//------------------------------// // 49 - Departure // Story: Change: Queen of The Hive // by tom117z //------------------------------// The Next Morning “Please be safe,” Cadance asked of her aunts, the first rays of dawn having been produced by the older of the two alicorns in question but moments earlier. “Not to sound like a broken record, but I still think I should come along.” Celestia sighed. “We’ve been over this, Cadance.” “I know. But that doesn’t do much to change how I feel.” The three alicorn princesses had just exited the castle and out into one of the courtyards dotted around the royal gardens. The entire area was empty; not a single other souls in sight. Neither had Shining Armor or any of the others come to see them depart, the princesses wanting the event to draw as little attention to itself as possible. The only noise to be heard was a couple of various exotic birds chirping away from within the foliage of the trees around the courtyard. The grass was damp, and the breeze was cool as it swept through the air alongside the manes of the Princesses of the Sun and Moon. “Unfortunately, Cadenza, that is just the way things are to be,” Luna replied to the fretting pink alicorn. “War is a dangerous time, but we needn’t take risks that are wholly unnecessary.” “This whole plan is a risk, Aunt Luna.” “Which is why you are to remain, need I remind you,” Luna retorted. “But neither do we have any intention of falling to the Empress. Should things go to plan, she will be wholly unprepared for a strike at her heart. The element of surprise is on our side.” “And if things don’t go to plan?” Cadance asked sternly, her eyes narrowed. “If she finds out about what we intend? You could end up walking into a trap.” “It would be most typical,” Luna mused. “Yes, it is a possibility. But, as ponies say, there is only one way to find out.” “Well that fills me with all the confidence,” Cadance deadpanned. “Just promise me that if things get out of hoof you’ll get out of there before your heads are sent back to us with a first class stamp slapped onto them.” “I have no desire to become a morbid parcel, my dear niece,” Celestia responded in an assuring manner. “We promise to return to Canterlot should our defeat become all but a certainty.” Cadance sighed in relief. “Good. With the battering we’ve been taking, this war already has enough dead heroes.” “I have never fancied myself a hero, Cadance,” Celestia informed the younger alicorn. “But as a Princess of Equestria I have a duty to protect my subjects from harm. And as both her mentor and a mother figure I must see Twilight freed. Not to mention the rest of her kind, trapped in another’s thrall.” “And any old fool can be a hero,” Luna added in, before shooting her elder sister a sly smirk. “But by that logic my sister is surely a hero already, seeing as there is no greater fool in all the realm.” Celestia rolled her eyes. “I’ll remember that the next time you need me to take over some of your duties so you can catch up of your sleep. Being the fool I am, I just might be so inclined to refuse such a request.” “That was one time, and I had just returned from the moon!” Luna protested. “And while you make all these threats, I know you could never follow them through, sister of mine.” “Is that so?” “Of course,” Luna affirmed. “I know a variety of ways to force your hoof, ways that any villains seeking to manipulate you would die to get their hooves on.” “The puppy eyes and begging technique only works when it is you, Lulu,” Celestia shot back with a smirk of her own. Luna’s eye twitched. “I do not beg! Ever!” Cadance stifled a giggle, watching her Aunt Luna conjure up a retort to Celestia’s insinuations. She always enjoyed watching them verbally spar as those within a sibling rivalry usually did. Especially then of all time, given that it was so… normal. Just two ponies, two sisters, enjoying each other’s company while also doing their all to outwit the other on the teasing front. It was something she and her own sister in law had done once or twice, though not to the extent of the royal sisters in a private environment. Cadance had always won, of course. As intimidating as a Changeling Queen could be, her former foalsitter had plenty of dirt to render her as red as a tomato with embarrassment. Thoughts of Twilight shattered the moment of piece and brought reality back to the front, combined with the wind down of the royal sister’s teasing and an air of seriousness reasserting itself. Cadance hoped it wouldn’t be the last