The kitchen in the Crystal Castle wasn't that busy save for servants wearing tuxedos applying ammunition of completely steel darts to the cartridges on their forehooves. They trailed up to their shoulders under all the clothing while they prepared other weapons issued from Lavender to their suits.
Those that weren't patrolling were all in the kitchen settled around the Captains who had a large map to the castle settled on a stainless steel table in the middle of the room.
Captain Blinding Silver pointed to the third floor and stated, "I want ten here since, according to Princess Cadance, this floor is not as popular and is going to be used as a residential hall. Arcadia's is the one on the very end, little bit away from Celestia and Luna's. Those not patrolling inside will be outside. The entire city. Leave no block untouched. Those in the sky, stay in contact."
"If you see something strange let us know immediately," Dark ordered. He quickly rolled up the map and pointed at them. "Remember. We're here to prevent the knowledge of our existence, not be the proof."
"Captain Dark." The Guards directed their sights to Shining Armor when he urgently approached the table. He was wearing a red and blue suit with only a golden sun as a medal on his right chest. "The Princesses and myself thought it'd be a good idea to let you know of a certain pony that may cause discomfort to my sister." He stopped at the table and reached into his suit to pull out a sheet he placed on the table of King Chancellor. The soldiers all gathered around to check it out.
Dark looked the photo over and immediately came to the conclusion that this pony was cocky.
"Another Alicorn," he assumed.
"Yes. He's from The Forgotten Lands, a land of Alicorns. But they don't automatically fall into Royalty just like that. The reason I'm telling you about him... Is the most foalish. He's always on the prowl, continuously looking for a spouse. And rumor has it, he fancies my sister."
Dark rolled his eyes with annoyance. Of all the... He threw his hooves out asked, "What is it with these foreign stallions and Queen Arcadia?"
Shining took the sheet back and answered, "Not sure. It makes me feel terrible I can't do anything about it at the moment. Just let your soldiers know to watch out for him. He's similar to... You know who."
The last pony Celestia, Luna, and Cadance ever wanted to speak with were urging them into a conversation. Maybe it was because he had attempted to ask them all out so many times it was annoying. It reminded them of Blueblood. Which was why he had to stay away from Twilight.
With a big grin, King Chancellor greeted, "Oh wow, Celestia. It's been awhile since we've last spoken. How are you?"
Celestia nearly broke her jaw trying to feign a smile. "I'm well. How are you?"
Cadance could tell Celestia wanted him to go, and her patience didn't apply to him. At least not anymore. He's reached a grave point in his life.
"I'm. Just. Peachy," the King answered. He scanned the room with a wonderful grin and stated, "It seems we are having the conference on your land this time. In the beautiful land that a beautiful Princess rules over."
The last time he tried that Shining was around and was literally growling at him. Fond memories popped into Cadance's head.
"Thank you, Chancellor," Cadance whispered. "I hope you are excited for tomorrow's agenda."
"Ah, yes I am. But first I would like to have a look over your entire country."
"That reminds me. Everyone?!" Those in the room stopped speaking and conversing to turn their attention to Princess Celestia. "If you could all gather around, we must let you in on a few important notices." Royalty, nobility, and assistants walked into the room. Including Princess Twilight with her guards and Gardeen by her side with a clipboard, glasses, and her badge. Celestia could just feel Chancellor's eyes trained on her as she passed to stand beside Cadance.
"Thank you so much for coming," Cadance greeted. "From The Dragon Lands—" She held out a Hoof to Dragon Lord Ember. "—to Zebrica." She held out another to a dark-coated Zebra on the right holding an ornate staff wearing a lot of jewelry that Twilight vaguely measured up. The same for the Pserateps with her. A Zebra. They were going to be tense. "As you all know, Equestria had recently surpassed a Metal Shortage. Different areas of our land has unstable buildings and is currently under reconstruction."
With a smile, Twilight added, "Those areas are Las Pegasus and Ponyville. Please stay away from these cities for your own safety."
"Ugh, how disappointing." Twilight turned to a mare with an alabaster coat and thin eyes. Ears straight up. Madam Singe of South Neighton. Oh boy. She lifted her hoof up to her chest and held her head high, face scorned with a disapproving frown. "I was really looking forward to visiting Las Pegasus."
Twilight shook her head and apologized. "I am very sorry, Madam Singe. But that town and city are off limits. You are very welcome to tour any other town or city."
