Author's Notes:

Hey, know that editor of mine, Regreme? Another round of props to him for sticking with me to make sure my stuff doesn't read like crap. Really, I may have a lot of imagination, but I can't help but wonder if you would need a personal translator when I get done with a chapter. No, english is not a second language for me or anything. I just tend to get caught up in writing that I forget to grammar-check.

Also, you might notice a lack of a crazy title. Well...that's something I'm bad at. Yup, semi-decent writer is terrible at coming up with titles for his own chapters. So I will be think about it, but in the meantime, if someone has an idea for one. I won't stop y'all from commenting. Now then, get out of the 'author notes' and get reading. Unless all you come here is for the author notes, which is weird, but I won't judge...ok, maybe I will. Though gotta admit, that is weird.

Celestia sat upon her throne, listening to another patron in today’s day court session. However, her mind was more focused on the conduit that was now freely roaming the castle. She saw that the conduit was hiding a deep pain, and locking him away only seemed to make it worse if his outburst from their final interrogation was anything to go by. Her sister, Luna, had warned that allowing such a dangerous entity to have so much freedom would be unwise, but Celestia wanted the conduit to open up freely to them, and in his own time. One could say that the Solar Diarch viewed the conduit and her sister in a similar way. Thus, for that reason, she was trying to prove to herself that she would not make the same mistake twice by locking away somepony who was just misunderstood. Whether it be on purpose or by accident.

Of course, Celestia had not forgotten about her patron. A lime-green earth pony mare was just concluding her request after explaining her plight.

“I-I hope this is not too m-much trouble, your highness,” the mare nervously bowed.

The Princess of the Sun had grown accustomed to her subjects’ behavior around her. Some, such as this one, saw their princess as some omnipotent goddess, master of this world and then some. In reality, Celestia was just another pony. Albeit, an alicorn princess that has lived and learned for centuries, but a pony nonetheless. So, any time her more demure subjects came to see her, she employed her own little technique to make them feel more at ease.

“Come closer, my little pony,” Celestia started off, smiling radiantly. The mare averted her gaze, thinking she had done something to offend the princess. “You have nothing to fear, Garden Spring. I only wish for you to be closer.”

The mare known as Garden Spring hesitantly shuffled her hooves closer, all the while keeping her eyes down. After a few anxious steps, Garden Spring stopped just at the foot of the dais.

From her downward gaze, she saw the white and gold-trimmed steps of the dais. She didn’t dare to look up, for fear of making the wrong move and just stood there shaking. Then, she heard hoofsteps. Ones that gradually came closer from up the dais until, one after the other, gilded hooves walked into her field of view. Garden Spring shook even more violently as she waited for whatever awaited her from above.

“No need to be afraid, Garden Spring,” Celestia gently rested her wing on top of the shaking mare’s back, “You ask only for so little. Your shop and many of your possessions were ruined in the wake of an accident. The fire may have claimed the property, but remember how you gave thanks that your family was spared. Loved ones can never be replaced. I will send a messenger to the bank to rebuttal your insurance claim denial. You only need to visit them later today to receive the compensation for your loss.”

Garden Spring gasped, and her gaze snapped up to meet the smiling visage of her ruler. The warm, benevolent embrace surrounding her melted away the last traces of her fears. Tears began to fall from the corners of her eyes. Here she was, before the princess that just promised her the help her and her family needed to avoid the pitfall of bankruptcy and becoming homeless. Garden Spring could not begin to express the amount of gratitude she felt in that moment.

“Th-thank you. Thank you, your majesty!” she shouted in jubilation.

Celestia retracted her wing and beckoned for the mare to rise, “You are very welcome. Now, isn’t it time you go tell your family the good news?”

Garden Spring quickly wiped her eyes and sprang to her hooves, her burden now lifted, “Yes, your majesty! I must go. Thank you so much!”

