//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: Pony Veracity // by keithsterling //------------------------------// "For I am Imperial Prince Justice Silverlight, the great-grandson of Empress Galaxy Cosmos…My great grandmother." Justice said regally as Imperial Alicorn mare gasped with shock. “So Imperial Alicorn mare, I must ask you to release that terran Alicorn mare. You are holding against her will…She is under the protection of the Infinity Star Sector Royal family." Justice said decisively as Twilight's eyes blinked incredulously as a tear ran down her cheek. "I am sorry, your imperial highness, but I must decline the offer to release this terran Alicorn mare. Because I am not finished with her yet!" The Imperial Alicorn mare said warning as she brought her energy wakizashi to Twilight's throat. “I suggest terran Alicorn you don't move a muscle…my energy blade can cut through anything, and your soft flesh will be no problem." The Imperial Alicorn mare said with veiled warning as Twilight watched with numbed horror as she felt the energy coming off the blade near her throat. “Imperial Alicorn mare, are you refusing an imperial command! You better have a good reason to be doing that! That is treason!" Justice said hotly as the Imperial Alicorn mare blinked excessively as her babies are the most important to her. “A male unicorn with a beard... pony napped my babies! Why I slept and took my Epoch with the history of this planet! She said she could lead me to my babies!" The Imperial Alicorn mare voice cracked as she tightened her grip on Queen Twilight Sparkle. "A bearded male unicorn? Luna, is she talking about your teacher?" Justice asked as he spoke to the hidden Luna as he kept his focus on the Imperial Alicorn mare holding Queen Twilight Sparkle hostage. “It might be, Justice? But pony napping her babies? Why would he?" Luna said, uncertain as she shifted her foot, revealing her five elegant toes painted with deep pink toenail polish from the corner of the building. "Who is behind that building!? Come out this instance, or I'll kill this terran Alicorn mare!” The imperial Alicorn mare threatening as she noticed the five elegant toes painted with deep pink toenail polish from the corner of the building. "Come out, Princess," Justice said as the figure slowly stepped out from behind the building with her hands in the air and joined Justice. “Yet another terran Alicorn mare!” The Imperial Alicorn mare said as she gave a look of uneasy puzzlement seeing another terran Alicorn mare. "This princess of the moon and like that terran Alicorn mare you are holding hostage. She is under the protection of the Infinity Star Sector Royal family." Justice explains as the Imperial Alicorn mare gives a start of surprise. "Your Imperial Highness, you are interfering with this planet's time progression by protecting these terran Alicorn mares." The Imperial Alicorn mare said bluntly as Luna's face glazed with shock. "I was given special permission by the Empress to protect these terran Alicorn mares," Justice comments as the imperial Alicorn mare blink with surprise knowing it is rare for her Empress to give that permission. "The only way the Empress will give that permission is if an Imperial Alicorn is mated to terran Alicorn mare…Is the Imperial Highness mated to one of you mares?" The Imperial Alicorn mare said, suspicious as the two terran Alicorn mares gape in stunned silence. "No! He is mated to me! The princess of the sun and terran Alicorn mare." A third mare voice called as the imperial Alicorn mare watched an older and taller Terran Alicorn mare walk down the path toward the group with her hands in the air. “Sister!” Luna exclaimed "Your timing is perfect, my love," Justice said, relieved as an older and taller terran Alicorn mare walked up to Justice and kissed him. "Went you two didn't return to the camp for dinner…I got worried and came to see what happened to you two." Celestia explains as she looks toward Queen Twilight Sparkle being held hostage by the Imperial Alicorn mare. "What is going on here, my love?" Celestia asked as she noticed that Luna's face grew haggard with worry. “This Imperial Alicorn mare said that your teacher, Star Swirl the bearded...pony napped her babies why she slept. Stole her magic history book from her," Justice explains as Celestia goddess features fell upon hearing that Imperial Alicorn mare babies were pony napped. "Imperial Alicorn mare, please believe me…I understand how you feel. For I am a mother as well. I can only imagine how it hurt to have your babies taken from you. But that is no justification to hold Twilight hostage. If you release Twilight, I will help you locate your babies." Celestia said, offering as tears ran down Lara’s cheeks as she released Twilight. "How are you, Twilight?" Justice asks as he quickly checks Queen Twilight Sparkle over. "I am fine, Justice…Princess, please ask the Imperial Alicorn mare her name!" Queen Twilight Sparkle insists as Luna and Celestia stand as if shot and are waiting to fall with Twilight's insistence. "Imperial Alicorn Mare, what is your name?" Celestia asked as Lara looked toward the Terran Alicorn mare. “My name is Timekeeper Administrator Lara Borealis; I am an Imperial Alicorn historian and artifact collector from the Great Library Citadel Station from Imperial Alicorn space," Lara said as sudden spurts of adrenaline course through Luna and Celestia's veins. "Borealis???" Luna and Celestia