22 - Debriefing
“All that really happened?”
Broad Sword and Shining Armor were waiting in the guard barracks of Canterlot Castle as they had been instructed to by Princess Luna. While they were there, Scarlet Snow and Valiant Snow had arrived to greet their respective husband and father. Valiant was busy in the corner examining a bunch of guard equipment with a look of awe on his young face, and while he was doing that both Shining Armor and Broad Sword had told Scarlet everything that had occurred on their mission, leaving the former EUP mare in a state of disbelief.
“Believe it,” Broad Sword responded. “It was a nasty situation. Nothing went according to plan in any way.”
“But… it could still be considered a success. We did what we went out to do,” Shining Armor pointed out. “Despite the cost.”
“Sometimes the cost it too great,” Broad Sword muttered. “Queen Twilight is not doing well.”
Shining’s face fell. “Yeah, I know. I don’t like being left behind, now of all times.”
“Why did she do that?” Scarlet enquired. “Doesn’t that seem a little odd to you? I mean, wasn’t the whole point of bringing ponies to begin with because we can’t be infected with whatever is happening to the changelings?”
“It was,” Shining Armor confirmed. “But Twilight was adamant. I wasn’t meant to be here anyway, and she wanted to waste no time in reporting back to the other Changeling Queens.”
“You have to admit though, it is a little odd,” Broad Sword voiced his opinion. “She even left her assistant, Spike, behind. She NEVER goes anywhere without him.”
“He was sent to gather her friends, nothing odd about that.”
Broad Sword shook his head. “Perhaps. But rush or not, just bypassing Princess Celestia and heading back without even seeing her first also seems rather off for her, you know how close those two are.”
Shining went to retort, but it died in his throat. The more he thought about it, the stranger it did indeed become. He could easily understand leaving him, and even Spike, behind but Celestia was a different story. Twilight, even in a rush, would always defer to Equestria. She could have headed straight to Draco’s hive, but she went to Celestia first. It didn’t make sense to ignore the Princess of the Sun now.
“It is odd,” Shining admitted. “But it’s done. I think we just have to trust that she knows what she’s doing.”
Broad Sword grumbled. “Nothing about any of this gives me a good feeling.”
“Nothing about what?” Valiant asked, the colt having re-joined the group after he finished ogling at the armour.
“Nothing for you to worry about, honey,” Scarlet stated with a small smile directed at her son.
Valiant pouted. “Aww, but I wanted to know!”
“Sometimes, when being a guard, you have to work on despite not being told everything,” Broad Sword stated. “And you do want to be a guard, right?”
Valiant’s eyes immediately brightened and the young pony nodded enthusiastically, earning a round of chuckles from the rest of the group. He didn’t quite know why the older ponies where chuckling, but as a future guard he now knew that sometimes you had to work on despite not being told everything, so he didn’t question it.
As the amusement brought on from her overly eager son died down, Scarlet sighed. “So, how long is Vladimir meant to be?”
“They wanted to check him out, give him fresh bandages and the likes. They’d probably keep him in MUCH longer if Princess Luna hadn’t wanted them to be quick about it,” Shining explained. “Aside from the missing wing though, he was doing well. Anything else can be quite easily mended via some good sleep and rest.”
“The wing will need replacing,” Broad Sword pointed out. “But I don’t think he will complain to having a metal one.”
“Can I have a metal wing when I’m older?” Valiant asked.
“No!” Scarlet and Broad Sword both shouted simultaneously.
Valiant huffed, falling back on his haunches and crossing his forelegs. His parents simply rolled their eyes in response, but knew he’d get over it quickly enough.
“Anyway…” Shining Armor continued on. “Once Vladimir is here we need to report to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. We have a lot to tell them.”
“I’m so honoured I got to hear it before the princesses,” Scarlet sarcastically commented, swiping her tail along her husband’s torso with a sultry smirk on her face. “It just goes to show how important I am to my big brave Captain of the Royal Guard.”
