//------------------------------// // Hail to the Prince // Story: The Thousand Year Change // by Darthvalgaav //------------------------------// Luna looked around the Senate Room, her face looking as cold and impassive as stone. Declaring war had been easy. Now, came the hard part: deciding how they were going to fight Equestria. Each member of the Senate seemed to have a different idea on how to go about this. “I’m telling you that orbital bombardment is the way to go!” shouted Scorpio as he slammed his hoof against the surface of the table. “We can target all of their major cities and level them within an hour. The best part is that we will have zero casualties.” “That may be true, but we risk hurting the civilian population, which would result in more anti-Republic feelings,” argued Stock Market. “It would be easier for us to make it an eternal night. Eventually, they will see their plant life begin to die out and will surrender. This way will prevent deaths on both sides and it will cost us fewer resources.” “Are you insane?!” roared April Showers. “The ponies of Equestria are too stubborn for something like that. If we use the eternal night plan, then we will end up destroying much of the plant life we need in order to replace what we lost. From where I’m sitting, it will be a heavy cost to both sides.” “You don’t know that,” insisted Stock Market. “Sure, they’ll go a week or two with no daylight. However, I feel that once the other nations find out what is going on, they will put added pressure on Equestria to surrender.” “Or these other nations will get pissed at us!” argued April Showers. “They would most likely be upset that we dragged them into our fight and turn against us. Maybe even assist Equestria in trying to eliminate us.” “Judging from what I read the last time I was in Equestria, that seems unlikely,” said Gigawatt. “Most of the other nations on the planet, especially the griffons, are not on the best of terms with Equestria. They might take our side if we explain the situation to them before the Equestrians have a chance to twist the situation around.” “I,” began Land Share slowly and gulped. “I know what I am about to suggest might seem unusual for me, but I believe we need something more forceful to show them we mean business. I say we activate Operation: Umbrella. And then, we take it a step further and monitor them. If we spot any act that remotely looks like they are trying to best us, then we can blast them. That way, we can prevent anything like the tragedy that befell my Dome from ever happening again.” After Land Share finished speaking, everypony in the room became silent for a moment. Several crossed their forelegs as they considered the idea. Luna, on the other hoof, raised a questioning eyebrow at this. She had never heard him speak like this before. Usually he was the voice of reason and compassion. But, she could understand where he was coming from. They were lucky that no ponies died due to the destruction of his Dome. Luna then spotted that Bunsen Burner’s eyes had widened, meaning he was equally as shocked. “That…might be a good idea,” said April Showers as a few others nodded. “If we did something like that, then Equestria would never be a threat to us.” “But, what about the others on the planet?” demanded Bunsen Bruner, causing all eyes to focus on him. “The effects of Operation: Umbrella will not just be limited to Equestria, but all other races. If we go along with this plan, then we will be making enemies with the entire planet! Many could die! Many will want revenge!” “Yes, but-” began April Showers, but stopped when Luna held up a hoof for silence. “I agree with Director Bunsen Burner,” she said calmly. “Operation: Umbrella should not be used as a tool for war. He is also correct that, if we do this, we will be making enemies with every single race on the planet. Races that have done nothing to us. I also agree with Senator April Showers. Eternal night would eventually lead to the planet becoming colder, causing all plant life to die and leading to the death of all animal life.” “Only if Equestria remains stubborn,” muttered Gigawatt. “But, I do see your point. It would also be near impossible of us to watch every living sentient creature on the planet for possible threats against us. So, are we just going to bomb them, then?” Luna closed her eyes for a moment while she thought about this. When she opened them again, there was a look of firm determination. “We could attack Equestria from orbit easily,” she said. “However, I fear that they will not learn their lesson. They will say that it was unfair. They will deluded themselves that if they had been given the chance to fight, then they would have won, or something like that. And then, sooner or later, they will get it into their heads to attack us once again. “So, I propose we crush that belief. I propose that we send a small number of ponies armed with the latest technology to crush their army. We shall then march upon their capital and take it! I will be there to personally grab that bastard Blueblood and drag his royal plot back to the Republic, so he can pay for all of his crimes! We will make sure their defeat is so through that they will never even