With much delegation and relative speed, it only took Quill and Yellowtail's morning to assembled quite the entourage of characters and creatures, from a cattle clan of merchant bovines that sold milk crowding the corner of Elder Quill’s temple to the many earth ponies that filled the pews. The few ironclad creatures who were members of the Republic Guard held the door shut as Griffin and Hippogriff members of the congregation flocked over to the temple.
The Elders had prepared a meeting, gathering whatever friends, followers, and members they had through holding their service, conducting charities, and mingling with the community. Twilight herself, however, had been stowed away in the back room as the guests slowly trickled into the temple.
Quill combed his short mane, enveloped his robes with his magic, and straightened and dusted off what dirt had managed to cling onto his garb. The unicorn quickly turned to Twilight, adjusting his spectacles before clearing his throat to speak.
“Well, it took all day, but my Elders managed to gather what little connections we have throughout the roots. I will speak to them to rally them to your cause; that way, you don’t have to brandish yourself and assert your godhood to convince them. They should believe in the weight of our words without divine authority.” Quill explained.
“Is there anything, in particular, you want me to talk about? Er, anything I wouldn't go over myself rather? O-Of course, if you want to speak, I can’t stop you.” The unicorn stammered, anxiously combing his mane as he rhythmically drummed his hooves on the floor.
Twilight, for her part, was doing her best to stay calm. She never particularly saw herself good with crowds, so she dearly sympathized with Quill’s anxious squirming. She stepped forward and gently laid a hoof on his shoulder, offering him a comforting smile.
“Just speak from the heart, and trust your words. I won’t step out so long as you don’t need me to, but you have my fullest support, Quill.” She gently pulled her hoof away, gazing at him, “I know you’ll do great.”
Quill seemed to tense up, freezing as Twilight touched him. Unsure of how to respond to the physical contact, being a creature of faith was one thing, but being at the hooves of your God? That was an entirely different ball game, but to have blossoming romantic feelings for your Goddess? That was something of a complex situation Quill had no business being in. He laughed anxiously before a gentle knock subdued any potentially awkward situation from coming to fruition.
Yellowtail quickly peered into the back room as he whispered, “Quill, they’re waiting.”
“Oh gosh…” Quill swallowed, quickly placing his comb on the table as he cleared his throat, scrambling for his note cards, and promptly regained himself, “Thank you for coming over… mhm mhm… that’s a cabbage soup recipe.” mumbled Quill, tossing a stray card aside.
“Quill,” whispered Yellowtail, now in a more horse and grating tone.
“I’m coming, I’m coming–”
Index cards quickly spilled from the Archmage’s cloak as hundreds of index cards, potions, and other trinkets poured from his cloak. Quill stood completely embarrassed as the Elder could only bite his lip in reply to his accident.
Yellowtail smashed a hoof in his face as he quickly scrambled inside the back room, “I told ya to clear out your magic pocket; it’s not limitless!”
“Grab a broom and let me get my cards!” shrieked Quill.
“Everypony, just calm down.” Twilight’s voice managed to cut through the rising tension, her horn lighting up. Every single card, even ones that hadn’t managed to fall from Quill’s pocket, flew into the air and hovered in place, “I just so happen to be very good at organization. I also use cue cards; great minds think alike, eh?”
Magenta light casts over the alicorn’s face as she concentrated, using only a few seconds to recognize each card and place them into a group. She then organized them into alphabetic and numeral order before finally offering Quill each finished stack. “Deep breaths everypony, in and out.”
The magic felt from the pocket piqued Twilight’s interest. Within the confines of the robes was no pocket; inside, a dark blotch pulsated atop the Archmage’s dress. Perhaps the Princess could discuss this rare, potentially unseen magic with the Elder later. But for now, it was showtime.
Quill brushed himself off as he gave the alicorn a gracious smile, “Oh, thank you, you truly are a lifesaver; maybe after you’re done saving Griffionia, you can save me an afternoon organizing scrolls.”
“Oh, I would positively love that!” Twilight beamed; an afternoon of organizing her library sounded wonderful right about now…
Yellowtail groaned, “Remind me never to allow you to dupe me into assisting you again.”
Quill chuckled, “Regardless…” he turned to Twilight, “It means a lot to me and Yellowtail that you’re here. In more ways than one, and more than you can imagine, we are greatly honored and humbled by your presence here with us today… and… I just wanted to thank you. As a friend.”