"Hmph. Very well."
Celestia reported, "That is all we have to say. Thank you, everycreature." The hall continued back into their conversing almost immediately. And since Twilight was being left alone, she found this a great opportunity to turn around and attempt a conversation with Gardeen. She wanted to speak with her about her living quarters anyway. Well King Chancellor found this a grand opportunity for something else.
"Ah, and you are?" Twilight turned back around to face King Chancellor's eyes and strange smile. He was about as tall as Cadance, wearing a silver crown on his head that shimmered a little.
With a straight face she answered, "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. Creator and Founder of IHT. And you are?"
"I am King Chancellor of the Forgotten Land!" He answered rather proudly. Luna witnessed Twilight's left eye twitch. Urging her to partly cover face to hide an amused smile. "The land of Alicorns!"
Twilight slowly turned around and spoke quickly at the same time. "Nice to meet you, King Chancellor. I am sorry but I'm afraid this conversation must be cut short, I have tasks to complete. Cadance, could you—"
"Absolutely!" Cadance didn't let her finish. She was next to Twilight in a second and filed out the door with her, Gardeen, and her guards, urgently leaving Chancellor. She could tell Twilight was having some dark thoughts.
Once in the hallway, Cadance led her towards a silent stairwell that they climbed. "I take it Chancellor's not a good character," Gliding assumed.
Cadance shook her head and answered, "Understatement. He's very natural, I suppose. As I'm sure you could all tell, he's very similar to you-know-who. Well he's like a different type." They breached the top of the stairs and continued down the hall. "Just like the other, he continues asking, but stops eventually. And he believes in a natural order involving... Mares."
"I'm afraid to ask," Twilight whispered. "So just tell me."
"When it's that time of the year that all fillies and mares go through, he believes she should give herself over willingly."
"Please tell me he didn't make that a law, that is absolutely horrid," Twilight deadpanned.
"No, but it is a custom and expected among all female Alicorns. He's tried to make advances on any Alicorn he could find. He's tried it with Celestia, Luna, and myself. Now it's your turn."
"My team will make it a priority to observe his every step," Gliding Sword assured. She reached up and touched her earpiece. "Best Friends to Castle Floor. Keep an eye and ear trained on King Chancellor, a blue alicorn. Disrespectful motives in that one."
"Ten-four."
Gliding nodded and turned back to Cadance. "What else should we look out for involving him?"
"Creepiness." Cadance stopped their movements at a certain door at the very end of the hall. "He pops in when he's not wanted."
"Which means he watches ponies. Gross," Twilight groaned. "Nopony gets to watch me except ponies I actually like."
Cadance chuckled and pushed the door open. It was a bedroom with—of course—a bed, a bathroom, a closet, a large mattress, a large desk, and two bedside lamps on two dressers. There was also a mirror and window with an excellent view of the Empire. Twilight's things were already inside.
As she strode in, Cadance stated, "This is your room. Your window's been reinforced with a shield because we know your guards would have a fit if you didn't have something like that. And a desk for you to log and perform your research. This is actually the biggest room on this floor. Because for one..." Cadance looked down to Twilight's dress and her blush. "And second, because you saved Equestria. This is the least we can do."
"Thank you, Cadance." Twilight turned to her and delivered a deep but gentle hug before pulling away. "Now where's mom and dad? And Flurry? I wish to see them for a moment."
"I think they're in the kitchen eating. Follow me."
The Castle's kitchen was before the actual meeting room where IHT was discussing. It was small and fit for a small family. Like Twilight, their home was built to be compact but not tight. Small and not too big inside this castle. Unlike Psera's.
Twilight Velvet placed her cup on the white crystal table setup inside the kitchen that was previously filled with apple juice while Night Light was playing with Flurry directly across by the door. Every now and then he would shoot his hoof out and ruffle her mane. Flurry was now on tense hooves. She watched Grandpa's every move before he could do it again.
But her focus was disturbed when Twilight walked in with her guards. "Hey, mom and dad," she greeted. Then locked eyes and an excited grin on her second favorite foal. "Hey, Flurry!"
Flurry gasped and was about to cheer before Night Light got her mane again. She pouted then tossed a fork at him before shooting out of her chair excitedly, straight for Twilight.
