As Illiad fled from the Blackwater Manor, there was a great grinding sound from directly behind him, chunks of the ground around him began uprooting and floating in lazy spirals towards the house. The grinding itself was from where a SIZABLE amount of rock was unhinging itself from the mountain.
This combined with all the strangeness going on in the quarry yard left a very surreal edge to Illiad's surroundings.
At the Pony Express station, Taps stood in the doorway and motioned frantically for the unicorn. Charging toward the post office, small bits of flaming rock began whizzing past the unicorn's ears and body, once or twice bouncing off his tunic, leaving small aches and tiny burnt spots. When he got to the door, Taps moved as he barged inside, then slammed the door shut and turned the seven locks behind it into place.
After this, she stepped back and sighed.
"Wonderful. Simply wonderful. It would figure that Redd would be the one; makes perfect sense, with his psyche... AND his dilemma... The Jinx Stone would have chosen him. I would have thought it had far better taste, but far be it for me to second-guess an artifact, I suppose."
She looked at Illiad. "You even run like you're still on sand."
Illiad took a moment to catch his breath, glaring slightly at Taps, "Not all of us are as privileged with wings as you are. Besides, I forgot to have myself re-shod before I came here. Shoes aren't exactly necessary in Troy or even Canterlot for that matter, but not having them makes running here a tad difficult."
Rolling her eyes, Taps then made her way behind the counter calmly, as if nothing at all was happening right outside.
"There are protection spells and magical fortifications all over the place here; we'll be safe as long as every door and window remains shut. Now, I need a moment to figure out what we'll need... and because locking down the gates is a bit more work than I was anticipating."
She sat down heavily on the stool behind the counter. Her emotions were currently trying to decide if Illiad was trustworthy - and for what it was worth, the argument was about dead even from his reckoning.
"... and the Blackwaters?" She asked him.
Illiad looked around the room for a place to sit down, Taps wasn't exactly open as a source of emotional energy, so it would take quite a bit longer for him to recharge than usual. "Selena scattered them around the quarry, she assures me they're safe. They are also protected from Redd's direct influence should he find them."
He looked towards Taps with a serious expression, one seldom seen on his face. "So, you have a plan? A counterspell? Regardless of whether or not we trust each other we'll have to work together if either of us is going to get through this one."
Taps nodded... then sighed.
"Well, then let us first... start over, if we may?"
She stepped around the counter and came up to him; Illiad may not have been too tall, but Taps was almost a toy pony in comparison.
"My name isn't Taps, as you may have guessed... it's Special Agent Steel Wheels."
She gave a short yet polite bow. Then she headed toward the back area, and waved for him to follow.
"I belong to a top-secret organization that was hoof-picked by Her Majesty Princess Celestia herself; we deal with all sorts of paranormal activities here in Equestria - all over, in fact. We're the reason the Bearers of the Elements aren't busier than they already are."
She couldn't hide the sly grin that peeked out for a moment, but she continued.
"There are three divisions, all under orders to operate in whatever capacity we choose, as long as we maintain peace; I belong to the division which happens to be the keepers of artifacts and cursed magical objects. A number of years back, there was a mole, and we had to go underground, taking on new names and new lives in different places. I was originally stationed in Los Pegasus, but..."
Tap-... Wheels blushed a bit, embarrassed by some unspoken-of folly, no doubt.
"... things went south. I was left for dead on the side of the road when Luther Blackwater found me; he'd been returning from a business meeting with some 'King' or other, and brought me to the nearest hospital on his own back - a distance of sixteen miles, by hoof. Not something one simply forgets."
She reached the broom closet, and shoved a few of the mop handles around. There was a grinding sound, and a section of wall slid aside, revealing stone steps that descended into a spiral.
"As I had already... erm, worn out my welcome, let us say... in Los Pegs, I was certainly in the market for a new location to set up a storage facility. Once I arrived here, and saw the post office, well... a few modifications later, and I begin the rather arduous task of transferring everything from there to here. I've been doing such for a number of years, adding it to my postal route when the delivery was close by... and I'm nearly done."
