❪ 〽️|☀️❫

𝟐𝟐.𝟎𝟒.𝟐𝟒 ┊ 𝟎𝟗:𝟏𝟕 𝐀𝐌

The light weakly reflected in the large room, somewhat colorful from the mosaic windows that were almost covered by curtains that reached the floor. The daylight did not help to notice what was inside, but something stood out in the center of the place.

A couple of candles barely illuminated the scene. The silhouette of someone sitting in front of a canvas held a brush in one hand and a palette of colors in the other. As they dipped the brush into the pigments and then marked lines on their art, they seemed to immerse themselves in their own thoughts, lost in the creative process in search of the perfect combination of shadows and light.

A knock on the door caused them to lose concentration, glancing sideways as the door cracked open and a silhouette entered the space, its presence infusing a note of tension into the tranquil atmosphere. It took a couple of steps and stopped abruptly with an upright and respectful posture.

"Your Majesty, we have reports of strange military movements near our borders. Some border patrols from Cros-..."

A mere wave of the hand was enough to stop him from speaking. The tools of the painting were placed on the table, and she turned completely to face the figure with a face that hardly reflected surprise or concern.

"Is it a problem?"

It was a rather unexpected response, showing some naivety in her words.

"Yes, Majesty. We should take better preventive measures. We don't know-..."

A short laugh interrupted the message, changing her serious expression to one of complete nonchalance.

"Preventive measures?"

"Of course, as you understand, we cannot take any kind of risk."

"You speak as if you were at war." Her tone of voice reflected some annoyance.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, Princess Luna's history is troubling. Some high-ranking officials are considering the idea of sending scouts."

"Puff—my sister isn't so foolish as to do something like that, and even if she were, the army is prepared for the Parade. It's the worst time for such an idea to cross her mind."

"But..."

"But? It must be some silly exercise to try to 'intimidate' us." With a sarcastic expression, she raised her hands and mimicked air quotes when saying 'intimidate' in her own words.

Silence suddenly settled in the room when there was nothing more to report. The guard's eyes moved restlessly, a recent doubt plaguing him from the conversation. A feeling of unease manifested in his body language.

The air was thick with tension, and he could feel his body tense as a reminder that any word could be unforgivable. He swallowed hard, his lips parted, but the words refused to come out. Something caught the sovereign's attention as she heard the anxious sigh to speak.

"If it calms your paranoia, you can send scouts and increase border surveillance, but I'm sure you'll just be wasting your time."

With a new sigh that seemed to drain his strength, the guard fixed his gaze on the monarch, ignoring her words and whispering, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and urgency.

"Was it necessary?" He cleared his throat to try to fix his tone to a more serious one. "Was it necessary for Princess Luna to rule half of Equestria now, Your Highness?"

The question hung in the air, prolonging an oppressive silence. Celestia's gaze fixed directly on the eyes of her Guard Officer as if transmitting disdain and hostility.

"You may leave, Flash." She pointed towards the door while directing her gaze back to the canvas, picking up the brush and the palette of colors.

Flash felt overwhelmed by the princess's cold look and the weight of his unanswered question, leaving more fear than tranquility.

Without saying another word, he nodded in submission and turned to leave the room, closing the door behind him.

Once outside the room, he paused for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He felt the piercing gaze of the other guards patrolling the corridor, unaware of the situation, so he just lowered his head and continued walking, determined to fulfill his duty, although he wasn't entirely sure the princess was handling these events as she should.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Princess Celestia returned to her canvas, but her mind was far from the painting. She reflected on Flash's words and the implications of his questions. Despite her initial disdain, a small seed of doubt began to grow within her. Perhaps there was more at stake than she was considering, but she refused to yield under the belief that her sister was capable of such things. Although...

The silence was tense, with uncertainty and conflict in the air despite being alone. The question began to resonate in her mind as she looked at the painting: 'Was it rushed?' Her sister wasn't a bad person to attempt something like that; she knew perfectly well the limits she had and that she only acted when her ideals were at stake and sought moral justice, although the issue at hand was far from being considered a pursuit of justice. If they went to war, it would be for the power that divided Equestria.

Although a few years ago the kingdom was ready to give it to Sparkle, at the last moment everything was canceled. The thought she always had about her apprentice was that she wasn't ready, and maybe she never would be. She had seen kingdoms fall due to the ambition of their leaders; she knew Twilight wasn't ambitious or arrogant, but she had already made mistakes, and if she didn't identify them to correct them, they would have fatal consequences. But those were just some of the many reasons why she delayed handing over the kingdom and not making it public that it was ever in her plans to give it to the 'princess of friendship.'

