Chapter 1:26.1 – Blueblood
The castle servant paced nervously outside Prince Blueblood’s chambers. The summit would be starting soon, and the prince was to be in attendance, but nopony had seen him yet today. Most likely, he hadn’t remembered the importance of this day and had slept in as he usually did. Cant’r Laht Castle’s servants found it far easier to let him sleep than to wake him and risk his wrath, but this was no ordinary day. Celestia herself had ordered Prince Blueblood to be ready for the summit, and an order from the Matron of Sorceresses was absolute. Even if Blueblood berated the servant for waking him, he would have to answer to Celestia for it later.
Keeping this thought in mind (and staying tensed and ready to flee if the prince began throwing things), the servant opened the door. He trotted cautiously through the chambers, ready at any moment to be confronted by the irate stallion for not waking him sooner, but no attack came. Another servant had come earlier and silently left breakfast in case the prince decided he wanted food when he awoke, but the plate was untouched. The servant groaned; Blueblood was clearly still asleep and would need to be woken up and prepared for the summit, a task he was definitely not looking forward to undertaking.
“Your Gra-Your Highness!” the servant called as he advanced toward the master bedchamber, correcting himself to the incorrect form of address the prince preferred, “It is time for the summit!”
He opened the door to the bedchamber, then immediately gasped and fell backwards. Blueblood’s bedsheets were disheveled, but the prince was not in the bed. Rhaegis Blueblood, the last of the Blueblood line, was lying on the floor, the exquisite carpets covering the floor soaked with blood that had poured from his slit throat.
***
Cant’r Laht Castle’s great hall had not been used for the gala the night before because it had been prepared for the summit. The banners of Celestia had been replaced by those of the attendees for the most part, arranged to show at a glance where everypony in attendance hailed from. Nine great wooden tables formed a U in the center of the hall with three tables to each side. At each table sat the major players from each faction, with the minor players relegated to the rows of chairs behind each table and away from the action. Along one leg of the U sat the delegations from Stalliongrad, Vanhuv’r, and Los Pegasus, and along the other sat the ponies from Manehattan, Fillidelfiyaa, and Balte-Maer. Celestia’s throne in the great hall was empty, the sorceress choosing to sit at the table set aside for Cant’r Laht in the center of the U’s base, flanked on the left and the right by the Hunters and the Griffon Free Companies.
The Cant’r Laht delegation was composed of Celestia and a few notable mages and nobles. Everypony knew that the matron of sorceresses would be the one making the real decisions and speaking the most, though. Celestia turned to look at the Brave Companions assembled in the front row of the seats behind her (a fact that irked many of the ponies who’d been forced back a row due to Celestia’s invitation the night before.) Everypony seated at the tables had been announced as they’d arrived, just like the night before, but they were still waiting to begin until everypony was present. Celestia looked down her table at the one empty spot, the spot reserved for Prince Blueblood. He had very little power, but as prince of the city, he was owed this place.
They couldn’t afford to wait any longer—giving the delegations a chance to claim the meeting as a farce and storm out—so Celestia waved for a sorceress behind her to come forward and take Blueblood’s seat. Once she was seated, Celestia rose and trotted around the table and into the center of the U where everypony could see her clearly. She hoped her lead would encourage others to do the same when they wanted to speak, instead of remaining entrenched among like-minded ponies behind their tables, but she wouldn’t get her hopes up. Except for the delegation from Manehattan, everypony seemed impressed by the ancient sorceress’s poise as she moved fluidly across the castle floor, her ornate robes swirling gracefully around her (not without a little magical assistance), and Celestia smiled proudly.
“My dear queens and kings, prince and duchess, ladies and lords, thank you all for coming,” Celestia began her speech, “I know you all have doubts and concerns at my intentions for calling you all together, but I can assure you that my motivations are only for Equestria’s good. For too long have our nations squabbled like petulant foals, tearing up this land which is more blessed with fertility and abundance than any other land we have yet seen on Equus’s surface. No more should we engage in such futility. There are now seven kingdoms where there was once one, and I should know, for I ruled it as a queen.”
A host of grumbles went up from the assembled ponies, and the crowned faces crinkled into frowns. This was where Celestia would try to take their kingdoms from them and reinstitute her old monarchy, but they wouldn’t have it.
“I do not wish to rule it again,” Celestia said, and the room stilled, “Cant’r Laht is my duty, and I shall not abandon it, but never again will I take a crown upon my head to rule Equestria; this I vow in the presence of all of you, may whatever gods you take hold me accountable. I will even sign this vow and seal it if that is your wish. I do not want this specter of doubt and suspicion to rule over this summit. My intention is not to rule Equestria myself, but to work alongside all of you to heal the wounds Equestria has suffered over the past centuries, and to prepare it to survive long into the future. Keep this in mind as we speak today, that we may secure a peaceful and prosperous future for Equestria.”
Applause began to sound from the Cant’r Laht delegation, and soon it began to spread to other sections, and then the high tables. Her statement wouldn’t disperse all the suspicion, she knew, but it would help. This summit needed all the help it could get if it was to succeed, and Equestria desperately needed it to succeed, whether it knew it or not yet.
“Where is your sister? Where is Luna?” King Alhert asked as Celestia began to trot back toward her seat, and the sorceress stopped cold.
She was taken completely off guard by the question, stated so bluntly. Yes, Celestia had hoped that two high-backed chairs would form the core of the Cant’r Laht delegation, but it was not to be. It seemed that King Alhert was not the only one who wanted to know of the other alicorn’s whereabouts, as his question was followed by nods and sounds of agreement from other tables.
“I had hoped Luna would be here, but unfortunately, she was not feeling well enough to attend,” Celestia answered demurely.
“Can we expect the same promise from her not to place the crown of Equestria on her head?” Prince Braid stood and asked.
This is what I was afraid of. I wish that I had been able to convince her to attend, but Luna still does not feel ready for something like this, and I know better than to force her this time. If only things truly had been able to return to the way they’d been when we were young and naïve.
