Chapter 55: A Devastating Discovery

Gravity pulling forward on James told him the chariot was slowing down, the mounting pressure in his ears letting him know they'd begun their descent towards Canterlot. His breath floated through the air like a ghostly specter in the dim flickering light of the single lantern that lit the inside of the chariot. He turned his head towards the small window, finding it completely frosted over. Rubbing the palm of his hand over the glass, he cleared a circle and looked outside. Above him and to all sides, he could see nothing but darkness. It was a nothingness that served as an ever-present reminder of what the land of Equestria—indeed the entire world of Equus—would look like if the Beyond succeeded in its quest. Of course, if that happened, nopony, and no anything else for that matter, would be around to see the nothingness.

Turning his eyes downward, he could see a faint, rolling glow, looking almost like a pale, snow-capped mountain range. The lights of Canterlot. They must be above a cloud layer. As they continued their descent, the phantom like glow approached the bottom of the chariot, and wisps of cloud began to coalesce around them, finally engulfing them completely. A sharp jolt, followed shortly after by another, as the turbulence inside the cloud layer buffeted them like a ship on a storm-tossed sea. The weather was turning bad again. That was the last thing they needed right now.

Eventually the chariot broke through the cloud layer, and he was greeted by the comforting sight of Canterlot Castle, its polished white stonework and gold trim shining like a beacon as it reflected the bright lights. It was the first sign he'd seen since they'd taken off from the camp at Trottingham that anything at all still existed outside the small world of his chariot.

On top of the castle spires, the red and blue banners of the Sun and Moon—the crests of Celestia and Luna—flapped in the wind. Those wonderful banners, answering the challenge of the weather, bucking wildly, battered and slightly frayed, but still flying. They stood as a symbol of the spirit of Equestria. They gave him courage and lifted his spirits. They'd been dealt a blow. Several of them. But they were still standing. They were still fighting. And they were building a coalition, gathering all of the nations of Equus to fight in the largest battle the world had ever seen. The battle that would ultimately save all worlds … or destroy all worlds if they lost. They wouldn't lose though. They couldn't.

The banners disappeared from sight as they sank below the level of the towers, the wheels of the chariot touching down with a light bump a few seconds later. Even before they had stopped, a Royal Guard ground support crew was coming out to meet them. They were bundled tightly in woolen gray cloaks and thick lined caps. One of the guards opened the door as soon as the wheels had rolled to a stop.

“Welcome home, Councilor,” he said with a salute of his forehoof. “And congratulations on your victory over the griffons. Lady Twilight is waiting for you along with the Guard commanders and the rest of the Council inside the meeting chambers.”

“Thank you, Sergeant”, he responded, returning the salute with his hand. He knew all of the Equestrian rank symbols by heart now, not having to even think about them.

The thank you, he had only meant for the welcome home. Not for the congratulations on the 'victory'. In fact, it irked him that the guard had congratulated him on his victory. What right did he have to claim victory over anything? He hadn't lifted his sword even once during the battle. He'd watched the entire thing from a safe vantage point. Sure, he'd been the one that came up with the plan, but he had no right to claim any kind of victory. If you want to congratulate somepony for the victory, go bow in front of the mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, and sons of the ones who aren't around anymore, and congratulate them on behalf of their dead loved ones, he thought bitterly to himself, but did not express that sentiment to the guard. He said no more as he buckled on his sword belt and walked towards the steps leading to the castle's grand entrance, the ground support team helping the Pegasus Guards who had pulled the chariot out of their harnesses and beginning the post-flight inspection of the chariot.

He walked carefully at first, half expecting the marble courtyard to be slick with ice and snow, but he found it was not. It must have been cleared recently. That wouldn't last long, though. Light snow flurries were already swirling around the lights, winking in and out like fireflies on a hot summer night. He wondered if it would ever be summer again. A mocking, icy gust of wind from the north was the only response he got to his unspoken question.

Besides, he thought to himself, dwelling again on the 'congratulations for your victory' the guard had given him, the loyalty of the griffons they had defeated and brought over to their side was already fragile at best. And in griffon culture, it was considered a great shame to be defeated in battle. He definitely didn't need those kind of victory congratulations getting back to the griffons, especially not when they were coming from Royal Guards.

He stepped through the open castle doors, returning the salute of two more guards who had opened them for him. Then he made his way quickly through the main corridor, the cold air yielding to the warmth of the hearth fires burning throughout the halls. The fortress of Canterlot Castle might stop the cold, but it would be swept away like a shack in a tornado against the force of the Beyond, he thought with a shudder, returning a third salute as he reached the Council meeting chambers and the guards posted outside opened the doors for him, quickly closing them as soon as he had entered the room.

