Out of the Sky (Private)

[Avery]

Spike and Avery had just been talking about the adventures that Twilight and her friends had previously, and then Spike went on to tell stories about brave lands and courageous heroes like himself for the greater good of a lady Rarity. Avery hadn't heard of her before, but the story had made Spike in the mood for a daring quest again. However, since they were caught trying to reenact a scene, they were quickly dispatched. Avery felt that it was good to reenact something like that from time to time, it was always a bit of fun. Though he noticed that Stiletto was telling Twilight about her choices on the matter at hand. It's still strange that Stiletto didn't like the royals, but he didn't exactly mind it.

 

Though, Twilight wasn't sure about her choice of words. Saying that she doesn't like royalty, while being friends with an heir to the throne of all Equestria is very contradicting. But she paid it no mind, as she wasn't about to get into an argument right before the princess arrives. She simply nods in response and looks out one of the windows nearby. Spike hurries to the door as he prepares to  open it for the coming Princess. Avery looked this way and that, wondering what was going on. Though hearing Stiletto, he blinks and lifts his head to see if he could hear anything. At first, nothing is noted, but then a gallop of hooves is heard from outside and the sound of what seemed to be a heavy cart hits the ground.

 

He quickly takes a look toward the door, tilting his head. Twilight smiles as she steps back to the center of the way, putting herself a good ways between the door and herself. Avery looks to Twilight and Stiletto, wondering what in the world was going on. But before he could say a word, Twilight says "Spike, if you may." and without a single moment of hesitation, Spike opens up the door as what stands outside was a white and golden chariot, but just outside the door was Princess Celestia herself, with her white coat, almost magical multicolored sparkling hair that flowed by itself, and gold etched shoes, crown and necklace. She had a very calm smile on her face, as she nods to the small dragon, ducking her head to enter the library. She towers over everyone in the room, it was clear that she had a high rank. Spike closes the door, though staying there for the time being.

 

Avery was slightly in awe at the pony that has just entered the room, almost amazed by her presence. Celestia looked over to the rest of the group, nodding her head to Stiletto gently and then over to Twilight, who pointed to Avery. With one look at Avery, she lost that calm smile, and replaced it with a surprised look of shock. Subtle, but the change in facial movements could tell that she was surprised to see him there. Avery looked around, as if being expected to say something, though he just nervously smiled and waved gently. Celestia went back to her calm smile, however you could see that she was on the verge of tears. Taking a breath, she let out a relaxed sigh, letting off all of the stress that was on her. She opens her eyes to look at Avery once again, before finally saying.

 

"You've... grown so much since the last I saw you. You were just a little foal back then; going through my mane and playing with my crown. The last few days must've been hard for you" she says with her soft, calm voice.

 

Avery blinks, not sure how to take this, but the question still rises "You... You're my mother?" saying in a confused manner. Celestia simply smiles and nods. Avery's taken aback by this already known information, but it was still quite the bump on the head to take. Celestia simply smiles, knowing about his memory loss and all of the other information. She turns to Stiletto and bows her head.

 

"You must be the pegasus that found my son and has sheltered him, I must thank you. I have been looking for him ever since he was taken away, nearly seven hundred years ago. To be so close as Ponyville... it seems surreal. I do hope that he hasn't caused any trouble? He may have gotten that from me." Celestia says, almost with a giggle, but stifles it with her upright posture. Avery in the meantime, just sat in silence as he was trying to take it in that he was indeed an actual part of royalty and so happened to be the son of the ruler of the land he has just learned about. The presence of Celestia was almost overwhelming in itself, but the calming nature of her speak and just her aura alone makes it seem that she was nothing more than a gentle giant.

[Zealot]

Yeah, that was definitely Princess Celestia. Unless some powerful thing was tearing up Ponyville, again. The thud of the golden chariot outside snapped Stiletto to attention and she moved to the side out the way. No doubt the Princess would just want to talk to Avery. She was just a pegasus after all so it would probably be best to just stand in the corner. If the Princess knew of her at all it would probably be best to be seen and not heard, no doubt she didn't really care too much about Stiletto but it would be polite if Celestia at least thanked her. After all, she did save Avery from a manticore. More or less.

 

As Spike rushed to the door Stiletto inhaled deeply, thinking that it would be best to just get this over with so that she could get on with adventure. That was when Spike opened the door and revealed Princess Celestia. The empath was quite surprised by the amount of power coming from the alicorn. Without a doubt, she knew she was in the presence of one of the most magically powerful beings ever. It was quite breathtaking being in her presence actually, and that was what confused her.

 

As Celestia entered she nodded to Stiletto, acknowledging the pegasus' presence. Stiletto nodded in turn, and involuntarily lowered her head for a bow. She actually didn't expect herself to do that, and was caught a little off guard. Flustered, she quickly recovered and stood there a little awkwardly and pretended that didn't happen. After all, that was likely all she would get out of the Princess. Her powerful aura caught her off guard though and she probed at it experimentally. The alicorn felt good and warm, kind and joyous, quite different to what Stiletto's mental image of her had been. She figured it must be some ruse, or trick, but that was just it. The empath knew this was the true intentions of the Princess, but how could that be? Wasn't she just a power extorting royal like Stiletto knew her to be? The poor pegasus just couldn't wrap her head around it. 

 

Royal or not, Stiletto's heart was warmed by the emotions of the scene before her. She sensed try joy coming from the Princess as she was reunited with her son. But that was just it, the aura of Princess Celestia felt just like that. Motherly. It was strange to feel.

 

That was when Stiletto was surprised to find the Princess turn to her and greet her. "Oh err," she responded at first, dipping her head once again. "Yes, Princess. I'm Stiletto," she says, remaining polite. She suspected there was a touch of confusion and awkwardness in her voice. What? Had the Princess just giggled and said she once caused trouble? What was this? It was looking like she'd just hit her head and was in some strange delusion, no doubt that showed on her face. Unfortunately Celestia's motherly aura smothered her and she felt like a little foal once again. "No he hasn't caused trouble, he's been fun to be around."

 

The pegasus forced herself to get a grip and reasserted herself, sounding polite and focused once again. She'd been caught off guard by all of this but now she knew what to expect. "Your thanks is appreciated," she began, "Though I was just doing what anypony would do." Stiletto thought it best not to ask questions or respond. She was addressing the ruler of Equestria, and Stiletto didn't think she would like that. Only speak unless spoken to, that was what was expected, right? Besides, she didn't particularly want to upset Avery by upsetting his mother. She stood there in silence and waited to see what the Princess would do next, projecting an aura of uncertainty. After all, Princess Celestia's motherly presence was contradictory of how Stilleto was acting around her. Unfortunately, the pegasus couldn't help but think of the negative picture of the Princess that she had built up over the years. 

[Avery]

Avery wasn't too sure if what he was hearing was right or wrong, he's always seen himself as a regular pony, no one special, not even thinking of anything higher than a citizen. But to be a part of royalty like this? It's almost too good to be true, but here is the princess, ruler of the land telling him that he's her son. It will possibly be easier to accept it once everything was in its place, but right now it was rather confusing. Would he have to accept it now, or keep like he was as he's always been? It was too early to tell, though he shouldn't hang on this for very long, it'll be bad. With a sigh he rid the thought train that ran through his head and paid attention back to the conversation at hand...er....hoof? Yeah, hoof.

