Chapter 22 Severe Complications
“I wonder why Celestia hasn’t lowered the sun yet,” a pale red unicorn with gray peppering his hair said as he looked out over Las Pegasus from his high-rise office. “It’s too early in the year for a summer time table.”
“Mr. Kingpin!” his secretary ran in. “There’s an emissary from the palace! They said they are here for an urgent matter and need to see you immediately.”
“I see,” he said, not turning from the window. “Any news of the package I sent to my ex-wife?”
“No sir.”
“I see,” he said sitting at his large desk. “Feel free to interrupt the conversation when the messenger arrives.”
“Yes, sir,” she dashed from the room.
Soon she returned with the pink unicorn with the royal seal around her neck carrying a scroll.
Kingpin immediately raised his head.
“Everyone, out of the room,” he ordered. He made eye contact with his guards on both sides of the room and they filed out.
The heavy ornate doors shut with a loud, deep bang.
“Alright,” Kingpin said, putting his hooves together, “Which princess are you?”
“What do you mean?” the pink unicorn asked surprised.
“You carry yourself like someone who has not had to bow for a long time. There is something special about poverty that marks a pony. Whether it’s physically or mentally, the burden always leaves visible scars from carrying the ponies above them on their shoulders.”
Celestia released the spell and shuffled her wings.
“Ah, the one who has never had to bow.” He lowered his head, “Welcome Princess Celestia.” He raised his head, lit his horn, and pulled a newspaper from the waste can. “I assume this is the reason you are here.”
“Your son is innocent, and—”
“I am aware. But that is not how the world works, is it? Also, he is not my son. When I heard he survived the last attempt on his life, I used infidelity to divorce my wife and removed him from my registry.”
“Your attempt, as Bocce confessed.”
“If that is all you have to discuss, then I suggest you go home and set the sun. No one in this city will go against the Golden Circle, you have no power here.”
“I am keenly aware,” she said. “What I am here for is that I need a straw purchaser. If you agree, you will be a baronet by the time I set the sun. And the father of a baron once this is cleared up.”
He smirked, “An ennobling? You must be truly desperate. You’re looking for money to buy out Trident’s company, and no noble in their right mind would involve a commoner in the transaction.”
Celestia poofed some documents and placed them on the desk. “I already have nobles lined up to buy it, but we are short. You will already be in a significant position on the ruling board just by putting in the minimum amount. The more you put down the closer to the presidency you become.”
“And you’re only coming to me because that idiot is the rightful father. This is about stopping a wedding, not buying a company.”
“You know about that? The Golden Circle’s reach is quite far.”
Kingpin shook his head, “This has nothing to do with the Circle, your majesty. It has everything to do with my father being stillborn. And a century ago, Ponyville being the type of place stillborns were buried.”
He raised his hoof to stop the response, “And no, they are not cousins.” He lowered his hoof, “But you are eight months too late to bribe me with anything within your power, or punish me within your power. You are no god, Princess Celestia. Everyone knows you bleed now after your very public ass whooping by Queen Chrysalis. I suggest you remember that, for Equestria’s sake.”
Celestia bore into him, “Anything you wish to tell me?” She lit her horn.
King pin chuckled. “Mind magic, how tyrannical. I’d expect that from a noble, not the princesses.” He stopped laughing, “But honestly, you know more than I do. As a businessman, a gut feeling is just as valuable as logic and facts.” He put his hoof on the paper, “And this is one big gut feeling.”
“I see.”
The door suddenly opened. “Excuse me,” the secretary said. She stopped half way through. “Princess Celestia?!”
Everyone in the hallway ran to the door to look.
Celestia sighed, putting her hoof to her head. “So much for keeping this secret…” She took a more dignified stance. “What is it? We are busy.”
“M… Mr. Kingpin! Yo-you told me to interrupt you when word came about the gift to your ex-wife. The messenger said she says thank you for the consideration.”
