Feared Love Divided: Chapter 12/Empty Plains
Twilight used her telekinesis to open the great gates to Unicornia and stepped out. The two Crusaders came dashing up to her and bowed. "Dandy Lion," she addressed, "Monolith, report."
"Aren't you going to ask how they are?" Starlight Glimmer asked as she walked through the gate.
"They are the ones who insisted they stay outside." Twilight answered, and then looked back to them, "Besides, I trust them with my life... I kind of have to trust them with their own, as well. Right?" she asked the two, and they saluted.
"As you have ordered, Princess." Monolith replied. "We value our lives as much as we would anypony else."
"It wasn't... too cold... was it?.." Twilight asked.
"We are knights." Dandy Lion replied. "As long as we don't go too long without a proper bath, we will be fine."
"That might be a problem..." Twilight uttered. "They are less developed than we expected."
"And that's saying something." Monolith stated.
"How poor are they?" Dandy Lion asked, and saw her face sink. "I spoke out of turn."
"You spoke accurately." Starlight Glimmer stated.
"From our records," Twilight continued, "they are less developed than the Unicorns of the Time of the Tribes."
"What can be done?" Dandy Lion asked.
"That depends on your report." Twilight replied.
"Oh, yes, Princess, it's largely as we thought." Dandy Lion stated, "There is vast moorland that produces plentiful grass and sedges, but none of it is really arable."
"We should," Monolith said in his dour monotone, as he looked at Dandy Lion, "say fallow. With development, it could be made arable."
"With considerable effort." Dandy Lion added.
"That is an understatement." Monolith said to him.
"Other than grass, there is little of any immediate interest." Dandy Lion continued.
"Unicorns normally only settle in areas with significant mineral wealth?" Starlight asked.
"Without a minerological survey, we could only guess." Monolith stated.
"I don't suppose you would do that?" Starlight asked.
"By myself?.." Monolith asked, "It would... take..."
"Considerable." Dandy Lion added.
"Time..." Monolith finished.
"They finish each other's sentences?" Trixie asked as she approached.
"It's like speaking to a wall!" Dandy Lion exclaimed.
"Then... my parents... named me... appropriately..." Monolith uttered.
"Would it kill you to show some emotion?" Dandy Lion asked.
"It very well might." Monolith non-chalantly replied.
"Boys?" Twilight addressed them.
"Princess?" they affirmed and bowed.
"Anything of military interest?" Twilight asked.
"Significant." Monolith stated.
"Not really." Dandy Lion stated, "I doubt she's asking about defensive positions, but about potential dangers."
"Ah?" Monolith asked, "In that case, nothing. It would be prime real estate for Ponies... if... perhaps... we were still savages..."
"Live - a little." Dandy Lion said to him.
"By doing what?" Monolith asked him, "Eating grass?" He then turned back to the princess, "There is considerable military potential." he droned on. "With fortifications, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies to work the land, this could turn into a self-contained city-state. Like the ancient poleis."
"It would be rather romantic." Dandy Lion stated, "Like the Crystal Empire. Until we built the railway."
"It does provide considerable efficiency." Monolith replied to Dandy Lion and turned to look back at the princess. "Given the faux Unicornia, it seems likely that there is significant mineral wealth here. Even if it were not for the Unicorns, I would recommend settlement. The only question is why the Unicorns have not developed it?"
"Because they are Unicorns." Dandy Lion said to him, and quickly turned to Twilight and bowed, "No offence, Princess."
"As an Alicorn," Twilight said to him, " I represent all three tribes of Ponies. All of whom have their own flaws..."
"Equestria only succeeded," Starlight added, "because the tribes worked together."
Once again the two Crusaders bowed. Twilight stood by for them to stand, but they did not.
"I think they want orders." Starlight said from behind her.
"Oh, yes, right." Twilight stated, "I trust you two to protect the city as best as you can."
"Of course." Monolith stated.
"We have taken your orders to care about ourselves to heart." Dandy Lion stated. "We have set up a camp in the lee of the hill. We can watch the valley and maintain our patrols."
"I hope it's not too chilly?" Starlight asked.
"Trixie has been chilly for too many years..." Trixie voiced. "Nopony whould have to face that."
"We'll be fine." Dandy Lion stated.
"The lee of the hill is sheltered from the wind." Monolith added.
"Good..." Trixie stated.
"You are sure you will be fine without us?" Dandy Lion asked, and looked up as he saw a great shadow decend upon them. The great shadow appeared to belong to Spike, but quickly reverted to being Badb.
"We'll be quite alright." Badb stated.
"Of course." Monolith added.
"If that is all, Princess, we will let you get back to your duties." Dandy Lion said to her, and Twilight sighed audibly.
"Yes... I have to convince the Unicorns... teach the Unicorns what they can truly be... How the hell do you be a Unicorn?!" Twilight asked.
"Having a head stuck in an ivory tower is a start." Trixie stated. They all looked at her. "What?" Trixie asked, "Trixie speaks the truth. Unicorns tend to be anywhere but here."
"Future?" Badb asked. Twilight looked at her as the thoughts entered her head.
