//------------------------------// // In the Mind // Story: A Beam of Light // by OutofCuriosity //------------------------------// Cadence laid panting on the ground, her most recent escape attempt having failed even worse than the previous ones. She looked up at Aduro, who she'd failed to hit even once this time. Or maybe she had and what she saw was an illusion. Maybe the dragon standing in front of her was actually a changeling in the form of Aduro... And maybe Nightmare Moon collected stamps on the moon, it's irrelevant either way. Focus on the fact that I'm a prisoner and so far trying to force my way out isn't working. And remember what doing the same thing expecting a different outcome says about you, she reminded herself. With no view of the outside and since none of her captors wore timepieces, Cadence had no clear idea how much time had passed since her capture. The only things she could use as reference were the number of times she fell asleep and the times Aduro coughed up a gem or two and ate them. By her best estimates she'd been in the crystal cavern for at least four days but it could just as easily have been an entire week. She prepared herself for the next step in the odd routine she'd developed with her guards. First Cadence would wake up in one of those, now annoyingly familiar, cocoons, then she would break out, fight with the guards until exhaustion, and repeat. However, each time it took her longer and longer to free herself from the cocoon and the last time several times they had been filled with some kind of green goo. She sighed and prepared for the changelings to knock her out and begin step one all over again. Fifteen minutes passed and Cadence found herself left in her state of collapse on the cavern floor as Aduro seemed to take a nap at the exit while the changelings vanished further into the tunnel. She knew appearances could be deceiving, and with the dragon in the room that possibility was almost a certainty. She took advantage of the unexpected moment of, relative, solitude to think as the fireflies continued to flutter around in their lanterns. Ok, they're not dragging me back and putting me into another cocoon. That's a plus, but why? Why stop now? I think it took almost an entire day to get out last time. Is that it? Cadence thought furiously, about her impersonator, the changelings' plans, Aduro, and how she was going to get away from them. She stood up gingerly, feeling her injuries protest at the action and slowly walked to the back of the cavern. She placed a hoof on the wall, confirming it was actually there and leaned against it for support. So, I can't rely on my eyes to get out of here. No harm going blind from here on out. With that Cadence closed her eyes and began to feel her way along the wall, feeling the sharper edges of the crystals scrape against the skin under her fur. She hadn't moved five feet before a gust of wind blew into her face and something sharp was pressed against her forehead. A trickle of blood ran between her eyes and down her muzzle as her breath involuntarily caught in her throat. "Princess Cadenza, while I admire your dedication to your fiancé, following this course of action will force me to take more serious measures to keep you confined. I don't desire that and I doubt you do either," said Aduro and a look of significance passed between the two. Cadence shivered and slowly opened her eyes to be met with the sight of a scaly palm holding a claw that blurred just above her eye level. "But I am curious, if you truly love this...Shining Armor, surely the farce of a wedding being prepared won't actually change anything between you two. So why are you so set on stopping it?" Aduro withdrew his claw from her head and looked to the alicorn for her response. "What!? What kind of question is that? The love of my life is getting married to a bug impersonating me, in order to drain the love out of him and take over all of Equestria and you need to ask why I'm doing everything in my power to break out of here and rescue him?" Cadence asked furiously stomping her hoof to punctuate her point. Despite her show of anger, a slight tremor of fear laced her exclamation, something that didn't go noticed by the dragon. "I ask because it seems to me that your primary reason for escaping seems to be you want to hurt Chrysalis more than you want to save Shining Armor, the dragon said, infuriatingly calm. Cadence blinked and considered the statement. It was true she'd spent most of her time between escape attempts imagining the look on her duplicate's face when she would burst through the doors and expose the fake to all, but surely she'd thought about Shining Armor's well-being at least once. Right?. Maybe Aduro is right. What kind of pony am I to lose sight of what is truly important to me: saving the love of my life... Wait a minute, why does he care? Cadence asked Aduro as much and it was the dragon's turn to blink in surprise. "I asked because unlike some things I know, I don't take pleasure in seeing anything lose themselves to the pursuit of vengeance." Cadence shot a skeptical look at the dragon who quickly added, "I am aware of my own hypocrisies, Princess. Unlike most however, I am willing to accept the consequences that are brought by my actions. That is why I am willing to do what needs to be done," finished Aduro an undercurrent of pride in his voice. "Is this something that 'needs to be done'," inquired Cadence gesturing at the cavern around them. "...Yes, and soon after Equestria accepts its new rulers, it will be freed from a threat that has been hanging over it for millennia." "We don't need Discord dead. He's harmless as a statue." "And when he's not? I've heard the stories about his recent bout of freedom, and how the current Bearers defeated him. But what about the next time? What happens when the Bearers age and die as all mortals do? Will the next ones be found before he escapes again? He may have underestimated his opponents the last few times but of all the things Discord is, an idiot isn't one of them. While you might be willing to take that risk are you willing to place such a risk on the shoulders of your foals' or your grand-foals'?" Cadence was speechless, taken aback by the passion in his words; a passion as fierce as her own desire to escape. A large part of her wanted to yell obscenities at him, an equally large part was seriously considering the questions he asked, and a small but very loud part just wanted to run away screaming her head off. The terrified voice was quickly silenced and the angry part fought the thoughtful part for dominance. Eventually the two parts came together and she reached a conclusion, Aduro is convinced he is doing what is best for the greater good and is unlikely to be persuaded from it. Worst of all, she realized, he may have a valid point. As much as I think of Twily as the little filly I sat for the fact remains she has grown up since then and she'll continue to grow old until one day...she just won't wake up. What will happen then? I'm sure Auntie Celestia has some sort of master plan to deal with him. Her doubts and concerns swam around her mind like fish in a pond. 