The last week had been quite hard for Twilight, not only because of the nervousness that the presence of the elite troops of the princesses caused in the town, they had unleashed a torrent of questions, a trend that fortunately had almost disappeared, no, what had made her week heavy, was that there were not any further news from the royal guard, plus the small pulses (which could not be called small, after all, if she could feel them so clearly, it was sure that the other princesses felt it too) of magic that had been going on in all directions since the fifth day after the original, and they had proven to be quite elusive and difficult to track, they lasted very little, so no location spell worked, all this added to the constant questions generated by the presence of the soldiers, was what had made it unbearable.
* BRUUP *, in the distance the sound of Spike receiving a letter from the princess was heard, but the Alicorn was so focused on finding a way to reduce the time needed for detection that she did not hear him.
"Twilight!"
A small, plump-looking dragon, with lavender scales all over its back and greenish-yellow on its belly, with green eyes and spikes, ran into the room with a scroll in its claws, it was the assistant/son/brother of the princess of friendship, a baby dragon that she had hatched herself during her entrance exam to the 'School for Gifted Unicorns'.
"Hmm? Ho no, I think that's not good news; what's up to Spike? did the princesses find anything?"
"I don't know, the letter is marked urgent, it asks you to go to Canterlot along with the others as soon as possible."
"I think two hours should be enough, could you go find Pinkie Pie and Rarity, tell them to meet me here in two hours, ready to go a day or two to Canterlot, while I'll go get Applejack Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash; if I'm not wrong, the next train leaves in three and a half hours, so that will be enough time. "
They were both about to run away when a guard interrupted them.
"I will notify your escort immediately, princess."
Arrrgh not again!
"Sigh… okay, have one of your stallions accompany Spike, and a personal escort will suffice for me, Captain Blaze."
Upon receiving his orders, he directed one of the guards stationed at the door to accompany the dragon, then the captain took one of the guards patrolling the corridor to accompany him as an escort.
Two hours later, all the elements of harmony were gathered in the map room, the last to arrive was the farmer, the element of honesty, an orange earthpony that wore her blonde mane and tail tied by a red band, and on her flank was a cutie mark composed of three apples, on his head she wore her inseparable Stetson, a hat that had been a gift from her late father and on her back she carried the saddlebags full and ready for the trip.
"Welcome Applejack." Twilight greeted her.
"Now that we are all here, we can begin, I am sure you have all noticed the presence of six platoons of soldiers in Ponyville."
There was a round of affirmative sounds and nods.
"Did you also notice that they are not wearing the uniform we normally see?"
This time the only one who answered was Rarity, a pure white unicorn with well-groomed purple mane and tail, blue eyes, a refined voice, and her cutie mark was three diamonds, she was the owner of the Carrousel boutique and the element of generosity.
"I noticed my dear, but isn't that just a new uniform design?"
"No Rarity, their armor is different because they are not the royal guard, but rather the solar and lunar guards respectively, they are the elite personal guard of the princesses."
Before this news, there were only faces of confusion in response, who broke the silence was the somewhat hoarse voice of the sky blue Pegasus, she had as a cutie mark of single tricolor lightning coming out of a cloud, her eyes were of light cherry color and her mane and tail wore the colors of the rainbow, it was Rainbow Dash, one of the fastest pegasi in Equestria and the element of loyalty.
"I don't understand, why did they send so many soldiers? did they don't remember that we are here?"
The polychromatic said with great confidence.
"You are wrong, Dash, it is because we are here precisely, that they were sent."
"Huu?"
"The princess has requested our presence, that's why I wanted to tell you first why these guards are here, I'm not sure if any of you will have felt it, but about two weeks ago, there was a great magical eruption, mmm ... although such Maybe it would be better to call it gigantic, and even then I am not entirely sure that the scale is sufficient.
"Sorry sweetheart, but I think a' don't follow y'a" -interrupted Applejack-
"Ok, to put it more clearly mmm… do you remember that technique that you showed us a long time ago? the one with which you could harvest apples from more than one tree at the same time with a single buck?"
"O' course a' do, but what does tha' have to do with it?"
