Twilight stood on the zeppelin platform, staring at the same zeppelin that had brought her to Thunder Valley. Several thestrals were hard at work doing last minute maintenance, fluttering around the back engine to see if any of the parts had been corrupted. And those were just the ones Twilight could see through the lens of her gas mask. Inside it was no doubt a thousand times busier as the engineers were double and triple checking the engine to ensure that nothing would break down. Security was also hard at work with Overkill taking the lead as they swept the zeppelin for anything that could endanger her life. With her in charge of that, Twilight knew they would leave no stone or bolt left unchecked. She just hoped that Overkill wouldn’t rip through all the pillows searching for explosives or anything like that. While that was going on Spike was overseeing several members of the castle’s staff as they carried a small sample of her luggage into the dirigible. Mostly books with a small assortment of gowns for her to wear.
There was a small hint of nervousness since Twilight decided on venturing out into more of Thunder Valley. The only other time she had been out of the capital was when she had gone to visit Fort Chronostorm. In an odd way she had become used to this disgusting city as she learned its ins and outs. Leaving behind all of her responsibilities, ones that she had just taken up, in the hooves of others while she went to somewhere new was nerve racking. Not to mention the reason she was going.
-Flashback-
“Would you like some tea?” asked Twilight as she closed the door to her office moving towards her desk as she spoke. For a brief moment, Twilight marveled at how effective her office blotted out the noise of the party outside. Back in Equestria, she would have needed to cast noise dampening spells in order to reach the same effect and recasting them whenever they began to fade. But here, even though there were thousands of ponies just outside her door all Twilight could hear were the sounds of her own hoof steps along with the sniffles from the mare as she stood in front of her desk. That marvel, however, was pushed back as she came back to the reality of the situation before her.
“N-No,” whispered the mare, her lips trembling as she spoke. “Y-You’re already going through all the trouble j-just to see me. I…I don’t want to…” The mare paused to take several deep breaths as her body swayed from side to side. It seemed like she was doing everything she could to keep her emotions under control.
As Twilight sat down, she glanced at the other chairs in the room causing her to adopt a more panicked look. On the other side of the room were the same chairs where she had sat with Count Raven not too long ago. Why had she not done the same right off the bat? Sitting next to the mare would have been more comforting, would have helped put the mare more at ease. It’s what Princess Celestia would have done, right? Or perhaps since this was more official, with a stranger no less, she needed to show her some sort of authority? Like when she was listening to all those ponies who wanted her to grant them grits. Or maybe it was more simple: she just hadn’t been thinking about it! Was she doing a horrible job now? Would the thestrals kick her out because she didn’t know where to sit?
“P-Princess?” came the voice of the mare, causing Twilight to blink. The mare was looking at her funny, causing Twilight to wonder what her face must look like at that moment to receive such a look. After giving a laugh that sounded beyond uncomfortable even to her, Twilight did her breathing exercise to help get her under control. “So sorry about that. Now, what can I help you with Miss…”
“Midnight Snack. Mrs. Midnight Snack,” replied the mare before taking a deep breath. Twilight motioned her to sit which she did so. “It’s about my husband. He…He died. Not too long ago. And I want him back.”
“Oh,” began Twilight as she looked around the room nervously, tapping the tips of her hooves together while the mare dried her eyes again. She really should have seen a question like this coming at some point. Magic was powerful and useful, but it couldn’t solve every problem there was. She should know that better than anypony else. The number of times she tried to fix problems in Ponyville with her magic only to have them blow up in her face were too many to count. She still had nightmares from time to time about the parasprites! More than that, necromancy was a forbidden subject. Ever since she was a foal, it had been hammered into her skull that dark magics were forbidden and one of the darkest of all was necromancy! In fact, the punishment even for being caught with such a book was an instant life sentence!
Of course they were not in Equestria anymore, so she didn’t know if those laws still applied. Even so, there was no way she could ask Princess Celestia for one of those books. Princess Celestia would no doubt be disgusted by her, never wanting to speak to her again!
After a moment, Twilight cleared her throat. “I’m sorry,” she began. “But there is nothing I or my magic can do.” Midnight Snack looked up at her, her eyes widening as her mouth dropped. It was as if Twilight had suddenly sprouted a second head and Discord was doing a can-can dance in one of Fluttershy’s dresses right behind the purple princess. Before Twilight could say or do anything else, Midnight Snack brought both of her hooves to her mouth.
