"So he just pounced on you and you two just... well..."
Rarity's cheeks could never get any more redder once Octavia said that, the gray mare across her nearly spilling her tea with a blush of her own as well. If there was anything they could gossip about other than the recent trends in both factions of music and fashion, the rumors of anarchy stirring in the nation or the woeful events of Pendant Lakes, it was their relationship and, embarrassingly for both of them, their sex life.
"Y-Yes," she stuttered out her confession.
"I thought it will be more adequate to... er... relish the moment, at least, but Spike always give in to his primal of instincts in the end. Truly unappetizing sometimes, if you ask me."
"At least your partner is there to begin with."
Octavia sighed, placing her teacup down onto the table with no more than a gloomy frown. Rarity pursed her lips at her friend's situation, having known that her and Crimson Lux had been keeping a long-distance relationship ever since he released some new material for his new album. Of course, Crimson had wanted her to tag along, although his manager went against it, leaving her in Ponyville and the stallion someplace else.
"He rarely comes back to visit these days," she continued.
"It's been three months since I last saw him. I'm not really sure if we could keep this up."
"I do believe he will get back to you somehow," the fashion designer replied.
"You just have to trust what he's doing. Whatever he's doing."
The gray mare could only nod at that.
"At least he came by to visit. I couldn't imagine what I would do in Applejack's situation."
Now that's a long-distance relationship worth talking about, both of them could agree. Ever since Kane had departed for the Badlands after the events of Pendant Lakes, Applejack had not seen the slightest of the dragon anywhere in Ponyville, only keeping in contact in the form of crinkling letters.
The orange mare's faith was still strong though: there were too many instances that she would gaze up at the sky just to see if he would suddenly swoop down and surprise her. Their small farewell made sure of that, where both dragon and pony sat in the middle of the orchard and had a small talk with each other, ending it with a hug and a small kiss. Rarity had seen it all with Rainbow and Fluttershy from the Apple household, and she could not help but squeal with delight once Applejack came back inside, her cheeks redder than the apples she grew on the farm.
"They still love each other dearly nonetheless," the fashion designer said complacently.
"I'm sure Crimson and you would do the same."
"You'll never know, Rarity," came the solemn reply.
"You'll never know."
The two mares sat in still silence, thinking through the separate troubles each of them were going through, before simultaneously letting out a berating sigh.
"How about the both of you?" Octavia asked, standing up and heading into her kitchen.
"Have you two finally decided to announce about your relationship yet?"
Rarity felt fortunate that the gray mare could not see her scowl, forcing out a smile quicker than the humming of a bee's wings when she returned with a basket of garlic bread, settling it down on the table.
"I'm afraid not," she gave her reply, albeit hesitantly.
"There were still many ponies I know that would discriminate us for such. I don't really understand why they were nice to Spike when he was younger but fearful of him now."
"Maybe it's expected," Octavia answered.
"I know I would be afraid if there was a grown dragon in town, but as for Spike, I don't mind one bit. The town will have to get accustomed by the fact that he's perfectly harmless, I guess."
At least one pony instead of her friends agreed with her, she thought to herself. To fear Spike is something she had seen as absurd and nonsensical. Spike wouldn't hurt anypony: them being together was proof enough, and would've been a solid proof if not for the bigotry that they might face once she announced that she was his marefriend.
Applejack and Kane's relationship will be frowned upon as well, seeing how the dragon was about ten times larger than Spike, not to mention the assault on Canterlot that he led a year ago that nearly placed him on top of the Equestria's Most Wanted list. Queer really: both mares are direct opposites to each other, and they both share one similar complication of dragons being their mates.
"The patience I require for that is intimidating," she admitted.
"I just want to confess my love for a dragon, and for ponies to detest such love is purely incredulous."
The door creaked suddenly, allowing the other occupant of the house, Vinyl herself, to stumble in, carrying a multitude of grocery bags in her mouth and a stack of boxes on her back that made her hooves wiggle from its weight. Both Rarity and Octavia just stared at her while she stood at the door, before the disc jockey managed to yell from behind the various things she was gripping within her jaws:
"A little help here?!"
