When Gardeen said it was going to be a ride, she failed to mention it meant, at most, four hours. Rainbow could barely take one. Sunset decided to knock her out of her misery by putting her to sleep without her noticing. Something Rarity scolded her on, but appreciated her for. She herself was getting tired of Rainbow's desperate wing flutters.
The rest watched the land pass by in peace, speeding along desolate roads with a destination for the mountain range up ahead. Cadance had Flurry sitting beside her snoring softly. Hopefully dreaming pleasant dreams in this oh-so boring atmosphere. Celestia was watching the landscape past by and the nearing mountain range while Gardeen was doing some paperwork of some sort. She was digging through different drawers and a few more things written in what Celestia believed to be Old Pseratopian. They just looked like a bunch of shapes with dots, lines, and even a curve.
She was reading a book of some sort when a shrill ringing startled all of them. Flurry jumped up and yelled, "I'm awake and want some cake! Want some... Want some..."
Gardeen smirked at her tired face before she picked up the arm rest beside her and held it to her ear. It had a cord attached to it of some sort that led into the vehicle. Shining was wondering what the buck it does. "Gardeen in RP One, go ahead." She made eye contact with Celestia and held it while she listened to the report. After a few seconds, she nodded her head and responded, "So thursday... Alright, hopefully we'll have everything set up by then. I'll also have an escort Chariot coming their way. When'd you learn about this?" She looked out the window when the sun was blocked out. "Okay. Does her majesty know?" After a bit of yelling, she rolled her eyes and corrected, "Does your mother know?... Okay, I'll tell them. Ten-four." She hung the crazy phone arm rest thing up and faced the visitors. "Word just came in, Arcadia is being let out in four days. Then everyone can fly again once she takes off."
Cadance inquired, "So it's a rule?"
Gardeen made a high pitched whining sound while she thought of an answer. Then replied, "It's more like traditional respect. If one of the higher ups is hurt and in a life threatening situation, then no one flies because they can't. And may never be able to. You stay on the ground to share even a little of their pain. It's customary."
Cadance asked, "When was this rule created?"
"After Narmeelah's disappearance." Gardeen shut the book she was looking into and set it to the side.
Shining shook his head and asked, "I'm sorry, I'm just really curious. But how old do Pserateps average out in age?"
Gardeen grinned with the knowledge that they were going to enjoy this and asked, "Are you ready for it?"
"Hit me."
"There is no estimated exact age, but we know over an average of five hundred thousand years. Why do you think there are so many Pserateps walking around? The oldest known record of a normal Pseratep was over a million."
He wasn't ready for it. Shining threw up his hooves and went right back to looking out the window. These ponies were unbelievable. Flurry pointed a hoof at Shining and cooed, "Ooooh, daddy's jealous!"
Gardeen giggled and stated, "Your daughter's cute."
Shining Armor ran a hoof through Flurry's mane and replied, "Yep, she's our little filly. There's going to be another one coming soon for her to play with I suspect." Flurry used her own hooves to push aside her father's annoying hoof. Messing up her mane. Then reached up to fix it how she likes it.
Gardeen sighed and nodded. "Yep. This is going to be a fast two months. Before anything else that has happened recently is brought back to light, we're going to get the wedding, labor, and crowning out of the way. Then we can deal with the trial. I can only imagine what is going to happen when Lady Arcadia sees him."
"Is there no law to protect the accused?" Luna asked.
Gardeen immediately nodded, "Oh yes, there is. But that won't stop a mother's scorn. King Madun was really upset when he heard first-hoof what happened to the foal. I can only imagine what he's going to do. Let alone the mother."
From her bed, Twilight followed her fiance's pacing with her ears while she worked on some paperwork from the castle. Madun urged her to take it easy and to not stress herself earlier. She assured the most she was going to do was read and sign some updates for SERL.
While she was trying to focus on that, Madun was pacing the room, thinking of what, Twilight suspected, to do to Blueblood when he sees him.
He was muttering, thinking she couldn't hear him. "First I'm going to wring his neck. Second, I'm ordering him in chains. Then flying high above and dropping him down below in said chains."
Twilight rolled her eyes and scolded, "Madun, don't abuse your power."