“Oh no,” she said with a sharp intake of breath. “That’s not what I…I wouldn’t presume you would…Oh my, oh my, oh my. Please, I’m so sorry I-”
Despite the panic before her, Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Ok then,” she said, interrupting the mare. “How about you start from the beginning.”
“Yes, I suppose I should,” said Midnight Snack as she nodded quickly. She then pulled out a picture from under her dress. Slightly crumpled and tear-stained, she placed it on Twilight’s desk before sliding it over to her. Looking down, Twilight saw a black and brownish picture of a stallion with a large mustache and mutton chops. “This is…was my husband, Midnight Oil. We were living together in Cogburn.”
Twilight nodded as she listened. She had heard of Cogburn before from both Count Raven as well as Wild Theory. According to Count Raven, the city of Cogburn was nestled in the middle of a series of mines, mostly coal, which provided a large portion of the country’s supply. From what she had heard, at least half of the city worked there mining the black rock in order to meet the ever growing demand. It did seem strange to her that the mines had yet to run dry yet given how much coal was needed on a daily basis, but she’d never had the time to investigate the issue. What’s more, Count Raven had informed her that Cogburn was the home of Duchess Blue Moon. It was from there that her family had presided over the region in service to the crown for many, many years.
“Was there an accident?” asked Twilight gently as she looked at the photo. According to what she had read about thestral law, serious mining accidents were supposed to be reported. From there, there was to be a lengthy overview of the situation involving members of Twilight’s staff along with the Duke or Duchess of that region. In this case, Blue Moon. They would then determine blame, if there could have been anything done to prevent such a thing, and even some minor compensation for the families who had lost loved ones. Sadly, it was very minor compensation. Not helped by the current grit problems the nation had suffered. While it was probably wrong for her to do so, Twilight could see the snotty mare choosing trying to hide this if she could. Blue Moon had always given off the air of a mare who cared more about appearances and her own superior status over the concerns of others. Her statements alone during their discussion over what to do with Arms Dealer was more than enough proof.
“Ah, sort of,” replied Mrs. Midnight. “He passed out on the job. By the time anypony noticed, it was too late. The mine officials checked his equipment and found there was an issue with his breather. He had been having trouble with it for a while and I told him to get it looked at. But he…he always told me he’d do it tomorrow.” Fresh tears began to appear on the mare’s face as she choked back a sob.
“Ok,” said Twilight slowly, leaning back against her chair slightly. Honestly she was having a hard time figuring out what was wrong and what Midnight Snack wanted. There was no accident or tampering with her late husband’s equipment, so there was no legal issue she could help her with. Even if she blamed the other workers, there was really very little she could do. Especially when she just admitted that Midnight Oil knew there was a problem with her equipment and hadn’t taken care of it himself. “What happened then?”
“Well,” continued Mrs. Midnight after loudly blowing her nose. “I was about to make funeral arrangements for my husband when Tinkers from the Underbelly Academy approached me. They wanted me to donate his body for medical experiments. Just for a while and then they’d return him for a proper burial.” Twilight nodded as she leaned in a bit forward. This was that part of Cogburn that she had heard about from Wild Theory. There were several different Academies stationed around Thunder Valley, filled with Tinkers and students. Black Snow, Sparklight, Ethermoore, and a few others she had heard about pumping out ideas to sell to the various companies and government. Underbelly had been the most recent she had heard about, Wild Theory having talked about the place several times since he had received a note from them.
Slowly, Twilight looked down at her desk in contemplation. Did this have something to do with that note? Also, what sort of medical experiments were they working on?
“Did you agree to this?” asked Twilight after looking up.
Mrs. Midnight nodded. “I did. I thought that maybe some good could come out of my husband’s death. They promised me that it would take a week, three at most, before they would conclude their experiments. But that was three months ago. I-I’ve gone to speak with the Tinkers there several times, and each time they assured me that he would be returned. It was just that their experiments were taking longer than expected. Then, about a month and a half ago, they refused to allow me to enter. They started claiming that they had never heard of Midnight Oil! So I went to the Clubbers, the courts, and even tried speaking with Duchess Blue Moon. None of them have done anything or even seemed willing to help!”