The elated mare turned and nearly galloped out of the throne room. Though, not before turning back around to bow one last time and leaving. Celestia giggled at the mare’s awkward retreat. As soon as Garden Spring disappeared past the throne room doors and said doors were shut, Celestia took a long, deep breath. She was always happy to see when she was able to help any of her subjects in need. She just wished they would feel more comfortable in approaching her in general. That was just an issue she would continue to deal with and hope to resolve one day. Even her own student, Twilight Sparkle, sometimes fell into the same mindset whenever they spoke to one another.

Celestia smiled at her remembrance of her student as she began to ascend the dais steps back up to her throne. A modest unicorn mare with a heart of gold and a veracious appetite for knowledge, but she once needed a push in the right direction to find the right ponies to complete her life. Now that pony was studying the magic of friendship with the help of her friends in the little town of Ponyville. Then, it hit her. Celestia just figured out the perfect pony to introduce the lone conduit to, along with the wonders of friendship that ponies could offer. Not only that, Twilight was the one pony that Celestia trusted and had confidence in to solve the lone conduit’s problem in her stead.

As she sat back down upon her throne, Celestia called on her magic and conjured a quill and a piece of parchment.

Though before setting words to parchment, she turned to one of the guards at the bottom of the dais, “Please inform the next patron that I am sorry, but I will need a few minutes before seeing him.”

The guard on the left bowed and walked out of the throne room to his task. With that done, Celestia levitated her writing instruments and only took a moment to collect her thoughts on what to write.

My faithful student

Twilight Sparkle

“Ow!”

“It wouldn’t have to hurt if you would stop squirming!”

Sam glared at his assailant with the same hatred he reserved only for those that truly needed a good smack. The royal tailor, Silk Trim, just ignored the conduit’s gaze as he busied himself with another swath of fabric in his magic.

The stallion, like almost everyone else that first encountered the creature from another world, had stared at Sam until he regained his composure. Princess Luna had sent a messenger ahead to inform the prestigious stallion of his newest client. Though, Silk Trim never expected a bipedal, furless monkey to be the one to require his services. Luckily, Silk Trim was a renowned individual within the world of fashion with many exploits, and said accomplishments included making ensembles for more than just ponies. Furthermore, by the looks of the conduit’s tattered clothes, his skills were about to be put to the test.

“How much longer do I have to stand like this?” Sam practically grumbled as he was forced to stand still in the middle of the stallion’s workshop while different fabrics and clothes were pinned together across his body.

Silk Trim sighed, long since gotten used to his newest client’s demeanor, “We are nearly finished. One more adjustment to the sleeves.”

Sam groaned again. Luna had said that Silk Trim was the best stallion for this job. What she failed to mention was how unbearably long and boring a fitting for new clothes would be. He seriously missed just dropping into a local retailer in Memphis and picking out a few new simple outfits. The whole experience of such a simple errand now being taken for granted. In the end, Sam just had to wait a little longer, hopefully. Of course, he was never someone who could stand to stay in one spot for very long, let alone two and a half hours. Yet, here he was, under the ‘supervision’ of two guards and at the mercy of his tailor. He thought about what he would give to kill the boredom slowly crushing him to death.

“Aaaand, voilà!” Silk Trim shouted enthusiastically, stepping back to admire his work, “Yes, yes. I can see it now. This will work exquisitely!”

Sam watched as the stallion beamed at his work, tapping his front hooves on the ground. The conduit tilted his head down to view the work himself. The design was simple, as Sam demanded it to be. Silk Trim also debated long and hard on the colors that would suit the conduit best along with suitable materials. Ultimately, the tailor went with a cotton blend for the top with a maroon color. Turns out it was going to be with long sleeves with how much the material tracked down Sam’s forearms. The pants ended up being a material Sam at first thought was denim, but found out it was a little more stretchy, like sweatpants almost. It seemed that Silk Trim agreed that the pants should remain as a navy-blue for color and quickly fastened the pins needed for the material to size. Overall plain, but practical. Just the way the conduit liked it. Alas, even if the basic design was appealing to look at, Sam was still feeling anxious to move again.