He smiled. “That is good to hear. Can you see the princess out? We are actually done with the discussion. But tell me Princess Celestia, when will you be setting the sun? I make a habit of watching the sunsets and you are already behind the time.”
“I will set it when I am done. There are other ponies that I can seek assistance from. You were simply the most beneficial to both parties.”
Kingpin closed his eyes and smiled melancholily. “And here I thought I’d get to see a sunset before I went to bed. Oh well.” He opened his eyes and looked hopeful, “I’m sorry I could not be of assistance. I wish you luck with your endeavors.”
Celestia sighed, then reapplied the cloaking spell. She walked up to the shocked secretary and guards. “Will you see me out then?”
~~***~~
Celestia was barely a block away from the building when a huge explosion blew out windows on the highest floor.
She quickly realized which room it was and leapt in the air forgetting she was disguised as a unicorn.
She entered the room through the broken window.
The desk was in pieces across the room.
Along with Kingpin.
She noticed the secretary in shock, tears running down her face, but otherwise motionless. It did not even look like she was breathing.
“Oh! My little pony!” She ran over and hugged the mare. “It’s ok, just cry.”
“Princess, right?”
Celestia turned and saw the guards looking nervously at her.
“Yes. It is I. What do you know about this?”
“The building was just called by the police. They said there was an explosion at his ex-wife’s house.” He looked at the dismembered corpse. “They are on their way to talk to him. I was about to open the door when…” his voice trailed off.
“I see,” she said. “Then she is dead as well?”
The guard hesitated. “…Yes.”
“Wait…” her eyes widened. Celestia undid the cloaking spell. “I will return shortly.”
She teleported away.
~~***~~
A dinner party was being held in Manehatten.
“You surprise me, Lyonnaise. I would have thought you would begin canceling your engagements under the circumstances.”
“I don’t believe a word in the papers,” Abby Rockhoofeller said. “We’ve all known Bocce for years. And he is a deep friend of Rarity, and Ponyville is the home of the other Bearers. He grew up with them.”
“He got on the wrong side of some noble,” Hope De Beers said. “A powerful one by the looks of it.”
“Yes, how unfortunate,” her husband, Diamond De Beers said. “I wonder who this has come about?”
“He’s the father of Sea Swirl’s baby,” Ferris Coney sighed. “They’ve been trying to elope for months. But her parents keep getting in the way. They must be retaliating. We spent hours at the train station, but they never showed up. And then these newspapers began falling from the sky.”
There were a few gasps.
“What?” Bergamot Orange said. “Don’t tell me none of you knew. They’ve been a couple for years.”
“I thought that mare was just a lookalike,” Consuelo Vanderbit said shocked. “How would they have even met?”
“Sea Swirl lived in Ponyville for five years. Did you not notice the empty condo?”
“I thought she had moved back to Canterlot. I mean, why Ponyville?”
“Well, considering everything that’s happened, probably running away from her parents. I mean, taking advantage of a Bearer’s injury is incongruous.”
A servant popped a cork on a bottle of wine and began pouring glasses.
“Are we sure it’s the Aquariuses?” Forge Carneighie asked. “They don’t seem to be in a position to do something this drastic. Have you seen the business news from the normal edition? They are being removed from the stock market next Friday and going into bankruptcy.”
“Does anyone smell that?” Clementine Orange suddenly said.
“Smell what?” Lyonnaise asked.
The wine was poured for the couple.
Clementine Orange held up her glass, “There’s a smell coming from the wine.”
Everyone sniffed their glasses.
“I find the aroma quite pleasant,” Diamond De Beers said. Then he drank the entire glass. “Flavor is stimulating for the palette.”
His wife also drank fully while several others took sips.
Clementine Orange slapped the glass out of her husband’s hoof, spilling it all over the table.
Everyone gasped.
“What is wrong with you?”
“My mother always said if something smells like almonds that isn’t an almond, it will make ponies sick.”
Diamond De Beers chuckled, “I believe you're letting your native accent slip there, Madam Orange.”
