Chapter 12: Labyrinth, Act Two
“This was a rare failure on your part,” the White Knight’s master said through the crystal. “I trust it will not be repeated.”
“No, master,” the White Knight said. If there was any fear, or shame, or hesitation in his tone no-one, except perhaps his master, could sense it. “The Shadowbolt detected my agent. I am still undiscovered.”
“Impressive,” the voice said with a hint of amusement. “I did not think he had it in him… But the Shadowbolts must not learn anything more.”
“They won’t. My agent will say nothing.”
“You had better be certain,” the voice said. “You have kept them distracted so far, but the Sisters must not learn of our plans. The materials you supplied in Whinnyenna show promise. The research is progressing well, the plan is moving on schedule, but we need to keep their eyes turned away from us. Do whatever you need to block the talks.”
“I will not disappoint you,” the White Knight said.
“I know you won’t,” the unseen voice said, leaving the reasons it knew unsaid, the weight of them well known. “Everhold is divided. Use that to your advantage. Do not leave until the work is done.”
“Yes, master,” the White Knight said. He looked out a window at the expanse of Everhold, full of ponies and their uncertainties. “I know what to do. Fear drives us to harm ourselves in ways that others never could. I will not fail.”
– – –
Labyrinth
Act Two.
“I told you!” Luna snapped. “I warned you something would happen but nooo, you knew better!”
“Calm down, Lulu,” Celestia said.
“I will not!” Luna cried. “Where are all your vaunted guards now, sister? Fill the castle with soldiers, you said! It will reassure them, you said! And now they have seen how useless it all was.”
“It would be better,” Celestia said sharply, “if our guards had worked together, as I wanted. You were the one who insisted that was not necessary.”
“My guards performed impeccably!”
“I hardly call barely interrupting an assassination at the very last moment ‘impeccable’! How did that dog get inside the palace in the first place? Why wasn’t she seen? There must be some hole in our perimeter.”
“And now Lady Gale,” Luna pronounced the name with thick disdain, “is going to play the martyr and use this for everything she can get. I do not trust her, Tia. Perhaps she is responsible for all of this.”
“She was almost killed, Lulu!”
“We don’t know that she was the target! She was sitting right next to us!” Luna’s eyes flared with dark fire. “This is my home,” Luna said, with a voice that could freeze an ocean. “A home is supposed to be peaceful. A home is supposed to be safe. But even here, secrets lurk unseen and conspire against us!”
“We will know more once the poison is analyzed,” Celestia said. “Do not say a word against Lady Gale, Lulu. We don’t want this to become even more difficult.”
“You still think you can work with her? I was listening to her, Tia. The woman is a joke! How can you put up with her arrogance?”
Celestia maintained a calm face. “I can handle Lady Gale, Luna. I speak her language. I can get through to her.”
“She was all but rejecting the peace talks outright, Tia! She does not trust a word we say! Or claims to, which is worse.”
“She is speaking to us, Luna. The question is, how do we read what she is saying? Is she sincere in her distrust, or is she just trying to put us on the defensive? Is she being adversarial, or collaborative? If we understand her we can work with her.”
“Collaborative?! She brought foreign mercenaries into our home, Tia!”
“Even this seemingly hostile gesture could be a form of communication, Lulu!” Celestia shouted. “What if she was warning us about the strength of feeling in King Blaze’s court? She may have let us know in order to give us a chance to prepare a response. If we misinterpret her we risk making things even worse!”
“And what of the Triumph?” Luna demanded. “I heard her speak of it. I told you it was a mistake, to bestow great honors on this slayer of griffons even as we pledge to make peace – we look like fools! Now she is going to throw Hurricane in our faces. Even before the violence she was preparing to squeeze you dry.”
“I know what I’m doing, Lulu. Hurricane has no bearing on this, I already told you.”
“Gurrrh!” Luna groaned in frustration. “I have had enough of this. You deal with Lady Gale, if you’re so certain of your new best friend. I leave it in your hooves. I will uncover those responsible for bringing bloodshed into our home.”
Celestia drew a deep breath. “Clearly we are going nowhere. I can contain this. Don’t make any rash moves, Lulu.”
Celestia turned and left, slamming the door behind her. Luna glared at the door for a few seconds, then turned away, muttering evil words to herself. “Guard!”
The pony stationed at the door opened it cautiously and peered inside. “Yes, your highness?”
“Bring me Star Swirl.”
– – –
The griffons were in their chambers, gathered together in the large suite where the ambassador had been quartered. Lady Gale’s warriors stood by the door in full arms and armor, knowing that on the other side of it pony guards stood likewise.
The room was bustling with activity, Lady Gale herself in the center as she instructed and directed her subordinates to plan for every eventuality in accordance with her wishes. They moved quickly with each command, occasionally casting suspicious glances towards the doors, as if expecting them to burst open with every moment.
“We are preparing your statement to to the Sisters, Your Grace,” Baron Gust said. “All the formalities are in order. Is there anything you wish to add?”
“Yes. It must include a demand that my guards interrogate the assassin,” Lady Gale said.
“Will the Sisters permit that?”
“No. But we will demand it nonetheless.”
“Yes, Your Grace. And if the ponies wished to kill you themselves, to escalate the war?”
“Then they failed, and they will rue the day. Also be sure to include that I look forward to meeting with Captain Hurricane.”
“Your Grace, is that really a priority at this point?”
“I am not easily distracted. I wonder if the ponies are. Proceed.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
One elderly griffon walked up to her and cleared his throat. “Your Grace, may I speak freely?”
Lady Gale turned her golden eyes on him. “You may.”
“Your Grace, my subordinates and I wish to ask if we are about to be put to death. If we are then we should like to know it, so that we may prepare ourselves to face our end with dignity.”
Lady Gale held his gaze for a moment, perhaps thinking it over, before she answered. “No, we are not.”
The elderly functionary bowed. “I will inform the others.”
“You seem very certain,” Oaken the Minotaur said. He was leaning against a wall, and if it hadn’t been solid stone any onlooker would have been forgiven for wondering if a mere wall could hold his weight. “They suspect a pony plot to kill you and escalate the war.”
Lady Gale turned her head ever so slightly. “This does not feel like the royal sisters’ work.”
“Hm.” Oaken shifted his weight. “So what have you decided?”
Lady Gale turned to her guards. “Bring in a pony. I have a message for the Sisters.” She turned back to Oaken. “I want you to observe the investigation. They will allow it, because I will threaten to walk away otherwise. You will be my eyes and ears and you will report back to me.”
Oaken nodded, somehow making the gesture noncommittal. “And you know that this is not my job and that I am not of your country or your corps.”
“Indeed.”
“Alright then.”
