//------------------------------// // Chapter 28 - Oo~oh I miss this taste! // Story: Shackles and Friendship // by Zaibatsu //------------------------------// Shackles and Friendship Chapter 28 - Oo~oh I miss this taste! Edited by Noxxels and Al3xGuerra Pre-read by Al3xGuerra AN: This chapter just might turn this fic into mature. Anypony who has ever placed a hoof inside Canterlot Castle would undoubtedly be in awe by the sight, all the splendor, the polished floor, the numerous masterpieces of art and sculpture decorating almost every corner. All the while being maintained by an army of maids and butlers dedicated to serving their Princesses and to care for the shining beacon that is Canterlot Castle, the height of power in Equestria. Whether it was dust, trash, weeds or even a fallen leaf that drifted inside on the wind they would give chase with the dedication and conviction of a zealot. All except for one place, one room, high atop the tallest tower towering above the research wing. With the stars still twinkling in the sky a cold crisp night wind crept in through an open window into the personal room of an infamous gray unicorn. Loose papers and scrolls littered the floor and even more were hanging on the walls each either a diagram or an equation followed by ramblings that only a fellow genius or madpony could discern. Everywhere one looked there were piles of books and tomes covering the floor with several reaching up towards the ceiling. The only traversable space in the entire room were a few pathways connecting between the door, the bed, and a large old wooden desk. Many of these books had nothing to do with magic: botany, soil conditioning, even baking instructions for Gustave le Grand's famous éclairs. Of course this did not include all of the pony’s library, his more valuable and priceless collection of centuries old tomes are hidden away in a different location, one that is only accessible by teleportation. Atop a messy bed slept Inquest himself who stirred and shivered as the night air slithered across his body, even his fur couldn't completely warm him against the cold. With a groan his horn glowed with a single thought as he magically pulled the blanket to cover him. Immediately as it fell over him the cold seemed to evaporate and disappear as if the blanket itself was radiating heat. 'A self heating blanket, not a bad idea,' he thought as he snuggled into the warmth. Inquest's horn glowed slightly brighter as he reached out and shut the window close with a thud. A window that has never been opened in over thirty years. "......." His eyes shot wide open in alarm as he summoned a great amount of magic into his horn at the ready making it glow bright enough to illuminate the entire room. Before he was able to jump up to all fours he spotted a familiar large beak barely inches away from his face. "Feeling a bit cold are we?" asked a large gryphon in a sultry tone. "Why don't we keep each other company and warm ourselves up?" Suddenly the blanket around Inquest's body tightened and pulled him closer until he felt the warmth of the avian predator's body on his own. "GAAH!!" shouted the pony as he pushed the giant wing off him. With more force than he intended he pushed himself away from the gryphon and tumbled over the edge to land on the floor with a grunt. As he quickly picked himself up hoping to save some of his dignity, a sphere of light flew from the tip of his horn and hovered near the ceiling. With the illumination spell lighting up the room he shook himself awake and stared angrily at the gryphon who was looking at him hungrily. A very intimate type of hunger. "Crea! What are you doing here!? How did you even get in!?" He looked around the room but nothing he saw felt out of place, even the papers laying on the floor remained in place. His horn glowed for just a moment as he checked the many varying spells he'd created to keep unwanted visitors and everypony from snooping around with his work. To his surprise every enchantment inside, outside and everywhere else in the tower we're all still charged and inactive. Any of these defenses would give pause to either Princesses, some of them didn't even have names yet. Though perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised, Crea’s own set of skill and expertise as a hunter was as legendary as Inquest himself. "Enough with the questions," she replied in a bored tone before she started crawling towards him in a seductive manner as her tail danced like a serpent about to strike. "We should spend some time catching up before setting off to the Everfree." Inquest could easily see the predatory glint in her eyes as the feathers on her body instinctively fell flat to give the least amount of wind resistance. "Remember those sleepless nights we spent together? Aloo~ne?" Inquest's