Verve

From there, the rest of the Court was rather straightforward - King Aster brought the session to a slow close, settling the major problem of immediate invasion with a vote. What was once a stalemate of seven to seven, with three undecided - now gave way to a full fifteen to two. At such a balance, direct military intervention was called off, and new plans had to be drafted and deliberated upon. Of which, Princess Celestia - the now brave leader of Equestria, and Vee - the strange mystic pegasus - would have key roles in their creation.

For the time being, this gave the other six party members a bit of freedom in the Castle; from Celestia’s estimation, counting the one hour that passed traveling to Silversun on hoof - they had roughly nine hours remaining. Which meant they could spend at least a week with the White Tail comfortably, an hour traveling back, two to three hours flying as quickly as they can to Canterlot, and three hours gate crashing.

So because of this, their first day was spent relaxing, sleeping, and recuperating - steeling themselves for the preparation ahead.

Until they had the full support of the White Tail, it may be impossible to lay a siege to Celestia’s stolen home. At least Aster was kind enough to grant the party rank of Royal Heralds; and as such, were granted small medallions bearing the Circlet’s Mark. This would allow them to shop locally, if needed - all on Aster’s budget.

Under Tempest’s orders, these six days would be spent preparing for their assault. Arin, a well trained Lunar Knight - was assigned to work with General Falon on piecing together an entry plan for his bucks. He had a clear idea of the Castle’s layout, including hidden entrances, weak points, escape tunnels, and the Castle’s typical evacuation plan. On top of this, Arin was aware of the Guard’s defense formations, and could help construct a way to counter this.

“You know,” General Falon began, “This would be considered exceedingly dangerous to share this information so freely with us, if we had the intent on taking Canterlot in the future.” He stated in their first meeting. He had a fair point; every piece of knowledge Arin outlined could inevitably be used against them, if the White Tail decided to go to war with the Equestrians.

“You’re right. And in any other time, this would be considered high treason. Let’s just hope that King Aster intends to keep the peace, after he and his Circlet agree to help us,” Arin stated, using a quill to circle another key entry point on the rough castle layout he put together.

“On a personal level, Arin. My closest bucks and does would lay their lives on the line to save their kin, clearance or not. Under my guidance, I would refuse to stand idly by while you and our allies challenge the looming threat before us. If we have to run to the fields of battle, unaided, unarmored, and into the magic of certain death, just to give even a single glimmer of hope of survival for the White Tail, we would do so without hesitation. Let us hope it does not come to that.”

From this point onward, a new bond was struck between the General and the Knight; a common cause that outshined their differences. The Seraph saw a light that burned inside this deer, hard to spot - but radiant and beautiful, none-the-less. For whatever Falon cared for, it was his world - and he would not let it perish.

Elsewhere in the Castle, Umbra and Pumpkin Spice worked with Tempest in the creation of a deadly weapon that could give them their victory; Banishing Orbs. Crystalline, onyx imbued shells, that contained intense magic and a variety of alchemical components, refined down into a swirling mass of green and black fury.

“Commander Tempest,” a Castle Magi called, the robed doe bowing her head in respect. “I must notify you of the limited resources of the Alchemist’s Hall of the moment. We simply lack several of the ingredients you need for these ‘weapons’ of yours. Perhaps you should turn your attention to the commerce sector of Silversun, for any missing reagents you may need - as the Circlet simply doesn’t have stock in our boughs.”

“And the Circlet can not send a Magi to collect these ingredients from the private sector?” Umbra challenged, cocking an eyebrow. The doe shook her head.

“A poisoning attempt several decades prior targeted at the former General Tanon prevents the Circlet Magi from purchasing goods locally in the use of alchemy or brewing. All of our reagents must be naturally harvested or cultivated on our own. With tensions as they are, it would be unwise for the Circlet to take the risk, as a lot of the blame is centered once more on our lack of military action.”

