Chapter 3: The offer
After walking for some time, Gusty and the mysterious unicorn arrived to an abandoned building. Gusty was about to go upstairs to get to the door, however the unicorn stopped her before she could.
“That is not the way.”
Gusty raised her eyebrow confused.
“This is.” the unicorn pointed at a passage underground.
Gusty scoffed.
“You´re kidding.”
“You´ll soon learn why. Come on, follow me!” the unicorn invited her to enter.
Gusty gulped and frowned in determination. She entered the passage behind the unicorn.
It was very dark and narrow. Gusty tried to get in four legs but bumped her head against the ceiling.
“Ouch!”
“I probably should have warned you before entering, you have to crawl during the first tract.” the unicorn smiled apologetically.
“Yeah, that would have been appreciated.” Gusty massaged the top of her head. “How do you go through this without any light?” she asked while looking around.
“I do use light.” the unicorn replied with a confident smirk.
Gusty was about to ask how, but the unicorn answered her question before she spoke. He was creating light with his horn!
“You use magic?” she asked puzzled.
The unicorn nodded.
“And you haven´t got in trouble?”
“Nope, because this is a place nopony knows of. Besides, I am protected by Majesty.”
“Huh.”
“I could make use of your magic too. So it´s not too dark.”
Gusty bit her lip nervously.
“I´m not so sure if it´s a good idea.”
“Why?” the unicorn gasped in realization. “Oh… You don´t know the spell, do you?”
Gusty saw the perfect chance to make an excuse not to use her magic.
“Exactly!” she laughed nervously. “I have no idea how to do what you´re doing.”
“Well, I could teach you!”
Gusty blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“I could teach you!” the unicorn repeated.
“Uh… Right now?”
“Yeah!”
Gusty realized she was in a jam. If she tried to do what the unicorn was doing, she could get nervous and thus, winds could start forming, and if those winds got out of hood, the unicorn wouldn´t offer her a job. However, if she kept on insisting in saying no, the unicorn could suspect something, and so she´d have to tell the truth. She had no choice but to listen.
“Ok… How do you do that?”
“It´s easy. You know how to elevate objects, do you?”
Gusty nodded her head.
“Ok, you ignite your horn as if you were going to elevate objects, but instead just think about maintaining a light.”
Gusty inspired and expired.
“Gota kisa Gusty, come on. You can do this.” she muttered to herself.
She ignited her horn and did as told. She didn´t dare to open her eyes.
“You did it!” the unicorn exclaimed excited.
Gusty opened one eye and saw that she was right!
“I did it. Huh! I did it!”
However, the effect didn´t last. Just after she said, her horn´s light went off.
“Oh…” she said disappointed.
The unicorn laughed.
“That´s normal. When you begin you have to be constantly thinking about maintaining the light. It´s better if we don´t talk much.”
“Oh, ok.”
Gusty crawled while looking at her horn, making sure it didn´t go out. She felt very proud of herself and shocked. Her winds didn´t come out! She couldn´t understand why. Maybe because she had to prove herself to survive, and thus didn´t think about the possibilities of what could go wrong and focused instead on the spell. But it could also be due to the mysterious unicorn. Although, they had a somewhat rocky introduction, this unicorn had been very friendly towards her, just like her family and husband were. She received an aura of comfortability she didn´t feel for a long time around anypony aside from her daughters. She smiled briefly as she observed the unicorn.
She went back to reality when she realized that her horn went off, which made her remember not to get distracted by other thoughts, which prevented her to listen to what the unicorn was telling her.
“Ok, careful now because we´re getting into steps here, so you need to-”
Just at that moment, Gusty tripped and fell to the ground.
“Maybe I should have told you not to hyper focus.” the unicorn smiled apologetically at Gusty.
Gusty got in four legs while groaning.
“Good news is that now you won´t have to focus on the spell because now we have light!”
The unicorn pointed at a corridor lit by torches.
“I don´t know who built this, but they would have saved a lot of trouble if they had just built stairs that led right here.” Gusty commented somewhat upset.
“That might be true, but this is a secret passage we´re talking about. It has to be subtle, you know?”
Gusty stayed quiet for a brief time.
“Good point.”
“We´re almost there, just a few more steps!”
As they walked through the corridor, Gusty constantly observed the unicorn and looked away whenever she felt she was being noticed. After doing that for a short time, she decided to speak to him.
“Hey… Um… I want to apologize. For the broom thing and for being so hostile towards you.”
