Marked

by Eisen

Chapter 14: The Weak Link

Despite all of the recent events, Twilight's mind was fairly blank that morning. It was blank as she got up and re-dressed her wounds. It was blank as she calmly walked out of the palace. It remained blank for her entire walk to the library, and with a sigh, she opened the door and walked inside.

Stamper immediately took notice of her down disposition, and he managed to draw her eyes up from the ground at which she'd been staring for a while when he asked her a question. She hadn't understood what he'd said the first time, and, shaking her head a bit, asked him kindly to repeat the question.

"I asked what the matter was, princess!" Stamper said with a concerned tone, and an equally concerned face to match.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong," Twilight said, straightening herself up, not too abruptly, but the look of suspicion evident on Stamper's face told her before he even opened his mouth that she wasn't fooling anyone.

His voice took on an almost grandfatherly tone as he spoke. "Now I may be old, but that just means I've been around long enough to know a lie when I hear one, princess."

She sighed and paused for a moment as she thought things through. She clearly wasn't fooling him, so there really was no point in hiding her concerns, but she had to be cautious how to word it. She eventually straightened up a bit more and spoke clearly.

"Someone who I thought was a friend did something to me that they shouldn't have... but I get the feeling they didn't want to. And not just the one either, a few of my friends have been acting strange, acting like... not themselves. I'm just not sure what to do." Twilight admittedly was a little relieved that she could tell someone that much, at least.

Stamper smiled at her honesty, and that brought a little more relaxation to the worn mare. He thought for a moment before speaking again. "Well, I'm not gonna ask you for all the details, took you enough guts just to tell the truth. But, if you want my advice, I'd pull one of these friends of yours aside and ask them about it in private. Maybe they're scared of somebody, but if they're truly your friend, they'd be able to tell you in secret!" he finished with a hopeful expression, as if waiting for her to respond.

She nodded slowly, thinking on it for a moment before asking "Are you sure that'll work?"

He simply winked and nodded, which was more than enough reassurance as it was, and seeing her face brighten slightly, he began to chuckle. "The books aren't the only things you can learn from in here. Heh, on that measure, they're not the only things worn by age either!" He broke into laughter at his own joke, before the laughs turned into a short coughing fit.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern. Twilight moved forward to help, but he stopped her, waving a hoof to indicate he was alright. Amid the coughing, he picked up an opaque thermos that was on the table and drank a bit of it's contents, the coughs subsiding immediately.

He snapped right back into his usual self and put on his typical friendly smile, as if nothing had happened at all. "So, princess, what books can I get you today?"

Twilight mulled over her options and his words before responding with a confident tone. "Actually, there's someone I need to talk to. Your advice has helped me more than any book could right now. Thank you Stamper!" As she spoke, she was already headed back out the door. Stamper had just enough time to wave and say a quick farewell as she disappeared.

The old stallion sat back and sighed, the smile fading from his face. He looked at the thermos briefly and then back down at the desk with a pensive expression. "I hope you find whatever information you're looking for, princess... For better or for worse," he muttered quietly.

Twilight strode into the palace with a fresh air of confidence, walking into the dining hall to find Shining Armor alone, nibbling on breakfast while doing paperwork.

"Is Cadence here?" she asked straight out, drawing his attention up to her entry.

"Oh, hey Twily. No, Cadence is supposed to be out working on a housing--"

"Good, I need to talk to you in private," she stated, cutting him off with a flat tone.

"Now Twilight, I'm not so sure..." he began, but trailed off as he saw his sister's blank expression.

"Do I need to make that a royal order?" she asked, with a hint of sarcasm, but enough of a real threat to convey the urgency of the request.

He nodded and motioned for her to follow him. She looked ahead at him quizzically as they passed by his office, and he quietly spoke as they trotted on. "If we're going to talk, I'd rather not do it in my office. Some crystals can be used to record and play back sounds, and they can be... very easy to hide."

With that comment saying more than enough in the way of reasoning, the rest of the walk was silent, until they finally reached their destination: the balcony of the palace spire. The wind blew past them lightly as Shining walked to the edge and looked around, Twilight walking beside him and sitting down.

