Caverns & Cutie Marks: Our House Now

by TheColtTrio

Chapter 33: Princesscoltsinensinainciusol

“Twilight,” Rarity said as they walked out of Snohomare’s train station, having just teleported from Canterlot. “Do you honestly intend to comb the entire Pony North West searching for this Baelhart?”

“No,” the purple alicorn replied. “I intend to comb the entire Pony North West looking for Purple Patches and Baelhart.”

“Ah. Right. Do you have any idea where to start?” Rarity inquired. The pair strolled down the street towards the city center.

“Nope.”

Rarity sighed, rolling her eyes. “What did the receptionist say about Baelhart’s contact information or address?”

“That it was somewhere in Snohomare. Apparently, the Illustrious Senator wasn’t in office long enough for the paperwork for his past residence or credentials to be archived properly. It was still in a folder on his desk. The janitor found it as they were cleaning it out.”

“Lucky the janitor didn’t place it in the rubbish,” Rarity commented.

“It was lucky,” Twilight agreed as they came to a stop by an intersection bustling with ponies. While they waited for the traffic to subside enough to cross, Twilight pulled out the notecard the receptionist had scribbled the address on. “Fortunately for us, Baelhart’s last address was narrowed down for us to a bookstore.” She paused, frowning as she considered the note.

Rarity looked curiously at her purple companion. The traffic dwindled to several occasional carriages, but Twilight remained rooted, ignoring the world around her.

“Ah… Twilight?” Rarity prompted, gently nudging the purple mare.

“Coincidentally,” Twilight said, “it’s the same bookstore that Local Wits End lives over...”

“Really...” Rarity hummed. “Is there cause for concern? Or are you merely pointing out something purely coincidental that your overworked, paranoid brain connected between two ponies that probably haven’t met each other before?”

Twilight shot the fashionista a deadpan glare. “This is Purple Heart we’re talking about, remember?”

Rarity sniffed. “Yes, the colt that challenges your morals and perspective on a lark and has the attention span of a squirrel,” she snarked. “I know of the colt you speak of. I’m telling you, darling, you’re getting paranoid again.”

“It's not paranoia if the world’s actually out to get you,” Twilight countered. The pair trotted hurriedly through a break in traffic and strode over to a shop front filled with books.

“You really need a vacation after all this is over, dear,” Rarity commented, pushing the door open. A bell jangled overhead and a hoarse ‘welcome’ reached their ears from the back of the shop.

“At this rate, I’m thinking it will take another year or two to track down those three jerks,” Twilight huffed. A large purple earth pony stepped out from between two shelves. His golden mane and tail gave off a dull, burnished shine in the fading afternoon sun.

“Can I help you two ladies find anything?” the colt asked, adjusting his glasses as he peered down at the two mares.

Twilight blinked in surprise. “Senator Baelhart?”

Baelhart’s countenance shifted and he frowned. “Oh. It’s you. Is there something else I can help you with, princess? I’m rather busy running a shop.” Twilight and Rarity couldn’t help but look around. The three of them were the only ponies in the shop. “Very busy.”

“The last time I was here, I remember another pony helping me,” Twilight commented.

“Not very surprising,” Baelhart said. “Unlike some towns, there are cities that house occupations requiring more than one pony on its payroll. I presume it was my co-owner, Wayward Sun, you met?” At Twilight’s nod, he exhaled a snort. “As you can see, he isn’t here.”

“And where is Wayward Sun at the moment?” Rarity asked.

Baelhart arched an eyebrow. “He’s on a sabbatical down south,” he said. “Went down to the Mysterious South in hopes of finding ‘his own Sun’. Whatever that means. I just hope he stays away from the maggots. The Mysterious South is rife with them. And who knows what else lurks in the ruins of Lost Izalithoroughbred...”

“Ah… What about Mister Wits End? Does he still live upstairs?” Twilight asked. With a roll of his eyes, Baelhart turned away from the pair of mares, speaking over his shoulder as he vanished between the shelves.

“Haven’t the foggiest,” he said. “Little berk comes and goes as he pleases. He could still be up there or his paper moved him closer to their headquarters. Frankly, I don't know and don’t care.”