The entire Council was already assembled, along with the Guard Captains. Twilight Sparkle smiled briefly at him, but then her expression turned neutral again. He had to resist the urge to go to her and hug her. They definitely could not show their affections for each other in front of the Council members or any of the Royal Guards. Twilight's expression went from neutral to one that looked more like … exasperation? At him? She turned her head away from him and looked out over the table. His eyes followed hers and he quickly found the source of her frustration.

On the other side of the table, seated across from each other, Captain Sunflare of the Celestial Guard, and Captain Stardust of the Lunar Guard, were glaring daggers at each other. Neither spoke, but the hackles on both were standing almost straight out, their ears laid back along their heads in an uncharacteristic breach of Royal Guard respect protocol. Both of them held their tongue, but their equine body language made it abundantly clear they wanted to explode at each other. Noting the stressed expressions on the faces of the other ponies gathered around the table, he surmised that they already had, but that Twilight had taken charge and made both of them be quiet.

“Welcome back, Councilor,” Twilight said, drawing his attention back to her. “Now that everyone is here, we can begin the formal debriefing.” She said the word 'formal' with venom, and her eyes shifting towards the two Guard captains left no doubt regarding her current thoughts about them. Following her eyes again, he saw both of the Guard captains open their mouths to say something, but then think better of it. He suspected he would find out what their problem with each other was soon enough. Neither one of them was going to be able to keep silent for long.

“Thank you, My Lady,” he responded formally, taking a seat at the table as far away from the two commanders as he could. He didn't want to be anywhere near them when that burning fuse hit the powder.

“We've received a report from the northern barrier,” Twilight begin, her tone all business now. “The bad news is that the barriers have weakened to the point where small numbers of entities from the Beyond are able to slip through, and the frequency of those breaches is increasing. The good news is that it seems they are forced to take physical form once they cross the barrier into the physical world. That also makes them vulnerable to conventional weapons.”

“That's the best news we've had in a long time,” Councilor Moon Song said, breathing an audible sigh of relief. “We had been worried they would still be in ethereal form when crossing over the barrier and conventional weapons wouldn't be able to touch them. In that case, only the unicorns and the changelings would have been able to fight them.”

“At least we know our efforts to bring the griffons over to our side won't have been in vain then,” James said with relief. From the corner of his eye, he saw Commander Stardust bristle and open his mouth, but then wisely close it once again. Immediately he wished he hadn't said anything about the griffons. Not that it really mattered. The topic was bound to come up sooner or later when Twilight asked him to debrief the Council on the Battle of Trottingham.

“Why isn't the Unicorn Guard able to maintain the barrier anymore? They've done it for over a thousand years and nothing like this has ever happened,” It was Storm Runner that had spoken.

“Because it was the magic of the Princesses that held the Beyond at bay,” Moon Song responded. “With that magic gone, there's nothing stopping the Beyond from drawing additional power and becoming increasingly stronger. And as it does so, it exerts more and more force on the barrier, chipping away at it like a pick ax on a block of ice. With the magic of one Princess, the unicorns could still maintain the barrier, although it would be much more difficult. But without the magic of either one of them? The Beyond is just too strong.”

That, apparently, was more than Stardust could resist, and the bat-winged captain of the Lunar Guard broke in quickly, his voice dripping with anger as he shouted. “All the more reason we need to stop waiting for this Gilda to return and launch an immediate mission into the Griffon Kingdom to capture their king and force him to tell us where Her Majesty of the Night is!”

His Celestial Guard counterpart narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to respond, but Twilight raised a hoof and glared at both of them, immediately taking control of the situation before it got out of hoof. When she spoke, her voice could have frozen fire and melted iron.

“Both of you will have your turn to speak, and that discussion will be had when it is time. For now, I expect no further outbursts out from either one of you. Am I clear?” she said, leaving no room for argument, and no doubt as to who was firmly in charge here.

“Yes, My Lady,” both commanders responded simultaneously in a dejected tone of voice, then looked away from each other, as if not trusting themselves not to speak out again at a wrong expression or glance from the other.

James knew the situation was delicate and dangerous. The Celestial and Lunar Guard served their respective Princess directly, outside the chain of normal military command. Granted, in this time of emergency, both captains had sworn fealty to Twilight as protocol required them to do should both Princesses go missing. Still, their loyalties to their respective Princess ran very deep, and he worried there was a real danger the Lunar Guard might decide to act alone if Gilda didn't return soon.

