Attack of the Equine Empire

"Thank you again, so much," Rarity said. Iron Hammer took her empty plate, and Pinkie's as well, and put them in the nearby sink.

"You've probably thanked me over a hundred times by now," he said as he turned the faucet. "I think I get the picture." The water at first spat out onto the dirty plates before turning into a steady stream. With rag in hoof he began scrubbing away the remnants of the strangers' meals. With what little he has he's just sending the leftovers down the drain, Rarity thought. She wouldn't complain out loud, though. It was the first time she had eaten in two days. A whole day in the sewers. A whole day in Iron's house. Not a single morsel.

The meal itself had been plain. Daisies and wheat bread with lettuce and crushed tomato paste. He also had a bit of cheese that he said he had been saving for a special occasion. It took awhile, but Rarity convinced him to save it for a bit longer. She didn't understand why, after nearly kicking them out of his home, he was treating them so kindly. "I just want you to know how grateful we are," she said. He chuckled.

"I'm the one who should be grateful," he said, turning off the water. I don't like the sound of that.

"Why is that?" Rarity asked. He didn't answer. He was on his way out of the kitchen when she asked it. Rarity had the sneaking suspicion that Iron Hammer's generosity only went so far. Nopony's ever been that welcoming to her before, especially nopony as poor as him. She couldn't help but feel like he would ask for something from them. Something they wouldn't want to give. No, she thought, he wouldn't do that. The way he treated Fruity. He wouldn't...

She looked at the empty doorway, then to Pinkie. She smiled her usual innocent smile. If nothing else, I pray to Celestia that he doesn't ask it of Pinkie. She looked down at her front hooves. Crossed on the table, they were shaking softly. She shook her head. I'm worrying too much. Nothing's going to happen. He's just a kind pony showing us some of his kindness. A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts. Her heart stopped. Iron emerged from where ever he was. "Don't worry. It's not danger," he told them.

He opened the door and without invitation a stallion entered the house. "By all means, come in," Iron said as he closed the door. The pony had a dirty white coat and a black mane with grey streaks running through it. He looked middle-aged. Not too far from Iron Hammer's age. He leaned against the old couch with a sense of familiarity.

"So," the pony started, "you called for me, and at your own house too. What's going on?"

Iron smiled and walked into the kitchen. "Snow, I'd like to introduce you to some friends of mine." He waved his hoof as he presented Rarity and Pinkie. The stallion was unimpressed.

"You talk to me for the first time in thirteen years so that we can go on a double date," he said. Iron groaned at that. "Well," Snow continued, "they're good looking, I'll give you that. Young too." Rarity didn't like the way that he looked at Pinkie, even if it was only for a moment. "Might be too young for me, though."

"I'm not introducing you to some mares for us to date. I'm introducing you to the missing Equestrian delegates." He looked more impressed by that. He stood up from against the couch.

"Wow. Now this visit is interesting." Snow had a different kind of look in his eyes now. It's even worse, she thought. "Where the other ones? The Royal Guards are breaking down doors and smashing in skulls looking for five ponies. I only see two."

"We don't know," Iron said. "These two found their way from the castle into my house this morning. When they told me that, I knew they were Equestrian."

"Of course! Cornaria, ever the paranoid despot, has been preparing for their visit all week. And the whole town has to know about it, of course, so they could be on their best behavior," he blurted out in a mocking tone. "Now she's got the whole city on lock-down and she's searching for missing ponies." He looked at Rarity and Pinkie. "A lot of ponies are thinking that the only thing to get her that on edge is if she royally screwed up... what ever you were doing at the castle. What nopony knows is exactly what happened and why you disappeared. Do you lovely mares have an answer to that question?"

"Snow," Iron said, "you can save that for later. We have other things-"

"No," Rarity said. They all turned to her. So much confusion about that day. I have to at least try to sort out what happened. She hesitated for a moment. "We have to tell somepony." I'm putting trust into you, Iron. Don't let me down. She looked at Snow. Or you... "We came with our friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and she was going to set up an alliance or a peace treaty or something. Twilight said it was because of the Equine Empire."

"Ah, our friendly neighbors to the north," Snow chuckled.

"It's not funny," Rarity continued. "Yesterday, when we got up, somepony who worked for the castle warned us of danger. We got separated. There was something wrong with the guards. We ran to the sewers. They chased us for hours. Then we ended up here." There was silence when she finished her story.

"Shit," Snow whispered under his breath.

"It's not Cornaria doing this..." Iron said.

"If they're looking for five ponies," Rarity said, "then we're two of them. I think I know the other three. Twilight, Rainbow, the stallion from the castle. Flickering Flame... I think. That leaves some of my friends still in the castle. Who knows what's happened to them?"

"More Equestrians are in the castle?" Iron asked.

"Yes... three of them." Fluttershy. Applejack. Spike. She must've thought about them every few minutes since they got to Iron's house. Or she wished she did. Whenever her mind wandered she forced it back on them. She wasn't going to forget them at a time like this.

