Fallen Eagle

Chapter 62: The Princess' Warning

What's this? An early update!? Yeah...I felt really awful about how long the previous chapter took to get out, so I took two scenes I cut out from the previous chapter and spliced them together into their own chapter. And no, this isn't really a mini-chapter like the one with Twilight, Spike, and Flash Sentry because this one is about twice as long. Not too little, not too much, just a medium-sized chapter for you guys since the last two chapters were REALLY long.

headreviewermk2: I don't really know...Ivan was just playing with Applejack because he loves it when she takes charge like that.

axelialea: They can't get married yet; they've only been together a little over three months at this point. And again, Ivan is a human. I can't just magically have AJ get pregnant just because. That's a cop out, and I won't do it.

SkullSlim690: Actually I HAVE watched Legend of Everfree. Short review: Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games were better.

WarHusky2000: I know the stereotype about girls gunning for the bouquet, (heck one of my friends told me I got it pretty spot on) but I wanted it to be over the top and almost violent, especially since it was a princess' bouquet. Hence why Rarity called the other mares cannibals

Sassymouse: Well, like I said, this chapter was mainly fanservice, but it also progressed a few potential couples as well. Besides, I've always wanted to have Rarity tell Spike how he truly feels about her so he doesn't have to live with the fear of her reaction anymore.

Monkeyboy0118: I was kind of hoping some people would think that, but nope, I planned for Rarity to catch the bouquet and Spike the garter ever since I came up with Luna and Checkered's wedding.

OBSERVER01: To be honest, Sparity was really my first ship for MLP, ever since I became a fan over two years ago. I do have some plans for them, but not just yet. The FlutterCord thing though, yeah I got inspiration from Dixie Darlin's story, but I also wanted to use that opportunity for Discord to really spill about how sorry he was for when he was a villain, and to really show his character development that he's changing his ways by showing how sorry he is and not wanting to sugarcoat it.

Anyway, I hope this chapter suffices for now. Please review and tell me what you think!

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(Two Nights Later; Canterlot)

Bat Fang, the captain of Princess Luna's Lunar Guard, exhaled quietly to stay as silent as possible as he made his rounds throughout the castle gardens and the perimeter of the gates and wall around said castle. The veteran guard paused for a brief moment to get a bearing on his surroundings, scanning his eyes and keeping his ears peeled for anything remotely out of the ordinary. He looked up toward the night sky, taking a little break to gaze at the beauty his princess was able to provide night after night, even if she was not in Canterlot at the moment.

Princess Luna and her husband left shortly after their reception was complete, leaving happily to enjoy their honeymoon. While their destination of Las Pegasus may have wandered into the cliche category, its seedy nature didn't exactly scream royalty. Nonetheless, both the bride and groom enjoyed the city and settled on its location to consummate their marriage, even if she was already carrying their colt. Venom, Bat Fang's longtime fellow guard, was chosen to be the sole guard that accompanied the prince and princess on their vacation. With another sigh, Bat Fang blinked his golden eyes away from the distracting night sky, focusing on his job of protecting Prince Blueblood, and obviously Princess Celestia as they slept for the night. "Heh," the bat pony scoffed to himself, knowing that he really only needed to focus on protecting Celestia's nephew seeing as how she had the captain of her Solar Guard as her coltfriend, and she was Princess Celestia!

But still, Bat Fang had a job to protect not only the members of the royal family, but the citizens of Canterlot as well. The night time was also the most important shift when the majority of ponies were defenseless due to the demand of sleep, hence the importance of the Lunar Guard. And while some ponies may have feared the darkness of the night, even with Luna's moon guiding them, Bat Fang enjoyed the tranquility it offered. "What the?" He blurted softly when the light of the moon was interrupted for a fraction of a second on the ground in front of him.

