“Must we use real gems for the banquet?” Amethyst looked over her shoulder to see the mayor of Fillydelphia complaining to one of his aides as they inspected the menu for the upcoming festival. He was a portly Earth Pony stallion with a light gray coat with his orange mane slicked back. Ever since Mina had introduced her to him that morning, the mayor had been finding any excuse to whine and gripe about how much money was being spent on the Draconic New Year Festival and would find ways to cut corners. “Do you have any idea how much rubies cost?”
“Oh, come on, Mayor Skinflint,” Mina called back to the grumbling pony. “It’s only for one dessert. It’s not like the entire banquet is going to be made of gems.”
“Besides, this is supposed to be a cultural exchange between ponies and the dragons,” Amethyst added. “We’re trying to cater to both demographics and help them understand one another. This is a special occasion.”
“Yes… of course,” Mayor Skinflint said to the Kirin Princess with a forced grin, but his face immediately fell when an aide held a clipboard in front of his sweaty face. “Confetti costs how much!? It’s just paper!”
Amethyst frowned at the mayor, but felt Mina nudge against her. Waving the complaining stallion off, the burgundy dragoness said to Amethyst, “Bah, ignore him. This is party, isn’t it? We need to go all out!”
“That’s what Pinkie Pie would say,” Amethyst chuckled. Turning their attention back to the preparations, they could see the modern-primitive streets of Dragon Town being decorated for the festival. Lines of red, orb-shaped lanterns were hung over the streets from the roofs of the stone buildings, pagodas, and the arches. Both dragons and ponies were working together to build life-sized floats of wild dragons that groups of performers would wear as they danced down the streets. Already the performers were practicing their choreography.
Seeing the ponies of Fillydelphia working side by side with the civilized dragons lifted Amethyst's spirits. Dragons and ponies working together, laughing and becoming friends; this was the Princesses’ hope for this celebration. Old prejudices and fears would be forgotten and centuries worth of negotiating and planning would finally be realized. If everypony and everydragon was having such a good time preparing the festival, Amethyst could scarcely wait to see the actual event.
“How much for fireworks!?”
Well… almost everypony was having a good time.
“Okay, the banquet is covered,” Amethyst announced as she looked to a checklist she was carrying. “Now let’s see… The decorations; check. The parade; check. The food; check. Now on to the music.”
“Right. We have…” Mina began to say, but then the sound of rushing wind caught everyone’s attention. The ponies and dragons that were preparing the festival stopped what they were doing and looked to the west. In the distance, the panicked sound of screaming was heard coming from the streets of Fillydelphia.
“What in the name of Celestia?” Mayor Skinflint asked but then he and his aides gasped and ducked for cover as a flight of dragons emerged over the city’s skyline and flew over Dragon Town, headed for the sea. Amethyst and Mina stared up at the sight of the massive wild dragons above them. Growing up in Dragon Town, Mina and many of the her fellow civilized dragons had never actually seen their primal kin. Even though she was a dragon herself, a twinge of fear ran down Mina’s spine.
In the center of the pack was a dragon that was many times the size of its companions. With each flap of its wings, a powerful gust of wind would beat down upon the streets of Fillydelphia. Though it moment was brief, Amethyst thought she heard a familiar voice crying out from one of the giant dragon’s clutched claws.
After the flight of dragons had passed over Dragon Town, the ponies and dragons emerged from their cover and watched the wild dragons head over the Celestial Sea. Amethyst and Mina stood together as she looked on in amazement and confusion. Before either one of them could speak, one last dragon, smaller than the others, darted overhead in pursuit of the others. Though he was far above them and was quickly pulling away, Amethyst squinted her eyes and recognized the smaller dragon.
“Dad?”
“What is going on?! You! I demand an explanation for this!” Mayor Skinflint demanded as he marched up to Mina and Amethyst. The dragon and the half-dragon looked to each, but neither knew how to respond. Instead, it was a passerby that spoke up.
“It is the sign!” a robed stallion declared as he and other robed ponies walked down the street, earning him the attention of the mayor.
