Chapters "Before we begin, I would like to thank all three of you for being here for this meeting. I know it can be tough, especially for Princess Luna..."
"Your Highness, I am curious as to why Luna was required to be here. None of the topics I am aware of are relevant..."
"Easy, Captain, I was just about to get to that."
Captain of the Guard Shining Armor flushes slightly as Princess Celestia gives a confident smirk - even as fond as she was of the siblings Sparkle, she couldn't resist seeing their reactions when deliberately withholding some information. Princess Cadance, sitting beside Shining Armor, gives a concerned sidelong glance in his direction upon seeing her adoptive aunt's face.
The "roundtable meeting" - in which all the information in the closest level of confidence between the alicorns and the Captain of the Guard was relayed - had only just begun, and when Celestia's gaze turned to the quietly sitting Princess Luna beside her, all other eyes followed that gaze. Luna remained silent, almost seeming ready to curl up into a ball with her wings hiding her face at any moment.
"Well sister, you said you had made a very important decision." Celestia gently prods, breaking the awkward silence that had begun to form.
"Yes, we, meaning both of us sisters, had decided I would make my first public reappearance in Ponyville the following Nightmare Night." Luna pronounces, straightening herself up as she does so. "Sister believes it will be a chance to properly reunite with Twilight Sparkle and her fellow Element Bearers again, as well as to combat the threads of misinformation that have been building up around my public reputation."
Princess Cadance and Shining Armor exchange concerned glances - although it was doubtlessly true that there was a need to combat spreading misinformation about Luna and the batponies that served her, both of them worried about the appropriateness of doing it that way. Shining, in particular, was worried Celestia would ask too much of her younger sister still in Ponyville, only barely grasping the principles of "the magic of friendship".
When Cadance did not speak up any objection, Shining tried an approach based on what he thought would be a self-evident point of contention for Celestia's claim: "Your Highness, I am still not certain of Princess Luna's full recovery of her powers, as was an agreed-upon requirement before any public reintroduction can be performed."
"Oh, you mean the lock of her mane?" Celestia answers, Luna beside her using unicorn magic to pull back the bulk of her starry mane as Celestia is talking. Underneath the wavy "ethereal" mane that resembles the starry sky of night is a small lock that has retained the brighter blue color and solidity of Luna's depowered appearance.
"That is not an indication of still lacking in power." Luna comments to respond to Shining's concern. "It was a decision made personally to keep it this appearance. Whenever I wake up now and need to preen and tend the mane, that lock reminds me both of how far I fell before and how far I have come since the day of the return."
Shining Armor looks over at Cadance, who gives a little bit of a shrug in response; after all, it was hard to argue with the logic Luna was using, and Celestia agreed with it, so trying to change her mind would be of little use at this point. Instead, he tries another approach: "Your Highness, if you intend to make this visitation in the manner of a thousand years ago, there are certain usages of magic that need to reach specific thresholds to be effective. How can it be made certain that those thresholds can be reached without displaying exhaustion or unease in public?"
"Don't you worry, Captain, I will give my sister specific 'tests' to determine if she can fulfill those duties. Whether she can move the clouds and generate lightning and burst forth the 'Royal Canterlot Voice' like was done in days of old." Princess Celestia reassuringly answers. "Before the big night, I will make sure that she can perform all the same tricks as she could one thousand years ago."
Princess Luna gives a hopeful smile, and Shining Armor and Princess Cadance exchange concerned looks in response to what they are seeing. However, all of them stay silent, an acknowledgement of Celestia's supremacy in the situation. The awkward silence passes for a few seconds, then a few more.
"Now then, if there are no more questions, the meeting is concluded. The tests will be performed shortly after the lowering of the sun and raising of the moon, to start tomorrow. The time for those things to be done today is rapidly approaching, so we shall not delay any longer." Princess Celestia confirms, quickly followed by both she and Luna beside her rising from the sitting position around the table to take leave of the meeting area.
After the royal sisters are gone, Princess Cadance again gives a skeptical look to her now-fiancée, and Shining Armor's expression slowly changes to match it. A quiet conversation quickly follows, Cadance speaking first:
"Something about this doesn't feel right. I'm not even sure Aunt Celly's approach is the right one..."
"You know Luna likes the theatric element of the court. Besides, I've been seeing a lot of criticism lately for Celestia just showing up unannounced in certain places, maybe she just doesn't want the same thing said about Luna too?"
"But are all the theatrics even appropriate? Necessary? I know Luna has gotten the dream walking abilities back..."
"Celestia has said those are invasive and should only be used when a pony is in obvious distress. That won't substitute for a public introduction, and nopony has been able to come up with an acceptable alternative to 'the old ways'..."
"Have you messaged your sister? Asked her what she thinks should be done?"
