//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Travel Plans and A Curse. // Story: The Mystic Fox // by Mysticfox //------------------------------// Chapter 14: Travel Plans And A Curse. After a good camping trip, we finally made it back to ponyville and when we got back home we had quite a bit of a surprise waiting for us. "Oh it's good to be home. I love camping but nothing beats a hot shower and warm bed." I said as we went inside. "Yeah you could definitely use a shower." Rosy said jokingly while holding her nose. "Hey I don't stink that bad." I said before I reached up and plucked Rosy off my head and started to tickle her sides. "HAHAHA...sto... HAHAHA stop you win HAHA." Rosy said as she tried to escape her fate before Tammy and Alya joined in the fun. "Haha you can't escape for me." I said before I stopped when our stomach growled. "Hahaha alright for now I'll let you go. Now lets see what we can get from the garden. Why don't you go and pick something and I'll get the kitchen ready." I said as I picked up Alya who is getting bigger by the day. Most of her fluffy feathers have been replaced with smooth feathers and she's flapping her wings more often too. Then there's her fire breathing. I really need to do some more research about her. "Yay come on Tammy lets go explore the wild gardens." Rosy said happily as Tammy hopped on her head and headed out the back door but stopped when they opened it. "Um dad?" Rosy asked, not looking away from the yard. "Yeah?" I said as I washed some rice. "You might want to see this." She said while pointing a hoof out the door. I put the rice down and went to see what she was talking about and as soon as I did my eyes went wide. "Ok so those squirrels have been busy. I don't even know what to do with all this heck I didn't even know I had this many types of produce." I said as we walked outside to see large piles of fruits, berries, and vegetables. "Whoa its like you have your own grocery store." She said as we walked around the pile. "Hmm maybe I can talk to Applejack to see if there's any place I could sell these. I know I can take them to the market in town but I doubt I can get rid of all this. Anyway for now I'm hungry so let's get something then I'll put all this in my storage for now. You know what, I think these squirrels need a treat too." I said before I used my magic to put the piles in my bag then went into the house and brought out a bowl and knife. "What's with the bowl?" She asked, tilting her head. "Oh you'll see." I said with a smirk. I left out a smile pile of fruit and with a bit of magic I made the bowl bigger then I picked up the pile and literally played a real life game of fruit ninja with all the pieces falling into the bowl. "Whoa that was cool." She said as I picked up the bowl and set it down by my fruit trees. "HEY SQUIRRELS THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND I MADE YOU GUYS A FRUIT SALAD AS A THANK YOU!" I yelled into the tree and after a few minutes a tune of black and green squirrels rushed out of the trees and into the bowl. "There's so many." She said as we watched the squirrels chow down. "No kidding. Remind me later to see if Fluttershy can talk to them a bit. Now let's get something to eat then off to bed. We got a lot to do tomorrow." I said as I scooped up my adorable daughter and went back inside for the night not noticing the black owl watching me from the tree tops. (Early morning Sweet Apple Acres) "So what do you think I should do AJ?" I asked as we made our way through town. I was on my way to her farm but she was walking her little sister to school so I walked with her. I needed to stop by the school anyways. "Well if ya have that much stock I would say go talk to Filthy Rich. He owns Barnyard Bargains in ponyville just be careful. He's not a bad pony but he will try to knock down his price as low as he can get it. If he can't buy them he can probably point you in the right direction." Applejack said as we neared the school house. I could see all the fillies and colts playing outside. "I'll stop by to talk with Filthy Rich on my way to Canterlot. Thanks for the help AJ and if you ever need any of my produce it's on the house for friends." I said as we got to the school. I noticed a dark pink earth pony with a light pink mane walk out of the school house. "Good mornin miss Cheerilee." Applebloom said as her and Rosy ran up to the pony. "Oh good morning Applebloom and who is this you brought?" Miss Cheerilee asked as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle ran up to them. "Um hi I'm Rosy." Rosy said shyly while trying to hide behind Applebloom. "Hello Rosy are you here for class today?" Cheerilee asked sweetly before Rosy looked up to me with big eyes. "She sure is. Hello I'm Foxy Lilly and I would like to enroll my daughter if that's alright?" I asked as I held out my hand to shake her hoof. "Oh you must be Sir Lilly. Well Mr. Lilly I'll be more than happy to have your daughter in class. She's more than welcome to start today if you would like and when you pick her up we can go over some paperwork." Cheerilee said with a warm smile as I looked down to see four fillies giving me the big puppy dog eyes. "With this much cuteness how could I say no." I said as I watched their faces light up. "YAY!!" The fillies cheered while running around us. "Alright girls can y'all do me a big favor and look after Rosy while she's here?" I asked as I kneel down in front of them. "No problem Mr. Fox, she's in good hoof." Applebloom said with a warm smile. "Good. Here I made some lunch for us later but you girl can have it and here take this. You can use it in an emergency. Just tap it twice and a display like mine will appear and connect to one I have and we can talk to each other." I said as i pulled out a large bento box full of rice, steamed and fried vegetables, and banana pudding along with a ruby fox hair pin. I