Chapter 60 - The Cabal's Pincer
"My fellow citizens," bellowed Captain Shining Armor through an Empire-wide public announcement spell. "It comes with great sadness that our King, Lord Umbra, has been assassinated by our foreign guests who have revealed their true, barbaric colors in order to destabilize our peaceful empire in preparation of their invasion.
"I, Captain Shining Armor, and my team shall bring the assassins known as Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Spike the dragon, and all their allies to justice while I convene an emergency meeting with the Court. With Crystal Queen Mi Amore Cadenza unwell, I will be assisting the Court in appointing a new head of state in this troubling times.
"In the meantime, we shall hold a memorial for our fallen king tomorrow on the sixtieth moon in the Colosseum. We must remain vigilant as we prepare to defend ourselves against an invasion from outsiders."
Princess Sweetie Belle barely heard Shining Armor's speech through the glimmering windows of the expansive atrium. He had always been quiet as of late, if not cold to her, her sister, and all the other ponies in general. He wasn't exactly known for giving speeches, but all the words he spoke through his spell felt like somepony's else.
His vacant expression prevailed throughout the broadcast spell, and once he finished, his image was instantly replaced with that of relatively unflattering mugshots of the four esteemed guests and their baby dragon. Twilight looked as if she had a brain fart. Fluttershy's image caught her picking her nose. Applejack looked drooling drunk, Spike appeared red-eyed stoned, and Pinkie Pie smiled as if she was going to kill somepony. Their mugshots were suspended by a spell hovering all over the Empire, and text crawled on the bottom warning citizens that these intruders were armed and dangerous. Even enchanted posters manifested in a flash and rolled itself flat on almost every visible wall on the buildings Sweetie Belle could see.
Just then, Geosense guards led by Viziers Flim and Flam burst into atrium and began their ruthless roundup of the guests' pets with spears and nets. Owlowiscious and Gummy were caught by surprise by the first thrown nets, while Winona evaded the next net and began biting on the ankles of several guards before being captured. Angel Bunny provided the most trouble, as he bounced all over the indoor garden avoiding several nets and spears before pilfering a combat knife from one of the guards. Armed and dangerous, Angel dashed into the troupe nicking and cutting the normally hardened Geosense guards, and felled three with well-timed kicks to the noggins. He closed in to the pile of his struggling and captured pet friends before Flim disarmed him with a well-timed magic shot. Flam then took over to magically chain him up. Even bounded, Angel resisted and tried to chomp repeatedly at Flam’s moustache and muzzle before the unicorn, after a bit of a mental struggle, threw him into a metal cage.
"Flim, Flam," said Sweetie Belle. "What are you doing?"
"Protecting your highness, of course," said the mustached Flam.
"But they're just pets!"
"Pets of thieves and assassins," said the clean-shaved Flim as he magicked a syringe.
"Princess Sweetie Belle," said Flam, "per Captain Shining Armor's orders, we must inoculate you with a vaccination in case of any possible infections these animals might have brought here."
"You're going to give me a shot?" asked the Princess.
"Princess, it's for your own good," said Flim.
"No! I don't want a shot! Opal!"
The white cat leapt from her hiding spot in a tree to land several strikes on the brothers, giving Sweetie Belle time to maneuver around the stallions' legs and out of the Atrium. Thankfully, nopony gave chase, and she quickly ended up her sister's bedroom in the Royal Bedchambers complex. She found Rarity in the midst of her usual organized chaos, with rolls of luxurious fabric of many colors thrown all over her room and dress partially completed on their dress forms. She seemed to have acquired an odd, yet familiar golden statue that had been placed right next to her nightstand.
"Rarity, Rarity!"
"Quiet down, Sweetie Belle" said the Diamond Princess. "A Princess should never yell indoors."
"But Flim and Flam came in and took all our friends' pets. And they were going to give me a shot!"
"When you put it that way, then you have every right to yell."
"What's going on, sis? Why would Fluttershy and the others kill father? It doesn't make sense!"
"You must calm down."
"Calm down? Why?"
"Because--"
Hooves banged on the closed door. Rarity gestured to Sweetie Belle to quiet herself while glancing at the stout golden statue by her dresser. Daintily she trotted over to open the door and she came muzzle to muzzle with Second Lieutenant Blueblood accompanied by two unicorn guards.
"Rarity."
"Blueblood."
"May I come in?"
"I am afraid I'll have to decline. Sweetie and I were just preparing a special project, and in light of the recent developments, I don't think the King would wish for me to stop what I was doing."
