//------------------------------// // Chasing Leads // Story: TMPDA: Last One In The Nest // by Myriad of Failure //------------------------------// I needed to follow Crater. After our meeting, I'd slunk back to camp, eaten, and retired to my tent without a word. Twilight thought it was because I was still angry with Sombre Muse; I knew it was because I needed to think of a way to track the slyest dragon in existence. No point doing it during the day - I wouldn't be able to see what he was doing, while he would spot me instantly. At night he probably slept - so there wouldn't be much to see there, unless it was a possible location for the egg to be hidden. So where could I watch him easily, in plain sight? Unfortunately, sitting in on negotiations and pretending to be interested in politics was as good as I was probably going to get. I didn't like the idea, especially as the only clue to look out for would be him actively working against the ponies' suggestions, although I didn't seem to have much of a choice. Before that, however, I intended to see where he slept, so I could go snooping the next day while he was out. Early as the night was, I planned to wait until a couple of hours before dawn - ensuring that most of the living creatures in this desolate place were unconscious - then do a quick fly over, find the caramel and red body, and finally remember where it was for future reference. Simple. Nevertheless, this all hinged on me sleeping and waking up at the right time. So I curled up on top of my blankets and furs, spread a wing over myself, and settled down for a good snooze. I should have realised that my body clock was too confused for this plan to work. It took forever to drift off into the land of fluffy pillows and sheep (which, speaking as a bat pony, was a very weird thing to associate with sleep. I was far more used to counting my heart beat as it thumped in my ears, having been hung upside down by my mother with a stern warning to stay where I'd been put), so, by the time I woke up, the Sun was already starting to peer over the horizon, eager to torment bat ponies. Rolling over, I staggered out of the tent. Only Heat Haze was out in the camp, stretching out her wings and looking out at the rest of the plateau. She hadn't seen me come out. Not wanting her to notice me, I launched into the air, twisting over the nearby rocks so that she couldn't watch me leave. Everything continued to ache, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself into a glide. A little movement would take the stiffness out of them, I hoped. The ground flashed by; orange and blue and green bodies curled neatly in alcoves, or yellow and pink and teal bodies slunk between pillars, talking in low rumbles or hissing quietly. Crater continued to elude me. It didn't help that he was the same colour as the dust coated ground. If anypony asked what I was doing, this was my normal morning routine. Failing that, my story was that I needed to get to know the area, because I couldn't possibly have looked around during the initiation, or any time at all after that... I turned and went around again, taking it from a different angle. More silhouettes where moving now; it was likely he was already up... There! Circling, I moved lover to the ground, aiming for a lip on the edge of the crater. Landing softly, I lay down on my front, sliding forwards carefully. A quick glance told me that no one else was around. It was a secluded little corner - pushed up to the very edge of the plateau, where a rock lip nearly ten feet tall curved over the flat landscape. It looked like there had been a small rock fall at some point, because the ground was littered with varying sizes of boulders and rubble. The perfect place for a dragon bed. The perfect place to hide an egg. Peering down over the lip - brown scales had been wrapped into a tight ball, with those red spines facing out away from the rock wall, curving out in sharp sickles. In the relative shade thrown up by the cool stones, I could make out the ridge of bones forming his wings. He shifted, pulling a wing closer over his head. The wound was exposed. I stared slowly - it was a good opportunity to examine it. The newer scales were a lighter shade - closer to sand in colour than caramel - and spread over a large distance. Like this, I could see that they reached from the bottom of his rib cage to the base of his wing. A great slash across his side. It wasn't a bite mark, unless it had been done by a very large creature with only one fang. It didn't look like a spear thrust either - the shaft would break before a gash that long could be made. Perhaps a sword could have done it - only if wielded by a unicorn, though, otherwise they would have been hit by the wing before the great slash could be made. That was a thought - the wing would normally shield that part of the dragon. The weapon would have to start at the bottom and then move upwards to the wing, otherwise it would have been damaged as well. Also, Crater was probably flying at the time, or would have to have had his wings raised in defence. If it was caused while flying, it was unlikely a unicorn with a sword would have attempted the attack. Not many unicorns used swords anyway - a quick spell or a spear