handed it over to Rosy before I noticed a brown earth pony walk up with a light pink filly with a tiara. "Well this will save ya some time. That there is Filthy Rich and his daughter Diamond Tiara." She said as Mr. Rich let his daughter go play and walked up to use. "Well good morning Applejack how's your granny doing." Rich asked as he shook Applejack's hoof. "She's still kickin. Mr. Rich, this here is a friend of mine." Applejack said pointing her hoof at me. "Hello Mr. Rich I'm Fox Lilly nice to meet you." I said as I shook his hoof. "Nice to meet you Mr. Lilly." He said before Rosy ran up to me. "Dad Miss Cheerilee said I can't have pets in class. Can you watch Tammy?" She asked while holding up a sad tiny monkey. "Oh course I can. Come on up here Tammy you get to hang out with me and Alya today." I said as I held my hand out and she quickly ran up my arm to my shoulder and Alya came out of my hair to nuzzle her. (Ding Dong) "Alright everypony it's time for class. I have a special announcement so please find your seats quickly." Cheerilee said as she ushered the colts and fillies into the class. "Have a good first day Rosy." I said as I gave her a hug before she ran into the school house. "Well I better be heading back myself." Applejack said before she left, leaving me and Mr. Rich to talk. "Mr. Rich, do you mind if we talk a little business?" I asked before he left. "I'm always up to talk business. What can I do for ya." He asked as we began to head into town. "Well Mr. Rich since I moved here my gardens have grown exponentially and now I have too much produce to handle and I was looking into wholesaler. Would you like to sit for a cup of coffee while we talk?" I said as I noticed a Cafe and decided to sit down. "Sure a good cup of coffee is always nice. So Mr. Fox, what kind of produce do you grow and do you have any with you." Rich said as we took our seats and placed our order. "Well right now I have many different things growing. Fruits, berries and vegetables most of them I'm sure you never heard of. Like this one." I said as I pulled out a dark green and brown fruit the size of an orange on the table. "Sun doesn't take this the wrong way but that fruit looks over ripe." He said as he looked it over. "Actually it's perfectly ripe. The fruit is called a Chocolate Pudding Fruit, it's in the same family as a persimmon and looks and tastes just like the name." I said as I cut it in half to reveal the dark brown meat inside and handed him a half with a spoon. "Go ahead give it a try." I said before I watched him take a whiff and then ate a spoonful. "It really does taste like chocolate pudding. Hmm this could be big and ponies would love it. Are all of your produce like this?" He asked as he ate some more. "Pretty much. I do have some that are better used for more herbal and medical side but I don't have much of those. Wait where did my half go?" I asked as I began to look around until I noticed a pink poofy mane over the hedge. "Pinkie you know you can ask me for one." I said before the pink poof slowly lowered until it was gone. I chuckled and pulled another from my bag and tossed it over the hedge. "Hehe." I heard before she took off. "Anyway Mr. Rich if you'd like you can think it over and will work something out but for now I need to head up to Canterlot for a meeting with my aunts but I will be back by the time school gets out." I said as I stood up and placed a few bits on the table. "I'll get with you then and we can set up a deal. It was a pleasure meeting you and I hope we can work together." He said as I shook his hoof before he left and as I turned to leave I ran right in Twilight's horn. "OW hi Twilight, sup Spike." I said while I rubbed my side where her horn poked me. "Oops sorry Fox." Twilight said with a sheepish smile as she lowers a book she was reading "Hey Fox what are you up to today." Spike asked as he hopped off Twilights back. "I got to head up to Canterlot to see aunt Celestia. What y'all up to?" I asked as we walked through town. "We're headed over to Fluttershy's cottage to practice a spell." Twilight said with her nose back in the book. "Oh hey want to see something cool?" I asked Spike before he hopped in Twilight's back. "Sure." Spike said with a little excitement. "Alya do the thing." I said before Alya slid out of my hair and let loose a small jet of blue flames. "Whoa I thought only dragons could breathe fire." Spike said while Twilight took down some quick notes. "Well I was planning to see if Twink has anything in the library about it and maybe I can get aunt Tia to set up the same spell that lets you send messages." I said as I gave my Alya a good head scratch. "Hmm I think she can do that and maybe she can link it up to Spike's flame too." Twilight said before she put her notes away. "Actually Twilight I'm working on something for me and you girls. There was a device in my world called a cell phone. It started out as just a simple way to talk over a long distance but grew more advanced as technology grew in our world so now it was used for pretty much anything. I think I might have found a communication enchantment that I can link to objects like gemstones. I'll do some more research and let you see what I find out." I said as i watched Twilight's grow large and sparkly as i talked. "You really need to stop breaking Twilight." Spike said as he poked Twilight. "Alright how about this. I'll let you read some of the books I have in my study at home when I get back. There's nothing on magic but plenty of novels and study books." I said before Twilight went stiff with a massive smile on her face. "Great, now I have to drag her to breakfast." Spike said as he hopped off her back and began to drag her by the tail over to the cafe while I got a good chuckle out of it. "Ok you two hold on tight." I said to my tiny friend on my shoulders before I jumped into the air and began my flight to Canterlot when I noticed a rainbow tail hanging off a nearby cloud and smirked. I flew above the cloud and sure enough Rainbow Dash was napping on her back.  "Oh this will be funny." I said as I looked around until I found any cloud. I flew over and put a hole in the middle before moving it under Rainbow. I slowly floated up to the side of Rainbows and whispered something to Alya before she slipped down my arm and right beside the sleeping pony. Alya started to use her tail to tickle Rainbow's side. "Ha ha haha hahaha HAHAHA HAHAHA WHOA (THOOMP)." Rainbow laughed while slowly rolling off the side of her cloud before falling and getting stuck in the hole of the other cloud.  "Hahaha every cloud should have a Rainbow." I said before I picked up Alya and took off towards Canterlot. "FOX IT IS SO ON!!!" I heard Rainbow yell as she tried to get free of her cloud donut. After a good laugh and a few minutes in the cool morning sky I landed just outside Canterlots gates and decided to change into my big fox form then headed through the gates. "Man it's been awhile since I've been in this form. It Feels nice just to stretch my legs a bit. Now lets see which way to the castle gates." I asked myself while walking down the main road until I heard a familiar voice. "Ah Sir Fox good morning." The voice said as I stopped and looked around. "Over here my good lad. Would you care to join us for a spot of tea." The voice said as i turned around and found Fancy Pants and a tall white pink unicorn with a very light pink mane sitting at a table outside the local cafe. "Oh well good morning to you too Mr. Fancy and to you as well Miss…" I said as I walked up to the pair. "Fleur de Lis. It's quite the honor to meet the hero knight of Canterlot." She said making me blush a bit. "Thank you but please I'm just a normal...fox so no need for any praise." I said with a smile as a waiter filled their cups. "That is very humble of you Sir Fox and I respect that. Word around the castle is that you set up the everfree forest as your own nation, is that right?" Fancy asked before taking a sip of tea. "Yes it actually was its own nation a long time ago when the Mystic Foxes still ruled but after they disappeared my mother entrusted the lands over to my aunts and they gave it back just recently. I'm actually fixing to set up a trade route over seas and a few places in Equestria." I said before I pulled a melon from my bag and sliced it up for them to enjoy. "I wish I could stay and chat but I must be going. Aunt Tia is expecting me, here this melon is from my garden and goes rather well as a cup of tea so enjoy. I hope you have a wonderful day." I said with a small bow. "And a wonderful day to you too Sir Fox. Give my best to the Princess." Fancy said as he and Lis bowed before going back to their tea and I continued my way to the castle. After a short walk through the city I made it to the main door to the throne room where there is a long line of ponies waiting to see Celestia and at the front was Miss. Note with her clipboard. "Good morning Miss. Note I was supposed to have a meeting with Celestia this morning, do you know where I can find her?" I asked as I ignored the whispers from the line behind me. "Oh yes she's currently eating breakfast in the dining hall. Do you need some help finding it?" She asked with a smile. "No thank you I remember where it's at. Thank you Miss Note." I said with a small bow before heading to the kitchen. I found it with no problems and when I went in I saw Aunt Tia with a large piece of cake in her magic and frosting on her mussel. "You know cake is not a breakfast food right?" I asked with a smirk as a surprised Alicorn dropped the cake back on its plate. "Yes you're right but cake is good any time of the day." She said before picking back up the cake and eating it in one big bit. "I'm not a cake fan, I like pie. So what was it you and Aunt Luna wanted to talk to me about?" I said as I sat down and Celestia pasted me a cup of tea. "Yes we wanted to tell you that the Everfree Forest now belongs to you with Equestria as an ally with an open trade. And speaking of trade we were able to register a ship as your trading vessel. Did Luna go over your mission to find out why our ships and crew are going missing?" She asked as she took a sip of tea. "Yes she said that y'all trading ships never hit shore and wanted me to look into it. I wanted to set up this trade as a cover to get to the island because it seems like ships with y'alls flags have been targeted by whoever. So if I can get to the island I can gather the information I need and hopefully put a stop to it and maybe sell off some of my produce. Speaking of, is there somepony in charge of stocking the kitchen?" I asked as I pulled out a melon and slided it up for use while Tammy and Alya hopped down to the table to enjoy the sweet melon. "So it seems you already have a plan set in place. I'll send a letter to one of my trusted traders to meet you at the docks and he also should be able to sell your produce and if there's anything like this mellon I don't think it will be a hard task. The ship will be ready to sail when you arrive in Baltimare and will take two days to reach the island." She said while she munched a slice. "You know Luna never told me the name of the island or of its population." I said as I put up a map of Equestria on my display. (I'll put a link to the map here.) "It's the island of Shire Lanka down here." She said as she pointed a hoof at an island near a place called Abyssinia. "Hmm what trade comes out of there?" I asked while looking over the map. "Do you see this large forest north of the island? That forest is full of herbs you can only find there and most of them are cures and medical herbs that just won't grow in this soil. So we have to ship them from the island to maintain freshness as long as possible." She said while pointing out the area on the map. "I