//------------------------------// // The Audience // Story: Shadow of the Sun // by moguera //------------------------------// Chapter 5: The Audience The changeling said nothing in response to his request. Rather, it turned and began to move, its wings buzzing, taking it off the ground, but not very high, just barely enough to take it above the empty husks of its brethren that covered the chamber floor. However, Arkenstone did not follow. It paused and he suspected was eyeing him with confusion as he stayed where he was. "I am sorry for disturbing the remains of your kin," he said softly, "I have no wish to do so further if it is avoidable. Is there a path you could lead me to that would take me around this so I do not continue to do so?" For a moment, the only sound that reached his ears was the continual buzzing of his guide. Then, it began to shift position, arcing around to his side and leading him back towards where he had come in. Arkenstone carefully turned on the spot and made his way after the lone changeling, feeling with his forehooves and gently brushing aside the brittle sections of carapace and the even more delicate remains of changeling wings as he followed. A few moments later, the sensation of the chitinous plates and papery wings disappeared and he found himself in the open, untouched by the remains of any changeling. His guide continued to move ahead of him, setting its hooves on the ground and walking, now that the way was clear. From the sound of the echoes, Arkenstone suspected that he was being lead in a circuit around the chamber before being taken to an exit that lay directly across from the point where he had come in. From there, it was simply a matter of following the trail of sound and smell as his guide continued to lead him on, his hooves not faltering in the slightest as they set down on smooth sections of rock, worn away by the hooves of the countless changelings that had traveled through this tunnel long before he had come. The flow of air stirring the hairs of his coat told him when they came to several intersections in the system of tunnels. Remaining with his guide, he went through several turns and down several paths that nopony could hope to follow, particularly not in the pitch-black of the changeling caverns. Well...almost nopony. Finally, after nearly an hour of travel, the tunnel once again widened out into a chamber. This one was not as vast and cavernous as the one where Arkenstone had met his guide. Rather, the ceiling was a bit lower. He could tell by the echoes as droplets fell from the stalactites that dotted the roof. Arkenstone marked their location. The downward-facing stone daggers could be useful if things turned sour. The floor, however, seemed relatively smooth, with only a small forest of stalagmites rising from one end of the chamber, which had been arranged about a small clearing where a single stone seat had been carved. Arkenstone sniffed the air carefully. He could smell her now, that strange, bitter, changeling scent. By scent alone, it would have been difficult to distinguish her from any other changeling. However, he was also barely able to pick up the faint pheromones emitted from her body, the scent that solidified her control and authority over her swarm, that formed the basis for the magic she used to reinforce that control. He could smell the scent, the way she used it as a medium for the magic shared between the Queen and her subjects. It was rather like his magic, in a way. Her scent was mingled with other things though. Faintly, he could pick up traces of his old friend, Shining Armor. He could also pick up the remnants of the scent of that perfume Cadance liked. They were traces, artifacts of her time spent impersonating Cadance, exerting her control over Shining Armor and siphoning his love from him like a parasite. And yet, Arkenstone felt no anger stir within him. While he believed that he was generally well enough in control of his own emotions that he didn’t need to worry about anger overly much, he wouldn’t have been surprised to feel a bubble of rage rise within him at the thought of what this creature had done to his dear friends. He didn’t feel anger because another feeling overshadowed it, much like that other scent from Queen Chrysalis overshadowed all those lesser ones. “What do you want here pony?” Arkenstone gulped and mastered himself, amazed at the experience of having to fight for his composure in front of an enemy, something he hadn’t needed to do for a long time. “I am Arkenstone, a Knight in personal service to Princess Celestia. I have come to speak with you in hopes that we might be able to negotiate.” A dry cackle, brittle like old twigs, echoed through the chamber. Arkenstone shuddered, knowing his offer was pointless the moment the words left