“I do not wish to speak for my sister, but from what I have seen, she has little desire to rule again, even within the Dominions of Cant’r Laht,” Celestia answered as honestly as she could, and returned to her seat.
Her answer only partially satisfied the assembled ponies, but most of them realized that it was the best they were going to get. King Hadish spoke with his red priest in hushed tones while his son listened in. At Cant’r Laht’s table, High Priestess Rubius looked at Celestia knowingly, but the sorceress refused to meet her gaze. A door leading off the great hall silently opened and shut, admitting Celestia’s page. Raven hurriedly trotted down the aisles between chairs and approached Celestia from behind, tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention.
“Prince Blueblood has been found murdered in his chambers,” she whispered into the sorceress’s ear, and Celestia lost her composure for only a second while suspicions and dark thoughts whirled through her head until she came up with a solution for the sensitive issue.
“Twilight Sparkle and the Brave Companions; have them look into it,” she whispered back to Raven, who nodded her understanding.
“I am satisfied with Celestia’s answer for now. I don’t think we can expect any more until we are able to meet Luna for ourselves,” Prince Braid announced after the talk among the delegations died down, “I have another question for Cant’r Laht’s matron of sorceresses, however, one involving the fees paid for the privilege of allowing a garrison of their troops in the Frozen North, my territory.”
The Brave Companions didn’t get to hear any more (including King Hyelliff’s claim that the Frozen North was his territory), for they had been led out of the great hall by Raven at that point. Celestia’s page didn’t speak to them again until they were past the guards wearing numerous colors waiting to rush in and help their sovereigns if something went wrong (and likely start killing each other in the process). Once they were in a fairly secluded place, she shared the news with them.
“Oh my; dead?” Rarity said with surprise, even though she had no fond memories of the stallion.
“Why does Celestia want us t’ look int’ it?” Applejack asked, sharing the question that was crossing all of their minds.
“I cannot say,” Raven replied, just as baffled, “As you saw, I did not have much time to talk with her. I suppose she thinks this is a sensitive and complicated matter, especially involving the context, and thinks that the six of you are best suited to handle it. That, or the ponies that would be better suited to it are more essential to the summit and you were optional, but probably the first option.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said, unamused, “Well, in any case, we should figure this out as fast as we can,so we can get back to the summit if Celestia needs us.”
“Agreed,” Twilight Sparkle said with a bob of her head, “We will need to examine the prince’s chambers, of course, and I also want to speak with any servants in his wing of the palace in the time between when he left the Grand Galloping Gala and when he was found.”
“Right away,” Raven said, trotting off to fetch the servants while the Brave Companions made their way to Blueblood’s chambers.
***
“You have no right to White Tail Wood, just as you have no right to the Westerlands,” King Hyelliff fierily accused Queen Helianthus.
“Both are the rightful lands not only of the Kingdom of Los Pegasus, but also of my family line,” Queen Helianthus persisted, “I swear to you that the house of Trotstámara will not rest until White Tail Wood is returned to our control!”
“If I may interject,” Duchess Seaspray cut in as she stood, “Neither are ancestral possessions of House Trotstámara or its branches, but nopony but King Hyelliff denounces your claim to the Westerlands. Why is that? It is because those lands were signed over by the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r through the coercion of force. White Tail Wood, on the other hoof, you have no claim to, and cannot even take through force of arms, as you demonstrated earlier this year.”
Queen Helianthus turned an angry shade of red, and Flax and Tranquiliodus tried to avoid her gaze. Everypony had heard of the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Martenford, but Helianthus wouldn’t let that deter her. She would have White Tail Wood one day, no matter what it took, but it looked like that wouldn’t come through this summit. It was worth a shot.
“Very well, then,” she said as she cooled down, “If nopony here acknowledges my legitimate claim to White Tail Wood, you can at least not deny my claim to the South Equestry Valley.”
“The South Equestry Valley belongs to the Crown of Balte-Maer!” Duchess Seaspray yelled, “Those lands have always belonged to us!”
“Lies!” Helianthus shot back, “The Crown of Los Pegasus has always ruled the South Equestry Valley!”
“You’re both wrong,” King Alhert cut in, “Both have controlled it in stages, but neither of you control it now.”
The elderly stallion had mostly wanted to spite Duchess Seaspray, his neighbor to the south and frequent enemy, but Queen Helianthus was being insufferable, and he relished the chance to get at her as well. It was worth it, even if it did give the Dominions of Cant’r Laht more power.
“Alhert is right,” Prince Braid spoke up, “The South Equestry Valley has been an abandoned mess for so long that nopony can truly lay claim to it.”
“Much like the Frozen North,” King Hyelliff mumbled under his breath, which Braid ignored.
“That is where you’re wrong,” Celestia replied to the Prince of Stalliongrad, “Just recently, several local lords of the South Equestry Valley have pledged themselves to my service. The growing town of Appleoosa will also be under my special protection, as well as the southern bison tribe.”
The great hall quickly grew chaotic as all the leaders began talking at once, some for but most against this move. This was an issue Celestia had no intention on compromising on, though. The South Equestry Valley was now firmly within the Dominions of Cant’r Laht and there was nothing anypony else could do about it. They could dispute and debate about it, but in the end, Celestia was the only pony who really had any claim to it, and they would have to acknowledge her rights to the land. Her hope was that this would end the dispute over the land that constantly put her at odds with Los Pegasus and Balte-Maer, but it wouldn’t be a settlement either of those neighbors were happy with.
***
“Who was Prince Blueblood anyway?” Fluttershy asked as the Brave Companions sat in the prince’s parlor, “Cant’r Laht has no real royalty except for Celestia, and she’s Matron of Sorceresses, so how is Blueblood related?”
Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack had already examined Blueblood’s body and his bedchamber, so there wasn’t much else to do until Raven arrived with the servants. There had been little sign of a struggle, but it was clear that the prince hadn’t slit his own throat. He had no reason to commit suicide, and the murder weapon was also missing. Blueblood wasn’t the only dead occupant of the chambers; his prize hound was also dead, found in another room with its throat slit the same way as its master’s. Twilight had not been fond of the beast during her time in Cant’r Laht Castle, but it was still a shame that it had to die like that.