She continued down the stairs, strange fungus on the walls providing an eerie, yet sufficient glow to see by.
"The Jinx Stone is one of the last few objects I need to bring; the cursed items are always the last things to go when artifacts are relocated. This way, the other artifacts can already be in place, if they are needed to maintain safety. It was my own fault for losing it, I own up to that - but it's more trouble than you realize yet..."
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned to face him, all seriousness.
"Illiad Easle, I need your help in this endeavor, but I need to trust you before we take one step further... what I am about to show you is meant for classified eyes only; I want your solemn word that you will reveal this repository's location or contents to NO ONE. I know you're intelligent, despite my earlier jibes - this could not only mean my job, but more importantly, it could mean all sorts of trouble for the entire WORLD... especially if someone like Discord got word of its' existence."
She looked at him, waiting for whatever he might say, her mismatched eyes locked on his.
"Can I trust you?"
Illiad sighed, "Well, since you told me I guess I should return the favor."
He mustered a slightly less serious expression than before, "My real name is Illiad, no deceptions there, and I was chosen by Princess Luna soon after her return to take her place. Much like Twilight replaced Celestia as the element of magic, I am the current bearer of the balance of Good and Evil. It is my job to ensure that the world stays ever in a state of parabolic balance, with both good and bad times, while also ensuring things are never too good, too bad, or a perfect balance between the two."
He pulled out his cloud diamond again, "This is my badge of office, the cloud diamond Luna wielded a thousand years ago and one of the stars that aided in her escape. Luna gave this to me after she had me steal it back from Celestia's storage room in the tunnels between the archives and the castle."
He put the diamond safely away, "Furthermore, as you may already be aware, I am one of the most powerful Empathics in the world, in part augmented by my role as Twilight's magic is enhanced by hers."
He did his best to look trustworthy, "By the power that has been entrusted to me by Luna I do so promise to not tell any of what you have and will tell and show me here, excepting of course Princess Luna, who is notified of all my dealings in the extraordinary. Hopefully you find that acceptable? We really don't have time to waste."
"Interesting... one or two things we didn't know, but all in all your profile is rather accurate."
She gave a cryptic smile, then turned back to the doorway.
"If you wish to inform Her Majesty Princess Luna of what is contained inside, then be my guest - but know that not a SINGLE, SOLITARY ITEM leaves this place without my permission... and I WILL fight to ensure that. I make no idle threats, Easle - but I have very little choice in the matter here - very well."
She murmured to herself for a moment, then there was a flash of light from the doorway. After such, Wheels opened it easily, ducked inside and closed it once again.
As Illiad was about to question if she had changed her mind, she opened it and motioned to him.
"All clear, and you're... expected. Come on."
Stepping through, Illiad walked into a large antechamber filled with shelves and display cases, all neatly stacked and labeled with numbers and sigils - some of which looked like scribbles instead of writing. The ceiling was far above, and was bedecked with what looked to be glowing boxes which shed light over the entire area.
Each shelf has a bizarre and fascinating collection of all sorts of things: A beach ball, a bit and bridle, a rusty portable grill, a number of books and scrolls, some clothing, an eggbeater, a number of bottles, beakers and canisters, a child's stuffed dragon, a statue of a small dog, a small mirror, a LARGE mirror, a bunch of mechanical-looking hardware and tools, some jewelry, three bolts of cloth, and a bowl of what looked to be oatmeal that had gone rotten years ago... yet had no smell.
Among all of these were small clipboards with all sorts of different things written on them, not a one that made the first lick of sense.
"This... is The Closet. It's one of Equestria's best kept secrets, and has been for generations upon generations. The Closet was concocted by BOTH Princesses, though Her Majesty Princess Luna chose not to pursue it... and Her Majesty Princess Celestia claimed she had not done so, either."