“Can I take this off now?” Sam asked in irritation.

Silk Trim sighed once again. The request for Sam’s wardrobe came at the behest of Princess Luna herself, so he would not have let the conduit leave until he was completely satisfied with his work. Fortunately for the both of them, the fitting was complete.

“Yes, yes, of course. Just be careful and don’t disturb the pins,” Silk Trim assisted the conduit in removing the clothes, “It’s a shame though. Are you certain you wouldn’t like something with a little more flare on the design?”

It was Sam’s turn to sigh, “No frills. I’m serious. They look stupid. Just need something that I can move comfortably in, you know?”

“Right, of course,” Silk Trim nodded, “By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, I don’t believe I’ve seen a ‘conduit’ before. Where is it that you come from?”

Sam removed the pants portion of his newest outfit, not really embarrassed at having to walk around in nothing but a pair of boxer-briefs. Not like he hadn’t done the same back in Curdan Cay. Sam quashed those thoughts the moment they resurfaced. Not like he needed to think about those thoughts.

Silk Trim’s question still remained, so Sam answered, “Far away.”

Silk Trim knew when his clients were telling him not to press on a subject. So he just went back to sorting the unfinished clothes at different stations in his workshop.

“Very well, Mr. Reed. I’m also sorry for the delay, but these outfits will not be ready until later this afternoon,” Silk Trim apologized.

Sam was busy slipping his old shirt back over his head by the time he answered back, “That’s fine. Thought it would take longer anyways, what with the fitting and all.”

Silk Trim chuckled, “Not to be rude, but these designs are actually quite simple compared to my other works. Most other clients tend to be fickle and demand wholly over elaborate alterations or patterns.” The tailor suddenly realized what he said and quickly cleared his throat nervously. “That isn’t to say, that your design is unsophisticated. I meant that some of my clients would ask for a few superfluous additions that take a little more time to amend.”

Sam shook his head with a smirk at the tailor that thought to have just insulted his client.

Sam leaned over to speak to Silk Trim, “Man, don’t worry about that. I ain’t some upper-class prick with ‘a stick so far up my ass I can taste it’ kind of guy. Besides, clothes are clothes. I only need them to fit comfortably and look decent enough. Nothing else.”

Silk Trim was relieved and a bit shocked at the conduit’s flagrant language. At least he didn’t seem to mind the tailor’s earlier comments. It was actually a bit refreshing to work on something simple, yet practical. In the meantime, Sam was just about done slipping on his shoes and stretched for a few moments to work out the last of his stiffness. Silk Trim walked up to him and held out his hoof in a well mannered ‘goodbye’.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Reed.”

“Yeah, likewise,” Sam accepted the hoofshake with a surprising amount of ease in his temperament, “Though, just call me Sam. Never really liked the whole ‘Mr. Reed’ name.”

Silk Trim made sure to make a mental note of this as this was a client’s request before parting their shake. Sam stuffed his hands back in his pockets, although one of them had a neat hole going out the bottom, and called for the two guards to lead him back to his room for the time being. Silk Trim looked over the conduit one last time as he left with his escort.

Even if Sam did not say much, beyond the gripes and grumps of the fitting, Silk Trim could tell that the conduit was no ordinary dignitary from some ‘far away’ nation. He carried himself far too differently than any aristocrat or noble. Not to mention his clothes told a story all their own to the veteran tailor. It reminded Silk Trim of a griffon diplomat that came to Canterlot that refused to wear anything but his battle scarred armor as a testament to his accomplishments in combat. The tears, burn marks, and stains of dried faded blood on the conduit’s clothes told of a being not unfamiliar to battle. Just what kind of battle this conduit had been a part of both intrigued and scared Silk Trim.