“Rather rude, isn’t he?” Rarity whispered.

“He would be, considering you got him fired,” Baelhart said from behind them. Rarity jolted and glared at the unrepentant purple colt. Twilight resisted the urge to slap him with her magic. Instead, she bowed her head in apology.

“It wasn’t my intention to remove you from office,” she said. “I-”

“Yes, it was,” Baelhart interrupted.

Twilight blinked, raising her head. “I can assure you that-”

“It was,” the purple colt repeated. “Granted, I’m still salty about it, but I understand why. You didn’t want to be controlled.” He shrugged. “Makes sense to me. Nopony likes being controlled. But it didn’t help you much, did it?”

“What do you mean?” Rarity asked.

“I’m guessing you thought I had an unusual amount of influence on the Panel, hmm?” At Twilight’s silent nod, Baelhart continued. “You thought that removing me from a position of power would lessen the constraints the Panel put on your and your friend.” He gestured at them with a hoof. “Didn’t work, did it? I may be out of the senate, but the Panel still exists. And it will continue to do what it has been mandated to do: reviewing and assessing the status of any situation within or without the borders of Equestria.”

Twilight stared incredulously at the ex-senator. “So are you saying that getting you out of the senate did nothing?” Rarity asked.

Baelhart shrugged. “Who knows? If you were trying to abolish the Panel, you went about doing so in the wrong way. I’m actually surprised that Celestia didn’t veto the bill that instigated its creation.” He let out a chuckle. “Come to think of it, she didn’t do that after my trial either. So much for Top Class’ ‘this is still a monarchy. Not a democracy’ line!” Twilight and Rarity glared at the colt as he laughed.

“What could I have done to remove the Panel?” Twilight ground out. “Stack the senate behind me?”

“Yes,” Baelhart deadpanned.

The two mares blinked. “Really?”

Baelhart snorted. “That’s politics. If you don’t like it, change it.” He turned and disappeared between the shelves again. Rarity looked at Twilight.

“Well? Now what?” the unicorn asked. Twilight’s response was sidelined by the bell above the door ringing in another entrant. The two mares peered around a bookshelf to see who the newcomer was.

“Mister Baelhart,” Purple Patches called, “are there any new plays for perusing yet?”

“East wall,” Baelhart replied from across the shop.

“Thank you,” Patches replied gratefully. He took a step towards the east wall only to pause as two mares blocked his way. “Ehm… Excuse me?”

“You may not be,” Rarity sniffed.

“...Excuse me please?”

“You’re Purple Patches, aren’t you?” Twilight inquired.

“Yeeeeees?” Patches replied. “Pardon me if I’m being rude, but do I know you two? Have I cast you before?”

“Thankfully, you have not,” Twilight retorted. “But you did instigate a whole public relations nightmare for us Princesses.”

“I did?” Patches blinked. Then his eyes widened with realization “You’re Princess Twilight! I’m so sorry! I didn’t recognize you! That last time I saw you, you were putting the smack down on Discord! Now you just look… really tired...”

Twilight gave the colt an eye-twitching deadpan stare and rubbed at the bags under her eyes. “I’m a little stressed right now,” she admitted. “And your show had a small part in making me stressed.”

“Oh… My apologies then,” Patches said, edging around the two mares. “I suggest a nice hibernation. A week or so of uninterrupted sleep can do wonders for you.”

“Would if I could!” the purple alicorn snapped. “I’ve been spending the last few months trying to find these three idiotic colts that have somehow combined with three irritating villains from a game of all things that Discord happened to make years ago! I’ve been having little to no luck at tracking them down and now there’s all this madness happening in Equestria with Blueblood being made regent only to trip and fall on his face so that his butler becomes regent and there’s problems with bandits in the north AND we’ve been invaded by ALICORNS for Celestia’s sake AND I just really need a vacation from all this STUPIDITY!” She stopped, panting for breath as she glared at Purple Patches and Baelhart peeking at her from behind a shelf.

