//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Secrets, Truths, and Retribution // by Wannabe Scholar //------------------------------// Cadence kept a steady pace as she strode down the palace halls. Her face and her walk remained passive and calm to hide her suspicions that raced in her mind. Beside her, Shining stared up ahead, giving a serious stare that made Cadence worry about him. Things became seriously silent since the arrival of that stranger Cadence heard so much about. The guards were more active than before, what with their captain and prince ordering them about and placing them under new posts. Cadence especially noticed the numbers of guards increasing in the very hall she stepped in… and all because of the new arrival. She had not seen him, but she did wonder about the creature. And all because of that stranger. She had not seen him, but Cadence was already beginning wonder about the creature. The human, Cadence corrected herself. She heard of Twilight’s time in that other world and the bizarre bipedal creatures. To see one in Equestria was… surprising, to say the least. Her concern, however, was more focused towards her husband’s change of mood. “Are you sure about this?” Cadence finally broke her silence. Shining glanced to his wife. “I’m sure, Cadence. Everything should be fine with Damien in one of the rooms.” “You mean dungeon.” “It’s not a dungeon. It’s one of the guest rooms we haven't refurbished yet,” he frowned. “I don’t think we even have any here. Besides, he’s given fair treatment.” “But keeping armed guards on him? A little too much, don’t you think?” Cadence pointed out just as they came across one of the many guarded doors. “He doesn’t seem like a threat.” “You never know…” Shining said before he gestured to the guard to open the door. Saluting, the guard knocked a hoof on the door. Now, Cadence frowned. Shining’s new tone did not settle well with her. “Shining, what’s this really about?” Shining looked into his wife’s eyes. Those bright purple eyes pleaded for answers, and he found himself helpless, just like every other time Cadence used them on him. The captain of the guard sighed in defeat. “I promise to tell you after we’re done, alright?” “Alright, you also have promise me to behave.” “You know me,” Shining replied with his all-too-familiar smile. “Yes, I do.” Cadence smirked. As soon as she finished, the white door opened. Entering the room, their hooves trailed across the floor, a rather darker shade of purple that spread up to the crystal columns that supported the alabaster walls. Right in the center of the room was the suspect at hoof–no, hand, sitting at a table. “Hello, captain,” Damien casually greeted Shining before he nodded to the pink alicorn. “And Princess Cadenza. It’s a pleasure to see you.” Cadence nodded back. “You as well, but I don’t believe we've actually met.” “No, we haven’t, but I've heard about you,” he smirked slightly to the stallion next to Cadence. “Shining would never stop talking.” “Damien,” Shining’s voice cut in before Cadence could react, “I’m start off with a couple of questions. I don’t want any lies, just truths.” “Very well,” Damien agreed. The captain took a seat across from the human and began, “How exactly did you get inside the Crystal Empire?” “By taking the train.” Shining raised an eyebrow, but continued, “Did you stow away? A few guards found you in one of the carrier cars on the Friendship Express.” “Yes, I remember them. Actually, I asked to take that car. It had a lot more room for me to move around.” “Alright…” Shining paused to think of something. “… can you explain how you got on the train in the first place?” Damien sat there, constantly answering Shining’s answers with no sign of apprehension, and Cadence curiously watching the interrogation between the human and her husband. Another whirl filled the air as another train left the Crystal Empire’s train station. A large crowd of ponies had gathered over the past hour, curiously inspecting two things. One had been the increase of guards investigating a train over. The other was the sudden and recent arrival of six ponies and a dragon, walking down the station’s wooden platform. From said group, Rainbow Dash groaned for the umpteenth time. “Alright, just what are we doing here?” she asked, glancing down. “Weren’t we supposed to be back at the palace?” “We’re here to look fer answers, Dash,” Applejack answered without glancing back at the hovering Dash above her and the group. “What answers? We don’t even know what’s going on here!” Dash exclaimed in frustration. “Now, Rainbow Dash, there’s no need to rush. I know we’ll find them soon,” Rarity said assuredly. Her look turned from calm to pensive. “But I admit, what are we doing here?” “I’m sure Twilight can tell us,” Pinkie joined in and looked to her side. “Right, Twilight?” She was met with silence. “Twilight?” Pinkie asked again. “Just give me a second,” said the mare in question, whose muzzle was up against a levitating paper and quill. Applejack moved to Twilight’s side, trying to glance at the paper. “Twi’, what are you writing?” “A letter for Princess Luna,” Twilight replied whilst she wrote said letter. “Why not Princess