I am awoken the following morning by the sound of ringing bells atop my head, and the smell of cooked eggs wafting by.
“Breakfeast.”
I mumbled to myself, licking my lips that had already contorted into an idiots grin. I held my hoof to the ringing dinner bells, silencing them. I took my spectacles from the bedside table and allowed them to rest on the tip of my muzzle, before brushing my mane into a presentable fashion. As I pull the brush from my mane for a final time, loose strands of hair tearing out with the brush,the door opens behind me, once again, Eclipse summons me to the Princess, though now for the much more casual affair of breakfeast.
As I pushed past the large wooden doors towering above me into the the dining area, I was greeted by a long table, roughly six yards long. It was apparent that I had enjoyed the luxurious beds for far longer than the the other guests as they had already dug into the full breakfeast laid out before each of them, though the Princess was oddly absent.
I took a place beside Book Case, who was alone, staring into his full plate as the fork in his hoof broke and tore through the variety of eggs atop the fine china. Out of the corner of his eye, he briefly glanced at me, before quickly looking back down to the yellow mounds of scrambled eggs taking up a majority of the breakfeast plate. It was apparent he hadn’t ate, only disturbed the breakfeast.
I spoke not a word as I carefully studied him, his mental state still a concern to me, as he would be joining us on the expedition. A perturbed expression began to overtake the stallions face, and so I averted my gaze to the mare on the opposite side of the table. Lyra had dug into the meal with a ferocity akin to a manticore with a thorn in it’s paw, though I doubt such a beast would gleam with such delight as it tore into it’s prey. Though Bon-Bon had attempted to contain herself and enjoy her meal in a much more regal manner, she had seemed quite accustomed to the manner in which Lyra ate. I, myself had lacked anything of an appetite that morning as more and more questions came to my mind about the expedition. I took a piece of the scrambled egg in my fork and and rested it on my tongue, not wanting to appear rude in the presence of royalty. There was no denying that it was one of the most well prepared eggs I had had in my time, however, I managed to stifle my excitement as a thought came to mind. There was a face missing at the table. I turned my head back and forth, searching for the bat pony I had been introduced to the previous night. As my curiosity reached an apex, I finally spoke to myself.
“Where could Night Breeze be?”
Having heard my mumbled queries, Lyra had ceased shoveling the variety of eggs into her mouth and swallowed, a massive lump descending down her throat before she leaned over the table, bringing herself mere inches from my own face. She whispered.
"I can't say anything for sure, but my research tells me that bat ponies are nocturnal, so she’s probably still asleep.”
the very moment she finished her sentence, she dove once more unto the meal, with the same ferocity as previously. Book case slowly lifted his head towards me, and below his breath, began to mutter.
“They can wear cloaks, though.”
Both I and Lyyra immediately turned our gaze towards the stallion, amazed that he had attempted to join a conversation of his own accord.
“E-excuse me?”
I stuttered, still in shock.
“The old legends say that they can wear cloaks to shield themselves from the holy fire of Celestia’s sun.”
I slowly creeped closer to him, believing that an extended conversation would be best to achieve before our departure.
“I don’t believe I’m familiar with these legends. Perhaps you could enlighten me?”
I was, of course, quite familiar with the old tales, being rather infatuated with them in my youth and extensively studying them during my adolescence. I did however believe it important for Book Case to appear as an asset to the team.
He went on, relaying onto me information from countless bat pony legends. I stared at him, slack jawed. I soon realised myself and brought my hoof to my muzzle, closing it. After a brief, awkward silence a gong was struck.
Each of our heads immediately snapped towards the source of the noise to find Princess Luna standing at the head of the table. She spoke.
“Now that you have all had some rest, I believe the time has come for you to embark upon this expedition. I have told you all you need to know. You will be boarding a train to the Crystal Empire shortly. You will then walk to the mountains with the aid of a guide. I wish I could accompany you on this journey, but my duties as Princess Of The NIght restrict me.”
She lowered her head and stepped away from the head of the table. Eclipse takes her place, clearing his throat.
“OK, if everyone could just follow me, we can begin our journey.”
He waved us towards the same carriage that had brought me here, and, before I knew it, we had departed for the expedition.