Yellowtail cocked a suspicious brow at Quill’s delivery of that last part, slowly trotting to the broom and dustpan in the corner of the room before sweeping up whatever dirt or dust that had been ejected from Quill’s magic pocket and onto the floor.
The alicorn raised a brow, but her smile was still as kind as ever. “Well, of course, Quill, I couldn’t think of being anywhere else right now. Just let me know if you need anything before you go up there. I know you’ll do fantastic; just try to remember your crowd trick.” She chuckled and gave him a wink.
Quill nodded, trotting toward the door, “I’ll try not to, haha!” With one swift motion, he was cut off from his friends, now left to his own devices in front of all these creatures. Quill swallowed as he trotted in front of the podium, noting all the curious eyes locked on him.
A large dairy cow raised her hoof in the air, the seat underneath creaking and squeaking with every movement, “Well? Are you going to speak or what?” gabbed the merchant.
Quill sighed, “Ladies and gentle creatures, thank you all for coming. For too long, many of you had to contend with subpar living conditions, poor education, and the threat of an invasion looming over you. Tided with the fact that at least it wasn’t Unicornica.’ “
The unicorn slowly placed his hooves on the podium, standing upright as he spoke to the crowd, a tingling burning heat scolding his heart, “But no longer, we cannot reasonably contend with these conditions anymore if we are to win this war. How are we supposed to support Swallowtail and her armies if we aren’t given the same liberties and privileges as any other creature here?”
“How can this fair Republic claim to be a bastion of freedom and culture, a salvation from the shackles of slavery, the archaic monarchy of Griffinstone, and the hostile bandits if every creature can’t enjoy it the same rights and privileges?”
Quill’s lip quivered as he dabbed his face with a washcloth, catching his breath as he swallowed back the lump that was threatening to choke him, “(Just like we practiced…).”
“I… am a refugee, as are my Elders and many of my followers. As are many of you, I needn’t go on regaling the struggles of our situation, nor will I promote any kind of self-pity or groveling. If we are going to be treated as equals, then we need to prove ourselves more than deserving of such rights… but the task won’t be easy, but fortunately… we’re not alone.”
“For you see… Princess Twilight Sparkle is, in fact, in the city itself; I, herself, and the Doge are working toward enacting change to better our situtation!”
The crowd began to speak over him, not halfway through mentioning the princesses, each creature turning in their pews to talk to one another. Many of the earth ponies in the crowd, which consequently sat at the front, began to cheer and smile. Those in the back, however, seemed far more skeptical.
“You expect us to believe this princess has our best interests at heart?” A creature called from the pews, an older cow with a silvery coat. Her face was worn with age, but Quill could tell she was far younger than her wrinkles let on. “Bah, you’re blinded. Y’think if any of them princess-types cared what was goin’ on here and in Unicornica, they’d have done somethin’ by now?”
A murmur grew as different creatures nodded in agreement. Even a few of Quill’s most loyal shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
Quill quickly spoke up, firing back with vigor but compassion; these creatures were not his enemies nor members of Parliament seeking only to line their pockets. These hard-working creatures had lost most, if not everything, to be here and sacrificed so much to survive everyday.
The unicorn gave the heifer a gentle look in reply, “My friends, I understand that we have all lost so much because of this conflict and because of the tyranny of Unicornica, but I assure you, I promise you all that Twilight Sparkle is here and has been working toward our emancipation. But I assure you her absence was not because of her choice. Word of our conflict hadn’t reached Equestria up until recently.”
“Twilight has told us it is not just her duty as a Princess to help us; nay, it is also her responsibility to abolish slavery in Unicornica and bring forth an era of peace, prosperity, and friendship throughout the continent! But she will need our help; how can we expect her to tackle and reform our Republic, let alone a hostile empire if we aren’t willing to trust and work with each other first?”
Creatures in the pews continued their murmuring, a mix of support, confusion, and hostility. The cow looked less than impressed, her eyes narrowing considerably.
“Yew may have lost a lot, but we’ve lost far more. If this Princess cared so much about helping us lowly creatures, where is she now? Why should we trust you on your word, hm?” She tilted her head.
