Once again, ponyville was completely transformed into, if not a true fortress, then yes a little more than respectable fort. To Twilight, it was so sad to see her dear and beloved little town being transformed in such a way… and still undergoing transformations.
Seeing as only one wall hadn't been that effective the last time, they had decided to make several sections inside the city with different means of crossing to each section. The whole town had been divided in four main sections, resembling a compass, and each one encased by a smaller, inner circle that reached several feet away from her treebrary.
Four sections and one inner circle as a last mean of protection… it didn't sound specially appealing for Twilight… but the same strategy seemed to work several times in the past. Upon reading about one of the most famous generals of old, she devised a new strategy, one that could buy them some much needed time… and a good way to escape in case they city was overrun.
"… Hahhh…"
Twilight sighed softly at the thought. It wasn't particularly appealing the idea of having to abandon her beloved town… and more than a good part of the local population did agree with her, some more vehemently than herself.
But of course, after making a simple but effective presentation of what they had seen so far, like the fire breathing warbeasts the Caribou would surely bring with them on the next assault, the population had no other remedy than to accept the plan, but keeping it in mind as a last plan of action.
The "sinking boat", Twilight had named the plan. How fitting…
Still, she thought to herself, things would definitely improve if they- WHEN they defeated the Caribou. Once everything was over, they would be able to tear down those ugly wooden walls… and restore ponyville to its former and peaceful way.
Oh well… She could always dream about it, and then hope for those dreams to become true. Twilight released another sigh, but that time with the intense urge to slap herself… she was thinking once again as a foal. Dreams coming true…
She shivered with that thought in mind. She still remembered what she had seen almost a week before… the way they treated the princesses… and it did not help that her mind somehow began to fill the void between those memories she had seen… and what she had not seen… yet.
More and more often, she found herself wondering if the princesses would be alright, if they would still be struggling against the Caribou (at least Celestia and Luna for the time being), and if they would be able to resist all the horrendous tortures the Caribou had planned for them… and for her friends.
It had been a whole week without said dreams, and each time she closed her eyes in the night, it was with a deep dread of suddenly opening her eyes and finding the princesses being submitted to another horrible torture… or even worse… to find herself reflected in those same tortures she had seen in those nights…
And somehow… awake in the morning with a wet spot in her bed.
It filled her with worry and despair… to find herself getting excited at the idea of getting herself in said situations… and possibly even liking it.
"… Hrrng… stupid corruption…"
Twilight muttered to herself while leaning against the railing of her "observatory" (namely, her terrace). Yes, she had been sleeping rather peacefully the last couple of nights, with her dreams being pretty much the same things she had been dreaming so far. Sweet dreams where she would remember the good times when she was a foal, whenever she would go out with her friends to play or just have a nice picnic… and in just one occasion, a nightmare that somehow reminded her of her fear for quesadillas…
But there was that one dream she could remember quite clearly… one where she found herself naked, without wings and without horns… and with a bright, red collar attached to her neck.
When she woke up that evening, it had been a dream of no more than 15 minutes… but it was enough to scar her for life. And that was because it hadn't been an "inserted" dream or memory… that one had been her own subconscious…
It was already enough to have a pleasant dream, but with a deep feeling of dread as she could feel something else, like a presence scratching and banging at the door that would lead to her subconscious. She could not see it, or hear the "scratchings" whenever she slept… but she could somehow feel it.
Another chill ran down her body as she remembered it, instantly clutching the wrist in which Princess Luna had cast the spell that night. During day, no one would be able to notice it, not even herself… but each time she dreamed, the band would be as clear as the day. And still… the band was very much present when she had THAT dream…
"Princess Twilight!"
Her ear perked when she heard the voice of one of the royal guards shouting at her from the ground, making her turn to him immediately.
"What is it!? Are they here already!? Is everypony on their post!? What about the defenses!? Are they-"
"It's the mailmares… some of them have returned with the answers of the other towns and cities." The guards had spent more than enough time around her to know when they needed to interrupt the almost never ending barrage of questions when she was nervous.
