I turned my head to the guards. I noticed on how they seemed more alarmed.
"Princess Cadance..." one of them stammered. "W-what do you mean?"
I sighed.
"I'm just like them. I'm a human from the planet Earth, trapped in Princess Cadance's body... forced to be the brain."
"Oh phew..." another guard wiped his brow. "For a second there, I thought you meant you were evil and had the desire to conquer Equestria..."
The guard next to him elbowed his chest.
"Wait..." Chrysalis began. "You're a human... like us?"
I nodded. "Yes. However, I'll need to confirm some things to make sure you all are telling the truth."
"Lay it on me," Cozy spread her hooves wide.
"Alright. First, before I get some pop-culture, I'm going to need your names."
"I'll go first," Cozy piped. "I'm Kenny."
So I guess the human in Cozy is a guy.
"I'm Cheryl," Chrysalis said.
"The name's Frederick," Tirek states.
"Alright... good to know... my name is Leo," I say. "Now, I'm going to ask you all to name me some pop-culture things from 2020 or earlier, so that I will be able to confirm if you all are telling the truth. Understand?"
The villains nodded.
"Right... now, name me some TV shows or video games or something."
"Well, let's see..." Cozy/Kenny rubbed her chin. "Oh, I got one... Star Wars!"
"Don't remind me of that," Tirek/Frederick grumbled. "The original movies were fine, and the prequels were decent, but the sequel trilogy sucks ass!"
"Eh, I don't know... I thought they were all right," Chrysalis/Cheryl shrugged. "Oh, what about that game from 2017... what's it called... Fortnite! Yeah, that's it!'
"It was the talk of the town for at least a couple years..." Cozy/Kenny said.
"I'd also like to name the Avengers," Tirek/Frederick said. "Man, those movies were great. Especially Endgame!"
"I, for one, prefer Infinity War," Cozy/Kenny admitted.
"I prefer both," Chrysalis/Cheryl said.
"Let's bring up some celebreties too..." Tirek/Frederick mumbled. "Oh! Like Justin Bieber!"
"Ugh! I hate that guy!" Cozy/Kenny spat.
"Oh, Billie Eilish is a good one!" Chrysalis/Cheryl chirped. "I still listen to Bad Guy."
"Let's shift gears..." said Cozy/Kenny. "It's amazing on how they're still making FNaF games and books."
"I enjoy that. I love new content every now and then," Tirek/Frederick stated.
"And that new Walking Dead video game is awesome!" Cozy/Kenny hoof-pumped.
"Alright, alright... I think that's all I need to hear..." I say as I get up. "Don't move until I give them my verdict!"
The villains agreed.
I left the cell and met up with Princess Twilight.
"So?" she raised a brow.
"Everything they mentioned were all actual Earth things..." I tell her. "They're telling the truth. Let them out."
"But where will they go?" Twilight asks.
"They'll stay with me," I insist. "I mean, we're all in the same boat, so why not? Just in case though, we'll have their magic restrained, and we'll keep a close eye on them."
Twilight took a deep breath.
"Very well..."
Crystsal Empire...
The chariot landed in front of the castle, in the same spot where it was before I left. Shining was waiting outside.
"I take it they're being honest?" he questions.
"Yeah. They'll be staying with us. We're going to watch them," I answer.
"You three will go inside. I'll need to talk with Cadance for a minute."
The three villains left the chariot and were escorted inside.
"What is it you need to talk with me about?" I ask.
"Look, about you watching the kindgom and Flurry... as I said, I wasn't in the right place back then, what with all the distrust and the rushed manner. So I have to ask just to get your view... do you even want to watch the place?"
I looked at the castle. And then I looked out to the mountains. On the one hoof, Cadance just returned. What would happen if I left again? Granted, I could dub it a vacation, but who knows how long I'll be in this body. I can't take a risk of telling anyone else in the Empire. On the other hoof, I've never really been a Princess or a parent, and who knows what struggles it will bring?
I sighed. I had an idea.
"Listen, how about this... I stay here, and make sure that things are safe every now and then. But at the same time, I won't do as much important things as Cadance does. I'll see what strings I can pull to make the fact that I'm not doing much hidden. But I'll stay here, make sure Flurry and the kingdom are well in order, and in the meantime, you can figure out how I get the buck out of here!"
Twilight nodded.
"Fair enough. I'll notify you if anything comes up, whether it concerns you or the villains."
"Alright. I'll see you later."
I hopped off the chariot and immediately made my way into the castle, as I heard Twilight's chariot ran off.
Ten minutes later...
As I paced around a random room, I kept on thinking of what I was going to do. An obvious answer would be to try and get Shining to agree to do what needs to be done. Knowing I'm not his wife, he'll probably do it. But there's the chance he'll refuse. My only option that's bigger than that would be the help of... Princess Cadance herself! Of course!
She proved to me that she could still make contact with physical objects of the outside world! And she even proved that she could take control of the body. I don't know how I can pull it off, but maybe Phantom Cadance could do me some favors if she's up for it, and then Shining could do what we're both unable to do.
It may be flawed, but I'm losing options here.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Come in!" I say aloud.
The door opens and Chrysalis/Cheryl (tell you what... I'm calling her Cherylis) walked in.
"Hey... could I talk to you for a moment?" she asked.
"Uh... sure," I shrug. "What's up."
"I have to tell you something important."
"What is it?"
"I need you to look me in the eyes and promise not to do anything physical."
I stared right at her. "Oh...kay?"
She took a deep breath.
"My name is Cheryl Blaine," she said. "And my father, George Blaine, was the man that kept you hostage for almost two weeks."