Broken Mirror

by GMBlackjack


XIII - Aid Most Unwelcome

>> Some people just like to toy with the minds of others. I fully admit to being among them. There's something tantalizing about manipulating others to your own whims and means. Perhaps one of the most classic examples is letting the victim believe he's been successfully lying to you for so long, only to reveal you knew the entire time.

Or my personal favorite - the long haul. Build up trust with someone. Work your way into a good position. And then, when the time is right, execute your plan and watch them become crestfallen, destroyed. Of course, there's the satisfaction of watching the plan succeed in the first place, but the reactions are the icing on the cake.

Barbaric, isn't it? But oh, what if I wasn't describing me just there? I was, to be sure, but what if it applied to someone else?

Say, a pretty pony princess pulling the blinds over a whole nation?

She laughs about it regularly. She has to.

Or she'd break.

In a line of work where you must lie, deceive, and betray regularly, you must either find no moral qualms with your actions... or be able to laugh.

Laughter is the best medicine.<<

~~~

The Crystal Empire was always cold. Snow blew in from the north, blanketing the landscape around the crystalline city. The city itself was warmer but ravaged by magic both ancient and terrible. Magic that Minuette, Fluttershy, and Twilight were going to meet. With the frigid winds blustering against her face, Twilight stood up - slowly, as to not jeopardize the stability of the chariot further. Her face was expressionless, her eyes hidden behind goggles. She lit her horn, projecting an image of her cutie mark ten times as large as she herself was, calling attention to themselves.

"Be calm when you see them," Twilight said."They are known to fight at the slightest provocation."

Minuette nodded slowly.

The aforementioned 'they' flew up to them - two crystal ponies adorned with black armor that hid almost all of their bodies. Their eyes weren't visible behind their helmets, but an unseemly glow permeated from the area where they should have been. Red spikes lined their armor, and their wings were covered in long, sharp knives. Wordlessly, they grabbed the chariot, breaking off the floor Fluttershy was sitting in with their brutish motions. Annoyed, Fluttershy flew along with them as the chariot was dragged to the central spire. Minuette couldn't make out many features of the city below - it was very dark despite it being mid-afternoon. She saw no ponies aside from the two alongside them. She didn't think they were too far up to see ponies on the ground, so this fact concerned her. She knew this place had a lot of ponies in it - where were they?

She was reminded of the rumors that all crystal ponies were just zombies made to serve Sombra. She shivered involuntarily.

They were led into a crystal hall open to the sky in the middle of the tower. A crystal earth pony was sitting at a desk, wearing only a slick black suit. She looked... tired. "Princess Sparkle. Ambassador. Commander. King Sombra will see you soon."

Twilight frowned. "Okay." She waved with her wing, directing Minuette and Fluttershy to a bench. Minuette took a moment to look around - she had to admit, the hall was stunning. Far from the dark gloomy place she had been expecting, the room was bright, refracting the light from the sun to display a complex pattern of rays on the walls. The banners that lined the hall were a deep gray, adorned with many rubies. There were no guards whatsoever.

What king had no guards in his palace hall?

"He has some," Twilight said, "not many though, there's six or so on the floor above us."

"What else have you sensed?"

"He wasn't expecting us. He never has visitors of any kind. He doesn't need to listen to his citizens, they listen to him without questioning it. This place is controlled by his magic."

Minuette gulped.

"Don't worry, I can protect you. I think I use the same spells he does, though admittedly on a more delicate, more personal scale." She looked at the crystal pony receptionist. "She has nothing to look forward to in life, and Sombra's wired her not to care about that. Those pegasi were even worse - their only thought was 'follow order.' Everything else was tangential to that, it's their whole world." She sighed. "Yes, Fluttershy, I suppose that will make them good soldiers for us. Still... Are we sure about this?"

"We don't really have a choice," Fluttershy reminded her.

Minuette nodded. "Yeah. We need the ponies. We can give him the boot later."

Twilight sighed. "...Here we go."

"Oh?"

"Sombra will see you now," a crystal unicorn said from the stairway.

Minuette took a breath. She was really going to be in the presence of King Sombra, a bastard if ever there was one. She needed to keep her cool so everything didn't come falling apart around them.

"Very much so," Twilight said, following the crystal unicorn. As they ascended, the staircase slowly became darker and darker, the brilliant light of the sun fading into a distant memory. Gaseous shadows took form, filling the air, hindering the vision of the ponies. Just as Twilight was about to cast a light spell to deal with the darkness, the unicorn stopped at a large set of black double doors, watched by four guards.