think I understand so when do I leave?" I asked as I closed my display. "Tomorrow morning you need to take the train to Baltimore and ship out the next morning. Now since the ship you will be taken is now yours it needs a new name." She said with a smile. "Hmm I like the name The Spirit Fox." I said as I watched Alya and Tammy having a staring contest for the last piece of mellon. "That name will do nicely." She said before her moon went glum. "Fox there is one more thing I would like to discuss with you. A few nights ago I received a report from Cadence and Shining armor." She said with downcast eyes. "Alright what was it about?" I asked with worry I could tell it was not a good report. "There was an explosion just outside the Empire in an underground forest. It was reported that the cause of the explosion was a massive red and black dragon carrying a large black crystal in its claws." She said before passing me the report. "Shining Armor sent an explanation team into the place but all they found was ash and this seed." She said while holding up a dark green and yellow seed and placed it in my hand. "Cadence said you had a friend that lived there. Im sorry Fox." She said before giving me a hug. "I only talked to her for an hour or so but she felt like family. Do we know what that dragon was after?" I said as I felt my anger rise. "With this report I would assume it was after that black crystal but we don't know why or who wanted it and for what purpose." She said with a hard glare. "I'll see if Twink knows what it is. I can't really explain it but I feel like something big is goin to happen. There are a few places that I heard about that I might need to look into but for now with the lack of information to go on there's nothing I can do." I said while I looked over the seed. "I will look into this matter as well. You're taking this rather well." She said with a smile. "Oh I'm pretty upset about this but there's nothing I can do about it until I can figure out who to point my anger at." I said with a clenched fist. "I understand your feelings but don't let anger cloud your judgement and we will find out who was behind the attack and why but for now ready yourself for travel. See Miss Nite on your way out for your trade papers. It is time for me to start court." She said with a heavy sigh. "Oh and before I forget Alya here can breath fire like a dragon." I said as Alya let out a small jet of blue flames. "I was wondering if she could use the same spell as Spike to send letters." I said while I scratched Alyas head. "Hmm one moment...and done." She said as her horn lit up along with Alya then disappeared. "It's a simple spell and you can send a message to just about anypony and vice versa. Oh and about your question on who stalks the food in the castle, talk to the head chef. He should be in the kitchen now getting lunch ready." Celestia said she stood up and gave me a hug before leaving for the throne room as I got up and headed for the kitchen. As I opened the door I was met with a cranky dark brown and white griffin with long goatee in a chef hat. "Hey what are you doing in my kitchen? The only ones allowed in here are my chefs." He said while poking my chest with his claw. "Oh I'm sorry, I was told by Celestia to come see the head chef about possibly buying some of my produce." I said with a raised brow. "Well if you're looking for a head chef you found him. Wait hold on a second are you that colt all the guards are talking about the one who made that noodle soup for the guards?" He asked while running his claws down his goatee. "Um yes actually. The name Fox nice to meet you." I said as I held my paw to shake his claw. "Iron Grill now that names are out of the why I got something to ask you. That broth you used it was missing something but I can't put my claws on it. Now don't get me wrong it was good but could be better." He said with a smile as he shook my paw. "Oh you picked up on that. Your right that broth was meant for Seafood mainly shellfish." I said while looking around at the kitchen as all the cooks got ready for lunch. "Hmm how about this you make the soup how it was supposed to be and if it's any good I'll buy some of your produce." He said with a smirk. "Alright I can do that if you'll allow me the use of your kitchen." I said as I picked up a frying pan. "Go right ahead and we just got a fresh order of seafood this morning so help yourself." He said while pointing at the large walk in fridge. "Cool this won't take too long , I already saved some broth." I said as I pulled out a container of broth and set it down by the stove and went into the fridge. "Alright let see. They really did restock hmm I'll need some scallops, crab, and some prawns. That should do for now." I said as I left the fridge carrying the seafood in my magic. "(POOF) aw much better." I said after I turned normal and stretched my back. "So that's what you really look like." Iron said while looking me over. "Yep now I can get started. First we steam the crab." I said while I put a pot on the stove with a little bit of water then put the crab in and put the lid on. "Now let's chop up some garlic and add it to the frying pan with a little bit of oil." I said as I chopped the garlic as the oil got hot. "Next we season the prawns and scallops with salt and pepper. Now put them in the pan for just a couple of minutes to get a nice golden brown along with the prawns." I said while cooking and as they cooked I grabbed two large bowls. "Alright once you got them a golden brown take them out of the pan and set them to the side. Now we want to deglaze the pan with the soup stock and make sure to scrap all the goodness from the bottom of the pan. Once that's done turn down the heat to a light simmer while we get all the meat from the crab." I said as I took the crab out of the pot and started to crack it open. It took a little while but I managed to get