Arc Angel

It took me damn near two hours to get her to agree. I'm not certain why I spent so much time convincing her, but I felt it was needed. I was telling the truth before, I had a better chance of getting in with her on my side. Besides that, it cleared her of any evidence of betrayal. Not that I'm saying she's betrayed anypony! I'm just saying uh... um... Forget it. Anyway, obviously I had a few preparations to make. Erasing a spell on a precious stone is not easy, and it takes a lot of energy. Naturally, I was the one who had to do it. Why on Equestria Nightspring brought a pendant that would make me look like a maid is beyond me, but now I'm kinda glad she did. Not so glad that she used it, but glad she brought it. Obviously the inhibitor she stuck on me before had been taken off. It had taken me the better part of the next day to purge the spell from the pendant, and about just as much time weaving a brand new illusion into it, complete with sensory capabilities, meaning others will hear, smell and can even taste my illusion and touching it will lead to them 'feeling' the illusion instead of me. It's a very complex procedure. In order to lower suspicion about my identity even more, I had chosen a female guise. 'Her' coat is velvety soft and a pastel pink, and her mane and tail are quite long. Not long enough for 'her' tail to be dragging along the ground, but still quite long and a soft mauve. I had to make up a cutie mark on the spot, and that's no easy. You have to consider where your guise is coming from, what's happened in their lives, how it meshes in with the rest of the family. In my case, I decided that my guise will have a four leaf clover cutie mark and sold Lucky Charms. Her name will be 'Top 'o the Morning'. Or I wanted it to be. Nightspring told me it was a stupid name and that I should go with a nurse of some kind, maybe a foreign nurse brought in for a different perspective. So I changed the cutie mark to a medical mark and altered her name to 'Sparkling Grotto', which Spring seemed to like.

That exhausted me, however, and I slept damn near two days. Illusions on their own, tricks of light, are easily done. I have no trouble with simple illusions, but making ones that can be seen, touched and everything else is just plain difficult. Spring kept telling me I was a wuss and that I should get up already. Like she understands. She knows physical combat and speed, but magic is best left to us professionals, unicorns. On the third day I dug into her satchel (Which she tried to hide from me. Silly girl) and started drawing up an illusion scroll.

Spell Scrolls are an invaluable tool regardless what anypony else says. It's a bit of a lost art, I'll admit. I'm not certain anypony else in Canterlot, or at least in the guard, do it. I'm not sure they know how. What a Spell Scroll does is literally store the energy of a spell in it's design inside the scroll and any pony that comes along can use it, if they know how. Naturally, you have to prepare the scroll for whatever kind of spell you're retrofitting it with. This is achieved through various symbols and runes etched with ink onto them. Of course, you don't have to use ink. I've heard say that there are a few things that actually change the effects of the scroll a little. I heard that Squid ink will have a dampening effect on any spell except a water element spell, so is good for healing spells, that dragon saliva exponentially upgrades any fire type spell you put into it as well as infusing the paper with a resistance to heat and flames, and the most ridiculous of them all being that unicorn's blood can exponentially increase the power of any spell put into it by a massive scale. Of course, when I say 'heard' I meant 'read in a book of legends that's so ancient it's probably full of bullshit'. I knew the scrolls worked, but I wasn't willing to try out the other theories. Aside from the fact most of them would risk life and limb, it just seemed silly to go all that way simply to have one little test.

Ahem. Anyway.

I infused the scroll with another complex illusion spell, this time a perfect representation of me. For who knows me quite like I do? Nopony. I had to tweak it here and there, make him look a little more downtrodden and weatherbeaten, like I looked now after my time on my own and especially my sickness. I smiled as I looked upon the finished product, albeit tiredly. I felt rather than heard Spring exit the tent and look at me. I looked back at her, and the illusion did the same. I had instilled within it my personality so it was just that more convincing and it grinned at her just as I did. I don't think I've ever seen her looking so hopelessly confused. It was quite amusing to say the least an I chuckled, at the same time the other me did. She groaned and stomped back into the tent, to my great amusement I might add. Still chuckling, I looked at the other me and he nodded and looked to the still empty, inscribed spell scroll. With a casual spell, I sealed the magic creating him into the scroll.