"Let's say, comparatively speaking, of course, that's the same range a normal magic eruption has, like when a newborn unicorn uses its magic by accident, it is normally stronger than the magic of an average adult unicorn, using that same scale; we could say that the size of the eruption of which I'm referring to, would be as if you could use that same technique on all the trees from here to Appleloosa and probably further. "
Then, everyone was able to understand a little better the magnitude of the event in question, multiple sounds and exclamations of astonishment were heard.
"Now that you mention it, dear, a couple of weeks ago I felt a horrible chill that woke me up at night, and I was shaking for several minutes, you are telling me that..."
"Exactly Rarity, normally only Alicorns are capable of sensing these eruptions, but this one was so big and so fast that we couldn't even pinpoint which direction it came from."
A delicate-voiced pegasus that had a pale yellow coat, raised its head, poking out one of its kind but terrified aqua-colored eyes from under her mane, which was a soft pink color like its tail, and reached up to the knees of its front legs, while its wings were pressed against its torso.
"By 'we could', you mean someone else could feel it, other than you and Princess Celestia?"
"Princess Luna could also feel it, I felt it while I was reading and broke in two the book that I was holding in my magic accidentally, also, I almost suffocated, I couldn't even breathe for almost a minute by the lingering feeling, as far as I know, even Cadence, in the crystal empire, must have been able of feeling it, we all feel the same, fear, no, terror, despair, whatever caused the eruption, it is something evil, beyond anything else that exists on record.
They were all like hypnotized as they tried to digest this information.
"Also" -continued Twilight- "since 9 to 10 days ago, smaller pulses have been presenting all around, although not as big as the original, they are still powerful, and although its signature is dark it is not as dark as the original, but they appear and disappear everywhere, so I have not been able to locate anyone specifically."
Even Poniville's official party planner pony, the ever cheerful and hyperactive Pinkie Pie, an earthpony whose cutie mark consisted of three different colored balloons, with a coat of a shade of pink like cotton candy, was focused on the subject, her blue eyes did not reflect her usual playfulness and her fluffy mane of a slightly darker pink than her coat, just as his tail was slightly deflated.
"So wha' do y'a think the princess 's calling us for?"
"I'm not entirely sure Applejack, but she probably got new information or maybe she managed to locate some of the smaller magic pulses, let's just hope it's not something bad, now we have to hurry, the train will not take long to arrive at the station, are everypony all ready? "
"Y-yes" -said Fluttershy, showing her saddlebags-
"Of course dear," Rarity said, with at least fifteen suitcases behind her.
"Yeperoni!" -Pinkie Pie said as she put on her saddlebags from which streamers hung-
"O' course a' do!" -Applejack said, tapping the saddlebags on her flanks-
"Arrgh!, let's go nooow!" -Said Rainbow, who was already in the air-
"We're ready" -said Spike, who was carrying Twilight's saddlebags in his claws-
"Well then, let's go; Captain Steel Wing, have you finished your preparations?"
Twilight asked the Soldier who was guarding the wall behind her.
"Indeed, your highness, the four platoons are ready and waiting at the station, except for the two squadrons that will serve as the main escort."
"Then let's go, Princess Celestia is waiting for us."
The captain gave a salute and walked out behind the mares, leaving the castle, at the entrance were the platoons that would escort them all the way, for almost all of them it was strange and uncomfortable to be escorted to Canterlot, only Pinkie and Rarity were not being bothered by them in the least, the first maintained his jovial and bubbly attitude, the second enjoyed the escort and the glances she attracted as they passed, it goes without saying that as always she abused the lovely Spike, treating him like a pack donkey, to not carry a single suitcase herself... as always.
The whole process passed without any problem, except for the curious glances and the occasional whisper; upon reaching the castle and entering the throne room, the view that received them was not entirely welcoming, the princesses had canceled the royal court for the day, in the throne room there were no subjects of Equestria, there were only representatives of the races most sensitive to magic; In addition to Luna and Celestia, they were:
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the princess of love and ruler of the crystal empire, as well as Twilight's ex-nanny and sister-in-law, an Alicorn with soft pink fur, with a tricolor mane and tail of purple, magenta, and soft yellow, kind violet eyes that were happy to see them, were directed to them, in their wings, they had mixed pink and violet feathers that gave them a lilac gradient appearance, their cutie mark was a crystal heart with two garlands springs to the sides.