The bat pony jerked his head upward, scanning his eyes across the sky to see who or what was flying above. He was sure it was a shadow and not just a trick of the light; he distinctly saw the shadow of a pair of wings pass over the ground in front of him. What really heightened his alertness, however, was the fact that Celestia had ended Night Court about an hour ago and, as far as Bat Fang knew, there weren't any special guests scheduled to meet with the princess tonight. "Come on," he whispered quietly, squinting his eyes in hopes of catching at least a silhouette against the dark blue backdrop of the night sky. Bat Fang growled when out of the corner of his eye he spotted something land on the roof of a house just outside the castle gates. Normally, he would've signaled at least two other guards for assistance when investigating an unannounced guest, especially one acting as strange as this. However, the lunar guard's eyebrows shot up when the silhouette shifted its position enough to reveal the outline of a dragon.

He had to act quickly and at least try to confront the intruder of Canterlot; running back to get backup may leave the dragon enough time sneak its way past other guards and up to Celestia's chambers. "For the princess," he snarled to himself before leaping into the air, flapping his bat wings as gently as possible to stay stealthy. Even though he'd been through a lot with dragons in Draconia, the bat pony wouldn't let those memories get to him, not while he had sworn to protect Canterlot with his very life. Bat Fang didn't know whether or not dragons could see in the dark, but he didn't have time to find out or even think about it.

The dark image of the reptile seemed to turn in his direction, but didn't act as if it knew he was coming. Nonetheless, as Bat Fang drew nearer and stiffened out his wings to glide quietly and avoid detection, the winged lizard leapt from its current position across the street to the top of the local doughnut shop, crouching down and leaning on its left arm. Sucking in a deep breath, Bat Fang continued on his original course and landed gently on the same rooftop where the dragon had been resting merely seconds before. Understanding that he couldn't simply launch himself toward the creature and attempt to subdue it by himself, Bat Fang waited patiently to study the dragon's behavior and hopefully gain the element of surprise long enough for more guards to come to his assistance. He also wanted to avoid a mass panic within the regal city, knowing some citizens would jump to the conclusion of a dragon invasion.

"What's your game?" Bat Fang mumbled to himself, keeping his eyes glued on his target. There was a pair of guards pacing back and forth in front of the castle gates, but they were not bat ponies like himself and didn't have as good of nighttime eyesight as bat pony guards. At least with Luna's moon, they had some assistance with nocturnal vision. Bat Fang had to be careful to not alert them until the time was necessary, only forcing a small drop of sweat to travel down the side of his face. He couldn't stifle a gasp when, in a flash, the dragon disappeared behind the doughnut shop and left his eyesight. Without thinking, Bat Fang leapt from the rooftop he was currently hiding on and glided over to the bakery, landing with a thud.

Suppressing a growl, he quickly yet carefully tip-hoofed across the roof in hopes of making as little noise as possible until he reached the edge of the roof. Roughly gulping, Bat Fang peered over to get a bird's eye view of the alley behind Joe's Doughnut Shop, only to find it seemingly empty. A few old delivery crates and spare barrels of bakery ingredients were the only objects the bat pony could discern other than a few pieces of scattered paper littering the ground. Bat Fang suddenly hopped down, using his wings to slow his speed, and came to a gentle stop on the ground below. The stallion's eyes were peeled with his hoof slowly drawing a dagger out of a sheath on his armor, for behind a dumpster, he could see the faint shadow of the dragon hunched over, appearing to hold something within its claws.

'Thank the princess,' he thought, biting his fangs into his lower lip to keep from breathing loud. Once he did that, the night went completely silent with the exception of his own heartbeat. Not even a gentle breeze was flowing through town; it almost felt like he and the dragon were the only two beings awake at the moment. Bat Fang crept up to the other side of the dumpster like a cat, getting as close to the metal container without scraping his armor against and alerting the intruder to his presence. He had no intention of just outright slaying the creature, but he had to think of what to say and what to do before he had to come face to face with it. Even if the dragon would just escape after being discovered, that would be enough to let Celestia know what was going on.

Ever so cautiously, the grey bat pony peered his golden eye around the edge of the dumpster in case his target was getting ready to move.