thrust was often easier. I didn't think that the Royal Guard had used swords for several hundred years anyway. Perhaps it was a claw slash - but if it was, my first guess would be that another dragon had inflicted it. On the other hoof, Crater hadn't sounded like it was a dragon that had hurt him... A rumble and another shift, and an eye snapped open. I pulled back. Pressing down against the lip, I forced myself into slow, shallow breaths. Had he seen me? Would he assume it was something else? Would he try to check? I was a few meters over him - but he could have been tall enough to just look over. I couldn't remember. Closing my eyes, I waited. Listening, he shifted again. Something scraped the floor. A mouth opened in a yawn. Claws ran across the stone, grating painfully. I flattened my ears, hating the screech. When I dared to listen again, his wings unfurled. A whoosh and a thump, and the dragon was into the air, propelling himself towards the centre of the plateau. Air whistled past my lips. I didn't dare move until I saw his figure dip down beneath a fissure. When I knew he was gone, I went snooping. Dropping off the edge of the lip, I fell into the scree, trying not to disturb any more of it than I had to. It moulded into an oval, ready to accommodate a young dragon. Surrounding it was a neat semi-circle of larger stones. I leapt into the nest, feeling the lingering warmth as I hooked my wings over a couple of these stones to lower myself in, looking towards the back of the bed. Directly beneath the lip the ground was black with shadows. Not that this was a problem. The problem was that there was nothing there - just some pebbles worn smooth and a few gem shavings. Hopping out of the bed, I inspected the surrounding boulders. One could be the egg, disguised by greying, hardened mud. Nevertheless, they were all jagged pieces, beaten and ragged as if layers had been sliced off the corners, rather than being a smooth, ovular egg. I searched for as long as I dared, soon realising that I wasn't going to find it there. It was possible that he had already planted it on somepony, or that he had hidden it somewhere else - it would have been foolish to keep it so close to where he slept. I left on hoof, allowing myself to check the surrounding scree field, as well as preventing me from being seen taking off from Crater's corner. Nevertheless, I found nothing out of place, and was soon flying back to the pony camp, preparing myself for a long day of diplomacy... Stifling a yawn, I glanced around at the table. It wasn't really a table. We were just sat around the lava pool in a neat circle - although the pony side of the circle was bulging further out from the pool, with cautionary good sense; it hadn't stopped its nervous bubbling yet. Magma took up most of one semicircle - with only two other large dragons to each side able to join him. If other dragons wanted to listen in, they had to find places to perch around us. Crater sat behind the pony half, having claimed a pillar of rock to glare down from, his shadow falling heavily on Twilight. I sat between one of the large dragons (a long, thin male with lemon yellow scales and lime green fronds) and Cloud Drift. Opposite sat Heat Haze and Iron Discipline - Heat Haze taking the place next to her own large dragon, who was grotesque in mass as well as facial features. Her snout had been smashed inwards towards her face, and one eye had been permanently sealed with a ragged scar. Even her grey scales looked like they'd been beaten into that colour, from what should have been a rich midnight blue. They had already been talking for what felt like hours. Cloud Drift regularly hit me to make sure I was awake, after which I'd hiss snide comments to him while we waited for some trivial matter to be addressed. Which lands could they claim, would they get citizenship, could they live permanently in Equestria? Twilight, for her part, was a hard negotiator. Due to this, each topic was taking a lot longer than it ought to. So, what of my own task? Watching Crater for suspicious activity. Very little to report there... He hadn't spoken once so far, and his face never shifted from a look of mild displeasure. Occasionally, he had caught me looking, and I had to put on a glazed expression and pretend to be staring at the sky. To be honest, it was becoming difficult to see him. Cloud had made space for me, but we were directly in line with the Sun, facing east towards it. I could barely make out Heat Haze, which was surprising considering how bright her coat was. "Right." Twilight glanced at the notes Spike was holding up for her. The poor kid had been scribbling them down for her since we started, despite Sombre and Chronology also scrawling out a novel between them. "It is agreed then, that you shall gain citizenship if you have been living and working in Equestria for five years. The Ruby Horde itself will have no particular... territory - with the exception of the uninhabited areas of the Badlands - however, an individual dragon may buy land should they have the currency to do so." "You are correct, Princess of Ponies," Magma inclined his head slightly, glancing at his selected helpers to confirm their satisfaction. "I was hoping we'd be able to discuss