She began to stroll down the row of shelves, stopping at different ones and gazing at them for a bit before moving on.
"Yet this was originally never going to happen, it became imperative in Her Majesty's capacity to ensure that certain items were removed from circulation and stored away for ONLY the most dire of emergencies. Hence, after Nightmare Moon's exile, she set up all three organizations to operate in secret; The Closet had a lot more members before the mole was outed... now, I fear I may be the only Caretaker left, as I have heard nothing from the others."
She gave a sigh at that, yet squared her shoulders and continued.
"And so, I have dedicated my life to protecting this vault... and, by proxy and debt, the Blackwaters as well. The events you've seen going on here DO tend to happen on a regular basis - the quarry is one of the most active event spots in the entire Equestrian nation; much of that is due to The Closet's close proximity, but it also has to do with a number of strange magical energies that converge here. I'm unsure how up-to-date on your magic studies you are, but what the Blackwater Quarry rests on is a Magical LeyLine; events are drawn here because of the energies that naturally occur in this exact spot. You'll find LeyLines in Canterlot, the Everfree, Manehattan, Appleoosia... in fact, one of the STRONGEST runs right through the center of Ponyville - hence, all the activity."
She the turned and look directly at the Trojan.
"And there are those who simply draw the universe's attention... such as yourself, Illiad Easle."
She turned back to face the shelves again.
"Since your appearance, the weirdness here has doubled - though I think it has more to do with the planetary alignment coming soon, but that's a different story."
Waving her hoof negligently, she moved on.
"As far as it goes, I keep a number of artifacts active, to ensure safety. One of the more powerful ones is the Drifter's Pillow."
She came to a locked display case, inside of which was a large, fluffy-looking velvet pillow. It had silvery trim and looked soft and inviting... almost hypnotic; Illiad had no problems resisting, now that he was aware of it.
"As long as it remains active, most ponies who come here tend to forget about anything 'crazy' or 'amazing' that they see, so it keeps reporters or investigators from showing up; it's also why the workers don't panic as much after things are settled. It simply makes the strange event the least important thing on your mind, and you forget about it. Unless you concentrate - or have had enough exposure to it to be immune to its' effects, like myself - or have protections in place, also like myself."
Reaching the end of the row, she came to another door, this one with a combination lock set into the blast door itself.
"Now, there are a few things here I can provide as a TEMPORARY loan, to deal with... ah, yes. Redd."
She sighed and sat down heavily. "That's... a different story."
Illiad was hardly discrete when he pulled out another circlet from his diamond and placed it on his own head, he really didn't like the idea that he may have been magically manipulated during his visit here.
"It hardly seems safe keeping all these dangerous items in one place, and with only one protector too. Honestly I'd consider the Canterlot secret tunnels a bit more secure than this if only because it had guard patrols. Though no doubt you have other ways of protecting this place. I do know a thing or two about Ley lines, mostly that Equestria and Troy are mostly fed by the Central Ley line while Troy also has some access to the broken Ley Lands. Given the quarry's proximity to the main line it isn't surprising that you'd have a powerful fractal running through here."
He looked around the room to try and see exactly what was being stored here, "Speaking of magic, do you have some sort of object to restore magical energy? You're not exactly lending yourself as a source of emotional energy, and fighting Redd will be exhausting enough as it is. Having a way to quickly regen will certainly make this easier."
Taps lifted an eyebrow.
"Oh-HO... so the secret tunnels would be more secure? Yet here you are with the Cloud Diamond in hoof, and yet you've never even HEARD of The Closet... oh, yes, FAR more secure."
She rolled her eyes and stood up again, headed to a specific shelf.
"If you're going to attempt to insult my position and integrity, Easle, you should go back to royalty-bashing; trying to get at me through my sworn duty just makes me think you're grasping at straws. Besides, here I thought we were being mature... of course, since we're tossing out metaphorical darts, then I could simply continue to lay into Troy-"
She reached a certain book, and opened it to the front, scanning over what appeared to be the table of contents.
