Reign of Fire

Lately, mornings in the Dark Castle began with difficult and unpleasant meetings in the throne room. The Empress listened to reports from her regional commanders about the current situation in the Empire with the so-called rebels. The underground organization Freedom Ponies began to gain more and more influence, especially in remote regions such as the Zephyr Heights. The city was previously the most “unfavorable”, but now the situation has worsened significantly.

"Well, what's the news for today?" Opaline asked dissatisfied, moving back and forth near her throne.

"Everything is calm as usual in Maretime, Your Majesty," Hitch began the report. "Illegal activity is practically zero and isolated cases are still not associated with political activity. We have also completed the conversion of the former Canterlogic factory into a building that can be used by RRT."

"The unicorns, for the most part, accepted your offer with joy," Eisenhorn began his report. "We have already formed work teams and begun the restoration of Canterlot. They have absolutely no time for protest activities. Plus, unicorns are absolutely loyal to you. However, there are those who do not want to leave this vile forest. But I assure you, Your Majesty, we will see this matter through to the end. Unicorns will live in the city they deserve!"

It seemed that Opaline was not particularly interested in all this talk about calm regions. From the way she constantly moved, it was clear that the Empress’s nerves were giving in and everything was not going the way she wanted. But then she stopped and turned her head displeasedly at the representative of the pegasus, who stood silently, with her head down and nervously moving her hooves.

"Well, I’m listening!" Opaline said menacingly.

"Sorry, Your Majesty!" the pegasus said almost in tears. "We carry out c-constant raids in search of v-violators...But in the place of one a-arrested, two new p-protesters appear...But it doesn’t seem to me that e-everything is just so t-terrible..."

"Doesn't seem so?" Opaline shouted, spreading her wings. "Breaking laws and open opposition to the Empress doesn't seem terrible???"

"That's not what I m-meant!" the pegasus tried to justify herself. "I meant that they don’t do anything w-worse than pickets and r-rallies..."

"Do you think these actions are normal?" asked Opaline, coming up point-blank. "Wait, who are you exactly? I don't remember you from previous reports. Where is your commander?"

"My n-name is Sky Wingley, Your Majesty," Sky answered nervously. "You’re absolutely r-right, this is my first time here. Unfortunately, Commander Featherwishes was unable to arrive here. During o-one of the raids, we came across armed r-resistance. The C-commander was seriously wounded. And I don't know if he'll survive this..."

"Well, since you are now the commander, then you need to make decisions about this situation," Opaline answered, raising the pegasus’s head with her hoof. "Tell me, Miss Wingley, what would be your suggestions regarding this whole situation?"

Sky, from nerves and fear, couldn't even gather her thoughts, as she couldn't make any ideas for solving such a difficult situation.

Opaline's face became even more displeased and she walked towards her throne.

"So there will be no offers, Miss Wingley?" Opaline asked sarcastically. "It turns out that you are not suitable for your position. How did you even get to the rank of sergeant? I will demand that you-"

"They're t-too well organised!" Sky interrupted The Empress. "It’s obvious that t-they have their own n-network, w-which we don’t know about. They are s-somewhere recruiting new supporters, they have established c-connections..."

"That’s already clear, but what do you propose? I need suggestions to resolve this situation," Opaline said.

"We need something more s-serious," Sky answered. "All these devices for using m-magic are very good, but they no longer work on r-rebels...F-fear...Yes...Intimidation...F-fear can h-help keep them under c-control..."

A grin appeared on Opaline's face.

"Fear, you say?" Opaline began with a smile. "This is very ironic to hear from a pony who is shaking with fear when talking to me."

"You’re r-right, Your Majesty, that’s why I’m o-offering this o-option," Sky answered without raising her head. "Maybe the RRT has s-something that will strike terror into the h-hearts of the r-rioters."

"Oh, my dear, we can do it without them," Opaline laughed. "Tell me, do you love animals?"

Sky just silently looked at Opaline in fear.

"Oh, I’m sure, you and the whole city will really like my cute lizards," Opaline continued.

"D-dragons?" Sky asked in fear.

"Exactly," Opaline answered. "I gave Haven so many chances to fix everything. But since she hasn’t done anything in all this time, we’ll have to act radically."