CRASH

Not much could really scare the captain of the Lunar Guard, but things can change when one is trying to be so quiet that they could hear a strand of hair falling to the ground. A garbage can from one of the other business had tumbled over with two cats fighting over some garbage, disturbing the tranquility of the night. Bat Fang immediately pulled his head back and took gentle breaths through his nose, still holding the dagger over his chest as the dragon stood up, snorting. He couldn't help the fact that his eyes were increasing in size with every step the reptilian took closer to his hiding spot.

The light of the moon suddenly vanished, making sight difficult even for the night pony. He could've sworn his own heart ceased beating from fear of the tall dragon standing merely half a foot from him with their claws on its hips, and the scent of sulfur seeping out of its nose. "Mmm?" The dragon mumbled, taking another step forward. This move allowed the moon to shine light once again, but this only made it easier for Bat Fang to be spotted, and he knew it. Making a quick prayer, Bat Fang eased himself back into a standing position before leaping at the dragon.

"What the!?" The dragon yelped before having its mouth covered by Bat Fang's hoof. Before it even realized what was going on, the lunar guard had one hoof in the dragon's mouth and the other hoof around its neck, yanking it around. The dragon growled, trying to defend itself as Bat Fang grunted, using all of his strength to subdue the beast. The two struggled for a moment with the dragon trying to claw at Bat Fang to get him off while Bat Fang flapped his wings to try and bring the dragon to the ground.

Finally, Bat Fang led it over to one of the empty crates, forcing it to trip and fall on its back, hissing at him all the while. His dagger was immediately at the reptile's throat as just a deterrent when the bat pony got a look at the city's intruder who was struggling underneath him. "By the name of the princesses, I demand you- Princess Ember?" Bat Fang's face contorted into confusion, his eyebrows furrowing, nostrils flaring, wings outstretched, yet jaw hanging open.

The turquoise colored daughter of King Horntail ceased fighting Bat Fang when she heard him call her by name, breathing a sigh of relief that whomever attacked her actually knew her. "Geez Bat Fang, were you trying to get mauled?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Withdrawing his weapon and putting it back in its sheath, Bat Fang stepped off the female dragon, still glaring at her. He still hadn't forgotten how easily she had dispatched of everyone who'd journeyed to Draconia with the exception of Celestia.

"You're one to talk, Princess Ember," Bat Fang snapped in his gravelly voice. "Sneaking about Canterlot at night can get you killed," he warned as Ember stood up and dusted herself off.

"Well, something tells me I wouldn't get a very warm welcome just waltzing up to the front gates," she rolled her eyes. "But at least I was found by someone I know."

"Are you alone?" Bat Fang questioned, noticing that the dragon princess had a satchel bag around her waist, the strap wrapping itself around her shoulder.

"My father isn't dumb," Ember sneered. "Sending anyone else but me, someone who hasn't dealt with the princesses of Equestria, would jeopardize our truce," she pointed to herself with her thumb claw. "And sending one of his idiot guards along with me would just increase our chances of getting caught."

"Yeah, I get it," Bat Fang said rudely, removing his helmet to run a hoof through his jet black mane. "So, what'd your father send you here for anyway?" He motioned toward her satchel bag. Ember cast a skeptical look at the bat pony, raising an eyebrow and putting her claws around the satchel protectively.

"To speak with your princesses," she explained, "under orders of my father." Bat Fang said nothing in reply, darting his eyes between Ember's own eyes and her satchel. The female dragon sighed, unzipping her satchel. "I have an important message that's meant for Celestia and Luna's eyes; it's up to them if you or Glock are allowed to read it." Ember produced a scroll and twirled in within her claws.

"Don't forget that I am the captain of Luna's personal guard," Bat Fang reminded her and attempted to reach for the scroll with his wing, but the dragon snatched it away. "Ugh, if you wish to bring this or even speak to Celestia, I have to know what it's all about," he growled impatiently.

"Fine," Ember scoffed, tossing the scroll into Bat Fang's waiting wing. "I just don't want to waste time arguing about this," she crossed her arms. With a roll of his eyes, Bat Fang unfurled the scroll, scanning his eyes across the text that he only guessed Ember had written.

