• Published 13th Dec 2011
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The Ambassador's Son - Midnightshadow



A colt loses his family, Celestia deems his best hope lies not with ponies, but a dragon.

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Mending Wings and Broken Things

The ══════════
Ambassador's
══════════ Son

Chapter Thirteen
Mending Wings and Broken Things
An MLP:FiM Fanfiction by Midnight Shadow


Chip put his hoof on the large flat brass handle and jiggled it, "Hey! Hey! I'm locked in! Let me out!" He pushed his shoulder into it and hammered his body against the door in case it was stuck. No joy. He snorted, and trotted over to the window, opening it and trying to stick his head through the bars to call down at some pony passing. The bars were black, thick and artfully twisted. He placed his teeth around them and experimentally gnawed on them for a few seconds before turning back to the door.

Well, there was only one thing to do - he turned around, aimed his hind legs, and...

"What's all the hubbub, hey! woah! Watch where you're puttin' them things!" Pyrite pranced backwards as the well-placed kick missed the newly-opened door but almost took his teeth out.

"S-sorry," Chip said, blushing, "I-I thought I was stuck in here; the door was locked, and-"

"Yeah, heh, sorry about that. It was a... a misunderstanding. How are ya this morning?"

Chip, now he had all four hooves on the floor, remembered his urgency, "Scuse I've gotta get to the bathroom!" He barged past Pyrite, weaved around Silver Chalice and barrelled down the hallway until he found the door he was looking for. It was marked with the rear end of a pony with a moon as a cutie-mark, tail raised. He hoped Luna wasn't offended. Not that he had time to worry about such niceties; he'd not had much to do on the train but drink soda and eat snacks, and gaze out the window. He'd entirely ignored such urges the previous night and was paying for it now.

"You alright in there?" called Pyrite, knocking on the door with a hoof as Chip tried to go with the flow, as it were.

"Go 'way I'm busy!"

"Ah, sorry. Come down for breakfast, after. If I've still got some free time we'll catch up and sort out anything ya need, alright?"

"Mmm." Chip, used to privacy in the smallest of rooms, didn't feel very chatty. What was with this pony? Bothering him all the time...

Feeling much better, Chip took a look around the relatively opulent space and came muzzle to muzzle with a mirror. Admiring his roguish good looks, or attempting to, Chip realized he looked a mess. He needed to brush his mane, his eyes were still somewhat red and puffy and his teeth... well, the less said about his teeth the better. He sniffed the barrel of his chest, each side, and almost fell over. It was past time for that bath. Chip shrugged, no time like the present, it wasn't like he was really on a timetable.

A flick of his muzzle on the taps and the water started flowing. He pushed the plug down with a hoof, and the bath began to fill. Eventually, he could sink into the steamy warm embrace of the bath. Finding various soaps and scrubbing brushes, he set to cleaning himself up. It took a while, the water went from clear to a worrying brown as the dust and grime was removed, but at the end of it, as the last swirly suds disappeared down the plughole, Chip felt like a pony again. This troubled him, slightly, but he was determined not to let it bother him.

Chip shivered in the bath. Time to get up. Time to dry oneself. Time to...

"Oh horseapples... where are the towels?"

♦♦♦

The dining room was large, with an honest wood and coal fire in the grate. Nameless, silent unicorns brought out two trays as Silver Chalice escorted a still-damp colt to his place at the table.

"Thank you, sir." Chip said.

"My pleasure, young master Irontail," said Silver Chalice, as if it wasn't. The butler took the last towel off the young pony's back and smartly bowed his head to Pyrite before exiting the room.

"Ah, breakfast, most important meal, yadda yadda yadda. Dig in!"

One of the silver trays was placed on a large mahogany table before Pyrite, the other before Chip. The lids were removed. Chip eyed the breakfast suspiciously. Alfalfa, carrots, apples. He narrowed his eyes and poked them with a hoof, in case they would spontaneously turn into hay pancakes. They didn't. There was also milk to drink, milk! Healthy! Ugh! He sniffed it, it smelled funny, but then again he hadn't drank much actual milk for a while. The wide, shallow cup tasted oddly metallic even through the milk, and Chip was momentarily struck with an urge to chew, but reckoned that would probably be a faux pas. Maybe he could eat it later, as a snack, when Pyrite wasn't watching?

He put it down, and nibbled the alfalfa. It was at least fresh, and top-notch.

"So, how did you sleep?"

