Echoes of Harmony

by BronaFides

Conspiracies

“I'm supposed to be enchanted, thou should be aware,” Celestia said, dropping her formal posture. “He may have eyes even here.”

“That I wouldn't doubt,” Chrysalis agreed. “Many of my court are already controlled by their fear of the rumors coming from the north. And sadly, some are greedy enough to seek to keep their wealth by joining the enemy.” She sighed, and doors near the back of the room opened, Chamberlain emerging. “Excellent, Chamberlain, We were about to call thee to have the meal expanded for our guests.”

“It's already taken care of, Thy Highness,” he said with a bow, much more fluid than the one he'd offered Celestia or Rarity.

“Thou art amazing as always,” she turned to Celestia. “I'll have Chamberlain himself serve us. He alone of my staff do I trust without reservation, and I have many more questions to ask.”

He bowed again, giving the hints of a slightly crooked smile. He stomped his hooves on the floor, and the echoes were followed by several other doors opening, a procession bringing in a table to sit in the middle of the hall, followed by a flurry of ponies with various place settings and serving dishes filled with food. Almost as quickly as the arrived, they were gone, all except Chamberlain, who guided them all to their places.

All the dishes smelled wonderful, and some were exotic foods that Twilight had never seen. She grabbed two small flowers that had tightly wrapped little red buds up and down the stalks from one dish.

“Ah, yes, Rillik Blossoms,” Starswirl said beside her. “A delicacy, but a little spicy for my tastes.”

“Spicy?” she said, her ears lowering to match her tone.

“Fear not,” he chuckled lightly, serving her a green stalked vegetable overtop of her current selection. “The sauce from that will take the edges off.” He smiled and winked at her.

“I wished for us to dine peacefully before the serious business began, but there is one question on which I can bear to wait no longer,” Chrysalis began once they were all settled in front of their food. “Dear cousin, w-what... what has become of my father? He set off for Canterlot shortly after news of the calamity arrived, and I've not seen him since.”

Celestia, about to take a bite, closed her mouth, allowing the food to lower back to her plate slowly, and then blinked slowly. “I bear grave news,” Celestia answered. Twilight took a bite and found the flavors mixed into a blend of spicy and sweet. “I'm afraid thy father, Lord Sombra, was also enchanted by Discord, and was sent to conquer the Crystal City.

Twilight Sparkle would have been able to hear the others gasping, but she was in the middle of swallowing when Celestia spoke, so all she could hear at the moment was herself coughing violently. Celestia gave her a look of concern, magically lifting a cup of tea over to her. “My thanks,” she finally managed to croak as she took a sip. “It was spicier than I expected,” she quickly improvised.

“Poor father!” Chrysalis said softly. “Sent against his own sister! Even enchanted, I cannot imagine him ever hurting Aunt Armonia. Granted, he was always closer to thy mother, but they never had any quarrel of which I was aware.”

“Indeed,” Celestia replied, placing a hoof softly on Chrysalis' shoulder. “Even enchanted, some of himself must have surfaced. Before I left Canterlot, word had arrived back that he had failed to capture her, and that the Crystal Princess, Mi Affetto Armonia, had escaped into exile. Thy father was an excellent strategist, and that was surely not an accident.”

Twilight looked around the table. The Dashes and Fluttershy were too far down the table to have heard, and were conversing quietly. Applejack was chewing slowly, avoiding eye contact, but her eyes were wide with surprise. Rarity was conversing with Luna's guard, the one she'd given the design to, but Twilight could her her stumbling on on their conversation, and the quick glance she darted at Twilight let her know she had heard as well. Pinkie was unceremoniously gobbling down cupcakes that she had topped with the Rillik blossoms, and her expression was jovial, but Twilight had learned long ago that Pinkie rarely missed the conversation even when she seemed to be occupied.

