The carriage glided through the winter skies with great speed. The guards pulling it were hardly bothered by the harsh winds, due to protective heating spell cast by the Lieutenant Mage before they had departed Canterlot. The snow had stopped falling, leaving behind dark clouds and white powder spread across the land. Lucien and Princess Celestia were the two lone passengers being pulled back to the mountain capital.
Despite how Celestia sort of owed Lucien one for his work with Bronze Gear, he still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable around her. He didn't feel it the first two times he had been near her, but she radiated power. To a man like himself, with above average stores of mana, knowing that she could not only match but defeat him in a battle of power frightened him greatly. During his fight with her and Luna when he first arrived in Equestria, he didn't sense how much power she really contained.
Nor in his life had he ever met such a serene deity like her. Sure, he had dealt with a few demigods that had gotten too big for their britches, but Celestia wielded much more power than those, and kept it under strict control as well. To meet an actual goddess was mind-bending to him.
"Princess Celestia?" he started hesitantly.
Her eyes jumped from gazing out the window to looking directly at his eyes. "Yes, Lucien?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "I was wondering . . . thinking, really, about our first 'encounter.'" He held up fingers to make an air quote, and she seemed to understand the meaning of the gesture.
"What is on your mind?" she asked openly, with a neutral face.
"Well, from where I sit here, I can feel how much power you radiate. I can't even compare with it, really. I've never seen reserves of mana as large as yours." He broke off for a moment, unsure of where he wanted to take the conversation.
"Go on," she motioned with a hoof.
"What I want to know is how I was able to defeat you and Princess Luna when you found me in the Everfree Forest," he finally stated.
She nodded, her face adopting a pondering look. After a few moments of consideration, she formulated her response. "My sister and I, we have not experienced open combat in a long time. A very long time. While my reserves are quite great, as you stated, under-use had rendered them in a weaker condition than normal. Luna, if anypony, had the largest reserves in that battle. I am aware of how she spent some of her time on the moon."
"There has to be more to it than that."
"There is. I also believe that we lost due to your . . . unique fighting style. You followed no patterns we recognized, and the magic you control is also much more variable than ours. You caught us by surprise with each attack, most especially the terra-forming. It's not every day that I am surprised by something, you should take pride in it." She looked out the window once again, expecting the conversation to end there.
"But?"
She lifted an eyebrow, but answered anyway. "But, the reason you are sensing my power now is because I have resumed trained once again, just as Luna has, just as my guard has. I have chosen to 'raise the bar' on training for any pony that wishes to become a guard."
"Why?"
Celestia turned her gaze back to Lucien. "I am raising an army. Equestria was unprepared for every disaster that has stricken us since Luna's return. Nightmare Moon, Discord, The Changelings, and even you. Although, I will say that I chose to take care of you without the help of the guard. They weren't yet ready to face down a being of immense power, the kind of being that I suspected you to be."
The carriage began to shake and rumble slightly, signaling that they were close to landing. "A storm is coming, Lucien. A storm of steam and metal. A storm that I have been expecting ever since Bronze Gear unraveled the secrets of the Griffon's armor and began work on her project." The carriage landed, and rolled to a stop. Lucien looked out the window to see that they had landed near the Canterlot Gardens. "The strange part of it all is that I never expected the storm to originate within the borders of my nation."
The doors opened, letting into the carriage beams of bright light. Princess Celestia glanced at Lucien, then began to disembark. "Let's go talk to Bronze Gear."
The cell door creaked open, interrupting the sound of droplets of water plinking on the stone floors. Bronze Gear, dozing in her bunk, perked up as she heard the noise. She sat up, prompting the wires of the cot she was laying on to squeal loudly.
As the heavy wooden door closed shut, it revealed who opened it. Princess Celestia. "Hello again, Bronze," she said neutrally.
"Hmmph. Celestia." Bronze crossed her forelegs and reclined again.
"Why is your mattress on the floor?" she asked, pointing a hoof at the object.