Madun sighed and made his way back to her side to calm his nerves. "I just don't want you hurt again," he whispered. Then kissed her cheek and added, "I made a promise to protect you and he got you on the day we let our guard down. I almost lost you, Twilight. Well I'm going to get him when he can't do anything."
Twilight shook her head and replied, "No, sweetheart. Just because he hurt me doesn't mean we have to stoop to his level. We need to set an example. Don't think with your heart right now." Madun sighed and rolled his eyes. He really wanted to knock that guy around while in chains and a muzzle on. But his wife was right. They were the King and Lady in Waiting, future Queen of Psera. They needed to act like it.
"Now..." He looked back up to Twilight and startled. Taken back by what he saw. Twilight was smiling, but had that gleam in her eyes that spelled trouble. "That may change when I see him."
Madun sighed and scolded, "What just happened to setting an example?"
"He may have hurt me and I would happily see justice. But he hurt my foal. There's a difference. So if I do see him, he's going to finally know what the term 'No' means." The power in the facility blanked out for a second with a descending hum, ripping Twilight out of her state of anger. Oh jeez, she was doing it again. She eeped and focused again. This is the second time. The power in the building came back on, giving it life with a hum. She made a mental note to herself to keep her anger in check at the hospital. It could hurt somepony who's already hurt.
Madun shook his head before a pillow collided with it. "Ack! Twilight, sweetheart!"
Twilight hummed and relaxed. Rubbing her stomach underneath the covers with a hint of longing and worry. She admitted to herself, she was really worried when she was hit with Blueblood's arrow. The foal she always wanted was on the way soon. A bunch of jittery nerves crept into her mind when she thought about this. What would happen next? She had no idea how to raise a foal. Mom and Cadance did offer to help her when labor was around the corner. She had so many questions she could make a list.
She needed to make a list. "I need to make a list of questions for Cadance and mom. And you need to start asking about parental advice too."
Madun's face made Twilight giggle. It was like a deadpan expression mixed with disbelief. She didn't think he'd like that idea. Even if they did come up with it a few months in advance. He asked, "Parenting advice? Pfffttt, I'm great at parenting."
Twilight shook her head and responded, "From what I hear, you need to read a book a little."
"I read everyday."
"That aren't about laws, reports, taxes, bills, decisions, or anything else in politics. It's time you read about family. You're already good with adult ponies. But how about children? Foals?"
Madun sighed and rolled his eyes. She had a point. She always had a point. "Fine, I'll... Read a book on it."
Twilight waved a hoof at him and suggested, "Or, if it makes you feel better, you can ask my brother for advice. He's been a great father to Flurry Heart and would definitely know what to do. He could give you some advice. I'm sure he'd be happy to help. And your mother, of course."
Bumpy roads, trees, dense rocks? They were nearing the mountain range. Sunset Shimmer wasn't sure if she could take anymore. Tree after tree after tree. Then rocks. Another back of a large town. Then finally darkness that shrouded the vehicle's interior in a shadow. It must've caught Rarity's attention. She cracked her eyes open and yawned as elegantly as possible while leaning on Fluttershy's shoulder. Then glanced around the dimly lit pod. After a few seconds, her facial expression turned to that of calm to intrigue. She placed her hooves on the window and peeked out to the darkness.
"Uhh... What happened?" She asked.
Starlight opened her own eyes from her spot and looked around. Carefully, Sunset answered, "I think we finally made it to Cop. We're in the mountains right now. Their mountain ring."
Starlight sighed and stretched. "Finally! I can only stay cramped in a tiny box for so long with more ponies. Twilight rides in these things? Although, I have to admit these cushions are really soft."
Pinkie poked in with a cup of cherries and nodded, "Yeah! And look what I found!" She grabbed one and tossed it in her mouth. "Mmm, tasty!"
Cherries?! Starlight gasped and ripped it out of her hooves. Then silently scolded, "Pinkie!! Where did you get these?!" Pinkie pointed a hoof towards the corner at a golden bowl filled with fruit, and a wine bottle next to it. "Pinkie, these aren't for us, they're for the Royal Family of Psera!!"
"...oh." Pinkie took the cup and poured the cherries back in. Something that should never be done.