'Was it a mistake?' Her sister had convinced her to divide the kingdom and lighten the load of the rising Nation along with its influences for each in their own way. At first, it seemed to displease everyone, but nothing had changed much other than marking a line on the maps displayed in every library and school. Everything flowed well initially; she talked constantly with her without any major or relevant problems, but as the months passed, she felt the situation slowly slipping out of her hands, not only in how Luna's visits became irregular and how she seemed to look at her with increasing disdain during their few exchanges of words.

Ideas invaded her mind as she clenched the brush tightly. A single idea stood out in her mind: 'Did she know? Did she know what she had done?' Her expression changed to a more worried one with those thoughts beginning to overwhelm her. 'Was it necessary? It was a fleeting thought to dispel all those ideas. A monarch had to make decisions that no one else could even imagine'. Magic was still a whole universe to explore and was full of those decisions. Who else could know? Hundreds of names and faces projected in her head, each imagined look judging her for the simple weight of those actions, accompanied by white noise growing and trapping her ears, putting her into a sudden crisis state.

The brush ended up breaking in her hand due to the pressure she was exerting. All her attention shifted to the splinters of wood that had shot everywhere. She stood up from her seat, once again observing the incomplete canvas, all her inspiration to paint having vanished in a few moments.

She turned her head towards the door, alert to any eventuality. At that moment, she was torn between action and paralysis, aware that every second could be vital, but every action she took could turn into a suicide.

❪ 🌟|👓 ❫

𝟎𝟏:𝟒𝟕 𝐏𝐌

Her mind sank into a labyrinth of nightmares. Turbulent dreams manifested, enveloping her in a whirlwind of anxiety and confusion. Shadows twisted around her, and voices whispered almost unintelligible but persistent words, feeding new fears with faces she seemed to know.

Suddenly, a crash broke the trance she was in. A resounding knock on the door shook the place, causing her heart to race, and her eyes snapped open, jolting her back to the real world.

The echo of the knock still resonated in her head as she quickly got up from her chair, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she glanced toward the source of the noise. She saw a familiar figure standing by the door with a frown, seemingly indifferent to having woken her so abruptly. She rubbed her eyes to focus on her surroundings.

"For Equestria's sake! What the hell is wrong with you?!" she exclaimed, still shaken by the knock, feeling around the table for her glasses.

The redhead with yellow streaks in her hair walked through the room to another table, somewhat distant from the irritated girl.

"You shouldn't sleep here; you could get us into trouble."

"I don't care. Yesterday just wasn't a good night." She managed to find her glasses and put them on for a quick look around the room.

"It seems none of these weeks have been good."

"Do you even care? That doesn't give you an excuse to slam the door to wake me up, you vulgar excuse for a princess."

"Would you prefer I hit you on the head? AGH—"

An uncomfortable silence answered the question, something that made her feel victorious as she adjusted the stack of papers in front of her.

"Changing the subject, Moondancer, any progress?"

"None. It feels like I'm at a dead end, and what I have here isn't helping."

A bit discouraged by those words, she sighed, finishing organizing the papers in front of her. She rested her head on the chair, crossing her arms in a more relaxed posture.

"Did you check the books I brought you? Maybe—"

"No." She interrupted abruptly. "Old legends aren't really helpful, okay? No offense, Sunset Shimmer, but relying on writings from 200 years ago is... a waste of time."

The words offended her. She knew how skeptical Moondancer could be, but she might convince her if she said the right words.

"You know... it's not like you have many options. Legends are based on real events, just highly exaggerated. It's not far from what we do here."

"Excuse me? That's impossible, okay?"

"I never said it was impossible, just that... mmh— admit we won't achieve it like this. For Celestia's sake! We can't—!"

She jumped up from her seat, her eyes two dark pools of disbelief at what she was hearing, glaring at the other girl as if accusing her of the most horrible crime. With almost theatrical elegance, she raised her right arm, extending her index finger toward her, like an accusing lightning bolt in the storm of visible tension. The finger trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the intensity of a rage that had accumulated.

Her lips, pressed into a fine line of discontent, parted just enough to let out a few cutting words, each loaded with skepticism.

"SHUT UP, YOU DAMN FOOL. NEVER DOUBT MY ABILITIES." Firm and defiant, it resonated throughout the room in the tense atmosphere. Her crimson reddish hair, almost like red wine with a streak of purple, fell like a mantle around her face in a completely disheveled appearance, framing her accusatory expression.