“What sign? What are you babbling about?”
“Lord Hargon has prophesied that the dragons were to be the heralds of the end,” the lead robed pony elaborated. Mayor Skinflint wanted to scoff at the hooded stallion, but the shock of seeing the swarm of dragons just moments ago made him hold his critical tongue. “And now the end has come! The dragons shall bring ruin to Equestria, and our god, Malroth, shall come to cleanse the world! Come, my brothers and sisters! Leave this abominable festival behind and join us! You cannot trust the dragons! They will only bring death and ruin! Save yourselves and join us! Join Lord Hargon!”
After hearing the anti-dragon propaganda, Mina looked about the street at the ponies and dragons preparing for the festival. The dragons were obviously offended by the words of the zealot and many looked around nervously at the ponies. With the sudden appearance of the larger dragons, Mina could see that the spokespony’s words were influencing the other ponies. They were frightened and the only explanation they had was that the dragons were to blame. Already Mina could see the fear and mistrust in their eyes. A grave realization occurred to her as she remembered the old prejudices against her kind. In a few moments with only a few words, this “Lord” Hargon and his minions would undo all the progress that had been made over the past twenty-six years.
Mina looked to Amethyst with concern but saw that the white Kirin was gazing to the east, the direction the dragons had gone.
*****
Off the coast of eastern Equestria, Spike was flying as fast as his wings could carry him. The Dragon King had his wife and was heading back to the dragon lands with her. Though he was an adult, he was still considered young by dragon standards. His elders were much larger than he was, therefore much stronger and their wings could carry them farther with each flap than his wings could. However, he was determined not to lose them. If he could follow them all the way to the Dragon King’s lair then maybe he could then think of a way to save Rarity.
As he flew, he heard a voice on the wind. He ignored it, focusing only on the sight of the king-sized dragon that was pulling farther and farther away with each passing second. If he stopped now he would lose them. Again, the voice called out to him, “Spike!”
When he ignored it again, there was a flash of magenta light and Twilight Sparkle materialized in front of them. Her wings were flared and she held out her fore legs to act as a barrier. Spike stopped suddenly to avoid flying into her and the two hovered in the air facing each other.
“Spike! Will you stop?!” Twilight panted from pursuing him all the way from Canterlot.
“Don’t try to stop me,” Spike said as attempted to move around her while trying to focus in on the shrinking images on the horizon, but Twilight blocked him again. “Outta the way! I’ve got to…”
“Do what? Go rushing into the Dragon King’s lair without a plan?” she pointed out the very obvious flaw in his reckless plan, or lack thereof.
“I’ll think of something.”
“You’ll think of something,” Twilight incredulously repeated. “Like what? Go and take on hundreds of dragons many times your size at once?!”
“But… Rarity…” he lamented as he looked from his mother back to the now barely visible dragons.
“I know, Spike. I’m worried about her too, but we need to think this through. If you faced the Dragon King now, all by yourself, you will lose. Now, come on. We need to get back to Ponyville. The Dragon King has given us seven days to work with and we need to make them count.”
Twilight lowered her fore legs and flew up to Spike. Taking one of his large hands with her hooves, she gently started to pull him back towards home. Looking back towards the direction the Dragon King went once last time, Spike hung his head in defeat and followed Twilight back home.
*****
In Twilight Sparkle’s Castle of Friendship, the Element Bearers and their children sat around the round table in the throne room. Applejack sat on her throne holding Apple Seed, gently caressing her brown mane as Pinkie Pie similarly treated Cherry Pie. After the scare Ponyville endured that morning, the school foals were released to be with their families. Across the table, Big Macintosh and Posey were comforting an overstressed Fluttershy. The timid mare had come face to face with her greatest fear and had been trembling uncontrollably ever since.
“I can’t believe it’s gone.” Everypony looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was staring at the table. Said table used to project a map of Equestria from its white surface, but without the magic of the Tree of Harmony, the table was bare and its surface had become gray and lifeless.