"….Oh," the stallion remarked as his eyes slowly increased in size, and his ears flattened against the top of his head. Ember gently tapped her foot against the stone ground, softly sighing as she expected this reaction from Bat Fang; she just wanted to get the message to the right ponies. "I see," the bat pony lowered the scroll and returned it to the dragon.

"Good, now you know why your princess has to see it."

"Well then," Bat Fang cleared his throat, "although it's night time, I'll get you in to see Celestia, Princess Ember," he announced. Sure, it would've been easy to just take the scroll and drop it off with Celestia, but the guard knew it was important to get the messenger in to see the princess if at all possible in case they had more information than the message gave. Ember smirked, glad that her mission from her father was going much smoother than either had anticipated, but she grumbled when Bat Fang's foreleg kept her from advancing forward.

"What now?" She groaned.

"Two things. We might be on understanding terms, but I can't just walk you up to the gate and let you inside," he explained.

"I'm gonna regret this," Ember pinched the bridge of her nose, "but why?"

"Word spreads through both the solar and lunar guards quickly. If it ever leaks to the citizens that a dragon managed to get to the city undetected at night, even if you meet with Celestia, it could cause a panic."

"Didn't she explain to the rest of your kind that our countries have a truce?" Ember scoffed. Bat Fang only sighed, feeling a little ashamed at how skittish and even judgmental most ponies could be.

"It's still new," he finally said. "It'll take time for the idea of dragons and ponies living in peace to sink in; some won't even assimilate to the idea. You might even have to make a special appearance with Luna and Celestia to quell any worry from the populous."

"I have to come back here?!" Ember barked, forcing Bat Fang to plug her mouth with his hoof.

"Shh! Not so loud, princess," he ordered, his tone full of condescension. "And at least my home can't kill anyone." Ember glared down at the smaller pony, clenching his hoof with her claws before forcibly removing it from her muzzle.

"Just take me to your princess, now," she said through clenched fangs.

"However," he continued, frustrating the dragon even more. "If at any moment my princess feels threatened, I will do what I must to protect her," he admitted, trying to sound as intimidating as possible. His efforts, however, were for naught as Ember simply chortled at him, patting his helmet with her claws.

"Ha! Still sore that I beat your flank without losing a breath when we first met?" She smirked, receiving a hiss from Bat Fang in reply. "Oh calm down little colt, I won't make you embarrass yourself again," Ember crossed her arms, still holding the smirk on her face.

"Follow me," Bat Fang ordered and pushed his way past the female dragon. "Just do as I say, and we'll get to Celestia's chambers in no time," he added, poking his head out into the street, keeping an eye on the pair of solar guards at the gate. Although he was knowledgeable about procedures, Bat Fang still had to take a minute to study the timing of each time the two guards passed each other and turned around.

"How much longer?" Ember sneered quietly. Bat Fang held up a hoof so she'd shut up, waiting for the two pegasus stallions to pass one another.

"Okay, now!" He exclaimed, lightly hitting Ember's arm to signal her to take flight. The duo launched in the air, their shadows from the moon passing in between the guards with their backs turned. Despite a little friction between the two, Ember did precisely as Bat Fang had instructed so she would remain undetected as he personally escorted her to Celestia's chambers. A few times the two had to fly a little lower or near darker areas where the moon's light couldn't reach, but nonetheless, they'd made it….just not exactly where Ember had in mind.

"Why are we on her balcony?" Ember questioned, keeping away from the glass on the balcony doors by sticking close to the walls. "This is literally where assassins would head to try and kill someone!"

"Quiet!" Bat Fang hissed, glaring at her. "If I had brought you through the castle, you would've been discovered and somepony would've gotten the wrong idea." Ember had to bite her tongue in order to stop a frustrated growl to escape her mouth.

"Why not just bring me to Luna's chambers if she's the ruler of the night and awake?"

"She's not here, now shut up!" the lunar guard snapped. Unable to say anything else, Ember sighed in defeat and drummed her claws against the wall. Bat Fang squinted his eyes and scanned the room as best as he could in hopes that Celestia was at least inside. Ember swore, however, that she could hear faint moaning within the room.