"... far too easily, yes, but I could. Now, if you're done trying to insult the validity of my hallowed position, then we can dialog further - just make sure to keep your petulance in check, and we'll be fine."
She began looking through the tome, her mismatched eyes zipping across the pages. As she did, she muttered different lines in different languages.
Illiad looked non-plussed, "I hadn't heard of the secret tunnels either until Luna herself told me about them, and besides, my point was not to diminish your role or the security of this place, my point was that it seems unwise to have all these things in one place with only one protector, especially when said protector's cover requires them to leave the site fairly frequently. Frankly it seems irresponsible of Celestia to ever allow it to reach a situation where only one is guarding the items, especially given how dangerous you say they are."
He shook his head, "But that's besides the point, the folly of this situation has already been manifested in Redd. And as much as I'd like to hear more about what you think you know of the world outside Equestria, now is neither the time nor the place. Though I would be more than happy to continue this discussion later."
"... daranae zelvu palakai... ezzit do trazzid forzzin... klaatu barada nicto... nottoc tuoba gnihtemos... owau no, he maia..."
Her muzzle lit up, and her eyes took on an almost static-like energy.
"THERE it is! Excellent!"
She faced Illiad.
"THIS spell might be able to extract Redd from the Jinx Stone's control... I just need some casting potential to execute it. Pardon ME..."
She made her way past Illiad to another shelf, where she deftly placed a small black bowler hat on her head.
"... aaaaand THAT should take care of that requirement."
She then slowly turned to look at Illiad, gauging him for a moment.
"Hmmmmmmm... as much as I could give you one of a hundred different sources for magical energy, I think perhaps it would be far better to simply pull it from the 'Taps', so to speak." She gave a slight giggle, then grinned at the unicorn. "Ready?"
The emotional wall she had up didn't come straight down; it felt like it came apart in sections. First, Illiad felt frustration... then worry added to it... then irritation thrown in... curiosity... pride, closely followed by humility... wariness... a spot of lonely determination... loyalty... confidence... and a touch of hope at the end. All in all, she'd let her defenses down slowly - and the emotional tide was high.
"Hopefully THAT will help - if not, then I suppose you'll just have to make do. I've no great wish to see ANY unicorn take hold of any of the objects present that could supply them limitless magic; you'll pardon me from letting you indulge in that particular possibility, I hope."
She made her way back across the room, headed to another shelf where she promptly opened another book and began searching again, running her hoof across line after line.
"As for the LeyLines, it hardly surprises me that you know of them; I may find you to be a bit a bit abrasive, but I acknowledge that you have intelligence... it would be remiss of me to assume otherwise."
A small spike in her irritations, yet no readily discernible reason for such.
"Anyhow, Redd Handid will be a trick to defeat - or should I say, his villainous persona will be a hooffull, I'm sure. It IS the entire reason he's here at the quarry in the first place, after all."
He was surprised when Taps opened herself up to him so willingly after she had been so reserved, he let a deep breath out through his nose as what remained of his cloud diamond swirled around him, drinking in the emotional energy Taps gave so freely. "That was certainly kind of you, if you were a unicorn I'd say there would be a good chance you would have been Empathic too."
The diamond expanded into a sort of ring floating lazily around Illiad like the rings of a distant planetoid, each fragment glowing with energy. "On the subject of Redd then, I would guess by the way you talk about him and his mark that he perhaps suffers from a split personality disorder? A good and evil half so to speak where one side was repressed by the other, and now the stone has brought the less desirable side into full view and control? I would guess then you would have the most experience and since you still won’t give me the counterspell Selena and I can run defense for you."
A thoughtful look came to Illiad's face, "I am curious though, knowing the effects of the stone, what trait it would bring out in me? I of course have no desire to test it out, but it still makes me wonder."
