//------------------------------// // 22 - Aiko - Journey to the Badlands // Story: Tales of an Equestrian Battle Mage // by Babroniedad //------------------------------// Aiko woke, yawning widely. Opening her eyes she saw Sunset smiling at her from the other side of the pillow. “See! I told you they would love you,” she grinned, looking down at Cadance laying across them both, still snoring peacefully, and Twilight curled up into an adorable little pony ball in the middle of them. Aiko grinned. “You did. I certainly see why you love them so much, they really are adorable.” Sunset snorted. “Don’t let them hear you say that! Cadance is determined to be taken seriously, and Twilight hates being reminded she's still a little filly. But yeah, they really are, aren’t they?” Aiko grinned back. “Count yourself among them filly! You’re adorable too.” “Pfht!” laughed Sunset. “I’m not adorable! I’m an oni. The oni pony, remember?” “An adorable little oni pony,” smirked Aiko. “Don’t forget the adorable part.” Sunset rolled her eyes with a smirk. “Sure, whatever. So ready to get to work?” “You mean my training? Absolutely!” agreed Aiko. “That’s why I’m here.” “That’s part of it.” agreed Sunset. “But also, I want you by my side. We’re leash sisters, we look out for each other. And we still have a job to do. We need to track the source of those stone arrowheads, find where that griffin merchant found them, then take them off the market and out of circulation permanently. There's no way am I leaving those out to take out more mages.” “I fully agree,” nodded Aiko. “Especially now that magic is an important part of who I am. I saw how they affected you, there’s no way I’d want that happening to me.” “Exactly,” smiled Sunset. “So time to pour through some forbidden tomes. We’ll drag little squirt and our mini-princess along too. Twilight excels at research, and Cadance needs to know she belongs with us. We can start during our private study time, I’m sure the squirt and Cadance won’t mind.” “You really do love them, don’t you,” smiled Aiko. “More than I ever imagined,” agreed Sunset. “I wouldn't have admitted that before, but I can't imagine my life without them.” She smiled at Aiko. “Or without you! Never forget that. You’re one of us now. Not just my leash sister, but part of our family. We belong together.” Aiko smiled. “For such a violent little pony, you certainly have a tender heart.” Sunset smiled. “I’m only the oni pony so I can protect those I love, and I’m sure you feel the same way. We're sister hearts, you and I.” “You know me well,” agreed Aiko, reaching over and smoothing her friend's mane. From their legs they heard a quiet chuckle. Cadance was awake, smiling and watching. “Don’t mind me,” she grinned sleepily. “You two are too sweet.” Sunset smirked, cocking an eyebrow. “That’s rich coming from the marshmallow princess of hearts. You’re way too sweet to talk.” Cadance grinned and rolled her eyes. Twilight stirred, opening an eye. “It wasn’t just a dream, you really are back,” she smiled sleepily, reaching out to snuggle tightly into Sunset as she drifted back asleep. “Duh ah! Now that’s adorable,” smiled Cadance. “Yeah, our little dork definitely has her moments,” agreed Sunset, smiling down at her little sister. She softly smoothed her mane as she slept gently nuzzled into her barrel. They laid there for a few moments enjoying the peace of the morning while the sun rose majestically over the horizon, the moon and its mare setting on the far side of the sky with their watch over the stars and heavens done. As they laid in bed enjoying the beauty of Celestia’s sunrise there was a knock at the door. One of the castle maids entered. “Good morning!” she called out to them. “The Princess sends her greetings, and a reminder she would like to see you all for breakfast in a few minutes. If you need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask.” She bowed and backed out of the room. “Well that’s our cue, we’ve been summoned. Time to get ready, let's not keep the Princess waiting,” said Sunset, gently waking Twilight. The others untangled from their sleeping pile, heading into the bathroom to perform their morning ablutions. “Twilight, wake up sleepyhead! The Princess is waiting for us,” prompted Sunset. “Wah…the Princess?” mumbled Twilight, waking again. “Okay.” She untangled herself from Sunset then dropped down from the bed, following the others into the bathroom. Sunset trotted along behind her. A few minutes later the sister students, washed and ready for their day, left together for breakfast with the Princess. After breakfast they joined the Princess for their lessons, a treat that was becoming rarer recently. The little herd of students, now expanded to include a very special vixen, listened raptly as the Princess taught them History and Statecraft, as well as some practical magic, the glamors and charms often useful in politics. They took notes, Twilight laboriously so trying to capture every word the Princess uttered. When the lessons were over Celestia dismissed them for lunch, followed by their private studies. “I look forward to reading your reports,” she smiled., then looking at Aiko she added, “That includes you too, my little vixen. