The storm continued into the night. There was still the occasional pitter-patter of rain against the windows and lightning would strike every so often, but everyone slept through it. Lily slept comfortably in the guest room as her new friends all used their usual bedrooms.
Aurora slept peacefully until she heard something moving in the hallway. She sat upright in bed and listened harder. She heard sniffing followed by the sound of something being dragged slowly over the ground, almost like it was slithering. She looked over to her door to see a shadow creep by the light coming in from the bottom. She grew tense and her heart started beating faster. There was no way this could be Nightwatch or Buttercream getting up to go to the restroom since there would be footsteps, and Lily would probably just hover. Aurora reached over and shook Midnight to wake him up.
“Midnight! Get up!” she whispered frantically.
“Uh…honey, what is it?” he mumbled.
“There’s something out there!”
“It’s probably one of the kids. Just go back to bed.”
“No, it wasn’t the kids. Something is out there sniffing and it sounded like it was slithering over the ground. Do you hear it?”
Midnight sat still and heard the noises his wife was describing. He got up and walked slowly to the door. They both opened it and peered out into the hallway. They looked towards the steps leading to the living room and saw nothing. They looked back to the other end where the guest room door was. Sure enough, there was a large dark object moving around in front of the door, sniffing and trying to poke its nose underneath. It appeared to be a thick snake that could have been about three or more feet in length if it were stretched out. The creature kept sniffing until it became alert and lifted its head. It quickly spun around and stared at Aurora and Midnight. It had huge green eyes with slit pupils. Aurora and Midnight trembled and their hearts dropped. The creature quickly zoomed past them through the hallway and down the steps. They were both so frightened; they stumbled backwards and landed with a thud on the floor of their bedroom, causing some belongings on their dresser to fall over.
“WHAT WAS THAT?!” shouted Aurora.
“The world’s biggest snake, that’s what!” Midnight replied as he started digging through his closet and came out with a large net and flashlight.
“Dad?!” said Nightwatch across the hallway.
“What happened? Are you guys okay?” Buttercream asked.
“SHHHH!” Aurora said. “We saw a huge spikey snake slithering around out here! It almost got into Lily’s room!”
“I’m going down now. Stay behind me,” Midnight said, carrying the net with his magic.
They all stepped quietly towards the top of the steps and looked down into the living room. Aurora used the flashlight and pointed it into the whole front area of the house with the kitchen and living room. She pointed it around in the kitchen, thinking the creature would go for food first. She then heard sounds to her right and pointed it towards the living room. She didn’t see the creature, but a paper had fallen off of a table and floated down to the ground. Midnight slowly walked down the steps, trying not to cause it to creek. Everyone followed closely behind, keeping their eyes on the living room. In a few moments, Midnight had reached the bottom of the steps with everyone else behind him. They continued to survey the living room but could not see the creature. Midnight tried to turn on a wall-mounted light switch, but the power had gone out from the storm.
“Great. No power,” Midnight grumbled.
“What color was it?” Nightwatch asked.
“We didn’t get to see it good enough to tell, but it had glowing green eyes,” Aurora replied.
Midnight walked over to a junk drawer in the kitchen and pulled out another flashlight for Aurora, while Nightwatch cast a spell with his horn to light the way.
“Kids, you look in the dining room and laundry,” he told them. “I think I left the cellar door open, so I’m gonna check down there after I try the back porch. Aury, you keep checking the living room and kitchen.”
Everyone split up and went their separate ways. Buttercream was scared and stuck with Nightwatch.
“It’ll be okay, Butter,” Nightwatch told the little dragon.
“Nighty, what do you think a giant snake is doing in our house? Is it like a boa-constrictor?”
“Nah, those things aren’t native to this part of Equestria. I’m sure Mom and Dad just saw some weird looking rodent or some other animal from the forest.”
“Yeah, but the slithering part and the eyes?”
“They were half asleep when they saw it. It’s probably just their imagination.”
“Okay, well we’d better get it quick before Lily wakes up and wonders what we’re up to.”
“Shhh! Butter, look…”
They both stopped as Nightwatch pointed to something in the dining room. There were droplets of what appeared to be dog slobber on the ground, leading over to the corner of the room. Nightwatch used his magic to move a chair in the corner but there was nothing there. He then felt Butter tapping his shoulder frantically.