Suddenly a maid ran into the room.
“Master! The Princess—”
Celestia galloped into the room and saw the banquet.
“Don’t touch anything!” she shouted, spreading her wings. “There are assassins loose!”
~~***~~
Lyonnaise was weeping into her husband’s arms hearing of the death of her brother.
The police took the last of the staff members from the freeze spell Celestia had cast on the house and the wine cellar into custody for testing.
A detective pushed through the crowd inside the mansion. “Princess Celestia,” he bowed. “News from the hospital. De Beers and his wife have died. But the others are responding well to treatment.”
“So, it was arsenic?” Celestia asked.
“It is behaving like severe arsenic poisoning even though all tests have come up negative. Amounts so low they can’t be detected shouldn’t be doing anything like this. I do understand some ponies can smell it. But you ordered to treat it no matter what the tests say. Like you already knew they would be negative. Reports said you barged in screaming there were assassins loose.”
Celestia sighed. Then she set fire to the notepad in his magic. She cast a sound blocking shield. “Unknown agents have found a way to create substances that evade magic detection. This has grown into an international incident, so this is all I will say and forbid you to repeat it. Unless you want to start the largest war in one thousand years.”
The detective swallowed, “I still need something to tell my superiors.”
“Tell them I am squashing this until the case in the capital is resolved. This is big and any tip off will destroy all hopes for the future. Of course, any leaks will lead to prosecution for espionage. On the condition the ponies involved even survive the coming war.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“I will be leaving to return to the previous cases.” Celestia dropped the shield, said her comforting goodbye to the Coneys and teleported away.
~~***~~
Celestia arrived back at the tower in Las Pegasus, teleporting back into the room.
The police were startled.
“Princess?!” a few shouted.
“Hello, my little ponies,” she said.
Her surprisingly ominous tone made everyone nervous.
One officer found courage. “Princess, this is a sealed crime scene.”
“I am aware. I had to rush away shortly after the explosion. But I have returned.”
“Then you did come here disguised to speak to Mr. Kingpin?”
“Yes. I did.”
“We are going to need your statement.”
“I understand. But I will also need a full briefing about this incident.”
“We won’t be—”
Celestia lowered her neck to his height, “Kingpin was the father of Bocce Boules, despite all attempts to distance himself. The assassination of a royal lady in waiting takes full precedence over a little death like this.”
The officer swallowed. “I will need to talk with my superiors.”
“I will talk with them directly then.”
~~***~~
Celestia disguised herself again and was led through the crowd of paparazzi crowding the police tape. She sat in the front seat of the police wagon and was driven off.
She arrived at the police station and she sat in the waiting room while her escort talked to the officers at the counter. They looked frightened as they continued to look between her and the cop. One of the cops at the counter ran off.
Her escort came over, “Everything will be ready soon.”
About ten minutes later, the cop returned.
“The chief will see you now.”
~~***~~
Celestia walked into the office, only for a teleportation rune to go off.
She found herself in a large meeting room with no windows.
As she looked around, she recognized some of the ponies in the room, even though many were in robes and masked.
Celestia undid her disguise. “Greetings Golden Circle,” Celestia said smiling, “If you wanted to speak, we do have more appropriate means of communication other than kidnapping.”
“Under such circumstances, this was the quickest option,” the stallion at the head of the horseshoe table said. “So please overlook this breach of decorum.”
“I will forgive this one time,” Celestia said, “Prince Blueblood.”
Blueblood dropped his hood. As did the two stallions next to him.
His father could never keep his pants on.
Two other stallions and their wives dropped their hoods. They were his two sisters and husbands. Originally from rival mob families, his father knew how to leverage his indiscretions in building a rival powerbase to the castle.
Looking at the weight of power before her, she was just glad spoiling the young Blueblood worked.
Another generation, this would have been trouble.
“Princess Celestia,” the oldest of the siblings, Broken Compass, began. “I believe in this trying time, full honesty is required.” He floated up the newspaper. “As it appears we face the same enemy.”