“None taken. I was just so desperate to look for an unicorn like you, that I might have been a little too…” the unicorn took some time to think about the right words. “creepy.”
Gusty covered her mouth to hide a giggle.
“Um… What´s your name, young one?”
“Clover.”
“Clover, I still don´t understand why this Majesty you talk about is so…. well hidden. Is she some sort of fugitive or something?”
Clover clicked his lips.
“Let´s just say that she and Grogar are playing a game. A pretty matched chess game. She´s no thief or anything like that but she´s also searched by Grogar.”
“I see.”
“I´m pretty impressed! Normally ponies would be freaking out and running away and you´re still here.”
Gusty sighed.
“When you´re desperate for a job, you´re willing to do anything.”
“Yeah. I can see you´re that desperate.”
“Talk about yourself! You´re clearly a child and you´re already working in this mysterious business.”
“Hey, I am not a child. I´m seventeen.” she said somewhat upset. “Secondly, I work for Majesty because I liked her cause, not because I was desperate for a job. Those are two different things.”
“And your parents let you do this?”
“Actually, I´m an orphan.”
Gusty gasped softly.
“I´m so sorry.” she said full of empathy.
“Nah, it´s ok. My workmates are family to me and I am family to them.”
Gusty widened her eyes and bit her lip nervously. If Clover´s workmates considered him family, then that meant that they had no family. And she had daughters. What if Majesty only accepted ponies without foals to take care of? Just as she kept quiet about her problems with her magic, maybe it would be a good idea not to say a word about her daughters.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Clover´s knock at the door.
“Password?” a voice from behind said.
“You know it´s me already, do you?” Clover replied as he took off her cloak.
“I guess they do, but they need reassurance so-” Gusty explained Clover.
However, before she could finish, the door opened already. The pony that opened the door invited them with a gesture.
Gusty blinked puzzled.
“That´s the password?”
Clover nodded.
“It´s something so unexpected, that not anypony could come up with it. That´s why I suggested it.”
“Clever!”
“Everypony calls me that.” Clover said cockily.
Clover and Gusty entered to the place. It was full of unicorns doing various activities. From practicing with swords to playing chess. Gusty looked around as Clover said hello to the other unicorns.
“You finally did it Clover!” another unicorn congratulated him.
Gusty approached Clover´s ear.
“Is this the first time you get somepony to follow you?” she whispered in her ear.
Clover narrowed his eyes upset.
“I don´t want to talk about it.”
Her expression changed when she saw the unicorn she was looking for.
“There you are! Danny Hooves!”
The blue unicorn widened his eyes and turned around.
“You´re back!”
He hugged Clover. He looked at Gusty.
“I see you brought company. At last.”
“Ok, will any of you cut it out?” Clover undid the hug as Danny laughed. “Is Majesty doing something?”
“Not that I know of.”
“So I can enter her tent?”
“I think so.”
“Ok thank you.” Clover turned to Gusty. “Come, uh…”
“Gusty.”
“Gusty! Come Gusty. You´re finally meeting her.”
“Good luck Clover!”
“Thanks!” Clover waved her hoof at Danny.
Clover and Gusty arrived to the tent, which was protected by two guards.
“Can I talk to the queen?” he asked the two guards
The guards nodded and made space for Clover.
“My queen?”
“Is that you Clover?” a female regal voice asked from the inside.
“Yes, my queen.” she bowed. “I bring a recruit.”
“In due time. Enter both.”
Gusty gulped before following Clover into the tent. When she entered, she saw a bright blue unicorn mare with a serious expression on her face. Though not very old, Gusty could tell that she lived quite a long life. She felt quite intimidated when the royal mare raised her eyebrow at her.
“Clover. Doesn´t she know whenever she sees a royal, she must bow?”
“Bow.” Clover told her as he nudged her.
“Oh, yeah sure.” she bowed in response.
“That´s better. Though I know most pony folk like you don´t know who I am.” the unicorn got up from her seat. “My name is Majesty. What´s your name new recruit?”
“Um… Gusty. Gusty. Ma´am.”
“I imagine Clover must have told you about me. But not the whole story. What did he comment you?”
“She told me that you and the emperor are playing quite a matched chess game.”
Majesty nodded.
“That´s right. And I´ll tell you how this chess game began. However, I must ask you something first. Before Grogar, what do you know about unicorn´s history?”
Gusty bit her lip. She started sweating nervously, fearing if she said the wrong answer might cause a bad impression on her.