"Because I didn't like it. Are you going to ask another pointless question or can you just get to the point?" she asked bluntly.
Celestia's features hardened slightly. "Very well, if you do not wish to make use of what limited interaction you have, then go ahead," she said, turning around to leave.
Bronze heard hoofsteps retreat, then the door opened once again, only to slam shut a second later. She sighed, wondering what her the purpose of her ex-mentor's visit was.
"Why is your mattress on the floor?" she heard a stallion's voice say. She jerked upright on the cot in surprise, having not heard another entry into her cell. She looked over to the bars and saw-
"That's not a very practical place to put a mattress. Trust me, I should know," said the human, Lucien.
Bronze's face deepened and darkened, her features twisting into a scowl. One look at the creature brought back all the memories of humiliation at her defeat, and a remembrance of exactly how long she had been locked up in the dungeons. "What does it matter to you where I put my mattress?" she spat out with venom.
"Because most people would only move their mattresses in such absurd ways if they wanted to cover something up, and they had nothing else to put over it. I once robbed a great artist and spilled paint on his bedroom carpet. Since there was nothing else to cover the stain, I dragged the mattress off his bed to delay him finding out about being robbed. Naturally, he found out anyway, but I still find it funny to imagine the look on his face when he saw his mattress sitting in the middle of his bedroom floor."
Bronze's eyes narrowed. she took a breath to calm her anger before speaking. "I suppose that does make you an authority on mattress placement. What were you trying to steal from him anyway?" she asked, hoping to drag out the situation and learn as much as she could about the mage and why Sandcroft considered him so dangerous.
"An enchanted canvas. It lets you travel to the Ink Zone. Also, it's not 'tried to steal,' it's 'stole.' I got it from him without much difficulty."
"And did you travel to the 'Ink Zone'?" she asked out of genuine curiosity.
"Yes, I did, actually. Horrid place. Filled with these disgusting creatures I named Ink Abominations. Let me just-" he pulled off his backpack, and before she could ask what he was doing, he took out a notebook and flipped to a page. He showed her a picture of one of the Abominations, a small mass of ink that had formed legs and short arms. It appeared to crouch low to the ground and use its legs for movement while attacking with its stubby arms. This information she gained, of course, from reading the description at the bottom of the page.
"Those things came from everywhere. The whole world, as far as I could tell, was completely white. Just a blank canvas where the Abominations could leave their stains. Only way I could navigate was by killing Abominations and then taking their arms and legs to paint my way through the world. After a while of wandering and slaying, the colors reversed. Suddenly I was running up an endless white staircase, surrounded by a black void. Fought tooth and nail against those Abominations while sprinting for my life up those stairs." He paused. "Wanna know the scariest part?" he asked.
"What?"
"Sometimes, while I was running up those stairs, I could hear footsteps. Sometimes coming from up the staircase, sometimes coming from down the staircase. But the worst was when the steps were passing on the flip side of the stairs. And it happened all too often." He stopped, letting his eyes wander around the room as he traveled back through his memories.
"How did you get out?" Bronze asked, now pulled in by the story.
Lucien looked up at her, as if he had forgotten that she was there. "Reached the top eventually. Whitewash room with the painter sitting in a chair watching a giant crystal ball. Turns out he had been watching me the entire time, controlling the abominations . . ." he broke off, eyes gazing vacantly through the small window in the otherwise dark cell room.
"So how did you get out?" Bronze asked again, a bit impatiently this time.
His attention snapped back to her readily. A sad smile grew on his face as he talked to her. "I took my knife and drove it through his eye. Then I shattered his crystal ball, took his paintbrush, and left through another canvas hanging on the wall while the entire place got washed away like ink in the rain." His smile never reached his eyes.
Bronze's opinion of him took a complete 180. She went from considering him as a lucky idiot to a deranged wizard. Her surprise must have been obvious on her face, because Lucien chuckled slightly, a deep sound. "I know," he said, "It surprised me too."
