Carrying the Dragonstone in her magic, Twilight kept up with the steady flow of conversation from the girls with the occasional input from Spike. They were discussing what questions they wanted to ask Ember. However, Twilight told them they needed to write a letter to the other Princesses first. As they didn’t have parchment with them that meant they had to go to Twilight’s Castle. Walking to the front doors of Twilight’s Castle Applejack opened them and led the group inside.
“So Twi, where do you want to put that there rock?”
Upon hearing Applejack refer to the Dragonstone as a ‘rock’ Twilight entered her lecture mode and led the group to the doors of the throne room.
“Applejack! The Dragonstone isn’t a rock, It’s a special instrument enchanted by old dragon magic so that they could communicate over long distances! It’s a priceless artifact and we should take care of it. Besides, it’s not a rock, it’s more of boulder.”
Twilight went to open the door to the throne room but Pinkie stood in front of her and she was staring at Twilight with a small gleam in her eyes.
“Umm... Pinkie, are you-”
Twilight stopped and flinched back as Pinkie zoomed onto her face,
“You’re not wrong Twilight but you're not right either. That-” Pinkie pointed to the object Twilight had suspended in her magic “- is not a ‘boulder.’-” turning to Applejack's smirking face Pinkie continued “-It is not a ‘rock’... It’s quite simple, really! Let me show you!”
Pinkie drew back from Twilight and Applejack and turned to a blackboard on the wall next to the throne room doors. She reached up into her pink hair, pulled out a lab coat, chalk, and a pair of glasses with a big nose and a mustache. Setting the chalk in it’s holder Pinkie twirled and when she stopped she had transformed into... The Maud Pientist.
Blinking owlishly, The Maud Pientist stared out at the other ponies who had crept away from her and raised her hoof to the now systematically decorated board and began her lecture on the difference between boulders, rocks, gems, and Magically Enhanced Communication Devices in the Form of Rocks via the most effective teaching method; sock puppets.
The class fell asleep a quarter way through it. At the end The Maud Pientist wiped the board down and left the impromptu lecture hall by way of a conveniently placed trap door. A few seconds later, Pinkie Pie walked through the throne room doors, saw everypony plus one dragon sleeping, she nodded and stepped back into the throne room, softly closing the doors as she did so.
Several minutes later she opened the throne room doors again, aimed her party cannon, fired and withdrew.
With the crowd outside the throne room doors now wide awake, Pinkie stepped out and gently closed the doors behind her. She turned around with a guilty grin on her face.
All of her friends were shooting her dirty looks. Her grin increased and she squeaked. She held it for a minute and Twilight sighed then smiled.
Pinkie hugged her and ruffled her mane.
“Morning sleepyhead. Did you have a nice nap?”
Twilight nodded and yawned.
“Well that’s good. But The Maud Pientist said that she’d never teach you silly fillies again. Apparently you girls fell asleep in record time.”
“That-That’s nice Pinkie.” Twilight yawned, “But we really should get the Dragonstone somewhere safe.”
Pinkie sagely nodded.
“Right this way then.”
Pinkie pushed open the throne room doors and led the group in, she stayed behind and made sure to close them.
Applejack was the first one to speak up.
“So, whaddaya’ll say we just plunk that hunk o’ rock down on the table and get back to sleep.”
Twilight shook her head,
“While it would be nice to go back to sleep, we should put the Dragonstone somewhere that’s not so... open. I was thinking a nice locked room where I can study it and see how it works. Maybe I’ll even be able to write on it!”
Spike pinched the bridge of his nose and poked Twilight, she meeped.
“Yes Spike?”
He looked at her flatly.
“Twilight. Ember said that only a dragon can write on it. Besides, it matches the roots from the Golden Oaks Library.”
Twilight and the gang went silent when they were presented with Spikes logic and an easy out. They looked at each other, nodded, and one of them snored... Snored?
Twilight quickly looked around for the source of the snoring. She didn’t find it first, Rarity did.
“Oh-oh my. Girls- Girls look!”