The doors slid open without anypony touching them, the only noise they made being a soft whoosh of air. Inside was pitch blackness beyond that which Minuette had ever seen.

"Right in there," the unicorn said. "Take as long as you need."

Twilight gulped. "If anything goes wrong, I'll get us out of there."

Minuette and Fluttershy nodded, following their Princess into the darkness. The doors shut behind them, removing any sort of optical input for their brains to process. It was utter and complete darkness.

They relied on their ears and hooves to move, carefully feeling the floor and moving forward, giving careful thought to the sounds of their companions' breathing and hoofsteps.

Twilight lit her horn - and couldn't see the light. She shivered. "Hello? King Sombra, your excellency, I arrive seeking discourse!"

"And who would you be?" A deep, throaty voice boomed from all around them.

"Princess of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle, of Equestria!"

"Ah, the new one. How many of you are there now? Five?"

"...Four," Twilight bristled.

"I could have sworn there was five... Let's see... Sun, Moon, Fire, you, and... Oh right. I remember her." He laughed. "Delightful, she was."

"Why y-" Twilight stopped when Fluttershy put a wing on her. Twilight took in a large breath to collect herself. "While it is true we've had bad blood in the past, that is not why we are here. We have a mutual enemy."

"The Concretes. I'm aware they've started their little war. A bit earlier than expected."

"It has become clear to us that we will not survive the war with the Concretes. A difficult admission yes, but we come to you with-"

"Stop that."

"...Stop what?"

"Speaking those words that aren't yours. You're just relaying the words of your diplomat there."

"I assure you, these words have not been spoken by my diplomat in an-" Twilight stopped mid-sentence. Minuette could hear Fluttershy tapping her hoof rapidly, and Twilight taking a few hasty steps back. "Wh... What did you do?"

"Simple. I jammed all mental spells within this room. I'd much rather hear your words, princess."

"I... I... I..."

"Terrified? Trembling? Oh, let me even the playing field a bit then. After all, I'm nothing if not fair." The darkness vanished instantly, revealing a tall, bright crystal throne room. Seated on the throne was a giant black pony dressed in flowing red robes. His wings were folded at his side, and his horn was glowing a soft red. Around his neck he wore a red magic amulet with pride, dark magic wafting off of it into his evil eyes. He smirked. "Now you can see me,"

Twilight took in a deep breath and stamped her hoof on the ground. "We are looking for assistance in the war. An... alliance. The Concretes will destroy us and move onto you. Uh.. Yeah. That's about it." She grinned awkwardly.

Minuette could feel Fluttershy swearing internally.

"An admirable attempt at a speech, Princess. But why should I listen to you? Explain that to me. Tell me why you are worth allying with?"

"Uh... We have resources. Ponies. And a common enemy. We also have intel about the Concretion and..."

"You ordered my assassination. Tell me, were you specifically involved in that order? In sending your brother to his death?"

Fluttershy spread her wings. "That's enough Sombra! We are not here to discuss that! We are here to seek a temporary alliance against a common enemy! You knew she was using my mind - why not talk to me and get the words from the source? Why go after her?"

Sombra lifted Fluttershy into the air and tossed her into a wall. One of her wings cracked, making her scream out.

"Why you-" Minuette lit her horn, only to find herself tossed into a different wall.

"Fluttershy! Minuette!" Twilight called out.

"This is between you and me, Twilight Sparkle," Sombra spat. "Not between me and who controls you, not between me and your guard, me and you." He stepped down from his throne, walking up to her. "And you need to be the one to say this."

"...Why!?"

"Because you hate me. And I hate you."

Twilight twitched. "What... game is this?"

"Mine," Sombra said, growling. "Why do you hate me, princess?"

"You know what? Screw it!" Twilight blurted. "You're evil! You take away everything from ponies and force them to conform to your will! You kill and murder! You have sick, sick ideals!"

"How is what I do any different from what you do?"

"What in Tartarus do you mean!?"

"I mean, you are clearly skilled at mental magics. Enough to take the words right from the pegasus's mind. You'd have to be skilled at bending minds as well. Must be exceptional at it. A princess having a pegasus as a trusted advisor - highly abnormal. I've held many meetings with your nation over the years, and this is the first time I've seen a pegasus representative. You'd have to change opinion on a large scale to pull that off, not to mention the state of affairs in your town of Neighagra Falls... There's no way you get to where you are without intense and deep manipulation."

"It's not the same!" Twilight yelled. "I guide ponies to a brighter future!"

Sombra started circling her. "A brighter future according to you. I know most of your citizens would abhor your future vision, in addition to what means you use to accomplish it."

"So? They're misguided! Corrupted by the current system!"

"So you know what's best for them?"

"Yes! Or at least Fluttershy does!"

"You really are just a pawn..."