Twilight blushed at the answer, clearly embarrassed at what had just happened. Old customs were not easily forgotten.
"Oh… i see… thank you very much for the news, gentlecolt. Have everyopony gather here in the central section… let them know we have received answer from the other ponies."
At that, the guard nodded firmly before turning around and running away. Even in the distance, Twilight could clearly hear how they all quickly organized to spread the word around Ponyville.
It was fortunate that the foals weren't in town anymore… they would not have to hear the quite possibly bad way in which the other towns and cities would answer when receiving a notice about how they were being invaded.
She was already afraid of what the response would be.
As she turned around to go downstairs, completely forgetting she had fully functional wings, she suddenly stopped. There was a feeling nagging at the back of her mind, telling her that she was being observed… and as she turned around to check on any of the neighboring homes, or the "guards" at the walls, she could not find a single soul that was actually watching her.
Instead, she focused her sights on the forest beyond the town, even approaching her telescope cautiously, as if expecting to gaze through it and find a giant eye watching back at her. Still, when she looked through the telescope, she wasn't able to see anything out there… save for a small group of rabbits jumping through the fields.
She would have let out a sigh of relief upon watching that… but there was still the feeling… and even when she closed the doors behind her, allowing her a moment of peace inside her own home… that feeling would still not leave at all.
After a few moments, almost all of the town was gathered in front of the mayor's home. She already had 3 letters in hand, and they were expecting a couple more to arrive in the next hours, according to Twilight's calculations. The first one she had in her hand was from the ponies at Cloudsdale, and she was eager to finally open it. She just wanted to make sure everypony (or at least, those that weren't required at the wall to serve as guards) to hear the news inside. It would only be a couple minutes, and then, she would be able to give the good news to everypony.
And they did require good news...
After the short encounter she had with princess Luna a couple night before, she had taken a cautious step forward... and started to gather the ponies that had gone with her to Ponyville, one by one, and started to analyze then via interrogation, magic, and a bit of psychology to determine if they had undergone something similar. She had tried to keep the process as a secret, unless panic began to spread among her fellow ponies because of the newfound method to expand the corruption. And of course, she had to make the other ponies that visited her to swear secrecy as to what they were talking. Only those who were interrogated by Twilight would know, for the moment.
And yet, as she saw some of the guards standing between or around the crowd, Twilight could swear she looked at them with a strange aura surrounding them, as if they were big, walking red lights among the unpolluted crowd. At that moment, pretty much all of the guards already knew of the corruption Twilight was telling them, despite the fact that none of them seemed to be under any effect of sorts... Which only served to elevate Twilight's worry more.
What was the difference between them and her? Why had the Corruption seemingly affected only her and nopony else? Of course, she lacked important data, and that was because most of the other ponies who had fled with her had gone away just days after their arrival... and there was no way of getting in touch with the other mares, to see if they had been experiencing the effects in some form as well... or worse, if the corruption had already started to spread because of them.
"Your majesty!" Twilight almost jumped in fright when a harsh voice sounded next to her, but accomplishing the effect of making her release a surprised gasp. "Oh... I apologize, my princess. It wasn't my intention to startle you."
Twilight had to compose for a moment before looking back at the guard with a sheepish smile. "Don't worry. It wasn't your fault."
Despite the royal status, Twilight still blushed like a filly. And in deep contrast, the guard before her had remained stoic all the time, simply letting a small smile when she apologized before returning to his stoic look and then extending his hand.
"The responses we received today, princess."
Twilight immediately accepted them with gusto, quickly sending a prayer to whatever deity out there that could listen to her for this to be the answer she was waiting for. Once that was done, she turned to the rest of the ponies standing in the plaza before her princess, who all were staring at her with wide, curious and almost anxious eyes.
"... citizens of Ponyville... These are the first three letters we've received from other towns across Equestria... I will open them right now and let you know what they say."