 

Twilight steps up to Celestia and Stiletto "Yes, and in due time you will have a reward. Currently, we're trying to make amends with the Gryphon Empire, isn't that right princess?"

 

Celestia nods "Yes. If we have this connection, we will have more trade options for everypony. I have time off for two or so hours before I have to return to Canterlot, I decided to visit Ponyville and check in on how everypony was doing. Yesterday, I received Twilight's letter about Avery; I was surprised to hear this, overjoyed even." Celestia would say, as Avery joins with the group and listens "I told Luna about this, and she is eagerly waiting for the chance to see her nephew after dawning the night. I do hope you don't mind, dear Stiletto. Luna is almost as happy to see Avery as much as I am."

 

Spike, after waiting at the door long enough, decides to go toward the back room of the center library. Avery saw this and was curious as to what he was doing, either he was bored or something else. Though his attention would turn back to the group as Celestia playfully pokes his head, blinking a couple of times as if he were day dreaming. Twilight would ask "Does anypony need anything? I have cushions at the table so that we can sit there and talk" she seemed to be reasonably responsible, making sure that her guests were treated well.

 

"Oh, if you don't mind, could I have some Chamomile Tea? I haven't been getting much rest the last few nights." Celestia says, slowly blinking

 

"Well... I wouldn't mind having something to drink again, I guess." Avery says, shrugging as he didn't want to put down an offer like that.

 

Twilight waited for Stiletto to say if she needed anything before nodding and heading to the backroom where Spike had went. Celestia slowly walked to the table with the cushions and sat down there "Why don't we sit down and discuss about what you've experienced, I'm sure you both have something to tell, as well as ask." she smiles softly. Avery blinks before mentally shrugging, walking to the table to sit on a nearby cushion. It felt nice, though he was a bit awkward having to sit in the middle of the table. He wasn't too sure to accept all of this yet or not. Though, he shouldn't exactly think about it much, it would just make his head hurt. "Why don't you start. Stiletto? I would enjoy hearing your stories" Celestia would say, smiling as her mane and tail continue to sway almost magically by itself.

[Zealot]

Stiletto almost jumped as Twilight came and addressed her, saying that she was going to be rewarded. That was odd, she'd figured the Princess would have forgotten about the mention of a reward. 'Conveniently'. Just another mystery to add to the pile of strange things that had been going on for the past two days. I mean, what? Didn't they want to keep as much of their wealth as they could? Selfish hoarders that they were? Or maybe she was just being political. Stiletto had no idea. If she was being political, the pegasus wanted no part of it.

 

The empath could tell that the alicorn was overjoyed to see her son. Maybe that was why her aura was so motherly? There were quite strong feelings of happiness coming from her that it seemed to be brightening Stiletto's mood. The pegasus remained focused, but the warm glow of happiness was nice. That was when she was told that Princess Luna would be visiting to see Avery later. Well, that would just be one more thing to worry about. Right now she had to cope with just one alicorn Princess. Or rather, two alicorn Princesses. Another was offering to go and get her something to drink. What was this, shouldn't Stiletto be the one to go and make tea? No, it must just be for Princess Celestia right. "That wouldn't be a problem Princess," she responded to Celestia's query. It's not like she could say 'no' after all.

 

No, Twilight was definitely looking at her. Offering to make her something to drink. Ok, another thing to add to the weird. "Umm, well, if you're offering I'll go for coffee if you have it."

 

The pegasus followed Avery and Princess Celestia to the table that Twilight had mentioned and sat down next to Avery. She was sure that Princess Celestia certainly didn't want to sit next to her, nor did she really want to sit next to the Princess really. Her aura was too overpowering and Stiletto was certain that it was all some facade. But no, as it turned out the Princess wanted to talk to her even more. No, this was too strange. Either there was something funny going on or there was something wrong with Stiletto's head. It couldn't be that she'd misjudged. Surely not. "Well," Stiletto began, unsure of where to start. Princess Celestia had asked what she had experienced, and that was quite a lot. Of course, she wanted to ask about what had happened with Avery and what was going to happen. She didn't dare though, the Princess would tell her in due time. Stiletto was walking a very fine line, though she was only doing it for Avery's sake. In another life where her and Celestia met face to face, Stiletto wouldn't hesitate to bombard her with questions. "I'm an aerial reconnaissance flier. A scout," the pegasus labelled herself. "I flew with a mercenary company in the badlands, scouting out dragon nests and mapping their movements. I have a talent for telling what ponies are up to, and that sort of translates to everything else as well. I got bored of the badlands, went into business for myself and took odd jobs until I got to Ponyville. I've been here for a few months, waiting to gather up enough bits to move on."

 

If what the Princess said was true and trade was going to open up with the Griffon Kingdoms, then Stiletto might be able to tag along with a caravan and go and see the sights. That would be fun, if Avery wanted to come along as well. Still, she waited to see if Princess Celestia wanted her to expand on any of those points. The thought crossed her mind that the Princess wanted her to talk specifically about the incident involving Avery, but still, that sounded like it might be leading up to it. Gosh, dodging all of these pitfalls was hard work. 

[Avery]

Both alicorns listened to Stiletto as she told Celestia what she did before, Avery was curious about the Badlands and what went on there. In fact, most anywhere else besides Ponyville seemed interesting to explore for him right now, including the Gryphon area he heard about. Twilight soon came back out from the back room, levitating several cups of various liquids. Giving everyone what they asked, except for Avery as he didn't exactly state what he wanted, Twilight only assumed that he would have his mother's taste and gave him some of the Chamomile Tea as well. Twilight puts a mug of coffee down for Stiletto as she sits a the table as well. Celestia and Avery both lifted their cups and drank from them at the same time, Celestia sighing afterwards, while Avery twisted his head to the new taste of this kind of tea.

 

"Ooookay, new taste. Didn't expect that." he says as he smacks his lips to try and get used to the taste. Celestia smiles, laughing to herself as she covers her mouth with her hoof.

 

"Well Stiletto, it's always good to be trained to be a scout, especially when in the Badlands. It takes bravery and courage to take on those challenges. I believe there was another pegasus that was a scout who went through the Badlands, but that was so long ago. That reminds me, Avery, are you doing well with your flying and magic? It's important to practice everyday." Celestia says as she turns to Avery for a moment.

 

He lifts his ears as he was being spoken to and blinks "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine with my flying and magic, though I need to practice a bit with other spells soon..."

 

Celestia nods "I'm sure Twilight will be willing to help you with your magic. But I need to ask, how was your first day here in Ponyville?" she says with curiosity, as Twilight also looks to the prince wondering the same thing. Of what he thought of this town so far and all it held.

 

Avery looks down in thought, then back up "Well... it's very nice. It was a bit weird at first, since everypony was just staring at me when I first got here. But then it got better soon, though I met this pink pony named Pinkie...I think that was her name anyway. She was really bouncy and came out of a can somehow... I'm still trying to figure out how she did that."

 

Twilight giggled "It's best not to ask and let it happen, Pinkie is a very special pony."

 

Avery shrugged "I guess so, but that confused the heck out of me when it happened! There was also the time when you showed up and she... somehow caught herself? Ugh, my head." he rubbed his head slightly as he thought about the scene again that happened yesterday. It was going to be an adventure and a half to see all of the town if someone like that is everywhere. He took another drink of his tea, having the same reaction as before "Gaaah, new taste is still new."