Tempest tested the weight of an incomplete orb, the interior swirling in a hazy blue. This simply wouldn’t serve their needs. With a sigh, she nodded. “Very well. Pumpkin, I believe this is a job best suited for you and I. Umbra, you know the beginning steps quite well by now - prepare several more shells for our return. The charging process takes three days, and there’s a moderate chance the magic could corrupt and instead become harmless sludge.”

“This trade is not my strongest ability, but I will manage. Do not tarry long, we still have much to accomplish.” Umbra nodded to the couple, before settling into the process of delicate work.

Oarkin, across the way, had little to do. He was no commander, nor an alchemist - he was a fighter, a warrior! And now... a participant in a chess match against a fawn, outside the Castle Walls and near the bubbling brook of the river. Chess was a universal game, apparently - though here, it was called a different name: Knight’s Challenge.

The young glasses-bearing fawn nosed a small pawn forward, humming adorably as the giant of a Seraph pondered his next move; her gaunt cheeks turned up in a happy smile. Strategy was not his forte - and he cursed silently as the little deer put him in check.

“You’re not very good at this, Mister…” The timid challenger frowned; her name was Calia. This was her third game against the Mountain - and he had already laced his fingers together in concentration, hiding his moustache and beard behind his digits as he thought. She was hardly more than ten years old… and he was somewhere along the lines of three hundred. Yet here, with all of his experience and knowledge - he could not best her.

As gently as he could, a skill he was working on, he moved the King; a small buck shaped piece with two giant antlers into the castling position. It was a bit late to castle, but it gave him a moment of reprieve. On top of this, the little doe allowed it - even though it was against the rules to castle a king in check. She allowed it after his first game, when he somehow lost in under five moves.

Yet somehow, the fawn saw this coming - and nosed a Rook across the board with a bruised snout, and took his pawn in front of his King. He went to contest this with his sturdy antlered ruler, but the tiny doe shook her head.

“Nuh uh! You can’t put the King in check!” her cheery voice came, stifling a little giggle. His elbows sat on his crossed knees, a bead of sweat dripping down his bald head. He held his cheeks in either palm, beard crushed beneath his focused grasp.

“Blayd…” he whispered, in Skrit - the language of the Southern Spears. He moved a far left pawn forward, pressuring Calia’s king-side, but he forgot about his unprotected queen. Gently, the fawn nosed her own queen forward - seizing the piece with a quiet smile.

Oarkin sighed, and with a small flick of his finger - knocked his Aster-shaped piece to the tiny tiles, giving the victory to the little doe.

“Yay!” Calia cheered, stomping her thin hooves in delight, the bandages she bore stuck tight to her fur. Her oversized cracked glasses bouncing across her little bruised snout, much to the disgrace of the unbeatable soldier. His wings gave a frustrated flick. Surely he could best such a weak creature like her? She barely had meat on her bones!

“Again,” he said, firmly - trying his best not to break the small pieces with his massive hands while he realigned them for another round. She gave an absolutely heart melting smile, before nodding happily.

“Okay! You’ll get me this time, I promise!” Her little hooves clopped together, using her small teeth to set the pieces in place faster than his massive digits would allow.

Oarkin had a feeling that this optimism was well wasted on him, as he rolled his head to pop his neck, dry off the sweat, and focus.

Of all the most awesomest awesome ponies in probably the prettiest place around, Rainbow Dash found herself quite alone, and bored without anypony to hang out with. Normally, in a situation like this - she’d sneak off somewhere to read an adventure novel, or pull a few pranks - but she couldn’t read deer books. And, no matter how sneaky she was - the White Tail had extremely keen ears. They heard her coming a mile away, which felt totally unfair. She couldn’t even fly up on them! And the old ‘bucket over a door’ prank didn’t work - they were fast, too. And even the most nerdy looking doe had the reflexes to catch a falling bucket in their weird… eye glowy magic.

Magic! They all had magic, too. The bucks would have their antlers glow weirdly, and the does would shine their eyes - and things would just happen! At least, most of them did. Some either didn’t use the stuff - or didn’t bother to learn it.

Maybe she could find a familiar face to prank. Or at least hang out with. Aha! A target!

