//------------------------------//
// Chapter Seven: A New Twist Develops 
// Story: Razgriz 
// by Blake Skies 
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Chapter Seven:
A new Twist develops



The next two weeks in Ponyville was boring. I mean it, complete and utter boredom. Sure Pinky Pie threw a party here and there, but those almost became old after a while. And whatever trail I thought I picked up on had grown cold. Twilight’s order came in on time, but the map turned out was more unintuitive than going in blind. Trying to decipher the bloody thing was like taking a course in quantum mechanics in one hour. Still, I had to be at least respectful to the Princess and use the damn thing. But even that came with a constraint.
Flash Sentry and his team were very hesitant about allowing anyone to leave the town. Primarily because of Razgriz but also because another silver was spotted in the griffin kingdom, so anyone leaving Ponyville needed to have a really good reason. And mine was a flimsy reason at best, considering I couldn’t come out with the truth. Thankfully, I managed to ask Twilight to give me permission, and she did so. I just had to constrain myself to two rules; join her and Flash for dinner on Saturday, and take Flash along for the exploration.
So as we trekked our way through the Everfree Forest following the old path of the Silver Razor, I let Flash hold the map while I followed the barely visible trail. That didn’t stop the mood between us being almost grating.
“Are you sure you’re on the right path.” Flash asked for the twentieth time.
“Trust me Flash, if we were lost, you would know.” I told him. Truth be told, the trail was extremely hard to see. But three years in the Demon Lord Corp allowed me to pick up upon even the most subtle of clues. 
“Yeah but it doesn’t look like our path is producing results.” He shot back.
“What, did they ever teach you about patience in Basic training?” I asked smugly.
“Well, yeah. But never in regards to walking along a trail.” Flash responded equally smugly.
“Touché,” I grimaced, “But come on Flash Sentry. Where’s your smell of adventure eh? A big young strapping fellow like you, this should be a joy to behold.”
“Hiking through the forest on a wild goose chase is not my idea of adventure.” He sighed, “What are we looking for anyway?”
“The home of those Silvers,” I answered. I almost wanted to take it back, but I realized I was going to have to stay on good terms with the guards of Ponyville. Plus if I did find what I was looking for, it would be pretty hard to pass it by Flash. 
“You serious, you’re from out of town, why would you care about things that go on here in Ponyville?” Flash asked.
“Well think about it, problems in the Capital rarely stay within the Capital.” I told him, “Ever hear about the Pegasi Riots?”
“You mean the Cloudsdale Revolution?” he answered, “Every Pegasi has. That supposed to be an example?”
“Is it,” I asked back turning back to look at Flash Sentry.
Flash pondered the question for a moment, “Guess I see your point.”
“Good, Now onwards as always.” I said as we resumed our trot. After letting the conversational air stagnate for a bit, I decided to chime up another topic point, “So how long have you known Twilight Sparkle?”
“About eight months, we met in Canterlot.” Flash answered.
“See her often?” I asked.
“When we get a chance, though I know for sure her Brother is doing everything in his power to make sure those chances are rare.” Flash answered.
“Well he’s a big brother that’s his job.” I said, though I really didn’t have any experience to go on since I was an only child.
“Job is putting it mildly when your older brother is Capitan General of the Equestrian Royal Guard and Prince of the Crystal Kingdom.” Flash sighed.
I chuckled, “No kidding. It must suck to be you, though I’m not really one to talk.”
“Why’s that?” he asked. 
“Well, like you I had a princess too.” I sighed off the cuff. Then I stopped talking, almost wishing I could gobble that line back up. But it was no use, and Flash knew it.
Flash snorted, “Oh really, which one?”
I almost wanted to say Princess Luna, just to gage his reaction before dismissing it with a lie. But I caught myself, “Princess Yuna of the nation of Horsca.”
Flash stopped trotting for a moment, “Oh, you still with her?”
I shook my head, “Personal issues got in the way.”
“I’m sorry bro,” Flash said sincerely.
“It’s fine, really, we parted on great terms.” I told him as we resumed our trot.
“How’d you rope the Princess of Horsca?” he asked.
“Well how did you rope the Princess of Friendship?” I shot back.
“Touché,” Flash answered.
“Word of advice Mr. Sentry,” I told Flash, “If you really want to win a princess’s heart, take her to dinner. Preferably a place where there’s a singer. If you can’t find a place, sing to her yourself. And if you can’t do that, learn how to sing; wins them over in a heartbeat.” 
Just then a bird rustled his wings and took off into the sky… 

…Ten weeks, ten long weeks of no leads. Ten weeks, seventy days of nothing. It’s honestly amazing I didn’t go insane. I may have still been a rookie Demon Lord, but not even a Lord as green as I would let a trail like this go cold. It’s not like I didn’t do anything, whatever chance I got I searched Canterlot and its surrounding regions for clues. All the while coming up with nothing, no evidence, no trail, not even a smoking gun, I was starting to wonder what if any was the plan.
Though I have to admit, the ten weeks weren’t bad at all. I got to spend more time with the Princesses of Equestria. Celestia was almost all too eager to accept my company. We would spend most days talking or exploring various areas of Equestria; all the while though curiously avoiding direct contact with the regular ponies of Equestria. But it must be said, Celestia didn’t seem to be at fault for this. I soon discovered that she was showing me these locations not to avoid my view of the downtrodden, but because she had been to these locations a lot herself.
That started to make me wonder just exactly who was in charge of Equestria. Celestia did make mention of the Royal Solar court, but that most them were away with this Duke to discuss relations with the Griffon empire. I couldn’t understand why, as that situation seemed to be completely resolved. But I’m getting off track.
