//------------------------------//
// Chapter 37 - Plan In Place 
// Story: Twilight Daylight 
// by thedarktome 
//------------------------------//

The gold mines underneath the mountain range surrounding Cop had been entirely vacated when the Royals arrived on the scene and the screens, leaving their tools on the ground. The lights above reflected off the walls of gold among all the gray, the vehicles, hats, and the medals on the suit of a certain pony as he growled and barged his way angrily through the tunnels. His hooves trotted dirt and dust.  Blueblood harrumphed and growled, "You've got to be bucking kidding me." A foal. A bucking foal! That long-winged freak got his Twilight pregnant! About to be married!! This isn't natural.

Blueblood stopped in front of a seemingly wall of Gold then looked around. No Pserateps in sight. Feeling he was in the clear, Blueblood lit his horn and walked through the wall, coming out into a pocket lit up by a single overhead light that had a large map on the wall of Psera he had grabbed from a magazine. There was a crossbow in the corner and three arrows on the right. Created out of wood and the tips of those incredibly sharp steep pickets. Blueblood had to admit, he wasn't expecting the land underneath Cop, underneath Psera to be entirely gold. Right now he was barely skimming the true value of Psera. That explained Psera's extreme wealth.

He glared up at a picture of Twilight he cut out of a newspaper a few days ago. She was smiling. Innocent... Equestrian. He reached up with a hoof and whispered with narrowed eyes, "I'll free you from this, my love. You'll soon be mine. And I will be yours."

"Salquas tonight boys!" Somepony yelled behind the wall he walked. Blueblood quickly gathered the map, photo, and weapons before teleporting away in a light blue flash and crack. "Long Live Madun, Long Live Arcadia!"

"Long Live Madun, Long Live Arcadia!!!" More miners yelled before picking up their tools and going back to work.



After Twilight left to head back to Psera, Cadance took the Princesses back to the castle in Canterlot. So far everything is going well. Very promising. The Strong and Legendary Nation of Psera were successfully helping rebuild their country, and Equestria had the gems ready for transport. Ready for the trade. How Psera were going to grab them were obvious. They had ships, possibly like Equestria's that went by air since they had managed to stop Equestrians from entering their borders. There was absolutely no other way they could travel... Right? Celestia brushed those thoughts to the side and took a seat across from Cadance with Luna on their thrones. Apparently she had news. "Now what is it Cadance?" Luna asked. "It must be really big."

"It's huge," Cadance replied. "When they were serving breakfast on the first day of the trials, Twilight was approached by that yellow Pseratep in a lab coat. Remember her?"

Celestia nodded in familiarity. "Yes, Yellow Sage."

"She, Twilight, and Madun had a conversation revolving around... Gold."

"Gold," Luna repeated. "As in the metal?"

"Yes. The first thing she told Twilight was... Let me think... 'As you know, Psera is made entirely out of Gold. Yes we have grass, dirt, clay. But directly underneath is nothing but gold.'"

"What?!" Celestia blurted. "Wh... Wait... Huh?"

"I was confused at first too, but it makes a lot of sense. Everywhere you turn in Psera, somepony is wearing something that has gold. Even the foals. The three held a discussion there that centered around Blue Gold. Gold that grows on its own. I heard it. It all makes sense. The secrecy, the strict law that kept them from mingling with other nations—"

"The PDS, the high amount of Guards, strict guarding," Luna whispered. She turned to Celestia and said, "It does makes sense."

"It does," Celestia responded. "So other ponies stayed away from their gold. It is best we keep this a secret from the rest of Equestrian society and other societies. It could cause trouble for Psera. And definitely Equestria."



Security was stepped up, I can tell, Arcadia thought as she and Madun made their way back through the marble halls to the middle of the castle where the Royal Suite was located. She never had a chance to see Madun's garden. But according to Merry, it was really nice.

Arcadia turned to Madun as they moved in between thirty guards and asked, "So your garden?"

Madun smiled and sighed in nostalgia. "My gardens, plural, are filled with flowers, vegetables, a small stream of water, a few benches, decorations, walkways. It's a peaceful spot in the castle. The one in front of the suite is actually for foals. Didn't know that huh?"