Twilight scrunched her muzzle. "I don't care about that. What I care about is a future with harmony."

"And why exactly are you so certain harmony is a good thing?"

"Because I've seen it! felt it! It was inspiring, like nothing else seen in the world! I felt closer to everything than I had ever had before!"

Sombra laughed. "I once lived in a society that was harmonious like the one you dream of. I never felt like it worked. But then I found power, I saw it. I felt it. Others bending to my will was inspiring, I felt closer to everything than I ever had before. This sound familiar yet?"

Twilight pressed her ears to the back of her head. "Y-you're just saying that..."

"No, I'm not. What I've done here in my Empire here is exercise my will - and that's good to me. You are doing the exact same as I; you are exacting your will on others, which is good to you. And that's all that matters, in the end."

"N-no! I care about the will of others!"

Sombra laughed. "The fact that you do is part of your will. You decide if the will of others is important, and while you do, day by day, week by week, you bend it to suit your needs."

Twilight grit her teeth. "I'm not you."

"No, you're not. You don't see as clearly as I do. You think there's some ideal, some golden rule that defines what you do, that justifies it. All there is to justify anything is you."

"I.. I listen to feedback! I... I let others tell me when I'm wrong!"

"And who decided that was a good thing to do? That's right, you. You are all there is in your world. you make all the decisions. You are it."

"N-no," Twilight said, voice cracking. "I'm better than you."

Sombra laughed again. "Oh, the Princess cries! How she wails against the horror!" He rushed close to her, face inches from her own. "Cadence did the same thing. She spouted ideals of 'love' and 'tolerance' for all. Even she, in the end, realized it was all her. All assigned by her. It's the only way things can be. There is nothing else."

Twilight roared, firing off a magic missile, only to be rammed into a wall by Sombra's impressive power. Her goggles were knocked off her eyes, revealing the tearful and terrified orbs to the world. She screamed at King Sombra's face.

"Your brother was worse than you, by the way. He didn't think. He just thought whatever she thought. Foolish, really. Once you lose your compass you're forced to take a look around. Realize something about yourself. He never got to make use of the freedom I gave him. Perhaps you will." He dropped her to the ground and whispered in her ear. "It's all you."

"You... sadistic freak!" Minuette yelled.

"To you, maybe," Sombra said, ramming Minuette into the ground again. "But to me... well, this is just the way things should be. After all, it's all me."

Twilight was a tearful, crying wreck. Sombra walked up to her, stooping down to her level, his face inches from her own. "I accept this offer of an alliance."

"W-what!?" Fluttershy said, a look of bafflement on her face - an alien expression to her features.

"You heard me. I'll organize the armies. I presume you want most of them sent to Nova?"

Fluttershy nodded slowly. "Yes... We'd like a small contingent sent with us back to Neighagra Falls as well."

"Done." He extended his hoof to her. Wincing through the pain of her broken wing, Fluttershy shook it. Then she looked him in the eye.

"Why all of this?"

"Oh come on, somepony like you should understand. I really do hate her and what they tried to do to me. She needed to be put in her place. Send the others my regards, amazing pegasus. You and I aren't all that different from each other either."

Fluttershy shrugged. "Perhaps not. And yet, I'm not bothered by that. Because I believe there's an abject good in the universe, a true moral set that's there and right regardless of who you are or what you're like. I know I don't have the perfect ideal - but I know I'm closer than you are."

Sombra said nothing for a moment. "...That's absurd."

Fluttershy smiled. "To you maybe." She turned around. "We're done here. Have the unit meet us at the open hall." She limped to Twilight, helping the shaky wreck up. They walked out of the throne room.

Minuette shot a death glare at Sombra as she left.

Sombra found that amusing. "You aren't as above it as you think you are, Commander. If you were wrong before, why not again?"

"Buck you."

Sombra laughed. "Flattering, but I have others for that." he laughed harder. "My, that's quite an imagination you have there!"

Minuette ran out of the room to catch up with Fluttershy and Twilight. "I thought you were going to keep him out of my head!"

Fluttershy shot Minuette a glare. "She's not in any shape to do that right now."

"I'm done," Twilight said, "Done."

"No, no, he's gone now Twilight. We got what we came here for. We have to move on."

"Oh, I will. I'll move on and prove him wrong."

Fluttershy paled. "Twilight... You can't be serious."

"I am," she said, healing Fluttershy's wing. "I'm not going to be like him."

"Twilight! You need your powers! We couldn't have gotten this far without them!"

"That's what you think. I have to think about what I think."

"Twilight-"

"Fluttershy, I will not be like him." She turned, walking away. "Let's just go home."

Minuette looked closely at Fluttershy - the pegasus's face looked calm and collected, but her rapid breathing and involuntary twitches said otherwise.

She was afraid.

