I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Wow! It feels great to say that. So, did you miss me? Just kidding. Back on topic, sorry for the overly long wait, but I hope you guys will find it worthwhile. Anyway, you're probably impatient for the chapter so I'll cut my blabbering to a minimum and just let you get started. As always, I hope you enjoy this next exciting chapter and if you like it, just slap that follow/watch button so you can stay updated. And now, a word from Authora97:

Authora97: What's up everybody?! Happy to see y'all and be seen. We're sorry it's been so long. Hopefully the chapter makes up for it!

…As I headed for the throne room, I noticed that the halls were quiet and empty. Where is everypony? Did something happen? I thought as I picked up my pace. I burst into the throne room, throwing the doors wide open. The room was completely deserted. Panicking, I began to run through the castle until I made it to the barracks.

There was nopony there. What could've happened? I wondered. Could it be Nightshade? No, it couldn't be… Could it? NO! I refuse to-

"ACK!" CRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAASH!

I flinched back into reality. The sounds came from the armory across the hall, so I quickly raced over to check it out. I was greeted by a huge, quivering pile of armor that said. "Mmmf!" I quickly picked up the armor and set it in neat stacks against the wall. There was a sharp gasp behind me before I was tackled in a hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was doing a routine inspection when the armor fell. I thought I was a goner!" A familiar voice exclaimed cheerfully.

"Nightblade! Thank Celestia I found you, do you know where everypony went?" I asked rapidly.

"Umm… Well, Snowglider went for a short flight, Sunbeam went to help in the gardens, Duskfire's in the library, and your parents are helping in the kitchen. The guards have the day off. As for the princesses, Luna's sleeping, and Silverwing and Celestia are in Ponyville. They won't be back until sometime tonight." He answered quickly.

"Oh, well that explains a lot. Thanks." My cheeks went flush with embarrassment. "I'll see you later."

"Bye." He said as he went back to inspecting the armor. I tried to think of what to do first, until I noticed I had wandered to the library.

Eh… Might as well look around. I thought as I scanned the shelves. I went to turn a corner a smashed into Duskfire.

"Eep!" She squealed in surprise.

"Sorry sis, I didn't know you were there." I whispered.

"It's alright." She smiled. "Hey, you don't happen to know where the Daring Do books are, do you?"

"Sure, just follow me." I replied as I led her through the never-ending maze of shelves. Eventually, we reached the shelf I was looking for. "Here we are, Daring Do!"

"Thank you, I've been looking everywhere for these books, I don't think I'll ever learn this library." She said gratefully.

"You're welcome." I smiled. "I going to go see if Sunbeam needs any help in the garden, do you want to come?"

"I would love to!" Duskfire exclaimed. "But I have a lot of Daring Do books to read, so I'll have to say no. Sorry."

"That's ok, you don't have to help if you don't want to." I said, understanding. "See you later."

"Bye." she said as I left. I quickly made my way to the gardens, passing Nightblade on the way. I found Sunbeam frantically searching through the flowers.

"Hey Sunbeam, what are you doing?" I asked quizzically.

"Trying to find my tiny shovel. I know I put it right here!" She spun in a circle. I saw a glint of light in a patch of flowers, I reached down and picked up the tiny shovel and dropped at her hooves.

"Is this it?" I asked.

"Yes! Thank you!" She wrapped me in a hug.

"You're welcome." I said kindly. "So do you need any help?"

"Yes, could you dig the holes while I plant and fill them?" She replied quickly.

"Sure!" And with that, we got to work. Planting the flowers and plants to a few hours, but finally, we finished.

"Thanks for the help, Dawn." Sunbeam said as she grabbed a nearby hose.

"No problem, that's what friends are for." I smiled cheerfully.

"I can take care of things from here. Why don't you go and get cleaned up? You're covered in dirt." She suggested while turning on the hose.

"Okay, I talk to you later."

With that done, I made my way to the tower. I had just passed under a tall tree when Snowglider came flying out of nowhere and crash into it.

"Oww…" She moaned from the tree.

"Are you okay?" I asked, flying up to her.

"I don't know." Snowglider replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Am I?"

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Hold still." I used my magic to untangle her from the tree branches. Once she was clear I gently set her on the ground.

"Uh… Do you have a spell to cure a broken ego?" Snowglider asked hesitantly. I just glared at her. "Heh, heh… Never mind, but thanks for the save."

"You're welcome." I smiled. "Well, I need to get going, talk to you later."

"Bye." Snowglider called from behind me.

I had just entered the castle when I notice a thick, black smoke hung in the air. I followed it until I made it into the kitchen, which was overrun with flames. The chefs and my parents trying to fight the blaze with water, but they weren't making any progress against the inferno. I cast a shield around them before I used an aqua spell to flood the kitchen and put out the fire. Once the fire was gone I used a restoration spell to repair the damages to the kitchen. The danger gone, I released the shield. Afterwards, I promptly collapsed to the ground.

"Dawn! Are you okay?" My mom rushed over to me.

"I'm alright." I said weakly as I shakily stood up.

Well, in that case, thanks for the rescue." My dad said gratefully.

"You're welcome." I groaned.

"Princess Dawnfrost, you should probably get some rest." Came a raspy voice. "You'll need it very soon." I whirled around to see a dark stranger behind me.

There a pony in the doorway. His gray coat blended in with the remains of the smoke. His eyes stood out through the smoke, a fiery red beneath his horn. His hooves were a matching red. Though I strained to see it, his cutiemark was a black star inside a red circle. I gasped when I saw what had been blocking the cutiemark. Wings.

Another alicorn.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"You will know when the time is right." And with that, he was gone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, feeling nothing but confusion. I slowly left the kitchen and started back to my tower, ignoring my parents' questions.

There was no point wandering around the palace after that. I stormed up to my room, slamming the door behind me so hard the wood creaked.

I turned to my bed and noticed a few notecards stacked neatly in the center. I picked them up and began to read:

Hey Dawn, thanks for the help in the armory. If you hadn't been there, I might've been buried for days! It makes me glad to have a friend like you. If you ever need help, feel free to ask.

-Nightblade

To the greatest sister ever! Thank you, I've been searching that library for days! I had begun to think that I'd never find those books! I owe you one!

-Duskfire

Hello Dawn, thanks for helping me with those flowers. It would've taken me days by myself! If you ever get into trouble, I'd be happy to help in any way I can!

-Sunbeam

'Sup Dawn. I'm still never found out, is there a spell for a broken ego? Heh, heh, just kidding. Seriously, thanks for the assist. Although, I still can't believe I crashed! Anyway, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask.

-Snowglider

Dear Dawnfrost,

Thank you for stopping that fire, it made us really proud to see the strong mare you have become. Keep up the great work and remember we're always here if you need us.

-Mom and Dad

After finishing, I couldn't help but smile…

Well, folks. That's all for this chapter!

So remember to let us know what you think, and we'll see all of you guys in the next exciting chapter!