"I'm not even sure my messages are getting through to her. Sure, the letters of friendship sent by Spike are arriving back here just fine, but I can't tell the same about anything sent in the regular post. She didn't show up for the promotion ceremony, and she hasn't responded to any of the other letters I've sent so far..."
"Should I discuss that with Aunt Celly?"
"No, don't do that! We had enough trouble with the EEA and Neighsay after Trailblazer's death, I don't want to suggest there's another governmental organization that has been compromised. The tabloids already have enough..."
"So, are we just gonna have to trust that Twilight will be able to fix any problems that might pop up?"
"That seems to be what Celestia is doing, and I don't want to say otherwise in public. I don't think it's right for her to be doing that, but at the same time I understand Twily needs to learn how to shoulder the public responsibilities of being so trusted by the princesses..."
Cadance sympathized with the contortions of expression and emotion Shining Armor was showing on his face - the Captain of the Guard was clearly torn between making a statement that would cast doubt on the ability of his beloved younger sister and standing up for what might be a serious mistake in approaching the situation in front of him...
The opening of the doors into the meeting room again was a welcome, albeit brief, respite from the unease that had settled in the room after the royal sisters had left. Shining had half hoped it was one or both of those sisters again, and could not hide his disappointment when he saw one of his highest ranking subordinates - Lieutenant Captain Vesper - in the doorway instead.
"Vesper, I hope you are bringing some good news, because it would be really helpful to have some right now..." Shining Armor comments wearily as Vesper approaches closer to where he and Cadance are sitting.
"I'm afraid not, sir. There's been an incident in the batpony caves, it will take a few minutes to explain..." Vesper grimly replies, raising a forehoof in salute as he does so.
"The attacks on our kind that venture outside the caves are increasing, sir."
"Surely this is just another misinformed troublemaker at work, Vesper. We just have to track them down..."
"I'd like to believe that, sir, but I'm afraid of the implications of what it means..."
"Look, I'm not happy to hear that either, but you're not the only ones that seem to be having issues right now." Captain Shining Armor explains to his subordinate, a slight amount of exasperation in his tone.
"If it was just protests and insults being hurled our way, I wouldn't be bringing this up, sir. But now there's life and limb involved. Our mates and foals are being attacked when they venture outside the caves." Vesper firmly continues on.
"Who are the ones attacking you?" Shining asks, the twinkle of indignant fury starting to show in his eyes.
"All three races are involved. These groups claim that there are 'vampires' from our kind, attacking and taking life in the dark of night. It's all the old rumors and bad information we thought the education program had corrected for."
"And you haven't recently arrested any misbehaved young stallions that could be fueling those rumors?"
"No arrests of our own kind, sir."
A thoughtful look briefly appears on Shining Armor's face as he ponders the best way to deal with what Vesper has presented him. After a pause, he gives the following set of orders: "You should make sure that mares and foals are not travelling outside the caves without escort until further notice. I will bring this up with the royal sisters, but in the meantime you should get back and authorize your Lieutenants to set up escort duties on the nights they are not on active patrol."
"Yes sir."
"You should also inform the Luna Shift castle staff to expect to perform the same escort duties on their off nights. If there is a problem, tell them to go straight to me. Understood?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. That is all I have for you now. You are dismissed."
Vesper acknowledges the dismissal with another salute, then turns and starts his way out of the meeting room. Shining Armor notices the increasingly grave concerned look forming on Princess Cadance's face out of the corner of his eye as Vesper takes his leave of the room.
The words remain caged in Cadance's mouth until Vesper is out of earshot, but when the words finally come out it's a sobering statement: "This is very dangerous. Something is attacking Equestria, and they know the batponies are our weakest link."
Shining Armor responds with equal worry: "I agree. There is something going on, but I can't figure out what. Too many different things all hitting at once... I'm just afraid we won't find out what it is until it's too late and ponies get hurt. The royal sisters won't be of much help, I can't be sure anything that I send to Twily is reaching her... whatever is going on, we'll have to take it on ourselves."
LATER, WHEN THE NIGHTSHIFT ASSEMBLES...
"A new job has been added to the duty lottery: outside cave escort." Lieutenant Captain Vesper was explaining to the batpony stallions assembled for their nightshift service, an announcement that prompted a bit of buzz among the ranks.
"Yes, I understand that it isn't the most glamorous - or safest - job. But the attacks on our kind have not only not abated, they have continued to increase. This is the only option for defense against those who are attacking us based on the old rumors and distrust." Vesper continues on once the buzz dies down a bit.
"But surely these attacks are simply from the ill-educated, sir?" one of the subordinate Lieutenants asks.
"I would like to believe that, but the educational initiative went on for quite some time in the EEA. At least, when Trailblazer was in charge of it. We can no longer safely assume ignorance, Soldiers of the Night. Captain of the Guard Shining Armor has authorized use of whatever defensive measures are needed to protect life and limb from the attackers. Into formation for the lottery!"
"Sir, yes sir!" the crowd of batpony soldiers echoes out in the caverns.