all the meat from the shell. "Now put the body meat in the bottom of your bowl. Next we need to get the noodles cooked." I said as i pulled a container full of raw ramen noodles out and put them in a clean pot to boil for a few short minutes. "Now we add some broth to the bowls and then the noodles. On the side of the bowl we put the leg and claw meat, then the scallops and prawn. Top it off with a little salt, limon, and chopped green onions and it's ready." I said while passing him a bowl before I made up two more. "Well it looks and smells wonderful but let's see how it tastes." He said before picking up a spoon and taking a sip of the soup. His eyes lit up before he began to slurp up some of the noodles. "Amazing the broth is rich but light, the noodles are cooked perfectly and the shellfish is sweet mixed in with the saltiness of the broth. It's like I just ate this right out of the sea." He said while he slurped more of the soup. "Well something smells delicious." Said a voice from the door as Celestia walked in. "Oh hi Aunt Tia what brings you in here." I asked with a knowing smile. "I was just passing by the door when I smelled something good and it is just after lunch time." She said as she took a look around. Iron was to into his ramen to notice. "Well I'm glad I made an extra bowl. Here, enjoy." I said while I held up her bowl and she took it in her magic. "It's been too long since I had any seafood. Most pegasus can eat fish but don't like the taste." She said before she took a sip and with a happy sigh she started eating. "I'm glad you like it. Now Mr. Iron, how about I leave you a list of produce and you can give it to Celestia to send to me and I'll have your order ready to be sent here." I said with a smile as I made a list and gave it to the griffon. "I'll keep my end of the bargain if you'll give me this recipe." He asked with a smirk as I wrote down the recipe. After we ate Celestia had to get back to her duties and I just left the kitchen as guards rushed in for lunch. Now I'm enjoying a new cup of tea at the cafe in the city and looking over the paperwork I needed to set up a shipment of produce to take with me to the island. "Hmm I can probably make some creations and find an enchantment to keep the cargo fresh. I'll have to make up some labels too." I was too busy looking over the paperwork. I didn't notice two mares joining my table. "Yo Fox dude you in there." A familiar voice said snapping me out of my thoughts. "Huh oh sup V and good afternoon Octavia. What brings you gals to Canterlot?" I asked as I put my papers in my bag. "I have a performance at a garden party this evening and Vinyl has a show at the local night club." Octavia said as the waiter brought out some more tea. "Sounds like a good time to me." I said with a smile. "Dude you should totally come to the club tonight." Vinyl said as she handed me a flyer.  "Club Beats? I didn't even know there was a dance club here." I said while looking over the flyer. "Yup so you want to come?" She asked as she raised her sunglasses and smirked. "I wish I could but I have to pick Rosy up from school and pack up a bunch of stuff to ship out." I said before I pulled out an apple and cut it into slices for Tammy and Alya. "Aw bro when did you become old." Vinyl said with a head shake. "Now that's rude Vinyl just because he has responsibilities does not make him old just me distinguished." Octavia said before sipping her tea. "Haha its ok Octavia and don't worry V I'm pretty sure if i didn't have anything goin on me and Rosy would be there." I said with a chuckle as I played with Tammy and Alya before I remembered something I needed aunt Tia to do. "Aw crud I forgot I needed to ask Celestia something. Im sorry yall but I gotta go. Come on you two we got to go back to the castle." I said as I held my hand out for my tiny friends to climb up. "It's quite alright." Octavia said with a smile. "Yeah dude there's always a spot open with me whenever you want to hang." Vinyl said with an eyebrow wiggle. "Ha thanks you two. Snacks and tea are on me. Later." I said as I put a few bits on the table and headed for the castle. It wasn't long before I reached the castle gates and was suddenly trapped in a bubble. "Ha gotcha." Said a day guard unicorn with an oddly familiar voice. "Wait a sec. Bubbles is that you?" I asked as I put my face against the bubble and made funny faces. "Hahaha just be glad I don't have to clean that. Anyway, what are you up to today?" Bubbles asked before she popped her bubble. "Haha just forgot to ask Celestia something this morning." I said as I rubbed my face until I noticed a dark blue scaled tail go around a corner. "Hey bubbles do yall have any dragon guests at the castle or expecting any?" I asked as I slowly made my way over to the corner. "No. We're normally told of guests like that at the start of the shift." Bubbles said as I peeked around the corner and caught a glimpse of the tail and cloak going over the wall. "Bubbles you remember the drill we did?" I asked before turning back to the gate. "Yeah." She asked with a raised brow. "Good get the teams and meet me in the castle. We're about to put it to the test. Be on the lookout for a cloaked figure. I got a look at the tail and I think it might be a dragon. Here once you get the teams, call me on the ear piece." I said as I gave her three earpiece communicators and changed to my tiny form so I can tail the cloaked figure. With a quick nod Bubbles ran into the castle while I hoped through a window. After a quick look around I found the intruder running down towards the restricted library wing. "Flash Sentry reporting in. Bubbles reporting in. Bolt reporting in. All teams on standby waiting your commands." They said through the ear piece. "Good. I found the intruder we are currently headed to the forbidden wing of the library. Flash, I want you and Bolt to block off the pathways out. Bubbles