 

Celestia smiles and turns her attention back to Stiletto "And I must ask, what do you think of my son, Stiletto? It's only been a day, but a great friendship can be made in a single day, much like how Twilight met her friends when she first came to Ponyville." she stops to carefully take a drink from her cup once again.

[Zealot]

Stiletto thanked Princess Twilight for the mug of coffee. She was still trying to get her head around the Princess serving her coffee. Maybe she was just being polite now that her mentor was close or perhaps there was something in the coffee. Still, the pegasus sipped experimentally. The black liquid was a little hot so she put it down again to let it cool as she listened to the conversation. 

 

As expected Princess Celestia turned away from her after a quick comment about her profession. The Princess probably didn't like the fact that Stiletto was a PMC. After all, mercenaries had a bit of a reputation for betraying the crown and fighting the Equestrian army. They weren't looked on highly after all, but it was still a good profession. For the pegasus, it meant she could travel to the places she wanted to. The Princess was right in saying one had to be brave to see the badlands, but she always viewed the danger through a spyglass. She had almost never been in any real danger other than the odd skirmish with a few teenage dragons, and her training had seen her through that. Stiletto would have expanded, but then Celestia turned away to talk to Avery.

 

Stiletto didn't blame her in wanting to talk about her son. Nor did she really expect to be asked to go into much detail. It was just like the typical royal snob, to not be interested in anyone of importance. Stiletto thought that the question was likely just an attempt in seeing if she was important, and when the Princess had ascertained that she wasn't she could focus on something else. Something important. Like Prince Avery. Stiletto shuddered at that, and tried another sip of coffee. It was hard to think that she was becoming friends with a member of royalty. But he was nice after all, so maybe he was different. Maybe Princess Celestia was different with her motherly aura. Maybe she was just concerned about her son...?

 

Wait, she'd been asked a question. Well, if Stiletto was the political sort she might have omitted certain information. But she wasn't. She didn't care too much about ponies knowing about her abilities. For her it was natural, and it was something that she could use to help them. Princess Celestia seemed friendly, and if she was to build good relations with Avery then she'd just have to play nice to the Princess. Which now she thought about it, was just being political with different objectives. Great, life was a game of politics now. "Well, I can tell pretty quickly if a pony is good or bad. I'm an empath, so I can sense the auras and feelings of other ponies. That's sort of why I'm so good at being an aerial scout," she began. Stiletto took a quick sip of her coffee before continuing. "When I first met Avery I examined him and felt he had a friendly aura, part of the reason I decided to take him in. Over yesterday I studied it closely and found that it's actually a really nice aura to be around." The pegasus gave off a chuckle, looking over to Avery. "Not that I was prying, I mean you did fall out of the sky. I sort of needed to check that out before letting you in my house." Stiletto turned back to Princess Celestia. "I don't know if we're friends just yet, I don't like to call ponies friends just after a day even if I know they're friendly. But still, he's laid back and happy. I would probably say we're acquaintances, but I'd like to think we'll be friends quite soon." With that, she sat her coffee back down and waited eagerly to see where the conversation would go next. 

[Avery]

Avery decided on this time to ask Twilight a question, such as how long she's been a student of Celestia, what it was like being a Princess, all those types of questions. He was very curious to see how she held up, as she was one of the newer princesses, so asking this might help him settle in with being a part of royalty. And she answers with almost glee, telling about the many lessons she had to learn and her experiences being a princess. Celestia smiles to the two as they spoke, but paid most attention to Stiletto as she spoke. However, her reaction was about to hit Stiletto like a truck that was on fire and about to explode. As soon as she heard that Stiletto was capable of sensing auras, her calming smile disappeared. Her aura was extremely tensed up as the soft feel around it was gone, as her eyes locked onto Stiletto's; most likely trying to make a read on her.

 

Though, as she continues, Celestia closed her eyes and sighed, mouthing words to herself. She returned to her soft smile, looking as if nothing happened, but her aura remained rather tense. She listened to what she had to say, as Avery responded "Huh? Oh, yeah no problem. I would've been the same if something crashed into my backyard like that."

 

Celestia nods "That is... good. I'm glad to hear that you are thinking positively. And I'm glad that he's fine with being around you. I do not know how he will act, as I've never gotten the chance to truly raise him. But, now that he's here, I have another chance. I will have help as well, with Luna." she says as she attempts to rid her mind of thoughts of the current matter. It was odd for her to do this, though she seems very uneasy about the subject.

 

During this time, Spike comes out of the back room now, carrying a large plate filled with cookies. He puts them on the table, which catches everyone's attention as he announces "Here ya go! My homemade triple-decker nut crazy vanilla cream cookies! Enjoy the treat!" as he says this he takes a couple for himself as he munches them, sitting next to Twilight.

 

Avery tilts his head as the conversation with Twilight came to a halt, using his magic to grab a couple of the cookies for himself. He sniffs them, smelling the vanilla and other mix of scents. He shrugged and ate one of the cookies in a single bite, surprised at how it tasted. The mix of flavors were very well made, as the nuts gave a bit of spice to it. He nods in approval and takes a bite into another one. "Wow... these are good! Never thought I'd be eating something like this, this is great! Almost as good as that cupcake that Pinkie gave me."

 

Spike blinks at the statement, saying "'Almost'?? Aww, Pinkie's always a step ahead of me in that department. Maybe we should cook together sometime so that I can see how she makes her sweets so good."

 

Avery shrugs as he continues munching on the cookies. Though a thought came into his head as he asks "Oh! Hey Stiletto, do you think you could show me around town a little bit more later? I actually would like to know where everything is before I run off to buy anything I would need. ...Also I want to see who spun me around before we got here, it can't be a coincidence that it happened again today like that one rainbow thing from yesterday."

[Zealot]

Stiletto visibly winced at Princess Celestia's reaction to her empathic abilities. The speed of her tension and the power of Celestia's aura combined was enough to make the poor pegasus feel like she'd just been hoofpunched in the gut. "Ow," she exclaimed, gritting her teeth. That certainly wasn't fun, but what made it worse was the way the Princess sighed and just continued smiling like nothing had happened. The air was tense now. What? Had she said something wrong? Was the Princess worried that Stiletto had read her mind or something. Of course, the pegasus had met ponies who'd reacted negatively to her empathy until she'd explained it. Maybe that was all that was needed, though she figured in all her life the Princess would know how empathy worked. Just how to drop it into the conversation?

 

"Yeah," she continued, still reeling from whatever reaction that had been. "I mean it's not like I can read minds, or that I can help it. I can't. I've never met any other ponies like me actually," Stiletto bravely eyed the Princess when she continued with, "I can tell when somepony is worried over nothing though. And that I'm sure Avery and I will be friends soon." Hopefully that was enough of a hint to let her know she didn't intend to go reading anypony's minds. Though it was hard to muster any kind of feeling behind the words after an attack like that, not that she tried. Stiletto suspected she wouldn't be able to help the Princess's mood anyway. Though if the Princess did another one of those emotional shock waves, Stiletto was sure she'd have to leave. The poor pegasus' confusion could be read on her face clear as day.

 

With the emotional whirlpool swirling around her, Stiletto barely noticed Spike come in with a plate full of cookies. Her hoof shook as she took another sip of coffee to steady her nerves and wait for whatever the Princess's response would be. She just hoped it would be a positive one. With an emotional aura that strong it was definitely not in the pegasus' interests to annoy her. 