Celestia?” “She’s away on a meeting in Appleloosa. I can’t bother her about this now. Besides, we need to find answers first.” “But why come here?” an impatient Rainbow interjected. “And just who was that guy? What is he?” This time, Twilight groaned. “Spike.” “Hmm?” came from Spike, who was picking at his teeth. Noticing the four stares, he took his claw’s tip out and inquired “Oh, you mean that guy we saw?” “Yes,” Dash breathed impatiently. “Do you know what he is or not?” “Of course, I do! That guy was a human,” Spike proclaimed with a slight smug smile. All eyes on Spike widen. “A human?” Applejack echoed. “You mean those creatures y’all saw in that other world?” “Oh!” Pinkie raised an ecstatic hoof. “You mean when Twilight was a human and Spike were a dog, and had to go to that dance party?” “Yeah…” Spike drawled, a little perturbed by his canine experience. “… pretty much, everyone there looked like the guy we saw.” “Didn’t Princess Celestia say the only way was through the mirror?” Rarity pointed. Now, Twilight broke her silence. “It is. That’s what I’m trying to find out,” she explained, rolling up her letter in her magic. “Spike, can you…” “On it!” Spike plucked the scroll and puffed it away with his dragon fire. As the letter flew in the air in a blazing green trail, Twilight turned to her friend. “Shining said the guards found him here.” She gestured to the train station. “We can ask around and find more about him.” “But where do we start?” Rarity wondered out loud. Pinkie, who was looking around, chirped, “We can ask them!” Before anypony could ask, she already went down the platform, towards one of the train cars. Huddled nearby was a trio of Crystal guards, the closest out of the others there. “Hi, there!” Pinkie called out as she approached the trio. Three heads turned, and one of them cringed upon noticing the pink pedestrian. “Oh, dear Celestia…” grumbled one of them. “Excuse meeee,” Pinkie asked, “but do you know anything about a strange two-legged creature?” Another guard, placed on the left, huffed. “Don’t we. We were just minding our own business when we just find this… this…” he paused to find the right word, “ whatever, then he comes out of the car and-” “And I’m afraid that’s all we know,” the other guard on the right cut his fellow off. “He was taken to the castle by other guards. If you want to know more, you can ask the conductor, ma’am.” “Up ahead, can’t miss him,” said the middle guard, who looked a little sick. Maybe it was the flu. “Thanks!” And Pinkie bounced away, not catching a slight grumble from among the three guards. Twilight and the others followed their pink friend down the platform. It was only a few short trots before they all came across the lead locomotive, which was rather isolated compared to the rest of the platform. “There’s nopony,” Applejack remarked. “Maybe they’re taking a nap,” Pinkie suggested. She leapt up to the window and stuck her head in. “Helloooo. Anypony there?” her voice echoed. “Pinkie, get down from there!” Rarity chastised. No sooner than Rarity spoke those words, Pinkie fell back, and out came a head of an old gray stallion. “Yeah! What’d ya want?!” The entire group just stared, Rarity more of horror, at the messy beard and wrinkled muzzle stared back at them. Only Twilight found the courage and spoke up, “Uh, excuse me? Are you the conductor?” “Yeah, what’s it to ya?” he said gruffly. When he looked to Twilight, the sunken in eyes widen, and his tone was apologetic. “Oh, sorry your highness, didn’t you see there!” “It’s alright,” Twilight tried her nicest smile. “I’m looking for some answers.” “Certainly!” the conductor beamed, opening the door and stepping out onto the platform. “What can I do for you?” “You had a strange creature aboard your train. Two legs, wearing clothes?” “Yes, I remember him!” he reminisced with a fond smile. “The lad was a real help. Always gave a hoof around, moving the heavy crates and whatnot.” To that, Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really? What can you tell me about him?” “I'm sorry, miss, but you'll have to wait until Prince Armor is done questioning the suspect.” Fluttershy replied with a meekly 'meep.' The guard in front of her tried his best to look passive as possible, as did his partner. "Oh, I see," Fluttershy hid behind her mane a little, trying to protect herself from the guards' stoic looks. "I'll just come back, then." So, Fluttershy turned around with disappointed trots. Finding the 'human,' as Twilight called it, was not hard. The real trouble was trying to get past the guards. When Fluttershy first appeared at the door, the guards would not allow anyone to pass them, even an Element of Harmony. So, Fluttershy had tried to follow Rarity’s example from earlier. “Um, well, I'm friends with Princess Twilight, and I was hoping, if you don't mind, could you, maybe...” Key word: tried. Five times, Fluttershy tried to get through, and five times, she had been given the same answer: wait until Shining Armor was done. All she did was to turn around and walk down the hall. ‘I hope Twilight and the others are having a better time,’ Fluttershy hoped, deep in thought. A little too deep that Fluttershy barely noticed