"H-how safe is it for r-residents?" Sky asked nervously.

"Don’t worry, they won’t eat anypony, they’ll just help you keep the city under control," Opaline said smiling.

"It’s all up to Your will," Sky bowed.

"That's all for now," Opaline said loudly. "Everypony can go, except Eisenhorn. We need to discuss something. And yes, don't forget to pick up your devices on the way out."

Hitch and Sky walked out of the throne room into the hallway where the guards gave them their devices. These devices are the latest development of RRT. With the help of a crystal, enchantment and special fasteners, ponies could use magic again. Of course, only those who fully proved their loyalty to the ideals of the Empire were awarded such a privilege. Each race had its own design for convenience and ease of use - bracelets for earth ponies, rings for unicorns and wing enhancers for pegasuses.

"Are you okay?" Hitch interrupted the silence, putting on his bracelet.

"I survived m-my first r-report," Sky said calmly. "So let’s a-assume that yes, it’s b-better than expected."

"You held up well," Hitch encouraged his colleague. "During my first report, I forgot everything I wanted to say and almost lost consciousness. And you are really good. You had the courage to interrupt the Empress and tell her what you really think."

"Th-thank you, officer," Sky answered smiling. "Are you coming?"

"I have to leave you," Hitch said almost officially. "I still have business to do in this castle."

"Okay, then see you at the next meeting," Sky said and saluted.

Hitch saluted back and nodded his head.

"So...where is my business?" Hitch said out loud.

Hitch wandered through the endless corridors of the Dark Castle. It's an interesting situation, of course. Until recently, Hitch didn’t even know about this castle, but now it has become almost like home to him. Security reports became so frequent that it seemed as if Hitch was never leaving this castle.

Lost in his thoughts, Hitch lost his vigilance and did not expect the “attack” at all. Suddenly the officer was stopped by magic and sharply turned in the opposite direction.

"Miss Arcana," he said calmly, looking at the unicorn.

"Officer Hitch," Misty answered also calmly.

After a couple of “tense” seconds, both laughed cheerfully and Misty freed her “captive”.

"Oh, Hitch," Misty gently pressed herself against the officer, closing her eyes. "I’m so glad to see you! I miss you so much..."

"And I miss you too," Hitch replied, hugging the unicorn. "How are you doing here? I see that your skills in magic have become even higher."

"Thank you!" Misty exclaimed joyfully. "All thanks to Sunny and her classes. And, of course, this crystal. And you have the same one now!"

"Yes, a very useful thing," Hitch answered, looking at his bracelet.

"There’s just one problem," Misty said upsetly. "I decided to use my skills at the Royal Hospital. I want to help ponies in need!"

"And what's the problem here?" Hitch was surprised.

"Sunny is unhappy with my choice," answered Misty. "She wanted me to do research work at RRT. But this is not my thing at all..."

"That's nothing, I’m sure that Sunny will accept your choice. She's understanding. Especially towards you," Hitch said comfortingly.

"And how was the meeting, Hitch?" Misty asked excitedly, taking off the pony's cap with her magic.

"Like most past meetings," Hitch began. "The Empress had no questions for me. Everything is pretty calm in Maretime. There are some minor violations, but they are nothing. Plus, with these new devices, catching violators has become much easier. Everything is calm in Bridlewood too. The unicorns began to move to Canterlot, which they themselves are rebuilding. But the Empress was furious about the situation in the Zephyr Heights."

"Is it because of the rebellion?" Misty said anxiously. "I heard that Opaline sent dragons there to strengthen security."

"Yes, there are more and more rioters, if we don’t make serious decisions, we can lose the city," Hitch answered upsetly.

"This is terrible," Misty said, pressing herself closer to Hitch.

"Yeah..." the officer thought. "The commander of the Zephyr Heights Guard was seriously wounded, and an inexperienced sergeant had to report on the situation. The poor pegasus almost died there from fear."

"Hitch, I’m so glad you’re in Maretime and not in the Zephyr Heights. This warms my heart..." Misty said tenderly but anxiously.

"At least not yet in the Zephyr Heights," Hitch said sadly. "But in general, I’m even very glad that these meetings take place so often and in this particular castle."