"Aunt Twilight!" She locked onto her muzzle before Twilight could do anything else, nearly giving Gliding a conniption. What is it with foals and her face. After a few seconds, she pulled away and hovered in front of her. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for the meeting with other ponies," Twilight explained. "We're not really doing anything until tomorrow, so I came to see grandma and grandpa about a few things." Twilight turned to her parents and said, "I need you guys to come with me. You're vital to my research."
"Sure, dear." Twilight Velvet stood up and made her way to the door with Night Light. Flurry settled on Twilight's clothed back when she turned and led them towards the front of the castle. Gliding lifted her hoof and reported on their movements and destination, letting the guards all over the Empire know. Equestrian and Elite.
Celestia was impressed by the progress the Elite Guard had to secure Twilight's safety. They had setup a station inside the kitchen's office to observe "feeds of the event." Watching live of everything going on outside, inside, and everywhere else that Twilight had access too. Bathrooms weren't on the list. But the main meeting room definitely was. All the corners of the room were fitted with light pink crystals receiving everything. The room was set up like a hexadecagon, a sixteen-sided polygon. There was a wide ringed glossy wooden table in the center with labels for the royals attending at the places they would be sitting. As well as a press corner for each nations' main news outlets.
Celestia was eyeing it while twirling around a cup of water. Thinking about how this seven day conference would go. Of course tense hooves were involved. Along with a lot of words. As much as Equestria was the symbolic home of friendship, not many were friendly with each other here. Everypony was aligned together, but that didn't mean you could take them to your monthly book club. Everyone here had a favorite. And here comes Equestria's.
Celestia spotted Queen Novo approaching from the corner of her eye wearing a dark yellow dress with a gorgeous design of roses. She gave her a feeling she couldn't explain. One that made made her stop swirling her cup and actually smile. She turned to her with a smile and greeted professionally, "Queen Novo."
"Princess Celestia." The two gladly bowed to each other then stood up straight and placed a kiss on the other's cheek before attempting conversation. "I am glad to see a majority of Equestria was unharmed by the shortage you contacted us all for."
Celestia sighed and replied, "Yes, the great nation of Equestria perseveres once more. A lot of magic here." Celestia took another calm sip of her drink and glanced away in an effort to end this conversation. It didn't work.
"Yes. I attempted to supply relief efforts a few years ago." Celestia lowered her drink and urgently nodded. "It took awhile to get it approved by the board, but it did. However when we approached your land you seemed to be in the midst of... A Hurricane. We were forced to turn back."
The Pegasi Cycle, Celestia thought. She had to come up with an alibi. This would be the first instance somepony had asked them about the shortage. "Yes, it was a dust storm that damaged many buildings," Celestia lied. Great, now she feels bad. She had to let the others know about this so they knew what to say.
"Ah, well we couldn't get through. We are terribly sorry we couldn't supply any metal, but... You seem to have plenty all of a sudden for it to be... A shortage."
"We got lucky. Thanks to some of our scientists led by our own Princess Twilight, we were able to rebuild. As if nothing ever happened."
Queen Novo searched the room for the mare mentioned. She had a feeling of doubt about that. It was way too fast. Novo looked back to Princess Celestia and asked, "Where is she anyway? I thought I heard somepony around here talking about her earlier. I wish to speak with her for a moment."
Celestia inhaled deeply and calmly answered, "She left with Cadance, not sure where. She is around though."
The sun was blaring by this time, heating up the coats of Twilight and the large group with her. Calmly walking around the castle's radius of flowers towards the back where she knew a Royal Guard training field was located. Shining Armor used it to train the Guards stationed here. As they walked along the busy sidewalks, she told her parents what was going on and her theory about one of them being related to a possible Pseratep. And that it would explain Twilight and Flurry's ability to gain magic from Pserateps back home.
Twilight Velvet leaned in and asked, "Are you saying our roots date back to... Psera?"
Twilight nodded and eagerly answered, "Yes, it's truly exciting! But it's also an issue. If this test is true then that means a Pseratep somehow managed to get off of Psera and here to Equestria. I know Her Majesty Molten Ice said she visited Equestria before as an adventurer, as well as many other nations. But she stated that she did it alone. No other Pseratep was with her. If there was in fact a Pseratep that left Psera, we need to learn how and prevent another occurrence. All we need is a name. I know they may be related to us, but from what side of the family is the mystery."
