Out of the Sky (Private)

[Zealot]

Stiletto returned her hoof to its rightful place. She could see that he appreciated the comfort and gave him a knowing wink before drinking the rest of her tea. After all, it must be hard to have quite literally no knowledge of the world, to be dumped in a land where one was considered royalty and one had no memory. Hard beyond belief, so she only hoped that she could be of some small comfort. To be lost like he was, well, that made her shiver with discomfort. 

 

The pegasus thanked Zecora for the tea as well as the warning and followed Avery outside. If there was something evil dwelling in the ruin, her empathy would pick it up long before they got there. She had a knack for knowing if they were going into a trap or if there was danger about. In fact, she sensed concern from the zebra and sincerity in her warning. No doubt it would be best if they didn't linger in the castle after dark.

 

Stiletto launched herself into the air and angled towards the direction of the cardinal star. As a recon specialist she knew most of the stars in the sky and that was one such star which she used for night flight navigation. If the castle was in that direction, then that made it all the easier to get to. They wouldn't need the map after all.

 

"Hey," she called over to Avery, nudging him out of his thoughtful stupor. "We should be pretty safe if we scout out the ruins first. If you wouldn't mind I'd like to do an observation flyover before we land. When we get there of course," she smiled and glanced over at the sun which was still burning bright on the horizon. "So are you going to be ok. This was your mother's castle I guess, so err, I don't know how much you wanted to look around."

[Avery]

Avery kept an even glide while his mind was thoughtful about the current information, though it would quickly come back to reality as he was nudged. He blinks and turns his head toward Stiletto, tilting his head wondering what she wanted to say. Hearing the first statement, he thought about it and nods "Well sure, I don't mind. Zecora's warning is different, I don't exactly know where to put my hoof on where it should be, but it's different." he says as he makes small gestures with his front hooves. He then listens to her question, which wasn't exactly expected. Sure, he was going to a new place, why wouldn't he be okay? But then came the reason, which he thought about for a moment before replying "Well, yeah I'm going to be fine. It's not like I'm going to some old home or something, heheh. Sure it might be... uh... my mother's previous castle... but judging from what happened, it was ruins before I was even born. I mean, yeah I would like to know what was going on over there in the past, but it's not exactly important to me in some way."

 

There was a bit of uneasiness to his voice, though that may be the fact that he still isn't used to being what he is and the fact that a very important figure in Equestria, more or less the world, is his mother. Though the uneasiness was still present nonetheless, perhaps he was nervous and didn't know himself, or he's trying to mask it with another feeling. Whatever the case, he continued to glide more or less in silence, looking at the scenery with either amazement or curiosity.

 

Time would pass before they would enter the air space of the ruins of the old Castle of the Royal Sisters. It's stone structure was still intact, albeit with several frames missing, walls, parts of the roof, it was a stone ruin. It was calming at first, a little eerie with the trees around it, and some even growing from the stone itself. Though the overgrowth wasn't exactly the only thing that could be seen from above. It was faint, but there was movement from the bushes, and even from the trees running around the ruined castle. It was too dark below to see what it might be, but something was down there and it felt off. Other than that it was perfectly fine, it was just a ruined site of an old castle from thousands of years ago. One that Avery was quite eager to see.

[Zealot]

Stiletto shrugged at Avery's answer. Sure, this may not be his old home. Then again, it may very well be. After all, he had lost his memory. Still, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He seemed uneasy but Stiletto was getting uneasy vibes from the alicorn all the time. She guessed everything was still fresh.

 

The pegasus saw that Avery wasn't in much of a mood to chat to just focused on navigating her way to the castle. She used to star that Zecora had indicated as well as the map to guide the alicorn towards their location until sure enough the trees fell back to reveal the site of the ruined castle. Thankfully most of the structure seemed intact, even if it was in ruins. Plants had overgrown sections of the wall and there looked to be movement in the bushes. Clearly the local wildlife had decided to make the castle home and parts of the ruin were shrouded in darkness. 

 

Stiletto took out her spyglass and raised the device to her eye, flying a little higher as she approached their destination. She led the alicorn on a long sweeping flyover of the ruin so she could observe the castle and anything nasty that might be contained in it's shadows. Unfortunately, all she could see was the odd movement. Even then, it almost seemed imagined. The spookiness of it all put the recon flier on edge and something seemed off with the place. She circled around and called over to Avery, "Gonna do a second pass. Something doesn't smell right."

 

The pegasus took the alicorn back over the ruin, but this time forwent the spyglass and instead simply used her empathy. That strange inherent magic of the pegasus swept over the ruin as she felt around for whatever was down there. She detected a number of different auras coming back as feelings for her. Stiletto felt Avery's friendly presence in the sky next to her as well as the neutral glow of the animals down below, some of which were hostile. She read the patterns of the movements and the feel of the place, it's colour for lack of a better description. It was dark. Blacker than anything she'd ever felt, but it was weak. She withdrew into herself and shuddered at the memory. One thing was for sure, there was something very wrong down there. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go down there anymore. Hopefully it would be safe, because that was really exciting.

 

"Ok," she called over to the alicorn. The pegasus, as a precaution, loaded a bolt into her wrist crossbow. "Avery, there's something very wrong down there. Dangerous. Zecora was right, we shouldn't stay here long. I mean I want to see what's down there but... well I don't think I've explained that I'm an empath. I can feel auras and feelings of people and places. Sort of an ability I have. Well, I can feel something very dark down there, darker than anything I've felt. I mean I want to go down there and find out what that is but, one thing's for sure, we shouldn't stay long. Your call." She decided to leave it up to Avery. After all, he was the alicorn. If they got into trouble and it was more than a crossbow could handle then he'd have to use his magic to get them out of it. Hopefully he had magic, right? All alicorns were powerful, right?

[Avery]

Keeping a safe distance from the ruins of the old castle, Avery watched Stiletto make some roundabouts with her spyglass. He watched the trees and bushes below, wondering if there was anything truly bad here. Though his suspicions were heightened when Stiletto wanted to do another roundabout, paying more attention to detail in what what she thought was wrong. Nothing really seemed wrong to him, everything was in its place, the only movement he saw was the trees and bushes from the wind. Was there actually something down there hiding in the ruins of the old castle? It was too early to tell.

 

Hearing Stiletto's explanation to what she did, he was surprised to find out that she could feel auras and feelings of other people, quite a talent. Though having the decision be on him was tough to decide by himself, he hasn't really decided on much, and having something like this be passed by was too tempting to go toward it and risk it. Though having that risk has a very high chance that whatever was actually in there would harm them. He sighs and begins to think about it a little longer, more so on Zecora's warning. She did warn many times of something in the night time sense, but whatever it was isn't exactly clear to be seen. He looks to the castle, it still being in ruin without any movement or such obvious changes happening. He then looks to the sun as it was beginning to set beyond the horizon, there was then a cold wind that blew from the castle which caused him to shiver and look to the ruined stone.