I might hang on to this scroll. Might come in handy someday to play a prank on Spring. If I get out of this alive.

~*~

You know, when I told Spring to 'make it look natural' when she brought me to Canterlot, I didn't mean to actually knock me out, tie me up, stick the inhibitor on me again and drape me over her back like some lump. Now I have a very real bruise on my head with a very real splitting headache. It hurts. A lot. I forced her to stop whilst I made a modification to the fake me before resealing it and getting back onto her back. It's annoying. She's wearing her tattered, banged up armour again and it's really, really uncomfortable and cold, but I'm not allowed to complain. why? I'm the prisoner. I didn't mean to treat me like a criminal when I asked her to make it look natural, and I think she's enjoying this waaayyyy too much. She has a pleased little smile on her face that I can't decipher whether or not it's real or staged. I cracked one eye open and stole a quick look around. We looked to be alone.

"Is it really necessary to have me tied up like this?"

I groaned as she arched her back, then quickly bounced back, rocking me painfully against her armour.

"Be quiet!" She hissed at me angrily, "You're meant to be knocked out. Unconscious ponies don't talk!"

I grunted in frustration. This is starting to get on my nerves.

"Dammit Spring, I can't just hang here all the time! How far are we away from Canterlot!?"

With a growl she jerked her head back and hit me again. It hurt, and I'm getting suspicious that she's only helping me to make my life a living hell.

"Shutup! I told you, we're getting the next train from this place. I requested having it to myself with just my prisoner so I could lock you down, prevent you doing anything. I have to have you like this, or they'll get suspicious. Now will you please shut the fuck up!"

Having nothing else to do, I grunted and fell silent. As much as I hate it, she's right. And I'm starting to hate her right now as well. No, no, she's doing what she has to, she's just in character and is just making it as believable as possible. That's all that it is, and I have to remember that. She's just doing what she has to. She has to be.

I hope so. Because in a few minutes I'll be alone with her on a train headed to possibly the most dangerous city I could be in right now.

Canterlot.

~*~

I was surprised that we made it past the Royal guards at the train station so easily. I was no longer meant to be 'unconscious', but I wasn't allowed to speak, and I had to follow Spring. Not that I had much choice, she was pulling me along by a rope around my neck. My hooves were hobbled as well, and I swear she's pulling me sharply every so often simply because she can. It's chafing severely and I think I'm having welts develop on my neck. It hurts like hell, and there's no way in hell she's not going to be yelled out for that. Trust me when I say I'm going to need to talk to her about this. Very seriously.

I can hear us traversing the streets of Canterlot, and I can hear whispers from afar. It's not a comforting feeling, let me tell you. I'm keeping my head down, simply looking at the bricks and cobblestones. I can't actually tell where we're going, I'm just following Spring's lead... and the rope of course. She leads me up stairs and almost instantly I can tell we're going to the castle. It has a certain vibe to it that nowhere else has. Unfortunately, there's a hell of a lot of steps. I can hear the bitch flying ahead of me, forcing me to almost run to keep up. I tripped and fell face first into the steps, feeling my nose break again. Spring dropped from the sky and ushered me back to my hooves and then cracked my nose back into place, then continued. We couldn't stop, it'd look suspicious. But fuck my nose hurts now. Again. I'm sick of this shit.

"Halt! State your name and business here!"

Brilliant. The guards at the door. I have a moment to rest my legs. I sink down into a sitting position with a sigh of relief as Nightspring landed before me, bristling with indignation.

"Whaddaya mean state name? You both know me damn well! And you know who this is, so three fucking guesses what I'm here to do."

I could feel the pair recoil under her venomous tone and there was a pause before one of them spoke hesitantly.

"Regardless Miss Nightspring, we're obligated to make sure you're not a fake or anything."

With a groan, she reached into her satchel (Standard issue) and withdrew something. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess it was her ID. Knowing my luck though, it probably wasn't. There was a long silence from the other (unseen in my case) guards before I saw her putting her item back in the satchel and she tugged me forward. I can only assume they had waved her through. The material under my hooves... I felt it change from brick into marble as we entered the castle. For a long while, I followed her quietly before suddenly she yanked me away from the main path an into a side passage. I gasped as she did so, trying to get my breath back.