Arcadia giggled and shook her head. "How come I've never seen this garden?"

He shrugged and nuzzled her cheek with an answer. "You're always working."

"I don't work that often. I just watch over Serl. Speaking of which, I need to speak with Bright Gold about getting the block of steel over to Equestria. She told me she has a few ideas that are apparently stress free."

Madun sighed and deadpanned, "Serl always has great ideas. A legendary one would be a basic stroller."

Twilight bumped him with her wing. "Oh stop. We can easily grab a stroller from a store. But I want our little filly to have somewhere nice to play."

Madun and Arcadia turned a right with the Elite Guard onto another guarded hall, making way for two double doors on the end. "It's going to be a colt," Madun corrected. "I can tell."

Arcadia shot him a look of amusement and asked, "How exactly can you tell? I'm nowhere near showing yet and the only sign I'm pregnant is morning sickness. I don't even have mood swings yet." Two Elite Guards strode forward from the lines and pushed the doors open while the others led them out into the very impressive garden. It was located in a small circle that was centered in the middle of busy glass walkways that the sunlight blared through, hitting the life within.

The garden consisted of two parts, divided by a stream of water that flowed underneath a stone arch bridge connected to each side. The side they were on mainly held flowers. Roses, daisies, petunias, lavenders, daffodils. The other held vegetables and other foods. Madun obviously enjoyed living simple while Lady Arcadia enjoyed both ways.

Lady Arcadia strode out first into the colorful field of flowers that her coat matched perfectly while the Guard stepped to the side. She gazed around in awe while Madun approached from behind, smiling with her. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"It's amazing," Arcadia replied. "Can I stride through the flowers?" After Madun nodded, Arcadia walked through the field of flowers, sniffing and admiring the many colors. The petals tickling her coat gave her a calm sensation as she looked at her reflection in the water. Madun stopped beside her and peeked in.

"This water actually flows from the water system in Cop," he explained. "It's filtered in here too. It flows underneath the castle and goes right back out into the city. Not even one percent of water in the castle comes through this one. It's entirely separated."

"It's beautiful, Madun," she whispered. Then turned to him and kissed his cheek before they shared a nuzzle.


***


After finally observing Madun's gardens after nine months, Arcadia and Madun made their way back into the Castle to see the ponies at Serl in the defense room. Along the way, they bumped into many other Pserateps who bowed and happily wished their congratulations. It looked like her message reached Psera's ears. And Madun just wouldn't let her forget.

They stopped in front of the entry for the defense room, seated with a few captains, Bright Gold, and a few more from Serl. Smirking, Madun turned to Arcadia and stated, "Told you there was nothing to worry about."

Arcadia rolled her eyes then shared a brief nuzzle with him before walking in with Madun, all business. "Good day, Pserateps," she greeted with a smile.

"Good day, your highness," Bold Shoulder, a few from the Congress, of course those from Serl, and Blazing Fire greeted. The two calmly walked around for the chairs at the end of table. Followed by the Elite that Guard walked in behind and took positions on the wall after they shut the door. They were in the room that held many display screens in front of every seat, lights built into the ceiling, and other things. This is the second time Arcadia's been in here. The first being after she made it known to everyone in Psera government she would take up their requested role as Queen.

Once they were seated, Bright Gold asked, "How are you feeling, your highness?"

"Absolutely nervous," Madun answered.

Arcadia giggled and reached out to stroke one of Madun's wings. Answering, "Even though it's barely been day one, Madun and I are both equally nervous for the events that are coming up. First the wedding, then the coronation, then labor. It's going to be a lot to do and take in at the same time. And we're a little stressed out about it all already. But enough about that, let's talk about your plan. What is it?"

Bright Gold nodded then tapped a few buttons on the screen in front of her. "If everypony will direct their attention towards the displays in front of you, you will see the vehicle we will use to transport the steel to the land of Equestria six hundred eighty-five kilometers away off the East coast of Psera, directly across from the ports of Merōl. S4 calls it... Carrier with the code named 'Front Lawn'. Because well... It can hold anything like a front lawn. Including the steel block we are saving for Equestria."