 

"Hmm, what?" was her response to Avery's query, and she frowned at him for a moment wondering where the cookies had come from. It took her a moment to register his question, looking quite uncomfortable and nervous. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever," Stiletto answered quickly, sparing another confused glance in Princess Celestia's direction. With that much negative energy around, the pegasus would be emanating confusion, nervousness and perhaps even a little bit of fear. She definitely didn't want to get hit by another one of those nervous energy pulses. Stuff like that was not good for the empath's state of mind. 

[Avery]

Celestia noticed the pained expression coming from Stiletto, clearly caused from her sudden change in mood. She felt bad about the pain that she must've felt, it's been far too long when dealing with ponies like Stiletto. She once again sighed to recollect herself, clearly something had gotten over her in that moment alone. She made her presence more calming once again, though the subtle hint of being tense or more so worried lingered in the air. It wasn't much, but it could be felt if focused on. Taking a small sip of her tea, she puts it down and bows her head to Stiletto slowly.

 

"I apologize, dear Stiletto. I... have not dealt with empathic ponies for... six hundred years now. I have no doubt that you two will be friends, that is not a worry on my mind. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable, but hearing that, made me re-live the past. It was... a bad time, one that I wish to not speak about." Celestia says trying to keep herself calm, she took a breath before saying "But, we shouldn't linger on the subject. Is there any place that you've always wanted to visit, Stiletto? Being an aerial reconnaissance flier, you must have many sights to see, but could never visit."

 

Avery in the meantime, looked at Stiletto in a rather worried state of mind. Noticing her nervous look after she abruptly answered his question. He knew something wasn't right, but he wasn't sure if it was just the fact that Stiletto didn't like royalty, or something else. She could feel things to a degree Avery couldn't even touch, so he was confused about what the situation was. Though he wasn't just going to sit on by without asking anything, clearly she was troubled. "Hey, are you alright Stiletto? You kinda don't look all that well." he asked, clearly concerned for Stiletto. Although they didn't really know each other all that well, he still was worried about the fact that she was troubled by something.

 

Twilight noticed the going on of Stiletto and Celestia, though she tried to remain calm for the sake of the Princess being here and the fact that Stiletto could feel more than most. She has read about empathic ponies before, though she's never met one in person. This was a very new experience to her, and judging from her reaction to Celestia's sudden change in mood, even though she herself didn't feel it, made her be more careful how she would display her own emotions. After all, Stiletto was a guest here, she shouldn't make her uncomfortable. Spike in the meantime, just watched as this went on, wondering what would happen next.

[Zealot]

Stiletto looked around anxiously, however her sense of calm seems to return little by little once the Princess steadies her resolve. Being caught in that wave of anxiety had not been fun and she was a little annoyed at the Princess for putting her through it. But still, it couldn't be helped. The pegasus felt it no matter what, though her abilities were somewhat exaggerated when in the presence of such a strong aura. She was glad to hear the apology, even if she wasn't sure how sincere the Princess was being. Her calm aura reasserted itself, giving Stiletto's mood a peace of mind. Maybe she hadn't meant it. "It's ok," she interjected. "It's not like you can help it. I'm sorry I stirred up old wounds or whatever. Normally I'm able to block the bad stuff out unless it's strong, but well," she gave the Princess a weak smile. "Let's just say your aura is particularly strong. It's nice, but strong." One thing was sure, Stiletto did not want to be anywhere near Princess Celestia when she was ticked off.

 

It seemed for now they were at a strange stalemate. She didn't like Princess Celestia and Princess Celestia didn't like her. Granted, neither knew each other all that well. Still, they were divided on principle. Maybe Celestia wasn't so bad. Her aura seemed nice, but someone as skilled in magic might be able to hide it. Though the way she broke her calm just then suggested she couldn't, or at least wasn't right now.

 

In any case, Stiletto was glad to hear Avery was concerned about her. He had no idea what being an empath was like, so likely he couldn't even begin to guess at how she was feeling. Stiletto tried to assuage his fears. "I'm ok," she replied, giving him a smile. "I was just surprised, and a little frazzled with nerves. I'll be ok, just think happy thoughts for me," she reasoned, sounding a little more like herself. After all, now she was beginning to recover with the new mood of the room.

 

Thankfully the Princess changed the subject and Stiletto was glad to turn back to Princess Celestia, seemingly more calm than before. Even if she did feel a thread of worry still there, happiness prevailed and the pegasus focused on that as well as trying to centre herself. Hopefully she wouldn't be caught off guard by something like that again. "Well, yes Princess, travelling is sort of what I do," she began. "Not sure where I'm heading next once I'm done with Ponyville. Maybe head north to the Crystal Empire, I reckon there's some places they will want to reclaim and that sounds like a job for a good scout. I've always wanted to see Manehatten, and it's easy to get work there if you know how. Still, by the time I'm done I'd like to see everywhere in Equestria." She chuckled at that and added, "maybe a few places beyond it as well. I'll go wherever there's fun to be had." 

 

Stiletto decided to leave out the part about Avery wanting to come along. She'd already shaken the Princess once, she didn't want to do it again. Of course, there was quite a few things Stiletto wanted to ask Princess Celestia. She'd no doubt been everywhere in Equestria already. It would be nice for some tips, but she remembered that probably wouldn't be appreciated. 

[Avery]

Avery smiled, hearing that Stiletto had at least sounded more like herself again, and at least looked better. He wanted to know what she and his new found mother were talking about, and so listened intently to what they both were talking about. And it seems that the topic was on where Stiletto wanted to go to, he's heard a lot about Stiletto wanting to travel places, but the specific cities and towns were new to him. He thought about the different places that Equestria might even have, and just the sheer possibility of what there might be was exciting to see. But that also reminded him that he had a lot to learn about each place, and while it would be more fun to explore all of the places that he's never seen before, he might have to take lessons from someone if he really needed the knowledge right at that moment. Though that was for another time, and possibly for another place. Besides, he would just need a basic rundown of whatever town or city he was going to before actually exploring it. He took a drink of his tea, twisting his head still to the new taste.

 

Celestia listened to Stiletto's answer, carefully picking the right words to say next to not drive the conversation down any path that didn't need to be considered. She knew of both places well, as Canterlot does many trades between the two areas. And hearing the possibility of a job at the Crystal Empire made her think for a moment. Before speaking up "Why, those are wonderful places to visit. Especially the Crystal Empire, it's just as beautiful as it was a thousand years ago. If you do decide to go there, I may tell Princess Cadence about you so that you may have a better chance to get a job there. It is good bits to earn. As for Manehatten, you might want to ask around. It is a much more business practiced city than most, even I have trouble following the hardship they have there. Some are even more difficult than my royal duties."

 

Celestia took a moment to look outside, noticing the amount of time that had went by. She was going to have to leave soon, though she was enjoying the conversation between Stiletto and herself. Though she had one more question to ask to both Avery and Stiletto before she had to leave "So, I have noticed that you two seem to have a question to ask. Don't be afraid to ask it, I have to take my leave soon back to Canterlot."

 

Avery blinks as he bites on another cookie he had and gulps it down. He furrowed his brow and tried to think of something to ask; which nothing came up at first, but soon one question did emerge. "Uh, when do I have to like... go there? Canterlot? Since, you know, I'm here and all."

 

Celestia makes a soft smile before saying "Never you mind about that, you can come home whenever you wish. But not at least until you're feeling better, you have some courses to do when you do come back home. But I'm sure you'll get by fine."

