Universe 31870
“You’re getting better!” Rarity proclaimed with a proud smile. Meanwhile, the pony she was speaking to was sitting on the floor, her eyes covered by her hooves.
“Please, you don’t need to sugarcoat it,” Twilight lamented with a groan. “How many times did I step on your hooves?” She asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“Not too many times!” Rarity was quick to reassure her, only to chuckle nervously. “Only 10 or 20 times…” She added. The lavender unicorn just deadpanned in response. “But you are getting better, I can assure you!”
“Why did I start learning to dance, again?” Twilight sighed, rubbing her nose with an annoyed groan.
“Because I have been learning how to teleport, and improved my combat skills in exchange for teaching you the art of dancing, dear,” Rarity placed a hoof on her chest. She hadn’t been silent about this training these past few days as she didn’t fear voicing her pride for every achievement she accomplished. It wasn’t really bragging, she actually surprised herself with her progress since she had no idea she even had the potential to improve in such a way. Quite frankly, she couldn’t wait to show her improved skills to the original Twilight and Starlight. She likely would never stand in the same realm as them when it came to magic, but she would still be better than she had been before landing here. “Now, do you want to have another try at it?” The white unicorn raised a hoof in the lavender mare’s direction.
“Why did it have to be this kind of dance, too?” The other unicorn grumbled under her breath as her eyes remained focused on Rarity’s extended hoof. After a few seconds of uncertainty, Twilight sighed and took her hoof, standing up again.
“For events significant enough to occur at the castle, like the Gala, dancing with a partner is the most common necessary skill for a pony to have, Twilight,” Rarity explained with a calm smile. Twilight had been her only company ever since she got in this world, so you would think she was growing tired of hanging around with her 24/7, but that wasn’t actually the case. She was still different from the Twilight she knew, so it was like meeting a new pony. Also, she had to admit she was having fun with her. Unlike the one she knew, this unicorn was totally clueless about friendship! Teaching was actually quite fun!
“Well, you definitely made more progress than me,” Twilight grumbled. “Moreover, I’m not the kind of pony who likes… physical contact. This is embarrassing,” She rubbed her forehead.
The fashionista arched an eyebrow in surprise. Again, she compared the other unicorn to the Twilight she was most familiar with. Her Twilight frequently nuzzled her friends, they all did actually, some more than others. Even if she understood this wasn’t the same pony, noting the various differences between them still came as a shock.
“Why didn’t you say so? We could have taken it easier,” Rarity noted worriedly.
“I can’t take it easy. As Princess Luna’s student, I can’t afford to be lazy,” Twilight shook her head.
“You are way too hard on yourself,” Rarity lightly admonished her. “You need to relax a little. Personally, I usually spend a day in the spa. It helps so much for the muscles, but most importantly, your hooves, mane, and tail!” She suggested eagerly. “Look at my mane. What about the tail? Don’t they look fabulous?” She flaunted them. “Daily care brings you wonders,”
“Uhm,” Twilight backed away, uncertain. “They look… Good? I guess?” She tilted her head, inspecting the assets the unicorn was the most proud of. “I only ever cared for my horn, really,” She added, which was expected from most unicorns. It wasn’t just important esthetically, but for one’s health, too. A unicorn’s horn was as important to them as the wings were for the pegasi.
“We’ll have to remedy that at some point, but maybe we can try something? We could take a break,” Rarity stated.
“What do you suggest?” The lavender mare cocked an eyebrow.
“Oh, this will be so exciting! First, we have to leave the castle!” The fashionista replied. The eagerness in her tone was enough to send chills down Twilight’s spine. Luna’s student had a feeling she wouldn’t like this…
“I’m not coming out,” Twilight firmly declared from the changing room, hidden behind a curtain.
“What are you afraid of, darling? I am sure you look amazing!” Rarity reassured her confidently. “The dress I picked out for you should be perfect for your measurements as well as match your colors!” She added.
“Of course, you know my measurements…” Twilight mumbled in defeat. “Very well, I’m coming out,” She reluctantly decided before opening the curtain with her magic.
