Chapter 8
“I’m not so sure about this, ‘Tia.”
Celestia had been pacing outside the door to the Canterlot Castle’s main balcony. Her trusty coffee mug was grasped shakily in her magic. Blood-red veins stained her tired eyes. Her normally perfect flowing mane was disheveled. She had not slept since learning of Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s disappearance. Part of that was due to a lack of trying. There was far too much on her mind to be able to drift off to sleep. Instead, she spent the entire night at her desk trying to piece together what could have happened to the two missing ponies. It didn’t do her much good, unfortunately. Without more information, she was completely stuck. Celestia took another desperate sip of her bitter caffeinated drink. Luna looked over at her exhausted sister and spoke once more. “Do you really think this is a wise decision?”
Celestia halted her pacing and momentarily peered outside the glass door to the balcony. Below on the ground was a large group of ponies eagerly awaiting the appearance of their princesses. Celestia had sent out messenger ponies earlier that morning to gather ponies at Canterlot Castle. Celestia looked over at her sister.
“What would you have us do, Luna?” she asked. “Keep our citizens in the dark?” Luna closed her eyes and huffed.
“Causing a panic throughout Equestria would do us no good,” Luna replied.
“And neither would it do us good to lie to our subjects,” Celestia shot back. She turned once more to the balcony doors. “A princess of Equestria and former Element of Harmony has gone missing. If the citizens figure out what happened before we tell them, it would be far worse than if we told them outright what’s going on.”
“Have you told Cadance and Shining Armor?” Luna asked. Celestia nodded her head in response.
“I sent them a letter last night. I imagine they will need a few days to get their affairs in order before they arrive in Canterlot.”
Celestia walked up to the doors and her magic flicked to life. The magical aura pushed the doors open and she walked through the threshold leading to the balcony. Luna followed her closely behind. A large group of ponies stood at attention below. As the two princesses made their appearances known, cheers rang out from the crowd. Normally, this is the part where a princess would smile down upon her subjects. Unfortunately, Celestia could not bring herself to fake a smile today. With a flick of her horn, Celestia’s voice dramatically increased in volume. She walked to the edge of the balcony and looked down upon her subjects.
“Good afternoon, citizens of Canterlot,” her tired voice boomed out to the ponies below. “I thank you all for gathering here on such short notice.” The cheers and murmurs from the crowd subsided to allow their princess to speak. Celestia raised her head and puffed out her chest in faked confidence. She had gotten this far. It was too late to back out now. “If the many years of being in my position have taught me anything, it is this: trust is everything. After all, if you do not trust in somepony, how do you expect them to lead an entire nation? Most importantly, without the trust of others, friendship cannot blossom.” She paused for a few moments to let her words sink in before continuing. “Part of earning a pony’s trust comes from keeping them informed. And, that is what brings us here today.” Celestia glanced back at Luna momentarily who returned the princess of the sun’s worried gaze with a small nod. Celestia let out a weary sigh and prepared herself for the inevitable panic her next words would surely cause.
“Last night, shortly after the moon was raised, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, friend and hero of Equestria, went missing.” Gasps and shouts echoed from the crowd below her. Many of them awkwardly shifted their stances and looked around at each other in panic. The voices of the crowd grew louder and harder to distinguish. Celestia patiently waited for the crowd’s murmurs to die down. Perhaps rather predictably, they did not. Luna decided to cut in.
“Be silent!” she roared. Realizing how harsh she must have sounded, she raised a hoof to her mouth and shot an apologetic look towards the crowd. Harsh or not, Luna’s outburst worked. The crowd had gone silent as they stared up at the two princesses. Celestia nodded to her sister.
