//------------------------------// // Day at the Spa // Story: Equestrian Landings // by qwefg //------------------------------// Jade Jade levitated the next set of fabrics out “Look so you dumped him. I don’t see why your still hung up over it.” Breeze sighed “It’s not him I miss… it’s…” Jade rolled her eyes “Oh yes mister tall, dark and sexy.” She added a little bit a hip shake to the last one as her friend blushed “You’re telling me that somepony fitting that description isn’t already dating somepony?” Breeze blushed at the description of her hidden crush as Jade shook her head. Breeze was a good friend and a talented tailor. Her last special pony turned out to be a two timing bit jerk… who had ran into a sudden rush of bad luck and had tried getting back together with Breeze only because every other mare in the city dumped him! Jade was just happy that her friend had slammed the door shot on his two timing nose! Jade pulled out one of the griffin magazines again… their fashion was so… bland. Sadly her latest client preferred utility above all else “So any thoughts about our newest client’s… taste?” Breeze was already running through sketches and working on the on the mannequins… Jade felt her face scrunch up a bit as she inspected her friend. Her dark brown coat had caught many stallion’s eyes as her short cut black mane gave her sort of a… unique appeal especially in taverns and bars. Jade couldn’t help but stare at her cutie mark for a few seconds as the spool of white thread with a needle resting across it really drew attention to her flank. It was hard to imagine such a mare having a hard time finding a date… of course the trick was finding one who wasn’t a jerk. Breeze glanced at Jade as her cheeks were a little bit red “Uh… Jade? What are you doing?” Jade shrugged “Trying to figure our client out.” Breeze was a nice catch… but she fit in the normal category. Some ponies liked dresses and shirts with frills and some ponies didn’t. It was just a matter of preference… one that easily told Jade that she preferred stallions over mares... well most mares as she found a rather... nice section revealing swimsuits. Jade tried not to picture what Valkyrie would look like in a swimsuit…yet they were easy to wear and didn’t limit mobility… and it really showed certain areas… while being publicly acceptable. She felt a small bit of drool hang out of her mouth as she pictured Valkyrie wearing a two piece showing off her rather firm... “How did you two meet again?” Jade replied trying to get her mind out of the gutters as she wiped her mouth! Nothing killed a mood like a sappy love story! Besides it was something her dear perfectly straight friend loved to talk about these days! Perfect for making Jade focus on anything else at the moment! Breeze smiled as she blissfully recounted the tale like a love struck filly “He just sat next to me… apparently his special pony was also dating mine.” Breeze frowned at this section as a part of her always was sad… and the annoyance crept into her voice when talking about her old ex “Turns out he wanted more variety.” Jade noticed Breeze was starting to bend the drawing board “The nice guy. Not the jerk! Mister sexy butt.” Breeze blushed at the comment and more importantly stopped bending the drawing board to its breaking point. Jade sighed in relief as now her mind was not only back in place, but she had also prevented losing another item due to that two bit jerk’s attempt to rekindled the flame. All he had accomplished was making Breeze’s rage surface again as any love she had for him and been burnt to a crisp after she found his cheating flank! Breeze chuckled nervously “He had a dark black coat and long silver mane.” Jade rolled her eyes as his description from the other ponies was the weird charcoal unicorn with gray hair from when she tried to figure out what happened during the infamous breakup scene. “And he had a pink heart with two white wings for a cutie mark of all things.” Breeze said with the same sappy joy bad actors gave when doing a love scene. “We talked a little… mostly we just enjoyed each other’s company.” Breeze sighed in sorrow “I never got his name.” Jade nodded as there really wasn’t much on this mysterious stallion. Even trying to find him by cutie mark was almost impossible… and Jade had tried searching for him, but sadly his old mare friend didn’t exactly remember him as she was a bit too worked up about the sudden reveal of the jerk she was dating and how that same jerk tried to play her for a fool. Of course she could have been lying and trying to apologize to the previous stallion she dumped who actually was a swell guy. Jade tried to smile “Well maybe Valkyrie can help you find another nice stallion.” Breeze was the one who had started to grin “You mean your sexy butt?” Jade coughed as she felt her face brighten “She’s just a stranger who grew up in a rather… odd griffin city.” Breeze chuckled “You mean the mare that could file your horn with her hooves that made my stallion seem like an everyday occurrence?” “She’s a bit different.” Jade replied uneasily “And… we kind of… have to…” Jade gulped as now she felt extremely embarrassed “make… socks.” Breeze glanced at the drawings for the dress again “Look I know she’s rather unique, but if she’s asking for socks than doesn’t that mean she has a…” “Different meaning!” Jade replied much faster than she would have liked “Their… ahem… like hats… and scarves… and she just wants… plain white socks.” Jade sighed both in disappointment, but in sorrow as it felt like some brilliant designer suddenly died of a heart attack every time she said those words out loud. Her brother explained Valkyrie’s… cultural view and their purpose… but it was such a waste. Valkyrie frowned as she looked at the griffin magazine “What’s with those bags? The… lump looks really out of place” Breeze checked if the dress hampered the wings on the mannequin as she replied “Their fit so that the gap between the coat and the bags will allow the wings to easily fit inside to help protect against the cold… or be used as an easy access pouch by some griffins and ponies.” Jade couldn’t help but frown. The suit looked gaudy, but it focused more on utility than looks… and even that bit was confusing. Hopefully they could fix the leg issue before they were forced to take more… griffin like aspects of design. Jade couldn’t even find…shudder… pants in the fashion magazine as the closest thing to it was a jump suit or that one odd suit that looked as if it could double as light armor... which was apparently popular. If Jade had learned anything from this new learning experience it was that...Griffins didn’t wear a lot of dresses. ****** The door opened up as Jade felt herself tense up. Valkyrie had entered the store again and most of her items weren’t ready! Sure Jade might have… lead her to believe it might not take too long… but she hoped to have at least a dress ready that would reveal the full beauty of Valkyrie’s hidden form! Steel walked beside her as both of their faces were a little flushed until Steel shot her little sister a bit of a nasty look which Jade felt was completely uncalled for! Valkyrie got right next to Jade and whispered “I… need to talk about an… order I made… yesterday.” Jade blinked as the oblivious warrior goddess sounded so… meek and… adorable! Valkyrie seemed to be trying to hide behind her long hair as her face was a lovely shade of crimson making Jade just wanted to hug her even more… in a naturally planktonic kind of way of course. Valkyrie gulped as she brought her strength together “It’s about the… socks?” And that was when the other boot hit the floor as Jade suddenly understood Steel’s… rather… justified anger towards her little sister. Apparently Jade had… forgotten to inform Valkyrie… about some of the… cultural aspects of Equestria. Jade felt herself blush out of embarrassment for forgetting such an important thing as she pulled out the paper bag holding the rather dull boring white bland socks. Jade felt the moment of embarrassment disappear as she felt slightly ashamed at herself for making such… It was hard to imagine that