“Since the griffons have been brought up,” Twilight continued in a calmer voice, “James will brief us on what happened at the Battle of Trottingham and what the current situation is with the griffon invasion force.”

“Thank you, My Lady,” James acknowledged, then turned his attention to the rest of the Council members and Guard captains seated at the table. “The Battle of Trottingham was a … victory,” he hesitated, still having trouble with the word 'victory', given how many allied forces had been killed to attain it, “for Equestrian combined forces. But it was not without high cost. However, in the end, the griffon invasion force surrendered and their commander pledged his loyalty, and that of his soldiers, to Lady Twilight. As we speak, Captain Skydart is leading a combined force of around ten thousand griffons and fourteen thousand changelings … minus battle casualties of course … to the northern border to assist in patrolling and protecting the barrier. So far, the changelings are unaware that Queen Chrysalis has been deposed. Let's hope that Captain Skydart is able to keep it that way.”

“Do we have any further information on what exactly happened in the changeling Empire?” Captain Sunflare asked. It was Twilight that responded, shaking her head.

“No, but as soon as this next storm passes, Councilor James will be going back there to try to find out.”

She turned her attention back to the captains of the Celestial and Lunar Guard now, hesitating for a moment and frowning before speaking again. “And now you two may bring your concerns regarding the griffons. However, I expect you to do so respectfully, and with the civility and discipline that is required by the rank you both hold.” She said the last part with authority that left no room for argument. Still, James could see from her expression that she dreaded this part of the meeting, and wasn't confident that the two captains could discuss the issue civilly. And with Captain Skydart leading the Equestrian combined forces north, there was no other high ranking military officer in the room to act as a buffer between the two. Twilight nodded at the Lunar Guard captain, motioning him to go first.

“Thank you, My Lady,” Captain Stardust acknowledged, bowing his head slightly before addressing the rest of the room. Although it wasn't hard to notice that he spent an inordinate amount of time focused on his Celestial Guard counterpart across the table from him.

“With all due respect to my comrade from the Celestial Guard, we know for a fact that Princess Celestia will not return in time to save Equestria and every living thing in it from frozen death. And that's assuming this Eric from the human world can even figure out away to return her to us at --”

“She's going to return to us,” Captain Sunflare interjected, the two captains glaring at each other again. Fortunately, a stronger glare from Twilight prevented them from going any further.

“Please continue,” Twilight said to Captain Stardust, quickly regaining control of the situation.

“Thank you, My Lady. As I was saying, we are running out of time. We can't afford to wait for Gilda any longer. If we are going to cross the sea of tears and engage the griffons on their own turf, we are going to have to do it now. Let me take Bat Team Alpha in there, My Lady. We can be in and out before the griffons even know we are there. We can capture King Aetos and whisk him back to Equestria right out from under their beaks.”

Bat Team Alpha, James knew, was an elite special forces unit within the Lunar Guard that specialized in highly classified black ops. Deep penetration missions, capture of high-profile targets, and other such dangerous missions. They were basically the equivalent of Seal Team Six or Delta Force from his own country back on Earth.

“I don't doubt the skill of Bat Team Alpha.” It was Captain Sunflare who was speaking now, this time keeping his tone calm and respectful. “But even if your team could successfully get into the castle, capture King Aetos, and get him back to Equestria without detection. Even if every single part of the mission goes flawlessly, it's not like the griffons won't realize he's gone. And when they do, the first place they are going to point their talons is at us.”

“With ten thousand of their soldiers already over here and pledged to Lady Twilight, and with a crossing of the Sea of Tears becoming ever more dangerous, they won't be in much of a position to do anything about it. Especially without their king to guide them.” The Lunar Captain had answered as respectfully, but still, the tension in the air felt like a tinderbox coated with oil that could erupt in an inferno at the slightest spark.

“They could move Princess Luna, which would make anything you learn from Aetos worthless,” Sunflare countered.

“They could, yes,” Stardust acknowledged with a nod. “But in that case, we could offer a prisoner exchange. Their only king for one of our two princesses. We could probably convince them they are getting the better end of the deal.”

“That might work, but there's another concern. If the griffons who have pledged for Lady Twilight find out we sent a clandestine mission into Griffon City and kidnapped their king, they might rethink their decision.”

“I'm sure I don't need to remind you, Captain, that despite the surrender and subsequent pledge of the griffon invaders, we are still in an official state of war with the Griffon Kingdom. They can't claim we weren't entitled to send a force into Griffon City to capture a strategically important target.”