“Duke Poppycock has been troubling the Golden Circle?” Celestia asked.
“He began harassing Kingpin eight months ago,” he said. “We offered aid repeatedly, but he said it wasn’t an issue for the Circle. Then he suddenly used our authority to try and kill his son, divorced and disowned his family, and now, from everything we have, he killed himself and his wife after seeing the paper.” He stamped his hoof hard on the table, echoing through the room. “What has been going on with Bocce?!”
“He killed himself?” Celestia said, surprised. Then she looked down, “I see. That is why he kept asking me when I would set the sun. He wanted to see it one last time.”
“Please, start from the beginning, with Bocce.”
Celestia looked up. “Bocce is the father of Lady Sea Swirl’s baby.”
There was a clamor of shock from the room.
“Silence!” The stallion again smacked the table.
Everyone went silent.
“Sea Swirl has been harassed by Lord Blarney Folderol since they were children. His uncle, Duke Poppycock has leveraged his influence to frame Bocce for his own murder attempt against his rescuer.”
“So, Pinkie Pie jumped in between and nearly died in his stead?”
“Yes, Broken Compass.”
“What weapon was used that required dark magic to heal?” one of the sisters, Pink Sapphire, asked. “The prospect is troubling.”
“I authorized spying on the Griffon embassy over the confiscating of slaves to gauge the chance of conflict erupting. Our intel could not understand or rationally explain what they saw inside, but one phrase they repeated was one we heard Prince Vegeta use in his interrogations. So, we dream walked with him to get his opinions. He recognized everything immediately and began explaining things in a rational manner. Then he visibly panicked and demanded better images of an item he saw in the background. But we had none as it was deemed unimportant.
“This odd piece of metal turned out to be a weapon in his language called a gun. Vegeta recognized Pinkie’s wounds as being caused by it. The inside of Pinkie’s wound was coated in something that repelled magic, preventing any healing spells to close it. It was discovered by accident yesterday that the mixture of his and Princess’s Luna’s magic in the dream plane can affect real life. Both in injury and healing.
“After everything else had failed, it was our last hope in saving her life. It worked, but did great psychological damage to Prince Vegeta. He was in a coma for hours until Luna found a way to heal his mind and wake him up.”
“You trust the dark mage?” the other sister, Ruby Rose, said surprised.
“Prince Vegeta was turned into a dark alicorn after his daughter abused a magical artifact, he called a dragon ball. His true race has so little magic to the point that he claims they have none. Both he and his daughter have shown little ability to control the magic in their pony forms. Vegeta knows what he is, and he broke his own horn off to save myself and others nearby when his magic went wild.”
“Wasn’t he restrained by magic sealing locks?” Broken Compass asked.
“He was. It was not enough. His horn was put back on and the bone is fresh, but he has no sensation. That will prevent any spells going off for now.”
“That is not what I’ve been hearing from staff,” Blueblood said.
“Do you really think Luna would sleep with a married man, Blueblood?”
“No. No I don’t. I did not say I was believing the staff rumors either.”
“What about the fire magic mentioned in the article?” the second oldest, Cracked Sextant, demanded.
“In lieu of magic, he has cultivated a power he calls ki. It’s the manipulation of his very own life force. It manifests as a burning light when used as a weapon.”
“And this ki is what was mistaken for dark magic that Pinkie Pie utilizes?”
“Yes. Pinkie has always had unusual abilities. Her family singled her out even as a young foal when interviewed. She bonded quickly with Vegeta over shared powers and has managed to copy the abilities he described in short order. Pinkie is clearly a savant with this power.”
“Can Pinkie make ki fire?” he continued.
“Not at the moment. But it is only a matter of time once she recovers.”
“What are these shared powers?”
“Seeing the future. Sensing the presence and identities of those in a certain diameter. And now flight.”
“Flight? You mean like a pegasus?” Ruby Rose asked.