consider attacking us at any point in the future!” For a moment, nopony spoke. They all stared at Princess Luna as they took in her words. For a while, Luna thought that they would reject her idea wanting to attack from a safe distance. But then, one by one, they began to smile. “I like the sound of that,” proclaimed Scorpio, rubbing his hooves together. “In fact, I think it’s the only way those savages will ever understand just how outclassed they are.” “I fully agree,” said Gigawatt. “I can see it now. Their vast army being put in its place by our superior technology. Them begging and pleading for mercy as our weapons tear down the wall of Canterlot Castle. The look on their faces when they realize how powerless they are against us will be priceless. Almost makes me wish I could be there in pony.” “Princess, I do have one question,” said Land Share as he gained everypony’s attention. “You said that you were going to personally bring Blueblood here. Does that mean that…” “Yes,” said Luna with a nod. “I will be leading our army as we take Canterlot.” “And, then what?” asked Land Share, his eyes widening slightly. “Will we take control of Equestria?” Luna didn’t answer right away, instead placing a hoof on her chin. He had posed a question that she hadn’t really thought about. In hindsight, she should have asked herself this very question. Did she even want Equestria and the ponies that lived there? Luna thought about this, her eyes staring at the table while the Senate kept their gazes locked on her. Finally, after several minutes of mental debate, Luna knew her answer. “No,” said Luna. “While taking over Equestria would provide us with many more resources, I have my hooves full running one nation. It would also make us appear as conquerors to the other nations on the planet, which would create even more problems.” “Well, we can’t just let things remain as they are,” noted Scorpio as the others nodded in agreement. “I agree,” said Luna. “Things will never change as long as those fools are in change. Luckily, there is one pony in Equestria that I know and trust to make the necessary changes. Therefore, we shall ensure that Princess Cadence takes the throne.” “Princess Cadence?” questioned one of the other senators in confusion. “Can we really trust her?” Luna nodded. “In the short time that I have known her, she has proven herself to be a caring soul, who wishes the best for her ponies. When she saw for herself the harm being done to bat ponies, she took it upon herself to change that, going against what Equestrian society believes is acceptable. She even came to me, asking for my assistance in this. That alone tells me what kind of mare she is. “I am, however, worried. I am sure that if she were present in Canterlot, then she would have tried to intervene when mine and Celestia’s words became hostile. She would have tried to calm us both down. With her absence, Blueblood has most likely taken the throne for himself. “So, our goal in this is simple. We shall remove that waste of space, Blueblood, from power and ensure Princess Cadence takes her proper place on the throne. Once that is done, we shall assist her as need be, so that she will not appear to be a puppet ruler.” “They may look at it that way, regardless,” mention Land Share. “Maybe at first,” said Luna with a nod. “However, I hope that, in time, the ponies of Equestria will see that she is in charge and not us, while making things better for all of them. Bat ponies included.” “This seems like a good plan,” approved Land Share. “However, I believe we should have Operation: Umbrella set up and placed on standby. With the amount of chaos created today, there is a chance that during the battle he will either be freed during the battle or soon after.” “Agreed,” said Luna. “I don’t want to think about what could happen to our forces should Discord awaken during the battle. If that happens, every second will count in minimizing damages. We should also prepare to lend aid to the various nations that will be affected by this plan.” She then looked at Bunsen Burner. “Have you come any closer to making it, so it will only affect him?” “Sadly, no,” was the reply. “The wide spectrum that we are currently using works on him just fine, but isolating his frequency is proving to be more difficult than we originally believed. If you plan on using Operation: Umbrella, then I would strongly suggest that a warning be sent to all the other nations, as well as some type of aid, given the affects.” “I’m afraid we might be unable to do that,” noted Land Share, surprising Luna. “And why not?