CH 36.2 Dark Orders
Noble Guide just restrained his magic from slamming the door to his study. Even now he knew he had to maintain his assumed identity, he had to pretend nothing was wrong.
Each movement, each breath assaulted him, trying to tear a scream from his throat. He would not, he could not let there be any sound that might call his loyal staff.
His hooves failed him, his world tilted. Protesting muscles convulsed rebelling less than a full stride from his objective. Gravity asserted its dominance over his flesh.
Thump.
His head crashed in the side of the desk, the impact adding an insignificant extra spike of pain to his current torment.
Panting, his face slid down the expensive wood, his wreck of a body slumped, sprawling gracelessly out on the floor.
His eyes tried to focus on the side of the desk, he had almost made it. His salvation, his relief was right there. The vial was in the top locked draw, it was so close and yet so far.
Screwing his eyes closed, he concentrated, forcing with every scrap of clarity his determination could drag from his pained existence. He knew this would only get worse. His suffering would only increase with each moment.
His horn lit, the tingling of his magic felt like broken glass ripping into him. He clenched his jaw, stifling the scream that built in his chest. The feather-light key felt as heavy as the cursed moon as it trembled in his aura missing the lock again and again.
Three attempts, four, five, each missing and failing to find purchase in the keyhole. Focusing, staring, resolving the world around him, he locked his eyes on the defiant key with all his willpower. A roar of rage competed with his cries of agony in its desperation to be voiced. The key was upside down, rotating it, his sixth attempt finally got the key home.
Ripping the drawer open, it thudded onto the ground, messily parted from the desk. Dozens of vails clinked and clattered inside. His magic eagerly snatched one, discarding the cork and bringing it to his lips.
The bitter concoction assaulted his senses. Normally he could barely stand it, right now it tasted divine. The revolting mixture, that was the Zebrican imported potion, sizzled and crackled as he greedily gulped it down.
He closed his eyes and waited, trying to keep his body from tearing itself apart with the violent convulsions that started to torment his limbs.
As the seconds turned into minutes, his pain slowly faded and finally, blessedly, receded into nothing. His body stilled, and his breathing settled to normal, no longer the pained, ragged gasps it had been.
He opened his eyes, the faintest of blissful smiles on his muzzle. Minutes passed with him simply relishing the relief of being free from the tormenting pain.
He stretched his neck one way, then the other, feeling the tension of the day releasing. Carefully, his aura lifted the drawer full of, thankfully intact, vails and slotted it back into the desk.
Damn all those petty nobles to Tartarus. He would have been here hours ago if not for them. What on Equus had they done to attract Princess Twilight’s wrath? More than a dozen nobles missing. In one case, almost an entire family was just gone. If he looked out of his window, he would still be able to see one of his neighbours’ estates empty. It was still surrounded by an invisible and impenetrable shield placed there by Twilight’s incredible magic.
His body shook as he carefully rose to his hooves. His eyes focused on the drawer, considering. He needed an excuse, a reason to carry one of those vails on him. Yet he could not think of a valid reason to have an illegally potent pain suppressing potion.
Opening the drawer next to it, he retrieved a healing potion and tipped it into a wine glass. At least this was a unicorn potion, crafted here in Canterlot for the nobility. This one tasted far more palatable, with a pleasant hint of lemon and mint. Adding some carbonated water to it, you could have quite a profitable summer drink.
He settled down in his chair, assessing the papers before him. A few bits of paperwork were out of place, and his inkpot had fallen over, a few drops escaping from its loose stopper.
His aura reached out and righted his desktop, and he lifted the day’s newspaper in his hooves. Ignoring the headlines, half praising and half damning Princess Twilight, he turned to the personal adverts.
Eyes rapidly scanning the text, he found what he was looking for, a request for help from a particular address. An injured pegasus in Cloudsdale, unable to fly, was seeking live-in assistance. They needed to be fun-loving, like the rain and be happy with spicey food. Pay would be room, board and twenty-five bits a day.
So Project Dark Cloud would be ready in twenty-five hours. It would be a little more destructive than he had hoped. It was regrettable, but it had to be done. The Nightguard and Luna had to be kept busy chasing cultists all around Equestria as he furthered his plan. Every unfortunate death he caused was just one more necessary sacrifice, one more part of the price to give Equestria the ruler it deserved, that it needed.
A small sip of the healing potion set about mending his torn and sprained muscles. He knew he could not feel the pain, but the spreading soothing warmth let him know where the magic was working. He silently promised himself he would not leave things this late again, no matter the social consequences of leaving early or even missing a meeting.
He retrieved a blank parchment and started writing a letter, thanking a Miss Silver Lining for her thoughtful questions and donations for cuddly toys and blankets for homeless foals. Carefully drying the ink and placing the letter in his outbox, he knew his coded orders would be carried out, the Cloudsdale operation would commence.
If only Twilight had not escaped, had not proven to be so capable, none of this would have been necessary. He would already be the Alicorn he was meant to be. He would not have to put up with the useless, arrogant, selfish foals that made up most of the nobility.
