Rarity and the girls were all sitting in her boutique the day after the ball and she was a tizzy with news.  She retold the nights events up to the time the Princess arrived and then stopped.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, “That can’t be all of it.”

Pinkie Pie nodded, “Yeah don’t hold out on us Rarity.”

Rarity showed reluctance to continue, “I would tell you, but I am not entirely sure if you would believe me.”

Applejack huffed, “Rarity, ya haven’t lied to us yet. Why start now?”

Rarity nodded as she then continued to weave her tale of the ball’s events after the Princess struck up conversation.  When she began to speak of Jareth, all the ponies’ albeit from Rainbow Dash showed increased interest in the story.  She spoke in great detail of the pony’s casual yet sophisticated personality and odd attire.  When she got to the subject of his magic, Twilights interest and deductive nature peaked immediately.

Twilight was now pacing after the story finished, “A pony that can use magic but only has wings? This can’t be! None of my studies have ever shown such things before. Plus I’ve never heard of any kingdom called Labyrinth.”

Fluttershy looked into space, “This Jareth sounds like somepony from a fairy tale.”

Dash gagged, “Sounds like a freak to me.”

Applejack was taken aback by the comment, “Rainbow Dash, why would you say such things about a pony ya haven’t even met yet.”

Rainbow crossed her front legs, “I just have a feeling ya know.”

Rarity chuckled, “Well I could tell the Princess found him interesting.”

Everypony looked at her as she smiled, “The Princess and this Jareth fellow danced a waltz and she seemed quite…lost in him.”

Pinkie tilted her head confused but nodded in understanding, “Oh now I get it!”

Twilight stopped pacing, “If only I had a way to study this…situation.”

Rarity then realized something and trotted over to her trunk and began to rummage around inside it.  After a minute she laughed in triumph as she produced the crystal ball and placed it on the table her friends were currently situated around much to their shock and surprise.

Rainbow stared at the thing, “Holey moley!”

Twilight zoomed up to the table and examined the clear almost glass crystal sphere, “Amazing!”

Pinkie Pie stared at the thing and looked through it, “Wowie I can see your eye Twi!”

Applejack chuckled, “It’s only a crystal.”

Twilight looked at Rarity, “You wouldn’t mind if I borrowed this for a bit would you?”

Rarity shook her head, “Not at all Twilight, just try not to break it. I’ve only had that crystal for a day and I’ve gained SO much inspiration for a new line, it’s going to be divine and mysterious all in one!”

She could barely contain her excitement at all the possibilities that were running through her head.  Twilight congratulated her on her burst of inspiration and departed immediately afterwards.  When she arrived at the library she informed Spike to put the library on lockdown.  The baby dragon already knew what that meant, a hardcore research session that would have little to no breaks whatsoever.  When asked about the frequency of the session Twilight responded with the truth of the matter at hoof much to the disbelief of the dragon.  The research then began in a torrent of books that Twilight summoned to her all with the intention of looking for anything pertaining to the mysterious kingdom and its mysterious ruler.

*

Celestia sat in relative silence as she, Cadence, and Luna went over last night’s festivities.  Both Luna and Cadence were giggling and gossiping of their interactions during the party while the solar ruler only spoke to agree or to offer her input.  In truth her mind was else were and it lingered in that local, preferably on the memory and experience she had with the stallion known as Jareth.  The more she tried to understand him the more she was compelled to seek the answers rather than reflect upon them.  She then snapped back to reality at the voice of her younger sister.

Celestia stared at Luna, “Pardon?”

Luna shook her head, “I was merely saying to Cadence that the stallion you were dancing with seemed to be rather fetching.”

Celestia lightly laughed, “Really? I didn’t notice.”

Cadence took on a mischievous expression, “Really? Because the way you were staring at him was the way a school filly stares at their first crush.”

Celestia lightly blushed and waved a hoof as if to shoo the remark away, “Oh please I was merely being polite, after all its common courtesy to stare at your dance partner.”

Luna and Cadence began laughing at the way the elder ruler was acting much to the mare’s annoyance.  Celestia stood and grinned as she left to go for a stroll.  Both alicorns looked at each other as the door shut behind the sun princess.

Luna was a little confused, “Was it something we said?”

