Empress Rarity's 250th Birthday

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Deleted Scenes
Chapter 4

Chapter 1

Outside of the Crystal Faire, Hearth’s Warming Eve, and the excitement caused from the Equestrian Games, there wasn’t a day celebrated more in the Crystal Empire than the Imperial Birthday. The birthday of their beloved and eternal Empress, the Bearer of the Crystal Heart, Rarity Belle.

And that day was today.

Which made the job of one pony in particular, the Empress’ new-ish Personal Assistant, more stressful than she hoped it would be. Lady Merry Sapphire stood up from her spot by the top of the stairs and gazed down into the interior of the Crystal Palace’s Grand Hall. While she felt driven to make today’s crowning event, The Imperial Birthday Party, a rousing success, it wasn’t her primary motivation.

Merry Sapphire was determined to make this the Best. Birthday. Ever. Or even the best day ever in Empress Rarity’s long and storied life. Period. She was sure that by day's end, nopony would ever forget the Empress’ big Two-Five-Oh bash.

Everything must be perfect. Grand. Truly spectacular for the Crystal Empress, she thought to herself as her eyes darted around the hustling construction and bustling event staff preparing for the evening’s extravaganza.

Lady Sapphire had spent almost every waking moment for the last three weeks organizing, scheming, and planning for today. Every hour was crammed to bursting and every minute had a purpose. Meetings, parties, parades, celebrations—Sapphire had been sure to map out everything.

The dark blue crystal mare walked down the stairs and around the Grand Hall, barking orders at the workers, and making last minute design changes. Everything must be perfect.

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance as she saw a pair of workers struggling to get a “Happy Birthday” banner hoisted up and positioned across the Grand Hall.

Sapphire trotted over to the pair. “What are you doing? What is this?”

“My Lady,” said one of the workers with a quick bow. “We’re just getting the banne-”

“You call that a banner?” asked Sapphire. “It looks more like a glorified streamer. Take it back at once, and get a bigger one. Something that glitters brightly.”

The two ponies looked at each other, and then back at Sapphire. “But my Lady, w-”

“Glitters brightly!”

“Yes, my Lady?” asked a nearby hoofmaid.

“Mmm?” replied Lady Sapphire, turning her wrath and attention on the poor mare.

“My name is Glitters Brightlee. D-did you call for me?”

Sapphire replied with pointed silence, turning in place and trotting off to terrify some other poor soul in her quest for birthday perfection. She knew that she’d already earned a rather tumultuous reputation here in the palace, here at the end of her fourth month on the job. But today was not about making new friendships. It was about rekindling old ones. It was abou-

“ARE YOU USING GREEN!?” Sapphire’s eyes nearly bulged out of her crystal skull as she pushed past a pair of painters on ladders towards a third, delicately balancing several bundles of fabric on her back.

The mare in question froze and a streamer dropped from her mouth. Before she could answer the sour scheduler, Sapphire bellowed at her from the base of her ladder like a dog barking at a cat stuck in a tree. “HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU PONIES, NO! FOR THE LAST TIME, NO GREEN!”

Sapphire pushed off the ladder and clutched her eyes shut, slowly counting to ten and ignoring the ponies around her scrambling to steady the poor mare’s ladder. Slowly, she exhaled, opened her eyes, and turned to take in the rest of the organized chaos around her. Most of the ponies had stopped completely, but the wise few still continued their work, albeit with an ear turned towards her.

“Do I have to remind everypony just exactly what today means? Who we are decorating for? It must be perfect. Should I approve it, so will the Empress.” Sapphire paused and carefully scanned the room. “Now then, if there is disagreement on this, or failure, I could always use a few more volunteer jousters for the next Crystal Faire.”

A grumbly muttering of ‘yes ma’am’s’ rose from the otherwise cowed crowd as the crystal ponies dove back into their work. They knew the mare was good to her word. Sapphire couldn’t help but grin as she trotted back to her spot.

She watched as the workers scrambled as if she was cracking a whip. She smirked a little at the thought; perhaps she should have brought her whip. It would have been more entertaining... to her at least. She adjusted her cream colored cravat and silver vest before returning to a more important matter her tea.

The decorations were going smoothly, or at least better than she had originally thought. She sipped her tea quietly as she ran through her mental list. Banners, ribbons, music, entertainment, floats, food... everything was going according to plan. She was going to make sure this was the best day her Empress ever had. It was going to be fantastic, and Rarity was going to love it.

Sapphire was beaming with pride, grinning from ear to ear.

"Lady Sapphire?" came the voice from her side.

"Yes?" she replied, her voice soft. There was something tranquil, musical about it when she wasn't yelling. The guard pony looked at her for a while, making her uncomfortable.

"Umm, hello?" she asked, tentatively.

The stallion blinked a few times, realizing he'd been staring. "Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am. You asked me to report on any disturbances in the Imperial Suites."

"Yes?"

"Well... there's a disturbance in the Imperial Suites."

* * *

To anypony passing by the double doors that lead into the Royal Suite, it sounded as if some sort of monster had broken into the room and claimed the Empress’ lair for itself. The groaning and muffled racket caused the guards outside of the door to look at each other uneasily and back again at the door.

"I think you should be the one to go in and check it out," said one after a few minutes of listening to the sounds coming from the other side of the door.

"Me?! Why me? I did it last time, and it was awkward," the other shot back, his face reddening. "Why don't you go do it?"

"Because I'm the senior officer."

"Which is exactly why you should go do it. Lead by example, that sort of a thing."

"Example? Wait, you said you already did this. Go do it again."

"But I have a wife and two foals." The other guard stared at his companion, but before he could reply, another voice cut in.

"What's going on here?"

The two guards swung around towards the direction of the new voice, and quickly saluted. The black stallion's sheathed hooves rapped across the floor with authority as he approached them. He was also a crystal pony and a guard, but his armor was far more detailed with its additional crystal plating and intricate etched designs. It was the armor of the Commander of Her Majesty's Royal Guard.

"Commander Onyx, sir, we just, uhh..."

"Yes, Sergeant?" he asked, his voice unusually calm.

"Well sir, neither of us wants to be the one to wake up Empress Rarity. She gets cranky when she wakes up early," he replied as his eyes darted back and forth.

"... You've got to be kidding me."

"No sir, listen for yourself." The guard stepped aside, and the Commander placed his ear against the door and listened to the groggy mumbling within. Rolling his eyes, Commander Onyx stepped back and frowned at the two.

"Get Lady Sapphire," he sighed.

"I'm already here, Commander," came a musical voice. Lady Sapphire walked around the corner, and the two guards nearly fell over. One could hardly blame them. Lady Sapphire was truly a gem among crystal ponies. Her crystals were patterned in a radiating starburst effect all along her dark blue coat, which also matched her similarly shaded eyes. Complementing her dark coat and face further, her silver mane cascaded down her neck, perfectly framing her face. Sapphire may have held the title of Personal Assistant, but she did so with the grace and toned body of an athlete.

Not to mention that she had this unnerving ability to appear out of nowhere, and scare ponies within an inch of their lives. A fact that had amused Commander Onyx several times.

* * *

Rarity groaned as she twisted further into her bedding, fighting with herself. She didn't want to get up, not yet. She wanted to stay here where it was warm. Well, warm for her. To any other pony, her bed might as well have been a freezer. More than a century ago, the immortal monarch fell victim to the misfiring of a spell and became something of a living ponysicle. Her coat would generate a thin layer of ice as a result.

Even further back in time, she and the Elements of Harmony had been tasked with defending the Crystal Empire from the Windigos. During the battle, the Crystal Heart had been damaged, and Rarity had to merge with it in order to save both it and the lives of her friends. In the process, she became bound to the Crystal Heart, becoming its carrier. It would take years later until she accepted the Crown from Princess Cadence.

But right now, she had other things on her mind than history and responsibility.

Five more minutes, she bargained with herself as she turned over. Rarity knew this was terrible behavior for both a lady and a monarch but she just didn't care. Five more minutes and then I'll be up.

She heard the door open and silently cursed as voices from outside filled the room. It was too early for her little ponies to be on her like this. Normally, she would have had another half hour or so to sleep before they would gather enough courage to enter her room. Not today, it would seem.

It's too soon for this, she whined to herself.

"Rise and shine, Lady Rarity!" she heard the sing-song voice of Lady Sapphire call softly out. "We can't have you missing a single minute of your special day!"

Rarity let out a whine in response and snuggled further into her bed. She heard a chuckle from Sapphire. "Come on, my Lady, it's time to get up..."

She heard the other pony cross the room, and then suddenly, there was silence. It wasn't the peaceful ‘you’re-alone-in-your-bedroom’ kind of silence, no. This was the ‘sort-of-unnerving-silence-in-which-you-knew-something-was-about-to-happen’ silence. Very carefully, Rarity reached a hoof up and pulled back her flowered sleep mask. There was nothing that she could see out of place in the darkened room.

And no pony either.

Rarity let out a sigh of relief. I must be imagining things again. I'm going to have to tell Twilight that the hallucinations are back. She turned over in bed, and Sapphire's face filled her field of vision.

"Happy Birthday!"

Rarity screamed as she backed quickly away from the other mare. Her scream was cut short when another surprise greeted her: the edge of the bed. The Empress fell and hit the floor with a dull thunk.

"Oh... Oh, dear," she heard her assistant mumble from the top of the bed. "My Lady... a-are you okay?"

"Just peachy," grumbled the Empress as she worked her hoof out from underneath her. "I assume you have a good reason for climbing into my bed and shouting at me so early in the morning?"

"But of course, My Lady," replied her assistant with a giggle. "It's your birthday, and you have quite the busy schedule to attend to!”

"Oh my, my birthday is today, is it?" The Empress groaned and started to stretch. She felt her joints pop and protest in a rather unladylike fashion, but it felt oh-so-good. She ignored the bubbly giggles from Lady Sapphire. No doubt it was probably quite funny to the young mare to see her ancient monarch creak and moan so while still in her red silk pajamas, and with her mane in an utter mess.

"Oh you," cooed Lady Sapphire, as she herded the Empress into her bathroom. "I can't believe you'd forget your own birthday. I mean today is like a second Hearth's Warming! We got the cakes, and the..."

But Rarity wasn't listening to her. She’d already tuned the crystal pony out at the mention of her birthday.

She'd never really celebrated her birthday until she became an Empress. Growing up, her family hadn't been in the best financial situations. That didn't change until later in life, when she started her boutique. Even then, she never really celebrated her birthday. After all, what’s the point? It was just another day. Sure, she could have abused the day to show off her next dress, or socialize with important someponies. But to celebrate that you're getting older? The idea seemed maddening to the Empress, and the fact that Pinkie Pie had enjoyed birthdays so much only made to prove her point.

She remembered her first real birthday party. She had to admit that it was fun when she thought back to that day as a smile graced her face. It was with Twilight and the others once they found out when it was. Even then she insisted that it be just a small get-together, much to Pinkie's distress and Rarity's enjoyment.

But it looked like the silly pink pony got the last laugh in.

"... I mean, I don't even think the Gala could compare to your... Umm, Empress?" asked her assistant, when she realized Rarity was staring off into a corner. "What are you looking at?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry dear. I guess I’m still a little sleepy." Rarity looked down at her already-drawn bath. "Oh, so soon? I don't even remember... When did you get my pajamas off?"

Lady Sapphire rolled her eyes and smiled. “You’re so silly. In you go!” she said as she pushed the immortal monarch into the bath.

“Wait, I-” sputtered Rarity, as her icy skin hit the warm water. A roiling mist spilled out over the edge of the tub and filled the room, like a tub of dry ice in a hot room.

"Wow," said her personal assistant. "I'm going to have to remember this for next Nightmare Night. Well, I'll let you be,” she said as she merrily trotted out the door. “I’ll be waiting right outside if you need anything!"

Rarity did not share her enthusiasm, but set about her normal bathing routine anyway. "I see a talk about personal space is in order, too," she muttered to nopony in particular.

* * *

Lady Sapphire fiddled with the straps of her saddlebags as she waited for the Empress to finish in her bathroom. She was quite proud of the fact that her saddlebags could hold everything she needed to function as Empress Rarity's Personal Assistant. Note pads, quills, a reference guide on Crystal Empire law, several planners, a makeup kit, a few articles of clothing for emergencies, her reading glasses and most importantly, The Schedule.

Sapphire looked over her shoulder and found herself looking into Empress Rarity’s bedroom mirror. She smiled at her reflection before adjusting the small pin on her silver vest. It matched Empress Rarity's cutie mark, but the three blue gems were inlaid on a gold disk. It was the symbol of her office as the Royal Assistant, and she wore it proudly. Few were the ponies that could claim to have as much contact with the reclusive monarch, let alone annoy her as often as she did and live to tell the tale.

She waited as patiently as she could, knowing that Empress Rarity liked to take her time getting ready for the day. After all, timeless beauty takes time.

Lady Sapphire looked around the room and nodded appreciably. She was a few months into her role as Personal Assistant, but she was still awed by the grandeur of the Imperial Suite.

The bedroom alone was like something out of a dream. With its white marble walls, the octagonal room felt like it was carved from living crystal. Three great windows along the Western walls filled the room with soft light without the risk of snow blindness in the morning.

Eight jewel-encrusted columns stood in each corner, stretching from the floor all the way up until they disappeared into the ceiling, which was enchanted to look like the late summer sky. Rich purple tapestries, with the telling of the Empire's history, hung between each pair of columns, except for the columns along the three windowed walls to the West.

Her eyes wandered to inspect the rest of the room’s layout. Empress Rarity's royal bed was against the Northern wall on a raised platform directly across from the main doors. Two doors flanked the bed along the Northmost walls, and led to Empress Rarity's personal office and her bathroom, respectively.

The click of the bathroom door opening caught Sapphire's attention, and the Empress stepped out of the bathroom in her silk bathrobe with a towel wrapped around her mane. The Crystal Empress passed Sapphire and walked over to her exotic vanity. Despite the coiling steam spilling out of the bathroom, she could already see the frost layer beginning to rebuild itself on Rarity’s crystal coat.

"Well, Empress, I did what I could to clear your morning, but there are still some things that need your attention." Lady Sapphire pulled out The Schedule from her saddlebag along with her red reading glasses.

Rarity nodded thoughtfully, and began the intricate process of combing her mane. An army of brushes, curlers, and hairpins were wrapped in a light blue hue, and descended upon the unicorn in a flurry of activity.

"First on the list is this week’s brunch with the nobility. Nothing unusual, just a hoofful of the more persistent Imperial Elite. After that you have meetings with the Griffin Ambassador, the Ambassador from Equestria, a Defense Council meeting, and the State-head debate on some new legislation. Then lunch."

"I thought you said that you took out all the unimportant agenda items," chided Rarity, as she carefully applied some eye liner. "Isn't that more than I usually have to do in the mornings?"

"Well... I had to jam in the government stuff early, so the rest of today's celebrations could move forward without any interruptions."

Rarity paused and looked at Sapphire in the mirror's reflection. "Celebrations?"

Sapphire was too excited to notice the look of mounting horror on her Empress’ face, and pressed on. "Oh, yes. After lunch, there’s a Parade in your honor-"

"Parade?"

"Then there is the Public Walk to the city center for the post-parade ceremony-"

"Wait, I-"

"After that, we have to get you ready for the BIG party and celebrations for this evening."

"Oh. That sounds... wonderful, darling."

Sapphire watched as Rarity finished her final touches. She looked perfect. Just like in the pictures and paintings throughout the castle. Just like she always does.

Rarity's magic illuminated a small cabinet to the side of the vanity that contained her crown and other royal items. Even though Lady Sapphire had seen Rarity wear her Royal Ensemble on a number of occasions, it never failed to impress.

Designed by Empress Rarity herself, the Regalia of the Crystal Empire left no doubt about her absolute rule, while still reflecting her natural generosity. It incorporated a three pronged crown and chest plate like the Alicorn Princesses of Equestria, but the greaves and purple cape were more similar to the ones worn by the ancient rulers of the Empire. Save for the cape, each element of the Regalia was made of platinum and socketed with gems, shaped in the pattern of the snowflake emblem of her Empire.

"Well then,” the monarch sighed as she gave herself one last appraisal in the mirror. “Let's get this over with.”

She walked to the door, and opened it with her magic. "Lady Sapphire, could you be a dear and go tell Chef Cake that the Empress needs some extra "Giddyup" in her morning coffee? It’s going to be a long day.”

"Yes, My Lady," she answered. The crystal mare bowed to her Empress and took off down the hall.

Rarity let out a sigh as soon as the other pony was gone and turned to walk the other way down the hall. At its end was a dining room where her weekly brunches were held. No doubt, it would already be full of nobles waiting to pounce on her with requests, demands, appeasements, and who knows what else, all in the name of getting on her good side.

"Happy Birthday, ma'am," said Commander Onyx as he fell into line next to her. The other guards slipped in behind the two, keeping their silent vigil.

"Thank you, Commander," replied Rarity as her entourage moved down the hall. "Have you heard what Lady Sapphire has planned for me?"

Her Commander nodded. "She's quite excited about it. I think she's been planning it for a while."

"What a joy." Nothing in Rarity's tone or posture reflected anything of the sort.

Commander Onyx forced a smile as he looked over to the monarch. "Empress," he said softly. "Lady Sapphire may be new, but it’s clear to me that she just wants the best for you."

"I know, Onyx, I know," replied Rarity as she took a deep breath, an act that coincided with her pushing her feelings deep down. "But... well, you know how I am about birthdays."

She met the commander's eyes. They were full of compassion and… was that pity? Something dark stirred within her. Something that wanted to lash out.

"Your Majesty, we've talked about this. She's just new, full of youth and energy. You just need to-"

"I don't need you telling me what I need to do, Commander." Rarity had said it with so much ice in her voice that she quickly looked him over to make sure she hadn't accidentally encased him in it. Luckily, he wasn't, though he was clearly flustered by her sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry, Commander," she said quickly. "I don’t mean to take it out on you. It's just that... well..."

"I understand... Rarity," Onyx smirked. The group continued their way down the hall for a while until he spoke up again. "How old are you going to be again?"

"Commander!" exclaimed Rarity. "You should know that a lady never reveals her age."

"Well then, I can’t imagine anypony else at your age-"

"Just a moment," interrupted Rarity, pointing at the guardspony. "What do you mean 'at your age'?"

Commander Onyx blinked a few times and, playing dumb, continued. “Why I can’t imagine anypony else at your age looking as stunning as you do now. I’d wager a year’s worth of bits that you look half-again as young as Princess What’s-her-Sparkle in Equestria."

"Nice save, dear."

"Thank you, Empress."

The group stopped at the double doors leading into the Grand Dining Room. Onyx reached over and adjusted Rarity's crown, and gave her a folder bearing the Guard's crest. "This is the review packet for the State today. I'll see you later, Rarity."

"You aren't coming in?" she asked, taking the folder with her magic.

The black pony shook his head. "No, I have a few things that have to be taken care of. You're on your own in there today. But I'm sure that quick wit and sharp tongue of yours will see you safely through."

The Empress took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Almost immediately, streamers and a chorus of "Happy Birthday!" assaulted her.

"Careful, Commander," she whispered to the black stallion standing beside her. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Before he could say another word, Commander Onyx found himself staring at the backside of the door as it shut quietly in his face.

* * *

My first time planning a Royal Birthday, just wait until Sis hears about this, thought Lady Sapphire as she hummed her own version of the happy birthday song. I wonder if this is a special sugar or something.

The mare walked down to the kitchens, and she was nearly there when she heard commotion coming from with it. Carefully she placed a hoof against the door and pushed it open. The kitchens to the Crystal Palace were… well, large but lacked much of the extravagant detail that went into the rest of the palace.

It was spacious, but somehow still cozy with its many tables, ovens, fridges, cupboards, and all manner of equipment needed to feed the Empress, her staff, and all the visiting guests. Normally it was spotless, but now it looked like a small war had taken place. There was something unusual going down. In fact, several of the cooks and assistant chefs had stopped work completely to stare at the two ponies that were yelling at each other.

"Look, Ah don't give a damn about whose birthday it is," shouted the chef-pony, his Trottingham accent coming in thick. Unlike most of the servants in the Crystal Palace, he was a unicorn. His wild orange mane looked more like flames, even more so when he was angry. Sapphire could barely make out his apple pie cutie mark underneath all the flour caked on his rump.

"Dis is still mah kitchen, I'm the bloody head chef, not you."

"Then how do you expect us to get this cake done?" shouted the target of his ire, a light red crystal pony mare in a chef’s coat.

"Oh for the love of- You don't bake the entire cake at once, ya daft mule! Ya bake it in sections and then put it together.”

"Oh... I guess that could work," she said as she turned around and began working again as if nothing happened.

The grumpy unicorn planted a hoof in his face and muttered a string of obscenities under his breath. Lady Sapphire cautiously approached the stallion and tapped him on the shoulder. Thoroughly surprised by the action, the chef leaped into the air with a girlish scream.

"Oh my gosh, I am so, so sorry Chef Cake. I didn't mean to-"

"DIDN'T MEAN TO? WHY YA BELLIGERENT SAPPY EYED LITTLE- oh, Lady Sapphire," he said, calming down as he recognized the pretty mare.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Cake?" she asked as she looked around the messy kitchen.

"Well, it is now. Just getting things ready for the Empress' cake. It's an old secret family spin on the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness."

"Oh, well then, I'll just make this quick." Sapphire cleared her voice and did her best to sound official. "Her Majesty, Empress Rarity, asked that you place a little bit of something extra in her coffee, a 'giddyup' to keep up with today."

"Ah, I see," he said, wiping some of the flour off his hooves. "Ya know, Ah thought we were done with this."

"Done with what?" she asked as the chef pony rummaged through a cupboard.

"Why, all these 'little extra's' she likes so much. Usually only does it when she's stressed. Ah remember back a few years ago when she had one too many 'giddyups'. Boy that was a fun night." The unicorn pulled a bottle out of the cupboard and gave it a little swirl. "I don't think the maids managed to get all the stains out of the carpet, and we burned it. Oh, heavens did we burn it as if it was damned."

"What... What is that?"

"This? Oh, this is Grand Marenier. It's an orange-flavored liqueur from Prance. Goes great in coffee. Mix in a lil’ cream and ya got a yummy dessert. Ah prefer mah alcoholic drinks in the evenings, but the Empress likes hers in a cuppa before the onset of a stressful day. Helps her focus, err some nonsense."

Sapphire just stared at the pony as he grabbed a mug that said "World’s Best Empress!" on the side of it and began to mix the drink.

"Ah keep forgettin' how new ya are, but you’ll learn. They all did," he said as he placed the steaming mug on a tray for one of the serving ponies to take. "After all, it may be a well kept secret outside the Palace, but inside? Not so much.”

Sapphire blinked at the chef as he went back to his cutting board. “What’s not a well kept secret in the Palace?”

Chef Cake turned and smiled at the lovely young lady. “Why, that Empress Rarity hates her own birthday, of course."

Chapter 2

"You look simply splendid, your Majesty—”

"Happy Birthday, Darling—"

"I must say, are you using a new wax? Your coat just dazzles—"

"Thank you! Thank you all!" shouted Empress Rarity who, having just entered her Grand Dining Room, found herself assaulted on all sides by a teeming mass of ponies. These were the Nobles of the Crystal Empire.

Rarity had always held the belief that society prospered when the best were positioned to lead. That’s why it was so surprising to her that the nobility was only a thing of the past by the time she became Empress. She never faulted Cadence or Shining Armor for the blatant deficiency in social structure, no. Not when the Empire had villains like King Sombra lurking in its history books.

Indeed, the reformation of the nobility was one of her first pet projects after her coronation. She scoured the Empire for long dormant ancient lines that survived the horrors of King Sombra, and the peace of Princess Cadence. Where she couldn’t find old lines, she started new ones, elevating many of the most talented, successful, and respected of her crystal ponies.

In short, she ushered the Crystal Empire into a renaissance of the Imperial Elite, and a rebirth of the Crystal Noble. And all these years later, those lines continued to thrive, if the throng of well-wishers almost-but-not-quite pressed up against her was any indication.

As Merry Sapphire put it, these were the most ‘persistent’ of the Imperial Elite. If Rarity had to guess, her assistant had invited the top notch of the nobility the Empire had to offer. Though there was little doubt in the unicorn’s mind that others had wormed their way into the brunch. It reminded her a bit of Canterlot’s nobility. She frowned at that.

While the Imperial Elite weren't as snobbish or stuck up like their Canterlot cousins were, they definitely knew how to play the game with each other in front of the Empress, and against each other when they thought she wasn't looking. Really, it was more than a little sad. Her little nobles were so cute and polite when they were alone with her.

Unfortunately, a number of the nobles were thick as bricks, having lost the shiny luster of their ancestors. Even more worrisome were the backstabbers, a few select troublemakers that were as dark and cutthroat as politics could get. She kept an eye on these last few as best she could, but those that wished ill worked their secrets in the shadows where she dared not reach.

Rarity could see that her ponies weren't the only ones invited into the brunch. She could see the strong and proud ambassador from the Griffon Republic, Gale Wing, speaking to a small group of ponies. His loyalties came first and foremost to the Republic, but there was a sense of honesty and nobility from him that she had come to appreciate in the last few weeks.

Rarity wished she could say the same about her other diplomatic guest from Equestria. She could see him on the other side of the room, chatting up a few of the crystal nobles. Evidently each of them were under his spell as they nodded eagerly to whatever he said. His rich snow white coat, brilliant blonde mane, and his mastery of elegance spoke every inch of the supposed Equestrian Noble. However, she knew Ambassador Blueblood better than that.

The ruler did her best to avoid Blueblood, choosing instead to look the part of the cheerful birthday girl sharing her thanks as she carefully worked her way out of the throng.

"Empress, I must sa- AHHH!" screamed the mare next to Rarity, killing the commotion in the room instantly.

"What happened?" demanded Rarity as she sent out a micro-pulse of magic, trying to detect any signs of a potential attacker. Her own magic and natural defenses began to stir awake in response. The Empress could feel the formation of the crystalline armor taking shape on her body.

"N-nothing, Empress," said the mare with a shiver as she took a step back, bumping up against those behind her. "I must have accidentally brushed up against you. "

"Oh my, I do apologize dear," said Rarity, blushing slightly as she forced her defenses down. Rarity knew she wasn't cold enough to cause any harm, but she knew that accidental contact could be a nasty surprise.

Rarity felt the nervousness of her little ponies around her, but it was more than just the concern of an empathetic monarch. Ever since Rarity and the Crystal Heart became one in the same, she could feel the emotions of the crystal ponies.

Often it helped in making her a more effective ruler for her Empire, but it did have its down side. Like the dark tang of fear she felt growing in the distance of the room's emotional spectrum.

The Empress took a deep breath and began to channel both comforting thoughts and warm feelings. And all around her, smiles began to show on her ponies’ faces and she felt the fear melt away.

"There, that's better," said Rarity with a smile. "Nothing to be afraid of, my dear. What was it you were going to say?"

"Oh, well yes," replied the mare, with some hesitation. "Your Highness, I was wondering about something. Would you be able to attend the Gallery's premiere night next week?"

"Oh, and we have a new restaurant opening! You simply must come," interjected another.

"And I've got an auction going for charity! Empress, do you have any pieces we might include?"

Soon after, every pony in the room began asking something of her. The crystal unicorn held up a hoof and the room immediately ceased its questions and demands. "Everypony, please. I will attend what I am able to, but remember,” she added with a smirk. “I also have a country to run. You may talk to my Personal Assistant when she arrives."

"Speaking of 'a country to run', Empress," said Lord Jade Crest, staring at the folder Commander Onyx gave her in the hallway. "Do you have any updates for us on how the Empire is faring?"

"Now, Darling," she said with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you hear enough of that on the floor of the Crystal Council?"

"Of course, my Lady," he replied. "The Council Chambers are rife with strange rumors and idle words, but to hear the truth from the lips of the Empress can put to ease even the most troubled of hearts."

I must look like a loaf of bread to these ponies, thought Rarity.

Rarity took a deep breath and put on a mask of practiced dignity. She took pride in her empire and though he may not have intended to, Jade Crest had put her on the spot. With foreign dignitaries in the room no less. She must choose her words carefully.

"The Empire is doing better than ever. Our once small city-state is no longer an empire in name only. The Crystal Empire now boasts five cities as, just last year mind you, we welcomed the free city of Amaranthine into our borders with open hearts and warm smiles. Like a gem-studded tapestry in the pure northern ice, we are sewing the Crystal Empire together into a thriving and—" she turned her head to look in the direction of Blueblood before continuing, "—wholly self-sufficient entity."

A polite stomping of hooves earned her a smile. Then the Empress raised a hoof to her chin, an act that looked like she was thinking.

"But our unprecedented growth now leaves us with a problem. How do we go about building the infrastructure we need to support everything? But enough about that for now, if you please. Much is still on the drafting table as it were."

Lord Crest was about to press her for more information, but she silenced him with a soft, almost imperceptible glare. "I can tell you that more changes are coming. Changes that will be very beneficial to us all."

The ponies around her cheered and stomped wildly at her words. Really, it was almost too easy, thought Rarity.

The announcement came that breakfast is served, and the ponies forcefully made their way over to the table, still talking and gossiping with each other. Rarity sat at the head of the table, and looked out over the over-flowing plates of her Imperial Elite. Compared to the array of exotic fruits, fluffy pancakes, and frosted pastries, Rarity's plate seemed completely spartan; a couple of multi-grain biscuits and a small bowl of assorted berries.

Looking up, she could see that the nobles were back to talking amongst themselves, exchanging what gossip and rumors they had been able to get their hooves on, and going on into their incomprehensibly silly lives. She listened in on snippets of conversation as she ate. Something about a pony she'd never met before, here. A new pair of shoes that were just bought, there. And a rather long winded story from Lady Beryl about how big of a mistake it was to have everyone wear feathers to a birthday party.

The Empress was careful not to roll her eyes, but said nothing about Lady Beryl’s tale, nor did she involve herself in their conversations. It was a moment of peace, and she was going to take advantage of it for as long as she could.

She was annoyed though that her drink had not yet come. Sapphire must have gotten caught up in something, hopefully it had nothing more to do with birthday celebrations. Rarity glanced at the folder on the table from Onyx. She didn't want to read it, but perhaps by opening it, she could buy some extra time for herself.

Rarity picked the folder up from the table and opened it. This time, a genuine smile crossed her face as she looked at its contents. The normal report on the nation was missing, and in its place was this month’s edition of The Glamorous Fashionista.

Written across the mare on the front of the magazine were the words "Enjoy - CO."

"Oh Commander, whatever am I going to do with you," mumbled Rarity as she used her magic to open to the first page.

* * *

Lady Merry Sapphire quietly walked down the hallway, lost in thought over what she had just learned from Chef Cake. If the Empress really did hate her birthday, that was just going to make her job harder. Why would anypony hate their birthday? If she could just figure out why, maybe she could find a way to help her Empress get over it and still give her the best birthday ever. But getting the information was clearly going to be an uphill battle. Sapphire had pressed the unicorn stallion for more information, but he had been unable to give her anything solid to go on, just rumors and haysay from the Palace Staff.

"Ya know, Ah'm not sure why," she remembered him saying. "Heard once it's because she had 'er heart broken by some stallion on 'er birthday back in the day. But der was anoth'r pony who said it's because she never gets what she wants. Another said it was because something silly always ‘appens. Ah think she's just difficult to please."

Sapphire frowned at each of these ideas, and absent-mindedly took another sip of one of the mugs of coffee she was carrying. Surely there was some pony that would know what was wrong. She just had to find them. This was starting to get more frustrating than that time she tried her hoof out at writing a book.

"This is good stuff," she said to nopony in particular as she licked her lips. This coffee was great at helping her relax and feel at ease with the world. The creamy orange taste was a delight. "I’m sure everything is going to be alright... Even if she doesn't like this year’s event, there is always next year."

Still trotting down the hall, things started to feel... weird. Sure she was feeling unusually calm, but she was also feeling a little foggy. Her thoughts weren’t so clear, like… thoughts stuck in a big ol’ mashy mush of mashed potatoes. She tried really hard to focus on… stuff and things. Until she caught sight of the dining room door.

Lady Sapphire stumbled up to the dining room doors, and waited as one of the guard ponies opened it for her. They looked at her, then at each other, and then back to her.

"W-what?" she hiccuped. "Never seen a mare before?"

One of them was about to make some comment back, but the other quickly jumped in. "I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to go in."

"I am..." she stumbled back a little bit and shook her head to try and clear the fog.

"I am the Royal Personably Assistant to the Impress," she continued. "Maybe you'd like to explain to her why she galloped off to a jelly without her senior toast on hand."

One of the guardponies smacked his face with his hoof. The other stood blinking at her for a few seconds.

"How much have you had to drink?" he asked her.

"Drinking? Me? Are y-you implying something? Because I don't have time for your silly games." Sapphire screwed her face up in confusion and eyed the stallion. "Maybe YOU’RE the one drinking on the job. Cuz I can smell something on your breath. Like a... fruity smelly smell. Like not an apple, but the opposite apple."

"Chocolate Cake?" asked the guard who had smacked himself in the face. That got a quick smack in the back of the head from the other guard. "I mean, orange... ohh." The realization suddenly hit the guard.

Sapphire bumped past the two and made her way into the Dining Room before they could stop her.

Luckily for her, breakfast had come and all of the ponies were busy with their meals or gossiping in their own little circles, so she managed to stumble inside without drawing any attention. Eventually her eyes wandered to the head of the table where the Empress was seated.

"Right over there, Merry. Just put one hoof in front of the other," Sapphire muttered to herself. She drained the mug of its contents and continued into the room until she reached the Empress' side.

"There ya go," she said, a little loudly as she placed the "World's Best Empress" mug before the monarch and then planted her rump on the floor like some sort of obedient dog.

"Thank you, Sa-" Rarity paused as her magic lifted the surprising light mug. Her source of comfort for the day? Gone. She held an empty cup, empty but for the tell-tail signs that it was once full.

She checked the front of the mug to confirm that it was hers. She pouted again at said confirmation.

"Umm, Darling? I don't mean to be much of a bother, but... why did you bring me an empty mug?"

"It’s not," came the quick reply.

"Yes, Sapphire, there isn-" Rarity paused as she looked at Sapphire. The mare's half-lidded eyes were dilated, and she rocked slowly from side to side, staring off into space just beyond the Empress. Rarity looked at the cup and then back at Sapphire, only to find her missing and the table suddenly silent. For the second time that dreadful morning, Rarity experienced that ‘sort-of-unnerving-silence-in-which-you-knew-something-was-about-to-happen’ silence.

"Why are you wearing an ascot?" Rarity slowly turned and looked down the table with horror at the situation. Lady Merry Sapphire stood on the top of the table, staring down a orange mare. "My grandpa wears an ascot, are you a grandpa too?"

"I am a countess, madam, and this is my mother's broach," replied Countess Citrine, leaning away from Sapphire.

"Did she know it was an ascot?" said Sapphire as she lightly bopped the other mare on the nose. "Cuz, I think she got ripped off."

"Just who do you think you are? Get off the table and away from me!" she shrieked at the mare.

Sapphire blinked a few times as if she had just been asked the dumbest question. "I think I'm a pony, what do you think you are?"

Before the Empress could regain control of the situation, the entire table was in a uproar. Rarity could only blink as she watched Sapphire stumble around the table, knocking over glasses and stepping in various plates while singing an off-pitch rendition of "Happy Birthday" as loud as possible. The nobles screamed and shrieked for somepony, anypony, to do something.

The two guards at the door came in at the first signs of the commotion, but joined their Empress in a stupor of disbelief as the drunken mare continued on. One of them finally got the courage to go forth and set things straight, but he was too late.

In the chaos, the drunken mare hit a bowl of oatmeal with her hoof, launching it across the table, straight into the face of the Lord Jade Crest. The table fell into a sudden silence, with the exception of Sapphire, who now began singing an off-pitch rendition of "Las Mañanitas".

The stallion, shaking with anger, placed his hooves on the table and pushed himself up. He grabbed the nearest jelly filled doughnut and threw it at Sapphire, only for it to miss and hit the nearby Countess Citrine in the face.

"All power to forward shields," muttered Rarity. A slightly glimmering bubble enveloped the Empress. She’d been to one-too-many Pinkie Pie Parties not to know what was going to come next.

The room exploded into a full out, every pony for themselves, food fight. Biscuits, fruit, oatmeal, juice, and for some odd reason, a flock of chickens, flew high and fast through the air. Rarity was completely safe behind her shield. Physically, at least. In theory the shield could repel the blast of an Alicorn if needed. Sapphire though, did not enjoy such protection, but somehow remained completely free of any flying food as she danced in the middle of what Rarity deemed the "no pony's land".

It was when one of the nobles impacted her shield and slowly slid off that she decided enough was enough.

"A word, Sapphire?" asked Rarity as she jumped off her chair and walked to the doors. A light blue aura wrapped itself around Sapphire's tail, jerked her off the table, and dragged the tipsy mare out of the room with the Crystal Empress.

Once outside, Rarity shut the door and dismissed the guardponies that had been called for backup. Sapphire watched her Empress in the long silence that followed. She watched how the white unicorn stood in the hallway and looked into an adjacent mirror for a time. Like she was looking for something.

The Personal Assistant slumped to the ground when the realization of what happened started to make its way through the fog of her mind. She spent the rest of that silence fiddling with her hooves, only risking a quick look to her Empress every so often. Even in her fuzzy state, Sapphire could tell that Rarity wasn't looking at her reflection, but past it, somehow… deeper into it.

"Sapphire," she said at last, still looking into the mirror. "I'm... well, shocked to be honest with you. I—"

The Empress didn't have a chance to finish as the doors burst open again, revealing a herd of angry, jam and syrup-coated ponies.

"THERE SHE IS! GET HER!" shouted one.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR RUINING MY COIFFURE!" shouted another.

The Empress tried everything in her power to stop them, short of freezing everypony, but it was too late. The offended Imperial Elite took off after the already fleeing Lady Sapphire. They galloped past, leaving Rarity to her own thoughts.

"Well... at least it's quiet now."

* * *

Stallions and mares alike saluted the Commander as he passed. The steady clip-clop of his hooves went perfectly with the tune he was humming as he went along. There was something about being in the guard that Onyx liked. Perhaps it was the attitude, the order, or maybe the snazzy uniforms. He paused for a moment in front of a reflective panel of crystal.

No, it was definitely the snazzy uniforms.

In his earlier years, Onyx had done several promotional aids for the Crystal Guard as their "poster boy". He quickly made sure nopony was nearby and snapped into a quick pose.

Perfect.

The polished crystalline armor contrasted perfectly with his coal black coat. He was neither too tall or short, fat or skinny, muscularly or thin, but a healthy average for a stallion. Onyx removed his helmet and placed it on the rack of his armor where a spear would normally sit. He could see just a touch of grey in his mane. He liked it because he thought it made him look neither young nor old, but experienced, seasoned, and with just a little grin. Dashing.

The sound of a snicker breaking out into a full blown laughter broke him out of his admiration. He turned around, face red in embarrassment. Before him were two ponies; a silver pegasus mare, clearly amused by finding her commanding officer in such a situation, and a blue crystal stallion dressed in a delivery uniform.

"Oh my gosh," laughed the pegasus. "I need my camera. You should have seen the look on your face!"

"Uhh, Commander Snowflake Onyx?" asked the delivery stallion.

This enticed another roar of laughter from the pegasus, who had now fallen to the ground.

"Yes?"

"Umm... package for you," he said as he slid a clipboard over. "I need you to sign here, but if you're busy—"

"No, no, not at all, I'll take that." Onyx took the pen in his mouth and scribbled his name out on the clipboard.

"Here you go, uh, sir."

"Thank you," said Onyx as he examined the package. He tore into the box and pulled out a simple black box, flat and nearly square. He popped it open and gave a sigh of relief. He had ordered this nearly a month ago and feared it wouldn't make it in time. It had cost him a small fortune, but in the end, it would be worth it... hopefully.

A still-giggling voice piped up. "So, whatcha got there?"

Onyx looked up at a silver pegasus hovering above him, looking clearly disappointed that he hadn't jumped right out of his armor. He closed the small box and tucked it into his armor. "Aww, come on! Not even a reaction?"

"Lieutenant Silver Dash, I suggest you spend some time with Lady Sapphire," replied Onyx as the pegasus landed beside him. "She can teach you a thing or two about scaring ponies."

Like him, Silver Dash was also wearing armor, but of a different set. The chest-plate sported the curved, sweeping plates that were popular in the Equestrian Guard, and was designed for the aerodynamic use of pegasus ponies. However, her bracers and flanchards sported sharp, crisp edges and surfaces favored by a more modern Crystal design, with the whole armor in a gold color. The merging of these two distinct styles of armor was done to show her role as the Guardian Liaison between the Crystal Empire and the Kingdom of Equestria. Even so, Silver Dash was also one of the few non-crystal ponies that belonged in the Imperial Military, and only a handful of their pegasus flyers.

"What? That prissy little wannabe?" she scoffed as they made their way to the parade grounds. "Please, don't make me laugh."

"She'd surprise you. There’s a lot more to her than meets the eye." A shrug was the only thing he got out of her before she changed the subject.

"So how's the fam?"

"Uhh, well," stumbled Onyx. "Good... I think, yourself?"

"Wait 'I think?' Come on," she said as she playfully punched him in the shoulder. "You mean to tell me ol' Queen Frosty has been keeping you here that long?"

"No... its, umm... Violet Rose and I are... spending some time apart. She has the colts and she's staying with her parents over in Bedrock."

"Ohh... I'm sorry," said Silver, her ears pinned back in sympathy.

For once, in all the years he'd known her, he believed it was sincere. Onyx shrugged, so was he, but there was nothing he could do about it. Not now anyway. "We knew when we got married that my being a guard would take its toll... The stress, late hours, nearly no time off... She hasn't liked how... much I've been working lately."

"Do you need somewhere to stay?"

"No, I've been staying at my personal quarters here at the Palace."

“That... couch in your office?”

“It’s a Hide-a-Bed.”

Silver Dash nodded and the two walked together in silence until they were at the parade ground gates. Then she gave him his helmet with a quick salute. "I'll see you after the parade, sir," she said before flying off.

Onyx placed his helmet back on without a word, focusing back on the task at hand. He would rather have walked blindfolded into a manticore den, or even face his wife with the truth. He took a deep breath and passed into the parade grounds.

The Commander marched down the lines, eying each and every pony assembled in the small courtyard. They were all dressed in their recruit training armor. Simple armor with only the chest plate and helmet. Behind him were thirty or so of the finest, best trained guardponies he had. Their snow white armor was nearly as fancy as his.

"You are all assembled here today for a specific assignment," he said loudly. "You have all been pulled from your standard teams and classes, recommended highly by your instructors, to have the opportunity to participate in the security detail of The Empress' Birthday Celebrations. Questions?"

He smiled as not a single hoof went into the air. "Let me explain something to you all. We are not paid to stand around and look pretty. If that was the case, I'd make sure all of the guard were mares. They look much better in armor than most of you do. This is not Equestria where everything is sunshine and daisies. This is the Crystal Empire. The danger is real out here, girls and boys. To help you understand this, we've coordinated with Major Tom and his Diamond Force. Major Tom will explain the details. Major?"

A grey pony marched up to his side. "Here's the drill, cadets. We're going to pair you off with members of Diamond Force. You'll be given temporary armor and status as a Diamond. You are to follow orders and be on your best behavior as you will represent both the Diamond Force and serve in the name of Her Majesty's Honor Guard."

Onyx watched as a few hushed whispers and nervous glances were exchanged between the recruits.

"That being said," he spoke a little louder to demand attention. "After the celebrations, you and your assigned partner or partners will be placed on patrol duty and tour the entire Empire. From here in the Capital, to Bedrock in the Crystal Mountains, over to Amaranthine in the Rolling Hills, beautiful Yellowstone, and then to Amberwaves. After a week on tour, you'll be brought back to the Capital for the Graduation Ceremony.”

Major Tom took a step back, returning the recruits’ attention back to the Commander. "Ladies and Gentlecolts, good luck and remember to enjoy yourselves. You are dismissed."

The stallions and mares snapped the Commander a salute, then started to file out towards the Palace Armory.

"Commander, a moment, if you would." Onyx turned around to face Major Tom.

"Major?"

"Sir, I'm a little... concerned about this," said the Major as he nervously ran a hoof over his helmet.

"Concerned? Tom, we've been doing this for years," said the black stallion as he raised an eyebrow. "The celebrations aren't so dangerous that we can't let some of the Guard Recruits be with Force, and the patrol tour will be a big hit."

"They're recruits, sir. They aren't ready for this."

"Tom," replied Onyx as he rested a hoof on the other pony. "What would you have me do? They need experience, and we need the extra bodies. Their friends and family, seeing them in their shiny, fancy armor, will bring us the recruitment numbers we need fo—"

"Is that all you care about?" snapped the Major. Realizing he stepped out of bounds, he made a quick recovery and continued. "Sir, with all due respect, we still have issues with the Diamond Dogs raiding in the North, and things aren't looking their best with Equestria right now. Is it wise doing this? Maybe we need to hold everything in, instead of parading around."

"Major, this call isn't yours to make," he stated. "This comes from Empress Rarity, herself."

Before the two could continue this, a guard pony trotted up and gave a quick salute. "Sir, you told me to report on any disturbances in the Grand Dining Room."

"Yes?"

"Well... there is a disturbance in the Grand Dining Room."

* * *

Rarity tried with all of her might to go back to enjoying the magazine in front of her. But it just wasn't there. Her heart was too heavy with rampant emotions of her crystal ponies to allow such clarity and peace.