“Thank you, Luna,” she said softly. Turning back to the crowd, she continued her speech. “Needless to say we understand your concerns and we wish to address some questions you may have. However, in interest of keeping Equestria safe, please understand that we must withhold certain information.” Soft murmurs once again echoed throughout the crowd of ponies. “So far, all we know is Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash have been teleported. Obviously, we do not know where they ended up. We are in the middle of organizing a search party to comb the land of Equestria. On top of that, we have sent letters to the nations bordering Equestria in hopes that we may find them. Do not despair, for even if we are unsuccessful in finding them, I have faith that Princess Twilight Sparkle will find a way to return home with Rainbow Dash. She is far more resourceful than even I, after all.”
“As for the immediate future, my sister and I request all ponies other than the former Elements of Harmony keep out of Castle Friendship in Ponyville. There will be guards posted outside the castle’s entrance to enforce this request. Secondly, until further notice, Canterlot Castle will be off limits as well. Princess Luna and I require some time to ourselves to plan our search without interruptions. Any and all questions or requests should be sent by letter. I cannot guarantee that we will reply to all of them. However, we will do our best.”
“That is all for now. I promise to keep the citizens of Equestria up to date as we uncover more information on this situation. May peace and harmony be with you all.” When Princess Celestia finished her speech, the crowd began to disperse noisily. Celestia turned back to her sister and nodded before walking through the balcony door. Luna followed closely behind.
As the two princesses headed back into the castle, they did not notice the knowing grin of a single pony in the crowd staring up at them.
---
The streets of Canterlot were busier than usual. Ponies zipped every which way. Many of them were caught up in conversation regarding the disappearance of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. On many of the street corners, filles and colts waved newspapers in the air spouting the latest headline. It did not take long for the news to reach those who did not appear by the castle for Princess Celestia’s speech. Despite the princesses’ wish to keep panic to a minimum, it wasn’t a surprise that worry gripped the city.
One mare, however, was not worried. In fact, she was smiling.
The mare in question was an ash grey unicorn with a straightened violet mane that stopped at her shoulders. A thin line of dark blue hair created striped the side of her mane. Covering her body was a simple brown tunic, which blocked the view of whatever cutiemark she bore. Her narrowed grey eyes were trained on the path in front of her. The determined walk of the mysterious mare was mostly ignored by the panicked pedestrians around her. A select few ponies shot her confused looks as they noticed her strangely chipper demeanor, but the mare paid them no mind. She had far more important things on her mind to be worrying about what others thought of her. Besides, it’s not like she would have cared anyways. The only opinions that mattered to her were her own.
She trotted gracefully through the city towards her destination. After walking past multiple blocks of the city, the royal castle doors came into view. The entrance to the castle was flanked by two earth pony guards standing tall. Any other pony in the mysterious mare’s position may have frowned at the obstacle that lay before her. After all, there was no way she was going to be able to get past the two guards without causing a ruckus. However, she continued to smile, confident that it would be no trouble for her. Deciding to try the civil approach, she approached the door to the castle. The two guards crossed their spears over the entrance, blocking her.
“Halt!” the guard to her right commanded. “State your business!” The mysterious mare merely bowed to him, smiling.
“I seek audience with the Princesses of Equestria,” she said. Her tone was low and mature. The guard who spoke raised an eyebrow.
“Didn’t you hear the news?” he asked. “The princesses are not allowing anypony into the royal castle under any circumstances.” The mare brought a hoof to her mouth and giggled.
“Oh, I heard,” she told the guards. “I still wish to see them.” The guard to her left shook his head.
“Sorry ma’am, but I can’t let you in there,” he told her. “If you absolutely must speak to them, I’m afraid you’ll have to send a letter by mail.” The mysterious mare huffed in frustration, narrowing her eyes.
“That would take far too long. My time is precious and cannot be wasted.”
“The same could be said of the princesses, ma’am,” the guard to her right rebutted. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do. If you absolutely have to meet with the princesses, you’re going to have to wait until they allow the citizens back into the castle.” The frustrated mare paused in thought for a moment. It was clear that neither of these guards were going to budge. Maybe if she explained the nature of her visit, they would allow her to pass.
“Even if it’s urgent?” she asked desperately. “After all, it’s regarding the disappearance of those two ponies.”