Midnight Snack paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before reaching out a hoof to touch Twilight’s desk. “That’s why I decided to come to you Princess. I know nothing will ever bring back my husband or will ever take his place. All I want is to let him rest in peace with a proper burial. Can you help me?”
-x-End Flashback-x-
“Your Grace,” said Count Raven, startling Twilight a bit. She turned around just in time to see him bowing before her. When he rose, the Count pulled out a clipboard from underneath his jacket. “Preparations for your trip are almost complete. The zeppelin is fully stocked and is just waiting on Your Grace’s personal bodyguard’s final inspection. We have received confirmation that Duchess Blue Moon has received Your Grace’s request to stay at her manor as Your Grace tours Cogburn. It has also been confirmed that she has accepted, albeit with some hesitation. I have also outlined Your Grace’s schedule in order to help with the appearance that this is a simple tour.”
“Thank you,” replied Twilight before glancing at the ground. She was glad for the mask she wore at that moment for she was sure that he would have seen her reluctance. After everything he had done that night after the morale booster to make all this possible. She had explained everything that had gone in between her and Mrs. Midnight. She had originally thought about sending the Underbelly Academy a letter detailing what she had been told while demanding an explanation. But what good would that do? If they were up to something, this would be like announcing to them that she was on to them. Their reply would be a complete denial of everything, disposing of any evidence before the letter arrived in her hooves. On the other hoof, what if this mare was lying to her? She didn’t want to doubt the poor mare, but she had to keep an open mind about such things. She could have been mistaken or just trying to hurt the Academy for some reason. Twilight just didn’t have enough proof on her side to start pointing her hoof at other ponies just yet.
Thankfully, Count Raven had an idea.
“Is something the matter Your Grace?” he asked. No doubt he had heard something of Twilight’s worries in her voice, despite the muffle.
Looking up, she nodded. “It just feels wrong to be doing all of this under a false pretense,” she admitted. “One of the Elements of Harmony is Honesty. But I’m going to Cogburn, lying to a lot of ponies about what I’m really doing. It just doesn’t seem like something a ruler should be doing.” Officially, this trip was announced as her getting to know the country better. As was thestral custom, she was staying at Duchess Blue Moon’s manor, which was a secure location, during her stay. While on the surface this was a tour of one of Thunder Valley’s great cities, only a few thestrals knew what was really going on. Naturally, Count Raven had suggested this, saying that the fewer ponies who knew about this the better. Then there was Overkill, who had agreed with the Count but was glad to be included. That made her job of protecting Twilight easier. Wild Theory knew as well since he had connections to the Academy and Twilight didn’t want to lie through her teeth time after time. And there was one more, one she hadn’t told anypony here of who she believed would be of great help.
Oh, and Spike of course. Can’t forget about Spike!
“Perhaps Your Grace needs to look at this from a different angle,” suggested Count Raven, putting the clipboard under a wing as he moved closer. When the older stallion spoke again, his words were softer so that nopony else could hear him. “In a sense, Your Grace is touring another city within Thunder Valley. Getting to know the thestrals who live there so that Your Grace may better rule over them. Therefore, Your Grace isn’t lying to anypony. The investigation is merely a side job. One that can be best accomplished if nopony is any the wiser of Your Grace’s true intentions. If nothing is discovered, then Your Grace simply had a nice trip. If something is uncovered, Your Grace will be there to right it.”
Twilight turned to look at Count Raven, giving him a small nod of understanding. “Did King Cobalt, ah, investigate his subjects the same way?” she asked.
“Officially, no,” said Count Raven before leaning in a bit closer. “But, off the record, more than once as did his father before him. There were a number of thestrals who approached His Former Grace with concerns, most of them being passed on to other officials who were better suited to dealing with them. But there was the rare occasion when a more troubling or concerning piece of news came to His Former Grace that caused him to look into things in such a manner. Generally he used a cover of visiting one of the Great Houses or a personal inspection. One time King Cobalt went to the Black Snow Academy, claiming that His Former Grace was rather bored just reading the reports and wanted to see things personally.”
“Why did he really go there?” asked Twilight, her heart thumping madly as she spoke.