“Cant’r Laht lies at a nexus of sorcery, so naturally it has been a city rich with sorceresses for a very long time,” Twilight Sparkle shifted into lecture mode in response to Fluttershy’s question, relishing the opportunity to show off both what she’d learned as a filly and what she’d discovered only recently through Golden Oak’s rare books, “Late in the reign of Celestia and Luna, the city came under the control of a group of sorceresses known as the Cabal, led by Nightshade Blueblood. After Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion and the Long Night came the False Winter. While Celestia was busy fighting the White Procession, Equestria fell apart, and Nightshade declared Cant’r Laht independent.”
“At the end of the False Winter, Celestia was exhausted, and sought refuge in Cant’r Laht, only to be turned away at the command of Nightshade Blueblood and her Cabal. Celestia descended upon the city and met their defiance with force. After nearly half of Cant’r Laht’s mages perished, Nightshade surrendered and Celestia was proclaimed Matron of Sorceresses. The Cabal was disbanded, and the Lodge of Sorceresses became the true seat of power in the city again. Nightshade Blueblood was kept around, and her line was allowed to stay in Cant’r Laht Castle and claim the title “Prince of the City” in perpetuity. Rhaegis Blueblood was the last of that line.”
Before Twilight could go into the deeper history of the Blueblood line and how pathetic Rhaegis was compared to his great-ancestor, Raven arrived with the castle servants. The Brave Companions rose from the prince’s plushy furniture to face the line of ponies.
“You’ll want to speak to this one,” Raven said, helpfully pointing to a tired-looking mare, “Tell them what you told me.”
“Madam sorceress,” the servant said hesitantly with a curtsey, “I was in the corridor outside the prince’s chambers last night, when I saw somepony hanging around his door. I told them they couldn’t be here, and they claimed they were lost, but they didn’t look lost. I escorted them back to the gala and didn’t see them again.”
“What else can you tell us about them?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“She was … about your age, m’lady. Purple coat, gray mane,” the servant said as she thought back, “She was dressed fancily, like a gala attendee, but not like nobility. She had a blue-and-white sash around her.”
“The colors of Balte-Maer,” Rainbow Dash commented.
“Nuh-uh, I know Duchess Seaspray, and she’d never do anything like this,” Pinkamena said with a shake of her head.
“How would you know Duchess Seaspray?” Rarity asked.
“I saved her from being assassinated once,” Pinkamena said completely seriously.
“In any case, it could be a trick,” Twilight Sparkle pointed out, “It is quite likely that another nation sent somepony who could blend in and had them wear the colors of their enemy in case they were caught.”
“So, what now, we find whoever it was at th’ summit?” Applejack asked.
“I do not want to disrupt the summit until we have a good idea of what happened. It is likely that this pony was not even the culprit, but perhaps a distraction for the true killer,” Twilight said contemplatively, “We may even be dealing with somepony who is not at the summit. I need a clearer picture of our mystery mare, and for that I will need your permission to look into your mind.”
“M-mine?” the servant being questioned stuttered.
“Yes, I want to see your memories, so that I can know exactly what our quarry looks like,” Twilight said, “I cannot do that unless you give me permission, however.” Truthfully, I probably could do it without her permission, but that would be incredibly painful for her and not something I’d relish doing, not with my friends here.
“O-of course, m’lady,” the servant said with a slight bow.
There was some preparation involved in the spell, and the Brave Companions split up the tasks of gathering materials and questioning the remaining servants. None of them had seen anything and were all allowed to go by the time Spike arrived with a hefty grimoire. He looked none too pleased as he laid it down on the table next to the basin of water that Applejack had fetched.
“I wish you wouldn’t use telepathy to contact me,” he bemoaned to Twilight, “You really need to get Celestia to teach you how to send letters. Also, keep your mental voice down.”
“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight Sparkle said, and the dragon grumbled and left to return to sleep as she flipped open the tome before her.
This was a spell she’d never attempted before, and she wanted to ensure that it went off without a hitch. The sorceress was relieved to see that it was similar in many ways to the scrying spells she’d been practicing lately. The castle servant sat nervously by as Twilight began the incantations and sigils flashed in the air, resisting the urge to touch the amulet tied around her forehead. Images began to appear in the basin of water as the spell reached completion, and the Brave Companions gathered around.
The view flickered and flashed unsteadily as Twilight stabilized the spell, homing in on the moment that the servant had met the mystery mare. Thankfully, she was holding that moment in her mind, and the sorceress was able to easily find it. The Brave Companions watched through her eyes as spotted the wandering pony and asked her to leave. There was no sound for anypony but Twilight, and she was the first to notice something was amiss.
“Her accent is not Balte-Maeri, but Fillidelfiyaan,” Twilight Sparkle pointed out, and the others gave her funny looks, “Also, I remember seeing her last night when she arrived at the gala. She was introduced as Kasse of Fillidelfiyaa. She must have kept the Balte-Maeri sash hidden on her person until later.”
“So, is that it then? We know who … killed Blueblood?” Fluttershy asked.
“Wait, wait, wait! Go back!” Rainbow Dash demanded, hovering over Twilight.
The spell wasn’t meant to be used this way, but Twilight Sparkle reversed time with great difficulty. Steam began to rise from the basin as it jerked backward to just after the servant had told Kasse to leave, and Rainbow Dash waved for the sorceress to stop. The memory resumed, and all six ponies watched intently, trying to catch whatever Rainbow had.
“There!” the Hunter exclaimed as the servant led Kasse down the hall, “Reflected in that silver vase, you can see another pony letting himself into Prince Blueblood’s chambers!”