you head up the main hall and block it. I want to see what he's up to. Don't make any move that may tip him off. It looks like he's looking for something and I want to know what." I said quietly as I hid in the shadows watching the cloaked figure touch and poke the walls with a claw before one of the walls zapped him. "Flash are there any hidden doors in this wing?" I asked as I watched the figure pull out a clear blue crystal. "As far as I know only one wall has a hidden vault full of ancient artifacts." He said as my eyes grew wide as I watched the crystal absorb any magic and making a solid iron door appear. "All teams move in. Keep a barrier up behind you he's after something in the vault. I'll confront him and chase him to you Bubble as soon as you see him trap him." I said as I jumped out of my spot and turned normal. "Hello I really hate to bug you but would you mind coming quietly into custody?" I asked, scaring the figure and looking at me with glowing blue eyes before running down the hall. "Just for the record I did ask nicely." I said as I gave chase and as soon as he turned the corner he was trapped in a pink bubble. "LET ME GO. I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING." Said a female voice as the bubble shrank and shapes around the figure. "Then why were you trying to get into the artifact vault?" I asked as I walked in front of her. "...."  "Alright not talking? Ok let see what you look like." I said as I reached for the cloak while she struggled to get free. I grabbed the hood of the cloaked and pulled it off then got quite the shock. She had dark blue scales with light red underbelly scales and spikes. She had dragon wings but what stood out was her light red mane and deep blue eyes. Her front legs had claws and hooves on the back. In all she looked like a pony dragon mix. "Um I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that's not right." I said as I looked her over. As I looked into her blue eyes I could see she was scared and desperate but I saw no hint of bad in her just loneliness and fear. "Hmm, is there a room we can sit and talk?" I asked as Bubbles put restraints on the dragon pony. "Yes we actually have an interrogation room right down this hall." He flash said while pointing down the hall he came from. "Nice. Bolt I want you to inform Celestia about what happened. Bubbles, flash your with me. I'm Miss but we need to ask you a few questions so will you please follow me." I said as we began the short trip down the hall. After finding the right room I sat her down at the table. "Thank you two can yall wait outside for the princess please I want to talk to our guest here." I said before I sat down and Bubbles and flash left the room. "Alright to start off I'm Sir Fox Lilly whats your name?" I said with a smile. "Grrrr." She said. "Ok Miss Growl, can you tell me why you're here?" I asked, still smiling. "Ggrrrooooowwwlll." Said her stomach making her blush. "I really doubt there was any food in there. Hmm do you like seafood?" I asked as I pulled a bowl of seafood ramen out of my bag and sat it down infront of her. I could see the hunger in her eyes like she hasn't eaten in days and she did look rather skinny for her size. She just stared at the bowl with drool slowly falling from her mouth. "Go on eat. I just made that about an hour ago and my bag keeps everything fresh." I said before I watched her grab the bowl and shove muzzle into it. "Whoa there slow down or you'll choke." I said with a chuckle as she stopped and pulled her muzzle out as some noodles slid back into the bowl as a blush lit her cheeks. "So Miss Growl do you have a real name or should I keep calling you growl?" I asked as I gave her a napkin. "Merrin." She said before slowly eating her noodles. "Alright Miss Merrin, why are you trying to break into a magical royal vault of magical artifacts?" I asked but just got silence. "I can tell you're not bad or looking to gain power so why risk your free life for a life behind bars so why?" I asked as I leaned forward on the table. "(Sigh) I was told there was an artifact in there that could cure my curse." She said with a small tear falling down her cheek. "Curse what curse?" I asked as I pulled up my display to take notes. "Seriously? Do you honestly think this is what I originally looked like?" She asked after slamming the now empty bowl on the table. "Girl you're talking to a being from another world who just got here less then a month ago and where i came from there was no talking ponies, dragons or any magic so yeah seriously." I said while I pulled out my tea and passed her a cup. "Oh...sorry. To answer your question I was cursed by a red and black dragon that dest3 my village and took our crystal from the shrine. I tried to protect it but he laughed while he cursed me before flying off." She said with hatred in her eyes as anger grew in me. "You said a red and black dragon. Did he have a name?" I asked through clenched teeth. "The elder called him Thorn before he was turned to ash with everypony else." She said as she began to cry. "I'm sorry that happened to you." I said sadly as I thought of Mera. "DON'T SAY YOUR SORRY WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING." She screamed at me. "THAT FUCKING DRAGON TO FAMILY FROM ME TOO!!" I yelled and slammed my fist into the table breaking it in half as Celestia walked into the room. "FOX outside now." Celestia said as she slammed her hoof down. "I'm sorry." I said to the now cowering dragon pony before I walked out with Celestia. "Guards can you give us a moment and watch the captive." She said before they went into the room and shut the door. "I'm sorry aunt Tia I let my anger get the better of me." I said with my head hanging low. "Fox I understand how you must be feeling but I need you to keep a level head. There is something that concerns me about this situation. The only ones to know of that vault