“Thy enchantment was reversible,” Chrysalis replied excitedly. “Possibly we could get to father, and then we could-”

“Chrysalis,” Celestia uttered just her name in a flat monotone, and looked directly into Chrysalis' two-toned green eyes. “Discord's orders to him were to take the city, and begin experiments with the crystals. With Dark Magic.” Her hoof never left Chrysalis' shoulder while she said this, but as she finished, Chrysalis drew back, her eyes wide and her ivory hair seeming to pale.

“It's forbidden!” Chrysalis said sharply. “Thou know father, his heart is kind and full of laughter! The darkness will... it will-”

Luna stepped forward, having been uncharacteristically quiet up to this point. “Chryssie,” Luna intoned, reaching a hoof up to her. She smiled, and said again, louder this time, “Chryssie, we will try anyway.” A single tear ran down Chrysalis' cheek, but she nodded and leaned her head down to embrace Luna, smiling weakly at the filly.

“I was able to break the enchantment,” Twilight Sparkle found herself saying, with more ferocity then she intended. “And should the opportunity arise, I pledge that I will make the same efforts with Lord Sombra, Your Highness.” She, too, had a single tear moving down her cheek. It will seem to be tears of sympathy, she reassured herself. Not tears of guilt.

“Do you understand the weight of what you're promising?” Celestia asked. “He will be deeper than we were, in the shadow of the crystal's power in addition to Discord's.”

“I do,” she snapped, stomping a hoof to punctuate, suddenly upset with her mentor, and by proxy, the younger version that was now questioning her. Why didn't you tell me? Celestia blinked, confused by the rebuke, so that Twilight added more softly, “I make no promises on results, but I will try.”

“Now at least I understand why you took these wanderers on the road into thy conspiracy, cousin,” Chrysalis said softly, wiping the tear from her cheek, her soft, green eyes settling on Twilight with a warmth that they would be incapable of in the future. “I had my doubts when Chamberlain approached me with the news, thinking thy desperation great. Our thanks...”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia supplied, half to supply the name to Chrysalis, half as a question in confusion at the sharp tone Twilight had taken with her a moment before.

“Yes, let us have introductions!” Chrysalis said, more cheerfully, though the tone seemed slightly forced, “Lady Rarity, would thou do us the honor of introducing thine entourage to us?”

Once the attention was off of Twilight Sparkle, she shot Celestia an apologetic glance. I'm sure she had her reasons. And would it have changed anything if I'd known? She was aware of Lady Rarity introducing the other girls to Chrysalis, but she remained lost in her own thoughts until her reverie was broken by an unfamiliar voice.

“Did thou start dinner without me, then?” Twilight looked up to see a silvery-maned unicorn stallion approaching the table. His eyes were a rough match for the dark green of Chryslis' inner eye color, his hair a pale white. He was tall and thin, and where Chrysalis bore a cutie mark of a brilliant monarch butterfly, its wings outspread, his was a moth, the colors more muted, but the wings just as intricate in their pattern.

“Oh!” Chrysalis exclaimed. “I... I didn't think thou would be up this early.” Her tone was affectionate, but tentative.

“One could hardly slumber through the smell of this lovely feast,” he said, his nonchalance rebuffing her tone. He turned to the guests briefly. “Princess Celestia. Princess Luna.” He nodded

“Prince Cocoon,” Celestia countered, returning the gesture.

“So, what do we have here?” With no further conversation, he began filling his plate.

Chrysalis' eyes lingered on him a while longer before turning back to the conversation. If Chrysalis' attention was divided, he was intent on the food. This doesn't make any sense. Cocoon certainly didn't seem a like a Prince madly in love with a princess, and she certainly didn't seem to be ignoring him in a way that would require any love potion. The Prince, for his part, seemed to be listening absently to Rarity, but never said anything himself.

“May I?” Chamberlain queried, drawing Twlight Sparkle's attention, pointing politely to her place setting.

“Huh? Oh, yes, of course. My thanks,” Twilight replied, and he cleared away her place setting, replacing it with a dessert plate and a teacup. She watched as he gaged everypony at the table and always seemed to approach them at the right time. He likewise carefully lifted Chrysalis' dinner plate out of the way and set her place with a dessert plate and teacup as the meal progressed, but unlike with anypony else, he selected a few desserts for her and silently lifted them onto the plate. She continued eating without comment, her expression still pensive, though her eyebrows lifted slightly when she sampled the desserts, and her brow became slightly less furrowed.