It was then Quill noticed the large brand on her flank, softened and faded with age but still present. She was probably one of the milkmaids who escaped the chains of slavery, just like dozens of the other attendees lining the temple benches.
“If she’s here, why ain’t things changed yet? Why are we still sufferin’ every day to feed ourselves… and our young.” There was a distinctly bitter note at the end of her speech, several bovines in the audience stepping forward to place a hoof on her shoulder.
Quill took a deep breath; no. He would not stoop so low and reveal Twilight, not now. He could convince a neighbor to trust him off of their relationship and by reason alone. The unicorn sighed.
“This isn’t a competition between who has suffered the most, madam; whatever you have gone through, I can’t imagine being in your stead. But believe me when I say that Princess Twilight has been working with me and delegated me to represent our needs to the Doge. We’re working on things quickly, but things take time. Politics are a timely affair afterall...”
Quill took a deep breath, bowing his head to the podium as he collected himself, “... I prided myself on truth and risked my life on the preservation and spreading of it. If you don’t believe that Princess Twilight is here, fine; if you don’t believe the Doge or the members of Parliament are on our side either, then that’s okay too. But I need you all to please put your faith in me and my congregation and trust that we will do right by you, your families, and this community as we have since we settled here all these years ago.”
“If my words aren’t enough, what more do I need to do to prove to you all that we are all friends here? That we have nothing but the best intentions?”
The older cow sighed deeply, shaking her head, but the features on her weathered face softened just a bit. Whatever fight that had been in her slowly left, her head slowly tilting upwards to meet his gaze.
“I ain’t gonna stop you or no one here from goin’ ahead, but let me tell you this; yer askin’ for trouble. Ain’t no good deed goes unpunished.”
Peering from behind the curtain, Twilight felt a chill go up her spine, quickly shaking off the sensation. At the very least, the rest of the congregation seemed hopeful, nodding to one another as the murmuring settled down to something reasonable.
“My sentiments exactly…” replied an icy voice from the back as a large stallion clad in a dark cloak rose up, “Quill Feather, the Council demands your head!” thundered the stranger.
Everything seemed to slow down. As an emerald green aura burned brightly as it enveloped the unicorn’s horn. The Guards at the door quickly scrambled for the pony as a few brave creatures dove for the assassin aswell. Suddenly, there was a crackling sound and the sound of a dull, heavy object toppling the wooden floor below as screams of terror rang out.
The unicorn quickly cast several different spells to uproot the congregation, freezing the floors, setting fire to the temple’s chronicles, scrolls, books, and attacking the guards with pure laser fire. Yellowtail stormed out of the back room, screaming.
“QUILL!?”
Twilight felt her blood run cold, her mind running in circles as she stared at the chaos before her. Her hooves felt like lead weights, and it took every last bit of her willpower to force herself to move. Once she did, time seemed to catch back up to her.
“EVERYONE DOWN!” Her voice boomed across the temple, the alicorn darting through the curtains and into the air. Magenta light encompassed her horn before shooting outward in several directions.
The fires froze in place, the licking flames seeming to slow before reverting back, repairing the pages as if nothing had ever happened. The creatures caught on the icy flooring were levitated into the air and dropped somewhere safe. The final spell Twilight put most of her concentration into was holding the assassin in place.
Confident he was going nowhere, she craned her head around to face Yellowtail and Quill, shouting at the former, “Is Quill okay?!”
Quill was lying on the floor, now turned to pure obsidian, by a spell similar in nature to the one Celestia and Luna used on Discord. Yellowtail strained as he quickly pushed his friend back up on the podium as if that would be the cure for his friend’s transformation.
The assailant strained momentarily, reeling his head back in disbelief, as did everyone else in the room. The unicorn could only utter,
“P-Princess Twilight Sparkle?” he sputtered.
The alicorn’s face paled, hesitating briefly before turning her gaze down to the unicorn in her grip. Her lip curled, and for a brief moment, she couldn’t help but fantasize about throwing him around the room. She reminded herself there was a counterspell for Discord’s imprisonment; perhaps the same could be done for Quill.
“You will perform the counterspell and free him at once,” That was all Twilight could get out, not trusting herself to speak calmly, “... and you will tell us who sent you.”
The unicorn seemed to shift, looking confused as he tilted his head at the mare, “What? What are you talking about? Why would you ask me to do this? Have I been obeying your will by subduing this traitor?”