his mouth. There would be no negotiation. There was no point to negotiation. “How amusing. Celestia must still be terrified after losing to me. So instead she sends one of her lapdogs to gloat over what she and hers have wrought.” Chrysalis’s voice dripped with contempt and Arkenstone knew she was sneering at him. He had come expecting to find the changelings battered and regrouping after being blasted out of Canterlot. But this was beyond his worst expectations. Yes, there was a reason Arkenstone was unable to feel anger in Chrysalis’s presence, in spite of the reminders of her past misdeeds dancing tantalizingly in the air. It was because anger had been replaced by another emotion...horror. Arkenstone was horrified of what lay before him. As he finally realized the truth of the matter, he struggled to put words to his feelings. “Shining...Cadance...what have you done?” Twilight's head snapped up from the book she'd been reading, almost automatically turning in the direction of Ponyville. From beside her, Arkenstone's ears swiveled towards her and he sniffed the air carefully. "Is something wrong?" "I'm not sure," said Twilight nervously. For a brief moment, she'd felt as though the bottom had dropped out of her stomach, as though something terrible might have happened. But she couldn't be sure. Arkenstone turned his head in the general direction of Ponyville as well and frowned pensively. "I cannot say for certain," he said, "But perhaps you felt something. Your connection with your friends is strong. If they are in some sort of distress, then perhaps you felt it as well." Twilight blinked and turned towards Arkenstone, surprised he hadn't simply dismissed her impression out of hoof. He flicked his ear at her. "If your connection with your friends is strong enough to drive out the madness of a rampaging alicorn and seal away a god of chaos, then something like this is rather mundane in comparison, don't you think?" "I guess," admitted Twilight, once again turning to look towards Ponyville, even though the walls of the library around them made it a mostly pointless gesture. If she went out to the edge of the city, she could, at best, make out the small town as a tiny dot in the distance if she wanted to. However, just looking would have done little good. If her friends were in trouble, then there wasn't much she could do from Canterlot. "Should we go back?" Arkenstone shook his head slowly. "Have faith in them. Your battles here still need to be fought. Going back now would only waste our opportunity here and make your task all that more difficult when you try again." Twilight sighed and nodded, before checking the clock on the wall. After a pleasant lunch with her parents, the pair of them had retired to the library again to wait until it was time to head to the Royal Palace and attend the Night Court for their audience with Princess Luna. Waiting like this grated on Twilight's nerves. Given her position, she was used to just walking in to see whichever Princess she needed to. Of course, the only reason she tended to come back to Canterlot anymore was when she was summoned by the princesses for some task or another. However, their wait was finally over. Twilight's eyes widened as she noticed that the clock had struck three. "Arky," she said quickly, "It's time to go." "Is that so?" mused the stallion, closing his book and standing up, "Then let's be off." "The measure passes," declared an imperious mare from the podium at the front and center of the massive chamber, "The issuing of the Royal Warrant shall be reinstated. This measure shall come into effect upon the first day of spring in the coming year. When we reconvene, we shall examine the selection process and the requirements for eligibility. This Parliament is dismissed." A low cacophony of hooves against the wooden floor and quiet chatter filled the air as the mares and stallions of Equestria's Parliament made for the exits, many coming together to chat, some about their plans for the evening, others already making plans for the next session with their cohorts. The mass of ponies slowly made their way out the room's exits. In a balcony above the chamber, two white stallions stood and watched the proceedings, tension draining away as the two of them relaxed. The older of the pair ran a hoof over the grayish-blue mustache on his snout. “Well, that’s the first hurdle cleared.” The other stallion nodded, in the process, tossing his brilliant, golden mane. “You certainly lobbied hard enough for it,” said Prince Blueblood, giving his compatriot a wry grin. “I suppose so,” mused Fancy Pants with a wistful sigh as he turned his gaze back down to the emptying Parliament chamber, “It’s ironic isn’t it. When we were younger, this would just be the yammering of a bunch of old ponies. But now, it has