another pony walking in her direction. Her wings fluttered a little, nearly brushing against something silver. Fluttershy was surprised to see the other mare stopping and balancing a tray on her back. “Oh, I’m sorry!” she apologized while she stepped aside. The mare, dressed in a maid outfit, kept the tray balanced on her back. “It’s alright,” the mare gave a smile. “No harm done.” After returned the smile with her own meek look, Fluttershy eyed the tray on the maid’s back. It was an assortment of different foods–salad, rice, some fish, and even a little bit of meat. There was no hay, grass, or any food suitable for a pony’s diet. “Um, where are you taking that?” Fluttershy wondered. “Have you heard about the new guest?” the maid asked, and Fluttershy nodded. “Well, Prince Shining Armor requested get some food for him. To be honest, I don’t know what sort of creature eats all these foods.” Fluttershy held down the urge to say anything. She had been around different animals, so she was used to seeing the diets of herbivores and carnivores. Judging by the different foods, the human seemed to be an omnivore and would need more than one food group to keep him fit. No wonder Shining Armor wanted it to be delivered. A thought sparked in Fluttershy’s head. “If you don’t mind, I could take that for you,” she said. The maid cocked an eyebrow. “You’re sure?” “I’m sure. I know Cap-I mean Prince Shining Armor,” Fluttershy assured, correcting herself mid-way. “It’s the least I can do.” “Alright,” and the maid hesitantly slid the tray into Fluttershy’s hooves. The maid went the other way, and Fluttershy went her own, hovering back down the hall towards the two guards and the door in between them. She wobbled little, careful to not tip over the tray on its side and spill the food all over the floor. By the time Fluttershy landed at the door, she held up the tray. “Excuse me,” Fluttershy held up the tray. “I’m here to deliver the food.” The two guards were already suspicious. One of them asked, “What happened to the maid?” “She said was a little busy. She gave me this to take this to the new guest.” Though it was not a total lie, Fluttershy gave a smile, as wide as one of Pinkie’s, to pull it off. “Do you want to ask Prince Armor? I can send this back, but I’m not sure if he likes his food cold…” The two guards glanced to one another. “Very well,” the other conceded and gave a knock. The door opened immediately, left slightly ajar. There were sounds a little too faint to know what was being said. Nonetheless, Fluttershy gave a nod of gratitude before she took her first trots inside. The moment the door closed, she could see and hear everything clearly. In the center of the room, Shining Armor was sitting at a table, right beside his wife. The two of them were talking to each other, trying to keep their voices down to a whisper. Their faces, on the other hand, showed clear irritation. “Shining, just stop it.” That was Cadence, clear weariness in her voice. Shining himself countered it with a stubborn reply. “Cadence, please let me take care of this.” “I just think that this has gone far enough.” “Just one more question, alright? Then, we’ll talk about this.” “Shining, we’re getting nowhere with this. At this rate, you’ll be asking questions until Sombra comes back!” “Wow, you two really are a married couple. I only saw this much bickering from a pair of old donkeys. By the way, how was the wedding, Shining? I heard you had a bit of a bug problem.” That came from the third party, the human, sitting across from them. “Damien…” Sighing at her evenly irritated husband, Cadence rubbed a hoof on her temple. “Look Shining, you can’t keep doing this and–Fluttershy, what are you doing here?” Fluttershy gulped a little finding not only Cadence, but Shining and the human, staring at her. “Um,” she squeaked as she lifted the tray. “I’ve brought some lunch.” “What happened to the maid?” “Well, I, um, took this for her.” Again, Fluttershy tried to put on a smile, hoping to push away any suspicion. Fortunately, there was none of that, only tired eyes that softened at the Element of Kindness. “We might need a little break. Thank you, Fluttershy,” Cadence said. “Yeah… Sorry you had to hear all of that,” Shining apologized. “It’s no trouble,” Fluttershy assured, though her mind screamed with surprise. She had never seen Shining and Cadence argue like that. If she was right, seeing the entire thing would have even made Twilight nervous. Still, Fluttershy came forward, the tray in her hooves. The moment it was on the table, she glanced down at the human’s strange appendages on the table, one calmly resting atop of the other. Fluttershy's eyes trailed upward, and she almost let an 'eep' upon finding two hazel eyes staring back at her. “Sorry,” she murmured. “It’s alright,” said Damien, who somehow managed to hear that. “So, what kind of food did you bring?” “Um,” Fluttershy’s eyes went back down to the tray, “slices of cooked chicken breast mixed in with spices, rice… and some salad? And I think some bread?” She did not notice it, but Damien’s eyes faltered for a fit, going down at the food, then back up at Shining. “Meat?” he asked, surprised. “Yes, meat,” Shining