Chapter 3
Early next morning, the Cantalot-Ponyville express speed through the equestrian countryside. Inside the train the trio of stallions were sat in a private booth discussing the task set by Princess Luna.
"I still dont get why the princess chose us of all ponies to do this" said Steel "Surely she has servants- or even her guards, who can do this themselves."
"Ah, but thats the point" replied Sliver "She doesn't want anyone to close to her for this task. She is trying to avoid bad publicity, and if the press got wind of her moving away from Cantalot, why, they would have a field day."
"But wouldn't the press have the same reaction when the Princess declares her move. She can't just slip out of the castle on a whim and not be noticed, she's the bloody Princess."
Charles rolled his eyes and stared out the window. The twins had been debating this point back and forth ever since he had told them about the job. This particular batch of arguments had been branded about at least 4 times now, or so it felt. He was beginning to suspect the brothers were only arguing for the mere sake of it and it was starting to bore him to tears.
"So" began Charles, hoping to change the topic "Have you given the new eye any more thought, Steel?"
"Nope" replied Steel, rubbing his eye patch with a hoof "I will never come within hoofs reach of one of your crazy contraptions again, let alone allow you to put one in my head."
"But I swear that this can not explode. And it has so many useful features. Here, let me show you" Charles reached into a pocket on his waistcoat.
"You brought it with you!?" exclaimed the brothers simultaneously from their new hiding place in the luggage rack. Charles frowned up at them, but left the device in his pocket.
"Say, you did inform the Princess of your family curse, right?" Inquired Silver as the brothers climbed back down.
"Curse?" asked Charles innocently.
Sliver replied with a deadpan glare. "Yes, curse. As in the one that was placed upon your family by an angry and hoodwinked goddess. The one that causes your inventions to explode, your expeditions become lost and just generally strike you down with bad luck."
Charles looked sheepishly away. "It, uh, it didn't, how do i say this, um, it, well-"
"Spit it out already!" Snapped Steel
"It didn't come up alright! I didn't mention it and She didn't ask about it!"
"So she doesn't know that this trip is inherently doomed then? Say, Steel, what do you think the penalty for failing a divinely appointed task is?"
"Banishment. To the moon, almost certainly."
"Oh come on, thats not going to happen. Anyway, I am fairly sure that the curse wouldn't dare interfere with a task like this." Charles interjected.
Steel and Sliver simultaneously facehoofed.
"You had to say it..."
---
Spike woke to the sounds of crashing and banging downstairs. The diminutive purple baby dragon rubbed his sleepy eyes and staggered down to the main room of the library/tree house-thing he and Twilight lived in. The room looked like a bomb had hit it. Or another of Twilights all night study sessions, there wasn't really much difference between the two. Sometimes even the resulting screams where the same. Spike found the purple unicorn frantically rushing around trying to force a large pile of books back onto the shelves from off the floor, but in her haste kept knocking them off again. Each time this happened her mane became slightly more frazzled than before.
"Twilight, what are you doing?" he asked yawning.
"I'm trying to tidy this place up, what does it look like I am doing?" she replied breathlessly, not even stoping her frantic work to look at him.
"But why?" Spike asked, running over to where an enchanted broom was trying to sweep some books under the carpet.
"Derpy dropped of a letter from the princess just now telling me we have guests arriving today!" Twilight passed a scroll over to him with her magic.
"The Princess? Why didn't she just send it through me?"
"Princess Luna, Spike, not Princess Celestia. Just read it, it explains everything."
"Okay. Ahem." Spike gave up on the broom and began reading. "Dearest Twilight Sparkle, i hope you and your friends are doing well. Life at the castle is still difficult, but things are improving somewhat. I wish to ask a favour of you. I am sending the explorer and inventor Professor Charles Hoofington - huh, never heard of him."
"Just get on with it"
"Okay okay, keep your mane on. Anyway, blah blah.. Hoofington to investigate the structural stability of the Everfree Forest Ruins, in order to discover whether or not the castle can be made liveable once more. It is my wish that you accompany and assist him and his two servants in this task. They should be arriving tomorrow- uh Twilight-"
"Check the date on the letter. Derpy delivered it late. Something about a doctor and time being wrong, whatever that means. Their coming today."
"Oh. Uh, arriving tomorrow, which should give you plenty of time to prepare for their arrival. Signed, your loving Princess Luna. Oh thats sweet, she even added a heart. P.S can't wait to have you back in Cantalot, you little minx-"
"Okay, no need to finish that off." Twilight said, hastily pulling the letter off Spike with her magic, before neatly folding it and sliding it into her diary. Spike wisely decided to not pursue the matter.
"So when are they getting hear then?"
A sudden knocking at the door answered Spikes question.