Broad Sword blushed, his son making gagging motions to communicate his childish disgust at the display. Scarlet could only stifle a fit of laughter at her family’s actions, her own definitely having the desired effect. Shining Armor, for his part, simply snorted in amusement at the alabaster mare’s teasing.
“And this is why it’s never a good idea to have you in the same room as Cadance,” the Prince commented. “We’d never survive.”
“Aww, you scared of your wife, your highness?” Scarlet now turned her teasing towards the Prince of the Crystal Empire.
Shining Armor rubbed the back of his head. “I am right now, after what I did.”
“And so you should.”
“Alright honey, that’s enough,” Broad Sword declared. “Sorry Shining, now she’s not soldiering about and, as Valiant would put it, ‘beating up the bad guys’ she has to find new targets to combat, it a bit more verbally than physically. Thank Celestia for that.”
“Because Mum was a really super awesome hero who served the princesses in the EUP!” Valiant added in. “Just as Dad does now, only in the Royal Guard.”
“They’re both good role models. Most of the time,” Shining commented. “Flurry Heart more so looks up to Twilight as a role model. I remember her fifth birthday, where she asked if she was old enough to become a Changeling Queen.”
“But Flurry is an alicorn,” Valiant noted in confusion. “She’s not a changeling.”
“Valiant, when you were four you said you wanted to be a rocket ship.”
“I did not!”
“Point is, children say odd things sometimes,” Shining Armor stated. “We of course explained why that isn’t possible, though Twilight was of no help.”
Scarlet raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Being as much a doting aunt as she is, she often goes along with Flurry Heart’s fantasies. One time, when Twilight was foalsitting her over at the Equestrian Hive shortly after said fifth birthday, my sister let Flurry Heart sit on her throne and ‘give commands’ to her drones for a little while. Such commands included ‘brings me books’ and ‘all the sweets’. At least Twily overruled the latter one.”
Scarlet chuckled. “Well, as her aunt it is her job to spoil the filly. What did the drones think of her ‘commands’?”
“Adorable,” he simply responded. “At least according to what Scorpion told me.”
And just like that, at the mention of the recently deceased changelings, the mood plummeted. The following silence was deafening to those who knew about Scorpion’s fate, while Valiant was just confused even more as to why the grownups were suddenly sad.
“A bad time?” Vladimir asked as he entered the room, his stump having been cleaned and wrapped in new pristine white bandages.
“Vladimir,” Broad Sword greeted. “How’s the wing? Or lack thereof, at least.”
“Itches,” Vladimir responded. “But aside from that, I’m fine. A little tired after all of what happened, but nothing sleep won’t help. Doctors probably would have kept me longer though if not for Princess Luna.”
Shining smirked, glancing at Scarlet. “Told you.”
“Anyway,” Vladimir continued. “I think the princesses want to see us now.”
Shining Armor and Broad Sword nodded, the latter turning to his family. The stallion made some quick farewells to his wife and son, who were to stay in the barracks and wait for Broad Sword until he was finished where they would then immediately head on home afterwards. After he had spoken to them he followed Vladimir and Shining Armor out the door and the three long-time friends and brother in arms began to head up to the study where Princess Luna had stated she and her sister would be. Going up to Celestia’s study felt like going up to the head teacher’s office in a high school. Of course Shining Armor knew all too well from Twilight that, in an alternate reality, she was one. That thought didn’t help, and they seemed to end up in her study often, though that was probably because it’s where she would hold all her private meetings.
There was some idle chatter on the way there, mostly about what kind of prosthetic Vladimir would receive, but nothing substantial. The journey itself didn’t seem to take all that long, and soon enough they found themselves once again at Celestia’s study where they were quickly admitted entrance. As they did enter, they found Celestia and Luna deep in discussion; that conversation, however, came to a quick end once the three stallions made themselves known.
“Ah, my little ponies, welcome,” Celestia greeted with her usual motherly outlook. “How are you all? Especially you, Vladimir.”
“We’re all fine,” Vladimir responded. “I could be better, but I’m dealing with it.”
