//------------------------------// // Back in Canterlot // Story: The Tale of the Second Alpha // by Bergen //------------------------------// Celestia's pink eyes widened as she reached the bottom of the scroll which read. "I have found in my studies that there was once one giant dragon the size of a small mountain, known simply as the Alpha. This dragon mysteriously disappeared around fifteen hundred years ago, not that long before the rule of the two princesses. My research has lead me to believe that this giant dragon has been sleeping underneath the city, hidden within the mostly forgotten crystal caves that are riddled underneath the city. I have found a sufficient connection between this so called Alpha of the dragons and the current earthquakes that have since plagued Canterlot for the last few months. It is my opinion that these earthquakes are not caused by the ground we all walk on, but instead the cause of the massive Alpha dragon beginning to awaken from its fifteen hundred year nap." Moon Dancer's scroll said and Celestia knew exactly what the unicorn had come here to talk about. "Guards would you two give the two of us a little privacy." Celestia said to the two white unicorn guards wearing golden armor standing next to the door. "Of course your majesty." One of the guards said to the princess. The two guards did as their princess commanded with the heavy wooden door closing behind them. "How did you learn about the Alpha!?" Celestia all but ordered Moon Dancer to answer using the traditional Canterlot voice, something she hadn't used in centuries. Just after the doors had closed behind them. "I read about it in a book, wait are telling me that the Alpha is real!?" Moon Dancer said up to the alicorn princess, surprised that such a powerful being could've actually existed. "Oh yes, the Alpha is quite real. And the one you speak off in your scroll wasn't even the first." Celestia said stepping off the throne that she shared with her sister. "May I see this book that you speak of?" Celestia said to Moon Dancer her calm voice overpowering her massive stature, as she towered over the yellow unicorn. Moon Dancer used her yellow magic to pull the book Celestia was talking about out of her bag and gave it to Celestia opening it to the page that talked about the Alpha. "Interesting..." Celestia said to herself as she read the book. "What's interesting?" Moon Dancer asked Celestia. "It's just that your book is very accurate to what actually happened in the ancient past of Equestria." Celestia said giving the book back to Moon Dancer. "Where did you find this book?" Celestia asked Moon Dancer, continuing on her original statement. "I found the book inside the library one day, while I was researching the history of Equestria before you and your sister's rule." Moon Dancer said to Celestia. "Interesting, follow me Moon Dancer I want to show you something." Celestia as she led the yellow unicorn down into the crystal caves of Canterlot, to show Moon Dancer something or should I say someone that almost everypony else didn't even know existed. The alicorn princess and the yellow unicorn traveled deeper into the dark crystal caves underneath Canterlot, the only light coming from the horns of the three ponies. "A... princess Celestia where are we going?" Moon Dancer asked Celestia as the three ponies traveled further down into the dark caves. "Relax little one, trust me. where we're headed is worth the wait." Celestia being intentionally vague when answering. "Ok, that doesn't really answer my question..." Moon Dancer began as the three ponies turned around a corner to be face to face with the sleeping Alpha dragon. The massive dragon continued his fifteen hundred year slumber, its massive body only moving when it breathed. The red scales of the Alpha had turned almost black, from all the dust that had collected on them over the centuries. "Wow..." Moon Dancer said in awe as she trotted closer to the most powerful being in all of Equestria. Her awe was increased when one of the Alpha massive claws began to lift and then slammed back into the ground a few feet from where the yellow unicorn as the Alpha's weakened even more. This causing a small earthquake that shook all of Canterlot. One of the stalagmites off of the ceiling even fall from the impact and landed only a few feet from where Moon Dancer was standing. "Are you ok, filly?" Celestia asked the startled and almost crushed Moon Dancer. "Yeah I'm fine, but how did this even happen?" Moon Dancer asked Celestia, brushing off some of the dust off of her yellow coat. "It all happened over fifteen hundred years ago." Celestia said to Moon Dancer as she retold the story of how the Alpha defeated his own brother in a fight over who would rule over Equestria. "He fought bravely and eventually he defeated his brother, Omega, banishing him to the badlands just outside of Equestria's borders. Omega never to be seen again." Celestia said finishing her story. "I know all that princess, but what I don't