Demon Lord Code specifically states that Demon Lords should not get involve with their district’s politics, and I chose to adhere to that rule. I would soon come to regret that choice. 
Luna on the other hand was a lot more wary of my friendliness. After that first night, our discussions became more of a common tradition or routine, but barely any of them garnished anything. Luna, as I soon found, was extremely reserved about herself; a far cry from her extroverted sister. But I soon deduced that her reserved nature wasn’t because of an introverted mentality, but because of something less quantifiable. 
Anytime I brought up the Equestrian population with Celestia, she always talked about them with a caring attitude that was maligned by the sense that forces were at work over them that were beyond her control. Luna meanwhile spoke of the Equestrian population with disgust and anguish. And anytime I quizzed her as to why, she would always respond with “they shun my beautiful night.” This was ironic because she gave a similar, if not reversed; answer when I asked her why she treated me so differently. “Because thou do not shun our night,” she would say.
The mannerisms aside, I figured that something was indeed up with Princess Luna. While I had little idea of what type of person, err Pony, she was, that didn’t mean I couldn’t investigate her as a possible lead. Her personality obviously fit a good motive for unleashing silver like creatures upon a landscape. And further, if she did have a bias or hatred of the people she ruled over, it was feasible for her to be the mastermind behind all this. 
But it was soon that I had to dismiss Princess Luna as a possible suspect. First and foremost I had to take into account my first encounter back on Hicksville Train station. Gidrah knew about these beings when the Silver Razor appeared to us on the platform, and that was before we came to Equestria. Furthermore, the almost erratic appearances of these Silvers didn’t fit the mindset of someone who was out for revenge. 
The same could be said about Celestia. Her honesty and kindness fit the role of a benevolent leader and not that of a tyrannical overlord. Moreover, Celestia’s reaction at the dinner when the three Spheres attacked was more that of confusion than practiced shock. So she was out. 
Then there was Gidrah’s familiarity with these Silvers, yet his inability to figure out exactly who was originally behind these monsters. So how exactly did all this fit?
All this I considered as I sat atop the highest spire in the Canterlot tower. Well okay not sitting on the spike, I sat actually at the antenna’s base, but I was still extremely high up. Celestia’s shinning sun glinted nicely over my Demon Lord Armor, and the gentle wind blew my cape lovingly. I gazed down on the city below with hard eyes. Gidrah was resting across my shoulders, obviously in the same frustrated state I was in.
“If I can only remember who exactly was the original controller of those Silvers.” He told me. 
“You know I’m not one to criticize Gidrah, but if you could only remember we’d be a lot better off right now.” I snipped.
“I know you’re frustrated milord, I am too, but right now we must remain vigilant.” He told me. 
“Ten weeks,” I responded.
“Does not matter at all, Ten weeks or ten years, you are a Demon Lord you stay vigilant.” Gidrah shot back.
I waited for the following line of, “But remember this isn’t your district.” But it never came. And that caught me, “Do remember this isn’t my district. Hell I highly doubt there is even a Demon Lord Corps on this planet.” 
“Regardless, this threat is present both here and within your district. You remain vigilant. Moreover, I’m sure the council would agree that under the circumstances, you’re presence is needed.” He responded. 
“Presence for what; we have zero leads, we have zero headway, and hell I highly doubt we have any clues what so ever.” I snapped my voice thick with frustration, “What could I possibly do at the moment?”
My point wasn’t entirely without merit. As I agreed this wasn’t my district. Back home, the boundaries of Demon Lord Law allowed me to access crucial areas to gain any and all headways regarding a case. If I had to break into a jail to interrogate a prisoner I could do that, if I had to dig through personal files to gain private information I could do that too. So long as I did not forge evidence or follow leads based on no evidence, Demon Lord Law allowed me to have full and free investigation rights within my district. But Equestria and Canterlot in particular wasn’t my district. 
So my hands were tied. And Gidrah knew it, “Milord, at the risk of sounding like a broken record; my advice for you would be to wait and remain vigilant.”
I sighed, “Fine. You know there is Special Law One.”
“Done,” Gidrah seethed.
“I was kidding,” I shot back, “Jesus you old Dragon, you can’t take a joke anymore.”
Gidrah sighed; I knew then that the frustration about this case had gotten to him. The fact of the matter was: we were both very bored. There were no leads and nothing really important to do. I was finding that this was a usual occurrence with my job as a Demon Lord; ninety percent of the time was complete boredom. Plus, Luna was asleep. I found that during my stay, I had grown rather close with Luna, more so than with Celestia. I’m not sure what it was, but Luna’s personality complemented mine very much so as we were both lonely people when not on our job.
She also was very knowledgeable about cryptozoology and astrology, two key things of a Demon Lord. But there was one other thing that turned me on to this pony, she was funny. While I will admit Celestia was the master of practical jokes, Luna was exemplary at telling jokes and funny stories. Not to mention the fact that, get passed the fact she’s a pony, she was quite beautiful. I soon found that not having her around was a bit saddening. And that added to my boredom.
Resigning to the boredom, I scanned the area below me. At that exact moment, I finally got something interesting happen. My vision helped me spot a pony scrambling through the streets like a bat outta hell. A small smile actually graced my face as I watched him run. 
“Well at least we don’t have to be bored.” I said.
“Now milord, please do not indulge. Do remember what you are.” Gidrah warned. 
“Why do you think I keep you around Gidrah?” I said getting up and leaping off the tower. 
