Chapter Nine: Stiff Necks
~BlackRoseRaven
Twilight Sparkle was quiet during the entire trip to the Crystal Empire, spending the whole time sitting by herself in the back of the armored troop car. She wasn't poring over books or papers, nor was she trying to sleep. She was just sitting with her head down, ignoring anypony who came close, not lost in her own little world, but rather locked away inside herself.
Her friends milled anxiously in the other half of the car, trying to reassure each other, talking a little amongst themselves: they were glad to be here with Twilight, but it was hard not to worry, especially with the fact that Twilight had shut herself down and wasn't telling them anything.
Princess Luna had met them here at the car: Twilight had already been on board the train when her friends had arrived. She told them they had already loaded the train with supplies, and that Princess Cadence was expecting them, and would send a retinue of guard to meet them at the station. She also cautioned them, gently, that Twilight Sparkle might need some time to herself, and they should give it to her.
So they were trying to give her that time and space.
Applejack shifted a bit in her seat, looking around apprehensively: it wasn't the fact they were in a military transport that bothered her. If anything, the fact they were in an armored train was reassuring, considering what they were going up against... but it did bother her that the train was fully stocked. Quivers of bolts were waiting to be grabbed from the wall, along with crossbows; lockers under their seats contained packs of military gear, each neatly labeled.
It felt like they weren't just riding on the first available train. It felt like this little three car train had been prepared especially for them, and they were given this equipment with the expectation they were going to end up using it.
She shook he head, then turned her eyes towards the other ponies in the train. Rainbow Dash was fiddling with an unloaded crossbow, and Fluttershy was talking quietly with Pinkie Pie as they picked uneasily at a military ration they'd found. Rarity was in the front corner of the train, absently redoing her makeup in her little mirror, mumbling a little to herself. Applejack couldn't hear her, but she could see her lips moving in the reflection of her hoof mirror.
The earth pony shifted out of her seat and walked down the aisle to Rarity, catching a mumbled: “-according to plan, yes. Everything is fine. It's been... I don't know.”
“It's been a few hours now.” Applejack said, and Rarity jumped, nearly dropping her hoof mirror and applicator before she glared at Applejack with a blush, a streak of mascara across one cheek. Applejack couldn't help but grin, saying awkwardly: “You uh... you got a little something-”
“Thank you.” Rarity said acerbically, grumbling as she swept up a cloth to dab the mascara away from her cheek without bothering to check her face in the mirror. Applejack didn't know how she could do that.
She lingered, and Rarity bit her lip before she asked almost hesitantly: “Has it really already been a few hours? It seems sometimes like it's only minutes, and other times I can't keep track of them. It's all just flowing through my hooves like sand.”
Applejack smiled briefly at this, nodding in agreement. “It ain't easy, no. Well, I mean, it's not that it's been a hard journey-”
“Speak for yourself.” Rarity huffed. “I haven't had a proper night's sleep or shower in days. And to be quite honest...” She hesitated, then looked over at Applejack and murmured: “I'm not sure we're ready for this. It's terrifying to think of what we're supposed to be going up against.”
“I ain't happy about it either, but... somepony's got to do it.” Applejack sighed, looking over her shoulder at Twilight Sparkle as she murmured: “Besides, you really want to let her face this all alone, after everything she's been through?”
“No. No, I don't.” Rarity sighed as well, shaking her head and smiling briefly. “And she does always find a way to lead us through, doesn't she?”
“Yeah.” Applejack agreed, before she squeezed Rarity's shoulder, then stepped away and looked down the aisle, saying finally: “I'm gonna go see if she wants anything. I ain't gonna press. But... somepony should let her know she's not alone.”
Rarity only smiled faintly, and Applejack hesitated for a moment before she asked: “You got something on your mind?”
“No. No, no... well, nothing more than... all this.” the unicorn answered, sighing a little before she asked in a quieter voice: “Don't you ever worry it's too much for one mare, even a mare like Twilight, to take?”
“Of course.” Applejack smiled, though, and when Rarity frowned, she gently punched her in the shoulder and said: “But that's why we're here with her, you idjit.”
“Save that for Rainbow Dash.” Rarity huffed, rubbing at her shoulder, but she smiled a little after a moment all the same, nodding a little as she murmured: “You're right though. You're absolutely right.”
