//------------------------------// // Virtus Sola Nobilitas // Story: Conspiracy // by FallBlau //------------------------------// Inside the confines of the Crystal Castle, Shining Armor crept along the stone hallway as he made his way back to his bedchamber. The sun had not come up yet, which he hoped would give him the opportunity to sneak back into their room, before his wife awoke. He cautiously opened the door and peered inside. On the bed, his wife lay sleeping –her controlled breathing making the covers rise and fall as she snored quietly. Shining deliberately made his way over to the bed and nudged himself beneath the sheets, wriggling cautiously so as not to wake her. When at last he thought he had succeeded, however, he jerked his hoof too far and nudged the bundled mass that lay next to him. He heard a groan as the sheets began to rustle. He cursed underneath his breath. “Shining?” he heard a groggy voice say. “Is that you?” “Ssh, sweety, it's me,” he said, holding her. “No need to get up.” “What? Is it morning?” “No dear, not quite.” “Where were you?” she asked, burying herself in the pillow. “I was up working last night. You know how it goes...” “Oh, Shining,” she said, petting his mane. “You work yourself so hard.” “I know,” he said, nestling her neck. “But I do it because of you.” Cadence smiled. “You're the best husband in the world...” “Yeah...” Shining said, looking down. “Something wrong, love?” “No...It's just...It's nothing.” “What? Tell me.” “No,” he said waving his hoof. “What?” “Forget it. I've just had a long night and it probably doesn't mean anything.” “Whatever you say...” “I'm sorry for waking you, dear.” “No, it's alright. What time is it?” “A quarter to six now.” “Probably best to get up, anyways...” “Yeah...” “Did you get any sleep last night?” “I fell asleep on my desk. I just got up about a half hour ago.” “Oh? What woke you?” “Oh, er...nothing. Well, I mean, I just woke up on my own...” Cadence rolled out of bed, rubbing her eyes. “Is there any tea left?” “Are the headaches still bothering you, dear?” “Not so much now – a little pain, but nothing else.” “Is the medicine actually helping?” “I think so. I drank it three times yesterday, like the doctor said, and it seems to be working.” “Well, how are you feeling now?” “Better. I think I'll go out today and see the gardens; check up on how our flowers are doing. You know the ones, Shining? The ones you and I planted. Have you seen them?” “No, I haven't checked on them.” “Not once?” “I've been busy, you know. I don't have time to spare myself for such things. And, to be truthfully honest, it's really not the same without you.” Cadence smiled softly as she took his hoof. “Oh, dear Shining, I'm sorry that I've been such a burden on you lately. I know how hard you work and how much of a strain I put on you, but you mustn’t let that discourage you from enjoying yourself. Life is not all work you know.” Shining patted his hooves on the floor. “I’m very happy to see you up again…” “Here, I know what! I’ll fix you breakfast this morning. Would you like that, dear? I’ll make those pancakes, just the way you like them.” “You don’t have to do that.” “No, but it’s the least I can do to show my gratitude to such a faithful and loving husband,” she said as she kissed him on the cheek. “It won’t take me long at all. You just stay right here and relax, and I’ll be right back.” “You’re too kind…” “As any good wife should be,” she said, trotting out the door. Shining bowed his face sorrowfully as he slumped on the bed, holding his head in his hooves. “What have I done?” he asked aloud. “What was that?” Cadence asked as she walked back in. “Back so soon?” Shining asked, startled. “I forgot my tiara,” she said as she levitated it on to her head. “What have you done, love?” “Nothing, dear,” he said, smiling. “It’s just…with everything that’s been going on, I just thought maybe you were really tired and needed to rest – which I would have been more than happy to have obliged. Still, I was concerned about you, that’s all.” “Well, you needn’t worry anymore. I’m quite capable.” “Then you must forgive me for doubting,” he said, nestling close to her. “Then you are forgiven,” she said, brushing him away coyly. Shining chuckled. “What say you and I go out after breakfast and tour the garden, then?” “Oh Shining! You really want to?” “More than anything in the world, my sweet.” Cadence giggled happily. “Then I’ll get the breakfast fixed as quick as I can,” she said, and raced out the door. “Don’t rush yourself!” he called as he trotted after her, lost in the euphoria of the moment. In their private kitchen, Cadence set to work, mixing the batter and heating the stove as she prepared to make pancakes. “You don’t want anything else, love?” she called up the stairs that lead to the kitchen. “Nothing particularly,” Shining replied as he stepped through the doorway. “Some blueberries would be nice.” “Then blueberries it is!” she said procuring them from the cabinet. “Have you checked the mail yet?” Shining froze. “No dear, not yet.” “You mind?” “No, not at all,” he said as he left the kitchen. Shining sighed as he gazed down the main hallway, and spied the parcel that bore his sister's seal sitting atop the heap of other letters, already knowing what it's contents were... *** It was a sunny afternoon in Ponyville as Ms. Cheerilee stood before her class lecturing in the town schoolhouse. The rows of half-attentive faces stared back at her as the raspberry colored teacher concluded her lesson on Equestrian history “It was during the Reign of Chaos and the