//------------------------------// // 4: Crystal Archives // Story: To Hunt a Beast // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Taking the riftgate from Appleloosa to the Crystal Empire was one thing, but transporting fifteen vampires and twenty werewolves was another thing. Copper could have sworn that the two creatures hated each other and would have ripped each other apart before they actually arrived. What really happened on the Flying Vengeance was so strange that Copper had actually expected Pinkie to appear out of nowhere. The two creatures had, respectively, engaged the other in conversation and caught up on the last three years. Which meant that Tick, Peachy, and Wisdom discussed what they knew on the missing Changeling King and his wife, who was silently ruling their pones alone in his absence. Copper stared out the window as the train descended onto the train tracks of the Crystal Empire, scaring about ten of the Crystal Ponies that were standing around the area. Scaring ponies was not something that the dragon outfitted train was supposed to do, but it was one of those extra perks Copper had not expected. Her eyes, however, zeroed in on three ponies waiting for their train; one being a unicorn stallion, another being a alicorn mare, and the third being a changeling. She should have gotten over her past hatred for the shapeshifting race, but she still wanted to ride her train into the Hive's heart and blow it sky high. The problem with that was that she would have the fury of the missing Changeling King on her heels if she managed to go through with the operation. She pulled a lever and the train came to a halt right in front of the three ponies that were waiting for them, the doors opening for the crowd. Let the Crystal Couple get swarmed by the force of thirty-five monster level ponies and maybe their pet changeling would bail them out. But as fate would have it the creatures simply walked off the train in an orderly fashion and ignored the fact that others were looking at them weirdly, leaving Copper to lock the train doors up tight. "Welcome home General Tick," Princess Cadence said in a happy tone, turning to look at the others, "I see you have found your way back into the hooves of your friends Peachy and Wisdom. What can Shining Armor and I do for your lovely group?" "We need to access the Crystal Archives," Wisdom replied, "We're confident that there might be some mention as to where Eclipse might have chosen to hide himself for the last three years. Someplace that none of the other Princesses would ever think to check." "The Archives are always open to you Wisdom," Cadence sighed, beckoning the five to join her and Shining, "though I am surprised that you have come to search them yourself when your assistant has been searching them for the last five days by herself." "My assistant?" Wisdom asked, not understanding what the princess meant, "Who are you referring to?" "Sunset Shimmer and her partner Tonto," Shining Armor replied, a frown appearing on his face, "I told Cadence that they weren't assisting you in your search, but she kept telling me they were looking for Eclipse and his hideout." ~The Crystal Archives~ When the group arrived at the library they found stacks and stacks of books lining both floors and with a couple of the bookshelves missing a bunch of them. The tables were littered with plastic cups, some of which were even knocked over or had melted candles on them. The librarian smiled at them, but went on her way and made no effort to clean any of the mess that had been made by somepony else. The question was; who was making such a mess inside a library that even made the librarian not want it cleaned. "I smell candy cane sugar," Wisdom thoughtfully said, lifting a cup to his nose as the others looked around, "reminds me of that one caffeinated drink Pinkie drank when we spied on Chrysalis. There's about twenty cups laying around, so whoever has been drinking these must have been here for a long time to require so many." "I told you to quit bringing me your caffeinated drinks and to bring me an espresso with three shots," said a rather loud feminine voice, "and for the love of Celestia; will the two of you stop that already? You are giving me a freaking migraine." Sunset Shimmer was pouring over a rather large tome while her partner, a tan coated unicorn stallion, was arguing with what appeared to be...Pinkie? And between the two of them was a light blue crystal horn, which must have been one of those annoying flugelhorns. "It my flugelhorn," Tonto said, moving a hoof to a nearby rock, "trade for gems. You make bad deal." "I didn't make a deal you silly pony," Pinkie said, trying to taking the horn back. "Deal," Tonto insisted, pulling the horn back. "No deal," Pinkie growled, making the two fight all over again. "Please Celestia, send them away before my head explodes," Sunset whined, nearly slamming her head into the tome, "I can't concentrate with their bickering." Wisdom felt sorry for the poor mare, having to deal with the complete and utter randomness of Pinkie Pie and the short bursts of knowledge from Tonto in the same instant. It was a wonder that she hadn't gone up in flames and tackled them out of the room, but he admired her self control. She looked behind her and noticed her guests, sighing as she slowly closed the tome and faced them all. "Anything?" Princess Cadence asked, hope in her voice. "Negative Princess Cadence," Sunset replied, lifting another cup up to her mouth and drank some of what was inside it, "I've gone through every tome, be they big or small, and every inscription of the possible locations that one could hide themselves in for more than a few months. I have found no mentions of a possible place where Eclipse could have set up a home." "There must be somewhere we're overlooking," Wisdom spoke up, indicating the map of Equestria that hung behind Sunset, "He wouldn't remain so close to Canterlot, otherwise Princesses Celestia and Luna would have discovered him a long time ago. He wouldn't return to the Frozen Wastes where he found Sombra, otherwise Princess Cadence and Shining Armor would have noticed his presence. He wouldn't dare sleep in the Everfree Forest, not with as many times and Princess Twilight and the Elements go running through there. Sure, he could have stayed somewhere in the desert surrounding Appleloosa, but Tick and his werewolves would have noticed a traveler on their exercises. Manehatten is out of the question, seeing how he couldn't stay hidden there very long without somepony ratting out his existence. And the Hive is not an option, not with Queen Viscarias hunting for him and sharing whatever she finds with the rest of us. So, where is the one place we are overlooking that is the hiding place of Eclipse?" "Wait a minute everypony," Pinkie suddenly said, appearing between Sunset and Wisdom and forgetting all about the instrument she had been fighting over, "You meant to tell me we have been searching for Eclipse this entire time? I thought we were looking for a runaway king or something. I know exactly where we can find him." "For the love of Celestia" Sunset shouted, grabbing Pinkie and staring at her straight in her face, eye to eye, "Where is he Pinkie? Where is Eclipse?" "That's easy silly," Pinkie giggled, smiling in Sunset's face, "He's in Manehatten."