 

Perhaps whatever is here is more active during the night, and with it becoming sunset, it appeared that it was just evolving into its active state. He furrowed his brow before saying "Ugh, I really don't want to miss this chance. Maybe if we're quick we can get a look around before we head back? I think that's a good plan, if we see anything interesting, we'll take note of it and come back here tomorrow. How about that? I think it's good."

 

He shrugs and waits for Stiletto's answer. Either way, he was going to do a quick fly around through the broken down castle. He would nod his head and fly down to the broken castle, flying gently through the beaten halls and broken windows. It was certainly ruins, most areas were covered in some sort of cobwebs, broken pillars lay on the ground from its previous placement, animals were resting in this area like it was part of their home, and a general tense air was floating around, giving a feeling of stress when it wasn't needed. And then there was the main attraction, the royal lobby, where a pillar of stands was in the center of it all. Other entrances were blocked off by rubble and moving one would run the risk of collapsing everything below it. However, there was something of interest at the end of the lobby, right around the rounded stage, it was a large slab of text.

 

However, the air grew darker, even though the sun was still giving light. A rush of leaves would blow by, giving another cold breeze as it grew darker around the area. Although this place was nice, Avery wasn't staying around here any longer now that this was happening. Using a bit of magic, his horn shined brilliantly as it flashes with a white light, then tapping his hoof in the ground to mark the place for tomorrow. The light was enough to stop the darkness from getting any darker, as Avery soon flew out a nearby broken window to escape. "Okay! Let's go back! Done here!" and with a rush of wind he was heading back to Ponyville in sheer instinct. Though he slowed down to a glide soon after, noticing that nothing was chasing him and that the darkness was subduing itself once he left.

 

"I guess that's part of what Zecora was warning about..." he said, almost out of breath, clearly still tired from earlier in the day. He hasn't fully recovered, but he was well enough to go on his own.

[Zealot]

Avery's reasoning was sound to the pegasus who followed him down to the ruins. Sure, something was off. It didn't hurt to look around though, right? Besides, this was her chance to look around the ancient castle, and she wasn't going to pass it up all that quickly.

 

Stiletto felt it best to use her empathy as they glided into the lobby and around the castle interior. Yeah, something was definitely off. It was faint though and the pegasus focused more on the sights of the castle. To think, the princesses had once lived here. Hard to think of the immortal rulers of Equestria as simple fillies, growing up in all this. A thought crossed her mind. What if they'd been just like her and Avery once. Adventuring into the unknown, not a care in the world. Where had all that gone? What made them into the awful ponies they were today. Stiletto didn't know, and the crumbing stone around her gave no clue. 

 

If it were under better conditions, Stiletto would have started to write down everything in her travel book. There was a feeling of oppression about the place however, doubled thanks to her empathy. She was twitchy and refused to put her hooves on the ground, even when Avery stopped to look at some writing on the wall. This caught her interest as well, but not to the same extent. She couldn't quite get her mind off the dark presence surrounding her. 

 

At any rate, she picked up a loose wall fragment. A small rock on the floor, barely distinguishable from any of the others. She thought to keep it as a keepsake, even if she couldn't actually explore the castle properly with the dark presence looming over her. "Avery," she muttered a little fearfully. "I really think we should go. We're being watched by something awful, I know it."

 

Stiletto didn't know if he heard her or not, but he darted out of the window saying it was time to go. She sighed gratefully and followed him with all haste. 

 

Once they were outside in the air, she felt a warm feeling of relief. The darkness slipped off her and she was back to her old self, more or less. "Ok, that was not fun. I don't know what that was but my sense was giving me all kinds of bad vibes. My empathy, I mean." She shuddered at the memory, noticing Avery was out of breath. "Yeah, Zecora clearly knew what she was talking about. You ok?" Stiletto asked with concern, though through her senses she could feel he was ok. Just tired mostly.

[Avery]

Avery nodded to Stiletto, giving a warm smile. "Yeah... just tired. But I'm glad we got out of there in time, it felt as if darkness was covering the entire area, but the sun's still out. Well... now it's going down the horizon, but it was still out when that happened. Maybe we should go there when the sun is at its brightest? Because I think whatever that was is nocturnal, so it'd be best to go at that time. ...Are you okay? I mean, you seem a bit worried there." he gave a look of concern to Stiletto. He wanted to make sure nothing terrible had happened while he didn't know.

 

While heading back he took a look at the sky once more, taking in its vast wonder. He thought about what he found back there, then realizing he hadn't said anything about it to Stiletto. "Hey, Stiletto! While we were back there, I saw this strange slab of text near the far wall of that room we were in before we left. I want to try to get it tomorrow and bring it back so that I could try to see what it says. Because I am not going near that dark thing again! Just gonna grab and go! Though it was pretty cool to have that sort of rush fill you, makes you feel powerful for a moment." he would say, almost feeling prideful of that statement before laughing it away. He would enjoy the rest of the flight back to Stiletto's home.

 

Though at Stiletto's home there was something waiting for them, it was a scroll on the ground near the door. Once getting back to the house, Avery noticed this and picked up the bound scroll with his magic,it was a small tattered scroll wrapped in a red ribbon and a golden seal. He ponders what it could be, though it could be for Stiletto all the same. He gave the scroll to Stiletto to read, shrugging and said "Found it on the door step." the scroll read:

 

"Dear Stiletto and Avery,

 

I have left this letter here, discovering that you were not home. I have sent a letter to Princess Celestia detailing about the recent events and what has happened, she will want to visit Ponyville tomorrow morning to see Avery. Princess Luna may tag along as well, but she did not say if she would or not. But that is all for now. I hope you come back home soon to read this and prepare for tomorrow morning. Have a good night, and remember that you're always welcome at the library.

 

Your Faithful Princess,

Twilight Sparkle"

[Zealot]

Stiletto gave Avery a quick smile at that. Ok, good, he was just tired. Well, tonight they'd have a good night sleep. If she could stop thinking about whatever the hay that was back there. As the sun started to set she gave an involuntary shiver. "Yeah, come back at mid-day, good idea." She reasoned, but she was still far from alright.

 

The dark presence had really shaken her. Something very wrong was there. Not evil, but dark and sinister. Still, she was grateful for the concern. "I'll be fine," she stated. "With my empathy, whatever it was back there really shook me I'm afraid. With my, ability, I feel things a lot stronger than other ponies. It's a blessing as much as a curse." Stiletto shrugged, feeling better to be gliding away from the place. "I feel bad things more than other ponies, but I feel good things just as strongly. I can feel tricks coming and I can tell what ponies are feeling. I just need some comfort food and I'll be fine." A lot of comfort food. Still, that was likely the reason why she got so angry all the time, or why she was so happy normally. Her environment and surroundings were amplified through her. That made her a pillar of strength as much as it did a weak link. "Still, it was a good rush, you're right. But yeah, we'll go back there again tomorrow at mid-day and grab that tablet." In fact, yeah, she did feel that adrenaline going through her. Always good to be scared once in a while. 