understand is why he is under here asleep." Moon Dancer asked Celestia, pointing her left foreleg at the slumbering Alpha. Celesita let out a heavy sigh as she continued. "The fight took its toll on him, both physically and mentally. He returned to me and my sister asked my sister to put him under a sleeping curse." Celestia said to Moon Dancer. "Why did he asked your sister to put him under a sleeping curse?" Moon Dancer asked the white alicorn. Celestia let out another sigh, this mare was going to be the emotional death of her. "He believed that without his brother and mentor he wouldn't be able to rule over all the dragons with peace. So he had my sister, Luna, cast a sleeping curse on him forcing him to fall into death-like slumber." Celestia said down to the yellow unicorn as the Alpha's breathing slowing hastened as his slumber began to weaken even further. "Hmm... what happened afterward?" Moon Dancer asked Celestia. "After he was put under a sleeping curse the dragons of Equestria, without their leader were driven into a time of when greed consumed their lives. A time that sadly is still upon the once great species, their greed turning into an important part of their biology over the centuries. The chaos caused by the removal of the Alpha didn't go unnoticed, however. The draconequus by the name of Discord, the literal embodiment of chaos and disharmony, took advantage of the Alpha's absence and my sister's and I's weakened state to take over Equestria. Turning it into his own sick and twisted land of chaos. You know all the rest. My sister and I found the Elements of Harmony and sealed Discord in a stone prison, and my sister and I ruled over Equestria in a land of peace. Well at least until Nightmare Moon." Celestia said to Moon Dancer her words seeming to choke in her mouth as she recalled the memory of when her sister became the greatest evil Equestria had seen. Moon Dancer seeing the distress in the princess' face and quickly change the subject back to the million pound dragon that was sleeping right in front of them. "So... when will he wake up?" Moon Dancer asked the white alicorn, taking her from her thoughts of her sister. "We really don't know, this has been the most movement from him in the last fifteen hundred years." Celestia said as she turned to leave the cave. "So we could reawaken at any minute?" Moon Dancer asked Celestia, catching up to the alicorn. "Yes, he could, but the terms of Luna's spell were very clear." Celestia said to Moon Dancer as the two ponies trotted their way back up the caves. "What do you mean by the terms of the spell?" Moon Dancer asked the white alicorn as they returned to the ground above. The bright light almost blinding Moon Dancer after almost an hour of near darkness. Celestia let out another sigh at Moon Dancer question, her reminding her more and more of her star student with each passing second. "My sister spell stated that the only way that the Alpha could rise from his slumber was if Equestria was attacked by creatures that fed off the love of others." Celestia said recalling the spell her sister put on the Alpha. "What do you mean by creatures that feed on love?" Moon Dancer asked Celestia, confused. "Have you ever heard of a species of equestrian-like creatures called changelings?" Celestia asked Moon Dancer. "I've heard of them, but I don't know much about them. I thought that they were nothing more than a legand, an old filly tail." Moon Dancer said, slightly regretting that she didn't have as much knowledge as she wanted about species that lived outside of Equestria's boundaries. "Changelings are no legend, they are very real." Celestia said with a small giggle as she explained what changelings were to Moon Dancer. "Changelings are pony-like shape-shifters that have the ability to change into the ponies you love most, and they gain power by feeding off the love you have for them." Celestia said to Moon Dancer, explaining how changeling biology worked. "Well... if they are so dangerous how come I, and many other ponies have very little knowledge of them?" Moon Dancer asked Celestia, bringing up a very good point about Equestria's education system. Celestia continued her words about changelings saying. "Even my knowledge about their species is limited. You see changeling once ruled over what would become Equestria all before it was settled by ponies." "Really then why haven't found any mentioned of this in any of books that have read about Equestria's history?" Moon Dancer asked the white alicorn, as the two ponies arrived at the castle, which towered over the city. "I wouldn't have expected you to." Celestia said being intentional vague. "What do you mean?" Moon Dancer asked Celestia, not bothered by her intentional vagueness. "You see, of the little I know about changelings. I do know this. Over two thousand years ago, long before ponies first settled Equestria, changelings ruled over the land with their powerful queen that went by the name of Queen Arachne. The changelings ruled over