[Zealot]

Stiletto smiled at that. Having a reference from Princess Celestia to Princess Cadence would certainly help her get a job there. After all, Cadence herself might want a scout. Who knew? Though the pegasus was loathe to accept Celestia's help, even if it was honestly given. It shouldn't be about who you knew after all, it should just be about how you could perform. But still, she would need the money and if it got her up to see the Crystal Empire then it would be worth it. Besides, her desire to go to Manehatten had been quashed by what the Princess had to say about the place. Stiletto didn't overly like getting involved with complicated business deals. No doubt they might try and take advantage of her if she engaged in a contract there. Manehatten could wait.

 

"It would be nice to see the Crystal Palace," Stiletto began, taking another sip of her coffee. "And the Crystal Heart, I've always wanted to see that. I guess it's kept under lock and key, but hey, it would be nice to see it. I imagine there's quite a bit of fun to be had there, so yeah, guess I'll go there once I get bored of Ponyville. If it's as beautiful as you say." A thought crossed her mind that Avery might have heard of the empire. After all, it was old. Very old, but the look of non-comprehension on his face told her that he didn't. 
 

That was when Stiletto was surprised to hear the Princess offer to answer questions from them both. Huh, guess that was the opportunity she'd been waiting for. She finished off her coffee and listened as Avery asked if he was going back to Canterlot. Stiletto grew a little tense when he asked that. This was the moment where they'd find out if he was going to stay in Ponyville or Celestia was going to take her away. Stiletto hid a smile when she heard that he was going to stay, for the time being. After all, she liked having him around and it was going to be fun finding out who he had been. 

 

Now it was Stiletto's turn to ask a question. "Well, if Avery's staying, I was going to let him stay at mine. I already offered and he seemed happy to crash at my place. I'd like to know if that's ok with you, Princess? I mean I don't know if you had plans so," she shrugged, trailing off. But still, if Avery wasn't going to stay with Stiletto that left one question unanswered. "Either way, was there anything you needed from me? I'd quite like to help Avery if I can." Stiletto didn't like the idea of taking orders from the Princess, but hey, if it helped Avery and meant that she could see the end of his adventure then she was willing to put up with it. At least, for now. Still, she turned to Princess Celestia and awaited her response. 

[Avery]

Avery was slightly relieved that he didn't have to go right away, he was enjoying this small town right now. Even though he hasn't fully explored most of it, it was still nice just to be around this calm setting. Though hearing what Stiletto asked about was a slight surprise, he thought he was just being an annoyance since she doesn't exactly like royalty. It was nice to hear that she wanted to help him out, even if it meant that she'd have to deal with someone like him for the time being. But what would Celestia think about this?

 

Well, she would respond with a nod "That would be fine. If you didn't want to let him stay, I would have him stay with Twilight instead. But it's good to hear that you have that settled already. And as for what I would want you to do, if you can at least keep an eye on how Avery is until he wishes to return home. Simply, make sure he's in good health and detail anything that needs to be noticed. If anything bad should happen, I want you to tell Twilight right away, she has a personal connection to send letters to me. But that's all I would need from you, Stiletto. In a few days, I will have something ready for you, to make traveling a bit easier on you. If you have anything else to say, please speak now. I have to make my leave. Twilight, thank you for putting this together."

 

Twilight sticks her head up and smiles brightly "It was my honor Princess. Anything to help you meet family after such a long time searching." Twilight felt good to help the princess out with such an important moment such as this one, it was surprising to hear that Celestia had a son such a long time ago and that she kept it secret for so long like this when she first learned about it. But now that she's face to face with the actual flesh and blood of her mentor, it was almost overwhelming to think about. If you get passed the fact that he acts almost nothing like how royalty would, almost like a teenager that's lazy enough to be this calm about everything.

 

Avery in the meantime, just enjoyed his cookies. Spike truly made some good cookies, they blended really well. Though his thoughts were more about his future and how he should look at it. It was... different than what he was used to. Which was not much it seems, he acts as if he's been living in a place of peace for most of his life, and that he has gotten so accustomed to it that wouldn't act so sharply to anything. Like he's had all the time in the world to think about what to say or do before doing it. Though before he had a chance to say anything, one of the books on the shelves caught his attention. There was actually something familiar about the book somehow, as he squinted his eyes to the book. He asked Twilight if he could look at that particular book and took it down once she said that she could. He then opened the book and started reading it. It was a book on Magic, more so on Star Swirl the Bearded.

[Zealot]

Well that was settled then, Avery would stay with Stiletto. Though thinking about it, that probably meant that Stiletto should sort out a proper place to sleep for him. At least for the time being. She couldn't just put him on the couch each night, that would get old. In fact, the pegasus wondered if it would simply be easier for him to sleep with her, on her bed. After all, it was a double bed. A large double bed, and there would be plenty of space. His aura was clear, and she knew it was unlikely he would threaten her. Still, she shot that idea down. Not everypony was as liberal as Stiletto after all and it could be misconstrued. She didn't want Avery to feel uncomfortable after all. Maybe they could just buy an air-mattress...

 

The pegasus listened for the catch, and was surprised to find it was quite a light one. Keep the Princess updated on Avery's condition. Well, she could do that, in fact she wouldn't mind doing that at all. "Sure," Stiletto confirmed, giving the Princess a smile. "I'll give you like a weekly report or something, unless something bad happens in which case I'll let you know. Unless it's something we can solve of course," she says with a chuckle. After all, not much point in telling Princess Celestia if Avery got a cold or something. 

 

Still, the Princess' statement intrigued her. What was that about travelling and having something ready for her? Well, this was going to be interesting... Her mind wondered to what it could be as Celestia thanked Twilight for arranging the visit at short notice. Hmm, that was nice of her. Though Stiletto couldn't shake the feeling that was what Twilight had wanted all along. Maybe she was just being nice to suck up to Celestia, yeah, that was it. Either way, Stiletto didn't want much part in Twilight's political scheming. That was her business, and as much as Stiletto liked Avery she'd rather not get involved in that. Politics was not her interest, nor was it her strong suit.

 

Right, yes, the Princess was leaving. That was ok with her. "Err," she interjected, trying to think if she had anything else to say. Stiletto could say a number of things of course, but none would be particularly helpful or polite. She still didn't like Princess Celestia, but was conflicted about the nature of her aura. It contrasted too much with the idea she held in her head. But still, she couldn't deny what was right in front of her. Stiletto remained polite. "Well, I don't really have anything else to add. It was nice to meet you I guess, and yeah, glad I could help out." She decided it would be best to leave the last words to Avery. He was her son after all and Stiletto imagined the Princess would rather talk to him than the pegasus she just met. Though Stiletto was intrigued by the amount of attention she had received. She had half expected to be ordered outside after all. 

[Avery]

Celestia nods her head saying to Stiletto "It was nice to meet you as well, and I hope we don't get off on the wrong hoof." she then turns to Avery who was still indulged in the book he chose out. She looked at him for a moment, before speaking "Avery? I'm about to leave, if there anything you want to say?" she laughed under her breath, knowing that she's been through the same thing as with Twilight when she was lost within the words of a book. It almost felt nostalgic to her, as the last time she's done so was a long time ago. Still, Avery lifts his head suddenly, blinking at Celestia and smiles sheepishly.