Octavia moved first, aiding her best friend in her involuntary predicament, Rarity joining along only when the gray mare passed her a few bags. Both of them just blinked at the various contents that she had hauled from whatever shopping joint she was in, and their curiosity at that point was anything but sullen.
"What did you buy?" the gray mare asked, gazing at her friend's new haul.
"Just some groceries and a little bit of recording equipment," Vinyl answered, puffing her chest proudly at the last collage of items; a result from saving the countless tips and salaries gained from gigs across Equestria, they figured.
"I'm going to set it up in the basement, if you don't mind. Thought we could make use of it instead of leaving it to the boilers, electricity and plumbing."
With a whistle of delight (and, considering her style of music, a slightly energetic whistle it was) the disc jockey soon lifted some of the bags and headed into the darkness below, beginning the construction of her coven for music whilst the other mares just blinked, unsure of such a decision.
"Vinyl did say she wanted to start recording some tracks..." Octavia mused delightfully, more to herself than to her friend. Rarity would understand from the jubilant spark of the other unicorn's red eyes: if there was one thing she could think of that a fashion designer like herself, a cello player and a disc jockey have in common, it was the desirable scour of ambition.
"Oh yeah!" Vinyl's tomboyish voice piped in, poking her head from the descending stairway and looking at Rarity.
"Spike told me that something came up!" she said.
"He said to go to the library once you're done with... whatever you and Tavi are doing."
"We were conversing, Vinyl."
Octavia's answer was met with a shrug from her musician friend, and Rarity could swear she saw them sticking their tongues out cheekily at each other. The gray mare would be an ace at hiding it, however: she brushed her mane to the side, revealing her sternly straight lips and the polished facade of her expression.
"Well, you don't want to keep Spike waiting," she said, grinning when the fashion designer let out a sheepish laugh.
"Maybe we'll talk again some other time."
"Thank you for your time," Rarity replied with a grin, giving a wave and stepping out the door and leaving the two musicians to move the bulky system of speakers and the tangled bundles of cables into the basement.
What does Spike want now, she wondered, not that she mind. It was always intriguing for both of them when they help each other out. The fact that he was in the library made her wonder if Twilight was involved in his. He had a one-year break from assisting the violet mare in her work after all, and it wouldn't be surprising if he made a small blunder somewhere along the road.
She headed not towards the library, but to the schoolhouse. Sweetie Belle was expected to finish school at around this hour, and it wouldn't be the best thing to do to make her teenage sister wait while she helped the dragon with whatever errands that might need her. Plus, it would be better if there was an extra pair of hooves to help them.
Which reminds her: Sweetie Belle mentioned about her arriving concert in Canterlot in the coming month, and had begged her to bring Twilight along for the occasion. Rarity sighed, tossing her mane to the side before heading onward, letting her thoughts wander on the many things happening around.
So much to do... so little time...
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"Mmmng...... stop it, Fleetywit."
The dragon let out an exuberant shrill once his owner opened his eyes, with Phoenix giving him a slight smile despite his early awakening. He breathed in deeply, letting the morning air rush through his nostrils and cool his lungs while stretching his tired hooves with a satisfied purr. He glanced outside the window only to see the thick fog spiraling around the caravan, the heavy moisture forming a few beads of vapor on the glass pane.
His tail flicked and swished around suddenly, flickering a small ember on its very tip like a candle sticking out from a pile of hay. The turquoise stallion could only wonder at the abruptly fervent behavior of his appendage, before his breath stopped once he gaze at the other bed across him.
Instead of the usual pink mare cuddling up within its sheets, there was nopony there, leaving him baffled once he saw the tidied bed. Fleetywit kept on chirping dolefully, the dragon itself unable to understand where the mare could've went while they were all asleep.