"Why?" Misty was surprised.

"Every meeting like this is a great chance to see my beautiful Butterfly," Hitch said tenderly and raised Misty’s head, looking into her eyes.

Misty went limp in Hitch's strong hooves and the two merged in a sensual and gentle kiss.

"Hitch, could you...stay in the castle longer?" Misty said, blushing, hesitantly, looking away.

Hitch just silently looked at his beloved unicorn.

"Opaline is busy with government affairs, Sunny went somewhere and said that she would return only in the evening," Misty continued. "I’ll definitely be idle all day and “safe” because nopony will look for me..."

"Sorry, Misty," Hitch hesitated. "I would gladly stay with you. But I have too much work in the city..."

"Oh...I understand, you can’t quit the service," Misty sighed.

"Hey, don’t be sad, please," Hitch stroked Misty’s cheek. "We will still have plenty of time to be alone."

Misty was about to answer something, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Opaline suddenly emerging from around the corner. The unicorn, in fright, abruptly pulled away from Hitch at a considerable distance. After a few seconds, she realized that she was still holding Hitch's cap with her magic. Simply throwing it crookedly over the officer’s head, Misty jumped to the side, trying to pretend that nothing was happening. The two secret lovers were lucky that Opaline was immersed in some documents and did not see what was happening in the corridor.

"Ah!" Opaline exclaimed, crashing into Misty and putting the documents aside. "Misty, dear, I didn’t notice you at all!"

After which the alicorn’s gaze fell on the officer and became suspicious.

"Officer Trailblazer, why are you still here?" Opaline said sternly.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty," Hitch replied, standing at attention. "It seems I took a wrong turn somewhere and got lost."

"Are you lost?" Opaline was surprised. "You have been going to my castle for so long to report and have never gotten into such difficulties."

"There’s a first time for everything," Hitch answered nervously.

"What about your appearance?" Opaline continued. "What kind of disgrace is this?"

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency!" said Hitch and began to adjust his uniform.

"Misty, did he commit any suspicious actions?" Opaline addressed the unicorn.

"No!" Misty shouted sharply.

"And in relation to you?" Opaline asked, looking sternly at Hitch.

"Mom!" Misty was indignant. "What are you talking about???"

"Well, okay...But I’ll take you to the exit, Officer Trailblazer. Let's go," Opaline said calmly.

Misty and Hitch only had time to exchange loving glances and smiles goodbye when Opaline pushed officer towards the exit of the castle.

Maretime really was a calm and quiet town, as Hitch believed. No protests or subversion. But it only seemed so at first glance. What the guards didn't even suspect was that the city had long ago joined the underground Freedom Ponies network through Mane Melody salon. Dozens of ponies pass through these salons every day, so it won’t be difficult to find out any rumors.

There were surprisingly a lot of visitors in the salon today. Both sides of the conflict are in the same room, but only one of them knows about it. Apparently, the Observers are not doing a very good job of identifying suspicious individuals.
However, for Jazz it was all routine. Both the work and obtaining the necessary information. It was only necessary to start an unobtrusive conversation during the procedures and push the pony in the right direction. But, unfortunately, this mostly only works with dissatisfied residents. The Imperial Guard almost never tells anything interesting other than events that have already happened.

Having finished with one client and cleared up the place, Jazz was ready to take a short break when one of the Observers approached her.

"Are you busy?" he asked monotonously.

"N-no," Jazz said nervously. "Jazz Hooves is at your service!"

"Wonderful," the unicorn answered still monotonously. "Then be so kind to serve me."

"Of course, of course," Jazz said with a tight smile. "Have a seat."

Jazz wanted to take off the Observer's insignia so that he wouldn't get in the way, but at that moment the unicorn grabbed her by the hoof with magic and pulled her point-blank towards him, which made her scream.

"You shouldn’t do this," the unicorn said without changing his intonation and facial expression, looking Jazz in the eyes.

"Excuse me, sir," Jazz said, lowering her head. "What are we doing today?"

"New hairstyle," the Observer answered tersely.

The process of creating a hairstyle by a master in a salon is a real art, where every step is performed with love and attention to detail. First, the master carefully listens to the client’s wishes, studies his hair type, style and appearance features.