"Huh. I thought we had more nobles than this," came a strong voice. Rarity looked up and saw her Commander walk into the room. She offered him a weak smile, but said nothing in return.

"You didn't banish them all because they showed up wearing hats made out of three pieces of hay and a drinking straw again, did you?"

"Darling, please. I am much better at that than I used to be," she said looking back at her magazine. "Cut a lady some slack."

Onyx chuckled and made his way slowly around the table, looking at the food as he went by. "So what happened?"

"Lady Sapphire... well, she drank my coffee. By accident, I think."

"Uh oh."

"Yes, and after that she managed to insult several nobles and incite a food fight that left the room looking… well, like this. Then they chased her off down the hallway."

"Ahh," he said as if the situation was a normal occurrence. "Would you like me to find her?"

"No," replied Rarity as she paused to turn the page. "I'm not worried about her, she can handle herself. Looking back on it, it was quite amusing."

"Hmm," was his only reply as he stopped at one of the seats. "What are these?"

"Those are crepes, dear. They're like really thin pancakes. Griffons adore them." Onyx shook his head and continued on until he was a few seats away from the Empress. There, a plate of delicious and untouched fruit sat in rich whipped cream.

"So did you get your task taken care of?" asked the Empress.

"Yes ma'am. We're running at peak efficiency with security detail for today's celebrations. I won't bore you with specific details. Though if I can have your ear for a moment, General Stonewall and I wer—"

"Is this about the dragon-attack plan?" asked Rarity as she set down her magazine.

"Yes ma'am," said Onyx as he took a sudden fascination with pushing the fruit around.

"Again?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Darling, we've been over this," replied the Crystal Monarch as she rubbed her head with her hoof. "I've been over this with the General as well. The dragons are not going to attack us. There are no signs that we need to prepare for it, and besides, I'm very good friends with Spi— I mean, the Magicborn. Let's not waste our resources on planning for an event that will never happen."

"Understood ma'am," he replied. Silence passed between the two for a few minutes before Onyx spoke up again. "I had this other plan then, your Majesty, much more likely... What if one of Equestria’s Alicorn Princesses were taken over by an ancient magic and went on a rampage?"

Rarity sighed and placed her head into her hooves. "I don't have time for this," she said as she hopped off of the chair and walked to the door. "I have a meeting I need to attend."

* * *

The Empress marched away from the Dining Room to one of the conference rooms where the Griffon Ambassador was scheduled to be waiting for her. Should everything go according to plan, then the Empire will be one step closer to the freedom she believed it deserved.

The conference room was styled much like the Dining Room; a full sized table, spaces for talking and walking, and on Rarity's insistence, a wet bar stocked with a variety of beverages for the foreign diplomats who graced the Palace. She had decorated the interior herself in a style meant to bring relaxation and comfort for these important visitors.

Which thanks to a certain blue crystal pony, was not happening.

"Und who vas zees... walking distillery und why vas she eating meine crêpe?" squawked the Griffon Ambassador at one of Rarity’s pony advisors. She recognized him as Emerald Shine, her own diplomat to the Griffon Republic, but it seemed like all of the efforts to calm the griffon down were failing.

"I do apologize for that incident, Ambassador Gale Wing," said Rarity as she made her way over to the liquor cabinet. "That was my Personal Assistant, and there was a slight... mix up over whose coffee was whose today."

"Ah so, meine Kaiserin. Est ist a day of great celebration! Ve vill drink togezer through ze nacht!"

"Oh darling," said the Empress, waving the thought away. She levitated a glass down, dropped in a few ice cubes, and poured an amber colored liquid into the glass, filling it halfway. "Would that I could, Gale Wing, but I have a full schedule I'm afraid. Not to mention a meeting with Ambassador Blueblood, and I'm afraid I need to be quite sober for that one."

The griffon nodded. "Ja, I suppose so, Kaiserin."

She turned to her own ambassador and smiled. "Emerald Shine, thank you for your services today, but I can take it from here," said the Empress. She heard him mutter an ‘okay’ and move for the door. She waited until she heard it click shut before continuing on. "Anyways, thank you so much for staying an extra day to discuss this little... deal of ours."

"Est ist no problem, meine Herrin," said Gale Wing as he took a bow and found his own seat. "Had I known zat today vas your, how you say— ‘birthday’, I vould have gotten something."

"Well, this will just have to do then," Rarity replied with a smile and sat down on her own chair. "Did Emerald Shine already discuss our plans with you?"

Gale Wing replied with another nod. "Ze Republik is villing to negotiate terms für ze change in management für 'Shimmering Bay'."

"I'm happy to hear that."

"Before ve talk negotiations, I am curious to why you vant such a piece of property."

Rarity knew the griffon was no idiot. Anypony or griffon with half a brain could tell what the Empress was trying to do with Shimmering Bay. So instead of lying to him, she decided to just come clean. After all, Applejack did always say that honesty was the best policy.

"Gale, as you know, things are getting rather tense between Equestria and the Crystal Empire. We were once viewed as a protectorate, but that illusion is quickly fading with our recent expansions. Currently, all Crystal Empire trade goods must come from or go to Equestria. Even if they come from other countries, they must first touch down in Equestria for assessment and taxation before getting here. This means our economy is doing more to support their idling about than meet our growing needs.”

Gale Wing said nothing, but steepled his claws under his beak in clear understanding. Rarity continued.

“If the Crystal Empire is going to thrive, I need to break that bondage, and your Shimmering Bay offers the best location for the Empire to begin International Trade on its own."

"Ja, I zee," replied the ambassador, clicking his talons together. "Vell, in zat case, I am happy to share a bit of news. Ze Republik vould like to make an offer of trade. Shimmering Bays für Bedrock or ze Kristall Mountains."

That took the Empress off guard, and she gasped. "You want to do a land exchange? It should have been clear that this was a purchasing agreement. What makes you think I would give up land when land is what I need?"

"Vell if zis iz important, zeen I zee no problem."

You want to play hardball, fine, thought Rarity as she kicked back what was left in her glass.

Bring. It. On.

* * *

"Oww..."

It felt like a few days had passed for the mare, but in reality it was more like an hour. Sapphire wiggled her way out from whatever it was she was under and knocked a few brooms over in the process. She looked around in the dim room, and realized she was in some sort of janitor’s closet.

"Oh... my head..." she whined as she held it tight. It felt like a hundred ponies were drumming against it. It didn't help that the memories of what happened started flooding back to her. The coffee, breakfast with the nobles... her Empress' face. That's what got her the most.

She had embarrassed herself, Empress Rarity, and ruined her birthday brunch with the big shots of the Empire. Weeks of planning and careful arrangement, destroyed in a matter of inebriated minutes.

Sapphire sunk back into the floor and stifled a tear as she looked down at the pin on her jacket. It was important that she did her job right. This was the most meaningful thing she had done for quite some time, and to have already screwed this up... it was devastating to her.

The door to the closet creaked open and light fell on her. She looked up at the back-lit figure in the doorway. Her ears flattened in self-defense, thinking that the nobles had finally found her.

"Lady Sapphire? Honey, what are you doing in here?"

"Quick Name!" shouted Sapphire as she recognized the voice that belonged to the tan colored coat of the Crystal Archives' Head Librarian. She bolted for the door and hugged onto the other, older mare.

"Oh my, Lady Sapphire, what's wrong darling?" said Quick Name as she pried Rarity's Personal Assistant off of her and sat her down. Sapphire took a deep breath and launched into her tale, about all her plans, what happened this morning, the brawl at breakfast, and how she somehow ended up here.

Quick Name listened patiently to her ramblings, and gave a warm chuckle when she finished. "Ohh, that Chef Cake. Yes, it is true, dear. I'm sorry that you had to find out like that. I thought you knew or else I would have explained it to you myself."

"Quick Name," said Sapphire as she fumbled with her hooves. "You've worked in the archive for years. Do you know why Empress Rarity hates her own birthday?"

The Head Librarian gently stroked Sapphire's mane. "Oh, my little pony. I am sorry, but I don’t know."

"I can't mess this up," Sapphire replied with determination, sitting up from the old mare. "She deserves better than this, she deserves to be happy, especially today. The brunch might have been screwed up, but there's still the Public Walk. And the Parade. Oh, and the Ceremony! And to top it all off with the Big Party-"

"Merry. Don't bite off more than you can chew. For as long as I have known her, she has never been happy on her birthday. Do what you can and hope for the best," Quick Name added with a small smile.

"Hope? No, I need to do better than that. I can do better than that.”

Quick Name studied the mare for a moment before shrugging. She turned to walk back down the hall and called back over her shoulder. "If you say so, dear. When you get up to my age, birthdays are just another day, and Rarity is well over a dozen decades my senior... but... maybe I can help."

Sapphire spun around, eyes large with excitement as she followed the Head Librarian.

"Really?"

"Yup. Come on now, let's get to the Library."

Quick Name talked as they walked down the Palace halls. Topics ranged from Quick Name’s grandkids visiting, to how her new hip started to hurt again, and the surprisingly unpleasant matter of 'losing control' as you get older. Sapphire nodded politely every so often as if she was listening. Truth be told, she was more intent on her own issues than the ongoing drama in Quick Name's Bingo Circle.

"Ahh... here we are."

Sapphire swore eternity had come and gone by the time they got to the library, but her smile stayed firm. Quick Name placed a hoof against the doors of the Library and pushed it open. The Assistant couldn't help but grin a little at the sight. It wasn't so much the room that excited the young mare, but the books it contained.

After all, books could take a pony to anywhere and anytime in the world without leaving the comfort of a cozy chair. A good story could excite the imagination, quicken the heart, and uplift the mind.

It reminded her of Dreams.

Her expression wasn't missed by Quick Name who gave a small laugh. "It always warms my heart to see a pony enthused about reading. Except that Princess Twilight... Whenever she visits, I end up with empty spaces on my shelves." Quick Name stared off into the distance with a shell shocked look in her eye.

Sapphire giggled at the comment. She had heard stories of the Alicorn Princess and her book hoarding habits. "So you said you could help me learn about R- the Empress' issue with birthdays?"

"Ohh, yes, that's right," said Quick Name as she guided Lady Sapphire down some isles. "I have some books here on Princess Cadence, when she was the ruler of the Empire. She adored birthdays. Her birthday, other ponies birthdays, you name it."

"How does that help me?" asked the now confused mare.

"I have no idea," Quick Name offered, cheerfully.

"Ohh... I see," said Lady Sapphire as she slipped one of the books into her saddlebags. "I don't suppose you have anything more... focused on the current leader, like a biography or a history book?"

"Hmm," replied Quick Name, "Yes, I suppose I might have something. It's up at the desk."

The two ponies walked to the front desk and Sapphire waited patiently, again, as the old mare dug through the books.

"Ahh, here it is!" exclaimed the librarian, after a time.

She pulled out an old book. The cover was faded, but Sapphire could just make out the imprints of six ponies standing together. What pages she could see through the multicolored rainbow of tabs set all over were yellowed with age. "This should help you. It's a journal kept by the Empress and her friends back when they all lived in Ponyville."

Sapphire squealed with excitement as she took the ancient book. This could definitely help her by giving a special insight into Rarity. Gently, she slid the journal into one of her saddlebags and turned to leave.

"Have a good day, Lady Sapphire," said the librarian behind her with a smile.

"Good? The day shall be splendid! Thanks again!" replied Sapphire as she happily hopped out of the library.

Chapter 3

"Are you certain?"

The green crystal pony in front of him bobbed his head in confirmation as he moved a white Pawn forward, the opening gambit of their little game. "She’s been planning this for a while, but she's kept it secret from nearly everypony, even those she trusts in the Crystal Council."

"Remarkable," replied the white unicorn as he moved a black Pawn on the chessboard before him.

"Why do you say that?" asked the other pony as he moved his white Bishop in response to the Pawn's seemingly aggressive push forward.

The unicorn waited for a moment, playing it as if he was simply looking for the best move before deciding to advance another Pawn into the fray. "Speaking frankly, as one Ambassador to another, that the Empress would choose to handle such complex dealings without your expert skills… well, it seems rather insulting."

"Yes, it does," said the other pony with a huff. He moved his second Bishop out from the rear lines to harass Blueblood's weakened left. "I tell you, I’m not sure how we got on about all this expansionist nonsense, Blueblood. I love the Empire. I have ever since I was a small colt. But to see where it is now, where it’s going... it sickens me with dread."

"I understand, Emerald Shine," said the Ambassador as he ran through the next few moves in his head. "Tell me, did your wife enjoy the play in Manehattan?”

"Hmm? Uh, yes she did," replied Emerald Shine, suddenly taken back by the quick change of subject. "How did you ever manage to obtain those tickets?"

"Come now Ambassador Shine," smiled the unicorn as he moved his first black Bishop, and took a pawn on the other side of the board, drawing first blood. "I’m allowed to have some secrets, am I not? I’m just glad that you two enjoyed yourselves that evening. She did look so dreadfully bored at the conference earlier that afternoon."

The other Ambassador nodded with a chuckle and silence fell between the two representatives. Blueblood took the opportunity to lean back and stretch while Emerald plotted his next move. The Ambassador from Equestria winced dramatically as the other stallion took his baited Bishop from him with a white Rook.

It was an acceptable lost, one intended to lull the other into a false sense of ease, much like the play tickets back in Manehatten were. "Excellent move. I didn't see that coming,” he lied.

The Imperial Representative to the Griffons offered a victory smirk to the other stallion. Blueblood looked back down at the board, and stroked his chin in contemplation as he continued his discussion."Tell me though, where is Ambassador Pearl in all this?"

"Ohh," replied Emerald as Blueblood rushed one of his Knights forward. "I believe she is out sick, the poor girl."

"Really? That's a shame, but it’s to be expected with the elderly. I wouldn't be surprised if she chose to retire soon and the Empress would have to appoint a new Imperial Ambassador to Equestria. You, perhaps?"

Emerald gave a snort of disbelief. "Oh I doubt that very much,” he said as he absentmindedly moved a center pawn forward.

"Why?" asked the Ambassador with a smile of false friendliness. "Emerald Shine, you are noble and dare I say it, a brilliant diplomat. Why, I believe you could do wonders if given the right opportunities. Seriously, a stallion of your talent left to deal with these, these—"

"Winged mules?" growled Emerald Shine, in reference to the headstrong Griffons.

Blueblood gave a light chuckle. "You said it, not I… As I was saying, were you born on the Southern side of the border, I’d surely be out of a job, and you’d be here in my place."

"You are too kind,” said Emerald Shine, his cheeks blushing slightly.

"No, I doubt that very much. I simply believe in being honest," said Blueblood as he moved his black Queen into position for the upcoming deathblow. He loved this game. It wasn't as noble and direct as other ponies made it out to be, no, it was much better than that. It is a game of intrigue and manipulation.

A game to deceive the other player as you drew them slowly into a trap. You would play the other player just as much as you would play your own pieces. By showing them what they wanted to believe, you would disarm the cautious and blind the wise that every move they made was because you allowed it.

"Oh… Oh my, I do believe that was checkmate," Blueblood said, as he blinked in feigned shock. He looked up at his opponent’s face and relished in the confusion he saw there. It was priceless every time he did it.

“Oh my, so it is.”

"A fluke, to be sure. Up for another round?”

The other stallion nodded mutely, and the two players reset the board. Blueblood offered a hoof across the table. “You first, I insist.”

Emerald Shine nodded happily, and moved a white Knight to the fore. After he had done so, Blueblood continued his prodding.

“So, Emerald— may I call you Emerald? Tell me more about this Shimmering Bay."

* * *

"— was simply grand. It was in this magnificent metropolis that I learned that while there are ponies who will take advantage of your generosity, you should never ever let that cause you to abandon your generous spirit. Nothing feels worse than taking advantage of the givi—"

Lady Merry Sapphire sighed and shut the book in frustration. It was a thrilling discovery when Quick Name, the Head Librarian, had produced such a tome of remarkable insight into the lives of the Bearers of Harmony, and the lessons they learned. But the thrill had begun to sour in the middle of her second read through.

"Horseapples," she said as she flipped through her own small notebook. While she found a lot of interesting information she hadn't known before, like Twilight's bizarre fondness for peaches, there seemed to be nothing on why Empress Rarity hated her birthday. If anything it had only added more to the mystery.

She flipped to the last passage on the last page and scanned it briefly. “Perhaps there’s a second volume?” she asked herself aloud, considering the journal’s abrupt ending.

Sapphire sighed and snuggled deeper into the couch in her personal palace suite, laying her head on a pillow. Suite was a bit of an understatement. It was more of a lavish apartment, truth be told, containing a sizable kitchenette, a front sitting room, a luxurious bathroom, and of course the bedroom. She’d only had it for a short while yet, but she was pleased with her decorative choices. They reminded her of days long gone by. Of home.

Unlike the rest of the Palace, crystal was not used as an architectural accent. Nor did it have marble and stone work of the rest of the Imperial Suites. No, it was a suite generally intended for guests from Equestria proper.

For example, the sitting room was more simplistic -and in her opinion- more elegant, than the lavish crystal work of the more public places of the Palace. It had earthen walls, bordered with wood. Sapphire chose to furnish it with darkly stained wood pieces, and she draped the walls with the majestic violets and blues that mingled and rhymed with her own beautiful coat.

Gazing off into space, she suddenly felt something warm and fuzzy cuddle up to her hind hooves. She smiled warmly as she turned to look over at her sleepy-eyed pet fennec fox.

"Hello, Severus," she said as she reached over to give him a pat on the head. "I hope you are having a better day than I am. I just don't know what to do."

The fox gave a slight squeak from under her hoof. "I guess you're right, Sev," she sighed as she got up and found her saddlebags. "I’d better go check on Party Hats and ma— ouch, hay, what are you doing?"

The fox squeaked again as he clawed his way up her mane.

"Late? You silly-wittle thing, I am never late! My internal clock is perf— oh horsefeathers." Sapphire’s eyes shrunk to pin pricks as she caught sight of the clock on the wall. She was late.

"I can't believe this is happening!" Sapphire shouted as she burst into a gallop out of the room. A series of disgruntled squeaks from just beyond her ears confirmed that Severus was still hanging on for dear life. She felt his little claws tickle and scratch their way down her back as her pet scrambled to get inside one of her saddlebags.

"I don't need your sass, Mister! I know I’m late!"

Lady Sapphire kept her pace for a few minutes and then slowed herself down to a quick trot. It would do no good to arrive at one of the Empress' meetings covered in sweat and looking like an absolute mess. She paused for a moment to catch her breath. That’s when she heard it. Or, at least she thought she did. Did she?

She held her breath, mindful of where she needed to be, but also ensnared by curiosity. Silently, she slipped her way down the hall and strained to listen for the sound again.

Sapphire slowed down to a crawl and crept along. She did hear it. Voices, whispering in… an argument? It was coming from a slightly ajar door on her left. She blinked several times and frowned. There were no scheduled meetings on this floor. It was supposed to be closed to all staff save for those involved in the evening’s party planning.

The volume of the argument kept shifting, exacerbated grumbling one moment, shouted half-syllables the next. Sapphire couldn’t make heads or tails of it, so she did what anypony would do in that situation. She walked up to the door and peaked in through the crack to see what was going on.

"... can still be recovered from this meeting," came the rich voice of a stallion with a prideful Canterlot accent. "Still, this wasn't completely unexpected. "

"Could that be... no, it couldn't..." Sapphire muttered silently to herself.

"Well it is... Wait, are you saying you planned this?" accused a raspy voice that definitely belonged to a mare.

"Don't be ridiculous," snapped the first voice. Sapphire gasped as she caught a good look at the pony speaking. She knew that white coat and blond mane from anywhere - Ambassador Blueblood. "Why would I give her Shimmering Bay? It’s the last thing I want these Crystal bumpkins to have.”

“So… what do you want me to do?”

Blueblood was silent for a moment before answering. “I’ll think of something. In the meantime, you just keep doing your job, and make sure nopony’s the wiser. You've been a very valuable little mole, here in the Empire. We couldn't have hoped for more."

"Buck you," hissed the mare. Sapphire's eyes went wide as the other pony stepped into her view. Her mane was done up neatly, but the Personal Assistant had no problem identifying the other pony as Lieutenant Silver Dash, the guard liaison between the Crystal Empire and the Kingdom of Equestria. "You said I’d be out here for a year at the most. Well we’re pushing on two. I wanna go home. I did my job!"

"Don't be so naive, Lieutenant," said Blueblood, his tone as cold as Rarity.

"Naive?" repeated Silver Dash as she circled the unicorn. "I was naive when we first did this, when they said 'this is the line and we don't cross it'. But we are waaaaay past that line now. And here you are intentionally sabotaging relations for what? Your ego?"

"Funny remark coming from somepony with such a colorful family history," replied the stallion, earning a glare from the pegasus as he continued. "Speaking of family history, how is your mother doing in Cloudsdale? I heard cancer treatment is a very exhausting ordeal... and a financially difficult one."

"You leave my mom out of this!" Sapphire could hear the change in pitch in Silver Dash's voice as the mare fought to keep her emotions in check.

"Then you listen to me, Silver Dash," hissed Blueblood, leaning closer to the mare. "And you listen good. You will continue to collect these internal intelligence reports for me and you will continue your little guard charade until told otherwise, or else."

"Or else what?" she snapped.

"Or else you’re fired. And exiled from Equestria." Blueblood grinned as he saw the color leave her face. "Oh yes, you figured it out, but it gets better. Without your support, your mother couldn't possibly afford her treatments. And I'm pretty sure the Imperial Guard here in the Crystal Empire won't let you stay when word gets out that you were a spy."

Silver Dash looked at the hated stallion with tears welling in her eyes. "You wouldn't..."

"Try me, I dare you." When the mare gave no reply, the stallion continued on. "Make sure you know where your loyalties lie, Dash."

Lady Sapphire leaned back from the door in shock. She felt pity, disgust, and anger for what she just witnessed. Here was a diplomat, from Equestria no less, threatening exile of a citizen? Still, the citizen in question wasn’t entirely innocent either, judging from what Sapphire heard.

She wanted so badly to step in right then and there and stop this. A part of her screamed at her to jump in and reveal herself to the two, and… No. It wasn’t her place. It wasn’t her time. It was Rarity’s.

It wouldn't go well. It might just make war that much more of a certainty. A war she was bent on preventing. "The Empress must know," she whispered to herself as a plan settled into her mind. She shifted away from the door silently and, making sure that nopony would hear her, took off like a rocket down to the next floor where the Empress would surely be.

* * *

Lady Sapphire moved at a good pace, although her little fox would completely disagree, vocally and often, citing his complaints from the relative safety of her saddlebag. It squeaked the entire way about her needing to slowing down and berating her for having so much in her saddlebags pressed up against him.

Sapphire frowned at the unusually rough treatment her pet was getting, but she had to find the Empress soon. Besides, she knew that after an egg or two, Severus would be as happy as a clam, and the whole incident would soon be forgotten. Sapphire slowed to a crawl as she heard voices coming from up ahead.

She reached the meeting halls that were supposed to be in use today and heard voices coming from a slightly ajar door on her right. Quietly, she approached the door and listened in, mindful that all this eavesdropping was quickly becoming a bad habit.

"... all that we could ever ask of you, and more," came a deep, yet hypnotizing voice.

"Yes, I do think it will work, but it may take a while to move everypony," came a similar, but more feminine, voice to the first.

The crystal mare frowned at this and edged closer to the door.

"I wouldn't expect anything less, dear," answered back the voice of her Empress.

She pushed her head a bit further into the door, and quickly muffled a soft gasp with her hoof. Severus hopped out of his bag of misery and climbed onto the top of her head to get a better view of the action. To him it looked like the cold white pony was talking to two flying ponies. No big deal in the fox’s mind.

But what caused Sapphire’s reaction wasn’t that they looked to be fliers, or their well cared for dusky grey coats, no. What caught her by surprise was that they had bat-like wings instead of feathers, and cat-like irises instead of the usual wide ovals like the rest of ponykind.

"Bat ponies," she whispered to herself, with a grin.

"Empress, what can we do for you?" asked the stallion. "You've given us so much."

"It's nothing, Star Chaser," Rarity said with a smile.

"Nothing? Empress, I beg to differ here," said the mare. "Without your help, we would have no place to roost, let alone raise our foals in a land we could call our own."

"Moonlight is right," agreed Star Chaser. "Nights ablaze, your actions here will save our colony, and may yet save our race from extinction. We cannot let such an act go without repayment."

"I know Luna would want to have her Children of the Night taken care of," said Rarity. The bat ponies bowed at the mention of their sorely missed Princess of the Night.

“Then with great respect, Empress Rarity,” said Moonlight. “You’d also know that She Who Is The Moon would expect us to repay such an act of generosity.”

“I’m not getting out of this, am I?” said Rarity with a mock frown. The two bat ponies shook their heads. “Very well, I guess there are some things you can help us with, but it may require a bit more… social integration than your kind is generally considered to be used to.”

“We, umm…” Star Chaser let out a sigh, before raising himself to his full height. “Your Majesty. We will pay any price for what you have done to save our colony. What did you have in mind?”

“I assure you it’s nothing extreme,” she said to further ease her two guests. "The Crystal Empire seems to be short on air support these days, what with our limited pegasi numbers. This makes weather management tricky, not to mention routinely unreliable. Oh, and I guess our guard forces could always use a wing up," she added as nonchalantly as possible.

“Ah? Is that all?” asked Moonlight, smiling. “I believe we can take these terms to the colony and round up a great many volunteers to aid you in these tasks.”

Rarity tsked softly. “Oh, no no no, volunteers, nothing. I speak of jobs, Moonlight. Gainful employment with full wages earned for an honest da— night’s work.”

“Milady is too generous!” nodded Star Chaser excitedly. “Yes, perhaps it is time that we make friends with our new crystal neighbors.”

Sapphire was on the edge of her seat. That is, if she was sitting. But she wasn’t. She was standing.

"Oh feathers," muttered Sapphire as she felt herself slipping forward. Her fox gave an alarmed squeak and pulled back on her mane in a failed effort to stop her forward motion. A sudden crystalline slap against the marble floor and an "oof" caused the three ponies to jump and look at the door.

"Hi there," said Sapphire with a sheepish grin from the ground. Severus laid on his back in her hair and waved a small paw in greeting. The two bat ponies looked at each other and then back at the two and gave their own little nervous wave.

"Oh, uh… Empress! There you are!" said Sapphire as she picked herself up and happily trotted up to Rarity, laughing nervously.

"There I am? There I am?" asked Rarity in disbelief. "Sapphire, I've been in this hall for the last three hours trying to out-haggle a griffon, planning our Diamond Dog defenses, and convincing generals that the dragons are not going to eat them, simply because of their crystal coats. Where have you been?"

"Sorry, Your Majesty," said Sapphire with a quick bow. "I-I was taking care of s-something, for the party, and lost track of time. I a-apolog-"

"Lady Sapphire." She felt a cold hoof pull her chin back up and was greeted by the sight of the Empress' warm smile. "You’re stammering.”

"So the meetings went well?" asked Sapphire.

"More or less," she replied with a weary sigh. "Now then, Lady Sapphire, may I introduce you to Lord Star Chaser, and his companion, Lady Moonlight. They are representing their colony. My Lord and Lady, may I introduce Lady Merry Sapphire, my Personal Assistant."

"Charmed," replied Star Chaser as he picked up Sapphire's hoof and gave it a light kiss. She smiled as she felt his fangs brush against her coat.

"Empress, please. You give us too much honor in such titles. Honor we have yet to earn," said Moonlight as she stood to leave. "We must be going though.”

Star Chaser nodded. “Yes. And we will relay your offer with the colony. I am sure they will accept in light of your generosity."

"It was my pleasure, darling," replied Rarity as she guided everypony to the door. She watched as Sapphire’s pet fox creature rolled over and raced back into his owner’s saddlebag. "Send a messenger when your colony has made a decision, and we’ll rush through the red tape as quickly as we can."

They nodded eagerly as the two pairs offered their good-byes. Rarity watched as the two bat ponies flew off down the hall, a victorious smile on her lips.

That went better than expected, said a voice in her head.

The Empress nodded. Agreed. Who knew the bat ponies were in such dire straits?

Sapphire remained in a daze, oblivious to her surroundings as much as she was to the conversation going on inside her Empress’ head. Moments passed before she felt a rather sudden and rather cold hoof press up against her face, causing her to jump with an “Eep!”.

She looked over to the Empress, who was grinning impishly.

"Anything else, Lady Sapphire?" she asked.

"Those were bat ponies!" she half-shouted as the two mares began walking down the hall. "I had no idea there were bat ponies this far North! What did they say? What did you say? Did you give them something they needed? Oh please say tha"

"Lady Sapphire." The crystal mare quieted herself at the sound of her name. Rarity continued in a low voice as they walked. "They came to us for help, appearing this morning after brunch. They gave the guard quite a fright, so I’m told.”

“… And?”

“Well… apparently, their colony has been struggling for quite some time, unable to find a home among their cousins to the South. They said I was their only hope, that they didn't know who else to turn to.”

Sapphire looked away from her monarch and bit her lip. Maybe she could have helped, had she known. Maybe in another life.

Rarity continued. “So I did the only thing I could. I offered them a sizable portion of Hillsbread. The volcanic cave system there should keep them warm through the long winters. If they accept, we’ll welcome them into the Empire and allow them to work and live as they will, provided they do so in accordance with our laws. Hopefully some of them will be interested in joining the guard. We’re desperate for fliers.”

"Are… are you going to let them join the Empire as citizens?" asked Sapphire.

Rarity smiled at her Personal Assistant. “That’s the hope. Though I believe it might be a little early to celebrate.”

They walked in silence, lost in their own thoughts for a few minutes. Rarity knew this was a fortuitous occasion for the Crystal Empire. However, convincing the skittish Crystal Ponies that Bat Ponies, long considered to be ill omens, would be their new neighbors… well, that would be a challenge in and of itself.

Sapphire, meanwhile, was struggling with how to best bring up the whole ‘Silver Dash is a Spy’ issue.

Rarity spoke up again, interrupting Sapphire's train of thought with a question. "Now then, I believe we have one more meeting before lunch, yes?"

"Yes," said Sapphire as she pulled out the Schedule from her bags and checked it. "It's with the Equestrian Delegation. A presentation about some new technological marvel."

"Great, I just needed to listen to Blueblood today," said Rarity as they turned a corner.

They were coming up on the hallway that would feed into the Main Hall, near the throne room. Sapphire knew she was running out of time.

"Empress, about Blueblood," said Sapphire, uncertain of how to tell her. "Be careful with him, I—"

"Lady Sapphire, please," said the Empress, waving it off. "As my old friend Applejack would say, ‘This ain’t my first time to the Rodeo.’ I know Blueblood. Don't worry about it."

"Yes, but I—"

"Your care is appreciated, I can handle it."

"I’m sure of that; it's just that I overheard him and Si—"

"There you are Empress!" The two mares turned as one, unintentionally cursing as one too.

Ambassador Blueblood trotted up to the two mares as they entered the Main Hall. A small group of crystal ponies followed after the Ambassador, clearly excited about something. A soft growl from Sapphire caused Rarity to look over at the mare and then back up at Blueblood.

"Hello…" he said, looking Sapphire over. “And who might this be?”

"This is Lady Sapphire." The Empress took a few steps forward and glanced back at Sapphire. Rarity could feel the anger and distrust radiating from the usually bubbly blue mare, and it concerned her that such a change could manifest in a matter of seconds.

“Ah!” he said with sudden realization. “You’re that performer from breakfast, are you not? The one pretending to be drunk? Jolly good show, the—”

Rarity winced at the memory. “That’s quite enough, thank you, Blueblood.”

She took a few more steps forward to position herself to defend Blueblood, as if her little Assistant would dare to attack him. The Empress willed peace towards her crystal pony through the magic she gained from the Crystal Heart. She watched as Sapphire’s face softened a touch. The anger wasn’t there, but the distrust held strong.

A soft chuckle brought her attention back to the white unicorn before her. "Very well, Empress Rarity. I was beginning to worry that you'd miss my presentation."

"I’m afraid I’m not that lucky today," she replied, and gestured to the heavy Throne Room doors. "Shall we get this over with?"

"Of course," he said with a smile and a bow.

Rarity waited for him to walk some distance away before she looked at Sapphire.

"Darling… You worried me there. I don't know what you heard earlier, but I will hear your tale of it once the meeting has ended. And please work to keep that… temper I felt under control. I can’t have you assaulting a diplomat."

Sapphire opened her mouth to protest but Rarity held up a hoof. "I know he can be... infuriating, but let me deal with this and we'll talk later over lunch, okay?

“But, but I—“

“Am I making myself clear, Sapphire?"

Lady Sapphire pouted with a slow nod. "Fine, but I shall have cake at lunch," she declared as she walked next to the Empress.

"Do you know what all that refined sugar will do to you?"

"It will make me most happy," said Sapphire, adding puppy dog eyes to the equation.

"Ugh, fine," said the Empress as she melted at the sight of Sapphire. Rarity gave a giggle as the mare happily clapped her hooves together.

"Just don't blame me when your looks begin to suffer. Oh, and speaking of cake, your friend Party Hats was looking for you."

"Party Ha— Oh, Horsefeathers," said Sapphire as dread spilled over her face.

A squeak from her saddlebag confirmed what she had feared. Sapphire had told that mare to meet her nearly an hour ago. Her reading had put everything else behind schedule. "I've got to go, My Lady. I'm sorry."

Rarity watched with curiosity as Lady Sapphire spun and galloped off. She smiled wistfully after the mare when Blueblood called after her about coming or not. Fuming slightly at being called out, the Empress turned and trotted into the throne room. The doors closed behind her in ominous silence, not a creak nor a groan could be heard from their well-oiled hinges.

Chapter 5

"Rarity! Have you seen my saddlebag!?"

The pony in question jerked awake with a loud snort at the sound of her name ringing out from down the hall.

She sat in confused silence, trying to place where she was, when the familiarly squeaky voice called out again.

"Rarity?!"

"Y-yes?" mumbled the unicorn as she rubbed her eyes with her hooves.

Rarity took a moment to look around the strangely lit workshop inside the Carousel Boutique, and found herself sprawled out in the midst of her 'organized chaos'. Her head felt oddly fuzzy and her tongue was dry and spongy in her mouth. Vaguely, she recalled having the most peculiar dream of an intoxicated pony singing happy birthday. To her.

The half-memory made her wince out of empathy, and she immediately regretted the motion. Somehow she had a most terrible ache knotted up in her back and shoulders. A pain that felt like she had-

"Rarity! I'm going to be late!"

She turned to address the oncoming sound of little thudding hooves. “Inside voices, Sweetie Belle, inside voices. And no running, please!” She sucked in a breath at the unusually intense muscle pain radiating from her back.

"Sorry," came her sister's musical voice, much closer this time with the sound of slowing hooves. The unicorn filly rounded the corner in a fit of some distress. "I can't find my saddlebag," the curly headed youth whined as she trotted in place.

"Sweetie, I heard you the first time," replied Rarity. "Did you check your room?"

"Yes,” she huffed with an eye roll. “And it wasn't there!"

"Front closet?"

"Not there!"

"Well then, where did you see it last?"

"In the laundry room."

"Did you chec-"

"Yes!" squeaked the soft pink filly shrilly.

Rarity winced at the unexpected volume and rubbed her temples with her hooves. "Sweetie, please-"

"Sorry, I just gotta find it and go soon, or I’m gonna be late!” Sweetie Belle looked at her exhausted older sister and blinked before asking the obvious. “Rarity, did... did you fall asleep in your workroom again?"

Rarity couldn't help but smile at the concern reflecting from her baby sister’s face. That explains the back ache, thought the Empress with a frown.

"I guess I must have spent the night drafting up that order... I think?"

Rarity glanced about in bewildered surprise. It wasn't like her to get so wrapped up in her work that she forgot what she was working on. Her workroom was so badly disorganized, that she could barely recognize it. As if it was a shadow of its former self.

She put down a hoof and heard the crinkling of parchment. Rarity looked down at the only clear spot on the floor, the spot she had been sleeping in, and saw a fabulous sketch. A drawing in her own hornstyle of an elegant pony in a stunning dress.

Or at least, the dress had been stunning.

It appeared that some devious, uncultured, misanthropic somepony had taken to it with thick black shading charcoal, and furiously scribbled all over it. She gritted her teeth in an attempt to keep her composure.

To her left, resting on a heavily smudged bolt of rare Neighponese silk, was the offending art implement. Its black cylindrical form was ruptured and broken in half. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, its remains were mashed haphazardly into the fabric that would otherwise be fit for a Queen.

Or an Empress, she thought with a sudden rush of pain from her back.

Despite the pain, or perhaps in spite of it, Rarity lifted a hoof and gently traced the outline of her latest sketch. Her hoof shook as she then traced the ruinous lines as well. Did I do this? she wondered to herself.

As she wondered, she felt small hooves try to wrap around her midsection, hugging tightly. Rarity looked down and smiled.

“Oh no! Did your drawing get ruined in your sleep?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Maybe when I get back from school, I can help you make a new one!"

“Ohh, thank you, Sweetie,” replied Rarity as she gently stroked the filly’s mane. “Now, come on then. Let’s find your saddlebag so I don’t have to write Miss Cheerilee another note.”

“Okay!” Rarity winced again at the volume the filly managed to reach. “Oops. Sorry. Inside voice.”

Rarity stood and stretched each of her hooves experimentally before following the filly down the hallway.

“Sweetie? Where did you...” The unicorn paused at the doorway that lead into the storefront and customer waiting room of her Boutique. “Oh my,” she said with noted distress.

To say that it looked like Rainbow Dash was practicing her Typhoon Twirl in here... Well, that would have begun to describe the scene before her unbelieving eyes. A more apt description would probably include the mention of exploding heavy ordinance or the applications of pure chaos magic. Or a pony could say that Sweetie Belle happened. Really, it’s all the same thing.

Nearly everything was either turned over or otherwise on its side, and everything not stuck to the ceiling was spread about the floor. Her favorite set of curtains -yes she has a favorite set of curtains, doesn’t every mare?- was reduced to rags, glue, and macaroni. Rarity watched as a pincushion rolled pasted her hooves like an Appleloosan tumbleweed before disappearing beneath a mostly-disassembled chiffonier.

Honestly, she was more than a little surprised that nothing was on fire.

“On second thought, let’s just send you to school,” called out Rarity, “I’m sure Ms. Cherrilee will forgive your missing bag given the… circumstances.”

She Gingerly waded into the room using her magic to clean as she went. Levitating a row of loose knitting needles back into their case, here. Pulling a distraught Opalescence out of an upturned basket of hat pins, there. But before long, her cleaning progress was cut short when the bell to the front door went off with a little ding.

“Howdy Rarity,” came an achingly familiar voice, “I just… Whoa.”

“Hello, Applejack,” said Rarity to the farm pony as her magic reached out again to straighten one of her many toppled Equinnequins. “What brings you in this morning?”

“Uhh, you know,” said Applejack as she stepped over a bolt of faux leather as it rolled by. “What the hay happened in here? Sweetie Belle?”

“E’yup,” replied Rarity absentmindedly straightening her mane. “I’m sure she must have set a new record.” With a defeated sigh, she added, "I'm not sure if I can get this cleaned up on my own."

Standing up the runaway bolt with a deft flick of the tail, Applejack tossed a grin over to her distraught friend. “Yeah, well, I bet I can help with that.”

“Rarity! I can’t fin-” Sweetie Belle stopped dead in her tracks and squinted at Applejack. "Oh. It's you. I didn't think you'd be here."

“E’yup,” said the farm pony with a grin. “I need to help out yer big sister.”

“She doesn't need your help,” replied the little filly, a certain protective edge to her voice. “I can help her just fine.”

“Sweetie Belle, that is no way to talk to Applejack,” reprimanded Rarity as she frowned at the tattered curtains in her hoof. “This is going to take quite some time to make right, and you need to go to school.”

“But I can’t find my saddlebag!”

“That’s cause ya went and left it at the farm after yesterday’s crusadin’.” replied Applejack with a quick glance at the clock above the door. “Apple Bloom took it on over to school for ya, so you best run along before yer late.”

“Well, that was awfully generous of her, wasn’t it Sweetie Belle? said Rarity obliviously, as she organized a rat’s nest of wire hangers. “Now come on then, off to school wi-”

“But I can’t go yet!” protested Sweetie, “I have to stay and help clean up the mess!”

“Now don’t worry about that,” said Rarity as she crossed the room and ushered the little unicorn to the door. “There’ll be plenty of mess for you when you get back.”

“But I- “

“No buts! Now off to school with you, young lady.”

Sweetie Belle gave a final groan in protest before the front door closed behind her.

“Thank you for coming Applejack,” said Rarity as she turned her attention back to the mess. “And thank you for finding Sweetie Belle’s bag. I just... Applejack?"

"Yes, Rarity?"

"Why are you hugging me around the waist and... pulling me towards the stairs?"

Applejack offered her friend a smile of support. “Ya got bigger problems to worry about.”

“Bigger problems? Applejack, can’t you just see the state of my Boutique?” protested Rarity, with a poignantly pointed hoof. She tried to stop the earth pony by becoming dead weight in her grasp, but that only succeeded in slowing them both down. “It’s a complete disaster! I need to fix as much as possible before it’s time to open!”

"Rarity, hold yer horses and look at me."

She did.

"Do ya know where we are?"

She did.

"Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed with a toss of her mane that reminded her instantly of her back pain. "W-we're in the Boutique. In Ponyville."

Applejack released her hold and turned to look her right in the eye. "Rarity..." she said as her tone of voice took on a dramatic edge, "You haven't been to Ponyville in over a hundred years. This isn't real, and this ain't Ponyville. You collapsed in yer palace in the Crystal Empire."

"W-what?"

Applejack turned away from her and took a deep breath. As she did so, Rarity couldn't help but watch as the world around them began to dissolve from the edges of her vision, inward.

"No," Rarity said softly. "No I don't believe you."

"Rarity. Look at your hoof."

She began to protest, but her words trailed off, freezing her her throat as she looked down and saw the familiar frost that clung to her coat.

The Crystal Empress looked up to ask why, but there was nopony there. There was nothing there.

The Boutique was gone, and so was Applejack.

A breeze tickled across her muzzle, and the air smelled of salt. She blinked, and before her was a sight the likes of which she'd seen long ago.

She was standing on familiar cliffs of an island, and below her was the ocean. It’d been so long since she last saw these waters. The first time had been as a filly with her parents, back when her grandparents lived north of Manehatten.

It's usually calm and peaceful waves churned and foamed over as grey clouds boiled in the sky above, blocking the rays of the sun and casting the world in a grey sickly light. A storm was upon her and she could see the build up of black clouds in the distance. Lightning danced above the clouds and illuminated everything beneath it.

The surf crashed hellishly below with such intensity that she could feel the spray slash across her barrel from her rocky perch. The clouds grew fat on the howling winds and, before she could think to seek shelter, began disgorging themselves of rain, winds, and anything else it could throw at her. In the ever-shortening distance, the lightning flashed brighter and the thunder roared louder with each strike into the waters below.

"Why?" muttered the now soaked Crystal Empress as she turned around and began her trek into the interior of the island.

Other than the sounds of the wind and the rain beating down on her, Rarity's mind was blank as she listened to her crystalline hooves clink along the stony ground as she went on.

The island was, for the most part, dead. A collection of rocks, some ruined buildings, and a few traces of vegetation that still clung bitterly to life. Despite their dire straits, it was clear to her that the island had seen better days. She wondered at its remembered former glory. The lush greens, the bracing sea air... She knew that at one point it was a lovely destination, full of hope and excitement for each new day.

Hope, she thought miserably as she looked up at the storm-cloud-blocked sun. Everything felt so wrong to her, fuzzy and thick at the same time. A settling depression threatened to overwhelm her and she struggled to think clearly.

She felt a reassuring hoof pat her on her aching withers, and she turned her head and smiled at her friend's sudden reappearance.

“Applejack, what is this dismal place?” asked Rarity as she took in the surroundings.

"Well... We're in yer head, all meta-physical like."

"Like a dream? Are... are you real?" asked the Empress, studying the orange pony before her. "You can't be. I gave your eulogy."

Applejack stopped where she stood as the rain beat down on her weathered hat, her eyes opened wide with a growing look of concern on her face. "No? Wait, yes? I feel real. Shoot, now I dunno."

She looked over at her icy friend and her worry melted away. "I don't suppose I ever had a mind to sit around and think about what's real er not, Sugarcube. But I do know when a job needs doin'. And right now we gotta get ya outta here before somethin' else gets you."

“Something else?” questioned Rarity as both ponies started walked along the path again.

Applejack nodded and picked up the pace. "Well... We ain't exactly alone, but the less said about The Other and his ilk, then all the better."

Rarity said nothing for a time, letting the rain whip and splash about them. Finally she looked down at a puddle and asked the question weighing down on her heart. "That wasn't Sweetie Belle, was it?"

Applejack shook her head. "Oh hay, come on now. No time fer mopin'. We gotta get to yer metamajestical core thingies in the middle of the island."

"My cores?" asked Rarity as she hurried along side her friend, "Applejack, what’s wrong with my cores? What are you on about?"

The two old friends, soaking wet but otherwise unfazed, hurried off towards the center of the island, paying as little heed to the encroaching darkness or the strengthening shadows that pooled behind them.

* * *

"Yes, I know it's important, it's just... Well there are other things going on at the moment." said Sapphire as she found herself trotting down towards the throne room again. Her pet fennec fox, Severus, sat across the strap of her saddlebags and offered up a series of short squeaks and accusatory barks back at her.