Twilight looked down from Bright Gold to the image of a strange vehicle in front of her on the screen. It appeared to be an extremely larger flotation device that had a large hull slanting forward, sitting on water. But the back was flat. A large block was at the area at the end on top of the deck. The deck held apparently four steel beams that progress upwards, then outwards to drop the steel block onto a different area outside of the Carrier. Like the outline of a cube that was attached to the top of the vehicle. It looked impressive, yet everything about Psera was, this wasn't really surprising. Serl always held the greatest ideas.

Looking up, Twilight asked, "So what is this called?"

Bold Shoulder responded, "It's called an Aquata, your highness. We used them in the past when our armies and military had to go to sea to prevent others from finding Psera, and had used them for trading with distant lands way before the treaty and law took place. After they did take place, they were retired and archived, and we used defensive ones more often."

"But this is a newer model," Bright Gold added. She did something with the controls that showed a live feed of it inside of a hangar of some sort at Serl. It was big, shiny, and... Still going through construction? Madun and Arcadia looked at each other then referred to Bright Gold. "The way the Carrier works is that we use an outside source to place the block of steel onto the top of the ship. Then transport the steel to the shores of Equestria and make the drop off. As I'm sure you know, your steel block is rather heavy."

"Understatement," King Madun stated.

Bright Gold nodded and added, "The steel weighs thousands of tons because it's a dense block of metal. So the way to move the steel inside of the ship is we're not going to lift it. We're going to push it. Serl uses a device that's similar to an assembly line. But instead of a small, narrow, and single rubber lap, we're using a large, very thick line of rubber that is traced onto the area underneath the steel, and directed towards the Carrier's side. Which has been fitted with the ability to push out, split, and slide to the side to allow it in. It also has a rubber track inside of it that will assist in pulling.

"The bottom of the Carrier actually holds an experimental metal we've been working on that works as artificial Hydrogen to keep it from sinking no matter how much weight is placed upon it. The Carrier is actually bigger than your steel block, believe it or not."

Arcadia hummed and responded, "Yes, I can see that." Her eyes were trained on the tiny Pserateps flying back and forth across the hull of the ship, visible only by the yellow safety jackets and helmets they were wearing. Sparks and a few things were flying out from different parts of it, raising up another question she and Madun both had. "Is the Carrier finished?"

Bright Gold nodded and answered, "Yes, ma'am. We're just adding a few extras. Since this trade is obviously a military issue, the carrier will be supplied with weaponry, barracks, posts, of course the main deck which is the high back, and if it is a Royal opportunity, a royal suite in a safe area of the ship. Big enough for all of you. Safety of course was the first thing put in mind so some of the other executives at Serl are putting procedures in place as well as precautions, emergency shut-off switches, and other things.

"Okay, just one more question," Madun said with a big one on his mind. "How... Is it powered?"

"Excellent question," Blazing Fire answered. "Water. The water it sits on powers the ship. Inside of the ship is a hydraulic chamber that works very similar to our own Hydroelectric Plants here in Psera. On the hull of the ship, you will see three large gaps on each side that dip into the water. That is the intake. The water flows to the back of the ship where it undergoes the process turning the turbines that move the generator inside the ship. There are a total of ten generators, giving it enough power to move on its own after a few tugs and pulls. There are also power cells that are being charged on the side so startup is not an issue.

"For first time usage, it has to be pulled out into water until the engines are up and running. After that, no worries. It has already been tested for usage and so far no problems. As you know your highness, Serl only offers the best."

Arcadia smiled and turned to Madun. "What do you think?"

He sighed and turned to Arcadia answering, "It may need to go through inspection first before we decide anything. Then have an immediate meeting with the Military of Psera, mainly the Elite Guard since they're trained for oversea activity. Then the Congress to get it up and going. Afterwards, we should contact Equestria and let them know we are ready to transport the steel. All we are waiting for is the go ahead. So first thing's first? Fix Equestria's air and finally close the agreement. Then we worry about how they're going to get the minerals over here. I have a feeling you have an idea?"