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “We are barely hanging on, ourselves,” he replied simply. “Any aid that could have been spared has to go to the ponies living here. I know it sounds harsh, but we need to look after our own, before we worry about strangers.” “Warning the other nations is also a bad idea,” added Stock Market with a sigh. “Imagine if somehow Discord found out what we are planning. He might try to break free of his prison before we can activate it, or try to teleport off the planet right into the heart of the Republic, before Operation: Umbrella takes full affect. Therefore, we need to keep this a secret from not only Equestria, but the rest of the beings on the planet.” “But, we can’t just harm countless innocents in the process,” argued Luna before giving Land Share a pleading look. Land Share let out a sigh. “I’ll see what, if anything, we can spare. Maybe some blankets and medicine.” “Very good,” said Luna as she stood up. “Now, if you will all excuse me, I need to send Equestria a message.” -x- ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ thought Blueblood, slowly sitting on the throne of Equestria. ‘Never in my wildest dream did I think this was possible. The most I could ever hope for, was gaining more personal power or wealth. But, now…now I control the most powerful nation on the planet. Think of all I can do!’ Before he could do so, the doors to the throne room opened, and ponies began to spill into the room. He watched them carefully as they trotted in with their various groups. Standing in front of him, to the right, was Majesty as she led the nobles that he knew would support him. On his left were Fancy Pants and North Star. Behind them were a group of ponies, who didn’t seem to be pleased. However, Blueblood found it odd that those two seemed to be very calm at the moment. Coming in from the side was Stareye and all of his lieutenants. Stareye positioned himself, so that he stood next to the throne, while the others stood alongside the glass wall. From what Blueblood could see, most of them looked clean and presentable, except for the only two mares of the group. ‘A shame,’ he thought since he knew them both to be particularly good looking mares. Finally, Trixie entered the room. Blueblood, as well as every other pony in the castle, knew about her drinking habit, and judging by the way she was swaying, she had taken a few drinks before coming. However, even from where he sat, he could see that her eyes were focused. That was good, at least. Seeing that they were all here, Blueblood let out a small cough to get everypony’s attention. “I thank you all for meeting here so quickly,” he said calmly. “I know these are troubling times, but-” “Prince Blueblood,” interrupted a stallion named Powdered Wig. “Canterlot is in chaos. There is rioting in the streets, as well as a general panic. Some ponies are saying that Nightmare Moon has come to destroy us! All this because of you!” “Watch your tongue,” roared Stareye. Blueblood, however, held up a hoof to silence Stareye. “Now, now, Captain Stareye,” he said with composure. “That is no way to speak to a noble who is under a great deal of stress.” The prince then looked at Powdered Wig. “Tell me, how is this my fault?” “You egged both princesses on!” was the reply. “Because of you, we lost a great deal of soldiers, as well as suffering damage to the castle grounds. Worst of all, Princess Celestia was taken. If you had kept your mouth shut, then this wouldn’t of happened!” “You said we had nothing to fear from them,” expressed a mare named Elegance. “That our superior numbers would win out in the end. I was there watching as our guards fell like flies. And, what did we gain? Nothing! Tell me, how many did we lose while fighting six?” At that moment, all of the nobles’ eyes were on Stareye. Stareye, however, stared back with a blank expression for a moment, until he realized that they wanted an answer. When he opened his mouth to speak, all that came out were “umm’s”, and a few other similar noises, making it clear to everypony that he had no idea. From her position, Hot Pants watched this with growing irritation. One would have thought that she would have welcomed seeing Stareye in a position like this. However, he was their captain, and thus his actions reflected not only himself, but that of the entire Royal Guard. Thus, the more incompetent he looked, the more incompetent they all looked. Not being able to take it anymore, Hot Pants spoke up. “Three hundred and fourteen,” answered Hot Pants, causing the attention of everypony in the room to focus on her for the moment. She then added, “And still counting.” While the other nobles began to talk to each other, Hot Pants could feel Stareye’s glare on her. Blueblood, on the other hoof, simply raised an eyebrow, but did nothing else. “S-so many in such a short amount of t-time with so few,” stammered one noble in the back. “A-and that t-thing in the a-air. It b-blocked the s-s-sun! How are we supposed to fight t-them? We s-should have-” “Done what?” interrupted Majesty. “Gave in to their demands? Give them Prince Blueblood because they ‘claim’ he ordered an assassination? After they took several delegates hostage? If we just give in on every demand that another nation made, we might as well just surrender the kingdom all together!” “I think you are all forgetting some important details,” said Blueblood at last, getting everypony’s attention. The room suddenly became so silent that a pony could hear a mouse scamper across the floor. “I will not deny that we lost many ponies in the fight against the Lunars,” began Blueblood. “Nor will I deny the damage that has been to our capital. Yet, for all their technology, for all the ponies they slew, we almost had them. Think about that! If that thing in the sky hadn’t appeared at the last moment, we would have