"I can't believe we’re arguing about this," she muttered to herself. "I'm not forgetting my duties as her Personal Assistant, Sev. Organizing the Empress’ party is one of those duties." With a determined nod, she added, "One that must be executed perfectly, if we are to prevent a wa-"

Lady Sapphire’s words were cut off as she rounded the corner and walked right into a well polished breastplate. Before her was a small army of guard ponies moving from room to room. The stallion she bumped into she recognized as the young soldier, Garnet Tower.

“L-lady Sapphire.” he greeted her without a smile, “A General Evacuation Order has been given. You have to leave the Palace.”

She looked away from the nervous stallion, and watched as other ponies were being ushered out of their rooms and herded towards the nearest Palace exits. Sapphire was about to ask her question, when the Royal Medical Team rushed past her. Taking a left towards the Throne Room.

“Oh no,” she said, fearing the worse. Sapphire galloped forward until she was stopped by a sudden firm grip on her tail. Looking over her shoulder, she frowned. “Garnet Tower, I must insist that you let me go! The Empress needs me, I’m her Personal Assis—”

“I know who you are.” He said with a grimace as he fought to hold on to her tail, “Look I’m sorry. This order comes straight from Commander Onyx. All nonessential personnel and civilians have to evacuate the Palace until further notice."

She sat with a petulant thud and the desperately gripping guard followed her silver tail down to the floor. She twisted in place to glare at him. “I’M NONESSENTIAL?!”

The guard blinked in amazement, released her tail, and reverse belly-crawled away from suddenly very scary mare. Determination and anger radiated from the not so merry Merry Sapphire, as she shot the guard a look that would haunt his nightmares for nights to come.

“What’s going on here?”

"Lieutenant Dash!” cheered Garnet Tower, turning his head up to look at his hovering savior. "Ma'am, I was just informing Lady Sapphire about the General Evacuation Order and that she needs to lea—"

Silver Dash landed and looked at the stewing Lady Sapphire. "It's cool. She can come through."

"But the Commander sa-"

"If the Commander has a problem he can take it up with me, got it?" interrupted Dash. "You're dismissed."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma’am!” he said as he snapped a pitiful salute from the floor and then ran off.

"I'm sorry about him, Lady Sapphire," said Silver Dash with a sigh as she gestured for the crystal pony to follow her with her wing. The crystal pony eyed her escort suspiciously, but followed her nonetheless. Sapphire didn't trust the other pony as far as she could… well, she just didn't trust her at all, not after it came to light that the lieutenant was a spy working for Blueblood.

"What's going on?" demanded Sapphire as she trotted next to Silver Dash.

“Not here, come on,” ordered Silver Dash. She lead Sapphire through the hall to the iced over doors of the Throne Room. The crystal pony found herself chilled by the cold air that spilled out of the small opening somepony had managed to create.

Sapphire paused in the antechamber before the throne room and gazed about. What surprised her wasn't the cold or the foreboding black crystals that jutted out of the door before them. It was the lack of anypony else. As busy as they were outside, there was only herself and Lieutenant Dash in here.

"The Empress collapsed," stated Silver Dash as if she was talking about the weather. "I'm sorry, I wish I knew more. A medical team just ran in.” she added as she pointed at the opening in the frozen doors ahead of them. “They’re with the Commander and the Empress right now. Come on,” she added as she began to fly towards the doors.

"Just a moment, Lieutenant."

The mare in question turned and landed in front of the silver maned pony with her head cocked. "What's up?"

"Before we go in there I need to know. Did you or Blueblood have anything to do with this?

Silver Dash broke out into a sweat. "I-I don't know what you're talking abou-"

"Ms. Dash, now is not the time for games," said the crystal mare staring down the wilting pegasus.

"I... How do you kno-"

"MS. DASH!" growled Sapphire with a stomp of her hoof, "We don't have much time. Please. The truth."

The pegasus swallowed nervously and glanced left and right to ensure the antechamber was empty before dropping her chin to the floor. When she answered, she spit the words out in shame. "I didn't have any part in this."

Sapphire's shoulders slumped, and she sighed in relief.

"But..." said the other mare, causing the tightness to return to the crystal pony's muscles. "Some of the other guards. They said that Blueblood ran out of there with his tail between his legs when this all started."

She wanted to ask more, but a haggard voice came bellowing out of the opening beyond.

"Dammit Commander," it shouted, "I'm a Doctor, not a Goddess of Magic!"

Silver Dash quickly motioned for the pony to follow her inside and took off into the air. Sapphire cursed herself for being so easily distracted and letting the pegasus slip away. Without wasting another moment, she jumped up and ran off into the freezing throne room.

The usually spacious throne room was filled with a forest of crystal jutting this way and that, and she quickly lost herself on what should have been a straight trot to the throne.

"You know what I’m asking," said a voice ahead to her left.

Sapphire's ears perked up at the sound and she changed her course to locate the speaker. Eventually, the mare found herself in a clearing of sorts, empty of the crystal spires that otherwise filled the throne room. A massive black crystal sprouted through the floor, with broken pieces of wood scattered about it. The Imperial Throne stood nearby and untouched for the most part, in clear contrast from the rest of the furniture.

But her attention was brought to the small gathering of ponies in light green scrubs, the medical team by the looks of it, that stood around the unconscious form of the Empress laying just before the throne. Sapphire identified an EKG machine and at least a half a dozen other medical devices being attended by ponies. Some were beeping, others were not, but each of them gave some sort of reading on the Empress’ status.

Sapphire made to run over to the fallen Empress, and she tried to push her way past the other ponies. Empress Rarity was a mess. Her once marshmallow white coat now held a slight blue tint to it and her breathing came in rapid, shallow breaths. Small wires and clips were taped to her body, feeding back data to the medical equipment. Sapphire could feel the magic radiating off of the crystal coat of the Empress. “Oh no, not now. Empress Rarity! Wake up!”

Rarity whimpered in response.

Lady Sapphire felt a hoof grab her side and pull her away from the fallen ruler. She fought against the hoof until she noticed it was Commander Onyx.

“Let them do their work, Merry,” sighed Onyx with concern written across his face as he dragged her away from Rarity. “How did you get in here?”

“I let her in, sir.” Silver Dash landed on the other side of the Commander, not daring to look Sapphire in the eyes. “It seemed appropriate.”

He nodded in agreement and gestured over to two arguing doctors; a crystal mare, and a unicorn stallion as they approached.

“Doctors, this is Lady Sapphire. She helps the Empress in her day to day activities,” he said. “Sapphire, these two are Rarity’s Doctors, Do-”

“Dr. Mendelin. Dr. Groans,” said Sapphire greeting the two ponies respectively. “Yes, I know them. I schedule all of Empress Rarity’s check ups. What happened?”

“Rarity… The Empress,” Onyx corrected, “Lost control of herself in an argument with Blueblood. Something about a ‘poison pill’ bill that he threatened would destroy the Empire’s economy. I found her sitting on her throne and we talked. But when she tried walking out of here, she collapsed. We’re trying to figure out what to do, bu-”

“But somepony isn’t a qualified medical professional,” snapped the unicorn, still frustrated over the last conversation. “Although he thinks he is."

“Look,” said the Commander in a carefully neutral tone, gesturing to the fallen Empress. “The Empress is a unicorn and a crystal pony, right? You are a unicorn,” he said pointing at Dr. Groans. “And you are a crystal pony,” he shifted focus to Dr. Mendelin, respectively. “So go on. Fix her. Figure something out.”

“It’s not that easy, soldier boy,” snapped the old yellow unicorn, brushing past Commander Onyx. “The Empress is not a unicorn or a crystal pony. She’s something else altogether. A hybrid. Her body works on a whole different level that we just don’t understand yet.”

Dr. Mendelin nodded her light purple head. “Not to mention that her anatomy is completely different than any other creature known to medical science. What’s ‘normal’ for her would kill any other pony.”

“Such as?” asked Sliver Dash.

“Well for starters,” said the unicorn, glaring at the pegasus, “Her body temperature can fluctuate from freezing to the same as yours or mine without any apparent negative effects.”

“Huh. I thought she was just casting cold magic like… All the time.”

“No,” said Dr. Mendelin as she brushed a hoof through her muted cyan mane. “And that’s another thing. She doesn’t have to use her horn to cast magic. Not to mention her two extra cores.”

“Cores?” asked Silver Dash.

Dr. Groans slapped himself in the face with a hoof, and muttered a number of unkind things about pegasi under his breath. “Okay, let’s keep the basic pony anatomy lesson short. Cores. I have one, you have one,” he said with an accusatory poke into the lieutenant’s breast plate. “All living ponies do. It’s what lets us use magic. Unicorns, clearly, have the larger, more defined cores for controlling the vast complexities of magic. Pegaus ponies have a less defined core, but its more noticeable in the wings and operates on a passive system, meaning they are always on. Earth ponies have cores, but are very small, more like auras and are also passively active. For simplicity’s sake, let’s just say that ley lines and cutie marks are involved.”

Silver Dash cocked her head at that. “But, I can’t use magi-”

“You can fly, can’t you?” asked Dr. Groans. “You think those little wings of yours can keep you in the air all on their own?”

“Sure! I mean I-”

“Ever wonder why birds can’t walk on clouds?”

“Now that you mention it, I-”

“Ever survive what should have been a fatal fall with just a scratch and bragging rights?”

“Yeah I-”

“Congratulations, you have a core,” he said sarcastically before turning his attention to the other ponies standing around him. “Next question?”

“She’s had core feedback episodes in the past and she’s always come out of them on her own,” reasoned Sapphire. “Do you think she’ll just wake up again?”

“Maybe. If her brain doesn't explode first,” muttered the unicorn doctor.

“But like we said earlier, we really have no idea,” chimed in Dr. Mendelin in an effort to defuse the staring contest between Commander Onyx and her fellow doctor. “Commander, we’re doing our best here. Please, give us some time. There is so much we don’t know about her. The first and last comprehensive study done on her was by Princess Twilight Sparkle over two centuries ago.”

For a moment, there was silence, and then Dr. Groans spoke up again. "Now, if there are no other questions, the good doctor and I need to see to our patient," he said as he and Dr. Mendelin began to walk over to the rest of the medical team.

"Uh, yeah I got one." said Silver Dash looking all around her. "Where did Lady Sapphire go?"

Chapter 6

For the most part, the journey had been uneventful and much of the island was devoid of life. Even with the rains, the ground was so dry and dead that it couldn’t accept the life-giving water. In all of this, Rarity and her guide trotted along their path as it wound them through a dying forest of twisted trees.

But the forest wouldn't last. They trekked through clearings empty of everything except stump-sized craters. It was as if the trees had been pulled straight out of the ground in this section of the island.

For a period of time, Applejack and Rarity climbed hills and mountains. When Rarity looked back, she saw that they were ascending above the treetops that were already well behind them as they pushed on towards the center of the island, to the gateway that would lead them to her cores.

As they walked, Rarity took note that this portion of the island appeared to have once been inhabited. They passed old buildings, some of them decayed right down to their foundations, but others fared better. Although, these abandoned structures were hauntingly familiar to the wandering Empress.

Several times during their journey Rarity would pause and glance over her shoulder, down the trail. She knew that something was following them, but whatever it was stayed just out of view, off in the shadows. She never saw it, but she could feel its presence.

It was there. All around them, waiting patiently to see how events would unfold. A passive observer, perhaps, waiting for fate to drop the other horseshoe... No, if she was being honest with herself, Rarity knew that it too had a hoof in all this. It wasn’t just watching. It was also herding, directing the shadows and the fading light around them, and that frightened her.

The sound of dirt underhoof gave way once again to the sound of stone, and Rarity felt a reassuring smile spread across her lips. She looked up, and she knew that they’d finally reached the center of the island.

The light here was natural. As natural as it could be in an island locked inside your own head, thought Rarity. Plant life was still abundant here, and healthy. The trees were vibrant and thriving when compared to the husks beyond the stone path that circled the center. The grass under her hooves felt soft, and the sky remained free of clouds above them. There were even small pink birds dashing this way and that. It was as if they stood in the eye of the storm.

There was a clear stream with fresh water melts from the snowcapped mountains they’d already traversed in the distance. Flowers and other bushes blossomed in the sunlight, and the ruined buildings that framed many of the plants here seemed more like architectural pieces from ancient Roam than the decay that was further out.

Still, they weren't to the gateway just yet. Rarity felt something pull at her mind, beckoning her to keep going. She looked around uneasily and, for the moment, walked away from her farmpony friend. Her gaze fell on a set of rocks arranged in a rough set of stairs that wrapped themselves around a copse of trees before ascending a nearby hill.

Rarity climbed the stairs and slowly circled around the top of the hill, Applejack’s hoofsteps always keeping at a close pace behind her, the farm mare following wordlessly. The rocks were different here, organized and arranged into a smooth semi-circle. On the other side were two thin flights of long stairs, each framed by a simple stone arch.

Rarity stood before the stone ring and pawed at it with a hoof, removing a patch of accumulated moss. Beneath the moss was the crude outline of runes, both familiar and arcane.

Rarity heard her friend take in a breath, but before the earth pony could speak, Rarity's horn lit up with pale blue light. The light poured into the exposed runes before reverberating throughout the hill in a soft hum. The hum was soon replaced with a whooshing sound as a magical gateway appeared, shimmering in the blue light of Rarity's magic.

"No time like the present, yes?" asked Rarity as she tossed a smile over her shoulder. Then she took a breath and stepped through.

Applejack nodded grimly before following with her hat pressed down snugly to avoid flying off in transit.

* * *

As her eyes adjusted to the odd quality of the light within the chamber, Applejack let out a low whistle. "Dang," she added thoughtfully.

Rarity wanted to respond, but she couldn't. There was something humbling and more than a little frightening about standing here. Very few ponies were ever meant to see their own cores, and yet here she was. For the second time in her long life.

Each and everypony in the world had a core. It was commonly thought that with enough focus and meditation, the most talented of ponies might one day hope to visualize their own core. To catch even a brief glimpse of it in their mind's eye. But as far as Rarity knew, she was the only pony in existence with more than one, as well as the only non-Alicorn pony to ever see and touch her own cores.

Rarity knew that, in some cosmic sense, she was extremely lucky to be standing here. That being said, she'd much rather be anywhere else at the moment. Particularly anywhere else that also had a masseuse. And a wet bar.

The inner chamber was dominated by a wide triangular platform made of opaque glass. The platform filled the center of the space, though it was only raised off the stone floor by a foot or so. Three marble pillars, about a yard across each, rose from the triangle’s three corners.

It was above the exquisitely gilded capital of each of these pillars that one of her three cores floated inertly on.

Each core was a hoof-sized sphere of stone, and reminded her a great deal of the first time she saw the Elements of Harmony back in the ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters long, long ago when she and her five friends freed Princess Luna from the maddening clutches of Nightmare Moon.

Her first core, the one representing her natural unicorn magic, sat at the triangle’s southern end. She recognized it both because of its faint blue glow and the simple, chiseled outline of a diamond, much like the trio of diamonds that made up her cutie mark.

Her second core was almost identical, but the symbol etched into it was the unmistakable outline of the Crystal Heart. It pulsed softly like a heartbeat of translucent white light.

She couldn't help but curl her upper lip into a sneer as her eyes fell upon the damnable third core. It didn't pulse or glow but it leaked darkness instead. She could feel the barely contained rage that simmered within the stone sphere with a jagged crack through its center.

Wisps of magic, like uncoiled rolls of floating fabric, swam through the air lazily between the three pillars on a never ending cycle of ebb and flow.

Faded, rune-covered bands of power flickered and flowed in the shadows around the three marble pillars as they wound themselves in a cycle, stretching between plinths. As the tattered lines crisscrossed one another towards the center of the triangular platform, they arced in a circle above a raised central dais.

If everything was working as intended, these faded runes would’ve been glowing with theurgic might, heady and bright like a furnace. In that state, the darkened walls of this chamber would glow with her glory. Not only that, but the island itself would have been humming with raw energy, and Applejack's expression of ‘Dang’ would have been a severe understatement.

But everything was not working as intended. The three cores glowed, pulsed, and leaked respectively, but they were not in sync. They were not in harmony. The loosely flowing bands of power were no longer taught, and they floated about in a haphazard ellipse.

Tattered, torn, and faded as they were, the bands and their runes flickered meagerly on alternating paths between two cores at a time. Rarity inspected the containment rings that lined the central dias. These rings were used to contain and regulate the magical energy from the cores as the power flowed. They held together, but there were noticeable gaps. Gaps that resulted in a shower of sparks whenever two or more gaps lined up.

"Alright, Sugarcube. I guess we better, uh… get to fixin’?"

"Quite,” said Rarity as she walked up to her unicorn core and inspected it. The runes that lined the pillar’s apophyge glowed weakly and a few had already gone out entirely. “You know, I've only been here once before. With Twilight, long ago. But, my goodness, it looks as though everything has gone to pot in the interim.”

"Huh. I think I remember you and Twi talkin’ about that. After we beat the windigos, weren't it?” asked Applejack as she experimentally poked at the unicorn core, causing it to flare and flash with every tap.

The unicorn's eye twitched with each careless prod. “Applejack? Could you be a dear and not do that?”

Applejack looked over at her friend and smiled bashfully. “Oh, uh, sorry Rares,” she said with a sheepish chuckle as she stepped away from the pillar.

Rarity smiled appreciably as she went back to assessing the core without her friend's prodding.

After a moment of silence, Applejack chimed in again. “So... three cores. That sure is somethin’ ain't it?”

"Yes, darling, but it isn't as fun as it sounds," Rarity replied as she shifted one of the runes on the apophyge around, charging it with magic from her horn. "The cores create an enormous amount of strain, even at the best of times. When they’re like this… Well, to be perfectly frank, I've never seen them like this before."

“Well, when you’re up and at’em again, why don’t ya ask Twi fer help? I’m sure she’d lo”

“I… I don’t think that would be a good idea,” interrupted Rarity with some finality. She pushed aside the fear and heartbreak that threatened to resurface. Emotions tied to Twilight’s support for Blueblood’s Senate bill that would undo centuries of her own hard work.

Why Twilight? Why would you do that?

Applejack saw the hurt in Rarity’s eyes. “Oh, come on now. Tell ol’ Applejack what happened.”

“I’d rather not, if it’s all the same to you.”

"Rarity, we’re all friends. I don’t think she'd never do something ta hurt ya.”

"A lot can change over time, dear Applejack.”

Applejack didn't have a response for that. Instead she sighed and busied herself with walking around the triangular platform while Rarity worked.

Rarity smiled victoriously as she finished repairing the last rune on the apophyge and hopped down off the platform. The runic bands that emanated from her unicorn core were restored to their former splendor, and the room took on a soft blue glow as a result.

The Empress half expected that to solve the problem, and for her to just suddenly wake up. But she didn’t, and her smile faltered. She walked around the triangle once. Then a second time as she tried to think of what to do next.

She heard Applejack mutter something to herself.

“Is everything alright, darling?”

“Did you make all of this?" asked Applejack, gesturing towards the platform.

"I suppose I did, but not consciously, mind you." She glanced at the bare walls within the chamber with an appraising eye. "I would have used more tapestries."

Rarity reached up and tapped one of the runes absentmindedly, then watched as it briefly shimmered in response before dulling. “Oh! Oh my, yes. How could I have forgotten?” She turned and looked at Applejack sheepishly. “I need to activate it.”

She turned back to the runic band that streamed from her unicorn core and tapped several of them in a particular sequence. They shimmered together but didn't dull. Rarity grinned and happily clapped her hooves, but her celebration was short-lived when she noticed that double the number of runes had faded on the adjacent side of the triangle. She was about to let loose a series of very colorful words to 'encourage' the faded runes to turn back on when she heard Applejack call out to her.

"Uhh... Hey, Rarity. What in tarnation is wrong with this one?"

Realizing that she’d done as much with the unicorn core as a pony could, Rarity trotted over to the earth pony and looked at the cracked core. Despite herself, Rarity couldn't help but shiver at its grim appearance. The floor around its pillar bore the tell-tale marks of a backfire. Jagged ice had formed in a ring, as if it’d been melting in a harsh wind and then refreezing over and over again, and shards of larger ice fragments laid all round. The Crystal Empress reached up and stroked one of the ice rings, then watched the magic within it flare angrily in response.

"See this?" she asked, pointing to the pillar’s base where a sizable crack made it lean a little too far to the right. "The core isn't correctly aligned and energy is funneling back into itself."

“And that’s bad, right?”

“Right.”

“So how do you reckon we fix it?”

“The ice rings need to be cleared and the runes on the apophyge need to be repaired.” Looking at the pillar’s sorry state, she tsked dismissively. “The pillar needs to be fixed too, and that is going to take quite a lot of work, but first it needs to be moved back into place.”

"Well, I don't know about any of yer fancy magic, but I sure know a thing'er two about movin’!" Applejack trotted to the other side and raised her rear hooves up to buck the pillar back into position.

"No!, Applejack, wa—"

Too late. The farm pony bucked the pillar, causing the core at its apex to seethe with renewed darkness. Rarity dove out of the way as raw power shot out into the chamber, bouncing off the Crystal Core and into the ground. The cores and rune bands flared brightly as the triangular complex worked to dissipate the surge of energy.

“Rarity! Are ya okay?”

“I think… Ugh, I think you gave me a brain-freeze.”

“Heh, sorry.”

Rarity stared up at the cracked core. From where she lay on the ground, the pillar appeared to be back in place, and thankfully the core looked no worse for wear, but it was still in an unhealthy state. Experimentally, she reached out with her magic to assess it, summoning just the faintest bit of magic to test its strength. She smiled as she watched light travel from the center dias along the rune bands to the third core and back again.

Rarity gave a sigh of relief and pushed herself off the floor. She was feeling better now, stronger and more like herself than she had for a long time. Rarity began to move to the next core when something caught her eye. Just on the light’s edge, there was something hiding in the darkness. It felt wrong, like there was something out of place. Rarity put some magic into her horn, causing it to glow and examined the area.

“Rarity? Everything alright, sugar?” called out Applejack as she trotted back over. The Empress raised a hoof to her friend, signalling for silence as she focused on what was before her.

It was a door. A door that wasn't there just moments ago.

Scattered around the darkness were the remains of metal bars, twisted and broken. Shattered locks and battered chains hung limp from the door frame, rattling hauntingly in an unfelt breeze. Rarity risked more light from her horn, and the cores behind her glowed to aid in her task. But it still wasn’t bright enough to illuminate the darkness beyond the door frame.

It was thick. Both impermeable and unnaturally black. It seemed to drink in the light she was making, feeding off of it and growing. It looked like emptiness, but Rarity knew it wasn't.

There was something in there and she could feel it as pressure, building up in the back of her skull. The longer she stared beyond the door, the more she felt like she was being watched.

"Come on, Rarity," whispered an uneasy looking Applejack. "Let's get ya fixed up and on outta here. I can’t say I like the looks of this—"

A deep baritone laugh rumbled out from beyond the door, cutting the farm pony off.

"My, my. Two ponies? Fascinating." The voice was a deep, bassy growl, but with a harsh edge to it like a knife’s blade. "Pity, I only need the Empress."

The darkness from the door swept forward like a rushing tide and blanketed the room, causing the lights from the cores to dim. The two old friends tried to gallop away from the encroaching darkness, but the pressure building up in her head was too much and Rarity felt her legs buckle out from under her. She looked up as Applejack skid to a halt and attempted to double back, yelling something or other back at her. But Rarity couldn't hear it.

She was drowning.

Rarity gave a final cough-ridden cry before the darkness consumed her.

* * *

Lady Merry Sapphire couldn't help but grin as she plummeted through the atmosphere. The wind rushed through her silver mane, and she couldn't resist the occasional playful twist in her dive. There was a sense of freedom, a rush of adrenaline as she fell.

It had been so long since she'd done this.

Her grin of delight soon morphed into one of focused determination as the grey cloud layer started approaching from below. Sapphire tucked her forelegs close to her barrel and dropped like a Roc as she punched into the cloud layer. The calm, crisp sky above the clouds gave way to the roiling storm where lightning danced and flashed around her. One arc of electric light, slower and more deliberate than the rest, strayed too close to the falling mare, forcing her to roll to stay out of its way.

Dream weather was always more stubborn than the real thing, but rarely as deadly.

“Screw this,” muttered Sapphire in the modern vernacular she had grown to enjoy.

Black smoke began trailing from her sides, giving the appearance that maybe she hadn't dodged that last lightning strike after all. A pair of majestic, dark blue wings unfolded from the smoke, and the crystal mare quickly used them to correct her flight path.

Merry Sapphire continued to streak forward, using her wings to boost her speed. More lightning, as if angrily reacting to the sprouting of her wings, flashed and roared around her. She ignored it while pushing further down into the cloud layer.

A sudden break in the clouds appeared ahead of her, and the little island that was her destination appeared as a speck in the churning greyish-green sea below. She dropped, faster and faster, grinning the whole while. What was once a speck of rock was now a boulder. The boulder grew into an island, which itself grew to fill the entirety of her vision.

At the last possible moment, when Merry could smell salt in the air and the rot of vegetation, she twisted her body around, gave her wings a mighty flap, and stretched her hooves out beneath her.

Lady Sapphire impacted the ground with a deafening boom. There was a shower of rock mixed in with the falling rain, but she appeared unphased, save for the black smoke that continued to mist out of her.

The rocks settled and cooled, and the rain let up but for a moment. It was in that moment that all was still. In the silence, a silver flash, like moonlight peeking through dark clouds, emanated in her black mist. The rain started again, and a definitive clicking sound met Merrys ears; the touch of her metal horseshoes on stone.

Her transformation complete, she allowed the rain to wash away the rest of her black mist. What stood in Merry Sapphire's place was now something else. Something much more. The mare's dark blue wings folded up neatly against her elongated, slender frame and she was once again crowned with the Regalia of the Night.

Princess Luna, Guardian of the Night, Keeper of Dreams, and former Princess of Equestria stood tall with both pride and determination.

That is, until a spiteful wave crashed against the cliff face behind her, showering the lunar princess with ice cold sea water.

With a series of sputtering, grumbling coughs, Luna blew a strand of salty wet ethereal mane out of her face and slumped away until she was certain that such injustice would not befall her again. After a good shake from tip to tail and a flash of her horn, she was dry once more.

"This was supposed to be about a birthday," mumbled Luna as she grumpily made her way along the stone path. "But now it's about a potential war, and Blueblood, and who knows what else. I just wanted to throw a party for an old friend... Really, is that too much to ask?"

A bolt of lightning answered her by striking a dead tree along the path, filling her nostrils with the mismatched scents of ozone, mildew, and charcoal.

Princess Luna pushed on with a defeated sigh, ignoring the building remorse inside of her. She wanted to believe that the day could still be saved, and all of Equestria along with it, but she was starting to have her doubts. Had she been more vigilant, or even a better friend, perhaps none of this would have happened.

She paused, stopping in what looked like some sort of grove. The shadowed husks of the dead and dying trees that lined the path did little to improve the inglorious remains of some badly deteriorated statues. Or were they very elaborate rocks? Still, it wasn't unsalvageable. Throw in a few shrubberies, maybe a bird feeder, squint at it funny, and maybe it could be quite possibl—

A deep explosion rocked the small island. She extended her wings to help stabilize herself, but fell to her knees anyway when she looked up and saw a column of darkness roaring into the sky from the center of the island. A darkness that she felt in the back of her mind, clawing away at her free will.

The column faded away and darkness passed, but the fear of it lingered in her mind regardless. Tasting copper on her tongue, Luna’s ears flattened against her head. She knew what she had to do.

Luna closed her eyes to concentrate and tapped into the ley lines. She knew she had to be brief, lest Twilight find her, but she had to contact her sister.

Which was a problem, considering the high probability that the two of them were in the middle of a conversation at this very moment.

Luna felt for the magical signature of her sister’s disguise and quietly brushed their minds together.

Luna? What is it? Is some—

I need your help, replied Luna. Rarity is in trouble; I must interfere.

What sort of trouble?

I’m in her dream. There’s a darkness here that must be dealt with for the safety of all. I fear it’s the Nightmare.

...Alright. Good luck.

Thank you Tia, I’ll need it. Keep Twilight occupied for as long as you can.

Nothing came back for a while, to which Luna feared her sister had already left. But soon enough she felt a warm blanket of magical protection drape her.

I will do what I can to distract Twilight, but hurry, Lulu.

Luna felt her sister withdraw, and when she opened her eyes she was still standing in the grove on the island. But she was no longer alone.

“Princess Luna?” an unexpected voice called out to her.

The Princess of the Night jumped and quickly looked around for the source of the voice that had startled her. It had a ghostly echo to it, and she couldn't tell if it belonged to a mare or a stallion. Luna followed the path around the bend and paused. In a clearing off the path stood a pony made of pure crystal. Like the ambiguous nature of its voice, she couldn't tell from its features whether this pony was a stallion or a mare.

"It is you," they continued with a noticeable sigh of relief. "May the Maker be praised."

"You're... you’re the Crystal Heart," said Luna as her curiosity carried her closer.

The pony's head bobbed in confirmation. "Yes, I am the Crystal Heart as imagined by the Empress and presented as I will it, but that isn’t important right now. What is important is that you are here.” With a relieved chuckle, the featureless pony confessed, “I must admit, I had begun to lose hope."

"Hope?"

"Yes, that somepony would come and rescue me."

"Rescue? Wait, I—" a second tremor shook the island, causing Luna to pause and look around for some new danger.

"There is no time to explain," whispered the Crystal Heart. "It's already beginning. Please, Princess Luna, take me with you and let us leave this place!"

"With me? With you?” stammered Luna. “But I..." she trailed off upon realizing the Heart's intent. “I didn’t come to remove you from Rarity.”

"Oh," said the Crystal Heart with some surprise. “I see,” it continued as it shifted tactics and eyed Luna appraisingly. “You know, I've always felt something special in you, Princess. A desire to be loved. To be praised. I could help you with those desires. The crystal ponies would adore you forever. The Empire would—"

"You seek to abandon Rarity?!" interrupted Luna with a snarl.

"I must do what is best for the crystal ponies," replied the Heart, visibly taken aback by Luna’s sudden outburst. "Rarity's actions have brought strife and the rumblings of war to the Empire. I’m afraid that she may not be fit to lead. Please, I care greatly for the safety and prosperity of my ponies. They are all that I have."

"I well understand the risks the Crystal Empire faces," said Luna. "Which is why I refuse."

"But I—"

"Not to mention that removing you would likely kill her!" shouted Luna, her wings flaring out. "Look at you. She gave up so much to save you and your ponies, taking on a burden that was never meant for her, giving up on so many dreams so others could reach theirs. And when she needs you the most, you would abandon her?"

The Crystal Heart said nothing, but its featureless face fell from the glaring alicorn and to the ground between them.

"If you will not aid our friend..." said Luna as she turned and walked further down the path, "...then I will."

* * *

Twilight sighed with lazy pleasure as she stretched out on her haphazard collection of silky pillows. This was nice. Just her, her new favorite mystery novel, and a plate of some of the best Prench chocolates she’s had in a long time. If only it could last forever.

A loud crunching sound came from a few feet behind her in the royal train car, reminding her that she wasn't alone. She smiled at that. She turned her long slender neck to spot Spike happily chowing down on a bowl of assorted gems as he kicked his stumpy legs back and forth, watching the scenery race by the window. He was getting crumbs all over his adorable little tuxedo.

Twilight rolled her eyes and buried herself back in her book to avoid getting into an argument with her Number One Assistant over his manners. A few chapters of her book passed before her ears perked up when Spike said something.

"Hmm?" she hummed, looking back around at the dragon.

"I said, why are we taking the train when we could just fly?" asked Spike as he greedily dug through the bucket for a ruby. “Mm, or teleport,” he added mid bite into an emerald instead.

"Oh Spike," said Twilight with a laugh. "Taking the train lets other ponies prepare for our arrival." She shook her head dismissively. "It turns out that most ponies don't really like it when a Princess just appears in the middle of whatever it was they were doing."

"Yeah, I guess I can see that," said Spike.

Twilight levitated another one of the delicious sweets and tossed it into her mouth, savoring the taste as it melted on her tongue. "Plus, this way we get to lay back, relax, and not worry about anything. Just let all the stress melt away, you know? You have to do it every once in a while, or else you’ll go crazy."

“But we could just relax at the Palace... with Rarity,” Spike responded with a slight blush.

Twilight laughed again. "We will Spike, we will. Just be a little more patie—"

A quick knocking at the door interrupted her, followed by the armored form of Captain Shining Star slipping into the room. “Princess Twilight,” said the unicorn mare with a nervous bow. “Forgive the intrusion, but, uh, we have been notified of a matter that needs your assistance.”

“Oh?” said Twilight with a frown and a longing glance at her half finished book. “Can it wait until later?”

“Er… no, I’m afraid not, your majesty, we’ve… umm, been running through some of the treasury numbers and there is a discrepancy that requires your attention,” reported Shining Star.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow at her captain. "Really? Which numbers?"

“All of them," said the Captain with an emphatic nod. "Somepony in the treasury specifically requested your time and attention as soon as possible."

“Who did?”

“Oh, uh. I think it was Miss... Late Night? Yeah, Late Night.”

“Strange, I’ve never heard of her,” said the Goddess of Magic with a quizzical look out the window.

"I think she's new," the mare said with a bit of a twitch to her eye.

Twilight heaved a sigh and climbed off her pillow pile, before stretching her back out and unfolding her wings with a delightful series of pops. “Fine,” she groaned, “let’s go have a look at… all of it.”

Chapter 7

Rarity opened her eyes and slowly stood up. At least she thought she did. If it weren’t for the fact that she could just barely see the outline of the hoof she waved in front of her face, she would have sworn that her eyes were still closed. Around her was nothingness. No cores, no Crystal Throne Room, and no messy workshop in the Boutique. She experimentally lifted her hoof and tapped against the ground, frowning when she heard nothing. It was like tapping against air.

“...arity?” The Empress’ ears twitched in the direction of a wispy call. Panic threatened to overtake what was left of her senses until she heard the faint voice again. “Rarity? Can… hear me?”

“Applejack?!” she shouted, turning to trot towards the voice. It was an odd feeling, like trying to walk along a murky lake bottom. In addition to her sluggish muscles, her senses felt dulled. She knew it was Applejack calling out to her. She could sense the other mare nearby and yet somehow far way. “Applejack! Darling! Can you—”

“Rar... danger... Don’t listen t...” The voice cut out once more, only this time she could no longer sense her dear old friend, as if some sort of wall had been placed between them. And yet stretching out her hoof to tap where she thought the wall was yielded no result. The space all around her was still as vast and empty as it had been before Applejack’s curious warning.

"Fantastic,” grumbled the Empress as she looked around for anything to help her. “This isn’t how a lady is suppose to be treated on her birthday." Although the remark had been directed to nopony, a soft, yet deep laugh echoed through the darkness around her.

"And how would one be treated on her birthday?" mocked a new voice. "With Parties and Parades? Gifts and Glory, perhaps?"

"Who’s there?" shouted Rarity, her horn glowing bright with power as a shield knitted over her. "Show yourself!"

"My dearest Empress," chided the voice as a grey mist began to swirl around her shield. “That is an excellent question. But before I answer it, perhaps you’ll hear me out for but a moment?"

"And why would I do that?" challenged the Empress.

"Because the fate of your Empire and all your ponies, depends on it."

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't take well to threats."

"Oh, I have," chuckled the voice. As it spoke, the smoke began to shift and swirl, revealing Blueblood’s terrified face, floating before her. The image changed again, and soon the frightened faces of many others who had been caught in the crosshairs of her wrath danced around her blue shield. "Regardless, I haven’t come to make idle threats, no. I have come to warn you and offer my aid."

For a moment, Rarity felt the illusory wall between her and Applejack come down. "Run, Rarity, run!" came Applejack’s frantic plea. But before Rarity could respond, the wall came back, leaving her alone with the smoke once more.

"Well, you have a very curious way of doing that," Rarity said as she tried to peer beyond the grey smoke for any signs of the speaker. Every so often, she could feel the smoke solidify and press in against the shield, causing it to burn brighter in those spots. Rarity frowned, knowing that it was testing her strength. Her resolve. "Why should I trust anything you have to say if you will not come forth?"

"Very well, Empress," sighed the gravelly voice. "I can see we aren’t getting anywhere like this and time is of the essence. If a face will provide the comfort you need to hear me out, it shall be done."

The smoke before the unicorn parted to reveal a very familiar draconequus drinking what smelled like sherry and sitting on what looked like her throne.

“Discord?!” demanded Rarity as she took a step forward, her horn crackling with magic. “You’re behind al—”

“No, no, my dear lady,” interrupted the draconequus as he stood up. Something was wrong with his voice, as if he and another were trying to talk at the same time. A single snap of his lion paw, and the chair disappeared. “Although I am a big fan of his work, I’m not the God of Chaos. You wanted a face to talk to and I provided one... You don't like it?" asked the false Discord as he noticed her frown.

"If you were hoping to take a form that would give me comfort, you've chosen quite poorly, I'm afraid. Couldn’t you manifest as something less insufferable? A room full of gassy mimes, perhaps?" replied Rarity, thinking of the myriad of troubles Discord had wrought in the past.

"Well," he grinned as he pressed against her shield once more. She noted with some concern how he absentmindedly traced a diamond from Rarity’s cutie mark with his clawed hand. “Let's try a different face. A friendly face."

The darkness consumed the draconequus, preventing Rarity from seeing beyond the grey smoke once more. She tried to ready herself for anything. A duplicitous double perhaps. Or Onyx in his dashing dress uniform. Maybe it would be a sodden Sapphire, here to sing her another alcohol-infused birthday song. The unknown devil may pull at her heart strings with her own little Sweetie Belle, again.

But what eventually came out caught her off guard.

"What do you think of this?" came the familiar, intelligent voice of a mare. The voice was not alone, just as it wasn’t Discord’s voice alone that spoke before. Rarity took a step back as the tall figure strode in from the darkness on four legs instead of Discord’s awkward two legged gait.

The being that stood smirking before her was the spitting image, right down to the lavender wings, the golden crown, and the dark ethereal mane, of Princess Twilight Sparkle. The false alicorn let out a curt laugh at the Empress’ dumbstruck look. “Yes, I think this works perfectly.”

"T- Twilight? Is it really you?"

"No, of course not," chided the purple impostor. "You wanted a face to talk to and I provided one. Is Princess Twilight not to your liking?" the synchronized voices asked slyly, as Twilight’s countenance took on a look of mock hurt.

"What do you want from me?" snapped the Empress as she shook her head to keep her focus.

“For you to hear me out.”

Rarity stomped a hoof and leveled her gaze at the creature that looked like her oldest friend left in the world. "Alright, enough games whoever you are. You said you wanted to help me? Okay, I'm listening. You've got three minutes."

"I know you, Rarity. I know what you want. I know what you crave. I know what haunts your dreams," it whispered uncannily with its two voices, pressing up against the shield. "All I want from you is to use my power and take what you want. Make your dreams come true. Make your Empire strong and prosperous. Fulfill the destiny of the Crystal Empire!”

“Rarity,” came Applejack’s insistent voice from beyond once more, “I know a liar when I hear one, don’t liste—!”

Something shimmered into existence behind the the false Twilight and floated between the two of them. When she got a better look at it, Rarity’s jaw dropped. It was a scale replica of the Imperial Capital. Not as it was now, no, but as she dreamed it could be.

Towers of perfect crystal and stone stood tall and proud, each building more beautiful and elegant in its design than the last. Aqueduct systems lined whole expanses of the tower-filled city. There were stunning parks and shimmering lakes with fountains. The tableau was truly artistic and yet undeniably utilitarian. And there, at the center of it all, was the capital’s crown jewel. The Imperial Palace. Her palace.

It stood majestically with its modern Gothic inspiration, mimicking the arrangement of a gargantuan pipe organ. It's foundation curved slightly, opening outwards to the South, facing the main gate. From this grand foundation, three legs of tightly packed crystal pillars sprung up and in towards a central meeting point, forming a three-sided pyramid. Where they met, a collar was formed, setting the base of the largest tower in the city.

Dimly, Rarity became aware of breathing on her neck, and the bizarrely synchronized voices called out from the all-too-close illusion of Twilight once more. “It’s beautiful, is it not? But perhaps this is too much, yes? Perhaps you yearn for simplicity? For a return to what was?”

The Crystal Empire vanished before her eyes, and a new scene solidified, revealing a familiar lane in a familiar town. The town of Ponyville. There, at the end of the lane, was the Carousel Boutique. Her boutique.

Rarity felt her knees shake, and her rump fell quietly to the floor. There, just off to the left of the bay window in her kitchen, was a sandbox. A pair of foals, a filly with her eyes and a colt with her mane, were in the midst of a fit of frenetic giggles. Rarity watched numbly as a dull ache pounded away in her chest.

“Oh, Rarity,” the linked voices whispered into her ear sympathetically. “I know your hooves are just aching for the feel of your sewing machine. And your heart aches too. It aches for what you alone can’t obtain. What a shame.” The Empress was so enchanted by the image before her eyes, the image that betrayed her heart’s desire, that she had failed to realize her magical shield was no more.

“I won’t offer again. Will you use my power, and take control of your destiny?”

"Your...your power?" she asked in a hungry whisper, still watching the foals at play. They were roaring, stomping, and squealing with delight through a sandbox city of empty milk cartons and old cans.

“Consarn it girl, will you ju—"

“Yes,” hissed Twilight as she draped a wing over Rarity and pulled her in close. “With my power you can make these dreams a reality. But why stop there? If you’re going to dream Empress,” the two voices purred deviously, "dream big."

Once more the image in the smoke faded into nothingness. Rarity reached out desperately to stop it from happening, but to no avail. All she could do was watch and whimper as the two little ponies and their sandbox winked out of existence.

What came next was a scene that struck her with dread and, curiously enough, a measure of grim delight.

Ponyville’s greens and browns were replaced with sundered marble and the glow of cooling embers. As the vision solidified, she realized she was staring down into the ruined inner chamber of the House of Commons, one of the two bodies making up the Equestrian Senate, the other being the Noble House. It was these two houses that embodied the political will of Equestria now. With Princess Cadence and Twilight being more or less figureheads, the two Princesses had less political power than their predecessors ever did.

There, marching with her head held high, moved the conquering form of the Crystal Empress herself. Resplendent in her armor, she watched her tiny doppelganger stride triumphantly into the middle of the Senate chambers’ replica. The elite members of her Diamond Force flanked her double. Equestria’s cowardly senators bowed before her, and her banner danced courageously atop the pole held by her standard bearer.

Rarity realized that she was smiling as she watched the scene unfold. Suddenly, the small vignette in the grey smoke grew and wrapped all around her. She could feel the broken wood and chipped marble beneath her hooves. She could hear the chants of the ponies calling out her name from beyond the Senate’s walls.

In a blink, the Rarity of her vision faded away, leaving her in the apparition’s wake. She was now the armor clad Empress. The conqueror. Overwhelmed with euphoria, Rarity felt her heart surge in her chest. Victory! This was victory for the Crystal Empire over those who would see it robbed of its glory. A hoof reached out and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to look, and saw the armored form of Major Tom.

He was smiling at her, grinning really. There was joy in his expression, and conquest in his eyes. Before she could say anything to him, he passed over her war banner. She laughed, a small hauty thing, and took it from him. It shimmered and sailed through the air in her blue aura, before slamming the business end of her standard into the floor in the true center of the room, cracking the marble with thunderous refrain.

All around her, and indeed all the world over, her crystal ponies were cheering and stomping their hooves for her. Victory had come at last.

Rarity’s smile faltered though as she looked at the faces within the cheering crowd. As her euphoria waned, she realized there was something not right. It was almost as she envisioned it, but there were faces missing. Familiar faces. “Where are my friends?” she asked quietly under the roaring din of the crowd. “Where’s Commander Onyx? Or Lady Sapphire? T-Twilight?”

A weight began to form in her stomach, pulling her down to the floor. Once more she asked, “Where are my friends?”

A singular chuckle was her response. Gone was the assurance of Twilight’s voice that softened the edge of the otherwise foul darkness. The scene before her slowed to a stop, and all the color faded out from her vision, leaving only grey figures against the void. “Surely,” it mocked her chiddingly, “you don’t think greatness comes without a cost, do you?”

“A cost?”

“Yes, Empress, everything has a price,” spoke the coiled voice, ready to strike. “And for your dreams to come true, for the crystal ponies’ fate to be secured, that price must be paid in blood.”

“But I-I couldn’t, I wouldn’t... Not to Twilight!” Rarity shouted into the unmoving faces of the frozen figures around her.

“Rarity, Rarity, Rarity,” mocked the voice as if she were still an overeager filly out to get her cutie mark. “So quickly you have forgotten the final signature in the bill Blueblood showed you. Do you think that Princess Twilight the Planner, Princess Twilight the Schemer, will suffer the Empire to be a threat? Already she works to stifle your grand designs.”

The grey smoke swirled around Rarity again, and the vision of victory vanished, revealing a new scene. One where she once more had the starring role, but the stage was set in the Crystal Palace. And everything felt wrong.

The floors were unnaturally dull and dusty. The crystalline walls held a spider web of jagged cracks. Her tapestries hung in tatters, and the sulfurous sting of smoke assailed her eyes and throat.

“Look,” beckoned the voice. The scene spun before her eyes, out into the streets of the once vibrant city. It was nearly as depressing as her dream island. The crystal ponies shuffled about with their heads hung low and their coats dull. The somber air reminded Rarity of her first encounter with them when the Empire returned from its exile hundreds of years ago. Only this time instead of the threat of ancient evil, on every street corner stood the stoic faces and gilded armor of the Equestrian Guard.