the creation of trade deals between Equestria and the Dragon Islands next - if that would be possible?" "Speak of Drake Law." The voice rumbled from behind Twilight. Perfect quickly muttered the translation to her, having been sat beside her in case an interpreter was required. Crater unwound himself from his pillar, snaking towards the ground. "Speak of meaning, Crater." Magma growled as his grandson eased himself to the edge of the circle, stopping just behind Fluttershy. He didn't appear pleased by the disruption. "Yesterday, speak of Equus Law - today, speak of Drake Law." Fluttershy visibly squirmed, waiting anxiously for Crater to move on. Nearby, Perfect continued to translate, causing Twilight's brow to furrow deeply. "Drake not of service - King of Drake not Equus." Perfect's blue mouth froze, trying to formulate what Crater had said into something more polite for princessly ears. Understandably - Crater had just defied the rule of the princesses! He had refused cooperation. I had my act of rebellion, but I also had to say something - soon - before Perfect got her tongue back and explained it to Twilight. "King of Equus not Drake," I called out, shielding my gaze with a wing so that I could see better. Perfect had gathered her wits and continued translating. Knowing her, she wouldn't leave out any details in tactful diplomacy once she understood the words. "We keep to Equestrian laws in Equestria - you have your own laws for the Dragon Islands." There was no point in sticking to the Cave Tongue - Twilight knew everything now. You could tell by the way her mouth was hanging open slightly. "Thestral eyes do not see," He skirted around the circle to me, his tail lashing restlessly. "Yesterday, Thestral great - today, Thestral yield to Equus - tomorrow, Thestral be Equus. Drake see shame -" He bent unnecessarily close to my ear, hissing the last words, "- Drake remain great." I froze my face into a mask. I needed to remain like ice - at least until I decided what to do. First things first - he had just offended me - and my fellow bat ponies - and the ponies themselves, having used them as an insult. By rights, I was able to defend my honour, and the honour of my people. However, that was just the tip of the iceberg. By ancient bat pony law (something followed vaguely in the caves today, but nothing like it used to be, thankfully), I could declare Crater as having attacked my entire race, and entreat my allies to help me attack him. Violently. This was the ancient greatness I could only assume he was referring to. Despite this, there were several problems - we were in Equestria, so obeyed pony laws - we were in a summit of dragons, so should respect their customs (which didn't vary too greatly from the bat ponies, although there were a few significant... alterations) - I was also an ally to the Ruby Horde, so attacking one of their members would offend them, even though they're my allies too. It was for this reason that Magma was doing nothing. His white eyes surveyed the scene as clouds watched the earth. So... what to do... I turned to Crater - thankfully a direction that wasn't towards the Sun - and gave him a cool smile. I didn't have to look around to know that everypony was watching. His golden eyes adopted the same stare. He wasn't going to back down from what he said. Not just that - he believed what he'd said. "Then it was a pony that beat you." This was my measured response. Then I punched him. With a snap, his head twisted back. The skin beneath the scales turned snow white before flushing with blood. It would be completely swollen within a few hours. So would my hoof, but I was busy pretending not to notice. "I bare you no further ill will." I turned my back and sat down. A crowd of stunned faces watched me; I wished they were watching the dragon. I was relying on them to tell me if he was about to tackle me into the lava pool. Due to the unspoken rules of pride and posturing, I couldn't glance back - despite this, I preferred know when I was about to be pushed to my death. "Apologies, Magma - King of Ruby Horde." I bowed my head and spread my wings gracefully. It was important he knew that I didn't hold a grudge against him. The awkward silence smothered the meeting. At least it wasn't my gargled screams as I drowned in lava. "With that... matter... resolved?" Twilight glanced around, trying to read the situation. "Can I ask a question?" "You just did." Spike hissed, the silence carrying his words across the gathering. Ignoring him, Twilight said, "What are the dragon laws?" Nopony replied. Although a lot of our eyes settled on Heat Haze. The dragons wouldn't explain the full grisly details to strange ponies, but Heat Haze would have learnt a few of the basics while she'd been with them. Even I knew a few of the main ones - only I had done enough talking for the moment, and I would just mix them up with the bat pony ones. "There are a lot." Heat Haze began, noticing the amount of attention she was getting. "The main principle centres on pride and retribution, though. Say, if one was to steal from a dragon, that dragon could steal any of your possessions. A dragon's possessions can range from the skin on their backs, to a gem they collected - even their own children." She