"They need a future?!" Twilight asked. "Unicorns don't look to the problems of the present, but the problems of the future!"
Twilight groaned as she climbed the city's many stairs. "Why do Unicorns love stairs so much?" she asked.
"It's probably simple practicality." Starlight stated.
"Of course it's simple practicality." Twilight grumbled.
"It does make Trixie feel important." Trixie added.
"You are a Unicorn princess." Badb said to Twilight, "Why don't you tell us?"
"I'm not the Princess of Unicorns." Twilight stated, "I'm the Princess of Friendship."
"Why don't you just fly?" Starlight asked.
"You couldn't exactly come with me." Twilight grumbled.
"Why don't you use magic?" Trixie asked. "Or was that some sort of lesson in friendship that Trixie was supposed to learn..."
"I honestly had not thought of that." Twilight stated, and paused. The other three stopping behind her. She was concentrating, and silently chanting. A moment later a bubble of violet energies appeared around them. They floated up, away from the spire and spiraled around it, moving ever upward. They looped around the spire above the faux Princess Platinum's abode and circled around, landing in front of it. The door opened up, and the faux Princess Platinum looked around it.
"Who else did she think it was?" Trixie asked, but Twilight glared at her.
"Platinum, we are here to give you the long history of Equestria." Twilight said to her.
"And we're here to make it spectactular." Trixie added.
"She does make wonderful spectacles." Starlight added.
"I'll take Starlight on a tour of the city." Badb added.
"Come... come in..." Princess Platinum said to them.
Badb and Starlight Glimmer walked down the stairs, as Starlight looked about nervously. "Everyone's staring."
"You have nothing to worry about." Badb said to her firmly.
"But?.." Starlight asked.
"Not only are we not in Equestria, but the Ponies of Equestria have forgiven you, fully." Badb stated, "All in all, they are quite the forgiving bunch... even going so far to forgive us... Besides, I doubt any of the Unicorns here have any idea what you have done."
"Then why are they staring?" Starlight asked.
"Maybe because I'm a Changeling?" Badb asked.
"Why don't you simply hide?" Starlight asked.
"I serve the Princess of Friendship." Badb replied, "I do not do so from the shadows. Twilight also believes it is easier for Ponies to trust us if we don't try to hide the fact we're Changelings. If... they discovered it later on..."
"Good point." Starlight stated.
"I have to admit that so far... she's been right." Badb stated. "I maybe did not need to scare Salmon Mana... but it did work..."
"It's easier than having Twilight actually show off her phenomenal power." Starlight added.
The two stood in front of an opening, almost a cave with a glimmer of light from within. "Remember," Badb stated, "do not be surprised by anything we find in here."
"You make it sound like you know what we'll find." Starlight stated.
"I don't have the rose-tinted view of Ponies that most Ponies have." Badb stated, "You seem to think of yourself as immune to depravity."
Starlight paused for a moment to catch her breath. "You are going to have to tell me what you expect to find."
"Put simply?" Badb asked, "Slaves."
Starlight breathed in deeply once again. "Slavery... was... a common practice... in the time of the Three Tribes..."
Shortly inside the cave they found guards and a sealed vault. "I am Starlight Glimmer," Starlight said to the Unicorn guards, "attachée to Princess Twilight Sparkle. We have the freedom of the city."
"You would go among the savages?" the guard asked.
"We need to see everything." Starlight stated.
Another guard stepped up to them. "We cannot guarantee your safety... down there... among them..."
With this Badb turned into a simulacrum of a teenaged Spike. The Spike she had first met those years ago.
"We don't look forward to tell your Princess what happened to you." the first guard nearly spat, and the faux Spike breathed out a plume of green flame.
The guards used their magics to open the vault to the deep, and inside they saw nothing but darkness. "Hurry inside." the first guard said.
Badb and Starlight looked at each other and quickly moved inside. Starlight's horn began to glow, "Don't." Badb whispered as they moved inside. Starlight stopped the spell and shivered as the vault was closed, finding herself in absolute darkness. "Changelings can see perfectly in the dark, and I know you can copy spells like the Princess can."
"I... wouldn't want to impose..." Starlight nervously voiced.
"Imposing would be the furthest thing..." Badb stated. With this Starlight breathed in deeply a few times before quietly incanting. Despite the quiet, the sounds echoed as if for miles. After a moment the spell was complete and Starlight looked Badb in the eyes before looking back around her.
"Is this how Changelings see?"
"It's one of our senses." Badb replied, and the two looked around some more. It was an open chambre, obviously of hoof-worked stone. There was a tram rail on the ground extending down the tunnel.
"And why?.." Starlight asked, and paused, "as... convenient as this is..."
"If you used light, we would be visible for everypony down here." Badb stated. "For miles..."
"Understood." Starlight stated. "Shall we?"
"I would recommend a spell that can silence our hoof-falls." Badb as Spike stated, and once again Starlight began to quietly incant, and once again the incantation echoed as if for miles down the caves. Badb took a step and it made no sound, and so began to walk down the cave, Starlight nervously following her. Every step was foreign, as it did not matter how hard it landed, it made no sound, and was disorienting.