– – –
Star Swirl looked up at the tall, dark doorway deep in the Lunar Wing of the castle, a place of black and blue and silver halls stretching up to vaulted ceilings like starry skies, thoughts jumbling in his mind. He thought of the end of the banquet: the leap and crash, and the outcry that followed – the pony guards flocking, the griffons raising their spears, the minotaur rising ominously to his full height from his seat beside the unicorn – how sharp the blades looked as they glittered in the light, and how little it could take to make them swing – and then finally the confusion and fear as every guest was escorted to their chambers under heavy guard, in strict silence, left only to think about what had happened and what it might mean.
Star Swirl had thought up no answers before he received the summons.
Star Swirl stepped through the door into a dark chamber, and heard it shut behind him. The room was silent, and the silence was cold and tense.
“Star Swirl,” Luna said. In the center of the room was a table and the Princess sat at the far end, her wings extended backwards, illuminated by a cone of moonlight that left most of the room in pitch darkness.
He halted, and hesitated for a split-second before speaking. “You summoned me, your highness?”
She met his eyes, and they caught the moonbeam as sharp blades of pale light across her iris. “Indeed,” she said. “I have a task for you. Something that calls for your magical expertise.”
There was a sharpness in her voice that made his ears perk up. Though she sat impassively in her seat, regal and powerful, and though her face was cold, her eyes blazed with emotion that gave him pause. It reminded him of Night-Mare Night at Cambridle.
She’s not angry, she’s hurt.
He nodded. “I’m at your service. If it’s magic I can do anything.”
She brought up a small box of dark metal and placed it in front of him, and opened it to reveal two small items: a crystal vial with a tiny stopper, and a blank metal disc the size of a bit coin.
Star Swirl looked at them. “What’s this?”
“You’re the wizard, Star Swirl,” the voice of Cold Wing said from the shadows. The old pegasus stallion emerged from the dark, only his muzzle visible beneath the hood of his cloak, and stood beside the table. “You tell me.”
“The assassin was carrying these,” Luna said. “What can you tell us about them?”
I won’t let her down.
Star Swirl approached the table and looked at the items: a crystal vial with a tiny stopper, and a metal disc the size of a bit coin. One side of it was plain and unmarked, the other was embedded with a tiny magic-charge crystal. He picked them up in his magic and channeled a spell, and they began to glow in his grip: the vial with a soft green light, and the coin with a stronger purple one.
“The glass vial has a warding spell on it, to protect it from shattering if dropped. It’s a standard spell for alchemical glassware. Otherwise it seems normal.” He turned to the coin and looked into the magical aura that surrounded it, and his eyes narrowed. “This one, however, is different.”
“How so?” Luna asked.
“This thing is thick with enchantments, layered one on top of another. It seems to be a magical tool of some sort, with a series of enchantments, keyed to a particular magical signature. The assassin’s, I guess.” He reached out with his magical senses and tried to trace the intricate bindings, following from one enchantment to the next. “It would take a skilled wizard to create this. I wonder who could…”
There was a momentary shift in the magic, as if a dark hole suddenly opened where there had been a wall a moment before, an empty gap and a gust of cold air.
Star Swirl jolted, and the coin fell to the table.
“This thing is dangerous.” With a flash of his horn he cast a spell and conjured three concentric bubbles of magic around the coin, sealing it within. “It must be kept securely contained.”
“Why? What did you see?” Luna demanded.
Star Swirl glanced warily at the glowing sphere that held the coin. “There is someone on the other side of those spells. Someone watching,” he said tersely. He heard Luna gasp and saw a flash of emotion flicker across her face before it was quickly suppressed, her mouth curling into cold authority. “Someone who was feeding information through them to the wielder, directing them. Someone who might have been watching us even right now.”
“Where?” Cold Wing demanded.
Star Swirl shook his head. “The way those enchantments were woven, so compact… Not far. Within the palace, probably. They may even have been in the hall when it happened!”
Luna drew a sharp breath. “Can you track them?”
“I’ll find out,” Star Swirl said. “I should bring this back to my lab. I can secure it properly there, and study it. If need be I can tear this thing apart to pick out its secrets.”
“Curses and blights,” Luna said. “Captain, do everything in your power to find whoever is responsible for this.”
“Yes, your highness,” Cold Wing said.
“Where is the assassin now?” Star Swirl asked. “If I can see her I can sample her magical signature, that could help unlock this item’s powers.”
“She is locked in the dungeons,” Luna said. She turned to Cold Wing. “Captain, bring Star Swirl down there. I want you to keep him appraised of the investigation in every particular.”
Star Swirl glanced to the grim pegasus uncertainly.
Cold Wing shuffled his wings. “With all respect, Your Majesty, I don’t believe that is necessary. If more magic expertise is required I will request it, or inform him of things relevant to him.”
“No. Star Swirl will follow the investigation fully,” Luna said, looking from the pegasus to the unicorn. “I know I can trust the two of you. I want you to work together. There is treachery within these very walls, my ponies. The assassin could not have done this alone. She must have accomplices, and even now they may be plotting another scheme to make up for her failure. You must not allow this to happen. The peace talks, even all of Everhold, hangs in the balance. Find out who helped her, and what they are planning, and stop it. Understood?”
Cold Wing saluted. “Yes, your majesty.”
Star Swirl nodded. “Of course, Princess.”
“Good.” Her wings ruffled, a brief flurry. “You are dismissed.”
– – –
A few minutes later the two of them were in the dungeons, deep in the lowest levels of the castle.
Star Swirl gingerly stepped down the narrow and dimly lit corridor, lined on either side with heavy barred doors. At either end of the passage royal guards stood watch, and Star Swirl saw two more guarding a particular door.
He looked in the narrow barred window at the diamond dog chained within. She was neither large nor imposing. She resembled a Scoltish terrier, slim and light, with pale yellow fur that was almost white, long and straight. She sat silently on her haunches, staring guiltily down at the floor.
“That’s her?” Star Swirl asked. “She doesn’t look like an assassin.”
“Anyone could be, with those tools,” Cold Wing said. “She had the will to carry it out. That’s all that matters.”
Star Swirl nodded. “Have they learned anything?”
“The Royal Guard questioned her,” Cold Wing said. “She didn’t say a word.”
Star Swirl nodded again. It was clearly not because she had nerves of steel: sitting in her cell the dog seemed terrified of everything around her.
But mostly she seemed so deep in despair that the fear did not matter. As if, since she had already failed her task, there was nothing more they could do to her.
It unsettled him somehow. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the dungeon wore on him, and the abundance of heavily armed guards weren’t helping. His horn glowed for a few seconds in a shimmering cloudy black-and-white as he scanned the diamond dog. “There. I have her magic signature. That’s all I needed,” Star Swirl said. “Is there anything else we can do here?”
Cold Wing exhaled slightly, and managed to put scorn into the gesture. “The Princess wanted you involved, wizard. So what can you do?”