His tail just kept on swishing, displaying his frantic desperation and anxiety with his glance darting almost everywhere, wanting to understand where Pinkie would be in such an early time. He would've rushed out into every other room and woke every single one of them up if he hadn't heard a loud grunt from the outside, followed by the snapping and splintering of wood.
Phoenix held his breath, stepping out of his room and out of the caravan with Fleetywit curling up on his mane to take another nap, the cooling air of dawn rushing between his hooves and brushing his coat. The strong, overwhelming smell of pine and mint made him crinkle his snout, only erupting a nauseating sensation from beneath this throat. For Celestia's sake, he wanted to blurt out. If only Ollivander could've found a better spot to settle in for the night.
The loud cries from earlier echoed in the mist, and the stallion could only squint his eyes through the obscurity whilst his tail burst into flames, wandering like a lost firefly in search of the mare. His ears guided him in his blind trail, leading him around twisting trees and through the dense undergrowth as he followed the sounds of combat, blinking in surprise once he saw the silhouette of the mare he had been searching for, wielding what seems to be a blade in the distance. With every powerful swing, the sound of fracturing wood shattered through the air, filling the forest with a shudder at the mare's impeccable knack at using a weapon and striking the very reticent beings that make up the landscape. He started to smile once he neared the mare, recognizing it to be Pinkie after he saw the unmistakable fluff of her mane and the high-pitched squeal of her battle cries; one which he found to be amusingly cute. At least that's one question answered, he thought to himself.
Pinkie didn't seem to notice him stepping out from the undergrowth, the mist parting away enough for Phoenix to view the determined frown on her face as she swung the blade around. Despite every swing being that powerful, he found it to be a little flimsy: she nearly stumbled once she retracted her blade, and he wouldn't be surprised if she ended up tripping over and falling backwards onto the floor.
"Pinkie?"
She suddenly swung her blade down to him with a furious roar, panting deliriously with the tip of the weapon touching his snout and, for once, making him pale on the spot with a small skip in his breath, leaving him stunned on the spot. Had it been an inch closer, it would've sliced him in half!
Her dementia-filled eyes soon widened, gasping before stumbling backwards and dropping the sword which clattered on the rocks beneath her hooves once she saw the pony in front of her. Pinkie and Phoenix just stared at each other in full silence, before the pink mare began to whimper: "I'm... um... well..."
"No need for an apology," he muttered, picking up the blade from the floor.
"Though you could've at least told me where you were going. Don't want to make the rest of the gang worry now, don't you, even if it means taking my advice?"
Pinkie just nodded sheepishly, glancing down at the floor. The stallion could see pained regret in her nervous twiddling of her hooves and her forceful bite on her lips, before he gave her a smirk, handing the blade back to her.
"Try a couple more swings," he said suddenly, prodding at her surprise.
"You have to have a firmer grip if you don't want to lose your head."
"Well, I..."
Her voice faltered, but soon enough she mustered up the remainder of her confidence, letting out a hesitant sigh as she continued her swings again, albeit less powerful from before. Phoenix sat down and watched from afar, not wanting to risk getting chopped again while she continued her training.
Pinkie could feel his stare pierce through her: it was unnerving and disturbing, and only served to lessen the power of her swings. He really needs to work out on how to be a better audience, she thought to himself. Any performer would be scared senseless if they had ever saw the expression he was wearing.
"You're an early bird today, Pinkie," Phoenix remarked suddenly, to which she returned his smile with her own.
"What woke you up?"
She stopped swinging suddenly, leaving the stallion waiting for an answer while Pinkie just stared down at the grass beneath her hooves. A small breeze blew through her mane, eerily tussling it about while tingling the hairs on her skin, crawling like ants up the anthill of her neck.
"Pinkie?" Phoenix called her name again, the pink mare snapping out of his reverie to see his worried frown. Her lips strained into a smile, though that only made him raise his eyebrow.
"Just... j-just a little excited for a new day, that's all!" she stuttered.