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask your fellow students. I’m sure they won’t lead you astray.” Bowing, they left the Princess, heading back to their room and dropping off their notes then off to lunch. “Don’t forget, our self-study today is in the forbidden section of the library to look for any information about the magic absorbing artifacts. We need to find those quickly and get them out of circulation,” reminded Sunset as they headed to the common dining hall. The girls nodded. They raced through lunch, then ducking down an empty hall teleported into the forbidden section of the library. They popped into the library, appearing before a rather surprised Princess who looked up from the tome she was reading at the sound. She rolled her eyes, smirking at the sight of her students frozen in surprise before her. Celestia grinned. “I swear Sunset… Girls, I don’t know why I even bothered to restrict this section of the library if you are just going to pop in here all the time. What is this, your favorite study place?” Shaking off her surprise, Sunset grinned back. “Yes? But that’s not why we’re here. Remember in my briefing I mentioned the arrowhead that sucked my magic when I was attacked by the Ronin? And how we tracked them back to a griffin merchant, who apparently found them somewhere in Equestria? Our study self-assignment today is searching the archive for any mention of them and their location, so we can collect them and keep our mages safe,” she replied. “That’s..” Celestia thought for a moment. “That’s actually a very good idea. In fact, it’s an excellent idea. Well done my students!” She closed the her book, levitating it back up onto its shelf. “I am going to help you. Those certainly sound like a pressing menace to high powered magic users. They must be found and dealt with. What do we know?” Her students gathered around her and Sunset spoke. “We know he found them somewhere in Equestria less than a decade ago. He must have realized how powerful they were or he wouldn’t have traveled halfway around the world to sell them. He was looking to make a considerable profit from them, because he didn’t just sell off the bag to the first big bidder but traveled around trying to drum up interest. He apparently planned on circling back around after he had sparked demand, but he didn’t count on the rampant robbery plaguing Japony in recent history.” “A shame about that,” nodded Celestia. “I had hoped someone would be able to talk the Emperor out of that ill advised decree.” “You knew about that?” gasped Sunset. “Why didn’t you convince him not to do it?” “Sunset, that’s not how statecraft works,” Celestia sighed. “If I dictated to him or even gave unsolicited advice on how to run his kingdom, he would see that as an attempt on his and his nation’s sovereignty. And he would be right, it’s not my place to correct other kingdoms, no matter how much better I may know than them. Every country is free to make their own mistakes and deal with the consequences of their own decisions. When it affects our country then I weigh in, and even then only to the extent of mitigating damage to us.” Sunset frowned. “Warfare is so much simpler.” “Sometimes. It’s certainly more direct,” agreed Celestia. “Please continue my little Sunbeam.” Sunset resumed. “We canvassed the shops in one of the cities he stopped in and found he left a small sample with one vendor in that city. Apparently it was only that vendor, and possibly single vendors in other cities around Japony. I seriously doubt we'll be able to find all of them easily. But those small single stone samples are not as big a threat as the bag of them we recovered from the ronin who stole them, and whatever may remain from the source he found. The only real clue we have is that he came from Equestria and spoke mostly Equish, according to the merchant he left the sample with.” “That’s really not much to go on,” remarked the Princess. “No, it’s not. But I’m making a few inferences, warranted or not, for somewhere to start at least,” agreed Sunset. “From his speaking Equish and not speaking fluent Nipponies, I suspect he spent a considerable amount of time in Equestria, probably as a trader. From the fact that we have not seen any sign of this type of artifact here, I believe he found it himself and realized he could make a profit, but not here where in all likelihood that you would catch wind of it and track him down like a rabid beast.” Celestia scowled. Sunset laughed. “I meant like he was a rabid beast you had to find and stop. Not that you were a rabid beast,” she amended. “Better,” smirked Celestia. “Please continue.” “From the fact that he was not heard from again, I believe he was killed by the Ronin or some other bandits, or he gave up and went elsewhere. If he’d been able to return and gather more stones he would have continued with his efforts to sell them,” concluded Sunset. “Reasonable assumptions, and definitely a sound basis for beginning our investigation,” agreed Celestia. “Okay. We’ll pull the record of events and scan for any mentioned artifacts that can seal away or steal magical powers. I’d imagine this may take awhile. Those records are not kept here as they aren’t forbidden, so I will have them brought to us.” She got up and trotted to the door, opening it and conversing with one of the guards on duty. He saluted and trotted off on his errand. Celestia returned, taking her seat. “I’ve requested the head librarian gather the news summaries for the last thirty years, as well as the logs from the Equestrian Geographic and Celestial Observatory. My thoughts are if he was able to find these while moving about as a trader, but nopony else found them before, they may have been unearthed by some fairly recent seismic or celestial event, like an earthquake or a meteor. We’ll see how