“Any information regarding the recent disappearance of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash can be reported to the Royal Guard,” the guard droned. “If you like, I’d be happy to pass along your message to HQ.” The mare shook her head.
Looks like it’s time for plan B.
“No, I’m afraid that won’t do,” she said. “Pity. Well, perhaps I’ll come back another time then.” She turned away from the guards and began to canter back towards the city. Halfway down the stairs, she stopped short and turned back to the guards with a sinister grin plaguing her face. “Oh, but before I go, how would you two like to see a magic trick?” she called out to them. They both raised their eyebrows and shared a confused look.
“Uh, excuse me?” one of them said, perplexed at the sudden and strange proposition. The mare turned and pointed a hoof towards the buildings of the city.
“Watch closely!” she said excitedly. Her horn flared up in a dark purple aura. The aura grew continuously as the mare focused her magic. After a few moments, a small shockwave burst out from her horn.
The next thing that was heard was a large explosion, followed by the screams of ponies within the city.
Not far from where the mysterious mare stood, a small building had been destroyed in a large magical explosion of energy. Splintered wood from the building shot in all directions. The ponies around the area scrambled away from the explosion, some of them being literally thrown by the shockwave. Other ponies could be seen lying on the ground, struck by the debris of the demolished building. The screaming did not subside in the aftermath of the destruction. Ponies continued to scramble away, though some tearfully ran towards the destruction shouting desperately. In the spot where the building once stood was nothing more than a pile of rubble. The surrounding area was dotted with debris and the bodies of unconscious ponies.
The mysterious mare turned back to the two shell-shocked guards with a proud grin on her face. She waved a hoof in the air and took a bow.
“Ta-da!”
The moment after the ash grey unicorn finished her fanfare, she was violently tackled to the ground by one of the guards. The other guard quickly rushed to help his comrade restrain the violet-maned mare. She felt them latch a strange device to her horn. In an instant, she felt the magic within her horn fade away. As the guards wrestled her on the ground, she began laughing.
“So, did you like it?” she sneered. “Personally, I don’t think it’s my best work.”
“SHUT UP AND STAY DOWN!” the guard screamed. He latched another device around her neck. It was a metal collar of some sort with a few lines of chain attached. A few more guards had arrived, these ones being unicorns. They grasped the chains with their magic and pulled tight, ensuring their newly caught criminal would not be able to escape. One of the earth pony guards stood in front of her and stared at her in fury. “Take her to the dungeon immediately!” he commanded.
The mare smiled widely with narrowed eyes as the many guards led her into the castle.
---
The loud clacking of hooves on stone echoed out in the long spiral staircase as Princess Celestia made her way down to the castle dungeon. It had been almost an hour since she was informed of the terroristic attack made on Canterlot. Upon hearing about the explosion, she ordered the royal guard to do everything in their power to help citizens in need. She had been tempted to leave the castle to assess the situation herself, but the news of the perpetrator’s capture kept her from doing so. Priority number one was finding out what had happened, and why. Interrogating the suspect would hopefully give Celestia the answers she was looking for. Plus, she wanted to take a good long look at whoever had attacked her land and citizens.
Princess Luna was instead sent to oversee the rescue and cleanup operations in the city. The royal guard had not disclosed to either princess the overall extent of the damage. However, they did confirm that the explosion caused many injuries and likely a few casualties. Celestia suddenly shuddered at that thought as she reached the end of the staircase. At the foot of the stairs was a metal door blocked by a unicorn guard. He bowed under the presence of the princess. Celestia nodded at the man and spoke.
“I am here to speak with the prisoner,” she said.
“As you wish, your Highness.” The guard turned around and unlocked the door, granting Celestia access to a wide corridor filled with large metal doors. Each door led to a windowless cell with walls made of metal. It was not often that Celestia found herself down here. With the nation of Equestria being as peaceful as it was, she almost thought of the dungeons as completely useless. Well, until now. The guard stepped through the threshold and motioned Celestia to follow. “Right this way.”