Nopony else but Rainbow had noticed it, and none of them had a Hunter’s eyes to see what she saw. Twilight Sparkle painstakingly moved the memory backwards again and focused in on the vase, causing the water to bubble slightly. Sure enough, Rainbow Dash had been right. A stallion in fancy dress watched Kasse and the servant depart, and opened the door to Blueblood’s chambers before stepping inside. The water in the basin was beginning to boil and a sharp pain was forming between Twilight’s eyes, so she released the spell and lay back a bit to recuperate.
“I recognize him as well,” the sorceress said after a few moments, “Count Splintered Limb of Ravensgrad, a vassal of Prince Braid of Stalliongrad.”
“He is currently in attendance at the summit,” Raven offered, checking her list, “Shall I arrange to have him detained?”
“No need to cause problems with the summit, not until we know he is responsible anyway,” Twilight said, “Is Kasse at the summit as well?”
“Yes, she is seated with the Fillidelfiyaan delegation,” Raven said as she looked through her list.
“Excellent. I say we split up and investigate their tents while they are away,” Twilight said, “If that does not turn up any answers, then I suppose the time will have come to question them directly.”
***
“A Conclave of Mages is for the good of Equestria,” Rossin Villebard, the famed author of the Registry of Mages, proclaimed, “Just as Equestria is fractured, so too is the world of sorcery, and it should not be this way. We are all fellow sorcerers and sorceresses but are bound by separate rules and customs. If sorcery is to be practiced responsibly, what is and what is not appropriate must be clearly and consistently defined. Additionally, most monarchs and many nobles seek the aid of court wizards, but there is no guarantee that they are receiving fitting advice. A Conclave of Mages would ensure each pony needing guidance would receive it from a mage suited to their needs. There was a Conclave of Mages before, and there should be again!”
The idea was Celestia’s, part of her plan to unite Equestria by first uniting its magic-users, but not every idea should be seen as coming from her mouth. She had found an ally in Rossin after proposing the idea of a conclave to the Lodge of Sorceresses and he was just as zealous for it as her, perhaps even more so. He was pushing too hard, making broad and forceful proclamations and suggestions that Equestria’s other mages would never accept straightaway, but that was how he was.
“What you leave out is that that conclave was ruled by Celestia and Luna,” Tranquiliodus said dangerously as he stood, “If we were to accept this, it would be the equivalent of every mage in Equestria surrendering to Celestia and Cant’r Laht. This is where sorcerers are most heavily concentrated and where the seat of power would be. Surely you realize that but conveniently forgot to mention it. Well, I can tell you this, the Applewood Tower will never stand for this Conclave!”
“The same for the College of Eyes!” a sorceress from Balte-Maer said as she stood and was greeted by “hear-hears” from other mages in the great hall.
Celestia had known the Conclave was a long-shot, but to have it so quickly shot down was disappointing. She knew a way to get at least some of what she wanted, however, but it would require a long discussion. Catching her signal, Rossin took his seat and Celestia arose, prepared to address the other mages in the hall, each far less powerful and far younger than she.
***
Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkamena had chosen to investigate Kasse’s tent and made their way to the Fillidelfiyaan camp. The guards would never have let them in, so they’d concocted a plan along the way. While Pinkamena distracted the ponies at the camp’s entrance with her songs and tricks, Rainbow Dash carried Rarity over the pikes and deposited her among the green-and-blue tents. That was the thing about non-pegasi; they never thought to look up.
The Hunter and the unicorn crept through the camp, making their way toward Kasse’s tent. Somehow, Raven had had a map of the Fillidelfiyaan camp marked with the habitations and habits of every pony within it, which they felt it was better not to ask about. The camp was mostly deserted with the summit going on, and the soldiers not posted to the camp’s entrances were enjoying leave time, sleeping, drinking, or gambling in the camp or leaving it to search for distractions elsewhere in the city.
Kasse’s tent was nestled among that of other merchants, but Rainbow Dash had known instantly upon seeing her in the vision that she was no merchant, or at least hadn’t been one for long. Her body was toned and lithe in a way that didn’t fit a lifestyle of making coin by trading one good for another. She was prepared to fight at any moment. There was something off about the inside of her tent, too. Though it appeared to be decorated in the style a merchant would adopt, it was too thought-out, too intentionally done in order to cover up something else. Rainbow Dash was drawn to a stack of parchment tied up with ribbon sitting on the small folding desk, and she drew one sheet in particular from the pile.
“Yep, something’s going on here,” she said as she gave the sheet a sniff, “Invisible ink, I can smell it.”
“Oh my,” Rarity said from her own investigations into a chest stuffed with formal attire, “There’s a false bottom here.”
Further investigation revealed a sliding panel over the keyhole. If she was smart, Kasse would have the key on her body, which meant that Rainbow Dash and Rarity had no chance of getting to it without interrupting the summit. Luckily, Rarity had some skill with locks picked up from her time smithing, and knew how to pick one when somepony locked themselves out. Rainbow Dash kept watch while she worked on it, and soon the secret contents of the trunk were revealed. Hidden away were a sword, a light set of armor, and the compounds needed to make and reveal the invisible ink.
“Oh, that’s not good,” Rainbow Dash said as she spotted the symbol on the armor, “She’s a member of the Grotto, King Alhert’s highly trained team of spies and soldiers … and assassins. I fought alongside some once, on a contract to take down a trio of manticores, and they’re dangerous.”
“Do you think she …” Rarity trailed off.
“Maybe,” Rainbow Dash said, reaching past her for the invisible ink compounds, “Whatever she did, I think she made a report of it. This will tell us what happened.”
Carefully, Rainbow Dash mixed the appropriate compounds, following her nose and her Hunter training. After swabbing the note with it, words began to appear faintly.
For the eyes of King Alhert
Report: I was able to view only a quarter of the castle. Map from memory will follow. The castle servants were too prevalent to allow deeper forays to Celestia’s and Luna’s chambers. Their location is still unknown. Was forced to abandon mission after lingering too long outside the chambers of Prince Blueblood, contemplating risk of entering. Returned to gala after being seen by servant; made sure Duchess Seaspray’s colors were prominent before disposing of them. Servant did not seem overly perturbed, but if this is reported, hopefully the blame will fall on the duchess. Full report to be made en route to Fillidelfiyaa.