an article of clothing could be made… dull. Valkyrie quickly took the bag and moved into one of the changing booths properly to see if Jade kept to the contract… or tried making something worthy to be actually called a pair of socks. Steel frowned as the shades of red around his face had yet to die down “Do you realize how embarrassing it was for me to explain the cultural aspect?” Jade sighed “Probably as difficult as it was for me making such… bland objects. I’m not even sure if they have any right to be called socks anymore.” Breeze entered the room in a panic “I have the base model down, but so far it’s just a white summer dress. You wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to make something that won’t hamper movement or affect her wings… she won’t mind if it reveals her flank right?” Jade felt embossed for Breeze asking such a stupid question until Steel replied “Hopefully she won’t mind, but see if you can’t find some sort of… saddle bags to go with it.” Breeze nodded “Blank Flank… right!” Jade sighed as she forgot about that tiny/major detail as most ponies would be more confused at seeing an adult without a cutie mark. Just another reason that Jade had to make the perfect dress so that Valkyrie would branch out from her job of being a guard pony. Maybe even possibly a model? The changing booth opened up revealing Valkyrie in all her most of her splendid glory… if not for the four dull white objects covering up her ankles and hooves… as Jade apparently forgot to get the measurements right which Valkyrie didn’t seem to notice. Valkyrie frowned “Does this look really fit… that description?” “It did get you out of that armor!” Somepony replied in a jokingly flirting tone. Valkyrie’s face turned beet red as she flung a boot at the pony speaking before shutting the curtains again. It took a few seconds for everypony to a few seconds to recover as they looked at the pony who had replied. A light tan earth pony was lying on the floor as extremely heavy boot was lying near his side. Steel rubbed his chin “Jade… this is Maxwell. He’s… an odd pony.” Jade nodded “Well I was going to go with Breeze to visit a spa… should we invite Valkyrie after… this?” Steel sighed in both frustration and relief “Just… try to help… explain certain things. She’s from a different culture and I’m doing my best to help her adjust.” Jade smiled as she happily replied “What’s the worst that could happen?” ****** Valkyrie I sighed as I was being dragged to a spa by everyone around me. Jade and Breeze were going to the spa only to then invite me… and have Steel suggest/make me accompany them. Maxwell decided to tag along as he had… apparently came to Jade’s place to get some design work on a new tavern sign in hopes of drawing in more people. He lacked a way to make up for the total loss of his hands, but he and his friends had the bits to order a new costume made sign… one that would have to appeal to Equestrians, but also let anyone from earth know that they had a place to go. Breeze’s ears shot up “It’s him!” Jade shook her head “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Breeze started to smile as she picked up her pace “I haven’t heard anypony else crack a joke that bad! It has to be him!” Breeze shot off into the distance as everyone ran to catch up to her. I opened my wings and tried to catch up as Breeze was practically flying now. I could hear some one’s voice up ahead “Two words. Moon. Cannon.” Breeze squealed for a moment before tackling a pony up ahead as I landed… only to see Lockheart, the scary doctor pony, some bat pony, and Stardust. Breeze was right on top of Lockheart who was now looking at him in confusion as Lockheart… seemed to be suffering from a brief heart attack. Breeze blinked for a few moments “I thought I…” she quickly jumped back as a small burst of flame came from Lockheart “What was that for!” Lockheart held up a hoof and coughed a bit more as it seemed as if he was trying to catch his breath. The bat pony nearby stood protectively near him as the scary medical pony stared at me in annoyance… I really wish I had remembered her name right now! Steel managed to catch up to us “What happened… Remedy?” Remedy the scary doctor pony rolled her eyes “I can’t take a day off every once and a while? Why did she tackle Lockheart?” Breeze rubbed the back of her head “Sorry… I just… thought you were somepony else.” Lockheart hit his chest a few times as he tried to recover “Tall pony. Black coat, wavy gray hair?” Breeze’s eyes widened “Cutie mark of a pink heart and two wings?” Lockheart held up a hoof and took a deep breath “You’ve seen Tender Heart… or is he actually going by that lousy nickname Dream Boat?” I rubbed my eyes and tried to figure out what was going on “You know who she’s talking about?” Lockheart sort of shrugged as he didn’t exactly seem sure on what to do “Sort of… It’s a long story.” “I’ve got time!” Breeze quickly replied Remedy rolled her eyes “But we don’t. I already reserved us a spot at the spa.” Jade quickly interjected “Crystal bathes?” Remedy frowned “That’s the same one we are going to… how about we walk and talk?” A few of us sighed as the trip to the spa just got a lot more complicated… All that’s missing is Celestia or some random monster attack. Breeze started off “So how do you know him?” Lockheart tried to look away from her “I knew him before… it’s just… I meet him on my travels and I didn’t even know he was here… he’s in Canterlot right?” Maxwell quickly replied “How could you not know?” Lockheart frowned as he bitter replied “Same reason why none of us can figure out how we got here. I didn’t think he was in Canterlot or even Equestria for that matter… and we were just acquaintances at best.” Breeze sighed in defeat as Jade face hoofed. The stunning secret of Lockheart’s past… was just some person he barely knew. Probably some guy he played games with, but never really got to know. Still it’s nice to know that at least one of us might have found someone we once knew. Jade stared at Lockheart sizing him up “Why was he called Dreamboat?” Lockheart cracked a grin “Because he described his cutie mark as a soaring heart. Essentially he could find ponies that had broken hearts and he could figure out how to make them soar again. Nice guy… but to tell the truth most people quickly forgot about him after he helps them… or so he told.” I couldn’t help but stare at Lockheart in confusion “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Lockheart shrugged “All I really know about him is that he crack bad jokes and liked to laugh. Other than that… well Valkyrie probably understands.” I couldn’t help but raise an eye brow “In just what way would I understand?” Lockheart rubbed the back of his head “Well… didn’t you land here… in Equestria… by…” I face hoofed as I just realized how awkward I must have just made it for him. He was referring to my old pathfinder games… I really wish I knew what happened to them. Trying to ask around for ponies who showed up in armor wouldn’t be of any use… hopefully they will have remembered my character at least. “You mean ponyfinder.” I muttered out loud “There was a get together at this one shop were a few people got together… and just played RPG games… like Oubliettes and Ogres.” I felt my cheeks redden as just about everyone stared at me in shock. “What? I enjoyed playing that game every week.” I quickly snapped back. A few of the ponies started to whistle or try to not make eye contact. I groaned “What? Did you think I just trained every minute and hour each day before I came here?” “Yes.” Remedy replied with a straight face. The others around me were now staring at the walls of buildings or taking a keen interest of the road…. Even Maxwell wasn’t trying to make eye contact with me leaving just Lockheart and Stardust to look at me normally. I groaned “Let’s get to the stupid spa already... why are you going to a spa anyway?” Lockheart groaned as the bat pony replied "After having been checked over by twelve different doctors and having to take various medical tests Celestia thought he should relax for a little while." Lockheart rubbed his side "Especially