Twilight led them all out into the back of the castle where a training grounds were set up for the Royal Guard here littered with many obstacles. Twilight needed a clear field.
Cadance must've read her mind because she pointed to the far left in Twilight's vision at a shooting range for crossbows. There were ten red and white bullseyes settled on the ground, supported by long wooden sticks behind them in dirt. Twilight smiled in approval. They would do perfectly.
"Excellent, thank you Cadance." She eagerly walked that way through the grass then stopped a few seconds later a few feet away from the bullseyes. "Okay. Dad? You're up first."
Night Light stepped away from his wife and trotted forward beside Twilight. He wore a confused expression on his face, similar to a foal's who had no idea what was going on. "So... What do I do?"
Twilight pointed to the Bullseye in front of him and answered, "I need you to gather all of your magic, every last bit, and fire it at this Bullseye. Try to shatter it."
"Is this safe? I don't think I have enough for that," he stated in worry.
"Just give it a shot. Just once. Pserateps have magic but don't use it like we do in Equestria. Add that to the fact that it constantly grows and builds over time and you have a powerhouse. Only way to tell is if you shoot it out."
Night Light sighed while Twilight stepped back. "Well, alright," he coalesced. And turned his head back her way and asked, "All of it?"
Twilight nodded and answered, "Yes. It'll make you tired afterwards. I'll help you with that."
Night Light shrugged and faced forward again. "Alright, here goes nothin'." He lit his horn and began to gather his magic. It grew brighter and brighter with Night Light obviously struggling a little before, with a loud grunt, he pushed it all out. A medium sized light blue beam soared with a whistle straight into the bullseye. Night Light immediately afterwards slumped to the ground, completely spent and taking deep breaths. He hasn't used magic like that in years! The last time he did was in college!
Twilight stepped over, bent low and touched her horn to his for a few seconds before pulling away. Night Light immediately jumped up straight with full energy, turned to her and yelled, "WOW! Did you see that?!" He pointed towards the average black scorch mark on the bullseye. The middle of it was partly cracked, but not shattered.
Twilight smiled and answered, "Yes, dad. I see."
Night Light literally jumped back up and danced in place a little. "Oh, pumpernickel!" Cadance glanced to Twilight and mouthed "Pumpernickel?" Twilight shrugged. She didn't know what that was either. Night Light continued dancing in place, adding, "I haven't felt like this in years! It's euphoria!"
"I'm beginning to regret this decision," Twilight whispered before turning and smiling to her giggling mother. "Okay, mom, you're next."
"Oh, Nightie, move aside." Twilight Velvet moved in and used her head to calmly push her husband away, interrupting his little mini-party and ignoring his protests. "Let me show you how a mare does it."
The Pserateps were stifling their giggling while Gliding updated the captains on their position and continued their defensive stand. Her eyes were on Queen Arcadia's back while she performed her research. She didn't like that Madam Singe character. Or that Alicorn. "Best Friends to Castle Floor, we're in the Castle's rear at a training course. Arcadia's performing tests."
The castle guards were out and about now from the kitchen, leaving only a few inside the office to watch the feeds and inform others when kitchen staff walked in. They were aware when they signed up for this that there would be secret security hosting operations inside the kitchen, so it came with no surprise that when they started cooking that a few of those ponies that assisted in helping Equestria so many years ago were in there. Securing "Queen Arcadia". They knew it was Twilight. Everyone knew the story by this point. Kind of hard to forget it.
So to help with their disguises, they showed them where to get everything and how to carry it. They learned quickly, and were definitely in a position to secure Arcadia in the midst of an emergency because, let's be honest, there will be one eventually.
A few were in a dining area in the west wing of the castle, positioned in the corners and waiting for something to happen while keeping a stern eye out on the ponies that were talking, laughing, and more. Catching up while they provided protection. Same for the guards of their countries. Whoa, were they outnumbered.
Captain Dark Silver casually lifted his hoof up to his ear and responded back from one of the many corners of the Trade Room. "Ten-four." He saw Princess Celestia wave his way from across the room, clearly calling for his attention. His hoovez abandoned his post for a second while the rest of the guards watched him and the rest of the room. He reached her in a few seconds and asked, "Yes, Princess?"
Celestia whispered, "Let Twilight know Queen Novo may be actively searching for her. And that the alibi for the restricted cities was an out of control dust storm."