Finally, the white unicorn could witness the beauty of the dress she laid her eyes on earlier, worn by someone. As expected, it suited Twilight perfectly. The bottom was a dark purple, of a semi-transparent veil-like cloth riddled with small white stars. It almost looked like a dark sky sprinkled with jewels. The top was deep blue with short lavender double-sleeves and a large white star in the middle. Now if only the other mare had gotten a restyle for her hair to best fit the overall look, it would have been perfect! Nonetheless, this change of looks remained a success.
“Oh, my! What did I say? You look fabulous, darling!” Rarity exclaimed with a wide triumphant smile.
“T-Thanks,” The second unicorn looked away.
“I knew this store would be the right place for this,” The fashionista commented happily.
She was lucky their universes were so similar because she had no idea where she would have gone shopping if this store, La Couture de Dazzle, hadn’t existed here. It wasn’t exactly renowned across Equestria, specifically because it only had two stores. One was located in Canterlot, the other in Fillydelphia. Nevertheless, it still had a good reputation to its name, and was the most popular brand in Canterlot. Because of that, the store they were in was fairly big, twice the size of the shop she had in Manehattan.
“I suppose I’ll buy it, then,” Twilight sighed as she lit her horn. Instantly, a plastic bag flashed before their eyes. With another flash, her dress was suddenly teleported above her head inside her magical grab. Carefully, she folded it, and then put it inside the bag. “There, we can go to the counter, now. I still don’t understand how shopping can be entertaining,”
“Well, if you are on your own, it can get quite boring,” Rarity conceded. “But you weren’t alone. Don’t you think looking for dresses with a friend is fun?”
Twilight looked down at the question. She was expressionless for a couple of seconds, but after thinking Rarity’s words over, she gave her a small and barely perceptible smile.
“Yes, it is,” She admitted before looking at the bag. Did she ever even go shopping with anyone in the past. Not from what she could remember, at least. Dresses were also something she never thought about. She was aware she would have to wear them on some occasion after her apprenticeship and becoming a princess, but still… Apart from armor, she never even wore clothes at all ever since she began learning under Princess Luna.
The small trip ended up being pleasant for both of them. Frankly, Rarity enjoyed getting out of the castle once in a while since she had been in this universe for days already. Princess Luna had promised her she was doing everything in her power to find the stone, and she trusted her… But it was starting to take an awful lot of time. The only thing keeping her from worrying to death was hanging out with Twilight’s counterpart here. Nonetheless, she didn’t how long that could occupy her. She also hoped she would manage to teach her the magic of friendship in time.
With these thoughts swirling in her head, and the dress packed, Rarity left the store along with Twilight. Now they needed to find something else to do for the rest of the day. As the fashionista began mulling over it, a feminine voice suddenly called out to them.
“Twilight! Is that you?” It came from behind, sounding cheerful.
Before turning around, Rarity glanced at Twilight, checking if the other unicorn recognized that voice. However, the lavender mare simply froze in confusion. The small pause lasted only for a second, barely perceptible before they turned around. Once she laid her eyes on the mare, though, the fashionista quickly identified her. It was one of Twilight’s old friends from Canterlot, Minuette.
“It is you!” Minuette exclaimed joyfully before trotting toward the two mares. “I haven’t seen you in years! How are you doing? Is Princess Luna treating you well?” She bombarded her with questions, which Twilight seemed to be hesitant to respond to. “You remember me, right? Minuette, we were in the same class in magic kindergarten,”
It was obvious that from the look on Twilight’s face, she had no idea who this pony was. It wasn’t surprising if they only knew each other from magic kindergarten. Minuette would also have a much easier time remembering Twilight considering she was famous and known as Princess Luna’s student. Nevertheless, this was the perfect opportunity! Rarity and she had only been spending time alone, but now that Minuette was here, the fashionista could help Twilight make another friend. It was much easier to understand the magic of friendship if you had multiple friends.