Knock, knock, knock

Bat Fang tapped the window thrice with his hoof, trying to not hit it too hard and give Celestia the wrong idea that something was up. Both he and Ember froze when they heard not Celestia's voice, but Glock's.

"Did you hear something?" He asked. Bat Fang could see the solar guard captain's figure shoot up from the large bed, looking all around.

"N-No!" Came Princess Celestia's voice, almost in a whine.

"Are they-" Ember began to ask, pointing with her thumb.

"Shit," Bat Fang muttered, tapping on the window again before announcing, "Princess Celestia, this is Bat Fang; I have urgent matters that require your attendance!" He spoke in a normal voice. All of a sudden, the balcony doors glowed bright gold before whipping open, knocking into the bat pony and sending him tumbling back into the railing. He moved his helmet out of his line of sight to see an angry alicorn with a disheveled mane glaring at him. The poor stallion then was lifted up by the alicorn princess' magic, bringing him close to her snorting face as Glock quickly appeared and stood at attention.

"What, do, you, want?" Celestia snarled.

"Hello princess," Ember just spoke out, not wanting at all to have Bat Fang explain himself, especially since Celestia looked ready to tear him in half even if he had a good reason for disrupting her night.

"Princess Ember?" Glock peered around his marefriend's body, furrowing his eyebrows and dropping his jaw.

"Oh my," The Princess of the Sun blushed from her rude behavior in front of a guest, the daughter of a newfound ally no less. "W-what can I do for you, Ember?" She chuckled nervously and quickly fixed her mane so it was flowing all on its own again. "Is your father well?"

"Uh yes," the turquoise dragon reached into her satchel and produced the scroll for the second time that night. "In fact, he's the one who sent me here to deliver this message to you," she explained, happily handing it over to the designated recipient. Before Celestia could even open said scroll, Bat Fang anxiously cleared his throat.

"P-Princess? C-Can I be put down now please?"

---

(Castle of Friendship)

Reading had always been a favorite past time of Twilight's; everypony knew that. Whether it be the latest Daring Do novel that was impossible to put down, or if she was bored or ill, a good book would invariably put her in a good mood. Tonight was no exception for the Princess of Friendship. The excitement of Princess Luna and Checkered Flag's wedding was still fresh in everyone's mind. Twilight and her friends were especially happy for Luna, seeing as how they personally knew of her struggles to assimilate to modern Equestria after having been stuck on the moon for 1000 years. But now, the Princess of the Night and Moon was happily married and expecting her first foal. Thus, Twilight was still too excited to sleep right now, even two days after the ceremony had been completed. And yet, as she continuously turned the pages of her History of Earth Pony Racing that Checkered had signed for her, and the crackling of the library's fireplace soothed her, the creaking of the door drew her attention. "Twilight?" Flash asked softly as his head appeared from behind the door.

"Flash!" Twilight grinned and set her book aside. "I thought you went to sleep about an hour ago?" The blue maned pegasus gently shut the library door behind him before joining his marefriend on her favorite reading couch, lightly nuzzling his cheek against her's.

"Yeah, but it was more like dozing off," he shrugged, taking a peek at what Twilight was reading. "And when you weren't there when I woke up, I thought I'd come see what you were up to."

"Oh, well you don't have to stay up for me," Twilight cooed and quickly levitated a bookmark in between the pages she was on, closing the book to give Flash her undivided attention.

"It doesn't bother me if I get to spend some quiet time with you," Flash replied and motioned for Twilight to come closer. Without hesitation, the alicorn scooted closer to the pegasus and snuggled up against him as the two coated each other in their wings. "By the way," he added, causing Twilight to look up at him. "Spike and Starlight's rooms are secure; Spike fell asleep with another one of his comic books," the guard reported. "What?" He chuckled when Twilight pulled away from his chest and gave him a warm smile.

"Nothing," she blushed and said sweetly, "just, thank you for doing that, Flash."

"Heh, it's no big deal; I'm supposed to make sure everything's secure."

