Hivemind Control

Shining Armor rubbed his hooves together nervously. He trusted that Twilight would hold to her word and send reinforcements to the Empire. He hoped that would be enough to protect it, but he had a bad feeling about this whole situation. Some feeling in the pit of his stomach screamed at him to bow out of the mission and return to the Crystal Keep, call Cadance back home, and fortify. While he trusted his gut most times, he would not break his word here.

Ponigsburg was not very far from the Crystal Empire. In his worst-case scenario, he told himself that he could bolt back home in a day, fortifying as he went. It was a bit chilly, but living in the Crystal Empire had helped him acclimate. He was in his element, he had an escape plan, and yet he was still terrified. He had this horrible sense that he was walking into a trap.

He took a deep breath. If he was walking into a dangerous situation, that meant that Luna was already in a dangerous situation. Before he was a prince, he had been a captain of the royal guard. His life was devoted to the protection of Equestria and its rulers. He had sworn an oath, and he had to adhere to it. Even if it was uncomfortable, he vowed to keep Luna safe.

After arriving in Ponigsburg, Shining disembarked the carriage. While he had expected somepony to greet him, he was in an unmarked carriage, and not royal by birth, and was not very surprised by the fact that nopony had come to escort him. On top of that, Ponigsburg was more than just a fortress. It encompassed a small town, with civilians running businesses and living their lives within the walls.

It wasn't until he reached the keep that he was greeted with more than a passing wave. The gate guard reached out and shook his hoof as he approached. "Good to see you again, Prince Shining Armor," he smiled. "We weren't expecting you until tomorrow. You'll have to forgive us, we've been a little busy today."

"It's fine," nodded Shining. "Is Princess Luna here?"

"She is," answered the other guard. "We set her up in the Don Jon, but she insisted on something lower to the ground. She's in one of the larger cells of the dungeon. Not behind a locked door, mind you. She can change rooms whenever she likes, but that's where she insisted on being."

Shining nodded knowingly. "I think I can relate. I'm going to go talk to her. I presume I have the clearance to do that?"

"Of course. Go on through, we just need you to document your entrance."

Shining walked through the front door and signed his name on the record book that kept track of all ponies entering and exiting the keep. Luna had exited this morning, and returned an hour and forty-eight minutes later, according to the log. Not particularly noteworthy, but it did confirm that she should be here.

He made his way to the prison, a short jaunt down a set of stairs, and found Luna fairly quickly. For a prison cell, it was incredibly comforting. A row of nocturnal flowers sat on a shelf made from the bed opposite the one she was sitting on, seemingly healthy, but tucked away in their planter to await the chill of the moon. Next to those, a large trunk sat under a blanket. The shower and toilet were partitioned off so as not to be seen from the hallway. Luna sat against the right wall, her shoulders hunched as she stared at the floor, hugging a pillow.

"May I come in?" asked Shining, poking his head through the doorway. Luna nodded and moved to one side, giving him plenty of room to lie down, let alone sit next to her. Shining sat down and took a deep breath. "Is your stallion friend nearby?"

"I asked to be left to my thoughts," she replied. "As much a comfort as I find him, I feel like I'm just using him. On top of all of the events preceding what led here, I'm afraid he may leave me."

"Have you told him that?"

"I can't tell him that. It's like asking your spouse if they're cheating on you, or asking a depressed pony if they're harming themselves. It's a painful conversation, and you don't want to harm them any more than you already have."

Shining placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I know it hurts, but you have to talk to him about it. Relationships are built best on trust. I trust Cadance to look after your sister, I trust Twilight to look after Equestria and the Crystal Empire, and I trust you to push past this upset in your life. You're going to find a way forward. I know you will."

Luna nods and takes a deep breath. "Will you help me?"

"My loyalty is to Equestria and her citizens. I will stand beside you until I draw my final breath."

"I meant with my bandages." She shifted her wings and the blanket she was huddled under slipped off. After hearing of her legs rotting on her, he was expecting some kind of bandages on her hooves. He was not expecting them to run from her wrists all the way up to her shoulders before turning to her wings. Some of her feathers had fallen out, and he hadn't noticed until now that they had fallen to the floor and bench. Whatever this was, it would likely leave her forever changed.

He swallowed hard and slowly nodded. "You'll have to talk me through it. I don't know what I'm doing."

"I do," came a voice from the hallway. Cosmo stepped into view, a big smile on his face. "I'll gladly help you, princess."

"That'll be just fine," answered Luna, blushing slightly. "I actually have a few things to talk to you about, Cosmo."

Shining Armor's heart rate had spiked. He couldn't place it, but something about this stallion didn't seem right. He'd only met him this very moment, and had only heard good things about him thus far, but in this instant of seeing him, a cacophony of alarm bells were ringing in his head. His words, though sounding genuine and caring to his ears, felt as though they were laced with a poison, dripping from his mouth in anticipation of tasting his prey.

"I hope you don't mind if I watch," he managed to say through a fake smile. "Just in case. We wouldn't want our princess to end up even worse for wear, do we?"