“Yes,” Celestia nodded. “After explaining how to do it, she did it the first try.”
“So,” Broken Compass said, “You’ve traced Duke Poppycock to the griffons by the use of this ‘gun’, but you can’t defend him without revealing you’ve been spying on the griffon embassy. And because of you confiscating slaves, there is a real chance of a military skirmish?”
“If the weapon used on Pinkie is commonplace,” Blueblood interrupted, “I’d say a skirmish is the least of our worries.” He looked at Celestia, “Aunt Celestia, what are you planning to do?”
“The key to the use of these guns is a substance called black power. Prince Vegeta gave other uses for it and the history of its invention. We are currently tracking down any parallels that could give us a way to not admit to the spying publicly. We are also doing the same with ki. He said that in his wife’s race manipulating ki is a religious activity and there are religions here that have a striking resemblance.”
The ponies at the head table looked at each other.
Blueblood suddenly casted a sound blocking shield and they began discussing something. The two mob heads were very animated.
“They know something. Come on Blueblood.”
The shield finally dropped after what looked like shouting had resolved.
“Princess Celestia…” one of the mob bosses began. “We know of this ‘black powder’. It is used in fireworks and mining in the Far East. We began importing it to cut down on the need for unicorns in our own mining and construction endeavors. But it has proven far too flashy for… more delicate uses. You saw the reason first hand today.”
“So, Kingpin used black powder to kill himself?”
“We traced two missing small barrels of it to his network today, but he used it before we could confront him.”
“Thank you, for the confession. Could you at least give the countries and regions you get it from? It will help immensely in the search.”
“I will do one better,” Came a voice with an eastern accent.
From behind a folding screen, a peacock walked out. “I am Queen Chin Shih. Ruler of the Qin Seas.”
“I see. The pirate queen herself. You’ve been harassing Neighpon shipping as of late.”
“They stopped paying their taxes. So, they are currently paying by forced barter. As a fellow ruler, I’m sure you understand the importance of paying your taxes.”
Celestia smiled, “Discussions on taxation can occur at a later date. So, you are the source of the black powder?”
“Yes. In fact it’s so common, I was greatly surprised to find out it did not exist on this continent. With such a business opportunity, I came myself. I’m glad I did. This is far more interesting.”
“Do you know what a gun is?”
“No, but there have been attempts to make weapons from it in the past. But they have proven just as dangerous to the user as the people they are aiming at. Other than cannons, it was given up upon. But black powder injuries can be healed with magic. If the Holy Gryphon Empire is using black power, then they may have cracked the secret.”
“What secret?” Celestia demanded.
“The reason it was abandoned was because of how the magic in the ingredients can vary greatly and that affects the explosion. That’s why so much metal needs to be wasted in cannons and firework mortars. If the griffons have solved that problem, then that method may explain your difficulty in healing the wound if it was indeed the powder that caused it.
“Queen Ching Shih, do you know anything about a way to process poisons to evade magic detection?”
“If I did, I would not be having issues with taxation.”
“Aunt Celestia, what is this about?”
“When I heard of his wife’s death, I teleported to Manehatten fearing another assassination. And I was right. Poisoned wine at a banquet. It attacked the body like one type of poison and was identified by smell. But it did not respond to magical intervention, only chemical treatments.”
“Are the Coney’s dead?” Blueblood asked.
“No, thankfully. But many of the Millionaire Row are sick or dead.”
“Princess Celestia, we had nothing to do with it!” the other mob boss shouted. “Why would we resort to such an open display?! We are having a hard enough time as it is with Kingpin’s death.”
“Which is a good way back to the topic,” Broken Compass said, “What was your conversation with Kingpin?”
“I asked him for money to buy out Sea Swirl’s parents’ company before Duke Poppycock and Black Horse do tomorrow. He refused, and even knew about Sea Swirl’s imprisonment and her forced marriage to Blarney taking place tomorrow as well. When I demanded how he knew. His cryptic answer was that his father was stillborn and that a century ago Ponyville was a place stillborn were buried.”