“Do you really think they will care about what we are and are not entitled to do?” Sunflare's voice was heating up a bit now, the oil-soaked tinderbox starting to smoke. “Their loyalty to their king will trump all of that. It will trump their pledge to Lady Twilight. We cannot afford to lose the support of the griffons who are with Captain Skydart on their way to the northern border. And we most certainly can't afford to have those griffons restart the war on our own front! Especially not when we have the open question of what's going on with the changelings hanging over our head!”

Stardust opened his mouth to respond, but Twilight interjected before he got the chance, attempting to douse the smoking tinder before it burst into flame.

“How much longer can we go without the sun before it won't be possible for anything to survive outside anymore? How much longer before we reach a point of no recovery?”

“Ten days. Maybe a few days more,” Councilor Storm Runner responded.

Twilight nodded, her expression turning grim. “And it's still almost six weeks before we can make the attempt to get Princess Celestia back … If we run out of time, it isn't going to matter whether we lose the support of the griffons with Captain Skydart or not. Even with their support, the war against the Beyond will be lost.”

She turned her attention to the maps on the table now. For a minute or two, she said nothing more. Neither did anypony else in the room as she considered her options.  There was a nervous tension in the air. Captain Stardust looked like he wanted to jump out of his seat and began planning his mission right now, and that it was all he could do to contain himself and wait for Twilight's decision. Finally, Twilight looked out across the room, determination painted on her face as she spoke again.

“Assemble Bat Team Alpha and plan your mission, Captain Stardust. Then proceed to Griffon City, but lay low. I'll … send Spike with you so we can send you a message if we need to. If in five days time you haven't heard anything from us, proceed with your infiltration of the castle, capture King Aetos, and bring him back here.”

“It will be as you say, My Lady,” Captain Stardust responded, nodding respectfully. A slight hint of a triumphant smile showed briefly on his muzzle, but he hid it quickly and his face became unreadable. Captain Sunflare's expression was also unreadable, and it was impossible to tell whether he wanted to protest the decision or not. But even if he did, James knew he wouldn't. Twilight had spoken with an air of finality. She had made her decision, and it was clear to everyone in the room that it was final and there was nothing more to be said about the issue.

“Good,” Twilight nodded once. “Then this meeting is adjourned for now.”

James stood up along with the other Council members, and together, they filed out of the room. Most of them turned towards the corridor that would take them to the Council living quarters, probably so they could continue to discuss all of the current problems and look for a solution. James turned the other way before any of them could say anything and went back towards the castle entrance. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to the other Council members. He did. Desperately so, in fact. But he knew that if he did, they would all start congratulating him on his victory over the griffons just as the guard who met the chariot had done. He wasn't ready for that. Not now. But they were his brothers and sisters, and he would talk to them later—voice his feelings and concerns to them. But not now. Now, he needed time alone to process his own thoughts and emotions.

Automatically, he returned a salute from the guards at the massive main doors as they opened them for him. Icy fingers of wind from outside leaped at the chance to jump in and assault him. Snowflakes swirled through the grand archway in the time it took him to step outside. The guards wasted no time before closing and barring the double doors again. The snowflakes that had been dancing in the lights when he had landed had turned into a raging blizzard during the time he was in the Council meeting. The chariot he'd been riding in was gone now, no doubt moved to a hanger. Harsh glow reflected off the driving snow, reducing visibility to almost zero. There was no way the Pegasus Guards could fly in this. He wouldn't be leaving for the Changeling Empire anytime soon he knew.

Still, he wanted to be alone with his thoughts, but at least he might make himself useful while doing so. He turned and headed toward the armory. Perhaps the enormous stash of documents they had recovered would contain some hint as to where Luna had been taken? It was a long shot, he knew. But right now, he couldn't think of anything better he could do.

As he walked, he thought about Twilight and how she had hesitated before offering to send Spike with Bat Team Alpha on the mission to Griffon City. If anything happened to him, she would never forgive herself. It had been a necessary risk, he told himself, and he was sure she was thinking the same thing. Just as going back to the Changeling Empire was a necessary risk for him. And he, tried to convince himself, the actions he had ordered in the Battle of Trottingham had been a necessary risk, and the casualties had been a necessary price to pay, given that the alternative would have been far worse. At least, that's what he told himself. Believing it was another thing, and something he hadn't been able to do yet. Part of his mind felt like he was simply trying to justify his actions. To rationalize them. And because of that, the more he tried to convince himself that the risks and casualties had been necessary, the more heavily the weight of guild pressed upon him, like so much ballast threatening to pull a ship beneath the waves.