***
“Is that all you want?” King Hyelliff sarcastically asked Grandmaster Winter Breeze, “No taxes for any Hunters? Don’t be absurd!”
“We provide a vital service to Equestria,” the pegasus stood his ground.
“And you demand payment for it. Why shouldn’t that payment be taxed?” King Hyelliff asked.
“There is a simple solution to this,” Prince Braid said as he stood, “If you were to enter the service of local lords, they would provide you will all the equipment and coin you need for monster hunting-”
“Never!” Grandmaster Oss said as he leapt up from his seat, causing the chair to clatter backwards, “Hunters are unaligned! They always have beeen, and they always will be. Otherwise they would be called into the foolish wars of kings instead of serving to slay monsters, the task they were intended for!”
“There will soon be no need for you vile creations of witchcraft,” King Hadish said as he rose, “Strong earth pony knights can slay monsters as well, and I have seen to the creation of holy orders to undertake the task you have so far kept selfishly for yourselves and claimed is oh-so-hard. Your necessity is dwindling, but I will tolerate you for the moment.”
“Tolerate!” another grandmaster at the Hunters’ table said as she stood, “I have lost more Hunters in my order to riots and pogroms this past year than to monsters! You call that tolerance?”
“Your wicked, vile race is an affront to the natural order, winged demon,” Prelate Burnished Bronze said, his red robes rippling as he stood alongside his king, “Count yourself fortunate that King Hadish has exercised restraint instead of wiping you all away in cleansing flame.”
“What is this blaspheming heathen doing here?” Cardinal Maritus demanded as she stood from her place beside King Hyelliff and the various cardinals and bishops seated at the other tables voiced their disapproval.
The room quickly devolved into a shouting match between the red priest’s preaching on the evil of everything non-earth pony and the numerous clergymares of the Church of One trying to silence him. Celestia placed a hoof against her forehead in frustration. What had begun as a discussion about taxes on monster bounties had turned into a religious feud. It likely wouldn’t be the last time today that it happened, either.
***
The other half of the Brave Companions didn’t have to worry about sneaking around, since Twilight Sparkle teleported them directly into the camp. She, Fluttershy, and Applejack appeared within Count Splintered Limb’s spacious tent and began snooping around. There were no incriminating pieces of parchment lying around, but there was something present that would tell them what had happened the night before. Applejack was the one who found it, attached to the underside of the count’s mattress.
“How fortunate,” Twilight commented as she examined the crystal, “Looks like there is a mage in the camp who does not trust our dear Count Splintered Limb. This will have recorded everything said in this tent since it was placed here.”
It was a simple spell to unlock the crystal and access the audio, and Twilight moved past the previous day and to when the count had returned to the tent.
“I still can’t believe that something like that could happen, and that Celestia could just brush it off like she did,” the voice of Count Splintered Limb laughed from the crystal, the voice oddly distorted by magical compression.
“The Brave Companions; they don’t really live up to the rumors, do they?” a mare—probably his wife—replied.
“I wouldn’t be too hasty. They may still have some surprises. If it’s to be believed, they defeated Nightmare Moon and ended the long night at the beginning of the year,” Splintered Limb said.
“Supposedly with ‘Elements of Harmony’,” the countess laughed in disbelief, “Come now, tell me what you found out when you wandered off.”
“Well, I was unable to find Celestia’s chambers, but I did have the opportunity to observe those of Prince Blueblood,” the count said proudly.
“Do tell,” his wife said curiously.
“Well, somepony from Balte-Maer got caught snooping around, and while she was being led off, I snuck inside. Thankfully, the prince was already asleep, so I was able to see everything, though I had to be careful around his hound,” Splintered Limb narrated his adventure, “It’s as we suspected. Prince Blueblood is little more than a curiosity kept around by Celestia because of his family name. His chambers were fine by Cant’r Laht standards, but nothing befitting a true prince, even a lesser prince from Manehattan or Los Pegasus. Really, he’s a disappointment.”
The conversation shifted from Blueblood after that. If Count Splintered Limb had been telling his wife the truth, then he hadn’t been the one to kill Prince Blueblood. He was no murderer, just a curious lord sticking his muzzle where he probably shouldn’t have. Twilight erased the sound of she and her friends’ intrusion from the crystal before returning it to its place. As she teleported them out of there, she hoped that Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena, and Rarity had had better luck, otherwise they’d hit a dead end.
***
“There will be no alliances. We will not have you force this upon us,” King Hadish said firmly, and all the other monarchs nodded in agreement.
“I do not propose an alliance. It would be foolish to create something so binding and strong so soon, for it is guaranteed to fail,” Celestia defended her proposition, “I ask only that we all agree to a non-alignment pact. Equestria has powerful enemies who would like to gobble it up piece-by-piece. We cannot stand against our fellow Equestrians and help this happen if it comes to it. Besides Tyrannus, the Zebrikaanian Empire crouches practically upon our doorstep.”
“The Zebrikaanian Empire is in chaos,” King Alhert objected, “It is currently no more a threat to Equestria than Neighpoli or the pirate ‘kingdoms’ of the south.”
A major reason Celestia had called the summit nine months earlier had been to prepare Equestria against the threat of the Zebrikaanian Empire. However, things were now just as King Alhert said. A little over a month earlier, while Celestia had been in Ponieville on her procession through the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, the Padishah of the empire had died and civil war had broken out. The Zebrikaanian Empire currently had no official leader, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still dangerous to Equestria.
“It is not so fractured as you might think,” Celestia declared, “Ulm is making great progress toward claiming the throne.”
“Ulm is the former Padishah’s youngest son. He will never sit the throne,” Alhert said definitively.
“He has already crushed three of his brothers in the field, and the priests of Sunspear have also given him their blessing,” Celestia said, “It’s only a matter of time now before he pulls the empire back together.”