pupils shrunk and his ears fell flat in fear, his horn glowed brightly as he attempted an emergency teleport spell to the safety of his hidden library. Even with a prepared target for teleportation Crea still proved to be far too quick for Inquest as she leaped and pinned him down with his back on the floor. With experience and discipline it was simple enough for Inquest to remain focused as he continued to cast his spell. It was common knowledge that a unicorn's source of magic and control lay in his or her horn and any physical assault against it would cause considerable pain, enough to break even the most hardened pony. There is however a different way to break one's concentration, and to Crea, certainly far more entertaining and full proof. With her limbs still pinning Inquest to the floor she bent over towards his horn stopping just centimeters away. "Crea NO!!" pleaded Inquest the moment he felt Crea's hot breath fall upon his very sensitive horn. She touched the base of his horn with her long, thin avian tongue before she slowly started licking upwards to the tip. Inquest's whole body instantly became tense and started to shiver and twitching while his hind legs jerked erratically from the sensation. He could feel the rough texture of Crea's warm and wet tongue as it traveled the length of his horn in an agonizingly slow pace while her saliva trickled down to his mane. With his mind overloaded by the sensation the hold on his magic shattered causing it to escape like miniature fireworks from the tip of his horn straight into the gryphon's wide open beak. "Oo~oh I miss this taste!" shouted the gryphon as she licked her beak. She dipped her head further down so that the side of her beak grazed Inquest's left ear and began whispering in the same seductive tone. "Let's relive all those nights shall we?" She wiggled her eyes at the frightened pony before diving in for the feast. "AAAAAAAAAAARRGH!!!" [Meanwhile....] "What was that?" asked Luna as she stared skyward. Her ears rotated about trying to pinpoint the source of the scream which proved difficult to discern from the echo. "Oh give it no mind," Celestia replied with a giggle. "I simply asked Crea to wake the professor." Luna stared at Celestia with a raised brow before dismissing the matter away. "Is it truly wise to send a mere party of two to the Everfree?" Luna asked as she trotted to stand beside Celestia on the balcony she often used when raising the sun. "Be at ease sister." Celestia turned and gazed at the eastern horizon. "You might not be as acquainted with the gryphon as I, but I assure you she is suited to the task. And I'm sure you are aware of Inquest's many achievements, I've been told you have spent a great deal of time with him over the past several months." Luna smiled lightly. "He and I share a great love for the finer arts of magic and his eccentric mind is filled with such wondrous ideas. I often believe him to be mad." Suddenly Luna's smile disappeared as she took on a sad expression. "Truth be told, I enjoy his company merely because he does not seem to care for my mistakes. Everypony certainly respects me due to my station, but very few would look at me as I am and not see the Nightmare." Celestia turned and nuzzled the dark alicorn lovingly. "Be patient Luna, everypony will know the real you in time. The same way the elements have come to know you." Celestia chuckled mirthfully. "I see that you have started to adjust you speech mannerism full time." "It would help everypony to see me as I am if I were to talk differently from Nightmare Moon would it not? An idea from your faithful student, though I believe she meant to help me socialize better by 'catching up with the times' as it were." "Very sound advice, Twilight is often wiser than most of her age." Celestia let out a worried sigh. "She would however make foolish mistakes over the most ridiculous notions, mostly due to her outrageous imaginations." She let out a chuckle when a relatively recent memory came to her mind. "Did you know she thought I would send Fluttershy to a dungeon in a distant land?" "Truly? The timid one? What had she done to deserve such punishment?" asked Luna in disbelief. "Nothing of course, but I suspect my student had a hoof in escalating the matter. Remind me to tell you the whole story." Celestia turned her attention back to the dark horizon before moving towards the edge of the balcony. "Now I do believe it's time for a new day," she said more to herself than anypony else. She closed her eyes in concentration as she gathered an unbelievably immense amount of magic to her horn. In any other case the horn of the regal white alicorn would glow a yellowish color whenever she would use magic, but in this case alone her horn radiated with the light of the sun itself. For