"I have done my studies into Empathics, and I have a basic knowledge of how to work with them; I'm no bigot when it comes to other abilities or races - no point in excluding someone for what they do... it would be like blaming fire for being hot and bright."
She nodded at something she located in the tome, then the bowler began to glow... and so did Wheels. The glow was a soft blue, and faded slowly. She then turned to face Illiad, concern coming from her in a fair roll.
"As for Mr. Handid, you're incorrect, but as expected, you did make a rather informed assessment. He isn't suffering from a split persona... he's an ACTOR."
She smirked a bit, but there was no superiority or malice in it; the thought was humorous to her.
"It's rather fascinating; Redd was brought here by his brothers Empty and Heavy, a number of years ago. He'd been born to play villain roles, he claimed... but his brothers insisted that he wasn't any good at it. So, they worked out a deal with Luther to have him come onboard here as a forepony, and to do his utmost to be as much of a jerk as he could muster."
"The original idea was for him to only stay on for a few months... but his brothers abandoned him here. His sister is the one he's doing this for, however - she's the other actress in the family, known by the stage name of Stirring Hope, the heroic mare who made her name playing Mare-Do-Well and other such heroes for audiences."
She gave a slight smile, apparently touched by the thought.
"Redd is doing his utmost best to gather enough bits to afford to go home and help her start her own movie studio. She wants him to be her penultimate villain for her movies... and he wants to make his little sister happy. Not what anyone would expect at all, but that's why nobody knows about it, other than Redd and Luther - and myself, of course. And now, you."
Her muzzle grew dark.
"And I do believe that the VILLAIN in him is the part of him the Jinx Stone amplified, unfortunately; and with his physical possession of the stone, it will likely augment his powers as well, making him a 'proper villainous challenge'. But nothing I cannot handle... and I'm certain you feel the same."
"Now, I have a few tricks that I can pull from my fetlocks, but some of them are ONLY ONCE; certain miracles get no repeats. Otherwise, I have only a few possible items to spare from the Armoury... but I believe they can make quite a difference, if used correctly."
She looked at him honestly, earnestly seeking an opinion.
"Many of these artifacts should NEVER be used together... hence, what do YOU feel would be better to focus on: offense or defense? I can gather things for one or the other; together could be disastrous, and I don't even trust MYSELF with anything that does both. What would you advise, Easle? You have my attention; let's hear it."
Illiad looked somewhat surprised at the revelation, "I must say I am impressed with his acting skills then to even have his emotions in line with the role of being a self-absorbed member of the fun police. But anyway, I actually prefer the versatile items, like my cloud diamond. things that are balanced in that regard come a bit more naturally to me, though if you insist on choosing one over the other, I would appreciate defensive items as you are the one with the counter to Redd, I need to keep you in good enough shape to use it. Things like one-way magic shields, and mana boosters come to mind, more cloud diamond would be most preferable as Selena and I already know how to use it effectively."
He sighed, "I sure hope you know what you're doing, I can in all likelihood keep you safe from anything he can throw at us both physically and magically. What do you need in order to break the spell?"
She listened closely, then considered things for a moment before nodding.
"To sum up: You should see his sister - defense works for me, as well - and no, there is no cloud diamond in The Closet." She then looked back toward the locked door. "Well, there are a FEW things, but those are ill-advised to go messing with."
She turned back to the unicorn, and gave the bowler she wore a firm push onto her noggin.
"At any rate, I do believe there are a few Ioun Stones floating around here..." she gave a light chuckle, then continued, "as well as some psych- AH HA!"
She went to a lower shelf and brought out a small leathery bag. She poured its' contents into her hoof, then lightly tossed them at Illiad. However, instead of bouncing off of him, they took flight and began to orbit his head. As they did, Illiad could feel his personal power swell a bit; the stones were amplifying his abilities.
"Ioun Stones - a spellcaster's best friend."