"Shh! They'll hear you fool!" She hissed at me angrily, untying my bonds quickly so I could move around, then pulling out the pendant I'd enchanted some time back and latching it around my neck, then yanked off the inhibitor ring on my horn. I took a moment to recover from the sudden dizziness of having my magic returned so quickly before I noticed she'd pulled out my Spell Scroll and had it opened for me rather impatiently.

"Hurry, hurry! We don't have all day and I need to have somepony who looks like you. We can't change the nose now, but it'll have to do. Hurry it up and summon the other stupid you already will you?"

With a glare, I activated the illusion in the scroll and the other me climbed his way out of the scroll and looked at me.

"Wow..." He said quietly, "You look like shit."

"Gee, thanks," I said dryly, "You don't look much better. You know what to do, don't let me down."

He nodded with a smile and turned to Spring, who was shaking her head. With a wry smile, I activated the charm hidden in the heart shaped gem around my neck and set off, heading towards the med bay. I have to get there quickly. I can't dally, I have to get there as soon as I can, and I have to keep my identity hidden.

So now, it's not me walking around, it's Sparkling Grotto the nurse brought in to look at the Princess. I'm a pastel pink earth mare with a mauve mane. I am not a guard, I am not a stallion... shit. I search quickly for a spell to change my voice and almost miss it before I finally catch it. Thankfully it's a relatively simple spell, and it takes me no time at all to cast it. Now I should sound the part as well, although with my luck lately I've no doubt that I'm going to have some stupid voice that isn't anything like a cute little nurse mare. We'll find out though won't we?

Trying not to limp from my sore hooves, I begin to make my way through the castle. It's quite quick going since not many ponies are really paying attention to me. Well, except for the few guards I can feel eyeing me off as I pass. I must have made her look pretty damn good. Anyhow, I'm walking for a while until I finally realise that I am utterly and completely lost.

Lost in the castle I patrol for a living, how ironic.

Without any other choice, I approach the nearest pony to ask him for directions.

"Excuse me sir," I ask, satisfied to hear a very feminine voice issue from my maw, "but could you possibly give me directions to the medical wing? I've lost my way."

The stallion in question, wearing a red bow tie and a red fez hat smiled at me.

"Sure thing! Medical wing is just down the hall and to the left, third one. good luck miss!"

And with that he trotted away, careless. I was just happy with the answer, and obviously my disguise was working, so I followed his directions, happy that my plan was working so far. I can't get ahead of myself though. Doing that would pretty much doom me to failure. this was going much too easily. I liked that it was easy, but it's a little suspicious at the same time. I hope Spring hasn't run into any trouble, or run to any trouble for me. The hall is way longer than it looks, and by the time I reach the third archway on the left I can feel my hooves aching. Even with the brief respite from the door guards etc, I was tired as hell and really didn't want to be here right now.

But I must go on.

I follow the passage and, just as the stallion said, arrive at the medical wing. It's not terribly busy, and the clerk (Clerk? I'm not sure what they call them here. Or in a hospital. Intern? receptionist? Who knows? Who cares.) looked half asleep. All it took was a little nudge and she was snoring. Feeling rather proud of myself, I took off down the corridors, looking for the Princess' room. I found it in short order, aside from it being in intensive care and being the only one currently being used. I poked my head in. Empty except for her in bed. Excellent. I trot in confidently and pick up the clipboard at the end of the bed to look at it. It's just a bunch of random words I don't understand and a graph or two, but I can't see anything mentioning symptoms or possible causes, so I put it back down. Not knowing what else to do, I sat by the bedside of the one princess whom had actually wanted to talk to me, and felt a stab of guilt at how I'd reacted to her gentle probing.

"Princess I... I know you probably can't hear me..." I started quietly, not really sure why I was saying any of this, "But... I wanted to let you know I'm sorry. I can't take back what's been done, but I swear to you I didn't have a hoof in this, and I will find who did. I'll get you better again, don't you worry."

"Ah! Excellent! I was wondering when you would show up."

I froze in shocked fear. Hiding behind an illusion will fool pegasi and earth ponies, even most unicorns. But there is something it will almost never fool.

I turn to look at the face of one of the one ponies I really didn't want to run into.

Prince Stalwart Defender in all his glory, standing beside a doctor in the hallway.

I am so fucked.