“Oh, I think Twilight mentioned you once or twice!” Rarity interjected, stepping in to help her friend.
“Well, I’m flattered! I didn’t think I left much of an impression on you,” Minuette chuckled. Meanwhile, Twilight threw an inquisitive look at Rarity. “And you are?”
“Rarity. A friend of Twilight,” She introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Minuette,” Minuette replied. “I’m surprised to see you here, Twilight. Most rumors say you rarely leave the castle unless it’s for something official,”
“Those rumors are false,” Twilight remarked without expanding on it any further. The lavender mare kept her mouth shut in a thin line. Minuette waited for her to continue, expecting that she had more to say, only to be met with silence. Rarity was forced to ease the tension by clearing her throat.
“We were just coming back from a shopping trip,” She stated, acting all natural.
“I hope you bought yourself something nice! I was actually going to work, my shift starts in half an hour,” Minuette replied, smiling. Rarity wondered if she didn’t notice Twilight’s reluctance to speak or was simply unbothered by it. Unfortunately, seeing as the other unicorn wasn’t saying anything, Rarity would have to keep this conversation alive.
“What is your profession if I may ask?” The fashionista questioned.
“Nothing too fancy, I work at my parents’ bakery until I can open my own restaurant,” Minuette replied. Before Rarity could tell her she hoped she would succeed in her aspirations, the other unicorn continued. “Well, I know I don’t need to ask Twilight,” She chuckled. “But what about you, Rarity?”
“I am a proud fashion designer from a remote town, and I came here to see if I could open a boutique in Canterlot,” Rarity responded. Of course, she had to lie a bit because spouting out the truth would only make matters more complicated. Meanwhile, the lavender mare at her side seemed to be getting more irritated by the second.
“A fashion designer? I’m guessing that would be your second store?” Minuette asked in surprise, to which Rarity nodded. She really wanted to brag about the fact that she actually had three stores, but she would just sound like a more sophisticated version of Rainbow Dash. “This is amazing! No wonder you and Twilight are friends! You both are on the road to success! Congrat,” She congratulated them.
“Why, thank you, darling!” The white beauty thanked her with a small, flattered smile while her lavender friend’s eyes wandered to her.
She didn’t mind conversing with Minuette, but this was going nowhere. Twilight couldn’t really learn the magic of friendship if she wasn’t even willing to make friends. Rarity started wondering how she even managed to befriend her in the first place. Sure, they were stuck together, so the lavender unicorn didn’t have much of a choice once Rarity pestered her, but still.
“I’m sorry to cut this conversation short, but we must go,” Twilight suddenly interjected in a flat tone.
“Oh, well maybe we could meet up later for my lunch break? We would have more time to talk. My treat,” Minuette offered.
Now that was a great opportunity! Rarity opened her mouth to reply, eager to agree. Unfortunately, Twilight was faster.
“I’m sorry but we can’t. As Princess Luna’s protégé, I can’t simply do whatever I please. It should be obvious,” She coldly rejected her offer. Rarity nearly facehoofed.
“Oh, maybe another day, then?” Minuette suggested, slightly disappointed.
“Sorry, but no,” Twilight retorted, then turned around. “Farewell,” She stated before walking away.
“I… I am so sorry. I’m sure she’ll visit your bakery once she has enough time,” Rarity apologized in embarrassment. “Goodbye!” She added as she trotted after the lavender mare, who left without her.
Minuette stayed behind, dumbfounded and confused.
“But… I didn’t even tell her which one I work at,” She muttered. However, they were already too far away to hear her.
The first thing Rarity wanted to do once she reached Twilight was to admonish her, nay, to scold her like a filly. She had been so rude! Even though, Minuette tried to be sweet! Regardless of that, the fashionista stopped herself. Yelling at Twilight would obviously do no good except to potentially cause drama. Instead, she did something quite simple.
“What was that, Twilight?” She questioned, her brows furrowing.
“What do you mean?” She inquired innocently.
“Why did you run away like this? Why were you so distant with her?” Rarity gestured behind her.
