Chapter 20-Discovering Talis

Authors notes: There are two new characters in this chapter Ceara (Ke-a-ra) and Alastair (al-is-ter)

"Gotcha!" yelled Thundercloud.
"Umph" the pony was tackled down.
"What's going on?" Falmeblade jumped up.

Everyone in camp woke up and circled Thundercloud.

"I don't sleep well and I hear rustling in the bushes. This pony came into camp and was about to take Wrangler's necklace."
"Could you get off me?!"
"Let them up" Flameblade nodded.

The pony had a dark green cloak on, the hood was pulled done to the tip of its nose so no one could really see who they were.

"Reveal yourself!" Flameblade ordered

The pony shook back its hood and they all gasped. Standing in front of them was a blue female pony.

"What are you doing here?" Flameblade asked her
"None of your business" she glared at him.
"You better tell us or I will take you into custody. King Bryn will not tolerate stealin in his kingdom." Ice Crystal stated.
"For your information I wasn't going to steal it. I have one similar to it." she informed them.
Wrangler's eyes got big "How could you the only ponies that have them are..."
"The Triad" they said in unison.
"I know this that is why I wanted to see it. You musht be the decendant of Wind Rider, the first pegasus of the Triad.?"
"I don't know but I am a decendant of one of the Triad."

The pony shook her head "In our group only pure decendants, meaning pegasus from pegasus and so on can be decendants."

"But Princess Morning Star gave me my wings"
"Maybe you should ask Talis" Flameblade suggested.
"You can talk to him?!" the pony asked
"Yes he contacted me and that's why I'm here." she pointed to the cave.
"Then you are a decendant and a memeber of the Triad. My name is Ceara, decendant of Sita. My father will want to see you since he is also a memeber of the Triad."
"I have to find Talis first. May I see your necklace?" Wrangler asked

Ceara pulled her necklace from under her cloak, it was in the shape of a rain drop with flames surrounding it. The jewel was red but unlike Wrangler's jem it was dull.

"Look!" Tornadoe pontied to Wrangler's neck, her jewel was pulsing light under the bandana.
"Take that bandana off" Ceara instructed
Wrangler nodded her head and untied the bandana, once removed a beam of light shot from it into Ceara's pendant.

"What the?" Ceara cried out.
Slowly her jewel started to sparkle and a small glow surronded the jewel.

"It's never done this before, what have you done?" she demanded.
"N-Nothing?"
Ceara glared at her "You better not have damaged it."
"I have no reason to dame it" glared Wrangler.
"Girls, girls" Flameblade walked between them "Why dont we ask Talis tomorrow. Ceara you are more than welcome to stay here and join in the morning."
"I'll stay here but you must know only the Triad can enter the cave. Wrangler and I will have to go alone."
They all started talking at once and Ceara rolled her eyes.
"There is no use arguing over it, get some sleep." she walked over to the cave and laid down.
"I don't like this" Tornadoe spoke first.
"She can't go alone with Ceara, we don't know her" Fireball stated.
"King Bryn wil be upset if we don't protect Wrangler" Ice Crystal told his brothers.
"Guys, it's okay. If she meant me harm Tails would have protected me. I believe her so we will go alone."
"Wrangler I promised Morning Star I wouldn't leave your side." he looked at her with concern in his eyes.
"Morning Star will understand besides you'll be right outside the entrance waiting for me. Talis will be in contact with me the whole way." she smiled at him. "Now lets get some sleep, I'm beat." she laid back down and closed her eyes.

The boys stood there looking at each other for a moment before they gave up and went back to their own sleeping bags.

In the morning Ceara woke Wrangler up. "Time to go."
"Wh-what?"
"Come on, I've been up for an hour already" Ceara rolled her eyes.

The boys all looked over at Wrangler waiting for her response.