Yellowtail quickly snapped from the podium, “Turn him back, or I’ll use your horn as a toothpick!”
The unicorn scoffed, “You are beneath me! All of you! Look at how all of you cower before me because all of you slaves and vagrants know to fear and respect the Council's Authority; you cowards can hide behind the walls of these degenerates all you want. It will not save you from the judgment and retribution that is coming! The only one here who has any authority over me is our Goddess before us!”
Twilight’s grip around him seemed to tighten before she quickly relaxed. She had to remind herself that even if this pony was evil, that didn’t mean she should sink to their level. It was difficult, however, hearing the stallion speak such vile things.
“SILENCE!” Her voice boomed across the room again, silencing the mutters and hisses from the crowd and the assassin alike. Turning her attention solely on the unicorn, Twilight pulled him closer, lifting him off of the ground so he might look her in the eye.
“You will not ever speak to these creatures like that ever again. You have been sold lies, and I am here to write the wrongs that Unicornica and your ‘Council’ have wrought.” Her voice was strict, even, and surprisingly calm for what had just occurred. Twilight’s expression was schooled into extreme disappointment, anger boiling just below the surface.
“Now, I ask again, perform the counterspell and free Quill. I no longer need to ask who sent you since you made it so very clear.”
The unicorn seemed to consider her words as he silently ducked his head and fired the spell that quickly freed Quill from his stone prison. The unicorn gasped greedily for air as he patted himself down, “Oh, thank you, I thought I was going to be like that forever….”
The unicorn spoke, “I don’t believe the dribble this pony has uttered today. But I am honor-bound to obey the authority of the Goddess and carry out her will as taught by the Council.” The unicorn quickly tore off his cloak revealing his large stature, dark ebony coat, and mane paired with his bright green eyes stared back at Twilight.
Despite the sudden, almost unbelievable shift in demeanor, this pony was dead serious, staring Twilight into the depths of her soul with nothing but sincerity.
“WHAT?” shouted a Harpy from the back.
Twilight let out a deep sigh, thankful that Quill was okay. Turning her attention to the assassin, she ensured her grip was still tight enough to keep him held, shifting slowly in front of Quill if he happened to think of firing again.
“... What is your name?” It seemed like the best place to start. His coloring reminded her of a changeling for some odd reason, but he was certainly no Thorax. “Why were you sent here?”
“I am Agent Arroyo, or Dancing Water, battle mage for The Kingdom of Unicornica and The Privy Council.” explained Dancing, “I was sent with the intention to lower morale, disturbing the peace by turning this wanted traitor of the Kingdom into a permanent reminder of our reach.” explained the stallion.
“It appears our intelligence either hasn’t found out about your arrival or hasn’t reached the Council. Regardless, it seems that either I have been misled or you are uninformed. Either way, I highly recommend you come with me to Unicornica so that you may parley with the Council. There is no way they would not obey your direct authority.”
Quill quickly shouted, “Do you honestly think we’d believe you? The Council has a history of rewriting, well… history!”
Dancing scoffed, “I dedicated my life to the Council and the Goddess; why do you think I’m here?”
“Other than to assassinate a stallion without any sort of trial? Have any of you even attempted to reach out to Equestria or Celestia herself?” Twilight leaned forward, raising a brow. She had to remind herself that this stallion was more than likely entrenched in this mindset of obedience and likely never thought to question it.
Twilight sighed deeply, shaking her head. “Nevermind. I do fully intend to travel to Unicornica, but I will certainly not do it under the company of a criminal and attempted murderer. Someone call the guard!”
There was a slight murmur as several ponies and griffins left, making haste to find more authorities to control the situation. Twilight turned her gaze back to Dancing Water, “Are there any others in the city we should be aware of?”
Dancing Water slowly scanned the room as he bowed his head, “....Well, it appears I have not only failed my mission, I have also failed my kingdom and my Goddess. The only way I can redeem myself is death.”
Quill quickly peered from behind Twilight, “Er, I’m sure they’ll give you a fair trial and due process; I’m even willing to help you move away from Unicornica’s leash. You can do whatever you want now, don’t you realize it?” offered the Archmage.
The stallion paused to consider his words before deeply sighing, “Unfortunately, I have dedicated my life to this. Now there is nothing left for me here, and I have no other purpose in continuing my existence… I shall be rid of myself….”