The shouting echoes reach a small pocket where what appeared to be two "civilian" batponies where listening behind cover, ears perked for every word. After the echo fades, they quietly converse between themselves:
"Do you think they're onto usssssssssss?"
"Not yet. It just meansssss we can't go feeding on our own. We have to ssssstay assss part of the crowdsssss."
"But it makessss thingssss sssso much harder!"
"I know. The whole 'magic ailment' thing will have to be relied upon exclussssively. At leassst until we can do an appropriate infiltration."
"Ssssso hungry..."
"I know. But if we follow the Queen'ssss orderssss, eventually we will feasssst!"
"And you did a bang-up good job bringing those foals from your class out to the meeting, Glowworm!"
"Thank you, Daddy! But why did you want them coming here without their parents? A lot of them said their moms and dads..."
"Don't you worry your little head about that, Cozy. Run along now with your new friends, Uncle Kriegspiel and I have grown-up stuff we need to talk about now."
"OK, I guess..."
The two Changeling drones disguised as Cozy Glow's father and her uncle Kriegspiel watched as Cozy Glow scampered away, the filly happier than she had been in a long while. Alas, she was blissfully unaware of the real purpose of recruiting her new Cloudsdale classmates to the P.U.P. (Pegasi Uplifting Pegasi) meeting, as would be laid out by the two drones when Cozy was out of earshot:
"There's something different about the young ones... easier to feed off of them..."
"Yes, but we need to convince their parents to get in on the act soon..."
"A story coming from Canterlot gossip will help us with that."
"Is it from another one of us ?"
"Yes, another of our mind. They started a rumor of a 'magic contagion' - the fillies will lead the parents right to us because of fear of the contagion."
"What you had Cozy Glow giving out at the school?"
"Yes, and knowledge will soon spread across the city. Eventually we will be able to take it back to Canterlot and accelerate the weakening there as well..."
"We must beware the Wonderbolts, though. They still have enough status here to be able to stand in the way."
"True, but it will take time because of the fools they previously..."
The drone stopped talking when he noticed his partner looking around, then taking a few sniffs, as if trying to figure out a scent that had just hit him. Then the conversation resumed, quieter than before:
"What's wrong?"
"I smell something. I fear we are being watched."
"Not the filly?"
"... No, another Equestrian. Look around for them."
"Got it."
The drone was briefly enveloped in green-colored magic, and quickly a manticore appeared out of the blast of magic! The drone looked around, growling and using the advantages of feline sight in an attempt to find the one spying on them. A few moments passed where the only sound was the deep breathing of the manticore, then the disguised drone found a quivering outline, previously undetected due to being concealed in the deep shadows under a nearby desk.
The manticore let out a roar that shook everything around it, flushing the spying pegasus out on hoof and sending him smashing through the wall of the building the drones were meeting in. The drone that had turned into a manticore was again enveloped by green-colored magic and returned to his previous pegasus disguise.
"Should we go after him?" the disguised Changeling asks, peering through the new hole in the wall of the building.
"Nah, no one will believe the story - they'll assume it's 'the contagion' or else otherwise he's telling tall tales." his partner dismissively replies.
"So, where were we?" the first drone asks again, continuing the conversation from the point it had been interrupted.
"The Wonderbolts. I do not believe they will be able to effectively interfere."
"Right. And we should be careful to keep it that way..."
MEANWHILE...
The young stallion that had been spying galloped over the cloud streets of Cloudsdale, not even caring to look for weak spots that might cause him to sink into the cloudbank the city was built upon or dump him down altogether. Fueled by the sudden scare, he galloped for a minute or two, then turned down a side alley, panting and resting himself by leaning against a wall. It was only at that point that the adrenaline surge ebbed enough for the stallion to hear his own thoughts: "Get it together Flash, get it together, it was just an illusion of magic, it wasn't real..."
Nevertheless, the young Guard began debating with himself over what it was he had just seen and what he should do next:
"These aren't alicorns, but they do possess very powerful magic. And they seem to be brainwashing the foals based on fear of the unknown about the supposed 'contagion' from Discord... what should I do now?"
"Go to the Wonderbolts?"
"I already know they won't listen to me."
"Go to Canterlot and the Princesses?"
"Would take too long, don't have enough evidence."
"Don't some of the Element Bearers have family in Cloudsdale? Can you try them?"
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, I'll try to find their families..."
Having recovered enough, the young guard Flash Sentry proceeds back out of the alleyway to the main street, moving at a more professional cantering pace in an attempt to find - and convince - the families of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy still living in Cloudsdale about the danger Equestria was in...
"Wow, I didn't realize there were that many earth ponies that lived in Canterlot!"
"Well, most of them aren't as lucky as we are. They scrape whatever living they can make off of whatever special talent they have - they weren't born into wealth, which is why they'll go along with this..."