"'Mf mff mmff mff."

"I see."

Chip doubted it. He swallowed, "When do I start school?"

"School? No, no Irontail will be going to school. Silver has hired a private tutor, kiddo. I think he'll be here shortly before lunch to check your smarts, and then your studies'll start. Until then, go... play or something. I must be off, I'll be working in the master drawing room. Come find me, ask Silver or another of the help, if you dunno where that is. 'Kay?"

"'Kay."

Pyrite stood, regarding the colt for a moment, before turning tail and leaving the room.

"Where should I-"

"Anywhere but here, sir." Silver intoned in a deep voice. The butler-unicorn had returned, and shook his silvery mane out, and pointed with his horn a way out of the room - through a different door than Pyrite had used.

Chip stuck his tongue out, tossed back his unruly mane and flick-trotted his way out, kicking all four hooves at the butler as they bounced free of the floor. The thick carpet muffled the thudding impacts, but the butler rolled his eyes and sighed.

♦♦♦

Chip bounced through the overly-large house. There were windows, so plenty of healthy sunlight filtered through various open doors and panes of glass, but it was still cold. He poked his nose into every nook and cranny. Most of the rooms were guest rooms, or studies. He found the library, but it didn't look half as interesting as Sharptooth's room. A momentary knot in his stomach brought him up short, but the pain was different to the one that had washed over him at the funeral. He was... more angry, kinda... sad and frustrated, but angry. It felt, however strange the feeling was, that he'd turned the page. The fugue that had befuddled his mind was gone, but the confusion still lingered. It was different to before, he reasoned, as his hooves spun a globe in another study. The globe was different, too. New lands, new vistas, but not new parents. Sharptooth had been dad. Pyrite... Pyrite would never be anything but uncle. Chip knew that.

The idle flicking of a hoof knocked the globe onto the floor, and it rolled. He tripped over his own hooves trying to catch it. As it rolled under a table, he bumped his muzzle trying to catch it in his teeth.

There was a giggle behind him. He bumped his head again on the underside of the table as he jumped in shock. The giggle returned.

"Ow! That hurt you know!" Chip said, as he pulled himself out.

"Sorry," the pony said, giggling again. She was a little pink unicorn with a dark silver mane and tail, and her cutie-mark was a stylized teaset. "You looked rather silly under there. I'm Sunshine, Sunshine Filligree. Who're you?"

"Chip, Chiphoof Irontail."

"Oh! You're the one... oh. Oh, I'm sorry," Sunshine looked down at her forehooves, shuffling them nervously.

"It's... okay," Chip said. And he realized it was. "What're you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question!" Sunshine retorted. "I live here, what's your excuse?"

"Same. Apparently. I was... living elsewhere for a while, you know?" Chip, too gazed at his hooves.

"Yeah, I gotcha. So, no cutie-mark?"

Chip shook his head, "Uh-uh. I guess I'm a bit old to be a blank flank." He rubbed the back of his head with a hoof and grinned sheepishly.

Sunshine shrugged, "Dad says it's quite common in rich pony families. They get all this stuff put in their heads, they don't know what they want to be or do, so finding it out gets harder."

"How'd you get yours?" Chip pointed, he was jealous.

Sunshine blushed, giggling softly again, "I was... playing dollies, and Miss Tabatha Kitten wanted tea, but I had to tell her she should eat her crumpets first. It just... there was this kinda noise and the next thing I knew, there it was!"

"Dollies?"

"I was five."

Chip pouted.

"Girls mature faster than boys! That's what Daddy says, which is why he said he's bought a big stick to scare them off with. I think he's just being silly, calls me his princess. Ugh, parents... oh. Oh, I mean, uh..."

Chip's pained expression faded, "I know what you mean. Mine were... pretty much the same. Wanna go play? That stuffy Silver Chalice hired me a tutor already, ugh, I hate him."

Sunshine scowled, "No, no, I don't think I shall. Good day." She stormed past him, her tail held high.

"Wait! Wait! What did I say?" Chip leaped around the retreating filly and blocked the door, begging her to pause.

"My Daddy is the bestest Daddy ever..." she faltered, her voice fading, "umm, I mean, I know you've... but you shouldn't say mean things about Daddy!" she stomped a hoof.

"I'm sorry. Hey, if Silver Chalice is your dad, Who's your mom?"

Sunshine looked away, "I don't have one."

"Everypony has a Mom, unless..."