us on the edge of our seats.” “It’s still the yammering of a bunch of old ponies,” scoffed Blueblood, “Some of those representatives were serving before I was born. I think we may need to lobby for term limits next.” “It would certainly do to get some new blood in every once and a while,” agreed Fancy Pants. “And the old coots would spend less time worrying about their next election and actually get some work done,” added Blueblood. The two of them turned around and made their way off the balcony and out into the hallway. Down the hallway lay the entrance into the Royal Palace, which the Parliamentary building abetted. The two of them made their way along the hall, chatting as they went. “I’ll tell Shining how everything went,” said Blueblood, “He’s been biting his hooves over this for a while.” “Well, we can’t relax just yet,” said Fancy Pants, “I’ve seen the the latest drafts of the proposals for the selection process and the rules of eligibility. They fit our plans to a T as both of Twilight Sparkle’s friends meet the requirements. However, if any amendments are made...” “Don’t go borrowing trouble,” said Blueblood, patting his friend across the withers, “I doubt any of the representatives will find anything objectionable in either proposal. They’re very likely to pass through as-is. You and your friends were extremely careful of that when you drew them up.” He sighed. “The real challenge will come when the bill is passed. Twilight Sparkle’s friends will still have to go through the selection process. Reinstating the Royal Warrant system was something we arranged to help them. But it will be up to them to claim it.” Fancy Pants chuckled. “Now who’s the one borrowing trouble? Knowing Rarity as I do, I have no difficulty believing that she will be able to win one for herself. I have every bit as much confidence in Miss Applejack as well. To me, getting them the opportunity has always been the hardest part.” Blueblood frowned. “I suppose,” he admitted. However, his eyelid twitched as memories of that particular Grand Galloping Gala returned; memories of a crazed, alabaster mare who’d clung to him like a limpet and an equally crazy (in her own way) mare, who’d somehow been possessed of the notion that she could sell food at an event that was already fully catered. He found Fancy Pants’ optimism a little hard to accept. The sound of hooves galloping up the hall behind the two stallions gave them paused. They turned to see one of Blueblood's runners, the messengers of his noble house, skid to a stop in front of him. "Sir," gasped the messenger, "I just got a report from one of our observers. Dame Twilight Sparkle arrived in Canterlot this morning." Both stallions tensed and glanced at each other nervously. "Was she alone?" asked Blueblood. "No. Your friend, Arkenstone, was with her." Blueblood let out the breath he had been holding. "Thank goodness. I'd have had words with that stallion if he'd let Dame Sparkle come to Canterlot by herself." "Sir," interjected the messenger, "The observer also noted that he was not the only one to notice Dame Sparkle's arrival." "Of course he wasn't," muttered Blueblood. The various members of the Noble Court had so many spies and agents planted throughout Canterlot, that he had to wonder just how much of the city's population consisted of its own citizens anymore. Even if she'd arrived in the dead of night, cloaked in shadow, he was fairly certain that Twilight Sparkle would have still been spotted six times over before she'd gotten halfway to the Palace, like that one attempt she'd made to "sneak" into the Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the Royal Archives, a move that baffled everypony as Twilight had been free to come and go there as she pleased for years. Even the members of the Noble Court had been so utterly flummoxed by her behavior (to say nothing of her state of dress at the time), that they'd briefly forgotten they were supposed to be trying to ensnare her for their inane schemes. By the time they'd gotten over their collective bamboozlement, Twilight Sparkle had been back in Ponyville for over a day. "Where is she now?" asked Fancy Pants. "After disembarking at the station, Dame Sparkle and her escort immediately made for her family's home," replied the messenger, "That was the latest report I've received." "Thank you," said Blueblood, "Return to your post and wait for further developments. It may be that we'll have need of your swift hooves again before the night is over." The messenger nodded and spun about before galloping off. "What do you think she's here for?" asked Fancy Pants. "Who can say," said Blueblood, "I very much doubt she's come just to visit her parents. Shining and I have both counseled them that it's best to go to her than the other way around. And yet, she clearly