Star Swirl bit his lip and glanced back at the diamond dog. Within the cell she twitched and turned suddenly, looking around her nervously, before returning to staring at the floor, sniffing and whining.
What do I do about this? The question hung in his head.
I’m not a constable of the Palace Guard. I don’t know how to question a diamond dog, or run a criminal investigation.
How do I get somecreature to confess to me?
Nopony talks to me. And that suits me just fine.
But I can’t disappoint the Princess.
He bit his tongue behind his closed mouth.
I defeated the Queen of the Golden Sands. Surely I can do this.
So what can I do?
I can look into her thoughts and see what she’s afraid of, like I did with the Kelpie.
I can subdue her consciousness and see what magic binds her, like I did to the Queen’s ghoul.
I can change her perceptions to make her think I’m a friend and that we’re in a safe place, and that she can open up to me.
He felt something stirring in the back of his mind, a source of tremendous magical power just waiting to be used.
The Amniomorphic Spell can take a living creature apart.
I can do anything that’s necessary to make her talk.
His eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to speak.
“Hi!” a loud, cheery voice proclaimed from directly behind him, and Star Swirl jolted like he’d been struck by lightning and jumped away.
He turned, looking furiously around him before he saw the eyes in the barred window in the cell opposite the one they’d been looking at. “What?”
Cold Wing growled. “Guard! I told you to move her someplace else!”
“I’m sorry sir,” the beefy young stallion on guard replied. “That must have been the other shift, we just changed. I’ll get the keys, sir.”
“Oh, don’t mind them,” the new voice said happily. “Hi! You must be the brains of this operation.”
She waved. Star Swirl looked. Inside the other cell was a griffon hen whose feathers seemed to be dyed in all the colors of a very peculiar rainbow, and she grinned at him through the bars. Star Swirl was not sure he knew if griffons could grin through their beaks, but the evidence in front of him said yes.
“I’m Gladys,” she said, sticking out a claw through the bars. “Nice to meet you.
Cold Wing smacked her claw away with an armored wing. “Get. Back.”
“Oh phoo, you’re no fun.”
“Who’s she?” Star Swirl asked, bewildered.
Cold Wing growled. “A griffon spy. She was arrested a week ago.”
“I’m not a spy!” Gladys said, frowning at the Shadowbolt as she crossed her arms before her chest. “All you ponies say that and I don’t know why! Maybe you’ve only met griffons who are spies before? But that just means you need to get out more. That goes for everyone down here, honestly.”
“She walked up to the front gates and asked for directions to the throne room to see the Princesses. Since then she has been talking everypony’s ear off.”
“I just think you all need to lighten up,” Gladys said. She turned to the wizard, and her eyes lit up and she gave him a warm smile. “Nice to meet you, Star Swirl. But listen, don’t be mean to Laika. You’re not gonna get anything out of it and you’re gonna regret it in the end.”
“Who’s Laika?” Star Swirl asked. The griffon pointed to the other cell. “The diamond dog?”
“Guard!” Cold Wing snapped. “Has the griffon spoken to the assassin?”
“No sir,” the guard said hurriedly.
“Not where you could hear me, you goon,” Gladys replied. She looked back to Star Swirl. “Look, you seem like you’re at the crossroads where at least one way leads to you being a decent pony, and that’s good enough for me. So why don’t you talk to me instead? I’ll tell you about Laika. At least, what she’d tell you if she was talking at all, which she isn’t, and I respect that and you should too, she’ll talk when she’s ready. And then we can be friends!”
“It’s always like this,” the dungeon guard muttered.
“Enough,” Cold Wing growled. “The assassin, wizard. Do you have any ideas?”
Star Swirl opened his mouth to answer, but caught Gladys looking at him out of the corner of his eye. She was staring intently at him through the bars of the cell door, motionless. She was, in her strange way, looking at him like a predator looks at prey, and he felt a slight tingle in his ears.
“No,” he said. “Her signature is all I need. I can work with this.” Gladys’s stare softened, and she silently withdrew from the bars and vanished from sight.
“Fine.” Cold Wing said. “We are leaving.”
They walked away from the cells, back towards the staircase that climbed out of the dungeons, Star Swirl casting a wary glance behind him towards the griffon’s cell.
“We will continue our investigation,” Cold Wing said, drawing Star Swirl’s attention back. “I suggest you return to your chambers and study the weapons.”
“Oh. Yes.” Star Swirl nodded tersely. “I’ll find out everything there is to know. And if there’s any way to tell where it came from, or who made them, I’ll let you know.”
The Shadowbolt grunted what was probably an affirmative.
– – –
Star Swirl walked swiftly and tensely up the stairs from the dungeons to his lab in the astronomy tower, and sighed with relief as he closed the door behind him. Then he set to work.
He cast a spell to seal the door. Then, after a moment’s thought, cast a stronger spell to cut off the entire lab from any errant magical spells. He cleared a table to work on and brought out the containment box that held the coin and the vial, and brought out a selection of tools of magical analysis.
Just for good measure he grabbed his hat from its rack and put it on his head, the bells along the brim jingling as he pulled it into place. He double-checked that his lab was secure from scrying eyes, and finally opened the box and took out the coin for closer study.
He stared at the thing through narrow eyes. “What exactly are you?” he said out loud.
He cast the spell to create a simulacrum and coded it with the diamond dog’s magical signature, and channeled a beam of energy through it onto the coin, watching to see if there was a response. And before his eyes it began to glow with magical energies.
His mouth curled up into a smile of satisfaction at a secret revealed as he bent forward to study the now-visible magical matrix more closely. It shimmered in the air as a complex network of magical connections. With a barely-conscious thought he took hold of the matrix with his horn and bent it, focused it, and separated it into a series of layers, one on top of another, linked together by a thick thread of magical energy that connected back to the charged crystal in the coin.
He pulled up a blackboard and wiped it clean, and without taking his eyes off the coin grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing notes as he examined the enchantments layer by layer.
He spoke to himself as the chalk raced across the board.
“The subject is an enchanted coin,” he said, “that works as a magical tool imbued with a selection of specific spells. It’s attuned to a particular creature’s magical signature, and will respond to its commands.” He brought up the coin itself and spun it slowly in his magic. “Its front face is blank. It has a small colorless crystal embedded into its back. The enchantments are layered throughout and across the metal, and are connected back to the crystal, which holds a magic charge and is used to power the spells. It is currently partially charged.”
He raised an enchanted monocular to his eye and looked at the intricate spellwork that layered across the substance of the disc.