They all turned around at Rarity’s voice and followed the direction that her hoof was pointing. Their eyes widened as they saw Starlight Glimmer sleeping on Twilight’s throne, a purple blanket was draped over her, it had a giant Twilight face on it. They could see her legs twitching about underneath the blanket. The discovery was followed by a unanimous d’awwww from the Mane six.
Starlight didn’t hear any of it for she was sleeping and dreaming.
The Crystal Empire was beautiful. Especially the Crystal Faire. But the best part was that she was spending time with her childhood friend, Sunburst. They had done everything at the Faire together, they had played ski-ball, bought flugel horns, played the flugel horns, and bought hoof made baskets and balloon animals. But the awesome thing was that she could talk with Sunburst.
“So... Sunburst how’re things here?”
Sunburst just nodded and smiled.
“Oh I’d say things’re going pretty well lately. Of course taking care of Flurry Heart can be a bit... difficult. Even with her magic limited she is still a hooful. But we love her anyways.”
He stopped walking and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head with a hoof.
So, how’re thing with you. You know being Princess Twilight’s student and all. Heheh.”
Starlight looked down, not meeting his eyes.
“It’s good I guess. I mean before I left, Twilight went to the Dragon Lands because Spike was being summoned by the Dragon Lord. I guess they’ll tell me how it was after I get...back.”
Finishing her statement, Starlight looked up at the Crystal Castle.
“Su-Sunburst?”
“Ye-Oh-oh dear.” He voiced as he turned around and saw the purple and green dragon curled around the base of the tower.
Suddenly it’s head swiveled in their direction and it’s eyes narrowed.
“StArLiGt!” Starlight suddenly found herself before the great serpent. Her legs failed her and she plopped onto the ground.
The great serpent picked her up in one of it’s great purple hands and shook her. She didn’t scream, she was too deep in shock to do anything. It stopped shaking her and raised her to it’s great yellow eyes. It blinked.
“Pah. You’re no fun anymore. Wake up.”
And it dropped her.
Spike had called Starlight’s name, he had shaken her and she didn’t wake up. He turned to look at the girls and shrugged. Twilight rolled her eyes and got up. Spike smiled. Then he was gone as a beam of turquoise magic flung him at the far wall of the throne room.
Starlight was up and her sleeping mask hung from her sparking horn, blocking her view.
She pulled it off of her and only got the barest glimpse of where she was before Spike crashed into her because he rebounded off the far wall.
The mane six waited an hour for Starlight and Spike to wake up. The argument about the Dragonstone was forgotten. Now they were focused on the pair in front of them. And for the fifth time Pinkie was narrating what happened to Starlight. It was getting on everypony’s nerves.
“And then Starlight was like ‘waaaah’ and Spike went ‘whoosh.’ Starlight was so confused. Heheh. And then Spike hit her and they were like ‘bleh’.” Pinkie finished by lolling her head to the side and sticking out her tongue. Thankfully though at that time, Spike sat up and promptly fell over onto his side and curled up into a ball upon seeing Starlight.
Twilight trotted over, nuzzled his side and stared at Starlight’s unconscious body with an unhealthy vigour.
Growing tired of waiting, Twilight lit her horn and gave Starlight a shock. Nothing happened. Twilight gave Starlight another shock, a slightly harder one this time. It got a moan out of Starlight and she sat up rubbing her head.
“Twilight?” Starlight asked confusedly. Twilight nodded to her and grinned.
“It’s nice to see that you’re awake now.” Twilight nodded to Pinkie.
Pinkie closed her eyes and hoisted the bucket over Starlight. She tipped the bucket and ice cold water fell out.
It struck Starlight and washed off her. It was ineffective. But Starlight was awake. Twilight shocked her again and Starlight jumped up.
“Burst! I’m already awake!”
Pinkie giggled, and Twilight smirked, then dumped a second bucket of water on Starlight.
Dumbstruck, Starlight just stood there.
“That was for the smell.” Twilight snarkled.
Starlight sat down and rolled over,
“Why... Just why? What did I do to deserve this life?”