Vital Link Series - Expurgate Arcanis

The air inside the guest wing was very still, like no windows had been opened in weeks, and the sun no longuer shone through the skylights of the Castle. Queen Rhydaelle strutted, pacing in a roughly oval shape- the room wasnt that large for a being as large as she was, and the stuffy air made it pretty warm inside the room. Her assistant, a small doe with an over submissive attitude, tried in vain to come up with something meaningful to say, some reassuring words, but the words were caught in her squeezing throat- her eyes almost bulged, and she was having trouble breathing- and that did little to appease her ruler, who strutted even faster, and lost the oval shape for more direct lines, and her hooves stomped with a little more vigor.

Outside, on a nearby bench, i was throwing my senses in the room- anything i could pick up on would help me impress the ruler and appear as if i had a good standing with their species. I had to look the part, or Twilight might reconsider our whole underhoofed dealing.

Don't get me wrong, nothing about our deal would appear illegal- but usually, when faced with a problem, a Princess is entitled to listen to said problem, draft a list of ponies for the job, and offer it to the most obvious, reasonable choice- and wouldn't dare straight out offer it to a friend of the Crown. Such things could be perceived as a favor treatment- as some kind of privileged bonus for being a "friend" of the most important ponies in the land; and that could be bad for the image he was trying to set. He didn't need to be held in some bad spotlight like the over capitalistic companies, the same companies being dismantled and purged of corruption by the very same Princess he was dealing with.

In this age, one needed to constantly be aware of perceptions. Of images. The masks we wear... Some are heavier than others. For good reason.

My senses picked up on some weird energy- it seemed to emerge from the door i was keeping an eye on. As my eyes darted over said door, a flash of green light could be seen under the door...

I just knew that my day was going to go sideways. That energy level wasn't unlike... "Changelings?"
I said the word aloud, without meaning to, and it startled my Father. "What did you say?" He shot me a puzzled look, and scooted closer in his seat, as to usher as silently as possible, "you don't mean..."

The door swung open with some impatient force, and a long, elongated neck, and some unmistakably large decorsted antlers came into view. The Queen's eyes were piercing, and full of authoritative fervour. There was no mistaking it- that large Doe was a matriarch, a leader, and her prickled ears just caught up on my earlier exclamation. Our eyes locked.

"You seem to know much, Pony. Would you mind coming in, explaining yourself? We can wait for your princess... together." The way she insisted on that last word made me shiver and gulp a liter of saliva before nodding and shuffling my hooves towards the imposing suite door.

I really had to learn to stop my magical mouth.

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With a sigh of relief from both the Queen and I, the tea tray carried by a maid finally found it's way into the room, and i gave a nervous chuckle at our timed expression of satisfaction. A long dead friend of mine used to say that Tea kept the hooliganism away- i prefered to say, that Gentlestallions and Ladies alike drank tea, as to become hooligans for a brief, tender moment. Tea made your conscience drift- it brought clarity, focus, and calm into the mind, yes, but fully partaking in the moment, living it, savouring it, made one prone to say the funniest things- or the most embarassing, depending on the kept company, and/or the extra ingredients one added to his cuppa.

With a solemn expression, i took care to serve the tea in the traditional neighponese way- as to be as respectuf as possible- and kept my senses active. If i could display my abilities to the Queen, she might be more prone to accept our help- more specifically mine.

In a moment of wisdom, I realised what I looked like, what I was wearing- and remembered the stench of acrid smoke I carried since I went to the lab. Fighting the urge to blush, i served the team for the Queen first, then her diplomat/assistant, then my father. As i went to serve my own cup, i realised that I was long due for my medication- the air around us was already starting to waver like a pot forgotten on the stove.

Just as I was about to excuse myself to take care of my emminent radiation problem, Twilight came into my senses' reach, and I just knew she felt my senses brush up on her.

"Twilight will be here in exactly 2 minutes. I need to ask you something before she gets here..." My words were met with careful consideration, and the Queen, visibly impressed by the fact i refered to the Princess so casually, nodded to let me continue.
"I know you've been through a lot. I can feel your grief and the pain you carry. I also feel the magic around you is warped- I think i know what's going on, and I have just one question for you. Why come to us, when the Zebras, your neighbors and known allies, could've helped you with their own shamans?"

It was a pretty risky question. In diplomacy, that was considered as a suicide move. I literally just gave her every advantage I had, and hoped she would be impressed enough to answer, yet not too much as she would question me and how i knew all that- for i could not answer truthfully, and that could mean an early end to theses negotiations.

"You see... I've already asked the Zebras. The Griffons. The Hyppogryphs, and the Camels. Not anycreature's magic could help... And it just cost us our home. A few of our tribes are still okay, in their forests, but our capital... My city, it's..." I could see the defeated look in her eyes. The devastation.

An all too familiar sight. Lifting a hoof, Nodding, i signaled her that she didnt have to finish her sentence. "Who, or what, could do such a thing? What was it after?" I believe i got her hooked, but i still needed to know if something could be done- i wouldnt want to promise my help and support, only to find myself powerless to do anything in he favor.

Her eyes glazed over. I could see the gears turning in her head. She was reliving a painful memory, and it shown in her drooping ears, her twitching lip, her eyes... They were frightened. For something to be this scary, to shake the grand Queen of the Cervideans, it had to be something utterly horrible. Some repulsive eldritch abomination.