"Wait, there are unicorns here too?"
"Yes, the pegasi turned them away from their own meetings, so we offered to host them here to protect them from 'the contagion'..."
"Blech, wings are so overrated! And those batponies are even worse about it than the regular pegasi!"
"And don't you forget it, Diamond Tiara!" Spoiled Rich pointedly states down to her daughter, who along with her friend Silver Spoon was walking beside her toward the building hosting the first UGA (Unicorn Grand Alliance) meeting.
Filthy Rich, walking along with the rest of his family, has to restrain himself from rolling his eyes in public. Of course he knew his wife was feeding their daughter opinions of hyperbole, but both public reputation and the great urge to remain dignified in defiance of all earth pony perceptions to the contrary. He stewed about having to hold his tongue, but like with so many trials he would have to suffer in silence.
The group ascended the stone steps into the "forum" where the meeting would be held, as indicated by the large banner reading "UGA" hung over the front entrance. The entrance was a pair of wooden doors ornamented in gold, and posted directly in front of them were a pair of stallions, one unicorn and one earth pony, of the large stock the E.U.P. Guard typically drew from.
"Stop! All visitors must be inspected before entry!" the earth pony stallions speaks as the group approaches the door.
"Inspected? For what?" Spoiled Rich snaps with equal parts indignity and impatience in her tone.
"For signs of 'the contagion'. The spread has been proven to not be limited to any particular kind of pony." the earth pony stallion responds.
"What kind of signs are you looking for?" Diamond Tiara asks.
"I'll explain as we go along. The parents first, please. Open your mouths." the unicorn stallion answers, prompting the parents to exchange looks.
Spoiled Rich's eyes slowly grow narrow and angrier at the idea of submitting to an inspection, but the words of her husband show arguing to be useless: "Just do it, we need to keep Mr. Mule and Chancellor Neighsay happy, and this is the only way to get in there."
The earth pony mare grumbles quite loudly, but after a moment she opens her mouth wide and lets the unicorn stallion look inside. Filthy Rich beside her does the same for the earth pony stallion. Both stallions stare for a minute, one speaking for the benefit of the fillies: "We're looking for signs of excessively pronounced canine teeth. This is one of the reported signs of infection by 'the contagion', and based on how 'Nightmare Moon' looked seems to a general sign of corruption in general... all clear. Now the fillies."
"Go ahead you two. It's not like the dentist." Filthy Rich gently encourages, hoping to over the obvious reluctance on the faces of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
As the adults step aside, the two fillies slowly step into where they were and open their mouths for the inspection. This time it takes longer due to several requests to "open wider" and "stop fidgeting", but eventually they are cleared by the stallions as well.
"You may proceed into the hall." the unicorn stallion pronounces, using his unicorn magic to push open the door.
A low buzz spills out from inside the building, sourced from the ponies already gathered inside. Spoiled Rich again leads the way into the building, the foals scrambling to catch up and Filthy Rich cautiously following behind. The doors are pushed closed behind them, and as their eyes adjust to the dim lighting inside the building, Diamond Tiara again engages in conversation with her mother:
"Don't the batponies have fangs? Is that part of keeping them out?"
"Yes dear. Although those savages usually only stay with their own kind or the pegasi, some of them sneak into other places and attempt to feed on other ponies - suck them dry of blood."
"That's disgusting! And terrible!"
"Yes, we definitely don't want them here, especially if they're also infecting with this magical chaos contagion going around or whatever it is..."
Filthy Rich had mind to speak up again - after all, batponies had played a critical role in saving the Rich family from harm during the Operation Whirlwind rebellion not that long before. But, he reminded himself, that they had done nothing during Discord's release, and the rumors of "vampiric" attacks had recently been apparently confirmed with the appearance of dead ponies in the middle of the night. Plus, he had joined the whole UGA campaign in an attempt to get monetary compensation for the damages Discord had caused to his Canterlot townhouse, which insurance was refusing to pay out under the argument of Discord being "an undirected natural force" which they were not liable to cover.
Spoiled Rich started moving out while her husband was still on the cusp of indecision, forcing the conflict in him to be temporarily suppressed as he trotted to catch up with her and the fillies. A skinny unicorn stallion opened the door leading to the main meeting room with magic as the Rich family approached, revealing a hall already full of ponies equal parts curious and excited about the upcoming meeting.
"...'UGA: United in Growing Enlightenment'... What does that exactly mean?" Diamond Tiara asks, referencing the text on the large banner hanging over the stage.
"It's an earth pony metaphor thing. Now Filthy could you keep mind of Diamond and Silver? I need to make sure Mr. Mule and Chiton know we finally made it..." Spoiled Rich dismissively explains, starting further into the room without waiting to hear her husband's response.
"Yes, dear. Come on, let's get to the reserved front row seats..." Filthy answers through too-obvious clenched teeth, prompting Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to exchange concerned looks.