that pans out.” “Good thinking mom,” agreed Sunset. “I have my moments,” grinned Celestia. Her students laughed. A few minutes later there was a knock at the library door. “Come in,” Celestia called out. The guard who left to pass on her request entered, closing the door behind him. “Your highness, I passed your requests to the head librarian. She is gathering the documents you requested and asked me to inform you she will bring the first batch shortly, then gather up the rest and bring them over as soon as possible,” he reported. “Thank you sergeant. Please see her in when she arrives,” instructed the Princess. The guard saluted and exited, returning to his post. Minutes later he returned, escorting the head librarian in with a cart full of books. “Your highness,” she curtsied, “I’ve brought the Equestrian Geographic and Celestial Observatory records, as well as the recent news summaries. We’re gathering the news summaries for the last thirty years from our archives as you requested, and will bring them in as soon as possible.” “Thank you,” Celestia acknowledged with a nod. Bowing, the mare left. The guard shut the door. Celestia passed out the books to her students keeping a stack for herself. “Let’s get going. You know what we’re looking for. If you see anything interesting call it out,” instructed Celestia, opening her first scroll. They began quietly reading. Several minutes later the head librarian returned with another cart of tomes. Celestia passed those out to her students as well, then resumed her search. About an hour later Twilight spoke up. “I think I found something interesting,” she announced. “What do you see, squirt?” asked Sunset, looking up from the tome she was reading. “I found an article about thirty years ago that mentions a stone that stops the magic from anyone who touches it. An old gem hunter said he found it while gathering in the badlands, but when asked to turn it over for examination admitted he had lost it. He tried to take the authorities back to where he found it but couldn’t find that either, so the story was dismissed as an urban legend. What’s an urban legend?” asked Twilight. “It’s a myth, a story made up by ponies to scare or impress others,” answered Sunset. “Or it's a story that is true, but maybe not exactly in the way we thought or the pony telling the story remembered,” cautioned Celestia, “In this case, I suspect the old earth pony did find something, but just misplaced it and likely didn’t correctly remember where he found the stone. But we have another piece of the puzzle possibly. The badlands, and at least thirty years ago. Well done Twilight.” Celestia nuzzled her youngest student who beamed happily. Aiko spoke up. “In that case I may have something. I was looking through the Celestial Society journals and there was a meteorite that struck the badlands around that time. One second, I’ll find it,” she dug through the journal she was reading, flipping back through the pages. “I remember that,” nodded Celestia. “It was fairly bright and frightened quite a few ponies at the time. The papers ran ludicrous stories on it, everything from blaming it on the mare in the moon to predicting it was an omen the stars were starting to fall from the sky. I ended up having the Celestial Society make a pronouncement on it just to end all the wild speculations. Some ponies will say or do anything for a bit. It was quite shameful the fear and panic they spread just to sell a few more papers.” “Some things never change,” groused Sunset. “I wonder if that could be the source of our stones? Did the Society send anyone out to examine the site?” “No. They planned an expedition, but our relations with Griffinstone soured. They started skirmishes along the coast and into the badlands, restricting travel through the area until the hostilities died down. By the time things were settled again everypony had moved on.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Another thing that never seems to change. Why are we allies with them again?” “Welcome to statecraft, my little Sunbeam,” laughed Celestia. “They are definitely one of our most problematic allies. With them it's more like Marechiovelli said. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” “Here it is,” called out Aiko, sliding the journal over to Sunset. She quickly skimmed the article, noting the references cited at the end. She leaned over, found the cited journal in Aiko’s pile and pulled it free with her magic. Flipping through she found the article referenced. “Ah, good news. They projected the impact site based on observations of its fall,” Sunset summarized. She passed the journal over to Celestia. Celestia skimmed the journal entry, nodding. “A very good start,” she agreed. She set the journal aside for future reference as they continued looking. Two hours later with no new clues found, Celestia called it. “Okay my students, that was a productive effort yielding a promising lead, well done. I’ll authorize an excursion to the impact site for all of you. You can take off tomorrow and investigate. But now we need to clean this up and get ready for dinner.” Holding aside the two journals and the tome of news summaries referencing their finds, they gathered up the books, journals and scrolls then loaded them up onto the two carts brought in by the librarians. They then rolled them to the door for the guards to deliver for restocking. Leading her students back to her dining room, they stopped at the Princess’s suite to clean up, then together went to her private