No one saw it coming. No one saw the attack, the slaughter, the pain, the fires, explosions, the chase. The deaths. No one but Queen Arcadia.
Safe Haven in Rayray was completely locked away from Psera's society. The Airspace above was to be completely avoided at all times. It was a safe house for Psera's Royalty hosting three floors, ten bedrooms, eight bathrooms, two kitchens, and a bunker underground. A fortified security with camera feeds in a single room, Arcadian Elite taking the helm at every post, and a mass of weaponry on the rooftops, at the gate surrounding all seven acres of flat grass land.
Safe Haven had two wings. One on the left called the East Wing, the other on the right called the West Wing. The front of the compound had a flat front while the back was rounded. The floors were flat and marble. The walls were insulated stone. Pretty important thanks to the impending winter.
Directly in the center of this safe house were the King and Queen's quarters. Or rather the Queen's quarters. An office space on one side, a bedroom in the center, and a bathroom on the other side. Directly in front of the Queen's quarters beyond the two wooden doors was another hallway connecting the two wings featuring a large tinted window bearing a perfect view of Rayray. Safe Haven was placed on a hill detached away from the rest of the city. Molten Ice could see it all from her viewpoint.
She was sitting in front of these same windows watching the city move and listening to a report from a LiVAM Merry or the twins had blasting nearby.
"...when the castle was taken by storm by what ponies say Zebras," a newspony reported. "Sources and survivors inside recalled the fight as 'terrifying.' The Castle Ambassadors are reporting that it is going through a thorough clean up and will be closed off indefinitely for months, and that the Queen of Psera, Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle, is secured in a remote location with the rest of Psera's executive leaders with only minor injuries. However it has been confirmed that her husband, King Shimmering Madun, is dead. Along with over one hundred guests who attended Queen Arcadia's return ceremony. An investigation is currently taking place."
"We're going to war."
Molten sighed to the window and asked in frustration, "What is with ponies these days never staying in to rest? Back in my day, we took advantage of things like this, Gardeen."
She turned her sight to Gardeen's much smaller height on her right, staring out the same window Molten was. Her right rear hoof was wrapped up in a thick gauze and applied to by soft ointment. She was cleaned up and looked much better than before. But it was easy to tell her mind won't be able to forget what she has seen.
Her nonchalant gaze turned up to Molten. "Is it true?" She asked. "That... The Princess..."
Molten looked from her to the closed off bedroom behind them Twilight was being held in. She was sleeping right now. And they knew for a fact that when she wakes up... Things were going to go to mahnurka. She faced the window and solemnly answered, "In her mother's hooves. Even Arcadia doesn't know how."
She wrapped a wing around Gardeen and softly pulled her in. She's cried for the loss of her son already and Merry was still crying. Now it was Gardeen's turn.
Beyond the doors behind both of them, closed off from any access sat Queen Arcadia on the left side of her bed. Facing the bedroom entrance to her office. She was dressed in a standard black pajama set. The bottoms were staining with silent salty tears.
Her daughter was dead. Her husband was dead. All on the same day. A day of celebration, love, and rejoice turned into a day of suffering, death, sadness, blood, and terror.
The right side of Twilight's face was hidden by her ethereal mane flowing through the air. But it didn't take a genius to know that she could no longer see through her right eye. There was a large taping of gauze covering that hemisphere.
She had a hoof covering her mouth and remained motionless while her mind was busy coming up with reasons. But could she honestly say that there were any viable? Any at all to the assassinations and cruel executions of her ponies and family? No. There were none to validate the attack on this country.
Queen Arcadia slowly rose to her hooves and walked across the floor through the dim atmosphere into her office space. A futuristic office space that definitely painted the COTG's future. There was a large wooden desk in front of her smacked directly in the middle of the room with a glass top. Underneath that glass was a display with a live rotating Crest of Psera. Above the desk were four low-hanging LiVAMs bearing the same animations. This wasn't the first time she was in this room. When she first became Queen, they brought her here a few times to get used to this space and to learn about it.
She never thought they would have to use it.
Twilight dragged her wings behind her desk and climbed into her seat. Then tapped the screen inside of it. She went to work coming up with plans. Retaliations. Revenge. Going through records and files of all of Psera's works. Of all the projects and weapons Lavender has to offer. She recognized Railer One, one of their best. But those unfortunately weren't as long range like she wanted.
But they did have long range weaponry. She made sure of it. Queen Arcadia's hoof slid across to the corner of her desk where a small little microphone and speaker sat. A green button lied before it that she pressed and triggered a small red indicator light. It turned off less than a second later followed by a deep voice.
"Yes, your highness?" They said.
Queen Arcadia sighed and silently ordered, "Have all of my Generals, Defense Project Leaders, Admirals, and Advisors in the defense room by five o'clock."
"Yes, ma'am."
Queen Arcadia blinked and looked up to one of the LiVAMs above her desk. "King Shimmering Madun Is Dead." That's all she had to read before tears flowed down her face. She quickly turned off that display and focused on the knock on her door. Arcadia quickly gathered herself before doing anything else. Psera didn't need an emotional Queen right now. Once she was good, she cleared her throat and ordered, "Enter."
It cracked open and in walked... Arcadia stood up and made her way around the desk. "Gardeen," she mouthed. Twilight quickly swept Gardeen into a hug. Into a tight hug filled with love and emotion. Emotions be damned. She kissed her repeatedly on the cheek, "Oh my stars, how are you feeling?"
Gardeen kissed Arcadia back and stepped away to ask, "It's painful without any numbing medication. But I can manage. Now... I'm so sorry, Twilight. I... I can't even fathom what you must be feeling right now."
It seemed that Twilight's eyes grew dark with rage and anger. Raw unkempt emotions that would have made Gardeen's fur rise. Arcadia turned around and walked back to her desk.
"They will be avenged," she darkly promised. She dropped down into her chair and raised her hooves. "I had her, Gardeen. I had her right here in my hooves. She was alive. Then she..." Twilight covered her mouth and took a deep breath to cease her incoming tears. No words left their mouths as her words sunk in. It was a time before they opened once again.
"I called for a meeting with all of my executives within two hours," she reported. Her eyes narrowed with raging fury. An expression that Gardeen had never seen. And it scared her. "Zebrica will pay dearly. With blood. And I will watch as they suffer. There is nowhere on this planet they can hide from me. They all will die."
Gardeen swallowed hard. She didn't doubt it. They bit the Queen Bee. Now they were going to get more than a sting.