The Abduction of Luna

Chapters

The Abduction of Luna
Awakening
Ministrations
Conversations over oatmeal
Millstone
Brass Hammer
Cold and Afraid
Thunder Run
Deja Vu
Improvising
Dark Thoughts
Before the Dawn
Nothing Ever Goes As Planned
Cave Mutiny
Who Art Thou?
Luna
Celestia
Sisters
New Business
Preparations
Tiara Dreams
Gathering Strength
Tell Me
Questions and Answers
Sleeping with the Enemy
Scratching the Surface

The Abduction of Luna

Author's Note

Re-formatted and slightly re-written on June 14, 2014

The Abduction of Luna

Tiara’s heart seemed to beat so loudly that she was surprised she didn’t hear it echoing through the halls of the Royal Palace as she walked to Princess Luna’s bedchamber. She tried to calm herself, tried to relax. This was the easiest part of the whole operation. All she had to do was to get Princess Luna to drink a glass of steamed milk before bed. A glass of steamed milk with pure Moondrake essence that she herself had painstakingly expressed from thousands of Moondrake flowers. Then she spent hours purifying and concentrating that liquid to get the potency she needed to knock-out the Princess before she could raise an alarm. After that, she had to find a method of delivery that masked the scent and taste of the moondrake so that Luna would take it without objection. If Luna did, and Tiara’s research was sound, then she and her team will have in their grasp the means to exact payment from the Palace for all the wrongs they have suffered. Finally, she could see the end of all of her months of kowtowing to that most arrogant of Princesses, that indigo hollering horror, that most pretentious of ponies: Princess Luna.

During the months Tiara had worked in the palace, Princess Luna had singled her out for especially harsh treatment. Only she was constantly analyzed about every little thing she did. And Princess Luna never could remember her name. She was always challenged, “Who art thou?” in Luna’s exclusively loud and brusque manner. No matter what she did or how well she did it, she could expect to be harassed by the impossible Princess of the Night. Finally, she gave up trying to please Princess Luna, and she began scheming on how she could get even with her.

She started by mapping every corridor, room, and hall she could access and committed it to memory. Then she spent the better part of a year in researching, strategizing, planning, recruiting, preparing, working and enduring. Always enduring. Yet all of it was for nothing, if she couldn’t get Princess Luna to drink a small glass of steamed milk this morning before bed, and her rebellious heart was threatening to blow her cover.

All too soon it seemed, she was at the door to Luna’s bedchamber, and she had none of the calm poise she had hoped to possess at this critical moment. Despite that, she knocked twice on the door without hesitation. Exactly like she would do if she had been sent here on a legitimate errand. It was most important right now for her to do nothing amiss to raise suspicion. She had a story to explain her anxiety and the unscheduled delivery of the refreshments she held. She just had to stick to her plan!

“Enter” came Princess Luna’s immediate and characteristically curt response.

Tiara opened the door with her hoof, not trusting herself at this critical stage to divide her magical attention between opening the door and holding the silver tray and its cargo of milk and cookies. The last thing she needed right now was an accident caused by a moment of unbridled nervousness. She entered Luna’s room and turned to close the door behind her exercising the same care. “The kitchen sent you a little something to help you sleep, Princess.” Tiara explained her visit as calmly and smoothly as if it were true. She even managed to put on genuine smile as she turned toward the bed, but that smile and calm disappeared as she gasped in shock. Princess Luna was suddenly standing right in front of her with her eyes glaring down at her suspiciously.

“Who art thou? Luna bellowed her challenge yet again. "What is this beverage thou brings us?” Tiara had been shouted at by Princess Luna before, but she had never before been this close. Tiara could feel her hot breath and she heard the items rattle on the tray she levitated just as much as her nerves were rattled by Luna’s close proximity and fierce demeanor. “Speak, give answer to my query!” She had never once known Luna for being patient or easygoing with her.

“I am Silver Chalice, Princess.” Tiara surprised herself with her smooth recovery, although, she supposed she had had plenty of practice answering that particular question, She had noticeably delayed answering, but she didn't stammer her reply at all. “I’m sorry I've disturbed you, but I was sent here with some steamed milk and freshly baked cookies from the kitchen. Would you like enjoy them now while they are still fresh from the oven, or shall I set all this on your nightstand?” Tiara smiled broadly, impressed with herself at her quick improvisation. She had played the distressed messenger role, then sold her goods well, and lastly, she had offered a false choice to Luna. She had to accept this, Tiara reasoned, and even Princess Luna would certainly partake out of guilt.

However, Luna wrinkled her nose in distain. “We ordered a toddy up to our chambers to hasten our slumber, not this infantile snack!” Tiara’s heart sank as she struggled to maintain her servile facade. Luna looked offended rather than rueful. “My sister must have overheard and countered my directive.” Luna sneered contemptuously and then tossed her head away like Tiara was producing an offensive odor. “Remove thyself and this foalish collation,” Luna gestured with her hoof, “and fetch me a toddy as I commanded at once.”

Tiara inwardly swore at the difficult, arrogant, royal, pain in-the-dock. Not only was the holier-than-thou Princess of the Moon being especially uncooperative and combative, but she had indeed - on this morning of all mornings - ordered a drink from the kitchen, and it could arrive at any moment! Tiara knew she had think of a way to end this quickly or else she would be forced to forget the whole thing and wait for another opportunity.

“As you wish, Princess.” Tiara spoke like she had been personally affronted and turned to leave. Although her actions were slow, her mind was racing. She had enough moondrake essence to lace the toddy as well. The liquor would mask the taste, but the heat and alcohol would accentuate rather than hide the moondrake’s smell. She weighed the options and decided to try one more time.

“Princess Luna, please do not be angry with Princess Celestia. She did not change your request.” Tiara said, from the open doorway as she hung her head as though ashamed. She stole a glance at Luna to gauge her reaction and saw that her ears were forward and that she was facing her. “I made this tray for you on my own initiative. I had the hope that it would please you.” Now she turned her head just enough for Luna to see her sorrowful eyes. “I did not mean to offend you like I have. I’ll fetch your toddy now.” Tiara started moping her way out again.

“One moment, Silver Chalice…” Tiara struggled to maintain appropriate expressions as Luna summoned her back and sampled a cookie. If she broke now, the game would be up, but she managed to keep her servant’s visage. Another cookie lifted to Luna’s mouth, and then another.

Tiara was beside herself now, and desperate to not show any emotion. “Drink the milk, you overbearing, overloud, and overblown windbag!” Her mind screamed.

Almost as if Luna had heard her thought, she finally magically picked up the glass of milk and drank several swallows. “That tasted…” Luna started to speak and then stopped like her mind had been wiped clean of thought. The suspended glass of milk fell to the floor. Then Luna’s eyelids fluttered and her head nodded in short rapid jerks. “Celly...” She said, her voice just above a whisper, then she dropped to the floor. Unconscious.

“Princess Luna?” Tiara quickly picked up the dropped glass and began mopping up the remaining spilt milk with a towel. “Princess Luna, are you alright?” She asked the comatose princess as she finished cleaning and picked up her tray. Expecting no answer and receiving none, Tiara silently opened Luna’s door and quickly scanned up and down the corridor. Nopony was in sight, and she could hear no sounds of hoofsteps. It seemed all was going to plan! As quickly as she could, Tiara silently walked to the next room where she had hidden a cleaning cart and returned to Luna’s room. The Princess remained motionless on the floor where she had left her. A horrible thought suddenly crossed Tiara’s mind, causing her to pounce on the fallen princess and lay her head against the prostrate pony’s chest. There! To her relief, she heard the slow thumping of the Princess’s heartbeat and the gentle whoosh of her breathing.

“I’m glad you’re still alive,” She said to the sleeping co-regent of Equestria as she manacled her limbs with ensorcelled chains and gagged her with a bit and bridle. Finally she wrestled the bound and gagged princess into a laundry bag and then onto the cleaning cart.

“I’m sorry for the rough method of transport, your Highness,” Tiara said sarcastically as she pushed the cart laden with her unconscious captive down the palace hall. “But once your sister pays the ransom, you will be free to return here to your undeserved opulence.”

Awakening

“We did it!” Brass Hammer exulted after he had finished locking the still sleeping Princess Luna in the heavy, rune-inscribed, iron shackles they had fastened to the granite floor of the cave. “We abducted Princess Luna!”

Tiara hadn't realized she was holding her breath until she heard her teammates voice echo in the cave. Now she sucked in breaths like the air she was breathing was rarefied. “Let’s not announce what we have done to all of Canterlot.”

“Yeah, and let’s not celebrate until after we have the ransom,” Millstone cautioned his partner as he double-checked every lock and chain that bound their captive.

“Yeah, let’s save it till we have our share and are living the good life somewhere far away from here.” Thunder Run flew around the cave to burn off his nervous energy. “I sent the ransom note. It dropped in the courtyard, but I don’t know if anypony noticed it right away.”

“What?” Brass looked over at Tiara, who had just reclined against a smooth stone that hadn't been chiseled when Millstone expanded the cave. “Why didn't you leave the note in her bedroom as we had planned?”

Tiara locked eyes with Brass, more than just a little miffed at being questioned at this point. “Princess Luna said she had ordered a toddy from the kitchen, I couldn't risk another servant arriving, discovering the note, and having the Palace Guards alerted before I had the chance to leave. If it was discovered that Luna was abducted, they would lock the whole place down. Everything rode on my leaving the Palace with Luna before there was a chance of her being discovered missing. I had to alter the plan.”

Brass returned her hard expression with one of his own. “Well then, why didn't you just wait for the second servant to arrive and knock her out like you did Luna?”

“How?” Tiara stood up and started advancing on Brass, “I couldn't serve her another tray of milk and cookies, and if I had somehow knocked out the next Palace staff member, don’t you think that a missing servant would start to arouse some suspicions?”

Brass looked away, “It’s just--”

“--Not what we had planned.” Tiara finished for him. “I know.” She took another deep breath and tried to will her heart into beating at a slower pace, but the noise of rattling chains rankled her.

“M, everything okay over there?” She asked the grey on grey colored earth pony.

“Yeah, I guess.” Millstone stood up and looked all around him.

Tiara recognized his early stage of claustrophobia. If he could fixate on a task, like chiseling or drilling granite, he was fine in confined, dark spaces like this cave. But without a something to keep him occupied, irrational behavior was sure to follow. “Good, why don’t you step outside and keep watch. With your coat and mane dyed the color of this rock, you are the least likely of all of us to be seen. Just don’t move too much.”

“Right.” Millstone walked past her to the cave’s natural switchback entrance that hid it from outsiders view and effectively muffled all sound and light from within.

Tiara told herself she was breathing a sigh of relief, but her heart wasn't in communication with her mind and it continued to beat a rhythm that belonged in a jazz nightclub. “Okay, remember, from now on you talk in whispers, and you only call me Silver, and the rest of you will only answer to your assigned letter. Got it?”

Affirmative grunts answered her and she smiled in response. Her team followed everything she said. That was how she thought of them. Not as co-conspirators, or as partners in crime. They were her teammates, and she was their leader. And together, they had just pulled off the impossible. If everything continued going according to her plan, they would leave this city very rich indeed!

A rattle of chains shook Tiara out of her reverie and back into her racing heartbeat, sweaty brow, near hyperventilating state of controlled panic. Princess Luna was stirring, and any minute now, they would learn how effective all of their magic bonds, wards, and nullifiers were against the second most powerful magic user in all of Equestria.

Luna lifted her bridled head and shook it violently. The bridle stayed securely fastened about her head with the bit gagging her speech and the blinders cutting off her vision. She was effectively blind and mute. Her forelegs moved next, but not very far. The chains kept her forelegs from reaching up past her chest. Luna next tried to lower her head to her hooves, but the bridle’s reins were secured to a dock loop. She couldn't bring her head forward without pulling her own tail. Finally, she thrashed her powerful hind legs, but they too were limited by the chains to impotence and unable to assist any other body part. The sound of Luna’s rapid deep breaths were magnified as she forced air around the bit in her mouth. It didn't take much imagination to realize she was preparing herself for something extreme. Her horn glowed indigo-white and every silver inlaid inscribed rune on each link of her chains glowed violet-white in response. The four null-orbs on the pedestals surrounding her hungrily pulled the magic she was producing into their black hearts, but still her magic visibly expanded and vibrated the air with its gathering strength. A barking sound like laughter came from Luna as a whirlwind of raw power rose from her horn and despite the null-orbs voracious appetite, they couldn't slow the buildup of magic. Luna gathered her hooves under her and stood. Then the whole cave was bathed in pure light as all of the magic Princess Luna has amassed discharged at once. indigo-white and violet-white lightning arced across the rune-inscribed chains. The black null-orbs were ablaze like violet-white torches illuminating their Queen. Finally a crescendo. A sound like a thunderclap and a brilliant flash of light like a vision of the sun.

Tiara felt hope leave her. She had failed. The Princess was far stronger than she had ever dared to imagine. Tiara had already closed her eyes, but the light was so intense she had to bury her head under her hooves. The thunderclap deafened her, and the intense light blinked out. Or had she died? Tiara lifted her head experimentally in jerks and opened her eyes the same way. She was alive.

When her vision returned, she drew a shocked breath. Princess Luna remained securely bound by her chains, which were now glowing red and smoking. Luna writhed in her bonds, and her wail pierced the silence of the cave.

“Water!” Tiara shouted, “Douse the chains with water, they’re burning her!” She got up and grabbed a water bucket and dumped the contents on the cherry red chains. The water hissed and blossomed into steam as it hit the glowing metal. Without hesitation she threw the bucket at Thunder, apparently the next one to recover from the shock of what they had just witnessed.

Thunder caught the bucket and flew to the barrel of water and refilled it while Brass directed Millstone—who had just come back into the cave to investigate—to soak rags and towels and take them over to Luna.

After several agonizing minutes, Luna laid on her side with her flanks heaving. But the chains were now cool enough to touch.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” Tiara said, “Believe me when I say that I had no idea that the chains would heat up like that.” Luna mumbled an unintelligible response through her bit. “Of course, I’ll displace the bit, but you must understand that I will replace it if you shout, scream, or make yourself a nuisance.” Luna nodded and Tiara undid the clasp that held the bit in her mouth. Then she removed the studded metal tongue restraint, gasping as she did. She didn't expect to see blood.

Princess Luna worked her jaw and tongue around in relief but still moaned in obvious discomfort. “Why hast thou betrayed me, Silver Chalice?” Her sore jaw and tortured tongue caused her to struggle to properly enunciate. The resulting rhotacism was the first time Tiara had ever heard her sound undignified. She had to bury the sympathy she felt welling up within her.

“I just want the ransom. You are nothing but a ticket to the wealth I and my colleagues deserve.” Tiara parroted the line she had said numerous times. Why it sounded so flat to her now, she could not say.

Luna snorted and chuckled scornfully. “Hast thou no knowledge of our past?”

“Yes,” Tiara said, “You are the usurper Nightmare Moon, but despite your two attempts to oust Princess Celestia, you reside comfortably in the palace as a Princess and co-regent of all Equestria. I and my colleagues don’t think you deserve your current standing and life of privilege. We consider our actions as a political protest against this demonstration of gross nepotism on the part of Celestia.” Tiara had practiced that argument ever since she had decided to abduct Luna. She was impressed with how it rolled out.

“Very good, Silver. Thou has indeed studied our past.” Luna wasn't disconcerted in the least, but Tiara was unsettled by Luna’s resigned manner. Luna lay her head down on the cold stone. “Thou art the greatest among fools.”

“Oh, I am certain I have thought of every angle.” Tiara straightened up and smiled down on her captive. “You can’t escape, and Celestia won’t find you, even if she mobilizes the whole palace guard. This cave is perfectly hidden, sound proofed, and warded against magical—“

Tiara stopped talking when Luna’s laughing reached fever pitch. “Thou doth amuse me!” Luna said after she had regained her composure. “In sooth, thou should make thy fortune as a court jester!”

“What do you mean?” Tiara was equally worried and confused. This was the attitude she had least expected from a helpless, captive Princess Luna.

“Dost Thou believe that my sister will search for me? My sister who did commit me to a millennium of solitude for one act of rebellion?” Luna spat contemptuously. “Thou should just slay us now and abandon thy foolish conspiracy. For Celestia is most assuredly at this very instant perusing her cellars for her most prized libations. Thou hast served my sister's interests!” Exhausted, Luna lay her head down on the stone like it was a silk pillow. “Slay us and present thyself to my sister. Haply she will reward thee.”

Tiara stood slowly, her mind raced through their conversation. She had never considered the possibility that Celestia wouldn't want her sister back. However, what Luna told her made sense.

A throat was cleared behind her. Tiara turned to her teammates, they all looked concerned, even afraid. Of course they had heard everything that was said, they were all in the same cave. And now they were looking to her for reassurance. She was not about to disappoint them. “You’re bluffing!” She snarled at Luna. “By this time tomorrow, all of Canterlot will be in an uproar!”

As she turned, her hoof clipped a link and pulled the shackle. Luna gasped in pain and jerked in reflex, setting into motion an agonizing chain reaction as all her restraints pinched and pressed against her burns. Luna screamed and held her trembling limbs straight out from her body, immobilized and desperate to relieve the pressure on her raw wounds.

Horrified at the sight of Luna’s suffering, Tiara turned to Thunder. “T, go at once to a pharmacy and buy burn ointment, swabs, and laudanum.” The gull gray colored pegasus nodded and left. “M and B, come over here and help me.” Millstone and Brass joined Tiara’s efforts and held Luna’s shackles in neutral positions until her pain subsided and she could relax again.

“Did we say that ye should be a jester?” Luna gasped as she lay her head back down. “Nay, thy occupation shall be chief torturer!”

Tiara hoped her smile hid her fear. Luna didn't threaten or make demands. She didn't even make requests. She was acting and talking like a pony who had surrendered hope long ago. This had to be an act though. There was no reason for her to even be in the Palace if Celestia didn't want her there. However, everything Luna had said weighed on her confidence.

Just wait till tomorrow. Tiara tried to reassure herself. You will know more by tomorrow.

Author's Note

Rhotacism: The inability to pronounce (or difficulty in pronouncing) "r".

Ministrations

Tiara used her magic to gently lift Luna’s right hind hoof and shackle a decimeter—the limit of the chain—then dipped her head to peer all around the shackle and inspect the burn underneath. “Second degree burns, Princess.” Tiara cast a glance at Luna’s head, which Luna no longer raised from her granite bed, but drunkenly rolled back and forth on her poll. “This looks the same as all the rest.”

“Law’num.” Luna drawled in the manner of the inebriated.

Tiara drew in a slow breath and exhaled through pursed lips. “I have already given you more than you should have had. I can’t give you any more.” Tiara’s lips closed on the tweezers and picked up a sterile swab. The clink of the metal tweezers against the glass jar of ointment made Luna start to sob.

“Laud’num!” She cried desperately.

Tiara shut her eyes and breathed through her nose. “I know it hurts, Princess, but I can’t give you any more.”

“Please, please!” Luna sobbed.

It was silly. Tiara told herself. She shouldn't feel anything towards this privileged traitor. This wannabe tyrant. Yet all she could see at that moment was a lonely, scared, young mare in terrible pain.

Tiara shook her head. Either way, there was still a job that needed to be done. She set the tweezers and swab in the ointment jar. “If I could give you more laudanum I would, but I can’t. I won’t make that mistake again. So stop your crying so we can be done with this!” Tiara picked up the tweezers again.

“What do you mean you won’t make that mistake again?”

Tiara’s eyes flew open and the tweezers fell from her lips. Her head whipped around to face Luna. “What did you say?”

Luna lifted her head off the floor and let it drop with a fleshy sounding thump. “Are thy ears defective? Or has this cave’s ekh’ho—” Luna head rocked back and forth like she was leafing through an imaginary book. “—confounded thy comprehension.”

Tiara’s eyes narrowed. “What. Did. You. Say?”

“Doth thou truly desire to torture?” Luna sobbed. “Give me laud’num or finish thy hellish ministration!”

Tiara hesitated, she was certain that she had heard Luna speak a question clearly.

“We will lie still. We—I …I swear to thee!” Luna’s voice quivered. “Please, complete thy task, I beseech thee, lest our pain become intolerable.”

Tiara picked up her tweezers and dipped another clean swab into the ointment. “Are you ready?” She asked with the tweezers in her lips and a sideways glance back at Luna.

Luna’s head lifted and dropped twice on the granite. “Proceed.”

“There!” Tiara exhaled and gently set Luna’s hoof down. All four of Luna’s pasterns had a fresh bandage showing above and below the shackles, giving her legs the striped appearance of a sprinter wearing supportive wraps for a race. “You can relax now; we are done.” Tiara rolled her head back and moaned as she felt the satisfying pops of her joints.

Luna too exhaled, but short. “We…I thank thee for thy ministration. However, I have another…pressing…concern, that I need addressed.”

Tiara got to her hooves and grabbed a nearby broom so she could gather the soiled dressings and sweep them aside. Then the jar of ointment, tweezers, and the bottle of laudanum were levitated to a hollowed spot on the cave wall that had become a storage shelf. The four null orbs made that normally simple task feel twenty times more difficult. “I need you to stand, Princess. Unless you desire to soil the spot where you lie.”

Luna moved with the caution of somepony surrounded by broken glass. Every motion was slow and deliberate. Her breaths were slow exhales punctuated by abrupt intakes of air through clenched teeth. When she had finally rolled onto her hooves, she stood quickly, but perhaps too quickly. She faltered and nearly fell due to the restricted movement allowed by her leg chains interfering with her attempts to balance herself, but Tiara shot forward and used her body to brace Luna.

“I got you,” Tiara whispered as she felt Luna’s chest and neck press against her own. In her panic to prevent her fall, Luna had even hooked her head over Tiara’s back. “There, Princess are you okay?” Luna’s breaths were hot and fast on her flank as she gathered her hooves under her and regained her balance.

“Indeed, We—I am.”

Tiara felt Luna’s muzzle trace its way up her shoulder, over her withers, and then along her neck. It was not at all unlike what a lover would do. Tiara blushed at the thought. “Um, Princess?”

Luna pulled away at the sound of her discomfort. “We ask—I ask for your pardon, Silver Chalice. It has been some time since I felt…pony affection.”

Tiara cleared her throat. “Um, yes well, I’m sure that you have some understanding of the effects laudanum can have on balance as well as other...areas of a pony’s control. Now, do you still need to pee?”

“Yes, we must answer the call of nature, but we—I must express my…concern over how—“

“A chamber pot.” Tiara interrupted.

“A what?”

Tiara bit her lower lip. She hadn’t expected Luna to require an explanation. “It’s a similar to the toilets you have in the palace, but smaller, and it requires more…participation…on your part.”

Even wearing a bridle and blinders, Luna’s concern was easily read. “Participation…how?”

“You need to sit on it.”

Luna’s head jerked up and her eyebrows peeked above her blinders. “Surely thou jest!”

Tiara couldn't repress her giggles.

“Thou insist on this degradation?”

Tiara sobered quickly at seeing Luna’s indignation. “Princess, a chamber pot is still used by many ponies in the fringes of your realm. Not everypony can afford or accommodate indoor plumbing. I think it is well past time that your privileged, royal hindquarters learn how the other half lives.”

Luna’s head turned to the left and right. “Very well, remove our shackles so that we may remove our undertail.” She sighed with resignation.

“No.”

Luna’s head faced her. “Pray tell, how thee expects us to relieve ourselves? Tiara picked up a scissors and clapped them open and shut. Luna’s head jerked up again. “Now we are convinced that ye planned this humiliation! Indeed, thou intends for us to remain naked until released?"

“Yes.”

Luna leaned her head forward, pinned her ears back and hissed. “Take thyself to Tartarus!”

“As you wish, Princess, and while I am on my trip, you can stand here and regally soil thyself!” Tiara turned for the entrance.

“Silver, wait.” Tiara kept walking. “Slilver Chalice, wait! We pray thee.”

“What. Is it?” Tiara spat her ire at Luna.

“Silver, we ask for thy pardon. We did speak in haste.” Luna’s head dropped. “We—I have lost so much, I had hoped to retain my modesty.”

The pang of sympathy Tiara had been suppressing rose up in her again and lodged in her throat. “Princess, there is nopony in this cave but us.” Tiara picked up the scissors and walked up to Luna and pressed her shoulder against hers. “By your leave, Princess?” She didn't know what made her say it, but she couldn't bring herself to cut Luna’s garment until she did. Tiara slid the bottom blade of the scissors under the thin coat-matched strap of Luna’s undertail.

Tiara felt Luna swallow. “Proceed.”

The scissors clapped shut.

Tiara stepped forward undid the dock-clasp, letting Luna’s most intimate garment go limp and fall down her opposite leg. Another clap of the scissors and it was over. Tiara reached under her and picked up the relatively small bit of cloth that meant so much and lay it at Luna’s fore hooves. “Here you are.”

Luna tried to lower her head to her undertail, but her bridle restraint prevented it. “Ye speak truly, Silver Chalice.” Luna stroked the fabric with a hoof. “Indeed, here I am, as broken and unwanted as this piece of cloth.”

Tiara felt her eyes go wet. “The chamber pot is behind you, Princess.”

Tiara went through the simple but important features and procedures of using the chamber pot with Luna. Soon, Luna was seated properly, albeit with a visible level of uneasiness.

“You may relieve yourself now, Princess.” Tiara said after a silence had stretched into awkwardness.

“We have been trying!” Luna snarled. “We are close to bursting and yet we cannot find release!”

Tiara walked to the water barrel and picked up the dipper ladle hanging on the barrel's edge and ladled water into a bucket, making sure the water streamed and splashed. After a few ladles, she heard the familiar sound of water pouring into a thin metal pot and the grateful sighs of the pony doing the pouring. Tiara finished filling the water bucket and brought it to Luna. “Are you finished, Princess?”

Luna’s ears lay flat out from her head. “We, uh…I also desire…to have a movement, but I cannot.”

“The laudanum has a slowing effect on the digestive tract and can cause constipation.” Tiara explained, “You can either sit there and strain, or just wait until after dinner. We will have hot oatmeal with brown sugar and walnuts. The heat will help…uh…move things along. Until then, Princess, I suggest you drink plenty of water.”

“I think I shall wait.” Luna stood up and moved a hind hoof to close the lid of the chamber pot as she had been instructed, but hesitated. “That is, if it is all the same to you?” Luna’s head darted around as though looking for Tiara.

“In this matter, Princess, I will serve you.” Tiara bent down, closed the lid, bit the handle of the chamber pot and pulled it out from under the seat.

“Why do you still call me ‘princess’?”

Tiara’s eyes widened and she froze. She let go of the pot. “I suppose it could just be force of habit, but I just don’t feel right calling you anything else.”

“You have never called me anything other than ‘princess’?”

Tiara was glad Luna couldn’t see her, but she was sure she could hear her face flush in the brief silence. “You must know by now that I am not that loyal, Princess.”

Luna smiled a pleasant, amused smile that turned sad. “Such honesty. This is truly not thy occupation, yet ye are their governor. Why the paradox?”

Tiara felt her whole body flash with cold and then heat. “I think I have said enough for now, Princess.” Tiara bent down and picked up the chamber pot.

“Silver?” Luna said as she groped about with her head and hoof, but Tiara had shifted out of her reach. “Silver Chalice?” Luna called again. Tiara trotted to the cave entrance. “Silver Chalice, I entreat thee to stay.”

Tiara set the pot down. "I’ll be back to bring you a straw mat for you to lie on, Princess.” Tiara picked up the chamber pot again and started making her way through the tight rock face switchbacks.

“Silver Chalice? Silver Chalice!” Luna called out from behind her, each time sounding more and more alone. Tiara was glad that she also sounded further and further away.

Author's Note

Poll: The very top of a horse's skull behind the ears.
Pastern: The part of a horses leg between the top of the hoof and the first joint. (sometimes called the 'fetlock'')
Laudanum: A mixture of alcohol and opium. An effective early pain reliever. Oddly enough, it's no longer available over-the-counter.
Dock: The part of the horse's tail nearest to the body.
Undertail: A word of my invention. Essentially pony underpants. My way of explaining how "Naked" ponies can prance around with their tails in the air and not be exposed or sexually advertising. I imagine one attachment to the dock and a thong that covers the privates. Thin straps go around the legs and body that are color matched and thin enough to be brushed under fur so their 'undie lines' don't show. An invisible but essential garment for pony modesty.

Conversations over oatmeal

“Don’t ever believe any ‘Princesses don’t potty’ tripe. She damn near filled that thing!” Tiara said after she set down the chamber pot she had emptied and then rinsed in a nearby stream, “What’s the bet that she lays a full bushel of horseapples after dinner?” Tiara sat down expecting some jibes or playful banter, but all that was returned to her were silent stares.

“What?” She asked simply as her eyes met all those around.

“We uh…were wondering if this job isn’t a bust.” Thunder spoke first, as he shifted his weight from hoof to hoof and flapped his wings. “I haven’t seen any activity that would suggest any state of alarm from the Palace. I really think that what Luna said may be right.”

“You have to admit, it isn’t in pony nature to share power,” Brass said as he sat swirling a cup of what looked like coffee. “What would Celestia gain by welcoming her rebellious sister back as an equal and legitimate ruler?”

Tiara looked at Millstone, who was stirring the pot of oatmeal over hot coals. “And you?”

Millstone looked up to confirm he was being addressed. “Well, what they say does make sense.” He returned his attention to stirring the pot.

“So what are you proposing that we do?” Tiara asked. There was no answer. “Do you think we should cut our losses, pack up and walk away now?”

Thunder chewed on his lip. “Well, it might be our best option.”

“Well did any of you ever consider that maybe she is feeding us a line so that we will abandon our plan?” Tiara met their stares until they looked away. “I don’t know everything, but I do know one thing for certain; you don’t take the intelligence that your enemy willingly gives you.”

Tiara stood up, “I’m surprised at you!” she said in a scolding tone. “What are you going to do, Thunder? The Equestrian guard kicked you out on trumped-up charges. Remember? And the Palace refused to hear your appeal. And now after hearing one little pity-party act from Luna, you are abandoning your chance at getting your payback.” Thunder stared at his hooves.

Tiara moved over to Brass, “And you, what’s your plan? Have you forgotten that the Palace promised you an apprenticeship? Hmm?” Brass’ countenance warped and creased like he had just swallowed a lemon. “Yeah, remember how you sold and gave away all that you had to move out here, only to find that they had given your position to somepony else because you were late? Even though you demonstrated that it was due to circumstances beyond your control?”

“And you!” Millstone cringed as Tiara turned to him, “Are you going to go back to your family farm? Oh, that’s right, the Palace took your farm due to unpaid family taxes! I guess you are just stuck here!”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing!” Tiara paced in front of them at a trot, “You had better all buck-up like stallions and remember why you are here. The Palace owes us, and we are on the path to collect what is rightfully ours, and we’ll send a message to Celestia about nepotism at the same time!” Tiara stopped and faced them like an officer addressing her troops, “Our cause is just. Our goal is to right wrongs. We are fighting wealth and privilege and the evil it engenders. Remember that.” Tiara stomped her hoof. All of them nodded solemnly to Tiara in response.

“Good.” Tiara nodded back, “Now, I need somepony to take Luna a grass mat and a bowl of oatmeal. I think she’s getting too cozy with me.”

Brass squeezed through the cave entrance with the steaming bowl of oatmeal in his mouth and the straw bedroll on his back. Luna got to her hooves with a start as he entered.

“Who art thou?” She challenged. Brass was unable to reply and just kept walking. Luna backed up into the seat of the chamber pot, then a step further to the limit of her chains, then she tried to rear defensively, but the chains being also secured to the granite floor prevented her. “Give answer!” Luna fearfully demanded in a voice climbing in pitch.

Brass stopped and set down the bowl. “You can call me ‘B’,” Brass answered in a whisper, “I brought you a bedroll and your dinner.”

“Why do you whisper?” Luna’s ears swiveled around and her head darted about.

“To keep my identity hidden from you.”

“Yes, of course.” Luna took a tentative step forward. “Where is our evening meal?” In response, Brass tapped the floor behind the bowl with a hoof until Luna made her way in the halting manner the chains allowed. Then she tried to lower her head to the bowl, only to be brought far short by the reins. “Is this restraint necessary?” asked Luna, “We would be much less of a burden if we had more freedom of movement.”

“Is that so?” Brass smiled, “If it was up to me, you would be locked in leg irons with no freedom of movement. I know you are extremely dangerous, so you will get no more freedom from me.” Brass said still in a whisper as he stepped up to Luna.

Luna jumped at hearing Brass right next to her. “Step back at once!” She screamed and retreated to the limit of her chain. “State your intentions!” she swung her head defensively, wielding her horn like a sword.

Brass dropped the woven grass mat in front of her bowl and untied the strap. “I brought you a mat to lie on. Silver told you to expect one.”

“She told me that she would bring one.” Luna’s breathing slowed but she stayed as far away as her shackles would allow. “What else should we expect from you? I demand that you state your intentions!” She held her breath as she waited for his response.

“I intend to wait here until you finish eating,” Brass whispered, “Then I will take your empty bowl and send Silver back in to tend to your more private needs.” Luna’s head jerked up in surprise. “I’m not a monster, Princess Luna. None of us are. We are activists making a political statement and demanding restitution for wrongs we personally have suffered from the Palace. Nothing more.”

“Thou doth seek to make thyself a victim and a crusader?” Luna laughed, “Be enlightened, for indeed thou art presently an accomplice to assault, ponynap, unlawful imprisonment, treason, extortion, and conspiracy. How doth thou consider thyself to be an outstanding citizen with such evil in thy trade? Fool thyself no more and confess to being a criminal and a monster!”

“I am no monster,” Brass reaffirmed, “You asked my intentions? They are to trade you for Equestrian coin. Nothing more. If you cooperate, you need not fear me. And I will not hurt you or take advantage of you.”

Luna drew her head back. “So thou doth confess that thy amiable demeanor is contingent upon our cooperation and the favorable response of my sister to thine demands.”

“Uhh,” Brass replied, temporarily flummoxed at wording of Luna’s response, “If you write a note asking Princess Celestia to pay your ransom, I’m certain it would speed things along.”

“And if we refuse we can expect molestation?”

“Huh?” Shocked at Luna’s blunt question, Brass forgot to whisper. The sound of his voice echoing off the cave walls brought him back to whispering and carefully choosing his words. “We will do whatever Silver asks. So I suggest you also do whatever she asks.”

“Hast thou been deaf to all we have said?” Luna shook her head. “Nothing will change if we were to write such a letter and we will not waste our time or effort. My sister cares not for our return and we will not beg her.” Luna lay down and pillowed her head on the unrolled mat. “I will take no sustenance. You may return my dinner.”

Brass stood in shock. After it became clear to him that Luna wasn't going to eat or make any further conversation, he picked up her untouched bowl of oatmeal and left.

“You told her what!?” Tiara shouted at Brass after he had summarized his conversation with Luna.

Brass looked around the campfire at all the shocked faces staring back at him. “I thought it might be a good idea to get her to write her own ransom request,” Brass stood his ground, “and I thought a subtle threat of pain might encourage her to cooperate with us.”

Tiara face-hoofed. Then she looked up, shaking her head. “That was foolish. We lose nothing by her refusal at this time.”

“Okay, so why are you so upset?”

“Because now our credibility with her is at stake if I don’t repeat your demand to have her write her sister!” Tiara stood and faced off with Brass. “Are you prepared to torture her after she refuses to cooperate with me?”

Brass’ eyes darted about nervously. “I – I’d just thought the veiled threat would be good enough. I expected that a palace–raised princess would give in at the hint of pain. I don’t think I can actually…do anything…much beyond threaten.”

Tiara looked over to Thunder, who flapped his wings like he was preparing to flee. “No way! Not me either. I can’t hurt anypony with wings.”

“What? You won’t hurt anypony with wings, but unicorn and earth ponies are fair game for you?” Brass glowered at Thunder.

“Hey!” Tiara shouted to stop the argument that she was certain would erupt. “B, as far as I’m concerned, his refusal isn’t any different than yours. And he didn’t go making threats he wasn’t prepared to follow through!” Brass looked chastened enough to let the matter drop, but he kept his eyes locked on Thunder.

She let her gaze fall on Millstone. The gray pony looked into the fire. “I don’t want to do it either,” He said slowly without looking up. “But, I will do it for you, if you think it’s necessary, Silver.”

Tiara’s mouth and eyes opened in surprise. Millstone’s voice was mournful and determined at the same time. Just like he had been when she had asked him if he could get over his claustrophobia and chisel out more room in the cave. She had no doubt he would overcome his internal conflict and torture Luna in the same methodical and resolute manner as he had when he was excavating the cave. Her heart ached at his admission. Nopony else had done as much for this cause as he had, and yet he was prepared to do even more, if she would only ask.

“I don’t think any of us want that on our conscience,” Tiara said slowly. “Not only that, but it will reflect badly on our cause. Rest assured, M, that I don’t want any harm to come to Princess Luna. I just want the ransom and to make the political statement, and I don’t see how torturing Luna will help either of those goals.”

Tiara picked up Luna’s untouched bowl and dumped it back into the pot. “Please ladle out a fresh helping,” she said to Millstone, “I’m going to go back in there and try to get her to eat.”

Luna didn’t stir when she heard Tiara enter. “Is our torture to begin?” She asked, not even lifting her head.

“No.” Tiara answered as she knelt before Luna.

“Silver Chalice?” Luna’s head jerked up and she rolled onto her hooves. “Is it you?”

“Yes, it’s me –“

“Oh, Silver Chalice,” Luna stood and lept forward to where her chains stopped her. “We were frightened that we – that I had offended thee, and that ye would no longer come.” Her head and neck probed out, and even her nostrils flared as though she was trying to locate her visitor by scent.

Tiara had to draw her head back to avoid Luna, who was now so close that she could feel her breath. “Princess, I came in to see why you have refused to eat. Will you tell me why you have chosen to starve?”

“I will eat only if you will promise me that I will not be tortured. That is why I refused sustenance. I did not want to risk vomiting during the testing of my will.” Luna said resolutely.

“Well, allow me to set any fears you may have to rest. You should know that B made his demand and threat out of impatience. He just wants this whole affair resolved. I made sure he understands that there is nothing to be gained by threatening you further.” Luna nodded.

“So, now can I interest you in a hot bowl of oatmeal with walnuts and brown sugar?”

“You can,” Luna replied, “But I cannot reach the floor to partake. Will you loosen the reins so that I can eat?”

Tiara sighed. “Princess, you know that you are a very powerful and dangerous captive. I will not risk removing or relaxing any restraint currently limiting you. You will have to kneel down to the floor in order to reach your bowl. So do you want your bedroll on your right or left side?”

“My right side.” Luna snorted unhappily.

“Princess Luna, Why did you treat me so harshly at the Palace?” Tiara finally allowed herself to ask the question that had been on her mind since she had begun serving at the Palace. Luna had finished eating and had refused seconds, but was now licking her bowl clean. However, at Tiara’s question, she stopped and pushed the bowl away.

“I never trusted you.” Luna said after a pregnant pause, “And now that you have abducted me, I believe that you have proved my suspicions well founded.”

Tiara waited to see if Luna would elaborate, but only silence followed. “I had no plan to abduct you, or to commit any offense until about a year ago when I could see that you were not about to change your attitude toward me. I dare to postulate that your prejudice has made me an abductor.”

Luna chuckled. “Do you dare to propose that the only options available to you were to endure the harsh treatment or to strike back? That is a false choice. You could have quit at any time. The Palace is not the only place of employment, and your work record was exemplary. You would have had little problem finding other employment.”

“Yes,” Tiara agreed softly. “But I felt like I had no other place to go.”

“And why is that?”

Tiara wanted more than anything at that moment to tell Luna her secret reasons for why she chose her course, but that would expose too much of who she really was. Princess Luna and the Palace knew her as Silver Chalice, and she was desperate to keep that identity. Her real name must remain buried and dead if she wanted to live. So, how does she explain her actions to Luna as the orphan Silver Chalice? Tiara was at a complete loss for words.

The shuffling sound of somepony hurriedly forcing their way through the cave entrance saved her. Thunder poked his head in. “Hey Silver! Come outside, quick!”

Millstone

“You are supposed to whisper whenever Luna can hear you,” Tiara scolded Thunder once they were outside the cave, “That way she wouldn’t know for certain your gender. You need to do that for your protection.”

“Yeah, I know,” Thunder rolled his eyes and continued his canter up the mountain’s side, “but I was in a hurry to show you.”

It was Tiara’s turn to roll her eyes. Thunder had from the beginning shown his impulsive nature. In truth, she never expected him to be able to follow her guidelines for behavior around Princess Luna. Thus she had planned on keeping his exposure to a minimum. But the fact that he had violated them so soon still surprised her.

When they had come near to the crest they slowed to a walk and kept their heads low. Thunder had stressed the need to stay below the ridge-line to avoid silhouetting themselves against the sky. Doing so greatly increased their chances of avoiding detection by any ground spotters. Thunder motioned with his hoof to a bush where Tiara could just make out Brass’ form in the fading twilight. Tiara made her way there in a crouch. Finally beside him, she whispered. “Okay, B, what’s the big deal?”

Brass glanced at her like she was being exceptionally thickheaded. “Don’t you see it?” he pointed with the hoof holding the sextant.

Tiara looked and saw the full circle of the moon over the east horizon. “Surely you didn’t call me up here just to see the moon rise?”

“I did,” Brass said through clenched teeth and rubbed a hoof over his eyes. “As far as I can tell, the moon rose right on time and is in the exact place it should be.”

“And why does this bother you?”

“Because we have the Princess of the Moon locked-up in a cave, remember?” Brass shout-whispered in frustration at her making him spell-out his observations.

“Listen, B,” Tiara said conciliatorily, “This does not surprise me. Princess Celestia governed the movements of the moon for a millennium without Princess Luna. It serves to reason that she would do the same now to prevent widespread panic. I take this as a good sign.”

“What?”

“Think about it, if the moon rose late, then that would be a sign that Luna was just now discovered to be missing. But because it rose right on schedule means either Luna was already known to be missing, and that our ransom note was found and relayed to Celestia. Either way, we know that the palace knows that Luna was unable to raise the moon.”

“I still don’t see how this is a ‘good’ sign and not just a sign that Celestia isn’t bothered in the slightest that her sister is missing.”

“Because if Celestia didn’t care about her sister’s whereabouts, she wouldn’t be missed until the moon failed to rise.” Tiara explained, “I admit, it isn’t solid proof that Princess Celestia is going to pay the ransom for her sister, but it is evidence that Princess Luna has been missed. And if she has been missed, then somepony cares about her.

“Tomorrow, I want you and T to go into Canterlot to observe the Palace’s activity.” Tiara whispered and started to back out of their spot in the bushes. “Now come back into the cave. I want all of us to sleep inside tonight. I am most afraid of being found by the Lunar Guard. The night is their domain, and we will never see nor hear them coming.”

“You doused and buried the fire, right?” Tiara asked Millstone as he came into the cave. She was trying to be the even-tempered, rock-steady influence on the group as they collectively became increasingly jumpy and insecure, but she could hear the nervous excitement in her voice, and the way she was micromanaging her teammates betrayed her own apprehensions.

Millstone, however, didn’t seem bothered by her questions as much as he was troubled by being inside the cave with everypony. His breaths grew rapid and he backed up into the entrance only a few seconds after entering.

“M, look at me,” Tiara said to stave off the panic attack. “I need you to stay here with me tonight, okay?” She stroked his head with her hoof and kissed his cheek. She had learned that these simple affections were the most effective in combating his claustrophobia. “Do you think you can sleep here with me?” Millstone closed his eyes and nodded his head in short jerks. “Good,” Tiara smiled and laid down on her mat near the cave mouth. “Come lie down next to me.” Tiara directed as she took another quick look around the cave. Everypony was present and lying in their bedrolls. Only Luna had her head up and pointed sightlessly in her direction.

“That’s it,” Tiara coaxed Millstone as he slowly laid down, never opening his eyes. “Good for you. I’m right here. Right next to you.” She whispered into his ear and nuzzled his neck. “You’re safe, and you’re in your bed; so try to go to sleep.” Tiara felt his body relax and grow heavy against her own. Then she heard his breathing gradually become deeper and slower, but she wouldn’t allow herself to relax. Millstone had relaxed and succumbed to sleep much more quickly than in times past. And this time he wasn’t physically spent from drilling out this cave. She cast a suspicious eye toward Luna, who no longer had her head up, but rested her muzzle on her bed. Luna’s horn wasn’t glowing, and she knew that Luna couldn’t see them. Tiara took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She assured herself that there was no reason to worry. Luna was blind, captive, and unable to work her magic, and nopony knew where they were. It had been a long and stressful day. That must be the reason everypony was so tired. She yawned and laid her head against Millstone’s neck. A familiar scent filled her nose, but it wasn’t the smell of Millstone. In her fading lucid moments she tried to place the scent, but sleep took her before she could identify it.

The darkness pressed him on every side. It felt like he was buried alive! Panic shot through him and he began to try to dig his way out. But he was restrained somehow. He could hardly move, and barely breathe. He tried to scream for help, but the meager sound he could produce was muffled into impotence by the heavy burlap sack laid on his head.

Nearby, came a mocking laugh. “Heyah, yah! That’s right. Beg for help too! I want you to struggle. Just like this. It’s fun!”

He knew that voice. It was his older brother. “Furrow, please!” Millstone somehow forced out intelligible words through the terror that gripped him. “If you don’t let me go, I’ll tell mom!” He coughed out his threat through the dusty air he forced through the burlap seed-bag.

“Oh?” his older brother paused, just for a moment, giving Millstone hope of a reprieve. “Are you going to be a taddle-tale?”

Millstone didn’t want to get his brother in trouble, but he was so terrified, so scared, that he had to find a way to end this any way he could. “If you don’t get off me right now! I’m gonna tell both Mom and Dad what you did!”

“Oh really?” The heavy seed bag rolled off Millstones head, allowing him to suck in a lungful of air his fear had denied him. Then Furrow lifted him up and dragged him out of the barn. “You’re not gonna tell Mom, Dad, or anypony!”

“Ow! Let go’a me!” Millstone protested through his tears, “I will too tell Mom! Ya big bully! I’m gonna tell-“ Millstone’s eyes shot open as over the next few steps he figured out his brother’s next course of action. “No! Furrow, stop! Please don’t!”

“I’m gonna show you what I’ll do if you taddle! You little snitch!”

Millstone struggled in vain to get away, but Furrow was almost four years older than him. He had no chance. They both splashed into the creek and in the next instant, his head was held underwater. The disturbed silt and reeds made the water seem almost as dark as it was back in the barn with the seed bag held over his head. Reeds and cattails felt like they were wrapping around him like constrictors. His fear blossomed into panic yet again, and he screamed. Then, he had to breathe, but his head was still under water! Now he had to fight his own body as well as his older brother. It was another lost cause. His body forced him to suck in the silty water and cold, thick, grainy liquid shot up his throat and entered his lungs.

