//------------------------------// // Guest Tale: The Loyal Opposition Pt 1 by Ponibius // Story: Tales From the Phoenix Empire // by Chengar Qordath //------------------------------// The train ride to Northmarch was a long one. That became abundantly clear as I finished the last page of the last book I’d packed. I had hoped that my supply of books would last long enough,  but there had only been so much I could pack for the journey. Maybe I should have foregone some of the other things so that I could have squeezed in another book? I sighed and placed the last book atop the others next to me on the bench. “I should have brought more books...” Agent Strumming Heartstrings raised an eyebrow as she looked up from her candy bar. “Yeah, five clearly wasn't enough.” Strumming had been assigned by Agent Lyra to be my bodyguard while I visited Shining and Cadance in Northmarch. I didn't think I really needed a bodyguard, but Lyra had insisted on it rather vehemently since I was a part of the Elements of Harmony project. The only way I was going to go without a bodyguard for the entire trip was by pleading to Empress Sunbeam herself, and I had a good feeling that she would side with Lyra if I pressed the issue. At least Strumming hadn't been quite as ... intense as Lyra always seemed to be. Something had always seemed a bit off with her, even if I couldn't point to any one thing about her that put me on edge. Strumming scooped up a bag and shook it. “I've got some chocolate-covered pretzels. Want any?” I glanced at my finished pile of books and nodded with a sigh. “I might as well. We've still got a way to go.” “Alright.” Strumming tossed me the bag, which I only just managed to catch. “I suppose you could always interact with your fellow ponies instead.” She gave me an easy smile. “I know I'm not a book, but I like to think I'm pretty nice to spend time with too.” “I didn't realize a bodyguard would have any interest in talking,” I said. “Most of the time I've seen bodyguards they've been ... stoic.” In truth, I would have preferred it if Sunset came along too, or even my parents. At least then I would have somepony I was comfortable talking to. Shame Sunset was chest deep in a project she couldn't pull herself away from, and my parents were busy with work. Strumming shrugged. “I'm not your usual stoic slab of muscle.” “No offense,” I said as I looked her over, “but you don't look like a guard at all.” Rather than the heavily muscled body that one would expect from the Imperial Guard, she was slim, even if it was more of a wiry slimness than a lack of substance. Still, ‘intimidating’ is not a word I would have used to describe her. Now that I thought about it, the fact that she was a Heartstrings explained why she didn’t look like a soldier. The Heartstrings were known for being spooks and agents of the Ministry of Heart. I didn’t know either way, but I had to wonder if they had anything to do with the naming of the Ministry of Heart. “Twilight Sparkle, but you probably already know that much. I know about the whole ‘need to know’ thing, so I’m going to guess that you have a pretty good idea about who I am.” Her grin became wider. “Yup! And a lot more on top of that. How were those eggs you had for breakfast? They looked a bit overcooked to me.” I narrowed my eyes at her. I had in fact eaten eggs for breakfast this morning before heading out. “I would ask if you were spying on me, but that seems a bit redundant.” Strumming shrugged. “Honestly, I just made up the egg thing.” “Uh-huh.” Now I was even more suspicious of her. Either she was playing me or she really was spying on me. I didn't know which one would be worse. “You know the fact you're a spy makes anything you say suspect, right?” “Yeah. Doesn't help that I'm also a pathological liar.” Her smirk was both wide and shameless. “Or am I?” I applied my hoof to my face. Suddenly it didn't feel like a smart idea to converse with my bodyguard. “Maybe I should just reread one of my books.” “Relax.” Strumming waved dismissively. “I'm a friendly lying, morally bankrupt secret agent.” I rolled my eyes. “Oh yes, that makes me feel sooo much better.” “Glad to hear it,” she said, either missing or ignoring my annoyance. I sighed. “Why do I bother?” “I dunno, why do you?” Strumming asked. “I thought I was being friendly and making small talk 'cause I'm a friendly pony.” “It makes it a bit awkward when I'm not sure if it's sincere,” I pointed out. Strumming friendly smile didn’t waver. “Relax, we're on the same team. I'm just doing a bit of teasing to pass the time.” “Shame I don't know anything about you.” My parents had always warned me not to talk too freely with the agents of the Ministry of Heart. I had never really known why I should worry growing up, considering we had nothing to hide. We were descended from the Empress herself, after all. The Ministry of Heart did have its reputation though, and part of me had to wonder if