even if the changelings don't pester you there are all kinds of dangers out there.” “That's a risk I'm willing to face. I can't just sit here and do nothing while my family is in danger.” For a moment, Princess Celestia seemed impressed. She nodded and smiled warmly. “Very well then. Your mission is to find Twilight and her friends. Once you have found them, obtain the Chaos Ward and bring it back here.” “You can't count on me! I'll bring them back.” “Before you go. I want you to take this.” Celestia's horn began to glow with magical energy and a small bracelet appeared in the air in front of her. She levitated it down to where Spike could reach it. The bracelet was a simple silver chain with a clear, circular crystal at the center. “In case anything should happen, this will help you out. This bracelet will allow you to communicate with me directly without the use of letters. Press down on the crystal to activate it.” “Okay. Thanks Princess!” said Spike. “Good luck Spike.” Spike bowed and left the throne room. As he stood there in the great hall, Spike began to realize just how daunting his quest truly would be. He had no idea where to start his search either. He had the first half of the key and not a single clue where Twilight had found it. Perhaps it was time to consult Twilight's research. Spike took the research to the castle library. There he found a table in the corner to work on finding a lead. As Spike opened the book, it didn't take long for him to realize it was of no use to him. It was written in an ancient language that Spike had never seen before. How Twilight had been able to read it in the first place was beyond Spike. With the decrepit book being out of the question, Spike pulled out Twilight's notes. With any luck he would be able to find something there. One particular set of notes looked promising when Twilight began to refer to certain locations. There was a list of places all over Equestria, with most of the listed areas crossed out. The list also referred to a map, which was among the stack of Twilight's notes. Spike took out the map and unfolded it. The map was clearly old based on the faded ink and the awful condition it was in. Fortunately it was still readable. As Spike looked at the map, one particular location stood out. He recognized the river that flowed along the outskirts of Ponyville, even though the town was not on the map. Spike glanced to the left and saw a circle over the area that was clearly the Everfree Forest. Spike looked at Twilight's notes again to double check. She mentioned the key and how it was split into two parts. It seemed like the first piece was located in the the same castle ruins that Twilight had found the Elements of Harmony in. Without having any way of knowing which piece of the key he had, Spike decided that the best place to start was the ruins. Even if the key had come from there, he still needed to search for clues as to the whereabouts of his friends. Maybe he would find something there; but there was only one way to know for sure. With a first potential lead in mind, Spike left the castle and headed back toward the train station. * * * Before heading out to the Everfree Forest, Spike returned to the library to gather up supplies. He took the rest of his gem collection with him for food. Just as he would about to close his closet, something caught Spike's eye. Sitting on one of the shelves was a sphere shaped rock that easily fit into the palm of Spike's small hand. As Spike examined it in the sunlight he could see small gold specs on the onyx colored stone that glowed radiantly. “Ah this is the star stone I had found about a year ago,” muttered Spike as he gazed at it. Twilight claimed that it was good luck to find a star stone. Spike wasn't one to believe in lucky charms, he just thought it was pretty. But given that he was about to embark on a potentially dangerous journey, Spike felt that he could use a little luck. With the stone secured safely in one of the pouches, Spike headed down to the kitchen to pick up a water pouch. As Spike opened the cabinet he heard a familiar squawk behind him. Spike turned around and saw Peewee standing on the table. Every time Spike looked away, he swore that the little phoenix was getting bigger. Peewee's wings had grown out, he was taller than he was when his egg hatched, and more traditional phoenix colors began to appear on Peewee's coat. The young phoenix had been out flying around Equestria and beyond for the past couple of weeks. A healthy activity for a young phoenix like Peewee, not to mention it kept the mischievous little bird from setting books on fire... again. Spike shuddered in fear as he remembered Twilight literally blowing a fuse when she heard about Peewee setting one of her text books on fire. “Welcome back, Peewee!” said Spike happily. “Did you enjoy your trip?” Peewee squawked happily, which Spike interpreted as a 'yes'. Since Peewee had been out traveling for awhile, Spike thought he'd ask Peewee something. “Did you see Twilight out there by any chance?” Peewee tilted his head and let out a confuses squawk. “Never mind.” Since he was talking to Peewee, it was probably a good time for Spike to fill the young phoenix in on what was going on. “I'm going out for a while to try and find Twilight and my other friends. Do you think you can take care of yourself while I'm gone?” Peewee nodded and let out a confident sounding squawk. “Great! See ya when I get back.” Spike turned around but then quickly turned back to face Peewee. “And don't set any books on fire this time. I barely managed to calm Twilight down last time.” Peewee let out a chirping sound that seemed to indicate a sense of compliance. Spike turned back to the task at hand and pulled out a water pouch. He filled it up with water from the faucet and stowed the pouch away in his courier bag. Spike left the library and ventured out onto the streets of Ponyville. It was already mid-afternoon, and it was a bit of a hike to the Everfree Forest from the library. Fortunately, Spike was able to hitch a ride on the side of a cart which saved some time. Spike jumped off the cart as it went around the corner where Fluttershy's cottage was located. The Everfree Forest was less than a minute away from there. Spike approached the entrance to the forest and gulped nervously. He had only been in there once and had nearly been killed by a green dragon as big as town hall. Still, Spike new that he had no other choice if he was going to find his friends... no, his family. After taking a deep breath, Spike stepped into the Everfree Forest. Little did he know that he was being followed. * * * Trixie praised her fortune. She had found Twilight Sparkle's pet dragon without having to go into Ponyville. With any luck, the dragon would lead Trixie to her hated nemesis. Why Twilight Sparkle would be hiding in the Everfree Forest was beyond Trixie, but it didn't matter. Trixie felt confident that she was ready to take on Twilight Sparkle and defeat her in a magic duel. Trixie carefully followed Spike into the forest, taking care not to give herself away.