//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Infiltration // Story: Twilight Daylight // by thedarktome //------------------------------// In Equestria, things were....stable. Well, as stable as it could be while the top mage was still missing with a weapon. Shining Armor was literally going out of his mind worrying over his sister, Cadance was hoping for the best, the elements of Harmony were weakened, Sunset Shimmer was worried about her friend just like everyone from earth, who decided to come back that Saturday with her. Even Sci-Twi, who was still freaked out over when she actually met her. Princesses Celestia and Luna were still on edge, just not as much as before. Royal Guard presence was still abundant in the streets of Equestria, keeping a moving and steady eye out for a Lavender pony that could get rid of Equestria within a few days. And her mom and dad were just out of their minds. For the last few months, the Royal Guard has been getting up early in the morning to search for her, trying to catch her while she was sleep so it would be less likely for her to run if they did catch her. But so far it hasn't been like that. It was five in the morning that Saturday in September and they were all situated in the square, discussing finds and leads. So far, nothing was looking good. At all. "No sign, whatsoever," Celestia declared, looking at the map of Equestria situated on the ground in front of all of them. "We've checked everywhere on this map. Every city, every land. And she is nowhere to be found." "Twilight's really good at Hide and Seek!" EQG Pinkie commented. "When she's found, we're doing this again!" "No we're not, and might I say Equestria is absolutely beautiful," EQG Rarity commented. "Especially the Crystal Empire." The rest of the Equestria Girls nodded in agreement. "Thank you, girls," Luna replied. "It has taken thousands of years for it to grow like this and is still growing." "Of course it can all be undone if we don't find Twilight," Celestia inputted. "Where in Equestria could she be?" The group all looked down in thought, trying to figure out her location, unbeknownst that Twilight was five miles out from Equestria. *** After waking up at five that morning, Arcadia had grabbed her things needed for this trip, which was only a cloak, grabbed the soldiers and quickly flew east away from Psera. Headed back to Equestria for some much needed items. Soon she spotted the shores of Equestria. "Okay, we're coming in!" She yelled over her shoulder to the three guards behind her. "Based on our speed we'll be flying over Las Pegasus in two minutes, clear the Whitetail Woods in thirty seconds, the mountain range in a second, then we'll land in Ponyville behind my destroyed castle." "Finally!" Silver Sword yelled, throwing his hooves out. "We flew four hundred miles! That is very far out!" "Zebrica is only 160 miles out and the griffins are 115. No wonder you guys didn't know each other until now!" "Yep, the Alicorn-Pseratep brought us closer, we're all friends," Worn Weather stated sarcastically. "Whatever, Weatherpony. There's the land. Pull up, we can't let them see us." The group tilted up and flapped their wings, going higher and higher that they looked like nothing more than specs as they flew over the beach and into the airspace of the city of Las Pegasus. "When we're in the castle, find a dark place to hide in the library," she ordered. "And do not say where you come from. Just in case they walk in and see you. Although I don't think that'll be an issue." "So there ARE skyscrapers here," Dark silver asked, looking down at the city below them. "Yes, but Las Pegasus is just a regular city. It doesn't actually operate in anything. We're going over Whitetail." They soared over the fall trees of the Whitetail Woods with the dying leaves and beautiful colors, the mountain range right in view. "Once we cross this mountain range, we have to go on foot," Twilight said. "They already know we're here." "What? How?" Silver Sword asked as they lowered down, soaring straight over the range. They tilted down and landed on the ground in the forest behind her castle while Twilight explained. "The Equestrians here can sense other ponies' magic." She threw on her cloak and ran towards Ponyville, the guards right behind her. "And my magic has gotten extremely and noticeably stronger. I'd be surprised if no one here has a headache. Especially the Princesses since they can pinpoint exactly where it's coming from. Here we go, into the open!" Twilight crashed through the treeline, revealing herself as a cloaked figure and the guards to the eyes of Ponyville and anyone behind her castle. Just looking at the still standing structure made her want to flare her