His chuckles subsided over the next few moments. "So." he held his right arm out, prompting a cylinder of stone to rise out of the ground below his hand. He took a seat and looked at her. "Why am I here, crazy?" he smiled warmly.
She took a brief moment to get over her surprise at his statements and actions before responding. "I wanted to talk to you," she said simply.
"C'mon, there's more to it than that. I'm listening," Lucien retorted.
"I'm ready to tell you answers about what's going on," she explained.
Lucien leaned forward on his stone stool, the statement catching his interest. "Please, go on."
"I'm sure you remember what I ranted about after you," she acted as if she was swallowing a bug, "defeated me a few months ago?" she began a bit reluctantly.
"I do. A bunch of stuff about a 'new age' and all that."
"Well, now I'm telling you that it's starting. Of course you already know this by now and-"
"Wait, wait, wait, what?" he stood up in surprise.
"You didn't know? I guess his information was off . . ." she murmured.
"Of course I didn't know! What made you think that I, of all people, would know?" he gestured wildly, her last statement not reaching his ears.
"People?" Bronze raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it further. "And this is really your first time hearing this?"
He nodded emphatically.
"Ah ha ha!" she laughed, throwing her head back. "You are this far down the rabbit hole, and you don't even know where it goes! Here I was thinking that you actually had at least an iota of an idea of what's actually going on here!" She smiled at him mockingly, before relaxing her expression and calming down, choosing not to anger him further.
"That's alright though, because that's why I'm talking to you now. That spike of magical energy that you probably just pinpointed to be in Cloudsdale?"
Lucien nodded.
"That's #2. The idiot was supposed to keep his head down and not get noticed for at least another few months, long enough for #1 to get ready," she explained.
"Who's #1?" Lucien asked.
"That's the wrong question, try again." Bronze said with a smirk.
Lucien rolled his eyes and tried again. "Who's #2?"
"That's correct. #2 is Ironwing, a griffon with a mean streak a couple miles long. Featherbrain makes me look as kind as Celestia . . ." she trailed off.
"Explain," Lucien ordered, his smile and light attitude gone.
"Ironwing is an old bird. Been living in Cloudsdale for a good few months now. I met him on one of my trips to the Griffon Empire a couple of years ago. We got into an argument over the practicality of spring hinges over coil hinges. Next thing I knew, he was asking me to go for a drink and I was saying yes." She sighed. "Our mindsets were almost identical, and I took a real liking to him. Helps that he was excellent in bed too . . ." she trailed off again, this time her mind going in a different direction entirely.
"Bronze, stay focused. What else about Ironwing?" Lucien derailed his train of thought before the rails had a chance to take his mind there.
"Hmm? Oh. Anyway, I left back to Equestria to continue work on my projects, and we reconnected when he moved into Cloudsdale. I sent a letter to him about my plans the night Celestia fired me, and he wanted in. So I sent him the details, and he's been preparing ever since."
"That's it? What else about him?" Lucien prodded for more information.
"If you want the details of how he was in bed, then keep asking me that. I'll give you his address and permit you one more question," she said, eager to end the conversation.
Lucien's face turned red. "That won't be necessary," he stated, then he thought about what to ask her. After pondering for a few moments, he decided to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind since he cleared her house the day of their fight. "What happened to all the blueprints at your house? We found a note, but nothing else."
"That's the right question," she said, then stood up without another word. Before Lucien could ask what she was doing, she kicked aside the mattress to reveal a large spade etched crudely into the floor. "I'm not sure who he is, or what he wants, but he's involved alright. Don't leave him out of the picture."
"So what do we know so far about this Sandcroft?" Lucien asked Celestia. After he had finished with Bronze, he went upstairs to meet her in her private study. The two sat on cushions while discussing the subject at hand over tea that Celestia had prepared. Just because she was a Princess didn't mean that she needed a pony to brew her tea for her.
