-30-
Cunning paced through the small side room in his new abode, looking through the open books on the counter of his lab. With a few minor modifications to the original design, he could change the entire room in less than a minute. The formalities he generally observed while parading around as the princess left enough time for any work to be hidden from his entourage.
That was, all but the few ponies he had complete control over. They were essentially his puppets, following commands and orders, never needing a personality or soapy semblance of free will. It allowed him a sense of comfort while he worked on small side projects.
He lifted a small orange gem with his magic, inspecting it for imperfections. When he was satisfied with its quality, he crushed it into a fine powder and mixed it into one of the potions. It fizzled violently, sputtering bits of mist into the air. He guided it through the door and into the waiting area on the other end of the compound. After all, he had the perfect test subject present tonight.
Cunning felt a slight pinch as the intended target's thoughts began to flood his mind. He let the potion seep into his mind, slowly soaking him with memories, desires, even his troubled secrets. He was quite the interesting mail pony.
A small book and quill rose into the air, suspended by his magic. "Saturation of the potion in concentrated mist yields results in about ten minutes. Mist as a delivery system for the spell has proven unreliable, working only five times of the last forty." He paused momentarily as the quill finished the first portion of his diction. With his horn, he devoted a portion of it to further prod into his sitting victim's mind. Slowly his sense of control wavered and disappeared altogether. "Four of the last forty."
He sighed, placing his book back down on the table. He could accept this as a minor failure for the moment. It was only a security measure should things go awry, after all - not a linchpin for his plans. Those were easily falling into place even without his help. His subjects were rather able to move his plans along with their wild fervor. All he needed to do was give them a nod or word of approval.
His eyes flicked up to the clock on the wall. Much to his disdain it was nearing an hour since he had kept his guest waiting. A quick change of appearance washed over him, returning him to his former guise.
Swift Wing tapped his forehoof on the table as he read through the list of delivery locations once again. The Princess was adamant that the leaders receive these letters as quickly as possible. He was merely confused as to why he was being held for so long. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Princess Celestia stepped from her entertaining room. Another huge pile of letters floated behind her, suspended in the yellow-white glow of her magic. He stood immediately and bowed.
She waved him off with a hoof. "No need for that at this hour. I know I said these deliveries were of great importance, but I just received additional information from the letter you brought by. I apologize if it seemed as though the task I set before you was not as important as I made it sound."
"Not at all your majesty," he responded, stuffing the letters in his mailbag.
"Go to the Manehatten Post office before delivering this extra set of letters. I have called in a few extra ponies to assist you with the deliveries."
He nodded excitedly, stretching his wings in anticipation for a long journey. "Thank you, Princess. I won't let you down."
She smiled and nodded. "I know you won't."
With that vote of confidence he sped out the open front doors and into the night sky. After a few moments the guise dropped altogether, allowing Cunning to stretch his tired wings. His mind wandered back to the new wing blade combat his Pegasus guards were using.
Perhaps I should take up some training. It would certainly help my image after tomorrow's announcement.
The alicorn found his way back to his room, slipping quietly into bed.
--*--
Manehatten was home to hundreds of old, historic buildings. Many ponies were proud of their heritage and in every generation there was an army of workers to keep the buildings well-maintained. It was expected that the reaction from locals to the reopening of the Equestrian Senate Building, home to many famous diplomatic affairs, would be overwhelming. As the Princess's carriage approached the building early in the morning, It was greeted with cheers and applause.
They never disappoint, Cunning thought.
The princess's newest guards huddled around her, creating a small bubble in the crowds. It was much like a boat cutting through rough, shouting seas. Once she had finally arrived on the steps, she gave a curt wave to her subjects and ducked into the building.
The entrance hall was made from fine marble, with ceilings even a dragon would find comfortable. Vaulted archways were carved into the sides of the walls, accompanying stone columns all along the hall. Ponies garbed in traditional coats mixed with others in business suits or dresses in the hall as they discussed light topics amongst themselves.
She observed them as she walked towards the back of the building. Those that noticed bowed in respect, which she returned with a slight smile. Once behind the door, she was led to a small staging area, where Quick Wit was hastily putting together a large stack of scrolls. Her face lit up with a mixture of relief and panic as she approached.