~~~

Pinkie opened her eyes with one swift movement, a grin spreading across her face. "I'm awake!" She sat up - and instantly regretted it. Sharp pains shot through her body, originating from all along her back. She quickly laid back down, face frozen in a grimace.

Rainbow Dash laughed. "Take it easy Pinks, you got the shit beaten out of you."

"I'm surprised she was even able to sit up..." the Inspector said. "She's healing remarkably quickly."

"Eh, that's just what I do," Pinkie said. "Usually it doesn't even take this long!"

"Have you been impaled on crystals before?" the Inspector asked.

"...Actually no... But I did fall apart into a few dozen pieces once! Took a while, but I put myself back together!"

The Inspector put her monocle on, looking at Pinkie closely. "I wonder... How far does your power go?"

"No idea. Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, what does that monocle do? It can't just be a normal one."

"It scans for magic," the Inspector said. "Generally it can tell what kind of magic is nearby, and it can also tell the emotional state of most ponies based on that." She took it off yer eye and offered it to Pinkie. "It also allows you to see more."

Pinkie put the lens on her left eye and gasped - the entire world was filled with colors, ponies each glowing with a unique mix of colors and shapes, and giant purple lines crisscrossed through the sky. The sky... Wait, she was inside the castle. "You can see through walls?"

"All Inspectors can," the Inspector confirmed.

"Wait, what!?" a familiar voice shouted. "You can see through walls!?"

Rainbow Dash, the Inspector, and Pinkie turned to the voice. It came from Farundael, who was currently sitting in a corner, looking at them all with wild eyes.

"Uh... Why's Farun here? She probably doesn't like it..." Pinkie said.

"You shut up," Farundael spat.

The Inspector sighed. "She wasn't going to stay quiet about the events in the caverns, so we're keeping her with us until Twilight gets back."

"Ooooooooh," Pinkie said. "Sorry Farun, looks like you gotta stay here a while. Don't worry, I'm sure Twilight will be back soon!"

"Buck you."

Rainbow Dash glared. "You want me to come over there again?"

Farundael fell silent, grumbling.

Pinkie coughed. "So, uh, where's Rarity?"

"She's in the castle - somewhere," the Inspector said. "Went to talk with General Amethyst last I knew. She should be back any minute."

"Wait... Aren't you Rarity?" Farundael asked.

"Yes. I am. And so is she," the Inspector said, not in the mood to say anything further. Farundael picked up on this, her frown deepening further. Her mood became even more confused when Rarity herself walked in.

"Pinkie?! You're awake!"

"Yes, I am. I accept hugs, but not too hard. Kinda in pain - OW!" The hug was still harder than it should have been, but just as hard as Rarity needed it to be.

"I was so worried..."

"Heh - ow - yeah. Thanks, Rarity."

"I just realized something..." Rainbow Dash said. "Pinks survived a fight with Amplify! That's like, unheard of!"

"I guess I really can play dead!"

"Buck yes you can!" They hoofbumped and giggled.

"How are you doing, Rarity?" Pinkie asked, turning to her friend.

"Well..." She put a hoof to her chin. "Decent, I suppose. I did just have to abandon my shop, leaving so much work undone. I hope Tinker doesn't mind, his coat's not coming back..."

"We'll get you back out there as soon as we think it's safe," the Inspector said. "Amplify really does have it out for you."

"How did he find Pinkie?" Rarity asked.

"We're not sure. Rainbow and I were discussing her a lot at the Meeting though... He could have followed Rainbow to work."

"Yeah. This is totally my fault," Rainbow Dash sighed.

Rarity held up a hoof. "I'm the one who set him off. You're fine Rainbow."

"Eh, if you say so."