Applejack nodded and turned down the aisle, walking down to Twilight with as much confidence as she could manage, in spite of her words. It was hard seeing Twilight like this, after all: not broken, not sad, but just completely focused inwards.
She stopped by the purple mare, who was staring at her lap, curled up in her seat in a little ball, and the earth pony hesitated before she cleared her throat and gently touched the unicorn, asking quietly: “Can I get you anything?”
Twilight blinked, then looked up at her before she shook her head. Applejack lingered, seeing a hesitation in Twilight, and after a moment the unicorn asked quietly: “What would you do if you saw everyone you loved, die?”
Applejack's eyes widened, and then she bit her lip before she sat down in the seat across from Twilight, asking: “Is this about-”
“Just answer the question. Please.” Twilight murmured, not looking at her, not getting up.
Applejack didn't have an answer. It was too big for her to consider: her eyes shifted away, her hooves played together, she fumbled for meaningless words. “I'd be devastated.”
That was all she could manage, but it was everything else that told Twilight what she wanted to know. “And what if then, out of nowhere, they all came back? What would you do to protect them?”
“Anything.” That was an easy enough question.
“Anything.” echoed Twilight, looking up at her, with those sad, beaten eyes. “Even terrible things?”
Applejack wanted to pretend she was noble. Wanted to say she could make a choice. But she thought of the ponies she'd lost, the ponies she wished, wished she could see again, one last time, that she'd do anything just to have one last conversation with...
“Yeah. Even terrible things.” Applejack murmured, her eyes shifting away. “I... I know that ain't right. And it's a real heck of a thing, because I'd be so ashamed of myself, and imagine if I did something awful just to bring 'em back and then... and then they couldn't even look at me. But at least they'd be okay. At least they'd be alive.”
Twilight nodded slowly, sitting up a bit and rubbing at her face. She thought about what Princess Luna had told her; about the letter she'd given her, from Mare Imbrium, that she'd read again and again and again while she'd been alone on the train.
She looked up at Applejack, then said quietly: “We need to stop Lord Black. But we also have to convince Princess Celestia that... that things are going to be okay, I guess. She's so afraid of what's going to happen that she's... I guess, in a way, she's trying to make it happen faster.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Applejack uneasily.
The other mares looked down the aisle at them, but Twilight only shifted her gaze to all of them, spoke so they could all hear: “It's... I don't even know how to explain it. But years ago... Princess Celestia saw us all die. Saw all of Ponyville destroyed. Then one day, we were just all... back. Alive. Like nothing had happened, except suddenly the world was full of artes, too, artes that we all just instinctively knew, like something else had been... added to this world.”
“That doesn't make any sense.” blurted Rainbow Dash. “Twilight, what are you talking about?”
“I don't know.” Twilight answered honestly. “Princess Luna didn't know. Celestia doesn't even know. And I think that's part of what drove her to this... this desperation. It was like after several hundred years, she was finally starting to accept that we were all gone, and then... poof. We were all back. Like time had been reversed. Like she woke up in a different world, a better, happier world, where... where monsters didn't kill us all.”
“That doesn't make any sense.” Rarity stuttered, but she looked frightened, and Twilight understood.
She sounded insane, but there was a note of truth in her words. Why, after all, did ponies just know 'artes?' Why had there been so many years of Equestrian civilization before artes were even mentioned in the history books, and they went from no artes whatsoever, to every pony, every creature, having its own unique artes and abilities one day, several hundred years ago?
“I have nightmares sometimes about it.” Pinkie said quietly, and all eyes turned to her in surprise as the earth pony gave a faint smile. “There are these three dragons. They're singing. Singing, as they kill us all. And it's not their claws or their teeth but their songs that kill us, that... that turn us inside-outside, that make us...”
She shivered a bit, and Rarity shook her head, whispering: “That's... that's a terrible nightmare but that's all it is, dear, a nightmare...”
“I don't know. I don't know what happened. Only Celestia and Luna seem to remember anything about it.” Twilight said after a moment. “But even if none of you believe it, that doesn't matter. Celestia believes it. And she believes these creatures and Lord Black are connected somehow, and that's why she absolutely will not trust him.
“But Lord Black won't give anything blindly to Celestia, either. She tried to make some kind of deal with him before, but he caught on to the fact she was trying to play him or trick him or... or something, I don't know the details. There are a lot of fuzzy details.” Twilight shook her head slowly.
“Wait...” Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow, then asked uneasily: “Wait, why is she sending you into danger, then? I mean, if she's so scared of losing you...”