those in the Summer Sun Celebration lucky enough to be in the front row of the spectacle, they would feel the very warmth of the sun in the light even before the sun itself rose over the horizon. The first rays of the new day slowly ate away the dark sky before as it spread like wildfire, Luna squinted against the glare of the sun as it slowly started to ascend in the horizon. Though Celestia would admit that Luna was far more artistic of the two, constantly perfecting the night sky like a never ending canvas, Luna could never create such a spectacle as the one she saw before her. Though she would not openly admit it, Luna felt a small tinge of jealousy for the sun's radiance. But unlike before, she had learned to accept such limitations and not let them fester like open wounds, she knew all too well who waited down that path. Celestia let out a sigh as the strain of the spell started to ebb away. "Is it too much to ask for something lighter to move?" she asked jokingly. "Well..." replied Luna with a teasing smile. "Technically you are the embodiment of the sun itself, perhaps if you were to-" "Luna if you mention the word diet...." interrupted Celestia with a threatening tone. "Perish the thought dear sister!" shouted Luna dramatically. "You are ever the pinnacle of beauty." Luna batted her eyes at Celestia with an innocent smile before turning around and trotting inside. "Let us not tarry any longer, we are to meet with everypony in the hangar are we not?" Celestia kept staring suspiciously at doorway leading inside for a few seconds before she finally let out a light laugh along with a feeling of gratitude. It was moments like these that she had missed the most after banishing Luna to the moon, ever thankful to the stars for freeing her. Celestia was about to follow suit but just as she lifted a hoof there was a sudden flash of light blue right where her hoof was about to fall. There was now a white rectangular object with enough space for a very large pony to stand on and a small ring of numbers arranged like a rainbow at the top with zero at it's center. It was all too perfectly timed and before Celestia could react her hoof fell on the object causing the numbers to spin in dizzying speed. The moment it stopped spinning Celestia's pupils nearly shrunk to nothingness as she stared at the number. "LUNA!" screamed Celestia only to hear Luna's loud laughter along with the clip-clop of her hooves as she galloped through the hallway followed by the sudden frantic movement of her night guard as they tried to keep up. [Several minutes later, in the hangar....] Shining stood alone by the large double doors to the hangar as he continue to wait vigilantly for the Princesses arrival. His lips stuttered as he tried to suppress an urge to yawn, even after all the years in service he still had more trouble getting up than the trainees. His ears twitched as the sound of several hoofsteps echoed from down the hallway. "Your Majesty." Shining gave the dark alicorn a salute once she turned the corner, his brow rising curiously at the panting night guards following her. "Good morning Captain, is everypony present?" asked Luna as she stopped beside him. "Two squads from both cycles that I hoof picked myself are ready for departure," replied Shining with the tiniest bit of pride in his tone. Just then he spotted Celestia's colorful flowing mane just as she turned the same corner, Shining's curiosity was further piqued by her irritated frown. "Your Majesty." Shining gave Celestia a salute. "Is everything alright?" "Yes Captain." Celestia glared at Luna which she kept avoiding. "Just a small family dispute." "I...see." Seeing as it was most likely a private matter Shining thought it was probably best to leave it at that. "Everypony except for the professor and the gryphon are all ready and waiting in the hangar." Just as he finished all ears twitched at the sound of frantic screaming and yelping followed by frantic hoof steps causing Shining and the guards to tense up in reflex. Shining was about to send one of the guards to investigate when the old professor suddenly skidded into sight as he tried to desperately, and failing, to make the turn causing him to slip and hit the wall with enough force to dislodged the large painting hanging above. Despite it everything the pony just picked himself up like it was nothing, pushed away the art piece, and started running towards the alicorns with wide eyed fear. Shining had, regrettably, become somewhat familiar with the professor's wild and crazed behavior, especially regarding his experiments. But never had he seen Inquest galloping away with so much fear and panic and considering his many accomplishments, both in the lab and in the field, little would even faze him. "Good morning Inquest," said Celestia with