“Please, she obviously didn’t want to talk to me either,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “It’s just common courtesy to greet somepony you know. Since she didn’t want this either, I figured I wouldn’t put us through this, and put an end to it,” She explained.
“What? No! She looked like she was happy to see you,” Rarity arched an eyebrow, confused by her response.
“She wasn’t. We barely talked to each other when we were fillies… Probably… I can barely remember her. There is absolutely no reason for her to want to talk to me,” Twilight shook her head in denial.
“Maybe because she doesn’t need a reason to talk to you? She may have only wanted to catch up with you because she considered you a friend,” Rarity suggested hopefully. Yet, Twilight remained adamant.
“I refuse to believe that. I don’t have friends. And I don’t want friends,” She declared with a sense of finality.
“You keep saying that,” Rarity mumbled, nearly groaning. “Am I not your friend?” She questioned the other mare, which actually made her freeze.
“I already told you. It’s not the same. It isn’t the same thing!” She looked away, unwilling to meet the fashionista’s gaze.
“I can’t understand if you don’t explain it to me, darling,” Rarity attempted to push for an answer. Twilight stood in silence for a couple of seconds. Finally, she breathed out.
“Just forget it,” She shook her head before finally meeting Rarity’s eyes. “Let’s just go back to the castle,” The lavender pony decided.
“...” Rarity stared at her in silence but ultimately followed her without protest. “Very well,” She conceded. Now wouldn’t be the time for discussion, it seemed.
“By the way, do you call everypony darling?” Twilight asked seemingly nonchalantly.
“Huh? Maybe? Saying it has become somewhat of a reflex at this point,” Rarity shrugged, surprised by the sudden question.
“Hn,” Twilight didn’t retort anything beyond that.
Not willing to drop the subject just yet, Rarity opened her mouth to ask about the reason for Twilight’s inquiry. Unfortunately, right as she was about to speak, a loud voice cut her off.
“Captain Twilight! Finally!” A guard came running toward them, looking as panicked as ever. “We have been looking for you everywhere!” He panted once he stopped in front of the two unicorns.
The lavender mare arched an eyebrow, seeming much more serious than earlier. The guard sounded like Canterlot was under attack, but clearly, there were no current dangers outside. Most likely, it had something to do with the castle. Nevertheless, Twilight couldn’t bring herself to worry since the castle was under Princess Luna’s protection. There was no way the alicorn would let anything happen to it.
“What is wrong?” She asked calmly.
Indeed, as long as Princess Luna was there, no one would…
“It’s Princess Luna…” He began speaking between two breaths. “Something happened to her! You must come quickly!”
Twilight’s heart nearly stopped as the mare froze, her eyes slowly widening in shock and sudden realization. Princess Luna was in danger?
She ignored everything the guard and Rarity spoke to her while they ran through the castle’s halls. She didn’t need reassurance nor did she need to hear a guard’s message about what exactly happened to Princess Luna. She needed to see it for herself. She needed to be by her side. Only then she would be able to do something. Anything! If she couldn’t help the princess, then… Then she didn’t know what she would do. She would be… Nothing.
With one flick of her horn, she flung the doors to Princess Luna’s bedroom. She did not care for proper etiquette or respect. Two measly doors were nothing compared to the princess’ life! Unfortunately, even after making all this way to her bedroom, she still couldn’t see the princess with her own eyes. Her bed was surrounded by guards and doctors. With gritted teeth, she strolled forward.
“Everypony, out! Out, now!” She ordered without a hint of willingness to hear back talking, or compromise. No one was allowed inside except for her. The ponies inside swiftly scurried off, unwilling to test her patience now. Even the guard that notified her stayed outside the moment she raised her voice. She was now alone, except for Luna lying on her bed, and Rarity standing next to her.
“The doctors, too?” The fashionista inquired while looking at their backs as they ran off, closing the doors behind them in the hopes of avoiding further wrath.
“If Princess Luna is suffering from something, then it wouldn’t be a simple disease or injury. They will be of no help,” Twilight responded with a tone that left no room for discussion.