With that settled (at least, in her opinion) Pinkie returned to her training, though Phoenix just crossed his hooves. He cleared his throat suddenly, his frown darkening dangerously as he stood up, steadily advancing towards her, his tail lighting up suddenly as if to symbolize a threat. With a sigh, he asked again:
"What woke you up?"
"I told you, I'm a little excited-"
"I'm not here to play the fool, Pinkie," he growled. The pink mare echoed a whimper once he saw his ruby eyes flare up in a glare. No one in the team dared to make him angry, and when he is... well, Pinkie had never seen him being angry before in her entire lifetime.
"I know something's disturbing you, and the last thing I want is for you to hide it from me. This is the creed that we all took as a team, and I'm sure you understand that whatever burden you're carrying, we will carry it for you."
"But, Phoenix-"
"I'm here to help you, Pinkie."
His harsh tone never went softer nor grimmer, though Pinkie could hear a sense of... regret? An apology? Beneath it all, something stirred with sadness and grief. Something was forcing her heart to wretch up ruefully and to spit out the answer she was suppressing beneath her throat.
"You know that," he continued. That was it. That was the last straw.
With a dejected sigh, she placed the blade onto the floor, before she herself sat down beside it.
"It was another Shard, Phoenix," she muttered softly, to which Phoenix's frown softened; assigning himself to her problems was one of the things he had sworn to do as his duty. He settled right next to her, listening with rapt attention as she continued:
"There was more fire... more flames... a... a... pickaxe? A rope... and he was hanging on the ceiling. I helped him down and... and he pounced onto me but... something shot him. Something shot him in the chest."
A small tear dripped onto the grass, only revealing the many turbulent emotions that Pinkie was trying to hide since she woke up. Her grip on Phoenix's hoof tightened while her mane started to droop, transferring to him the pain she was holding back and telling him the worst was yet to come.
"I don't know what came over me!" she wailed suddenly, forcing out a pool of tears from her eyes.
"The pickaxe. I used the pickaxe... I just... just held it up....and just... swung it into his face! There was... it was everywhere. It was... black..."
"Shhh...." Phoenix hushed, letting her cry into his shoulder. He bit his lip, feeling the forest groan and shudder from the wind that picked up once her sobs filled the air. Even Fleetywit woke up from his slumber, wanting to comfort the pink mare from whatever nightmare that she had went through.
The turquoise stallion just closed his eyes, not out of fatigue, but out of regret. There was nothing more painful than to see one of them cry, and when it was the fragile mare that he had sworn to himself to take care of, it only stung him deeply in the core of his gut.
"Just let it all out," he whispered aloud the only option he deemed viable in his head.
"Let it all out..."
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"What?!"
Of all the most absurd, most ridiculous, most insane choices that Twilight Sparkle could manage, Rarity wanted to howl, she had found this to be the most profound decision in her entire lifetime. Sure, she placed a Want It, Need It spell onto her own doll and drove almost the entire town of Ponyville obsessed with obtaining it. Sure, she broke into the Canterlot archives just so she could find a spell to prevent a disaster that never happened. But this?
"She wouldn't dare!" the white unicorn yelled, clenching her hooves. Sweetie Belle and Spike could only exchange perplexed looks at each other while Rarity scrunched and contorted her face up, wanting to pull back the anger that aligned her face once Spike broke the news to her.
"Twilight said it was urgent," the dragon continued.
"The Princess had called for her personally."
"After only two days?"
Ridiculous, her head screamed inside. Just plain ridiculous! She understands any matters that require Twilight to look into it would decide the fate of Equestria, but did the Princess regarded about her, Spike and the rest of her friends having to see her leave again? Did she even bother?
"What was the Princess thinking?" she snarled.
"We never even had a trip to the spa yet! Why can't we just spend some time together?"