there might be some kind of modern rivalry between House Sparkle and House Heartstrings I wasn't aware about. Both houses had competed for influence, power, and position over the centuries. Hadn’t the Empress taught me to play different power groups against each other for one’s advantage? Both houses were influential in the government, if in different sections of the government most of the time. Now that I thought about it, House Sparkle and the Shimmers, both descended from the Empress, had been rivals for centuries—right down to me and Sunset, at least until we hooked up not long ago. What had even gotten the two of us at each other’s throats in the first place? Old rivalries? I had always thought of Sunset as a bully growing up, but I had seen a completely different side of her over the last few months. Why had she even picked on me to start with? Had the rivalry between us been the design of my teacher? No, no, it couldn't be. That made less sense the more I thought about it. We were all loyal to the Empress, especially my family, so there wasn't any reason to have such games going on. Besides, the Empress had been pretty supportive when she found out Sunset and I were dating. Though that left a nagging question in the back of my mind: had she encouraged our relationship before or after she had decided we should be bearers of the Elements of Harmony? Before I could fall too deeply into my ruminations, Strumming continued our conversation. “You could ask about me. That seems the best way to get to know me.” I silently scolded myself for being so paranoid and concentrated on the pony across from me. “So, where did you come from?” Strumming grinned with a mischievous air. “Well, it all started when Dad caught my mom checking out his flank during an intel briefing and—” “You know what I meant,” I quickly interrupted. I was beginning to wonder how carefully I would need to word my questions with the mare. Spooks were infamous for being difficult to get a straight answer from. Strumming held up her hooves in surrender. “Okay, okay, just pulling your leg. To answer your question, I’m Canterlot, born and bred.” That gave us a little common ground to work with, at least. “Me too, though that's probably a bit obvious.” Strumming opened up another bag of chips. “Yeah, we've both got long family ties to the capital.” “That is true,” I said. “So what made you decide to become a spy?” “Family business.” Strumming popped a chip in her mouth. “Same for you becoming a magus, right? I mean, you are working for your grandmother.” “Great-something-grandmother a long ways back, yeah,” I conceded. “And yes, that's what I'm going for, I think.” At least that what I imagined the Empress was going for. She hadn’t said specifically what she intended for me, but I was sure she knew what she was doing. She always did. Strumming nodded. “Gotta honor those family traditions.” “They are pretty important.” I smiled. “I'm proud to be serving the Empress.” “Aren't we all?” she asked, though in an almost neutral tone. I tilted my head slightly. “I would hope so. Otherwise this would be a little awkward.” I tried to say that in good humor, but it sounded a bit stilted even in my ears. “Well yeah, the Empire's ... kinda why we're all here.” Strumming shrugged and popped more chips into her mouth. “That, and checking up on your brother and future sister-in-law.” My ears perked at the mention of the ponies I was visiting. “Right, I'm hoping they're doing well.” “They were, last I heard,” Strumming said. Considering she was a spy, she had probably read some report about the situation in Northmarch. I admit, I had my own reservations about the two of them heading to one of the more troubled holdings of the Empire, but I was sure the Empress had good reasons for sending them. Besides, it was Shining and Cadance; they would know what to do, even in a rebellious province like Northmarch. “I'm really looking forward to seeing them,” I said. “Yeah, family's the most important thing.” Strumming offered me a chip, and I took one. “How close are you and the future in-law?” “Pretty close,” I said. “She was my favorite foalsitter, and we've remained good friends since then.” “So you two get along pretty well?” she asked. I nodded. “We do. She's a great pony.” Strumming’s gaze became more focused upon me. “You and her ever disagree about stuff? You know, stallions, food ... politics?” I frowned at the odd turn in the conversation. “Um, not exactly. I was always too embarrassed to talk about stallions, I'm pretty easygoing where food is concerned, and she doesn't really talk about politics with me.” “Huh.” Strumming leaned back in her seat. “Interesting.” “Really? Why is that?” She shrugged. “Just a little surprised politics never comes up.” “It's only come up a few times, and even then it was more how work was going for her than anything else.” It was a little bit odd now that I thought about it, at least when I