isn't here at Auntie Celestia's behest if she's choosing to stay at her family's home rather than her quarters in the Palace. We should probably consult Shining and see what he thinks." "Lead on then," said Fancy. The two stallions set off for the palace once again, the sound of their hooffalls increasing ever-so-slightly in frequency. The plan had been relatively simple. In order to meet with Princess Luna at the earliest opportunity, it was imperative to be first in line for the Night Court, which opened just as the sun went down. The waning summer meant that the sun was setting earlier each night, which meant that the Night Court was starting earlier each night as well. Granted, going to the Palace at three in the afternoon was a bit of a stretch, but Twilight was a strong believer in never being tardy. That seemed to have worked against them in a sense. They were indeed first to arrive. But Twilight had forgotten that the recently established Night Court, being barely over two years old at that point, was still not heavily sought after. In the time since her return, Princess Luna's efforts had been directed towards reintroducing herself to Equestria as something other than the bogeymare from their Nightmare Night festivities. At the same time, all of the ministries that Luna had presided over, all of the duties she had once held, had been taken over by Celestia out of necessity in the thousand years since Luna's banishment. The Sister Princesses were still in the process of sorting out their respective responsibilities now that there were two of them to run things. Of course, none of that factored in the need to bring Luna up to speed on the political and social reforms that had taken place in her absence, as well as her continued efforts to break her habit of speaking in Old-Equish at full-volume every time she spoke to anypony other than her sister. The end result meant that it was a long, and relatively pointless wait. An hour of sitting in the waiting room adjacent to Luna's audience chamber had worn on Twilight's nerves as the lavender mare found herself desperately wishing that she'd though to bring a book along. Arkenstone seemed to be coping well. However, given how still he was and the fact that his eyes were always closed, Twilight found herself wondering if he'd dozed off. A few minutes later, the doors to the room swung open. Though them came the familiar white coat and blue mane of Twilight's older brother. "Shiny!" she squealed, launching herself off the opulently cushioned bench and throwing her arms around her brother's shoulders. "Hey Twily," said Shining, grinning as he returned her exuberant hug, "What are you two doing up in Canterlot?" Twilight drew back and smiled at her brother. "We needed to talk to Princess Luna about something," she said simply. Shining Armor frowned, blinking in confusion as he eyed his sister. "But why didn't you just write Princess Celestia and ask her to bring you up to speak to Princess Luna?" he inquired, "Why go to mom and dad's place?" Twilight paused, remembering the reason she and Arkenstone had decided they couldn't seek Celestia's help in their endeavor. "It's important," she said after a moment, "But it's something we have to talk to Princess Luna about first." Shining blinked in confusion and looked over Twilight's shoulder at Arkenstone. The other stallion, seeming to feel Shining's gaze, slowly shook his head, his expression neutral. Realizing that he was being warned off, Shining Armor decided to drop the subject. He stepped back from Twilight and eyed the empty waiting room. "If you two came to see Princess Luna, aren't you a little early?" Twilight chuckled sheepishly and blushed. "Sorry, I got a bit carried away. I forgot that the Night Court isn't very popular yet." "It's a shame that," remarked a cheerfully cultured voice as a pair of stallions came into the room behind Shining. Twilight looked up, her eyes widening in surprise as she recognized them. "Fancy Pants!" she said, her voice betraying her shock. "It's good to see you Dame Twilight Sparkle," said the distinguished stallion, bowing politely to her. Again, Twilight blushed as she returned his bow. "Please don't be so formal," she said, "You're a friend of Rarity's, which means you're a friend of mine." Fancy chuckled and Twilight turned her attention to the other stallion, who stood off to Shining's other side. Her eyes narrowed fractionally. "Prince Blueblood," she said, her tone cool. "I prefer Duke Blueblood" he said, "Prince was mother's name for me, while my father's was Wishful Thinking." The three other stallions in the room chuckled at Blueblood's self-deprecating jibe. But Twilight still regarded him with an irritable gaze, which, to his credit, Blueblood met without flinching. After matching Twilight's