are a few trusted guards, myself, and my sister. Not even Twilight knows about it let alone what might be inside. I would like to know what that mare was after." Celestia said with a worried look. "Alright I'll keep my emotions under control." I said before Celestia wrapped me in a wing hug that I happily accepted before returning into the room. "Guards I want you to come with me. I must reseal the vault immediately." Celestia said before leaving with Bubbles and Flash. "Sorry I lost my cool back there." I said and I used my magic to fix the table. "I'm sorry too I shouldn't have snapped like that." She said with a sniffle before I passed her a box of tissues. "Let's put the dragon to the side for now. Can you tell me who told you about the vault?" I said as I poured us some more tea. "Thats where things get...foggy. I left my village to look for the dragon and when I passed through a neighboring town I remember meeting him and what he said but I can't remember what he looks like. I just remember a black hase and red eyes." She said with clinched eye while rubbing her head with her claws. "What did he tell you?" I asked while taking notes. "He told me about an amulet in the shape of a dragon head with a dark ruby eye. He said it was here and gave me this crystal and said it would show me where it was hidden." She said as she put the same crystal that sucked up the magic from the vault door. "(Knock knock) Sir Fox I'm sorry to interrupt but the princess has requested your presence at the artifact vault." Flash said as he walked into the room. "I'll be right there Flash. I'll hold on to this for now alright. Here if you want you can have this mellon shake I made. I was saving it for later but I can always make more." I said as I picked up the crystal and set the shake down before I left Flash to guard the door. After a short walk I found myself outside the now open vault door with Celestia. "You called aunt Tia?" I asked the worried alicorn. "Yes, when you confronted the mare how far did she get into the vault?" She asked while we walked into the vault. "Not passed the door. I stopped her after the magic hiding the vault was sucked into here." I said as I gave her the crystal and she scanned it with her magic. "There's a seal eater spell attached to this. Did she mention where she got it from?" She asked before sending it away. "Yeah someone gave it to her on her travels. Said it would help locate the vault to find an artifact to cure her of a curse." I said as I looked around until I noticed an empty pedestal. "Did she say who gave it to her?" She asked, stepping up next to me. "A black hase with red eyes. She remembers what it said but not what it looked like." I said with concern. "Did she say what she was after?" She asked with a stern glare. "A dragon shaped amulet with a ruby eye. Aunt Tia what's goin on?" I asked while I grew more worried. "(Sigh) It's as I feared. After what you just told me, I believe that mare was used as a tool. After you apprehended her somepony broke the magic locks and stole that very same amulet. Fox there is nothing that can break a curse from an ancient dragon. That amulet contains the soul of a powerful necromancer and the master who taught Grogar. He almost took over the world with an undead army. Grogar was destroyed but no pony knew what became of his master, the only thing we found was that amulet." She said as we made our way out of the vault and Celestia resealed the door. "Oh this can't be good can it?" I asked while I put that information in my notes and sent it to Twink to review it and send me anything we have on them. "Indeed it's not and I fear that the dragon attacks are connected somehow. I was hoping that Twink and your library might know something that may help." She said as we approached the interrogation room. "Way ahead of ya aunty. I already sent my notes for review and I should know something tonight when I visit the library but for now we have a dragon pony to deal with." I said as I opened the door and found Merrin with the shake cup in her muzzle licking the bottom of the glass. "Pfft HAHAHA was it that good?" I said as I tried not to laugh at the blushing mare who slowly set the cup back on the table.  "Um yes it was very tasty thank you. So what now." She asked while I took a seat and Celestia sat next to me. "Well someone was using you to gain access to that vault and made off with that very same amulet you wanted and I'm sorry to say this but that amulet is no cure." I said sadly as I watched the hope fade from her eyes. "Then there's no hope for me to return to normal is there?" She asked with tears starting to fall. "Unfortunately no. A curse from an ancient dragon can not be lifted." Celestia said with a sad head shake as the mare started to cry. Then it hit me, I remembered reading about an enchantment while I was looking for a way to ease the poison joke curse. "Celestia, can I talk to you for a second." I quickly said as I stepped out of the room and searched for the book I read as Celestia stepped out and shut the door. "What is it Fox?" She asked while I flipped through the book. "I want to help her. I know the curse can't be lifted but I might know of a way for her to turn back the way she was. Here it is, take a look." I said as I turned the book to face her. "The True Self Enchantment, this enchantment can be placed on a wearable object such as a necklace or ring and changes the wearer to what they picture as their true self. When the wearer picks there form the enchantment can not be changed as long as it is worn but when the object is removed the wearer will return to what they looked like before they put on the enchanted object." She read as her eyes slowly grew wider as well as my smile. "With this enchantment she can live a normal life." I said happily at the thought giving her some hope back. "It certainly will...Fox do you know your mark is glowing...and