 

"Oh! Sorry, this book actually has something familiar in it. Maybe it's just because of Star Swirl and basically making magic to be. But uh... I'm not sure what to really say. It's still baffling that you're my mother, it almost feels wrong in a way. But, I guess it's nice to see you" he says while rubbing the back of his head. While it was true that he didn't really know what to say, and the fact that he was still the son of someone as well known as Celestia was still a little much for him, there was uncertainty in his voice. It may be that he wasn't sure if he should accept what's fact, or keep pondering about what his past is, as that's what's going through his mind at the moment.

 

Celestia nods her head, though she was concerned about what he was thinking about. Though she smiles, knowing well why he didn't choose to talk that much, and says "I'm sorry that we couldn't speak as much, but I'm sure that you're still getting used to everything. I'm sure you'll have much to talk about when you come to Canterlot Castle. But, for now, I must make my leave. If you need anything, don't be afraid to send either Luna or myself a letter." She stands up from her spot and walks around the table, lowering her head to let her horn tap Avery's head "I hope to see you home very soon." and with those words, she bowed her head to everyone present and took her leave. Spike, being quick on notice, rushed to the door and opened it for her. Celestia smiled as she ducked her head through the doorway and back to the royal chariot.

 

Twilight sighed in relief after the princess had left, saying "Well, that went better than expected. Alright, now that that is out of the way, I can get back to what I had planned for today. As for you two, you can say here as long as you wish, just make sure to not make a mess of the place and put the books you find back, okay? Now, where did I put that list at..?" she would ask herself before disappearing upstairs in search for that list. Meanwhile, Spike waddles over to a pile of books that was near one of the many bookshelves to put them away, taking a take of eight and climbing up a nearby ladder.

 

Avery in the meantime, didn't exactly know what to expect. But was glad that it went good, however his mind was more focused on the book he had in front of him. It must've been important, as he did say that it was familiar to him. But he would close the book and look at it for a moment, lifting it up with his magic and study its cover. Turning it around, flipping it upside down and so on. He would then put it on the table and tilt his head, muttering "Why does this seem familiar..?"

[Zealot]

Stiletto watched the scene unfold as Princess Celestia said goodbye to her son, Avery. She had to admit, it was quite heart-warming to watch. Mother and son reunited after so long. It must have been over a thousand years at least and that was a long time for a mother to wait. Stiletto could feel the motherly love in the room and had no doubt that Celestia cared for Avery. It seemed it was good that she had taken that flight over the Everfree yesterday, otherwise who knows what would have happened? Still, Stiletto did wonder about Princess Celestia's last words to her. Getting off on a bad hoof? Well, it was probably impossible for Stiletto to have gotten along with the Princess better. She even surprised herself that she'd kept it together and was even more surprised that the Princess had been polite. Even without the accident earlier, Stiletto still wasn't too sure about her. It would no doubt be interesting to see what she would think of Stiletto's political views, but that was a conversation for a later date. If there was ever going to be a later date.

 

The pegasus sighed herself as she felt the warm aura of the Princess recede. It had been a nice aura to have around, but it had been far too smothering for her liking. Likely on account of the Princess' magical power. Still, at least she could block out everyone else's aura. "Well, that's that," she said after the Princess had left. That was when Princess Twilight told them they could stay as long as they liked, but to put the books back. She disappeared, leaving Stiletto wondering what she meant by that. No doubt she'd meant 'get out'. Right?

 

Stiletto looked over to Avery and smiled, seeing that he had a book clasped in his magic. She wandered over to see what he was looking at. "Err," she responded, looking at the unfamiliar book. "I dunno, maybe it's an old book or something. I've never seen this guy before," she says, gesturing to the name of 'Starswirl the Bearded'. She chuckled at that, "Probably a unicorn wizard or something. Maybe it's a magic book or a history book. Twilight might know, it's her book after all." Then again, were they really her books? It was a library after all, she just lived here. 

 

A few possibilities of what to do next drifted into the pegasus' mind. Didn't Avery say he wanted to tour Ponyville or something? Yeah, well, they could do that in a bit. They also would need to head off to the castle if they wanted to get there at mid-day. They would also need to sort out sleeping arrangements. It seemed as if the day would be quite busy.

[Avery]

Avery continued to stare at the book until he was snapped out of it by Stiletto, who made a comment about the book. He was about to spout off about something, though he thought it wouldn't be best, as she was a Pegasus after all. When would they need to look into magic besides their own with controlling how the weather would be. He simply said "Oh, this guy? He was possibly one of the very first unicorns to actually master the art of magic, so far as to even make several unique spells himself. I've heard that he's made a time traveling spell, though it's only for a limited amount of time and can only go back so far." He opened the book to the introduction of Starswirl the Bearded, showing a drawing of a unicorn draped in a magical blue robe. "From an unknown land of mystery and powerful relics, Starswirl the Bearded was one of the very first ponies that was capable of mastering the art of magic. He has created several spells, some of which are used naturally to this day. He passed down his studies to many of his students, and they taught many others, but nopony has been able to re-capture the lost teachings of Starswirl. It's one of the great mysteries of the world, where many adventurers travel the world in search for the lost teachings left behind by one of the most powerful unicorns ever known."

 

He read out from the old text book, as he closes it for right now. He then looked at it again, squinting his eyes before saying "It's... weird though. I feel like I've known about this guy before. It just doesn't make sense right now." he certainly was interested in the book, though his look was was more confusion than being interested. It was very familiar to him about the name of Starswirl, though he can't put a hoof on what he thought was the answer. Other thoughts are finally getting back to him, such as the plans that they had for today. Once he remembered about that plan, he puts the book down, almost instinctively putting it back onto the shelf as he turns to Stiletto with a smile.

 

"But hey! Shouldn't worry bout the past too much! Besides, weren't we going to go see what was at that castle today? Wouldn't want to waste that moment. If you're ready to get going, I am too! ...But wait, what time is it?" he says, quickly turning his head as if he'd forgotten something.

 

"It's about a hour to noon!" Spike calls out behind him, still putting away books on the shelves. Avery blinks and smiles, now knowing the time of what it is now.

 

"Thanks, Spike! So... That means we were here for... not really that long. Or was it that long? I can't really tell, usually I don't pay attention to the time heheh." Avery laughs, feeling as good as can be. He was ready for another trip back to the castle, and find out what he saw before. A strange tablet of stone with strange writing; that was interesting to see alright.

[Zealot]

Stiletto nods slowly, absorbing the information. So, Starswirl the Bearded was a unicorn who discovered magic. Right, got it. Though it seemed strange to her how the unicorns had needed somepony to discover something that seemed so ingrained into the psyche of modern unicorns. After all, Stiletto saw them using magic every day and never stopped to think about where it had all come from. She had probably been told in history class, not that she'd paid much attention to that topic in particular. It was intriguing, but some stuff that didn't seem to relate to her had gotten ignored. Well, she knew now. The pegasus took a wild guess, "Maybe you knew him or something. After all, you've been gone a long time, maybe he was a friend of yours or something. Either way, sounds like he had one heck of an adventure."

 

She smiles back at Avery as he puts the book away. Then he suggested going back to the castle of the two sisters. She looks up towards the sun, realising that it was nearing its zenith. If they wanted to go to the castle, now was the best time they could ask for. Spike confirmed her suspicions as he told them both it was an hour till mid-day. "Sure thing," she replied to Avery, thinking for a moment. "Should probably head back to my place and grab a few provisions just in case, shouldn't take long. Then we can head on over there. Easy."

