Home Sweet Hive

by Mad Hatter

Intermission: Plan B

Author's Note:

As a change of pace, this is from Twilight's perspective.

It took some time for me to organize my thoughts. It didn't matter much, since it was the same thought this time.

"Back off, or I break the bitch's horn!"

It wasn't possible. Not really. A horn is solid, magic-infused bone. An alicorn's horn is even tougher. It takes an immense amount of pressure to crack one, let alone break it. Far more than Nohbodi has. Still, something's wrong with him. Something needed to be done about it.

"Princess Twilight!" The call of the lead guard snapped me out of the thought process. Snapped, not a word I wanted to think right now. "Erm..." She shuffled her hooves in consternation, obviously unused to failing a mission involving a princess, even if she gave the order to back down. "Your orders?"

"Return to Canterlot. This mission is over."

More consternation. "Um, with all due respect princess, what are we going to do about them?"

"You're not going to do anything."

"Pardon?"

"This needs a different approach. Return to Canterlot."

"Um... And where will you be going princess?"

I blankly gazed in the direction that queen Aranea and Nohbodi ran. "I'm doing the same."

A quick teleportation spell later and I was in the royal hall. To Tartarus with protocol. No matter how uncomfortable it was to do, I had to talk now. "Celestia!"

An indistinct collection of voices was heard from the other side of the royal court's door. It was only seconds before Celestia personally opened the way, with guards and bureaucrats attempting to calm and contain the crowd. Celestia leaving court wasn't unheard of. Her leaving it too quickly to let the guards open the doors, and caused by a voice all Canterlot recognized, wasn't.

"Twilight! This isn't like you at all. What's happened?"

"They got away."

Celestia put a hoof to her muzzle and pondered. "An entire contingent was sent with you. I know from Butterfly that queen Aranea had found her ancestral homeland. I thought Nohbodi might risk leaving to aid her."

It stood to reason that if Aranea hadn't informed Celestia directly, then Butterfly would be the next in line to tell her. "So what do we do now?"

"Nothing."

"Excuse me Celstia, but WHAT?!"

"If finding the changeling's homeland is that important, I'm willing to delay the questioning. Not returning qualifies as self-imposed exile, exile being the harshest sentence Equestria has. Unfortunate, he's done so much for Equestria and it's economy. After understanding some differences, that is." Celestia wasn't what you'd call a 'drinker', the diarchs having a massive tolerance to it, but she did enjoy his invention from time to time. "So many soldiers really was unnecessary. What happened? It's not like you to appear like this; it must have been unusual."

"Unusual? Aranea blocked the guards and Nohbodi grabbed me! He said he'd break my horn off if they weren't let go!"

Celestia sighed. "That is far too serious to ignore, even if the odds of him being able to do it are slim at best. It was probably an empty threat though, but still..."

"He said he'd done it before. Twice... Butterfly!"

"You believe Butterfly is involved?"

"No, when they found her, here in Canterlot! That nasty place, where they found the owner without a horn and beat up. I thought her workers had broken her horn, but... Oh no..."

"What's your theory on it, Twilight?"

"Humans repel magic, and most of a horn's strength is magic. Even if the rest is bone, regular bone can be broken far more easily than a horn. If Nohbodi got enough leverage..."

"That does make sense. This is troubling. We may be forced to question him after all. I wonder why he would claim twice, though."

I wondered at that alone with Celestia. "Yes, once would be enough, and he's been here long enough to know. I didn't notice anything off about them, two magical signatures. Wait, two? Nohbodi doesn't have a signature, since he doesn't have magic. It was a changeling signature too. Small, and kind of faint. No, no no no! Intricate Compass! When he was found him in the Everfree, he was missing his horn! He not only did it twice, he kept it!"

"WHAT?" Celestia just used the royal Canterlot voice. No breathing exercise was going to help me now. She regained her composure far faster than I could, and simply stated "Enough. Nohbodi must be questioned immediately. He's finally proven too dangerous to be loose in Equestria, at least until we get some answers."

"But, how can I fight him?"

Celestia lowered her head. "You can't. Not without far too much danger. I'm sending somepony else for this."

"Who?"

"The only one that's already proven she can."

Comments

[InfernoRage008]

Sheesh, what's wrong with them? Of course he's dangerous, but that's only if provoked. Dumbasses!