“I… Uh…” she sighed. “You´ll have to forgive, ma´am-”
“My quee.” Majesty replied. “That´s how you should address me.”
“My queen, sorry.” Gusty apologized as she bowed before her. “You´ll have to forgive me but I was born far away from here, which means that history there could be different from-”
“That´s alright.” Majesty interrupted her. “I expected you not to know. Not because you come from a different place but because most unicorn folk has no knowledge about our history before Grogar.”
“Ok.” Gusty nodded.
“Long ago, most of Grogar´s empire were farms and pastures, but that doesn´t mean that there weren´t any kingdoms. This city right here was the capital of the Unicorn Kingdom. My ancestors used to rule the land Grogar rules now. When he came here he burnt almost every house in the capital, and told us we could keep our home if we accepted him as our emperor. But unlike the cowardly earth ponies and pegasi, we refused. We were outrageously robbed and disposed of their riches and land. And we´ve been trying to regain it for centuries and centuries…”
Gusty listened Majesty with curiosity. She was amazed at how he managed to deprive unicorns of their history, always making them think they were nothing but his slaves. Not only unicorns, but pegasi and earth ponies too.
“We´ve been at an endless war. Thousands of battles fought… yet he wins again and again. That´s why when my parents passed the mission down to me, I decided to go with a more subtle strategy: espionage.”
Gusty widened her eyes, already guessing what she had in mind for her. Majesty took a map and put it on the floor.
“I´ve been doing this strategy and it has worked as you can see. So far, I have had some cities reconquered.” Majesty pointed the city she reconquered, but there´s still work to do. So, I recruit unicorns in desperate need and give them a job as a soldier or as a spy.”
Majesty gave a cunning smirk to Gusty, which made her uncomfortable.
“So, I am offering you the following job: you are going to pose as a maid in Grogar´s castle while you collect information for me.”
Gusty was speechless. She absolutely had no idea what to say. She scoffed.
“I-” she giggled nervously. “But- But how will I tell you the information?”
“Just like there are unicorns posing as maids, there also unicorns who pose as messengers.” Majesty replied. “You´ll tell them what you heard and they´ll write that down.”
“Ok..” Gusty said somewhat insecure.
“One more thing. This job requires lots of secrecy and dissimulation. You musn´t get discovered.” Majesty scowled as she spoke with all seriousness. “If you did, not only would you endanger yourself, you would endanger my mission, myself and everypony here. You won´t count on my support and protection. Is that clear?
Gusty looked down. This was more dangerous than she thought it would be. Spying on the emperor? Who on their mind would do that? If he found out, they would execute her and her daughters! What´s worse, the problems with her magic could potentially make her get discovered. However, this was the only job opportunity she was going to receive. The only chance she had to ensure food for her daughters.
“If I accept, will I have secured food and money? I don´t ask for riches, but just enough money to get by.”
Majesty nodded. Gusty closed her eyes, breathed in and out, and frowned with determination when she opened them.
“I accept.”
Majesty smiled in satisfaction.
“Brave mare. I applaud you for decision. Now listen carefully because I´m about to tell you everything you need to do and how this works.”
Although Majesty was giving her important and specific instructions, poor Gusty wasn´t paying attention. Rather, she was still digesting the fact she just joined to a secret rebellion and accepted a mission she was probably going to fail.
“Where did I get myself into?” she kept thinking to herself.
“Do you have any questions?” Majesty said suddenly.
Gusty widened her eyes and looked at Majesty puzzled.
“Can you repeat everything again?” Gusty smiled nervously.
Majesty massaged her temples as she glared at Clover, asking him with her eyes who did she just bring. Clover laughed nervously.
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Great chapter!!! I am surprised that it's Clover the Clever that brought Gusty who will later earn the title of "the Great"!
Also, I thought Majesty was supposed to be a white unicorn with a blue mane and tail?: static.wikia.nocookie.net/p__/images/9/99/MajestyRender.png/revision/latest?cb=20200525101037&format=original&path-prefix=protagonist
Well, I can't wait to see everything that's going on in Emperor Grogar's palace!!!
Keep going with this story!!!
Starswirl, will come later into play
Well, I based her looks on one picture of Majesty if she was in G4
i.pinimg.com/originals/fd/d3/78/fdd37880a47079a1a72a606993ca47f8.png
Glad you´re liking it!
Wow... it’s getting more interesting.
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Oh, this is just the begining
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Wow, you replied fast! Lol 😂
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I was checking the place when you commented, what a coincidence
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Lol, nice! Hope you’re doing well!
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I am