been able to place Princess Luna in the royal dungeon where she belongs! “You speak of what we lost, but not of what we have gained! Today, we learned that we can never truly trust those Lunar ponies. While most of them wore both their armor and weapons for all to see, only their Princess kept hers hidden from view. Think of it. She could have walked right into the castle, asked for a private meeting with Princess Celestia, and then stuck while her guard was down. “Of course, most of us already knew this. But, there was another victory that very few knew about. While most of the Royal Guard was doing their duty to calm Canterlot down and pick up the fallen, Captain Stareye was under special orders from myself to collect a very important prize. It was lucky that he had recently promoted several good lieutenants that were able to tend to matters at the castle, while he did so. “You see, we managed to obtain two suits of armor from the enemy, and he personally saw to it that they were retrieved. After that, I order him to collect all high ranking officers here, and there was no time for him to receive a proper report on what was happening here. I am sure you can all understand the importance of this mission. “At this very moment, some of our best magical experts are examining these suits, so that we can copy the technology, and I am positive that by the end of the week, we will be able to mass produce them. Can you not see what this means for us? Armed with their own technology, we will be able to ensure victory for Equestria. “As for that thing that blocked the sun, well, I don’t think there is much to fear from it. I mean, if it did have any weapons, then I am sure they would have used them. The most that thing can do is transport what little troops they have left.” Blueblood paused in the middle of his speak, looking at the crowd as they began to whisper to each other. He could hear that some were being swayed to his side at the promise of weapons like those from the Republic. Sadly, there were some that needed a bit more convincing. “There is one more thing that must be addressed,” continued Blueblood as he flattened his ears. “As Lord Powdered Wing said, Princess Celestia was taken. This is, by far, the most important fact of them all. But, instead of us coming together in order to find a way of getting her back, many of you were simply pointing an accusing hoof at me. I am sure that Princess Celestia would be saddened to see this. “But, take heart! We will get her back! The nation of Equestria must now work together like never before, in order to get back its most beloved ruler. The current circumstances have placed me in charge of this, the greatest nation of them all. I know that, in my heart, we can succeed. “So, I ask that you bear with me as I make a few small changes that I fear many will dislike. However, I believe that these changes to our laws, while not ideal, are for the best. First-” “Excuse me, Princes Blueblood,” interrupted Lord North Star, speaking for the first time. “I do not believe that now is the time to be making such changes.” “And why not, Lord North Star?” asked Majesty. “Do you not recognize that Prince Blueblood is our ruler now? Or, do you wish to challenge his right to the throne?” To everypony’s surprise, including Blueblood’s, North Star shook his head. “I would never dream of doing so,” replied North Star. “As Prince Blueblood said, the circumstances demand that he takes the throne. The current situation also demands that we not waste time fighting over who should sit there. That is not what our beloved Princess Celestia would want.” This declaration took everypony further by surprise. Many knew that he disliked the prince and figured that he would try to undermine him. Blueblood did his best not to look especially shocked when he heard this. “That is good to hear,” replied the prince slowly. “But, I must ask why I mustn’t make any changes to our laws and policies.” “Because it might cause confusion if Princess Cadence undoes those changes once she returns,” stated North Star calmly with a small smile on his face. Upon hearing this, North Star’s eyes widened. ‘Damn you,’ thought the prince. “Princess Cadence is not here,” noted Stareye, taking a step towards his father. “It was Prince Blueblood who took control of the government as is his right! That is his birthright!” “That is true,” acknowledged North Star with a nod. “Prince Blueblood himself said that the circumstances have placed him on the throne. And those circumstances say that if both Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence are out of Canterlot, then he has the power to preside over Equestria. That is his birthright as third in line to the throne. “And while Princess Celestia has been taken hostage, Princess Cadence is simply away on business. Thus, the circumstances say that when she returns, she will become our ruler until she is dead, or Princess Celestia returns. Or, will her birthright be taken away on a whim?” As soon as those words left his mouth, fearful eyes turned to look at Blueblood. Even those that sided with him were wondering what he would do. Blueblood gulped softy as he considered his options quickly. “I would never dream of doing