Stars and Dreams
The Stars were never as bright and the Sunrise never quite as brilliant.
It was not long until they vanished, leaving the Unicorns of the world to herald the Day and Night in their stead.
Silk dove into a snow drift to hide. A pair of Crystal Unicorns walked past her, scanning the area around them for intruders. Her wings twitched at her sides as she popped out and snuck closer to the outpost archives. She could sense his magic in there. All the more reason to be careful. If anyone knew a possible cure to Corruption it would be Starswirl. Even if she couldn't find one She wouldn't go back empty hooved.
She opened the window with a wing and slid into the building. Her hooves clicked against the ground and she sneaked through the shelves, staying close to the ground. Whispers met her ears and she froze. "I don't understand what we need with another pegasus, we already have an entire aerial unit trained and ready."
A deep and familiar voice responded. "Because Silk won't be able outfly this one." Silk bit a hoof to keep herself quiet. "With some training She may even be able to take Silk down all on her own." Starswirl purred.
The other voice hesitated. "What of Sombra? He controls the demon and will be able to resummon her if she falls."
"Let me take care of Sombra, He's a foal compared to me. It'll be easy. Then you can have your Empire back with a new King on the throne."
Silk almost hissed at that. There is only decadence in this Empire, none are worthy of that responsibility. Sombra barely qualified. The Other pony left the room and she peeked around the shelf she was hiding behind. Starswirl released an illusion spell that had been cloaked around him. His coat was snow white and his mane and tail were a mousy brown color. He didn't look any different from when she'd last seen him, except for a great big bushy beard. If it weren't for the fact that I've vowed to find a way to kill him, I'd want to play with it.
Starswirl's horn glowed and wrapped around a few papers, tucking them into a portfolio and setting it on the shelf. Her wings itched to toss a knife into his neck but she held back. After a bit he left the building, blowing out a candle as he went. Once she her the door close, SIlk leaped out from her hiding spot and grabbed the folio.
"Mine." She tucked it into her saddle bags. "Lets see what these rebels have in store."
Twilight found herself back in her library and smiled. She was certain she could smell somepony cooking in the kitchen and briefly wondered if Spike was dreaming of home. Dreaming was as close as she would get , that was what she was certain of. She took in the room and sat on her bed. After hearing the sound of wingbeats her ears shot up. "Princess Luna? Are you there?"
"We are here, Twilight Sparkle." Luna appeared on the balcony. "What has happened, has that demon hurt you?"
"No. We're fine. Is Celestia planning a rescue mission?" Twilight couldn't help but feel a bit helpful. Maybe if Celestia can overwhelm them...
Luna frowned and shook her head. "She is afraid that Sombra will move to harm you or the other Element Bearers. You are all too important to risk letting die." Luna's frown deepened. "Which is why I objected to sending you in the first place. You were not ready." Luna snapped her attention back to Twilight, noticing her despair. "It is not Your fault, Twilight Sparkle. Our Sister was Foolish enough to believe that Sombra was still too weak to possibly take back the Empire. You are young and not yet fully trained."
Twilight nodded. "Are we going to begin?"
Luna nodded. "The spell is a bit tricky, it requires that one be in a trance-like state before it can be performed. As most unicorns can't cast spells while they are asleep...
Spike squirmed out of Twilight's hooves. Celestia, she's stronger than I remember. He jumped off the bed and looked back. Fluttershy laid in the center of the tangle of Ponies, she had burst into tears after they'd returned to their room. The other girls had rushed to comfort her. Except Applejack, she cried on the inside.
He wasn't about to give up though. He would just have to use all of his skills to find a way to get out... Granted they were fairly limited. But he was certain that he could find a way to use them in such a way that would best help him to escape.
... He was doomed.
His scaley feet slapped against the crystal floor as he jogged through the palace. This place is a labyrinth! How does anypony get anywhere in this place? He turned a corner and ran into a trio of guards. The tallest one scowled. "Heh... Sorry. I didn't see you guys there." He rubbed the back of his head with a claw.
"Oh look, another one." A guard with a squeaky voice- from here on to be referred to as Squeaky- snapped.
"What's Sombra thinking? Letting a filthy reptile like this wander around." The Tall one said.
"At least give it a leash." The Last one said. The other two chuckled.
Spike took a few steps back, suddenly feeling very anxious. The Tall one took a step forward. "Hey, we didn't say you could go anywhere. You came with those outsiders, right?" Spike nodded, seeing the other two beginning to step forward. The Tall one tsked his tongue. "I knew they were no good."
"Pfft, Ponies being friends with Dragons, that's like if these outsiders are looking to get killed." Squeaky said.
A gust of wind brushed past him and he noticed the Guards take a step back in fear. "I heard laughter, did someone tell a joke?" A bubbly voice said. Spike glanced up and saw a smiling Silk. There was a faint dusting of snow in her mane but it didn't melt. "I like jokes, can I hear?" Her wings fluttered in excitement.
The Tall one rubbed the back of his head. "Um well, the thing is..."
Silk took in a long horrified gasp. "You three weren't ganging up on some poor defenseless, baby dragon were you?" Her Smile turned down into the smallest of frowns. "I would not like that. Tell me Littlest One, were they picking on you?"
Spike wasn't sure how to respond when the Guards all began to stare at him in horror. The tiny frown on Silk's face deepened slightly. "Um... Well..."
"We were just messing around!" The Squeaky one said. The other two bobbed their heads in agreement.
Silk sighed in disappointment and Spike couldn't help but think of Princess Celestia. "Boys... I'm going to have to bring this to Sombra." The Guards fell to the ground and began pleading that she not tell Sombra. Spike felt an ice cold wing wrap around him and saw Silk give him a wink. He stifled some giggles at her mock serious expression. "We can't go around terrorizing poor little Dragons... especially with Sombra's plans at stake."
"W-what plans?" The Tall one stuttered.
Silk pushed Spike ahead of her. She walked away from the Trio. "That doesn't concern you three. Head back to your rounds, I'll have words with you later." Once they were out of earshot, she dissolved into giggles. "Are you all right littlest one?"
Spike smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You should be careful. There was a falling out between the Royal Family and the Dragon clan near here. I'm not sure about the reasons behind it but it was pretty big. I was napping that Century. Had I been awake I'm sure I could have dealt with it. Then again I have a bit of a soft spot for Dragons." She smiled down at him. "And what is your name Little one?"
"Spike."
Her wing lowered to allow him to climb onto her back. "Let me guess. You were going to try to Escape."
Spike stiffened. "I... Well... Yes." Spike twisted his tail. "You aren't going to rat me out are you?"
She closed her wings and seemed to think about it. Spike's anxiousness grew with every moment she stayed silent. They'd been walking for quite a bit and were now in a part of the Palace he didn't recognize. Silk pressed her lips together and hummed. "I don't think that it is necessary." She opened a door, revealling the Room the Girls were staying in. "Though I do advise caution, Sombra would not like to know that there are dragons sneaking about unsupervised in his palace." She pushed him into the room and gave him another smile. "Rest little one. It's not so bad. There are far worse fates than a golden cage."
She closed the door behind her and Spike listened as she walked away. "Spike?" Rarity lifted her head towards the door. "What are you doing up?"
"I, uh, I couldn't sleep."
Rarity flopped back to sleep. "Get to bed Darling, If you aren't there when Twilight wakes up she'll have a heart attack."
Spike looked back at the door before padding over to Twilight and snuggling into her forelegs. I will find a way to Escape, and when I do, I'm going to rescue all of them.