The Princess was very tight lipped about the conduit’s origins, or any basic details to begin with, when she first requested his services to a new client. In fact, the princess had even requested that he did not speak about the conduit outside the castle. It only got Silk Trim thinking more of who this being truly was to warrant such secrecy. He quickly shook his head as he went back to his work at hoof. Idle hooves and all that.

Now in front of his workstations and looking over the designs once more, Silk Trim prepared for the work ahead. Although, now that he thought about it, there was at least one idea that he wanted to add to Mr. Reed’s final design. Hopefully the conduit wouldn’t mind just a few small changes.

It was just around sunset when Sam got up from his bed with a book in hand. Other than explore the castle on his way back to his suite, at least the parts that his ‘escort’ would allow him, Sam didn’t have much else to do, which was both pleasant yet dull as compared to his normal routine involving a healthy dose of beating down DUP troops with his friends. As those thoughts started to sneak up on him, Sam set his attention to something a little more productive and/or distracting.

The guards led Sam back to his room where he poured over the shelves of books from the bookcase in the suite. Although, he did have a few false starts when some of the books he pulled were either boring textbooks or written in some weird language that looked like hieroglyphics. In the end, he settled on an encylopedia called ‘Incredible Creatures and Where They Come From’ by a ‘A.K. Yearling’. A bit of a mouthful on the title, but it did look interesting enough with the image of a silhouetted flying serpent on the cover.

Sam almost couldn’t put the book down after flipping a few pages, what with all the mythological creatures that were noted in the bestiary alongside artist illustrations of them. Creatures like hydras, dragons, and Chimeras. Then there were things that he had never even heard of before, like a Cipactli, Parasprites, and something called a ‘Draconequus’. The only problem was that Sam was having a hard time believing any of these creatures even existed. Of course, he was stuck in a world where magical, talking ponies also existed, so maybe the rest wasn’t so farfetched.

Sam was just finishing his stretches when he noticed how dark it was becoming out through the window. In fact, the sun seemed to dip much faster over the horizon than what the conduit was used to seeing. Still, it was a brilliant sight to behold. Although nothing could have prepared him for what he witnessed next. Just as the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared, the sky lit up with a new form of light. The stars seemed to just blink into existence. First one by one, then in twos and threes, and finally in the dozens. Sam pried open the window to watch the spectacle before him unfold. Never in his life had he seen so many stars before in the sky. It was breathtaking. And then he looked out over the city.

It seemed that this city was no stranger to the nightlife. The streets and buildings were alight with the typical illumination of a city after dark, minus the obnoxious droves of cars. However, even with the lights of the city below, the sky remained just as brilliant as before. Sam knew of the concept of light pollution, so cities like Memphis never had a sky filled with so many stars like it did here. Sam then noticed out of the corner of his eye the largest source of illumination the night had to offer peeking over the corner of the mountain just beyond the mountain peaks he could see.

The moon was massive. At least from what Sam could see and compare to his own world’s moon. He could see that it was nothing more than a waning crescent, but even then it was no less brilliant than the stars themselves. That pretty much sealed the deal. Sam had to do something. So, he quickly strode to the other side of the room, picking up his shoes along the way, and threw open the door to his castle suite. The two guards just outside jumped in surprise from the conduit’s abrupt entrance, but were unable to interject as Sam spoke.

“I’m heading out to the garden. If you need me, I’ll be there.”

Though before Sam took more than three steps, both the guards swiftly planted themselves in front of Sam’s path.

“Halt, conduit! You are not to leave this area until the captain is informed,” the unicorn guard declared resolutely.

Sam couldn’t help but groan until a light smirk made its way onto his face. These guards’ attempts at appearing intimidating was delightfully silly, especially with their orders coming from Cappy. Speaking of the Captain, apparently he has appointed himself as Sam’s personal stalker. Sam didn’t know whether to feel flattered or disturbed… maybe both, just to be safe.