"I understand that, but I'm still glad I have a second set of eyes on him," Twilight bashfully admitted, knowing how protective she was coming off. Though thankfully, Flash didn't judge her for it.

"Even though he's grown up quite a bit?" He snorted with a lighthearted grin.

"I know he can take good care of himself," Twilight rested her chin upon Flash's orange furry chest. She wasn't very good at flirting without sounding even worse than Fluttershy, but Twilight loved it when Flash was able to remove his armor and relax like a normal pony. Perhaps she could get some advice from Rarity on the subject. "But, I still worry sometimes," Twilight added sheepishly. "Now that he is older, there's so much more that I have to teach him and watch out for," she bit her lip.

"He's in good hooves," Flash's hoof shakily yet tenderly touched the back of Twilight's mane, stroking it nervously. Despite the fact that they were back together again, Flash wanted to work things out at a more leisurely pace so the duo wouldn't make the same mistakes as before. And though they'd spent the Estrus Weekend together, Flash didn't want to rush anything, even normal activities like cuddling. "You already brought him up to this point; somepony as sweet and understanding as you shouldn't have a problem teaching Spike a little more about life."

The purple mare slowly lifted her chin from Flash's chest, reeling back from the sweet compliment. Her movement, however, caused Flash to become a little anxious from his actions and removed his hoof. "Thank you, Flash," Twilight moved her own hoof up to Flash's cheek. The alicorn princess simply couldn't help herself from smiling at how warm Flash's words made her feel. She'd been praised by her friends for how she's raised Spike and how she's embraced her motherly role before, but the compliment just felt more special coming from Flash.

Without breathing another word, Twilight decided to go with the warm feeling that radiated from her chest out to her hooves. She gently leaned forward and pressed her purple lips against Flash's orange ones, surprising him. Flash's ears and mane stiffened from the surprise kiss of his marefriend, but the stallion instinctively closed his eyes and kissed Twilight back tenderly.

Though it was sweet, the kiss didn't last too long. Twilight pulled away from Flash, a happy smile and blush on her face. She slowly opened her eyes, only to have her happiness shrink to concern. Flash appeared to have something on his mind, or he was disappointed. "Flash?" Twilight asked. "Is everything okay? Was the kiss disappointing?"

"No, no!" Flash quickly shook his head and grinned to try and reassure his worried marefriend. "It…it was great!" He exclaimed. Twilight trusted his word, but she knew that if he enjoyed the kiss, then something else was on his mind.

"Flash," she said softly, "if something's wrong or on your mind, please tell me. I won't be mad or patronize you," she swore, sitting up and holding one of Flash's hooves in between her's.

Flash couldn't ignore the trusting looking in Twilight's violet eyes. "Twilight, I did enjoy the kiss, but I realized that it was our first since we've gotten back together." Twilight thought about it for a moment, her nose scrunching up in thought.

"Well….we did participate in the Estrus remember?" She reminded him sheepishly.

"Y-yes," he sighed as a blush formed on his cheeks. "But I'm being serious Twilight," Flash coughed to keep a straight face.

"Okay, okay. So it was our first kiss since we've given our relationship another try," Twilight conceded. "And I admit it's a great occasion, but what about it gave you that reaction? I wasn't too rough was I?" Flash lost his battle with keeping a straight face after Twilight said that.

"Heh, absolutely not," he assured her, chuckling lightly. "It's just that in two months, I missed being this close to you."

"Aww," Twilight cooed, nuzzling her nose against Flash's. "If you missed it though, why didn't you just kiss me before when we've been like this?" She asked curiously. They'd obviously cuddled together in the library and slept in Twilight's bed since Flash got the transfer from Canterlot, even when they shared the same bed after the wedding reception!

"We were still getting readjusted to our relationship, and we were getting used to living together. I thought it'd be better to take things one step at a time?" Flash guessed. Giggling in reply, Twilight swiftly pecked Flash's lips again, grinning at his reaction.

"Well, I think we've taken that step now, Flash," she giggled again, cozying up to the royal guard. The alicorn sighed contently as Flash gently put his forelegs around her torso, pulling her closer and allowing her to listen to his heartbeat as she cuddled her ear against his chest. "You know what I missed about you?"