Captain Dark Silver nodded and reached up to his ear, toggling the earpiece. "Castle Floor to Best Friends. Be advised, Queen Novo may be actively searching for the Queen. Alibi for restricted cities is that a bad dust storm damaged many structures."
Gliding Sword responded, "Understood. Queen Arcadia?" Twilight looked over her shoulder with a face full of soot after her mother showed up Night Light. A different Bullseye that she had fired at had been successfully shattered. Along with four more, and left a large and deep groove in the earth traveling away from them. Everyone there had a dirty face of some sort and Twilight's dress had gotten dusty somewhat. Even when she was shielded by three of the guards. Nothing a little shake couldn't fix. Poor Night Light. He was frozen in disbelief.
Gardeen was scribbling down notes after Arcadia asked her to when they were interrupted by Captain Gliding Sword.
"Yes, Captain?" Twilight asked. Then turned back and said, "It was mom, Gardeen."
Gardeen nodded and wrote that down while Gliding informed her. "Queen Novo may be actively searching for us at this moment."
Twilight huffed and nodded. She really hated abandoning her studies but this may be important. "Alright. Mom and Dad, relax and—"
"Oh my gosh, Princess Twilight!" Twilight yelped in surprise at the loud outburst while her guards looked around. They trained their eyes on a hyperactive Hippogriff that landed and slid through the dirt in front of them. With a grin that could definitely cause health issues, Princess Skystar greeted way too excitedly, "How are you Twilight, it's been forever! Oh my gosh, mom was so torn up when she heard Equestria was going through a shortage of some sort, then got really confused because you were all okay like two years later. She was all how did that happen? I mean seriously, like, oh my gosh—"
"Skystar, SKYSTAR!" Twilight yelled, successfully shutting her up for a second. Then took a deep breath and gestured to her with a hoof. "It's nice to see you too, but why are you here? It seems like you were looking for me."
Skystar hummed and raised a claw to her chin to remember what she was here for. "Umm..... Let's see, oh! Mom wanted to see you for a moment!"
"Oh, what for?" Twilight slowly inquired. She really didn't want to answer any questions about the shortage.
Skystar waved her claw around and answered, "Just to see if you were alright, I guess. She never tells me what any of her meetings are about." She leaned into Twilight's ear and whispered, "Between you and me, I think she has a thing going on somewhere."
Twilight chuckled and shrugged. "Alright, where is she?"
"In the library now, I think. She was in the hall for it before I left her." Skystar led Twilight and her entourage away from the destroyed field, something she asked about. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened here?"
"We were experimenting," Twilight answered. Then motioned with a hoof behind her for a guard. They walked in and leaned down to listen. She whispered, "Take my mother and father back to the kitchen please. Oh, and Flurry too."
Things have calmed down a little bit, according to a few Elite Guards on the Castle floor and Shining Armor. Many of the Royals and nobility had decided to go out and tour the country for the day, leaving a few guards around to watch over their things. They may be in the friendly and magical nation of Equestria, but trading goods were in those bags and they cost a lot of bits, or currency. Or so one of the Elite Guards heard while patrolling near Princess Twilight's room.
Cadance probably didn't realize it, but her room was directly next to King Chancellor's. Oh no. He sighed and walked past, accidentally picking up on two of the guards' conversation.
"So King Chancellor brought an artifact to trade," one said in a deep voice. "Said it was extremely valuable and thousands of years old. Like a book or something in a language no creature could read."
"That weird book I saw last week?" The other asked.
"The one that was sitting in that casing?"
"Yeah, that one."
"Yeah, he's trading it. Since it's useless and 'taking up time and room', he doesn't want the eggheads there in the system looking at it. They say it's really important but he just doesn't want them wasting their time on it since these random disasters keep happening."
"You mean the shortage?"
"Why do you keep repeating what you know I'm talking about?"
The Elite Guard hummed and continued down the stairs. A shortage? Of food? Oh boy, that's not as bad as their own when Chrysallis attacked, but it's still not good. He had to let the Queen know of this soon. And of an artifact she may be interested in.