A purple pegasus enjoyed a casual flap through the halls of the castle. The very tall halls, covered in branches galore. A perfect place for Rainbow Dash to silently hover above, like an assassin - and drop down to give her a good jump. The flap of Vee’s wings would help muffle her own, as the pegasus sipped away at her coffee.

Flying in the dark of the arched roof, she slowly inched her way down to the busy purple, who seemed to be reading over some kind of scroll. She occasionally muttered something about feathers and checklists as she did so - and that’s when Rainbow Dash decided to strike.

Dropping down, she meant to snap at the flapping witch with her tail - but the feathery pegasus was simply unbothered by it. Wait, no… she missed? How did she miss? Regardless, Vee didn’t notice - and continued to ho-hum about her drink.

Maybe a good pop on the ears would work, and make her jump. She’d probably drop her coffee! As sneaky as ever, Rainbow Dash hovered right above her purple mane - whacking her hoof softly at the unguarded appendage.

It sailed right through, not even touching her.

“Huh?...”

“Hmhm? Oho! Hello, my very unpreened Rainbow-fry. Can I help you?” She stopped to look up, smiling dully as she settled to the floor. An amulet bounced on her chest, shining a soft purple.

“How… are you a g-ghost?”

“D’ohoho! You’re right! I am a ghost. Later, at least. But not yet! I’m simply trying to figure out how to apply wing chops to the cops, without cracking too many skulls. Much too much preening to do, much too many noises to neigh at does and bucks. Not good for the feathers at all, hmhm.” She slurped away at her cup - flashing a wing to slap Rainbow Dash across the face. Instead, it sailed right through harmlessly - save for an electrifying tingle. Dashie flinched, falling back out of reflex as her wings gave a flap to stumble away.

“D-Don’t do that! That’s weird! You’re weird!” the Element exclaimed, jumping to her hooves at a safe distance. Her eyes were like pinpricks, hoof holding her thumping heart as she fought back her fears. She hated ghosts. Or… spooky things. She loved to dish it out, but she had problems taking it at times.

“Hmhm? Wow, Jerk-face. I didn’t spit in your coffee this morning! Because it’s not morning. It’s still night. Which is bad. Hmhmhm…” Vee lifted the amulet from her chest - tossing it haphazardly into her bag. “Back to the wall staring I go. If you need me, too bad, I’m busy. But if you still need me when I’m not busy, I charge twenty five bits an hour for neighing, fifty bits for master preening lessons, and one hundred bits for looking at my pristine feathers. Because I’m broke.”

Vee brushed right past her with a clop of her hooves - cupping her coffee graciously in her wings. Rainbow Dash simply scooted out of the way of the purple enigma, who then proceeded to turn down the hallway, and towards the local deer library. Even though she clearly didn’t read White Tail, either.

“...I miss Pinkie Pie. She’d hang out with me. I’d even take Egghead right now, even if she’d just talk about books or… whatever.” Rainbow sighed, once again stuck with nothing to do. Disheartened, she turned down the short, curved corridor she came from - back towards her small, but elegant room.

Dare she say it, but she almost missed the boring paperwork at her office in the Wonderbolts Academy. Looking over new recruits and signing off on waivers was better than sitting around with nothing to do. Well, at least she had her own bed. Might as well catch a nap while she waits on food, or something to happen. She’ll feel better later.

The Princess rubbed her aching temples, sighing in frustration. Her and King Aster had decided on some privacy, to speak quietly among matters pertaining to their most recent meeting. They agreed to meet in his private chambers, to keep prying eyes and ears quiet among the chatter. Of course, like all things beautiful - this room was richly so, though not to an extreme as the rest of the castle. It seemed more modest compared to her own guest lodging, in fact. But preferences were preferences.

“Princess Celestia, I feel as if we’ve tread the wrong branches from the start. Perhaps I have been naive in the past, but… are you sure this will work? I fear for the lives of my cervine, and would do anything to protect them. It’s why we came here, away from the Edge. A place of safety and shelter.”