almost-glare for nearly a full minute, Blueblood closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. He looked in turn at Shining, Fancy, and Arkenstone. "Gentlecolts, could you give us a minute?" Both Shining and Fancy nodded nervously and headed for the door. Arkenstone also got off his seat and proceeded past Twilight and Blueblood without a word. The three other stallions exited the room and shut the doors behind them, leaving Twilight and Blueblood alone. Once the echoes of the doors' shutting had finished reverberating around the room, Blueblood turned his full attention to Twilight. "So...still sore on your friend's behalf about the Gala. Such solidarity is impressive...I suppose." Twilight's eyes narrowed further. "I'm amazed you still have your title. Princess Celestia should have sent you to the moon for the way you treated Rarity." Blueblood showed impressive resilience to Twilight's hostility as he idly examined a hoof. "Oh believe me, she wasn't exactly happy with me after she'd heard what had transpired. We had...words...after she returned from her little donut run with you and your friends. She agreed to stay her judgment after hearing my side of the story." "What?" exclaimed Twilight, rigid with shock, "After everything you did, she forgave you!" "She did," agreed Blueblood, "Perhaps it's too much of me to ask the same of you and your friends, but I still stand by what I did." "How could you?" gasped Twilight, her horn sparking as her rage spilled over into her magic, "All Rarity wanted was-" "What precisely?" said Blueblood cutting her off, "She wanted me to treat her like a lady, behave like a gentlecolt. I can certainly understand that. But was that all she wanted?" Twilight opened her mouth to deny ulterior motives on her friend's part, but froze as the memories of that fateful day when Celestia had sent them their tickets washed over her. Abruptly, she recalled Rarity's rather dramatic fantasies of how her night at the Gala would go. "She..." "She would have liked for me to act like a gentlecolt," said Blueblood, his tone cold, icy even, "I'm sure she would have liked that. Of course, I would have liked her not to behave like the sort of scheming, social-climbing, gold-digging nags that surround me at every social function I attend. Just once, I would have liked to have been treated like myself, like Blueblood, not Celestia's nephew (some fifty-times removed). I would liked to have been approached by a mare who actually wanted to get to know me, not one who was wrapped up in some fantasy of marrying a prince (which I’m not) and being whisked off to a fairy-tale ending. But, as your friend can definitely attest, we can't always get what we want." Twilight's mouth worked silently as she struggled to come up with an answer. But she couldn't. Blueblood continued, taking advantage of her speechlessness. "I do have to complement your friend on her tenacity. I inverted the entire code of for gentlecoltly behavior and she stayed with me. I actually had to go as far as to use her as an equine shield before she'd finally had enough." Blueblood managed to hold back that he'd torn out of there as fast as his hooves could carry him after Rarity had finally snapped, part of him genuinely afraid for his life. "You did that on purpose?" gasped Twilight. "Of course," answered Blueblood matter-of-factly, "Did you really think I was that dense to not realize how horridly I was treating a lady..." He trailed off for a moment before holding up a hoof sharply as Twilight opened her mouth. "Don't answer that! I'd spent years perfecting that facade; a pompous ass with his head too far up his own plot to have any idea of what makes mares tick. I may be a duke, but my relation to Celestia, to say nothing of my first name, offer no tangible benefits, at least, nothing sufficient that a mare with any lick of sense would want to saddle herself with such an unctuous husband. "I should actually thank your friend for smearing my face with cake. Thanks to that, my reputation plummeted and the weekly marriage proposals finally dropped to monthly ones. I stopped getting constant invitations to balls and dinners where ponies with every intention in the book wanted to hobnob with "Celestia's nephew." I was actually free to work on advancing my career thanks to her." Twilight wanted to say something...anything...in defense of her dear friend. The biting bitterness in Blueblood's voice made it clear how he'd felt about Rarity's advances and, while Twilight's heart was still firmly in sympathy with her friend, some part of her couldn't help but also sympathize with the harried duke. "I want to forgive you," she said, "I really do...But you shattered Rarity's dreams with what you did." "Did I?" asked Blueblood, raising an eyebrow, "I thought her dream was to