Starlight facehoofed and groaned, "If they ask, we literally had no idea."
The others except Rainbow Dash nodded before the lights came back on, blinding them and flooding their sights. Rarity lowered her hoof from her eyes and gazed out the window, gasping at her find. They must've been in a nicer area of Cop. Of course she's never been anywhere else here on her own before and probably never will, but THIS area was nice. A lot of mansions, glass, palm trees, and the giant castle in the distance, highlighting it all.
"We're here," she sang in a whisper.
The Royals of Equestria shared the same views. Looking out the windows at the lifestyle. Celestia's seen many capitals in her life. But this one rules them all out. Everything was beautiful, organized, less chaotic...
She asked, "Twilight helped rebuild this, didn't she?"
Gardeen shrugged and answered, "Not sure. I started working for her after everything was already built and ready. But I do know she had her own tastes added to the library here downtown. She had to have some control just to get that." She picked up the armrest thing that had Celestia confused and pressed on a few buttons on the inside. Then put it up to her ear.
She watched a few palm trees go by before speaking. "Hi, it's Secretary Gardeen. We're nearing the Castle now, I suspect. We're requesting access to the back entrance. I have Her Majesty's package with me." She listened for a few moments and nodded. "Let me ask." She lowered the phone and asked, "You guys didn't bring any sharp and pointy objects, did you?"
They exchanged looks before shaking their heads. Gardeen raised the phone and replied, "They said no. The guards at the Main Hospital didn't find any either."
While Gardeen held her conversation, Flurry walked across her mother's lap and over to the window. This place was so cool! And the castle bigger than their own back home!
"Wow! Aunt Twilight has a big castle!" She stated excitedly.
Cadance was happy Flurry was back to her usual self. It truly devastated her when Twilight was hurt. She probably forgot about the ordeal. That would explain why she wasn't talking about it. The huge castle cast a shadow over their pod when they arrived on the campus. Shining was wondering how could they navigate through those halls. This place was ginormous!
Their vehicle turned right when Gardeen hung up the communication device. Moving at a faster speed towards some other location across concrete and through more big trees that were as big as a few in the Everfree. Then turned left. Celestia had a feeling they were going into another entrance. Everything was supposed to be kept secret anyway so it wouldn't make any type of sense if they took the front doors.
They were once again thrust into darkness when they rode into a tunnel of some sort that led into the back of the building which was later verified as a "Garage." Or so Gardeen translated from their language from the window. On the brick walls before they moved inside of it, there was gray writing on the bricks in weird shapes. When they moved past that, they were greeted with the luxury of the Fire Family. There were many Pods, some big, some small. There was even what looked to be a military-grade one too. It had a matte steel design and an off white color. No to mention very thick and long. Luna presumed it must've been for protection. Of course.
But the real bit-winner was the one underneath a shed currently being cleaned. An all gold pod with a lot of flash and color. The crest of Psera was on the top of the hood and the sides of the doors. There was no ceiling and it looked very sleek and long.
When they jumped out of their pods and stretched, Sunset gaped and asked, "Is that a limousine?!" This place was too unbelievable.
Gardeen followed her hoof and then back to Sunset with a confused expression. "Er, I have no idea what you mean by 'limousine,' it's just a really fancy pod. Royalty uses it for parades, meeting with other nations, basically for public appearances. It's going to be used in the parade when Arcadia is crowned, then again on her wedding. It was supposed to be used at Eventa, but they never got the chance. Now if you'll follow me I'll take you to her Majesty." Sunset continued gaping at the Limousine for a few more seconds before Starlight grabbed her in her magic and pulled her along. She didn't need to make a show.
~✶~
The halls inside of the castle were quiet and extensive. Even the ponies walking around with their faces buried in documents not paying attention weren't making noise. That was one thing they noticed. Everyone was walking without smiles. It made Pinkie's mane go all droopy. Celestia silently hummed to herself. They may have been in the back of the castle but things definitely weren't looking better. There had to be a single source. Lady Arcadia.
They peeked into a few offices they passed by. Some had those display screens they had yet to learn about and of course the Guard standing around certainly had their hooves full with those eyes trained on them.