continued, answering any of the princess' questions, but I had stopped listening. Crater wanted to keep the Dragon Law - he wanted it to apply here once we'd left. He wanted the egg thief to be tried by the Dragon Law. He wanted to be able to claim a possession. So which pony would you want to claim from? "Hey, Nocturne," Cloud Drift whispered into my ear, similarly ignoring the nitty-gritty details, "crude jokes aside; what's it like having a pair larger that a couple of bowling balls?" "Surprisingly easy." The rest of the meeting was uneventful. Well, when compared to punching a dragon, most things are uneventful. Obviously, I had done other things just as exciting - I was in the Guard once, after all. Not that the two guards with us seemed to have experienced such a colourful life. The worst thing I could gather Cloud Drift had seen was Tirek's little rampage - which, while draining ponies' magic, was hardly that destructive. Only Twilight had to actually fight the brute. I spent most of the meeting arguing with Cloud about this, each of us hissing at each other in clipped whispers. My argument was clear - okay, he was knackered and he couldn't fly, but was it really that terrible? He complained that not being able to do something was, in itself, a terrifying situation. Unsurprisingly, he told me I wouldn't understand, because I was probably sleeping. I assured him I had been very much awake. So he asked me why I didn't consider it my most terrifying moment, as he did. For a start, like many events in history, the bat ponies were forgotten. Tirek, in his infinite ignorance, had forgotten that we bat ponies have magic. It's less malleable, we have no control over it, and all it's said to do is help us see at night and fly - nevertheless, it is still there. Otherwise, where would our redundant cutie marks come from? Anyway, having been left alone, the Night Guard was tasked with protecting the city - should Tirek try and destroy it. From our vantage point, we could quite clearly see that Princess Twilight was handling things on her own. We weren't worried in the slightest. So he told me that the Day Guard were worried because we were the ones protecting them - and anyway, if the city was attacked, we'd desert to help destroy it. He laughed at me when I threatened to push him into the lava. I laughed at him when I nearly did. This was when we were getting up for a lunch break. The rest of the afternoon was spent exchanging stories - with the meeting still focused on the dull politics of gem distribution, it was the only way we managed to stay awake. Luckily, we both had a lot to say. Firstly, Cloud wanted to know what my most terrifying experience was. After a gripping tale about my final exam to become a proper guard, involving an enormous beast we stumbled upon in the Griffon Empire, we naturally moved on to talk about our families. Cloud grew up in Cloudsdale - both his parents worked in the weather industry, and he'd spent most of his time looking after his little brother, Snow Drift. He'd always wanted to be a Royal Guard, but his parents had pushed his brother onto greater, more academical, things, so he was now studying meteorology at the University of Las Pegasus. I had to admit that my sister was a gigging musician, that my mother was a conductor, and that nopony in my family had even considered university. Sun Dial had probably been, however I was still refusing to class him as 'one of the family'. There was no point; not when Fantasia could have still dumped him, or had an affair, or Sun Dial could have found somepony better. Cloud told me I should have more faith in my sister. I told him he would need to meet her first before he could pass judgement over my opinions. He raised an eyebrow at this, making his face look lopsided. That coy smile replaced his normally easy grin. "Meeting the family?" He sniggered. "Shouldn't I buy you a drink first?" I was ready for it this time - I could play it cool too. So I whispered back, conscious of the lull in discussions, "Please - I like a lot more than a drink before I let you near my family. They might scare you off." "A few bat ponies don't scare me." "Really?" I curled the corner of my lip, revealing a hint of fang. I had just heard Magma mention something about sharing a feast - it made me realise how hungry I was. "Keep talking like that, and I might actually follow you up on the drinks idea..." He managed not to blush too much. It was possibly unfair to judge him for it - his white coat showed up any kind of flush, while my deep navy hid a multitude of sins. However, I had timed my comment well for him - Magma was just declaring that all of the ponies were invited to dine with the dragons, and the meeting was stating to break up. It gave him time to cool down and think of a witty reply. I was about to leave with them when Magma cast his long shadow over me, snout hovering over me by several feet. "Night to Thestral." He kept his voice low, so it only sounded like a small landslide. "Night to Drake, King of Ruby Horde." I bowed as he reduced the distance even further by sliding into the lava pool. I stood back to avoid the ripples. "I, of service?" "Yesterday, yes." His white eyes narrowed. Steam rose from his nostrils, although