“His Former Grace had been told by a reliable source that the Grand Tinker of the Academy was embezzling a large number of grits,” whispered Count Raven before shaking his head. “That they were using second hoofed, perhaps even third, equipment with the difference going into the Grand Tinker’s personal account. That he was falsifying official documents as well as paying off various other thestrals to cover all of this up. Now, normally, His Former Grace would have taken something like that with a grain of salt. However, the source approached King Cobalt after a rather nasty accident that blew a hole right through part of the Academy’s wall. His Former Grace arrived with little to find, everything was in order. In fact, I believe King Cobalt rather enjoyed getting out of the castle for a while and seeing all of the discoveries that they were making. So, in a sense, His Former Grace was truthful.”
Feeling more at ease, Twilight stepped back a bit to give them more natural room before nodding. She wished the Count could see her smiling at that moment, to know that this took a load off her mind. She still didn’t like the idea of keeping secrets like this, but he did have a point.
“So what happened after that?” she asked with a lighter tone in her voice.
“Well Your Grace, it turned out the one who had given the report was an ex-lover of the Grand Tinker,” replied the Count with a sigh, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t know what she was expecting to come with such a tale, but there you have it. If I recall, she still has five years on her sentence.”
“At least we know nothing was truly wrong,” said Twilight, surprised to hear about something like this. However, she shook it off before turning her attention back to the castle. Time to get back on track. “Are you sure you can manage everything while we’re gone?”
“I shall endeavor to proceed in a manner that befits Your Grace’s rule,” the Count said while giving her a slight bow. “Please feel at ease knowing that the castle will still be standing upon your return.”
Twilight let out a good natured laugh at that. “Perhaps it’ll be easier to do that since Overkill’s coming with us.”
Count Raven nodded. “Yes, that will save me some headaches. We won’t have to deal with the repairs of her shooting her alarm clock with her blunderbuss.” The older stallion then pulled out his clipboard once again, briefly looking down at it before speaking again. “There is one thing to note before Your Grace departs. General Steel Trap is heading down the border to run some practice drills in that region. He is claiming that he wants the army to be prepared for any possible invasion.”
Twilight didn’t answer right away, instead putting a hoof to her chin as she considered the General for a moment. She hadn’t heard much from him in recent nights. True to her last official meeting with the stallion, she had approved sending additional troops to the border in order to make sure that there wasn’t another ‘Rainbow Dash’ style incident. But beyond that there had been few words between them. Something that was more than likely a good thing. If nothing was being brought to her attention via him or his office, she had to assume that everything was good. Meaning he had nothing to complain about.
Was she worried he would use this opportunity to take over the kingdom while she was gone? Of course not. He could have done that very thing before she had ever showed up! On the other hoof, she did have concerns that something might happen with him putting all of those troops at the border. She doubted he would marshal them into Equestria unprovoked. He had been more concerned about keeping the rest of the world out rather than charging head first into the unknown. Yet if something were to happen, if something from the outside were to provoke him with all of those troops there, there was a chance he might act up.
“Very well,” said Twilight after putting her hoof down. “However, if anything gets out of control, contact me as quickly as possible. I’ll do the same if I get a message from Princess Celestia.”
“As you command Your Grace,” replied Count Raven with a short bow. Once the stallion had risen and was about to put away his clipboard a blur came past him, spinning him around some only to be stopped thanks to Twilight’s magic.
“Hey Twi,” said Rainbow Dash as she fluttered above their heads. Looking up at her newly freed friend, Twilight was a little disappointed in what she was wearing. It looked like it had been made from an old potato sack, stitched together with thick string that one could spot from a mile away while also being a little tight. Both her goggles and mask appeared to have been integrated into the design so that they were a part of the suit. It was functional, but even to a mare like Twilight it was a bit of an eye sore just looking at it.
“Rainbow Dash! What are you wearing?!” asked Twilight.
“My new team uniform. Duh,” was the answer her airborne friend gave. Rainbow then did a midair backflip as if to show off more of her attire. But it only showed off the crude stitching along the back. “Made most of it myself to make sure it wouldn’t weigh me down or anything. So,” she paused for a moment to rub her hooves together, “when do I meet my new recruits? Time’s a-wasting till the next Friendship Games.”