"Is there something wrong with your parents?" Silver Spoon finally speaks up in whisper to Diamond Tiara.
"Don't know, they have been working much harder than usual since the attack. They're just not used to being this busy, and hate it..." Diamond Tiara answers in the same whispered tone, only much later recognized as a pathetic attempt to paper over cracks Diamond should've seen long before. And also the growing but inexplicable sense of dread forming in the pit of her stomach...
"Wow, you three seem more excited than I thought you would be!"
"This is a much bigger crowd than we anticipated. It will make the job of spreading enlightenment much easier."
"Speaking of the crowd, I can't find the rest of your family in it..."
"Oh, we just made it here a few minutes ago. They're still trying to get to the front row seats."
The earth pony lawyer "Mr. Mule" blushes slightly while Chancellor Neighsay makes an only partly successful effort to stifle a chuckle at the elder's faux pas. An angry glare from the old stallion produces a muttered apology under Neighsay's breath and concern on Spoiled Rich's face. She was all too aware of the rumors that Neighsay had contributed to the death of Trailblazer - the preceding EEA Chancellor and the first earth pony to hold the position - but had to keep her personal thoughts on that matter to herself.
"We'll have a question and answer session before we begin with the meditative philosophy class - calm and relaxing behaviors will help neutralize 'the contagion' before it can take root in the minds of those who will suffer the worst from it." Mr. Mule explains. "Hopefully, those ponies out there won't be too curious..."
Mrs. Spoiled Rich never heard the rest of the conversation, as her attention had become fixated on the unusual behavior of Mr. Mule's assistant Chiton. Yes, she could see the otherwise unassuming young earth pony stallion was excited, but not in the way she expected him to be. He kept smacking his lips and looking up at the ceiling wistfully - only much later would she recognize he was acting as if he was preparing for a feast, not a meet-and-greet...
When Mr. Mule and Neighsay were ready to go on the stage, Spoiled Rich slipped back into the general seating - full in a 60/40 ratio of unicorns to earth ponies - and then made her way to were the rest of the family were uneasily seated. She could also tell the general awkward feeling in the crowd, but overlooked it as she attributed it to nerves and curiousity.
"So we're all set with Mr. Mule and Neighsay?" Filthy Rich volunteers of his wife once she sits in her reserved seat.
"Yes, dear." Spoiled Rich replies offhandedly, as if she wasn't interested in conversation at the moment.
"Did you get information about whether we should be starting a chapter in Ponyville or not?" Filthy Rich tries again.
"Hmm? Oh no no, we can go to other towns, but we should avoid Ponyville right now. Not at least until we can get some members of the Apple clan on board. Don't want the Element Bearers getting the wrong idea about what were doing." Spoiled Rich answers, again seeming disinterested in her tone of voice.
"Excuse me, but Silver Spoon and I go to school with some of those Apple clan..." Diamond Tiara pipes up from her seat, hoping that the seeming helpfulness of the idea would at least get her thoughts taken seriously.
"Not now Diamond, you can tell us about it after everything's over." Spoiled Rich promptly shuts down, leaving her daughter and the daughter's friend in an uncomfortable silence with her thoughts.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mule, Chancellor Neighsay and Chiton were all slowly moving toward the center of the stage, prompting the buzz in the crowd to slowly die down. Diamond Tiara dared a quick look around, seeing an approximately equal mixture of intense hope and quiet skepticism among the crowd. She then looked at her friend, who clearly mirrored her own uncertainty about what was going on. With no clear answer about what to expect, both fillies returned attention to the stage.
When that happened, Mr. Mule was already making his introductory speech: "Welcome to everypony with or without a horn here. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and some of you are impatient for the 'compensation' from Princess Celestia that was promised. That's why I've decided to open up the floor for questions. Wait to be called before you start your question..."
Both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon didn't remember much of what happened next, mostly as they had become fixated on Chiton giving hungry stares over the entire crowd. The nagging unease that bordered on fear the fillies felt at that moment would only find justification in hindsight...
"Good, now relax... let the negative emotions and fears float away, only positive thoughts... the thoughts must be positive for the protection to work..."
"I don't like having to keep my eyes closed."
"Diamond, we need to set an example for what the rest of the crowd should be doing!"
The filly Diamond Tiara, with her family and best friend Silver Spoon beside her, truly did want to obey what her mom was saying, but the nagging worry inside her amplified innate curiousity. She struggled keeping her eyes closed, and she could tell Silver Spoon beside her was having the same problem. In retrospect, Diamond Tiara should've listened to that nagging worry, but a combination of pride and the overwhelming fear of her mother's disapproval at the time motivated her to shove that concern down harshly.
"Now Chancellor Neighsay will accompany Chiton into the crowd to administer the treatment. As previously stated in the question and answer session, there should be no side effects if you follow the procedure Neighsay will lead you through." Mr. Mule explains from the stage.