Yet another piece of parchment settled before him as he began to write a letter asking his contact with the reporters for any and all information about what Princess Twilight had been up to yesterday.
His quill continued working almost without any attention, he looked once more of the reports of Blueblood’s activity. He shook his head, so much effort and resources wasted. He had been sure that Blueblood had been the ideal scapegoat. That the shadow parisite spell would have made him the perfect tool. It had seemed to be working flawlessly for the first day. Unfortunately, his investment had turned out to be a waste. Blueblood’s idea of rebelling was to stop being a tribalist jerk.
A dark chuckle escaped him. What did it say about the nobility, that when one was magically compelled to rebel, they became a better pony? He could still give Blueblood direct orders, but he had no control over how he would act on them.
“I need somepony else…” His muttered to himself. Unfortunately, most of the ponies her would have chosen had vanished, whisked away to stars knew where by Twilight’s magic.
He considered the ponies that had stormed out of the private meeting. They each were determined to give the what they called the ‘Upstart-Princess-that-did-not-know-her-place’ a piece of their minds and demand the return of the missing nobles.
He rotated the quill in his aura. Yes, if any of them returned, they would do. He would need for them to travel away from Canterlot to have one of his minions make some adjustment to there minds. The shadow parasite spell had not proven a remotely reliable tool so he would have to uses his traditional methods of deception and normal mind control.
His mind flicked back to Blueblood, perhaps he would still be of use. The now ‘good’ Blueblood could find out about the ‘mastermind’ and inform one of the princesses about it. He would have to rearrange his plans again, but it was an extra degree of separation for himself.
He spent a few more minutes writing another letter to set things in motion before turning to the other paperwork. Being a competent noble that wanted to improve things in the world was proving to be a lot of work. It was as if much of the whole system Celestia had in place was made to keep the nobles form being able to achieve anything. Upon reflection with how selfish and useless most of them were, it was not entirely a bad thing, despite how much more work it made for the few good ponies in their ranks.
‘Only’ four hours later, he had a long relaxing bath and retired early for the day.
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oh... well this was short... everything alright?
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Just a short catch up with Noble Guide before going back to Twilight for the next Chapter. Thank you for the concern :)
So that thing is part of Noble's plan. Just not going to plan......there is alot of that in this fic.
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So he gave blue blood a “Nightmare“?
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The only question now is whether what blueblood has is just the effects of the 'shadow parasite' spell or whether it served as a sort of gateway for something else that superceded it.
HA HA HA HA! What an interaction! It's a strong reminder of why indirect compulsion charms are a fundamentally inexact business, but still! Such a marvelous conflict of ethics this is going to cause!
Credit to Noble for maintaining the role to the hilt, I wonder if his ruthless nature makes him more or less productive in that regard? And for that matter, I wonder if the system is a reaction to the nobles, or are the nobles a reaction to the system? Or is it both? I'd wager Celestia doesn't even remember where it started.
Interestingly, Noble Guide never mentioned this shadow parasite having a name. Even if Platinum Check came from him, there still may have been some interference which lead to her independance. If that's the case, his attempt to give a direct order could fail completely, leading to some interesting results.
Hello once again dear readers. This reporter would like to make a correction on a previous news story. New reports have confirmed that the BCC's private security force has in fact apprehended several nobles in connection with the recent crime wave and is now holding them in a classified location. Previously we have reported that no nobles have been arrested. The remaining
anti-free market foolsnobles are demanding the immediate release of all those apprehended. In response, the BCC has made an official statement saying "come at us bro". Currently, it is not clear what treatment the apprehended criminals are receiving or when, if ever, they will be released. This reporter frankly doesn't care, and is happy with the removal of any and all threats to our beloved free market.Dear Noble Guide, any time your plan for a "better future, with a leader the country deserves" involves violence you deliberately have instigated, that's generally a sign that your actions are actually NOT good at all.
A highly amusinhg twist on why Blueblood is suddenly acting nicer.
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An interesting addiontal point to that, that Noble Guide seems to have overlooked, is that Blueblood, instead of rebelling against the nobles making him act better, is instead rebelling against Celestia. If he wasn't very specific on WHO to rebel against, the conflict may have come from those two carefully balanced opposing powers.
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I really hope that's what happened. That would make the story infinitely... I don't know, but I want it to be what is revealed.
I knew it! I f!*?#%g knew it! Platinum just seemed far too convenient!
So is this Project Dark Cloud what we are dealing with currently?
Ok there goes my Alicorn Theory!
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mmm, i dont think Platinum is working with the cultists, it has been awhile since i read the story so my memory is a bit fickle on everything that happened, but i think this is after Blue Blood left meaning that Platinum might be a part of someone else, maybe even a remnant that slipped off of Twilight, or one that formed from within and is actually blue bloods own creation. However I do believe that Platinum is not Evil or working for some dark force, at least, based on memory and current events up to this point.... things may change.
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She’s still far too convenient.
Even if Platinum is just a spell, hopefully she already is, or she becomes, like a fragment with a name, with her own personality. That way she can continue being a real friend to Blueblood.