After the train pulled into Canterlot Station, I decided to NOT turn Sombra in and follow along with this crazy plan. I hoped I was making the right choice. Surprisingly he gave no remark. Nopony had noticed the alicorn princess and the necklace (Sombra).  A dash of good luck. Wow. I hurried off to the Archives unnoticed.

What kind of resources will we need? I asked him.

Pre-Equestrian things, including a copy of Arcane Vision's Lore of Yore, Sombra stated.

Whaaat?

The necklace/tyrant gave a sigh inaudible to pony ears.

Arcane Vision was a unicorn scholar known for this find-a-tome spell and legendary accounts of Yore. He lived before Celestia…..

Celestia, what? I queried, surprisingly intrigued. I couldn’t wait to tell Shiny even something Twilight doesn’t know, and this old unicorn scholar would be it.

The necklace gulped a bit nervously as I walked to the archive wing of the castle. Maybe he was worried about guards?

Before…she banished me…Arcane Vision lived before Celestia banished me.

Don’t forget about Princess Luna! I added. She was there too.

He was silent for a moment before replying.

Believe me, he began, I never forget about Luna.

You must really hate her. I mused.

Quickly he added, You misinterpret things. I hate Celestia for more than one reason, whereas I barely know anything about Luna.

Oh…I thought since she helped banish you…never mind.

I pondered this a moment.

But just how old are you then?

Really? He asked, oozing sarcasm mixed with surprise.

Yes.

Another annoyed sigh. Counting my banishment?

Again, yes.

Okay….then I’m 1,123.

Since you seem to know them, could you explain how Celestia and Luna’s aging work?

What is this, an interrogation?!

I giggled softly.

Ugh. Fine.

Come on, tell me!

   Alright, alright, Celestia is literally around 3,437 or so and Luna is anywhere from 300-500 years younger. Celestia would have been about a 3 year old equivalent when Luna was born. True Alicorns age slowly and after they are 18 or older they will stop aging physically and time-wise for eternity and settle down at what I call an ‘equivalent’, which is their eternal age equivalent to a normal pony. They also will never grow any bigger after 18 although maturity and intelligence are a different story. In your case, mortal alicorns never make it past 1,100.

I was astounded. What are Celestia and Luna's ‘equivalents’? How do you know this?

This proves my point, you are interrogating me. No more questions from here until later. He grumbled.

  He muttered some muffled equations to himself. Okay, answer to question one; Luna would be about 19.  Celestia is 32, give or take a year or two. Just so you don't ask take off the 1,100 years and you have my age. Now question two. I will keep this rather…personal…question simple. I have studied magic, Alicorns, history and more. There.

Thanks for the info. I said.

My turn, Princess.

Hmmm?! What was he going to do now?

Behold my questions, pink one, he snickered. You only look to be about 17, how old are you? Who were those peons from, my ah, opening debut?

That was all he wanted to know? Not some arcane secret for more power or how to become a ‘mortal alicorn’?

  Okay…first thing is first I’m 21 not 17. Shining Armor, who’s horn you inlaid with magic blocking crystals is 22, his little sister Twilight Sparkle the purple unicorn is 17 and her friends Rainbow Dash (the blue pegasus), Pinkie Pie (the pink one), Rarity (the white unicorn), and Applejack (the orange earth pony) are also all 17 give or take a few months from each. Fluttershy the yellow pegasus is 18. Spike the dragon-

Don't remind me. He grumbled.

-is 10.

At that moment as I was still walking through the castle to try to find the archive wing, I bumped straight into a pony. That pony was Princess Luna.

Her turquoise eyes went wide with surprise and curiosity.

“What art…you…doing here?” Luna asked somewhat stoically, although I noticed she had a small slip-up, almost saying some archaic term. Sometimes she still did that. At least she had tried to correct her mistake even if it made a mish-mash sentence.

“I’m here to see if there are any good arctic maps… I’m going on a campout.” I said, beaming convincingly.

Right then I noticed my necklace growing hot.

Hiding the pain best I could, I could, I listened to Luna’s reply.

“There are some arctic maps in the Tribe section of the Pre-Equestrian section. Very few arctic maps are recent, depending on how far north you will go.”

She eyed my necklace.

“That pendant… it resembles an old piece of Princess Platinum’s; where did you get it?”

“I made it.”

Not a lie. Woo-hoo honesty!

Luna nodded sagely before speaking.

The necklace was worse now, on the brink of burning my coat off, so I removed it – Much to Sombra’s disagreement due to the string of curses he issued – and shoved it in with my provisions.

“Here,” Luna said, “let me show you to the Tribal section, you seem quite lost.”

“Thank you.” I smiled.

“Why did you remove your necklace?” She inquired.

“Ohh…. I wanted to put it away so I don’t… lose it among the relics.”

She nodded but said nothing else the whole time.

All the while, the necklace still burned and created such a horrible – yet undamaging – heat in my saddlebags.

Luna said a curt good bye and left us in front of a wooden door with two archive guards and a plaque that read:

   The guards nodded and performed an anti-changeling spell, casting it on me before I entered.This kind of spell was 100% effective against changelings in disguise but could easily miss other things.Thus it skipped over Sombra.

  I stepped inside the room cluttered with books, maps, scrolls, relics, and every other kind of knowledge from the time period.

I cast a noise blocking spell on the door as it closed, because unfortunately, I would need Sombra’s help, and not as an extra-crispy-cooking necklace, but as the annoying jerk he is.

Next Chapter: Chapter 4: Where is Twilight When You Need Her? Estimated time remaining: 56 Minutes