dining room for their dinner, chatting happily through the meal in excitement. “Road trip!” grinned Sunset. “Our first remote assignment together! I can’t wait!” “You mean sky trip!” corrected Twilight, grinning happily. “In our own Pirate Ship!” Sunset ruffled her mane. “Yes, Sky Trip. In our own Schooner. It’s not a pirate ship anymore, silly filly. It’s a schooner in the service of Celestia's Royal Navy.” “It’s still a pirate ship to me,” grinned Twilight. “Argh! I should wear an eye-patch!” “Please don’t,” laughed Celestia. “I don’t need you bumbling over the edge and falling through the clouds again because you couldn’t see properly.” “That wasn’t my fault!” huffed Twilight. “Somepony dropped me through the clouds!” She scowled at Sunset. Sunset pulled her in for a hug. “Thanks mom!” she snarked. “Just when I thought she was getting over that.” Twilight settled into the hug, snuggling into her sister for a moment, then sat back in her chair. “I’ll ask the crew to be prepared to leave right after our morning breakfast. You can spend the day examining the site, then report back for our dinner together and let me know what you found,” stated Celestia. Plans made, they finished their dinner and retired to Sunset’s apartment to prepare for their journey and get a good night’s sleep. They packed what they would need for the trip, complete with Sunset helping Twilight pair down what she was bringing to something that could reasonably fit into a saddle bag. Sunset pointed out to Twilight thirty scrolls might be a bit excessive. They performed their nightly ablutions ending in a soak together in the warm tub with Twilight swimming happily between them. Eventually once her excited energy was expended, she cuddled up in Sunset’s forelegs, nuzzled up on her barrel and sound asleep in the warm water. After their thoroughly relaxing soak, Sunset dried, oiled, and powdered her little friend, who dozed soundly through the entire process, before joining her sisters in drying off. They snuggled up together in a pony pile on her bed, blankets laid out over them due to the chill of the night, with Twilight warmly swaddled in the middle, her plushie Smarty Pants wrapped tightly in her grasp. The next morning, roused by their maid and the rising sun, the friends prepared quickly for the day and excitedly moved through the castle, joining their Princess for breakfast. “Good morning my dear students,” greeted Celestia, sipping her tea and nibbling her tea cake while she waited. “Good morning Princess,” they bowed, taking their seats as the maid prepared their tea and placed a slice of tea cake in front of each of them. They ate them quickly, savoring the tea. “So, are you ready for your excursion?” smiled Celestia. “Packed and ready to go,” agreed Sunset with Twilight nodded emphatically. “And looking forward to the brief voyage on our schooner.” “Pirate Ship!” chirped out Twilight. “Schooner of the Equestrian Navy,” corrected Sunset with a grin. “Pirate Ship,” repeated Twilight. Sunset laughed and ruffled her mane. “If you say so squirt,” she teased. Turning back to the Princess, she continued. “We packed last night so we would be ready to go. We just need to grab our saddle bags then head over to the sky port and be on our way.” Celestia nodded, pleased. “I’m sure it will be a grand adventure for all of you. Hopefully a grand, safe adventure,” she amended. “We hope so,” agreed Sunset. “Though if any trouble does present itself, there will be two battle mages there to meet it, along with the crew of a very determined little Naval Schooner.” Aiko nodded at that. Celestia smiled. “Yes, I know you are all in good hooves.” Breakfast was brought in, pancakes served in the Princess style, with lots of whipped cream, chocolate chips, drizzled caramel and chocolate syrups, along with maple syrup and butter. After blessings and enjoying the tasty breakfast, Celestia bade them goodbye, reminding them she would see them again for dinner. Bowing to her they then departed, heading straight back to Sunset’s apartment for any last minute ablutions. Saddling up their bags, they trotted out and across the keep to the spires of the castle air port, reporting to the master at arms who directed them to the current berthing for their repurposed Schooner. They boarded, noting it was now flying the colors of Equestria flag waving in the wind, its white and black alicorns chasing each other with each crack and furl. “Wow, they really cleaned it up nice. It looks like new,” commented Sunset as they stood in the center of the deck looking it over. A familiar mare trotted over to join them. “Major Full Sail,” greeted Sunset. “A pleasure to see you here.” The Major saluted crisply with a grin. “It’s Captain Full Sail now, Commander,” she corrected. “Captain Full Sail and crew, ready for duty. Welcome aboard the Phoenix Sun, Commander.” “Who picked out that name? I love it,” smiled Sunset. Aiko grinned. “I may have had some input,” she admitted. The Major laughed. “Her first recommendation was The Pony Oni, but the Princess put the nix on that one.” Sunset rolled her eyes and laughed. “Remind me to thank her,” she snarked. “Thanks Aiko.” “What are sister’s for?” Aiko quipped. “Glad you like it.” Introductions made, the Captain escorted them into her quarters, inviting them to her table while her steward poured them tea. The Captain pulled out her maps, laying them out in the middle of the table. “So our journey will be brief, just a little over two hours to arrive at the reported site of