since a few of them weren't as kind as Remedy." Steel glanced over at her in confusion "Didn't you hit his horn to test it's durability and rip out a few feathers just to prove his illusion magic wasn't as powerful as he thought it was?" Lockheart simply nodded "Like I said. Not. As. Gentle." I couldn't help, but chuckle to myself a little. I'm willing to bet that a trip to the spa will end up feeling like a big waste of time by the end of all this. I mean... Ponies have hooves so I doubt they'll be able to give a massage, and sitting around in a pile of mud doesn't sound like my idea of a good time. We walked towards the place as I sighed not looking forward to it at all. ****** Okay… I’ll be the first to admit that maybe I was… wrong about my first initial impression of this place. I sighed in relief as the pony worked her hooves into my back getting rid of all the knots and the built up stress. How was it possible for a pony to be so good at giving a massage? I don’t know… nor did I care at the moment. All I cared about right now was for her to use her fancy hoof magic to continue doing whatever it was doing as this felt like it was worth every single bit I paid for. Jade spoke up first “You really played Oubliettes and Ogres?” I tried to shrug “Well not that one… but something similar. Is it that hard to believe?” Stardust chuckled “Considering your nickname is Overkill I can see their point.” “Overkill?” Jade asked in confusion. Remedy made a soft chuckle as she added “Only pony to tear apart reinforced training dummies. For the first few weeks Steel Halberd had to train her to hold back. Her combat skills were off the charts, but she barely knew how to do any basic weather management. Steel had to teach her how to make it rain.” I could hear a few repressed chuckles coming from the other ponies. The fearsome Valkyrie who could rain lightning bolts down from the skies with ease didn’t know how to make it rain. I could feel my face growing red from embarrassment… Thankfully Stardust came to my defense “The clouds from where she’s from aren’t as stable as the ones from Canterlot. Most of them are closer to the clouds above the Everfree Forest.” The chuckling died down a little as I chipped in “It’s true. You wouldn’t get clouds like these in Boston.” The massage was over as I slowly got up and looked around… too bad the guys were being held in a different section of the spa. Something about pony cultural… thing. I shook my head “So who’s the bat pony… am I even saying that right?” The bat pony nodded “My name is Midnight Vixen… I’m Lockheart’s new bodyguard and flight instructor.” I blinked “Flight instructor… you’ve got to be kidding me.” “He’s an Alicorn!” Jade quickly replied in shock “Shouldn’t a Wonder Bolt be teaching him how to do some fancy Arial tricks or something?” Midnight… because calling a pony Vixen just sounds strange… rubbed the back of her head “He’s… a bit of a challenge, but not in the… normal sense.” Remedy chuckled softly “Normal is understating it. Just plain unusual would be more accurate.” Breeze glanced at them in confusion “What exactly do you mean by that?” Midnight glanced at Remdey before being given the okay “He’s… off in a sense. Lockheart actually fell through the clouds as it took the entire day just for him just to figure out how to walk on clouds.” Everyone stared at her in a mixture of disbelief or confusion “Princess Celestia even cast a cloud walking spell only for it to fail.” Hopefully I wasn’t the only one with their mouth left hanging wide open. When Princess Freaking Celestia couldn’t cast a spell on him to make it work… than you know there’s something wrong. Sure I was a bit nervous about walking on a cloud… but… all I had to do was just step on it. It was like flying in a sense… just open up your wings and flap. Midnight sighed “So that’s my job… trying to help him learn how to fly.” Remedy shook her head “At least it’s better than his attempts in magic.” I groaned as I couldn’t help but wonder what went wrong as Stardust asked “Why?” Remedy stared at her “Why? No… the correct question is how? How does he do it! I know magic. I’ve taught him magic and I don’t even understand how he’s doing it even when he cast the same spell I showed him! It just doesn’t make sense!” I blinked “It’s magic.” ****** Lockheart All of us rested in the pool of water. The steam drifted to the celling as the heat eased the aches in our bodies. This was the life... I rubbed my ears “Did you just hear a high pitched scream?” Maxwell blinked “I thought that was a whistle.” Steel shrugged “Don’t care. I’m off duty and I’m comfortable. If it’s really a problem than one of the nearby guards can deal with it.” ****** Valkyrie I had just learned an important lesson. Never say “It’s magic” in front of a unicorn! Especially Remedy Cross! I took us a minute to recover and then a couple of minutes to having to listen to Remedy giving me a small speech about the technical workings and how unicorns have studied magic turning it closer to a branch of science… than it just being summed up as magic. There was something about colors and emotions… honestly I just nodded and kept my mouth shut as most of it went over my head. It was like listening to someone talk about quantum physic or some other complex subject that you knew nothing about. At least my wings don’t require an instruction manual in order to use them. Everyone got together as we just… relaxed. Jade and Breeze rested having a mud facial. Remedy went over some notes in her notebook as Steel glanced over what the spa still had to offer. “I told you. Don’t. Use. Magic!” Midnight said as she raised her voice. “It’s… ow!” Lockheart replied in pain. I glanced up and stared at them… as I felt my face start to turn red. Midnight frowned “Seriously! Didn’t you have them get looked at?” Midnight stuck her face into Lockheart’s wing and pulled out some more feathers. Lockheart tried not to shout, but it was getting everyone else’s attention. Midnight spat out a few feathers as they drifted onto the floor before turning black. “Are they supposed to do that?” Maxwell asked in confusion “and… is it just me or…” Midnight started giving a more… intense preening on his right wing as I felt my own wings start to push out from underneath me as my face felt like it was starting to burn. Lockheart groaned “If it’s just getting rid of dirt or broken feathers than a simple alteration…” He never finished as his entire face locked up in pain. Steel and Breeze who now were curious about what was going on flinched in pain as Midnight just pulled out a ton of feathers before she spat them out onto the floor. My own wings that had been slowly expanding had now just recoiled in horror as the small mouth full of feathers now drifted down to the floor. “How do you even know…" Lockheart tried to argue back as she pulled out another patch of feathers that made me wince just by watching "You’re a bat pony! You don’t have feathers!” Sadly Midnight didn’t stop ripping out another set of feathers “My sister has a Pegasus son and has to help preen him. I also help when I fillysit him… I told her to just date a nice bat pony, but no she had to date some Wonder Flunky that wears one of those stupid blue suits.” Midnight continued plucking more and more feathers as the pile on the ground slowly grew larger. No one spoke in both fear… and morbid fascination as we all couldn’t help but wonder how many feathers were going to be plucked out. It was like watching a horror movie in a sense. ****** Lockheart “Are you done yet?” I asked trying not to sound annoyed. I twitched in pain as she pulled out another couple of feathers with her mouth. I thought preening was supposed to be some sort of private thing… or was she treating me like a child? I’m not exactly sure which one is worse as she buried her face into my wing. I glanced at the others as… none of them were giving me any eye contact. Was this something normal or… “Seriously you have wings a pegasi would love and a griffin would kill for and you…” She huffed in annoyance “No wonder you keep crashing. All the feathers are in, but not trimmed for