Gidrah almost wanted to pop out and fly me over to the pony. However I wasn’t entirely sure that a large dragon flying over Canterlot in broad daylight would go over well with the ponies below, so I stopped him. Instead I phased over towards him using my fire powers to propel me as black smoke. I landed upon a roof of a building the pony was running past. Looking over onto the street below, I noticed that well behind the pony was a squad of guards charging after him. 
“Good thing those guys are up and spry.” I whispered as I surveyed the other side of the street. 
The running pony had a rucksack thrown over his back and several valuable goods within it. He was managing to hold on to it with his teeth. I must commend these ponies and their jaws, for it seems they manage to do amazing things with their mouths. And if anyone wants to take that thought to an interesting place, you need to get off the internet right now. 
Any who, I managed to position me to intercept the fleeing pony. With a good thrust, I propelled myself off the building to next. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I got ahead of the fleeing pony. Satisfied with my distance, I rolled off the roof and landed in front of the pony. Much like the thief I intercepted the night Luna met my alter ego, this one nearly wet itself in fear.
“By Solaris…” I heard it say.
“Okay,” I replied, “What did you do?”
“Stop thief!” I head one of the guards shot as they galloped up.
“It’s not what you think! I didn’t steal anything.” The pony pleaded.
I looked down upon the pony. “So, if you didn’t steal anything, why are they chasing you?” I asked.
The Guards approached and rather quickly surrounded the pony and he became quiet rather quickly. Then the guards noticed me and fear took hold. It was then I realized this was the first time I actually had revealed myself in public in daylight. But it didn’t take me long to find a way out of the situation, because the universal first question was asked.
“Who…..what are you?” one of the guards asked.
“Razgriz,” I answered, “A friend. This pony’s yours; do with him as your laws desire.”
I then began to move off, and almost instantly regretted my decision. I’m still not sure what the conversation was that lead to this event, but when I did tune back in it was already too late. The guards began to beat the robber pony. 
Despite not having any leads or any clues as to my case, I did manage to fill some of my time addressing myself with Equestrian Laws. None of them allowed for the beating of a criminal before or even after a trail. Acting upon this knowledge, and before Gidrah could even stop me, I spun around and grabbed one of the attacking guard’s hooves.
A mixture of rage and shock was one my face as I glared into the stunned guard’s eyes. The return reaction I got from him and all the other guards was the same, terror and fear. All except for the Captain, who returned my glare with that of coldness, although I could tell it, masked the fear behind his eyes. I let go of the guard’s hoof and walked over to the guard.
“What gives you the right to assault a member of your own kind?” I asked sternly.
The guards were silent for a moment as the beaten robber whimpered.
I repeated the question, “What gives you the right? Save for a choice in careers this pony is the same as you!”
“What gives you the right to question us?” the captain responded, “You are neither our leader nor our ruler, what are you to question us.”
“He’s right milord, you’ve done all you can.” Gidrah said rather evenly.
I wanted to protest, I wanted to say something. But I couldn’t. Gidrah was right, as was this merciless Captain. As much as it pained me to do so, I had to pull back. With only a mournful glance at the hurt pony, I left. As I did, I could hear the guards resume their assault. I dematerialized and flew up back to my room.
“Not even Judas would run from that.” I scorned, rematerializing in the room.
“As you’re bible is quick to remind you Milord, Judas was a human not a demon lord.” Gidrah shot back.
“Yeah well newsflash Gidrah, I am a Human AND a Demon Lord!” I replied sternly, “You saw what they were, hell still probably are doing, to that pony. I don’t even think my predecessor would allow that!”
“You’re right, he wouldn’t have,” Gidrah nodded with a stoic look, “If this was back in our district. As we are both aware, we are not in our district but we aren’t on Earth any more. The Code of the Demon Lord states that you must not interfere unless directly ordered by the council.”
I gritted my teeth, “And it’d be a good idea to remember that we aren’t in contact with the council!”
“Indeed milord,” Gidrah sighed.
I wanted to punch something out of pure frustration, I actually almost did. But mindful of my surroundings and the fact that I was a guest in this world, I held myself back. Breathing deeply to collect myself, I turned back to the old dragon. “Was there any way we could get around the laws.” I asked.
Gidrah gave me a stern look, “The only way, I mean only way is to ask permission from Princess Celestia.”
I sighed, “And that’s not going to happen without her becoming extremely suspicious of me. It’s tough enough dodging questions about how Razgriz got here and I had no clue of it. But add in the rigors of keeping this land crime neutral while at the same time trying to figure out what these Silvers are doing…” My voice trailed off, indeed just coming out and telling Celestia would have been the best option but then that would be against Demon Lord Code as well. I’ve had my hands bound by the Code in my previous cases, but this was the absolute worst. I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t help these ponies, I couldn’t inform the leaders of the situation, and worst of all I couldn’t peruse this case in the detail I needed.
Despite having a calm demeanor, my frustration was boiling over. Already set back by being the only human in a world full of magical creatures, I was set back even further by being an utterly useless Demon Lord! Gidrah looked at me with pitiful, but strict eyes that only confirmed how tied up I was in this. Finally fed up, I swore to myself and walked out of the room. I needed some fresh air so I made my way towards the garden.
It’s ironic that walks always, always, end up putting me on the right path even without me noticing it. Do you know how this one worked out for me? Well the first clue is the obvious, I still hadn't transformed back into human form. Took me a while to catch it actually, considering my door guards were again asleep, as it wasn’t until I was outside and found myself in a garden of statues did a gust of wind catch my cape. My heart almost stopped beating for a moment in complete shock. 