Diamond can hear hoofsteps, presumably those of Neighsay and Chiton, coming down the steps at the side of the stage and starting towards her. At the same time, an overwhelming blast of lavender scent fills her nostrils - her face grimaces in displeasure, but with her mother beside her she dare not make a sound. The hoofsteps stop at what she guesses is the end of her row, and she then hears Neighsay's voice: "Inhale slowly... hold it for five... long exhale..."
During the long exhale, Diamond thought she heard quiet slurping or lip smacking noises, but dismissed it, believing it came from somepony behind her in the crowd. Neighsay's voice starts speaking again: "Good, you are clean of any potential contagion. I will place a mint on your tongue to counter the dry mouth you may have at the moment. Keep your eyes closed until you get word from Mr. Mule to open them."
A moment later there is a shuffling of hooves, and Neighsay's voice starts again: "Inhale slowly... hold it for five... long exhale..."; it quickly becomes obvious to Diamond that this is some kind of ritual treatment that the crowd would be subjected to, although from the earth pony or unicorn traditions she couldn't tell. Again she hears the slurping or lip smacking noises during the long exhale, and again she dismisses it.
"Good, you are clean of any potential contagion. I will place a mint on your tongue to counter the dry mouth you may have at the moment. Keep your eyes closed until you get word from Mr. Mule to open them." Chancellor Neighsay is heard saying again, and again quickly followed by the shuffling of hooves.
The "ritual" is repeated several times as Neighsay and Chiton edge closer in the front aisle toward where Diamond Tiara is sitting, and as the exact same sequence of events is repeated several times over the nagging seed of doubt creeps in again. With them right next to her now, she dares briefly to peek one eye open.
She immediately regrets that decision as a fast pulsing light appears, bright enough in the relative darkness of the forum to make her wince silently again. With the lavender smell still overwhelming her nostrils, Diamond Tiara is temporarily placed into a sensory disorientation, but the sense of a unicorn's magic "grasping" her prompts her eyes to open again.
The flashing light she had just seen was coming from Chancellor Neighsay's horn (doubtless some kind of spell he was using at the moment). The blinking is hypnotic, and despite the magic "grasp" her sense of consciousness is temporarily disrupted. In her state, she simply follows the orders she is given: "Inhale slowly... hold it for five... long exhale..."
During the long exhale, Diamond feels something getting pulled out of her, as if her breath had left temporarily following a sucker punch. She nearly chokes on it, but whatever it was is gone before she can make any kind of gag reflex. Instead, Neighsay's magic gently pushes down on her eyelids, closing her eyes again as the slurping and lip smacking noises are heard right next to her.
A bit of terror spikes in Diamond Tiara, but it quickly fades as Neighsay speaks again: "Good, you are clean of any potential contagion. I will place a mint on your tongue to counter the dry mouth you may have at the moment. Keep your eyes closed until you get word from Mr. Mule to open them."
The tingle of mint flavor on her tongue jolts Diamond Tiara back out of her dazed, confused state, and the terror spikes again. She can't resist opening her eyes again, but the constant hypnotic flashing from Neighsay's horn makes it impossible to see what is happening as he and Chiton move onto Silver Spoon and then her parents. The nagging sense of something not being right she forcefully shoves down again - for as long as her mother's attitudes had a hold on her mind, she could never be honest about what she was experiencing...
"Great job, everypony! We'll run through the introductory landing sequence one more time so that everypony has the timing down confidently!"
"I'm still not sure this is the best approach for Luna's grand reintroduction in Ponyville..."
"Nightmare Night is supposed to be scary, right? Besides, you can tell Aunt Lulu is enjoying herself up there..."
"Well, I mean the theatric element is up her alley..."
"Exactly! Now hurry up, we gotta make sure we're in the position Aunt Celly wants us in..."
Princess Cadance, along with Captain Shining Armor following a step or two behind, moves to the end of a strip outlined in torchlights. It was dark in Canterlot, clouds in the sky positioned temporarily covering the moon. High above, the princess and her fiance could see Luna's carriage hovering, being pulled by some of the batpony members of the E.U.P. Guard.
"Hopefully this doesn't start a bunch of unfounded rumors in Canterlot..." Shining states quietly in his concern, looking out at the city with its lit up windows from his castle ground vantage point.
"The blowing winds will be considered as part of the normal weather for this time of year. Besides, she will only do this for real in Ponyville." Cadance reassuringly answers, adding a small smile when Shining looks at her.
Shining Armor continues to hold his skeptical look despite the smile, but his attention, as well as that of Cadance, is drawn toward the dramatically gusting wind. Normally such winds were caused by coordinated pegasi effort, but an alicorn like Luna could generate such winds on her own, and these winds started to blow aside the strategically positioned clouds. Out of the glare of the revealed moonlight, Luna's chariot screams down out of the sky, only stopping about 15 feet above the end of the outlined strip opposite where Shining and Cadance were watching.