"I NEVER DID! CALM DOWN. You have to recognize..." She got up from her seat, raising her hands to show a non-aggressive image. Moondancer's sudden action had changed her attitude. Under the weight of that gaze and that accusatory finger, she seemed to shrink every second, doubting her own words and her arrogant attitude.

Moondancer didn't relent in pointing at her, her firm posture and penetrating gaze made it clear that any negative comment about her research was intolerable. The room, immersed in tense silence, seemed on the verge of an imminent explosion.

"HOW DARE YOU INSINUATE THAT?" she continued, agitated and threatening, resonating like thunder in the distance. "This research is the result of years of work and sacrifice OF MY LIFE, and you dare to doubt me? It's to prove my worth to myself and..." Her attitude seemed to calm down, hesitating to continue speaking.

Sunset Shimmer swallowed dryly, trying to maintain composure under the intense atmosphere. She knew that any poorly chosen word could unleash a much worse storm, even though she hadn't caused it, right?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to doubt you. I was just... just worried, Moondancer." Sunset spoke in a softer tone, trying to calm her, acknowledging her mistake. "We haven't made progress in months."

Moondancer slowly let her hand drop, her expression beginning to soften, although her eyes were still two pools of fire.

"I know." She sighed deeply, breaking all the tension around them. "But it's just a streak of bad events, okay?"

She nodded slowly at her words, with a more relaxed posture as she approached the other girl to try to calm her.

"You're... right." She said in a calm tone, seeking to give her some reassurance. "Just give it a try... okay?"

Shimmer extended her hand with the book she had mentioned earlier about the legends of Ancient Magic.

Moondancer nodded, somewhat dejected, a small trace of a smile appearing on her lips as she took the book, giving it a quick glance.

"Just that... we still have the problem of Magic, and it doesn't seem to be improving anywhere."

"That's the least of it. We still have theoretical research, and when magic improves, everything will be fine, right?"

"If you say so."

Feeling calmer, she sat down, giving the books another look. She didn't have high expectations that they would be useful, but she was drawing wrong conclusions that a new perspective might help.

"By the way... you come from another world, don't you? Why did Celestia assign you here?"

The questions caught her off guard, as in all this time they had spent together, she had never mentioned anything about her origin or anything unrelated to work. In fact, she had never asked her, showing their poor communication.

"Ah... well... I'm actually from here, but by my own choices, I ended up in that place. I don't know if I could consider myself 'evil' back then; they were just actions a bit... understandable, I think. And then one day, Twilight came from the n—"

"Wait, you know Twilight?"

"Uh, yeah? Who doesn't?"

"Uh-huh... well, if she's the 'princess of friendship'..." A grimace of annoyance appeared on her face. She would say things were fine with her, but she still had a resentment hard to explain. She coughed, trying to fix her strange behavior. "What prompted you to accept working here?"

"I had some unresolved issues; they just got complicated, and I sought to stay longer here."

"Friendship problems?"

"I really wish it were just that." She glanced at a worn poster of Equestria showing the five princesses, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

"So, is it about...?"

"I'd rather not say, okay?"

"Uh, well... we should concentrate on working then."

Listening to Moondancer's words, she pondered what to say but only nodded, discarding the idea of talking and quickly moving back to her seat. She set about rereading all the research, perhaps there was something they had overlooked that could help improve the situation, or maybe she just wanted to pass the time.

❪ ✉️|🔒 ❫

𝟎𝟒:𝟐𝟗 𝐏𝐌

A sudden thud distracted her attention. She hurried to pick up the fallen box and check if it was in good condition. It appeared to be, as it showed no scratches or severe deformities.

She sighed and took the box more carefully this time. She hoped she hadn't damaged anything, as she ran the risk of being fired by her boss. It wasn't normal for him to have the patience to put up with all the mishaps she had been having with the previous packages.

"12-H Street? Oh—I'm on the wrong one. But I think I can walk there..."

She closed the vehicle's door, making sure more than twice that it was securely locked. It was a miracle she knew how to drive and that they had given her a vehicle, but it seemed to be the only thing she did relatively 'well'.

She quickly glanced at the street as she hurried along the sidewalk, having managed to get her bearings and just checking the package wrapper to be sure of the delivery address, even though every time she did, she unnecessarily repeated aloud what was written.

She stood out not only for her bright blonde hair but also for her eyes that looked in opposite directions. She had been able to deal with that all her life, and it hadn't negatively affected her, maintaining an innocent and carefree personality.