They were silent for a moment, neither entirely sure what to say, until Twilight finally got the courage to break the silence. "Your strange hesitation, the looks Cadence has given you, and the brother I know wouldn't back down when he's passionate about something. Something is different, what is going on?"

He was silent for a while, looking down briefly, but eventually sighed and looked off of the balcony into the distance.

"About a week ago, Cadence started acting... different. She began making changes and looking around more and being more reclusive," he began, staring off into the distance as Twilight looked up at him.

"She never told me why, but she started telling me how to organize my guards. The nights before you arrived, she told me that some guards should be re-positioned to better guard higher crime areas, and ON the night you arrived, she told me that multiple guards were required in specific areas... and, I suppose, indirectly, less than others." A look of partial fear and guilt crept onto his face, prompting him to look back down, still avoiding eye contact.

She mulled Shining's words over carefully. My meeting with Celestia was almost a week ago... in fact, at that thought, she couldn't help but notice how this very spire tower, the roof, the smooth floor, the regal decor, all were hauntingly reminiscent of that first meeting place.

"Why would she suddenly start doing things like that? Was there any precursor?" she asked, subtly wondering if Celestia had outright mentioned anything.

"Not that I can think of," he said plainly.

Twilight decided that subtlety had no purpose here, so she bluntly asked if Cadence had spoken to Celestia.

"No. In fact, the only meeting she'd been to before it all started was a large business conference, where big business owners from all across Equestria come together to discuss trade and economics."

Twilight took a mental note of that, but moved on. "Why did you back down when you were voicing your help for me? Whenever you get into a mood like that, almost nothing can stop you from making a promise."

It was hard to imagine his face could have looked any more guilty before, but somehow, he managed to pull it off, closing his eyes.

"See, there are a few signals that she gives me that indicates I shouldn't say something. She didn't use them often, and before this week, she reserved it for rare occasions in which royal orders I had been unaware of overrode what I was about to say. But this week... she's used it more than the past two years combined, not just around you either. What's scarier is that she didn't explain it this time. The previous times, afterwards, she told me why I had to stop. She even revealed a few royal agreement secrets that would have prevented my recommended actions. But this time... I ask, but she doesn't tell."

A chill seemed to hit Twilight, but she stayed silent as he started up again, opening his eyes and finally turning, looking at her, desperation and concern worn upon his face.

"The way she's acting, I think she's under pressure from somebody else. I don't know who, and I definitely don't know why, but she's acting stressed and almost paranoid. I've asked her constantly but she refuses to answer me."

At this, Twilight wrapped a hoof and wing around her brother, helping to comfort him a bit. Shining had always been about responsibility and protecting those he loved, and to see his wife being threatened and unable to help must have been torture to him.

"Don't worry, we'll find out who's behind this..." she consoled very quietly, earning a small smile from him, which was very abruptly cut short by a new voice.

"No, You won't!"

Twilight and Shining both jumped back to see Cadence fly up from her hiding place under the balcony, her face marred by pure fear, her voice shakey and panicked. "I'm sorry!"

Shining didn't waste a second, kicking Twilight back slightly and erecting a shield bubble around them, which absorbed two powerful blasts from Cadence. "GO!" he shouted as he focused all of his energy on the shield, making it opaque.

Twilight, in pure and utter shock, merely nodded numbly, and with a shaky execution, teleported away.

Comments

[Hillbe]

Call in the black bag crew!
the Flame
Tex
the Lady
the wall
Zoo Keeper
Rocketeer
and the Wrecker

CALL 1 800 BAG CREW

[silvadel]

Never tell Twilight what she can't do. Cadance should know by now that that is not the way to get her to stop.

[Fourpony]

Cadance, attacking family, that's not love. What could she fear so much that she would attack family? The way I see Cadance is that she would take the brunt of something before one that she loves has to be harmed.

[Lord Midnight]

All this could have been avoided with celestia saying "it's a secret" and forcing a pinkie promise not to investigate. Twilight isn't going to break a friends trust

[Treforce]

7062975
This post makes to much sense.
Please withdraw your flawless logic and let me enjoy the story.