Cadance wanted to ask about it, but she also didn't want to disturb whatever it is the heck they had going on. Their hoofsteps soon after five minutes brought them straight to a pair of red stairs. Rarity hummed and nodded in appreciation. A red carpet. Basic, yet fitting for a castle of this size. Now if only they weren't so high...
Their ascent dropped them off in front of another long hallway. But unlike the ones down below, this one brought them straight up to another hall that was... Weird.
Gardeen dismissed the guards accompanying them with a wave of her hoof. They quickly saluted them and walked away, trotting right down the stairs. "Sorry about the silence," she apologized. "Ever since Arcadia was hurt, the castle's been far less lively than it was centuries ago. We're on Her Majesty's floor."
"Floor?" Luna repeated. She lifted her head from Gardeen and looked around. They were on the Royal Queen's ancient hallway. There was a wall of glass on one side that showed they were way above Cop right now; the second to last floor.
Rainbow Dash trotted over and peered out of it, smiling in glee at the clouds above and the city below it. Those were a lot of buildings. She was having a hard time believing Twilight, the egghead did all of this. There was absolutely no way. There was just too much.
Without taking her eyes off, she whispered, "This is really cool."
Gardeen nodded and responded, "Glad you like it. Follow me. She's been awaiting your arrival and her patience can only last but so long." Gardeen quickly moved towards the golden doors at the end with them, destination in sight. Rarity's eyes were sparkling in envy. Yes, Equestria has gold. But they're mainly used in currency and a few other things. Cop alone was swimming in it.
Even now from a large distance away, she could see one of the skyscrapers nearby with a golden logo. As well as a golden design of a large vine crawling up the edges and reaching the top. It was truly a sight to behold. And that skyscraper wasn't the only one. There were a lot more buildings down there with gold. Equestria didn't use Gold like this.
Rarity shifted her sights away from the building towards the Golden doors they stopped in front of. They were daunting, shining from the sunlight breaking through the windows behind them as if they were a consequential barrier. The magnitude of the situation dawned heavily on their shoulders. They needed to relieve themselves of this debt they found themselves in. But whether they are allowed to in this way depends heavily on the mare behind these doors.
Gardeen approached them and took a breath. Then lifted her hoof and banged loudly on the metal. It resonated down the hall and bounced off everything in them. Celestia gulped but kept that face of fearlessness. She was doing this for her nation. Just talking. Yep. Just talking. Gardeen was about to knock again before Her Majesty replied. "ENTER!"
The Guards standing there on the side grabbed hold of the bars in the middle and pulled them out. The doors weren't tall, but they were thick. They creaked with motion until they were parallel to each other. Then Gardeen led them in. Celestia immediately followed and crossed the threshold of no return.
The lights were off and barely any light passed through save for the glass staircase up ahead allowing light from some unknown area to flow down the stairs, bathing the marble floor in white. The dust flying around was highlighted when they crossed paths.
The Queen herself was lying in a cushioned couch, swirling around something in a goblet. There were four more couches around in what appeared to be a library, complete with a display screen in the corner, hanging by something. Rainbow squinted her eyes and slowly shook her head, trying to wrap her head around all the gold.
Molten sighed and boomed, "Thank you for the drop off, Gardeen. I will call you if I need you."
Gardeen bowed deeply. Then turned and walked around the others and out the doors. Once she was out the Guard immediately shut them back, leaving them in silence inside with the Queen. Cadance couldn't tell if she was angry, or if she was thinking deeply. The swirling of her golden goblet was nerve wrecking and her expression was unreadable. Molten gestured towards the two couches across and ordered, "Have a seat, make yourselves comfortable in my presence. I can see the pink one is about to pop."
Pinkie was indeed cowering down shivering in fear, and Fluttershy's wing wasn't really helping. Celestia took the lead once more and led them towards the couches.
"Thank you, your majesty," she greeted. She took a seat first beside across from her and was flanked on the left by Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, and Twilight's friends and family on the other couches. Night Light was interested in what she had to say. Really interested. Twilight Velvet no better.
Her Majesty nodded once and took a sip of whatever the heck she was drinking from her cup, building the tension. Then smacked her lips and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief from one arm of the chair. "You know... When I first heard of Twilight Sparkle, 'the pony from the sea,' I thought... Something is going on in Equestria. Unlike my subjects I have heard of Equestria. I have also told you I traveled it once under the radar. Quite a very far place. A very far... Country."