considered how involved my family was in the government. It was mainly Dad who brought up politics at dinner. Though I figured that had to do with the fact Dad was more involved with decision-making as a tribune, where Mom worked as a magus in the Sealed Repository. Strumming continued with her inquiry. “Any idea where she is on politics? She a Reformer? Conservative? Decentralizer? Restorationist? One of those crazy Equalists I’ve heard about? News is they’re forming some sort of weird little cult in Manehattan.” I scrunched up my muzzle in thought. “She’s a Reformer, I think. She mainly seems to want to make ponies happy.” Though even that was based on pretty scant information. Cadance had always avoided discussing work whenever I brought it up. There had only been a few times when she’d off-hoofedly mentioned how some things should be better in the Empire than they were. “Nothing wrong at all with that,” Strumming said. “We all do.” “Well yeah,” I said. “It's just how to go about it that's the question.” “True enough.” Strumming crumpled up her chip bag once she’d fished out the last morsel. “The Empress believes you have to maintain order and rule of law above all else. Chaos doesn't make anyone happy.” “Nopony besides anarchists anyways,” I agreed. “Though I would like to think the laws are good ones.” “Most of them are.” Strumming plucked a pretzel from the bag of chocolate pretzels I was eating from. “We got the occasional dumb one, but for the most part they work.” “That seems to be the case.” I rubbed my chin as I thought back on everything I had read about politics, history, and other related topics. “Even if there are a few... wrinkles, I suppose you could call them.” Strumming’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Wrinkles?” “Look at Northmarch, for instance.” I pulled out my copy of A History of Thengs: Clans, Blood, and Rivalries from the pile of books to show her. “It's a legal mess. The Empire had a separate treaty with each of the caribou thengs, resulting in a messy patchwork of alliances that allow Equestria to control Northmarch. Rather than one organized system of laws for the province, each town has its own set of laws, and also a system of imperial law that’s inconsistently applied across the territory depending on the treaty we signed with each theng. And that’s not even getting into the unofficial customs, traditions, and rights that haven't been written down by each Theng, town, and clan. It's so, so ... disorganized.” “A mess your in-law's in charge of sorting out,” Strumming observed. I looked down at the floor, not feeling great about the situation. “Yeah, seems so. I'm a bit worried for them. It’s only been a couple of years since the caribou last rebelled, and the Empire hadn’t been able to save the governor before restoring order.” Suffice to say, I didn’t want anything like that happening to my brother and future sister-in-law. “That's a fair point.” Strumming rubbed her chin. “Admittedly, the whole reason they revolted in the first place was because the governor tried to disband the thengs. The revolt came to an end once the governor had been killed and the Empress publically stated she had no intention of disbanding the thengs. The legions sent north only had to fight a few skirmishes to get things settled again.” “That is true,” I said. “I don’t see Cadance trying anything like that—especially with the benefit of hindsight.” “Exactly.” Strumming fished out a candy bar from her mysterious, bottomless stash and opened it up. “The Empress seems to think she can handle it, so she’ll probably be fine. It’s not like Her Majesty wants Northmarch to rebel again.” “I sure hope not.” I ate a few pretzels as I considered the issues involving Northmarch. Strumming was probably right. The return of Nightmare Moon was enough of a danger to the Empire without the added threat of Northmarch rising up in revolt again. That was a distraction we just didn’t need when the safety of the world was on the line. “The Empress almost always knows what she's doing. It should be fine.” Strumming rose one of her eyebrows. “‘Almost’ always?” Realizing how my idle musings might have sounded, I quickly clarified, “She’s not omniscient! She can't see and know everything. That means that sometimes she doesn't have all the information she would want to make a decision. Taking that into consideration, mistakes are going to happen sooner or later.” Strumming grinned. “Nice save.” I frowned. “It's only the truth.” Strumming shrugged and took a bite out of her candy bar. “Not a truth everyone wants to hear.” I shuffled in my seat as I considered that unpleasant fact. “No, I guess not. I mean, the Empress is so smart and wise and experienced... It's hard to think of a being more qualified than her to run the Empire. Especially when you consider how much better she’s made Equestria over the centuries.” “I don't think there’s a better pony for the job,” Strumming