"What's that?"

"You using different voices for characters whenever you read out loud."

"…..I read out loud?" Flash exclaimed in surprise. Twilight snickered and was about to tell him when a brilliant burst of golden light suddenly lit up the room, catching the comfortable couple off guard.

"Ahh!" Twilight yelped, jumping off Flash and falling on the floor.

"Twilight!" Flash hopped off the couch and stood in front of his marefriend to protect her, sprouting his wings. The alicorn scrambled to her hooves and peered around one of Flash's wings to get a view of what was intruding upon her library. The couple gasped as the golden light faded away, revealing none other than Princess Celestia, Glock, Bat Fang, and a dragon princess that was all too familiar to Flash.

"Princess Ember?" Flash asked in disbelief. Twilight was, unsurprisingly, a little taken aback at an unfamiliar dragon standing in her library considering the last run in she had with dragons. But if Celestia was with her, then Twilight could trust Princess Ember, especially if Flash recognized her. The alicorn even took note of the scroll the female dragon was clutching in her right hand.

Ember politely gave Twilight and Flash a nod as Celestia spoke, "I'm so sorry to disturb you at this late hour, Twilight Sparkle," she apologized, stepping forward from her own group. Flash Sentry folded his wings back against his torso and escorted Twilight forward, the two giving a respectful bow to both Celestia and Ember. "But Princess Ember visited my castle earlier with some less than encouraging news from her father, and we had to speak with you about it posthaste."

"Oh," Twilight's curiosity turned to slight apprehension. Bad news concerning dragons definitely got her attention and her mind cranking out ideas on what was wrong. Nevertheless, she kept her composure and politely extended her hoof towards the dragon princess. "Nice to meet you though, Princess Ember," she mustered up a grin. Ember eyed Twilight's violet hoof before limply curling her claws around it.

"Likewise I suppose," she said flatly. "I wish we could've met under less stressful matters, but there's not much we can do about that," the dragon sighed.

"I have so many questions about dragon culture!" Twilight suddenly blurted excitedly. The five others in the room cast a quizzical look at the Princess of Friendship's outburst, making her feel embarrassed. "Ahem, s-sorry," she stuttered, grinning awkwardly.

"Right," Ember rose an eyebrow before shifting her gaze to Flash. "You and Spike doing okay?"

"Better," Flash replied, keeping his eyes squinted at Ember. Although he trusted her from how helpful he was to he and his friends in Draconia, Flash still wanted to keep his guard up considering two of his princesses were in the room. "Any news on Garble and his cronies?"

"They're dead," Ember said bluntly after a moment of silence.

"WHAT?!" Both Flash and Twilight exclaimed. "B-b-but how? Why? When?" Twilight rambled on while her brain began to fry. Flash was still just as shocked as his marefriend, but was more silent about it.

"Calm down, my formal pupil," Celestia advised sweetly, cupping Twilight's cheek with her wing to help her gather her thoughts. "I understand this is very jarring news, but Ember's scroll from her father should help things make sense." Once the pearly white alicorn took a step back, Twilight performed the breathing exercise that Cadence had taught her, getting her thoughts under control. While she did this, Ember took the opportunity to toss said scroll over to the bookworm, who caught it within her magic.

Twilight unfurled the message and, with Flash, began to read it accordingly.

From the throne room of King Horntail of Draconia. Dear Princess Celestia, I am writing to you with an update on the progress of our most recent prisoners, just like we had agreed to do. Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding the prisoners in question are not celebratory. My daughter, Princess Ember, was tasked with getting Garble or one of his goons to talk about why they foal-napped your sister, Princess Luna, but a few weeks ago, she discovered that they were all dead from being hanged by chains in my dungeon. I can assure you that we worked diligently to get them to talk before even thinking about their sentencing, so it was not us that ended their lives. However, Ember and I have our suspicions to the cause of their deaths. We've spent the past few weeks with other guards attempting to piece together exactly what happened in their last moments, and their motives for their business with Princess Luna. I am sending this message along with my daughter to you so she may bring back your response, and hopefully some ideas of what happened. Because of our truce, I truly wish to offer any help that I can to get to the bottom of this so none of your subjects are harmed any further. Please, give my regards to your sister and your friends who were injured rescuing her. I hope to hear that you all are healing or are already healed.