“Because sometimes when you've already decided something bad is going to happen, you can't help but try and make it happen faster.” Fluttershy answered for Twilight, giving a faint smile. “The thought that you're going to lose something is awful. Not knowing when you're going to lose it is even worse. And maybe it's not just losing Twilight again that really scares her. It's the afterwards. It's...”
“The thought of living through all of it again.” Twilight muttered, and then she shook her head before she straightened and said: “I think... I think if we can convince Lord Black to try negotiating again, we can fix things.”
“I don't know, Twilight... it sounds like things are past fixing. And that you don't even know for sure if all of this is true, let alone...” Rarity chewed at her lip uneasily, and then she shook her head and asked worriedly: “Twilight, what if you're wrong about all of this? What if this is just... what if Lord Black is just evil, and Celestia is trying to protect you, and, and-”
But Twilight only shook her head, smiling faintly as she said quietly: “One of the few things that I'm sure about is that Lord Black isn't the bad guy. But somehow that makes it worse. And that doesn't mean that if it comes right down to it, we're going to have to find a way to stop him.”
Twilight looked down, shaking her head again as she murmured: “But maybe that's why I'm so hopeful there's a solution that doesn't involve us fighting him. Because I have no idea how we could stand up to him and that floating fortress of his.”
“You'll figure something out, Twilight! You always do!” encouraged Rainbow Dash, before she grinned and said: “He's just a talking head, right? I bet if we could get past that floating fortress of his and all his goons, he'd go down in ten seconds flat!”
“Great, Rainbow. How do you think we're gonna get to him, then, if it does come down to that?”Applejack asked dryly.
Rainbow huffed, but clearly didn't have an answer. To her surprise, however, Twilight rose her head a little and murmured: “Well, we will. Somehow. Some way. We're capable of incredible things together...”
Twilight smiled faintly, raising her head and saying a little more clearly: “Maybe that's why this all makes me so sad. Because if we could all just work together, we could achieve so much more than working apart. And I think Lord Black and Princess Celestia both know that. And instead, we're just... we're just fighting.”
Twilight Sparkle rubbed at her face slowly, and then she sighed before she said finally: “We should all try and get some rest. Things... I have a lot of hope, but I know that things... well...”
“A storm is coming.” Fluttershy murmured, and she hesitated before she added: “But we all want to do everything we can to help, Twilight. No matter how scary it is.”
Twilight smiled briefly again at this, and then she simply nodded before her eyes roved away. She only half-heard the rest of her friends all chipping in with their own promises and reassurances: all she could think about was how right Fluttershy was.
A storm was coming.
She hoped they were ready for it.
A group of Royal Guard met them at the train station in the hinterlands that sat outside the Crystal Empire: the station itself was abandoned, and Twilight couldn't help but notice that one of the soldiers stayed back for a moment to chain the doors shut once they stepped out into the wastes.
A road had been constructed from the train station to the Crystal Empire's true border; the edge of the immense magical shield that protected it from the biting cold. They didn't follow this path, however: instead, they trekked across cold, blowing tundra to a hidden entrance.
They descended into a dark, dank tunnel, the guards stone-faced even as Applejack muttered: “I feel the earth artes in the walls here... they're the only thing holdin' these tunnels together.”
“I guess they want to make sure there's no way for Lord Black's soldiers to get inside.” Twilight hesitated, then asked: “But I thought ponies could freely pass-”
“Please remain as quiet as possible, Miss Sparkle. We can't risk being tracked.” said one of the guards curtly, and Twilight gave an uneasy smile and nod.
They were silent as they made their way through the narrow, uncomfortable tunnels to a ladder. The guards went up first, then called the mares up: one after the other, they stepped into the basement of some house, which had been turned into a military checkpoint.
Twilight grimaced as the soldiers checked them over: one of the soldiers frowned as he perused her coded letters, but then a commander in purple armor leaned in and muttered something in his ear, and the soldier almost flung it away like it was hot, giving Twilight a nervous smile.
Sometimes she'd been treated with respect, or deference, because of her connections, sure. But she'd never seen fear in anypony's eyes, much less a soldier's.
Twilight smiled uncomfortably back, then frowned over her shoulder as Rarity huffed loudly, snatching her makeup bag back from a soldier as she snapped: “Well, some things are personal to a mare!”