“Ah can’t believe they took Rarity,” Applejack added.
“Poor Rarity,” Pinkie Pie sadly said, her curly mane beginning to deflate.
“Don’t worry, Pinkie,” Soarin reassured as he and Thunderbolt stood by Rainbow Dash. “I’m sure Spike will get her back.”
“You alright, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked, concerned for her friend.
“I’ll be okay,” Fluttershy replied, barely above a whisper, as Big Macintosh held her hoof.
Midnight, who was standing by her mother’s empty throne, looked to the throne that bore Rarity’s cutie mark. The young princess worried for her kidnapped sister-in-law, but she also was concerned for her father. The last she saw of him, he was heading to face the Dragon King. At her side was Sworn Duty, the soldier that her father ordered to keep her safe. He had removed his helmet, revealing his cropped white mane.
The sound of the throne room’s doors opening caught everypony attention, everyone turning to see Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Flash Sentry, and Evening Star entering. Behind them, Spike’s long neck snaked in. With so many ponies in the room already, the dragon elected to remain out in the hall. Lying down, his head dropped to floor with a defeated flop, a depressed look on his long face. From seeing Spike’s reaction and the fact that Rarity wasn’t with them, it was clear that she was still in the clutches of the Dragon King.
“Dad!” Midnight rushed across the room and hugged her father.
“I’m fine, Midnight,” Flash Sentry reassured her. He then looked to Sworn Duty and said, “Thank you, Sworn Duty.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Once Twilight Sparkle took her seat at the table with her family at her side, Celestia and Luna stood on either side of Spike’s moping head. With her magic, Luna placed the white orb onto the table and said grimly, “This is all that is left of the Tree of Harmony.”
“So… what do we do now?” Apple Seed asked. “What’ll happen to Mrs. Rarity?”
“I’ll tell ya what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna save Rarity and kick some dragon butt!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, slamming her hoof down on the table, the impact causing the orb to roll across the surface.
“How?” Sour Apple dryly asked.
“Yeah, Rainbow, what are we supposed to do? Go rushin’ in with our hooves flailing and expect them to beg for mercy?” Applejack questioned. “We’re kinda outta our league here.”
“Well, we certainly won’t get her or the tree back with that kind of attitude,” Pinkie Pie retorted.
“Focus, everypony,” Twilight spoke up. “We have seven days before the Dragon King returns. We need ideas, not bickering.”
“Princess Celestia, surely you and Princess Luna can beat this Dragon King,” Thunderbolt said to the Alicorns.
“He said that the two of you couldn’t beat him. Is that true?” Applejack asked.
“It has been a long time since we did battle with Dragon King Ryuo,” Celestia explained. “It was during the early years of our reign, and he was much smaller back then. We were barely able to subdue him back then.”
“So you can’t beat him,” Thunderbolt disappointedly stated.
“Not necessarily. He may have grown more powerful over the ages, but so have we,” Luna clarified.
“If it comes to it, Luna and I will challenge him to a duel. Even though he did gather an army, his pride won’t allow him to refuse,” Celestia explained.
“What if Cadance and I joined you?” Twilight suggested.
“No,” Celestia quickly denied. “Ryuo may be a proud creature, but even he would not agree to a four against one battle. It would only encourage him to use the full force of his army.”
“Then just let me join you. It might give you the edge you need to defeat him.”
Celestia shook her head and said, “No, Twilight. Not only do I not wish to place you or Cadance in harm’s way, but I fear what the collateral damage will be.”
“Collateral damage?” Midnight asked.
“The last time we did battle, we caused great damage to the surrounding land. With our powers strengthened over the eons, a battle between the three of us would be catastrophic.”
“There might not be an Equestria left by the time the battle ends,” Luna clarified before turning to Twilight. “Do you recall your battle with Tirek?”
Everypony understood what the Princess of the Night meant. When the Centaur, Tirek, had stolen the magic of countless ponies and Discord, the Spirit of Chaos himself, it was up to Twilight to stop him. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance had bestowed their power upon the then still recent Alicorn and she was able to battle him to a stalemate. With their fighting, they had leveled a section of the Everfree Forest, rending the earth, creating craters, and almost brought down an entire mountain. To this day, site of their battle retains the scars they caused.