horn. But she needed those books. "What do we do when we're in, Lady Arcadia?" Silver Sword asked as they stopped behind the castle. Twilight peeked around it and got the surprise of her life. The elements of both worlds were there as well as Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie Lulamoon, and the Princesses. A search party. She groaned and turned around to face them. "When you're in, find a safe spot to hide. I know you guys are good at stealth, right?" "The very best," Dark gloated with his head held high. Twilight just looked at him nonchalantly. "Whatever you say, big guy. YOU definitely won't have any trouble blending into the dark. Just find someplace to hide, and DON'T come out unless I am pinned down and about to be impaled, or put into cuffs. Got it?" "Yes, ma'am!" They saluted. Twilight nodded and looked back around the corner. They were definitely detecting her because they were holding their heads from the massive amount of magic they were receiving. "We have to go in now! Hold on!" She lit her horn and teleported, sending them into the castle library, the dominant darkness shielding them from view. She looked around for a second, checking that they were alone before flying up and looking through the books."Go hide, we don't have a lot of time! They were sitting there in the square discussing something. Just my inconvenience." The soldiers went into the corners of the room, fading from sight while Twilight started scanning, looking for the book on Cloudsdale and the books she would find the most interesting and useful for the Pserateps. Those not useful she threw over her shoulder onto the floor like she did years ago while living in Canterlot. "Please don't let them find me too quickly." She threw the hood over her head and continued searching. *** "We can try to search in the Crystal Empire again," Luna suggested, pointing to the area on the map. "If anything, she'll want to be around her niece more." "Yeah, but Twilight would think about her safety too," Sunset said, pointing to a different area. "If Twilight being a danger would put Flurry Heart in danger, she would more than likely be—AHHHH!" The group grimaced from the massive sudden headache they were receiving, something none of them have ever felt before. Any other pony around them all cried out as well. "What is that?!" Both of the Applejacks yelled, holding their heads like everyone else. The ponies in the entire town began moaning and groaning from the magical feedback coming from Twilight. "It's magic!! VERY POWERFUL magic!" Celestia yelled, looking around trying to find the source. "It's coming from Twilight's castle," Luna pointed out, standing up with her sister and making her way towards the damaged structure. The group followed them, hoping that it wasn't a threat. The princesses walked in and stopped in the hall, listening for a disturbance while the rest stopped right behind them. They were all quiet, listening for anything that could be— They all turned their heads towards the hallway on the left where something had fallen before trotting quietly in that direction, following Princess Celestia and Luna. They were getting closer it seemed, with the slamming down of something getting louder and more closer. Soon, they stopped beside the library, where gusts of air were being felt coming out and along their fur. Somepony was either blowing air around in there or something else, because those were some powerful thrusts. Luna looked at her sister before they both took a deep breath and walked inside, the group right behind them. Three steps in, they stopped and gasped lightly at the cloaked figure above them with the huge wings looking at book covers and throwing them on the ground behind her. "Come on......come on," Twilight grumbled, taking another book off the shelf and looking at the cover. Gasping excitedly, she threw it to her right into a rotating ring of probably thirty books, her wings flapping harder and making heavier gusts. "That's good, but it's not what I'm looking for." She teleported to the other side and started searching over there while the group spread out around her, having already planned this months back. If they saw Twilight, they would all jump and hold her down. Too bad she already knew they were there. "Come on.....come on......aha!" She pulled a completely white book out with an embossed cover that read The Foundations of Cloudsdale. "Just what we need. You can stop circling me now, I know you're there." They all stopped and froze as she turned around facing the group, looking at them nonchalantly. "Who are you?" Luna asked stepping forward. "No pony is allowed in here!" "Too bad, I'm digging." The hidden figure turned around and continued looking