'And yet she was powerless against Nightmare Moon despite having a thousand years to prepare. Along with Aduro's escape and the fact I was taken from my own bedchambers it seems Celestia isn't all that wise', said a voice in the back of her mind. Because she was depending on Twilight and her friends to find the Elements and save Luna and you can't guard against a threat you don't know exists. Cadence countered in her mind. More preoccupied with her mental discussion she sat down and focused her non-seeing gaze on a random rock. Arguments and counterarguments bounced around until Cadence forced her train of thought to a screeching halt. Stop. Just stop. Debating my captor's motivations will not help anypony especially Shining Armor. Think of it like a day at the Royal Court. Focus on the facts and ignore everything else. Aduro: millennia old dragon with a grudge against Discord. Good at illusions but needs lanterns to make them. Changelings: bug ponies that shapeshift and eat love. Have wings and a horn but seem to rely on numbers instead of strength. Unbeknownst to Cadence, the changeling Tsetse was thinking similar thoughts to her as it watched the dragon slink back to his post at the tunnel entrance. The dragon will not be easy to pin down, thought Tsetse. He will not stand fight like the ponies, he will creep and hide behind his light. But his close quarters combat skill is still an unknown factor. When he is no longer needed will he fight to escape or fight to stop our plans? While every other occupant of his surroundings was thinking of a plan to defeat him, Aduro's mind was on another topic entirely. Three hours ago instead of another gem for him to eat, he had coughed up a scroll, although he had almost eaten it out of reflex but the unexpected taste of parchment stopped him before he swallowed. Just as he had been about to read it however, when the Princess tried to make another break for the tunnel. He had slipped the scroll underneath one of the firefly lanterns before joining the fray. Now he had a chance to discover what it contained. Aduro put up his regular illusion of sleep and, taking care to make as little noise as possible, removed the scroll from its hiding place. The scroll contained a message and despite centuries having passed Aduro still recognized Celestia's style of writing in the old letter system. The ancient lettering was actually familiar to Aduro, so unlike the strange scrawling language used by the ponies of today. Aduro, we know of your escape. I'll understand if we're some of the last beings in the world you'd want to speak to. So much so I must confess I doubt you will do anything but burn this letter after reading it, but as Luna so vehemently asserts, acting on a slim hope is better than acting as if there was none. With that in mind we beseech you, if you desire a peaceful resolution fly to the peak of Canterlot Mountain where you will find a squad of Royal Guards who will escort you discreetly to the castle. There are multiple squads assigned to this task so you may arrive at any hour of your choosing. Once you have entered the castle walls Luna and I will sit down and discuss the situation we find ourselves in as well as how to solve it in a fair manner. 1800 years is a long time, even for those such as us. I will admit that I was hurt by your actions and most likely let my emotions affect my judgement. Now time has allowed my mistakes to teach me the lessons you attempted to impart to us. Now I will turn to Luna to offer insight into more recent events. Salutations old friend. I don't know how much of the circumstances surrounding my banishment and recent return to Equestria you are aware of but...I now understand a little of what you've been through. I now know what it is to be consumed by anger and blinded to all views but my own, but I was saved from truly falling to the depths by the Elements of Harmony and their Bearers. Their friendship was able to overcome the Nightmare and reunite with my sister so let our friendship overcome the barriers between us. The world has changed so much in my absence I can scarcely imagine how it must seem to you. As you can see even this letter must be written in a version of Equish so old it is almost an entirely different language from the modern style. Let us ease you into this new world as equals, nay, as friends like we were so many years ago. Now as much I hope and wish you will be willing to meet us peacefully, as you once said, we must also prepare for the worst. Should you attempt to harm any of our subjects your actions will be met with the appropriate consequences. May we meet as allies and not as opponents. Pr Celestia and Luna Aduro stared at the letter for several long minutes unsure of how to react. His first question was how had the Princesses learned of of his escape in the first place. He quickly answered that question himself but it only brought up far more. Why would the changelings let the Princesses know I escaped when they went to the trouble of breaking me out in the first place, he asked himself. Unless...I was merely supposed to serve as a distraction from the beginning. Yes, that does make a certain amount of sense, especially if I factor in the foolish amount of pride that Queen has in her plan. Have an outside threat to capture Celestia's attention while sneaking in unnoticed. But like I warned her, everything hasn't gone the way she planned it. Lifting his gaze from the letter to the Princess of Love lying on the floor and staring blankly at the floor. And it seems that I'm in the exact same situation. Can I reveal myself to Celestia and Luna, openly admit to keeping their niece prisoner, and free the world from Discord? Unlikely. But Chrysalis is just as, if not more, unlikely to allow me to either if I'm reading the facts right. But why would Luna of all ponies have been banished? Luna said she'd been saved from making the same mistakes I made. What does that mean? Did she try to use blood magic? Or do they still think I was unjustified in my actions. With that Aduro sank further and further into thought as did Princess Cadence and Tsetse the Changeling. Each one drawing up and discarding plans of action as the day of the Royal Wedding approached and decisions became more and more urgent to make.