 

Thankfully the flight back to Ponyville was uneventful as the sun began to set and the cold air of night started to blow. Stiletto always liked the night. It had a wondrous sky to behold. Everything being so peaceful and calm. Though she was finding it hard to enjoy it as she usually did with the memory of whatever it was that stalked the castle. 

 

She landed on the porch of her home next to Avery and was presented with the letter. She shrugged and opened the door before heading over to the fireplace. Stiletto lit the fire before heading over to a chair nearby to warm up. She broke the seal on the letter and read it in her head, taking a good minute before finally saying. "Well, looks like your mother is coming to visit Ponyville. Didn't I tell Princess 'Your Faithful Snob' Twilight that you weren't in much of a shape for a family reunion. Heck, Luna might even be coming as well. Talk about throwing you in the deep end." She snarled with bad temper and discarded the letter onto the coffee table. "I mean, one day. That's it, surely they should give you a week before doing something like that. You haven't nearly had enough time to adjust."

[Avery]

Avery knew little of what empathic ponies felt, but with that explanation, he started to feel a bit worried that he was dragging her along for worse. To have that many feelings pulled toward you can't be good for you, and putting her in situations like that wasn't good now. Though she said that she'll be fine, he still was a bit worried about that one fact. He shook the feeling off as they flew back.

 

Once going into the house, he found a comfortable spot on the couch and laid down, giving out an audible sigh of relief. He looked at Stiletto as she read the letter, wondering what it said. Then the information was given to him. Already coming to visit? Well that's rather fast, that can't be right... could it? Using his magic he lifted the letter up to read it himself, nope, there it was as clear as day. That's certainly odd. He tilted his head slightly in confusion about the entire thing, until having remembered something that was rather an important matter, then reading the letter again. He shrugged and put the letter back onto the coffee table face down.

 

"Well... yeah, I'm sure they would understand that. But... you have to remember that, I was apparently gone for... however long Twilight said I was gone for? Hundreds of years now? Heck, if my child was gone for that long I would at least try to visit as soon as I got the chance right? I bet they're not even going to stay that long, just doing a check up like nurses would do for patients. Besides, they have duties to attend to right? Being rulers and all? I don't know about you, but skipping out on duties like that is very risky to take. But, I digress, I don't really mind. Besides, it would be nice to... actually see what my mother would look like." he said as he laid his head down, obviously tired from the adventure.

 

The sun soon set down over Ponyville and the moon rises in the sky, followed by the starry bliss that followed. Avery was staring at the fireplace, watching the flames dance and twirl in place. He then began humming a little song, a quiet one, almost overpowered by the cackling of the fire. Though, he seemed content as he was, as if any sort of noise would disrupt his state of being.

[Zealot]

Stiletto feels the warmth of the fire flow through her body, banishing the cold feelings of the outside as well as the fear of the dark presence. It didn't matter now. There was a fire and she was safe at home with Avery. The aura of her friend and her home calmed her and she no longer felt the influence of the dark thing. She yawned, feeling tired herself, though there were still things to do.

 

Still Avery had asked a question and she needed to respond. "Well, hmm," she said, doubting very much that Equestria would crumble if the Princesses were away for a day or two. "I think they're fine for a day, it's not like we can't do without them or anything. But still, you're right, I guess she would want to see you. It's just a question of if you want to see her. I mean, we could probably go to Twilight and ask to cancel, or I could if you're feeling too tired. I imagine you've had quite the day," Stiletto finished with a smile. If the Princesses were reasonable then they could put off the visit to at least give Avery time to recover.

 

It made sense though. His mother, Princess Celestia, would want to know that you're alive and well. But she didn't need to come in person did she. "If you want, we could always write her a letter and give it to Twilight. I mean, she seems to have a direct line to the Princess apparently so I guess we could just send a letter to Celestia saying you're well and that you'd like to put it off just while you adjust. Hey, if you signed it then at least she would know you're alive and well." Though his last thought twigged something in her memory. Didn't she have a picture of Princess Celestia somewhere? 

 

The pegasus got up and rooted around in her bookshelf until she found her travel guide to Equestria and set it down in front of Avery. She opened the book to the page on 'Canterlot' and then flipped to the 'Canterlot Castle' page where a picture of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna lay on the opposite page, their names inscribed in a fanciful gold pen. "There she is," Stiletto pointed to the picture. "Princess Celestia with her sister, Princess Luna." Though she wonders, would this maybe trigger something in Avery's memory.

[Avery]

Avery yawned lightly as he continued to look into the fire, listening to Stiletto's response. He shrugged at the saying of it being quite a day "Yeah, you could say that. The worst bit was just me landing in that forest earlier, that really hurt." he rubbed his legs together, trying to find those sore spots from that crash. But then something came up that Stiletto said, writing a letter and saying that he's fine with him signing it? That seemed like a rather hasty choice to make, though he knew that she didn't exactly like royalty, so it was possibly by instinct to say that. But him signing it? He needed to ask "If I did sign it, what would say that she might just think that it was somepony else that had signed it instead? I don't have any writing here, right? So who's to say that somepony else might write my name instead and claim to be me by that?"

 

He shrugged as Stiletto got up from her spot and searched through her bookshelf before getting out a certain book and placing it in front of him. He looked at it confused, before she turned it to a page marked 'Canterlot Castle' and pointed to a picture on the other page. Stiletto said that this was Princess Celestia and Luna. He furrowed his brow as he lifts it up with his magic, looking at the picture closely. He looked at both princesses, trying to see if he would remember anything. They both looked amazing, one with a mane like the night sky, and another with multiple colors that shined like light. Though he looked at Celestia's picture closer, more towards the color of her mane.

 

He stayed silent for a few moments, looking at the picture deep in thought. He then tilted his head slightly before saying "...Those colors... are vaguely familiar. I... think I've seen that set of colors before... but it's too hazy to get a real picture. Like... something when I was very young." he shook his head, putting a hoof to his temple "Sorry... it's just too hazy to remember. Anything after that is... black. But they look amazing, never would have expected them to look like that." He took another look at the picture for a moment before setting it down onto the coffee table. He was surprised that he was related to someone so beautiful like that.

 

He chuckled lightly before laying his head back down and watching the flames in the fireplace. Though he asked "Hey Stiletto, don't you ever think that fire sometimes tell a story? Whenever you look at it, it sways and makes shapes. I sometimes see peaceful stories, sometimes epic wars of old. And sometimes it just makes shapes that have no real meaning. Do you see that in fire?"

[Zealot]

Stiletto shrugged once Avery had finished talking about the possibility of a faked signature. She looked at him quizzically but didn't press the issue. It was too late for that and she was quite tired herself. But still, who in Equestria would go to the trouble of forging Avery's signature just to mess with the Princess. Stiletto may not have liked Princess Celestia, hated her even, but she couldn't imagine going to that much trouble to get under her skin. What pony would do that?