a smile. "Why are you in such a hurry?" "Get that feathered beast away from me!" he shouted as he skidded to a halt behind her before waving a hoof towards the hallway. "And things were just getting good." Everypony turned their heads back down the hallway to see the giant gryphon making her way towards them with a spring in her steps that it almost looked like she was skipping along. "Morning Celes." "Crea, good morning to you too. Thank you for your assistance." "Oh please I should be the one thanking you." Crea gave Inquest a wink which seem to make him shrink further behind Celestia before turning her attention to the dark alicorn. "You must be Princess Luna," she gave a quick bow before extending a claw. "Crea Whistwind." Luna was somewhat puzzled by the gryphon's laid back greeting, it was rough and done merely because she had to. For the dark alicorn a show for respect and position was something she often demanded, not out of pride and certainly not to because she believed they were lesser, but because it was something proper and earned. 'Then again perhaps such things are no longer held in such standard,' thought Luna. 'There is certainly something appealing about it.' Luna placed a hoof in the gryphons claw and shook. "That I am. I have been told that thou, you have quite a history with our dear professor and a hunter of great prowess." "Guilty on both charges I'm afraid." "Now that introductions are out of the way," interrupted Celestia, "let us not keep everypony waiting any longer." Shining stepped to the side allowing everypony to pass by before his horn glowed a light rose color as he began to push the doors open with his magic. The moment Celestia started to move, Inquest’s horn lit up as a white translucent bubble suddenly appeared around his entire frame before being lifted up roughly a foot above ground. "Oh come on Inquest what kind of girl do you think I am?" teased Crea. "We're in the presence of royalty." She passed by Inquest with a smile following both princesses and their guards as they entered the hangar. Inquest waited for a few second with his eyes glued at the gryphon's back before he released his spell and dropped to the floor. As Inquest passed through the doorway Shining saw a string of liquid connecting the base of his horn to the tip, he then realized that the entire horn and mane around it was completely drenched with the stuff. "What happen to your-" "DON'T ASK!!" Inquest cut it before he used a quick spell to clean himself up. Shining felt more confused that irritated as he stared at the gray pony before he too followed suit. When Shine Bright was first summoned by name for a presence with Princess Celestia the first notion in her mind was punishment, that somehow she had been discovered or accused for enacting one of the many ideas given to her by the human. Considering how far she and several others had gone in their constant attempt to sabotage the Prince's daily life in the castle, the dungeon was the least of her worries. She could get fired. Shine nearly fell to the floor in relief when she discovered such was not the case, that Celestia merely had a task for her to do. 'Oh thank goodness, she just wants something to eat.' she thought. It is not uncommon for the Princess to have certain cravings once in awhile, most often for desserts and sweets that can only be found in specific cities or region. Most ponies in the staff see it as a surprise vacation and are more than willing to travel especially it's a popular location like Los Pegasus. There was even a list of ponies in the staff's public quarters that determined who would go on the next trip based on bets and favors. It came to no surprise then how disappointed Shine Bright felt when the task was something else entirely. Her disappointment however was quickly replaced by confusion when Celestia asked her to live in the nearby town of Ponyville in order to keep an eye on the human. She tried to wrap her head around the idea but she just couldn't understand the reason behind it, as far as she heard the Princess's own student was charged with the task. If any other pony had asked something like this she would most likely refused outright, after all it meant leaving everything behind just to babysit somepony. The Princess however was not just anypony. The sheer pressure of being in the same room with the Princess alone gave her breathing problems, to decline her request was simply outlandish. Though she felt fear and hesitation having to leave her home, friends and job; she couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and impatience to see the human again. She believed it was simply because she wanted to properly thank him for his help, even though they were merely ideas it greatly improved her life in the castle as well as others in