The torches were used as a rough stand-in for the expected Ponyville crowd as well as an indication of the spacing needed for Princess Luna to operate safely. After an appropriate dramatic pause, the cloaked Luna leaps out of her stopped chariot, making a perfect four point landing on the ground below her. She dramatically throws her head back, the hood of the cloak falling back accompanied by a dramatic flash of lightning.
"Oooh, I'm getting a shiver down my spine." Princess Cadance whispers to her fiancé beside her at this point.
"Are you sure that's not the wind?" Shining Armor worriedly asks.
Princess Luna pauses briefly, as if to savor the moment, while Shining Armor uses small bubbles of magic to snuff out some of the torches - a cue replacing the bowing crowds Luna expected to meet in Ponyville. Luna's cloak flutters in the wind, and as she starts down the outlined strip in Shining Armor and Cadance's direction it dissolves into bats. Once the cloak is gone, Luna opens her wings to full spread - doubtless to make herself seem even more majestic - and smiles in the direction of the torches standing in for the bowing Ponyville residents.
In the middle of the strip, Luna stops to give her speech, the force of the Royal Canterlot Voice enough to push against Shining Armor and Cadance standing nearby: "Citizens of Ponyville! We have graced your tiny village with our presence, so that you might behold the real Princess of the Night! A creature of nightmares no longer, but instead a pony who desires your love and admiration! Together we shall change this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!"
The speech ends with another dramatic thunderclap, and both Shining and Cadance look relieved that everything seems to have gone to plan. But Luna's eager smile still sits uneasy with Shining Armor, and the latter can't help but notice this when she approaches him.
"Pray tell, is there still something wrong with the execution?" Luna asks, looking at Shining with puzzlement.
"No, it's just that I still don't like how it ends with talking about feasting." Shining answers, trying not to let his innate awkwardness bubble to the surface as he does so. "I mean, there's more than one way for that line to be interpreted, and I fear the wrong interpretation will be chosen instead of the right one..."
"Shining, Aunt Celly and I have been over this before." Cadance states with annoyance. "The foal eating scary stories were just that - scary stories with no basis in reality. Everypony understands that. And even if they take it too seriously Twilight will surely be able to sort it out."
"That's another problem I have with this plan." Shining Armor responds with irritation. "I don't like the idea of trusting that Twily can fix everything if something goes wrong, especially not after the recent incident with the 'Want It, Need It' spell. And with all due respect, I don't care if Princess Celestia approved this idea or not, I still think it's going to go wrong!"
The only way Princess Cadance can respond is an awkward look at Luna's puzzlement at the reaction - it was only recognized in retrospect that Luna hadn't been deterred from her ill-fated dramatic approach to the visit because of Celestia's own intentions for testing Twilight; these intentions causing many headaches after the fact. At the moment thought, Captain Shining Armor just knitted his brows in frustration at what he felt were warnings that weren't being heeded.
"Now, if Your Highnesses will excuse me, I have to give the briefing to Lieutenant Captain Vesper..." Shining grumbles out, abruptly turning away and leaving the alicorns to their personal opinions.
LATER, AFTER THE BRIEFING IS GIVEN...
"Yes, I absolutely agree that this 'UGA' is up to nothing good. Especially considering one of its leading members has suspected ties to the anti-pegasus rebellion that ended in 'Operation Hornpoint'." Shining Armor affirms to his subordinate, referencing Chancellor Neighsay.
"But sir, we've checked both the caverns and the city extensively. I refuse to believe that this 'Chiton', whoever he really is, can be a renegade from our kind helping them out." Lieutenant Captain Vesper replies, adding a shake of his head for emphasis.
"He could be a half-blood born outside the caves and recently moved to the city. And in any case, he needs to be held accountable for his reported actions, which have been to the hazard of the health and life of Equestrian citizens." Shining Armor pointedly adds on.
"Should we issue a warrant for his arrest?"
"As he has not been formally charged with a crime, that would have to be entirely on royal prerogative. And I don't expect that the 'UGA' with their obvious ulterior motives will simply give him over quietly. Their meetings should continue to be monitored, but warrants and police action will have to be decided entirely by the princesses. That is unavoidable, given I cannot trust any messages I send by post asking my younger sister for help will get through to her."
"Understood, sir. The night shift is ready and waiting to relieve the daytime crews."
"Get to it, then. And make sure the Lieutenants are triple-checking any suspicious activity and logging those reports correctly!"
"I will, sir. I promise."
Nothing but desolate waste spanned the horizon in front of former Lieutenant Captain Aten's eyes - he had only ever seen this desolate and decrepit condition once, a place in Equestria deliberately drained of its magic many years ago as punishment for rebelling against the crown of Princess Celestia. Even standing at the edge of this waste, he could feel the magic leaching out through his hooves - it certainly seemed that nothing could survive here.