Millstone jerked up suddenly in his bed, wild-eyed and gasping, with his forhooves swatting around his head at an invisible attacker. His terror-wide eyes searched for the way out of this tomb. The faintest light from the cave entrance illuminated his way of escape and he clawed to it and through. Finally, he was outside, alone, breathing air, and realizing that he had only been dreaming. Only then did his panic begin to subside. He collapsed on the ground and wept. A gentle night breeze washed over him and cooled the warm liquid that had soaked through his undertail to wet his belly, thighs, and legs. Humiliation and shame at what he had done filled Millstone and took the place of his dispersing fear. He would have to go and wash himself. He would not go back in the cave reeking of fear and urine. As he walked down to the stream, he remembered doing this very same thing in a different body of water on dozens of occasions many years before. Becoming a stallion hadn’t been enough to purge him of the horrific memories of his past. And now he knew that time had also failed to completely remove his childhood response to those nightmares. He reached the stream, waded in, and knelt down in the bitterly cold flowing water to wash away his fear. As he bathed, a young colt’s tears from long ago fell from his eyes.

Brass Hammer

He had never been so excited. He was going to Canterlot! And what was even better, he was going to be an apprentice there! An apprentice engraver and precious metal-worker at the Royal Palace! He was going be apprenticed by the most prestigious and talented engravers in all of Equestria to work on precious metals, doing intricate, flowing designs that would have Royalty and their honored guests marvel. He might even get to see one of the Princesses themselves. He might even have one of his own designs selected to adorn a cartouche in the Palace. Maybe one of the Princesses will even ask him to be her personal engraver! Brass Hammer looked once more at the train ticket and his personal invitation to an apprenticeship in Canterlot. It was a dream come true. He wasn't going to be just another coal miner in his nondescript family living in a nondescript village. He was going to eventually be a venerated master craftspony. In Canterlot!

A purple mare with a blonde mane slid up next to him. “Whe’re ya goin’, ‘andsum?” She said in a deliberate over-exaggeration of her hillpony drawl. Brass smiled and turned to face his promised-to-be fiancée head on, looking deep into her eye’s amethyst-ringed pools. The intensity of his stare caused her to look down and fidget with the gold necklace and pendant around her neck. “Are ya sure ya wanna go an’ give me your promise? Ah know ah’m lit’rally wearin’ every bit ya had.” She looked back up into his eyes. Her face a conflicted mix of joy, worry, and self-doubt. “Ah don’t know if Ah’m worth it.” The pools of her eyes threatened to overflow their banks just like they did on the night when he offered it to her.

“Lilac Seed, if you knew how much you mean to me, if you really knew how special you are, you wouldn't trade your promise to wait for me for this little trinket.” Brass covered her hoof holding the pendant with his own.

Lilac blushed and smiled. “Ah like the way ya soun’ when ya talk, but I love the way ya use words when ya talk to me.” Her face glowed at her admission, and for a time they both just basked in in each other’s presence.

An announcement from the train’s conductor broke their tranquility and caused Lilac’s face to crease with worry. “Hey, Lilac honey, what’s wrong?” Brass lifted her chin with his hoof so he could meet her eyes.

Lilac drew a shuddering breath. “Ah know ya won’t be back for a year at least. Ah know that’s why ya went an’ sold all ya had to buy this for me. But, we both know of fillies who have been left here…” She let her voice trail off, afraid to give voice to her deepest fear. “Nopony comes back to our town, Brass. Never alone, and never to stay.” She fiddled with the pendant on the necklace again. “Just come back to me as soon as ya can, or send me word as soon as ya made up your mind…not to come...” Lilac thumped on his chest with her hoof. “Ya hear me, Brass Hammer! Ya better not leave me here waitin’ forever for ya with your promise hangin’ on my neck to remind me that Ah once held somepony special, but he left me lookin’ like a fool an’ he ain’t never comin’ back!” Some inner dam broke and rivers flowed from her eyes.

Brass hooked his hoof around her head and kissed her passionately. In response she threw herself against him and wrapped him up in a full embrace. “I’ll be the exception, Lilac Seed. I promise. Rest assured that we won’t be parted indefinitely.”

Lilac cried into his chest. “Ah don’t know what that means!”

“It means that I gave you everything I have, because you are worth more to me than any thing.”

Lilac lifted her tear streaked face. “There ya go talkin’ pretty again. It ain’t fair to talk to me like that an’ then leave!” Brass kissed her, and was kissed by her. If the train had left just then, he wouldn’t have cared. They parted for air just as the conductor gave the final boarding call. Brass closed his eyes.

“Ya need to go an’ get on your train. Ah know ya won’t ever be happy here. Even if it was here with me.” Lilac sniffed and pushed away to drop back down on her hooves. “So give me one last peck an’ go.”

Brass reached for her, but she shied away. He stretched his head forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “I’ll keep my promise, Lilac. I will come back.” Then he gave the conductor his ticket, boarded the train, and found a window to watch her as the train pulled away. She didn’t wave to him as the train left, nor did she try to keep pace with his car until the end of the platform. She just stood there with her tears forming puddles at her hooves, like it took every ounce of strength she had to just - stand there - and watch him leave.

Once he could no longer see her, he turned around and sat staring out at the horizon as the train accelerated. Faster and faster the train moved, until the terrain was whipping past the window so fast it became a blur. He looked around the car, but nopony else seemed bothered by the train’s impossible speed. Then a blast of freezing cold whipped through the car, snuffing out lamps and tossing loose items into the air. All the windows went white and then black as the car body buckled and screamed.

“Avalanche!” Somepony yelled over the panicked screams as the car began rolling.

Brass braced himself as best as he could. The car rolled two or three times, bouncing ponies and luggage around the interior until it stopped almost perfectly upright.

“We need to start a fire!” Somepony yelled through chattering teeth.

“Who’s got a match?” Another pony yelled in the darkened car.

Brass picked himself up and went to the coal-burning stove that was the car’s heater. A small glowing ember could be seen in its black ashen belly. “We won’t need a match, if somepony has dry paper to burn.” He said looking around. Everypony stared back at him. He knew he had paper. He reluctantly pulled out his invitation from the Palace and tore it into strips. After a few moments of blowing and tending the tiny ember, he coaxed a fire into being. “Keep feeding it, until I can find some coal.” He directed the other passengers and went to try to get the door open.

The door was stuck. No big surprise after all that had happened. Brass pushed, and kicked, and pried, and tore at the door. He was getting weak, and hot, so incredibly hot! He wiped his brow and swooned. “He’s feverish!” He heard somepony yell. “He needs a doctor!” Brass fell to the floor and everything went black.

Brass woke in a warm soft bed with clean white sheets. “Look who decided to wake up!” a pony dressed in white said as he walked into the room. “How do you feel?”

“Fine.” Brass said, “Where am I?”’

“You are in a hospital. You were taken here after the rescue crews reached your train. You have been very sick for about ten days now. Fever, and then pneumonia.” The pony in white dropped a newspaper in front of brass. “You are being hailed as a hero. There are more than just a few ponies from your car that have been saying that you are the only reason that they are alive today.” The pony in white began taking Brass’ vital signs. “Do you remember anything?”

“I need to get to the Palace!” A heavy foreboding settled on Brass and darkened the room. He sat up and threw aside his bed covers. “How do I get to Canterlot from here?!”

“Right through that door,” The pony in white said, “But I’m afraid you’re going to be too late.”

Brass leapt out of bed and galloped through the door to find himself standing in front of the desk of the Royal Technical University: Canterlot.
“Hello, my name is Brass Hammer.” He introduced himself to the smiling, rotund, green-colored, unicorn mare behind the desk. “I’m here by invitation to accept a position as an apprentice engraver.”

The green unicorn’s smile faded, and her already considerable bulk swelled to twice its size. “You’re too late!” She hissed. “That position has been filled!”

“But my position was guaranteed! I had a personal invitation from Princess Celestia herself!”

The green mare recoiled and hissed, her eyes turned yellow with glowing reptile pupils that stared at him hungrily. “Show me your invitation!”

Brass hung his head. “I lost it in the train wreck almost a month ago.”

The green mare smiled and a forked tongue flicked out of her mouth. “No invitation. No admittance!” A rattling noise came out from under the desk and her fatty folds became the scaly coils of a monstrous viper.

“But it isn’t my fault that I’m late!” Brass argued desperately. He pulled a newspaper out and showed it to her. “There, you see? I’m called a hero for saving pony’s lives and for braving the storm to gather coal that spilled from the locomotive’s tender to keep us all from freezing to death. I later got sick and spent the next ten days in the hospital. After that, I got here as soon as I could. You must give me a position!”

The green unicorn rattled and hissed. “The only thing I must do-” Her head raised up and widened to complete the transformation of pony to viper. “-is get rid of you!” Her mouth opened to reveal sharp viper teeth and fangs that dripped venom. Brass stood paralyzed by what he saw. Then the viper struck!

Brass’ eyes flew open to see that he was in his bedroll in a dark cave and not being eaten by a giant green viper/unicorn in an office in Canterlot. He rubbed a fetlock over his eyes and sighed. His heart was thumping too fast for him to simply roll over and go back to sleep, but he knew that he shouldn’t leave the cave to calm down.

“Who’s there?” came a whispered challenge from inside the cave.

Brass sat up. A faint glow came from Luna’s horn and swirled around the null-orb nearest to her until it disappeared into the blackness like water to the drain of a sink. “It’s, B,” He whispered back, “I just woke up.”

“Oh,” Luna whispered glumly. “We don’t suppose that thou wouldst care to talk?”

Brass stood up in his bed and stepped carefully around the other sleeping forms on the floor. “I thought you couldn’t do magic, but I see that your horn is glowing.” He asked as he knelt down in front of her.

“Illumination is one of the inherent abilities of a unicorn, “Luna explained, “Null orbs of this sort don’t prevent magic, but they do make the magic user work harder. It’s like running uphill instead of walking along a paved path.”

“Oh, I see,” Brass said, genuinely surprised at Luna’s appropriate analogy and her affability, “So what is keeping you awake at this hour?”

Luna’s head and ears turned directly to him. “I am the Princess of the Night. We are always awake at this hour.”

"Oh…right.” Brass felt more than just a little stupid at having actually asked that question. He wondered if he should just go back to bed.

“Where art thou from?”

Brass thought a moment before answering. Her question seemed genuine and innocent enough. “I grew up in a small village in hill country.” He said, believing his answer to be sufficiently vague.

“Thou hast but minimal accent. Didst thou study?”

“I was judged to be intelligent enough to attend a school in another town.”

Luna’s chains clinked as she shifted her position. “Not all of thy family is educated?”

“No, in fact, most of my town can’t read.”

Luna drew a shocked breath. “Indeed?”

“Yes, it’s true,” Brass reaffirmed, “I guess the current policy is to educate the best candidates and have them return to their homes to gradually raise the education level, but the problem with that is-“

“-Most graduates don’t return to their villages, but seek better employment elsewhere leaving their villages further deprived.” Luna finished his statement and shook her head. “A well intentioned policy to do the most with the least, but ultimately, and fatally flawed. That must change.”

Brass said nothing, but let the silence continue to speak.

“Earlier, thou didst argue that thine had all been wronged by the Palace. Willt thou explain thy contention?”

Brass smiled. “That information can be used to find me, Princess. I’m sure you understand why I would prefer to remain anonymous?”

Luna’s mouth turned down. “Yes, of course.” She replied sourly. “We merely wanted conversation. Willt thou tell us anything about what thou hast done in this conspiracy?”

Brass looked down at her chains, the silver of the runes reflected her horn’s indigo glow. They looked perfect! He couldn’t help but brag a little. “I’m the one who engraved the runes on your shackles and inlaid them with silver.”

Luna shook, visibly shocked at the revelation. “Thou, an earth pony, engraved magic runes?” Brass said nothing, but his smile broadened. “Didst thou follow Silver Chalice’s tracings?”

“No, she showed me the runes and their order, but I engraved them on the chains and shackles from the drawings alone.”

“That is most amazing!” Luna nearly spoke aloud, “We have never heard anything so fantastic! Hast thou studied engraving at the Royal Technical University?”

“I really do want to answer that, but-“

“Oh, yes-yes, our excitement did make us forget. But it remains fact; Thy talent is extraordinary!”

Brass’ smile faded. “Thank you, Princess.”

Luna shuffled closer. “I am most serious when I say that thou hast a most unique gift,” She whispered conspiratorially, “If thine and I were to join, together we would be a very powerful force!”

Brass leaned away and looked at Luna, pressing in toward him with her lips curled lustfully. “What…what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, you know that your conspiracy to ransom me is a failure, but if you open your eyes to opportunity, you might become a valuable asset to a new Princess of Equestria!” Brass stood up and stepped back, nearly tripping over an occupied bedroll. “Just think about it, B. You were able to imprison me with the help of an average unicorn magic user. Imagine what you could accomplish with me!”

“I – I don’t…” Brass’ mind swam and he felt a little sick.

“Just think about it, B. Go lie down, and just think about it,” Luna said with her hungry grin still spread wide on her face. “Sleep on this. You can still make this work for you!”

Brass carefully picked his way back to his bed and laid down. He looked back at Luna to see her head and ears still focused on him. The whole thing was as unsettling as his earlier dream. He wondered how he would ever get back to sleep.

He reached over and pulled his blanket up. As he did, and unusual scent filled his nostrils. Intrigued at the source of the mystery fragrance, he pushed his nose into his blanket and flehmened, but the blanket had no trace of the unusual smell. He yawned. Mystery smells were the least of his concerns. He laid his head down and considered his conversation with Luna. After the next few breaths he was snoring.

Author's Note

Flehmen: The upper lip curling accompanying heavy nasal blowing some mammals do when apparently analyzing scents.

Cold and Afraid

Millstone trotted in circles to dry his fur and warm his body after his icy bath in the mountain stream. He knew he needed to get back into the cave. After all, that was the only place he would be able to get warm since he couldn't build a fire and risk being found by some Palace patrol. However, the mere thought of going back inside that cave was enough for him to consider death by exposure as an acceptable alternative. He wasn't afraid of the cold, night air; that was just uncomfortable. But that cave! That horrible, dark, echo-y cave seemed to him to be just big enough to be his coffin! The very thought of entering that unholy sepulcher with all those other bodies inside made his stout heart melt within him like wax in a furnace.

Nevertheless, he found himself at the cave's narrow entrance shivering from head to hoof, but whether it was mainly from the cold or his phobia he figured was best left undecided. It might just be the distraction he desperately needed in order to force himself through the tight switchbacks and into the stale air of their suffocating cave.

He started walking. The sheer stone walls brushed against his flanks. He kept moving. That was most important. He must keep moving. If he stopped, even for an instant, he knew his barely contained panic would rise precipitously and force him into ignominious retreat. He pressed on with his sides sucked in to keep his contact with the unyielding rock to a minimum. The vertical rock faces to his left and right seemed to narrow and expand like they were the living sides of a great dragon, He knew it was a trick of his mind, but he could not help but quicken his pace. Finally, he was through the gauntlet and in the belly of the mountain, standing in the very vault he had carved, and peace was very far from him.

He could hear the breathing of the other ponies as they slept. The rock walls began to close in on him to cut off his escape. He was not in any cave, but inside the stomach of a giant. That was why he had made it inside so quickly. He hadn't been walking. No, he had been swallowed whole and was now to be digested! In a final bid to stave off his terror, he clamped his eyes shut and just tried to breathe.

“Who’s there!”

That voice was a cork ring in a tempest, and he seized it. “It—it—it’s mm—mm—‘ Millstone stammered through chest muscles clinching down on his lungs panic-tight.

“M, thou doth sound frigid!” The whisper interrupted. “Come here at once!”

Millstone chanced opening his eyes to pick his way around those still asleep to reach Luna. He made sure he never looked up or around, but kept his eyes fixed on the ground immediately in front of him. Finally, the indigo form of his captive was in his view.

He realized then that her horn had been glowing since he had made it back inside, and its bluish light had made his trek possible without stumbling. He tried to ask her a question through his quivering and cramping muscles.

“Remove the restraint on my wings. I cannot fly away. Additionally, I am chained to the floor, what need have thee of this?” Luna interrupted his stammering. Millstone shivered at her response. He knew he shouldn't remove any restraint. Indeed, they had all been specifically warned by Silver to never remove or loosen any of her restraints. Luna pounced on his hesitation. “M, I perceive that thou art still shuddering in the stages of hypothermia, and thus, thou art in need of an external source of warmth. If thou would just release my wings, I would wrap my wing around thee to warm thee. Nothing more.”

Luna didn't have to try to be persuasive, as too many circumstances argued in her favor. “Oh-kh-kay.” Millstone acquiesced and he undid the straps around her barrel. As soon as the last strap was undone her wings—spring-like—popped out from her sides.

“Ohhh, yes!” Luna sighed in near ecstasy as she stretched-out her wings to their limits. “That feels sooo gooood! I have been wanting to do that since I first awoke in this cave.” After her short stretch, Luna swept her left wing in come-hither circles. “M, lie down here, you sound as though you are desperate for warmth.”

Millstone wordlessly complied, still trembling with cold and fear about the cave and now anxiety about the freedom he had just given to Luna. However, once he had lain next to her and she had covered him with her wing, he found it easy to relax against her and let the warmth of her body soak into him and still his shivering. After all, her wing seemed to be warmer that the quilt on his childhood bed, and her body was as pleasant to recline against as Silver’s.

“Thou art chilled to the bone!” Luna’s vehement whisper shocked him back into discomforting reality. Luna had no reason to be so amiable to him. Yet the tone of her whispers and her charitable manner made war against the truth he knew; Luna was his captive, and not to be trusted. “Pray tell, whatever possessed thee to flee out into the night?” Luna asked.

So why has Luna sounded and acted so concerned about his well-being? Millstone pondered her actions as well as her question. He decided to follow his therapist’s advice. Talking through his fears reduced their power over him. “I had a bad dream, a horrible nightmare.” He answered.

“What about?” Luna asked. She sounded like his therapist: Engaged and concerned.

“About the time my older brother nearly drowned me.”

Luna drew a shocked breath. “Did thee often quarrel bitterly with thy brother?”

“No.” Millstone answered simply. He then went on to explain how he and his brother had been friendly to one another, until his brother had a teacher that would ridicule and demean him and some of the other students over even tiny offenses. His brother would come home from a bad day at school and find empowerment by tormenting his younger sibling, who had a fear of being trapped in small, dark places. A fear which gradually became worse and worse over that year.

“Were thy parents blind to this abuse?”

“My parents were busy working in the fields, or working in town, or with my baby sister in the hospital.” Millstone closed his eyes and saw his sister’s tiny pinkish body wrapped in white blankets. He never remembered her in any other color. But, always in sterile, hospital white. “Sprout was sickly from birth, and took most of my parent’s time and bits in the year she was alive. They were distracted and thought that any of our strange behavior was due to the stress brought on by Sprout’s illness. I was too afraid to tell them because they were gone so much and I was left in the care of my brother. When they did find out, it was after the school year was over and Sprout had died. I told my grief counselor, who then told my parents, who then questioned my brother, who then told them about how he had suffered under the tenured teacher’s near regular belittling.”

Millstone squeezed his eyes closed and felt hot tears pool in his eyelashes. As though she could see the manifestation of his pain, Luna stroked him with her wing. “What happened to the teacher?” Luna asked.

“She was counseled on her behavior, but she started the next school year with a new class until those parents too, objected strongly to her continued position and demanded that she be reassigned to another school,” Millstone sighed, “I heard that same thing happened about every two years until she retired after forty years of teaching.”

Luna’s next breath was long and quivering with rage. Her exhale had the slight whistle of air being forced through pursed lips. “Did thee and thy brother eventually reconcile?”

Millstone nodded at first, but then remembered Luna’s blinders. “Yes, sort’a. He was never brutal to me after that, but I never trusted him again like I had. When he married and left to work his own farm, I felt relieved.”

There was silence after that. Millstone could feel Luna shift and move uneasily against him. But just before he felt like he should excuse himself, she blurted out: “Thou dost seem so valiant and righteous. Whatever was it that caused you to join Silver in my abduction?”

Millstone felt hot blood flood into his face. “I uh… I lost the farm after my parents died. I thought I had what it takes to be a farmer, but I guess I didn't.” He shifted his body away from Luna.

“Was it some policy or act of the Palace that made you lose your farm?” Luna leaned toward him to make body contact again.

Millstone again pulled away. “It was seized for non-payment of taxes. My parents had filed several extensions. First, due to our family emergencies, then for the drought, and finally for the blight. But when they suddenly died from what I think was milk sickness, I had trouble filing the tax extension paperwork and the patience of the Royal Tax Collection Ministry ran out. I was declared to be insolvent and given an eviction. I met Silver in a bar near the Palace shortly afterward when I was still raw and angry from the ruling.”

“Why didn't your parents go to the Hospital once they took ill?”

Millstone chuckled mirthlessly. “They didn't want to go into debt again. They had finally paid off Sprout’s medical and funeral expenses. The crops looked the best we’d ever seen, and it looked like that was the year we were finally going to get our farm back into the black. It just seemed impossible that we could have that much bad luck in a row. But the next morning…” Millstone let his voice trail off and cleared his throat.

Luna started to stroke him with her wing, but he stood abruptly. “Time to wrap you up again, Princess," Millstone's barely whispered voice quaked under the weight of his heavy emotions, "Fold up your wings please.”

“Now, M, you know-“

“Don’t make me force you,” Millstone cut off her attempt to protest, “Please, fold up your wings, now, Princess.”

At first, Luna made no movement to comply. Her wings remained stubbornly at half-mast, but then she reluctantly folded them in. “Doth thou blame me for thy misfortunes?” She asked as he reattached the straps holding her wings folded against her barrel.

“No,” Millstone answered her after a pause, “I know that you personally have done nothing directly to cause my problems.” He tugged the last strap tight, eliciting a grunt from Luna. Then he turned his head and whispered into her ear. “Forgive me, Princess, I know what I’m doing is wrong, but I am just so angry. I want somepony to pay!”

He stood up and turned around to find his way back to his bed, but his fear returned to him in force. He stood trembling with his hooves rooted next to his captive, barely able to breathe his next breath.

“Wilt thou allow me to touch you with my horn?” Luna asked. “I can help you, if you will let me.”

Millstone nodded at first, but then he remembered again that Luna couldn't see him through her blinders. “Oh—oh—kh—khay.” He forced out at last and moved his head down and toward hers.

Her horn had scarcely brushed his forehead, but the effect was powerful and immediate. He was instantly relieved of all the muscle convulsions in his chest, and his sight was filled with a bright vision of beauty the likes of which he had only dreamed! He looked around in astonishment to see all around him an endless field of golden wheat, their heads heavy with corn, under a bright-blue, sunny and cloudless sky. At his hooves laid Luna and his teammates on their beds in small trampled area that was the size and shape of the cave. This looked to him like heaven, and he was not afraid. He looked down at Princess Luna and saw her still blinded and fettered, even in this vision of paradise she had given him, and his heart ached at the sight. “Thank you, Princess, I—I don’t know what to say.”

“I have given thee respite from thy fear for the time you gave me respite from my bonds." Luna quietly announced their parity, "Now go, lie down on thy bed, and sleep.”

“Princess Luna, How long will I see this magical vision?” He asked, still entranced at seeing a clear blue sky and perfect fields of golden, ripe wheat when he knew he should be seeing the black, claustrophobic confines of a small, crowded cave.

“It will be gone when you wake at sunrise,” Luna said, “and your fear will return then too.”

Millstone nodded. “Thank you. Princess, for-”

“Go” Luna cut him off and laid her head down. “Leave me.”

Thunder Run

The smug look on his Lieutenant’s face caused Thunder to jerk his hoof to a stop like it had reached the abrupt end of a tether. His was just short of making contact with his immediate officer’s chin. It was only then that Corporal Thunder Run realized that Lt. Catapract had been deliberately provoking him. And he had come so close to falling for the trap!

“As I was, Sir.” Thunder lowered himself back down to the ground, but refused to lower his fierce glare. Everything that had annoyed him this past week, he now realized was all done to make him lose his temper and assault an officer. Every mindless detail, every order and counter-order, every oblique comment. They were all designed to goad him into doing exactly what he had almost done. Fortunately, he had figured out Cataphract’s intentions in the final second, and having done so, he had also saved his career. Now he just had to regain his EUP military bearing. “I’ll consider your recommendations and I’ll have this area cleared by tomorrow, Sir.”

“Oh, I wouldn't worry about that detail now.” The voice came from behind, startling him. It was Lt. Brier, and he walked out of the shadows and into the lone lighted area of the storage hangar with him and Cataphract. “Corporal Run, I’m placing you under arrest for assaulting an officer.” Brier said, wearing the same Machiavellian grin as Cataphract.

“What? You can’t, I never touched him!” Thunder protested.

“Yes you did, Corporal. You hoofed me right in the face, on my left cheek. Lt. Brier, luckily, happened to walk in just in time to see it and to pry you off of me before you could follow up with another blow.” Cataphract said with a nod to the other officer, “Isn’t that correct, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I saw, He came up and hit you just like this.” Brier reared and threw a right cross to Cataphract’s left cheek, knocking him to the floor.

Thunder stared in shock, agape at what he had just witnessed. Brier whipped around to face Thunder, his face twisted in hate. “This is what happens to non-coms who make a point of embarrassing their immediate officers, Corporal! Nopony is going to believe your story. You are already convicted, and you are already dishonorably discharged!”

Thunder felt his blood boil. “You two would sink to perjury to get rid of a lowly non-com? Am I that much of a threat to your ego? You two are truly pathetic! If you had learned how to properly word an order, I couldn't have taken the actions I did to have your Quonset hut scrapped and recycled. And I didn't try to embarrass Lt. Cataphract, I just stepped out of the way so he could do it himself. You are your own worst enemy. I’m just the mirror that shows you your ugly face, warts and all!”

Brier’s hooves closed on Thunder’s throat. “You little prick! You keep talking and you aren't going to the brig, you’re gonna go to the infirmary and face the additional charge of resisting arrest!”

A door slammed open, echoing loudly through the dark hanger. “Hello? This is Equestrian Enforcer Sergeant Waters, I’m responding to a call about an assault.”

At the sound of the EUP policeman’s arrival, Brier let go of Thunder and began to help Cataphract stand - rather unsteadily - to his hooves. “Yes! Over here, Sergeant! I witnessed Corporal Run here assault Lieutenant Cataphract and I detained him and then placed the call for help.”

“That’s a lie! I never touched him!” Thunder was immediately seized by the EUP Enforcers and dragged away. Lieutenants Cataphract and Brier stood under that solitary tent of light created by the solitary light fixture and laughed a maniacal laugh that built upon itself and surrounded him as he was pulled further and further into the blackness. “None of it is true! They planned this to get rid of me. I never touched either of them!”

Thunder next felt himself hurled like a Frisbee. He plummeted, flailing his legs and falling despite his wings furiously beating the air to counter his descent. He was being sucked into an abyss that he had no hope of escaping.

“Help!” was all he could scream now as he continued to fall, “Help me!” He screamed again as he tumbled. The ground suddenly came into view, but he hit it before he could even draw his next breath.

Thunder jolted awake with his heart racing in his chest. He felt anew all the righteous indignation that had coursed through him at the injustice he had suffered at his arrest and trial. Now, as then, he craved retaliation like a suffocating pony craves air. He looked over at Luna, who was lying on her belly with all her limbs under her, and illuminated by a cone of indigo light from her horn. There was a similarity to how she looked right now and to those Lieutenants in his dream that he hated, relaxed and contented under a lonely glow. He wanted answers. And now, he was willing to risk everything to get the information he desired.

He stood and walked up to Luna. “Are you comfortable, your Highness?”

“We are as comfortable as our circumstances allow.” Luna said without facing him.

“Anything I can get you?” He whispered through clenched teeth.

“We would like our water bucket refilled, if you would be so inclined.” Luna managed to sound noble in spite of her helplessness. She made it sound like he was serving her willingly, and she wasn't dependent on him at all.

“I’m not your servant, Princess,” He sneered at her stoicism. If only she was an earth pony, like those two lying jerk lieutenants. He would love to yank her chains and make her scream in pain. But he wouldn't. No winged pony had ever knowingly wronged him. Or had they?

Luna remained silent and still. If she had been on her own bed in the Palace, He couldn't imagine her looking any different. Even though he knew he was exposing himself, he decided to discover for certain whether or not Luna had been responsible for his appeal’s rejection.

“Did you have any part in the review of appeals from the EUP military courts, Princess?” He asked.

“We did indeed,” Luna responded, “but inquiries about a specific case will reveal your identity.”

“So what? I don’t care. Go chase after Corporal Thunder Run all you want after we let you go. I just want to know if all the stuff he said about being framed was true.” Thunder hoped that his cavalier treatment of his real identity might cause her to doubt his very real connection. After all, he could be intimately familiar with the case and trying to place blame. How would she know any differently?

“So you want to know about Lieutenants Cataphract and Brier verses Corporal Run. Charges were one count of assault on an officer and… three counts of conduct unbecoming. The counter-charge filed by Corporal Run was conspiracy.” Luna finally turned her head to acknowledge her inquisitor. “Have I recalled that correctly?”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Thunder responded after a pause like he had to recall the information himself.

Luna smiled. “What is it you wish to know?”

Luna’s smile wasn't missed by Thunder. He shuddered with misgivings, but it was too late to back out now. But maybe he could still plant a seed of doubt in her mind. “What convinced you that the conspiracy counter-charge against Lieutenants Cataphract and Brier was…” Thunder paused and racked his brain for proper legal terms that sounded emotionally removed. “...invented and not factual?”

Luna raised her head like she was staring at the ceiling. When she spoke next, she had the hesitancy of somepony working to accurately recall specific information. “While on the surface, the case could have been considered one pony’s word against another… There were two officers whose stories corroborated, and you had no witnesses to your innocence. On that alone, a military court can find you guilty.”

“Corporal Run had no witnesses to call, Princess.” Thunder corrected.

Luna smiled. “Yes. It is as you say.”

“So do you also take an officer’s word over an enlisted pony?” He pressed.

Luna continued as before. “The EUP assumes an officer’s word is more reliable, but this case had two officers, and the defense was unable to find any inconsistencies in their testimony to cause reasonable doubt.” Luna turned to face Thunder. “Do you have any new evidence or testimony that would cause reasonable doubt?”

Thunder swallowed his resentment. He had to remove emotion if Luna was to have any misgivings about his identity. “I think that the counter-charge of conspiracy should have made the testimony of the two officers the same as one. After all, they had time to plan the situation and agree on a story that would hold up under cross-examination. So, the question I have for you is still: Do you hold an officer’s word over an enlisted pony’s? Because that was the only factor that you – as a Princess considering that appeal – could have used to decide that this case was unworthy of a re-trial.” Thunder caught himself leaning forward as he made his case and forced himself to relax and stand up straight.

“Am I right? Because I don’t see any other reason for you to deny a retrial. So, you must be an elitist who thinks that officers with University degrees don’t lie, but enlisted ponies without higher education are too stupid to be trustworthy.” Thunder allowed a self-satisfied smirk to crease his cheek as he drew his conclusion. “Or, maybe you are a blind devotee of the officer corps and too timid to reverse a court’s decision for fear of upsetting some Colonel’s darling prospect?”

Princess Luna could have been made of purple marble for all the reaction she showed.

“Well, what do have you to say? Are you too scared to answer me, you elitist, Palace-squatter?”

“Hmmm, oh my, you are correct,” Luna deadpanned, “We lie prostrate before your irrefutable and flawless logic and its inevitable conclusion. We are ashamed of the gross injustice visited upon you and of our elitist arrogance. We do now timidly beg for your forgiveness and ask thee to slay us so that, in death, we may finally find release from our intense burden of guilt and shame.” By the time she finished speaking her sarcasm could cut crystal.

Thunder fumed. “Don’t mock me if you have no answer to my question, you uppity, traitorous, royal figurehead! I demand you answer me. Why did you dismiss the appeal if you do truly judge every pony to have equal voice and equal standing under the law?”

Luna stood so suddenly that Thunder stumbled backwards in shock. “Indeed! Thou, doth presume to accuse us of arrogance, sedition, and injustice? Thou hypocrite!”

Luna’s horn blazed brightly with indigo flame and a luminescent smoke that spiraled into the null orbs. Every silver rune glowed violet-white and smoldered in their engravings of her chains. “Thou insolent whelp! We do indeed consider every pony’s word as equal regardless of their status or position. However, if there be found evidence or testimony by an impartial party to the support or detriment of the character of one of the claimants, then should not that impartial pony’s word be considered?”

Thunder felt cold stone on his backside, he was pressed against the wall, as far as he could be from Luna without fleeing from her presence. “Wha, what do you-“

Luna didn't bother to wait for him to respond. “We did command interviews and order depositions taken of thy peers.” Luna snarled and stamped her hoof. “Character. Witnesses. And among them an agreement was seen. That thee did seek to humiliate Lieutenants Cataphract and Brier on previous occasions though acts of commission or omission. Thou was even reported to boast of thy connection to their humiliation. In conclusion, we did investigate and deny thy appeal because thine own peers did confess that thee did seem to have a personal grievance or vendetta against Lieutenants Cataphract and Brier. Thine own did testify against thee of thy previous actions. That is what condemned thee. Not any bias or negligence from the throne!”

Luna’s magic dimmed at once and she swooned, suddenly impotent. She knelt down on her belly and gasped for air. “Thou was found guilty, and there was nothing found to bolster your case or to create reasonable doubt. What have thee to say now?” She laid her muzzle down on her mat, exhausted.

Thunder sighed in relief at seeing Luna once again successfully contained by the magic restraints. Although, he had no relief knowing that he had lost all rights to his self-righteous fury. Princess Luna had made it clear that she had carefully considered his appeal, and that her denial of a retrial was reasonable and evidence-based. He had no cause directly against her now. All that he had left, was the indignation of an innocent falsely accused and convicted, but through no fault of the legal process. He looked around to see everypony still sleeping soundly, despite the intensely heated – albeit whispered – exchange he had with Luna.

He walked back up to where Luna laid, whose only response to his approach was to swivel her ears toward him. He picked up her water bucket, refilled it from the barrel, and lay it within her reach.

“I know for a fact that Corporal Run was innocent of the charge of assault on an officer,” He said, kneeling in front of his Princess. “But I was wrong about you. Please forgive my ignorant accusations, Princess. I am truly ashamed and sorry.”

“Then release me.” Luna responded without bothering to raise her head.

Thunder winced. “I – I can’t.”

“Then your apology is worthless.”

“The others,” Thunder grasped for the means to absolve himself of any responsibility for freeing her immediately, “they still have cause against you or the palace. Don’t they?”

“That you must investigate and decide for yourself.” Luna rolled on her side to lie completely stretched out on her mat. “We do hope that your ability to investigate and deduce are improved since you built your case against us. Otherwise, we will surely remain unjustly convicted and in our bonds.”

Thunder stood. Luna appeared to be trying to sleep. He stepped back onto his mat and laid down, never taking his eyes off the Princess before him. He felt like he had just flown a hundred furlongs against the wind, but thinking too much did that to him. As he looked around at his sleeping teammates, he suddenly felt trapped. If it were solely up to him, he would release Princess Luna now, and suffer whatever her wrath thought proper. But he was locked in on this course with his teammates. They had all shared their grievances. They couldn't all be as wrong as he was, could they? He dropped his head onto his pillow and hoped that the ransom would be paid tomorrow. He now had serious doubts about his own plans for escape afterward, and about his commitment to see this abduction through to the end.

Author's Note

Non-com: Non-commissioned officer. Also called an NCO. An enlisted rank of E-4 and E-5 (Corporal and Sergeant)
Cataphract: An armored horse and rider.

Deja Vu

Tiara woke slowly to the breathy sounds of ponies in deep sleep being amplified by the cave’s confines. She shook her head, but it did little to clear her mind of the thick fog she felt mired in. The last time she had felt this groggy, she had been awake for two days, and then was disturbed by a roommate after only an hour’s worth of sleep. But now, there was no reason for her to be in such a befuddled condition. Or was there?

Her attention shot toward Luna, who laid still and resolute in the blackness of the cave, showing no notice or concern to her stirring. Tiara illuminated her horn and narrowed her eyes to glare at her suspiciously. Luna remained an impassive stone, with only her mane and tail waving in her magic currents. If Luna was the reason behind her lethargic state, she had an excellent poker face.

After she tired of watching Luna, she sniffed and prodded gently at Millstone to confirm that he was indeed in a deep sleep and unlikely to wake. Taking the chance, she slithered away from him and up to the statuesque Luna.

“What tricks are you playing, Princess?” Tiara’s whisper cut through the humid air of the cave.

Luna’s body jolted and her ears perked up in surprise. “Silver Chalice?” She said aloud, and then caught herself and whispered, “Is it you?”

“You know very well who this is.” Tiara growled.

“Silver Chalice, why have you awoken?”

“I’m certain you know the answer to that question far better than me. So cut the innocent act!” Tiara slapped the stone floor with her hoof.

“These bedrolls do leave much to be desired in terms of comfort-” Luna began.

“That’s not it!” Tiara interrupted, “You’re playing with my dreams!”

“What?” Luna’s head jerked up and back in shock. “Whatever did you dream, that makes you so confident of my meddling?”

“That’s just it,” Tiara spat, “I haven’t dreamed anything!”

“Oh?” Luna cocked her head. “And how does your dreamless sleep evidence my involvement?”

“You’re the Princess of the Moon, the Master Painter of the Night, the Dame of Dreams, and you are The Nightmare.” Tiara rattled off Luna’s titles, “I know that you have the ability to see and enter dreams, and I have done much to give you a motive to mess-around with mine. I don’t believe – even for a moment – that you have lain here all night just listening to us snore!”

“But haven’t you done all you can to reduce me to that level?” Luna responded, “Why should a bad night’s sleep cause you to doubt the effectiveness of your restraints? Also, shouldn’t your lack of dreaming argue for my non-involvement?”

Tiara studied her captive. She almost believed her. Maybe it was because the blinders concealing her eyes made her performance so convincing. “I never want to play against you at cards, Princess,” Tiara whispered at last, “but, I remain convinced that you are responsible.”

“So, if I follow your reasoning,” Luna jumped in right at the end of Tiara’s sentence, “I’m at fault for your dreamless sleep, because I am the” – Luna tried to raise a hoof to gesture regally to her chest, but her chains reduced the action to a meek scrape along the floor – ‘Dame of Dreams’. Luna shook her head and chuckled. “I don’t mean to be patronizing, but isn’t charging the Dame of Dreams for a night of dreamless sleep contradictory?”

Tiara pressed her eyelids tightly together and rubbed her forehead. “I admit that I’m not up to arguing with you, Princess. Just remember, that I will hold you responsible for any unusual occurrences and that I will take appropriate and severe action!”

Without waiting for a response, Tiara stood and carefully made her way back to her bed and leaned against Millstone like she had been when she woke. She was so tired, sleep would be easy. She pushed her nose into Millstone’s neck and inhaled, desiring the calm and reassurance she got from his scent, but he smelled of dampness and moss, like he had gone for a midnight swim in a pond. Strange, she thought as she laid her head down, but that was a ridiculous idea! The very notion that Millstone had left without waking her, had a bath, and then returned to the cave to fall asleep again by her side despite his severe phobia - it was beyond impossible, it was ludicrous. With a smile, she closed her eyes.

Tiara woke slowly to the breathy sounds of ponies in deep sleep being amplified by the cave’s confines. She shook her head, but it did little to clear her mind of the thick fog she felt mired in. Her eyes went as wide as saucers and a strong sense of déjà vu sent a shiver down her spine, but her next action caused her whole body to crawl with anxiety. She illuminated her horn and shot a suspicious glare at Luna, who laid still and resolute in the blackness of the cave, showing no notice or concern to her stirring. Tiara silently mouthed a string of curses. It was all too familiar, too perfect a coincidence. Her eyes narrowed to slits on Luna. This must be her doing!

Ignoring for the moment the increasingly unsettling déjà vu, she sniffed and prodded gently at Millstone to confirm that he was indeed in a deep sleep and unlikely to wake. Then she peeled herself away from him and silently made her way to Luna.

“What tricks are you playing, Princess?” Her whisper cut through the humid air of the cave simultaneous with a ghastly shiver that chilled her to her core.

Luna’s body jolted and her ears perked up in surprise. “Silver Chalice?” She said aloud, and then caught herself and whispered, “Is it you?”

“You know very well…” Tiara stopped herself. She refused to finish what she wanted to say. It was so frighteningly familiar! “Yes, Princess, it’s me,” She said at last, “I want you to stop this right now!”

Luna’s head jerked up and back in shock. “Do I understand you? Are you asking me to stop my abduction?”

“Cut the innocent act!” Tiara stamped the floor with her hoof. Another cold tremor of déjà vu shot through her, but it was less intense then previous sensations.

Luna quizzically cocked her head, which gave Tiara another discomforting shudder. “I am most perplexed. Whatever are you talking about?”

Tiara pressed her eyelids tightly together and rubbed her forehead. “I…I admit that I’m not up to arguing with you, Princess. Just remember, that I will hold you responsible for any unusual occurrences and that I will take appropriate and severe action!”

That triggered yet another shiver that shook her like an aftershock. Without waiting for a response, Tiara retreated back to her bed, laid down, and buttressed herself against Millstone’s mass. She was tired. Despite the shots of adrenaline that had recently coursed through her body, she was certain sleep would return quickly, and hopefully, she would wake to find this was all a dream.

She pushed her nose into Millstone’s neck and inhaled, hoping to be calmed and reassured by his scent. But he smelled of dampness and moss, like he had gone for a midnight swim in a pond.

No! Tiara shook her head in disbelief. It couldn't be! But that terrifying déjà vu crawled all over her skin like spiders. In willful disbelief, she clamped her eyes shut and prayed for sleep.

Tiara woke slowly to the breathy sounds of ponies in deep sleep being amplified by the cave’s confines. She shook her head, but it did little to clear her mind of the thick fog she felt mired in. Her eyes went as wide as saucers and a strong sense of déjà vu sent a shiver down her spine. Despite her growing dread, she illuminated her horn and shot a suspicious glare at Luna, who laid still and resolute in the blackness of the cave, showing no notice or concern to her stirring.

No! It was impossible for it to be happening again! Tiara gingerly pulled herself away from Millstone and walked up to Luna.

“What tricks are you playing, Princess?” Her whisper cut through the humid air of the cave and simultaneous to her question, a soul-rending terror gripped her chest.

Luna’s body jolted and her ears perked up in surprise. “Silver Chalice?” She said aloud, and then caught herself and whispered, “Is it you?”

“Yes, Princess, it’s me,” She said as she shivered from feeling a uniquely horrifying chill unlike any she had ever felt before flow through her veins. “I want you to stop this right now!” Everything felt like it was happening exactly as it had happened before. It was like she was chained to the same moment in time! She had to stop it all from happening again! “Don’t pretend you don’t understand, I know that you're the one causing this déjà vu!”

“Oh?” Luna cocked her head. “And why does your experience of déjà vu evidence my involvement?”

There was that cocked head again! Tiara nearly shouted. “Stop it, Luna!” Shocked at her own impertinence, Tiara covered her mouth with a hoof. Luna didn't look offended as much as she looked expectant as she tapped a fore hoof against the granite floor. “I’m sorry. I meant to say: ‘Princess Luna, Please stop’.” Tiara amended, and looked around the cave to see who – if anypony – she had just woken up. But everypony had resumed their heavy breathing after a brief shift and dreamy moan.

Luna nodded her acknowledgement of Tiara’s correction and apology. “I still have not heard your answer to my question,” She said, “State your reasons why you believe that I am responsible for what you are experiencing so that I may answer them.”

Tiara was too scared to answer, and yet unwilling to remain as she was. Tiara pressed her eyelids tightly together and rubbed her forehead. “I…I admit that I’m not up to arguing with you, Princess…”

No! There it was again! How many times has this happened to her? She felt more trapped than if she were the one chained to the floor instead of Luna. However, even worse than that idea was the thought that, her bonds were not physical. She was shackled to space and time itself, and against those forces she was powerless. Terror gripped her heart that this would be her eternity! Doomed to forever wake-up in this cave with her captive Princess and sleeping teammates.

“Please, tell me how to end this, Princess,” Tiara wept, “I just want it to stop.”

Luna pursed her lips in thought. “Do you feel déjà vu right now, as you are begging me to make your déjà vu cease?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t, Princess.” She forced out through her sobs.

“So this seems new to you, like you have never done this before?” Luna asked after Tiara regained her composure.

“Yes, Princess,” Tiara sighed and wiped her eyes, “I don’t feel like I have said any of this before now.”

Luna’s head shook slowly from side to side and a motherly smile graced her lips. “You poor, poor child. This is why you should never attempt such evil machinations. Your conscience has made your sleep so tortured that you have difficulty distinguishing between dreams and reality. Go, lie down, and close your eyes. The next time you open them, you will be awake.”

“Are – are you telling me this is a dream?” Tiara looked all around her for some proof that she was actually dreaming, but there was nothing she could see or feel that would disprove Luna’s suggestion that she was in a dream state.

“You do not feel déjà vu right now, so go, and do as I say.” Luna’s head and ears swiveled forward in line with her body like Silver was no longer there.

Tiara swayed on her hooves. It was obvious that the conversation was over. She turned and carefully made her way back to her bed, so unsteady on her hooves, that she felt like she would topple at any moment. Finally, she reached her mat and flopped down on it. With a nervous sigh, she rolled her flank against Millstone and closed her eyes.

“Silver, wake-up.”

Tiara growled irritably and opened her eyes to see who it was that wasn't going to allow her any sleep tonight.

“What is it?” She snarled and sat up on her haunch. But her anger at being disturbed was completely replaced by befuddlement. For standing over her was not one pony, but two: Brass and Thunder, and the faint glow from the cave entrance behind her told her that it was morning.

Thunder took a step back at her quick temper. “We uh… We thought you wanted to talk to us before we left for Canterlot.”

Tiara’s head frantically swiveled all around her as she tried to orient herself and make sense of her surroundings. It was only seconds ago that she had flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes. She hadn't fallen asleep. She had barely closed her eyes! How could it now be morning? How could everypony be up and have their beds already stowed? Tiara craned her neck to peer around Brass to the spot where she knew Luna was. But she wasn't lying statuesque on her belly with her legs tucked under her. She was standing and doing her best to stretch her limbs and joints while still manacled by her chains.

“You do still want us to go to Canterlot, to observe the Palace’s activity, right?” Brass squinted and leaned closer as he tried to make eye contact and examine her blank, uncomprehending expression. “You don’t look… Um… I guess you didn't sleep well last night?”

Tiara tried to look directly at the pony who whispered to her. Slowly, through the sleep-deprived fog of her mind she realized that he only appeared to be moving because she was swooning. “This is impossible,” she said at last, “it’s still night out.”

Brass and Thunder did a synchronous double-take from her to the cave mouth and back. “Silver, it’s morning. The sun is up. M is outside fixing breakfast.” Brass said, clearly worried about her current state.

Tiara looked behind her where Millstone had slept. Silently she shook her head in disbelief at the empty mat, dented pillow, and discarded blanket. “I don’t understand.” She said as she pulled her hind legs under her and stood. “He was right here.”

“Uh, maybe you should lie back down.” Thunder suggested as she wobbled a few steps to turn around.

Tiara looked past their concerned expressions to focus on Luna, whose head and ears were locked on her, and her eyes were glowing bright white.

Her eyes were glowing bright white! What happened to her blinders?! Her mind screamed warnings that her groggy consciousness just couldn't absorb.

“This isn't happening!” Tiara whispered as her world narrowed until there was only Luna with her soul-searching, piercing, angry-white glare focused back on her.