“And even if he does, he’ll be fighting internal revolts for years,” Duchess Seaspray spoke up, “We have nothing to fear from the Zebrikaanian Empire.”
Others in the hall nodded in agreement, trusting in the duchess’s authority on the matter. After all, the Duchy of Balte-Maer was closest to the empire and would likely be the first to fall if an invasion ever did come.
***
The Brave Companions sat in Blueblood’s chambers in silence, contemplating their next steps. From what they’d gathered, neither of their suspects had been the ones to kill the prince, leaving them with no clue where to look next for an answer. Kasse and Count Withered Limb may have been clean (relatively speaking), but there were currently hundreds of other strange ponies in the city, each with their own plans and motives. If these two had managed to sneak into the bowels of Cant’r Laht Castle, what were the chances that others had been able to do the same.
“It’s too bad we can’t just ask Blueblood what happened,” Rarity broke the silence, “Unless you could read his memories, too?”
“No, the spell requires a living subject,” Twilight said as she shook her head, and an idea came to her, “Although … that could be arranged.”
“Twi’, you’re not seriously thinkin’ about bringin’ Blueblood back t’ life, are y’?” Applejack asked fearfully.
“Of course not,” Twilight answered quickly, “His hound, however, would have seen the murderer as well.”
“I thought necromancy was forbidden,” Rarity said uneasily.
“Oh, it is, but the boundaries are a bit fuzzy,” the sorceress explained, “Ponies, gryphons, zebras and the like are absolutely off limits, but nopony would bat an eye at a sorceress using her magic to bring plants back to life. Resurrecting animals may be frowned upon, but it is up for debate.”
“You can’t seriously be considering this,” Rainbow Dash said with concern.
“I know it is drastic, but do any of you have any better ideas?” Twilight asked, honestly searching for another course of action but willing to stick with her plan if there was no other way forward.
“Well, no, but you should leave that poor dog alone. Back me up, Fluttershy,” Pinkamena said before realizing the druidess was nowhere to be found, “Fluttershy?”
“Fluttershy, where are you?” Rainbow Dash called out, rising from her seat along with the rest of the Brave Companions.
“I’m in here,” the druidess’s voice came quietly from Blueblood’s bedchamber, and the others hurried to join her, “You didn’t tell me the prince had a bird.”
Fluttershy was staring at the empty cage in a corner of the bedchamber. She hadn’t been one of the ponies to examine Blueblood’s body earlier, and none of the others had noticed the birdcage.
“I did not know that he did,” Twilight Sparkle admitted, “Strange that the murderer killed his hound but not his bird, unless they took it with them for some reason.”
“Or couldn’t find it,” Rainbow Dash offered, “It could still be around somewhere.”
The Brave Companions prepared to split up and search the prince’s chambers, but Fluttershy raised a hoof to stop them, having noticed something. She carefully made away across the room, refusing to look down as she flapped over the bloodstained patch of carpet. Landing near the fireplace, she shifted through the dead coals with her hoof for a minute.
“You can come on out, it’s safe now,” she whispered into the fireplace.
Some of the ashes began to glow and were magically drawn together. A few moments later, a tiny chick emerged from the pile, cheeping worriedly.
“A phoenix,” Applejack exclaimed breathlessly.
“Does your spell work on birds?” Rainbow Dash asked, and Twilight Sparkle nodded. A living witness!
The infant phoenix perched on Fluttershy’s back as they trotted back to the parlor. Preparations for the spell were mostly the same as before, except that the length of the cord holding the amulet around the phoenix’s head had to be drastically reduced. It cheeped happily as it sat in the chair, as if it knew what was coming.
Perhaps it did, for Twilight Sparkle was able to immediately home in on the moment of interest the night before. The view through the phoenix’s eyes was oddly distorted, as if looking through a dome of glass, but they soon grew used to it. The bird was in its cage, preening itself, while Prince Blueblood rose from his bed and began to dress himself. Blueblood had been dead for hours when he’d been found, so it was clearly the middle of the night. What did he think he was doing?
The phoenix’s attention suddenly turned to an uninteresting patch of wall moments before runes appeared on it. As the sound of scraping stone came from the wall, the phoenix squawked and flew through the open door of its cage, hiding in the inferno of the fireplace. The Brave Companions watched through dancing flames as the wall slid away and a figure trotted through the opening.
Twilight gasped as she recognized a fellow sorceress: Margot Bellinford, a prominent member of the 1st Council in the Lodge of Sorceresses. She was also currently seated at the table with Celestia at the summit. Rhaegis Blueblood didn’t seem at all alarmed by her sudden intrusion and continued to stare at himself in his mirror, adjusting his clothing and jewelry.
“You wanted to speak with me?” Twilight heard the sorceress’s voice ring out as she approached the prince.
“Yes, tell the others. It is time,” Blueblood replied, watching her in the mirror for a response.
“I urge you to reconsider this plan,” Margot said evenly, but Twilight could see a dangerous fire in her eyes, “Think about what will happen with these foreign kings and soldiers present.”
“I have,” Blueblood said arrogantly, “With them all present, they can immediately acknowledge the new order or lose their heads.”
“Far more likely that they will seize the opportunity to rape the city and burn every mage they can find at the stake,” Margot retorted.
“Need I remind you who is your leader? Who is Prince of the City and soon King of Cant’r Laht?” Blueblood exclaimed as he whirled on the sorceress, “I am Rhaegis Blueblood! The blood of Nightshade Blueblood flows in my veins! I command that you kill Celestia tonight, and my will shall be done! Do I make myself clear?”
Twilight Sparkle gasped, and the other Brave Companions looked at her with concern, unable to hear what she had. Kill Celestia? Was-is there a plot to assassinate Celestia? Blueblood was the leader? Who else is involved in this?
“As crystal,” Margot replied unemotionally, and Blueblood turned back around, shakily levitating a comb to even out his mane, “And what of Luna?”
“Detain her, with dimeritium to be safe, but do not harm her,” Blueblood said as he continued to comb his mane, “She may yet prove useful as a consort in order to establish my legitimacy if anypony still questions it.”