King Thorax, a reformed Changeling that was covered of mostly light and dark green tones Chitin, with membranous, slightly purple wings and tail, the former protected by a carapace of a wine color, like that of beetles, his eyes of a solid purple color looked at them, on his neck were three shiny rhomboids that looked more like a diamond necklace, crowning his head were a pair of antlers that looked more like the pincers of an ant with a bright orange color and in the center of its forehead a slightly curved horn, with a small bifurcation at the tip.
King Aspen, a white Deer that had an elongated soft caramel color spot that covered from its tail to his forehead, where it ended in the shape of a heart, he has antlers in which wore gold ornaments with encrusted gems at the base of these, his mint green eyes stared at them, his hooves were covered in a kind of guard of golden scales that reached halfway down his legs, and he had the tips of the ears and tail had a spot of black color.
An Abyssinian delegate, it was an upright feline with most of its fur in black color except for the belly, the tip of the tail, and the ears, these were white, it had on its shoulders a kind of ornate cape with threads of gold and a silver garland on his head, a symbol of an emissary from his country, his yellow eyes with vertical pupils looked at them attentively.
A delegate from Zebrica, with the typical hooves and the color pattern of her race, her sharp green eyes looked at him as if they were being measured, her mohawk barely exceeded the height of her ears, and her tail was clipped to half height. , the figure on her flanks was more like a mask, she wore loose earrings and necklaces made of gold and a half poncho on her shoulders in bright colors with embroidered figures.
In the closest place to the princesses, was the Dragon Lord Ember, a dragon with diamond-like blue scales, her belly was covered by turquoise scales, her spikes and the fin of her tail were an indigo color, the inner part of its wings was cobalt color, its deep red eyes, framed by its elongated snout and the downward and forward-curved horns that emerged from the sides of its head, looked at them with determination.
The M6 approached the throne and prostrated themselves.
"Please Twilight, get up, did I need to remind you that neither you nor the elements need to bow before me, you are a princess of Equestria, and the others are the protectors of it, they are also your council, if I remember correctly your castle has a throne to each one isn't it? " -Asked Celestia kindly-
"We all know it Princess Celestia, but we still do not feel comfortable if we do not do it, tell me, has something happened? The letter only said that it was an urgent meeting and that our presence was necessary."
Princess Luna took the floor.
"As you can see fair Twilight, representatives of both allied and neutral nations have gathered; those present here felt the magical eruption just like us, and came to express their doubts as they considered us the aptest to answer them."
"I didn't know that dragons were capable of sensing magic." -commented Twilight surprised-
"They are not, Twilight, the presence of the Dragon Lord Ember was what made me call you, the others have already been here for a couple of days." -Celestia replied-
"We were stuck, and the arrival of the dragon lord Ember sank us even more, we need to know what you found, let's all go to the meeting room to take a seat and talk about it." -Suggested the monarch of the sun-
Once everyone was seated in the meeting room, the servants served snacks and drinks for everyone present and after they left, Celestia resumed the conversation again.
"Tell me Twilight, are the elements aware of the situation?"
"That's right princess, I informed them of everything that happened before leaving for Canterlot."
"So, could you please report what you've been doing or discovered?"
"With pleasure, a little bit more than two weeks ago, a gigantic magical pulse of unknown origin was felt around all Equestria, I have searched at depth in the Canterlot archive, even the cristal empire one, but I was unable to find anything that gives even a silver of information about it, or any similar occurrence recorded in the past, after six to eight days of the original eruption, a series of smaller pulses started to appear everywhere, even if these smaller ones are on a lesser scale, they are still pretty powerful, they don look to have any kind of order, they are random and short-lasting, I have tried to pinpoint a location for anyone without luck, only getting vague directions, even with my best tracking spells, regrettably due to its short duration I have been awfully unable to triangulate any of them, so have been searching for ways to shorten the needed time to fully cast the spells, but I have not got any success until now."
"I see, so that's what it was about, apparently because you are the element of magic, you have a greater sensitivity to pulses, we had been feeling some discomfort from time to time but we had not been able to identify the reason."
"There is something else until now the pulses were daily, they varied in quantity and frequency, but they did not fail, however, three days ago they stopped completely."