"Okay let me get a drink and comb my hair"
"Whatever, I'll be over there" she pointed to the cave.
Wrangler got up and rolled her sleeping bag up. Flameblade stood up and walked over to her "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, I believe her story especially after our necklaces reacted like they did."
"What if Talis isnt the only dragon in there?"
"Flameblade clam down, Talis would never let me get hurt."
"Flameblade blused "I'm sorry"
"It's okay" she giggled "let me get ready to go" she pulled her brush from her bag. After combing and rebraiding her hair she filled her canteen with water, appoarching the boys she smiled. "So many boys worried about little ole me"
"We just don't want anything to happen to you" Tornadoe blushed.
"Thank you all, I will see you soon" she turned and joined Ceara "Let's go"

Ceara nodded and lead the way into the cave, Wrangler paused and looked back to see the boys watching them go. A few feet inot the cave Wrangler's necklace became bright enough to fill the entire cave with light.

"He knows we are coming." Ceara remarked
"So is it just you and your father up here?"
"Yes my mother was a servant in the csatle but died giving birth to me."
"I'm sorry" apologized Wrangler
"Don't be, I am here and the earthling blood of the Triad is being carried on."
"It must be nice to know your father?"
"You never meet yours?" asked Ceara
"No"
"Why didn't your mother tell you about him?"
"There is something you should know Ceara."
"What?" she stopped

Wrangler explained to Ceara about her past and coming to Ponyland.

"Well the Triad has always wondered what happened to Wind Drifter, now we know. It doesn't make a difference to me. If you were not part of the Triad then Talis would not be able to communicate with you."
"I never thought of it that way. Most ponies are uncomfortable around me after I tell them about my past."
"I would be a hipocrit if I did that. I am part of the Triad and that makes up family, once we find Talis we can figure out our past."
"Hasn't your father told you?"
Ceara stopped again "Only what I've needed to know to survive. I've never been to the village and I never went to school."
"Why?"
"Because of what they did to our ancestors."
"But times have changed and so have the ponies. King Bryn and King Fauna would never allow the Triad to be cast out again."
"You're foolish if you believe that" she turned and started walking again.
"Why because I trust them?"

Ceara rolled her eyes and kept walking without replying.

"Hey if we are family talk to me, I know you just meet me and all but I'm not gonna judge you."
"Believe what you want" she snapped "I don't think the village has changed."
"Why do you say that? You just said you've never been there."
"Each generation passes on it's stories so you know little ponies have been told about us. The only ponies I've ever seen in the moutains before today were the mountain boys."
"The Mountain Boys?"
"Yes that is what my father name them, the soilders traveling with you."
"Well they did say they knew the mountains." she stated outloud.
"They come here quite alot, I've sen them numerous times." Ceara told her
"Did you ever talk to them?"
"No" she stated firmly

They came to a passage with two openings in it.

"Which way?" Ceara asked

Wrangler colose dher eyes and connected with Talis To the right and watch your step.They walked for a little bit more when Wrangler's gem started to glow brighter.

"Wrangler you are very close at the next cavern go left and you will find me."
"We're almost there" she smiled at Ceara
"What will we do once we arrive there?"
Wrangler stopped in her tracks "I don't know I've never thought about it before."
"What!?"
"Hey I don't hear any brillant plans coming out of your mouth." Wrangler looked at her "Sorry I didn't mean to snap, I guess Talis will tell us."
"Okay let's go" Ceara nodded at her.

They came to the cavern and ceara stopped moving out of Wrangler's way

"You lead the way, he's your dragon."

Wrangler nodded in agreement and took the lead from her. They walked a few feet when Wrangler stopped and gasped. There in front of them was a large pair of yellow eyes.

Ceara bumped into her "Ow! What is you prob...." she looked pasted Wrangelr.
"T-T-Talis?" Wrangler asked
The eyes closed and then reopened (Italic) "Take your necklace off and throw it into the air."

Wrangler nodded her head and tossed the necklace into the air. When it was a few feet up a jet of fire hit it, sending streams to torches in the room. It slowly fell back down to her, after replacing it back around her need she looked straight at Talis. He was a greenish blue color with large wings tucked at his sides. He had a narrow head that came to a point at the tip of his lip, as far as she could tell filled up part of the cavern. She approached him and studied his face, he had two long horns on his head. His nostrals were almost the size of her hoof. Gazing into his yellow eyes she noticed they were different than hers, they were bright yellow in color but the pupils were in the shape of a diamond.

"It's good to finally meet you."
"Yes little one it is. Who is your friend?"
"That's Ceara, she is a decendant of the Triad."
He hummed in response.