“Look,” commanded the voice once more. Rarity blinked, and discovered that she stood in a cavern, far below the Crystal Palace. An old cavern that she had never seen before, with ancient pockets of gleaming stone around an underground lake.

Rarity felt something cold wrap around her neck and tighten, like a collar made of ice. It pulled, and she walked where it led her out onto the lake. Out onto the small island that stood alone in its center. An island with a single purple occupant.

As she walked closer at the beckoning of the leash around her neck, she saw that it was Princess Twilight facing a rather peculiar luminous green stone, panting softly in her armor. Or rather, what was left of it. She’d never seen it in such a sorry state. Rarity looked up into her friend’s face and was shocked at what she saw.

Lines, twisted in anger, pain, and grief, marked her face, making her look so very, very old. It hurt to see her usually calm and regularly joyful friend like this. Rarity always could read her like a book and she was surprised by the determination etched into her face. Sadness as well. But the most telling was the regret.

“What’s wrong,” asked Rarity, watching her friend try and fail to calm herself with a breathing exercise. “What’s happened?”

“Look!” demanded the voice, as the ethereal collar around her neck yanked her beyond Twilight, face to face with a mangled form trapped in the green rock.

Shocked as she was, Rarity tried to jerk herself away from the sight, but her collar held steadfast. Instead she stared on in silent horror at the pathetic wretch frozen in crystal. At herself.

It’s me, she thought numbly. And indeed it was her, encased in the green spire and secured tightly with chains that pulsed with purple runes. Much of her lower body had been blasted away, and the rest of her was scarred. The eyes of her shattered doppelganger in the rock burned with white fire. Rarity knew the being before her was still alive, somehow. Alive and suffering with a rage she could feel welling up in her own chest.

“Wha—”

“If you don’t use my power, there will still be a battle. A battle you will lose,” spoke the voice. “Princess Twilight, unwilling to bear the passing of another old friend, or the genocide of an entire race, will imprison you.”

“For how long?” she asked, rubbing a hoof on the green surface of her potential prison.

“For as long as the Sun shines.”

“Is there no other way?” she asked the voice. Silent heartbeats passed like hours, and Rarity found herself fearful of being left alone with the ghosts of a mourning Twilight and her mangled self.

“There isn’t,” came the oddly sympathetic reply. “Use my power, Empress. Use it and save your ponies. Use it and save yourself.”

“I see,” she said with a nod. For a moment, she looked between the two figures before her, before settling on Twilight with a sad smile. "I'm afraid I'll have to pass, but thank you ever so much for your generous offer."

"Fool!" boomed the voice from Twilight's mouth.

"Idiot!" raged the voice again, from the broken maw of her damaged other in the green gem.

“Idiot?” balked the Empress.

“Yes,” hissed Twilight, as she turned from the green spire, her gaze now boring into the Crystal Empress. “Here was everything, everything you could ever dream. Everything you could ever want. All you had to do was reach your hoof out and take it!”

The darkness renewed itself and became a swirling tempest around the unicorn. She could feel its tendrils rake over her icy flesh. Fear and panic worked their slithering way to the front of Rarity's mind, but the darkness and the enticements held her fast.

"Just give it up, Rarity,” commanded the false Twilight.

“Give up,” pleaded her broken reflection in the green gem.

For an instant, panic won out and the darkness pressed in, drowning the Empress in a sea of black.

"No,” said a voice quietly against the howling madness.

A flash erupted around the Empress, driving back the raging darkness. She looked up as ice began to form on her coat, coalescing into armor unmatched in ponykind. Glaring at the wickedly grinning Twilight, she delivered her proclamation as she broke free of her arcane leash. "No, you foul thing. You wretched worm in the dirt. You will not take me so easily!"

“But I already have you, Rarity,” replied Twilight with a snarl.

The illusion tapped her horn to the ground, and the island in the cave melted away, revealing a blighted hellscape burning in its wake. Fissures of sulfuric smoke spat out of the broken ground at irregular intervals, and the air had the metal tinge to it that Rarity didn’t want to think about.

High in the sky there were no clouds. There was no Moon or Sun or stars. There was only fire.

The darkness that Rarity had driven away now swirled around the maniacally laughing alicorn, and the Empress was not spared the sight of its terrible transformation. Her wings withered to bone until they fell to the ground as ash. The creature’s lavender coat faded into a dusty grey, and its long, billowing mane melted away into a shorter blackened wave.

The eyes burned with the forbidden flames of dark magic.

Disjointedly, the monster shifted in size, shrinking with the awful echo of snapped bone. Pulling more and more of the angry smoke into itself, the being also took on bulk. From its fanged maw, a roar of pain was issued. A roar that changed in tenor and tone to one of primal rage as its horn took on a red glow from within itself before curving sinisterly, like a blade ready to strike.

“King Sombra,” said a disbelieving Rarity as she finished her own transformation into her crystalline armor.

"Pretender!" snarled the fallen King with a snort of fire from his flared nostrils.

“Usurper!” he cried with bitterness and hate dripping off of each syllable.

“Seamstress!” he roared, stamping his forehooves into the illusionary battlefield.

"You’re mine, you insolent mare. All Crystal Ponies. Are. MINE!"

* * *

Luna was no stranger to darkness. As the Princess of the Night, she reveled in it. Often there was a beauty to it, a mysteriousness that brought her comfort and peace as she stalked its depths.

But there was no beauty here, no. Instead, there was a foulness that chilled her, that made her imagination run wild. Something hungry lurked in the shadows. Something dark and ancient.

Something full of hate.

Luna could also feel the Empress somewhere beyond, beset on all sides. The emotions were palpable, lending a taste to the imagined wind that howled across the island of Rarity’s mind. A tinge of bitterness with a coppery finish on her tongue. All the flavors of sorrow, guilt, and a weakening spirit. Simply put, Luna knew that Rarity was running out of time.

Which is why she stepped off the rocky path and ran at a gallop into the murky wilderness. As she ran, the sound of her hooves hitting mud and rock faded, and her legs stretched into a whispy blur. She would take a shortcut.

A route reserved for the Keeper of Dreams.

There were many names for this route, coined by poet and scholar alike; the membranes of consciousness, the pathways behind memories, the road that meets at the intersection of thoughts and feelings. It was simply a space of nonexistence where the borders of the mind could be traversed.

Though the mind was a fickle labyrinth, travel through here wasn’t difficult. Usually. Luna knew that if she just kept her focus she’d reach her destination.

A flash of an ancient memory played out before her. It was Luna in her younger days, when this power was still raw. She had gotten lost once, and just the once.

It took her sister a fortnight to track her down and save her.

She smiled at the memory, but dismissed it all the same, maintaining her focus. A rift opened before her cloudy form. Out of it poured the cool smell of dust and some grey smoke. Not sparing a moment to hesitate, the Moon Goddess dove in, hoping to bring her search for Rarity to an end.

“Stars alive,” said a wide-eyed Luna as she solidified once more on the other side of the rift.

She was standing in a dimly-lit, spacious chamber. In its center stood a raised triangular platform. Three pillars stood in a sort of proud majesty at the intersection of each corner. And atop each pillar was a core.

Three cores, three magical cores primed and set in motion. She looked on in wonder at the unusual sight. True, she’d seen many a core, but never before had she seen three within the same pony.

The way energy flowed along the runic bands as they pulsed with power... and how the three cores would pop and flare with use… There was a kind of musical beauty to it all. Like how windchimes dance on a breeze. Or how the constellations sang to her at night as the solar winds caressed their unseen strings.

From an academic standpoint, this chamber was a treasure trove of data on the nature of magic and mortality. On what it meant to be a pony. Such study was usually the purview of Twilight Sparkle, but Luna was no stranger to the sciences. In fact, she had invented the study of—

A discordant note shrilled through the dusty air, interrupting Luna’s musings. Her ears pinned themselves back and she whinnied against the throbbing pressure in her horn. A pressure that commanded her to yield. She looked around, desperate to find the source of the pain, and caught a glimpse of an angry red glow from a deep fissure in one of the pillars. The one belonging to the cracked core that was actively seeping grey smoke.

Alerted that something was off, the Moon Goddess pushed aside her scholarly thoughts and weaved a protective web of magic around her own mind, protecting her from outside influence. It also had the welcome side effect of stopping the pressure in her horn.

The cores and connecting runes flashed as magic was forcibly pulled along the lines towards the cracked pillar before being violently discharged. Sparks flashed with the angry energy surge, damaging the already visibly stressed bands.

Luna moved closer to inspect the nearest rune band. Some of the runes were darkened out of sequence, and she knew their connection to the host core was lost. This forced the magic to jerk from one active rune sequence to another farther down the band, causing a shower of sparks that flashed like lightning.

Luna wrapped a patch of darkened runes in her own cobalt blue magic, briefly igniting them with restorative energy. She watched as the entire band flickered hopefully for a moment. When the next magical surge rushed through it, she couldn’t help but think that her small effort had been for naught.

Luna released the band with her magic and stepped away. The runes still glowed with her magic for a time, compensating for the ongoing damage the unaligned third core was causing.

“Rarity… If I knew it was this bad...” said Luna, shaking her head in disbelief. She stood in silence for another moment, pondering what next steps to take, when she heard a frustrated cry call out from the darkness beyond a large open doorway that lead out of the chamber.

“Consarn it girl, would ya just listen to me? You’ve gotta get on outta there!” Luna’s ears twitched in the direction of the yelling and slowly circled the triangular platform to get a better view of the doorway.

“Rarity!” shouted the exacerbated voice once more. “Come on, gal!”

The Princess came to a stop as a mare stomped into the chamber from a swirling blackness beyond the doorway. She knew that mare once, or rather the mare that this apparition represented. She was one of the Elements of Harmony. Applejack. Her name was Applejack. It was all clicking for Luna again.

She looked around and carefully stepped over some of the debris that littered the floor around the threshold. Chains and bits of wood by the looks of it.

With a frown, Luna realized that the debris meant that something locked away had burst in.

Applejack reared up on her fore legs and bucked against what Luna assumed to be empty space, but cocked her head in puzzlement as the farmpony’s hooves hit true, causing the darkness to ripple. Ripple like a wall of delicious flan, or perhaps gelatine with chunks of tropical fruit in it, or—

Luna’s stomach called out in the silence. A rumble that ached its way down her empty gut. She sighed with a small headshake. This is what she gets for drinking her breakfast. Brunch. Whatever, the point was she didn’t get a proper meal this mo—

"P-Princess Luna?!" stammered Applejack with a half-bow as she stumbled her way over to the hungry Princess. "Tarnation, am I glad ta see you!"

The farmpony reached her in the space of a few heartbeats and pulled the Moon Goddess into an earnest hug.

"And I, you," said Luna to the mental apparition. "Tell me," she continued as she pulled away from the hug, "what transpired here? Where is our friend?”

“Rarity, she… well, I,” Applejack didn’t even pause for breath as she rattled off to the races, describing the different events the two ponies experienced in Rarity’s subconscious.

Finding a disheveled, barely responsive Rarity in her boutique. The false Sweetie Belle and their trek through the island came out as a blur, and Princess Luna found herself nodding her head to keep up with the other mare’s frantic conversation pace.

“An’ then we found the chamber here’n Rarity got ta fixin’. Everythin’ was aces ‘til she noticed the door over yonder. I tried to tell her ta get away from it, but she didn’t listen. Then the durn thing burst open like a rottin’ apple in the sun an—”

“Shhh, calm yourself Applejack,” said Luna, halting the mare’s ramblings. With a burst of will, she straightened the earth pony’s hat before continuing. “I’ve dealt with the Nightmare before, and I am confident I can free Rarity from its embrace.”

“Nightmare? Whadda ya… Oh, horseapples. Umm, your Highness?” asked Applejack as she sat down to nervously tap her hooves together.

“Just Luna, Applejack,” corrected Luna as she experimentally poked the dark barrier with her mind.

“Right, Luna,” said Applejack. “It’s not the Nightmare. It’s, uh… It’s worse.”

Luna paused in her investigation of the barrier and looked back at the sweating pony. “What do you mean ‘worse’?”

“It’s him.”

“Him?” balked Luna. “Him who? Discord? Tirek?”

Applejack shook her head before uttering the horrible heart of the matter. “It’s King Sombra. Evil King Sombra.”

All thoughts of hunger evaporated from Luna as her stomach dropped out from under her and adrenaline poured through her body. “How? I thought Cadence destroyed him with the Crystal Heart!”

She took a nervous step away from the barrier.

“I dunno the whole truth yer highness, but I figure that the no good varmint musta squirrelled a parta himself away’n the Crystal Heart, er somethin’.”

“But…” whispered Luna as she turned to look with dread at the seeping core upon its cracked pillar, “No,” she said to herself as much as to Applejack.

No. This was no windigo core. It was nothing of the sort. This core was a fragment of the greatest evil ever born on Equestrian soil. It belonged to the greatest tyrant who’d ever lived to enslave another. She knew it with certainty now, as if the name were a spell that removed all pretense of doubt, and dissolved the fuzzy blur of uncertainty that had previously enshrouded the hated sphere.

“Applejack, we need to get in there,” she said, her wings stretching open as she backed away from the barrier.

“I’ve been tryin’ but all the buckin’ in the world ain’t helpin’,” said the other mare with a growl as she galloped after Luna. “If’n you have another idea, I’m all ears.”

"I do have an idea, though it is rather unconventional."

Applejack came to a stop next to Luna and cleared a significant amount of substance from her sinuses before spitting the horrifying contents onto the stone floor with an appetite destroying 'splat'.

"Don't go standin' on convention on my account, yer worshipfulness."

Luna said nothing as she looked back at the barrier. Believing the distance to be enough, she stopped, lowered her head, and gave her tiny rump a little shake. The two mares now stood on the other side of the room, the cores between them and the door.

Using her magic, Luna reached out again and tweaked a few of the rune bands to help her with this next part. Kneeling on her fore legs, she stretched down and looked over at her accomplice.

“Climb on. And don’t pull any feathers.”

Applejack looked at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. And closed it once more before silently climbing onto the larger pony’s back.

“Hold on. We’re going to ram our way through the barrier,” declared Luna.

Before Applejack could respond, the Moon Goddess shot off like an arrow, straight and true. On the edges of her perception, Luna heard the farmpony hollering something just over her shoulder as they grazed a cobalt blue rune band. The band gave her a boost in speed, and she lowered her head, aiming the business end of her horn at the barrier as magic gathered at its tip. The barrier grew closer and the tip burned brighter.

Just before she hit the rippling surface of the previously impenetrable wall of darkness, Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Chapter 8

A crack of thunder echoed from the valley as the wills of two powerful unicorns collided in a flash of magic. As the red dust settled, Rarity stood panting, trying her best to remain stoic as Sombra trotted in a circle around her, a maniacal grin splashed across his face. The air was heavy with heat, stifling Rarity’s ice magic with its oppression.

"You're in my grasp, Seamstress. From this place, there can be no escape," he hissed from over her shoulder.

Rarity shivered at the sound of his voice as he finished circling her, still wearing his trademark grin. She turned her attention back to him, anger filling her heart as she willed her armored visor into place. She knew he was taking his time, like a cat toying with their prey.

Growling in frustration, Rarity charged forward, determined to meet her fate head on with her hoof, if not her magic. But her assault was short-lived as Sombra caught her hoof and slammed the armored mare into the ground.

"I was trapped in your head for decades, Rarity. Centuries even. But no more," said Sombra as he pinned her down. “You really thought I wouldn’t know your every move?”

A brilliant beam of light erupted from Rarity’s horn, forcing Sombra to drop his hold on her. She leaped up and pressed her advantage with a second blast, but he countered with his own and the two began a brief contest of magical wills. A contest that Sombra won as his shadowy bolt engulfed Rarity and sent her flying backwards.

The first bounce knocked the wind out of Rarity. The second shattered the armor that protected her left shoulder. The third time Rarity hit the ground she stayed down, sliding to a painful, gritty stop.

“Come now, Empress,” chided Sombra, as Rarity struggled to get back on her hooves. “Aren’t you going to fight back? Come, fight me like a true Crystal Monarch and I promise you will die with some dignity.”

The Empress let out a laugh of her own, a bluff though it was, and grinned back at him. “What makes you think I even need to fight you? Princess Twilight is on her way to the Crystal Empire. When she finds that I'm gone, she'll come to rushing to my aid! She has this location spell that—”

Sombra raised a hoof, along with an eyebrow in amusement, before slamming it back down, sundering the ground between them. A cage, constructed from sheets of black crystal, burst up from the ground.

“What makes you think you’ll last that long?” he asked coldly.

Rarity looked at the black cage. The sheets of crystal were tinted so darkly that she could barely make out the shape of a pony prisoner within. Whoever it was ran to the closest edge of its cell, rose up, and banged away against the wall. It was then that Rarity was able to make out who was in the cage. It wasn’t that she recognized the pony by sight, but she recognized them by the sound of its voice and the prickly sensation of its wrath.

It was the Crystal Heart.

King Sombra leered at the Crystal Heart’s avatar before letting loose an animalistic roar. The pony immediately rushed to the opposite end of the cage and curled into a shivering ball. Anger swelled once more in Rarity’s chest.

“Now see here!” she barked, taking a defiant step forward.

Sombra watched Rarity from the corner of his burning eyes, but didn’t grant her his full attention. He grinned as he watched the shivering form within his dark cage.

“You care for it. Amusing,” he said flatly as he stared at the Crystal Heart. “Your bonding with the Heart is… unique. Desirable, even. Never before has a pony merged so perfectly with it. Such a bonding is curious to me, or would have been, once long ago.” He said those words in a way that Rarity, in her most generous of moments, would have considered to be regretful.

But his tone changed in an instant and he chuckled darkly before continuing. “It matters little now. Tell me, Rarity, do you think of yourself as immortal because you merged with the Crystal Heart? That such an act has made you unbreakable? Perhaps you fancy yourself a goddess?” His laughter stopped and at last he turned to face the pony of his ire.

“If so, then you are a fool.”

Dark magic surged from Sombra’s horn and struck the crystal that jutted out of the cage’s top. The inside of the cage suddenly burst into black flames. Rarity dropped to her knees as the pain washed over her. She opened her mouth to scream, but not a word could be uttered. She couldn’t find the strength. She could feel the flames as if they were burning her from the inside out. Rarity forced herself to look up through the pain and at the pony caged within the raging inferno.

The pony stood in the flames as if nothing was wrong. Its head was cocked to one side as it looked at the flames, experimentally poking at it with a hoof.

The flames died out as Sombra pressed down on the dry dirt with a hoof.

Rarity’s body ached with burns that she couldn’t see. Her armor was undamaged as far as burns went, but her flesh underneath felt tender and warm. Suffice to say, she was a very unhappy pony as she struggled to stand.

Sombra snorted derisively at her pain as a jagged clump of rock, like a mountain, began to rise into the raging inferno in the sky behind him. “Come then, Seamstress, take the Crystal Heart if you can. Provide me with some sport.”

“And if I don’t?” asked Rarity, ragged defiance in her voice as she slowly stood up on trembling legs.

“Then you will die,” he said flatly as a second wave of fire washed over the Crystal Heart, and Rarity’s forelegs dropped to their knees once more.

The sensation of licking flames passed. Rarity could once again focus on the world around her, but she found much to her relief and simultaneous dread that she was alone, excepting the pony in the black crystal cage before her.

Rarity took a moment to compose herself and focus her thoughts. Sombra had already proven himself to be a master of both illusion and emotional manipulation. Rarity knew that to think even for a moment that he was gone and she was safe would be most foolish, but she also knew that she needed to free the Crystal Heart, then get back to the Empire.

Never dropping her guard, Rarity approached the cage and tapped it with a hoof. The crystal it was made of felt unnaturally warm to the touch and left her hoof oddly numb. She didn’t want to think about what it must be like within the horrid structure, but it wasn’t hard to imagine, what with the way the Crystal Heart stumbled around within.

“Hello?” Rarity called out. “Can you hear me?”

The Crystal Heart stopped its awkward shuffling. It then looked around aimlessly until it saw the Crystal Empress on the other side of the cage. Rarity saw it try to respond, calling out desperately to her, but she heard nothing through the cage’s walls.

“I can’t hear you, Darling. Just… stay calm and I’ll get you out somehow, okay?”

The Crystal Heart tried to say something again, but to no avail. She watched as it shouted pointed desperately beyond the cage to some point in the distant horizon. The Crystal Heart continued to shout and pantomime, pointing in the direction off to the West. Rarity turned away from the frantic construct, looking toward where it was gesturing.

She had only a trickle of warning in the back of her mind before she felt a blade scrape along the frosted hairs of her exposed throat. She leapt back and cursed under her breath before firing a defensive burst of icy spikes from her center, with the hopes of gaining the upper hoof. But the first blade was joined by a second, and the two floating blades rushed over her barrier, pressing in for the kill.

Rarity barely had enough time to roll out of the way as one of the barely visible, phantom blades stabbed at her while the other swung in lazy arcs through her escape route. The two never quite found their mark, but they pressed her back away from the cage.

Suddenly, the blade that had been cutting lazy swaths through the air turned on the attack and sliced into her unarmored cheek, below her visor, eliciting a squeal of pain and dropping Rarity flat on her rump.

“You can’t win, Rarity,” crowed Sombra as he re-materialized between his two blades. He stood proud and primal in his stance. There was no empathy in those burning eyes. No compassion. He wanted Rarity to hurt. He wanted her to fail.

“I ask again, fool,” he said, spitting his words. “Do you submit?”

Rarity slammed down a hoof, cratering the ground with a frustrated, animalistic shout of her own. She was beside herself with rage. She hadn’t been treated so viciously, nor so casually dismissed in centuries, and she wouldn’t submit such unbecoming behavior now.

“Never, you-you... you brute!” she snarled back at him.

And her world was engulfed in flame for a third time. Once more, the sickening sensation of flames rolling up and down her body, eager to reduce her to so much ash, was inescapable. Rarity dropped to her knees in pain, letting out a brief sob. The sort of sob no pony was meant to make in a more just world.

With shaky legs, she stood, fighting against the natural urge to roll in the dirt and put out the fire. She stood and glared at Sombra, who stood above her in silent fury. She could tell that her willful act of rebellion, as small as it was, had struck him deeper than any magical bolt could have.

“No!” she screamed. “I will not s-submit!” she choked out through the agony that now rolled like searing waves across her body. “I’d rather die!”

“So be it,” said Sombra in a chilling almost-whisper that echoed through the stillness which followed.

In an instant, her body was no longer aflame, and she dropped to her side in sweet relief. But the relief was short-lived, for a growing darkness began to engulf the sky.

Rarity looked up at the monstrosity forming above her. It was Sombra, or at least, it resembled the wicked tyrant, but he was massive.

The darkness poured out of him, swallowing the top half of the cage and engulfing him as the black cloud began to take the shape of his grim profile. The cage that held the Crystal Heart was pressed deep into the red earth as Sombra's growing mass began to weigh heavily on the structure.

“It is finished!” bellowed King Sombra as his colossal head turned to look down at his quarry.

Then he began to inhale.

Rarity’s hooves started to slide forward and her poor battered mane and tail were both pulled towards the inhaling beast. She pushed against the unnatural gale that threatened to consume her. Soon, the force was all but undeniable. Rarity screamed something against the wind, but whatever she said was lost to the howl of Sombra’s inhale.

And then it stopped.

Rarity stared back up at the towering mass above her from the end of her latest slide, momentarily robbed of all thought. Sombra’s form was filled to bursting with the flames of dark magic, so much so that his throat swelled and black flames leaked from his lips and nostrils.

His eyes bore into Rarity’s and she fought against the urge to cower. She knew she couldn’t win, but that didn’t mean she had to act like a foal. If it was her destiny to be reduced to ash in her own mind, then she would meet that destiny head on.

Also, she took a moment to straighten her mane, because hay, why not? If this was how it was going to end, she was going to go out looking good.

Sombra opened his mouth, and black flame rushed out. Briefly, Rarity wondered if there was anypony left in the world who would truly miss her. Twilight, probably. She’d be the last of the six, the poor dear.

The ground rumbled and cracked until there was a sudden, rather comical popping sound like an oversized soap bubble imploding. The pop was followed by a familiar voice shouting “YEEHAW!” which was subsequently followed by a significant amount of coughing by an enraged King Sombra.

Somehow, someway— and Rarity wasn’t ruling out the possibility that she’d finally cracked and that she was well beyond crazy now— her long dead friend Applejack was riding the long missing Princess Luna. The cowpony waved her hat around while riding the princess out of Sombra’s mouth. To his credit, Sombra looked just as surprised as Rarity imagined she must have looked.

He was probably significantly more upset though, if the vile words he managed to spit out between coughs were any indication.

Rarity, dumbstruck by the sight, would have all but forgotten about the evil she was facing, were it not for his incessant coughing and cursing.

Princess Luna cleared her throat with a polite cough of her own and bowed like only a ruler of Equestria could as Applejack hopped off. “Hail, Empress Rarit—”

“EDOUF!” roared a stuffed-up Sombra. He materialized a massive hoof to wipe away some rainbow-colored residue that dribbled down his muzzle. “Gah… What, what is this!? Is this glitter?”

“Huh,” said Applejack, absentmindedly as she watched Sombra’s nasally temper tantrum unfold. The sound of shuffling hooves beside her snapped her out of her rubbernecking. “Oh. Hey there, Rares,” she said merrily, trying her best to ignore the absurdity of it all. “How’s it goin’?”

Rarity felt her stomach drop out from under her, and she moved to put Applejack between herself and the Night Princess, angling herself for defense as best she could.

Applejack looked at Rarity nervously. “What’s wrong, Sugarcube?”

“The last time I saw an alicorn, she melted my lower half into a puddle, Applejack.”

Luna spun around on her back hooves and stared back anxiously at the Crystal Empress. “Who did what now?”

Before Rarity could respond, a heavy blast of dark magic slammed into Luna’s side, sending her spiralling uncontrollably through the air and down the mountainside.

Rarity let out a startled whinney and reared back at the acrid stench of burning ozone assaulting her nostrils. The agitated darkness that previously made up the mountain top dissipated, revealing a sputtering King Sombra, huffing and coughing with maddened eyes. “Wretched mares!” he roared. “You dare assault the sinuses of the True King of the Crystal Empire with glitter?!” Sombra spat a final shimmering globule on the ground.

“And… is that harmony?” he asked while scraping away the last of the bitter remnants on his tongue with his manifested hoof. “I hate harmon—”

A blur of moonlight, like a shooting star, raced past the speechless duo of Applejack and Rarity and smashed into the side of King Sombra’s head, knocking the oversized villain for a loop.

Flapping wings of absolute night before the gray shadow was the fuming outline of a pitch black alicorn. It also exuded shadow and darkness like Sombra, but it had an unmistakable edge to it. A purity that was unsullied by his vile magics. Rarity appraised the two and found Sombra’s darkness could easily be the sort of pleasant shade a pony could find under a tree on a summer’s day, whereas Luna’s bore the very meaning of night.

“Then allow me to put you out of your misery!” growled the cat-eyed shade, before it engulfed Sombra’s body like a vengeful eclipse.

The two shades collided and coalesced into a single mass whose colors warred and mingled together. Though only Sombra’s visage was evident, Luna’s interference was immediately apparent when the tyrant let out a maddened scream. Rarity knew that there was a nightmare brewing within him, and for the briefest of moments felt bad about the smug satisfaction that fact granted her.

“NO!” wailed Sombra as the churning black cloud that had consumed him pulled him off the cage and into the distance. “I DON’T HAVE YOUR RUSTY HORSESHOE, SPIRIT!”

Rarity looked back over at her friend. "Quickly now, Applejack, help me break open this cage. Before Sombra returns!"

Nearby, a large boulder was enveloped in the soft blue aura of Rarity’s magic, and she began to hoist the obstruction into the air.

“So uh, not that I’m doubtin’ you ‘er anythin’, but are ya really plannin' on smashin' it open with a rock?" asked Applejack, hesitantly.

Rarity gritted her teeth as beads of sweat began to collect on the parts of her face that weren’t covered in an icy shell. "If you have a better idea, Applejack, I’m all ears. If not, then for goodness sake, get with the bucking!"

Applejack stepped in front of Rarity and put her hooves on her withers, distracting the mare into dropping the massive rock. As it settled back in place, Rarity starred bewilderedly into her friend’s green eyes.

“Rarity.”

“... Yes?”

“Where are we?”

“We’re in trouble is where we are, now help me mo—”

“RARITY!”

The aforementioned mare sucked in a deep breath through clenched teeth to keep herself from giving a nasty outburst. “What is it, Applejack?” she asked through said clenched teeth.

“Focus. Where are we?” asked Applejack again, but this time she tapped a hoof on the Rarity’s forehead.

“We’re in… my mind,” Rarity answered back softly, realization slowly dawning on her.

Applejack shifted her weight and stepped to the side in order to point at the rocks all around them. “Tell the truth now, Rares. Ya think that cage is real? Ain’t it in yer head too?”

“It's not... Is it?” she asked.

With a soft pop, the cage walls melted away.

Rarity blinked at the approaching avatar of the Crystal Pony with wide-eyed surprise. "I did that," she said with no small amount of amazement. “I’m… I’m in control here, aren’t I? Any power Sombra had… It was all an illusion, wasn’t it?”

Applejack sat down and pulled off her hat to shake some of the awful red dirt off of it. “Welp,” she said with a sad smirk on her lips, “looks like ya figured it out. Don’t ya go’n let that nasty ol’ Sombra outta here, okay?”

Rarity nodded, and farther out, the hellscape surrounding the stone began to shift and change, fading into a wispy grey nothingness that reminded Rarity of the smoke cloud that tempted her before Sombra revealed himself. The dreadful smells of ash and blood left her palate, replaced by the much more pleasant smells of dust and damp stone.

Well, much more pleasant by comparison.

* * *

Captain Shining Star couldn’t have been more pleased as she trotted down the halls of the Royal Train. The Sun was shining, the all-unicorn Arcane Guard that stood under her command was running at top efficiency, and she had a spring in her step that she couldn’t hide even if she wanted to.

And after nearly ten years, she was about to see her dear sister.

She smiled as she peeked into the Royal Train’s observation car, having just come from the adjacent dining car. Though its familiar star charts and telescope were nowhere to be seen, Shining Star knew that they had to be in here somewhere. Probably just buried beneath the thirty some-odd stacks of the latest Equestrian Tax Code.

Princess Twilight was hunched over in one corner with a series of charts, Moon-hexed tax sheets, forms, and a variety of abacuses… abaci? Abaci, floating around her head. Despite the fact that the sudden ruse had been a bluff of complete desperation, Shining Star couldn’t help but feel a swell of old pride as she watched Twilight’s quill dance across a sheet of parchment.

“So… if we take the three and subtract it by six before we multiply it by the interest rate”

“No, that’s not it at all. You have to take the four, then subtract it by six and times it by the interest rate.” The Captain’s eyes refocused on a pair of her guards in the car’s center that had, apparently, decided to help the Princess out.

“Four? How did you get four?” asked Cornelius as he scratched a burnt gold hoof through his white mane.

“Because if you subtract the eight in Column G from the eleve—”

“Which is three...”

“And then you add the General Tax Fund Deductible from Column K, giving us four,” replied Aurora, a rather pleasant pink unicorn with a penchant for creamed carrots and conflagration.

Cornelius nodded. “Oh yeah. Wow, we are so good at this!”

“I know right?!” crowed Aurora as she patted her slightly larger companion on the shoulder. “We should do this taxes thing more ofte—”

“What in the name of all that is good and fungible are you two chuckleheads doing?” demanded a new voice from the other end of the train car. Shining knew the voice, but she couldn’t see him behind the teetering stacks of paper. What was his name again? she wondered.

Cornelius turned on the spot and smiled back at the fuming old stallion. “Oh hey, Flatty, we just figured we’d help with the taxes while you were away.”

Flat Rate, that was the name. Shining suppressed a smile when he fumed at the unwanted and unwarranted nickname while stomping his way over to the two unicorns standing in a crumpled pile of paperwork. A crumpled pile that had previously been a sorted stack.

“Away? While I was away? I was in the bathroom for two minutes for crying out loud and…” Flat Rate’s rant went cold as his eyes fell on the paper in Aurora’s forehoof. “What is this?” he demanded.

“It’s Cloudsdale’s tax fo—”

“Yes yes, I know what it is,” he growled while snatching it out of her grasp. “But would you mind telling me why the Gross Domestic Product of Cloudsdale is four?!”

Cornelius pointed at the completely unrelated form in his hoof as he replied. “Because if you subtract the eight in Column G from the eleven in Colu—”

“GET OUT!” shrieked Flat Rate as he flapped his wings in equal parts despair and accountable rage. The two guardponies leapt to their hooves at the unexpected ferocity and squeakiness of the ERS Commissioner and scrambled for the far door and relative safety of the dining car.

They saluted as they ran past Shining Star, and she smiled at them serenely with a small shake of her head.

“Of all the things I’ve had to deal with today,” muttered Flat Rate as he sat there gathering the forms into a somewhat organized stack. “Teleported onto a moving train. Going through these blasted forms again in the last quarter before processing. Now I’ve got to find something that’ll remove purple crayon from parchment.” He sighed angrily before finishing with, “What else can go wrong?

The train engine, eager to answer his question, slammed the brakes and every carefully organized stack of parchment in the car joined him in a sea of crumpled paper.

“FINAL STOP, THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE,” came an announcement over the magical loudspeaker in the upper back corner by the bathroom door.

Shining Star braced herself in the doorway and watched the wanton chaos unfold. There was a rustling from the center of the car, and soon, Flat Rate’s pale cream colored muzzle poked through the heap. This was followed by a purple muzzle at the end of a long slender neck a few feet away.

“Flat Rate?” asked the obviously oblivious Twilight. With a furrowed brow and cocked head she examined the sorry state of her surroundings. “What did you do?”

Flat Rate answered Her Royal Highness with a series of blubbery whimpers as he sank back below the surface of the paper pile. Not a minute passed before Twilight had fished out the chart she was looking at before the train ground to a halt, an action that resulted in a small eye roll from the Captain of her Arcane Guard.

Shining Star looked at the Princess, and then outside. There was the Crystal Empire, in all of its glory, with its crystal towers and crystal roads and crystal ponies and… now that she thought of it, there seemed to be a lot of crystal around here.

She watched as the other passengers disembarked from the train. Members of the royal staff running about this way and that, making preparations for this thing or that. Nobles strode about idly, chatting with one another about the train ride or the evening’s celebrations to come. Her tail swished happily, despite the nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

All had gone well. Luna should’ve been given enough time to complete her task, hopefully, and the taxes had proved to be more than enough of a distraction for Twilight. Perhaps too much, she thought, turning to observe her otherwise occupied charge.

The Goddess of Magic was still stuck in her own little world of paperwork, her quill scratching away in concentration. Shining Star looked back out the window and waited... And waited some more. At last, she waited until the count of one hundred after the last of the passengers, who weren’t part of the Princess’ entourage, left the platform, before she finally spoke up.

“Your Majesty?”

“Hmm?” Not a single motion was interrupted as the floating abaci clicked away.

“We’re here. At the Crystal Empire?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“We need to get off of, umm, the train….”

“Mm-hmm.”

“The royal trumpeters have been lining the red carpet for some time now? They’re starting to look a bit peevish.”

“Sounds good.”

The Captain felt her left eye twitch. But just a little bit. She tried closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, just like she’d shown her niece. But it wasn’t working. Instead of a gentle request, a thundering demand came out. “MOVE IT SPARKLE!”

Twilight let out a startled yelp, paperwork and quill pens flying every which way, as she was yanked out of her daze.

“Oh, Shining Star, how good to see… Oh, we’re already here?” she mumbled as she looked out at the stationary scenery beyond the observation car’s windows. Gathering her wits and her hooves, she stood up and flicked some errant papers off her back with her wings before using her magic to collect them all into piles again. It was then that she noticed her Captain standing there with a gentle smile on her face.

“Indeed we are, your Majesty; it was a lovely ride,” she said with a soldier’s bow, momentarily taking her eyes off the Princess. “Are you ready to depart? We must get going or—”

“Yes, yes,” said Twilight, who already had her muzzle buried in a manilla folder stuffed full of tax paperwork. She began walking forward without looking where she was going, much to Shining Star’s disdain. ”I think I’ve almost found this error!”

Shining Star's smile became all the more strained. "Have you? My that's... wonderful." she said humorlessly, making her way behind the Princess so as to steer her towards the train's exit. "Just, wonderful."

Chapter 9

“Empress Rarity!” cried a voice both familiar and welcomed.

Turning fully, Rarity smiled at the frantic, featureless form as it galloped towards her, but her smile soon vanished when she realized the Crystal Heart wasn’t slowing down.

“I missed you too darling but, we don’t… What are you d—” Rarity was cut off with an “oomph” as the Crystal Heart tackled her as only a mental projection of the quasi-sentient emotional engine of an entire country could, and the two ponies went down in a flurry of hooves, grumbles, and giggles.

“Thank the Maker!” cheered the avatar with a squeak as it inadvertently pinned the Empress to the damp stone ground with its bear hug. “I am so happy to see you!”

“As am I, but could you jus—”

“I mean, I thought it was going to end in disaster with the return of the Great Corrupter Sombra, the Tragic Betrayer.”

“It was clo—”

“But then Princess Luna found me a— Oh! Rarity Belle, Princess Luna is here! In your mind!”

“I know, I saw her too,” said Rarity with a false chuckle as she struggled to get out of the Crystal Heart’s vice-like grip. “Darling, could you maybe—”

“Yes?” asked the Crystal Heart with a stark grin and a tilt of its head.

“Get off me?”

The Crystal Heart clambered off of her mechanically, after which Rarity sagged to the ground.

“Apologies,” said the avatar as it regained some of its composure. “I’m a bit of a happy heart at the moment. To say that it has been an emotional roller toaster would be an understatement.”

“Coaster,” said Rarity as she stood up. “Roller coaster.”

“No thanks, I’ve had enough excitement for today.”

“...It’s fine.” Rarity released a world-weary sigh, then used the Crystal Heart’s smooth reflective coat as a mirror to adjust her mane. “I've had quite the adventure today, too. For instance, did you know that our third core there wasn’t a Windigo core? That was Sombra’s core the entire time!”

The Crystal Heart nodded its head. “Mmhmm, I know.”

“Yes, and… wait.” Rarity stopped curling her coiffure mid coif and looked the Crystal Heart square in the eye. “You know? What exactly do you mean by that?”

“I mean I knew it was King Sombra,” said the Crystal Heart, staring back at Rarity like a goldfish.

“For how long?”

With the crisp clinking of crystal, the avatar brought its hoof to its chin in contemplation. “Maybe a few decades?”

Rarity said nothing at first, opting instead to simply stare intensely at the Crystal Heart, as if willing it to explode into many tiny, absentminded pieces instead of a great big lummoxy one. “And you neglected to tell me this sooner… why?

“I thought you knew,” said the Heart with a blink. “I mean, Windigos don’t even have cores. Oh, and because King Sombra wouldn’t let me tell you.”

“Oh my stars, you poor thing,” said Rarity as gave a comforting pat on the Crystal Heart’s shoulder. “What did he do to you?”

“Mmm? Oh, nothing,” replied the Crystal Heart as it stared at her. “He just told me not to tell you.”

Rarity dropped her hoof and shot daggers back at the other pony. “And you listened to him?! Just like that?!”

“Well, he did say please… eventually. Okay, so he didn’t say please, but I knew he meant to say that. Probably. Also I—”

Rarity held up a hoof to silence the Crystal Heart before she did something everypony trapped in her head along with her would regret. Instead, she opted to move the conversation along. “My whole being trapped in here. My forgetting of myself. It was his doing, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” replied the Crystal Heart. “He freed himself during your outburst at that awful ambassador and channelled the energy back into your cores until the feedback knocked you out. I tried to stop him, but—”

“But he said please?” asked Rarity, hoping she was wrong.

“Well, he didn’t say please, per se, but I could tell he meant it,” said the Crystal Heart with a nod.

“Lovely,” said Rarity as she stared daggers at the magical being that shared her mind. “Say, could you do something for me darling?”

Again, the Crystal Heart nodded.

“The next time Sombra ‘says please,’” growled Rarity through her air quotes gesture, “would you kindly tell him to go fu—”

The Crystal Heart moved to interrupt, but was stopped when a knock occurred from behind. Rarity turned around, and found herself puzzled at the unexpected appearance of a door. Puzzled, but pleased nonetheless. After all, it wasn’t like her to ‘lose her cool’ as it were. Whomever had knocked on her new cave door just saved her a modicum of face.

Rarity took a deep breath to cool her boiling blood before calling out “Who is it?” in her best sing-song voice.

“Uh…” came the flat response.

The door, wrapped in soft blue light, swung open into the stone chamber, allowing the grim gray lighting of the sky above to pour into their small stoney space.

“Applejack? What ar—”

“Y'all done in here?” asked Applejack as she came trotting in out of the pouring rain.

Each hoof fall was accompanied by a sour squish of sorts. Rarity looked down, her thin smile growing thinner, as she watched with some annoyance as Applejack managed to track in a field’s worth of mud. A set of monogrammed towels appeared next to the sopping wet farmpony as Rarity set about doing a fair bit of mopping. Applejack flashed a quizzical eyebrow as the towel wiped away a dirty splotch on her cheek.

“Really?” asked Applejack.

“Really,” answered Rarity.

Applejack took a moment to look around the room, before letting out a sigh. “It’s a cave.”

“It’s my cave,” Rarity shot back, putting a bit more magical elbow grease than was necessary into the action.

Applejack nodded, conceding the point to Rarity. “So I—”

Rarity interrupted her with a series of tutting noises. “Not yet. I’m not done.”

A silent moment passed. And another. Then a third started, but was punctuated by some sort of far off explosion.

“Rarity!” shouted Applejack, taking the towel in hoof and holding it to the stone floor.

Blue magic tugged at it a couple of times before it went limp and Rarity sighed in mock defeat.

“All done? Sombra and Luna are dukin’ it out on the surface.”

The Crystal Heart looked over at the Empress and smiled. “I like this pony.”

Rarity shot the avatar a glare before addressing her old friend. “Applejack, thank you for all of your help,” she said while giving the slightly muddy mental construct a hug.

“Good luck, Rares. I know ya can do it.” Applejack replied with a squeeze of her own. “Guess I don’t have a lotta time left here, so uh… you know. Don’t work too hard. Take care’a yerself. And ya know… Maybe cut back on the drinkin’?”

Rarity pulled back with a pout. Applejack answered back with a motherly scowl and a raised eyebrow.

Their silent standoff continued for another moment before Rarity generously acquiesced with a put-upon sigh. “Oh, very well. Starting next week.”

Applejack said nothing, but her eyebrow arched just a bit higher.

“Tomorrow?” Rarity begged.

Next came a squint on Applejack’s part.

The last of Rarity’s resistance broke and she gave a little stomp. “Oh, alright fine. I’ll cut back.”

Applejack relaxed her stance and smiled as the color began to seep out of her coat. “Good on ya, Rarity. Remember, the truth will put more hurt on that ol’ Sombra than any fancy talk.”

Rarity nodded with a trembling lip, and Applejack tipped her hat one last time as she faded out of existence, leaving her alone with the Crystal Heart.

A far off blast shook the stone floor of their small cavern. “You two were… close?” asked the Heart.

“She was...” Rarity paused to take a gulp of air, struggling to contain her feelings as she looked at the spot where the construct had stood. It was like losing her all over again, except Rainbow Dash wasn’t here to go insane with grief. “She was a very dear friend.”

“I’m sorry,” said the Heart in an approximation of sympathy. “When she passed away, I—” There was a sudden flash of golden light in its eyes and its head jerked towards the surface. “Princess Luna requires our assistance,” stated the Heart bluntly.

Rarity smiled sadly at the Crystal Heart’s avatar. It was a construct of a much grander scale of magic than she could otherwise access on her own. Enough magic to grant Rarity functional immortality. Whoever or whatever made the Heart created it to facilitate both defense and the emotions of love, peace, and joy to all of crystal pony kind. It was kind, generous and, often, surprisingly gentle.

But it was in no way whatsoever subtle, and conversations with it were usually unfocused affairs.

Rarity rolled her neck this way and that while fixing her mane with a burst of magic. “Where are they?”

The wooden door that appeared with Applejack opened once more out into the rain. The Heart walked through the opening, still focusing its eyes off to some unseen point. Rarity trotted after it.

From out here, in the awful mud and dreary rain, Rarity could tell that they were back on the island. Above them, the same old storm raged. The wind howled and pushed against the island, snapping many trees as if they were nothing. Lightning flashed in the sky, accompanied a hoofful of heartbeats later by the deafening boom of thunder.

“We need to stop this!” yelled Rarity over the wind. The Crystal Heart nodded in agreement as heavy drops of rain plinked off of its featureless muzzle.

“You know, Guardian of the North,” started the Crystal Heart, on a more somber note than Rarity was expecting. “When I was in that cage, it was a strange sensation. Numbing. Dark. Alone.”

Rarity reached out a hoof and waggled it towards herself. “Mmhmm, numbing. I’m absolutely frigid out here in this ghastly rain.”

The avatar cocked its head for a moment before returning to center and continuing. “No. Not like this. It was terrible.” The avatar’s voice cracked and strained as it remembered what was almost both its, and the Crystal Empire’s end. “When the Windigos tried to—”

A warm golden glow to its right stopped the avatar’s train of thought, and the sight of Rarity, gilded as the sun, brought a smile to its face.

