I got up early the next morning and bid Babs goodbye with a promise of a future visit. Now that the area near her salon was safe, things would go more smoothly for her. Neon begged to accompany me on this little trip, but I declined. I wanted him to give the report to both Quick and Cork. Not to mention the shininess of the Empire would distract him from focusing properly.
After the long train ride, I arrived in the crystalline station only to be met with five guards who awaited my arrival.
“Halt!” The Crystal guards pointed their spears at me. I rolled my eyes. Royal Guards were glorified greeters, but I didn’t want to cause a scene. I simply followed without question. No time to take in the sights this time.
“Talk about an audience. Am I that important?” I joked as I was led straight to the castle. The guards had a goalpost formation going so I wouldn’t attempt an escape, but they weren’t amused at the crack I made. Smart. But I didn’t plan on anything. Yet.
In the back of my mind, I wondered if Cadance had been there. Maybe she would be willing to hear me out. Or not. To them, I was still largely a stranger, so who knows? I entered the throne room and to my surprise, only the Prince was there. Huh.
“Greetings, my good man.”
“Save it,” he interjected and rose from his throne, “did you bring what the guards said you had?”
I showed him the crystal that I had contained within an evidence bag, and he levitated it with his magic. “I found this from a griffon in Manehattan. Some kind of gift to the batpony race in Hollow Shades.”
As I expected, he believed none of it. I didn’t blame him though. It sounded as crazy as it was. “...Right. And you expect me to think that you’re telling the truth?” He took the red gem out of the bag, “Do you have any idea what this is?!”
So it would appear that those Crystal Guards appeared at the very tail end of the conflict when the griffons had already made their exit. As a result, the situation painted me in a more negative light, one that I couldn’t easily explain my way out of. Dammit. If only they had gotten there sooner. Such are the complications of my work. “...I do not.”
He shot me a rather annoyed look. “This is an Umbral Shard. This is what created King Sombra! Something like this could bring his spirit back, and you mean to tell me that you somehow have it after stating you want to also bring Cozy Glow back?”
I nearly fell over. The King Sombra? That was news to me. But now, my other work was being tarnished by mere association. “Listen, I have no intention of resurrecting the King.”
“And yet you want to free Cozy Glow, right?”
I couldn’t lie. “Well...yes.”
“And that’s the problem,” He stomped on his way over to me, “The fact remains that you’re in possession of an item that could have devastating effects on my home--and possibly the world while spouting some sort of twisted rhetoric about giving another chance to one of our most dangerous enemies.”
Damn. I couldn’t exactly do much to prove my innocence there. There were no other witnesses outside of Babs and Neon, but to drag the mare into this would possibly get the rest of her family involved. And for my bat friend, well, he had been through enough as it was.
For now, I would have to lose the stronger cards in my hoof to gain an advantage next turn.
“...I don’t have much else to say. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do to make you understand.”
“I understand alright. You’ve manipulated my wife and kid into thinking Cozy Glow deserves passages, and now you’re carrying around dangerous artifacts that could kill us all,” the unicorn leaned in close to intimidate me, “And then you have the stones to try and think you’re going to convince my sister of anything? You have a lot to learn.”
I wasn’t moved. From what I had heard through the pipeline, Shining was a rather kind and gentle ruler. I guess now that his child has gotten older along with having more responsibilities as a monarch, stress took its toll, and the stallion was more curt as a result. I despised that mentality, but I didn’t blame him. He was only doing his job based on the evidence that had been provided.
Though, I cursed to myself. There had to be a way for me to make this better without causing a scene. “...Nothing. I’ve done nothing wrong, so I have no words for you, sir.”
“In that case, you can stay quiet in one of the holding cells until I decide what’s necessary for you,” he commanded with a stomp of his hoof. Crystal guards rushed in and stood at my sides.
That’s when we heard the entrance swing open.
“We’re home!” the Princess of Love called out.
“I got mom a cookbook so she won’t nuke the kitchen again,” Flurry Heart said with a cackle. Then they both laid eyes on me.