“The first layer is an invisibility spell,” he said, as the chalk began to write complex magical equations. “The second layer is a spell that greatly enhances the speed and strength of the bearer when it’s activated. At a glance, it’s the most energy-intensive spell. Connected to it is a smaller enchantment that sharpens the bearer’s own senses: tactile sensitivity, sight, hearing, smell, time, temperature and arcane senses are all affected.” He leaned in close, his eyes eagerly running up and down to follow individual connections of thaumic current through nodes and channels in a variety of complex configurations. “It’s quite remarkable. I can understand how the assassin was able to slip past the guards and avoid detection with this. It’s clearly tailor-made for that purpose. Though it could also serve a stealthy bodyguard, perhaps. I’m sure Cold Wing can’t wait to get his hooves on this thing.”
With a flick of his horn Star Swirl pulled the layers apart, connected by a single strand of purple light like a glowing spider’s thread, and moved on to the next. His eyes turned serious as he stared at it. “Beneath that there are the other spells: a magic voice and magic eye. The assassin clearly wasn’t acting alone.” He focused on a particular nexus of bindings and studied it closely. “Through these, whoever sent her could have been watching her at work. It would only require a scrying tool of any sort, and the command word. And they were able to track her location as she carried out her mission, and to deliver spoken instructions that only she could hear. Even if somepony was watching for magic spells in the area there is a cipher on it that would conceal its nature.” He stared at the twirling coin. “Whoever is on the other side is probably trying to watch me right now. Thankfully the Astronomy Tower is designed for advanced magical experimentation, and I’ve made sure my lab is magically secured from scrying spells. I am completely isolated, perfectly suited for my work.”
He hesitated, glanced back at the door to the rest of Everhold with all its ponies, and winced.
The Princess told me to go outside. But my work here is important.
Magic runs the world, and nopony knows magic like me.
I won’t disappoint you, Luna.
“And it beats the dungeons,” he said. He turned back to the coin. “More general notes: In addition to its complexity the spellwork is very compactly and competently crafted,” he continued. “I see a Canter-Hayward channel for flux stability, and Eureka Wave-connectors linking the layers together. The Weave is laid down using vacuum-alignment techniques to keep the strands separate and prevent cross-thaumic interference between the layers. The matrix is packed tight into a sliver of thaumic space, allowing all of this to fit into such a little thing…” He sighed, shaking his head. “No ordinary unicorn magician could do this. Who made you?”
He turned away from the projection and began to pace back and forth as he spoke.
“Whoever created this is an extremely high-level student of the arcane… but why would they? The way this is designed to be used, by attunement and key words, is so roundabout and elaborate. A wizard with this kind of skill could use much more direct means to do whatever they want. So somepony made this and… sold it, or gave it to somebody else?” He paused, turned, cast another spell, and cursed at the blank result. “Their use of the Weave leaves no trace of their own magical signature. Decay in the lattice is minimal, and there’s no telling when it was made, or where…” He cursed under his breath. “Whoever made this worked hard to cover their tracks.”
“Star Swirl.”
Star Swirl jumped in his skin, and snapped around to see Cold Wing standing silently behind him, only his impassive muzzle visible beneath his hood. “I sealed the lab,” Star Swirl said.
“You sealed it against magic,” Cold Wing replied. “The lock, however, was easily swayed.”
“What?” He glanced to the door, which had been politely closed and bore no visible marks of tampering. “How did you—look, I’m working, what do you want?”
“As per Her Highness’s wishes I am keeping you appraised of the situation,” the Shadowbolt said calmly. “We received a message from the head of the botanical gardens. She did an inventory of her potent herbs after the assassination attempt. It seems she found that a deadly quantity of Merrymaker was missing from her stores.”
Star Swirl blinked. “The head gardener? You mean Lily?”
“I am going to take her testimony now.” Cold Wing said. “You may attend, if you think it is necessary.”
Star Swirl turned back to the coin, and thought. “I should check if there’s any sign of similar magics tampering with her case. I’ll come with you.”
He turned back to see the Shadowbolt had already vanished. He turned his head to look around, and saw nothing.
He thought of Lily, and imagined her being questioned by the Shadowbolt. “Oh no…”
He set off at a gallop through the palace to reach the gardens.
– – –
When Star Swirl reached the gardener he and Cold Wing found her in a state of high jitters, nervously nursing a mug of hot tea inside her cottage.
She let them in, and Star Swirl took a look around the cottage, and swept it for signs of magic while the other two spoke.
“Let’s start with something simple,” Cold Wing said. “Have you seen any suspicious ponies near your cottage?”
“There are visitors in the gardens every day, of course,” Lily said. “But they’re always well-behaved. The visitors always set a good example for the plants! I’ve never had any violence in my gardens!”
Cold Wing nodded. He was not writing notes. Star Swirl suspected he perfectly remembered every word that was said to him. “Are you always in the garden?”
“Yes, every day except market days. And every afternoon, unless I’m invited someplace.” She glanced away to the side. “Which isn’t often.”
“And you’re here every night?”
“Yes… I live alone. Nopony visits my cabin at night.”
“I know,” Cold Wing said. “When did the poison disappear?”
“I don’t know. It’s not often I need it. I hadn’t looked for it in a week.”
“Do you know of anypony who might have stolen it?”
“No.”
“Do you know of anypony who had the opportunity to steal it?”
“No.”
“Do you know anypony who knew it was there?”
She thought, and shook her head. “Anypony who knows about botany could know about Merrymaker.”
“Has anypony been inside your cabin?”
“Nopony I know of. I—” She cut herself off.
Cold Wing noticed, and somehow grew more intense. “Go on.”
“I—I woke up one morning the other week, and I didn’t find my keys where I normally put them. I thought it was just an accident, I’d done a lot of reading the night before.”
Lily’s alchemy lab was tucked away in the back of her cottage. Star Swirl glanced over it. She had said it was only a small lab, and that was true as far as the equipment went: she had a basic inventory of tools and devices, old but well-made and carefully maintained, of brass and glass that bore signs of regular and meticulous scrubbing. But while the laboratory setup was simple her collection of ingredients was not. A large cabinet with rows upon rows of shelves took up most of the cottage’s back wall, stretching into the corners and climbing up towards the ceiling. Some shelves were open, filled with little clay pots or wicker baskets full of dried or powdered herbs. Some had little drawers in them, many of them mismatched, as if the construction had been added to over the years. Some of the drawers had locks and keyholes, and some sections of shelf were closed entirely behind locked cabinet doors.
It was clearly well-stocked and well-cared for, but its organization was… ‘enthusiastic’ was the word that came to Star Swirl’s mind. The individual shelves were marked with their contents, sometimes many in one, some labels with many notes added in pencil. Some things clearly moved around with use, while some were kept in pristine condition and seemingly never touched.
The result seemed like chaos to Star Swirl, and he did not doubt that Lily knew exactly where everything was. He also had no problem believing that a rarely-used substance could disappear without notice.
The cottage showed no signs he could see that it had been tampered with, magically or otherwise. The racks of potent herbs was locked, and showed no signs of violence. The herbs themselves had only their normal, natural magic residue.