the meteor impact,” the Captain explained. “When we get there we will drop a land anchor for station keeping, then provide you with any escort needed to the ground below. We will keep overwatch. When you are ready you can re-board and we will return to Canterlot, in time for your dinner with the Princess I was told?” “That is the plan,” Sunset confirmed, sipping her tea. The Captain continued, tracing out their route on the map with a primary. “We'll pass over Ponyville and into the Everfree Forest, crossing over its eastern expense and into the San Palomino Desert. From there we will skirt Dodge City, heading towards the eastern pass through the Macintosh Hills and into the Badlands themselves. From there it will be a brief flight to the central expanse where the meteor is projected to have fallen. With any luck we should be there in a little over two hours.” As they were talking they heard preparations to get underway outside the cabin. A single bell rang out. With a gentle bump they felt the Schooner release from her moorings. “And with that we are underway. Make yourselves comfortable ladies, our maiden voyage has begun,” grinned the Captain. Leaving her sisters under the guidance of Aiko, Sunset joined the Captain on the bridge of the Phoenix Sun. The watch mare saluted them both as they entered. “Captain, Commander,” she called out, saluting. “All crew to attention, Captain and Commander on the Bridge!” The bridge crew all turned and smartly saluted. Entering and closing the door behind them, Sunset and the Captain returned their salutes. “At ease,” the Captain called out, trotting over with Sunset to her First Officer. “XO, how goes it?” “Flawless departure, Captain. Full sail and steady rudder,” replied the XO, rising from the commander's chair in deference to her captain. The Captain turned to Sunset. “Commander?” she asked, looking towards the chair. “Your ship, your crew, Captain. Please,” deferred Sunset. The Captain nodded, taking the proffered seat. Sunset stood off to her right with the XO standing to the Captain’s left. Together they watched the crew effortlessly pilot the schooner into the clouds, then through and up and above them as the schooner rose on a steady heading to their cruising altitude. The pegasus crew flew and climbed through the rigging, trimming sails to take full advantage of the prevailing winds. Like a well designed machine they coaxed the schooner to its full potential as it briskly moved over the clouds above Ponyville, heading into the chaotic region of the Everfree forest. Skilled shipmares and stallions, they anticipated and adjusted for the chaotic gusts over the Everfree, keeping the ship on course and the helm steady. The pegasus scouts surrounding the ship would call out adjustments to the helmsmare, who would repeat them back as she made the necessary corrections. Together they kept the beam straight and true despite the gusts and roils of the weather. A short while later they reached the southeastern edge of the Everfree, leaving behind the chaotic weather of the forest as the ancient castle of the two sisters fading from view off to their west. Below them the open expanse of the San Palomino desert stretched out to the horizon. The watch shifted with half of the watchmares heading out further from the ship, adjusting their monitoring and direction of the weather around them to accommodate the expansive desert. Gently roiling dust devils rose up from the desert floor, dissipating into broad sandy gusting winds several hundreds of spans from the surface. Over these the ship flew, racing on the winds towards their destination. Some time later the large settlement of Dodge City came into view off the port side. The sprawling desert community was vibrant and active, with ponies pulling carts moving through the streets and pegasus moving through the air on their errands. A train was waiting at the station, smoke and steam drifting from the engine as the cars were unloaded of their wares. Passing over the station, they headed on a southeastern bearing into the southern expanse of the desert. Before them the inaptly named Macintosh Hills stretched out, marking the edge of the San Palomino desert. They saw the open mountain pass in the distance, and through it the expansive badlands stretched out with its jagged landscape of the rocks, hills, gullies and canyons. Soon they entered the pass, the ranging mountains of the Macintosh Hills rising to their port and starboard. The ship with its escort of watchmares sped through the pass entering into the badlands proper. Before them league after league of the badland landscape continued on to the horizon. No cities or settlements were present in this unforgiving terrain, only scattered vegetation with no visible signs of wildlife. The captain rose with her XO following, taking her sextant from her command table then stepping out onto the command deck. Sighting through the instrument she read off the heading, making notations on in the watch log upon reentering the bridge. Together they returned to the command seat, relieving Sunset who rose from it, retaking her position beside the command chair. The captain resumed her seat with the XO again taking her position beside her. “We’re on course, bearing straight to the estimated impact site. We should be coming up to it within the next quarter hour or so,” reported the captain to Sunset. “That you Captain,” Sunset acknowledged. Together they watched the badlands landscape pass beneath them. Roughly a quarter hour later