//------------------------------// // A Bird in the Hand // Story: Surge // by Zvn //------------------------------// Chapter Three A Bird in the Hand “My loyal subjects! How great it is to again see your bright faces staring back at me; the Summer Sun Celebration is once more upon us!” The crowd cheered and stomped in response to the Princesses’ introduction, as I watched from the ivory alcove above. A soft but honest smile rested upon my muzzle. “Just four years ago, we were in this very hall to celebrate the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration. As we know, it was also a time of brief conflict, as we stood in the shadow of Nightmare Moon. But our nation had always prevailed—as it did that night! Equestria stood united, and we remain united today!” Again the crowd burst into rambunctious cheer. I turned to observe the four of my friends, all of whom were wearing faces not unlike my own. I wondered which ones were real. * * * The Summer Sun Celebration left me drained; subsequently, I decided to spend the evening in one of the most interesting wings of the ancient archives: that of the World Wide Web. The room was filled front to back with data stores, proclaimed “Solid-state drives” by the humans, encompassing roughly fifty cubic meters of space, and reaching heights of about sixteen meters. The room produced a consistent, barely audible hum—a soft orchestra narrating man’s technical prowess. It was beautiful. “You’d be surprised how often I come here, even if it’s only to find you.” I turned around to find Princess Celestia walking slowly through the alleys of data. “Sorry Princess; I should have come to see you after the Celebration.” Celestia shrugged before lifting a hoof to one of the nearby drives. “It’s a holiday. You deserve a break.” I smiled weakly at her comment. “Although, I don’t think I’d be spending my free time in a place like this.” “Oh Princess, the information you can find here—it’s staggering! I can’t believe the humans actually created an entire web of data that virtually anyone could access!” Celestia turned her attention from the solid-state back to me again. “Ninety percent of that data ‘anyone could access’ was illegal content, including drug trafficking and child pornography.” It was a somewhat predictable response from Celestia. No less disappointing, however. “I don’t recognize the humans as gods, Princess, and I’m well aware the majority of their legacy is riddled with darkness…” Celestia’s expression remained serene but cold. “But the past has already happened, we can’t change it—only observe it.” Celestia began walking towards the door while sharing one last piece of wisdom. “You’re right; but the present is happening now, and it needs desperately for ponies like us to guide it. Meet me in my chamber when you wish to pursue that vocation.” And then she was gone. I turned back again to the monitor in the center of the room, and released my telekinetic grasp from the input peripheral. Slowly, I edged a hoof onto its sibling, the keyboard, and watched the screen closely. “jmhnk” A long sigh preluded my thoughts on the Princesses’ words. * * * “What do you think is going to happen to Rainbow Dash?” Princess Celestia turned from the window, and offered me an understanding smile. “She’s a strong mare. I can’t imagine she’s in any danger, and I’m sure she’ll show up eventually.” Celestia seemed confident. I wished I was as sure. “Now, there’s a situation we need to speak of—but not here.” I knew what that meant. A short nod later, and I stood in the center of Celestia’s chamber, just next to her. Her horn began glowing an intense shade of gold, and the chilling screams of unadulterated ethereal energies filled the room. And then there was nothing. Well, almost nothing. “These last few years have been incredibly taxing on Equestria; but I never expected terrorist organizations to reach the magnitudes they have now.” Celestia slid a folder loaded with documents across the plain white table. I lifted it into my telekinesis, flipping through its contents as the Princess continued. “The E.R.G has been handling this for awhile, but after the attack on Cloudsdale we’re not sure how much more of it we can take. These self-proclaimed ‘purists’ could be planning another major attack right under our noses.” The folder I was going through was indeed frightening; many of the conflicts I found difficult to even believe. “Twilight, we need to assist as no one else can. We need to use our power.” I looked up from the grim documents to the solemn face of my mentor. “I’m not sure that will be enough, Princess. I think most of this is in the hooves of the ponies.” “My people are strong, but powerless without a leader. They need certainty.” She refers to them as ‘people’... “Our presence at the Summer Sun Celebration seemed to elicit a positive response. Maybe we should stage more appearances similar to it?” Celestia seemed to pause to consider my suggestion, as I began pondering the bigger picture. “Princess, what kind of state is the rest of the world in? I’m up to date with current events, but they’re surely not printing the whole truth.” “...The rest of the world is closely monitored by the most powerful entities of the modern age; and besides, Equestria is the one that’s dealing with an ancient and powerful threat. This deserves our attention.” “I agree. Which is why we’ll need all the support we can get. Our relationship with the Crystal Empire, for example, is bound by mere threads. If our closest ally won’t assist us in a time of crisis, who will?” Celestia closed her eyes in distress. “The White Room is singular in purpose. We can discuss the issue of international relationships at another time.” I fell back onto my haunches, lifting the folder with my telekinesis as I did so. “You’re right; I guess I just don’t want to think about it… but suppose—” Suddenly, the Princess appeared noticeably distraught. Before I had time to ask why, the small room around me began to dissipate, and in its place stood Celestia’s chambers. There was a knock on the door. “Sister! It’s an emergency!” Celestia spoke quickly to me as her magic enveloped the lock. “Do not forget our conversation, Twilight.” The doors swung to their apex as Princess Luna rushed into the room. She appeared stressed, and her attire, or lack thereof, further revealed her anxiety. “Celestia, Las Pegasus is under attack!” Princess Celestia maintained the expression I had become uncomfortably familiar with. “And you’re certain of this?” “We received a distress call just a moment ago.” Celestia turned from the conversation, and began walking towards her window. I seized the moment. “Have you spoken to the council, Luna?” “I did; they want to send a team of pegasi... Celestia, what should we do?” The Princess faced the horizon, as the sun sank into the earth. The alcove she stood on was obscured partially by the door’s curtains, blowing softly in the breeze. “You should both go to the main hall. I’ll meet you in a moment.” I took a step towards Celestia, genuinely concerned. “Do you think this is related…?” “...We’ll talk later.” I admit defeat, and began to leave the room with Princess Luna. I stood in the archway for a long moment, eventually deciding to attempt a rekindling of the conversation. As I turned, the door was caught by the breeze, closing slowly as I had a final glimpse of my mentor; and in that fleeting moment of time, I was met with a torrent of shock and confusion. Princess Celestia was lighting a cigarette.