Hivemind Control

Shining and the fort commander stepped out of the room sneering at each other. The guards outside the door wondered if something had gone horribly wrong, but Vance was worried for a different reason. He could immediately tell that something wasn't right with this situation.

"I want you moved out of there and into your own room by noon," growled the commander, storming off.

"I don't plan to stick around for very long, anyway," growled Shining in response, taking off in the opposite direction. As soon as he was out of view, he smirked. The commander had come up with the idea to fake a beef with him to allow the two of them to investigate on their own, then disappear together behind a locked, soundproofed door to "fight" with each other. It was a clever move, one that Shining wished he had come up with.

Moving his room was easy. He'd taken his personal effects with him, all that needed to move was the cot, unless his new room was missing a writing desk. That was an imperative piece of equipment, especially since he needed to remain in contact with Twilight and Cadance.

Speaking of maintaining contact, he made his way to the post office and checked to see if his letter had left yet. To his utter shock, not only had it gone, but there was already a response from Twilight waiting for him. He knew she was fast, but this seemed a bit too convenient. He popped it open and made it halfway through the first paragraph before closing it.

To Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire:

This is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria speaking. While I appreciate your attempt to protect Princess Luna, there is absolutely nothing suspicious about Cosmic Crash. He is a normal, albeit ruggedly handsome, earth pony stallion. As per your request, I looked into his history. He was born to normal parents, went to a normal school, and has a normal job.

I sent you there to keep Luna safe, but if you can't do that, I'll have to find somepony who can. Put your arse in gear, or I will put it in the dungeon. This is a direct order: drop the investigation into Cosmo and let him go about his business.

Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.

Whoever was behind this operation had made three things perfectly clear. One, they had never seen how he and Twilight spoke to each other, and had not taken the time to sift through the intricacies in the letter he'd sent to figure it out. Two, they were protecting Cosmo in a very barebones methodology, meaning that he was definitely guilty, and likely not the one who had written this, as he would have known the cover story he'd given to Luna, Twilight, Celestia and himself. The only reason to be vague was if they didn't know. Third and finally, they had no problem committing mail fraud, meaning they wanted to go to prison for a very, very long time. And who was he to say no to that?

He went to collect his breakfast. Down in the kitchen, he once again felt the intense aura that had radiated off of both Vance and Cosmo. Unfortunately, as it was already in the room when he arrived, he was unable to pinpoint it. He couldn't even tell if it was emanating from somepony's gaze on him, as all eyes fell on him the moment he entered the room. Several ponies had stood up to salute him, all of whom he put at ease.

Since he couldn't tell which of them was giving off the feeling of dread, he didn't want to risk his food being tampered with again. Grabbing an MRE from the storeroom, he walked out of the kitchen and made his way to a dining area to eat. It wasn't a very good meal, but it was safe to eat, which was good enough for him. A very crunchy barbecue scrambled eggs that was safe tasted better to him than a poisoned tiramisu.

After breakfast, he made his way down to the cell where the guard he had stationed to listen was hiding. He wasn't hiding particularly well, as stepping into the cell immediately revealed him, but he had a low enough profile that it was hard to see him from the hallway. In silence, Shining called him into a cell further away to give his report.

"So, they didn't say anything particularly noteworthy," reported the guard. "I think they're just trying to have a kid together."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They talked for a bit about how relieved they were to finally be alone, then another guy came in and told them that there was a problem. It was on paper, and the one Luna was with told the other to take care of it. Guy had a strange voice, too. Then you came in and had an argument with him, and you both left."

"Did I sound threatening?"

"You sounded like you were about to kill him, and he said that the prison cell was his office? I'm really confused about what's going on here."

Shining placed a hoof on the soldier's shoulder. "You're doing great. What happened next?"

"They had sex. Lots of sex. Like an hour and a half. And as they finished, he said something about being ready to do this again without needing protection. That's what lead me to believe that they're trying for a kid."

"I don't know if that's what's happening, but you did a good job. Actually, could you go report what you heard to the fort commander? Do that, and you can call it a day."

As the guard left the dungeon, Shining returned to Luna's cell. She and Cosmo had eaten their breakfast already, with the cart having gone by while Shining was discussing the night prior with the guard. "Good morning," he smiled, donning his façade. "Did the two of you sleep well last night?"

"Better than you did," answered Cosmo. "I heard you had a fight with somepony."

"Yeah, there was a mixup with the rooms," he chuckled. "I was accidentally told the wrong room. They had me sleeping in an office, rather than a bedroom."

"Perhaps you should move to one of these cells," nodded Cosmo. "You may find that the prison is far more comfortable than the alternative."