"Of course, but I am here looking for the baby dragon who was last seen in this area."
"You mean Spike? He suddenly ran off when he heard Captain Armor's broadcast spell. I don't know where he is now."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Blueblood sighed. "Your sister gave the Viziers some trouble at the atrium. We just hope that neither you or her are infected from whatever diseases they have brought from the outside world."
"May be, but you are not taking my sister away. She and I are not unwell, and we require no such vaccinations from Viziers Flim and Flam. Lieutenant Blueblood, rest assured that if we spot any of the fugitives, we will report them to you."
"Of course." He was about to leave, but then he noticed the stout golden statue by the dresser. He lingered, and looked hard, and from Sweetie Belle could tell from her vantage point that her older sister restraining her nervous fidgets almost perfectly.
"Ugh,” said Blueblood with his tongue sticking out. “That is one ugly statue.”
"It was a gift," Rarity replied.
"From who?"
"Blueblood, aren't you going to search for that dragon?"
"Of course."
He left hurriedly, and nearly slammed the doors shut with his magic. Rarity pressed her ear against the door for almost a minute before making a few winks at the golden statue, which then came to life and started breathing heavily.
"He calls me ugly?" asked Spike. "Why I oughta--"
Luster Dust. Rarity must have poured it on Spike when the announcement was made. The older mare gestured the baby dragon to remain quiet for a little longer before motioning him and Sweetie Belle to follow her to one of her many dressing chambers. Here, she pushed an armoire away to press a hidden switch to reveal a secret chamber, only, at least for Sweetie Belle, it wasn't much of a secret. The little princess had been here a few times. Once was by accident during exploration of the castle’s many secret passages. The second time she was to further her curiosity as to why Rarity would have something to hide, and the older sister caught her and gave her an ear full. Rarity's secret chambers were filled with gaudy antique baubles and dresses the Diamond Princess would be ashamed to bring out to the open, even though many were rather quite nice. Yet these hidden dresses of outdated fashion filled up almost every part of the wall, and Sweetie Belle could only assume that it was the perfect soundproofing material.
"Sir Spike," spoke Rarity, "are you certain that there is a conspiracy that involves our Empire invading the outside world?"
"I haven't seen it first hand," said Spike, "but my friends are convinced that the Royal Family have been purposely drugging all of its citizens to create some superweapon that can wipe out entire armies. I was against them trying to accuse the King and Queen, but I can assure you that my pony friends would never resort to assassination or stage an invasion."
"That is a serious accusation."
"But why did they have to take their pets?" asked Sweetie Belle. "I was with them the whole time, and they done nothing wrong. Well, Angel did steal a bunch of carrots and tripped Chef Donut Joe in doing so, but still."
"There are certainly a lot of information missing between everypony's accusations, but as Princesses, we must not let our emotions get the better of ourselves. I need to make sure for myself if our own Royal Family is hiding something. Stay right here, Sweetie Belle. I'm going to find Captain Armor and talk to him."
"Shining Armor hasn't been himself for almost a year. He still hasn't talked to--"
"Enough. I told you before that we cannot discuss anything about that ever again. Stay here, Sweetie Belle. Spike, if you would be a dear gentlecolt and protect my little sister for me."
"As you wish, my lady," bowed Spike.
Even amidst the news, Rarity retained her dainty demeanor as she doubled out of her bedchambers, but even Sweetie Belle knew that she was upset from her wavering voice and the effort she put into hiding Spike. The unicorn filly wanted know if she was upset of any possible betrayal or the safety of her friends, and yet the Diamond Princess remained calmly collected. How could she? These weren't innocent strangers; these were Rarity's new friends, ponies she had talked to at length for a long time. If they hadn't came, she would not have came out of her room like she did before.
"I can't wait!" Sweetie Belle cried. "I have to tell mom!"
"But Princess Sweetie Belle," said Spike, "you heard what your sister said."
"We can't just sit around here, Spike. They could be doing something terrible to Angel and the others. They probably taken Opal away!"
"Opal's probably fine," said Spike as he rubbed the still-healing cat scratches on his arms. "And knowing Angel, he would have broken out of the cage by now."
"But we still have to tell my stepmom, I mean, the Queen of what's happening. She can definitely make some sense of this situation because she's the Pillar of the Crystal Empire."
"The Pillar of the Crystal Empire?"
"All Queens with both unicorn and crystal blood become Pillars, and they resonate with the emotions of all the ponies far and wide. That must be it. All these things that's going on is the reason why she's always sick. Spike, we have to go rescue her!"
