//------------------------------// // 09: Return to Castle Bullion // Story: The Princess that Equestria Always Had // by rillegas08 //------------------------------// By the time Twilight returned to Star Swirl's workshop, a layer of snow up to her ankles had fallen. It was thick and wet, and before too long she found it more and more difficult to keep walking and towing the supplies she'd brought with her. She trudged up to the door, knocked, and waited for Star Swirl to open it. She could have used her magic to open it herself, but there were two reasons she chose not to. First, Star Swirl still thought that her magic, like every other unicorn who had assisted with moving the celestial bodies, would have been depleted, and as such wouldn't expect her to still have it. The second reason was much more mundane: she was tired, cold, and didn't have the energy to open it herself. Finally the door opened. "Ah, there you are," exclaimed the wizard. "How was the meeting?" Twilight stepped inside and stamped the packed snow out of the frogs of her hooves. "It went very well. We found a temporary solution that would work until the tribes figure out what's causing this winter." Star Swirl pause, turning his head toward her. "You didn't talk about the windigoes, did you?" Twilight sighed. "Unfortunately not. You and I both believe there's enough evidence to show that they're the cause, but to everypony else they'd be seen as a convenient contrivance to shift the blame. I didn't want to complicate things by mentioning something they didn't believe existed." She yawned. "Can you start a fire? I've been cold for hours walking through that snow." "Of course, Twilight." They made their way to the furnace, and Twilight laid on her side, her hooves facing the furnace as her mentor started a fire inside it. "Would you like something warm to drink as well?" "Yes, please. Some tea if you have it." Though she was tired, she decided not to rest her eyes, in no small part because she had just realized that she was laying on her wing. Ow. Ow. Ow. "Here you go, a fresh pot of tea, specially brewed to warm you up." He levitated a steaming cup into her hooves and sat beside her. Twilight took a long sip of the tea before her. She didn't taste anything different in this brew than from the tea she and Star Swirl usually drank. He hadn't lied, however; it did warm her up, though it was more likely because the tea itself was hot. "Say, you're Princess Platinum's adviser. Shouldn't you be there, talking to her about the meeting?" "I was going to, but by the time I remembered to do so, I was closer to here than to Bullion's castle. Besides, with their new policy requiring a letter of recommendation, I would've had to wait overnight anyway. Can you write one I can give to them? It's probably not as official as they'd prefer, but - " "But it's the best we can do in a pinch," he finished for her. "Exactly." Twilight yawned again. "I wonder why the king and the princess didn't just give us a long-term letter the last time we were there?" "Why, we didn't ask, of course." "That, or they simply didn't think of it at the time. " "Or both." Twilight nodded. "I'll just get an official letter from them when I'm there tomorrow." "Tomorrow? We left at midday last time, arrived midday the next day, and still had to stay the night in an inn partway there." "True, but we didn't leave at dawn and we weren't going any faster than a brisk walk. It'll go faster that way, and I'll have the energy to do so after a good night's rest." Star Swirl nodded. "Come, Twilight. Finish your tea and let's get you to bed." They talked about what Star Swirl had been doing since Twilight left. It was pretty much what she had expected: more research. She lsitened in silence until he finished speaking. He then helped her up and over to her bed. She fell asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Quills? Parchment? Boots? Scarf?" "Check, check, check, check." "Then it appears... that you are ready to go..." sighed Star Swirl. The next few moments between the two were held in silence. If somepony were to listen closely, they could hear the final embers of the furnace before being snuffed. They could hear the creaks and groans of the workshop's walls as they settled ever so slightly into the foundation. They could hear the balls inside the bells of Star Swirl's outfit as their momentum slowed to a standstill, their final jingles out of tune. To Twilight, however, the loudest of the silence's sounds was the sound of the sadness in Star Swirl's voice as he spoke the words that caused the silence to begin with. "Okay," she said, finally breaking the silence, "what's wrong, Star Swirl?" "Hmm?" "My friends have been sad enough times that I can recognize the signs. What's on your mind?" "You're leaving to become Princess Platinum's adviser, but I've only just gotten used to having an apprentice around here again." "I know exactly what you