//------------------------------// // Ch 4: The Best Spy (Revised) // Story: Enchanted // by The Whiskey Spirit //------------------------------// The pair of Princesses reconvened in Luna’s study. It was modest in size, with a dark blue carpet replacing the normal white tiles. The walls and ceiling were painted to depict the night sky. It was done by Luna herself a short time after her return. Various shelves lined the walls, covered with ancient artifacts and pieces of monster biology. A dark desk sat in the center of the room with two chairs before it. The sisters stood over the desk, staring at a map of Equestria, and some reports. “Alright, sister. What has happened?” Celestia asked the dark alicorn, who was scowling at the map. “The guards were able to apprehend the scientist, Test Tube, as well as a number of his unfinished experiments.” Luna’s frown did not lighten. “That’s good, but I assume something went wrong?” “Yes. During the raid, he unleashed his completed project. A mare that had been turned into a living weapon and was supposed to obey him. Luckily, that part of the experiment seems to have failed, as once she was released she fled.” Celestia joined her sister in a scowl. “That’s not good. Do we have any information on her? Any idea of where she might go?” Luna sighed and lined up a number of documents before her sister. On them were various animals and a list of properties. “Her name was Inkheart, a reclusive writer that no one had known disappeared. According to the experiment notes, she took to the genetic magic perfectly, and had been changed far beyond Test Tube’s initial desires.” She tapped a hoof on the documents. “This is a list of the creatures that had been used, as well as the resulting traits they gave her.” Celestia nodded and read over them. Luna had already read them numerous times and could recite them by heart. Though that heart was heavy with rage at what had been done to one of her subjects. A dragon had been used to make her aggressive and desire a fight. A dangerous addition on it’s own, but Inkheart’s teeth became deadly sharp, and were strong enough to break diamonds. She became venomous with the addition of a snake, allowing her to pump a target with a paralyzing neurotoxin. The worst part was that she had full control over it, so when she was finally captured, it couldn’t be extracted. A wolf had been used to attempt to give her a pack mentality, with Test Tube as the alpha, but that had evidently failed. It did, however, replace her hooves with paws. A result that had the scientist use various animals to strengthen the claws of his experiment. By the time he was done, she was capable of clawing through steel. There was more, but Test Tube had started burning all his notes during the raid, and this was all she could recover. “This…” Celestia sighed and rubbed her temples, “this is troubling.” She stacked the papers up and placed them in the far corner of the desk before turning to Luna. “Do you have a plan? Any idea of where she might be headed?” “Based on the information, our guards wouldn’t be able to do anything about her. They’d be slaughtered. I think the best course of action is to have them trail her, and once they’ve confirmed where she has settled, from there... I will think of something.” Celestia bit her lip and looked at her sister. Celestia frowned and shook her head. “What about Aurick? Perhaps he could be of use in this?” “He is an unnecessary risk I will not inflict upon this task, sister.” Luna replied, her gaze hard as she met Celestia’s gaze. A point which she seemed to concede with a sigh. “I understand, your caution, Luna. However, I believe if this mare is truly as dangerous as these notes imply, then our guards will need all the help they can get.” Luna opened her mouth to reply, but Celestia continued on. “He need not play a direct part in this, but his abilities as an enchanter could prove useful for elevating our guard’s defensive capabilities. Your own ‘spy’ being a perfect example.” Luna fought to keep the smirk off her face, but failed in the end. “I should have known you’d notice Light Step in the hall.” “I didn’t, but I know you well enough, sister.” Celestia replied with a teasing jab to her shoulder. “Perhaps. Still, I shall think on what you have proposed. Should he prove himself capable, it would certainly be a useful boon to our ponies.” “It certainly would.” ~-~ Aurick walked alongside Twilight. It was now that he truly noticed the disparity in their heights. Celestia stood almost as tall as him if you discounted the horn, but Twilight’s own head barely reached his stomach. He certainly wasn’t a stranger to people of such heights, but to think that this would become the norm… He certainly hoped whatever home he got would be a decent size for someone of his stature. “So, is there anything else you want to read about while we’re at the archives?” Twilight asked, breaking the silence. “There should be plenty of books to cover anything you would want.” “Perhaps it would behoove me to begin familiarizing myself with this world. It’s not as though I can leave.” He spoke the final sentence with a bit of irritation in his voice. Aware of the slip, he sighed and waved his hand in a pacifying manner when he saw Twilight start looking awkward. “Sorry. I believe I would like to better understand the various races here. I’d rather not run into any social faux pas because of my ignorance.” “Oh, that’ll be easy!” Twilight happily exclaimed, earning a nod out of the elf beside her. A new smile upon her face, Twilight went silent, alongside Aurick. It was perfectly quiet in the hallway, discounting the sound of their steps. It was here that he heard it. An extra set of steps behind him. He resisted the urge to snort in amusement. He had a feeling they would place an eye on him, but he had assumed it would not be one he could detect so easily. Then again, they might not have been aware of just how keen an elf’s hearing could be. Either way, now he knew for a fact that he was being followed. A fact that he would have to deal with in one manner or another. However, he would not take action for now. It would only become a problem when he retired to whatever room the princesses have deigned to give him. For now, he would focus on learning what he could. He didn’t care if his shadow read over his shoulder, so long as he was not disturbed in his studies. ~-~ The sun had long since set beyond the horizon when Twilight brought him to the room he would be staying in for the time being. If he were to be honest, it looked rather nice, though it certainly wasn’t the type of place he would normally hole up in. His preferred domain was more akin to the stronghold he lived in at home. A large, stone structure that was well defensible. Perhaps that was a result of his years as an adventurer, but he felt much more at home in such a place. Allowing a sigh to slip through his nostrils, he stepped further into the room provided to him. Without hesitation, he sat upon the bed, feeling the soft mattress depress under his weight. “I’d prefer to be alone tonight.” He called out to the seemingly empty room. Of course, he received no reply. With a slight frown, he cast a short spell. One that would allow him to see through invisibility. The moment he cast it, he caught sight of a pony in his periphery. She was dressed in purple armour and was grey in colouration. A short cropped mane of blue rested on her head, between a pair of fluffy looking ears. A pair of fangs hung from her mouth. That, alongside the slitted eyes and the bat wings, marked her as a thestral. “That means you.” He reaffirmed his previous statement, staring down the hidden pony. She looked shocked, her eyes widening as she took an instinctive step back. “H-how did you know?” She asked in a raspy voice, her invisibility fading now that it was useless to her. “I am no fool. Of course they would place a spy on me.” Aurick replied with a slight frown. “That doesn’t explain how you could see me!” Aurick simply rolled his eyes and wiggled his fingers at her before uttering a single word. “Magic.” “Er…” “Look, you may stalk me all you please. I don’t particularly care. However, when I enter my chambers, I would appreciate you respecting my privacy.” Aurick informed her in a strict voice, hoping to get across the idea that he would not back down from this point. “...but, my orders are to-” “I frankly don’t give a damn about your orders!” Aurick growled at her, before he realized what he had done. He took a deep, calming breath before addressing her again. “Look. I have had a long day. Your position has been compromised and your mission is pointless. A target that knows he is being spied upon will garner you no useful information. Now, please leave me be.” “Uh… o-okay.” The thestral awkwardly sidestepped his gaze as she tried to make her way to the door. His gaze was unrelenting, glaring at her until the moment the door shut behind her and he was alone. The moment he was, any semblance of calm was stripped away as a tear fell down his face. “Why did this have to happen?” He silently asked himself as he placed his head into his hands, sobs wracking his body as he sat there. Alone.