 

The pegasus thought for a moment again. She thought she had better steel herself for going back there. Even if the sun was high, whatever was out there would still be lingering. The aura was strong, and evil. Still, as long as Stiletto had Avery with her she was sure it would be fine. He'd watch her back well enough. The adventurous pegasus was a little wary about tempting fate one to many times. But hey, it would be fun, and hopefully they could recover that stone tablet that Avery had talked about last time they were there. Maybe it was some old ancient relic, or even a magical spell inscribed into the stone. It might even hold the key to Avery's memories. Or of course it could just be a stone. 

 

"Alright, let's go. Unless you wanted to loan out that book. This is a library after all," she pointed out. Stiletto's wings extended in excitement and she gives him a smile. Yeah, this was going to be a good fun adventure she could write about in her travel book. 

[Avery]

Avery was baffled at the suggestion of him actually knowing some one like Starswirl, such a thought was something that he wouldn't have conjured to believe like how he first initially thought to be royalty. He quickly shakes his head of the thought "Nonono! I couldn't have ever known someone like Starswirl. That's just crazy talk. But he has had many adventures, I'm sure, he did live a long time ago." he was quick to say something like that, almost not looking at himself in a better light. Though, he seemed to not mind a bit about it. He was more worried about the darkness that tried to engulf him back at the castle, he'd have to be on a constant watch around. Even though it might not be as active, it will still be lurking in wait. It was certainly different than what he's had to face, but... what he's had to face was just friendly ponies and a territorial Manticore, other than that he's never really thought of something like that darkness.

 

He shakes the thought off and smiles to Stiletto, saying that she was ready to go. Though he shook his head at loaning the book "Nah, I'm not really that worried about it. If I really needed it, I'll just come back for it. Doesn't seem to be a popular book anyway, which is sad. But, let's get going! I'm tired of sitting here and waiting for the time to go by, heheh." as he said this, he gets up from his spot and stretches, wings and all. Then with a quick trot in place, he trots over to the library door, saying a quick goodbye to Spike and Twilight, who was still being a busy bee somewhere else in the library. He opens the door and walks outside, taking in a breath of fresh air. It was going to be a little walk back to Stiletto's home, but he enjoyed walking, it lets him see what's on the ground.

 

"Alright, let's head on back." he states as he begins to walk back to Stiletto's home. He knew the way back, just had to retrace his steps. Though he paid much more attention to the town around him, it was still the quiet and more peaceful town that he entered, now more relaxed with Avery's presence here. Having an alicorn come by is something that ponies like these aren't normally accustomed by, but they seem to get used to facts much more quickly than Avery first thought. And passing by a certain sugary building, a familiar pink earth pony pops out of the mailbox with bubbly mane and all, nearly scaring the alicorn half to death.

 

"HI! This is Sugar Cube Corner! When you get the chance you should come inside and see all the sweets that the Cakes and I bake! OH! OH! Why don't you come inside right now?! Surely you're not doing anything right now! Cause you're not moving fast! And because you're not moving fast, you don't have anything to do! But then you could have a big adventure planned and you're just taking this time to look at Ponyville so you can get to know it better because you've never been here before cause you randomly came out of the sky! Wow! How many times has that been said in this thread?" Pinkie Pie would say as she would hop out of her mailbox, her leg getting stuck, though getting it out with a wobbly effect while still speaking.

 

Avery was still baffled at how fast Pinkie Pie was speaking to him, almost as if she were in a hurry to get somewhere, but enjoying every single millisecond of every moment. But at least he understood some of what she said. Responding "Uh... I don't know? But I can't right now. Like you said... I guess, I'm actually getting ready to go somewhere for a bit with Stiletto. But maybe I'll come back here later today, or tomorrow. Just depends on what happens, ya know?"

 

Pinkie responds with a huge grin saying "Okie Dokie Lokie!" and quickly hops into the large gingerbread like building. Avery shook his head in confusion, wondering how she even got into the mailbox to begin with; it was way too small to fit an entire pony. But he shook off the event for now, continuing on to Stiletto's home.

[Zealot]

Ok then, Avery didn't know Starswirl. That was disappointing, Stiletto thought she had been getting somewhere. Ahh well, perhaps he had simply heard of Starswirl a thousand years ago and had been fascinated by him. Who knew. Still, the pegasus could tell he was worried about something as he discarded the idea of loaning the book. Unfortunately, she didn't know what. Maybe just their adventure into the Everfree, after all, each time they'd been there it hadn't been the most pleasant experience. Still, Stiletto smiled and followed Avery outside. All she said as she was leaving was, "Bye," in a slightly bored sounding tone. If she was honest, she only called out of courtesy.

 

The pegasus stretched her wings as she walked outside, but quickly tucked them back again. It was nice to be outside again. Too much sitting around, it was time for some action. Stiletto was surprised to find Avery leading the way. She'd figured that she would have to lead him back, but he seemed quite capable in finding his way back. Stiletto decided it would be best to simply follow suit.

 

As they walked Stiletto gave the occasional comment about a building they passed or a pony they saw, telling Avery a little about Ponyville. Of course, Stiletto didn't know too much about Ponyville but it was enough. Enough to say that she could at least point out important ponies or buildings. That was when both Avery and Stiletto were surprised by the appearance of Pinkie Pie from a mailbox. The pegasus was less surprised than Avery, and she giggled when the pink pony started rambling about Sugar Cube Corner. She'd been there many times to buy cake and it was a popular shop around Ponyville, maybe after they had gone to the Everfree they could pop in. After all, Princess Luna would be coming and Stiletto would need something to feed her. Even just to be polite. Though she'd be quite happy to go her whole lifetime without meeting her, it wouldn't do to be rude with Avery in her company. 

 

"Hey there Pinkie Pie," Stiletto greeted her as Avery explained that they were heading off into the forest. "We'll be sure to pop 'round later," she added, "See you around." With that, the pegasus trotted after Avery. "We should probably turn up there after our trip to the castle," she began, "We'll need something sweet to give to Princess Luna. I know Pinkie Pie gave us those cupcakes, but hey, I suspect Pinkie would appreciate you stopping by." Stiletto chuckles at that, "Or she might just pop out of one of my cupboards again."

 

Still, it's a short walk to Stiletto's from Sugar Cube Corner. The pegasus unlocked the door and headed inside with Avery trailing after her. She gave a brief sigh before trying to remember where she'd put her saddle bag with the supplies she would need.

[Avery]

Avery was glad to have Stiletto around, without her, he would be lost in this town, unsure where to go. But that wasn't the case, and Stiletto was kind enough to give him some comments on the several buildings and ponies they saw. It was refreshing to know what went on in this town, it made it more comfortable to be in to him, and it also helped to know where everything was. But he wondered what other things there would be in a town like this, what other kinds of ponies he might be able to meet and talk to. It was so interesting to see what ponies there were here in this town, and what was to explore in the town that he hasn't seen yet.

 

Right now, however, he needed to be sure that they were ready for the trip back to the 'Everfree Castle', as Avery calls it now. It was a short walk back to Stiletto's home, which was good. He walked in behind Stiletto, closing the door with his magic. He knew that Stiletto needed something, but then thought about if he needed anything for the trip. He didn't exactly have anything to take with him, he didn't have anything when he crashed in the forest from before, did he? It was uncertain about that fact, but it could be possible that he had something and couldn't quite tell what it might've been. He quickly shook of his thought, noticing that Stiletto was looking for her saddle bag from before. Where did she put it at? Perhaps it was when he was tired last night and went to sleep.