mean," she replied, placing her hoof on his shoulder as she recalled the time when her own number one assistant had gone to look for other dragons. She reminded herself to show some more appreciation for Spike when she returned to her own time. "Sorting all this out," she continued, "shouldn't take more than a few months, and after that we'll be working together again. You'll see." This she had said in complete confidence, having read historical accounts about Star Swirl and Clover the Clever working together long after the founding of Equestria and the coronation of the alicorn sisters. I'm going to have to stay in the past much longer than I'd thought. We haven't even met them yet. "I'll send you messages when I can about our progress." "Every day?" "I can't promise that, but I can promise I'll write as often as I can." "I'll look forward to receiving those letters, then," he replied. "Have fun storming the castle!" Star Swirl closed the door behind her, and Twilight pondered what he could have meant by his parting phrase as she started trotting down the path they'd taken not even two weeks earlier. She knew from the Hearth's Warming story that the majority of the fun would only be after she and the other advisers had encountered the windigoes. Furthermore, she wasn't storming Bullion's castle, not even close. She was just going to live and work there for a while. He's certainly eccentric, she thought. History and personal experience has proven that several times. Twilight trotted along the path, heading toward the forest on the horizon that she and Star Swirl had passed through on their first journey to and from King Bullion's castle. Once adequately hidden by the foliage, she went through what was becoming a routine: freeing her wings, flying through the trees, and hiding them again before emerging. All the while, she let her mind wander. She thought about what she was going to say when she arrived; she tried to figure out a timetable for what she knew was going to happen; occasionally she even caught herself wondering what Daring Do would do if she had been sent back in time. "Remind me to talk to Rainbow about that when I get back," she said to nopony in particular. Twilight arrived at King Bullion's castle in the mid-afternoon. As she approached, she saw that the dome of the protection spell that she and Star Swirl had cast had, for the most part, done its job. The area surrounding the castle was covered with a much thinner layer of snow than the area beyond the castle's walls. She approached the guards at the gates, and the one named Red Tape spoke. "Stat your name and business." "Tw - " she began, but then faked a sneeze; she'd almost forgotten that she was using a different name in public. "Excuse me. Clover the Clever, apprentice to Star Swirl the Bearded, and new adviser to Her Highness Princess Platinum. I am here to begin my service alongside the princess." "Do you have a letter of - " "Yes, it's right here." She levitated the letter our of her saddlebag and gave it to the guard. He took a moment to look over it, then gave it back to her. "I guess they forgot to mention that the king's seal needs to be on it." "Oh..." Twilight's face fell, but she kept standing firm. "Can one of your bring it in to be sealed?" "Unfortunately we can't We're not allowed to leave our positions until sundown." "I've heard that Star Swirl can teleport," the second guard finally spoke. "Yes," she replied, "he has a tower for the sole purpose of teleporting back to his workshop so he can get back to his experiments and research faster." Red Tape glared at his partner. "You're not suggesting she get past us that way, are you?" "Of course not. The policy states that no pony may enter by any means without a letter of recommendation sealed by the king." "Thought not." Twilight thought for a moment. "Nopony may enter... no, no pony," she realized. "Does the policy say anything against sending the letter itself inside?" Red Tape shrugged, readjusting his armor which had suddenly become a bit uncomfortable. "Well, no, but - " "Great!" Twilight grinned and immediately teleported the letter into the throne room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ King Bullion, seated on his throne, was holding court, his daughter seated beside him. One unicorn stepped forward to present his case when suddenly there was a flash of light accompanied by the sound of a crack. Something appeared in front of the king's head, and he jumped in surprise. Unsurprisingly, such an odd event frightened every other pony in attendance. To their credit, they all thought an intruder had compromised the castle's security, and thus had reacted appropriately for such a sudden invasion. "SILENCE!" shouted the princess as she stood up, and everypony immediately quieted. "Do calm down. It's just a piece of paper!" She levitated it over and gave it a quick read. "It's from Clover," she finally said. "Have it sealed and then sent to the gates!