She made her way to one of the other shelves, and spoke over her flank as she began to gather a few small nic-nacs together.
"And I wouldn't even begin to presume what would happen to you, were you affected by the Jinx Stone; the damned thing came into existence because of Discord - chances are, it wouldn't be pretty."
Illiad's eyes widened as the stones began to affect him, he swayed a bit as his senses increased in strength. Given Taps' lowered defenses it was like he was peering into the very depths of her emotions. Hopefully this was caused by her being the only one he could sense, and he wouldn't have this same feeling when there were more ponies around.
The stones seemed to act like focal points for his magic, refining the spells he would cast so they took less mana and would be more powerful, this would certainly be helpful.
Illiad shrugged, "I suppose it's for the best that we never find out, hopefully it stays that way. Now, if we're all ready, we really should stop Redd before he does something we can't undo, like accidently kill somebody."
Illiad could certainly feel the depths of her emotions, all right.
At the very base of her soul was a fire, something that burned with a passion that permeated her every waking decision. That fire felt noble and good, determined to see things right. Layered over that was tempered experience, a stocky kind of confidence, and a good hearty dose of goodwill, even towards Illiad.
She wasn't holding back, and yet she wasn't overwhelming, either - she apparently DID know something about Empathics.
"Agreed, we should stop him before he does something irrevocable... though I wouldn't worry about death being in that category - there is a way around almost anything, Easle; when the norm simply won't do, have faith in the extraordinary."
She flashed a winning smile at him, then clicked her hooves together - front two first, then the back two. From her horseshoes, there was a >CLICK<, and small wheels popped out of each one. She stood on them expertly, and seemed to float over to another shelf, gracefully drifting as if she were a ballerina.
"Now, the spell I have to cast will take a good moment to finish - and I'll have to concentrate on it to make certain it takes effect. The spell should give the affected pony a fighting chance of resisting the stone's effects... but they'll have to be talked through it. The stone's critical moment is the actual physical connection; if you know to expect it, it CAN be fought - but it isn't easy."
She took hold of a necklace with a large ruby pendant, and slung it over her head.
"Now, we can go directly to Redd and cut this off at the pass... but I admittedly haven't actually USED this spell yet; I'm not even 100% certain it will work as I hope it will. We could also go after the other Blackwaters, and try it on them to try refining the spell. Going for Redd and ending this would be quicker... but you'd have to hold him off alone while I do. Or, we can gather the Blackwaters and let me practice, AND possibly give yourself some help with keeping Redd busy."
She looked at him, her emotions telling the Empathic that this was a mare determined to set things right.
"What say you?"
Illiad sighed as he thought for a bit, "reversing death is seldom a good idea, I know at least one creature that would be particularly peeved if you did."
"As to our plan, it would be best to test on a Blackwater first, if it doesn't work than we won't have Redd on top of us. Dax is at his camp, or at least, that's where Selena put him."
A bit of frustration and confusion at the mention of Selena's name, but Wheels showed nothing outwardly to that effect.
"Well then, I suppose Dax would be our first target, then... shall we?"
She motioned to the stairs again, and rolled her way to them. Reaching them, she spread her wings - which looked strong and deft. A single flap, and she was airborne; she made her way into the stairwell.
"Dax's camp won't be too far, and I expect we'll have a minimum of distraction, way out there."
Illiad got up to follow her, stepping with the tips of his hooves as he would in sand before he remembered Taps' chastisement for it and stepped with full hooves as he followed her.
"Unless Redd knows we're here and is just waiting for us to leave so he can get us. Is there perhaps a secret way out? Or should we prepare to be attacked the moment we open the door?"
She looked at Illiad like she was about to toss a snarky comment, then she stopped. As she ruminated over the idea, Illiad could feel her methodically weighing options, then she nodded.