They passed by a few of the doors, their gaze aimed at one door in particular that had two unicorn guards on either side. The guard that led Celestia gave them a nod as the other two stepped aside. As he unlocked the door, he turned to the princess.
“I shall escort you inside,” he said. Celestia shook her head.
“That will not be necessary. I wish to speak with her alone.” All three guards gulped and looked at each other.
“Are you sure?” one of them spoke up. “She’s proven herself to be very dangerous.” Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow and considered the guard’s statement.
“Have you properly restrained her?” she asked. The guards nodded. “Then I do not see the problem. Please allow me my privacy, but do keep the door unlocked.”
“As you wish,” one of them bowed. Celestia pulled the door open with her magic and stepped inside the dimly lit cell. Her eyes were met with the almost satisfied gaze of an ash grey unicorn mare with a violet mane and tail. She was chained to the floor by her metal collar which limited her movement greatly. A magic restraining device was tightly strapped to her horn. Out of curiosity, Celestia took a look behind the mare, but was disappointed to see a brown tunic blocking her cutiemark. The mare smiled, stood up and bowed towards Celestia.
“Greetings, your Highness,” she said mockingly. “It is an honor to meet you.” Celestia did not reply. She scrunched her face in thought. Something was off about this mare, but Celestia could not figure out what it was. Perhaps it was the strangely confident demeanor of the mysterious mare. Despite being locked away in the most secure cell in Equestria, the unicorn was smiling. “I was wondering when you would finally show up,” she said. Celestia narrowed her eyes.
“Have you a name?” the princess asked. The grey unicorn brought a hoof to her chest.
“You may call me Becca,” she replied.
What a strange name for a pony.
“Well then, Becca,” Celestia said bitterly. “I don’t suppose you wish to explain your actions?” Becca’s smile grew even wider.
“I needed to talk to you,” she said simply. “I figured getting thrown in a dungeon would be the easiest way.” Celestia balked at that. Was this mare absolutely insane?
“So, you attacked my citizens in order to get to me?” Celestia almost yelled at her. Internally, Celestia was absolutely furious. It was very probable that some ponies died in the attack. All because this crazy unicorn wanted to speak to her. Becca shook her head and motioned towards Celestia.
“I tried to be civil,” she explained. “But your guards were quite insistent on keeping me out of your castle. If anything, blame them.”
“Don’t you dare pass the blame of your actions onto my subjects,” Celestia hissed. “You have a lot to answer to.” Becca waved a dismissive hoof at Celestia.
“I suppose so,” Becca said as she shrugged. “Why don’t we have ourselves a little chat then, hmm?” Celestia felt her temper rise. How could this mare be so dismissive of what she had done? Regardless, she struggled to keep her temper in check. After all, a chat was exactly what Celestia had come down here for.
“Very well,” the princess relented. “What made you so desperate to speak with me that you felt the need to blow up part of the city?”
“I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have,” Becca said. “However, I have many questions of my own, and I do not wish to answer yours until you have answered mine.” Celestia closed her eyes in frustration.
“Fine,” she said, defeated. “Ask away.” Becca nodded happily and began pacing as much as her restraints would allow.
“A few days ago, a bordering nation came across a mysterious object. A magical artifact.” Celestia felt her heart drop sharply.
“H-how did you—“
“Ah ah,” Becca cut her off, shaking a hoof at the princess. “No interruptions please.” Celestia shut her mouth, feeling her temper rise even further. “As I was saying, in my travels, I have come to learn that your nation received this object. Is this correct?” Celestia could not believe her ears. She had thought that the information regarding the artifact had been kept confidential. Was there a leak somewhere?
“I… y-yes but I don’t—“ Celestia’s shaky voice was cut off once more.
“Do you still have it?” Becca questioned.
“No.”