 

But still he didn't remember anything. Well, it was probably a little too much to expect from a picture. Stiletto wasn't disappointed but she was pleased that Princess Celestia was at least familiar. That meant they were getting somewhere with the puzzle that was Avery. Her empathy told her that something was buried deep inside his mind, no doubt it would take a while for it to resurface. "That's fine, but still, it's good that you remember that much." She shrugged again, taking the book away and storing it on the shelf once more. Avery might have noticed that Canterlot Castle had been marked as somewhere Stiletto wanted to go, which might strike him as odd seeing as how she hated royalty so much. 

 

At any rate. Once the pegasus was done with the book she rejoined him, standing by the couch. At his prompt she spared a glance at the fire. Did she see stories? Shapes? No. The flickering of the fire was random, how could she see stories? Still, there was an inherent feeling from fire that coupled with her empathy made her feel warm and alive. "I don't so much see as much as feel. Fire is warm and pleasant, it gives me a cosy kind of feeling. Yet it's also hot with passion, excitement and danger. It's thrilling and at the same time is comforting." Stiletto looked away, realising that when she said it like that it sounded awfully romantic. After all, was not the embrace of a lover all of those things too?

 

The pegasus cleared her throat and added somewhat hastily, "Oh but that's just me. I'm sure everypony sees it differently. It's just one of those things my empathy picks up." 

[Avery]

Avery drowsily stares at the flames as Stiletto tells him what she feels, the oh so common warmth and the excitement within it. It all sounded like something from a sappy love story, such a thing makes him chuckle. "I guess so. But look at it. Right in the.... center. Right there." he faintly points to the center of the fireplace, where the flames dance and sway. Though, looking more closely, there could be faint images of two ponies dancing together, melded so well with the flames."You see that..? T-Twooooah... ponies dancing. Slowly... but still dancing. They've... been together for a long time. Sharing each memory, each pain... Each... ahh, joyous moment. It's kinda... kinda cute." he soon tilts his head to the end of the couch, quickly falling asleep. And as he fell asleep, those two fire ponies bowed and disappeared into the flames, right as he nodded off.

 

The crackles of the fire take over in sound of the room, the light from said fire glows as it slowly dies down into coals and ashes. The night animals chirp and make calming noise outside, making it seem like the house was surrounded by the animals, though in reality, it was just sound. It felt peaceful, in this moment in time, nothing was wrong and everything was where it should be. However, in the world of dreams, it is far different. As Avery sleeps, he has a feverish nightmare, one where he is lucid and able to tell where he was. It was a place familiar to him, because it's the same place he was in right now, only... much more different. Voices heard, singing softly, echoing off a seemingly barren wasteland. Time has no meaning here, because what seems like two minutes, is hours and hours in the real world.

 

And as the sun rises, he wakes gasping for air. Eyes shrunk down in terror, rapidly looking this way and that, as if confirming it. Slowing his breathing, he started to calm down. He groans lightly as he puts a hoof to his head, shaking it slowly. He lifts it up again, looking around. Yep, still in Stiletto's home. What was that nightmare? He felt different, scared almost, as if someone was tracking him down to rid of him. He shook his head to rid the thought about such a thing, and calmed down. Was he up before Stiletto? He couldn't tell. He called out "Stiletto?". No answer. He started to get worried, getting up and walking to the stairs and carefully going up them. Step. Step. Step. It was quiet in the house, far too quiet for it to be normal. Silent, like a void. Once at the center he called out again. And still no answer. He took another step, worried about Stiletto. And as he did this, a large black dragon head popped out from the top of the stairs and charged at him, fire breathing out viciously.

 

He panicked, then in a flash of light woke up again on the couch. He was still panicking when he got up and fell off the couch, knocking his head onto the coffee table. He yelps in pain and grits his teeth, holding his head as he lays on the ground. Yep, this is the real world alright. He slowly got up and sat on the ground, rubbing his head to ease the pain. "Oooow... That really hurt." he would say as he noticed the light of the sun streaming through the windows. He was confused, scared, worried, unsure if this was still a dream or not. Though the bump on his head tells him other wise.

[Zealot]

Stiletto blushed, somewhat embarrassed that he'd chuckled at that. Clearly Avery had noted the comparison as well. Unfortunately emotions ran deep with her and she couldn't help but feel that way before the fireplace. That's when he started talking about seeing two figures dancing in the flame. She found it quite absurd but squinted at the fireplace anyway. Two ponies dancing? Was he having her on?

 

No, they were there plain as day. "Hey, yeah. I see them Avery, that's really weird I've never seen that..." she trailed off as she looked to the Alicorn to find he'd fallen asleep. Stiletto glanced to the fireplace once more and found the two figures were gone. "...before..." Huh. Must have been her imagination. After all, they'd been doing quite a lot and she was tired. 

 

The pegasus retrieved a blanket from upstairs and laid it over the unconscious alicorn Prince before checking the locks and heading upstairs. She left the fire to burn out of its own accord since there was only an hour's worth of fuel there and the pegasus flopped on her bed before going to sleep. Unfortunately she too was racked with nightmares. Visions of being at the castle after dark and the chilling touch of the dark presence. She woke up in the night and shrugged them off before going back to sleep again and dreaming of flying high among the clouds, as happy as she could be. 

 

Once Princess Celestia had raised the sun the pegasus got up and started humming to herself to wake herself up. She had a quick wash, leaving her hair in a bit of a frazzle, before creeping downstairs to ready breakfast.

 

Stiletto didn't hear Avery's yelp of pain but crept down shortly afterwards to find him rubbing his head in her living room area. "Morning, you alright? Sleep well?" she asked in a cheery voice before sighing and complaining. "I need oats and coffee, I had some weird nightmare last night. Ugh, but other than that I slept fine." She walked over to the kitchen area and started to gather the things she'd need to make coffee and oats. Though the pegasus did wonder what the alicorn would want, or like. Heck, all she knew he'd never even heard of coffee. "Did you want coffee too or something else?"

[Avery]

Avery slightly groans as he gets up from his spot, the blanket slowly trailing off as it settles back onto the couch. "Morning. Kinda bumped my head after a really freaky nightmare." He took a look at the couch before moving to the kitchen area. "Oh, thanks for the blanket by the way. Guess I dozed off before asking if you had one heheh." He watched as Stletto got the things needed to make breakfast, which was sounding good right about now. Hearing that she also had a nightmare of sorts, which is starting to sound a bit strange. He then heard her question about coffee, and to be frank, he hasn't really heard of the phrase used like that before.

 

"...Don't you mean coffee bean soup? Or... wait, is that the new word for it now? Just, 'coffee'? If it is, I don't exactly have that much of a taste for it. Though if you have some kind of tea, that would be awesome. But if you don't, I'll take what I can get. Do you need any help with anything? I at least know how to cook something up, albeit not as good as anypony else, but I can try!" he asked, looking at what Stiletto got out for breakfast. Though, he was curious about what sort of nightmare she had. Maybe some sort of chat would help sort it out, besides, his night was... interesting. He had to talk about it, else he'd go crazy.