through the bookshelves while they continued to tell her to stop. "Ugggggghhhh!" She groaned, turning back around and facing them. She tore the cloak off, revealing herself and shocking the group. She looked far different. Based on the very long and sharp horn, and the wings that were definitely going to be dragging the floor again. "Tw...Twilight?" Rarity asked, trying to walk forward before Twilight turned back around flew up and went back to digging, doing her hardest to ignore the perpetrators. "Twilight Sparkle, you are to return with us to Canterlot at once! You have stolen an Equestrian weapon and must be put on trial!" Celestia ordered, completely forgetting her promise to her sister. Luna groaned and shook her head in annoyance. "Yeah, I'm not going anywhere with liars and deceivers," she replied, grabbing another book and looking at the cover. Nodding in approval, she tossed it in the ring of thirty something books to bring back to Psera. "And by the way, the Elements are not Equestria's if my research serves me correctly. They belong to the bearers. I'm still the Element of Magic's bearer, therefore it belongs to me rightfully. It chose me. But you're always welcome to try and force me to cooperate. Although I recommend you don't." "Alright, egghead!" Rainbow Dash said, getting down and flaring her wings. "You asked for it!" She shot forward aiming for her. Twilight groaned and spun around with her wing outstretched and caught Rainbow right in the muzzle with one of her large hardened wings. Rainbow yelped and flew back at the exact same speed into another bookcase, causing all the books to fall down and pile under her. The group gasped in disbelief and concern before Twilight caught their attention. "Oh! I almost forgot about those!" Twilight yelled, flapping her large wings and soaring to Rainbow Dash. Landing, she pushed her over to the side on the ground and grabbed some of the books, looking at them. "Thanks, Rainbow! Your reckless behavior reminded me of this bookcase that I barely go to!" Taking a deep breath, Celesta walked forward calmly and got to Twilight's side. Looks like she was going to do this Luna's way. "Twilight......why did you take the Element of Magic?" "Is that all you really care about, Celestia?" She replied, tossing that book up to the ring. "Because there are more things to fear than the weapon of utter destruction. Like yourselves. Liars, deceivers, and manipulators. I thought you were all my friends and family, only to discover that I was merely a tool for you to use. Hopefully, if an enemy returns, they'll make you feel what I've felt. Because it's horrible." She threw another book to the side before flapping her wings at Celestia, lightly flicking her nose and sending a seemingly tiny bit of magic into her. "AHH!" She yelled, backing away from the large amount that was transferred. "Twilight! What have you been doing to get so much magic?! This is dangerous!!" "How is being appreciated dangerous, Celestia? Is that why you and everyone in Equestria kept me down all this time?" She tossed another book behind her, letting it float up into the ring. "Clarify that, please. As a teacher to a student, you need to make more sense. You know what, it doesn't matter, I'm leaving and you'll never find me." She turned around and walked towards the center of the room, stepping over Rainbow Dash's still groaning form. The books circling above her lowered down and got into a smaller radius, circling around her before she called out. "Guards! We're leaving!" The group looked at her in confusion before three shadows ran out of the corners and stopped beside her, shocking the group. "Where did they...." Sunset muttered. "Don't try looking, you'll never find me," she told the group before turning to the guards. "We're shooting out three hundred. Prepare yourselves." They nodded before flaring their wings and Twilight saluted at the Princesses. "See ya'!" "No! You are not escaping!" Luna lit her horn, putting a spell over the room that would stop her from teleporting away. A bright flash in the middle of the room blinded them before they reopened their eyes to see Twilight and the strange ponies gone. "What?! She escaped my spell?!!" "What was that supposed to do?" Spike asked. "It stops even the most powerful from leaving the area," Celestia clarified, walking towards the center of the room. "We would use it to keep Discord and Tirek from trying to leave in the middle of a battle. But apparently.........Twilight is so strong that even a shield could not keep her still. That is very dangerous." Celestia grabbed a book in her magic and looked at the cover. "She was looking for something here. A book of some kind." "I saw what she picked up earlier," EQG