agreed. “Realistically speaking, even if she made a mistake now and again, how could any of us do any better?” I asked. “It’s hard to beat how experienced she is at being empress, not to mention how intelligent she is. She’s literally written the book on how to rule.” Strumming smiled and nodded. “Good attitude. It's nice and ... realistic.” I couldn’t help but smile in response. “That's me, realistic and logical.” “Not bad qualities to cultivate,” Strumming said. I had at first been worried that Strumming was going to be another Lyra, but to my surprise she was being pretty good company. I decided to keep up the conversation instead of re-reading one of my books. “I like to think so. They’re good qualities to have for serving the Empire, and my family has been loyal to the Empress for centuries.” “Since the start, right?” Strumming asked. I nodded. “Considering she’s the one that founded House Sparkle? I would think so. I mean, I'm her descendant. How much closer can you get than that?” “Not much at all.” I could see the wheels turning in her head before she added, “I'm kinda jealous, actually.” I smiled as I felt a profound level of embarrassment. “Oh, I haven't really done anything yet. I’m only related to her by an accident of birth. Thus far I've just been a student; you would have to look at my ancestors to see ponies that have really been impressive, from Princess Midnight right down the line.” “Gotta start somewhere, right?” Strumming asked neutrally. “I guess.” I squirmed as some uncomfortable thoughts I’d had in the past returned to the surface. “It's just so much to live up to, you know? Eight centuries of accomplishments to compare myself to, and all I’ve done is turn in some tests, reports, and projects. Nothing that’s revolutionized Equestria.” Strumming gave me a considering look as she finished off her candy bar. “Lotta pressure?” I sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I'm worried about ... failing, I suppose. I have some really big horseshoes to fill. Princess Midnight ended the threat from Gryphonia forever, Evenstar Sparkle was responsible for the successful integration of the Zebrican Empire into the Empire, Glimmering Sparkle helped revolutionize gem enchanting, and so on and so forth.  So much is being placed on my shoulders, and I don't know if I'm going to live up to it.” “Any reason you wouldn't?” Strumming asked. “I mean, everything I've heard says you're a good little student.” My eyes turned to the floor. Was a good little student the only thing I could be? The Empress wanted me to figure out how to the use the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon, but none of us had made any real progress on how to do that—and even my fiercest book report wouldn’t do much to defend Equestria.  “It's a bit of a difference between a test and the real thing,” I pointed out. “Ah,” Strumming stroked her cheek contemplatively. “Worried about how you'll do in the field?” I nodded. “Pretty much.” “Well, only one way to tell for sure,” Strumming said I let out a long breath. “True enough. I just hope I can measure up.” “I think you will.” Strumming reached over to pat me on the shoulder. “The Empress has never doubted you.” “I'm sure the Empress knows what she's doing.” I wrung my hooves, trying to summon up more confidence. “She's rarely wrong, after all. I won't let her down. I'll do my very best.” Strumming snickered at that. “Very loyal, but not what I meant.” She poked me in the chest. “Have you ever considered that if the Empress believes in you, maybe you should too?” “Maybe.” I let out a long sigh. “And here I am, getting a pep talk from my bodyguard spy. There’s something I never really expected to say.” “Seriously, the Empress believes in you,” Strumming said. “Way I figure it, that means you've gotta have something going for you. I think you'll be fine. Just have a little confidence, alright?” “I'll try,” I said, sounding less than confident. “It's just a bit hard.” Strumming hummed in agreement. “Yeah, it's not like you can just instantly wish yourself into being confident. Still, give it a shot?” I nodded, not feeling all that much better about the weight lying on my shoulders. “I have a feeling I'm not going to have a choice before long.” A few hours later, the two of us stepped off of the train into the Northmarch capital of Coldharbor. Ponies, caribou, and gryphons going about their business around us, largely oblivious to our presence. As a major port that served as the focus of the imperial presence in Northmarch, the city attracted individuals from all the surrounding territories of the Empire. But the thing that really grabbed my attention as I trotted into the train station was the bitter nip of the cold wind. I instinctively wrapped my scarf tighter around my neck. “Geeze, you can hardly tell it's spring here.” Strumming nudged me with an elbow. “Shockingly enough, it's cold up in the frozen north.” I shot her