they came upon a hole in the landscape, a crater several stadia in circumference that had displaced a section of the badlands. The ejected debris and detritus spread from the crater marking the path the meteor had taken. They circled down over the crater stopping a few hundred cubits about the crater floor. The crew dropped the earth anchor, catching it into the crater floor and temporarily mooring their craft in place. “I’ll let my companions know we’ve arrived,” excused Sunset, leaving the bridge and heading into the Captain's quarters. “We’re here,” she announced to her sisters. “Time to find our magic rocks.” Aiko, Cadance, and Twilight rose from where they had been resting and chatting, trotting over to join Sunset. Picking up Twilight in her magic, Sunset settled her down on her withers as together they headed out onto the deck, stopping at the guardrails to lean over and examine the ground beneath them. “I’m getting a weird vibe from below but I’m not really seeing anything that stands out,” observed Sunset. “I can see what might be the impact point over there,” Aiko pointed. “But it’s covered by what was probably ejecta from the impact. We may have to do some digging to find what we are looking for.” Sunset nodded in agreement. The captain trotted up to them. “We’re here Commander. Do you and your team require assistance getting to the ground?” “Nah, we got this. Thank you Captain. Please continue your overwatch while we conduct our investigation,” responded Sunset. With a nod to the captain, she leapt over the railing, Twilight hanging onto her mane tightly. Aiko and Cadance followed her, Cadance taking hold of Aiko as she spiraled gently down to the crater floor. Twilight and Sunset plunged towards the ground, disappearing in a teal flash to appear below them on the floor of the crater. Joining them, Cadance gently set Aiko down then settled to the ground herself with a flap of her wings. Together the students trotted towards the impact point Aiko had sighted. To their surprise, as they neared impact point an earth pony mare with a pickaxe stepped out from behind one of the larger rocks, proceeding to strike the rock, digging into its surface with the pickaxe. Sunset trotted up to the mare. “Hello miss. What are you looking for?” she asked. “Oh, howdy all,” greeted the mare, looking over and noticing the small herd. “Sorry, don’t get many visitors here. This here’s my claim. I’m a gem prospector, looking for gems and valuable stones. If’n yer here to horn on my claim I’ll have to ask you to bugger off, but if’n yer just visiting yer more than welcome stay for mite.” “Well regrettably we are here to prospect for stones ourselves,” clarified Sunset. “Though if you have the prior claim, we will see that you are adequately compensated for your time and loss of anything that we require.” Grumbling, the mare resumed her digging. “See that you do. We don’t take kindly to claim-jumping around here.” Sunset and her sister students left her to her work, trotting to the impact site. “I can feel something here,” acknowledged Sunset. Together they set to work digging out the debris, sifting through for any rocks with magic sucking properties. After an hour later they had made significant headway in clearing away the ejecta from the impact sight. They were finding larger stones at this point when Twilight called out. “I think I found something!” Twilight tried to pick the stone up in her magic but it just glowed green, absorbing her magic and remaining still. She then bent over and picked it up in her hoof but quickly dropped it, shaking her hoof. “Ouch!” she cried. Sunset bent over, lightly touching the stone. It glowed green for a moment. She picked it up and quickly tossed it into her saddlebag. “Well done squirt! That was definitely one of them. We’re in the right place!” She ruffled Twilight’s mane in thanks, then they resumed their search. By the time they had dug down to the bedrock, they had filled all four of their saddlebags with the green glowing rocks. Digging further around and satisfied they had at the very least found everything in this area, Cadance removed her saddlebag and flew back up to the schooner. She returned with the end of a rope, which they tied to all of their saddlebags. Sunset trotted over to the prospector. “We’ll likely be back to look more, but we have what we need for now. This should be more than compensation for your troubles and the stones we have taken. Thank you,” she explained, handing a bag of gold bits over to the mare. With a nod she left, rejoining her sisters. “Okay, we have what we need, and we know where to come back. Time to head back to Canterlot,” smiled Sunset. Leaving the bags tied to the rope, she teleported them back up onto the ship. Pulling the rope up after them, they redoned their saddlebags, stowing the robe and trotting to the bridge to alert the Captain they were finished for the day. Watching them fly off, the prospector continued chipping away at the large stone. When she was sure they were out of sight, she pulled back and swung with a burst of energy, shattering the stone, pieces falling away from the green glowing core. It was easily several times the size of even a large pony. The prospector shimmered, and where she was standing now was an insectoid pony with gossamer wings, a jagged green horn, holes all through its legs, covered in a black caprice. Turning, she spun out green thread, quickly building up a wrapped cocoon around the glowing green core. Trailing out strands of webbing, she