He looked over it all in deep thought, ignoring the rest as he wondered what he was looking for. When he next noticed the words from across the room the questioning had taken a turn.
“Plants are wonderful companions, though. You might find you understand them. Have you ever thought about keeping one? I could help you find one, I have plenty to spare!”
“That is – very kind of you to offer. But I do not think it would suit my lifestyle. I do not do sunlight.”
“Plants do need sunlight to grow. But they need darkness too, and rain. There are some plants that grow best in the shade. I could some up for you if you’re interested?”
“There are? Pardon my ignorance, but plants are known for their love of sunlight more than all else.”
“Oh, ponies are wrong about a lot of things,” Lily said softly.
“That is true,” Cold Wing said. “Nonetheless, I do not think it would be fitting.”
“That’s a shame. Well, please let me know if you ever change your mind?”
“Very well. Star Swirl, if you are finished.”
They stepped outside the cottage and walked away into the garden, leaving the cottage behind them. “If someone stole from her they would have to break into her cottage while she slept,” Cold Wing said.
“Here, in the middle of the palace?” Star Swirl asked. “Could anypony do that?”
“It seems unlikely,” Cold Wing said. “But I will look into it. Did you find anything?”
Star Swirl shook his head. “I didn’t see anything unusual. No signs of anything magical, or anything suspicious that I could see. The cabinet was locked normally. It would have to have been a subtle thief.”
“Hm."
The single syllable seemed heavy and ominous. Star Swirl hesitated. “You don’t have any suspicions about the gardener, do you?”
Cold Wing made no expression. “Her records are very clean.”
“But?”
“The poison in the vial was fresh Merrymaker,” the pegasus said. “It couldn’t have been produced abroad and transported here without decaying. The raw materials likewise could not have been brought within our walls without tripping our security. Which means the materials were collected and the poison crafted within Everhold.”
Star Swirl thought about this, and felt himself growing uneasy. “The enemy is hiding inside the palace. They didn’t just sneak in to make the attack. They have someone on the inside, is that what you’re saying?”
“That is what I am saying.” Cold Wing took a step forward and spread his wings. “I must confer with my agents. If anypony came to the garden at night my Shadowbolts saw it. I will be back shortly.”
With a kick and a blast of chill wind he was off, over the rooftop and out of sight.
Star Swirl heard Lily clear her throat behind him. “I’m sorry about this.”
He turned, and met her eyes, and he wondered. He shook his head. “It’s not your fault. But we have to investigate every lead.”
Lily nodded. “Of course. I’m happy to be of assistance.”
Star Swirl nodded. “This poison,” he said. “What’s so special about it?”
“It’s the essence of all the deadly impulses in the plant kingdom,” Lily said with the voice of an enthusiastic scholar. “It’s what you get when you combine all the poisonous components of the deadliest specimens into one. It’s extremely hard to make, it takes great care. The plants don’t like being mishandled, you know. Cooperation doesn’t come naturally to them. And once you have it it doesn’t last long before it decays.”
“It sounds awful. Why do you even have it?”
She thought about it. “Don’t you ever want to just… understand something?”
Star Swirl had no answer to that.
Lily did not notice. She continued. “Sometimes I wonder if understanding all the worst impulses of plants can help me reform them and make them friendlier,” she said. “If plants learned to work together with each other, instead of against each other? They could accomplish anything.” She looked at the wizard with a soft smile. “Sometimes, in order to get the best out of someone, you have to understand them at their worst.”
Star Swirl sighed. “I guess there’s a lot of opportunities then.”
“It seems that way,” Lily concurred. “You’ve heard the rumors.”
Star Swirl perked an ear. “Rumors?”
“You must have heard, an important pony like you,” Lily said guilelessly. She glanced left and right, and bent forward. “Some ponies are very unhappy.”
“That’s easy to understand,” Star Swirl said.
“No, I mean – some ponies are very unhappy. With the peace talks. With the ambassador. With the Princesses.”
“…Go on.”
“I’ve heard whispers,” Lily continued in a hushed tone. “Accusations from ponies about who’s behind it. Some ponies blame the Ambassador herself, say this is some underhoofed scheme to win concessions. Some ponies are even upset the diamond dog didn’t kill her. A lot of ponies here don’t trust each other, and some are whispering wicked things about their neighbors. Talking about who they think might have done it… Or wish might have done it, it seems sometimes.”
Star Swirl grimaced. “I wouldn’t listen to a word of it if I were you.”
Lily looked unsure. “Look, just… Just be careful, alright? Ponies are very unhappy, and scared, and when ponies with power get scared and unhappy bad things can happen. Alright?”
Star Swirl nodded. “Ponies,” he muttered spitefully. “Sometimes I wish they’d just learn to sit still and mind their own business.”
“Like the grass,” Lily said with a soft smile. “At least you always know where it stands.”
With a sudden gust of wind, Cold Wing dropped to the ground, landing with the barest softest fump. “It is done. Let’s move along.”
Star Swirl nodded, and nodded again to Lily in farewell. She smiled softly and bowed her head before walking back to her cottage.
The two stallions turned to leave the garden when the Shadowbolt suddenly halted, and let out a grunt of disdain. Before Star Swirl could say anything he heard the sound of hooves on the stone floor before the door to the palace interior swung open, and three of the Palace Guard emerged, giving their customary impassive watching glances to the unicorn.
The guards were not alone. Following behind the last of them was a giant figure who had to bend down to fit through the low doorway.
Star Swirl looked at him curiously. “Oaken?”
“Ah. Star Swirl,” the minotaur said as he stood up straight, looking down at them. “I see we are here on like purpose.”
“How’s that?” Star Swirl asked.
“He is here for Lady Gale,” Cold Wing said gravely.
“And the Princess,” Oaken replied.
“Not mine,” Cold Wing said.
Oaken’s bovine lips curled up in a broad smile beneath sharp, keen eyes. “No, indeed not… You must be one of the Shadowbolts. Knossox knows about the wings in the shadows.”
“They should,” Cold Wing said. “But they know little.”
“A wise bull can get far with little,” Oaken replied.
“What’s going on here?” Star Swirl asked.
Cold Wing grunted. “The Day Princess’s activities are not under my jurisdiction. But I am aware of things,” he said. “Lady Gale has demanded to observe the investigation, and Princess Celestia agreed.”
“As a third party it seemed natural for me to take the role,” Oaken said with casual warmth in his booming voice.
“A third party?” Star Swirl raised an eyebrow. “You work for Lady Gale. And doesn’t that just raise more questions about your loyalties?”
“Oh yes. Many very interesting questions. The sages can discuss them for decades.” He looked down with a bovine smile that might have been a shared joke, or just a joke. “But at least I’m honest about it, and that is my promise: that any problems you have with me will be obvious, and not subtle.” He looked out across the gardens to the nearby cottage. “Though I see mine is not the only party following leads. I gather Their Highnesses are devoting their attentions in different directions?”