an amused flat look. “Nooo, really? You could have fooled me. All my books were super specific about how nice the weather was up here.” Nice if you liked the snow, anyways. This far up north, the winters effectively lasted around six months of the year. “Either way, it’s a good thing you packed a scarf,” Strumming replied, fixing her beanie hat to better cover her head. “Well, I don't really need it thanks to the spell I cast that protects me from the cold.” Canterlot being a mountainside city, it went without question that anyone who wished to reside there needed some way to counteract its frigid winters. Strumming arched an eyebrow. “Then why wear it?” “Um...” I smiled shyly. “Sunset gave it to me. And it seemed inefficient not to wear it. I mean she spent the money to get it and I was coming up north, where it’s supposed to be cold anyways...” “Oh, just admit it's romantic, you big goof.” Strumming nudged me again. “Nothing wrong with acknowledging love. Besides, it’s cute.” “Oh, good to hear.” It still felt a little weird to admit I had a fillyfriend. I really liked her, but it was still embarrassing to talk about. It was as if I was doing something forbidden, when rationally I knew there wasn’t anything wrong with us being together—especially since everypony seemed super supportive of it. Though I sighed as I remembered one little wrinkle in that. “Though my sister tends to complain about how sappy we're being.” “Your little sister's being a pain?” Strumming smirked. “They do that.” “Amethyst is very consistent at being a pain in my rear,” I grumbled. “I can believe it.” Strumming led the way down the street towards the governor's manor. “Do you have any siblings?” I asked as I followed Strumming through the well-maintained cobble road streets. Strumming shook her head. “Nah, just a cousin.” “Oh, right, Lyra,” I said. “She's ... prickly.” Strumming let out an annoyed huff. “If only you knew...” I winced at her response. If she had that type of response towards her own cousin... “She's even worse than that?” “She's ... well...” She paused in thought, eventually settling on a helpless shrug. “I could go on all day. I worry about her.” “Worry? Why's that?” I had some idea of why she would be concerned, but I wanted to know more about the mare that was supposed to be watching over us. Especially when she unsettled me so much with her demeanor. At least in my experience, it was easier to solve a problem when you fully understood its various dimensions. Strumming frowned. “You know what she's like.” “She's ... not somepony I feel safe with,” I admitted. “She's just so wound up. And it's like she doesn't even look at me like a pony. Or anypony for that matter.” I knew the Empress valued agents that were absolutely loyal to her, but something seemed off with Lyra, even if I couldn’t say exactly what. “She’s very mission-oriented.” Even as she offered her defense, I could tell Strumming didn’t have her heart in it. “That's putting it mildly.” I checked the names of the streets of the intersection we were on to make sure we were going the right way. “I can imagine her using the term 'collateral damage' a lot in a report.” “She's not that bad.” Strumming shook her head. “It’s just—I'm not wild about the way she's been going. She’s gonna burn herself out at this rate, and I can’t even talk to her about it. Not in a way that’ll make her listen.” “Do you think there is any way to help her?” I asked. Strumming stared down the road, not meeting my gaze. “I'm working on it.” I gave her a smile I hoped would encourage her. “I don't suppose there's any way I can help? I am going to be working with her for a while.” “Sorry, but no,” Strumming said with a level of neutrality that felt as cold at the bitter wind swirling through the Coldharbor streets. “Alright then...” It didn’t feel like we going to make much more headway on the topic, so I decided to drop it for now. It wasn’t too long before we approached the governor’s manor. Shame there was a bit of a problem before we could get too close: hundreds of caribou were gathered on the street between us and the manor, and they did not seem happy. With a unified voice, a chant rolled down the streets in a wave of sound that it made me flatten my ears against my head. “No Empress of the North! No Empress of the North! No Empress of the North!” I couldn’t quite see through the mob, but it looked like they were burning some sort of effigy—an effigy vaguely equine in shape and pink in color, with a prominent horn and wings. Was that intended to be Cadance? Did they actually think Empress Sunbeam intended to install Cadance as some sort of Empress of Northmarch? That was ridiculous. She wouldn’t do something like that, and Cadance certainly wouldn’t be crazy enough to declare herself royalty. Before I could figure out how to react to the throng of protesters, Strumming grabbed me by the leg and pulled me into a nearby alley. Her grip was