Twilight looked carefully around, pretending to chose a dessert herself, and saw that Cocoon was on his fourth plate. He hadn't spoken further. From where he sat, he could have made eye contact with Chrysalis, but he seemed to be staring out the window. Chamberlain scurried by, taking the two empty plates that Cocoon had pushed aside, giving the price some intense looks to which the prince remained oblivious. Chamberlain started when he noticed Twilight watching him, and he scurried away with the dishes, absently pulling his watch out of his pocket and checking it, mumbling to himself.

“Here, this one will probably suit thee,” Starswirl said, placing tira misu on her dessert plate. “It's always been a favorite of mine.”

“Oh, thanks,” Twilight responded. She absently took a bite, trying to refocus her attention on the conversation. “This... this is really good. I'll have to make sure Pinkie Pie gets the recipe.”

“So, she is a cook, then?” Starswirl asked.

“One of the best I've met,” Twilight Sparkle answered, taking another bite.

“I was just wondering how much of Lady Rarity's stories are true,” he said, his tone getting even lower. “She is quite good at weaving a tale.”

“The best lies are mostly true,” Twilight sighed. It was too much to hope he'd forgotten. She looked up from her dessert at him, and his expression was gentle. She'd seen the same look of concern from her own parents, and from her mentor. “She's excellent with details. Thou should see the clothes she can design.”

“I have,” he said eagerly. “Shadow Wing took her design to the smithy as soon as he was finished with his duties.” Twilight was at a loss momentarily, until she realized that must be the name of Luna's guard.

Before she could reply, Cocoon wordlessly began walking away from the table, which would have escaped twilight's notice, except that it didn't escape Chrysalis' notice, and all the various conversations around the table involving her faltered at once. He disappeared out of the same door that Chamberlain had entered through, and Chamberlain waited carefully until the conversations resumed before clearing the abandoned place setting.

“He's... not what I expected,” Twilight whispered to Starswirl, her lips hidden behind her teacup as she took a sip.

“It's a sad tale of arranged marriage, common among nobility,” Starswirl commented.. “Because of their similar talents, they seemed a good match, but the prince is... not the princess' equal in many ways.” Twilight looked over at the monarch of Aurelia again. She was lively, quick, and had a quick grasp on any conversation around her. Prince Cocoon, on the other hand, Twilight had little to go off of, save that he might be able to best Pinkie Pie in an eating contest.

During a lull in the conversation, she managed to catch Rarity's eyes and signal her, perhaps a bit overtly, by nodding toward the door a couple times meaningfully. Rarity smiled gently, then slipped into the conversation, “thy accommodations are more than generous, Thy Highness. However, the road was a long one, and I believe we can conclude our business in the coming days?”

“Of course,” Chrysalis replied politely, “Chamberlain will arrange for thine entourage to be lead to their quarters. We have much else to discuss privately, at any rate.” She looked to Celestia and Luna as she spoke, then nodded to Chamberlain. At the cue, he had already opened the side door and issued some commands to the guards, who were already present, bowing to Rarity. “It has been a pleasure, Lady Rarity.” Chrysalis bowed formally, watched formally as they all left. Probably unwilling, like Celestia, to drop the pretense in front of the guards.

“I, too, shall turn in for the evening, Highnesses,” Starswirl could be heard behind them, followed by the echo of his hooves in the corridor as he moved quickly to catch up. He said nothing, but positioned himself alongside Rarity and nodded politely.

The guards took them to what could more accurately be described as a suite than a room. The room was furnished with multiple plush velvet couches, vibrant carpeting, a massive ornate chandelier over the sitting room. A tapestry on the wall depicted a scene of a wedding, tropical birds circling the ceremony. “These are our quarters?” Twilight found herself asking aloud.