“Do not say anything, wizard,” Cold Wing said.
Oaken chuckled, and it rumbled deep in his belly. “I understand. Secrecy comes naturally to you,” the minotaur said. “But I am here for diplomacy’s sake. I hope you can see that.”
Cold Wing grunted. “I will move heaven and earth myself to uncover the enemy. Then diplomacy can run its course.”
Without saying another word the pegasus spread his wings and kicked off, and flew over the rooftops and out of sight.
The leader of the guards ignored Star Swirl and looked to Lily. “Head gardener, we wish to ask you some questions.”
“Oh. Of course,” she said quietly. “Come inside.”
Star Swirl glanced back to see the minotaur bend down to stick his head into her cottage. Then he stepped inside the door to the many passageways of the palace, thoughts swirling in his head as he went.
Rumors.
As Star Swirl trotted he became more aware of the other ponies he passed. There were ponies talking in twos and threes.
It was always thus in the palace, but the talk was more quiet now, wary of being overheard, and they fell silent as he drew near and watched him suspiciously as he passed. The conversation did not start again until he was some distance ahead of them.
He cast a spell and turned his ears to meet the altered flow of air.
“—you see Princess Luna? She was furious.”
“I saw. I pity anypony who falls into her grasp. She’s terrifying.”
“They say she has one hoof in the world of monsters.”
“One hoof at least. She is the Princess of the Night.”
His teeth clenched together and he marched faster.
While I was up in my lab everypony else whispered about what happened.
Lily was right. Word can run from one end of this palace to the other faster than a pony can gallop. A pony who knows where to listen in can hear anything.
And I’m up in my lab studying the stars. Nopony talks to me.
Is this part of my job? Am I failing in my duties to the Princess, letting these things happen while I look for the deepest secrets of magic and nature?
A lone pony passed him looking nervous, and raced to get away right after. Star Swirl glared after him, then caught himself doing so and shook his head in annoyance.
All the most influential ponies in all of ponydom come here, all under one roof. Useful, I suppose, if you want to do great things like the peace talks.
And useful if you want to see it break.
He thought of Cold Wing, and the Shadowbolts, and Hurricane and her soldiers, and all the gold-clad ponies of the Royal Guard watching seemingly every door. As he watched a patrol of two relieved two others at the end of the hall, who moved on.
Princess Celestia increased the security. How could anypony get so close to destroying everything under all these eyes?
He blinked and turned his head as a ray of sharp sunlight reflected in his eyes for just a moment before it passed.
I wonder if that pony in the silver armor is with them.
He turned to take another look at the pony, but he was already gone.
But every pony here is another possible vulnerability.
How does this place even function? All these ponies vying against each other, each straining to shape the court to their own liking, pulling a thousand different ways.
How are we supposed to find a secret in a place where every pony has a closet full of them?
How can the Princess stand it?
Star Swirl turned a corner to an empty passage along the south wall, and slumped against the wall. He turned his eyes skyward for guidance, but rather than a sky he saw only cold stone. The image rose in his mind of the diamond dog locked in the dungeons.
“Hi!” a bright and strong voice said from behind him, making him jump.
“Gah!” He skidded on the stone floor and stood in a wide defensive stance, his horn pointed forward, but saw nothing in the hall. Nothing but the portrait hanging on the wall above where he had stood, its cut-out eyes looking down at him.
He blinked. “Gladys?”
“You remembered!” the griffon said excitedly.
“How did you get out of the dungeons?”
“I have my tricks. Don’t!” Gladys protested as Star Swirl took hold of the portrait in his magic. “I just want to talk! I can help you!”
Star Swirl released the portrait. He stared up at the cut-out eyes in the face of Lady Windermare. “What do you know about the assassin?”
“I know her name is Laika. You remembered my name, you can remember hers too.”
Star Swirl’s teeth ground together. “What do you know about Laika?”
“She’s afraid,” Gladys said. “Not for herself. For her pups.”
“Why? What about them?”
“What do you think?” Gladys asked sharply. “Do you think she tried to kill a Griffon Duchess for fun? Because I know fun and that’s a very funny way of having fun. They’d do all kinds of fun things to her in Griffonstone for that.”
Star Swirl drew a breath. “She’s being threatened.”
“The way she sees it, she’s lost everything already. But so long as she doesn’t say anything to you she might still get to see them again. But that’s not what I came to talk to you about. You need help getting along with other ponies, mister Star Swirl. And I’m here to help you!”
“You’re good at getting along with others, are you?”
“Oh yeah! There’s nobirdy better! And you really need it, because in case you haven’t noticed you’re surrounded by others. This place is full of them!”
Star Swirl shook his head in disdain. Gladys continued speaking.
“I was just thinking to myself, how does this place even work? All these ponies vying against each other, each straining to shape this court to their own liking, pulling a thousand different ways? And how are you supposed to find a secret in a place where every pony has a closet full of them?”
Star Swirl suddenly felt the fur on his back stand on end. “Go on.”
“Some of these ponies want to help you, Star Swirl buddy. And some… don’t. I really wanna see you figure out which is which. Okay?”
“And why should I listen to a griffon spy?”
“I’m not a spy!” The eyes glared down at him. “I’m a fool. You know what a fool does?”
“Foolishness?”
“A fool opens minds! A fool uses comedy to make you think, and care. And you ponies need that. I’m sick of the war, I’m sick of creatures dying and seeing their homes torn down and occupied by soldiers, I’m sick of seeing old birds and kittens sick and freezing and hungry because you all won’t stop fighting. I decided to try to stop it. I came here to make you laugh, and talk some sense into you along the way. I walked up to the front doors and asked if I could come in and talk to the Princesses, all smiles. And they put me in the dungeons. But you know what, that’s fine. Because I can still be a fool in the dungeons.”
“You want me to believe that you came here to tell the Royal Sisters jokes?”
“I don’t care what you believe, buddy. I only care about what you do.” Gladys grumbled. “Oh shoot, I really need to get back to my cell, they’re gonna check on me soon. Talk to you later!”
The eyes ducked away, the cut-out eyes of Lady Windermare returned to their usual place as Star Swirl heard the sound of something running off behind the stone wall.
Star Swirl grabbed the portrait and pulled it off the wall. There was nothing behind it but solid stone, and the back of the painting was nothing but cloth canvas, unscarred and unaltered.
He returned the painting to the wall with a frown, and walked away.
Star Swirl wandered into the Clamor Hall.
The Clamor was one of the largest of the grand halls of Everhold, the third in the rising row that led from the front gates at the bottom of the palace to the throne hall itself in the center. More officially called the Speakers’ Hall, the Clamor was the highest hall that was normally open to the public, where announcements of policy were made and where debates were often held: the walls were lined with four elevated platforms for speakers to address an audience, two to either side, and was a common place for crowds to gather to discuss the news of the day, and hear what others had to say.