“But it wasn’t the end,” said a shimmering Rarity as she reached out a golden hoof to tap the avatar on the chest. “And neither is this.” Immediately, that golden glow was shared between the two of them, and in the blink of an eye the two became one and disappeared.

* * *

Rarity was falling. She recalled for a brief moment when she had first entered this grand pact with the Crystal Heart. She was falling then too. Even then, as it was now, the fall was exhilarating.

She couldn’t help but giggle at the feeling.

A broad grin was plastered across her face from ear to ear as her free fall continued, unabated by cloud or rain. She was beginning to understand why some ponies like Rainbow Dash had devoted their lives, in some way or another, to flying. There was a sort of freedom in losing control.

Rarity experienced a rush of endorphins that prickled up and down from her cheeks to the tip of her tail. She did a little spin, or at least she tried to, though she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy to those that could naturally do this with their wings and their aerodynamics.

Her armor shone with the golden power of the Crystal Heart, it having merged into her once more. It was a strange sensation, almost like feeling each movement twice. It was one that she didn’t realize she missed until it was back. Together, moving as one, sharing the same body, they were easily the brightest light in this dingy sky.

She caught a glimpse of the island below between the clouds and the frenzied wind that batted against her angled visor. It looked better, lusher even, as her golden light spilled through the clouds and dazzled the once sodden surface. Beyond the island, in all directions, was a calming sea. It was a long way from serene, but whatever changes were taking place, whatever influence she had here, it was for the better.

Indeed, everything looked on the mend. Except for the raging tempest at the center of the island. It still held the cancer of the rust colored, cracked earth.

Rarity felt the pull of the Crystal Heart’s attention towards the cankerous center, and she angled herself towards it. It was there she needed to be. She manipulated her armor, creating a rudimentary sort of wing as she did. Opening a flap here, closing another there. Pulling her hooves to her barrel to streamline her profile to better glide to her target.

The clouds swirling about her lashed out with smokey gray tendrils, but she smashed through them with ease. Ice formed beneath her hooves as she streaked forward, forming a sled of sorts.

She continued to cut into the angry cloud, and felt her sled jerk as some unexpected thickness smashed into the underside. It fought back, but only for a moment did it slow her down. Eventually she broke through the cloud layer, and the whole of her mental island was bathed in golden light.

And pinned to the underside of her icey sled was one very angry King Sombra.

The King roared and fired blast after magical blast into the Empress, but each shot bounced harmlessly off of her.

With a wry smirk, Rarity afforded him her attention. “You have no power here.”

“What are you?!” he roared, his eyes shrinking to pinpricks.

“A seamstress,” said Rarity as the sled continued its rapid descent. “I am the Element of Generosity, I am the Heart of the Crystal Empire, the Guardian of the North, and rightful monarch to the Crystal Throne.”

Sombra looked over his shoulder at the ground a mere dozen or so feet below, before looking back up at the glowing immortal that had him pinned to the bottom of her icey conveyance. Then, with assured finality, she stated, “I am your Empress.”

Rarity slammed him into the ground, in the center of the runed circle that was the gateway to her cores. The ice sled under her shattered completely on the impact, but she didn’t move. She didn’t flinch. And neither had she allowed Sombra to wriggle out of her grasp, as he was still pinned under her hooves.

Sombra let out a broken groan as he looked up at the armored figure standing above him, radiating with power and glory.

“You’ve failed, Sombra,” said Rarity. “You are no King. Not anymore. You are nothing.”

Sombra chuckled the best he could with Rarity’s hooves pinning his chest down. “You think me easily beaten?” he asked as inky smoke began to pour out of fissures and cracks that formed in his skin. “You think you are safe from me?”

The former King tried to let out another string of laughs, but it soon turned into a fit of coughing as the smoke that had started to coil around Rarity’s neck was suddenly siphoned just over her shoulder.

She heard the sound of wings flapping and glanced behind her, to the left. There, Luna landed daintily and blinked away her slitted irises. The smokey tendrils pooled harmlessly around her hooves and she offered Rarity a slight nod.

“My power is absolute,” said Rarity, returning her gaze to the broken stallion beneath her hooves.

“Bah,” Sombra spat back, “my will is dominion. Go ahead and do it, seamstress,” he snarled at her. “Kill me, and I’ll just come back stronger, better, more powerful. I’m ready.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at his bold statement. Part of her wanted to grant his request. He’d been a stain on her country’s history long enough; surely the bonds of Tartarus could keep him from plaguing the world again. But there was that note of confidence in his voice that she knew she should not overlook.

“You may have been a part of me, but I am no monster. Death will not be your reward today. I have a different fate in mind for you.”

The runes beneath Sombra pulsed with magic before flaring to life with a thrum of energy. In an instant, the three of them disappeared.

* * *

And reappeared back inside Rarity’s Core chamber. Sombra could tell from the look on his glowing foe’s face, that she could feel two of the three cores’ power just beyond them, straining away at their arcane bindings. He was dismayed to see that they were in such harmony. He was enraged with jealousy at the power of the two cores fighting against his own.

Power that was almost his.

A gasp from Princess Luna tore his attention away from the three cores to above and behind him. Still on his back beneath the unshakable hooves of the one who would take away all he had strived for, he looked back in time to see a golden sash snake its way towards him. It and a eleven others wormed their way out of a glowing doorway.

Curiously, he pondered the origin of this doorway. He’d spent many a decade locked away in this place, and he’d never seen it before. The only door into this place that he was aware of was the one that once contained hi—

“No. NO! I will not be held, Empress!” he half begged her.

But Rarity held fast. He could see the determination in her eyes, and he knew that this battle was lost to him.

“Not by you, not by her, not by anyone!” he sputtered on with threats he knew to be empty. His magic was long spent, and anything he had left would be soaked up by that wretched Princess.

Still he tried, all the same. Tendrils of smoke lurched from the shadows and thumped exhaustedly into the stone floor before they arched up and lashed out towards the insufferable mare who had bested him.

As he expected, they never even reached her.

“The power in this place is mine,” said Rarity as magic swirled around her. Loudly, and with some fanfare, the tendrils popped and sizzled into glittery nothingness. “I am, and forever will be, in control here.”

He roared back as defiantly as he could, but he found that he was a little hoarse, what with all the day’s shouting and villainous laughter.

The golden sash wrapped around his flailing left forehoof, and the warmth of it burned away at his darkness. It was terrible, the emotions it kindled within him. Generosity. Hope. Joy. He hated all of them.

His struggle against the golden fabric that entangled him was fruitless, and his evil heart sank as it pulled him towards the glowing doorway beyond the core chamber.

As it dragged him, he watched as the metal shards of lock and chain that once held the door in place began to assemble around him.

Sombra knew that his new prison was being rebuilt.

“No place can hold me, Rarity! No power can keep me from what is rightfully mine!”

Rarity said nothing. She said nothing, and his loss was somehow the worse for it. Her horn flared brightly again and the magic bonds replied in kind, dragging the former King further into the dark depths.

Sombra watched as his hated adversaries grew farther and farther away. He watched as the door began to knit itself back together. He watched as the last century of planning and healing crumbled into dust, along with the future that would never be.

“Rarity!?” he called out to her. The magic sash that gripped him and kept him stuck to the ground tightened, but the door’s repair faltered but just for a moment.

He could barely make her out through the healing material of the glowing door, but he knew she would hear him out.

“Your enemies hide in plain sight, Rarity. Watch the Southern borders.”

He watched her fluster and frown before turning her attention from the door and looking at him through the closing cracks. He watched her slump in frustration, but she looked to him with what he thought was piqued interest, though she masked it in a voice of annoyance. “Anything else?”

He smiled a wicked smile and nodded. “Burn the dead.”

And then the door fused shut.

* * *

“That should keep him in there,” said Luna as she walked up next to Rarity, nodding to the obsidian lock on the otherwise golden door. A door that was also covered in what must have been miles of bolt and chain.

“That lock is sealed by a spell that only myself and my sister know; he will not break free again.”

“Fantastic,” replied Rarity flatly. “I need a drink.”

Luna frowned and looked over at the rather grumpy Crystal Empress who shared her gaze for a brief moment. A moment filled with warring emotions that flashed across Rarity’s face.

“I think you’ve been drinking too much, Rarity,” said Luna. “To imbibe so frequently, ‘tis not good for you.”

“Oh, ’tis it not?” spat Rarity as she circled on the formerly missing monarch. “I can grow new livers any time I want. But do you know what doesn’t grow back?” she asked, willing away her armor and trotting up to within a hair's breadth from Luna’s muzzle. “What really hurts to be without?”

“Rarity, I care abou—”

“Why are you here, Luna?” asked Rarity angrily as her golden glow began to fade.

The magic in Rarity’s three cores pulsed as one and all the repaired rune lines glowed a fiery red. Some voices, as distant as they were urgent, called out to each other. Luna knew them to be the voices of Dr. Groans, Commander Onyx, and other ponies watching over the sleeping form of their Empress.

Rarity stumbled forward suddenly, and the Crystal Heart’s avatar stepped out of her, like a pony stepping out of a pair of pants, though its hoof remained stuck to the Empress for another moment before they separated fully.

The Crystal Heart stood up and, silently, nodded to Luna before trotting over to its own core and pretending to tinker with it.

A distant clicking sound echoed throughout the stone chamber, to which the runes in the room all flashed at once before calming down. Luna watched as the cracks in one of the nearby pillars instantly mended themselves.

She didn’t have much time. “I came to help you,” said Luna. “I am the Keeper of Dreams, after all. You were in danger, and I was wor—”

“Help? I don’t remember needing your help,” accused Rarity as she dismissed Luna’s offered hoof to stand up again. “After all these years. All these long years... What made you think that I needed the help of somepony who just up and abandons her responsibilities?”

Clearly, Rarity was in a bad mood, and Luna couldn’t help but grin at Rarity’s indignant pouting. “Well, there was that one time with the owlbear.”

“One owlbear? There were dozens!”

“There were three of them.”

“Alright, there were three of them, but the manticore caught me off guard!” snapped Rarity. “And you. You were nowhere to be… What are you laughing about?!”

Luna stifled her snickering and smiled as a wave of nostalgia washed over her. She stared thoughtfully at her hooves, choosing to say nothing as Rarity broke the silence between them with a soft mutter.

“I thought… I thought you were trapped in some Tartarus forsaken place, or… or worse. Do you have any idea what that did to me? What it’s done to Twilight and Cadence?”

Luna’s smile fell from her face, and she cleared her throat before answering the charge leveled against her. “Rarity, you are dear to me,” she said, locking eyes with the unicorn.”. I’m sorry that so much time has passed without a word from me. Truly, I am. But as for why I’m here, I can honestly say that I came to help you. Not to harm you, or—”

“Melt half of me into a puddle?”

Luna fought against the cruel up turn that her trembling lip threatened to take. “Did she really do that?”

Rarity nodded. “She did, I… Are you laughing?”

“Mmm,” said Luna, composing herself as best she could. “No. N-not at all. 'Twould be a terrible thing for a friend to do.”

“Ha, ‘friend’. One only needs to live a few centuries to find out how meaningless and self-serving that term is,” said Rarity as she glanced back at Luna before walking past her and over to the dais at the center of her three cores.

“Meaningless?” balked Luna, wondering for a moment if they put the right pony behind the locked door. “I wouldn’t believe that from you for a second. It was your friendship that saved Equestria countless times.”

“No,” replied Rarity with melancholy in her voice.

Luna felt the ground beneath her hooves shift and the cold seep into her coat. The sound of those far off voices sounded louder than before. More urgent. Rarity was still in a fragile state of mind, and the fate of those in the throne room with her sleeping body, as well as the fate of Rarity’s crystal ponies, required a delicate touch.

“It was Twilight’s friendship,” said Rarity. "It was her belief in all of us. It was always Twilight’s brilliant plans that saved Equestria. Everything was Twilight’s.”

Luna walked forward, slowly, approaching her as a pony might approach a cliff face. She smiled broadly before leaning in and resting her chin across the smaller pony’s head, just above the horn. “This is not Twilight’s,” she said softly. “This is yours. And the Crystal Empire is yours.”

Luna pulled away, smiling at the tears that threatened to pool in Rarity’s eyes. “But jealousy? Jealousy was never yours.”

Briefly, imperceptibly, Rarity smiled herself before turning away. “I was never supposed to do this,” she said, stinging bitterness clinging to her words. “I was supposed to open a few stores, enjoy my life, and leave a lasting legacy in the world of fashion. Not… not this. This is alicorn work.”

Luna cocked her head, feeling her flowing ethereal mane mingle with Rarity’s perfect locks. She frowned. “Are you sure? You’ve risen the Empire into a new age. You've expanded its borders, and poverty is almost non-existent in your realm because of your kind and generous heart.”

“We have the highest rising deficit out of every nation for the fifth year in a row,” Rarity bleakly replied. “I’ve bankrupted the Empire twice in as many centuries, we’re unable to defend our borders from Diamond Dog raids, and our schools have fallen behind Equestria’s.”

“So, you’ve hit a few snags, but at least you know what’s wrong, so you can fix it.”

Rarity shrugged the remark away, but Luna could tell she was getting through to her. “Rarity, if this wasn’t to be your fate, then it wouldn’t have come to pass. If you proved to be ill-suited, We would’ve stepped in. But you?” Luna took a step back and looked Rarity in the eyes. “You are doing great; that I honestly believe.”

“But why?” asked Rarity as she stepped forward, resting her head against Luna’s slender neck.

Luna chuckled and nuzzled the unicorn under her wing. “Because that’s what Honorary Big Sisters do.”

They shared a silent moment. Silent except for the Crystal Heart accidentally dropping its core and sheepishly placing it back at the apex of its pedestal.

“Where are you now?” asked Rarity, her breath tickling Luna’s coat.

“Right now? I’m with you.”

Rarity giggled and took a step back. “No, I mean in the waking world. Where are yo—”

The sky above Rarity and Luna cracked and a bright light shone through, along with the familiar beeping of an EKG.

“Luna?!” shouted Rarity, her ears pinned back to the top of her head. “What is this? What’s happening?!”

“You’re waking up, Rarity,” said Luna with a sad smile. “It was good to see you again. I wish we could spend more time together, bu”

“No! Don’t leave so soon!” begged Rarity. “If you can, come visit me! Please, I-I don’t know what I’m doing! I—”

“Until next time, Empress,” said Luna as she spread her wings, the light starting to dissolve everything around the two. “You’ll do good. I know you will, my little pony."

* * *

Warmth was the first thing Rarity noticed as she returned to her body. Next came the sensation of breathing, and then the tingly feeling of her once numb body.

“Doctors! She’s stabilizing!” shouted a voice from somewhere above her. Rarity’s ears twitched in response to the pounding of hooves as they got closer. Medical was called? How long was I ou—

“What’s going on?” demanded a gruff voice. Rarity experimentally twitched her hooves and legs one at a time as the mare that she assumed was the team’s Charge Nurse gave her report.

The Empress tried to open her eyes, but couldn’t make out anything beyond blurred shapes, and opted to leave them shut. She felt something unusual around her muzzle and tried to reach out and brush it off, but a strong hoof stopped her, putting her leg back down.

“We’ll have you up and out in a moment, Your Highness,” said the gruff voice attached to the hoof. “Finish your report, Nurse.”

“We just applied the oxygen, then ran another magic output test, and suddenly everything lit up! We’re having improved readings across the board. I think… I think she’s better.”

Rarity could now identify the thing on her face as some sort of breathing mask, but she didn’t know what the sticky little things stuck all over her body were. Soon enough, she could feel something clamped to her horn and some other things wrapped snuggly around one of her legs.

“Empress! Are you awake? Can you hear me?” called out a new, gentle voice from beside her. “How are you feeling?”

“D-did somepony get the number of that wagon?” muttered Rarity as she felt the aches in her body returning back to her. She heard the ponies around her offer up a light chuckle at her semi-lucid attempt at humor.

Rarity slowly opened her eyes a second time, only to have the blurry blob of Lady Merry Sapphire’s face just inches away from her own. Blurry as she was, the excitement was clear in her assistant’s eyes.

Rarity stifled a scream with a rather sharp and painful breath.

“Hi!”

“Sapphire, darling,” squeaked the Empress. “We’re definitely going to have a talk about personal space.”

“Personal space? But I—” The smudged form of Merry Sapphire was forcefully yanked away from the Empress, only to be replaced by the vague outline of Commander Onyx.

“Rarity, are you okay? What happened?”

Rarity winced, but whispered all the same. “That’s Empress Rarity, darling. We are in public after all.”

Sheepishly, but in an adorable sort of way, he nodded and mumbled an apology. She patted his hoof and smiled back at him. “I’ll be fine, Onyx,” replied Rarity. “I’ll tell you about… it all, later.”

“It?”

“Yes. It.”

“Alright…” said Onyx as he picked up on her hesitation. “You need to rest. We’ll cancel the rest of the day’s activities, have you taken back up to your room an—”

“Yes, I agree with this,” said Dr Groans, pushing Onyx out of the way. “We need to run tests, and examinations; figure out what happ—”

“You want to do WHAT?” said Onyx as he pushed the doctor back. “No. She’s going to be resting for the rest of the day, not cooped up in some lab!”

“We have to figure out wha—”

“Wait!” Sapphire pushed herself between the two stallions. “We can’t do any of this! We have so much to do! There’s the parade! Important birthday meetings! The party! The Schedule!”

“Buck the schedule,“ snapped Onyx.

“WHAT!” squawked Sapphire.

“Exactly, her health, Commander,” interrupted Groans. “Which is what trained medical professionals are for.”

“Really, Groans? Do we have any of those around?” asked Onyx as he butted his head against Groans’. “Because I can’t seem to find them.”

“Oh, so he’s blind and stupid!”

“I’M GOING TO BREAK OFF YOUR HORN, AND SHOVE IT UP HIS—”

“Enough!” shouted a still weakened Rarity.

Her eye twitched as she watched the ponies in front of her, shamed into silence by her outburst. And yet they still stared daggers at each other like warring foals on the playground. This sort of behavior was highly unlike her ponies. Indeed, she could see some of the medical staff around her bore similar expressions of annoyance and hostility.

What would…? Rarity allowed her train of thought to chug off into the distance as she caught sight of the veritable forest of dark crystals that filled the inside of her throne room.

Of course.

Rarity closed her eyes and reached out with her magic. The first thing she did was flood the room with it, imagining the way it was supposed to look.

A faint rumbling sound emanated around the room, growing stronger until the room itself shook slightly. Rarity heard gasps, which she took as confirmation that her spell was working. The black crystal shards were sinking back into the ground, and by the will of its Empress, the room was fixing itself. Soon, she felt things return to normal as the dark feelings emanating from the crystals dissipated.

The next thing she did was reach out and gently touch every pony in the room, calming them down.

“Now listen,” said Rarity as she opened her eyes again and sat up with the help of the medical team around her. “You’re all right, so we’ll have to reach a compromise. Doctor Groans, I will let you take up to an hour and a half of my time to complete whatever checkups you can to the best of your abilities, and I will personally speak to Princess Twilight Sparkle this evening about obtaining her medical notes on me for you to review. Then we will have a later date set for a full physical.”

Groans gave the Empress a bow and quickly set about directing his medical teams.

“Sapphire, Onyx?” The two ponies stepped in front of Rarity and bowed. Sapphire’s ears were folded back in embarrassment and Onyx stood with the practiced neutral expression of a guard.

“I expect better of you two—”

“Empress, I— we—”

“—but we’ll discuss it later,” said Rarity, cutting off further protest. “There are still things to do today, but I can’t attend all of them, and…”

“And?” asked Sapphire.

“... I might need some help walking.”

“Walking?” asked Onyx, a flash of concern in his eyes.

“Yes, I can’t seem to move my hooves very well,” replied Rarity.

Nearby, Doctor Groans nodded as he scribbled down some instructions for an orderly. “For unicorns, magic expenditure is related to physical exertion. The more magic a unicorn uses, the more exhausted they get.”

Rarity smiled at the explanation and continued. “And I’ve used a great deal of magic today. I need time to restore my magic reserves and gain my strength back. Until then, I need somepony to help me get from place to place. But at the same time, I’m afraid I can’t do anything about the cold I exude. Any suggestions?”

“We could use the Platinum Crown set,” offered Sapphire.

“The Platinum set?” asked Onyx with a frown.

“Oh, good choice. The cape is thick enough that the cold shouldn’t leach through if I have to lean on somepony for help, and besides…” Rarity trailed off as she looked down at the armored greaves of her Crystal Regalia, the set that resembled Sombra’s in so many ways. “I think I’d prefer a change right now.”

“As you wish,” said Onyx with a bow as he stepped away to send a runner for her chosen outfit.

“Sapphire?”

“M-my Lady?”

“I need you to cancel the rest of today’s meetings. Tell them all I’ve had too much fun today, and that I’ll just have to meet with them on another day,” said Rarity as a nurse moved to remove the metal clamp from her horn. “That should work for most of them, but for the persistent, take their concerns and tell them that I will personally address them within the week.”

“Yes, my Lady,” Sapphire said with a bow and left the hall at a quick trot, just as Onyx returned to take her spot at the Empress’ side.

Rarity let out a sigh and looked at Onyx. “Commander.”

“Ma’am, are you sure you’re going to be okay?” he asked as he met her eyes.

Rarity frowned. “No. No I’m not.”

“What would you have me do?” he asked.

“First, just… be here for me. Oh, and remove that dreadful Palace lockdown, would you? This is going to be a party for goodness sake. Let’s get everything back to normal. Second, alcohol. I don't care what it is, just… bring me the bottle.”

* * *

A lone figure, hooded and hurried, galloped through the otherwise empty halls of the locked down Crystal Palace. Anypony left in the halls of the Imperial Palace, whether they be guards or servants, quickly scurried out of his way, as if the very jaws of Tartarus were opening just behind him.

And they were.

Ambassador Blueblood was… Well, he was many things, but right now he was more than a little annoyed as he used his magic to press the ice bag against his horn.

His head was killing him, and although he knew he had a nasty case of frostburn to address, most of the pain that came from that dreadful, couthless, alicorn pretender Rarity cracking his shield as if it was nothing. He knew the Empress was purported to be strong, even rivalling that of the Goddess of Magic herself in some cases. He had prepared for it.

Or at least he thought he did, but Sweet Auntie Celestia, he didn’t prepare for the sheer… raw, uncontrollable power she unleashed. His only solace came in knowing that it was just that. Uncontrollable.

However, he couldn’t have argued against the results of his plan. While he hadn’t hoped to incur the wrath of one of the world’s immortals, it had allowed him to gauge her strength. More importantly, it let him be witness to the continued weakening of the bridge between Twilight and Rarity.

He caught a mare out of the corner of his eye: a tan pegasus with a black mane. Her name was Sandy Gale, or Gale Sands, or some common name like that. She’d caught sight of him and broke into a run to catch up with the fast pace he was setting.

She was one of the last ponies he wanted to talk to today.

“I’d consider today a success,” he said as she caught up with him.

“You really shouldn’t have provoked her like that. Without those lines secure, we'll have no way of halting any cry for help.”

“Oh, shut up, will you?” hissed Blueblood as he turned the corner and started down toward the stables. This blasted palace had too many halls, and he swore vengeance against the simpleton who decided to design the layout like this. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

“Yes, Mi’Lord,” she said mockingly as she kept close to him. “But still, it would be unwise to further push her wrath.”

“As I already said, I know exactly what I’m doing,” said Blueblood. He kept the anger out of his voice with some effort. Even though she wasn’t quite on the level of pawn as that idiotic Ambassador Emerald Shine, game pieces should never question their Master. A frown crossed his face as he looked over at the thing that he regarded as more of a rook or bishop. “Aren’t you supposed to be a unicorn and not a pegasus?”

The mare huffed in response. A flash of green light later and her wings were gone, replaced with a horn on her head. “Better?”

Blueblood rolled his eyes in response. This was clearly a time of work, not idle play. He’d have to request more diligent minions from the Queen next time.

“You should count your lives that nopony was in the hall to see that,” said Blueblood as they continued. “Tell me, are your agents in place?”

“Yes, my Lord,” replied Sandy. “We have sectors one through three covered and secured, waiting to move on to four through six. We’re ready to advance on your mark.”

Blueblood despised these unsavory creatures, but they did the job well. “Excellent. I need to make more calculations before the next phase can commence.”

“More time?” she asked. “My Lord, forgive my hesitation, but the Queen won't stand for another one of your delays.”

“Then she will lose everything unless we play the game as I see fit,” replied Blueblood. Maybe he needed to have a little talk about ‘pieces and their masters’ with her after all. “Equestria is getting closer and closer to discovering the Hives, and I can only keep them distracted for so long. A new development has occurred and it will require my full attention; something the war will need to wait for.”

“Which is what? Upgrading your life insurance?” Blueblood shot Sandy a glare that robbed her of any feelings of confidence she might’ve had before.

“How droll. And here I thought your kind lacked humor. But, no, it is something much more pressing. Something that will need to be evaluated and hopefully used,” said Blueblood. He smiled wickedly, savoring what would come as he launched into a little game. “It has come to my attention that the Empress was attacked several months ago, resulting in injuries that took her weeks to recover.”

Sandy frowned in concentration. Blueblood could tell she was trying to place some of the pieces and decided to let her figure it out.

“We haven’t heard anything about this,” she said slowly. “So, that means the Palace is either embarrassed by the failed assassination attempt and trying to keep it secret, or… it’s unsure of what happened?”

“Good guesses,” he said with a nod of approval. “But sadly, incorrect. Try again.”

Sandy kept silent for a while, something that Blueblood thanked the Sun, Moon, and even the plants for. He needed to think. He had a meeting with the Princess, whose train should be here by now, or at least close. She had a few things to do before she met with the Crystal Offensive Administration Council. He could mention nothing about the Poison Pill Bill, but that arrogant mule of an Empress was more than likely t—

“She’s trying to locate the attacker,” spoke up Sandy, interrupting the Blueblood’s train of thoughts.

“Better, but not yet. The Empress can’t match her attacker’s power.”

Sandy let out a sigh of frustration and shook her head in defeat. “Then why not kill her where she was? What purpose is there to wound an enemy instead of eliminate them?”

Blueblood let out his trademark chuckle. “Perhaps the attacker was out to prove a point? To establish that she was the one in control? That she wasn’t a pony to be messed with? I’m sorry, but you’re guesses were all wrong.”

Sandy groaned as they rounded the stable. “So, who was it, already?!”

“The attacker was none other than Princess Twilight’s former mentor, Princess Celestia.”

Sandy stopped, frozen in place, her pupils shrinking to pin points. “The Sun Goddess lives?”

“Yes,” said Blueblood, as he paused in step and turned on the now panicked mare.

“I fail to see how this is good news," she said as she trotted back and forth. "If she’s still in the Empire, we can't move another inch. The entire operation will be halted, we'll have to start over, years of planning, and then the Queen sh—"

"Silence," commanded Blueblood, interrupting her frantic pacing. "As I said, this bears further investigation. The Empress somehow figured out how to find her. I need time to verify this and confirm the Sisters’ activities. This is the most that has ever been uttered of them in over a century. I hear tell that Rarity left her mark on Celestia as well."

“This is suppose to be comforting?" balked Sandy as they continued toward the stable’s massive wooden doors. "We've supposed them gone, even dead!”

“The Empress has kept this to herself and a hoofful of trusted advisors,” replied Blueblood as the two walked through the doorway that lead into the Imperial Stables. “She hasn’t told Twilight, who was at one time beside herself with desperation to find them. You’d think they had a stack of overdue library books.”

“You plan to use this as another wedge?” Sandy asked him, uncertainty filling her voice.

“Indeed. This is quite the card that has fallen into my, I mean, our laps,” said Blueblood. "It must be played with skill if the greatest effect is to be made."

Blueblood’s magical aura gripped the massive wooden door by the hinges and tore it from the wall, sending it flying behind him back into the hated hallway. Half a moment later, the pair stopped in front of his own carriage.

In his opinion, it was a masterpiece of craftsmareship, speaking of centuries of devotion and pride of the Blueblood name. The exterior was sleek and black with elegantly crafted friezes of blue silver mined in the Minotaur homelands. Pulling the carriage was a six pony team, each of the pale grey stallions wearing matching robes and armor coloration. Their muzzles were fixed ahead, a certain lifelessness in their eyes. Blueblood had... collected them over the years.

Sandy refused to look at the stallions, shaking her head when Blueblood offered her a ride. He grinned as he hopped into the carriage and poked his own hooded face out the window. “Tell your other agents that the operation has been delayed. Nopony is to move without my explicit command. Oh, and no unscheduled feeding, either. The last thing I need is reports of missing ponies and curious eyes looking about."

Sandy nodded, mumbling something resembling a ‘yes’ before vanishing in a wisp of green smoke.

"To the embassy," said Blueblood with a dismissive wave as he leaned back into his seat. He felt the carriage lurch forward and begin its smooth, steady ride to the Equestrian Embassy. He gave a dark chuckle as he levitated a glass full of a red liquid to him and drank deeply from it. The metallic taste lingered only momentarily on his tongue.

Chapter 10

Commander Onyx sat at the head of the table of his own emergency meeting. They were assembled in an empty meeting room just off from the main hall. Rarity was getting the complete physical exam from the medical team in the Throne Room. Lady Sapphire was, hopefully, doing what he asked of her for once, and off adjusting that all-important schedule of hers.

He glanced toward Silver Dash as she and the others at his table worked to cook up the official report on the events that transpired in the throne room. It would be necessary to get any potential damage under control before any perceived weakness could be established. As necessary as it was, now that the immediate danger to Rarity had passed, he found himself barely able to focus on the current task.

And who could blame me? he thought to himself with a snort. Today’s been terrible!

“Commander?” said the Guard Liaison from Equestria.

Worse than terrible, today’s been downright no good. Awful even. I guess when it rains, it storms… or whatever the pegasi say.

“Commander Onyx, what are your orders sir?”

Angry nobles, core feedback, a soon to be ex-wife… Now we’re late for Rarity’s parade and it’s barely noon. I haven’t even had a bite to eat yet today. Maybe Rarity was right about her birthday being jinxe—

“COMMANDER!” shouted Silver Dash with a slam of her right hoof onto the table.

Onyx looked wide-eyed across the table to the silver pegasus. “Sorry, Lieutenant,” he said, readjusting the chin strap on his helmet. “I was lost in thought.”

“It’s fine, sir,” she replied with an eye twitch, “but what are your orders?”

Onyx looked from Silver Dash, to the ponies around him, over to the white board with ideas and bullet points scribbled across its surface, then back over to Dash before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He held it for a moment, letting the day’s confusion fall away from his consciousness and focusing on the most immediate issues. When he opened his eyes once more, he was looking down at the papers scattered about the table.

A copy of the Empress’ entirely useless medial reports, collected inquiries from some nosy nobles, a map of the kingdom, and a smattering of reports of crystal ponies within the capital who had sensed the dark magic that Rarity had unwittingly unleashed pulse when she fell. All of it was important, but nothing told him what to do. Only his gut and years of experience could do that.

He looked up and pointed a hoof at one of the guards at the table. “Remove the Palace lockdown.”

His hoof moved to the next pony in line now that the first was up and rushing out of the meeting room’s mahogany door. “Clear a path through the halls to the parade float for the Empress.” A swift salute and a scuff of chair legs on marble floors, and the second guard was gone too.

Now pointing at the third guard in line, Silver Dash, Onyx continued in his authoritative tone. “I want all guard operations to resume their normal activities for the Empress’ Birthday. Get out there and ensure that every checkpoint, every stakeout, and every guard station is ready for the parade to start. Report any issues to me within ten minutes.”

Dash saluted as she pushed off of the table, flapping her wings into a silver blur as she burst out of the open window and out into the city below.

“You two,” he said, gesturing to the last two guards left with him in the room.

“Yes sir?” asked the grizzled old veteran with a scratchy voice and a very robust five o-clock shadow for noon.

“I have a very important mission for you two.”

The grizzled veteran’s rookie partner let out a subdued squeal of glee. His eyes twinkled at the thought of this, his first real assignment— and from the Commander of the Imperial Guard no less.

“I need you two to pick up my suit for tonight’s party from the dry cleaner on 3rd and Friesian.”

The veteran pushed himself away from the table while nodding somberly. “Back into the fray,” he said more to himself than anypony else, and the two left Onyx to his own musings.

Eventually, he pushed himself out of his chair and walked around the table, scooping up papers and sorting them into folders for later storage. He also took longer than he really needed to wipe down the white board. But, as he told Silver Dash earlier, he was lost in his thoughts.

That is, until there was a sudden gust of wind from the open window at his side, and a quick flash of silvery light.

“All posts accounted for and ready, sir.”

Silence was her answer.

“Commander?”

He didn't hear her, or at least, he pretended not to hear her. He felt somepony tap his shoulder, and saw the concerned look of Silver Dash upon turning around.

“Onyx, are you okay?” she asked with concern. “You aren't normally like this.”

“No, Dash, I’m not.” Onyx took a step over to the table and plopped down into an empty chair. “It’s… Violet Rose came by to see me this morning.”

“Oh!” said Silver Dash hopefully. “And it wen—”

“We're getting a divorce.”

“Oh… Wow. That, uh. That sucks, sir.” Silver Dash sighed as she pulled her helmet off her head. “That really sucks, sir. Is there anything I can do?”

"No. Nothing for now, Lieutenant."

"Well, I mean, if you ever need somepony to talk to."

"Thank you, Dash. I appreciate the thought." Onyx slid back out of his seat and walked to the door with Dash trailing behind him in the air. "But enough about that,” he said as they passed the threshold of the meeting room and out into the main hall full of ponies chipping away at the ice which had formed around the Throne Room door. “Are you still leaving tomorrow for Cloudsdale?"

“I was thinking about it, but with all the stuff going on...” Silver Dash sighed. “I think I might put it off for another week.”

“Don't,” Onyx said. “You’ve really been busting your wings around here. Take your squadron home for the week. Relax.”

“I would, sir. It’s just that I would feel bad if I... missed anything important next week,” said Dash, grinning sheepishly at the excuse. “Lots of important stuff… you know... going on, right?”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “True, but very little of it has to do with the Guard,” said Onyx as they continued on, passing ponies readying themselves for the upcoming parade. “Look, if anything does come up when you’re gone, I’ll be sure to include it in your report for when you get back.”

“I’ll leave on Saturday, okay? I jus—”

“Dash, don’t make me pull rank on this one.” He looked at her and saw a bit of himself in those determined eyes. A bit of his past that, if he could, he’d go back and fix. “Time off is important. Family is important. Trust me on this one.”

“Yeah, no, you’re right. You’re totally right, Commander,” said Dash as she lowered herself to the ground next to Onyx in front of the doors to the Throne Room. “I, umm, I guess today has rocked the airship a bit. Everything can wait.”

“Thank you again, Lieutenant,” said Onyx. “I’m going to bring the Empress to the floats, you go get your squadron ready for the parade.”

The armored pegasus snapped a quick salute before taking a quick glance at the meeting room door they’d just exited. “Oh, do you want me to grab those files and put them in your office?”

Onyx smiled and gave Dash a pat on the shoulder. “Good thinking, Lieutenant. There’s some sensitive information in there. Can’t have that falling into the wrong hooves now, can we?”

She laughed uneasily. “Yeah, that’d just be the worst,” she replied before zipping off.

Poor gal’s working too hard, Onyx thought to himself with a shake of his head. He took in a deep breath and gathered himself before slipping past the twin doors into the Throne Room.

A few guards had been left in the room, but otherwise it was just the medical team and the Empress. And in the middle of it all was the most miserable looking pony Onyx had ever laid eyes on.

And that was counting boot camp.

Rarity was still on the floor, but she was sitting up; a marked improvement over the last hour or so where she was splayed out on the floor, kicking her hooves like a dog having a bad dream. She was resting on her haunches, leaning against the seat of her throne as the medical team ran tests, took blood samples, and tried their best to collect as much information as quickly as they could from their equal parts groggy and irritable Empress.

Doctor Groans, the cantankerous unicorn who Onyx swore was half goat, stood awkwardly on his hind legs with a fan of clipboards enveloped in his orange aura. Five floating quills scribbled across them all in his awful hornship while he rubbed his stubbly chin dismissively with a free hoof.

Doctor Mendelin, ever the spoonful of sugar that accompanied Groans’ bitter pill, did her best to address the emotional aspects of Rarity’s care. Currently she was braiding away at the Crystal Empress’ mane while asking a seemingly unending string of questions.

“On a scale of one to ten, with ten being terrible, and one being lovely, how do you feel?”

“Mmmmrf,” came the half-hearted reply.

“Does it hurt when I press here?”

“Nnnngmmf!”

“I’ll take that as a yes. Are you on any new medication?

Onyx could barely hear Rarity’s response over the construction equipment behind him that flared into life to chip away at the ice on the Throne Room’s doors. Not that anypony would have understood her responses anyway.

Not with the brown burlap feed bag strapped to her face.

The Empress had her head lowered into the thing, munching away and nodding or shaking her head as best she could to the barrage of questions.

“—completely necessary, your Majesty,” Onyx heard Groans say as he got closer to the three ponies trying to communicate over the ruckus on the other side of the room. “I know it’s not quite the five star daisy sandwi— SANDWICH THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD IN MIND, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT THAT… THAT YOU EAT YOUR OATS!” he shouted as the grinding and pounding was accompanied by the intense ‘Froosh’ of magical flame being ignited.

He saw Rarity, silhouetted by shadow and dancing flame, pause and lift her head up at the doctor, begging him with her eyes.

“NO, I…” He trailed off as all the cacophony behind him died so suddenly that the silence left their ears pounding. “No, I’m afraid not, Empress,” continued Dr. Groans as the quills started back up again. “These are magical oats. They’re specially designed to help a unicorn regain their strength and recover depleted magic stores.”

“Mmmhru hmd vm?” asked Rarity.

“Have I tried them? Oh heavens no,” he said with a scoff. “I bet they taste terrible. Now you just sit there like a good little filly and eat your oats.”

Rarity gave a pathetic moan of defeat and resigned herself to her oaty fate. Onyx fought hard not to grin at this display as he pushed his way through a wall of floating clipboards to make his presence known. “How’s the patient? Are we done here?”

Groans looked at his notes and nodded. “Sadly, yes... Not you, keep eating,” he said as Rarity let out another whiny. “This has been a fascinating adventure. Hay, if we can process at least half of the data we got, we’re looking at a significant leap in our understanding of core dynamics.”

“And that’s… good, yes?”

Dr. Mendelin reached over and gave the good commander a pat on his shoulder. “Yes, that’s good,” she said before turning to look at Rarity once more. “Be that as it may, it doesn’t help us help her. We still can’t interpret what’s normal or abnormal for her. She has two heartbeats, she runs extremely different internal and external temperatures… It may be decades or another century before her doctors are able to address her medical needs.”

“But… she’s okay for now, yes?”

“For now?” asked Dr. Groans, looking up from his paperwork and eyeing Rarity with concern before shrugging his shoulders with a non-committal “Yes.”

There was an uneasy silence in the room until Dr. Mendelin stood up and addressed the Crystal Empress directly. “But to be sure, we’re going to need the medical records that Princess Twilight wrote up for you.”

“I’ll make sure you get them,” replied Onyx, stepping in before Rarity could reply. “Now, if you’d be ever so kind as to have the last of your medical team leave the Throne Room, I can debrief the Empress and escort her to the parade staging point.”

Groans moved to open his mouth, but his partner quietly kicked him in the leg. “Thank you, Commander,” she said before bowing to the bleary-eyed Empress. “By your leave, Your Highness.”

“Make sure you get her to eat all of those oats!” shouted Groans as he was dragged out of the Throne Room.

With the last of the medical team gone, and ice removal on the doors complete, Onyx and Rarity were once again alone in the Throne Room, as they were before all this madness started.

A lot happened in the last two hours.

To his left, he spotted a lone cloak, no doubt left by one of the dozens of ponies who’d set about repairs to both the room and Rarity. It was a gaudy silver thing with a deep red satin lining.

He grabbed it and draped it over Rarity’s back before taking a seat next to her while she tried pawing the feedbag off of her face with her hooves as her horn ineffectually fizzled and blooped wobbly bubbles of blue magic.

“How are you feeling?” he asked while popping the strap behind her head.

“I— argh, damnable piece of— thank you, darling,” said Rarity with a relieved sigh as Onyx helped her out of the feed bag. “I hope an eternity in Tartarus awaits the fool who made this contraption. I’m fine, Commander, but I don’t suppose you brought a lady something to drink?”

Onyx smiled down upon his liege and reached into the small saddlebag just on the inside of his etched armor, where the backplate met his left hind leg. “I did, in fact I… Huh?” he said, puzzled as he froze there for a moment, feeling at the object in his hoof.

“Huh?” parroted Rarity.

Curiosity written across his muzzle, Onyx pulled the unknown object out of his bag and held it up for them both to see. He distinctly remembered pocketing a small brandy bottle, but the item in his hoof— indeed, the only item that was in his bag— was not a brandy bottle at all.

It was a mouth-wateringly plump ruby red apple.

“I guess I… didn’t?”

Rarity mumbled something unintelligible— something about earth ponies and their stubbornness and their nosiness— before dropping her head between her hooves with an unladylike grunt. “It’s fine, Commander. I was actually considering cutting back a bit. Promise to an old, cheeky friend, and all that.”

Onyx nodded, pretending as best he could to understand, as he gave Rarity the apple, who bit into its crisp and juicy flesh with a frown. Silence reigned for a couple of minutes before either spoke again.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“Not particularly, no,” replied Rarity, chewing delicately.

Onyx stretched his shoulders and took a deep breath. “Well, in that case, I’ll start the debriefing. At approximately Oh One Hundred Hours, we—”

“It was simply magical feedback,” interrupted Rarity, rolling the half eaten apple back and forth in her hooves. “That’s all it was. Just a little one too, mind you. A core overloaded here, affected the others there, and wouldn’t you know it, it knocked me out cold. Simple as that.”

“And?” asked Onyx as she put her head back down. “Empress, I know there is more to… it.”

“Well I’m done thinking about it for now,” she said in no uncertain terms.

But Onyx wasn’t the kind of pony who got where he was today by backing down. “Please, Rarity. As the stallion in charge of your protection, I need to know so I can hel—”

“I said NO!”

Onyx didn’t remember getting up, but he found himself standing several feet away from Rarity, who’d managed to disappear underneath the cloak lent to her, hiding like a foal afraid of a thunderstorm. Only she was the thunder.

He could just make out the muffled apology coming from within. Carefully, he approached the cloak and poked it gingerly with his hoof. “Empress?”

“I’m a dreadful mess,” came the cowed reply through the cloak. “I’m sorry, darling. That was… I didn't need to do that.”

Commander Onyx stopped fishing for her, instead opting to resume his watch seated beside Rarity. “You’re going to have to tell somepony, someday, about what’s going on in there,” he replied. “Me, Sapphire, Princess Twilight... I don’t really care who. But whoever it is I hope it’s somepony who will stand by you, and see you through to its end.”

Rarity laughed dismissively. “Till the end? There’s nopony who would stand by me till the end.”

“Horseapples,” said Onyx.

Rarity let out an impatient huff. “Onyx, I don’t fully understand what happened yet,” she said, her voice softer than it was before. “That third core wasn’t Windigo at all. It’s worse. It was… It was him.”

“Him? Him who? Discord? Tirek?”

“No, don’t be ridiculous,” said Rarity. “The other him.”

“Blueblo—”

“Sombra. King Sombra. Or, if we’re going by his business card, it’s King Sombra, Ruler of the Crystal Empire, Great Oppressor and Tyrant, D.D.S.”

Onyx fought against the sudden dryness in his mouth, along with the natural urge to flee, and croaked out a response “But... how?”

Rarity shook her head. “How? I don’t know. But, if you’re willing to stay with me till the end, I’ll tell you a tale.”

Onyx nodded and remained silent as he listened to Rarity’s story. Her falling out with the Element of Laughter. The years of difficulty it caused. The return of the windigoes. Her merging with the Crystal Heart.

Some of her stories Onyx could recall from the school days of his youth. To hear them told first hoof was surreal. For the first time in his life, he felt a connection with his Empress that went beyond admiration or even desire. This was the connection of loss and longing. Commander Onyx, the mortal, received a brief glimpse of what it’s like to live for two hundred and fifty years. To know that there was no end in sight.

He marvelled at Rarity’s conviction.

Her story shifted into the now, as if it had always been. She spoke of her argument with Blueblood, touching on her first encounter with his great-ancestor. It had set the tone for every succeeding encounter in the past two centuries.

Rarity got to the part where she had collapsed, asleep to the world, but moving and aware in the theater of her own mind. There was the false Sweetie Belle, Applejack’s timely rescue, the decaying island, her three cores, the visions of the future, and the battle against Sombra.

The most surprising revelation, however, was the appearance of the long absent Diarch of Equestria, Princess Luna.

Once remained quiet for a very long time after Rarity finished her story. It was the sort of thing that required a tremendous amount of focus and willpower to sit through. Had it come from any other pony, he would have called some nice ponies in white suits to come and collect them.

“...I never knew you had a sister,” he finally said.

Rarity smiled sadly at that. “I did.”

“Do… Do you have any living family?”

“Last I checked, I had a precocious new great great some-odd nephew in Manehatten.”

Silence reigned again for a time as Onyx stared about the Throne Room, collecting his thoughts, when realization hit him.

“So, this means that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are still alive!”

“True.”