"Perhaps you're right. There are actually MULTIPLE ways out of The Closet, but only THREE ways in - and only I know them all." She swooped back out of the stairwell, and closed and locked the door behind her. "We can take the outer wall exit; that'll keep me from having to unlock the gates I just locked down. This way."
She turned around one shelf after another; Illiad began to notice that the shelves seemed endless - far more of them than he had seen coming in. Eventually, with the blue mare keeping just in sight, they reached a row of coathooks, from which hung a number of different cloaks, suits, jackets, coats and a few other bits of clothing. She made her way up to a hook that bore only a battered-looking top hat.
"Bandy, we need to get outside."
The top hat twitched, once. After waiting a moment, Wheels sighed and spoke again. "Bandy, we don't have TIME for this..."
The hatband parted horizontally, revealing a pair of glowing green eyes, and the voice came from the hat itself. "Och, ye say ye hanna th' tyme, lassie? An' ye seem ta find time fer bringin' a pone down here fer smoochin', aye?" Wheels' emotions hopped about for a moment, and she gave the slightest of blushes before responding.
"No, mothbait! This is an EMERGENCY, Bandy - we need to get through to the outer wall; open the door, would you kindly?"
The hat shifted a bit on the hook, and the eyes drifted over Illiad's form. "Well... at least ye gotten better taste since th' LAST 'un! You, boyo... do ye ken what yer gettin' inta with this here lass?"
Wheels rolled her eyes, irritation growing inside her... as well as some embarrassment.
"Bandy I swear... to... CELESTIA! If you don't open that door..." The hat's eyes swiveled back to her. "You'll WHAT, 'zactly? Beggin' yer pardon, but I canna ken a single thing ye could do ta-"
"Maybe you'd like me to release Bert and Ernie?"
The hat's eyes went wide, and there was a grinding sound; a section of the wall next to the hat's coathook slid away, and the smell of earth and roots wafted through the opening. Inside was a tunnel lit by more glowing algae, and Wheels began her way into it.
"Thank you, Bandy... go back to sleep." The hat shuddered, then turned it's gaze on Illiad once more, and spoke low.
"'Ere, boyo - some advice? That one's a loner-type; go find yerself a nice unicorn filly, an' leave THAT mess o' troubles be."
Illiad raised an eyebrow at the exchange between Taps and the hat, but followed her nonetheless. It wasn't the weirdest thing he had seen that day after all.
"Don't worry, I have no plans regarding her and I do actually know a nice unicorn mare, thanks for the tip though."
They continued into the tunnel, and the door closed behind them to the sound of stones grinding and the hat laughing uproariously.
The tunnel was large enough that a minotaur could walk in here without stooping, yet narrow enough to force single-file progression. The floor here was preternaturally smooth, and Taps/Wheels seemed to simply drift along it using the wheels on her shoes.
"Honestly, it actually feels GOOD to speak after so many years of keeping to myself. So many times I wanted to have conversations, or just to say hello, or even just adding a random comment into someone else's conversation in passing... of course, with my responsibilities as the keeper of The Closet, I really don't have much choice. Once I start talking, there'll be even more questions, and those might lead to questions that involve my REAL profession... and I simply CANNOT have that information getting around."
There was a twinge of regret at the end of that statement, yet she continued on.
"I had been fully informed that a position like this would consume my old life in Equestria... but since I had no friends that would miss me, nor family that would worry, it seemed as though I was the proper candidate for the position. And I AM. I just..."
She gave a sharp gust of a sigh.
"... I just wish I knew where the other operatives were - even ONE - because I feel so alone, sometimes. Since the mole, I haven't seen nor heard from nary a one. I keep doing my job, because these artifacts would be just as deadly in certain hooves... but I truly wish I could contact just ONE of them."
Illiad followed after Taps, "Why don't you talk to Celestia? surely she could put you in touch with another of the remaining operatives."
She looked over her flank at Illiad.