“Miss, it's all-” But Rarity was already storming away, and the soldier sighed and rubbed at his face, clearly deciding it wasn't worth pursuing.
The others had what few things they'd brought with them searched, and then they were allowed to go to the next room and wait. Twilight hated it, and she knew it made her friends all feel incredibly uncomfortable, too. Sure, they were just doing their jobs, trying to keep the Crystal Empire safe, but she didn't understand the point of-
“Sorry for the wait, ma'ams. We had to finish your IDs.” a soldier apologized as he entered the waiting room, and the six mares looked up in surprise as the guard calmly passed out a piece of paper with a plastic card attached to it for each of them. “We're currently in a state of full military lockdown. Due to concerns about spies and changelings, any and all personnel who plan to enter the Crystal Castle have to be screened and verified.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash asked dumbly, staring blankly at her ID card.
The Royal Guard continued: “Currently, there is a curfew in effect for six o'clock, and no business is to take place before eight AM. Please do not be alarmed by the military patrols you may see in the city: they are here for your protection. Public access areas, such as the library and gardens, are all currently under military supervision. You may be asked to present your ID at any of these locations, at any time: please remember this is for your protection.”
Twilight shifted uneasily as the mares traded looks between themselves, and then she looked down at her ID card as the Guard finished: “Please direct any other questions you may have to your escort, who will be arriving momentarily. Keep your ID on you at all times, and remember that your continued cooperation ensures the safety of all ponies.”
The ponies gave various unenthusiastic replies, but the soldier was already leaving, his spiel done and his point made. Twilight grimaced a little as she looked down at her ID again before she sighed and tucked it back in her satchel, muttering: “Guess we better not lose these.”
“They must be really scared.” Fluttershy said as she looked at her ID card, before she bit her lip as she asked uneasily: “Does this mean we're going to have to go through this again at the castle?”
“I don't think so.” Twilight said, but she really wasn't sure: she hadn't expected to be put through something like this in the first place. She understood wanting to keep everypony safe, but...
She looked up as another guard entered, this one dressed in lighter armor and smiling at them, but he was visibly exhausted even as he greeted: “Hi there! I'm your guide, North Star. I'll answer any questions you have on the way to the Crystal Castle.”
Poor North Star was immediately flooded with questions from worried mares, and Twilight just watched, silently, how he handled it all. He had clearly done it several times now, since he knew to wait until the mares calmed a little before he reassured: “It's all for your safety. Just follow me, please, and let's try and keep the questions coming one at a time. Okay?”
A lot of his answers sounded very rehearsed, but their questions were probably ones he'd heard a lot of. And Twilight wasn't stupid: he and the rest of the military had a vested interest in keeping the panic as low as possible, and softening or sugarcoating every answer he gave.
But Twilight didn't like the lies he was telling here and there, when he said things like: 'there's no danger of breach,' or 'every soldier and civilian inside the Crystal Empire has been verified.' There was no way to guarantee these things: and, even if you could, there were other routes of attack.
As they walked through the streets, Twilight looked critically back and forth: they'd barely walked a few blocks and they had already passed at least two visible military checkpoints. Soldiers were on patrol, and civilians were moving in neat, orderly lines like they'd probably been advised to: the streets were plenty busy with organized patrols, after all, and what looked like civilian volunteers in vests and badges, very proud of their glorified positions as hall monitors.
That was uncharitable.
Twilight asked, before she could stop herself: “Why are you working as a guide?”
The soldier seemed surprised by the question, and then North Star cleared his throat before he answered: “Well, I have more experience in public relations than combat. Commander Hawk decided this was a better position for me, where I could do the most good.”
He smiled. A big fake smile. The question stressed him out, exacerbated by how long he'd probably gone without sleep.
Twilight felt a cruel urge to make the soldier snap, just to see what would happen. She understood immediately, after all: he was either a rookie, or had demonstrated some unwillingness to do what was necessary. Maybe he had spoken up about the occupation, because there was no point in pretending that wasn't what this was.
So they saved the most humbling task they could for him: tour guide for ponies who had already been verified, who were here to support or help the regime. Cleaning latrines would have been easy, after all, let him face away from what was going on: this way, he had to face, every single moment, what he'd either refused to be part of or screwed up his chance to take part in, all while wearing a smile and reciting every lie they told him to say.
It was unnecessarily cruel already. There was no point in hurting him any further. The fact she had even considered doing so... she wondered what that said about her.