replied, calmer than before. Now, it was Damien’s turn to have a silent moment. “So you didn’t forget. Thank you,” he said with surprising gratitude before he turned to his right. “You too… Fluttershy, was it?” Fluttershy nodded, watching this fascinating creature with curious eyes. She would have said something, but Shining spoke again, catching the others’ attention. “Damien, I still have to ask one more question to ask,” he said. “Then why don’t you ask it?” Damien gave a glance that was as indifferent as his own question. Leaning forward, Shining finally came out with it: “Why do you want to talk to Twilight?” Sitting back, Damien smiled and said, “I just want to talk.” Shining’s face deadpanned at Damien. “You just want to talk.” “Yes, talk. Just have a simple conversation, see how the role of princess is doing for her, then leave. There’s no harm in that.” Fluttershy, listening to the entire thing, filed that bit of information away. The response did not sound like there was no malice behind it. Perhaps, Damien would be freed, and this tense moment would finally be over. Sadly, her spark of hope was gone, and the worry returned when Cadence butted in. “Shining, you’ve asked all your questions, and he’s answered them truthfully.” Shining turned to his wife. “Cadence, I…” “What, Shining?” she interrupted him. “He hasn’t done anything wrong to deserve this.” “Your wife is right. I haven’t broken any laws,” Damien pointed out. “I only asked to meet your sister.” “That’s why you’re in here,” Shining retorted to Damien, “Otherwise, I would’ve let you go, and none of this would’ve happen–” KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! Tapping hooves on the door killed any ‘conversation’ in the room. Feeling the awkward silence between all three parties, Fluttershy waited with baited breath. It felt like forever, as nopony bothered to answer the knock. There was another knock on the door. Now, Shining called, “Come in.” The door opened once more, and in came a Crystal Guard. “Message for you, sir!” he said, holding out a scroll in his hoof. Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief when she and the others saw Shining leave the table. The expression on his face was impassive, but at least, there was no answer or apprehension. The captain took the scroll with an audible “Thank you” and unfurled it with his magic. “It’s from Twilight,” Shining remarked. Cadence walked over to her husband. “What does it say?” Shining frowned a little after reading the letter. “She wants us to release Damien. She said she talked with the conductor of the Friendship Express. He confirms Damien’s story. Several passengers also can confirm it.” He passed the scroll along, and Fluttershy’s ears perked upward as Cadence read the letter aloud. “‘Dear Shining, I have reason to believe that the Crystal Empire’s newest visitor, Damien the human, should be free. I met with the conductor of the Friendship Express, and he says the human boarded the train legally. We’ve search the train and there is no sign of magical items or anything that could bring me any harm. I order for Damien, the human, to be released and enjoy what the Crystal Empire has to offer. I will be waiting in the city plaza to talk with him. Signed, Twilight.’” The messenger guard added. “I can vouch for the letter, sir. I was there when Princess Twilight came to the station. She personally sent me to give you this letter.” Shining’s gaze darted from the guard, then back to Cadence. After a few moments, he said defeated, “Alright. You win.” “So, I’m free to go?” Shining turned to Damien, sitting at the table with a small, innocent smile. “It looks like it, yes,” he told the human with swallowed pride. Fluttershy stood by the table, watching the entire debacle with both worry and relief. It over was over now, but the letter made her wonder. It was not like Twilight to talk so forcefully to her “Big Brother Best Friend Forever.” Cadence strode up beside Shining with an apologetic look. “We’re so sorry about all of this. We hope you will have a nice stay in the Crystal Empire.” “Well then,” Damien said, standing up. “I hope you don’t mind if I leave then.” Shining saw Cadence’s poignant gaze on him, so he slowly moved aside. Cadence was not as hesitant as her husband, and the door way was cleared. Fluttershy was still reeling back from all she witnessed and did not let it all sink in, until Damien had left. When she did, she rushed out of the door and cried, “Wait!” Fluttershy saw Damien barely a few feet out of the door, and she came to a screeching halt. “I’m sorry, but you’re new here, and you don’t know your way around, so I thought I… I show you around?” Fluttershy lost her voice when she saw her face was less than an inch from the human’s leg. She creaked her head up, and then, she realized just how tall the human. His height could match Princess Luna, and maybe even Princess Celestia. Damien eyed the yellow pegasus. “You’re one of Princess Twilight’s friends, right?” he asked her, and Fluttershy nodded. Smiling Damien, gestured his hand to the hall. “Lead the way.” The comforting tone made Fluttershy smile, and she began to lead Damien out of the Crystal Palace.