“Nice day, isn't it, Councilor?” he heard somepony say sarcastically from ahead of him, breaking his thoughts. He'd been looking down while walking, and hadn't realized he was only a few feet from the front door of the armory now. The Royal Guards standing outside, one unicorn and one earth pony, wore heavy gray wool cloaks over their armor, and thick gray woolen hats to help ward off the cold and biting wind.

“I hope they don't have you stuck out here too long,” James responded.

The earth pony guard shook his head once, some gathered snow shaking loose from the top of his hat and falling to the ground. “They've got us on two hour rotations, with forty minute breaks in between to warm up. And their keeping us stocked with hot tea and soup.” As the earth pony spoke and kept watch, the unicorn guard magically unlocked the outer door of the armory and opened it.

“Thank you, Sergeant,” James acknowledged, looking between the two of them as he stepped through the door.. They both held the same rank according to the rank insignias pinned to the right side of their caps. “Try to stay warm,” he added as he stepped inside. He knew that sounded a bit corny, but he hadn't been able to think of anything else to say. His mind was too occupied and running in too many directions.

He hadn't walked very far before he came to the door on his left that he was looking for. Pulling the handle, he stepped inside, and stopped in his tracks. He wasn't alone.

Standing at the far end of the room, a white unicorn with a black mane stared back at him. She was dressed in a Royal Equestrian Academy uniform,  and her cutie mark was several small balls orbiting around a center nucleus. Her eyes were wide in surprise, and she dropped the folder she had been looking through, then seemed frozen in place. James felt just as frozen and neither of them said anything for several very long moments. Finally, James spoke first.

“Theory Point … I … didn't expect to find you here.” He felt a chill shoot through him that was not from the cold air outside. A sinking feeling pulled at his stomach and he started to feel as if he were going to be sick.

“I thought I might be able to help. The Royal Guards outside let me in.” She had said it with confidence and assertiveness. Had her words been all he had to go by, he might have taken it for the truth. The fact that she avoided direct eye contact with him, though … And surely the guards outside would have told him there was somepony else in here. And there was one other problem as well …

“You don't have clearance, Theory. They wouldn't have let you in,” he responded, noting the sound of despair in his own voice, an increasing feeling of dread coming over him.

The white unicorn gave no response, instead, looking down at the table where the folder she had been looking through lay open. After a few moments, James spoke again.

“Theory Point … Please tell me you aren't involved … Please tell me you didn't play a role in this plot,” his voice sounded desperate in his own ears. Pleading even. Please, he thought to himself. She was one of his best friends, or at least had been before he joined the Royal Council. She'd been the one who'd been his mentor at the Academy. The one who he'd worked with more than anypony else. And she was the one who'd introduced him to Canterlot life. Taken him to The Underhoof. Gotten him to come out of his shell. Please. And still, she gave no answer. He hadn't thought his heart could sink any lower, but now it did. Her shifting eyes told everything.

“You are … aren't you...” he said in a gasp almost too low to hear. It was a statement, not a question. His knees felt weak, like they were turning to rubber, and he quickly sat down in a chair, afraid he would collapse if he didn't. And still, she gave no answer.

“Why, Theory … Why?” was all he said, almost in a whisper. This time, she did respond.

“Why?” she said, any hint of fear of nervousness in her voice gone, replaced with determination and assertiveness. He looked up at her now, and she focused directly on him, the nervous shifting of her eyes from earlier had now become a look of confidence and direct eye contact. “You ask me why? So that all ponies in Equestria can forge their own future. So that we can do so without the shadow of two goddesses hanging over us. So that we can be truly free to make our own way and shape our own destiny. That's why.”

“Shape your own destiny?” he responded with a feeling of incredulity, although the tone of his voice was deeply laden with hurt. “Theory, neither Celestia or Luna, or anypony else for that matter, forced you to become what you are. Nopony forced you to join the Academy. Nopony forced me to either, or to join the Royal Council. You did forge your own destiny.”

She shook her head once, and looked back him, still all confidence. “I made it to the top of my field, became one of the most respected scientists in Equestria, and obtained a position at the top educational and research institution in the world, yes. And that's where I hit the limit. I had to live by their rules, and teach by their rules. So no, I didn't truly forge my own destiny. I tried, and then hit limits. Limits that exist because of them. You worked at the Academy,” she said, pointing an accusing forehoof at him. “You know what it's like.”