Unfortunately for them, she was right. Once Rarity finally laid her eyes on the princess of the night, she gasped in horror at the sight. Luna was moaning in pain, seemingly in her sleep. There was a black mark on her neck with some kind of dark smog exuding out of it. It wasn’t even simply a mark; some nasty bubbles were popping all over it.
“What is this?” Rarity inquired, holding back her disgust in her throat.
“A curse,” Twilight replied with furrowed brows.
“A curse?” Rarity repeated. But curses weren’t real, were they?
“A kind of magic,” The lavender mare clarified. “The caster inflicts a curse on someone, which will act like some sort of magically induced disease that spreads all over the body. Of course, all ponies die before it can even spread that far,” She explained grimly. “It takes longer than a full day for the curse to appear on the skin like this, but since it affects the victim the moment they were inflicted with it, acting on it then is too late. It’ll kill anypony in less than 12 hours,”
“What?! But this is horrible? How can you even defend against such a thing?” Rarity exclaimed in shock.
“You can’t. That’s the point of a curse. There is no counter spell, which is why Princess Luna tried to eradicate every tome teaching that magic. Still, it’s not something easy to cast. You need to be near the victim for nearly an hour without any interruptions, but the upside is that the unicorn shows no signs it’s casting it in the first place,” Twilight uttered, feeling like her throat was closing in. “Nopony in this world, except for me and another alicorn, can get this close to Princess Luna for so long… unless it’s for special events,” The lavender unicorn drew a sharp breath. “It must have been during the ball yesterday…” She muttered.
Rarity wanted to ask about it since she wasn’t even aware there was one in the first place. However, now was not the time. Moreover, she had a feeling she wasn’t told about it because she wasn’t supposed to be in this universe. She didn’t feel like it was a problem until now, but Luna may have thought otherwise.
“Shit!” Twilight suddenly lit her horn and threw some of Luna’s furniture against the wall, startling Rarity in the process. “I can’t possibly find out who the culprit is with so many suspects!”
The white unicorn flinched at the raised voice but kept quiet. While she wanted to go and reassure Twilight, her eye caught something else. There was a strange and weak orange light under Luna’s wing. Hesitantly, she approached the alicorn.
“What is this?” She asked, pointing at the wing, which served to slightly calm Twilight and bring her attention back to the princess.
Twilight wordlessly walked up to the bed before lighting her horn and lifting Luna’s wings. Rarity widened her eyes while her friend’s expression of anger was replaced by one of sadness. Once Luna’s wing was moved aside, Rarity could finally see more than a peek of the orange glow. It was a gash, a few inches long, which looked like it had been carved in by a blade made of magma. The fashionista could feel the warmth it emitted simply by standing close to it. Despite the look of it, no blood was pouring out of the wound. It was a scar, even if it did not look much like it.
“A curse would be deadly to most ponies, but it has slimmer chances of working on an alicorn, and especially Princess Luna. Unfortunately, that injury weakened her so much that she couldn’t even fight the curse back,” Twilight explained.
“I… Still don’t understand. What happened?” Rarity shook her head.
“Most ponies greatly value Princess Luna, her strength, wisdom, or just in general. She is respected by many, yet nopony ever takes me seriously when I say she is the best pony I know, or the strongest, or the prettiest… alicorn,” Twilight began expressing, her eyes slightly shifting from left to right. “No matter how much the kingdom loves her, most of them just think I’m biased or fanatical,” She rolled her eyes.
While Rarity didn’t think that way, she didn’t deny that she was surprised by how much Twilight’s counterpart admired Princess Luna. Even more so than how the original was with Princess Celestia.