Twilight swallowed, ignoring Rarity’s wide-eyed stare. “So yes, a week-long hibernation would be glorious, but I’m a little busy keeping Equestria from being inundated with problems and I’m sort of failing right now!”

The shop was silent but for Twilight’s heavy breathing as the last words of her rant rattled around the two colts’ skulls.

Two more beats of silence passed. Then Baelhart turned to Purple Patches. “I think she needs some fresh, clear, well seasoned perspective,” he muttered quietly. Unfortunately, his words were not nearly as quiet as he hoped.

Twilight snapped.

With a shriek of pure frustration, twin lances of harsh purple light strobed out from her horn and smote the two colts square in their chests. Baelhart and Purple Patches let out a harmonious squawk of surprise that ceased as they each disintegrated into clouds of green strings.

Twilight and Rarity blinked in stunned silence. The strings hanging in the air dissipated slowly as they cascaded gently downwards. All vanished before either mare spoke.

“Twilight,” Rarity said. “What did you just do?”

“I... uh...” Twilight licked her lips and swallowed. “I think I may have overreacted.”

“Clearly.” Rarity paused for a beat. “Was that what the spell was supposed to do?”

Twilight didn’t respond. She was still staring at the two scorch marks on the carpet.

“Twilight?” Rarity prompted.

“Hmm?”

“Was that what the spell was supposed to do?” Rarity repeated.

“Ah… No...” Twilight replied, stepping forward to peer at one of the scorch marks.

“What was it then?” Rarity asked. The white unicorn rolled her eyes and tapped Twilight on the shoulder when the other mare didn’t respond.

“It was supposed to shock them,” Twilight explained. “Just a minor… shock...” Her voice petered out.

Rarity stepped around to scrutinize her friend’s profile. “Twi dear? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just thinking...”

“About… what?”

“How they both vanished. It seems familiar. Almost like I’ve seen it before somewhere...”

Rarity looked back at the scorched carpet, brow furrowed in rumination. “Threads… Green strings… Like what Purple Heart said Bael’s remains were at the end of the game?” she asked.

Twilight perked up. “Yes!” she crowed, turning to grab Rarity by the shoulders. “And when we fought Grim Hammer that time!”

Rarity recoiled, causing the purple alicorn to drop her forehooves back to the floor. “You mean when he cloned himself?”

Twilight shook her head vigorously. “Like when Bael cloned them!”

“Bael?” Rarity frowned in confusion. “You mean they were controlled by Bael or Bael made clones of Grim Hammer?”

“Exactly!”

“...I think you’ve lost me, darling.”

Twilight didn’t even bat an eyelash and strode deeper into the shop. “Bael had the interesting ability of creating and directly controlling entities he made,” she called over her shoulder. “Specifically, he controlled Grim Hammer during Purple Heart’s fight in the Coliseum and the clones of Grim Hammer when we got into the castle of Gallopilli.”

Rarity hummed thoughtfully, brow furrowed as she thought back to what Twilight was referring too. “Okay, I’m following.”

Twilight reappeared around a bookshelf, a closed sign bobbing before her as she walked over to the front window of the shop. “Also consider Heart Burn, the kid Bael possessed in the Canterlot High world.”

Rarity blinked. Twilight set about placing the closed sign in the window, waiting for her companion’s response. Several seconds of silence passed and Twilight turned to see a blank look on Rarity’s face.

“Oh,” Twilight realized. “Did I not tell you about that?”

“If you had, darling,” Rarity said, “it was probably lost in the furor of trying to summon the colts to Equestria.”

“Which just so happens to lead directly to the next part of my theory,” Twilight said triumphantly. Rarity’s soft question of ‘how’ was lost in the purple alicorn’s continued speech. “Sunset appeared while I was reading in my castle and promptly went into hysterics about the colts and the villains being pulled towards a portal. Thinking quickly, I asked to use the mirror so that Sunset and I could get back to Canterlot High. We had to wait for three days.”

Rarity frowned. “Was there a waiting list for the mirror?”

“Yes. But that’s not important. What’s important is that the colts and the villains went into the portal,” Twilight continued. “Mister Holdfast and Heart Burn popped up after a little while, seemingly unharmed and completely oblivious to recent events. Just Duty, however, didn’t reappear.”