"There's plenty of blame to go around, I'm sure we can all agree on that," the Inspector said. Everypony nodded.

Applejack trotted in at that moment. "Reeeeeeal bad news. Amplify's gotten rumors circulating 'bout a certain earth masquerading as a unicorn, Fluttershy being in with the Minglers, and Twilight being corrupt."

The Inspector put a hoof on Applejack and sighed. "What a time for Twilight to be gone..."

"Absolutely perfect, ain't it?"

"WHAT THE ACTUAL BUCK?" Farundael yelled, pointing at the Inspector and Applejack. "Wh... Wh... Wh..."

"I think you broke Farundael," Pinkie said.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "What's she doin' here anyway?"

"Knows too much. Not friendly," Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh come on, stop selling her short!" Pinkie insisted.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever understand why you insist on giving the bitch the benefit of the doubt. Figure she'd have proven she was an asshole by now."

"Assholes still need friends."

Rainbow Dash burst into laughter and both versions of Rarity facehooved.

Farundael was bewildered. "...All of you? MINGLERS!?"

"And virtually all the other Inspectors in town as well," the Inspector offered. "Wrap your little mind around that."

Farundael was stunned into silence again.

Applejack shook her head. "Come on Rares, give her some slack. Don't need to be brutal."

The Inspector bowed her head. "Yeah... Sorry."

"I must be dreaming..." Farundael muttered.

"Wonder if Twilight can incorporate that..." Rainbow Dash muttered.

"She has great skills. She'll find it no obstacle," the Inspector said.

"We still need to do something about these rumors," Applejack said.

"Well, without Twilight..." the Inspector didn't finish the sentence.

"Why are these rumors such a big hoot anyway?" Rarity asked. "They're just rumors, surely not everypony will just believe them."

"They might," General Amethyst said, walking into the doorway. "They're all mostly true, after all."

Rarity frowned. "But wouldn't it take a while...?"

"The Mingler's society isn't known for being very secretive," Amethyst said. "The only reason secrets are kept is because Twilight is diligent to contain any breaches. They don't happen too often, but when they do, you'd be surprised how many ponies realize they've been lied to - and get understandably furious."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Why does everything have to be so complicated here? Why all the secrets?"

"It's hard to get any progress without them," Amethyst said. "There was hardly any change at all before Twilight came here. Fluttershy was all we had, and she could barely keep herself and her friends alive."

Rarity shook her head. "Such an unfortunate circumstance... Twilight can fix it when she comes back, right?"

"We believe so," Amethyst said. "But... We don't know how long she'll be. So we need to keep order until she does get back."

"Ah'm already having my ponies spread counter-rumors," Applejack said. "Don't like the lyin', but it needs to be done. Not that it's helpin' much. The truth is more potent."

"We could organize an Inquisition," the Inspector offered. "Get the ponies nervous that continued spreading of these rumors and unrest will trigger a purge."

"The buck!?" Farundael yelled. "You... You're all crazy! And evil! Purge threats? My Celestia-"

"Shut her up," Amethyst ordered. The Inspector complied, zipping Farundael's mouth shut with a zipper spell.

"...She has a point," Pinkie said. "We are kinda sounding like the bad guys here."

Applejack nodded. "Ah feel you. But Ah've tried other ways Pinkie, and trust me, it ain't good on the other side either. This is all kinda my fault actually, I let Amplify put us in this situation..."

Amethyst shook her head. "Quit the blame game, it doesn't help us. I'm sorry Pinkie, but if you could think of a better option..."

Pinkie sighed. "No, I can't. It just... Doesn't sit well."

"Nor should it," the Inspector said. "Twilight is well aware of what she does. But we are fighting for something greater."

Pinkie nodded.

Amethyst put a hoof to her chin again. "Now, I'll put the army on high alert, make it seem like I'm expecting a Concrete attack. It'll keep them docile, nervous, but more concerned about Concretes than possible Minglers. It'll buy us time until Twilight comes back."

The Inspector nodded. "That sounds like the best we can do. I'll go order the Inquisition."

Amethyst's ears suddenly perked up. "Applejack, hide under the bed. Now."

Applejack didn't waste time, shoving herself under Pinkie in a single swift motion. She dragged her hat in after her just as General Quota entered the room. "Ah, Amethyst, there you are. I was looking for you. What're you doing here with..." He saw Pinkie. "Oh. Our resident earth in disguise. How are you doing?"

Farundael started screaming through the zipper. The Inspector quickly made her fall asleep. Quota didn't even bat an eye at this exchange.