“So I see,” Celestia said, humming slightly as she examined his bandaged stump from her position behind her desk. “I would not worry about expenses for a prosthetic. I know limb actuators are expensive, but my sister and I will pay it all for you.”
Vladimir’s eyes widened. “Y-your highnesses, that’s not necessary.”
“You are the Captain of my Royal Guard,” Luna spoke up. “And you lost your wing in the line of duty, it is only proper that one be provided to you with no expense to you personally. It is not up for debate.”
Vladimir’s mouth gaped open and closed like a goldfish for a moment, before he bowed his head. “Thank you, I greatly appreciate it.”
“No thanks are necessary, Captain. As I said, it is only proper.
“Might I ask, when can I expect it?”
“Soon,” Celestia stated, picking up a folder on her desk with her magic and levitating it over to Vladimir. “This is the pony who shall craft it, one of the best in the profession as I understand it.”
Vladimir opened up the file and looked at the photograph of the pony inside. His wing was to be fitted by a guy, according to the file, by the name of Circuit Breaker. He was a Pegasus stallion with a blue coat and neon-green/light blue mane. His cutie mark, which was shown clearly in the file, was three gears getting struck by one bolt of electricity.
“I’m sure he will do a good job of it,” Vladimir said.
“As are we,” Celestia agreed. “And of course there is room for suggestion by you, and what you want from your new wing.”
“There is, eh?” Vladimir hummed in though, he already had a feature in mind that he would have added in to his prosthetic.
“But enough about that,” Celestia continued on. “Tell us everything. From the moment you left Canterlot all the way until you returned to us.”
And so they did. Celestia and Luna simply listened intently and patiently. They told them the exact same story they told Scarlet, however this version of it contained far more detail to give their rulers the best grasp of the situation as possible. They told of their crash landing, and the losses they suffered as a result. They told of the wolves and dragon, what they found at the hive, the encounter with the Ursa Major in the mines and finally the fate of Queen Draco herself. By the time the three were finished, the alicorns looked rather grave indeed.
“Draco’s death is most regrettable,” Luna stated when the stallions had finally finished talking. “Both as Twilight Sparkle’s friend, and as a voice for furthering relations between the changelings and Equestria.”
“Speaking of Twilight,” Celestia continued on from where Luna left off. “For here to bypass meeting with me altogether, even in a hurry, is unlike her. She came to us before heading north because she knew that ponies are unaffected by this blight. And yet she leaves without so much as a word or ask for further assistance.”
“Perhaps she feels responsible for all the deaths that occurred, and doesn’t want any more lives spent for her sake?” Luna suggested. “She might also feel that we’re unneeded at the Council Hive.”
“The latter I doubt,” Celestia stated. “But the former theory does sound like her. Tell me, did you notice anything off about Twilight when you were returning home?”
The three stallions looked between one another, and in the end it was Shining Armor who stepped forwards to speak.
“She was… damaged, I think that’s a good word to describe it. Do you recall how she was when Chrysalis died?”
That, as her sudden flinch conveyed, Celestia had memories of that she would rather forget.
“You have no right to criticize me, Princess,” Twilight growled.
“Twilight?” Celestia whispered.
“You’re the one who decided to send six teenagers to deal with your mess. To redeem a sister who was only like she was because you neglected her! You sent those same teenagers to deal with Discord for you as well, and when it came down to it you didn’t even realise your own ‘niece’ had been replaced by a changeling! Before I knew who she was, I was momentarily suspicious, had I acted on those suspicions and tried to expose her I doubt you, being as engrossed in the wedding as you were, would have believed me!”
“How could you say that? Of course I would have!”
“Really?” Twilight asked doubtfully. “It must be so nice being you, sitting so high up on your throne while sending others to do your dirty work, keeping your pristine image so nice and squeaky clean!”
“She was… that bad?” Celestia asked carefully.
“Near enough,” Shining responded with a sigh. “She’s taken Draco’s death, along with the deaths of Scorpion and the others, really hard. It’s all taken a toll on her. But she was resolute, determined to stop the one behind all this, which is why she’s sent Spike for her friends.”