“Who art thou!” Luna’s voice bellowed, but her lips never moved. “Answer me!”

“Silver Chalice!” Tiara screamed, and her world went black.

Improvising

The sharp sound of chains moving across rough granite woke Tiara up. A horrible thought seized her. She imagined the shackles sliding across the floor, coming for her with a mind of their own. Seeking to ensnare her just like she had done to Princess Luna! With a scream, she lept to her hooves, rearing and kicking out in a blind panic.

“Silver? Silver, what’s wrong? There’s nopony attacking you.”

That voice. She knew that voice. And it was not a threat. She dropped down and spun in a circle, checking all around her for an attacker. Princess Luna’s chains clattered again as she shifted her position, revealing the source of the sound that woke her. That mystery now solved, she allowed herself to relax.

Millstone approached her cautiously. “Here. I made dinner.” Tentatively, he held out a steaming bowl.

In the low light of the cave she could just make out the oatmeal and lumps of chopped apples. “Thank you.” She said, noticing that as she took the bowl, her hoof trembled.

Millstone advanced and whispered softly in her ear. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Tiara shook her head. He then gestured with his head toward the Princess, pointing at her with his poll. Tiara shook her head again. No, she did not think Luna had anything to do with her terror-stricken awakening.

Millstone nodded. “Princess Luna woke up not too long ago.” He said in their typical conversational cave whisper. “How did you sleep?”

“Fine.” She answered, as she laid back down, smelling the freshly ground cinnamon that spiced their meal.

“Are you hungry?”

In response, her stomach rumbled.

Millstone suppressed a chuckle and held out his bowl. “Well then, cheers!”

Tiara smiled and clinked his bowl with her own. “Cheers.”

Dinner passed in relative silence. Tiara and Millstone both not finding much to say in the presence of their captive. But the clinking of chains spoke loudly and often of Princess Luna’s discomfort. Upon finishing her meal, she handed the empty bowl to Millstone and looked over to where Luna was. She was currently standing, rocking her head up and back as far as she could move. Then she would lower her head to the limit of her restraint and stretch her neck out. Seemingly at random through these maneuvers, she would stamp one of her hooves. A rather pathetic stamp, as her chains prevented any real movement. Just watching her made Tiara’s joints and muscles beg for a good rejuvenating run. She couldn’t imagine what the Princess felt like, having been unable to perform a simple stretch for over a full day now.

Heart pangs of regret and sympathy welled up in her chest as she observed the ritual. It was becoming more difficult for her to remember her own grievances in the stark face of this present suffering. She knew she wouldn’t release her, but she had a means to relieve her pain.

Having made her decision, she stood and cleared her throat. “M, go outside and clean up. I have to tend to the Princesses’ needs.”

Millstone looked from her to Luna and back. Concern etched his face. “Okay, I’ll be quick.”

“M, do not re-enter this chamber unless I specifically ask for you.” Tiara said sternly. “I will respect Luna’s need for privacy as much as I can.” Tiara could feel both Luna and Millstone’s attention fixed on her. “Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes, Silver.” Millstone answered, apprehension clearly taking hold of him.

Tiara stepped forward and hugged him. “I’ll be fine,” she whispered softly in his ear so as not to be heard by Luna, “but we need some uninterrupted mare time. So don’t come charging in unless you hear me call for you or for help. Okay?” She released him and stepped back.

Millstone’s head darted all over, his claustrophobia was taking hold. “I understand.” He stooped to gather their empty bowls and quickly departed.

“What needs have I that require your attention?” Princess Luna inquired, clearly just as puzzled by Tiara’s request as Millstone.

Tiara walked up to face Luna directly. “Are you in pain, Princess?”

Luna’s head and ears swiveled all around as though searching for a hidden pony. Then back to Tiara, then around the cave again. Finally, she sighed and dropped her head. “Yes.”
Tiara marveled at her reticence to reveal this simple and obvious fact. “Okay, I’m here to relieve your discomfort as much as I can.” She assured her. “You need your dressings changed. Are your burns the source of your pain?”

“No – I mean yes – I mean…” Luna grit her teeth in frustration. “Yes, my burns hurt, but also my back aches, my sides pang, and every joint throbs, and nothing I can do relieves them!”

Tiara nodded, “I understand, Princess. Shall we change your dressings first?”

“Do you have laudanum?” Luna inquired hopefully.

“Yes.” Tiara answered.

Luna nodded. “Then let’s start there.”

Tiara replaced the bottle of laudanum on the shelf with the nearly exhausted jar of ointment and small roll of gauze. She should have told Thunder to bring back more when he came back tomorrow morning, but she hadn’t thought about it. She sighed. There was no reason to blame herself, but she was the one who had to think about these things. It was her responsibility. Fortunately, Luna’s burns showed no signs of infection. With any luck, they could go for the next two days without being changed.

Tiara turned and faced her heavily medicated sovereign, who was rolling her head back and forth on the stone floor, like it was the most pleasant thing in the world. “Are you content, Princess?”

Luna raised her head. “Our burns – My burns are feeling much better, Silver Chalice. We – I thank thee for thy ministrations.”

Tiara smiled at Luna’s return to old speech patterns. It was – oddly comforting – to see this powerful pony struggle with something as simple as contemporary speech. Nopony was perfect, nor omnipotent. Not even alicorn princesses.

“Good, I’m glad to hear it.” Tiara walked over and placed a pillow under her head. “Now, I will tend to your other body pains.”

Luna laid her head on the pillow. “Pray tell, Silver Chalice. What is thy plan?”

Tiara sat on her haunch by Luna’s forelegs and began stroking them between her fetlocks. “I’m going to try to massage your aches. It won’t replace a good stretch and a brisk walk, but it will help.”

Despite receiving what is normally considered a pleasant diversion, Luna seemed unsettled. “We are not sure we approve of this.” She said as Tiara started to massage her other foreleg. “We are not used to being touched in this manner.”

Tiara chuckled. “You need to get out more.”

“We do not see the humor, and we believe there is insult in your insinuation.” Luna sounded more confused than truly angry.

Tiara exhaled forcefully, and shook her head in disbelief. There was no rhyme nor reason with what Luna would find objectionable. “Princess, you had better just lie back and relax. Try to enjoy this. Because, I insist on performing this exercise.”

“Pray tell –“

“Because your restraints restrict your mobility and activity to the level of an invalid,” Tiara interrupted, somewhat impatient with the resistance Luna was offering, “Without this, you can develop a lethal deep vein thrombosis, or soft tissue pressure ulcers, or a number of other ailments. So lie still and try to relax.”

Luna remained silent until Tiara stood up and took her position at her hind legs. “Silver Chalice, for whom did you perform this service? A family member?”

Tiara made no acknowledgement of her question. “I’m tired of hearing you say that Princess Celestia doesn’t want you back.” She said, abruptly changing the subject. “I know that is a lie.”

“Then why is thy ransom demand ignored?” Luna spat. “Is there any other reason besides her secret desire that I come to harm?”

Tiara had to admit, the silence and inactivity from the Palace was perplexing, but there had to be a reason. “Most probably, Princess Celestia is trying to lull us into a false sense of security, or trying to get us to reveal ourselves when we become desperate.”

“Thou do tell thyself tales!” Luna scoffed, “Truly thee has great capacity for deceiving thy- Ah… Ah…Ah…” Luna gasped as Tiara began rubbing the muscles of Luna’s thigh.
“Is it worse on the inside or outside of your thigh?” Tiara inquired.

“Ow! The ow! Ow! Outside!” Luna huffed.

Tiara concentrated on the spot as directed by Luna. Higher. Harder. Faster. Higher. She followed all Luna’s directions until she was kneading Luna’s gluteus and hip flexors like a baker working a lump of stiff dough.

“Ahhhhh!” Luna finally sighed with relief. “Until that moment, I was certain that thou had once been chief torturer.”

Tiara let out a tired laugh in response and wiped the sweat from her brow. “I think I need a break, Princess. And you should drink some water and try to relieve yourself.” Tiara stood and stretched as Luna struggled to her hooves. Her pang of guilt returned, despite the service she had just performed. Luna was going to need more massaging. Although, all she need and wanted, was to stretch her limbs and joints just like Tiara had so easily done. But allowing her that freedom was impossible.

“Princess Celestia will ransom you, Luna, I know that she loves you.”

Luna unceremoniously plopped down on the seat of the chamber pot. “My sister will do no such thing.” Luna declared with conviction. “She will justify her refusal to correspond with thee by claiming that the Palace has a policy against negotiating with terrorists, abductors, outlaws, and other miscreants.”

“She will. I know she will!” Tiara reaffirmed. “She will do anything for you! She will even violate laws and state policy!”

Luna laughed. “Did she do everything for me when I was banished? Thou fool! Open thy eyes and see the truth. My sister has abandoned me!”

“No.” Tiara shook her head. “I don’t believe you. I know she loves you.”

“How?” Luna shot back. “And why do you believe this?”

“Because, I saw it, Princess.” Tiara spoke with conviction. Luna must have heard it too, for she was not quick to answer. Emboldened, Tiara pressed on. “I saw it in the softness of her eyes whenever she looked at you, I heard it in the tone of her voice whenever she said your name, and I noticed the way her body would lean toward you whenever you were near. It was like she was a flower, and you were her sun.”

Luna bowed her head and convulsed. It seemed that Luna was silently laughing at her. Tiara couldn’t really blame her. Even she had to admit that she had gotten a bit quixotic in her description of Celestia’s devotion.

“Oh, how I wish for that to be true!” Luna squeaked out suddenly, her voice fragile, thready, and threatening to crack. She writhed in her bonds, struggling in vain to shield her face, but prevented at every turn by those heartless chains.

Tiara stood there, watching in shocked silence as Luna’s façade of stoicism crumbled to reveal the lost filly who was desperately looking for somepony to love her.

“Leave me, Silver Chalice, I implore you.” Luna begged as the tears pushed out from under her blinders to roll down her cheeks.

Heartsick, Tiara bowed, turned and left. The realization stuck her when she emerged from the cave that she had exited after showing proper Palace decorum. Tiara sighed. Some habits are hard to break, and yet, she had no regret for having done it.

“Are you finished, Silver?” Millstone asked after he trotted up to her.

“No.” Tiara answered. “We just needed a break.” And I needed some time to think.

Brass struggled up the stairs with his load of bulky art items to the rented room he shared with Thunder. When he reached the door, he took stock of everything he had carried and glanced down the hall one more time to be sure he hadn't dropped anything. Satisfied that he hadn't left anything behind, he opened the door to find Thunder waiting just behind it. Without a sound he took the easel and stowed it against the far wall.

He must have been waiting there for him to arrive, thought Brass, as he hadn't heard any hoof-steps, or any noise at all. This level of vigilance from Thunder was unusual, and that realization made him glance about furtively. “It’s for my portrait stand.” He answered the question his teammate hadn't asked.

Thunder merely nodded once and sat on the futon, watching Brass as he removed his saddlebags and sorted through his new art supplies. “I’m going to do portraits outside the front of the Palace.” Then in much lower voice, “this way I can keep an eye on Palace activity without raising suspicions.”

Thunder nodded. “Good idea.”

Brass let his gaze sweep the room. “Have you noticed anything?” He whispered.

Thunder shook his head. “No.”

“Then why were you waiting for me right by the door?”

“Because I heard you coming up the steps.” Thunder answered simply.

Brass examined him to see if he was being serious. “Why in Equestria are you being so…” Brass let his voice trail off as he slowly shook his head, dumbfounded at Thunder’s muted demeanor. The normally animated gray pegasus didn't comment, sigh, or even roll his eyes at the unfinished question, but instead, he seemed content to sit and wait for him to sort out his thoughts. With a final head shake, Brass abandoned his first question and dove for one that seemed more appropriate.

“What’s bothering you?”

One side of Thunder’s mouth twitched in response.

“You’re not obsessing over what happened this morning, are you?”

“No.” Thunder sighed.

“Are you stressing about this job of ours possibly being a bust again?”

Thunder rolled his eyes. “Not exactly.”

“Then what?” Brass waved a hoof for him to continue, but in response he stared at the floor. Brass’s cheeks creased with an impish grin before he spoke his next thought. “We’re going to be sleeping together tonight, so you may as well start confiding in me.”

That bit of innuendo finally produced the sort of reaction from Thunder that Brass was used to. Thunder launched off the futon, hovering so high that his wingtips brushed ceiling with every upstroke. “Ugh! Dude, we are not having pillow talk!” Thunder shook as a shiver ran through him.

“Of course we’re not,” Brass laughed, “but, I really am concerned with how you are acting right now. You are far too quiet to be your regular self. So, I’ll ask again. What’s bothering you?”

Thunder sighed and lowered himself back down to the couch. “I talked with Luna last night.”

Brass felt ice run down his spine as he recalled the subject of his own late night conversation with Luna. “About what?” He asked, as nonchalant as possible.

Thunder looked around him as though he had to be sure nopony else was listening. “I asked her about my rejected appeal.”

Brass’s eyes and mouth opened wide. “You fool!” He hissed, “You told her who you are!”

“I know!” Thunder spat back, “But I had to know if she was the elitist snob that I thought she was.”

Brass walked over to the bed and sat on the corner to be closer to Thunder. This conversation required discretion, and walls have ears in cheap apartments like this. “Well, is she?”

“No.” The simple answer carried the strong flavor of surprise and wonder. “It turns out that she remembered my case. She remembered the names of the two lieutenants, their basic charges, and my counter-charge. And what’s worse, she did order an inquiry, and they found more evidence that supported the prosecution’s story, and nothing to support me.” Thunder lifted his hooves up before his face to stare at them. “She did everything I could have asked her to do. In the end, she agreed with the ruling without bothering to talk to me, because, why waste her time when I was so obviously guilty?”

“Wow.” Brass wished he could have thought of something more to say to express his empathy. But, even if he could have, he doubted any words could truly carry the weight of his feelings. “So, what happened next?”

“I was given my stripes, a dishonorable discharge, and I was escorted out.” The flat way he spoke told of the massive amount of pain he was trying to suppress.

Brass hated to ask another question on this topic, but he needed clarification. “Don’t you mean they took your stripes? Removed your rank insignia before you left?”

“They stripped my uniforms of my rank, yeah. That happened in front of the formation, right before I was given ten lashes, or as we say, ten stripes.” Thunder’s voice trembled and his face burned. “Yes, it was as humiliating as it sounds.”

Brass winced at the thought. “So, that was your motivation. You thought Princess Luna rubber-stamped your conviction and you suffered all this because of her indifference.”

“Yeah,” Thunder looked up and leaned forward. “But, now I know that none of that is true. Princess Luna did all she could be expected to do. Don’cha see? I shouldn’t be doing this anymore. I - I don’t have any reason!”

“I see.” Brass met his intense expression and nodded. “So what are you thinking?”

Thunder’s chest rose and fell with his heavy breaths but his eyes didn’t move. “I’m wondering if any of us really do have a case against the Princess.”

Brass remained still and unblinking. “I showed you the newspaper that told my story. I told you why I can’t produce my acceptance letter and personal invitation. My cause is real.” Brass very nearly growled.

Thunder broke eye-contact. “I believe you.” He scratched behind his ear. “And I believe everypony else too.”

Brass exhaled through pursed lips, relieved that the tension in the room had dropped. “So what now?”

“Well, I – “Thunder flapped his wings and rubbed his hooves together in contemplation. “I was thinking about leaving this team. Right now.” He looked up at Brass to see him still staring at him. “I mean, that’s the right thing to do. I don’t have any cause to continue, and I wouldn’t get any share of the ransom. So we would be cool, right?”

“We can’t do this without you. We need you and your courier-pony cover to keep us in communication. We have to assume that some surveillance is being done. If you leave, I become far too exposed every time I travel back to the cave.” Brass shook his head. “If you leave, I’ll have to quit as well, and then the whole operation is a bust.”

Thunder chewed on his lower lip. “Do you still think this is going to work? I mean, do you really think that we stand a chance of getting anything?”

Brass looked up and away. “I admit it is looking doubtful, but nothing ever goes as planned.” He said, forcing positive energy he didn’t feel. He met Thunder’s eyes again. “I tell you what. Let’s give Silver three more days to make some progress. If nothing changes, or if we don’t like the direction things are heading, then we will force another resolution to this.”

He held out a hoof. “Agreed?”

Thunder completed the hoof clop. “Agreed.”

Dark Thoughts

Brass couldn’t sleep. And it wasn’t because he was sharing the bed with Thunder. He was typical of most pegasii: loud, and full of energy while awake, but still and silent when asleep. Brass rolled his head over to stare at his bedfellow. With his gray coloration and with his head and wings tucked in tight to his body, he more closely resembled a well-weathered boulder than a sleeping pony. He didn’t even breathe loudly. Thunder – literally – slept like a rock.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Brass got out of bed and made his way to the window of their tiny apartment. He drew the curtain aside and stared out at the moonlit palace. As he studied the turrets and grounds for movement, his conversation with Luna from the night before replayed in his mind. Specifically, her proposal to him.

“If thine and I were to join, together we would be a very powerful force! You know that your conspiracy to ransom me is a failure, but if you open your eyes to opportunity, you might become a valuable asset to a new Princess of Equestria!”

The very thought had terrified him then. He was no revolutionary. Quite the opposite, he had come to Canterlot with dreams of being chosen to serve Princess Celestia as one of her elite artisans. But that dream died in the admissions office of the Royal Technical University: Canterlot. Brass swallowed the ashen taste in his mouth as he recalled that green unicorn admissions officer.

“Listen, I’m sorry that you have to find out this way, but RTUC is a unicorn school. There must have been some unfortunate mistake regarding your personal invitation to this campus. You can of course file a petition with the Palace, but I’ve never heard back from any displaced student before. It must be that the Princess has far too many more important responsibilities of state to donate any of her attention to the university admission difficulties of a simple plow-pony.”

“I’m not a plow-pony!” Brass said aloud through clenched teeth as he recalled the memory of her belittling remark. Even now, about a year later, he still felt the tremors of his simmering rage.

“Oh, excuse me!” The patronizing green unicorn feigned regret. “I meant to say dirt-poor pit-pony. Do you need me to give you cab fare to the Palace?”

Brass felt his face burn now as it had then. However, she was right about his lowly roots, and about his current destitute condition. He was a mining pony from a tiny mining village, and his only asset at that moment was his dream and desire to become something better. Those irrefutable facts added to his indignation.

Fuming at the social injustice and humiliation he had just suffered, he had turned and left without another word. With scant hope for success but having no other options, he was making his way to the palace to file his petition when he met Silver. After talking with her, he made his first step in his transition from law-abiding subject, to political dissident.

Just one job stood between him and his dreams. Silver had made that clear. This wasn’t going to be some drawn-out affair. His life’s ambition lay within reach if he would join her team and perform his skill. It had all sounded so easy then, and while he still felt the sting of humiliation from his recent belittling at the RTUC, it was impossible for him to say no.

After all, what loyalty did he owe to Celestia? She probably didn’t even know his town existed. Yet he imagined her palace being heated through the winter using coal he and his family had mined. That unicorn in the admissions office made it clear that his personal invitation from Celestia to attend the most prestigious school in Equestria was a clerical error. The best Canterlot had to offer was reserved for unicorns. Earthies and birdies need not apply. Well if there were parts of Canterlot in which he was not welcome, then maybe it was time to make a change in Canterlot!

But would a change of leadership improve life for him? How could he be sure that Luna wasn’t the evil tyrant that history made her out to be?

He knew that the victors wrote the history books, and the history books say that Princess Luna became possessed by her selfishness and jealousy and became Nightmare Moon, an evil and twisted personality whose aim was to rule all of Equestria and bring about eternal night. But the great and powerful Princess Celestia rose up and defeated Nightmare Moon and banished her to the moon for a thousand years, saving them all from hopelessness and enslavement. The more he thought about it, the less it sounded like history and the more it sounded like the plot to a children’s book.

Eternal night? Preposterous! Crops still need sunlight to grow, and princesses as well as their subjects still need food. Most probably, the only noticeable change would have been a purple or indigo colored Royal Palace to reflect the nocturne leanings of the new head of state.

Or maybe it was true… A new thought delighted him. Princess Luna might be the champion of earth ponies! For if she had been successful in bringing about eternal night, then all the unicorns of Equestria would have been compelled to abandon their cities for the fields to use their magic to make the crops grow, or face starvation. That made sense! It flipped society upside-down. All unicorns would be forced into agriculture by means of necessity. All other ponies would fill the more prestigious and higher paying positions vacated by the now strictly agrarian unicorns.

No wonder history had been written to demonize the most powerful incarnation of Princess Luna in the historical record as the supreme villain. It was done to maintain the status quo of unicorn supremacy. Nightmare Moon must not have been a tyrannical villain at all. No, she must have been a revolutionary too dangerous to the caste system Princess Celestia and her precious unicorns first engineered and then made themselves the chief beneficiaries.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. It was time for a change. No, he corrected himself, it was time for a revolution! The days of the current racist monarch must end. With Celestia deposed, surely the next thing to go would be her illustrious School for Gifted Unicorns! There was no greater example of her racist bias than that – members only temple to unicorn magic! His head nodded as his decision solidified in his mind. He was going to do it. If in three days they had no answer to their ransom demands, he was going to help install Princess Luna as Equestria’s sole ruler, and maybe after that, true justice and equality would finally reign throughout the land.

Finally! Tiara heard Millstone’s breathing fall into the deep, regular cycle of a pony who was sound asleep. She stifled a yawn and slowly, carefully slid away from his side.

“What time is it, Princess?” Tiara whispered once she successfully extracted herself.

“One hour till the middle of the night.” Luna responded quietly, rolling her shoulders. She had been quite fidgety tonight. Tiara suspected the noise from her squirming was part of the reason Millstone took so long to fall asleep.

Now it was time to enact her plan on keeping herself awake and alert while at the same time keeping Luna still and safely occupied while her teammate slept. Under the illumination of her horn, she made her way over to where they had put the camping stores in the cave. A minute or two later, she set a flat, square box in front of Luna. “Care for a game of checkers, Princess?”

Luna smiled, showing her teeth in a predatory manner. “If you believe me to be handicapped because of my blinders, you are in for a surprise.”

On their third game, Tiara still couldn’t find a way to best her opponent. “Oh forget it!” Tiara swept the board clear of the pieces and scowled. “You win this one too.”

“Despair not, Silver, you have played well and honorably.” Princess Luna stood and worked the kinks out of the joints she could move.

“If by ‘honorably’ you mean that I am a good loser, then I guess you are correct.” Tiara yawned as she picked up the loose checkers.

“That is not what I meant,” Luna said with amusement, “but you are a good loser.”

Tiara stuck out her tongue.

“Pray tell, do you have any chess pieces?”

Tiara looked up, shocked. “Yes, but how…” she stopped herself from asking one obvious question to blurting out another. “You can play chess…Blind?”

In response, Luna smiled, showing her teeth.

“As much as I am enjoying this, I have to wonder.” Luna asked as Tiara contemplated the game before them, “What are you hoping to gain by giving me so much attention.”

“I need to keep you from doing to my teammates the same thing you did to me.” Tiara rubbed her face and yawned. She was awake, but barely. It seemed to her that Luna was flaunting her mental acuity in the face of her fading alertness. “I’m moving my cloud castle to square one-four.”

Luna’s head tilted and moved in a small circle. Even the blinders couldn’t hide that obvious of an eye-roll. “Why do you believe that I have anything to do with your diminished mental state? Move my pegasus down and over to square two-six.”

“Arrgh.” Tiara moaned. Luna always seemed to know what her next move would be and took little time before announcing it. As a result, she was left feeling the pressure of trying to figure out her next move while her opponent waited. “I already told you. And nothing I have seen or experienced has changed my mind.” Tiara yawned again. There was something she wanted to say. Some question, or subject she wanted to talk about with the Princess… Her thoughts slogged along in the mud-bog of her mind. She had to remember! This was her job!

“Silver?”

Tiara opened her eyes and blinked slowly, wondering how much time Luna was giving her to decide. “Uh, my guard takes your guard. Um, square six-five, to square five-four.” She then made the trade using her mouth, not trusting her magical ability in her drowsy state.

“My alicorn takes your alicorn. Check.”

“What?” Tiara examined the board. The move was both possible and legal. “Oh, will you stop making it look so easy for you!” Tiara stretched her neck out again and moved the pieces. Now she had to think of a move to get her out of trouble. But then something else about alicorns clicked in her mind.

“Princess Celestia…”

“What?” Luna said at the unexpected utterance.

“If you are as unloved and unwanted by Princess Celestia as you maintain-“

“Doesn’t all the evidence point to that conclusion?” Luna interrupted.

Tiara ignored the interruption, “explain why she welcomed you back to the Palace?”

“Do you really desire a lesson in politics?” She sighed, sounding bored, like this was a subject she lectured on frequently.

Tiara surged to life, her anticipation burning away the fog. “Humor me, if you please.” She said evenly to mask the excitement she felt at that moment. It occurred to her that Luna had done a lot of side-stepping around answering her questions. A tactic often used by ponies who want to appear to answer an inquiry made by their interrogator and create misleading inferences. It seemed to her that she could smell the scent of vindication in the air. Without a reasonable and plausible explanation of Celestia’s reinstatement of her supposedly hated sister to the throne, the only logical conclusion was that her beliefs must be true and her plan to ransom Luna still viable!

“Very well, if you insist.” Luna sighed, “You must know that one does not hold on to power as long as my sister without acquiring a great deal of political savvy.”

“Of course.” She agreed, her excitement still high.

“Good. Have you heard the adage; ‘keep your friends close and your enemies even closer’?”

“I have.”

“Good.” Luna said simply, and was not quick to follow her answer.

“I hope you don’t expect me to accept that statement as your explanation. You’re going to have to do a bit of convincing for me to believe you.”

“Indeed, Silver,” Luna said, then she worked her jaw around in thought. “I know that you are intelligent and skeptical of everything I say, so let us say that you are the powerful ruler of all Equestria and your rebellious sister tries to remove you from the throne. What would you do?”

“Destroy her, of course. She committed treason, the law demands it, and she tried to destroy me.”

Luna’s head jerked back. “Do you have any siblings, Silver?”

In a momentary panic, Tiara held her breath while she contemplated the question and how revealing would her answer be. “No, I don’t.” She replied after she believed it safe.

Luna nodded once, apparently content with the answer. “Destroying your rival is one option of course, but another is to make her useful to you. So instead, you disable her and bring her back to the Palace where you can keep an eye on her while you make her an asset.”

“Why would I bring her into the Palace? I’d be asking for another attack.”

“Because you know that she saw something during her second attempt to seize the throne that she didn’t have time to witness on her first attempt. Something that scared her.”

Tiara smirked, unable to fathom what could possibly scare the Princess of the Moon so badly that she would give up her plans of Equestrian domination. “And that was?”

“Immediate and spontaneous popular uprising.”

Tiara took a moment to digest that. The threat of discontent and open rebellion is a major concern for any monarch. However, a new ruler with no allies or army of her own would find it terrifying. “Okay, but still, why would I bring my sister - whom I hate - back to the Palace and reinstate her?”

“Because you want to make use of her, but also to keep her in check and prevent her from building a power base.”

Tiara sat confused. “What use could I possibly make of a disloyal sister and co-regent?”

“As a check of loyalty of your cabinet to see who will court her favor, as a mouthpiece for unpopular news you want to keep at a distance from yourself, as a show of doubling of power players to discourage other states from hostile actions, as a bulwark against assassination, as a test of solidarity for the nation to see which elements, if any, make a fuss over what appears to be an arbitrary appointment–” Luna was wagging her head with each point and showing no signs of letting up.

“Okay,” Tiara interrupted, for she had more than adequately supported her point. “I guess there are some uses that I couldn’t think of.”

“Yes, and remember, that while she resides in your Palace, she is surrounded by those most loyal to you, who will keep track of all her meetings, dealings, and movements and make report to you." Luna sighed deeply. "She will be little more than a captive and a pawn. A bird kept in a golden cage.”

“But I will be forced to live with somepony I hate.”

Luna shook her head. “Celestia never truly hated me. She is too farsighted in her planning, too emotionless in her politics, and too...logical to let blinding emotions like hate prevent her from seeing opportunities in all situations.” Her breathing was labored, betraying the strong feelings she still felt. She took a few moments to calm down, but she still looked like she had swallowed a lemon. “To be truthful, it was I who hated her.”

Tiara found herself at a loss for words at the unsolicited confession. She just sat in silence with the Princess, unable to do or say anything.

Luna’s ears suddenly pricked up and her head swiveled to Millstone like she had heard some signal inaudible to Tiara. “Oh, no.” She said and set her jaw.

“What is it?” Tiara followed her stare, but could see nothing wrong.

“Silver, get up and get over to him, now.” Luna's voice had the commanding tone that didn't tolerate question or dissent.

“Why?” Tiara asked as she obediently stood.

“Because he’s dreaming, I thought it was benign, but it has turned. He’s having a nightmare and he’s going to wake up any moment now in a panic! Hurry!”

No sooner had she finished speaking that he had started to twitch and stir. If the troubled jerking movements by themselves hadn’t been able to show his distress, the hopeless sounds he made next would have removed any doubt. From deep down inside him came an unnerving howl, a chorus of tortured strings being drawn by a bassist driven mad by grief. Horror now had a voice, and the hearing of its unearthly moan made teeth set on edge and caused hackles to rise.

Tiara fell down beside him and ran her muzzle up and down his neck from his ear to his shoulder, desperate to soothe him and to keep his unseen demon from emerging. “It’s okay, I’m here. It’s just a dream, you’re only having a bad dream!” She spoke rapidly, her voice breathy and nervous.

“Let ‘em out! They can’t breathe! NO!” Millstone blurted aloud and shot up to his hooves so quickly that he knocked her back. In the darkness of the cave, the white of his eyes – opened wide and staring blindly – broadcast his panic as his head darted about. “No! Not me too! Mommy, Daddy, help me!” He screamed and threw hoof punches wildly in all directions at his invisible attackers.

“M, calm do-OW!” One of his hooves connected with her mouth. The shock of being hit made her retreat just out of his reach.

He was beyond help. His eyes were open, but they were not seeing anything in the cave. “Lemme go! Lemme go!” He shouted – though nopony was touching him – and scrambled about, clawing his way along the floor and, fortunately, toward the exit. “Don’t put me inna box too! I don’t wanna die!” His terror-stricken cries faded quickly as he fled out of the cave, leaving Tiara behind, panting and bewildered.

Tiara ran her tongue over her lip where she had been struck and winced at the sting. That was definitely going to swell. She tasted blood and deduced that he had split her lip. A sniffle from behind her made her sniff too in reflex. Sharp, fishy odors hit her. Urine. Millstone had truly experienced something terrifying.

Tiara whipped her head around to see Luna with her head down, and in the faint light from her horn, a tear glistened on her cheek.

A scowl spread on her face as her rage rose within her. “Don’t you dare shed any of your rockodile tears!” She spat, and lept to her hooves. “You did that to him!”

“No, Silver, you’re wrong I– AH!”

She didn’t allow her to finish. She was so tired of it all! She charged at Luna while she was speaking and swatted her in the face. “Don’t lie to me!” She screamed, “I’m sick of your lies!”

Luna struggled to stand. “I’m not lying! I had nothing–AH!”

Tiara slapped her again, knocking her back to the floor.

Luna pushed herself up and bared her teeth, “How dare you! We are– AH! AH! OW!”

With Luna blinded and prevented from offering any sort of defense by her shackles, every one of Tiara’s swings struck her target. “I’m the ringleader, and I’m a unicorn!” Tiara announced angrily, and she grabbed Luna’s horn with her hoof. “If you attack me, that’s fair. But you will leave him alone!” She released Luna’s horn with a shove and watched her swoon.

“Silver Chalice, We swear, we had nothing to do with his nightmare!” Luna doggedly maintained, keeping her head back as far as she could without falling over.

Tiara’s lip curled up as she ground her molars together, contemplating what to do next with her obstinate captive. A glimmer from an object on the shelf of the cave provided her answer. She crossed over to the wall with a few purposed, rapid steps and snatched the object that caught her eye. “Open your mouth!” she ordered.

Luna shuffled away. “No!” she answered through clenched teeth.

Tiara hooked one of her forelegs over Luna’s horn and under her neck, twisting her head to the side. “Urrrgh! I said open!” She huffed, discovering that, even bound as she was, Luna was still a formidable opponent. She realized that she would have to somehow force her to the floor. But the simple strategy was far more difficult to execute. She yelled and screeched as she wrestled, and Luna would stoically grunt in reply as she resisted. Tiara began to tire, Luna was proving too strong.

Suddenly, a battle cry echoed in the cave and a body crashed into Luna, knocking her over.

Bright strobes of lightning flared from Luna’s horn and flashed off the walls of the cave. Thunderclaps and magic pulsed through her body, but Tiara recognized them as harmless distractions. She seized her advantage and pried Luna’s lips open and back with the studded bit she held in her other hoof. Then using her magic, she uncorked the small jar and, drop by drop, measured the liquid into Luna’s mouth, taking care to not use it all.

Luna gave a muffled protest and began to thrash in earnest. She recognized the taste.

“You can’t win,” Tiara panted triumphantly, “the mouth is heavily vascularized. You’re absorbing this even if you don’t swallow.”

The struggle ended with Luna offering spasmodic jerks that decreased in force until she laid still. Tiara slowly counted to one-hundred before relaxing. “You can let her go now.” She announced to her teammate and stood up slowly.

Millstone was also breathing hard. “Is she dead?”

“Put your ear against her chest, low and behind her shoulder.” Tiara directed as she magically re-corked and levitated the small jar to check the amount of Moondrake essence remaining. “Whew, this should be enough for one more.”

Millstone rolled over and did as directed. “She’s breathing, and…yes, I hear her heart.” He stood up. “She’s alive.” He announced, rather unnecessarily.

Tiara looked down at him and saw something that made her blush. “Um, Millstone, you’re naked.”

He too, blushed and then stood quickly, angling his body away from her. “I took my undertail off…outside…because I, um…had an accident, when I…left.”

“Yes,” Tiara said awkwardly, “you must have had some nightmare.”

He looked away, his ears laid back. “It was, but it was one I had dreamt before. I wish I wasn’t such a coward!”

“Millstone?” Tiara stepped up to him and turned his head toward her with her hoof. “Do you realize what you just did?”

“Yes, I pissed myself and ran out of here because of a stupid dream!” Millstone jerked his head away and stepped back. “I abandoned you! I left you alone in here, with her!”

“No!” Tiara said sharply, “You fought your greatest fear and ran – naked – in here to help me fight an alicorn. Even though you didn’t know if she was capable of being subdued!”

Millstone looked at her askance, “You and I both know that she was in chains.”

“Was in chains, yes.” Tiara nodded emphatically. “And did you also hear us fighting?”

“Yes, I did,” He nodded back. “That was how I knew you needed my help.”

“So you heard a struggle, and then you set aside your fear and natural instincts for self-preservation, to charge into a dangerous situation of unknown severity.” Tiara said with finality as a smile crept on her face. “And you did this for me.”

Millstone swallowed, and chanced looking her in the eyes. There was no trace of mockery or insincerity. Finally, he felt safe enough to answer. “Yes, I guess I did that too.”

Tiara drew in a breath and bit her lip. Some questions she had set aside were finding their answers. “Millstone,” She said with a small quiver in her voice, “I think that you are the bravest pony I have ever met!”

Millstone blushed deeper and shuffled on his hooves. “Uh, thank you.” He answered her simply. He wanted to say more, but a horrible tightness in his throat threatened to crack his voice. Nopony had ever called him brave.

Tiara started forward to embrace her champion. Not caring that her vision was blurring or that her knees were weak. She had to show him how much she appreciated him!

“Well, Silver,” his voice stopped her far short of her goal, “what do we do now?”

Silver. The name was a dagger in her heart. But of course he called her ‘Silver’. She had never given him any other name. He doesn’t know her real name. He doesn’t know Tiara, and he doesn’t know what Tiara had done.

Tiara felt all the new hope in her die. Millstone could have been the one. But how would he react when he finds out that she had never trusted him with her real name? Then after he learns her real name, he’ll learn about her real past. What would he think of her then? What would she think about herself if she were him? Tiara couldn’t breathe. She was so close, but she couldn’t let herself believe that he was in love with her. He loved Silver Chalice. And Silver Chalice was not her, not really. So she mustn’t let her heart fool her into believing in an impossible outcome.

“Silver?” He was looking at her through squinting eyes, “are you okay?”

Tiara shook her head and blinked. “Uh, yes, I’m fine, just tired.” She looked down and saw the chess game scattered over the floor. “Um, I guess you’ll want to…uh…”

“Go clean myself. Right.” Millstone turned and left.

Tiara could have kicked herself! The dejected response he gave broke her heart. She knelt down and started picking up the scattered pieces of the game while mentally berating herself. Why, oh why, could she not think of anything else to say? All of the emotional progress he needed, and all of the positive reinforcement he could have enjoyed, was made waste in the span of her careless comment. Tiara sniffed and continued picking up the chess pieces and putting them in their case. A tear fell on the king as she reached for it. Something poignant about that hit her and, with great reverence, she picked up the king and studied it. Her horn glowed brighter, allowing her to notice that the chess piece had bits of it broken off, probably from her fight with Luna. She sighed and wiped away the tear, fumbling as she did. The king fell from her hoof onto the hard granite floor, where it snapped in two.

Tiara stared down at the broken king, wondering if she could possibly fix it somehow. She picked up the broken pieces and set them together. They didn’t mate. There was a thin shard missing in the middle. Her horn flared as bright as she could make it as she scoured the floor, intent on finding and fixing the king. But the missing shard was nowhere to be found. All she found, was tears.

Before the Dawn

“Pine boughs, brilliant! It was starting to smell like morning-breath and unwashed-princess in here.” Tiara said as Millstone began to trample the pine needles he had spread on the floor. It was entirely his idea. After he had bathed, he walked in with a bundle of evergreen branches and –without a word or explanation – used them to carpet the cave’s entrance.

Millstone said nothing in response to her, and offered little more than a head nod to acknowledge what she had said. Methodically, he kept at his task, stamping the green pine needles to bruise them and release their fragrance.

Tiara’s heart twisted in her chest. She knew he was doing this to mask the smell of his urine. The fact that he thought about the lingering odor and how he could cover it suggested to her that this was by no means the first time he had to hide his disgrace, and swallow his shame. She couldn’t help but wonder at how many times before he had covered-up his panic attacks in like manner at home so that nopony would know. Nopony but him. And he silently carried the humiliation, but always living with the fear of being discovered.

“I’m sure that’s good enough. Come inside and lie down!” Tiara coaxed loudly enough for him to hear her near the cave mouth, “you can’t tell me that you aren’t cold and tired.”

“I’m not tired.” He answered her. From the sound, she guessed him to be at the midpoint switchback. She thought his answer was to put her off, but mere moments later, he briskly walked back into the cave breathing heavily. “But, I think I’ve had enough of that entrance for tonight.”

Tiara smiled, and stood up from his bedroll where she had lain. “Come lie down, I’ve warmed your side of the bed.” She said enticingly as she stepped to the side and forward so she could run her muzzle across his cheek to nibble behind his ear.

At first, he seemed as amenable to her directions and affections as he had always been. He closed his eyes, and took deep breaths to relax. But then, he abruptly pulled his head back.

“What is it?” Tiara asked and glanced suspiciously over at Luna’s unconscious form.

“Nothing, I just almost forgot to check my hooves for pine tar.” He answered, as he lowered his head and lifted each hoof for inspection. After a few scrapes of his fore hooves on the granite floor and another check, he stood up straight and proud. “Fortunately, the trees weren't putting out fresh sap yet. It looks like I’m clean.”

Tiara wilted behind her smile at seeing his satisfaction in a successful cover-up. She wondered again how much practice he had had as a colt. All those years of hiding his moments of weakness from his own family. Did any of them ever suspect a thing? And did he ever feel safe at home?

“Yes, I’d say that you are ready for bed.” She nipped at his cheek and gently tugged to guide him forward, just like she had done so many times before. To her surprise, he turned his head toward her and nipped back at her cheek.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Tiara laughed and stepped away, her face flushed with heat.

“What do you mean? You started it.” Millstone chuckled and stepped up close to her.

Tiara’s eyes grew wide and her smile faded. There was no doubt left in her mind that he had fallen for her, and her heart thumped approvingly in her chest at her realization. She held her breath as he lowered and tilted his head, moved past her lips, slid across and down her cheek, to under her chin. A sigh escaped and her knees went weak as she felt his hot breath caressing the soft spots of her neck. In response, she sucked in a breath, closed her eyes, and silently begged him to stop teasing her and make contact!

You must not pursue what cannot be. You can’t be with him, and he doesn't love you, he loves the lies you told him! Tiara grimaced, hating the part of her that saw the inevitable, hopeless end for their relationship. However, her mind would not be dissuaded, and stubbornly circulated her earlier conclusions and demanded that she stop encouraging this behavior at once!

“Ohh…hhhum!” Tiara succumbed to a timely yawn and used it as her excuse to pull back, inwardly cursing her mind for interfering with her heart’s desires. “I think that I had better make good use of this time while Luna is out and go to sleep.” She turned away from him and laid down on her mat, forcing herself to not look back at him while she did.

Much to her relief, he laid down next to her, his body making contact with hers as he always had. Tiara could have lept for joy, even as she chided herself for that vain rush of excitement. Her inner tumult was either going to make their days more interesting, or confusing. In that moment, she struck a truce with her warring halves; she decided that she wouldn’t allow anything serious, but that she could enjoy the contact. Exactly what that meant, she didn’t know, and at that moment, she didn’t care. She would figure it out as she went along.

“Oh, you are cold!” Tiara exclaimed with a shiver and magically pulled their blanket up to cover them both and snuggled against him, hoping that sleep would not find her quickly.

“Silver?”

Tiara swore silently. Why did he have to call her that name now? “Yes?”

“It’s going to be dawn soon.” He sounded like he had stated that obvious fact to build up to making his point.

“Yes?” Tiara inquired gently, not wanting to be discouraging.

“That means this is the start of the third day since we…” His voice trailed off, apparently unwilling to speak aloud their crime.

“Since I abducted Princess Luna.” Tiara finished the statement for him. “Yes?” She raised the tone of her voice, trying to hasten him to his point.

He took a deep breath. “How much longer do you think that we can go on like this?”

Finally, there was the question he wanted to ask. Tiara swore internally again. That was a very good question. Though, she wondered if he had the same implications in mind as she did. “I don’t know,” Tiara sighed. Frustration was building on so many levels. Her brief fantasy holiday had to end. Her team needed her back on the job. “But, there is something serious that I have to talk to you about.”

“About what?”

Tiara raised her head and looked at Luna, still lying where she had left her, unconscious and motionless. Yet for some reason, she didn’t feel safe. She turned her head toward Millstone and whispered softly next to his ear. “Not now, not in here. But when I wake. Okay?”

He nodded his understanding so solemnly that she wondered if he already knew what it was she wanted to discuss.

Tiara yawned again and laid her head down to sleep, hoping that this time, she would wake up refreshed. Next to her, Millstone shifted his position and laid his head across her withers. “Mmm…” Tiara exhaled. If this didn’t give her some pleasant dreams, She wasn’t sure what would.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“For what?”

“For coming to my rescue, and for making me feel safe.” Tiara answered honestly.

“You’re welcome.” His reply was common, relevant, and brief. Yet in that simple response, she thought she could hear some measure of pride and satisfaction in those two words. Perhaps, she did not ruin every positive thing that had happened tonight after all.

“Millstone?”

“Yes?”

“It’s still my watch. You’re supposed to be the one sleeping.” Tiara didn’t even try to lift her head from her pillow when she spoke.

He lifted his head and whispered in her ear. “Go to sleep. I’ll take your watch.”

Tiara smiled weakly as a tingle ran through her. “Thank you.” she said, as he laid his head back on her withers.

Author's Note

I feel like this should have been part of the previous chapter.
I hope it doesn't seem out of place on its own.

Nothing Ever Goes As Planned

“Silver. Wake up.” A hoof settled on her withers and gently rocked her. “Siiilverrrr. Wake uuup.” The voice singsonged, bringing Tiara drifting ever closer from the tranquil ocean of slumber to the solid shores of consciousness.

“Silver Chalice!” Luna bellowed her name, shocking her awake as effectively as a bucket of ice water.

“One more outburst like that and you’ll regret it!” Millstone angrily shouted back.

Tiara groaned and blinked her eyes to clear her vision. A hoof worked under her forelimb and helped her to stand. “Thanks, M.” Tiara said groggily to her helper, who she still needed to brace her as she staggered to her hooves.

“Uh, Silver, it’s me, T.” Thunder said, noticeably concerned.

“Wha…?” Tiara peered at Thunder, “Why are you here so early?

“It’s evening, Silver. I let you sleep all day.” Millstone sighed like he had done something wrong. “I thought that if I let you sleep, you would be awake and alert by now.”

Tiara glared at Luna, who squirmed in her place, looking painfully uncomfortable to the same degree as she was tottering in a lethargic stupor. “Princess, I suppose that you will claim that you didn't interfere with my sleep last night?”

Luna turned her scowl toward her, “Thou did pay us no mind yesterday, but did assault us when we did protest against thy groundless accusations. Truly, thou hast shown thy true self, and cast away all pretense of civility. We shall not answer thee. For we perceive that thou only seeks occasion for battery.”

Tiara glowered at Luna, then turned to Thunder. “Get me out of here, I need some fresh air.”

Tired and hungry. That was all she felt. Although she had little problem finding the energy to eat. Tiara couldn't devour her oatmeal and pecans quickly enough. In the short span that it took Thunder to report that – in essence – there was nothing to report, she had finished her first bowl and was handing it to Millstone for another helping.

“I have to admit, I’m surprised.” Tiara spoke with her mouth full and shook her head before swallowing. “It doesn't make much sense. I expected to be negotiating, or preparing for our pick-up by now. Are you sure the second ransom note was delivered?”

Thunder nodded. “There is no doubt. It went to through the proper channels. The first one could have been missed, or thrown away as trash, but this one has to have been seen by a Palace official or high level aide at the very least.”

“Okay.” Tiara opened her eyes wide and squeezed her eyelids shut. “We’ll wait for morning, there should be no harm. Tomorrow, I bet, you’ll see the palace alarmed. We’ll stay here and hold down the fort, while you return to Brass to observe and report. Also, I need more ointment and gauze, leaving Luna untreated won’t help our cause.”

Thunder drew his head back and studied her with a pinched-together smirk. “Are you okay?”

Tiara thought back to what she had said, chuckled, and then rolled her eyes. “I’ll stop the rhyming right now, I mean it.”

“Anypony want a peanut?” Thunder and Tiara both glared at Millstone, who was holding out a bag. “What? I roasted them this morning. Do you want one or not?”

After Thunder left, Tiara stared blankly into the smoldering remains of their cooking fire, scarcely aware of Millstone’s activity as he washed dishes and cleaned their campsite. She tried to concentrate on their situation with Luna and the ransom, but her thoughts were faint wisps of smoke that dissipated to nothing in the gentlest breeze. As the leader and decision-maker of her team, they counted on her to think about their present circumstances, consider future problems and develop contingencies for them. However, she was failing all of them in that regard. If she were able to think clearly, she supposed she would be very disappointed with her performance so far.

“Silver?”