Equestria feeding off all the love until the First Alpha, the one that mentor the one that currently rest beneath our hoofs, arrived and defeated the changelings. He also with the help of his two apprentices were able to defeat Queen Arachne and her forces and forever banished them to the outskirts of what would later earn the name of Equestria." Celestia explaining the entire backstory of the changelings in one small statement. "I see... do you know if any changelings live in Equestria?" Moon Dancer asked Celestia. "It is possible that there are a few changelings that live inside Equestria's borders feeding off its unrivaled amount of love, but their numbers are so few that they don't really pose that big of a threat on Equestria." Celestia said to the yellow unicorn. "You know Moon Dancer, you remind me a lot of my star student, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia said after a few moments of silence. "I... I'm nothing like Twilight." Moon Dancer said, turning away from Celestia, remembering her former 'friend'. "Don't be so modest Moon Dancer. You are both two of the smartest unicorn's have ever met, and that's saying something." Celestia continued, making the yellow unicorn blush. "I'm flattered princess, but I'm nothing like Twilight Sparkle. I mean I'm just a young unicorn in Canterlot, and Twilight is your personal student protege and also the Element of Magic. I'm nothing like her." Moon Dancer said to the white alicorn, pain from her former 'friend's' betrayal showing on her face. The white alicorn noticed this distress on the young pony's face at the mention of her priced student and quickly changed the subject. Much to Moon Dancer's relief. "You know Moon Dancer, would you mind being the head scientist to study the current 'earthquakes' that have been mincing our great city." Celestia said as the two ponies passed some of the other ponies. Celestia not wanting the general public to now that the so-called earthquakes were actually coming from an enormous dragon that had lived underneath their hooves for longer than the city had even existed. Moon Dancer understood what the princess was saying, along with the delicate nature of the citizenry knowing about the true nature of the earthquakes. "I would be honored, your highness!" The yellow unicorn exclaimed, barely able to contain her emotions. "Excellent, you have to report to my throne room tomorrow for your assignment." Celestia said happily that she able to make the yellow unicorn smile. "Thank you so much, princess. I promise that I won't let you down!" Moon Dancer said, joyfully hoping her way back to her home. As she hopped back home her thoughts about Twilight Sparkle returned and her smile that Celestia had given her disappeared, along with her joyful hopping. She turned around the look at Twilight's former home, a beautiful tower that she had all but abandoned when she moved to Ponyville. The last shines of Sunlight shined onto the tower as Moon Dancer stared up at it and she thought out loud to herself. "Why you... why you so special. So special that you were able to leave a house some ponies would kill for, and most of why are you so special that you are able to just pick up all of your things and leave to a brand new place and life without even saying goodbye." Moon Dancer ranted at the abandoned tower. "Why are you the Element of Magic despite doing nothing for it, when somepony like me that has to work their flanks off, just to get by? Why are you get everything, when somepony like me get nothing?!" Moon Dancer yelled, tears beginning to form in her eyes as she finished her rant. Moon Dancer turned around and slowly trotted to her battered front swinging it opening with her hoof. She used her magic to slam the door behind with enough to make part of the door frame fall off. "Horseapples, you've got to be bucking kidding me!" Moon Dancer exclaimed as she used her yellow magic to put her heavy stable bag on the floor. As the last drops of sunlight fell into her small one story house a revelation came to Moon Dancer. "I really am the most useless pony in all of Equestria." Moon Dancer said, as she covered her face in her hoofs and sobbed into them, as sat on the dirt floor of her house crying like a filly all by herself. Her sobbing continued for a couple minutes until Luna raised the moon and the stars and darkness fall across all of Equestria. Moon Dancer whipped away her tears as she used her magic light her one small candle, which created only enough light for not to trip over all her equipment that riddled her small house. Moon Dancer picked up the small candle with her magic and walked over to her small bedroom. Her room was only big enough for a twin sized bed and a small blue nightstand that lay next to it. Moon Dancer put the small candle on her nightstand and crawled into her small bed. She used her magic to wrap a small blue and yellow blanket around her body as she forced herself to go to sleep, both excited and dreading the day that would follow.