//------------------------------// // 29- Uhr // Story: The Chalk Prince and the Clover // by FrostTheWolf //------------------------------// Whenever it came to keeping an eye on the castle while Twilight was away, Spike would always take it upon himself to make sure that everything remained just the way that the alicorn had left it. After all, it was his responsibility and that meant that the dragon had to make sure that nothing out of the ordinary occurred while she was away. Of course, such a task wasn’t exactly easy by itself. Though, what made today’s task a bit more challenging than other days was that Spike also had to babysit Klee since Albedo had left with Twilight to go to Canterlot today. If that wasn’t enough of a headache, Pinkie Pie happened to make another unannounced visit. While on most days Spike could’ve been able to possibly handle Pinkie Pie by herself, having to handle both Pinkie Pie and Klee without any additional help was something else entirely. Though, much to his surprise, it seemed that the earth pony was wanting to actually help him with making sure the little bombardier didn’t cause any trouble. Heck, she even had a perfect idea at the time on what to do. Of course, it was that idea… and everything that transpired afterwards that led to their current situation. One that Twilight was not happy about. “So let me get this straight. You were trying to bake a cake that looked like one of Klee’s jumpy dumpties. Yet, you forgot to tell her that it was a cake and because of that, she turned it into a bomb?!” “And before we could tell her that wasn’t the case, she threw it and the cake exploded everywhere,” Spike told her as bits of cake that were stuck to the chandelier fell down and hit him on top of his head, “We’ve been trying to spend the afternoon cleaning it up, but as you can see, it’s quite a big mess.” That, in itself, was a big understatement of what Twilight and Albedo were looking at. Much of the cake that was scattered everywhere was stuck higher up on the walls and even covered a couple of windows, which prevented any light from coming in. Something that Spike had to fly up to with a sponge and a bucket in order to wipe it off, while Pinkie was trying to clean up everything that was closer to the ground. As for Klee, she just looked at both the alicorn and the alchemist, an apologetic look on her face as she held onto Dodoco. “I’m sorry,” Klee said apologetically, “I-I thought that they wanted to help me make Jumpy Dumpties! Klee didn’t mean to make a mess.” “It’s alright, Klee. You don’t have to apologize,” Albedo replied. “I think Pinkie just wanted to surprise you, that’s all.” “Still, Klee made this mess,” she proclaimed, pouting adorably as she looked at her brother, “Master Jean said that if I made a mess, I should help with cleaning it up since Klee is responsible! And Klee will not let something like child labor stop me!” That last part had Twilight blink, before raising an eyebrow, “I’m sorry, what-?” “Let’s just say that this isn’t the first time Klee has accidentally caused a mess. Though, the messes that have happened in Mondstadt are on a much bigger scale than this one,” Albedo admitted, “Klee really wanted to help, but there are laws in place where children are not to be hired as workers in any particular industry. So, many were concerned that if they had Klee helping them, they would practically violate the laws that were put in place.” “O… kay then,” the alicorn blinked, still trying to mentally process everything that she just heard. As for Spike, he had finished cleaning along the upper half of the walls and was now moving over to clean the chandelier. “So, how did your trip go?” the dragon asked in an attempt to change the subject, “Were you able to find who you were looking for?” The alchemist nodded as he took the bag that was in his pocket and set it down on the table. “Indeed. Might’ve had a couple minor hiccups, but all and all, our trip was rather successful.” “Minor hiccups?” “Nothing too much to be concerned with,” Twilight was quick to interject, “Though, we actually ran into Moondancer while we were in Canterlot. So we got the chance to catch up with her.” “Oh really?” the dragon asked, a bit surprised to hear Moondancer’s name come up since the last time that they actually saw her was when Twilight was doing a friendship presentation at Canterlot’s school for gifted unicorns, “How has she been?” “She’s been rather well from the sounds of things. In fact, with the school going on summer break, she’s looking for something to do. So, I thought she could help Albedo out.” “It’s an offer for the most part,” Albedo then spoke up to clarify, “Both of us have things that we need to clear up on our end first before we actually work on anything. I still need to assemble the crucible now that we have the proper materials and from what it sounded like, Moondancer had a few things that she needed to complete herself.” “Is she a new friend, big brother?” Klee asked. Albedo could only chuckle as he looked back at her. “Sort of. If all goes well, she might be somepony that could help us get back home. She’s a bit like Sucrose actually.” “Does she like books?” The little girl now asked, “Klee remembers that Sucrose would read me bedtime stories if you were away or busy.” “Yes, very much so,” Twilight answered. Though to Albedo, if they did happen to have Moondancer come to help them, he would think that she would more likely prefer to spend her time assisting him with research and discovery rather than babysitting his little sister. If Klee was able to slip away from Twilight & Spike and cause enough trouble for those who were keeping an eye on her, then she probably wouldn’t do any better with a close friend of Twilight’s. Though, an opportunity came when Albedo noticed his little sister letting out a yawn. “Hey Klee, are you alright?” “J-just a bit sleepy. But Klee can stay awake, big brother!” She tried to proclaim triumphantly. “I think Dodoco would want you to get some rest,” the alchemist insisted. “Really?” The young girl asked, before looking at the doll that was on the side of her bag, “Is that right, Dodoco? Do you think it’s nap time?” The equestrians in the room just stared at her in confusion, but Albedo gave them a reassuring smile. He knew that Klee was more than likely to listen if he happened to bring Dodoco into the conversation. For while it looked just like a simple doll, Klee saw Dodoco as part of her family. A close friend that her mother gave her so she didn’t have to feel alone. Shortly afterwards, Klee gave off a defeated sigh as she looked back towards Albedo. “Dodoco told me that a nap sounds like a good idea. So, Klee will go to her room.” Afterwards, she jumped off the chair that she was sitting on and began to make her way back towards her room to go take a nap. Once his sister had gone into her room, Albedo picked up the bag he set on the table and looked back to Twilight and the others. “Anyways, since we have what we need, I’ll get started with assembly. I won’t start any testing just yet, but I'll make sure to get everything ready.” ??? For days, they had traveled with the intent to try and see themselves reborn. But before they could search for the bell, they needed to watch. To observe. To see the one who reinvigorated his pursuit and ambition to return back to Teyvat. Inside the remains of the Castle of the Two Sisters, they found them. The one whose appearance in this world set off a chain reaction that they will lead to their return No matter what challenges lie ahead, they will endure them all. They had too… for it was the only way that they; Grogar, the Father of Monsters, will be reborn. “Huh… That’s strange. For a moment, I thought I felt someone watching me.”