This hadn’t been the first time I had forgotten I was in Demon Lord Form, as when I’m really emotionally invested in something I tend to forget. Thinking quickly I looked around to see if anyone noticed me. And thankfully no one was, or at least none that I could initially see. I was about to transform back when I heard hoof falls in the distance. Almost instantly I knew that whoever was approaching me was doing so from behind me.
And whoever it was, it was close. So I knew I would likely be spotted powering down. Despite the sun being out, I still didn’t have enough energy left to dematerialize and zoom back to my room. There was the option of just flying away or calling Gidrah, but that would’ve made an already bad screw up even more complicated. The only option left that would’ve given me any dignity was to face the piper. 
To my muted shock, when I turned around there was Princess Celestia. A stoic look took her face but I could tell from her eyes that she was surprised to see me. I looked at her, my demonic red eyes glowing slightly. She looked back at me with her own pale magenta eyes, unblinking and focused. A gentle breeze caught both her pink mane and my cape, making them both flutter gently in the wind.
Celestia then sized me up, “Enjoying the garden of statues?”
I was taken aback by the question, but I didn’t show it. Certainly it was the weirdest first question I had ever gotten thrown my way. 
“Am I allowed to?” I shot back.
“What would make you think you weren’t?” Celestia responded.
“Usually a castle garden is restricted for the foreigners and common folk.” I said.
Celestia nodded, “Well then, your assumption is wrong. But I will ask what your business in the Garden of Statues is?”
“Simply admiring the statues,” I lied, partially, “They are quite pieces of work.”
Celestia remained still as her gaze met mine, “They aren’t pieces of work, at least not all of them.”
“Oh?” I asked inquisitively, “Then what are they?”
“You seem to be an inquisitive one Mr. ...?” Celestia asked.
“Razgriz,” I replied, “And my own question remains unanswered.”
Celestia nodded, “Well I think I’ll give you the courtesy, if I can trust you.”
I snickered, “A fair point Princess, I am after all different to most of the folks around here.”
“You are human,” she asked in an almost matter-of-fact tone.
“No,” I responded quickly.
“Then what are you? A demon,” she asked.
I nodded, “Some see me as such. The proper title is Demon Lord.”
Celestia moved closer, albeit very slowly. I could see the tension and fear in her steps. She began to move around me, taking great care to view every inch of me over. “So if you are a demon, why did you rescue my guards and stop that pony thief?” she asked.
“It’s what I do,” I responded flatly.
“That isn’t an acceptable answer,” she said rather evenly. 
“It will be the one you get right now.” I shot back.
“You are quite fierce in your tone…Demon.” She said.
Now that was interesting, the tone of her voice wasn’t stern in the slightest. Rather it was very even, but I could tell that she was hiding whatever intention she had. Suspicion aside, she was trying to get information out of me. And I wasn’t going to have any of it.
“Trust me princess, if I could tell you more I would.” I said.
Celestia walked in front of me and faced me, “Why won’t you then Demon?”
“Because,” I responded, “It’s against the rules.”
“What rules?” she asked.
I gave Celestia a displeasing look, “The Code of the Demon Lord.”
Celestia gave me a grumpy look in response, “Well then Demon, I see no way this conversation can continue if you won’t give me the answers I need.” She then began to march away, “The garden is yours to view at your displeasure.”
I nodded as she walked away in a bit of a huff. She was almost out of ear shot when the sound of wing feathers caught my attention. The sound was far too faint to be from either Princess Celestia or Luna. However it was also too soft to be a bird. I spun around and looked towards the direction of the sound but all I saw was empty sky. 
I scanned the sky for any sign of what could’ve made that sound. It was completely empty. Then the sound came again from my right, and this time it was accompanied by the rustling of leaves. When I looked, I could see a small bush had its entire left side displaced, something had moved through it. I made my way over to the bush and quickly found something.
“Hello,” I said softly, examining a set of light hoof prints in the roots and grass, “What are you doing there?”
The distant rustling and the sound of wings flapping came again. I looked up to see a gentle trail that had been left behind by the perpetrator. I moved forward, staying on the trail trying to see who was making it. The perp moved in and out of bushes as if stalking something. It took me a moment to realize the target. I figured it out when I spotted the pink mane of Princess Celestia. 
Still in a bit of a huff, Celestia was walking through the garden keeping her gaze locked on the sky above. She didn’t notice the very real threat coming her way. I noticed it as she left the nearest bush towards Celestia; it was a sky blue Pegasus with a dark lavender mane. She was clutching a dagger between her teeth and the look on her face was pure anger. 
The Pegasus stopped just twelve feet from Celestia and moved the dagger from her mouth to her hoof. That gave me all the indication I needed to act. Having just enough energy for a dematerialization and arrest, I dematerialized and raced over towards the Pegasus. However I was too late to grab her as she took to the air.
“Hey Princess,” she said, her voice filled with rage.
Celestia spun around and looked upon her attacker with pure horror.
“For my people!” the Pegasus screamed sending the knife at Celestia before she could even act.
Thinking quickly and acting even faster, I quickly rematerialized and formed a flame chain. Just a split second before the Pegasus could attack, I threw the chain right at her. It wrapped around her neck, turned to steel, and became taught. Once that happened I pulled the chain back, quickly choking the Pegasus as she was flung towards me. The act was so fast it dislodged the knife from her grip, somehow, and sent it flying off harmlessly. 
The Pegasus hit the ground hard, but to her credit she struggled back to her hooves to attack again. I yanked on the chain again and pulled the Pegasus over to fiercely. The moment she was close, I grabbed her by the neck and pressed her against the ground. I glared into her eyes, “Alright answer straight you were trying to kill the princess, why?”