“N-n-n-ni-nighty…”
Nightwatch looked to see her pointing up to the ceiling. He looked up and saw the creature. It was just as Aurora had described it. The eyes appeared green, though it was squinting its eyes in the light. He could now make out its colors. It was maroon with pink spikes and underbelly. It had a beak-like snout and almost resembled a dragon in the old book about dragons he had as a kid. Nightwatch did not see anything quite like this in his book, but he was more put off by how the creature was hovering just below the ceiling like Lily’s kind, but it didn’t appear to be an Eastern Drake. It appeared very confused and frightened. Buttercream screamed as Nightwatch called out.
“MOM, DAD, WE FOUND IT!” they shouted.
Their shouting startled the creature. It wriggled around the ceiling, trying to get out of the room without getting too close to them. It made strange nasally sounds with its mouth and almost sounded like it was barking.
“OOH! AAAAAAUF! AUF-AUF-AUF!”
The creature finally found the entrance between the living and dining room and flew back into the living room. Aurora shone her flashlight at it and it squinted its eyes from the bright light.
“AAUF!”
“MIDNIGHT! IT’S UP HERE! QUICK! IT CAN FLY!” shouted Aurora.
The creature hovered around the ceiling until it backed itself into another corner. Midnight arrived and used his magic to put the net closer to it.
“Careful not to make it mad, Dad!” Nightwatch warned.
“Don’t worry! Your old man’s got this!” Midnight replied.
The creature appeared more scared the closer the net got. Finally, it descended to the living room and started zooming all over the place, knocking things over. Everyone scattered and tried to grab it with something. Aurora used a deep pan to capture the creature with, while Nightwatch tried to use his magic to wrangle it. Buttercream just stood near the kitchen and watched them, but started to look concerned for the creature.
“Careful guys,” she told them.
Everyone kept trying to chase after the creature until they lost it. Buttercream then heard something behind her. She looked back to see the creature hiding behind her legs. It looked lost and helpless. Buttercream nearly jumped at the sight of it, but she quickly realized the creature meant no harm and was more frightened than they were. She reached down to pet it. It shrank away from her at first but did not scamper off.
“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you, little flying snake thingy,” she crooned.
The creature had its face covered with its tail, but slowly lifted it and sniffed Buttercream’s hand. It stuck out a forked tongue to lick her hand, until everyone shone their flashlights onto it.
“Good job, Butter!” said Midnight, readying his net.
“DAD, NO!” she shouted, standing in front of the creature. “Can’t you see? It’s scared!”
“Sweetie, that thing doesn’t belong in this house! We don’t know where it’s been! It could be dangerous!” Aurora said.
“No really, look! It’s not as bad as it seems!”
Buttercream reached down and pet the creature. It smiled and wagged its tail like an excited puppy.
“See, it likes me!”
“Aww. Midnight, maybe this thing isn’t so bad.”
“I dunno, honey. We still don’t know how it got into our house…or why.
“SHHH! Guys, listen!” said Nightwatch.
Everyone then heard a muffled voice outside of the front door. They could not make out what the mysterious voice said, but the creature perked up the instant it heard. It began barking at the door. The doorknob turned back and forth but was locked from the outside.
“Pansy, that you?” said the voice. “Oh, whadaya know. Door’s locked.”
There was a flash of light outside of the door. Not even one full second later, there was an even brighter flash of light behind everyone in the living room. Another larger creature had teleported inside. They all turned to see a tall, thin creature standing next to the couch. It had two antlers on its head and started putting its arms out. Before they could turn their flashlights, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled just as it stood tall and peered down on them. This caused it to look very intimidating and almost evil. Everyone started screaming right away, causing Aurora and Midnight to drop their flashlights. The tall monster freaked out in response, shouting in an over-exaggerated fashion, almost like he found it funny.
“WHOOOOA, EASY THERE, PONIES!”
His antlers lit up and sent a surge throughout the house. The power went back on and the lights lit up just as the tall creature tripped over something. He stumbled and fell onto the couch with his legs and tail sticking up.
“WhOOOA! OOF! OH NO! Medic, hurry! Get a defib and some smelling salts! We’ve got a dragon down! Oh don’t worry. Not even a scratch. Hehe, least I landed on something soft. Oh don’t mind me, folks. Lovely couch you’ve got here.”
Everyone slowly walked over to the other side of the couch to see a tall, green, serpentine dragon similar to Lily. He had a yellow underbelly and magenta hair. His antlers were longer than Lily’s and he even had a curly purple mustache similar to Steven Magnet’s. He appeared very friendly and had a big smile on his face.