anything of the sort,” declared Blueblood. “Naturally, I shall relinquish the throne once my dear cousin returns. But, until then, somepony-” “IT’S OVER!” came a loud scream from outside, drowning out Blueblood’s voice. “THE END IS HERE! NIGHTMARE MOON IS ATTACKING THE SUN!” Curious, everypony rushed to the windows to see what was going on. They all took one look, before they backed away from the windows with their jaws hanging. Never before in their lives had they ever seen anything like this. It was so unnatural that all of the color in their coats began to drain away slightly. Some even broke out in a cold sweat. Above them, for the first time in history, there was a solar eclipse. “What i-is going on?” asked a mare who supported Blueblood. Before ant possible answer could be given, a blinding flash of light appeared in the center of the room. Every noble needed to cover their eyes, while Hot Pants and Crème lowered their horns in order to fight. As for Stareye, he bravely hid behind the throne while he did his best not to wet himself. Once the light faded, everypony beheld a very…odd sight. It was Derpy in her black armor, while calmly eating a muffin with her eyes closed. It wasn’t until the nobles began to talk to each other in hushed tones that she opened her eyes and looked around. As if realizing where she was, Derpy crammed the rest of her muffin into her mouth, crewed it, and then loudly swallowed. She then turned to face Blueblood. “Greeting,” she said, causing the room to become silent. “I am Derpy Hooves, Royal Messenger to Princess Luna. I am here on behalf of both my Princess and the Lunar Republic to deliver an important message and to get your response.” With that, Derpy lifted her left foreleg up to her chest. Once she had done this, an image appeared above it. “I, Princess Luna of the Lunar Republic, hereby declare war on the nation known as Equestria,” read Derpy calmly. “Tomorrow at ten o’clock in the morning, I shall send three hundred soldiers to attack Canterlot. If you wish to avoid this, I will accept your unconditional surrender at this time.” Derpy then lowered her hoof a bit and looked at Blueblood once again. As for Blueblood, he was staring back at the mare with a small smile on his face. He then ran a hoof through his mane before he answered. “Three hundred?” he asked. “Is that the best the ‘great’ Lunar Republic can offer? If your princess isn’t going to take this seriously, then I see no reason to take her ‘threat’ seriously. Run back to the moon and tell her that her army shall face the full might of Equestria!” To his, as well as the entire room’s surprise, Derpy smirked as she lowered her hoof, causing the image to vanish. “Princess Luna hoped you’d say something like that,” declared Derpy, pulling out a scroll and tossed it towards Blueblood. “However, she thought you’d might have a moment of intelligence and surrender, so she wrote down the conditions of your surrender. Since you are choosing to fight then, instead I’ll hoof over the location of where we’ll be landing and leave.” With that, Derpy pressed the center of her chest plate and then, in a brilliant flash of light, vanished. Once she was gone, Blueblood used his magic to pick up the scroll and slowly opened it. While the rest of the room began to talk amongst themselves, the prince studied the scrolls contents. ‘Interesting,’ he thought. ‘If I am looking at this right, they are going to start their assault two miles west of the base of the mountain. How arrogant to give us this kind of information, and believe that they can still win.’ “This shall not stand!” declared Stareye who came moved out from behind the throne, and now stood next to Blueblood. “They will see the error in giving us this kind of information. I shall contact all of our forces from all across Equestria, and have them gather here. By morning, we should have over five hundred thousand or more.” This caused most of the room to let out a sigh of relief. It was hard to imagine three hundred win against such odds. However, one mare thought differently. ‘Call all of our forces?’ thought Hot Pants. ‘Is he insane? If we remove ponies from the borders, then our enemies will be able to march right on in with no resistance. Not to mention that to get here that quickly will tire them out. They’ll be almost useless in battle. I have to say something.’ “Sir, I must-” “You will be silent!” roared Stareye, his face turning red while he did so. “This is my decision and you will not question it. Do so again, and I shall see you put to death for insubordination. Is that clear?” “Crystal,” she replied through gritted teeth. “Prince Blueblood,” said Fancy Pants as he stepped forward. “Given the situation, perhaps we should try and get Princess Cadence to return to Canterlot a bit quicker.” This was met with a murmur of agreement. “Yes, we should,” said Blueblood slowly as he looked at Trixie. “And I know just the mare to help us out. Miss Trixie Lulamoon, you know how to make an enchanted compass correct?” Trixie flinched when her name was called. An enchanted compass was a compass whose needle would point towards a certain object or pony, instead of north. Making one, however, was a bit tricky and only a few