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I appreciate your... enthusiasm," the princess said after Twilight had been allowed to enter the castle, "though you could have used more tact. I highly doubt you knew for sure we were in the throne room." Platinum had excused herself from court, and she and Twilight were now standing in the conference room adjacent to the throne room, the same conference room they'd been in before. "That said, we shall soon have a proper letter written up for both you and Star Swirl." "Thank you, Your Majesty." "All right, let's waste no more time with pleasantries. How did the meeting with the other advisers go?" Platinum listened to Twilight as she recalled the meeting and the decision they had made, then closed her eyes in thought. Twilight, not wanting to be rude, waited for her to speak first. "It's difficult taking somepony's advice when you disagree." "Indeed it is, Your Highness." "I have insisted on immediate action, but several others have insisted on more assertive options. Star Swirl, my father, and now you and the other tribes' advisers. I know when it's pointless to fight back. I shall attend the meeting as has been planned." "That's good to hear, Your Highness." "What do we need to do to prepare?" the gray princess asked. "I've never done anything like this before." "You've never been to a peace summit before?" "I've been to peace summits with my father, though never as a participant. I've also never had to ask for help before," she admitted. "Tell nopony. I have a reputation." "I promise I won't say anything." Almost instinctively, Twilight started reciting the Pinkie Promise. She kept silent, since nopony in this era - or for almost a thousand years, for that matter - but couldn't stop her hoof from crossing her chest. I'll just cross my chest instead of reciting the whole thing. It'll mean the same thing, right? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Star Swirl - Sorry for not writing sooner. We've been really busy here at the castle preparing for the summit. King Bullion, for the most part, has let Princess Platinum and me take care of our own preparations, though he hasn't been completely absent from the process. Having been in many summits himself, he's provided some insight for both of us. When I arrived here, the heat spell we cast last time we were here had since weakened and dissipated. The morning after I arrived I was asked to cast it again. You know that I couldn't, and I ended up teaching the spell to some of the other unicorns here. It should last a very long time as long as they remember to strengthen it every few days or so. As it turns out, the letter you wrote wasn't quite enough to get me in. They forgot to tell us that it needed to be sealed with the king's seal for it to be valid. Fortunately I was able to get it into the castle quickly and was let in. The king's scribe has written us two official letters, both sealed. This way we should never have to be subject to this confusing process again. I have enclosed your copy of the letter. Even though our days have been busy, the nights have not. Before I fall asleep I've found myself thinking about you and your work. How have you been in my absence? Are you staying on the sleeping and eating schedule we've been working on? I know you can sometimes get too distracted to remember to eat or sleep, but I just wanted to make sure. Have you been working on any new spells or research since I left? Nothing too destructive, I hope. I'll write again in a few days, after the summit has been adjourned. See you soon, Clover Star Swirl held his hoof to his beard, rubbing at the singed ends. Just before receiving Twilight's letter he had been attempting a new flame-based spell when there was a knock at the door. Losing his concentration for a moment, the sphere of flame he had conjured succumbed to gravity, landing on the end of his brown beard before dissipating to the sides. He waved his large blue hat around to get rid of the smell of the smoke, the bells jingling in their usual tone. He thought about what he'd read, a puzzled expression on his face. Something seemed... off. After a few minutes, he used his magic to shuffle through some papers nearby. He found a page that Twilight had written on a few weeks earlier and examined both it and the letter he'd just received. "I saw Twilight use her magic to write this one," he mused, looking at the older page. "It's the same script. No scribe could match it so perfectly if she'd dictated it. And I've seen her hoofwriting; it's not nearly as good as this. No, she had to have used her magic to write this letter. But her magic should have been depleted after raising the sun." He put the page back where it had been, and set the letter on the table beside him. He closed his eyes and rubbed his hooves against them, thinking back on the last few weeks. "Why would Twilight hide how strong her magic is?"