flying… it’s like you’re wearing a pair of fake wings!” You ever had someone just straight out and pull a hair off your leg? That tiny sharp jolt of pain amplified by the fact you didn’t expect it? That’s what it felt like when she started yanking out feathers… expect the amount she was pulling felt more like she just stuck a piece of duct tape on my leg and ripped it off laughing! “Are you done?” I asked trying not to shout as she ripped out another dozens. Seriously! If I had any doubts about Discord chaos magic fucking around with my body than this test proved there was something wrong with me! I’m not even sure a real changeling could put up with this amount of physical inspection! If a changeling really could then then people didn’t give Chrysalis nearly enough credit considering how touchy ponies tended to be… especially when they see something as a problem they can easily fix! I’d just be as grumpy as her if it wasn’t for the fa… she just ripped out another chunk of my wing! I gritted my teeth as Remedy's lessons came to mind as my magic worked on fixing the damage cause by Midnight... or making my wing numb so I wouldn't feel the pain. Midnight simply muttered oblivious to my pain “You’re just like her. ‘Oh look how soft they are. Look how nice they look.’ Too much sheen and not enough flight!” I flinched as my wing felt like it had been cleaned by ample use of duct tape before she moved onto the other side. I tried to defend myself “I focused more on hiding them than using them.” Why the hell I was defending myself I had no idea! I glanced at the others for help. Remedy now had her face entrenched behind her book. Maxwell had started to shiver as he didn’t try to make eye contact. Every pegasi in the room had their wings clenched to their sides as not even the ponies working in the spa wanted to make eye contact. Midnight just chuckled “That excuse might have worked for the first week in Equestria, but that’s no excuse now!” She ripped out another set making me bite my lip “Besides I’m just clearing up the knots.” Dear lord or mighty she was just getting started! Please don’t let it get any worse. Please don’t let it get any… “Does this spa even have a wing specialist?” Midnight slowly asked herself. Everypony in the room shouted “YES!” as I had to cover my ears. Midnight turned around as she blushed “Oh… sorry I guess I got…” “Yes we do!” one of the spa ponies quickly replied as her wings clenched her sides “We can have one ready for you now if you want!” Midnight sighed “That would work just…” She glanced back at me “Open up the wings so I can just make sure most of the knots are out.” I sighed as I spread my wings out… It felt really embarrassing as Midnight glanced over them like a mother trying to make sure there wasn’t any mud on the child’s face. I could still feel the stinging pain in my wings as I replied “I don’t need to have them checked by a doctor again?” Midnight sighed in relief as she smiled “No… just a clean-up… possibly some extra maintenance," she frowned a little and muttered underneath her breath "The overpaid half wits didn't even notice the knots in his wings!.” I nodded as I followed the spa pony for the next part of my stay here. Hopefully it wouldn’t hurt too much. ****** Valkyrie Everyone tried to figure out what to say or how to react to what just happened. Remedy cleaned up the mess caused by the feathers as none of the ponies bothered us… though I’m not sure if they were being paid extra or if they were happy that an alicorn was in their spa. Either way everyone else moved onto the next part as the spa ponies worked on our hooves or the horns on some of the unicorns. I sighed as… there wasn’t any easy was to describe a hoof version of a manicure. In a sense it was like a regular manicure… but you know when you get a hangnail that stings and that sense of relief you get when you clip it off? That’s what it sort of felt like. Jade was the first to speak up “Did Lockheart come from Boston and if so… do all Boston ponies have such impressive wing spans?” A few of the other ponies smirked at the memory of it. I felt my face brighten up as I quickly replied “He’s not from Boston.” Breeze slowly spoke up “How do you know him and what was with that nickname he gave you?” “I sort of ran into him when I first came to Equestria.” I replied remembering how foolish it seemed that I was running from a manticore. Don’t get me wrong their deadly… it’s just… I’ve ended fighting and running away from much bigger and dangerous foes than the manticore in just the first week. Stardust chipped in “All of us were lost and nopony had any idea where we were. After wondering around in the woods all day we just stuck together and slept in a tree.” A few of the mares giggled as I quickly replied “It wasn’t anything… there were dangerous creatures in the forest.” Maxwell chuckled “And here I though you would have flown out of the forest and figured out which direction to go.” I couldn’t help but smile “The next day we ended up running from a rather large red dragon just because we were in front of his rampage.” I wasn't going to say that I forgot that I could fly. I was a normal girl panicking at the fact I had just been transformed into a pony! I'm not even sure if anyone from that day wasn't in a state of panic or tried to think about things "logically" considering we were all human just a few hours ago. One of the spa ponies dropped something as another one replied “You fought the dragon that lives in Bansewood forest?” Stardust shook her head and replied “No. We simply ran and ended up escaping her rampage by jumping off a cliff and into a river when she nearly incinerated us. Maybe somepony nearby tried stealing some of her treasure?” Everyone in the room was now staring at Stardust in shock as she told our little adventure like someone commenting on the weather outside. Personally I forgot about our run in with the dragon after Lockheart’s precision weapon’s grade cursing. Now a part of me wonders what happened to the area where we landed in Equestria. If Lockheart’s cursing rant could summon a dragon then what accident did the rest of the players cause… or was that area safe to curse in? Jade raised her voice “Wait… let me get this straight. You just appeared one day in Equestria with no idea how you got here… then ran into an Alicorn to spend the night in a tree together… only to flee from a dragon rampaging across the area the very next day?” I glanced at my new manicured hoof as it felt rather nice “Oh we also pooled our money together. Bought a ticket for a train ride only for it to be attacked by some monster I’ve never seen before as the ensuing battle destroyed a couple of train carts before the Royal Guard called in a couple thunder strikes to destroy the monster.” Steel held a hoof up into the air “To be fair the monster was created from dark magic and it was closer to a golem than an actual living creature.” Maxwell was now staring at me in shock “You can’t be serious… You were attacked by a dragon and some evil dark magic monster! What happened next? Nightmare Moon came down from the skies to challenge you to a duel?” Remedy chuckled “No she had her friend impersonate an alicorn to shorten a line just so she could explain their problem to Celestia to see if she could help.” Stardust giggled at the disaster we had unleashed “Think Pretty Pink Princess with a crystal heart for a cutie mark.” No one else understood the joke, but Maxwell as his jaw was left hanging open. I’ll admit that it was actual pretty funny remembering the looks on their faces. Of course the chemical grenades Stardust had whipped up had been a little bit of overkill considering what happened. Steel groaned “And after chasing a large pink pony only to lose sight of it… another monster attacked Canterlot and filled the garden maze full of chaotic magic. It left trying to steal a statue thinking Celestia had hidden something in it.” Maxwell glanced at me as he mouthed the word “Discord” I didn't respond as... that was one of those secrets that Celestia wanted to stay secret and I kind of agreed with her. I mean... who knew what would have