-King Horntail

"Oh my," Twilight lowered the scroll with a gulp. "This is definitely troubling," she returned the message to Ember.

"Now you understand why we had to tell you right away," Celestia explained.

"What theories have you and your father come up with, Ember?" Flash questioned. The turquoise dragon groaned, running her claws over the dark blue spines on her head.

"Look Princess Celestia, I know it sucks that we're at a dead end for answers on why they stole your sister," she began in a somewhat apologetic tone.

"And I do not cast blame upon you or your father, Ember," Celestia assured her sweetly, smiling at the dragon.

"But we've come to an agreement about Garble's death," she continued. "That he and goons were cowards, and they died for one reason. They needed to stay quiet….forever," Ember explained.

"So they….killed themselves?" Twilight squeaked, nibbling on her lower lip about the subject. Flash draped his foreleg around her shoulders, holding her close.

"Sounds like something a coward would do when caught," Bat Fang chimed in.

"Possibly," Ember snorted, "but that's only one theory my father and I came up with." At this point, Twilight and Flash noticed that Bat Fang, Glock, and Celestia all looked a little downtrodden, as if they knew what Ember was about to say was heavy. Then again, they understood Ember probably spilled everything to the others earlier before visiting Twilight's castle.

"And….the other theory?" Twilight asked cautiously.

"Well," Ember's snake-like tongue licked her lips. "One problem with the first theory is that one of Garble's goons was paralyzed from dealing with Celestia, so all he could do was crawl around."

"So maybe Garble tied the chain around his neck to help him?" Flash guessed.

"Again, maybe, but a more likely scenario, one my father believes is the truth, is that someone on the outside killed them to make sure they wouldn't talk."

"You mean, like a partner? Or someone who wanted to take the law into their own hooves?" Twilight gasped.

"I don't believe any dragons other than Ember and King Horntail would care about getting revenge for Garble foal napping Luna," Glock cut in with a sneer.

"But if it was someone who killed them, who could it have been?" Flash questioned, feeling a little uneasy himself. "Especially if it was someone trying to keep them quiet?" Ember sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"All we know is that NO ONE could have gone down there without me knowing in the first place. And who really could've forced all of them down, wrapped the chains around their necks, and hung them from the ceiling?" She asked rhetorically. "If it truly was someone who killed them, they had to have done it from outside their cell, and that means…." she trailed off, giving the floor to Celestia.

"Someone had to have been watching our rescue to know where Garble was being held, or they may have struck a deal with him and his goons, but killed them when they failed so they couldn't expose their identity," the alicorn continued. "Either way, it appears we may possibly have a treasonous citizen, or a group of them on our hooves," Celestia announced solemnly. "It's the only logical reason that the dragons knew of Luna's dream walking ability." Twilight and Flash slowly looked at one another, feeling just as scared as when Tirek was rampaging across Equestria.

End Chapter 62

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So, how did you guys like Ember's return? I knew I had to bring back the fact that Garble and his goons were dead to the main characters of the story, but I think the best way was to have Ember show up in Equestria to warn our heroes of what's going on. Originally she would've shown up on the night of the wedding and tell Celestia herself, but with the heightened security, she would've been caught for sure, so I retooled the idea to give her and Bat Fang a bit of the spotlight, especially since Bat Fang IS in fact still sore about getting his flank kicked in Draconia by Ember.

And I wanted to show Twilight and Flash's newly reformed relationship progressing, or else I feared just showing them as a normal couple like Ivan and AJ or Rainbow and Soarin wouldn't be enough to prove they're taking this seriously. I know this isn't visual art, but I still believe in showing progression rather than just telling it.

But I also wanted to leave this chapter as a bit of a cliffhanger for you all. Have fun!