And yet this was where he was told the Changeling kingdom was, the only indication of that statement even being close to truth was the grotesque shaping of dark rock in the far distance. It was there, the drone that had long cooperated with him previously explained, Queen Chrysalis sat upon her throne, a vicious ruler of a desperately hungry race that would doubtless feast upon conquered Equestria. A thirst for revenge and hatred that even the magic of friendship was not able to counter was the only thing Aten had keeping him going, but keep him going it did.
Little black specks appeared in Aten's field of vision almost as soon as he stepped hoof onto the desiccated soil of the Changeling's kingdom. At first he tried to shoo them away with a wave of a hoof, thinking them to be the flies that normally congregated around the dead, but they seemed to rapidly grow in size instead. Belatedly realizing that he was about to be ambushed, he tried taking off galloping, but instead was hit by a Changeling drone ramming him from the side he wasn't looking. The wind was temporarily knocked out of Aten as he tumbled sideways in the dirt and dust, the dull landscape repeatedly inverting itself in his line of sight.
Finally Aten stops, laying on his back with the nubs of where his wings had been painfully digging into his back. He winces as he tries to get back up, but is pushed back down onto his side as a black shape, fanged and hissing loudly, fills his field of view. Two different Changeling drones stand on top of him, pinning down the stallion and making the sensation of the magic draining out of him seem more intense.
"Stop, I come... to open the way to Canterlot..." Aten dryly tries to explain, hoping that the words would mean something to the Changeling scouts restraining him.
In the corner of Aten's vision, he can see the drones briefly conversing between themselves. Finally one of them starts speaking in the typical hissing tone of the Changeling drones at the time: "You are an Equesssstrian?"
"Yes, by birth. But my loyalty is no longer with the alicorns." Aten answers. "They have taken everything from me, including the wings of my birthright! One of your kind was working with me for a long time - they told me I could refuge, and revenge, from Her Majesty Queen Chrysalis."
"There have been sssseveral who have gone into that land, but not all of them have been accounted for." the scout explains. "Can you give sssstatussss for the onesss you do know about?"
"Yes, one of them was part of a pair that went in together, and they knew of other ones. He explained what he knew to me about them."
"Then we will need to bring you back to Commander Pharynx. If you information isssss indeed ussseful, Her Majesssssty may be willing to lissssten to your plea. Do not sssstruggle or resssissst the transssportation effortssss."
"Yes, alright, I'll do what you want. If it means I won't get ripped to pieces or sucked dry, whatever you normally do to get at the love you feed on..."
The drones step off the stallion, instead working together to hoist Aten onto their backs, sharing the load of his weight between them. Despite their grumbling, they both take off in the direction of the Changeling's castle. The flight ends up being quite a bizarre experience for Aten, not just because it reminded him of what had been stripped of him by Princess Celestia but because the full view of the waste the Changelings controlled became clear to him. The occasional speck of black in the distance of the murky sky made it painfully clear that the Changelings were more numerous than Aten thought would be possible.
At some point during the flight, the stallion dozed off - he wasn't sure if it was the result of the magic being slowly sapped out of his body or something the Changeling patrollers did - and when he started to come to again, he found himself laying on his side on some kind of stone, hearing two different voices echoing in chilly air:
"An Equessstrian? An actual real Equessssstrian came here? Why can't I sssee him?"
"Don't bother me about that right now, Thorax. Jussssst make ssssure Her Majessssty isss informed promptly of thesssse eventsss, and don't dawdle on the way coming back like you did lasssst time I sssent you on an errand!"
"Yes, Commander B.B.B.F..."
"Would you stop it with the acronym? We're on duty!"
Aten moaned, trying to will himself to wake up. He did manage to get his eyes open, but all around him was chilling darkness - he quickly realized he had been dropped off in a cave of some kind. A pair of eyes glowing purple in the distance immediately draw the stallion's attention, along with the hissing and fizzing sounds coming from the same direction.
A large shape - Aten can't quite tell what it is in the cave's darkness - rears over the rock Aten is on, the purple eyes glowing straight down over the Equestrian traitor. The booming voice that subsequently fills the cave has a very hissy undertone: "I am Commander Pharynx, the head of all patrolsssss of Changeling landssss. I have been told you have valuable information about the kingdom of the Equessstrianssss..."
"Yes, I have information that will allow Her Majesty Queen Chrysalis and the armies she commands a way in to feast upon the love of the Equestrian population. But the best way I can explain it is to talk with Her Majesty directly..." Aten answers, hoping that at least pretending loyalty to the Changeling queen will keep him alive in the short term.
Pharynx pauses for a moment, letting a dread fill the expression of the Equestrian, much to the Changeling commander's pleasure. Finally, the answer comes in the same loud hissing voice: "You will provide ussss with whatever knowledge of all dronesss you have encountered back in Equessstria before we will even consssider letting you ssssee the Queen..."