“I see your point,” Twilight admitted. “But if you cannot...”
“Then I trust you to do what is best for Equestria,” Celestia finished for her. “You and Cadance.”
“Hey! That’s it!” Pinkie Pie suddenly announced, causing everypony to flinch. Even Spike raised his head off the floor from the shock. “Cadance and Shining Armor still have the Crystal Heart! It took out King Sombra the first time, why not Mr. Big, Scaly, and Scary?”
Though the ponies started to excitedly and hopefully chatter, Celestia told them, “The Crystal Heart doesn’t work like that. It reflects the happiness and love of those that surround it, creating a protective barrier. However, you do raise a valid idea. With the Crystal Heart, along with the protective spells of Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, Princess Flurry Heart, Starlight Glimmer, and Sunburst, the Crystal Empire is now the safest place in all of Equestria.”
“After today’s event, I anticipate that many will elect to flee to the safety of the Empire,” Luna elaborated. “The Crystal Heart must remain where it is. It is our last line of defense.”
“Okay, so all we got is that if Celestia and Luna can’t beat him, we all run for cover in the Crystal Empire as the rest of Equestria burns,” Sour Apple joylessly stated, lowering everyone’s spirits with his pessimistic analysis of the situation.
“But… But that can’t be all we can do!” Thunderbolt protested.
“And what would you have us do, Thunderbolt?” Luna questioned. “Send our army, which includes you might I add, to face the dragons head on only to meet certain death? We can’t allow that. I can’t allow that.”
“Can this help?” Surprise asked, everyone turning to see that she was holding up the white orb.
“No, Surprise, I don’t think it can,” Twilight sighed, looked defeatedly down at the table. Then a look of hope appeared on her face and her eyes widened as she remembered something. Raising her head back up, she announced, “But I know what can!” She hopped from her throne ran around the table to Spike, who was watching her intently. “Spike, I need you to get Aurum’s orb.”
“On it!” Spike confirmed, understanding what she had in mind before running out of the castle to retrieve the seer stone from his home. In a few short minutes, Spike returned to the council room and placed the glowing gold orb on the table. Her horn glowing with magenta magic, Twilight casted a spell on the orb and a translucent image of young golden dragon was projected above the table.
“How may I be of service?” the construct of Aurum’s personified memories asked as he materialized.
“Aurum, we need to know of a way to defeat the Dragon King Ryuo,” Twilight requested. Hearing this, the projection looked worried, fearful even.
“So, he has returned to Equestria, has he not? Please wait,” he told them as he reentered the orb. After a few moments, the illusionary dragon reemerged and reported, “I have information, but it is of events that occurred before the birth of Aurum.”
“That’s okay. Just tell us anything you know,” Twilight encouraged.
“Very well. According to legend, in the days of Dragon Queen Xenlona, the predecessor of Dragon King Ryuo, the Demon Sorcerer Zoma escaped from Tartarus with the aid of Orochi the Traitor. Orochi was a Dragon Lord that believed Xenlona was too kindhearted and thus too weak to be the ruler of the dragons and sought to usurp her. After she had bested him in combat to retain her throne, Orochi used forbidden magics to summon Zoma. Through his dark covenant with the demon, Orochi became an abomination with many heads and Zoma unleashed a plague amongst the dragons.
“Though dragons have a natural resistance to magic, this curse was of an otherworldly origin. Many wyrms perished due to this plague, and it would continue afflict our kind for generations. It is the same illness that would eventually claim the life of Aurum.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Twilight sympathetically said to the image of Aurum. “Does this pandemic still affect the dragons?”
“Mercifully, no,” Aurum’s memory assured, putting their minds at ease. “The plague was quite common for many generations, but it has faded over the centuries. Aurum thought he had seen the end of the plague, but it appears that he too was infected. Fortunately, the curse died with him. Unfortunately, Xenlona was the primary target of the curse and became gravely ill. With the Dragon Queen incapacitated and many of her subjected dying, Orochi and Zoma took control of her castle.”