"We use the Carrier if it works," Arcadia answered. "And yes I have an idea to pull the minerals back to Psera. Problem is where are we going to setup shop in Equestria to drop the steel off. When we leave here, the ship will arrive on the shores of Las Pegasus if we continue straight to the east. Thing is, we have to have a site setup to push and pull the steel off of the ship. Possibly another system like we have at Serl, except in Equestria. And then once we are done with that, we clean up and then leave with the minerals back to Psera. It seems like eating a piece of cake. But there's a whole process we have to go through to get it done. I motion that our best course of action is to get the Front Lawn to hold the steel and Minerals."

"I second Lady Arcadia's motion," Madun conceded. "All in favor, say aye."

"Aye!"



Princess Celestia stood in front of the many Equestrians from the foot of the Canterlot Castle, reading off a pre-written page about the Pserateps' plan to push the winds away to the north. She looked up from her notes and boomed, "Equestria calls upon every Pegasi over the age of sixteen from Los Pegasus to Dodge City, all the way to Starlight's Village to fly high to the north, then return low to the south at a much slower speed so we can remove the agent in the air that is unknowingly destroying Equestria. We have partnered with a race of pony who have happily lent a hoof to restore it. All they require is participation."

"And a whole lot of Minerals," Cadance muttered from behind before someone tapped her shoulder. She looked over into Bright Gold's eyes, bearing a strange glint. It wasn't strange to see one of the Pserateps from S3 show up randomly. "Hello, Ms. Gold."

"Greetings, Princess Cadance," she responded. "I am proud to say that Psera has a plan in place for transportation that must be approved by Psera's Government before we ready it. It will more than likely be approved next week, so when it is a few things will happen that we will discuss."

"I will let Celestia know once we are done here," Cadance responded. "We believe a good place to observe would be the city of Los Pegasus when the Pegasi are flying for tomorrow. Do you know how long it would take for a complete recycle?"

Bright Gold looked out at the Canterlot Camp and hummed in thought. "Well this area alone, it would take two hours. But combining all the cities in front of the frozen north it would take ten at least. Extend it to twelve for assurance."

Cadance nodded happily. "Great. Now..." Cadance leaned in and whispered, "I need to tell you something that's important to Psera and these events upcoming. Do you remember Blueblood?"

Bright Gold snorted through her nose and replied, "The pompous prince who had the nerve to kiss Lady Arcadia's hoof in front of the king. He rings a disturbing bell in my head, yes."

"He is missing."

Bright Gold sighed and responded, "And why are you telling me this?"

"Because he has not been spotted at all in Equestria. And if you look around, there's not many places to hide. Everything is flat and torn down. Small. It's important to us that he is found. The reason why is because Blueblood disappeared after Lady Arcadia pretty much destroyed his chances of holding a girlfriend. Luna, Celestia, and myself all know that he is prone to excessive actions, and we could tell that Lady Arcadia possibly broke his heart. It is common knowledge that Arcadia was his number one crush ever since he met her. He is possibly sad, upset, or angry. Celestia and Luna believe he is embarrassed. But I think differently. Blueblood believes he is strong. Powerful. Forceful."

"Technically a crazy stallion," Bright Gold assumed.

Cadance thought about that. He fit the profile. "Yeah, pretty much. Either way, even though Arcadia is about to become Queen and holds respect here in Equestria and Psera, Blueblood unfortunately is mind-riddled with the mentality that the world is his playground and that he rules it all. He believes everything should be hoofed over to him when he demands it. And if not... He'll take it."

"What are you saying, Princess?" Bright Gold asked as Celestia began wrapping up.

"I believe Prince Blueblood is hiding and planning on Psera. He is angry that Arcadia refused his advancements for so long and is about to marry a king in a land better than Equestria. He is jealous. He is fed up. And he is angry. He may be planning to try and take Arcadia by force, no matter how dangerous and extremely stupid it would be to do so. Especially now that she is pregnant. Celestia and Luna do not believe he'd be that foolish. But I know my cousin. He will do anything. He is mad and insane. Just in case, let your guard and military know that Lady Arcadia or even King Madun may be in extreme danger."

Bright Gold responded quickly, "So Psera possibly has a major security breach. But how could he have gotten over there, he can't fly."