The pink mare spoke first, “...Shining--honey, what’s going on? Did something happen for you to call the Agency?”
So it would appear he summoned me without his wife’s input. Rather interesting.
“I’ll deal with you later,” he grumbled to me under his breath before he approached his family, “We’ve sort of run into a problem. This investigator who wants to set Cozy free came in with this,” with his magic, he showed them the demonic red gemstone I had found.
“Ah!” Both mares gasped.
“I-Is that the stuff that nearly caused the destruction of our home?” the daughter hid behind her mother.
Cadance was not afraid, though. In fact, she even took a closer look at it. “An Umbral Shard. Just where did this come from?”
“He brought it in,” Shining pointed at me, “he made up some story about getting it from some griffon or something. But because of the fact that he’s got nothing to prove his innocence, I don’t believe him. I feel it’s best to keep him here for a while until we really know what he’s doing.”
The Princess of Love shot her husband a look of confusion, and disappointment. “I...don’t understand. I thought you were just trying to get opinions on whether or not Cozy should be set free. Not start a whole war.”
“I have no intention of doing that,” I responded quickly in order to play the situation to my advantage.
“And yet we don’t know you,” Shining countered, “this could all be a plot to topple our home. I can’t take any chances for the sake of my Empire and my family.”
That’s when Flurry cut in, and flew between us, “Stuff it, dad. He protected me.”
“What?”
Wait, what? Did she not tell her parents about the incident with the bugbear?! What in the Luna-damn? I shook my head, “Flurry wait. There’s no need to--”
She turned to look at me, “Shhh, I’m making a heroic sacrifice here. Let me have this,” and she continued, now looking at her parents again, “Mom, dad. On my visit to Ponyville a while ago, I ran into this guy.”
“Yeah...you explained that before,” Shining said with confusion, which quickly faded to concern, “what happened? Did something happen?”
“...Is there something you’re not telling us, kiddo?” Cadance asked.
“Okay…” Flurry would go on to explain how she and her friends followed me into the forest and helped me defeat the bugbear. While it was noble, I feared for the child and how her parents would react once the story was finished. “...but he kept us safe until we beat it. It was our fault for following him.”
“I see…” Cadance let out a sigh as she closed her eyes to give it some thought.
Shining, however, was not so relaxed. “Flurry? What the hoof is wrong with you? Why would you do such a crazy thing?”
“Hey, I wanted to fight something like you and mom used to. It’s the only way I’m gonna get stronger.”
“But following somepony without their permission is ridiculous. What if he was leading you to your death?!”
Flurry took a step back, offended by such a thought, “Um...what?! Mr. Vest would never do that!”
“And how do you know? Alright, look...I don’t have time for this. Just go to your room, Flurry.”
“But--”
To my surprise, Cadance would agree, “Flurry Heart, do as your father says. You aren’t grounded. We just need to take care of business.”
“Fine…” she floated off the ground with a flap of her wings before she teleported out with a shine of her horn.
“And you…” the prince unicorn addressed me, “you had better be lucky I don’t throw you in a dungeon.”
My eyes narrowed to peeved slits, “It was their decision, not mine.”
“I don’t believe a word you say at this point,” he shot back, “how do I know you didn’t purposefully lure her there?”
Damn. Once again, I had nothing to prove my innocence in that respect. It was a massive misunderstanding, but I didn’t hate the Prince for suspecting me. I would’ve done the same if I were in his position.
“Ahem.” Cadance cleared her throat and finally opened her eyes. I could feel her blood rushing. She was...mad, annoyed, frustrated? I couldn’t tell. Her emotions were too conflicting to get a proper read. “So you felt it was necessary to summon him without telling, did you?”
Another surprise. The prince looked a bit nervous now. I suppose the wrath of one’s other half was nothing one should toy with. “Well...I had a good reason for it!”
The pink mare didn’t know what to think by this point. She probably wanted to get this over with fast, so she simply asked me a question. “Pale Vestige?”
“Yes?”