"Next to nothing. I have no evidence of him ever being born or doing anything in Equestria. I keep dated files on each resident of my country in the Archives, down beneath the Palace Library. Any criminal record goes there, along with proof of purchases for land and other such things. If he owned a stall in the Market as you say, then it was never recorded here. All we know is what you have seen and what Bronze has told you," Celestia said, sipping her tea throughout.
Lucien rubbed at his scruffy chin. "He's connected to this. He was Bronze's benefactor and he's the one that moved all of her blueprints from her basement. But he gave me an Arcadium crystal for almost nothing. It's like he's playing for both teams. But what does he have to gain from this?" Lucien asked openly. "Discord could be involved here. Sandcroft may be another one of his vessels. He's tried it before," he said.
Princess Celestia smiled. "I see you have done your research. But I do not believe this is Discord's doing. His stirrings are much louder, and his plans act out on a larger scale. This is too subtle for him. I am convinced that Sandcroft is an outside force, possible from one of Equestria's border countries. It wouldn't be above the Griffon Empire or the Minotaur Kingdom to send in a pony spy to check our government's progress."
"But then Sandcroft would be closer to you, and closer to the governing system. He's too isolated as it stands to get reliable information from you and your advisers. But then what does that leave? He obviously doesn't belong in Equestria..." Lucien trailed off.
Princess Celestia raised a wing. "I suggest that we turn our focus on Ironwing. He is currently the largest threat to Equestrian society, and he must be dealt with posthaste. But, I also recommend that we do as Bronze said and not forget about Sandcroft. He had motives, but they are unclear now. After Ironwing is dealt with, Sandcroft's identity may become more clear."
Lucien thought about it for a few moments, weighing his following actions carefully. "Alright," he said a bit reluctantly, "I agree. Ironwing is the larger problem now. What are we going to do about him?" he asked, beginning to pace around the room, forgetting his tea.
"I pulled his file too while searching the Archives. Bronze's information was accurate, he immigrated into Equestria a few months ago, and immediately bought property in Cloudsdale. I was able to gather from my alternate sources that he was second in command at a large corporation in the Griffon Empire called Skyline. He worked as a consultant VP and has received the highest education in Mechanical Engineering. Where the money came from to attend university there is unknown, but it was an extremely large sum. He has been marked multiple times for instigating brawls, mostly outside bars in Cloudsdale. His record stretches on from there, most charges concerned with brawling and the occasional vandalism. He has not, however, been convicted for these actions. Each time he was able to escape incarceration by the judge making a sudden decision to give him bail. My guess is that bribery played a role in that, as no judge I know would ever dismiss such charges so easily."
"So this guy is a certifiable genius, most likely has fighting skills, and has politicians in his pocket?" Celestia nodded. "And, on top of that already impressive list, he has Bronze Gear's blueprints?" Celestia nodded again, prompting Lucien to rub his temples. "Fantastic . . ." He stopped pacing after a moment, and put his hands on the table, leaning on his arms heavily. He looked up at the goddess and asked, "What are we going to do?"
Celestia set her teacup down and put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Before any decisions are made, I would like to speak with Luna about this. I fear that she has been left out of these matters for too long, and I would like to inform her on the matter at hand. She has dealt with one such issue before, and her experience may prove useful."
Lucien nodded and sat down, picking up his tea in a magical grasp. He let his hand stay vertical and allowed the teacup to revolve around it in lazy circles while Celestia exited the room.
He was alone for only a few minutes before he heard shouting come from through the door. He stood up in confusion, then walked over to find out what was going on. As he got closer, he could make out two guards trying to calm down what sounded like a very upset stallion.
"I don't care who she's meeting with, I will see my aunt now!" Just before Lucien could grasp the handles of the doors, they flew open, causing him to stumble backward.
Standing in the doorway was an obviously well-groomed stallion with a white coat and a blonde mane. He sneered at Lucien momentarily before calling out to the otherwise empty room, "Auntie! Where are you?"
Lucien decided to reply, seeing as the guards were nowhere to be found after the stallion had burst in. "She's not here. She went to go get Princess Luna."