So it was then, as scores of ponies mingled to talk about the recent events. At a glance it seemed like this was one of the few places where life was unfolding as normal. But...
“—and stoneworks for the Sleeping Giant Mountain have been withdrawn,” the announcer concluded.
“Chisel Edge and Cloven Granite had a huge row,” Star Swirl heard a pegasus mare whisper to a unicorn stallion as he passed by behind them.
He overheard whispers as he walked: scheduled talks that were supposed to be about other things entirely had been overtaken by events, hurriedly rewritten or withdrawn, and all of them were now about the attack. Partnerships that were previously solid had fallen apart as the parties found themselves on opposing sides of an entirely new question. Things previously settled were now again in doubt.
“—of the procession of the Triumph, which has been called into question as the parliamentary schedule is disrupted,” the announcer continued. “Here to speak is Margrave Baron Whiteblood XIV.”
Star Swirl’s ears perked up and his steps halted as he heard a familiar voice begin to speak behind him. “Peers of the realm, honored and noble ponies of Everhold…” He turned to look back and saw that Blue Horn had stepped out onto one of the speakers’ platforms with an open scroll held in his magic.
Behind him stood a group of severe-looking ponies listening and watching, the kind of ponies Star Swirl had vaguely learned to recognize – from their garments, their grooming, their jewelry – as the elders of the most respected noble familiar. The kind of ponies who did not normally stand together in a group.
“I was asked today to speak in celebration of a pony who exemplifies the virtues of our armed forces. Who has demonstrated strength, courage, and resolve in the most trying of circumstances. Whose commitment to duty and unshakable will has won her the unfailing loyalty of those who serve under her, and won us the decisive victory that brought the war closer to an ending than ever before. And yet as we all know these are difficult times to celebrate.”
Blue Horn stood very straight, rigid almost, and spoke evenly and clearly, without emotion.. “Nopony can deny that Captain Hurricane deserves more honors than we can give her for her heroism, for going above and beyond the call of duty in service to her country, and showing us all what excellence the REAF strives for in every action. We also cannot deny that every word and gesture we make today is shaded by the brutality and malice we so recently witnessed.”
He nodded to the ponies standing behind him, who likewise maintained impassive faces. “My peers and I have discussed among ourselves that it feels strange to praise a soldier in the shadow of the peace talks, and of the savagery that unfolded last night. We have seen uncertainty and fear shake us, and we have discussed at length how we should respond. And we have decided to look to Captain Hurricane for our example.
“We have heard ponies say we do not yet know who is responsible for this attack. We have heard ponies say now is the time to distrust and panic. We say the opposite. We say that now is a time for clarity of vision and purpose. This callow and cowardly attack will not inspire doubt or suspicion.
“And so we say that these peace talks cannot continue under these circumstances and must immediately cease. We call for the Griffon King to immediately answer for this attack, and for his emissary to be expelled from Everhold forthwith. We call upon the Princesses to mobilize Everhold’s armies from waiting in reserve to the front lines, and to open new advances unless those responsible claim responsibility for the attack and answer for it immediately.”
There was a chorus of boos. “Will somepony shut this lunatic up?” A mare shouted from the crowd. Another shouted back, “He has a right to speak!”
Blue Horn turned to the next sheet of paper, ignoring the reactions he was getting, and continued.
“We believe this attack is an affront to ponykind, an attempt to undermine the cause of peace and to put Everhold on the back-hoof, and we reject it utterly. The peace talks cannot continue until the culprit has been brought out into the light, and all those responsible have been found and cast down.
“We do not say this lightly. The war has been long and costly, and nopony understands this better than me.” Blue Horn ran his eyes across the room, and they saw a hint of pain in his face. “My predecessor, my father, was killed by enemies of ponykind because he saw clearly the danger they posed. His voice has been missing from these peace talks. We all wanted to believe that we could reach our adversaries, and make them see reason. But we are not blind. The Princesses extended a hoof of friendship and peace, and it was rebuffed. It is time to set a new course. And we peers offer our help to the Royal Sisters, and stand ready to serve our country by leading the charge.
“What this attack has shown is that our enemies know they can’t defeat us honorably, so instead they strike us from the shadows, seek to deceive and undermine us, to split our efforts and our strength. We must not allow this. We must reject moves of war that masquerade as diplomacy. We believe that ponies, united, are stronger than any foe. We believe that it is always a mistake to doubt, or to hesitate, or to do anything but give our all and do everything we can. And if it comes to that we will continue the struggle until we reach Griffonstone itself.”
Blue Horn ended there, and immediately the hall erupted in shouts, cries of support and cries of “shame, shame” alike. Loud arguments broke out, and before Star Swirl’s eyes the hall realigned itself solely around whether ponies were for or against what they had just heard, growing more heated by the moment.
Blue Horn stood comfortably at the center, seeming undisturbed by the rising passions around him.
Star Swirl moved to turn away, but froze when another pony caught his eye: Hurricane stood by the far wall, her intense eyes thoughtful as she gazed at Blue Horn, her mouth curling up into a smile. Blue Horn noticed as well, and he raised an eyebrow to her before nodding.
The sight of it gave Star Swirl chills, and when Hurricane, seeming to notice him, shifted her eyes to look at him he quickly averted his gaze.
As Star Swirl watched it seemed to him he felt something shifting in the back of his mind, a hint of recognition. A memory stirring to wakefulness, drawn by hunger.
The Queen of the Golden Sands knew the taste of bloodlust. And Star Swirl could feel it all around him.
– – –
He hurried away from the Speakers’ Hall, rushing through the passages and up the stairs to his lab, and it was when he passed the royal guards stationed by his door that he heard the voice of Cold Wing once again saying his name.
The guards tried not to react to the sight of the wizard tensing up like he had touched an electrified wire.
“Inside,” Star Swirl grumbled, and closed the door behind them. “Well, this has been quite a day.”
“More than you know,” Cold Wing said. “I have heard from our Princess.”
Though his voice, on the surface, seemed emotionless as always, something in his tone made Star Swirl extra wary. “What is it?”
Cold Wing shifted his wings. “There was a meeting.”
“The assassin is in custody,” Celestia said. “We will proceed with the talks as planned.”
“Are you mad?” Luna asked. “That dog did not get in here by herself. Her accomplices are still lurking and we don’t know what else they may do!”
“What they want is to prevent us from making peace,” Celestia said. “I will not allow them to succeed.”
“And yet you are helping them to do so! We must secure Everhold before we can continue. Resuming talks now will only give them more chances to attack!”
“I have considered all of this, Lulu. But the longer we wait the more unstable the situation becomes. I have spoken to Lady Gale and she agrees. I will announce the resumption of talks to the court immediately.”