take the fashion world by storm, to earn the praise and adoration of ponies across Equestria with her designs, to make her name a household word. Isn't that what her dream was?" Twilight blinked and stared at Blueblood, who seemed to read the question in her gaze. "You're forgetting, Fancy Pants, one of Miss Rarity's compatriots is a dear friend of mine. We've also been doing a great deal of research in order to block off avenues of approach that the Noble Court can use to assert control over you and yours. I know quite a bit about Miss Rarity's ambitions. "How then, did marrying a ‘prince’ like myself figure into her plans? Can you honestly say that she is the kind of mare who would seek to ride the coattails of others to success without any effort of her own?" Twilight simply didn't know what to say. While Rarity was extremely proud of her business, her success, and, more importantly, how she'd accomplished it all through her own efforts, she was also a passionate pony in a more irrational sense as well. Rarity was the sort to occasionally allow herself to get carried away by the wings of fantasy, especially as far as romance was concerned. Twilight was a bit jarringly reminded of the way Rarity had simply shelved reality and gotten lost in her fantasies about how the Gala would go for her when she'd first learned about the tickets, in much the same way that Twilight herself got lost in a good book she'd just opened. When the night had finally come, Rarity had completely forgotten the things that made her who she was in order to embrace a fantasy that might well have jumped off the pages of one of the novels in the library's romance section. "I-I think I can understand," said Twilight, looking up at Blueblood, "But you're not giving Rarity enough credit. If you'd just given her a chance, I'm sure she would have been happy to learn about the real you." For a moment, Blueblood looked aghast. Twilight actually felt...sorry for him. "You've gotten so used to mares sidling up to you for your title and your relationship to the Princess that you've gotten used to judging them right off the bat. Rarity gets...carried away sometimes. But I don't think she ever really meant to do anything without getting to know you first." Blueblood sighed sadly, an expression of hurt and sorrow crawling over his face. "Perhaps...But I have had poor experience with giving a mare a chance. It is not an experience I wish to risk repeating." Twilight sighed forlornly. "Look. I'll talk to Rarity about this, I promise. But maybe you can talk to her too sometime. At the very least, could the two of you meet each other halfway." Blueblood closed his eyes like a criminal facing execution and nodded solemnly. "I suppose. However, let's worry about the future another time. We still have to make it through today, after all." Twilight nodded and forced a smile. The two of them looked at each other for another moment before they were satisfied that the air had been sufficiently clear. Blueblood's eyes flicked towards the door the other stallions had left through, a slight smirk gracing his face before his horn glowed and his telekinesis yanked the portal open, causing Shining Armor and Fancy Pants to come tumbling in as their support gave way, the two stallions landing in a sprawling pile at the duke's hooves. Behind them stood Arkenstone, as composed and relaxed as always. "Are you two satisfied?" asked Blueblood, raising an eyebrow while Twilight scowled at her brother for eavesdropping. "So I take it you worked things out," suggested Shining Armor with a sheepish grin. "You could take some lessons from Arky," growled Twilight, "At least he knows better than to eavesdrop on a private conversation." The stallion in question strode past the two prone ponies, an expression that, on any other pony's face, would have been called smug.(1) Shining and Fancy got back on their hooves with many groans, both looking a bit embarrassed at having been found out. Twilight huffed and shook her head. "Boys..." At that moment, the door on the other end of the room, the one leading to Luna's audience chamber, swung open to admit a single unicorn. His coat was a dark tan color, which only served to accentuate his other features, a pair of glittering, shockingly crimson eyes and a mane and tail that were a shade of white that Twilight could only describe as "off." However, what really got Twilight's attention was his horn. Unlike every other unicorn she had ever seen, whose horns were covered by velvet in the same color and shade as their coat, this stallion's horn looked bare and was a striking white color that matched his mane. No, it isn't bare. As Twilight looked closer, she could see that it was sheathed in something. However, instead of the usual velvet, it was something that reminded her of