happened if everyone else found out that Discord was still around? Come to think of it those three days had been some of the most chaotic and confusing days of my life. Now… I’m lying back in a chair relaxing in a spa as attendants tried to remove all the stress from my body. It’s kind of funny how life can be sometimes. “As for the nickname… we didn’t really know each other and we just sort of… shouted the first thing that came to mind.” I meekly replied “We cleared up the confusion latter on.” “Wait… just time out for one second.” Jade replied as she got up “The first thing he could think of when seeing you is… Overkill?” At that comment Steel tried not to laugh as Maxwell tried to whistle while Remedy didn’t seem surprised at all. I stared at Stardust to see if she would help defend me… only to see her shrug. I stared at them all and asked out loud “Really? None of you thought that nickname was odd or that it didn’t fit me?” Stardust sounded like she was trying to apologize as she said “You were the only one with weapons and armor that we ran into.” Maxwell coughed “To be fair I first meet you saving me from some sort of overgrown winged snake the size of a hydra.” Steel nodded “You were very skilled at fighting.” “You destroy a lot of training equipment that was been made to withstand groups of ponies attacking it only to destroy half of them on your first try.” Remedy bluntly replied “I hear their making the next brand of training dummies their trying to make them Valkyrie resistant before they have you start testing materials built to withstand dragon attacks.” I planted my face in my newly manicured hoof as I muttered “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Somewhere out there I could swear I heard Lockheart laughing at me. The worst part of it all… I knew arguing with them wouldn’t do anything. “So what about our illusive alicorn?” I asked out loud trying to change the subject “Has he done anything to convince anyone he really isn’t an alicorn?” Just about everyone stared at me as if I had gone mad. They stared at me as if I had just tried saying that Celestia was actually a guy, flying monkeys actually ruled the government, and that when I was offed the red pill or the blue pill I popped them both in my mouth while smiling like an idiot. Remedy was the first one to come to my defense “He really does hate it when ponies call him an alicorn. In fact he’s the only pony that I know that claims he isn’t an alicorn.” Jade nearly shouted “But just look at him!” Remedy simply shrugged “Mostly it’s cultural or a perspective difference which is both rather interesting and a little bit sad at the same time. He doesn’t view himself as an Alicorn simply because he doesn’t associate himself with what they stand for and the unexpected expectations.” I glanced at her in confusion “Care to explain what that means to the rest of us lowly mortals?” Remedy actually smirked at my comment “What do you think of when you imagine Princess Celestia? For us it’s a kind, caring, and strong individual who looks after her subjects. Lockheart on the other hoof is a skeptic, paranoid, pony who has been barely taught any skills and is now having to have a flight instructor teach him how to fly.” Midnight coughed “That’s a bit… harsh isn’t it?” Remedy shook her head “No harsh would be what he’s been through. Having others immediately think he’s an imposter or get angry when he lacks the power to do what they want. They simply expected him to naturally be able to solve all their problems without giving him any time or training or political power to do so.” I felt like saying something against it… only to remember Lockheart’s rather cynical view point when she first meet him… and how even Stardust told him to hide his wings until they figured out what to do next. Remedy’s rant didn’t end there “He didn’t even have a cutie mark until he came to Equestria!” All of the Equestrian’s in the room gasped besides Steel as most of them couldn’t believe what they were hearing. I just tugged on the towel wrapped around my body as I tried to make sure it covered up the bare spot on my side. Remedy sighed as she seemed to have calmed down “Right now he’s trying to help make the ponies in charge understand some of the various cultures and the flow of ideas that are coming from the sudden influx of foreign races and ponies. We are trying to help teach him magic and help him learn how to fly… honestly there should have been somepony to have helped him out before he came to Equestria.” A few of the other spa ponies seemed a little bit… disheartened after hearing that including Jade and Breeze. To me I didn’t really see what the big deal was as he could handle himself. Then it struck me as I remembered the key detail that separated us. To me and the other players Lockheart was just another human who had been transformed into an Equestrian before being dumped here. To the Equestrians that lived peaceful lives as Celestia watched over them? They knew what an Alicorn could be. They have probably had other alicorns serve as role models or do fantastic things. Now they get someone isn’t as bright and cheerful as all the others and had a hard time doing any of the basic skills an Alicorn was supposed to be able to do. To them it would be like having a famous military general or poet or inventor being forced to clean the toilets or something. “So what’s with that jacket he was wearing?” Jade asked trying to change the subject Midnight shrugged "He wears a different one each day because the nobility keeps trying to take them away. He just wears them in an attempt to hide his wings." Jade rubbed her chin "But the design? The markings? Where did they come from?" I huffed at an out of place strand of hair “That’s just from the Fullmetal Alchemist series. It’s about some alchemist who uses magic…” The words died at the end of my mouth as Remedy stood over me. Her eyes were drilling into my skull as her serious expression made me shiver back deeper into the seat. The dragon that attacked my on my second day in Equestria looked like a joke compared to Remedy’s harsh gaze. She spoke in a tone that frightened me even more than Duran's creepy changeling voice when he revealed himself as Remedy spoke to me “You mean to tell me… that the jacket he wears… if from a book that talks about the uses alchemy as a field of magic?” It felt like I should say something, but honestly… I was too frightened to speak. Remedy Cross looked as if she was ready to cut me open and catalog me organs or something. What’s more I could see the fire in her eyes as she expected some sort of explanation for Lockheart’s strange ability in magic… other than the explanation being left simply as “it’s magic”. “Remedy Cross. Please back away from Valkyrie as you’re scaring her right now.” Steel simply replied. Remedy slowly backed again as I took a deep breath trying to recover only for her to say “So what type of spell book or grimoire was it?” I gulped as I sadly replied “It’s not a spell book but a… fantasy novel…well a manga to be precise.” Remedy blinked as she stared at me as if trying to come up with some sort of explanation for what I had just said only for Maxwell to add “Honestly I thought he learned those alteration tricks from that manga.” ****** Celestia Celestia glanced outside as all the birds flocked to the air. Dog howled at the noise their owners couldn’t hear as cats hissed clawing at nearby ponies who tried to take them out of their hiding spots. Even Celestia’s own phoenix Philomena had been affected as she finally burst into flame and turned back into her youthful young form. She made a mental note to cancel that appointment with the veterinary as Philomena never liked to go through her transformation without playing around with somepony and making it difficult for them. Right now Philomena was flapping her wings on Celestia’s table trying to show just how healthy she was as if to avoid being taken to a vet. Just what on the world could they have heard to frighten them so deeply? ****** Valkyrie “And that is how magic actually works!” Remedy Cross replied putting the fear of ponykind into