I looked out the window at the shimmering pink bubble covering the castle, the sunlight outside filtering in, giving everything a pink hue to it. Outside of which seemed to be a couple of thousand guardsponies, the rest of the Elements gathered to the side.
And Princess Celestia herself.
Midnight were facing her through the shield bubble, explaining what was going on.
I turned to look away from the window to where Cadance and Chrysalis were still facing off across the table. But they were talking now.
Quietly with flashes of anger and snarls from each side, but talking.
Shining Armor was to the side, looking out the window as his magic shimmered slightly around his horn.
He was standing almost at attention, his face schooled in a carefully neutral expression I recognized from the royal guards.
He was not happy.
But I didn’t need him to be happy, I needed him to keep the shield up. Not sure if it was Midnight or Cadance that talked him into it, but as long as he was doing it, it’s fine.
I crossed over to him, “Shining Armor. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” he said tersely, looking out the window at the forces gathered below, “It’s not the largest shield I cast.”
“Not when I mean,” I said, keeping my voice down, “Your counterpart from my world is a friend. I know how difficult it would be for him.”
He didn’t answer for a long moment before he spoke with a low voice, “...Now we’re trapped in here. With these monsters.”
“You’re thinking about it all wrong,” I told him with a small smile, “You’re not trapped with them. They’re trapped in here with you. Besides, if everything goes wrong, all changelings are in one place and fully surrounded by the royal guard.”
Shining Armor looked at me before he frowned, glancing out the window for a second before he looked back at me, his eyes slightly wide, “...Did you plan that? From the start?” he asked in a whisper.
I smiled at him before I crossed over to Talon where he was sitting by the other end of the room, keeping an eye on things, “Ready?” I asked him.
He nodded, “Ready. Hope it still works,” he said and jumped to his feet.
“Don’t see why it shouldn’t,” I said and shrugged my wings, “It worked back home.”
Talon nodded and reached to pick up his pen and parchment, “Ready.”
I smiled at him and motioned for him to follow before I motioned for him to follow and we stepped outside, the door closing behind him.
I blinked as we were suddenly in the middle of a hive of a hundred changelings piled up just outside the room, “Excuse me,” I told them, “We’re just going to send a message and don’t want to interrupt anyling inside.”
“What message?” Amber asked suspiciously.
“You can hear it if you like,” I told her with a smile, “Talon, take a message.”
“Ready!”
“Dear Princess Celestia,
Negotiations are going forward and I hope you take this message as a sign we have not all been mind controlled or replaced with a cuddlebug. Nopony but Spike or Talon would have the magic to send you a message in this way.
Of course, it doesn’t prevent trickery, but I have yet to meet anypony or ling that could mind control a dragon.
Please, just sit tight and listen to Midnight.
Prince Blank Page of Equestria.”
“Got it,” Talon said as he finished before he looked up at me, “Want me to add the usual titles?”
I grumbled, “...Yes, we likely should, as pretentious as they feel.”
Talon grinned quickly and then kept writing, “Alicorn of Stories, Prince of Equestria, Ruler of Nocturnis, Speaker of the Hive, Defender of Equestria, Warmage, Centaurs Bane”
“Okay, send it.”
Talon rolled it up, tied a bow around it to keep it closed and then sent it away with a stream of green fire, “Sent.”
“Thanks,” I told him and sighed, “Hopefully that’ll help Midnight convince everypony to chill for a bit.”
Talon nodded, “I’ll go get everypony some breakfast, this will take a while. Want anything?”
“Just some tea, please,” I said and then slipped back into the room again.
Nopony had killed anypony while I was out. That’s good.
Then again, the way Cadance and Chrysalis were glaring at each other I wasn’t even sure either of them had even noticed I left.
I walked over to the window next to Shining Armor, looking down towards the Alicorns below. Celestia was floating a parchment in her magic.
Midnight stomped her hoof, her wings high as she was saying something.
Shining Armor frowned slightly and then glanced at me, “...Is it me or has my sister gotten more assertive while away?”
“Oh yeah,” I agreed before I sighed, “...She’s been through a lot. She may tell you, or she might not. But be patient, a lot if it is difficult for her to talk about.”
He frowned, looking down before he nodded again.