"Do you have any specific wishes?" asked Jazz.

"I want you to surprise me," the Observer continued. "If you succeed, you can count on a good bonus."

"I’ll do my best," Jazz answered and got to work.

After this, the process of hair preparation begins: washing, care and selection of suitable hair products.

"What is your name?" Jazz asked while washing her client's hair.

"It doesn’t matter," replied the unicorn.

"Are you forbidden to disclose your names?" asked the pony.

"This is my personal right," the unicorn continued. "If I don’t want my name to be known, then no one will know it."

"Fair enough," Jazz confirmed.

The master then proceeds to create the hairstyle using his technical skills and creative eye.

"Tell me then, why did you join the service of the Empire?" Jazz tried to keep the conversation going.

"We all serve the Great Empire and our Empress in one way or another," the Observer began the story. "Some serve in factories, some are engaged in scientific development, and some join the military. I voluntarily joined the Observers because I believe that it is my duty to identify and punish the enemies of our great country. I hated these forest swamps that we unicorns called home. With the arrival of Her Majesty, we have a chance to live a normal life, like our ancestors, in beautiful Canterlot, and not among wild animals."

"Yes...I understand you perfectly. I wouldn’t want to live in such a wilderness too," Jazz drawled, without interrupting her work.

If a haircut is required, the master will select the appropriate shape and length, taking into account the client’s wishes and the characteristics of his appearance.

"Besides, so many inhabitants died there during all this time, because we had no protection from wild animals," the unicorn continued his story. "Just like what happened to Misty's family. She was very lucky that our Empress found her back then."

"It seems to me, the poor filly doesn’t even remember her real parents," Jazz kept up the conversation.

"Of course she doesn’t remember," the unicorn said confidently. "She was too young. Maybe that makes it easier. After all, you can’t feel the loss of something you never had. But she knows that the Empress is not her real mother. However, it seems to me that she cannot be called poor now. Lives in a castle, has everything she wants. Her life is better than ours."

The master then skillfully styles the hair using a variety of techniques and tools to achieve the desired result.

"Is there any news, so to speak, from the front?" Jazz asked.

"You mean from the Zephyr Heights?" the unicorn clarified. "Nothing really changes. However, during the last raid, Commander Featherwishes was seriously wounded. Now, during his rehabilitation, this place has been taken by a young pegasus who is afraid of her own shadow."

The Observer shook his head in displeasure, throwing off Jazz's work.

"Sir, please don’t move," Jazz said calmly and continued styling.

"As if Eisenhorn couldn't appoint someone better!" the unicorn continued his indignation. "There are so many experienced soldiers, who have gone through more than one raid, who understand what and how to do. But no, he appointed a green sergeant as commander in a city where a disaster is about to happen."

"Do you think that the rebels can seize the initiative? They’re just a handful of amateurs," Jazz asked, trying to hide her joy.

"Taking into account recent events, we cannot call them amateurs," the Observer said sadly. "They obviously had a clear structure of connections. They have a clear plan and organization of all actions. But we can't find their center. All raids reveal only small cells at the district level."

"I couldn’t even imagine how bad everything was there," Jazz responded, feigning surprise.

"But they’ll still get caught," the unicorn said more joyfully. "Today, the Empress finally ordered the use of extreme measures."

"Extreme measures?" Jazz asked excitedly.

"Our new friends from distant lands," answered the Observer, smiling and looking at Jazz through the mirror.

"Dragons," Jazz whispered, freezing in place.

"Exactly," the unicorn nodded.

An important part of the hairstyle creation process is a consultation with the client, during which the hairdresser explains how to care for a new hairstyle and gives recommendations for care and styling at home.

"With your new style, you’ll need this," Jazz handed the unicorn a bottle of mane styling product. "I really hope you have time to style."

"I have plenty of time," the Observer answered sharply, looking at himself in the mirror and appreciating the new look.

Ultimately, the process of creating a hairstyle by a master not only changes the client's appearance, but also brings confidence and joy to him, helping him express his individuality through style and beauty.

"You actually managed to surprise me," the unicorn said contentedly.

With these words, Jazz breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her client.

