//------------------------------// // Poking The Beast With A Magic Stick // Story: Nine Tales Of Equestria // by Natural Disaster //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle was in a good mood, why might you ask? Because she had finally managed to work up the courage to go to Canterlot to ask for Princess Celestia's permission to go into the Canterlot Caves and explore for a bit! Oh she just couldn't wait to see what she might disco-- CRASH!!! "Owwwie....." Twilight looked up from where she lay on the ground, first seeing the common golden armor of the Canterlot guards, then the stern yet slightly concerned face of the guard she had so carelessly crashed into, though it was her who fell to the floor. "Uhhh, Miss Sparkle, are you alright?" The guard peered down at Twilight with bright blue eyes, holding out a hoof to help her stand up. "OH! Yes I am fine," She then turned from purple to red, "So, so, so, SOOOO sorry for bumping into you Sir!" She quickly grabbed his hoof and allowed herself to be pulled up from the ground, "Ummm, you haven't by any chance been sent by the Princess, would you?" Twilight asked, eyes shining curiously. The guard’s brow went up as surprise shone slightly in his eyes. "Yes, the Princess did actually send me to escort you, and she said even if you do know the way off by heart, you do sometimes get caught up in thinking and then you get lost...or crash into things," The stare he sent Twilight told her everything as she laughed sheepishly. "Heh heh...well then, escort away Mr....."It was at this moment Twilight's expression suddenly went into one of shock. “OH, I’m so sorry, I didn't even think to ask you your name!" The guard just chuckled and turned to start walking towards the throne room and Twilight had to jump into gear to keep up with him. "It is quite alright Miss Sparkle, guards aren't really meant to give their names out to others as it would make the point of the illusion on the armor null to tell the truth, but because you are our Princess' trusted student, my name is Gleaming Shield, but just call me Shield as I’m not too fond of my first name" The now named Shield shot a glance at Twilight as they continued walking through the corridors of the impressive castle which stood upon a mountain. "Well, for that I am thankful, Shield" Twilight beamed. She knew that the guards armor was enchanted to hide the real identities of the wear to stop any potential invaders from finding out who the ponies were when out of their jobs and at home, it just showed how much Shield trusted Twilight just because she was the Princess' student, it made her feel slightly embarrassed. It didn't take long for the due to reach the great doors of the throne room and Shield bid Twilight a farewell as she walked on in to meet her most beloved mentor "Twilight! How good it is to see you," Princess Celestia's smile shone like the sun which she rose every morning as she leaned down to wrap her neck around Twilight in a hug. "I do have to say, it was quite a surprise to receive the letter you sent me about exploring the Canterlot Caves, and I wanted to wait until we were actually speaking to ask what brought on the desire to explore such a dangerous place." Celestia's eyes seemed to harden as she disengaged from the hug with her student. "A certain type of magic was discovered in that place, and while it seemed to have dissipated I am still very suspicious of it" Twilight blushed and looked off to the left though she did note what her mentor had said about a type of magic. "Well Princess, when Queen Chrysalis sent me into the caves, I got a sense that the crystals could actually drain a bit of magic from the surroundings, which is how I guess she managed to keep Cadence from escaping because her magic was constantly being drained, though it could of been a mixture of stealing love from her by transforming into Shining Armor or even--" Twilight stopped to take a breather but after seeing Celestia's amused face she realized she had gone on a tangent. "Heh heh, sorry Princess Celestia, today I seem to really be out of it..." "It's alright Twilight, even I sometimes get caught up and, what was it young Rainbow Dash said...Ahh was yes, and pull a 'Pinkie Pie'," It was here that Celestia and Twilight giggled a bit. "Ignoring my tangent, I was thinking that by using a pulse of magic we could map the Canterlot caves as the crystals there would keep my magic signature which would allow us to see where all the caves go to and where they end! This could be an absolutely massive scientific discovery as the crystals down there have to be over thousands of years old! Who knows what they could have retained from times before ponies!" With this sudden declaration, Twilight couldn't help herself and squealed. Celestia couldn't help but smile at how excited her little pony had gotten from the thought of learning something new. "Alright Twilight, you have my permission to go explore the Canterlot Caves, “Twilight began to hop around happily."But! There is a condition, you can only do so for two hours and if you do not come back after that time I will send search parties for you, do you understand?" At this moment Twilight had calmed down and realized the seriousness of the conversation. "Yes Princess Celestia, I do. I promise I won't let you down!" It was at this moment that Twilight bowed and then teleported away. Celestia, chuckling, then walked back to her throne "Twilight, what will I ever do with you..." Twilight slowly walked through the dimly lit caves, her only source of light at the moment being the crystals that held enough magic energy to sustain a constant light. "Okay....I should be deep enough to do this," She took a deep breath. "Alright, here goes nothing!" It was here Twilight started charging up as much magic power as she could, her horn being surrounded by a bright white aura, the crystals around her started glowing as well in resonance with her magic, and at the las moment she suddenly felt a sense of curiosity, a wonder of what would be found in the strange place....then she released all control she had on it and let it fire out as a lilac shockwave through the caves, and although she couldn't tell, all crystals it touched got a strong purple glow to it. Deep, deep, deep the shockwave went into the caverns, passing a few bats and other small creatures which thrived in such conditions...until it met a cavern which could easily hold over 10 of the absolutely massive, rare and powerful Ursa Majors. The shockwave continued to pass around the cavern, but as it got to the bottom, it met a ginormous form, and while the wave wasn't the most powerful thing to ever pass through the caves, it was the only one that had a feeling of it, a feeling of curiosity and wonder..... It was at this moment, eyes which had been closed for over a million years.....opened "........NARUTO?"