“I thought as much,” Becca said, nodding. She paused in thought for a moment before asking, “Who did you give it to?” Celestia stood tall and shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but I will not divulge that information.”
“It was that Princess Twilight Sparkle you spoke of in your speech. Wasn’t it?” A small gasp escaped Celestia’s lips. It seemed this mare was smarter than Celestia had imagined. Regardless, she did not want to answer the question. It didn’t matter though. “It’s okay, you don’t have to answer,” Becca continued. “I already suspected, and this just confirms my suspicions.” Celestia raised an eyebrow.
“What do you know about that artifact?” the princess asked.
“Quite a bit actually,” Becca responded. “It is only a mere piece of an even larger artifact.”
“A piece?” Celestia asked unbelievingly.
“Indeed. I came here following the magic of it.”
“And what does this artifact do, exactly?” Celestia asked. Becca brought a hoof to her chin in thought, as if debating on whether or not she should divulge that information.
“It’s… complicated. Let’s just say it’s a key of sorts.”
“A key? To what?”
“Well, to be honest, it could be anything. Personally, I’m hoping to find another source of power.” Celestia’s breathing increased slightly. The more they talked, the more Celestia began to realize how dangerous this mystery mare must be.
“So how did a piece end up in Saddle Arabia?” Celestia asked. She very much hoped Becca would be able to answer that question. It had been bugging her ever since the Saddle Arabian delegates brought the issue to her attention. Unfortunately, Becca shook her head.
“I’m not entirely sure,” she replied. “Though, I do have my own theories,” she added sinisterly.
“Do share,” Celestia pleaded, waving an encouraging hoof at Becca.
“Sorry,” Becca said apologetically. “It’s too complicated to explain. Besides, it’s probably total bullshit anyways.” Celestia winced slightly at the foul word and frowned. Not letting it bother her, she continued her interrogation.
“You mentioned earlier you suspected I gave the artifact to Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said. “How did you know?”
“I’ve been tracking the artifact’s magic ever since I arrived in Equestria,” Becca explained. “I eventually tracked the magic to this city, but I didn’t want to make my move until I was better rested.” Becca sighed sadly and stared down at the floor. “It was foolish of me. I should have acted immediately, but it’s been a while since I’ve slept in a bed.” She looked back up at Celestia. “When I woke up, the magic was gone. I tried tracking it again, but by the time I caught up to it, the magic disappeared completely. I came back here to maybe find some answers. I just so happened to catch your speech earlier today, and when I heard two ponies had mysteriously disappeared via teleportation, I was able to put the pieces together from there.” Celestia sat still in silence, mulling over her thoughts. There were so many things about this mare that she did not understand. A terrible feeling in her gut had been sitting dormant ever since she laid eyes on the grey unicorn. Perhaps it was her overly-confident demeanor. Or maybe it was something else.
“Who are you, exactly?” Celestia asked. “Where are you from?” Becca neglected to answer her questions.
“That is not important right now,” she said. “What’s important is I am looking for the remaining pieces of the Vault Key. I have been able to secure once piece already. Using the magical connection between the pieces, I was able to locate another. That was your piece.” She pointed an accusing hoof at Celestia. The princess’s mind was racing a million miles a minute.
“Magical connection?” she asked shakily. Becca nodded in affirmation.
“Yes. All three pieces share the same magical energy which connects them as one whole. If you can track the connections, you can find the rest of the pieces. That is what brought me to this world.” Celestia’s eyes rose at her words. If what Becca was telling her was true, then it’s very possible that this magical connection is precisely what caused Twilight and Rainbow Dash to disappear. If only they had left behind the piece of the artifact, then Celestia might have been able to track them down by following the connection. That left the mystery of where they ended up. With that thought, the last of the grey unicorn’s words rang within her mind.
“W-what do you mean by ‘this world?’” Celestia asked cautiously. She did not like what those words implied. Becca laughed her question off and shook her head.