it could have been the bubbling lava. "Today? Today, Thestral fight - Thestral forget duty." Nearby dragons had stopped to listen surreptitiously. "Egg, lost?" "Yes..." I squirmed under his gaze, trying to remind myself that I was the detective, not this dragon king. "Duty not forgotten - service continues." "Speak of meaning - treaty not duty, talk of love not duty - lost egg duty." My cheeks flushed, not due to the heat this time. I wasn't flirting with Cloud... and even if I had been, I didn't think the dragon king would notice. "I desire truth - eyes see truth as ears hear lies." I glanced back at the retreating forms of the ponies. "Duty not forgotten - service continues." He didn't nod, or look the slightest bit understanding. On the other hoof, he also didn't look like he was going to kill me, or ask another dragon to interrogate me, so that was always a bonus. "Tomorrow, treaty at end?" I asked. I needed to know when they thought the summit would be over - I needed to know how long I had to catch this thief. "Day, two days," Magma twisted his snout and flared his nostrils. "Equus continue - if at end, egg lost." Nodding, I breathed a little sigh. If he was willing for discussions to end before the egg was found, it did at least mean he wanted to let the treaty go ahead. He might end up with several pony hostages by the end of it, but there would be an agreed plan should we stop being hostages (and not start being dead). "Know of villain?" "Today, I see not. Tomorrow? Yes." He managed to suppress his disappointment. With a wave of a dripping claw, he dismissed me. Shuffling away as a respectably hasty trot, I reflected that having Conundrum as my boss wasn't really as bad as I thought, especially when compared to this dangerous dragon king... We huddled around a large fire. Well, everypony else was huddling - I was reclining a little further away, feeling my wings sweat and my cheeks flush. Winter didn't exist in the Badlands, making the fire entirely redundant. I'd spent years of childhood winters frozen stiff in a cave, wondering when the elders would deem it cold enough for a pathetically small fire. It was at those times I wished my colony had a resident dragon. Orion once told me that he'd grown up with a cave dragon; his colony lived in the depths of Unicorn Range, which made concealing a fire-breathing beast a little easier. Apparently the inhabitants of Canterlot would have rioted if the Lonely Colony decided to share the mountain with one. There were other perks to having a dragon. As I was now seeing, they were actually very good hosts. Very respectfully, they'd found everypony food - flowers from the Dragon Islands for the ponies, a few of their own gems for Spike, and a small bowl of crimson bliss for me, which I wasn't about to question the origins of. That was also a reason for sitting away from the main circle. From my removed position, I was able to take little sips, savouring the metallic tang. The last time I'd been able to enjoy it like this was during my time in the Guard, where any bat ponies received a small monthly ration, sourced from the local colonies. Nevertheless, even there you had to drink quickly or else your so-called friends would drink it for you. Or your friends would question your morals. Especially when they knew you'd been partly raised on the strict Equestrian moral code - and so had they. Mealtime arguments like that could keep you occupied for days. But I digress. Another reason for spending time with our hosts was that they told brilliant tales. Obviously, I'd heard all of the bat pony folk tales and mythology, as well as the old Equestrian mares' tales. But dragon legends? Great tales of the Horde Wars? Old stories about forgotten dragon kingdoms? That was something fascinatingly new. Unfortunately, seeing as we were here to establish a union between our species, Twilight began telling a few herself. Not that they weren't good - they just weren't as good as the ones Magma had been telling. I'd also heard them before. Or lived through them. The statue-ification of Discord, the fall of the Crystal Empire, the banishment of Nightmare Moon... I was only interested when she started talking about Starswirl the Bearded - only for Spike to roll his eyes, sigh noticeably, and tell the gathering that Twilight had a bit of an obsession with the ancient unicorn, and shouldn't be allowed to ramble on about him, unless we wanted to be here until next Hearth's Warming Eve. "What about the bats?" Dust Trail spoke up loudly, glancing at me. "Surely you have a few good camp fire stories?" "Well, some really are incredibly fascinating!" Secret spoke up. She was included in the huddle, nibbling at a snap dragon stalk. I had a feeling the dragons hadn't even noticed that she was a bat pony - I had been waiting to see her reaction to the meal, only to be disappointed when she was served flowers like a normal Equestrian. "I have picked up so many different tales from the folklore - like great berry shortage which took place just after the unification of the pony tribes." Dust shot me a dire look. It was clear that the 'great berry shortage' wasn't the kind of tale she was expecting. "Or there's always the old legends..." I suggested, putting down my