“Thou should see the suite prepared for the Canterlot entourage,” Starswirl commented wryly. He nodded to the guards, adding. “I know the way, I must have some words with Lady Rarity at the moment.” They saluted and left, and he turned back towards them.

Pinkie Pie was already bouncing on one of the couches, and Applejack was busy studying the tapestry, avoiding eye contact with Starswirl. The others blinked silently at him, unsure what to say.

“Is that S-, Lord Sombra,” Applejack asked suddenly, pointing to the tapestry.

“It is,” Starswirl answered. “That particular tapestry is a commissioned piece based on his Wedding to Parrot Song.”

“The fountain at the entrance was for her as well, was it not?” Rarity asked, her eyes wide with interest.

“It was a gift from her subjects,” Starswirl replied flatly, his eyes narrowing slightly. “The deft interest in conversation is no longer needed to the extent thou practiced at dinner, Lady Rarity.”

“I--,” Rarity stammered, momentarily at a loss. “Thou misunderstand, I do find the history fascinating...”

“No doubt inspiration for your next clothing creation. Something feathery, perhaps?” Starswirl replied wryly. For a moment, everybody in the room was motionless. Even Pinkie Pie had stopped mid-bounce in the air.

“Everypony,” Twilight finally managed with a sigh, “Starswirl has surmised and overheard enough to know we have an... ulterior motive for being here.”

“Indeed, but even so, Twilight Sparkle has convinced me to trust in thine assistance,” he smiled as he spoke, and Pinkie Pie gently landed with a sigh, echoed by the others.

“Right, the Element of Loyalty,” Rainbow Dash chimed in, winking at Starswirl. “Any ideas where to start?”

“None,” Starswirl admitted. “I don't even properly know if the book meant the town of Aurelia, or the castle proper.”

“Rainbow, Iris,” Twilight called. They quickly presented themselves. “Start a perimeter search of the town, see if you can find anything.” They saluted and flew off. “Fluttershy, any information from the local animals?”

“Not yet,” Fluttershy admitted, “There's enough butterflies here that they shouldhave seen nearly everything, but they speak with a very thick accent. I'm hoping to have better luck with the other animals nearby. The birds seem very accommodating.”

“Let us know if you hear anything useful.” Twilight Sparkle nodded and turned to her next target. “Rarity, you-”

“Thou,” Rarity corrected quietly under breath, her eyes wide.

“Thou should continue to circulate at court. Thy talents serve both purposes most valuably that way.” She's right, even with him knowing part of it, the lingual shift is just one more thing to explain. She didn't make eye contact with Starswirl as she moved past him, gesturing to Pinkie and Applejack and meeting them right by the tapestry. She looked at the serenity of the scene above them, and the kind, serene eyes that Sombra directed at Parrot Song. It was no wonder that Applejack barely recognized him, she thought, shaking her head gently to deny the bitterness. No time for that right now. She spoke in a tone below what she hoped would be detectable by even Starswirl's sharp ears. “I need you two in the kitchen.”

“Again, Twi?” Applejack asked, an edge in her voice. “I could see it on the road, but we can help a might more than that.”

“It's not that, Applejack,” Pinkie said, “It's to keep an eye on Cocoon, and he's a foodie!”

“A who?”

“A foodie, silly. He likes his food, didn't you see him eating at dinner? A foodie like that spends a lot of time where the food is.”

“Right,” Twilight interjected. “We know the poison comes from him... at least according to the story. So it's the only clue we've got to go on. Keep an eye on him.” She nodded to them and moved back towards Starswirl.

“What about you, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“I'm going to look for information in the most likely place,” Twilight responded with a smirk. “Starswirl, would thou be kind enough to accompany me to the royal library? I assume Aurelia has one?”

He smiled broadly. “I thought thou would never ask.”

Comments

[Mermaid]

I'm really liking this story! This kind of fantasy adventure is the kind I prefer.

[Soft Shell]

I'm sensing that it wasn't cocoon who used the love potion.

[Razzy]

Castle intrigue!

Your version of Discord is a real bastard...

Cya
Raziel-chan