“Oh, I’m so very sorry Princess,” she said in fake disappointment. “Our time here is unfortunately at an end. My questions have been answered, and now that I know there are no other Vault Key pieces here I think I will take my leave.” Celestia cocked her head. What exactly was this mare planning?
“And where exactly do you think you’re going?” the princess asked. She motioned her hooves around the small cell. “Do you really think you will be able to escape this dungeon without your magic?” Becca looked Celestia directly in the eyes and smirked evilly.
“No, princess. I do not.”
With her last words spoken, the grey mare closed her eyes in concentration. All of the sudden, Celestia began to feel a trace amount of magic emanating from the mare. She glanced at Becca’s horn in shock as the magic gradually grew stronger. Her horn was indeed still adorned with the magic restricting device, which made the magic Celestia felt perplexing. Perhaps even stranger was the nature of the magic itself. Just like the artifact she had sent to Twilight, the magic was almost indescribably foreign. It felt dark and bitter. Celestia could almost feel despair taking over her emotions as she focused on the magic. An extremely dark purple aura began to surround Becca. Celestia couldn’t help but notice it was unlike any magical aura she had ever seen in her life. It was as if a black hole was forming around the mare. Celestia raised her wings in alarm, expecting the mare before her to attack. In a dark shockwave of magic, the room exploded with the strange magic. Celestia brought her wings over her face as if to protect herself. As the explosion of magic subsided, she heard the distinct clanging of metal hitting the stone ground. When she removed the wings form her face, she almost screamed at what she saw.
Becca was no longer there. Her metal collar and magic restraining device sat innocently on the floor. She had teleported.
She sat motionless and began to hyperventilate slightly. How had Becca teleported when she was wearing that device on her horn? They were specifically designed to stop any and all magic that a unicorn had access to. It made no sense that the mare was still able to teleport out of the room. Panic gripped her as she realized she had no idea where the mare could have gone to. She could still be somewhere in Canterlot.
Celestia finally moved from her spot and quickly threw the door to the cell open. The three guards were standing outside, staring at her in curiosity. She doubted they would have been able to hear the conversation through the thick metal walls, however the empty cell behind her would definitely need some explaining. She addressed the three guards before her.
“Gather any troops not currently working on the rescue operations in Canterlot,” she ordered. “Have them put together a small search party and comb the city. Our prisoner has escaped.”
“Escaped?! But how?!” The three guards exchanged worried glances. Princess Celestia shook her head.
“I… I am not quite sure. She teleported but…” Celestia trailed off. She still could not quite believe what she had seen. She shook her head and continued. “It doesn’t matter right now. She could have teleported back into the city. I want whatever guards who aren’t involved in the search party posted at every street corner in Canterlot to keep our citizens safe!” The three guards bowed to her.
“We shall make it so!” With that, the three guards cantered off out of the dungeon. Celestia gave out a deep sigh as she turned back to the empty cell, still perplexed. Still trying to sort out what little new information she got from the mysterious mare in her mind, she headed towards the spiral staircase leading outside the dungeons.
Her tired hooves could barely carry her up the large staircase. The lack of sleep, combined with the stress of the past few hours made her feel dead on her hooves. Her anxious mind was not helping matters. She already had so much on her plate. The encounter and subsequent disappearance with that grey unicorn had only made things worse. She found herself with more questions than answers. More worries than reassurances. And most importantly, still no way of finding Twilight or Rainbow Dash. She yawned loudly in exhaustion as she reached the top of the stairs. After over twenty-four hours of being awake, Princess Celestia felt it was high time for a nice long nap. Unfortunately, with so much to do, she couldn’t see a good time to actually fit that nap in. First, she needed to find Luna and bring her up to speed. Everything else could be planned out during their talk. After crossing the threshold of the dungeon exit, she froze in fear as a frightening thought occurred to her.
If Becca was looking for the pieces of this Vault Key and she had the means to track them, then that meant...
"Oh no," Celestia whispered tearfully.
Wherever they might be, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were certainly in grave danger.