Twilight placed two of the three letters next to her before using her magic to delicately open the first letter, and carefully unfold it before her before starting to read loudly so everyone could hear.
Dear Princess Twilight.
The news you bring to us are indeed dire news, and we find it unusual that such an event can happen so swiftly and sudden. To ensure this is not just a prank of sorts, we have decided to send another letter to Canterlot and wait for the Princess' answer. If no answer is given us in the next three days, we will consider it enough evidence to support your claim and will vow to help you out.
Until then, as we haven't received any news from Canterlot, we will stand ready to jump into action if needed to, but will continue with our lives as usual.
Most of Ponyville seemed to be shocked at the news from the other town, not being able to understand what they were talking about. Of course, Ponies had always had the tendency to be cautious with some things, and in some ways, too scared to do anything without a protector standing before them. Twilight did understand that, since she also looked up to Celestia in many ways, and as such, would expect for her answer in several things, even the most trivial ones.
Still... This was war, and there was no time to doubt. Twilight simply took her eyes away from the letter she was reading, turning to address the population of her dear town with her own concerned expression... before she formed a forced smile, trying to instill some calm into her subjects (and failing miserably)
"Ehhhrm... hehehe... Uhmm... Well, when they see Celestia isn't answering, they'll surely come, so don't worry! We'll get some help... and if not from them... we have more letters!"
Her hopes once more went up when she used her magic to open the second letter they had received.
And such hopes went down again when the second letter said pretty much the same thing as the first one, even implying that, if she wanted to try a coup, then they wouldn't offer any assistance at all.
"Well, now! Such a nerve, to imply our darling Twilight is planning a coup against Celestia herself. Can't they see we are trying to save her?" Rarity's voice began to sound from the front of the crowd, earning some approving comments from some other ponies, who agreed wholeheartedly with her. While it did cheer Twilight a bit, since it showed her friend was still giving her her unconditional support.
though that did not change the fact that she was still disappointed by the second answer. What else was about to happen? The third letter saying something similar?
Better not hope for the worst after all. If anything, it would be better to be prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best. With that in mind, she turned to the final letter (at least for the moment) and reached for it with her own hands. She didn't use her magic to open that letter, since she sensed it would be... wrong if she opened it like the other two.
Even before unfolding the paper inside, she took in a deep breath. In and out, before lookin over the crowd with a concerned look in her eyes... Yet, she did not dare to say anything for the moment. With that in mind, she unfolded the letter and cleared her throat, right before beginning to read in loud voice once more.
Dear princess Twilight Sparkle.
It has come to our attention your... amusing story of what is currently happening in Equestria. Under normal circumstances, we would have never believed such a... bold and horrific tale, and we would have discarded this as a feeble attempt of getting some attention towards yourself...
But as a matter of facts... we did receive a group of... shall we say... travelers from Ponyville. Some of them who showed clear signs of post traumatic stress... and they talked of events very much like what you describe on your letter. As a matter of fact, i have already investigated myself, and have found several interesting things, such as a complete lack of communication from Canterlot, the sudden stop of schedules from Canterlot via railroad... all of them meeting almost the exact same date the travelers and you describe. As such, we have already agreed to prepare outselves in the event of an attack, such as the one Ponyville has already suffered, from what i read before.
In the meantime, i'm afraid we cannot really offer you any back up, since we'd be needing our full strength should something happen over here. But do know we all offer our whole support to you. If you truly are the last free princess of Equestria, then we'll be behind you 100 percent
Long live the Diarchy and the new princess of Friendship.
There was silence once Twilight finished reading the letter... too much silence. And Twilight did understand the reasons behind that. There were mixed feelings inside her as well. On one hand, she was feeling relief to find somepony else out there did believe her, despite how crazy her tale was. And they were supporting her! Well... they did support her and the other princesses.