ponies knew how to make them. During her first year as Celestia’s student, Trixie had been asked to make several as part of a test. It had been one of the few times she had ever truly succeed. “Yes, Trixie can,” replied Trixie. “However it will take Trixie at least two hours to make one.” “Very good,” said Blueblood. “Then let us take a short break for the next couple of hours. But, would you mind staying for a bit Trixie? There is something I wish to talk to you about.” As ponies began to file out of the room, Trixie kept her eyes on Blueblood with her ears flat against her skull. She had known the prince for years. The two had gone to school together, and it was clear that if there was anypony who was less qualified to enter Celestia’s school, it was him. They never spoke much, mainly because he thought he was so above her, that it would be a waste of time to acknowledge that she existed. It was also bad enough that he would interrupt her private lesson with the princess on whatever whim he had. Still, Trixie knew she mustn’t underestimate him. She had seen Blueblood work his golden tongue to worm his way through school and surrounded himself with ponies who had the skills he needed. Smarter ponies to help him with his homework, or ponies who could help him get dirt on another. He was the walking definition of manipulative. Once all the nobles were out of the room, Blueblood used his magic to summon a bottle of wine, as well as two glasses. He then poured some of the liquid into the glasses before levitating one to Trixie, who took it with her magic. “I believe you are wondering what I wish to take to you about,” began Blueblood. “You want something,” interrupted Trixie as she downed her glass right there. “So spit it out already. Trixie doesn’t have all day.” At this Blueblood chuckled. “Ah, that is what I always like about you Trixie,” he said while taking a small sip of his wine. “Direct and to the point. Very well. I was going to ask you to go on a date with me.” This request caused Trixie’s jaw to drop. ‘He wants WHAT?’ she screamed in her mind, trying to regain her composer by taking a deep breath. “Forgive Trixie, but Trixie is a bit taken aback by this,” she articulated after a while. “After all, you haven’t given Trixie the time of day before. So…why now?” “Appearances,” replied Blueblood before he took another sip of wine, while Trixie’s eyes narrowed. “You see, with all the chaos that will be happening, it will give the commoners a great deal of reassurance to know that we are all working together in order to help get Princess Celestia back. They also love celebrity couples! Can you not see it? Princess Celestia’s personal pupil, working side-by-side, with her nephew in these dark times will be a huge uplift. They will follow our ‘romance’, while forgetting their troubles at the same time. “Then, there will be our own gains. I’m sure that my dear auntie taught you a few other spells that she only teaches to her own personal students. That kind of information is very important to me. As for you, you get what you have always wanted: respect. I know all about the rumors and gossips that goes on about you. I am sure they will all go away, once our relationship takes off.” ‘Or it’ll get worse,’ thought Trixie darkly. She could almost hear the voices of her fellow classmates whispering to each other that she was only dating Blueblood in order to move up in the world. Various insulting words echoed in the back of her mind. “I will think about it,” stated Trixie as she set her glass on the floor. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to make that compass.” “Very well,” said Blueblood. “I’ll look forward to your answer. I hope you pick the right one.” -x- “They can’t seriously think that’s a good idea!” yelled Sword Sheath, his voice being heard all over the Royal Guard Barracks. Hot Pants rubbed her temples as she did her best to fight an oncoming headache. After the meeting, she had wanted herself and Crème to inform as many members of the Guard as possible about the situation. Sadly, due to the eclipse (which had thankfully ended), it had caused Crème and those still under her command to once again try and maintain order. This left the job of informing everypony to Hot Pants, who now stood in front of a large group. “Leaving our borders defenseless like that?” whispered Quick Strike, falling on his hindquarters. “Once the changelings find out, they’ll invade in mass. And, who knows who else might take advantage of the situation.” “Believe me, I tried to voice my concerns, but Stareye ordered me to be silent,” replied Hot Pants. “I think he believed that I would make him look like a fool again.” “I can believe that,” replied Quick with a snort. “Do you know what he was doing, while we were all out there, fighting for our lives? Hiding under Princess Celestia’s grand dining table.” “We have to do something,” yelled Sword, causing many to voice their agreement. “And do what?” demanded Hot Pants. “Try and take over?” Sword opened his mouth to speak, however stopped when he saw somepony walk towards him. It was Bitsworth, one of the new unicorn lieutenants and he wasn’t alone. Behind him were several other lieutenants, each one looking