attached them to the cocoon, and rising up on her gossamer wings, lifted the stone up from the crater floor, flying off with it trailing behind her, heading over the horizon deeper into the badlands. Alighting at the Canterlot Air Port, the Phoenix Sun docked and Sunset and her sister students disembarked. They trotted directly to the castle proper, heading for the Princess’s dining room and dinner with their Mentor. They brought the fragments they had found with them still in their saddlebags. Sunset had wrapped one of them in cloth and carefully placed at the top of her saddlebag with her supplies. Even now she could feel the drain from the stones as they leached at her magical power. Entering the dining room, they doffed their bags and took their places as they waited for the Princess. Sunset removed the wrapped stone from her bag, carefully unwrapping it and placing it on the table before her. “How can you even stand to touch it?” asked Twilight. “When I touched it, I felt like I had just placed my hoof in a raging fire. It hurt so bad all I could think about was getting it away from me.” “It does hurt that bad. But you get used to it. You just need to be quick about it before it sucks so much from you that you can’t move. If you let it, I’m sure it would keep removing your magical essence until you died from the loss. I can’t imagine that would be a pleasant way to go,” responded Sunset, staring at the stone. “That’s what happened to you when you got shot with that arrow, right?” asked Cadance. “Yes. I ripped it out as quickly as I could, but I was essentially out of the fight at that point. I was near comatose and not much use to anyone. It’s a highly effective weapon against magical creatures like ourselves,” Sunset agreed. “And that’s why we need to find all of these and destroy or contain them,” Aiko added. “As magical creatures, these are weapons of mass destruction for us. It would turn the course of any battle against us. We have to deny any enemies this weapon.” Sunset nodded. “I think we made a good start today. Finding the meteor that was the source of the artifacts was fortuitous. We just need to find any other places where our missing merchant may have sold or cached these then we'll be in good shape.” Celestia trotted in, taking her place at the head of the table. The maid followed her, serving up tea and tea cakes, then taking everyone's dinner orders. “So my little students, I see you had a successful day. Is that stone one of the artifacts you hoped to find?” asked Celestia, eyeing the slightly glowing green stone that was holding her students attention. “Yes mom, this is one of the artifacts,” agreed Sunset, pulling out of her reverie. “Just to warn you, magic doesn’t work on it and holding it hurts like you wouldn’t believe. Take a look.” Sunset pushed the cloth with the stone over to Celestia, who tried to take it in her magic. As Sunset stated, it just soaked in the Princess’s magic and didn’t budge. Reaching out with her petraled forehoof she touched it, letting out a quick hiss as she pulled her hoof back. “You weren’t kidding about the pain,” noted Celestia, reaching out again to take the stone. She took hold of it with a gasp, holding it up in the one hoof and examining it. After a few moments of turning it around and probing it with her other forehoof, she placed it back on the cloth and let out the breath she had been holding. “Yes, I think I can safely say that given enough time in contact with that artifact, even I would eventually succumb to it,” observed Celestia. “We definitely need to find and contain or destroy these stones,” agreed Celestia. “So, other than that, how was your maiden cruise on the Pony Oni?” Sunset smirked. “I heard you shot that name down.” She glanced over at the grinning vixen, then back to Celestia. “The Phoenix Sun performed beautifully. Captain Full Sail and her crew handled her flawlessly, even through wild magic disturbances as we crossed over the Everfree forest. They were efficient, fast and completely professional.” Celestia laughed. “As I would expect from her and her crew. So we didn’t waste Equestria’s bits on purchasing and refitting your captured Pirate Schooner. Good to know.” “You know, when.. whatever it is we are currently doing with Griffonstone, I guess it’s not quite a war at this point… but whenever that’s over, I do have two privateer ships currently running around in the Celestial Sea. I’m sure we could pull them into the fold after this is over, crews and all,” mused Sunset. “Yes, quite the little navy you have amassed for yourself ,” nodded Celestia, still grinning. “Should I be concerned?” “Really mom?” snarked Sunset. “Yes, I definitely plan to depose you. Not! But I do intend to one day rule by your side so you don’t have to do everything alone.” She looked around the table with a smile. “And apparently, I won’t be alone either. If I‘m reading the portents correctly I’ll have plenty of company.” She smiled at Cadance and Twilight, then winked at Aiko. Celestia laughed. “As will I, my dear student. But only when you are ready. You still have much to learn and grow.” “Sure mom, when it’s time,” agreed Sunset. “As long as it’s not too long a wait, because you could really use the help now, not later,” noted Sunset. “More than you could possibly know,” agreed Celestia, smiling at her students. Sunset looked puzzled. “What does that mean?” she asked. “Don’t worry, my little Sunbeam. In its time,” smiled Celestia. “Okay…” Sunset nodded. “Sure, I’ll ask again later. When