Twilight looked up at the sky, noted the thrumming quality of the shield, the intensity of the magic, and she asked: “Have they fortified the dome protecting us?”
“Yes, they have.” North Star replied, looking relieved. “Our scientists were able to retrofit technology given to us by Princess Celestia to supplement the protective dome: the shield is completely impenetrable now, which is why you had to come in through one of several secure underground tunnels. That's why we can be so sure we're absolutely safe here, inside the shield.”
Twilight didn't bother to respond to that claim, asking instead: “Do you know anything about the technology powering the shield?”
“No ma'am. That's not something I'm permitted to talk about.” apologized the guide, before he pointed with a smile towards the great tower of the Crystal Castle, saying cheerfully: “I'm sure the Prince and Princess will be more than delighted to fill you in on all the details, but look, even from here you can see...”
He rambled about the 'safety measures' and 'protective magic;' fortifications and wards, by other names. Twilight couldn't help but notice that the closer they got to the center of the Crystal Empire, the more soldiers, the more militarization they saw, and the more volunteer ponies she could see in vests and badges. They passed through a checkpoint, where they all had to show their ID to the guard on duty: the guards looked tired, she thought, but that didn't make her feel a lot better.
Even if it was honestly to protect them, was this the right thing to do? Putting the Crystal Empire on lockdown, treating its citizens like they were servants or even prisoners?
She remembered when everypony had been gathered here, in the beautiful courtyard below the castle. Now, as they approached it, she saw only armored soldiers, standing guard around tents and fences, completely blocking the gemstone heart of this kingdom from view.
Once the Crystal Heart had been left in the open, for everypony to see, for everypony to give their love to. Now, it was hidden from sight, along with whatever technology – likely first provided by Lord Black himself – was empowering it.
They approached one of the castle entrances, and another military checkpoint. But here, their guide smiled and saluted them, saying cheerfully: “Well, good luck, and I hope you enjoy your stay! Remember the rules we discussed!”
“You're leaving? But we didn't even get a chance to thank you!” Pinkie Pie said, her childish surprise not entirely hiding her nervousness.
“I'm afraid I don't have clearance past this point. We all have to do our part to stay safe, after all!” answered North Star with a strained smile. “Now, uh, please excuse me. Duty calls, you know!”
He hurried away before they could ask any other questions, and Twilight Sparkle silently wondered if he was perhaps trying to avoid someone, or if maybe he had made some misstep they weren't aware of.
They showed their ID, and the soldiers asked to search them: it wasn't really a question, Twilight knew, but all the same she couldn't help but ask: “Why?”
“Safety, ma'am.” one of the guards answered.
Twilight narrowed her eyes. She saw Fluttershy shift uncomfortably, Rarity bite her lip, and even her more boisterous friends didn't look comfortable as one of the guards started forwards as he slipped plastic hoof-gloves on with telekinesis, beginning: “Please remove all your-”
“No.” Twilight said, before she was even aware of it.
The soldier stopped, staring at her blankly, as if he couldn't comprehend what she had just said.
“Uh... I'm afraid that to enter the castle-” he started.
“Get my brother.” Twilight ordered, glaring at the soldier. The Royal Guard looked confused for a moment, glancing dumbly back and forth, before he flinched as Twilight shouted: “Now!”
The Royal Guard scurried away with a wince, not even bothering to remove the one glove he'd managed to get on. All eyes stared at her, and Twilight scowled before she drew a curdling glare across the other soldiers, who winced and nervously looked the other way.
It wasn't their fault. It was wrong of her to take her mood out on them. But whether or not they were just following orders, she wasn't going to just stand back and let her friends be put through another unnecessary invasion of their privacy.
“Are you okay, Twilight?” asked Pinkie anxiously.
“I'm fine. But I'm done being pushed around by everyone, too. We're here for a reason. And unfortunately, none of this is helping the current situation.” Twilight muttered as she looked back and forth.
Her friends traded looks, but no one argued with her. And a few minutes later, a perplexed-looking Shining Armor – in his ceremonial armor, no less, polished and as perfect as his roguish blue mane – came towards them, asking: “Twilight, what's all this-”
Twilight glared at Shining Armor, and he quailed under that look, the white unicorn's eyes widening slightly as she snapped: “I could ask you the same thing! Military occupation? Checkpoints? Searching every pony that comes in?”