"Tell me fair Twilight, were you able to gather some information from the pulses?" -Asked Luna-
"I only managed to get the general locations, and sometimes not even that."
"Sister, are you suggesting that these pulses may be connected to the emissaries' visiting motives?"
"What has happened?" -inquired curiously the youngest alicorn-
"You see Twilight, the representatives are not here for a mere diplomatic visit, in all their nations there have been disappearances that have not left any trace, and in those that have remained something, it's not entirely convincing, in almost all cases the abducted has been just a problematic individual, scammers, assailants or potential dangers, of all representatives, only King Thorax has not suffered disappearances, but they have felt a drastic change around him, as if they were being watched, so they stopped moving in small groups or alone, he thinks that is why they have not suffered disappearances yet. "
The one who spoke next was Cadence.
"Twilight, the representatives came to ask if we knew anything about it, we were trying to reach a defensive agreement between realms, at least until Ember arrived, that's when we decided to call you."
"Don't tell me, dragons have disappeared too!"
"Exactly" -answered the dragoness-
"That is the reason for my visit, to tell the truth, it had not caught our attention, young dragons are often lost, when exaggerating with something, but when an adult dragon disappeared from its cave along with everything it had accumulated, then we realized that it was not normal. "
Twilight, who was able to feel the original pulse, didn't have such a big reaction, however, the others couldn't contain their surprise.
""WHAT? "" (Dash and AJ)
"That's impossible!" (Spike)
"How can that be possible? (Rarity)
"Prrfffftt What ?!" (Pinkie was in the middle of drinking a glass of water for some reason, even though tea was poured into all the cups)
"I-i-is there s-s-something more s-s-scary than a-a d-dragon?" (Fluttershy)
Ember, who was bathed by Pinkie spit take, continued.
"Yes... (shakes the wing with which she protected herself) but when I arrived, found the meeting, while we were waiting for you, Princess Celestia brought me up to date with what was happening everywhere."
Ho no, it can't be, I hope I'm wrong.
After hearing everything Ember had to say, Twilight became tense, nervous, and lost some color in her face, hastily pulling from her tight saddlebags the data she had managed to gather from the pulses so far, the more information she reviewed, the more agitated she turned, a trend that continued until Celestia became aware of her condition and interrupted it.
"Twilight, you look bad, is something wrong?" -she asked with concern-
When Twilight was pulled out of the vicious circle she had fallen into and seeing everyone's concerned looks on her, she used the breathing technique that Cadence had taught her, to try to calm down.
Hoof to the chest, deep breath, hoof out and exhale...
She mentally repeated the instructions with each repetition, when she could finally calm down enough, began to explain.
"When the original eruption happened, chilled us to the bone, about 9 or 10 days ago, the smaller pulses began, although they can only be named as such when comparing them with the original since they were of pretty short duration, and inconsistent in the frequency of appearance as well, so I only got general directions, and all these small pulses stopped completely 3 days ago; adding to the mix the disappearances all of you talk about, I think I have already got some idea of what are the smaller pulses, and I have bad news to give you. "
There were expressions of worry from the representatives and Luna, but Celestia, Cadence, and the M6s were not accompanying them, the first ones, because they knew Twilight well, they knew her worried face well an there was something important to hear, and her friends, because they had already heard the full story and theories when they were with her on the train before.
"The first thing," -continued the youngest of the princesses- "is that with the information that I had obtained and the one that you have just contributed, I concluded that the smallest pulses are probably some type of teleportation spell, now I think that the appearance of these is not something so random As I thought at the beginning, you guys have come to talk about a few disappearances, and the evil pulse from two weeks ago, however, I think there are even more disappearances than anypony think, I recorded hundreds of pulses, in all directions, including some within the borders of those that we do not have diplomatic contact or are not present."
The princess of friendship turned her gaze on all the visitors, observing their reactions as they began to assimilate the new information, finally fixed her gaze on the other princesses and dropped the bomb.
"The second, is that one of two things have happened three days ago, the origin of these pulses has reached its objective or somehow it has sensed my attempts to pinpoint their location and it has a way to conceal them now, no matter what has happened, it's obvious that whatever it is, it is something very dangerous, and greater danger than any nation can handle by itself; this brings my third point, princess Celestia, Princess Luna, if you will allow me, I have a proposal for everyone."