“How did anyone ever stop them?” Spike asked.
“That is vague to me,” Aurum’s construct told them. “All I know is that it is said that it was four ponies that used the power of sunlight and rain to create a rainbow to banish Zoma back to Tartarus. Also, the lead pony forged a sword of orichalcum that was gifted to him from Xenlona to slay Orochi. After that, she used the remaining life she had to lay her last egg: Ryuo.”
“What is orichalcum?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Orichalcum, also known as oricon, is a metal of legendary hardness,” Twilight explained to her cyan friend. “It is one of the few metals strong enough to…” Twilight paused as a realization dawned on her. “...to pierce a dragon’s hide!”
“So yer sayin’ we need to find some ‘ori-chal-cum’ and make a sword out of it?” Applejack asked.
“No,” the golden figure shook his head. “Orichalcum is exceedingly rare. I suggest you find the sword itself. However, I know nothing more on the matter.”
“Thank you, Aurum. That will be all. You’ve been most helpful,” Twilight thanked.
“It was my pleasure,” the magic hologram said with a bow before disappearing back into the orb. With Aurum’s avatar gone, the ponies and the dragon began to discuss the information they just received.
“So what now? We go find a sword that even he knew little about?” Rainbow Dash asked, irritated by the lack of information. “Where do we start? How do we find it?”
“Yeah, and what was with that ‘rainbow’ stuff he was talking about?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Was he talking about the Elements of Harmony?”
“Couldn’t be. The Elements of Harmony were discovered by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Twilight reminded, gesturing to the two elder Alicorns. “Besides, they and the Tree of Harmony in clutches of the Dragon King.”
“They’re not much use to us there,” Applejack remarked. “Maybe we can find the sword and then sneak into his lair. Do we at least know that is?”
“Yes we do. The castle of the Dragon King is located on Charlock Island in the dragon lands,” Celestia told the farm pony before turning to Midnight. “Do you have a map of the lands surrounding Equestria?”
“Yes. I’ll go get it,” Midnight announced as she left to retrieve the map. The blue Unicorn returned shortly carrying a large rolled up map and a thick book in her yellow magic. Unfurling the map, she placed it on the round table, everyone leaning over it. To the southeast of Equestria was a group of volcanic islands. In the center was an oval shaped island with a small peninsula extending from the northeast corner.
Pointing to the island, Celestia said, “Here it is. Charlock Island. It’s a volcano with high cliffs with the summit on the northwest part of the island. The castle barely fits the description. It is mostly a hollowed out magma vent with some architecture applied at its entrances.”
“A direct approach would be unwise,” Luna analyzed. “You’ll be seen if you tried to enter from the main entrance. It would be best to travel around to the eastern peninsula and sneak in from there.”
“That’s fine and all, but what about the sword?” Rainbow Dash.
“That’s why I brought this,” Midnight told her, opening the large tome that she had placed on the table. As she flipped through the pages, she said, “Aurum’s story sounded familiar. Let’s see… Ah, here it is. ‘The Legend of Erdrick’.”
“Who’s Erdrick?” Thunderbolt asked.
“He was a knight from the Unicorn Kingdom from long before Luna and I assumed the throne,” Celestia told him, recalling the legend herself.
“It says here that he and three other ponies joined together to face a great evil,” Midnight summarized the text. “Though the names of his companions have been lost to time, it says that each one came from one of the three pony tribes, one of the earliest accounts of the three nations working together. Erdrick, wielding a magic sword, slew a monster with many heads. The notes here say that the original text claimed it was a dragon while later scholars argue it was a hydra. Some suggest even a dragon-hydra hybrid.”
“Orochi,” Spike identified the monster in question.
“I think we can assume it was,” Midnight agreed.
“What about this ‘Zoma’ character?” Posey asked.