stronger than I would have expected from the mare, and wasn’t easy for me to shake off. “Hey, what’re you doing?!” “Keeping the both of us out of trouble.” Strumming finally let me go after we were out of sight, peeking out of the alley towards the mob. “Just saying, I don’t think all those caribou are going to let us past.” “But that's where we need to go.” I tried to look out for myself, but Strumming held me back with a hoof to the chest. “Sorry, don’t think it’s a smart idea to go waltzing up to the gate like we’re tourists right now.” She glanced around the corner again. “Seems they’re mad at the governor, for whatever reason. But you’re right; we need to get past them.” She rubbed her chin. “I think I have an idea for how to get past them. First, we—” I interrupted her with a teleportation spell that landed us on the manor’s lawn. Thankfully, a gate blocked the protesters from reaching the manor itself—and by extension, us. I grinned at a whoozy-looking Strumming. “There we go! Safely behind the manor gate.” Strumming blinked a couple of times and looked around. “Oh. Well. That works too.” “I thought it was the most efficient thing to do,” I said. “No sense trying to find a way around the mob when I can just teleport us to where we need to go.” “Got the job done.” Strumming pulled herself up and regained her composure. “Nice work. I'm sure the Empress would approve.” “Oh, it's not that impressive.” I brushed my hoof along the grass, feeling embarrassed at the praise. “Just a quick spell to get the job done.” “Still pretty cool.” Strumming looked at the front door of the manor, and where a couple of guards were looking down at us with narrowed eyes. They were whispering something to one another, but hadn’t yet moved to check out what we were doing. “So, off to see the governor?” “Her and my big brother,” I confirmed. “Well alright then, let's go.” Strumming took a single step before stopping herself. “Though my plan would have totally worked for getting past the caribou. We would have gotten some disguises and totally have slipped by them.” I fixed her with an amused smile. “Uh-huh, suuure it would have.” The guards led us into the manor quickly enough. Thankfully, the facts we were expected, I was the Empress’ personal student, and that Strumming was an agent of the Ministry of Heart smoothed over that we hadn't entered the major grounds through official channels. I didn't like to abuse my status, but it was preferable to being arrested just for taking a shortcut past the protesters. We soon arrived at a large office, which was extremely well decorated and prominently featured memorabilia of the Equestrian Empire. No doubt the room was intended to impress anyone that happened to visit the personal workroom of the Empress’ chosen governor for all of Northmarch. At the far end of the room was Cadance, seated behind a particularly large desk and deep in discussion with a couple of important-looking ponies. She smiled when she saw me. “Twilight!” She waved her hoof, dismissing the ponies she had been speaking with as she stepped around the desk. I quickly closed the distance and gave Cadance a big hug. “It's good to see you!” “You too, Twilight.” She hugged me back just as fiercely.  “It's been too long.” “You're telling me.” The two of us slowly broke the hug and I smiled widely. I had been looking forward to seeing her since she left for Northmarch, so it was really good to finally see her again. “It's felt like forever.” Cadance nodded. “Way more than two months.” “I hope you're doing alright up here.” To reassure myself, I looked her up and down to examine her. She was clad a purple coat with the badge of her office sewn into it. It seemed that most people chose to wear some sort of clothing to help keep warm. It probably did help to keep down the cost of heating. “I'm managing,” she said. “It's cold and it’s not home, but I'll make it.” “Good to hear.” I paused, feeling the glares of the two officials Cadance had dismissed and suddenly feeling very conscious about how I had just barged into a meeting. “Um, I didn't interrupt anything, did I? I just wanted to see you so much and I wasn't thinking about what you might be doing.” Cadance shook her head. “You didn't interrupt anything I couldn't afford to have interrupted. I've been looking forward to your visit all week.” I nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes, Shining told me about all the things we could do while I was here. Skiing, visiting the local museums, checking out the crafts at the market—I'm super excited!” “I bet.” Cadance’s smile faded a bit. “Shame he's not here to meet you.” My ears wilted at that news. “He isn't? What happened?” We had planned this since he and Cadance first left for Northmarch. I could only imagine that if he wasn’t here now, it had to be for a good reason. “Sorry.” Cadance sighed. “There was a problem with some ice trolls, and he wanted to go out and take care of