“Go to hell,” the Pegasus choked before spitting on my face.
I looked back at the Pegasus with a stern demeanor, “That wasn’t very polite, and my read of the beings here is that they are very polite.”
“Your highness!” a guard shouted.
“About time they show up,” I muttered.
The Pegasus struggled against my grip, “What does it mean to you anyway!? What I did, I had to do for my people.”
“Certainly there are better ways of expressing grievances over assassination.” I said.
“Would you…” she started before losing the breath of air she had. I relented, but only enough to allow her to breathe again.  After coughing hard, the Pegasus looked at me, “Would you not resort to such measures when you’re people are being mistreated.”
I leaned in to her, “Killing someone ain’t what I do, I uphold the law.”
“These laws, these laws support the Pegasus mistreatment.” The Pegasus spat.
“No law does nor would ever, not while I’m here.” I replied as the guards ran up. I looked at them fiercely; I could tell from the look in their eyes that they had the intention of hurting the Pegasus more than already done by me. Remembering what the guards did to the escaping pony, I couldn’t allow this Pegasus fall into a similar fate. She had already been tortured enough. Gidrah would probably have a fit, but I really didn’t care.
So I released the Pegasus, “Go.”
“What,” She asked a bit confused.
“You’re free, go,” I said, turning to face the guards.
The guards raised their weapons at me. “What are you doing?!” the Captain shouted.
Celestia remained quiet, the look of her face was the text book definition of dumbfounded. I still wasn’t sure if it was because somepony tried to murder her, or I was letting that assassin get away. 
The Pegasus seemed puzzled to but didn’t argue. She then took off as fast as her wings could take her. The guards were about to make a move but I stopped then by igniting my fire sword under the captains chin. Not wanting to make a scene even worse, the captain looked at me, “Why did you let the prisoner escape?”
“That pony is nobody’s prisoner.” I said, “Besides she wasn’t here to kill the Princess, she was here to deliver a message. If I were you I’d start figuring out how she got in.”
The captain took a massive gulp of saliva before I began to walk off. Celestia however, stopped me by walking out in front of me.
“Why did you let that pony escape?” she asked softly.
“She was desperate and scared; I don’t think that pony was in the right frame of mind when she committed that act. Plus, I figured she’d instantly regret her decision,” I lied. 
Celestia nodded, and then with genuine sincerity added, “I had no idea that anypony would be this desperate enough. The fact that she targeted me scares me.”
“You needn’t worry your majesty; I intend to get to the bottom of whatever the actual motive may be.” I assured the Princess. 
“But why, what possible motive would you have?” Celestia asked.
“Leave that to me,” I reassured.
“I’m not talking about her motive,” Celestia said, “Why do you want to help; you are a stranger in these lands.”
I nodded, “You’re right I am. But back where I am from Demon Lords are the policemen of the world; we protect everyone and that’s what I intend to do here, with your permission, of course, your majesty.”
Celestia gave me another confused look, “Must you need my permission?”
I nodded, “Standard operating procedure.”
That put a smile back on Celestia’s face and she nodded.  Celestia smiled a rosy cheeked smile, “Well then Demon, you have my permission.” 
I bowed before the Princess before walking off. As I walked I heard the Captain approach the Princess, “You sure that’s wise, letting someone who allowed an assassin to escape free reign of this kingdom and its laws.”
“Of course I do, because he stopped that Assassin where as my guards allowed her to walk freely around this castle.” She answered sternly. 
A smug smile took my face as I walked away. Though I didn’t notice it at the time, I later learned that Princess Celestia watched me walk away with dreamy eyes…

…I looked in the direction of where the bird took off. Just beyond the trees from which it was perched, I noticed an unusual clearing. True a lot of things in Everfree were unusual, but this was something more. Not only could I see clear sky unobstructed by trees, but I couldn’t see any ground.
“Hey Sentry come take a look at this,” I said.
Flash Sentry noticed my call and trotted over, “Yeah what is it?”
I raised my hoof in the direction of the unusual sight, “Look at that picture and tell me what’s wrong.”
It didn’t take Flash Sentry long to see what I was seeing. “Yeah, that is weird.” He told me.  
“Right, let’s check it out.” I said and we began moving towards the gap. 
Turns out, the gap was a bit more accurate than I thought. A massive crater was there waiting for us, a crater that looked like it had been formed centuries ago. The odd thing was it didn’t look like it was from a meteor. The crater looked like it had been neatly, I just couldn’t tell what. But what ever did cut it out, it obviously was a large object that then proceeded to rest within it. 
Flash and I looked it over as we trotted out of the tree line. “Tell me something Mr. Sentry,” I asked as I ventured into the crater, “What are we looking at?”
“A crater by the looks of it,” he answered.
“Exactly, but take a good look; no ejection debris, no impact zone, and not even scarring on the grounds around it. What ever made it obviously was very careful not to do any damage.” I examined.
Flash shook his head, “But meteorites aren’t selective, and there have been no reports of one landing in Everfree.”
“Again exactly,” I said, “So what are we looking at?”
Flash gave me a look but then realized my question was rhetorical. I had just as much answers as he did. Then I noticed something, a small ridge about two feet from my position. It was a small pool of silver. I walked over to it and dipped my hoof into the silver puddle. 
“Well that’s even more interesting,” I said softly, “And it’s fresh too, looks like Silver was here and rather recently.”
Just then a series of wings flapping caught my attention. Flash Sentry shouted, “Get back to the tree line!”