"Princess!" Quick Wit called. Several scrolls lifted into the air and floated over to the princess. The young unicorn followed after them, stopping only to bow. "I've been up all night compiling this report. You asked for a poll on-"
"How ready we were in case of another attack. I'm under the impression it wasn't a happy note to write."
Quick Wit's face fell slightly. "No. While major cities here are on high alert, the west, as well as overseas, are completely open to attack or invasion. Our response would be too limited or too slow to keep the number of casualties low, let alone retain the territories."
The princess nodded. Of course there weren't enough troops on active duty - most of them fiercely guarded the bordering mountains from the unknown lands beyond. Few even dared to explore past the mountain ranges as the thick jungle swallowed those unwary of its true inhabitants: Changelings.
"You forget the extensive training those ponies have from their time on the border. Dealing with changelings is hardly easy. If we send some of our new volunteers to train in the border range, numbers will hardly mean anything."
"Perhaps," Quick Wit responded, flicking through the papers once more. "The training schedules of new recruits have been on course so far. Enough of the veterans are already in good shape to be re-instated..."
The princess took the opportunity to reorganize the other scrolls on the makeshift table, while the unicorn was still lost in thought. "Leave the deployments to the strategists. What I would like to know is the result of the other poll I had you take."
Her face went a little pale from the question. "Princess... I'm not sure we're equipped to take that step yet. I mean, even with your direct leadership-"
"The results, Quick Wit," the Princess chimed.
Her mouth closed immediately and her eyes dropped to the floor. "They are prepared to support you almost unanimously."
"Almost?"
"Those unsure or against are concerned there hasn't been enough time to properly train troops or secure our borders from attack."
The princess nodded grimly. "Unfortunately, those that wish to do us harm will not wait for us to be 'ready' or 'prepared'."
"Then... we're really...?" Quick Wit was shaking, her voice no more than a whisper.
"Yes, Quick Wit." The princess looked down at her with a solemn gaze. It was soothing, yet distant - but somehow it lessened the blow from her intentions.
"Today, we go to war."
--*--
Spike placed the quill down on the bed, putting all of his effort into keeping his hand and expression steady. His eyes glanced up and down the letter, once or twice returning to the purple mare sitting up in the bed. Her eyes were cast down at the blanket, running a hoof through the rough fabric.
"Twilight..." Spike started. But just as soon as the word left his mouth, his ability to speak seemed to disappear. He swallowed hard, occupying his hands with rolling up the letter. "Are you really sure you want to send this?"
A short silence passed between them. "I'm not sure of anything, Spike." Her hoof momentarily stopped its idle movement. "Normally, I'm so focused that I don't really take the time to think of the consequences. At the time... I was so torn between saving Princess Celestia and addressing my feelings with Princess Luna, that..."
"Twilight, you don't need to-"
"Yes I do," she whispered firmly. "I was so busy thinking of saving everyone, that I agreed. We both knew it was necessary - we had no choice."
She paused only to drag the blanket tighter over her body. "But the time I spent with her made me realize there was more to what we had done - something we discussed and decided to address after we had woken up the princess.
We never got to do that. I... Died.
"But worse still, I was intentionally kept out of... I was kept here for some reason I still don't understand. I watched my own funeral. I watched Luna as she tried to raise our foals without me. I watched Rainbow...”
Rainbow looked down at the world below her. A minute is all it would take. She'd finally be able to join her, wherever it is ponies go. Twilight floated along the ground below her, spooking the animals into a frenzy as best as she could. Dawn and Dusk had the intended reaction. They screamed as they ran towards the open field, just below the cloud Rainbow stood on - ready to plunge to her end.
But in a flash, she was zooming down to the fillies, panicked and filled with worry.
"Girls!"
"Twilight?"
"Rainbow did it for me. Not for Luna, not for her sense of duty to her friends, but for me, as I floated along in limbo. She promised a ghost that she would do for my fillies what she couldn't do for-" Twilight choked back a wave of emotion. "-me."
Spike placed the scroll down on the bed, placing a claw gingerly on her shoulder.
"Spike... I don't understand what's going on with me! We're in the middle of a crisis - no - I AM the crisis. I started all these awful things. I wish I had-"
The door swung wide open and Rainbow Dash moved into the doorway. She looked angry and mortified at their conversation.
"Don't you DARE finish that sentence," Rainbow growled. "Do you have any idea how we felt? After you left us alone to pick up the pieces?"