time she got to see the sisters act like that. “All teasing aside,” Luna stated sternly. “This is something we cannot ask anypony else to do, and is something we can delay no further.” “Luna is right, we must leave before the sun is raised to its highest peak.” “You could always delay the sun’s rising,” Cadance noted. “I think that might be noticed,” Celestia gently replied. “And the day must go on, no matter what we must do. As must Equestra.” Cadance nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on things while you’re away. I just hope you return soon.” “As do I, Cadance,” Celestia responded. “Come, sister, we must depart. Too many lives are depending on us to delay any further.” Luna nodded in agreement. “As you say, Tia. Whatever happens, we do it together. The Princess of the Sun smiled. “That we do. Farewell, Cadance.” Cadance watched as the two princesses unfurled their wings and kicked off into the air. They headed off in the direction directly behind the castle and away from the city, the shield of Shining Armor rapidly approaching. When they impacted its surface they passed right on through without any consequence, soon becoming but dots against the pink sky before disappearing completely. Cadance stared a little while longer, a creeping sense of dread refusing to leave her. Now that the other two alicorns were gone, she only felt all the more uneasy about the whole affair. She looked away and back towards the doorway leading into the castle. Through there her duties awaited, including the oncoming court she would oversee in Celestia’s stead. She would sit on her aunt’s throne, safe and sound in the castle while they were out there risking life and limb to protect her and everypony else in Equestria. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza made a decision. A burst of magenta shot forth from Shining Armor’s horn, the magic making its way out of the building and impacting the shield encompassing the whole city. He let off a strained sigh as he did so, but then felt his strength return. He could last far longer, and would go on for as long as he was required to do so. He was in the royal dining room, awaiting his wife to join him for breakfast. He wasn’t alone, however, seeing as the captains of both the Solar Guard and the Lunar Guard were also present and adorned in their full armours. They had just finished giving him a morning report, confirming that everything had gone smoothly and that the princesses would safely be on their way to the former Council Hive, now the Empress’ seat of power. “Do you think they can do it?” Vladimir asked, his metal wing twitching somewhat nervously. “I don’t wish to doubt them, and I don’t, but this isn’t exactly a normal situation we’re in.” “They better be,” Broad Sword responded with a grimace. “Let’s hope they put their combined two thousand years’ worth of experience to good use.” “Carduus says the Empress is a lot older than that,” Vladimir pointed out. “Then again, maybe that means they’ll just be beating on some old mare.” “I wouldn’t count on it,” Shining Armor stated, turning to face the pair. “And they’ll be fine, you know they’ve been through worse.” “Yes, that it true,” Broad Sword admitted. “Remember that centaur? Tirek?” Vladimir gave a visible shudder. “Yeah, getting all magic sucked out of me is something I’m NEVER going to forget. Glad I didn’t have my prosthetic at that time, it would have become a blade adorned dead weight.” “Only then the changelings were allies, rather than our adversary,” Broad Sword remarked. “Ngh, this whole situation is fucked.” “It’s been fucked since the day Draco found that damned regalia,” Vladimir noted. “I’d have said since Queen Crudelis torched Ponyville,” Shining Armor added in, sitting down at the table and examining the untouched food laying upon it. “Everything has changed since my wedding. Hmph, who could have thought wedding bells would bring about a new era?” “It hasn’t been the smoothest of rides, has it?” Vladimir remarked. “I wonder what Longshot would say to all this.” “Some crass remark or another,” Shining Armor replied. “He always was rather blasé about things.” “Maybe we ought to follow his example then,” Vladimir joked, before looking at an apple on the table. “You mind? I skipped breakfast.” Shining Armor nodded. “Go ahead.” With a thankful glance, Vladimir picked the apple up and sank his fangs into it. Meanwhile, Broad Sword had a pensive look about him. “Your shield…” “Hm?” Shining responded questioningly. “Your shield,” he