I looked up in the direction of the wings and saw a large, blue green Dragon swooping in teeth bared. It didn’t take me long to realize that the Dragon was intent on harm. Not waiting for a second command, I ran with Flash back into the tree line as the dragon swooped over the crater. The two of us watched as the dragon flew over the crater.
“Well that’s something,” I said.
“What in Celestia’s name is a dragon doing here?” Flash asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“An increase of dragon activity,” Luna asked rather surprisingly. 
“Indeed,” Princess Celestia responded.
“What could bring this upon?” Luna asked, “The dragons haven’t acted up before.”
“That’s what’s strange. There’s been no real warning. I suspect that Apocalypto might be involved, but as you may guess dear sister, the Dragon Kingdom is being rather tight lipped.” Celestia answered.
The two ponies were sitting in the Canterlot royal courtroom. The sun was hanging low in the sky, indicating to Princess Celestia that it was time to lower it and then raise the moon. 
“Have there been any attacks?” Luna asked.
“Thankfully not yet, but it is worrisome.” Celestia answered, “It’s not uncommon for Dragons to get aggressive.”
“Indeed,” Princess Luna nodded, “What is being done to combat this new update?”
“Alerts have been sent out to all our guards who are out of town. Most of them have been reinforced with some of your night guards Lulu, I hope you don’t mind.” Celestia smiled.
Luna shook her head, “I would’ve made the same order myself. Not a problem sister.”
Celestia nodded, “Okay Sister, it’s time for me to lower the sun. Will I see you for dinner tonight?”
Luna paused for a moment. It had been a long time since Celestia actually asked Luna if she was coming to dinner. Ever since her return, Luna had always gone to dinner in an attempt to rekindle her friendship with her elder sister. Celestia frankly rarely asked for Luna’s appearance, only doing so when her attendance or absence was required. Thinking a bit more about it, the very first time she got asked to dinner was when she learned more about Earth, and particularly Italian Restaurants…

…Princess Luna walked into her sister chambers just after Celestia had lowered the sun and raised the moon. A small scowl was on the lunar princess’s face, because once again another unappreciated night was going to take hold on Equestria. One day, Luna promised herself, she’d make the night last a little longer than normal just to force the citizens to love it or at least acknowledge it.
However Luna got rid of that silly thought. She was mad yes but not that mad, yet. Anyway the scowl vanished when her elder, pink mane sister flew in. A warm, if not blissful smile was on Celestia’s face as she landed and trotted into her room.
Her voice was even cheerful was she greeted Luna, “Ah Lulu good to see you.”
“Well, tis appear thou are in a good mood.” Luna snickered, “May we ask what the occasion is?”
Celestia giggled a school girl’s giggle, “Well if you must know sister and I know you must, I met our resident Demon.”
Luna’s expression went from pleasant enjoyment to confusion in a second, “Thou speak of Razgriz? Where was he?”
Celestia nodded, “I ran into him in the statue garden.”
“Why were thou in the statue garden? Moreover, why were thee?” Luna asked.
“I couldn’t be sure of his motive, but I was there because the meeting with the Cloudsdale ambassador went extremely poorly. I must say I don’t know how Uncle is able to keep them in line.” Celestia sighed, resting on her cushion, “Tis getting so bad dear sister I fear that Cloudsdale might revolt if not rebel. But what is worse is I still do not know why they are complaining, we have given them all they asked for.”
“Or at least that is what Uncle claims; do thou think we should visit Cloudsdale to see for ourselves?” Luna asked.
“The thought has crossed my mind repeatedly, but my advisers against it strongly, plus I just know Uncle would give me a lecture when he gets back if he even caught whiff of the idea.” Celestia answered. Then she sighed mournfully, “I just don’t know what to do with the Pegasi. Do you know I almost had an assassin come at me today? I’ve tried to be like father, but I fear I am doing more harm than good.”
Luna sighed; her problems seemed pale in comparison to her sister’s plight. Despite the fact that her night had continued to be unappreciated, she couldn’t help but feel for her elder sister. Taking a deep breath, Luna decided to return the conversation back to its origin. 
“Well put that fear to bed for now dear sister, tell us more of your encounter with Razgriz.” Luna smiled waving a hoof.
Celestia seemed to perk up almost instantly, “Oh right, I almost forgot. Anyway after the meeting I decided to walk through the sculpture garden and there he was. He was all authoritative and dignified in his posture, as if he almost knew I was coming before I did. Oh Luna you should’ve seen him, he was extremely radiant in his stance.”
Luna snorted, “When we saw him, the demon nearly scared us stiff.”
“That feeling was present there too; do not mistake me Luna, but it magnified the presence he had. I swear those red eyes were looking straight into my soul, it was scary and yet invigorating. It was as if I could tell there was both evil and good within him.” Celestia explained almost dreamily, “Anyway I asked him about his presence and his reasoning for being in Equestria. He, of course, answered none of it. So that got me really peeved, but I also felt like he wanted to tell me that he wanted to open his soul to me. But yet his Demon Lord code prevented him.”
“Demon Lord,” Luna asked, “What is a Demon Lord?”
“Alas, the full potential of that answer has yet to be achieved.” She sighed, “So, basically answerless, I left him. I continued walking though the garden when that assassin came at me. But before she could do any harm, Razgriz stopped her. He came out of nowhere and pulled that Assassin back with his fire chain. He pulled that Pegasus back effortlessly and even grilled her for information so fiercely, oh Solaris Luna it was a sight!”
Luna laughed, “We think thou are about to have an Accident dear Tia.”
Celestia gave Luna a slight disapproving look, “Well it was something to behold.”