the staff. She dismissed the issue however seeing as she was to leave the very next day, between the packing, writing letters to family and farewells with her friends it left very little room for her to ponder about anything. But now as she waited in the hangar there was nothing else to do but think, the uncertainty, fear and pressure had finally caught up to her. True it might not be permanent, the Princess did guarantee she would return and a place in the castle staff should things go awry which offered some solace. Not enough to calm her nerves though, she lost count how many times she'd paced around her stuffed suitcase in a nervous fit. She almost fell into full blown panic when she trotted into the hangar expecting a single carriage for her transport only to see a large group of royal guards standing and waiting in formation in front of a royal airboat all prepped and ready for departure. About two-thirds of them were of Princess Celestia's day guard while the rest came from Princess Luna's night guard. Though most of them consisted of earth ponies, there were still a reasonable number of pegasi and unicorns mixed in. She had thought and hoped that their purpose was somewhere else entirely, that it was merely a coincidence that they are bound to depart the same time as her. She attempted to inquire about their destination but everypony just stood there in formation with their stoic faces as they continued to ignore her. "What have I gotten myself into?" asked Shine Bright as her head fell low. Her ears twitched as the sound of the large double doors behind her began to groan, turning around she saw both Princess Celestia and Luna making their way towards her. A sudden sense of alarm surged inside her the moment she spotted the giant gryphon trailing behind the alicorns, working as the castle staff Shine has seen her share of gryphons before. Most were guards to delegates and eventually her instinctive fear of them ebbed away, but none of them came even close to the sheer size and sense of presence as this one. "DON'T ASK!!" Shine's attention shifted away from the gryphon towards the familiar voice in the back where she then saw professor Inquest trotting in looking far more aggravated than usual. The Captain of the Guard was the last to enter before the doors closed behind him with a thud. Shine Bright nearly jumped up in fright as every royal soldier behind her suddenly gave a salute to both monarchs. Quickly composing herself, she paid her respects with an elegant bow as Princess Celestia approached her. "Good morning Shine Bright," she greeted in a pleasant tone. "I do apologize how sudden and difficult my request was. It is not too late to turn down my offer, I'll think nothing less of you." "Oh it's no trouble at all Your Majesty," Shine quickly replied without a thought. Shine Bright mentally scolded herself for agreeing out of nervous impulse. It's not like she didn't want to help the Princess, after all she did choose to serve her ruler as best she could even if it's just tidying thing up a bit. 'Ah well, can't do anything about it now. Might as well do it right.' "Uhm, pardon me Your Majesty but..." "Yes?" "Well, I'm not sure what...that is to say, exactly what am I suppose to do?" Shine crossed both her front limbs nervously hoping the question didn't make her sound stupid. "It's quite simple really, I'd simply like you to keep an eye on the human for me. Just keep him out of trouble and the like." "But I heard your student, Miss Twilight Sparkle was placed in charge of the human. A pony like her....I just don't-" "I understand your confusion, it's true that I did place my faithful student to oversee Rodney. However she is still a student and as such cannot invest all her time and effort on him alone." "So...I'm like her assistant?" Shine asked with a raised brow. "You may think of it as such." "But why me specifically? Surely there are other ponies more suited." "You underestimate yourself my little pony." Celestia gave Shine a comforting smile. "I have a feeling you will accomplish more than any other." "And the guards?" she asked tentatively. "We do have...a situation of sorts, they are sent to protect everypony including yourself in case events take a turn for the worse. Again I offer you the chance to stay should you choose." A part of Shine Bright desperately wanted to just forget about it all and return to her normal routine. Then again, when has Princess Celestia ever personally asked her to do anything? "Well they are the royal guards," replied Shine more to herself as encouragement, "and there certainly are a lot of them." "Wonderful!" Celestia looked back and gave the Captain a nod before he started barking orders which echoed throughout the hangar. There was an explosion of movement as every soldier started