"We hear you Twilight" -The sisters answered in unison-
"I propose to inform the other allied and neutral nations, sending them a letter that invites them to a meeting disguised as a public event to justify a great movement, not only of personnel from each nation, but also of soldiers for their security, I was planning my first festival as Princess of Equestria prior to these events, but I suppose I wouldn't mind using it as a cover for this reunion." -she let out a sigh-
"What I am proposing, specifically, is to launch invitations to all allied and neutral nations to participate in the festival of friendship."
The Diarchs spoke.
"That's a good idea Twilight"
"It is indeed a wonderful idea, my dear Twilight, but since we are not the only ones affected, let us listen to the opinions of those present on the matter, King Thorax?"
"Oh, hehe, heermn, if it does seem like a great idea to me, in the case of something or someone capable of taking an adult dragon away without making a fuss appears, it is definitely, not something that someone wanted to face alone, we will attend."
"King Aspen?" -Asked Luna-
"No deer had ever been lost in the forest before, those who were lost were veteran guards, there is simply no way they were eaten by anything in the Everfree forest, you can be sure that I will be there Princess Twilight."
"Emissary Meiyer?" -Asked Celestia-
"Prrr, I cannot affirm for my nation, but I am sure there will be no opposition once I report what happened, however, I would appreciate a written letter."
"Emissary Sebara?" -Asked Luna-
"For all the tribes I can not speak, but I'm sure that a letter will do the trick, this way I can show, that my words are not to be thrown, It is problematic on my own to be, but with that, I can assure affirmative the answer will be."
"Dragon Lord Ember?" -Asked Celestia-
"Although I completely agree, because of the size of mine subjects, I can only bring a small group, I will bring with me those who have the best disposition, even if I have to force them to have it."
"It is decided then." -Continuous Celestia-
"I will be in charge of creating the discreet letter for the negotiations and updating, Princess Twilight will be in charge of extending the invitation to the coverage event."
The monarch of the sun fixed her gaze on the element of magic.
"Tell me how long do you estimate it will take to organize your event?"
"Mmmmh... I think three months should be enough to get everything ready, so that nothing is overlooked, and if I can count on the help of the girls, I will be able to get everything ready without any setbacks!"
"Excellent, so in three months the event will be sponsored in Ponyville-"
"Excuse me sister, but given the number of individuals expected, wouldn't it be better to host it in Canterlot?" -Luna interrupted her-
"What's your opinion Twilight?"
"Princess Luna is right, the event was not originally intended for so many nations, so I think it would be best to change the location if you agree."
"Of course, that will not be a problem, then the meeting will be held under the umbrella of the festival in three months in Canterlot, I suggest to our allies that, during that time, they also work on a self-defense plan that does not affect joint defense; it would be unwise for someone to be left unprotected while we try to coordinate efforts."
There were affirmative answers, letters were delivered, cordial words were exchanged and they said goodbye to take their way home, the only ones to stay were the M6 and Spike, to begin planning the event.
"As always it's nice to see you Twili, regardless of the circumstances, since I don't have much to do with planning the event, I'll go with Shiny to tell him about the plans and see what we can come up with with the crystal guard to support you."
"Thank you very much Cadence, tell me, will you leave immediately?"
"No, we have plans to be in Canterlot until tomorrow."
"Good! Because I wish I could spend some time with you."
"Of course, it would be a pleasure, we plan to have dinner at your parents' house, if you are free by then, we can have dinner together."
"I'll be there!
With that, Cadence hugged Twilight and said goodbye.
"I also must take my leave Twilight, I have to rest a little before starting with my work and duties." -Luna said goodbye politely-
"Okay princess Luna, see you later, well then let's start planning, princess, what do you think is the best location for the event?"
"Hmm, given the number of visitors expected, I think it would be best to do it in the courtyard of the castle, so you can also avoid attracting attention when the emissaries or rulers go to the castle for the meeting."
"Okay then we will plan for that location, Pinkie Pie, do you think you can take care of the patio decoration and all the necessary arrangements for the entertainment?"
"Oki doki loki! It will literally, be the biggest party I've ever planned!"
"Rarity, could you contact some celebrities and invite them to participate in the event? we will offer them compensation for their participation, of course."