Still laughing Luna asked, “Tell us, what became of the Assassin?”
“He let her go after finding her reason.” Celestia answered casually, “Said he wasn’t going to indict her or something, mentioned that she was a message, and then let her go.”
Luna nodded, “Compassion maybe?”
“That’s my thought as well; if that’s the case maybe he can be helpful in resolving the crisis facing us.” Celestia smiled.
“Well, may we pray for better skies,” Luna smiled.
Celestia nodded, “Speaking of better skies, Mike has been asking for you to come to dinner.”
Luna’s ears perked up, similar to how Celestia’s did when she changed the conversation back to Razgriz. Over Mike’s stay in Equestria, the duo had grown rather close. He would always come see her once her rule over the night had begun and the two would get into all sorts of conversations. Luna had found Mike to be extremely knowledgeable of a lot of things, including astrology and cryptozoology. He even would mention things about Earth that he wouldn’t to Celestia. Yet not since their first night together had he talked had he really pushed her on her problems. Plus he was even a fan of her joke telling. 
He was also a joy to have around, always having something uplifting and rather enjoyable to say. She found that she quite enjoyed having him around. So to have him ask for her at dinner was rather quite rewarding for the lunar princess.
“Has he,” Luna asked.
Celestia nodded, “And since tonight seems to be one of your best, I’d hoped you join us for dinner.”
Luna didn’t need a second to think as she agreed, “Of course we would come to dinner.”
“Splendid, let’s go,” Celestia smiled. 
With a big smile on both their faces, the two alicorn sisters headed off to dinner. Luna enjoyed every step of the way, as she was thinking about how dinner would be with Mike. She almost wanted to go fetch him herself, but much to her surprise he was already in the dining hall having a conversation with one of the servers. The Server seemed stunned that he was even speaking to her, yet was pleasantly responding to his questions. But when he saw Luna enter, he stopped his conversation and smiled.
“Well look who finally decided to show up for dinner,” he smiled as he walked over to the table to take a seat.
“Forgive the delay; the sun was particularly stubborn tonight. It really didn’t want to lower itself today.” Celestia smiled.  
“As if it was impossible tame to the sun,” Mike laughed.
“No that would require our sister to actually work for a change.” Luna giggled.
Even Celestia laughed at the witty comment as the sister princesses took their seats across from Mike. As the trio sat down, the servers dished out the proper silverware for the night. The food was still being prepped so there was a bit of a wait. But there was a clear ambience that was missing.
Celestia gently cleared her throat, “Excuse me, but what has happened to our pianist?”
“Terribly sorry mum, but it appears that Eric Horseshoepin has taken ill tonight.” The head server responded.
Celestia nodded, “That’s a shame. Will he recover?”
“Yes mum, it’s a simple case of the cold.” The server responded.
Luna sighed, “Apologies Mike, tis seems we will have to wait and eat in silence.”
But Mike had a different idea, one that caught Luna off guard. “Oh no worries,” he said, “I can play until the food comes.”
Luna tilted her head, “Wait what, thou can play instruments.”
As if to prove that he was serious, Mike quickly got up and headed towards the piano which was located near the head of the table. It was a large, white baby grand piano that Galaxia had installed to make dinners and social occasions in the dining hall livelier. However, since the death of her parents, most of the moods had been somber and reclusive; which was why Luna was no longer attending them.
Mike however, strode over to the piano with a bounce in his step and a small but proud smile on his face, “I would hope so. Had to learn how to play the damn thing back in Elementary and Middle School, I might as well make the most of it.” He sat down at the piano and began to fiddle with the keys, as if trying to hear how it was tuned. “Personally,” he said after he got the full sound, “I like the guitar more, but whenever I can get a chance I play. I can sing too, thanks to being a part of school chorus, if you would like.”
“Seems like thou is showing off, Mr. Adams,” Luna snickered.
“Not at all,” he answered, “If one has the talent, one must flaunt it my father always said.”
“Well then,” Celestia interjected, “May we hear a tune from Earth?”
Mike turned to face them, “Any particulars?”
Luna was the first to answer, “How about something lively, no offense sister but the music around here has been a bit…”
Celestia raised a hoof, “Needn’t worry sister, I brought that up with Master Horseshoepin. I’m aware he has new material but is still refining it. Anyway I am in agreement, something lively.”
Mike turned back to the piano and seemed to think for a moment, letting his fingers rattle over the piano as he tried to find the right song. After a good impromptu riff that was lively in itself, he found his song. “Well okay, I’ll give you one written by someone from my neighborhood that is a real big shot back home. It goes like this.”
He then started playing a piano riff, a slow one that was very melodic. Keeping his tempo even, he carried through the opening piece very smoothly almost as if playing at a dinner party. Then he began to sing, “A bottle of whites, a bottle of red, or perhaps a bottle of rose instead. Get a table near the street, in our old familiar place, with you and I face to face.
“A bottle of red or a bottle of white, it all depends upon your appetite. I’ll meet you anytime you want, at our Italian Restaurant.” Mike sang, keeping the melodic beat and keys. Both Luna and Celestia were star struck with his very melodic playing style that almost seemed masterful. After getting the lyrics out, he then began into a slow jazzy type of tune that slowly and slowly began to build. Then without warning the tempo changed.
It became very rhythmic as he tapped away on the keys, almost as if he was improvising for a drum set that wasn’t there. Luna could harken the sound to one as if it was at a carnival. He then began to sing again; as if he was talking to the person he wanted to meet. “Things are okay for me these days, I got a good job, I got a new office, I got a new wife, got a new life, and the family is fine. Oh we lost touch long ago, and you lost weight. I did not know you can ever look so nice after so much time.” He sang, “Do you remember those days hanging out at the Village Green, with the engineer boots, leather jackets, and tight blue jeans? Oh we drop a dime in the box to play a song about New Orleans, with cold bear, hot lights, in my sweet romantic teenage nights.”