repeated. “How long would it hold against the might of the swarm? My wife and son are down here with us and I’m interested to know exactly how safe they are.” “Indefinitely, or at least I would hope so,” he stated in reply. “Especially with Cadance’s help, even the princesses would be unable to breach it conventionally. There’s a reason that Chrysalis infiltrated and brainwashed me to weaken it. It would take an extended siege to break it, I don’t know exactly how long though.” “You seem to have a handle on things then,” Vladimir noted. “My cutie mark is a shield, I’m quite good with them,” Shining Armor pointed out. “Twi got magic in general, but I’ve always been better at conjuring shields than even her.” Vladimir looked at the shield containing a six point star inside. “I always thought it represented you protecting your sister.” “Nah, it’s shields in general,” Shining explained, before tapping a hoof in thought. “Saying that however, I did happen to get it protecting Twilight from some bullies in school.” “But during that time, we would be completely cut off from the outside world,” Broad Sword stated, rewinding the conversation back to the shield. “No supplies in or out?” “We have plenty in Canterlot to last a long time, you know that,” Shining pointed out. “But… yes, I suppose so.” “But while they’re busy with that, the rest of the EUP could easily hit them from behind and smash their lines,” Vladimir said factually. “Probably why they haven’t hit us already.” “The EUP is still putting out the fires all over Equestria,” Broad Sword noted. “If they were to attack any time now, the EUP would be delayed in their mass mobilisation and deployment here.” “But the changelings would be stuck outside, we’d have the time,” Vladimir rebutted. “Unless… there is a way they could speed things up?” “Now you’re making me nervous,” Shining Armor remarked. “I suppose a combined blast from the queens, seeing what happened at Manehatten, could make a hole in the shield. But it would be sealed again in moments, and I can’t imagine that the queens would have their full strength after exerting that much energy.” Vladimir hummed. “Well, as long as Cadance is here as a backup I feel a fair bit safer beneath that shield of yours.” “Um, about that,” Princess Cadance sheepishly said as she entered the dining room with urgency in her hooves. “Shiny, a moment please?” Shining Armor gave her an odd look, but nodded all the same. He wordlessly asked for Broad Sword and Vladimir to vacate the room, and they complied to the Prince’s request professionally. They exited the dining room, electing to move on with their daily duties amidst the war. When they had gone the door sealed tight, and Shining Armor gave his wife a quizzical expression. “I’m going after them,” Cadance announced, not beating around the bush. “You’re perfectly capable at ruling, Shining, and they may need me.” “You’re kidding,” Shining stated in disbelief. “I think Celestia and Luna were pretty clear on the matter.” “And I’m their equal, I don’t need to listen to everything they tell me to do,” Cadance retorted. “And if the Empress is the best way to end this conflict, then I won’t be sitting around looking pretty for the court goers.” “And I recall you hounded me for going with Twilight to Draco’s hive,” Shining deadpanned. “At least I’m telling you beforehoof!” Cadance argued back. “And Shiny… I have a bad feeling. Like, a REALLY bad feeling about this whole thing. I need to do this.” Shining Armor groaned, but didn’t seem willing to argue the point. “You’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you?” Cadance just nodded firmly in response. Shining sighed, got up from his seat and promptly pulled his wife into a deep kiss. When all was said and done Cadance’s eyes were left wide with surprise. “Honestly, I would drop everything and come with you in a heartbeat,” Shining explained. “But due to the shield Canterlot can’t afford to spare me. But it can spare you.” “Are you sure you’ll be fine?” “I can keep this thing going through all kinds of weather,” he assured the alicorn. “Just go, end this.” Cadance stared at her husband for a few moment, before giving him a resolute nod. She reluctantly pulled away from him and strode out of the dining room, soon after finding the nearest exit and taking flight after her aunts. Shining Armor just looked at the dining room’s doorway worriedly. Just as Cadance feared that morning was the last time she’d see her aunts, Shining Armor couldn’t help but worry for the love of his life.