"Here, this is for you," the unicorn left a generous tip on the table and headed to the payment counter.

"Thank you very much!" Jazz said happily and collected the money.

But suddenly Jazz was again pulled out by the hoof and moved point-blank towards the Observer.

"I have one more thing for you," he said as seriously as possible, turning to Jazz.

"Yes?" the pony said barely audibly, afraid of further actions.

"I highly appreciate your capabilities," unicorn continued. "You can start a conversation perfectly and get the client talking. This would be very useful for us to further identify the rebels. Therefore, I have decided to take you into Imperial Intelligence. This decision is final and non-negotiable. Your goal is to, through conversations in this salon, identify residents who are opposed to the Empire and report to me personally. Show yourself as a true citizen of our beautiful Empire and receive all kinds of privileges. Congratulations on your promotion, Miss Hooves."

The unicorn let go of Jazz and headed towards the exit, while the poor pony collapsed on the sofa and only uttered one phrase to herself, looking at the floor “Jazz, girl, how did you get into trouble so easy”.

"Zipp will kill me," she said out loud. "I shouldn’t have had such a conversation with the Observer...What was I thinking..."

Sunny confidently moved through the streets of deserted Bridlewood. Now this place was even more frightening, but also more enchanting.

Now Bridlewood looks even more like it came straight out of an ancient fairy tale book. Lonely houses with collapsing roofs and ivy-covered walls stand among dense bushes of wild nature. Playgrounds and courtyards are overgrown with moss and lichen, and the narrow streets are covered with thick foliage and cobwebs.

The forest surrounds this village, like a guardian and keeper of its secrets. All kinds of birds now reign here, their songs sounding light and relaxed, while the sun's rays penetrate the foliage and paint the ground in golden hues. The silence is filled with a fabulous atmosphere and mystery, as if time has stopped here, and the settlement has again become a source of legends and myths.

This is a place where ancient trees lean over forgotten houses and hide the secrets of the past. Every old stone and weathered door holds its own stories, as if they are etched in time and hold the key to the mysterious events that happened in this place. In this deserted village in the forest, it seems that even the wind is in no hurry to dispel its secrets, leaving this area as an eternal witness to its mysterious past life.

But Sunny didn’t care about all this mystery and beauty. She was interested, as always, in a house called La Villa Izzy. Sunny was already tired of coming here, but she was not going to give up. As, in fact, her friend was not going to give up either.

Sunny stopped at the door and knocked. After a while, leisurely steps were heard inside and the door opened.

"Oh, it’s you again," Izzy said dejectedly.

"I’m glad to see you too, Izzy," Sunny said in response. "Will you let me in?"

"As if I have a choice," Izzy muttered displeasedly.

"What are you saying," Sunny said, going inside. "I would never come in without an invitation."

Once inside, Sunny immediately went to the kitchen and put the bag she had brought with her on the table.

"You know that I can’t just leave you here," Sunny said, sorting out her bag and taking out food from it. "What are you going to eat if you’re practically alone here? There is no production here, and you are not do any gardening. I don't want you to starve to death here."

"I’m an adult mare," Izzy objected. "I can take care of myself just fine."

"Really?" Sunny asked sarcastically. "Look at you. You can't even fix yourself up to look normal."

"Hey, actually, this is my new hairstyle," Izzy interrupted angrily.

"Ahh...Is that what you call it now?" Sunny drawled. "I thought it was called dirty unwashed mane."

"Have you seen yourself?" Izzy said. "What's wrong with your eyes? You don't look any better than me. Only my eyes are teary, and yours? And...are you wearing LEATHER???"

"I work a lot with magic, and this magic drains me with prolonged exposure," Sunny said confidently. "So consider these to be a side effect. Anything is better than your endless tears. And if that makes you feel any better, it's faux leather."

"You came here to mock me?" Izzy said sadly and angrily.

"No, I’m here, as always, for the same purpose," answered Sunny

"Eh...Let’s go upstairs," Izzy sighed.

Izzy made tea for her guest as per tradition and passed the mug to her.

"Hmm, what a beautiful mug," Sunny grinned, looking at the mug with the words “friends” crossed out. "Are you keeping it especially for me?"