“Hhmmm… Doesn’t mention him by name, only as ‘the Archfiend’,” Midnight scanned the text. “It does mention a Baramos, but that has been declared a misidentification with a lesser demon. But it does mention that Erdrick, along with the three, used the gifts of each tribe to create a magic rainbow to smite the Archfiend.”
“But Mother said that the Elements wouldn’t be discovered until much later,” Evening Star pointed out.
“The Elements of Harmony may be the most powerful magics in all of Equestria, but they are not the only source of magic,” Luna told him. “Do not forget that the founders of Equestria defeated the Windigos with the Fire of Friendship.”
“Luna is right. The Tree of Harmony may be gone, but the power behind it can never be extinguished,” Celestia resolutely declared.
“We may not have the Elements, but we still represent them,” Twilight enthusiastically added. “This is no different from the time we had to give them back to the Tree. As long as we stand together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish!”
“Aw yeah! Now you’re talkin’!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “So, what’s the plan?”
“We need to find these ‘gifts’. They worked in the past, maybe they can work for us now. Midnight, does the book say what they are. More importantly, where do we find them?”
“Yes. It says that when the Unicorn used the light of the sun and the Pegasus used the rain from a cloud, it created a rainbow that the Earth Pony caught in an amulet created from a gilded wreath with a diamond in the center,” Midnight summarized. “The amulet then unleashed a dazzling light which critically weakened the Archfiend, allowing Erdrick to finish him off with his sword. It says here that after the defeat of Archfiend, the amulet was given to Erdrick by his companions as a symbol of their gratitude for his leadership. It was buried with him in his tomb located in what is now known as the Unicorn Range.”
“Great. So we know where the amulet is, what about the sword?” Evening Star asked.
“After Erdrick’s death, the sword was passed down through the Unicorn Royal Family as an heirloom. Its last known location is Trottingham Castle.”
“Then we’ll start looking for it there,” Twilight concluded.
“So, we’ll grab these two then all we need some sunlight, add a little rain, and boom! No more Dragon King! Easy peasey!” Rainbow Dash confidently boasted.
“No. Not easy peasey,” Twilight interjected. “Don’t forget, we’ll be going outside Equestria, where the weather works differently than it does here. We’ll be at the mercy of the elements, hoping that there will be rainworthy clouds in the vicinity.”
“I have a solution to that,” Celestia announced. “In Cloudsdale, there is a relic known as ‘the Staff of Rain’. It was invented to create rainclouds if ever there was a severe drought and more rain was needed. You’ll need to go to the Cloudsdale Museum speak to the curator about borrowing it. As for sunlight, you want to be able to activate the amulet at anytime. I have something in mind for that.”
Hearing this, Luna looked to her sister with surprise and asked, “You mean the Sunstone?”
“Yes, I do.”
“What’s the Sunstone?” Midnight asked.
“When Luna was on the moon, I took on responsibility for both sun and moon. Shortly afterwards, I came to realize that if ever both Luna and I were incapacitated, ponies would need a way of moving the sun and moon. Before Luna and I, it took many Unicorns working together to move the celestial bodies and it was very taxing on their magic, causing magic fatigue very quickly. With this in mind, I created the Sunstone and Moonstone. It would allow a Unicorn to harness the power of the sun and moon respectively while reducing the strain on their magic.”
“Okay then, we need the amulet, the sword, the staff, and the Sunstone,” Twilight listed. “We’ll work faster if we split up.”
“I can get the Staff of Rain. If it’s up in Cloudsdale, you’ll need a flyer to get it,” Rainbow Dash volunteered. She then looked to Fluttershy and asked, “What do say, Fluttershy? Up for a little trip back to the home town?”
Everyone looked to Fluttershy expectantly, who was looking about nervously to Big Macintosh and Posey. After sharing a concerned gaze with her family, she ultimately said, “This all sounds so scary, but I’ll do it. For the good of Equestria. As long as I’m with my friends, I know that everything will be okay.”
“That’s the spirit, sugarcube,” Applejack supportingly cheered.