"I wasn't talking to you, commoner. Auntie!" He brushed past Lucien and started to look around the room, as if she was hiding on top of a bookcase or behind the curtains.
Lucien was taken aback by the stallion's actions, but was able to place his identity. That was the pony that Rarity spoke about when the two went out to lunch a few weeks before, the snooty prince, Blueblood. "I'm sorry you didn't hear me the first time, your highness, but she isn't here." This time his words held more force.
Blueblood spun around to face him. "I'm sorry? Did you say something? I couldn't hear it over the sound of how ugly you are." He resumed looking about the room.
Lucien crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow. "That's not the first time I've heard that one," he thought, unimpressed. But he had dealt with such people before, ones who thought they owned the world. You just had to know how to push their buttons. He crept up behind the pony as silently as he could, then screamed, "I'M SORRY MY UGLINESS IS SO DEAFENING, BUT I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT THE PRINCESS ISN'T HERE!" directly into his ear.
Blueblood leapt several feet into the air in surprise and shock. When he finally came down, he looked jarred, and several hairs were out on place in his otherwise kempt mane. "Well- I," he stammered before regaining control. He walked over to the other side of the table and faced Lucien before speaking again. "I heard you that time, peasant. You nearly destroyed my hearing." He smirked. "I feel that the dungeons are a perfectly acceptable place for you after that outburst. Guards!" he called.
The doors opened, allowing in two royal guardsponies. They began to approach Lucien after Blueblood pointed an accusing hoof at him. Lucien put his one hand in his pocket, then lifted the other, palm facing Blueblood. The guards saw this and stopped. Lucien glanced over his shoulder and looked at the pair from out the corner of his eye. His gaze returned to Blueblood afterward, whose face had grown into a disapproving frown.
"Guards! Did you not hear me!? I said to arrest this- this abomination!" Blueblood shouted.
Lucien kept his hand up, and the corners of his mouth slowly grew into a smile. "I'm sorry, Prince Blueblood, but it seems that the guards like me just a bit more than they like you."
"Wha- but-" he spluttered before regaining control once again. His nose stuck up in the air and he struck an elegant pose. "Do know exactly who I am?" he asked, eyes closed, holding the pose.
"That's the wrong question," came Lucien's confident reply.
"Then what, pray tell, is the right question?" Blueblood swept a hoof out in a grand gesture.
"The question you should be asking right now is if you know who I am."
"You're Auntie's pet monkey, obviously. Not fit to even look at the ground that I walk on."
"Incorrect. I am Lucien the Magician."
"What does that mean to me?"
"That means that I have done more in my short time in Equestria than you have your entire life. Part of the reason that the guards aren't arresting me is because I'm one of the only beings to defeat the Princesses in combat. Add that to the fact that I personally defended Canterlot against Bronze Gear, who also almost murdered Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's personal student. Basically, I'm kind of a big deal."
Blueblood, if it was possible, turned even whiter than before. "You're- you're lying. Nopony could defeat the Princesses. You're making this all up. I bet that 'Copper Gear' or whatever his name was doesn't even exist!" His smirk grew large once again, confident in his assumptions.
"Actually, Bronze Gear is currently residing in the dungeons, where I put her. You can go ahead and check when we're done here. And if you don't believe that I fought the Princesses and won, then how can we be having this conversation?" Lucien pointed out, letting his hand fall to his side. Blueblood didn't notice that the hand in his pocket glowed slightly, and a small kink rolled up in the rug in front of Blueblood's hooves.
"Fine! I'll go speak with Celestia, and when she tells me that everything you just said is a lie, then you'll be thrown in the dungeon!"
"Who's getting thrown in the dungeon?" Princess Celesia's voice came from the open doorway. Luna trailed a ways behind her, rubbing her eyes.
"This disgusting creature before me said he defeated you once and that he defended Canterlot from some 'Bronze Screw' character. It's obviously all lies, so I'll just have the guards-"
"Those statements are all accurate," Celestia interrupted.