Rainbow said, helping Rainbow Dash to her feet. "It read The Foundations of Cloudsdale, whatever that is." "I have a bad feeling about this," Sunset commented, dusting off the dizzy pegasus. "And I've never seen those ponies before." "Neither have I," Luna commented. "Never in my life have I seen them. And I am nearly a million years old." "You sound like it too." "Quiet Rainbow Dash....our Rainbow Dash. We must research them and discover who they are, they could be a vital clue as to Twilight's whereabouts. And where she is keeping the Element of Magic. She did not have it on her at this moment, it seems." "I'm more worried about Cloudsdale!" Pinkie Pie said, riding on the back of EQG Pinkie. The group was staring at them oddly. A pony riding another pony's back? How did that work? It's Pinkie Pie, nothing makes since. "We have a very powerful Alicorn who is mad and came back here looking for a book on 'The Foundations of Cloudsdale.' Sounds a little fishy." "I agree, we should tighten up the security around the floating city on the clouds," Celestia suggested. They made their way back out the room and down the halls. "Yeah, sorry but I don't think something bad's going to happen," Spike said suddenly, making everyone stop and turn to him in disbelief. "No seriously, think about it. This is Twilight. Yeah, she's upset at Equestria. Really upset. But come on, if Twilight wanted revenge she would've done so by now! It's been two freakin' months! And If I know Twilight like I do, then it doesn't even take her a WEEK to get a plan set in motion. And finally, when she does come back, the first thing she does is grab a book on Cloudsdale? Yeah, I don't think she's planning something dangerous." "You know what?......Spike's right," Starlight said, pointing to the baby dragon. "This is Twilight we're talking about, she could've been attacked us and the first thing she does when she comes back....is research. Personally, I would've made you all writhe in pain." They all stared uncomfortably at her until she realized what she said. "I-if I was still evil, that is." "And plus, didn't you hear what she said before?" Rainbow added, finally getting out of her dizzy state. "Wow, that mare could hit really hard. She said to Celestia here 'how is being appreciated dangerous?' I don't know about you guys, but I think this is bigger than what we actually see. She's getting more magic from somewhere. And she's gotten a lot faster. WAYYY faster. Before, when I would rush her, she couldn't even see me comin'. Now, she was able to slap me back into a bookcase without even looking! That says a lot for the egghead." "So....more magic, more speed, and a more obvious transformation," Trixie commented. "Did you see her horn? For a small alicorn, it was pretty long." "And sharp," both Rarities agreed. "Her wings got way larger too," Sci-Twi agreed, nodding her head. "We must keep a close eye out for her," Luna suggested, exiting out the front door. "She could be anywhere in Equestria right now. About to cause trouble." Three Hundred miles west of Equestria "This is what we went for?" Dark Silver asked, flipping through the pages of The Foundations of Cloudsdale. They were flying back towards Psera with a long trail of books behind them. Arcadia had teleported the group three hundred miles out of Equestria, leaving the ponies there clueless as to what had happened. "Yes," she replied, grabbing the book in her magic and flipping through it, finding the page she was looking for. "This book explains how the city of Cloudsdale works. As well as how they create the buildings, provide the warmth, create the weather. Everything Cloudsdale is in this book." She placed the book back in his hooves while the others were speaking. "So......I'm guessing the white one was Celestia," Silver Sword guessed, watching as the alicorn nodded. "She's the top cop?" "The very top, yes. The smaller black and blue one is Luna. Her sister. The group of mares with them were more than likely the search party looking for me. They were sitting in the square when we first arrived, so we had to go in quickly. Sorry for the rush." "It's alright. As long as we find more room for the foals of Psera, then it's just fine." The rest of the soldiers voiced their agreements before continuing the flight in silence, landing back in Cop less than an hour later. After the soldiers led her into the castle safely, Arcadia walked back up to the throne room where she knew her boyfriend would be waiting for her. Along the way, she passed by multiple Pserateps, the trail of books following after her before she stopped at the doors and knocked. "Enter!" She pushed the doors open and walked inside. The king was looking at some reports with a