Pinkie looked at Quota and shrugged. "Eh, I'm doing better. Think I'll be able to do stuff again tomorrow."

"Hm..." He looked at Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "Care to introduce me to these two?"

Amethyst nodded. "That would be Iris Shard, the other Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, Pinkie's coworker."

"Hm," Quota said. "I guess you're all too far in now."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "I was too far in the moment I came to this world."

Quota smirked. "It is nice to finally meet the mares who have caused so much trouble over the last few days." He glanced over at Pinkie. "Lost cover?"

"Amplify," The Inspector said. "He somehow managed to learn of their existence. We don't know how. We're lucky Pinkie survived."

"Such a troublesome zebra..." Quota muttered. "I'm pretty sure he's the one stirring up trouble out there right now. It's as if he knows Twilight is gone and thinks he can take over..."

"We're already taking actions," Amethyst said. "We're ordering a fake Inquisition, setting the army on high alert as a distraction, and using civilian groups to counter the rumors. Twilight can set the record straight when she returns."

"You're assuming there are no truths to the claims, General. It is rather odd that Twilight chose a pegasus, and that nobody seems to question it."

Amethyst glared. "You dare suggest that of our Princess? That she's a lying, deceptive, malevolent mingler!?"

Quota raised an eyebrow. "Oh of course not, such rumors are always exaggerations. But she isn't holy like the royal sisters - if she's strayed from the path, I'm sure Celestia would like to know."

Amethyst frowned. "Questioning the princess like that is rather close to treason..."

"I don't see an executor in her," Quota said. "One of her better qualities as a leader, if I do say so myself. Just keep your eyes peeled General, don't dismiss the rumors out of hand. "

"Do you suggest we do anything differently?"

"For now, no, continue with the stated plans. But we must be vigilant. Do not let her station pull the blinds over us." He curtly nodded, then left the room.

Rarity let out a breath she had been holding for the last minute. "My Stars that was terrifying."

Pinkie nodded slowly. "He's smart."

"Extremely," Amethyst said. "We've had to erase his knowledge more times than anypony else. He's suspicious of Twilight right now, but not us, so we're in the clear."

Applejack crawled out from her hiding place. "We are way too close for comfort here. Twilight better get back soon or she'll have a right mess on her hooves."

"Twilight hasn't failed us before," the Inspector said, "and neither has Fluttershy. They've taken care of problems like this before. We just need to buy time."

"And you need to rest," Rainbow Dash said, punching Pinkie in the shoulder. Pinkie yelped - then laughed.

"Yes... I dare say there's been enough excitement for today..." Rarity yawned. "Well, I can stay here, yes?"

"Of course. Have to keep you safe somehow," the Inspector said.

"Well, I hope you don't mind if I just fall asleep then."

"Not at all."

~~~

Pinkie woke up as the sunlight hit her face. She hopped out of bed - everything hurt when she did so, but at least she didn't collapse this time. Rarity was sleeping in the cot beside her, and aside from a few guards at the door, nopony else was there.

She slowly and painfully walked to the window and looked outside. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping...

...And it looked like there was a mob forming outside the castle.

...Oh no.

Pinkie picked Rarity up - wincing as she did so - and pressed the unicorn's face to the window. "We have a problem Rarity."

Rarity woke up, groaned, and then saw the problem outside. "Heavens, that escalated quickly..."

"We need to figure out what's going on!"

Rarity walked up to one of the guards. "Excuse me, but can you point us to Inspector Rarity Belle?"

"Royal meeting room."

"Thank you kindly." The two mares scrambled through the castle halls - Pinkie grunting with every step she took. They eventually appeared at the doors to the royal meeting room. The guards blocked their entry. "There's an emergency right now."

"We know," Rarity said. "Just tell them Iris Shard and Pinkie Pie are here."

"We have orders not to-"

The Inspector opened the doors, a crazed expression on her face. "Let them in!"

The guards obeyed, allowing the two mares into the room. Amethyst, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were already there, along with a half-dozen soldiers and Inspectors running around the place in a panicked frenzy.

"How did this get so bad so quickly?" Rarity asked, looking at out the large window-doors that sealed off a balcony. Ponies were swarming around the castle, more coming by the second.

Amethyst pointed with a hoof. "There. Front of the crowd, next to Celestia's statue."

There, standing under the form of Celestia, was General Quota.

...And Farundael.

Pinkie made a whimpering noise.