upheavals that followed, that the ponies of Equestria sought a solution to the instability and in-fighting which had come to dominate their political landscape. A council was convened in 3205 CE by the leading authorities of each race to find a solution to these problems and put an end to the strife. “To achieve stability, the representatives turned to a little-known unicorn noblepony by the name of Chevauchée, Count of Canterlot. To unite the factions – the pegasi, the unicorns, and the earth ponies – it was agreed that this minor noble would become their King. This way, it was assumed, because of his limited influence and power, it would allow the ponies to maintain the freedom which they had always enjoyed while establishing Equestria as a legitimate power. “Chevauchée graciously accepted their invitation and on Hearth’s Warming Day, 3206 CE, was crowned King of Equestria in Canterlot's main square. “The newly crowned King immediately set about exercising what little strength he had as regent to pacify some of the nation’s woes. He assembled a new law code and established courts to deal with legal affairs and disputes. He also funded the building of schools and institutions of magic to promote education and scholarship. In addition, he negotiated trade rights with Equestria's neighbors, which soon made Canterlot a thriving hub of trade and commerce. “By the end of his reign, Chevauchée had turned his kingdom from a loose confederation of ponies into united, centralized power with a strong monarch at its head - securing his place as Equestria's greatest leaders. It would fall on his successors, however, to tame the spirit of Discord who had roamed freely through the Kingdom, wreaking havoc, for nearly a thousand years. “We'll pick up on this tomorrow,” Cheerilee said, closing her book, “but before I dismiss class, are there any questions?” There was a dead silence in the room until a lone hoof in the back was raised. “Yes, Apple Bloom?” “So, are royalty immoral?” “I think you mean 'immortal', yes?” “Yeah, can royals live forever? Like, why are they still called Princesses? Doesn't that mean the King is still alive?” “Well no – nopony can live forever. I was going to come back to this tomorrow, but when the King died, he left no male heirs. Because of pony law, mares cannot inherit the title of King. Therefore, his daughters, our current Princesses, will always hold their current positions, until either of them can produce a direct male heir- then he will become King.” “So, how have the Princesses lived so much longer than normal ponies?” Before Cheerilee could answer, the bell rang, and the entire class exploded into a frenzy of excitement as students hoped from their desks and headed for the door. “Be sure to review Chapter Eight in your history book! There will be a quiz on in tomorrow! Oh, and Apple Bloom, do you want to hear the answer to your question?” “Nah, that's alright, Ms. Cheerilee,” Apple Bloom said, wishing to spare herself the tedium of what she knew would be her teacher's answer. “I'm good.” “Oh, alright then,” Cheerilee said, smiling. “Have a great day then!” “You too!” she called back as she trotted out the door. Apple Bloom waited in the schoolyard until she spied her friends. “Hey girls, over here!” “Hey Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle said as she trotted up to her, with Scootaloo following at her side. “That was the most boring lesson ever!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Yeah, tell me about it.” Apple Bloom replied. “It was sorta dull,” Sweetie Belle remarked. “But aren't you going to get the answer from Miss Cheerilee?” “Nah,” Apple Bloom said, waving her hoof. “Why should I? It's not like it's really that important.” “If you say so,” Sweetie Belle said. “Besides, who cares if the Princesses can live forever?” Scootaloo asked leading the way. “It sorta makes since when you think about,” Sweetie Belle said. “I mean – they're royalty! What would happen to us if they were to go?” “I dunno,” Apple Bloom said, following them. “Couldn't we rule ourselves?” “No way!” Sweetie Belle said. “Weren't you listening to Ms. Cheerilee? Before the King, we were at each other's throats all the time.” “Yeah...I guess so,” Apple Bloom shrugged. “But why couldn't a regular pony be royalty? I mean, that one pony became King!” “That was different,” Sweetie Belle said. “He was a noble.” “Wait a minute,” Apple Bloom said stopping. “What makes a pony noble?” “Well, how else could he been a King if he weren't?” “She's got a point there,” Scootaloo said. “Wait, wait,” Apple Bloom said. “Something doesn't make sense here.” “What?” Sweetie Belle asked. “What doesn't make sense?” “Where did he get his nobility from?” “Well, that's simple,” Sweetie said, trotting ahead of the group as they made their way through the town, “He was born with it. He was given the talent and was put in the right place at the right time. Nopony can become noble who is not good– otherwise he would have never been chosen as King.” “So hold on..” Apple Bloom said. “That means I could be Princess, right? If I wanted to, I mean.” “Pffft, you wish,” Scootaloo said. “What?” Apple Bloom said. “If any pony can be noble based on how they act, why couldn't I? I'm a good pony, Applejack says so.” “I guess that's true,” Sweetie Belle said, nodding. “Well, there's nothing technically that says you couldn't.” “Then I proclaim myself Apple Bloom, Queen of the Crusaders!” There was a dead silence before Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both busted out laughing. “What?” Apple Bloom asked. “I'm being serious!” “Oh, we know,” Scootaloo said, bowing facetiously. “Long live the Queen!” “Well, um...yes,” Apple Bloom continued. “And as Queen, I decree we continue our quest to find our cutie-marks!” “Then tell us,” Sweetie Belle asked in exaggerated accent. “Where shall we go crusading this time?” “We shall go wherever we please, but first, let us journey to Sweet Apple Acres and procure snacks.” “I'm already starting to like our new Queen,” Scootaloo said, nudging Sweetie Belle. “Me too,” Sweetie said, smiling. “Then to my house, away!