Tiara shook her head and blinked, feeling like she had been sleeping and had just been awoken again. “Yes?”

Millstone knelt in front of her, his face drawn with worry.

“I’m fine.” Tiara asserted firmly.

The left side of his mouth pulled back and his eyelids narrowed.

“Okay, you’re right, I’m not fine,” She dropped her eyes and shook her head slowly. “But I’m not in any real trouble either. This is the worst she can do. Just make me a little sleepy.” Tiara sucked in a breath through her nose and exhaled. “Besides, we won’t have to put up with this much longer.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, still looking skeptical.

“Yes,” Tiara nodded, “but, I’m going to have to ask you to do something very difficult.”

He nodded – it was that same solemn nod from last night – then he swallowed. “What is it you want me to do?”

Tiara took a deep breath and held it. Millstone was looking at her patiently and expectantly for her to summon the courage she needed to ask her question. Finally, she blurted it out. “What methods do you have in mind for torturing Luna?”

“Princess Luna?” Tiara called out as she entered the cave, “I’m not able to change your dressings, but T will bring more ointment and bandages for you tomorrow.”

Luna didn't answer, but low marched in place, lifting each leg as far as the chains would allow, scowling.

“Why are you doing that?” Tiara walked up to her. “Are your muscles cramping?

“Thou needn't worry. We are alive. That is all that thee cares.”

“No, Princess. You’re wrong. I don’t wish any permanent harm on you. I never expected that you would be burned by your shackles and I don’t want you to be in pain.”

“Thou lies!” Luna scoffed. “If thou did truly desire what thou claims, then why hast thou done this to us?”

“I told you!” Tiara replied, incensed that she had to repeat herself. “I abducted you because you treated me so badly at the Palace. You were overbearing, obnoxious, and overly critical of everything I did. Nothing I did pleased you! Whatever did I do to you to be singled-out for the abuse you gave me?”

“Doth thou still believe that thou art a victim? The treatment thou received from us was well deserved! For thou treated us most cruelly!” Luna’s incredulous tone turned to bitter resentment as she shot back her accusation.

Tiara stood in open mouthed shock. “I treated you cruelly?”

Luna set her jaw and nodded.

“And just how, may I ask, did I treat you cruelly?”

“Through thy falsehoods.”

“What? What lie did I tell you that is so cruel that you have justified tormenting me for over two years now?”

“Do not feign ignorance! Thou knows very well what thou has done.”

Tiara sat back on her haunch and folded her forelegs. “Humor me.”

Luna drew a breath through her nose to keep her lips angrily pressed together. “Who. Art. Thou?” She spoke the words like they were individual, declarative sentences.

“Silver. Chalice.” Tiara answered her in the same manner.

“Indeed!” Luna exclaimed cynically. “If that be truth, then thou art most cruel indeed.”

“How?” Tiara shook her head. “I did nothing remotely hostile to you for the first year I served at the Palace. I was a loyal servant who did nothing but try to please you, while putting up with your unreasonable actions, for a whole year. It was only after that did I give up and start plotting against you.”

“If thou art ignorant of thy original insult, then thou art not Silver Chalice, but an imposter! There is no other explanation.” Luna raised up and squared her body to look her most imposing. “Give answer. Who art thou?”

“Silver Chalice.” Tiara sighed and rolled her eyes.

“The truth! Who art thou?” Luna barked out immediately.

“Silver Chalice.” She stubbornly maintained.

“Tis a lie! Who art thou?” Luna roared out her accusation fiercely.

“Silver Chalice!” Tiara screamed the name as loud and as long as she could.

“Hey! What’s going on in here?” Millstone yelled from the cave entrance.

“Nothing!” Tiara and Luna shouted back in unison.

Millstone drew back like he had been physically struck. “Okay, I was…just…checking.” He said meekly, and backed out.

Moments after he was out of sight, Tiara faced Luna again. Both of them were breathing heavily and trying not to show it. Their flaring nostrils and heaving chests were physical testaments to the intense passions and powerful emotions that – to Tiara’s surprise – both of them had been trying to keep buried down deep within themselves. Of course, the most shocking revelation to her was that Luna had, from the beginning, felt personally affronted by her. That it was her perceived slight to Luna that brought on the ill treatment she received was making her head spin.

“I have nothing more to say on this matter,” Tiara said calmly, “and for tonight, I will treat your pain as best as I can.” She paused, unsure of how she wanted to proceed.

“Thou hast more to say.” Luna said. It was not a question.

Tiara “There has been no response from the Palace to a second ransom note.”

“Did we not say from the beginning that this would happen?” Luna stated the question as a matter-of-fact she was bored of repeating.

Tiara swallowed as her stomach flip-flopped within her. Then she inhaled sharply through her nose, sniffling, and would have been startled at the sound, if she were not so intently focused on her captive. “You will write three letters stating that you are in our possession, and that we are holding you for ransom. I want to give the Palace proof-of-life.”

“We refuse.” Luna said.

“If you refuse–” Tiara stopped, unable to continue, and unwilling to form the words. Her heart jumped around in her chest, making breathing difficult.
In front of her stood Luna. Princess Luna of Equestria. The Princess of the moon. The younger sister of Princess Celestia. Blinded, bridled, and bound, yet unbroken and still unyielding. The future now seemed as certain as the past. And it looked as dark as night.

“Then we will begin to test your resolve.” She said at last. It wasn't what she had planned to say, but those were the only words she could bring herself to speak.

Luna’s head moved up, then down. It was the nod of the condemned, who already knew their sentence, but was just waiting for the words to be spoken.

Tiara stepped outside of the cave and inhaled a lung full of cold, damp, evening air scented with wildflowers, sage, and the vanilla scent of pine bark. As much as she loved it, she couldn’t enjoy it. The terrible prospect of what lay ahead cast ashes on everything and robbed her of joy.

“Are you finished?” Millstone trotted up to her.

Reminded of why she came out, she wiped her brow of the sweat. “Yes, Princess Luna is resting comfortably now, thanks in part to my massage and in part to the fact that she did take some more laudanum.” She sighed. “And I gave her our ultimatum. I don’t think that she is going to comply. I’m sorry.”

He visibly swallowed. “It was always a possibility, I guess. Nothing ever goes as planned, right?”

Her lips curled into a wry grin. “I suppose not, although, I really wish that this enterprise had been the exception.” Even as she spoke, her thoughts jumped to the final stage of their original plan, where everypony took their share of the ransom and went their separate ways to foil pursuit and easy capture. With that finale freshly in mind, she looked at Millstone.

In the fading twilight, it was like she was seeing him for the first time, and everything she saw was wonderful! The first thing she noticed was his eyes, large and clear pools reflecting the moon with irises as green as well-watered meadows, and they lay at the base of his slight roman nose. His muzzle she knew was soft and velvety as it appeared, and it was one of the few places his true pale sandstone colored coat shone through his mottled gray dye. A short gray mop of his mane - that was starting to show its true rust-colored roots - topped his head between those perfectly sculpted ears. With some reluctance, her eyes left his face to explore the rest of his body, dropping to his chest, bulging with muscles from all the hard chiseling, hammering, lifting and carrying he had to do to set up their base camp. Then down to his tree-trunk like legs, that flared to hooves that had to widen to support the powerful stallion he was.

It took her breath away that this beautiful pony had fallen for her. And if all went according to plan, after they equally divided the ransom she would board a boat to go to the far away land of Zebria. There, she would use those riches to start her life anew, alone, and never see him again. If all went according to plan.

Tiara heaved a sigh from the depths of her soul. If all went according to plan, her new life would be just as joyless and empty as her current life. But, she wouldn't dare ask him to come with her. For she was by far the most well-known to Luna and the Equestrian Guard. The chances for her escape were the slimmest by far. Anypony caught with her would immediately be suspect and detained. No, she had to leave him. And she really didn't deserve him anyway.

Tiara snapped back into the present to see that he was examining her again. A quick peek at her memory made her realize he had asked her a question. Her eyelids fluttered and she shook her head. “I’m sorry I got a little lost there, you asked me what our next step is. Our next step is for you to make whatever preparations you need to” - She paused while she thought of a soft way to say, ‘torture Luna until she cracks’. - “pressure Luna into compliance. What do you need to do?”

“Nothing much. I just need to drill a hole in the ceiling, two more in the floor, and then set pins and rings in them. It should take me about two hours, but I need to get the pins and rings.” He had a practical tone that reminded her of a contractor giving an estimate for a room remodel.

“Okay, it’s too late to run to a hardware store tonight,” she said, thinking out loud, “so, why don’t we just turn in now, and get started early tomorrow?”

Tiara had her head draped over Millstone’s shoulders the same way he did to her. His body was so warm, and firm, and it was with great reluctance that she rose when she heard him breathing deeply, sound asleep. Looking him over appreciatively, she drew the blanket over his back and just past his withers, where she hovered, breathing on his neck and savoring his scent.

A yawn reminded her why she couldn't remain in bed with him. It was her watch, and Luna was not to be underestimated at this critical time. She stood up straight and walked over to where Luna stood. “Princess, I would like to talk with you, if you will agree to whisper.” She whispered.

Luna nodded. “We shall keep quiet.”

“Thank you.” Tiara said, wondering if her apparent submission was a ploy, “Will you tell me why you will not write those letters?”

“We have already told you,” Luna sighed, exasperated, “there will be no answer. So why bother?”

“But, why do you continue to refuse?” Tiara asked, shaking her head. “We aren't asking you to lie, reveal any secrets, or betray anypony. We just want you to write three letters that tell the truth.”

Luna’s jaw worked around in thought a few times. “We refuse to cooperate,” She said at last, “Despite whatever consequences thou hast planned.”

“But, why?” Tiara said, pleading. “Surely your pride isn't so precious that you can’t set it aside to spare yourself unnecessary pain?”

“It is not pride!” Luna said quickly, loudly, as though she had been offended. Then she took a breath and whispered. “We refuse to cooperate with thee on this matter. We shall say nothing more.”

Tiara sighed, disbelieving that she could be so stubborn on such a small, trivial, matter. “Well then, would you like to play a game of chess? We never found out who won our last game.”

“I won.” Luna declared.

“How can you be so sure? You only had me in check, I might have forced a draw.” She said as she retrieved the game.

“No,” she chuckled, “I would have had you in checkmate after your next move.”

Tiara washed and dried the dishes after they had all finished breakfast, hoping that Millstone would be back soon. He had left in time to get to the store when it opened. So it was possible he was already on his way back.

She was so drowsy that if she closed her eyes longer than it took her to blink, she knew she would fall asleep. Another yawn ambushed her and stretched her mouth open to its limit. Yawning was the only activity she had the energy or brain power to perform. If a squad of the Elite Lunar Guard could land at their campsite right then, the only thing she felt she would be able to do in response, would be to yawn wide, long, and impolitely in their direction.
After packing up all the dishes and cookware, she turned and squinted at the sun to check its position. He should be arriving any moment now, she surmised, and got to her hooves to walk back to the cave. She wanted him back. She didn't feel safe with him gone. Her head bobbed up and down with her heavy eyelids as she walked. She was so sleepy. So very, very sleepy.

“Silver? Where are you going?”

The voice brought her out of her stupor. “Huh?” Tiara looked up and around, she had been walking down the forest path and not to the cave.

Millstone cantered up to her. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Tiara lied. “I wanted to get out of the sun.”

He looked her over with a skeptical eye. “You are dead on your hooves,” he pronounced, “Let’s get you to bed.”

“Wait!” Tiara exclaimed, a sudden fear gripping her as he slid his head under her to put her on his back, “Will you tell me what you dreamed, the other night, when you ran out of the cave.”

He pulled back and regarded her.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Tiara added under his examination, “but I would like to know if that dream you had was a horrific product of your imagination, or if it was a bad memory dredged up from your past.”

He said nothing, but he looked lost as he backed up to a tree and sat back on his haunch. His ears folded back and his breaths became erratic as he sat there with his empty eyes fixated on something far, far, away. “It wasn't a bad memory, it was a terrible memory.” He said quietly.

Tiara immediately regretted her question. “I’m sorry, I shouldn't have-”

“It was a perfect day, that day.” He spoke suddenly. “Cool with a slight breeze and a warm sun. It was the type of day that makes you glad that you’re alive.”

Tiara approached him cautiously as he recalled his dream, his memory, for her.

“I was graduated, and enjoying being a full-time farmer. I woke-up early that morning, and I checked on my parents, who were sick, but they were still sleeping. So I let them rest. I made myself breakfast and went to work.” He took deep, shuddering, breath. “I think I knew the truth even then, because I didn't go home for lunch, but worked until late afternoon.”

Tiara bit her lip, afraid to even breathe lest she disturb him.

“When I got back home, I checked on my parents, and they were still sleeping, so I went outside and…” Tears sprang forth and raced down his cheeks. “I started playing in the dirt like I was a yearling.” His voice cracked and he had to force out his words.

Tiara felt tears roll down her own cheeks now, and she hurriedly wiped them away.

“Spring Breeze, our neighbor, showed up then. She knew my parents were ill and had brought dinner for us. I told her my parents were resting and would she please just set it on the kitchen table. But she must have checked on my parents anyway, because she came right back out and started telling me that everything was going to be alright.” He stopped, and wiped away his tears and looked up to the sky as though he was searching for strength to continue.

“She left and returned with what seemed like half the town. All of them were either crying or wearing the most somber expressions. And there I am, still playing in the dirt!” He sounded disgusted and punched the ground.

Tiara sat down next to him and threw her foreleg around him. “You were in denial, and regressing to a stage where you felt safe as a response to the traumatic stress. You can’t blame yourself for that.” She said to interrupt his self-directed anger.

He bowed his head. “I know,” he said without conviction, “They all seemed to know as well. Because they didn't chide me for my behavior. Some of them even sat around me.” He took a deep breath. “Then they brought out the coffins.”

A dreadful moan escaped him and his powerful body spasmed. Quickly she wrapped him up in an embrace and rocked him as he sobbed.

“I freaked out. I started trying to smash open the boxes so that they could breathe. Even though I knew that they were dead. All I could think about was how scary it must be for them to be in there and that they couldn't breathe.”

Tears flowed freely from them both as Tiara buried her face in his mane, wishing that she could stop what she had started. However, she remembered what he had yelled that night, and knew his nightmare wasn't over yet.

“Of course the stallions there had to stop me, because I wasn't acting reasonably. But all those bodies, and the restraint, and the darkness…” His voice trailed off and she squeezed him tighter, anticipating what happened next.

“I panicked.” He squeaked out. “There must have been six other stallions on me, and they couldn't hold me. At that moment, I was so sure that they were planning to put me in a box like my parents. I still remember peeing myself and running away, calling for my dead parents to help me as I ran. Nopony pursued me.”

She sat there, holding and rocking him until their tears dried. Then she released him. “What happened then?” She asked, knowing that his dream was over, but that the story wasn't.

“They of course sent for Furrow, my brother who lived in the next town. He and his wife found me in the fields, curled up like a foal. He sat me up, looked me in the eyes, and told me it was time.”

Tiara felt her eyes get wet again. “What did you do?”

“I stood up and followed him to the church.”

Wanting to be delicate, she pondered how to ask her next question. “Were you okay?”

“Furrow had them cut out the casket’s tops to show their heads. Then he asked some of the mares to weave star jasmine into wreaths to cover the smell. He even thought to put straw pillows under them to make them look more comfortable. So, yeah, I was okay. I even went with the procession to the cemetery and watched as they were lowered into their graves.” He cleared his throat. “Furrow took me away after that. I was so numb at that time, it probably wouldn't have bothered me to watch them reseal the caskets and cover them. He told me he couldn't stand to watch anymore, but I know that it was to keep me from raising another scene.”

“It sounds like your brother really come through for you.”

His head looked sharply from side to side. “Yeah, well, he owed it to me.” He spat out, with his ears flattened back against his head.

Tiara’s eyes went wide at his sudden display of anger and she bit her lip to keep herself from pursuing the matter.

At seeing her recoil, he lifted his head and looked up toward the sun. “The Princess should be asleep by now, which means you need to sleep right now.” He stood up and held out a hoof. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“I don’t want to go in there.” Tiara backed away from the cave’s entrance with her tail tucked and ice running down her back.

Millstone looked back at her, perplexed. “Do you want me to check to see if she’s asleep?”

She shook her head. “She gave you a nightmare from your past. I don’t want a nightmare from my past!”

“But Silver, you haven’t had any dreams.” He reasoned.

There was that horrible name again. “Don’t say that!” Tiara exclaimed without thinking. “I – I mean yes, that’s true. But what if she does? What if I do? I don’t want to have a nightmare!”

“Silver, Silver. Calm down!” Millstone wrapped his forelegs around her and held her tight. She was on the verge of becoming hysterical. “I’m here. I’ll be right there with you. I won’t leave you alone. Ever.” He said soothingly. “I’ll protect you. You’re safe with me.”

He held her until she was still. Then he led her inside and to her bed in the same way she had led him, and speaking the same soothing words that she had to him. Finally, she laid down, and he laid down next to her.

“I've never been afraid to go to sleep before.” She sniffed.

“There’s no need to be afraid. I’m here.” He put his head over her shoulders and pulled her even closer to him. “Now close your eyes.”

Obediently, Tiara closed her eyes, knowing that she would be asleep in no time. “I never planned on being this scared.” She whispered.

“Nothing ever goes as planned.” He answered.

Although she had wished otherwise, she now found that thought comforting.

Author's Note

Roman nose - In horses, the convex bridge seen on many draft horses. ie. Big Mac.

Bonus Points to those who get the movie reference.
As always, comments are welcome.

Cave Mutiny

On their first day back in Canterlot after the abduction of Luna, Brass could scarcely concentrate on his portrait subjects as he sketched them in front of the Palace. However, he would scrutinize every pony beyond the Palace gates, and every guard’s movement commanded his attention, even as he desperately tried to appear nonchalant and disinterested. It was always a relief to get the portrait finished for his client, even as he fervently hoped for another interested tourist to quickly appear so he would again have an obvious reason to stare in the direction of the Palace, allowing him to surreptitiously observe all movements therein. However, the Palace staff continued to follow their unhurried routine, and the patrols of the Royal Guard continued to be regular and predictable to the point of monotony. Even now, on the second day after the second ransom note had been delivered, he still saw no change in their behavior.

He blinked his eyes against the setting sun and exhaled. There was no point in staying here any longer, he concluded sourly as he began roughly packing up his art supplies. The bits he had made drawing portraits and colorful pastels of the Palace at sunset were going to buy him and Thunder a decent dinner, and then… He stopped packing for a moment as he recalled his promise to his disheartened teammate.

Three days. That was the agreement. And now those three days were up. Silver’s plan was a bust. It was time to forget the ransom and turn their abductee into an ally. Brass felt his cheeks pull back forming a hard, grim expression as he considered the battles ahead.

First he was going to have to sell the revolt against Celestia to his teammates. They would need to be convinced to overthrow the only government that Equestria had known for a thousand years, and then risk everything on a coup that had failed twice before. Despite his earlier convictions, he was having serious doubts about becoming a revolutionary. Contemplating the future was as dark and uncertain as their present. Gone, were all the bright, hope-filled dreams he had allowed himself to fantasize at a successful ransom. Gone. Just like his first dream of becoming an apprentice here.

Finally, he closed up his supply box and hefted the easel onto his back. There was no easy way out. He cast one last glance at the Palace, now a black silhouette against the blood red and indigo of the twilight sky. Hindsight made it easy for him to see the mistake of joining Silver and her crusade against the Palace. However, it was too late for all of them to back out now. With Luna’s offer of revolution the only option worth considering, he trudged toward his apartment weighed down more by his dark thoughts and regrets than by his physical burden.

Thunder met him wordlessly at the door. Their eyes met, and they exchanged an almost imperceptible head nod.

“Let’s go get something to eat. I want to be at the cave early tomorrow.” Brass said as he set his pack down inside the room.

Thunder nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

Brass decided not to say anything more, but silently wondered if Thunder would even be around tomorrow. If he was willing to leave behind any chance at collecting a ransom, then there existed no reason for him to stick around even now.

Yet he had.

They decided to eat at the Green Zebra restaurant two blocks away. A nice looking place with linen tablecloths and napkins that specialized in vegetables grilled over open flame. The aroma of roasting corn, squash, and potatoes had been teasing them almost every night since they arrived in Canterlot. It was their misfortune that the place they were staying at was often downwind, but now they were finally going to taste what they had so far only been able to sniff at longingly.

Brass stole furtive glances at the strangely silent gray pegasus walking beside him With his eyes looking no farther forward the pavement two steps ahead, Thunder trudged along and carried his head low, just in line with his body, like he was in harness and leaning into the collar to pull a heavy load.

“Are you going to go with me to the cave?” Brass asked, deciding to settle the matter now rather than waiting till morning to find out if he was going to be alone.

Thunder’s ears pricked-up attentively from their languid, flopped-out position, but the rest of him continued to plod along. “Yeah,” he answered the spoken question and then went on to answer the one that he knew Brass wanted to ask. “I won’t leave you during the night.”

“Why not? I don’t need your courier cover anymore. Why not just leave and go your own way?” Brass had expected some kind of reaction to his question, but they just kept walking to the end of the block.

“I’ve been part of this up till now, I might as well know how it’s going to end.” Thunder said at last. “Are you going to tell me what you have in mind?”

Brass moved his jaw around in thought. “No, not tonight,” he answered as they neared the restaurant, “but I’ll fill you in on our way up.”

Thunder’s head bobbed like he had expected that answer. “Good, I don’t want to spoil my appetite.” He said as he trotted ahead of Brass and through the doors of the restaurant.

Silver spun her head around suddenly and turned to face the purple-armored Lunar Guardpony she had seen stealthily observing her from the tree line at the periphery of her vision. Heart thumping in her chest she stood ready to fight or flee. Holding her breath so as to better listen for any movement while her ears and eyes swiveled all around, scanning for the elusive warrior pony. But there was nopony there. Just like the last dozen or so times she had performed this very same action. Finally, she had to breathe, and she exhaled like bursting balloon.

“Silver?” Millstone came up alongside her, worry clearly etched on face. “Are you okay?”

“No!” Tiara said loudly, shocking both of them. Millstone being surprised by her volume, and her being surprised by her honest answer. Tiara stood there panting, her gaze still fixed and the forest of lodge-pole pine trees that bordered their tiny clearing, meanwhile her mind ran pell-mell through the dark, trail-less woods of her scattered thoughts. “No, I’m not okay.” She confessed. Dropping her head, she clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyelids shut.

Millstone put his foreleg over her shoulders and pressed his neck against hers. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m hallucinating.” She sniffed aloud. And I’m telling you the truth! Her mind screamed. Some rational part of her wondered when honesty had become a warning sign of mental imbalance.

“I keep seeing movement in the trees. I swear I keep seeing Lunar Guardponies everywhere, but they’re not there!” Tiara squeaked out on the verge of tears as he lifted her up on her hind legs and held her body tightly pressed to his chest.

Millstone rubbed her back with one hoof and held her head against him with the other. “I’m finished.” He said, and paused long enough for even her tired mind to form a response, but she said nothing. “Do you want me to start?” He asked cautiously in the gulf of her answer.

Tiara pressed her face into his chest and began to cry. “It doesn’t make any sense,” she sobbed. “Why? Why won’t she write the letters?”

“I don’t know,” He answered solemnly, “but I do know she deserves what’s coming to her for what she’s done, and is still doing to you."

Tiara looked up. “But, what if she doesn’t?”

Millstone looked down into her wild, unfocused eyes, “What do you mean? Are you saying that Princess Luna didn’t do all the things to you that you said she did?”

“No, she did act abusively toward me as I described,” Tiara said quickly, “but-”

“But nothing,” Millstone interrupted, “if she did everything you said she did, I’d say she’s due for some comeuppance.”

“Yes, but,” – Tiara’s eyes darted around, as though she could find another way somewhere between them – “but what if I did do something to her first that she took offense at?”

Millstone rolled his eyes. “What could you possibly have done to her that would call for all the crap you had to take from her every day you worked there?”

Tiara’s eyes went wide and she covered her mouth with both of her fore-hooves as a connection sparked in her mind. She shook her head slightly as fresh tears ran down her cheeks. There was no reason for her to lie. But, at the same time, she didn’t have to tell her everything. It was possible. Improbable, but still possible, that Luna was a secondary victim: Unintended collateral damage. Luna's assertion rang in her ears.

“If thou art Silver Chalice, then thou art most cruel indeed!”

“Silver?” Millstone’s hooves pressed on each of her shoulders and he jostled her. “Well? What could you have done to deserve everything she did to you?” He asked her again.

Tiara was afraid to speak. Terrified that she might answer him honestly again. “I – I don’t know,” she said at last, mentally noting that even that dodge was a near truth. For she didn’t know anything for certain.

“There. You see?” Millstone looked satisfied, “If you had done something so terrible to her you would be able to think of something. So now I’m going to go in there and start.”

“No!” Tiara grabbed his shoulders to keep him from turning away from her and going into the cave.

He looked at her, annoyance clearly etched on his face like she was spitefully dragging out an unpleasant chore he had to finish and reveling in his discomfort.

“I mean, let’s wait until morning. She always seems more irritable in the morning; we might get quicker results if we wait.” Tiara explained rapidly, impressed with herself for her quick thinking, even while she was extremely tired and emotional.

He nodded slow and thoughtful at first, and then faster in complete agreement. “Okay, then let’s get you to bed.

Peach sorbet with lemon curd and whipped cream, freshly sliced peaches with french vanilla ice cream, frozen peach yogurt with banana slices and drizzled with hot marshmallow topping, Millstone thought wistfully as he watched Silver sleep. Her coloration and his empty stomach together were conspiring to make him think of food. In addition, eating nothing but oatmeal with only slight variations for every meal over the past four days probably contributed too. Sill, looking at her, and her cutie-mark of a – surprise, surprise: silver chalice – had his mind trapped in an endless loop thinking about desserts served in that dish.

A sleep driven snort from Silver brought him out of his food fixation. It was distressing for him to see her sleep so soundly, and yet have her wake up just as drowsy and disoriented as she was when she went to bed. Last night, she had tried to get him to go to sleep, as he was supposed to be the one sleeping at night. But after he had adamantly refused, she gave in without much argument, laid down on her mat, and started snoring as soon as he had laid down beside her. Just another bit of evidence for him that she couldn’t keep this up any longer and desperately needed him to bring about a quick resolution.

He looked over at Luna, standing silently on two opposite legs while their pairs bent slightly in relief. About every fifteen minutes, he would hear the slight jingle of chains as she switched legs. Of course he had been watching her all night. She was his adversary. And soon they would be locked in a contest of wills. One that he had been confident that she was doomed to lose. However, Princess Luna had throughout these past four days demonstrated that she possessed a reasonably high pain threshold and the ability to endure hardship. His opponent was formidable. Sighing, he realized that his battle with her may very well not be over as quickly as he had originally thought.

His thoughts returned to Silver, and specifically, of her admission of her failing strength and to having recurring hallucinations. It might be her who surrenders first and decides the contest.

“Princess Luna?”

As if she was reading his mind, Luna immediately answered. “It is dawn. The moon is down, but the sun is still on the horizon.”

“Thank you.” He stood up and stretched. “You know what we have planned. Do you want breakfast?” He spoke plainly. He already knew her answer, but felt obligated to ask.

Luna shook her head. “We thank thee for thy consideration.”

“You’re welcome, Princess.” He answered her. Then he knelt down and picked up Silver’s fore leg and pulled it over his shoulder. “Come on, Silver. It’s morning.” He said as he continued picking her up off the floor and laying her on his back as he would an exhausted younger sibling.

She woke to his handling and groaned, mumbling incoherent protests, but she cooperated by throwing her hind leg over his haunch and putting her chin over his neck.

“Good.” He said as he stood up and felt her she shifting her body to balance herself. “Now, I need you to tuck your legs up so we can get out of the cave.”

She didn’t say anything, but pulled her hooves up under her to allow them to exit.

Outside the cave in the cold, fresh, morning air, with a cup of hot coffee in her hoof and a partially eaten bowl of oatmeal in front of her, Tiara finally, fully reentered the conscious world. “So, M, is there anything you need me to do?” She asked him as he started to clean his dishes.

Millstone looked over sharply, that was the first intelligible thing she had spoken all morning. Up until that point, he had believed that her earlier zombie-like state was the next step and had expected her to remain much as she was, unable to assist him in any way. That might have been a good thing, as he didn’t think she had the stomach to witness what he was about to do. It would be so much better for her if she remained oblivious, he reasoned. But there was still one small task that he was relieved to be able to hoof over to her. “Yes. Yes, there is something you can do for me.”

“I’m going to tie a bell to your tail, Princess. You will use it to signal M when you are ready to write those letters.” Tiara explained as she began tying the brass bell midway down Luna’s dock with a bit of mane ribbon braided into the gossamer strands of her ethereal tail to keep it secure. The braid was more than decoration. Millstone had made it clear that he expected her to whip her tail about frantically, and as such, she should make it as slip resistant as possible. With a sigh that brought no solace, she finished tying the knot and with that, completed last thing that Millstone needed before he would begin.

“I’m done,” She said as she walked backwards away from Luna, unavoidably getting a good look at her princess, tied ignominiously kneeling on her forelegs and with her hindquarters held up by a rope from the ceiling that kept her hind legs fully extended. The view caused within her a stabbing pang of guilt that she simply could not brush aside, and made even worse by her knowledge of what would happen next.

Princess Luna, she noticed appeared remarkably calm as they went through their final preparations and showed only infrequent and subtle tale-tales of her well-hidden anxiety. An increase in the frequency of swallowing, a much quieter demeanor, and a recurring shoulder twitch were all that she could see, and only because she was watching so carefully.

Millstone set a full bucket of water with the ladle next to her half-full water bucket at her head. “Okay, Princess, I am going to put this piece of folded wool in your mouth like a bit. Then I am going to put a piece in each nostril. All of this will be held in place by the burlap bag I earlier fit to your muzzle.”

Luna nodded. “Before thou proceeds with thy most contemptible act, We wish to inquire of thee.”

Millstone drew back slightly, his ears splayed at odd angles. “Uhh, Silver?” He said after a pregnant pause.

“She wants to ask us a question.” Tiara interpreted for him. Then to Luna she said. “Go ahead, Princess.”

“M, We did think thee valiant and righteous. Why do you willingly do this?”

Millstone’s ears flipped back and then forward. “Princess, I have chosen to do this to you because I too have suffered in a similar manner, and was forced to do something that I did not wish to do. I completely sympathize with what you are about to go through.” His voice was robbed of emotion as he explained himself, making him sound resolute, but empty.

“If thou sympathizes as thou claims, then how is it that thee justifies this action?” Luna asked. Tiara was amazed. Her questions and her tone sounded genuine, like she truly desired the information and was not the subject of the conversation. There was not even a hint of desperation in her voice to make Tiara think that Luna was simply trying to postpone her ordeal.

“I justify my doing this to you because of one major difference between you and me.” Millstone said, leaning in close to Luna. “When it happened to me, I had no choice. Even though I begged for it not to happen. But you do have a choice. You can stop this right now by simply writing three letters that tell the truth. We are not asking you to lie, cheat, steal, betray, or keep silent.” He sat back up straight. “So, will you do what we ask?”

Luna tried to turn her head toward Tiara, but her new restraints prevented her head from turning. Her ears swiveled to show her change in focus. “Silver Chalice,” She said easily, but then she stopped and took another breath before continuing. “In your opinion, what is the premier responsibility of a ruling Princess of Equestria?"

Tiara blinked several times. The question seemed to be a non sequitur and she had to take time to get past her initial befuddlement. “I suppose, Princess,” she said slowly, her mind still working on answering the question she had been asked, “that the primary responsibility of a Princess of Equestria, is…to safeguard her subjects.”

Luna’s head bobbed slightly in agreement. “Thou has answered well.” Her ears flicked forward. “We refuse to comply. You may proceed.”

Shocked at hearing her direction, Millstone, wide-eyed and agape, shot his attention over to Tiara for confirmation. Tiara, just as surprised, found that she couldn’t speak. Finally, she forced her head to vibrate up and down.

Numbly, she continued to watch the increasingly surreal scene unfold before her as though she were in a trance and unable to stop Millstone as he placed the largest piece of folded cloth in Luna’s mouth, gingerly stuffed the two smaller ones in her nose, and then securing them with the fitted burlap sack.

“Now, Princess, I am going to force your muzzle underwater for a slow count to thirty, then I will release you.” He said after he had finished. Then he pulled on a rope that passed through a ring on the floor and went up from there to where it was tied to the top strap of her bridle. The action drew her head inexorably down into her water bucket and submerged her muzzle.

Tiara found that she herself couldn’t breathe as he counted. When he reached thirty, and released the rope as he had promised, both Tiara and Luna blew and sucked in air. However, Luna had to force her breath through the now soaking wet cloth in her nose and mouth.

Millstone had explained the technique of water torture to her when she had asked about ways to force Luna to comply with their demands. The method is not to drown the victim, but to force them to breathe saturated, moisture-rich air until the drowning reflex in the body is triggered, followed with its associated panic and primal fear that is hardwired in the brain. Done properly, there shouldn’t be any liquid water in the victim’s lungs. At the time, the bloodless, non-maiming, and relatively painless procedure sounded to her to be a civilized way to pressure Luna into compliance. Even setting up for it seemed sterile; they used clear fresh water, brand new ropes, and clean fabric. She had allowed herself to become convinced that this was little worse than performing and unwanted but medically necessary surgery.

But after the third dunk in the bucket, Luna’s drowning reflex triggered. Immediately her body violently squirmed, thrashing against and stressing all the chains, straps, and ropes holding her till they creaked and groaned in protest. Forced, labored breaths now came with tortured moans that the sodden gag in her mouth couldn’t muffle. Powerful spasms worked through her legs and rattled the chains restraining them. And over it all, the paradoxical happy chiming of a brass bell as her tail flagged up and down at the onset of her panic, heralding the arrival of unbridled, primal fear.

“Wag your tail if you will write the letters!” Millstone yelled at Luna. “Wag your tail and this will all stop, right now!”

In response, Luna’s tail defiantly clinched down tightly against her body, silencing the bell. But it was as though that were the only muscle she could control. For the rest of her continued to writhe and thrash against her restraints as though in agony.

For Tiara, the blinders she had so carefully crafted were stripped away. She was not seeing a bloodless, non-maiming method of applying pressure. Neither was she observing a sterile, painless procedure. She was watching torture; the torture of the Princess she had once sworn to faithfully serve.

Bile raced up her throat. She couldn’t stand to see or hear anymore! Spinning on her hooves, she raced out of the cave. Millstone’s voice bellowed out, chasing after her as she scraped through the narrow entrance. “You can stop this! You can stop this at any time!” he said. Tiara’s ears clamped shut against those words. Although she knew he was directing his assertions at Luna, but she felt the knife-edge of those statements sticking in her chest, knowing that she too could bring all this to a halt.

Once outside, Tiara collapsed on the nearest patch of grass and wept. She never wanted this. It was all going to be so easy and nopony would get hurt. But now she felt in every fiber of her being that she had become the vile monster that Luna had from the beginning declared her and her teammates to be. In the bright morning light she reflected on her actions over the past few years. Stripped of her justifications and viewed in the harsh mirror of hindsight, her actions revealed her as nothing more than a bitter, selfish, vengeful, mare. And she recoiled from her hideous reflection.

A noise from the tree-line interrupted her epiphany and made her raise her head and squint in its direction. Then her eyes flew open and she scrambled to her hooves. Forcefully blinking again and again didn’t change what she saw; two fully armored stallions of the Lunar Guard marching out from the trees and heading right for her! The terror reserved for those who have been caught in the act of a heinous crime seized her and stole her breath. Weak-limbed, she backed up toward the cave, never daring to take her eyes off of the purple clad warriors steadily closing the distance between them.

“Calm down, Tiara,” she frantically whispered to herself, “they don’t know anything. They are just going to ask you some questions.” But there was little reassurance in her own words. Her mind was locked in flight mode and useless. Her body felt like it had already capitulated and only the frayed threads of her will were keeping her upright and walking instead of throwing herself prostrate at the hooves of the still advancing guards.

Cold hard stone abruptly stopped her backward progress and she flinched. The advancing guards were upon her now and she had nowhere left to go! Unable to flee, think, speak, or even watch anymore, she finally closed her eyes and grit her teeth, waiting for the end.

“Silver? Are you alright?” Brass’ perplexed voice snapped her out of her nightmarish delusion. She opened her eyes and saw that the two Lunar Guards were gone, and in their place stood Brass and Thunder. Both were examining her with bewildered, asymmetrical expressions as if they were seeing for the first time a performance of interpretive dance, but done by clumsy amateurs.

“Brass, Thunder,” She exhaled with some relief, “what are you doing here?” At her question, Thunder shot a nervous glance over to Brass, who took a deep breath.

“We are here because…we think that the ransom plan is a failure, and…we want to talk about…an alternative plan that…will still be…beneficial to us.” He spoke somewhat hesitantly, like he felt he had to choose his words carefully, lest he reveal too much.

“I understand that you are getting impatient, that is why I have taken steps to force the Palace to act.” Tiara took a side-step toward the cave entrance that she disguised with a quick stretch.

“Oh really?” Brass didn’t look convinced. “Would you care to tell us?”

Tiara inwardly cursed her failing brain. That simple and vague response was obviously an attempt to stall. And it was all too easy for them to call her bluff. “Princess Luna is personally going to write letters stating that she is in our possession, and that we are making demands.” She said, hoping that they didn’t ask why Luna had a change of heart.

“So how is that going to help us?”

“In several ways,” – Tiara lifted her chin haughtily and walked an arc toward cave mouth to position herself between them and the cave – “It gives us proof of life so they know she is still alive, they also know that she is now cooperating with us, and now, we can threaten to go public and expose Celestia as a heartless monarch. There is no way the Palace can continue to ignore us.”

Thunder grimaced like he had just taken a mouthful of saltwater, but Brass smirked skeptically. “Okay, let’s see the letters.” Said Brass.

A chill descended her spine and she swallowed nervously. Her confident display hadn’t been enough to convince them to stay committed to her chosen course of action. And now at their challenge she faced them like a fish, with a blank expression and her mouth flapping soundlessly.

“So she hasn’t written them yet, has she?” Brass surmised at seeing Tiara’s vacant stare, “I bet that she is still refusing to cooperate with any request you make.”

Tiara’s mind was moving as fast a three-legged pony through knee deep mud. “She – she will.” She managed to say in reply. However, she inwardly cringed at how pathetic she sounded.

Brass chuckled. Although he had been uneasy and hesitant at first, he now seemed to be enjoying himself. “Okay, what makes you so sure?” He asked.

Even though Tiara felt hopelessly mired in mental fog, she knew when she was being patronized, and the flare of fiery indignation propelled her out of her cerebral doldrums. An angry, profanity-sprinkled tirade coalesced in her mind and her lips eagerly parted to spew the venom. But before she could utter a word--

“This can go on as long you want, or you can choose to end it now. Just wag your tail and write three letters and all of this will stop right now!” Clearly heard by all outside the cave, but sounding far away, Millstone’s shouted statements to Luna cut the air between them.

Thunder, who had been silent and subdued, perked up at the interruption. “Hey, what the hay is he doing in there?”

“He’s trying to force Luna to write her own ransom letters!” Brass quickly deduced and started toward the cave, only to be cut off by Tiara moving in front of him.

“No! Don’t go in there!” Tiara pleaded, her guilt and fear brushing aside her anger.

Thunder saw his opening and with assistance from his powerful wings, easily sprang into the gap she had left. At seeing Thunder squeeze through, Brass shoved the still protesting Tiara aside and muscled his way in after him.

Knocked to the ground by Brass, Tiara laid there dazed for a moment by the rapid and violent turn of events. Then the surprised and angry shouts filtered out of the cave and forced her back into action. Scrambling to her hooves, she charged into the cave.

Once her eyes adjusted to the dim interior she could make out Brass struggling with Millstone in the back corner of the cave while Thunder was down by Luna’s side, and had already removed the burlap sack and wet cloth from her mouth and nose and was now tugging at the ropes to loosen the knots.

“Alright enough!” Tiara ran in between Brass and Millstone to separate them. Then after she had backed them up, she turned her fury on Brass. “What is your problem, B? Wasn’t it you that first suggested that we take extreme measures to hasten a resolution?”

“Yes, but I intended it only as a threat.” Brass answered her, but he was glowering at Millstone the whole time. “I had expected you to confer with us before you made a decision like this.”

“Hey, how do you get these straps undone?” Thunder interrupted as he tugged on one of the straps holding Luna’s wings folded against her barrel.

Tiara diverted her attention to Thunder. “You can’t undo those; they are magically bound. Only I can undo any ensorcelled bond.”

Millstone looked shocked. “What?”

“Why are you trying to undo any of her bonds anyway?” Tiara ignored Millstone’s interjected question and advanced on Thunder. “Don’t you know how dangerous that is?”

“We intend to free Princess Luna.” Brass said, maneuvering to stand parallel with Luna. “She wants to take over the Palace. And with my help, this time she will be able to do it.” Tiara was too shocked to say anything, so he continued. “Think about it. We were able to capture Princess Luna with only you as our magic user. But with Luna, we can take all Equestria!”

“You’re mad!” Tiara exclaimed, having overcome her incredulity. “Don’t you know any Equestrian history? Don’t you know who she is?”

“Yes, I know what the history books say. They claim that she is The Nightmare. The evil tyrant who wants to plunge this land into ‘eternal night’,” Brass scoffed, “but have you ever really given it thought? How are ponies supposed to feed themselves in a land of eternal night? Unless you propose that Nightmare Moon wanted to rule a nation with unprecedented emigration while starving ponies left in herds to find somewhere to grow food.”

“But don’t you remember the long night at her return?” Tiara poked at her head with a hoof. “What more proof do you need?”

“Yes, it was a long night, not an eternal one!” Brass stood face to face with her now, staring down at her. “The Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon had just battled, I would expect to see signs of their struggle in the sky.”

“Yeah and the victors write the history books, remember?” Thunder jumped in. “Tell her, Brass. Tell her what you told me on the way over here.”

The earth pony shot a threatening glare at the loose-lipped pegasus that made him wilt. When he faced her again, Tiara just waited expectantly for the information.

“Celestia is a racist.”

“What?!” Tiara exclaimed. She was so shocked at Brass’ assertion that she almost missed Princess Luna’s equally surprised reaction.

“Truthfully, I didn’t expect you to see it,” Brass went on smoothly, “after all, she’s biased toward unicorns.”

Tiara shook her head. “What you are postulating is absurd!”

“No it is not,” Brass affirmed, “One, Celestia has only one school with her name, and it is a school strictly for unicorns. Two, Princess Luna didn’t return to Canterlot to try to take over, she returned to a small earth pony village near Cloudsdale, a pegasus city. She wasn’t trying to return as a conqueror, but Princess Celestia apparently saw her return to a pegasus stronghold as a threat and had her Element bearers race out to subdue her, led by the way, by a unicorn she calls her ‘most faithful student’. And three, I was told to my face by the head of admissions at RTUC that all schools in Canterlot are unicorn schools!” Brass was adamant in delivering his points, but with his last one, he was spitting the words out fiercely.

“But that’s not true!” Tiara yelled back immediately, barely noticing Luna’s bared teeth and clenched jaw. “RTU is open to all ponies. They even have some griffins, zebras, horses, and young dragons as students.”

“Maybe at RTU campuses elsewhere in Equestria, but that elitist in the Palace wants to keep the Canterlot RTU just like her School for Gifted Boneheads, kept pure with other boneheads like you.” He tapped her horn with his hoof.

For the second time this morning, Tiara felt her rage boiling at the smug earth pony. “A unicorn’s magical conduit is called a horn, you ignorant foal!

Millstone charged up next to Tiara. “You better apologize!” He demanded and shoved Brass backward.

Thunder landed in between them in time to keep Brass from returning the blow with interest. “Hey, this isn’t helping. We all want what is best for everypony here, right?” After a moment of trading angry glares, everypony nodded. “Okay, then let’s vote on our course.”

“Why bother?” Brass snorted derisively, “he’s going to vote with her, and you’re going to vote with me. We’re tied.”

“You don’t know that!” Tiara said furiously, “Everypony here has their own mind.”

“Okay,” Brass conciliated quickly, “we’ll put it to a vote, but first I want to hear you say that you will release Princess Luna if the majority wants to help her take over the Palace.”

Tiara felt all the blood drain from her face. “Okay,” she said weakly, “if the vote goes that way, I’ll do it.”

“All those in favor of releasing Princess Luna and helping her take over the Palace, raise a hoof.” Said Brass, and he raised a hoof. Thunder also raised his hoof.

Brass smirked, “Okay, all those in favor of continuing to torture Princess Luna in the vain hope that it will make a difference, raise a hoof.” The slanted way he worded the options had Tiara glaring at Brass and she defiantly raised a hoof. Shortly afterward, Millstone raised his.

Brass snickered and Thunder couldn’t quite restrain himself from snorting in amusement. “Okay, now a question for you.” Brass pointed to Millstone. “Can you give me a reason why you voted that way without mentioning Silver?”

Millstone didn’t say anything, but stared daggers at Brass.

“Come on, tell the truth. You voted the way you did because Silver has you in her saddlebag, right?” Brass smiled smugly and his eyes twinkled with malevolent intent. “Or should I say that you’re under Silver’s tail?”

Tiara’s vision instantly went red. “How dare you!” She screamed.

“I’m gonna tear you apart!” Millstone roared and launched himself at Brass.

Tiara had seen stallions fight before. Male pegasi challenged their rivals to flying duels where the winner would outmaneuver his opponent and catch his tail and send him into a spin with a strong sideways tug. Unicorns had magic contests or demonstrations of magical ability to determine who was stronger and thus, who won the dispute. These methods of fighting seemed to pit strength against strength and she respected both the stallions who won and those who lost.

But earth ponies in her opinion, had silly and needlessly elaborate rituals where the rivals would first square off, facing each other and trying to look intimidating. Next would come the bluff and blustering, where each stallion would attempt to dishearten his opponent verbally. Sometimes this was done simultaneous with the next step, circling and displaying. The two stallions would circle one another and rear up in threatening poses, again trying to intimidate and discourage the other into backing down. However, if neither of the two earth stallions had backed down, the final stage would begin. One of the stallions would push the other. Then the one pushed would recover and try to push back even harder. And so on, and so on, until somepony realized he couldn’t push back any harder and gave up.

She had no respect for earth stallions’ method of fighting and she always wondered why they didn’t just go straight to the pushing and shoving to settle the fight. And during school, she often scoffed at the administration's preoccupation with rumors of earth stallion fights. Nopony ever got hurt in an earth pony fight. Nor could she see any chance of anypony getting hurt. Or so she had thought.

Now, right in front of her, in awful, violent, and bloody detail, she had her answer. All of the ritual and ceremony was done to prevent this. This was a real earth stallion fight. And she stood transfixed in horror of witnessing two thick-boned, flint-hooved and muscle-bound earth ponies at war with each other. And the only thing that seemed certain to her, was that somepony was going to get killed.

“Stop!” she screamed, her horn flaring to life as she attempted to force them apart. But the null orbs in the cave sapped her magic strength so rapidly that she only managed to separate them for the briefest of moments. Then they threw themselves back to their contest of who could bash in the skull of the other first.