“We uh... we have to prevent...” Shining Armor cleared his throat before he straightened, saying firmly: “Twilight, I have to do everything in my power-”
“To protect these ponies. You're not.” Twilight said shortly, and it hurt her a little to see Shining's pride crumple. Even though she was the little sister, after all, he had always come to her for help with magic, with theory, with all the more difficult academic things that he had never had as much of a mind for, and now here she was, scolding him in public for... for being an idiot. “I could understand if there was a Changeling invasion or something, sure; it would be no less wrong, but at least I could understand.”
“Twilight, Lord Black is a murderer, and Celestia already told us he managed to get spies into Canterlot. We absolutely cannot afford to let him get inside here, not when we're so close, when we have one means of defense against him, but something that might actually work!” Shining shouted back.
“It won't work.” Twilight said, quiet and firm, and she saw Shining hesitate. His whole world likely wavered in front of his eyes, everything that he had hoped to do and achieve, before Twilight gave a trembling smile as she said quietly: “And you know what? Lord Black won't hesitate to kill. And what have you done? You've put civilians in military uniforms. Do you really think he's going to hesitate to kill them because they've got big volunteer badges on their chests?”
“They... they're just... they're just helping maintain order, that's all.” Shining answered, but he was clearly shaken by that thought, shaking his head before he gave an awkward laugh. “Come on, Twilight, we're getting off on the wrong hoof here. You're here to help, Celestia said-”
“I am here to help, Shining. But even though you're my BBBFF, I can't tell you what you want to hear. That you have a chance. That you've done everything right.” Twilight answered bluntly, rubbing silently at her face. She wanted to scream and cry and yell and piss Shining off and tell him it was all okay, really, but she couldn't afford to do any of those things. She had to do the one thing she didn't want to do.
“You don't know what you're up against. I do.” Twilight closed her eyes, took a breath, and then said quietly: “Dismantle all your defenses. Lay down all your arms. We have to prepare for a preemptive surrender to Lord Black.”
“What?” Shining Armor's eyes widened in shock, shaking his head and mouthing wordlessly before he shouted: “Twilight, what the hell are you talking about? Celestia said-”
“If we do not surrender, Lord Black won't kill you.” Twilight said quietly, and the hardness of her gaze silenced Shining more than her words. “Lord Black will kill everyone around you. He's here for the core piece. He knows it's here, so let's not pretend otherwise. He's not going to show you patience or mercy. Celestia used it all up and probably made him even less willing to deal with us after she sent him on that wild goose chase.
“We cannot fight Lord Black. We cannot win through force.” Twilight put plainly. “But we might be able to negotiate with him. But we have to surrender to him to show him we're willing to work with him.”
Shining Armor lowered his head silently. He shifted back and forth, did that thing where he twisted his hoof against the ground, and then he finally grimaced before he looked up and said quietly: “Come with me. Maybe you'll change your mind once you see the New Power Initiative.”
“You completed it?” Twilight asked, blinking in disbelief. “But Celestia said-”
“Well, it seems Celestia told us both things that weren't true.” Shining Armor retorted, and then he scowled a little before he shook his head and turned around.
Twilight followed after her brother, not looking back: her friends took that silent cue to linger behind. He led her upward into the castle, and they walked silently through heavily-patrolled, fortified corridors and halls, until they reached a massive, armored door.
Soldiers saluted on either side of this, then both turned and began to power the locks with magic. As the door slowly began to rumble open, Shining said abruptly: “I don't like what I had to do, Twilight, but you have to understand that in times of war, things have to happen. Things I don't like, and you don't have to like. But we have to maintain order. What if I just said, go on with your daily lives? If one bad guy slipped through, it would be my fault. And we'd lose everything. So everyone can be a little uncomfortable, a little mad at me. I'll live with it. They will too. And they won't die.”
“You were always good at telling yourself it wasn't your fault when I got caught sneaking cookies out of the cookie jar for us both.” Twilight replied bitterly, and Shining flushed before he huffed and shook his head.
“Yeah, well, I never saw you leap to my defense for all the times I got in trouble for your magic.” Shining shot back.
The siblings glared at each other, and then Shining grunted and led the way forwards as the armored door opened fully. They passed through a heavy curtain, much like the one that had veiled the vault in Canterlot: the one that hadn't apparently done nearly enough to hide the energy signature of the core piece as they had originally thought it would.