The door opened suddenly, making all of them turn as a familiar voice rang in:
"Spike, can you help me get my quills and parchments? I'll have to get these things in before the rest of them find out that I'll be-"
Twilight stopped in her tracks, nearly dropping the few books in her hoof once she saw Rarity pouting at the other side of the room. She let out a sheepish laugh when the white unicorn caught her last sentence, her face flushing into a deep, dark crimson immediately.
"You plan to leave WITHOUT TELLING US?!!"
"Spike!" Twilight shouted instinctively, glaring at the dragon.
"You just had to tell somepony about it!"
"Well, I don't think it's fair if no one knows you're leaving."
Spike just crossed his arms to prove his point, which managed to tick her off even more. The lavender mare would've pounced onto him and strangle him on the spot if not for Rarity being present and about to do the same to her. If only the dragon wouldn't yap about it so much...
"So I told everyone about it, just in case."
"Wait a minute... what?"
Twilight's face turned pale once he caught the last part of his sentence, gulping nervously. Everyone: the word that she had emphasized on repeated itself in her head. He told everyone, which means not only Rarity knew about it. He wouldn't have dared to tell the rest of her friends as well...?
The rumbling sounds of galloping proved her theory true, the door suddenly bursting open with Rainbow Dash being the first to pin her onto the ground, her wings flapping anxiously with a raging frown on her face despite her condition. The lavender mare could only pray that the Princess would come down to save her from the wrath of her friend any minute, though she knew that it would ultimately never be the case. She just had to brace herse-
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!" the pegasus's voice screeched into her head, throwing her off before she could begin any sort of explanation. There were several other ponies behind her as well, namely Fluttershy and Applejack, both wearing equally horrified expressions at the knowledge of her not-so-secret departure, thanks to a certain dragon here.
"YOU ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!! YOU THINK IT'S COOL TO JUST LEAVE US HERE WITHOUT TELLING US, HUH?!" she screamed, fighting back Soarin's attempts to pull her back. Twilight would've been bruised and battered if Applejack hadn't stepped in to help, finally freeing her from her expectant friend's choking grip.
"LET ME GO!! LET ME GO SO I CAN BUCK HER EGGHEAD BRAINS OUT!!"
"Oh, for Celestia's sake, can't ya just snap it?"
Applejack's harsh tone was enough to stop Rainbow from her shouting, instead gruffly crossing her hooves up and settling herself down on the floor with Soarin' helping her. The orange mare then directed her frown towards Twilight, briefly shaking her head.
"Listen, Twi, Ah understand ya tryin' to leave us out from whatever problems that Equestria might be facin', but even Fluttershy's upset when we find out that ya leavin' without tellin' us. Somethin's the matter, you can tell us."
"Um...... if you don't mind..." Fluttershy piped in while cradling her newborn daughter in her hooves, with Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom at the side giving her each of their nods.
She turned to the remaining pony that hadn't spoken yet; the one that knew of her departure in the first place. Rarity soon gave out a sigh, saying:
"Whatever the urgency of the matter is, we must at least know of it. It is rather uncouth if you left us without at least a valid reason as to why you did so."
Twilight just hung her head low, deep in thought. Should she tell them? Should she just spill out whatever the Princess had written in the letters about their new discovery? Should she disclose to them information that would carry the price of her head? They were her friends... the revelation might be too much for them to handle; she herself nearly lost her head when she read the words of her teacher.
Well, her inner voice muttered. Here goes nothing...
"The Princess wanted me back in Canterlot because apparently somepony found a connection that might lead to the identity of the bomber of the Rembury Hotel."
That was a good start, a part of her assured. Now for the rest...
"They found out it was a plot hatched by an occult worshiping a god. A god that was lost in the past and has returned to restore his title, and the Princesses believe he's back. He's somepony that all of us know very well."
"Janus."
All of them gasped together at the mention of the pony's name, unable to contain their shock. The stallion that took their friend away... the stallion that stole one of them into oblivion... Twilight could feel the tense aura emanating from every frown.