“BE STILL!” The voice overpowering. Both in its volume and in its magically charged presence and shook the very mountain their cave was in.

At hearing it, everypony fell to the floor, succumbing to the overwhelming compulsion to obey. Everypony that is, but the pony who had uttered the command.

Tiara looked up from the floor and felt her heart stop.

They were all doomed.

Who Art Thou?

She looked like a medusa, or maybe a kraken as the various straps with their runes aglow in violet, slithered past and against each other like tentacles. One by one, each rune embossed restraint undid itself or assisted its neighbor until all were undone and waving in the air like spellbound cobras. With their silver runes blazing, her iron chains also unclasped themselves and lay stretched out, prostrate in obeisance under the mighty Princess of the Moon. Luna’s horn, and indeed she herself looked as black as her night sky, highlighted indigo by her mane waving in those ever-present enchanted currents.

Tiara tore her eyes away, looking for the pony responsible for releasing Luna, but there was nopony else in the cave besides her and her team. She faced forward again when she heard the sound of thick straps slap against the floor and lost the ability to breathe. For Princess Luna was no longer in the cave, but instead, she found herself staring into the reptilian eyes of the Nightmare.

Tiara blinked, and the terrible vision of the Nightmare was gone, replaced by the beautiful and regal Princess of the Moon, unbound, unsmiling, and unamused. And even though she was without her royal garb, she was clothed in power.

“Silver, Run!” -Millstone scrambled to his hooves- “I’ll distract her!”

“No!” Tiara yelled, levitating him off the floor and holding him in place. “If you had surprise, ten-times our number, and she was still in her bonds, you might’ve had a chance, but not now!” Tiara glanced back at Luna, standing as still as death in the center of the glowing violet null orbs. Tiara felt her magic failing again.

“Prostrate yourselves, now!” Tiara ordered somewhat needlessly, as most of them were still on their bellies. “Princess Luna, please let them go,” she begged, sounding as weak and hopeless as she felt, “it’s me you want. I’m the ringleader.” She looked over at Millstone and met his eyes, letting her unblinking gaze linger as though she knew that she was seeing him for the last time and wanted to imprint the memory.

“I'm the one who talked them all into joining my rebellion.” She faced Luna again, but her eyes never rose to meet her sovereign. “We are all your loyal cit-” Tiara caught herself too late, grimaced, and then swallowed. “We are all your humble subjects.” She corrected herself, bowed her head to the cold stone floor, and awaited Luna’s judgment.

“We are undecided,” Luna finally spoke after what seemed to be a lengthy pause, “whether we should be amused or offended by thy appeal. Doth thou believe that thee alone can balance the scales of justice? Nay! Most assuredly, all present shall answer to the court for the crimes committed.”

Luna stepped up to where Tiara laid. “But we are not inflexible. Indeed, we have seen that most have suffered an injustice prior to joining this rebellion. We say to the stallions, go and set thine affairs in order on thine own recognizance. We shall accept thy word that thee will all return on the morn of the fourth day if thee will all give it."

Thunder spoke first, “I give you my word, Princess.”

With his brow deeply furrowed and his ears akimbo, Millstone looked over to Tiara for help and she nodded. “Yes, Princess, you have my word.” He answered at last.

Brass looked like he was stuck.

“Brass Hammer, what is thy answer?” Luna startled everypony in the cave but the one she had specifically addressed.

“I beg your pardon, Princess, but I hesitate only because I cannot take care of my affairs in the time you have so generously offered, unless I am provided with a Palace chariot and the pegasi to fly it.”

“In sooth, thou art most bold!” Luna laughed angrily.

"I know I have no right to ask, I know I am trying your patience," Brass hurried to explain, "but I live in the hill country on the east coast, and I ask not for myself, but for the one who waits for me."

Luna grew silent.

Brass swallowed, "My trip was delayed once before and I do not want to break my word to you Princess, nor my promise I made to her. Even though I must break her heart. I believe I would rather have you deny my request."

"I did see thy dream," Luna said softly, "is it true that you are the unrewarded hero of the mountain pass avalanche?"

“Yes, Princess.”

“Then we shall provide thee with all that thee ask, for thee art not yet convicted, but thee art a hero. Stand here." Luna directed him to the place where she had spent all her time chained in the cave. "You will return with me to the Palace.”

“Now for thee.” Luna tapped her hoof in front of Tiara. “I command thee to stand.”

Tiara gulped and rose, bringing her head up last. “I am your humble servant, Princess.” She said, and dipped her head.

“For three years I have been trying to pry a confession from you. Now, I am going to confess something to you. I want the truth. I have always only wanted the truth. And you have always insisted that you have told me the truth. I will ask you this only one more time, and whatever you answer I will accept as the truth. Who art thou?”

Tiara’s heart should have been leaping for joy. After all, this was it. Once more, and all the questions cease. She can finally walk away from what she had done in the past, pay for what she has done here in the present, and live her life free of it all in the future. “My name is Sss—Ssss—Ssiil—

Incredulously, Tiara stammered. Of all the hundreds if not thousands of times she had repeated that name – that lie – without a stumble or a hitch, she found herself unable to lie just one more time. Even though she knew that just on the other side of this lie lay her eventual freedom.

She looked up and into Luna’s eyes. This time, she could not see any of the abusive monarch. Now, all she could see was a mare who was desperate for closure. "How did you know?"

Luna didn't react. "Who art thou?" She repeated.

She pried her gaze away from Luna and looked once more at Millstone, his honest, trusting face showed a bit of befuddlement as he stared at her and tried to find a reason for her struggle. The only reason he was here was to support her, and she doesn’t deserve him.

“Look at me,” Luna whispered heavily with emotion, “I only want to know the truth. Who art thou?”

Tiara took a deep breath. It was time for all the lies to end. “My name is Tiara,” She said painfully through the lump in her throat and she saw utter confusion roll over Millstone’s face at her admission. Tearing her eyes away, she faced Luna once more. “My name is Tiara Dreams.”

Sighing with relief, Luna closed her eyes and nodded slowly. “Tiara Dreams, thank you for telling me your name.” Opening eyes now wet and brimming with tears, Luna looked straight into Tiara’s equally wet gaze. “Will you now tell me where Silver Chalice is?”

Tiara felt her body convulse. “She’s at my old house, buried in my backyard. I killed her.”

Luna

“She’s at my old house…” The peach-colored unicorn with the yellow mane said slowly, then convulsed with a sob. Despite all the evidence she had, and in defiance of all her logic, Luna felt a glimmer of hope, for this unicorn that had claimed to be Silver Chalice, had finally confessed to being an imposter. Perhaps Silver was indeed still alive! But the peach unicorn – Tiara Dreams – wasn't finished. Once her sobs had passed, she continued speaking to some spot below Luna’s chest. “…buried in my backyard.”

Luna’s felt her eyes widen and her breath leave her. If she could have wished for anything at that moment, she would have wished to return to the lie. Her sister had been correct from the first night. Silver Chalice was dead, she had insisted, and the pony claiming to be her was an imposter. While Luna stood there stunned, Tiara raised her head to show eyes overflowing and spoke yet again, but this time sounding like her heart was lodged in her throat. “I killed her.”

Deep inside her, Luna felt the Taint rejoice. Her view of the cave first went as black as her despair. Then her vision colored everything red with her rage. In the next few moments, she imagined the pony in front of her dying a thousand agonizing deaths. And at each morbid thought, the Taint shouted its approval and supplied her with justifications.

What more do you need? She confessed her guilt! It is blood for blood! Take your vengeance and be satisfied!

But thankfully, Tiara and Luna were not alone in the cave. At hearing Tiara’s confession, Millstone broke the ensuing silence when he staggered backwards and fell on his haunches, stupefied.

“Huh?” Thunder next eloquently supplied.

Brass Hammer spit out bloody sputum and grunted. “No wonder she didn’t care about everypony knowing her name. Silver Chalice was already dead. She had the perfect cover. Any search by the guard would be for a dead mare.”

The ponies’ commentary, both silent and spoken, shook her out of her bloodlust. Her eyes snapped shut and she took a deep breath as the Taint's frustrated howl echoed soundlessly in her mind. Above all, she had made a promise with herself to never again act on strong emotions alone, but to temper all of her white-hot feelings with reason. Proceedures existed for circumstances like this, and she would follow them. When her eyes opened, the Princess of the Moon stared into the hopeless eyes of Tiara Dreams.

“The secondary responsibility of a Princess of Equestria,” Luna said haltingly at first, but then her speech started to flow, “is to maintain law and order for her subjects. Tiara Dreams, Thou will return with us at once to the Palace, where we will open an investigation.” She swept her head around. “Due process will be given to thee and thine.”

Tiara blinked twice and shook her head. “Open a what?” She sputtered, “Why do you need to do that? I confessed. I told you I killed her. What more do you need to convict me?”

“Indeed, Thou did say: ‘I killed her’, but what of thy method and motive. Why did thou murder Silver Chalice? Did thou plan and lie in wait? Did thou commit murder cold blood? When and in what manner did thou come to know Silver Chalice? Give answer!”

Tiara huffed and puffed at each of Luna’s rapid questions, but could form no reply.

“What did we ask that is so difficult.” Luna said at last.

Tiara dropped her head and stared at her hooves.

Luna didn’t wait. “We intended from the beginning to discover the truth, and we remain steadfast in our goal. Go now, and stand by Brass Hammer in the midst of the orbs.”

Tiara bowed and started toward the orbs when a strangulated voice stopped her.

“You’re not Silver Chal-” Milstone choked on her alias and his head swayed from left to right. His brow was knit in deep thought as he processed this new information. “What else have you not told us? Were you planning on killing Princess Luna next? Huh? Killing her instead of letting her go so she wouldn’t be able to describe or find us?”

“No.” Tiara’s eyes widened and she shook her head at his accusation. “I would never…”

He stood, squared his body, and lowered his head with a snarl. “Or were we all next on your list… That was your plan all along, wasn’t it? To kill us all, seal us in this cave, and then keep all of the ransom for yourself.”

“No.” Her voice strained near the breaking point, and the slow back and forth wagging of her head continuously and mournfully denied the accusations. “How could you even think that?”

“Shut up!” He shouted, then angrily swept away some rebellious tears with a hoof. “I thought you were somepony who I could lo…who I could trust, but you are a murdering Jezebel!”

Luna blinked back some tears of her own as she saw Millstone’s stoicism crumbling. Deep inside her, she felt the Taint cackle with delight, savoring the pain and gleefully anticipating the violence at the very scene she watched regretfully. This was her fault, for she had seen the potential for them, but had not given any thought to this progression. Most of the pain he was feeling now was because of her encouragement. And the Taint was only too happy to remind her of that fact.

Failing to see that the stallion facing her was a loaded siege cannon, Tiara took ill-conceived steps toward him. “No, it’s not like that.”

A battle-cry erupted and Millstone reared and threw himself at Tiara. She had triggered the cannon, and he aimed all the energy of his broken soul at her.

Quick as a flash, Brass intervened, knocking Tiara aside and locking forelegs with Millstone to hold him back. “Easy! Take it Easy!” Brass struggled to reason with him as he fought to reach Tiara, who again stared up from the ground transfixed at the violence of unbridled earth pony rage.

“Look at me, Millstone! Look. At. Me.” Thankfully, he saw reason return in Millstone’s eyes, and his struggle lessened. “Don’t do this to yourself, because she isn’t worth it.” The fight against him lessened some more. “I don’t want to see you throw your life away over a treasonous, bone-head, piece of tail.”

Millstone’s head cocked back at the foul-worded description and he looked over Brass’ shoulder.

Brass followed his eyes and found that they led to Princess Luna. “Umm, no offense intended at you of course, Princess.”

Luna didn’t answer, and kept herself from reacting any more than to grin wryly.

Brass turned back to Millstone. “I know that she lied to you; she lied to us all and we all fell for her lies.” Millstone stopped resisting entirely and they backed up against the wall. “I know she hurt you and I know you’re hurting and I know that the pain you feel is huge, but you can’t act out on those feelings.” Millstone sat back on his haunches and began to weep.

“Hey!” Thunder interjected and muscled his way up to Millstone. “Cut that crap out and suck it up! You are a stallion, so act like it!"

Brass rolled his eyes. “What our friend is trying to say, is this can’t defeat you unless you let it. Are you going to let it have the best of you?”

A shaky hoof defiantly scrubbed off the tears and he looked up. “No, I’m good,” He croaked.

Brass smiled. “You almost broke my jaw with that upper-cut you mud-brained plowpony!”

Millstone weakly grinned back. “Yeah, well those right-crosses you landed showed me all of the southern constellations, ya black-lunged hillbilly!”

Brass chuckled. “Are we good?” He held out a hoof.

Millstone returned the gesture forcefully, and the thunderous clop that resulted echoed through the cave. “Yeah, we’re good.” He stood up and hugged Brass. "I’ll see you in four days.”

“Stallions.” Luna shook her head as Brass walked past her to the center of the orbs. Then she pulled Tiara to her hooves. “Just a few minutes ago, they were ready to kill each other. Now, they are making jokes about their fight and planning on having a drink together.”

Tiara twisted her head around to look back at Millstone, but he was pointedly avoiding her gaze. Then an indigo-colored wing blocked her view and directed her after Brass.

Positioning herself between Brass and Tiara in the center of the orbs, Luna spoke once more. “Thunder and Millstone, on the dawn of the fourth day hence, thou art commanded to appear at the Palace gates, bearing with ye, all evidence in this cave, and all devices used in this foul enterprise.” Princess Luna said and she spread her wings over Tiara and Brass at her sides. “If thou fail to appear, thou wilt suffer the wrath of the Princess of the Moon!”

They both nodded their assent and bowed.

The orbs blazed with violet flame and Princess Luna and her charges disappeared from the cave.

The next instant Princess Luna, Brass and Tiara were in the courtyard of the Palace, squinting against the exceedingly bright light of the morning sun and the reflections bouncing off the polished white stone. There existed no way to bring up the lights slowly out of a teleport from a dark place, but as her eyes watered and ached, Luna made a mental note to task the unicorns at her sister’s school with finding a solution.

A lance of Guardponies recovered quickly from the shock of seeing their co-regent suddenly appear from out of the air and raced up to her. “Princess Luna!” The white guard with sergeant’s stripes said with obvious relief as he bowed. “We are so glad you have returned…”

The way he ended his statement through up a red flag in Luna’s mind. Something else was going on. “What more do you have to say, Sergeant?”

The Sergeant stood and looked from Tiara, to Brass, and then back to Luna.

Luna nodded once. “I command that a quad pegasus chariot be brought and placed under this pony’s direction. They will take him to the place he specifies and wait there until the time they require to return on the morn of the fourth day.”

The Sergeant looked to the two guards on his left, who moved to flank Brass and led him away between them to carry out Luna’s directive.

Luna then faced the guard to the Sergeant’s right. “You will watch over this pony till I return. Luna pushed Tiara forward with her wing.

The guard nodded, but looked up at Luna with wide eyes. “By myself, Princess?”

Luna smiled. “She will be no trouble.” She assured him, and then used the tip of her wing to turn and lift Tiara’s head. “Tiara Dreams.” She said and exhaled forcefully into her face. “Sleep. And dream.”

Tiara felt Luna’s breath and a flowery aroma filled her nostrils. “Moondrake.” She said, unable to mask her surprise at the scent that heavily laced Luna’s breath. Her eyelids began to flutter and her head suddenly became too heavy for her to keep upright. “You… You’re immune to moondrake.” She concluded as the day began to fade behind her closing eyes.

Luna chuckled as Tiara fought against succumbing to the sedation effects of moondrake. “Not immune, but that enchanted flower is in my realm. It is as effective on me as I desire it to be. Now go. Start walking and find shade. Then lie down, and dream.”

Tiara grimaced, “Will I have nightmares?”

“Yes. But you will have pleasant dreams too.”

“Can you take away the nightmares?” Tiara pleaded, looking like a frightened child on the verge of tears.

“No.” Luna answered, and used her wing to start her and the guard walking away. “I have withheld your dreams for too many days. You need to dream whatever may come.”

Tiara sniffed and nodded, her eyes were fully closed now, and she leaned like a drunkard against her guard as he led her towards a large shade tree.

Luna wheeled about and faced the Sergeant. “Now. Tell me what is the problem.”

“After you were taken, Princess Celestia commanded us to do nothing outside of our normal routine.” The Sergeant said simply, but he twitched nervously.

“Yes, go on.”

“We are to do nothing at all out of our routine, unless we were specifically ordered by her otherwise.” The Sergeant restated emphatically.

“Go on, Sergeant.” Luna said evenly while her hoof began to twitch

The Sergeant swallowed. “I think you should go and meet Princess Celestia for breakfast.”

“Zounds!” Luna stamped her hoof. “Wilt thou speak plainly!”

The sergeant stiffened to attention. “Princess Luna, your personal guard has grown impatient. They have broken Princess Celestia’s directive. They have taken up arms and are right now moving into the Palace against Princess Celestia!”

Celestia

Mechanically, Princess Celestia took another nibble on her lightly buttered toast and after a round of needless chewing for such a tiny bite, she washed it down with a swallow of weak tea steeped with a generous slice of ginger. Sitting off to her side, her personal assistant, Raven Inkwell, a cream colored unicorn with a dark chocolate mane and tail done up professionally in tight buns, watched her closely through her thick spectacles and nervously chewed her lower lip.

“Princess, perhaps you would care for some fruit preserves on your toast? Or maybe a small coffee cake?” She offered hopefully.

Lowering the toast back to her plate, Celestia shook her head. “No, Raven. I’m doing all I can to eat what I have.”

It was true. For at least a decade after she had been forced to banish Nightmare Moon - her younger sister and her only family - she had struggled to keep her weight up to healthy minimums. However, even at her worst back then, she didn’t feel like her stomach was twisted up in knots to the degree like it was at that very moment. Every bit of reasoning she had couldn’t calm her nerves or settle her stomach. She may have evidence every evening that her sister was in command of her situation, but the fact that Luna had forbid her from interfering with her abduction had somehow made this separation worse. Before, she was unable to reach her sister, but now she had to restrain herself from reaching out to her sister. That small difference was tearing her apart.

Raven shuffled through her paperwork again, rechecking the day's itinerary that she could probably recite from memory. It was mindless activity to fill the void. With a sigh, she set her clipboard down and looked directly at Celestia. “Permission to speak freely, Princess?” At her nod, she continued. “I believe you are being foolish,” she stated with conviction, “I’m certain that Princess Luna had no idea you would suffer so much in her absence. Furthermore, I’m also certain that she would want you to relieve this horrible stress you feel.”

Celestia waved her hoof. “I have already considered that argument and I have rejected it. One of the major issues that caused the schism between my sister and I was that I had never allowed Luna the autonomy rightfully due her station. I never allowed her to be a Princess unto herself. Well, I have learned that lesson. And now, despite the pain I feel, I will allow her to be her own Princess and I will not intervene. Unless she specifically asks for me.”

“But Princess-”

“No. This subject is closed.”

“But perhaps-”

“I said enough!” Celestia snapped irritably.

Raven wilted, lowering her head and reversing her ears.

Immediately regretting her outburst, Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. Her personal assistant took even her gentle criticisms harshly. That unintentionally severe rebuke must have been devastating. “I'm sorry, Raven, but I believe that this is a test that Princess Luna has a right to give me. Though it is severe, painful, and difficult for me to take; I must take it. Therefore, I find that it is imperative that I pass this test, and pass it well, so that she will have no grounds to doubt me, and try me again in a similar manner. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I was wrong to lash out, but I don't want to hear anything further on this matter.”

Raven’s mouth opened, then shut. After sniffling once, she stood and picked up her clipboard. “By your leave, Princess?” Her voice sounding painful and forced.

Celestia looked at what remained of her breakfast. A few swallows of orange juice, and half of a slice of lightly buttered toast. It was scarcely enough to feed her pet phoenix, yet she was struggling with every bite. There was no reason to keep her aide here watching and aching over her. “You may go, I’ll meet you in the Throne Room once I’m finished.”

Raven acknowledged her dismissal with a head bob and walked away. The metallic clacks of the door latching behind her after she left made Celestia jolt and she took a moment to steady her breathing with her eyes transfixed on the closed doors, trying to by force of will alone to conjure her sister into walking through them.

“Luna, you made it sound like you would be gone for a day, or maybe two at most,” she spoke quietly at the silent closed doors and drew a shaky breath, “but today begins the fifth day that you have been gone…” She looked down at her plate, levitated her toast up to her mouth, and took a full bite, which caused her stomach to lurch in protest. The toast dropped to her plate and her magic seized her ginger tea and brought it to her lips to wash her bite down.

I desperately need a diversion to get my mind off of this terrible nausea!

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the doors to her breakfast room burst open and two rather wide-eyed guards marched up to her at the double-quick and fell into a deep bow at her hooves. “Princess Celestia, forgive our interruption, but we believe your life is in imminent danger and it is strongly suggested that you leave immediately!”

A diversion. Oh, happy day. Celestia wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Thank you, Captain, but I’ll decide whether or not my life is in danger, once you tell me the nature of the threat.”

“Yes Princess. The Lunar Guard has defied your order to remain at normal strength and to maintain daily operations without change.”

“That doesn’t sound life threatening, Captain.”

“Uhh, yes, Princess, but they have also forced open the armory and have armed themselves with the ensorcelled weapons stored there. They have stated that they intend to force you to act, or to allow them to begin actively searching for Princess Luna.”

Celestia took a quick breath and hummed thoughtfully as she exhaled. The adage to ‘be careful for what one wishes’ sprang to mind as she considered the facts presented to her. But even though this rebelliousness was an unwelcome development, she rather preferred it to her current bland breakfast ordeal.

“Shall we barricade the doors, Princess?”

“Have they injured anypony yet?”

“No, Princess. Although, things did get a bit rough at the armory.”

“I see. Then we shall not be the ones to turn this peaceful protest into a violent one.”

“Peaceful?” The incredulous guard couldn’t hide his strong displeasure with her assessment. “Princess, may I remind you that they have armed themselves with the deadliest weapons in our arsenal!”

“Yes, Captain. I understand.”

“But, Princess, surely you cannot continue to see this as peaceful?”

“Yes, Captain. I do.”

“How?”

“You said they have made demands, so they must be coming here to negotiate. And if they are coming to negotiate, they must be bringing our most powerful weapons along to give them a position of power at the table.”

“That could be their intention, Princess…”

“Well, if they want a position of power against me, they will need every weapon at their disposal.” Celestia said resolutely. The Captain took an involuntary step back before he caught himself. “Let them enter, Captain. If they want to talk, I see no reason to obstruct them.”

“Y-Yes Princess!”

Despite her bravado in front of her guards, she knew that she was taking a dangerous risk. It was true that she was powerful, and more than a match for any one pony, even if they were fully armed with the best weapons and armor that the Palace guard had. However, there was not just one pony fitting that description entering her breakfast room, but three squads. Two fully armed and armored squads flanked the seven ranking officers and NCO’s of the elite Lunar Guard who marched between them. Immediately upon entering the room they spread out. Ten Lunar Guard filed along the walls to the left and ten to the right. They stopped short of encircling her, but their spacing served to deny Celestia the chance at eliminating more than two or three with one simple, direct, attack spell. The seven officers and senior enlisted formed a rank in front of her in proper military rank order, highest to lowest.

Celestia deliberately sipped her tea while they filed in and set her teacup down just as the doors closed. “General Blackwing,” she said amicably, while recalling that his rank was a bit presumptuous. There were not yet enough Lunar Guardponies to require that high of a rank, but the intention was for Luna to eventually have complete parity with her own guard. “It is getting late for you, so I doubt this visit is for pleasure, but my breakfast table is hardly the place to discuss serious matters. Please state your intentions.”

The graying black noctala, a nocturnal pegasus stepped forward and flapped his lightly-furred leathery wings uneasily, but his face was stone. She knew that Blackwing was an old soldier - a descendant from a long line of noctalas that fled Equestria after she had banished Luna. For a millennium, the noctalas remained in hiding, but during that time they kept up their warrior traditions and rigorous training. When word of Luna’s return and reinstatement reached them, they eagerly flew to Canterlot and announced their eternal fealty to Princess Luna. Overnight, her sister had regained a fully trained and fanatically loyal personal guard. In many ways, they were better trained than her own. A thought that at this moment was a little disquieting.

“It has been four nights since we have last seen our Princess,” – At hearing him say, ‘our princess’ Celestia quickly scanned the room. Every one of the Lunar Guardponies present was a noctala – “Four nights ago you assured us that Princess Luna was in control of her situation; she was not forcibly abducted from this palace.”

“What you have said is true, and remains true. I am convinced that Princess Luna, my dear sister, is in command of her destiny.”

“You also said that she would be back by the second night if we would do nothing, and pretend that all was well!” The general raised his voice and all of the guardponies twitched eagerly.

Celestia stamped down on her own irritability and used her centuries of experience in delicate negotiations to remain impassive, even though the stakes were clearly life and death. The emotions of the other side were far too volatile for her to react in a similar manner. “I gave you no guarantees as to the time of my sister’s return, but I regret that I somehow left you with that impression.” She said in perfect diplo-speak, hoping that the sound of an apology would mollify the ponies present.

General Blackwing sneered at her. “We will not be so easily dissuaded this time with your pretty sounding words. We are here to demand action. We demand that you step aside until Princess Luna is found and brought back here.”

“You, ‘demand’ that I, ’step aside’?” Even though she spoke calmly, placing emphasis only on the most objectionable words, Celestia saw the color red at the periphery of her vision. She took an extra breath before answering. “Who then, do you propose to have rule Equestria in my absence until Princess Luna inevitably returns?”

“Equestria can and will survive without you. But if some external threat does arise, I will be in position to manage the crisis.”

“And you are confident of your abilities to lead this vast, cosmopolitan empire from your few years of experience as the head of a homogeneous society centered around five settlements that has been living in xenophobic seclusion for a millennium?” The great challenge in not being offensive when using sarcasm to make your point is to always sound completely sincere. Celestia wished she had more witnesses to that masterstroke.

General Blackwing’s eyes darted around and for a moment, he was at a loss. However, he snapped back to focus. “Don't patronize me, Princess Celestia. We want our princess back, and right now, you are the biggest obstacle to finding her. Mobilize all resources to finding and reinstating Princess Luna – whom you claim to love – and you will have our best efforts. However, if you continue to insist that we do nothing, then we must continue to see you as a threat to Princess Luna, and to the stability she represents.”

Celestia forced their continued slights out her mind. Now was not the time to remind them that their loyalty belonged to all of Equestria, and not to one princess. “I am pleased to hear that your main concern is the safety of Princess Luna, my sister, whom I do love dearly. Else-wise, I would be forced to see this intrusion as the beginning of a military coup. My father told me just before he died what I must do to all who try to take the throne. Whether their method be by brute force, coercion, or through various schemes, I was to find the leaders of the opposition and deal with them in the same centuries legal, time-tested, and brutally efficient way. Let me remind you that one thousand years ago, I made an exception to my father’s rule. One exception, which I don’t believe he would hold against me.”

Celestia paused to allow that historical fact sink in. “Would you allow me to present the reason why I have taken the steps I have regarding Princess Luna’s alleged abduction?”

All of the officers exchanged looks. General Blackwing took the silent consensus and nodded. "We will consider what you have, Princess."

Celestia's horn twinkled and a parchment folded into quarters floated out from her torc. She then took it from her magic and gently unfolded it with her hooves and laid it reverently down on the table facing them. It had an old style of Equestrian script written on it, and the worn, beaten appearance of having been carried everywhere, unfolded, read, and then re-folded, many times over.

The officers all craned their heads to peer at the document, but none moved even a hoof closer until the General spoke. "Major, will you read that for us?"

"Yes, Sir!" Major Iron File answered and stepped up to the table with a suspicious eye kept on Celestia, who continued to sit passively on her cushion. He then picked up the document and began to closely examine it from all angles.

"Well?" Blackwing asked impatiently.

"It looks like Princess Luna's quillship, Sir. The paper is a bit tattered, but I have no doubt the writing was done before the wear."

"Major, What does it say?"

Iron File's ears folded back and he cleared his throat before he started to read the letter like it was an official proclamation.

Celly,

As you read this, I am being abducted by the pony I told you about.

I know this will be hard for you, but I do not want you to interfere or comply with any of the conspirators' demands. Remember that I am powerful enough on my own to handle her and any others she may have recruited. So please, allow me this time to discover the truth I have been desperate to know since she came to the palace.

If I am gone longer than a day, please raise the moon for me, as I cannot do that without obvious magic showing. However, let me do the nightly adjustments to its trajectory in keeping with the season. That will be my assurance to you that I am in control of my situation.

And please don't worry. I will be fine and will return to you as soon as I have my answers.

I love you and I worry about you as I know you will worry about me.

Your sister, Luna

Iron File set Luna's letter back down and stepped back into his place in rank. "I believe that the letter is genuine, it shows the watermarks of having been sent magically, but its content is sufficiently vague to allow her to carry on like this indefinitely."

"The abductor isn't even named," another officer spat, "and if Princess Luna was in the process of being abducted, how could she write a letter? This is a terrible attempt at forgery."

"It's just a way for her to return to sole leadership." The most junior officer pointed his poll at Celestia. "She's behind it. There can be no doubt." He concluded.

Celestia felt her hackles rise. "Well, General Blackwing. What do you say?"

Blackwing stepped forward and picked up the letter. After a close examination and rereading, he set it back down and narrowed his eyes at Celestia. "Princess Luna is not a princess of confusion, and this lacks any specifics and invites dangerous assumptions. Nor is she negligent, and given to shirking her responsibilities." He walked back to his position at the head of his rank. "I don't believe that you are deliberately misleading us, but I do believe that you have been duped. I must insist that you release us to find Princess Luna without any further delay."

"Need I remind you, General, that Princess Luna has been making the fine adjustments to the moon after I raise it each evening? That is the proof she gives me every night that I should continue to follow her directive to restrain myself, and do nothing to interfere."

"Our princess sent us no such missive. If you want to do nothing but sit there idle and gorge on delicacies, then I suppose that is your prerogative. But we are ponies of action. With or without your blessing, we will go and find Princess Luna."

Red colored her vision and a massive wave of indignation assaulted her control. Celestia glanced at her breakfast table and it's spartan fare. The clear lack of table decorations and richer foods were the result of her stomach’s discomfort and for having refused to allow sweet-smelling flowers or fragrant herbs at her table during Luna's absence as a subtle show of her distress. But that fact had escaped this pony's notice. His inattention coupled with his affronts worked with her nausea, anxiety, and sleeplessness to cause her anger to ascend to her limits. Only her massive experience as a diplomat kept her fiery emotions contained behind the bulwarks.

At least they have dropped their ridiculous demand that I step down as leader. She thought. It was enough of a concession that she could tolerate their flagrant disregard for her legitimacy as their sovereign until Luna returned.

"You do not have my blessing, nor my approval, General Blackwing." She said at last, after the white-hot flare of her temper had subsided.

All the Lunar Guards shifted their stance, preparing for the worst.

"I thought as much," Blackwing scowled, "Will you try to stop us?"

"No." Celestia answered easily, having decided that there was no need for her to risk anypony's life over this insubordination. She also knew that Luna wouldn't want any bloodshed. Letting them go was the best option, unless she could change their mind. "However, I would be remiss if I didn't ask you to consider the possibility that I want my sister back as much as you do, and that your actions will be very displeasing to Princess Luna when you find her."

"You are a fool to believe as you do! You lost all of Canterlot in an hour to the Changelings. How can you trust that you haven't been deceived again?"

Celestia stomach flipped within her at hearing her innermost fear given voice. She had calculated the odds of this being an elaborate ruse, and the chances were exceedingly slim. But mathematically there was always a possibility, and that slim chance was a dagger in her heart, and no amount of reassurances would reduce the pain. However, she knew that was her emotional response, and she had centuries of experience in making rational decisions in the face of conflicting emotions.

"I assure you, my sister is well, and in command of her destiny, and that she will return on her terms. Not mine, not yours." Celestia said confidently, "I want her back just as much as you do."

“You need more than just words to convince me, Princess Celestia." The General's contemptuous sneer returned and he turned to address his troops.

“Second Squad, lead the way out, First squad, cover the door until I send word that our patrols are out.”

At their General’s words, the ten Lunar Guard to her left turned, marched to the door, and opened them reveal the hall stacked with fully armed and armored Solar Guardponies. "It's an ambush!" Some noctala shouted.

"For Celestia!" A Solar Guard answered.

Celestia’s eyes and mouth opened wide and her heart jumped in her chest. "Palace Guards!” she leapt to her hooves and yelled, “stand down at once!”

But her order was lost in screaming clash of arms and armor that marked the beginning of a melee. Purple and black armored noctalas overcame their surprise and charged. Solar Guards in their gleaming gold armor met the challenge and pressed forward, eager to avenge the defeat dealt them at the armory and to reach their princess.

Celestia swore as she saw her tenuous peaceful resolution dissolving into civil war right in front of her. "Cease!" She screamed. Her horn flared to life with yellow magic and she launched a ball of energy at the center of the fight. There the ball flashed impossibly bright, blinding all in the room with a strobe of intense light. All ponies shrank back and averted their eyes out of instinct, but many of the noctalas nearest to the flash screamed in agony with their hooves covering their eyes.

"Any Noctala able, neutralize Celestia!" General Blackwing yelled with his eyes tightly clenched shut and stumbling over another guard. "For Princess Luna!"

Celestia heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn to her right. She turned her head to see a Lunar Guard with his sword drawn and his narrowed eyes locked on her. "Get back!" She ordered, and magically threw the breakfast table at the advancing noctala.

The Lunar Guard tucked and rolled, dodging the table easily and continued advancing with his sword ready. Celestia's eyes were drawn to the glowing Lunar runes inscribed on the blade. Her eyes widened even more. She knew this blade. It was one of the few pure master-crafted Lunar rune inscribed weapons in the arsenal.

She had no effective defense against it.

In the face of death, she felt young, full of life, and more alive than anypony in all of Equestria. Despite the centuries behind her, or maybe because of the centuries that she may have yet before her. She was determined to live! Celestia prayed for forgiveness as her pupils glowed white. She had tried her best to keep from taking lives this day, but it was not to be.

The Lunar Guard crouched, ready to pounce, but then inexplicably, he dropped the sword and fell prostrate.

Celestia reared up, ready to attack. She could not afford to hesitate. Those who hesitate are lost.

"Good morning, Sister! I'm sorry I'm late-

Celestia hesitated. She dropped her guard and turned to the voice. It was impossible!

Princess Luna stepped in from the balcony and stared about the room in shock. "What is the meaning of this!"

Author's Note

I decided to give the race of 'bat-winged' noturnal pegasi the name of noctala.
The origin of this is in Latin, as are some of the names of fantasy creatures in FIM.
Latin translation:
Night: Nocte
Wing: Ala
Thus the name is a contraction: Nightwing, in Latin.
Seemed appropriate to me, and it kinda sounds good IMO.

Sisters

Princess Luna shot over to interpose her body between the Palace Guards and Celestia, who Luna noticed stood openly staring at her with incredulity. A relieved expression was her only clue to the overwhelming joy she had at her serendipitous arrival. “Guard! What was thy plan with this sword?” Luna stamped her hoof on the spellbreaker blade and glowered at the cowering noctala who had dropped it.

The Lunar Guardpony leapt up to the position of attention. “My Princess, the order was to neutralize Princess Celestia.” Following the strict traditions of his training, his answer to a direct question from a superior must be immediate, loud, and fast.

This guard was certainly wiser than his current pay grade, Luna noted. He had answered her in a way that attempted to deflect her question rather than answer outright. Her vision went red at the periphery and magic boiled within her that caused her eyes to glow white while a sneer curled her upper lip. He may have the wisdom to try to redirect the wrath of an angry alacorn away from him, but she was in no mood to be toyed with. “We did make our inquiry of thee!”

The guard’s eyes widened to their limits. “I – I only wanted to force her to surrender, my Princess.” The guard further explained in an excited voice that rose two octaves.

“Thou art lucky to still draw breath. If thou had not dropped this weapon, We - and by that ‘We’, I mean I - would have removed thee from the realm of the living!” Luna stamped her hoof and her horn flared bright with indigo tinted magic.

The guard shrank back two faltering steps and swallowed.

“Thou shows great intellect,” Luna snarled, “get away from Us this instant!”

The noctala scurried away, his hooves a flurry of activity on the polished marble floor.

“That goes for all of you,” Luna said in an ominous tone as her gaze swept the room, “put away thy weapons and armor, care for thy wounded, and then confine thyselves to the dungeon to await judgement.” She then looked over at her sister to acknowledge her authority and gain her nod of approval. It was a necessary gesture, as by their agreement Celestia would be the recognized leader whenever the sun was fully above the horizon.

However, Celestia had retaken her seat sometime during Luna’s examination of the noctala who had wielded the spellbreaker sword. She now sat on her cushion examining her right forehoof like the events happening in that room didn’t concern her as much as did the scuff on her golden hoofshoe. Her disinterested posture effectively ceded for the moment all authority to Princess Luna.

Luna turned back to the room, sneering at her rebellious charges, even as her heart bounded within her for joy at her sister’s public demonstration of total confidence.

“That was an order!” Luna roared. Then the room erupted into a frenzy as all present fought for the exit. But Luna wasn’t done just yet.

“General Blackwing!” She yelled to be heard clearly above the sound of crashing bodies and scraping hooves.

Blackwing turned and gave a quick bow. “Yes, Princess!”

Luna kicked the spellbreaker out from under her hoof, sending it clattering along the floor till it stopped against the General’s hooves. The noise of the new development brought curious stares from all those still in the room. “We command thee to destroy this sword.” There was complete silence. Luna could even feel Celestia’s astonished gaze locked on her.

General Blackwing’s jaw went slack. “But, Princess, may I remind you that this is an enormously powerful – and expensive – magical weapon. It was created by an artisan magic user the equal of your power. It is pictured in our archives and celebrated in our art. There is no need for this valuable resource and ancient treasure to be destroyed. I beg you to reconsider.”

Luna stood impassive to his plea. “That thing was brought into Princess Celestia’s chamber while she sat peaceably at breakfast. It was drawn against her though she sat unarmed. It threatened her though she did nothing to provoke an attack. Therefore, it has been defiled. As such, We remain determined to purge this abomination. The only way this insult can be satisfied, is to have the one who commanded its use – destroy it, or fall upon it!”

General Blackwing blanched, but bowed and took up the sword, then turned and followed the last Lunar Guard out of the room, leaving the door to latch shut with a loud clack.

“Your Lunar Guard is very well trained. There were three Solar Guards to only one noctala that had to be carried out.” Celestia observed in a quiet voice that seemed to Luna to be completely disassociated to the serious event that had just transpired.

Still staring at the door, Luna snorted and pinned her ears back. “The noctalas were trained to be killers, every one of them. We should transfer them all to the EUP. We believe them to be unfit for Palace Guards.”

“They are zealous for the Princess of the Moon. You must admit that that is a desirable quality for her personal guard.”

“Indeed. But has not today’s event proved the noctala to be over-zealous?” She shook her head. “We declare them all irredeemably dangerous. Each of them is a veritable powder keg.”

“You have done much today to impress upon them your expectations and their limitations. I suggest that you consider allowing them to continue to serve as your personal guard. Perhaps time will temper their propensity to violence. But my hope is that they never lose their loyalty to you, however extreme it may be.”

Luna looked back over her shoulder. “Surely you agree with Us that General Blackwing must resign?”

Celestia’s head bobbed once. “Of course.”

“Do you have any other opinions you wish to express?”

“That sword you ordered destroyed is the Moonbeam; it was father’s gift to us. The noctala have kept it for a millennium. It has been preserved as a treasured relic.” Princess Celestia recounted, then took a deep breath. “I will take no offense if you do not have it destroyed, but allow it placed in the armory.”

“We –” Luna shook her head, “I mean, I meant every word I said, sister.” She looked up to meet Celestia’s gaze. “Besides, what would satisfy you, if you came into my personal dining room and found a Solar Guard with our mother’s battleax pressed against my throat?”

Celestia frowned, “You’re being melodramatic. The Moonbeam wasn’t pressed against my throat.”

“Am I?” Luna shook her head. “I clearly heard the order Blackwing gave even while outside. ‘Neutralize Celestia’, he said. And that noctala confessed that he hoped to use it to force your surrender. It may not yet have touched your flesh, but there is no doubt that the intentions of those present were bent on seeing that done. Therefore, the only difference between my hypothetical scenario and what just transpired, is time. Now tell me truly, what would you do if you had flown onto my balcony and witnessed the scene I described?”

For an instant, Luna saw Celestia’s nose wrinkle like she had just sniffed something rotten, and her eyes flashed miniature novas. A rare micro-expression of Celestia that gave her a glimpse into the true feelings of her older sister whom she had often thought as cold and aloof. An older sister who had been trained by their father to hide and control her feelings in order to be a more effective leader and diplomat.

He had done so with the best of intentions. When their father turned his oldest child into an emotionless, austere, public servant, all of Equestria was in tumult. The three pony races – unicorns, pegasi, and earth – or ‘tribes’, as he preferred to call them, had recently come out of their nearly xenophobic societies and haphazardly banded together. But however well-intentioned and pure the motives of those pioneers, he knew that it was only the pressure from the wendigoes and the desperate need they all had for each other that brought them together. Absent of that pressure, time and familiarity would soon breed stereotypes, distrust, contempt, and then ultimately, hatred, and finally, war.

A wise, impartial ruler was needed to maintain and preserve order, and that ruler – ideally – must not come from one of the tribes, lest aspersions of favoritism be cast at every controversial decision. So he had chosen his firstborn to be that leader in that crucial time. An alacorn: She was no member of any tribe, exceptionally long-lived, and blessed with a sharp intellect. There was no way he could know that by creating his older daughter to be the powerful leader that Equestria needed for a lasting peace, he would also be undermining the formation of a strong relationship between her and her younger sister. As with most parents, he had made the best decision he could.

Whenever Luna looked in the mirror, she could see their father; the one who loved them. But she also saw the one who never had time for her. However, even now as she looked at Celestia, she could see her strong resemblance to their mother, but thankfully, the similarities ended with external appearances. For her memories of the achingly beautiful mare whom she and her sister called ‘mommy’ were full of confusing, severe mood swings. At first, Luna alone witnessed the disturbing shifts in their mother, but chose to silently weather the storms. Though later, her mommy began to have terrifying, angry outbursts at trivial or imagined faults and lashed out, sometimes violently.

Back then, Luna had no capacity to understand that the behaviors that frightened her most about their mother were because of a degenerative madness. A disease of the mind, and not a result of purposed, malevolent actions nor born from some perverse desire to see Luna suffer. Her immature reasoning told her she was somehow to blame for everything bad that happened. But she had no resources to deal with this change, nor could she continue to hide the aftermath.

That madness would eventually steal both of their parents away. After their mother suffered a particularly bad episode, their father held them both close and told them what he planned to do. He was going leave them and take their mother up into the stars, where he hoped to find a cure for the madness and return to them.

In the dawn of that last day, he told Celestia to remember her training, to rule in a fair and impartial manner, and to raise her little sister, teaching her all that she had been taught. Then he came to Luna and apologized for his neglect of her during his education of Celestia. Patiently, he tried to help her understand that her mommy truly loved her. Next, he clarified for her the differences between the actions of a loving mother and the actions of a mindless disease. Then, he tried to explain all he planned to accomplish by departing with their mother. All day long he taught her, while weaving in time for fun games and play between the somber lessons. Even though she understood full well that her father was leaving, she remembered that as a particularly joyful day because for the first time, their father had spent the entire day with her alone.

At sundown however, her joy ended. He bid her and Celestia a heartfelt farewell and said he hoped to return someday. Luna remembered weeping as he took up the catatonic body of their mother and mounted the magical dais that would catapult them through space. She also remembered Celestia trying to comfort her by embracing her with her wing and holding her close.

But Celestia had learned her lessons well. She ought to be always in control, even if it meant being emotionless. To Luna, her sister’s gesture was stiff and wooden. Celestia was a stone: cold, hard, uncomfortable. While Celestia thought Luna was an annoying dog, incessantly yapping despite reproof. In her mind, Luna was either crying for attention, or because she was too dull to recognize that her noise would change nothing. Neither of them could understand nor appreciate why the other acted as they did. They only knew the resentment that they felt for each other over the perceived lack of empathy.

They never saw either of their parents again after the dais filled with rainbow light. They also stopped considering each other as sisters, but instead over the years floundered in awkward confusion over the new roles that were thrust on them. It would take nearly two millennium for them to call each other ‘sister’ again.

Luna shook herself free of her dark recollections. Celestia had asked her a question and was now staring at the gauze bandages wrapped around her fetlocks. “No, I am not badly injured,” Luna said after recalling enough of her question to answer, “and these burns are not entirely the fault of my abductors.”

“Burns?” Celestia looked alarmed, “How did you get burned?”

Luna looked around the room, her ears went flat and she felt her face flush with heat. “I don’t think that’s important right now.”

“How else were you abused?” Celestia asked in the same light, casual tone she would have used to inquire about a recent shopping trip. Luna, however knew better. Her sister was a volcano, seemingly passive and deceptively safe, even when close to exploding.

“Celestia, please,” Luna entreated with a sigh, “I was completely in control the entire time, but I don’t want to talk about that right now.”

“Come here, Luna.” Celestia abruptly stood and walked toward her sister without waiting.

“Oh, no,” Luna waved a hoof to ward her away, “I haven’t bathed in five – Ohh!” Luna gasped at Celestia’s quick embrace.

“Unngh!” Luna grunted and struggled against her sister’s firm grip, “Release me, I’m filthy!”

Celestia responded by clutching her sister even tighter against her. She buried her nose into Luna’s mane and inhaled sharply.

“Ewww, don’t do that!” Luna grimaced. “And don’t you dare suggest that my scent hasn’t changed!”

Celestia continued to ignore her and again inhaled deeply, this time with a flehmen, but then she emitted a low whine and her breath shuddered as she exhaled.

Luna’s eyes shot open. “Celly?” She whispered in shock. It was a very rare thing for her sister to cry. She scanned the broken porcelain and shattered glass on the floor where the breakfast table had been overturned. Amongst the debris was a half-eaten slice of plain toast and a tale tell slice of ginger root. She knew her sister never ate toast plain, and she only drank ginger tea when…

She threw her forelegs up around her sister’s barrel. “Celly, have you been ill?”

There was no answer at first, but then she felt her sister nod against her neck.

“Am I the cause?”

Celestia sniffed and nodded again. “If we are ever forcibly separated again, please don’t even think to ask me to do nothing about it, even if you are complicit! And don’t expect me to act as though nothing is wrong. That’s impossible.”

Luna squeezed her sister to match the pressure of her embrace. “I regret being the cause of your illness. I had no intention nor desire to make you suffer so.”

Celestia relaxed her embrace. “But you aren’t sorry…”

Luna pulled back just enough to look her sister in her tear-streaked face. “No. I am not sorry. I feel… I feel empowered. Strong. This ordeal has made me feel competent as a governor, confident in my role as a princess, and given me precious insights of our empire. And now that I have returned, I know that you do not see me as just a child that daddy left for you to raise; an unwanted responsibility that fell on your back. But, you see me as your sister that you chose to raise, and love,” She reached up to brush away a tear of her own, “and now I know that you love me almost as dearly and deeply as I love you.”