it’s time,” she grinned. Wrapping up the gem in the cloth, Sunset slid it back over to the Princess. “I think you should keep all of these we find, and destroy or lock them away for safekeeping, whatever you think best. When I go back to Japony, I will dig up the others I hid for safekeeping and return those to you as well.” “Thank you Sunset. I will lock this and the rest of what you found away with the other dangerous artifacts I have recovered over the ages,” agreed Celestia, sliding the stone over to her place. Their dinners arrived. When everyone was served Celestia led them in a prayer of gratitude. They ate, chatting about the day with their mentor. Eventually the dinner plates cleared and dessert served - cake, to absolutely no one’s surprise. They then loaded all of the rocks from their bags onto a cart the princess had brought in, then bid the Princess goodnight and headed for Sunset’s apartment. “Hey, does anyone else feel like a good soak before we start our study session?” asked Sunset as they entered the apartment. “After today I could really use the bath and a chance to relax,” she commented, setting her saddlebags on her desk. “I’m in!” Twilight chimed happily. She threw her saddlebag onto Sunset’s bed and pronked into the bathroom. Sunset laughed, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t mean right away squirt,” she called into the bathroom as she heard water start running. “Ah, nevermind. Hey, so does everyone feel up to taking a bath?” Cadance laughed as she set her saddlebags on the desk next to Sunset’s. “I’ll go help her,” she agreed, entering the bathroom. “Oh dear! Twilight, you’re making a huge mess!” she said as the door shut behind her. Aiko laughed. “I can see why you love them. You’re all peas in a pod.” “Hey, don’t forget you’re one of the peas too!” grinned Sunset, pulling Aiko into a side hug. “Sisters forever. Come on pea, let’s hop in the soup.” Laughing, she led the way into the bathroom. Aiko tossed her bag onto the bed then followed right behind her. The tub still filling, Cadance had pulled Twilight over to the bathing stools and was soaping her down, scrubbing away all the dirt and dust from the crater. Sunset and Aiko sat on their stools next to her, dumping the water over themselves then scrubbing down as well. Once she was finished, Sunset took Twilight so Cadance could scrub. Rinsing Twilight and herself down, Sunset teased her little sister. “Last one in is a sore loser!” Taking the bait, Twilight wiggled out of her grasp and dashed to the tub, diving in. “Careful squirt! We don’t want you braining yourself then drowning,” teased Sunset as she stepped into the tub taking her usual spot. “You heard the Princess. You’re important to the future of this kingdom.” “No, she said we are important to the future of this kingdom. She meant all of us!” smiled Twilight, paddling back and forth across the tub. Sunset scooped her into her forelegs as Cadance and Aiko joined them in the tub. She gave her sister a noogie, scruffing her mane. “And we includes you, squirt. You are important.” “No more than the rest of us,” countered Twilight, wiggling free to again paddle back and forth. “Probably. What does it matter as long as we’re helping mom and we’re together,” replied Sunset, leaning back into the water. “Ah, now this is the way to finish the day,” she sighed. “With your sisters?” prompted Aiko, leaning into her with a contented grin. “With my sisters,” agreed Sunset. Cadance grinned from her spot, leaning back into the warm water. "I couldn't agree more.” Smiling, they watched their energetic filly paddle back and forth, happy to let her work off any extra energy before they went to bed to study and eventually sleep. A while later Twilight had slowed noticeably. Sunset pulled her in, resting her muzzle on her shoulder as she gently rubbed her back and mane. Twilight continued talking the entire time, about the things she had seen on the ship, the magic stones, the latest magic she had studied, and anything else that came to mind as she snuggled down into Sunset’s embrace smiling contentedly. Eventually the stream of chatter from the little filly slowed, the gaps growing longer between her comments. With a contented smile Sunset watched her eyes flutter, then finally close. A moment later a gentle snore escaped the exhausted filly as her sisters looked on in loving contentment. Cadance smiled. “That little filly has a ton of energy, but that works every time.” “Not surprising,” agreed Sunset, still gently rubbing her sisters back. “Works for me too. Who doesn’t need to know they’re loved and wanted?” “I have to agree,” nodded Aiko. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else or with anyone else.” “I’ll second that,” nodded Cadance with a grin. “I would rather be with you three than anywhere else.” “Same here,” smiled Sunset. They soaked for a while longer, quietly enjoying each others’ company punctuated by the gentle snores of their littlest sister. Bath over, oiled and brushed, and back in bed with Twilight gently swaddled between them still softly snoring, they quietly read, studying their magic lessons for the next day. Looking up from her lessons some time later Sunset noticed her sisters had all fallen asleep, their books now fallen over their barrels. She gently levitated their books to her desk, then wrapped both them and herself up in warm blankets, turning out the lights and settling down for a good night’s sleep. “I love you,” she whispered softly to them as she fell asleep.