"I'm not sure how many I'll be able to get, but I'm sure Sapphire Shores won't refuse."
"The invitation has also been extended to artists that other nations wish to bring, indications were sent to confirm how many and names no later than a month, do you think it will be enough time to organize them?"
"That will be perfect, how wonderful, I will be able to meet artists from other countries!" -exclaimed with stars in her eyes the fashionist-
"Applejack, do you think you can take care of organizing the food stands?"
"It will be m'a pleasure, sugar cube, leave it in m'a hooves."
"As with the artists, the invitation to local meals has also been extended, you will have the same room to organize as Rarity."
"I'll do m'a best, don't worry."
"Fluttershy"
"Meep"… * Squeee * (embarrassed smile)
"Don't worry, what I was going to ask you was if you could organize some kind of nursery for pets in the castle gardens, tell me, can you?"
"Ooh yeah sure, it won't be a problem."
"Lastly, Rainbow Dash, you will be in charge of coordinating the weather team, I want you to have a perfect sunny day."
"Leave everything in my hooves, I'll take care of it, no problem."
Lastly, all of you remember, if you are overwhelmed don't try to do it all alone, ask for help."
"Very well, now, I am sure that all of you must be tired from the trip and the meeting, I had previously ordered that rooms be prepared for all of you to rest, if you wish to retire and rest, the servants will take you to your rooms." -offered the monarch of the sun-
When they said goodbye and began to leave Celestia called her former student.
"Twilight, can you wait a moment."
The princess of friendship said goodbye to the rest of the M6s promising to reach them in a moment.
"What's it princess, is something wrong?" -she asked when he saw her worried face-
"Tell me have you seen Discord recently?"
It was something that hadn't even crossed her mind.
Discord? Discord! how is it that it hasn't crossed my mind!, he is more sensitive to magic than we are! He might have more information about it, how could I have overlooked it!
"To tell the truth, I had not remembered him, if we called him, surely he must have more information than we do about the location or origin of the eruption!"
"Indeed, something similar had occurred to me before, but he simply did not respond to my call, that is why I asked you if you had contacted him by chance, I am worried that he will be convinced to betray us again."
"I doubt that is possible, he learned his lesson about falling into temptation well last time, I don't think is possible that something happened to him, but I will talk to Fluttershy anyway, maybe she knows something about him, knowing him, I'm sure he is watching us while eating popcorn or something like that. "
"Hopefully you are correct."
Four days before in the Nazarick throne room, the guardians had gathered to listen to the words of their master and report the most important news.
I have to work hard so that my 'vacation' is not spoiled.
"Okay, now, let's start with the reports, Albedo."
"Yes, Momonga-sama, the ships that patrol our shores, have not reported any news, the [Pirate Gosht Ship], have reported the presence of some escorted transport ships, apparently they are heading towards Equestria, so far, they only have found two, one controlled by a bipedal feline race in the eastern sea, crossing between our peninsula and the island of dragons, and one controlled by zebras in the south-west sea, judging by the small size of the escort, it seems to be some kind of emissaries and not rulers, they will arrive on the continent approximately within the next 24 hours, assuming they maintain their speed. "
"Hoo, interesting is sooner than I expected."
Emissaries, why? what happened? *ghasph* don't tell me they had already discovered us and are planning something! ( ES) nonono, don't, calm down, it must be something else, we have been careful, aarrgggh, but-
When he was about to continue falling deeper into this spiral of worry, Demiurge's face and exclamation of surprise interrupted him.
"Sugoi Momonga-sama!" (Had to put at least one xd)
"Mmmhm, what's wrong Demiurge?"
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you in any way!"
"Albedo, is there anything else in your report?"
"No Momonga-sama, that was it."
"As you can see, you haven't truly interrupted anything, since you're next."
"My sincerest apologies for causing you inconvenience, but I just couldn't contain my joy when I managed to catch a glimpse of your great intellect."
Hey, what are you talking about? I just thought it would look awkward just nodding!
"I'm sure you knew beforehand, but according to recent data, my report is connected to that of the guardian supervisor."
"Still, I want to hear your thoughts, start with your report."
"Yes, Momonga-sama! Even though you had already foreseen it, I am ashamed to say that I overlooked the fact that it was possible to discern our location somehow."