“AUF AUF!” barked the creature as it flew into the dragon’s arms.
“That’ll do, Pansy,” he said, petting the creature. “Sorry about my wyrm, folks. She can’t help herself sometimes.”
“Wait a second…” said Buttercream, walking closer to the dragon. “Is your name Aster by any chance?”
“Ah, I see my reputation precedes me. That’s me, little lady.”
“Everyone, what’s happening down there?” asked Lily as she hovered out to the top of the steps, rubbing her eyes. Once she stopped, her eyes widened when she saw Aster and Pansy.
“Ast…Aster? Is that you?!”
“AUF!” barked Pansy as she flew in to meet Lily.
“PANSY, YOU FOUND ME!” Lily shouted joyfully as Pansy licked her.
“LILY! There you are, ya lost little long!” Aster said, hovering up to Lily.
He lifted his little sister up in his arms. She wrapped herself around him, as Pansy flew around them both, barking as she went.
“I thought I’d never see you again after I lost you in that storm. Next time we set sail, we’re bringin lifelines, got it?” Aster said.
“Hehe, sorry. I should’ve held on a little better with my magic.”
Aster and Lily both hovered back down to the living room floor to speak with their new friends.
“Thanks for letting my sister stay here, folks,” Aster told them. “I owe ya for taking care of her.”
“Lily, that’s your brother?” asked Aurora.
“Sure is!” Lily called back. “Everyone, this is my brother Aster and our pet wyrm, Pansy! Aster, Pansy, this is Midnight Hue, Aurora Shine, Nightwatch and Buttercream! Nightwatch is the one that saved me from the storm last night! I fell down near their house and he came out while there was still lightning and brought me over here! He was so brave!”
“Ah! Then that’s two I owe ya, brother!” Aster told Nightwatch in a silly voice. “C’mon, gimme some horseshoe! YEAH! WHOO!”
Aster put his hand down for Nightwatch to tap with his hoof in response. Aster then flipped his hand with his claw facing forward and Nightwatch did the same with his hoof and made contact again.
“Thanks. It’s just what I do,” Nightwatch said bashfully.
“Wait, that’s a worm? Had no idea they grew that big or could fly,” said Midnight.
“Oh nonono, wyrm as in W-Y-R-M,” explained Lily as she pet Pansy. “They’re tiny legless dragons that don’t speak, but they make great pets. Aster got me Pansy for my birthday a few years ago.”
“And she caught Lily’s scent in your house. Crazy gal’s as devoted to Lily as a momma bear is to its cubs,” added Aster.
“Well Aster, we’re glad you showed up,” said Nightwatch. “Sorry about all the confusion there. We thought Pansy was a wild animal at first, but now we know why she was sniffing over by the door to the room Lily was staying in.”
“We were planning on going out to find you tomorrow, but looks like Pansy found us first,” added Buttercream.
“I’m guessing she got in through one of the windows in the cellar, cuz I saw one open down there,” said Midnight. “I always forget to lock those things.”
“Yeah, I sorta neglected to tell you guys about her, but it’s all good now. Oh and Aster, look! They have a baby Northern Drake!” Lily said, pointing to Buttercream.
Aster stretched his head down to Buttercream’s level. She giggled as he moved about in a comical manner.
“I see that. My goodness, what a specimen! She’s even got heart-shaped fins! So, how long have you been here little lady?”
“All my life. He found me when I was an egg,” Buttercream replied, hugging Nightwatch.
“And our son took her in as his sister right away,” added Aurora.
“Daw. Brother and sister just like us. Well Lily, although we had a bit of a rocky start here, I think we’ve already seen enough of Equestria to tell that ponies really are as good as we thought.”
For the next few hours, Midnight and Aurora allowed Aster, Lily and Pansy to sleep in the guest room, while the rest of them finished sleeping until the morning came. When they all woke up, Aurora cooked a special breakfast and they began to discuss Ester Dracos.
“Now I’m guessing Lily’s already told you all about our mission we’re currently on?” Aster asked.
“She has. So you guys are acting as ambassadors for Emperor…what’s his name?” asked Midnight.
“Antirrhinum. He’s a great long that has been leading for over a thousand years. I’m sure you know about Nightmare Moon, right?”
“OOH! Aster, they don’t only know about all that; Nightwatch is Princess Luna’s protégé!” Lily exclaimed.