Maxwell’s heart. No scratch that. The fear of Doctor Cross as I haven’t run into any pony that could be as frightening as she was! I properly should have warned Maxwell about her and more importantly to not say “It’s just magic”… though he seemed to have found an even bigger button to press. Remedy sighed "Why is it that when ever somepony reads a cheap poorly written novel they automatically assume that they instantly know everything on the subject? It's just like the Bat Ponies and Necromacny all over again." "Uh... the bat ponies?" I couldn't help but ask in confusion. Midnight groaned "Count Biteula and... the Daylight novels. The reason we aren't out in the morning is because we work night shift not some magical curse that makes us sparkle in the sunlight!" Midnight sighed "Sorry... Sorry... I've just had one too many ponies ask that question these past few days." I nodded "I can understand... so what the story behind the Moon Cannon that Lockheart was talking about?" ****** I spread out my wings and drifted out in the skies as I honestly had a lot of fun today as we lost track of time. Right now the sun was starting to set as everyone had said their good byes. Remedy was doing some research about the changelings as Maxwell got a contract with Jade to help make a design that was acceptable for a Tavern… apparently an eagle’s head could be perceived an insult to some Griffons, the Cocoa Cola can was too confusing to Equestrians and the contents of Earth just didn’t bring enough attention. That might have worked for bring in humans… but it’s a tavern that also required Equestrians to help pay for it’s bills and right now there were a lot more Equestrians in Canterlot than former humans. Jade and Breeze had gotten a few ideas for some new clothing lines as Steel wished his sister good luck. He also seemed to have been the one who enjoyed the trip to the spa the most out of all of us. Lockheart left with his wings bandaged up to help his wings heal after having them plucked so much… and he also had some sort of wing maintenance kit as Midnight started going over the proper procedure again as she also told him not to use alteration magic to fix his wings until she told him it was alright… which was probably never. I spotted the small building near the outskirts of Canterlot and came in for a landing. The door opened up as my new roommate smiled. “Everything go alright Valkyrie?” Lily asked in her unicorn disguise. I landed on the pavement in front of the house “Ended up being dragged to a spa. Talked to everyone else and saw how they were doing… you?” Lily levitated up a flier “Apparently someone in Canterlot is offering money to run a few tests on… Changelings. It isn’t anything big as they just want to see what they can eat and what their talents are.” I rolled my eyes as I have read plenty of stories that start off like that only to end badly. Lily brought the piece of paper over to me “It’s a steady paycheck and it’s being run by the pony who helped rescue me. Besides it’ll be nice to help pay for some of the rent and give me something else to do besides hide inside all day and follow people.” I blinked “Follow people?” Lily rolled her eyes “I don’t know Canterlot all that well and… I do have dietary needs. Still they do have a nice park.” I chuckled nervously as I… forgot about that detail. Without Duran’s crazy castle scheme there wasn’t an easy way for her to…. Lily held up a hoof “No I’m not. I just sat there and watched a few of them. It’s a nice place where you can practically feel the love in the air. I like to visit it on occasion.” I sighed in relief “Well that takes care of one problem.” I took one last look at the sunset as… everything went alright today. Sure it was a little bit chaotic, but I enjoyed it. Hopefully the next few days wouldn’t have any problems either. ****** Celestia Celestia glanced reports in confusion… He lacked the understanding or connection of his earth pony magic. His pegasi magic was… off for a better lack of words. The fact he fell through a cloud after a cloud walking spell was cast on him was… not only troubling, but also frightening in some ways. The fact Lockheart didn’t even seem surprised that it didn’t work… felt off. Celestia couldn’t help but shiver a little. It was like running into a unicorn who couldn’t use magic or a pegasi who had never realized they could fly. Most Alicorns did have some difficultly trying to learn the abilities and quirks of the other new abilities... but to have problems with everything? Lockheart’s sense of… off-ness for a lack of a better word was unsettling. Almost unsettling to the point where trying to cast a reformation spell to help him sounded like a good idea. Sadly Celestia had the feeling that it would take more than a subtle nudge to help him see how his magic worked or that she would simply have better luck using an aging spell to turn him into a foal and simply raise him as a possible blank slate... Celestia shivered again as the thought was rather unsettling. Being around Lockheart brought up past ideas she had left buried for a reason and somehow a sense of… helplessness. Celestia hated feeling helpless as it brought up memories of her... past mistakes... mistakes that she could have easily fixed if only she had paid attention to them sooner. The scar on Lockheart's chest was still vivid in her mind. She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to him to cause such painful looking scar… or even when it happened. The fact he reacted so… strongly when she had seen it didn’t help either as he seemed... guilty, frightened... as if she was going to lash out at him. Then there were the actions he had taken in an attempt to distance himself from others had been… confusing. Apparently he had… certain soft points and annoyances. Lockheart wasn’t a bad pony… as he did try helping adjust funds to support the new residents or help ease the difficulties of a starting business. He was also looking into or at least checking up on Equestrian politics… in a sense as he tried to understand the positions of the bat ponies when Celestia had assigned them to him. He was trying to figure out how the Night Guard and Bat Ponies worked before he tried to change anything. He was looking into their past records and setting aside funds from the... allowance he had been given to help pay to replace their old outdated equipment... but he usually kept to himself or stayed hidden in his room. The biggest problem of course was that Lockheart… really didn’t get along with nobles. Of course that could have been from past experiences. For one who tried to avoid individuals in positions of power… including foreign diplomats he had some sort of… Celestia tried finding the word she was looking for. It was true Lockheart barely understood Equestrian politics. In fact the pony sent to help him was forced to help with most of the work… no the real problem was how he perceived certain ponies… ponies who thought they could manipulate him or pass some obscure law or request that wouldn’t have been given to her because she already dismissed it… or they thought about trying to pass it behind her back. Instead simply trying to reject their request or getting Celestia to help Lockheart seemed to focus on the emotion they were feeling and… twist it about. A promise made from greed would start with hooves shaking only to end in them losing it. Somepony trying to use Lockheart to allow them to host the next Gala would be accepted… only to have that pony be allowed to host the Gala long after they were dead and their family couldn't inherit the right after they died either. To be fair Lockheart didn’t cause a lot of problems… it was just the few problems he had caused quickly spread amongst the public. Celestia wasn’t sure where all the problems were coming from as the few actions he did… shouldn’t have become this bad as it seemed like somepony was actively trying to ruin his reputation. Already rumors about him tearing apart years of tradition or sending the ponies that had been captured to an abandoned island out in the middle of the sea continued to spread. There was even a rumor