now empty bowl and moving up to the circle. "I'd bore you with the intricacies of our mythology over the Sun and Moon, but perhaps you'd prefer to hear about the legend of Selena and Polaris?" "Neither of those are factually accurate!" Secret complained. "It's all just fairy stories for foals. We all know that Nightmare Moon really existed." "Oh, the Moon thing probably isn't," I shuffled closer, dropping my voice, "but Selena and Polaris were real bat ponies - while the story may vary between colonies, they definitely existed." "Then we would hear it, Thestral," Crater rumbled, his voice drifting from the edge of the group, "when has truth mattered in tales of old?" "Never," I smiled, putting on the story-teller face I sometimes used with my niece. "Thousands of years ago, before ponies came to the lush lands of Equestria, there were two great bat pony colonies. One, the Sun Colony, resided in the highest peak of what is now Unicorn Range; the other, the Moon Colony, was to the east, in Foal Mountain. They had been warring since beyond living memory, competing to rule the middle lands. "However, an elder of the Moon Colony read the stars, declaring that the time of peace was upon them. But how to establish a link between the two? Unlike modern diplomacy, his thoughts immediately turned to his only daughter, the pride of the colony, whom everypony adored. She was stunning - with long hair like liquid obsidian, a slender body the midnight blue of the sky, and silver eyes flecked with gold - while her heart was kind and honest. Selena was her name, after the way her eyes reflected the Moon. "Well, her father decided to arrange a marriage between her and a respected member of the Sun Colony, in an act of trust and union. His daughter was the only family he had - despite this, he was willing to sacrifice that for the good of peace. After telling her his plans, she consented; desperate for the fighting between them to end. "However, the night before the ceremony, Selena's lover caught her alone outside of the cave, and begged for her to dance with him one last time. His name was Polaris - a great traveller of undiscovered lands, who knew he never should have won Selena's heart - being considered to have abandoned his colony for the thrills of adventure. Unlike many bat ponies, his mane was striped with pale white bands, and his coat was the grey of the mist. "Eventually, Selena agreed and spent the rest of the night and day with him, swearing that it must be the last time they ever met. "Dutifully, the next evening she married Bloodstone of the Sun Colony, who, upon meeting her, fell deeply in love - admiring every quality which she possessed. They returned to the Sun Colony together, and in time she bore a filly, who was as famed for her beauty as her mother - with those gold flecked eyes, a sinfully black coat, and a silver mane striped with white bands." Perfect snorted here and cast a knowing look at Dust. Fluttershy looked to Twilight for explanation, but the purple princess looked like she was flushing with embarrassment. "Selena named her Stella, ignoring her husband's wishes to name the foal after one of the precious gems mined from the mountains. "Some years later, Polaris came to visit the Sun Colony, and took Selena off into the night. Seeing what had happened, Bloodstone searched for the couple, and on finding them, challenged Polaris to a duel. Discreetly, Bloodstone had hidden a blade along his wing, which he used to kill his wife's lover - for, having seen him, he knew Stella was not his daughter. "Devastated, Selena cursed her husband, swearing that he had killed what little of her still loved. With that, the mare took her lover and flung both herself and Polaris from the mountain side. Her body broke against the rocks. "Seeing what he had caused, Bloodstone returned to Stella, who was by now asleep in the morning light. There, he sang to this foal that was not his, explaining what had happened and swearing his guilt before the sleeping filly. With that, he turned his dagger on himself and died." The dragons nodded appreciatively at the tale. The ponies, on the other hoof, looked aghast. "That's a fairy tale?" Spike raised a sceptical eyebrow. "It's really grim." "Is it?" I shrugged. "It's quite cheerful by bat pony standards." "Three ponies died!" "Some versions of it have the filly being killed as well." "That's awful!" Dust laughed, holding up a hoof. By now, her wing was draped across Perfect's back. "Yeah, but this is one of those dark camp fire stories. It's not supposed to be cheerful." "I grew up with it as a bedtime story." I admitted. They looked so shocked I neglected to mention that I used it when foal-sitting my niece. Lulu loved this story - mainly because it was allegedly the origin of the first lullaby. "What? Most of the folk music we have is based on these stories! You can't just not tell foals what they're about." "At least it isn't true." Secret butted in with pursed lips. Clearly, this was a little snippet of bat pony culture she wasn't too fond of. "Well, they say you can still identify their true descendants by their silver gold-flecked eyes. So clearly the bit about killing Stella isn't true..." I chuckled nervously. "I'll just be quiet now, shall I?"