“Shining! Twilight!” Princess Cadance looked up with a smile that became a little uneasy as Shining Armor stormed in, Twilight stomping along behind him. They broke to either side of Cadance, who gently touched her husband's shoulder as she smiled awkwardly at Twilight, but the purple mare's attention had already been caught by the core piece in the center of the room, which was housed in some kind of machine casing.
Twilight Sparkle frowned uneasily: the core piece pulsed in rhythm, only half-visible with the heavy metal frame squeezing around it, leaving only the sides visible. Cords and cables fed from the sides of this shell, some attaching to nodes around the base of the machine, others sprawled across the floor to feed like naked veins into other strange mechanisms.
“So you figured out how to use the core piece as a battery...” muttered Twilight, frowning as she approached one of the smaller machines. It had some kind of readout on it, showing all kinds of information in a language she didn't entirely understand... “Is this coded?”
“We think so. We're not sure. We've been able to repurpose the machinery, but we've been having trouble getting the display to be more understandable. So far we've only figured out the basics.” Princess Cadance answered, walking over to give Twilight a firm hug, and the mare winced a bit. “But that's okay. We're safe, Twilight.”
“I don't think you are.” Twilight muttered, carefully pushing Cadance back before she sighed and turned her eyes towards the readout: this wasn't Equestrian technology. None of this was. “Lord Black will know better than any of us how all of this technology works. He'll know its vulnerabilities. We don't have a choice.”
“We have a choice!” Shining Armor snapped, and Cadance frowned at his forcefulness. “Twilight, you're the last pony I ever expected would want to... to just lie down and die! There's no way I'm going to just surrender to that murderer!”
“All of this is his. The core piece, the technology, all of this is Lord Black's. Do you not understand what that means?” Twilight asked, turning towards them. “That means his floating fortress likely has the means to counter anything, anything, that we do with it! And if we force him to fight us, he's going to rain down a fire like you've never imagined, Shining! You're going to get ponies killed!”
“And these ponies were already slaves once! I'm not going to-”
“Shining, he's not here to conquer!” Twilight snapped, exasperated. “He's here to take his technology back!”
“Yeah, and if he does, he'll leave the Crystal Kingdom in darkness!” Shining snapped. “Or did you think that the Crystal Empire was running on generosity, Twilight? Because we're running out of power for the kingdom, and-”
“Okay, okay. Enough.” Cadance suddenly cut in sharply, stepping between the two and glaring between them. “What is wrong with you both? We're supposed to be family! We're all on the same side here.”
She softened, then turned towards Twilight and said quietly: “Look, I know it's dangerous. But that's why we've been tightened security so much. To make sure none of Lord Black's agents could come in here. With the combined power of the Crystal Heart and this core, though, there's no way he has enough power to break that forcefield, Twilight. The entire Equestrian army couldn't break that shield.”
“And you.” Cadance rounded on Shining. “Twilight's been through hell. Princess Celestia blamed her for what happened in Canterlot and she's had to shoulder that burden alone. She lost her friend, Spike, and she's been trying to face Lord Black all alone. Maybe you could act like her big brother instead of yelling at her because she's scared, huh?”
Shining looked away, ashamed and embarrassed, and Twilight shook her head before she said quietly: “Cadance, we met a single pony under Lord Black's command who probably has the strength of the entire Equestrian army. You don't understand.”
But Cadance only turned to her with a gentle smile, saying softly: “Twilight, I understand you're concerned, but have faith. We can defend ourselves. What would surrendering do, anyway? What would just letting him come in here and take this from us accomplish?”
“I don't want that.” Twilight replied with a shake of her head. “But if we offer our surrender, Lord Black will consider negotiating with us. We can't win through force. We have to talk to him.”
Cadance lowered her head in thought, then glanced u p as Shining Armor sighed tiredly before he offered: “What if we invite him for negotiations? I'm sure there must be some way to get in contact with him.”
“Celestia was able to. I'm sure she can tell us how.” Cadance smiled, then gently took Twilight's hooves, squeezing them as she said softly: “Don't you worry, Twilight. I'm sure we can work this all out. If you really want to try talking to him, we'll give you that chance.”
Twilight Sparkle tried to smile at Cadance as her brother awkwardly patted her shoulder, but as the machine hummed away behind her, all she could think about was the fact that even if everyone wanted the same thing, no one could understand that their paths were taking them away from peace, and headlong towards conflict.
She only hoped they understood where they were heading before it was too late.