The library was nice, fancy, and quiet. Just how Queen Novo prefers everything. Sometimes things do get a little loud, but of course those were welcome at times when it was too quiet. Other than that, the smell of the freshly cleaned red carpet, the walls of books, the desks where she can kick her hooves up and relax with a refreshing snack... All while enraptured in the pages of an old adventure, taking her down the railroad of life, full of hardships and destiny. Those were the moments she treasured. Especially while reading one of said books with a nice drink in claw, settling down on the most comfortable velvet couch she's ever felt.
"Wonderful, isn't it?"
Queen Novo yelped and let her drink go. It tipped over and nearly hit the carpet before it froze with the liquid pouring out and the cup suspended in midair. Novo stared for a few seconds before the cup floated back into Queen Novo's hoof along with the liquid that was added in shortly after. As if it never happened.
She blinked at it, then turned her attention to the door Princess Twilight strode through with Gardeen and two guards, heading for the couch across from Queen Novo.
Smiling, she suggested, "Be careful. Cadance will have somepony's treasured coat if that were to reach the carpet." She took a seat on the couch and sighed. "The pony would be Shining Armor."
Queen Novo smiled and silently chuckled. Of course, the studious mage that knew everything about Magic. "Hello, Princess Twilight. How are you?"
Twilight shifted around to get comfortable while Gardeen sat down next to the couch. Then answered, "I'm doing great. And you?"
Queen Novo took another sip and placed the cup quietly on the dining table in front of them, bearing only a single book. "Well... Things could be going better, but overall I am fine. I heard from Celestia that you managed to play a part in the country's restoration during the plague involving science. I always knew somepony would pull Equestria out of the dirt. I always expect you, really."
Twilight smiled and responded, "I am truly flattered."
Queen Novo leaned in and whispered, "Speaking of flattery, watch out for King Chancellor. He's a dog and won't stop sniffing. Celestia tells me horror stories. I think it's your turn now."
"Yes, I had a run in with him earlier after Celestia told everyone about the close-off of the cities. He seemed really... Nerve wrecking." Twilight's horn sparked a little bit that surprised Queen Novo and forced Gardeen back a little. Twilight glanced up back to Novo with an innocent grin while she tried to assess that. Just a little spark of magic.
"Well... Who is this?" Novo motioned to Gardeen who immediately stood up and bowed.
"My name is Gardeen, your highness," she introduced. "I am Princess Twilight's assistant."
Novo turned to Twilight while Gardeen straightened back up. "Wait, what about the dragon? The little—Spike! What happened to him?"
"He's with Rarity and doing his own thing now," Twilight answered. "I can't have him be my assistant my and his entire life. He was really excited. Gardeen's taking over. Now, I have a feeling you wanted to see me for something."
Queen Novo ripped her eyes off of Gardeen's nervous form and locked back onto Twilight. "Yes, I did. You see, ever since Equestria has been through a plague, I noticed a few things off."
Twilight's heartbeat sped up a little. She didn't hear about her altercation with Equestria did she? "Oh?" Twilight asked. "Like what?"
"Well it doesn't have to do with Equestria, but with Mount Aris and Seaquestria." Gardeen and a few other Pserateps listening in took a quiet deep, calming breath. "Although less than severe at the moment, my civilizations have been on the receiving end of our own plagues."
"Plague?" Twilight and Gardeen shared a look before focusing back on Novo. "What kind?"
"Grass for Mount Aris, and shells and sponges for Seaquestria. As you know, grass is vital to Mount Aris, and sponges are extremely vital to Seaquestria. We use them to rid of toxins and we don't even have to touch them. They work as filters for anything that may happen at sea. The Sponges form a protective wall for all of Seaquestria, all around the entire underwater land."
Twilight lit her horn and created a diorama of the world under the sea, serious eyes locked on the red ring. Queen Novo pointed to a random space and said, "They keep out intruders, enemies, disease, basically our underwater atmosphere of life. Our protection. But recently—" Queen Novo pushed her hoof into a random point to poke a standard hole in it. "They've been dying out. Sponges here, sponges there."
She poked a few more in. "Sponges everywhere are dying out, all in different size. And my ponies are not sure how this is happening, it hasn't before in all our years. Each day, a large section, a small section. It is causing a little chaos on Mount Aris during my courts. The plague is very slow right now, nothing too big to worry about."