"She has a necklace like mine but a little different."
"Can you ask her if I can see it?"
"You can't talk to her?"
"No I am only linked to you but there is one way but I will tell you about that another time."

Wrangler turned to Ceara "Hey can Talis see your necklace?"
She got no response from Ceara who was standing staring at Talis with large eyes.
"Umm hello, earth to Ceara" she waved a hoof in front of her face.
"What? Huh? Sorry" Ceara blushed
"CAn Talis see your necklace?" Wrangler chuckled
"Oh sure" she pulled it out from beneath her cloak "Does he want me to tak it off?"
Talis shook his head no
"That necklace belongs to Alastair."
"Who's that?"
"Ask Ceara she will know."
Wrangler turned to Ceara "Who is Alastair?"
Ceara's eyes got big "Nobody besides my father has spoken that name."
"So you know him?"
"Yes and no. He is my dragon but I have never meet him. I have heard his names in my dreams and my father told me who he was."
"So you've had contact with Alastair?"
"Not like you and Talis but yes."
"We can help with that" Talis told Wrangler
"How?"
"I know where he is but we can't go just yet."
"Why?"
"We need to train on our communication first."
"Okay but we can help her."
"Yes, you can let her know that soon she will be meeting Alastair."
Wrangler smiled at Ceara "Tails said that we will be able to hel you find Alastair."
"Really?!" Ceara asked excitedly.
"Yes but it will be awhile, Talis and I have to train on our communication first."
"Okay, I think we should be getting back to the boys. How is he gonna get out of here?"
"Good question, some of the chambers are to small for him to leave the way we came."
"Ask him, he should know." Ceara told her.
"Talis how are you going to get out of here?"
"By flying of course." "Okay but the roof is solid."
Talis started to laughing causing the room to shake.
"Talis?!"
"Sorry little one, I will make an opening as I go up. You and Ceara climb onto my back."

Wrangler motined for Ceara to follow her.

"Up my leg and sit between my wings, you should be pretty protected there from falling rocks."

After the girls were situated on his back he pushed off the ground, hovering for a minute to get the blood flowing through them again. Once he felt they were strong enough he headed up to the top of the cavern. As they went up Wrangler noticed coves in the walls.

"Talis what are those?"
"When there were more dragons here those were their nests."
"There are a lot of them."
"There use to be a lot of us. Hold on I'm going through."

A few rocks came back at Wrangler and Ceara but most went up and out of the mountain top. The boys heard the explosion and jumped up looking around to see what had happened.

"Look up there!" Sunburst called.
"What is it?" Tonado asked.
Flameblade squinted and then chuckled "That must be Talis, what an entrance."
"Talis please land in front of the cave, our friends are there waiting for us."
Once Talis had landed the girls climbed off of his back.

Flameblade trotted up to them "Good to see you two are okay and that you found Talis."
"Thanks" Wrangler smiled.
Ceara giggled behind her, she turned to her. "What is so funny Ceara?"
"Your protectors are afarid, look at them"
Wrangler turned and found the boys bunched together staring at Talis.
"Um Flameblade are they gonna be okay?"
Flameblade chuckled "They will be in time."
"Hey speaking of which why arent you afraid of Talis?" Ceara asked.
Flameblade smiled at her "I trust Wrangler, she trust Talis so in turn so do I."
Wrangler smiled at him, it was nice to have someone trust her.
"Can I touch him?" asked Flameblade.

Wrangler asked Talis and he lowered his head to the ground so Flameblade could see him close up. Flameblade walked up to him slowly and placed a shaky hoof on him. Once Flameblade was sure he wasn't going to move he started exploring him.

"He is magneficent!!!!"
"Talis says Thank you"
Flameblade turned to the others "Come on don't be afarid he wont hurt you."
The others slowly approached them and started exploring Talis.
Wrangler and Ceara both yawned, it had been a long day for them.
Flameblade noticed this and stated "I think its time we all got some sleep."
"Sounds good to me" Ice Crystal said as he started toward his sleeping bag.
"Nite ya'll see you in the morning" Wrangler called as she curled up next to Talis. "Ceara will you sleep up here with us."
Ceara was surprised by this "Sure"

Once everyone was settled into bed Talis covered the girls up with his wing and laid his head down to sleep.