"Janus..." Rarity muttered his name, clenching her hooves with her teeth grinding forcefully against each other. The one pony that she loathed. He? A god? She wanted to spit in his face again if she ever had a chance to. What god would tear them apart by killing their friend? What god would slay thousands of innocent ponies while poison the minds of others? What god deserves another chance to live?
But wait - she stopped in realization - if he's alive, would that mean that...?
"If Janus is still alive... then Pinkie..."
She couldn't finish her sentence, letting out a gasp in place of what would've been her conclusion. Despite that, it was enough to tell the rest of them what it was; Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash frowns became expressions of disbelief, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked like they were about to explode from joy, and Spike, Big Macintosh and Soarin' blinked, trying to let the news sink into their heads.
Twilight seemed to have already reached the conclusion, as she gave a hefty nod.
"That's what I believed to have happened," she replied.
"If Janus is alive, Pinkie would be as well, no doubt about it."
"P-Pinkie..." Rainbow stuttered, almost on the verge of breaking down in her husband's hooves.
"I-I... she's alive..."
"After all this time..." Applejack continued her sentence, clenching her hooves with hope.
"Ah can't believe it. Ah thought she didn't make it..."
Rarity would've agreed with the farmpony's words. She was the one that saw Pinkie falling into the spiraling chasm. She was the one that last saw the pink mare's face before being swallowed into the dark. When she could've been stronger and pulled her from Janus's grasp...
"Pinkie Pie..." she muttered. Her heart felt lighter suddenly, the weight of guilt pulling her down ever since the incident suddenly leaving her.
"Is she in Canterlot now?" she asked, overexcited.
"I'm afraid not."
Twilight let out a sigh at her own answer; one that was met with the exact same reaction from each of them. She could only hope that their friend was safe and sound, not in any danger of some sort. Who would know, seeing that it was one year that she was lost from them.
"The Princesses said they will do anything they can to find her. They can't guarantee that she would still be in Equestria however, and that's where I come in."
"I have to work out where Janus might be striking next," she continued.
"That's why I have to go to Canterlot. To know the next spot he would be targeting and, along with that, to find Pinkie and come up with a way to get her back safely to us."
"Then why leave us out of it?
Rarity's questions was met with agreeing nods from each of her friends, the white unicorn frowning once she recalled Twilight's attempt to abandon them. The violet mare wouldn't call it 'abandoning', she knew that, and the fact that she brought Spike into this was a little too much for her.
"We all want her back, Twilight. We all want to see her back in Ponyville. We're her friends as well, Twilight. Is it too much to ask?"
Twilight just furrowed her brows at her friend's question. She herself yearned for her friends following her to Canterlot, but she wasn't sure of what the Princesses would say. Plus, some of them were having their setbacks: Fluttershy had to take care of Amber Rose, and Rainbow was expecting her own foal any moment now. Bringing them along might only risk their lives, and might do more harm than good with all these bombings happening lately.
"Come on, Twilight," Spike muttered. Even his ever-loyal assistant agreed with Rarity's suggestion. Then again, he might've gave in to his infatuation with her...
She let out a small sigh, making her decision in her head.
The Princesses are going to have her head for this...
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"Are you certain about this, Stellar Lionheart?"
The stallion nodded at Princess Celestia's question, his grip on the handle of the golden rapier tightening. He had never been so sure of his decision in his entire life, and the blade in his hooves; the one weapon that carried the power and patrimony of the Palgiot family, down to the insignia and the family crest at the bottom of the hilt, only reinforced his choice.
"Once a Palgiot, always a Palgiot," he replied. Even if he was a mere butler, he was a part of the family. He was taken into the family when he had none, and as the times grew, so did his loyalty to serve under them.
Stellar had disclosed his plans to the two alicorns: that he was to return to Pendant Lakes, now a buried ruin, to figure out what their enemy wanted with the Dreamscape Machine. That he wanted to know why the chaos brought the town into destruction. Why Janus would do what he had done.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna just smiled, admiring his loyalty to the family, even after their downfall. What the Palgiots had done in their short legacy was abundant, from their technology to their architecture. They wouldn't stop anypony who would step forward and volunteer to recover anything that was lost in the family, and what better was it than the pony who had served under the very same family himself?