At this comment, all the guardians tensed and turned their gaze to the arch-demon.
"The explorers stationed in the town that you are going to visit, report that some inherently magical creatures of this world, are capable of sensing the use of powerful magic, according to their report, the minor noble, and probably other Alicorns, have been able to feel our arrival in this world, and the use of the portals, she has been trying to track the opening of these, but thanks to its inefficient methods, it has only been able to gather generalities, due to this I thought about proposing the use of blockers of high-level magical perception, but I'm sure that was already among the orders you were about to deliver, wasn't it? "
"Your guess is correct Demiurge."
Noooo, it hadn't even occurred to me!, please don't look at me like that, aaaha, if Punito moe-san was here he would have gotten mad at me for forgetting something so basic.
"Since it has been proven that some can track our magic, from this moment on, any operative with a level higher than 75 that comes out of the tomb, must be equipped with anti-magic detection items, you still have more to report, right?"
"Yes, reports have come from the explorers deployed to the south in the lands beyond the sea, they report that there is a militarized kingdom in these lands, it seems to be expanding by conquest in a relatively constant way, judging by the speed of expansion is He will probably try to attack Equestria in about three months, apparently he has in his possession an item capable of stealing the magic of the princesses, unfortunately, the spies have not been able to find how he will do it or what the item is, the leader keeps his mouth shut about."
Too bad, this means that my vacations are not going to last or rather they are over before they start!, but I can't ignore it, such an item could be dangerous, well then.
"We cannot ignore an item with those capabilities, order the spies keep us aware of all their movements, and that they find out as much as possible without revealing themselves, they cannot reveal themselves to anyone, facing the unknown without any preparation is the fool's way. "
"I see, so that's your plan, it's splendid!"
Ho no, now that was what you read between the lines.
"I will do my best to follow your wishes and fulfill your expectations, Momonga-sama!"
"Mmhm, I'm counting on you."
Argh, I hope this doesn't come back to bite my skeletal butt!
"Mare"
"Y-yes, Momonga-sama."
"How are the experiments with the materials obtained?"
The dark elf was ashamed to have been startled when the word was addressed, and this was reflected in his flushed cheeks.
"W-with the samples obtained, replacements have been achieved f-for all the potions and scrolls of minor tier, at the moment, Titus is doing experiments to see if something can replace the ingredients of the mid-range consumables, t-the samples more p-promising are those that have been collected in the forest in the center of the continent, the properties of unknown samples are also being tested, th-that s-it would be all in m-my report. "
"Aura, has there been any news in the forest?"
"Yes, Momonga-sama, I have found on the eastern side of the forest, near some ruins, a natural city with a druid appearance, inhabited by what appear to be deer, I caught some soldiers who engaged in combat with a beast that I was about to overcome them, while one was fighting them, others were surrounding them, also, almost in the northern part I managed to locate what seem to be the ruins of the previous castle of the rulers of Equestria, judging by the signs it does not seem to be completely abandoned, there are traces weeks to months apart, there are plenty of books inside, but I don't touch anything until I asked your opinion first. "
"Well done Aura, your behavior was correct, we need information, so the books should be a good source of it, mmm ... talk to Titus, tell him to assign half of his direct minions to go with you to these ruins, they must make an inventory of the books as well as a copy of them, the copy is the priority, the translation can be done later calmly when we have them here, remember the priority is not to be seen if any presence approaches them they will have to withdraw immediately."
"It will be done as you say Momonga-sama, also in the ravine next to the castle, in a cave almost in the depths, next to the river that runs through the forest, there is what seems to be a kind of crystal tree, it radiates a kind of AoE similar to the sacred element, although its range is not much it seems to be bad for creatures of the evil inclination. "
"That's interesting, the castle books probably have some information on it."
"That would be all in my report Momonga-sama."
"Mmhm, Cocytus."
"Ha, there has been. No new. Attempt. At. Meddling, the. Captured. Creature. Has. Not. Regained. Consciousness, it appears. that Received. More damage. Than. Anticipated, its. Nature. Has not. allowed. normal. healing. spells. so. we. can. only. wait. for. it. to. heal. itself, currently. he. is. in a. containment. cell. on. the. fifth. floor."