In order to get her focus back before answering, Twilight shook her head several times. “I heard that they will be showing up within the next several nights. So hopefully you’ll be able to give me a full assessment before we return. A few of them are from the military, finishing off their paperwork before they can be officially transferred. Others are coming from the streets.”
Slumping her shoulders, Rainbow lowered herself to the ground looking like she were being lowered to the ground by a cable attached to her back. Clearly, this was not the answer she had been hoping for. “Oh, come on! These thestrals should be knocking themselves over for a chance to learn from the fastest pegasus in Equestria.”
“Sorry Rainbow,” replied Twilight, a slight giggle in her tone. “But I’m pretty sure none of them have ever heard of you before.”
For a moment Rainbow looked at the ground, before slowing raising her head in an awkward manner. “Well then, since there’s nothing for me to do here, then maybe I could go with you guys?”
“Out of the question,” said Twilight at once, much to the surprise of Rainbow. Dash looked ready to deliver a retort but for once Twilight beat her to the punch. “Just because your team isn’t here doesn’t mean that you get out of community service. I left a list of things for you to do with Count Raven.”
“Come on Twi,” begged Rainbow, but Twilight shook her head in immediate response.
“I’m sorry Rainbow,” said Twilight as she approached her friend. “I’d love to make an exception for you to come with us. But with you just getting out of jail and then going on a trip with us, it might send the message to the thestrals that I am going easy on you. Also you need to make good on the promise we made.” Now standing next to Rainbow, she placed a hoof on her shoulder. “But once this new team is up and running and some time has passed, I promise you can start heading out with us like before.”
Rainbow lowered her head for a moment before slowly raising it. “I guess,” she said in a reluctant tone.
“Good,” said Twilight with a nod as she turned to look at Count Raven. “Now then, please tell me when we are ready to go. There are a few more lists, schedules, and organizational charts I’d like to make-” Twilight stopped as one of her maids came bursting through the door leading into the castle. Twilight’s eyes widened, for this maid was flying in the air, one hoof holding up a silver tray while the other was busy trying to put her mask on correctly! Remembering the dangers of her first time outside in Thunder Valley, Twilight’s horn lit to create a bubble around the mare while doing her best to remove the pollution inside of it as the mare continued to run. It had been done more out of instinct than anything else, for the mare quickly put her mask on allowing Twilight to cancel her short-lived spell.
“Your Grace,” gasped the mare as she landed, quickly bowing to Twilight while still hold the tray. Twilight glanced at it, wondering what was on it that could have caused the maid to act in such a manner as to risk her life. Hopefully it wasn’t a snack or anything like that. If it had been, it would no doubt be inedible now due to the soot. It wasn’t. In the very center was a letter, weighed down by a large wax seal.
“T-This letter just arrived for you Your Grace,” continued the mare as she rose up. “We were told to deliver it before Your Grace left.”
“Thank you,” said Twilight as her horn began to glow, picking up the letter. “But, next time, please be more careful with your health.”
“Of course Your Grace, of course,” said the mare as she bowed once more before backing away.
Twilight rolled her eyes slightly, glad that her mask hid this from everypony as she examined the letter closer. Nothing had been written on the front, but the wax seal did have two elegantly written letters in the center. The letters JD. Her heart rate began to quicken as she broke the seal, pulling out the letter instantly. The script was short, only a few vague sentences that would mean nothing to anypony other than Twilight. Most likely done should her staff open it in her stead.
“Is something the matter Your Grace?” asked Count Raven.
“Nothing is wrong,” replied Twilight as she folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. “However there is something that I will need to take care of personally. Please inform the crew that, should they finish the inspection, that I will be back as soon as possible.” Count Raven did not say anything at first. He merely looked at Twilight with what she guessed was a curious expression. He then looked over at Rainbow whom she saw out of the corner of her eyes had simply shrugged.
“Very well Your Grace,” he said at last. He didn’t sound annoyed or angry. Nor did he enquire as to what she was doing. It seemed like he was simply going to trust her.
As her horn began to glow, she was glad for it. Then, right before she teleported away, she vowed she would not let that trust be in vain.
-x-
A moment later, Twilight reappeared in a familiar spot. It was at the boxed in area of the alleyway where she had first met Just Dandy and his crew. Looking around, she could see fresh soot had fallen on the many large crates that lined up and were stacked against the walls. Turning her head to look behind her Twilight saw that there were two thestrals standing in the thin alley with their gaze focused on the entrance. Perhaps more were out there on the rooftops to ensure that no thestral disturbed them.
