Chapter 2 - Plans

Princess Cadence, nearly leaped off her slippers hearing the voice. Seeing the elder she composed herself, as did Princess Celestia. Both alicorn entered the archives as the elder stallion made his way to greet them.

“Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence, it is a pleasure to see you both.” He humbly spoke bowing lightly to the two.

“Hello Book Shelf, it is nice to see you again, how is keeping the archives up to date?” Celestia answered with a warm and embracing tone as Cadence was unsure what to make of the scene before her.

“As you know Princess, the continuous addition of information still keeps me up to work on it.” He replied as he slowly makes his way to a bookshelf. “Ah, but you are the one visiting me. So, what can I do for you highness?” He again added bowing to the two as he waited for them.

“Yes, we are in need of assistance about the crystal caverns found under Canterlot.” Celestia started as she spoke with worry under her tone. The request given to him made the elder male to raise a brow before he went into thought.

“Well princess, that would be about the time you have ordered the construction of this capital.” He announced as he made his way through the main aisle, passing each bookshelf with a marker of dates.

“I hope we do find what we are seeking auntie.” Cadence spoke, with a certain air of worry. While Celesta did so herself, she kept an open mind to the situation.

“I am confident we shall.” Celstia attempted to reassure her niece but fails slightly about the situation. Still the problem of Cadence was unknown and that was unsettling within Celestia’s mind.

They walk aisle after aisle, following Book Shelf as he mumbles things to himself. With each passing bookshelf, books were dwindling in number but increasing in size, scrolls were more and more piling up in the next bookshelf, tomes were oddly still in the same volume each year and finally tablets were increasing, though still the same sizes.

“Here we go...” The elder unicorn said as he enters one of the aisles and continue through this one. The two princesses followed him and with enough time he stopped in his tracks where his horn glows with his grey magical aura and remove nearly one whole row of books as he places them down for the princesses to receive within their own magical aura.

“This is all the records of transactions, workers who participated on the castle construction, land disputes that were ever present when you ruled, your highness and the Crystal caverns or mines, under Canterlot during construction.” He spoke bowing lightly. Upon his announcement Cadence added her own concern.

“Book Shelf, can I ask for a list of known diseases, under research and...” She gulps, unsure if he would take this correctly, “the obituaries of all the ponies from the start of construction and a year after Canterlot was built?” She asked with her best calm tone but the elder unicorn’s raised brow tells her he noticed the odd request.

With a nod, Book Shelf went away for a moment only to return with one book for the obituaries and about five more about known and under research diseases.

“Thank you.” Cadence announced as she bows to the elder.

“You are welcome and… I’m sorry...” He announces lightly though a bit of gloom towards Cadence. This caused the Princess of Love to wonder.

“Thank you again, Book Shelf. We will be going to take in a situation that may need your assistance in the future.” Celestia answered as she kept a calm look as they held on all the books and tomes within either of their magical aura.

“It is my pleasure princess. I suppose you will need to go now.” He suggested to the two alicorns who left him in the archives.
“He is of pleasant company auntie, I wonder why he spends his time in the Archives?” Cadence asked as they got out of the Archives only to find an elder unicorn mare waiting at the door with a surprised look.

“Hello Written Record.” Celestia announced with a smile only for the unicorn mare to speak in response.

“Your highness I did not know you were going to visit the Archives, if I knew then I could would help you your highness.” The yellow butter colored mare kept speaking with continued apologies until celestia calmed her down.

“Do not worry my Royal Archivist, I myself am still a pony to know that there are needs to be done here and there.” Celestia spoke with consideration and confidence as a smile crept to her face. Looking back at her niece with a warm smile as she excused them.

Though Cadence showed up with a thought that she needed to say a nagging feeling even with the book levitating in front of her. “Aunt Celestia? She was the Royal Archivist?”

“Yes, she is, why do you ask?” The sun princess answered looking back to her with a mysterious smile.

“Really? A ghost?” Cadence spoke with disbelief as she looks through the known diseases and under research diseases while the two alicorns was in Celestia’s study.

“Yes, it was a surprise for me when he did appear but it lost it’s charm when he started scaring a dozen of the Archivists I hired all those years ago.” Celestia answered with an amused tone remembering Book Shelf.

“So he was one of the unicorns that overlooked the construction of Canterlot and the castle?” Cadence continues her questions as she looks through the workers and the obituaries aligning names with those who worked near the caverns.

Her memory of Chrysalis have guided her to her imprisonment and the only logical place she could have gotten sick was through that. She remembered clearly that she was getting weak and the only moment she was vulnerable.

