Hivemind Control

On returning to the keep, Luna asked Shining for some alone time with Cosmo. While he had the authority to refuse, Shining had a lot of paperwork that needed to be filled out. He bade her good night and let her leave, but pulled aside a guard and gave him orders to sit in the next cell and listen to everything that happened and report back to him in the morning.

In the meantime, he had some orders to write. He made his way up to the room that had been prepared for him in haste. It wasn't much, barely more than the office he held as a captain. There was a large desk with a swivel chair, and a cot with a wool blanket off to the side. A placard on the desk designated him as "Advance Quarterly, Financial Administrator." With a chuckle, Shining pulled out a pen and some parchment and began writing.

Dearest Twilight,

I have arrived safely in Ponigsburg and met with Princess Luna and her paramour. After speaking with them both, I believe I know what is causing the princesses to fight with each other. I have no proof or any semblance of evidence, but I can't collect any from here.

I need your help, in a way that I know you will enjoy to no end: I need you to do research.

Specifically, I need to know where Cosmo came from. I know you said he just showed up out of nowhere, but I need you to find that nowhere. Any and all information you can dig up. Where was he born, where did he go to school, who sold or gave him the land for his orchard, stuff like that. Contact his family members, write out a warrant to search his home, et cetera.

I realize that this may be regarded as an invasion of privacy. I understand that he has a right to his privacy and that right should not be violated. However, as he is spending so much time with Luna, especially as his arrival marked her falling ill, this is a matter concerning her safety. I fear that he has done something to her that has caused this harm. I feel it in my bones.

You know I wouldn't be causing such a fuss about this if it wasn't important. I know that Princess Luna likes him and she seems to have a good relationship with him. I'm not trying to ruin her happiness or his. This isn't some petty dick measuring contest where I just want to prove that I'm superior to him. You know I'm not doing this just for the fun of it. I really do think he's dangerous.

Love you, Twily.
Shining Armor

After that, he wrote a quick message to his wife and to the lieutenant colonel he'd left in charge of the Crystal Empire, affirming his safe landing and an update on Luna's health. Sealing them up, he stepped out of the office and dropped them into the outgoing mail slot to be delivered. When he returned to his room, he locked the door and pressed a spare file cabinet against the knob. Even if anypony had a spare key, they would still have a hard time opening the door. Only then did he lie down on the cot and go to bed.

He woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of metal scraping against stone. Bolting upright, he saw the file cabinet being pushed away from the door, which somepony had tried to open. He immediately jumped to his hooves and drew his short sword, sliding the cabinet out of the way and throwing the door open. Nopony was there, but the sound of hooves disappearing down the hall drew him closer. Unfortunately, the hall was empty when he reached it, and he had no indication of which way the attempted intruder had fled.

The next morning, as Shining was about to go to breakfast, the door was unlocked from the outside again, and the sound of metal on stone echoed though the room. Shining prepared his weapon again as the fort commander stepped through with two guards in tow, as well as a small, bookish stallion who was visibly shaking. Immediately, Shining's gut coiled into a knot at seeing the stallion. Whatever was upsetting about Cosmo, this one had the same feel.

The commander looked at the cabinet in front of the door and the prince brandishing a short sword and lowered her head into one of her hooves. "This!" she shouted. "This is why I tell you arseholes to document everything!" Her horn lit up, and moments later, a whiteboard map flew through the door. "You told me, and confirmed, that Prince Shining Armor was on the third floor!" She waved around a signed statement that confirmed it. "Why is he sleeping down here?!"

"There must have been a mix-up," suggested one of the guards.

"Bullshit!" She sighed and shook her head. "I'll sort this out myself. You two, go!" At her command, the guards left the room, and the commander turned to Shining. "I'm sorry about this. You were supposed to be sleeping in a different room."

"I gathered," nodded Shining, sheathing his blade.

"I'm sorry if you were awoken last night," continued the commander. "Had I known you were in here, I never would have sent Vance in." She took a deep breath, then turned and glared at him. "But that does not excuse your behaviour. You may be a prince of Equestria, but I do not tolerate death threats against my staff."

Shining was shocked. "Death threats? I did no such thing. I would never."

The stallion held up a tape recorder and pressed play. "This is my office, though," came a voice through the speaker. "Can I just--"

"No!" shouted a recording of Shining's voice. "You're going to leave right now, or so help me I will send you to the gallows!"

"Death by gallows has been outlawed for decades. It was deemed too cruel."

"I am Prince Shining Armor of Equestria! How dare you tell me what I can and cannot do!" The sound of a door slamming ended the recording.

Shining took a deep breath. He no longer thought he was right; he knew it. Something fishy was going on, and he was dead set on finding out exactly what. "I see. I shall refrain from doing so again." He turned to the stallion. "My sincerest apologies. I was not myself last night."

"About last night," butted in the commander. "We scrubbed that kitchen ceiling to floor and found absolutely nothing. Furthermore, we checked your food and found it to be clean and free of all insects. Do you enjoy wasting our staff's time?"

Shining ushered the stallion out of the room and closed the door, soundproofing it. "What I'm about to say does not leave this room." He waited for a response, but after a few seconds of silence, he looked her right in the eye. "There was no bug."

"I knew it," she smirked. "You wanted us to scramble for no reason."

Shining shook his head. "I didn't want to cause a big panic in Luna, but I had to ensure that you searched that kitchen. My food was poisoned. Just mine. And I'm pretty sure I know who did it."