“As you wish,” Margot said venomously, but her tone was lost on the prince.
Rhaegis Blueblood’s magic was incredibly weak, and his comb fell from his grasp to the floor. As he reached down to pick it up, Margot produced a knife from within her robes. A look of horror crossed the prince’s face for only a moment as he straightened and saw his killer in the mirror. A clean slash sliced through his neck and blood sprayed, coating the mirror’s reflective surface. The Brave Companions gasped as Blueblood slumped to the ground. Margot looked around to make sure she hadn’t been seen, but overlooked the phoenix hiding in the fireplace. She trotted out of the bedchamber to take care of the prince’s hound, and the memory began to blur as the phoenix disintegrated itself in order to better hide.
“What happened, Twilight? Why’d she kill him?” Rainbow Dash asked frantically.
“Blueblood was planning-” Twilight started to explain before the images in the basin suddenly shifted.
The spell jerked out of her control, time reversing as images and sounds flashed past. She prepared to terminate it, but the phoenix chick squawked loudly. Is it leading me somewhere? Or rather, somewhen? How intelligent is this creature?
Relaxing her efforts, Twilight let the memories slide past until they came to a halt at some indeterminate time in the past. The phoenix was in its cage and watched with interest as Prince Blueblood shut and locked his bedchamber’s door. Briskly, he trotted over to the same patch of wall Margot had emerged from in the other memory and stood before it.
“Seysa mer guro Ye’r tare’rel,[1]” he incanted, and the runes appeared on the stone before giving way to a passage beyond.
The memories unfocused and this time, Twilight released the spell. As before, she had a small headache and the basin steamed slightly, but it didn’t take her long to recover. The Brave Companions eagerly waited to hear what she had learned.
“Prince Blueblood was planning to assassinate Celestia,” Twilight pronounced, shocking everypony, “Apparently, he was leading a group of ponies, the sorceress you saw—Margot Bellinford—only one of them.”
“So, they might still be plannin’ t’ kill Celestia,” Applejack postulated.
“No, I do not think so,” Twilight said with a shake of her head, “At least, they do not plan to kill her during the summit. It was after Blueblood insisted that she be killed immediately that Margot killed him.”
“They could still be planning to kill her later, though,” Rarity pointed out, and Twilight acknowledged that she was right.
“We’ve got to stop them!” Rainbow Dash said passionately.
“First, we need to find out who is involved in this,” Twilight said, “If there is a plot against Celestia, we cannot allow any of the schemers to get away.”
“And how d’ y’ suggest we do that?” Applejack asked.
“That last memory the phoenix showed me revealed how we can enter that secret passage in the prince’s bedchamber. If we follow it, there is a chance we may find the hideout of these plotters, and if we are lucky, they will have left something behind we can use.”
“Well what’re we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash said as she launched herself into the air and flew in the direction of the bedchamber, “Let’s get going!”
***
“It’s settled then. The border between the Principality of Stalliongrad and the Kingdom of Manehattan will remain as it currently stands. Any attempts by either side to expand beyond this will be seen as an act of war,” Celestia proclaimed, speaking not her own decision but that of the members of the summit, “Now, onto the next item on the agenda. It is clear that not every foreseeable issue can be solved at this summit, nor would one expect them to. Therefore, I propose that this summit become an annual event where Equestria’s leaders can meet to make these decisions that would otherwise be decided haphazardly by emissaries or through bloodshed on the battlefield.”
“You wish to increase your sway on us, you old witch, is that it?” King Hadish spat out venomously, “Year after year, you would have us make a pilgrimage to your city of witchcraft to listen to you speak, as if we were vassals coming to pay homage to their lord!”
“The summit need not be in Cant’r Laht, though I think everypony can agree this is the most sensible place due to its central location,” Celestia said with grace, “As for the idea that I am acting as your superior, I’ve never heard anything so absurd. Yes, I called for this summit, but none of you were forced to attend, and have I not dealt with you as equals during our time together?”
Many of the seated ponies looked guiltily at their tables, knowing that she was right. The ancient sorceress had dealt fairly with them, even though she could have easily swatted them all aside with her sorcery like gnats. It would have been so much easier for her if she had, though. She couldn’t do something like that, though, or the summit would have no purpose and Equestria would have no stable future. I cannot build Equestria around myself as I once did, or it will only live as long as I do. I cannot force them to see my vision for the future, I know, but why must they all be so difficult?
***
The hidden passage in Blueblood’s bedchamber quickly gave way to a rapidly descending flight of stairs. It wove its way through the castle’s dungeons and vaults until coming to a level expanse beneath the city. Twilight had a good sense of direction, but all she could really say about their location was that they had gone deep into the platform that supported Cant’r Laht, even deeper than the city’s sewer system. She kept close track of every turn and branch they took, following the path of a well-worn groove in the floor and magical discharges from light spells on the ceiling.
These tunnels were old, likely constructed even before Celestia had taken over the city. Of course, the branch connected to the castle had been newer, since Cant’r Laht Castle hadn’t been built until after Celestia had immolated the houses of all the nobles in the area and forced them into other parts of the city. She wondered how Nightshade Blueblood had kept the passage secret from Celestia during the castle’s construction, and the thought crossed her mind that maybe her mentor did know about it, but didn’t consider it a problem.
Eventually their path took the Brave Companions to a large, cavernous room. Twilight Sparkle increased the strength of the light spell she’d anchored to the tip of her horn (a convenient place for unicorn wizards) and illuminated the chamber. Runes identical to the ones embroidered on Twilight’s stole were carved into the walls, and she wondered if this was where the Cabal had once met. She could sense sorcery all around her, soaked up by the surrounding stones.
“Twilight, over here,” Rainbow Dash called, her voice echoing through the chamber, and Twilight Sparkle trotted over to where the Hunter was hovering, “Check it out, these runes are newer.”