“But I’m not exaggerating when I say those things. Because I’m the only one who knows her true self. Before becoming Daybreaker, Celestia was a prodigy, a genius like no others. She excelled at everything and was given everything because of her prowess. Once she and Princess Luna became alicorns, all her abilities increased tenfold. She defeated Sombra in a single spell and saved the Crystal Empire before his army could even leave its borders. She repelled the second queen of Changeling’s invasion on her own. She defeated Tirek and Scorpan the moment they set foot in Equestria before they even had the opportunity to start their nefarious plans. And when the lord of chaos, Discord himself, showed up, she destroyed his physical body and trapped his soul in an enchanted crystal,” Twilight recounted all of Celestia’s counterpart’s accomplishments. Each one shook Rarity to the core because… Well because this version actually managed to deal with these enemies permanently! “Not only that, but she also raised the sun. It’s no wonder some ponies began treating her like a goddess. She was Equestria’s greatest hero,”
Rarity attempted to imagine such a situation. Many treated the two sisters the same back in her original universe in the past, too. However, as more threats arose, she and her friends arrived at the forefront of everyone’s mind when they mentioned heroes in Equestria.
“At some point, she became known as the strongest pony in history. For many today, she still is,” Twilight continued, frowning as she was reminded of those damn cultists. “You know who her greatest admirer was?” She asked, but the white unicorn shook her head. “Her sister, Princess Luna. The princess loved and valued her more than anypony. Because of that, she trained and studied every day so she could live up to Celestia’s name. She did it just so she wouldn’t embarrass her by having such a weaker sister, and because she wanted Celestia to be proud of her. It was all she asked for… And when put by her sister’s side, she may have been non-existent, despite raising the moon,” Twilight chuckled dryly, shaking her head.
Now that was something Rarity was familiar with. In her universe, Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon because of that treatment and the pain she endured.
“So… Can you imagine how painful and hard it was for her when she had to fight her own sister? When that same sister tried to kill her?” Twilight questioned, and Rarity could not answer. “When Celestia became Daybreaker, anything that made her hold back in the past was gone. She fought fiercely and mercilessly, aiming to kill. She would have stopped at nothing to reach her goal. Nonetheless, Princess Luna fought her. At that time, nopony would have believed the small, weak, and unknown sister could have won. Nopony. But she did,” She said, her eyes shining with a deep sense of admiration. “Against all odds, Princess Luna went far and beyond and beat her. She defeated her! Can you believe how amazing that is?” She declared, only for her brows to furrow. “But Daybreaker wounded her to the point of giving her a mark that would never live as long as Princess Luna lives. Every year, it had weakened her. Nevertheless, she still stepped up to rule Equestria. Even after having to banish her sister, she was aware of the responsibilities she needed to bear. To this day, she is still in pain for failing to bring her back to the right path. How can anypony hate her when she had suffered so much already?”
“I… I don’t know what to say,” Rarity replied, unsure of how to even process this.
Even after everything she had done for this kingdom, ponies still made attempts at her life. Not just ponies either, but creatures from other nations, too. To Twilight, most of her enemies were nothing but power-hungry scum who couldn’t possibly comprehend how worthless their lives were. They lived mere decades. They were only specks of dust compared to Princess Luna, so they couldn’t understand how lonely and futile holding power was.
“I can’t allow her to be in pain again, Rarity. The only to remove a curse is to make the caster dispel it or… To kill them,” She revealed. “So I will find who did this, and I will tear them apart, limb by limb,” She gritted her teeth in rage. Oh, no, they wouldn’t get away with it.
Even if Rarity was aware that killing wasn’t quite noble, she also couldn’t deny they were in a drastic situation, and it required drastic measures. She couldn’t blame Twilight for this. As a friend, she felt obligated to support her in this matter.
“Then, let’s do it together,” She grinned, surprising Twilight. “When we cure her, we can practice our dances and teleportation again while Princess Luna searches for the stone that brought me here,”
While seemingly happy, Twilight remained silent for a few seconds, taking in her words. She looked like she was conflicted; however, her conflicting feelings faded from her expressions as quick as they appeared.
“I’ll have to properly apologize to you once this ordeal is over,” Twilight nodded with confidence. The fashionista raised an eyebrow in confusion. “For now, let’s care of this,” She looked back at Princess Luna.