Celestia snatched Luna up in another tight embrace and her body shook with powerful convulsions. Great braying sobs echoed in the empty room as the sisters celebrated their reunion and their newly found strength in each other. “I love you, Woona,” she bawled out her sister’s childhood nickname unashamedly, “and I missed you so much!”

Lingering, deep-seated bitterness dissolved in their confession of love for each other. Two sisters finally discovered what next they needed to do in order to complete the spiritual and emotional cleansing that forgiveness had started in them four years ago. For the first time in their lives, they wept together. Both mourning for their mutual losses, and yet weeping for joy at this new intimacy they discovered. Locked in each other’s embrace, their tremulous bodies scrubbed away two millennia of misunderstanding and resentment. Briny tears flowed out to salve festering emotional wounds that had been neglected far too long. They held on to each other even after their limbs screamed for relief. They cried until their sides burned and their lungs ached. They only dared to separate when the tears no longer came.

New Business

Celestia snickered from behind her hoof as a freshly laundered Luna emerged from her bedroom. The memory of what she had seen mere minutes before still fresh in her mind.

Luna had gone for a sponge bath in Celestia’s bathroom. Celestia had peeked in just in time to see Luna precariously tottering on two legs with a half-dozen of her staff surrounding her. Her left fore-hoof was extended to Nurse Tenderhoof, who was wrapping her burn with a fresh dressing. Her right hind leg was being held outstretched to its limit by Dr. Lollipop, the Palace’s resident doctor, as she closely examined it for possible infection. Her head she held out to allow her damp mane to be brushed by one of Celestia’s personal groomers, while two others had both of her wings spread up to their zenith to preen her secondary and tertiary feathers. Finally, quite literally bringing up the rear, a sixth staffer was carefully attending to the task of sponge bathing Luna’s delicate areas and tail.

“Feeling better, Luna?”

“Verily!” Luna chirped, grinning broadly despite her combination medical examination and bathing ordeal. “Thy surgeon forbid me a normal bath due to my burns. Nevertheless, We would choose your quick-clean alternative again without hesitation. ‘Tis a most pleasant sensation to be so thoroughly cleansed after nearly a week without a bath.”

“Oh really? I was certain that you would find the complete lack of privacy with so many at once invasive, or at least disconcerting.”

“Indeed, ‘twas a most unusual experience, being so completely and efficiently groomed without even raising a hoof, but your staff is most professional.” Luna said, taking a seat on a midnight blue cushion at Celestia’s table. While she had been in the expert care of Celestia’s personal groomers and simultaneously getting her medical check-up, a squad from the small army of Palace staff had restored Celestia’s breakfast room to its former glory.

“I believe my staff would say that they are only well practiced, as this service is not part of their official job description. Whenever the need arose, it just served me to keep calling on the same staffers.” Celestia gave a wry smile. “I cannot tell you how many times I had optimistically overbooked my schedule, or run late on some important bureaucratic business and then realized that I only had mere minutes to get ready for a formal event that evening.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I hate to say it, but I consider their willingness and experience a lifesaving necessity.”

“Then perhaps it is time for you to give them a specific job title? You could even use that as justification to provide them with flashy uniforms.” Luna said playfully and tapped her chin in mock contemplation. “Now to pick a proper descriptive job title… How about, Celestial Scrubbers, or Sun Bathers?”

“Or maybe, Princess Perineum Pamperers?” Celestia giggled.

Luna reddened and joined her sister’s mirth. “I cannot say I would want her to wash that area any faster, and yet, it did seem to me that she spent an inordinate amount of time sponging under my tail. It brings up all kinds of thoughts and insecurities, does it not?”

Celestia smiled broadly and nodded. “Yes, absolutely! Especially during the first time.”

The orderlies from the kitchen arrived then and set plates filled with peeled and cored peaches and pears baked in a spiced simple syrup before them. After so many days of eating nothing but oatmeal, Luna found the smell of warm, fresh fruit intoxicating and wasted no time seizing her knife and fork with her magic. Eagerly, she cut and forked large bites of the sweet, succulent fruit into her mouth, paying no mind to her sister.

“I was told you weren’t wearing an undertail.” Celestia said quietly after the orderlies had left.

Luna stopped mid-bite and looked up. Celestia hadn’t touched her plate yet. She sat across from her, motionless except for her flowing mane. “Three of my abductors were indeed stallions, but I wasn’t – ”

“I didn’t that think you were,” Celestia interrupted her, not wanting to hear about a possible nightmarish scenario during her sister’s abduction, even if it wasn’t true. “There is no way you would have allowed anypony to sponge bathe you so completely if you had been. But, I need to know what did happen to you.”

Luna locked eyes with her sister. “Why do you need to know anything about what happened if I was in control the entire time?”

“Why are you being so evasive?” Celestia sighed and pushed her untouched plate away. “Isn’t it obvious why I need to have some answers regarding my sister? I’m not asking you to justify your rather unorthodox method in dealing with the impostor whom you discovered three years ago. You are Princess Luna of Equestria. You don’t owe me an explanation for your actions.” Celestia sighed again, her ears flopped back and her brow knit into tight furrows. “But I would like to know what happened to my sister after she was taken away from the Palace, and I did nothing to stop it.”

“I asked you to do nothing; you honored me by honoring my request. And I gave you proof so that you knew that I was not helpless. You have no reason to feel guilty.”

“Please, Luna, I need to know how you got those burns, for my own peace of mind.”

Luna’s ears laid back and she felt her face flush with heat. “Do you promise not to laugh?”

Celestia perked up. “What?”

“Do you promise not to laugh at me if I tell you?” Luna repeated.

Shocked into silence at this most unexpected answer, Celestia could only nod her agreement.

With a sigh and a glance up to the ceiling, Luna relented. “I woke up in a cave wearing shackles, blinders, and a halter with silencing bit.”

“You woke up? She drugged you then?”

“Yes, with moondrake.”

Celestia snorted with amusement. “Moondrake? Really?”

Luna smiled. “I decided to play along. After I wrote and sent you that letter, I allowed myself to sleep until we arrived at their hideout.”

Celestia nodded. “Please continue.”

“After I woke, I found that I could barely move. I magically probed my surroundings quickly and efficiently. I could tell at once that the chains were ensorcelled with lunar runes and that there were four magical capacitors in there with me.”

Celestia tittered. “You’re kidding!”

“Luna smirked, and allowed herself a chuckle. “She thought they were null orbs.”

“Well, actually, I can understand her mistake, seeing as she wasn’t in any advanced magic program.”

“Yes, novices do often make that error.”

“Yes, they do. So you discovered that you had enormous magic potential in that cave, what then did you do?”

Luna’s ears went flat. “Well, when I realized I was chained to all of that potential, I decided to try to shock and awe them with an awesome display of power.”

“Yes, with four capacitors at even a mild charge, you could put on quite an impressive demonstration. That should have been easy for you.”

“Yes, it should have been. However, it didn’t work out the way I expected.”

Celestia said nothing, but just waited for Luna to continue.

“I could tell the chains, the shackles, and every strap and buckle that I was bound with were ensorcelled. Furthermore, I also knew that the one who called herself ‘Silver Chalice’ didn’t have unlimited resources. So I…assumed…that the runes had been painted on the chains with silver paint and covered with a resin to preserve them."

“Painting runes is how magical students learn them. That is not an illogical conclusion to draw from your information. But, apparently the runes on your shackles were not painted on?”

“Correct. My abductor had access to a master level engraver.”

Celestia’s eyebrows raised. “Oh, really? And you know who this pony is?”

“Yes I do, but he is not a member of any engraving or trade guild.”

“But you said-“

“-That he was master level, yes.” Luna continued, “I’ll wager that he possesses a natural talent for engraving lunar runes.”
“So the paint was laid in the engravings.”

“No.” Luna shook her head. “No metallic paint was used, anywhere.”

“Really? Then…gold leaf?”

“No, the engravings were inlaid with pure silver.”

“Wow. That’s a lot of expense for your abductors.”

“Indeed, and we should inventory all the silver in the Palace.”

“Ah, Yes. It is most likely that she used Palace silver. The impertinence of the act is matched only by the irony. But we are off topic. What role did the runes being inlaid with silver play in your injuries?”

“I charged the runes, which is to say, I overcharged the runes. I expected them to burn off like paint. Then they would of course crackle and pop with bright flashes and thick clouds of purple smoke when they lost their continuity. From those anticipated theatrics, I would emerge unfettered and garbed as the Nightmare! Finally, I would demand the information I sought from my awestruck and cowering abductors.”

Celestia covered her muzzle with her fetlock.

Luna saw her action and sighed, “I did notice that it was taking longer than I had expected, but I kept forcing magic into runes, expecting that at any moment they would flare out spectacularly and provide the spectacle for my glorious revelation. However, the foul stench of burning fur…”

Celestia placed both hooves over her mouth and her eyes sparkled with amusement.

Luna’s ears splayed out and her cheeks reddened. “I recognized far too late that the runes weren’t ever going to burn off. The magic I forced into the runes had heated the shackles to red hot, burning off my fetlocks and scalding my pasterns. With that sudden realization of burning pain, I lost my concentration and let the magic I was commanding discharge back into the capacitors. In my panic, I lacked even the simple presence of mind to free myself, but just hopped about like a fool until my abductors rescued me with cold water and wet rags. And thus, I destroyed my hopes of impressing them with a powerful display and my chance of bringing the whole affair to a quick conclusion.”

To her surprise, Celestia remained quiet, and dropped her hooves to reveal only a soft, pleasant smile. “Your tale is quite entertaining, and indeed, I would laugh. However, I identify too closely to your story. For I too learned the same lesson you did in an unnervingly similar manner.”

Luna’s ears perked straight up. Her sister had once made a similar stupid mistake? And she was willing to talk about it? “Indeed? Pray tell.”

“My mentor in experimental magic at that time had noticed my tendency to work thoughtlessly when I was faced with similar challenges. So he invented a method to cure my tendency to slip into mindless application of brute force. He insisted that I perform the same simple task – locating and then connecting two oppositely charged runes – before we would begin any lesson or interesting experiment. Every day, I had to do his mundane task before he would even talk to me. I must have completed that simple routine a hundred times without ever verifying the locations of the runes. From the beginning, I always relied solely on my magic to locate the runes and then make the connection.

“Then the time came that we were to begin some interesting magical experiment. I couldn’t wait to get started that day, but before I could start, there was that same, silly, task impeding me. And just like you, I focused on getting the result I expected, instead of paying attention to what was happening around me at that moment.

“I remember that I heard the creak of wooden beams and the rising pitch of metal under tension behind me, but I ignored it. It wasn’t important to me. I kept pushing more and more magic into the runes, forcing them to move together as I always had. Noticing, but not paying any mind to the fact that the test had never before been so difficult. Harder, and harder, I pushed. Not caring about locations, or effort, or the huge amount of magic I used. I focused so intently on just getting that stupid thing done so we could move on!

“Finally, there was a loud pop! And I felt the connection that I had long anticipated, the completion of the test. Immediately thereafter I heard the whistle of something moving exceptionally fast. But before I could react, the metal arms of the experimental ballista behind me swung forward and swatted my…” Celestia paused to clear her throat, “…hindquarters. Following that, of course, was the broken bowstrings. They whipped around my body and lacerated my flanks and neck.”

Luna sat agape at what she heard. “Zounds! How severely were you injured?”

“I was certain that my right femur was broken at the hip; I couldn’t support any weight on that leg. Later, a doctor determined that the bone was intact, but all muscles and tissues around it were very badly bruised. All over my body, blood oozed from lacerations where the frayed ends of the broken bowstrings had lashed me. There was blood in my urine for the next couple of days, and I think more than a week passed before I could walk again.”

“Your teacher, did he...”

“My instructor was horrified by what had happened to me. He had never considered the possibility that the bowstring might break. By connecting one of the runes to the increasing tension of the ballista’s bowstring and the other to the wall, he thought he had engineered a Sisyphus device – an arduous task that was impossible to complete. He had expected me to eventually tire or quit in frustration. However, back then I was as stubbornly single-minded to task completion as I was powerful in magical ability. He couldn’t know that there wasn’t enough torsion resistance in the springs of the ballista to keep me from reaching their draw limit. Nor could he foresee that I would be so minotaur-minded to connecting the runes that I would keep applying more and more power until the bowstring snapped. The position of the ballista directly behind me was mostly an unfortunate accident. He wanted it out of my sight and back against the wall so it wouldn’t move. It was unfathomable to him that I wouldn’t stop until I had broken the bowstring. However, by my doing so, I learned the lesson he wanted to teach me about my being hyper-focused and relying on brute force as the solution to problems. Albeit, in a far more humiliating – and painful – manner than he could have ever anticipated. But that was a lesson I am not about to forget! Much like you with yours, I suspect.”

Luna nodded and shivered. “The lessons we learned hardest, are the lessons we learn best. Although, it is a shame that experience is often the cruelest headmaster.”

“Yes, it is.” Celestia agreed, then magically lifted a pear half to her lips and took a full bite. Her eyes closed while she worked her jaw using slow, deliberate motions to chew her bite of pear. Then she stopped, and took a breath. Her eyes were still shut as she swallowed, exhaled, and then waited. Suddenly, Celestia’s hoof flew up to cover her mouth and she sharply drew in a breath.

Across from her, Luna had been silently watching, anxiously observing, glimpsing at what the past five days had been like for her sister. From what she could see, her sister’s anxiety level peaked far above what she had ever expected. Not only that, her return coupled with their emotional bonding moment didn’t appear to bring instant relief of her sister’s nausea. There was nothing she could do as Celestia held her breath, her eyelids remained pressed shut, and her hoof still covering her mouth. Luna wondered if she was preparing to be sick.

But Celestia at last produced a long, low, rumbling belch that put their fears to rest. “That’s better,” She said with a relieved smile and patted her stomach, “if you continue to be good, I’ll make certain to reward you with a slice of cake after dinner.”

Luna smirked, “As if you could wait that long.”

Celestia didn’t reply, but smugly popped the remainder of the pear into her mouth.

“May I ask why you aren’t planning on going to bed?” Celestia asked as Luna accepted another refill of her coffee.

“There are a few issues that I must attend now. None can keep till evening.”

“Such as?”

Luna blew and slurped her coffee. “First, I know that you gave me the Ministry of Education, but I also know that you desire to retain control over your School for Gifted Unicorns, and I hesitate to tread upon the Canterlot Universities in some matters.”

Celestia’s brow raised. “What matters?”

“One of my captors had a personal invitation from you to attend RTUC, but he was denied admittance when he arrived.”

“What? Are you sure?”

“As certain as I can be. I rode his dream; it had all the feelings of a remembrance. There was a focus on highly emotional circumstances and dream setting was exceptionally detailed.” Luna paused, but Celestia was content to wait. “For example, do you know if the head of admissions at RTUC is a unicorn with a coat the color of spring grass and a mane the color of shade trees?”

Celestia’s mouth opened, “Yes, that’s Meadow Days, she has been the head of admissions there for... I believe for more than a decade now.”

“Is she…heavyset?”

“I believe that she has put on some weight in recent years. Yes.”

Luna took a deep breath. “Then I think you need to order an extensive audit of the student admissions department at RTUC and possibly even CSGU. I suggest you start investigating your personal invitations. That is, perhaps, your best legal entry into the matter. Somepony has either decided that RTUC should be open exclusively to unicorns, or somepony is selling slots to paying applicants. My theory is that both are true.

Celestia double blinked. “I want to say that… what you are suggesting is impossible. Both RTUC and my School for Gifted Unicorns have corrupt admissions officers, selling slots to the highest bidder?” She paused, but Luna was content to wait. After a moment of consideration, she nodded. “I will open the investigations, and assemble a team for a comprehensive audit for the eventuality that evidence is found. If it is as bad as you say, then my credibility is being sold, and right underneath my nose.”

“After – no, should. Should we find corruption in those institutions, you know that general housekeeping is in order. If ponies are bold enough to ignore the rules and laws here, then certainly elsewhere.”

“Yes, unfortunately. I agree.” She sighed and then shook her head. “But enough of that. What is next on your agenda?”

Luna furrowed her brow in thought. “We cannot… I cannot remember the word, but I require an investigator that is specialized in the science of dead bodies.”

“Coroner.” Celestia waved a dismissive hoof. “Don’t concern yourself. We won’t need investigations or autopsies on the bodies of your captors. Just give me the location and I’ll send coroners and a crime scene cleaners to take care of the remains. Your statement on file will be enough to satisfy the law.”

Luna shook her head, “No, that is not what I mean. I must have a specialized investigative pony or team, in order to find and examine the real Silver Chalice to determine the cause of her-” Luna’s voice caught, forcing her to clear her throat and swallow before resuming. “…her death, and the possibility of foul play.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Celestia nodded her understanding. “You want a forensics team.”

“Yes, that is what I want. Where may I find their headquarters?”

“Manehattan. Tragically, that is most often where such a specialized, macabre, unit is needed, but one of the head investigators is teaching a new class of recruits in the art of forensics here at RTUC. Raven can get you her name and classroom if you wish.”

“Yes, thank you, I’ll see if she can fill my expectations.” Luna tapped the toes of her fore hooves together. “I may also need a criminal psychologist. I want to leave as little as possible open to doubt.”

“There is a rather talented psychologist on staff here, or the forensics Captain may have one she prefers to call. Either way, please know that all Palace resources are at your disposal.”

“I know, Sister, but thank you.”

Celestia nodded. “I still need to know where the other bodies are. No matter how much you detested your abductors, it is unsanitary to leave them to rot. Neither should their remains be left for accidental discovery. It would cause all manner of confusion in the future.”

Luna smirked. “There is no need for you to worry about that.”

“Luna!” Celestia exclaimed with no small amount of disgust, “I understand that you were impassioned, but magically vaporizing their bodies is barbaric!”

“No, Sister, you don’t understand. I didn’t kill them. They are all still living.” Celestia’s eyes widened noticeably, giving Luna no small amount of satisfaction.

“You…teleported them into the dungeon then?” She asked with a cocked brow.

“No, I released two of them to their own recognizance immediately, the impostor and one other I teleported with me into the courtyard. There, I placed the impostor into a deep sleep, and the last of my abductors requested transportation home, so I commanded that a chariot and four pegasi guards be placed into his charge.” Luna wore her version of an impassive mask, but was inwardly cackling at Celestia’s obvious befuddlement. Playing coy with the truth succeeded in unsettling her sister and bringing to light all manner of her presuppositions. Most likely, she would not have another opportunity to hold the upper hoof over her sister for a very long time.

Indeed, Celestia looked positively dumbfounded, and seeing her bewilderment made Luna’s joy complete. This was solid proof that her older sister wasn’t quite the omniscient ruler so many believed her to be; she could still make false assumptions, jump to conclusions, and be surprised. And that surprise can find its way to authentic expression through her practiced mask. Despite all of her power, education, and millennia of experience, Celestia was still fallible.

“You…let all but one of them go?” She said at last. “I know that you love to show mercy, and that you often desire to be magnanimous, and that you see yourself as the champion for the underdog, but I believe that with that action, you have far overstepped the boundaries.”

Luna allowed her grin to show long enough for Celestia to notice and release the tension that had been building in her shoulders. Luna then dropped her grin. “Truly, it was difficult for me to refrain from at least taking them all into custody. I respect the law, but the decision to allow them to surrender themselves owes much to my inspiration gained from observing you.” Luna stated simply. All her previous enjoyment lost to the seriousness of the subject at hand. And to her frustrated acknowledgement that her older sister was indeed better in many aspects of governance.

“I ordered them all to report here, to the Palace, with all evidence, by the morning of the fourth day. If they don’t comply, they will get a visit from the Nightmare. If they still refuse, then they will slowly go mad from the absence of dreams. After having been so generous, I don’t think that I should be seen as harsh for this.”

“Your handling of your abductors is most inventive. I must say that it sounds quite similar to what I might do, if I had your abilities, of course,” Celestia smiled broadly. “However, I am most curious as to what it was about watching me that so inspired you to take the course that you did?”

Luna swirled and stared into her cup of coffee. “All the ponies love you.” She began somewhat mournfully.

“Most, Luna,” Celestia cut in to stop her younger sister’s overly negative train of thought, “Most of the ponies approve of me as their ruler, for at least this moment in time. I’ve told you that good leaders must not seek to be loved, but to seek justice, security, and whatever course is best for the majority of those whom we govern.”

“I know, I know,” Luna acknowledged quickly to stave off what she believed might be the beginning of a lecture, “but you are loved too. Just walk outside the Palace gates if you doubt. The Canterlot citizens may be used to the idea that you don’t want ponies bowing down at the sight of you, but will know the tourists and recent transplants by how they so willingly throw themselves prostrate at your appearance.”

Celestia looked away, unable to deny what she said.

“And I too desire to be loved by the ponies as you are, and for the same reasons. To that end, I believe that I have found the area I most lack. I want to know your…way.” Luna looked up in a way that reminded Celestia of a lost filly.

Her little sister’s question was far too vague. And the all of the emotional intimacy and personal revelations they had so recently shared was unsettling her. Not to mention Luna now finally asking for her advice. Her little sister was actually seeking her counsel? It was too much change, much too quickly for her to absorb at once. Celestia felt her stomach rumble and took a deep breath. It was nearly enough to make her want a return to the near civil war of an hour ago. Something where success and failure were easy to assess. Yes, there was nothing like a good life or death struggle for simplicity and clarity. It was just a shame that those by nature were so bloody.

“My…way?” Celestia finally brought herself to ask.

“Yes, the direction of my statement was extremely nebulous. I’m sorry”

“No worries, sister.” Celestia lied. She still had no idea why she wasn’t feeling overjoyed with this turn of events. Normally she would sacrifice everything for a willing student. And most often, her little sister was far from willing to listen to her instruction.

“What I mean is, I want to know how you seem to manage to turn enemies into allies, and allies into friends. Even if they are evil. For instance, Discord-“

“Discord isn’t evil.”

“But before we found the Elements, he made much of Equestria intolerable.”

Celestia’s eyes rolled back and she took a deep breath. “True, but he isn’t evil. Mischievous, selfish, and infuriating, but not evil.”

“Nevertheless, you did make him an ally.”

She shrugged. “He is powerful. And if powerful beings can become powerful assets, why not try?”

Luna leaned forward with both hooves on the table. “But…how do you do this?”

Celestia opened and closed her mouth. “I believe I finally understand your inquiry. But I am at a loss for how to instruct you.”

Luna sat back and picked up her coffee to stare into the dark liquid. “I understand. It is simply an innate ability of yours. It’s probably for the best that I must find my own way.”

Celestia bit her lip. The signs of discouragement in her little sister were obvious. She needed a demonstration of support, or some meaningful encouragement. Yet Celestia remained mute and paralyzed where she sat. Think Celestia, think! She berated herself. What would you do if that was Twilight Sparkle? Over two millennium of existence, and I’m still acting like an anxiety-ridden filly! It’s too late now to say something, so get up and DO something!

She stood, but it felt like only her body obeyed. Luna remained fixated on her coffee, unaware of the conflict happening inside her. Celestia swallowed and walked on what felt like wooden legs around the table to place what she hoped would be a reassuring hoof on her little sister’s withers. Luna still didn’t react. “Hey.” She tried to say, but it came out as a dry whisper. She decided not to risk talking anymore. I should rub her back, she thought. She moved her foreleg, the one that had its hoof on her little sister’s withers and waited for her to look up. After what felt like a decade had passed, her little sister finally turned her head.

Something about looking into her little sister’s aqua ringed pupils made her realize what she had to do. “Luna, I didn’t mean that I wouldn’t try to teach you, but that I don’t know at this moment how I can teach you. And by that I mean, I have no method or prior experience in instructing anypony in this skill. However, if you are willing to accept that we will both be learning as we go, then, rest assured, I will try my best to teach you everything I can.”

A soft curve of Luna’s lips rewarded her and radiated trust. “I know you will, Sister. I believe you always have.”

Celestia basked in the warmth being given off by the Princess of the Moon, never considering the irony of her feelings; the moon radiates no heat. At that moment, though, it all made perfect sense to her.

Luna stood suddenly, breaking the spell Celestia was enjoying. “I have to go. There is far too much I want to get done today.” She wrapped a foreleg around Celestia’s neck and pulled her close. “Thank you, Sister. I’ll see you later.”

For all her hesitance before, now she didn’t want to let her little sister go. But Luna had turned and was walking out the door before Celestia could think of what she wanted to do or say next.

“So, tell me, did I do that right?” Celestia inquired of the empty room. “Will that count as a win, loss, or draw?” There was no answer.

She sighed and walked out toward the throne room. There was far too much she wanted to get done today. But the thing she wanted most was out of her reach. Everything else was going to be second best. It was looking like the beginning of a very unsatisfying end-of-the-weekday.

Preparations

Taking care of the expected transportation and security details she wanted had been as simple as always. All she had to do was call for an officer of the Palace Guard, tell him what she wanted, and then dismiss him to make the arrangements. The Guard could be so incredibly efficient at times. At least, it appeared that way from her perspective. She never had to concern herself further with any matter she gave it into their charge. It was one of the institutions of which she readily took full advantage without reservation or doubt.

However, the matter of finding a Criminal Psychologist wasn’t quite as simple. There weren’t very many in all of Equestria. And none were listed in Canterlot. Indeed, the job description was made official only within the past score of years. Up till then, there hadn’t existed enough of a consistent need to require a pony in permanent employment. Sadly, times had changed.

‘Marble, Doctor of Psychiatry, Therapist, Counselor’: Luna read the brass plaque on door 326 of the Canterlot Medical Center, unable to keep from thinking that the name sounded rather strange for a psychologist, much less a doctor. She rather thought ‘marble’ tended to bring up morbid thoughts, mental pictures of monuments and gravestones. Although, to be fair, she couldn’t think of a pleasant name that would specifically fit a psychiatrist. Head Shrinker? Couch Counselor? Hoof Holder? She shook her head and knocked.

This was the pony recommended to her by the sources at the Palace. This pony was her best option, unless she wanted to wait for a specialist to arrive from one of the other larger cities. She didn’t. So here she was to find out whether this pony was as intuitive and insightful as had been described to her.

“Come in.” A simple reply answered her knock.

She entered an office decorated by somepony who knew the perfect balance between professional styling and comfortable living; it felt like a den or a personal reading room. Forest green walls met varnished cherry wood bookshelves and baseboards. An overstuffed couch on one side of the room invited her to recline in its billowy depths. Across from the couch on the other side of the room was an equally plush sitting pillow next to a gold lampstand and a writing table, complete with quill and inkwell. Centered toward the back and framed by the bookshelves sat a solid cherry desk that dominated the room.

Seated behind the desk and immersed in his reading sat a white pegasus stallion with a cerulean mane and a turquoise blaze. Luna closed the door. The sound of the latch finally brought the stallion’s head up.

“Princess Luna,” he stated, then stood and walked around to the front of his desk. His coat wasn’t completely white, but covered with splotches of cerulean and turquoise all over. Even his wing feathers carried the colors in the same haphazard way. His mark, a violet and magenta yin-yang like symbol blazed on his mostly turquoise hindquarters. Once in front of his desk he properly bowed. “Welcome to my office, Princess, I am Marble, and I am honored that you are here.”

His voice carried no surprise nor awe. In fact, she thought, it was so neutral as to be sleep inducing. She wondered if that effect was inculcated to all psychologists to rapidly calm overwrought clients. “Thank you, Doctor.” Luna said.

“Please, Princess, if you would, call me Marble; I eschew the title of ‘doctor’. It may be necessary and serve a purpose in a hospital, but in my field I believe it has little value other than to stroke the egos of those who insist on it.”

“Very well, Marble. First, let me say that I am not here for-” Luna stopped and squinted. Marble’s eyes didn’t match. His right eye was definitely violet, but his left was nearer in color to magenta. “-counseling, but I need the expertise of a criminal psychologist to assist in the investigation of a death.” Luna mentally scolded herself over her pause, and especially for her leer. She was above letting little things like a minor physical abnormality trip her up! Celestia would never have done such a thing!

Marble showed no indication that he had noticed her obvious faux pas, but nodded in understanding. “Yes, Princess, from the moment you entered, I didn’t think that you were here for counseling. Despite the bandages on your pasterns, you have moved with a confidence and certainty that I have not seen you possess. Then as I made my obeisance, you received it completely at ease whereas before you showed some disquietude. In light of those observations, I would theorize that you have recently experienced a self-actualizing event.” He answered her in a factual, uninflected manner. “Is this correct?”

Luna felt herself leaning back at his uncomfortably accurate, snap assessment of her. Irritated at allowing herself to be unbalanced again, she drew herself forward. “We do not recall our meeting before. Where was it that thou didst see us?” She demanded sternly.

Marble’s lips spread into a disarming smile. “You are a public figure, Princess, and you do make public appearances. Also, I have been to events at the Palace, both from direct invitations, and as the ‘plus one’ guest of another that gave me the opportunity to meet and greet you. In addition, there has been the odd panel or committee at the Palace that requested me as a speaker on an issue. One of them you sat on. But the other times I saw you mingling with officials during a recess.

"Please understand that I have not been prying, but I have been observing. It is one of my gifts, and curses; depending on whether or not the pony I am observing is open to hearing the truth about themselves. And I hope you can forgive me, Princess, as I can tell that despite your recent soul-building experience, my observations have you quite unsettled at this moment.”

“We are- Luna caught herself mid denial, and fortunately early enough to keep from embarrassment. Of course, he knew that she was unsettled; her speech had reverted back to Old High Equestrian. She decided to press on. He had proven himself capable, or at least bold enough to declare her state of being. Perhaps he was exactly what she needed for this investigation; an observer who always observes and has the education to understand what he sees. She started over. “We are here because We need the expertise of a criminal psychologist to assist in the investigation of a death, and possibly a murder. Dost thou believe thyself equal to this task?”

“I have been educated on criminal minds and behaviors, and I have observed some criminal cases, but I have never been on a case exclusively in that role. However, I do believe that I am able to serve you in this capacity, if you are willing to accept my lack of experience.”

“Perhaps,” Luna said, “canst thou intuit a pony’s character from their written correspondence alone?”

Marble’s brow knotted and he frowned. “What you are asking is definitely possible, but it can be inaccurate. There are tells in a pony’s quillship that can give me clues: word choices, shapes of certain characters, signatures. Much more depends on the volume of writing, and whether or not the correspondence is of a personal nature. And if there are examples of letters written by the subject to more than one pony; preferably addressees with different backgrounds and relations to the subject would allow the most accurate assessment."

Marble sounded like he was about to explain further, but stopped after a glance at the floor. The action made Luna realize that she had unconsciously started tapping her hoof.

“But yes, it is possible to gain many insights from a pony’s writing alone.” Marble finished.

Having made her decision, Luna drew a breath and nodded. “Marble, art thou able to join Our expedition immediately? We shall be at the scene this evening.”

Marble bowed. “I am at the Princess’ convenience.”

“Then let us both go and meet thy Captain.”

The classroom was in the basement. Rather appropriately, Luna thought, as she wound her way down the staircase. There is no better place to have a class about death and morbid subjects than deep underground. Marble - for all of the talking he seemed to like to do in his office - was now so quiet that if weren’t for his hoofsteps so close behind her, she might have doubted his presence.

The bottom of the stairs ended at double doors which she pushed through into a wide, but dimly lit hallway which made her stop and wonder. Marble found and flipped a light switch, but the lighting didn’t change. Concluding that somepony had removed all but the permanent lights, she then walked down till she reached a set of double doors labeled B-404. She put her hoof on the door handle and listened. The room seemed silent. Thinking that a test may be in session, she elected to be as quiet as possible. Slowly, she pressed down on the handle and unlatched the door. Then she pushed it open and stepped in boldly, both to not appear timid, and to not prolong any distraction.

The classroom was just as dark as the hallway. A quick glance confirmed that just like the hallway, only one-quarter of the lights were lit. All but eight of the desks were stacked up to the ceiling against the left wall. Those remaining were set in two ranks facing the chalkboard and podium at the rear of the room.

There was more light from the right side, but not from the ceiling fixtures. One source was from the tiny points that could escape through the closed blinds of an office window. The other was from the seven ponies clustered around what appeared to be a large sandbox, about as deep as a pony’s knees. Four of them had small lanterns and were actively taking notes and gazing into the sandbox where a dirty reddish-brown and pale yellow skeleton lay uncovered in the box. Two ponies, one a cadet-gray and blonde earth stallion and the other a pure-white noctala, were intently examining a leg bone from the mostly uncovered skeleton. Behind them, and surveying all that they did, stood an ocean-blue mare whose over-regulation-length green mane faded to yellow at the tips.

Just inside room and flanking the door stood two earth ponies; both of them were craning their necks to glimpse inside the cluster to the large sandbox and its macabre contents.

At the sound of the door closing behind them, both of the ponies standing at the entrance turned to her, startled, and drew away from her.

Luna bit down on her molars. “Is this Criminal Forensic Lab?” She asked of the cream colored unicorn on her left.

“Yes, Princess…” His responded trailed indefinitely, like he wanted to say something more, but lacked the nerve.

“Is Captain Carry On here?”

“Yes, Princess. She, um… she is the blue earth pony standing behind the lead investigators.”

“Thank you.” Luna answered and started toward the pony he indicated.

“Princess Luna?” The other pony, a brick red earth stallion stepped just in front of her.

Luna stopped and stared at him.

“Uhh… class is in session, Princess.”

“I’m well aware of that.” Luna answered impatiently.

“Oh, uhh... okay.” He hopped back out of her way.

With her way clear, Luna advanced toward the group, picking up the argumentative whispers of the ponies behind her.

“Why didn’t you stop her?”

“That’s Princess Luna! Duh!”

Luna paid no further attention to them, but advanced straight to the ocean-blue mare pointed out to her. “Captain Carry On?”

Captain Carry On did a double take at her approach. “What the…” she blurted out, looking Luna and Marble up and down, clearly displeased far more than surprised. “Excuse me.” She said and brushed between her and Marble.

“You two!” She yelled at the ponies standing by the door, “Why are these unauthorized ponies in the middle of an active crime scene?”

“It’s Princess Luna, Ma’am!” The cream-colored Cadet answered.

“That’s no excuse!” She snapped. “What is your eleventh general order?”

“To guard the scene from flank to flank, allowing noone unauthorized regardless of rank.”

“This cadet told her that class was in session, Ma’am!” The other said, glancing about nervously.

“Oh, you told her class was in session? Well, did either of you think to explain to Princess Luna that this lab is being run like an active crime investigation and therefore, no ponies not on the investigative team are allowed in?”

“No, Ma’am.” Both answered, shamefaced.

“Do you know why we have those rules?”

“To prevent loss of evidence, Ma’am.”

“To prevent the destruction of evidence or the contamination of the scene!” Carry On recited the reason word-for-word out of the textbook, chanting each syllable slowly and loudly for them to join in.

“What happens when evidence is destroyed and crime scenes get compromised?”

“Killers go free, Ma’am.”

“Killers are free to kill again! Do either of you think that Princess Luna would be pleased to know that she may be responsible for allowing a killer to kill again because she accidentally destroyed or compromised crucial evidence because you two didn’t think, and failed to stop her from entering a restricted area?”

“No, Ma’am.”

“Then you two better start thinking, stand there, and do your job!”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

Carry On spun on her hooves and marched around Luna and Marble to the dig site. “Cadet Valiant, Princess Luna has flown in unexpectedly and is demanding answers. You have uncovered a complete skeleton of a filly. Are you able to tell her that you can close this case so that she can go and calm a frightened populace?”

Cadet Valiant glanced over to the noctala by his side who shook his head.

“What is your answer, Cadet?” Carry On stamped her hoof.

“No, Ma’am, I cannot.”

“Why? You have one complete skeleton. What is the problem, Cadet?”

“The front leg bones don’t match the rest of the skeleton, Ma’am.”

“But you have one complete skeleton! Are you seriously going to try to convince me that you have two bodies here?”

“The bones don’t lie, Ma’am.” The white noctala said.

Carry On turned to the other cadets. “Does anypony have a different opinion?”

Nopony said a word.

“Cadet Valiant, Cadet Bloodsight, congratulations! You have done well. I didn’t expect you to get this one. Great job!”

The four other cadets stamped their hooves in approval.

Carry On waited for the applause to end. “This scene is based on an actual case, the details of which we will cover after break. But for now, we have in our midst a very special guest. Formation!”

All of the cadets sprang into action, scurrying to form two ranks of four in front of Carry On.

“Atten-tion!” She commanded, and all cadets stood stock still. Then she performed an about-face, squared herself to Luna, and bowed very low, almost to the ground. “Princess Luna, I’m Captain Carry On, and this is Forensics Class 177. We are honored to have you in our presence and we bid you welcome.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Luna answered, “this is Marble, he's acting as my assistant for the weekend.”

Carry On gave him a partial bow and returned her attention to Luna. “To what do we owe this honor of your visit, Princess?”

“I came to have a word with you, Captain. Perhaps no more than five minutes of your time.”

“Yes, of course, Princess. I am at your disposal. My office is behind you, please make yourselves comfortable. I will dismiss my class and join you shortly.”

Her office was small and spartan, but in contrast to everyplace she had seen so far on this floor, it was at least well lit. One desk, with lamp, supplemented the unmodified ceiling lights. A few small filing cabinets stood near a small cabinet which held a sickly looking potted plant and a badly scuffed coffee maker. No decorations hung on the patched white walls other than the certificates and awards she expected to see in any professional’s office. Just behind and off the side of the desk sat the only chair in the room; a cushy, functional, wheeled pad that was found in most offices. Luna helped herself. Marble sat on the floor near the window with the drawn blinds.

“Would either of you like some coffee, Princess?” Carry On asked from the doorway.

Marble shook his head.

“No, thank you, Captain.” Luna propped an elbow on the corner of the desk and eyed the half-full coffee pot. “But don’t let me stop you, if this is your normal coffee break.”

“It is, Princess,” Carry On crossed over to the pot and filled a skull shaped coffee mug, the teeth of which were formed into letters proclaiming, ‘Smile!’. After a slurp and a satisfied sigh, she plopped her rump down on one of the filing cabinets and slumped back against the wall. “It’s my understanding, that the ranking pony in the room selects the topic of conversation.” she said, and took gulp from her mug.

“Well first, is there a reason why this floor is so dark?”

“There certainly is, Princess,” she gestured toward the next room with her mug. “You saw the noctala, the white stallion?”

“Yes, of course.”

“He’s not white, he’s an albino. He completely lacks any pigment whatsoever. As a result, his eyes are ultra sensitive to light, even more than typical noctala. The class decided on their own to modify the room during a break. I didn’t ask any questions, but I go along with it because most crime scenes are in back alleys, or in heavy cover, or at night. I figure, if they learn now how to look for clues in low light, it can only help them later in the field.”

Luna looked over certificates and diplomas hanging near her. “Is there any particular reason why you are in this classroom and not heading a team in the field?”

Carry On nodded. “There is. Some time ago, a study showed that young to middle-age mares are better instructors of young stallions than any other pony. And, that same study also showed that female students in predominately male occupations find encouragement and have lower dropout rates when they have a female instructor. So, whenever it is decided that a new class is deemed necessary, the Chiefs start looking for the best field agent in that area that has shown excellent leadership and possesses superior training skills. If that exceptional field agent is also a young to middle-age mare, they just offer her the job.” She drank a few swallows. “At least that’s what they’ve done with me for the past six years.”

“Do you enjoy teaching, Captain?”

Carry On shrugged, “I do. Six to nine months of fieldwork, then six months of teaching keeps both jobs interesting. But mainly, I take the teaching offers because it keeps me out of trouble. It seems that I rub some ranking officers the wrong way, if you can believe that. I have been occasionally accused of failing to show ‘proper’ deference to authority.”

“I am left mystified as to why.” Luna deadpanned.

Carry On chuckled at the joke, but her smile melted away. “I know that I was pushing the limits of impropriety back there in the classroom with you, Princess. I’m really very grateful that you were able to look past my slights against you to see the other exceptionally important lesson that I wanted to teach.”

“You made your point quickly, and then you demonstrated proper decorum afterward. In a job that requires specialists to sometimes exercise authority above their rank, I would say that you tread a fine line exceedingly well.”

“Years of practice, I guess.” Carry On hopped down and refilled her mug. “So, you’ve checked my credentials. Are you here to offer me a permanent job teaching? She asked, as she shimmied her rump back up on her filing cabinet perch.

“Would you be interested if I did?”

Her answer was immediate. “Nope.”

Luna nodded once. “Good.”

Carry On’s ears jolted upright and her face showed obvious, wide-eyed surprise. “I’m not sure how I’m to take that, Princess.”

“You should not take offense, Captain, I was only assessing your potential level of interest in a current field assignment.”

Carry On leaned forward. “You mean, there’s an open case here in Canterlot, Princess?”

“Near Canterlot, yes.” Luna corrected.

Carry On set her mug down. “If you need an agent, Princess, I’m ready to catch your killer.”

“I need an agent, but I almost certainly already have the killer.”

Carry On’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure I understand why you need me then, Princess.”

“The location of the body has not - till now - been known. The victim died, or was murdered almost four years ago. The suspect is in custody and will lead us to the body tonight. What I want to know is, if the death was murder, accidental, or natural.”

“Oh, it’s a bit of a cold case.” Carry On leaned back and picked up her mug. “And it sounds like it’s mostly solved too.”

Luna sighed. “I understand why this information would temper your enthusiasm. But this case has special import to me.”

“Are you ordering me to investigate this case, Princess?”

Luna shook her head. “A thousand times, no! I want somepony who wants to be on this case. Not somepony who thinks that I’m wasting her valuable time.”

Marble just then cleared his throat and stuck his hoof between the blinds and peered out through the opening as though he wished to observe the empty classroom.

Luna puzzled briefly over his action, it was definitely designed to draw attention, but as to what purpose she couldn’t figure. She turned back to see Carry On’s eyes darting from her to Marble and back.

Carry On then took a slow sip of coffee and studied Luna from behind her mug. “You said that it’s important to you… so I’m a little afraid to ask…”

“Go ahead, Captain.”

“Next door, there are eight ponies who will happily take this case, without prejudice, and they’ll have all the desire, enthusiasm, and energy you want."

Luna raised an eyebrow. “And you?”

“I’ll have to tag along to supervise them, of course. They are still cadets.”

Luna turned her head, staring past the door to the unseen students. “Do you believe them… capable?”

“I would not have made the suggestion if I didn’t believe that they could do it. They are only two weeks away from graduating and going to their first assignments. Yes, they’ll still need guidance, just like they will in the field, but as I said, I’ll be there as acting as their senior field agent. And one more thing I’ll have you know, this may be the brightest class I’ve had yet. These are really smart Cadets, even the two I reprimanded today. But, of course, it’s up to you, Princess.”

Luna stood up. “Report to the front gate of the Palace at sunset. You and all the Cadets that wish to come.”

Carry On leapt down and saluted. “Yes, Ma’am! You won’t be disappointed, Princess.”

“What do you think of her?” Luna asked as she and Marble walked out of the building. It took every ounce of her self-control to hold her questions till now. Echoey stairwells were not ideal for clandestine conversation.

“She’s confident enough in her abilities, and the awards on her wall bear witness that her confidence is not misplaced. She is definitely a free-thinker and an adventurous personality. Loves inventiveness, simplicity, and out-of-the-box thinking. She’s a strong alpha personality that doesn’t think much for rules or regulations if the results are good.” Marble answered like he had been expecting that question for the same amount of time that she had been holding on to it.

"Was there a reason why you interrupted and looked out of the window in her office?"

Marble's answering smile was self-congratulatory and bordering smug. "I recognized that she wasn't going to take the case for you if it was only for the resolution of a minor mystery. She wanted to, but that would mean sacrificing some of her attention away from her students. And that is against her nature because she is very results motivated. So I diverted her attention back to her current job of teaching so she might see that the two goals weren't mutually exclusive. She just needed help seeing the answer. And that answer is found by remembering the students. And, what is the best way to educate students, Princess?"

"To have them learn by doing."

"Exactly. I guided her to the answer that she needed that would allow her to do both. A win-win for you, as you get your investigator, and doubly for her because she gets to be in the field solving a case, and yet still is able to instruct the next generation of agents without a chance of letting a criminal go free."

"Why not just make the suggestion yourself?"

Marble shook his head, "More good is done this way. Ponies will perform better and work harder if they think that they all of their efforts are being spent on their idea. This way, she is joyfully spending her energies on accomplishing her idea, not struggling to placate that Princess and her know-it-all aide."

Luna shook her head. "Brilliant. That sounds like something my sister would have done. You are very wise."

Marble's head snapped over, his smile vanished. "I try."

Luna could tell that she was back under his prying gaze and said nothing more till they got to her chariot. “We know - I know that I have imposed upon you, and that I should allow you to take your leave until tonight. But I do wish that you would be amenable to accompanying me to the Palace.”

Marble studied her. “I will do so, but I would like to know why first.”

Luna took a deep breath. “There are some… letters... that We want to show thee- to show you.”

“As I said before, I am at the Princess’ convenience.” Marble swept a hoof toward her chariot.

Luna boarded and was joined by Marble. A minute later and they were in the sky being whisked away to the Palace.

“The letters, were they written by the deceased?”

Luna swallowed. “They were indeed.”

Author's Note

Marble belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Turtle+Wolf

Tiara Dreams

She was cornered! Her tail pressed against a rock face and all around her advanced a green wall made of tall, hairy, spear-wielding vegetables. When they seized her, Tiara knew better than to try to beg for mercy; the Okra warriors were fiercely loyal to the Eggplant King. Without a doubt, she would be brought with all haste to his lair. Although the thought of being subject to his torture devices was frightening, it would at least mean that she would no longer have to endure the nauseating, slimy touch of the Okra warriors. She almost welcomed the speed with which they bore her.

The putrid smell of the gorgonzola moat surrounding the fat, top-heavy spires of Shitake Castle make her heart sink and her stomach churn. Every breath she took was a struggle to keep from retching. Only someone as revolting as the Eggplant King could stand to live with such a stench! But she did not have to hold her breath long, for crossing the gorgonzola moat led directly to the Mush Room and the Toadstool Throne of the Eggplant King.

The Okra warriors marched in the Mush Room and threw her down before the dark purple, ovoid body of the Eggplant King.

“So, we have the one who made our slaughter in vain. Why have you treated my brethren as garbage and considered us abhorrent?” The Eggplant King adjusted his gold stem-crown forward to give him a more severe appearance.

Tiara shrank under his angry glare. “I never meant offense, I- I just don’t like the flavor or texture. It makes me gag. It’s involuntary.”

“Liar!” He boomed, “You willfully spat us out and refused to make any serious attempts at accepting us as the nutritious and healthy food we are. We provided ourselves abundantly in your mother’s garden, yet you disdained our kind from the beginning!”

An Okra warrior placed a tray loaded with a plate full of fried okra and a steaming bowl of mushroom and eggplant soup in front of her.

“Yet we are still willing to forgive, if you will now accept our offering and eat all that is in front of you.” The Eggplant King said magnanimously.

Steam curled up from the tray and rose to her face as she tried to imagine the food before her was appetizing. The odors assaulted her next. Tiara gagged and pulled away. “I can’t!”

“You won’t even try!” The Eggplant King slammed his fist down, breaking off the side of the Toadstool Throne.

“No, it’s not that I won’t, it’s that I know that I can’t.”