“Well, if he really must know. Why don’t you go tell him, then we’ll meet out back later, kay?”

Neither of the guards seemed amused by the offer of compromise. Seemed like Sam was going to have to do this the old fashion way.

“Well darn,” Sam over exaggeratedly looked down in defeat, “It seems that your uncompromising fortitude has foiled my attempts to take a relaxing walk through the gardens.”

The earth pony guard just watched in confusion while the unicorn looked to try and come up with a response.

“Mr. Reed, we are not exactly stopping you, we just need-”

“No, no. The moment’s gone,” Sam turned to go back into his room, “I’ll be in here if you need me.”

The conduit closed the door behind him, leaving two very confused guards back out in the hall. The two guards looked at each other and silently debated on whether they should inform Captain Aegis Flare of the encounter. That question would remain unanswered as they heard one of the two pegasi guards posted outside the room’s window shout.

“Halt, conduit!”

Sam was once again ‘detained’ by the patrols that apparently were stationed just outside the suite’s window. He really should have looked up when checking for more guards. His simple plan of wire-rappelling down and out the window was suspended when a pegasus spotted him halfway down to the ground. Now, he just waited and leaned against the castle wall while half a dozen guards threatenly held spears toward him. The first pegasus that spotted him left a short while ago to summon reinforcements or some other nonsense, which left Sam to boringly wait and stare at his aggressors.

“So, how’s the weather been out here?” Sam idly asked no one in particular.

One guard had actually felt inclined to answer. “Silence!” Albeit, not very socially.

Not very long afterwards, a new set of galloping hoofbeats came around the corner of the castle to Sam’s left. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Cappy who came as Sam expected, but the Lunar Princess herself.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

And she did not seem very pleased.

“Hey, Loony,” Sam calmly replied, “Just making a few new friends.”

Neither the princess nor the guards seemed amused. At least Sam thought it was a good answer.

“I will allow thee one chance to explain thyself, Samuel,” Luna threatened while advancing just behind the semicircle of guards, “Do not waste it!”

Once again, Sam figured that he might as well be a little more serious. So, he pushed off the castle wall and glanced at the sky.

“It looked way too nice out, and I wanted to walk around the garden to enjoy it.”

Luna looked genuinely confused, “It looked nice out?”

Sam waved his arm lazily toward the sky, “The night sky. I don’t usually say this, but it just looks beautiful.”

Sam, too busy admiring the stars and moon once more, missed the Lunar Princess’ surprised expression. Luna shook her head to clear her thoughts and called for the conduit’s attention.

“Regardless, you fled your room through the window to abandon your escort.”

“My ‘escort’ wanted to tell Cappy that-”

“Captain Aegis Flare,” Luna corrected, narrowing her gaze a little.

“Right. So, they wanted to get his permission for me to even leave my room, and we both know how that would be.” Sam tried his best to imitate the Captain’s scowl, which did earn a few restrained snickers from the guards. “Anyways, I just took the liberty head out for a bit and come back later. At least, until the ‘top gun twins’ showed up.”

The two pegasi guards from the beginning looked confused until the princess sighed in exasperation. Samuel was both a nuisance and surprisingly good-natured. It was a wonder how such a being could exist to Luna, but that was something to ponder for later.

“So, your intention was to watch the night sky from the garden, even if it meant ditching your escort?” Luna pressed on.

“Yup, that about sums it up,” Sam replied nonchalantly.

Luna suppressed the smile that tried to adorn her face so she could properly berate the conduit, but having someone compliment her night sky so openly made it hard to stay truly mad.

Luna stepped past the semicircle of guards to speak directly to Sam, “Well, if you are still intending to visit the gardens, I suppose I have no choice but to personally escort you myself to make sure you do not cause more trouble.”

“Well, if you insist,” Sam said even if he didn’t care either way, so long as he could ditch his escort for a little while.