*

The early evening was upon Ponyville as Twilight continued her constant effort to locate any mention on Jareth, Labyrinth, and the how ponies could use magic without being of the right species.  In such a regard the search was fruitless and Twilight was running out of material to consult.  She sighed after closing the last book in the library and looked at the crystal as if it mocked her for not unlocking its secrets.  She groaned in frustration and proceeded to sulk on the desk amongst the several scattered tomes.  Spike however was searching amongst the shelves for something.  

Twilight glanced over, “Spike, what in the world are you doing?”

Spike looked over his shoulder as he dropped to a shelf that was beside the staircase leading to Twilight’s lab, “Back during that mirror pool stuff i found a secret compartment behind the books on a shelf.  So I’m thinking maybe if there’s one, there has to be more.”

Twilight nodded with a smile, “That’s the spirit!”

Spike then whooped in triumph as he found another switch and clicked it.  Behind the small door in the compartment was a large book bound in old teal colored leather with silver corner caps on the front and back cover.  Twilight levitated it over and saw the book was exceptionally thick and seemed to be a map of the whole world and various other things.

Twilight was aglow with excitement, “Spike! Do you have any idea what you just found?!”

Spike scratched his head, “A book?”

Twilight shut the book for a moment, “Not just any book. You found an Equestrian Almanac!”

Spike was surprised at this, “But I thought the last of them vanished back during the early period of the first cycle.”

Twilight was all smiles, “Exactly! I wonder what other secrets this library holds.”

Twilight began to flip very fast through the pages until she came across something of great interest, “The Kingdom of Labyrinth, see…The Goblin King?”

Spike was greatly confused, “But isn’t that a very old pony fable?”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah, I even have a copy of it.”

At that mention she brought the book in question to her, it was a small thing no larger than a day planner bound in a soft red cover on front and back.  The title was written clearly on the cover in gold.

Twilight smiled at the small book, “I always loved it when my brother read this to me when I was younger.”

She opened it and flipped through until she found what she was looking for, “A city that rivaled Canterlot in size and majesty was bordered by a massive Labyrinth that acted as a gauntlet and moat to any and all trespassers.  But the mare would not be deterred, The Goblin King, the accursed Fae…”

Stopping at that line she wrenched the very same book that she used for the incident concerning the mirror pond and flipped through it, “Fae or the fair folk as some call them, are a supposedly rare race of ponies that are acute to and powerful in magic.  Many legends dictate the reasoning behind these ponies never coming to light is that none seek them out or they never wish to be found.”

Spike chuckled, “So were dealing with a legend?”

Twilight looked at her assistant with a serious expression, “We acted this way about Nightmare Moon and we almost paid the price, I’m not taking that chance again.”

Twilight placed the book down, “They say Fae can twist the words of many, but they can never lie.  Other legends say they are vulnerable to iron as if it were a hot coal,” her eyes then narrowed in focus as she skimmed through several articles until she read one last line, “One legend that shows in many myths is that if know the name of a particular fae it is possible to summon it to you.  It is also said some Fae respond to the wishes of ponies, many use a wish in conjunction with the Fae’s name to make either a request or to strengthen the summoning.”

Twilight turned to Spike who raised his claws, “I wouldn’t Twilight, this sounds like something we shouldn’t mess with.”

Twilight took on a determined look, “Spike, research is about discovery.  Plus we’ve dealt with worse.”

Twilight looked at the crystal and sighed as she recalled the name, “Jareth, I wish to speak with you.”

When that was said the candle flames in the library seemed to dim for a mere moment and the crystal began to lazily spin and glow a soft silvery white which died down.  Soon one of the windows of the library burst open effectively extinguishing all the candles.  Soon a barn owl flew past Twilight’s head and landed on the stairwell leading to her room.  What happened next surprised her; the owl’s form seemed to melt away and in its place was the stallion Rarity described except his attire was different.  He was wearing all black and what seemed to be an armour chest plate with a medallion fixed in the center.  Underneath that was a long sleeved shirt made of black leather and what seemed to be black dress pants.  He wore a black cape with a high collar that folded down in the back; the interior of it was a sparkling blue.  There also seemed to be a secondary cape made of a thin tattered greyish material which billowed behind him.

Twilight looked on in a mixture of fear and fascination, “You’re…The Goblin King?”

Jareth tilted his head slightly with a non-chalant smile, “That’s one of my titles.”