around as if they were afraid they would be attacked at any moment. “What do you want?” demanded a random member of the Guard. “Well, first of all, I am here to suggest that if you are going to talk about things like a coup, you should find a better setting,” said Bitsworth with a frown. “If you continue like this, somepony might turn you in.” His words caused a ripple of confusion for all those gathered there. The way he talked made it sound like… “So, you’re not going to tell Stareye?” asked Hot Pants. Bitsworth snorted. “That buffoon will get us all killed,” he declared angrily. “After the last battle, a few of us began to realize that while we are the elites of society, we are sadly not prepared for military command. And, after what Stareye said earlier on the castle grounds, it turned a few more of us.” “That’s great!” said Quick as he looked around at everypony gathered. “If we can get the enough ponies together, then we can-” “Don’t be foolish,” interrupted Hot Pants. “We don’t know how many ponies here will help us. And when the rest of our forces arrive and see us in charge, then they might get the wrong idea. This could result in a civil war, which is the last thing we need, seeing that the Lunar Republic will be attacking tomorrow!” Bitsworth nodded. “I completely agree,” he said. “So, what do you think we should do?” “Well, ah,” began Hot Pants as she felt the pressure of being put on the spot again. “I think the best thing to do is stick together. Try and convince as many ponies as we can that Stareye and Prince Blueblood don’t have Equestria’s best interests at heart. Then, when Princess Cadence returns, we will back her up.” “But, she supports bat ponies,” stated Sword with a frown. “Better than supporting Stareye,” commented Quick. “Good point,” said Sword. “I will try and convince the rest of my fellows to join in this venture,” expressed Bitsworth. “Until then, we should all try to keep a low profile on what we are doing. The last thing any of us wants is to have some fool turn us in, thinking it will help advance them.” Hot Pants nodded and hoped that Princess Cadence would return soon. -x- Majesty walked down the empty corridors of the castle as she made her way towards Blueblood’s suite. She had originally wanted to talk to Blueblood right away, but seeing that he wanted to talk to Trixie about something caused her to hesitate. Her logic was that if she pushed too hard or interrupted something important, the good prince would be less likely to listen to her, or give her what she wanted. So, she waited about twenty or so minutes before she began to look for Blueblood. ‘Ok,’ thought Majesty, walking down the halls. ‘I believe that now will be a better time to request that the Royal Guard helps find Scooter. After all, I am one of his major supporters, and it should be no problem to spare a Guard or two looking for one stallion. Oh, I do hope that Scooter is alright, and hasn’t gotten himself into any trouble.’ As she got nearer to Blueblood suite, she began to hear muffled voices. Hearing this caused her to pause and think about what she could do. If she knocked and interrupted something important, Blueblood might get angry with her. But, she didn’t want to just walk away. Then, an idea popped into her head. She could sit there and listen! Once the conversation was over, she could knock and say it was good timing. Plus, she did love some juicy gossip. With that decided, Majesty causally placed an ear against the door. “How dare she!” came the voice from Stareye on the other side of the door. “Once again that mare is attempting to make a fool out of me!” “You didn’t help matters by hiding behind my throne,” commented Blueblood as the sound of silverware being placed on a dish was heard. “Now, don’t worry about Hot Pants. We can deal with her at a later time, if need be.” “Oh, like how you dealt with the Cadence situation,” verbalized Stareye in a mocking tone. “If it were up to me, I would have stripped her of her title on the spot. Then, I would have done something about my father, like banish him or something worse.” “And that would have caused me a great deal of trouble,” replied Blueblood. “I doubt that,” dulled Stareye. “You are the prince. Without Princess Celestia, or your bat pony loving cousin, your word is law. Using it then would have allowed you to keep the throne permanently.” “It is amazing that, in all your years dealing with your fellow nobles, you have picked up next to zero insight,” commented Blueblood, gaining a huff from Stareye. “It seems I will have to spell it out for you. After your father’s little speech, I had no chance of removing Cadence. If I did, then the nobles who are against me would have revolted on the spot, resulting in a civil war. “If that were to happen, then the Republic could swoop in and defeat us. I also fear that doing this would also cause me to lose some of my allies. They would fear that I might remove them from power if they would ever displayed any form of disagreement with me. “It was also far too late for me to make up a lie to remove her. Think about it. If I were to claim Princess Cadence had done something illegal after what North Star said, no pony in their right mind would go along