It has been a little over a month since the funeral of "Twilight Sparkle.". By now, "Forest Scribe" was one the main topics amongst the other advisors of not only the Councilors, but also by some of the junior Celestian scribes. Their senior members, those directly under Forest, were told the truth in due time. While two of the five had been opposed to the idea of non-Equestrian races taking a place amongst society, the other three were quite accepting of the idea. All five, under a binding oath to serve the Princess, agreed to keep the fact that Twilight Sparkle still lived under wraps.
Forest's hooves clacked against the tiled floor. She had just gotten a field report from acting Captain of the Royal Guard, Flash Sentry, her ex, about some bandits in the northern Dragontail Mountains. From what the recon teams had gathered, they seemed to be a joint coalition of Unicorns, and Minortaurs. As Celestia's personal advisor/hoofmaiden, and with all the senior guards running drills, it had fallen on Twilight's shoulders to deliver the message. That, and with all the errands she had to run, with some of the...rather odd demands from a few of the more eccentric nobles, such as Lord Morning Wood wanting permission to expand his mansion on top of a public pool situated next door, she was tired as Tartarus.
"So, who exactly is this...Forest chick anyway?" A smooth, creamy voice asked. Twilight turned, just as she was about to exit the scribe's quarters. Sitting around a table were three Junior Scribes, a Griffon, a Changeling, and a Dragopon, a half-Pony, half-dragon offspring. Twilight wracked her brain, trying to remember their names. The Griffon, his name was Wind Cutter, the Changeling, her name was Ichorous, and the Dragopon, if memory served, was Drel'Kas Stone, Drel'Kas being the Draconian word for Burning. Should I speak up? Twilight asked herself, glancing at the reports nestled in her magic, and then back to the assembled group.
"You mean aside from being Celestia's personal hoofmaiden?" Ichrous smirked, her eyes smokey. "I don't think any of us or our superiors have actually asked." She placed her head on her chin, humming in thought. Her insectoid wings buzzed every so often, breaking up the relative silence of the group.
"Actually," Drel'Kas piped up, sipping her juice, "Councilor Iron Wood apparently asked Princess Luna when she was about to pass by him in a corridor earlier today." The other two turned to face the Dragopon, who was the apprentice to Iron Wood's half-sister, Sand Bagger. "So, the official story is that she's some bastard filly of Lady Lichen Scribe." The Scribe family, of which Twilight had taken part of her pseudonym from, were an offshoot family of the main Sparkle Clan. Lichen was her father's cousin, twice removed from their mother's will before she was reinstated. They were a well known family of clerks and financial advisers. The Lichen and her husband were on good terms with Night Light and Velvet, and had vowed to keep Twilight's secret safe. Lichen's husband, a dragon by the name of Vass'Ectomy Scribe, had used his abilities as a lawyer and former signature inspector to falsify and plant records of "Forest" as a child born out of wedlock.
"Heh, figures." Wind said, popping a small chunk of freshly cut Neigh York style steak down her beak. Ichorous glared at her, as that bit had come from her plate. Wind rolled her eyes as Ichorous pulled her plate further away from the griffon. "You know, I bet she bribed or banged the princess for that position!" Drel spat out his juice, coughing hoarsely, as he locked his thighs together. "Think about it, some filly popped out of some illicit relationship Lady Lichen had, becomes the personal hoofmaiden to Celestia, that's the only way she could get in that high!" She guzzled her milk down, slamming the cup back down onto the table.
"Maybe Princess Luna or Cadence recommended her?" Drel brought up, clearing his throat. "I mean, with how depressed, and rightfully so, Princess Celestia was, having somepony to listen to would have helped immensely." He finished his plate, the cutlery clattering onto the well made porcelain plate. The other two glanced at eachother, and shrugged.
The three scribes resumed a normal conversation. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle, as she was known to all but a few now, Forest Scribe, slipped out of sight. She still had to deliver these reports.
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The thick door to Celestia's personal chambers slowly swung open. Plates with flecks of food and cake on them were neatly piled in a corner. Celestia was laying on a cushion, a copy of some Neighponese manga propped open before her, Her well toned flank was facing the door. Twilight mentally snickered, and gently plucked a quill from the nearby table. As quietly as she could, she tickled the solar monarch's flank with the feather. Celestia squeaked in surprise, and burst into laughter.
Twilight chuckled, dropping the feather. "Here are the reports, Princess Celestia." She said, gently setting the stack of papers onto Celestia's desk. Here they could relax, away from the politics and petty squabbles of the nobility. She sat across from Celestia, who had calmed down by now. "You know, sometimes I wonder how you keep your hooves off me during meetings." She teased, dropping the Pritish accent she had adopted for her role as Forest Scribe. She plopped down on a nearby pillow, smiling. She cracked her joints, letting out a sigh of relief.
Celestia giggled, her self-developed mask of regal perfection falling away to reveal the mare beneath the title of Princess. "Ah, it is quite a challenge "Forest" she said, removing her regalia. Her golden aura levitated them over to a specially made case, where anypony who was not Celestia or her sister, and it could detect any and all glamour based spells, would find a rather nasty shock awaiting them. She never slept with it on. "I've often fantasised of having you just drop the disguise during a meeting so we could cuddle. It would stave off the boredom." She chuckled, as the sound of rain splashing against the windows of the castle could be heard. Her eyes roamed to the clock. "It seems its almost time for bed." She got up, combing her mane. Twilight followed suit. Soon, the two mares were snuggling up together in bed,
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Meanwhile, in Blueblood Manor....
As Sir Amadeus Blueblood and his staff slept quietly in their chambers, a small light flickered in the bedroom of one Prince Blueblood, heir to the noble House of Blueblood. In his hoof he held an orichalchum dagger. This rare mineral, which one could only be found in a sparse few mines, or on fallen meteors, was one of the few things that could harm an Alicorn, or one of the minor Spirits, such as Discord . Princess Celestia and Luna had made it so any and all found would be under careful survelliance by top smiths and guards, all deposits were to be immediately reported to any of the princesses, with an added reward of around 500 bits per deposit. Blueblood didn't really had a need for it now. Its purpose had been served. It had taken him weeks of careful planning, and maneuvering the seedy underground of the black market to even acquire this exquisitely crafted blade. It's dark green, glass like surface reflected the light of the small table lamp he possesed. It was a trophy, and when his children were born, he would show them the blade that had kept any peasants or foreigners from stealing jobs from hard working Equestrians.
He switched off the light, and hid his prized dagger, that he had lent to his comrade the night of the assassination, in a hollowed out spot beneath his bed. He fell asleep, dreaming of tomorrow.