The siblings all looked at each other.
“Care to explain?” Queen Ching Shih asked.
“When a noble has an unwanted child,” Blueblood said awkwardly. “The child will be declared stillborn, then dumped at an orphanage somewhere.”
“Or sold as slaves,” Broken Compass said.
“Or concubines,” said a Pink Sapphire.
“Kingpin was a Gleaning or a Folderol,” Cracked Sextant said. “Only explanation. Families don’t disclose such information about each other.”
“That… was my conclusion as well, when he said it,” Celestia said.
“We need to find the last time Duke Poppycock spoke to Kingpin,” he said. “Was he pressured or did he just decide on his own to avoid any further retaliation.”
“We need to look into the poisoning as well,” one of the mob bosses said. “A poison like that can be used against us.”
“Aunt Celestia, I must ask you to keep me informed of developments so I may communicate them to my brothers and sisters,” Blueblood asked.
Celestia nodded, “And I hope the reverse will be arranged as well.”
“We will see,” Broken Compass said. “Everyone has their orders. This slight against the Golden Circle will not stand. One of our members is dead at the hands of a noble. And they will pay.”
“Masters of the Golden Circle,” Celestia suddenly said.
“I also seek vengeance on behalf of Lady Pinkie Pie. Perhaps a pincer move from above AND below will be beneficial to the both of us.”
“We will consider it,” he said. “BUT. This will take time. And your movements to stop this wedding will destabilize the situation greatly. We will need to sit and wait for the aftermath to move...
“If you want vengeance. You may need to sacrifice Sea Swirl and let this wedding go ahead. After all, she can always become a widow.”
“You are aware of his rumors as a sexual fiend and killer?” Celestia said. “Even a small amount of time will be dangerous for her and the baby.”
“Yes, we are aware,” one of the mob bosses said frustrated. “We have traced him to the disappearance of several mares, but have not had a way to move against him due to his status.”
“What are the dark mage’s opinions on the matter,” Ruby Rose asked. “He is clearly involved.”
Celestia sighed. “He comes from a griffon-like culture, so direct, forceful intervention if not pure violence is the first thought that comes to his mind. I do not approve of his current idea, but there are some in agreement. I am considering it as a last resort.”
“Another use of a combined spell with Aunt Luna?” Blueblood asked.
“Correct.”
“Considering the hysteria, I can see the hesitation,” Broken Compass said. “But Princess Celestia, on a purely business, what is the money needed to take over that company?”
Celestia poofed the papers and placed them onto the table.
“Hmm… This is more than we can safely funnel through Prince Blueblood. And there’s not enough time to form an investment company like Dark Horse.”
“What about a royal lien?” Prince Blueblood asked. “That would buy us a month.”
“Still, it’s not enough time to shield the Golden Circle from detection.” Broken Compass said. “And while a royal lien would frustrate Duke Poppycock, knowing Blarney, he will force the wedding through violence. Killing the baby would be the most expedient option. It is already listed as stillborn and you cannot legally kill what is already dead. Being premature is also a good cover for those who would argue the opposite.”
Celestia froze at such a cold unfeeling logic from one of her ponies. Although cast out, he was a noble through and through.
Broken Compass floated the paperwork back to Celestia. “As much as foreign powers getting a hold of Equestrian technology will hamper future relations, it is clear to me that you cannot do one without sacrificing the other. Please keep Prince Blueblood informed about your ultimate decision.”
Light surrounded Celestia and she found herself back in the Police chief’s office.
“I will ignore the existence of the rune circle,” she told the chief, “But I would prefer a warning next time.”
She teleported away.
~~***~~
“Well, too bad you ended everything so quickly,” Queen Ching Shih said. “I had one more piece of information.”
“I can relay that information,” Prince Blueblood asked.
She nodded. She looked behind the screen. “Ping, come out.”