"I don't. I mean I do, I must do, but Daddy won't tell me about her. He says she was very pretty, and very special, and had to go away."

Chip sighed, sitting back onto his haunches. He reached out a hoof, and touched the unicorn gently, "I know what it's like."

"At least you know."

"Well I promise to find out what happened to her. Somehow. I'm Baron Irontail, I can do anything. Why, the other day I ki-" Chip broke off suddenly.

Sunshine turned to him, "What?"

"Nothing. Long time ago."

Sunshine looked like she was about to say something, but then her eyes unfocused. When she looked again at Chip, she sighed, "Daddy says we both have to go to lessons. I hate Briar Patch, he's so booorrring!"

"Heh, I hated my tutor too. When I was with Sharptooth, he's kind of my dad, I think... I guess, even though I'm here... when I was with him, I went to a normal school. There were dragons and diamond dogs, and even griffons in my class!"

"There never were! You're such a liar!"

"There were too! Well, there was only the one dragon."

"A dragon? Really? What did he look like?"

"Well, heh, he kinda had four hooves and a mane and tail, and he couldn't fly and didn't really breathe fire."

"That sounds like a pony! I'm going to tell Daddy on you!" Sunshine giggled, nudging Chip playfully.

"He was a pony-shaped dragon," explained Chip, protesting weakly.

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"Does too."

"Does not."

"Does too! It's like... he's a dragon on the inside, alright? Oh and he ate gems."

"Cool! I've always wanted to meet a dragon. Mister Pyrite meets them all the time."

"Well now you can-" Chip stopped, and shook his head, "hey, do you really want to go to class?"

"Nnnooo... why?"

"Then get lost!"

"What!?"

Chip grinned, ear to ear like a cheshire, "I mean us! Let's get lost! They'll never find us!"

♦♦♦

Silver Chalice blew his mane out of his eyes and scowled as he stomped through the mansion. That annoying little brat was leading his princess into disrepute. Thinking they could hide, and from a unicorn at that! His horn glowed dimly as he homed in on Sunshine. At first he'd thought they'd explore the attic, that had always been a favourite place for his daughter, but then his magic had lead him down, down into the basement. Suddenly, their trace disappeared. This was odd, very worrying. His daughter was far too young to blink... it had to be a relic of the Mistress from before her death. She always had been one for surprises. A generic, if effective, shielded vault. That definitely meant the basement, and he knew precisely where.

"Okay, okay, what's this then?"

"That's... I don't know that is."

"Where does it go then?"

"Right here, I think!"

"Oh! Ohhh, I see... oooh, ow... it's not going in... push harder!"

There was the sound of grunting and sweating.

"It almost fits..."

"Ow! Harder!"

"Almost..."

"Harder!"

Silver Chalice burst into the small room, yelling, "keep your hooves off my-!"

"Daddy!" Sunshine leaped up and pranced across the room towards her father, "Aren't they pretty? Chip was showing me his... what did you call them?"

"T-training spikes, Sir..."

Silver Chalice glared. It was a move he had perfected long ago on difficult clients and visitors, and it worked wonders on recalcitrant foals. Under that gaze, Chip wilted.

"Daddy! Stop it, you're scaring him! He made me a princess! Look!"

Silver Chalice looked briefly away from the earth pony at his precious daughter. She had on four hoof-guard slippers that, whilst not as dainty as those worn by royalty, and a good deal more spiky, certainly made her sparkle like a little pink Luna. What hadn't fitted was a neck-piece, and that was because it was obviously not built for ponies, and hadn't been loosened properly. Just where had these odd museum pieces come from? He had seen a lot of battle-armor in his time from his brief stint in the royal guard, but nothing quite like this. The colt was looking up at him with a worried yet hopeful expression on his face, ears splayed back and eyes wide.

"You look divine, my darling. Thank you," Silver Chalice turned back to the earth pony, voice softer, "Chip. But you must come now, I know old Briar Patch isn't the liveliest of ponies, but I won't see my own pride and joy deprived of an education."

Chip and Sunshine shared a glance. They both rolled their eyes.

Silver Chalice laughed despite himself, sometimes it helped to be reminded of his own youth. "I know, I know. Okay, young Master Irontail, I'll make you a deal. If you make sure my daughter gets her lessons, I'll make sure you have the run of the house the rest of the time. Old Pyrite has his ways, I've learned to live with them, but a kid like you... sneaking around is in the blood, hmm?"