“Everything has limits, Theory. All things have rules.” He knew he didn't sound as confident as she did, his tone quieter and more subdued. But it wasn't because he felt he was being out-argued. Only because he still hadn't recovered from the punch in the chest of finding her here and learning of her treachery. Theory, on the other hand, sounded as if she were a great leader giving a powerful motivational speech. Perhaps she believed she was.

“Limits were made to be broken,” she asserted. “To be pushed through and constantly moved further and further out until eventually there are no limits.”

“And rules?” he said, raising his head to look up at her again from his sitting position. He thought about standing, so she would haven't the advantage of being above him, looking down on him. But he still thought his legs might fold if he tried. “Theory, all systems have to have rules. Without rules there would be chaos. Surely, if Equestria learned anything from Discord, it was this.”

“Oh, yes, we need rules,” she responded with a nod, pacing back and forth in front of him. “But we should make our own rules. Not have them dictated to us by two goddesses. And that's what I and the others have been planning to do all along. The artificial sun will be followed by an artificial moon to control the tides. And when we have those, we will have removed all of the power that Celestia and Luna have over us. The two tasks they are absolutely essential for will have been taken into our own hooves. And then we will be free to forge our own destinies and set our own rules without them dictating to us.” She stopped pacing directly in front of him, looking down at him, directly at him again. “When we had dinner that night. And we talked about the berating you got from the Colonel, I told you you needed to stop being such a pushover. I told you to be more assertive. That's all I'm doing here, James. Standing up for myself, and for every other pony. Standing up for our ability to create our own future and set our own rules.”

It wasn't lost on him that she had been speaking in future tense when she talked about the artificial sun and moon. She still thinks they can pull this off, he thought to himself with dismay. But what he said was, “And so you subjected every pony in Equestria … every changeling, every griffon, every dragon … every form of life on this planet to the risk of freezing to death. Without even asking what it is they want first. How does that make you any better than what you rally against,  Theory? Are you not attempting to impose your own rules on everypony else? At great risk to all life, no less?”

“You can't always play it safe James. All life is a game of risk. I also told you that when we had dinner.”

“And I told you something that night. Putting yourself at risk is one thing, but you take risks that put everypony in the room in danger. That night I said everypony in the room, but I guess I was thinking way too small for you. You take risks that put entire worlds in danger.”

“It's the only way we move forward, James,” she said simply, repeating the last thing she had said to him before leaving the restaurant that night. She had patted him on the shoulder with her forehoof then. It was strange the things one remembers sometimes. She didn't pat him now though. She just stood over him, looking down at him, her eyes still full of confidence, and her usual assertiveness shining forth.

He looked down, not out of fear or any sense of submission, but only because he was trying to come to terms with the words he had to say next—words he dreaded with all his heart. For several long moments, it was almost as if he'd forgotten how to speak. He tried, and failed to form the words, the sounds dying before they ever made it to his vocal chords. Finally, he swallowed the lump in his throat, gathered his resolve, and looked up at her, meeting her eyes with his own level gaze. When he spoke it was with no emotion in his voice.

“It gives me no pleasure to do this, Theory Point … As a Royal Councilor, and a duly authorized representative of the Crown, you are hereby charged with high treason against Their Majesties, and against the Crown of Equestria.”

She backed up slightly, then gave a brief laugh before responding. “That'd be a good trick … to see you pull that off, James.”

“There are two Royal Guards right outside the door.”

“You can try to get them if you'd like. Trust me, you'll find that you're quite securely restrained to that chair,” she responded, looking down at him again.

He blinked and tried to stand up, failed, then pulled at his arms. With a stab of fear, he realized what she'd said was very true. He'd never seen her cast the spell. Never felt anything. And even now, there was no visible glow around her horn. Yet somehow, magic was holding him bound to the chair as securely as if his legs, chest, and arms had been chained to it. He didn't know if she was still maintaining the restraint spell, or if she had somehow tied it off and left it in place. Despite his situation, the analytical side of him did note, however, that the Council robe had not blocked her spell. Only then, did he remember that the enchantment on the robe was charged by sunlight and moonlight, of which there had been neither for a long time now. But the fact that he had never seen her cast, never seen her horn glow, never felt the magic touch him, lead him to one terrifying conclusion: Theory Point was immensely more powerful and skilled with magic than she had let on. Perhaps even as powerful as Twilight Sparkle. He spoke again, but this time it was with less confidence in his voice and more uncertainty.