Celestia closed her eyes, and deep in thought for a moment. “She has already left the city?”
“Yes, sister,” Luna stated. “She wasted no time in moving on.”
“Then there is no chance in stopping her and changing her mind… Damn.” Celestia stood up and rounded the desk, coming into position next to her younger sister. “It seems it’s out of our hooves for now, but I will be keeping a close eye on her changelings at the embassy. Should she need help, I want to be there personally. This has become far too serious a situation, and I fear for her.”
“As do I,” Shining admitted. “I’ll be staying here for that very reason.”
Celestia nodded. “Fair enough. I’ve already asked Cadance to bring Flurry Heart and come to Canterlot anyway.”
Shining Armor paled. “Y-you… have?”
“Yes. We may need her help in the future, and I also understand you need a long discussion once she arrives?” Shining made a strangled squeak, suddenly feeling faint. But, in the end, he had to face the music sometime.
“How… long until she gets here?”
“Luckily for you, she has some business to finish up in the Crystal Empire first,” Luna stated sternly. “A week at maximum. She wishes she could be here sooner, but our duties are most taxing at times.”
“Even with three of you, ruling a country must be busy work,” Vladimir commented. “Are we finished here?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes, for now. Go rest, I believe I shall have need of you again soon enough.”
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i think twilgiht is crouptived,
Poor Twi...
*grips tightly to my buttocks* Ready, Captain!
Wow... When your reading a story and you know more about what's going on than the characters, and you just want to scream at them what's going on but you're not Pinkie Pie so they can't hear you... Seriously ponies! Twilight not acting like herself after she comes to a close encounter with a changeling mind control device... That screams, OH CRAP, I THINK TWILIGHT IS BEING HIVE MIND CONTROLLED...
and just for good measure
On a happier note... I'm glad that Princess Celestia and Luna aren't out of the story yet, I keep saying this, but I like where this story is going
8069199 Not yet, but she is on the way to being corrupted. Her emotions are not only severely clouding her jugdement but also it's weakening her ability to even realize that she is on the road to Tartarus.
Viable update detected. Returning up vote previously lost due to April Fool's Day update.
8069510 You removed an upvote because of that? I was always going to release today's chapter as normal ya know.
I'm glad they at least NOTICED that Twilight is acting off, but it's still wildly stupid of them to just write it off and not be at all cautious about it considering what they know of the situation.
I CAN'T HOLD ALL THESE FACEPALMS.
8069537
Given that I gut punched someone over an April Fool's Day prank once...
Look, I just have a Zero Tolerance policy when it comes to this day. A one-day downvote is mild, all things considered. There are a few fics I'm tracking that haven't updated since last April Fool's Day. Those downvotes aren't going anywhere.
*firmly grasps butt*
this chapter is a grate chapter.
it is a filler of back story and at the same time is setting up things to come.
yep this is going to get interesting.
8069752
1) They trust her.
2) The regalia IS inert... for the most part. (What's happened to Twilight happened during the fight)
3) Her actions are easily explainable by her emotional state, they've seen what she gets like when she loses someone close to her.
4) She's already gone, even if they wanted to stop her that's not really an option now. Stopping a pissed off Changeling Queen is always easier said than done anyway.
. . .
I think the Regalia is affecting Twilight. Maybe not direct control like what happened with Draco, but more like influencing her decisions.
Things getting intense ... *Holds my butt*
I know of one other pony good with making prosthetics: http://askcoppercog.tumblr.com/
8070372 That seems... very childish. (The down vote thing, not the gut punch thing, seeing as I have 0 context). I also don't know how you see a temporary down vote for an April fools day joke as mild. If anything, it's an extreme reaction to an expected outcome.
I'll echo the thought that it feels like a few more dots should have been connected, but can let it slide for now. At least they mentioned something.
(Pulls hat down over face)
putting some chips on Vlad being a changeling
Enjoy that week Shining, cuz you're a dead man when Cadance finally gets her hoofs on you
Poor Twilight. It can be good to hurry, but sometimes rushing too fast can be detrimental too...