Chip pricked his ears up, Pyrite had been... odd, but kind, hadn't he? "Is this why my door was locked?"

Silver looked at the ground, "When your employer asks you to do something, sometimes you don't think twice. In truth, lad, I feared for my daughter. You two are both getting to that age-"

"Daaad! Embarrassing!"

"-and I perhaps had the wrong impression of you. You were, forgive me, rather..."

"Scruffy? Stinky?" Chip's ears pricked up in mirth, "Sorry. I've been staying with... near dragons, out in the desert. Long story. They kinda smell, I know."

"I noticed, but you're here now, with friends. Your uncle is a good pony, but rather set in his ways after so many years of living alone."

"So you won't lock my door?"

Silver shook his head, "I won't, or if I do I'll make sure another key is inside with you. I wouldn't want to upset Pyrite, he can get a bit loud at times. Come now, lessons."

Silver Chalice led the way out of the small vault. It was behind a solid door with a lock on the inside. Chip wondered at it, to be honest. His black box was left behind, but he reckoned it would be safe. He'd return to get it later that night.

The basement was messy, full of all sorts of weird junk. He decided to have a good rummage on the weekend, which was coming up shortly. The windows sunk into the walls were small, they didn't let a lot of light in, and a weird passage led off into some dark tunnel. Chip wondered what was down there, it seemed to lead off far further than the edge of the mansion. A secret passage? Whatever could it be for?

The stairs back up were dusty, made of stone. The wooden door creaked if it was opened far enough. At the top was the kitchen, built for a whole gaggle of chefs, apparently ponied by only a hoof-full of cooks. Chip guessed that in the mansion's haydays, the cellar had been used to store food. Maybe that vault was originally a cold storage? He shrugged, moved on.

Following Silver Chalice through the old mansion, the two young ponies were lead back to the library. There, muttering to himself, was an aged unicorn with a pair of spectacles perched on the end of his nose. The pony had been a rich creamy dark brown colour at one time, but now appeared faded. He was engrossed in a collection of books that Chip new only too well; books on the lineages of the royal families of Equestria. Utterly useless, utterly boring. His heart sank. He wanted to learn about diamond dogs and dragons. Instead he was going to learn about more long-dead ponies.

♦♦♦

Sharptooth woke. For a moment, he didn't know where he was. This wasn't like him. He lay there, breathing, until his mind prompted him with an explanation. He wasn't in his weir, he was instead upstairs in Chip's room.

Chip's room - it was Chip's room, not his, not any more. In a very real way, he knew he was trespassing. He buried his snout in his paws and sighed. He was a damned fool dragon. Almost a thousand, and acting like a hatchling. He rolled off the makeshift bed and stretched painfully. The couch was really too small, even though he could curl up small and tight. As he stretched, his joints popped and snapped. As he stretched, a wing brushed the table, knocking a piece of paper off the desk. It floated to the floor, and Sharptooth bent to pick it up. Chip's wings, he'd rescued the drawing and put it on the desk. He sat, and looked at it. Crude, badly formed, but... there was a truth to it. Sharptooth thought, and then reached out a talon. He took a piece of parchment, a mechanical pencil, an eraser and a straight-edge. He began to sketch.

Slowly, very slowly, a smile began to form.

♦♦♦

Pyrite trotted carefully through the basement, checking to see he wasn't followed. He opened the door, careful not to open it fully, and stepped down into the darkness. He checked the old store-room, it was empty, but the door was open. Had that brat of the butler's been playing in there? Had it been Chip? No matter. He retreated from that room and turned instead to the dark passageway. He didn't carry a lantern, he knew his way. The ponies he was meeting didn't like the light.

The passageway under the house was long, low, cramped and very, very dark. The only sounds were his hoofsteps. In the distance, he began to see lights. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, at first - he always did, he had never gotten used to it. With only his tail flicking left and right to tell him where the walls were, he headed down further and further underground until he could tell, by the changing echoes, that he was in a cavern.

There was a brief flare of light, and a feeble magelight lit the small space between Pyrite and the group of three ponies before him. One was an earth pony, smaller and stockier than his own frame. Another was a unicorn, with a similar dwarven build. This was the one that had created the light with her horn. The third was unexpected, but logical. A pegasus, the poor creature's wings were small and malformed from disuse. They looked... not fearful, but cautious. Their strange, gemlike eyes glittered as they watched him.

"Tell me, have you found him?"

"The one you seek... the dragon... has vanished."