"But I do go on; what I'm wondering is, why is a Trojan so far removed from their desert? Now now," she held up a hoof, "I'm not bashing; but it's simply difficult to believe that a stallion whose position is so important for Troy's political future is busy gallivanting around with the Blackwater's middle child... and so close to Canterlot, as well."
"With Iron Hoof's propaganda, it would be frighteningly easy to convince the Council... neigh, the entire NATION... to go to war. Which is what the 'hawks' want, of course. Though I think the battle would be far more difficult than you think, Trojan, I believe the overall cost to BOTH sides would be unacceptable losses - and I have a sincere feeling that both nations wouldn't be strong enough to stand for long after a war of the magnitude each nation is FULLY capable of."
Illiad thought for a moment before responding, "As to why I'm here, it certainly strengthens my platform of cooperation for me to be actively participating in an exchange of culture. On the possibility and outcome of war, there is no doubt in my mind that it would be a bloody affair, but the question is how much of their nations' power will they be willing to bring forward? Both sides have the ability to wreak extreme destruction on the other, which is why Luna wants me in position should it ever come to that."
They reached a junction in the tunnels, and Taps only paused a single moment before turning to the right.
"But with negotiations unspoken, it leaves a lot of questions that NEED answers - yet no one is truly providing them. Not to the masses, anyway... and BOTH ruling bodies have faults there; don't single out Her Majesty Princess Celestia's dirt without seeing the stains on your own wrap as well. If there were no issues, you wouldn't be doing what you and your running mate Midget are currently doing."
"The issues that cause me to run are the poor relations with Equestria, or more precisely, I run to counter Iron Hoof and his reasons to continue. If Celestia opened the borders, ended the embargo and officially recognized Troy as an independent nation then Iron would have no platform to stand on."
"While I admittedly have a grudging respect for what Her Majesty Princess Luna has done with Troy, I still have severe issues with the almost petulant way Trojans speak of Equestria - yourself included. All you seem to speak of is every fault you see in Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia; I rarely hear of anything else. I had to discover their history, their economy, their society and their culture through books - because no Trojan I ever knew would could ever get over the past long enough to tell me what was so GOOD about it."
"As to our manner of speaking about Equestria... I must admit you do have a point, perhaps I do push my grievances against Celestia a bit too hard. But who else would dare to point out her flaws? To even think that She was anything less than perfect? There is no check on her power, on her rule. She refuses to be part of the global council because she won’t have anyone having oversight on her decisions. Which is partly why she is so slow to return Luna to power, perhaps she is simply unused to the idea of another having the power she wields, perhaps she doesn't want there to be someone who could countermand her orders. It is not my place to say, but my place to worry about the true motives behind her actions."
Illiad sighed ass he continued, "The facts of the matters are: Celestia has yet to recognize Troy as an independent nation. There is a trade embargo between Equestria and Troy. Luna has yet to be restored to the powers of her position. And Celestia has yet to join the global council. You have anything to add to that? I'm sorry if I seem to be rambling a bit."
Wheels gave a soft sigh.
"Since you're being open about such, I admit that I... can't fathom why there ARE no negotiations between our two countries; it would only make sense for two nations to work together to make each other better... and in all fairness, the Democratic model does seem to be working rather well."
She looked back at the unicorn.
"Yet I still tell myself that I MUST have faith in my Princess; the loyalty I feel isn't simply a blind faith, Easle - I have fought for this nation more times than you might believe, and what Her Majesty Princess Celestia stands for - at least openly - is what has carried me through some of the hardest points in my life. I MUST believe better of my nation... or how can I believe better of myself?"
Her emotions showed an ache, possibly in connection to her thoughts on Celestia... yet she chose this moment to pay attention to what they should be doing. She reached a section of wall where Illiad could feel a small, chilly draft. Taps began running her hoof along the side, seeking something. There was a soft >tick<, and a portion of the wall slid up into the rock. Outside of the opening, Illiad could see the edge of the Everfree staring back at them.