The song was so upbeat, so catchy, and so lively that the princesses began to bop along with the beat. He began to build this very happy atmosphere, almost as if the room had been magically transported to a carnival or to a Carvalli city street. And then, just as the melody was building again, Mike changed it. The riff became very deep with intermix of the lighter keys that somehow kept the atmosphere consistent. After going through that riff, Mike brought it back to the Carvalli tone and feel.
Then the tune slowly became harder, as if the jazzy feel was replaced with more of a rock motif. Luna wasn’t good with music, but she was enjoying the piece immensely. As was Celestia, and to her surprise the servers; a few were even dancing. Noticing this, Mike smiled and said, “Okay I see you liked that, well now here’s another story about two friends of mine, called Brenda and Eddy.”
Stopping his speech for a second to regain the melody, Mike began his story. “Brenda and Eddy were the popular steadies and the king and the queen at the prom. Riding around with the car top down and the radio on,” He sang, “Nobody looked any finer, or were more of a hit at the Parkway Diner. And we never knew we could want more than that out of life. Surely Brenda and Eddy would always know how to survive.”
He then harmonized with the piano riffs before continuing. “Brenda and Eddy were still going steady by the summer of Seventy Five, when they decided the marriage would be at the end of July.” He sang.
“Oh how romantic,” Luna whispered.
“Everyone said they were crazy. ‘Brenda you know that you’re much to lazy, and Eddy could never afford to live that kinda life.’ Oh but there we were waving Brenda and Eddy goodbye.” Mike sang, waving his hand at the end of the lyric. He did a riff on the piano for a bit before snapping into the bridge, “Well they got an apartment with deep pile carpets and a couple of paintings from Sears, a big waterbed they bought with the bread they had saved for a couple of years. Yet they started to fight when the money got tight. They just didn’t count on the tears! Long live Rock’n’Roll!” 
He then went into this very intricate piano riff that seemed to blend the jazz of before with the up tempo rock mix he had now. All the while, he spazzed along with the beat really enjoying what he was playing. “Well they lived for a while with a very style but it’s always the same in the end. They got a divorce as a matter of course and they parted the closest of friends. Then the king and the queen went back to the green. But you can never go back there again!” he sang before harmonizing.
“So much for romance,” Celestia snickered.
“Least they left happily.” Luna said to which Celestia nodded.
“Brenda and Eddy had had it already by the summer of eighty five, from the high to the low to the end of the show for the rest of their lives. They couldn’t go back to the greasers, the best they could do was pick up their pieces, and we always they would both find a way to get by. Oh and that’s all I heard about Brenda and Eddy, I can’t tell you more cuz I told you already, and here we are waving Brenda and Eddy goodbye.” Mike sang again waving his hand.
He harmonized for a bit more as he seemed to play off the Rock’n’Roll beat. Then with a rousing riff, he brought the music back to the original melodic riff he had started the song from. “A bottle of reds, ooh a bottle of whites; whatever kind of mood you’re in tonight. I’ll meet you any time you want, in our Italian Restaurant.” Then with a gentle touch on the keys, he played the song out to applause. 

After Dinner, Luna decided to walk Mike back to his room, claiming it would fill up their allotted time together for the evening.
“So is that how things are like in Italian Restaurants?” Luna asked.
Mike chuckled, “Not really, what the song was about was a man catching up with a long lost friend and filling him in stories he had. One of them was reminiscing and the other about the failed romance of Brenda and Eddie. I’ll tell you I did my best with the song though, but Billy’s got an entire band with him.”
“Tis must be an incredible sight.” Luna sighed.
“It gets better when you see him in Maddison Square Garden. This is a mega arena in the heart of New York City, I mean you play here you reach legendary status. And when Billy Joel plays, every nut and bolt of the place reverberates with his melodies and tunes. It seems, I could swear, that the place was made for him. Either him or Sir Elton John but that’s another time.” Mike explained.
“Is he really that good of a singer?” Luna asked.
“Well I am biased since Billy grew up five miles from my house.” Mike snickered, “Besides I never had more fun preforming a Billy Joel Song, except for when I do Queen or Metallica.”
Luna laughed, “Tis matters not, it was still a spectacular performance.” 
“Well I’m glad you approve.” Mike smiled as they reached his door.
Luna nodded warmly, “Well while we have you, we would like to ask something. The celebration of the autumnal equinox is approaching and Equestria is having a celebration worth the ages. We would like it for you to attend.”
Mike gave a warm smile, “Why I would love to Luna, thank you.”
Luna smiled warmly as Mike opened his door and slowly descended into his room. Once he locked the door behind him, Luna headed off towards the royal chambers to watch over another night. Then she looked out the windows and caught the sight of campfires in the distance. Her expression went from joy to confusion. To her knowledge there were no battalions out on night patrol. 
However, the night pony simply chalked it up to nomadic tribes simply passing by…

…Luna smiled warmly as she nodded to Celestia’s request.
“Wonderful Lulu, I shall go get things ready.” Celestia smiled.
“I’ll be there in a minute.” Luna nodded as Celestia wondered off. Luna headed over to the railing and looked out on the twilight sky. She hummed a gentle tune to herself remembering times past. Meanwhile far off in the distance, a group of Dragons flew through the air towards Ponyville.