“Enough!” The Eggplant King shot up from his throne. “Take her to the kitchen! Prepare her the same way she has done to all of our brothers before!”

Slimy hands grabbed her and lifted her up and carried her through a large door into the kitchen.

Tiara couldn’t even bring herself to protest. She was guilty of their accusations, and deserved everything that they wanted to do to her.

The kitchen was dominated by a central island whose entire surface was smooth hardwood. They wasted no time thrusting her upon it. Huge vegetable peelers were then pulled out from underneath the hardwood and scraped all over her body. Each pass of the peelers efficiently removed her mane, tail, and all fur and revealed a smooth, dark purple skin.

After she had been stripped of her mane and coat, one of them ducked under the chopping block and brought up an enormous chef knife, nearly as long as her. Before she could even gasp in horror, the Okra wielding it brought it down on her foreleg, neatly slicing it off just below her shoulder. She stared at the wound, agape, for the amputation was painless, but also because her flesh and bones had taken on the appearance of the inside of an eggplant. More chopping sounds caused her to whip her head around. Astonished, she saw her other legs lay disembodied and those stumps too bled tiny droplets of clear fluid from their whitish cut ends, just like freshly cut eggplant flesh. One Okra used a paring knife the size of a machete to lop off her ears and horn. “I’m an eggplant,” She whispered to herself, “I’m a disgusting eggplant.”

Angry voices brought her head up to see several Okra arguing over how she should be finished. Some wanted to slice her into wafers using a massive mandolin. But others wanted to use their chef knives and dice her into cubes. Back and forth they argued with no signs of consensus. Meanwhile, all she could do was lie there. Her present limbless condition keeping her securely in place.

“Be still!” Screamed an irritated feminine voice. And all of the Okra immediately stopped and stared. Tiara too, craned her head around and gasped. Nightmare Moon, resplendent in her battle armor strode by her without a passing glance. “Thou dost pollute the air with your meaningless prattling!” She rebuked the Okra. However, they were not in the least disheartened, but pressed together around the Nightmare like eager children gravitating toward their hero. “We will tell thee how this one must be terminated.”

“No.” Tiara squeaked out, feeling pinpricks of a cold sweat break out all over her body.

Nightmare Moon lowered her head and whispered to the crush of Okra gathered in a crescent around her.

“Please, no.” Tiara rasped through a throat suddenly gone dry. She couldn’t hear a word of what was said, but she didn’t need to. She knew what her end would be. The icy caress of fear slid up her spine when the Okra looked up from their conference with Nightmare Moon and over at her with wicked grins and hungry anticipation flickering in their beady eyes.

“NO!” Tiara screamed at last. Desperately she squirmed and contorted her body to inchworm away from the advancing Okra, but it was no use. Their slimy hands were again upon her, lifting her up, and carrying her to the swinging double-doors at the rear of the kitchen.

“Stop! Please, stop!” She begged and wriggled in their grasp. However, they paid no attention to her pleas. They burst through the double doors into the soot-blackened brick and stifling heat of the Great Fire Place.

“To the pot, to the pot, to the pot!” The Okra chanted and cackled as they rushed up a ramp leading to the rim of a giant kettle. Bright flashes and white-hot sparks shot all around the bottom and ignited bundles of rolled paper and thin sticks of kindling stacked underneath a mammoth, black iron kettle. A three-footed kettle that looked tall and wide enough to swallow a two-story country cottage. Yet despite its enormity and the incline of the ramp, they had reached the top in the time it took to finish the fifth repetition of their chant. Only then did they stop and all of them silently contemplated the watery bowels of the kettle from the vantage of the broad metal rim.

Tiara felt her heart thumping wildly and her sides heaved like bellows. The sight of the black innards of the kettle was like being perched in front of a great chasm. The water level may have only been about halfway full and as calm as a sheltered pool, but in her limbless condition, it was like staring at the center of the deepest ocean during a tempest.

“Well, well, well,” Nightmare Moon’s mocking voice sliced through the silence, “pray tell, what causes thou such consternation?” She glided past and set down gently on the rim just off to the side so she did not block Tiara’s view of her eventual path into the kettle. “Is thy present condition truly so mortifying? Thou art simply denied the use of thy limbs and set before a bucket of water.”

“Please,” Tiara panted and licked her dry lips, “please don’t do this. I’m truly sorry. I’m really very sorry I did that to you. You didn’t deserve it and I wish I had never done it!”

“Dost thou believe that thy actions deserve this?” Nightmare Moon swept her wing forward and then down, pointing her primary feathers at center of the pot.

Tiara ignored the gesture and kept her gaze locked on the cold, reptilian eyes of the Nightmare, searching in vain for mercy, for hope. No answer she wanted to voice came to her mind. As the silence between them stretched out, she felt tears roll down her cheeks.

Nightmare Moon sneered. “Cast her in!”

“Please, no!” Tiara managed to scream before being tossed up and falling with a lazy backward-flip into the water below. She entered the cold water headfirst and vertical; a nearly perfect dive that sent her straight to the bottom and forced her to raise her head and arch her back to keep from hitting face first. As her chest brushed the iron bottom of the kettle she noticed it was noticeably warmer than the water all around her. Her eyes went wide in horror as two realizations hit her. One, the fire underneath the kettle must be raging to heat this massive amount of metal so quickly. And two, it was now a macabre race to see whether her end would be from drowning, or from scalding and heat stroke.

Death by drowning was much closer, Tiara recognized quickly, as her panicked state required a steady supply of air, and large amounts of it. But submerged, her lungs were rapidly depleted and demanded more, now, if not sooner! By contracting her body and head, she pushed off the bottom with her muzzle and hindquarters and started her ascent. But the water depth she estimated to be at thirty hooves or more! It didn’t appear probable at her current rate of ascent for her to be able to hold her breath long enough. She craned her head up and tried to think buoyant thoughts. Float faster, float faster! Her mind chanted. She concentrated on the approaching surface and the precious sweet air that waited just beyond the water’s boundary.

However, her body impatiently and incessantly clamored for immediate breathing gratification. She tried to placate it by puffing her cheeks full and then sucking that air back into her lungs. But that subterfuge was quickly rejected. She couldn’t restrain herself any longer. She had to breathe! She started exhaling slowly, attempting to meter the amount through pursed lips. She watched the bubbles floating up and breaking just above her. Fresh air was so close. She had to hold out just a few seconds longer - a few interminable seconds until she could have all the air she wanted. But her lungs were empty now, and they pulled at her throat for refilling. Tiara’s eyes grew wide as she tried by force of will to hold off her body’s demand for air for those last seconds and somehow float herself up more quickly to the precious air just beyond her reach.

There! Finally her muzzle broke the surface. With a desperate sounding gasp, Tiara sucked in the air her starving lungs craved. Relief flooded her senses as she reacquainted herself with the simple pleasure of being able to breathe at will. Her face cleared the water next and she blinked away the excess in time to clearly see an Okra throw what looked like a white box right at her head. It narrowly missed and splashed right next to her cheek, sending a wave rolling over her head. Tiara clamped her mouth closed to keep from inhaling the water. That was no easy task, as she was still huffing and puffing like a winded sprinter after a race. Fortunately, she bobbed at the surface and was gulping air again after the wave passed.

Tiara again blinked to see clearly and looked over at what was thrown at her. It was a potato, a cube the size of her head. Astonished, she looked back up to the okra warriors on the rim. They were all holding impossibly-sized slices of vegetables! An eighth of an onion bulb came down next; it hit just in front of her and sent a geyser of water into the air. She once again had to painfully halt mid-breath to allow the wave to pass. Then a shower of carrot slices the size of dinner plates rained down, of which, the flat sides of two struck her muzzle. The impact sent her head just below the waves.

The decision of whether she would drown or boil had been made for her. She was meant to drown. And the Okra had made a game of it. But even though the thought of her death being made a sport sickened her, she couldn’t help but fight for air! Tiara thrashed her head from side-to-side, angling her face like a paddle to try to reach the surface again. Those meager gasps of air she had had weren’t enough! In the nick of time, she bobbed clear and gulped air between the waves of the now turbulent water. Her vision cleared just in time to widen in horror; a thick slice of zucchini rushed at her. She held her breath and winced.

The impact sent her under and somersaulting backward. Her rotation stopped with her head underneath her body. Even as she wagged her head and tried to right herself, Tiara knew she wouldn’t make it to the surface this time. Her lungs forced an exhale before she had made any positive progress at righting herself. She was about to discover what it was like to breath water.

A shimmer of purple light caught her attention. Princess Luna flew through the water right up to where Tiara hovered inverted. “That’s enough,” Luna spoke clearly.

Tiara stared, forgetting even her desperate need to breathe as she marveled how Princess Luna could speak perfectly while underwater.

“Tiara Dreams, it’s time for you to wake up.” Luna commanded.

Everything faded to black: the water, the Okra, the vegetables, and finally, Princess Luna. Tiara found herself standing, upright, on her own legs, and stared all around in wonder at the impenetrable blackness.

“Tiara Dreams, it’s time to wake up.” The voice said again.

Tiara felt herself floating up, faster, and faster, until it seemed like she was racing through the blackness.

“Tiara Dreams, wake up.”

Tiara’s eyes flew open and she startled, breathing in a terrified scream. She struggled for a couple seconds to stand, but she had fallen asleep lying flat on her left side and apparently hadn’t moved since then; those limbs had gone completely numb. Reality dawned on her only after her muddled brain picked at her present situation piecemeal. There was no danger of her drowning, as she was lying under a woolen, military-green blanket by a tree, not floating in a giant water-filled kettle. Her mane and coat were wet, or damp, but from an anxious sweat caused by her nightmare, not from immersion in water. Most significantly, her horn, mane, coat, and all of her limbs were present and still attached. A sigh of relief escaped and she relaxed. That terrifying sensation of being helpless and immobile had felt so real to her either due to a lack of circulation, or to normal dream-state paralysis.

Fully awake now, she squinted up against the sunset and saw Princess Luna staring back at her. She went cold. Her breathing and heartbeat had started coming down from the fear-induced adrenaline rush caused by her nightmare, but now everything in her body stopped cold.

“I know what you are thinking,” Luna said in a gentle, calming voice as though she were waking a child, “but what you have just dreamed was manufactured by your own subconscious. There was no effort made by me to torment you. I arrived only to wake you, for I have resolved to tolerate no further delays of my pursuit of the whole truth regarding you and Silver Chalice.” Luna gestured over to a tall, medium-sized tent erected near the edge of the lawn. Tiara recognized it as one of the elegant privy tents they used for formal outdoor events. “I ordered toiletries to be provided and a hot bath prepared for you. I am allowing one hour for you to perform your necessities. Afterward, we will depart.”

Luna lifted her head. “You will not rush her, but neither will you allow her to sleep.”

“Yes, Princess!” Two female voices answered in unison.

After one last glance down at Tiara, Luna turned and left.

Tiara closed her eyes after Luna was out of sight and breathed deeply. A metal point jabbed her hindquarter before she had finished exhaling.

“Hey!” Tiara looked back at the noctala guard who had prodded her, “didn’t she tell you not to rush me?”

“I’m not rushing you, but I am following Princess Luna’s order to keep you from sleeping.” The dark purple noctala guard smirked, clearly enjoying herself. She expertly twirled the spear around and leveled the needle-sharp tip with Tiara’s eye. “If I was rushing you, I would have used this end!” She stabbed the air.

“Ah!” Tiara yelped and flinched in surprise when the spear tip brushed her eyelash. She cowered behind her hoof as that guard and one other snickered. A pointed metal endcap prodded her other side. Tiara half-rolled and peeked out from behind her protective foreleg.

Another noctala mare whose coat shone an ominous color of dark-red blood in the fading daylight, glowered back at her with the same fierce countenance as the first. “No sleeping!” She barked, and used her spear’s endcap to snatch away the blanket.

Tiara reflexively curled up into a fetal position at being so suddenly exposed to the chill of the late day air against her damp coat. That reaction made her guards snicker even more, which set her cheeks aflame. A scrap of defiance set her jaw and made her struggle to stand. Her numb left side protested her moves with sharp, needle-like sensations that traveled down and through her legs. Nevertheless, she persisted. Weak limbs were forced to work despite the prickly feelings and the wooden movement. At last, she stood face-to-face with her sneering guards.

“You had better watch yourself! Both of you,” Tiara snarled, “I am here because I abducted Princess Luna!”

“We know!” The purple guard scowled back.

“Do you expect us to be scared of you?” The red guard asked.

“Think about it, if there exists a brain between you,” Tiara snapped back,” if I will take on Princess Luna over some ill-treatment I received in order to get even with her, then how much more will I certainly get even with a couple of whinnying, bat-winged, nags who have to carry their pricks?”

Her noctala guards exchanged a disbelieving look at her insult, then faced her again with violent intent set on their faces. “You’re going to regret that!” The purple guard hissed. Both of them leveled their spears on Tiara.

“Aiiiya!” Tiara screamed and fell over backward, “Please don’t hurt me anymore!” Her noctala guards stood immobile in shock at her unexpected outburst.

“Alarm! Courtyard! You two, stay where you are!” A Palace Guard bellowed. A dozen guards surrounded them in short order.

Tiara had to cover her face with her hooves until she could smother her grin. The Palace Guards remained as hypervigilant as ever. “Please, don’t let them hurt me,” she wailed and crawled toward the nearest guard using her right legs only. “They kept prodding me with the butt-end of their spears. I-I tried to stand and move, but my left side is numb, and they just kept poking me. Then they turned their spears around. Please don’t let them hurt me!”

Her noctala guards went from angry to incensed and started forward. “Why you lying, little-"

Tiara cowered and screamed again the instant they moved which prompted four other Guards to jump in and restrain them.

“At ease!” A unicorn Palace sergeant commanded.

“She lies!”

“I said: At. Ease.” The Sergeant’s severe tone carried his warning so effectively that all present assumed the proper stance. “Did this pony in your charge attack you?”

“No, but she threatened us.” The purple guard answered.

“Did she threaten you physically? Or magically?” The Sergeant asked.

Her two guards glanced about nervously. “She said that she would get even with us.”

“Did she try to disarm either of you?”

“No, but, she also insulted us.” The purple guard answered.

The Sergeant looked like he was losing patience. “Are you telling me that your charge wakes up from magically induced sleep. Then she – unarmed and without provocation from you – makes a vague verbal threat that you found so troubling, that you both felt the situation demanded a response with deadly force?”

Both of her guards found something on the ground to stare at.

“I’ve heard enough. You two are relieved. Drop your weapons.”

Her now former guards glowered at Tiara, burning with their humiliation by her cunning trap. Reluctantly, they complied with the Sergeant’s orders and set down their spears.

The Sergeant turned to the Guard across from him. “Corporal, take these two into custody and keep them separate for questioning.”

The Corporal passed orders to the four Guards nearest him and the five of them led the noctalas away.

“You, on your hooves.” The Sergeant said to Tiara.

She stood up as quickly as she could manage, wobbling like a yearling taking their first steps, but she held her head up and looked the Sergeant in his hard, azurite-colored eyes.

“Do you have anything you wish to add?” He asked her.

Tiara nodded, and proceeded to tell him everything. The whole truth, including her threat as she remembered it, her insult, and how she used that to engineer the scene she created.

The Sergeant listened without interruption, scribbling continuously in a notebook as she related all of the details. And even for a minute or two longer after she had finished. “You are one crafty…mare.” He said, obviously omitting the profanity he wanted to say.

Tiara tried but couldn’t smother her grin this time.

He folded up his book. “I appreciate your honesty, but I would have rather not had this headache today.”

He looked her over with a head-to-hoof glance and wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I should remind you that you have a time limit. If you want to be somewhat presentable when you have to leave, you had better get your filthy hide in that tent.”

Tiara’s grin faded instantly. She hadn’t expected him to be so curt with her.

The Sergeant turned to another guard. “You and two others, escort this mare to that tent and stand post until relieved.” Then he walked away without another glance at her.

No longer feeling even a tiny bit smug over her victory, Tiara took stiff, graceless steps on her way to the tent, flanked by her new guards.

The tent she entered had been set up using the best appliances: a porcelain coated reclining bath filled with steaming water, a hammered gold washbasin atop an ornately carved ebony vanity, and a full length gold-framed mirror. Tiara almost spun around and left out of habit, for these accouterments were preserved for use by palace guests, VIP’s and occasionally by the Princesses themselves, but never for use by staff! Yet she knew Luna and the Sergeant had pointed to this tent specifically; there was no other. She stood there, just inside the tent flap pondering her options and her growing sense of uneasiness.

“Will you be using the bath, Miss?”

The voice from directly behind her caused Tiara to jump forward. “Goodness, Gigi!” Tiara turned with an embarrassed grin to the slightly shorter earth mare “You nearly startled me out of my skin.”

Gigi was everyponies affectionate nickname for Gleaming Glow; an elderly soft pink mare with an earth brown and rose red mane that were streaked with gray. Rumors circulated that the palace floors gained their ‘always wet’ shine only after she was hired by Princess Celestia some thirty years before she transferred to Princess Luna’s staff. The grandmotherly Gigi was Tiara’s first friend at the Palace and as such, she had heard many of Tiara’s complaints and had comforted her after especially difficult nights with Luna. The last time was about a year ago, the shift before Tiara decided to stop complaining and start plotting revenge.

Without bothering to acknowledge Tiara, Gigi gestured to the tub. “I’d recommend using the bath now, Miss, as that will allow me just enough time to get your undertail properly laundered before you must leave.” She sounded every bit the grandmother she was: tender, caring, and loving. Her tone almost matched the warm smile frozen on her face.

“Miss?” Tiara’s own smile faded at her formal, unfamiliar, address, “Gigi, don’t you recognize me?”

“You look familiar,” Gigi answered, “indeed, very similar to somepony that I thought I knew. But I remember her as a loyal and dedicated servant of Princess Luna. I don’t think that we have ever met before, Miss.”

Tiara felt her heart sink. “Gigi, I –"

“My name is Gleaming Glow, Miss,” Gigi interrupted, “and I’ll take your undertail to be laundered now.” She took the laundry bag from her back, opened it, and looked at Tiara with an expectant air.

Numbly, Tiara did as she was bidden. Her undertail dropped down her hind legs to the tent floor. She stepped back, captured it in a magical aura, and levitated it up between them. For a moment, she worked her jaw trying to think of something – anything – to say. Ever the professional servant, Gigi stood there silently wearing the same friendly mask with infinite patience.

Tiara gave up her search for words and put her garment in the bag. “I’m –"

“I’ll take this straight to the laundry now, Miss.” Gigi cut her off, picked up the laundry bag, and turned to leave.

“Thank you.” Tiara said without thinking.

Gigi stopped mid-step and turned her head, her mouth a thin line and her ears flattened back against her head. “You may keep your thanks,” she said, her voice noticeably bitter despite the sweet veneer, “I am here to serve Princess Luna.” Then she disappeared out the tent flaps.

Tiara collapsed back on her rump, certain that her heart had stopped beating. There was no doubt that she no longer had a friend in the whole world. Of course, she knew that she only had herself to blame. All the poor decisions that she made without considering the ramifications and their injurious effects on others alienated her and caused her oppressive loneliness.

She swallowed. A great painful lump in her throat refused to budge. She grit her teeth against the mounting pain wondered how she had been so blind. Yes, she had been mistreated, but nothing done to her came close to the evil she wrought. Her mind, recovering from all those dreamless nights of useless sleep, turned on her and accused her mercilessly. Stupid! Selfish! Idiotic! Evil! Hateful! The assault was brutal, and there was nowhere she could run.

Her vision blurred and she angrily tried to hold back her tears. They abandoned her anyway.

Gathering Strength

Marble remained at her secretary. Although he had been surprised at the volume of letters she had had for him to review, he did not act overwhelmed in the slightest, but immediately commandeered her writing desk and began reading the letters and taking notes on a legal pad she had stored there. So comfortable did he make himself in her study, that Luna took the opportunity to retire to her bed and catch up on the sleep she had been missing.

“Good evening, Princess. How are you feeling?” Marble greeted Luna as she entered the study.

“Fine,” Luna answered his common greeting with an equally common response, “and how art thou? Dost thou feel alert enough to accompany Us to the…” Luna faltered, and Marbles’ back and ears straightened to attention at the lasp. “Pardon me. My inquiry should be; has your devotion to this task all day compromised your ability to serve as a criminal psychologist tonight? Do you need more rest?”

“Not at all, Princess,” Marble swiveled on his chair to face her, “I took a brief nap on your wonderful couch after Gigi served me lunch. I assure you that I am up to strength and ready for this evening’s challenges.”

Luna glanced at her couch. Not surprisingly, it looked fresh and inviting just like it always had, with no indications that it had been used. A veteran like Gigi would have cleaned up his lunch tray, replaced and re-fluffed the pillows and cushions within minutes of his returning to work. She turned back to see Marble staring at her with his head craned slightly to one side.

“Are you having second thoughts? What are you feeling, Princess?” Marble asked.

“I said, I am fine.” Luna responded irritably. “I was asking about you.”

The corners of Marble’s mouth pulled back. “Princess, sometimes when I ask a question, it is not because I lack information you have, but because you need to voice the answer to clarify motivations or emotions for yourself.” Marble said, his normally even voice giving rare inflections on the words needing emphasis.

Luna bit back the angry retort that the Taint supplied her. It was predictable in its response whenever challenged. Marble’s mild rebuke filled her head with invectives, but her growing experience with handling the Taint gave her the edge and she ignored the internal howls to abusively belittle him. To spite the Taint she knelt down in front of Marble and shut her eyes tight.

Marble’s eyes widened and his ears shot up in alarm at Luna’s unexpected action and he dropped out of his seat to the floor.

“I suppose…” Luna whispered after a long thought, “I feel frightened.” She opened her eyes and looked at Marble, who nodded once in understanding. She sat up on her haunch and brought her fore hooves up before her face. “I have within my grasp the knowledge that I have desired for the past three years, and I am frightened to obtain it.” She unfolded and refolded her wings.

“It is not unusual to be apprehensive of the unknown, and of death.” Marble said. He slowly pushed himself up match Luna’s posture. “Many ponies also fear the truth. I once met a very powerful individual who abruptly left because I told her the truth about her as I saw it; just as I did to you. If you decide to pursue this matter no further, it will not mean you are any weaker than she.”

Luna met his eyes, his strong, lucid, empathic, eyes. Abruptly, she stood. “Will you accompany me to dinner before we leave?”

Marble stood and bowed his head. “I would be honored, Princess.”

“You are skilled in manipulation.” Luna said as she guided him through the halls to the dining room. “You knew I would jump at the chance to be better than my sister.” She looked over to Marble who shook his head.

“It wasn’t manipulation, Princess, I merely helped you make the decision you already wanted to make. And I didn’t say my powerful visitor was Princess Celestia.” He said with a sideways glance.

Luna smirked. “Indeed, you did not use her name.” Luna crossed in front of him at the doors to the dining room. “Did my sister truly meet with you and leave prematurely as you said?” She asked in a low conspiratorial voice.

Marble stiffened and laid his ears back, then he slowly nodded. “The first and only time I met with Princess Celestia was similar to my meeting with you, Princess. She had sought to meet me; I had no realistic expectation of meeting her, but I had been studying her as much as I could and was able to intuit much about her when we did meet. Just the same as I did with you. She left when my somewhat unsolicited assessment of her made her uncomfortable, but you stayed.”

Luna’s ears twitched thoughtfully. “When did you meet my sister?”

Marble shook his head. “That is information I don’t feel at liberty to give. I will tell you that it isn’t privileged information, but that is all that I am willing to say, Princess.”

She locked her eyes with his.

He didn’t flinch. “Unless, Princess, you are willing to tell me why you need to know, or what you hope to learn.”

She flattened her ears set her jaw.

“I know what you’re thinking, Princess, but I have no bias between you and Princess Celestia.” Marble sighed, flexing his wings. “Also, let me assure you that if Princess Celestia were to make inquiries of me about you, our time together, or what services I provided you, I would give her even less information without laying down the same conditions. You may not be my patient, but I am in your service. By moral and ethical standards that provides you some extra confidentiality. Lawyers and gossips may disagree, but we would all do well to avoid their company.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed as she studied him. A slow smile spread on her lips followed by relaxed ears and a curt nod. “Right this way, Doctor Marble.” She said and pushed open the doors.

“Please, it’s just, Marble, Princess.” Marble said just before he followed Luna into the dining room.

“Doctor Marble!” A reedy unicorn with a mane the color and appearance of corn silk excused himself from Princess Celestia and walked briskly over to Marble and Luna. He greeted Princess Luna properly and then proffered a hoof which Marble accepted. “I’m Doctor Verbose. I have to say that I’m so excited to finally meet you. I’ve been wanting to meet you since I read your book, “Listen With Your Eyes”. It is by far the best I have read on the subject of reading a pony’s non-verbal signs and separating visual tells from individual mannerisms. Your exhaustive list of non-verbal cues, and micro-expressions, and depth of detail on each, it’s all just amazing!"

“Yes, thank you,” Marble interjected when Doctor Verbose took a breath, it didn’t look like he was planning on stopping anytime soon, “I must say that the book you are referencing was written by Doctor Fountain Pen. I was one of his main contributors on the topics discussed in the book, but I can hardly claim that it is my work.”

“Ah, Doctor! You’re just being modest!” Verbose said with gleeful enthusiasm, “everypony knows Doctor Pen has found he is most successful at combing and compiling the expertise of others. His skill at organization and presentation makes him an excellent book writer, but it is clearly your knowledge on every page.”

“Yes, Doctor Verbose, it seems there is much for you and Marble to discuss over dinner,” Luna cut in impatiently and walked to her place at the table by Celestia, noticing before she sat that a fresh copy of Marble’s book lay on the table between them. “It is unfortunate that Marble and I must be leaving immediately after we eat.” She gave her sister a disapproving glare which she seemed to ignore. “Shall we begin?”

“Did you manage to get enough to eat?” Luna asked as easily as her stress level would allow as they made their way through the palace halls. Celestia’s unannounced dinner guest and his ensuing excited conversation with Marble had put them behind the schedule she had intended to keep. Now she felt like everything she said sounded irritable to the point of rudeness.

“Yes, Princess. Thank you,” Marble answered in his usual flat manner. He either didn’t seem to notice her tone or – more than likely – he had already read her level of anxiety and had expected it.

“Doctor Verbose had much he wanted to discuss.” Luna said without elaboration. She had been silent through dinner and she wondered if her sister would mention it later. Although to be fair, Verbose was concentrating on Marble to the same degree that she was ignoring him. There was no case for her being rude or impolite if Verbose didn’t bother to acknowledge her beyond his initial greeting. Still, she felt Celestia’s unspoken judgment over her behavior. Celestia had at least interjected a question or brief comment here and there.

“Doctor Verbose is well known in Psychiatry circles. I’m sure I’ll be getting requests to speak or invitations to seminars now.”

Luna glanced over, but Marble remained as unreadable as ever. “Why do you think my sister invited him?

Marble’s lower jaw worked back and forth a few times before he answered. “I have my opinion, but it may be colored by my bias with Princess Celestia.” He took a deep breath and looked around before answering her in a low voice. “I believe that Princess Celestia may have invited him to keep me occupied and unable to closely observe her.”

“Yes, that makes sense.” Luna agreed readily

“Yes it does, but it is also too simple an explanation.” Marble took another deep breath. “It could also be that her primary motivation was to ensure that I, your guest, had a conversational peer while I dined with the leaders of this land. Furthermore, inviting an additional guest who was a skilled conversationalist would serve to avoid awkward silences. And awkward silences were a near certainty tonight, as I’m sure there were many topics that would be in the fore of all of our thoughts. But none of those topics made for polite dinner conversation, nor were they subjects that you wished to dwell upon. Am I correct, Princess?”

Luna reluctantly nodded.

“Still another possibility is that she invited him because she wished to do me a favor for this service I am providing you. Doctor Verbose is most assuredly going to be making the rounds telling every colleague he can about his dinner at the palace with both princesses; truthfully, who wouldn’t. Then the fact that I was there will arise, as will our subsequent discussion about that book. It will appear to all that Princess Celestia and yourself invited me and him to dinner specifically to discuss my recent work. As a result, he will in effect be advertising for me and I will never have to say a word.” Marble paused. “Have you given much thought about how you will repay me for what I am doing, Princess?”

Luna felt her face flush. “I – I know I have not brought up the subject of payment with you, but I never thought that I would leave you uncompensated.”

“I know that you didn’t, Princess, and I didn’t agree to work for you because of how I might benefit. I am only pointing out that Princess Celestia has very intelligently made the most out of one dinner invitation. She could have invited one of many socialites in Canterlot who would keep conversation flowing and thus keep me sufficiently distracted, but she didn’t. She sought out and invited a psychiatrist familiar with my expertise, one who is respected in the community, one who is known to stay current on relevant literature, and one who is inclined to circulate information amongst his peers.”

“I understand.” Luna’s head dropped and she heaved a great sigh. “She’s brilliant.”

Marble looked at Luna. “She has a millennia more experience in these matters than you, Princess. I’m certain that when she first assumed her leadership role, she was clumsily muddling her way through social events, politics, and diplomacy.”

Luna raised her head slightly, enough that her crown rose above her shoulder. “Perhaps, but I doubt that I’ll ever be like her.”

“You won’t be.” Marble said, drawing an astonished glare from Luna. “You won’t ever be like her, Princess, and she will never be like you. For, you will excel in areas where she falters, and you will learn where your own deficits lie and how to compensate for them, just like she did. You will have challenges and you will meet them. You will make mistakes and you will learn from them. You will experience great successes and because of that, you will know what it is like to have ponies clambering around to rejoice with you. Yes, Princess Luna, you will know what it is like to be loved by the common ponies.

“Just as the moon should not be judged by how it shines during the day, nor the sun at night, you should not judge yourself based upon Princess Celestia. Your constant self-recriminations whenever Princess Celestia does something brilliant are destructive and need to stop. Allow yourself a chance to learn. You have had less than four years’ experience, but she has had over 250 times that amount! No reasonable comparison can ever be made between you.

“Princess, you shine in your way and you are brilliant in your own way. You are Princess Luna: The Princess of the Moon, the Dame of Dreams. In your realm resides the muse of poets, the inspiration of artists, the flights of fantasy, and the passion of lovers. Tell me, Princess, have you ever considered the possibility that your sister may envy you just as much as you envy her?”

Luna had to blink away her surprise. Marble stood facing her and she had no idea when they had stopped walking. Furthermore, she never expected that Marble had this many words in him at one time. “No.” She finally answered when her shock had worn off.

Marble stepped closer. “Can you think of an instance when Princess Celestia praised something that you did? It might have been something that you felt was simple, or insignificant.”

An instance immediately sprang to mind. Celestia had voiced her approval of her dealings with her abductors using dreams that morning. “Yes,” Luna answered, “yes she has.” She felt the corners of her mouth lift.

Marble smiled. “Remember that.” He stepped to the side and bowed. “After you, Princess.”

In the past half day she had slept soundly for nine hours on the soft, bluegrass turf of the palace courtyard, bathed with the finest soaps and conditioners, rubbed with the best lotions, and supped on gourmet fare fit for a princess, yet Tiara still felt tired and worn like she had been run ragged and driven hard. She suppressed a belch as she stood by the chariot landing with her guards. These two didn’t antagonize her, but they had rushed her to finish her meal within her allotted hour. In typical military fashion, all that haste and hurry to meet her deadline meant that she and her guards now had plenty of time to stand at their appointed spot and wait solemnly for their next order to move.

Both of her guards were noctala mares again. The one in front and off to her right was a dusky orange with dark tips; the one behind her was either a blackish pink or a pinkish black, Tiara hadn’t gotten a good enough look to decide which color was predominate. So far as she had seen, drab and dark colors were the norm among the noctala. It was enough to make her wonder if part of the reason for the noctala’s dower expressions and nasty dispositions was due to their generally somber coloring. She chanced a peek back at her second guard. “Eyes, front!” The guard snapped angrily. Tiara immediately returned to a forward stare. Nope. All the bright-sunny yellow or cotton-candy pink in Equestria wouldn’t improve that guard’s disposition; her bitterness ran bone-deep.

With little else to do, Tiara looked over to the tiny sliver of golden sun setting behind the distant hills, leaving in its wake a purple and coral sky. At any moment Princess Luna would show up to raise the moon and then they would be on their way… Tiara shivered, but she wasn’t cold. She looked back to the sun, willing it to stay even as it slipped out of sight.

“Colors!” An officer shouted, followed by a bugler playing the beautiful but haunting notes of The Day is Done. Tiara looked up to the flagpole and watched as the lavender daytime standard with the Equestrian emblem showing Celestia ascending was reverently lowered to the waiting guards who ceremoniously received and folded it with efficient and precise movements. Then the white nighttime standard with the Equestrian emblem inverted to show Luna ascending was attached to the rope leads and the officer took a deliberate step back and saluted. The bugler then launched into the happy melody, A Little Ray of Moonlight and the guards briskly raised Luna’s standard to the top and secured the rope. Princess Luna was now the ruler of Equestria until morning. The officers of the formations present called for a salute and immediately the right forehoof of every guard shot up to the edge of their brow in one quick and neat motion. The bugler paused a few seconds after he had finished before he blew the ten notes – nine short and one long – the signal for Carry On and the end of this ceremony. All guards present cut their salutes and returned to their duties.

Tiara had often heard the bugler’s daily recitals marking the changing of the standards, although only faintly through the palace walls. She, along with all palace staff would stand at respectful attention for the duration of this short ceremony, which took place every sunrise and every sunset. This flag changing ritual happened at the palace and at all government offices and military bases throughout Equestria marking the simple and peaceful transitions of power between the sisters. It seemed strange to her now, after her three years of service in the palace, that this was the first time she had witnessed the actual changing of the standards.

While working at the palace, she had directly served the heads of a system of government that was unique among the nations. Only Equestria had such selfless and wise rulers that sought to peaceably share their authority, knowledge, and experience in order to bring prosperity to all. Her chest swelled up from inside her as the nighttime Equestrian standard caught a breeze and fluttered luminously in the focused beams of the sun-charged glow stones and the much newer and brighter electric spotlights. The pure white background glowed as brightly and beautifully as a full moon. For three years, she had directly served these leaders; a rare privilege and honor that was surely envied by many ponies.

Then, just as quickly as her pride had come, it vanished. Her blood ran cold with the remembrance of what she had plotted. Princess Luna truly had been overbearing and difficult, but now she could clearly see her abduction plot for the ludicrously disproportionate response it was.

Her thoughts turned to her teammates, her co-conspirators; the ones she had convinced to follow her in her audacious but ultimately foolhardy plan. There was a trial and a darkened future awaiting all of them because of her. Thunder Run, Brass Hammer, but mostly she thought of Millstone, who had been with her the longest, and who had been the most loyal to her, and at the end had been the one most hurt by her. Clear as life, she could still see the pain that etched into his face when he realized how much of what she had told him had been a lie. And then his pain had morphed into rage – rage that had been focused at her. She shivered. It was a spectacle she hoped to never witness again. How she wished she could take it all back.

“Is this our suspect?” An ocean blue earth mare wearing a badge and detective credentials hung around her neck walked in front of her and eyed her up and down. Neither of the guards answered or acknowledged the blue, badge wearing mare with the sea-green mane that faded to yellow at the tips. Annoyed, the blue mare squared up on her guard. “I asked you a question, Corporal.”

The orange noctala guard stared down at her. “And who are you?”

“Carry On, Captain of the Canterlot law enforcement division and a senior member of the Equestrian Special Crimes Unit in Manehattan; currently here on special assignment at the personal request of Princess Luna.” Carry On rattled off professionally and raised her identification up to the guard’s eye level and waited until the guard looked back at her. “Now, answer my question, Corporal.”

The orange noctala had straightened up at the sound of Luna’s name and remained standing at attention. “Yes, Ma’am. My charge is being detained as a suspect of a crime, the nature of which is confidential.”

“Thank you. At ease, Corporal.” Carry On said and side-stepped closer to Tiara to peer around the guard. “Cadets, school formation, in front of me. Move!” Then she performed an about-face.

Eight ponies clad in cadet gray uniforms scurried around the guards and formed a half-moon in front of Carry On.

“When you get out into the field, remember; never let the appearance of your suspect lead you astray.” Carry On said and pointed to Tiara’s dusky-orange colored noctala guard. “Never assume that your suspect may be dark in complexion.” She moved her hoof to point at the leathery wings. “Or have exotic and intimidating features.” She pointed to the guards face, “or wear a permanent scowl.” The orange guard rolled her eyes. Tiara lowered her hoof. “Or be a stallion. Your suspect will be any color, race, and gender, and will be working in any occupation.”

Carry On shifted to Tiara. “This is our suspect!” She said severely and stabbed a hoof at Tiara. “A peach and yellow unicorn mare that had been working here at the palace!”

Tiara stared at her hooves.

“What lesson can we learn from this?” Carry On asked her class.

“Always follow where the evidence leads!” The class answered loudly.

Carry On smiled. “Always follow where the evidence leads, excellent.”

“My compliments, Captain,” a female voice said. All eyes turned to the speaker. Princess Luna and Marble walked up to the group. “I like what I hear.”

The guards and Carry On assumed the position of attention and saluted, but the cadets vibrated in nervous indecision as to how to respond to Princess Luna’s sudden appearance until Cadet Bloodsight – the albino noctala – threw himself prostrate. The rest of the cadets then followed his example.

“At ease,” Luna said, allowing all to cut their salutes and the students to get back to their hooves. “Cadets,” Luna said and stepped closer. The cadets shuffled into a tight school formation around her. “Your instructor has told me that your collective performance is exemplary. Because of her faith in your abilities, I have decided to entrust unto you a case of special import to me. I expect you all to perform to her expectations, as you have been taught.” Luna scanned all of their eager faces. “Are you able to meet her expectations?”

“Yes, Princess!” The cadets enthusiastically replied.

“Very well,” Luna couldn't refrain from smiling at their energy and determined faces.

“Captain Carry On, you will take your class to the lead chariot. When we arrive, all of us will take our orders from you.”

“Yes, Princess!” Carry On saluted. "Class 177, form up and follow me!”

Tiara could feel Luna’s stare beating down on her, but she continued to stare at the ground. “Yes, Princess?” She finally said.

“I have given the pathfinder noctala instructions to fly to your house. Is that truly where Silver Chalice lies?” Luna asked.

Tiara nodded. “Yes, Princess.”

“Then let us be off.”

Tell Me

With the re-emergence of the noctalas three years ago and their subsequent integration into the Palace Guard, Luna had felt free to allow any pegasi assigned to her guard to transfer. The noctala leaders had proudly declared that noctalas were just as capable as pegasi. A bit naively, she had accepted their affirmations on faith and assumed that they could fill any pegasus role and seamlessly replace all pegasi who were transferring to shifts during daylight hours. Unfortunately, that decision soon proved ill-informed and it’s timing premature. For while it was true that noctalas were amazing flyers, they could not replace pegasi pony-for-pony at every task. Drawing chariots and tasks involving heavy lifting especially highlighted their shortcomings. Pegasi in general were faster, had greater endurance, ascended more rapidly, and carried much more weight before being encumbered than the typical noctala. The one advantage noctalas held over pegasi was maneuverability, and they had that in spades. No pegasus could hope to out maneuver a noctala. They could literally fly circles around any pegasus that tried following them through turns; there was no contest nor debate in that arena. But exceptional maneuverability wasn’t a quality highly prized for chariot work.

Eight noctalas labored at the task of hauling Carry On, her cadets, and a few necessary bags in the largest of the palace chariots. Leathery wings beat at the air and fought for speed and altitude all the way down the runway. They narrowly cleared the railing and then slowly clawed their way skyward. Two more noctalas pulling a much smaller chariot that held only Tiara and her two guards followed the first on a slightly higher, less cringe-worthy, flightpath.

Nevertheless, the sight caused Luna to examine the two noctalas that were hitched to her chariot waiting for the order to take off. Their rippling flight muscles confidently advertised strength enough for the task, but flight didn’t depend solely upon muscle power. All of the advantages that pegasi enjoyed over noctalas could be attributed to most obvious difference: Feathered wings. Pegasi had them, but noctalas didn’t. Muscles were necessary to a degree - and the bulging masses were definitely attractive to behold - but right now, Luna wished that she could see feathers.

“Charioteers,” Luna prepared to give the order to move.

“One moment, Princess.” Marble interrupted.

Luna quickly cast a silence spell over them to prevent what she was about to say from being overheard. “There’s no need to fear, Marble, should our charioteers fail, you and I can both fly clear.”

“I have no doubt,” Marble replied at once, “that’s not why I asked you to stop, Princess,” He tilted his head toward the palace. “Princess Celestia has arrived.”

Luna looked up to see her sister walking out toward the landing. Their eyes met, and Celestia stopped. Luna turned away. “We need to leave now to keep up with our party.”

Marble hopped down from the chariot. “With all due respect, Princess, I will not stand by while you sabotage your newly won rapport with your sister.”

Luna’s brow knotted at his incongruent statement. “What are you talking about?”

“When you came to me this morning, I could tell that you had recently experienced a life-affirming event. I have come to believe that Princess Celestia was a major part of it. Am I correct?”

Luna sighed then nodded. “My sister and I had a heart-to-heart talk and bonded this morning.”

Marble’s eyes widened. “This morning? Then after you slept for a few hours, you wake up to find that Princess Celestia took some initiative and now you’re avoiding her?”

Her ears reverberated with the Taint’s howl for violence and Luna’s vision went red. “You don’t understand!” She said through clenched teeth and her tail snapped in angry arcs. “She does this all the time! And every time I’ve tried to talk to her about it, she justifies her actions and I end up feeling petty or unreasonable.”

“I think I do understand, quite well. I have seen these same problems in many relationships, Princess. It’s not uncommon. Your long lifespans and your leadership roles are probably amplifying the issue. However, avoiding confrontation is worse than heated exchanges. You need to talk with her.”

“And I shall,” Luna said resolutely, “after I get back.”

“I strongly recommend that you talk about it now. After all, Princess Celestia is here; she has made the first overture. I’m certain that she knows that you are angry, but she is standing there waiting, wanting to be here for you. Do you really want to be the one that slaps away the olive branch and widens the divide between you?”

Luna’s nostrils flared and her ears laid back flat against her head. “Fine!” She grumbled angrily and jumped down from the chariot. “Are you not coming?”

Marble pursed his lips. “I would, but first I would have to obtain Princess Celestia’s permission, then have her sign the necessary agreements, statements, and wavers, and then do a comprehensive background on her, which – considering her age – may take me the better part of three years. Finally, somepony is going to have to bring out a couch for each of you and one comfy chair for me. And I haven’t even mentioned the extra complications for billing: Group therapy, out-of-office therapy, after-hours fees…” Marble let his voice trail off and shook his head. “For expediency, it’s probably best if you went by yourself.”

Luna stared at him, her ears askew, “did you just make – a joke?”

“If you found humor in it, then yes. I did.”

A smile appeared till she started again toward her sister and froze. “Marble, I fear that our conversation will again devolve to argument. I will not contend with my sister in public.”

Marble slid up next to her. “Very good. This is how you should start your conversation: ‘Celestia, when you took that action; it made me feel this way’. Be as specific and descriptive as you can.”

Luna worked her jaw back and forth. “Is that all?”

“Yes. Tell her specifically what her actions made you feel.” Marble confidently reiterated, but Luna frowned, unconvinced. “Give it a try, Princess,” Marble encouraged her, “if you feel like you are losing control, then excuse yourself, embrace her, and leave with a promise to talk again later. But it’s important for you to let her know what you feel and to give her a chance to understand your position while the events are fresh in your minds. Both of you have expressed the desire for a better relationship, so take the next step.”

Luna inhaled, pulled her chin up, and walked straight to her older sister, who loomed larger and larger with every step. Icy pinpricks spread over her and her mouth went dry. Too soon they were face to face and not a word came to her mind.

“You’re upset with me.” Celestia stated. Luna felt herself nod. “I only took actions that would serve to build your reputation. I did nothing that would undermine your authority or sovereignty.”

Luna bristled and clenched her jaw. “Thou chose to invite a guest for my guest to dinner without consulting me. How dost thou claim no breach of our sovereignty?”

“Am I not free to invite guests to dinner?”

Luna stamped her hoof “Yea, sister, thou art always able to make defense of thy actions as reasonable, wise, and unselfish. Tis a shame how ungrateful we are!” she snarled.

“When did I say that you were being ungrateful?”

“Wilt thou cease thy inquisition!” Luna demanded, too loudly, and she pressed her lips into a thin line. “We refuse to speak anymore on this matter. We must depart.” She said, and abruptly turned and trotted away.

Marble stood blocking her access to the chariot. “We tried. Now stand aside so we may depart.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t do as I instructed, Princess. You must tell her what her actions made you feel. Do not debate her. Go back and try again.”

She glared at him, but he didn’t fade or wilt. “Board our chariot or remove thyself at once!” she demanded.

“No.” he said.

“We are in no mood to suffer insolence!” Luna seethed.

“I am not being insolent,” Marble interrupted, “I am helping you. You want to repair your relationship with your sister; you have two options. First, try therapeutic dialog – speaking with her the way I instructed – your other option is to go back, embrace her, and promise to talk with her again on your return. Either way, the best chance you have at repairing and strengthening your relationship with your sister involves you returning to her before we leave.”

Predatory howls and violent images filled her head; the Taint demanded action. The sensation and intensity was the same as that night a millennia ago, however, her memory effectively nullified the taint's allure. She banished the thoughts and took a quick breath. "When you obstruct me and fail to acknowledge and obey me as your Princess, I feel great anger.”

“Good application of my instruction, Princess.” Marble nodded approval. “However, when you choose to forget that our relationship is based on equality and mutual respect, I feel that my time is being wasted with senseless powerplays.”

“My sister is right to avoid you.” Luna groused at Marble but inwardly exulted at her victory over the Taint. For all the dragonesque power it had mere moments ago, she had just shouldered it aside like a painted stage prop.

“I’ll wait here for you to realize and express your gratitude for my obstruction, Princess.” Marble said.

Luna pinched up her cheeks and faced her sister. Prospects for victory in this arena seemed far less promising. Her sister loomed ahead: Bright, Beautiful, Powerful. More adjectives sprang to mind unbidden the closer she got. Superlatives surrounded her sister like her aura. She was too high, too mighty, and too perfect. She was Celestia of the Sun, Firstborn, The Wise and Benevolent Leader of Equestria. Luna also knew what descriptors would surround her, and they were not glowing, nor flowery.

Her sister didn't say anything. Their eyes remained locked and their silence stretched out, Celestia knew how to be patient. Whether she liked it or not, Luna had to open the dialog. Her instructions were simple, but here, face-to-face with her sister, she struggled to recall the formula. "When you made the dinner invitation that was by right mine to make, I felt my sovereignty violated."

"Did I fail to make myself clear? All that I did was intended for your benefit." Celestia explained, sounding completely sincere and innocent, to Luna's great irritation.

Luna first struggled to clamp down her angry retort, then after the wave of anger passed, she worked to un-clench her jaw so she could reply. "When you refuse to acknowledge how your actions make me feel, I feel marginalized."

"Would you have preferred awkward silences at dinner? Or the possibility that your actions have left the Palace a debtor to Marble leaving him to feel used, resentful, and less inclined to assist you in the future?"