Cadance sighed and responded, "I'm not sure. Blueblood isn't too smart, but he's not stupid either, even if he makes stupid decisions. I am telling you now so Equestria can avoid a future conflict with your land. We have been searching for Blueblood but he has gone missing. Everything that he may do is his decision if he is in fact in Psera and Equestria has no part in it."

"Buck," Bright Gold responded. She turned around and quickly made her way towards Ponyville. "I must let Captain Metalhoof know immediately. Thank you for telling me Cadance." Bright Gold opened her long wings and took off towards Ponyville at the same time Celestia returned. She had to get back to Psera as soon as possible.



"YOU'RE PREGNANT?!!" Was the first thing Rarity yelled when Twilight and the other girls from Canterlot High bounded through the portal that Lady Arcadia made for them, standing in front of her suite with Madun. Rarity's head didn't even make it out fully yet when she asked. Everyone else had expressions of shock after they followed along. When Sunset told them the news, it warped their minds. How even old was Twilight?! And after bowing respectfully, motioned rapidly to Twilight for information.

Madun was apparently busy searching for something in the small garden outside of their suite behind her. Sniffing and shuffling through flowers, leaves, and dirt with a focused expression while the guard were poised nearby watching.

Lady Arcadia giggled and answered, "We found out this morning. All of Psera is aware as well as my family and friends back in Equestria, and they are all wishing the best. Madun and I were really ecstatic after finding out, right sweetheart?" She asked. Then turned her head around.

"Ridiculously so," he responded without taking his face out of the dirt. "You said you like Zinnias, right?"

Arcadia shrugged and answered, "I like to eat them and put them in my mane."

"Alright." He continued sniffing around searching for some, making Arcadia smile. Apparently he'd dig through dirt for her.

Turning back to her friends, she stated proudly, "So we've made a decision for the ponies that are adding their designs to your own. Everypony knows that you are supervising because I would like a small Equestrian touch to the wedding. That is where you come in. I will have somepony take you there as soon as they begin so you can add your touch. Just a small touch since this is an overall Psera wedding. I don't want too much Equestria here in Psera."

Fluttershy nodded and responded, "Great, Twilight. Now... What gender are you hoping for?"

"A filly," she responded.

Madun looked up with three flowers in his mouth and delivered his own answer. "A colt."

Arcadia turned back to her friends and shook her head. "It's going to be a filly. The first born Alicorn-Pseratep filly on Psera's soil."

"Colt," Madun playfully corrected. "With the tenacity of his mother and wisdom of his father." Madun stood up and made his way over to Arcadia presenting a bunch of Zinnias. "Found 'em."

Arcadia giggled. Then leaned in and plucked them from his mouth into hers. "Thank you, Firehead."

"You're welcome, Love." Madun leaned up and nuzzled the area behind Arcadia's ear while she placed the Zinnias in her mane. "Now all we need is a little colt running around."

"Filly."

The doors leading into the Royal Suite suddenly burst open when Sergeant Sword ran in with a bunch of Elite Guards, pulling a jump out of Arcadia. "Your majesties, we have a Nationwide Code Yellow! The Castle's been put on lockdown and all cities, facilities, and buildings are going through a sweep. We need to escort you safely to fallback." The Elite Guard and the Royal Guard all readied their weapons and surrounded the King and Lady In Waiting.

Arcadia gasped and asked, "What?! Wh-Why is there a Code Yellow? Girls you have to go!" Arcadia quickly conjured a large portal behind her friends. Then pushed them through. "I'll be in contact, Sunset!" Before she could respond, the portal closed and the Guard began to move towards the doorway with Madun and Arcadia in the middle. "What is going on?" Arcadia asked.

The Guards quickly led them through the doors into the office hall, packed with Elite Guards that were either patrolling or peeking into rooms. Sergeant Sword answered, "Princess Cadance of Equestria has informed Psera that the Prince who holds an extreme crush on you has not been spotted in Equestria, and is believed to be planning a major disruption in these wonderful events and posing a serious threat to you, your fiance, and your unborn child's safety. We believe he is hiding on Psera."