“This is excellent news! We can tell Princess Twilight and—”

“Oh no, no no no no,” said Rarity with a grim chuckle. She rested her hoof on Onyx’s chestplate. “Celestia made it very clear to me last time not to tell her. Besides, the last time Twilight got wind of the missing princesses she dragged me along for an absolutely dreadful search party, that turned into a pity party, that then became Twilight’s one hundred and twenty first birthday party in Los Pegasus.”

“Where?”

“Los Pegasus, darli— Oh... right,” she said with a nervous and completely non-incriminating laugh. “Nevermind, moving on.”

“So, no mentions whatsoever to Princess Twilight about the Sun and the Moon?”

"Not a one," said Rarity with a shake of her head. "Luna is the Keeper of Dreams; she can transverse the ley lines into the realm of dreams from anywhere, so it’s unlikely that her physical body is anywhere near here."

“But she could be, right? Do you think there’s a chance that she’s here in the Empire?” asked Onyx.

Rarity sighed in response, a note of concern stretched across her otherwise calm face.

“If you had asked me before brunch, I would have said that it was impossible. I was sure that, if she was okay and unhurt, Luna wouldn’t risk coming here so soon after what transpired between her sister and I,” said Rarity. “But now… I'm in some doubt.”

Onyx stood up and stepped away from her before asking his next question. “And what about Sombra?”

Rarity craned her neck and responded with a raised eyebrow. “What about him?”

“Well… Can he hear me now?”

Rarity’s ears flattened against the top of her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for just long enough, before letting it out with open, reassuring eyes once more. “No,” she promised. “No, he’s neither listening nor speaking.”

Onyx let his shoulders sag for a moment. “That’s a relief. But, those visions. The ones that he showed you... Are they real?”

“Honestly?” asked Rarity, searching for the right words. “I want to say no, but… they say the best lies are crafted from truth. Some parts come to pass, others may not. A wise pony once told me that fate flows like a river, and although Sombra would see it twisted to his will, I won’t let that come to pass.”

Onyx took a step forward and offered her his hoof. “We won’t let that come to pass.”

Rarity took his hoof in her own and studied it. The way his unshorn fetlocks glistened like soft silky strands of the dark agate of his namesake. Onyx fought against the warring emotions within him as Rarity—beautiful, stunning Rarity—held his hoof, looking into it with a gem appraiser’s eye. He hoped that the steely resolve in his voice could be felt.

“You’re the Crystal Empress— the Heart of the Empire— and it comes with duties and trials that are beyond mortal comprehension. I get that. But this whole ‘lone ranger’ gig you’ve got going on needs to stop. Or did you forget that your moods affect the moods of your crystal ponies? What do you think is going to happen to every crystal pony linked to you when those bottled feelings escape?”

That must have done it. Onyx rewarded himself with a mental pat on the back as Rarity poked her head out of her makeshift tent and looked back up at him with a dawning expression. Of what, he wasn’t sure, so he kept going.

“Its not just your Empire; it’s also mine. It’s my colt’s, my guards’, and my ex-wife to be’s. It’s our Empire. You need to realize that. Maybe you knew that at some point, but… it looks like it’s a lesson worth re-learning.”

“Commander Onyx, I…” Rarity said with liquid eyes, shimmering into his own.

Onyx leaned forward until he was close enough to smell the antiseptic that lingered in her mane. “Yes?” he asked with a quivering voice, leaning in with his eyes closed.

“You’re right!” shouted Rarity, who shot to her hooves, smashing the top of her head into Onyx’s plated chinstrap with a resounding ‘Tong’.

The poor stallion never saw it coming. He once more found himself several feet away from Rarity, who was now bubbling over with excitement in a way that he had never before seen. Only this time he was on his back with little blue diamonds spinning in his eyes.

“Why, I’ve neglected those in my charge! I’ve been asleep at the reigns, as it were! I’ve got to get out there, and live! LIVE, I say! If anything is going to fix this country of ours, Snowflake, it’s the power of generosity!”

“Gmrosify?" asked Onyx, blushing from the use of his first name and trying desperately to loosen the grip of his helmet’s chin strap.

Rarity nodded and tried to respond, but instead she stumbled and swooned to her right, collapsing on top of the cloak once more. “Oh dearie me. That... hoo, I feel downright faint.”

Finally popping the chin strap loose on his helmet, Onyx rolled back to his hooves and hurried over to Rarity’s side, cooing and tut-tutting like a busybody nursemaid. “Careful there, Empress. Don’t overdo it, otherwise I’ll have to strap that feedbag back on.”

“You do, and I’ll have you shipped off to an outpost in the Northern Wastes so fast that your bal—”

“Joking, Rarity. I was only joking,” he half-pleaded, slipping the cloak over her shoulders before making their way to the closed double doors.

“Quite,” she replied with her head held high.

Both parties were thankful for the ensuing silence that echoed off their hoof-falls on the way. Upon reaching the door, the Commander gave two solid knocks, and it opened to reveal the reddish-brown face of a guard that Onyx was growing increasingly familiar with.

“Commander?”

“Garnet Tower,” he said, nodding in greeting to the pony coming to him. “Please head to the parade rally point and inform them that the Empress is on her way.”

‘Yes sir.” He snapped a quick salute and marched back over to a group of guards, relaying the information before the three of them set off down the hall.

Rarity nudged Onyx with a hoof and offered a warm smile. “Is Sapphire going to be here soon?”

“No,” replied Onyx. “She’s going to meet us at the rally point.”

“Ah, well, I guess we’d better get going,” said Rarity as she stumbled forward slightly, only to be caught by her faithful commander. “Thank you, darling. I must be weaker than I thought.”

“Are you sure?” asked Onyx with concern as he looked down at her. “Do you still feel up for the parade?”

Rarity nodded her head as she leaned on him. “Yes; we need to do this part,” she said. “Besides, I do find this to be tolerable, if not enjoyable.”

“That’s good to hear... I always hoped that you liked the parade,” said Onyx as he escorted her into the hall. “I remember watching it when I was a colt. You seemed so happy back then... so full of life.”

“The feelings I get when I’m up there at the head of it all; the raw emotional support from everypony… Let’s just say that I can see how a changeling could get hooked on the stuff,” replied Rarity with a grim chuckle.

“Let’s change the subject. Perhaps a look at the positive side of things?” implored Onyx.

“Well, I know this wonderful stallion that recently entered the singles market.”

“Still need to sign those papers, Rarity. Let’s think of something mutually positive. Did anything exciting come from your other meetings?”

With that, Rarity tapped Onyx just below his shoulder pauldron with an icy cold hoof. “Ah! Well, the Empire now owns a sizable area of real estate, thanks to our good friends in the Griffon Republic.”

“You got Shimmering Bay?” asked a thoroughly surprised Onyx.

“Of course I did, darling. It wasn’t too difficult. It just took some persuasion, skill, tact, no small amount of charm, and a few extra bits.”

“How much?”

“Nearly half of the treasury.”

Onyx stopped dead in his tracks, and considered his next words very carefully. “That… will throw the Council into quite a fit.”

“That’s nothing; wait until they hear about the bat ponies.”

“Ah yes, the bat ponies. Scared the socks right off one of our newbies when they landed at checkpoint alpha.” Onyx chuckled as he was nudged into forward motion again by his freezing cold accompaniment. “How did it go? Did you promise them the moon?”

“Their colony is in danger of collapse. They can find no empty caves to the South, and from what they had to say, work was nigh on impossible to find. So I may have offered them an elaborate cave system in the Hillsbrad mountains, citizenship, and employment opportunities.”

“May have? Did you run this past the Council first?”

“Darling,their only job is to advise me,” said Rarity as they took a left down a hallway lined with heart-covered wallpaper. “In the end, the ultimate decision lies with me.”

“Just be careful with all that muscle flexing,” replied Onyx. “The Council is under the impression that they have power.”

“They have as much as I allow them,” she replied curtly. “But yes, I do see your point. We’re in no position to have a civil war on our hooves, what with everything else going on.”

Onyx nodded in agreement and the two fell silent to their thoughts as they continued down the hallway.

“You know, I always wondered why this hallway is so… pink.”

“It’s an homage, Onyx, to the Crystal Empire’s former rulers, Princess Cadence and her Prince, Shining Armor.”

“Was the whole palace this pink when they ruled?”

“Oh heavens, no. That would be awful,” she said, sticking her tongue out in disgust. “Whoever heard of a pink castle? No, I rather like this hallway. It reminds me of Princess Cadence. Always calm. Always unassuming. Never one for irrationality or sudden, unexpected movements. She’s always been patient with me. Kind. Whenever things got too rough with the business of Empire building, she was always the one to ‘encourage’ me in just the right way.”

“Was it always this tough?” asked Onyx.

“Oh very much so,” replied Rarity. “In fact, if we’re discounting the threat of war with Equestria, and the fact that Sombra’s locked away in my perfectly coiffed head, we’re living in a relatively tranquil time for the Crystal Empire.”

“Wow.”

“Indeed.” Rarity stifled a laugh as she leaned harder into Onyx’s side. “This one time— gosh this must have been over a century ago— I decided I needed to try my hoof at dressmaking again.”

“While running the Empire?”

“Mmm, hmm!” Rarity shook her head with a little laugh. “And it was right in the middle of a fitting for Twilight and…”

Rarity trailed off, and Onyx could no longer feel her at his side. He glanced over and found her looking into the distance a few feet behind him. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Just... remembering better days long gone by.”

“So relations haven’t always been this uneasy between the two of you?”

“Of course not!” exclaimed Rarity. “Just the last few decades or so. Really, ever since that weasel Blueblood became Ambassador… Well, it’s taken a toll on both of us.”

“Things will get better,” said Onyx.

“I do hope so,” said Rarity, now trailing behind Onyx as the two walked alone down her palace halls. “So we go left, right?”

“Right,” corrected Onyx.

They walked and Onyx listened to the sounds of their hoof falls. How they resonated so well together. And, despite all the terrible goings on the day had thrown at them, now he was content with leading his Empress to the parade. Her parade. His favorite part of her birthday.

Finally, when he could take it no more, he dared. He took a breath and opened his heart. “Empress… Rarity. I’ve been thinking. About everything that’s happened to us today. I think it would be a good idea if we, that is to say you and me, just… took some time off, you know?”

Silence was his answer, so he pressed on.

“Nothing too crazy! I was thinking something like a trip to go off somewhere. Sort of clear our heads of all this craziness. And then come back.”

Onyx waited a moment for Rarity to object, but she didn’t. “Anyways, my second cousin is in line to be the Patriarch of the Apple Clan, and there’s this wonderful little cabin out by Saltlick Lake that I rented out. I had sort of a couple’s retreat idea, for Violet and I. But... that doesn’t matter so much now. Still, it’d be a shame to miss out. On the trip that is.”

Again, silence greeted his ears. Excellent, it meant that she was at least thinking about it instead of a flat out rejection.

“I mean, sure there’s just the one queen size bed,” he continued on. “But uh… what do you think?”

Onyx waited for an answer, growing more and more worried that he rushed this too fast as the silence dragged itself out.

“Rarity?” Onyx paused and looked around, finding himself alone in the hall. “Ah crap baskets.”

Chapter 11

To say that Lady Merry Sapphire was growing impatient was an understatement.

She would have marched a small, circular trench from pacing if there wasn't already a parade-and-a-half’s worth of show-ponies, crew members, and floats of all sizes crammed into the Crystal Palace’s inner courtyard. Instead, she was sitting between a yodeling tap dancer practicing his moves and a torch juggling unicorn applying salve, trying to keep herself from grinding her teeth into dust.

She huffed and she puffed, and she adjusted the Princess Platinum set as it sat frumpily upon one of the Empress’ old dress forms in its little wagon.

“Commander,” she hissed silently to herself. “You had one job, just the one.” She checked the massive sun dial on the wall and frowned. Sure, immortality had a way of screwing with a girl’s sense of time, but they can’t be that late… Can they? The parade was now fifteen minutes behind schedule. Everypony around her was waiting now, no last minute prep, no reorganization. Just waiting.

The float drivers that weren't happily strapped into their saddles collecting holiday-overtime-and-a-half were chatting amongst each other about what Sapphire assumed whatever the latest sporting event was. Off by the ‘front’ of the parade line, if the cramped semi-circular courtyard could be considered to have a front, the marching band members were overheating in their velour uniforms, wrapped as they were in drums and flugelhorns.

The local collective branch of the Cutie Mark Crusaders that hadn't cried themselves into a fitful nap were literally getting into everything: bushes, floats, the manticore cage. Meanwhile, their volunteer Cutie Mark Caretaker for the parade was scrubbing away with a mop at a small puddle of what Sapphire prayed was lemonade.

Sapphire diverted her eyes and sought out the special guard unit assembled to march in the parade instead. At least they were behaving. The unit assigned to the parade had their own color guard who would lead the Empress’ float through the streets of the capital. Fraternizing with the color guard were some ponies she also recognized as palace guards, though they weren't in uniform. Onyx must have some sort of plainclothes operation underway. Mixed in with the un-uniformed officers was Major Tom, commander of the elite Diamond Division.

Huh. I didn't realize Tom had a bald spot. Sapphire stood up between the torches and the yodeling and stretched her back. Oh, what she wouldn't give to fly out of here for just a moment to stretch her poor neglected wings. She last used them in Rarity’s dream-realm, but… it just wasn't the same as the real thing.

Instead of manifesting her wings to go for a roll among the clouds, and undoubtedly reveal herself to the rest of the world before it was time, she strapped herself back into the harness on her little wagon and walked back into the Palace. Sapphire grumbled to herself as she pulled along the priceless treasure that was the Princess Platinum regalia like it was dirty clothes being sent to laundry.

She’d only traveled half the length of the Noble Hall, from its egress out into the inner courtyard, when she spotted the object of her ire coming towards her at a brisk pace.

“Commander!” shouted Sapphire exasperatedly. Onyx froze in place at the sound of his title, eyes wide as she charged over to him, but Lady Sapphire paid little heed to his expression and her rattling cargo. “Commander, praise the stars that you’re here. We have got to get this parade moving before… Where’s the Empress?”

“There’s been a slight… issue with that,” said Onyx as he pivoted to his right to open a nearby door with a hind leg while Sapphire undid her cart harness. “Get in, I’ll explain everything,” he said as he scoured the hall for watchful eyes.

Sapphire walked into the opened room, fearing the worse. Had her cover been blown? Did Rarity relapse so soon? Was th— Something brushed up against her flank, and she spun in place to determine who and in what way somepony would die this day.

But instead of the unwanted affection of a pony destined with doom, it was the outstretched hoof of the dress form being wheeled in behind her.

“This janitor’s closet isn't big enough for the cart, what are you— OOF!”

Onyx gave the dress form one final shove to get it all the way into the darkened closet before shutting himself in the cramped space as well.

“Commander Onyx,” wheezed Sapphire, pressed as she was against the back of the closet with its hanging mops and bags of sawdust. “If you don’t explain the meaning of this I’ll—”

“I lost Rarity.”

Sapphire stared ahead into the darkness. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the sound of her heart beating away in her ears. “Come again?”

“I. Lost. Rarity.”

“Ha. Ha. This is… Ohh, Blessed Moon, please tell me you are joking.”

“No, I am not.”

“WHAT!?” Sapphire yelled. She struggled to get up and over the dress form to throttle the Commander. “HOW DO YOU LOSE AN EMPRESS?!”

“I know, I know,” Onyx said with an audible wince, placing a hoof on the wagon to steady it against the mare. “Please, keep it down though.”

“How, in the name of all that glitters brightly, did you manage to lose the Crystal Empress in her own Palace,” hissed Sapphire as her slow crystal eyes finally adjusted to the dark. “How is that even possible?”

“I… I don’t know that one,” said Onyx. “But I have a unit of guardmares looking for her without raising suspicion.”

“Without raising suspicion? Without raising suspicion?! Did you not hear the gathered crowds outside the palace walls? Their disorganized half-hearted chants of ‘Happy Happy Birthday’? That’s the sound of nearly thirty thousand—”

“Current estimates put it more at forty thousand, give or take,” interrupted Onyx.

“—Forty thousand crystal ponies gathered. They all want to see Empress Rarity. And now she’s late and lost? What are we going to do? Are you going to tell them that you lost her?”

Onyx shook his head and slid off his saddlebags. “No, I have a plan. They’re going to get their Empress, it’s just not going to be Rarity. Now if I can just… find… the light switch...”

“What are you tal— Ah!” Sapphire’s eyes blinked back stars as brilliant white light filled the small room from an overzealous and utterly utilitarian crystal orb embedded in the glassy ceiling.

By the time her eyes had adjusted, she realized that she was watching him open his saddlebags to reveal a bag of flour, a curly purple wig, a small tube of blue paint, and a crude stencil of Rarity’s cutie mark.

“Oh no. No, no, no. I am not g—”

“Sapphire, please,” said Onyx as their eyes met. She could see the desperation, but it didn't make her any happier about the circumstances. “You’re the Royal Assistant. If anypony can mimic her, it’s you. Plus, the Princess Platinum set will cover most of you up, but your face and hair will still need some work.”

Sapphire looked at the Commander, the bag of flour, and then back to him. "Fine, bu—"

HOOMF

Sapphire coughed and stumbled back into the closet wall once more as a scoop of flour hit her full in the face. "Wait, what ar—"

"No time," replied Onyx as he clambered past the dress form and emptied the rest of the bag onto her head. “Here, put the wig on. You said it yourself, there are thousands of ponies waiting out there, and I have to get back inside to help look for the Empress."

"Yes,” croaked Sapphire through a mouthful of doughy sludge. “But you could have at least waited for me to change out of my clothes!" Sapphire looked down with a pout as she dusted a hoof across her once silver vest and cream cravat. "This is griffinain silk."

Onyx winced as he pulled the cloak around her neck. "Sorry... There, what do you think?"

Sapphire fished a small clam shell mirror out of her saddlebags, eliciting a sleepy pert and prodding from Severus. "Maybe if the Empress had been shocked with lightning, and her skin was falling off,” she groused while looking at her floured face and mane in the reflection. “My coat color shines through in some places."

"It doesn't have to be perfect, just good enough to fake it from a distance," said Onyx. “Your coat isn't that bad.”

“Come again?” offered Sapphire diplomatically.

“Er, that is to say, it looks like it could just be ice buildup. Just go out there and smile and wave. I’ll find Rarity.”

“You’d better,” she said curtly. “Oh, and Onyx?” she asked him as he had one hoof out the closet door already.

“Yes?”

“You owe me, buster.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said with a nod, and with the soft click of the door that followed, Merry Sapphire was left to her thoughts. She was caked in flour, holding a purple wig, standing in a janitor’s closet, and wondering where it all went wrong.

She blamed Celestia.

Carefully, she activated her own magics and changed her appearance so she looked more like Rarity. A tuck of the tummy here. A bloom of rich eyeliner there. The flour was pulled from her coat and mane by her magic into a spherical mass which began to ripple and wave a bright gray, like the surface of her moon, as she washed it over her. She tossed the wig into her own saddlebag, much to Severus’ cuddling delight, as her mane and tail coiffed and curled themselves in Rarity’s unique style. There was a burst of light, and her mane was no longer silver, but instead the royal purple of her Empress.

Last but not least, she sprouted a horn— a smallish thing really, cute and decorative like Rarity’s own— before she floated the crown off the dress form’s featureless head and plopped it onto her own.

Merry Sapphire now looked exactly like Rarity. She took a deep breath and focused. Now to walk the walk and talk the talk.

Hurriedly, she popped out of the closet and trotted at a healthy clip back down the Noble Hall to the inner courtyard, where a lot of mucking about was still the order of the day.

Sapphire cleared her voice as she’d heard Rarity do on countless occasions, and a small cheer went through the menagerie. “Thank you, darlings! Thank you all for waiting, I am terribly sorry, darlings,” she called out as she trotted across the courtyard and climbed up into the main float, which was a near replica of Rarity’s Crystal Throne. “Let’s get moving, darlings. We can’t keep those poor darlings waiting forever now, can we?”

A mad scramble washed over the crew and show ponies as they wound gears, emptied spit valves, and groggily woke up from naps.

A moment later, Sapphire felt the float lurch under her as it began moving. Daintily, as she’d seen Rarity do, she took her seat at the top of the float and tried her best to put on a winning smile. It had been a few centuries since she’d been the headline of a parade, but she knew what to do. She knew she could handle it.

But smile as she may, Sapphire’s thoughts were stuck on Rarity. She hoped her Empress was alright.

That was, until the massive palace gates were pulled open by the team of a dozen some-odd domesticated tundranculas, giant snow spiders, and their whip cracking handlers. The thunderous roar of thousands of ponies beyond the gates assaulted her ears. The feeling was ecstatic, and the carefully chosen smile bled away into a genuine ear-to-ear grin as she waved to the crowd in earnest.

* * *

Rarity could barely keep her eyes open as she hugged the wall down yet another flight of stairs, grumbling all the way. Somehow she’d been separated from Onyx and lost in some far off staircase within the palace that she hadn't seen in… Gosh, how long had it been?

Rarity knew that she must have been somewhere around the thirtieth floor since the walls were that sickly shade of fuchsia that she’d been meaning to swap out for a soft violet for some time now. Not that she’d get around to it anytime soon.

Rarity’s frown was in danger of becoming a permanent feature of her drawn face as she glared at the next flight of descending stairs that awaited her. She’d just been down on the main floor, walking to the inner courtyard. How did she get so high up? Did she teleport herself up here accidentally? No, likely not. Not with her magic as sapped as it was from the day’s earlier trials.

Perhaps it had something to do with the cloak Onyx gave her. She recalled how the awful thing itched and tingled ever so dreadfully just before she lost track of him.

Absentmindedly, Rarity scratched at the spot on her shoulder where the cloak still tingled. "What in the name of the Northern Wastes am I doing up here?" she huffed in frustration, only to yawn immediately after the fact. Blinking away heavy lids, she waved a dismissive hoof at the stairs before her and turned down the hall to find a soul who could help her.

"Hello? I say, is anypony here?” she called out into the empty corridor, whose only answer back was the thrumming of magical machinery from a door labeled ‘Incinerator’.

“Your Empress is in need of assistance! Or a nap. Or a drink. Maybe all three? Hello?” she pleaded while pawing at a locked door across the hall.

Still no answer.

“Where is everpon— Oh, a map!" said Rarity as her eyes fell upon a nearby bulletin board where, pinned beside all sorts of various notes and work safety compliance notifications was a map of the palace, complete with legend.

She trotted over to the map, her spirits renewed. "Let's see, let's see… 30th floor, ah here. Okay, elevator… The elevator is down another flight of stairs, left, right, right, kitty corner, the... rock garden? Oh come on! I'm in the plot end of nowhere! I just can't belie— We have a Sun-Bucks?"

* * *

“The situation looks… rather grim, Your Majesty.”

The ponies in the room shifted uneasily at this news. Princess Twilight Sparkle herself, despite her centuries of dealing with situations much worse than this, felt an uneasy tremble quiver through her wings. But there was no room for trembling in a situation like this. Action was needed. Action that called for a firm and steady hoof.

It was here and now that she would lay it all on the line. She only hoped she wouldn't regret it.

Twilight leaned forward, resting a single forehoof on the table, as she moved the other forward. Her tongue, unconsciously poking out where her upper lip curled by her right cheek, was caught snugly between her teeth as she gently pulled a single wooden block out from the bottom of the small tower leaning this way and that at the table’s center.

Daring to release her breath, and risking another, Twilight slowly and methodically placed the block into position atop the tower.

It rocked. Nearly faltered. But her aim was true, and the game was as good as hers. The bottom of the wooden block tower had but a single of its three original pieces remaining.

“What?!” exclaimed Director Manesfield from the seat to Twilight’s right. “There’s no way you could… I mean how did… From the bottom?”

"Your turn, General Shears," Princess Twilight said to the stallion on her left as she put on a show of absentmindedly polishing a hoof against her chest while leaning against the back of her chair.

General Shears let out a throat-clearing rumble that bristled and bounced his white whiskers around like a caterpillar on a hot stove. His bushy eyebrows rose up and crashed down repeatedly like foamy waves on a beach. The tower wobbled slightly as he tapped one hoof on the table while rubbing the stubble on his olive green chin with the other. Many manners of ‘hmm’s and ‘ah ha’s rolled from his mouth just as he rolled the stem of his favorite pipe from the left to the right and back again.

After a short eternity, he turned his head on his stout earth pony neck to look at Princess Twilight. “My turn for what, Your Majesty?”

Princess Twilight looked over at Director Manesfield who screamed with her mouth closed, and eyes clenched shut in frustration.

“It’s your turn to play the game, you crazy old coot,” groaned the good Senator Underhill, who sat across the table from Princess Twilight. “Now get the glue out of your ears and move a piece, for goodness sake!”

General Shears, also the oldest pony in the room who wasn't immortal, turned sharply at the comment and leveled his eyes at the good Senator, blustering and harrumphing all the while. Then, quicker than any of the ponies present would’ve given him credit for, he spat his pipe out into a raised hoof and whapped it on the table as hard as he could.

The table bowed and flexed beneath his assault, and the small wooden blocks rose into the air as a cohesive unit. Using the saddle and bowl of his pipe like a golf club, he smacked the last remaining block on the bottom row. Out it shot like a cannon ball across the parlor room, bouncing against one of their host’s many self-portraits before landing firmly in General Shears’ open hoof.

As the din and dust settled, the rest of the pieces fell back into place.With a smile as wide as his mustache, General Shears placed the one he’d swiped upon the tower’s top.

“You do know it’s only impressive the first time you do that… Right?” asked the blue uniformed pegasus to his left.

General Shears chuckled to himself as he repacked his pipe with his favorite brand of Prench bubble formula. “Never underestimate the value of good strategy, Sky Marshall Firefly.”

Director Manesfield sighed and threw her head back over her chair’s headrest. “This is just like the Neighagra Falls incident.”

“Please don’t bring that up,” said Senator Underhill as he ruffled his wings. “I still get nervous whenever I see barrels.”

"What in the world is going on in here? I could hear the banging from the stables."

Twilight turned in her seat and looked over her shoulder. “Hello Ambassador Blueblood,” she said with a cheerful grin. “Won’t you join us? We’re playin— Oh my goodness, what happened to you?”

Blueblood stood in the doorway with an ice bag strapped to his head, a blanket draped across his back, and a frown plastered against his face. But he wasn't looking at the Princess. His eyes were glued to the wall.

“Did… did something hit that portrait?”

“Oh? What’s this?” asked General Shears as he looked about, eyebrows a-wagglin’.

“I asked ‘Did something hit that portrait?’” asked Blueblood again, pointing a hoof at the particular piece.

“Did it?” asked Sky Marshal Firefly, playing with the medals on her blue uniform before glancing up briefly. “Looks fine to me. Very lifelike.”

“Something… has knocked out... all of the teeth,” seethed the Ambassador as his otherwise white cheeks developed a lovely shade of rageful red.

Firefly looked up again, this time squinting. “Huh,” she said with a shrug. “Ohh, I guess I... didn't notice.”

Blueblood snarled and scraped his hooves on the ground and finally, when things were at its worse, he looked at the Princess and did what he did best.

He pouted.

Princess Twilight’s horn lit up as she shook her head at the childishness of it all. “Alright my little ponies, let’s play nice now. Yes?” As she spoke, Twilight used her magic to make the portrait’s pearly whites pop back into existence.

“Why are you so bent out of shape about just one painting anyway?” asked Firefly, waving a slender sunflower colored hoof in a broad sweeping motion. “The walls are covered in them.”

“I feel like I’m being watched,” said Manesfield with a curled lip.

The good Senator Underhill looked at her flatly. “You’re the Head of Equestrian Intelligence. Of course you’d feel like you’re being watched.”

“Be that as it may,” interrupted Blueblood as he limped his way across the room before stiffly taking the empty seat next to the Senator, “I apologize for my tardiness, Your Majesty. To both you and my other guests here. You've only just arrived after a long train ride and I wasn't here to greet you, though I’m glad to see the butler was good enough to let you in.”

Twilight magicked up a plate of jam-filled pastries and mint tea before asking the question on everypony’s mind. “What happened?”

“I was... delayed.”

“Delayed, Blueblood?” asked Shears as he reached for the plate of pastries. “Good gravy sir, you look more like the victim of a sound beating at the hands of a pack of wild snarling minotaurs!”

“Racist much?” asked Firefly with a swift kick under the table.

“What’s this?” blustered Shears. “Assaulting a superior officer?”

“I’m the Equestrian Air Force Commander, Grandpa. We’re peers.”

“Grandpa? That’s ageist!”

Blueblood let out a soft chuckle, which quickly developed into a violent fit of coughing. “Not quite. Let’s just say a round of discussions with the Crystal Empress went poorly.”

All manner of kicking and tomfoolery came to a quick end at his mention of the Crystal Empress, and the mood went from a dalliance of leisure to a meeting of the most powerful leaders in the Kingdom of Equestria.

“She attacked you?” asked Twilight with both caution and concern. She had known Rarity to be dramatic at times, but never truly moving beyond her eccentricities. Attacking a diplomatic representative? That was new and worrying.

“But I speak too freely, Your Majesty,” said Blueblood as he levitated one of the offered teacups to his hooves. “We had a disagreement over the proposal for the Telegraph system, things got out of hoof, and… Well, it was basically my fault.”

Twilight smiled softly at him. A smile of disappointment. “That’s unfortunate... and very unlike you, Ambassador.”

He nodded at her assessment.

“You were chosen specifically to improve relations between Equestria and the Empire, not make them worse. Princess Cadence and I hoped that you could be the Ambassador to the Empire that we needed. One that could heal the rift between our two kingdoms.”

“One kingdom, Your Highness,” demanded the good Senator Underhill wearily. “The Crystal Empire is an empire in name only. By right, it belongs to Equestria.”

Twilight frowned at the Senator, who did an admirable job of standing his ground given the circumstances. She could only see one of his hooves shaking uncontrollably.

“As I was saying,” Twilight continued where she’d left off, looking once again at Ambassador Blueblood. “You are charming, smart, and diplomatic to a fault. After all, your family has been Equestrian Nobility for as long as Canterlot has existed. Founded before the castle’s last stone was set into place. Your ancestors have defined what it means to be a Noble in Equestria, and Equestrian Nobility has always been a soft spot for Rarity,” she finished with a sigh. “Oh, where did this all go so wrong?”

“I apologize, your Majesty,” replied Blueblood with an exaggerated bow. “I am doing my best, but despite your good intentions, I feel I must report that the Empress still holds some… disdain for those very same ancestors.”

Twilight wrapped the wooden blocks in her magic and shuffled them absentmindedly into their box, then teleporting it out of the room. “Well, I can’t blame her for that. The first Blueblood she met was a real jerk.”

“Yes…” he said flatly at the unintended slight. “I've heard the tales.”

At that, Twilight winced. “I’m sorry, Blueblood. Your service to Equestria is appreciated, and you’re a much better stallion than… That is to say, all those nice things I said about you are true.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Just try not to…” Twilight paused and rolled her hooves in front of her while searching for the politically correct way of saying what she wanted to say. “Antagonize the situation with her any further?”

“So I take it the Empire won’t be joining our little project then?” asked the good Senator Underhill.

“I’m afraid that is the case,” said Blueblood. “She’s deemed the project to be prohibitively expensive, with little in the way of return on investment for the Crystal Empire.”

Director Manesfield pulled a small spiral bound notepad out of her breast pocket and flipped through it, speaking as she scanned its pages. “I would have thought that with her distant nephew— Graham Belle, I believe his name was— being the renowned creator of the telegraph and architect of this, his greatest work, would be all the incentive she needed.”

“Yes, well…”

Before Blueblood could bluster on, there was a light rapping on the door, and the butler let himself in with a cart of cheesy comestibles.

“Ah!” said General Shears with a smile and a wave. “Perfect timing, lad. I’m practically esurient!”

Sky Marshal Firefly balked and looked over at him. "Do you even know what that means?"

The butler nodded silently as he wheeled his tiny gilded carriage of goodies over to him and his Master’s other esteemed guests.

“Did you explain the extra costs were because of terrain difficulty and railroad projections?” asked Princess Twilight, ignoring the two military commanders.

“In the words of the simple, E’yup,” said Blueblood as he paused for another moment to sip his tea. “Not that it did any good, mind you. She is insistent that the Empire will remain out of the project. If you’d like, I can use my various contacts to see if we can, perhaps, bypass her and appeal straight to the Crystal Council?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I don’t like the idea of going around her like that. Besides, Rarity could still veto the Council’s decision. They aren't like the Senate; they serve at her discretion. I’ll speak with her this evening; I’m sure I can smooth things over. Anyway, now that we’re all here, shall we get this cabinet meeting officially underway?”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Blueblood said with a wide, genuine grin as he looked up at the painting Princess Twilight repaired with her magic. “Nothing, not one thing, would make me happier.”

Chapter 12

The Empress Apparent waved to the rapturous crowd for the last time from atop her float as it slowly rolled into the inner courtyard of the Imperial Palace. The Color Guard, ever vigilant, stood in a stoic line between the float and the day’s following well-wishers. She watched as half a dozen crew members threw up their hasty barricades to keep the party from spilling into the castle proper.

“Thank you! Thank you all,” Luna cried out as best she could above the din. The crowd roared back in reply, straining as a living mass against the ropes and poles of the barricade. “My little darlings!”

Again the crowd cheered, and again Luna felt that her heart was liable to burst. It had been so long since she’d been showered in such devotion. It was an emotional reminder for her. A bittersweet one, couched in memories both delightful and desperate. Though her smile threatened to never subside, a silvery tear ran down her face, leaving a trail of blue in its wake.

The crowd was hushed, as if that tear was a tidal wave that rolled through them. And in that moment, Luna forgot herself.

“I fear you all have done me a kindness,” she croaked in a near whisper, real and raw from the last hour of cheering. “And I thank you. I will never forget this day. Not for a hundred years, not for a thousand.”

Silence was her answer, but it was the sort of silence that came with listening. A quiet commitment to retain the wisdom and knowledge imparted upon them.

“Let us all strive to make everyday a celebration of life and a joining of hooves and hearts. The Crystal Empire is grand and noble. Let each of us, in our own way, honor our country, our neighbors, and our loved ones!”

The roar that answered back was deafening. So loud that the sound of the inner courtyard’s massive doors closing could not be heard.

Luna waved one final time before the doors sealed shut and a new cheer went out. One from within the courtyard. All around her, ponies were hooting and hollering, dancing and chattering excitedly, as if they hadn't just spent the last hour marching through the capital in the midday sun.

A deep voice made a show of trying to get Luna’s attention from the foot of her float with a polite cough. She turned her head to face the voice and saw Major Tom, still in a simple jacket and hat, part of his plain clothes disguise.

“Are you alright, Empress?” he asked with concern.

“I am,” Luna nodded back.

“You, uh… You appear to be crying, Ma’am. Can I get you a hoofkerchief?”

Luna sniffled and smiled, ignoring the tears that continued to flow from her eyes. “Could you find Commander Onyx for me and tell him to meet me in the Truespring Grove?”

Major Tom nodded and let out a sharp whistle. A few heartbeats later, he was in a huddle with the other members of his elite Diamond Division. The huddle broke and the guards immediately scrambled to find the Imperial Commander.

Slowly, still trembling from the experience, Luna took a deep breath. And a few more. And a dozen extra, before rising to her hooves and descending down the front of Rarity’s float at a slow, unsteady trot. Truespring Grove, a small secluded oasis of tropical beauty in the frozen north, was beyond the South side of the inner courtyard, before the Gazebo of Delights.

Cheers and praise and birthday wishes and offerings of tissues or towels were the order of the day as Luna walked through the happy scramble of parade ponies and crewmares. But it wasn't long before she was alone and wandering off through the seldom populated rib of the inner courtyard that lead to the Truespring Grove.

As she walked, her transformation magics once again took hold. Soon Luna was no longer disguised as Rarity, but instead as Merry Sapphire disguised as Rarity. A tiny paw poked her in the side, and she looked down at her faithful companion Severus, who offered her a tangled purple wig.

Putting on the finishing touches with the wig, she once again looked the part of Merry Sapphire, her fictional identity. Absentmindedly, Merry hummed to herself as she shaped and changed her vocal cords to match those of the schedule-mad mare from… Was it Fillydelphia or Baltimare? Oh no, she chided herself. Now isn’t the time to forget the backstory!

Wrapped in thought, she trotted through the tail end of the thin, arched corridor that lead to the Truespring Grove. The grove was beautiful with its immaculate lawn, pleasant topiaries, and the collection of birds both rare and exotic. But the moon in Truespring Grove’s sky, so-to-speak, was the fountain at its center.

Discovered long before the founding of the Empire, this spring was a true oasis in the Northern Wastes. Volcanic activity far below kept it bubbling and flowing year round. It was here, around this spring, that life could flourish. Though the capital's water supply was now a modern marvel of plumbing, the sanctity and the value of this natural source has always been respected by the crystal ponies.

A series of soft squeaking interrupted Merry’s thoughts. She paused and listened for a moment before realizing that they were coming from her saddlebags and not the birds. She pulled back the cloak of the Princess Platinum Regalia and found Severus, chittering urgently and pointing at her forehead.

“What? Ohh, right,” said Sapphire as she realized the small horn she willed into existence in that cramped janitor’s closet was still sticking out of her head. She closed her eyes, concentrated, and felt the horn disappear. “Thanks, Severus. Can’t be running around like that now, can we?”

The fox let out another series of squeaks and some short barks. Sapphire nodded in response. “It was a marvelous parade, truly. I just wish… Well, I wish a lot of things.” Another soft bark and a tilt of the head prompted Sapphire to continue. “Oh, that Rarity was here, yes. That parade was meant for her. I think she would have enjoyed it.”

Severus climbed out of her bag, sat on the edge of the fountain, and let out a few more quiet barks, which left Sapphire nodding again. “That I could be myself again? Oh Severus. You know me too well. Yes, most assuredly that is at the forefront of my mind. Perhaps it is time we put aside our silly game of hide-and-seek? I will speak to my sister about it tonight at the party.”

Sapphire sat up with fresh excitement in her eyes. “Yes, the party! I almost forgot about it. Ohh, I hope Party Hats is taking my plans to heart. I left her with so much to do: music, guests, decor, food—”

A whine stopped Merry in her tracks. She looked over at Severus, who was pantomiming some sort of dance… thing.

“I’m forgetting something?” asked Sapphire as she looked at him with a frown. “No I’m not.” She fished her checklist out of her saddlebags. “Invitations sent, appointments, parade, ceremony, party, party supplies, the cake, no clowns, I even got a mahogany table for the presents...”

Sapphire scooped up Severus and pressed him against her muzzle as the realization hit home. “Presents… Oh bits and bridles, Severus! I forgot to get Rarity a present!”

Severus wagged his tail and began frantically licking her face clean of all the delicious flour. “You’re no help, you know that?”

“Am I... interrupting?” Sapphire spun around and found Onyx standing on the stone path that lead into Truespring Grove. He looked first to her, then to Severus.

“No!” shouted Sapphire as she galloped over and shook him by the lapels. “Everything is fine. What. Could possibly. Make you think. That anything. Was wrong?!”

Commander Onyx tried to answer back, but all he could do was stutter, starting and stopping his words with each shake. Finally, she released him and he stood there on unsure legs with eyes spinning in their sockets. At some point, Severus must have jumped the poor colt, because the little dickens was trying to gnaw through his uniform’s cloak.

“Have you found the Empress yet?” asked Sapphire.

“We did.”

“Where was she?”

“Lieutenant Silver Dash found her wandering about the middle levels of the Tower," he replied. "She’s sleeping off the day’s troubles in the Royal Suite.”

“Silver Dash found her you say? Terrific.” Merry slid out from under her own hooves and collapsed onto the soft grass. “Ohh, nothing is going right today.”

Onyx let out a snort and sat down next to her. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

“Well, brunch was a disaster, the Empress collapsed, I have angry government officials and foreign dignitaries, she missed her own parade, and n—”

“It was just an expression, Merry,” Onyx interrupted as he removed his helmet and began to dig around in his saddlebags. “Today will all be over soon... I hope.”

Sapphire let out a sigh and turned her attention to her flour-caked hooves until she felt something poking at her. She looked over and found the Commander offering her both a wrapped daisy sandwich and a moist towelette. “Thank you,” she said, taking the offered goodies with a humorless chuckle. “Though, I was promised cake for lunch.”

“It’s all I’ve got,” said Onyx as he bit into a sandwich of his own. The two sat there for a while, enjoying the calmness afforded by the Truespring Grove with its warbling Culsnaka birds cooing their soft mating calls.

Eventually, Onyx broke the silence. “You know, despite the day’s troubles, I still love the Empress’ Birthday, even if she doesn’t.”

“What do you mean?” Merry asked through a bite of her sandwich.

Onyx stared into the fountain as he answered. “I remember my first days in the guard. Life was much simpler back then. I’d been on the job for less than a year. Maybe six months, and it was Empress Rarity’s birthday. I remember that she attended all the celebrations. Even the Faire, and I actually remember her calling it “uncouth” or some nonsense. But that didn’t stop her from enjoying a hot-buttered crystal corn-on-the-cob. I remember the smile on her face, the joy she radiated into the crowd. But now…”

“She’s different,” finished Sapphire as she started working herself over with the towelette.

“Yeah,” he replied before the two of them returned to their mutual silence. Eventually, Sapphire broke it.

"Commander Onyx, may I ask a personal question?"

The guardspony nodded.

"How long have you served the Empress?"

Onyx chuckled softly. "I've been a guard for Empress Rarity for nearly twenty years. Ten of those as her Commander."

"So then... I guess you'd know why she hates her birthday?" she asked hopefully.

"I do," he replied.

“Can you tell me why?”

“I cannot.”

Sapphire sighed. "Just like Chef Cake. What is it with you stallions and your secrets?”

"The Empress has trusted me with this," he said flatly. "I honor that trust. If you are so curious, then you should ask her yourself."

Sapphire tossed the used towelette into an empty side-pocket of one of her saddlebags and gave herself a once-over to ensure that she got all the flour. "But that would… actually probably be a good idea."

“Actually probably?”

“Indeed.” she said, with a jab of her hoof into his side. “Still, knowing why she hates her birthday won’t change the fact that I've failed.”

“You failed? Failed at what?”

“Everything. The brunch, her meetings, the parade. I've even given control of tonight’s party to a pony with a cannon, and worst of all, I haven't gotten the Empress anything."

Onyx’s smile faltered. “Can we go back to the part about the cannon?”

“I just want her to be happy. Is that too much to ask?”

“Gonna need to hear about that cannon.”

“I mean, what do you get an Empress? The party’s tonight. All the stores in the Capital are closed after the parade. She’s going to hate me.”

"Lady Sapphire," Onyx said, finally grabbing her attention. "I know the Empress hasn't shown much of it in these past few days, and I know you've only known her for a few months, but she is very grateful to have you here by her side. I think, for her, just knowing that she has such a good friend here for her is all that she needs for her birthday."

“Friend? What do you mean?” Sapphire felt herself tense up inside.

“Rarity doesn't just pick anypony to be her Personal Assistant,” replied Onyx. “She’s an excellent judge of character. She can tell a lot about a pony just from watching them for a few moments. She picked you to be her assistant for a reason. I don’t know what that is, and maybe she doesn't know either, but there is a reason.”

“...Thanks, Onyx.”

“You’re welcome. Also, now that I have your attention, what’s this about a cannon?”

“Party cannon, Onyx. Just an old party cannon.”

Onyx smiled and visibly relaxed, though that did little to deter Severus from his self-appointed duty of eating a hole through his cloak.

Sapphire stood and softly nickered to get her pet’s attention. He released his death-hold on the slobbery, chewed up fabric and hopped off the Commander’s head. “Thank you for your kind words, Onyx, and the sandwich. I suppose I should go see to Rarity now.”

“Yes, but not alone.”

“Excuse me?”

“Lieutenant Dash is going to escort you,” Onyx calmly replied. “I’m treating this event as a possible attack. It might not look like it, but we've got a Code Cornsilk, and I’d hate to see it escalate to Vermillion.”

“But Lieutenant Dash is—”

“No, Merry. This is not negotiable,” said Onyx.

“I… Of course,” said Sapphire with a sigh of defeat. “Is Dash going to meet us here or…?”

“She’s in the Residential Wing,” Onyx said as he stood up. “Come on, let’s get going.”

* * *

Of all the stupid… thought Silver Dash as she absentmindedly pawed at the entry hall floor and gave an impatient huff. She was waiting for both the one pony who could blow her cover and Commander Onyx, just so she could escort the crazy, possibly bi-polar mare up through the Residential Wing.

The Residential Wing was the nerve center of the Palace. It housed rooms for prominent members of the Palace staff and visiting dignitaries, and it was currently blockaded by the Imperial Guard. Four guards stood in front of the entrance to the wing, while two more guards stood in the entrance to the palace.

Right before her squadron’s performance, Dash’s bracelet had started blinking, a sign for her to pick up some stolen items for Blueblood along with his magical cape. Sometimes they were directly from him, sometimes from other agents. Her job was to simply pick them up, add any useful information she had, and deliver it to Blueblood’s butler at the embassy.

But at that moment, she wasn’t able to leave immediately. Not when they were in formation during parade duties. Blueblood had always been excellent about timing when it came to the drop off, so whatever it was must have been very important.

And it was, as Dash discovered when she was finally able to break away once their parade duty ended. She went straight to the spot where Blueblood’s cloak was supposed to teleport its contents. But there was nothing. Not even the cloak.

That’s when a plea for help from a floor down caught her attention, and she discovered a very grateful and very sleepy Crystal Empress wearing the cloak.

Silver Dash still couldn’t believe that the cloak was powerful enough to teleport a whole pony, let alone the Crystal Empress. She managed to get the Empress down to a service elevator, up to the Royal Suite, and safely into bed before Onyx got word of everything that happened.

