The large pile of books lit up in a brilliant, purple glow before floating into the air. One by one, they were put in their correct place on their crystal shelves in the castle’s library.
“And… done!” Twilight said, happily. “That was the final batch!”
Spike sighed in relief. “Can we finally take a break now, Twilight?”
“Of course, Spike! You’ve earned it.” Twilight smiled as she watched Spike jump up and run towards the castle’s kitchens. One of the newly hired cooks would probably sneak him a leftover gem from the stock. Ruby Tomato, one of the younger cooks, was Spikes favourite cook. She could prepare beautiful gemdishes, so that was no surprise.
Even after months in her new castle, she was still getting used to it. As a princess, she now had an entire staff to cook, clean, and maintain the castle, as well as servants and butlers ready to follow orders. And the space! Even now she hadn’t even explored all the rooms, let alone the dungeons!
But one of the best things, she thought, was the library. It was so big! Her old library could fit in here twice, maybe even thrice! She even had to hire ponies to keep the place neat and organized, something she and Spike couldn’t possibly do on her own now. Besides, she had royal duties to attend to now. That didn’t stop her from spending time in the library and reorganizing, though. Old habits die hard.
She nodded to the librarian sitting behind the desk. He nodded back, smiling, looking up from his book. Hiring Libro was a fine choice, even though sometimes he would speak in a strange language. But she didn’t mind; one time, she told herself, she would ask him to teach her the language. But not now, she was busy.
She walked over to one of the crystal shelves in the ‘spell section.’
Worried murmurs and gasps echoed through the cavern. Each pony’s eyes widened when they heard the news: the queen was dying. Wails sometimes split the low buzz, other times ponies just stared in shock and lowered their heads. Most where unsurprised, however. Ever since they had been banished, food was scarce. Anything found was brought directly to the queen, in order that she could keep her power up. If the queen died, the rest of the ponies wouldn’t live much longer.
Two guards whispered in a hushed conversation, shifting from hoof to hoof uneasily.
“There has to be a way to save her!” The first hissed, frowning. “Something, anything!” The second guard nodded, his blue eyes cold but anxious.
“If only we could find magic strong enough to get her back on her hooves,” he moaned, “then everything would get easier.” Another set of guards emerged from the queen’s chambers, their faces solemn.
“The queen wishes for an audience with her top guard,” the larger informed, dipping his head. “Enter while we retrieve the others.” The first two guards exchanged curious glances. What could the queen want? Curiosity turned to dread as their thoughts continued. Perhaps she would decree her final words before death, leaving the guards to find an heir for her before the other ponies died. However, there obviously wasn’t enough magic around to anoint a new ruler. The guards trotted into the chambers, forcing their hooves into an even pace. The queen lay on her bed, sides heaving with the labor of breathing. But even on the verge of death, the queen maintained her pride. Her head was forcefully high and her tired eyes were stern and serious. Her wings were torn in several places, but she stretched them out proudly as she had always done. The other guards entered the room and the chamber doors slid shut.
“My loyal subjects,” the queen rasped, her eyes falling on each of them, “I have been thinking as death drew nearer.” She paused, as if pondering something, before her blue-green eyes focused back on the guards. “And I have formulated a plan to save me, nay, to save us.” The guards straightened immediately, held at attention. The queen grinned, a strand of hair falling over her eyes.
“Listen carefully to what I shall tell you. This could be our last chance.”