 

"Hey, Stiletto, you need any help finding something? I can help if you want." he says, looking around at the small downstairs room. It shouldn't be that hard to find, right? Well, for him, that bag was as hard to find as that one pony from that book series where you had to point out where they were from the crowd. You remember that? I do.It was a hard book to follow. But, as Avery would look around for that saddle bag, he thought about what other ponies he might meet, or even what the other parts of Ponyville held. But then the subject on his mind changed to Princess Luna, his aunt. What was she like? Was she like his mother, who was calm and collected, or was she different? Who knew? He certainly didn't, but meeting her would be exciting to see. But then he was getting sidetracked, he wanted to try and find that saddle bag for Stiletto, checking almost all of downstairs.

[Zealot]

Stiletto looked up at Avery's call. "Hmm? Oh, I think I left my saddle bag somewhere down here. I'm pretty sure I just tucked it out the way somewhere." She glanced about the living room but didn't immediately see the bag, or any tell tale signs of it. It must be here though. "Ahh, I'll find it in a minute. I need my crossbow." The pegasus headed towards the stairs and then stopped and looked at the alicorn. She thought to herself for a few moments, wondering what they might need. "It should only be a short trip, I think I still have enough for a picnic in there. If we decide to stop to eat of course." Though she highly doubted that. "I'm just going to get my crossbow, be right back."

 

With that Stiletto trotted up the stairs to retrieve her weapon. She was definitely worried about going back to the castle. Whatever dark and evil thing lurked there was not to be trifled with. Even with her crossbow, she doubted that she could be much use against it. Stiletto didn't think Avery would be any good either, after all, he had yet to demonstrate any real magical ability. Sure he could levitate things but all unicorns and alicorns could do that, right? Still, Stiletto would feel better if she brought the weapons along, even if it was just a precaution. Besides, they might run into something it would be useful against. The pegasus walked over to her nightstand and retrieved the weapon from under the bed. 

 

She spent a few minutes attaching the weapon to her front right hoof, and once that was done grabbed a hooffull of quarrels for ammunition. Once she'd loaded them into her quiver, the pegasus was armed and ready to go. Stiletto cocked the weapon and made sure it was working properly, which it was, before heading back downstairs. "Alright, I've got my crossbow. Now I just need my bag and I'm good to go." Though she thought about Avery right then, he didn't exactly have anything. They'd probably have to go shopping later and get him a saddlebag at least, even a few odd trinkets. That would be nice. "You ok, do you need anything before we go?" she asked with a questioning tone. 

[Avery]

Avery nodded as he heard where she might of put it, and soon decided to look in the tighter corners of the room. Although it was rather difficult to find at first, he found the bag next to the fire place and bookshelf. Finally! Progress! He puts the bag on the coffee table for the time being so that it could be found when Stiletto would come back downstairs.As for now, he sat down on the couch to think about what to expect when at the Everfree castle. It did hold something very sinister, it could be what Twilight said; the essence of Nightmare Moon, whoever that was. It must've been some kind of evil if it was dangerous to be around, so he had to be cautious while there searching. But the forest itself was interesting to him, if it held something like that in a castle that used to be royalty's domain, what other secrets did it hold that wish to be discovered?

 

His train of thought was lost when Stiletto came back after getting what she needed from upstairs, asking him something about needing anything. He thought for a moment, he didn't exactly need anything besides something to carry that tablet of stone back, or anything else important for that matter. "Well...not really. All I need is something to carry that thing I saw back here. Although I could use my magic, I have no idea how long I'm going to carry something like that. Hmmm... maybe we could get something from the shops around here? I thought I saw a few yesterday while flying." he would say almost getting distracted about what to actually get if they did go shopping. He would then lift the saddlebag off of the coffee table and to Stiletto "Oh yeah, I found it! It was over there all snug beside the shelf."

 

He smiles as he got up to stretch his wings for the flight that he was about to take once they were completely ready to go. Though a thought passed by, so he asked "Hey, are you going to be alright over there? Last time was a bit rough for you wasn't it? Do you think that you should stay a safe distance so that whatever is in there doesn't get to you that much?" he wanted to be sure that Stiletto would be alright, although she was just more of an acquaintance than anything at the moment, he felt it safe that he should at least ask for the well being of someone that has a much higher sensitivity to things around them like her.

[Zealot]

Stiletto listened to Avery then looked at the coffee table, and her saddlebag. Aww, he'd found it for her. That was nice. "Thanks," she said, smiling at him. The pegasus took the saddle bag from him and lifted it onto her back. She made sure the straps were secure before deciding she was good to go. After all, it wouldn't do for all of her stuff to fall out mid flight. 

 

With that done, her attention turned to the task at hand. Transporting a large stone tablet would be difficult at best with magic, and she didn't like the idea of landing in the Everfree for Avery to recover. "Well, I guess we could go into town real quick and buy you an empty saddlebag to carry it in. How big was it?" she asked, not quite remembering the size of the thing. "I have an aerial stretcher as well, we could use that to carry it between us." It was an idea that might work, but still, she didn't really remember the tablet all that much. She had been a little preoccupied with the other major thing about the castle. That thing about Nightmare Moon... yeah.

 

Still, it looked like Avery was raring to go and so was she. Stiletto thought for a few moments as he asked her if she was going to be ok. Last time, Nightmare Moon's presence had shaken her but she was ready for it this time. "I..." she began with a nervous hint to her voice. "I'll be fine. I'm not letting you go in there alone. We're going there in the middle of the day and Twilight said it would be fine. We'll go, grab the stone thing and leave. It'll be fine, right?" she asked, sounding not particularly convinced. 

 

The mercenary took a deep breath and steadied herself. It would be fine, just needed to go and get a stone tablet from an evil castle. Yeah. It would be fine. 

[Avery]

Avery smiled, knowing that he did a good deed today. Then hearing Stiletto's question, he thought about the slab for a moment, judging the size of it from the first glace he got from it. It wasn't that big, but it was bigger than a normal saddle bag, though he wasn't certain. The main thing that interested him was the writing on the slab, he's never seen it before. Though, Stiletto's stretcher that she mentioned might just work, have it dropped off here so they could look at it without worrying about that Nightmare Moon character. He nodded, saying "Yeah, I think that stretcher might do the trick. It looked a bit too big for a saddle bag, though I'm not sure if that's true or not. But, it's better to be safe than sorry!"

 

He nods to Stiletto, giving some hopeful vibes that they'll both be okay after the trip back to the Everfree Castle. Just a quick trip to the castle and back, getting something that might be important, who knows what it might be? But one thing's for sure, they'll still have to be careful, since the Everfree is still a dangerous place to be in, no matter what time of day you go in. But he still nodded, saying "Of course! We'll be in then out in no time! We don't have to be there long if you don't want to. But yeah, let's get that stretcher and get there and back as fast as possible." he said rather hastily, as if he didn't want to go himself, but is forcing himself to do so.

 

He didn't want to go back there, as the darkness that he saw before was very menacing, almost as if it was going to take him away. That wouldn't be good for him, especially when he just got here. He wasn't going to stop anytime soon, and no dark matter was going to have any say about it.