Quill quickly darted out from the podium, “NO WAIT–”
A bright emerald hue engulfs the room, and moments later, Dancing stands before the crowd, now turned into pure obsidian. Quill slowly trotted toward the living statue as he gently pressed his hoof to the pony’s muzzle, “... at least he didn’t…” he sighed.
Twilight felt an icy chill down her spine. The sensation of the magic used felt wrong and unpleasant; she gently set the statue of Dancing Waters down on the floor. She slowly approached the figure, shaking her head.
“I don’t understand; why would he do this…?” She murmured, slowly turning her head to Quill. “I....I’m sorry. I promise I’ll free him. No creature deserves this sort of fate.”
Quill bit his lip as he ducked his head low, “... No… if you do, he’ll–.....this is the only way he can continue in his eyes… Dancing believes this solution appeases all parties, including the Council.” he took a deep breath, “We have a lot of work ahead of us Twilight, ponies like Dancing are a dime a dozen, and as much as I want to help him understand the lies the Council has fed for him for a lifetime, we… have bigger fish to fry. At least this way, he won’t hurt himself or anyone else.”
Quill quickly looked around at his followers, friends, and guests, “Is everyone alright? Does anybody need medical attention!?”
The crowd nodded, thinner than before, most of the creatures having fled after the unicorn had turned himself to stone. The old cow who had been heckling him was propped against a wall, her face stricken with shock. The fear was present, and it seemed as if her hooves refused to carry her.
Twilight took a deep breath and stepped forward, giving Quill a nod. “I understand. Let’s do what we can for the creatures here and then move on to the rest.”
Yellowtail slowly trotted toward the back room, “I’ll… go get the broom….”
Quill and Yellowtail, alongside his congregation, had been cleaning up the temple to the best of their ability, salvaging burnt goods, sweeping up broken glass, and assessing the damage while tending to whatever injured remained. Nearby, the Guards quickly examined the scene, watching the entrance closely.
Captain Iron Sides, fortunately, had been on the scene and was regaling the situation and the attack on his men to the local police detachment, leaving Twilight to her own devices as she helplessly watched the shaken and terrified creatures tend to themselves.
But a gentle, familiar voice called from behind, “Excuse me…Twilight Sparkle?” A white mare with a soft pink mane greeted the alicorn, “I need help sending a letter….” The unicorn quickly fetched a small scroll from her satchel, revealing the letter Twilight had sent to Celestia regarding Unicornica.
The alicorn’s eyebrows shot up, studying the mare closely. For some reason, she was sure she had met this pony before.
“Um, I suppose. How did you get a hold of my letter…?” Twilight felt comfortable yet suspicious all at once, “Have we met before?”
The mare gently batted Twilight on the muzzle with the scroll, warmly chuckling. Saying nothing as she turned around and trotted away, “Come with me.” Leading her away from the temple and trotting down the street, the pair would duck into a nearby underpass.
The mare slowly slid the satchel off her body, revealing the instantly recognizable sun cutie mark on her flank, “I had to pull us away to talk in private; I’m not supposed to be here….”
Twilight’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, “C-Celest–!!” She threw her hooves over her mouth, managing to stifle her voice from rising above a shout. Confident she wouldn’t shout again, she removed her hooves and whispered, “What the hay are you doing here?! Did you read my letter? Did you see what that unicorn did?!”
It took a moment before she caught her breath, easing her pounding heart. “S-Sorry, this is just… all so overwhelming.”
Celestia smiled, doing her best to remain composed and calm despite her identity being nearly revealed. Slowly she turned to the wall beside her and, with a spark of her horn, opened a portal to Canterlot Castle, “Why don’t we talk somewhere private….”
Stepping through the portal was surreal; just like that, they were back in Equestria, and with another spark of her horn, the portal was sealed, and Celestia transformed back into her usual self, “Much better, now then, why don’t we discuss this over some tea and cake?” smiled Celestia, “Walk with me.” she gestured with her head.
Twilight felt like her hooves were going to turn to jelly at any moment, but she quickly trotted alongside her fellow Princess, trying to order her rapidly spinning thoughts.
“I… I don’t understand, Princess… why hasn’t anything been done yet for those creatures?” She finally looked up, unsure of what to expect in response, “How could a place like Unicornica exist?”