"This is something to worry about," Twilight corrected. "These giant walls of sponges are leaving gaps for enemies, catastrophes. Anything disastrous. Right now you're worried about what would happen when your wall finally fails and disaster strikes. You want to act before then. There could be a disease in there right now. I suggest you make adjustments before it does. I wasn't informed of a metal shortage until we had to start rationing out, and I'd rather you not make the same mistake we did by having your people suffer through a cold winter with tensions between tribes. A shift in friendship. I couldn't fix them all."
Queen Novo finished off her glass. Then set the cup back down softly on the table. "I didn't realize it was that bad," she whispered.
Twilight sighed then stood up with Gardeen, a serious gaze to the floor. The guards with her stood up and prepared to leave.
"Neither did I," she whispered unheard. Twilight looked back up and recommended, "If you can't do anything else, have a plan in place for new land. At least. That is all I can say. Until we meet again, Queen Novo." Twilight turned and walked out of the room with Gardeen and those guards. Leaving Novo alone to lean back in her seat to her thoughts.
~✶~
The lights in the Castle of the Gods and the Castle of the Crystal Empire far over seas were dimly lit that night. Lit only by the flashlights of the guards doing patrol in the halls and outside. The feeds in the kitchen were still active, carefully observed for any movement. Especially around Queen Arcadia's room. Earlier she had accidentally bumped into the Chancellor again. She was not happy when he asked if she would accompany him to a dinner.
Gardeen could see it in her eyes, the violet flames that were very much real in the kitchen when the stove all of a sudden burst into just that. Purple flames. Add that to the fact that it was off and they all paid close attention to Arcadia ever since. Cadance was a little amused by her reaction, but ended up a little concerned that Arcadia was still fuming inside her room. So Flurry Heart was enrolled into cute little niece duty to go and cheer up her aunt.
It worked wonders. But nothing was better than talking to her husband by using the same spell she created years ago to reach Equestria from Psera the day the steel was dropped off. He stood in the kitchen making dinner for Fresh Dawn when he spotted a hint of purple in the corner of his eye.
Smiling, he calmly set down the plate and turned his loving gaze to his wife. "Hey, sweetheart," he whispered.
Arcadia's smile grew bigger when she decided to walk closer to him. Sadly, her hoof deformed into mist when she reached out to him. But he let her know that it was okay with that dashing smile he always shot her way.
"Hey, Firehead," she whispered back. "How is she?"
Madun motioned with his head behind her and prompted Arcadia to turn around. Fresh Dawn was curled up in front of the fire, reading a book. So entranced, she didn't even realize her mother was in the kitchen. Twilight grinned and whipped her head back around.
Madun whispered, "She's been reading all afternoon. Ever since she got out of school."
"How cute. Make sure she goes and plays with other foals though, alright? I'd rather she meet a colt or something as a friend, of course. Oh, wipe that look off your face, she's far too young for that." Madun's deadpan glare broke when he sighed and turned his stare to the floor in shame. He knew he was being ridiculous. But Arcadia thought otherwise.
"Hey, it's okay," she whispered. "I understand your protectiveness for your girls."
Madun lifted his face up and whispered, "I just don't want a repeat of the wedding. I know she's too young, but... Our honeymoon was spent in the hospital, with me waiting for you to wake and get better, hoping our foal would be okay. It already happened to my wife. I don't want it happening to my daughter."
"And it won't," Arcadia stated in full volume. She quickly turned around towards her daughter. Not even an ear flick. "Are you sure she's not asleep?" Arcadia asked. Not waiting for an answer, Arcadia's form walked over to her seemingly reading daughter and whispered, "Veola?... She's sleeping, Madun."
"Well, she was definitely reading five minutes ago."
Arcadia smiled and walked back over to Madun. "I'll be back tomorrow morning to wish her luck at school. I love you both."
"We love you too, sweetheart." They blew kisses to each other before Arcadia's form vanished from sight, and her eyes slowly cracked back open inside her bedroom. She stared ahead at the mirror on the dresser reflecting her current state. Lying in an ironic Queen-Sized bed underneath white covers with her full wing length unraveled.
She was holding her daughter's doll tightly in both hooves. The light of the bedside lamp were unused. Instead, Queen Arcadia settled for the candles she found in the bathroom, lit by a lick of purple flame. She had a busy day tomorrow at ten.
She adjusted her body towards the open window into a comfortable position. Then blew out the candle and relished in the glow Luna's moon cast upon her as her eyes closed, dozing off to sleep. Dreaming of her child over five hundred miles away from her current position.