In response, Izzy just rolled her eyes in displeasure.

"Are you giving Zipp this mug too?" Sunny continued.

"What does Zipp have to do with it?" Izzy was surprised.

"Come on, it’s obvious," Sunny grinned. "She comes here at least as often as I do. It's just a pity that we never crossed paths."

"How can you know this?" Izzy tried to justify herself. "She could be anywhere."

"Fair enough," Sunny answered smiling. "But this feather in the hammock suggests that Zipp definitely was here."

Izzy looked at the feather and sighed.

"Of course she comes here," Izzy said. "Because she’s my friend. I can't refuse her...Just like you-"

"Fine, I don’t care about her now," Sunny interrupted her.

Sunny took a long sip of tea, looking around the house, which she already remembers better than her own.

"So, you decided to stay in your tree," Sunny interrupted the silence. "You don’t like Her Majesty’s offer? It's time to get out of these slums and return the unicorns to their former glory, Izzy. Just imagine the magnificence of New Canterlot!"

"You know perfectly well, Sunny, I don’t care about all this," Izzy answered indifferently.

"But you care about me, right?" Sunny said with a sly smile. "You still keep my photos, collect clippings of my speeches."

"If your magic didn’t dull your vision, then you would see that there are photos of all of us," Izzy answered mockingly.

"Oh, yes, about magic," Sunny said. "I’ll voice my offer again - join me and my team. I will personally train you and we will reach unprecedented heights in the study of magic. I was able to teach the weakest unicorn the strongest spells. And with your capabilities, you will be the most valuable employee at RRT. Moreover, we will eventually crush the rebellion and live in peace."

"When will you understand?" Izzy shouted. "I don’t care about the loyalists or the rebels. I just want to be with my friends. And you left us! Abandoned me...It's all your fault! Opaline couldn't do anything without you. I have so much hatred for you that I am ready to throw it out on you right here and now.

Sunny abruptly put down the mug, jumped off the hammock and, using magic, moved Izzy towards her.

"Come on, Moonbow, here I am. I'm standing right in front of you. Do it," Sunny said firmly.

But Izzy just stood there and looked at Sunny, shaking a little while her eyes filled with tears.

"Well, here we go again," Sunny said dryly, wiping her friend’s tears with her wings. "You’re crying again."

Sunny took Izzy's hooves in hers and began to slowly move from side to side.

"I’ll tell you again," the alicorn continued. "There’s no need for stupidity and unnecessary aggression. First of all, I’m beyond your strength."

Sunny began to spin her friend around slightly.

"When will YOU understand," Sunny continued her monologue. "I’m worried about you. It's too dangerous for you to stay here. You'll be much safer at Opaline's castle. I will always be there, there are plenty of servants and guards there.

And now the two best friends are already spinning around in the dance, forgot about their problems. Calm finally appeared on Izzy's face. Unicorn seemed to be considering accepting the offer for the first time, and Sunny began to break out into a joyful smile.

"I’m not ready to leave this place," Izzy finally answered.

Sunny's smile suddenly disappeared and the alicorn pushed her friend onto the bed.

"You are incorrigible," Sunny said dissatisfiedly and lay down next to Izzy." I'm tired of begging you. And this swamp.

Izzy just muttered something incomprehensible and pressed herself against Sunny. Deep down, she still loved and appreciated her, no matter what.

Sunny was approaching the Canterlogic building in Maretime. Or, now, the Royal Research Team Headquarters. By decree of the mayor Cloverleaf, this building was transferred to the ownership of Sunny and converted for the needs of science. Sunny was shaking with delight - a whole huge building for all kinds of research and experiments.

At the building, Sunny was met by a worker pony, who was responsible for all work related to this factory.

"Good evening, Miss Strascout," he said.

"Hello," answered Sunny. "I’m not interested in façade works, so let’s go straight inside, where you’ll show me all the halls."

"No problem, as you say," the worker answered.

Inside the factory were the same halls, but now filled with powerful energy and exciting opportunities for experimentation. An atmosphere of mystery reigns in these halls, as if every corner is filled with magic. Great columns and stained glass windows are open, allowing light to penetrate into the depths of the factory, revealing the secrets of its majestic halls.
The halls of the factory are decorated with high ceilings with golden patterns and crystal chandeliers reflected in the mirrored walls. Here breathes the ancient wisdom and knowledge accumulated in ancient texts over the centuries.