"I presume everything can be handled in Canterlot?" he asked with utmost concern.
"My protege would be heading here tomorrow," the alabaster alicorn assured.
"Everything you had figured out would be passed to her, and she will handle it in her own accord."
"So when did you plan your departure?" the younger alicorn asked.
"Tomorrow," Stellar affirmed. Crack of dawn before the sun rises, to be exact. He wanted to reach his destination as soon as his hooves can take him, and it wouldn't hurt to start at the earliest possible time he could manage. After all, he had woke up earlier in the past few years, usually for a morning walk with his friends. Which reminds him...
"Tell Caduceus about my departure," he said.
"I'm sure he would've been happy to tag along if he could."
"And that's why I'm coming along with you."
Caduceus Brineheart marched down into the hallway, chuckling once his friend gave him a look of surprise at his suspiciously timely interruption. The alicorns smiled from their thrones once Stellar gave his friend a nudge at the shoulder, asking:
"Were you listening to us the whole time, you sly colt?"
"I just happened upon your conversation when I was supposed to remind Princess Luna about her therapy tomorrow," the doctor answered, exchanging winks with the cerulean alicorn. Stellar could only chuckle at the mischief that his friend and the princess had plotted. They seemed almost perfect for each other sometimes.
"You think I'll let you go without me joining in?" he asked, breaking into his thoughts.
"I already knew you would do something as idiotic as this, and I was certain you would leave me behind. Surely you have not forgotten the oaths we had made when we were young? When we called ourselves the Crux Four?"
The colt smiled at his friend's words; how could he possibly forget? He, Caduceus, Persimmon and Sidus had created their group when they were eight years old. Side by side, on friendship's shore, the words echoed in his head. What's our name? The Crux Four.
"What about Princess Luna?" he asked, uncertain whether to leave her in her bandaged state.
"Thou trying to claim thy Princess as frail?!"
"No! Not at all! Not at all!" he began to protest, stopping in silence only when the rest of them chuckled, the thought of falling for the princess's trick again making him sigh in humiliation at their mischief once again. Even the most respected beings of ponykinds are good pranksters...
"Are you sure?" Stellar asked, turning back to the doctor.
"You know we might never make it back out."
"Great then. At least I'll die in my hometown."
Caduceus just chuckled at his friend's disgruntled expression, directed at his sarcasm. He placed a hoof on his friend's shoulder, smiling warmly as he spoke:
"If it's to restore the former glory that was heralded in Pendant Lakes, then of course I will go. I'm sure many ponies from the town would've done the same."
"Caduceus would not be the only one following."
The two colts turned in surprise at Princess Celestia's words, blinking once they saw the pair of alicorns wearing mirroring grins. Who else would the Princess assign them on their journey, they wondered? There wasn't anypony else they could think of who was suitable for traveling with them. Even Caduceus wasn't part of this ploy, Stellar surmised, seeing how his eyes widened immediately at the mention of another companion.
"He will hasten your journey there, as well as make a powerful ally in the most dire of times," she continued, her gaze shifting towards the stone doors at the other end of the room and giving a nod.
"You can come in now."
Both Stellar and Caduceus turned once a giant shadow swept over them, their uncertain expressions making way for their nostalgic grins once they saw the colossal, towering figure looking down at them, smiling along as well. Of all the possible allies in the world that she would provide, who wouldn't be better than the one before them right now?
"He volunteered himself," the alicorn added, giving a smile, to which Stellar let out a chuckle at the scaly face before him. Well, his mind told him, still humored by the sudden appearance of the giant being, which spoke in his deep voice filled with wisdom and knowledge:
"We meet again, Stellar Lionheart."
So much for waking up at the crack of dawn.