"Excellent, whatever information is obtained about him, I want it to be communicated to me immediately."
"So. It will be done. Momonga-sama."
"Lastly, Shalltear."
To say that the guardian of the first three floors was nervous and worried would be wrong, she was practically shaking with fear and shock, it all started right after hearing Demiurge's report, and the push that sent her to despair was to remember the Cocytus's combat, that's why as soon as his master spoke to her, she practically shattered like glass.
"I'm so sorry Momonga-sama!"
Eeeeeeehh
"My failure is without excuse! I must have realized that the portals I opened were being tracked, I beg you to punish this incompetent doe! If you don't want to get your hands dirty with my useless per-"
"Silence Shalltear!" -Commanded with a loud and firm voice, the Overlord, stood up and hit the butt of the staff on the ground.
Aaaha, that's overdoing it with dedication, isn't it?
Shalltear trembled, even more, thinking she had caused her master even more annoyance.
Nooooo, but what did I just do! What if he thinks I'm too inept and discards me? ho no! Worse yet, if he decides because of me that we are not worth it and decides to abandon us? wild no be able to live with that even for a minute!
But the words she heard, were not at all what she expected.
"I never want to hear you talk about yourself like that again!"
He separated his sight from Shalltear who was on her knees and with her head on the ground, to sweep her gaze from the rest of the guardians.
"The same goes for everyone, none of you are useless!, you are all the wonderful creations of my friends, you are the testimony of the power of Ainz Ooal Gown!, you are not something useless or disposable."
He returned his gaze to the kneeling figure and continued speaking.
"Raise your head."
The image he received was so unexpected, that his surprise activated his inhibitor several times, Shalltear, the true vampire, cursed knight, had the face of a girl who had never been scolded by her parents when she received the first call of attention, the eyes with waterfalls of tears, mouth agape, undecided whether to pout or speak, nose running, and all while having little spasms, then Momonga decided to use the outlet that Demiurge had created for him.
"Shalltear, up to this moment you have not fallen in fault, it is the result of my plans, in other words, it is a result not only expected, but also desired, on the contrary, I apologize for the fact that you suppose you have failed, now listen to me well my guardians, even when failure is not desirable, this is not a shame when everything possible has been done to avoid it! but not learning anything from it and making the same mistakes it is a shame! "
Woooh, that turned out great, I have to keep reading more of those books on how to manage staff as I have been doing until now at night, I think I should also start reading management books.
Albedo interrupted the Overlord's internal monologue with her devotion.
"We will engrave your words in our hearts and strive to death to fulfill your will Momonga-sama, this I swear!"
The rest of the guards followed the example of the supervisor and while they were all on their knees they said in chorus:
"" "" This I swear! "" ""
Well, I think this has already been resolved, now I only have to think about how I am going to stay afloat in the town, I can't just have money for everything, that would be very suspicious, I have it!, a variety store would be a good idea, I think there was another in town if I remember correctly it was mentioned in one of the reports, bargain-something, but considering the quality of what you get with the creation scrolls there should be no problem in terms of competitiveness.
"Your determination is pleasing to me, now let's move on to the next topic."
Momonga said as he seated again.
"Tomorrow we will use [Gate] to appear in a corner out of reach of curious eyes in the city of Manehattan, there we will look for where to sell or pawn what the prisoners were carrying, even though we already know that our Yggdrasil gold coins are worth twice as much as their counterparts in this world according to the [Exchange box] we will not use them, that would be simply shouting from the rooftops that we are not from this world, we only need to check the real monetary value of the samples we obtained, that is our main objective in the city. "
Apart from getting rid of that garbage
"After which we will take the train to Poniville, upon arrival, we will go to the mayor's office to buy a piece of land near the Everfree forest, and a place in the center of town, to establish the cover of our future income, this is a peaceful society, a place like this, we will dominate it with business easily."
Of course, if the southern kingdom decides to attack Equestria, we will not waste the opportunity to offer assistance and build good relations.
"Fufufu, of course, that we won't forget the south either, fufufu."
Upon hearing the laughter of their master, the servants present could only reflect it, if Momonga had paid attention, he would have realized that of those smiles two were especially malicious, the owners of these were happy because they believed they had understood part of the secret plan hinted at by his master, a plan of which said 'master' was not even aware.