 

"Hey, what was your nightmare about? Mine was... weird. Like not weird like... I don't know, Pinkie?" there was then a loud 'HEY' coming from outside. Avery quickly looked over and furrowed his brow for a moment, before shaking it off. "Anyway... Yeah my nightmare was strange. At first it kinda looked like Ponyville, I mean, from what I've seen anyway. Only it was, very dusty, like with a powdery white dust. I also heard this, deep voice that was singing something. I don't exactly know what the lyrics were, but they didn't exactly make sense. Then I had a dream where I woke up and tried to find you, only you weren't answering. I tried to go up the stairs, but then a giant black thing came up and tried to eat me! Next thing I knew, I banged my head on the table over there." He looked back to the couch with the slightly messed up blanket, though noticing this, he used his magic to fix the blanket and put it back neatly on the couch.

[Zealot]

"Not a problem. Didn't want you to get cold in the night," she responded, moving over to the kitchen. Coffee bean soup? Well, she'd never heard it called that before. He definitely was out of his time if he was calling it that. Still, at least he wanted to help. Stiletto didn't mind doing it herself. After all, he was her guest and Avery was in way over his head right now. Still, if he was willing to be useful. "Well, you could put the kettle on while I get the oats." She calls over, not thinking clearly. Though she's quick to correct her mistake. "Oh no. Actually, that's probably a bad idea. If you don't know what coffee is then you've probably never seen a kettle before. Tell you what, I'll do the drinks if you do the oats. Deal?" she asks, taking the kettle in one hoof and moving over to the sink. "Bowels are in the bottom cupboards, oats on in the cupboard above it."

 

The pegasus proceeded to pour water from the sink into the kettle and placed it back into the holder before flipping a switch to boil the water. Kettles were expensive, but they were a marvel to behold. Heck, they even had toasters now. Technology was moving so quickly it was baffling. She remembered her youth of lighting a fire to wait for water to boil, it all seemed so long ago. What did they do without a kettle? 

 

Stiletto proceeded to dig around in another cupboard to take out two mugs, saying, "Sorry to hear you didn't sleep well. Neither did I really. I dreamt about that awful castle and us staying there overnight. Guess I was thinking about it too close to bed or something." She giggled and tried to let out positive vibes with her empathy to help calm them both. Although Stiletto had had a good night after that, it sounded like Avery needed the comfort. "That sounds awful. White dust? Ash? Hmm. And me being eaten by a black dragon." 

 

She thinks for a moment as she places the coffee powder in her mug and a tea bag in Avery's. Then turns to inspect the alicorn. "Probably just because you're in a new place with all this stuff happening. I mean, it can't be easy, all of this being so new to you. Probably just your brain burning off steam, I wouldn't think too much of it."

 

The pegasus pours the boiling water into the mugs once the kettle is done and stirs the liquid with a spoon, calling, "You'll be meeting Princess Celestia today. The letter said morning, but if figured we should hurry up with breakfast then go see Twilight first. I mean, I hate her, but she should give you some clue as to what to expect. Not to mention she probably wants me to clear off because it's royal business and might get me to do some random thing to keep me out of sight." Stiletto chuckles to herself at that, not that she would be obeying Princess Twilight's orders any time soon. Avery was too interesting a puzzle to just pass up because a namby pamby Princess told her to go away. 

[Avery]

Avery quickly nodded to Stiletto, though stopping before he didn't exactly know what to get. Though she changed her mind about it and told him that he could make the oats instead. Okay, that's something he could do, it was simple enough. He looked in the cupboards and got what he needed to start making it. While he was making it, he told of his nightmare and everything else, then listening to hers. "Yikes, that's not too good. Maybe you should have some... I don't know. I usually have some herbal tea to stop nightmares from coming back. Maybe I should make some if I find any herbs around here. Or maybe that... Zecora lady can help me with that."

 

He shrugged at the thought of it just being him new to the place. He hasn't really thought too much about this place, but then again, he doesn't really know what goes on around here at all. So far, all he knows is that a princess lives here in a library and a hyperactive seemingly baking party pony. Even the kettle was interesting to him, showing that he certainly hasn't seen one before. He finishes up the oats quickly, putting the oats that he used back into the cupboard and putting the bowls on counter as he looks over to Stiletto as she reminds him that Princess Celestia would be visiting today. He almost forgot about it because of the nightmare.

 

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. And what? W-Why would she do that? I mean, yeah ruler of the land is here and all, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't come too! I mean, that would contradict with you getting something for saving my flank in that forest!" He was almost enraged by that statement, but sighing and quickly calming down. "I hope that's not the case at any rate, if it is, I would be really mad. Anyways, oats are done. Didn't have anything to really add flavor to it or whatever." He lifted his mug with his magic, smelling it and signing in relief "This smells good! Alright! Breakfast all around."

[Zealot]

Stiletto smiled at Avery then took her mug in her hoof and her own bowl of oats in her mouth right after grabbing a spoon for the oats and adding it to the bowl. She led the alicorn over to a small table with four chair surrounding it by the far wall which acted as her dining room. The pegasus places the bowl on the table along with her mug of coffee and sat down at the table. "Sorry," she apologised through a mouthful of bowl. "I prefer my oats plain, though I think there might be some sugar in the top cupboard if you have a sweet tooth."

 

She shrugged at the mention of getting herbal tea to chase nightmares away. "Well, maybe. It was just one nightmare though, I'm not that worried." Stiletto chuckled and commented, "We can always go and get some from Zecora if you want. But like I said, you've had a lot happen to you these past few days and you're probably just worried about losing your memory and everything. But hey, you seem to remember odd fragments. Vague impressions even if it's nothing clear, so I wouldn't worry too much. You'll get there." But that was the question. What kind of pony would he be when it all came back? Right now he struck her as relaxed, happy and carefree, a lot like herself. How would he change with the memories of growing up in royalty? Or better question, how would he change with the memories of being away? After all, he came out of the sky, so he was obviously elsewhere in the thousands of years he'd been missing. What had happened in that time?

 

Stiletto decided not to broach the question for now and made a start on her breakfast. That was a whole can of worms that she'd rather not open just yet. "As for Princess Twilight, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I have no doubt she'll give me some sort of reward, but it'll probably be shunted to the side. I haven't ever heard of Princess Celestia being all to kind to those that help out, except to Princess Twilight but she did save Equestria. A few times." The pegasus shrugged, taking another bite of her breakfast.

 

Avery was definitely an oddity. He was royalty, but actually cared if everypony got their dues. That was new to her and the pegasus wasn't quite sure what to make of that. She'd never found those in authority to be that thanking. Maybe she was wrong. "Still, nice to hear one pony will want to actually give me something for helping out. Not that I really need a reward for helping, but hey. I doubt the Princesses would want someone like me around with my, difference of opinion, for lack of a better term. They'll probably want you to come back to Canterlot with them, which is a bit of a shame. I figured you and I could have some fun adventures together." Stiletto chuckled again at that. After all, the Princesses would definitely want to take him away. He was one of theirs, no doubt they would want to shelter him with the rest of the royals.