Rarity’s frown deepened. “So… you were saying earlier that Heart Burn was possessed by Bael? Is that the same as what happened with Mister Holdfast?”

Twilight shook her head, a wide grin on her face. “No, much better. Discord took the Holdfast from the game and shoved it into the Local Holdfast. He told me so himself.”

Rarity arched an eyebrow at her friend. “Really...” she drawled. Twilight’s grin went a little stiff and she coughed.

“Anyways, I’m thinking that the essence of Bael, Holdfast, and Just Duty went with the colts to wherever they ended up. Which happened to be Limbo,” Twilight said.

“Ahuh… And when you tried to summon the colts to Equestria, you accidentally got the villains and the colts mixed up?” Rarity inquired.

Twilight’s smile vanished with a wince and she nodded. “I think so.”

“So your theory is that the colts have merged with their villains?”

“Yes.”

“...I can’t really argue with that. It actually makes sense.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Twilight preened.

“Now what?” Rarity asked.

Twilight balked. “...Um… We go back to Canterlot to see if Beekler Alfreeves is another clone or the actual Purple Heart?”

Rarity shrugged. “Sounds plan-like.” She froze. “I’m not sure how much I like using the colts’ vernacular…”

“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem,” Twilight said. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine. “Yeh-” Shiver, “-I can agree with that.”

* * *

A sharp crack split the air as two mares burst into existence in an opulently decorated room, accompanied by a bright flash of purple light. Then the room returned to silent darkness. The silence was promptly broken again when a chair tipped over and let out a loud clatter as it struck the floor.

“What the buck!” Rarity swore, shaking an invisible hoof.

“Quiet!” Twilight hissed. “And be careful!” The alicorn murmured under her breath and the lights of the room flicked on, illuminating the empty chamber.

“How can I be careful when I can’t even see where I’m stepping?!” Rarity snapped.

Twilight released a sigh and the spell ended, revealing the two mares. Rarity rubbed at her leg, glaring at the offending chair.

“Maybe we should use that spell when it's needed,” Twilight mused.

“I second that,” Rarity agreed. “So, where are we?”

“My chambers when I visit Canterlot,” Twilight replied. “It's the only room in the castle that I know for certain doesn’t get too many visitors.”

“What about the cleaners that make sure you aren’t snorting dust every time you visit?” Rarity asked as they made their way to the door.

“I’m not worried about that at all,” Twilight replied confidently. “I doubt there’s anything to worry about.” Her magic pulled the door open and the pair of mares came face to face with a very startled earth pony bedecked in maid clothes. The colt squeaked in surprise and turned to flee when Twilight’s magic lashed out, striking the retreating colt on the head. His legs buckled and he fell, sliding across the polish floor far further than he should have.

Rarity looked askance at Twilight as they stepped over to where the colt lay. “You didn’t hurt him, did you?” she asked.

Twilight shook her head and grasped the limp colt with her magic. “Just a small case of severe amnesia,” she replied. “He’ll be right as rain in a few days.”

“He’d better be,” Rarity warned, picking up the colt with her magic and moving him into Twilight’s chambers.

“Why are you putting him there?” Twilight asked. “That’s my room.”

“Unless I’m mistaken, you aren’t using it at the moment and it was you who knocked the poor thing unconscious,” Rarity retorted. “You are responsible.” Twilight winced at the unicorn’s tone and nodded in acquiescence. Rarity sniffed and laid the colt on the bed, closing the doors behind her as she returned to the corridor after flicking the lights off.

“Now, where should Blueblood be?” she asked Twilight as they continued down the hall. “In his chambers? A high security wing of a hospital? Drooling in his cereal?”

Twilight cut a sideways look at the fashionista. “You’re still sore about him ruining your expectations, huh?”

Rarity smiled a little too widely. “What gave it away?” she crooned, eyes tightening.

“Oh, nothing much,” Twilight lied, gulping quietly.