With that, the Lunar Princess dispersed the rest of the guards to their patrols. Although, she did inform one of them to report the incident to Captain Aegis Flare, much to Sam’s chagrin. Afterwards, Luna led the way around the castle’s exterior to where the gardens were, which happened to lead to the backend of the tree grove Sam saw earlier that day. They detoured their way onto the closest path leading back toward the fountain, though not before Sam caught a glimpse of a few of the plaques that were embedded at the feet of those trees.

“Sweet Bristle, Night Twister, Ivory Charm, Crystal Rose?” Sam read off each one as he passed.

Luna’s hoofsteps slowed down as she remembered a few of those names, “Members of prominent families of Equestria’s history.”

Sam watched as the Lunar princess looked off into the distance with a wistful gaze, as if remembering a time long past along with a sort of happiness and pain.

“You knew them?” Sam asked.

Luna blinked twice and returned to her normal pace as they made it to the fountain, “A few. They were friends, as well as family in a way.”

Sam clenched his jaw to hide his frown. He knew the feeling she was talking about, but he couldn’t think about that at the moment. So, he looked back up to the sky, to which Luna took notice.

“You really enjoy the night sky, don’t you, Samuel.”

Sam chuckled, “More like you don’t get views like this where I come from.”

“Oh?” Luna pressed as they passed the last of the topiary that led to the gazebo, “What is it like from your world?”

Sam frowned, “Not quite as bright.”

“Is your world plagued by darkness at night?”

Sam laughed a little at that, “No. I mean, you can’t see as many stars in the sky unless you live out in the mountains or something. Though here, it’s like the sky is an ocean of stars and light. Hell, even the moon is beautiful.”

Both the conduit and the princess sat out in the grass at the foot of the gazebo to look out into the sky. Luna admired her work just as much as anypony that took pleasure in the nightscape. It was a time of peace, of wonder, and of beauty. Of course, thanks to her sister, she was also made aware of what the modern ponies called ‘nightclubs’ and other such places that celebrated with much enthusiasm for the nightlife.

“I thank you for your compliments,” Luna smiled as she watched the stars twinkle a little.

“Wait, what?” Sam asked in confusion.

“Your compliments on the night,” Luna said, not taking her eyes away from the field of celestial bodies, “It is a grand task to undertake each night, and to have someone openly admire it is uplifting.”

Sam sputtered until he fell back in laughter. The princess, unable to see the joke, just arched her brow in confusion.

“I’m sorry,” Sam finally got himself under some control, “but it sounded like you were saying that you create the night. I’m calling bull!”

The last statement left Sam in another laughing fit, which left the princess to scowl at him until he calmed down a little more.

“Pray tell, Samuel,” Luna looked directly at the conduit on the ground, “What makes you think that this is a joke?”

“You’re serious?! Ok, I thought I was the crazy one here.” Sam suppressed another chuckle to continue, “Stars just don’t work that way. I see you got the whole night motif going for you, but come on. Be serious here, you can’t honestly tell me that you control the stars. Next thing you know, you’re telling me that you also control the moon.”

Princess Luna had half a mind to rain a mighty storm of retribution for the conduit’s comments, but she came up with something a little better.

“Samuel, do you see that cluster of stars? Just north of the moon?” The princess pointed to the sky to emphasize her point.

Sam didn’t know where she was going with this, but nodded all the same. This should at least be fun to watch. The princess on the other hand merely closed her eyes. Sam watched as her horn gained the ethereal glow of magic he was becoming accustomed to. Slowly but surely, the glow became brighter and more intense. Arcs of blue energy wafted off her horn until they disappeared into the darkness of the night air as more energy seemed to pour from the Lunar Princess. There was even a slight hum in the air that tickled all of his senses. Then, he saw something impossible. The cluster of stars that the princess had pointed out before shone brighter. Each one winking out of existence and then popping back in. That wasn’t all. The surrounding field of stars dimmed as the cluster began to move. They spun around an invisible axis and seemed to dance around that axis’ center. The stars soon rearranged themselves into an image. One of a pony with no wings or horns. Then, they wove into the image of a lotus blossom. Finally, they formed to outline the image of the bipedal creature that Sam had known all his life as a human. The final image was wiped away, and the stars slowly eased their way back into their original positions.