Molten softly set the Goblet down on a glass lamp table beside her chair and focused entirely on them. "The pony who told me was Merry Fire, I'm sure you've heard of my daughter. Before Twilight arrived, the Fire Family were in meetings with any Pseratep we knew who had skills in science to come up with ways to restore our land after the Glowing Bear attacked our soil. That was the entire family. Not just the immediate, but those not of Royalty too. Our extended family. You'd be surprised at the many interesting ideas the normal can give to the complex. Some worked, some didn't. But at the end of the day, our goal was never reached. We had pain, disease, discomfort, and death. Not to mention exposure to the elements. We did what we could for years to come. But thankfully, because of a large fire, hope flew straight to us.
"When Twilight landed on our shores and I was informed of where she came from, I thought, 'Something must've happened in Equestria. I've heard of Alicorns and there is absolutely no way a small Alicorn like her could fly nearly five hundred miles from the shores, overseas, towards a destination she had no idea even truly existed in a day without good reason.' Her reason... Was sound. From what I studied in the lands there... Friendship is a very key component to even the very life of Equestria."
Molten reached over to her bookshelf and slipped out a white one. Then set it down directly on the coffee table in between them. She flipped it open to the first page and looked at the writing that none of them could figure out. She started, "This book is incredibly old. Over a thousand years, such as myself. I visited Equestria when I was five hundred. I am now fifteen hundred years old." She shut the book and looked at the cover. "Yet Twilight restored it like it were brand new. I have fifteen volumes, because I visited Equestria every hundred years. And will continue to do so until the day I die. It was truly a magnificent land."
She glanced up at them with cold eyes and added, "Was. I paid little mind to Twilight when she landed, I let my son handle it. But I was truly at awe and intrigued when she started rebuilding the country. Her first true stroke of power was when she drew her face through the dirt and created grass. I know I do not have magic, but I was truly... Obsessed with the spells you ponies have over there. I read books and studied tablets. And I have never, ever heard of a transfiguration spell with life in it. You can create clothes, rocks, anything that didn't have energy flowing through it from other forms of matter. And I just visited Equestria maybe a year before Twilight landed in Merōl. Yet here she was making trees, bushes, grass, nature. Living nature. I would pass out if I saw a tree moving. Thankfully, one didn't, although I wouldn't be surprised if one had. Merry was all over this room when she told me about what she saw. Next thing you know, I witnessed Merōl replenish and the sun once again shine on that town, now a bustling industrial city that supply us with building materials.
"When she created living nature, I knew for a fact that this mare was special. That this was a treasure Psera better hold on to and never let go, although it were her decision. We would never force her to stay, but thankfully she said she would after my son offered her residence."
Celestia hummed and nodded before she continued. "I had yet to leave my suite and see all of this for myself. While I dawdled, Twilight I later learned had begun the patching of buildings. Those buildings out there in Cop you have seen were not like that before. This whole city wasn't. It was just dirt, dust, and a lot of misery. We even had a wild animal issue where ponies were subjected to and suffered grave injuries and infection." Luna's left eye twitched. She had never heard about that. Let alone seen any animals ever since they've been here. "We were all going to die soon if we didn't leave. We didn't have to in the end. One day the land was brown, hot and dusty. and within two months, they were all back to what they were before. Pserateps are really fast. It doesn't take much to get us working again, but my ponies seemed to have lost all hope and motivation during that time. We didn't have the power. The strength, the... The motivation.
"The day I met Arcadia was the day the bear returned. Turns out little Twilight had been investigating the event ever since it happened, and informed us it were made up of some type of creature called Changelings. They feed off of affection or love energy. This land is full of it. Pserateps in a way are very similar to changelings. We live off of love. But also off of food, water, things of that nature. Not just love. And when that bear arrived, she took it back to your land where I learned later that night that she was attacked." Her Majesty smoldered at Celestia who sighed and nodded her head. "We learned of the Changelings approach through what Twilight called the Psera Detection System. A series of three hundred Crystal obelisks she herself created out of nothing one hundred miles off our coastlines. They're somehow able to detect anything that come within one hundred miles of our coastline from any height and let us know from the Central Obelisk located here in Cop. Then if they are declared dangerous, a signal is broadcasted to the other Obelisks on the Ground cities which then blare an alarm. That day was of its first use. And first success."