“If we didn’t have several major crises on our hooves, I wouldn’t think twice about leaving Blueblood alone,” Rarity said. “But unfortunately, the alternative isn’t much better. We don’t know Beekler and he very well might be Purple Heart set on making things as difficult for us as possible. We do, however, know Blueblood to be a whiny, weak-willed, chauvinistic git.”

“The lesser of two evils,” Twilight commented. “I have to agree...” She trailed off, eyes lowering to the floor as she navigated through the corridors on autopilot.

“Stop it,” Rarity chided.

Twilight blinked and looked at her companion. “Stop what?”

“Questioning morality,” Rarity elaborated. “We don’t have time for it.”

“But-”

“Twilight.” Twilight stopped walking when Rarity grabbed her shoulder. “You did what you thought was right with the colts at the time.”

“But it wasn’t right!” the purple alicorn replied. “If I hadn’t pushed them, if I hadn’t exacerbated the situation, this all wouldn’t have happened! We’d have just sent them back to where they came from and we wouldn’t have to fight them!”

“Well, it did happen,” Rarity snapped. Twilight looked at her with teary eyes. “It all isn’t just your fault. The colts are also responsible for whatever has changed them. Things don’t always go according to plan and plans never survive first contact with the enemy. We just need to find a way to fix it to the best of our ability and do what we believe is right.”

Twilight sniffled and nodded. She gave a weak smile and giggled softly. “‘Plans never survive first contact with the enemy,’ huh?” she quoted. “We have been around the colts for far too long.”

Rarity shrugged and the pair resumed walking. “For such idiotic fusterclucks, they all share a remarkable amount of wisdom amongst themselves.” The duo chuckled and turned a corner only to jerk back around, eyes wide with surprise and panic.

“Cast the invisibility now!” Rarity hissed as the sound of clopping hooves grew louder around the corner. Nodding rapidly, Twilight’s horn glowed and the pair vanished under the purple alicorn’s invisibility spell just as Regent Beekler walked around the corner flanked by two armoured colts and a short train of advisors. The two mares blinked in unison, recognizing one of the armoured colts to be Casus Belli, the previously retired guardspony officer.

“How many alicorns exactly have managed to cross our borders unimpeded and capture townships from Tall Tale to Appleloosa?” Beekler was saying as he stalked down the corridor.

The armoured colt to his left coughed. “Your majesty,” he said, “you must understand that we have been at peace for a number of years now and when we did have to deal with hostile elements, they were taken care of by the Elements of Harmony. Suffice to say, we were taken by surprise.”

“That, I can understand plainly, General Belisaddelus,” Beekler retorted, stopping mere paces from where Twilight and Rarity stood hidden. The pair stood flattened against the wall, trying to stay as far from the colt as possible. “However, you didn’t answer my question. How many of them have crossed the western border?”

“We don’t know,” Casus Belli said from his other side.

“What time exactly did this happen?” Beekler asked, switching his ire from one general to the other.

“We don’t know.”

“Do we know if they have any plans to move further into Equestria at this moment in time?”

“We don’t know.”

Beekler’s face twisted into a scowl. “True or false: if I were to stand at the top of Canterlot Castle with a good telescope, I’d be as informed as I am now?” the Regent snapped.

“That’s true,” the two generals chorused.

Beekler swore and turned to a window, frustration evident in his posture. The coterie behind him shuffled uncomfortably as the Regent thought to himself. After a moment, he spoke.
“What’s the status of Observation Post 9983?” he asked.

“They’re holding out,” Belisaddelus answered after a moment of rumination. “However, it is unclear how long they will continue to do so.”

Beekler nodded slowly, still looking out the window. “Enact Salvation Protocol 9983.” Both generals shared a surprised look.

“Are you certain, sire?” Casus Belli asked slowly. “It's never been-”

“I’m aware, General Belli.”

“But surely there are other avenues we can take-”

“Do it,” Beekler hissed, eyes flashing as he whirled around to glare at the generals. The two colts stiffened and saluted.

“Yes, your majesty,” the generals chorused. The regent held his regal bearing for but a moment, then sagged slightly.