it himself. He said that he’d get back as soon as he was able.” “Oh...” I looked down at the floor and considered the implications of that. “I can understand that. He wouldn't go if it wasn't important.” I gave her a shaky smile. “I guess it can’t be helped.” “He would be here if he could help it.” Cadance led me back to the desk, and we sat on the cushions beside it. “But in the meantime, let's enjoy ourselves without him.” I reinforced my smile and did my best to put aside my disappointment with Shiney’s absence. “Right, I'm sure there is plenty we can do together.” Cadance nodded. “I expect we'll do just fine.” “Right. So, what first?” I cast a summoning spell, and a scroll popped up with a magical crack of energy. “I drew up a small list of things we could do just in case you didn't know what you wanted to do first.” “Actually, I had something special I was planning for you.” She fixed me with a beatific smile. “Assuming you don't mind adding something to the list.” I shook my head. “Not at all! Let's just enjoy ourselves. There are a few things I would really like to do, but I can be flexible.” “Alright, there's someone who really wants to meet you,” Cadance said. I tilted my head. “Oh? Who would that be? Is it somepony I know?” “Not somepony,” Cadance said with a coy smile. “And I expect you only know Argentium the Runescaled by reputation.” I blinked, taken aback by that revelation. “Argentium?! You mean the most influential dragon in Northmarch, and the one I've read so much about?!” Cadance nodded. “The very same.” “And she wants to see me?!” That seemed impossible. Argentium the Runescaled was one of the most important dragons ever. I had read books dedicated to just her. The idea that she would take notice of me was ... unfathomable. “Yes, she's heard a lot about you,” Cadance said. I chuckled modestly. “Oh come on, I haven't done much. I’m still a student. She’s ... Argentium. An ancient dragon over a thousand years old.” “Perhaps not. But your name carries a lot of weight. You are the Empress’ student, after all.” Cadance grinned mischievously. “And I might have bragged about you a bit.” It took me a few seconds to properly register that. “You're bragging about me to one of the most important beings in the world!” Cadance’s grin never wavered. “Why yes, I suppose I am. And why not? You are pretty impressive when you get right down to it.” “Not that impressive,” I grumbled. “Impressive enough,” Cadance assured me. “I'm certainly proud of you.” I blushed at the compliment. “You're just saying that. Well, you're a lot more impressive than I am.” Cadance chuckled. “Now you're flattering me.” “It's not hard to do when you're so amazing.” I took a moment to examine the situation before me. This was pretty big stuff, and I wanted to make sure I made the right decision. If she did want to see me, then this could be a unique opportunity that others would kill for. “So Argentium really wants to see me?” Cadance nodded. “She does.” As the idea I mulled over, I saw a pretty significant problem. “And it would probably be really rude to not see her, wouldn't it? As in diplomatic incident levels of rude?” Cadance’s smile became frail at my question. “Yes, especially with the current tensions. It seems like the slightest thing will set the caribou off. Right now they're worried that I'm planning to turn Northmarch into my personal fiefdom since I'm an alicorn.” She shook her head. “There isn’t a shred of truth to it, but plenty of caribou still think that’s what we’re going to do. Enough to form a protest, at the very least.” I winced. “So I noticed. They were getting pretty ugly out there.” Even now I could hear the protesters through the thick walls of the manor. “They were even burning an effigy of you earlier.” Cadance sighed and shook her head. “I'll need to talk to Argentium about that too, the next time I see her.” I took a steadying breath. I knew what I had to do. If there was any chance this might help Cadance, then meeting Argentium would be worthwhile. “I guess it wouldn't hurt to see her. I admit, I am really curious to meet her. I’m sure there is a lot I could learn from her if I get the opportunity.” “Great!” The confidence returned to her smile. “I'll let her know and set up the meeting.” “How long will that take?” I asked. “Not too long, I hope.” Cadance stepped behind her desk and started writing. “Dragons move on their own time, but she seemed pretty eager to see you.” “If it will help you, then I'll be happy to see her.” The idea gained traction with me and I smiled. “I could ask her so many things! She's been around for so long, seen so many things—this could be a priceless opportunity! “I think it will help me,” Cadance said. “And you, too.” Deciding to put the best face on this, I smiled and gave her a big hug. “This is so exciting. Thanks, Cadance!” Cadance hugged back and chucked. “ You're welcome.” I just hoped all of this would turn out alright.