“Excellent. The staff is covered. Now what about the amulet itself?” Twilight asked.
“If it’s up in the mountains, then leave it up to me,” Applejack told her. “Ah’ll hike up there and get that doohickey before two shakes of a ponytail.”
“Alright. Pinkie Pie, will you go with her? Two sets of eyes looking for the tomb is better than one,” Twilight suggested.
“Yes sir, ma’am, sir!” Pinkie saluted.
“Luna and I will return to Canterlot,” Celestia announced. “In the wake of this attack, much has to be done. I’ll retrieve the Sunstone and return shortly.”
“Good, then Spike and I can get the sword,” Twilight announced.
“Hey! What about us?” Surprise protested.
“Yeah! You’re not thinkin’ of leaving us out!” Apple Seed shouted. “We’re commin’ too!”
“Absolutely not!” Applejack adamantly declared. “Y’all are stayin’ here in Ponyville.”
“Aawww, but Ma!” the little filly whinned.
“No buts! You and Sour Apple need to tend to the farm while Ah’m gone. Is that understood?” she firmly ordered, staring pointly at her elder child.
“Yes’um,” Sour Apple complied, knowing not to cross his mother.
“Come on, Surprise and Cherry. Mama has world saving to do,” Cheese Sandwich told his daughters as he ushered them out the door.
“Aawww,” the sisters moaned as they hung their heads in disappointment.
“Posey, don’t be upset,” Fluttershy told her daughter, who was starting to cry. “Everything be okay. My friends will look after me, and your father will look after you.”
“I know, Mom,” Posey sniffled. “Just be careful.”
“Well, I’m coming along too!” Thunderbolt boldly stated, causing everyone to stare at him. “I’m a Wonderbolt now, and it is my duty to serve Equestria!”
Before Rainbow Dash or Soarin could tell him otherwise, Spike said, “You’re absolutely right.”
“I am?” Thunderbolt asked, shocked at the lack of resistance.
“He is?!” Thunderbolt’s parents asked at the same time, shocked at what Spike said.
“Of course, and I have a very important mission for him,” Spike continued. “Thunderbolt, I need to go to Fillydelphia and find Amethyst. I want you to keep her safe. Is that understood?”
“What? Guard duty? But I…” the gray Pegasus started to protest.
“Hey, you said it yourself. You’re a Wonderbolt now,” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk, seeing where Spike was going with this.
“And you just received an order from a Prince of Equestria,” Soarin added.
“That’s right. And you wouldn’t defy a royal order, would you?” Celestia teasingly asked.
“That wouldn’t look good on your record at all,” Luna also said.
“Okay, I get it. I’ll do it,” Thunderbolt exasperatedly huffed.
“That’s ‘Yes, Your Highness’!” Evening Star barked, enforcing protocol on his friend and fellow soldier.
“Yes, Your Highness!” Thunderbolt saluted before flying off to do his duty.
“I’ll return soon,” Celestia said as she and Luna teleported back to Canterlot.
“Okay, girls. Time to get moving. We’ll meet back here once we have the objects and head to Charlock Island together,” Twilight stated. With everypony in agreement, the Element Bearers headed off, ready for their next adventure. “Come on, Spike. We have packing to do.”
“And we have preparations of our own. We need to raise the security across Equestria and be prepared for another attack,” Flashing Sentry said to Evening Star.
“Especially now that the Tree of Harmony is gone. Without it, the wild magic of the Everfree Forest could run rampant. Who knows what else could happen!” Midnight pointed out.
“She’s right,” Evening Star agreed with his sister. Along with the eastern coast, we need to secure Ponyville. It’s on the front line for an assault from anything that could crawl out of the forest.”
“Right, let’s go, son. Sworn Duty, making sure the Princess remains safe here,” Flash Sentry ordered his lieutenant.
“Yes, Your Highness,” the jade Pegasus soldier confirmed. With that, all that remained in room was Midnight and Sworn Duty. As they looked to each other, Sworn Duty offered a friendly smile and a courteous nod. Midnight smiled back but couldn’t help but feel resentful that she now had a foalsitter.