A large bipedal came out clad head to toe in eastern armor and a cloth mask.
“Ping, show them,” she ordered.
The guard lifted his paw and a golden orb appeared. Then the being rose in the air without magic or wings.
“I have information on your ki,” she said. “But it will cost you.”
~~***~~
Meanwhile, Cadence and Twilight are currently in audience with the ambassador of Weigh kingdom.
“If the Sun Princess is delaying her duty, then this must be an important matter,” a tan horse greeted them. “I welcome the lesser princesses with a thousand blessings.”
“Thank you, Ambassador Ferghana,” Cadence said. “And a thousand blessings to you and your kingdom.”
“So, what brings on this auspicious visit?”
“We seek information, and assistance if you possess it.”
~~***~~
“Black powder and ki…” he said. “Black powder originally comes from Wu in the south. It is used as a substitute for magic in cannons, but otherwise is not suitable as a weapon.”
“Can you explain why?”
“The harmony of the ingredients are not in sync. It makes it unpredictable. There is no point in a weapon that also kills its wielder. Are you positive there are weapons using it?”
“Yes, but we know nothing but its name.”
“The wound Lady Pinkie Pie suffered, judging by the timing.”
“You have deduced correctly,” Cadence said.
“And the dark mage and the lady, this shared evil power they share is actually ki?”
“That is also correct,” Cadence said.
“I am surprised,” Fenghana said. “A mana heart usually prevents the use of ki. It is why no ponies can use it and claim it is a superstition as they cannot touch it. But two ponies, one even being an alicorn, can use it?”
“Prince Vegeta was not originally an alicorn but a completely different race. He and his daughter were turned into ones after she abused a magical artifact. According to him, his kind are masters of ki.”
“And Lady Pinkie Pie?”
“We don’t know. She has been singled out since she was a child, but everyone thought it was just a mutation in her magic. Until Prince Vegeta came and the answer became obvious.”
“I see, and you are seeking this knowledge to exonerate the lady?”
“Yes. Although lessening the panic over Prince Vegeta is a side effect of our efforts.”
Fenghana smiled, putting his hoof to his chin, “This is an interesting prospect. Allow me to contact the needed beings.” He lowered his hoof. “This shouldn’t take long. Please enjoy the couches.” He made a snicking whistle. “Geldings! Bring tea and snacks for our esteemed guests.
Fenghana disappeared through a door as the servants quickly prepared tea and sweets for the princesses.
“Twilight, over here,” Cadence guided her to the piles of pillows.
“I… I can’t believe we struck gold on our first try,” Twilight said. “Why do we have no clue about this?”
“From what he said, ponies have never given this a second thought.”
“But, but, somepony must have witnessed it at some point? What about Neighpon? They are a pony kingdom.”
“They also isolated themselves due to harassment and trying to supplant their traditions.”
“Well yeah, they magic lock foals so they never develop cutie marks. That’s child abuse.”
“And why do they do that?” Cadence asked.
“Over some stupid superstition over performing magic… without… magic… that’s more powerful than magic…” Twilight put her hooves on either side of her head. “Oh, my Celestia!”
“Twilight calm down,” Cadence scolded. “It’s not royal like.”
~~***~~
Twenty minutes passed and the door opened.
They were surprised by who walked through.
“Ambassador Kongque, Ambassador Kouma, Ambassador Gyeongjuma,” Twilight said surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“We are here to discuss that ‘stupid superstition’,” Kouma said.
“I’m Sorry! I’m So Sorry,” Twilight threw herself on the floor.
“Twilight!” Cadence shouted at her.
“Do not scold her,” Kouma said. “Admitting ignorance is the first step on the road to enlightenment.”
“We are here because the unveiling of ki to the western kingdoms will be a momentous occasion,” Kongque said. “It will involve all nations that follow the Buddha.”
“And the Kamis as well,” Kouma said.
“Come with us,” Gyeongjuma said. “The monk that serves our embassies’ joint shine is very eager to hear from you.”