Celestia’s expression shifted from warm and motherly to remorseful and regretful as the alicorn slowly sighed, “...Twilight, when I gave you the power of an alicorn, I gave you a lot of responsibility, and there’s no pony I trust more than you to bare that… burden.”
“Luna and I had to make a lot of hard choices for the betterment of everypony… and unfortunately, I have no domain or authority over Griffin lands. You know that I won’t force every creature to accept my rule. This is why Equestria has neighbors like the Crystal Empire, the Buffalo tribes, the Dutchy of Reine, and YakYakistan. We are not conquerors or warlords….”
“But that doesn’t mean I will allow threats like Discord or Chrysalis to terrorize Equestria… but as for the other lands like Griffionia, Neighpon, and Zebrica… those lands are in the control of, shall we say, erm… local deities,” explained Celestia.
Turning down one of the many halls and passing through the dozens of private chambers, the two alicorns entered a small den. Lavender and cyan crystal walls and pillars paired with the finest of marble to match the lining of the exterior. A pair of comfortable and large-looking chairs sat before a large crystal coffee table with their tea and sweets already prepared and awaiting their arrival.
Celestia trotted over to her seat, sitting down as she fancied herself a cup of tea and a slice of pound cake, “Discord tells me you’ve already met Eyr.”
Twilight tried her best to calm down but found sitting still in her chair to be very challenging at moment. Neither did she feel particularly hungry, not even looking at the cake for a second. Something about the thought of eating after an attempted murder twisted Twilight’s stomach into knots.
“Yes… I wasn’t entirely certain at first but yes. She seemed a little… rude, frankly. But she was kind enough to let us pass.” The younger alicorn nodded, sipping her black tea without much thought. “But still, even if the Griffinlands aren’t ours, we have a responsibility to protect those we can, don’t we? If I had known entirely what was happening, I would have asked Eyr the same.”
Celestia remained calm, carefully slicing a bite of cake with the side of her fork before pricking the morsel with her utensil and gingerly eating the treat before taking a small sip of tea and then wiping her mouth with a cloth napkin.
“Twilight… I understand your sentiment, as did Luna and I did all those years ago, but…” her expression darkened, her soft eyes turning cold as an empty stare met Twilight, “... We lost a lot of good creatures trying to do the right thing. The road to Tartarus is always paved with good intentions, and because of our intentions, all of us ‘Gods’ caused countless deaths in our ‘righteous’ cause.”
Celestia sighed, “... It was a war for the world, and unsurprisingly if everyone is fighting one another, no one will get anywhere, and we realized this. So all of us from across the land, come Griffish deity to Dragon Lord, we traveled to the End Of The World and established peace between each other.”
“It was said that each powerful being was given a race and land to govern as they saw fit, and Luna and I were given Equestria since we had those lands under our control prior to the agreement. That is why Luna and I cannot leave the continent of Equus nor intervene in your quest… directly, that is.”
Twilight’s brow wrinkled, trying to absorb all of this information. She tried to think of what question to ask first, but there were so many she had difficulty putting them in order.
“So… you’re hoping I can do something? But… I’m only one pony princess! Even with my friends, this is an entire kingdom.” She shook her head, setting her cup of tea down on the table. “And… wait, ponies were created? I’ve read the Equestria Chronicles, but I never… took them literally.”
“Twilight, focus.” Celestia tutted softly, giving her former student a warm but stern look, “Twilight, you’re an alicorn, and someday you will take my place and rule with my sister over these lands. That is an enormous responsibility with a massive weight. But I know you are right, no matter how powerful, intelligent, and diligent you are. You are just one pony… which is why I have someone inside Unicornica ready to help you.”
Twilight blinked a small sense of relief washing over her, the anxiety that weighed on her chest easing just a bit.
“Somepony inside of Unicornica? Who is it?” The younger alicorn slowly looked up, feeling restless and confused, wanting to take action.
“I delegated Prince Blueblood to Unicornica; he is currently being reviewed as a potential candidate to inherit the crown of Princess Platinum and rule Unicornica.” explained Celestia, taking another bite of cake before continuing, “You are to marry him.”
Twilight was halfway through a sip of tea, quickly spitting it out in a spray. Gagging and coughing with tears in her eyes, she turned to the Princess and shouted, “WHAT?!”