few more at his hooves. A lot of guards were stationed in the room beside the walkway. "Got em'!' She yelled, catching his attention. "Along with some more books that'll help with-MMMM?!" Madun had somehow, within those few seconds had darted off his throne and latched his lips with hers, making her laugh in the kiss and push him away softly. "Someone's been missing me." "Yes! I have!" He said dramatically. "I'm sure the whole kingdom has! How was it, were you found out, I bet you were, weren't you, that's why I told you not to go! This is what happens when—" Arcadia put a hoof against his mouth, silencing him for a moment so she could talk. "My turn to speak, Firehead. Now, yes, I was found out, but they didn't do anything to me. Although they did try. Celestia tried to make me go back to Canterlot for 'stealing' the Element of Magic. They were absolutely wrong in that instance since the Element of Magic does not actually belong to Equestria, but its bearer. All the bearers just happen to be in Equestria. Second, the fastest pegasus there tried to attack me, so I threw her back against the wall. By the way, I need a survey from the Pserateps." "Okay, may I ask why?" "While in Equestria, I was aware that I was giving the ponies headaches because of my magical feedback. I'm wondering if I was having the same problem here. And if so, I'll need to create something to hold the feedback." "I'll have one created by my assistant this evening and sent out tomorrow." He placed a wing on her back and nuzzled her. Arcadia returned the gesture lovingly. "If you leave again, you are bringing more guards, not just three. How many ponies were there?" She looked up at the ceiling as they strode back to the throne. "Well.......a large amount, around twenty ponies." "Okay, that's a lot. Take a seat." He motioned to the throne making Twilight stare in shock. "Sweetheart, I'm not taking a seat on your throne, that's offensive to Psera!" "Awww, fine. Then sit WITH me." He trotted forward and settled onto his velvet seated throne, facing her with a smile. "It gets lonely up here. Keep me company, please?" Arcadia looked at the throne before walking forward tentatively towards the cushioning. The king lifted one of his wings and covered her in it as she turned around and looked at the large room, meant to serve two hundred Pserateps. Fit right now with only the guards. "This......is a beautiful view," she commented, laying the books down in a few stacks on the carpet in front of her. "Yes....it gets lonely when I'm up here by myself. This seat was made for two. A king and a queen." Arcadia blushed before she nuzzled his cheek. "We're not there yet, lover. Give it a little more time and ask that question again." Madun smiled and turned his head, catching her lips with his. They kissed more passionately until Arcadia broke it, a big question that she needed the answer to on her mind. "I have to know. How has no one discovered the Pserateps yet? Are we hiding?" "Not at all," he replied, shaking his head. "We just don't have any neighboring lands and we never leave Psera. Actually, we never even heard of Equestria." "Oh. I'm guessing the only reason a pony would leave is if they had to." "Correct. You saw an example of that with the three soldiers I sent out to look for help when you found them. Now let's have a look at that book on....the clouds." Twilight grabbed the Foundations of Cloudsdale and passed it over to Madun, letting him have a look at it. They sat there for a few minutes, reading and learning about how Cloudsdale would work, knowing that soon Psera will have floating cities. There were already enough clouds over the continent, they just need to grab them, mold them, and apply them. *** The next day, Arcadia's idea of the detection system was approved and quickly put into action. It would take weeks until it was complete, considering that she was using her magic to create functioning obelisks instead of fake ones like they did in Equestria. It would take her a full hour to create only one and there were going to be three hundred. Definitely a week and more. Either way, she got straight to work. The first thing that needed to be done was the main obelisk, the receiver which she placed directly in the middle of Cop. On the day of the construction, she flew up to the top of the area and fired a beam of magic below, hitting the surface and starting to build up slowly. The crystal structure was looking good so far from the air, with the base having already been built into the ground. The Pserateps down below were watching with unbroken focus as the structure slowly rose to the top, finishing fifty five minutes later. The structure took up a full block. And that was only the beginning.