you're wagging your tail." She said as she snickered but I just smiled more. "That happens sometime. Lets see, hmm I'm thinking a white gold thin chain, and it needs a gem to match her eyes and mane. Oh I know a black opal with a red and blue fire shimmer and an eastern dragons, one white gold and regular gold twisted together around the stone and just smaller than a bit. Yeah that should work. (Tink) Hmm." I said as I was broken out of my thoughts when something hit the ground behind and a wide eyed alicorn looked straight at me. "Did I say that out loud." I said with a bit of embarrassment. I have a habit of talking out my thoughts when I get excited about making something. "You made it." She said with a hoof pointing beside me and when I looked I was shocked to see the pendant laying at my feet. "But how." I said as I bent down to pick it up. "I think you may have used your magic subconsciously. When you shut your eyes and began talking about what you wanted, your magic began to form it and when you thought it was finished your magic faded leaving your creation behind." She said while inspecting it, it was perfect.  "Magic, I love you more every day." I said as I held up the pendant. "Fox It takes a lot of magic to create something from nothing. Even I need a bit of a break after casting a spell like that and you did it without even knowing. Are you alright?" She asked as I began to lean a bit. "Yeah but you're right about the magic use, now I'm tired and hungry. It was worth it." I said holding out the pendant happily before my stomach growled making Celestia chuckle. "It is very beautiful." She said as the tip of her horn lit up and she touched it on the pendant, covering it in magic. "There I put the True Self Enchantment on it. Now I'm sure you have something in that bag of yours to snack on and we have a mare sitting in a room alone waiting. Let's not be rude." She said with a warm smile and she was right, I did have a snack in my bag and pulled out a few bananas. "Come on." She said with a chuckle as she took one of my bananas and walked down the hall leaving me by the door. "Hey I was going to eat that." I said as I watched her hold up the peel and it disappeared. I laughed before quickly eating my banana and walked into the room with the sad Merrin. "I'm sorry I took a long time but I have some good news. First you won't be held on any charges." I said with a smile. "Yay." She said sadly. "And second I may have found a way for you to have a normal life." I said as I watched some light flash in her eyes. "Now it won't lift the curse but it will make you look and feel like the old you. This is the Dragonfire Pendant it enchanted with true self." I said as I held up the pendant. "What does It do?" She asked as she took it from me. "Put it on and think about how you were before the curse." I said while she slipped it on and closed her eyes. A bright light formed over her as her scales turned to deep blue fur, her tail turned to a red and pink striped tail, deep blue feathers grew on her wings. When the light faded there was now a deep blue pegasus mare with crossing scrolls as a cutie mark. "Did it work?" She asked with closed eyes. "Look for yourself." I said as I pulled a mirror from my bag and held it up. As soon as she opened her eyes they went wide and tears began to flow as she slowly lifted her front hooves. Before I could react I was tackled by the crying mare. "Now won't lift the curse but while you're wearing that pendant you'll stay like this." I said as I rubbed her soft back while I let her cry and after a few minutes she moved off me and sat there happily as she wiped her tears away until she looked up. "Is...is that snake flying." She said as I looked up to see Alya happily flying in circles above us. "Oh hey you learned to fly that's so awesome." I said as she floated down to my shoulder and nuzzled my cheek. "It's cute." She said as Alya flew to her head and gave her a quick nuzzle before coming back to me.  "This is Alya, she's a feathered serpent and Tammy is the orange tiny monkey in your mane." I said as Tammy slid down her mane with a smile and wave. "I really want to snuggle you." She said before Tammy jumped in for a face hug that was met with a very happy nuzzle.  "Well if you think they're cute you should see my daughter when we get home." I said as I stood up and opened the door. "Wait...what." She said as she froze and stared wide eyed at me. "Well you said your home was destroyed and I do have a spare bedroom since my daughter stays in my room, so yeah you got a place to stay." I said before I was once again tackled by the happy mare. . . . . . . "Soon, my master you will rule once again." Said the tall cloaked figure as he placed the dragon eye amulet on a pedestal in front of two larger black crystals. "Mater Dolus, we've located a key stone." Said a griffin that was missing half his face and wing, most of his body was just bone. "FOOL I said never to speak that name." The figure said before he blasted the griffin to dust as his hood fell revealing jet black hair and ears along with deep red eyes. "Calm yourself my vassel, for soon that name will not matter. We will soon have yet another key stone and I will be free to rot this world."  Said a voice from the shadows. "With this stone our powers grow. Using that cursed mare to break the seal on the vault of those...ponies was a simple matter. The next key is somewhere in the depths of the waters around that island of cats and once it's found I'll send Thorn to collect it and sink the island into the ocean." Dolus said as he slipped his hood back on. "No, you will be the one to collect this one and do not fail me or you will be the next pile of ash on the ground." Said the voice before it faded. "Well boy looks like we will meet very soon. I'm looking forward to it, nephew." Dolus said with an evil cackle before he sank into the shadows.