"For years, we saw it advanve on us, while powerless to stop it. No force of nature, not any element we can conjure can affect them. Worse, it turns our magic against us! It commands the flora and fauna, turns our ancestral homes into battlefields. They can traverse any obstacle without fail... Without any difficulty. We were powerless to stop them... And they were last heading towards the aether wastelands east of our forests."
She excused herself and used a tissue to clean her tears away, and was clearly fighting back a sob in the back of her throat.

I didnt need any more convincing, but... "I'm sorry, but I don't seem to understand. What... Are they?"
My inquisite look was met with a look of abject, pure horror. I could see her eyes were no longuer fixed on mine, or on anything in the room, but on whatever memory was plaguing her.

"Pockets of wild magic... They have assembled. Gained awareness. They hundle together, throw chaotic magic at everything- warping, shaping the land and anything in their path, to ressemble them and their kind. Abominations. Mutated horrors. Our young, our old, every deer they could prey on..." With a sniffle and a little shake, she composed herself, and the look in her eyes went from pain, to unbridled rage, to exhaustion. "I don't ask you to take back our homeland for us- I merely want some... Pony, to go there, and finish off the monstrosities they have created... Please, even though they became monsters, they are still my people. Please... Put them out of their misery. Bring the few of us peace, and allow us to finally grieve properly our... Lost relatives."

Twilight chose that moment to make her entrance- she was no doubt listening to the exchange, and gave the larger than life doe before her.
"Rhydaelle, i Promise you, my friend will take care of it. I know he can, and will, bring you and yours the peace that you need." I could feel the eyes of the Princess on me, even without looking.

This was going to be quite a pain in my flank, i just know it.

----------//---------

The buffet table sprawled before us was full of many types of food- there were hayflour pancakes, barley and oats muffins, even Meat! Bacon, Eggs, Cheese, and fine delicacies of exotic cuisine- Loukhoums, Gulash, Indian bite-sized fried meats, sushi, all kinds of different cultures were organized around the table. In a corner of it all, what appeared to be Peach Scones- wait a minute, lemme tell you just for a second, i gotta confess my love for... Theses Scones. Just the variety- Strawberry, Blueberry, Pumpkin- which is actually a freaking squash, how do you turn squash into a Scone it blows my mind!

Wait, where were we? Ah yes. I just had a cup of the special Royal's blend. Then another. And another. It tasted Divine. The aroma alone, as it flowed within the mist rising from the cup- was enough to take you to far away coasts of Zebrica and the Land of Camels, the sweet yet bitter, terribly bitter, and tangy, refreshing taste left me feeling unsated. I wanted- no, needed more, the velvety crema giving my moustache a glossy brilliance, but perfectly matching my facial hair's color, making it unable to notice if it was wet or not, made my Father's eyebrows wiggle in the most perplexing way- as if they were two entirely different entities of their own, and tried to wiggle themselves free of my Father's face. Everything in his expression reflected his anticipation- like me, he could hardly contain himself. It wasn't rare that we had brunch around the Royal's table- every other week or so- And the Princesses were getting used to it by now.

We were unequinely fit, hardly deserving to sit around this table, if one was to judge us by our table manners. Don't be mistaken, I am the most perfect gentlepony you've ever met. I've been around the most important social circles Equestria and it's neighbors has to offer- but the food served in this particuliar kitchen, on this particular table, the "staff's hidden break area" where we held our meetings, was completely devoid of any form or sense of decorum. As stated above the door before entering- Ponies forbidden. Animals welcome.

And as such, we were happy to let go of our "respectable citizens" masks, and dug right in. With all the poise and elegance, grace expected from a Gritish GentleStallion, mayhaps more of a Parish Aristocrat, a true Lady, whilst she was abusingly gorging herself on sausage patties, already piss-drunk at breakfast- I quickly hoarded as many of the scones as I could, knowing it's tender, sweet fleshy insides full of fruits, squashes and even sometimes nuts were a treat unlike any other. The sheer complexity of the crust's texture, the crumbly, flaky, and moist breadish consistency was not only an experience for the senses- it was dense and filling, and would leave me feeling queasy for probably a few hours. But it was worth it... Even in my already sickenly full-stomach-already state.

Because today, i had been invited around The Table unexpectedly. It wasnt our regular bimonthly meeting- The Queen had a peculiar hunger that needed sated, and Twilight obliged by showing her to the *best* table of all Canterlot.

Also, coincidently, the most secluded- Even amongst the Castle Staff, it was a secret room for the most deserving of Equines. It formerly was Celestia Personal Tea-Cake Break Room- and still had more than a few unique enchantments active.

Being a regular guest at the table, i knew them per heart, and was already attuned to them- The fields would clean it's occupants of any and all radiation, and dispel any spells that could be considered harmful on the ponies eating inside- and had a state of the art antidote glyph, that could neutralize the rarest of poisons- the reason for that wasn't that Celestia was paranoid, but rather she enjoyed the most exotic of cakes, and some ingredients were delicious when properly served... But incredibly harmful otherwise, and she didn't want to take any chances.

When a Nation was at your beck and call, a sick day just wasn't an option.

And then, the most curious thing happened...