Noble Stingy glanced at his watch, arching an eyebrow in confusion before looking out the window. The sun was still high in the sky, even though it should be setting.
“Princess Luna is usually never late when it comes to the sun, but nothing will surprise me from her anymore,” He sighed before closing the curtains with his magic.
He would have been plunged into complete darkness if it weren’t for the warm glow of the fire in his chimney. While it wasn’t cold, he loved sitting by the fire in the evening, enjoying his time off as much as he could. Politics could get so exhausting, after all. With a relaxed humming, he carefully turned on his turntable, which played classical music. It was his favorite artist, too.
Indeed, Octavia truly understood the intricacies of art, playing music that could touch the hearts of all those who heard it. He would dare say she was the only one in the world who could calm him down in any situation he found himself in. Perhaps, he could hire her for a private show? Having her play only for himself would be an honor. They could share a drink and talk about their passion for music? Maybe they could even do more, but he wouldn’t get his hopes up. He was not the richest in Canterlot.
Spinning around, he inspected the room. With the curtains closed, and the fire glowing, it felt like the sun had set. Was that not proof that he didn’t need Princess Luna to enjoy the night or the day as he pleased? With a satisfied nod, he turned to his bookshelves, his own little library.
Tapping his chin, his eyes wandered over the numerous books displayed on the shelves. After some consideration, he picked one, titled “The Rise and Fall of Griffonstone Vol.1”, and sat on his favorite armchair. He still hadn’t finished reading that one. He even bought the second volume a few days ago.
Unfortunately, right when he got his butt in the armchair, someone knocked at the door of his private room.
“Dinner will be ready soon, Dear!” A mare called out to him on the other side. Noble furrowed his brows in annoyance. They had been married for years, and she still didn’t know he was having his private time at this hour?!
“I am not hungry! You can eat without me!” Noble shouted back, trying not to show any anger in his voice as he knew she would only stay longer if he did.
“Oh, alright! Do you want me to keep your food warm? I prepared an exquisite soup with exotic ingredients from Yakyakistan!” She responded happily, which only served the annoy Noble even more.
“Whatever you wish! I am busy, so please don’t bother me for now, Dear,” He rolled his eyes, spitting out the last word. It seemed she got the message and left since he didn’t hear her reply.
Finally, some peace. He would kill his father if the old coot wasn’t already dead. It was all his fault for arranging that marriage! If only he had chosen a mare that could understand him, but he supposed finding someone with tastes as refined as his, was hard. He bet Octavia shared his tastes.
Opening his book where he left off yesterday, he resumed his reading. It didn’t take him long to scoff.
“It’s no wonder their civilization is gone. Those dirty feather-bags must have the brains of birds, too,” He chuckled mockingly. You wouldn’t see that happening to Equestria!
After several seconds, he turned the page. Just as he did so, his windows loudly shattered, glass flying all over the room. Noble released a high-pitched scream as he fell off his chair. Pegasi dressed in royal guard armors burst through the broken windows, landing in front of the bookshelves.
The noble pony cried again before turning around to run out of the room. Unfortunately, Earth Pony guards blasted the door off its hinges and entered the room with fierce looks on their faces. To top it off, three unicorns teleported around Noble Stingy, blocking every remaining escape route.
“What is this? What is happening?!” He frantically looked around, demanding answers. Unfortunately, instead of receiving any, pink magical ropes suddenly popped out of the ceiling and bound Noble’s hooves together before lifting him off the floor. “Ah! No!” He shouted while struggling against the binding. He could already feel the blood rushing to his head.
“Don’t play dumb, Noble!”
The hanging pony widened his eyes as he recognized the voice that spoke to him. He managed to pivot to look at the front door, only for his expression to turn into a glare. It was Twilight Sparkle, calmly walking into his private room with additional guards and a white unicorn he had never seen before!
“Captain Twilight! What is the meaning of this?! I demand an explanation!” He barked at the unicorn. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in the mood to deal with his tantrums.