“If I yell, the guards outside will hear me. The loading dock door isn't that soundproof.”

She shook her head. “You can try that too if you'd like. I've warded the room with a sound dampening spell. Nopony outside of this room can hear anything that goes on in here.”

“I don't believe you. One of the guards is a unicorn. They would have sensed that spell being cast.”

“They wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between my soundproofing ward and the trap wards that were on the room to warn of any entry. I simply swapped one spell for another and they are none the wiser.”

That confirmed his fears and suspicions beyond any doubt. When he'd first met Theory Point, she had claimed she wasn't very good with magic, and didn't like using it because she preferred to focus on science. But if she'd been able to swap out one spell for another without the unicorn guard detecting it? She was definitely far more powerful with magic than she had lead him to believe. And far more skilled. He shook his head slightly—the only part of his body he could move very far due to the magical restraints she had applied to him, and spoke in an almost pleading tone now.

“Theory Point, you don't know what you've done. The magic of the Princesses is necessary for more than just controlling the sun and moon. Even as we speak, the barriers that keep the Beyond at bay are crumbling and the Unicorn Guard can't maintain them. Not without the magic of at least one of the Princesses.”

She paced in front of him again before responding. “Yes, that would be what the Royal Council told you, wouldn't it? But think about it, James. Of course that's what they'd tell you. To bolster their claim that the Princesses are absolutely essential to the survival of Equestria, and therefore, it's vital that they remain in power.” She stopped her pacing, standing directly in front of him and looking down at him again. “But we don't believe it. We believe it's charged particles from the sun that energize the barrier. In the same way they energize the ionosphere. Our artificial sun will serve the same function, recharge the barrier, and keep the Beyond out of Equestria.”

He looked away from her, his heart pounding as he tried to master his fear. Finally, he asked the question that'd been on his mind for awhile. What difference did it make? He knew it was inevitable whether or not he asked, and he no longer saw any point in drawing things out. He sighed once before speaking, still not looking at her.

“Can we just get on with it?”

“Get on with what?”

“Don't play with me, Theory,” he said, shaking his head slightly, still looking away from her. “You and I both know you aren't going to let me leave this armory alive. Not with what I know now.”

It would be the perfect assassination, he thought with dismay. The guards outside had no idea anyone was in here except for him. There was no way in or out of the building that wasn't guarded, and it was supposed to be impossible to teleport in or out. To top it off, given what he now knew of her magical ability, he had no doubt she could easily make it look like an accident, or that he had died from natural causes. She could stop his heart, and the doctors would write it off as sudden cardiac death, probably brought on by stress. They would never even think to look for foul play, given the guards outside would report that nopony else had been in the room with him. And even if they did look, he suspected that if Theory Point were skilled enough to swap two spells out without the unicorn guard outside detecting it, she was also skilled enough to cast a killing spell that left no magical residue.

Primarily, though, he thought of Twilight Sparkle now, here at what he was sure was the end. He though of how he'd come straight to the armory after the meeting instead of going to see her first. He thought of how he'd never be able to tell her he loved her again. And that thought killed him inside even before the spell he expected to hit any moment would kill his body.

“Kill you?” Theory Point asked with shock in her voice that sounded completely genuine. “James … I don't want to kill anyone … Least of all you.” That last part sounded like she was genuinely hurt by his suggestion that she would do so. He turned to look at her again, and her expression seemed somewhat softer, and he could see the pain in her eyes. She wasn't looking at him anymore, her gaze directed down at the floor. He hadn't been imagining it in her tone of voice then.

“Given the last couple interactions we had, I was under the impression you weren't very fond of me anymore. Not since I joined the Council.”

“I was disappointed, James. I didn't know how to react. I was disappointed because … I had been planning to bring you on board. I had been planning on asking you to join us. But when you joined the Council, I knew you were lost to us.” She looked up again, meeting his gaze once more, a glimmer of what he thought looked like hope in her eyes. “But it's not too late, James. You can still join us. You can still help us save Equestria. Help us complete the artificial sun. With your knowledge of nuclear physics, we can finish it before it's too late.”

He shook his his head and gasped in frustration, which was also evident in his voice when he responded. “If I thought it could work, I would be helping you. Not because I believe in your cause, but because I believe it's what Their Majesties would want me to do. Above all else, they would want me to do what I needed to do to save Equestria. But it can't work, Theory! I've been studying this stuff ever since my college days and I'm telling you with absolute certainty that what you are trying to do can't work!”

“Actually … you've already been helping us, James. Since the very beginning.”