Princess Luna’s horn dimmed until there was no more magic flowing through it and opened her eyes. She turned to the conduit to see a slacked-jawed Samuel sitting on the grass staring at the spot where the impromptu show was displayed. She couldn’t help but giggle at the dumbstruck being as he tried to comprehend what he just saw.

“No way,” Sam finally said in a whisper, “That… how… you did that?!”

Luna’s only response was to nod and smile cheekily.

Sam continued to stutter at what he just witnessed and came up with no rational way to explain what just happened. At the back of his mind, a little version of himself smirked at him while jazz-hands-ing and whispered ‘magic’. That little version of himself was immediately thrown into the deepest pit Sam could imagine for being too snarky. Lil’ Sam’s last words will never be forgotten as he fell.

“IT WAS WORTH IIIIIIIT!”

Sam came out of his stupor to look at the smiling princess and regained more of his composure.

“I can’t even begin…”

“Anytime you are ready, Samuel.”

“That. Was. Incredible!” Sam finally shouted, “I still don’t know if I even saw that, but damn! That was like the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”

The conduit kept on rambling while Luna just smiled at the continued praise. However, their time was becoming short. So, the princess raised her hoof to halt the conduit’s speech.

“I appreciate your praise, but it is getting late. My sister must be waiting for us in the dining hall as we speak.”

Sam very much wanted to continue to watch the night sky, but his stomach disagreed with him as it gave a soft rumble. Sighing in acceptance, he lifted himself up off the ground and brushed off a few loose blades of grass from his clothes. Luna did the same, and they both began their walk back to the castle underneath the vibrant night sky. This world was far to peaceful by Sam’s perspective, but for the moment, he enjoyed it.

Within the office of Captain Aegis Flare, said captain was furiously tapping his hoof on his desk as he studied the report in front of him, although he would much rather be home, spending time with his wife. Of course, the life of a captain in the Equestrian Royal Guard was demanding, and these latest reports also demanded his attention. It seems that the ‘conduit’ was determined to give him an ulcer with his constant antics. His latest offense including leaving his assigned escort without permission and attempted escape. Aegis Flare would never speak ill of the rulers of Equestria, but how the princess could not see what kind of threat this creature presented eluded him. For all they knew, it was merely waiting for the right time to strike, more than likely when it had gained enough of its ‘source’ for it to empower itself.

Then, there was the following report of another incident within the Ivory District of Canterlot. It was another missing pony report. Just like all the others: no witnesses, no unusual sounds, and no traces left. That is... except for one crucial piece. At first, it seemed like nothing, but one guard noticed how out of place this one thing was. This object being a metal shard. Not too uncommon, as the piece was determined to be made of something like steel from the first look at it, but that’s where things began to not add up. Upon inspection of the metal shard at the scene of the last known sighting of the victim, unicorn guards noted that the piece of metal was strangely resilient to even the most basic levitation spells. The metal shard also had no discernible runes or gems infused with anti-magic wards to account for this. It was like the metal itself was magic resistant. Further inspection of the shard also showed faint burn marks around one side of it. The final clue that the shard had to offer was on one face of it, a partial black letter ‘D’ against a yellow background that looked very angular.

Whatever the piece of metal came from, Aegis Flare was certain that it was connected to the missing pony. Not only that, but the mystery of its magic resistance also drew a red flag at the back of his mind. If his hunch was correct, then he needed to find the proof he needed before it was too late. Otherwise, not just the princess’, but the whole of Equestria could be in danger.