about him hiring changelings to replace individuals who caused him problems! As the problems continued Lockheart simply kept saying… that he wasn’t an Alicorn. Celestia sighed as Lockheart was a unique case. Most ponies tried living up to their new status or enjoyed the gifts of being an Alicorn. Lockheart wanted to stay hidden and viewed the perks as a curse… in some ways he was the exact opposite of a regular alicorn as he expected the worst in others instead of looking for the good they held. The fact Lockheart preferred sleeping in an old jail cell instead of a regular room made Celestia wonder if she should hire a psychiatrist… which would be difficult considering how he naturally kept to himself. Celestia shook her head “I don’t even know how old he is.” If she asked him then he would probably give some vague statement or answer that wouldn’t really answer anything. The only aspect of himself he had been honest with was his magic… which made just as much sense as he did at the moment. Celestia pulled out a rather old tome as dusted off the cover. To most ponies the book would hardly make any sense and most ponies didn’t really learn anything because most of it had become common sense. “Star Swirl the Bearded’s Study of Harmony.” Celestia slowly read “The teachings and understanding of unity between each other… and ourselves.” The book was made during not only the warring times… but also the fragile peace held between the tribes as they moved their nations to Equestria. It was a time where paranoia was high as scars from the past were still fresh. It was a time were ponies like Lockheart weren’t uncommon, but probably not to the degree paranoia or distrust to which he had descended to. Each tribe knew that they were going to have to work together… that a peace had just been established that wasn’t made due to their forced and strained cooperation during the reign of the Wendigoes. This was during the period in which the tribes had to not only get used to each other again… but learn that the other race wasn’t out to get them… despite the deep scars of their past and past experiences that said otherwise.. Celestia would have to look through the books again in order to figure out how to deal with that level of paranoia… and sadly make sure that it wasn’t justified paranoia as she could already hear one of his cynical comments in the back of her mind. “Is it really paranoia when someone is out to get you?” the voice whispered in the back of her head “I know just enough to be a problem… yet not enough to be of any use.” The sad fact was that Lockheart really did have enemies. The only question was who they were… and what was the cause for their actions? It was something Celestia didn’t want to ask him not because he would find a way to avoid the answer… but because she was worried about what the answer would be. There was a small part in the back of her mind that knew he had not only a cynical answer… but a cynical answer that held a cruel and bitter twisted truth that would sadly made sense. Quick Note entered the room “We have the medical reports from the other doctors back.” Celestia quickly pulled the papers out of her grasp and began to look them over as she finally found something useful. She focused on every word and detail as these would make a large impact on not only Lockheart’s possible claim of being an Alicorn… and his status in staying in Canterlot. The papers in her hooves would simply decide Lockheart’s fate in Equestria once and for… Celestia’s face scrunched up “Inconclusive?” Quick Note nodded “He has the possible magic of an Earth pony… a Pegasus… and a unicorn… yet the magic was… off. They confirmed a sense of harmony… A type of magical resonance which you share… from the reports one might claim that he was your biological son.” Celestia glanced back at one of the reports that had even suggested it due to the… unique magical signature. Which was impossible as Celestia would have known if she was pregnant. In fact she was starting to wonder where did Blind Trial get his medical degree? Quick Note quickly tried to defend herself as she thought Celestia was upset at her “Mostly their not able to make an… exact judgment due to the chaotic nature of the chaos magic that still rests in his body. Until it clears up… no pony is able to make a definitive answer or at least until we have another alicorn besides Princess Celestia to draw comparisons from.” Celestia felt like tossing the papers into the fire… as they proved nothing. The nobles wouldn’t have any “proof” and they would keep complaining about Lockheart's "alleged status" whenever they didn’t get their way. The very fact that Celestia had to drag more ponies into this tangled mess for some unknown reason annoyed her… possibly because the last batch solved nothing. The basic abilities of being an Alicorn… Lockheart couldn’t comprehend… and yet he somehow managed to confirm his possible Alicorn status by simply being so… bad that he tested positive in some cases as Celestia still couldn’t figure out how the cloud walking spell attempts had failed. In fact one of the few ways to fail was being an actual pegasus since it tried to mimic their natural cloud walking ability! It would be like casting a water breathing spell on a fish or trying to make water wet! In some ways Lockheart was the exact opposite of what an Alicorn should be both mentally and physically as not even the highly trained medical professionals could make sense of it! At some point Celestia felt tempted to find some way to free Discord if only to strangle the annoying twit for making this a lot more difficult than it should have been! If it wasn’t for that stupid infection of chaos magic then so many questions could have been solved so easily! The fact that Lockheart’s infection should have disappeared weeks ago only enraged her further as there hadn’t been a single pony in Equestria's entire history that had kept Discord’s chaotic brand of magic for so long! “How is the statue by the way?” Celestia replied as she felt her frustration growing Quick Note pulled out her notebook “It’s in the Canterlot dungeon right behind the Heartwarming Hooves decorations.” It was hidden away in a dark room left behind in a room that barely changed. Personally Celestia would have preferred placing Discord in an empty room with black white walls to stare at all day… but this would have to be a close second if only to ensure that her latest foe didn’t try stealing Discord again. After all how many would think she left him in the basement of all places? Celestia managed to calm down a little as she focused on her latest issue “Cloudsdale has managed to support a larger group of these new foreign ponies and a few griffons. They could use some help in seeing not only which projects are even viable… but also test how far Lockheart’s skills have come.” Quick Note stared at Celestia in confusion “Princess… are you sure that’s a good idea? He’s still learning to fly and… we have all heard about the cloud issue.” Celestia nodded as she prepared for the plan “The conference will show how he deals with a larger group which will help test his political ability… when not faced with ponies trying to con him or have him explain a new concept. Cloudsdale is home of pegasi experts so they should at least be able to help define Lockheart’s natural pegasus abilities.” Celestia searched through library for any other books or possibly ponies that could help her “More importantly it will give the Canterlot Nobles some time away from him. Hopefully I can gather together a few earth pony specialists to help test his abilities in the fields of earth pony magic or help teach him to understand it.” Quick Note glanced up from her notebook “There are specialists in Earth Pony magic?” Celestia tried not to roll her eyes “Earth pony magic tends to be much more… subtle than Pegasus or unicorn magic. Simple tests usually work yet… it’s harder to define as not all earth ponies are natural farmers despite their connection to the earth… which would be just as hard to explain as the sense of connection a Pegasus has with the clouds or weather and