Twilight took a confident step forward, “Your real aren’t you?”

Jareth chuckled, “I believe we just established that.”

Twilight nervously chuckled, “Right…”

Jareth raised an eyebrow, “So why is it you called me here Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight gasped, “How do you know my name?”

The crystal ball bounced of the tabled and rolled along the ground until it bounced into Jareth’s hoof, “Let’s just say a little birdie told me,” the ball then turned into a dove and flew out the open window.

Twilight was now very intrigued, “Your magic is quite impressive.”

Jareth smiled as he walked down the steps and slowly paced around the unicorn, “Your compliment is well noted.”

Twilight followed the odd stallion with her eyes, “Um…”

Jareth stopped, “Your magic potential is strong young one, but yet untapped.”

Twilight blushed in embarrassment, “That’s not true.”

Jareth was in front of her now, “Oh but it is,” he placed a hoof under her chin and tilted her head to look at his face, “I can see it.”

Spike growled at the intruder, “Hey back off bub.”

Jareth complied and smiled, “I was merely having some fun with her, nothing more.”

Twilight was flustered, “I-I called you here to ask you some questions.”

Jareth looked at a nearby chair which seemed to drag itself to him as he detached his capes in a fluid motion and draped them on the back of the chair in question and sat down on the floor with a content look, “Ask away.”

Twilight was surprised at the action but sat anyway and produced a quill and parchment, “Okay first question, how long have you lived here in Equestria?”

Jareth answered without hesitation, “As long as it has existed, so pretty much as long as your monarchs.”

Twilight wrote this down immediately, “Okay…why show up in Equestria now?”

Jareth shook his head, “I have always been around, and nopony been looking hard enough.”

Twilight looked at him straight on, “I meant why you suddenly showed up at the party and never to any of the royal tribunals.”

Jareth nodded, “Ah the answer is simple, I chose not to.”

Twilight was bemused to say the least, “Uh…”

Jareth raised an eyebrow once more, “If that’s all-“

Twilight raised a hoof, “Wait! One more question.”

Jareth pointed at her, “I’m holding you to that, one more question and only one.”

Twilight thought hard then came up with the perfect one, “You can’t lie, so I ask you this.  Do you have any intent to cause harm to Equestria and the princesses in any way, shape, or form?”

Jareth grinned, “How devious of you.  The answer is no, I live in this land too you know and I rather like it.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, “Well that’s a load off my mind.”

Jareth stood and donned his capes, “I must say this town is quite charming, perhaps I may come around here again on a non-official visit.”

Twilight chuckled but stopped for a moment, “From what I heard, you made quite the impression on the princess last night.”

Jareth smiled mischievously and tapped his chin, “I did, did I?”

Twilight gulped at her folly, “Wait you didn’t know?”

Jareth looked at her, “I had my suspicions, may haps I pay the solar princess a visit this night.”

Twilight looked at him with concern for her teacher, “You’re not seriously going to?”

Jareth turned and booped her on the nose with his hoof, “I’m sorry my dear, that was a question.”

His garments then seemed to melt and cascade down the stallion as he shifted once more into a barn owl and flew away into the night.  Twilight immediately got to work converting her findings into a letter.

*

Celestia sat on a bench overlooking Canterlot in silence as her mind wandered once more.  Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching hooves.

She turned her head and gasped, “You?”

Jareth bowed, “Me.”

Celestia stood and regarded his attire, “How many capes do you have?”

Jareth took on a serious expression, “More than you can shake a stick at.”

They were both silent then began to laugh.  Celestia regained herself slowly as Jareth conjured another ball and handed it to her.

Celestia took it, “Thank you, but why?”

Jareth mulled the question over for a brief moment, “Consider it a peace offering and an oath of my alliance to your kingdom since I have failed to appear at any of the tribunals.”

Celestia nodded, “Your declaration is accepted King Jareth.”

Jareth bowed once more as he turned to leave, “Thank you your majesty.”

Celestia blushed once more as a scroll suddenly appeared which Jareth took notice of, “That’s probably important, also I forgot to say,” he pointed one last time to the crystal, “consider it if you will a token of good health.  I mean no ill will but you simply must sleep more.”

Jareth then leaped into the air and spread his wings and took flight.  Celestia stared at the crystal then back at the vanishing silhouette of Jareth and smiled.