Twilight stood there for a minute or so before the sound of leathery wings flapping in the air caught her attention. Looking upwards, she saw the figure of her friend on the streets descending to the ground. Two others were there with him but they stayed airborne as Dandy landed gently on the ground, making sure not to kick up too much soot.
“Thank you for getting back to me so quickly,” said Twilight as she approached Just Dandy.
“It was nothing,” replied the gang leader, using one of his wings to brush off some soot from his coat. “But I do have to apologize for not getting us a reservation at someplace more fancy. I mean, this is our third meeting. Surely a stallion such as myself should be doing more to impress such a fine mare such as yourself. Yet that might draw too much attention.” A small smile and blush appeared on Twilight face, thankfully hidden behind her mask. For a moment, she wondered if he was just being charming or serious. Yet those thoughts had to wait for now as there were bigger things on her mind.
“I’ll pencil something in for later,” said Twilight, earning a cocked head from Just Dandy. “Sorry to get right down to business, but my zeppelin is just about ready to go. So we sort of have to do this quickly.”
“Yes,” said Dandy, his voice slightly shaky. As Twilight pulled her head back in surprise, the stallion placed a hoof to his throat before clearing it. When he spoke next, he sounded more like his usual self. “I mean, yes, I have some place that needs attending to as well lovely.
“After you told me what was going on, I got on the wire to this lass I know down in Cogburn. Nice little miss, she is. Can bust heads and make a nice plate of cookies. Turns out, she was considering contacting me for some help for some time. See, a lot of them homeless fillies and colts are going missing over there. Not a lot mind you. Maybe one to three a week. Just up and vanishing without a trace.”
Twilight frowned at this. “And the Clubbers aren’t doing anything about it?”
Dandy let out a humorless laugh. “To be fair to them, none of their friends are willing to set hoof in them Clubber offices. Snatched one too many loaves of bread and picked too many pockets to be considered trustworthy. And those good folks who do take them in and give them a roof to sleep under only do so for the short term. If they don’t come back then they just assume they be heading to other places. But them foals, they be talking to each other and noticing something is happening. Asking around the place, looking for their friends. One thing kept coming back: those young ones were last seen with a Tinker from the Academy.”
Twilight felt like she couldn’t frown any deeper at that moment. She had known about this problem for some time now and it tore her up knowing that nothing had been done about it. A part of her tried to argue that she had so much to fix that it was impossible to do everything at once. That she had been dealing with the Dealer rape and the fallout. That as well as the budget problem which was just recently getting better. Now she was in a position to actually do something about it. But no, Twilight wasn’t going to let herself get away with those excuses for not doing anything sooner. Not when pony’s lives were at stake here.
Yes, that would be the next thing to deal with on her very long to-do list. But first, she needed to figure this out. She could understand why the Academy wanted to take Midnight Oil’s body. That much wasn’t unheard of back in Equestria. But what she didn’t get was why they would lie about it now. And why would they be after foals? What were they experimenting on that would be so important that they would grave rob and foalnap?
“Thank you Dandy,” said Twilight as she gave the crime lord a short bow. Truly, she meant those words. The reason she had contacted him was not just because she believed she could trust him, but he might also have knowledge that would not have moved through the proper channels. Things that might not have reached her ears. “I’ll be sure to look into this while I’m in Cogburn.”
“Never a doubt in my mind, lovely,” replied Dandy as he bowed back. “You’re the gear who will help get this system back on track. Me? I’m just a tiny spec of oil trying his best to help you along.”
“Oh, well,” stammered Twilight, her feathers ruffling and her cheeks burning from the compliment. “You, ah, shouldn’t sell yourself so short.” Her words came out as barely a squeak, feeling awkward even to her ears as she said it. She had no idea why for Twilight had been complimented many times in her life, even by Princess Celestia. So why did this stallion have such an effect on her like this? Maybe one of her books had the answer!
“Lovely,” said Dandy as he regained her focus. “If you need an extra hoof, seek out Burnt Biscuit. That lass will help you with anything you need. Now, best we both be off. Wouldn’t want either of our reps get any favors being seen like this.” Twilight nodded and, in a flash, vanished from sight.