But of course, there was the other matter, too. They did support her, but not in the way there were all expecting. They would not be receiving any back up from them... at least not for the moment. They would be on their guard, yes... but they would not be sending help as they expected. The thought alone was discouraging enough... They were still at zero... alone.
"... Now what?"
A random voice sounded among the crowd, finally making Twilight snap out of her own thoughts, turning to the crowd. Her eyes quickly passed over the crowd, looking for whoever shouted. But it seemed like, whoever had thrown the rock had gone back to hiding.
"... We keep resisting... We sent more letters. Some are still on their way, and some may already be on their way back. Until then, all we can do is simply resist as long as we can. And that is exactly what we will do."
"Hoorah!" The response of the guards that had assisted, including those close to Twilight, made some of the other ponies cheer up as well, releasing some "Yeah"s as well.
"Now we are talking... And we better get back to work, fillies and colts." The elderly voice of Granny Smith sounded while she began to move away, making the other ponies to turn around and walk away to continue with their respective tasks and labors. Granny smith simply took a look back at the princess, sending her a gentle smirk before nodding her head in her direction.
Twilight had seen that look several times before. It was something Celestia would constantly do when approving the works she did back when she was a filly. Bringing back some of those memories made her react on impulse, making her return the nod with a reverence of her own, making her blush when she realized what she had just done.
Of course, Granny smith let out a knowing smirk before continuing her way. It seemed like old customs did not die easily.
Twilight was back on her library, once more inspecting the runes on the staff and writing them in a board next to her, inspecting the property of each rune with different spells. Twilight groaned softly after a few moments, taking several steps back before conjuring a kinesis spell to attract an ink and quill and another scroll to begin writing on it again.
"Twilight sparkles notes on Caribou magic... So far, i have already identified all of the runes concerning the magical cancelation of pony spells, and i think i might be able to make some runes of my own... Once i know the full extent of these runes and how they are conjured."
Twilight stopped herself for a moment before thinking once more, looking at the runes on the staff, then to those she had written on the board... and then remembering those she had seen in the armors of several Caribou during Canterlot... and even those on Dainn's armor... and also those runes engraved over the collars of the mares... and all over Chrysalis.
She did not pity Chrysalis since she was evil, and more than once the Changelings had clashed with Ponies... but she had suffered something she wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy. She was conscious, and yet, her body was forced to do things she did not want. That brought her thoughts of the other mares who wore a red collar... and what would happen to the other mares.
Was the the future of all the mares who would fall under the Caribou's hooves? Be forced to have such destinies forced onto them, having to enjoy such tortures while not being able to do anything about it?
Had she really thought about a torture being... enjoyable? She somehow began to have very vivid thoughts about how Chrysalis would be being forced to do really lewd poses just to satisfy her conquerors... and then, what about Celestia and Luna? Were they being forced in the same way to be shamelessly exposed and fucked by those brutes?
And what about Cadence? Was she really enjoying it, or was she being forced? And if it was the first... how could she enjoy doing things so lewd... and watch as others were forced in the same way?
Twilight stopped her own thoughts when she let out a soft moan, releasing a sharp gasp when she noticed her hand had wandered down her body and under her skirt... and had started to rub herself.
She almost jumped out when she saw that, tearing her hand apart from herself... and looked at it almost trembling. She was feeling the corruption once more... Quickly she got up, and ran to her bathroom, finding the tub already filled with water. She had left it that way since she suspected she might have another... "episode", keeping it constantly filled with cold water.
She did not know if it really worked, but it did seem to keep her "awake" and aware of what was happening to her. Keeping a "cold head", she said. She did not care that her mane was a mess when she got out of the bathroom, she did not care some parts of her clothing were damp because of said actions... and she did not care she was leaving a trail of water where she was walking.
At the moment, she found herself convinced that she needed to find a way to counter the effects of the caribou magic... and to do that, she needed to find some more... experiments to run. She looked at the staff, and then at the board again... she needed to gather more of those items to study them.
And then, she remembered the Caribou locked in the barn of the Apple's family.
"... I need and armor of them."