“Yes, he was very dedicated, always interested with history and how history unfolds.” Celestia answered as she looks over the roughly created map of the Crystal caverns. “He was proficient with magic but focuses more or organized and systematical spells.” Celestia further responded as she took note of all the pathways, raising a brow when she saw that the caverns can be accessed just the base of the mountain. ‘Best I take note of that and inform the guards.’ She thought as she continues to look through the other half of the workers of the Canterlot construction.

Cadence was yawning, finding boredom with her reading that her worry was creeping into her mind. “Aunt Celestia, I know this is serious but after reading through these for nearly an hour..” She started as she kept an eye out for the obituaries. “I find it hard to continue to hope.” Cadences speech held an air of defeat, further embedding her defeat as she sighs.

Celestia rose from her reading as she looks at Cadence with a bewildered look. “No! I will not accept that now Princess Cadence.” She spoke strongly trying to prevent defeat from winning over her nieces heart. “I know you and you are also a strong pony!” She tried to convince Cadence.

Cadence on her part was thinking deeply about her future or more importantly, the kingdom and her husband.
‘What do I do?! I might be die. I’m, I’m going to be leaving a lot of the Crystal Ponies. But how about Shiny?! No! He can’t, I can’t just up and leave him?!’ Cadence’s mind raced but her train of thought was broken once Celestia shook her once.

“Cadence!” Celestia nearly shouted out, her voice bellowing as worry took over in her voice. “Cadence! you can’t give up now.” Celestia spoke, as she finally returned to her own voice as Cadence snaps out.

“Auntie, I, I can’t just leave them all!” Cadence’s voice was nearly shaking as the fear once again edged back into play. “I can’t leave Shiny, the Crystal Ponies!” She started as tears started beading on her eyes.

Once more, Celestia hugs her niece trying to hold her own sadness. “Calm down Cadence, we can get through this ordeal you are going through.” Celestia spoke in calm and reassuring tone as somehow she saw the next page of the obituary and somehow saw a familiar name.

“Cadence… I just found Book Shelf...” Celestia spoke with intrigue and wonder. At the moment, cadence also snapped out her mind breaking away as Celestia’s tone also caused her to think.

“Wait, when did he die?” Cadence asked, unsure how to respect a spirit when you look up the day he or she died.

Celestia inspected the page but gasps when the date of those under the name in alphabetical order for this year was… “Two years after construction...” Celestia whispered, nearly mumbling it as her eyes grew and her own worry dug itself within her every being as that one memory emerged out of her mind… tears slowly gathering.

“Celestia? Auntie… what’s wrong?” Cadence, though recovering from her bit of worry found another set of for her aunt as she was.. the alicorn princess of the sun was frozen, mouth agape.

~~~ Celestia’s Flashback ~~~

It was just past two years when Canterlot has completed itself and with it, Celestia has relaxed onto her throne, the newly made golden throne has been house broken but then did the memory move to the darkness of that moment.

A pony guard bursts in, galloping to the princess, quickly bowing and speaking with short of breath. “Princess… Highness, too many ponies… are in hospital… filling up quickly.” He spoke in gasps as the guards were quick to help as was Celestia rising from her throne.

“When did this happen?! How many?” She spoke with concern, unsure of how that happened and her concern for having ruled so long now being threatened. Her first thought was a plague, thinking it will be such.

The same guard gasping for air spoke with half recovered breath, “Just now, yesterday even. Last I check there were five hundred, but it is increasing by this minute.” When He spoke that Celestia was quick to get out of her spot and move towards the door.

“I want all guards to immediately dispatch and see to the ponies in hospitals and in need of medical aid. I want all citizens to stay indoors until we have confirmed it is not a plague.” She announced as she tried to get to the door, that was until a familiar Green unicorn stallion strode through the doors, coughing harder while carried by guards.

“Book Shelf?! You’re ill?!” Celestia was quick to act, but stopped by the guards speaking of not yet confirming if it was contagious. But Celestia did not care about it as she moved with her own authority to her Royal Archivist.

“Book Shelf! How could it have affected you?!” Celestia spoke to the now weak unicorn.

“Princess, this is now a plague.” He said to her though coughing now blood slowly seeping into the now green coat he had.
The guards were quick to try and get Book Shelf to the medical wing, though Celestia joined in the travel. “What do you mean it is not a plague?!” She asked him but the continued coughing of Book shelf was the only thing she can hear from him as he was sent to the medical wing. That was the last Celestia saw him…

Dying last night, was not only Book Shelf the Royal archivist, but many ponies, mostly unicorn and some earth ponies. The whole of canterlot grieved slowly, as many of the unicorns were begging for Celestia to help them, to save their souls as she is their monarch, their leader their one shining hope.

Celestia was quick to command research teams on this disease and quickly as they have tallied the victims and those still affected, a pattern appeared. They were all workers, the builders and the movers when Canterlot was being built, just above the crystal caverns. But their findings was too late, as all of them, died within the passing year… and Celestia was blamed for it.

The unicron families affected by this tragedy was ready to burst, blaming Celestia for this event, as she was the one who sent their husbands, lovers, fiancés, fathers and brothers to their deaths.