-x-
Lady Gray stood within her apartment as she gazed out the window. With a glass of wine in her hoof, she gazed at the castle far off in the distance with the moon looming behind it while specks of soot fell to the earth like snow. In the background, soft, elegant music played from a record player she had scrounged up. It stood not too far from her, standing as tall as a table on four wooden legs. Tubes ran from it to the fireplace, helping to heat the chemicals that allowed the advanced motor to work with having to turn a crank. The top was open, revealing the single record as it spun round and round while its music came out of two elegant horns that rose far above Lady Gray’s head. Yet her attention was not on the music. It all seemed to be drowned out as she stared up at the castle, her eyes focused on the zeppelin that was parked at its airway.
The grey-coated mare pursed her lips slightly as she stared, slight irritation running through her. For a moment she broke her gaze to glance at the bedroom where a figure stood in the shadows, gazing back at her. One who wore a dress of pure white fabric with golden pearl sewn into it. Taking a breath and extending her wings, Lady Gray turned her attention back to the window with renewed focus.
As hard as it was for her, she had made mistakes. Costly ones that she was forced to chide herself for. Credit to where it was due, she had managed to run a successful business using the trash of this poor nation. As long as there were enough desperate mares out there who were willing to sell their dignity in order to stay alive she had a steady stream of income to be used to return the true Princess to her rightful place. Not only that, Lady Gray also had a wellspring of dirt she could use for leverage when the time was right. But for some unknown reason, Just Dandy, that dirty street thug, had a problem with how she treated those tail raisers. It was because of that he refused to listen to a good deal when presented to him. That and she would have a target put on her back should she try to venture too close to his territory. Then there was her failure with Arms Maker. Perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered, gaining all those weapons but having nopony to use them. Still, if she had access to such an armory cache then taking this kingdom from those traitorous foals would have been so much simpler. Yet she had failed to convince him and that was sadly on her. Lady Gray had waited for a moment to get dirt on him and instead this wonderful opportunity fell into her lap as if it had been giftwrapped by the Three Guides themselves. She should have pressed him harder or done more instead of banking everything on the idea that he would have done anything to save the life of that creature he called a son. At the very least she had managed to cover her tracks. Everypony believed that he had killed himself in his grief. That was good.
But her latest failure was the worst. So bad that just thinking about it over the course of the last few nights caused her to nearly throw something, anything, through her window. Going to the purple cow’s ‘morale booster’ had been a calculated effort on her part. A chance to get close to some of the higher class as well as possibly catch the ear of the usurper to the true princess of this great land. But it had been so long since she had walked through those great halls that she got caught up in the moment, not helped by finding out that the great plans for the flying mansion had been slashed by that bitch! She had slipped up, barely able to cover her tracks. What was even more infuriating was that bloke Just Dandy had somehow managed to get into her good graces.
A growl escaped Lady Gray’s thought as she thought of those two together. Two problems she was having working together. Well she knew his real game. ‘Princess’ Twilight Sparkle must have low tastes if she found filth like him charming in the slightest. That Just Dandy must be so pleased with himself, probably already planning what to do with all the grits he would gain by simply asking her to-
Lady Gray paused for a moment, exhaling before taking a sip of her wine. No, now was not the time to be angry. Now was the time to step up her game if she wanted to return this land’s true Princess to power. For a moment, she glanced back at the doorway whose occupant had not left. She needed more power, more muscle, more grits if she was going to see Princess Alabaster reclaim her rightful place.
For a moment, the mare stood there musing as she sipped her wine once more. Outside of her window, the zeppelin began to move away from the castle. Taking the purple cow with her, out of the capital and away from her. If she wanted to win, she would need to play the long game better. She would not be dealing with the helpless and gritless any longer. She would be going up against those who had everything she did not.
Briefly a smile crossed her muzzle. What did her father say to her so often? Those who have everything have more to lose? Yes, that would be fitting.
Walking over to the nearby table, Lady Gray set down her glass before looking over at the doorway again. “I’ll be back in a while. There is somepony I need to see.” Without waiting for a reply or anything else, Lady Gray walked over to get her coat and mask. It was time to use some of that well collected dirt.