marching unto the airboat with most going below deck while a few took their positions around the ship. Before Shine bright could realize it a tall earth pony day guard had taken her suitcase and was carrying it on-board with ease. "Don't worry Shine Bright," continued Celestia. "I have already sent a letter to my student. She will take care of your living arrangements during your stay." Shine Bright glanced at the ramp with a nervous gulp before giving the Princess another bow and making her way unto the airboat. She shot another hesitant look at Princess Celestia which she replied with a nod before the ramp slowly started to retract away. Several ponies in charge of the hangar quickly undid all the ropes acting as anchors, with each restraint released the ship jerked about before it finally settled down and hovered freely. Slowly the creaking and grinding sound of machinery started to hum from within the ship as the fin-like contraption around the ship started to move. Shine Bright gazed onward at the large opening of the hangar while the ship slowly started to gain momentum and sailed towards the open sky. The ship sailed at a leisurely pace as it exited the hangar as the cool air of dawn blew across the deck causing Shine to shiver as her mane flew about in the wind. Suddenly the hums and vibrations of the engine intensified as the fins began to flap faster and faster giving the ship more speed. Seeing as things were about to become much colder on the deck, Shine Bright carefully made her way to the back and down below deck all the while wondering what the future held for her. "A maid Your Majesty?" asked Shining as both he and Celestia watched the ship start to shrink in the distance. "Not exactly what I had in mind to keep him in line." "Ah but you see that lies the problem," Celestia turned to look at Shining. "Much like a foal, I believe he'll simply disobey so long as we enforce it upon him. Besides," she turned and began to trotting towards Luna, "I have enforced enough on him already." Something about the way she said it didn't feel right, it almost sounded as if she harbored some guilt of sorts. Shining stared at the Princess with a raised brow before he started to follow her as they made their way to join Princess Luna who had been conversing with professor Inquest and Crea. "Is everypony ready then?" Celestia asked as she and the Captain joined the trio. "Ready as can be," replied Crea in a positive note as she patted on one of the straps that ran across her chest. Most of them were packed full of herbs and other plant-like oddities that stuck out the openings while others held thin metal containers, likely each containing a variety of potions for different uses. "But do we really have to teleport?" she asked irritably. "You know how I hate it Celes, it just doesn't feel right." "It's just the after effects of being obliterated into a state of nothingness, riding a flow of magic that travels in the speed of light, and being reconstructed back into existence at the destination," explained Inquest in a humored tone. "That didn't help." "What makes you think it was suppose to?" Inquest shot a smirk at the gryphon who simply retorted by using her tail as a whip to strike at his flank causing him to jump with a yelp. Luna giggle humorously at their antics. "You should have invited her over sooner Celestia, I never knew they were so close." "Perhaps we should invite her over more often than?" asked Celestia teasingly as she eyed the professor. "Why not simply ask her to move in?" added Luna with a smile. "Alright that's enough!" shouted Inquest before things escalated. "Are we doing this or not?" Celestia and Luna shared another light laugh before took a more serious expression. "Are you two ready?" asked Celestia in a serious tone. "You know I could easily teleport the both of us on my own." "We know you can professor," said Luna, "but it is best that you conserve your magic as much as possible. We still do not know what you will encounter." Inquest nodded understandingly before he turned and looked at the gryphon. There was a silent exchange between the two as they looked at each other's eyes, one developed out of the many adventures and dangers the two have experience together. With determined faces the two turned back towards the alicorns. "We're ready," they spoke in unison. Celestia and Luna's horns glowed brightly with their respective auras as they began to channel and weave their magic, Luna's night blue aura started to spread over the giant gryphon while Celestia's golden aura covered the gray pony. With a bright flash of gold and blue both pony and gryphon disappeared from the hangar leaving a small scorched area on the floor, a side effect from the amount of magic needed for long distance teleportation. "Good luck you two."