“It’s true,” Nightwatch said, bashfully. “I never thought it would actually happen, but this weird robot thing attacked us right after we met her and I helped stop it. She was impressed with my use of magic and wants to train me.”
“Yeah! Can you believe it, Aster? That storm blew me to the perfect house!”
“Whoa! Boy did we hit the jackpot today!” Aster said. “Well congratulations on getting noticed by the princess! Lily and I were on a little mission to invite her to Ester Dracos where we can-”
“Oh, but Aster, Princess Luna’s a little unavailable.”
“Er…yeah, sadly I don’t think she can make it,” Nightwatch said. “It’s only because she’s just had a rough time since she came back. Sorry Aster.”
“Oh. Darn. Guess I hadn’t considered that. Well…mission failed, folks. We’ll try again next time.”
Aster’s ears drooped and Pansy huddled up to him for comfort. Buttercream took this chance to recommend her plan.
“Hold on. Nighty, did you get a response yet from Princess Luna?” she asked.
“Oh, the letter! Hold on, I’ll go check the mailbox,” Nightwatch said, rushing out the front door to check for his letter.
“Oh, that’ right! Aster, Buttercream suggested she and Nightwatch come in place of Princess Luna,” Lily told her brother. “If the princess can’t make it, they could come with us since they know her. I’m sure Antirrhinum would understand, plus he’d still be talking to at least one pony. I mean he’s probably eager to talk to any pony at this rate! We both know he feels pretty bad about the Rift.”
“Valid point there, Lil,” Aster said, perking up.
“Nighty sent a letter to Luna to ask if she’d be okay with it,” Butter added. “I’m really hoping she says yes!”
“Okay, guys, here’s her response…” Nightwatch said as he entered through the front door and began to read aloud.
“My Dearest Nightwatch,
I am pleased to hear the Eastern Drakes are ready to mend their ties to Equestria. I was shocked to hear about what happened with them after I fell victim to my demons. Unfortunately, my sister and I had plans for today and I am not sure I’m ready to leave Equestria just yet, but you have my permission to act in my place as ambassadors to the Emperor. Celestia and I will make the effort to reach out soon, but I have no doubt you and Buttercream will get along well with the longs. Tell Antirrhinum I am doing all right; it has just been difficult adjusting to this new life. I look forward to hearing from him soon.
Best regards,
Princess Luna”
“Ah, well in that case, I don’t see any harm in these two coming along with us,” said Aster. “Are the parents okay with it?”
“I think they’ll be alright,” said Aurora next to Midnight.
“So we’re okay to go?” asked Buttercream.
“Go on another adventure, you two,” Midnight replied.
“YEEEES!”
Buttercream leapt out of her chair and onto the kitchen floor. She began to hum the tune of the We’re Going on an Adventure song she and Nightwatch sang before they met Luna a few weeks ago. Nightwatch smiled and rubbed her head with his hoof.
“Alright, Butter. I’ll go get a couple things around and then we’ll be off,” he said, as he walked upstairs to fetch his satchel and a camera.
“Buttercream, you’re going to love Ester Dracos!” Lily said, floating around the little yellow dragon. “There’s a whole marketplace full of amazing goods! There’s food, gift shops, street performers…you name it! They’ve got delicious steamed noodles with veggies and mushrooms if you’re hungry and there’s a beautiful flower shop that my mom’s friends run! Oh and if you’re a fan of video games, you’ve got to meet Mr. Myosoti!”
Buttercream’s eyes widened as she heard about the amazing sights of Ester Dracos. Lily herself already sounded quite excited to welcome a Northern Drake into her homeland. Aster had to reach in and pat her on the head to calm her down.
“AY! Easy there with the sped-up vacation commercial,” he laughed. “Let’s not overwhelm our guest, Lil. We want her to come back to her parents after all.”
“I know, I just can’t wait to show her around town! She and Nightwatch are gonna have so much fun!”
“I can’t wait to go!” Buttercream squealed. “The Eastern Drakes sound so wonderful and you guys sound like you have so many cool shops with some things to bring back for memories!”
“Yes, but remember what we told you about wanting too many things, dear,” Aurora reminded Buttercream.
“That’s right, Butter-Ball. Hearth’s Warming Day is coming.”
“I won’t take too many things, Dad. I promise,” Butter told Midnight as she came over to hug her adoptive parents. “Nighty and I will make a lot of memories and we’ll bring back plenty of pictures too!”
Nightwatch arrived with his satchel and Buttercream stood next to him proudly.
“Ester Dracos, here we come!”