“I won’t mince words, ponies,” Beekler said, tone softening to a serious cadence instead of one filled with rage. “It has been generations since a major conflict has struck Equestria and we are wholly underprepared for an invasion of any size. We need to pull out all the stops to retain a semblance of control over the situation.” He paused, letting his gaze drift over the ponies before him. “Equestria is in danger. Our Princesses are lost to the winds, our military hasn’t been fully mobilized in years, and one of our best countermeasures is mired in bureaucracy. We cannot afford to wait for help to arrive. We must make our own. Our citizens are looking to us for guidance and I intend to stand before them and say I can defend them. That is what a monarch should be capable of. I do not intend to let history remember me for failing to defend our country.”

Beekler looked each pony in the eye and saw resolved determination staring back at him. He nodded in approval and looked at the two generals.

“Enact Salvation Protocol 9983,” he said to Belisaddelus. He turned his gaze to Casus Belli. “Ready the Home Guard and request volunteers from the city and the surrounding townships. Send word to Colonel Hathi in the Badlands to ready his troops to march out. I finally have a task suitable for him and his brigade.” He looked over their shoulders at an advisor behind them. “Contact the quartermasters of each garrison across the country and outfit any and all guardponies completely. Any leftover equipment is to be sent to the Smokey Mountains, Filly Delphia, and Everfree Forest.” He looked at the other advisors. “Assemble in my study in one hour. We’ll prepare further from there.”

He gave the group a cursory look and smiled tightly with pride.

“You all have your orders,” Beekler said. “Make it so.” The two generals saluted, less stiffly this time, and departed quickly, followed shortly by the advisors. Beekler turned to look out the window at the surrounding countryside. Minutes passed and Twilight and Rarity stood silently against the wall, watching the large colt. A gust of breath billowed from Beekler’s lips and he stepped away from the window. He strode away, vanishing around a corner with several long strides, finally leaving the two mares alone to unveil themselves. Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but Twilight placed a hoof over her lips and cocked her head to the side, tensely listening to the regent’s hoofbeats fade away. Moments passed before silence fell on the corridor and Rarity whistled softly.

“I hate to admit this,” she said, “but he certainly knows how to orate.”

“He’s a politician,” Twilight huffed as she walked around the corner that Beekler and his coterie had come from. “Politicians are supposed to be good at lying.”

Rarity eyed the purple alicorn, joining her around the corner.

“It didn’t sound like he was lying to me,” she commented. “I think he was sincere about protecting Equestria from the Alicorn invasion.”

“How?” Twilight retorted. “From what Applejack told us what Braeburn said, they’ve nearly as far east as Baltimare and as far north as Tall Tale. They’ve cut Equestria in half. Unless P.I.S.S. wakes up, the Elements aren’t going to be able to do anything to stop the Alicorns.”

Rarity didn’t respond. She thought on her companion’s words as they walked past door after door. Every so often, Twilight opened one and peaked inside, only to close it with a growl and continue on.

“What even is Observation Post 9983?” Rarity asked.

“I don’t know,” was the terse reply. “Salvation Protocal 9983 doesn’t ring any bells either. It's probably military jargon. A last ditch effort to stave off the invasion or something like that.”

“Maybe it's something we should look into while we’re here,” Rarity suggested. “It should give us a good idea of what Purple Heart is planning.”

“We don’t even know if Beekler is Purple Heart,” Twilight replied, slamming another door shut. “I need cold, hard evidence that he is who I think he is or else I’ll just be accusing the Regent of impersonation. And that’s just what I need on my plate right now.”

Rarity looked hard at Twilight for a long while. More doors were yanked open and slammed shut. With each passing empty room, Twilight’s face glowed as her magic aura swelled with her anger.

“Twilight, darling,” Rarity sighed. “I mean this with all possible respect...but stop thinking like a politician and start thinking like a Princess.”

Twilight balked, her magical aura evaporating as she turned to blink rapidly at Rarity.

“Pardon me?” she choked out.

“Your defeatist attitude is getting on my nerves, Twilight, and I think it's because you’ve let yourself associate with this idea of ‘bureaucracy above all’. You’re a princess. You are above this petty feuding within the senate and the Panel. Please, for your sake and for the rest of us, start acting like one. Now is as good a time as any.”