"Rainbow... I-"
Rainbow Dash's sudden glare stopped the words from even forming in her mouth.
"You sacrifice so much to keep us happy - to keep us safe. You'll drop everything to help a friend in need. Tartarus, you made sure every week that one of us was satisfied. You even made the ultimate sacrifice for your kids.
"But when you came back, you didn't change a thing. You tried to stop us from coming with you, to shield us from danger. You even spent your magic when you were still recovering to hide us. But in that city, you went ahead and almost left us again - all in the name of saving your friends!
"Did you ever stop to think about another way out? Obviously it never crossed your mind of how heart broken we'd be if you left us again!
"Now you're blaming yourself for whoever is trying to destroy what we know and love? You wish you were still dead?! Do you know how that makes me feel?"
Twilight looked back and forth, the combination of this sudden outburst and the memory stuck in her mind. She rose from her bed, albeit shakily. "Really Rainbow?" Twilight could feel her blood pressure starting to spike. "You know it wasn't on purpose! Or perhaps you didn't hear that part through the door when you were eavesdropping?"
Rainbow began to cross the room as she yelled, "Don't turn this on me, this isn't about me! You were the one who was about to say it would be better if you hadn't woken up! Or am I wrong?"
"Maybe I was better off as your invisible friend, stuck eternally watching YOU take care of my foals? As if that was what I wanted!
Spike backed off into one of the corners of the room, trying to stay out of the fight.
"WELL IT WAS YOUR BRIGHT IDEA TO JUMP IN THE WAY OF A HAIL OF ARROWS INSTEAD OF MAKING A SHIELD!" Rainbow screamed.
"IT WAS THE ONLY THING I COULD DO!" Twilight bellowed. It almost seemed like the room was shaking under their shouting match. "YOU'RE ACTING ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY WHEN THE TRUTH IS YOU WERE GOING TO KILL YOURSELF!"
Rainbow was floored. She had done her best to rid herself of that particular notion years ago. But here it was, haunting her again.
An awkward silence passed between them. The last couple of comments seemed to sap all the energy out of the two of them. Spike could tell that neither of them really knew how to proceed. Eventually, Rainbow backed away towards the door.
"I'm sorry," Rainbow whispered, barely audible. Before Twilight could tell her otherwise, she bolted from the room.
Spike moved from his place in the corner, scroll still tightly gripped in his hand.
"Send it," Twilight said.
Spike looked a bit confused.
Twilight turned her head to look at him, "Send the scroll before I change my mind." With that, she walked through the door and into the hallway, leaving Spike utterly alone. He took one last glance at the wrapped up scroll before sending it away in a puff of smoke.
--*--
In the long history of the world, hunger and thirst have motivated many into doing things they normally wouldn’t consider. The Princess had finally understood their plight. After over a week in the dungeon, mortal needs had finally driven her to abandon her dignity. Licking water from the small stream running down the wall was the only way for her to keep hydrated. She was forced to eat the bitter moss from the stone walls. But that had since run out. So there was only one thing she could do - overpower the cage.
It was foalish - the damage she would do to her body would take weeks to heal under strict care and rest. Without the normal comforts of the world above her, it could be a month, perhaps two before she was truly recovered physically. Her magic would recover far before then.
In the eternal light from the candle, she looked over at the many gashes and splits that had ripped open because of the small spell she had cast. The bleeding had stopped, but her white coat was stained a reddish brown. It was hard to distinguish it from the stains of dirt from her cage.
Her eyes flicked over to the small bowl and spoon outside of her cage. The most basic thing she could manage - a bowl that would refill itself with a bland mush. Enough to offer some sort of nutrition.
She gripped the spoon shakily with her hooves, lifting it slowly to her mouth. At this point, she had gotten used to the taste of the meal. But to keep her mind working, she imagined a different type of meal instead - perhaps a wonderful pea and onion soup was delighting her tastebuds. Her imagination grasped hold of her vision - it was topped with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The grainy thick chunks were melted saltines, which soaked up the rich taste of garlic underneath.
If only it were really so, she sighed.
Just as she held aloft another spoonful of the precious sustenance, the air outside her cage became electric. Magic seemed to explode from the air as a cloud of blue pushed its way into the cage. She winced, expecting it to set off the magical inhibitor. Instead, she was greeted with the sound of a scroll falling softly to the floor.