The avenue she was walking along seemed strangely empty, but as she progressed, she saw people heading in the same direction as her. This made her hesitate for a second if she should keep walking, but she shook her head, believing it was just simple superstitions.

When she turned a corner, she was perplexed to see a large crowd almost blocking the entire street. She walked to try to see what was happening, but she couldn't distinguish anything due to her short stature.

As she got closer, she noticed that the crowd was actually a blockade of military and police officers preventing people from passing. Beyond the strange blockade, the remains of a fire that had already been extinguished could be seen. Smoke still rose faintly, and the smell of burning filled the air, making her feel fatigued. The firefighters were finishing packing up their equipment while the officers kept the crowd away from the incident.

"They say it was because of the electricity." Someone whispered around her, and another person refuted the comment.

"No, I heard it was arson."

"Arson? Are you sure?"

"Yes, by some lunatic." The irritation among the people was evident, and they continued to theorize about the causes of the fire.

No one seemed to know how the fire had actually started. She just stood there, unsure of what to do now. Her delivery was across the area, and now she wasn't sure if she could reach her destination.

She looked around worriedly, searching for any sign, noticing a narrow alleyway with no people. Maybe she could bypass the street by taking it. With the box firmly in hand, she ventured into the completely dark labyrinth. The brick walls of the buildings rose high and oppressive around her, with such a neglected look that it gave her a bad feeling, but it was too late to turn back.

The atmosphere there was quieter, but the ground was wet and slippery. She glanced at a constantly dripping pipe sticking out from a wall, explaining the excess stagnant water in the area. She advanced cautiously, watching each step to avoid slipping, although that was one of her lesser worries.

As she went deeper, the murmur of the crowd faded, leaving only the echo of her own steps and the occasional drip resonating in her ears. The air in the alleys was dense and strangely cold for three or four in the afternoon, loaded with the persistent smell of smoke and humidity that mingled with the horrible stench of accumulated garbage.

Although she felt nauseous from the surroundings, she had a sense of relief for not having to deal with the crowd. She continued through the alleys, blindly trusting her sense of direction to find a way out to the street. Sunlight barely reached those narrow corners, creating a play of shadows that gave the place a gloomy aspect.

Crack!

A sudden noise made her shudder and take two steps back. She looked up, trying to discern where the sound came from when she saw the figure of a person emerging from the darkness.

A young woman with long midnight blue hair that fell messily over her face, barely revealing her dull green eyes. Her pale skin contrasted with the darkness of her hair, combined with the almost nonexistent light reflecting in the area.

She felt a shiver, not just from the cold air, but from the sudden presence of the stranger. The young woman slightly raised her head, revealing a reserved look. She didn't seem very threatening; rather, her posture and expression denoted fear, a fear that was mutual.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to— Oh... Ah—"

"Excuse me, I—... Hehe... Oh—"

They had spoken at the same time, interrupting each other, leaving an awkward silence as they exchanged forced smiles.

"Uh— My name is Derpy Hooves..."

"Mine is... Minki—..." She quickly changed the tone of her voice and her words, trying to correct it. "Obsidian Quartz!... Obsidian... Quartz is my—... name."

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. She was a mail carrier in the city and didn't know any 'Quartz' family. Maybe she wasn't from here. She slowly nodded with a more genuine smile.

"I'm trying to find my way out of these alleys," Derpy replied, watching as the other girl took a step back, almost as if she wanted to leave the place quickly.

"There's a shortcut," she murmured in response, pointing with one hand towards a narrow passage to her right. "Go straight, and you'll reach the main street."

Hooves nodded, beginning to walk in the indicated direction. Before getting too far, she looked once more at the strange girl, who seemed to be focusing on her own matters again.

Swallowing dryly, she turned back to her with a more cheerful tone. The girl gave her a strange feeling, and for some reason, she wanted to talk to her.

"Uh... Obsidian, maybe you could help me find an address. You seem very... nice."

The blue-haired girl glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, unsure of what to do. Her only flaw was that she didn't know how to say no, so she took a backpack and turned towards her.

"I think I can help you..."

They walked out of the alley with Quartz's directions. Although she was enigmatic, she had a good feeling about her. They seemed to understand each other effortlessly, something that didn't happen often.

Author's Note

Yeah, Obsidian Quartz It's Minkie Pie from 'The Muffin Saga'. Of course it is my own interpretation of the character with a less dark story. He's just trying to hide his identity.

If it sounds stupid, I like to smoke weed.