“Do you still wish to set Cozy Glow free?”
“...Yes,” I responded with a droop of my head.
“And did you know just what sort of crystal this was?”
“No.”
I could almost feel her mentally weigh her options. Silence filled the throne room for what felt like forever. “Ugh...you leave me no choice. For now, you will stay in one of our guest rooms until we can make a decision.”
I sighed. There was nothing I could do here other than accept and make it smoother for all of us. “Understood.” The crystal guards escorted me out of the throne room and and to one of the guest rooms upstairs. I was at least grateful to not be sent to a dungeon for now.
One of the guards opened the door and I peeked in. It was a rather...nice looking room to say the least. A carpet, a bed, a desk, and a toilet. It was actually the size of a small bedroom. Looked a bit like one too. Hm. Wonder who had anything to do with that.
In any case, I went in and lied down. This wasn’t the first time I was imprisoned someplace, and I knew it likely wouldn’t be the last. Nothing to do now but wait for them to come to a decision.
How annoying.
Meanwhile…
“Shining, are you sure he’s really trying to hurt us?”
“I’m just doing this until we can figure out just what he’s talking about. I’m tired of risking potential threats to our safety by not taking action first. This will ensure nothing will happen.”
Cadance sighed, “If you think so...but even still, what should we do about Flurry?”
“...Maybe post a guard in Ponyville just in case she ever goes back.”
“Shining…”
“It’s just for safety reasons!” He explained with a nervous smile, “You don’t want anything to happen to her, do you?”
“No...but we need to talk to her. She should at least know what she did wrong so she won’t make the same mistake again.”
They got to her room…
“No way, guys,” Flurry responded indignantly, “You always taught me to look out for my friends. And if one is in trouble, I help. I’m an alicorn with loads of magic, I can handle these things.”
“Listen, kiddo...the rough part about life is understanding that not everypony is your friend.” The unicorn sat on her bed and put a hoof around her, “You’re going to encounter certain...individuals that want to trick you and--”
“Listen, dad. I know what kind of pony that guy is. I could feel it in his heart. He’s not going to hurt anyone.”
Cadance used her magic to levitate her husband away for a moment and took his place next to Flurry. “What your father was trying to say was...you did a good job defending yourself and looking out for somepony else. So we’re not going to punish you...this time.”
“What?!” Shining shouted.
The pink alicorn shot him a mean look.
“I mean...of course. Your mother’s right. We’ll let this one slide today,” he said with a forced smile which hid his defeated huff. “Still not letting him go free just yet.”
“Okay...thanks, I guess,” Flurry said back while she looked through a comic book.
The two rulers of the Empire let their child be and shut the door. Once they did, Flurry began to work her magic…
Meanwhile, in Ponyville…
Cheerilee had finished up her tutoring duties for the day and had some news she wanted to share with Pale. “Well that’s strange…” However, he wasn’t home. So she went to the antique shop/investigation agency to find out more.
“Um...hello?” she tapped on the door, and a batpony answered.
“Top of the mornin’, madam,” It was Neon, “What can I do for you?”
The schoolteacher tilted her head to get a better look. The bat ponies were very rare, and it surprised her to see one out here in the town. But that was beside the point. “Yes, um, is mr. Vestige here? I’d like to speak to him if I can.”
“He’s flat out, mate. Gone to the Empire for some summons or whatever. Don’t know when he’ll be back.”
“I see...well, thank you!” Cheerilee flashed a smile and it quickly faded. She couldn’t help but worry for her new friend.
Then a day passed…
And another…
And another…
Cheerilee was now rightfully concerned. However, she was unable to go all the way to the Empire herself, given that she had to make time for the students. “Oh...come on, Cheery, think. Who has so much time on their hooves that they could go anywhere anytime they wanted?”
That’s when it hit her. She made a beeline for a house at the edge of Ponyville.
“...so I’d like you to go to the Empire. I asked his friends if they could, but they said something along the lines of ‘we have allies stationed there, so they’d contact us if there was something wrong’ since they have another agency in the Empire. Even so, I still want to make sure nothing’s wrong. Can you do that for me?”