~~~ End Flashback ~~~

The timely shaking of Cadence of her own aunt caused the white alicorn to snap out of her trance. “Aunti?! Are you okay?” Cadence showing real worry, as somehow she might have made her aunt remember the past too much.

Celestia, slowly realizing the situation was quick to return to Cadence but the fear was embedded onto her face. “I know what you have...” Celestia spoke with a foreboding fear, one that made Cadences’ fear the worst of the situation.

Celestia was quick to open the diseases still under research and opened it on an old entry. “What you have is Gem Decay...” Celestia spoke again with the foreshadowing of fear and handed the book to Cadence.

Cadence was unsure how to read the situation. On one hoof, Celestia finally knew the disease, the other was that she knew and was… fearful. For the first time, in all her life, she saw the co-ruler of Canterlot, Celestia show great fear.

Slowly as Cadence can, gulping down the invisible pill she had in her throat, she looks at the passage of ‘Gem Decay’ and read on she did until she entered that one line…

“There is no known cure…yet?” Cadence’s lips were dry, her own eyes shrunk and her mouth agape as her body wanted to do many things at once. Scream in rage and anger at the universe, Shout at herself to have died when she has not yet done everything she wanted to do, Regretting all that she has done wrong, leaving her kingdom, leaving Shiny alone as a widower and finally to Cry, which she did, as she sobs away the fear finally cascading into her mind, embedding that her life was basically about to be over…

In the basking glow of the early morning sun, Cadence with now a battalion of Canterlot Soldiers, from Pegasi and unicorns and a number of Earth ponies. Their group flew off with Cadence’s carriage and a slew of chariots filled with weapons and flying impaired ponies as they set off to the Badlands, hoping to find what Cadence despises, hates and above all, pities.

Her mind returned to the morning conversation with Celestia and the plan she had in mind after thinking all the things she needed to think of that night.

~~~

“Auntie, I have decided to do something, even if I am dying I do not want to leave my kingdom, it’s ponies and Shiny all alone.” She announced with a renewed goal as she spoke with Celestia who kept a warm smile, sipping her morning tea.

“I am surprised you have… but please stay strong Cadence, I have informed of your sister-in-law, Twilight Sparkle about this disease and for her to check on herself and to work on finding a cure.” Celestia said as Cadence nods, sighing a bit.

“I hope she doesn’t, but that may be true, she never did stay too long down there...” Cadence spoke with a reminiscent tone before she looks at her aunt. “I have a plan to help myself from this disease.” She announced half-joyously than many thought.

“And what plan may I expect from my niece?” Celestia asked as she sips from her tea, a raised brow as she was curious as to what the plan is and how Cadence still felt confident.

“I have decided to cast in myself a time crystallization spell.” She announced without worry. That cannot be said the same with Celestia who nearly sputtered with her drink.

“Cadence?! Though a good plan, are you sure about this?!” Celestia’s maternal image was instantly ruined as time spells tend to be very tricky, even Discord would not even try those things.

“I am going to do it, to stop my own body from dying auntie.” She spoke, again confidently and with goal. Celestia sighs at her niece not dissuade by her.

“Any other part of your plan I should know?” She asks as she agains regains her own maternal image, her composure returning back and the doubt moved to the side a bit.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do need something else.” Cadence added. “I need a full battalion of your best guards.” Cadence spoke as if she can receive such a thing.

Celestia herself, with both her brows raised, eyes widening at that idea as her teacup stayed by her lips. Even her two guards by the throne raised a brow at a near absurd request from out of the blue.

“And why do you need a guard troupe that large for?” Celestia asked as she took a sip of her tea with the same incredulous look at her niece.

“To have a meeting with the Changelings and their Queen.” Cadence answered with all confidence and proudly announced it.

And that was when Celestia spat her tea in surprise and shock.

Author's Note

Yeah, here's a near rough work over this. I actually have no proofreader, editor or even some help with this. But I do plan to get back and refurbish this in the future with a proper editor, proofreader and such which I shall give credit when it happens.

Please leave a comment if you want and I have considered a storyline for this up until I add scenes that can be suggested by any user.

Also, I just might create myself a new character and universe here.