the glittering, crystalline substance that coated the bodies of the ponies of the Crystal Empire. As his tail swished about, Twilight noted his cutie mark was that of a herald's trumpet, complete with a decorative banner, although said banner appeared to be blank. His eyes locked onto Twilight immediately and he flashed her a polite smile. "Dame Twilight Sparkle: Element of Magic, Her Most Serene Highness of the Starlit Night: Princess Luna extends her greetings and gratitude for her attendance and welcomes you to the Night Court." For a moment, briefly overwhelmed by the tidal wave of courtly formality, including the first use of her full title that Twilight had heard in a long time, Twilight reeled as her mind struggled to come up with the appropriate answer to the stallion's greeting. "Oh...uh...Thank you for conveying the Princess's message to us," she said after a moment, grasping the only thing she could think of. "You're welcome," replied the stallion cheerfully, "I am White Horn, chief steward of the Night Court. Marvel at my parents' boundless imagination." Twilight couldn't help it. She burst out into giggles. "For real?" she asked once she regained her breath. His eyes twinkling, the stallion chuckled. "No. I was kidding. My parents actually named me Wight Shade." Okay, that name completely killed the humor of the situation. Twilight had never heard of parents with such a morbid taste in names. Seeing her expression fall made the stallion shrug. "Not having your horn match the color of your coat is a bad omen amongst old-school unicorn families. I think that they were feeling a bit star-crossed when they named me that. Although, I’m honestly surprised you noticed that. Most ponies think it’s just a pun." If anything, Wight's casual dismissal of the dark nature of his own name gave Twilight even more pause than his name itself. However, she took a moment to recover her self-control. "I-I see. If you're here, then does it mean that we're going to see Princess Luna now?" Wight bobbed his head. "Of course." His bright-red eyes swept over the assembled stallions. "I was told that you'd only had one companion when you applied for the meeting. I'm afraid that I can only allow one of you to come with her. Protocol and all that..." "Perfectly understandable," agreed Arkenstone without the slightest trouble, stepping forward, "Let us proceed." Twilight nodded as she fell in step with her friend and the two of them made their way towards the door leading to the audience chamber. The other three stallions waited behind, watching as the two of them headed on. Once the door to the waiting room swung closed, Twilight, Arkenstone, and Wight found themselves in a short hallway leading to the audience chamber itself. The hall was a deep-blue color that deepened even further into black as the walls rose towards the curved ceiling. Twilight looked up and gasped when she saw that the ceiling seemed to be covered in glittering stars, her eyes picking out many constellations of the night. "Amazing." Wight smirked. "Yes. When it came to interior decorating, I always thought that Princess Luna had the better taste. She was quite surprised you know." "That we'd asked for an audience?" queried Twilight. "That you'd come to speak to her before going to Celestia," answered Wight, his smile fading somewhat, "Friendship aside, you are Celestia's student after all. Princess Luna wondered what sort of dark matter might have you come seeking her aid before her sister's. Celestia too, now that I think of it. She came to ask Princess Luna about it a few moments before I was sent to collect you." "Well..." Twilight tried to figure out an answer, "...It's something a bit private that I wanted to bring up to Princess Luna first." "I see. Celestia has chosen to respect your decision and has withdrawn for now, though I suppose she'll be wanting some sort of explanation." He stopped talking as they had reached the doors leading to the audience chamber. To Twilight's surprise, they seemed to swing open of their own volition. Glancing over, she saw no indication that Wight was using his magic, no crimson aura extending from his horn, or wrapping around the doors for that matter. Twilight wanted to ask, but more pressing matters demanded her attention after all. Beyond these doors, hopefully, lay information that could help her solve the mystery of Dawn Lightwing’s eyes, that could help her bring an end to the Cult Solar’s distortions and machinations, that could make better the lives of ponies that were very important to her. So Twilight set aside her curiosity about Wight and instead turned, squared her shoulders, and marched into the chamber, the steward’s voice echoing softly behind her as she walked. “Announcing Dame Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic.”