Sure enough, her Hunter eyes had not deceived her. Several squarish pillars stood around the room, holding up the ceiling. Some of them were blank, but others had runes scratched in neat rows on them. With a start, Twilight Sparkle realized they were lists of names, and recognized some of them from her history lessons as members of the Cabal, including her own ancestor, Umbral Dawn Haltrotsun.
The pillar that Rainbow Dash had fixated on began with an ominous title: The New Cabal. The first name listed was Bellatrix Blueblood, Rhaegis’s great-great-granddam. Has the plot been going on this long? Many names had been scratched out, and Twilight recognized many of them as sorcerers and sorceresses who were no longer living. The bottom of the list was mostly intact (except for Rhaegis Blueblood) and she recognized the names of every one of the ponies listed.
“I am going to need a quill and parchment,” the sorceress said as she stared at the damning list.
***
“As Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea, I don’t have to take this!” Duchess Seaspray said in response to King Alhert’s accusations of unfairness, “Neither need I explain my own actions in the port I was bestowed by the grace of Faust.”
“The tax on goods from Manehattan and Fillidelfiyaa are outrageous!” King Hadish said angrily, “You’re well aware that Balte-Maer is the last port of call before Los Pegasus unless a ship’s captain is brave enough to risk docking at Mount Eris or the Stormlands. This tax is a deliberate move to harm King Alhert and myself in trade, a tax that is suspiciously not collected from ships coming from Noya Varon, Banner, or Neighples. You claim the authority to regulate trade on the Shimmering Sea, but it is I that am its Rightful Maritime Ruler!”
“That’s rich coming from you, Hadish,” Seaspray said as she held up a hoof to stop Bishop Pathus from coming to her defense on her made-up title, “Isn’t it true that you have not only raised taxes on goods from Fillidelfiyaa and Balte-Maer coming through your city, but also placed blockades around Banner and Noya Varon in order to maintain your monopoly on trade with the Grittish Isles?”
“Necessary precautions to defend against King Alhert’s raiders!” Hadish shot back, “Fillidelfiyaa may as well be a pirate kingdom from the south for all the goods it has stolen!”
“I am only defending my ancient rights as Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea, a title you foals shouldn’t dare claim for yourselves!” Fillidelfiyaa’s aged king yelled, “What else is to be done when the two of you attack me from both sides, trying to squeeze Fillidelfyaa to death? I won’t stand for it!”
“All your ships will burn, cowed by the might of the ducal fleet if you keep this up!” Seaspray’s admiral cried out as he rose to stand next to his duchess.
Unlike the other issues on the table, Celestia knew that there would be no peaceful conclusion to this argument. Manehattan, Fillidelfiyaa, Balte-Maer—The Three Sisters, as ponies had taken to calling them—had come to the summit prepared to fight. Each had escalated the various trade disputes too far now to back down, and it had become a roiling mess that would soon erupt into a trade war. It wouldn’t be the first time—sixteen trade wars had already occurred between the Sisters—but Celestia still fumed as she sat by, powerless to stop it.
Celestia felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Raven standing behind her with an incredibly concerned expression. The Brave Companions had also returned and were taking the seats they’d vacated at the beginning of the summit. Giving Raven a nod of understanding, she took the scroll offered to her. Raven had sealed the scroll using a special seal that let Celestia know that it contained sensitive information not for prying eyes. She discreetly cast concealment spells on the scroll before breaking the seal and opening it.
Her eyes went wide as she read what Twilight Sparkle had written within. A New Cabal! Plans to assassinate me! The sorceress’s blood boiled while she maintained her outward composure. One of the possible leaders of the plot, the one who’d killed Blueblood, sat just a few paces away from her. Without turning, she knew that many of the others sat behind her. They seek to overthrow me—me!
Celestia tasted blood in her mouth, brought about by her unconscious casting of protective spells and burning anger, and she forced herself to calm down. This was no time to enact justice. If she began arresting sorceresses for treachery now, in front of all these leaders, it would only confirm their suspicions and make things worse for mages everywhere. The summit came first, retribution would come later. As the mages of the first Cabal could attest, the retribution of Celestia was great and terrible, and there were some things about the Matron of Sorceresses that hadn’t changed in the last thousand years.
***
As the summit had begun with a gala, so it ended with a banquet. The great hall had been transformed after the summit’s conclusion and was now filled with tables where Celestia’s honored guests supped for their last night before returning home. Celestia’s throne remained empty, and she took no special seat of honor for herself. It was she who had pulled off this summit, but she would not poison her own efforts now by appearing to place herself above the other leaders.
None of the large items of her agenda had been fulfilled fully, but she had expected that. This was the reason that she had wanted an annual summit, to continue the progress made here today, but Equestria’s leaders weren’t willing to make that kind of commitment. They had agreed to reconvene for a summit in one year’s time, however, and it was a start. She also had not gotten the Conclave of Mages she wanted. A Council of Mages would be formed instead, with one member from each Equestrian nation (excluding the Kingdom of Manehattan.) It was no body with any power, though, just a way for the leading mages of each country to communicate with each other. Celestia saw the Zebrikaanian Empire for the giant that it was, ready to crush Equestria with its huge hoof without warning, but nopony else saw things the same way. There would be no promises of non-alignment with the zebras, only a similar treaty against Tyrannus. Not that that treaty mattered much, since ponies were easily able to agree not to ally with the dragons, and Tyrannus would never stoop to allying with a pony nation.
The most troublesome matter currently at the forefront of Celestia’s mind was the strife between Manehattan, Fillidelfiyaa, and Balte-Maer. Despite her best efforts, war was coming. Her spies told her that ships were being reinforced and levies were being called up across all the Sisters. It was only a matter of time once the kings and duchess returned to their respective courts, and there was nothing she could do. No! There is something I can do! Perhaps it wasn’t too late, perhaps war could still be avoided, but Celestia couldn’t be the one to do it. All three cities would have to be approached at once, without favoritism, and she knew six ponies perfect for the task. Celestia watched the Brave Companions as they feasted at their table, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, and hoped that she wasn’t sending them to their deaths.