“As I said, don’t play dumb!” She shouted, leaning toward him with her horn sparking with electricity. That seemed enough to intimidate Noble and put fear back into his body. “Princess Luna has been cursed during the ball, and you’re our prime suspect!” She explained to him.
“What?! Our beloved princess?! I have no reason to do that! I love my kingdom! I sing to our flag every night before going to bed!” He swiftly replied, already sweating bullets. “B-Besides, if it was during the ball, then how am I the prime suspect? Anypony could have done it!” He continued to defend himself.
“You know why! Three months ago, Princess Luna said she would take your land right outside of Equestria to welcome the refugees from Hippogriffia and give them a temporary home! You couldn’t accept that. You know that if she dies, Equestria will need to close its borders until it has a new ruler, and every plot of land acquired by the princess in the year prior to her death will be returned to its former owner. The new ruler will have to make a new decision concerning these plots of land, and you were sure you could beg the new princess to reconsider Princess Luna’s decision, especially since it would be too late for the refugees anyway by that time,” Twilight explained with a glare that could freeze the pony’s heart. “Moreover, guards had seen you have a private reunion with Princess Luna during the ball. It lasted a whole hour, plenty of time for you to curse her,”
“T-That’s preposterous! I’m innocent! Do you even know what that reunion was about?!” Noble defended himself.
“Does it matter?” Twilight arched an eyebrow, making the other unicorn gulp.
“Yes, it does, captain! We were precisely discussing my land and the refugees. Princess Luna has agreed to pay a monthly fee to me for every refugee we admit there! We came to an agreement, and there is proof! She put it in writing!” He shouted. Unfortunately, Twilight’s glare didn’t soften. “P-Please, believe me! The only magic I know is levitation! Please!” He whimpered, tears rolling down his face.
“You…” Twilight muttered, unsure of what to do. She didn’t want to believe him because he was their only lead. Before she could make a decision, Rarity put a calming hoof on her shoulder.
“I think he’s telling the truth, Twilight,” She shared her thoughts. The lavender unicorn glanced at her. “I’ve seen a lot of liars, and while he’s a scoundrel, he doesn’t look like he could lie to save his life,” She argued.
“Yes! It’s the truth, please! As I said, you can check the documents yourself! The princess signed them herself!” Noble shouted desperately, feeling himself getting weaker as more blood rushed to his head.
“He’s our only lead… The only one with a motive,” Twilight clenched her teeth, glaring at the noble unicorn. “But you’re not completely wrong. That spineless cur couldn’t possibly be good enough to use curses,” She finally conceded with a sigh.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Noble breathed in relief, turning his head to thank Rarity. Unfortunately, he couldn’t even get the words out before the magical binds disappeared and dropped him to the floor with a loud thud. “Ow!” He yelped in pain, landing face-first.
“And we’re back to square one. The only way is for us to interrogate every guest one by one, but this will take too long,” Twilight shook her head.
“Shouldn’t finding a motive be easy? Princess Luna has a significant position, so it wouldn’t be surprising if someone tried to assassinate her to take her place as a ruler,” Rarity suggested. The lavender unicorn shook her head.
“That wouldn’t work,” She scoffed. “Princess Mi Amore de Cadenza is the next in line after Princess Luna. And if she were to die, too, then I would be the one to inherit the throne. Whoever did this would not only have to kill the three of us but also every noble wishing to take the throne. Their plot would be discovered by then, and the guards would not accept him, especially not the Bat Ponies. So you would have to take control of them, too. Moreover, Princess Luna is friends with a few elite unicorns, and they would not accept that either. This plan is senseless and doomed to fail. Even a foal would see all the holes in it!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “You would have to be a complete moron to even think this might work…” Her eyes suddenly widened in realization. “I know who it is…” She declared.
“Who?” The white unicorn inquired as she personally had no idea how Twilight even came to a conclusion.
“I should have realized it sooner! Of course, it would be that idiot!” The elite unicorn slapped her forehead before looking more determined than ever. Her eyes held deep and burning fury that promised pain. She was livid. “Prince Blueblood,” She hissed in rage.