Everything, except for the purpose of the magical cloak. Still, Onyx recognized it as the one he apparently draped over the Empress. Hopefully Blueblood’s enchanting abilities were better than his personality. If not, they may figure out its true purpose and track it back to them.

Blueblood, she thought with a huff. He talks a big game, but he’s just that. Talk. If he was so smart, he wouldn’t have just left his cloak lying around like that, would he?

“Lieutenant?”

Silver Dash spun around and snapped a quick salute. “Sir! Commander!”

“At ease, Dash,” said Onyx. “Any more issues?”

“No sir,” she replied. “The Arcane Threat Assessment Team is now sweeping the East half of the Residential Wing for unauthorized theurgic equipment. We’ve got support teams on standby in case an attacker is still around.”

“I don’t like this,” he replied. “It’s too… convenient.”

“To be an accident?” Silver Dash asked, some hope slipping out with her words.

“To be planned,” he said. “The Empress suddenly collapses, then while she’s still weak and recovering, she’s teleported to somewhere in the Palace? No, I think we’ve lucked into discovering something. Something like a significant security breach.”

“Ahh… Well, I think we need more evidence,” she said carefully, damning Blueblood as much as she could in her mind.

Onyx remained silent for a while. She could tell he was thinking, plotting out every idea the information he had gave him, before finally nodding in agreement. “Yes, lets keep this close. If there is a spy, we don’t want to tip them off. We'll launch a small investigation and we might be able to catch the spy in the act; see how far this web goes.”

“Great thinking. So, how can I help?”

“I need you to escort Lady Sapphire to the Empress’ Royal Suite,” replied Onyx.

“Prissy pants? You’re kidding me,” panned Silver Dash as she looked around. “Did she get lost too? Where’s she at?”

“Right here,” said a voice whispering in her ear.

Silver Dash shrieked and nearly jumped out of her armor. Instead she fell to her side and one wing flapped out of control in a panic, causing her to spin on the floor. As she spun she glared at the other two ponies, who were bent over in laughter. “Are you two serious right now?!”

“I told you I could surprise her!” laughed Sapphire.

Onyx choked back a laugh and wiped the tears from his face as he tossed her a small bag. “Fine, fine, you win. Here, ten bits as promised.”

Silver Dash watched and caught a glint of gold as Sapphire opened the bag and inspected it before putting it in her own saddlebag. “Pleasure, Commander.”

“You two took bets on whether you could startle me?” shouted Dash as she got to her hooves. “Come on, really? We’ve got a Code Cornsilk, and you chuckle-heads thought that surprising a highly trained soldier was a good idea?”

“Relax, Dash, you aren’t the one out ten bits,” said Onyx as he straightened his armor back out. “I told you she had a thing or two she could teach you about scaring other ponies.”

“I hate you both so much right now,” said Silver Dash as she took to the air and started flying off beyond the guard cordon. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

She could hear the steady clip-clack of Sapphire’s crystal hooves behind her and figured that was good enough until she heard Sapphire call out her name.

“Silver Dash, slow down! I want to talk to you about something!”

“Oh?” she called back, with no intention of slowing down. “And what would that be?”

“A certain unicorn ambassador.”

That stopped her. Silver Dash hovered in the air as she waited for Sapphire to catch her breath. “Look, I don’t know what you heard bu—”

“I know exactly what I heard and saw, Silver Dash,” panted Sapphire. “I was there. He owns you. I don’t know how it started, or why you’re doing it. But that ends right here and now.”

“Oh yeah? “ asked Dash, confidence coming back as she found a hole in Merry’s plan. “Who are ponies going to believe? Me, a decorated and valued guard liaison between two powerful nations, or you, who's been here for like, three weeks.”

“A few months, actually,” replied Sapphire. “And you’re going to tell me because it’s the right thing to do, or else I’ll haunt your dreams till the very end.”

“What?” asked an unbelieving Silver Dash. She raised an eyebrow, ready to laugh off Merry’s decree. But there was something in the other mare’s eyes, some sort of nightmare that said she really could do just that. Something that wouldn't let her look away.

“You heard me,” said Sapphire. She took a deep breath, and Silver Dash was finally able to look away. “I want to hear everything. Now.”

“He’s… Blueblood isn’t such a bad pony. Okay, he’s a total jerk, and he says stuff just to hurt you. He’s just stressed a bit...” said Dash, but she had a hard time believing that, and it looked like Sapphire did too. “Okay, maybe he has his moments, but I can’t do this… My mom, she’s… Please, don’t tell anypony.”

Dash turned away and placed her head against a nearby window, relishing in its cool slickness against her warm head. She felt a hoof on her shoulder.

“I won’t,” said Sapphire. “I can’t promise that your mom will be okay. But if you work with me. If you tell me what’s been going on, I can promise that she’ll be safe, and that she’ll get her treatment.”

“How?” muttered Dash, staring at the marble floor.

“I have a few ponies I know that can help, and I know that they’d be willing to, but you have to work for it here. You’re a Dash, what do you think Rainbow Dash would do?”

“Hmmf, Rainbow Dash,” snorted Silver Dash. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve heard that? Been compared to her? I can’t imagine how hard it was for her kids to live under her shadow when I feel it two hundred years lat— How do you know about Rainbow Dash?”

“I know what it’s like to live in a shadow,” said Sapphire, dodging the question. “It isn’t easy, you’re constantly in a race against an opponent that you can never beat.”

“My dad never understood that,” said Silver Dash as she traced the window with her hoof. “He was a Wonderbolt. Was. Never took to retirement easily. He ended up in a training facility for junior Wonderbolts. He’d constantly compare my brother and I to his prized students. The best of the best. Then to perfect ol’ Rainbow Dash. Always pushing us.”

Dash trailed off and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to think about that night or the storm that ended her path to glory. Or the pain. Or the blood. Or the way her leg bone stu—

She shook her head to stop the memory from further surfacing. She didn't need an anxiety attack now. “Well, I did my own thing. Mom was the only one that understood that. Dad... Well..."

“I have a sister,” said Sapphire quietly as she pulled Dash away from the window and the two began walking down the hall again. “She’s older than me by a few years, very, umm… bright. It seemed like no matter what I did, I could never shine on my own. It was always about her.”

“Where is she now?” asked Dash.

“She lives in Equestria. Our family was… complicated,” said Sapphire. “We haven’t really seen each other in a few years.”

“Sounds like me and my brother,” replied Dash. “He’s living the dream. Ever hear of Prism Bolt? Current Captain of the Wonderbolts? That’s him. Dad couldn’t be prouder.”

“I bet your mom is proud of you,” said Sapphire as she extended a hoof. “Anyways, I have a plan.”

“I’m all ears.”

“You keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Come again?”

“I want you to keep being Blueblood’s spy. But I want you to report to me as well.”

“So… you want me to be a double agent?”

“We'll keep it secret. Just between you and me. We’ll meet in my room, every week. Say Monday nights? And I'll see to it that my doctor friends in Cloudsdale get your mom the treatment she needs."

Silver Dash looked at the extended hoof, then back up at Sapphire. “Between us?”

Sapphire nodded. “Of course, just you and me. No Onyx, no Rarity, just you and me against the world.”

Silver Dash slowly reached out and bumped the hoof with her own. “Not like I have much of a choice.”

“How very right you are,” said Sapphire with a cat-like grin. “But, you’ve made the wise choice. Your mother will be safe, you’ve got a new friend, and you’ll sleep well at nights.”

“I… thank you, Lady Sapphire. I’m sorry about the whole prissy pants thing,” said Silver Dash.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Sapphire as the turned around the last corner to the Empress’ Royal Suite. “So, we’ll need a cover for Monday nights. How do you feel about crochet?”

* * *

Blueblood tried to sit back. To relax here. Outwardly, he seemed calm, but his mind was racing a mile a minute. Indeed, even his long dead, cold heart threatened to start beating once more. This meeting was the culmination of decades of work.

And centuries of planning.

Across the table from him, sitting in the dimly lit, windowless drawing room of the Equestrian Embassy, was his second least favorite pony: Princess Twilight Sparkle. She sat at the head of the table, surrounded by a hoofful of the most powerful ponies in Equestria, both friends and secret-foes alike.

"Well, let’s move on,” she said in that annoying sing-song voice of hers. The one that was so blatantly trying to be Auntie Celestia, and falling so terribly short. Just the sound of it was enough for him to try and find a cheese grater to press against his head. “Director Manesfield, has there been any word on the missing Crystal Empire agents?"

“Our networks are reporting that Imperial agents are going dark across Equestria,” she stated, her voice refined with a Trottingham accent. “Some are gone, others have simply stopped reporting in.”

“What sort of ‘agents’ are these? asked the good Senator Underhill.

“Spies,” Manesfield said flatly before continuing on with her report. “We don’t know why they’re going dark. Inquiries to the Crystal Ministry of Imperial Intelligence have been met with a stiff response.”

Senator Underhill looked squarely at Blueblood and harrumphed. “You mean to tell me that we had a secret network of enemy spies operating in Equestria, now they've gone away, and that’s somehow a bad thing?”

Director Manesfield looked sideways at the good Senator and sighed. “Leave the spy games to the spies, please.”

“But you should—”

“I don’t tell you how to do anything but vote ‘present’ in the Common House, Senator. Don’t tell me how to do my job.”

A good-natured laugh went up at the table from everypony, even Blueblood. He liked that director, very sassy at times. He risked a glanced over at the red-faced Senator, who was busy working his mouth to find some sort of idiot reply.

“As I was about to say," continued the Director. "EIS-6 preliminary reports suggest that their network communication has increased dramatically within the Griffin Republic.”

“Do we know why?” asked Princess Twilight while munching on a celery stalk like some sort of peasant.

“Not for certain,” replied the Director. “We have some suspicions that it could be in preparation of something big. Possibly research into the griffins for improved discussions on military aid against the Diamond Dog raids. Aid we declined from giving—”

“And for good reason,” interrupted General Shears as he brushed some pastry crumbs from his mustache.

“Be that as it may,” said the Director with a stern glare. “We are more inclined to think that the two might be opening under-the-table trade negotiations.”

“That’s absurd,” said the Senator, pointing a stern hoof at the stack of papers before him. “The Empire’s international trade has to go through the regulations and processing centers in Equestria. It’s been that way for centuries, since Princess Cadence sat on the Crystal Throne. The Empress and her puppets know better than to uproot a time-honored tradition behind our backs.”

“It is a rather harsh system though,” offered Twilight. “Taxing goods that aren’t even going to Equestria, but just passing through to a neighboring country.”

“It’s not something we purposefully take advantage of,” argued the good Senator. “The goods are processed and even negotiated for in Equestria. Those are just fees for our services.”

“Rather lucrative fees that generates roughly eight percent of Equestria’s budget,” remarked Blueblood.

“Sir, if you are suggesting that the Senate has created a system of bias and injustice when it comes to our dealings with these snow-loving, plot-buffing, rock hum—”

“Moving on, Senator,” said Twilight with an angry glower. Blueblood hid a snicker with a cough as he straightened some papers out. “Their intelligence network in Equestria is dark, and they might be dealing with the griffins for some reason. General Shears, you’re up.”

“Yes ma'am,” he said and pulled his aching bones out off his chair before gambling slowly over to a large globe in the corner. “We have confirmed reports from our observational units that the Empire is conducting a series of military exercises along our shared border. Our communications with the Crystal Military inform us that these exercises are to train their soldiers against Diamond Dog raids.”

“That sounds entirely reasonable,” said Twilight.

Blueblood winced as her half eaten celery stalk floated in mid-air beside her head. It was like she was trying to make him angry, but he kept himself in check.

“Well, we sent recon teams into the supposed Diamond Dog areas to assess the situation. Every single one of them came back empty.”

“Empty?”

“Empty. Save for miles of abandoned tunnels, countless piles of bones, and a few ancient bags of dried dog food,” said the General.

The room was silent for a moment, so Blueblood found himself having to lead the conversation once more onto a productive path. “So the Diamond Dogs aren’t preparing for raids?”

General Shears shook his head. “All we have are the Empire’s claims. We even sent an envoy to the Diamond Clans in Equestria, and they told us that none of the Clans are involved. We don’t have enough evidence to authorize sending a military unit in for support, much less a full strike like the Empress demanded.”

“I’m still reeling from that letter,” said Twilight with a frown. Blueblood wanted to chuckle; it had been a very good letter. “I mean, she’d dealt with the Diamond Dogs on a number of occasions. Each time, she came out better than the last. Why would she write us, asking for our military might to ‘Wipe the curs out’?”

“Perhaps these are rogue bands of Diamond Dogs? Too small for the Clans to be aware of?” offered Blueblood, who couldn’t make eye contact with the Princess while she talked with her mouth full.

Twilight nodded. “Perhaps. I have doubts that the Empire would fabricate this for nothing. What sort of military exercises are the Crystal Empire running?” she asked, unable to keep the skeptical look from her face.

“These are large scale military exercises,” clarified the General. “Siege tactics, flanking maneuvers, aerial drops, things that would be performed on a large scale conflict. They wouldn’t work well on small raids.”

“Who would they attack? The Griffin Republic?” asked Sky Marshal Firefly.

The good Senator Underhill gasped. “What if it’s us?”

A snarky, squeaky laugh was his immediate reply. “Like they pose a threat,” said Firefly as she leaned back into her chair. “Besides outnumbering them at, like, ten to one, we also have air superiority. They have a few squads at best. We have thousands of pegasi in the military. Thousands! We’d end any so called war in an afternoon.”

“Sky Marshal, I think you underestimate the abilities of the Empire and its citizens,” offered Twilight with a worried shake of her head. “I remember their determination against all odds during the Changeling Incursions. They’re the reason we were able to turn the tide of war and take back what was left of Appleloosa.”

“Princess, I—”

“And I am also quite confident in our troops abilities,” interrupted Twilight. “Ambassador, do you have anything to add before we wrap this up?”

“Sadly, I do,” said Blueblood as he leaned forward, putting on a show of his ‘injuries’. “I’m afraid that, as of today, the Empire has not only opened successful relationships with the Griffin Republic, but the Empire is planning on launching an international trade system independent of Equestria.”

“What?!” blustered the good Senator Underhill, slamming his hoof down into the table. The rest of the meeting followed suit as everypony started making demands.

“Surely, you can’t be serious?”

“As of today?”

“Are you certain?”

“Certain yes, but there is more,” Blueblood said, raising a hoof for some quiet. “The deal was solidified with the Empire’s purchase of a sizable chunk of land from the Republic. Ladies and Gentlecolts, the Crystal Empire now owns Shimmering Bay.”

The room exploded into a scene of anarchy, and Blueblood fought to keep his smile in check. Mostly because the resulting cacophony was absent one notable voice; Princess Twilight Sparkle, who instead stared off into some unseeable distance. Her eyes glazed over, and he knew that she was searching, seeing into the mystical realm that sat maddeningly outside of his reach.

But that was quick to change.

“I see Rarity,” she said, instantly silencing the calamity around her. “Her unique magical signature is very weak and she’s sleeping off... whatever it was, in her Royal Suite. I see... I see a griffin with his entourage among a large crowd milling about the Residential Wing. Their spirits are high, but there’s little else I can tell.”

She blinked a few times and her eyes refocused on the here and now. Blueblood could only imagine, with certain delight, at what was racing through her mind. Her questions remained frustratingly unanswered, and the situation was looking worse. Shimmering Bay had been the last of the Griffin Territories outside of the Republic. Its neutrality and strategic ports were a key component to the last peace treaty between Equestria and the old Gryphon Kingdoms that eventually gave way to the newer Griffin Republic. The sale of such an important piece of land had a multitude of implications, and none of them were good for Equestria.

And Blueblood knew this. He watched Twilight squirm in her seat like a toad on a hotplate. He watched her glance over at her two military minds, eager for advice, but the two fools were deep in a huddled conversation of their own.

“Those dirty double-crossers!” accused the good Senator as he pushed himself out of his chair and started pacing the room. “We’ve been attempting our own negotiations on that front for months now.”

“How credible are your sources, Blueblood?” asked Director Manesfeild, writing frantically in her spiral-bound notebook.

“Very credible,” said Blueblood. “This came from Ambassador Emerald Shine, the Crystal Empire’s representative to the Griffin Republic.”

“We can’t let them do this,” said Senator Underhill. “I know I represent Foreign Affairs, but the taxes that come from the Empire through our international licence are too important to let them slip away.”

“I’m sure we can make do without, Senator,” offered Princess Twilight with a weak, faltering smile.

“Need I remind you that money is the source of your new library and education reforms, Madam Undersecretary?” snarled the good Senator.

“I… see,” said Twilight as she scribbled a short note down in her papers.

“Your Majesty,” said Blueblood with feigned concern. Now was his chance. “I know you placed me here for a reason, to represent Equestria and reach out to the distant Crystal Monarch. I am trying my hardest, but I think...”

“Yes, Blueblood, what is it?”

“Well, I think... diplomacy is failing.”

“No,” said Twilight. She rose to her full height in her chair. “I’m not discussing this.”

“I understand your history, and your friendship, Your Highness,” replied Blueblood. Perfect, keep going, “but I would be doing you and the rest of Equestria a disservice if I didn’t voice my concern here and now. Conflict is coming. I feel that it’s inevitable. Delaying our preparations for that conflict will only make it worse when they hit us first.”

“What you’re suggesting is called a Cold War, Blueblood. A war of ideas, sabre-rattling, and stockpiling,” countered Twilight with a glare that was meant to freeze his blood, but only served to make Blueblood more giddy inside. “But I won’t have it, nor will I hear of it.”

“But Your Highness, many of her ponies feel troubled as well!” he replied, faking a caring face and a sincere tone. “I’ve had hundreds of crystal ponies come to me privately over the years and express their concerns over the colonial and militaristic direction their country is heading. The Empire is going downhill with Rarity at its head.”

“Princess, please,” came the quiet voice. Blueblood looked over and was pleased to see General Shears looking over at Twilight. “I know it would be a difficult action, but we must take into account the facts and figures the Ambassador has provided. If the Empire is actively mobilizing like this, then we must plan for the worst. We need an effective military strategy to combat or cripple the Empi—”

“Enough!” shouted Princess Twilight, and the other ponies in the room went still, glittering as they all were in a field of her paralyzing magic.

“I will state this once, and only once,” Twilight said quietly, looking everypony in the room in the eye in turn. Every fiber in her body spoke with firm resolve. “I will not engage in warfare against Rarity, cold or otherwise. Nor will I endorse any sort of action or call to action from the Senate to do so. I will never support any military action against my friend or her kingdom. I will seek out every single alternative solution, no matter how bizarre.”

Her magic released its impossible grip, and a collective sigh of relief went up from the other members of the drawing room.

“Your devotion to your friends is remarkable, truly an inspiration for us all,” said Blueblood, making a show of rubbing the stiffness out of his neck. Several of the ponies nodded in agreement. “But I wonder if Empress Rarity remembers your friendship with such devotion.”

“I hope so too, Blueblood.”

Chapter 13

"Thank you for the escort, Lieutenant," said Sapphire as the two ponies approached the doors to the Imperial Suite. “It’s been… enlightening.”

"Yeah, likewise," said Silver Dash nervously as the pair stopped at the Empress’ Royal Suite. “You, ah… you sure you won’t tell the Empress about all th—”

Sapphire smiled up at her. “I promised, didn’t I?”

“Yeah. You did.” Dash’s eyes shot around the hall, looking for eavesdroppers, before lowering her voice to a whisper. “I guess I’ve just got trust issues, you know? I mean, Blueblood promised a lot and look where that got me.”

“Mmm,” offered Sapphire sympathetically, matching the other mare’s volume. “Trust is hard won and easily lost, but I must ask you to hope beyond hope. Can I count on you to collect information on whatever it is Blueblood is planning?”

Silver Dash cocked an eyebrow as she hovered in the air. “Yeah, sure I… Wait, you think he’s planning something?”

Sapphire looked back at her. “Of course I do. He’s got ‘villain’ written all over him.”

“Huh. And all this time I just figured he was a jerk. I’ll let you know what I dig up,” said Silver Dash as she turned with a salute and shot back down the hallway.

Sapphire waved until Silver Dash had disappeared from view before turning to face her next task, which was an eagerly awaited one. Here, at last, she was going to find out why Rarity hated her own birthday.

Deep down, as Princess Luna, Sapphire felt like she should have known this by now. She was still more than a little frustrated she hadn’t picked up on it before this morning when Chef Cake mentioned it.

How many of her birthdays have I been present for? she wondered. The number that came to mind was frustratingly small.

She came to a stop in front of the twin doors that lead into the Royal Suite, left slightly ajar. Sapphire’s face was taut, but otherwise neutral. Inside, however, her thoughts swirled around all at once, fighting for priority in her mind. The centuries long work of keeping out of the spotlight. A nagging sense of foreboding, unaffected by Sombra’s defeat within Rarity. World peace. Silver Dash and her mother. Blueblood and whatever game he was playing at. The coming musical disaster that was sure to be DJ_MPEG at tonight’s party. Seeing her sister again.

She closed her eyes and exhaled, trying to center herself. To remember that in the here and now, she was Merry Sapphire. She was Rarity’s Personal Assistant. Nothing more. She inhaled and caught the faintest hint of spiced chrysanthemum from beyond the door.

She was instantly swept away.

The scent was long forgotten but unmistakable, like the face of an old friend in a faded portrait. Memories crashed over her waring thoughts and silenced them at once, like an avalanche of petals. It was the smell of picnics in late spring.

It was the smell of Sweetie Belle’s debut at the Grand Ol’ Hopry. She gasped at the thrill of it, seeing the crowd roar in her mind’s eye. The pride in Rarity’s smile. How the fledgling monarch’s hoof trembled in her own as Rarity fought to maintain her composure in their VIP booth.

It was the perfume of private moon viewings on a cloud of silk in a dream for two.

“It would be so easy, wouldn’t it?” she asked the floor. “To walk in there and tell her who I am? To tell her what I want? So easy.” She frowned, remembering her sister’s words from some two centuries back, and oft’ repeated. We’re doing this because nopony else can, Lulu. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. For us. For everypony.

With a sigh, she exhaled the heady aroma and strengthened her resolve. Once again, she was Merry Sapphire, a lady-in-waiting for Empress Rarity. Her friend. And for the sake of the world, the two of them could be nothing more.

She knocked on the door.

"Empress?" Merry called out as she pulled the right door open wide enough to slide into the bedroom. "My Lady?"

Clearly, the maids had been about their business. The room was immaculate, as always, and a set of light blue silk pajamas had been laid out on the expertly made bed. A small chocolate mint, wrapped in brightly colored wax paper, sat in the slight indent in the middle of the body length red pillow at the top of the bed. The floors were expertly buffed and sparkled in the reflection of the late afternoon sun. Everything had a place and order was the order of the day.

And yet, there was no sign of the Empress, save for the scent that still lingered in Sapphire’s nostrils.

"My Lady, are you here?" called out Sapphire, a bit louder this time. The only reply was the vibrant echo of her voice off the white marble walls. Panic crept in as she trotted deeper into the room and a cold breeze played across her mane. She eyed the three huge windows on the western walls, noticing that the center one was wide open. "Rarity?!" she called in earnest, rushing over and peering down into the inner courtyard below, shaded as it was by the palace’s bulwark.

Finally, she heard a reply. "I'm back here, darling," said Rarity from somewhere back in the suite.

"Where!?" called Sapphire, spinning in place and releasing the breath she’d been holding.

"Back here in the office,” came the muffled reply.

Sapphire readied herself as best she could and trotted over to the office’s door. Carefully nudging it open, she entered with a smile.

‘Office’ wasn’t really the right word for the space that lay before Sapphire. An office would be something you stack papers and unused books in. Maybe a day bed for guests, or a set of old golf clubs resting beside a desk. But this was no mere office.

The room was elegantly furnished in dark wood and gold inlay. The rich violet of the wall-to-wall textured saxony carpet still retained the Empress’ trademarked stylized R at its center despite centuries of use. The entirety of the northeastern wall was custom drawers of every size with mirror facings.

The result was a mirrored wall, along which any point could be opened to reveal storage for a variety of items, knick knacks, bobbles, mementos, and royal trinkets. If the Empress’ treasures could be measured in their sentimental value, the contents of this wall alone would be a horde worthy of the world’s oldest dragons.

The leftmost ten feet or so of drawers, in all their various sizes and shapes, contained fabric. Arranged first by season, then by style, and finally color. Dressforms stood on display in regular four foot intervals along the wall, each one wearing one of the Empress’ finest creations, every one of them moth bitten and covered in dust.

The center of the room, beside a drafting table and on a raised stage all its own, held a single dressform, naked save for the Empress’ elaborate battle armor, worn twice a year for military ceremonies. It stood proud, with a fore hoof held up as it was marching off to victory. Against the southwest wall, lining a half opened door, sat clearly labeled cases, hatboxes, and steamer trunks. All of them clean and recently dusted, just as everything in the room had been, save for the tattered and threadbear outfits upon the dressforms that lined the opposite wall.

A pair of dark iron staircases lined the wall between these two contrasts, leading up to the second floor which held the Empress’ various regalias and crowns, her walk-in ‘closet’, and a Princess’ ransom in mundane treasures.

“Empress? I—” A soft crunch underneath her hoof robbed Sapphire’s attention. She stepped back, only to smile when she recognized the hayburger wrapper under her hoof. Sapphire looked up and found a small trail of them leading into Rarity’s most private sanctum. Her Inspiration Room.

Sapphire knocked twice before pushing the door open the rest of the way. It looked like Rarity had taken the room straight out of the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville, circa some two hundred years prior. The room was piled high with unfurled rolls of cloth, work tables covered in thread, chalk, and cutting implements. A wastebin full of crumpled sketches was propped haphazardly against an old drawing desk at the center of it all.

Newspaper clippings were flung about a stack of fashion books with pouty mares wearing too much mascara on their covers. A stack was used to prop the table up above the organized chaos all around it. Resting in a sea of fabric, like some deserted artifact sinking below the sand, sat a very familiar red sewing machine.

In the only spot of the room clear of clutter stood a dusty dressform, still wearing an unfinished number whose threads Sapphire knew were older than Commander Onyx by a generation.

The last of the hayburger wrappers sat at the foot of a large and elaborate gem encrusted fainting couch. The heap of blankets draped across it stirred gently as Sapphire came closer.

“My... Lady?”

“Hello, Sapphire,” replied the blankets. “How was the parade?”

“It was… fine,” she said haltingly, trying to guess at the Empress’ intent.

“Fine?” The blankets shifted until a small opening appeared and a pair of blue eyes shone through the darkness, looking at her. Through her. “Fine my fanny, I could hear it from here while I was trying to sleep. Hay, I could feel it from here. Even in my sleep. Now tell me truly. How was the parade?”

“It was fantastic,” sighed Sapphire with a grin she could not hide. “Oh it was so good, Your Highness. Everypony was so excited to see m— you. We had all sorts of floats and performers there too: a band, fire jugglers, Silver Dash lead a fly by team that did aerial tricks, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had a float, an— Oh I almost forgot!”

Sapphire slid off her saddlebags and begun digging through them. Severus hopped out and gave an angry bark at the disturbance before scurrying away. A few books passed overhead next, followed by a faux whip, and then the Platinum Crown which was caught in the blue aura of Rarity’s magic and carefully placed on top of the pile of blankets.

The blankets shifted slightly as Rarity wormed her head out to get a peek at what Sapphire was doing. “Sapphire, what are y—”

“Here it is!” announced Sapphire as she half turned with a giant envelope. “It’s from the Crusaders.”

Sapphire felt magic take hold of the envelope, gently pulling it from her grasp as it crossed the space between the two, and opened itself mid-flight.. It was a giant card, hoofmade by the look of it, that read ‘Happy Birthday’ across the front with a drawing of Rarity, a few macaroni ‘gems’ dyed and glued on and sweet little messages and signatures written within. “Oh,” she nickered. “Those little darlings.”

"Yeah, they were pretty excited when they gave it to me. A little sad that I didn’t open it in front of them, but…”

“I’ll have to make it up to them,” replied Rarity. The blankets shifted and slumped as she pulled herself out of her makeshift den and sat up. “I know just where to put this.”

“It looks like you’re doing better,” said Sapphire as she glanced down at the last of the hayburger wrappers at Rarity’s hooves. “Eating well too.”

Her sass earned her a huff and a brief scowl from her employer, but both were gone in a flash. “Yes, I sent one of Onyx’s watch dogs to get me something of actual substance and flavor to eat. Not that garbage Dr. Groans had me on.” Rarity used her magic to retrieve a pair of pushpins and proceeded to pin the card to the wall beside others. “But I am feeling much better. And I suppose my magic is back, at least for the most part. Still,” she said with a chuckle, “I probably won’t be up saving the world again any time soon.”

Sapphire nodded in agreement, unseen by Rarity, as she started packing her saddlebags once more. The sound of the Empress rising to her hoofs drew Merry’s attention once more, and she turned to see Rarity approaching the lone dressform in the room.

“Oh, are you designing again?” Sapphire asked, hope kindled within her chest.

“Hmm? Ohh, this?” asked Rarity as she walked over to it. A frown crossed her face as she saw the state of the fabric. “This is… This was supposed to be a dress for Twilight for her birthday, quite some time ago. I started it… Gosh, was it truly half a century ago?”

“Half a century? Fifty years?!” Sapphire asked, playing along.

“Yes, well,” said Rarity with a sigh. A few papers levitated over to Sapphire, showing her the variations of what the finished dress could look like. All of them, to a one, ended in a mad scribble, tearing across the page. “My inspiration, it seems, dried up years ago,” she said with a frown.

“What makes you say that?”

Rarity turned and smiled at her. “Sapphire, if you could live forever, what would you do?”

Sapphire laughed nervously, breaking eye contact. “Ha-hay now! Come on, I asked you a question first.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at that, but acquiesced. “I have not lived forever, but I have lived for a long time. And my responsibilities have changed, even though my passions have not.”

She looked around the room before continuing. “I don’t think I was meant to live forever, Sapphire. I stumbled into this. Before, I was just a normal girl with everyday dreams of ruling a fashion empire, and here I am hundreds of years later ruling an actual empire. I wanted my dresses to dazzle. My pleats to pop, and… well, they did,” she said wistfully. “Oh, how they did.”

“But with each creation the bar was raised, and I was the one raising it. Over and over again. To impossible heights, and beyond! But now? Where is there to go? This took me a year to design!” she said, pointing to the half-finished creation on the dressform. “A year! I remember back in Ponyville, I used to knock out a whole season’s worth of designs on a napkin over a glass of wine!”

Rarity stomped over to her drawing desk and pulled out a stack of design sketches, each one scribbled out. “What do I have to look forward to beyond more wasted time as I try to design a single dress? A single belt? Or a single button, for Luna’s sake!” she huffed and pushed the dressform over with a thud. Sapphire felt her eye twitch, not at the sound of the dressform, but the way her name was used.

An uneasy silence briefly filled the room before Rarity started up again. “And when would I find that time? Before lunch? After the Crystal Council meeting? Or perhaps during the wee small hours of the morning? Every time I’ve found a moment to myself, it’s immediately filled with something.’”

“But...” offered Sapphire.

“So that’s just it then, isn’t it?” Rarity said forlornly, looking at the prone dressform. “The longer I live, the harder each creation will be to perfect. And as long as I’m the Crystal Empress, I’ll have increasingly less time to pursue my craft.”

Sapphire sat in silence. A hard silence. Not long ago, as far as Alicorn reckoning goes, she remembered having an eerily similar conversation with Celestia. A conversation that ultimately lead Rarity to where she is today, and her mouth was bitter with the regret of her own selfishness.

“I could,” she started, swallowing her true intentions. “...I could help?”

“You could help?” asked Rarity, turning to smile at her Personal Assistant. “Oh, sweet Sapphire, how could you possibly help?”

“Well… What if I freed up more time for you on The Schedule? Or you could delegate some duties to me. Or somepony else; it doesn’t have to be me. Maybe the council?”

Rarity huffed while rolling her eyes. “Ugh, the Crystal Council doesn’t need any more power. They wouldn’t know what to do with it after they gave themselves a raise and fancy new titles. Although…” she finished with a tip of her chin, “I do like the idea of freeing up time in the schedule. It would be a nice first step, to be certain.”

Sapphire smiled. “Great! I’ll get to work right away.” She whipped The Schedule out of her bag and flipped it to tomorrow. “Maybe in your new free time you can find the inspiration to finish Princess Twilight Sparkle’s dress before she returns to Equestria.”

Rarity chuckled grimly as she pulled the dressform back up off the pile and stood it on its base. “That’s not going to happen.”

Sapphire’s ears drooped. “Well, I mean… It could, right?”

Rarity walked around the dress, eyeing it with visible disdain. “Well, I fear that Twilight and I haven’t seen each other for quite a while. She hasn't written to me in some time and… Well, I haven’t written to her in just as long.”

“What happened?” asked Sapphire.

“Oh, life, I’m sure. My responsibilities got in the way. I made new ‘friends’ here in the Empire. But they all… Well, never mind. I’m sure the story’s the same in Canterlot.”

“So… The two of you didn’t make the effort to maintain your friendship?”

Rarity pouted at her. “Well to put it bluntly, I suppose that is the case, yes. But I assure you that it’s more complicated than that, Sapphire. Friendship is like a flower; it blooms if nurtured, but will wither without constant attention. They’re like any sort of relationship. They require cultivation, effort, contact frequency in order to survive.”

“But your friendship activated the Elements of Harmony!” protested Lady Sapphire. “It defeated Nightmare Moon, stopped Discord, and saved Equestria so many times!”

Rarity nodded, slowly, again looking at Sapphire askance. “Where did you hear of the Elements of Harmony? Or Nightmare Moon?”

“Uh. I, uh… Oh! I checked out the friendship journal from the Crystal Archives. Quick Name recommended it.”

Rarity, apparently satisfied, shrugged the explanation off. “Look, I’m not saying friendships aren’t powerful, darling. But friendship itself isn’t invincible. It can be strained by distance, weakened by arguments, lost to time as visits become less and less frequent. Sometimes destroyed completely by something as simple and pedestrian as laziness. Surely you yourself have had this happen to you? Are you still friends with the ponies of your youth?”

Sapphire began to open her mouth in protest, but closed it when she realized she was looking at one such lost friend right now. “Can friendship be resurrected? Can it be saved?”

“I’d like to think so,” said Rarity, brushing her mane out of her eyes.

Sapphire smiled softly at that. “So for you and Twilight—”

“As I said, Sapphire, that is complicated,” replied Rarity. “Time and companionship would help fix that, but we’ve got other issues that need to be addressed. Bigger, national security level issues. The sort of thing that, even if we were the best of friends again, would still require negotiators and experts in several fields on both sides of the table.”

“Well, there is a big fancy party tonight,” said Sapphire. “Maybe that could help get you two on the right track again?”

“I wouldn’t hold my breath,” replied Rarity as she walked through the pile in her Inspiration room, back into the Office proper. “Even if tonight goes flawlessly, and I do mean flawlessly, she and I still have quite the bumpy road ahead of us.”

“So… What’ll happen if it doesn’t go flawlessly? Are you going to be okay?”

“Of course, darling, I’ll be fine,” said Rarity, trying her best to be reassuring. “And I’m sure Twilight will be fine too. We’re adults, so we can handle ourselves.”

“Excellent,” Sapphire said with a shake of her head. She followed Rarity out into the Office and cleared her throat.

“Okay, now. The party starts this evening so that gives us…” she turned to gauge the sun in the western sky through the high windows on the far wall, “...about four hours, which is just enough time to get you already.” Sapphire turned back to face Rarity. “I’ve already selected a dress for you, and…” Sapphire trailed off as she caught the pout on Rarity’s face. “And I was thinking ‘forget that’ and let you choose your dress instead.”

Rarity looked back at Sapphire with a mix of excitement and surprise. “Really?”

Sapphire nodded her head. “Yes,” she said as she jammed the note she had on Rarity’s dress back into her saddlebag. “Wouldn’t it be for the best if the birthday girl got to choose?”

“Well come along then, let’s not waste any time!” A light blue aura enveloped Sapphire and lifted her into the air with a yelp as Rarity trotted by. Sapphire giggled as the field tickled the crystal hairs along her belly. “We’ll have to get you a dress too.”

“Oh, Your Highness, that’s not necessary!” protested Sapphire meekly as she floated up the stairs behind Rarity.

“No?” asked Rarity, a wry expression played across her face. “Then I take it you’re planning on wearing the Platinum Regalia all evening?”

Sapphire’s eyes shot wide, and she looked down at herself. Sure enough, save for the crown floating just behind her in its own magic aura, she was still wearing the ancient attire that signified the rule and office of Princess Platinum before the founding of Equestria. Before even The Royal Pony Sisters had come to live there.

She smiled sheepishly at Rarity. “Uh… No, I guess that wouldn’t do. Do you have anything in a size 8?”

Rarity smiled as she lowered Sapphire to the ground on the second floor and began circling with an appraising eye. “I’m still a cracker-jack stylist, even if I may not be much of a designer any more. First, let’s get you out of that old thing, shall we?”

Before Sapphire could nod, she was enveloped by magic once again. This time, however, all four of her hooves stayed on the ground as the ornate clasp of her cloak came undone with a soft metal ping. The weight she’d become accustomed to fell from her shoulders, and the cold that she’d previously been unaware of came surging into her crystal coat.

“Sapphire?”

“Y-yes?” she answered, hugging herself with a hoof.

“What’s all this smooshed up against the inside of the cloak? Is this powder?”

“Mm-mmhmm,” Sapphire said, shivering. “It w-w-was Onyx-x-’s id-d-dea.”

Rarity looked over at her shaking form and tsked. “Oh, dash it all,” she said, and used her magic to shut the windows along the staircase wall, then ignite the gas fireplace, “Dreadfully sorry, Sapphire. Sometimes I forget about all… this.” She gestured to the icicles dangling from her mane.

Sapphire nodded before scrambling to stand next to the fireplace. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been so cold and hadn’t been able to deal with it using her magic. Even on the dark side of the moon, she had ways of coping. But this? Crystal ponies were curious creatures to live this far north and still be so susceptible to such weather.

As feeling began to return to her limbs, Sapphire watched as Rarity shook the last of the flour from the cloak. Her small task done, she walked over to drape both it and the crown upon the only empty dressform in the Regalia room. A room that was as large as her bedroom, one floor below.

Sapphire marveled at the care and experience on display as Rarity smoothed out the regalia’s wrinkles and saw to what little wear and tear the day’s activities had brought on it by hoof. She sat down, her back to the cloying heat of the fireplace, and gazed around the room. She’d been up here before, but not as Sapphire.

No, it was long ago. And many of the cloaks, scepters, crowns, and globes on display here had not yet been imagined. Nor their creators born, most likely.

Dressforms were covered and glass cases were filled with all sorts of crowns and other emblems. Here stood the Royal Regalia of the Crystal Empire, the outfit she’d worn earlier this morning. It was the most famous of Rarity’s creations, being that it was minted on one side of the Crystallean Bit. Not to mention, that particular ensemble, with its various accoutrements was the subject of nearly every painting she was the subject of.

At least a dozen different regalia sets were on display here. A private, if not proud affair, with only a hoofful of ponies throughout the Empire’s history being allowed access to it. And each set of regalia came complete with a spectacular crown, each varied in some way

But while no two crowns were a copy of each other, the were all equal in both craft and beauty. Sapphire recognized a bronze circlet with gold inlay among them. She knew that it originated from the old Gryphon Kingdoms, before the birth of the Griffin Republic. A trophy from the war that history later gave Rarity the title of Ageless Guardian of the Northern Wastes.

A familiar gleam caught Sapphire’s eye, above the fireplace. Looking up, she saw a thirteenth crown resting on the mantle from an ivory hook, and behind the hook was a small banner of crushed black velvet with a silvery moon at its center.

Seeing it took Sapphire’s breath away.

The crown itself was made of a very rare blue-hued metal. Across its blue surface, the light from the fireplace below seemed to dance like the auroras. It was a simple band, with ‘V’ of the same rare metal at its apex, shaped much like a pegasus diving down.

Where the two bands of metal met, at what would be the center of the forehead and just below the horn was a black crescent moon, supporting a flawless diamond that Sapphire, or rather Luna, knew all too well well.

Back in her madness, when she’d been banished to the moon, she’d named it The Warding Star. One of the four stars that would eventually aid in the prophesied escape of Nightmare Moon. Distant, long forgotten memories once more threatened to wash over her as she recalled the evening where she gave that crown to Rarity.

“I suspected you might like that one,” came Rarity’s voice from behind her.

Sapphire looked over her shoulder with a jerk, then smiled nervously. “Well, it’s really pretty,” she said, trying her best to be as nonchalant.

Rarity walked over to the fireplace and stood beside Sapphire, all the while keeping her eye on the crown. “It was given to me by a friend long ago.”

“A friend?

“A dear friend.”

“I suppose it’s very sentimental?”

“You could say that,” Rarity answered with a chuckle. “But there’s nothing sentimental about the power within it. Now come, let’s pick out a nice pair of dresses, shall we?”

Sapphire nodded, finally tearing her eyes away from the Nightmare Crown, and followed the trail of Rarity’s magic as a train of rolling dress racks came to a stop alongside the two of them in front of the fireplace.

“Let’s see,” continued Rarity, shooting up to her hooves. “A party of this size and magnitude deserves a dress to impress! One that makes a statement that says ‘Look at me, but do so with admiration.’ Sapphire, is there a theme for tonight’s party?”

“Well, it’s your birthday,” she said with a big grin before standing up on her back legs to thrust her forelegs into the sky for emphasis,“so the theme is ‘Empress Rarity’s Birthday!’”

“I see,” said Rarity, and she sat down again.

“Something warm,” said Sapphire, turning away from the cream colored silk in her hooves to look over her shoulder. “Maybe something... playful…” And that was when she saw Rarity, sitting there, staring into silence.

"I-I know it's not really my place to ask this, but... why do you hate your birthday so much?"

Rarity froze on the spot. “Come again, Sapphire?”

“Your birthday, I’ve heard that you hate it,” said Sapphire as she sidled up and sat down beside her Empress.

Silenced reigned for a time while Sapphire nervously tapped her hooves together.

“Who told you this?” Rarity finally asked not looking away from the rainbow of dresses before her.

“Chef Cake. Quick Note, the Head Librarian. Commander Onyx.”

“I see,” said Rarity, barely above a whisper. She shifted her seat to turn her back on Sapphire. “What did they tell you?”

“Well, Chef Cake had some theories. It was small stuff, like never getting what you want, or that you don’t like being reminded of your age.”

Rarity sighed dismissively, but there was a quiver to it. Sapphire caught the shiver that raced down her icy back where both her hip and flank inadvertently touched.

“A-and Quick Note just looked at me sadly when I asked,” continued Sapphire, who felt like she was on the verge of crying herself. “Onyx said I had to ask you, myself. So, here I am,” she said, clearing her voice.

“Sapphire, there is no… s-specific reason.” Rarity took a pointed breath and continued as best she could while putting on the same old birthday story that almost as old as she was. “Birthdays were never a big deal when I was growing up. My parents were young when they had me, and finances were a struggle for them, at least in the beginning. They tried their best, but it was usually just a little card.”

“But now you have everything! It should be a grand celebration!”

“Why?” choked out Rarity.

“Because you’ve earned it! Your fantastic, Rarity!” said Sapphire with a sniffle. She reached up to pat her Empress on the shoulder, ignoring the cold and social faux pas. “Look at everything you’ve done. Look at who you are! You deserve to be happy.”

“No, Sapphire,” insisted Rarity. She pulled herself away from Sapphire’s touch.

“It’s just not fair that you’re this miserable, and today of all days! It’s not fair to you and it’s not fair to your friends.”

“Merry, please!” replied Rarity, her voice cracking. She turned back around so she could look at Sapphire with one tear stricken eye. “It’s difficult, I-I can’t—”

“Why?” asked Sapphire. “Please, I’ve spent the last forever getting this together for you. All of this. And nothing has gone right! Please, tell me,” she begged.

Rarity turned her head back and cradled it in her hooves. She took a deep breath, then spoke. “It was two hundred years ago, today.”

“What was?”

Rarity hung her head and sighed. “Applejack’s death.”

* * *

“Thank you for coming, Your Majesty,” said Blueblood, trotting over to the Princess. “I am sorry to mar the day’s celebrations with such ill news, but—”

“No, Ambassador, it’s fine,” said Twilight with an appreciative smile as they walked towards the parlor’s door, trailing just a bit behind the rest of the ponies who’d partaken in the cabinet meeting. “You’re doing good work here, but more needs to be done, and I’d like to meet with you for a little planning before you engage the Empress again. When are you coming back to Equestria?”

“I’m hoping to be on the train back by the end of the week, Your Majesty,” replied Blueblood. “I do so miss my family.”

Twilight nodded. “Well, let’s see if my visit here can’t help you relax before heading back for a while.”

“You’re much too kind, Princess,” said Blueblood.

Twilight offered another of her Celestia-copied-smiles as Director Manesfield let out a yelp of surprise as something pushed past her coming in through the door she was walking out of.

“Twilight! Twilight, look at what I got!” Blueblood flashed a scowl before he regained his typical expression of aristocratic boredom at the sight before him.

Spike, the dragon who refused to grow up. The anomaly.

A dragon was a dangerous thing, even a relatively young one of less than three centuries. An unpredictable dragon, who could shapeshift at will and valued friendship over treasure, was even more dangerous. He was dangerous because games could only be won if all the pieces play by the rules.