[Avery]

Avery sat down at the small table, placing his bowl and mug of tea, which he removed the tea bag from, onto the table. He shrugged at the response and the thought of sugar in the cupboard. "I don't really mind, I guess I'm used to putting something special in with things I try to make. Besides, I don't have that big of a sweet tooth, I could hardly handle that cupcake yesterday. Whenever I eat something sweet, it goes either two ways, I get really hyper, or I end up being sick. I don't know why that is though, I love sweets most times, but just something in my system just makes me feel gross whenever I do."

 

He took a bite of the oats and listened to what Stiletto had to say. He still didn't know if that was all true or not, he wasn't exactly worried about anything other than to be careful around Stiletto because of her empathic abilities. It still struck him as odd that someone like her would have that ability to heighten her senses of emotion like that, it must be a lot to weigh in on yourself if you had to deal with that all the time. He took a moment to think about what that would be like, but then having the nightmare he had last night be an example wasn't the best choice. He shook off the idea and listened to Stiletto again. He was still a bit confused as to why she thinks that would happen, they don't even know them yet personally. Were they really that bad? That's something new, and he didn't exactly like the sound of it.

 

Though he shrugged unknowingly to the statement, as he wasn't all that sure what to say. He hasn't been here long enough to have an opinion on the whole matter. And then came the statement of them wanting to take him to Canterlot, to which he raised a brow. He only read very little about it in the travel's guide last night, but it seemed to be one of the biggest cities known, complete with the royal castle. He didn't exactly know about the place, but he would like to at least visit there, but to go there as a whole? That's a bit too far right now. He was having a lot of fun just traveling with Stiletto right now, even if it was a short flight to the old ruined castle and back. But something like taking him to where he belonged because he was royalty? He shuddered from that thought, still not used to the fact that he was indeed a part of royalty, when for so long he never even considered it to be a fact.

 

"Well... Hopefully that's not the case. I'd like to at least have some choice on the matter, you know? Get to know the places I've been to and whatnot. I really think that this place, Equestria, has a lot to be discovered, and I want to at least try to see it all before anything permanent happens." He smiled as he finished the rest of his oats before drinking a bit of his tea. He sighed in slight relief at the taste of the tea. He's always loved the taste of it, it's a flavor he wouldn't replace for any other beverage. He liked it here, it was quiet, peaceful, and all around fun. And he hasn't even gotten to explore what the town really has to offer, hasn't met all of the ponies that live here. He was thinking about this fact, almost in a dream like state of mind. Though snapping back to the real world as soon as he noticed that he was daydreaming, sheepishly smiling before drowning his thoughts with his tea, to where he sighed in slight relief again.

[Zealot]

Stiletto took a sip of her coffee, letting the rejuvenating black liquid reinvigorate her senses. Yep, caffeine, that was always good. Now she could think more clearly and face the day once again. Unfortunately, Stiletto was just one of those ponies that needed regular doses of coffee to operate. She could go without it obviously, but she always liked a cup of coffee in the morning. 

 

The pegasus listened to Avery's words and she was thankful for the support. It seemed he was happy to adventure with her as they'd planned, which was nice to hear. She wanted to adventure with him. He was fun, laid back and he had that interesting puzzle in his head. It would be an adventure in itself figuring that out. Unfortunately he was royalty, which just complicated what would otherwise be a simple matter. The em-path couldn't see this going down any other way though. Princess Celestia would spirit her son off to the royal court and she would unlikely see him again. That's how this usually worked right. It would be a downright shame if Stiletto never found out what happened to him. If he was willing to stay with her, then Stiletto would argue his case as much as she could. Just so long as it was his wish. After all, everypony deserves to do what they like, right?

 

"Well, I hope you can stay with me," Stiletto said after eating some more of her oats. "If you want to stay, you're welcome to. You should be able to if you want to, but I think they'll want to take you back with them. She is your mother after all."

 

Once she'd finished her breakfast and drank her coffee, Stiletto noticed Avery had spaced out for a minute and had finished before her. Well, if he was done there was no point in hanging around. Princess Celestia would no doubt be arriving soon. "If you're done we could go and see Princess Twilight if you wanted. Just a suggestion of mine so she can tell us what's what. It's still early, so we should be able to have a chat with her before Princess Celestia arrives. Other than that, I guess we just prepare for the worst." She shrugged and got up from her chair, looking to Avery to see what he wanted to do.

[Avery]

Avery blinks as he finished his tea, listening as Stiletto spoke about heading to Princess Twilight is he wanted or staying here and 'prepare for the worst'. He gave a look of disbelief at that statement, but thought nothing more of it, soon getting up himself and stretching his wings out. "Yeah... I think that'd be a good idea to see Twilight, besides I'd actually like to see that library she talked about in that letter. And it'd be a good chance to actually get to know her too, who knows? It'll be fun!" he smiles as he trots up to the door, waiting for Stiletto to lead the way to the library, where Twilight would be.

 

Going out the door and through the streets of Ponyville, it seemed that the ponies here have gotten used to the fact that Avery was here now. Not looking at him in a strange way, or anything like that. He even got some friendly waves here and there. He seemed pretty surprised by the sudden change in emotion from everyone, but got used to it naturally. Avery didn't exactly talk much while walking, he was looking around at the town, since he hasn't seen it yet, so now's a good a chance as any to get a picture of how this place looks. It looked pretty, with all the flowers growing, the trees that give it more life, the scooter that's heading straight at him, the neat houses and even some had unique decorations! ...Wait, what was that about a scooter?

 

In a quick instance, something on a scooter rushes passed Avery and causes him to spin out and becoming dizzy. Trying to stay his ground, his eyes were looping around in their sockets. There was a quick "Sorry!" before that voice disappeared in flurry of other arguing voices. Avery stood still for a moment, trying to get his senses back in working order, saying "No... No I'm okay! Just a bit dizzy, whatever that was that passed right by me. Woooo, did the world take something, because it won't stand still." After a few short moments, he got his senses back and shook his head "Whew, okay, good to go!" And so he continued to follow Stiletto.

 

Coming to a large tree that had a sign out in front of it, Avery stopped to do a double take about what he was looking at. It was a tree, with house like features. There was a door at the base, the sign said 'local library' and the freaking tree is a house! The ultimate tree-house! He shook his head and chuckled at the sight, never has he seen anything like this before. Then walking up to the door and knocking on it, he heard a bunch of rumbling coming from inside. Avery blinks and looks over at Stiletto for any advice, though turning back to see that the door opened with Spike standing at the doorway. Now with the door opened, the rumblings were more clear, and Twilight was heard, almost panicking. Avery looked a bit concerned about what was going on, but then Spike waved to them with a smile.

 

"Oh hey! It's you two from yesterday! Prince guy and.... uh.... Stillpo?" Spike said in an uncertain tone. Avery blurted out a laugh before covering his mouth before any of it got out.