~~***~~
The two were led through the back of the building to a small garden with a building in the middle.
“Lord Pixiu, we have come with the princesses as you asked,” Fenghana said as the four ambassadors bowed.
Before them was a massive biped. Even larger than a minotaur. Its back was to them and was covered head to toe with tan and yellow robes. It turned around and lowered the cloth on his head.
“A panda! How did a panda get into Equestria?!”
The panda laughed, “Greeting from the hermit kingdom. I am Pixiu, currently serving as the monk to the eastern kingdoms’ embassies.”
Pixui then stepped to the right, bringing the altar into view.
Twilight pointed “How do you have a statue of a human?! And is that the mirror?!” Twilight could not say more as Cadence closed her mouth with magic.
Pixiu laughed again. “Yes! Yes they are. But I must say I am disappointed that Starswirl’s students have not informed us of the reopening of the sacred mirror. I will assume in good faith that his sudden death prevented him from passing on the agreement. But now that the gate to the sacred lands has reopened, let’s talk about this Prince Vegeta and his journey from the Middle Kingdom.”
~~***~~
“Oh, Uncle!” Blarney proudly walked into the room.
He was instantly grabbed by magic and thrown into the wall. It tightened around his neck.
“You IDIOT!” Duke Poppycock shouted. “Do you know how many favors I had to call in to save your neck?!”
“What are you talking about?” he croaked out.
“You used one of our connections to kill Bocce, and he missed!”
“What?! A Scharfschutze never misses!”
“He shot Pinkie Pie!” He shoved the newspaper into his face. “You're lucky there was a traitor in the palace who turned this all on the dark mage!” He dropped it and shoved another paper in his face, “This is the latest story I have the newsies tossing around.”
He read the headline. “Assassin Identified as Bocce Boules. Arrested for High Treason.”
“DO you know how leveraged I am now?! I've got the entire city's guards and the judiciary fabricating the entire incident!”
"Then what’s the problem? We’ll get him in his cell.”
“Haven’t you noticed the SUN hasn’t gone down yet? It’s two hours late! She’s been running around trying to prove him innocent, and she’s well on the way!”
He gritted his teeth, “Tell me, did you also use our connections to kill Kingpin Boules and the Coneys?”
“Kingpin is dead?! Isn’t he part of the Golden Circle crime syndicate?! I’m not dumb!”
“And the Coneys?” he hissed. “Word from our sources in Manehatten is that the wine used tested negative and no magic spell worked on the victims. But the wine smelled strongly like Almonds and herbal treatment worked. Only one kingdom has the ability to strip magic from items, SO WHERE DID YOU GET THE ARSENIC BOY?! FROM THE GRIFFONS AGAIN?!”
Duke Poppycock tossed him across the room into a bookcase.
“It’s not like the princesses are onto us,” he said, groaning in pain.
“Oh they are,” he said stomping over, “While Celestia has been teleporting from Las Pegasus to Manehatten and back, Cadence and Twilight were at the City Records. They found the live birth certificate! And apparently, they also have noticed the false paperwork from the counting house, because they called all notaries listed to the palace and they haven’t come out yet!
“And worse,” he hissed, “Cadence and Twilight’s next stop was the Weigh Embassy and they haven’t come out yet either.”
“What do they have anything to do with this?” Blarney shakily got to his hooves.
“Because that’s where SchieBpulver originally comes from! The griffons didn’t invent it! They just weaponized it!”
“Even if the princesses are trying to find other sources for the information, all that will do is endanger those ponies. Equestria doesn’t have strong ties with Weigh. Just press on the dark mage angle and get a riot started. And hire a few ponies to burn it down and beat a few horses up.”
“You want to start a war?”
“A distraction. It will also show to the world that the princesses have little control over their own country. If we’re lucky, this will snowball and the herd will run off a cliff.”
Duke Poppycock looked disgustedly at his nephew.
“How did I raise a foal with such a sharp beak?”