yet not every pegasi can be a weather pony.” Celestia knew the reason why she held off on earth pony magic was that… she never had a full grasp on the subject herself. She could help teach some earth pony magic… but it would be like having a novice trying to teach them and to be fair it's a little bit hard to focus on those abilities when she was stuck trying to rule a nation. None of her ponies liked the idea of Celestia going in the garden and tending to the plants as dirt twigs might get into her white coat and even now she was having to be escorted to placed by sky chariot just to ensure that she didn't work up a sweat when she arrived... Still the vital aspect of Earth Pony magic in a unicorn was to help bridge together the rest of the magic. The flow of strength allowed them to use their wings easier or to help adjust the magic used in spell casting. Earth Pony magic specialized in subtle actions which in some ways was one of the hardest parts to teach about the magic. Why breathing was a simple action and yet when you got down just how it all worked it was a very complicated and sometimes difficult concept to explain. Then there was the other problem of trying to find a pony who understood how to not only teach it… but also spot the differences. A pegasi or unicorn could beat an earth pony in wrestling… but that would because they were using physical strength which… most ponies looked to as the main signatures of earth pony magic. Having plants grow better and faster was a much longer and more difficult task to track… and making plants grow instantly wasn’t a skill most earth ponies could easily do. Just like how unicorn spells had different levels of difficulty... making a plant grow instantly through earth pony magic was considered a more… advanced skill. It wasn’t even safe to say that just about any earth pony could do it if they were called on to do it right away. In some ways the final test with earth pony magic… was the final judgement of Lockheart’s Alicorn status and one of the hardest test at that for both Lockheart... and Celestia. She knew it was going to be difficult to find suitable ponies for this task… ponies that would also have to deal with Canterlot’s high standard made by it’s nobles. After all if Lockheart really was an Alicorn then “It wouldn’t be fit to have a commoner teach him.” Usually Celestia would have had plenty of time as she would help teach unicorn magic. One of the royal guard or pegasi would teach flight. Then when the surprise of a sudden new alicorn died down she could simply hire a new gardener who could help teach the new fledgling alicorn as they would have gotten a sense of the unique magic that ran through their body. Still she didn’t have many other options right now to help confirm his Alicorn status... unless another Alicorn decided to appear or setting up a new baby room for a new possibly alicorn filly that used to be Lockheart… That sad thing was that Celestia could already picture just how easy it would be to do it. Lockheart wasn’t skilled in magic so he probably couldn’t resist. He wouldn’t be a political threat to any pony and it might even be nice taking care a small cute giggling filly that she could… Celestia sighed as she muttered under her breath “Deep breaths. It isn’t that bad yet." Celestia glanced back at one of the medical tests hoping to find something useful in the massive amount of colorful medical terminology that was worthless. Celestia stared at the one unique magic signature that she had that Lockheart also shared… what trait besides being an Alicorn could he have shared with… Celestia face hoofed as she knew the answer. It probably had something to do with the Tree of Harmony since she saw it in his mind… if so… then what for Tartarus’s sake did it mean! Every answer she managed to pry out of him only seem to unleash twice as many questions. Having a unique connection to the Tree of Harmony was practically like having somepony shout in the Royal Canterlot Voice telling everyone that this pony was important! It was a very powerful magical artifact or plant that had helped them stop Discord, unit Equestria as a whole nation, and helped guide Celestia and Luna right up until… Celestia closed her eyes as she remembered the last time she saw her sister. It was also the very same day Celestia had lost her connection with the Tree of Harmony… Yet how did Lockheart have a connection to it? How did he even make a connection with it since he had been in Equestria… At this point Celestia wouldn’t be surprised if his biological parents were a rubric cube and one of those abstract paintings because nothing made sense about him at this moment. In fact such an impossible union might actually explain a few things at this point. Celestia sighed tired from the day’s events “How did the Spa trip go?” Quick Note chuckled a little “The ponies there have never meet such a… unique group of ponies.” Celestia rose an eyebrow as she tried to figure out what just happened. Remedy was a little bit… alright she was unusual, but Midnight Vixen was a model pony in the… often forgotten Night Guard. Stardust couldn’t have caused any problem. Quick Note flipped the pages in her notebook as she began her report “Four new ponies arrived with them… Valkyire, Steel Halberd, Jade Pin, and one… Breeze who had accidently tackled Lockheart as she had accidently mistaken him for another pony.” Celestia nodded as… Valkyrie was an odd pony who drew attention without even noticing. Still Steel was a model pony in the Royal Guard as his sister ran a store catering too many of Canterlot’s elite. Surely there hadn’t been too many problems. Quick Note continued “Apparently there was an… incident that many ponies refused to talk about as they flinched when the subject was brought up. A lot of them were most interested in rumors and… Valkyire’s… unique build.” Celestia tried not to face hoof in front of her loyal subject. The doctors were useless as honestly she hoped that one of the ponies in the spa might have been able to find her some answers. Quick Note stared at the page for a moment “Was he really joking or do you actually own a Moon Cannon?” Celestia’s head fell to the table as she couldn’t even figure out how that rumor even came to be. The nervous pony glanced at the door “Other than that he had a bunch of knots in his wings and bought a Wing maintenance kit as one of the spa ponies taught him how to use it… apparently he was using alteration magic to clean his wings.” Celestia tried not to sigh as she found one thing from her report. Apparently one of the reasons why Lockheart was having problems was because he didn’t take proper care of his wings. It wasn’t much of an answer, but it at least explained something about him. "Also despite his ability in magic one of the ponies..." Quick Note took a deep breath "Felt various... scars or places that might have had... wounds as his body seemed covered in them. The pony had rarely encountered a situation like it before as the skin beneath his fur was... almost unnaturally rough. There was also a description of the possibility of a rather large scar running down his chest as that area was very rough." Celestia just closed her eyes as it was apparent that Lockheart was getting better at hiding his wounds, but this description? She didn't like where her mind was going. Hopefully she would finally get through with this stupid Alicorn debate and finally put her mind to ease. Celestia focused on the next task ahead “Get the next reports ready as inform the Night Guard to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. Hopefully we can find where the other rumors are coming from. Also make sure to give Midnight Vixen some time to adjust to morning hours as she and Remedy Cross will also accompany Lockheart to Cloudsdale.” One pony to help catch him if he falls and the other to help patch him up should an accident happen. Now all she had to do was find an earth pony specialist, send the royal guard to capture that pony selling cursed magical artifacts and of course find out what monster had tried to attack her kingdom. It was going to be a rough week.