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. The three friends raced through the streets and alleyways of Ponyville, skipping and laughing as they made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. “Bet you can't catch me!” Scootaloo said, racing ahead. “Can so!” Apple Bloom shouted back. “Wait for me!” Sweetie exclaimed, The three friends raced up to the porch, pulling open the door as they ran inside. “Applejack! I'm home!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. Dead silence greeted the young fillies as the faces of her sister's friends stared back at her. “Oh...hey. I didn't know you guys were here.” Applejack sighed. “Come in Apple Bloom.” “What? What's going on? Why are ya'll here?” “Have you not heard?” Rainbow Dash asked. “No, we've not heard anything” Apple Bloom said. “What's happened?” The five of them exchanged glances as the crusaders looked on, waiting breathlessly for an answer. “It seems...” Rarity began, “that something tragic has happened. We all received letters informing us that...that....” “That Princess Luna...is dead.” Applejack said. “What? How can that be?” Sweetie asked. “We got the letters from Twilight this morning,” Applejack continued. “She said the Princess passed away quietly in her sleep last night. That's why we're all gathered here – to talk about what to do next.” “Well geez, that's a bummer,” Scootaloo said. “I guess they really don't live forever,” Sweetie remarked. “Ya'll should probably go outside,” Applejack said. “We have a lot to discuss.” Apple Bloom dutifully nodded. “Alright sis...” The three fillies filed solemnly out of the living room shutting the front door behind them as they exited the house. “This is terrible,” Sweetie Belle said. “How could such a horrible thing happen?” “I don't know,” Apple Bloom said shaking her head. “But something doesn't seem right about it.” “What do you mean?” Scootaloo asked. “It just...doesn't seem real.” “Tell me about it,” Scootaloo said. “Here one minute, the next – boom! Gone.” “What will become of the night now?” Apple Bloom asked. “Who will take over?” “That's a good question.” Scootaloo said climbing the latter to the crusader's tree-house. “ I guess we'll find out. You guys still wanna go crusading?” “Nah,” Apple Bloom said. “I think I'll look over Ms. Cheerilee's lesson. It's suddenly more important than I first thought...” *** Later that night, Apple Bloom sat at the table with her family eating dinner. She played with an asparagus on her plate as the others busily ate away. “You'd best eat that,” Applejack said. “Or you won't get big and strong. Ain't that right, Big Mac?” “Eeyup,” he said, nodding. “Oh...yeah” Apple Bloom said, as if coming out of a dream. She lifted it up to her mouth and gnawed on it. “Hey Applejack...” “Yes, Apple Bloom?” “What were ya'll discussing earlier?” “Grown-up things” Applejack said, calmly grabbing another slice of hay-cake. “I was just wondering, cause I asked my teacher about something to do with it today.” “Oh? What did you ask?” “Well, see, I asked if the Princesses were immoral...er I mean, immortal.” “Uh-huh, and what did your teacher say?” “I dunno. I never got an answer.” “Well, even Princesses can't live forever, Apple Bloom. Unfortunately, though, it seems one was taken before her time.” “So what will happen now?” “I don't really know, to tell you the truth, little sis. I guess I'll go to Canterlot and see.” “You're going to Canterlot?” “Yes, we all are – my friends and I. We've been summoned by Twilight.” “Can I come with you?” Apple Bloom asked excitedly. “No, Apple Bloom, you can't.” “Aww, why not?” “Cause it ain't a place for a young filly like yourself.” “I can be good! I'll be really good! I promise!” Applejack sighed. “Apple Bloom...” “Please, sis, please?” “This isn't going to be anything like the wedding from before. No cakes, no dresses, no parties. There's gonna be a lot of adults there and no other fillies to play with. You'll be bored, for sure.” “I don't care. I mean, school is boring too. I get along there just fine.” “Oh, so this is what's this about? Getting out of school?” “Come on! I've only been to Canterlot once, and its Thursday – I'll only miss one day!” “I don't know...are you alright with going to a funeral?” “I guess. I've never been to one.” “It's not going to be fun. You gotta put on black and act very stiff like.” “Well, I'll act like I do when we have guests. So can I go sis, can I? Applejack waved her hoof. “Fine, but don't say I didn't tell you so.” “I won't!” “I'm counting on you to keep that promise. Now, put up your plate and start getting everything ready.” “Alright!” Apple Bloom skipped happily out the dining room and up the stairs to her room, eager to get her things together. “When do you leave?” Big Mac asked. “Tomorrow morning. I don't know when we'll be back though. I'm hesitant about leaving.” “It's your duty, child,” Granny said. “We can manage until you get back.” “You sure?” “Eeyup.” Applejack smiled softly. “Then tomorrow we'll see what Canterlot has in store for us...”