The toddler-sized drake was decked out in more Rarity memorabilia than Blueblood thought would be possible on such a small frame. He wore a paper crown, a pitiable facsimile of the one Rarity wore in all her portraits. He had a small Empress Rarity doll under each arm, and in each of his little clawed hands he held the straps of off-white paper bags, filled to the brim with merchandise. He wore an off-white cotton shirt with some inane catchphrase hastily written across it. A saddlebag in the shape of the Crystal Heart was strapped across his little shoulders, jammed full of posters, bags, and a Rarity made out of balloons.

“You’re not gonna believe this Twi, but there’s this fair and and everything there was Rarity! I mean, it was all about Rarity! Look at all this awesome stuff!”

Twilight giggled like a schoolmare, nearly causing Blueblood to completely lose it right then and there and choke the immortal life out of her. “That’s great, Spike. Did you have fun?”

“I sure did! I think Captain Shining Star did too!” he exclaimed as the three of them walked out of the parlor and into the hall beyond.

Captain Shining Star was lying on the floor and moaning while she woozily waved her hooves around her swollen stomach. “Too… much… funnel cake. Frosting goodness… sugar coma.”

“Yes, well, I seem to have I forgotten my papers, Princess,” said Blueblood with a hasty bow. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t see you out. Until tonight, Your Highness.”

He turned around and nearly galloped the yard or so back into the parlor room before slamming the door shut and letting out an angry grunt. He could only keep up his friendly charade for so long when confronted with such… incompetence. Then he heard the distinctive sound of somepony throwing up, and lamented the state of his rugs.

Blueblood leaned against the door for a moment, willing the unholy anger within him to submit to his authority. He was so close to executing the final stages of his plan. So close to being rid of these pesky princesses and their pretending to the throne. So close to the rule that was rightfully his, through both bloodline and through personal merit. He was not about to let a little thing like rage ruin the last few centuries of work.

He opened his eyes and they focused on a large self portrait, the one that Princess Twilight had foolishly repaired with her magic. He allowed a smile to cross his face.

Pushing off the door, Blueblood walked over to the table and pulled out the closest chair. He eased himself into it and looked at his collected notes that he left on the table. He committed it all to memory, then began transcribing copies for later this evening when runners would be dispatched to the necessary cells in both the Empire and Equestria.

A knock at the door caught snapped him from his thoughts, and he shuffled the papers into a single stack with his magic before calling out. “Come in!”

The doors opened and the butler poked his head in.“The good senator, Mr. Underhill, would like to speak with you, sir,” he said.

Blueblood smiled at his servant, “Would he now? Yes, come in, both of you. Pour us some fresh tea from the cart, would you?”

The butler nodded, and he stepped back to allow the overweight pegasus to slip in first.

“Senator, good to see you. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I heard you were curious about tickets to the Wonderbolt Derby,” replied Underhill as he took his own seat.

Blueblood nodded, understanding the code, and the butler silently closed the door with a click, locking the three of them inside. Blueblood’s horn shimmered as he activated the hidden soundproofing runes around the room.

“Report,” he demanded.

“The Edict has spread. We are now active in three battalions, two of which you now have total control over and loyalty of the lieutenant colonels that command them,” replied Underhill. “At your word, over half of all the supply trains between Equestria and the Crystal Empire can be scuttled. Agents loyal to The Edict have taken seats in both houses of the Senate. The newest of which is the head of the budget committee in the House of Commons.”

Blueblood smiled as he jotted down his notes. “Any luck getting into the Changeling Defense Force?”

The good senator Underhill shook his head. “No sir. As you know, they have the highest due diligence of any official organization in Equestria. We’ve pulled out of every attempt to get a loyal son into the CDF as soon as they started asking too many questions.”

“As well you should,” dismissed Blueblood with a wave. “It would do us little good to have the whole world know about The Edict too soon now, wouldn’t it? But the CDF hardly matters now that we have this.” Blueblood gestured to the painting Princess Twilight repaired with a free hoof as he continued to scratch out his missives for the evening.

Underhill looked at him, then to the painting, and then back at Blueblood. “It’s a nice painting, Master, but—”

“It is, isn’t it?” asked Blueblood, slamming his quill down and flashing a predatory smile at his minion. “What would you call it, Underhill? Gorgeous? Handsome?”

The good senator Underhill pondered Blueblood’s words before leaning back in his chair and sighing. “I’m no good with riddles, Master. Pray tell, what is important about the painting?”

Blueblood frowned. This was the problem with inbred pigeons such as pegasi; no imagination. “What’s so important is that with this portrait, I have just taken the keys to Canterlot, and beyond!”

Blueblood relished the look of utter confusion on his minion’s face. He licked his lips, unable to hide his glee. His horn lit up and the painting came off the wall, coming to rest face down on the table, its thrumming lines and circles now visible for them to see.

“Are you familiar with magical runes?”

“I can’t say that I am.”

“Pity. Well, to spare you the lecture, know that they are incredibly difficult to create from scratch. The total life’s work of some of Equestria’s greatest unicorn wizards has resulted in thirty two in all. What you see here is a circle of my own design. It’s a hybridization of Ditto Drop’s famous Duplication Rune, bled into a scrying of the Archmage Locken Roll’s Incarceration Rune.”

“Huh,” was all Underhill had to say about it.

It was all Blueblood could do to not pop his head like a zit. “It captures magical signatures,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Magical signatures?”

Blueblood let out a sigh, willing the anger to subside. Of course, he thought to himself. Why did I expect anything other than a unicorn to understand this.

“A magical signature identifies a pony, or anything that can use magic. It’s unique, like a hoofprint. No two are the same, and they can’t be replicated.” Blueblood’s own horn flared to life as he lifted a piping hot cup of tea from the tray that his butler was attending to. “If you were to analyse the aura that held this cup aloft, you would know that it was mine. Once I let go, a magical signature is left as a sort of meta-magical residue.”

“But why does—”

“And if you use a detection spell, you can match a magical signature to a pony.”

“Huh.”

Blueblood frowned. Apparently the pegasus hadn’t connected the dots yet.

“Magical signatures are so unique, and so impossible to copy, that it’s become the defacto method of ‘locking’ a spell.”

“How so?”

“Well, when you— what am I saying— when I cast the spell to activate the soundproofing runes around the room, I instructed the spell to hold until a cancellation spell was sent with my magical signature.”

“So… it’s sort of like a key, but for turning on and off somepony’s magic or spell?”

Blueblood clapped his hooves together, chiddingly. “Very good! Yes, it’s like that, if you were to take the most base and curt of explanations.”

Underhill sat up. “So… she left her magical signature when she fixed the painting?!”

“Yes. You see it now.” His magic flared, and he grimaced as he worked his theurgic math. Soon, and shakily, the aura that wrapped the painting changed in color from his usual yellow to a magenta hue that was well recognized as belonging to Princess Twilight.

He laughed, then continued. “With this, and with some time perfecting it, any spell I cast can be masked as if it was personally cast by the Princess.”

“Well, what are we waiting for!” Blueblood’s butler suddenly cried out. He disappeared in a green puff of smoke, reappearing a second later in his true changeling form. “With this you could free the Queen!”

The good senator, startled by the revealed changeling, fell backwards and tumbled to the floor.

“No.” The aura returned to its natural yellow before fading out entirely. “I haven’t mastered the signature yet,” said Blueblood, panting. “I need more time to analyze it before I can use it to unlock the seals that have the Queen locked away. They’re extremely complex and only Twilight’s magic can properly undo them.”

“STARS GARTERS, A C-CHANGELING?! They’re real!?”

“Calm yourself, fool,” growled Blueblood, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“How long will it take?” demanded the chittering changeling. Blueblood didn’t particularly care for its tone of voice.

“A few months, at least,” replied Blueblood. “I need to stabilize the signature and adapt it as my own. It’s like flexing a muscle I didn’t have before.”

The butler snorted, its lip curling in discontent. “We don’t have time for your games anymore, Blueblood.”

“Games?” Blueblood frowned, remembering his earlier confrontations with Silver Dash and Sandy Gale. “Was today ‘Minion Revolt Day’ and I missed the memo?”

“Blueblood, it’s a changeling!” urged Senator Underhill. “Kill it with your magic!”

Blueblood gripped the bridge of his muzzle and let out a breath through his nostrils before addressing the stupidity all around him. “Okay, the two of you just…” He pointed to the good Senator Underhill as a red glow flashed in his eyes. “Sleep,” he commanded.

And he did.

“Why have you not turned this one into a thrall?” asked the changeling.

“Because believe it or not,” replied Blueblood as he stood up to put the good senator back into a chair. “Some of my minions require free will to be of any use to me.”

“Mhm. Free will. We find it an overrated concept.”

“We?” asked Blueblood, turning to appraise the changeling. “I suspect others from the Hive are watching through your eyes now, yes?”

The butler nodded.

Blueblood smiled again. “Excellent.”

A yellow aura gripped the changeling, and, with a grunt of effort, Blueblood crushed its four limbs into itself before stepping on its throat to rob it of speech. “Alright, changelings,” he snarled, “listen and listen well. This drone is as good as dead, as is the next one of you filthy bugs who so much as speaks out of line. You will have your Queen back; I have promised this much. But you will have her back on my terms, and on my time table.”

Silence reigned between him and the creatures, without number or name, who watched on as one. He smiled, raising his hoof above the squirming creature’s head. “You’ve waited this long. What is a few more months? Please, be patient. Is that too much for me to ask?”

And then he slammed his hoof down. And again. And a third time.

* * *

The good senator felt something tap him on his shoulder, and he stirred with a sharp intake of air. Where am I?

“Oh thank goodness, you’ve woken up,” came a voice to his right.

Underhill sat up and took in his surroundings. He was in the parlor room at the Equestrian Embassy in the Crystal Kingdom. That’s right. He’d come in here to speak to the Master of The Edict. But there was something urgent that happened. What was it?

“Any more ‘changelings’?” asked Blueblood.

The good senator’s face paled, as he scoured the room with his eyes. “That was it! The thing! Blueblood, there’s a changeling in here!”

Blueblood frowned and offered Underhill a cup of hot tea. “Yes, that is what you were shouting not an hour ago before you suddenly collapsed,” he said with a shake of his head. “I’d never seen anypony in such an uproar before.”

“But… But I… saw one?”

Underhill flapped his wings in consternation, thinking back to the moment. But he couldn’t quite remember. It was fuzzy. Like a dream. “Oh good heavens, was it just a dream?” he asked aloud.

“Strangest dream I’ve ever encountered, what with you screaming on as you did,” replied Blueblood, taking a sip of his tea while glancing at the clock. “I must ask you, Underhill, are you feeling alright?”

“Yes sir, I’m… fine? I’m fine.”

“Well, if you’re sure you’re feeling better,” Blueblood continued, “I best attend to the day’s last duties before getting ready for the party tonight.”

“Yes… Yes, of course,” muttered Underhill as he tried to account for his bizarre actions. “Must be all the stress.”

Blueblood came to his side and offered him a pat on the hoof with a friendly smile. “That must be it. In any case, the Edict thanks you for your report. Job well done, soldier. Please, if you have the need to rest, I’ve taken the liberty of lighting a fire. The chaise lounge beside the hearth is an excellent spot for a nap,” he said, gesturing with his head towards the crackling fireplace and its curiously green tipped flames.

“Thank you, Master.”

Blueblood threw him a wink before turning to leave the room. “Please, don’t mention it.”

Chapter 14

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Chapter 15

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Chapter 16

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Deleted Scenes

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Chapter 4

"Step Four: After applying tape to the ribbon under the present, take the two equal ends and bring them up to the top as shown and tie the initial knot. Consult Diagram 2.13.4 for additional information." The Alicorn Princess studied the diagram in Pinkie's Perfect Party Productions and Presents and frowned at her own poor attempts to replicate it. "Spike? Could I borrow you for a moment?"

A massive sigh, like a gust of wind, blew through her ethereal mane as a giant purple claw reached through the window and gently placeda razor-sharp talon on the present. Her magic took hold of the two ends of the green ribbon and tied a fairly decent knot. "Thanks, Spike."

A loud yawn greeted her. "Twi, I thought you knew how to do this," rumbled the giant.

"Heh... I, umm. Actually, I don’t buy gifts all that often. And when I do I usually have a clerk wrap at the store."

"So why not do that this time?"

"This is Rarity's 250th Birthday, Spike. It’s not everyday you celebrate a quarter of a millennia. I wanted it to be special. I wanted to give her something nice."

"So... you got her a book?"

Twilight ignored the dragon as she put the finishing touches on the present. "There, what do you think?"

Spike smiled back at her, and in a flash, the huge dragon beyond her window disappeared and standing before her in her bed chambers at the top of the Moon Tower was the little dragon she had always cared for. She helped him master the transformative magics that dwelled inside of him as a result of his unique hatching. Even though he was well on his way in the dragon world, as mature and respected as he was, he was still her little baby dragon.

Seeing him in his smaller form brought a rush of memories to mind.

"Oh, that looks— umm, what are you looking at Twi?" he asked the absentmindedly staring Alicorn.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," she replied with a sad smile. "Back to when you were always this size and we all lived in Ponyville together... and the Princesses were still here."

Silence fell upon them as they both lost themselves in the sweet vices of nostalgia and memory, a luxury rarely afforded to the long lived in these busy times. It was a time of innocence and joy, not unlike the current era just... different.

"I... I know, Twilight," said Spike, finally breaking the silence. "They’re still out there, I'm sure of it."

“I hope so,” she said as she walked over to the window he had just entered. "I miss them, Spike.”

"Still no luck in finding them?" Spike asked as he made some deft adjustments to the present.

Twilight shook her head. Years ago, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna vanished without a trace, sparking unrest and shear panic in ponies throughout Equestria. For decades, search parties roamed the wild and forgotten places of the world, in a desperate bid to find the Sun and Moon Goddesses, but it appeared to be all for naught.

Civil war threatened, but Twilight, along with the help of Cadence and the founding of the Senate, managed to keep the nation together. That move left Rarity with the Crystal Empire, a choice that she hoped she would not live to regret.

"Not a word. What about you?"

"I haven't heard anything either," he said as he retied the bow and continued futzing with the wrapping. "None of the dragons have. Although I don't think they'd know the difference between a pigeon and an alicorn. Do you think Rarity has heard anything?"

"If she did, I’m sure she would have told me," said Twilight as she levitated the richly decorated invitation over to her and inspected it for a fourth time that day. The invite was to Rarity's birthday party this evening, and it was made out of the finest Saddle Arabian parchment she'd seen in a long time. The bubbly script of the invitation was elegantly done in a rich purple ink. Somepony was definitely pulling out all the stops this year. Maybe there was still hope.

"Even with relations breaking down between the Crystal Empire and the rest of Equestria, I still believe her to be my friend."

Spike winced. "That bad, huh?"

A sharp knock at the door interrupted their conversation, and the Alicorn Princess opened the door with her magic, allowing an armored unicorn mare into the room. She had a snowy blue, almost white coat, and a sky blue mane. The armor, purple with gold trimming, belonged to a newer generation of Royal Guards, Princess Twilight Sparkle's Arcane Guard.

"Princess, forgive the intrusion," said the mare as she gave a bow. Her voice was warm, belying a softness that her armor concealed. "But we must be leaving for the Empire soon."

"Thank you, Captain Shining Star," said Twilight as she began to walk out of the room. Her magic enveloped both Spike and the remarkably salvaged present as she passed by. "Come on Spike, let's go get you ready for the party.”

* * *

Lady Sapphire dashed around a corner and continued galloping at full speed until she hit the stairs. There, she leaped over the rail and slid down the banister, and crashed right into somepony.

"I am so, so sorr— Party Hats!?!" said Sapphire as she recognized the mare she had crashed into. "Oh my gosh, Party! Are you okay?"

The white Pegasus gave a giggle in response as she laid tangled up with Sapphire. "Wow, Merry! That was so totally awesome!" She finally wiggled her way out of the mess and reached down to help Sapphire up. Her mane was some of the brightest pink Sapphire had ever seen and so poofy that it seemed impossible to get it all straight. Sapphire caught a quick glimpse of her cutie mark; three pointy hats.

"What's the rush?" asked the party pony.

"I am way behind schedule, Party," said Sapphire as she adjusted her saddlebags. She checked inside to make sure her pet was still okay. He looked back up at her with shell shocked eyes and an expression that read ‘please don't do that again’. Sapphire gave him an apologetic smile before turning back to Party Hats. "Actually, I need to talk to you; it’s about the party."

"Which is going to be AWESOME!" shouted the pegasus as the two trotted towards the ballroom that would be hosting the evening event in question. "I even invited my cousin Maddie Peg to come and help with the music."

"Oh, that's gre— wait, Maddie Peg?"

"Yeah, silly. My DJ-ing cousin, remember? Though she goes by DJ_MPEG when she performs!"

"Umm, Party," said Sapphire she pushed the door open. "I don't think the Empress is… into that kind of music."

"Oh don't be silly! Everypony likes to have a good time!"

Lady Sapphire stared at her party pony friend for a moment. "Are... are we having the same conversation?"

The white pegasus nodded with a giggle. "Blue is a great color for the hats, good idea!"

Sapphire just stood there, eye twitching, and watched as the pegasus took to the air and began zooming around the giant room, laughing as she went. Sapphire noticed that the room was well decorated and matched her earlier specifications exactly.

Chairs and tables were set up on one side of the room, and some crystal ponies were just beyond the glass doors getting the patio that lead out into the gardens ready. Lights, ribbons, a large Happy Birthday banner, everything was going well. She looked down into her saddlebags and frowned. Maybe she didn't need her whip anymore.

On the other end of the room, a purple haired, white unicorn with blue glasses gave Sapphire a wave, which she returned as the other pony continued to set up her DJ equipment.

"Party Hats?, I think tha— " Sapphire hit the floor just in time to avoid being hit by a white blur. She glanced up and saw the Pegasus giggling as she went around the columns in the massive room, trailing streamers behind her.

"I LOVE DECORATING! THIS IS SOOO MUCH FUN!" shouted Party Hats as she soared around in the room. The pegasus did one last aerial flip before landing next to the twitching pony.

"You’ve gotta try that!" she exclaimed, bouncing around Sapphire. "Well, you know, if you had any wings, but it was so much f— "

She was cut off by Sapphire's hoof in her mouth, but the pegasus kept talking anyways with muffled sounds. Sapphire frowned at the mare's insistence but held her hoof in place until she was done.

"Party Hats," said Sapphire carefully. "I need you to pay attention. We have a problem. Do you understand?"

The other pony nodded and Sapphire removed her hoof and shook the excessive saliva off.

"What's the matter, Merry?"

Sapphire responded by upending her saddlebags onto the floor. Severus scurried away from the rain of books, party supplies, scrolls, and a faux leather whip. "The Empress hates her own birthday," she said flatly. "We need to make some changes to the party if I'm going to salvage this shindig. Because, well... I've already screwed some of this up."

"Wait, what?" asked Party Hats in disbelief. "I don't believe it, how could anypony hate their own birthday? I mean its full of presents, cake, friends, cake, piñatas, cake, cake, and cake!"

She eyed the crystal pony suspiciously. "Did I mention the piñata?"

"Look, we don't have time for this," said Lady Sapphire as she unrolled a large scroll from the pile at her hooves. "According to the schedule, I have to get back to the Empress soon. The party’s tonight, and that doesn’t give us much time to make these changes. But I've been reading a Journal that belonged to the Emp— "

Party Hats gasped. "You were reading another pony’s diary!" she said with a shocked look on her face. "Merry Sapphire, I can't believe you wou— "

"Calm down!" said Sapphire. "It was okay to look at because it was in a library. Anyway, I got several ideas for the party. Here, take a look at this and tell me what you think."

The pegasus sat next to her friend and read over the plans, the serious expression of a party veteran surveying the battlefield washed over her features. "I think we can make this work, but you’re forgetting something.”

Sapphire looked over at her friend with worry on her brow. “And that is?”

The playful pegasus poked her in the chest and giggled. “You need a piñata," she said with a smile.

"For the love of—"

This time Sapphire was stopped with a hoof in her mouth. "Who's the Party Pony?" asked the pegasus.

"Wo ar," replied Sapphire.

"That's right!" said Party Hats. "And who called me here?"

"Rye hid."

"And who’s gonna trust me?"

"Rye am?"

"Exactly!" said the party pegasus as she pulled her hoof out of Sapphire’s mouth. "I'm the Party Pony, and you are the scheduling, managing, fancy-me-fancy pony. I'm going to do what I do best, and you are going to go do what it is that you do best."

"But the party—"

"Will be super-duper awesome, that's what it will be. I even brought my family's Party Cannon! My grandma said it belonged to Pinkie Pie herself!" she said as she shoved the crystal pony out of the room with the top of her head. "Now go take care of presents… or whatever it is you’ve got to do."

Sapphire flinched as the door slammed shut, barely missing her tail. She was about to go back into the room and give the hyperactive Pegasus a piece of her mind, when she felt a familiar tug on her leg. She looked down and saw her pet fox pointing at a clock on the wall as he squeaked in frantic gibberish.

"Horseapples," she muttered to nopony in particular as she galloped back down the hall.

* * *

Peace, came the voice from within her mind.

The Empress took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, just like how Princess Cadence had taught her when dealing with stress. Back when Rarity was just the Chancellor of State and not its ruler. The idea was to let the action clear the mind and focus a pony’s thoughts on the problem at hoof from a standpoint of impartial authority, instead of acting with imprudence or out of emotion.

Something she was not very good at, truth be told.

Yes, there we go. Relax, said the voice again. Rarity knew it as the Crystal Heart, the real Crystal Heart that she had merged with over 200 years ago when the Windigos returned and assaulted all of Equestria. It had been damaged during the struggle, and Rarity had entered into a pact with it that saved itself, the lives of her friends, and perhaps the world at large.

Every so often it would speak in her mind, giving counsel when it could, and annoying her when it couldn’t. But it wasn't the only voice in her head. There was "the other" that haunted her dreams and sometimes her waking moments.

Her eyes raced about the room, trying to keep one step ahead of the dark thoughts that she knew were lingering just below the surface. Even thinking of what she called "the other" seemed to summon it straight to her. She smiled at her throne room, the center of the Palace. Rarity had taken great pains in its design.

The heavy crystal doors were laden with both filigree and frieze of rare metals and precious stones. The work spoke of the skill and grace of the craftsponies found within the Crystal Empire. Flanking the doors on each side, the towering south-facing windows filled the throne room with light and opened the space, adding to its majesty.

She absentmindedly patted a hoof on the soft fabric that lined her seat as her eyes traced the red outline of the carpet leading up to her throne. It was larger than the last throne that Cadence enjoyed during her rule, being more like a couch than a chair. Rarity made it herself from the purest crystal she could generate, and spent months hewing it until she was satisfied with her work.

Imposing crystals jutted and fanned out from behind the soft cushions she rested on. They, along with the sides and much of the actual throne, still held the crystalline look. She had forgone the option to gild it or conceal its rugged beauty with gems. She thought her throne spoke of lasting power and strength, a symbol of endurance and prosperity to any who looked upon it.

Rarity recalled how Sweetie Belle once remarked that it looked more like an overgrown cat bed than a throne. The Empress frowned at the memory, but a small cough brought her attention back to the spectacle in front of her. Rarity looked over at the pony who had done so, a blue crystal stallion wearing a grey vest.

She knew him as Beryl Knight, a loyal Lord in her Crystal Council and a member of the Expansion Committee. Councilor Knight was one of the dozen or so ponies that had been invited to this meeting, including Lieutenant Silver Dash, who looked as bored as the Empress felt. Beryl Knight gave Rarity a small smile and nodded his head towards Ambassador Blueblood’s seat.

The Equestrian Representative was in the middle of his presentation on the latest ambitious project from Equestria— some sort of long distance communication system he called ‘the telegraph’. Rarity had to give Blueblood credit. He spoke well, his words clear and precise, and his small jokes weren't a distraction but eased many of her ponies in attendance.

She watched as several of her crystal ponies nodded eagerly in agreement with honeyed words. He made it sound like this was a good chance to take, a system like this would allow for near-instant communication throughout all of Equestria, the Crystal Empire, and parts beyond.

Rarity wasn't fooled though. The project would be time consuming and cost a substantial amount of money for maintenance and operation alone, not to mention the various challenges they would have to overcome in building it through rough terrain. Rarity glanced back at the opened presentation folder Blueblood had passed out, and ran the numbers through her head again.

"Pardon the interruption, Ambassador," said Rarity, stopping his tale on how test trials had saved an orphanage from burning down, or something like that. "While I believe you have done a rather magnificent job on selling this to my ponies, I would rather take a closer look at the costs and applications."

"Of course, your Majesty," replied Blueblood with a bow. "I would be delighted to answer any questions you may have on what will surely be the greatest technological improvement of the century."

"As I was saying then," continued the Empress. "Examining your figures here and doing a bit of quick math on my own, you’re asking for the Crystal Empire to pay 60 percent of the estimated cost. Yet we will receive a third of the proposed telegraph system. Why is that?"

"Well, your Majesty," said Blueblood as he rose to his hooves and trotted over to a map that showed the proposed system. "As you can see, the terrain in Equestria is going to be much easier to work with. We already have plans for the system to follow our railroads, but a similar transportation system doesn't exist in the Empire, the express line from Canterlot to your magnificent capital notwithstanding. We would have to build those or plot them as close as we can to the projected paths of the future railroad. In addition, the terrain gets more difficult to work with the further North we get."

"No," came Rarity’s reply. Her remark gave pause to nearly everypony in the room.

"I-I'm sorry, your Majesty, but wha—"

"The answer is 'no', Ambassador," repeated the Empress as she stood up and walked down from her throne to the map. "The Empire has enough projects on its plate at the moment. Sapping resources into such a... one-sided endeavor would be a waste. Not to mention that our taxes would have to double in order to acquiesce with your proposal, something our economy could not handle in the present state."

"Your Majesty, if I may speak frankly," said one of the nobles, looking at the Empress as she passed by. "Are you out of your unicorn mind!? This is something that the Crystal Council needs to consider and debate on, not som—"

"I said no!" The Empress snapped back, her voice ringing from the walls, and her patience finally breaking. Her horn burst into blue light and most of Blueblood's folders exploded into a rain of shredded paper.

The stallion slid down in his seat and flattened his ears in acknowledgment that he had crossed a line no pony was meant to cross.

"No?" asked an incredulous Blueblood. "No?! You have some nerve, Empress. To turn your back on the country that sired you? To say ‘no’ to the nation that you claimed to love... that you protected for over a century as if you were turning down a second slice of cake? Were you not an Element of Harmony? Where is this so-called Generosity that you are so well-known for? Is it locked away in that frozen husk of yours, or did you trade that away to the griffons for Shimmering Bay?"

Rarity stared daggers through the Ambassador. The room became deathly silent as the two had a stare off. This was the stallion she knew. He was ambitious, vengeful, and above all else, careful, which made him extremely dangerous. Blueblood knew the value of waiting, and the importance of never acting in haste.

And clearly, he was also very well informed.

"Leave us," said the Empress, her tone as cold as her icy shell. The other ponies quickly and quietly gathered their things and made their way out. She ignored the look of worry and concern shot her way by Silver Dash, and instead focused on the unicorn in front of her.

Rarity waited for the doors to click shut behind the last of her little ponies, before making her move. "I don't know how you came across this information," said Rarity as she circled in on him. "But dealings between the Griffon Republic and Crystal Empire are not for your ears."

"Oh, I think they are, Your Majesty. Or have you forgotten that the Crystal Empire belongs to Equestria?" he said finitely. "You may have dreams of sovereignty, but they are just that. Dreams."

"We're an independent nation, Blueblood."

The white stallion shook his blonde mane. "Still dreaming I see. But this isn't a matter I care to discuss right now. Perhaps you would like to look at this instead," he said as he slid one of his unexploded folders across the table. The Empress noted the Equestrian Seal, but also a very familiar six-pointed star.

"What is this?" she asked, levitating the folder over and opening to read its contents.

"This project will get its funding, with or without your approval. What you see there is what we like to call a poison pill. It contains new tariffs, embargoes, and other economic acts to... discourage tourists from visiting the Empire. Such as relocating the Equestrian Games to somewhere else until we know we can trust that our little Crystal Empress will do the right thing."

Rarity frantically scanned the documents and ran calculations through her head. Her grimace grew with each page she turned, as the alternative was looking bleaker and bleaker. Finally having enough, she slammed the folder back onto the table. "This... this will destroy the Empire!"

Blueblood rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't be so melodramatic," he said with a wave of his hoof. "It'll just severely cripple it for a few decades, that’s all."

"This is outrageous, Blueblood, and I will not stand for this," hissed the Empress. "And I know that Princess Twilight will not stand for this either."

"Oh yes," he said as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I’d forgotten about that. Would you turn to the last page, please?"

Rarity eyed the unicorn, but did as was suggested. On the last page she found a series of signatures of Equestria’s Senators and committee members, individuals who would have had a hoof in either writing, examining, or supporting it. The name she found on the very end of it caused her heart to break.

Princess Twilight Sparkle

Blueblood tsked softly as a look of false regret fell across his features. "Oh my, how sad. It looks like the good Secretary General has already weighed in on the matter. Now, about these plans..."

Rarity couldn't hear anything but her own breathing and the pounding blood in her ears. Whatever fail-safes she thought she had in place to control her anger instantly shattered. She felt the emotion roll through the room like a summer storm, and she barely registered the cries of alarm that spilled in from the outside hall as the wave rushed over her crystal ponies. Then it happened. The. Worst. Possible. Thing.

The other voice was back.

"We warned you," it growled in the depths of her mind. "Did we not say that this would come to pass? Betrayal is but the beginning, and it will only get worse, unless you act. Destroy him, and make an example out of those that would defy our… your will."

A enormous black crystal broke through the ground and shattered the table. The room rocked back and forth as dozens of smaller black crystals came crashing through cracks in the floor. The Ambassador took a step back, then brought his own magic to bear in order to create a protective shell around him.

The temperature of the room dropped rapidly, letting him see his own breath. He looked up at the Empress to say something, anything to take control of the situation, but he found his words stuck in his throat. She relished the fear in his eyes.

"What's the matter, Blueblood?" she asked, her voice warped with power. Rarity leaned forward just enough for Blueblood to catch the crimson gleam of anger in her eyes as spiky crystalline armor formed along her coat. "Found yourself on thin ice?”

* * *

Onyx sat in his office and flipped through the folder without much interest. Not that the expansion plans, maps, and contingencies within weren't exciting, he'd just already memorized them. After all, he wrote most of it.

He turned to the timeline that showed the ten year expansion plans of the Empire. Flagged here and there with potential conflict points and crucial events. The map of the continent on the adjacent page had corresponding flags of its own, highlighting where such conflicts were likely to happen. The Commander frowned at the two red flags, one pinned to the Crystal Palace Ballroom, and its mate pinned to the tick on the timeline beneath it. It read:

PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE'S APPEARANCE AT EMPRESS RARITY'S PARTY

Onyx had a number of situational simulations carefully planned just for this evening, and had drilled the Guard on them for weeks. Everything from a suspected assassination attempt to one of the Empress' mood swings. He had taken into consideration several evacuation routes, predicted blast radiuses, their fallout zones, and damage containment plans. But he still felt like he was missing something or needed something more.

He sighed and wished, again, that he could have something other than crystal ponies at his command. The unique coats of the crystal ponies gave them a higher resistance to magic, and numerous training sessions with Rarity gave him an idea of how much they could handle before being overwhelmed. But other than that, they had next to nothing. No air support, no magic support, and worst of all none of the enviable strength of his earth pony cousins. Which meant that he had to get… creative.

He had ordered near two hundred pounds of slightly stale candy corn to deal with Princess Twilight, which would make...

"Wait, Princess Twilight has wings." Onyx leaned back with a sigh and rubbed his eyes in frustration. His job just got a lot harder with the sudden revelation.

“How do you stop an Alicorn?” he asked the cluttered walls of his office. He had no idea how to take one down, let alone defend against one if anything should happen. Worst of all, any engagement against one of Equestria's beloved Princesses would most likely be seen as an act of open aggression.

War would probably be the outcome.

He believed that it wasn't in the Crystal Empire’s best interest to invite the Princess to Rarity's party and he had spoke openly against it. It seemed like an even worse idea today, considering the crumbling state of relations.

Lady Sapphire though, believed it to be the right thing to do. She countered that they are good friends, and the two being seen together would ease the public mind that there was any serious hostility between the two nations. He hoped that she was right.

Onyx pushed himself away from the desk and looked around the room in an attempt to tear his mind away from the security concerns of his fledgling nation.

It was definitely the room of a planner. A series of large filing cabinets with unsorted papers stacked on top of them dominated the wall to his left. The wall to his right had a massive map of Imperial Territory and corkboards covered with diagrams, pictures, and notes on the Empire’s expansion plans.

Red strings covered the wall, leading from one idea to another in a complex web of plans within plans. Still the office was large enough to contain his desk, some chairs, and afford the luxury of a few items of comfort like his couch and mini fridge. The rest of the office space was filled with awards and photos.

One such photo caught his attention. In it was a younger version of himself, kneeling before the Empress and being promoted to Commander of Her Majesty's Royal Guard. The distant memory brought a smile to his face. Everything seemed so simple then, no plans of expansion, no tour, no stress.

Her Majesty's Royal Guard was far and away from the 'stand and look pretty' brigade that he joined in his youth. He thought back on all the changes he'd seen in the last few decades. He mused thin-lipped over the fact that many of those changes were once his ideas.

A sudden knock at the door broke him out of his stupor of thought. "Come in, General!" he called as he rubbed his eyes with his hooves. "I see the Empress didn't take so kindly to—"

"Expecting somepony else?" answered an unexpectedly familiar voice.

Onyx spun around to see a purple coated crystal mare walk into the room. She glistened beautifully. She always glistened beautifully. And Onyx knew that when the sun would hit her just right… wow, was she something else. Violet Rose was such a unique mare; kind, naturally gifted with teaching others, and as free spirited as they came.

"Violet," he said, a bit stunned as she slowly walked into the room. He got out of his chair and walked to the front of his desk. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too," she said with a smile as she inspected the cluttered office. "I see you've... umm, been sleeping well?"

"Uhh, yeah. The couch is a Hide-a-Bed," he said with a nervous chuckle. "Please, sit down and stay for a moment. Would you like something to eat or drink?"

"No, thank you," she said politely as she sat down and pulled her saddlebag closer.

Awkward silence passed between the two as Onyx fiddled with his hooves and Violet took a deep interest in one of his pictures. Things didn't go well between the two at their parting. There had been lots of shouting, a fair bit of arguing, and eventually Onyx found himself taking up residence in his office. It wasn’t long before he returned to an empty home with a note on the door saying that his family had left for Bedrock. That had been over a month ago.

"So, are the kids here too?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"The boys are with Dad on a tour of the castle," she replied. "We've been doing well. Mom and Dad are happy to see us, and... well, Lord Stone has actually been visiting us quite a bit lately, and playing with the colts. They really like him and they’re having a lot of fun."

"Oh... I see," was the only thing he could manage to say. Onyx was familiar with the name of Lord Stone. He was a minor lord that oversaw some of the mining operations outside of Bedrock.

What Onyx had heard of him was that he was a kind and gentle pony who had lost his wife several years ago in a carriage accident. Why did that make him so nervous? "Well, I guess we could go get the boys and get some lun—"

"No!" she blurted out. Onyx was taken back by the sudden outburst. An awkward silence came between the two for a while until the mare finally continued. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I actually came to talk to you and give you something."

"Talk?" Onyx cocked his head inquisitively at her. "Vi, I think we've talked quite a bit about this. We knew that being in the Guard would require a lot of my attention, but we can work everything out.”

“No, it’s not… Look, I know, and I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last few weeks about… us," she said carefully, and pulled out a envelope from her bag. "I know we didn't have a lot of kind words to say to each other last time. But we can't keep going like this, and a decision needs to be made. So I made one.”

Onyx said nothing, but shook his head over and over as Violet continued. “Here, it just needs your signature."

Violet held out the envelope for Onyx to take. He eased it open as Violet slid off the couch and placed her bag back on.

"Vi, I don't und—" His eyes went wide as he read what was in the letter. He dropped it like it was a venomous snake and looked back up at his soon-to-be ex-wife. "Violet... No, please, it doesn't have to be this way."

"I'm sorry," she said. "But I've made my decision."

"Buck that! Look, we can work this ou— I can work this out," he pleaded. "We can leave for a while, take a trip and spend some family time together. My cousin still has that little place over at Sweet Apple Acres, the one with the lake! We can go there, or it can just be you and me t—"

"Onyx," she said quietly. "Don't do this, you know th—"

"I promise you, Violet," he said, not listening to her as he frantically paced the room. "We can work this out, I swear. Just give me another chance!"

"COMMANDER!" The door suddenly burst open and a guard rushed into the room. "Sir, we have a problem, and we ne— Is this a bad time?"

"This is. The. Worst. Possible. Time," replied Onyx as his hoof covered his face in a mix of frustration and embarrassment. "What is it?"

"Sir, you told me to come get you if there was a disturbance in the throne room."

"Yes?"

"Well there's a disturbance in the... didn't we already do this once today?"

"Twice already, yes."

"That kind of day, eh?" asked Violet, chuckling humorlessly while drying an eye.

Onyx nodded, and the guard continued hesitantly. "Huh. Anyway, there's a disturbance in the throne room."

"Please," Onyx begged Violet Rose as he snatched up his helmet and put it on. "Please wait for just one second, and I'll be right back and we can talk about this, okay? Just please, please wait for me. Just one last time."

She gave him another smile as he galloped out of the room with the other guard, but this one bore the pain of being proven right.

"Good-bye, Snowflake," she whispered as she placed the letter on his desk and walked out of his life.

* * *

Onyx grumbled as he and the guard galloped down the hall at full speed. "It had to be important just then, didn't it? Couldn't have been five minutes later, couldn't have been half an hour later, couldn't have—"

"Sir, I can assure you, this is completely worth your time!"

The two ponies skidded to a halt in front of the unusually menacing doors that lead into the throne room, and Onyx cursed under his breath. The doors were iced over. Other guards were already in the area, sending ponies away who shouldn't be there.

Onyx looked at the panting guard standing next to him, the same guard who brought him news of three different disturbances this day.

"What's your name, son?"

"Garnet Tower, sir."

Onyx nodded. "Well met, Garnet Tower. Tell me, how long has this been going on?"

"A few minutes, Commander. The Ambassador from Equestria came galloping out like a madpony."

Onyx frowned at that. He should have known that Blueblood would have something to do with this. He grumbled at his own missed calculations. "Wait for me here," he said as he removed his helmet and took a heavy cloak, offered from another guard. "If you don't hear from me in half an hour, give the General Evacuation Order."

The Commander took a deep breath and pushed against the door before any arguments could be made. It cracked open slowly as the ice gave way. In a matter of seconds, he slipped through the crack, and was gone.

Onyx looked around the throne room and shuddered. It wasn't the temperature necessarily, but the sight of the throne room itself. Large black crystals jutted out of the ground, and the crystal floor that wasn't covered by ice and snow had cracks in it. The chaos was repeated in the columns, with one particular column not only having the dark crystals growing from it, but also leaking a sinister smoke.

He took a few steps forward, surveying the damage when his hoof kicked something. He looked down in surprise to find that he had bumped into the Empress’ crown. He picked it up and carefully pocketed the crown in his cloak and continued further into the room.

The crystals thinned out into a sort of clearing, and Onyx could make out a hint of the red carpet under the ice layer that lead to the Crystal Throne. There was also the snow-covered remains of a table and a few chairs where one of the biggest single crystals he'd ever seen broke through the ground.

Stomach clenched in worry, he side-stepped the new ornament, and immediately relaxed. There was Empress Rarity, right where he expected her to be, curled up on the throne like a recently disciplined puppy.

"I might have screwed up," she said as he hesitated at the foot of the throne.

"Oh… it’s nothing a little elbow grease and a can of paint can’t fix," he replied with a smirk as he made his way over to her. "Are you okay?"

"I... N-no, I'm not," she whispered with a shudder. Onyx undid his cloak and draped it over the Empress. He could see the frozen tear streaks as she looked up at him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked as he gently placed her crown back on her head.

"I don't know what to say, Onyx," she trembled as she felt the stallion adjust the crown on her head. "It's nothing really, I just need to rest."

Onyx set his head down on a padded armrest, their muzzles less than a foot apart, and he looked into her violet eyes. There was pain and embarrassment there. Not to mention more than their fair share of fear and worry. "You're lying. I can tell when you lie. Your lips make this little twitch when you lie."

"Truly?” she asked with a frown. “Darling, you’re getting worked up over nothing."

"Nothing my hoof," he fired back at her. "What happened? The voices? Are the headaches coming back?"

"They... they never left," Rarity said, looking away from Onyx and digging deeper into the cloak.

Her Commander shook his head in disappointment, and reached up to stroke her mane out of her face, revealing a large crack that had formed in her icy form. "Rarity, you need to tell Twilight about these things. She can help."

"No Onyx, I'm fine," she replied, a little too harshly. "Twilight doesn't need to concern herself with this. Besides, the last time she tried to help me, I-I became… this," she held up a frost-covered hoof and pouted.

An uncomfortable silence passed between the two as Rarity fumed away in the cloak, before she spoke again. "No, this is something I can manage on my own, just like I have for the last two hundred years."

"But you don't need to be alone, Rarity," he said quietly.

"It's not that simple, Onyx. I've got three different forms of magic raging in my body," she replied, looking back up at the stallion's crimson eyes. "Unicorn, Crystal, and possibly Windigo. It’s... it’s tearing me apart."

"I bet that fight with Celestia didn’t help," he added dryly.

"Oh please, don't bring that up, too. I'm still recovering from that," Rarity said with a grimace.

She thought back to how a few months ago, she discovered by some fortuitous accident that a member of her palace staff had actually been the missing Sun Goddess, Princess Celestia, in disguise. Their encounter had gone... poorly. What started as an exchange of words became an exchange of force. She frowned at the recent memory of how it had taken her a good week to regenerate enough of her backside to even sit on her throne.

Onyx looked into his monarch’s face and studied its contours and subtle lines. There was more to this. "What else is eating at you?" he asked.

She let out a sigh, then used her magic to locate the file Ambassador Blueblood had given to her and brought it over. She propped it up so Onyx could read through it. She felt him cycle through the emotions of confusion, disbelief, anger, before finally settling on pity as he read the signature page at the end. "Rarity... I-I… there has to be an explanation here."

"I've been betrayed by my oldest friend," she said with bitterness. "I can’t believe she would even put her name on such a vile document. I just... I don't know what to do."

"Perhaps you could talk with her about it tonight at the party?" suggested Onyx. "Maybe they forced her hoof with something. Blackmail, perhaps. I hear those Senators from Equestria can get away with just about anything."

"Maybe." But by Rarity's tone, Onyx knew she wasn't fully convinced. She frowned back at him, sensing the troubles within him. "Now... I feel like you have something to get off your chest."

"My armor,” he replied, fighting to suppress a grin.

Rarity smiled coyly. "Take it off then." He flustered, and Rarity patted him on the shoulder. "I'm joking, Commander. But really, something was on your mind even before you found me. I felt it as you entered the room."

Onyx looked away, and said nothing at first. But he couldn't keep it in for long. What secrets could a loyal son of the Empire hope to keep from the owner of the Crystal Heart? He looked back at her and found her eyes to be full of determination, but also full of concern and curiosity.

He let out a sigh and began explaining the last few weeks to her about his life at home. He explained the stress, the arguments, and his wife's decision to go to Bedrock. "Violet Rose came by just a few minutes ago," he said, finishing up the tale. "And... well, I guess I'm going to be a bachelor again."

"Oh, Onyx," said Rarity as her face melted with compassion. "I am so sorry, I didn't know you two were having problems."

"It's been going on for a while," he said with a shrug. "I just didn't think it would ever come to this. We'd… we’d been a team for so long and now."

"Onyx, dear. If you need some time off to clear your head, take it. The Royal Guard can get along without you for a short while, I'm sure of it," said Rarity. "We can put Major Tom in for a spell, he'd likely appreciate it."

"I'll be okay," he lied.

Rarity nodded, and the two sat in a befuddling silence for a time before she spoke again with a rather wry laugh. "Well, I guess we're both 'okay' then, aren't we?"

Onyx chuckled gruffly along with her. "Yes, I guess we are." Onyx stood up with a stretch. "Whelp, I better go tell the guards outside that everything is alright or else we're going to have to talk them out of the fallout shelters again."

"Or you could wait a moment, and we'll have the Palace all to ourselves. Just you and me..." she said with a playful slap of his nose with the end of her tail.

Onyx paused and stared up and away into some unseen horizon at her suggestion. Rarity let out a soft laugh before continuing. "Oh, come now, Commander. From what you told me, you haven't even signed the divorce papers yet. Why, the media would have a field day."

Rarity hopped up spritely and walked alongside the black stallion. "Come along, Onyx, darling. Let's go assure my little ponies that everything is... perfectly... I-is it getting colder in here?"

Time slowed for the Commander of the Guard as the Empress paused, and then tumbled over into a pile. The crown fell from her head and bounced away with a dull series of metallic thuds.

"Rarity?!" he yelled as he galloped over to her side. She was still breathing, heavily as if she was in pain, but she was otherwise unconscious. He reached down to try and comfort her, but she flinched at his touch and let out a low moan.

Just then he heard the doors crash open and the sound of wings flapping. He caught a glimpse of Silver Dash floating in the air. "Dash!" he called out, waving at the pegasus. "Find a doctor, now!”