"I'm supposed to protect you."
"Then protect me while I save my mother."
Sweetie Belle rushed to the back wall and cleared off several rejected dresses Rarity had designed many years back. Yes, it was still there, the secret door Sweetie Belle used to accidentally stumble into Rarity's Secret Chamber. Even the switch was working with one firm press of her hoof, and the block of a door slid inward before retracting away into its slot. A slim stairwell path was revealed, and Sweetie Belle galloped upwards with Spike chasing after her.
"Sweetie Belle, wait!" cried Spike.
She ran through the passages with muscle memory. Sweetie Belle could not count the times she traversed these crevices, and she had tried a few times to convince her older sister to go on adventures around the castle. She also remembered times that, in her sadness, she would sneak off to her stepmother's bedchambers for comfort, and it was there where she inadvertently revealed a scandalous secret to the impressionable young filly.
She made it to the secret entranceway to the Queen's dressing room, but she felt something was off. Cautiously, Sweetie Belle went around sought out grand washroom mirror, which turned out to be a two-way mirror looking out towards the Queen Cadence's bed. Sweetie Belle was ready to push open the smaller panels so she could slide in, but then she froze when she heard the doors bursting open.
Captain Shining Armor marched in with Lieutenant Sunset Shimmer and several Magic Corps and Geosense guards, shocking the Crystal Queen from her very own bed. At first, she appeared happy to see Shining Armor, but immediately she put some distance when she sensed the cold presence emanating from the white unicorn stallion.
"I heard your voice through the broadcast spell," she said. "Is it true that my husband has been assassinated? If so, I must speak to the Empire’s citizens."
"You are still unwell, my Queen," said Shining Armor. "We have prepared for you a special chamber that will accelerate your recovery under our special protection. It is the Royal Court's decision."
"No, I have to go to my ponies to reassure them everything is going to be okay. Please allow me to pass."
"That I cannot do. It is the Court's decision to bring you into protective custody no matter what."
"Shining, why are you acting this way?"
"My Queen, please do not make me use force to detain your highness."
"The Shining Armor I know would never use veiled threats like this. I didn't want to believe it, but I have always felt that there is somepony controlling you from behind the scenes.” Sweetie Belle could clearly see past the glare of the two-way mirror her stepmother’s glare shooting towards Lieutenant Shimmer.
“I'm sorry,” said the Queen, “but I will not come with you, and if I must, I will fight you in order to protect my ponies."
"Suit yourself, my Queen," said Lieutenant Shimmer.
Sweetie Belle saw the mustard-yellow made turn her head towards her with a sinister smile. She was found out! Sweetie Belle’s chest heart pounded hard against her chest, compelling her to flee immediately and find Rarity.
All of a sudden, a metallic and crystalline claw snagged the filly princess and slammed her through the two-way mirror. Shattered glass snowed upon the bathroom floor as the machination elongated its thin arm and hovered Sweetie Belle threateningly before the Crystal Queen. The claw painfully pressed on Sweetie Belle's ribs, and struggling to escape made it worse. She even had a hard time breathing.
"Well, if it isn't the prissy little blank-flank princess," smiled Shimmer.
"Let her go!" Cadence yelled.
"Not a chance! We need you to continue your role as the Empire's Pillar until our plans come into fruition. I don't want our enchanted automaton to snip your stepdaughter in half. All that impure blood would really stain those bed curtains I've been envying for a long time."
"Shining Armor, how can you allow this to happen?"
"My Queen, you must come with us," Shining Armor dryly replied. "It is for your own protection."
"Don't do it mom!" cried Sweetie Belle. The pincer squeezed tighter. Her head became light-headed as she began losing focus and her ability to breathe effectively. She feared death rapidly approaching to take her away, but she feared more her own Empire being taken over by a cabal of conspirators. At least she would finally meet her real mother.
Yet her life had not been taken yet. The enchanted automaton’s pincer relaxed its grip, allowing Sweetie Belle to breathe again. She hadn't heard the heated conversation between her stepmother and Lieutenant Shimmer, but her heart sank when she saw, of all ponies, the Queen herself bowing in pleading obedience to Sunset Shimmer and Shining Armor. Four Magic Corps guards surrounded her and shackled all four of her legs with magic. Two Geosense guards bounded her wings with chains, and Shining Armor magicked a black anti-magic ring onto the Queen's unicorn horn.
"You promise that Sweetie Belle will be kept safe, right?" Cadence demanded.
"Rest assured, my Queen," grinned Sunset Shimmer, "she will be well protected."