exclaim simultaneously as both terran Alicorn mares grab onto the sides of their heads as if something is preventing them from remembering their past. Before long, the two terran Alicorn mares pass out. A few hours later, slowly, the eyes of the two terran Alicorn mares open up. Celestia's younger daughter, Princess Blueberry Swirl Silverlight, is the first sight that greets them as she trains as a Solar Guard Medic pony. "Mother and Auntie, how do you feel?" Blueberry asked as she placed the stethoscope ends into her ears and listened to their hearts. "Good heartbeat. Steady breathing, mother is doing well." Blueberry comments as she moves down to the end of the cot and uncovered one of her mother's reasonably large, long, full, thick and plush white with a hint of pink luxurious barefoot. Runs her finger down her sensitive white with a touch of pink creamy soft sole, causing her mother to jump. "Mother had good reflexes," Blueberry commented as Celestia's gritted her teeth at her daughter for tickling her foot to check her reflexes. “You didn’t have to tickle your mother’s foot! Daughter! To check her reflexes, you could have just asked me.” Celestia said sourly as Blueberry just smiled at her mother. "Auntie doesn't mind me tickling her foot to check her reflexes, mother." Blueberry retorts as Luna uncover her dark blue, wonderfully shaped barefoot, roughly the same size as her sister's foot but a tad smaller. She holds it in the air and wiggles her five elegant toes painted with deep pink toenail polish to her sister's chagrin. “How did we get here, Blueberry?” Luna asked as her young niece kneeled by her cot to allow her mother to sulk for a little while, and she checked her aunt's heart and lungs again with the stethoscope. "Father and another Imperial Alicorn mare brought you back to the dig camp. And told us you suddenly passed out." Blueberry explains as Luna gave her niece her dark blue, wonderfully shaped barefoot and allowed her to run her finger down her sensitive dark blue, creamy soft sole to test her reflexes which she passed by jumping went, she was tickled. "Auntie, who is that Imperial Alicorn mare?" Blueberry asked nervously as Luna allowed her niece to keep her sensitive dark blue barefoot as a security blanket as they spoke. "She was very interested in mother's foals," Blueberry said, her voice strained as she hugged her aunt's sizeable dark blue wonderfully shaped barefoot, anxious that Luna quickly sensed through her foot that her niece held. "It's fine, Blueberry (touching front of Blueberry's snout with her big toe), that Imperial Alicorn mare is your grandmother," Luna commented as Blueberry blinked with astonishment as Luna shook her head no toward her sister. Don't say anything because she knows fear went she sees it. Blueberry's mother nods her head in agreement. "Mommy…does that mean you and Auntie are Imperial Alicorns like papa is?" Blueberry asked with worry as she hugged her aunt's sizeable dark blue wonderfully shaped bare foot tightly, forcing her five elegant toes painted with deep pink toenail polish to splay unintentionally. "I don't know, Blueberry? Could you please release your aunt’s foot?” Celestia asked motherly as she noticed that her sister’s five elegant toes painted with deep pink toenail polish were getting darker blue than usual. Her daughter's hug was cutting off the circulation to her toes. "Whatever may happen, Blueberry…we will get through it like we always do as a family. So please, Blueberry, go check on your other patience in the medical tent. So your aunt and I can discuss something." Celestia said tenderly as she gestured her daughter over and hugged her to reassure her, kissing her on her cheek before sending her off. “Luna…I have never seen my baby that worried before?” Celestia comments, concerned as Luna massages the smooth curved ball of her foot with her fingers to get the circulation going back to her five elegant toes painted with deep pink toenail polish of her foot. "Of course not, sister…Your foals are imitating us like we taught them.” Luna comments, knowing that she can wiggle her toes again as she stops massaging her foot's smooth curved ball. “We taught your foals…to hide their outside emotions to not give up their advantage," Luna said nonchalantly as she casually wiggles her five elegant toes painted with deep pink toenail polish. "So what you are saying, sister! Is that my foals are more deeply troubled than they are letting on." Celestia said, agitated as her mouth tightened into a stubborn line before she began to weep, knowing she taught her foals how to hide their emotions like she did as the ruler of Equestria. “It not anyone’s fault, sister. It was the time we trained them for! We didn’t think something like this would happen?" Luna said, disappointed as a single tear ran down Luna's cheek. “Went we train them, we train them to rule over a united Equestria. A land with harmony? Where all the pony tribes got along! And not this?!" Luna said, disappointed as she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. “So now what, sister? How do we help my foals?” Celestia asked, her voice a lifeless monotone as dull, empty ache gnawing at Celestia's soul. “As we always do, sister. As mother and aunt…Like we have been doing." Luna said, accepting as she reached into her khaki-colored camp shirt and retrieved a small gold heart-shaped pendant. Before opening with her finger revealing a small picture of the Royal foals.