 

"Stiletto is her name, not pffft, Stillpo. Hahaha, what kinda name is Stillpo?" Avery laughs

 

"Hey, you try remembering names when you're tasked to do everything at once! Anyway, if you're looking for Twilight, she's kinda in one of her crazies today. Since the Princess is going to visit, she's been like this all morning." Spike says with a hint of regret.

 

"What... really?"

 

"Yep, take a look for yourself!" Spike says as he points inside. And sure enough Twilight was inside, dashing from place to place, using her magic to sort books, sort papers, sort the sorted into more assorted needs. She was completely busy with what she was doing, she didn't even notice that Spike was answering the door to both Avery and Stiletto. Avery was amazed at how she was moving so fast and doing all of what she was doing at once. "You can come in if you want, but just try not to get in her way. Stick to the wall, that's my advice." Spike says before opening the door completely. Avery looks over to Stiletto, wondering what her decision was. He was going inside, he was just curious to see what her decision was.

[Zealot]

Stiletto smiles and nods to Avery once she retrieves her keys and a bag. After locking up she walked in the direction of the library. They were early, and she suspected that Avery might want to see a little of Ponyville. Now that ponies weren't staring at him and making him feel uncomfortable, it would be good to take him around the block as it were. The pegasus picked a lazy route, noting that her mane still looked a bit of a mess. She stopped midway down the street to straighten it out so it looked at least presentable, before continuing on.

 

She took him the scenic route, passing the town square and sugar cube corner, trying to get him at least a little acquainted with Ponyville. On the way there, she had to avoid a foal on a high speed scooter that sent Avery into a spin. Stiletto chuckled and reassured him, "It's ok. That was just a foal on a scooter. I guess you've never seen a scooter before so, well, we'll have to show you one. They're pretty nifty pieces of kit actually." It seemed that at the moment, things were brushing past them at high speed quite a lot. Stiletto found that amusing, and wondered if it was something to do with the alicorn's aura.

 

After a short walk, even by going the scenic route, they reached the public library. Also the home of Ponyville's resident Princess. Before Stiletto could comment, Avery walked up to the door and knocked. From his expression, Stiletto could tell that he was quite interested in the treehouse. The pegasus, didn't really care. It was a library in a tree. That was ironic, but it wasn't mindblowing. Still, she wasn't surprised to see the dragon servant answer the door. After all, Princess Twilight was a Princess. She couldn't answer a door, no way. 

 

He got her name wrong too, Stilpo. She chuckled at that. What kind of a name was Stilpo? "Yeah, I'm Stiletto, not Stilpo. But hey, it happens. I don't actually know your name, we weren't introduced."

 

Still, the pegasus walked in as he gave consent and raised an eyebrow at the frazzled Princess. She was being so hectic and the stress coming off her battered against the empath's senses. In fact, she found herself getting a little worried just being in her presence. That sure annoyed her, and Stiletto did her best to block it out. It was pretty funny to watch though, "Well. I could try to use my empathy to calm her," she suggested to Avery. "But I need her attention, and this is funny," she commented through a chuckle. After all, it was within Stiletto's power to effect the mood of ponies through words and empathic suggestion. It wasn't strong and she needed to focus to do it. Besides, it was more targeted encouragement than magic, not that Stiletto thought it was magic. But hey, she had found that it only took her a few kind words to lift ponies' spirits. Or to banish their worries.

[Avery]

After going through the door, Spike closed it behind them and hopped in front of the two saying "That's right! We were too busy being surprised by this dude's sudden appearance, didn't get time to do introductions! My name's Spike! Coolest dragon you'll ever meet!" he said while standing tall, as if proud of that statement. Avery smiled and waved at the small dragon, though his attention came back to Twilight, who was still in a slight panic over something. He shrugged at the suggestion, not too sure what to do at the moment. Though getting her attention was one thing that he would need to do. He thought that a quick call out was good, as she didn't seem to notice that Spike was talking to someone. So, he took a deep breath before calling out

 

"Hey! Twilight!" in a rather loud and deep manner. This did get Twilight's attention, as she was not expecting anyone to be here right at this moment. She looked at the two for a moment before smiling

 

"Yes! Okay, good, you're here! If you're here, the Princess wouldn't need to be directed somewhere else to waste anytime! That actually takes a load off of my shoulders, but there's still so much to do! I need to make sure I have her report ready for this morning, and now have a place for everypony to sit at! That's simple!" she spoke in a almost worried tone, as if she was worried about her life being in danger. But she continues on, though without her panicking all the while now. It takes a few moments before she stops what she was doing and sighs. She lifts her head up and turns back to the two, where Avery was actually surprised about how they came in at the right time.

 

"I'm so sorry about that, I have to make sure everything is perfect for the princess' arrival. But, now with you here, I don't have to tell her about anything bad, and you can meet her just as quickly! Though, I have to ask, why are you here? I thought you were going to stay at Stiletto's house until the princess arrives? Oh, but while you're here, do you need anything? I'm sure that you've been through some tough goings on lately. Speaking of, are you alright Avery? Losing your memory isn't good for ponies." Twilight says in a quick fashion, possibly still trying to get used to the slowness that she's in right now.

 

Avery blinks, surprised that she had to do this all by herself. Of course, she had help from Spike, but he was a dragon, he could only do so much. Clearing his throat, Avery began to speak "We're fine for right now, we actually had breakfast before we got here. Though I'm till curious as to what spun me around when we were heading here, it was fast too, like that rainbowy thing that pasted us by when going to that ruined castle."

 

Twilight blinks at this statement, saying "You've been to the Royal Sister's Castle?? Oh no, that's not good! It's currently dangerous to step hoof in there!"

 

"That's what the Zecora lady told us..."

 

"And it'd best to follow that advice! It's only around this time of year, but we've been getting numerous reports that something evil is lurking there, and some say it's the presence of Nightmare Moon. I haven't gotten a chance to study it though, as whenever I go near the castle, it goes quiet." Twilight says as she puts a hoof to her chin, thinking about the scene of the ruined castle.

 

Avery blinks a bit in shock about that, but then became confused "Nightmare Moon..? Who's that?"

 

Twilight and Spike both look at Avery almost like he were crazy. Though Twilight would say "Oh..right, you don't remember much do you? I suppose that not knowing of Nightmare Moon is normal for you. But I'll explain that later, because the princess should be coming soon and we need to prepare for her arrival."

[Zealot]

Stiletto smiled at the dragon's introduction. So, he was called Spike. Hadn't she heard of a dragon called Spike before, though there was a quaver of doubt in the back of her mind about the fact that he was the coolest dragon she'd ever meet. After all, she'd met some pretty cool dragons already. The badlands had quite a few of them and she was the one who had to spy on them from on high. The pegasus had been glad that she wasn't seen. "Nice to meet you Spike," she replied before turning her attention back to the panicked Princess.

 

She tried to follow what Princess Twilight was saying but only barely made it out. Princess Celestia was coming soon and they were going to talk, was she supposed to take Avery back with her if that was where Twilight thought they were going to be. As much as she didn't like to go along with the Princess's plan, it would probably be best to follow it. As long as she asked nicely. Still, the pegasus thought it best to think about doing it for Avery rather than Twilight. 