“...What?” he responded quickly, his own eyes going wide as he felt a new wave of fear at her words. He tested the magical restraints that were holding him to the chair. They didn't budge.

“Since the day we went up to Whitepony. The half-burned notes in the stove. It was no accident that all the notes didn't burn. We meant for you to find those. We needed your expertise to help us figure out what would and wouldn't work.”

He listened to her with rapt attention now, her words ringing ominous in his ears, as if they were the voice of doom itself. She continued, looking straight at him.

“Who do you think it was that stole our research notes from the lab last fall? Why do you think the alarm didn't go off when somepony entered? I've been funneling your notes, our discussions, and the results of our research to the rest of my team the entire time. You've been helping us every step of the way at figuring out what will and will not work.”

James just continued listening in silence, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of him at the revelation. He doubted the restraints holding him in the chair were necessary. His knees were so weak right now he couldn't have stood if he'd tried. His throat had gone dry and he tried to work moisture back into it before asking a question.

“And … all of the documents here … Were we meant to find those and confiscate them as well?”

She nodded. “Most of them. Although, whoever sorted them apparently got a little careless.  The castle blueprints and guard rotation times were obviously not supposed to be mixed in with the scientific notes. The compromising of that information, unfortunately, forced us to put our plan for kidnapping the Princesses into action earlier than we intended. We had hoped to have the artificial sun finished before we did that.”

“And if your plans had succeeded … What were you planning to do with the Princesses?”

“When our plans succeed, and we've demonstrated to every pony, griffon, changeling, dragon and so on, that they don't need Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to raise and lower the sun and moon? When we've demonstrated that they can be free from all that? We'll let Luna go, and we'll find a way to bring Celestia home. Neither one of them will have any more influence than any other pony does once everypony realizes the world will continue to to function without their princesses controlling it.”

Suddenly, he thought he saw a small bright spot. Maybe. Just maybe.

“Theory Point, there's still time for you to do the right thing. There's still time for you to save Equestria. Tell me where Princess Luna is,” he pleaded desperately. But his hopes were dashed when she shook her head in response.

“If I knew, I wouldn't tell you. But I don't know anyway. None of us has any more information than we need to do our part of the job. That way if one of us is found out and caught, we won't be able to compromise the entire project.”

Of course, he thought with a frown. It only made sense that each operative would have no more information than they needed for their own role. Unfortunately, that also meant that Theory Point likely didn't know who the other mole in the castle was. It had to be one of a small handful or Royal Guards, one of the Councilors, or one of the Celestial or Lunar guards. Nopony else had access to the guard rotation schedules or knew the secret route by which they would have evacuated Princess Luna from the secure bunker. And Theory herself definitely wouldn't have had access to that information. He suspected any information she got came through a messenger, and the only others she knew who were involved were other scientists working on her team. But he knew she'd never turn over those names to him, so he didn't bother asking.

“And all of that,” Theory Point continued, resuming her pacing in front of him again, “is why you wouldn't call for the guards even if I hadn't placed a soundproof warding on the room. It's why you aren't going to tell anypony about this encounter. Because you've been actively involved the entire time, James. You'll look just as guilty as I do. If I spend the rest of my life in the dungeon for high treason, you'll be right there with me.”

He just sat there in stunned silence now. He couldn't have moved even had he not been restrained. Everything she said was true. It looked just as bad for him as it did for her. After all, if they found the rest of Theory Point's team, they'd find all of his research along with them. Everything he had ever discussed with her, they would have. He'd look every bit as guilty of treason as she did. Cold despair and a feeling of hopelessness flooded through him. He felt as if he were a ship that had been sliced open by an iceberg and was now taking on water and going down fast. His whole world felt as if it were crashing down around him.

Theory Point had stopped pacing, he realized, and was standing in front of him again, looking down on him. He forced his eyes to meet hers, and she spoke again, in a tone that almost sounded caring.

“Think back when you were first invited to join the Academy, James. You admitted yourself you hated the formality and the protocol. You hated the restrictions. Are we that different, you and I? You can still join us. You can still help us make an Equestria where we are free of those restrictions and we make our own rules.”

She took a few steps closer to him her face close to his now, close enough that he could feel her warm breath washing over him. The fur on her muzzle brushed over his cheek.

“Think about it,” she said into his ear, her voice barely above a whisper. She licked his cheek once. He felt a tingle of magic, saw a glow from the corner of his eye, and she was gone. The restraining spell that held him to the chair disappeared as soon as she did. But instead of standing up, he fell to the floor, and wept.