*****
Once the Princesses returned to Canterlot, Celestia walked down the halls of the palace to fetch the Sunstone from the artifact vault. She asked her sister, Princess Luna, to make an official statement explaining the situation to the masses. Ever since the invasion that morning, concerned citizens had been lining up at the castle gates demanding answers. Due to the less than discreet nature of the dragons, half of Equestria would already know about the attack on Hawk’s Nest, the theft of the Tree of Harmony, and the abduction of Princess Rarity, and the other half would undoubtedly also know in a matter of hours. The last thing Celestia wanted was a nation-wide panic.
However, there was something that Celestia had to know first. Floating alongside her in her magic’s golden aura was the scroll containing the official report on the accident that claimed the life of Spike’s birth mother. It should have been locked away in the Royal Archives, yet Ryuo had somehow obtained it. What troubled the Alicorn was that the Dragon King obviously didn’t come across it himself. Somepony must have given it to him.
Celestia arrived at the entrance to the archives and saw the guards stationed on either side of the doorway who saluted in her presence. As she gazed upon them, the awful feeling of suspicion passed through her mind. Pushing it aside for the moment, she entered through the doorway and walked up to the counter. The elderly smoky purple Unicorn mare wearing spectacles that sat behind the counter noticed her most important guest and arose from her seat.
“Your Highness!” the clerk addressed Celestia. “How can I help you?”
“Mrs. Rolodex, you can help me by telling me how this…” Celestia placed the scroll on the counter before the mare, “was taken out of the archives without my knowledge.”
Shocked, the spectacled mare adjusted her glasses and pulled out a large logbook. She then checked the identifying code on the scroll and flipped through the pages while stammering, “I-I-I don’t know, Your Highness. No document is checked out from the archives without me knowing it, and royal approval is needed to even enter the restricted section.”
“Please, check it for me anyway.”
“Yes, Princess.” After a few moments, Mrs. Rolodex stopped on an entry in the logbook and read the information. “I don’t know what to say. The last one to check this particular scroll out was you, and that was almost a year ago.”
Princess Celestia knew exactly which date the mare referred to. Every year on Spike’s birthday, she would read the scroll as she reflected upon that day for it was also the day of the Sonic Rainboom, which is arguably the most important date in recent history. However, a year was still too large of a time gap. She would need to narrow it down if she was to get to the bottom of this.
“There’s only one way to be sure. I need to see for myself.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Mrs. Rolodex accompanied the Princess down the many rows of bookshelves to the far wall of the archives, where they came to a stairwell that led down to the restricted section. As before, a pair of guards stood guard over the entrance. When they saw the chief archivist and the Solar Princess approaching, they unlocked the gate to the restricted section and opened the door to let them pass. As Celestia headed down the stairs, she cast a glance at the two guards, her previous suspicions returning.
Once they entered the restricted section, they found the bookshelf with the matching code labeled on the scroll. As they located the exact spot where the scroll was supposed to be, they found it empty.
“I swear, Your Highness, I have no idea how anypony got it out of here,” Mrs. Rolodex pleaded.
“I believe you, Mrs. Rolodex.” Princess Celestia placed the scroll back into its place and asked, “How often do you take inventory of the records?”
“We do it by section; one per week,” the nervous clerk explained. Anticipating the next question, she pulled out the logbook once more and flipped through the entries. “This section was last checked… last month. See, there’s my signature.”
Celestia looked at the mare’s name scribbled down on the page and nodded. “Does anypony else have access to the archives? Any other clerks?”
“Yes, the assistant clerks and the guards. We’re here from morning till night, and then it’s just the night shift guards.”
“I see,” Celestia mused. “Mrs. Rolodex, I would like a list of everypony that has checked out material from the archives since that date along with a list of all of your staff and any guard that was on duty here from that date till now. Keep this confidential, and report your findings only to me or Princess Luna.”
“Yes, Princess Celestia,” the clerk bowed as the Alicorn left to get the Sunstone for Twilight.