“King Aster - may I call you Aster? You may call me Celestia if you’ll spare me this - but I trust my friends like I would trust my now former student. When can we expect a response from the breezies? I know most speak Fae - but there are a few who can read, and speak, Equestrian and Cervine among them, I’m sure. I recall a letter from Fluttershy, speaking of one of their leaders - Seabreeze. They at least understand pony talk. Surely they will be willing to help?”

Aster sighed, “The magic of the fey is odd and growing weak; but a response will surely grace my ears soon, I hope. You see, in the Feywilds, distance is merely a concept unless strictly contained; with the right guidance, one can span the vast entirety of the world in a few scant hours, as long as you dwell within the thickest of its magical flora to benefit from the effect. As I have no contact among the breezies save your word, and only the faint idea of their whereabouts - I have sent a party of scouts to scour the wilds for their secretive hollow. And pertaining to your request regarding names… I… suppose you may.”

“Wonderful! Now, we need to talk a bit about the past. This is… important to me, and not the world, Aster. But… Did you know my mother?”

At that, the King froze; he didn’t like to speak of the past. Leaves grow ever upwards, after all - on strong roots, of course, but…

“Yes. I knew her. In fact, I was born around the same time she came to be, as a foal of another red maned mare before her. I knew Astra quite well.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? We spent a week together - you even called me by your side just to speak of trivial matters, near daily. But you never thought to share this with me? Why?”

Celestia wouldn’t back down from the assault - her deep red mane flowing down her side, as the King found it hard to maintain eye contact.

“I… perhaps I was hasty to leave the roots of my past so far behind. But… I had a fair reason, Celestia. It's… not something I wished to speak to you about. It is a painful memory for me. But…”

He gathered his courage, plucking the jeweled flower from his ear to gaze upon it once more. Golden magic twirling the relic of his past, the memories dear to him “...I loved her. But she never shared that love with me, no matter the gifts I gave, or the sweet letters I sent - she found love through a simple gray Unicorn. The pain of this hurt my heart greatly. And I saw her, through you. In Equestrian time, Celestia - I am not more than… one hundred years your senior.”

“This… that answers so few questions, and gives me many more to ask. You loved her? Why would you choose to abandon pony kind if you loved her so? Your father sought to build trust with us, and grow by our side - but you… you simply fled. Why would you do this? For what purpose?” Her eyes softened, her heart sending a pang for the old King. She has borne the same fate with many lovers in the past - but all died to the flow of time, not an untimely demise.

“I have two reasons to give for my flight. Firstly, and most importantly - the land we found perfect for our home was simply too close to your own, and we would be surrounded by Equestrians within a few decades. If we chose to stay, war would be inevitable - as at the time, all sentient creatures were struggling. Secondly, I... felt guilt. For your kind. Of all the strife and pain, Equestrians had suffered the most; and we were powerless to help. At every turn, your kin would perish to the terrible nature of this world, or to the Entity’s influence. I did not wish to be seen as uncaring - I was anything but. For the greater good, we strayed into the Feywilds - and there we stayed. As such, many saw ponies as a threat, and it soon became a part of our culture. Outsiders were not allowed.

“And for the love I held… I sent her many letters; poems and sweet songs… yet she found interest in a court unicorn. I even met you and your sister - your pristine white coats and pink manes were absolutely adorable. You were twins, after all.” He gave a sad smile at the memory, but what he just described caught Celestia by surprise.

“Luna is blue. And she’s my younger sister by… well, at least a few years… it was… our youth was rather hazy. Neither of us have a splendid memory on the matter.”

“No, I’m quite certain you were both white and pink, the first time I saw you both in your cribs. Alicorn blood is strong, after all. Once the Entity came, I never saw either of you again. Not until now, of course.”

Celestia turned away in thought, wondering what this could mean. Perhaps this has something to do with the Entity’s influence - maybe a lingering effect of its corruption. Or something else entirely; perhaps she had a third sister? No. That wouldn’t make sense.

“There is more to this than even both of us can decipher, Aster. For now, let’s let sleeping diamond dogs lie.”