“You have spoken to—” Luna cut herself off, glowering. “So be it. Know that I will have my agents continue their investigation unimpeded.”
“Of course. Let them do as they please.”
Luna stalked off towards the door, paused as she gripped the handle, and glanced back at Celestia, her eyes narrowing. “You are making a mistake, sister,” she said in a low voice. “This tragedy is not over yet. A grim wind is blowing. I can feel it in my feathers.”
“You always had a flair for the dramatic,” Celestia said. “Let your ponies go about their business, Lulu. We will show the world the strength of our dominion. This coward hiding in the shadows won’t stop the peace.”
“If the culprit means to strike again they will act quickly,” Cold Wing said. “We must find them first.”
“We’re running out of time,” Star Swirl muttered. “Alright, so what do we know? Some creature is trying to sabotage the peace talks. Who would want to do that?”
“Many,” Cold Wing said. “Perhaps Griffon King Blaze has not given up on retaking the lands the Empire ruled two hundred years ago, but needs to claim a just cause.”
“And kill his own ambassador?”
“There is little love lost between the Griffon King and his nobles,” Cold Wing said. “Or the reverse: perhaps his underlings want to weaken him and push him off the throne. Perhaps some other power entirely wants to see ponies and griffons kill each other, like Dragons, or Minotaurs...”
“Or gorgons,” Star Swirl muttered.
“Or perhaps someone closer to home. Perhaps one of the Princesses wants to plant the flag of Everhold in the heart of Griffonstone itself.”
Star Swirl grimaced. “That's absurd.”
“Or,” Cold Wing continued in his flat, unreadable voice, “perhaps somepony in Everhold wants the Princesses to fail.”
Neither of them spoke for a few seconds, the idea hanging in the air. “A plot against the Princesses?”
“It would not be the first time,” Cold Wing said.
“Who would do that?” Star Swirl muttered. “What kind of traitor would that be?”
Even as he said it, an image came to Star Swirl's mind of a certain pegasus soldier, and a certain unicorn noble, and he twitched.
“I sense you are beginning to understand the workings of the Court.” Cold Wing turned away. “Return to the artifacts, wizard. See what you can learn, and tell her Highness. I will find out what happened here. Find out, and...”
“Bring it out into the light?” Star Swirl suggested.
“Light,” Cold Wing growled. “Light is shallow. Light shows only surfaces and illusions. In the dark, everything is what it is. Nothing more, nothing else.” He flexed his bladed wings. “I will bring it out into the dark.”
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Daedalus Aegle · 163k words · 582 14 · 13k views
- TDR · 425k words · 300 11 · 3.1k views
- DeathFox4 · 2.3k words · 22 4 · 806 views
- Croswynd · 13k words · 40 1 · 755 views
- Winter Solstice · 14k words · 43 3 · 1.8k views
- NorsePony · 21k words · 241 12 · 3k views
- JustAnotherTimeLord · 2.8k words · 84 18 · 11k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.152 seconds
Total duration
964 users online
139,295 hits today, 2,314,256 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
It's a good thing this is a prequel, otherwise I'd be worried Star Swirl would discard his morality entirely to meet his objectives. I'm liking how you're developing the intrigue here, with Gladys as an enigmatic wildcard.
I'm a bit worried that Star Swirl has painted a target on himself by inspecting that coin. Not that I doubt he'll figure out how to handle it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned messy, especially if/when he gets closer to finding who is on the other side.
Alternatively, perhaps the other side could be... conveniently relocated. Certainly would be a nice way to ratchet up tensions even more.
I'm really curious what's up with Gladys. I get the feeling her initial interruption wasn't just coincidental timing, and her other abilities appear to be quite unique. I'm half surprised Star Swirl didn't try to inspect the painting while he was talking with her, but I suppose he had other things on his mind (not to mention I'd imagine he'd be really shaken by having his thoughts repeated to him verbatim; I feel like he'd probably have his mind under some pretty strong wards, at least).
The White Knight's last quote is rather ominous considering what happened at the end there. I'm not sure I want to know what would end up worse than a multi-year costly war that seems to be rather unpopular (?) at the moment.
The scene with the sisters is fantastically written. I really can't tell how much of this is Luna thrashing in the deep end of the political pool and how much is an overly idealistic Celestia disregarding everything her sister says out of hoof. It really feels like both are in the wrong; it's not easy to strike that balance.
Gladys is certainly interesting. I didn't know party griffons were a thing. Good to see her catch Star Swirl before he swan-dived down that slippery slope.
Easy, Lily. You don't have to load all the foreshadowing into one paragraph.
Ah, irony. A shame Star Swirl hasn't devised a way to detect it. Yet.
Amazing how his brains didn't leak out his ears from that particular bit of cognitive dissonance. And the one about how the best answer to undermining the cause of peace is to end the talks... My goodness, his entire head ought to have sublimated into a pink mist.
And by trying to break down the artifacts to their finest details, Star Swirl is missing the valuable information he's already uncovered. The coin is a masterpiece of arcane engineering made using techniques he's familiar with. All signs point to it being of unicorn manufacture, yet it is unheard of. Either the assassin's handler robbed a reclusive genius or is a reclusive genius, which all but confirms that a unicorn is involved. And the griffons, presumably, are not.
Of course, I have the unfair advantage of already knowing the solution. And some of the inferences involve an understanding of social dynamics that Star Swirl neither has nor particularly wants. This is coming to a head, and I'm not sure how disastrous it will turn out to be. Especially with those nasty whispers of Luna circulating through Everhold. Gladys has the right idea; this place really needs a fool. Eagerly looking forward to more.
10626632 10626743 10627529
Thanks for reading, guys.
This chapter, like its predecessor, presented a lot of challenges. Curse me for a fool for deciding to write a storyline dedicated entirely to the things Star Swirl finds most challenging, because those are the same things I find most challenging and it turns out that actually makes it hard to write about them
At the end of the process I was just utterly exhausted. Which is a shame, because there's a lot of stuff I love in this chapter (like Gladys. All must love Gladys), and when it was finished I was not in any frame of mind to enjoy them
Which is why this one got posted without an accompanying blog, as I usually do it.
Ahem. Sorry for whining, I just needed to get that off my chest. This story is a labor of love, and it turns out love can be exhausting. So again, thanks for reading.
I absolutely adore that last bit!
Also adorable is Gladys, a true and proper fool! I lament that the show's writers (mostly) didn't understand that time-honored dynamic. An archetypal fool can take one's breath away, a fool with no wisdom behind her is merely annoying.
I keep expecting Fitzchivalry to show up in this story. Robin would be proud!
Oh my god I am way too late to the party! I should really turn on email notifications.
Ame demasiado esta historia, me gustaría saber como siguen los acontecimientos es demasiado buena 🗿🚬