Twilight blinked several more times at Rarity, her mouth agape as steam rushed from her ears.

“I-”

The sound of hooves and shouting stopped the Princess from speaking and without a word, the two mares flattening themselves against the wall as Twilight cast Invisibility. From around a corner came a sprinting pony clad in a fine travelling coat. Blueblood barreled past the two invisible mares and threw open a door, diving inside.

“Where is it?! Where IS IT?! I’m NOT leaving Canterlot without it!” cried the pale unicorn, his voice echoing around the corridor. Twilight and Rarity gaped in surprise as a hail of assorted baubles and nick-nacks soared out the open door, most of which shattered against the stone walls. Blueblood zipped out of the room and into another, babbling away as he ransacked the chamber searching for whatever ‘it’ is.

Twilight inched forward, interested, but hesitant to peek into the room. A hoof on her shoulder stopped her and she turned to glare questioningly at Rarity. The mare wasn’t looking at her, not that she could have seen past the Invisibility to begin with, and instead was looking down the corridor at the approaching Beekler Alfreeves.

“What is he doing back here?!” Twilight hissed softly.

“I don’t know! Shush!” whispered Rarity. The two mares quieted, not even daring to breath as Beekler drew even with them. The large earth pony loosed a soft growl of irritation upon seeing the devastation Blueblood left in his wake.

“Sir, your chariot awaits,” Beekler said loudly. The sounds of Blueblood’s mad dash petered out and the white colt peeked around the edge of the doorway to the fifth room his ransacking had driven him to.

“But… but, Beekler!” he whined. “I can’t find it! It’s lost forever and I shall never find it! Everything is ruined!” Twilight and Rarity, despite the need to breathe, watched on in fascination.

Beekler just gave the sobbing colt one long, slow blink. “Your blanket is in the chariot,” the large colt deadpanned. Immediately, Blueblood’s sobbing ceased and he stood up from where he’d slumped against the wall.

“Ah, excellent, Beekler,” Blueblood chortled. “I don’t know what I would have done, had you not found it.”

Another long, slow blink. “You would have had to stay and deal with the current issues plaguing Equestria instead of hiding.”

“Ah, y-yes,” Blueblood stammered, poking the floor with a hoof. “That...”

“Might I add that it wasn’t so much the finding so much as you putting it in the chariot, getting distracted, and panicking when you couldn’t find it,” Beekler drawled. “From what I heard at least. Now, shall we?” He stepped aside, gesturing with a hoof back the way they’d come.

“Indeed!” cheered Blueblood, trotting over to Beekler. “Could you order me some more sushi for the trip?”

“I’m sure you can pass Wasabi’s before you leave Canterlot.”

“Excellent! My usual will do fine and add on an extra order of that fried bird thing. ‘Twas most delicious when I first tried it. And I think...” Twilight and Rarity looked on in confused amazement as Blueblood continued to rattle off his lunch order as he was led down the corridor and around the corner. As soon as Beekler’s tail vanished, Invisibility dropped and the two mares gasped for breath. As they sought to regain their breath, they shared a look of utter bafflement.

“So,” Rarity commented, breathing heavily. “Blueblood’s gone on sabbatical. I think I prefer that to him being regent.”
Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed, beckoning the white unicorn with a hoof. “Let’s get out of here before we actually get found.”

Comments

[Mix-up]

Nice to remind the readers and the Mane Six that Beal could create and control other beings. Looks like my theory that Just duty seems to be leaning toward being true sense the EqG version didn't came back free from the dimension prison, I am wonder if it's that hydra needed that Just Duty's merge with Light Patch(it makes me wonder what happened to the Discord Game Just Duty) to corrupt him sense the other two were possession their EqG world counter parts, wand weren't physical, but for the Case of Just duty it was the Hydra controlling him and the Hydra couldn't apparently directly possess Light but it could still control/influence the pegasus through the EqG Just Duty.

I am starting to wonder how I have a more then above average tendency of guessing some of the secrets or plot point in the story.