willingly. It would be transparent that I was just trying to get rid of her. And, any proof that I claimed to have, would have been examined. After they are done with all that, it would be my flank in a jail cell. “As for your father, well, it is better that I leave him alone. The common trash looks up to him and respects him. He is their champion, as well as the pony who works the closest to Princess Celestia. If I got rid of him in any fashion, then it might cause an uproar regardless of what I fabricate. “So, instead, I will allow him to remain where he is. He can challenge my decisions all he likes. However, sooner or later, he will come over to my side, and when he does, the commoners will fall in line even faster. “And, even if I were to somehow take away Princess Cadence’s right to the throne, there is still Princess Celestia to deal with.” “Princess Celestia?” echoed Stareye. “But, she’s gone.” “Not forever,” said Blueblood with a light sigh. “I am not foolish enough to believe that. She is an immortal, after all. If Princess Luna had meant her true ill, then she would have used my auntie like a shield, or something like that. No, I’m sure she is in a cell up there on the moon. And, once we win this war, she will return. “Thus, I have a small window of opportunity to change Equestria into what it should be. Once she returns and sees how much better it is, then she will be forced to leave it as such. Hopefully, this little war will take a year or two. By then, the Lunar’s food and water supply will run low, forcing them to surrender.” Majesty could not hide the amazement from her face as she heard this. To be able to think of all that so quickly, showed her that Prince Blueblood truly had a powerful tactical intellect that she never knew about. “I see,” said Stareye. “Then, what do you plan on doing to Cadence?” “I will have to arrange her assassination,” replied Blueblood. At that, Majesty did her best to hold in a gasp of shock. What was going on here? She had originally joined up with Blueblood, in order to gain more power and wealth. However, he never mentioned anything before about assassination! Not to mention a member of the Royal Family. Nopony in their right mind would ever consider such an action. If he got caught, then everypony that had sided with him since the beginning of this endeavor, would most likely be cast as accomplices. She might spend the rest of her life in jail, if she were lucky. It was then that dark thoughts began to enter her mind. Did Blueblood really order the assassination of that Twilight mare? If he had, then what else was he capable of? “Won’t killing her raise some suspension?” asked Stareye. “Not when it’s done right,” came a new voice in the room. Majesty then heard Stareye scream like a little filly, followed by several crashes. “Ripper, so good of you to join us,” stated Blueblood calmly. “H-how did you get in here?” demanded Stareye. “The window,” was the answer. “So, who will be taking the blame this time? The griffons again?” “No,” replied Blueblood. “If a griffon killed a member of the Royal Family, then many questions will be asked. It will raise suspicion, or the nobles might urge me to go to war with the Griffon Empire before we are ready to. Instead, I believe the bat ponies would be perfect. It would be easy for anypony to believe that they turned on her at some point. Bat ponies can never truly be trusted, after all.” “I see,” said Ripper. “That should be easy enough. However, before I do so, I demand payment for my last kill.” “That’s odd,” expressed Blueblood in a confused tone. “I could have swore I paid you in full after you killed the previous captain.” “Oh, you did,” commented Ripper. “The one I am talking about was a pegasus that I found listening in to your conversation back of your manor. I killed him, and then dumped the body into the river.” Upon hearing this, Majesty’s eyes widened as pupils became as tiny as a pinhead. She could hear her heart pounding. “Ah, that must be the pony that Lady Majesty was whining about,” mentioned Blueblood absentmindedly. “What was his name again? Slimer? Shooter?” “Who cares what he was called!” exclaimed Stareye as he stomped his hoof. “You never ordered his death. This stupid griffon did it all on his own, so why-” Majesty then heard a noise that sounded like something being slammed into the ground, followed by a choking noise. She could also hear the sound of a liquid being poured into a glass. “I would be more mindful of when to use that tongue if I were you,” hissed Ripper. “I killed him because he was listening in on your master’s private conversation. If I hadn’t, then he might have run straight to Princess Celestia. I think a small fee is expected in a situation like that.” “Ripper, release him,” gently ordered Blueblood, which took a few seconds before the griffon finally did as he was told. “Good. Now don’t worry, you’ll get your money. I don’t want to lose one of the best assassins in the business just yet. So, let’s sit down, have a drink, and talk about an acceptable payment system. We are all reasonable creatures, so I am sure we can come up with something.” At that point, Majesty began to walk away, with the words of Ripper echoing in her head.