The green earth pony mare nodded slowly. “Totally, Teach. I can use it as a chance to expand my home business anyways. I’ll totally head out when I’m done with this next set of brownies. In fact, I might take him some.”
“Oh thank you...I’d appreciate that, Tree Hugger. I’ve been so caught up with teaching, and then I met up with this stallion recently. You might know him actually...” she blushed.
“Oh wow...I hope things work out between you two, sis.”
Cheerilee rolled her eyes. This wouldn’t be the first time. “Yup, so do I, heh…”
In the Empire…
My third day here. I knew things wouldn’t get much worse. Guttersnipe and Flash Drive were both stationed here. If I was truly in danger, they’d have come after me by now. To be quite honest, it wasn’t so bad. I was able to relax here and gather my thoughts for a potential trial hearing if it came to that.
I heard the clopping of hooves outside the door, and found myself face-to-face with the young alicorn princess when she teleported inside the room.
“Fl--”
“Shh.” With a flick of her horn, she teleported a full course meal in front of me on a tray. Vegetable spaghetti with mushrooms, a freshly tossed hay salad, and a mug filled with freshly brewed iced honey tea. “I need a second opinion. Mom and I cooked dinner and I felt like you were being left out.”
“Are you sure this is…” I tilted my head. Just what was her aim here? Did I--oh wow. The food smelled rather delicious. A far cry from the simple three apples I was given. Without hesitation, I stuffed my face. Part of my mind cringed out of embarrassment in front of the young princess, but I didn’t care. I needed some real food. “...Thank you.”
She clapped her hooves, “Yes! I knew you’d like it! But please forgive me for my dad. He’s got this...part of him that feels like he needs to be more in control than before.”
“Before?” I asked, as I finished sipping the mug. Out of nowhere, it refilled itself. Did she sense what I wanted?
She sat down on the floor, “Before I was born...dad used to be at the top of his game. He helped thwart the Changelings and Sombra. Sure, he had help from mom, but he played an important role. But then...I was born. And he slowly faded into the background so to speak. On occasion he’d have a moment of saving me or mom but he was never given the chance to be in the spotlight anymore,” she looked down, “so now that I’m a bit older, and he rules the Empire alongside mom, he feels the need to be more...serious. I understand why, but I wish he wouldn’t...blech. What am I saying?”
“Hm?”
The alicorn giggled, rolled her eyes, and stood up, “Sorry. I’m just talking your ear off with problems that you simply can’t solve. I know I need to talk to him a bit more, so you don’t have to say anything. For now, just...lie low. I’m sure he’ll release you soon.”
I smiled and flopped on the bed after finishing the meal. It was amazing to the point where I felt like I could simply fall asleep and never wake up. “I’m in no rush...your father’s a good stallion and has every right not to trust me. From his perspective, I could easily be a corrupt officer.”
She stood and stomped her hoof, “Bullshit! Don’t say things like that, sir. I can see in your heart that you’re a pure individual.”
“...Well-intentioned? Yes. Pure...I dunno about all that.”
“You know what I mean,” she shot me a smirk and teleported the tray and dirty dishes away, “If I have time, I’ll see ya tomorrow. I have lots of preparations to make for my gala dress.”
“Don’t trip,” I replied with a tired smile.
“Heh, yeah right. Like I’d ever let Pound see that!” And with a flash of her horn, she was gone just as quickly as she had appeared.
I lied down to rest for a while, and soon, the night crept up once more. Darkness consumed the earth, and it was another quiet, uneventful evening.
That is, until I heard a knock outside. I turned on the light in the room.
I looked up and found a box that had been placed there. I opened it to find brownies. Huh. No prizes for guessing who sent these. It was a nice snack so I decided to have about three before bed.
That was a mistake.
I tossed and turned, unable to shake the feeling that something was trying to get inside of my head. But it wasn’t Luna. Not this time. It was something else. I could tell, because the voice in my head was male.
“Face me.”