Blueblood's face turned red, and it looked like his head was filling up with hot air. "But-"
"Lucien did defeat Luna and I when he first arrived on this world, and Bronze Gear is currently residing in the dungeons. I count him as a friend of mine, and I trust him as much as I would trust an adviser." Lucien smiled at her in surprise, but didn't say anything. "Now, Prince Blueblood, I will warn you once again to not insult guests that are brought in for council meetings, however amusing their appearance seems to you. You may just end up saying the wrong thing to the wrong emissary."
Blueblood lowered into a bow, almost knocking his horn into the table before him. "I apologize, Auntie. I overstepped my boundaries. I apologize, Lucien. I'll be leaving now."
But Blueblood still didn't notice the bump on the rug. His hoof caught it, and the force caused the table to shift suddenly, spilling cold tea from Lucien's half-full cup all over Blueblood's pristine white coat. His shoulder stained a light brown, and he looked upon it, stunned that such a thing could happen.
Lucien and Luna, in the meantime, were having a difficult time not bursting out into laughter. Lucien kept a neutral face while a hoof immediately snapped up to Luna's muzzle. Blueblood, however, wasn't laughing. He screamed like a filly and sprinted out of the room, no doubt heading straight for the nearest bathroom.
Following his abrupt exit, the guards departed the room and left Lucien alone with the Princesses. As soon as the door shut, he and Luna burst out into laughter. Even Celestia allowed herself a smile.
After the two had finished laughing, and the echoes of the noise died down, Celestia spoke. "I swear by me, that pony is going to start a war someday."
The comment elicited several chuckles from the gathered company. Lucien and Luna took their respective seats on either side of the table. Lucien picked up his teacup and filled it up by magically pouring tea from the kettle. After feeling that it had gone cold again, he quickly poured it back into the kettle. He held his palm under the teapot and a small flame issued forth, steadily heating the brew up again.
"Lucien," Celestia started, getting the mage's attention. "I would also like to advise you to not get into verbal, or especially physical, fights with the nobility. Even I wouldn't be able to save you from going into the dungeon."
Lucien took the words to heart. "Of course. I was only having a bit of fun. It's not often that you come across ponies that are that into themselves." His words caused Luna to snort in amusement.
"I take it that you informed her of the situation at han- hoof?" he quickly caught his mistake.
"I have. Luna?"
Luna cleared her throat. "As I'm sure my sister has told you, I have had to deal with an enemy of the political variety once before. I've been told of your knowledge on our country's history, I'm certain you recall the tale of Fine Finance?"
Lucien thought for a moment before answering. "I don't think I remember that one. Can you tell me what happened?"
Luna nodded. "Of course. I'm quite happy to share. Fine Finance was the CEO of an extremely large corporation that emerged a few years before I turned. After running the company with great success, we began to notice that the company was buying out other smaller businesses for extremely low prices.The owners of said businesses tended to disappear from the country a short time afterward. We found it to be suspicious, but nothing could be proven. After a few more incidents, and several court cases that were dismissed by judges, we knew for certain that he was guilty of extortion. But, we couldn't touch him due to the corporation he headed, and the lack of evidence we had against him."
"So what did you do?" asked Lucien.
"We allowed it to continue for another few weeks. We planted guards in the businesses that were being bought up by Fine Finance's corporation, and they each reported that employees of Finance's company had visited and successfully threatened the owners of that company. We received numerous magical recordings as proof, and we took Finance to court. T'was a memorable case, to be sure. Lasted only one week, due to the fact that the evidence against Finance's actions came in quickly and stacked up neatly. Some of the ousted families returned to testify, so Finance now sits out in the left wing of the garden, under the name of Greed."
Lucien sat still for a moment, thinking things over. "So we're facing a similar enemy here. One who carries a lot of political power and a lot of money. And all the evidence that we have against him is what Bronze said, and that a large spike of magic registered in the area of the entire city that he lives in."
"Yes, that would be correct," supplied Celestia.
"So what do we do now?" Lucien asked.
"Now, we wait."