Luna smiled and nodded her head. Sounded like something Twilight would do. Her Majesty sighed and continued. "I finally left my suite to congratulate her. Way before then I learned she grabbed my son's heart. And he hers. They were dating for I believe a few months and started maybe one month after she arrived when Psera was finally restored. There were some blindspots, and possibly still are.
"When I finally met her, I asked myself, 'This pretty little pony did all of this? Never would have imagined it.' I could tell that she was stricken by my son. I guess all mares have a thing for stallions who have strong muscles but a soft spot for flowers.
"Madun has a hard shell and muscle to prove it, but is too kind for his own good. Twilight was the opposite on both spectrums. She's really soft and giggles like a little filly on the outside, but is as hard and dangerous as a loose boulder on the inside. I hate to say it this way. But Bluebird will be very lucky if he even makes it to the courtroom. My son and Twilight are very attracted to one another and depend on the other in ways you wouldn't expect.
"Arcadia is smart, but has a way of overthinking things. Madun is more simple. So they somehow combine those qualities together and come up with great ideas. Arcadia loves the simple life, but Madun makes sure to remind her that she has a very important place here by teaching her ways to enact her power and to show it off. Not too much, but just enough. Even a simple flag will do.
"Psera has different customs. When I brought her up here, I took her to my observatory." Molten gestured to the staircase on the right with a sunbeam shooting out. "It is the best place to get a great view of Cop. The custom in Psera is that parents decide whether or not their foal can marry this pony based off of productive achievements. Madun is my gold, my only son. I of course gave them my blessing.
"But the day you ponies arrived... Ruined everything." Cadance bit her lip and glanced to Shining Armor, who in turn glanced back. Molten shifted her gaze to Twilight Velvet and Night Light, sitting with Twilight's friends in the couch facing the fire. "I know this is your daughter and would do whatever you can to make her happy. But as I'm sure you all have noticed ever since you walked in, whatever happens to Arcadia happens to all of us. Our Spirit nearly died with her and her unborn child. It will be a very grand day all over the country when she finally gives birth and is unharmed.
"Now. I'm willing to make sure to do what I can to give my son and Twilight their wedding. But I also do not want to risk another rut that ruins it. Merry right now is furious at Equestria for the first one, but has agreed to make the dress. Merry has an attitude where she won't be happy with you until you prove yourself. So until Madun and Twilight kiss, she will stay angry. She gets it from her mother."
So she is angry, Cadance assumed.
"Here are the terms. You have three days to setup a ceremony here in the castle. If you cause any kind of trouble—any kind, then it is off. The plan is to have Twilight and Madun at the Ceremony the day they leave the hospital. So get started tomorrow. It is going to be quite the challenge. The one in Charge of this whole thing is Gardeen. The entire nation will know about the plan by tomorrow morning. Are there any questions?"
Pinkie raised her hoof and asked, "Are there any themes you recommend?" That question caught everyone except Molten off-guard. They swiveled their sights to Pinkie with expressions of surprise and intrigue.
Molten hummed and answered, "Well... Red and blue roses with daffodils. That was their theme."
Pinkie smirked and crossed her hooves, slowly nodding with intent. Maolten glanced to Celestia for an explanation. She explained, "Pinkie Pie is widely known across Equestria as the best party planner."
Molten nodded and responded, "Make sure there's nothing wild. This is a wedding, not just any party. Now, your stay may be a little tricky."
Twilight Velvet, as much as she didn't want to went ahead and asked, "Are we not allowed?"
"You are. But the floor reserved for others is currently full, which means your stay will be on the office floor where Twilight herself used to stay. Further down that floor is the Royal Suite where Madun and Twilight currently stay."
"...oh."
"It should be no issue though as long as they are not released early. Summary? Have the event ready by three to four days and Psera doesn't come after you and your country."
Celestia smirked and glanced to Pinkie Pie insanely rubbing her hooves together with a wild grin on her face. "I have a feeling it will be done in two."