Each hall of the factory is filled with mysterious objects and artifacts, evidence of many past experiments. However, here you can also see various complex mechanisms and tools used in incredible experiments beyond the understanding of simple ponies.

Finished examining the main halls, Sunny decided to find out about the service premises.

"Where is my office?" she asked.

"Over there," the worker pointed upward with his hoof. "It’s located just so that you can observe the entire factory. Nothing will be hidden from your sight!"

"Very good," Sunny nodded her head. "Tell me, has my equipment already been delivered?"

"Yes, everything is already installed and ready for use," the worker answered contentedly.

"Great! Take me there, please," Sunny exclaimed joyfully.

"As you order," the worker answered.

The two went up to the office premises and reached the director's office, that is, Sunny's office. Pony took out the keys and, finally, finding the right one, opened the door, letting Sunny forward.

Sunny silently entered the office and only nodded her head approvingly, looking around the room.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" asked the worker.

"No, thank you," Sunny answered. "You can go home."

"Thank you, Goodbye," the pony bowed.

"Good night," Sunny answered, sitting down in her chair.

“Finally,” she thought to herself. “My own office in a place I could only dream of. Okay, I had one more thing to do. What time is it there? 10 pm? I don’t think they’re sleeping.”

Sunny sat down at her communications center and began to tune the desired frequency. After some time, she was still able to make contact.

"Hello-hello," Sunny said. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, boss," answered on the other side.

"Which of my favorite miners am I talking to?" asked Sunny.

"Agate," answered the pony.

"Agate," Sunny said thoughtfully. "The middle of the brothers, right?"

"That’s right," he answered contentedly.

"I have a special task for your team," said Sunny. "Personal."

"What we have to do this time?" asked Agate.

"I need stones, a lot of stones," Sunny said mysteriously.

"Stones?" Agate was surprised. "We collect stones for you, don’t we?"

"Not magical," Sunny began to explain. "Ordinary stones. Any-"

Suddenly Sunny's speech was interrupted by a terrible noise on the other side.

"What was that???" Sunny was horrified. "What’s going on there???"

"Um..." Agate paused, not knowing what to say. "Just some fun before bed."

"What type of entertainment creates so much noise?" Sunny continued to be surprised.

"Dad and Copper argued who would drink more and last longer on the pyramid of barrels," Agate answered, laughing nervously.

Sunny, unable to bear the idiocy of her employees, simply fell face first into the table.

"Okay, okay," she continued. "You will listen to me and tell the others. I need any hard rocks for my experiments. There is no clear quota, the more you bring, the more payments you will receive."

"Did I understand correctly, you need ordinary hard stones?" Agate asked.

"Yes," Sunny confirmed.

"Understood," answered Agate. "Um, Miss Starscout?"

"Yes, what's the matter?" Sunny asked calmly.

"There’s one thing," the pony said. "It’s strange, of course, but I still want to ask. My younger brother, Granite, constantly writes letters to you."

"I haven’t received any letters," Sunny answered in surprise.

"Yes, that’s right," Agate continued. "He’s too afraid to send them to you, fearing your angry reaction. So, I'll ask you for him. Maybe he can finally send them to you?"

"Eh...Yes, let him send them," Sunny sighed dissatisfied.

"Okay, I’ll tell him," said Agate. "Is there anything else you need? Can I go?"

"You can go," answered Sunny. "Good night."

"Goodbye," Agate answered and closed the communication channel.

Sunny turned off the radio and sat back, dreaming of future successes. After which she took out her documents and some drawings and notes from the boxes she had brought and laid them out on the table.
"Oh yes, this will be my greatest creation," Sunny said excitedly out loud.

A new entry has appeared in the diary.

It was very dangerous, but I was able to get into the Royal Library of Zephyr Heights. After studying the secret archives, I came to the conclusion that mind control experiments had already been carried out, hundreds of years ago, but were not successful. I need to study them in more detail and conduct my own experiments. I am sure that my knowledge is enough to finish what I started.