"Looks like we have less time than I thought," Iron said. "If those guards weren't Cornaria's then they'll be back." Snow's eyes widened.

"Wait, wait, woah, woah, woah, woah, woah. Guards? Royal Guards? They were here?" he asked.

"This morning there were two asking for the Equestrians. I told them off. They probably just left us alone to keep up appearances."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"If I told you you wouldn't have come." What kind of friend would that make him? Rarity thought.

"Hell no I wouldn't have come. According to these mares, they aren't even the real Royal Guards for gods' sake. These guys could come into my house and drag me off and torture me or something for all I know."

"You don't even know why I asked you over here."

"Fine. Why did you ask me over?"

"I need you to sneak these two out of the city. Through the barrier and hide them somewhere safe." Snow stood in silence for a moment before a laugh burst from his lips. As he laughed, Rarity noticed that Pinkie started to giggle too. She glared at her and Pinkie got the hint and stopped. Snow cackled for a few seconds before calming down and catching his breath.

"You... you want me... you want me to transport fugitives for you? Iron, I don't even know these girls. Even if the castle wasn't taken over by those crackpots from the EE, this would get me a tiny cell in the royal dungeons for the rest of my life. Especially with my record."

"I know I'm asking a lot, but you have to admit how important this is. I knew something was wrong from the start. At first all I wanted was to get these two out of Cornaria's reach, but now somepony has to get in contact with Celestia. Tell her what happened."

Snow seemed surprised for some reason. "This was your plan even before that little revelation?"

"Originally, yes. But now I'm coming with you, along with my daughter. It's not safe for us here. Those guards may suspect something. They may come back here. I have to get Fruity out of here."

"So now I've got two more ponies to smuggle out," Snow said. What's two more ponies to you. Your old friend and the daughter he wants to protect. Rarity's previous misgivings about Iron completely left her by then. She saw his position and how close he seemed to outright begging Snow for help. "That'll make the little Princess happy," the stallion continued. "Heh, I'm shocked that you'd go behind your friend Cornaria's back like tha-"

"She's not my friend," Iron snapped. The flash of anger came so suddenly that it startled Rarity. Through the whole conversation she had only been sitting at most two feet from where Iron was standing. What are they talking about, she wondered. These two ponies had a history. That much was obvious. What she hadn't yet grasped was the connection to Cornaria. In her brief meeting with the Princess, despite barely even talking with her, Rarity assumed she wasn't the kind of ruler to interact with many of her subjects. Especially not ones as poor and common as Iron Hammer and whoever this Snow pony is. He didn't seem surprised by Iron's outburst.

Iron's rage subsided and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Please. You're the only pony I know who can do this for me. I don't have your connections. I don't know what to do or how to do it. Please, Snow."

"I'm sorry, but no. It's been nice seeing you again, but I'm not going to risk my life for a couple of mares I don't even know, even if that includes your little girl." He started towards the door. Iron looked defeated, but all Rarity felt was frustration. Frustration over sitting around and not doing anything. Frustration over not knowing what was going on. Frustration about being kept in the dark by these two. She was frustrated by this Stallion who refused to do anything. A voice was screaming in her head and it refused to do nothing. The frustration boiled in her gut. She felt like she was going to throw up, but what was forcing its way up her throat and out of her mouth wasn't vomit.

"Now you listen here," Rarity proclaimed. She stood on her hind legs and slammed her front hooves on the table. Snow stopped in his place. Rarity could see out of the corners of her eyes that Iron and Pinkie were taken aback, but she kept her gaze straight on the white stallion. She took her hooves off the table and slowly but steadily walked towards him. "Some of my friends have been captured by guards. The rest are on the run, including myself and my friend Pinkie Pie. We are in mortal danger. Furthermore, this pony who has shown us nothing but kindness is asking you to help him and his little girl escape the same danger, but no. It's too much of a risk to yourself."

She backed him against the wall. He was taller than her, but at this moment she was bigger than he could ever be. He held back his head as she leaned in close, nearly touching their noses together. "If you were a real friend of any worth who has known Iron Hammer for as long as you say you do, then you wouldn't hesitate to help him. Not because it benefits you, or because it's easy, but because it's the right thing to do for your friend." The room was silent. Nopony moved. Nopony spoke. Rarity didn't break eye contact. Her face of anger was unchanging. He was the first to falter when he looked past Rarity and to who she assumed ws Iron.

"I like her," he said. "If all Equestria mares are like her, I'll have to visit someday." Rarity allowed her body to loosen. She took a step back from the old stallion. "I'll help you. For old time's sake. And for this one here. This little beauty's convinced me."

"I think 'scared the shit out of you' is a more appropriate description," Iron said as he laughed. Snow gave a sarcastic smirk before rolling his eyes.

"So when are we going?" Snow asked.

"Right now," Iron said. "I'll go wake up Fruity. We won't take more than we need and we can carry."

"Fantastic. This'll be a bit more difficult, but I may be able to manage it if I can contact the right ponies. Let's just pray to the gods that we don't mess this up, or we're all dead. Or worse, if the stories about the Equine Empire are true."