 

Stiletto did manage to pick up on what had caused her distress at the castle though. The essence of Nightmare Moon, that sure wasn't good. No wonder the presence had felt so dark, it was a literal living nightmare she had felt. "So that's what that was. No wonder it felt so cold, I must have picked up on it. Well, now we know what it is at least," she commented before getting down to business. She decided to leave out the explanation of what Nightmare Moon was for now. They didn't really have time and it was a complicated issue.

 

The pegasus stepped forward and tapped her hoof on the wooden floor to turn the Princess's attention onto her. After all, Avery had managed to snap her out of her panicked haze, now she could get to work. Stiletto could feel the waves of nervous energy coming off Twilight and she fought against it with all her willpower, trying to spin it into something useful. "Princess," she addressed Twilight in a loud and commanding voice. Yeah, that sound work. Once she had the Princess's attention she lowered her voice to a quiet and calming tone. She met Twilight's purple eyes and willed her to be calm. She could tell what this was about, all she needed to do is give power to Twilight's hopes, "Everything is going to be alright. Princess Celestia's visit will go perfectly and she will be very happy with you." The pegasus put her willpower into the words, feeling her positive energy wrap around Twilight's nervousness and removing the stress until it was no more. She felt it press the stress out of her, and it would likely feel like a warm cuddle, removing all doubt from her mind. Hopefully that would mean Twilight would be relaxed and calm. "Everything will go just as you plan," Stiletto finished before asking. "Now, we are here to ask what is going to happen on this visit and what the plan was. Where did you want Avery and what did you want me to do?"

 

She retracted from her focused stance and shook her head. It was hard to do that, but hopefully it would pay off. No doubt the other two occupants of the room would feel a little calm as well considering what Stiletto had just done.

[Avery]

Avery stood there confused about the whole ordeal, not entirely sure who this 'Nightmare Moon' character is, but judging from what everyone is saying it must be some sort of bad pony. Spike in the mean time, took this time to really get a look at Avery, now that he had the time to. Though with the sudden addressing voice coming from Stiletto, everyone's attention was pointed to her. She must've had something rather important to say if she had to say something that loud and in such a tone. Though, what she had to say was rather different than what was expected. While the conversation took place, Avery took this chance to try to at least get to know Spike and maybe a bit about Twilight, so he had a small conversation with Spike as this happens.

 

Twilight stood there, looking to Stiletto with a look of confusion. Though her words were meaningful, almost having a lasting effect of being calm. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but something about what she was saying was comforting, like everything was going to be fine. It was a strange feeling to be persuaded like that, though it made her feel fine. When the question came to be, there was one thing that she needed to get out of the way first.

 

"Well, first off, there's no need to call me 'princess'. I may be one, but there's no need to call me as such. As for the visit, Princess Celestia is just visiting to make sure that her son is alright. That's it. I've told her about what happened, with you and your crash misfortune. Avery's memory loss is something that needs to be checked on soon, but that is whenever we have the time to. To be honest, though, I didn't expect you to come here Stiletto. You seemed rather harsh at my presence when I was last at your house, but if you want to be here that's your choice, not mine. As for Avery though, I'd have to ask that you could stay here until your mo-...Hehe, what are you two doing?" Twilight says as she turns her attention back to Avery and Spike, where it seems to have been noticed now that Spike was on Avery's head.

 

Avery and Spike both blink, Spike was about to say something but comes up short. Avery looks right to left, before saying "Spike's gone knight, we were going to slay the dragon of Alimasmer." he spreads his wings like some boastful pegasus claiming to be the best at everything. Spike just poses like a strong knight about to charge into battle. Twilight takes a moment to ponder this moment, giggling lightly before saying

 

"Yes yes, that's all well and fine, but maybe you can do that later with the crusaders Spike. Avery needs to be ready to once again meet his mother right now, but I'm sure you'll have time to do that later." Twilight says with a calm voice, making sure that everything would be alright.

 

With disappointment in their eyes, Spike jumps off Avery's head as Avery folds his wings back to his body. Though Avery would then say "So, does that mean I'm actually going to stay here?"

 

Twilight was hesitant but nods "It would most likely be possible, as she said she wouldn't want to take you back to Canterlot while you're still recovering. Besides, she's more worried about your health than anything, she even asked me to keep an eye on your health to make sure that you don't go back to anything that you might be allergic to. She should be arriving any second now."

 

Avery ponders this for a moment, as if he wasn't completely sure what to expect now. He's been told so much about the princesses through Stiletto, though she doesn't have that much of a positive look on them. What was he going to expect when he does see his mother?

[Zealot]

Stiletto sighed and looked up to Princess Twilight once more. She was glad she was calm now. They didn't need crazy nervous right now after all, and as funny as it was to watch the purple alicorn trip over her own hooves it wasn't productive. Besides, the nervous energy had been gnawing at her. Not exactly healthy for the empath. 

 

That was when Princess Twilight said that Stiletto didn't actually have to call her 'princess'. That was just odd in Stiletto's opinion, and completely contradicted everything the pegasus knew and thought about her. Why didn't Twilight want her to use her title? Did she not like the fact that she was a princess now? Did she not think highly of herself for it and want to laud it over everypony? After all, she was important so why didn't she want to show it off? That's what the royals did. The pegasus had a hard time processing that one when a thought occurred. It was just some political manoeuvring or some sort of manipulation to trip her up. Yeah, that's all it was. But still, Stiletto checked Twilight's aura for the tell-tale signs. It was impossible to mislead the empath when she was paying attention after all.

 

The pegasus visibly looked confused when she found the Princess's aura to be quite friendly, and that she was being honest about her intent. That was even stranger, but Stiletto couldn't afford to think about it more. No doubt her hesitation had been noticed. "Ok then, Twilight," she confirmed before glancing over her shoulder to see Avery... playing? Was that the best description for it? Playing with Spike. She chuckled at the sight, but thought that was a little inappropriate seeing as how they were about to be invaded by alicorn royalty. She didn't dare think what Princess 'Let's hike taxes' Celestia would think if she saw her son playing.

 

She turned back to the Princess. "Yeah, I was harsh," Stiletto commented in an annoyed tone. "I don't like you royals, I make no secret of that. I like Avery though, and he's got one interesting puzzle in his head. Unlocking it will be a fun adventure. So I'm here for him, and I'll suck up meeting Celestia for however long so I can see where the adventure takes him." She smiles, sounding a bit happier now that she had said that aloud. "It'll be fun, I'm sure."

 

Stiletto stepped to the side before adding, "Hey. You're welcome at mine any time," onto the end of Twilight's sentence before composing herself for what was going to happen. The pegasus could definitely feel something approaching, getting one of her hunches that it wasn't long before something powerful would be near. "I think she's close," Stiletto interjected. "I can feel something powerful approaching. I'm guessing that's Princess Celestia."