Luna's hackles rose and her vision blurred. A sea of unexpected emotions rose and threatened to overwhelm her, and there, just within reach lay the Taint offering its treacherous hand. She fought to keep her focus on the formula. "When you justify yourself and your actions, I feel patronized."

Celestia's jaw worked up and down, but she was silent. She closed her mouth. "I'm listening, Luna."

It was the moment that Luna had dreamed of, when her sister would just stop and listen, but she found herself full of emotion and empty of means to coherently communicate. It was uniquely infuriating. She wiped her eyes, then hated that she had to do that. Celestia stood quietly, knowing from her experience to be patient. That didn't comfort Luna much, despite it being exactly what she wanted and needed; it was just another example of her perfect sister being perfect, and that fact chafed. Nevertheless, she pulled her thoughts together.

"I know that you are trying to help me. I know that." Luna began, her voice quivering more than she wanted, "I believe that you want the best for me, but I also feel that you are preventing me from becoming a fully competent princess and leader." Celestia blinked twice. Luna continued. "We both acknowledged that 'Experience makes a harsh schoolmaster', but by taking the initiatives that you do, you make me look competent without allowing me any of the confidence or competence that working through the situation myself would have allowed. I will always be eclipsed by you if this continues. And the resentment I feel will be a constant thorn between us."

"You do see that, Don't you?" Luna entreated. Celestia bit her lip. "I know that it will be painful, I know that it will be embarrassing, and I know that it may have great costs to the palace and our reputations in the short term, but I can't learn these lessons any other way.

"Please, sister, as you do with your students, and let me...be."

Celestia took a breath and glanced about the tarmac. "When I finally succeeded in consolidating Equestria, I concentrated on the affairs of the new state and left you on your own to find your own path and place. You became resentful and rebelled." A hind hoof tapped an uneven rhythm and her ears splayed in all directions. "Now it sounds to me like you are asking me to do the very same thing that drove us apart so long ago."

Luna closed her eyes, "I hear your apprehension, and I admit that I am probably asking for too much." Luna stared over to the moon. "If you did exactly what I just asked, I am likely to resent you again for not intervening when a situation of mine goes badly wrong." She looked back at her sister. "I'm sorry I'm not easy, and I'm sorry that managing our relationship causes you such pain."

Celestia chuckled once, two tears raced down her cheeks. "I willingly choose the pain of having you in my life, Luna. I'm sorry that I have not discovered a happy medium with you in all these years. I built an empire when what I needed was a sister."

"We will figure it out, sister." Luna stepped forward. "We have the time."

Celestia winced, squeezing out two more tears. "I don't know what I feel when we are apart, Luna, but it isn't pleasant. Please, never again leave without saying goodbye."

Luna pushed forward, pressing her neck against her sister. Celestia eagerly hooked her chin over Luna's withers and pulled her in tight. "I hope to be back by morning, Celly. I will send word if anything changes."

Celestia sniffed and nodded, releasing her. "You need to find your answers, and you need to be on your own. I will do my best to honor your needs."

"And I will do my best to honor yours. It was wrong of me to try to leave so abruptly. I'm sorry."

"Forgiven." Celestia wiped her dampened cheeks. "Will you send me to bed?"

Luna smiled. She breathed on her sister, ending by giving her nose a light kiss. "Celestia, I command thee to go to bed, sleep, and dream."

Celestia inhaled Luna's flowery breath and swooned, a faint smile on her lips. "Thank you."

"Good bye for now, Celly. You will see me when you wake."

The two sisters parted, each going their way, but each looked back before leaving.

Questions and Answers

Luna wasn't happy. She had tried to get her answers, even kicked off the interrogation with the first question. However, Officer Carry On seemed committed to asking non-related questions and following tangents. And now her contributions were verbally smacked aside. She was contemplating calling for a temporary halt until the cadet known as Bloodsight gestured to them from the back door of the cottage, behind and out-of-sight of Tiara Dreams.

Marble moved closer as Tiara began emotionally relating her medical school woes and at that moment Luna felt Carry On nudge her under the table. At her subtle prompt, Luna followed Officer Carry On outside. “We are most displeased with thee,” Luna’s eyes flashed white-hot. “Thou wilt-

“That’s fine!” Carry On wheeled about and faced the angry alacorn. “I’m not pleased with you either.”

Luna had been anticipating giving Carry On a thorough dressing-down for her behavior, but now she stood stock still, taken aback by the diminutive pony’s riposte. Even the Taint’s opportunistic howl for violence at any confrontation was struck dumb.

“Are we in your Palace, Princess? Do I interrupt you while you are working? Did I study to do your job? Do I give you suggestions on how to do your job?” Carry On rapid-fired rhetorically, “because right now, that is my workspace-" she thrust her hoof at the house they just exited "-and you are interrupting me. If you want to be present for the interrogation, you are going to have to accept who is in charge and not interrupt her while she is doing the very job that you asked her to do. Are we clear?”

Before Luna could respond, two noctala stallions dropped down from the black sky immediately to Carry On’s left side. Their countenances were fierce and they growled menacingly with their spears pointed at the ready.

“What are you doing here?” Carry On turned to the intruders. “Do you think that Princess Luna is so weak that she can’t handle me without you two showing up and waving your pricks? - Carry On brushed aside their spears and stepped up to the guards - Get back to your posts!”

The two guards drew back and snarled, their spears again leveled and aimed for her heart. Then Carry On heard Luna give an order in the noctala tongue. It sounded to her to be mostly the noises of a mouth forming words and a whoosh of air, with only the slightest hints of squeaks followed by a far-away sounding shriek, but it was fully understood by those facing her. Immediately the guard’s wings flared in response; they took to the air and disappeared.

Carry On turned back to Luna. “The reason I asked you to come out here is because I saw a signal from one of my cadets. I need to confer with them and after that, with Marble. Do you have anything to say to me before I do this?”

Luna opened her mouth, found she had nothing to say, closed it, and shook her head.

Carry On walked out to the woodpile, had a brief conversation with Cadet Bloodsight, then went straight back to the house, where she waited at the door. A short time later, she and Marble walked up to her. “Am I okay to proceed, Princess?”

Luna nodded once.

“Good. Follow me.”

She led Luna to a tent that had been erected and connected to the large woodpile. The tent side facing the woodpile had been rolled up to allow access. Bright lantern-light shone out from the gaps and snippets of cadet conversation, solemn and serious, leaked out.

Luna stopped, her eyes locked on the tent. She could not take another step. She could not even breathe. Carry On and Marble took two more steps before they noticed, stopped, and turned.

Carry On walked up to Luna. “It's really not necessary for you to go inside, Princess. Why don't you stay here? I’ll just be a moment.” She said quietly.

Luna nodded.

She watched them go inside the tent. The conversation between Carry On, Marble, and her cadets was audible, but Luna turned her ears so that she couldn’t hear. After the passing of a few minutes that seemed an hour-long, Carry On exited, loaded with very dusty saddlebags. A female cadet followed right behind and hustled to be properly at her left and a half-step behind. The rest of the cadets and Marble formed up behind them. Together, they walked up to where Luna waited.

“We have uncovered a body,” Carry On said. She took a breath that she didn’t need but felt that the few words she had just used were weighty enough to have exhausted her. She wanted all of her class there to witness the part of the job that was the most difficult, the most trying, but was not part of the curriculum. Telling those who anxiously wait for resolution to their deepest fears always felt heavy and exhausting. It was, perhaps, the second most important part of the job. “We believe it is the body of Silver Chalice.”

The words washed over Luna, when she had expected their weight to knock her down. She knew, again, the fate of Silver Chalice. She kept expecting the truth of it to hit her hammer-like and force her to her knees. However, each expected sledgehammer revelation assaulted her consciousness with the intensity of falling leaves. It was her own lack of intense reaction that bothered her the most.

Carry On waited patiently. Her and her whole class stood silent and still. Luna exhaled, only then had she realized that she had been holding her breath. “We thank thee for…” She let her voice trail off. Everything she could think to say at that moment seemed silly or meaningless.

“Princess, May I introduce Cadet Serenity,” Carry On said, prompting the female cadet to her left to step forward. “She has an offer that I think you should hear.”

Cadet Serenity nervously bowed. “Good evening, Princess, um, I’m sorry for… I uh…” She stopped talking and squeezed her eyes shut. Her whole face pinched together in concentration. “I used to work in a mortuary as a hairdresser and cosmetician. I don't know what… I don’t think that you should see her as she... “ She looked up at Luna and took a deep breath. “Please let me try to help her appear as she wanted to be seen. Before you go in there...”

“We- I accept thy offer. I thank thee for thy service and am in thy debt.” Luna answered.

Carry On nodded and dismissed her cadets. “Marble, are you ready to continue?”

He walked up to Luna and stood by her. “Yes, I’m ready.”

“I’m ready too,” Luna said when Carry On looked at her, “and I shall abide by thy directives.”

Tiara Jolted at the sound of the door opening. Luna, Marble, and Carry On filed back into her house and dropped a set of dusty saddlebags unceremoniously on the table. Tiara recognized them, though she hadn’t seen them for years. They each then took their previous seats across from her. Tiara had recovered from her earlier breakdown, but she didn’t feel ready to continue. However, she was certain that her feelings on that matter didn’t apply.

“It’s late afternoon, you hear a knock,” Carry On said, “take us through what happened next.”

Tiara swallowed. “I opened the door to see a pony in obvious pain. Though what I suppose was more shocking to me at that moment was how closely we resembled each other: our features, our eyes, our coloring was similar, even our manes were styled similarly. Granted, her coat was pink, while mine is peach, and she had a silver streak in her mane, and I had lemon, but were so nearly twins. It was like opening the door to a mirror.” Tiara smiled at the recollection.

“And then?” Carry On prodded.

“She made known her injury and asked for help. I helped her my couch, but that wouldn’t do. It was too worn out. She practically got swallowed by it. So I fetched my spare cot and made it up by the door.” Tiara heard Marble’s pencils busily scratching away at his notepads again and she turned to look.

“Why make her wait? Why not take her to your bed?” Carry On asked to focus Tiara’s attention back to her.

“Have you ever tried to support a limping pony through a narrow, bedroom door?” Tiara retorted. “Setting up the cot was just as quick. And it allowed me to soak her injury in an ice bath.”

Carry On looked around the small room and at the door. It was the only place for a spare bed and an injured pony. “You set up her bed there, and then what?”

“I fetched my metal tub, filled it with water and all the ice I had, and set her leg in it.”

“Was it at this point that you fed her?”

Tiara shook her head. “No, she was in too much pain. I gave her a bottle of laudanum and ran out to fetch her saddlebags.” Tiara poked the dusty bags on the table. “These saddlebags.”

“And then?”

“She was now relaxed enough for me to more properly assess her injuries. I didn’t look at how much laudanum she had taken. I was too focused on trying to diagnose her injury.” Tiara dropped her head. “I knew diagnoses was out of my purview, but I was certain that she shouldn’t travel. Despite my assertions, she expressed vehemently that she didn’t want an ambulance and that she had medical resources at the palace. She just had to get to the palace”

Carry On frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

Tiara looked directly at Carry On’s disapproving glare. “I know. But that is what she insisted. I thought I might be able to change her mind if I could convince her of the severity of her injury in the morning after the pain medication had worn off.”

A sudden conclusion crossed Carry On’s mind. “When did you kill Silver Chalice?”

“That evening.”

“What?” Luna exclaimed, then covered her mouth apologetically.

“Please explain.” Carry On asked without acknowledging Luna’s interjection. Then she began digging into Silver’s saddlebags.

“She had taken nearly half of the bottle before I recognized her inebriation and took it from her. I should have noticed sooner, but I got distracted by her constant talk about her new job, which she made sound so interesting. She was going on and on about her new job at the palace and how she couldn’t wait to get there. She said her Pen-Pony friend got her the job and she couldn't wait to meet her. She kept saying it was like ‘a fairytale’ and a ‘literal dream come true’. Those were her exact words, 'a literal dream come true'. She just couldn't wait to get to the palace.”

Luna made a sound like a suppressed sneeze. Marble handed her a new travel pack of tissues that she quickly opened and put to use.

“Continue.” Carry On directed while she examined a bottle and a piece of paper that she had pulled out of the pack.

“I served the soup; by then I was famished. However, she wanted to leave when I tried to get her to eat- I guess she didn't care for dandelions -but I insisted that she had to eat something at that point. I knew she had overdosed, so I wasn’t going to take my attention off her. I told her I wasn’t going to let her leave until morning and I was prepared to stay up all night.” Tiara stopped. She took a deep breath. “I saw her lay face-down in her pillow. I saw it and knew it wasn’t good. I told her to keep her head to the side, but she complained that her neck was hurting and she just wanted to do it for a minute to relieve the pain.” Tiara shook her head, “I let her. Even though I knew the danger. I let her do it anyway. I was tired of fighting her and I thought it wouldn’t matter, but she was dead by morning.”

"You were tired of fighting, or just tired?"

Tiara rolled her eyes. "Does it matter?"

“Your answer determines the relevance. It's my job to ask the questions," Carry On gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm tired of you asking that, so maybe I'll cut to the chase! How about I start asking you all the questions that I believe you think matter!” Carry on stood and leaned in on Tiara. “Did you smother Silver Chalice? Did you physically hold her or restrain her while she slept?

“No, but I-”

“Did you give her more laudanum after you determined that she was inebriated?”

“No, but-”

Carry On was in her face now, yelling questions. “Did you administer any other medication? Did you want her dead?”

“No! No, I didn’t!”

“Then what makes you think that you killed her?!”

Tiara shot to her hooves, knocking her sitting pad across the room and slammed her hoof on the table. “Because I knew better! Because I allowed her to overdose! Because I was practicing medicine without a license! Because I fell asleep!” She collapsed back, landing solidly on her rump. “Because I fell asleep!” she angrily wiped her eyes. "She was my responsibility and she died because I fell asleep!"

Tiara couldn't stand their looking at her. She wanted to run and hide, but knew that option was denied her. She rolled to the floor, buried her face in her hooves and wept. "I fell asleep. I fell asleep."

Carry On sat back down on her seat and sighed. Marble passed Tiara tissues. After giving her the time necessary to compose herself and pick herself off the floor, Carry On lifted her coffee mug and drained it. “You mentioned coffee. Were you a coffee drinker before Silver Chalice arrived?”

Tiara sniffed and nodded.

“Did you ever fall asleep, before or since, after drinking coffee like you did that night?” Carry On asked gently.

“No,” Tiara answered after a moment of thought.

“Did you make the coffee that you drank that night?”

Tiara blinked. “No,” She answered like she hadn't realized that fact until just then. “I didn’t. She had. She did it while I was emptying her bedpan.”

Marble sighed heavily at that moment and shook his head. “Did it taste unusual?”

“Why, yes!” Tiara answered, clearly surprised, “She said she made it strong for me, but I remember that it didn’t quite taste strictly like strong coffee. How’d you know?”

Carry On pushed the pill bottle and receipt that she had found in the saddlebag across the table. “Take a good look at these.”

Tiara picked up the bottle. “Prescription sleeping pills.” She picked up the receipt, and at a glance the date leapt off of it and into her consciousness. “She bought this the day before…”

“Count them.” Carry On ordered and reached into the saddlebags and rummaged around while she did.

Tiara spilled them out on the table. “twenty-four-" She picked up the pill bottle and examined the label "-Out of...thirty.” Her brows narrowed. “That can’t be right for a day-old prescription.”

“Do you recognize this?” Carry On set a dark bottle on the table that she had found stuffed into a thick jacket’s sleeve. The bottle was about half-empty.

Tiara jumped up again. “There it is! That’s my bottle of laudanum!” She exclaimed. “Where did you find it?”

Luna now closed her eyes and shook her head.

Tiara looked perplexed. “What?”

Carry On sighed. “Tiara, you didn’t make the pot of bad tasting coffee, you don’t normally sleep after drinking coffee, six sleeping pills are missing from a prescription bottle, and your missing painkiller is in the pack of the person who just wanted you to let her leave. What does that tell you?”

Tiara’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” She banged her hoof on the table and sent the pills flying. “Stupid!” She charged around the table and yelled at the empty space where the cot had been. “I told you that you had overdosed! I told you to wait till morning! I told you to keep your face out of that pillow! Why wouldn’t you listen! You stupid, stupid, stupid, fool!” Tiara punctuated her exclamation by kicking a hole clean through her wall. Her hoof got entangled and unbalanced her, causing an awkward fall to the floor. “I didn’t need to hide your body. I didn’t need to pretend to be you and hide your death. It wasn’t my fault. It wasn't my fault!" She buried her head and wept. "I'm so, so stupid! I threw it all away!"

“Marble, Princess Luna, I think we need to have a talk outside,” Carry On stood and walked out the back door.

“Okay, I see two possibilities here,” Carry On said quietly, “first, Tiara Dreams is telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth colored by how she sees the truth. Or, two, she is highly intelligent, a magnificent actor, and playing the long game: guilty of everything, lied about everything, and planned everything the moment Silver Chalice showed up on her doorstep. Including setting up evidence to cast reasonable doubt on a murder charge.” She looked over to Marble. “What’s your take, Doc?”

“She’s smart, but not smart enough for your long game. She’s vengeful, but shortsighted. I can’t see her planning a murder, fraud, and stolen identity, scheme with the degree of intricacy that includes the possibility of getting caught,” Marble stretched his wings. “She has strong tendencies to feel overly-responsible for actions that cause harm. Also, the position at the palace that she was expecting wasn’t that glamorous, I lean strongly to the scenario that Tiara related is the truth. She tried to assume Silver Chalice’s identity because she was in need of money- evidenced by having to eat dandelion soup; she was in emotional pain from having her rightful educational honors stolen; and she was terrified of prosecution for a death she didn’t realize was accidental. I find little reason to doubt anything that she told us so far.”

“Are you saying that she is innocent? That you find no faults to charge her?” Luna asked?

“Oh, no!” Carry On chuckled, “I wouldn’t recommend to a prosecutor that she be charged with murder, nor with negligent homicide, but she is guilty of stolen identity, fraud, and illegal handling of pony remains.”

“Not to mention the charges regarding the use of black magic,” Marble reminded her, “Tiara Dreams is not a murderer, that is all we have determined tonight.”

Luna looked up at the moon shining brightly in the face of their discussion of such dark subject matter. “Officer Carry On, I think you and your cadets have done all that you can do for me.”

“If I may be so bold, Princess,” Carry On interjected, “May I have a few words with you?”

“Yes, of course,” Luna answered and dismissed Marble with a polite bow of her head. “Shall we walk?”

Sleeping with the Enemy

“Did you hear her scream in there?”

“Are you sure she isn't sick?”

“Well, she isn't feverish, sweating, or vomiting, and those are telltales for most illnesses.”

“Why did she scream her name?”

“So do you think Luna had something to do with it?”

“I’m not sure. She was extremely disoriented, and she looked exhausted - like she hadn't slept in days.”

“I mean, you normally would scream for help, or for another person, but nopony ever needs to scream their own name.”

“But she has had sleep. One sleepless night wouldn't affect her like this. Would it?”

“We don’t know how well she has been sleeping. Her sleep quality may have been poor for a long time, and this morning may have been her tipping point.”

“She screamed ‘Silver Chalice’ and passed-out. You did hear her scream, right?”

“Yes, Thunder! We all heard her scream!”

It was the volume of that duo of flustered voices that finally brought Tiara back to full-consciousness. “Will you all stop yelling? We don’t need to call any attention here.”

“Silver!” All three voices breathed her name like a sigh of relief.

Tiara lifted her head off the grass and blinked slowly against the painful brightness of being outside in the light of the morning from the black of the cave. Somepony was smart enough to move her outside and away from Luna.

“How are you feeling?” Millstone cradled her head in his hooves.

“Like I haven’t slept in days.” Tiara relaxed in Millstones fore legs. “How long was I out?”

“Not too long. We took longer trying to get you out of the cave than you spent lying out here.” Brass cast a nervous glance over his back and dropped his voice to conspiratorial levels. “Do you think she had something to do with it?”

Tiara nodded once, "I'm sure she's the reason why I'm so tired.”

“What do you want us to do?” Brass motioned with his eyes to Thunder, who was hovering between her and the sun, casting his shadow over her head.

“This doesn't change our plan.” Tiara sat up on her haunch and tried to blink away the bleariness. “She’s made her move. I should have seen it coming and stayed awake all night to watch her and only slept when she slept. That will be what happens now until we get the ransom. So you two should get going.”

Brass nodded once and turned to leave.

Thunder dropped to the ground next to her. “So…why did you scream your name in there?”

“What do you mean?” Tiara looked puzzled. “Didn't you hear Luna shout at me?”

Brass whipped back around with his eyes widened in surprise. “No.”

“You were the only one we heard.” affirmed Thunder.

“Is Luna telepathic?” Brass asked as he moved shoulder-to-shoulder with Thunder.

Tiara slogged through her mental files on Luna. “I don’t think so. In fact, there is no documented occurrence of true telepathy. If she is, it isn't a magic skill the Princesses advertise." Tiara’s eyes and ears perked up with a realization. “Besides, if she was, she would have called for help by now. So, I’m thinking that telepathy remains the stuff of fantasy novels, along with goblins, trolls, and humans.”

“Then what did you hear?” Thunder pressed forward.

“Do you think it was an auditory hallucination?” Brass hooked a restraining foreleg on Thunder’s chest.

Tiara shrugged. “That’s the only thing that fits.” A mental picture of Luna in the cave with glowing eyes and sealed lips flashed in her mind. “I think you’re right, I was hallucinating.”

“Okay," Brass nodded at Tiara and turned to Thunder. "Let’s go.”

Tiara dried the last bowl from their breakfast and stacked it with the other dishes. She was never a morning pony, but her mental fog was greater than what a bad night’s sleep should produce.

In contrast, Millstone had been a flurry of activity all morning. He had started the fire, cooked their meal, and was primarily responsible for cleaning up afterwards. Tiara felt that he had her dry the dishes only because she had asked to help.

“Do you think Princess Luna is asleep by now?” Millstone asked her as he picked up the stack of bowls she had dried and placed them in their backpack.

His question made her blink and shake her head back into alertness. She shaded her eyes and looked at the sun’s position. “Uhh, her pattern is to go to bed right after breakfast. I think it’s a good bet that by now, she is sleeping or is trying to sleep.”

“Okay.” He said, although his eyes and ears darted about, chasing every movement and noise. “Then, what do we do now?”

Tiara clearly saw the signs of escalating anxiety in her teammate. “Now, we wait.” She stood and kissed him on his forehead. “I’m going inside to check on Luna, and to sleep, if she is sleeping. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Wait.” Millstone stood and trotted toward the cave. “Let me check on her first.”

Tiara, puzzled, stood still with a knotted brow before she trotted after him. “Why?”

He stopped with his body sideways in front of the cave’s narrow mouth, blocking any chance of her entering before him. “What if she really did attack you? What if she’s just waiting for another chance to get you alone?”

He stood there breathing fast and heavy. Far too labored to be explained by the short jog. And although his eyes focused solely on her, his ears twitched nervously. Some of his anxiety she could attribute to his claustrophobia battling his intentions of entering the cave. But there was something else bothering him.

“She didn't attack me, M. I simply passed-out from fatigue that was brought about by stress. I’m certain of that now.” She walked up to him, but he didn't budge. “I’m really tired, M, and I want to go to bed.”

“Why don’t you sleep out here?” Millstone offered hopefully.

“For the same reason some pegasii nap in trees during the day; the sun is too bright. Besides, we dyed your coat to match this rock so you could blend in, but I’m still a peach unicorn with a yellow and white mane!” Tiara chuckled. “There is no chance of me blending in out here.”

He was almost convinced. She saw his tension leave his shoulders and his head start to drop, but it was reined in. “No, if you want to sleep inside this cave, I’m going to go in first to see if she’s asleep.”

Tiara rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She sighed, and plopped onto her haunch. “I’ll just wait for you here then, but make it quick.”

Princess Luna was not asleep when he entered the cave, nor was she lying down. She was seated on her haunch with her head held straight and upright and her fore legs spread to the limit of her chains like she was enthroned where she sat, and not chained to that spot as a prisoner. Millstone focused and went to square himself up before her. As he stood there in front of her, for the first time he noticed how much taller than him she was. If he looked directly forward on the level, he would be staring at the base of her neck. He took a moment to clear that distraction from his mind.

“Princess Luna,” He said softly, but not in a whisper, “This is M.” Luna was as still and silent as sculptured marble. Even her mane seemed to have stopped its ever-present flowing in her magic current.

He didn't expect to be ignored, and the anger he felt simmering deep within forced him to take a deep breath to calm down. “I want you to stop whatever it is that you are doing to Silver.”

He waited for her reaction. There was none.

“If you continue to attack her you can be sure that I will find a way to make your situation here become much more uncomfortable. And you can be sure that it will be much, much worse than just taking away your bedroll and replacing that studded bit in your mouth!” He stamped his hoof and its sharp report echoed all around them.

Again, Luna was made of stone. The crack of his hoof-stamp bothered her less than it did the cave.

The simmering anger increased to a boil. “I have time. I can tie you into a position that will be quite painful. I’ll make it so you’re forced into a crouch and can’t stand or sit. I’ll have your muscles cramping and sweat pouring off your coat. I’ll fill this cave with the sounds and smells of your torment. You will be begging me for relief before noon!”

Luna remained as silent as her moon.

Millstone’s vision blurred for an instant and his face grew hot at her refusal to acknowledge him. His imagination started running wild with possibilities and his rage demanded action. “I guess I’ll go start braiding twine.” He snarled, “Maybe after a few hours sweating in my ropes you will be willing to listen to a reasonable request.” He turned and stomped toward the exit.

“You love her, don’t you?”

It was the subject of Luna’s question more than her response that made him stop and turn back around. “I – I’m protecting my teammate. I don’t like to see her the way she is now.”

Luna turned her head, and shifted her body toward him, giving him her full attention. The abrupt transition to fluid motion from her absolute stillness unnerved him. It was like seeing a lifeless statue suddenly animated.

“Yes, because you love her. Am I correct?”

Millstone dropped his head and bit his lip. His mind worked furiously to churn out a response. Finding none suitable, he hurriedly tried for a deflection. “Why were you ignoring me earlier?” He snapped, “I didn't think princesses were supposed to be rude!”

Luna smiled. “I wasn't the one who was rude. You interrupted my meditation. And now you are avoiding my simple question.”

“Well…you haven’t answered my question!” Millstone spat quickly, fearing he was rapidly losing control of this conversation.

“What question did you ask that I have not answered?” Luna asked calmly, “Indeed, you didn't ask me a question when you first entered. You came in and started accusing me of attacking Silver Chalice. Even though you do not have any proof of my involvement. How would you react if I did the same to you?” Her control over her emotions was as absolute as his was tenuous.

Millstone scowled. He was far out of his rodeo class with her. “Alright, I spoke too soon.” He conceded at last. “So are you saying that you have nothing to do with Silver’s passing-out and her sleepiness?”

Luna took a deep breath. “There are factors other than myself that could cause the effects your Silver Chalice is experiencing. And I am in a particularly difficult situation. I have motive, and it could be argued that I have the ability, as you are not certain of your ward’s effectiveness, and with our daily interactions, I have opportunity. Therefore, if I deny any involvement, you would be a fool for believing me.” Luna explained and sighed with resignation. “It is nigh impossible for me to prove that I didn't perform some action against Silver Chalice. So what use is my denial?”

“Millstone?” Tiara’s yelled inquiry from outside sounded small and distant inside the cave. “What’s taking so long?”

“Urgh!” Millstone growled in frustration, “Are you going to go to sleep now, Princess?”

“I am.” She answered simply, and laid down on her belly. Millstone nodded and turned to leave.

“You are worthy of love.”

Luna’s comment stopped him cold, right as he reached the beginning of the cave’s narrow exit. He craned his head around to see her clearly. Her head and body were not facing him, but her voice seemed to target his heart.

“And you are worthy of her.” She finished after a pause, and laid her head down.

Millstone head was spinning. This simple visit turned into something far, far more complicated than he could have imagined! He took a deep breath to still his nerves, and left.

“There you are!” Tiara sighed with relief that was short-lived. For Millstone exited the cave in his typical hurried manner, but he brushed past her without even a turned ear to acknowledge her. If he had had his eyes pinched shut, or his ears pinned back, she would have thought nothing of it. That would have just been a fearful retreat. But his eyes were open, and his ears were forward. His slight to her was intentional.

Tiara recoiled from him at that realization. Millstone would never… The spot where he had brushed her was an open wound. A wound so terrible that she could not yet feel the pain. She stared at him like she was seeing an intruder. “M!” Tiara said in shock, “What did she do to you?”

He stopped and abruptly turned toward her. “Nothing,” he said quickly. Too quickly to be a completely honest answer. “She is still awake, and we talked a bit. But, she said she intends to sleep now.” His head and eyes were in constant motion, but focused on her and immediately around her. Insect-like, his eyes landed on her and flew away just as quickly, only to dart back again. “You should be able to re-enter whenever you are ready.”

“Okay,” Tiara squinted her eyes, examining him. “Is it safe?”

Millstone seemed to calm at once. Suddenly he was focused again and he took stock of their surroundings. “It is as safe as it can be, I believe.” He looked steadily at her for the first time that morning. “Are you sure that sleeping with the enemy is safe?”

Tiara relaxed a little at seeing him return to a behavior she recognized. Still, she didn't answer his question, but instead, she rubbed her shoulder. “You bumped into me when you passed by.” She stated, letting her voice trail away.

Millstone dropped his head to stare at her hooves. “I’m sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you.”

“It’s nothing,” Tiara said, allowing her lips to turn up at their ends. “I was just surprised that you didn't see me.” A yawn made her move her hoof from her shoulder to politely cover her mouth. “I better get some sleep.” She used her yawn’s exit to carry her words.

“Are you sure it’s safe to sleep in there with her?” Millstone said, still clearly nervous about her choice of sleeping arrangements.

“Even princesses need to sleep.” Tiara said dismissively, “And I’m sure that they are just as unconscious to their surroundings as we all are when we sleep.” She yawned again, long and loudly. “I’m going inside. Thank you for clearing the cave for me, I’m sure I’ll be fine in a few hours.”

“No.” Millstone shot forward to block the cave’s entrance again. “I’m not letting you sleep in there.”

Tiara was annoyed, and would have been angry, but he wasn't looking at her again. His actions were just strange enough to keep her more flustered than angry. “I have to get some sleep, M!” She fumed. “Let. Me. By.”

His eyes met hers. “You’re not sleeping in there alone with her.” His stare broke after he said that and his gaze flittered about her face, never quite landing on her eyes. “I won’t let you.”

This was a different kind of anxiety. She had never seen him in this state. Until now, she would have sworn she had seen every color and shade of fear he could produce. However, whatever it was that he was feeling now, it was clear to her that she was unable to wipe away this new hue of his fear.

“Alright,” She sighed. She was ready to do or say anything to get access to her bed. “If you want to join me, you are welcome. But, I am going to sleep. Right now. In. My. Bed.” She hoped that her demanding tone would end this discussion. She didn't think she had the energy to fight him any longer. To her great relief, he nodded submissively, but he led her inside.

Tiara laid on her bed and listened to Luna’s snoring reverberate around the cave. She had stretched out on her side, laid flat on her bed with her head rolled over till it was chin-up on her pillow. Her horn acting as a prop to keep her head from flopping over. This princess, it seemed, didn't have any problems finding a comfortable position. Yet for all the vulnerability of Luna’s current pose, and despite the manacles and magical wards binding her, Tiara felt like she was making her bed in a manticore’s den.

Millstone had taken his usual position next to her, and leaned his body against her. She took comfort in that. As much as it had annoyed her earlier, she had to admit that she was grateful that he had been so insistent on accompanying her. Her greatest challenge now was to somehow find the doorway to dreamland while ignoring the sounds and sensations of being in dragon’s lair!

Just as she was about to give up all hope of falling asleep, Millstone lifted his head and shifted his body slightly away from her. However, before she could move or make a sound, she felt his head and neck drape over her shoulders and he sighed contentedly. This was a position of affection and protection, and he had just done it like it was the most natural thing he could do for her. Her eyes opened in surprise as she tried to make sense of this new development. She had always been the one to do the touching, hugging, and kissing to assuage his fears. He had never reciprocated, until now. Now, when she was weak and – dare she admit it - scared. Had he picked up on her fear, she wondered. Questions swirled through her mind about the implications and the complications of this act, but she was too sleepy to chase down conclusions.

Tiara closed her eyes and yawned. This moment was all she could think about, and even that was becoming too much. She would think about this in the morning.

No, it was morning. Later, she would think about this later, when she woke. All she needed to know now, was that he was here to comfort and protect her. And that felt wonderful.

Without a conscious thought, she melted against him in his embrace, and with her next breath, she slept.

Scratching the Surface

Tiara had never seen her home from above; she imagined that the view would have been spectacular if it were day, but the moon's scant illumination only allowed her to pick out large and obvious landmarks as the chariots circled and descended. However, the noctala pilots apparently didn't suffer from her visual limitations as they swooped between treetops and descended gracefully to land softly in the clearing in front of her house.

The unease Tiara associated with coming home was absent, though she was not resigned and numb as she had expected. Instead, there existed a strong sense of relief. Odd as it was, she mainly felt relieved that this was all over. Even if she hadn't been discovered and had made her escape with the ransom, she realized that she still would have been living from then to the end of her days with the fear of eventually being found out. This was possibly the best resolution for a peaceful, contented life. No more deception, no more sneaking around to maintain the body, and no more fretting about being caught. She was Tiara Dreams again, a pony with a past, true, but without the constant fear of discovery and secrets to hide.

"Don't speak a word unless you're spoken to," Captain Carry On said, interrupting Tiara's musings, "my cadets won't have the benefit of a compliant suspect when they are field officers, so keep quiet unless you are directly addressed by me. Understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Tiara answered, her eyes finding something on the ground to stare at. Shame erupted anew and brushed aside her sense of relief. It seemed fitting to her as she was a killer, and killers should feel shame.

The blunter end of a spear prodded her to dismount the chariot. Then more prodding directed her to move near to where Carry On had assembled her cadets. It might have smacked of cruelty, but the prodding wasn't painful; it was a gentle as a poke from a pointed object could be and left no doubt about the directions being given. All of the noctala had gone silent at nightfall. Occasionally she could hear the high-pitched squeaks and clicks of the noctala language if she had both of her ears focused at the source. Their voices were never shrill, but instead - oddly soft. The few times she had been close to them when they had spoke in their tongue astonished her; the audible volume she heard never rose to the level of the speaker's effort. It was like they spoke mostly with sounds that she couldn't hear. Their movements too, were subtle, and though there were at least ten noctala here, she could not locate any but the ones closest to her. The rest had unhitched from their chariots and sought shadowy areas to disappear. The more she watched them the more it seemed that they made a universal effort toward stealth. Perhaps a millennium spent in hiding made being invisible and inaudible second nature.

"Alright, cadets, this is what you know," Carry On's briefing broke through the silence of the night, "somewhere on this property there is a body hidden. You know that the killer had to have access to it twice a year to maintain a good state of preservation. You know the killer spent most of their time away from this site, and finally, you know the last time the body was maintained was four months ago. As I stated back in class, this is potentially anypony's investigation. It starts with you discovering the body. Now, where are you going to look?"

"The bathroom," a female cadet answered quickly, "bathtubs are often used by killers to contain body fluids. I'll look for loose floorboards and wall panels in the bathroom."

"Good thinking." Carry On pronounced with a nod. "Any other ideas?"

"I'll check the deck," another cadet said, "it would be easier to hide the body under the boards of the deck."

"I agree," a third cadet spoke on the heels of the second, "the killer would like to keep the body near the house to make it easier to maintain. I expect to find it there. I'll concentrate in and around the house."

"No," a thoughtful looking cadet dissented, "the house is a liability. The killer probably had somepony checking on it, a broken water pipe or a small fire could ruin everything." She chewed her lip a moment. "Do we know anything about the killer's psychology?" He asked.

"Did I mention anything about the killer's psychology?" Carry On retorted.

"I'll check the property for a garden or a mulch pile," the cadet said after Carry On's rhetorical question, "I think the killer would use something obvious to hide the body. I think it will be buried wherever there is a reason to turn soil and be seen digging." Two other cadets murmured in agreement.

"Are there any other theories?" Carry On addressed the class, looking each cadet in the eye. The white noctala cadet avoided her gaze. "Cadet Bloodsight, You have that look again. Do you have a different location in mind?"

Bloodsight stiffened to attention, "I do, Ma'am, but I have an unfair advantage; I was able to observe the property when we circled before landing."

"I don't care about what advantage you think you have, cadet; I care about whether or not you can catch killers!" Carry On said sternly, "Where do you think the killer hid the body?"

"The large woodpile out in the back field." At his response, the whole class craned their heads that direction and peered into the darkness. Tiara's head snapped up and she stared at him. That motion wasn't lost on Carry On, whose eyes had also widened in surprise.

"Woodpile?" Carry On glanced from Bloodsight to the moonlit backyard and it's dark, amorphous shapes. "Tell me the reasons you have for that location."

Bloodsight swallowed. "There is a fair-sized woodpile against the south side of the house, and the killer didn't spend most of her time here, so there is no apparent need for another rather large woodpile in the center of the backyard. Furthermore, the location of that woodpile in itself is strange. I could see there were no stumps, so the wood is not from recently cleared trees, and it had a tarp covering it, so it had value to the owner and spent some time there, but why not place it closer to the house, or under a shade tree for natural cover? I think it's because the wood pile is masking and protecting a shack that the killer hastily built to hide the spot she buried the body. It's in the back because it's out of sight from the road and any passers-by. It's in the center of the field because that was the only place with soft, root-free soil that the suspect could easily dig; trees and their roots cover most of the rest of the property, and finally, it looks like an innocent woodpile that would draw no suspicion if she was seen walking to and from."

Carry On slowly, thoughtfully, nodded her head. "Excellent reasoning, Cadet." She turned to Tiara. "Is he correct?"

Tiara shied at the sudden shift of attention. Her guards closed up on her, boxing her in. It was time to complete her confession. She took a breath and nodded a few jerky nods. "Yes. I buried her there."

"He's right again!" A female cadet exclaimed. She nudged Bloodsight with an elbow. "Good job!" The rest of the class also voiced their congratulations. A small, shy, smile grew on the white noctala's face.

"Alright, at ease," Carry On quieted the class, "I must say that I believe nopony made any bad or illogical suggestions. All of your possible locations had merit, but I want you to remember this when you are out on a case; after you've checked the usual suspects and exhausted your most likely hiding places; what looks innocent and obvious may be hiding your evidence. And don't forget sophisticated methods of hiding evidence such as: Shortened rooms with false walls: high fences that keep you from seeing what's on the other side: concrete that's too new: recent paint; one brick and mortar wall in a cut-stone basement: and more than one of the same appliance. Remember the case of the 'House with two water heaters!' Take note of what you see, and think about how you would hide evidence. And never forget that sometimes the best hiding place is in plain sight."

Several heads nodded among the cadets.

"Cadet Bloodsight, you have earned the lead investigator position. The Lunar Guard are your security, all of your classmates are your team. Begin your investigation."

The cadets all gathered around Bloodsight and he began assigning jobs. Luna walked up to Tiara. "I wish to know everything that you know. Where will we have this conversation?"

Tiara inhaled, a chill descended her spine. "My house is at your disposal, Princess."

"Lead on."

Carry On, Luna, and the spotted pegasus that rode with Luna followed her to her door. After unlocking it, Carry On pushed her way inside and searched the cottage, making a thorough check of the main room and the attached tiny kitchen. It didn't take long as Tiara's furnishings were minimal and decorations spartan. "I beg your pardon," Carry On said after she had finished, "my occupation demands these precautions." She stepped aside to allow them in.

Luna followed Tiara inside and appraised the room with a short nod. Carry On closed the door behind the spotted pegasus. They were all inside. Tiara knew her cottage wasn't large, but it never felt as awkwardly compact as it did that moment. Two ponies and an alacorn, in her modest dwelling and all of them looking at her. Tiara could swear the temperature of the room rose ten degrees in an instant. She felt the chill pricks of sweat on her brow.

"Ahem. My, you have a lovely home," The spotted white pegasus cleared his throat and the awkward silence, "Forgive my discourtesy. My name is Marble. I'm a psychiatrist." Marble gave a polite bow of his head. "And if I may be so bold, I see a coffee maker, could I impose upon you for a cup?"

"Oh," Tiara shook her head and chuckled, motioning to the table, "Sure... Uh. Welcome to my home, please have a seat, and who else would like a coffee?"

Carry On slurped loud and long at her cup. She closed her eyes and swished the coffee in her mouth before finally swallowing. "Ahhh!" She exhaled her rapturous appreciation for the gift of the life imparted by the dark liquid. "Thank you," she raised her mug up slightly, casually toasting Tiara before slurping from it again. "I really needed this."

Tiara returned the salute with a genuine smile that faded rapidly. This wasn't a casual, midnight coffee with friends meeting. And she wasn't the host, even if they were all in her house, seated at her table.

"How did you meet Silver Chalice?" Luna asked.

Tiara drew back. There was an unnerving edge in Luna's voice. She took a few sips of her coffee to settle herself. "She stopped here one evening. She had a severe high sprain on her right leg and was looking for help. My hut just happened to be the one on this lonely road that she stopped at."

"A severe high sprain," Carry On cocked an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"She said she accidentally wandered off the road. First her right front leg, which unbalanced her and she threw her right hind out which rolled off a rock and further down into the embankment. Loaded as she was with saddlebags, she believed she would have fallen anyway, but she said the pain hit her then and she went down into the ditch. She limped here without her bags after she realized that she could barley walk. She complained of severe pain on her dorsal and lateral right hind in line with the suspensory ligament and the superficial flexor tendon. Inflammation was also present in those areas. I had her soak the affected limb in an ice bath and treated her pain. Then I went down the road to fetch her bags."

"Who was the doctor that diagnosed her injury?" Carry On asked.

"I didn't call a doctor, she was against it. She said she had medical connections at her new palace job. She felt that my ministrations were adequate until she got to Canterlot."

"Who diagnosed her injury?" Carry On pointedly repeated her question.

"I did."

"You have medical training?"

"Yes, I-"

"Marble, are you recording this?" Tiara cut off her response.

"Yes." Marble answered in his table flat tone.

Tiara looked to her left and was shocked to see that the pegasus had two notepads on the table and was keeping records on both; one one with a pencil in his mouth and on the other with a pen clasped to his primary feathers. His display of dexterity amazed her as much as his subtlety, deftly setting up without her noticing. Despite all his recording, his eyes focused on her. All eyes at the table focused on her.

"Where did Silver Chalice fall off the trail?" Carry On pressed.

Tiara blinked a few times. "Uh... down the road, about three furlongs.

"Quite a ways to hike uphill on an injured leg."

"Yes," Tiara agreed, "but she said that she saw the smoke from my stove while I was cooking dinner."

"She saw smoke at night?"

"No, it was late afternoon. The sun was still up, but I was cooking-

"Did she say why she didn't go downhill to another house?"

"Yes, because she saw smoke and smelled food from my house." Tiara answered, annoyed.

"What were you cooking?"

Tiara felt her face grow warm. "Why does that matter?"

"Do you not remember?" Carry On persisted.

"I remember. But what does it matter?"

"It's a simple question. What were you cooking on the night Silver Chalice stopped at your house?"

Tiara looked around the table, her mouth suddenly dry. She dropped her head and swallowed, "Soup. I was cooking dandelion soup."

"Marble, do you have anything to add?" Carry On asked the scrupulous note-taker, who answered 'no' in a disinterested sounding monotone that contrasted sharply with his constant scratching away at his notepads.

"I'd like to know about her medical training." Luna spoke.

Carry On looked askance at Luna. "Well, Tiara, why don't you tell us about your medical training."

"I went to Midvale Nursing Acada-

"Did you graduate?"

Tiara, felt heat begin to rise from her neck, "If you'd stop interrupting me, I'd tell you!"

"Just answer the question," Marble deadpanned right on the heels of Tiara's sharp response.

Tiara looked her new tormentor over. "Yes." She answered and stopped. There was no response from him, nor anypony at the table. Marble's pencils scritched a few moments longer then stopped. His expression stone, as unreadable as his name suggested.

"Graduated, but not with honors, despite maintaining perfect marks." Carry on pulled out a folder from her satchel and opened it. Luna's ears pricked and she peered over to view the file. "Would you care to tell us why?"

"Again, what does this matter?"

"You said you rendered aid to Silver Chalice." Luna responded.

"Ignore that!" Carry On interjected and gave Luna another irritated sidelong glare. Luna's eyes flashed in return and her lip curled, but she said nothing. Carry On returned her attention to Tiara. "I believe it matters. Answer my question."

"I believe I was sabotaged by the pony who took the top honors," Tiara sighed, "I have no proof, only gut feelings in response to the actions and attitudes from those who did take honors, and the prime job offers that followed immediately after graduation."

Carry On leaned forward and steepled her hooves. "What job were you hoping to get after graduation?"

"Canterlot General," Tiara answered easily, "it's a relatively large hospital within walking distance from my house. They had some head nurses that were near retirement, I figured it would take me about five years of hard work then maybe I could get an early promotion to head nurse..." Her voice, at first excited, trailed off to a near whisper and she lowered her head.

"Is that why you went into nursing?" Carry On prodded. "Good pay, opportunities for advancement, a bit of prestige?"

Tiara nodded. "I didn't start out that way. I wanted to be Head Nurse Pristine, she was the head of the ward that treated my mom. She was my inspiration. She stood up to doctors, commanded her nurses, and was just so supremely competent! She knew everything! Her oversight probably extended my mom's life a few months." Tiara sniffed, "She was always busy, but she took time to be there for me."

A short silence followed, then Marble spoke. "There are other hospitals in Canterlot. And I'm sure you could have found another large hospital with advancement opportunities elsewhere. Why didn't you pursue a job at another hospital?"

Tiara shrugged. "I guess that once my plan was sabotaged, I lost my motivation."

"Didn't you still want to be a nurse? Didn't your memories of Nurse Pristine still stir your heart?" Marble asked.

"No." Tiara answered, staring at the floor.

"Do you think you can tell me why being sabotaged out of that one job made you lose your motivation?" Marble pressed gently.

Tiara shook her head. Silence followed. She looked up to see that Marble was now the only one at the table, and he was waiting patiently, his pencils lay still on their notepads.

"I believe you can. I believe you know. I'm not here to judge you, " Marble said softly. "I'm here for the truth, and I hope to help you voice that truth for yourself."

There was a long pause while floodwaters rose within Tiara's soul, pushing aside bulwarks she had set years ago. "I discovered during clinicals that didn't want to be a nurse. I hated dealing with all the needy ponies; I hated all the impossible patients whom I could never satisfy; and I hated all the patient's stupidity!" Tiara's eyes blurred and tears drained out. "The only reason I stayed in the program because it seemed to be my best choice to be somepony! I didn't care about healing, or comforting, or about their pain. I just wanted to be in charge; I wanted to give orders and have my directions followed, I wanted power!"

Tiara buried her head in her hooves and wept while Dr. Marble whispered soothing encouragements to his newest and most improbable client.

"Looks like a good time for a break," Carry On said from the door.

Marble nodded. "We need a break."

"We have a development," Carry On continued, "I think you'll want to see this before we start on the interrogation."